IC Inbox

[noblerise]

If contacting his personal number or via Libra:

"You have reached Jusis Albarea. I'm busy. Leave a message."

If contacting his work number:

"You have reached the office of Jusis Albarea, Esquire. I'm not available at this time, so please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you."

Black Order Inbox and Class VII Group Chat for reference.

Comments

[noblerise]

[Yeah, this is completely abnormal even by Velvet "I could look nice but actively choose not to" Crowe standards. Jusis stands his ground, though he's in a more defensive stance just in case she gets too close, too violently. That said, her question genuinely confuses him.]

What the hell are you talking about? No, I still haven't heard back from my contact yet.

[There's a cheerful ping from his phone. It's on Do Not Disturb except for his boyfriends, sons, and Order members. That might actually be his contact just now contacting him about it. He most sincerely hates The Order sometimes.]

[gotbadblood]

[Jusis's genuine confusion does give her pause in her attack. She's still giving off aggressive energy, unstable energy, but hey- at least she'll explain. Maybe there's a bit of her that hopes Jusis wasn't a traitor all this time]

Lapis was ordered to track Arthur down and kill him, and she did. She told me herself.

[She snarls]

All this time, he's been dead.

[noblerise]

[Maybe. Jusis is certainly holding out hope for that being the case. He doesn't want to fight Velvet at all if he can help it.

Fuck, this is a mess, though.]

Okay. If Lapis had been ordered to kill him, then someone had to have given those orders to her for the hit. I can't guarantee that my contact can deliver on that kind of information, though, especially if it's from on high.

[He's not surprised that Arthur has been killed. He's suspected The Order for stringing her along all these years since she mentioned it. The fact that it's Lapis, though... that's absolutely thrown him. That's probably why she called him in the first place.

Jusis is still hoping that Eizen gets here soon to deescalate this further. Velvet's probably a wrong word away from snapping again.]

[gotbadblood]

[Someone ordered her, that would make sense. That's the kind of work Lapis tends to do. But who was it to give the order? Was it Jusis--

No, even in her rage, that doesn't feel right. Jusis never did something underhanded like that. He was always upfront with what he wanted, even if it wasn't something Velvet wanted to hear. And it's not like Jusis even really knew anything about her before thie mission anyway]

Someone...higher up.

[Someone who gave that order. Who decided to take care of a loose end and keep dangling the carrot in front of Vel so she'd keep being used--

She clenches her fist]

Whoever it is, I'll find them and rip them apart myself.

[rockily]

[ as far as lapis or velvet were concerned he died, they watched the life drain from his eyes back in that cabin and there was no getting him back. so to say it was a surprise when 'velvet. jusis' place' flashed across his phone's screen from lapis. she couldn't know that he's back, that he's alive, so how -

shit.

he doesn't even consider grabbing his coat when he sprints out of his front door, cursing under his breath. make it in time, make it in time, make it before velvet properly snaps. ]

Velvet!

[ from behind jusis the reaper emerges, wild hair and breathing hard, glad at least the scene he stumbled onto isn't velvet's demonic hand around jusis' neck. ]

The hell are you doing?

1/2

[gotbadblood]

[When she hears that voice and sees Eizen approach, she freezes and her eyes look like she's just seen a ghost. Because well, that's exactly what's going on here]

Eizen...?

2/2

[gotbadblood]

[No no, this must be some kind of trick or hallucination. The surprise quickly goes into anger as she refuses to let herself believe this. It must be some kind of trick. Was the Order onto them that fast?]

-- Jusis get away from him! I watched Eizen die three days ago!

[noblerise]

[Jusis has never gone from being glad that Eizen has arrived to 'aw, fuck' within 0.2 seconds. Some days, he wonders if it's too late to get transferred back to North Carolina.]

He what?

[He would like 12 cases of Smirnoff vodka delivered to his door in an hour, universe, thank you.]

No, you know what? Explain that later. [Jusis shoots Eizen an apologetic look before doing as the unhinged lady with a daemon arm asks.] One person in Kaisou has died and come back to life, and that was Moxxie. There has also been an instance wherein several people died and came back to life, which was the death soccer incident.

Eizen, for the sake of argument, do you mind proving to Velvet that you are who you say you are?

[He's trying.]

[rockily]

[ if the universe isn't going to deliver them then eizen sure as hell will, already he can feel the headache starting to build in the back of his mind. it's only when jusis turns to look at him that eizen realizes how much of a mess he must also look. ]

Aye. [ after the shit they went through he can't say he's surprised at the reaction but it still stings. ] My true name is Ufemew Wexub. Only eight people knew it in our past life. Only two in this.

I know you watched me die Velvet, I was there, I felt it. I don't know how but I'm back. We're all back.

[gotbadblood]

[Poor Jusis, being very left out of this very disturbing loop. She hears Jusis trying to give the rationale, but really it's Eizen giving his true name that helps calm her. She remembers how carefully Malak guard that name. She never even got to find out Laphicet's.

Her stance becomes noticeably less aggressive as she lets herself relax a little]

...It really is you. [She lets herself breath out] What the hell.

[SHE NEEDS A DRINK THERES BEEN TOO MANY DRAMATIC REVELATIONS]

[rockily]

[ it's enough at least, and some of the tension drains from eizen's shoulders as velvet's stance shifts. if she had attacked he could have easily met her blow for blow, but he's glad at the very least that she hadn't. he looks over to jusis apologetically, there is a lot they have to report but that will certainly have to wait. ]

I don't know, but we can figure it all out later. You want to tell me what's going on here?

[ he thinks he has an idea, knowing what was unveiled during the events of that horrid cabin, but he wants to be certain. ]