Rias stared across her desk, watching the two Exorcists who had arrived to meet her on behalf of the Church carefully. Both were young women about the same age of most of her peerage, dressed in skintight battle leotards covered by white over-robes with holy symbols drawn in gold across them. The one who seemed to be in charge had blue hair with a single green streak and bronze eyes that seemed to shift from a dark brown to a blazing gold depending on the intensity of her emotional state. The other was slightly younger, had very light brown hair with an almost golden tinge, violet eyes, and what seemed to be a permanent happy expression pasted on her face. When the two had arrived, the blue haired one had an arrogant air around her while the brown haired one seemed innocently convinced of her own superiority.
Then Ryuko had entered the room.
From the moment she'd stepped in, the energy the two Exorcists were giving off changed. The blue haired one had briefly looked stunned to the point of being poleaxed before schooling her expression, her pose shifting from arrogant to defensive. The brown haired one got briefly excited at seeing her, only to then become shocked before turning completely to the other for guidance. Rias found herself wishing Satsuki had entered first so she could have analyzed their possible motivations, but the distraction over Ryuko did mean that Satsuki, Uzu, and Iori passed completely without comment. Rias found herself waiting uncertainly for someone to break the ice as Ryuko flopped into a chair, apparently completely uninterested in the proceedings...though her eyes locked on the Holy Sword the blue haired Exorcist had wrapped and strapped to her back, while Senketsu's single eye was locked on the brown haired Exorcist's left upper arm for some reason.
Eventually, Rias was forced to break the ice. "So what brings two Exorcists of the Church to meet with me in my territory?" she asked calmly.
The blue haired Exorcist leaned forward slightly to speak. "I am Xenovia," she introduced herself calmly, her accent and manner of speech indicating she was a foreigner, although Rias couldn't quite place where.
"I am Shidou Irina," the other girl introduced herself, her own manner of speech indicating she was originally native of Japan. Seeing Xenovia was still uncertain of things, she continued speaking. "Although one remains missing, six swords made from the fragments of the Holy Sword Excalibur have been kept by different branches of the Church. However, three were recently stolen by Fallen Angels."
"Stolen?" Rias gasped in surprise as Satsuki instantly straightened herself, her eyes going hard. Out of the corner of her eye, Rias saw Uzu stiffen and clutch his wooden sword as though it were a lifeline, and - to her surprise - Akeno laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, though for what reason he needed comfort she wasn't certain.
Xenovia nodded calmly. "We have brought with us two Excalibur blades in order to deal with them and retrieve the stolen swords." She lifted the sword off her back. "I come equipped with Excalibur Destruction."
Irina lifted her left arm, indicating what looked like a white scrunchy that exuded sacred power. "I bring Excalibur Mimic!" she declared happily.
Rias nodded thoughtfully. "And what do you want from us?" she asked calmly.
"This is a problem between us and the Fallen Angels," Xenovia stated flatly, though as her gaze briefly flicked towards Ryuko hesitation appeared in her gaze. "We are under orders to either retrieve or destroy the stolen swords in order to prevent their use or being held by profane hands. It...would be preferred if you were to not involve yourselves in this matter-"
"Foolishness," Satsuki suddenly snapped out irritably. "Holy swords on the level of those you carry are literal death and unmaking to any Devil, and you expect one who is leader of her family to simply ignore five of them moving about in her territory?"
Xenovia's eyes narrowed as she turned to Satsuki. "And what business is it of yours-" she began angrily.
Without seeming to move, Satsuki was on her feet, her sword clacking against the ground as her light and the choral hymn that denoted her applying the energy of her focused will upon her surroundings filled the room. "When my flesh and blood is one member of the family you ask to ignore your carelessness, then it becomes my business!" she declared fiercely, ignoring the way Xenovia almost sank in on herself in response to the light and the way Irina's face lit up brighter than before. "Think, fools! Members of one of the three Factions of the Biblical conflict steal relics from a second and bring them to the territory of the third, where two of the leaders of that territory are the younger siblings of two of the four leaders of that faction, and you think it is simply a matter of theft that can be solved by two lone warriors armed with more of the very weapons that were stolen? Has your blind faith rendered you such sheep in human clothing that you cannot think beyond your instructions? Can you not see the warmongering taking place beneath your very nose? Or are your eyes so blinded by the 'Light of God' that you can no longer see the mortal world around you? Have you no sense?"
Irina looked like she was about to jump for joy or genuflect...or possibly climax, Rias wasn't entirely certain. Xenovia, however, clutched at her sword and managed to force words out. "I am well aware of that possibility," she managed to say. "However, the very reason that possibility could happen is why we are the only ones who can be sent at this time. If an incursion large enough to deal with a potential war band seeking to restart the Great War were sent, that would be seen as an attack by the Church and a violation of the Truce, justifying the Satans responding in kind. We are both highly trained warriors and capable of using the full strength of our Excaliburs. So long as we only need to concern ourselves with hunting the Fallen Angels, we should be more than capable of resolving this situation."
"And so you come to a meeting with my allies claiming peaceable intent without bothering to shield the holy emanations of your weapons, making their very presence an attack on your hosts?" Satsuki continued with hard eyes. "I do not think much of your manners."
Xenovia blinked in confusion. "I...do not understand your meaning..."
"The aura of a holy weapon of sufficient power is painful for a Devil to be in the presence of," Iori observed calmly as Satsuki stepped back, letting her own aura fade. "With two Excalibur based weapons present, that aura is most potent. While keeping it unveiled while hunting for the missing fragments makes sense if you can use their resonance to track the other fragments, doing so for a peaceful meeting could be taken as a hostile action...and at the very least is quite rude."
Irina blinked in confusion. "But what are we supposed to do about that?" she asked innocently. "The sacred aura is always present, and coming to the meeting unarmed would be foolish! And we couldn't possibly profane against God by making the Excaliburs not be holy for the meeting. Even if we knew how to, we wouldn't be able to restore the holiness afterwards, only God can make holy weapons!"
"Energy is energy," Iori pointed out flatly. "With your permission, I can take readings from the two weapons and craft something you can temporarily attach to them to mute the aura somewhat, out of consideration for your hosts."
Xenovia and Irina exchanged glances. "I see no reason why not," Xenovia allowed. "Especially if you can explain what you meant about tracking the other fragments by resonance."
Iori stepped forward, holding out an odd device which he waved first over Excalibur Destruction, and then over the scrunchy form of Excalibur Mimic as they were both offered. "If these weapons were made from the same original blade, then they must all share certain base properties or they could not have existed in the same blade to begin with," Iori explained calmly as he performed the scan. "I've already determined that in close proximity the Excalibur Blades resonate with each other, and with proper study one could devise a way to amplify that resonance with a scanning device to cause the other Excaliburs to respond to the resonating pair, telling you roughly their direction and distance relative to your location based on the strength of the reaction." He tapped away at the device for a time. "That will take some time to manufacture, but for now..." The device extruded two ribbons, one blue and one gold. He passed the blue one to Xenovia and the gold one to Irina. "Tie these to your weapons and it will mask the aura enough that it won't have such a drastic effect on Rias-dono and the others."
Rias watched curiously as the Exorcists accepted the ribbons and tied them to the weapons. To her surprise, the pain from their sacred auras all but vanished, going from a continuous headache and nausea to a minor sense of unease, less than what the mere presence of the Exorcists and their strong faith caused. "Thank you," she offered calmly, though whether to Iori or the Exorcists she was uncertain at the moment.
"You seek to either recover or destroy the stolen Excalibur Blades," Satsuki spoke up flatly.
"That is correct," Xenovia stated calmly.
"You have orders to not allow anyone else to get ahold of them?" Satsuki pressed.
"No," Xenovia corrected. "Only to prevent them from being in profane hands."
"Would you have objections to my cooperation in this endeavor?" Satsuki inquired calmly, causing everyone to jerk in surprise.
"Eh?" Rias asked in surprise. "Why?"
"The mere existence of these weapons is an active threat to my sister," Satsuki stated flatly. "I will not tolerate them being in our territory in enemy hands longer than absolutely necessary." She glanced briefly towards Ryuko, a glance that caused Xenovia's eyes to widen in shock, before turning back to the group. "Well? Are there any objections?"
Xenovia frowned thoughtfully. "Well..." she began uncertainly.
"I think it sounds wonderful!" Irina declared happily.
"Irina!" Xenovia snapped, stunned.
"What?" Irina asked obliviously. "It's plainly the Will of God and part of the Plan, like I've been saying! Not only did I reunite with a childhood friend in guidance to this location and through the kindness of his family we have a place to operate from, but our meeting with the Devils of his school has delivered us into the presence of a new Profit!" She gestured excitedly to Satsuki as she declared this. "Couldn't you feel the sacred power of her words that can only be from the Will of God?"
Rias did her best not to burst into laughter at that declaration. While she couldn't entirely fault that interpretation, she found herself somewhat worried for Satsuki's response to the assertion. She knew the young woman's opinion of 'God'.
"That is not a deduction we have the authority or learning to make," Xenovia chided her companion, though her tone was somewhat uncertain. "However...the reasoning behind it is sound as far as it goes...and I cannot see the fault in cooperating." She turned to Satsuki. "Though we do not know your name...?"
"Kiryuin Satsuki," Satsuki introduced herself. "And I already have a plan of action now that you are willing to cooperate. For today, you will both return to your temporary base of operations and fortify while Iori finishes the device that will allow us to track the other fragments from a distance. This will be complete by tomorrow."
"Early morning at the earliest, late evening at the latest," Iori confirmed.
Satsuki nodded. "In the meantime, contact your superiors for any information available on the thieves who stole the Excalibur Blades," she continued. "From that, we will determine the best groupings to send in pursuit of the thieves. Who are you staying with?"
"Irina is a childhood friend of one Hyoudo Issei," Xenovia explained, causing Ryuko to sit up suddenly even as Asia gasped in surprise. "His parents have been kind enough to put us up while we are in the country."
That will be interesting, Rias thought silently, remembering some of the antics Issei and his friends had gotten up to at the school. After all, while their zeal made them somewhat uncomfortable to be around for Devils, the Exorcists were quite attractive by human standards. Noticing a brief green light on the back of Ryuko's wrist followed by her grinning and suppressing a chuckle, Rias assumed Ddraig had made a similar observation.
"Ryuko and Asia count young Issei among their friends at school," Satsuki stated calmly. "One of them will contact you through Issei when we're ready to begin the search."
"Asia?" Xenovia asked in surprise, turning to the young former sister. "I thought you seemed familiar. You are the former Holy Maiden turned Witch, Asia Argento, are you not?"
Satsuki's eyes narrowed at that comment, as did Rias' own. Asia's face turned somewhat downcast...and a familiar omnipresent growl became audible. "Ryuko!" Rias and Satsuki snapped simultaneously. "Control yourself!"
The growl faded, though Ryuko flipped both women she respected a quite disrespectful salute in response. Asia giggled at their antics, then spoke up. "That is who I was, yes," she explained calmly.
"Hmm," Xenovia observed thoughtfully. "So you have reincarnated as a Devil." It was plain her thoughts were far less polite than she was saying, but at the same time she was watching her words likely to avoid upsetting anyone further. "Do you still believe in God despite becoming a Devil?" she asked curiously.
"Xenovia," Irina began chidingly. "She's a Devil-"
"I would not say 'despite'," Asia interrupted with a smile. "While I can no longer pray to God without pain as my nature does not allow that connection, I still have faith in God and His Plan. After all, Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils are as much creations of God as mankind, for He created All Things. If my becoming a Devil is a part of His Plan, then why should I regret it or doubt my faith? If it is only a result of my choices, then I am who God made me to be, and I should not regret or doubt the actions that come from my true nature. Ryuko saved me from the darkness I was cast into when I was excommunicated, so if the Path God laid out for me led to her, why should I regret joining her or think of it as turning my back on Him?"
Everyone stared at Asia with expressions ranging from stunned to shocked...save Satsuki who seemed pleased, and Ryuko who looked so proud she might burst. Xenovia awkwardly cleared her throat. "That...that conclusion goes against everything the Church teaches us about the battle with the Unholy Forces..." she began awkwardly.
"And yet the Word of God is that God created All Things, and that we should love our brothers as ourselves," Asia pointed out happily. "The Morningstar who Fell was also God's child, after all, and so too are all Devils. Though I am no longer walking a Blessed Path, I am certain that I am still loved by God."
Xenovia and Irina both stared at Asia in silence for a time. Eventually, Xenovia looked towards Ryuko for a time before shaking her head. "What I was told of the Crimson Warrior barely scratched the surface..." she murmured, almost too quietly to hear. Louder, she continued, "We will take our leave for now. You know where to find us." With that, she firmly led an incredibly confused Irina out the door.
As they departed, Rias let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that went better than I expected," she allowed. "I was half afraid Yuuto would burst in and cause a scene if no one else did."
"I told Ira to sit on him to make certain he didn't," Satsuki pointed out flatly.
"...you mean that literally, don't you?" Akeno asked in an amused tone, making Uzu snicker.
"Are you alright, Uzu?" Satsuki pressed, ignoring the comment.
"I...I will be," Uzu allowed awkwardly. "Excalibur...shattered..."
Rias smiled softly, now understanding why he had been upset earlier. Uzu was a proud and accomplished swordsman. Learning that one of the most legendary blades in existence had been shattered would have been upsetting for him.
"Do not despair," Satsuki interrupted. "Iori, did you collect the data you need?"
"All I could get," Iori explained readily. "It will take some work to retune Ryuko's D-Fibers, assuming they respond to it. Plan B should work fine...and if I'm able to provide sufficient energy to the experiment, Plan C may be viable as well."
"Plan...B and C?" Rias asked in surprise.
"I'll explain later," Satsuki stated calmly. "Can I entrust Plan C entirely to you and Uzu, Iori?"
"Absolutely," Iori confirmed. "We will let you know when it has been accomplished."
Nodding, Satsuki turned back to Rias. "For now, should we act on your communication from your brother?" she asked calmly.
"Actually, I need to get going," Ryuko spoke up after putting her phone away. "Got a repeat client request from my contract. Getting more contracts is good, right?"
"No alcohol," Satsuki instructed firmly. "You plainly can't be trusted to control yourself, and Senketsu's definition of 'acceptable misbehavior' is far too broad."
"No one died, was greviously injured, or excessively traumatized," Senketsu pointed out blandly. "That's better than Ryuko can normally manage *sober*."
Satsuki rubbed her brow in irritation. "Right...just get home safe, Ryuko."
"Sure thing, nee-chan!" Ryuko stated happily before spreading her wings as she leapt out the window. "Oh, cool, those are the devil wing muscles! Least now I can tell them apart..." Her voice trailed off in the distance.
"If it's alright, I'd like to go check in on Issei-san," Asia spoke up gently. "I'm a little worried about him and what might happen with the two Exorcists staying with him."
"Go ahead," Rias allowed gently. "I'll see when the best time to address my brother's instruction will be, and let you all know."
As Asia left, Rias turned a questioning gaze towards Satsuki and Uzu. Whatever their plans were, she couldn't help but be concerned...
...especially when it took her this long to see the black feather tucked into Uzu's eye mask. How did she miss that?