Click. Thud. Ding.
"So, what can I do for the parents of Isaac Ulysses Newton?" Rin immediately asked as he was shoved into a gray room by his escort, who immediately closed the door behind him.
'Hmm, now this is different,' Rin thought as his eyes examined the room, which contained a table and three chairs as well as a singular window. That allowed people to peer into the room but not hear what was going on inside.
"Not much, but could you please lend us your cooperation and honesty, Rin Jasper Kurama?" Mr. Newton asked politely while adding emphasis to Rin's last name as he sat across from them.
While completely ignoring his capability to identify them based on a few clues.
"Not sure... however, I'm open to cooperation, if there's an incentive to be earned," Rim replied with a sly smile as he slumped into the chair and tapped his left foot in boredom.
"That's possible; however, are you sure you have the answers we seek?" Mrs. Newton asked with a glimmer of hope in her eyes before her partner could say anything.
"Maybe, but that depends on what you're willing to pay for such answers," Rin said as he leaned forward and gazed at that Newton's with intrigue; however, most of his attention was focused on Sabrina, Isaac's Mom.
Considering that mothers are often known to act irrationally or excessively when it comes to their children. This tends to cause them to fall into an unstable mental state, which makes them susceptible to manipulation if the right strings are pulled.
"Tsk, you sure are one greedy kid, to be acting as if you hold all the cards in this exchange," James scoffed with annoyance as his wife gazed back at Rin while pinching her husband's thigh.
"Shut up, James, and listen to Mr. Kurama before saying anything, for he does hold all the cards in this circumstance. Considering that we came to him, not the other way around, so for now shut up and let Mr. Kurama talk."
"But Sabrina... tsk, okay," James was about to say before quieting down and allowing his wife to do the talking instead for now.
'For fucking's sake... why must I stay silent, so that we can get some half-chewed answers from a snotty-nosed brat? Who thinks he holds the world in the palm of his hand?' James wondered with frustration while folding his arms as he glared at Rin silently with irritation.
"Thank you, James. Now, continue, Mr. Kurama." Sarbina said as she ignored her husband's childish conduct and focused on Rin.
"It'd be my pleasure, however, before I state my terms, what is it that you seek to learn?" Rin asked with curiosity since there were only a few things he could offer the Newtons at the moment.
And while their son's location was one of them, that would not allow them to meet him anytime soon, if he were still alive, that is...
'Now that I think about it, how is Isaac doing?' Rin thought briefly before focusing back on the situation at hand.
"Everything following the period between your confinement, my son kicking you into the arena for your disrespect, and finally his untimely disappearance. As well as any hints about where he could have disappeared to," Sabrina calmly stated with a piercing glare as the temperature within the room fell to an abysmal degree.
"Oh... welp, your life, not mine. So, if anything happens, don't blame me for it," said Rin with a helpless shrug as he wasn't fazed by Sabrina's subtle disrespect, nor the quiet joy in her voice when she spoke of her son's dominance in their fight.
"Stop beating around the bush and just tell us what happened, brat," James said, his voice heavy with fatigue, having grown annoyed with Rin's games and roundabout speech.
"... I was about to tell you, Mr. Newton. However, since it seems I'm boring you, I've had a sudden change of heart, so please pay me before I spill any info."
"I swear, if I ever~"
"JAMES! Apologize this instant to Mr. Kurama, for while he may be rude, greedy, and disrespectful to those older than him. At the end of the day, he holds the key to us getting our son back from whatever Hell he stumbled into. So, I'll say it once again, apologize, James Emmanuel Newton, and be quiet for the rest of the duration of our visit."
Mrs. Newton shouted as she suddenly stood up, causing the chair behind her to fall to the ground, while she glared at her husband with unmasked anger and disappointment at his conduct.
"B... B-BUT HONEY, DON'T YOU SEE THE WAY HE'S~"
Slap.
"James, don't you dare raise your voice at me again and try to act as if you haven't been acting like a kid since we got here," Sabrina said coldly to James, who looked at her with disbelief as he held his face in pain, which had a bright red handprint on it.
That inflicted more emotional damage than any wound he received in a fight, as it highlighted just how upset his wife was with him.
"…Well then, I'll be outside if you need me, sweetheart. And Mr. Kurama, I offer my sincerest apologies for my earlier disrespect and lack of insight. After failing to recognize your true greatness and majesty until now. So, if you must unleash your anger for my negligence, please do so—and grant my wife the peace she longs for."
James said with a bow before he was about to leave the room and wait outside for Rin and his wife to finish their conversation.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Newton, just make sure in the future this won't happen again, and I assure you you'll be reunited with your wife in no time. So, fret not, but with that, please get everything on this list in the meantime."
Rin said as he retrieved a list of items and materials he needed from his multi-K and handed it to James.
"Thank you, and I'll have everything ready in no time." He replied as he took the list and briefly read it before leaving the room, as his wife smiled.
Thud.
"Now then, where were we?"