The Keys To The Country [Nozomi, Mana]

The first series thoughts to pop into the mind of The Demon Queen was that the Quincy before her was quite stiff, rigid and very down to the point in a cutthroat business fashion. Not that there was anything wrong with that persona, per say. However, to The Reagle Demoness, The First Quincy's facial expressions, mannerisms and even her aura and words seemed to be more dead than her own army of the damned; a collective hive of tens of millions of spirits that The Mistress of Madness had slaughtered with her own hands. And for someone who commands the element of death to make that kind of judgement? Well, that's quite the grounds for making a bold statement if there ever was any.

Nevertheless, though, she would genuinely hear out the request that the aqua haired woman had to say. In the background of her words, though, The Queen would notice the peculiar nature of Nozomi's energy. Watching their essences make a waltz throughout the skies yielded Mana to pay attention to the very aura her power gave off. Sensing that there was some sort of tension in the collection of particles that comprised The Quincy's spiritual energy, The Asthavon could deduce that there was a sort of struggle going on. Could it be a battle between life and death? A clash amongst sanity against insanity? There could be a million reasons for such a thing, but there was a sense of hostile intent that emitted from it. And upon detecting that? This event caused The Reagle Demon react internally in order to have her own guard ready for the off chance that this strange force made a move on her person.

The Mad Maiden's own energy was like a volcano in a sense. Even in it's current state, it was still very much in an idle place of being. So during this lull, from the outside, it could look like quite dazzling and non-threatening display of magma power based upon how it's master wielded it. Yet, if one were to give it a subtle enough push? The lava would begin to boil, the skies would turn to ash and the true colors and weight of this lethal force would come full circle; raining down an endless of molting chaos, discord and outright madness as it's done so many times before in the past. So while one may seek to subjugate this energy -- the very force of Lunacy would seek to pounce and terminate those who oppose this order.

Thus, with the devouring nature of Onikagahi and the ravening destruction of Chaos dancing in the skies; most spirits whom were unaware of the origins of these two freaks of nature truly could not appreciate the spectacle before them. Not many souls dared to realize how close they were to outright war if either of these ladies decided to pull the trigger to their own collective and frightening powers. And for the world at large? The talk of diplomacy and peace would be the best outcome for these maiden's of carnage to come together as.

That being the case, Mana's eyes seemed to horne in with the utmost of focus on Nozomi's being as she started her speech. Uttering words that spoke of the desire to own land before yet another grand-scaled war break out brought about a slight chuckle of amusement. From The Queen's end of things? It wasn't every day that a soul brought about this request, but due to their efforts in Australia, she'd more than indulge the request. As a matter of it, were it not for the calm demeanor and clear-cut approach of Nozomi's aura, The Demoness may have very well taken the sudden influx of her energized wisps as a hostile manner. But alas, she held her ground and emitted yet another soft and entertained laugh.

Watching the formation of Europe on her holographic map made The Demon Queen tap her chin and wonder which location The First Quincy had in mind. After a few moments of scrolling through the virtual lands, the visuals of the country "Switzerland" would come to pass. Raising an intrigued eyebrow at her choice, Mana paid more attention as she stated her reasons for wanting the nation. Of course Mana was more than willing to wage a war if it meant to defend her rule, but perhaps this could indeed be beneficial to her own motives. Flashing back to imagery of Khala Asthavon, rumors of a plot to assault the Soul Society soon came to flourish within the front most centers of Mana's consciousness. Yearning for the gate of hell to be opened with great sacrifice, seeking to cause great harm to the Soul King's people and desiring to become the controller of the Soul Cycle with the Soul King and Truth out of the picture; The Heart of Deveta was obviously plotting something big and The Demon Queen presumed she needed as much muscle as they could muster.

Thus, with her assigned role to ensure that hell is forged without a pitch, The Maiden of Madness decided that perhaps The First Quincy would be useful towards their purposes. Through allowing her control of these lands, they would be given the keys towards moving into something much grander than the mortal realm. Although Mana herself had no interest in expanding beyond Demon World and The Living Realm, The Mistress of Lunacy did feel obligated to assist her demented Demon God in it's efforts and would continue to do so even with this very talk. So, to that end, Mana's terms would be laid out before Nozomi.

"I'll get right to the chase: you can rule over the country as you see fit -- provided you work alongside us. Nay, I'm not asking you to drink the blood of a goat and become a full fledged demon like myself; nor am I requesting you become one of my henchmen or anything silly like that. Instead, think of it as a mercenary deal. In exchange for ruling over that country, I ask that you assist Shadow Fall and myself when the time comes, darling." After she was finished speaking, The Demoness would then hold out her right hand towards Nozomi. In it? A sphere of neon fire developed within the palm of her hand. Inside of this mystic flare would be the contents of their plans for the coming months. Being neatly sealed within by The Manic Queen's magic, The Asthavon sought to bestow these thoughts upon Nozomi's mind -- should she chose to accept it. Within them would be visions of Khala's future assault on the Thirteen Court Squads playing out, the details of their invasion would ensue and The First Quincy should have a clear picture of what her motive was: to assist in the success of their plans.

"I'd also like to mention if the terms of this agreement is breached, I will seek to reclaim control of that nation. I do not thirst for yet another enemy amongst my ranks, but I feel some token of gratitude for what ye did in Australia and seek to repay you in this matter. On the other hand, darling, I do not wish to see this as a means of some sort of device to, yanno, overthrow me and pierce a nail in my heart like in those charming old vampire movies. So if we can agree to that, I can turn the other eye to that and let you do as you please. I merely request the bases we've already established there remain; although they shouldn't interfere in your doings. It's simply insurance for if something does goes wrong. Ye seem like a dangerous business woman, no? So you should understand how these things work most of all."

Once finished having her words echo out throughout the wind, Mana would then whimsically flick her wrist and fling the sphere of fire towards her. There didn't seem to be any sort of aggressive movements on Mana's behalf, so it was up to Nozomi how to take this orb as The Demon Queen began speaking once more: "Oh, and honey, I'd like to request your assistance in an upcoming attack of sorts within the coming months. All the information you need will be engraved within that ball if you so seek to inscribe it into your being."

With all of that said, The Royal Queen could do nothing but sit back on her throne of shadow's and await to see what the reaction of The First Quincy would be.

How quaint. Even the Demon Queen is put off around me. My people skills are clearly lacking. While not a muscle fluttered about the blue-haired beauty, she jested to herself and laughed internally. There was a soul within this being, but it was hidden very well. There was increased activity in Mana's mind suggesting discomfort; and while her body did not reflect that, she would know it deep down. The way the Onikagahi behaved also seemed to contribute to the coldness being given off. Nozomi could see the latent Chaos unsettling within the demon, stirred from its slumber, but not agitated enough to roil into action. Still, the Quincy would not overreact to these subtle details, and would not even appear to notice them from the outside. This chain reaction of tension did not need to persist: Nozomi would further tighten her grip on the errant Onikagahi and squeeze until it submitted. Its presence would soften and become relaxed, making the air easier to breathe in. When the two ladies' auras brushed up against each other, it was a much gentler touch than before, no longer like the caress of a naive lamb to a hungry wolf. Again, Nozomi was still, silent, and seemingly oblivious to the changes.

Thankfully, none of this noise would impact the diplomatic conversation, as when Nozomi finally began to delve into her request, Mana would focus on the subject at hand instead. Something clicked in her mind when the Quincy concluded with an open proposal, causing the latter to crack a soft smile. The response came swift and sound, clearly about something that was already hanging on her mind. Lo and behold, Nozomi received the answer she was wanting, and it was almost expected. She just did not expect it to be so easy. Mana would quickly depart with the small country like it was little more than a collectible toy, in exchange for a mercenary's task. As she would summon into her palm an orb forged of thoughts, the holographic image of Switzerland would disperse to return the room to its spectral green hue. She'd then peer into the object before it was even handed over, able to take the abstraction to pieces in her mind and deduce for herself the plot sealed within in a matter milliseconds. The Quincy was a creature of the mind, and thought was her forte. While the orb was no doubt formatted to be easily readable by any old layman, it was yet another triviality that Nozomi only accepted for the sake of politeness. It was tossed her way and she would halfheartedly bring her hand up to intercept it as though it were a physical object. Realizing the short breadth of the assignment contained within, there was one conclusion that she had come to: Mana placed a high worth onto the First Quincy's work.

All of the terms set out by the Demon were acceptable, none of them quite interfering with her plans for the lovely plot of land. It had to be reiterated just how easy the deal between these two was; almost too easy. Nozomi would not argue the point though, as she'd gotten what she'd come for. There was a slight pause as she turned the orb around in her hand, absentmindedly observing the small blaze that was trapped into the shape of a sphere. There wasn't much else to say—any further dialogue between the two would be classified as small talk, idle and non-constructive. ''I can only appreciate the brisk and earnest fashion you've received me with, Miss Asthavon. The terms are acceptable, and you can consider the job done, and Switzerland in good hands. Now let's not waste any more of your precious time.'' It was obvious schmoozing, but schmoozing nonetheless, as Nozomi would bow her head toward the Throne. It was not a gesture of submission, but one of respect—newfound, in fact. ''Have a good day,'' she concluded, and with that her body would freeze in this pose, while the space around her warped and began to fizzle. The fabric of reality would turn around on itself and conceal Nozomi in a black hole that light could not permeate. This darkness would hang in the room for a moment, a loud wind-like sound coming from it as the light around its edges vibrated erratically. Then, without warning, it collapsed into an infinitesimal point before becoming nothingness. Only the now-aimless wisps of Onikagahi remained behind, hanging in the air harmlessly.

The dance between The Mad Demon's aura and The First Quincy's had all but came to a non-aggressive end. On the side of The Queen's chaotic origins? It more than sensed that the opposing force seemed to back off to an extent. Therefore, it's weary mind would further begin to grow dim as it appeared the time for it's awakening was not yet on the horizon. Licking her lips ever so slightly, Mana briefly acknowledged the subtle conflict and observed that her energy was beginning to grow a mind of it's own. It brought about a small chuckle to escape from her pale lips as it seemed that the prowess behind The Sapphire Haired Quincy seemed to be kept on a leash. In a way? She almost wanted to consciously see it become unhinged if it so wanted to dominate The Mistress. So to that end, the lunatic forged force would disburse one final burst of green, black and golden light from it's being to disburse throughout the area and dispel the end of the remainder of Onikagahi's energy and dissolve the last of the chaotic tension in the air.

Once the light show had ended, Mana could only use her right hand as a fan of sorts to playfully cool herself; despite the fact her skin was colder than ice at this time. It brought such a delight to her mood that they were having quite the little playdate here. Viewing that smile which began to come across the seemly dead face of The Quincy made Mana very pleased. In fact, she outright started cackling in response to it as it was about time she showed some actual emotion. For a moment there -- The Demoness even thought that The Lone Woman was one of those lifeless mannequins you see in the window-shops of those fancy-dancy clothing stores. So to see some expression, a bit of liveliness and a cackle in her spirit from that internal laugh was what Mana sought after and would explicitly comment on.

"AH, DARLING, I thought you went comatose on me there for a moment. It's nice to see such a pretty face like yours have a warm smile show it's roots." Through the formation of a solidified hand molded together by her emerald hued energy, Mana sought to cusp Nozomi's cheek and chuckle with greet glee at the sight before her. "Ye' should make more faces like that. It makes your soul radiate oh-so-much more brighter. I could also gobble it up." Winking at the end, Mana was certainly in a lively state of mind now. But, be that as it may, there were almost literal meanings to what she said as well. Tasting the air around her, The Queen was even able to consume trace reishi associated with The First Quincy's booming aura. To which -- it tasted like blueberry. That caused Mana to snap her fingers and say this much to the girl: "It's no wonder you have blue hair as well. The very essence of your being -- taste like mother's blueberry pie."

When finished making those statements, there was a very serious and dead pan look across Mana's face. The Maiden of Madness sounded very stern and serious in that period of time -- before she broke into a mischievous and hard to hold back smile; twisting her lips in a essentice matter as she started to speak once more: "Oh dear mother, I wish you were still around to see this. But I went and killed the whole damn cult. BAHHAHAHAHAAHAH!" Now having a hardy laugh bellow throughout the area, Mana wiped the tears away from her eyes and decided to get a bit more serious about this whole little ordeal about the nation. You'd think she'd have a more serious and critical mind towards this whole arrangement -- but honestly -- Mana didn't care. This life was as finite as a bird's flight in the sky. Even her own rule would be put to an end one day, for nothing in this universe is eternal until ye become one with death. So until that time came, everything else was but a ride. The good, the bad and downright ugly were all apart of this joke, this farce and this game that was known as life.

Hearing Nozomi go on about her appreciation towards receiving the country made Mana, in an obligatory fashion, nod her head. After all, there didn't need to be any more confirmation than that as they both agreed to the terms crafted in power. Still -- it made Mana rather bug eyed to watch The Quincy bow before her. When those associated even with her own kingdom, The Queen often tells them that their just being plain silly. You'd think one that enforces an iron rule like hers would have a different feeling towards the act of bowing, but Mana was never really fond of it if people already understood her intentions and knew which lines to cross and which not to. So, with a wave of her hand, Mana chuckled lightheartedly and said this: "Aye, aye. That isn't necessary, 'sugah. As long as we both understand the groundworks between this lil' agreement of ours, we'll be as brisk as lemon tea and ice in a glass jar."

Nodding her head at her own humor, Mana would roll her wrist and proceed to have the skies fade back to a dull grey as the last of this meeting was clearly coming to an end. Hearing the duty-bound words "have a nice day" made Mana once again shake her head out of compelled nature before watching The Quincy begin to dissipate and fade away in a subtly fashion. Shrugging each of her shoulders at the method in which the woman decided to fade away in, The Queen decided to begin walking back towards her castle and begin getting to work with her plans over the year. At least once new ally was made, a very powerful one at that; so her plans were coming along nicely. It would only be a matter of time, however, to see the success of them.

But alas, that sort of thinking could come later. All of this social interaction made The Demoness quite parched. Thus, the mouth of The Demon Queen was dry and the last thing which echoed throughout the area was this: "Damn...I need a drink." And to that? She'd be sure to hastily dissipate into her castle for her favorite glass: a chilled top shelf Grey Goose and Tonic. Quite the delightful end to a well long and overdrawn meeting.

[center][EXIT AND END THE THREAD][center]