Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a relatively uneventful evening, Vahn met up with Yuri and Evan to enjoy breakfast before heading to the cafe, where he was intended to meet the representatives of the Families who had pestered the Ha Family Leader. This included a fashionable young woman from the Khun Family, an intellectual beauty from the Yeon Family, an adorably petite girl representing the Eurasia Family, a cold-looking woman with silvery-white hair and matching eyes from the Arie Family, and, somewhat surprisingly, a sporty-looking girl with Zebra-like features from the Lo Po Bia Family.

As was often the case whenever they were trying to 'scout' a promising Regular for inclusion into their Family, the Leaders of the Ten Great Families had sent delegations composed of members of the opposite sex. Though the Yeon and Eurasia Family was an exception, the intentions of the other delegates were pretty transparent. They had effectively been chosen as a 'honey pots', girls selected in an effort to try and bind him to their respective Families via seduction or the promises of various 'favors'.

Truth be told, Vahn actually felt a little sorry for the girls since they were essentially being 'sacrificed' by their Families in order to allure him into their fold. Some, specifically the woman from the Lo Po Bia Family, hadn't even been given a choice in the matter. She was ordered to do 'whatever it took' to try and lure him in since the Lo Po Bia Family Head had taken a keen interest in his Pokemon. As for the rest, the Khun and Arie Family representatives were essentially just here to demonstrate that their Families weren't afraid of the Ha Family while the youthful-looking girl from the Eurasia Family had been sent to 'confirm' Soo-Yun's report.

Simply put, none of the women had any particular interest in him, and, if not for the orders they had received from their respective Families, they wouldn't be here. After all, with the exception of the Zebra-like woman from the Lo Po Bia Family, forced to sit away from everyone else, the others were all Rankers. They each had their own ambitions, and, though they understood the importance of securing talent for the Family, none of them were particularly enthused by the prospect of being bound to a Regular. If not for the fact that their target was 'somewhat handsome', they would have complained quite a bit about the current situation...

Understanding the innermost thoughts of everyone present, courtesy of the Law of Identity, Vahn couldn't help adopt a slightly amused smile as he made his way over to the table with the Zebra-like woman from the Lo Po Bia Family. This caused her to pale considerably, not because she was fearful of him, but because she had suddenly become the center of attention for all the Rankers present.

Completely ignoring the tense atmosphere, Vahn casually asked, "Have you eaten? I had breakfast beforehand, but I can order something if you're feeling peckish."

With an expression that seemed to convey, 'what the hell is wrong with you?', the representative of the Lo Po Bia Family forced a smile as she answered, "I'm fine...thank you for your-"

Before she could finish her statement, a small rumbling could be heard from the woman's stomach, her expression freezing as her complexion became whiter than the representative of the Arie Family. This caused Vahn to respond with a light chuckle as he waved over the waitress that was standing nervously off to the side. Her expression also paled quite a bit, but, with a job to due, she ultimately came over to take his order before hastily departing for the back room as if she were fleeing for her life...

Maintaining a casual smile, Vahn followed the waitress's departure with his eyes before shifting his attention to the four girls sitting at the nearby table. Unsurprisingly, the representative from the Yeon Family was completely incensed. As for the representatives from the Khun, Arie, and Eurasia Families, the first had an amused smile on her face, the second appeared completely expressionless, and, as could be expected, the third had yet to even awaken from her slumber...

Matching gazes with the member of the Yeon Family, Vahn adopted a slightly teasing smile as he remarked, "A hateful glower doesn't suit you. Though I won't tell you to smile, I'm confident you would appear even more beautiful without such a severe expression marring your countenance."

Not expecting a sudden compliment, the woman from the Yeon Family blinked in confusion as the representative from the Khun Family issued a light chuckle before stating, "You're rather bold, aren't you? Tell me, is it the backing of the Ha Family that gives you such confidence, or are you actually a little monster~?"

Shifting his gaze to the blue-haired beauty, Vahn sent a playful wink in her direction as he replied, "I assure you, there is nothing 'little' about me." in a deep, velvety, tone. This caused the woman from the Khun Family to lick her lips in a rather seductive manner, a carnivorous glimmer flashing across her eyes as she mused, "This might not be a complete waste of time..."

Though he was tempted to continue their little play, Vahn took advantage of the woman's words to explain, "I'm afraid you'll have to walk away disappointed. Though I am truly fortunate to be able to bear witness to so many remarkable beauties, I've no interest in those who look down upon others."

Frowning in response to Vahn's words, the member of the Khun Family looked towards the empty space they had prepared for him to stand. She hadn't really cared at first, but, in hindsight, it might not have been particularly sensible of them to place their pride as Rankers before the duty they had been assigned. Unfortunately, the die had already been cast, so, with a dismissive shrug, she rose to her feet and remarked, "Shame...and I was actually starting to take an interest in you. See ya around, monster boy."

With that said, the woman from the Khun Family began to make her way towards the exit, an action mirrored by the taciturn beauty from the Arie Family. Before they left, however, the former seemed to remember something, a smile spreading across her face as she glanced over her shoulder and said, "The name's Leticia, by the way. Khun Leticia. Commit it to memory. I'll be sad if you forget it before our next meeting."

Finished with her words, Leticia promptly departed the cafe, leaving the silver-haired beauty from the Arie Family to idle for several seconds before she finally stated, "Sona..." in a refined yet frosty tone. Then, despite the fact she had nearly departed without so much as a single word, she offered a formal bow before raising her head and adding, "The Workshop Battle...I will be watching..." in the same icy tone.

Since his impression of Sona had been entirely based on the Law of Identity's representation of her, Vahn was a little taken aback by her paradoxically courteous yet cold behavior. She was clearly not accustomed to conversing with people, and, had they been alone, he could easily imagine her just sitting in silence throughout the entire meal. She suddenly gave off the impression of an extremely elegant and refined blade; cold, emotionless, and perfectly suited for killing...

Unfortunately, Sona departed immediately after her words, so, even though he felt a sudden desire to know more about her, the opportunity had come and gone. This was a little regretful, but, as he wasn't exactly hurting for companionship, Vahn could only shake his head in self-admonition before shifting his attention to the representative of the Yeon Family. Her hateful glower had returned, and, though it was significantly less prominent, it was rather obvious that she wasn't very thrilled about how things had developed.

Seizing the initiative for himself, Vahn returned a smile as he remarked, "I'm surprised you decided to stick around. As far as I know, the members of the Yeon Family are notorious misandrists. Though any man would be lucky to be paired with such a remarkably beautiful woman, I have no interest in becoming a manservant of the Yeon Family."

Though she was annoyed by Vahn's words, the representative of the Yeon Family couldn't maintain her hateful glower when he referred to her as a 'remarkably beautiful woman'. She, like the majority of the women in her family, had an excessive amount of pride and vanity. As a result, her expression relaxed in a haughty smile as she combed through her fringe and affirmed, "Do not view me in the same regard as these shallow and shameless trumpets. My only reason for being here is to ask you a few questions. Once you have answered my questions, I will be on my way."

Chuckling in response to the woman's words, Vahn rekindled the woman's ire by plainly asserting, "I have no intention of being interrogated. If you want to avoid the indignity of having your questions completely ignored, I would suggest you move on to more important matters. Neither you nor your Family has anything of value to offer me, so what reason do I have to entertain you? The only thing you will achieve by threatening me is ensuring I side with another of the Ten Great Families. The Ha Family, in particular, has offered me quite a number of benefits..."

Though her expression darkened with the addition of each sentence, the representative of the Yeon Family didn't immediately respond to his words. She wasn't in a position to speak on behalf of her Family, so, with Vahn making it clear he wasn't going to be pressured so easily, she wasn't sure how to move forward. They were currently in a district reserved for Regulars, so, while she could try and intimidate him, any actual attack against him would result in the Guardian of the Floor killing her in an instant...

Realizing she was the one who had been backed into a corner, crimson flames began to manifest around the representative of the Yeon Family as she slowly rose to her feet and hissed, "The Yeon Family will remember this slight..." before storming out of the cafe. Unfortunately, due to her long black hair, Vahn wasn't able to enjoy her departure as much as he had the previous two.

Now that all the troublesome elements had been dealt with, Vahn stretched his body to remove some of the tensions that had built up before looking towards the befuddled Zebra-like woman and saying, "I understand the position you're in, so I'm not going to make things complicated for you. I can't join the Lo Po Bia Family, but I can help you avoid punishment by allowing you to join me. I can't explain the details unless you're willing to submit to a contract, but I can assure you that even the Lo Po Bia Family Leader won't be able to extend his hand to you."

Not expecting such an offer out of nowhere, the Zebra-like woman could do little more than gawk for nearly a minute before slumping her shoulders and answering, "That's impossible...nobody can guarantee such things. You might be very powerful, but you have no idea how strong the Leaders of the Ten Great Families are. Though I might suffer a beating if I fail to complete my assignment, I am sure to die if I abandon the Family..."

Though he understood he couldn't save everyone, Vahn wasn't comfortable with the knowledge that he would effectively be sentencing the woman to a fate worse than death if he sent her away. The branches of the Lo Po Bia Family were constantly vying for a higher status so they spared no effort in trying to make a positive impression on the Family Leader. As a result, the leaders of her own branch were bound to take exception to the fact she had failed in the task assigned to her by the man they worshipped as a God. She wouldn't be killed, but, for the remainder of her life, she would be forced to endure tremendous suffering...

Shaking his head in response to the woman's words, Vahn adopted a firm tone as he said, "Send a message to your Handler. Tell them you have succeeded in infiltrating my team and will be joining me for the duration of the Workshop Battle. You don't have to lie to them by saying I have agreed to join the Lo Po Bia Family. Just tell them I am also interested in the legendary creatures created by the Lo Po Bia Family Leader so I wouldn't mind doing an information exchange in the future. For the time being, you will accompany me to act as a liaison between myself and the Lo Po Bia Family. Do you have any objections...?"

Hearing Vahn's final question, the zebra-like woman spontaneously snapped out of her momentary stupor, her eyes widening as she rapidly shook her head. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but, for a brief moment, Vahn gave off a similar impression as the Elders in her family. Her instincts compelled her to obey the strong, so, before she fully realized what was going on, the text message had already been sent. This earned her a comforting pat on the head, easing all of the tensions that had permeated throughout her body as Vahn added, "Let's go home..." in a firm yet guiding tone...

Feeling a similar compulsion as before, the zebra-like woman rose to her feet alongside him. Before they could awaken the member of the Eurasia Family and depart, however, the waitress from before suddenly emerged from the kitchen with their order. This caused Vahn to pause for a brief moment, his expression similar to a Noh Mask. Then, following a lighthearted laugh, he urged her to sit back down so that she could pacify the demon rumbling in her stomach...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Top 10 Anime betrayals...','Vahn might mess around, but he doesn't play games xD...','RIP Zebra-chan...there is no escape...')

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