"Aejaz..." Ares could do nothing but tiredly mutter his brother''s name as he face palmed upon finding the doofus conked out on a show mattress... This guy... If Ares hadn''t been snooping around the lady-wear section earlier like some kind of pervert he would have found this incredibly embarrassing! As for what Aejaz had purchased, through legal means obviously, there were some playing cards and dice just as Ares predicted. There was also a small pile of books ranging from romance to... True crime? Since when did Aejaz read up on that sort of stuff? Was this for assassin work? Inspiration, is it? Well at least he''s branching out and reading other stuff... Ares shook his head and kept glancing around the mattress at the goodies he bought for everyone else. It seemed like Trixie was getting a bunch of colourful, empty, gift boxes. She could put bombs from her unique aspect inside them before foisting them onto others. There was also some bits and pieces of clothes here and there so Ares just assumed she was interested in fashion to some degree even outside of her preference for disguises... That or Aejaz had absolutely zero originality when it came to buying gifts. Moving on, Allie had some alchemy ingredients that were tricky to find in Red Sun, as they were more often than not found abroad, so no doubt Ares and Aejaz were going to get held up by an official at customs when they were departing from the Federation... Hopefully not! Was this stuff duty-free?! Anyway, that aside, Aejaz also bought Allie a small red pillow that looked quite comfy. It was square and soft which was perfect for Allie to kneel on when she was conducting her various alchemy experiments. Finally, much like with Trixie, although to a lesser degree, he''d bought her some clothes. Mostly cute dresses that would make Allie look like a tiny doll. Whether that was Aejaz'' or Allie''s preference Ares didn''t know but he''d seen Allie wear similar stuff on occasion so this haul ought to be appreciated by Aejaz'' partners overall.
There were a few other gifts, however, and they belonged to Lacy and Leo. Naturally Aejaz wouldn''t forget about his little sister but it was a bit surprising to see he treetop tiger getting some appreciation. Granted that was almost definitely because Allie liked him, otherwise Aejaz would tell the undergrown overgrown kitty to go screw itself and cough up a furball or something. Lacy was receiving a bunch of exotic sweets, a couple of tiny bows, and some books as well. Turns out, Lacy liked a good book. Unlike Aejaz, though, the emphasis here was on ''good'' as, at a gander, these books appeared to be very well written. Of course Ares wasn''t the literature police or anything, and sometimes a book could be poorly written but still well received, it''s just that these ones seemed more immersive and fun to read than the stuff Aejaz read. Maybe Aejaz only read such books as a sort of guilty pleasure? Ares didn''t know as he wasn''t much of a reader himself. He''d only ever really read books about Sheryashka, the monsters contained within, and encyclopaedias with numerous cultivation facts in them to make the road his journey took smoother. He hadn''t done such a thing in a while because there was basically nothing left in this domain to learn that could be found in a book. Plus with Dominus now, and to some extent Ignizz in the future, within earshot at all times it wasn''t impossible to get an answer on most things without having to dredge up the relevant information from some dusty old tome, buried underneath piles of useless crap in the deepest pits of a library. Ares had been planning on reading up on Vraizon when ascending there but, now, he figured he''d just hassle the people rummaging around inside him instead for answers. This could be considered rent! Also, it''s not like any books would have more information on various matters than someone like Dominus anyway. How many millions of years of experience did this guy have again?! Either way, it was not something a mere book could compete with and he''d know potential uses for things that would otherwise elude a normal cultivator''s knowledge.
Ah but now Ares was getting distracted, he needed to wake this lazy bones up!... He was incredibly tempted to use the Nyxian Prowler and implant some memories again but, on the off chance Aejaz woke up wetting the bed, Ares did NOT want to be responsible for that or, worse, around him when it happened. The chances were not zero and Ares was not a risk taker! On that note, he raised his finger and kept stubbornly poking Aejaz all across his face until the guy groaned himself awake. As he was doing so, Esme happened to walk by and snicker... She was out shopping and just had to catch sight of this! Well, Allie and Trixie would probably be hearing about it so Aejaz was probably going to get an earful from the small in stature but mighty in maturity Allie. But Ares didn''t care about that! He cared about himself and the woman was gesturing with her head towards Aejaz with a look that dug into Ares'' core as it translated roughly to ''that your brother?'' The smug condescension was brutal!
Ares sighed to himself as Aejaz sat up in his ''bed'' and slowly stretched with a yawn. Though Ares felt a great deal of shame, which was rare in and of itself, apparently Aejaz felt nothing... Ares almost, almost respected his boldness but still primarily felt like slapping the muppet. Also, what if Ares hadn''t conveniently found this guy during his search?! Would he be waiting outside in no-man''s land with arts raining down on him because this punk was asleep?! Ares just shook his head and left with the muppet in tow as he wouldn''t repent even if Ares tried to force and apology out of him. Aejaz was stubborn and, in this case, he truly believed he''d done nothing wrong. Unless Ares threatened to withhold food from him he would just obstinately cling to his warped ideals! Then again, it did make some sense. Aejaz was a thief and part of that was because he enjoyed the thrill but another major part of it was that he enjoyed free stuff. If the mattress was there, and you were allowed to try it, then he would 100% be getting his mileage out of it! Even though it was being ''offered'', Aejaz still saw it as technically stealing value and so he was content to just doze off and sleep like a baby. In fact, it was so comfortable that he couldn''t help but keep harping on about it even while the two were checking out, making Ares want to sew this guy''s mouth shut because he was attracting all kinds of attention! Yes he was handsome, and being ogled by women, but it was mostly raised eyebrows coming his way as he kept loudly declaring how wonderful sleeping on the mattress was! Even if, by itself, the association with this fool was fine, Ares had bought some seriously private bedroom stuff and it was all being stared at indirectly because of his brother''s antics... A guy who sleeps on public mattresses in superstores and a guy openly buying sex stuff in broad daylight... And they were calling each other ''brother''?! Ares wanted to go crawl into a hole.... Or better yet, bury his insufferable brother in one! A hole full of seagulls, orcs, and twisted! Hell he''d even throw in the damn mattress for good measure!
Ares and Aejaz left the store in a hurry with piercing stares trailing after them as they scurried off. It was time to go to the next store over and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes that were made here! Thankfully the duo had already bought basically everything they wanted to get so this was mostly just a matter of doing the rounds for last minute items they wanted to add to their shopping lists that they either forgot about or couldn''t find in the previous store. Hell Ares hadn''t picked out anything for himself so maybe it was time to search with his own interests in mind! Hm? Ares was jogged alert by the sound of a crash not too far from his current location, on the path back to the junction, as a cannonball collided with the runic barrier and rolled off into the ocean with a splash. Ares hadn''t experienced anything on the way in but apparently that was because the combatants were taking their lunch break or a coffee break or something. The fighting was about to resume and Ares was somewhat interested to see just how hard they went in trying to murder their opposition. He would have stuck around in the safe zone for a while longer but Aejaz looked like a puppy scared of thunder and loud noises so Ares just rolled his eyes and moved on. The hubbub didn''t reach the junction so there was a moment of calm when they retuned that was due to fade the second they set off on the left path this time. Aejaz was looking reluctant to head off so Ares told him he could either walk on the left path or go down the middle one and so Aejaz followed along without any further complaints lest Ares actually make him do it. Little did he know that Ares was actually planning on walking the metaphorical plank himself later to see how bad it could be on the middle path and he would have been more than happy to drag his brother''s sorry ass across if he didn''t stop acting like a baby!
Down the left path they went and it seemed like the fighting was really starting to kick off, and get into the swing of things now, as larger arts and weaponry were being deployed repeatedly and targeting what looked to be the more vulnerable spots in the barrier. Chances are, the barrier would never fold as it could repair itself, and any damage it sustained, incredibly quickly but that didn''t stop the firing squads from lighting up any crack that appeared as a result of their unyielding determination and aggression. If the nearby shoppers'' attitudes were any indication, this was just a normal Sunday for them as the constant echoing of war and danger all around didn''t bother them at all. They just kept going about their business, even bringing skipping children along, and could honestly care less about the feud. Perhaps they were so familiar with this song and dance that they''d begun treating it like some kind of theatrical performance that could never actually hurt them. They were half right, as Ares could tell the firepower each side was packing would never destroy the barriers at the rate they were currently going, but also very wrong. Ares could also tell that these people fighting one another meant business and were truly going all out. On the off chance a barrier happened to fail for whatever reason, maybe somebody snuck in and sabotaged it for instance, the damage these arts would cause to the civilians would be catastrophic and the loss of life would become a national scandal immediately. It''s not like the businesses were aiming for these people but they were in the way of their goal and it seemed like the hatred ran deep. This wasn''t some comical back and forth, there was a very real blood feud being waged here and the shops just happened to be the foundation of it. Still, what the shoppers didn''t know couldn''t hurt them and they were free to point and laugh from the safety of the barriers. Unless a major development in the firepower of one side or the other was made spontaneously, their lives wouldn''t be at risk... Not that the businesses cared about such trifling matters. If they could blow up their own store, taking the lives of everyone in it, just to kill the C.E.O in the other building, they would do that in a heartbeat!
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Ares and Aejaz walked along at a measured pace like those around them, although Aejaz was this close to breaking out into a full blown sprint and already would have if Ares wasn''t keeping tabs on him, and eventually made their way to the other shop. Though this was unknown to them, a scout high up on the ship with a pair of binoculars was sounding a small alarm right now and trouble was headed their way! Still, Ares was lost in his own little world as he''d actually found something near the entrance that he was very interested in! Sunglasses! He''d never owned a pair but had seen a bunch of other ''cool cats'', as Hans referred to them, wearing these in Red Sun on bright and sunny days. Ares figured he would look pretty swanky with a pair and that Enyo and Bellona would appreciate him playing around with his look a bit. He''d never really tried to look voguish or chic as he''d sort of resigned himself to his rugged fate and worked with what his momma gave him. This could be the birth of a new Ares, though, superstar Ares! Maybe a leather jacket here, a plain white shirt underneath it there, and he''d be lookin'' mighty fine!... Or maybe it was all just in his head...
Regardless, if nothing else, owning a pair of shades never hurt anybody! Ares looked up and down the racks of sunglasses and tried them on one by one to see which would fit him while Aejaz decided to do the same. Aejaz actually did have a pair, that he''d stolen long ago, but almost definitely couldn''t locate it if asked to due to the sheer mess in his spatial rings and lack of coordination in his organisational skills. It was buried so deep under miscellaneous rubble that it had probably cracked anyway so getting a new, fashionable pair seemed like a swell idea. Also, Allie liked it when Aejaz put on a bit of swagger. Trixie was moistly indifferent but Allie had the hots for that sort of vibe and so she''d be happy with this purchase and commend him for it when he returned.
Some searching later, and with Aejaz'' seal of approval (which was rare as being complimented looks wise was a first for Ares), he''d finally found the perfect sunglasses to match his face. He''d tried aviator sunglasses, oval sunglasses, and even a pair of hideous shield sunglasses, but in the end it all came back gold, baby! A pair of black, rimless pilot sunglasses with golden end pieces, pad arms, nose pads, and a bridge. It wasn''t all gold though as the temples and the temple tips were all made of red mahogany. Black -> Gold -> Wood. From front to back that was the design and, though it might have sounded messy, the overall design was quite fresh and classy as the colours were merged carefully and intricately. The gold wrapped around the edges of the glasses at the front, to grip onto the side of the lenses, but it also went backwards a little, down the temple, and formed a sort of small brace over the mahogany, not taking up much space but blending the two colours nicely. Somebody had worked real hard on this design and Ares was surprised it hadn''t been plucked up yet! Either his fashion sese was way off, and these things were garbage, or he''d hit the jackpot and arrived just as the sunglasses were restocked! Either way Ares was glad because gold did, ironically, suit him! Actually, most of Ares'' clothes, even including the Zephyr, were all black, and gold had a habit of going well with it, so whether the gold went well with Ares or his black clothing was up for debate. Still, the sunglasses looked good on him and he felt at least twice as cool as he usually was (even though zero times two is still zero) for the few seconds he was trying them on so Ares had now become the proud owner of his first ever pair of sunglasses! Though he wasn''t quite done shopping yet, he paid for them at the till so he could feel the pleasantness of purchasing something fun and officially owning it, before getting arrested!...
....
"Wait a minute, why am I getting arrested again?" Ares, and Aejaz, had already been led down a fair few corridors at this point and yet Ares hadn''t even asked this question. He''d been so pre-occupied with his sunglasses he just sort of went along with the security guard making demands of him without kicking up a fuss! They''d snuck up on him while he was giddy about looking like some action hero posing with his cool shades! So rude... And was Ares seriously this easy to arrest when he was in a good mood?! At least he did get a response from the security guard even if it was one he didn''t quite understand.
"You''re being arrested on suspicion of being a spy sent here by our nemesis across the way.... Given your status, however, our C.E.O has decided to have a word with you in person. Don''t think that you can cause trouble freely though or the entirety of the Federation will come looking to settle the score."
The latter half Ares could understand but the first part? A spy? Seriously?! Ares was currently in the midst of dealing with the Firestarters who were actually spying on everyone and he was the one being investigated?! Better yet, a spy for their nemesis? The shop opposite? He''d bought some damn sexy time clothes from them, not invested in stocks or anything! Where the hell was this conclusion coming from? It was so wildly out of the blue that Ares was dumbstruck and couldn''t even muster a clever response because he''d lost braincells as a result of this whacky leap in logic! Had it finally happened? Had Ares met his match? Had Ares finally met someone dumber than he was?! This C.E.O was either paranoid or stupid, maybe even both! All Ares wanted was some cool shades...
Tsk.
With a kiss of his teeth and a shake of his head, Ares figured he would just get this over and done with so he could get back to scheduled programming and go find Hunter. Though he could break out if he wanted to it might genuinely cause him hassle down the line so, hopefully, the C.E.O wasn''t too obstinate about his ungrounded beliefs in Ares being here to commit subterfuge. The trio walked for a fairly long period of time, as the C.E.O was seemingly on the entire other end of the shop, and had to even climb up a good few flights of stairs. As they did so, the sound of the war being fought at the front windows was escalating until it became a fully immersive experience with Ares ducking out of the way of a bullet that came flying through the nearby wall! Wasn''t it bad enough he was going to be interrogated?! And now this!? It was like asking someone to conduct a physical examination in a minefield! "Oi, that nearly hit me, right? If I were a spy sent by those guys, would they really be trying to kill me?!" Ares thought he''d come up with a fairly reasonable assertion but it was shut down quite fast with a response that was pretty valid, actually.
"Maybe they''re trying to prevent information from leaking through your lips. A dead man tells no tales." The guard didn''t seem to believe it himself but he was just doing his job and, quite frankly, he didn''t get paid enough for this crap! He seemed almost smarter than the loony C.E.O but, then again, the fact that he was willing to trust Ares despite not having tested him might be the key difference between him and the C.E.O. This guy would go into business and get betrayed on the spot no doubt, especially around these parts. He was a good person but that would be his downfall, clever though he was to come up with such a response on the spot to keep going through with his employer''s bullshit even if it objectively made no sense from the start.
The trio kept on keeping on but Ares had to disintegrate his handcuffs and swat away a Fireball that came barrelling through a window via a well timed deflect. It wasn''t even him it was going to hit, but rather Aejaz, so he was starting to get annoyed at this crap! He almost wanted to fire back and would have seriously considered it if it weren''t for the fact that the people who would benefit had currently ARRESTED him on nothing more than a mere, unprovable suspicion! Both sides were assholes!... Maybe he could blow them both up? The thought did cross Ares'' mind and these lot were going to really have to start coming up with reasons he shouldn''t! Sure the Federation would then give him trouble but he only needed to hide out until it reached Xasca and then he''d be free. In fact, Ares could even hide amongst the Firestarters as they wouldn''t be his main concern anymore! Plus all the monsters attacking this place would slow their search down even further. As for the return journey, Ares could Voidwalk back across the ocean when his adventure was over if he prepped well enough in advance and got himself some stamina / mana pills at the ready. Basically, Ares had the potential to be a real threat here if he didn''t start getting answers he liked! There was a limit to how much he would allow others to do as they pleased when it was constantly getting in his way and on his nerves.
Luckily for the people opposite, on the other shop, Ares made it to the C.E.O''s office finally without suffering another attack. Ares would have seriously chucked some Shock Beads across the way if they kept that shit up any longer! Actually, funnily enough, the reason they stopped might have been because their own scout spotted Ares and demanded everyone stop aiming for ''the guy heading to the C.E.O''s office''. Normally that would be a juicy target, even if the person in question was unverified, but in this case it could backfire horrendously given who it was so the scout had, whether intentionally or not, saved their ship a lot of pain and headaches from the calamity that would have been Ares had they kept poking at him. It''s not like their attacks were soft or weak either, most of the people embroiled in this war were at, or around, the transition realm and so even that Fireball from before had some wicked speed to it and left a burn mark in the wall behind Ares where it landed after being deflected.
All that aside, it was finally time to meet the loon who''d demanded Ares be arrested and brought to him post-haste. This guy better have some good explanations up his sleeve or Ares would leave this place after causing some serious damage for the fun of it! Killing the C.E.O, winning the opposition the war, or doing significant damage to the barriers were all reasons for the Federation to hop on Ares'' case if he took those actions... But destroying some of the businesses stock and property as payback for the shit he was put through? Well, Ares imagined he could get away with that if he truly wanted to! Though he''d been arrested, and wasn''t currently in the driver''s seat of the situation, Ares was at a point now where he was strong enough to be almost completely irrefutable in Sheryashka so this fella was going to have to pick his choice of words carefully! Ares was getting more and more comfortable with the idea of throwing his weight around to make things easier for himself when being reasonable fell through. He was a little late to the party in that regard but he''d wanted to establish himself before he got too big for his boots as, all it would have taken for things to go wrong, was for some obnoxious transition realm expert to smite him while he was still in mental accumulation. All his efforts would have been for naught if he tried to backup arrogance with unfounded strength. Now though? now his name was being spread across the domain and people had no choice but to respect his authority. He wasn''t going to necessarily take advantage of it but he would lean on it whenever it could come in handy, such as at times like this. Long story short, it was time to start making demands and be a bit more aggressive at the negotiating table! With that in mind, Ares was led through the door to meet the C.E.O.