Step 1: Arm Thy Self (Continued)

The only response to the words spoken was uneasiness that only turned to complete caution as the woman before him went from being in pain to looking as if she was caught between madness and something else. It was like her very existence was becoming a contradiction of itself. Stableness and madness. Life and death. What the hell was this and why was it occurring? Hiro didn’t like what he was seeing and neither did Aria as she stayed in her spot watching the woman with small round eyes. Neither one of them ignored the tone of her voice or the fact that she seemed to complete not hear or ignore what had just been said. Remaining on his toes, Hiro would speak.

“I want to know what is wrong with you. Why are you like this?” he would say his words calm and neutral so as not to agitate the woman's state more. He decided that until he could make heads or tails of this issue, he would place his hunt for Zachary on hold. Right now this new…development was more troubling...

Aria would frown as she continued to sit on Hiro's shoulder. There was something definitely wrong with the picture here, but what it was she was not sure. Nor was she sure why the woman was seemingly becoming more hostile towards Hiro, who for the most part hadn't done anything wrong. She was indeed a strange creature, but she wondered if she was actually going to attack Hiro as she saw the action the other made. This was going to turn out ugly no matter which way they went, wasn't it? That is what the demon thought as she continued to watch this scene.

Thankfully, Hiro was a bit quicker on his feet than his looks or actions suggested. As he saw her hostility, he would sigh inwardly as his expression went from concerned to unreadable. He didn't like the odd behavior and honestly wanted to know what the heck was going on there, but at the same time he didn't think he was going to get anymore information from the woman...unless of course he paid some unpleasant price for it. To her hostility, he would shift his weight to the side and sigh.
So much for clues. Guess he had to be more direct here.

"I am looking for a person. A man by the name of Zachary. Do you know where I can find him?" he would finally ask, his tones calm and laid back despite how odd the situation he was in. Even so he kept an eye on her. The last thing he wanted was for her to attack him for some reason....

Well that got an answer of a sort, Hiro thought to himself as the woman moved her hand and instead of attempting to strike him she actually pointed to a building/house that was nearby. Turning enough to view building, but keep the strange woman in view in case she tried to stab him in the back, blue orbs would take in building she pointed out. It wasn’t very big and it seemed to have taken some damage from whatever went on here. He wasn’t sure how much he could actually trust the woman...and to be honest this could be a trap; however, with no other clues at his disposal, he didn’t have any other options in the situation.

Glancing back at the hostile woman, he would keep a calm attitude as he give her light nod. “Thanks.” he would say and then being careful, he would step away from her, keeping his senses alert for anything odd as he approached the building. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be met security or if the place was locked, so when he was finally in the shadow of that building, he would reach out for the door knob and turn it slightly to see if it was unlocked. If it was unlocked, he would go in.

His hand would go to the door knob, but stop inches from it has his mind was filled with strange words that froze him in his spot. What was this? Did he really trigger a trap? No wait...there was a person in that chaos. A woman....

She was speaking to him warning him not to go in lest he be repelled by something set in place. As he heard this warning, his hand would drop to his side as his expression became unreadable for the moment he remained at the door.

Aria took note of this, but not being able to hear what was going on, she would tilt her head at her master curiously. Why wasn't he going in? Was he having second thoughts? She wonder, but the small demon was far from the mark.

The man wasn't changing his mind. No...it was just something else had altered his path.

“I had hoped to speak with Zachary directly; however, if he will not let anyone enter, then I will settle with speaking with you. Where are you?” Hiro would begin the words in his mind as he turned slightly from the door to view the area, trying to pinpoint the woman’s presence in the area. As he tried to find her, he would continue. “You…I’ve seen your face before two years ago. You were one of the victims back then, no?…So why? Why are you here?”

He would take a step or two away from the door still searching for the source of the presence.

Hiro would continue to look around trying to find the source of the voice in his head as he listened to the response given. Heh. Well that settled it. It looked like he was stuck with speaking to the voice in his head without much room for argument or for that matter a person to look at. It was highly uncomfortable that the other could see him though, his blue eyes automatically moved to the scan the rooftops and surrounding area for a likely source. Whether his eyes found a source or not, he would eventually move off to the side and take to leaning against the building watching the world carefully from the shadows of the building as Aria continued to sit on his shoulder. As he kept a calm eye on the world he would continue his conversation.

“Alright, I’ll play by your rules then,” he would respond back and then hearing the other part frown slightly to himself. "You haven’t been in Azores for more than a week? How peculiar. Then maybe you have a look alike. There was a girl from two years ago that looked like you, so I find the similarities interesting to say the least.In any case, I digress. You said you work for Zachary and that I can only speak to you, so care to indulge me a bit with some answers on a few things?”

There was a pause after he had mentioned the girl from two years ago. How strange. Before she had told him that she was not who he spoke of and had no idea what he was talking about and yet..when he elaborated she became quiet. Was she lying to him? Or was something else going on here? It was certainly strange. Keeping this on the back burner for now, he would hear her words again taking note of the strain in her voice as she responded back. Huh. What was going on there?

Curious or not, he would remain respectful enough of the girl not exactly wanting to go off track due to curiosity. “Maybe I am," he would state and then closing his eyes he would take a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again.

“Since you have been here only a week, how much do you know of the events that happened here two years ago?”

Mmm. Let’s start there. If he could gauge how much she knew of those event then perhaps he can start his dig from the past and work his way up. Regardless he would stay quiet as he waited to hear what she had to say.

As he waited, he would summon a peculiar chest piece to his hand. One that he had not bother to dust off in two years...the form was that of angel with broken wings....

Hiro would hear the pause and then shortly after the response given to what was heard, the young man would close his eyes a bit as with an inward sigh. So she worked for Zackary and only knew what was told to her by the other. Her knowledge of Azores little that could complicate matters, but even so. He had to push on and so he would.

Blue eyes would reopen as he looked at the damaged angel figure in his hand.

“Two years ago, this city was in the clutches of a series of strange events that started with the disappearance of the young lady I mentioned before and escalated into a war of sorts between beings called angels and those associated with them. I bring the past up because in my wanderings of this city,  I ran across someone that suggested due to humans wishing the angels away, the world and others have turned into the chaotic state it is in now,” he would begin and then pausing he would look up at the sky. It was clear of demons now. He wondered where they went. “The unstableness seemed to have brought the demons and outsiders alike to this plain of existence causing strife once again. I questioned the events of two years ago because I thought maybe yourself or Zachary might have a different view on this case that might help me not only understand it better, but also be able to tackle it better,” he would finish becoming quiet again as he simply waited to see what happened. He had come here for Zachary’s point of view to see if this whole support one side or another thing was wise and if not find a different way to tackle the problem. Yes. He had promised to tackle the issue that was Zachary and so he was…Although it was in his own way as it would always be. In any case, he needed more information for the bigger picture and maybe in time he would have to move from this plain to the other to find the rest of the pieces. Even so, he decided to start at home base, so he asked his odd questions to the girl that was becoming more peculiar to him by the moment.

As he waited a bit more, he would only speak again when he heard the strange static effect between them. Hm? Was she disconnecting…?  Staying quiet for a second longer, he would eventually ask her.

Hiro took note of the silence and when she respond back took note of her stuttering. Hm? How peculiar. She said nothing bothered her and yet when he spoke of the past he got odd static and silences. Was his words perhaps doing something to the woman that he could not read from this position? And if so what did that mean for Ms. Lune? More curious than before Hiro would continue down this path as he gave a bit of thought to her question.

“Stalling for time?” his voice would reply back to her as small smirk came to his lips. He would summon a small chest board cleared of the pieces until he placed the angel one on it. As he did this, a small image of the old Azores appeared and on each island a figure of an angel shrouded in shadows. He would continue as he observed the board for a bit.

“I am not stalling for time. My point with this is trying to connect the dots and see if maybe Zachary had told you something about the connection between the past and now that could fill in some major holes surrounding the situation. After all sometimes remembering the past opens up new doors,” he would tell her calmly as the board shifted a bit showing the alternate version of the islands. ”There used to be passageways between this world and the alternate side of the islands, but now those passageways are gone and strange tears to unknown locations have appeared. In place of angels, we have strange Zodiac members, Zachary and people like yourself, and the minister. And in place of shadows we have demons. Or rather had. They seemed to have gone away now that mountain of a creature has vanished. The field has changed, but there is war still in Azores. I want to know why if evil itself was defeated and the angels laid to rest.”

The board would clear itself leaving behind only a deep darkness that represented the beast that once took him in and the light that had destroyed it. The two would clash before exploding silently, the light washing over the islands cleaning them in a fashion as a wish was made and the angels vanished. When the board's image came back again, it was the chaotic mess that represented the state of the worlds now. Pieces of the landscape were now missing representing that perhaps something had happened on the other side. He took note that Lunpa in particular was missing its other half, but why he did not know...and that bothered him. To make matters more pressing, time was running out and he needed answers.

Hiro would frown a bit as he finally cut into the silence his thoughts had caused and spoke once more.

“As stated before I am trying to understand the situation so my ramblings are not to stall, but rather connect. Alas if you cannot help me connect the past to now, then help me understand your side of the story. What is Zachary aiming to do with all this? Why stir the pot when so much is already going on? Would it not be beneficial to work as one to stop all this?” he would ask referring to the rally from earlier. Why pull a stunt like that if he didn’t have some sort of purpose behind it?