Spirits of the Earth

What a day.
The proxy of Alexiannastraziel known as Virtue crossed her arms as she waited patiently outside the front doors of the magnificent and high-class (and expensive) five-story Skylight Inn. The Inn was beautifully lit, especially at nighttime as it were now, as the name might imply.
If only the situation at present were as bright.

--Virtue had jet black hair level with her chin, had youthful and pretty features that was the signature of Divinity, and wore sunglasses as black and shiny as her hair that hid her eyes. The woman wore a black, open suitcoat with silvery buttons, a dress shirt that was very brightly cyan in hue, slacks to match her suitcoat, and a pair of polished dress shoes.--

A small bit of good news, though. Virtue had heard from her Creator that Norriden, who she was waiting for at present, successfully kept Kynrei out of Mother's grasp. Not that Virtue doubted his capability to do so, it was just that a High Seraphim was a force not to be taken lightly.
Obviously, Alexian had made a very wise choice in seeking Norriden's aid against Mother.
On another, smaller and less grand, note, Virtue could not help but notice the occasional odd look and wayward glance in her direction by the aristocratic, noble, or otherwise rich patrons that were spending the night in the hotel. The denizens of this Realm were very strange to her, the ones from Hell, such as the eccentric brothers Haze and Atel whom she had met earlier in the day, even more so. Then again, many things were strange and alien to an artificial being like a proxy.
Nevertheless, Virtue upheld her steadfast vigil and continued to wait for Norriden's arrival.

Patience is a Virtue afterall, as the proxy doesn't seem to be going any ounce of impatience at all. If she were, it wouldn't be long, as Norriden was already in the Kingdom of Adela. Still in his more demonic and more powerful form, he flies his way to the very hotel that Virtue waits at. Soon enough, he finally touches ground in front of the place with the unconscious Kynrei in his arms. He looks to Kynrei in his arms, then turns to face Virtue with little emotion to be seen.
"She needs rest, it seems. Take me to a room, so that we may obtain just that." Norriden notes before passing Virtue by to enter the hotel.

Virtue uncrossed her arms and nodded in affirmation to Norriden's diagnosis of Kynrei, informing him, "A matter of course, Sir Utor. I have already made such preparations and reserved for us a large room." She opened one of front doors and held it open, elaborating further, "Come, to the second floor."

The lobby area of the Skylight hotel was extravagantly furnished and decorated in that wanton "spare-no-expense" fashion. The ceiling of the lobby was actually two stories in height, essentially making the second floor of the building on the third story.
Virtue swept across the length of the lobby, not letting the numerous odd/terrified/curious/scornful glances from the more than just perfectly normal noble humans and their servants, headed for the wide staircase leading upwards past the large water fountain.
And, once there and while ascending the staircase up to the second floor, Virtue asked Norriden, "Granted that there will be much more for us to learn from Kynrei was she wakes, has she told you anything about Nazune or Mother already?"
She added once she reached the second floor and started down the chandlier-lit hallway, "Any information she might devulge could be of aid to us, as we know little where we stand now."

Norriden was recieving stares and looks more than anything at the moment. Mostly due to his appearance. Being the half demon that he is and while in his current form, it shows more than usual. He followed Virtue with no delay and continued his pace, even after she asked her question. Norriden couldn't help but look upon Kynrei's unconscious form at that.
"Yeah, she has. We're running low on time. Nazune needs us." Norriden explains rather calmly. The two of them were noticed as they reached the second floor, but not from the usual nobles. Someone different from humans even, but not quite.
"Excuse me." A femme voice comes from behind Norriden as he continues to follow Virtue. He soon stopped his pace to turn around to see the woman that spoke. The woman stands almost at his normal height before he went demonesque. She wears normal black pants and red long sleeve shirt. It is obvious that she has a black glove covering her right hand alone and black hair that runs down to her waist. The only thing that separates her from other humans is her orange eyes.
"Might I ask what you two are doing with that woman?" the woman asks, pointing at Kynrei in Norriden's arms. Norriden simply gazes at the woman for a moment before turning away to continue following Virtue.
"This does not concern you." Norriden notes while walking away.

The forecast for the future is going to be bleak and overcast, with little or no sunshine.
Beautiful.
"Time is always the worst foe to face," quipped Virtue. "We must heighten our expediency in our endeavors if we hope to-"
Que an unique woman entering the scene, catching their attention and asking a rather odd question.
Virtue only offered the woman an apprehensive, sideways glance as Norriden handled the matter succinctly.
Strange indeed.
Carrying on with the task at hand, Virtue finally arrived at their reserved suite, 237. She reached into her pocket and produced the keys to the door, unlocking it and swinging the door open, causing the sophisticated and magical chandliers to light up instantly.
Fit for a king, the room was appropriately high-class and regal in look and feel. Everything in the room looked like it cost a small fortune, from the huge beds to the finewood dressers to the enormous mirror.
"Just lay her down on one of the beds for now," said Virtue. "I will post a guard to watch over her while we are at the meeting."

Before Norriden could enter the room, the woman from before approaches them again.
"I apologize for the intrusion earlier. I'm just too unaware of my current surroundings. You see, I'm suffering from memory loss and I'm trying to find something to do to regain what is lost. You seem like a couple of people that has been through a lot. Perhaps the adrenaline will help to boost my mind's efforts. If it's any consolation, I'm not entirely useless." The woman explains sincerly. Norriden couldn't help but glance at the woman momentarily. Without any words, he proceeds inside of the room to lay Kynrei on a bed. He turns back around to see the woman standing at the doorway. Persistant.
"I don't really know my real name, but I do go by Rosa Buki. It was a name given to me by the people that found me after my loss." She explains further. Norriden sighs a bit as he sits down on the bed. He then turns his gaze upon Virtue.

Virtue glanced over at the woman; people from this Realm were indeed very strange in her eyes.
And after Norriden put Kynrei down on the bed, Virtue found herself essentially in the spotlight. She still had no clear idea as to what exactly the woman wanted, but preliminaries first...
Virtue took off her sunglasses, revealing dark green eyes not unlike her Creator's own, and brought herself face-to-face with the woman, looking scrutinizingly into her eyes as if attempting to discern some kind of hidden quality in them. Virtue's eyes flashed subtlely a couple times as she peered into Rosa's own.
Then, after a moment, Virtue stepped back and slipped her sunglasses back on, saying, "Excuse me, Lady Buki, but a necessary precaution that I was bound to take." She made a hand gesture signaling for elaboration as she spoke next, "Now, Lady Buki, I am afraid I do not follow what exactly it is that you want. Are you in need of some manner of help?"
The proxy wasn't the greatest in the relations department, as was evident.

"She can come." Norriden speaks up as he stands off the bed. It seems he just wanted to make sure if the woman was a spy or not. Little reaction from Virtue, means that she's okay.
"At the rate things are going, we could use all the help we come across. I know we have yet to see what she can do, but even the powerless is more than enough." Norriden explains. It is true that taking on a High Seraphim is quite the task. Norriden is willing to put his life on the line to save Nazune. It currently doesn't matter to Norriden what Rosa can do, but in time, they will find out. The stranger couldn't help but smile at the Demonic angel's choice.
"What's the next move, Virtue? Anything I should know about while we wait for Kynrei?" Norriden pushes the matter. At this point in time, Norriden's not one to wait long for anything.

That happened fast.
How ironic; Virtue had thought that Rosa was the one who needed help, when it was she who, apparently, was offering it to them. A rare turn of events, a tiding of good fortune, and a valuable opportunity all rolled into one - though time would be the final judge of that optimistic statement.
And upon Norriden's question towards her, Virtue clapped her hands together and replied, "Actually, Sir Utor, we still must meet with the others pledged to our cause. At present, they wait for us in the Skylight Diner on the top floor. We can take the elevator up to the Diner."
Virtue began to invoke her special and intricate Miracle, a blue column of light forming in front of her inside the room. After a few seconds, exactly like before, an identical copy of Virtue was standing were the light had been.
"Guard this room. Alert me if anything should happen," she instructed her clone, who simply nodded and withdrew her own silenced pistol and began to take vigilant watch of her entire surroundings.
After that task was complete, Virtue glanced at Rosa, "Lady Buki," then back at Norriden, "Sir Utor," and before she turned on her heel and started down the hall, said to them both, "Come with me."

She led them down the main hall of the second floor, which eventually brought them to the building's elevator service. The elevator, while similar in concept and function to a modern elevator, was simply a large platform in an appropriately sized shaft operated by a moderately skilled air magic specialized mage.
They only had to wait a moment before the elevator came up from the first floor and stopped at the second floor, letting off a small crowd of noble humans and their entourages.
After the previous passengers exited the elevator, Virtue stepped on and stood near the back.
"Perhaps a formidible force can be assembled here this night, even against a High Seraphim," Virtue effectively initiated the small talk. "The others seem to be dedicated trio, if not a somewhat eccentric one."

Norriden and Rosa followed Virtue with no qualms. Rosa, being a bit confused by everything, simply pushed the confusion aside to focus on what is potentially happening. Once on the elevator, Rosa remained calm and quiet while something seemed to bother Norriden. He didn't take in much what Virtue was speaking of because of the feeling he's taking in. He could feel the presence of something he wasn't very fond of and it was getting closer. He dreads the fact that the past is coming back to team up with him again. Only he knows who this presence is and a matter of time before they rear their face.
*Ding!*
It is time...

And then the elevator reached the top floor - the Skylight Diner.
The Diner floor was almost as big length and width-wise as the building itself, save for the necessary kitchen and staff area. Every single table of the many in the Diner could sit ten at the minimum, some of the larger ones looking as though they could possibly fit fourty people. The walls were more like one huge window, as a beautiful view of Adela Village down below could be had from anywhere on the floor of the Diner.
"This way," guided Virtue as she stepped off of the elevator-
"Thank you, Virtue," said Alexiannastraziel, dressed in all-white, billowy attire, as she walked up to the three. "You have done excellent work thus far. I would like the honor of introducing Norriden to the others."
Virtue held her right hand to her heart and bowed slightly, replying, "As you wish."
Alexian turned her attention then to Norriden and Rosa and smiled. "I thought it obligatory to attend this meeting myself...as best I could." She stretched out one of her arms and looked at it, explaining, "This is only an Avatar of myself, but it is the next best option to being present in flesh for High Seraphim."
She looked back up at them, greeting the new person at that moment, "A pleasure to meet you, Rosa Buki, and welcome. In good fortune, we may all gain from this alliance."
And with that done, Alexian turned gracefully and prompted, "Follow me, if you will."

After weaving through the numerous other tables and people in the Diner (and through certain individuals in the party receiving the same odd looks of all flavors for their appearance), Alexian, with Virtue close in tow, finally neared their table, which was close to the window-wall on the east side of the restaurant.
Sitting at that table were some...familiar faces.

--Neseraph wore a sleek, black longcoat, dark pants, and a gray tunic tucked into the pants. He had shoulder-length, thick white hair and his eyes were an uncomfortable shade of blue...the kind of blue that hid something.
--Insera wore a white dress shirt, light khaki trousers with the matching suitcoat, a dark red tie, and black leather dress shoes. Her hair was also shoulder-length and was sandy in hue, her eyes a metallic bronze.--
--Tangent was almost like a new Outcast. Now cleaner than ever before, but still with long, dark hair and yellow eyes and the myriad scars throughout his body. Instead of his usual extremely worn and ragged scraps, the Outcast now sported a big, brown trenchcoat.--

"Norriden, Rosa," started Alexian, beaming as if this were a great occasion, "I would like you to meet Neseraph, Insera, and Tangent."
...
The faces of Neseraph and Insera, less so Tangent, were absolutely priceless.
And a small moment of silence...
"Well...Alexian did have good taste in allies," commented Neseraph nonchalantly after the initial shock subsided.
Tangent was the quiet one, though he still kept his gaze on the newcomers.
Insera, eyeing Norriden like a serial killer and with her hand already inside her suitcoat, growled angrily, "This-is-preposterous!"

Norriden glared at the three as they arrived at the table. He's not too fond with them either, but anything will do at this time of the dilema. All Rosa could do was hold her hand over her mouth and hope that a fight doesn't ensue.
"I have no time to play games with you guys. If you don't want to help, then that's fine with me. All I know is that we share a common enemy. One that is resposible for the entire mess we revolve around. Elial was simply a pawn and Bishop's departure from this lifetime was only a sick piece of a puzzle to fulfill a psycho's wishes. Nazune is still out there and I refuse to let any of you hold me down from getting to her. Do I make myself clear?" Norriden barks out what he can while he slams his hands on the table. That action brought the attention of almost the entire diner. Even the unwanted attention that he didn't want. The dark and loomy figure in the distance within the same room could only smile before they begin their approach. Rosa is a a complete loss for words. She is currently more confused now than she was before.

Alexian's cordial smile slowly faded away as the situation unfolded and broke down for the most part; not exactly the union she had been hoping for between the two parties.
"What..." the High Seraphim was temporarily at a loss of words. "Is there something that I should know? What is the problem?"
Right after the question and Norriden's first show of force, Insera stood up from her seat and withdrew an Ingram submachine gun, pointing it straight at Norriden, "The revolting freak to your right, that is the problem."
The chain reaction was quick as lightning; Virtue whipped out her pistol and aimed it at Insera, and Neseraph and Tangent both turned small arms on Virtue.
"Please..." Alexian said beseechingly, almost begging them to stand down with that one word. "All of you, calm down...we can ill afford to turn swords on one another when a greater enemy looms above us all."
Insera, glancing at everyone involved in the situation, finally turned her steely gaze back on Norriden and spoke with no attempt to mask the loathing in her tone, "I will make you a deal, Angel. Sure, we can support a similar cause in tandem; that I can endure. But, in the end, you stay out of our way, and we will stay out of your way. Fair enough for you? Hmm?"
Lighting the cigarette in his mouth with his free hand with his gun still trained on Virtue, Neseraph said jokingly to the High Seraphim, "What'd I tell you, Alex?"

As the guns were pulled, Norriden grew more irratated. Rosa finally took action and held out her right hand, palm facing both Tangent and Neseraph. With in her palm, form a small sphere of highly condensed energy which slowly expands by the second. As the inhabitants within the diner dive under their tables to take cover away from the guns, one of them approaches the aggresive table, clapping their hands together.
"I can feel the love at table three. The aura of it is eminating like none other." The sarcastic voice begins to add onto the clapping. Norriden, knowing exactly who it is, reaches to his side and pulls out a gun to aim at the newcomer.
"Why must you persistantly follow me?!" Norriden bellows, not taking his eyes off Insera.
"It's in my nature, dear brother. Besides, because of recent events in Province, the SSHE is in utter chaos and beffudlement. This gives me the opportunity to walk freely for a while." Speaks the red haired angel with a black tattered cape. He then places his hands on the handles of his two scimitars, one by each hip.

Alexian wasn't in the mood for Neseraph's humor. Being limited to mostly words that were largely a futile effort was making her rather stressed about the meeting gone bad at the moment.
"Lay down your arms, I beg of you all," Alexian spoke direly to everyone with a weapon in their hand. "How may we come together when we are breaking apart? Mother would smile if she witnessed what is happening here."
Virtue was quite visibly torn; she wanted to obey her Creator's plea for peace, but she couldn't risk letting down her guard in the heated moment.
And, in response to Rosa apparently becoming hostile as well, Tangent shifted aim from Virtue to cover her-
...
Then, any effect that Alexian's words might have had were probably lost when a new element in the mix stumbled upon the scene - a vaguely familiar face, in fact.
Alexian, in a bona fide desperation attempt to halt the downward spiral of the meeting, turned around to face the newcomer and spoke plaintively to him, "Please, we ask for no trouble-"
Neseraph, taking a big huff of his cigarette and slowly blowing the smoke out of his nose, glanced over his shoulder at the newcomer after listening to the exchange between him and Norriden. "Well I'll be damned again..."
"Old acquaintances can wait, Angel," snapped Insera. "I share a similar fervor for finding a way back to my time of origin as you do for finding Nazune. I would like an answer before I must make the decision for you."

"Get your fucking gun out of my face and you won't have to deal with me the entire fucking time!" Norriden yells at Insera to answer her. Before they knew it, Insera's gun flies out of her grasp. As well Neseraph's, Tangent's, Norriden's nad even Virtue's guns. Each one centers together in one group in front of Rosa's palm.
"That's enough!" Rosa yells out at everyone, as she seems to be the reason for everyone being disarmed.
"It seems like all of you were grouped together like this for a reason, so why don't we all stop acting like kids and lay our cards down. According to Norriden, you all have a common enemy aside from each other. Why don't we focus on them rather than going at each other's throats?" It seems the neutral side has the slip on everyone. Perhaps bringing Rosa along is a good idea afterall. Tesri simply remained quiet and kept his smile up throughout the situation. Norriden looked down, realizing how much of an ass he has made himself.

Insera scowled and her muscles tensed up upon hearing Norriden's estatic answer-
But before anything tragic could happen, everyone suddenly found themselves supernaturally disarmed by Rosa and lectured by the very same.
"Yes, mom," Neseraph, quick as a whip, replied to Rosa with a grin that defined mirth.
Alexian, now able to take a sigh of relief, said thankfully, "I am very grateful, Rosa Buki. Please, everyone have a seat, and let us discuss the matters at hand."
Insera, extremely grudgingly, took her seat and fixed her suit and tie upon sitting down.
Virtue took the nearest seat, placing her next to Tangent, who gave her a strange sideways glance.
Finally, Alexian gracefully sat down and initiated the conversation as soon as the most prevalent of issues came to her mind, "Should I be so bold as to assume that all of you have met Norriden Utor before now?"
"Should you?" Neseraph chuckled so hard he coughed once. "I don't know about Tangent, but me and Insera have had a sparkling history with our old friend Norriden."
"Quite..." agreed Insera, taking a nasty glance at Norriden.
"I...see," said Alexian, getting a general idea. "For our future's sake, I ask that everyone place their pasts aside and join together in the spirit of unity against our common foe. As I have said, we can ill afford to squabble amongst ourselves while against such an enemy as Mother. Let us forge an alliance here and now for this time being, a bond not to be broken before our victory is realized. I am willing...what say the rest of you?"
A second passed before Neseraph spoke, "I'm game."
"I will do what I must," concurred Tangent after him.
Virtue really didn't need to say anything.
...
"Insera?" prompted Neseraph, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and flicking it away.
...
"Babe?"
She glanced at him disapprovingly and growled, "Don't call me that." Then, ever so reluctantly she caved in and conceded, "Agreed."

Norriden took a seat as soon as it was offered. He sat next to Alexian as Rosa sat down next to him. Tesri didn't sit as he was not offered, but he did stand nearby and listen in. Alexian was quick to the meeting and laid out the lines. Norriden remained silent until the others agreed on the truce and alliance.
"I was in it to begin with." Norriden puts in his say.
"I have nowhere else to go, so I guess I will tag along." Rosa speaks up soon after Norriden. And finally--
"Well, this seems like a group of desperation, so I suppose I will help." Tesri jumps in unannounced. Norriden doesn't feel too pleased with that, but he keeps quiet about it nonetheless. Teamwork is what they all should count on at the moment. Soon after the agreement to work with one another, Rosa releases the weapons onto the table. All Norriden could do was grab his gun and put it away.

The fact that Tesri was right with his desperation remark was almost disheartening.
After the guns were released, their respective owners took possession of them once again. Insera, though she took and stowed her's calmly enough, the look in her bronze eyes suggested a disturbing eagerness to have her weapon back.
Alexian nodded as soon as everyone made their pledge to the cause. "Again, I thank each one of you for becoming a part of this alliance." After taking a glance at Tesri, she started with, "Before we truely begin our meeting, I think we should all take but a moment to introduce ourselves to one another - perhaps a new beginning for some of us. We cannot function as a team without knowing something about those who are a part of that team with us. I will do so first."
She took in a breath and continued, "My name is Alexiannastraziel, and I am a High Seraphim of Upper Heaven. I was once the lover of the Archangel Elial, with whom I bore our daughter, Reigne. But...both Elial and and our beloved daughter Reigne are passed on, because of the actions of Mother, a High Seraphim like myself whom I had known well before her agenda involving Elial started. I am normally not a being of vengeance, but I am afraid that I have little choice in the face of Mother's horribly delusional and loathsome acts. This is why I am here...to avenge the man I love and our daughter."
A couple moments after the conclusion of Alexian's introduction of herself, Neseraph picked up the proverbial ball, "Hi, my name is Neseraph and I've been sober for ten days. But seriously now...let's see. Ex-Hellsend. Shitty job. Don't ever apply there. I've been deceived most of my life into thinking that I was a demon when I was actually a sleeper-agent Angel in Hell, which I am still somewhat bitter about to say the least. What else...oh yeah, I'm actually not supposed to be here, but time travel is a bitch. Last up, I've had such a wonderful and loving relationship with Insera here, who still has the most beautiful and enchanting eyes I've ever seen, since the shit hit the fan back in Sanctuary in my time."
Insera gave Neseraph an unamused look for his remark about her eyes, then she composed herself and began speaking like she was giving a formal oration, "My name is Insera. I have a last name, of course, but such a thing is irrelevant now. I came into this time with Neseraph, Nazune, and Bishop Keller to escape the trappings of the present. However, despite our best efforts, our excursion into the future went terribly awry and every reason for our being here is now lost. The primary concern of myself and Neseraph is to find a way back to our home time, where perhaps we can consolidate what little we have left and start anew."
Going around in the circle the introductions seemed to be going, Tangent found himself to be next. "I am Tangent, formerly of the Vindication of Province but now an Outcast of Heaven. I was setup by my superior, General Benal, and turned into a weapon of the late Will of Divinity. I have since exacted my revenge against Benal, but now I must find my sister, Sine. I can sense that she has suffered greatly...all I can think about is finding her, and striking back at the source of her suffering, this...High Seraphim Mother who has infected her mind."

Rosa looked down as everyone began introducing themselves. She didn't really have much to go by. Alas, she still went ahead.
"I... I am Rosa Buki. That's not my real name. That was a name given to me by the people who found me. I don't even remember my real name or anything that has occured in my life. Not before being found by the kind people that nursed me back to health after my unknown accident." Rosa explains her bit. She wasn't too proud of it, but it was something. Norriden's next.
"I am Norriden Utor, son of Archangel Godsend Noubohri Utor and Hellsend Doji Soweh. I am former guard of the Kingdom of Serendipity. My runin with Nazune and Bishop changed all of that. I turned my back on my home Kingdom when it needed help the most. Simply because I was blinded by affection. My time on Earth has been sporatic and hectic. My current demonic state is thanks to the discovery of a greater power by my brother. If I could ever turn back to normal is beyond me. That matters not. My main goal now is to find nazune and free her from the bonds that Mother holds her under." Norriden's explaination was like a tragedy. Though Rosa doesn't know what a Godsend or Hellsend is or who Nazune is, but she still feels for Norriden.
"Few of you know that I am Norriden's full blooded brother, Tesri Soweh. Not even our parents knew of me before I appeared before them. I was extracted from Doji as an embryo by a powerful organization known as the SSHE. I was raised by the organization to be their greatest and most lethal agent. My recent betrayal to actually take part in my family disrupted the SSHE and they turned on me for that. Now I need to take to the shadows to keep my head anywhere I go. Due to the recent destruction of the city-state of Province in Heaven, the SSHE has been engulfed in chaos and stopped hunting me to simply assess the damage. So now I'm free to roam for the time being." Tesri's words came as soon as Norriden finished. Though there was a lot of detail, he left out a lot of important information in that matter. No one knows, so it doesn't matter. Now that the introductions are complete...

After the next three introductions, Alexian wrapped up that phase of the meetings by directing everyone's attention to Virtue, "Lastly, this is Virtue, a proxy of my own creation made to assist all you and me in our endeavors against Mother. Anyone unfamiliar with an entity such as a proxy should know that they are living beings created to be kind of extension for High Seraphim or similar beings. She shall try her best to aid all of you and to be an adequate representative of myself, and I have my full faith in her ability."
Alexian beamed and started with, "Now that all of us know our kin in arms, let us begin with-"
"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Neseraph, propping himself up from his laid back position in his seat. "I don't know about the rest of the guys at this table, but I've been hearing a whole lot about this Mother person and most of it, quite frankly," Neseraph made a quick slicing motion over his head with his right hand, "I don't get. Mind telling us a little about this Mother so we all at least have some clue about who we're up against, Alex?"
After fully taking in his question, Alexian nodded her head and replied, "Of due course, Neseraph. Everyone, listen well.
"I have long known the High Seraphim called Mother. In true fact, she was actually a human of earth before she rose into the Upper Heavens. She and her beautiful daughter lived in the countryside of a great nation during a time of ignorance and little tolerance among Man. It was this ignorance and lack of tolerance that ultimately led to both her and her daughter to be burned alive inside their own home. In their next lives, both rose to the Heavens, though the mother higher than the daughter. I befriended Mother soon after she ascended to Upper Heaven, and all was well and good...until something extraordinary happened. Somehow, Mother recalled that she once had a daughter, and she swore over her own heart that she would once again be reunited with her. Truthfully, I even agreed to aid Mother in her search, for I could not stand the thought of a mother being separated from her daughter. Perhaps disheartened as time waned, Mother grew more and more...reclusive, and less responsive to me. I cannot even remember exactly when it happened, but at some point, Mother vanished and could not be reached even through telepathy. And I have never heard from or about her until the present. That is all I know of her."
Tangent hung his head a little; the story apparently had an effect on him.
"How very tragic - almost worthy of a play," commented Insera with little emotion. "But I fail to see how this individual ties into the exodus of Neseraph and myself from this time."
"Always business," Neseraph remarked. "Wouldn't hurt ya to play every now and then."
"Bloody keep your mouth shut." Insera had enough of that.
Alexian turned her attention to Insera and reassured her, "All will have something to gain from our alliance, if I must see to it personally."
Insera perked an eyebrow and asked, still not convinced, "Are you trying to offer me the credit card of good faith?"
"What she's trying to say is 'When can we get started?'" Neseraph slipped his revised edition of her question. "Isn't that right, babe?"
She smacked Neseraph hard on the back of the head and snapped, "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from putting words into my mouth again, thank you. And don't call me that!"
Alexian placed her hands in her lap in a proper manner and explained, "Soon enough, I pray. This day we have successfully garnered a valuable asset to our cause, on the part of Norriden Utor's magnificient ability and show of courage. He has rescued a renegade proxy of Mother named Kynrei from being unmade by the very same. We will have to wait until she wakes, however, unless she has, in good fortune, already spoke to you, Norriden?"
Virtue glanced over at Norriden and nodded; everything that Kynrei might have said could be of great importance in forming an effective plan.

As the coversation continues on, Tesri takes his time to grab a chair from another table and stratles itthe opposite way one would normally sit in a chair. He found his place right behind Norriden. Suddenly, the spotlight shifted onto Norriden and Tesri couldn't help but smile at that. Norriden couldn't help but think back at the dim time when he tried to keep Kynrei away from Mother.
Kynrei managed to open her eyes a little bit, starting to shiver as if she were cold when she did.
She glanced up at Norriden, speaking nearly inaudibly, "You can...still find her. But...time...is against...you. she is...two now. one is imprisoned...the other is...free...unaware. one is fading away...and one is being...reborn. you can...use one...to find the other. mother holds...the keys...but...the locks...they...can be broken...with help..."
"She mentioned that Nazune has been split into two. One fading, one reborn. There are locks that can be broken with help, but that's all I got before she lost consciousness. I know there's more, so there's only a matter of time before she comes to and fills in the blanks for us." Norriden puts out what he got from the riddlebox. Perhaps it's best to wait for Kynrei before doing anything.

Tangent glanced back up when Norriden relayed the information, taking an active interest in what he had to say.
Neseraph raised an eyebrow. "Split in two? Hell, now that has to hurt...geez."
Disregarding the fact that it was most likely sarcasm, Insera corrected Neseraph harshly, "I highly doubt that it was meant literally."
Alexian almost instantly went into thought trying to decipher what the words might have meant, "Split into two...one fading, one reborn...locks that can be broken..." After spending a moment pondering the riddle, she finally said, "I do not think that we know enough to make any sound judgments as of this moment. It seems that indeed we will have to wait until Kynrei recovers from her ordeal to learn more of what she knows."
"Beautiful..." drawled Neseraph as he reclined back into his chair again.
Alexian politely cleared her throat, as if to signal a change of subject. "However, there is a matter of importance that we can discuss soundly at the moment."
"Excellent, perhaps our time spent here tonight will not be a total waste," was Insera's input.
Setting aside Insera's rather scathing comment without incident, Alexian started to explain the situation, "As I have told you, Elial and I once shared a loving relationship with one another. However, our bond was forbidden on many grounds, so we did much to mask the truth about our relationship. Because of this, unfortunately, our daughter became a dangerous problem for Elial, for if his peers discovered this, he would most certainly be punished severely for his acts. And, under such stress, I admit that we were not a perfect family. For not only did Reigne, our daughter, pose a potential danger to Elial for simply being alive, but she disagreed with his ideals about righteousness as well. Where Elial worked to become the figure head of the Godsends, Reigne pursued her own...endeavors.
"And I was forced to make a very hard and trying decision. I conceded that perhaps the best way that Elial and Reigne could remain together was to be separated from one another. To that end, I imparted a great amount of power from myself into a twin pair of swords - one with the Essence of Light, the other with the Essence of Darkness - and bestowed them unto Elial and Reigne respectively as gifts. Imparted with large portions of my power as a High Seraphim, the swords would subliminally keep Elial and Reigne from crossing paths as well as granting them protection and strength against what may threaten them. However, even the swords could not save Elial and Reigne from Mother's workings...
"Despite that, the point still stands: Due to forging the swords, I am not as powerful as I could be as a High Seraphim. In the coming trials against Mother, each and every one of us needs to reserve all of our strength to fight, and, more so, survive. If the swords could be returned to me, I would be able to tap the spirit I imbued in them and lend it to our favor."
Neseraph was slowly nodding his head as the point of Alexian's story was sinking in, "Sounds promising. But, is it just me, or...maybe...is anyone else getting this little itching sensation on the back of their neck that's saying 'Hey, this ain't gonna be easy'?" Neseraph grinned and added, "I love proving that little bastard right."

Norriden kept silent while the others kept conversing. He began looking thoughtful while Alexian began speaking of the two swords. Rosa was trying to keep up with everything, while Tesri began to rock his chair back and forth. As soon as Alexian was done with her story and Neseraph's snide remark passed, Norriden decided to be known.
"Would these swords still happen to be within the presence of the physical swords they were bonded with?" Norriden asks, assuming he knows where one would be. If he were right, then Alexian should know exactly where the same one would be. As for the other sword, that one is beyond Norriden's thoughts.

Alexian nodded in affirmation to Norriden's question, "They are the very same. However, I only wish that retrieving each sword were as easy as going to the site where they were each seen last.
"In the case of Elial's sword, wherein is the Essence of Light, you, Norriden, no doubt might have seen it when came Nazune's aid after the resolution of her battle with Elial. Unforunately, your eyes were not the only ones to see the sword. A member of the Rogue Godsend, the group of Godsend of fanatically sworn allegiance to Elial, happened upon the sword while you spent your moments with Nazune, Norriden. Stricken by sorrow and lacking in power as all of you now know, I could do little but watch as I prepared to arrive on Earth to mourn Elial personally. What the Rogues intend to do with the sword and where they have taken it are things that even I do not know.
Alexian smiled a little and continued, "However, we are not completely out of fortune. While you were searching for Kynrei, Norriden, I was keeping an open eye for the elusive Rogues, and I picked up a small piece of knowledge. Leaderless, they are currently seeking their former leader, the Godsend named Kure. It could be possible to reach the Rogues through the Godsend Kure, and thus reach the sword that they hold in their possession. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the Godsend Kure are unknown to all...but a small, dangerous, splintered group once part of the Hellsend organization who hold her captive."
Neseraph and Insera slowly turned their gazes on one another, each with that lovely 'Oh shit' expression on their faces.

"The N2." Tesri speaks up for once. "When I was still with the SSHE, I've heard little of this group, but I do know thay work more like mercenaries. Before I bailed on the SSHE, word of the N2 was traced to Serendipity. That wasn't my departmant as an agent. I did most of the field work." Tesri explains. Norriden holds his clawed hand over his face for a moment, before finally lowering it.
"Serendipity... That sort of narrows the search, bit in that place, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not to mention how long ago it was since you quit the SSHE. They could have moved out of there by now." Norriden puts in his view on the situation. Tesri smiles once more.
"Kaité is still with the SSHE. If we could find her, we could get her to find out for us. Or for me. i know she still has a heart for me, but it kills her to admit it. She chooses duty over her feelings which I believe is foolish of her." Tesri pushes that side of the matter. Norriden thinks about it and remembers where he last saw Kaité, during his struggle with Sizzlebeast.

Norriden said exactly what was on Neseraph and Insera's minds. Both of them could recall their not so pleasant incident with the group known as the N2 some time ago in Adela, and killing seemed to be the only thing on their agenda.
Alexian took in the information put out by both Norriden and Tesri, developing a plan of action in her mind. "Perhaps this route could lead to fruitation, though we would depend heavily upon the cooperation of Tesri Soweh's friend, Kaite. The only factor weighing in on the scales of the decision is whether locating Kaite would be easier than trying to locate the N2 ourselves. I pray that, in good fortune, you might have an idea as to where we can find this Kaite, Tesri Soweh?"
Meanwhile, Tangent had his lowered slightly as he was thinking back to his last moments with Reigne. Yes, she did have her sword with her in her final moments. He had seen it, but he couldn't remember touching it. So...that left...

"Kaité is still here in Adela. I can feel her." Norriden speaks up, gathering Tesri's attention. "If she's still fully working for the SSHE, then it would be best if we left Tesri behind when consulting her. She could put her duty before her feelings like I know she will. One thing is certain. I recall her mentioning her main mission on Earth as a SSHE agent. Where she is to protect Nazune. So, if that is still the case, then she would probably be able to lend us a hand for that matter." Norriden's explaination has thrown Tesri fully off guard. Perhaps there's more to his big brother than he ever thought.
"I also suggest we leave Neseraph and Insera here. If I'm not mistaken, then Sizzlebeast would still be near Kaité. Last thing we need is for him to go insane again." Norriden finishes. He was there when Sizzlebeast was rampaging last and he knows that the rage has died down. Tesri remains quiet about the current topic as Norriden seems to know how to handle everything so far.

Alexian was bit surprised when Norriden spoke up in Tesri's place as well. Nonetheless, so long as they had the knowledge they needed, it was no matter who supplied it or how they did so.
And even though she was thrown through a loop trying to think about who 'Sizzlebeast' might be, she concurred with Norriden's judgment concerning him. "Very well then. We will do what is necessary in order to attain what we need."
"Yeah, we don't like him very much either," Neseraph agreed in his own way.
Insera had no words to share on the subject of Sizzlebeast, merely a sour look at the mention of the name.
"I believe that settles the matter of finding Elial's sword for now." Alexian shifted her view to Tangent and initiated the next topic, "Next we can discuss the location of Reigne's sword, to which Tangent would know more of than I."
Tangent, his head still slanted downward, glanced up with his eyes at Alexian and rest of the party sitting at the table. "I am of little use. There is only one thing that I know; at Reigne's burial, there were only two. Myself..." He slowly looked over at Insera, "and the Blood Angel Zekial, formerly her most trusted servitor. I did not take the sword...but perhaps Zekial did. We traveled together only for a short time before parting ways to pursue our individual goals. Where he has gone is a mystery to me...though I doubt that he would spend much time on Earth, for there is only one reason why he would be on Earth now."
Insera pursed her lips tightly, an emotional mixture of hate and something more...basic. She knew that she was the one reason.

Alexian smiled genially and attempted to counsel the Outcast, "You must not be so hard on yourself, Tangent. And do not worry; we will locate Reigne's sword, and you have helped us towards that end."
Tangent half-heartedly nodded his head once, saying in such a way that it was incredibly difficult to discern how he actually felt, "It is certainty."
Satisfied to an extent, Alexian then spoke generally to the assembly at the table, "We will begin the search for Elial's sword first then. And when the time comes and Kynrei awakes, we shall learn all she will wishes to tell and form a more direct plan from that point."
With an air of conclusion, Alexian inched her seat back in preparation to stand up, "At present, I think we all could use a night of rest before we begin. Allow yourselves to recouperate fully and be well rested, for we start in the coming dawn. Until such time, I bid all you good fortune and the blessings of my gratitude. Farewell."
Alexian stood up from her seat and gave the group a warm smile. Not two seconds afterward, reality seemed to take a quick shift and she vanished. Though it wasn't like the Avatar of the High Seraphim simply disappeared, but rather was never there.
"Well..." Neseraph stretched both of his arms high up into the air, groaning once he relaxed his muscles and brought his arms back down to his sides. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not tired yet; night's too young. I'll probably go smoke a few and see where I go from there." He glanced at Insera and offered, "Wanna come?"
Standing up from her seat and making sure her tie was absolutely perfect at the same time, she replied unenthusiastically, "I would rather not accompany you on your midnight rampage throughout all of Adela Village."
"For old times' sake, maybe?" Neseraph suggested, making a pleading gesture with his hands to get on her nerves.
"I am sorry, but I will be busy. I will purchasing you a dictionary so that you may stare at the entry for the simple word 'no' until something clicks in your skull." Insera reached into her pocket and withdrew a key on a large ring while Neseraph 'Aww...'-ed in a defeated sort of way. "I am going to the room."
With that, Insera started for the elevator that had brought everyone up to the Diner.
Tangent slowly rose from his chair, saying to no one in particular, "Perhaps I...nevermind." In no manner of rush, the Outcast began to head for the elevator as well, which effectively put him on Insera's trail.
Neseraph gradually stood up, slipped a cigarette between his lips once on his feet. "I hear the view is pretty nice from the roof..." Shrugging and leaving those words behind himself, he started in the opposite direction towards the small staircase near the corner of the Diner that led up to the rooftop of the building.
Then Virtue, who had remained quiet for the most part during the meeting, stood up and walked casually enough to Norriden, saying something directed to him particular, "Sir Utor, might you spare me a few words...alone?"

Norriden sat in his chair, knowing exactly what is to be done at the moment while everyone else leaves. Even Rosa got up and headed for the elevator without a word.
"Night, bro." Tesri notes to Norriden as he stands up and heads for the elevator as well. Norriden remained seated while he continued with his thoughts. His thoughts were slightly derailed as Virtue addressed him directly. He simply looked up at her and then turned his view towards everyone else heading for the elevator. Soon, he returned his gaze upon Virtue.
"Yes? What is it?" Norriden asks as soon as he realizes that everyone else is too far out of reach from hearing anything.

Even though the rest of the company that was at the table had vacated the immediate area, Virtue waited a moment before she began to say anything.
She turned her head slightly to her left, then over to her right before focusing entirely on Norriden in front of her, "For what I am about to ask I mean no offense - I am merely attempting to safeguard the integrity of the alliance forged here this day." She paused, then finally asked her question, "Sir Utor, how trustworthy is your brother. I could not help but notice that you gave him a less than warm reception when he happened upon us during our meeting, granted the situation at the time was a bit...tense. I only ask your opinion of him, since you would know him best."


By the time that Tangent arrived at Room 237, Insera was already inside sitting on the edge of one of the beds (one of the finer beds, as opposed to the less extravagant beds typically reserved for servants) and performing maintenance checks on her small collection of firearms. She glanced up at the Outcast when she heard the door open, but only for a second before she went back to her work with her weapons.
After taking a glance around the room, Tangent made a standard attempt at conversation, "How do you fare, Insera?"
"I suppose that I could complain..." She looked back up at the Outcast with a curt little smile, "but that would do nothing but waste breath."
A second passed and she said to him, "And how about you? I notice that you have finally decided to call me by my proper name."
"Change..." Tangent started as he sauntered forward, taking a few more glances about the scenic room. "comes suddenly."
Insera snickered in an amused manner. "I am sure we could tell one another endless stories..."
Tangent's wandering eventually brought him to the bed that Kynrei rested on, with the clone of Virtue standing guard close by. He leaned in a bit closer, taking a good look at the unconscious woman, "So...is this Kynrei?"
"Yes," answered Insera without looking up from her maintenance this time. "What a striking resemblance to Nazune, I know. I admit that I was deceived when I first saw her but a few moments ago until I was told otherwise by Virtue the clone. You can almost be absolutely certain that there must be a reason for that."
"Interesting..." said Tangent as he curiously, though slowly, felt a small portion of her hair with his fingers, as if testing to see if she were real.

Norriden smiled when Virtue asked him her question. His first smile in a long time.
"There's really no issue. I simply overreacted. I'm far more tense than anyone within this building at the moment. I was a bit edgy about everything. When I first met my brother, we were enemies. In the end, we settled our differences and he helped get me where I am now. Nothing to worry about." Soon after his part of the story, Norriden stood up and began walking for the staircase Neseraph went for. He had something else on his mind. Something more pressing. Opportinity dissolves with time, so it's best to take up on it as soon as possible. Right now, rest is the last thing Norriden will ever think about.

Virtue stood there and took in Norriden's answer, simply nodding what he was done and managing to get, "That is good to hear," in before he took his leave. She remained motionless as Norriden left, watching him go as he did. Saying that Norriden seemed to be a complex man was an understatement, and Virtue could only ponder what thoughts were in his mind.
Not for long though; she brought her right hand up to her ear and deactivated herself, causing her body to dissolve into a thin, cyan gas and her consciousness to be transferred to the clone that she had made of herself.


The locals weren't kidding.
As Neseraph lit his cigarette and took a drag, he could swore that he saw a couple nostalgic spots in the town from his vantage point on the roof.
He thought he recognized the street where he convinced Tethra to sign Nazune's Pact over to him; that looked like the small little inn where he and Nazune had the first part of their duel; and was that's Reigne's old private house over there?
Neseraph grinned as he allowed the smoke to escape from his mouth and sail away in the wind. Why was it that when one started looking into the past for too long, they couldn't help but think about the future? Or maybe he had been thinking about the future by looking at the past.
He remembered when he first came to this time, back in the Nomads forest. Fresh out of Sanctuary, little was different about anything save for the scenery. But now...look how far he had come in such a relatively small amount of time. Look at everything that had happened. Look at him now. This was no longer simply an escape from the present for a short time...it had become something more. What it all meant was something he could only feel but couldn't grasp, like everything outside one's understanding.
Where had he been? Where is he now? And where is he going?
The three great questions.
And then Insera too...
Where had they been? Where are they now? And where are they going?
Neseraph took another drag on his cigarette, blowing the smoke out into the wind consciously.
The more he kept on thinking deeply, the more he realized how little he knew.
And he grinned.
God damn it.


"Tangent," said the clone, or rather, the real Virtue as she assumed control. "What are you doing?"
The Outcast retracted his hand as if scolded and answered, "Testing deception." He then peered a little more closely at Virtue and asked, "Is that...?"
She anticipated the question and answered succinctly, "Yes. This is now the original Virtue."
Tangent couldn't hold back a smirk. "How...intriguing."
"You should get some rest like Alexiannastraziel recommended," suggested Virtue, adding with a glance at Insera, "Both of you."
"Of course," replied Insera as she continued to her checks on the last firearm. "I will be finished shortly."
Tangent shrugged, then started for the nearest corner in the room, "I will try..." Once there, he slumped down into a seated position in the corner and let his body go limp and lazy, though he looked wide awake.
The Outcast's choice of resting place almost sent Virtue's thought processes through a loop of fire, but she discontinued thinking about it and classified it as 'Strange' like many other aspects of real life.

"Amazing, isn't it? Adela is such a grand and marvelous place, but nowhere near as grand as Serendipity." Norriden's voice speaks out from behind Neseraph. Soon enough, he walks up and leans over the edge and looks out over the expansive village.
"Much has happened here, but not enough. I'm not familiar with Adela, yet I am." Norriden seemingly speaks to himself before he turns to Neseraph.
"What about you? What do you think? I know our past has not been too bright, but now's the time we've had no choice but to set it aside. What do you plan to do with the night while the others rest?" Norriden questions Neseraph. He knows that whatever Neseraph thinks is none of his business, but what harm is a little small talk?

Neseraph casually glanced over his shoulder when he heard Norriden's voice and followed his movements up to the railing. He listened to what the demonic angel had to say, and eventually decided to lean on the railing himself.
A new beginning...Alexian was right.
"I don't know..." He blew some more smoke into the wind. "They both look the same to me. Just spent more time here than there...and all kinds of shit happened here. Maybe...I'm actually starting to like this place, I don't know."
Neseraph inhaled on his cig and let out the smoke slowly - this worked wonderfully on his nerves. "Shit, you should see Sanctuary from my time. That's a real piece of a city there. I practically spent the latter half of my Hellsend career there..." Neseraph chuckled to himself and said, "Hellsend career...wow, that just sounds bad. I'd never put that on a resume."
This time he only took a small drag on his cigarette and let the smoke escape through his nose calmly. "I don't know about you, but I'm about to take a stroll down memory lane. You know, see the sights, try to figure out where I'm going, that shit. And there's plenty for me to visit here."
Neseraph smoked a little more slowly now that his cigarette was nearing its end. He glanced over at Norriden and asked, "How 'bout you? What's got you up past the witching hour?"

Norriden listened to Neseraph without even turning to him. Though he was rather vulgar, he's an intresting fellow. Perhaps there is more that meets the eye. Then he asked Norriden the same question. Norriden smiled again as he looked down at the streets below.
"We all have much to accomplish with little time to waste. Kaité isn't going to stay in Adela overnight. It's not like she's waiting for us to come find her." Norriden explains as he points in the direction of where the destroyed art museum is in.
"The fight is over, but there isn't much time before she leaves to report in with her agency." At that point, Norriden steps up onto the railing and looks down at Neseraph.
"Kynrei was right. Time is against us." With that, he leaps off the railing and begins to fly in the direction of the art museum.

Neseraph peered over in the direction Norriden pointed to with his hand, seeing the ruins of that fateful art museum.
"Ah...the Art Museum," mused Neseraph as Norriden took flight. "That's one of the stops on my nostalgic hitlist for the night." And, even though Norriden was now probably a couple hundred feet away from him now, he added, "Be there in a sec."
Neseraph took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew one last stream of smoke into the wind. He tossed the cig over the railing and took out his direct link cell phone. After getting it into text mode, he typed out a small message and sent it to Insera's phone:
Love U Babe.
He chuckled to himself and slipped the phone back into his coat pocket. Sprouting his Angelic wings, Neseraph took flight as well and followed after Norriden. Neseraph remembered what he had said about the dangers of Sizzlebeast, but so what, this was important, and somethings were worth the risk.


*CHIK-CHIK!*
Insera finished her checks on her last firearm and loaded it, prepping it to be combat ready at a moment's notice. After the task of maintaining her arms was complete, she turned her body in such a way as to block Virtue's potent view. She reached into her pocket and withdrew Nazune's Mirror Bracelet, which she and Neseraph had managed to garner.
Insera took in a deep breath, hoping against all odds, then tapped the mirror with her finger just as she had seen Nazune do it.
...
Nothing.
Insera narrowed her eyes a little in frustration and tried again. Come on...
...
Nothing.
She scowled in growing aggrevation at the malfunctioning device and tapped the mirror rather angrily.
*beep bee-bee-beep* *beep bee-bee-beep*
!!!!
Insera grew excited for all of about two seconds until she realized that it was her phone that was making the noise and not the Bracelet. With clenched teeth, she forcibly dove her hand into her trouser pocket and extracted her phone to find one new message from Neseraph's number:
Love U Babe.
Insera probably could have cracked stone under her furious, gritting teeth. She began to punch in a nasty response and keep her anger under control at the same time, but her efforts in the latter were, for the most part, failing miserably.

Norriden's flight didn't take long. Flying across Adela to get to the Art Museum seemed a lot like simply crossing the street. He landed by the destorted gate that Sizzlebeast ran down during his rampage. Alas, the museum was the first building to go. Luckily, it was the only building to go before something was done. Funny, the sky was completely clear all night, but it seems like it rained recently. Only in this area too. Norriden looks to his right to see a group of individuals. Three were unconscious, three were standing. The downed three were Noubohri, Sizzlebeast, and some woman that happened upon the situation when it escalated. Only few know that she was the entire cause for the rain. Noubohri is out, cold, while Sizzlebeast lays in a rather large puddle of water. The standing three were Kaité, an oblivious old man, and a scantidly clad woman in black leather. Kaité sees Norriden and her face lights up.
"Norriden! You're alive!" Kaité yells out as she runs up to him to embrace him. Norriden was only relieved to see that Sizzlebeast has been stopped.
"Kaité, I need your help. It's a matter that involves Nazune. But it would also mean for you to spy on the SSHE to get information." Norriden begins. Kaité looks up at him and nods her head.
"Anything for the safety of Lady Nazune." She replies.
"Good." Norriden finishes before looking over Kaité to view the situation at hand.

Neseraph touched down a moment after Norriden and Kaite finished greeting one another, retracting his wings upon landing. He took a look around the immediate area first...and was thinking 'What in Hell happened here?'
Some people taking dirt naps, some people actually conscious and a couple familiar faces among them. And lots of water...well, the Museum was on fire when he had to escape from there.
And define irony: Sizzlebeast was one of those laid out in the scene. Maybe he finally got what was coming to him...but no matter what happened, it did make the present a lot easier to deal with as Neseraph was about to spend his moments reflecting on the past while Norriden went about his business with Kaite.
Then the time came; no more holding it off.
Neseraph gradually shifted his view to the decimated Museum, slipping his hands into his coat pockets and taking a few steps forward to get a better look at it.
What a fateful place; it would never be forgotten, nor forgiven. This was where the Path of the Damned ended; this was the place that Bishop Keller died.
Neseraph had to give the man credit; the man held his own for the longest while throughout everything that had happened, both in Sanctuary and here.
Maybe he had moved onto to a better place now...or so optimism might suggest.
"So long, Keller," Neseraph said a few more final words to his memory. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and slipped it between his lips, "This one's for you."
Neseraph took out his lighter and lit his cig; dedicating a smoke to Bishop was his own particular way of honoring him.

"Who's that?" Morrigan asked as she walked up, eyeing Norriden. Kaité turned to Morrigan.
"This is Norriden. He's Noubohri's son and the one that has closer ties to Sizzlebeast." Kaité explained.
"Okay, what I want you to do is find out any information reguarding the Hellsend's N2. Mainly, where they could possibly be now. It is important to extract information from them. When you have gathered the information we need, I want you to meet me at Room 237 at the Skylight Inn." Norriden notes to his green haired friend. Kaité simply nodded and turned to Morrigan.
"Agent Morrigan, could you finish cleaning up the situation here?" Kaité asks.
"No prob. I'll let the beast go about his ways when he wakes up, since he's no longer a threat to the public. What about the others though?" Morrigan points out.
"Just take them to the agency. Brevedor can take care of them from there. They're in good hands." Kaité finishes up with Morrigan, who walks away to tend to the fallen woman. Before turning back to Norriden to address him one last time, Kaité walks over to Noubohri to retrieve something from his pockets. Once she gets back to Norriden, she hold out her hand to reveal his lost glove.
"I think you will be needing this." She notes with a smile. Norriden smiles as well as he takes his glove and slips it on. The one horn on his head sinks back into his forehead while his demonic talon becomes a humanesqe foot again. His face returns completely back to normal with his scar still intact while his right arm is no longer covered in rough, black skin. Norriden is back to normal. The change even mended his clothing back to normal as it was before he went demonic.
"Thank you, Kaité" Norriden finishes as the angel before him vanishes in a bright light.

Halfway through with his smoke, Neseraph heard his cell phone beeping in his coat pocket - Insera must have sent him a return message. He grinned and slipped his hand into the pocket, rummaging around until he felt the phone in his hand. Upon extracting the device and looking at the small screen, he snickered when he saw the message that read:
Kill you in your sleep!
She must have been feisty tonight; that was a little more violent than usual.
After laying the half-finished cigarette down on the wet ground, Neseraph began to type in another message to send to Insera; this was quickly becomely one of his favorite pasttimes - bothering Insera by phone with text messages.
When the message was complete, it read:
Sweet dreams.
Neseraph smirked and dropped the phone back into his coat pocket, turning then to see what was going on with Norriden and his mission. And apparently things went pretty well, as Norriden was looking better than ever by the time Kaite disappeared.
He sauntered up next to him and commented, "Lookin' sharp, there. Did you get a haircut or something?" Partaking in the wonderful view of Morrigan's backside while she was tending to one of the unconscious, Neseraph asked with a blatantly interested tone, "And who's this, now?"


Insera tossed herself back onto the bed, the impact of her head hitting the pillow a rather pleasure experience. She allowed her body to relax, her muscles to untense themselves...
Sleep...a luxury she used to partake in and enjoy. Now she slept sporadically and with one eye open, always on alert. A peaceful night's rest was a commodity that was hard to come by now.
She smiled slightly...this bed was comfortable.
Really comfortable...
Really, really comfortable...
...
Mmmm...comfortable...
....
*beep bee-bee-beep!* *beep bee-bee-beep!*
Just as she falling asleep, Insera was snapped back into reality by the god-awful, annoying beep alert of her phone.
She growled angrily, provoking Virtue to look in her direction to see what the matter was, and wrenched her phone from her pocket to see an ironic text message from Neseraph's number:
Sweet dreams.
Insera was mad enough to throw the phone across the room.
And she did.
WHACK!
Tangent opened his eyes as something hard and solid slammed into his head and fell onto his lap.
A phone.
He glanced over in the direction it came and asked, "Did you want something, Insera?"
"Yes! Tell Neseraph to choke on his own saliva and die miserably!!" Insera yelled furiously before she buried her face in her pillow and forcibly brought another one down on her head and held it there with both hands.

Norriden smirked a bit when Neseraph walked up. Yeah, change can be good sometimes. Then the fool asked about Kaité's co-worker. Norriden shook his head slowly as he began to walk away.
"I wouldn't even try. Just leave that alone, Neseraph. If you know what's good for you, just leave it alone." Norriden begins just before he yawns.
"I don't know about you, but I'm gonna head back to the hotel and get some rest." He finishes as he spreads his still freakish looking wings. With one flap, Norriden proppels himself into the air and flies back towards the hotel. Morrigan, seeming like a busy woman, stands back up and heads towards Noubohri to check out how he's fairing.

Neseraph glanced over his shoulder to follow the retreating Norriden's moves, a sly smirk on his face the entire time.
"I'll be back later, still got a couple more places to visit..." he replied in reference to Norriden's departing words.
And he waited until Norriden was off the ground and primarily in route to the hotel before he slowly shifted his gaze back over to Morrigan.
Just leave it alone, he says. If you know what's good for you, he says, thought Neseraph.
Sounds like, dare he say it, a feisty one? Right up his alley...those were the kind of women Neseraph liked - life on the dangerous side.
Neseraph cleared his throat in a manly way before he slipped both of his hands into his coat pockets and sauntered nonchalantly in Morrigan's general direction, acting like he was minding his own business.
Only when he was a few feet away did he "notice" Morrigan and stop in his tracks, saying smoothly, "Hey... Nice night, tonight, huh?"


And back in Room 237, Tangent was trying to figure out how that particular device functioned, Insera was going nowhere fast as far as sleep was concerned now, and Virtue was still standing in the same spot as she was for the last twenty minutes.
"Hmm..." Tangent rubbed his chin with his tentacle arm.
Just a simple human device, how hard could it be?
"Hmmmmm..." Tangent rubbed his chin again with the tentacle arm.
It had been such a while since he had worked with anything technical...so he randomly pushed a button, causing the phone to beep.
The Outcast pressed another button, the phone beeping once again.
Insera squirmed.
"No...that's not it," he observed as he pressed a couple more buttons several times to get back to where he started.
Then tried a couple new buttons, causing the phone to beep each time.
Insera tossed in the bed and rolled over onto her other side.
*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep!*
"Ah, there it is..." said Tangent as he found the texting application on the phone.
Insera relaxed a little, trying to get comfortable again...
...
*beep*
*beep*
Tangent was slowly typing out the message to be sent to Neseraph, one letter at a time and a beep for each one-
"Where is the bathroom!?" Insera questioned harshly as she suddenly sat up in bed.
Virtue glanced in her direction and pointed towards a door across the room, "There are the utilities, Lady Insera. Is there any particular reason for you asking?"
After jumping out of bed and trudging towards that door, she replied, "Thank you. I just need...a drink of water."
Tangent kept on typing away.

Neseraph thinks he's so slick, but not at a time like this. He has no idea what he's getting himself into. She hears him, but continues to tend to the fallen.
"No, not really. It could have been, but it's not. Especially if he were still awake." Morrigan answers, not looking away from Noubohri as she tends to him, but points in Sizzlebeast's general direction.
"If you were here when he was awake, then you would probably think the same thing." She continues.

As soon as Insera enters the bathroom, Norriden enters the room. He looks around without any words for a second before he heads for the bed nearest to the bed Kynrei sleeps on. He folds his wings back as he slides into the bed and lays on his side. Looks like he will be able to get some decent rest.

Neseraph's eyes followed Morrigan's hand and trailed over to Sizzlebeast after she pointed him out. His gaze lingered on the unconscious beast for a couple seconds before it reset on Morrigan.
Despite of her disagreement about the quality of the night, or perhaps because of it, Neseraph went off on a tangent and turned the subject around on a dime, "Did anyone ever tell you that black is your color? I think it compliments you very well." Neseraph grinned and pinched his black longcoat, taking a casual glance at it with his eyes. "And how about that? I like it too, it really goes along with what I...do, or used to do rather, heh heh." He paused for a second, then asked suggestively, "Do you actually like what you do?"


Virtue looked towards the front door of the room when it opened, seeing Norriden come in.
"Good evening, Sir Utor," she greeted, almost in the same way an automatic teller machine would thank a customer for utilizing it.
She watched as he crossed the room and summarily collapsed on next bed to Kynrei's own.
"...Good night, Sir Utor," said Virtue, as if it took her a moment to think of what to say.

Impressive.
Or at least Insera would have been impressed by the fact that the building had its own special plumbing system if she were not halfway sleepwalking. Securing a glass and holding it under the cold water faucet, she filled it until was nearly running over. She threw her head back and downed the entire glass without taking a breath, bringing the glass back down to the counter rather harshly.
After a moment of simply breathing and leaning on the counter, Insera glanced up and looked into the mirror in front of her.
...
This is you; mirrors never lie.
She stared at herself for a while, reflecting deeply on what she saw...until she realized that she had no sleeping attire of any kind.
She made a silent, annoyed laugh and cursed softly, "Damn it." Maybe there was something around here...

After a moment, Insera came out of the bathroom in a plain nightgown and with her regular clothes neatly folded in her hands.
As she was walking back over to her chosen bed, Tangent spoke to her, "I have sent Neseraph your message."
"Good boy," replied Insera as she laid her clothes down on the end table next to the bed, near her weapons. "Now, if you so much as make the slightest sound again tonight, I am going to put a bullet through your mouth. Do you understand where I am coming from?"
Tangent, on the learning curve, nodded his head in response and set the phone down gently.
"Excellent," said Insera as she got into her bed.
And Virtue could only wonder why Insera was such a violent individual.

"Black isn't a color." Morrigan was quite to answer Neseraph's first statement. He jumps aroung in speech, but that's getting him nowhere fast.
"I rather enjoy what I do, but what business it is, is none to you." The woman answers in riddled form. She stands up from where she was tending to Noubohri and holds her hand out over him. A small serge of visible static shoots out from he fingertips and lifts Noubohri off the ground. She slowly moves Noubohri from where he laid and gently places his form right next to the fallen woman. Intresting way of moving things.

"That so?" Neseraph asked as if to confirm what he heard. He grinned, then complimented in an odd way, "Keep up the good work, you're doing a fantastic job."
*beep bee-bee-beep!* *beep bee-bee-beep!*
His face lit up with a bit of surprise as his phone alerted him that he had received a new message. Reaching into his pocket to retrieve his beeping phone, Neseraph smiled at Morrigan and said, "Excuse me, but I gotta take this."
He secured the phone and turned away slightly before he looked at the screen to see an unorthodox and rather long message from Insera's number:
Insera says choke and die miserably.
Neseraph chuckled a little and dropped the phone back into his pocket. He turned back to face Morrigan, saying, "The best pleasures are the ones quick and fleeting..." He glanced upwards slightly and sprouted his wings from his back, finishing with, "I've got a few more places to go tonight, but maybe if you're still in the neighborhood later we can go and talk...business, somewhere."
Leaving that, Neseraph leaped up into the air and started to glide easily towards his next destination on his memoir checklist.


Back in the room, Virtue was starting to notice the lack of three of the people in the alliance and the growing time difference between now and the end of the meeting.
Sir Neseraph seemed to be taking quite a long time doing...what it was that he went to do on the rooftop of the building.
Sir Utor's brother didn't come to the room or even hint at where he was going, the same holding true for Lady Buki. Virtue had thought that they were right behind Lady Insera and Sir Tangent on their way back to the room...perhaps she was mistaken.
So long as everyone was alright for the night, everything would work out well one way or another she assumed.
And the morning would come soon enough...

Morrigan shook her head with a smile on her face when Neseraph took his leave. Nothing ever changes, no matter who it is she talks to.
"Men..." She notes to herself before holding her hand out over the two fallen. Her and the two suddenly vanish, along with the old man. Where they went, only Morrigan knows.

The hours of the night were beginning to drag on, Insera and even Tangent fast asleep.
Luckily, Virtue didn't know boredom or she would have been pulling her hair out at this point. She simply continued to stand guard over Kynrei's bed as the other proxy rested and recovered from her close encounter with Mother.
Then, the door creaked open-
!!!!
Virtue's eyes darted in the door's direction, and she was halfway to brandishing her weapon until she realized that it was Neseraph who stepped through the portal.
She relaxed and greeted him quietly, "Good evening, Sir Neseraph. It is very late, and you should get what rest you can before dawn."
Neseraph nodded his head and replied equally low in volume, "Yeah, I know." He put a finger to his lips in the darkness of the room and added, "Shhh...I wanna try something."
Though slightly perplexed, Virtue granted his request for silence.
Neseraph slowly and careful shut the door of the room, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then he began to creep through the dark room...towards Insera's bed.
When he got there, he ever so gently laid down on the bed and nudged his way close to Insera, trying his best not to wake her. And so far, his efforts were paying off; the hard part was to keep himself from snickering from the thoughts of how bad he was going to get beaten once she found out in the morning.
Once comfortable and comfortably close to Insera to the point of nearing spooning, Neseraph closed his eyes and sought sleep.
...And Virtue thought nothing more of the matter and went back to her duties. Strange...very strange thing, life.

"NESERAPH!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED!?!?"
On par with the loudest alarm clock in the known universe, Insera boomed loud and angry when she woke up that morning and felt that there was someone else in the bed behind her...and that that someone was Neseraph.
!!!!
"Ah!" Neseraph called out in surprise as he was startled from his sleep and unceremoniously dumped off of the bed at the same time.
Tangent awoke and instantly rose to his feet, looking ready to defend himself to the death...until it was merely a false alarm.
Virtue glanced in the direction of the loud and thunderous roar and said as a matter of course, "Good morning, Lady Insera." Then Neseraph met the floor...hard. "...Good morning, Sir Neseraph."
Despite himself, Tangent couldn't help but smirk a little as he then watched Neseraph get pounded further into the ground by Insera's foot.
"You will not ever sneak into my bed like that during the night again!! Do you understand me, Neseraph!? Never, not a once, bloody again!!" Insera yelled at him between vicious stomps.
"Ow! Ah! Shit! God damn! Ok! OK! I'm sorry, my bad!" Neseraph practically begged for his life until Insera let up a little. Not contributing to his continuing good health, he added foolishly, "You know...it was dark when I came in and I couldn't see-"
Insera stomped one more time on his head, grinding his face into the carpet and twisting her foot around to wrench his face in further. "Save your rubbish, Neseraph, I will not hear it! Your actions were obviously intentional, I know you too well to think otherwise!"
She rolled across the bed and grabbed her regular clothes on the end table, hopping off of the bed and exasperatedly making her way to the bathroom, slamming the door as she went in.
"Sir Neseraph...?" Virtue hazardly, peering over Kynrei's bed at his fallen and severely mashed form.
He held up his hand and waved, a muffled "Yo," could be heard as his face was still deep in carpet.
Thinking of the proper way to word her question, Virtue hesitated for a moment, "Do you...actually like provoking Lady Insera to such violence?"
Neseraph made a thumbs up sign, then let his arm go limp and fall back down.
Virtue immediately ceased thought processes on that matter...way, way too strange.
And, somehow, Tangent, while looking towards one of the windows from which the morning sunlight filled the room, came to the conclusion, "Perhaps it will be a good day..."

Norriden shot up out of bed when Insera yelled out, shoved Neseraph out of her bed, and began pumbling him into the carpet. Well, at least he had enough sleep. While still in his bed, Norriden rotated around and sat up at the edge of his bed, just before the front door to the room bursts open. Norriden's attention was instantly drawn to the door. He soon relaxed a bit when he realized it was only Rosa, running in with a panicked look on her face.
"What happened?!" She asks with no delay. Norriden smirked a little.
"It's nothing, Rosa. Don't worry about it." Norriden answers the woman. She then decides to drop her guard and relax a bit.

Virtue nearly whipped out her pistol again...until she saw that it was Rosa and, like the very same upon hearing that the yelling was a false alarm from Norriden, relaxed her guard.
Tangent, too, glanced in the direction of the door when it was forcibly opened. Then, for reasons as mystical as his forecast for the day, greeted her, "Good morning, Rosa."
"Sir Utor?" started Virtue as she shifted her attention to the obvious. "Do you have any idea where your brother may be? He did not come to the room last night."
Neseraph, slowly recovering from his feral beating, managed to bring himself up to one knee and throw the weight of his upper body over the edge of the bed. He groaned and rubbed his head, commenting sarcastically to himself more than anyone else, "So this is what it feels like to be in love...ow, god damn."

Virtue questioned Norriden of his brother and he simply smiled at that.
"My brother goes where he wants and this room wasn't one of the places he would chose to go, it seems." Norriden points out the obvious just before the sliding glass door, leading to the balcony opens up. Tesri walks in, soon after.
"Man, that woman needs to tone her volume down. That was enough to wake the dead." Tesri states as he walks in. Norriden smiled again.
"I stand corrected." Norriden finishes to add to his smile.

Behold, like the mention of his name had summoned him.
"Excellent, I am glad that everyone is here and," she glanced at Neseraph, sort of reluctant to continue with the next word, "well. I pray that all of you have gotten the rest you needed for this coming day."
Insera, changed in back into her regular attire now, stepped out of the bathroom and was taken aback for a second when she laid eyes on Norriden and Tesri...then she remember that she was 'allied' with them and managed to calm herself down, though that didn't keep her from giving the brothers dubious looks.
Virtue stepped forward and walked to the middle-most place among the group, "We start today with our search for the woman called Kaite, indentified by Sir Soweh to be of potential aid to us in locating our primary target, the N2-"
"Norriden-" started Neseraph as he caught his breath and tossed himself up onto the bed to sit on the edge, "already took care of that piece, last night."
Shifting her gaze from Neseraph to Norriden, Virtue inquired, "Have you, Sir Utor?"
Kynrei opened her eyes.

Norriden looked up at Virtue when she mentioned Kaité. Before she could finish her topic, Neseraph interrupted with news of last night's occurances. Then Virtue turned to Norriden with her question. All he could do was look down at the ground in front of himself and smile at the same time.
"Yeah, You can say that." He adds just before Rosa realizes something.
"Look!" Rosa calls out as she points at Kynrei's bed, "She's awake." Norriden turns his attention quickly, please to see that time has lifted from it's slumber. Now information is at hand.

The attention of practically the entire room shifted in that instant. Virtue immediately went to the side of Kynrei's bed and inquired like a concerned doctor, "Are you alright, Kynrei? How are you feeling?"
The proxy of Mother didn't respond at first; she simply scanned the room slowly from left to right, taking a good look of everyone in the room as well. Virtue was about to ask her again when she finally spoke of her own accord, "I have not slept...nor have I dreamt." Kynrei brought a hand to her forehead and continued quietly, "I became in tune with my source, my Creator...I had no choice; She bid me so.
"She showed me the inevitable; that I am going to die. But...I knew this from the moment I defied her will. She also asked about the one that Nazune loved...the one named Norriden Utor."
The attention of practically the entire room shifted back to Norriden in that instant.
Slowly, Kynrei turned her head to look directly at Norriden as well. "And she gave me message...a message to give to you." Kynrei paused for a brief moment, then relayed, "She said: 'You are trying to take Nazune away from me, and I cannot allow that to happen.'"

Norriden was the only one that was recting differently than everyone else. He kept his eyes focused on Kynrei the entire time. Upon hearing that it is inevitable for Kynrei to die, Norriden thought about one thing he has learned in his life. The time you are born is when you begin to die. Everyone dies, it's just a matter of when and how long they will live before then. Then the message was brought up and relayed to Norriden. His eyes then narrow as he continues to stare at Kynrei.
"Nothing will stop me, not even death." Norriden finalizes. He is determined and nothing can destroy his determination.

Neseraph grinned and remarked like a professional commentator, "Ooo...sounds like fightin' words to me."
Tangent cupped his hand around his chin, saying mostly to himself, "Not even death..."
Insera scoffed and smirked amusedly, unable to contain herself.
And when the moment passed, Neseraph sparked the next round of conversation with a question as he leaned forward on the bed and held his hand out, "Now, let me get this straight...this Mother, the person we're up against, is your...creator?"
Kynrei glanced over at Neseraph after breaking eye contact with Norriden and responded to him, "That is correct. I am a proxy of the High Seraphim Mother, made in the image of Nazune as she was as an Angel under Elial's command and for the purpose of aiding her in the Trial of Movement, another contrivance of my Creator's. After I had performed by part in her play and fulfilled my purpose, I was supposed to be unmade and returned to my source...Mother. However, I was born with my own free consciousness...and I knew of my Creator's deception, even going so far as to warn Nazune of betrayal. Alas, my warning was in vain, and Nazune went on to complete the four Trials and eventually slay her adversary, Elial the Archangel. When these happenings transpired, I grew bolder...and openly defied my Creator's will to have me return to my source. It was my hope that perhaps, there would still be time to save Nazune from my Creator's twisted plans...and that hope may yet shine brightly."
Unusually intrigued, Virtue asked with a voice laden with said interest, "You were...born with a free consciousness?"
Kynrei looked to her fellow proxy and answered, "My Creator is no ordinary High Seraphim anymore. She no longer dwells in the glories of Upper Heaven, but rather she has carved her own small Realm among the first three. During her separation from Upper Heaven, many...transitions took place. The Glories that she used to be able to invoke as a High Seraphim of Upper Heaven have become severely...anomalous. In a manner of speaking, my own anomaly is that I was born as an image in a mirror with no one on the other side."
Virtue lowered her head a little; she looked almost...heartbroken, something that Tangent took notice of.
Insera crossed her arms and asked Kynrei directly, "That is enough banter. I think that we want to know the exact location of this 'High Seraphim Mother' so that we may end this more quickly."
Kynrei glanced over at Insera for a second before she tilted her head down, as if trying to think of the best way to compose her answer. "As I have said, my Creator calls her own Realm home. You might know of the three Realms, or perhaps the term 'universes' is something you may be more familiar with - Heaven, the First; Hell, the Second; Earth, the Third. I do not know how it was done, but Mother has created her own Realm in which to dwell. It is there that you will find Mother..." she looked up at Norriden, "and it is there that you will find Nazune - the Nazune that you know and love."

Rosa remained speechless through everything. She believes it to be unspeakable to take on a former High Seraphim. Norriden thinks otherwise. He listened to Kynrei intently. He listened to every detail she had to offer. So, this Mother has her own realm. Perhaps it is the one Norriden once traveled to with Nazune. If only he knew. After Kynrei's last bit of information, Norriden pondered for a moment.
"Where can we find the other Nazune?" He questions after a short span of time. Perhaps that is their only lead to getting to Mother, to Nazune...

"The other Nazune?" Neseraph was summarily confused.
Insera rolled her eyes and prodded verbally, "Remember? It was only just last night that this was explained briefly."
Neseraph's eyes bounced around for a bit until it clicked, "Oh yeah. Split in two. Gotcha."
Tangent crossed the room and headed towards Virtue while Kynrei responded softly to Norriden, "I can do nothing to help you...but you can."
Kynrei crawled off of the bed and got up on her own two feet, walking slowly over to Norriden. "The blindfold...Nazune's blindfold...do you still have it? Put it on, and see for yourself."

Tesri finally turned his full attention to Norriden when Kynrei mentioned the blindfold. Norriden simply reached into his pocket and withdrew the blindfold. He stared at it for a long moment. He then glanced around at everyone in the room while holding the blindfold in his hand. Without a word, Norriden wrapped the piece of cloth over his eyes and tied it tight.

!!!!
At first, there was simply blackness like normally blindfolding oneself. Then, a vision of fire could be seen roaring all around Norriden for a brief but tense moment. When the fires died down, he could see a vision through the eyes of someone else.
!!!!
The morning was young, but the day was already bright and the merchants were already up. Today, the shops opened earlier, and everybody came to buy gifts.
Running. Running up to that one particular shop, wherein laid that one particular hat.
"Is it still for sale? Is it still for sale?" Asked the voice through which the vision was seen excitedly, a young female voice.
The shopkeeper, who had a black beard and was wearing a turban, smiled and replied, "Yes, my friend, no one purchase my hat. Can be yours, my friend."
Obviously enthused enough to bounce up and down on the toes of her feet, the voice replied, "I'll buy it!"
The shopkeeper nodded his head, sharing some of that enthusiasm, and replied, "Just three gold, my friend."
The vision looked down and rummaged through her knapsack, in which were a few items of little value and not many coins. A fair-skinned hand reached into the bag and collected three gold coins, eagerly handing them to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper took the coins and exchanged them for the hat. "Ah, thank you, my friend. Hat will look very nice on you, very nice-"
"Oh no, it's not for me, it's for my father!" replied the voice, still very excited-
!!!!
Abruptly, the vision ended, and the simple blackness from before returned.
"What have you seen, Norriden?" Kynrei asked for the second time, wondering if the vision had ended by now. There really was no telling.

Norriden heard Kynrei as soon as the vision ended. It was wierd indeed, but it was affective at that. Still doens't answer anything though. Norriden pulled the blindfold off and stared at it for a second, before turning to Kynrei.
"It was strange... like looking trough the eyes of an enthusiastic young lady at a market place, buying a hat for her father. That still doesn't explain anything to me." Norriden replies to the Proxy's question.
"Perhaps that is exactly where this other Nazune stands." Tesri finally speaks up. Rosa looks to Tesri for a brief moment, then stares at the blindfold in Norriden's hand.

"Yes..." Kynrei affirmed Tesri's suspicions. "That is correct. Norriden, you have witnessed what the Nazune born anew sees through the spirit of the Nazune you love, slowly being incorporated into her, even now, as we speak.
"Mother has had the advantage of time," Kynrei starts to explain, pacing off some as she continued, "Given that Nazune and her friends came through time to get here, I am little surprised that my Creator could have borne the new Nazune for her sick games in any given time frame between their time and now. We cannot know exactly how mature this new Nazune is, but...she will look the same, she always has."
"So basically we're looking for any female that looks remotely like Nazune?" Neseraph summed it up succinctly.
"That is all we can do," Kynrei admitted, glancing over at him.
Neseraph snickered and replied, "You're out of your fuckin' mind. That's crazy. I admit that she might have stood out back in Sanctuary but...here, somebody normal would be a rarity. Hell...would Nazune 2.0 still act like her old self, though?"
Kynrei shook her head. "It is not so, I know for certain. The new Nazune is living an oblivious life at present, completely unaware of what is happening or what has happened in the past...all until the Nazune of old is completely transferred into her, when I believe that my Creator will once again start her cycle of torment." She turned to face Norriden again and added, "The only way that we may have a chance at finding the new Nazune is to perhaps find something recognizable from the visions, a landmark or a person that could give us information."
A couple seconds after Kynrei finished speaking, the voice of Alexiannastraziel could be heard collectively in the heads of everyone in the room, save Kynrei herself:
I bid all of you a very good morning. I trust that everyone is well rested? We have little time to lose, so we must use every second available to us. How goes the search for Kaite?
Virtue, who had been sharing some private words with Tangent over by themselves all the while, looked up and responded to Alexian, "Sir Utor has already taken to the matter personally."
Insera was visibly bothered by the fact that she could hear the voice in her head.
And Kynrei looked confused.
"Yup," Neseraph added.
Kynrei looked even more confused.
An excellent day is upon us. I see that Kynrei has awoken as well. I pray that she has much to say about Mother?

So, it seems everything is falling perfectly into place. Everything was starting to make sense. Kynrei's information is more than helpful. Norriden just couldn't help but keep his thoughtful appeal. That is, until he noticed Kynrei's confusion about the others replying to Alexian.
"A marketplace?" Rosa questions, just before Norriden could say anything to the lost Proxy.
"That shouldn't be too hard. How many marketplaces could be in this world?" The woman continues with her questions.
"Three." Tesri answers. "Adela, Serendipity, and Connlaoth."
"Then we have our best leads." Norriden answers to that. "We should simotaniously search these destinations for any sign of Nazune." After Norriden finishes with his statement, a knock could be heard at the door.

Kynrei would have inquired why some people had suddenly started talking to the air, but the ball of the conversation got rolled into a different court and Rosa and Tesri took it from there.
Insera shook her head; Adela, Serendipity, or Connlaoth. Three full size kingdoms in which the newborn Nazune may be in...that really helped-
Before she could lament the situation any further, however, there came a knock at the door.
!!!!
Neseraph, Insera, Tangent, Virtue, and Kynrei all shifted their attention to the door.
"Are we expecting someone?" questioned Insera as she reached into her suitcoat.
"Just Kaite," replied Neseraph.
"And if that is not Kaite?" suggested Virtue apprehensively.
Neseraph and Insera glanced at each other. They each pulled out their firearms and aimed them at the door - they weren't taking very many chances. Virtue, as well, pulled out her silenced pistol and slowly started for the door-
When Tangent laid his hand on her shoulder and stopped her, offering with little choice, "Let me," proceeding ahead without waiting for the proxy to respond. She gave him a weird look, then provided additional cover of the door along with Neseraph and Insera.
The Outcast strode up to the door, using his tentacled arm to turn the knob and open it wide.

Norriden kept his hand on a gun in case it wasn't Kaité. Tesri was a bit iffy about the idea no matter what. Rosa stayed alert. When the outcast opened the door, an eerie lime green glow could be seen, eminating from the eyes of a woman with shoulder lengthed hair. She timidly looked into the room to see firearms being pointed in her general direction.
"Come in, Kaité." Norriden notes. Though she may be target practice right now, she slowly steps into the room and...

"Tesri?!" Kaité yells out as she pulls out a rapier to aggressively point at Norriden's younger brother with. Norriden walks up to he and places a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm yourself. These actions are not wise at the time being. Besides, what is more important? Destroying a traitor, or saving Nazune?" Norriden adds, trying to calm Kaité and relax her guard. She slowly lowers her weapon and looks at Norriden in a quizmical way.
"Save Nazune?" She question and Norriden closes his eyes to nod.
"Yes, she is in peril at the moment. We have all gathered here to take up arms on a common foe that has taken Nazune from me." Norriden finishes. Rosa is still, by far, confused.

Finally, some good news.
Everybody in the room lowered their weapons when they saw that it was indeed Kaite at the door, Insera being the last and carrying a face that conspicuous expressed her wondering as to why everyone was letting their guard down. Tangent closed the door behind her once the guns were down.
Well, good news for everyone except Tesri it seemed. Luckily for the sake of the relative peace of the situation, Norriden essentially got between him and Kaite and calmed the latter down.
"I am sure that you could fit destroying a traitor into your busy schedule," Insera said to Kaite suggestively, casting a nasty smirk towards Tesri.
Neseraph chuckled; Virtue glanced at the woman disapprovingly.
Even Alexian seemed relieved, as her evident by her voice once she spoke to everyone in the room again, save Kynrei:
I bid you my most sincere welcome, Kaite. My name is Alexiannastraziel, and, as might already know, we are in dire need of your help. In order to secure the former sword of the Archangel Elial to aid in our cause, we must first locate the group known as the N2. We have been led to believe that you might know of their whereabouts, and I humbly ask if you might lend us that knowledge.

Tesri was partially relieved that Kaité was halted by his brother. Though, Insera isn't really ranking to high on his good persons list. For that, he gave her a dastardly look. Then Alexian began asking Kaité of the whereabouts of the N2. She breathed in as she looked around at everyone.
"I gathered information indeed. The squadron, investigating the N2' activities on Earth have mentioned that they were last spotted at a warehouse, near The Frozen Treat ice cream parlor in Serendipity. Perhaps that is the best place to begin looking for them." The angelic woman explains. But something bothers her about the idea.
"What does Elial's sword have to do with Lady Nazune?" Norriden turns his attention towards the sliding glass window, overlooking the balcony, and stares outside. Rosa soon notices Norriden and tries to figure out what he's staring at. Nothing...

Sensing the other proxy's distress and confusion due to her inability to hear the voice of Alexiannastraziel, Virtue crossed the room and explained the matter to her quietly, offering to relay what Alexian said to her.
"Sounds good," said Insera as she crossed her arms. "We have a little score to settle with them..."
Neseraph grinned and concurred with her, "Yes we do."
And then Kaite's question, which Alexian set forth to answer, her voice heard by every applicable person in the room:
I regret to tell you that...Nazune is being held by another High Seraphim, known as Mother. In order to punish Mother for her deeds, and, hence, save Nazune, every one of us in this alliance must be at full strength, for it is no easy or simple task. I, however, am not whole in regards to my ability as a High Seraphim, for I have imparted two large portions of my power into two swords which I gave to the two Angels I loved most. If I were to have the swords returned to me, I could be restored to my full potential for the coming struggle.
I should like to extend my deepest gratitude and most heartfelt blessings for your service, Kaite. For if it were not for you, the Essence of Light might have never been found in time.
"Yup," concluded Neseraph as he got up on both feet, now recovered from his vicious beating. "So let's get a jump on things and move-"
"Wait," interjected Kynrei, turning to face him. "We cannot forget that the newborn Nazune is still out there. It would only be beneficial to the fading Nazune if she were safely in our care."
"This is true..." Tangent gave his input. "But where could we even begin to look for her? We know too little..."
"Then perhaps we should divide into two separate groups," suggested Insera, obviously having no qualms about the idea. "We certainly have the numbers to do such a thing."
Then Alexian spoke again, offering her take on the situation:
While it is true that the newborn Nazune would be safer in our protective custody, we may ill forget that finding the N2 and the Godsend Kure is a matter that has time opposing it. Furthermore, I do not believe that splitting our combined strength would be wise, and that it would give Mother an opportunity that she may very well utilize. Kynrei, how much peril is the newborn Nazune truly in? Though it pains me to ask, can we afford to let the newborn Nazune be for now while we concentrate fully on the task at hand?
After having the words of Alexian relayed to her by Virtue, Kynrei took a moment before she admitted, "I honestly do not know..."

Norriden came to attention after gazing out the window for a bit. He snapped to and focused on everyone in the room.
"Then our next move is decided. We hunt the N2 and hopefully find a lead to finding Elial's sword. It seems everything else will have to wait. We have little time to fool around, so it would be best to move out as soon as possible." Norriden announces to everyone within the vicinity.
"He's right." Kaité throws in her opinion, "If what was said is true, then time truely is against us." Tesri semi-smiles and he diverts his eyes and looks towards the ground. Rosa stands up be hind Norriden, ready for anything.

Sometimes difficult decisions had to be made; this was one of those times.
And Alexian voiced her support of Norriden's call:
I cannot stress how right Norriden is enough. Make haste, stay together, and gather near the shop known as The Frozen Treat before we begin our approach.
Despite nearly vomiting in her mouth from the thought of 'how right Norriden is', Insera seemed one of the most ready to move out and begin.
"Let us move," prompted Virtue. "To The Frozen Treat, I will meet all of you there."
Neseraph stretched his arms a little, then asked, "Hey Insera, wanna ride the Neseraph Express?"
SLAP!
He didn't even see Insera's hand move, Neseraph just felt the sharp sting and heard the crack like thunder after a lightning strike. He slowly raised his hand up to the cheek with the red hand mark on it and rubbed it soothingly, "Owww..."
"No, I am not interested in your offer since you phrased it so, thank you," Insera formally rejected him.
"Well," Neseraph glanced around the room. "You could let me carry you, or you have other great options like Norriden, Tesri, Kaite-"
Insera rammed her palm into his shoulder and spat, "You really are a conniving, opportunistic-"
"But that's why you love me, right? Huh? What was that? Yes? What?" Neseraph interrupted with a grin.
Fed up with Neseraph's mouth, Insera grabbed the back of his head and forced him to look at the glass door and the balcony. "Go. We have little time to lose, remember?"
"Yes, ma'am," replied Neseraph as he and Insera walked towards the door.
Meanwhile, Kynrei was looking more or less like a hitchhiker and sounded like one too when she made known, "I do not have any wings...if it is not too much to ask of someone."
"Neither do I," Tangent admitted indifferently with a shrug after giving his two shrunken, molted 'wings' a glance. "I will get there when I get there."
And without even asking for anyone's assistance like Kynrei, the Outcast began to trudge towards the balcony as well, meaning to jump to the ground and begin his trek to Serendipity.

Norriden soon picks Kynrei up into his arms as she makes herself known. He then looks to his brother and tilts his head in Rosa's direction.
"Tesri, could you bring Rosa?" Norriden asks. Tesri simply looks towards the woman and slightly smiles.
"Okay then." The younger demonic angel replies. He walks up to Rosa and picks her up into his arms. Kaité briefly glances at tesri as he does so before heading to the balcony. She spreads her wings and becomes the first to take to the sky. Tesri follows his older brother out and both of them take to the sky. Serendipity is all but a distance away.