Riku couldn't help but part his lips as Shizu suddenly hugged him out of nowhere, her eyes still trailing with tears as she gave her thanks to him, the exact same person that threatened to kill him just a few seconds ago. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, of course, especially since the fortune teller was very much attractive in her own right. No, it was more the fact that she was hugging him in the first place.
"This is... enthusiastic of you..." he pointed out, his arms spread out wide to avoid hugging Shizu back.
"A-Ah, I'm sorry!"
And just as quickly as she came to hug him, she quickly broke away, a mad blush forming on her face as she averted her gaze from him. Riku simply sighed, drawing from his years of experience dealing with women both beautiful and otherwise trying to have a piece of him for one reason or another.
"It's fine. Just give me some forewarning next time," he waved her off with a casual flick of his bangs. "Now, where were we?"
A soft silence passed as the two Champions awkwardly stared at each other. Well, it was more Riku waiting patiently for Shizu to regain her bearings while Nyx eagerly snacked on her sashimi from where she sat.
"If I recall, we're in the middle of the first Depth of Big Brother Themis's Realm," Nyx casually chimed in, her mouth still full with half-eaten lion sashimi.
"Why, thank you for reminding me, Nyx," Riku rolled his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned on the nearest wall. "Last I recalled, you promised me directions after I feed you."
Nyx froze, her brows furrowed in thought before grumbling, "...I did say that, didn't I..."
"W-Wait, what are we doing here again?" Shizu meekly asked aloud.
"We're debating on how to get out of this Depth," the goddess in the group shrugged. "Actually, you're Big Brother Tyche's Champion, right? Can you ask him if it's alright to help navigate you guys through this mess?"
Riku simply watched as Shizu nodded before seemingly closing her eyes. He could only assume that if he could talk to Nyx telepathically like earlier, it was safe to assume that his fellow Champions could do the same.
"Oh," Shizu gasped after seemingly talking to her patron god. "Tyche says that you're going to-"
"I just received word," Nyx sighed as she interrupted, a hand on one of her ears as if talking to an earpiece. "While the rules dictate that we can follow and accompany you on your journey, apparently, we can't give away too much information no matter how much we want to."
"Didn't you say earlier that you'll give me support earlier?" Riku questioned.
"T-That was before I knew better," Nyx weakly retorted. "A-Anyway, at least I can accompany you, my Champion. Well, the two of you, I suppose if you're both going to be traveling together. It's boring just watching from the sidelines, you know?"
The former assassin momentarily ignored the goddess words as he turned his attention to the other Champion in their midst. Shizu said that she'd join them, but who was to say that his god wasn't telling her what to do? Understandably, the constant attention Shizu was getting was starting to make her self conscious. Not that it mattered to Riku in the slightest.
"Uh... Is there something on my face?" Shizu meekly asked, her cheeks burning red as she averted her gaze.
Riku didn't bother replying as he instead called for a different name. "Nyx."
"Yes, my Champion?"
"Can you and your fellow gods direct your Champions to do things?" he directly asked.
"Didn't I just say earlier that we have a rule of not meddling with the game?" Nyx sighed before popping another piece of sashimi into her mouth. "No outside interference and all that."
"W-What? Nobody's telling me to try and join you only to backstab you, Riku," Shizu quickly defended herself, even using his name that she probably just overheard from his and Nyx's conversation. "Can you stop being suspicious of me already? I really want to live, alright?"
Blinking, Riku flashed Shizu a coy smile as he shrugged. "I'm just covering my bases. There's no reason not to be paranoid if everything else is out to get you."
"Well, I'm not, okay?" Shizu meekly insisted. "I don't even care if you win. I just want to get out of this place."
"Hey, didn't Big Brother just tell you that you'll have any wish granted if you win?" Nyx quickly asked. "You realize that you'll just be returned to the Ocean of Souls even if you live to the end of the game."
"Then that's fine with me," the other Champion resolutely stated. "I'm a fortune teller. If my fate was to die, then I'll accept that."
To that, Riku actually raised a brow. He was honestly impressed with that kind of mindset. Not a whole lot of people wanted to die, but staring it right in the face and saying that you wouldn't mind was an admirable trait that all human's should adopt, if he was being honest.
"Weren't you just begging for you life earlier?" Nyx smugly teased from where she sat.
"T-That's different! That was my self-preservation instincts talking!" Shizu pouted while she defended herself. "A-Anyway, now you know my stance. I'll help you so long as you help me, alright? And yes, Tyche doesn't mind me helping you."
The former assassin eyed the fortune teller with a soft smile. "Very well. As you may already know, I'm Riku, and this is Nyx," he casually introduced himself and his goddess, not even bothering to get off the wall as he spoke. "And since you asked earlier before everything, what my patron goddess is eating is Lion Sashimi."
Shizu gasped, "L-Lion Sashimi?"
"She wanted something in exchange for her giving me some directions toward the next Depth, only for her to not be allowed to do so in the first place," he scoffed. "Seriously, for a goddess, you'd think she'd be competent."
"Sorry about that," Nyx weakly apologized, her face contorting into one of sadness before it quickly returned to its cheerful disposition. "Anyway, you two are a team now! And Tyche doesn't even mind!"