"Well, this is quite rude, isn't it? Can't two girls just take a stroll through the woods without being disturbed?"
Cereza held the Affinity down into the dirt, high heel pinned into its throat. The angel thrashed and squealed in a fearful manner, hearing the gun attached to her ankle click as the hammer was magically pulled back.
"Well, screaming won't get you anywhere," Cereza stomped down into the angel's face, blowing it off with an explosive bang.
The tall slender Umbra Witch turned back around to the grass clearing to see another cluster of Applauds and Affinities shifting back and forth with interchanging looks. Their hesitation cost them as Jeanne came flying down from behind, legs swinging overhead as a cascade of bullets demolished the idle Laguna.
"I wondered where you went off too. Did you manage to get any up there?" Cereza pointed up as she kept her sight on Jeanne. Leaves from the towering trees began to fall down and flutter around her. The sound of heavy angel bodies hitting the ground began to sound off one after another right as she finished her statement.
"Now hardly seems like the time for chit-chat, Cereza. Could you help me finish them off first?" Jeanne said, a coy and impatient tone slipping past the loud bang of bullets. She stood up straight, her gun cocked to the side as her head tilted with it.
"Well, it seems our guests have soured your mood. I suppose I can help you, I wasn't having much fun with them anyway," Cereza waltzed up to her side, her eyes peering out from behind her black and golden hood, masked by her glittering butterfly glasses. Despite the mask enveloping her face, Jeanne could see the sly smile crawling along her face.
Jeanne responded with a smile of her own, shifting her body forward to greet more of the Third Sphere as they dropped down in front of them. Spears, swords, and bows at the ready, they squawked and screeched as they rallied themselves.
Jeanne and Cereza darted straight forward, one leg extended out to meet the front line angels with a propelling kick. Sending the other angels into one another, their defenses were broken as the young witches followed through with more punches and bullets. Sending angels into the air to then smack them back down into the ground. The final touch was the massive demoness fists and heels that came flying through inferno portals to crush their bodies into a bloody mess.
The meager group of weak angels was quickly dispatched, and the remaining gained enough wit to turn tail and head back to the golden light shining above. The distant Paradiso portal had cracked open over the forest. Clamoring off the ground, a wounded Affinity attempted to flap upwards, but Jeanne's foot came down onto its back, kicking back into the dirt. It began to thrash with its usual screeching.
"Oh, shut up!" Jeanne said, crushing its spine and ceasing its cry with a well-placed bullet.
Cereza, grabbing another crawling angel by its foot, spun it around to gain momentum to then hurl it upward. Crashing through the branches, the Affinity collided with another, causing the two to crumble and perish upon impact.
The two Umbra stood by each other's side once more, admiring their handiwork as the other angels flew away.
"Really? They caused such a ruckus to just up and leave like that?" Jeanne said, her arms folding in as she sighed.
"No manners, the lot of them," Cereza shook her head, chuckling as she did. With the tip of the gun's barrel, she adjusted her glasses to straighten them out.
"Well, we should be getting back then. With the sun coming up, it will only mean more will be coming out," Jeanne said, picking up the stride she had left off on before the Laguna had shown up.
"We wouldn't want to keep our Mummies waiting, they do love to worry if we're out for too long past sunrise," Cereza jested, adding a strut into her step as she caught up with Jeanne.
"Do you really take my mother for the worrying type?" Jeanne said, her gun gestured out, her eyes veering to Cereza with disbelief.
"I think they both do, but they do a rather good job of hiding it," Cereza said, poking Jeanne on the nose with her fingertip in response. The blonde Umbra couldn't help but scoff in return.
"Fair. Paradiso does seem to be stirring up a bit more recently. I think our daily patrols accompanied with consistent run-ins with our feathered friends has caught their eye," Jeanne said, her head tilting up to watch the golden light of the portal shimmer. Angels still trying to reach it to pass back into the land of light.
"It might be best to lay low for a while then. That or change routes. We wouldn't want the Cardinal of Virtues catching wind of our location. I quite like the small spot we scooped up. It would bother to pick up and move again so soon," Cereza said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I know, the view is better than that dingy rut of an alley we had to hold up in Switzerland. Or that run-down shack in Vigird. I must say, France seems much prettier than anything I have seen before," Jeanne's hand reached out and grazed a few low-hanging leaves with her fingertips.
"I think anything is easier on the eyes than Vigird," Cereza chuckled.
"Ha, most certainly. Though, I'm afraid I'll have to lay eyes on it once more. Mother has said that we will be returning there again soon to gather up more sisters who have remained there to hide before we had left."
"Is that so? I haven't heard of this. Do you suppose she is trying to rejuvenate the clan?" Cereza's head perked up.
"I don't believe it is a true revival that we have been hoping for. Merely there are some underlings that have gone too long without proper training and need some…finessing."
"And you're going with her?"
"Well, you and I are both fully-fledged Umbra now, so understandably yes. We only made our pacts about a year ago and already we've slain more angels than most trainees combined. I believe she is putting her trust in me, as well as making it a test," Jeanne's eyes wandered as she spoke, never fully looking over to Cereza.
"She always loves to make it a test. Don't you ever just have leisurely time together instead of making everything so dreadfully serious?" Cereza's head stooped low, her body heavily slouched over in a humorous attempt.
"You have met my mother, haven't you Cereza?" Jeanne's sarcasm snapped Cereza's body back as she chuckled again.
The sound of the portal closing reverberated in the air above them. The light faded as only the dim sunlight of dawn returned.
"Besides…Vigrid only brings back sad memories for her. She's never the same whenever it is brought up. I don't think it'll be easy since haven't been there since…well."
Jeanne trailed off, eyeing over to Cereza who had gone quiet. Neither of them had to say anything. Cereza, without thinking, had placed a hand over her stomach. A usual sharp prick zapped across the old wound underneath her garments when her fingers made contact.
Jeanne had noticed her movements and silenced herself from continuing any thoughts. The pair continued to walk through the growing morning, one waiting for the other to speak.
"I want to go with you," Cereza finally spoke up.
"What?" Jeanne twisted her head, genuine surprise was written all over her face.
"I can ask my mother since I don't think she would agree to let me go unless she did…but I would like to accompany you."
Jeanne paused for a moment, her head facing forward again.
"Will you be alright with it?"
"It's been twenty years since everything happened. I have had plenty of time to grow and live with it. There's no point in being afraid, our profession doesn't exactly allow such things," Cereza's tone spiked back up with her usual spunk, a snarkiness that comforted Jeanne.
"Well, if you are okay with this decision, I won't stop you. It's just our mummies we have to worry about."
Cereza chuckled once more, her hand flinging up over her mouth as she tried to stifle it.
"Despite how much they try to mask it, deep down I don't think they'll ever stop seeing us as their little ones. Always so protective," Cereza said, half-joking, but also speaking with genuine appreciation.
"Our very own guardian angels," Jeanne laughed, the two finding the humor in the irony.
"Guardian angel…" Cereza repeated but trailed off as the words seemed to resonate with. Suddenly, a small glint caught her eye. She followed the light upwards to see another small golden portal flicker to life then dissipate just as quickly. Through the tree branches and thick leaves, something was descending from the Paradiso portal.
Cereza seemed to be the only one to notice it, as Jeanne kept her stride while Cereza stopped to look at the curious event.
"Don't dally too long, we don't want to attract more of them," Jeanne said, noticing her friend had stayed behind. Without looking up or back at her, she waved a gun about. Talking to Cereza like an annoyed babysitter who has had to tell her this many times before.
Ignoring her friend's advice, Cereza kept staring up at the shrouded object as it began to drift down to the earth. Eventually, she could make it out that it was a feather. With a slanted smile, she felt foolish for wasting time on the Laguna's littering.
She was about to move forward until the feather came into view even more, and it was revealed how large it actually was.
Longer than any other Laguna feather, and shimmered with a beautiful golden design. She held her hands out and gingerly caught it as it gently landed in her open palms.
She looked over it, confused as at first as to what it was or which angel it belonged to.
As she held it, a small tickle of magic vibrated against her skin. Unusual magic emanated from it, as she felt something in her she had never sensed before. She could telepathically sense a hymn that was being sung from the feather. A soft and calm song that played throughout her being like the emotions were the instruments.
The feelings felt familiar, and it finally clicked into place as to who's it was.
Her guardian angel. Of course.
Her eyes widened, looking over the peacock feather with a sudden wave of bewilderment. She looked to the sky, but there was no other portal to be seen.
She had so many questions, yet knew she would most likely get no answers.
She sensed the feather spring to life with another magical hymn. The musical emotions reinforced the feeling of reassurance.
At first, without realizing it, Cereza felt herself calm down. She gently brought the feather in closer as to embrace it. Pressed against her stomach, the feather's song seemed to soothe the neverending twinge of pain that occasionally sparked within her scar.
She recognized this comfort. And smiled to herself.
"Cereza, come on! Or else we'll both get a talking too," Jeanne gripped, already a few meters down the path. Jeanne turned around slightly but didn't get a good look at her. She flung her guns about again, establishing the urgency in them getting a move on.
Cereza looked back up from her feather to her best friend wandering off. She quickly took the feather and it was carefully placed under her robes. The songs seemed to have gone silent, but the feather didn't feel dead. Its radiant light was a soothing warming sensation that felt unending.
As she turned to continue onward, she looked to see she was surrounded by an endless amount of flower bushes. The usual patches they always passed through whenever they would go for these walks.
With a small smile, Cereza leaned over and plucked a small cluster to take with her, holding them just as close to her chest as she did the feather. A small gift to bring home to Rosa.
A small handful of Lobelia flowers, bright and rich with their violet colors.