Akira was not objectively stealthy, not anymore. Not in form and not in practice. She had a golden orb, a golden wand and could sprout heavenly feathers from her back. She could probably fool an onlooker into believing she was some descended deity. However, therein lay her skill, one she had carefully practiced for over a year now - the ability to deceive.

Akira had trained herself to assume an identity that was no longer a reflection of her. She did so with such zealotry that her friends became strangers, strangers became enemies and enemies became friends. She was not someone to seek power, but was glad she had accumulated enough to hold her own now, this was a dangerous game and a lonely one.

Whenever Akira visited a new town, she'd explore its nooks and crannies for places she could isolate herself. The cliff's of Astera made provisions for such a haven. She peeked over the edge of the rocky mountain and looked at the foamy water crashing against the dark daggers of the cliff's rock. The Shimada had ensured no one followed her, but today she had more than just her own privacy at stake.

Given the measures the Shimada had thought she'd taken, to ensure she was alone, she didn't quite expect words to shatter the silence that way. But the young girl had long since learned to curb her instinctual and organic reactions. Besides, the greeting itself amounted to her safety and that assurance was enough to suppress her shudder. 'X three-twelve, September, summer dragon.' Akira stated, remaining equally to the point.

She didn't turn or betray any physical gestures to acknowledge Adragna's presence. It was unlikely that they were being watched, but the Shimada remained extra cautious until the council woman permitted otherwise. She sighed softly and remained still, perhaps unnaturally so. 'It has been a while since our last correspondence. I'd say I've made progress.' the young Joyan said, impassively. There was a distinct emptiness to her words, she wasn't the sort to fish for compliments, but progress was a very subjective measure.

'The threat no longer lay where I was, so I moved.' Akira responded. A chilling wind blew from the sea and upon being funneled through the cliffs, it howled softly. She wondered if that was too vague to get her point across. Probably not for someone like Adragna, but she decided to use the moment to seek some clarity of her own.

The urge to keep the conversation going was probably derived from childish emotions, the sort she could rarely afford to surrender to, except in the presence of her contact. To be able to take off the figurative mask, even briefly, provided some respite and she found herself clinging to it. 'The one I follow and serve now, is it fair to assume he truly is a threat?' she asked, softly, letting the breeze carry the whispers to the council woman.

She waited, another moment, before supplementing her question with what she'd seen. 'He possesses power and offers it to those who follow him. He seeks to protect the larger number. How does one stand against the simplicity of that logic?' The young spy wasn't sure how long the fleeting presence of Adragna would grace her, but some insight into the intentions of her superiors could really aid her moving forward. She was gambling with her life, surely she could be afforded at least fractions of the truth.

Only from the corner of her eyes, did she regard the presence of her mentor and heard the woman out patiently. It was quickly apparent that Adragna was not at liberty to share too many details. Akira wasn't giving up that easily, surely they could reach a compromise together. 'Vittorio's appraisal deems Nerva to be more than just a radical. I can't fault him. Nerva destroyed a town and then almost destroyed another.'

In her eyes, Nerva refusing to collaborate for the greater good and simply optimizing the numbers he could save, was already reason enough for the Knights to intervene more aggressively. However, she recognized that her own opinions had to remain separate from the investigation she had agreed to conduct. Trying to remain detached, Ibis went onto share the inquiries that she hoped to address. 'I intend to find out what caused Nerva to dissent and harbor hate towards entities he once worshiped. It should provide insight into his motivations, though it probably won't be enough to curtail the man should the situation get any worse.'

The potential key to taking him down lay in her second venture. 'He promised a power that rivals both the demons and the seraphs, which is likely to be related to his experimentation, I'll find out what I can on that front too.' While she didn't want to be meddlesome, she also knew the Council couldn't be as oblivious as Adragna made it seem, they already had suspicions about the experiments Nerva was conducting after all, Vittorio's statements made that clear.

She wanted to run a few more things by the Spymaster. A nervous shuffling of her feet betrayed that she was concerned about their limited time together. She wrung her hands, before admitting that the political friction was going to make this an uphill struggle. 'The two Knight organizations have joined hands against the Demons and against the Inquisition, I assume the rest of the Council doesn't know about your bird... or birds.'

So Adragna did seem to have her personal take on Nerva. The Shimada was not surprised that on some level her mentor saw eye to eye with the old man. From what she had noticed, they both were survivors and did whatever it took. In fact, wasn't she living proof of that? For the greater good, she too was just a tool, the only difference she saw, was that she had consented to her role. Despite her usual practicality, Akira's well shrouded idealism left her a little on Vittorio's side. She wanted to believe there was always a better way.    

The spymaster was confident in the fact that Nerva had severed ties with the Church entirely. 'It's as though the demonic rifts aren't enough. All of us want to create rifts amidst each other too. Till our goals are aligned is this divide of power really necessary?' she asked, with rhetoric bitterness. Her hand rested on the black rock of the cliff, she clawed and picked at it in her frustration. If it wasn't merely pride and if Nerva's actions are truly fueled by rationality, why would he choose to abandon the church now, rather than use its resources at least until a more opportune time arrived?

From what Adragna shared next, it seemed like the church had abandoned him too. 'That's how much the Church hates him? You think he's got people loyal to him who stayed behind? And do you think he's got people among the Rune Knights?' Akira asked, quietly. Too many pieces of the puzzle were missing, perhaps it was in they best interest of her duty, to stop letting the imminent future and risks cloud her judgement and stop her from seeing the bigger picture.

Maybe there was more at stake. 'I'm sure you know I'm a Nephilim. I had Grace forced upon me. I want to believe its because the Seraph want to empower us against the demons, but...' She forced herself to think from other perspectives, channeling her feelings through the curtain of her own experiences, which is what she relied on to play her role convincingly. '...In some ways, I feel Nerva isn't wrong about the supernatural beings taking what they want. We just pray to some and fear the others.'

The Shimada paused for the moment, analyzing everything that they had shared and exchanged, while waiting for Adragna to offer her insights on the changes in her bird. Then she asked the question that was most imperative for her duty. 'How far should I let Nerva go, to stay on his good side?'

There seemed to be a general consensus, that Nerva was rational, but had some compelling reasons that forced him to make seemingly irrational choices. The more Akira allowed her mind to linger on the subject, the more she believed that it was imperative to understand his reasoning better. It could be the key to fathoming not just him, but the circumstances the realm was facing and could potentially face in the future. Maybe Nerva knew something that none of the others did. The bird and the mentor were in agreement.

Adragna shared some details about Nerva's past. It was knowledge that was probably available, but in old buried records at the headquarters. But records wouldn't have provided insight on the kind of relationship he maintained with the recruits and subordinates. He was almost a leader worthy of following. Almost... And Akira couldn't allow herself to forget that. 'Interesting. I'm assuming his Inquisition runs deeper than just they few who joined his side with me.' The Shimada stated, thoughtfully. It was another inquiry she could pursuit, to try and figure out who all would remain loyal to him, if a confrontation ever became an imminent possibility.

A frown etched itself between her brows and for the first time since they started conversing, Akira turned to search for truth in the eyes of her mentor. 'I suppose you're right. While I am curious and wish to learn the truth, I find faith pointless. Worship doesn't solve problems, it just steals away from the burden of action and often serves as a ladder to power.' The scar on her back prickled as she finished making her statement. She bit her lip and tapped the rock with her fingers, her nails made a soft, rhythmic clicking sound. She averted her gaze again. Discussing philosophy would be pleasant if and when they earned the luxury of time.

The Joyan assumed that Adragna had weighed the risk of Akira's unspoken contract with the Seraphim and was still comfortable with letting her remain in the role she'd chosen. 'I'll try to make it work in my favor, it was not a choice I made, perhaps that will earn Nerva's sympathy' she wasn't too confident in her own line of thinking. But silver-linings was all one could rely on.

Akira stilled for a moment, when Adragna left the most important decision to the young bird. Time to fly out of the nest, I guess.. When to intervene, would prove to be a precarious choice. She knew the Spymaster only accepted responsibility based on information, till she didn't know more, perhaps it was unfair to expect a directive, her candor was appealing. The freedom of such an option was a blessing and a curse but it made working under Adragna lucrative for someone like Akira. 'I see, I hope your faith in me isn't misplaced.' There was a dark foreshadowing to those words. Akira alone would suffer the consequences of a misstep. The Shimada preferred it that way.

As the silence lilted again, she expected Adragna to dissolve into the shadows, disappear just as stealthily as she had appeared.

'I doubt the Gods have the time to pick sides, I doubt they care who is pious and who isn't.' the Shimada stated boldly. According to the scrolls she had read in the libraries of the Church, there was overwhelming evidence that Illumin existed, among other Gods in other regions. However, tales of his involvement in human matters were subject to question and were largely considered to be mythical legends.

She nodded serenely, in agreement with Adragna. The woman's perception and the logical reasoning that followed, was something Akira admired, that admiration inspired trust. There was bitterness in the words the followed, as Akira further emphasised her agreement and her take on the matter. 'Like you said, religion and faith serve as crutches when people feel helpless, but the ruthlessly ambitious do not hesitate to use it as stilts.'

Akira had an aversion to religion, for it created divides and more often than not. Additionally, those that had used religion to gain power, sought to shroud any truths that would threaten it. Then there were the Seraphs. Worshiped and feared in equal measure, they blessed those the deemed worthy for their selfish interests. Convincing the ones with Grace that they were special somehow, while using them as pawns. The Shimada was not happy being forced to play a pawn, especially given that she had not been able to crystallise the exact intention of the Seraph who had intervened.

What she did know was that the Seraph had the access to influence her choices and actions. In fact, both the women recognized. Adragna's threat caused a chill to rush down her spine as being faced with ones mortality often did. Akira grew still, like they'd succeeded in freezing her.

The young girl recovered swiftly though, she turned entirely to the councilwoman this time, bowing her head gently. 'I would expect nothing less and would urge you to do the same should I ever be swindled to work against the people, because indirectly, that'd still be working against the crown and the council... But mostly, against my own beliefs.' the Shimada responded. Their exchange paid homage to a threat that they didn't speak of, but recognised nonetheless -the Seraph could be a problem.

'What do you think this Seraph wants?' Shimada asked. Rarely did she have anyone to echo her questions to, it was refreshing to have someone to share her concerns and thoughts with.

Akira agreed with her mentor's deductions wholeheartedly. Even before their interactions, she had largely held the same beliefs with regards to blind faith and cult mentality that is borne out of it. She nodded serenely, idly watching the waves lick the rocks below again. 'Curiosity and intrigue become collateral damage in the war religion sometimes ends up wagering against truth and knowledge. I find that to be most unfortunate.'

However, she was quite surprised when Adragna mentioned never having witnessed a Seraph. 'I suppose its used to be unorthodox for people to be Graced outside of the church and so no one was privy to the rituals performed within.' she relied on deductions rather than simply asking Adragna for answers. The Shimada had long since assumed that she was on her own in her ventures and that she couldn't rely on her mentor for substantial information and answers, given the nature of her role. But sometimes, if she arrived to the right conclusions, she was at least offered a confirmation.

'You've taught me so much. For one, I can now hide in plain sight, I can use own circumstances as a disguise to create opportunities. May I ask you, if you've ever been in a situation similar to the one I'm in now?' The Shimada had learned much, in a practical sense, but today while she teetered on venturing on a potentially dangerous mission, she sought some advice. She hoped for this to be in the garb of old stories of Adragna's adventures, if possible, so she may learn from her mentor's personal experiences.