Glancing towards a specific wall, Livia narrowed her eyes and shit-eatingly grinned.
[Did you hear that? Drop his charges,] she mockingly transmitted to an unseen person.
From behind the cell's wall, a white-haired man who was in the middle of a report sighed, annoyed by the distraction along with the fact his report was now essentially meaningless and would have to be discarded.
However, he wouldn't voice his grievances aloud towards the woman—he just so happened to like his job.
It paid well.
Tapping several specific buttons on the console allocated to his desk, the white-haired man began to delete all of the documents related to any of Rue's charges.
Rue had a clean pallet once more.
Deleting the final file, the white-haired man lifted his thumb, signaling the task's completion.
Seeing the gesture, Livia nodded.
[Don't worry, no-life, you'll be compensated accordingly.]
Giving a final smug smirk towards the man, Livia's expression receded back into her casual one.
"Well, my first disciple is official. There's no going back now, Rue—not even if you wanted to," she mused aloud.
Livia pivoted her gait towards the exit of the cell.
"I'll explain the rest in a sec, but first we gotta skedaddle. We have places to be, and you have people to meet," she voiced mirthfully, signaling towards Rue to follow.
Rue watched, confused, as she smirked condescendingly towards the wall; however, he merely shrugged, following Livia without question.
Exiting his cell, his eyes slightly widened involuntarily, and he let out a shaky deep breath.
Large…
He gulped
Was this really just a mere detention center to detain temporary inmates? Or was it something more?
Rue narrowed his eyes.
Out of curiosity, he channeled the limited amount of stray Will he was able to gain command over during the past 20 minutes into his eyes in order to magnify the distance for his own viewing.
Cells for as far as the eye can see.
With his enhanced vision armed, the distance was no longer a wonder but now fitted for his sight.
Countless rows and columns of cells were all deliberately placed along the inner exterior of the wall, with each cell being connected by a system of complex rails and paths that traveled over a seemingly endless pitfall below.
Taking several steps forward, Rue leaned cautiously against the frail-looking railing that feebly bordered his safeguard between the abyss below.
'....'
"How surreal, and yet so wasteful," Rue muttered under his breath, stealing a final glance towards the abyss.
Livia leaned against the wall with a sly smile as she watched Rue. "So, are you going to continue ogling the distance, or are we going to head out?" she voiced in an apprehensive tone that snapped Rue out of his self-inflicted stupor.
Rue nodded, "Sorry, we can continue."
~~~
~~~
~~~
Creeping into a white hall, Livia washed her perception across the emerging labyrinth of twisted corridors and passages.
Assuring herself of her chosen path's vacancy, she sighed before turning towards Rue.
Sensing her gaze, Rue turned his head.
Without as much as a warning, Livia took hold of Rue's wrist, manhandling him towards her side.
"Brace yourself," she said before suddenly dashing down the long stretch of passages between themself and her desired location.
SWOOOSH!
They traveled like thunder towards earth. Livia's constant speed was always near her peak as she treaded across the lengthy marble-tiled trail.
Everything seemed like a blur to Rue as he was held firmly beside Livia.
Involuntarily, his mouth flapped open from the sheer G-force being applied to his body from Livia's forward speed, along with the added sharp turns and irregular paths that caused him great discomfort due to the powerful force pressing against his organs and muscles.
If Rue could, then he would be glaring at Livia with indignation.
He was vexed; however, due to his current state, Rue's physical movement was limited to none.
After several seconds of mental gymnastics, Livia—in the same abrupt fashion she had begun with—came to a screeching stop before a large crystalline tube embalmed into the white wall.
Lifting the hand she had rested on Rue's face to prevent any sudden whiplash from the immediate speed deceleration, she let go of the poor, disoriented inquisitor before immediately appearing before the crystal tube.
Staggering on his legs, Rue stumbled over his feet like a drunkard as his body trembled.
'What the hell, dude! Why did she just take off without as much as a warning!' Rue thought begrudgingly as he forced his body to recover from the past trauma.
Sensing the familiar presence of the pink-haired adapted, a small segment of the tube's front surface disappeared, allowing her entry.
Livia looked over her shoulder. "Get over here, Rue, we don't have all day," she sternly uttered before walking into the crystal tube.
Hearing the stern voice of his current master and needing a quick fix to recuperate his dreary body, Rue slapped himself across the face.
Regaining a clear head on his shoulders, Rue sprinted forward, jumping into the tube.
Flpop!
Sensing no further presence within the vicinity, the tube correspondingly closed its formed entrance.
Taking note of this, Livia administered her Will into the tube's console.
Sensing the command from the adapted, the tube's semi-transparent exterior blacked out, impeding outside view.
The tube's interior was plunged into an onyx darkness until a neon red light flicked on, illuminating the inside of the tube.
[Ding!]
[Good evening, and thank you for choosing Q.M.I.N.C. for today's teleportation.]
[Miss Reigner, please state your desired location.]
Announced the same robotic voice Rue had heard when his mark was being engraved.
"The Reigner Estate." she huffed with an even tone.
[Your transmission will commence in five seconds.]
[1..]
[2..]
…
[5, please brace yourself.]
~~~
~~~
~~~
[How would you rate your experience today?]
A familiar translucent orange panel appeared in front of Rue.
Without hesitation, Rue clicked the 'X' icon at the top left corner, disregarding the automatic feedback notification.
Rue massaged his scalp as he felt a negligible migraine pass over.
It was annoying, but it didn't really hurt.
"What was that?" Rue suddenly asked.
"Long-distance teleportation," she shrugged.
"So, how did it feel?" Livia chimed with a chuckle.
Rue tapped his chin. "It felt weird. For a split second, I was sure it felt like my entire body was being stabbed instantaneously with countless needles, along with a displeasing stretching sensation along my abdomen."
"But apart from that, all I have is a minor migraine, so in all, it wasn't that bad," Rue outlined.
She chuckled, "You're damn right," she mused
"And it's crazy to me how they still let grade schoolers use these things," she shrugged.
As Livia began to go down a rabbit hole Rue knew nothing nor cared about, the inquisitor leaned against the tube's wall, resting his face onto his hands.
He felt a wave of the odious pass over him.
It was as if the Sandman had suddenly thrown sand into his eyes.
And before he knew it, he was already falling face-first onto the floor.