Raizel hadn't known who Ashoka was when he first met him. Nobody had. After all, who could have guessed it? Yet, if they had known, perhaps things would be different. Perhaps nobody would have ended up the way they had. How much wouldn't have been ruined? How much would he still have? He really didn't know. All he did know was on that fateful day, not a single person had realized the events to come. Nobody but Ashoka.

"Raizel, could you please come to the meeting room?"

The voice of his long dead mother rang out from his phone, and he switched the alarm off. It was morbid, his brother had once said to him, but now he was dead too so Raizel kept his voice for some of his alarms as well. The pictures he kept weren't enough, neither were audio and video.

All he wanted was to bring justice to those who had murdered his family, who'd hunted them down one by one like they were animals instead of people. He remembered them well. Those faces were burnt into his memories and one day, one day, he would bring them to justice. Not only them, but all those who dared to hurt others so easily. How could they? To think of their fellow humans as worth less than dust…

He hated them.

There was work to be done though, work he put all his being into, and Raizel would not be late for the meeting. He'd been to the designated room enough times to not need an app to get there. The walls had grown familiar over the years he had spent working for the government. He knew the halls and where things were. He knew what was behind each door, and who worked here. Maybe not the unfamiliar faces that came and went, but the constants he grew used to.

A superhero… It was both a government job, and a private one. He had decided to be closer to the former and went straight to the official building just like his mother had. Many decided otherwise. They weren't worse off though. Both those like him, and those who went to other groups ended up being the same in the end. After all, even those groups had to report to the government, even if they didn't follow them. They had to ensure that the country wouldn't fall into chaos after all.

Not all countries did it this way, but this one did. It was what Raizel was used to and had at his disposal, so it was what he went with.

Opening the cushioned doors (done that way like the rest of the building. all buildings had to be cushioned in this country. not art or structures or anything of that sort, but buildings, yes. It was because of how often those who survived through disastrous events ended up dying because of the damage done to them by buildings. so they were made soft to help alleviate that. maybe it wouldn't fix everything, but it would help with some, and that was enough of a reason), he walked in and everyone looked to him. This always happened, even if they didn't do it for others. His presence was strong, the commander had once said to him, and that was why people couldn't help but look at him. He had also said his presence was calm and comforting, and that that attracted people, but Raizel didn't like that. He didn't want people near him, not when it meant that they could be easily hurt by those who came after him, so he ignored them. They all left eventually. It hurt, but it was what he wanted so he didn't say anything.

The first thing he noticed was the new face. Or maybe he only noticed because of the blond's height. He was tall. The tallest in the room, and the tallest person he had ever seen.

"Raizel! Come meet your new partner."

His manager smiled brightly at him and Raizel nodded, coming to a stop in front of the man. He looked up, wondering whether having such long hair was a good idea for this sort of work. That would at least need to be braided for it not to get in the way. Just a ponytail would still be extremely inconvenient.

The blond man smiled even more brightly than his manager did, but in a different sort of way. This was… nicer, easier on the eye. Something that made you feel warm inside. Maybe it was just because he was handsome. His mother had always said that those who were beautiful would always look better initially because of deep-seated biases built in from society.

Still, Raizel was already more open to him than he normally was at the first meeting.

"Hello~ I'm Menodara Gouyen di Ashoka, from the old blood of the east-" the man must have noticed Raizel's slow blink at the long name, but the explanation wasn't needed since it had been one out of surprise rather than confusion- "You can call me by Gouyen or Ashoka. It's wonderful to meet and work with such a famed hero."

Raizel stared for a moment before giving a slow nod- "Cadis Etrama di Raizel."

"Oh, I know. I'm a giant fan."

The manager pat Raizel's shoulder- "Try to keep this one, won't you? It's amazing we even managed to snag a rank S with over three stars instead of the rank As like before. Don't drive him off."

"Keep?"/"Rank S?"

They glanced at each other when they spoke at the same time. Raizel looked back at the manager but he could feel Ashoka's eyes on him still. It was a bit unnerving, but not because he felt threatened by him. It was just the effect of having been in this job for so long that he'd become a household name as a superhero. Being ambushed and having to be ready at any time really made one warier than when a civilian. Of course, they had it difficult too, but those who actively went against villains like superheroes, journalists, and so many more had double the trouble.

The manager smiled at them- "We don't really tell the public but Raizel is a bit of… a difficult case. All his partners end up quitting since he's not the best communicator. You've heard what we say to the public about wanting to switch up partners for Raizel as training, but in reality, that's not the case. It's all because nobody stays on."

Raizel didn't look to see what expression Ashoka made. He didn't want to. It would probably just be of shock or disappointment. That's what it always was of.

"So Raizel, you have to treasure him, okay? He's an S rank on your level from one of the smaller societies in Asia. He moved here to track down one of his villains."

"…Ah."

That was why they'd managed to get an S rank he'd never heard of. Because he wasn't from around here. Such a thing wasn't common with most heroes sticking to certain areas aside from when pursuing. Though that was rare too since a villain changing territories usually meant that the superheroes in the new territory would deal with them. Perhaps… this man was chasing after a villain for a similar reason to why he was even more dedicated to doing this than before his family had been killed.

The manager continued to inform them about this and that. All the little things about being a superhero that nobody really knew about or cared for. The boring parts. Raizel zoned out for the technical details, never having been good at them. Everyone knew it too, and provided support on matters like where to go, or when.

At the end the manager left and Ashoka bounded over back to him, a bounce still in his step- "Raizel~ Are you free right now?"

Once again, he found himself looking up. It was making his neck ache but he supposed he'd get used to it over time. Still, he really didn't know people could get that tall. Like, on a subconscious level or knowing it superficially maybe, but not really. Definitely not something he had actually understood until now.

"Yes?"

"Then do you want to have lunch with me?"

What? "Lunch?"

Ashoka nodded, that warm smile still on his face- "Yes. Get to know each other, you know? Maybe I won't ditch you if I know you well."

"Oh… uh-" he stared, and hesitatingly- "okay."

That was a joke, right? He was pretty sure that was a joke. Otherwise the twinge in his chest, all the hurt he felt at just hearing that, would be even worse. Since he seemed to be a nice person, Raizel didn't think it was mockery. After all, with the colourful pins in his hair, obviously to keep it away from his face, and the embroidery on his cuffs that were definitely done by himself or his family with how badly stitched they were… he probably wasn't making fun of him.

"Great! Then, I saw this adorable café just down the street-" Ashoka took Raizel's arm and started leading him out, making his eyes widen in confusion before he let go and they went normally- "though I'm sure you already knew about it. You do live here. Since that's the case you'll have to tell me what's good instead. I wouldn't want to pass up on insider knowledge~"

Continuing to talk on and on even when Raizel simply listened with nary a reply, Ashoka filled up the air with his words. It was nice. Maybe he would like being his partner and wouldn't leave. Probably not though.

Everyone always left so Raizel wouldn't get his hopes up. Someone wanting to be with him? even after getting to know him? Impossible. He'd just enjoy it all while it lasted.