Leaving the city?

As Reiei considered the mission's total failure he ordered his Lance Corporal to give report of to the NOL headquarters, he walked towards the city gate, which was open to the world for him to walk. The werewolf thought about whatever his destination could be. For any soldier, the choice would be the Headquarters; Reiei didn't feel like it. Stupid weaklings, not even trying or willing to do more than they are ordered to...
Reiei smiled at the thought of seeing Ragna. So he's the man who is going to save the world? Well, he sure looks interesting. I think I'll take note of it. Reiei took a book, opened a blank page and, while walking, decided to draw Ragna on a page and write his impressions on the blank one at its right. Until we meet again, Ragna the Bloodedge.
As the nightwalker decided to take his leave, he looked at the night sky. I look forward at what'll come next...

ctf: Halloween Requiem
_______________________________________________________

"We meet again, young lad."
The rough and polite voice of an aged man reached out for Reiei as he walked towards the gate of Yabiko holding his book. He knew this familiar voice, which reached out to him from a dark alley near the main road.
"Unfortunately I am afraid that we won't have much time to idle and talk about the afternoon tea, yes? Or maybe...."
He made a brief pause as he seemed to remember something.
"...I now a good place in this city. It is well hidden, far away from the just eye of the Novus. Just follow my smell."
The next moment the presence of this intriguing man disappeared shortly after, but Reiei shouldn't have a problem remembering the smell and where it lead him.

Reiei didn't even open his mouth as he was listening carefully to every single word his master and idol could tell him.
When he disappeared, Reiei knew what to do and followed Valkenhayn's smell to wherever it lead him to. He decided to change his blue NOL vest for his black one, used for his moments of not serving the NOL. As the older werewolf said, the place he was heading for was safe from the NOL's eyes. Only a nocturnal could see them, and they would detect any that should ever come. When he stood face to his master, Reiei decided to talk. Quietly.
"If your presence isn't due to tea, please enlighten me on your reasons and your needs, Sir. What do you need me to do?"
He laid his back on a nearby wall and crossed his arms to listen to Valkenhayn's orders and remember every sound in them.

Soon they came to a building in the back of narrow roads. There was only a small yard and it was quite, yet there were people sitting around the entrance of the building. A small sign told anyone curious enough that they were in front of a tea shop. Valkenhayn sat at a round table as well when Reiei finally caught up to him. A small can and two cups as well as an empty seat invited the double agent firmly.
"Don't you want to sit down? You must have been running around all day. A tired body needs to rest!"
Spoke the old man with the silverish long hair as he poured some tea into the cup opposite to him.
"Well, one of my reasons were tea, have some! But you guessed well, I also have a request for you. How well is your research going? What is the Novus up to?"
It was a serious matter, but Valkenhayn remained calm. He smelled the odor of the tea...
"What a lovely aroma..."
...praised it and drank a bit.

Reiei watched as he was guided to a tea shop, and sat face to Valkenhayn. He took a sip from his cup before answering his elder.
"I agree in that I need a little rest after what I did; your tea is welcome, Sir. Now, the research isn't giving much result. I only know few things. First, there are defections, since it's the reason of my presence."
Reiei took a second sip as he was thinking about the more blurry intel. "Second, I've heard they took several wasted projects off their grave to work on them. I don't know why they are doing all that, but my opinion is that isn't just to fill the void left by the defects. I currently have no clue of what they are aiming to do."
The younger werewolf was a bit in thought as he said those words.

Valkenhayn, too, was lost in thought as he heard about the news. It seems the young Master Sergeant wasn't as successful as hoped.
"It is understandable that they strengthened their information network. They won the last confrontation clearly, unfortunately they aren't reckless now after such a great victory! It seems like they don't want Ragna the Bloodedge to come close to the Imperator by any means..."
"Very well. This conversation still gave me valid information about the matters at hand... I thank you very much for your hard work and stay careful... I am sure they are already aware of the fact that spies are wandering around."
Surprisingly the old butler kept his calm. Whenever Terumi is involved , he tends to lose his temper. But now, not even a slight growling came across his lips. Valkenhayn drank his tea and looked at Reiei. He smiled.
"Is there anything else you would like to say?"

Reiei sipped tea while Valkenhayn talked; he surprisingly (for himself) shared the same opinion.
"Well, I don't exactly feel like being a random soldier in the Librarium, but I think I will come back to the 13th Hierarchical City. That's usually where the interesting intel is and I was going to do that. If you have anything for me to do so it could alleviate your shoulders from some burden, tell me, Sir..."
Reiei was prepared to take his leave, but he would choose to move for his true masters a thousand times over going back to the NOL and melt in the crowds once more.

"Well, it would help me a lot to have a normal conversation for ones... that is why I was asking if you have anything else to say."
Valkenhayn smiled and kept sitting on the chair.
"But I understand your hurry... maybe we have to delay a fun talk to some other time... I will update you on any plans in the future. Right now I have to look after Bloodedge-dono since Rachel-sama is on a dangerous mission..."
He sighed and finally stood up. He seemed to feel uneasy about Rachel's decisions.
"We will meet again, Reiei-dono. And don't forget my warnings! Be very careful!"
If Reiei had nothing to add, Valkenhayn would walk away in a different direction on his search for Ragna.



==========> TBC: Sheol Gate

"It's bad how fast our work has already caught up to us..."
Reiei sounded a little sad. He would have liked his contacts with the older werewolf to be longer, and he could maybe have trained a little more as he didn't do well with his own werewolf abilities, and so many other problems he couldn't solve by now. But he had to shrug them off and show he was a strong man. For the time being.
"We will meet again, Sir Valkenhayn.", he said while he took his steps to leave. Time is definitely not nice to us, especially now we apparently lost it.
-----------(Exit)------------->