She Makes My Earth Quake

The Game Is On

Mephisto P.O.V

My last paper for this morning and I'll be promptly on schedule for a well-deserved snack! A strawberry glazed lemon cheesecake awaits my pleasure once I've finished filing and signing off on the stack of papers. She's all I can look forward to at the moment, and I'm wiggling in my seat as I push the pile aside in the 'Finished' corner of my desk with anticipation. At the snap of my finger, the prepared dessert was set before me in all her glistening beauty. Every ingredient already sang to me in all my senses. The floating strawberry seeds in the drizzled glaze over the brightly yellow tinted cake made of smooth cream cheese and the golden tan crust! I could erupt the beautiful sight, the colors alone made my figurative heart skip a beat! Yet at the same time what I wanted to be the sound of a woman whispering just as sweet nothings to my ear, was harshly welcomed by the office door being swung practically off its hinges. I almost expected to see the heavy black boots and white frosted hair of the previous man who had the nerve to burst into the room always unannounced. But instead, it was a flash of white and blond and fortunately he spared my clothes the wrinkles from not grabbing me by the collar instead smacking his hands on my desk, making my little treat quiver with the shock wave. Tch, Paladins....

"Angel I appreciate your enthusiasm but you must refrain from breaking down the door." I moved the small dish to the side in the unfortunate pending side of things I must attend to still blocking his shouting from my ears unable to break my gaze from the cake starting to adjust to the room temperature. My stomach growled as what hopes a demon could have had, were all let down. "Now.. calm down and tell me without yelling to the heavens, I've been conveniently placed right in front of you so you don't have to speak so loudly."

"Simply put demon, and I don't wish to repeat it this way; you and I have.." Angel gritted his teeth angrily shaking in his spot, "family issues to attend to."

What is he talking about? I would have much ratcheted the long explanation of things so I wouldn't be looking like he spoke a language I hadn't known. Tilting my head and raising a brow, "Come again?"

"Damn it Mephisto! You sent them on that mission, your younger brother—" he was cut off from the explanation by an ear splitting cracking sound and the entire building jerked like a car being stopped at top speed. From that moment I seemed to have shut my eyes and let things fall where they would, and the next thing I had realized was opening my eyes to murder.

The delicate sweet soiree I arranged to mingle with crushed under the heavy saucer the strawberry glaze drying like blood onto the floor and with her so was my hopes of ever enjoying my lunch break in satisfaction; crush! And now the state of my office, book cases, and filing cabinets toppled over the windows shattered and the furniture was thrown about.

"Agh, Sir Pheles?" Angel grumbled pinned against the wall by my office desk that was heavy as is but the sofa as well pinning against it. "What was that?"

Still catching my bearings in the mixed up chaos of the room, I had been jolted to the far corner of the front where the window has shattered and my eyes spotted a split in the office, from the foundation, and up the walls as if it could just fall in two separate pieces! "An earthquake." I answered picking myself up and dusting the fallen debris off my top jacket, "You mentioned my younger brother. I'm willing to bet you were talking of Amaimon. He told me he went back to Gehenna, but he's back and without permission and I believe I know why so yes Angel you and I do have family matters to attend to. Stop standing around, your niece is in trouble we need to go!" Amaimon thinks his pathetic little heart is in pain now, little brother just wait till I'm through with you!!

"Your desk!!" Angel yelled again shaking the wooden desk against the couch as another tremor of the earth rumbled and further split the room in half, causing my balance to be compromised yet again and stumbling to keep on my feet until the books on top of the bookcase fell out and onto my head. "Mephisto stop playing around out there!" He grunted as the now lighter book case shifted with the moving earth and ended up stacking itself on the pile that pinned him to the wall, "I can't breathe!"

"Kya Arthur!" his sword cooed from its holster, "I can get you out just set me free!"

"I can't Excalibur," he struggled more, "If I move now I'll be crushed, Mephisto!"

His voice was either getting more obnoxious or I've been reconnected with a rootamental demonic nature of being shortly fused, not to mention my head throbbed from being hit with one of the heavy books from the shelf. "Who the hell puts heavy books on a top shelf!?" At this point there's no holding in my ranting, I think I'm very much entitled to throwing a fit now. "In the case of an event like this, heavy books should ALWAYS be on the bottom to mid shelves but never higher! I'm going to fire my office organizer that wench! And I heard you the first time!" Lifting myself from the ground my vision fading into hues of red the clocks hands came to a stop and with a swipe of my hand, I tossed the furniture off of Angel.

"Finally. I'm okay.." I watched him pat himself down with relief.

"You poor thing." A growl sharply escaped my clenched jaw taking in the condition of the wrecked office and all the paperwork to be redone.

"Everything is floating." Arthur poked at a book floating in mid air, "Is this time standing still?"

"Just the concept, you're very much still growing old just as you were two seconds ago."

"I don't understand..."

"No, not many do. It's a very intricate thing to manipulate one would have to be just the same to begin to dream of doing such a thing. Now I'm not going to sit here and waste myself trying to explain to someone that could never wrap their mind around the laws they simply throw into 'God's hands while we have matters to attend to elsewhere. If you began to think I've been reduced to wizardry and parlor tricks you've been sadly mistaken." Ripping the glove off my hand to bare my blackened nails with a simple chant my eyes dilating to see the threads that keep the world sewn together and made a clean cut through it aligning our path with the group of students however I wasn't locking on to them specifically, only one person was able to draw me to the exact location. A woman like strawberry glazed lemon cheesecake, (may the darling slice rest in peace, but this one I'd prefer to open up and eat over anything else!~)

"Mephisto?!" Shura's surprised gasp met my ears and soothed some frayed nerves. "What the hell is going on?!"

"My niece Shura, where is she?!" Arthur came between us.

"I-I don't know she ran off with her familiar. I'm sorry Angel, this is all my fault. If I had just taken the mission alone instead of dragging them along with me. I just-"

The look of panic and guilt didn't suit her face, I watched as she tried apologizing, but I couldn't understand why. Surely she understands that I wouldn't send her against my brother; alone for that matter. The original mission was intended to be just fine for others to attend, she is a teacher after all and what better way for anyone to learn than to have hands on experience, also I was lending a hand to Larrisa, she is peacing her family history together I thought a lead in her father's direction would be of some use. Even if she hadn't brought them along this earthquake was bound to happen, and Larrisa would still be faced with a violent demon king.

"Just tell me which way they went!" Angel demanded.

"That way!" Yukio pointed, "My brother and the rest of the group followed shortly after. Not by my recommendation Sir. I should have stopped them but I..." He faded off looking to be replaying a memory just on the surface of his eyes. Doubt and pain ached in his brows narrowing closer.

"I didn't go after them because-"

"Enough!" My head began to throb again, their human emotions were all so cute yet this was a time of seriousness, I couldn't stand for them to turn into soft blubbery messes that they go sobbing to old priests at church, not now! "You've both played your move on the board, they might not have been the best of plays but it's left you alive! Now stop crying over it and make use with what you still have left! The clocks might have stopped but life is still moving, and where there is life there will be death if you stand in frozen time for too long it will catch up with you."

"Sir Pheles we don't need any of your riddles at this time. Can you get us to Lannie or not?" Angel turned back to me a shining determination illuminated his frame. Ah, we don't call him 'Angel' for his attitude you know!~

"That is more like it! I can!"

"Yukio, Shura get Lannie to safety once we're there. Pheles and I will handle the Earth King."