More than meets the eye (Woof)

Pyrrha was glad her suggestion had some merit to it. What she did not like however, was Jake inflicting harm upon himself just to make the ‘bait’ more enticing. Pyrrha even clenched her teeth as the boy’s fist collided with the fresh wound. She could almost feel it. She was pretty sure she’d experienced something similar back home, but with all the fights she had been in, it was hard to tell which one it might have occurred in. That being said the pain would turn to general confusion and intrigue as Jake’s body began to morph and change.

Right before her eyes, Jake’s form had shifted to that of a small girl. It was the same form he had ended up in the last time they trained. It was nice to see he had it under control, but also concerning. Did it cause him pain to do it? Did it offer any sort of advantages? Pyrrha had so many questions to ask, but chose to refrain. They were on a somewhat limited schedule. “Ok. You uh…you lead the way and I’ll follow not to far behind.” She’d give Jake a thumbs up to show she was ready to move.

She wouldn’t have much time to react if something did show up to attack Jake. Then there was the issue of how strong whatever showed up would be. Picking the right job for this was going to be something Pyrrha would have to figure out on the fly. The young adventurer would wait a few seconds for Jake to leave the warehouse before following them out. “Please don’t let this be a bad idea…” she mumbled to herself, her eyes constantly shifting all over the place. She kept an eye out for any potential danger, hoping to be ready for it where or whenever it popped up.

"Isn't my best plan. And it might just be as good as flying around until something finds me... But may it warrant some fruit." The girl mumbled, voice low. Sometimes Jake had to catch themselves with it, remember that it is her voice, not the voice of someone in his ear. The form wasn't without some merits. He was smaller and faster. Made fighting things somewhat easier. But the loss of his mass meant he hurt easier, and his strength didn't match up. A strange thing for whatever ability allowed him to do this morphing. It was as if his entire body changed, right down to the chromosomes.

The walk lasted a few minutes, the young girl taking alleyways to avoid the general public eye. Her shirt felt very sticky, and she glanced down to see that the white had effectively blended with the red, luckily, it didn't seem to be growing any more. Still, every half minute or so she looked back to make sure Pyrrha was still with her. Jake was most certainly sure that the alien woman didn't like this at all... But she entertained it. They smiled to that thought as they stepped through to another alleyway.

"Come on... Where are the demons when you need them... Maybe we should have waited for the night. Less eyes." It was vampire logic, but it could work for demons who didn't wish to attract attention... Would vampires know anything? No, silly thought. Rolling her eyes, the girl decided to move on when she felt the ground shake lightly. She frowned and glanced down, watching small bits of rock and dust begin to shake and lift. She looked ahead, and back to Pyrrha, before glancing down again, her eyes flashing a bright red. "Pyrrh-" The girl yelled as the ground below them exploded outwards, a large, thick and furry hand, grabbing a hold of Jake's leg and dragging them through the earth before the girl could react.

Scraped against rock and stone, the girl was slammed into the ground of what seemed to be a makeshift tunnel. The creature before her looked much like an ape, if apes had blue fur and two smaller human like arms attached the the upper ribs, and a face disgustingly monstrous but humanoid. "Smell of angel blood. Hungry." The demon growled, a hand reaching forwards. The girl quickly stood and tried to punch the creature, only for it to grasp around her hand, catching the punch with relative ease. It then lifted her off the ground, before slamming her back into the floor and then into the roof of this cave, causing the air to leave Jake's lungs as they were flung around like a doll.

Pyrrha continued to follow the transformed Jake around, even from this distance she could see how much the the teen’s shirt had soaked up blood from the gashes in Jake’s side. She clenched her teeth a bit, it was because of her suggestion that Jake had to endure that pain and discomfort. *Damn my overwillingness to want to help people out* She silently thought to herself as she continued to eye their surroundings. The last thing they needed was to be ambushed with Jake in the state he, or she was currently in. This was definitely an odd situation, and one Pyrrha would have to bring up with the young ma…woman later.

The two had traveled quite a distance from the warehouse where they had initially met up. And even though Jake was trying to stay away from crowds, to appear as vulnerable and helpless as possible, nothing seemed to want to take the bait. This only made Pyrrha feel even worse. Jake had hurt themself in a vain attempt to lure out a monster, that may or may not be of any help. The young adventurer was almost ready to call it when there was a sudden rumbling.

The ground shook subtly, loose pebbles rolled around and dust lifted up. Something was coming. Pyrrha tensed up, her eyes shifted towards the ground, it was certainly not a direction she was thinking a threat would arrive from. As the ground exploded outward, instincts took over. There was a bright flash of light that enveloped Pyrrha as she back flipped away from the point of eruption. The backflip took Pyrrha several yards away from the hole created by whatever came looking for Jake, and she could immediately tell her friend had been snatched.

Her hands tightened into fists, but couldn’t close all the way, she looked down to see she was holding a spear. In the instant she had leapt away from danger, she had subconsciously jumped into one of her forms without even realizing it. Just by looking at the weapon, and her gear, Pyrrha knew she had shifted into the form of the Dragoon. It wasn’t quite the job she had in mind for this little adventure, but seeing as how she had assumed the form, she might as well put it to use.

Clenching the spear tightly, Pyrrha would arch her back and let out a loud roar into the sky. Blue flames would form around her body and she called forth the blood of the dragon. Pyrrha would explode upward high into the sky, like a red cannon ball, reaching the apex of her jump almost instantly. From there she’d quickly turn the spear downward, so that the blade was between her feet. She had essentially straddled the weapon like a pogo stick and exploded downward on the hole the demon had dragged Jake down. She aimed to strike the beat in the shoulder, hopefully it was durable enough that she didn’t cleave right through it. “Let Jake go you beast!” She shouted as she plummeted downward.

The creature paused when the rumble of a dragons roar fade, having been too invested in trying to break it's prey down to realize it had been going on. But now it remained still, the girl breathing heavily from the harsh beating she had taken. Thankfully the grip on her arm was still more painful then the walls she had been smacked into. Jake just needed a moment. Then he'd be good.

And his friend arrived just in time to give them that moment. The spear cut into the flesh of the beast, but her worry had been for nought, as the spear head vanished alongside a foot of the wood deep into the flesh, it soon stopped. The gorilla like demon roared in pain, its massive arms flailing about to knock the woman from it's shoulders. "Tricks and pain, suffer me not." The demon growled as it prepared to ram it's shoulder and Pyrrha into the wall of the cave around them.

It didn't even make it a foot. Jake latched onto the creatures arm, opposite of the one Pyrrha had damaged, their skin a light shade of reddish pink, the boy held the creature it place despite it's efforts."Thanks Pyrrha. Now get off it!" She called as she lifted the beast, slamming it into the roof and then into the ground. The earth around them shook with the impacts, but it was just retribution for what she had just suffered. With a final swing, the girl would slam the gorilla into the side of the cave wall, letting go of them, she'd loosen the belt around her waist, her skin shifting, muscles growing and changing, bones morphing, till he was a boy once more. "We need you to answer some questions."

The creature slumped against the wall, looking between the woman and the boy, it sniffed at the air, before recoiling against the wall in disgust. "Yarg, smell the disease. Demon blood courses. A monster... Speak the request." The creature turned it's bloody face to the boy, sneering with disgust, it's right arm limp, useless from the damage of the spear and the boys reversal of the creatures attack.

The boy glanced to Pyrrha, before cracking his neck. Everything hurt a lot more then before. And he could swear the wound had oh most certainly opened up again. "I'm looking for a man. A demon of some sort. Manipulates shadows." Jake spoke, watching as the demon sneered once more, looking to the side. That was too broad... The boy tried to recount the moment. What else... "He had tattoos. Snakes running down his arms." The boy finished. He didn't expect any more then what they had gotten. But the demon glanced between the two of them, its face one of monstrous recognition.

"Seek the nameless? Fools errand. Nameless is... The monster seeks a monster. I dare no more say." It growled, but it's look was not that of resistance. It seemed worried.

Pyrrha landed dead on her mark. The blade of her spear drove deeply into the large creature’s shoulder. The underground layer echoed with the roars of pain the best let out. It writhed and shook in pain. Its arms flailed about trying to pry Pyrrha and her blade from its shoulder, but much like an attack dog, Pyrrha had no intention of letting go. At least night right away. That changed as Jake’s feminine voice filled the air, calling for Pyrrha to get off the monster. She would only shoot the girl a quick glance before heeding to her words.

With a quick tug, Pyrrha pried the spear from the monster and leapt of its shoulder, landing gracefully behind it. She looked on in slight surprise as the beast suddenly began to lift off the ground. A quick glance past it showed that Jake’s body was glowing a pinkish red. Nearly similar to when the boy discovered this genderbending ability and scared Pyrrha and Johanna half to death. With a quick show of strength, Jake rag dolled the demon around the small cave-like area before reverting to his normal male form. Pyrrha would remain silent as Jake asked the demon some questions.

Instead of clear answers, all the pair got, were some cryptic words and a look of concern. Pyrrha would let out a small sight behind her helmet as she looked on. It was always the same. Whenever there was information that needed to be gathered, no one was every willing to cough up the goods. “Speak plainly. Tell us what we want to know, or perhaps there is something we can do for you in return for the information that we seek?” Pyrrha questioned the large beast. If it was not going to talk, then they’d have to find some way to get what they were after.

She would hate for Jake to have gone through all of this just to end up where he started. It was Pyrrha who suggested they do this in the first place. She felt responsible for getting the answers Jake was looking for. She said she could and would help him, and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to give it her all.

"Plainly speak the woman ask? Speak plain Grosorko speaks." The demon retorted, apparently in some way offended to the alien asking it to speak 'plainly.' But still it didn't seem to respond to her offer. Not right away. The boy huffed in annoyance, and perhaps sensing that, the demon let out a mewled growl. "Grosorko wants flesh. Hunger fueled hunger. Gorsorko knows he will not get it. Speak of the nameless I will not, that thing. I do not fear you as I it." The demon finished, pulling itself closer to the wall.

Looking around, the cave didn't seem natural. The grooves of large fingers having dug through dirt, stone and cement was obvious, and the recent impacts made by the demon and Jake against each other was an obvious sign that the structure wasn't wholly safe. But the boy didn't care about that. The cave could collapse on him and he'd be fine. He needed answers. And while it was clear the demon understood something, it was very clear it would not speak. Not without some motivation. He had plenty to give.

Still glowing the lightest shade of reddish pink, the boy stepped up to the demon. It didn't bother trying to attack, despite Jake getting into the range. "He doesn't need to know how we find him. And this can be a whole lot less painless for you. Let me give you an example." The boy spoke plainly, as if with no malice at all. Right until he dived forwards, hands grabbing into the flesh wound made by the spear.

And he ripped. The sound of flesh tearing, gruesome and unpleasant was easily heard, and the creature responded with cries and growls that almost became screams, it's arm lashed for the boy to knock him away, but he smacked it aside with his forearm as he left the wound alone, the crack of what sounded like a bone echoed, but the boy didn't seem to be the source. He stepped back from the creature, its damaged arm nearly torn from the flesh, its other arm swelling. The red energy faded from the boy, and he let out a puff of air, breathing heavily from the exertion and his own wounds. He didn't dare look in Pyrrha's direction. "You still have legs. And those small arms. Talk."

The creature breathed harshly, teeth bared, it stopped looking at the boy, and looked to the woman. "Boon. Boon I demand. I speak of nameless. Remain here I shall to heal. Deliver my boon to me. Crossroads demons of the big green park, where ice one day, water other. Appears when the moon is full. Corrolla. Owes Grosorko. Will not speak to the monster. Will speak to you. I demand Boon!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes as the demon refused to answer their questions. She’d get through to it one way or another. Or at least that was the plan till Jake took matters into his own hands. And Pyrrha instantly regretted it. “Jake, what the hell!” she shouted. She clenched her spear tightly, if she didn’t have her helmet on, the boy would see a rather disapproving glare. The anger was clearly audible in her voice. “What’s gotten into you?!” She’d move past the boy, allowing her shoulder to nudge his as she moved.

She’d stand before the crippled beast, her spear still clenched tightly in her right hand. “So you want us to collect some sort of debt you’re owed, is that it? Then you’ll tell us what we want to know?” She crouched down so that she was eye level with the creature. The dragon motif on her helmet formed a crest that gave the whole thing a menacing glare. The demon, Grosorko as he called himself, simply stared back at the young adventurer and nodded slowly. The pain inflicted upon him was visible in his face, yet he still tried to main his beastly visage.

“Fine!” Pyrrha would snort from behind her helmet before rising back to her feet. “I expect to see you still here in this ditch when we get back. If you aren’t….” she paused and instead of speaking, she allowed her actions to speak for her. The blue flame like aura around her flared up and despite being covered, her right eye flashed a menacing glare of red light. A subtle but cave shaking growl of a dragon filled the cave.

Turning her back to the demon, she’d face Jake, her power still flaring and eye still impossibly glowing through her helmet. “I assume you know the location he’s talking about?” She questioned the young halfbreed, her power slowly cooling down.

Jake frowned as the beast pleaded for Pyrrha to follow through with what she had asked of it before. If they did something for it, it'd answer their questions. He was sure if he pushed it just a little further, they wouldn't need to waste time with an errand. But the aura around Pyrrha... and now that he had time to notice... Where the hell did the helmet come from. The spear too.

"Yea. Pretty sure he's talking about Laskar Rink." Jake huffed, looking down at his hands, mattered with blood and fur. Not all of it was his own. He gave the beast of a demon one last look before jumping up through the hole he had been dragged through only a few minutes before. Looking around, it seemed that they had been left alone. The rumble of rock hadn't been that loud, and as a fairly common occurrence. Perhaps no one wanted to see what happened.

"Pyrrha. I'll just say it. That's my first lead in ever. I didn't want to play games." He sighed, looking over the alien woman. What was with these costume and weapon changes? Stuff she hadn't done before. It was off putting. "That thing said that the crossroads demon won't appear until the full moon, most likely midnight... Which I do think is today, luckily." He continued, huffing a little more. Things were starting to feel blurry now. He pawed at his ribs. Yep, seems that demon slamming him around had caused that imps scratch to grow worse. Funny how the weakest thing with the surprisingly sharp claws was what bothered him the most so far.

Pyrrha let out a frustrated huff “First lead or not, you can’t go around acting like that. What if that thing refused to answer you after you nearly ripped it in half? What if it died from shock? You have to think about these things.” She let out a small sigh, she sounded like an upset parent. It wasn’t entirely her intent, but she had seen this sort of behavior leading to complications before. If she was going to help Jake with his problem, then she was also going to take the opportunity to educate him and make him think smarter in the future.

Her eyes would trail to the boys shirt, once again glistening slightly from the fresh blood that soaked it. With a slight sigh, a flash of light and wind would emanate from Pyrrha as she once again shifted forms. This time she was wearing a different set of equipment. A black beret, red leather top, white pants with gold embroidery on the sides, and thigh high black boots. Hanging from the left side of her hip was an ornate looking rapier and hanging from the right was a strange crystalline object that was adorned with gold that matched the rapiers design.

Drawing the rapier, Pyrrha would turn it so that the blade was pointing down, and the pummel faced upwards. With a wave of her hand the strange crystal device attached to the pummel making the combination of item and sword to look like a makeshift staff. A white glow emitted from the crystal device as Pyrrha held the makeshift staff out towards Jake with her right hand. Her left hand was positioned in a way that made it look as though she was channeling her energy into the crystal. With a wave of the staff, a light would envelope Jake aiming to close up or at least alleviate the cuts in his side.  

“Did that help?” she asked, hoping her healing magic had some effect on the boys wound. After all if they were to meet with another shady demon, then he’d need to be in tip top shape. “Can’t have you leaving a trail of blood everywhere we go. Now, if you’re feeling better, lead the way to this ‘Laskar Rink’.”

"Demons are generally very tough. He'd have survived... But you're right. Just... I'm so use to violence with these things. Sometimes I feel the only way to respond is to fight back. Not kill... Just hurt badly." The boy stated, trying to guess where exactly they were. It wasn't night yet, so it'd take some time anyway if they got there early. Deciding to just take a breathe for the moment, the boy's attention was drawn to Pyrrha.

Once more, wind picked up, the woman glowed, and no longer had she a spear or the clothing from before. Now, she was wearing the strangest get up. "I feel like I need an explanation to all of this costume changing and weapons. You never did any of this before?" The boy spoke as Pyrrha released the wave of magical healing. It overtook the boy in the light, and he frowned for a moment... And then his skin began to tingle.

He lifted his shirt, the clawed wound, having bled further from the impacts from before, did not close. They did not seem to get any better. In fact, now that it could be seen, it was quite clear the brilliant light of healing energy was burning the skin around the wound, and the wound itself. And it was at that point did Jake fall to his knees as he huffed and groaned in pain. "Ahhh! Make it stop! Make it stop!" The boy started to yell, as the wound almost started to grow even worse, a trail of red seeming to spread from it and across his skin.

It was only for a few seconds. Eventually, the spread stopped, the worsening of the wound finished as the healing magic left the boy. It was indeed, no better, but worse then it had been before. "That's... That's new. Ummm... Don't do that again please? That really hurt." The boy slowly came back to a stand, huffing in as much air as he could. "Laskar rink... Umm... It's some ways. Not night yet ether. Can we take a break for a moment? I'm not feeling too great."

Jake’s sudden burst of pain and agony was enough to make Pyrrha panic. She had tried to heal his wound, yet her magic was having the complete opposite reaction. “I don’t know how to make it stop! That was cure! Its supposed to…you know, cure you, not make things worse!” After a brief moment, Jake’s pain would subside, but the damage had all but worn him out. This left him asking if it was ok for the two to take a small break. Pyrrha just nodded in agreement as it was probably for the better.

This brief moment of reprieve would also be a good time for Pyrrha to answer Jake’s question. To be honest she hadn’t given it much thought as to why she had hid her full repertoire of powers from the boy until now. Before everything just seemed so focused on physical combat, and for Pyrrha the best way to match that was to be in her monk form. But now that things seemed to be picking up in intensity with Jake, Pyrrha seemed more comfortable with form shifting. She took a moment to sit beside Jake, resting her rapier in her lap.

“I’ll start by saying that I wasn’t trying to keep any of this from you, at least not intentionally. These wardrobe changes are more than that. They’re full on discipline changes. Each one acts like a new form with its own host of pros and cons. I guess from our initial encounter, I never really felt like I needed to move away from my more hand to hand focused roll.” She took a moment to pause and for her words to sink in a little. “Back where I come from, I am…was, a great adventurer and warrior. I traveled the globe always solving other peoples problems and also preventing all out annihilation on several occasions. During my travels and trials, I met many masters of various combat talents. I studied under them and mastered everything they had to teach me. From the way of the samurai to something as simple as black magic, I’ve studied a lot and I use what I’ve learned to help carry me through battle.”

Pyrrha once again took a moment to pause, this time her eyes shifting from Jake to the rapier in her lap. She glanced at her reflection and thought about the man she learned the red mage discipline from. She remembered how the art of the red mage now lived on through her. It was almost like that for every profession she took on. She always seemed to be that one student who helped revive a dying art form. She turned back to Jake with a wide grin. “To put it plainly, each discipline I know is basically like a transformation, and I simply switch to whichever one I feel is best for the current situation.”

Jake leaned against the wall, sliding back down till he was slumped on the ground, listening intently to Pyrrha's explanation of her unique abilities. Taken over time from a series of masters and teachers. All in the pursuit of defense against those who would oppose the freedom of the people she lived among. The exact details seemed to escape him, or perhaps her. Was it some sort of magic? It seemed like magic, the shifting of clothing and armor. Beyond what he had known her to do. "So I was right... You have abandoned the punching buddies." Jake joked, letting out a small huff. He just wanted to sleep for a while. Maybe he could.

But he doubted he'd wanna get back up if he did. Almost about to nod off, the boy sat up straight. Nope. Not yet. "I guess this crossroads demon won't talk to me because of the 'monster' part of me... Pyrrha." Jake stood up again, tilting his head from side to side, a nice, if not so nice sounding crackle and popping of bones following through.  "I don't want you talking to a demon like that... But I also know you won't take that for an answer. Now I don't know a whole lot, but I've seen movies and read books. Generally they like to trade things for your soul. Whatever they offer, refuse. Collect that things debt and get out of there. If it attacks... We fight it off and we'll just have to look elsewhere. I doubt the thing down there would talk if we don't bring back his... Whatever." The boy listed off the warnings and plan he had at the moment. Which wasn't a lot. But this entire venture had started on nothing, so not a lot was already better.

"I also know I haven't been easy... Or exactly forthright on things. So I get if you don't want to help me further. Or if you have a hundred and one questions you want answered. I'll be utterly truthful to a tee from now on... But we should start moving... And just hope I don't draw too much attention. I could use two baths after today." The boy stated, a slight smile on his lips as he started towards the street away from the alleyway, towards the central park where their destination lied. It'd be night, or close enough hopefully by the time they got there. As long as nothing stopped them beforehand.

“Sometimes punching bad guys in the face isnt enough, and they need a nice poke or two from a long pointy stick.” Pyrrha tried to joke back as the two continued their small break. Hearing how these crossroads demons acted from Jake, made Pyrrha crack a small chuckle. They sounded just like the ancients from her home.They were always willing to wheel and deal, never giving away their true motives or intent. Pyrrha didn’t think that this demon would have any similar anterior motives, but she knew best not to fall into that trap.

As the two now moved to the sidewalk, Pyrrha kept her gaze on Jake, but her thoughts never left their surroundings. If that one demon was willing to tunnel through the earth and drag Jack down in broad daylight, then there was no telling what might reveal itself as the sun went down and the cloak of night became available. That said, Pyrrha remained in her red mage form for the moment, if she needed to, she could switch to something else if the need arose. “You know, I’ve dealt with things like these demons before. Back where Im from, we called them void born. Turns out they were the spirits of normal every day people that were warped beyond recognition when their whole universe was used to try and replicated a dark ritual.”

“These ancient people were responsible for the whole thing. Tried to merge that world with mine in a vein attempt to revive their god. Ended up using those void born as their makeshift army after their plan initially failed.” she continued. “I wonder if something like that happened here, you know? Either way I guess its not really important right now. Helping you comes first.”

As the two made their way towards the park, Pyrrha couldn’t help but let her mind wander a bit. She had been living here on this planet, in this city for a while now, and the sights had ceased to leave her in awe. It was like looking at a world where the empire had won, but they weren't a corrupt and unjust killing machine. It was like seeing magi-tech everywhere but not nearly as archaic or sophisticated at the same time. “Before we meet this demon, we should probably come up with a plan of some kind. I suppose I’ll be doing all the talking, but we’ll need to think of a way of collecting its debt without going to far down any rabbit holes. Since you know these things better than I do, you got any ideas?”

"Somehow you made stabbing people sound just like a more complicated way of punching people." Jake laughed, wincing at the contracting motions that came with it. At the very least, it seemed she was content with what she knew. And she made no motion of even thinking of leaving Jake to deal with this alone. She was a good friend. Far better then he perhaps deserved.

But as they walked, she shared a little more about herself. Turns out she was a whole lot more complicated then she had initially let on. More then her earlier spiel of learning several arts of combat."Far as I know. Demons are they're own people. Or something... Could be that they became demons because of something that happened. Be something to find out, wouldn't it." He pondered. Void born. Demons. But there were so many different kinds of demons too. Like the Imp from before, to the creatures he had faced and befriended. Maybe it was all too complex for him to ever know the truth of it all. For anyone to discover.

As they closed in on the park, the night ever looming over the city, Pyrrha asked Jake for any possible advice when it came to the demon she was to meet. Honestly, the boy didn't have a lot. "Beats me. I've read fantasy books and seen movies, but demons are a complex beast. Some are as familiar as a movie, most are just far more dangerous and complex. I'm trying to learn more... Trying being the word. Best thing you can do I think is show you aren't interested. Keep it business like. You're after whatever it is that gorilla wants. Nothing more." The boy spoke uneasily. His advice could be as good as it sounded, or it could turn things for the worst. Maybe this demon hated all business interactions. Maybe it'd pry and pull until it won something.

The only thing he could be sure of was that whatever happened. He had Pyrrha's back. "Laskar rink is over there." He pointed to the large oval of a small stadium. Lasker pool would have been more correct, the water certainly not suited for any ice based activities a rink would be. But he had only ever come here when it was winter, back when his mom was at least semi-normal. He would lead Pyrrha over to a small rise in the ground, so that the two could overlook the pool. It was night, but whenever this Corrolla would arrive, he did not know. So he sat on the ground, sighing.

"If it's all right with you. I'll sit here. I can jump the fence and help if they try anything, and I should be away enough that it won't be 'disturbed' or whatever. Honestly I'm just thankful that nothing more has shown up... Just... Be careful. Okay." With that, Jake laid down, content to rest as much as he could as the night moved on.

And soon, when the night seemed to be in full and the park was quiet, with only a glance of life beyond the two powered beings awaiting a demon. The moon seemed to shine brightly on the pool, itself an ethereal sight to behold. But then it started. The air seemed to gain a chill, as if a cool breeze spread through the area, yet no wind seemed present. The pool soon became ice cold to the touch, till the edges began to freeze, and as it slowly froze, a figure seemingly appeared at the edge of the pool opposite of Pyrrha.

Skin almost ice blue, the figure stepped onto the lightly frozen waters, each step seemed to further freeze the pool, before their steps turned to glides, like a figure skater on the ice. The demon wore white robes, appearing elegant and alluring as her white eyes seemed to focus on Pyrrha, as if inviting the young woman to come and talk, her arrival all but seemingly done to impress the woman and to entice her closer.

The duo made their way through the park. As night closed in and they moved towards their goal, on overall sense of quite kicked in. The sounds of the city were distant, and not many roamed the park at this time of day. The two were virtually alone here. They’d approach their destination, a skating rink, though it looked more like a pool at the moment. Taking up position on a small mound Pyrrha and Jake surveyed the area. There was nothing out of the ordinary, at least for the moment. Jake had imparted all the wisdom he could before they got there, though Pyrrha would question if it was wisdom or trivia really.

“Well its not like I was going to ask you to stand within striking distance of a demon while in your condition. That being said I don’t feel to confident leaving you here on your own.” Pyrrha’s eyes looked about the park, minus a few light posts lighting up nearby paths, it was relatively pitch black here. The foliage even made for good cover here. It couldn’t be helped though. Pyrrha would just have to be able to react at a moments notice. “Just yell really loud if you get into trouble.” She’d give the boy a reassuring nod before rising to her feet.

As with every other instance where she changed forms, a flash of light and gust of wind would emit from Pyrrha. She was now wearing a black leather coat with a tall collar. Her hands up to her forearms were covered by ornate looking gantlets. She sported black pants that were barely visible due to the length of her coat and the thigh high boots she now wore that had brass or bronze accents on them. She even now wore a black beret with a red piece of cloth tied around the base.

The young hero approached the pool of water. As she drew close there was a drastic drop in temperature. The pool of water froze over quickly, now resembling what a proper skating rink should look like. Before Pyrrha was a blue skinned female figure clad in white robes. The demons eyes fell upon Pyrrha and enticed her to walk forward. Pyrrha could feel the slight allure of the creature before her, but was able to resist, it would find that it could not easily toy with Pyrrha. She wasn’t a normal mortal after all.

“You know, you kinda look like a certain frigid god I’ve battled with before.” she tried to joke. In reality, the demon did bare a resemblance to a primal being Pyrrha had indeed fought numerous times. “I come here on Grosorko’s behalf. It seems you owe him a debt and I am here to collect.” Pyrrha’s mismatched eyes focused on the demon, her one white eye shined brightly from the moonlight reflecting off the ice.

The demon skidded closer, seeking to close the distance the woman would not, a smile light on their lips when Pyrrha had compared them to a god, she looked happy, satisfied. But when Pyrrha brought up the name of the ape like demon the two had met prior, the demon's smile faltered.

It stopped immediately, as if it hadn't had even been in motion a moment ago, their smile turned to a scowl. "The beast finally got someone to collect." She spoke with what sounded like whispers, carried by the wind so strongly that it almost echoed in Pyrrha's ears.

Then it stepped forwards, a solid step, yet so light it made no sound. The demon walked across the ice, seemingly unimpeded, till she was no more then ten feet away from the woman, so dressed to impress. "So useful and yet so dull. All that thing demands is a constant end to its bottomless hunger. Fine..."

Crouching down, the demon pressed their hand into the ice, their fingers molding the ice away until they reached the water below. Cupping the liquid, they brought it back up and placed their other hand atop the water, hiding any sign of it. She stared at Pyrrha, pale blue eyes searching the strange woman's mismatched colors. But not ten seconds passed before she opened her hands suddenly, the water no longer there, but a box. She caught it, taking a cautious step forwards... Before taking two steps back.

"You're not normal are you. Not a human... Not a demon or angel. I had assumed one of those at first, but I realize it is not your smell, but the smell of the wounded mutt over there... You... You are the most curious creature." She stood upright, the box held gently in her two hands, head tilted to the side as she studied the woman. "Is there something you desire? An answer to a question long sought. Aid for the mutt so hurt behind you? A path to power you seek? Friendship in the places you least expect? I can offer many a service... You need only say... Or you may step across the frozen waters... And take this box for the beast, and I will say no more."

Jake, watching this unfold, narrowed his eyes. He had rested, but the change in temperature had been enough to wake him. And as he waited, it reminded him that he was late to do something he had promised Pyrrha he would do. Alone on this small hill, he decided there was no better time. And maybe Anne would be asleep by now that she wouldn't reply right away. He wasn't sure if he could handle that. "Sorry for not replying sooner. And sorry for replying so late. Been busy as of late." He paused a few moments, deciding that felt... Wrong and deleting the last sentience to start anew. "Been distracted a lot. Family stuff. Not as complicated as yours clearly, but close. Just finishing some stuff up and then taking it easy. Don't worry. Pyrrha's keeping me out of trouble." He sent the text and breathed, before glancing back up to Pyrrha and the demon, hoping nothing went too wrong.