[IC] This Angel of Mine (WhiteRose and HylianRose)

[WhiteRose]

The stars were bright. The air was cool. Katiel was in a great deal of pain.

He was unsure what, precisely, made his passage into the world so turbulent. He had visited earth before, and it had gone a lot better. He had stepped from the golden spire, spread his wings, and in a whirl of colour and sound found himself standing in a small park in northern Germany, clad in workman's clothes. Today's journey was significantly different. He had stepped from the golden spire, spread his wings, and in a whirl of colour and sound... found himself above the earth, tumbling end-over-end, air heating around him, fire engulfing him as he streaked across the sky. Entrance to the atmosphere... a new experience, but not one he wished to repeat. For miles around, people would see a burning streak across the night sky, and call it a meteor. They were wrong.

Regaining his composure, Katiel flung his wings out. The fire around him dispersed, fading in seconds, and he began to hover in the evening sky. His eyes scanned the bustling settlement below, searching for a name. Eventually, he found who he was looking for and descended to the ground as stealthily as he could. He cast his eyes around - no-one had seen him. Excellent. He clicked his fingers, and a leather jacket dropped around his shoulders. He placed some sunglasses over his eyes to disguise their silver hue. Time to make a friend, he thought.

[HylianRose]

The night sky loomed over the community park, Kari's little home away from home. When her mother was being difficult, this was usually where she went. That night, she'd arrived from school a bit later than the time set by her mother and of course she was scolded for it. She didn't even ask why Kari had been late, she just assumed it was for some evil... crime what-not. Kari never did anything too bad. She smoked, but she didn't do drugs or drink. She was above all of that. Mostly. She didn't see the point in making your death come any faster than it was anyway. Smoking was more or less just to calm her down. She could get pretty hot-tempered given the chance and smoking gave her a chance to cool that side of her down.

She was walking along the path designated for citizens to go on, listening to piano music from her MP3 player. Don't get her wrong, she liked modern, mainstream music but when she needed to calm down, piano music seemed to help with that. She had on her favorite dull green coat with a simple black sweater on underneath, jeans, and a pair of black high tops. This was her usual attire. She wasn't out to impress anyone but she didn't want to look like a bum either.

As she walked, she passed by other people, talking about their own lives and days. Kari turned her music up just a few clicks louder, trying to drown them out as she took another drag of her cigarette. The smoke blew past her as she blew it out, walking casually down the path. She didn't have a destination, she never did. She was just simply walking, enjoying the night air. Her mom, about now, was probably sitting on the couch, watching House as she waited for her daughter to come back home. One day, Kari might just run away altogether. It wasn't like her mother ever made any real attempts at getting to know her. It was all superfluous anyway.

[WhiteRose]

Katiel walked slowly, silently, across the old stone pavement. He was being careful now, not to be seen: his wings were away, and as such the light of his eyes and the tiny tongues of fire that occasionally lapped at his feet were suppressed, making him appear as any other early twenty-something young man- though his white hair occasionally drew some funny looks, most simply dismissed it in a second as being a quirk of youth. He made sure that his footsteps were silent, so as not to alert Kari to his presence.

Guardianship was always a difficult and tiring duty. It was far simpler to just watch from heaven, or walk as a spirit upon the earth. But when direct intervention was on the table, they could not waste time. It was made worse by his innate ineptitude at any form of real deception. He could wear the outfit and walk like a man, but if asked a question nothing in his nature would permit him to lie. It made things difficult. Often, he had simply taken to replying "I do not want to say that" or some variation of it when asked about himself. This rarely made him any friends within law enforcement.

This time it was a little different, however. He could sense an ill motive in Kari... She could, if let alone, make a dire mistake. He didn't know quite what- such insights were rare and vague, given only for specific needs. But he had to do something.

Eventually he decided that he had little way of contacting her organically, so he steeled his resolve and simply walked into her, bumping her with his shoulder.

"Oh! I hope that didn't hurt you!" He smiled at her. "Hey, it's late... What are you doing out here? The parks aren't always safe in this neighbourhood."

[HylianRose]

Kari jumped when she felt something bump into her and turned to see a white haired guy with shades on looking at her. When she removed her headphones, she heard him speak.

"Oh! I hope that didn't hurt you!" He spoke, smiling. Kari raised a brow at the man, putting her headphones around her neck for safe keeping. Who was this guy anyway? Most people in the park didn't bother her. And most of the trustworthy ones didn't wear sunglasses. Maybe he was just some punk trying to get something from her. If so, she should probably run but something in his voice told her he wasn't really out to get her. Still... What was with the sunglasses?

"Hey, it's late... What are you doing out here? The parks aren't always safe in this neighbourhood." He continued, procuring another brow raise from Kari. She chuckled and shook his head at him.

"You're one to talk. Usually, when you see someone wearing shades, they're the kind of people you avoid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy my night." She finished, turning away and putting her headphones back on. What was with the white hair too? I mean... Why dye your hair white? Was it supposed to be some sort of statement? Oh, look at me. I'm hip and cool. I have white hair and I wear shades in the middle of the night like a drug dealer. Though, most drug dealers wouldn't go for the sort of... flashy white hair. At least, she wouldn't think. Would they? I mean... why would they? You wouldn't want to call attention to yourself when selling drugs. That kind of defeats the purpose...

She shook her head and continued on, making the circle around the park that eventually lead back toward the apartment, and took another puff of her cigarette.

[WhiteRose]

Katiel sighed and sped up slightly do that he could walk alongside Kari. He smiled at get again, this time a little weakly, trying to find some rational reason for her to trust an admittedly strange man approaching her like this. Eventually he decided to try to explain away the oddities of the situation if he could, without compromising his cover.

"The glasses are because my eyes are... Different. Anyway, I really don't think you should be out alone like this. I saw some guys hanging around here who looked like they were pretty dangerous." Katiel glanced wearily into the night. He could feel eyes upon his head... Leering yellow eyes of a beast, long since past redemption. An imp, most likely- not too dangerous alone, but Katiel didn't have any weapons on his person. He could kill it, but Kari was an issue. "I know this sounds odd, but I think I know who they are. Used to know them... Long time ago, now. I think it would be better if you went home that way."

Katiel motioned to a particular park exit. It led into a large open space outside a shopping centre, a small crowd of late night shoppers mingling about. It was to him a perfect spot. The imp, or imps, wouldn't risk an assault with other people around. It would cause too much of a scene. It would be safe...ish...

"I understand that you probably don't trust me, but you should. I'm just trying to help, and I promise I'm not trying to trick you into something."

[HylianRose]

"Different...?" She asked, raising another brow as she pulled her headphones off onto her neck once again. "I haven't seen any dangerous guys. I've seen a few couples and some other teenagers walking around. But no dangerous men. Well, except you." She replied, sending a smirk the guy's way. She watched with mild curiosity as the guy turned to look worriedly around them. Again, she raised a brow, rather weird-ed out by this guy.

"Oh!" She shouted, chuckling to herself. "So you think you used to know them. Great. I trust you so much right now." She responded, shaking her head. She didn't even look to see where the guy had pointed to. In her mind, he was probably just mentally insane. It wasn't unlikely. She just needed to find some way to get rid of him and go home. Forget running away, she just wanted to get away from this loser.

"I understand that you probably don't trust me, but you should. I'm just trying to help, and I promise I'm not trying to trick you into something." He told her as she turned away again, to walk farther down the path. She simply chuckled and shook her head.

"Listen. You're right. I don't trust you. You look like you could probably use some help. There's a pretty good doctor down the road a bit if you want to pay him a visit tomorrow. I'm sure he'd love to hear about your 'used to be' friend." She explained, turning back to face him one on one. "Even if you aren't trying to trick me, I'm fine on my own. I've been okay for this long. I think I'll be just fine. So uh... leave me alone?" She asked, smiling brightly. She turned on her heel and began to walk along the path, trying her best to get as far away from that guy as possible.

I just want to get home...

[WhiteRose]

Katiel stood for a moment, deciding what to do. Clearly, she wanted nothing to do with him, and he was sure that pressing the issue too forcefully would harm his cause more than help it. He sighed slightly, resolving to follow her from a distance and make sure that she got home safe. There was a small comfort to him, as the dire feeling he had been getting dissipated. Clearly whatever bad decision she was going to make, she has now chosen not to.

He did his best to tail her as silently as possible, ducking from tree to tree as they navigated through the park, always with an ear out for the small rustles which might betray the presence of an enemy. He would just have to deal with it, if an imp did decide to make its presence known. Horrible little things, made of scrabbling claws and quick, gnashing jaws... he wished desperately that he could have taken his blade with him, or better yet one of the archangelic Judgements, but carrying that sort of thing would draw too much attention. If he was attacked, he would have to exorcise his foes in a far more traditional way.

Katiel followed Kari along her path, being careful not to be seen. He stepped on a cat at one point, causing the animal to hiss and slash at him ineffectually, but he was pretty sure that he managed to duck into the shadows again without being seen. The streets were cold, now, dead. Barely anyone around. This was not the situation he wanted to be in, skulking and largely defenceless. Demons liked the dark... Katiel was more of a morning person. Eventually, he managed to follow Kari to her destination.

[HylianRose]

Kari, with her headphones in blaring piano music, made her way back home, not even noticing the angel on her tail, or much of anything for that matter. Within 15 minutes or so, she made it back to the apartment complex and was walking up the stairs towards their apartment. Without knocking, she opened the door, put out her cigarette in the nearby ashtray, and went inside, locking the door behind her. She heard her mom moving around in the living area and attempted to go to her room without alarming her but upon looking inside, found that her mother was asleep on the couch, House still playing on the TV.

Liz Lufton was practically and older version of Kari, long dark hair and dark eyes. The only different between the two was age and the small music tattoo Kari had on her wrist, one of the reasons she almost always wore her coat. Kept her mother from seeing it pretty well so far.

Sighing, Kari walked over and turned the TV off with the remote located on the coffee table. She picked up a nearby blanket and draped it over her mother's sleeping frame. Despite their animosity, Kari did like her mother. She did think highly of her. She just wished her mother spent more time trying to understand her. She was always being blamed for things that really weren't her fault. The only reason she'd been late earlier was because she'd stopped to hold the door for a woman trying to move in to her apartment. It had taken a bit longer than Kari had anticipated and by the time she got home, her mother was chewing her out for it. So, that was what she got for being nice. Maybe next time she'd have to be mean.

She snickered slightly as she walked into her room. No, she couldn't do that. She couldn't find it within her self to purposefully be cruel to someone. Now, if they were cruel to someone else, she took no guilt in returning the favor. She turned as she entered her room and walked over to the bathroom to take a shower, taking her sweet time, enjoying the warmth it provided. The guy from earlier had honestly shaken her a bit. She couldn't lie, she was a bit scared and her nerves were on end, something a hot shower might hopefully dispel.

[WhiteRose]

Katiel say uncomfortably, perched on the end of a tree-branch with a decent view into Jari's apartment. Here we're a few blind spots, specifically Kari's morher's bedroom and the bathroom, but Katiel was glad for that. The terms of his guardianship were strict- he was to follow her as closely as possible, but he was not to compromise her modesty. "There was a dignity to humanity which should not be stripped without careful consideration": that was what the Ophanim who had trained him. Katiel had a sudden flashback to his youth, the almighty voice of the Ophanim... A strange beast, indeed, of fire and eyes and wheels. It had been a while since he stood before his old mentor.

He kept his keen eyes trained on the home, and slowly began to learn the ins and outs of their lives. It was remarkable how much one could discover simply by watching: secrets, lies, thoughts even if one knew what to look for.

His train of thought was broken by a set of heavy, leathery wings flapping wildly past him. He whirled around and lost his balance, falling to the ground below with a loud crash, due in part to his arm snapping terribly, bending back at the elbow. He stifled a desperate yell, gritting his teeth. The creature that had knocked him from the beach stood giggling a few feet away. It was squat, far, and had a mouthful of sharp teeth that split the head unnaturally from ear to ear. Katiel lunged for it, but missed, and it scampered back into the sky. Katiel was left to painfully bend his arm back into the right position, and hope that he hadn't been detected.

[HylianRose]

Stepping out of her shower, Kari heard a loud noise coming from somewhere outside. It couldn't have been outside, could it? She dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of shorts and a tank top, a towel wrapped around her head. With quick steps, she walked through the house, making sure nothing was amiss before going outside. She made her way down the stairs and looked around the complex, looking for anything that might strike her as odd. It could have very well just been some sort of animal but she wanted to make sure. Either way, whatever fell, if it was alive, would probably need some help. None of the other tenants would come out to help so it was up to Kari.

She rounded her way to the back at the sounds of groaning. Surely an animal wouldn't make groaning noises. As the sound of a loud pop (Katiel bending his arm back into position) she jumped, surprised. She looked over to see a man near the fence, clutching his arm. He had white hair and... wait... She blinked, staring at him with a blank expression. Well, she was going to be nice to him but he was stalking her?

"Listen. Before I call the cops, you might want to come up with a good reason why your back behind my apartment complex, yeah?" She told him, walking closer. She eyed his body, trying to find any visible signs of harm. She didn't see any, but that didn't mean it didn't exist. Despite this man creeping her out she couldn't very not try to at least help him get out here. "Are you okay? Sounded like you fell..." She asked, her voice soft and quiet, mostly due to her nerves.

I should really just go call the police and let them handle this...

But... I can't... I can't bring myself to.

[WhiteRose]

"I'll be fine. No permanent damage, anyway. The fall wasn't... too bad..." Katiel said, waving his right arm in the air to demonstrate that it had movement. He winced slighty. "It'll heal by morning, anyway."

He wracked his brain for a way to explain his situation without giving too much information away. At times the inability to lie was a strange impediment to the cause... though he knew that to give even an inch to the darkness was to throw oneself into it, and he shuddered to consider what made the demons take that first step. His mouth went oddly dry, looking into the eyes of this unique young girl. "...I... ah... I have reason to believe that somebody wants you dead, and I've been told to watch you and make sure they don't get a chance. I'm only permitted to reveal the details of my assignment under extreme circumstances, but I am permitted to tell you that much. I didn't want to alarm you, which is why I was watching from the tree rather than being open..."

His eyes widened suddenly.

"Not that I could see anything I shouldn't! I-I'd never want to pry, it wouldn't be right, I just needed to make sure that your apartment remained secure, and..." Katiel's face fell. "...and you probably don't find this at all convincing."

[HylianRose]

Kari raised a brow at the man again, a habit that seemed to be forming, before lifting a hand to suppress the chuckle coming up from her throat. "S-Sorry." She spoke through her laughter, smiling down at the strange man she'd yet to learn the name of. So far, she hadn't quite marked crazy off the list of suspect traits but she no longer really thought he was any harm to her, at least right now.

Watching him squirm trying to find a good reason for him to be in that tree was all she needed to see to confirm that he more than likely meant no harm and meant what he said even if it was a bit... cryptic. "I know the view from that tree. Don't worry." She told him, chuckling again at the thought.

"So... Someone's after me and you can't really tell me a single thing about it." She stated, walking over to sit down next to him. "Well, can I at least know my protector's name?" She asked, grinning over at him. She didn't believe him, but she was willing to at least play along for now. It wasn't like she was going to get herself into anything she couldn't very well get herself out of.

Sure, he might be insane but he seemed like one of the nice ones. Even if it felt like he'd lash out at some invisible foe at any moment. She didn't what she'd do should that happen. Probably try to stop him? Subdue him somehow? She wasn't going to invite him into her house, there was no way in hell. But... She could at least stay out here for a bit and get some more information on him. She didn't want to see him taken in by the cops but she also didn't want him standing out here in the cold all night if that was what he planned to do.

"And... Do you have anywhere to stay? Surely you're not going to stay outside my house all night long. It's way too cold!" She asked, a worried look in her eyes.

[WhiteRose]

"Oh, the cold doesn't bother me." Katiel shrugged, looking up at the tree. "Besides, it's sheltered from the wind, above ground, not particularly visible from the surrounding buildings. It's a good tree..."

Katiel glanced back to Kari. He sighed slightly, sensing that he wouldn't be able to dodge the question of his name that easily.

"...And my name's Katiel. Some people call me Kat: you can, if you want to... you don't have to, but you can if you want to. As for where I intend to stay now, I certainly wouldn't say no to hospitality if it was offered, but if that's not an option... and in truth I would rather you be cautious when strangers ask to be let in, rather than stay inside for a night... with your permission I'll probably get back into the tree."

Katiel looked back into the tree. He wasn't quite sure why he was so fond of the tree, but he was told that setting foot in creation after a long absence could create strange feelings of attachment in angels. To see the work of the creator in all its pragmatic majesty was something profoundly emotional, and it was nice to be able to live, even for a moment, in the position of a human and thereby take advantage of such natural wonders. Lost in thought, he removed his sunglasses and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes were bright, luminescent in the dark night air - silver circles of immense beauty, like the clearest moons on would ever see, which appeared to radiate an aura of faith and order. He soon put the glasses back on however, and glanced again to Kari, wondering if she had noticed.

"I... ah... I don't need you to be out here with me, so if you want to get warm that's ok." he murmured. "You might catch something if you're out here too long."

[HylianRose]

She listened quietly as he spoke, raising a brow at the mention of his immunity to the cold. Did he grow up in a cold place or something? It would make sense...

Katiel...

An interesting, but then again so was Kari. Then again, she didn't really like the name Katherine. One, she was lazy and it was too long to write out and two, it was too... formal sounding. She liked Kari better. She'd even looked up the meaning one day. Apparently it held several different meanings. For the norse, it apparently meant 'Gust of Wind' or 'curly hair.' She didn't have curly hair so she was more inclined to believe the former. For the Greek, it meant 'Pure,' something she knew she wasn't. So, with Norse it went.

She felt herself tense up when he talked about him going into her home. "Yeah, no. I wasn't going to ask nor offer. So, you can just stay in the trees if it suits you. I preferring knowing people for awhile before I randomly let them into my home." She responded rather quickly, shaking her head vehemently.

He took off his sunglasses for a moment and Kari could have sworn she'd seen as flash of light but before she could get a better look at him, he had them back on. What was that about anyway? Why would there be a flash of some glowing light in the middle of the night that just so happened to coincide with Katiel taking off his sunglasses. She shrugged it off as a mere fluke for now but decided that she might pursue it later. After all, it was kind of cold and she needed to get to bed.

"Yeah. I'm ganna go get some sleep. Don't, ah... fall again. Okay?" She told him, sending him an awkward smiling before making her way back up to her apartment and then to her room. She took off her shoes and fell into the pile of pillows and blankets that was her bed, not really moving until morning came and sunlight peaked it's way into her bedroom.

[WhiteRose]

Katiel did not move again that night. Sleep was not a possibility for his kin, and his eyes did not tire, which meant he could simply watch and wait indefinitely. He was sure that he heard the flapping of impish wings once more in the night, but no demon made their presence known. Likely the imp thought trying the same trick twice would lead to its brutal demise. He clenched his fists, a furious growl slowly beginning to rise from the pit of his stomach. There was a rushing of blood in his ears, a searing anger in the deepest mote of his strange soul. It was an urge he quickly suppressed. He was not sure where the rages came from, or their purpose, but he had been told that they were present in those touched by the essence of the Ophanim, over long periods of time. His training had certainly been that - a century in mortal reckoning, locked in a chamber with the whirling fires. It gave some of the angels the queer bloodlust he found himself fighting against: to seek, hunt, kill, rip, tear. The divine wrath was strong tonight.

Eventually, he calmed again and regained his vigil. He was there when Kari went to bed, when she rose again, and throughout her breakfast he remained motionless in the branches, staring at her. This time, he wasn't all too worried about being seen - she knew he was there, and she seemed to accept his presence for the moment. What proved more problematic was the following day. Thought Kari might not mind him keeping vigil from afar, it would be a lot more difficult once he neared a high-school. Strangers were not always welcome, and it's not like he could lie and say he was a new student... although... Katiel had been told before that he looked young, and might pass for Kari's age if he changed his mannerisms slightly. American schools don't have uniforms, so his current attire - a clean white shirt, jeans and a warm jacket - would hardly attract attention.

He mulled the idea over for a few minutes, before deciding that it was his only recourse. He would wait for Kari to appear, then walk to school with her - if asked, he would simply say that it was his first day at school. Which it was, in a strange way. He had certainly never studied on earth before.

[HylianRose]

Breakfast went by quickly as her mother was already gone to work for the day. She worked quite a distance away from home at a nursing home called Angel's Edict. It kind of freaked her out. Like.. Edict as is an order or proclamation? To what? Call people back from earth? It was weird and she didn't like it. Why couldn't they name it something normal like, Rushing Springs or Little Garden. Something cute and sweet. But no... Angel's Edict.

Regardless, Kari ate quietly and quickly and was soon making her way outside. She pulled on her headphones and pulled her coat around her body, defending herself against the chilly wind of the morning. What she saw outside didn't really surprise her. There, outside her complex, stood Katiel, the crazy guy. Oddly enough, within only a few hours of knowing the guy, she was growing quite fond of him. She guessed it was mostly pity. The guy looked like he only owned one pair of clothes and was a bit batshit crazy. But, still... he was nice enough, sweet even.

"You're walking to school with me?" She asked, raising a brow at him. He then explained it was his first day at the school. She smelled something fishy but decided not to press it. To be fair, school had only started just recently and it would make sense. It was too weird though. He was immune to the cold, he stayed in that tree all night long and seemed to want to stay with her for some reason. Maybe she was thinking about it too much but why would a teenager like herself be all by himself?

...

She sighed. She supposed it made sense why he would want to stay near someone. It was a smart idea actually. Arriving with someone you already know sets you up for a pretty good grip on social interactions. And... she kind of wanted to take care of him for some reason. She felt like she needed to... He looked... lost in a weird way. He looked mature, like he knew what he wanted to do but he went about it the wrong way. Like he didn't know much about the smaller details. What kind of mental disorder would do that?

Shaking her head, she simply nodded at Katiel and made her way for school, making sure he was following her. When they arrived, the school being a short 15 or so minute walk from her apartment, Kari smiled and waved at her friends that were going inside. She didn't have many but the few that she did have were the people she could stand being around. She hated the girly girls and the jocks, with the exception of a few. For the most part, she liked to stay around quiet people, people that didn't expect much from her and didn't really ask for much. Which... was what she needed. She didn't need a group of girls telling her that she needed to find a boyfriend and she certainly wasn't going to hang out with the party animal jocks. The only jocks she liked were the quiet, shy ones. How they got into sports, she didn't know but she was civil to them and them alone for that particular group.

She turned to Katiel as they made their way to the entrance and asked, "Don't you need to go to the front office and sign in? I mean, it being your first day. I can go with you in you want." She watched, gauging his reaction. He probably wanted someone with him for support but maybe he also wanted to try and do it for himself. She didn't know. The guy was an enigma.

[WhiteRose]

Katiel looked to the door of the office. He paused. Took a moment to close his eyes and pray. There was a slight fluttering about him in this moment, as if a breeze only he could feel stirred his clothing and hair. There was a soft light from about his eyes, just about spilling out from the gap underneath his shades. It was a special request, and one he was reticent to make - but even so, he needed to. If he was to properly protect Kari now that his cover had been partially blown, he needed to walk into that office. After a few seconds of this, he opened his eyes again and the light and ephemeral wind subsided. He looked to Kari and smiled weakly.

"No, no - I'll handle it myself. Thank you." Katiel nodded, then opened the door and stepped through to the other side. He carefully shut it again, and looked to the woman sitting at the administrator's desk on the other side. She looked at him oddly, but before she could ask why there was a strange man in her office, he began to speak in a cool, authoritative voice. A lick of fire could be seen dancing on his tongue with each word.

"My name is Katiel. I am not on the records for this establishment, because I am not a student here. I would like you to enter me into the database anyway, as I would like to be a student here for the forseeable future. Place me in the same classes as a girl named Kari Lufton, and write me a letter of introduction to her teachers."

The woman looked at him for a moment, considering whether to call security. She eventually decided not to, and did as asked. Katiel let out a long, pained sigh of relief as he saw the woman's fingers clattering away quickly on her keyboard. The power of sovereign speech was rarely granted to those of his rank - and even when it was, if a mistake in the request was made, any cause for alarm given, the human will would simply disobey anyway. Even angels cannot dominate the will, though they might influence it. Eventually his letter of introduction was given, and he emerged into the hallway once more.

"Alright." he said, looking at Kari. "If you'd be so kind, please... lead the way."

He followed Kari, walking through the school's halls with a quiet discomfort. He found the presence of so many strangers intimidating... he never knew what to do around them. It didn't help that a few people were giving him odd looks, sniggering at his 'unique' hair and continued use of sunglasses indoors. One girl coughed 'Poser!' under her breath as he passed. There was a flash of rage as she said this, but it quickly subsided. He would need to work on controlling that, Katiel thought, if he was to remain undetected. Humans sin, and he could not punish them when they did - it was not his place, and it would only cause problems.

Eventually they reached the room.

[HylianRose]

Kari waited outside for Katiel. She contemplated go ahead to class but part of her wanted to be late to class because she was showing the new guy around. A cheap move but... they couldn't blame her, right? She smiled as Katiel came back outside and told her to lead the way. But wait... What class did he have? He couldn't seriously have a class with her. And... if he had every class with her, she'd probably get a bit worried. Who was this guy? She wanted to ignore all of these weird vibes but at the same time she couldn't. First, his sunglasses and his eyes, now he seemed to have a class with her... She couldn't shake the feeling.

She led the way, making her way to her classroom, assuming he had the same one as her. She could feel the stiffness of him. Probably nervous. He did stand out quite a bit... Kari could have sworn she'd heard someone say something to him, but she couldn't quite make out what was said. She turned to watch the girl walking away. Stacy... Yep. She'd made fun of him. She turned back, facing the direction of her classroom. As they walked up to the door, Kari paused with her hand on the doorknob.

"Don't listen to that girl. What she thinks doesn't matter anyway. I think you're fine the way you are. So... " She trailed off, turning her head to look at him. "Don't feel like you have to change because of her." She continued, turning back. "That girl pisses me off anyway." She finished and with that she opened the door and walked in.

She felt the quiet hush of the students as she walked in but it didn't last long as they realized who it was, they didn't see Katiel behind her. As she walked to two empty seat, assuming Katiel would want to sit next to her, she heard the hush again as everyone stared at Katiel. Her home town was pretty small so new people were a pretty big thing. Some of the students even got up to greet him and ask him where he was from. Kari simply got settled into her seat, almost... jealous? Weird. She shouldn't be jealous of the attention the weird, possibly insane, guy that had been following her around.

Still, she tried to play it cool and pulled out her things to get ready for class which was starting any moment now.

[WhiteRose]

Katiel followed Kari into her class, handed his letter to the teacher - a modest thing, simply stating that he ways new and his glasses were necessary to hide his eyes, which were 'different' and might gather him unwanted attention. He then sat down at the desk next to her, and gave an embarrassed smile to the other people in the room. A few of them took advantage of the minutes left before the class started to bombard him with questions, which he selectively and vaguely answered with the same sort of infuriatingly information-less answers that he had given Kari previously: Yes, he was new, no, he didn't know when he'd be staying until, yes the glasses are necessary, no you may not look at his weird eyes... and no, his accent was not British. After a few minutes of being grilled, the portly teacher at the front of the room called for silence and took attendance, before beginning a long lecture on some triviality of physics.

Katiel adapted quickly to the environment. He seemed able to follow along quite easily, and answered a few questions with surprising aptitude. He head a head for it, it seemed. In truth, he had learnt the basics of the subject from his tutor, who said that an appreciation for the logic by which the universe was made would reveal something of the mind of the creator.

Eventually however the bell rang and class was over. Katiel kept up much the same routine for the rest of the morning - silently hand the teacher his letter of introduction, barely answer some questions about himself, then occasionally contribute to the class discussion. Soon, it was noon. But as he followed Kari towards the lunchroom, the two of them were faced with an altercation - a large boy, holding another smaller youth aloft by the scruff of his neck, shouting something brutishly about a debt owed. Or rather, a debt perceived as being owed: it was quite clearly a shakedown. Katiel watched for a while, silently, following the line waiting for their food. After a minute or so however, his patience broke and he placed his tray to one side.

Katiel strode boldly forward and struck a pressure point on the back of the larger student's shoulder, forcing him to quickly drop the boy in his hands. The student turned around furiously, only to be met with Katiel staring him in the eye furiously from beneath his black-tinted shades. Despite Katiel being a fair bit shorter than this student, there was an mistakable sense of power about him in that moment.

"Get out." Katiel said, voice shaking with anger. "And in future, leave him alone."

[HylianRose]

Kari spent her time in class as she always did, watching her paper, doodling. She had no interest in any of this stuff. Well, except for English and Music class, of which she excelled. Having played the piano for a few years, Kari had found she was pretty adept at it. She first was introduced to the piano after listening to piano music online which sparked her interest. She asked her mother shortly there after if she could take piano lessons which was granted to her after much convincing. She has since obtained a cheap piano that she placed in her room and has been playing daily in order to improve. Music Class is the one class she pays attention in, one of the few she cares deeply about.

What surprised her throughout the day was Katiel. Though most of his answers to personal questions were left vague, he contributed in the class and he was pretty smart too. Stick that kid on a debate team and they'd kick ass. But what surprised her the most was his sudden reaction to bullying going on. Normally, Kari would have intervened but... it was Jack. And Jack was 10 times stronger than her and while she was willing to get beaten up for someone, she wasn't willing to get sent to the hospital for someone. Still, she knew the guy being bullied too. Lance. He was a nice kid, pretty sweet to most who knew him. The only problem Kari had with him was his backbone, that being his lack of one. He let other kids push him around, he was friends with people for the wrong reason, he did things for people for reasons he shouldn't just because he can't seem to say no.

Kari tried to avoid him as being around him just irritated her but... Katiel... She sighed with tray in hand and placed the tray back onto the pile, smiling apologetically at the lunch lady glaring at her and made her way to follow Katiel. When she arrived on scene however, Katiel was yelling at Jack, who by now was turned around yelling at him.

Shit...

Shit, shit, shit...

Kari closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose before walking a bit closer with a bright smile on her face and her hands raised as a sign of peace. "Hey now! Let's not get too serious here. We're all friends, right?" She spoked, grinning. She walked over to Jack and placed an arm, as best she could manage, on his shoulder, which was twitching by now, which meant he was seconds away from punching Katiel out. "Jack! Hey! I haven't seen you around in a while. You know... You look like you've really rounded out. I mean... how much do you bench?" She asked, moving her other hand to rub on his arm.

Jack, clearly a bit shocked, looked down at Kari, his brows furrowed in confusion. "...T-Two Eighty..." He stammered, still confused.

"Listen... Jack... Why don't you come eat lunch with me? I could use having a big strong man to look at for a half hour." She asked, leaning against Jack. She glanced at Lance, sending him a smile and wink and then looked back up at Jack, ignoring Katiel for the moment.

Jack didn't quite know what to make of Kari it seemed, but for the moment, her plan was working. His attention was off of Katiel and his arm had finally stopped twitching.

"You can even flex for me." Kari continued, grinning up at him. "Oh, how I love a man with muscle!" She spoke, walking away from Jack, motioning with a finger for him to follow.

Jack jumped slightly, realizing what was happening and followed Kari quickly, walking up to her, flexing and trying to get her attention. And that was how Kari spent her lunch, pretending to be into Jack, the giant bully of her high school. She never thought she'd stoop so low. She got quite a few looks from both male and female eyes but for now she didn't mind. She could deal with Jack's... low IQ for one half hour if it meant a moment of reprieve for Lance and stopped Katiel from getting expelled. Obviously, she'd have to talk to him later.