Okay, first things first! I… I know you, right? Er, actually… I know I know you. I guess it's more so hard for me to fathom that you're actually in front of me… For the first time. Sorry, we had to meet like this." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously with a slight chuckle.
Her stern gaze softened into a kind one and I could see a shadow of a smile forming on her lips. I couldn't help but return the smile and slowly outstretched my hand towards her, "I know it's a little late for introductions but--"
"Shut up, idiot." She avoided my hand altogether and instead embraced me tightly, just as she had done when we had arrived in this new world. I was taken aback by the sudden hug and hesitated to return it. Before I could though, she pulled away and stayed an arm's length away from me with a nervous smile.
"Perrin, I was summoned here and given a very important task," She started and held her hands behind her back as her eyes avoided my face completely, "To protect you at all costs. Whether it be from the smallest insect to the largest behemoth, I was called here and told explicitly to protect you as you rise and become the hero of these wastelands." She looked at me now with a more serious and determined look in her eyes.
I frowned at the new information she was providing me with and shook my head adamantly, "Kara, no. I can't have you protect me. I could never ask that of you-!" Kara rolled her eyes and pulled out a knife from her garter before pointing it at me in a threatening manner, "Which is why the decision wasn't up to you." She had a sly grin on her face and I gulped nervously at the smug look she had.
"F-Fine… But that doesn't explain why you're dressed like a--"
"Don't you dare say it!"
I hesitated once more and looked around nonchalantly before shoving my hands in my pocket and looking to the side with a smug grin, "...slutty mercenary." I muttered in one small huff.
Kara clenched her fists and shook them once more in my face with a mixture of an angry yet pout face. She pounded relentlessly on my chest and started spewing out words that I could hardly even comprehend because of her whiny tone.
"I didn't choose to wear this! It's all your dumb fault for dragging me here with you in the first place! It wasn't supposed to be this way, we weren't supposed to meet this way you big, stupid baka!" She whined and continued to beat on my chest with her smaller fists.
I let out a chuckle before gently taking hold of her wrists to stop her and hold her back at arm's length. She calmed down but was still pouting and avoiding making any eye contact with me, to which I sighed and shook my head. It took me a moment to even register what she had said and my brows furrowed in confusion, "Huh?" I huffed under my breath as to not really raise another unnecessary reaction from her.
Did she just… SAY baka? I don't think she realizes how cringe that is in this day in age. I won't bring it up though, she doesn't deserve that.
"If it wasn't by choice then… Do you have the reasoning behind it as well?" I asked and released her wrists so that her arms fell to her side.
"Well," She crossed her arms underneath her chest and dragged her toes around in the dusty earth hesitantly, "I was told that it's for mobility purposes. Apparently, I was given the powers of a Daten Shi, or "Fallen Angel," She took one of her fingers and drew what appeared to be characters of some sort in the air between us. When she had concluded, characters in gold appeared and took the form of "堕天使" briefly before disappearing. I blinked and looked at her appearance one more time, squinting my eyes to analyze every detail before reaching a conclusion.
"You don't have any wings. Aren't angels supposed to have wings and look all holy? You don't have any and still look--"
"Stop saying that word, you pervert!"
Kara cut me off as her face grew a shade darker and she pointed an incriminating finger at me. "I don't have physical wings, but I can manifest them with the use of my Catalyst Eclipse." She turned that finger into an outstretched hand with her palm facing upwards. A bright light appeared in the shape of a sphere and gradually toned down to reveal an opaque ball that looked like it was made of opal or some shiny white gem.
"In this world, there are others like me. Fallen Angels that assist others who have been brought to this realm just like you. They each have their own version of Eclipse that differs vastly from mine." She continued to explain as the opal sphere spun around and popped out some floating images of other shapes with different colors surrounding them.
I nodded along and studied the color and shape coordination with a small frown, "Diamond, teardrop, heart, star… This is great and all," I started before pointing a finger at myself with a raised eyebrow, "But what am I meant to do in this world if there are others here to do… whatever instead of me? Who am I?"
Kara frowned as well before clenching her fist and making everything before her vanish. She gently grabbed onto my sleeve and pointed at the ruined city that we had been standing in front of for so long, "Prevent that. The ongoing calamity. The spread of destruction. You're meant to be a hero that everyone will come to worship and appreciate." She explained and gently tugged on my sleeve before letting go altogether.
I bit my lip before gritting my teeth and stepping away, "But I can't do that! I'm not a hero! And this is all just… it's all just too much to take in. I want to understand it all and I want to believe that there is something that I'm meant to do here, but I just can't, Kara," I turned to face her with a look of defeat on my face, "You know me, and this isn't a responsibility that should fall upon someone like me. I can't do all of this by myself."
There was a silence that grew as I looked at her with solemn eyes, my eyes reflecting the heavy doubts I had been feeling ever since arriving here. She looked back at me with an unreadable expression on her face. For once, it felt as though I hadn't known her for as long as I did. Her eyes didn't reflect any comfort nor horde any type of malice. All I saw was a deep hue of brown that engulfed my stare.
"When did I say you were doing this alone?" She asked, her lips pressed into a straight line to mask any type of emotion still.
My eyes widened a bit and I held up my hands defensively, "N-No, I didn't mean it like that! I-I mean yeah, you're here with me but I…" I looked away, guilt now flooding my consciousness as I remembered the role Kara had to play in this as well. She was meant to protect me and put her life on the line for me. And I dared to spout some selfish bullshit about being undeserving of such a task.
I am a total idiot.
I facepalmed and let out an exasperated sigh, followed by a loud obnoxious groan. "I wonder…" I muttered to myself as I outstretched my hands and focused intently. "O-Oh!" I smiled a bit as the faded parchment I had been introduced to not long ago appeared in my hands. I looked over at Kara and held up the document to show her, "Thanks for the reminder. There's stuff on this list that I need to get done," She looked at me with a quizzical gaze before shrugging her shoulders and walking closer to me, "And knowing that you'll be by my side makes me a bit more confident for sure." I rolled up the parchment and shoved it in my hoodie pocket.
Kara looked even more confused than before but rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "You done spouting nonsense, baka? It's time to get serious because I don't have any more information to give to you." She then stuck her tongue out at me and placed her hands on her hips, "Plus it would be great if we could get a move on already!"
She said it again. At this point, I probably shouldn't be too nitpicky. After all, we just met and I have way worse habits than she does. And maybe she's only saying that around me because well, it's me. If only she knew the secondhand embarrassment I was getting. That isn't really important right now though.
I laughed a bit and started walking towards the destroyed city, nodding my head as I looked at the horizon, "Yeah yeah, come on. I still need to figure things out." She walked beside me and had yet another pout on her face. I looked down and chuckled more, resting a hand on her head and giving it a small pat, "Hey, I'm glad you're here with me. Together I'm sure we'll kick ass. We just gotta find a place to start." I gave her a reassuring smile and she simply huffed and looked away from me.
Speaking of start…
"I've already given ya the hero starter pack and I'm wishin' ya well!"
Where's my starter pack?!