Mars relaxed at the sound of Lea's voice. She reached out to the door but before she could reach the handle it opened from the other side and Lea was running right at her.

"Lea―" Mars could barely make out a word in time. She opened her arms to catch the little shinigami and hugged Lea tightly. "What's wrong? Did something happen? And why didn't you bring Jason with you?"


Silas stared at Arael. He knew that contact with shinigami was dangerous but to imagine that someone would willingly go against the rules was beyond a shock. He set Arael's cup of tea on the table and, with a frown, settled down in his chair. He didn't know what to say and to pass the time he crossed his legs so that his left ankle rested on top of his right knee. He balanced his teacup on top of his right leg, the hot surface against his pantleg again reminding him of the length of his silence.

At last he spoke. "Why?" Nervously, he glanced toward each side of the hallway and lowered his voice to a whisper as he returned his gaze to Arael. "They'll take your license away for that kind of thinking."