Even before he saw him, it was the horrendous amount of Qi that alerted Eld of his presence. He had thought it was large enough before, when they were watching from a distance, but this close it was overwhelming. He wanted to move back, but that wasn't an option, not if he were to greet the man properly.

He tried to remind himself that this was a person, too...that even though he was capable of doing something terrible, he might very well be the only one capable of undoing it. If he let himself get too aggravated or angry, things would not go well, of that he was certain.

He's got a lot of Qi...well...I'm supposed to have a lot, too.

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated, and willed himself to push against the pressure; not violently, but slowly push it back, giving them some room to breathe. He made sure to stay close to Etsu, not pushing against her, but including her in his Qi...as though there was no difference between theirs.

And so Etsu would find the gravity warping powerful Qi of the masked man losing its effect, at least for the moment. Slowly, Eld stood up. He had a scythe in the holster on his back, but he made no effort to draw it...yet.

Instead, he extended his hand. "You're Illorex, right? My name is Eld...thank you for coming to meet me." He tried to gauge his reaction at the same time; he wanted to see if he also knew his last name already, in which case he'd also know what he possessed...

Slowly but surely, Etsu did feel the weight of spiritual pressure diminish. Now, she felt too large sources of Qi--one right next to her, and one right in front of it. It was times like this that she missed having some control over spiritual energy. At the very least, she would have made a much bigger difference in the fight with Toushikyo. It probably would have been over before the two lovers arrived.

And here, she would have been able to contribute, just a little. Unfortunately, she couldn't. She may have retained a sense for Qi, but she couldn't wield it at all.

Etsu stood up, fortunately not needing to use her naginata to aid the process, thanks to Eld. She was silently insistent upon standing by Eld during this. If something went bad, she wanted to be there to protect him--which, though it was a pipedream for her to believe now that she could protect Eld from anything, was still a powerful drive of hers, and she couldn't help that . . .

Illorex did not extend his hand to shake Eld's, nor did he reply to him at all. Rather, he simply looked down briefly at Eld's hand, the blank, yet hollowing stare focused upon the Reaper's palm for only a moment, before looking back up at Eld's face.

And then past his shoulder.

Without a word, Illorex extended his hand forward, not to shake Eld's hand, nor to extend any sort of greeting at all, but to point directly at the scythe upon his back. His actions already seemed almost . . . curious, and entirely thoughtless. Up to this point, not Etsu or Eld had heard him speak, providing the chance that he may or may not be deaf or mute. That would certainly put a damper on communications.

Illorex's gaze was a bit unnerving; it was, well...sort of how he imagined some people must have seen Etsu. He didn't have any expression or emotion as far as Eld could tell, he simply stared. And then he pointed. Realizing nothing was going to happen, he withdrew his hand.

Eld pretended not to notice; unless Illorex revealed in no uncertain terms he knew who he was, he figured his best bet in avoiding having to bring the scythe into the issue was to not bring it up at all. After all, if he were some random nice guy and not the possessor of what they were looking for, he wouldn't know anything about it.

"Umm...I want you to do something for me. Those people, the Krigenson's, and the others who are like that...I'm told you're the one responsible. So I want you to undo it--they're just normal people, living their lives. They have nothing to do with you guys. Please, bring them back to normal."

Despite how unnerving it was, he was determined to hold Illorex's gaze; he wanted him to see that he was to be taken seriously, and wasn't just some country bumpkin budding in where he didn't belong.

It was worse, actually. Etsu's stare seemed blank and cold to others, perhaps, but Illorex's was different. It was as if he were examining the internal contents of the person's body, using his eyes alone, and was not impressed or depressed about it, nor did he care for the person's privacy. As cold and passive as it was, to anyone looking at him, or just knowing that he was looking at them, it was downright forceful. That was the most unnerving thing about him, perhaps, worse even than the immense amount of Qi he possessed.

Etsu herself felt uncomfortable just being around him, discounting her anxieties about these people and the powerful spirit he possessed. The man was like a walking malfunction of personality, split into two halves against his will.

And it got worse over time. Etsu tensed up as time passed. Almost a minute, even, with Illorex not even saying a word, only staring blankly into Eld. He didn't move a muscle, and it barely even looked like he was breathing. But finally . . .

"No." Illorex replied frankly, his voice was deep, despite being mid-range tonally, and commanded his stance on the subject perfectly.

And that was it. He said nothing else. No explanation, no negotiation, no declaration of Eld's options, or even lack of options. He did not ask for the scythe, either, but he did continue to point to it--however, that may have been entirely from a lack of movement.

During the silence, Eld got quite uncomfortable from Illorex's gaze; he couldn't help but wonder if he knew who he was. If he'd even already guessed what he was up to. But that wasn't likely; unless he could read minds, at the very least, he had no way of knowing what Eld was planning, because he hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone, not even Etsu.

When the single syllable response finally came, there would be something noticeable by Etsu, and Illorex too if he was capable of feeling Qi in addition to giving off an insane amount of it. A spike of anger flew through Eld, and briefly he over did his "pushing" that was keeping the pressure at bay. The result, to anyone who couldn't sense it, would be that it simply felt like a sudden, semi-strong gust of wind--not enough to even knock a person off balance, but noticeable nonetheless.

"I see..." Illorex was still staring at the scythe. Eld took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do. Normally it was Etsu who came up with all the ways something could go wrong, but this time he was well aware himself of every possible way his plan could fail or backfire.

"I never told you my last name, right? Well, it's Tsukimono." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. Illorex had definitely heard the name at the barn, so if he didn't know who he was before, he did now. "I know you're looking for this." Her jerked his thumb at the scythe. "I'm prepared to offer it to you...in exchange, all the people that you've..."taken", I want you to put back to normal. If you do that, then and only then will I give it to you."

Whether or not Illorex recognized Eld's last name went unseen, just the same as the situation of spiritual energy. He didn't react to Eld at all, not the gust of wind, not the declaration of his last name, and not even what he had to say about the scythe on his back. His eyes didn't widen in surprise, he didn't purse his lips, furrow his brow, narrow his eyes, or even smile in the slightest. He didn't even flinch. It was as if Eld had said and done absolutely nothing at all.



There was something not right about Illorex's stare. The longer he kept his eyes on Eld, the more it would feel, to Eld, that Illorex wasn't looking at his face or his body, but into him--somewhere else, somewhere beyond the semantics of physical form, into the shallow reaches of Eldridge's mind, or somewhere into the underlying psychology of the human identity, or perhaps even deeper: into the depths of his soul.



There was no evidence, however, that Illorex was doing anything of the sort. Of course, that didn't mean Eld wouldn't feel as if something was happening, as if something was horribly wrong. Perhaps he'd take it in stride, or perhaps he'd be physically and emotionally incapable, and want nothing more than to run as far away from Illorex as he could.

He certainly wouldn't be the first.



Another minute passed with no response. Etsu glanced to Eld, trying to find some comfort in him, now. This was tense. It was more tense than she could really deal with, and Etsu was a tremendously patient person when it came to situations like this. Perhaps it was just Illorex, though. He made her so nervous she could barely stand still.



"Give me the scythe," Illorex finally stated. Was it a demand? A question? A request? He didn't voice it as anything of the sort, but with Illorex, they were all perhaps the same thing . . .

Illorex's stare continued, boring into Eld, but rather than unnerve him, the longer it went on, the more it seemed to strengthen his resolve. Eld felt like he was being read not on his immediate situation, but as though the masked man was actually trying to tell what kind of person Eldridge Tsukimono was.

Let him see, then. Let him see that I'll do anything to protect my home.

And so when Illorex gave his demand, Eld responded forcefully, "No. Return everyone to normal first. Only then will I hand it over." He stared back, his eyes not quite as kind as they were at the beginning of the conversation. He got the distinct impression Illorex was trying to intimidate him, something he did not like.

A lot had happened to Eld as of late, and while whether it changed him for the better or the worse was debatable, with all he dealt with he was not easily intimidated.

The long pauses that Illorex took seemed to hold no purpose, unless, of course, he was trying to be unnerving and discomforting. Whatever his intentions were, though, it was completely impossible to tell. For that matter, it was foolish to even think one might know why he paused, or why he stared so intently at individuals, or why fragments of memories seemed to come out of the woodwork when he did.



He didn't even have to stare at Etsu to make her feel the desire to leave. Part of her questioned if this was even worth it. It felt almost inevitable--guaranteed that he'd look her way at some point, and for some reason, a reason which Etsu couldn't begin to fathom, she was scared of that.



"No," he declared at last, "The scythe first."



Whatever Eld intended to do, Etsu wasn't sure. She doubted he was going to outright hand the scythe over--in fact, she figured that he was going to trick Illorex into freeing everyone, and then doing something from there. What, she couldn't be sure, but the way Illorex coldly declared the terms, Eld's plan as Etsu saw it might have been withering away already.

It was discomforting, to think of Noah at that time. He wasn't sure what brought him to mind, other than that this might be another situation where as much as he wanted to talk things out words wouldn't be enough.

"No," he responded firmly again. "Not when you can just appear and disappear at will. I have no guarantee you won't just run as soon as you have it."

Leaving at that wasn't going to get them anywhere, though, so he needed to come up with a compromise. "I'll come with you as you fix the people in this village. As soon as you're done, I'll hand you the scythe. I want to make sure they're alright before I give it to you anyway. If you do that, I'll take it on good faith that you'll free the people in Galaens."

It seemed that Illorex was deliberating it. Or not. There was no change in his face or demeanor, just the same cold stare. Except this time, he briefly passed it off to Etsu. The girl froze instantly. It felt like the hair on the back of her neck was standing up at once. She heard something, too--something off in the back of her mind. Etsu refused to listen, though. She looked away from Illorex instantly.

Illorex focused upon Eld again, but this time not for any horrible length of time like before. It seemed that he'd come to a decision much quicker than before.

"No," Illorex declared again.

And without further explanation turned away from Eld, facing his profile to him for a fraction of a second, before starting down the hill. He didn't give Eld's idea a chance, and it was unlikely that he ever would. Either Eld was going to take the risk, or there was no deal. Illorex was, incidentally, much better at negotiating than Toushikyo--or, rather, much better at making a point and standing his ground like a mountain.

It was worse than if Illorex were to try and floor Eld and take the scythe from him by force. At least in that case, Eld would have stood a chance. But here . . . unless Eld was conceding, it really didn't matter what he said or did at all, did it?

Eld saw Illorex start to go, and with him any chance of getting everyone he'd messed up back to normal. Two different possibilities existed before him: give him the scythe, hope he kept his end of the deal, or attack him and try and force him to do it. The former was a roll of the dice, a flip of the coin, and the latter...well, he'd never met anyone who had so much Qi that wasn't a god, and if Etsu's reaction was any indication he might have even more Qi than he did.

"Wait!" Eld started down the hill after him. "If I give you the scythe, do you promise to go put them back to normal?"

It was a big chance...but he could take this one first. If he refused, then he could still try to force him if he needed to. But he needed to try for their sake, and he wanted to do it without violence if at all possible...

As soon as Eld started down the hill, Etsu started after him. She was surprised at first, when he went after Illorex. She thought he was going to try and possibly attack the man, which Etsu would have stopped no matter what. She wouldn't allow that at all. If Illorex didn't attack them, then she had no intentions of letting anyone attack Illorex. He was . . . intimidating. And what would have stopped him from just turning them into living dolls if they tried to fight him?

For a moment, even after Eld shouted to Illorex and started after him, Illorex continued to walk. It wasn't for another few meters before he stopped, almost at the base of the hill.

Etsu caught up to Eld quickly after the two men stopped walking. She stopped short at his side, not in time to possibly interrupt his offer. All she could do was look up to him with concern and strong disapproval-- and even a bit of regret. Etsu grabbed his jacket sleeve again, to try and take his attention away from Illorex.

"E-- Er-rd-kun . . .?" Etsu hesitantly asked for his attention.

She didn't think that this was a good idea at all, and the way she looked at him said that much more than any phrase ever could. Etsu didn't want to let him do this, actually. It was . . . she . . . she didn't even know what it was like. This was completely unique. Etsu had no idea why she even disagreed with it. The feelings were there, but the explanation for them wasn't.

It was empathy. For a moment, she unconsciously put herself in Kageko's shoes. Would she have wanted Eld to just give her away like that on a whim? No.

But at the same time, she didn't want to forcibly renege his offer . . .

Eld continued to follow a bit behind Illorex until he stopped. It seemed they weren't quite done yet, then; at the very least, he was considering it, but he was a totally unreadable person, making it impossible to tell which way he was leaning.

But there was a small snag, as Etsu pulled on his jacket. Of course, he had expected this--counted on it, even--but while he was ready to answer any kind of logical objection she had, that look of hers, full of worry, disapproval...and even empathy for a girl she'd never even spoken to, he had no answer for it.

"Etsu...I..." The words just wouldn't come, not even a plea to trust him. To fool her a bit was one thing, but to lie to her face...he couldn't bring himself to do it, even if he thought he could do it well.

All he could do was gently pull away from her grasp. "Well...what's your answer?" he asked, turning back to Illorex.

And Eld pulled away from her. Etsu still held her hand out to him as he turned his back and walked away from her, an expression of absolute shock upon her face. This felt . . . wrong. Too horribly wrong. Etsu wanted to call out to Eld and voice her opinion about this, afraid that maybe he didn't understand it, or that maybe he didn't get it at all-- that . . . that maybe there was something she could do?

The thought of just handing Kageko over hurt even Etsu inside. Wasn't she supposed to be important to Eld? Wasn't he supposed to care about her--like a friend? Just . . . just what the hell was he thinking . . .?

Etsu didn't say anything, though, but didn't look away, no matter how much she wanted to, deep down on the inside, somewhere deeper than her bones. She didn't stop thinking about it, not once . . .

As could be expected, it took Illorex some time to respond, especially after Eld goaded him for a reply. There was no genuine way to tell if Illorex would make good on a promise like that or not. Etsu certainly didn't trust him, and she genuinely hoped that he'd tell Eld no again. That way, no one would have to be betrayed. But Etsu's unvoiced hopes were dashed in an instant, as Illorex finally answered Eldridge.

"Yes," was all Illorex said, as he held out his hand . . .

"...Alright."

He tried his best to ignore Etsu for the moment, and it was not an easy thing to do. She was clearly hurt herself by the idea that he'd just hand it over like that; later, he'd have to apologize...no, not just that, do something to make it up for her. If she forgave him, anyway...

Grabbing the scythe from the holder on his back, Eld held it out to Illorex, handle first. "Okay, now let's go set things back to normal."