[ Loftarasa Mountains ]

Seikou walks onto the peak, breathing heavily from the difficult climb. He looks around quietly. "...This is where he was before..."

Variance finally gets the chance to recuperate from the entirely too exhausting trip up Loftarasa, doing a great deal of panting himself. He still looks around alertly, not too out of it to defend himself... from nothing? "...I don't see anything."

Seikou turns to Variance and shrugs. "Vaisu can cloak himself, if I'm correct... he might still be here."

Variance nods and stands a little straighter, performing a brief gesture with his left hand. A dim light surrounds the circumference of his head around his eyes then fades, and he looks around the immediate vicinity again.

Seikou watches, curiosity clear in his eyes. Mana manipulation always interested him...

You say '...Still nothing. Either he's not here, or he's brushed up on his hiding skills.'

Seikou says '...I guess the climb was for nothing, then... Gomen nasai...'

Variance nods dismissively, still taking a few deep breaths to rid himself of the excess internal heat generated by the strenuous hike. "I wouldn't count him out so quickly. He may not be here, but we should keep our guard up, regardless."

Seikou nods, his breathing starting to return to normal. "Do we go back down, then?"

"Yeah..." Variance starts to descend, but halts abruptly, looking as if he'd forgotten something. "Though it'll be another moment or two." Seemingly out of nowhere, he places his hand firmly on Seikou's shoulder, going into another short chant...

Variance blinks and coughs a little, brow furrowing a little more as he concentrates harder...

Seikou fades out of existence.

You fade out of existence.

Seikou pauses for a moment or two, trying to figure out what just happened... then he looks somewhat happy. "That's so -cool-!"

Variance nods(though going unseen to all but himself) and only the sounds of his footsteps mark indication of his departure. "We have to move quickly..."

(( some time later ))

[ Maverick Hunters Headquarters ]

Vice walks through the front door, he has what seems like the heads of two robots in his hands. He looks around for office. "There's been a incident at Rocket Town, I believe it's your job to check it out?"

Seikou looks up and his eyes narrow as he climbs to his feet. "Vaisu..."

Variance turns and stares at the source of the oh-so-familiar voice. That's... Vice. Just -standing- there with the heads of the front door guards. He thought briefly about questioning how he could be so -calm- about it, but instead follows in Seikou's suit, taking a defensive stance.

Seikou switches on the black beamsaber, the blade shooting out of the hilt. he drops into a fighting stance...

Vice says ' I'm definately in the mood to kill both of you tonight, but I'd figure the survivors need medical assistance.'

Seikou says '...Vari-sama, you go help the survivors. I'll capture Vaisu...'

Vice jumps over the desks and performs a dash in midair, towards Seikou's direction. "STOP THINKING SO HIGH OF YOURSELF!"

Seikou lunges in an attempt to meet Vice mid-dash, slashing with the blade. "You are a threat, and I will DESTROY YOU!"

Variance suddenly steps between them, slamming his hands together and forcing a sphere of white light to erupt around him. He grinmaces, almost falling to his knees from the strain of catching both blades with his projected mental energy, but is still quite able to speak.

You say 'STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!'

Seikou says 'He's a Maverick! We need to destroy him!'

Variance turns to Seikou, expression commanding and stern. "Seikou, I want you to go to Rocket Town and call for medics to help the survivors. I'll handle Vice. That's an ORDER."

Seikou pauses for a moment, then sighs, turning off the beam saber. "...Very well, Vari-sama..." He dashes out the door...

Variance lowers his weapon, barely seeing Seikou depart. Amethyst locks with crimson as he stands straight, still quite serious. "Carrying around the heads of your victims isn't your usual style. What're you doing here?"

Vice walks towards a chair near another desk and takes a seat. "Hmm, I figured you wanted some company."

Variance's stare never falters as he tracks the red-haired devil to the seat he takes for his own. "And what exactly is that implying?"

Vice says ' Nothing really, how can you stand this office, it's so bland. '

A wry smirk would probably surface at the comment, if not for Variance's steel-forged wall of intensity. "I'd truly appreciate it if you got to the point, I'm in no mood for coffee-talk."

Vice spins around in his chair, like a child would do out of boredom. "What's with the anger, I just came by to say hi this time, there's nothing more to it...nothing too much anyway."

Variance crosses his arms, maintaining his critical scowl in Vice's direction. "'Nothing too much' ends up -being- too much with you. Now I think it would be wise to tell me what you're up to before Seikou comes back screaming bloody revenge."

Vice stops the spinning chair and stands up. He begins to walking towards Variance stopping a few feet away, he sticks out both of his arms. "You win, I surrender." he says with a smile on his face.

Variance remains stoic, though still not raising his weapon at Vice's approach. He says nothing, knowing there has to be more to it than just plain-out surrendering.

Vice begins to tap his foot, as he waits impatiently. "Well?"

Variance begins to lessen his guard, looking slightly confused. His mask of skepticism remains, however. "And how do I know you won't simply slaughter us all and bask in your victory for the next month?"

Vice reaches for his beam saber, he grabs it and tosses it on the floor. "Where is the guy in charge of this place? If you take too long, I might just kill you due to boredom."

Variance looks around briefly, then sighs and turns Vice around, binding his hands in one of his own and using the other to throw a paperweight at what's supposedly Signas' office door.

Signas throws open the door at the sound of something banging against it from outside, an annoyed look on his face which quickly changes to one of shock, seeing Vice.

Variance gestures his free hand towards Vice; more specifically the fact that he's bound(if haphazardly).

Vice looks over at Signas. "Wow, that's quite a hat you have there."

Variance keeps Vice firmly bound(not that he's struggling much), looking a little annoyed himself. "You know this place better than I do, and I think you know where our new 'friend' needs to stay for a while."

Signas looks between Variance and Vice in bewilderment, disregarding Vice's remark. "What.." He cuts short, and decides it best to act, then talk. Gesturing offsidedly,

Signas ushers in a pair of extra hands before advancing on Vice, giving Variance a puzzled look as he does. "What happened here, commander?"

Variance releases his vice-grip(shoot me now), stepping back and regarding his superior with the same tone of annoyance. "I won't blame you if you don't believe me... He stopped by the front door with the heads of Biggs and Wedge, announcing that Rocket Town had been attacked."

You say 'I sent Seikou and a team of medics to help the survivors, he should be back any time now. I recommend that Vice be confined before he returns.'

Signas pauses only long enough to hear the story, before the extra pair of guards each take Vice by an arm, Signas looking him over for a moment. "At this point, I wouldn't disagree in the slightest. In fact, I'd just as soon take him there myself." He frowns uncomfortably, before turning around and gesturing to the guards, who follow him into a back room and out of the general lobby area.

Variance heaves a sigh of relief as the ever-so-perilous Vice is hauled off to somewhere much safer... A thought crosses him, one he decided was worth voicing. He turns towards the door-wall, almost shouting to try to pass the acoustic barrier...

You say 'And for the record, I wouldn't throw things at your door if you had an intercom, "Siggas"!'