It took a great deal less time than he'd thought for the two of them to calm down after such a storm, even if that meant it was already well into the night.

As per common practice, Kyoya took a glance at one of the clocktowers, reading 10:20. The pair laid with their backs to one of the courtyard's walls, and a brisk late-evening air of fervor and festivities sang odes to an age-old tradition of remembrance.

"You really put on a show back there..." The Seraph dismissed their silence. "It makes sense that somebody with your marks would turn up at such a convenient time." Even in reference to him, she seemed to make sure that her words found no one soul in particular; she'd left the statement to echo into the night wherever it pleased.

"Here we go again with this... The hell's she on about?"

Kyoya couldn't fit pieces into the right slots of the puzzle. One thought gave rise to the next, and so on, eventually arriving at ideas so far from the original intention that he totally forgot where he'd started. "So, what's up from here? Ryder mentioned somebody, Alexa? No, Andrea? Wait, not that, either—"

"Alexandria, nimrod."

"What's with the nitpick?"

"It's literally Altaire's PRINCESS'S name. Forgetting it's gonna net you a good talking to around here, and that's taking it lightly. Neo-Teleo gets your head on a stick outside the castle. I was just saving you the trouble—no need to thank me."

Lyric may as well have stuck her tongue out at him, that little tangent instilling both humor and annoyance within the Miscreant. At least she meant no harm in it, though; if anything, he found it a bit endearing that she'd find so much enjoyment in playing around with him.

That much may not have seemed like anything of a bounty on paper, but it spoke wavelengths to him, no doubt.

"I'll thank you anyway. I doubt I'd do too hot in a face-to-face with anybody in this place's big top..."

Even though he'd mostly succeeded in his encounters with new faces thus far, the thought of being cornered in any sort of engagement with someone so superior to himself offered a mixed bag of emotions. Guran knew better than anyone that formality was indeed far from a strong suit, even if the old timer knew everything. It couldn't be said that any king or queen would see his lack of respect as anything more than just that.

Lyric's expression softened at the notice of his admission. She shifted a bit closer, enough that he began to worry for his personal space, only to be met with a light nudge on the shoulder from her fist.

"Have a little more faith in yourself, guy. It'd be a real shame if the Blue Devil ended up being the least confident out of everybody... They'll love you. Bet on it."

"Keeping on with the nicknames? I wasn't expecting it to catch so well."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

A brief silence overtook them. Kyoya used that time to let his thoughts wander back to their current objective. "Where are we at, now? In terms of the D-Team stuff, I mean."

"D-Team?" Lyric sneered. "I've never heard of such a roundabout way of saying it... But, still, the sooner you put two and two together, the better. I just can't lay it out. It sounds dumb; believe me, I know. But unless you want another ultra-headache, my lips are sealed—already slipped up once back at the street outside the archive, and inside at the mural, too."

She took a moment to pat his shoulder again. "It's not the most pleasant thing in the world to see somebody go through that. Especially not a buddy."

"So that's what that whole thing was about..." The Miscreant reflected on his multiple requests for elaboration on this frequently eluded topic. Now there was understanding that she chose to refuse not because of anything wrong with him but because of genuine concern. "...Sorry to have asked so much about it, then. If I knew—"

"If you knew, we'd already be halfway through this mess. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Lyric kicked back with her hands behind her head. The girl's eyes were set to the moon, stars dancing once again to the serenade of joyous recollection. His experience with Reika the previous night taught him just how much he'd have to appreciate scenes like these, as it wasn't out of the question to assume that this, too, could be the last of its kind.

"Yeah..." He trailed off. "I still haven't been able to put anything to another, even from everything you said, but I'll keep at it."

The Seraph yawned and followed with a stretch.

"Look, anybody who's spent more than a minute around me could tell I'm not the best at talking about talking in circles," she admitted, "but the last thing I want you to do is blame yourself. Again, it's nearly impossible for you to have known about any of what's going on, anyway."

An assertive front soon came about for her.

It wasn't quite the tension she'd conjured prior to the Demon's appearance, but more akin to that of a coach's demanding for their team to pull themselves together. It wasn't harsh or hurtful; it was merely tough reinforcement.

"I-... I don't really know how see all that, but..."

"But what?"

"...I just can't wrap my head around why you're so set on keeping me around. I mean, we met today. I'm sure there's all that you talked about, but is there any way you can clear it up? Without giving me a migraine, anyway."

"People usually get migraines from just hearing me babble, anyway... but, okay. I'll try."

Kyoya didn't notice that she agreed until listening to her response a couple times over. Such a level of compliance was something he hadn't quite expected.

Sure, there was a tinge of reluctance, but her willingness to agree to terms seemed to reach its peak when the situation became tender enough.

It clicked quickly, though.

Even he suffered from such a weakness; they were both softies at heart.

Her wonderfully abrasive tone overtook that softness. "But promise me you'll try and make sense of things while I'm talking! I don't want this to be for nothing, especially if it gets you hurt!"

"Alright, you've got my word. I promise," the boy agreed.

Lyric situated herself, then leaned back.

"Alright, then. As it's told, everything kicked off a really, really long while back..."