Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 29.

Near the building of Heaven's Arena was a small cafe where Illuki sat outside on a lovely afternoon, enjoying a cup of tea and alone time when she heard yelling from afar coming closer to where she sat; looking over at the voices, she spotted her brother and his friends running over to her with curious, wide eyes. The female was dressed comfortably in black jeans, a split-coloured top that cropped above her pants and a black and white varsity jacket that was baggy on her petite figure, along with a pair of black heeled alke boots; her long, silky dichromatic hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in soft beach waves.

"Oh, hello," she quietly greets the trio, setting the cup and its matching saucer down on the white table, offering a kind closed-eye smile. The woman feigns innocence when Killua begins to berate her for failing to mention her status at Heaven's Arena to him and his precious friend when they first arrived in town. "Well...You guys didn't ask," she shrugged her shoulders, smiling at the deflated duo. Giggling at them, she swats her hand at the trio, inviting them to join her at the outdoor table for a discussion.

Joining her, the three kids watched the older female drink her tea in a silent, timely manner before the white-haired assassin broke the silence. "Are you going to fight that guy?" he asked his sister who glanced over at him with her eyes before lowering the cup and saucer to the height of her torso.

"Why not? It has been a while since I've fought someone worthy," the older sibling replied with a shrug, staring down at the tan liquid in her cup, her mind drowning out the children around her. 'I would've fought Hisoka but troupe members aren't allowed to fight each other. What a pity' she sighed deeply with disappointment, closing her eyes and finishing her tea. She sets the empty cup and its saucer on the table, crossing her legs elegantly over the other and leans back in her seat, watching the three kids interact with each other before clearing her throat, catching their attention.

She tucks her hand into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out four white slips of paper and presenting them to the trio with a bright smile. "Here you go! Tickets to the fight!" she cheered, handing them to each of them who thanked her and stared at them for a second before looking at the woman who smiled at them, lifting a finger and winking at them. "Floor Master fights sell out fairly quickly, so I made sure to save some seats for you all," she told them.

"Wow, thank you Iris-san!" Gon thanked the woman who swatted away his gratitude, a way to silently say it wasn't that much effort since it was her fight, she could reserve as many seats as she wished. The boy then perks, eyes brightly shining as he tells the woman all about his discovery of Nen and the group's current development. "Wing-san is teaching us about Hatsu! We learned what types we are and Wing-san's tasked us to practice it," he explained to the woman who nodded along to his every word.

"Nee-chan, you already know Nen don't you?" Killua asked his sister who turned her head to him and nodded again.

"That's right. I learnt Nen from Grandpa when I was younger," she told her brother, leaning her head back at the memory. When she was younger, their grandfather had taken a sudden liking to the child and began mentoring her with not only her assassin training but also teaching her about Nen. "Man, those were some tough times," she shook her head as she chuckled dryly at the harsh conditioning she had gone through as a child.

Curious, Gon looked over at the older Zoldyck with innocent eyes. "Iris-san, what type are you?" he asked, the female pivoting her attention to the spiky-haired boy and quietly observing him for a moment. 'Should I tell them? It would be more fun for them to guess' she giggled to herself, lifting a finger to her lips and winking at the boy before telling him it was a secret, causing him to deflate.

"You've progressed a lot," Illuki complimented the duo, ruffling her brother's hair with a proud smile. "And Gon, you can just call me Nee-chan like Kil does. I don't mind," she told her brother's friend, smiling motherly at him.

"Eh? Alright, Nee-chan," Gon tested the waters, grinning.

Nodding with approval and giggling at the boy's cuteness, the dichromatic-haired female turned her head to the sky, noticing the sun had set and the moon had come out to shine down on the town. "It's late. Shall we head back?" she suggested to the group, standing up from her chair and prompting the children to follow her actions.

"We'll take Zushi back then head back," Killua told his sister as they exited the establishment, now standing in the streets. Illuki nods her head, ruffling his hair and bidding the trio good night before turning on her heel and returning to Heaven's Arena for a good night's rest before her fight tomorrow afternoon.

The next morning, the Floor Master of the 245th floor woke up earlier than she usually did to prepare for the fight schedule for that afternoon; she dressed in the usual attire she would wear whenever she was scheduled to fight someone at Heaven's Arena. An all-black outfit consisting of a skirt that reached mid-thigh but was longer on one side, a halter top with a diamond centre-cut-out and a pair of long, unattachable sleeves; a criss-cross garter belt sat around her thigh, displayed on the shorter side of her skirt. She finished the look with her knee-high boots and a few silver accessories that complimented her pale complexion and mismatch-coloured hair that flowed behind her. Satisfied with her look, she leaves her follow to the lobby, walking through the crowd and entering the waiting room where she was needed.

[ a/n: the outfit,, credits to the original artist ]

'This better be worth my time.'