Guilty x Creatures Ch. 37

"Cause... He's, kinda helping me hold the phone up, so I can talk..." answered Mica "And he can hear you because you're on speaker right now..."

"Hello, Nokko." smiled Anton as Mica fumed in embarrassment.

"...Hi!" growled Nokko "Mica! Why is this guy helping you hold up the phone? Are you injured?"

"No." mumbled Mica "Not anymore..."

"...Then why does he need to help you!?" prompted Nokko.

"Cause I'm, kinda, tied up right now..." grumbled Mica.

"You're!...You were captured?" asked Nokko.

"Yeah, pretty much..." answered Mica.

"How!? How, did!? Mica! You can teleport!" exclaimed Nokko.

"No, I can't!" growled Mica through her clenched teeth "I got this, stupid metal ring thing around my neck! And it won't let me do anything!"

"...You, have a manabinder around your neck?" questioned Nokko "How!? How did he even get that on you!? What happened!?"

"...I'd rather not talk about that!" grumbled Mica as her eye began to twitch in irritation.

Standing on either side of Anton, the dark elves both turned away as they once again began to snicker.

"Look! None of this even matters anymore! Okay! I fucked up! I get it! You get it, he gets it! Elf bitches get it! Everybody gets it!" exclaimed Mica "Now will you just go get Mom and Dad and come get me already, please!? I've had a shitty enough day as it is, and really want it to be over now!"

"...Right. Over. That sounds good." mumbled Nokko as her tone darkened "Fine. Where are you right now?"

"Um... Actually, I don't know?" said Mica as she looked around the dungeon.

"You don't know? How do you not know!?" questioned Nokko "Are you not at the same target location!?"

"Yeah, I guess?" said Mica as she watched Anton nod his head "I still don't know where this is though?"

"...How do you not know where you are!?" demanded Nokko "Didn't you go there yourself!?"

"Yeah. Well, kinda. They didn't tell where I was going. They just opened a portal." explained Mica "And then they gave me a disc that would take me home whenever I was done."

"...Take you home? You mean like back to their office?" asked Nokko.

"...No. I mean home." said Mica as her eyes suddenly filled with uncertainty "Like, home, home."

"...Home, home!" cried Nokko "...How did they!? Did you tell them where you live!?"

"...Uh, well yeah? Why?" questioned Mica as Anton closed his eyes and shook his head "What!? What's wrong!?...Was I not supposed to!?"

"...How!? How can you possibly be this stupid!?" groaned Nokko as the faint sounds of background commotion could be heard through the phone "It's just so unbelievable... I just... I don't even know what to say!?"

"Seriously!? C'mon!" exclaimed Mica "It's not like those guys are going to try anything! They know they'll be jumping into a house full of assassins! They're not going to do shit!"

"They! They know what!?" cried Nokko "Wait, what else did you tell them!?"

"Chill, Nokko!" said Mica as she glared at the phone "I already told Dad about all this so there's no reason for you to freak out!"

The background commotion grew louder as Nokko's voice seemed to have joined in on what was clearly sounding like a heated discussion.

Anton sighed softly as he eyed the phone and shook his head.

"This could be bad..." he whispered to himself as his eyes shifted to Mica.

"Anton! Can you hear me!?" cried out a masculine voice from the phone "I'd like to speak with you, please!"

With another sigh, Anton tapped the speaker button to off and placed the phone to his ear.

"Hello." he said calmly as a muffled barrage of excitement immediately began to resonate out from the phone "...Hm, I see....I would agree....No, I'm afraid not."

Anton went silent for several long moments as he listened to what was being said on the other side of the line. Although his facial expression remained blank throughout the seemingly one sided conversation, his eyes still sharpened in intensity as he gazed at Mica.

Unnerved by his silent scrutiny, the kiochi grimaced as she glared right back at him.

"...Leopold. I hate to interrupt. But I'd like to ask you a few questions real quick." said Anton as he kept his eyes locked to Mica's "...Of course, they'd obviously be in regards to this situation....Well, to begin with. Is your family actually part of a clan, or not?...I don't see how that would be an inappropriate question....I see. Well, that being the case, I won't ask you for any details about the potential clan then. Just a simple yes or no is enough....I see, that is a surprise....Because you have a surname. Or at least you claim to have one....Yes, truth be told, I'm much more informed on your kind than I liked to let on....Oh no, it's nothing personal. I've had an invested interest in all Infernals for some time now. Long before I ever even met you....That's a conversation we can save for another time. For now, let's stay focused on the matter at hand....Exactly....So, were you exiled? Or are you in hiding?...Hm, so I take it that they are not aware of your children then?...Ah, right, fair enough. I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry....Not at all, I'm simply trying to fully understand this situation....Far from irrelevant. In fact, I'd say it's-"

"Hey! Hi! Hate to break up your guy's cute little chat!" interjected Mica "But can we just get this over with please!? My tail is starting to seriously cramp up right now!"

Anton sat still for a moment before narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

"You know what, Leopold. I think I'm beginning to understand where your lack of patience with her is coming from..." he muttered into the phone "...No. That does not mean that I'll agree to your request. Nor do I have any intention of telling you where she is....Because at this point it has become clear to me that she is not safe with you....Oh, make no mistake, I know her guilt is above question. Better than anyone. However, as your friend, I can not allow you to do something that I know both you and Ila will regret....Be that as it may, I won't be able to help but to feel responsible for your loss."

"...Wait, what?" mumbled Mica as her brow creased in confusion "What are you talking about now?"

"Of course I'd feel responsible, Leopold! I'm in the center of this situation!...Regardless, it's not going to happen. I understand that you feel betrayed, and that you think this is necessary, but there has to be another way to handle this....Punishment is one thing, Leopold. But this is simply too far over the top....I'm sorry, but the answer is still no....Because, Leopold! It's simple! I refuse to be the reason that you kill your own daughter!"

"...Hey. What!?" questioned Mica as she began to slowly twist back and forth in her bounds "...That's not what he said! We're going to fight again!...Just! Let me out, and we'll fight!...Let me out! Let me go!"

"Stop! That's enough, Leopold! Don't make this any worse than it already is!" growled Anton into the phone "Because I'm trying to preserve a friendship here! Don't try to pretend that you will ever be able to look at me again while knowing that I'm the reason your daughter is dead!"

"Shut up!" cried Mica as she began to struggle wildly "Fight me! Fight me you bastard!...Let me go! Let me go!"

"Will you please be silent!" exclaimed Anton as he turned his attention to Mica.

"Let me go! Let me go!" raged Mica "Let! Me! Go!"

Dropping the phone into his lap, Anton's face hardened in anger as he stretched his arm out and pointed his finger right at Mica's head.

"Be silent!" he growled as a bright, baseball sized orb of golden light blinked into existence at his finger tip.

Mica instantly froze mid-motion as her eyes became locked to the ball of light. Cringing away from the stinging heat that was radiating out from the strange orb, she couldn't help but to stare mesmerized as she eased away from it and pressed herself back into her seat. She had never seen or felt a ball of energy quite like this one before, and seemingly through instinct alone, she immediately knew that it wasn't merely fire, plasma, or some other simple form of light, but was instead something that was somehow far more dangerous.

Anton remained motionless for a moment as he watched the cowed and now confused looking cubi stare unblinkingly at the orb. Without a word, he cut off the power to the orb and let the ball of light dim down into almost nothing. It then vanished completely as he let his arm fall away.

"Thank you." stated Anton dryly as he picked the phone back up and put it to his ear "Hello....Yes, I agree. Your daughter has very poor manners. Hopefully she won't be interrupting us again..."

Blinking, Mica clenched her jaw and glared at Anton as well as the two watching dark elves.

"...Endlessly repeating yourself is not going to help your case. I already gave you my answer, and I have no intention of changing my mind." said Anton as he slowly shook his head "...I'm not the only one being stubborn. And I would hardly call myself the unreasonable one when you are currently advocating for the death of your own progeny!"

Kianna began to grin wickedly as Mica's glaring expression softened into a look of uncertainty.

A long moment of silence passed before Anton sighed through his nose.

"At this point I think both of our stances have been firmly established." he stated as he again shook his head "...If anything? Perhaps a night of rest. And enough time for the minds to fully clear....What else can be said?...No, honestly I'm hoping that by morning you'll come to your senses....Again, I don't see how I'm being the unreasonable one....Okay, I think we're done here....For the time being I think we are....Leopold, I think it's best! If we continue this again once we've both had some time to calm down....Right, please tell Ila and Nokko I said goodnight and that I will speak with you all again tomorrow....No. Now goodnight, Leopold!"

Ending the call with a tap of his thumb, Anton stared at the phone for a moment before setting it back back down on his lap. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, he balled his hands into fists and flexed the muscles in his arms in irritation before relaxing and blowing his breath out of his mouth. Recomposed, he opened his eyes into a glare that he aimed directly at the kiochi sitting in front of him.

Oblivious to the look Anton was giving her, Mica remained completely still as she stared miserably at her phone. She continued to stay silent and unmoving as she watched Anton pick the phone back up, take it out of its protective case, pop off its back panel and remove its battery.

"Kianna." said Anton as he turned to the dark elf and handed her the phone along with all of its pieces "Can you set this back over there with the rest of Mica's things, please."

"Sure." said the dark elf as she quickly took up the dismantled phone and made her way to the bed.

"Thank you." said Anton as he pulled his own phone back out of his pocket and set it to a silent mode.

Disheartened by the sight of the dark elf making off with her phone, Mica slowly raised her eyes to Anton and found him now resting with his arms laid out across the chairs armrests, his eyes closed and his jaw set in obvious annoyance. Cowed by his expression, she looked down at the floor and remained silent.

Making her way back from the bed, Kianna glanced at Fiona and was saddened to find her sister staring at the floor and looking almost as degenerated as Mica.

"Hey." she whispered softly as she sidled up right next to her "Are you okay?"

Fiona looked up at her before giving Anton a quick glance.

"Yeah, sorry..." she whispered back "Just thinking..."

"...Thinking about how we might just get to keep the little ninja-bitch after all?" teased Kianna.

"...Yeah." mumbled Fiona "That would be cool..."

"...Hey. It's gonna be okay." reassured Kianna "He wasn't serious. You know he wasn't serious."

"...Right." whispered Fiona "Yeah, I know... I'm okay..."

"...Are you sure?" questioned Kianna.

"Yeah! Don't worry. I'll be fine." claimed Fiona.

"...Okay." nodded Kianna "...It is gonna be okay....It really is."

"I know! I know!" nodded Fiona "It's okay, I'm good. Don't worry!"

"...Okay then, I believe you." mumbled Kianna as she stepped away and continued on to her place on the other side of Anton's chair.

After several minutes of stillness, Anton began to silently tap his fingertips against the front edges of the chairs armrests. Sighing softly as he finished putting his thoughts together, he opened his eyes and looked down at the slumping kiochi.

"You know, Mica. I have to say. You really have done one amazing job of making me very angry..." he mumbled in a calm but stern tone.

The kiochi stiffed and then bobbed her head up just enough to look at him. She said nothing as she narrowed her eyes in defiance.

Registering her attitude, Anton leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he glared right back at her.

"Out of all of the people alive today. I don't think there's anyone out there that I'd like to flog to death more than you at this very moment..." he growled softly "Not only did you foolishly invade my home and try to kill me! But you have somehow now managed to put me into a standoff with a close friend, who's very life you have since put in mortal danger!"

Mica kept her hardened expression in place for only a moment before blinking in confusion.

Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, Anton sighed and shook his head as he settled back in his seat.

"And that right there is the worst part of it all!" he mumbled through his clenched teeth "You don't even know what you've done. You have no idea just how badly you've messed things up for your parents. After everything they've tried to do for you. The freedoms they've tried to give you. The lives they've built! All of it's in jeopardy now!"

"Shut up! You're full of shit!" snapped Mica "Like I'm going to believe anything you say!"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not, it makes no difference at all." stated Anton "This ridiculous situation remains the same regardless..."

Apparently having nothing else to say to each other, both Mica and Anton settled in to a silent glaring match.

After a few moments of watching them, Kianna cocked one of her ears in a curious manner and turned to Anton.

"So? What are we going to do now?" she asked as she looked from him to Mica and back "Just wait and talk to Leopold again tomorrow? And see if he's calmed down?"

Anton sighed in irritation as he shook his head.

"He won't. Really, he can't. Or at least that's his mindset." he mumbled "I don't know how much you actually heard, but I'm guessing it was enough to know how he plans to fix things..."

"Um, I couldn't really hear everything he was saying. Especially not after he started yelling. But I did hear it when he asked you to kill her." said Kianna "Which, what's the deal with that? I mean, isn't she really his daughter? Why does he want you to kill her?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say he necessarily wants me to kill her." said Anton "As he see's it though, that's what has to be done. If he is actually in a clan, then he has no choice. He can't let it become known to his clan that she's his and Ila's daughter. Or that he even has a daughter at all."

"Why not? Why can't the clan know?" asked Kianna.

"Because... it's, complicated..." sighed Anton "But in a nutshell, he doesn't want the clan to know because if they find out... They will kill him. As well as Ila, Nokko, Mica and any other siblings that Mica and Nokko may have... They will kill them all, and wipe out the whole family..."