The moment Rias and Akeno stepped through the door's frame was the moment they felt it, it was different from the Holy element that was so harmful to devils, yet as devils, Rias and Akeno could clearly feel its holiness and divinity, yet where normal holy element hurt them, this one...
This one almost felt...
"So indifferent..."
Akeno whispered as she grasped her arms around herself, Rias didn't know if it was from her more masochistic pleasure or because of something different, yet even Rias nodded to her assessment, for even she could feel that holy element that should hurt her, being indifferent to her, it was like her's and Akeno's devil nature was insignificant in its eyes...
It was just soo strange... And soo new...
And then their eyes fell on the occupants of the room, they already knew about Neo as she introduced herself in the elevator, and her 'toy' the stray devil Viser...
They saw three women standing by windows as they watched them with sharp eyes, Rias could feel that strange holy element radiate from them, so different from Angel, fallen, or other know divinity...
Then they saw a woman who was very similar to Neo, yet who looked a little older, lay on the bed as she played with some strange device that looked like a more futuristic tablet, somehow it reminded Rias of what Ajuka Beelzebub was building, the girl or woman threw them one boring glance as if finding them insignificant she returned her gaze to her device, somehow it pricked Rias pride, but she long ago came to accept she wasn't center of the universe no matter how much she liked to portray herself as a protagonist of the manga she liked so much to read...
And then finally Rias eyes rested on the two last occupants of the room as her breath hitched, first she saw how some young-looking girl with pink hair sat behind the man as her mouth was deeply buried in the man's neck, Rias clearly knew what was happening, after all, she had Damphire in the peerage, still from the nonchalant looks, Rias understood that it wasn't any attack as the man clearly let the pink-haired girl suck his blood from such defenseless position as the girl's arms were around man's torso and her legs around his body, spooning him somehow awkwardly as the girl was clearly too small to play big spoon role, still the somehow pink-red eyes the girl had looked at them, and then as the Neo's copy ignored them as she once again closed her eyes, clearly more preferring to enjoy her snack in peace...
"Welcome, im Aegis Schnee, im sorry if I can't stand up and shake your hands, but as you can see, im somehow occupied."
Said the final occupant of the room, and probably the most dangerous one, as Rias eyes finally fell on him, she immediately knew why she looked at him as the last, for her eyes couldn't leave his...
It wasn't any attraction, even if the man was truly handsome, with jet black hair that reached his shoulders, a chiseled face as if the best artist worked for an entire life to create a true masterpiece or the ice-blue eyes that seemed to captive Rias most, she herself had blue eyes, yet the ones she now looked were so strange...
They felt soo...
Otherworldly...
And were those some strange symbols in them? Rias looked more, and she would think it was her imagination if not for them to flicker from time to time, clearly showing some strange snowflake glyphs...
"Thank you for meetings us, Schnee-san."
Akeno said as she saw her friend/king by in some trance, still Akeno didn't fault her, for she herself was for some time captived by the man's visage, and these eyes...
Oh, these eyes made Akeno tremble, she could see how these eyes looked at them, judging them, weighting them, waiting for them to fail some kind of test and kill them, Akeno could clearly see that such eyes belonged just too strong, after all, Akeno saw similar eyes in Rias brother's, the Satan Sirzechs had the same eyes that judged if Akeno was worthy to by Rias Queen, yet these blue eyes felt soo much more dangerous than Rias brother's that it wasn't even funny to measure on the same level...
"No need, you found me, that alone earned you a chance to speak with me, so what such fairy ladies wish to speak with me?"
Aegis said with a formal smile, as he looked at the devils before him, not judging them, his eyes briefly fell on the woman Neo brought, and seeing her ask him to heal her just enough to not die, Aegis nodded his head and sent life force into the woman's body, not enough to heal her and regrow her lower body, but enough not let her die and stop feeling pain, after all, she didn't seem to do anything to Neo or him, so Aegis didn't see a reason to be cruel to her, still he would speak with Neo about her after he is done with his visitors...
Neo pouted at him as she clearly could see the woman's body relax from no longer being able to feel pain, still it wasn't truly any problem, Aegis saw how Neo shrugged her shoulder's and just brought the severely injured woman to the bathroom where she threw her into the bathtub and then closed doors as she hopped on the bed, joining Neopolitan in playing some kind of game...
"Ah, im sorry, my name is Rias Gremory and this is my friend and Queen Akeno Himejima,
"Gremory-san, Himejima-san, please sit, will you have tea? Coffee? Or something else?"
Aegis asked as Rias and Akeno, with thanks, sat down and picked their drinks, Rias coffee and Akeno tea, they saw how the three women who looked at them with derision snorted, but the moment the man, Aegis told them, their faces changed into that of respect and submissiveness as they went prepare the drinks to the suite's tiny kitchen...
"So, what bring's you to me?"
Aegis asked with a tilt of his head, just to feel Krull tighten her hold on him, in clear annoyance, telling him to not move with his head or neck as she didn't stop sucking his blood in lazy, slow tempo, rather than eating she clearly enjoyed the fresh taste of Aegis blood...
"Schnee-san, do you know that this territory falls under my and mine friend's responsibility? It is needed of me to get to know about supernaturals who chose to live or even visit Kuoh."
"Hmm, is that so? Yes, I do know of your rule, but as a human, I did not find any need to report my existence to devil's who in truth, in my eyes do not rule above humans, if devils were common knowledge and ruled humans, that would by another matter, but with how it currently is, I as human don't see the reason to report to anybody as im not breaking any law."
Aegis said, ignoring the fact that Neo just brought a severely injured woman, and that Neo and Neopolitan probably already killed some criminals, that said, it was them and not him, and as Aegis said, he himself didn't break any human law as far as he knows...
Probably, when it comes to laws, even Aegis is sometimes confused about what is lawful and what is not...
Rias frowned, in truth, she knew he was halfway right, devil's hold of Kuoh meant that just Youkai's and three factions fell under that rule, the human magician's and other's weren't included in that as they never signed to it, and in truth, this IS the human world, so Rias no matter how much didn't want, accepted the Aegis reasoning, knowing when she lost...
"I see, then can I ask what you are, Schnee-san? Your name sounds German, but I never heard of such family, which is strange when I look at your power and power of people who are present there with you."
Rias said as she looked all around her, her eyes again scanning the occupants of the room.
"Hmm, yes if there was another power Schnee family, I can see it would be a problem for me, or rather my pride... No, im human, as I said, no matter how small part of me, and from where we are? You can say we are both visitors and a diplomatic envoy of the Solitas Kingdom that lays behind the thing called Dimensional Gap."
Aegis said something that made both Rias and Akeno's eyes widen in surprise.
"Beyond?!"
"Schnee-san, are you implying that you are from another world?"
Rias carefully asked with an amount of curiosity and nervousness, after all, to get through Dimensional Gap meant you must get through Great Red, someone who was taken as the strongest existence in the world...
"Why yes, you catch quickly, my world is named Remnant, don't ask why, it is a long story."
Aegis said with a smile as his words widened both girls' eyes even more.
"I-I see..."
Rias said as she mumbled and looked at Aegis with curious eyes, his presence now somehow explaining the strange holy element, after all, if he was from another world as he said, it could be possible that their elements and power laws worked differently, it was something Rias read from manga's and animes, it was a long stretch, but possible one...
"Schnee-san! I ask you for help!"
Rias said as she made up her mind, this was a rare opportunity, and with how much her father pushed, Rias knew she didn't have much time to befriend the man before her, no matter how much it grated on her consciousness, Rias didn't wish to bind herself to Riser at any cost, she refused to marry someone she didn't love or even pick, it was her life! It should be her decision!
"Hm?"
Aegis looked at Rias with an interested gaze, it was not every day someone completely unknown to him came to ask for his help, especially when Rias herself didn't know of his Kingly status...
"And what... You wish my help with?"
Aegis asked but already thought about possible gains, it was true, he could take everything with strength... But somehow that lacked the satisfaction?
The more stronger Aegis became, the more he realized that most of the things became... Kinda boring, true, he wasn't sad he was becoming stronger and stronger, after all, Aegis had family and loved ones to protect, it was just that he chose to flaunt his powerless and less, or he risked becoming completely bored of all victories against the weaker ones...
Akeno looked at Rias with worried eyes, she knew that her friend was more than distraught with her situation, Akeno herself didn't understand how a man who said about himself to by loving father could do something like this, to make his daughter mary man she obviously didn't like, still, Akeno wasn't blind, she could see that Rias dislike of Riser rose with each day, it wasn't because his harem or life of debauchery, Akeno knew that there were much worse devils, Riser could by said to be somewhere in the middle, not good guy, but not bad one either, but the fact that Rias didn't have a choice in that matter was the reason she detested Riser, and he was easier choice to detest rather than her own father or brother who always told her how much he loved her...
No, Akeno could clearly see why Rias detested Riser, and deep down she couldn't fault her, and to say Riser never ever tried to be seen as a faithful man and that too didn't help the matter or the fact he never spoke with Rias on even level, always speaking to her king as to some small girl as if she wasn't to marry him, and to make it worse, where Rias needed to by virgin, Riser could fool around how much he wanted, something that made Rias who always dreamed of romance even more bitter...
Still, Akeno was Rias friend, and no matter how much it was unfair to Riser, Akeno chose to be on her friend's side, as Rias herself forgot that Riser didn't have any say in that matter just like her, but where Riser has a lot to gain, Rias had all to lose, as no matter how Akeno looked at it, the entire marriage was in Riser's favor...
"I-I need your help Schnee-san! I-I wish to by free..."
Rias said as emotions started to show on her face, a represed emotions of helplesness, no matter what she tried, no matter what she did, she never saw a way from her predicment another way than gaining peerage, Rias at first wanted to train, to become better, just to see there was nobody to help her, her brother was too busy as Satan, Graifia was too busy with ehr position as Queen and his right hand, and every time she tried to hire someone to help her with her allowance, next day she found them rejecting her offer, one time it was okay albeit hurtfull to her pried as Gremory heir, the second time she started to feel doubt, and the third, the third time Rias tried and failed to buy someone's time to train her was the time she knew something was going on, just when she asked for her brother's help, in sending some of his peerage members's to train her to which Sirzech's said yes, she the next night overhead shouting match between her brother and her father who was forbiding him to send someone to train her...
The moment Milicas was born was the moment Rias fate was sealed...
That was the moment Rias knew the truth, it was the moment Rias clearly saw that she wasn't heir of Gremory, but Milicas, that her father didn't wish to female family head, but male one, that he wanted to use her to tie Phenex family to them with this marriage...
Of course, Rias knew that even if her brother couldn't send someone to train her, he still helped her with finding peerage member's for her, even her going to the human world was just a way to escape her father who let her just because he believed that she wouldn't find anybody worthy there to help her...
"A free, huh?"
Aegis asked as he looked at Rias trembling form as he felt something.
"Damed that complex..."
Aegis muttered, he knew that the more time he spent with his loved ones the more he mellowed down and softened, still to make his heart feel pity just because someone beautiful was in need of his help make him feel the need to help her?
This was Weiss fault, Aegis knew how much she wanted for him to feel like a human, and so was adding females to his harem just because she thought it would make him happier, yet she didn't know that all changes weren't good, just like this one where even some strange yet beautiful girl made Aegis heartbeat in need to help her...
"I-I don't want to marry him..."
Rias muttered as her eyes teared, not making it any easier for Aegis.
"A marriage contract? I see, why don't you take a deep breath and tell me your full story?"
Aegis asked as he shielded his heart, after all, he needed to be clear-headed in such matters...
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*Author note*
Support me with your Stones? :P
Btw, I don't see Rias or Riser wrong, both sides have their own opinions and reasons, and I completely understand Rias' mind, after all, how would YOU feel if you were to marry someone you didn't like? To live for THOUSANDS of years with him? Yes, you could come to like that person, but that would come with time, a time where Rias would feel devasted, and at the same time, so her BLACK/WHITE worldview isn't so strange.
Especially if you were raised to by HEIR of one of the most important families, just to find out you must mary someone else and gives up of your position as the entire devil society clearly is a patriarchal one, and give a choice, Riser would be on top and Rias on the bottom...
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!