Ratella floated down to the food hall. The food, much like the castle itself, was unremarkable but edible. It brought no pleasure, but it satisfied his hunger.
Watered-down soup and a small portion of bread made up the rations. For years, ever since food became a valuable resource, this had apparently been the norm. Endless skirmishes are the main reason for the bland food sitting in front of him.
Ratella now sympathised with the soldiers in the castle over their lack of divine cuisine, despite being of angelic origin.
Liliana eyed his food hungrily, inching closer when his gaze drifted off to another part of the room.
"Do you want some?" Ratella asked, scooping a small portion into his spoon and bringing it up to her beak.
Liliana cutely nodded her head, practically begging for his scraps.
With a gentle tilt, he watched the mostly water-laden liquid, nearly devoid of nutrition, slide down her throat.
She made no gesture of disgust at the food, instead shifting forward, closer to his bowl, begging for more. Despite her obvious hunger, she didn't take any until Ratella gave her permission. He found her behaviour to be quite charming, much like the rest of her personality.
"Such a polite bird," exclaimed Ratella, bringing more of the liquid to her beak, spoon-feeding her until the bowl was practically empty.
He finished off the bowl himself. Liliana's eyes still held a ravenous hunger, her crimson irises sparkling at the thought of more food.
Approaching footsteps filled the area, and three men placed their trays of flavourless junk on the same table as Ratella.
Ratella ignored the new faces, tearing off a piece of bread and throwing it to Liliana, who wolfed it down swiftly.
"Hey, you shouldn't feed a bird instead of yourself. You'll need your energy for the battles to come," stated an unknown man.
Looking upwards across from him, he was met with two unfamiliar faces and one holding the name of Sarian Valhorn.
"I'll do what I want with the food given to me. Whether that be to feed my bird or stomp on it," declared Ratella, throwing more bread to Liliana in spite of the man's words.
His face twitched with annoyance at being completely undermined in front of his friends and the new virtue.
"Squack!" shouted Liliana, cursing the man in birdtalk.
"Calm down, Samael, let's not start our new relationship with each other on a bad foot."
Sarian put his hand out to prevent the man from doing anything he would later regret, his temper becoming volatile.
"I'm Sarian Valhorn. This is Samael Lordstone, and to his right is Lilia Valentine. We are all in the elite unit set up to destroy the Sins of Lust and Sloth."
"I'm sorry about what happened to your father, Sarian. If I only got there earlier, I might have been able to save him; his death is in my hands."
Liliana looked into Ratella's eyes after his statement, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's okay, please don't worry about it, but I hope you'll aid me in battle against Sloth. Actually, it won't be a battle, more like a slaughter."
Sarian clenched his fists, anger and grief plain before Ratella. No deceit colored his words. Ratella sensed Sarian had the strength to face Sloth and beyond.
"If I may, is Lilia related to Lucian Valentine?"
"Yes, I am his daughter, although he doesn't really act like I am his daughter. I have yet to prove my strength in battle, so I haven't been acknowledged as his daughter."
"That's quite a harsh law to press onto your children."
"I've gotten used to it. Please don't worry about it. I assure you that Lucian is a valiant man and will not betray you in the field of battle," exclaimed Lilia, her words ringing hollow for some reason unknown to Ratella.
She was lying about her father and his character, which Ratella could be sure of. Liliana perched herself upon his shoulder, lapping up the last of his bread.
"Ratella, why do you have a bird in this godforsaken land? It'll only eat into the soldiers' rations, you know, the people that actually matter, not some stupid bird," barked Samael, his anger revolting Liliana growing exponentially. His eyes burned with hatred regarding the seemingly innocent animal.
"Could this man be able to sense the looming danger revolving around Liliana?" thought Ratella. His curiosity grew quickly, but was swiftly replaced by wariness and caution when dealing with the man.
He thought about killing the man while time was stopped, but that wouldn't solve anything, just making everyone's suspicion fall upon him.
"My bird, my decisions."
"Samael, just stop it, will you? No one has raised a single concern about the bird, so it's fine."
Samael retreated backwards, making himself smaller in his superior's ire, but the fury in his eyes still burned bright.
"Ratella, have you ever met Lust in the field of battle?" asked Lilia, looking downwards, not making eye contact with him.
"No, but I hear she's a wicked freak. Have you?"
Ratella had heard Liliana's descriptions of the Sins and how they all have their own wicked, twisted personalities. According to Liliana, Lust was one of the worst to face as an average soldier.
"Yes, I've faced her in combat once before, and she was nothing short of horrific, using soldiers' minds against them. If we come across Lust, I urge you to take extreme caution, even if you are a Seraphim."
"I appreciate the tip. I'll take your advice to heart. If you don't mind me asking, what weapons do you all use?" asked Ratella, wanting more information on his "allies" if he was to slay them later on.
"I use a bow, and am currently a wielder of the Edict of Light like my father," Sarian said, tapping his trusty weapon.
"I use two shortswords," stated Lilia, placing the weapons on the table for all to see.
"A longsword is my weapon of choice if you must know."
"I hope to fight alongside all of you on the field of battle with our combined might. We'll be able to slay Lust and Sloth, returning this area to peace."
Ratella properly left his seat and walked towards the exit, deciding their gathering to be over. The three gazes followed his unexpected exit; however, they did not pursue him, instead muttering to themselves.
Their questions only deepened his suspicions, turning them into dire threats to his position in Kathoros.
He walked over to the main gate, leaving behind the three he couldn't stomach for long, and awaited the newly founded unit's midday meeting.