Quote from Aquila

Abra entered the room, putting his gloves back on then shutting the door to the office behind him. "Nothing happened Mr. Dino, just a nice intellectual chat is all."

An announcement blared, signalling the end of the match. "Now wasn't that a mess! Now if you would give us a moment of your time, we will be right back after a few quick renovations to the arena." Guards and medics came out to escort Nocturn, medics to assist in healing if they could and guards just in case they had to pull the medics away from Nocturn's hunger.

"Well that's your cue Mr. Timothy." Abra turned to the guitarist. "I told them to set up something special for you, so please make your way to the arena."

Down the tube Tim will be greeted by guards who after giving back Ragnarok would lead him to a separate room filled with amps, pedals, and other accessories. A mediary will then approach him with a proposition. "Your opponent requests a one hour recess before the match starts. It is ultimately your choice as this is an unorthodox request. Yes or no? If you say no then please choose your equipment quickly and make your way to the arena."

Tim thought about it, then shrugged.
"I'll be nice, and grant him this request."
This 1 hour recess would also give him time to practice with his strings, like how the clown recommended.
If he is going to need this 1 hour, I might as well use it to the best of my ability.

"I'll tell him immediately. I'm sure he will be very grateful." The servant bowed and made his way out.

Tim could faintly hear the announcer. "An agreement was made, the two musicians are giving each other an hour recess now while that is going on, please give a warm welcome to our exotic dancers!" A tv appeared in Tim's room so he can watch the different squads of men and women dance.

Celestial woke up, his face throbbing. His remaining eye slowly opened, half the world gone to him. He sat up and put his head in his hands. He should've been faster, he should've been stronger. He shouldn't have been so afraid. Now that the fight was over, he was thinking of all the spells he could've used and all the ways he could've ended the fight sooner before he lost his eye. He vowed from that moment on, he would no longer be afraid. He wasn't that same scared little boy from all those years ago.

After wallowing in his own self-pity for a while, he looked up when he heard Abra come into the room. He stormed over to the man, though it was weird, since he could only half see.

"This is your fault, Abra! If you hadn't sent me in there I'd still have my eye!"

Abra sighed. "You want an eye huh? You think ilI owe you because you're weak?" He flung his hands up. "Fine fine, I'll be right back with your eye." Abra stood up and left the room, soon coming back chatting happily. "Yes he's right in this room follow me follow me." The door bursted open and two little kids rushed in followed by two adults.

"Oh you're alright thank god!" Celestial's mother kissed him on the cheek. "I was so worried about you."

"You held on well kid." His father grinned and pat him on the back, tears running down his face. "I knew you wouldn't give up."

Abra laughed, "When I told your family you'd be here they were more than ready to come with me to watch their precious child compete. So Celestial's parents, do you know that your son didn't thank me for saving your lives? For ridding your town of those monsters?"

Celestial's mother turned to look at Abra then at Celestial. "Is this true?"

"Yep I even check back on page 30. He did not say thank you." Abra sighed sadly.

"Celestial i did not raise an ungrateful son." His father huffed. "That man did you and us a great favor and you didn't thank him?"

"He even got our momento to you, Celestial how could you be so childish?"

"I wonder the same myself. Now he's ordering me to give him an eye, blaming his inability to face his fears on me. Can you believe that?"

Mr. Lightwood shook his head. "Celestial you can't just blame someone for all your problems, some you have to face up yourself."

"Yes Celestial, how is it Mr. Abra's fault that you were afraid of your nightmares?" Mrs. Lightwood looked at her son.

"But I am a gracious host so," Abra snapped his fingers and guards swarmed out, yanking Celestial's family and strapping them to a chair where they were quickly administered anesthetic. Abra gestured to the sleeping forms. "Take your pick boy!" He yelled. "Who's eye do you want to take?"

Celestial didn't actually expect Abra to actually give him back his eye. But when he came back with his parents and his siblings, Celestial almost cried. He hugged his parents and his younger siblings. But when they started ridiculing him for not saying thank you, he almost lost his shit. That son of a bitch had the nerve to expect a thank you after taking him away from home, throwing him into a fight with his worst nightmare, and being a complete dick.

However, when guards flooding into the room, Celestial went to protect his family, despite their out of character personalities. But they were knocked out and strapped down before Celestial could do anything.

"Take your pick boy!" Abra yelled. "Who's eye do you want to take?"

Celestial looked at him, horrified. He couldn't take an eye from one of his family members. He couldn't take an eye from anyone period. He didn't know what to do, so he let his instincts take over. He let out a yell and went to tackle Abra to the ground, and punch him.

Abra smacked the boy, sending the boy flying to the side. He walked over and stepped on the warlock's chest, looking him in the eye. The mad man patomimed a baby crying, rolling his fists over his eyes and whining. "Waah I lost an eye, waah you owe me."

He growled. "You forget I saved your family. Hell your entire goddamn town. What would you have done if I didn't take you? If I didn't train you? Just die to Azule? How did you kill him?" Abra stamped down. "Oh that's right! With magic you only got because I got you there! How dare your ungrateful ass try to say I owe you! If I owe you an eye, you owe me their lives!" He pointed to Celestial's family, "Your town! And your own!" He stamped down again and Celestial could feel a rib crack. Abra turned. "Take this brat to the medic bay. And... kill the girl when she wakes up, teach this boy a lesson." Guards picked Celestial up and dragged him away.

Celestial cried out in pain with each stomp. He screamed when his rib cracked. When the guards dragged him away, they dragged him kicking and screaming. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER! ABBY! LEAVE HER ALONE! ABBY!!!"

The ruckus around successfully pulled Lilith out of her reverie, as she raised her head, and as events unfold, even got up from the armchair. For a longer while she just observed, measuring Abra with her gaze, frowning. No matter what he said there, here, he was still an enemy.

"Let his family be...its not their fault that their son is a failure..." The woman spoke. She didn't mean it, well not completely. She just tried to use words that will have any chance of reaching Abra's ears. "If you want to punish someone, punish the culprit, no point of pulling his family into it...You're not some lowkey mobster after all, are you? "

Abra sighed and scratched the back of his head. "You do have a point. But what more would hurt the culprit than making an example out of those he loves. Your father knew that tactic well enough and look how you turned out." Abra laughed.

Dino stood in the same corner for the whole time. He carelessly gazed down to the dancers and their exibition, but his mind was elsewhere. As drama began to unfold around him, he threw an eye to the action, but did not react. Kid has got guts, but he's not smart.

He proceeded to turn his attention back to the arena and light up another cigarette, ignoring the events around him. For as much as he cared for those people as acquaintances and comrades, he still had no obligation towards them. Daniel's job was to survive Abra's events and go back to his own mission.

Lilith smirked, somewhat glad that Abra, apparently didn't know everything about her past.

"Oh, my father's tactics reached far beyond that, thought you'd know... You see, he managed to twist my mind to an unthinkable level, wrap me around his tiny finger and made me hate everything, without hurting a single person, but me... If he could pull that off, you as a Virtuoso of death and evil can probably get even more creative, no?"

She approached Abra and tied family with few slow steps. " Yes...Lothric indeed 'made an example'...of foolishness. After he destroyed that one, only valuable thing I had in my life, he destroyed his last and only price tag that I still had attached to myself, after what he did... He couldn't have me anymore, no matter what he came up with."

Lilith stood before the hostages, her gaze moving from one face to another. "Family is a very strong concept, dictated by nature, but what after you get rid of it? You simply don't care anymore, all you do is by yourself and for yourself, no?" The woman passed slowly in front of the prisoners and stopped directly in front of Abra, her voice turning almost into a whisper. "Right now he has something to fight for, a reason to get out of here alive. His mind is young and easy to mold but break it too soon and it will congeal into heavy stone. A toy broken in an attempt of having a little bit too much fun, never to be back. Think about the possibilities, instead of wasting your canvas on something that was done already" Lilith smiled and turned around, slowly walking away. Ironically enough the play she just performed wouldn't be possible if not for her father's teachings...

Normally Lilith wouldn't really care about some stranger's death. But here, the after-life was most likely non existent. As a Necromancer it was her sworn duty to keep the souls of the innocent safe. Other than that, the woman had a score to tie with Abra, after their recent talk.

"I don't enjoy comparing myself to others, we all do what we do for different reasons." Abra tilted his head. "Family is a very strong concept, so who said I'd get rid of it?" He walked around the prisoners, his fingers running through their hair. "Unlike with you and Walter, if I kill one, I still have three to play with. Perhaps he'll fight even harder, even smarter, now that he knows the threat is very very real. You must admit, he doesn't seem to understand the situation exactly..." Abra stopped at the little girl. kneeling down, "Perhaps she can be the crucial domino piece, the one that'll cause the chain reaction and make everything fall." He stroked the girl's cheek, the girl looked so peaceful sleeping. "If this does destroy his mind, then he's too weak." Abra got up and brushed the dust off his pants. "She'll make a great present for the boy when he wakes up, don't you agree?"

"But what if you push that domino from the wrong side? One is enough to ruin the whole, same as with family..." Lilith turned on her heel again, and began to walk around the room. "Lets say you kill the girl...We had our fun and what not, but her blood spills on that fine, special piece of art you were working on for some time. Material you can't find a second of, unfinished and ruined just because you got distracted with something else for a moment... Is it worth the risk? Don't focus on the side projects, focus on the masterpiece, it'd be a shame to waste all your good paints on something insignificant... Its better to use them on something that matters, am I wrong?" The woman stopped for a moment, both talking and walking.0" But enough of these metaphors... Lets cool our heads for a moment. The boy fought his worst nightmare, and most likely gave everything he had. He still comes back victorious, and his reward is? Dead sister... Why would he try just as hard next time, knowing that it won't matter anyway? And of course he doesn't understand the situation, his young unexperienced...and just woke up after taking a heavy dose of sedatives, barely conscious...Im sure he'll come back in a better state of mind."

Abra stroked his chin then sighed. "You make a wonderful point Miss Lilith, though I don't intend to kill little Celestial later, it would be bad for him to be demotivated. I do have such high hopes for his future." He clapped and the family woke up. "Celestial went to the med bay, you can see him there." They smiled and quickly left. Abra turned to look at Lilith and cocked his head. "You win this one miss."