Description:
The only reason Hotaru can even be here is because it's been a few days since her last fight where she was taken down in two very crushing blows by Jiro. Since then, she's been staying out of sight, retreating to this site that might as well be a sanctuary to her. Though the church doesn't look it, it's actually not attended by anyone anymore - no congregation meets here.
That makes it a great place to be alone if one wants, which is about what the girl has been preferring lately. Presently she sits on the grass, facing the entrance to a sepulcher beneath the ground. Atop the monument is a bronzed angel, its hands folded in prayer, its wings spread large enough to provide shade for the girl. Her back to the one gate that leads into this secluded area, she seems content to just sit and think. Nearby a yellow furred ferret with a red bandana around his neck is scampering around in the bushes. Sometimes he will climb a willow tree, go out on a long bow that dips into the water until the bow bends and he falls the short distance to the ground. This seems to amuse him, but the girl doesn't appear to be paying attention.
The not entirely run down church was a recent discovery for Azrael, and a welcome one. He's religious, but not in the normal sense; having a preacher stand up in front of him and tell him the wrongs of his sins and preaching the gospel isn't what he feels he needs. He enjoys the quietness of the sanctuary, where he can reflect upon his own thoughts. This makes the church an ideal place for him. He's been here for quite a while, many hours, and slowly walks out of the church with a book in his hands. It's not a bible, or any other religious paraphernalia for that matter, but a simple sketchbook.
He winces slightly as he steps through the door, the sunlight hitting him after he was in the semidarkness of inside for so long. He shuts the door behind him and slowly wanders into the grassy churchyard, not noticing Hotaru until he's somewhat close. Upon noticing her he pauses for a moment and looks in her direction. "Hello." He can't quite make out who it is, eyes not completely adjusted just yet.
The sound of the door opening and closing doesn't escape Hotaru's attention, in spite the depth of her reverie. She starts to glance over her shoulder by leaning back and turning her head, but the motion is cut short as a sharp pain in her side reminds her she's not really able to do that right now. The injury withdraws a bit of a grunt from the girl and she goes back to staring at the statue. That's a lot easier than moving around.
But at the sound of a voice she recognizes from the previous week, she blinks. This is worth the discomfort of moving to see. Gritting her teeth, the girl presses down with her hands, lifting herself up to get her feet beneath her, then stands up straight, turning around after she's straightened out. She moves gingerly, but manages a smile for Azrael, able to recognize him immediately as her eyes are well accustomed to the outside lighting. "Hello again," she speaks up, the hint of surprise in her voice is hard to miss. "What brings you here? I'm afraid I'm not able to entertain a rematch right now..."
Azrael can't recognize the form just yet, but an outline and a voice provides a definitive identification. Is it simple luck that he's run upon the girl he fought in a league match not to long ago, or perhaps something else? "A rematch?" He shakes his head slightly, "That isn't why I'm here, actually. I came to visit the church, if that makes sense." Perhaps it will, since she's here as well. "It's a very comfortable place to spend some time thinking, and drawing." That explains the sketchpad.
"The shrine in the forest is nice as well, but it seems to be... busy." There seem to be tons of people who go there to train, spend time, fight... this place has been much more peaceful so far.
A glance is cast toward the old building as he mentions coming here to think and the girl's initially reluctant smile warms a little. She can understand that sentiment well. "Oh... Sorry for the dust inside," the girl speaks up, implying that she is at least somehow responsible for the condition of their current surroundings. Indeed, the interior of the dust might be covered in a thin layer of dust. Not the sort that builds up over years of neglect, but enough to suggest that it hasn't been dusted for at least a few weeks. Her smile shifts to a bit of a grin, "But all the same, you're welcome here any time. Azrael, right? We didn't really get to talk much last time." Neo League fights don't tend to waste a lot of time between getting people there and getting them beating on each other as quickly as possible...
Finding it tiresome to stand without any support, Hotaru takes a few steps back then to lean against the grey stone wall of the sepulcher.
Azrael wouldn't have expected Hotaru to be the keeper of the church, but he probably shouldn't be completely surprised by that. "It wasn't that bad, to be honest." He then is forced to consider her next words; he hadn't thought that he -wouldn't- be allowed onto the premises of a half abandoned church, but now that it's brought up he realizes that might not have been the case, and it'd just slipped his mind. "Thank you, I'm glad to hear it." He nods his head slightly, "Yes, Azrael, and no, I don't think we did. I was a bit busy trying to find holes in your defenses to speak very much, and I found no reason to try and antagonize you into making a mistake." She just doesn't seem the type to be able to rile up easily; at least not in any way he knows of.
Now that she is able to rest her back against the cool stone wall, Hotaru looks a little more comfortable now. She listens to his answer and smiles at his honesty as he describes his own actions during their last match. "Ah, yes. Well, you did find some," she states neutrally, thinking back on the two attacks he landed during their match. It wouldn't have taken too many more of those to pull out a victory in spite the odds being against him. He did seem like an honorable fighter compared to some she'd faced lately though, who seem to rely on insults, taunts, and trash talk to get a rise out of their opponents. "Your weapon," she comments after that, "I've never fought any one that used something like that before... where did you learn such a style?" she inquires, now able to ask the questions that ran through her mind during the fight that had no place being asked at the time.
"Perhaps, but if they were true holes I would have been able to find repeated success. More likely is that you either made a mistake or I was able to capitalize on a momentary weakness." Azrael seems to be perfectly comfortable standing, but then he'd already recovered from the injuries laid on him by Hotaru, and those more gruesome ones by Saishu weeks ago. He looks back over his shoulder at the weapon holstered to his back, and then returns his gaze to hers, "I looked it up, to be honest with you. I wished to employ a weapon in my fighting, so I looked for the best fit, and found this in a book about weapons. It was difficult finding someone capable of forging one, and of the style itself... I've mostly had to teach it to myself; the book had very little information."
The girl's eyes widen a little at the revelation that he is, for all intents and purposes, self-taught. "Really? My father taught me everything I know... Well. Mostly, anyway." She has improved a little in some areas. "That's very brave. To try out your own style. I hope it goes well for you. I've met a lot of fighters that have done that too, making up their own style as they go. It seems to work well for them." She beams, "Maybe we'll face each other again someday." And maybe she'll think to bring body armor then too!
Pushing herself off of the wall to stand up straight, Hotaru whistles once, the sound reveberating off the nearby walls. From the branches above, the ferret present earlier drops directly into the girl's outstretched arms. "Oof," Hotaru laughs, trying to ignore the ache in her sides. "It's time for us to get going, Azrael." His sketchbook is glanced at next, and she pauses, hesitating in her intention to depart suddenly. "Do you mind if I see what you were drawing?" the girl asks curiously.
Azrael nods his head slightly, "Kenpo, correct? To be honest with you, I've tried to incorporate a lot of what I've seen other fighters accomplish into my fighting style. I suppose I've taken nothing in an exact fashion, but the many various styles forms and techniques have much to offer." He nods a second time when she says she'll have to be going, "Very well, it was good to get a chance to talk to you." He looks like he's about to head away himself, taking little notice of the ferret, before she stops and asks to look at his artwork. He considers for a short moment and nods. "If you wish." He opens his sketchbook and then flips it to the correct page, holding it out for Hotaru to take, or simply look at if she wishes.
The picture is an... interesting one. It's a scene of a busy mall, teenagers going about their business and generally enjoying themselves, looking in windows at clothing and other various merchandise. Above them all there's a Christian angel hovering with it's arms and wings spread, emitting some sort of soft glow in a large radius. The people seem oblivious to it's presence. Off in the corners of the page, however, are some fairly gruesome and evil looking things that are fairly obviously demons of one kind or another, seemingly held at bay only by the radiance of the angel.
With the ferret in her arms, Hotaru doesn't try to take the sketchbook, but rather leans forward to look at the image intently, blue eyes taking in the scene as rendered by Azrael's hand. Several moments pass before she leans back, a thoughtful look on her face. "That is really something," the girl states, the tone of her voice suggesting that she isn't just being nice. Something about his image has struck a nerve with her. She shifts the ferret in her arms a little, cradling him now. "Thank you for showing it to me, Azrael. I'll see you around again sometime, I imagine?" she states as she moves past him to head toward the gate.
Elena was right. It's not too hard to make friends after all, Hotaru reflects to herself as she recalls some of the things the strange foreigner has been trying to teach her lately.
Azrael holds the book open long enough so that it remains visible to Hotaru until she's turning to leave. "Thank you, I'm glad you think so." It was a somewhat interesting mix of two of his normal themes; heaven and things getting torn up by demons. "I haven't decided whether I'm going to color it or not, just yet." It might be better off as it is, but at the same time color might give it even more depth than it seems to have already. "You're welcome. I hope you do, it was nice talking with you." He watches as she moves to leave, and then looks down to the picture again himself for a few moments, and then closes the sketchpad and makes to leave as well.
Log created by Azrael, and last modified on 05:45:37 04/26/2007.