Homecoming... Of a sort (Open intro)

Each day from within the halls of Dies Irae, a melody would be played. This melody would change by the day, but each carried a light tune of hope and want. Each tune bore the weight of so many people's worries and let them float into the aether. Not many of the stronger members of Dies Irae would take part in listening to Illya's songs, whether they be by piano or by violin or harp or any other instrument, but it seemed as though some of the lesser employees and Neophytes appreciated the work of the God Slayer. She was no good in a fight. She was weak. She did not know how to hurt someone that could fight back. She couldn't beat anyone up herself. There was no way. But at the very least, she could share her music with the world.

Today was once more one of those days, where Illya, tired and stressed from trying to improve her magical capabilities, de-stressed through the medium of song, peacefully plucking away at a harp as she sang a somber, quiet song, as if it were a lullaby. Yemaya had taken flight to search for information on a festival Illya had been asked to take part in, leaving the God Slayer by herself and her music that filled the air, calming the swaying Neophytes and employees. Finishing the last note of her song, ending with a graceful fade into the aether, letting the troubles of the day disappear into cloud and dust to be swept away somewhere else, she heard an unfamiliar voice. It must have been someone new. She recognized voices easily and quickly, yet this was a new voice that she had not heard before, and it came from the entrance to the Throne Room. Bowing to her tired, yet applauding, audience, she left her harp upon her makeshift stage of wooden crates and dashed towards the entryway.

Standing at the entryway was precisely what Illya had expected: someone new. He was a somewhat serious-looking, slightly tan man with a shaggy mane of black. A mild look of contentment sat upon his face as his eyes wandered around the room absently, the mixture of his casual eyes and the hands within his pockets giving a carefree, admiring attitude to his demeanor. "Hiya!" Illya said, quickly walking as she approached. Luckily for her, she was wearing one of the uniforms for once. They were a foreign thing for her, more designed for business than for the sake of fashion, though they certainly had a flair of elegance about them. "Welcome to Dies Irae! My name's Illya Pegasus, and how about you? Are you looking to join? We're always accepting new members! Don't worry, you'll fit right in, I'm sure! If I can fit in, I bet you can too, so you should have no problems at all! We accept people from all walks of life, young, old, tall, small, weak, strong...if you've got a passion for justice, then we can fit riiight in! Well, at least, that's how I see it. You'd probably have to ask Miss West or Mister von Weiss about some of the more intricate matters. I'm a bit new here myself, as well. Well, obviously not as new as you, but I...well, you get the point." She laughed slightly. "Right! Focus, Illya! So, what's your name, friend? Again, I'm Illya Pegasus, and I'm already sure it's a pleasure to meet you!" She bowed, holding her hands closely to her side and clutching onto the hem of her short skirt to ensure that it did not reveal too much. She still could not get used to these strange military uniforms. They were much less comfortable than the dresses Illya usually wore, and much less accommodating to her preferred shoes or her headphones. She looked back up and smiled, flaring her hands at her side as she waited for the man's response.

A smile rippled across Illya's face as the man introduced himself. He seemed to be a kind enough soul, if not a bit eccentric. Of course, that would be saying that Illya herself was not eccentric, which would be far from the truth. "Kenzo, right?" she asked, just to confirm his name. "Right! Pleasure to meet you! So you're here to help get rid of evil! Ooh! That's perfect for Dies Irae! Plus, you already seem to be the type to kinda like this place anyways. Uhh...not to be assuming or anything, sorry! Just, I know that this place isn't really for everyone because I definitely know that I don't fit in too well with the whole 'military' thing here and that kiiiiiinda makes Miss West especially pretty angry. But, hey! Don't worry about it if you don't have to! I'm sure you'll fit right in because justice and cleansing the world of evil is just what we do here, and they do a really good job! Uh...we do. Well, I saaaay 'we,' but I don't really do much fighting. I dunno how to really use magic all that well, b-but even if you can't use magic, we're perfectly ready to accept you into our guild! Oh! Speaking of! Do you know any magic? Me, personally, I use...uh...what's it called...I think it's 'God Slayer Magic' or something like that? I dunno, it means I can eat sound or something like that, which explains why I'm, not to brag or anything, pretty decent at music, but also I still don't really know how to use it or what that really means or anything and-" She cut herself off by clapping her hands against her cheeks. "Calm down, Illya! Stay. Calm. You're freaking out. It's just a new guy. Nothing to worry about. Right! So! Kenzo! What kinda magic do you use? Uh, if you use magic, that is. No problem if you can't use magic, Dies Irae will still gladly accept you!"

Slayer Magic? Like mine? Oh, but it's Demon Slayer and mine's God Slayer. Wonder what the difference is. Illya's thoughts, for once, failed to leave her head as she smiled at the new recruit. "Oh! So you use fire magic! That's super cool! Especially if you're, like, somewhere cold and you need to heat up really quick but you don't have any-" Her speaking was interrupted by familiar clicking of steps and a familiar voice raising in a stern manner. "Ah! Miss West!" Illya gave a quick bow, only to be met with a stern, disappointed look on her face. "Wait, no, it's Commander West! Sorry! Sorry! Still have to get used to the whole 'military rank' thing. Right! Glad you've come here! This is a new potential recruit, Kenzo Yonokaze! He says he can use...uh...Demon Slayer! Yeah, that was it! Demon Slayer magic! And it uses fire! Oh, and he wants to join the guild as well! You've been here longer, so I'm sure you can tell him about how awesome and great Dies Irae is, especially for someone like Kenzo here who's got an itching for justice!"

She smiled, taking a few steps back and turning on her heel in order to let Commander West fully enter the conversation. The hall was surprisingly quiet. The Commander's assistant, or so she presumed, was rushing around for something, likely taking care of something for the Commander. A few cooks worked in the kitchen,  and the sounds of a few others training rumbled and hummed, just barely audible to the girl with the attuned hearing. Yet the Commander and the new guy made such little sound. There was the constant, nearly ear-popping growl of the Commander's magic force, and a slight wave of noise from the heat of the new guy's magic, but there was little else. The taste of the man's voice was genuine, albeit bland, while the Commander's held the same mild bitter taste that it always seemed to. However, it was not her place to speak on such matters if the Commander were present. Rather, she just stood at the edge of the conversation, waiting for her next orders.

A lightheadedness began to fog Illya's vision as Kenzo stated more about his purpose. "Y-yep! Dies Irae is a-all about honor and justice and-" Illya stopped herself for a moment. "Yep! Dies Irae is a great place for that sorta goal, K-Kenzo! H-honestly I'm a b-bit weary of just how militaristic it is, but y-you'd probably fit in just fine, K-Kenzo. It's j-just not really for a civilian-type like me." The lightheadedness turned to a slight nausea as Illya stood there.

"A-apologies, Miss West. I'm feeling a little bit off, so I think I'll...I'll take m-my leave, Miss West." She gave a quick bow and stumbled off, looking very obviously worse for wear. Before even rounding the corner to get out of sight, she slowly slid down a slightly indented wall and attempted to regain her composure and quell her queasiness.