It had been nearly two years since Evridiki had returned to Zets'Ki. Truthfully, she hadn't stayed away on purpose, but with her line of work and the amount of traveling she did, she found it hard to make time for personal trips such as this. Besides that, her house had been destroyed long ago, leaving her to stay in an inn in what used to be her home. Not much had changed since she'd left, though. The only thing of note was that the number of full-angels was slowly but surely dwindling. Half-angels of all sorts roamed the snowy paths in quiet conversation, an air of peace surrounding the town. Evri almost felt out of place in her armor and wearied appearance.

But then she spotted members of the town's militia, distinctly set apart from the other inhabitants due to their armor and bold stature. Powerful wings protruded from their backs, clearly one reason for their involvement as soldiers. They made her feel small, so Evri uncomfortably tucked in her wings and kept her head down, ducking into a nearby tavern. She had really wanted to visit the Cathedral to meditate, but she was actually nervous. After not meditating or even praying for so long, she wondered if there was even a point anymore. What better place to find out? she thought, taking note of the many drunken socialites scattered around the room. It was as typical as any other tavern she'd been in, which was comforting.

Raising a hand to scratch at her head, Evri decided to order some water, preferring it to the taste of alcohol. Ale's effects on her weren't exactly a pleasant experience. Maybe they were for everyone around her, but she disliked the feeling of being out of control. That being said, the eye-roll and groan that the bartender gave her when she asked for water indicated that she probably would've been better off not ordering anything at all. Not that she cared. Her bored expression remained fixated on the stone counter as she waited for her drink, barely noticing the creep sitting next to her.

"Hey, did you fall fr-from Heaven, cau–" Evri cut the half-angel off by grabbing his face glaring at him. She knew he wasn't going to fight her; he was just an idiot who got flirty when he drank too much. "Do yourself a favor, and go home." The man just nodded, stumbling his way to the door. He made it about three steps before he passed out on the floor. Chuckling, Evri turned back to her glass, taking a small sip. "I've missed this place," she murmured to no one in particular.

Tonight was cold. Just cold. It wasn't freezing, nor was it chilling, it was just cold. The air was still for the most part, casting a quite peace around the city. "Cold" was warm for Zetski. Many Half Angels left their warm residents and enjoyed what the city had to offer. The cathedrals were visited, local eateries were filled, and the taverns were rowdy. Ellis found himself once again in the same tavern he had been visiting for the past few days. The bar was quite, for the most part. He appreicated he was left alone for the most part, as he drank his whiskey. Ellis, because of his tall stature, light weight, and hollow bones, was a light weight when it came to alcohol, but his high metabolism burned off alcohol as quick as it took to claim a buzz.

He was minding his own bussiness when the frozen air bit at his skin as a woman walked through the entrance and found her self at the stone top bar. It didn't take long for a patron to attempt at a flirt, and he was met with a fierce face grab and a warning to go home. The man obeyed, only to pass out before he was even able to leave the bar. Ellis made a small chuckle, speaking across 3 seats to the woman. "I appreciate you talking him to go home. Other wise, he'd be passed out on either you or me." He said, monotone. He didn't meet eyes with the woman, he kept his gaze up front, his hands on his cup of whiskey. "I suppose it was a favor in a way. I wouldn't mind buying you a…" He set aside gaze at the glass of water she was sipping and a smile appeared on his face, wether he wanted it or not. "Water…" He said, his voice trailing off, he lifted his icy blue eyes, getting a good luck at the woman for the first time. Her attire and hair style was that of a solider, and his curiosity was peaked. "Tell me, what is a woman doing in a place meant to to drink, at a time to drink, and only order a water?" He asked with half smile and amusement on his face. 

Evridiki had to stop herself from just walking back out into the street. She wasn't sure what she had expected by walking into a fairly crowded tavern, but she was definitely not in a chatty mood. Although, she never was. Placing down her glass, she turned her steely gaze towards the man who had spoken. Right from his appearance, she knew something was off about him. At first glance, Evri thought he was human, until she noticed the horribly mangled mess of wings protruding from his back. They reminded her of her own wings in the years following her enslavement, though hers had eventually healed, whereas his seemed broken beyond repair. Whoever had stripped his feathers obviously had no intention of letting them grow back.

Her stare changed to one of concern, but she quickly hid it behind a grin. Perhaps she could at least give him a conversation. "I'm thirsty," was her only response to his question as she hopped up and went to the empty stool next to him. Quirking an eyebrow, she nodded towards his own glass of whiskey. "And so are you, apparently." Bright red eyes burned into his skull, studying him. She wanted to figure him out, but he was much better at concealing his emotions than Evri was. Honestly, she was pretty jealous of other people who could hide what they were thinking because she, despite having plenty of practice over the past decade, was still an awful liar.

"I'm Evridiki," she introduced, shifting her eyes towards a rowdy group of soldiers at the end of the bar. One of them was staring the pair down, but she simply ignored them for the time being. If they decided to cause trouble, she wished them luck. Carefully, she moved a hand down to her sword and focused her attention on the other half-angel, positioning her wing to shield their faces from the soldiers. "Damn eavesdroppers…" she mumbled, finishing off her water and signaling for another. "I take it you live here, then?" It was just a hunch. Most half-angels that didn't live in Zets'Ki tended to enjoy the sights rather than hole up in a bar. But she wasn't one to talk.

Ellis chuckled softly, as his head dropped, shaking his head in amusement. He folded his wings in, throwing his blue over shirt to cover his disfurged wings as his partner sat down next to him introducing her self as Evridiki. He smiled, bringing his head up, avoiding eye contact with her, merely keeping his gaze ahead. "Ellis." He replied, with a soft tone to his voice. He had got more he bargained for. He wasn't expecting her to sit next to him, but he didnt exactly mind the conversation with a beautiful lady for the night. He raised his glass and clinked glasses with her. She made a comment about the soliders staring, dropping her hand to her sword as she folded her wings to give them privacy from the looking soldiers. Ellis silently snorted, "Heh, don't mind them. Their just curious about me." He said, pausing to finish his drink. He slid the glass forward, and mearly raised his hand and was quickly poured another. "I'm something… Of a scary story to the soliders around here." He said, with a mischevious grin. He left the subject in the air, not continuing any further on the topic.

When she questioned if he lived in Zetski, he let out a singular laugh, "Here? Or the bar? He joked, turning toward her to examine her armor. "I could ask the same of you. Your armor isn't standard, it's not from here." He replied. Ellis was familiar with the ins and outs of the militia, and Evridiki's attire was diffrent from normal female Half Angel protective gear. "What's your story? What brings the lovely Evridiki to a dump like this one?" 

Narrowing her eyes at him, Evri's suspicion began to transfer to the man beside her. What was she thinking, sitting next to a sketchy stranger in a town she hadn't visited in years? Nostalgia had temporarily removed her guard, but now it was back, and she did not move her hand from the sword at her waist. Either he was being cautious or shifty by avoiding her questions, neither of which she could determine. She slightly recoiled her wing to look back at the soldiers, whom she now saw had fearfully curious expressions on their faces. Ellis definitely had a reputation with the militia. When she turned back, she stared intently at the wall, avoiding all eye contact.

"There's not much to tell," she replied quietly, steering away from her past. "Used to live here, came back for a visit. Pretty boring stuff." Awkwardly, she traced circles on the stone counter as her hair fell in front of her face, shielding it a bit from Ellis. She wondered if he had gotten into trouble with the soldiers, or if he'd actually been one. Either way gave her a reason not to like him. One because he'd be a common criminal, albeit she was used to dealing with those kinds of people. The other because, well, she had a personal grudge against Zets'Ki's militia. They hadn't stopped the bandits from crossing the border and burning her house to the ground, and they didn't even try to free her from their capture. As far as Evri was concerned, the soldiers were useless. Which probably made it a good thing if the man no longer was one.

"I want to visit the Cathedral," she stated for no particular reason before standing and paying for her drink. Then, Evri realized that she had slightly, possibly forgotten where the giant building was. It was only a little embarrassing, but she wasn't sure her pride would let her ask for help. But the night was growing later, and she didn't want to wander around like an idiot in her hometown. With a sigh, she looked at Ellis. "Could you take me there? I don't feel like walking in circles all night."

Ellis smiled with content as his comment made Evridiki draw back. While, he did enjoy the conversation, he was comfortable in drinking with out disturbance. She drew her wings in, awkwardly looking for an opportunity to escape. He merely grinned, guessing with his self on what she would to say to leave. After a short while, she made her move, standing from her seat abruptly. She stated she was leaving to visit the cathedral, throwing a handful of change on the counter as Ellis listened to the change bounce and ring. "Farewell." He said, dragging on the word, almost In a sing song fashion. 

He sat on his bar stool, his back slumped over, his arms resting on the stone counter top. He was comfortable. He watched Evridiki struggle with something, merely tilting his head in curiousty. "You would like help finding the cathedral?" He asked, his eyes wide with interest. "A Half Angel would like help finding the cathedral?" He jested. He let out a sigh, as he straightened his posture. He was slow to get off his bar stool, taking his time as he smoothed out his underlying grey shirt, repositioning his over coat so it didn't rub against his folded in wings. He reached into his pocket, taking out a metallic flask, filling it with the deep brown liquid that remained in his glass. He neatly counted out coins and silver as he gently placed them on the counter, nodding to the man behind the counter. 

"I suppose. It's the least I can do, lovely Evridiki." He said, as bowed over, a flourish with his arm. He slightly snickered at the nick name, though he assumed Evridiki hated it. As he led the way, he cautioned her of the passed out patron she had encountered eariler. "Mind the passed out drunk. You step on him and he might vomit. We wouldn't want that would we?" He asked, rhetorically as he opened the door for Evridiki. He turned to her, holding out his hand in thought. "Since you asked me, im afraid we'll have to walk. My wings dont work so well, but I imagine you already knew that." He said, a mischievous grin forming on the sides of his mouth. The sudden frigid wind that assaulted him as he walked outside was enough to sober him up completely, shivering as the cold bit at his skin. He cast a look at Evridiki, dropping his sarcastic mannerisms for the a brief moment and showed some concern. "You said you were visting? You're probably not adjusted to the cold properly? Would you like my over jacket?" He asked, he looked down, as they started walking north. "I only wear it to cover up my wings. It's not something people like to see." He said, his tone serious for the first time tonight.

 The snow that lined the sidewalks sparkled in the night. The streets were dimly lit by small street lamps, the light bouncing off the snow and ice in every direction. Behind them, the door once again opened, the soldiers from before now leaving. They headed off in the south, but Ellis still steeled his self, making sure to double check his surroundings as they turned at an intersection. He made quite soft conversation as they walked, talking mostly about the cathedrals. "We're almost there." He said, pointing over some houses to their left. The cathedral loomed over them, casting a shadow as they started to make their way to the steps that led to the front door of the holy building. "If you think you can find your way back, then I'll take my leave, Evridiki."

Evridiki rolled her eyes at Ellis's attitude. She liked to be left alone as well, but at least she didn't make an ass of herself over it. Yes, she was a half-angel asking for help finding a giant cathedral in her home town. To be fair, she was never really a social person, so she didn't get out of the house much. No need for him to get snarky about it. When he offered her his jacket, she scoffed indignantly, her feathers bunching up tensely. "No." She stated firmly, keeping her stare forward. As if she cared what the residents here thought of his wings? Any sympathy that found its way to her mind was killed and pushed aside. "And stop calling me 'lovely'. It's annoying as hell."

While they walked through the streets, Evri tuned out most of what Ellis was saying, instead focusing her attention on the sounds of the armored footsteps behind them. The soldiers had followed them out, no doubt, and were definitely keeping an eye on them. Though she could not tell for sure, she was fairly certain any alcohol they consumed had enhanced the parts of their brains where bad ideas were formed. Her stance remained on the defensive until they reached the cathedral and she was snapped from her semi-trance. 

It was just as beautiful as she remembered, if not more so. Even with the few times she'd been to the cathedral as a child, the place had managed to leave a lasting impression in her memory. Reluctantly, she turned to look at Ellis. "Thanks," she responded with the tiniest bit of gratitude, waving a hand in the general direction from which they'd come. "I'll manage. Have fun at the b–" A spike of pain shot through her leg, causing her to stumble with a sharp inhale. Glancing down, Evri saw entire right calf covered in ice. Spinning around, she drew her sword and blocked another incoming ball of ice. Her surprise was minimal when she noticed they were the soldiers from before. Glaring at them, the woman prepared a fireball in her hand to attack.

"Lay down your weapons and give us all your silver," the apparent leader commanded, and when Evri didn't budge, he added, "Consider it payment for protecting your sorry asses." He made a pointed glance at Ellis, but Evri was done listening. "Maelpereji!" she shouted, and the ball of fire left her hand, flying directly into the soldier's chest. As he stumbled backwards, she used some fire to melt the ice from her leg, just in time to narrowly dodge an arrow shooting towards her face. Evri did her best to rush into the female soldier who had shot the arrow, but she had already reloaded and did not miss the second time. The tip lodged itself in the smallest unprotected part of her body, a tiny bit of her collar that was exposed. Halfway to the archer, she crumpled on the ground watching the woman loom over her. "We really do deserve some respect for keeping this place safe," she said with a malicious grin. "And where were you for my family?!" she responded, but no one was listening. Instead, the archer was hunched over, attempting to rifle through her small pouch of belongings.

Ellis grinned at Evri as they reached the grand ornate doors of the cathedral. The stained glass windows were coated in a layer of frost. The lights inside filtered through the windows, dancing an array of colors on the blank snow that surrounded the building. Even outside of the cathedral, the building held an ethereal beauty around it. Among the the filth and scum of Zetski, the cathedral stood above it all offering comfort and inspiration. He turned and cast a smouldering look. He was ready to explain his living situation at the cathedral when a sudden cracking alerted his attention. His hair stood up on his arms as he turned to face the source. He was late, as ice entrapped Evridiki's leg. She was quick with a counter attack, a large fire ball shooting from her hand and landing it's mark an the larger male of the soldiers. Lights flashed around them as the ball made impact, causing the man to stumble backwards.

Evri charged the second before Ellis could warn her. Evri dropped like a sack of rocks, as Ellis flinched at the sight. Anger welled up inside of him as the bigger solider began charging a spell. "You're him, aren't you? Flightless." The man asked, curioisty in his face. The nickname was enough for him to inhale with pain, flash backs of his wings being stripped forming in his mind. The female archer, who was patting down Evri, stopped for a minute looking up as she spoke. "They say you ran ahead of your team. Put them all in danger as you charged forward. The reports say you were reckless and stupid. Ran right into a trap, poachers clipped your wings and were about to kill you too. If it wasn't for your back up, you'd be dead." She said, a cocky look in her eyes, the bigger male laughed, as he stepped forward. "Pathetic. You're a disgrace towards the service." 

Ellis inhaled slowly, as he gesutered towards the ice spell forming in the man's hands. "You gonna shoot that spell, or not big guy?" The man, snorted. "Cocky little bastard." The man raised his arm and shot a ball of ice through the air. Ellis took a defensive postion and merely twitched his eye. The ball of ice exploded into smaller shards infront of him, the ice falling at his feet. The soliders were shocked, anger rising in the man's attitude He cast two more balls of ice, hurling towards Ellis. The outcome was the same. In the blink of eye the balls of ice burst infront of him, never hitting him. This time though, the woman who was knelt down patting down Evri fell from her postion with a surprised "Omph." 

The magic was so fast it hard to place what had happen. If one was observant, you could see a small magic rift open up behind Ellis, a small arrow would rip through the air toward its target. Ellis didn't give away the gimmick, me merely grinned darkly as he started walking forward, his hand twitching as he summoned a ball of ice of his own. "Leave. Now. Or it will get worse." He warned, shooting the ball of ice inches away from the man's ear. The solider growled, cursing Ellis as he and his partner walked away. 

He didn't move, as he watched the soliders walk down the steps until they were out of view. He turned back towards Evri who was grunting in pain. He knelt down beside her as he inspected the damage. The arrow was lodged in her collar. Blood trickled from the wound but it wasn't life threatening. "The archer was either a poor shot, or she was shaking when she let the arrow fly. It's an angle, so it's not too deep. You're gonna be fine. "He said, as unstrapped a knife that was concelled under his pant leg. Carefully, he cut the arrow at the shaft, leaving a small bit exposed as he helped Evri off the ground. He pointed towards the cathedral, and spoke with a hurry. "We'll go to the cathedral, I have a first aid kit there." He explained as they made their way to the door.

Ellis kicked the door open, leading Evri to a small table that sat many papers, empty tankards, and various little objects. He sweeped his hands across the table, knocking everything down and ordered Evridiki to sit. He rummaged through a small cabinet near the door and took out a box, the contents clattering against each other as he sat it down beside her. He dug through the box and retrieved a pair of tweezers and a dull scalper. He looked into Evri's red eyes with his own chilling blue eyes. She was no doubt angry about getting shot, and had plenty of questions. 

He focused his attention on the arrow, the scalpel cutting a small incesion next to the arrow as he dug at the arrow tip with the twezzers. "I used to be a solider a few years ago." He said, solemnly. His voice was a soft, slow, and low as he worked carefully at Ellis's shoulder. "I was almost done with a term. Over three years I spent guarding the outskirts to the city. I cant even tell you how many bandits I've turned away thanks to me and bow." He said, passion in his voice. His eyes were open, as spoke of a distant memory. "The day I was discharged, there were scout reports of found poachers heading to the border. Naturally, me and six others were sent down to deal with it. It was supposed to be routine. Three go left. Two go right. Me and another would meet the poachers, stall them, and the flanking teams would arrive and drive them back."

Ellis spoke like he was reading a story, as he opened to Evridiki. "There was were two poachers in the trees with a weighted net. I didn't see it, until it was too late. The net fell on me, forcing me to the ground. My back up ran away, and…" His eyes closed on reflex, reliving the experiance. "I'll spare you the details, but I imagine you know what happened next." He said, nodding to his folded in wings. "Top brass had no longer need for me. Filed the reports as I was reckless and stupid. I was dumped here at the cathedral to heal. Months went by, and the sisters never asked me to leave. I help out where I can, but I kinda like it here. Secluded and distant from everyone else." He said, as he stepped away from Evri. He grabbed a near by cloth rag and balled it up. "Bite onto this. It'll be quick but intense." He warned. He pulled on the arrow with a sharp tug, the arrow leaving Evri's collar. He could hear the muffled screaming as he found a metal plate and dumped the arrow and instruments he used. "Arrows are funny. If you yank them out, they cause more damage going out than going in. Are you okay?"

Though her vision blurred momentarily from the pain of the arrow, Evridiki regained enough focus to see Ellis scare away the remaining soldiers. Right after they spat out what she thought was a rumor about him. Her head was swimming as she allowed him to bring her inside, and she distracted herself with the shimmering stained glass surrounding them. She wanted to ask so many questions, but she held back. In her experience, people would give up more information voluntarily without being pressured. Luckily, she wasn't disappointed. When she sat down, he started to tell his story.

It was tragic, what happened to him. To think that he would be blamed for the cause of his disability was deplorable. Still, Evri wasn't all that surprised that the militia wanted to sweep the incident under the rug. The entire situation was caused by their own incompetence, so better to place the blame on one "reckless" soldier than to have the whole operation take a hit. She let the silence sink in for a moment afterwards, until Ellis gave her the rag to bite down on. Arrows had struck her before, and she was no stranger to the pain of removing them. But the process never got any easier. Sticking the cloth in her mouth, Evri grabbed the edge of the table with her hands and waited.

The pain hit her all at once. She felt the wood between her hands crack a little after her muffled groan, but soon the soreness began to numb. Spitting out the rag, Evri grimaced down at the wound. "I'm alright," she replied, nodding in gratitude. Dull red eyes studied him while he finished patching her wound. He was good at it, assumedly because of his training as a soldier. Probably better than Evri, given that she was self-taught.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her wispy hair and glanced away, preparing to open up to him. "The militia's never been all that great. They pick favorites and rewrite stories to cover their own asses," she began, bitter spite filling her voice. "When my father married a human, they stopped sending patrols to the outskirts where my house was. My parents always told me it was because not many travelers wandered around there. Guess I know better, now." Evri stared blankly at a marble statue across the magnificent room as the memories calmly floated to the surface of her mind.

"We didn't go into town much, but we'd always allow weary travelers a place to stay. I met a lot of friendly strangers that way. One day, we were visited by a human, and I remember thinking to myself, 'He is the most handsome man I've ever seen'," she recalled, her voice wavering in reluctance. "He stayed with us for a few days, and one night he convinced me to sneak out. It felt like I was living in one of my romance novels… But a few steps out the door I heard a loud crash. I turned around and saw my house in flames." She rubbed a hand across her face, a headache throbbing at her temples. If she could've cried, she would have.

"The man and his bandits kept me locked in a cage for weeks, with little food and water, each day a new torture. They shaved my head. Cut the tear ducts from my eyes, plucked my feathers one by one…" Evri chuckled pathetically, shaking her head. "I should be thankful they didn't do worse to my wings, I guess." Deliberately, she left out a few of the more humiliating things the bandits put her through; she was sure they were implied. "I eventually escaped. Left a few of them in a tent and set the place on fire." Carefully, she shifted her gaze over to Ellis and hopped off the table, rolling her shoulder where it was newly patched up. "So the militia failed us both," she stated, her hatred of the force evident. "We're not so different."