Mentally shaking herself out of the irritation Ddraig's words caused her, Ryuko stepped up to the blonde girl. "Are you alright?" she asked, holding out a hand to help her up.
"Y-yes," the young woman said gently, accepting the hand up. Her voice was soft and hesitant, and she seemed very uncertain of herself as she stood upright. "T-thank you-" A sudden wind blew away the shawl she was wearing in place of a cowl, setting her long blonde tresses to billowing in the breeze as her bright green eyes were revealed in her angelic face.
Ryuko's hand shot out to seize the shawl as it blew without her even thinking about it. "You should hold that down with a pin or something," she said idly as she handed it back and released the girl's hand. She struggled to maintain her focus against the impulses that awoke on her own, the very same impulses that awoke when she first met Mako.
This is a helpless innocent who needs someone to take care of her.
It was even harder to resist than it had been when meeting Mako, since she didn't have the overwhelming desire for vengeance she did then. Sure, she still wanted to reduce Raynare to a bloody smear...but having done so to another Fallen Angel with a single punch, it was less a confrontation she was looking forward to and more something to check off her 'to-do' list.
Without even thinking about it, she knelt down to grab the girl's suitcase...which she hadn't even noticed before kneeling to grab it. A brief weave of her threads and the clothing that had spilled out was back inside, packed a trifle more efficiently so the case wasn't in as much danger of bursting open. "You on a trip or something?" she asked calmly as she held it out.
"N-no, nothing like that," the girl offered hesitantly. "I was assigned to this town's church."
"So...you're actually a nun?" Ryuko asked in surprise. "Well, you're heading the wrong way. Last I checked the church was that way." She pointed off in a different direction.
Ryuko gently twiddled her fingers awkwardly. "Yes...I got lost..." she offered apologetically.
Ryuko chuckled and shook her head. "Why am I the one who finds all the strays?" she jested ruefully. "I honestly can't blame you. I still have trouble navigating these streets."
"Then how do you know the way?" the girl asked thoughtfully.
"I generally take the rooftops," Ryuko answered easily.
The girl's eyes lit up. "Oh, you do...was it parkour?"
"Not exactly," Ryuko answered as she leapt into the sky. Once above, she got a quick look and spotted the path to the Church, plotting it out in her mind as she came down. "We go this way."
"Owow!" the girl marveled as she landed. "How did you do that?"
Ryuko shrugged. "I'm just awesome like that," she said as she turned to lead the way.
The girl smiled as she followed along. "I'm so glad to have met someone so nice and amazing as you," she said happily. "It must have been divine guidance."
As she spoke, Ryuko spotted the silver cross the girl was wearing around her neck. She felt her demon side flinch as the metal glinted in the sun. So holy power harms me the same as light now that I'm a demon, huh? she thought silently to herself. Guess that's another reason to be careful not to touch besides Mako possibly getting jealous.
You're more worried about your girlfriend getting jealous than you are being burned to nothingness in holy flame, Ddraig observed idly in her mind. ...that's the way to prioritize!
As Ryuko smiled, she heard someone crying in pain. Great, another stray... she thought, only to see the young sister having moved to kneel beside the crying boy. As Ryuko watched, the girl held her hands over the boy's scraped knee, and a green light emitted from her hands. Under the light, the scrape sealed itself up. Superimposed in the light were the image of a pair of silver rings on the girl's middle fingers, rings that weren't there before the light appeared. The light seemed to be coming from the rings, and she felt a surge of power from her right hand. Another sacred gear?
Indeed, Ddraig confirmed. Twilight Healing.
"There, your wound's good as new now," the girl told the young boy, only to hesitate as she noticed Ryuko watching. "Sorry, force of habit," she apologized, sticking her tongue out slightly in an adorable manner.
Ryuko just smirked. "Looks like I'm not the only one here who's 'amazing'," she teased. "And here I thought 'laying on hands' was just in games."
"Eh?" she asked in confusion.
Ryuko paused, wondering why that left her stumped. She didn't think the joke was that obscure...
As they turned and left, she decided to press the issue slightly. "So...pretty neat trick back there," she observed calmly, trying not to come across to strong.
The girl nodded happily. "Yes. It's a wonderful power granted to me by god." Her smile faded from her eyes. "Yes...a wonderful power..."
"One that has left you isolated within the church as the burden of everyone's hopes for that power and what it can do for them weigh on you to the point you never have time for yourself, and your only recourse is to tell yourself it's part of some 'plan' and it'll be worth it in the end?" Ryuko asked incisively.
The girl's eyes widened in shock. "H...how...?"
Ryuko smiled warmly. "I've played a lot of video games," she offered readily. "I've seen this plot twist a few times." Reaching out, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "The power was given to you. That means whatever gave it to you - whether God or whatever someone else will call it based on how you use it - meant for you to have it, and use it as felt right for you, not how someone else tells you it's meant to be used. If you're asked to use it in a way that doesn't feel right, then you weren't meant to use it that way. Trust in your heart and your faith, not the words of others." She blinked as she pulled her hands back. "Yare yare, my sister's rubbing off on me. I never used to go into speeches..."
"Your sister sounds as amazing as you are..." the girl observed softly, her eyes wide in amazement. "Thank you for your kind words. I'll remember them...um..."
"Oh right, I didn't introduce myself!" Ryuko said with a slap to her forehead. "Least my manners are still shit, I actually feel like myself now." Though the girl blushed at the curse word, she giggled at Ryuko's antics otherwise. "I'm Ryuko Matoi."
"A pleasure to meet you," the girl offered, bowing politely. "I'm Asia Argento."
"Nice to meet you, Asia-chan," Ryuko offered without thinking. She then pointed. "There's the church right up there. I'd go with you...but I've got my own unresolved issues with God, in case you couldn't tell. I'm not really ready to go pray again."
"Oh..." Asia offered sadly.
"But if I ever am, you'll be the first to know," Ryuko promised, putting a smile back on the girl's face.
"I'll be waiting, Ryuko-san!" she offered happily as she turned to head for the church.
Ryuko watched her go for a time, then turned to face the Church. She'd felt the same hostile throb from the building as she had from Asia's cross, and knew the place would repel her if it were sanctified. But she wasn't about to let something like that scare her off or keep her away from a friend.
Heh, looks like things are going to be interesting...