"Biased Mr. Azik!" Alaric, in his Jack persona, grumbled. Without Lucifer's backup and with someone sabotaging him, he was "forced" To take a sip of the vegetable juice under everyone's watchful eyes.
The first sensation was a soul-shuddering bitterness. Even Alaric felt momentarily numbed, the acrid taste spreading from his tongue to his stomach, urging him to rinse his mouth immediately.
But Alaric didn't rush to do so. After a brief shudder, his expression calmed, and he took another sip of the juice, scoffing, "That's it?"
"!!!"
"???"
Klein, in that moment, began questioning reality. Recalling the juice's taste and seeing Jack's composed expression, he couldn't tell if Jack was bluffing or genuinely unfazed by the drink.
"Maybe it's because you prefer sweets, Klein, so you're less tolerant of bitterness?" Lil' Amon suggested another possibility.
The comment made Klein hesitate for a second. Then he saw Jack thrust the glass toward Lil' Amon, saying matter-of-factly, "Drink!"
"Huh? Me?" Lil' Amon blinked, caught off guard.
"No kidding. Klein and I both drank it, so why should you get a pass? Aren't we three the best of friends?" Jack's face practically screamed, "If I suffer, we all suffer."
Lil' Amon considered this for a second, seemingly agreeing with the logic. He took the glass from Jack and cautiously sipped the juice.
It was hard to describe Lil' Amon's reaction, but his expression screamed existential doubt.
"…" It took him a good while to recover. He glanced at the juice, then at Jack's calm demeanor, and couldn't help but ask, "Do you not have taste buds?"
He felt like his soul was numbed by the bitterness.
"Nope, I've just had worse," Alaric, as Jack, replied with a triumphant look, tinged with smug satisfaction.
He admitted it was a bit childish, but what was wrong with a little immaturity now and then? The Jack persona was meant to carry his playful side... Lucifer was more than enough for maturity.
Just then, Klein handed something to Alaric.
Looking down, Alaric saw it was a piece of candy.
Klein, chewing on his own candy, offered one to Jack and another to Lil' Amon.
"Have something sweet to balance it out," Klein mumbled, looking at Alaric earnestly. "You might handle bitterness well, but I know you don't enjoy it."
"You knew that, yet you still made me drink that juice," Alaric said, popping the candy into his mouth while complaining. "So hypocritical, Mr. Fool."
With everyone present aware of the Fool's true identity, there was no need for secrecy.
"You brought it on yourself!" Klein retorted, showing no mercy to his friend.
"…You know, on second thought, this taste isn't so bad," Lil' Amon mused, chewing his candy and eyeing the juice thoughtfully.
For a moment, both Klein and Alaric turned to him.
"Want another sip, then?" Alaric prodded almost immediately.
"How about we stick to something normal?" Klein, ever the voice of reason, interjected. He studied Lil' Amon, incredulous. "Amon, are you already drunk?"
"N-no!" Lil' Amon shook his head, his voice slurring... whether from the alcohol or the candy, it was hard to tell. He stared at the dreadful juice for a few seconds, his head wobbling, then... thud... his head hit the table.
"Looks like he's really out. Tsk," Alaric, as Jack, said with a hint of disappointment, eyeing the juice beside Lil' Amon. He'd been curious to see if Amon would actually finish it.
"I'll take Lil' Amon to rest," Klein said, dutifully taking on the role of caretaker. But before he could act, Lil' Amon, who seemed utterly plastered, suddenly sat up and flashed a smile at Medici, who was sipping wine and watching the spectacle.
That smile was unmistakably not Lil' Amon's... it belonged to Amon's true self.
Medici instantly sensed something was off, but it was too late. The red wine in his glass had somehow been swapped for vegetable juice, and as Amon smiled, it was already in his mouth.
"Pfft!"
Even the War Angel felt the juice's wrath. Medici's glass was incinerated by a sudden burst of flames, along with the remaining juice.
His face darkened as he glared at Amon's true self, now possessing Lil' Amon. Clenching his fist, he said provocatively, "It's been a while since I last thrashed you, Amon. Missing the burn of flames on your wings?"
"Heh!" Amon's familiar laugh rang out. Having appeared from who-knows-where, he adjusted his monocle and smiled at Medici. "Maybe you're the one missing the taste of being cooked in a hot pot, Medici?"
The air grew thick with tension. Though not a Hunter, Amon clearly knew how to provoke.
"If you two want to fight, take it outside. Don't break anything," Alaric, now in his Lucifer persona, said, shaking his head at the uninvited Amon.
He knew Medici had been harboring a grudge. The hot pot incident, orchestrated by Adam with Amon as an accomplice, still stung. While Medici had reconciled with Adam, he'd never settled things with Amon. Sure, Medici had ganged up on Amon before, but that was different from facing him one-on-one as a King of Angels.
Though… Alaric was a bit worried whether Medici could take Amon.
After all, Lil' Red was a 1+1 King of Angels... one Sequence 1 characteristic plus the Uniqueness... while Amon was 2+1.
"To the Spirit World?" Medici asked, looking down at Amon, his height giving him a commanding air.
Amon wasn't short, but Medici was taller.
***
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