This eatery was infinitely better. The walls were light blue, the furniture was a mix of silver and white, the decorations were metallic chrome. The ceiling was a sheet of clear glass, criss-crossed with white beams. There was no telling how good the food would be, but from the scents wafting in from the kitchen, it couldn't be bad.

She went in, as usual. They had found that the sight of Vincent tended to put people on edge and make them less talkative. For some reason, the sight of a lone unarmed (she left her sword hidden, which was quite a feat considering its size) young woman far less threatening. In away, Paine found it insulting, but it got the job done.

There were some similarities to the various Taverns she had visited that this place boasted. Some corners weren't as well lit, though the Sun shone down bright enough to give most of the café an open, friendly atmosphere. There was still a counter, with spinning stools in a line. And everyone still turned and stared at her as she walked in. She tried to smile cheerfully, but it came out flopped and weak. She gave up and just sat down at the counter.

It was late in the afternoon, so there weren't many people loitering the area. Truth be told, Paine was not in a good mood. She felt like half her life had been spent in places like these and she was getting sick of it. Her skin crawled and she knew why. She was itching for a fight. Strangely enough, the fight that broke out had nothing to do with her.

Two men stood up, knocking over table and chairs. The café owner, a small wrinkled balding man who wrung his hands a lot, scurried over for fear of his furniture.

"Stay out of this, old man," one of them, the taller, barked

"I took nothing from you," the shorter man said, defensively. Tall-guy snorted.

"Don't give me any of that. I saw you. You-"

"Excuse me," a soft voice broke in. The two antagonists turned. It was probably because he was standing directly under the skylight, but it almost seemed a halo glow shimmered around his snow-white head. Eyes of sky shined understanding, as he put out his hand in a placating gesture.

"Come, I'm sure this man means you no harm. Let's just look around, and I'm sure we can find whatever it is you've lost."

The voice was calm and soothing, the tone smooth enough to tame a wild animal, suggestions reasonable and practical…and exactly what Tall-guy didn't want to hear. He shoved against the peacemaker's chest.

"What's it to you, pansy boy?" he slurred out. Paine cringed.

He's going to get pasted, poor sap, she thought. Her fingers twitched. IF things escalated, she'd bail him out, but not till he'd learned to stay out of other people's problems. Tall-guy pushed again, but the futile mediator didn't move.

"Please, I don't want anyone to get-"

Time slowed down.

Paine rose as Tall-guy's fist flew towards the silver haired kid's chest.

The pacifist ducked and the swung went wide. From his crouched position, the long legged youth launched upward, twisted, swung his leg around and brought his heel to connect sharply with the back of Tall-guy's head in a beautiful back kick. Off balance, Tall-guy staggered forward, reaching for his scalp. The 'pansy boy' landed perfectly, maintained his balance and back flipped onto a table without knocking over a single glass or bowl.

Tall guy roared and lunged forward, arms and claw-like fingers outstretched. Paine blinked as the stranger jumped straight up and caught hold of one of the ceiling bars. He vaulted up, leaving Tall-guy to tumble over the table, sending glasses flying in all directions. The few other customers dodged the incoming projectiles. Paine herself had to sidestep to avoid a murderous fork.

The nimble defender dropped from his perch, bounced off Tall-guy's back, hugged his knees close, rolled to the floor and was vertical before most people had even registered his movement.

Paine was impressed. She'd had him pegged as a talker, yet he'd handled himself incredibly well. There was only one thing remaining. Short-guy muttered something that might have been thanks, and made a break for the door, but when he got there, he found it wouldn't open. He swiveled around to find himself face to face with his champion.

"You're not going already." The voice was still smooth but there was just a bit of an edge to it. He wasn't even breathing hard.

"If what you said was true, you have nothing to fear."

Short-guy began to tremble like grass in the wind. The white warrior took a step forward. Short-guy tried to retreat but the locked door blocked his way.

Paine didn't hear what was said next but when he came back, the albino-haired stranger was holding a small gold object, which he gently placed next to the unconscious Tall-guy. Paine could see it better then, as it glinted in the sunlight. A figurine of an angel, wings wide and outstretched. Its rescuer shook his head sadly.

"Such a waste. A lovely and sacred object like this should not be left in the care of such as you."

As if feeling her gaze on him, he looked up, locking eyes with Paine.

"Then why don't you take it?" she asked with a half shrug. His gaze was steady and sincere.

"Because it isn't mine," he answered simply, as if that was all there was to it. The café owner clapped his hands and they both turned toward him.

"Thank you, chaos. Although…I may have preferred you did it without breaking so many of my glasses."

A smile, slow and mirthful came across chaos' face.

"My apologies. Add up the cost and I will pay for it."

The owner shook his head and waved his hands.

"No, no. I much prefer people to know that we're not a harbor for thieves."

There was a ringing from the back of the room. The owner disappeared through a swinging door and reemerged a moment later.

"Perfect timing, too. The dock just called, chaos. Your ship is read."

Paine stiffened, but wouldn't get her hopes up. It could mean a variety of things. Luckily, the owner seemed content to ramble.

"I'm amazed they got it finished so quickly. Figured something that powerful would take forever to fix. But then, you usually take good care of her."

He nodded to chaos, who nodded back then walked to the door which hissed open. Short-guy was still shuddering in the corner, his eyes wide with fright.

Paine followed the strange young man out after paying for her mean (which really had been quite good). She didn't know what she'd say; it occurred to her that for all the time she'd spent looking for a pilot, she should have thought about it.

This world was busy, people walked from building to building, living out their lives; working, loitering, some in a hurry, some with nothing on their mind more serious than what color flower to buy for their girlfriend. Paine felt distinctly out of place, as if she was a black-and-white paper figure in a world of three-dimensional color. Sometimes she got pointed at, almost always by a woman. She WAS dressed far different from them, with their short skirts and strange jackets. It made her chuckle to wonder what they'd think if they could see her sword.

She eventually came to a clean, chrome hangar. I swear, is everything on this world white or silver? she wondered. It was a much more sterile world than she was use to, and the open exposure was making her more than a little uncomfortable. The strange white-haired man went to a small door off to the side, put his hand against the lock/receptor, and the door hissed up. Paine knew this would be the only chance she would get.

"Wait," she called. The young man stiffened, hesitated with his hand still on the receptor, then slowly turned around.

"Can I help you?" he asked, sincere, but a little wary. Paine closed the gap between them and stood a few feet away. She suddenly felt very foolish. How was she suppose to ask this?

"That was quite a spectacle you put on back there," she started, before mentally kicking herself. He-he'd been called chaos-didn't seem to notice her discomfort, and only shrugged.

"It shouldn't have needed to be done. Now, what do you want?"

Paine got a hold of herself, and began to speak, her voice level.

"My name is Paine. Myself and an associate of mine have been world hopping looking for a pilot. I don't know if you're interested-"

"I'm not really," he answered before she could finish. Paine masked her disappointment.

"If it's about payment-"

"It's not."

"Well, that's good, because we really couldn't pay you anyway."

He smiled, serenely, though somehow she felt he was laughing at her. He spread his hands.

"Please, don't misunderstand. It's just that I've only recently come from a rather arduous mission of my own and was looking forward to some unexcitement."

Paine raised a slender eyebrow. A sheepish smile crept across chaos' face.

"Although, it does seem excitement follows me around. In any case, I wish you luck in your-"

He was unable to finish his farewell as right then automatic gunfire was loosed on them. Paine dove and rolled out of the way, ducking behind a pile of crates. Her eyes searched for chaos. He, too had jumped to safety, and was leaning against the hangar, waiting for the firing to stop. They could clearly see each other, but their attackers were obscured.

"Friends of yours?" he asked, nodding in her direction. She nodded, and pulled her sword out. Now his eyebrows raised. She smiled fiendishly, then jumped over the crates. She landed square on her feet, and the fight was on. She was able to deflect the incoming gunfire with her sword—the Stigmon made it almost completely unbreakable—but it meant she kept having to move, not giving her a good view at the shooter. She DID see out of the corner of her eye though, a familiar white topped head, climbing the embankment where the firing seemed to be coming from. There were several thudding sounds and the gunfire stopped. Paine stood in the middle of the airfield, breathing heavily. A final thud and a scream preceded the sight of a flying body thrown off the embankment, arms flailing. He landed four feet from Paine who was on top of him in a flash.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

The attacker, whose face was covered by a dirty brown mask, gurgled something incoherent.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," she said, mockingly. She felt chaos by her side. He gingerly pulled the mask off. The face was young, only a little older than Paine, fair, but marred by the blood running out of his mouth. chaos sat him up.

"Th-the M-"

"The Master sent you?" Paine demanded. chaos glanced at her, questioningly, but her attention was focused on the poorly trained sniper. All he did was nod.

"Come, we should get him to a hospital," chaos suggested. Paine looked at him perplexed.

"He needs help," chaos went on, emphatically. The thought hadn't even occurred to Paine.

"Very well," she agreed, reluctantly. They began to pull the shootist to his feet when he suddenly pulled a knife. Before either Paine or chaos could react, the Stigmon released a brilliant flash of light, blinding the three of them. When the two almost-victims could see again, their would-be attacker was gone. All that was left was a pile of ashes. There were several long silent moments as they stared at the empty pavement.

"I'm almost afraid to ask but…did your sword just flash fry our attacker?" chaos asked, his tone a mix of disbelief and shock. Paine was more than a little startled herself. She'd had no idea it could do that. The term 'disturbing' hung heavy in the air. Paine looked up at chaos.

"Guess I can't blame you for not wanting to help us. I can almost guarantee you that this will happen…a lot."

He stood up, his face a shadowed mask. Paine recognized that look. The one she was looking for got that look when he was trying to decide what to do. A glimmer of hope sparked in Paine.

"What is it that you're trying to do?" he queried. Paine stood up. She was slightly taller than he was; though he was broader across the shoulders.

"I'm looking for someone. Last I saw him was on a dead planet. Most of the airships around here can't handle the distance."

She wanted to go on, say she was getting desperate, but pride, and a lingering distrust of most people kept her quiet. It didn't seem like he was going to answer, so she just nodded to him and said:

"Thanks for your help" before turning and walking away.

"Wait." This time he called her. He looked her directly in the eyes, seabreeze meeting lavaflame. He had this disconcerting way of making you feel guilty just by looking at you, as if they knew things about you that even you didn't know. She clenched her jaw, but wouldn't avert her gaze.

"These people…who are after you…they're after that, aren't they?" he pointed to her sword, and more specifically, the silver cross embedded into its blade. Paine nodded, seeing no reason to lie to him.

"And if they get it?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. Paine jerked her head towards the pile of ashes that use to be the young shooter.

"Then that fate will be waiting…for everyone."

He still seemed to be undecided, but finally, chaos nodded resolutely and said (much to Paine's relief):

"All right, I'm in."