The Arcobaleno

Chapter 16 - The World's Greatest Meister

Anastasia sat stiffly in the chair she had been gestured -more like pushed into-, her back was straight as she refrained from leaning on the chair; as if afraid that it would disadvantage her. After she had followed the man, who had introduced himself simply as John, they had driven away from the Academy. She had been blindfolded for the entire ride, due to 'secrecy reasons', despite her hesitance in complying with the man she had donned on the cloth without any verbal complaint. That however, didn't stop her from flaring her magic in a bubble around her to act as a barrier, she had also made sure that she had no direct contact with the men inside the car to avoid any...unsavory accidents from happening. With what they had done earlier she was taking no chances of being poisoned or attacked especially in such a limited space.

Slowly, so as to not arouse suspicion, the girl carefully surveyed the room; grey eyes taking in every detail of the room. Escape routes, amount of men inside the room, the available doors and the location of every window. After she had a mental picture of the room's layout in her mind, she moved to analyze the men themselves, from their weapons to an estimation of their magic levels.

"The World's Greatest Meister, we meet again." A voice intoned, equal parts mocking and wanting.

Her head snapped to stare at the men sitting in front of her. Judging from how the room snapped into attention, he must be the leader of all this. The girl took in her opponent, the man looked to be around his thirties with chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes. Despite his non-threatening appearance, the girl felt her magic growing volatile. There was something familiar about the man, familiar and dangerous at the same time.

"We've never met before." The girl replied curtly, her voice cold and devoid of emotions, not acknowleding the other parts of the sentence.

The man chuckled, moving to rest his hands on the desk, his eyes never leaving hers. "Perhaps not in this time, no."

Anastasia arched an eyebrow, fighting the urge to cross her arms. "What other time are you suggesting?"

He smiled, eyes closed as his lips pressed together in the semblance of a sinister smile. "The time when you were one of the Arcobalenos, of course."

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"This better be good Reborn. I'm losing good money right now." A woman spoke, her eyes glowing indigo despite her face being obscured by a matching coloured hood.

The hitman spared her a glance from where he was assembling his gun. "Oh it's good alright. She's back."

The woman jolted, her head lowering down ominously as a snarl pulled at her mouth; the only part of her face that was left visible by the hood. "Don't play jokes with me, hitman. She's been gone for years."

Before the annoyed man could retort, Leonora had stepped forward, a stack of papers held in her hand. "He's not joking Vivien." The assassin spoke as she handed the papers over to the other. "She really is back."

The illusionist said nothing, eyes already scanning the documents she now held in hand. There were a few minutes in which no one spoke and the only sounds in the room was the sharp flipping of the pages and the sharp 'clicks' of Reborn's gun. After Reborn had brought back Verde and Collonello had finally managed to cajole Vivien; with a hefty sum of money promised obviously, they gathered in their home by Celestial City; where they usually stayed.

"Is there any chances that these are forged?" The illusionist finally spoke.

"Are you implying that one of my works might be a fake?" Verde inquired, his glasses glinting dangerously in the light.