Little Russia

[SINIB]

Ivanna

What greeted him wasn't the sight of the ceiling-it was the immense feathery wing of an angel. A melodic song continued to resonate throughout the room, calming his very soul with Her embrace.

"Hagiasthētō to onoma sou...
elthetō hē basileia sou...
genethetō to thelēma sou..."

As she sang, his arms began to regrow, the ache of his damaged soul faded, and every wound he'd ever been inflicted with began to melt away like a sandcastle against a rising tide. "You made a good friend. May I ask for your name, O' Catastrophic one?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vánagandr

Feathers? What the hell is going on? What was in front of him hid its form with massive, feathery wings. "...Vánagandr." He massaged his temple from the headache. "And catastrophic? That's not a very nice thing to tell a guy on his siesta."

So I lost... Damn it! Catastrophic's too nice for me. She's right, I'm no good at anything but destroying things. It's all my fault... I shouldn't have hesitated.

Even his cocky joke couldn't fully hide his concern. "Where are we? Is Lubei safe?"

[SINIB]

Ivanna

"You are as safe as you could possibly be-you are in the Grand Cathedral of Saint Ivanna under my direct protection." She replied. A few moments later, his arms had regrown and she let him down. The small girl covered her face with a wing, preventing him from seeing even a glimpse of her true form. "And Lubei is safe-he's enjoying a hot cup of tea."

She leaned back and a few feathers on her wing parted, revealing two golden eyes with crosses burned into her pupils. "Will you help me destroy the false godling and their minions, O' Catastrophic one? Hehe..."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Van

He looked puzzled for a second, and moved his burning arm and his joints. Right, that happened too. He looked at the angel-like person in the eyes, and suddenly felt an uneasy feeling that intensified by the second. It was an unpleasant kind of sensation that itched at his spine. Was that the fire, or something else?

"Thank you." He looked at her and smiled sincerely.

"But I refuse."

If she kept Lubei safe, that was already more than enough. But she even went out of her way to heal him? He couldn't possibly let her risk herself for this.

That's why he had to lie. This was a battle he had to finish. But there was something else as well.

"If we just hurt the enemy... will the problem really go away?" He looked at her with a conflicted expression. "I made that mistake today, I was reckless. But I don't think we should kill someone without hearing them out. Maybe I was wrong... maybe there's a way to solve this without anyone getting hurt."

That was also a lie. But not one he was telling her.

[SINIB]

Ivanna

"Lying to an angel is a grave sin, O' Catastrophic One. But lying to oneself? That is even worse." She said in a deep voice far beyond her apparent age. "I will be purifying the forest, the corruption, and the diseased, whether you participate or not, and whether you help me or hinder me."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Van

How did she... "I know that." He shook his head. "It's just... a feeling I have. I don't think this is something violence alone can stop."

It was probably best if he didn't mention the nightmare. He didn't fully trust that girl for some reason. It was that feeling he had. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt uncomfortable here.

"At least, we should try to understand the problem before we try to destroy it. Else, we might make things worse."

[SINIB]

Ivanna

"Time is not an asset which we possess. Oftentimes it is not the content of the decision that matters, but the speed with with one chooses." She offered her hand up to him, standing on the tips of her big toes to elevate herself just a little bit more. "Please. If we work together, we can discuss strategy."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Van

"I can't ignore it even if I wanted to. But you've already done a lot. I don't want to cause more causalties." He didn't wish for more bloodshed. Not after that vision he saw. Whatever future was approaching, he couldn't let them fall to it. He had to shoulder it alone. "Promise me you'll at least try."

[SINIB]

Ivanna

Her wings burst outwards in a display of firey power. Her entire body blazed with the intensity of the sun, far too brilliant for an normal human to stand.

Luckily, Van was not a normal human. Her small form radiated with intense power and purpose granted by one far above even herself. "I could say much of the same thing to you. I cannot stand by and let such an atrocity be dealt with by another. I should have dealt with it faster and with greater purpose. Unfortunately, I failed to act."

And she would not make such a mistake again.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Van

"..." So that was what made him feel uneasy. That divinity. He couldn't explain it, but it's almost like his soul was opposed to her. Like it was trying to lash out from her just being near him.

He stretched and got up, flames and all, and pounded on his chest with a big huff for a second. And for that one second, the divine flames quaked and cracked for a bit, almost eerily. "If it's alright, I'm going to check up on Lubei. Thanks for the help, seriously."

And to hell with that unease. She helped him out, and he owed her this much at least. He smiled brightly at her and gave her a thumbs up.

[YOLF]

Lubei

Maybe it was just the style of the building, but these inner halls all seemed the same to him. Even his demonic sense was of little use, as the radiant power of the cathedral's holy master weaved into every corner like an etheral and forbidding scent, not straining Lubei, but rather disinfecting the air and stones of traces that didn't concur with its wavelength.

He heard the familiar voice by chance, and marched up to the door it echoed through, pushing it open without a knock. Lubei took around two steps inside and stilled like a rabbit meeting a wolf's eyes as he came face to face with a recuperated Vanguard.

Oh, and the winged and flaming glory that should have commanded all attention in the room. The Seraph's warning made sense now, with the twist in his stomach like he'd eaten something so spoiled a corpse wouldn't have it. He tried to scare it away with reminders of politeness and of her agreeability.

The demon was still looking at the two of them like he'd just swallowed a whole lemon.

[SINIB]

Ivanna

Ivanna immediately covered herself up with her wings. "Knocking would have been polite before barging into a lady's room, Lubei." She muttered. "Jeez."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Van

"Oh, you're here." He glanced back and turned around, still stretching his wall of a body.

His very bare, uncovered body.

"'Sup?"

[YOLF]

Lubei

"Hrrm, my apologies." He managed not to choke on his manners when it came to the seraph. The assault on propriety was far less meaningful to him than the relief he needed to find, rather than merely being told to feel, but it was what it was. When it came to Vanguard, with his sculpted and slightly too pale body on shameless display, seeing how in every hard line an echo of how a once-lesser man had beaten himself into shape and also other things, he violently swerved his gaze away.

Lubei's forehead furrowed with a sullen twitch, keeping him as he was, not looking at the warrior directly. "Are you well now?"

[SINIB]

Ivanna

"His life is not in danger, but his wounds are yet to fully heal. Furthermore, without his armaments, his fighting power is significantly diminished." The lady seraph replied. She flapped her rear wings nervously, averting her gaze from Lubei. "Does my form not hurt you, Lubei?" Her voice was nervous and apprehensive, yet also hopeful.