"The old school house. My least favorite place to be." Pit mumbled as he walked by.
Gale let out a little giggle at his expression. "Sounds like you. It explains a lot."
Pit grinned and trapped her in a headlock while ruffling her hair. "What's that supposed to mean? Picking on your poor big brother? Big talk from a little girl."
"I AM NOT LITTLE!" she practically screamed, drawing the attention from several townsfolk. They gave the two angels some odd looks but soon went back to their business.
Pit released her and patted her on the head. "Sure you aren't." he teased and walked away.
The girl took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. He was just teasing her; she knew that. But she would be lying if she said her size being the butt of so many jokes hadn't worn her patience thin. She followed after him, still seething. Her hand reached back and absently scratched at the bandages wrapped around her torso. Ever since she had woken, there had been this irritating itching sensation throughout her back. She couldn't really figure out a reason but she just assumed it was the bandages.
"Hey, hurry up, slowpoke! Come here for a sec!" Pit waved at her.
Gale rolled her eyes and reappeared at his side in an instance. She blinked rapidly when a skewer with what appeared to be meat and vegetables was suddenly shoved in her face.
"Here. Take it." Pit smiled as he bit into his own skewer. "The old lady from earlier just gave me a little basket of them as thanks for helping the town." He gestured to the basket on his arm.
She raised an eyebrow at him but took a bite. It tasted very good, a nice mix of spices to season it. The vegetables and meat not hard and not too soft. Overall, she was enjoying it very much. A chuckle from beside her broke her out of her thoughts.
Pit couldn't hold in his laughter. Her expression as she tasted the skewer was hilarious. It was a mix of contemplation and delight. It just made her seem like a child. It just made him smile that she hadn't let the recent events affect her too much. Deep down she was still the same child she was before.
=I=I=
Their old house hadn't really changed much, at least from what Pit remembered of it. Some things remained, such as the bed he and Gale shared as children that sat in the corner in their old room. The stone of the walls was worn down by time and other things, but it seemed like their stuff wasn't actually touched. The children were right when they said no one touched the place.
"Too dusty!" Pit coughed as Gale covered her nose and mouth. A dust cloud had come up when Pit had moved an old blanket. The two waved their arms, trying to disperse the dust.
"So we shared a bed…" Gale muttered once the dust settled, eyeing the bed that sat in the corner. She spotted a small worn wooden chest full of old clothes and toys. Pit had already begun rummaging through it.
"Well, yeah. Couldn't get another and the floor isn't the best choice for sleeping. And you were kinda attached to me, refused to leave my side." he gave her a teasing grin. He resumed his search through the old chest and let out a small exclamation of triumph.
"What? Find something?" she stepped closer to see what he had.
Pit stood up and presented a small white shirt and quickly held it up against her. His expression turned from happy to concentrating as he stared. His shoulders slumped and he sighed in resignation.
"What? What is that?" she asked, somewhat annoyed.
Pit sighed and feigned disappointment. "One of your old shirts. I thought it would still fit you." He tossed the fabric at her and it landed over her head.
Gale felt a vein on her head ready to burst. Again with her size! "Not funny." She grumbled. She eyed the small white shirt skeptically. Had she really fit in that? It seemed too small.
Pit had resumed looking though their old belongings. He pulled out some old toys that had definitely seen better days. He felt sadness that no one had gotten to actually use them in their absence. Just seeing some of them brought back fond memories. He turned back to his sister to see her looking around with curiosity, not nostalgia like him. He hadn't really expected much of a reaction from her; her memories were blocked after all. This didn't hold too much significance for her as it did for him.
"What're you looking for?" she asked as she leaned over his shoulder.
Pit smiled fondly. "Not anything really. Just reminiscing." Most of the toys had aged and were worn beyond recognition, but Pit could still make out what some of them were. He got up and stretched. Without a word, he walked back out into the streets.
Gale blinked in confusion. Obviously the fact that this was once their home was the reason for his unusual mood. But it still unnerved her a bit to see him so uncharacteristically somber. She followed him out and found him looking into the fountain near the center of town. He was looking into the water with a pensive look on his face.
"So much has changed." He commented. "Even us."
Gale shrugged her shoulders. "Everything does eventually. But not all, I mean we're still the same. Kind of."
Pit chuckled at her attempt to cheer him up. "I guess so. It's just kinda weird being here after everything that's happened. But it's still kinda nice to see the changes and what's different."
The girl smiled as his mood picked up. They were interrupted by a few screams from nearby. The two whirled around to find a group of teens running away from a woman and man. The two angels shared a quick look before running to see what was going on.
The teenagers took off leaving the man and woman staring in the direction where they disappeared. The man yelled something while the woman fell to her knees and fought off tears.
"What's going on? Are you two ok?" Pit asked the man as Gale helped the woman to her feet.
The man looked at Pit with a raised eyebrow. "You're that angel who helped save the town right?" he asked eyeing the wings folded against Pit's back.
The woman gratefully accepted Galen's assistance. "Thank you."
The man looked back at Pit, seeing his wife was ok. "Those children that ran by, they stole some supplies and belongings from us."
"Some clothing, food, money, among other things." The woman lamented. Obviously, some of the other things were important to her.
Pit faced the couple. "We'll get your things back. I promise. Right, Sis?"
Gale nodded her agreement.
The couple looked flooded with hope. "Really? You would do that?"
The male angel nodded. "Of course. It's my job to help people. We'll get your stuff back." He promised with his sister nodding.
The couple looked relieved. "Thank you so much. But do be careful. Those children were rather… bitter about something. Please be careful." The woman warned.
Pit nodded and began walking off in the direction where those teenagers went.
=I=I=
"Brother, wait."
"What is it?" he turned to face his sister. "We have to find those kids. They can't just take what they want."
Gale stared at him with a flat look. "First, do you even know where they went? And second, how are you gonna convince them to return what they stole?" she questioned as she propped her hands against her skinny hips for emphasis. Neither of them had any means of defending themselves if the teenagers decided to get violent.
Pit inhaled then exhaled. "Ok, you have a point. Maybe someone saw them when they were running. And you doubt these muscles?" he flexed his arm jokingly.
In honesty, Pit probably could handle himself in a hand to hand fight. Gale on the other hand was still recovering and didn't have Pit's physical strength. She sighed and absently scratched at her back, that itching back once more. How she wished that it would go away. It was irritating her to no end! "Fine, fine. You win."
Pit simply grinned. He placed his hand atop her caramel hair. "Come on, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
=I=I=
"Sorry, I haven't seen anyone by that description."
Pit sighed. "It's alright, thank you though."
The siblings walked away, leaving Pit to his thoughts. He placed his hand to his chin in thought. "Who else would be helpful or have info?"
Gale sighed and looked around. Everyone else around seemed too engrossed in their work to be of any help.
"You two need something?" a deep voice asked from behind them.
They spun around to find Magnus and Gaol behind them.
"Have either of you two seen some teens run through here? We just ran into a couple who got robbed." Pit asked.
The two adults looked at each other. "Not again." Gaol groaned.
"Huh? What? Has this happened before?" Gale questioned, tilting her head to the side.
Magnus sighed. "After we saved the town, some of the local teens decided to try and take charge. Said something about not wanting to follow the ones who gave up so easily."
Gaol stepped in. "They've been committing petty thefts and holding the items for ransom and such. Really sad honestly. They think that they can simply gain leadership through this."
The two angels gaped. That was so wrong! Not to mention stupid.
Pit crossed his arms. "Just a bunch of adolescents who think that they can't be wrong. They think they know everything and are invincible. I've seen those types."
Gale raised an eyebrow at that statement, but said nothing.
Magnus gestured toward the town gates. "I've heard that they've holed up somewhere in the forest. Couldn't find that their blasted hideout though. Slippery rats."
Gaol gently placed her hand on his arm. "It's just that we've spoken with their parents and they've seen nothing suspicious about them."
"But we saw them run off. I think they left town." Gale interrupted.
Magnus gave a smirk. "Well then, that makes it easier. They're probably storing their spoils, meaning that they're still there." He started walking towards the gates. "Well come on, we can't waste any time."
=I=I=
The four walked in relative silence before a startled cry echoed through the forest. They dashed off without a word before Magnus and Gaol took cover behind some trees and motioned for the angels to do the same.
"What's wrong?" Pit whispered unconsciously placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. Though they had gotten past all the unsaid problems and insecurities, Pit still had this underlying desire to protect his sister. It was just instinct and love however, no guilt.
Gale slowly peered around the tree and spotted two teens hovering over a smaller person crouched on the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the smaller person as the boy from earlier, Altair. She moved to stop help him when Pit restrained her.
Altair laid on the ground, seemingly doubled over and in pain. He attempted to push himself off the ground but a harsh kick to the ribs sent him back to the ground. "Give me back my friends! Leave them out of this!"
"Forget it, brat. You know the deal." The first spat.
The second slung a wooden bat over his shoulder. "You didn't cough up the money for our services, so we had to compromise. Your friends will stay with us until you got the money for us." He and his partner walked off laughing.
The four waited until the boys were gone before coming out of hiding. Pit was the first to rush to the boys side.
"Hey, Altair! You ok?" he helped the boy get to his feet.
"Huh? It's you. What are you doing here?" he took the angel's hand and brushed himself off.
Gale had walked over and gently looked the boy over for injuries. "We were wondering the same about you."
The boy tried to act like he wasn't in pain and was failing. He had a contemplative look that was deciding between telling the truth or lying. The former eventually won out however. "They took my friends. They took Agalia and Argus."
Magnus stepped in with a frown. "Why did they take your friends?"
The boy shifted uncomfortably. "They saved us from some monsters. Then they demanded payment. But we didn't have money for them. A few days later, Agalia's house got trashed. Then a few days Argus' brother 'fell' from a ladder. Then they admitted they did it to us. But no one believed us. They said that if we paid, they'd stop." He admitted in a low voice. "But when we tried to give them what we had, they said it wasn't enough."
The four exchanged looks and Gaol gently took the boy by the arm. "Don't worry, they'll get your friends back." She gestured to Magnus, Pit and Gale. "I'll take you back to town. Leave everything to us."
He looked hesitant but nodded and followed Gaol out of the forest.
The three remaining looked at each other. Magnus crossed his arms. "I had no clue that they'd resorted to this. This is just downright pathetic on their part."
Pit looked toward where the two ran off. "They went that way. Come on, we need to save those kids."
=I=I=
"Hold up, let me go first." Magnus called as they neared a small hidden cavern. The two angels shot him questioning looks. "Take a look." He pointed to what appeared to be a shredded banner near the entrance. "I've seen that banner before. It belongs to a group of thieves that's been known to hang around the area. Last I heard they fled when the Underworld took the town."
The two angels looked inside and spotted the two teens from earlier with a few others talking to some older rougher looking men. They appeared to be arguing. Unfortunately they were too far away to be heard clearly. Only bits and pieces of the conversation could be heard.
Magnus took this time to make his presence known. "Hey!" the group looked in his direction. "You punks will return what you've been stealing and leeching off the townsfolk!" he brandished his blade to prove his point.
The teens cowered from him, but the older men stepped up, drawing their own blades. "You're Magnus, aint ya?" one of them spat. They stepped forward, revealing the two kids tied up behind them. The other swiftly grabbed Argus and threw him across his shoulder.
"These kids made a deal with us, but they couldn't pay the price. So we got to take what we can. I'm sure that someone will pay a good price for the kid."
Before Magnus could react, they took off through another entrance near the back.
"Get back here!" he shouted as he took off after them, barely giving the teenagers any glance as he passed them.
The teens didn't even try to stop the man who was much larger and stronger than them with a huge sword. They turned to face the angels at the entrance. "Who the heck are you?!" one demanded.
Pit stepped forward and silently motioned his sister to stay back. "I am Pit. And you two are going to return everything you stole from the townsfolk."
The teens looked incredulous before scowling. "And why would we do that? We're just making a few deals to make sure the town stays safe. We're protecting the town. We're doing what the adults couldn't!"
Pit shook his head. "You say that now, but what will you do should the Underworld attack again? Will you stand up and fight them off?"
Gale watched as the two boys tensed. Pit did present a good point. If these boys were paying these thieves to protect the town, who's to say that the ruffians won't go back on their word.
Pit continued his argument. "Listen, I know that you that you guys are thinking that you're doing what's beneficial for the town but-" he was cut off by one boy attempting to deliver a right hook to his jaw. The angel was thrown for a loop and hit the ground with a thud. "What was that for?!" Pit demanded.
The boy who delivered the punch scoffed. "Simple. You were spouting nonsense. We are saving this town."
Pit stood up and discreetly looked back at his sister. The look in his eyes told her to stay back. She bit her lip and stayed hidden. He looked back at the boys with an intense glare. They wanted to get violent? So be it! He crouched and tripped the one who punched him. His partner gaped before getting punched to the ground.
=I=I=
Gale watched the fight nervously. It hurt her to see Pit fighting and her having to stay back and watch. It felt wrong to just force it all on him. It also brought memories of when he left to fight Medusa himself. But Pit had a point. She was in no condition to fight. Even back then she wasn't capable of doing any real fighting. But it did nothing for her anxiety of leaving her brother to fight alone. But another thought came to mind. What of the upcoming battles? Would Pit take over? Would she be forced to stand down from this war? She shook her head. No. That couldn't happen, right? Not after all she went through. She had come so far.
"You can come out now, Sister." Pit's voice startled her out of her thoughts. He had already knocked out one boy and was slowly advancing on the other. She came out of her hiding spot and walked over to her brother as he knocked out the remaining teenager.
Pit looked back at her and gave her a small grin. "See, I told you I could handle it." He had a few bruises from the short scuffle, but nothing serious. As an angel, Pit was sturdier than a human. Gale gave a small smile back and went to untie Agalia.
The young girl had watched the fight in fright, but was relieved when the female angel released her. "What about Argus?" her voice came out as a whisper.
Pit laid a reassuring hand on the girls shoulder. "Don't worry, Magnus went to rescue him. He'll be fine."
"Someone call my name?"
The three looked to see Magnus with Argus by his side. The boy rushed over to his friend and quickly checked her over.
"You ok, Agalia?" he asked.
The girl nodded and took her friends hand. "I'm fine, thanks to these two. What about Altair?" she turned to the angels.
"Gaol took him back to town. He got a bit roughed up, but he should be fine. Come on," Pit extended his hand. "Let's go back."
=I=I=
"Altair!" the two children ran to their friend. The boy now sported a bandage around his head. But otherwise he looked unharmed. He ran to his friends and tackled them in an embrace. Gaol walked and stood beside Magnus, watching the friends reunite.
"You're ok!" he checked them over quickly for any injuries. He turned to Magnus and the two angels. "Thank you! Thank you!" his expression turned somber. "But they already trashed our homes. Where'll we go?"
Pit's expression brightened. "Hey, you could stay in our old home."
The three children shared a confused look.
"You know that old house? The one where the kids disappeared? Those kids were us." He explained gently while gesturing to himself and Gale.
The three children stared in shock but Altair was the first to recover. "Really? But you're angels."
Pit's expression softened. "Yeah. It was a long time ago and a long story. But the short version is we became angels after our parents died. We no longer have a need for that old house so go ahead and stay there." He turned to Magnus and Gaol. "Tell the townsfolk that it's ok if someone wants to live in there. We don't need it anymore."
The adults nodded. "No problem." Magnus promised.
"Will you ever come back?" Agalia timidly asked.
"Maybe." Gale answered. "But before we do that, we have to take care of something. This battles not over. We'll come back to visit once this wars over. Right, Brother?"
Pit nodded. "Of course. Until then you guys watch out for each other, ok?"
Altair nodded eagerly. Argus stepped forward. "I-I'm sorry about doubting you guys before. I just… my dad told me the gods abandoned us long ago."
Pit nodded in understanding. "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. True the higher ups were slacking a little, but we're here now. Take care guys." He scooped his sister in his arms and took flight to return to Skyworld.
=I=I=