Inferno was running out of training dummies. Most of them were built from welded steel, but once Izzbelle got herself worked up into a proper battle-frenzy, they fell apart like they were made of paper. With each swing of her axe, scraps of metal went flying, scattering to the ground as sparks scorched the grass underfoot.

She didn't want to come home for the weekend, but her mother had insisted, forcing Izzbelle to cancel the plans she had with Jelli. Apparently her father was finally starting to calm down regarding what happened in the winter, and if she wanted to repair relations with him, she had to strike while the iron was hot.

With a mighty grunt, the Oni swung her axe downwards, cleaving the last of the training dummies cleanly in two, the rent edges of the metal glowing red as it fell apart. All around her, some of the onlooking Sulfur Blood soldiers gave her applause, but Izzbelle was deaf to their claps. She was too caught up in her thoughts.

"I take it you haven't spoken to your father yet?"

Dispelling her axe, she turned around to see her mother standing over by the edge of the training yard, smoke coiling from the pipe she held in her hand.

"I'll wait until he's done workin'," Izzbelle responded, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"Mm, you'll be waitin' a while then. He barely leaves his study these days," Aelda Suyas sighed, taking a drag from her pipe.

Izzbelle bared her teeth.

"Then why did you drag me out here? I had plans!"

Her mother took a deep breath.

"Funny thing about the Suyas family is that you're all too damn stubborn for your own good. If you and your father ain't gonna speak on your own terms, then it falls to me make your amends for you."

"He tried to marry me off against my will!"

"I'm not defendin' what he did. But before I was Lorenzo's wife, I was his bodyguard. And I spent enough time takin' bullets for him to know that he does the most moronic things with the best of intentions."

Izzbelle raised an eyebrow as she and her mother made their way deeper into the Inferno compound.

"You were his bodyguard?" she asked, glancing over at Aelda.

"Yup. Before your grandpa had the idea to set us up together, I was tasked with keepin' an eye on your dad's six. Lemme tell you, before the Sulfur Bloods steamrolled the Embertongues, they were very fond of sendin' hitmen his way. Less fond of my DP-28."

Her daughter frowned at this. Come to think of it, that certainly did explain why Aelda was toting a machinegun in most old pictures of her and her father...

"But I'm gettin' off track. Just go and talk with him, alright? Hellfire forefend I wanna have a normal family dinner with you two at some point," Aelda said with a sidelong grin, slapping Izzbelle on the back as they stopped in front of the central hall.

"No promises..." Izzbelle grumbled in response, taking a deep breath.

Quelling the roiling anger deep within her, the Oni stepped into the compound's central hall and began to make her way towards Lorenzo Suyas' study. She knew her father to be a violent but fair man; surely he would be amenable to reconciliation, right? Sure, he was still furious at Cobalt for slighting him, and Izzbelle was still furious at her father for shooting her teacher, but that was in the past. Since then, she had been doing a lot of breathing exercises with Jelli after school. She could remain calm for this, no problem.

Coming to a stop outside the doors to the study, she took one last deep breath and knocked.

"I'm busy," came the gruff voice of Lorenzo Suyas.

"It's me," Izzbelle responded.

He paused for a second.

"... mngh. You heard me."

"Too bad."

Izzbelle forced the door open and stepped inside.

Oni dwellings tended to be spartan at best, and her father's study was no exception. Though the walls were covered in carvings, nothing had been hung or bolted on to them, and the only furniture in the room was Lorenzo's desk, two chairs and a few filing cabinets. Behind the desk, the surly form of Lorenzo himself sat dressed in a suit, eyes narrowed at his daughter as she planted herself onto the chair opposite him.

"So. You finally come to visit," he stated, folding his arms.

She glanced down at the desk. It was covered in documents and papers, including one that looked like a blueprint of...

... B.I.D.?

"Yeah. Mom said you were busy," Izzbelle replied, turning her gaze away before he noticed her staring.

"Well I am, so say your piece and get goin' already. I've a lot of things I need to plan."

Izzbelle folded her arms.

"I'm willin' to apologise for fuckin' up the weddin' if you're willin' to apologise for shootin' Cobalt," the Oni said plainly, speaking slowly so as not to rile either of them.

Her father's gaze darkened.

"I ain't gonna say sorry for that. I know our traditions don't mean much to you, Izzbelle, but I have honour codes that I need to uphold, and part of that means I can't stand by and let a weaklin' slight me," he growled.

Almost immediately, Izzbelle's fists balled as she bared her teeth.

"He ain't weak!" the Oni snapped, before she could stop herself.

What was she saying? Of course he was weak! The man had a constitution of glass!

And yet...

"I can't fuckin' believe this... Do you have any idea how shameful that night was for our clan?! I'm still livin' it down, and I imagine I'll continue to do so for the foreseeable future!" Lorenzo yelled, slamming a fist down onto the desk.

"And like I said so many fuckin' times, I don't give a shit about the clan! Now I said I was fuckin' sorry, so the least you could do is say the same back!"

"I ain't apologisin'! Just because you fell for some scrawny little shit doesn't mean I gotta act like I'm okay with it!"

"It was your idea to marry him to me! What happened to him bein' of 'strong blood' or whatever the fuck you were ramblin' on about?!"

This time, Lorenzo had no response. Instead, she saw his eyes dart across the desk, over to two objects lying atop a pile of folders. They looked like a pair of knuckledusters, both heavily worn and riddled with cracks.

He took a deep, heaving breath.

"... no, you're right."

The wind caught in Izzbelle's throat right as she was getting ready to ramp up to the next level of yelling. Lorenzo never backed down in an argument; just what was going on with him?

"Despite everythin', the kid's still got more grit that I could have realised. Makes me wonder if..."

He shook his head.

"... no, if there's one thing I learned over the years, it was the importance of family. A strong man taught me that."

Lorenzo looked up into Izzbelle's eyes, his own devoid of the anger that had burned within just a few moments ago.

"I'm sorry, Izzbelle. For forcin' the weddin' on you, and for shootin' your boyfriend. I was thinkin' too far ahead, and you got hurt because of me. That's not what a father should do, and I should know more than anyone..." he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

She wasn't able to respond; partly because she had never seen her father look so vulnerable before, and partly because of the boyfriend comment.

"Recently I've been seein' more of my own father in me than I'd like. Makes me wonder if bad choices are hereditary," Lorenzo continued, staring down at his clasped hands.

"Um... Well... I never thought about killin' you, so... I guess you got that up on Grandpa?" Izzbelle said after a few moments.

Lorenzo looked up as a small smile spread across his face. He let out a quiet laugh before he shook his head and wiped his brow.

"Heh... I suppose not..."

He took another deep breath. Reaching across the desk, he took his daughter's hand.

"Look, Izzbelle. I'm sorry for fuckin' up as a dad, but everythin' I did, I was doin' because I love you, and I only want the best for you. My dad made me feel like shit, and the last thing I want is for you to feel the same way," he said in a heartfelt tone.

The last vestiges of anger drained from her face as she squeezed Lorenzo's hand.

"I know, Dad... Just... lay off Cobalt, alright? He's a dumbass, sure, but..."

A small smile played across her lips.

"... he's a good guy."

But Lorenzo just looked away.

"... Yeah..."

He looked down at his watch.

"I hate to cut you off, but I'm expectin' a meetin' with someone important right now," he suddenly stated, clasping his hands.

Izzbelle raised an eyebrow.

"You are?"

"Yeah, just some business I gotta deal with. Go on and tell your mom I'll be late for dinner."

With a sigh, the Oni shrugged and got out of her chair. She gave her father a brief wave before she slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway, right into the path of someone else. As they brushed past her, she felt a sharp sting in the side of her neck.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" Izzbelle cried, recoiling backwards.

The man looked back at her. He was incredibly tall, but his features were concealed by the long coat he was wearing. All she could make out within the shadows of his hood was a pair of dark red eyes.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, my dear," he said in a deep, scratchy voice.

"What the fuck's your problem?! You just fuckin' scraped me!" the Oni snapped.

He cocked his hooded head.

"Now I don't see how I could have done anything like that."

As if to affirm his point, he raised his hands to show that he was wearing leather gloves. Confused, Izzbelle rubbed the side of her neck, only to find that it was perfectly fine.

"But I felt..."

"It must have been a trick of the mind. I assume you're Lorenzo's daughter? Izzbelle, was it?"

She narrowed her eyes. Something about this guy rubbed her the wrong way.

"Yeah, so?"

The stranger shrugged.

"My name is Diate. Your father and I are... I suppose you could say we're old friends."

"Right..."

Slowly, Izzbelle began to back away.

"Ah, of course. You must be busy, so I shall keep you no longer. I do hope to see you again though, Miss Suyas."

His eyes glinted.

"I do hope so indeed."

With that, Diate turned on his heel and stepped into Lorenzo's study, cleanly sliding the door shut in one motion. Perturbed by the man's strange demeanor, Izzbelle began to briskly walk back towards the central hall's entrance.

Just who was that guy...?