Thursday morning, Azalea had just arrived for her morning meetup with the student council. Today she felt she had something important to discuss with Sona.
"So I heard about what happened while I was gone." Azalea mentioned.
"Ah, yes. your brother stirred up quite the commotion." Sona stated. "If you're worried about any potential repercussions, I let him and Akeno off with warnings."
"I wish he wouldn't pull stunts like that." Azalea sighed. "It always just makes things worse."
"Your brother may have issues, a lot of issues, but I honestly can't blame him for this particular reaction." Sona said. "It's only natural for an older sibling to feel some degree of protectiveness towards the younger."
"I'm not some child that can't defend herself. If I wanted to, I could've put Akeno through a wall." Azalea argued. "Also we're only one year apart."
"I don't doubt that, Azalea." Sona said.
"And what about the whole unstable ceasefire?"
"This was a human standing up for his sister, not an inter-faction dispute." Sona assured. "Even if Rias swallowed her pride and complained to her brother I highly doubt it would be enough to reignite conflict, and if it were to attract attention I'd make for certain that your side is heard."
"Thank you, Sona." Azalea said. "That means a lot to me."
"It's the very least I could do after I failed to prevent the incident." Sona said. "You should have never been insulted like that."
"I've been told my existence is wrong before, just not because of my species. I didn't know how to handle the idea that I was… that I was just a monster."
"Azalea." Sona placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are nothing like the stereotypical fallen angel."
"So I've been told."
"They're supposed to be far more intelligent." Sona quipped
"Did, did you just crack a joke?" Azalea asked, unsure that her hearing hadn't momentarily malfunctioned.
"Perhaps." Sona said.
"Haaa!" Brandon dealt the final blow to the top of Katase's head. Murayama raised a flag signalling his win.
The shock from actually getting hit a second time knocked Katase off balance; she flailed her arms as she fell backwards, and landed with a soft thud.
Katase tried getting back up, but the heavy Kendo wear made it near impossible for her to right herself. Brandon and Murayama had a short chuckle at the pink haired girl's expense.
"Um, excuse me!" Katase complained.
"Sorry, need a hand?" Brandon offered, before pulling Katase back to her feet.
"Congratulations." Murayama walked into the ring, clapping. "You finally pulled off a win."
"It wasn't easy." Brandon said. "I have no idea how she's so fast with all of this clunky equipment."
"Years of practice." Katase bragged.
"And yet your footing still wasn't up to snuff." Brandon smirked.
Murayama and Katase exchanged looks, they both had a mischievous glint in their eyes. Brandon noticed immediately, and didn't like where it was headed. Without warning, the two Kendo club leaders shoved Brandon over, knocking him onto his back.
"Sonofabitch." Brandon blurted in English as he hit the floor.
Katase howled with laughter and Murayama guiltily chuckled at Brandon's turn to struggle.
"Looks like the tables have turned." Katase scoffed.
"Ha ha, very funny." Brandon deadpanned.
"I'm sorry, couldn't let you get a big head." Murayama said, offering a hand. "Need some help?"
"No thanks, I think I can handle this." Brandon rocked himself back, then launched himself back onto his feet. He nearly fell forward as a result, but Murayama and Katase grabbed him by the arms, letting him regain stability.
"Well, that was almost impressive." Murayama said, letting go of the arm she grabbed.
"Careful." Katase chided in a somewhat smug tone, releasing Brandon's other arm. "You might've got some lucky hits, but you're still not nearly as graceful on your feet as I am."
"Well you're not the one wearing steel toed boots." Brandon countered.
"Why do you wear those anyway?" Murayama asked.
"They're useful for when you need to brain someone with a kick."
"I should've expected an answer like that." Murayama said, straight faced.
"Is fighting all you ever do?" Katase questioned.
"No, sometimes I read. Sometimes I go out for strolls." Brandon said.
"Strolls where you get into more brawls." Murayama added.
"Hey, I'll have you know, that only happened twice." Brandon attested. "This week."
"Mhmm." Murayama hummed.
Brandon caught Katase inching closer, smirking with the same glint in her eye as earlier.
"You're thinking of pushing me over again, aren't you?" He asked.
"It would be funny." Katase said.
"No."
"Aw."
Back at the Byrne house Aine threw open the living room curtains, letting sunlight brighten the residence.
"What a beautiful day." She marveled. "It'd be a shame to waste it all indoors."
As Aine admired the outside world, Kalawarner rolled herself into the living room, the slight squeak of the wheelchair notified Aine of the fallen angel's presence.
"Hey, Kala." Aine greeted. "Lovely morning isn't it?"
"That's an oxymoron." Kalawarner yawned. "Why do you humans insist on waking up so early?"
"Oh it's not so bad." Aine said. "Just look at the weather. It's a perfect day for a stroll through the park."
"That's relevant because?" Kalawarner questioned.
"I'm taking you for a stroll through the park." Aine decided on the spot.
"And I don't get a say in the matter, do I?" Kalawarner asked, already knowing the answer.
"Aww, you already know me so well."
Kalawarner sighed. "I'll go freshen up." She said, swiveling towards the downstairs bathroom.
Aine drove Kalawarner to an secluded park with a paved path overlooking a good sized pond, adjacent to a grassy field with a half dozen shade trees.
Reeds were growing, the sounds of croaking frogs and birdsongs created a nice ambience, and ducks waddled off of the bank and into the water as Aine wheeled Kalawarner along.
"See, isn't the fresh air nice?" Aine asked.
"I don't have to admit anything to you." Kalawarner petulantly replied.
"Is someone not feeling up to it? I can always drive us back if you're feeling uncomfortable."
"I didn't say that."
Aine gave a smug chuckle. "I thought so."
"Fine, I'll admit this wasn't a terrible idea." Kalawarner begrudgingly confessed.
"And the best part? There's nobody even here, just the two of us."
"That's because no sane person chooses to go for a walk in the park at this hour."
"You can say that again." An immature and unhinged voice chimed in.
Kalawarner's eyes widened and Aine immediately went on the defensive, stepping in front of her.
"You might want to put your hands up." A young white haired man in church robes strolled forward, holding out a gun.
"Freed." Kalawarner growled.
"Aw, so you remember my name. I'm touched." Freed sneered. "How's that leg holding you up?"
"Is this the scumbag, Kalawarner?" Aine asked, remaining calm, but with an underlying air of malice.
"Yes."
"Talking about me as if I'm not even here? How you wound me." Freed spoke in fake offense, before pointing his gun at Aine. "If either of you sluts tries anything I'll blast those pretty little heads of yours clean off, so I don't suggest you try to play hero."
"Lotus Juice." Aine uttered under her breath. Unbeknownst to either Freed or Kalawarner, her stand manifested.
"Spouting nonsense already? Usually they save that till after I have my fun. Or are you trying to confuse me?" Freed mocked. "And keep those hands up."
Meticulously slowly, Lotus Juice began to reach through Aine's pocket. She wasn't visible to the enemy, but any unsubtle interaction she had with a tangible object would immediately reveal her presence. With the steadiness of a surgeon, Lotus Juice gradually slipped a small metallic object upward.
It was a scalpel, a weapon in only the loosest definition of the word, but it would have to do.
"Now let's have some fun." Freed took a step forward, for a single moment his gun was not pointing at them, that was Aine's chance.
Lotus Juice threw the scalpel with inhuman grace, dead center into Freed's left eye. The mad priest screamed out in pain.
Aine rushed forward and knocked the gun out of Freed's grip, then tried to finish it by driving the scalpel all the way in with her fist. Freed involuntarily jerked his head and Aine ended up hitting the wrong eye.
Freed staggered back out of Aine's range, yanked her scalpel from his eye socket, and tossed it to the ground. The pain was too intense for him to form a single sentence.
"What's the matter, needle dick? Don't feel like running your mouth anymore? I'm surprised you're even standing." Aine taunted. "So what's one of the church's failed test tube babies doing here anyway?"
Freed pulled out the hilt of his light sword and made a mad dash, blindly swinging at Aine. He was uncoordinated and predictable, but his speed meant he was still highly dangerous.
"Touched a nerve, did I?" Aine rhetorically asked, weaving away from each slash. "I was hoping I'd get further than that."
"You Bitch!" Freed bellowed, swinging even faster.
Kalawarner could only watch as the insane exorcist got dangerously close to slicing the woman that welcomed her into her home in half; she wanted to throw a light spear and skewer Freed, but the bastard still had Aine in front of him. She couldn't get a clear shot.
Aine finally caught Freed's wrist, and he violently struggled to break free.
"Kalawarner, spear me!"
"What?"
"Just do it!" Aine demanded. "Aim right at me!"
Kalawarner formed a light spear and threw it in Aine's direction. Aine tried swinging Freed directly into the spear's path but he was able to slip free from her grip.
Before the spear could sail past Aine it stopped in mid air. Lotus Juice was now armed with a weapon.
Freed tried to slash at Aine from the side, only for Lotus Juice to parrie the attempt away. He kept swinging, but no matter how quickly he swung or what angle he swung from, Lotus Juice would deflect his strikes blow for blow.
Lotus Juice blocked an overhead swing, and Aine landed a kick to Freed's stomach, knocking him back. Aine took the opportunity to make a grab for the tossed aside firearm.
Freed recovered from the gut shot only to receive a hole through his shoulder, courtesy of his own light bullet. He knew he couldn't win now, so he threw down a flash grenade before Aine could fire again, and attempted one last cheap shot.
Both Aine and Kalawarner were blinded by the flash. There was a scream of pain and shock before the light subsided.
Blood dripped from the tip of Kalawarner's spear. Lotus Juice had acted on her own in defense of her user. A red trail formed from the point where Freed tried his last attack, to the pond. Freed was gone.
The spear began to dissipate from the abuse it endured, and Lotus Juice de-apparated moments afterward. Aine breathed a sigh of relief and began walking back towards Kalawarner.
"Are you alright?" Aine asked the wheelchair bound fallen angel.
"I'm fine, but how the hell did you do that?!"
"Yesterday you asked if I had a stand. Hold your hand out." Kalawarner complied and felt a gentle force grasping her palm. "I call her Lotus Juice, she can wield any weapon to its fullest potential, but her effective range is miniscule."
Kalawarner felt the grip fade away.
"Thanks for the spear by the way, I'm not sure if I could've done it without you." Aine said.
"No problem." Kalawarner said. "I hope he bleeds out."
"Something tells me a cockroach like that still has a couple survival tricks up his sleeve, but at the very least it should be safe to go out for a couple days." Aine said. "Unless there are any other dangers I should know about."
"No, just him." Kalawarner said. "The rest of the stray exorcists know to keep a low profile, Brandon isn't a target, and none of the remaining fallen angels would even dream of laying a finger on a ten winged nephilim like Azalea. Especially not Raynare."
"That's good to hear." Aine said. "Still I wish I could've offed Freed here and now. I should have handed the gun to Lotus Juice."
"Well hindsight's twenty twenty." Kalawarner said. "Could we go home now?"
"Sure Kalawarner, this was way too much excitement for one day." Aine said, turning Kalawarner's wheelchair back around. "I'll make us some tea when we get back."
The lunch bell rang, and on her way to the cafeteria Azalea somehow found her way outside. She would've turned back in, but a familiar buzzing noise drew her attention to one of the nearby trees.
It was the same cicada she saved last week, or more likely another member of the same species.
"Why hello there." Azalea greeted the insect. "Long time no see."
The cicada buzzed.
"You don't say?" Azalea replied. "Yeah, my week's been a bit rough too."
The cicada buzzed.
"Well there's this one gorgeous girl that absolutely hates my guts." Azalea said. "She called me a monster, can you believe that?"
The cicada continued buzzing sporadically.
"Yeah, I ran out crying. A seventeen year old running through the halls, spewing tears and snot like a kindergartener. That's not mortifying in the slightest."
The cicada stopped buzzing for a moment, and then started again.
"And to top it all off, apparently my brother went and beat the girl up while I was gone." Azalea complained. "He can't keep doing things like that; He's going to get himself hurt, or expelled again."
The cicada unfurled its wings ready to fly off.
"Thanks, I really needed to air my frustrations out."
"What are you doing?" A neutral voice came from behind Azalea, which made her jump, scaring the cicada off.
Azalea turned to see a short, white haired girl.
"How long have you been here?" Azalea asked.
"Couple minutes." The girl casually answered.
"And you saw me talking to a cicada, like a crazy person."
"Yep."
"That's just great." Azalea groaned under her breath. "...Koneko right?"
"That's me."
Azalea lowered to her knees to get closer to Koneko's eye level. "So what are you doing out here during lunch?"
"Eavesdropping."
"Well that was blunt." Azalea commented. "So you heard it all?"
"Yep."
"Well, in that case can I ask you a favor?"
"Depends."
"Can you tell that girl that I'm sorry about my brother's behavior?"
"You're forgiving her?"
"Oh, no. I have standards for how people treat me." Azalea said. "I still don't want anything to do with her, but that doesn't mean what Brandon did was excusable."
"I wasn't expecting that."
"I may have just spent the past couple minutes talking at an insect, but I'm not an idiot." Azalea said.
"What are you doing?" Brandon's voice caught Azalea and Koneko's attention.
"Hey Brandon." Azalea said, standing back up. "Just talking with Koneko here."
"Lunch is halfway over, Sis." Brandon exaggerated. "You don't have time to chat with Pup."
"Already?" Azalea asked, before facing Koneko. "Sorry, I have to go. It's been nice."
Brandon began pulling Azalea by the arm.
"Welp, it's been a blast. Time to go." Brandon said, urging Azalea to pick up the pace.
"Talk to you some other time." Was Azalea's parting message as she followed her brother into the main building.
Once inside, Brandon pulled Azalea off to the side. "What do you think you were doing?"
"I already said, just having a conversation."
"Do you not remember who that pup works for?" Brandon stressed.
Azalea rolled her eyes. "Brandon. She's a child. I highly doubt our run-in was part of some insidious scheme to pry me for information. And even if it was, I have nothing to hide."
"Ahem." Brandon coughed, gesturing towards Azalea's back.
"One thing to hide." Azalea corrected herself.
"You're like a dodo bird, far too trusting for your own good." Brandon insisted. "You don't know what her game is."
"Well you're far too aggressive for your own good?" Azalea countered. "You can't just keep picking fights and not expect some major consequences."
"I lost control of my temper." Brandon admitted, keeping to himself that he'd do it all again.
"Brandon, you're not as sturdy as I am." Azalea stated. "One hit in the wrong spot and you could end up paralysed."
"That won't happen." Brandon said. "Besides, if things get out of hand I have Shattered Glass."
"But what if it does happen?!" Azalea raised her voice. "Then who's going to stop me from razing hell?!"
"You don't have what it takes!" Brandon raised his voice in return.
Azalea glared at her brother, silently challenging his assertion. Brandon could tell she was a little hurt at his statement.
"I'm sorry, I know you operate on a completely different wavelength than me." Brandon sighed. "I just don't want you getting hurt."
"Well that's just life, sometimes you get hurt." Azalea said. "I like to see the good in people and that's not going to change, no matter how many times it bites me in the ass."
"I know, Azalea." Brandon admitted. "I guess I can't expect you to just go against that optimistic nature of yours."
"And I guess I can't expect you to completely curb your aggression after something like that." Azalea conceded.
"We're really lucky we're siblings." Brandon said. "We balance each other out."
"Yeah, you'd definitely be dead right now without me." Azalea commented.
"Me? You're the one who blindly trusts everyone!" Brandon countered incredulously. "You'd be on some table having your weird organs harvested if I weren't around."
"Agree to disagree." Azalea smirked. She knew just how to get under her brother's skin.
"That's not a matter of opinion." Brandon took the bait.
"That's your a pinion." Azalea replied.
Brandon looked at Azalea with silent disappointment. Her smirk grew wider, satisfied with her brother's reaction.
"Aren't you missing lunch right now?"
Azalea's smug look disappeared and her eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She grabbed Brandon's wrist, and rushed off in the direction of the cafeteria.
Once the coast was clear, Koneko dashed off to the occult research club. On her way back she ran into Sona, waiting just outside of the club's homeroom.
"Why hello, Koneko." Sona said. "Why the rush?"
"I forgot my snacks." Koneko lied, not breaking from her neutral tone.
"That doesn't sound convincing, but it works out for me nonetheless." Sona said. "I have new information I need to share with Rias. Why don't you step inside?"
Koneko silently complied, opening the door and walking in. Sona on the other hand stood just far enough away from the doorway to remain unseen by the remaining ORC members.
"Ah, Koneko." Rias greeted. "Do you have anything new to report?"
Koneko's stomach sank.
Sona placed her foot in the doorway before it could swing shut. "Yeah Koneko, do you have anything new to report?"
The student council president strode inside looking quite disappointed.
"Sona, this is unexpected." Rias commented. "What brings you here?"
"I have some new information on the Byrne household." Sona volunteered. "But that can wait. I'd like to hear Koneko's report first."
"Very well, please begin Koneko." Rias said.
Koneko seemed hesitant.
"Don't be shy, it's just Sona." Rias encouraged.
"... I talked to Azalea."
That atmosphere tensened as Sona crossed her arms. "Really now?" She asked. "And what did you find?"
"She's a harmless idiot." Koneko said. "She spent five minutes talking to a cicada."
"Pfft." Despite her annoyance, that almost got a laugh out of Sona. "Yep, that's her alright."
Sona immediately recomposed herself. "So you've been spying on Azalea behind my back, and you've found out exactly what I've been telling you. Congratulations."
"Sona. I did not send Koneko to spy on the nephilim." Rias affirmed. "She probably just ran into her by accident."
Koneko nodded.
Sona looked Rias dead in the face, studying for any sign of dishonesty. She couldn't find any. It seemed like she was telling the truth.
"Alright, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time." Sona withdrew her suspicion. "Now, are you finished Koneko?"
"There was one more thing." Koneko spoke up. "She asked me to deliver an apology to Akeno."
"What?" Akeno responded.
"She said that she's sorry about how her douchebag brother acted." Koneko said.
"Paraphrased, I presume." Sona commented.
Akeno was at a loss for words. Why would Azalea apologise for anything after their last interaction?
"You know, for a 'monster' it seems Azalea's quite soft." Sona spoke towards Akeno, who guiltily turned her head down.
"Didn't you have something to share, or did you just show up to guilt trip my peerage?" Rias asked.
"Very well, I'll get to the point." Sona moved on. "One of the stray priests has attacked one of the fallen angels from the abandoned church. That fallen angel is now in the Byrne family's custody, recovering."
"So Azalea and Brandon were allied with the Grigori all along." Rias remarked.
"No." Sona denied. "Azalea ran into the fallen completely by chance, and came directly to me the next day. Azalea may seem foolish, but her grades speak for themselves. If she were a Grigori agent she wouldn't be handing me vital information on a silver platter."
"Regardless of intent, by aiding and abetting an active Grigori agent they are acting against us." Rias maintained. "They are a threat."
"The fallen angel they took in is far from threatening." Sona attested. "I was able to pull some strings to find out that she's just a rank and file agent. Completely unremarkable. She also quite recently abandoned The Grigori."
"So if she's no longer a member of the Grigori, there's no risk in exterminating her." Rias said.
"You will do no such thing." Sona declared. "Like Azalea and Brandon, she is now under my jurisdiction."
"These fallen angels are terrorising my newest peerage member, and you expect me to let this one off Scott free?"
"I am trusting Azalea to keep her under control." Sona said. "Maybe instead of obsessing over the fallen we know are no longer threats you should maintain focus on the remaining troublemakers."
"So you can keep your little experiment running?" Rias asked, contentiously.
"Call it what you wish, my stance won't change." Sona stated. "I expect you to keep me informed on them as I have with you about Azalea. Good day Rias."
Sona made her exit, leaving no room for further protest.
For the student council's meetup time Sona led everyone to the outer PE area, where a stack of boulders sat on one end of a field. The council president instructed the rest to move each stone to the opposite end, with the exception of Azalea, who was to sit the exercise out.
Two beach chairs overlooked the field, one for Sona herself, the other for a very confused Azalea.
"So why is everyone but me hauling rocks?" Azalea asked. "You do realize brute strength is kind of my thing?"
"because Tsubaki thought she was being funny." Sona plainly answered, which just brought further questions.
After school Azalea felt the urge to explore the outside world on her own. Having to sit out the earlier council activity made the nephilim uncomfortable antsy, but her brother had reservations about the idea.
"Absolutely not, Azalea." Brandon fervently forbade.
"It's just a walk, I can handle myself." Azalea argued.
"There's a gun wielding rapist on the loose." Brandon asserted. "You can't punch bullets."
Aine walked into the living room to find her two children arguing.
"What's the commotion?" Aine asked.
"Brandon doesn't want me stretching my legs outside." Azalea complained.
"Not with that lunatic running around." Brandon countered, staggered that the conversation was going on for as long as it had.
Aine smirked. "You won't have to worry about him tonight." She pulled out the prize from her battle, Freed's gun. "Momma took care of it."
"Well, color me impressed." Brandon said. "You killed him?"
"Unfortunately the parasite managed to slip away, but not before I put a scalpel through his eye, blew a hole through his shoulder, and gashed him with Kalawarner's spear." Aine illustrated, setting the gun down on the living room table. "He'll at the very least be out of commission for a while."
"Does that mean I can go out?" Azalea asked.
"As long as you promise to be careful." Aine said, poking Azalea on the nose. "Also keep your phone on you."
"Will do, Mom." Azalea said with a salute, before marching towards the front door.
"Wait." Brandon said, halting Azalea. "Let me give you something before you go."
"Alright." Azalea said. "What is it?"
"Hold on for a moment." Brandon insisted, before rushing to his room.
Brandon slapped a blank sheet of paper down onto his bedroom table, and manifested Shattered Glass. The stand's shards arranged themselves based off of his memory above the paper, then lowered onto it, creating a makeshift stencil.
Brandon then grabbed a pencil and began sketching lines along Shattered Glass' edges. The basic topography of Kuoh began to take shape, with the exceptions of the few areas Brandon had yet to explore, which remained blank.
Once the streets and notable landmarks were jotted down Brandon called back Shattered Glass, and began labeling the roads, landmarks, and high risk areas. Lastly he made an X and marked it 'home.'
"Perfect."
Azalea sat down on the couch, awaiting her brother's return. Aine took a seat next to her after a minute of waiting.
"So, how's Kalawarner doing?" Azalea asked, making conversation.
"A little shook up by the Freed encounter, but otherwise fine." Aine said. "She's napping right now, that slugabed."
Brandon rushed back down the stairs with a rolled up sheet of paper.
"Sorry I took so long." He apologised.
"What's that?" Azalea asked.
"I made you a map." Brandon revealed, unrolling the paper for her to see. "Stay away from anywhere I've marked caution or danger, and anywhere not drawn in yet."
"Good thinking, Brandon." Aine complemented.
"Thanks bro." Azalea said, pulling him into a hug.
"It was nothing." Brandon said. "Hopefully with this Azalea won't miraculously find a way to get lost."
"Brandon, I appreciate the map so I'm going to ignore that jab." Azalea retorted, letting go and snatching said map from Brandon's hands.
"Be back before dinner, hun." Aine said, giving her daughter a hug goodbye.
"Will do, Mom." Azalea accepted her mom's terms, before heading out the door.
Brandon turned towards the gun Aine placed on the table.
"I hope you disinfected that thing."
"Excessively."
During her exploration Azalea found herself at the border of a large wooded area by a run down church.
"Hmm." Azalea hummed, looking over her map. "These woods aren't charted, better turn back."
Just as Azalea was about to change direction something drew her attention. A blue haired child stood just outside the treeline. Azalea decided to approach the kid out of concern.
"Hello there." She greeted. "Are you lost?"
The child did not say a word, instead gesturing for Azalea to follow.
"Wait, you shouldn't be playing in the forest alone." Azalea warned. "You could get hurt."
The child took ten paces further into the forest, then turned to stare at Azalea. Azalea felt no choice but to follow after them.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Azalea questioned.
The child nodded their head as they continued deeper into the forest.
"So you're just choosing to ignore me." Azalea said.
The child nodded again.
"I'm pretty sure that makes it worse." Azalea complained. "Do you respond to your parents like that?"
Suddenly the kid made a sharp turn out of Azalea's line of sight. Azalea rushed forward, but the child had completely vanished.
"Ha ha, real funny." Azalea said. "You can stop playing now, I'm sure you're wanted back home."
There was no response, there were no footsteps. All Azalea could pick up were the sounds of birds and insects. Azalea came to the realization that she was now completely alone in the middle of the forest, with no sense of direction.
"Don't tell me I fell for a fae trick." Azalea muttered, before pondering. "Do they even have fae in Japan?"
Azalea pulled out her phone only to find she had no signal through the trees, leaving her with no choice but to wander until she came across an exit.
As Azalea unwittingly moved deeper and deeper into the woods, the thought of being isolated gave rise to the notion that she might not be alone, which worked to thoroughly unnerve the nephilim.
Azalea's trepidation continued to build, until she was jolted out of her thoughts by a rustle in the bushes.
"Aah!" Azalea yelped, instinctually jumping back and revealing her topmost pair of wings.
The sudden shout must have frightened whatever was hiding in the foliage because the rustling immediately stopped. Azalea wasn't going to check whatever it was, instead opting to continue in the opposite direction.
Azalea's feathers hardened on end, and her wings began to vibrate, creating a rattling sound to serve as a threat display. The rattling continued at an even pace as she wondered, frightening off any wild animals, but bringing forth the attention of something marginally more dangerous.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" An unfamiliar voice from above brought Azalea's mind completely to the forefront.
"Who's there?!" Azalea demanded, as the rattling of her feathers quickened.
A blonde haired girl in a maids uniform jumped down from the branches. "Just like, totally the most awesome fallen angel in the history of ever." She answered, revealing a set of wings, disproportionately large for her body.
Azalea did a double take. The girl smirked, making a singular fang poke out from her upper lip. The way she carried herself implied she believed she was intimidating, but she couldn't have been much older than twelve.
"You are, like totally, the most adorable thing I've ever seen!" Azalea squealed, tackling the smaller fallen angel into a tight hug.
Azalea fell victim to cuteness proximity.
"What are you doing?! Like, let go of me!" Mittelt protested as she tried to squirm out of Azalea's grip. "I'll show you cute!"
"Don't worry, big sis Azalea's got you." Azalea cooed, deaf to Mittelt's complaints.
"Dohnaseek!" Mittelt called out, and the male fallen angel quickly headed toward the scene, flying as fast as he could.
"What's the problem, Mittelt?" Dohnaseek beseeched, before spotting his colleague in the arms and wings of an unknown fallen angel.
Dohnaseek landed on the ground and stood there, completely unsure of what to make of the situation.
"Am I interrupting something?" Dohnaseek asked in bemusement.
"Just, like, get her off of me." Mittelt ordered.
Dohnaseek walked up to the pair and tapped Azalea's shoulder.
"Oh, hello." Azalea said, suddenly aware of the man's presence.
"Hello." Dohnaseek greeted her back. "Would you kindly unhand Mittelt, she appears to be quite uncomfortable."
"What?" Azalea asked, finally noticing that Mittelt was struggling to escape. She immediately let go. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"Hmph." Mittelt huffed, dusting off her dress before turning away and pouting with her arms crossed.
Dohnaseek let out a chuckle, turning to the guilty looking newcomer.
"So what brings you to our territory?" Dohnaseek asked.
"Am I trespassing? Sorry." Azalea said. "I'm kind of lost."
"It's quite alright." Dohnaseek assured. "You clearly aren't here to cause a disturbance."
"HMPH." Mittelt protested.
"Intentionally I mean." Dohnaseek corrected himself. "So who are you exactly? I doubt that The Grigori sent you into town."
"Oh, my name's Azalea, I moved into Kuoh with my Mom and brother a couple weeks ago." Azalea revealed, reaching her arm out.
"Ah, that must make you Brandon's sister." Dohnaseek said, shaking Azalea's hand. "I'm Dohnaseek, by the way."
"You know my brother?" Azalea asked.
"Yes, he spoke about you last time we met." Dohnaseek said.
"Only good things, I hope." Azalea said.
"I'd say his description was quite accurate." Dohnaseek chuckled.
"So this is the sister of the human that kicked your ass?" Mittelt turned to rejoin the conversation, then gave Azalea a quick once over. "I'm not impressed."
"You'll have to excuse Mittelt." Dohnaseek said. "She gets a bit of an attitude when it's past her bedtime."
Mittelt stomped on Dohnaseek's foot, but he didn't show any reaction to it. As if it wasn't an uncommon occurrence.
"Mhm." Azalea nodded. "Sooo, Would you be able to point me back towards the street?"
"Why don't you, like, just fly?" Mittelt questioned.
"Well, the thing is…" Azalea said, scratching the back of her head. "I don't know how to fly."
"Pfft Ahahaha." Mittelt saw Azalea's less than amused expression and almost doubled over with laughter. "I can't believe this. you're, like, totally serious aren't you? That's so lame."
"I just found out what I was a couple days ago. Cut me some slack." Azalea defended herself.
"Psh, loser." Mittelt scoffed.
"Hey!" Azalea returned.
"That's quite enough, Mittelt." Dohnaseek stepped in. "Azalea, you said that you didn't know the way back, correct?"
"Yes." Azalea nodded.
"Well we can't have you wandering around, causing trouble." Dohnaseek said. "How about I escort you?"
"I'd appreciate that." Azalea said. "But what about Mittelt?"
"She's perfectly capable of looking after herself for a short while." Dohnaseek assured.
"Not like anything happens around here anyway." Mittelt griped.
"Well, in that case." Azalea stuck her hand out. "It's been nice meeting you, Mittelt. If we run into each other again I hope we can become friends."
"We'll see." Mittelt said, leaving Azalea hanging.
After an awkward moment Azalea shook her own hand, then turned to Dohnaseek.
"Lead the way, please." Azalea requested.
"Just follow along." Dohnaseek said.
Both retracted their wings, and Azalea followed Dohnaseek towards the forest's entrance, eventually out of Mittelt's field of view, leaving the youngest fallen angel on her own.
"... So that's what a hug feels like." Mittelt whispered to herself, after she felt certain that she was alone. "Eh, I could take it or leave it."
"Your brother mentioned you being a sensitive girl." Dohnaseek brought up.
"There's nothing wrong with showing a little emotion every now and then." Azalea proudly affirmed.
"Mittelt didn't upset you, did she?" The older fallen asked.
"That adorable scamp? Not at all." Azalea said. "I trade barbs with my brother all the time, I can handle a preteen calling me lame."
"Mittelt is fourteen, actually." Dohnaseek corrected Azalea.
"My mistake." Azalea apologised. "So how'd you meet my brother?"
"I was on patrol, and I mistook him for someone else." Dohnaseek explained. "We had a bit of a scuffle, which was interrupted by a call from my boss. After that we agreed to have a rematch some other time."
"Just don't rough him up too badly." Azalea warned. "Or else you might have to deal with me."
Dohnaseek internally mused that for a two winged, flightless nephilim, this girl sure believed in herself. Almost reminded him of his boss, in a way.
"I'll remember to be careful." Dohnaseek assured, holding back a chuckle. "And would you look at that, we're at the gate."
"Oh, that was fast." Azalea commented, before pulling out her map. "Now let's see."
"Isn't that upside down?" Dohnaseek asked.
Azalea looked to Dohnaseek, slowly rotated the map right side up, then turned her face back to it.
"Let me see that." Dohnaseek sighed, holding an open hand out.
"Alright." Azalea complied and surrendered the map.
Dohnaseek gave the chart a quick once over.
"So your house is marked, that's good." Dohnaseek muttered. "Okay, so we want to head in this direction."
After quite a bit more walking Dohnaseek and Azalea found themselves across the street from their destination.
"There it is." Azalea pointed out. "Thanks Mr. Dohnaseek."
"It was no problem at all." Dohnaseek said, handing Azalea back her map. "Stay safe now."
"Will do." Azalea promised.
Dohnaseek revealed his wings, and with one good flap he took off.
"He was nice." Azalea mused to herself as she began to cross the street back home.
"And that's why, under absolutely no circumstances, is Azalea allowed to bring home a pet." Aine illuminated.
"Makes sense." Kalawarner said. "And what about Brandon?"
"He's technically allowed, but he won't." Aine clarified.
Just as Aine and Kalawarner were finishing up their chat, there was a knock at the door, followed by an entrance.
"I'm home." Azalea announced.
"Welcome back, Azalea. How was your walk?" Aine asked.
"Good." Azalea answered. "Got some fresh air, got some exercise, met two of the other fallen angels."
"So you ran into my old teammates." Kalawarner stated impassively.
"Yep. Dohnaseek and Mittelt." Azalea confirmed.
"I wonder what scheme Raynare has them suckered into this time."
"Scheme?" Aine repeated.
"A little while ago I started thinking that if hyoudou is with the devils we don't have any reason to stick around. Then it hit me, Raynare has to be up to something else. She's always up to something." Kalawarner explained.
"So what do you think she's up to now?" Aine asked. "Could this mean trouble for us?"
"Hell if I know." Kalawarner shrugged.
Back at the abandoned church a positively ecstatic Raynare perched herself on a rafter.
"Just one more night before everything comes together." She bragged to no one in particular, kicking her legs back and forth in excitement.
Raynare's musings were shortly interrupted by a bang at the door.
"What is it now?" She groaned.
Before Raynare could make a move the door swung open. A soaked and bloodied Freed Selzen collapsed through the doorway.
"Wow. You look like shit." Raynare stated, descending to the ground.
"Don't just stand there." Freed choked out. "G-get the nun, you b-bitch."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Raynare sauntered over to the downed ex-priest. "I didn't quite catch that."
"I said-"
Raynare stomped her heel into Freed's hand. "You seem to have forgotten who's in charge around here."
Freed bit back an obscenity.
"Now what was it you wanted?"
"H-heal…" Freed's head thudded on the ground.
"You need healing? Well why didn't you say so?" Raynare taunted.
Freed had no response, it seemed that he finally lost consciousness from the pain as Raynare finished her sentence. The crushed hand sent him over the edge.
"Asia." Raynare snapped her fingers.
The blond nun peaked up from the trap door. "Yes, Lady Raynare?"
"Come over here." Raynare ordered.
Asia hurried over and gasped after seeing Freed's state. "What happened to him?" She asked.
"Hell if I know." Raynare shrugged. "But it would be pretty inconvenient for me if he died right here, so heal him up. Chop chop."
Asia bent down and her hands began to glow. Freed's wounds began closing, and his breathing steadied. Soon there wasn't even a lick of evidence that the blood staining his outfit was his own. His eye however, remained glazed over.
"That'll be all." Raynare said. "You're dismissed."
"Yes, Lady Raynare." Asia complied.
Once Asia had retreated back into the trap door, Raynare strode to the still unconscious Freed's side and gave him a swift kick, shocking him back awake.
"Okay fun's over." Raynare said, as Freed began to pick himself up. "Now get out of my sight."
Freed shambled away, mumbling obscenities and cursing Raynare's name under his breath.
Brandon flipped the last page in his book expecting just a bit more to wrap things up, only to be greeted with blank paper.
"Seriously, that's how it ends? There has to be a sequel." He griped out loud before a knock at his door drew his attention. "Come in."
"Hey Brandon, I wanted to say thanks for the map." Azalea said, letting herself inside.
"No problem at all, Sis. I'm glad you made it back alive." Brandon replied.
"There's something else I want to say." Azalea confessed. "And you're not going to like it."
"Honestly, I've come to expect it at this point." Brandon said, gesturing for Azalea to take a seat next to him. "What's the bad news?"
"Kalawarner said one of the fallen angels over at the abandoned church is probably planning something." Azalea began. "And I don't feel comfortable not knowing. Depending on what it is, we might have to step in."
Brandon sighed. "Azalea, whatever happened to leaving well enough alone?"
"Brandon, we already know they killed someone. What if they decide to add more people to their hit list? Or what if they bring in more psychotic ex-priests?" Azalea raised. "Aren't you supposed to be the cautious one?"
"... You make a good point, Sis." Brandon reluctantly admitted. "I'll put together some supplies tonight, and I'll see whatever information I can gather tomorrow."
"Is there anything I can do?" Azalea asked.
"Go to bed early after dinner." Brandon instructed. "If we're heading into unknown territory it's important that you're as rested as possible."
"Alright. I can do that." Azalea affirmed.
"Brandon, Azalea, Dinner Time." Aine called from down stairs.
"Ooh, speaking of which." Azalea said, before making her exit.
Brandon took a deep breath.
"Why can't life ever be simple?"
A lot of ironic foreshadowing in this chapter.
The Freed encounter wasn't something I had originally planned for, in fact Lotus Juice wasn't going to get a proper reveal until the third arc. The boulder hauling bit inversely was to be a lot longer, but I wasn't really a fan of how it was turning out and felt I was putting too much into the payoff of a joke from a couple chapters ago, so I cut it down.
We saw Brandon use his stand for practical utility. Azalea met Dohnaseek, and the long lost third Tyler sister. And the siblings aren't going to sit around to find out what Raynare's group is up to.
My sister beta read a couple parts of this chapter and her main takeaway was "Man, Raynare's a b*tch." I'm glad I was able to accurately represent her character.
Next chapter begins the raid at the abandoned church. If you think Freed got it bad this chapter, let's just say he's in for a world of pane.
In other news, I finished an Anguirus vs Servum one-shot. I made a Twitter account (TriboliumMorio), mainly to follow my favorite author, but I'll post story updates there too. Also I'm moving in with my sister next month.
