Where Darkness Treads Softly (Closed)

Flashes of an intense, yet one sided battle; power drained, while light would fade as all gave way to dark. Pain shot through the young girls body as the visage of her friend and the demon vanished within a portal. All was became quiet and cold, finally giving way to peace; the pain would cease, warmth would return, and with a twitch of an ear the girl's eyes would crack open to see the light of day once again. How long had she slept? Where was she even? Her body felt sluggish, as if she'd been left motionless for days; a shimmer of magic had been enveloping her form, with her body now restored, the magic would begin to quickly fade as the girl rose to a sitting position.

"W-where...?" Rhapsody would comment with a yawn as her eyes adjusted to the light; she would suddenly snap to attention as realization set in and jump to her feet to properly overlook the area, "Griselda!? Hello??" She would call out, taking in the surroundings of floating stone around the rather larger chunk she stood upon.

While her memories of the situation were still vague, she quickly came to understand that the scenes she'd seen were not merely from that of a dream. Griselda had been in danger, that was what the demon, Usumidori had said at lead; upon their defeat, Griselda had left with Usumidori through a portal, while the last of Rhapsody's strength had been exhausted. She hadn't any idea how long she'd remained unconscious, and a quick glance around saw the remains of the Lookout still within the status quo. Her initial thought was to search the area for Megis, hoping that perhaps his knowledge of magic could help in locating Griselda; upon deeper reflection however, Rhapsody would refrain, now having an understanding that even should she have followed, there would have been little she could do to help.

"Oh Griselda-" She would sigh as she looked off towards the floating remains of the Lookout somberly before glancing towards the sky above, "I do hope you'll stay safe." She'd wish firmly before quickly turning away and making her way towards the edge of the platform she stood upon.

The sluggish feeling was steadily beginning to fade, but it was likely best to play things safe. Instantly, the somber expression she wore would fade; lightly smacking her cheeks, the girl would snap back to attention and return to her enthusiastic self as she peered out over the horizon and down the length of the tower. She would give a firm stretch as her body reinvigorated, stretching both her arms then her back, before stretching her wings out wide; having limbered up, Rhapsody would leap from the platform and begin to fall fast from the sky above, rushing down the length of the tower with casual ease. Being unable to help Griselda didn't mean she was left with nothing to do; she'd been taking care of the animals below and waiting for Jackie before all that craziness with the Lookout happened. It was impossible to say whether not not she'd missed her time to met up with Jackie, regardless, she at least needed to make sure the animals below were still doing okay.

"Surely, they were able to adapt and gather food themselves." Rhapsody would state she she fell, her own stomach growling as she made the remark, "Ah- hehe, I suppose I should partake in a meal of my own." She'd laugh, spreading her wings just before she'd make contact with the trees, suddenly bursting into a glide across the treetops above; her eyes quickly set upon the nearest of the tribal villages.

She'd taken the time to greet the residents of each nearby village and tribe, even going so far as to aid with chores and requests here and there, but doing well to abide by whatever rules they'd set in order to stay out of trouble. She'd been offered a tent to stay in a few times, but had so far chosen to decline such offers, choosing instead to leave in the forest alongside the animals; though with how lacking she found her current situation, if such an offer was made again, she decided it best to take up the offer at least for a night to recover properly.

"Hellooooo~! Miss Iwa?" Rhapsody would call out as she approached from above to the empty village, looking for a personal friend she'd made with the tribe; her bewildered expression from the sight of the empty village would quickly shift to surprise as a familiar sight came into view, "Ah? Ah!! Miss Jackie!!" She'd cheer excitedly as she dropped down from the air; quickly breaking into a run as feet touched the ground before rushing into Jackie in an attempt to give her teacher a hug, "It feels like it's been forever!" She'd continue, still feeling a bit out of sorts; with twitch of her ear, Rhapsody would quickly move a step away however whether her hug was accepted or not, turning to take notice of the guests Jackie seemed to have been entertaining before her arrival, "Ah! I'm sorry, I see you were busy, I hope I haven't interrupted!" She'd say, quickly giving a small bow to Jackie and then the two demons as an apology, "Are these your friends Miss Jackie? Or-" She'd ask, cutting herself off as a strange sensation overtook her at the sight of Zerori, "-you... hmm, you look familiar, Miss-?" She'd muse as she looked at Zerori curiously with a tilt of her head, her tail swaying beneath her dress playfully with interest.

Between the two demons in the area, Zriracha being the one to settle for floating in the area in the typical lackadaisical manner she did, Zerori was a humanoid metal detector as she looked around this way and that for all of about… two minutes before the call of someone had her snapping her attention in their direction. A mess of wild red hair was the first thing to catch her attention, followed by the realization that she was being confronted as their power suddenly shot up as if to make a very clear statement… or warning. It wasn’t anything close to her own and could certainly cause her Mother some trouble, but Zerori was far from stupid. Still, while she was expecting some kind of threat, the woman seemed to just smile at her and ask if she was looking for whomever the ‘Karinga’ were.

Looking back at her Mother with a confused expression, receiving a ‘go on’ gesture from Zriracha, Zerori would just roll her eyes before turning back to the Human, “Uh… Yeah! I’m in no hurry, just here to check out what happened here. Maybe take something back with me to study,” It wasn’t a lie but not a truth that Zerori was comfortable telling, either. Her eyes widened at the sound of a loud growl nearby and had lowered herself into a stance - her hand coming up to the blade that rested across her shoulder blades before she stopped and just… stared at the kid that either had SICK animal calls or was an actual starving child. To the woman’s question, Zerori spoke with a popped ‘p’ as a matter of fact, “Nope.”

Threatened by a child? Came her mother’s telepathic tease, eliciting a scoff from Zerori before she lowered her arm from her weapon and stood back up.

Fuck you. She shot back before cocking her head at the kid and crouching down in what she hoped was a non-threatening squat, “Whatcha doin’ here, kid? Lookin’ for food or somethin’?” If he was she wouldn’t have minded materializing something simple for him to eat - if anything, there was something familiar about him that made being nice to him a little easier - you know, aside from the fact that he was a child. The sudden appearance of wings and a woman landing nearby to hug the woman from the tent (named Jackie, apparently) was putting her nerves on EDGE and Zerori nearly fell over when she realized just who it was that had dropped in from above!

“Rh-...Rhapsody?” Zerori questioned softly, her one visibly eye softening in shock. She looked… smaller, somehow (or maybe she was just a LOT taller than she realized?) and polite still but didn’t speak all weird like before. What bothered her, however, was the lack of recognition that sent a painful stab of hurt through her. She looked confused, hurt and scrutinized Rhapsody before the sudden call of another drew her attention and it was clear to Zerori that this was hardly a coincidence. By the feel of his power and just how casually the blue-haired guy seemed to be, it was clear that all three were friends which meant she was in trouble if they had a problem with her. I’d best be on my guard, then… Casting one last look of hurt in Rhapsody’s direction, Zerori stood from the ground and spoke tersely.

“Zerori of Chakkapak. Behind me is my Mother, Zriracha of Chakkapk. Gotta admit! Wasn’t expecting such a…” She looked around, her lips twitching upward from a frown in an amused smile, “-warm welcome. Not that I’m accusing any of you of anything, but... don’t worry. I’m not here to cause trouble,” Her good eye glinted with mischievous delight, “-not yet, anyway.”

There were more important things to worry about than her potential trouble and that was the matter of a starving kid, “So, yeah, this starving child? Let’s not mix up priorities,” Zerori teased, finally raising a hand and easily materializing a comically large leg of cooked meat. She swung it enticingly toward the kid as she was trying to coerce a dog to come closer, “All yours! Come get it,” She offered with a fanged smile.

Behind her, her gaze curiously locked on Rhapsody, Zriracha was observing keenly and quietly.

And here Jackie thought she was going to have a numbing evening alone in her thoughts. At first she was just confronting a pair of demons roaming Korin with not an ounce of familiarity between them with a surprise guest in the bushes sold out by his hunger, then the next thing she knows a familiar voice breaks through the treetops. Quick to approach soon after to the surprise of Jackie who, moments ago, didn't so much as register her presence anywhere near the forest.

"Rhapsody? Hey!-"
Her arms instinctively raise to let the girl grab her in a hug, a little laugh escaping the kami before she'd reciprocate and eventually pluck herself off. Letting her go with a pat on her back and a confused look on her face. 'Feels' is definitely the word to use here, because it couldn't have been long.

"A month or so at best, Rhapsody. Just what are you doing out here?"
Another, even less subtle familiar face broached the forest. Russ, in all that blue glory. When you got one person, you got the whole crowd here. And suddenly the vacant village was full of life. Jackie turned to him and sighed a bit, rubbing the back of her head at his reason for being out here. She didn't exactly plan dates to go help the Karinga, so this sporadic time to help her help them meant she had no time to really tell him what their plans were.

"Well if I had known that you would be coming out today I would have shot you a brain message, Blue. Tribe's out doing some coming of age rituals for the young men. I'm just here keeping the place safe while they are out."
But, back to the actual center of attention here. The two demons are cordial enough to stand by patiently and introduce themselves once the rest of the pack clamber out of hiding or otherwise. Zerori and Zriracha. She can't say she's heard of them before. But, so long as they aren't causing problems. Demon or not. She knew a few that weren't the stereotype. So Jackie would give them both a proper bow and do much the same in kind.

"Well, if that's the case; I'm Jackie Jeans. I'd like to say I'm a Guardian of this planet, results may vary. And I would welcome you to the tribe personally, but like I said, they're out. If you want to know about what happened around here you can just ask. I'm here all day."
She was about to appease the kid herself, already raising a hand palm-up to conjure something of her own when Zerori got the bright idea ahead of time. With magic, it must have come naturally to demons than it did her. Shoot, she just now managed to figure out how to conjure materials outside fire and light. She stops herself before any energy is expended and watches with another short laugh.

"I was gonna do that. Oh well."

---

One of the demons recognized Rhapsody but for some reason, the half-feline introduced herself to the pair as if they were met for the first time. She calls Russ mister blue guy, either to give him an affectionate nickname or she genuinely forgot his name despite Russ telling her his name in the past. Is she suffering from short-term memory loss? "Hi Rhapsody!" he waved back with a smile. He is happy to meet her again in general regardless of their relationship. "So we have the place to ourselves until they get back? Heh, I should have brought my Baotendo Swap to pass the time," he answered Jackie, resting a knuckle on his waist and shaking his head at the ground.

He looks at the demons again, lips curled into a small smile. "Anyway my name is Russ, I'm a Gu-...some random guy from East City," He chose not to disclose his vigilante or guardian status, fearing the pair might be registered powerful citizens who could out him to Derry and get Jackie in trouble by association. "Nice to meet you Zerori, Zriracha." nodding as his smile grew bigger.

Zerori is friendly enough, she is aware both mother and child are being watched with skeptical eyes and they mean no harm. Zerori created a pile of meat for the hungry rascal in the bush to eat, he came out of hiding to examine the meal and Russ inspected their appearance from afar. Something of a mix between a Tuffle and a Saiyan, or an Earthling...they all look alike on the surface. It's obvious they are younger in age. Or an Earthling...they all look alike on the surface. Jackie had a similar idea to feed him but she was beaten to the punch.

Russ chuckled and crossed his arms. "If people can make food out of magic, why haven't we solved world hunger yet?" staring at the meal. Heck, if Russ learned how to summon food from thin air, he would never have to buy groceries ever again.

Zerori still seemed apprehensive towards her, which was a tad worrisome to say the least, but she was at least willing to communicate; Rhapsody had no reason to decline her request to speak, but that'd of course be left for later. Zerori would take to explaining the issues Russ had presented, something that would cause Rhapsody's ear to turn slightly to listen in; she was curious on the matter as well once it was presented, but was unfortunately far too absent minded to think of such questions on her own. In the meantime, while the boy took to hoarding the materialized food conjured by Zerori, Jackie would be convinced into making a separate meal for the entire group to enjoy. Rhapsody watched in awe at the spectacle of that was put on display for her conjuring, a much grandiose display compared to Zerori's, even if it technically was an indication of Jackie's stated lack of experience; to Rhapsody at least, the display was much more impressive and theatrical.

"Quite impressive, Miss Jackie!" Rhapsody would exclaim, clapping her hands at the conclusion of Jackie's conjuration, "Hehe, you are far too modest!" She'd add, whilst her tail swayed and flicked with eagerness to try the sudden new meal.

She'd quickly accept the offered bowl and spoon, her stomach beginning to growl further as the aroma of the curry began to fill the air with its allure. The scent of delicious fish, the robustness of the sauce with just the slightest tinge of spice; it'd been so long since she'd enjoyed a proper meal that Rhapsody nearly found it difficult to maintain her patience for even a moment longer. Since her release from the hospital, she'd survived on either what could be gathered from the forest or what was freely offered on the goodwill of others such as bread or some vegetables; as such, the anticipation for a cooked meal was overwhelming enough to bring the slightest of tears to the corners of her eyes.

Patience at it's limit and bowl filled, Rhapsody would waste no time in taking to her meal while Jackie attempted to coerce the boy to join them.

"Mmn- ah ah!!" She'd exclaim, happy by the initial taste before the inevitable heat of a freshly cooked meal began to burn her tongue, "Hawthawt! Fwuu-" She'd say, cooling down her tongue before blowing on the next spoonful, taking another proper bite; her expression immediately transitioning to one brimming with joy and warmth as she took in the flavors of the curry, "Delicious~!!!" She'd proclaim firmly, her face reddening slightly from the building heat of the spices, something she enjoyed even if she wasn't accustomed to it, "Thank you VERY much, Miss Jackie!!"

Rhapsody would quickly take to sitting upon the ground to enjoy her meal, adjusting her dress as she sat properly upon her knees. She'd peer over towards the boy whom Jackie attempted to beckon with her conjured meal; he was rather large, and seemed quite childish for his size, but considering her own reaction towards a newly given meal, she couldn't blame the boy for wanting to keep some food to himself. Without adding a word of her own, Rhapsody would attempt to draw the boy's attention with a wave assuming Jackie succeeded in causing him pause from departing; taking another spoonful of her meal, she'd hum joyously before giving the boy a kind smile, a hopeful indicator that the food was both safe and delicious, though whether that be enough to help convince the boy to join them was another story.