Fighting. Why did people always have to be fighting? She exhaled a last plume of smoke, after taking another fake puff of the cigarette wedged between her teeth. The smoke lingered in the dense mist, swirling and rising ever so slowly. Soon it mingled with her condensed breath as she flicked away the butt and sighed deeply. Pausing, to analyse whether it would be prudent to intervene or not, given the state of affairs...

It was easy to turn to her favourite interaction repellent - smoking - especially after her spat with Tsuru, perhaps it was because she recalled that it annoyed him that she favoured it. An act of defiance that wasn't witnessed and so was rather unnecessary. In fact a lot of her anti-social tendencies had returned following that. The Knights were of course quick to take advantage of it. Apparently, somehow that made her the best candidate to be able to ward off all the possible hatred and dislike people harnessed towards her after her reprimand. You've dealt with it all before anyways, haven't you? How bad can it be? was their general philosophy.

She suppressed the urge to grumble about it, mostly because there was no one here to care or to listen. In a way she'd made her choice, to suffer the consequence was her choice too. She could have quit for real, she didn't have to play along with this quest for redemption, for an act that she didn't believe required a redemption of any sort to begin with... When she stepped out of her own misery, her wiser self (usually buried under all that brooding and self-pity) could see why the events had to unfold the way they did. Needless to say that is what propelled her to accept this fate, for the time being at least. How much of this would be on her own terms and how much would require her to be a mere pawn in the plan of the higher ups, was still to be determined.

'Hey! Cut it out!' she growled softly, her voice trembling as her teeth chattered. She didn't make the effort to budge from her spot though. Her words were probably too soft and maybe they didn't hear her at all. There was a time she was OK being ignored, even preferred it on the occasion, but in the wee hours of that morning, the Shimada was prickly. Forced back to the scene of her crime... well not exactly but even within the same town... and the nasty bite of the weather certainly did not aid her mood.

All the men saw, was her silhouette, as she stepped away from the wall she'd been leaning against ever so casually. She stood between them and the street-lamp, which was the only source of light in the dim, dank alleyway. Even the sun shied away from making an appearance this early and in the dismal weather. The drama of the mist and smoke sure must've been a sight especially with the halo like light reflecting of off the golden globe that floated behind her. 'I said, cut it out!' she exclaimed louder this time, but her voice devoid of anything too menacing and still rather nonthreatening. They took a moment to scrutinise her appearance, at least it got them to stop tugging at the sack of grains. She used to moment of silence and the attention she'd garnered to ask them what the hell was going on. They answered, but as she stepped closer and their eyes got accustomed one of them quickly supplemented it with asking her for her credentials.

She couldn't reveal her continued allegiance with the Rune Knights of course, not to intervene for such a small skirmish. She could see why the argument had become heated and there was a dire need for the passion to protect whatever one managed to salvage. 'I was with the Rune Knights.' she said through grit teeth, mostly to prevent them from chattering. 'I'm not anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm not strong enough to take that damn bag of grains and leave it for neither of you, so quit the squa-' they cut across her, since one of the men had noticed her face. 'Oh! You're that lass they fired, you have no authority here, get busy somewhere else.' she was compelled to argue and explain she wilfully chose to step down, it was a small concession they made to tend to her pride and for her agreeing to continue working undercover. But there was hardly any point to that now.

She merely crouched to pick up a stone. 'Well... do you also know why I was fired then?' she started, ever so softly. Tossing the stone and catching it again, she took another few steps closer. Enjoying the way she had captured their attention. 'It was for taking a life, off the books and believe me that wasn't the only one I'd taken.' she explained, rather nonchalantly. It irked her to confess this way, considering she still hadn't made peace with those incidents. Her training allowed her to hide it well. She slung the at the sack till it tore and spilled its contents and cocked her head. 'Divide, collect and consider this matter settled.' she said, this time in a tone that certainly did not warrant argument.

It worked. She truly had begun mastering the art of using her alleged past to play out her intimidation tactics, much like she used her darkness when it slipped out of control back in the day... As the scrambled over the spilled grains, she stood over the two, daring either to seek more than they should have. The odd thing was how they'd both accepted the fate with such ease. She believed she'd have more of a fight in her had she been swindled out of a half. Perhaps the sack was truly neither of theirs. So much for justice served... But it was all she could afford at the moment. From the corner of her eye, she noticed another figure closing in on them, from the little that she could make out, the person was armoured, the light glinted off the metal much like it did of off Akira's orb. Her breath hitched, but she remained composed. Perhaps it was time to practice all the preaching she'd been rehearsing. It certainly wasn't easy to fill her words with any passion or intent, at least initially.

For all intents and purposes, Aki was her own brand of agnostic. For her it was less about Illumin's existence and more about the lack of his involvement. With the way the world around her was, it certainly didn't offer much proof of any divine intervention. In a way, she'd read enough to know that there was proof supporting the existence of Illumin. Perhaps, she'd even find indisputable evidence of this, but that certainly wouldn't excuse the rampant crimes committed and the power struggle created in his name. Even if divine intervention could be witnessed in the form of all those blessings, she believed that He'd passed the baton onto those who didn't really give a crap about justice, equality and all those other noble and false expectations of rights. That Grace that was handed out to a chosen few, was like a medal for winning some competition they didn't even know the rules of. Perhaps even the otherwordly beings had their own agendas and much like humans used each other as pawns, the divine didn't spare them either.

Nonetheless, she had to try and realign her allegiance with the servants of the Church after all. Slowly but surely. While her purpose and goal was fairly set, her journey and method wasn't. She compelled the men in front of her to see the way of the light, to purge their sinful greed with fire, to earn the warmth (which she was in dire need of, but definitely not in the context she was referring it in, but rather... literally) and forgiveness of god. Should they fail they'd earn his wrath and so on she went. Her words were louder and clearer than before, as though this new holy spirit she'd harnessed offered her clarity and a lack of hesitance. She didn't shy away from spinning more tales, she added how through retribution she had earned his blessing, since she had nothing on her except the orb, it seemed like a fair tool to attribute to His gift.

So she went on for a bit, as they finished sweeping up the grains with their hands and collecting it in new sacks respectively. Once it was all done, the two men pretty much apologised and scrammed. She sighed softly and slunk slowly towards the armoured person. Tentative in her approach. As she got closer, peering through the mist allowed her to recognise the make of the equipment. She halted warily, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Could they be onto her? Did she mess up? Either way, she couldn't react in any manner that'd elicit suspicion. First, she had to glean more information. This could very well prove to be her first test... Of course it had to be in Orchidia... How fitting. 'Were you warned of a situation here? I hope you don't mind that I took care of it... I'm sorry if I overstepped.' she spoke, her tone soft again, sweeter than her usual broody self. It boasted of confidence but was devoid of any hint of ego or arrogance. The Shimada had to remain rather measured in this interaction and she was well aware of that...

The Shimada wondered how much of her pretentious sermon the woman had managed to catch, just the mere presence of a witness had inspired the performance after all, Akira would hate to see it go to waste. She held the woman's gaze as she chuckled and chimed in rather mirthlessly herself after hearing the words. There was much irony in the situation, for optimism was definitely not Akira's favoured trait. Not to mention the expectation of a written report on a matter of such insignificance would be rare if not almost unheard of. That did beg the question of the woman's true purpose for being here. She held onto that question for the time being, among others.

Akira narrowed her eyes as the woman explained that their approach to the matter would've certainly varied. Once again, she bit her tongue, choosing to wait before pressing for details. She didn't want to give up her keen interest so early into the conversation. However, she was calibrating her options, the ways in which she could continue this little lucky meeting, Could she have hit jackpot? Was Adragna expecting this? Had Akira read too much into an otherwise simple mission requirement? Perhaps her being posted in Orchidia again had nothing to do with the choices of her past after all and merely to do with the possible presence of people who were of interest.

Mentally, she jotted down the characteristics of the features she could spot, now that the mist no longer hindered her vision. Golden eyes, long platinum hair, a sharp well-chiselled nose, in fact, conventionally beautiful features in general... and of course the Holy Knight's armour, which unless had been stolen, or acquired in some other capacity, was enough to mark an affiliation. There was a chance they'd walk away without so much as exchanging names and she needed to ensure she relayed the details of this encounter. Besides, if this woman was anyone of significance and she wished to hide it, relying on her word even for a small detail like a name could prove to be a futile venture.

Akira cocked her head and merely responded with an 'I see. Well as long as it is sorted for the moment.' and shrugged. She felt somewhat scrutinised although, it could merely be reflective of her own inspection. The armored lady pushed of the wall, much as Akira had earlier today, perhaps that was indicative of some interest on her part too. As that further decreased the distance between them, Akira was forced to angle her head upwards, just a little. This wasn't uncommon, she was of a petite build and often had to look up at others. But that gesture, heralding the words the woman spoke next, make Aki feel a tug of unpleasantness.

In a way, she had often faced doubt and rather frequently visited the idea of not being good enough. Undeserving of the rank she was offered, the company she had lost, etc. But to have someone note it this starkly made Akira wonder if she wore that doubt on her sleeve, which was definitely not a good thing. Especially given the sensitivity of the mission she was eventually supposed to embark on. She heard the woman out patiently. The silence must have spurred her to continue, now posing another question. Akira continued formulating an adequate response. There was a time to be strong and rely on her more intimidating sides and there was a time to play up her weaknesses in the hopes to either find an ally as she played the damsel in distress, or garner sympathy and hope for a slip up... Right now, it was time for neither. While the latter was an option, weakness certainly didn't command respect.

She offered a slight courteous smile and took a bold step closer to offer her response, mostly because it further highlighted her choice.  'The word has as much significance as the difference in our height.' she responded. Her voice devoid of any annoyance or the righteousness evoked when interactions scraped against a perceived flaw in a person. To prevent any misunderstandings, she did explain her analogy.  'One could say that I'm looking up at you, another could say you're bowing to me. Both of us know neither is true and our actions are governed merely by the circumstance. I simply assumed we were on different paths and that I could've unintentionally stepped onto yours since I've recently lost my judiciary rights, but old habits die hard.'  she said, her smile morphing into a smirk of her own.

'Should you be a heaven-sent angel you certainly don't need me to attest to it and I'll take your word for it. As for the state of my soul and its struggle, I'll let you know when I find out.'  she levelled, opting to purposely take her questions more literally rather than deal with the implications. The choice of the woman's words had Akira intrigued however. 'Am I to assume you're you accustomed to having damned souls grovel at your feet then, given your deductions based on the loaded word?' Akira asked, her tone neither jovial nor concerned, but somewhat curious. Not enough to be offended at the lack of an answer, however.

There was a story here. There was a story worth knowing and worth sharing, Akira deduced. There was something quite unsettling about the woman. The way her eyes glinted at the mere concept of bowing... Aki had been watching closely. She'd always been a keen observer, her recent training had only sharpened that tool. Any evidence she could garner that worked against the Holy Knights was definitely worth collecting. She remained cool in the face of the passive aggression the woman displayed. The words could've possibly hurt, if they were true in their totality. Aki's position was more a result of a disagreement, than outright disgrace, though it did intentionally lead to the latter for appearance sake. Aki's sentiments may have suffered if perhaps if they were spoken by someone she deeply cared about, like Tsuru... she pushed the thought away before it had a chance to claw its way in deeper and affect her demeanour.

Since neither was the case, she didn't know this woman nor was she as disgraced as the Knight had assumed, it wasn't as easy to plausibly react. She obviously couldn't overreact, condemning herself to wear the label of weakness, nor could she got on the offensive, given her larger purpose. But, she also had to ensure she didn't give up her intent by being too impassive. Keeping this balance was tougher than she'd expected.

Her smile vanished, lips pressed into a thin line as her hands found their way on the gentle curves of her hips. She wore the look of disappointment, but didn't quite channel it anywhere yet.  'Matters little indeed, I suppose.' she agreed, sighing softly. This was not just for the sake of being agreeable, but merely in an attempt to maintain that this was still happenchance was nothing more. Then she went ahead and made it just a little easier for the ex-Knight. Akira realized something very crucial. It becomes far easier for one to play a role when the audience, in this case, the target assumes the details and writes the part out, and all the actor has to do, is adhere.

She held the penetrative gaze, returning it in kind. While the fog had receded the chill remain and was only amplified by the frigid nature of the interaction between the two women. The irony felt heavy to witness, while Akira was still going to play along, the woman sure seemed to have a rather inflated ego. Whether it was a product of her status as a Holy Knight or not, was still to be determined. She deliberately responded in kind, while highlighting that she had noticed the armour and by extension the association. 'Perhaps, perhaps not. Does it matter to someone as graced amidst the Holy Knights, as you are?' Highlighting that while there may be a difference in status indeed, it didn't bother the Shimada in the least.

So Akira was the damned soul now. Fair enough, she'd never given much thought to the idea of damnation, having it thrust upon her didn't quite elicit any strong reaction. 'Oh, but I don't.' Akira finally contradicted, with a straight face, but she really had to suppress the urge to decorate this with a smirk of her own. 'I don't even believe the lesson I attempted teaching will linger long enough to be considered a mending. I seek not to abolish my struggles, I've come to accept them and that their existence is what gives us damned souls the illusion of purpose. Hope cannot exist if there is nothing to overcome.' She paused while the woman sought to steal exactly that hope away.

Finally, Akira did smirk. 'And are you sure? Absolutely nothing I can do to earn redemption? Surely a heaven sent angel who may or may not have walked atop a thousand corpses should be able to defy such a reality, right?' there was just a hint of mockery in her voice, she kept it well controlled, but let just enough slip into her words to allow her to gauge the reaction of her company.

The muted light from the sun spilled across the section of the alleyway. Another part still remained dank and shrouded in the shadow of the buildings. The bustle on the main street began to grow ever so seamlessly. A person then another, then two together... Till there were enough people frequenting the street for Aki to be just a little conscious of this ally bound discussion, especially when a few turned their heads to get a better glimpse of the orb atop her head no doubt. While it wasn't too rare for people to walk around with strange objects, it still didn't garner attention. Aki wondered if that too was a deliberate move and if she was essentially a walking, talking bait of some sort.

She inched towards the wall, choosing to lean against it yet again, maintaining a rather casual and collected appearance, to ensure no one got the impression that she was being condemned for any reason. The Shimada didn't miss the smile she shot at the lady and the girl, it seemed the Holy Knight was inclined to play along too, at least for the time being, The armoured woman felt the need to state that she'd recognised Aki's knowledge. It made sense, the Holy Knights were still emerging, up until now their existence was mystified by the power of the church. But now, they sought to make an appearance and did indeed want to contend the Rune Knights in some regards, that of course was still classified information, at least on the blue side.  She wondered if the woman had just entertained the possibility of Aki being part of her faction. If she had, that was progress already.

So either she had overheard Aki's threat before the sermon or she had arrived to the deduction on her own. Either way, the Shimada was hardly concerned. This only meant that the whole ordeal of being a fallen Knight was serving its purpose well. However, the woman could just as easily fall into either category, and claiming one while she fell in the other wouldn't work too well. 'Which do you think?' she cautiously answered, hoping to slip deeper into the role the woman created for her. While she stated her experience, for the moment she didn't colour it, waiting to see if the woman's assumptions would make her inclinations clearer. 'I was accused of straying away from the mission and reprimanded accordingly. For taking a life that wasn't mine to take. I have to admit, I disagreed and so stepped down on principle.' Her words in themselves could mean she'd be happy fuelling the fire, perhaps even out of a vengeful instinct. But they could just as easily signify she was a lone wolf and would abstain should her principles dictate so, giving her an out, should the woman be of the abstaining variety herself. Though an inexplicable instinct told her otherwise.

It was still easy to brush away the patronising tone and the antagonising words. She had not reason to allow herself to be coaxed into being disagreeable. There was still much to learn.  'I did concede to purpose often being merely an illusion didn't I?' she said, with a soft sigh as their eyes locked again. The light pouring in deeper, the armours glint was piercing but the woman across her probably had it worse as the gold hued reflection off the orb, accented the features of her face. 'Can't lie that I do hope for it to be more.' she added softly, slowly throwing in her own bait. Wondering if the woman had any offers to make, or if there was more she could pique her interest, while slowly making her own observations.

The repartee between the ex-knight and the holy one would appear to be rather cumbersome if one was to witness it. That itch of impatience had begun begging for a scratch even in the Shimada's mind. Yet, Aki boasted of patience she was still learning to maintain, she stood ground and hoped that this would not end up being futile and a potential waste of her time. That this blonde wouldn't end up being just another Knight preaching her version and interpretation of this religion. She sure seemed like the variety to use her beliefs as an excuse to justify potentially immoral and unjust acts. But that could just be Aki feeling worn at all the holier-than-thou attitude and the patronising insults flung so casually at her.

The odd part was, it would seem that the woman didn't even have any reason to really pick a beef with Akira, which alluded to the fact that this was probably just how she was in general... Dangerously delusional. Well, if nothing else she was definitely a potential flag to warn Adragna about. If the church offered refuge to such people, the sort who laboured under the sin of pride to this extent, the council's worry was certainly not misplaced. 'I suppose you judged too soon.' she responded evenly, though sensing the disdain in her voice, did give her an inkling as to the side she was on after all. Fair to lean towards the fact that she fell among those who wished to widen the rift between the factions. Either that... or worse. Aki chose to interject softly, her choice of words crisper and brief, in stark contrast to the long winded assumptions uttered by the woman. 'No, I willingly chose this fate.' Aki corrected, but it would seem the other didn't really want her words anymore. So the Shimada pursed her lips and waited to see how much more she could glean.

She didn't step away when the distance between them was shortened with a swift stride from the Holy Knight. She folded her hands, perhaps in a show of petulant stubbornness. At least she seemed to have created some sort of intrigue, for the armoured lady did stick around to establish that she either believed Akira was worth more, or just to remind her that at the moment, she's worth nothing. In all likelihood it was a mix of both. It did briefly rattle Aki, when she realised that their scepticism was in fact in sync. The key difference, it would seem was in the layers of their personality. At Aki's core she was still curious, helpful and somewhat optimistic. She'd dive into icy waters to save a stranger... She'd just done that rather recently and was lucky things turned out the way they did. But it helped her recognise that when push came to shove the instinct to help and do the right thing trumped the pessimistic one every time.  

Her festering bitterness was more a shield. She couldn't deny that the words were enticing, the appealed to the side of Akira that often felt like she'd been dealt a raw deal. But the possibilities weren't alluring enough to get  her to abandon her mission. However, she could use this to channel her emotions in a manner that would hopefully earn her more access one day. For the moment she chose silence, as though brooding and introspecting. As if the words had just illuminated another path for her to choose and now she stood there as the flummoxed damned soul she had been painted as. The pause perhaps was too long... For she had been bid farewell. At least we could have exchanged names. she thought. As she heaved yet another sigh and dropped her arms from her hips. 'Perhaps indeed...' she whispered in the wake of the woman. Her sigh and words condensed into a plume of mist. A fitting closure to the encounter.