Ryuko swooped down to land next to the river, right next the young seeming old man who'd called for her. She hadn't bothered to hide her movements, having figured out how to shape her magic so that people wouldn't notice her unless she did something too outrageous...and flying wasn't that different from her usual roof hopping, and so got easily overlooked as a result. The fact her client looked up in response to her approach, however, reaffirmed her conclusion that there was more to him than even her senses told her. "Yo, Oji-bozu!" she greeted warmly as she folded her wings and reabsorbed them into her body. "What did you summon me for today?"

The dark haired man smiled as the sun dipped fully behind the horizon, holding up a pair of poles and a box. "You ever been fishing?" he asked eagerly.

Ryuko blinked in surprise at the request. "Can't say I have, though why call a devil for it?"

The man shrugged. "Same reason I call a Devil for a drinking buddy. Only way I can find a fishing partner who's willing to just sit, fish, and chat with me."

Ryuko shrugged. It wasn't the oddest possibility, though she was already suspicious that there was something more going on here. "Got a good spot picked out?"

"Right over here," he replied easily, leading Ryuko down to the water's edge. "Want something to drink once we're set up?"

"Nee-chan says I'm not allowed alcohol anymore," Ryuko countered with a derisive smirk. "Apparently Senketsu's too permissive as far as my drunken behavior."

"Oh?" her client asked curiously. "Did I miss a fun party after you left?" He cracked open a can of soda and took a drink as he let Ryuko pop open the tackle box.

"Nah," Ryuko answered easily as she used her Fibers to get the line, hooks, and bait properly set up on the poles. "Senketsu cast a sleep spell before the drunken orgy."

The client choked visibly on his soda. "Your idea?" he asked in surprise.

"No, Asia's."

"The nun?"

"Former nun," Ryuko corrected impishly, a wide grin on her face. "She's grown quite a bit, I'm pleased to say."

"So I see," he chuckled softly, setting his drink aside as they took the poles in their hands and cast. "Anything else happen since you wanna talk about?"

"Well, I would bring up the Exorcists, but you probably already know why they're here, don't you?"

Her client blinked at that accusation. "Why would I know what they're up to?"

"Because as strong as you are, you're high up in some organization, and if you're summoning a Devil it isn't with us or the Church, so you'll know what's going on," Ryuko stated with a smirk. "Besides, as good as you are at hiding it, I know what the power of a Fallen Angel feels like." Closing her eyes, she opened them to reveal dragon eyes. "And I count twelve black feathered wings, Oji-bozu."

The man cackled happily. "Picked up a few new tricks, have you?" he asked warmly. "Forgive me if I don't spread them in public."

Ryuko shrugged as she let her eyes return to normal. "I don't mind," she allowed easily. "Though it does raise a question. Why me?"

"Eh?" he asked in confusion, though his eyes showed he wasn't as confused as he sounded.

"I'm mule-headed and reckless, not stupid," Ryuko pointed out flatly. "The first summon was from an unkeyed pamphlet which would have summoned whoever could meet the request, which could have been any of us...but despite being a first time client, you asked for me by name. I can understand that, since you were probably sounding me out after what I did to Raynare."

"Dohnaseek's report was a bit hard to swallow, I admit," he admitted apologetically. "Seeing you in person, it's a lot more believable."

"This time, though...you tweaked the return summon pamphlet to send a text message to my phone," Ryuko pointed out with a smirk. "Not only did you want to see me, specifically, again...but you went out of your way to do it in such a way that it wouldn't disrupt my life to do so. That's a lot of effort for just a 'fishing buddy'."

The Fallen shrugged easily. "Can't just shrug it off as eccentric?" he asked ingeniously.

"Afraid not," Ryuko apologized. "The last time an older male 'took an interest' to 'look out for me', he didn't leave a good impression overall even if his intentions were pure. Besides..." She looked him right in the eye. "I learned from one of my other clients that it's a lot more satisfying - both for me and the client - if I know why the client wants what they want. It lets me give it to them all the more effectively." With a disinterested jerk, she pulled back on her pole and sent her caught fish flying into the air, catching it and dropping it in the bucket in one smooth motion. "So I'd like to know, Oji-bozu...why me? And what do you really want?"

Her client chuckled softly. "Do you really need to know?" he asked curiously.

"Not really," Ryuko allowed. "And if you don't want to tell me, I'll live without knowing. But it'll make things awkward, and I might have to tell Rias that you're a Fallen. I'd rather not, really. You don't seem so bad."

Silence settled over the pair for a time. Eventually, he spoke up. "You're probably not surprised to learn I'm a lot older than I look," he observed dryly.

"Considering the number of wings, no I'm not," Ryuko allowed easily.

"I Fell a long, long time ago...because I made love with a human woman. I chose to pursue my own life and love rather than follow The Plan. But even though I chose love first, the sudden freedom that gave me..." He hesitated for a time, then shrugged. "I told myself that I'd have plenty of time to get to know my children, that I had to make the world safe for them first, and there were so many other things I could do now...and then I told myself I could make time for my grandchildren..." His eyes lowered, a dark expression on his face. "And then the War happened, and their time ran out..."

"...Oji-bozu..." Ryuko spoke up apologetically, remembering that pain of losing family she hadn't made enough time for.

He sighed sadly. "When I first summoned you, it was because I wanted to figure out what sort of person you were. The Warrior of the Crimson Night, the Sekiryutei, neither half of this world anymore...it was a curiosity. Someone I definitely needed to investigate, but also someone I wanted to know. And you weren't fooled for a moment, but came in anyway. I offered to share a drink to get you talking, and you asked why." He chuckled softly. "The reasons I gave were true, by the way. It's really hard finding someone willing to share a drink with me as anything other than official business. Quite frustrating." He shook his head ruefully...and then an odd expression crossed his face. "And then you called me Oji-bozu..."

Ryuko raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, but said nothing. However, she began to get an inkling of where this was going. After all, sharing a drink? Fishing together. Traditional bonding activities for a certain type of relationship...

"I lost my chance to be a Dad...or a Grandpa..." he allowed thoughtfully. "I thought I'd gotten past it...but for just a moment..." He shook his head. "Silly and selfish, isn't it?"

"Nah," Ryuko allowed as she lay back in the grass. "The pamphlet does say we'll grant your heart's desire, after all. Guess this was one you weren't quite aware of."

The pair sat in silence for a time as Ryuko turned what she'd learned over in her mind. It honestly didn't surprise her that much, but what was important was how she actually felt about it. Her client had a grandchild-shaped hole in his heart, and whether on a whim or because of a genuine sense of connection he was trying to fill that hole by making contracts with her. That wasn't something that called for magic if she chose to do anything about it, so she didn't need to consult the app. If she chose to grant that wish, she could decide what it would cost.

If she chose to grant it...was she really considering it? Then again, she had her own hole in her heart in the shape of a parent or grandparent. After her Dad...she pushed that from her mind before all the old thoughts she'd boxed away came flooding back. Did she actually want to make such a connection?

I wasn't going to say anything, Senketsu spoke in her mind, but the fact it's such a hard decision for you suggests that such a connection is one you want, though not necessarily with him. But with emotions bound up in it, it will be especially hard for you to think clearly.

Then let's set aside emotions for a moment and look at practicality! Ddraig offered silently. Think about how powerful you already are, and you'll only get stronger as we continue! When I first spoke to you in dreams, I got a sense of how much of my power you can handle...and in time you'll be as strong as I was before I was sealed in a Sacred Gear, if not even eclipse that! Where else are you going to find someone who knows what that much power is like?

That was a valid point. It was only a matter of time before Ryuko's world was made of cardboard...and her client felt like he was at that point already. Who else could she talk to about how that felt? About how to learn control beyond the instinctive before she accidentally broke someone? And unless Mako chose to be reincarnated, she'd outlive her. He knew what that was like from his own words...

A lot of good reasons, Senketsu observed over her thoughts. But you don't have to make the decision now. Besides, you don't even know his name.

'That's a good point,' Ryuko decided, sitting back up. "What's your name, anyway?" she asked allowed.

He chuckled indulgently. "Azazel," he introduced himself.

The Governer General of the Grigori? Ddraig gasped in shock in Ryuko's mind. I don't think we've even felt a taste of his full power! This is fantastic!

Ryuko smiled easily. "Well, here's the deal, Azzie," she began, making Azazel burst into a fit of chuckles. "Keep it up with the contracts. We'll meet up for things like this whenever, figure out whatever pay works, and we'll talk. We'll hold off on what you apparently really want for now, but I've already decided what it'll cost if you decide it is what you want."

"Oh?" Azazel asked in shock.

"If you really want a grandparent/grandchild relationship here, and it turns out we work like that and you want it to be declared officially through a contract...the price will be to make it official."

Azazel stared at her, stunned. "So...if I want you to be my grandkid, I need to make you my grandkid?" he finally responded, an amused smirk on his face.

"Yup," Ryuko agreed with a grin. "Papers and everything, however those work. Oh, for my sister too if she agrees, so you need to make her the offer when the time comes if you do."

Azazel chuckled softly. "That actually just makes it all the more appealing, though I don't know how she'd react. You've had a lot good to say about your sister."

"There's a lot of good to say, Oji-kun," Ryuko offered with a smile as she sent another cast into the water.

Azazel blinked in surprise, then grinned warmly. It didn't matter tonight if he got any fish after this. He'd already gotten the catch he hadn't known he really wanted.