She who found bonds of friendship

XIV

Raynare marched into the church, ignoring any of the attempts to speak with her as she dragged Asia in tow by her wrist. Fortunately, the girl had more sense than to struggle against her in this endeavour. That was good enough, she didn't feel like going through another argument with her over who was supposed to be doing what and how she felt bad about working with 'killers' as she put it.

Everyone involved in the factions was a killer through experience or association.

That was a simple fact of life.

The nun had now fallen silent, her expression downcast almost as though she believed that not looking at the Fallen would somehow ensure she couldn't be seen. A completely pathetic attempt and Raynare couldn't stand to look at such weakness. How did a girl such as this end up inheriting something as powerful as Twilight Healing?

Ludicrous.

With a grunt, she flung the doors open and stepped further into the chapel. Catching sight of some no name disgraced cleric. She didn't bother to recall the names of all these humans, they all looked more or less the same to her so there was no real point in it. "You!" she snapped at him, the dark haired man jolted in surprise, turning to face her and already bowing his head in reverence when he caught sight of her.

Ordinarily she would have preened at the blatant display of worship, at the moment she had neither the time nor the patience for it. Their plans would have to be accelerated if they stood any chance for success now, especially with the knowledge that the Devils of the area were now snooping around their business. That fool Issei would probably come stumbling through the door.

The idiot she could handle with her eyes closed, her wings tied up and one hand behind her back.

The other one?

She wasn't so sure.

"Lady Raynare, we are delighted to see-"

"Shut up." She snapped at the man, shutting off whatever he was going to say and dragging Asia around, the girl made a small noise of alarm as she briefly lost her balance with the jerky movements, all but flinging the blonde nun into the arms of the priest and bringing a surprise to him as well. "Take her to the Altar and prepare her for the ritual."

She paused for a moment, making a half turn and then considering something else "When I arrive, I expect to find her undamaged." violet eyes narrowed dangerously at him, these idiots only ever understood power when you waved it in their face. That halfwit Freed would have probably tried something but he was lucky he was useful. The fact she didn't even know this guy's name or recognise his face told her that he probably wasn't. "Understand?" she raised a finger and pointed to him "If you so much as let Freed within an inch of her, I will be exceedingly…displeased."

The man hastily nodded his head, not speaking but his panicked expression was easy enough for her to understand that she had gotten her point across. Which was good, she didn't like spelling it out to people. Turning back on her heel, she marched back the way she had come, her heels clacking on the floorboards as she moved.

"So the little girl came back, eh?" Raynare would have punched the voice if she didn't have better control over her emotions. Instead, she whirled a glare on the man and watched as he took a half step backwards, a cocky grin on his face and his hands mockingly raised in surrender, the black cassock rustled slightly as the owner took a half step backwards. Red eyes twinkled with amusement. "Oi, oi! What's with all this aggression? You'll ruin that pretty face of yours with wrinkles, Ray-chan!"

"Call me that again and you'll see just how 'aggressive' I can be, you cretin." She was in no mood to deal with whatever stupid perverted words came flowing from his mouth this time, she was far too annoyed with the stupidity of this idiot in the first place. "You're lucky you're moderately useful, else I would have flayed the skin from your body."

The man blinked "Kinky." He responded after a moment, lowering his hands back to his side, all while maintaining the same lazy attitude of his. It frankly pissed her off that he could be so calm when she was actively threatening his life, it was as though he wasn't taking her seriously in the first place. He was little more than a mad dog who was given the boot because he was too rabid to be trained, nothing more.

"I shouldn't be surprised you'd be into some hardcore stuff, though." Freed continued onwards, shrugging his shoulders and giving her a knowing look "What with how you dress and all-"

"Stop talking." She threatened, taking a half step closer to him and parting her lips just slightly to reveal a snarl. He got the message and dropped the smile, now replaced with a look of indignation.

"I don't see what's got your…" He glanced down for a moment "Well, I would say got your panties in a twist but you aren't exactly wearing-Grmf!?" he was cut off when her hand shot forwards, clasping around his jaw and working it shut, she dragged him forwards fast enough that his feet scraped along the woods and created splinters, his eyes went wide as he found himself pulled to his knees and staring up into her rather furious eyes.

"I wasn't asking for you to be quiet." She spoke slowly and her voice in a whisper, with a scoff she tossed him to the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your stupidity has very nearly cost us everything, it still might if the Devils show up…" she trailed off, shaking her head and turning on her heel. Marching away from him and seeking out the one competent person around here that she could trust to actually do what she asked.

"You've got one hell of a grip!" Freed called after her, now cackling to himself "How many guys you bullballed with your hand-" she slammed the door shut behind her as she exited the Church, fortunately it cut off whatever else that imbecile was going to say next. It was a lucky thing for him because if she had actually heard it, she would have probably lost control and killed him on the spot.

Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath before she exhaled, opening her eyes once more and resuming her march forwards. She could more or less sense where the other of her contingent was located, fortunately they were approaching her so she didn't have to go through the effort of trying to find them instead. That was good enough for her, she didn't want to drag this out any longer than she needed to.

Placing her hands on her hips, she stood at the entrance to the old chapel, tapping her fingers against her skin as she waited. Violet eyes flickered out towards the trees, watching as the first of them started to filter through the thicket of branches and bushes, Dohnaseek walked forwards with his usual imposing gait, leaning forwards almost as though he was going to break into a sprint at any moment. His dark grey trench coat covered with a few leaves from the trees accompanied with a slightly dishevelled look.

Evidently he'd been training again, he reached up and brushed the debris clinging to his clothes.

His eyes fell upon her as he exited the bushes, raising an eyebrow at her and moving the hand that had been cleaning his clothes towards his head, flicking the rim of his fedora upwards as he glanced at her. Not saying anything at first and content to simply stare at her in silence, at least for a few seconds before he then opened his mouth. "You return, so I shall assume you succeeded in locating the runaway."

"Asia is down in the basement for the ritual. We'll begin the preparations within the hour."

Dohnaseek fell into another silence, this time more contemplative if his scrunched up expression was any indication. His lips pulled themselves into a thin line before a hum was drawn out from his throat, moving his arms back into his pocket. "This acceleration is unusual…You believe we might soon have company?"

"Freeds stupidity chased her straight into the waiting arms of the Devils." She all but snarled, clicking her tongue and looking to the side. "Rabid little vultures that they are…no doubt they've realised she has a Sacred Gear and because Freed went out and started murdering their clients-"

"They now have the due course to attack us." Dohnaseek surmised with a nod of the head, Raynare flickered her eyes back to him and noted that he sported an equally grim expression. "More so if they now have reason to believe they can incorporate Asia into their number. If she had been kept here and placated-"

"I don't need you second guessing me." Raynare snapped at him before he could finish offering whatever argument he had building on his tongue. She knew that but she had thought Freed would have more sense than to instantly go out into the Devil run town and begin slaughtering humans, she wouldn't have cared otherwise but it came at a very annoying time.

They hadn't been prepared and with his barbarism he had driven Asia towards the Devils where she had presumably made friends with one of them.

"Besides, it remains a precaution for now…" She inhaled and then exhaled "The idiot she hung around with is still a new Devil. There is every chance he will be brought to heel by his new owner, if there is one thing that Devils are at least adept at, it's training their slaves to obey their commands. They have made no move on us yet and they likely will not now…"

"And yet you begin the ritual early?" Dohnaseek narrowed his eyes, Raynare fought back a grimace at how perceptive he was being. He was one of the older ones, after all. "...It is unlike you to be concerned about mere Devils."

"I'm concerned they'll cause a big enough nuisance. They're Gremory." She waved her hand as if that was reason enough "I have no desire to be embroiled in a battle with the sister of the current Lucifer. I'm no fool." With luck, that would placate him for an explanation, she didn't want to reveal the actual reason she was more than a little concerned about the possibility of an interruption.

A tense silence passed for her, keeping any trace of emotion off her face as Dohnaseek stared at her with his narrowed eyes for a moment. When the time passed, his posture relaxed somewhat and he nodded his head up and down. Raynare did not react to his shift in attitude, merely relieved that he had decided not to press further.

"I see. Then we shall prepare in the event that the Gremory does indeed arrive?" The man remarked, raising an eyebrow behind his hat. "I doubt they will immediately rush to bring the current Lucifer into something as trivial as this, Devils remain prideful creatures through and through. The girl has no experience in battle. She can be delayed long enough for the Ritual to be completed."

Raynare nodded her head lazily at his words, true enough they could likely stall the Gremory girl for a short while. There was no doubt about that, however it wasn't the Gremory that she was concerned with. That thought played upon her mind as her brows furrowed, the presence of Dohnaseek and the absence of two others now presented itself more obviously to her as she looked either side of the man. "Where are Kalawarna and Mittlet?"

"Those two?" Dohnaseek made a noise, a mixture of annoyance and exasperation. Raynare knew that tone well enough, she had little doubt that the man was going to explain to her that the two of them had decided to wander off without informing anyone as to where they were going. Kalawarna had already done so once already when she went to Issei in Kuoh and attempted to kill him. "After news of Asia's vanishing act broke out and you rushed down to Kuoh, the pair of them decided they had better things to do than sit around and train…"

A completely stupid move on her part, especially because of the fact that Dohnaseek had already informed them all of the fact that Issei was now a Devil. A fitting move for trash but it came with repercussions if he were to die far too early into her plans. Though with Asia now back in their grasp, if he did arrive she would be able to finally be rid of that little black mark on her record. When she killed someone, she preferred the idea that they would stay dead.

"Kalawarna said she needed to 'ruminate' on her latest bungling…evidently she had been caught by surprise due to the whelp's Sacred Gear and has since become embarrassed." He sounded all too amused by the notion, Raynare would have laughed as well if she had been in the mood for humour. As it stood, she could do without the cheap jokes. "Mittlet went into the town for whatever foolish notion has taken hold of her this time…I suspect she will be back within the hour."

"Get her back here." Raynare growled, not so much at Dohnaseek but more so the carelessness of the youngest of their number. As much as she could understand the need to find some sort of amusement while acting on such a dreary assignment, there was a time and a place for everything and rushing off when everything hung in the balance was not the wisest course of action. "Try the area around the parks and alleys, she'll probably be attempting to torture some dumb human."

"...Quite." Dohnaseek made a noise akin to disgust, Raynare knew it wasn't because the man had any love for humans. It was just that he preferred granting them the 'illusion' of a chance before he killed them. Some stupid honour type situation or whatever. As if it mattered whether or not your victim had a chance to fight back against you…a regular human stood no chance against a member of the Fallen so it was a surefire point that they would die in the attempt.

"I'll search for Kalawarna." Without waiting for a response, she flared her wings and shot up into the sky, she knew well enough that Dohnaseek would obey her orders so there was very little cause for concern. She needed all of them to be prepared in the event of their arrival but all the same, the amber rusted golden eyes of the 'human' remained imprinted in her mind. There was no way that person was an ordinary human and if he had a vested interest in Asia, then it was clear they would need to be even more careful.

Her wings carried her over the forest, her eyes glancing down for a few moments before they locked onto something. With a grunt she shifted her directly and shot downwards, tucking in her black wings and accelerating like a missile. The treeline broke before her, branches snapped under the force of her momentum and were sent careening to the ground, leaves shaken free and scattered in her wake.

With another twist, she flipped her body over and retracted her wings back into herself, they vanished from sight and she fell back to the ground like a lead weight. Her knees buckled as she struck earth, shifting the ground underneath her heels ever so slightly before raising herself back up to her full height, staring across the small clearing as the woman stood underneath a tree in the distance, staring up towards the branches and some thatch creation inside time.

Raynare bit back a groan and avoided rolling her eyes at the display, Kalawarna insisted on coming here every single day for whatever reason. A foolish notion but it didn't matter much to her. With confidence rolling from her body in droves, she sauntered out and into the clearing, making a beeline directly towards the slightly taller woman. She clearly heard her advance if the twitch of her head had been any indication, shifting herself ever so slightly so that her eyes could cast themselves over her shoulder.

A short nylon burgundy jacket clung to her body, underneath that was a simple white button up shirt and a thigh length skirt of a matching shade as the jacket. The cyan blue hair of the woman fluttered ever so slightly in the breeze, the long ponytail shifted as her fellow Fallen turned on her heel to face her completely.

"Raynare." Kalawarna greeted with that usual cold and composed tone of hers, she rarely emoted at all except when it came to killing humans or Devils. Not that Raynare cared all that much, it was simply her own little quirk. At any rate, she preferred it to Mittlet's unending chatter or that idiot Freed's comments. "I shall assume-"

"Yes, I found Asia." She wasn't going to run through the whole 'yes I found such and such' every single time she approached someone new. If there was one thing that Raynare hated, it was repeating itself. When it came to speaking and doubly so when it came to completing assignments. If Kalawarna was bothered by being cut off, she didn't show it, instead raising a delicate eyebrow at the outburst but otherwise remaining silent. "Speaking of which, how did she end up escaping to begin with? I recall placing you in command of her accommodations"?

It was an accusation, one that she made with the full knowledge that Kalawarna would just provide her with some excuse or another. It wasn't like she could actually do anything about it in the first place to begin with.

"The girl was far more perceptive than I gave her credit for." Kalawarna responded after a moment of silence, something akin to righteous indignation flashed through her golden eyes as her lip curled downwards. "She memorised the patrol routes of the priests and waited until there was a gap…then she slipped out while going for the bathroom. By the time I noticed she had already fled…"

Raynare would have called bullshit on Asia of all people being capable of something that complicated. Then she recalled that whether or not Kalawarna was in charge of security, they were still commanding the bottom of the barrel human exorcists who would barely serve beyond being mere bait for even the lowest stray Devils. They had their use as fodder but precious little else. Clicking her tongue, she glanced to the side. "Fine."

"I shall assume you will personally take steps to ensure that little rat-" Kalawarna cut herself off before she could complete the insult, instead changing her tone and reigning back her anger before it could fully take hold. "...The little tramp does not repeat the same endeavour?"

"Such a thing would be pointless now." Raynare dismissed with a wave of her hand "The plan to remove her Sacred Gear is now in full effect. She is being prepared at the Altar as we speak and then I shall have full control of Twilight Healing before the day is at an end." Even as she spoke the words, she felt a twinge of glee shoot through her, the thought of controlling a Sacred Gear - even one such as Twilight Healing that was ill suited for combat - filled her with no small amount of excitement. It was such a thing that had never even been dreamed of before.

Kalawarna blinked once, clearly surprised by the sudden acceleration of her plans. If she started asking about it then Raynare was genuinely going to get annoyed at this point, she wasn't going to start repeating herself time and time again in the vague hope that someone would actually listen to what she said. There was no reasoning with the stupid.

"I see." Evidently, and rather fortunately, she decided not to comment further upon it beyond simply giving an affirmation. "Then I will return to the Chapel and await the ritual, unless there is something else you would ask that I do?"

"There is a chance the Devils will arrive." That was the first part of the problem, golden eyes narrowed as brows furrowed. Kalawarna gave her a slightly wary look as she adjusted her posture, not quite confusion but more on the edge of bemusement. "It would seem that Freed chased her away with his reckless actions and general personality-"

Kalawarna scoffed, a disgusted noise ripping itself free of her throat as the name of the crazed exorcist was mentioned. "Freed." The name was spat out like it was the foulest thing the woman had ever tasted before in her life. "Your continued entertainment of that mere ape will never be something I understand. He should have been kept on a tighter leash like the dog he is."

"Careful." Raynare warned, eyes narrowing slightly. That tone of hers was starting to border on disrespect. "Watch that mouth of yours…unless you want to question my leadership?"

Her fellow Fallen stared at her for a moment, the anger on her face receded and she shook her head from side to side. Lowering her eyes in a clear sign of submission that Raynare found to be deeply pleasing. "No. I am merely expressing my own personal views, they are not criticisms of your leadership." Her tone was polite, though Raynare could detected the hints of anger laced within them, likely still vexed about the fact the human had caused them problems.

If Freed thought Raynare wanted him dead, then he knew nothing of how much Kalawarna had wanted to string up his corpse from the front of the church the moment she laid eyes on him and he so much as said hello to her.

"Good." She continued on "Freeds actions chased the young girl away and into the arms of the Devils, as was to be expected with the way they skulk around this little hovel." clicking her tongue, she placed her hands on her lips and glanced downwards towards the ground, annoyance making its way into her tone. "It would seem she encountered the Devil that has failed to be properly stamped out twice now. I encountered him when I discovered Asia…it would seem that they made some manner of bond or connection or whatever."

"The nun and the Devil?" Kalawarna scoffed at the notion, a feeling that Raynare herself empathised with completely. It was an utterly absurd notion that she would have been laughing at had it not been for the fact that it was something that now threatened to cause a little turbulence with her agenda. A joke was only funny when it wasn't directed towards yourself, after all. "Even still, Asia is still an individual affiliated with us. The Devils would not dare be so stupid as to launch an offensive…" she trailed off, closing her eyes as she clearly understood the problem. "They know she has a Sacred Gear."

"Given how greedy Devils are, there is little doubt they will work to obtain a new piece for their own little collections." She growled at the thought, Devils running around with the very tools of God himself as though they deserved to so much as look upon them. They would be better served in the hands of someone who was truly worthy of them.

Such as herself.

Failing that, in the hands of Azazel.

Those were the only exceptions she would make.

"So I see. Then it is natural the Devils would make a power play for the girl." Kalawarna continued on, crossing her arms under her chest and furrowing her brows. "The boy is especially new, there is no telling whether or not the Gremory have trained him to be sufficiently aware of his new standing or the current situation of the three factions." there was a slight pause, her features flattened "Though, I suspect you are already aware of such a thing, given your reaction."

Reaction?

Raynare shot a hand towards her face, feeling around the corners of her mouth and soon blinking in surprise. She hadn't been aware when she had started scowling, but judging by the new tension in her face, it must have been a rather hefty one. Lowering the hand, she allowed the scowl to remain and now played into it. "Obviously…he's an idiot but with just Twice Critical, he poses no threat."

Kalawarna blinked at the mention of the Sacred Gear "Twice-?" her eyes burned with fury "Twice Critical? That is the Sacred Gear he possesses?"

She didn't even attempt to hide her amusement "Oh yes. Twice Critical…you-" she fought back a smirk. Though she didn't truly put up much of a fight and despite her 'best efforts' the amused smirk soon painted her face. "Y-you got chased away by some lowly reincarnated Devil with Twice Critical! Pfffthahahaha!" throwing her head back, she recalled the circumstances surrounding Kalawarna's retreat, at least she had a genuine excuse.

"Wha-he caught me by surprise!" The woman snapped back at her, though Raynare had slight difficulty hearing her over the sound of her own laughter. The moment of humour did not last long, however. As it quickly gave rise to the growling annoyance of Kalawarna cutting through the laughter that now echoed through the clearing. Raynare was not so unaware as to fail to notice the mounting anger on her fellow. "Stop laughing! You were the one who warned us all that he had a dangerous Sacred Gear! How was I to react when he suddenly manifested it?"

…Suddenly, it wasn't all that funny. It was hardly as though Raynare was the only one who had felt embarrassed by that revelation. She had gone through that whole song and dance to ensure that Issei would be caught by surprise so she could slay him in the event he accidentally awakened his Sacred Gear in a flat out assassination attempt. She had thought he also had a potentially dangerous Sacred Gear…

She'd embarrassed herself so thoroughly over a mere Twice Critical…and worse still, the person was still alive to annoy her.

Kalawarna snorted at her obvious change in expression, as well as the lack of laughter. "Not so amusing now, is it?"

"Shut up." She snapped back at her, not even wanting to entertain the idea that she was going to be mocked then and there. Putting an end to that notion before it could even take flight. "That aside, I suspect the boy will be-"

"He's still alive?" Kalawarna didn't even attempt to keep the surprise out of her voice, her expression mirrored it though slowly gave way to confusion. "I was of the belief that you discovered the boy and then promptly killed him and reclaimed the girl? Did you merely take the nun and then return?"

"I would have killed him then and there but there were…complications."

"...Complications."

"Yes, complications!" She snapped back "Do you want me to spell it out for you!? It got complicated! There was another person there aside from Asia and the Devil and he…took my by surprise with his actions."

"A-a human?" Raynare glared at the blue haired woman, almost daring her to try and laugh at the statement. Kalawarna had more sense than that as her features composed themselves somewhat, though there was still that glimmer of amusement in her eyes as she was still thinking of what Raynare had just revealed to her. "You were surprised by a human? Another Sacred Gear wielder?"

"What? No! He was just some-some grubby teacher at the school the Devils go to." She waved her hand dismissively, she'd only recalled his presence because it had been something she encountered along with that man in the green coat. Frankly, she would have dismissed the both of them were it not for the nearly blatant show of suspicion from the second man. "At least…at least that's what I thought he was but…I…"

"You?"

"...He did something." Her words came out as barely a whisper "I don't know how but…when I first encountered Issei and Asia, I batted him aside like the little worm he was. I doubt he would have even been standing had Asia not rushed to his aid but then…" her mind harkened back to the encounter. "I was about to eviscerate that little Devil but then he…I don't know what he did but he just appeared." there was no other way to describe it, she hadn't even sensed him. It wasn't that he was faster than her, it was just that she didn't even register his being at all.

Kalawarna clearly wasn't understanding what she was saying, both hands on her hips and her lips curled slightly in a dubious frown, a single eyebrow raised. "Appeared."

Her flat tone of voice just pissed her off even more, as though she did not truly grasp the nature of what Raynare was trying to tell her. She wasn't saying this for shits and giggles, this person might well be the only genuine threat in this backwater little mud village. "Yes, appeared! As in, I didn't even notice him standing up! The next thing I know he has me pinned against the wall and…"

"Pinned?" Kalawarna's lips were now bordering on a clear laugh, her form trembling as she restrained herself as best she could. "You were pinned…bested, even…by a hairless ape?" A chortle burst from her lips as she continued on "O-one without a Sacred Gear or magic?"

"Magic?" Raynare spat "He didn't need magic! He-" cutting herself off, she looked around to ensure that none of the others were around. She couldn't sense them but it was better to be safe than sorry. The last thing she needed was them inciting a panic over what very well could end up being nothing. The chances of that happening were second to none, however.

Taking a step forwards, she closed the distance between herself and Kalawarna in a few moments before she took in a deep breath. Locking eyes with golden orbs of her fellow and noticing the slight twinge of confusion that now rushed through them, there was still amusement but it was no longer the dominant emotion in the Fallen.

"...He spoke in Enochian."

"Impossible." Kalawarna hadn't even waited until she finished the final word before she made the statement, already decrying what Raynare was saying as falsehood. Frankly, if Kalawarna had come up to her and said the same thing then she probably would have responded in exactly the same way.

"Impossible." She repeated again "No human could ever learn the language of the Angels. Not even with a Sacred Gear would such a thing be possible." She was rather incensed at this point, no longer looking amused and now looking genuinely angry, her lips pulled back into a snarl and her eyes screaming of as much denial as her mouth was churning out. "Even the most devout Saint could not so much as utter a single word of the Heavenly language before their mind melted into paste!"

"Why do you think I was panicking!" Raynare snarled "The only ones who could do such a thing was an angel!"

"Then he is a concealed angel-"

"He's nothing of the sort! He's just a human!"

"Then you're mistaken!" Kalawarna snapped at her, looking away and shoving past Raynare. She whirled around, facing the back of the retreating blue haired woman. She made it barely a few steps before she stopped walking, her body visibly trembling as her hands clenched into fists at her side, soon whirling around and pointing at Raynare. "You're either lying, or you're stupid!"

"Then it must have been some other angelic language that can send lowly Devils into bursts of agonised screams." The sarcasm was thick with venom, all but sneering at Kalawarna "Because that's what I heard and that's what I saw. The moment that human had me pinned and he opened his mouth, I'm hearing the words of God and suddenly that little Devil is clutching his skull as though it's been trapped in a vice and screaming like he's been set on fire!"

Kalawarna's hand trembled slightly, her eyes becoming unfocused "Tha-that can't…that's…" she dropped the hand "He can't have…no human could possibly do that…" her head turned down, no longer looking to Raynare and instead finding the floor to be a far more appealing point of observation. Not as though Raynare was ignorant as to why that was. The person in front of her was one of those old fashioned types of Fallen.

After what felt like an hour of silence, her head snapped back up with her eyes glowing full of murderous rage. "What human?"

"I'm telling you this because I want you to keep an eye out in the event he arrives." Raynare explained, quite frankly the fewer who were aware of this the better. It was easier to convince Kalawarna because despite her initial denial, she was one of those who would be more inclined to believe her. Dohnaseek and Mittlet would have immediately written her off as crazy and she was not willing to be thought of as a deranged fool. "The others can handle the Devils if they arrive, what I require is for you to sound the alarm…though I doubt they will appear."

Kalawarna sent her a silent demand for an answer.

"I crushed his ribs and broke his jaw." She flatly responded to the unasked question, she had heard the bones crunch and felt them give way with her strike. Without Twilight Healing and with Devil magic being ill-suited for healing humans in any capacity, she doubted he would be going anywhere except a hospital or - Azazel willing - the morgue. Though this would have been purely on the belief he was human, and she was still dubious about it.

If he did arrive and he was human? Great, she wouldn't have to worry about it because Kalawarna would take care of the problem.

If he did arrive and he wasn't human? Once again, great. Hopefully killing Kalawarna would alert the others so they could all make their escape. It hopefully provided them with a 'win-win' situation but it was all dependent on the human making an appearance. Quite frankly, they had enough Fallen here to delay the Devils a good while, not to mention the exorcists.

If push did come to shove, then Raynare could only hope that her 'help' would buy her more than enough time to get what she needed from Asia and then get out of this worthless little town.

"The human will look like an imbecile…he's got this pathetic looking face that makes you want to smack him around a bit."

Kalawarna clicked her tongue "I asked for his physical details, not your sadistic perversions." taking a half step forwards, she looked as though she was on the verge of snarling at her. A rather baffling change for the otherwise composed woman, but Raynare assumed it was simply because Kalwarna was now incensed at the idea. "Tell me what he looks like."

"Fine…" With a roll of her eyes, Raynare reached towards her face, rubbing her brows rather tiredly. "He's got strawberry pink hair and looks around thirty years old…in human years. He's also around your height and will obviously look like a human. If you see him, kill him."

"I didn't need you to tell me that." Her words were almost a sneer, turning on her heel and spreading two get black wings wide. With a single beat of them she launched herself into the sky, already enroute to returning to the Church.

With a sigh, Raynare grumbled quietly under her breath as she began her trek back to the church. "All this trouble over Twilight healing?" Her own wings flipped out and tensed, her knees bent slightly as she built up power within them, releasing a grunt she catapulted herself into the sky with a mighty jump, at the apex of her climb she spread her wings wide and allowed her body to be carried with the wind. A pointless gesture, given the wings were more or less cosmetic and didn't affect flight at all, but one she did all the same.

If there was one thing that would always surprise, and perhaps annoy, Romani it was waking up tired. In fact, this went beyond feeling tired. Not in the sense that he was going to fall back to sleep the moment he had awoken, the transition between slumber and consciousness had been instant.

One moment he had been lying face down in the street with his chest feeling like it had been put in a vice and the next thing he knew he was staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. It was so sudden a transition that the idea he had woken up from a nightmare was now playing in his mind. Given his previous track record, he was inclined to believe it at this point. The only thing to dissuade him of this notion was the fact his eyes weren't hurting.

Actually, nothing hurt. There wasn't any soreness in his body that had been expected from someone who had just been punched in the gut with the force of a speeding car. It just felt as though he'd gone from one location to the next while being none the wiser as to what actually happened. Didn't explain why he felt tired, though. Like a deep seated desire to just not move from this bed and instead stare up at the ceiling, sink back into the comfort of…

His head rose up slightly, feeling as though he was trying to lift weights with his forehead with how heavy it was to move. Definitely not a normal sign and certainly not all that good, it still didn't hurt but there was still that numb sensation running through his body. Staring at his clothes, he blinked once as he found himself not in his pyjamas, but instead in the clothes he had been wearing when he went outside and ended up embroiled in what was rapidly turning into his second weirdest evening of his life.

"...Oooh." With a groan, he slumped his head back down onto his pillow and resumed his staring match with the ceiling, eyes now dancing across every detail before they moved towards the window. The complete lack of lightning coming from the windows and the drawn curtains was a grim sign. Him lying down in the bed also painted another weird picture. Had he experienced a vision and then passed out or something?

…He would have really liked that to be the case.

It probably wasn't though and he was starting to accept that, he had definitely been struck in the chest with something. He'd been conscious long enough to experience the horrible, horrible pain that he had been put through because of it, however he had also felt something else before he passed out. That gentle touch of Asia's Holy Gearbox or whatever they were called, she'd said it was for healing injuries so…

She had probably healed him.

Didn't explain how he was back home again, unless Leona had come out and dragged him back like she did last time. However she had been waiting for him to wake up properly that time so…well, maybe she had gotten a little tired of waiting around his injured body and gone to the toilet or something, or gone for a snack. Maybe.

Whatever the case, he wasn't going to find out if he planned on lying on his back until someone came up to him. Though this was probably going to be one of the hardest things he was going to do today. His body was so tired and the bed was so comfortable that he was torn between finding out what had happened and laying back and letting the chips land where they may, so to speak.

…

No way was he going to lie down until he was absolutely certain that Asia was alright. Sure, he might be feeling a lot better but he didn't know what happened after he got knocked out. Heck, he didn't even know if Issei was alright, let alone whether Asia was alright. To his knowledge, he'd heard the woman's name just barely before he blanked out and it had been the same one from his nightmares.

Which meant that it had been Issei's…killer, who ambushed them.

"Hrm!" Forcing power into his limbs, Romani pressed his hands into the bed and used them to support himself. Holding back a groan as he shifted his body into an upright position, briefly allowing his eyelids to flutter open and shut several times as he tried to reorientate himself with the world. After perhaps a minute or so, maybe less…he wasn't paying too much attention to time at the moment so it was a moot point how long it took.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he felt as though they were made out of nothing with how little he felt the moment they touched the ground. He was left staring at the limbs with furrowed brows, it was like the sensation one got before they were struck with pins and needles. Except he wasn't hit with any aftermath sensation, it was just that his legs were numb to the point where he couldn't even feel them at all. It was rather weird. It might well be magic related stuff but he couldn't say one way or the other.

"Hmph!" Another grunt and he launched himself to his feet.

Much too quickly as he was soon accelerating face first towards the floor, his vision blacking out slightly. This little problem was something that he could explain by just being hypertensive and not giving his body a chance to acclimatise his blood flow properly yet. He'd gotten a little too ahead of himself, that was about what he thought as he fell face first into the floor.

Well, knees first followed by his hands, being able to catch himself before he hit the ground at the last possible moment, though his arms now trembled as they supported the weight of his body, it was strange. It felt like he'd just come back from an exercise now but he didn't recall doing anything strenuous. Unless getting beaten up now counted as exercise…

That probably wasn't all that funny a joke, now that he thought about it.

His knees might be bruised, they really did need some carpets in their bedroom. They were in some of the casual rooms except their bedroom. It was a trivial thought but right now it was likely his brain working through these trivial thoughts and inclinations that was keeping him from outright panicking. At to a greater extent, focusing on the carpets or lack there of seemed like a much calmer option than possibly thinking about the harm that had befallen the likes of Asia and Issei.

Sucking in a breath, Romani pushed himself back up to his feet and briefly frowned as he staggered a little bit. It was still a weird sensation but he could at least start to feel something returning to his limbs. Even if it was a vague sensation of bruises forming from where he had struck the floor. Not great, but not terrible. Turning his attention to the door, he stared at it for a moment before he started the beginning of his voyage.

It took him more than a few steps to reach the bedroom door, he had to take shorter and shorter steps the more he went on. Whatever earlier complaints he had about not suffering from pins and needles were now starting to vanish as - sure enough - he was now suffering from pins and needles from the soles of his feet right up to his thighs. Even around his arms, but he was happy to be feeling something again.

Quite why he was feeling pins and needles was a bit strange, he didn't think he had been sat down in any way where the blood supply around his body had been interrupted, at least it didn't look like it. It depended on how long he had been unconscious…because it was only just approaching dusk last he recalled and it was already dark outside. Foreboding implications to be sure…

Pulling the door open, he paused the second something hit his ears, straining his hearing as best he could to catch even the faintest of noises. After a few moments of controlling himself, he raised an eyebrow at what sounded like a full blown conversation echoing throughout the house from downstairs. So they had guests, that was…relieving to hear, maybe Issei and Asia had been able to get to safety after all…

Once more the almost optimistic thought was crushed under the hammer of cynicism. Some part of his brain already knew that the true answer of what occurred was going to horrify him to no end…Something that he would not be able to hide away from despite how much he wished to. It took him a moment to realise that his legs had been carrying him through the door and out into the hallway before he even registered what he was doing. The lack of shoes on his feet meant that his advance was all but silent, though it didn't help him much in hearing what was being spoken out.

The voices were muffled and barely echoing through the house, enough to alert him to the conversation taking place but very little more than that. Of course, it was clearing up the further along he went, by the time he reached the top of the stairs and stopped to take a breather, he was making out individual words - albeit with some difficulty - but that was not nearly enough to start forming conclusions. Something about a Church and Knights?

Glancing at the steps, Romani felt his lips pull themselves into a tight frown as he stared at them for a moment or so longer than was probably normal. Then he dropped his leg onto the first step, followed by the second and then the third. All the while, he was desperately clinging onto the bannister with both hands to support his body, it was less of a walk down the stairs and more of a controlled fall as he slipped down the railings like some sort of skier. It probably wasn't all that dignified but that was briefly ignored as the words became clearer.

"-obably have a small detachment of exorcists accompanying them. I'd say no more than twenty." By the time he realised the bottom of the stairs, the voices were now entering his ear crisply and cleanly. He recognised Leona's voice easily enough, her tone was a bit…colder than he remembered. Almost clinical in nature. "As for the status of the Fallen agents…To my knowledge, they have Freed Sellezen, however you will have already encountered him, would you not?"

Another voice spoke out, Romani blinked at the tone before he felt his body slump with relief. Carrying himself to the doorway as Issei started to speak up. "He was some crazy psycho bastard. Pretty quick as well…just…" There was a brief pause before the teenager released and frustrated groan "Bastard was really quick and then there was that gun of his…Are bullets supposed to hurt that much?"

"An exorcist will ensure he packs a weapon blessed with the strength to slay Devils." A new voice spoke up, Romani raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar individual who sounded around the same age as Issei…but sounded far more composed? His speaking was less emotive, would have been a better way of phrasing it. "It is no fault of yours that you were wounded in the initial battle, especially since you would have been caught by surprise. That you managed to avoid dying instantly is quite the achievement."

Dead silence.

"...I was not trying to be offensive, I feel the need to point it out." The new teenager spoke again "It was merely an observation that with your limited experience in combat, one would not have expected you to last so long against a professional exorcist, even one who has been disgraced from service."

"...Whatever." Romani cringed at Issei's tone as he came upon the door, taking hold of the frame and using it to pull himself around and into the living room. Probably putting most of his weight on it to keep himself from falling over, the sensation hadn't quite vanished from him yet. "So we just need to find a way in and…"

Issei trailed off the moment he laid eyes upon Romani, the pair of them stared at one another in silence for a brief moment before the nurse opened his mouth and raised his right hand, peeling it away from the door frame and bringing it up in a show of greeting. "Uhm…hey?"

He was treated to the sight of everyone in the living room whirling around to face him, it had not just been Issei, Leona and the unnamed individual in his living room. He also spied Koneko nestled away in the corner on the left side, just next to the curtains of the living room window and seated atop one of the guest chairs they had for dinner occasions.

"Roman?" Leona shot to her feet, pulling away from the leather recliner and turning around to face him with wide eyes, there was a brief moment before clear relief spread across her features, her eyes softened and a wide smile came upon her lips. Advancing before he could even get a word out and throwing her arms around him. Romani himself could only squawk in surprise as he was very nearly pulled off his feet with the sudden hug, either he was still more tired than he thought or Leona was a lot stronger than he remembered.

He would have reciprocated the hug had it not been for the fact he now felt very awkward with three sets of eyes staring at him from across the room. Two belonged to people he was at least acquainted with while the third set belonged to a blonde boy who he…

Romani squinted at the blonde boy, while they had never met officially - on account of him never once visiting the nurses office - Romani still knew well enough who the blonde boy was. Especially since he was often the topic of conversation around the school for one reason or another, gossip might not have interested him all that much but Romani was hard pressed to avoid it. "Um…Kiba-san?"

"I'm quite relieved to see you awake, Archman-sensei." The boy offered him a smile that was perfectly polished, even going so far as to bow his head in a show of respect as he spoke. His current tone was a cut above even the more well spoken students around the school, almost like he was trying to make an effort to appear…more noble, for lack of a better word. It was like he was trying to get his manners to match his face. "When I was informed of your injury, I was rather concerned…though I am pleased to see they were unfounded."

Even though she was hugging him, Leona didn't even hesitate to speak up "I'll assume you weren't doubting my abilities just now." Romani shifted his head as best he could, glancing at his wife from the corner of his eye and still only managing to catch a face full of her brunette hair, her face mounted on his side with her chin riding his left shoulder, practically making eye contact with her impossible. "...Are you alright? I wasn't expecting you to wake up for another couple hours at least."

It was like a switch had been flipped, she pulled away from him but still maintained her grip on his arms like a vice, staring down at him with a critical gaze and looking over his body as though she was searching for something. "Do you have any headaches? Dizziness? Nausea? Hot flushes? Can you even see properly?"

"W-what?" The rush of questions was far more than he was capable of handling and now he felt no small amount of panic shooting through him as, one by one, they started to register in his mind. What came to the surface of his confusion was the simple question as to why Leona thought all of these questions were important in the first place. "N-no? Wait, I mean yes? Uhm…w-which question am I supposed to be answering first?"

She stared at him for a moment longer before her body lost any sense of tension, her eyes closing as she let out a near imperceptible sigh of relief. He was close enough to actually see it, otherwise he probably wouldn't have. "...Well, I suppose if you were able to get down here then I should be able to write off any short term effects…" Pausing for a moment, she raised an eyebrow at him though it didn't feel as though she was actually staring at him, but rather she was thinking to herself.

"I suppose I can always give you a check up later." As she said that, she shrugged her shoulders as though "Make sure that everything is still in place and all that, also to make absolutely certain that you are suffering from no long term effects of whatever you were exposed to and or hit with."

Romani blinked once "C-checkup?" that just sounded absolutely bizarre in his mind, though the reasoning behind it probably wasn't all that impressive. "A-aren't I the one who studied medicine?"

"Yes, but I feel like nursing you back to health, besides…I know you'd love to see me in a nurses outfit~" She flashed him a coy smile, it was like someone had suddenly sat a match underneath his chin with the way his face suddenly exploded with heat. No response came to him as he stared up at the woman holding onto his arms, it wasn't the fact she had made the statement, but the fact she had made it in the company of teenagers…

…

Actually, it probably wasn't that bad from a hormonal point of view…well, maybe not for Koneko. He couldn't speak for Kiba but Issei had probably seen much worse things so it didn't matter all that much.

"Wha-that is-Leo!" He struggled in her grip for a moment, more out of a sense of new found embarrassment at the fact she was once again being rather shameless. It was expected of Leona at this point, but all the same it was the principle of the matter. With some new found strength, he managed to surge to his feet one more time and caught sight of Issei's twitching eye and Kiba finding the ceiling suddenly the most interesting thing in the room.

Perhaps the worst reaction of all was Koneko.

She just stared at him with this look of complete apathy, it lasted for all of a few seconds before she tilted her head to the side slightly and narrowed her eyes inquisitively at him. He wasn't sure what he had done to earn this strange response but it was a little off putting with how scrutinous her gaze was. Turning his head from her and to the rest of the room, he furrowed his brows slightly as he noticed something odd about this line up.

"Hey…is Asia around here?"

When he saw Issei freeze up like a deer in the headlights of a car, it felt like his every muscle locked up and his blood turned to ice.