An Angel Falls

In the Crystal Fissure, far from the main town of Radiant Garden, light started to gather. The bright lights that came together started to take shape and the shape that it took was that of a person. As the light faded a woman with long golden blond hair, wearing white and gold armor with a pair of large wings sprouting from her back took it's place. The woman groaned as she slowly stood up and took in her surroundings.

"Where am I?" Rikka asked before her hand suddenly went to her throat as she could hear the changes to her voice. Now it sounded like a chorus of different voices which now made it sound rather melodic. Rikka looked around, taking in the small cave that she was in and then what she was wearing. She managed to keep herself together rather well until she finally noticed her wings.

"What happened to me?" Rikka spoke out even though there was no one there to answer. The last thing she could remember was the light pouring from the TV in the dorm she shared with her sister Yuki. She could feel the light empowering her so it had to be the cause of her new voice and form. But it didn't explain where she was or why something that should have been completely impossible happened to her. The angelic woman took a deep breath as she stepped out of the cave. It didn't take long for her to find both the town and the castle as well as the destroyed fortress. Rikka nodded to herself as she started to make her way toward town.

While she didn't know exactly where she was, she was hoping to find some answers to what happened to her. If not then it could give her a way to start finding those answers on her own.

Along the Ravine Trail, there was a sound of conflict, of metal against metal, along with the soft crack of what appeared to be muffled gunshots, perhaps with an overall odd sound to them.

As the angel was walking, she would likely see the shape of certain shadow-based figures, dark and moving swiftly from one area to another. As one that seemed to be gray-armored knight came into view, having apparently charged, a blast of shadow hit it in the back, causing it to be sent careening over the cliff and disappear into tufts of smoke, its pink heart rising into the sky and disappearing. If she followed the path it took upward, she would see that there were three others that were still disappearing. Apparently this fight had been going on for a bit of time.

There was a grunt from a feminine voice, followed by a the figure they are attacking coming into view, having tackled one of her assailants to the ground, knees on its chest. She wore some kind of fantastical armor in dark gray and navy, though if the newly formed angel looked closely, she was not in purely fantasy-based clothes, but rather something retrofitted from a suit more based in science fiction. Aside from her voice, the only way to really see she was a woman was the form of the armor itself, which fitted closely to her body, as there was a hood over her head. On top of a humanoid, shadowy creature, she punched it once, twice in the face, and with a third, she brought down a strike in the forehead with a fist covered in shadows tinged with red energy. It began to to sink into the ground, and she growled in annoyance, a hearing the whine of a charging weapon and rolling to the side as the blast hit the shadowy creature's still three-dimensional form and caused it to dissipate into smoke, the side of her right arm singed with an incoming blast.

"Enough of this," she muttered, barely audible over another charge, and raised what appeared to be a dark handgun, something out of magic and science both, without standing up. With several pulls of the trigger, it fired off several rounds, then finished off with a blast of of pure darkness tinged in that same red energy, before she rolled to the side and back to her feet, the creature she had been shooting at, a robot of some sort, coming into view as it collapsed, another heart rising from it.

The finger came off of the trigger as she saw the incoming woman about her own age, and she lowered it to her side, though the stranger kept another weapon, what appeared to be a sword composed of shadow, down at her side, as if ready to attack on a moment's notice. To some, it may have appeared to be a relaxed stance, but to her, it was one trained by her mentor and close friend.

Her entire face was not quite obscured, but at the distance Rikka had, it was also unlikely to be easily visible. What was clear was those eyes, two with faintly glowing red irises, along with the face shadowed within, visible but not quite easy to see without enhanced vision.

A moment's wait, and the combat's survivor took a deep breath, realizing the threat, at least for the moment, was over. Relaxing her grip, the shadow blade seemed to disappear, leaving nothing but a broken knife, which itself was sheathed.

"All clear."

When Rikka heard something further up the trail it only made her move faster, not truly realizing that it was a battle until she saw it with her own eyes. She watched as the stranger battled creatures that seemed vaguely familiar to Rikka, much like the location that she was in but she couldn't place where she knew it from just yet. The strange woman was obviously skilled in whatever kind of power she was using being able to defeat those foes all by herself. Everything Rikka had just seen should have made what has happened to her more likely to be a dream and yet Rikka could feel something from the creatures and the power that the woman was using, that made her feel that this was all real.

With the battle over and the woman calling out that it was clear, Rikka took the opportunity to step out. She had her hands out to show she wasn't armed just in case since she knew nothing about the stranger so it was best to be cautious. The woman knew how to fight with powers that Rikka didn't understand so it was best to start on her good side.

"Thank you for defeating those creatures. I'm not sure how I would have taken care of them myself so I appreciate your aid. My name is Rikka Masami. Can you tell me where I am? I found myself in a small cave down the trail and I don't know how I got there." Rikka said, moving a little closer but not enough to make her companion jumpy. She also was sure not to reveal that her wings were not originally there just yet.

Though tense, the woman took a deep breath. She knew better than to trust someone immediately, but this person about her own age appeared to truly not know anything about where she was. Her voice was intriguing, as if several of her speaking on concert, almost melodious. Her features were rather attractive as the hooded woman saw them, looking her up and down on instinct. Perhaps even a form of divine beauty, if there were such a thing. Coupled with the white and gold armor, she was tempted to call the person an angel, perhaps one who had fallen from the sky, hence why she had arrived at this locale without any knowledge.

However, despite any immediate reactions, the darker armored individual did not remove her hood just yet. If she were to do so, she would need to be in a safer location, or at least one where she could be certain she would not be noticed looking someone over. Still, having someone else to talk to would help, especially one who seemed to actually be aligned with light in some degree, as opposed to her year or even more in the dark. As such, she saw it safe to perhaps allow her name to be known, given she had learned to trust the light even as she used the dark.

"Azumi Tamashī. This is the crystal fissure outside of town, but wherever you fell from, this is Radiant Garden." Letting that sit, she continued onward. "If you're unable to defend yourself, probably best to get back to town, down that way," the hooded individual said, pointing in the direction down the Ravine Trail.

Rikka looked over the woman, now named Azumi Tamashi. The woman certainly was imposing and was still hiding her face but beyond that there wasn't anything to fully suggest that Azumi meant her any harm. Azumi did intrigue Rikka though. Her powers were something Rikka had never seen before, the way she handled the monsters was impressive and the fact that she was still hiding her identity was alluring. Rikka decided right then and there she wanted to know more about Azumi Tamashi for she interested her in this strange new world that she found herself in.

"I'm sorry while the name Radiant Garden sounds familiar it is not someplace I know. Thank you for the directions but I don't feel safe going to town on my own when there are creatures out there that could attack me. Would you please escort me to town?" Rikka asked, though she did admit to herself privately she was laying it on a little thick. Though nothing she said was false. Rikka did not know what she could do right now. It was very possible that she too had gained some kind of power along with her transformation. However until she figured it out, she was defenseless and the angel would feel much more comfortable with a guard.

The hooded woman listened, frowning ever so slightly. She often knew when someone wasn't being entirely truthful due to her own experience with an intelligence organization, though she didn't mention her lack of trust in her word. The idea that she would both find the name familiar and not know about it seemed odd, to say the absolute least. Still, given the blonde angel seemed to be defenseless and to genuinely have no idea what was going on, it seemed in her best interest to just help her get back to town before figuring things out.

Once the request was made, she simply turned around, motioning for her to follow behind, and started walking back down the trail. "Stay close. The committee in town will be better at explaining any of this than I am, not to mention I'm not exactly the easiest for them to talk with." She didn't mention that she hadn't really even tried to talk to any of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee members yet, but that was another issue altogether.

As they traveled up the Ravine Trail, approaching the Castle Gate, she heard a familiar rush of wind, a swirl of darkness nearby. Realizing that the sound meant that there was an incoming threat from behind them, she turned quickly, raised her gun, and shouted one word. "Down!" With that, she shot once over her companion's shoulder, this bullet infused with dark energy to increase its power for a quick takedown.

The blast took an appearing one of those humanoid shadows right in the throat, causing it to stagger back before another non-enhanced shot took it in the same spot, causing it to dissipate.

Taking a tensed combat stance, Azumi watched as three more Heartless appeared: a large green spiked ball with arms and legs, a floating orange and yellow-clothed Heartless, and another that was wielding a book and seemed to be focused on magic.

This escort attempt was not going to be as easy as it initially seemed.

(Feel free to have her take out one or two and even get hit maybe once or twice in the process to show her lack of training, but as a note, the Bookmaster is immune to most magic [including pretty much every spell Rikka has]. The others don't have relevant weaknesses or strengths to her light magic.)

Rikka nodded as she started to follow after Azumi. She was grateful for the assistance plus it would give her a chance to speak with the hooded woman more. Well it would if Rikka hadn't been too focused on herself. She didn't put too much notice on her voice or hair as they were the most minor changes. What really drew her attention was her wings. Despite how they seemed to be made of light, they were actual physical wings, and even though she had been born without them, she could easily move them as if she had them her whole life. It made Rikka wonder if she could use them to fly, but that was something to test later when she was in a safer location.

Rikka had been so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed Azumi's call to duck. She did in time as more of those creatures appeared. This looked to be rather bad as Rikka is not sure of how well Azumi can manage to fight them as well as depend her at the same time. As Rikka took a step back a blue light started glowing from the palms of her hand and soon a halberd of that same blue light as formed. Rikka gripped the weapon and could feel it in her hands, giving her a bit of relief knowing that she was now able to defend herself.

The larger green one went after Rikka while the other two went after Azumi. Rikka grit her teeth as she dodged the punches from the creatures mace like hands as she thrust her halberd at it. The holographic weapon managed to push it back and actually damage it. Only it seemed to have had it angry as it started to spin like a top and speed towards her. It came too fast for Rikka to dodge so she brought up her halberd to defend only for it to stop before it reached her, held back by a glowing wall of light.

Rikka blinked as she could feel herself having created the shield and acting on the feeling it gave her, raised a hand to blast it back with a beam of light. As it fell down Rikka jumped and stabbed her weapon down into its chest. The monster disappeared into wisps of darkness and a glowing heart as Rikka caught her breath. The angel woman looked at her hands and grinned. Now that she used her power she was able to know what she could do with it. So she spun around and sent another beam of light from her hand to help Azumi.

Only for it to do nothing to the book creature. Rikka and the creature stared at each as she slowly lowered her hand. "Oh dear..." Rikka could only say before it shot a fireball at her. Rikka was able to raise her weapon in time to protect herself so she was only knocked to the ground, with her ego the most bruised thing on her.

Azumi swore under her breath, having been dodging incoming explosives from the orange one. It reminded her of another from her time trapped in the Realm of Darkness, but the explosive mines of fire, from having several come close to her if she stayed in one place to fewer, but larger ones home in on her for her to need to disperse with gunfire, it had her on the defensive. Yes, she could potentially take it out with a few charged shots, but the would require her to be able to focus long enough to make them, and she simply did not have that kind of time, relying heavily on channeling darkness through her body suit to keep herself nimble in various rolls and the occasional backflip for the lowest of them. The red-eyed woman wasn't used to needing to worry about collateral damage, and it seemed as though it would likely cost her if she did not move fast. She had managed to get a few shots in from her distance, but not enough to cause it to disappear.

When a blast of light went in the direction of the one with the book, only to do no damage whatsoever, the military woman got an idea. The angel could take care of herself for the most part (barring the injury she had sustained, which did not appear too serious so far but would possibly require tending), but she did seem to have some heightened ranged capability that Azumi herself still lacked despite her gun. And if that other one was immune to magic... well, there were other ways to hurt, and a complete immunity in one direction tended to mean vulnerability in another that she was rather adept with.

"Cover this one!" she called, and, in a brief charging period from the fire-based Heartless, she ran at the more versatile mage of the two foes. As she did, she channelled her power through her armor briefly. If Rikka looked, she seemed to briefly have a dark "glow" to her as she sprinted far faster than she had before, nearly at a blur, and leapt up to the book-user. Letting go of her power in that instant, she punched it in the chest while it was preparing a blast of ice at Rikka, staggering it, and followed up before she landed by bashing it across the invisible "jaw" with the side of her handgun. As she fell to the ground, she hooked her arm around its neck and yanked it to the ground with purely physical power, flat on its face. Standing up, she stomped down on its back with one foot, pressing the knee of the other leg against the book to keep it from rising up again, and, as the sky crackled with three bolts of lightning looming in preparation to fall, shot straight into the back of its head three times in succession without using any of her magic, causing it to dissipate as Azumi herself started to snarl in anger.

She hated the Heartless, or as she knew them, the dwellers in darkness. These new ones, with their odd symbols on their bodies, were no different in her eyes, despite the heart that floated away. They were lucky that there was only one left, since she was liable to lose control if she were forced to keep this going for much longer without someone to keep her stable.

(Only one left: the Crimson Jazz, which is injured.)

Rikka grunted as she got back to her feet. She wasn't really hurt and for the most part was mostly annoyed at how the creature appeared to be completely immune to her new powers. However this gave her the time to watch as Azumi fought again. There was this dark glow around her as she took on the book using creature that Rikka had failed to harm. She was ruthless in how she dispatched the creature and made Rikka all the more interested in her. She was clearly efficient and experienced in fighting these things. When they get to safety Rikka would have to try to get Azumi to tell her as much as she can about them and this strange place they are in.

However those plans would have to be put on hold for the time being as there was still one enemy left and Azumi already had managed to damage it. It created more of those fiery mines that were aimed at Azumi. Rikka glanced at her hand and concentrated. If her new powers could work as a beam then maybe she could shape it into different forms. Her hand went up and glowed as a wall of light appeared in front of Azumi and the mines exploded against it. For Rikka holding the wall up was much more work than just creating a simple beam.

Thankfully she still had her weapon and she charged the creature, which flew up to try and get away from the two of them. But once again instinct for Rikka took over and her wings glowed and flapped as she took into the air after it. All it would take is a single thrust of her halberd for it to disappear like the other two.

Rikka landed on her feet, stumbling slightly, as her halberd disappeared into the blue light that created it. The angel woman was breathing heavily as she tried to fully understand what had happened in the past few minutes.

"That was...interesting."

With the fall of the last of this group, Azumi looked back and forth, listening hard for any more incoming Heartless. Satisfied that they were alone for the time being, especially given that the attacks were far less frequent in this realm, she took a deep breath, then another, calming herself down. She couldn't risk losing control. If nothing else, she knew that light-based magic would hurt her a lot, so any loss of cognition would lead to her being seriously hurt, even if temporarily.

Finally, after a few moments of calm, she looked over at Rikka. She glanced up and down her body, mostly looking for any injuries. However, it didn't appear that there was anything serious to worry about, so she motioned ahead. "We should be clear for at least some time. There are defenses closer to the castle, especially past the Bailey." She usually wouldn't use that term for outer castle walls, but it was the one used in this world, so it was good to be clear.

She walked in silence as she led the way, holstering her handgun. Sure, she would have been talking with her companion in other situations, but Masami wasn't exactly her friend, regardless of how she appreciated the angel's looks. She could save talking until they were in safer areas, or at least ones that had a defense system of some sort at all.

Given some time, they passed into the Bailey, which had been restored to the majesty of the Fountain Court it had once been. From some fighting, Azumi was aware that the claymore system would function here to help if need be, and it was far enough away from others to prevent people from interrupting. Besides, it also would provide a place for them to sit, and it wasn't as if she wanted to talk with the Restoration Committee in the residential area not far from here.

The woman sat down on one of the stone slabs that worked as benches, doing her best to relax a bit despite not removing her hood, and leaving room for her companion to follow suit. "I assume you have questions."

Rikka just nodded at Azumi as she followed her. The angel was fine with not talking for the time being as it let her catch her breath. That had been the first time Rikka had ever been in a fight for her life and now that it had ended and the adrenaline was wearing off. It let her collect her thoughts about her situation. That battle and the few bruises that it gave her, proved that whatever happened to send her to this place and gave her these wings and powers wasn't just a dream. After using those powers by instinct earlier Rikka could feel the power within her now and can understand how to use it, though she does not do so at the moment, still feeling a bit drained by the fight.

When Azumi finally lead her to safety, Rikka could only stare at the fountains in awe. She had never seen a fountain like that before. Though as much as she wanted to continue looking at it and maybe go exploring herself, she did have many questions that needed to be answered.

"Yes..." Rikka said as she looked at Azumi. "You said this town was called Radiant Garden correct? Where is it exactly and what were those creatures that attacked us earlier?"

Azumi thought on how to answer that. On account of being a special agent among other things from before her time trapped, she was rather good at discerning intent as well as making sure that she would not give away too much information on one topic or another. However, she knew better than to keep things secret when not necessary, and Masami appeared to genuinely have no idea as to what was going on. Therefore, she answered in her customarily level tone, though she made sure to keep some levity to it in order to show she was doing her best to be kind.

"Radiant Garden is this town, yes, but it is also this world's name." She was well aware that the terminology might confuse, so she answered the question to come. "It's a planet the size of a city. I gave up on figuring out the logic of it... I lost count of how many years ago."

Then, on to the second half of the question. "My... someone once called them 'dwellers in darkness,' so I took to calling them 'dwellers' to be short, but I assume there's a more common name. They come from the Realm of Darkness - long story - but the fact that they're out here shows something is wrong." The woman muttered to herself. "At least this bastion is still standing since she left." Instead of allowing that to sit there, she continued. "I've been fighting them for a long time, but ones with that symbol on them are relatively new to me."

Rikka listened intently as Azumi started to give more explanations. Worlds, Dwellers in Darkness and Radiant Garden, they were all things that she had a vague recollection of but no matter how much she tried, she could not figure out where she heard all of those things before. However considering what Rikka had just went through, she had no reason to doubt Azumi. After all she now had wings and could fly, the idea of other worlds and creatures of darkness just seemed to make sense with all things considered.

"I see...While it does help somewhat though I am not sure what I should ask next." The angel stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was back in my own home...world I guess when I was suddenly drawn into a portal and found myself here. Not to mention I now have wings and powers that were just fiction back home. Do you know anything about why I would be sent here and changed like this?"

The question was a bit of a long shot but one Rikka felt she had to ask. She was also giving away that she wasn't naturally an angel but that was something that Azumi would likely figure out before too long so the best thing for her to do is to get it out there before she could create any friction with her current ally.

Azumi listened to the angel. She already had the idea that Masami was not a natural holy being. Maybe she had been hit with some kind of opposite to whatever happened to her, something of hope or light? Or left in a far brighter place? It didn't matter. She did have an answer, though.

"I didn't believe in magic either. Just science and the like. Took me years to figure it out, and the one who taught me figured that I still have a lot to learn, like my body is fighting it." She took a few deep breaths as she thought about Master Aqua again. She had to keep retracing steps, find some way, any way, to get through. "On the why, I'm no expert, but I have a few options, and all lead to the same general places."

She held up a finger. "First, one we can probably both understand: immune response. You were turned into whatever this is as a reaction against something like m-" The shock trooper bit her lip to stop, then started over, internally cursing herself for her loose lips. "... something darker. A light to the dark and vice versa." She went on from that.

"The second... well, this is what I figure more into. The realms have a sick sense of humor. Stick a freak with someone like you right off the bat."

Azumi looked down at the ground after that, still having not removed her hood or shown much of what she actually looked like. She would, but only if asked, having learned her lesson from Traverse Town's response. "About why you were sent away in general... I have no idea. My world is probably gone, or at least overrun with Unversed. But some just fall between to other places."

Rikka stared at Azumi as she tried to give options on why she had been changed. Now just from watching Azumi earlier, Rikka could tell that her powers seemed to be shadow and darkness based, which was the opposite of what her own appeared to be. However Azumi seemed to rather hate her powers. It was something that Rikka would keep in mind for the time being. She had just met Azumi and despite how much she was interested in her, Rikka wasn't sure how much she would appreciate anything she said.

"That could be a possibility though I was walking for some time before I ran into you. Though I am not too sure how likely it is." Rikka responded.

"As for my world...I don't think it was destroyed. I would think that if that was the case I would have noticed so for the time being I guess that will remain a mystery that I will have to solve." She said before giving Azumi a quick bow. "I'd like to thank you again for all your help Azumi. Not only did you protect me earlier from those creatures but you also led me back to town and answered my questions. I greatly appreciate all that you have done for me."

Azumi was grateful that the nature of her magic was not pressed, but did not openly show it. She listened to the responses, answering each of them. She shrugged. "I guess it's just the luck of the draw. Or maybe it's something built into you that reacted."

On the subject of Masami's world, she thought a moment. Having hope like that... it was admirable, if nothing else. She had long since lost much in the way of hope for her own world, instead trying to help others with retaining that spirit for themselves. "Maybe you're right," she admitted.

Then came the thanks. She hadn't heard much in that regard since returning to the Realm of Light, aside from the occasional small child who wouldn't know better with her looks. From someone who seemed roughly her age, knowledgeable about her abilities at least on some level, nevertheless providing honest gratitude... it surprised her. She hadn't had anyone to rely on since her escape. Technically, she hadn't relied on anyone beyond the battlefield, been too focused on keeping herself from falling afoul of the wrong people, since her mid-teens at the absolute latest. There had been no room for anything else.

The hint of a smile crept along her lips. "Lost in a strange land with powers you don't understand, surrounded by hostiles... I know the feeling. You're welcome. Anything else? There's a security system in town that will keep most of the problems to a minimum."

Rikka noticed the smile on Azumi's face as Rikka stood back up. It was nice to see and it meant that Rikka was starting to get closer to her. Now if only she could get Azumi to remove that hood of her's. Rikka really wanted to see her face. But Azumi seemed to a rather cautious person so there was no need to push her. Rikka wanted to get closer to her before she could really try to bring Azumi out of her shell.

"It's good to hear that the area is safe but I still don't know the area. Would you mind showing me around? Oh I am sorry if you have things to do but you are the only person I know right now so I'd feel much more comfortable being with you until I could get on more stable footing." Rikka asked. She might have been laying it on a bit thick but it was an earnest desire from the angel. The only person Rikka could trust at the moment is Azumi and hopefully she could point out people that Rikka could learn from or maybe some money. Even if Rikka still had her wallet she found it very unlikely that any shops on Radiant Garden would take her bills.

The hooded woman nodded. "It's no trouble, as long as you're fine with me around." She stood up, motioning her along as she walked. "Just a warning. I... won't be introducing you to anyone."

She moved onward, showing her around. There was the main residential area known as the "Castle Town," which she quickly moved past, with numerous apartment buildings. At that point, she had pulled the hood lower on her head, trying to keep from showing something. She also showed the way to various other places, such as the Outer Gardens, and finally, the Central Square. On the way, she did mention some other places, such as a Reactor for the entire city, the front doors, and some other areas down below that she did not bother to go through, but that she was keeping to the areas she thought the blonde woman would find interesting. She also noted places where people would be who could help her, like Merlin's House in the residential area off in a direction they didn't go, or various shops along the way, though never approaching them herself.

As they walked, she was asked several questions, Rikka apparently having a desire to know more about her. She mentioned the planet she had come from, and how she had not been there in some time. About asking what she had been doing before she had gone to these worlds... she did skirt the issue, telling a half-truth about just being a fighter in a war, but not the rest. She also learned from Rikka about her own life, about her sister, her time there... it was all interesting. It seemed her world was just twentieth or twenty-first century levels of technology. Seemed to be relatively common around these parts.

Eventually, they returned to the Court, having had some food along the way (which Azumi had had Rikka buy to avoid going to the seller), and sat down together again, some salad wraps in their hands.

"So, what else do you want to know?" Azumi appeared to have gotten used to her on some level. She wasn't fully friends, but her looks combined with her behavior helped to calm her.

Rikka walked with Azumi as the hooded woman took her on a tour of the town. While Azumi didn't introduce her to anyone, Rikka was sure to keep all the places that were pointed out to her in mind. As they walked they did get some looks, a few directed at Azumi, but most of them were towards her with the wings on her back. As they walked and talked Rikka tried to get to know Azumi a bit more though only getting that she was from not just another world but a planet different from earth as well as being a part of a war.

Eventually the two of them made it back to the Court with lunch. Rikka bit into her wrap as she glanced at her companion beside her. Just from the little time they spent together Azumi seemed like a rather closed off individual. If what she said about being part of a war, then it wasn't too surprising that there would be some trauma involved with that. Of course that made Rikka want to know more and more about her, especially since it seemed like Azumi was willing to open up a bit to her. Why Azumi was so willing to do so, was a question that Rikka had no answer for just yet so she would have to be careful if she didn't want to alienate her.

"I don't think I have any questions right now." Rikka responded as she took another bite of her wrap. "I do have a request but you don't have to do it as it is entirely selfish. Would you be willing to remove your hood so I can see your face? As I said it is entirely selfish but I do want to see the face of the person who has been helping me all this time. You have done a lot for me in the short time we've known each other and I do want to get to know you more but it is difficult when I don't even know your face."

Azumi herself was surprised by the amount she had been telling to Rikka. She couldn't quite explain it, but perhaps it was just relief at having someone, anyone, she could talk to and not be thrown out of town with figurative torches and pitchforks for what she was. She enjoyed the company, both to be with someone close to her own age and to just relax, even a little, while walking. The town was safe for the most part, after all, but she did not need to deal with the other threat she had for so long even out of immediate danger: loneliness.

The hooded woman took a bite from her wrap, listening as she did. The melodious voice was strangely calming. Perhaps a facet of her angelic nature? After all, Azumi herself seemed to hear a little differently. Was it just a figment of her imagination, a translation of her honed senses? No, others seemed to notice when the blonde woman talked, even excluding her head-turning looks, so it was definitely not just experience.

When the request came to have her hood pulled down, the dark-mutated agent's red eyes widened, momentarily choking on her wrap during her second bite from surprise as she simultaneously tried to swallow at the same time as an involuntary gasp. She beat her chest twice, allowing it to come out of her mouth to avoid any harm, but took a deep breath, then another. A hand was raised toward the angel wordlessly as she swallowed once more to be sure, then she sighed.

"... You have a point," she admitted, her words still relatively monotone, though with a bit of sadness or shame buried deep. "Just to warn you, my face... I don't like to show it to many. Especially in a crowd. I have had some bad experiences in trying since I..." She cut herself off before she would explain too much. "For some time. So if you go running, I won't blame you, but if you do, don't go telling everyone else I'm here or what I am." With that, she reached up to the sides of her hood with both hands, and pulled the hood down.

Before Rikka was the face of a young woman about her age, one of Asian descent, and one that many might consider to be physically attractive. Her skin was relatively pale for some reason or another, with her hair having a relatively undetermined length, a ponytail that fit underneath the rest of the clothes shown. The rest of her appearance was far stranger. Her eyes, as may have been assumed before, were indeed red in their irises. Though her hair did seem to be auburn, it also had an equal amount of blue, with streaks of both going from the roots in a seemingly natural way. The oddest by far, however, was the red marking on her face, something that appeared to be a counter-clockwise-turned odd-looking question mark, with the upper curve going above her right eye, and the bottom one going below her left.

Whatever this woman was, it may have once been human, but that time had past.

Rikka was pleased to see that she managed to convince Azumi to show her face. She had expecting to have to go in a bit harder to convince the hooded woman to do so but she seemed to agree to her first try. Though Azumi's clearly had some issues with showing her face in the past. Even if Rikka tried to reassure her about it, it would do no good if she reacted in the wrong way so all Rikka could do was prepare herself.

When the hood was lowered and Rikka could finally see Azumi's face, a part of the angel woman could understand why people would have issues. Her eyes and that mark on her face were what truly stood out and what marked Azumi as some what inhuman. Rikka would have definitely understood how someone could be uncomfortable seeing her face, if Rikka hadn't seen her own while they were walking around town. Her own original black hair turned into a golden blonde and her dark eyes were now a glowing blue, and when Rikka saw that she could feel that she had become something that wasn't human anymore.

That was perhaps why Rikka did not react as negatively as Azumi might have been expecting.

"You are as beautiful as I was expecting." Rikka told her truthfully. In fact those elements that would have scared off some people just drew Rikka in. This woman is one of a kind and Rikka could not think of rejecting her at the moment.

"..." Azumi paused in surprise at the reaction. She hadn't exactly had the warmest welcome to the Realm of Light, aside from one or two children, but this kind of reaction... well, she had been hit on before, and didn't see much of a problem with it, but... well, the response still was surprising, especially from someone who appeared to physically be some kind of angel.

If it were not for the fact that she was relatively pale, there would be something of a blush visible on her cheeks as she pulled the hood up again to avoid showing too much embarrassment. "... Thanks," she finally said, managing to keep her voice level and luckily not stammer at all. "If you need a ship, ask for Cid Highwind in town. The residential area I said before. It's not a good idea for me to go there. I... I'll be here for a bit more if you need to give any information to contact me. Good to have some allies around here."

(You can wrap up if you want, with me finishing on the post after. Up to you.)

Rikka smiled as Azumi seemed to react positively to her flirting which was good. Probably not the best to go too hard on it but something to keep in mind in the future. It was unfortunate that she didn't seem to want or is able to go into the residential area of this town. Another thing to keep in mind, but that ship was something that Rikka would likely need now. However that meant that she would need to part ways with Azumi.

"Thank you again for all the help you've given me today Azumi, I will not forget it. I hope to repay your kindness in the future." Rikka said as she gave her another bow. "I'll be sure to find a way to communicate with you and give you my information. Take care of yourself Azumi."

With that Rikka started to make her way back into town, looking for this Cid Highwind. If he really could make her a ship that would let her travel to other worlds then Rikka would barely be able to hold in her excitement. It would be like a dream come true. Now that she had a goal and an ally it was time for the angel to truly make her way into this strange new world that she found herself in.

Azumi allowed herself a small grin as she walked off toward her way out, having waved goodbye. She was still getting used to living out in the Realm of Light, after so long in the darkness. Many people had shoved her away, kept her essentially in exile due to what she had become, and she honestly couldn't blame them. She was dangerous, and she knew it. That wasn't even taking into account her sordid history, the acts she pursued for ONI. In many ways, she had considered herself something of a monster even without actually being one.

Rikka Masami, on the other hand... she was not only absolutely beautiful, head-turning even without the wings, but also the kindest person she had seen her own age (physically, anyway) in quite a long time. Even before she had been thrust into the darkness, she had always had to keep up her guard, to prevent people from knowing too much, and her aloof nature aside from the occasional swear did not give much in the way of kindness in her direction, at least not beyond her abilities or blatantly hitting on her for her figure. While Masami did flirt, she did not seem as objectifying, and genuinely seemed to believe she was good looking even with her permanently marked face. That, coupled with her acceptance of what she had to offer and her overall attitude around the dark left her as someone Azumi felt that maybe she could stand to be around again, even trust enough not to hurt her or vice versa. The fact that she appeared to be rather adept with a form of light magic despite apparently having never seen any magic before at all definitely helped.

The half-Unversed made her way to her own transport to leave the world. She had gained an ally, perhaps even the beginnings of friendship for someone beyond Master Aqua, but she had her own objectives.

(Continued in "Call of Determination" in Olympus.

Thanks for writing with me.)