1836 Meetings and Machinations

Though he had 'technically' completed the Test assigned by the Guardian, Vahn's ascent to the 30th Floor was via the accumulation of power cores. This was the simplest method to guarantee that his Pocket was registered for the imminent Workshop Battle, but, most importantly, it would also serve as an alert to the forces that were keeping tabs on him.

At this point, virtually every faction in the Tower was currently keeping tabs on everything Vahn did. This included the Jahad Empire, who was investigating his status as an Irregular, FUG, who intended to either coerce him into joining or forcibly recovering the Thorn, and, though they weren't sure he was the one responsible, the Yeon Family had sent one of their elites to ascertain whether or not he was involved in the attack on the 21st Floor.

Though the Yeon Family was currently the 'most' interested in him, each of the Ten Great Families had sent representatives to either spy on or establish direct contact with him. The most prominent among these were the Ha and Eurasia Families, for obvious reasons, but, as one of the secret Elders backing FUG, he had also drawn a considerable amount of interest from the Po Bidau Family. As for the rest, the Arie and Ari Families were simply curious about him while the Lo Po Bia, Khun, Hendo Lok, and Tu Perie Families were just following the example of the rest.

Since it would actually draw even more attention if he ascended to the 30th Floor using anomalous means, Vahn decided it would save him a lot of time if he just 'announced' his presence. This would make things a little awkward for Yuri and the members of Wolhaiksong who were currently waiting for his arrival, but, considering how comprehensive their information network was, it wasn't likely to matter. Yuri could just play it off as taking an interest in a 'rising star', and, thanks to Ureko serving as their backer, few people were willing to antagonize Wolhaiksong...

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After reaching the rather scenic 30th Floor, a region dominated by tropical islands, archipelagos, and massive coral reefs, Vahn booked passage to one of the most highly rated tourist destinations in the Middle Tower, a seaside resort located on Sepia Island. This was a region believed by many to be one of the most beautiful places prior to reaching the 100th Floor, and, as the location of one of the Workshop's Headquarters, there were a variety of hotels to chose from and a seemingly infinite number of shops to peruse.

Though he was a little interested in the structure and composition of the mechanical guards, Vahn ultimately chose to ignore them. There were far more powerful versions found on higher floors, so, rather than concern himself with machines designed to police Regulars, he checked into one of the most expensive suites in the hotel before lying in bed and sending a message to Yuri. He knew she had been following him in secret ever since his arrival on the island, so, now that he had teased her for the better part of two hours, it was time to give her an excuse to pay him a visit.

Unsurprisingly, it took less than five minutes before Vahn heard a 'very' loud knock on the door to his room. When he checked the monitor to see who was standing in the corridor, he could see Yuri with a hateful pout, and, as was often the case, Evan could be seen standing in the back with a tired expression on his face.

Knowing she wouldn't hesitate to bust down the door, Vahn eventually hopped out of bed in order to allow Yuri entrance into the suite. Then, with a relaxed smile on his face, he attempted to evade her punch by entering the State of Nothingness. Unfortunately, this was an ability she had become intimately familiar with, so, while she held herself back quite a bit, Vahn found himself backpedaling in response to the glowering girl's punch to his sternum.

Without waiting for permission, Yuri promptly entered into the room, shaking her hand as she said, "Don't try and bullshit me by telling me you weren't aware of my presence. The next time you make me wait, I'm going to punch you square in that stupid face of yours. Seriously, what kind of asshole makes a Princess skulk around like some kind of stalker for two hours?"

While rubbing the sore spot on his chest, Vahn offered a wry smile in response to Yuri's words as he explained, "Though I won't deny that I wanted to tease you, Evan should have explained to you my actual reason for wandering around. I was compiling a map of the entire region while getting a feel for all the other forces keeping tabs on me. Cut me some slack..."

Though she had, in fact, heard about Vahn's presumed reasoning from Evan, Yuri still crossed her arms in response to his words, stating matter-of-factly, "If you told us where you were going to be staying, we could have booked a room and waited for you. Regardless of your reason, you still had me walk around for more than two hours. Don't think you can fool me just because my Intellect is a little low."

With the dent in his chest having vanished, Vahn exhaled a tired sigh as shook his head and said, "It wasn't my intention to fool you...well, not that it matters at this point. I'm sorry for making you walk around. Here, accept this as my apology..."

Understanding that Yuri was primarily just fishing for sweets, Vahn pulled out a bag full of chocolate candy filled with caramel before tossing it toward her. This immediately brought a smile to her face, her vibrant red eyes sparkling as she tossed a few pieces into her mouth and emitted a contented hum. Then, after licking the residue from her fingertips in an unintentionally seductive manner, she casually remarked, "You're in a lot of trouble. That raggedy old crone in the Yeon Family seems to view you as her arch-nemesis. She sent someone pretty scary to investigate you this time around. If you choose to participate in the Workshop Battle, there is a good chance she will try to assassinate you."

As he was already well aware of Ilarde's plot, Vahn's expression didn't change in response to Yuri's words. Instead, he gestured toward the sofa, inviting the two to take a seat before explaining, "The Yeon Family is the least of my problems this time around. Three members of the Royal Enforcement Division have been sent to view the Workshop Battle, and, though they are currently in hiding, FUG has machinations towards both myself and one of the weapons currently in my possession."

Hearing that RED was involved, Evan's expression immediately soured as he said, "Princess, if what Vahn says is true, we can't stay here. Though we can play off this meeting as simple curiosity, your status as a Princess of Jahad will be endangered if you are discovered fraternizing with an Irregular."

Scrunching her brows in response to Evan's words, Yuri snorted disdainfully as she crossed her arms and said, "I already explained the situation to my Great-Grandmother. She gave me permission to try and recruit Vahn into the family, so, even if those bastards in RED come knocking, I'm not afraid of them. They shouldn't know if Vahn is actually an Irregular so it's not like they can do anything to him. Besides, if Mr. Dragon Breath over there was worried about something like that, do you think he would meet with us like this? He obviously has something in mind. Stop worrying over nothing."

Not expecting such a logical argument from the Princess, Evan found himself at a momentary loss for words as he looked to Vahn for answers. In response, the latter offered a similarly incredulous look before adopting a wry smile as he explained, "Yuri is correct. I do have a few plans in mind, so there isn't too much to worry about. So long as Yuri doesn't go out of her way to try and 'help' me during the coming battles, there shouldn't be any problems. To that end, I can't stress enough how important it is that you stay out of the fight. Remember, even if I die, it won't actually kill me, so, if you really want to intervene, you should do so on the side of the Jahad Empire. You can help me a lot more if they believe you are loyal to the Empire so don't do anything rash..."

Rolling her eyes in response to Vahn's words, Yuri uncrossed her arms before rising from her seat and plopping down next to him. Then, without a word, she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes for nearly a minute before replying with an acquiescent, "Okay..."

Vahn wasn't quite sure what to make of Yuri's behavior as he had asked the Law of Identity to only reveal information when he sent her a certain signal. It could be 'very' distracting to have her drone on about the innermost thoughts of virtually everyone around him so he could only rely on his past experiences to try and interpret the meaning behind Yuri's actions. Before that, however, he took the initiative to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer despite the deadpan stare he was receiving from Evan.

Fortunately, this action, alone, seemed to be more than enough to satisfy Yuri as a contented smile immediately blossomed across her face. In hindsight, this actually made a lot of sense, as, more so than any words, she had always been the type to express herself through actions. The fact she had been so vocal earlier was evidence of the fact that she had been thinking about him quite a bit, so, now that they were reunited, she would clearly rather just go with the flow rather than talk about a bunch of troublesome matters.

Realizing they would probably have to part for much longer periods of time in the future, Vahn sent a look towards Evan before manifesting the Little Garden. This caused the latter to shake his head in a helpless manner, but, rather than try to meddle, he pulled out one of his unique artifacts, a series of four red and blue fists known as [Adam's Gloves]. They were capable of generating a barrier that completely concealed those within from all forms of detection, so, even if someone tried to use an advanced Observer to spy on the suite, they would find it completely empty.

With the trustworthy Silver Dwarf providing support, Vahn took Yuri into the Little Garden so they could catch up and experience a bit of privacy. Afterward, he took her back to the Emerald Grove to introduce her to all the newest residents. By then, she was already in a great mood, so, after hearing about how strong people like Whitebeard, Vegeta, and Android 21 were, she couldn't resist beating each of them to a pulp before challenging Index to a celebratory eating competition...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everyone wants a piece of Vahn','Yuri don't play xD...','I take it back. Yuri plays hard...')

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