Shadow and Light; Demonic Wings [ Arianda | Tento ]

While Tento was aiding a small child reach the refuge camp upon his back, Arianda was doing her best to care for the wounded within the city. If any recognized her for what she was, she often got ridiculed and slandered. For the most part, however, the people she took care of were thankful towards her no matter what she was. Arianda did her best to treat everyone she saw and was able to. Her powers weren't exactly the best for healing. Oh indeed, she could pull pain away from someone, she could even do her best with her magic to craft a form of healing spells, but otherwise the demon was better off administering first aid and a few tricks she knew to help with injury.

Arianda paid particular attention to the injured children. She spoke in soft soothing tones, caressing the child with a gentle hand whenever they cried or squeaked in pain. Perhaps, to some, it was amazing how she took care of the children. However, whenever Arianda was sure no one was looking, and she had just taken care of a child, silent tears would flow down her cheeks. To take care of these injured children did naught but remind the demon of her departed daughter. She did all she could for the children who were injured. She stretched her ingenuity with demon magic to its very limits to make sure they lived long and strong. After all, no parent should live longer than their child; and no child should live without love or affection.

Whenever Tento arrived, he would find Arianda sitting with an injured child in her lap, singing a soft song to soothe the child's nerves while she treated her wounds. Despite the fact that Arianda very much was a demon, she cared for the children like they were her own; like they were more precious than anything in this world. After all, once you have lost your child, there is nothing that will replace the hole in your heart.

Despite all of Arianda's focus, and all her methods to keep herself aware around her, they still failed her when Tento approached. She didn't really detect the man until she heard his voice. She jumped, her hand moving towards her pocket as the demon whirled around to face him. The demon was tensed, clearly unprepared for someone to be talking to her that wasn't injured. But... it was just Tento. Their first meeting was brief, but she recognized him well enough despite it all.

"Tento... I... Yes, please. Try as I may, I can only do so much for everyone here."

Arianda had no idea he had noticed her tears from before, tears that still lightly salted her face as the demon wiped her face off completely. For a few moments, after she had wiped her face clean, the demon turned her attention to the child Tento was taking care of. She smiled at them and gently caressed their head, carefully telling the child how brave they were. However, after that she left Tento to take care of that particular child as she moved over to someone else, carefully administering what aid she could; another young girl who seemed to have broken her arm.

Arianda gave the girl a piece of leather to bite down on. With that, Arianda did her best to suppress the girl's sense of pain around her arm gently before she set the broken bone with surprising ease; albeit the child cried out in pain despite Ari's efforts to dull it. Arianda gave the girl a gently caress before she used a collection of magic, and nearby materials, to put the girl's arm within a cast. Afterwards, Arianda reached into a nearby bag and had the girl put her arm in a sling. Arianda smiled and gave the child a warm hug, ushering her off towards her awaiting parents.

"For the most part, yes... I can't afford to fight too many hollows, or else I'll upset the balance between worlds."

Arianda moved onwards towards a young boy, who looked like a teenager, trying to act brave about his injuries. Upon approaching, he did seem to balk at Arianda attractiveness. Like any young boy he stumbled over every word he said, and Ari used a bit of her charm to her advantage to convince the boy to take treatment; that or she made her point by exploiting how much the boy really was in pain. After that, Arianda treated his wounds carefully and with the same care as all the other children.

"Where did you find that little one, Tento?"

“It still isn’t enough…”

All the while Tento treated that child he had brought with him, Arianda had kept a rather surreptitious eye on him as well. It wasn’t out of the same reasons Tento watched Ari, but she did keep a close eye on him. But Ari continued her treatments and after ending with the teenage boy, who had followed her instructions very well, Arianda found Tento walking up to her and speaking as well.

Arianda couldn’t help but look at the child as Tento spoke, taking in where he was. However, the next set of information that Tento whispered into Ari’s ear caused her gaze to lower; her countenance darkened. If Tento looked closer, Arianda looked visibly heartbroken for the little boy. To lose your parents… Arianda knew that pain all too well. Hers may not be dead, she knew they were alive on Earth, but she had been torn from them at a young age. If Arianda had been holding anything within her hands, her grip would have long shattered it.

“It’s one thing to lose your child, but to be a young child without your parents… I…”

Arianda bit her lip and seemed to forcibly turn herself away. A part of her desired to adopt the boy so he wouldn’t be without a guardian. But, the other part of her knew that would be impossible. No matter how much she may desire to be a mother again, this wasn’t the solution. But… they could at least help better the situation overall. She wanted to check on the small boy that Tento brought back, but Ari didn’t want to tempt herself… A human child living with a demon wasn’t a good idea.

“C-C’mon. We need to keep treating people so we can keep as many people as possible from dying.”

“But even a single person can make a difference, like how any piece in chess can check the king.”

Arianda’s countenance was still much darker than usual, refusing to make eye contact with Tento as she brooded over this situation and her past. Calypso… Could she have saved her own daughter? Could she have made this difference in Caly’s life like she did in these childrens’ lives…? No… Calypso was her own person, completely independent of Aranda despite the demon’s desires. There was nothing to be done, as fate had different plans at the time.

Tento would have noticed that after he initially spoke, Arianda seemed lost in thought. Ari’s state was made obvious when she jumped at his hand touching her shoulder. This time, however, she didn’t reach for a weapon; she just looked at Tento, a single tear silently running down her cheek. His words were comforting, no matter how conflicted his emotions seemed to be, he was trying to reassure Arianda despite the torrent that raged within the woman’s head. That was… very kind of him. Frankly speaking, Arianda felt like it was an undeserved kindness, but she accepted it nonetheless.

She let Tento speak on, looking at him calmly as he spoke of how they simply needed to do what they can, and that these people would rebuild. His reassurances were a great help to the demon, so much so that another tear gently ran down her cheek, followed by another… and another. The rest of her tears were hidden as Arianda suddenly rushed in for a hug. It was likely unnerving for Tento, given the demon’s sudden movement. However, the arms that hugged him, and the face that was buried into him, didn’t seem to show any venom; just the silent need for compassion.

“Thank you…”

Before Tento could likely do more than return the hug somewhat, Arianda withdrew and turned her back to Tento, wiping her tears away. After a few moments the demon turned around and smiled warmly at Tento. He may have his suspicions about Arianda, but there was no denying the sincerity of that smile. Tento had done much for Arianda’s mood despite the honest heart-wrenching pain of the situation.

“Helping with those hollows was the least I could do, Tento. But you’re right… We’ll keep fighting.”

With another smile Arianda too returned to caring for those who needed her care. She did often focus on the children, it was hard for her to resist soothing their cries of pain; but she did give everyone she could reach as much treatment as she was able. She even pushed herself to the limits of her ingenuity when it came to her magic and other abilities, doing her best to help everyone the best she could. It was thankless, but every smile on the face of each treated person was all the thanks Arianda needed.

“But even a single person can make a difference, like how any piece in chess can check the king.”

Once Tento had consoled Ari that small bit, and the demon was able to work with a bit more sincerity, the increasing amount of wounded didn't seem so daunting as before; especially with those who weren't wounded past scrapes or cuts helping out as well. Arianda had even caught some of what Tento had said to the boy from before. From there, Arianda simply worked, persuading more unruly teenagers, male or female, to accept their treatments with little contest, helping small children recover from their cry-inducing wounds, and the older people whom needed her tending as well. Arianda continued to work until, as clear as day, she heard the little boy say 'Auntie'.

The demon whirled around, her hair flying somewhat as she turned towards his voice. Following his gaze to a woman who was just carried in by some men. She was hurt, bad. Her countenance was bloody, she had broken bones, and overall the situation didn't look good for the boy's auntie. The situation didn't look good for Ari either. No... Nonononono, this little boy couldn't lose all semblance of his family. His mother and father may likely be gone, but if he loses his aunt... What else was there for him?

"Move! Out of the way! I need clear space around her; now!"

Arianda's voice rang out with all the authority of royalty or that of a proper commander. This was probably most alarming for Tento and those here. Because of her command, the woman was set down carefully upon whatever they were using to comfort the wounded who must lay down. Afterwards, people cleared the area as Arianda gestured to Tento.

"Tento, the boy... Go to him, please."

To Tento, Arianda's voice was soft, gentle, desperate. She didn't want that little boy to be alone, or to be scared. Someone had to go and comfort him, and the level at which the woman was injured wasn't going to be fixed by Tento's Kaido; or even Ari's feign attempts at healing magic. She needed a proper ritual now... Those here may hate her, but the demon didn't care. She was already hated anyways, she would only fan the fire in the process of saving a poor boy's only family.

Arianda walked up to the woman and tapped her foot before stomping the ground hard. From where her foot impacted, the ground did crack, but those cracks splintered and moved in unnatural ways until what appeared to be a magic circle surrounded the woman's body. Critical as she was, Arianda knelt down next to the woman and appraised her situation as gently as possible. Without something to save her life, she would die. She would die and leave her nephew alone in the world. Arianda would not have it.

With a snap that carried more weight than it should, blue flames flickered in the cracks as Arianda muttered words of power underneath her breath. Each uttered word caused the flames to flicker, die, and then burn stronger. Arianda continued unperturbed, no matter what people around he said or did. Eventually, Arianda's grey eyes burned blue as she swiftly brought her fist down towards the woman. She stopped moments above the woman's chest, above her heart, and opened her flat palm as the fire jumped from the ground, to the demon's hand, and into the woman below Ari. For brief moments, it seemed like the worse would happen. But... Nothing happened.

And then, the fire slowly cascaded out of the woman's mouth and up into the sky, turning into blue embers as the fire seemed to take the woman's injuries with them. Eventually, the demon collapsed to her knees, briefly woozy as her magic took its toll. To save a life like this, in such an abstract way, was nothing short of suicidal. However, what was obvious was the woman before Arianda was unharmed and alive. She was still unconscious due to her previous injuries, but Arianda seemed to have saved her in a roundabout way. Effectively, she used a magical fire that would cleanse the wounds from the woman's body and transfer them out of the woman. Instead they went to... Ari.

This was shown in mere moments after Ari slumped as those blue embers jumped into Ari's mouth. All those wounds, every single one, appeared upon the demon's body, and within. Perhaps Tento was briefly concerned as the wounds appeared on Ari. However, one by one the wounds healed themselves as Arianda's regeneration took effect. Luckily for Arianda, she hadn't sustained wounds to vital organs, but that didn't change the fact how much it fucking HURT. Eventually, after a loud groan, Arianda straightened and gave herself a small pat down to ensure she was fully healed.

"Th-There... She'll be fine now... Anyone got some water, bread, or any food they could spare? I feel like shit..."