[BL] I Didn't Sign Up For This-Chapter 91: In Which the Coalition Has Politics

We’d been asleep for maybe four hours when Mara knocked on our door.

"Unless someone’s actively dying, this can wait," Azryth called out, not moving from where he was wrapped around me.

"Coalition emergency," Mara said through the door. "Ryota needs to talk. Now."

I groaned into Azryth’s chest. "Can’t they have their crisis during reasonable hours?"

"Apparently not."

We made it downstairs to find Henrik at the communication station, looking like he’d also been dragged out of bed. Mara handed me coffee without a word.

"You’re a saint," I told her.

"I know. Now drink and look presentable, we’re doing video."

Ryota’s face appeared on the screen, and he looked about as tired as I felt.

"Apologies for the timing," he said. "But we have a situation."

"What kind of situation?" Azryth asked, settling beside me with his own coffee.

"The coalition received my report on the Tokyo closure." Ryota ran a hand through his hair, which was down from its usual ponytail. "Let’s just say... reactions are mixed."

"Mixed how?" I asked.

"Some of the leadership believes my assessment, they understand that your technique works, that it’s necessary, that we need to coordinate efforts." He paused. "Others think I’ve been compromised, that I’m either lying or being manipulated by a demon lord."

"Of course they do," Azryth muttered.

"The coalition is fracturing," Ryota continued. "Some cells want to work with you, others are calling for renewed hostilities, claiming any demon involvement is corruption regardless of results."

"So much for the cessation agreement," I said. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"The agreement holds for now, but it’s fragile." Ryota leaned forward. "I need your help to stabilize it."

"What kind of help?" Mara asked.

"Proof. Undeniable, documented proof that your technique works and isn’t corrupted." He looked directly at me and Azryth. "I need you to let us film a rift closure. Live feed to coalition leadership, let them see exactly what you do and how you do it."

I exchanged a glance with Azryth.

"You want us to perform," Azryth said flatly.

"I want you to demonstrate," Ryota corrected. "There’s a difference, performance implies theatrics. I’m asking for documentation."

"Well.. we’re hitting Seattle tomorrow," I said. "Part of a two-rift operation. Seattle and Denver, both anchor points."

"Perfect." Ryota was already typing something off-screen. "My team can fly to Seattle tonight, set up equipment, and be ready when you arrive."

"You’re flying commercial?" I asked. "That seems... inefficient."

"Not all of us can tear holes in reality," Ryota said dryly. "Some of us have to use airports like common mortals."

Despite everything, I almost smiled.

"What exactly do you need from us?" Azryth asked.

"Close the rift as you normally would, don’t change your technique, don’t add theatrics, just do what you’ve been doing." Ryota pulled up some kind of technical schematic. "We’ll have three camera positions, audio recording, energy signature monitoring. Everything documented and transmitted live to coalition headquarters."

"And if they still don’t believe it?" I asked.

"Then at least we’ll have tried." Ryota’s expression was grim. "But right now, the coalition is tearing itself apart, half want to work with you, half want you dead. I need to give the reasonable half ammunition to win that argument."

"Fantastic," I said flatly.

"I understand the added stress," Ryota admitted. "But you’ve closed fourteen rifts in two days. One more with cameras shouldn’t be significantly harder."

"You’d be surprised what cameras do to performance anxiety," I said.

"You’ll be fine." Ryota’s confidence was either genuine or very well faked. "Just close the rift, we’ll handle the politics."

"When do you need us in Seattle?" Azryth asked.

"Tomorrow morning, local time, we’ll have equipment set up by dawn." He checked something off-screen. "I’ll send coordinates for the rift location, it’s in an abandoned warehouse district near the waterfront."

"Why is it always abandoned warehouses?" I asked.

"Because active warehouses have security and witnesses," Mara pointed out.

"Fair."

"One more thing," Ryota said. "The live feed means coalition leadership will be watching in real-time. Some of them are... not friendly to your cause. They may try to interfere or create complications."

"How can they possibly interfere from a live feed?" Azryth’s voice had gone dangerous.

"Politically, not physically. They can’t reach through a video feed." Ryota’s expression was carefully neutral. "But they will scrutinize every detail, they’ll look for any sign of corruption, any hint that you’re using demonic power to manipulate warden techniques."

"We are using demonic power," I pointed out. "That’s literally how the binding works."

"Then you’ll need to make it very clear that it’s collaborative, not corruptive." Ryota looked at Azryth. "Which means you need to look... controlled. Not threatening."

"I always look controlled," Azryth said.

"You look like you’re deciding whether to kill someone or just terrify them," Ryota corrected. "Tomorrow, you need to look cooperative. Non-threatening. Like a partner, not a predator."

Through the binding, I felt Azryth’s irritation spike.

"..He’s not wrong," I said quietly. "You do have a certain... intensity."

"It’s called presence."

"It’s called intimidating the shit out of everyone in the room," Mara added helpfully.

Azryth looked at me. "Am I intimidating?"

"Extremely."

"But you’re not intimidated."

"I’m bound to you, different rules."

He sighed. "Fine. I’ll try to look... friendly."

"Don’t try to look friendly," Ryota said quickly. "That’s worse, just look professional and competent, like you’re there to close a rift, not conquer a realm."

"I can do that," Azryth said, sounding offended.

"We’ll see," Ryota said diplomatically. "Coordinates incoming. Dawn, Seattle waterfront. We’ll be ready."

The screen went dark.

For a moment, we all just sat there.

"So," I said finally. "We’re doing a live demonstration for a fractured coalition that half wants us dead."

"Apparently," Azryth agreed.

"And you have to look non-threatening."

"I’m always non-threatening."

"You literally broke two ribs yesterday throwing yourself at an enforcer."

"That was protective, not threatening."

"It was violent," Mara corrected. "Which reads as threatening to people who don’t know you."

Azryth looked genuinely confused. "How else am I supposed to protect him?"

"By not looking like you enjoy the violence quite so much," Henrik suggested.

"I don’t enjoy it."

"You smiled when you incinerated that last enforcer in Tokyo," Kade pointed out from the couch.

"That was satisfaction at a successful elimination."

"But it looked like bloodlust," Serra added.

Azryth turned to me. "Do I look bloodthirsty?"

"Sometimes," I admitted. "But in a very hot way."

"That’s not helpful."

"I’m being honest."

Mara cleared her throat. "Can we focus? Tomorrow, Seattle, live demonstration, coalition politics. We need to be ready."

"We’re always ready," I said.

"You’re always competent," she corrected. "Ready implies preparation, we need strategy."

"Strategy for what?" I asked. "We close rifts the same way every time."

"Strategy for optics, for presentation, for making sure the coalition sees collaborative technique, not demonic corruption." She pulled up her tablet. "Which means we need talking points."

"Talking points," I repeated flatly.

"Yes. For when they ask questions, because they might ask questions."

"We’ll be closing a rift," Azryth said. "While fighting enforcers, we won’t have time for questions."

"They’ll ask after," Mara insisted. "And you need prepared answers."

I looked at Azryth, he looked at me.

"We’re doing PR now," I said.

"Apparently."

"For a coalition that wants us dead."

"Half of them," he corrected. "The other half is undecided."

"That’s so much better."

Despite everything.. the exhaustion, the timeline pressure, the absurdity of doing coalition PR.. I started laughing.

Azryth joined me after a moment.

Mara looked at us like we’d lost our minds. "Are you two okay?"

"We’re closing dimensional tears to prevent an apocalypse," I managed. "And now we’re doing media training for hunter politics."

"It’s absurd," Azryth agreed, still smiling.

"It’s necessary," Mara said firmly. "Seattle, dawn, cameras. Be ready."

"We’ll be ready," I said, getting my laughter under control. "Professional, competent, non-threatening."

"And non-bloodthirsty," Henrik added.

"That too."

We headed back to our room, and the moment the door closed, I turned to Azryth.

"Can you actually do non-threatening?" I asked.

"I have no idea," he admitted.

"This is going to be a disaster."

"Probably." He pulled me closer. "But we’ve handled worse."

"Have we?"

"No," he said honestly. "But we will anyway."

Fair enough.