The End of an Era and the Birth of a New: NO MORE PITS!

Kitsuki marched up the road leading to the last of the great Pits. Many of the smaller operations throughout the Isles had been brutally put down. This left only the grand-daddy of them all. Nikuyo Yuki had been the reigning Pit Champion for some time. After falling ill to the plague, he had resurfaced in the pits of Kirigakure. The Old Bear was too strong to even consider bothering and so for as long as he lived, the institution remained unmolested. It would even be fair to say that some of the uppercrust found the activity amusing. However, as time went on, the appetites of the noblese oblige grew to disdain the bloodsport. The area was lucrative real estate and many of the wealthy (Kit's parents among them) saw it is a terrible waste of property. This combined with Kiri's efforts to change its image in the eyes of the world was enough to turn public opinion against the pits. The only barrier had been Nikuyo and he hadn't been seen in months if not years. The mysterious Nidaime Mizukage's disappearance had plunged the pits into near total anarchy. The severity of the Pit Champion had kept the scum in line but now that he was gone, villains were now openly flaunting what little rules the Pits had.

Children were forced to fight, people were being kidnapped and enslaved, sex trafficking was rampant, and drug smuggling commonplace. The nation could no longer tolerate this breakdown of law and order. To that end, they had sent Kitsuki to sort the situation out. The denizens of the area had been forewarned of the demolition of the pits. Several properties associated with the practice were to be destroyed and those living there would be relocated. Kit had pressed the bureaucracy to ensure that the accommodations would be clean and safe. She knew that there were people caught up in the lifestyle that weren't there by choice. Unfortunately, the notices to vacate went unheeded. As Kit entered the town square which was just a few blocks shy of the pits themselves, she noticed an armada of criminals surrounding her contingent.

They were acting in open defiance of the Emperor's lawful order. They were fighters, bosses, pimps, and drug lords. This was their home. It was their den of vice and they had no intention of abandoning it without a fight. Kit had expected to receive such a welcome and she had dressed accordingly. The Chuunin wore a black tank top, a miniature trench coat that stretched to her thighs, combat heels, and black pants. She kept her hair bunched in its usual style and she bore a serious expression on her face. The ninja around her huddled up to face the horde that surrounded them. Kit raised a hand to indicate that they should hold.

She was strong enough to take them all by herself but she wanted to give them one last chance. Kit stiffened up, kept her shoulders straight, and projected her voice so that all could hear.

"By order of Mizukage Haruko Kaguya and the Emperor of Mizu no Kuni the area known as the Fighting Pits are to be vacated indefinitely. The practice of "pit fighting" is hereby permanently banned within the Empire! All participants and profiteers will be pardoned for past activities so long as they cooperate with the abolition of the institution. Any who resists will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!"

The crowd did not budge. Kit allowed a moment to pass before adding:

"This is an unlawful gathering in violation of your Lord's decree! Disperse now or face the consequences! You have until the count of five!"

No one left but several were now reaching for their swords.

"One......Two......Three....."

Today was going to be the day, today, she was going to take her first step into the proper world of the Pits and start her climb to the top; to become champion. Her whole life had, at least up until this point, been devoted completely and utterly to the pit, as that was all she had known. Sure she had been outside of the pit once or twice, but it was boring. But not the pits, no the pits were filled with life to her.

As any adult would, they had stripped her of her clothes and gear, leaving nothing but what her parents had given her and they had her sit within one of the 20 holes in the wall that held the 20 contestants for the Battle Royal: the gate that all had to pass through if they wanted to become top of the food chain. It also provided her with a rare opportunity to reflect, not that she would take the time to, for what did she need to reflect on? She had done no wrong like those who she was going to fight, she did not come here for glory, a supposed sin my many. No, to her this was just her home, and she was going to show that she was no longer a guest within it.

And that's when she heard a voice, one that she never had heard before.

"By order of Mizukage Haruko Kaguya and the Emperor of Mizu no Kuni the area known as the Fighting Pits are to be vacated indefinitely. The practice of "pit fighting" is hereby permanently banned within the Empire! All participants and profiteers will be pardoned for past activities so long as they cooperate with the abolition of the institution. Any who resists will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!"

Who was this 'Mizukage Kaguya' and what was an Emperor? And why were they trying to shut down the pit, her dream? It was probably a joke like the last couple of people. They tried to close her home, used chakra, and then died like the bad people they were.

"This is an unlawful gathering in violation of your Lord's decree! Disperse now or face the consequences! You have until the count of five!"

Unlawful, that meant...not lawful, bad. But she wasn't bad, she only killed bad people. Whoever was talking clearly was a bad person then for lying then.

"One......Two......Three....."

For now, all she could do was wait while she listened to the countdown, as without chakra even her skill in climbing out of the pit was tricky, and Lily was not a bad girl.

"....Four.....Fi-"

Kit never got to finish. The pit gang rushed her with all of their might. Kit scoffed, held up her hand, and made a fist. Hold. The squad wouldn't need to lift a finger today.

They were coming in from all sides but Kit was certain that once she engaged a few of them, she'd shock them enough to slow them down. Kitsuki rushed to the vanguard and threw a punch so powerful that if it weren't for Zizz, the man would have died on contact. The force generated a miniature sonic boom. Every window in a 50 meter radius instantly shattered and gale force winds erupted across the town square. Before the two closest to him had a chance to react, Kit grabbed them by their noggins and force their heads together. An elbow here, a karate chop there, and in mere seconds ten of them had fallen. The connections were light. By all the laws of physical contact it was a mere graze and yet she was felling them like children. The bravest and boldest of them ignored her squad and focused on her. They came from all directions wielding billy clubs, swords, and all manner of weaponry. The implements were pit-prohibited but given her immense strength they knew it was their only chance for survival. Kit broke all of them. Each and every one of them. The girl moved with such deftness and grace you'd think she had been born in the pits herself. Kitsuki felt the presence of something behind her. A large shadow loomed over her just as she was in the middle of re-arranging a pimp's jaw. Kit stepped to the side just in time to see an ivory mace land in the concrete in front of her. Kitsuki grabbed the man's arms and rooted herself.

She lifted him off the ground and swung him like a battering ram. Six people were caught in the arc and were laid out immediately. Kitsuki then spun in place, building up momentum like a discus thrower before hurling the gargantuan militant into the sky. The brute was well-known in the pits for being an absolute unit and watching a 5"5 Princess toss him like trash was disheartening to even the most hardened of pit fighters. Lily would likely see the hulk sail through the air and smash into a wall before falling two stories to the ground. Again, had Kit not had the assistance of her Angel, the man would be nothing more than human rubble. A large sack of skin consisting of nothing but jellied organs. The brigands were backing up now and many were panicking. They had come ready for a fight but nothing like this. The other pits had been broken up but this was THE pit and every criminal had vowed to defend it to the last man. Yet they were being bested by a single girl.

Kitsuki continued her onslaught even as their charges grew less bold and enthusiastic. She didn't enjoy fighting but she was damn good at it and what a WASP girl was good at she perfected. There were now successive rings of battered men sprawled out in front of her. Kit was breathing heavily and she was soaked with sweat. She had cleared about half an entire town's worth of fighters. The remaining criminals were scared out of their wits now. One of them was shaking and pointing as a golden light erupted from Kit's hair, the light lifted in to the sky and dimmed revealing an Angel. Zizz zipped around the square surveying and relaying the damage to her host.

ⵙoⵍⵉⴷ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵀoⵍⵍoⵡ oⵔⴳⴰⵏ ⵉⵏⵊⵓⵔⵉⴻⵙ. ⴻpⵉⴷⵓⵔⴰⵍ ⵀⴻⵎⴰⵜoⵎⴰⵙ. ⵠⴻⵔⵜⴻⴱⵔⴰⴻ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ ⴰⵏⴷ poⵙⵜⴻⵔⵉoⵔ ⵔⵉⴱ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ. ⵙⵛⴰⵍp ⵀⴻⵎⴰⵜoⵎⴰⵙ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵛoⵏⵛⵓⵙⵙⵉoⵏⵙ. ⵜⵀⵉⵔⴷ ⴷⴻⴳⵔⴻⴻ ⴱⵓⵔⵏⵙ (Kitsuki had given an Indian burn to a man that had tried to pull her hair). ⵙⵜⴻⵔⵏⴰⵍ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵛⴰⵔⴷⵉⴰⵛ ⵛoⵏⵜⵓⵙⵉoⵏ. Pⴻⵏⴻⵜⵔⴰⵜⵉⵏⴳ pⴻⵏⵉⵍⴻ ⵜⵔⴰⵓⵎⴰ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵜⴻⵙⵜⵉⵛⵓⵍⴰⵔ ⵔⵓpⵜⵓⵔⴻ. (Kit had delivered an astounding blow to the gonads of a known rapist). ⵎⵓⵍⵜⵉpⵍⴻ ⵙpⵉⵏⴰⵍ ⵛoⵎpⵔⴻⵙⵙⵉoⵏ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ. ⵎⴰⵏⴷⵉⴱⵍⴻ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ. ⵎⵓⵍⵜⵉpⵍⴻ ⵙⴽⵓⵍⵍ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵉⵏⵜⵔⴰⵛⵔⴰⵏⵉⴰⵍ ⵀⴻⵎoⵔⵔⵀⴰⴳⵉⵏⴳ. ⵔⵓpⵜⵓⵔⴻⴷ ⵜⴻⵎpoⵔⴰⵍ ⵎⴻⵎⴱⵔⴰⵏⴻ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵏⴻⵛⴽ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ. ⵍⴰⵔⵢⵏⴳⴻⴰⵍ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⴰⵉⵔⵡⴰⵢ ⵛoⵍⵍⴰpⵙⴻ. ⵍⴰⵛⴻⵔⴰⵜⵉoⵏⵙ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⴳⵍⴰⵙⵙ ⴼoⵔⴻⵉⴳⵏ ⴱoⴷⵉⴻⵙ (several had been thrown through windows). Oⵔⴱⵉⵜⴰⵍ ⴱⵍoⵡoⵓⵜ ⴼⵔⴰⵛⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ oⵛⵓⵍⴰⵔ ⴱⵍⴻⴻⴷⵉⵏⴳ. ⴱⴰⵍⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵛ ⵔoⴰⴷⵔⴰⵙⵀ.


ⵎⴰⵢⴱⴻ ⴳo ⴰ ⵜⴰⴷ ⴻⴰⵙⵢ oⵏ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⵏⴻⵅⵜ?
I told them to surrender. They didn't. The old Kiri is dead. Zero tolerance policy for those who profit from the blood and misery of others.

The Angel completed her rounds and settled on Kit's shoulder cross-legged. The numerous wings that sprouted from its body strategically hid its nakedness from those that remained standing. Even as she communicated, Zizz was in deep concentration. Every single person that had challenged Kit was grievously injured. The damage sustained should have been enough to kill them outright or at the very least require many painful years of healing followed by physical therapy. Fortunately, Zizz was a chronokinetic. Even as they lay writhing in a pool of blood and broken teeth, the Angel worked to correct that which causality had destroyed. Time rewound itself as organs slowly reversed the damage to the point where recovery was not only likely but certain. Whereas one might need years in the hospital, they'd only need a few weeks or months. The pain did not abate but the threat of death was kept at bay for now. The technique being used was known as Collateral Rescue. It allowed Kit to fight without restraint. She could deal as much damage as was necessary to incapacitate her opponent without outright murdering them. The damage reverted to a precise level. They would not be permanently crippled but they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon either.

A man with dreadlocks and not much else covering his body pointed. His eyes were white with fear and his finger trembled as he was the first to identify the Chuunin.

"Oh god....I know you....I heard about you....Bricky trained you....said you were the strongest ever....when he...talked about you we thought he was blowing smoke up our ass! He said you use a cane but yo-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence. Kitsuki flicked her finger at him discharging a bit of Fuuton into the action. The result was a gale wind strong enough to lift him off his feet and into a nearby wall. The kunoichi turned around slowly to see if there were any more takers.

By all rights she was now the Pit Champion.

The woman she had head speak had gone quiet, and now she could hear fighting above her hole. A loud explosion could be heard, even if it was dispersed somewhat by the earth. She could hear the sound of...music? No, music sounded nice. Whatever was making the sound was making them rapidly and it hurthurthurt Lily's ears. It had to be a magic thingie that was banned, so why wasn't it shutting up? That sort of thing when made obvious was a death sentence!

She looked into the main area where the pit was in, and saw weapons falling in, but no one was going into fight. From he own little hole, she could see that instead they were cowering. Strange, were they bad as well? well, the noise was still ringing, and there was nothing in the rules that said she couldn't climb out of the pit to shut up annoying sounds, so she set her mind to that.

She'd jump out of her hole and went to the miscellaneous weapons on the ground. There were swords and axes and daggers and axes and lances and swords and ooh! daggers! picking up an identical set of purple daggers as well as a set of knitting needles she'd tuck the blades under her armpits and take said needles to jam them into the side of the wall, one at a time to use as handholds to get out. Left, right, left, right she jam it in, lift herself up and then jam the other one in before doing the same thing again. Looking back she could see a few of the other people were coming out of there holes, but none were moving to attack any other people in the pit, lame. Eventually though, after a good while the buzzing had stopped. In fact now that she listened she could hear the fighting properly now, and was close enough to the top now thanks to her dexterity that she wanted to find out anyways.

The naked child pulled herself over the edge and onto the proper 'ground' level, then began walking to the dying noise, and stepping out of the area that separated the pit from the main town she could already see the destruction caused by whatever caused it. And then, she could see it, the cause of all the bodies that were on the floor. A brown-skin woman with thick dreadlock hair that reminded her of heavily seasoned sirloin steak, an outfit that she saw some of the patrons wear, and a stranger weapon that looked like something the same fancy people had on them, but it was different, she didn't know how else to describe it. Her hat was also just not a good fit, it clashed horrendously and looked like a bird in a weird meat-nest.

"Who...are you?" She'd innocently ask as she slowly walked forward, keeping an eye on her muscles, her half-pole-weapon-thing and her shitty bird hat, trying to get an idea of if this woman was friend or foe. "And what happened to all of my family?

(Lol Kit doesn't have her cane out.)

Kit surveyed the damage she had caused. The kunoichi wore a stern expression. She didn't like hurting others but she could not allow these people to flaunt the laws of the Empire. If you allowed scum to fester for too long, it eventually rotted the foundations of even the most mighty of mansions. The remaining criminals practically arrested themselves. They jumped into handcuffs, tripped over their own words in spilling the beans, and in many cases, started fighting the few that tried to run. It was a total and complete rout. Kitsuki brushed a bit of dust off her jacket and was about to walk away when she noticed a young child approach her. The child was naked and evidently a female. Kit's heart ached when she saw how destitute Lily appeared. Zizz's expression mirrored Kit's concern.

Pooⵔ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴳ ⵉⵙ ⴰⵏ oⵔpⵀⴰⵏ.

Kitsuki turned to face Lily and bent down to speak to the presumably small mini-fighter.

"Hi there....my name is Kitsuki Kurahasa. I'm a shinobi from Kirigakure...." identifying herself was easy but explaining what had happened to her "family" was not. Kit searched for the right words before replying. "Some of them are bad people and are going to go away for awhile but its okay because some of them are good guys. They are going to work with us to make sure this area is safe. You don't have to fight anymore. What is your name little one? Who takes care of you?"

Zizz didn't want to scare Lily so she was motionless. Although with the proximity between them, Lily might be able to recognize she wasn't staring at a hat. Although given the pit child's lack of formal education, it was possible she'd still fail to understand the nature of the being perched on Kit's shoulder.

Kirigakure...the Ultimate Pit. She was from Kirigakure, and if that was the case, Lily may have just gained a fast-tract to become a fighter there so she could become the campion of the biggest pit of all. It was too good to be true. And then the bird, she had found the damnable noise that was the bird, not ninja magic like she had expected, just an annoyance as it gave her another headache. It was a shame, but given it was not ninja magic she wasn't allowed by pit rules to immediately exterminate it.

Still holding the large needles in her hands and daggers in her armpits, the small girl's eyes would twitch a little as she continued to keep tabs on the shinobi's hands, legs and bird. "I am...my adulty name is Lily, and they all take care of me, as they say I am 'Child of Vandal' to them. They say it is a special nickname for ones raised by all, even Pit Champion, but I have not seem them for a while. But none of them are bad, as none of them are dead. Bad people are killed, not beaten till they go to sleep." Bad people also got caught cheating, but they also would die if that were the case. Did the Ultimate Pit have different rules, and Kura wasn't told the rules of this pit?

And then she finally considered what may have happened, and what could happen to her. She would make no outward movements, but she would mentally prepare to move at a moment's notice if needed. "Are you gonna beat me too miss like you did my family?" Her eyes held no malice to the woman in front of her. Right now, Lily was still deciding if she could actually trust her. sure she was from the Ultimate Pit, but that didn't mean she couldn't still be a bad person, and as tempting as it was to force an answer and get back to her being able to become the new champion, those from the Ultimate Pit had to have some fort of Ultimate skill.

(Lol Zizz doesn't speak so when she communicates you wouldn't hear any sound coming from her unless she's talking directly to you)

Kitsuki was concerned at the fact that Lily was armed but she made no defensive posture. She had nothing to fear from this little one after laying waste to the true scum of the pits. The girl identified herself as Lily and explained that she had been raised by the pits as a whole. This was bad. Normally, a town raising a child could be a beautiful thing. It imparted varied perspective, communal protection, and above all else, tons of love. Lily had the misfortune of being raised by a town of criminals however. The savagery of her environment was made obvious to Kitsuki when she remarked that bad people were killed in all instances instead of being merely knocked unconscious. Kit had never killed anyone and she did not intend to. People could face justice without facing their demise. She would not hesitate to kill in self-defense or for the greater good but that was a tool of absolute last resort. She prayed that she'd never have to face such a moment.

When Lily asked her if Kit intended to beat her, Kit vigorously shook her head, the afro-locks swinging with the motion. Kitsuki wanted to hug the little girl but she knew physical contact would only make things more awkward. She didn't want to scare or offend Lily so she kept her hands to herself.

"No! Never! I would never do that!" she said without hesitation. "You're an innocent girl...you've done nothing wrong. I'm not going to hurt you Lily, I'm going to help you."

This child had no real parents to speak of but Kit wouldn't feel right dropping her off at an orphanage. She had to figure out a plan for this "Child of Vandal." She couldn't adopt a kid at the present moment, she wouldn't even know where to begin when it came to raising another human. She could let Lily stay with her awhile though until she found more suitable living accommodations for the kid.

"How'd you like to stay in a palace for a little while?"
ⴰⵔⴻ ⵡⴻ ⴳoⵉⵏⴳ ⵜo ⴽⴻⴻp ⵀⴻⵔ?! ⵍⴻⵜ'ⵙ ⴽⴻⴻp ⵀⴻⵔ!
No

Never. Yes Lily was an innocent girl and as far as she was aware she had done nothing wrong, well okay she had sneaked in a needle once and silenced one of her opponents, but she wasn't caught and therefore she hadn't broken the rules, but to hear someone say 'never' filled her with a small sadness. Many people had come and gone, some good, many bad, and all but a few met the same fate: death. And the meat-haired girl had said the same thing several other bad guys had said, making it harder to tell if she was a good person or a bad person.

"Never is a long time miss Kura, even the bad people don't like to use never. Bố said those who say never are blind by ideals, and Bố was a very smart person." She missed Bố. He was one of the people who helped her get to where she was today, teaching her how to be quick and nimble and even giving her the clothes she wore when not fighting. He had said he was from a land filled to the brim with sand, but not as wet as the sand around here. Last she had heard he had to go in an take care of a bad person who broke the no ninja magic rule, and he hadn't made it out alive.

Another headache, though this time not as harsh. Maybe the sound was like a poison, the longer she heard it the better she was able to tune it out? Didn't matter, taking a little bit to process the woman's question. A palace, she had heard of those before. "Lily would like to see a palace, and Bố said that little girls like me should trust more, so I will trust you. Many people have told me that a palace is filled with lavis-lav-pretty things and have princesses. Does that make you a princess? Do you have any cool animals? Is your silly hat-bird a princess animal? May I pet it may I hold it may I hug it?" Lily's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together, attempting to convince Kura to let her pet the not-bird, the thought of this woman being a bad person totally slipping her mind because how could a princess be bad?

Kit blinked at the outpouring of wisdom she had received. Lily didn't appear to be formally educated but her statement did make sense. Kit was an idealist at heart though and even though the world called for practicality, she occasionally clung to her lofty visions of how things should be.  Kit smiled and removed her jacket. The child's nakedness was both sad and offensive. She couldn't imagine what kind of barbarian would force a young girl to go without clothes. Even the poorest of these so-called "parents" should be able to get something to hide Lily's shame. Kit figured that this was yet another sick and perverse tradition of the Pits. A means of acclimating mere babes to the custom of naked mortal combat. She'd remedy it immediately. Kit threw the jacket around Lily's shoulder and did the buttons on it. Kitsuki was now only wearing her tank top and those behind her could see that her back was covered in a Yakuza style tattoo. A rather surprising revelation for a chuunin so concerned with posh and etiquette.

"Bố does sound like a very wise man. I'd like to meet him....do you know where he is?"

Kit was afraid of the answer. She hadn't killed any of the pit protectors but if she had broken him then it might cause Lily agitation. Unfortunately, this " Bố" was the closest thing she had to a next-of-kin to go off of. She'd still be taking Lily into custody, but if there was an adult that could tell her more about this orphan then that would be even better. It might even shave a few years off his sentence.

When Lily said that she trusted Kitsuki, she let out a sigh. It was an unintentional reaction but it was a genuine one. She didn't want Lily to fear her or the village. Kit had come into her town and laid waste to the people she called family. The fact that she was willing to let Kit show her a better life was a major relief. When she tried to say the word "lavish" Kit suppressed a laugh. The child was so cute and innocent it was hard to believe that she was raised by criminals. When Lily asked whether Kitsuki was a princess, the mocha brown girl blushed. She scratched the back of her head and tried to be as modest as possible.

"In a way yes... I uh.."

The mention of cool animals including a "silly bird hat" made her laugh out loud. Zizz turned her head to Kit and gave her host a quizzical look.

ⵡⵀⴰⵜ? ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵉⵙ ⵉⵜ? ⵙⵀⴻ ⵙⴰⵉⴷ ⵙoⵎⴻⵜⵀⵉⵏⴳ ⴰⴱoⵓⵜ ⵎⴻ ⴷⵉⴷⵏ'ⵜ ⵙⵀⴻ?
Heheh...she uh...called you a bird.
ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵡⵀⵢ?! ⵡⵀⵢ ⴷOⴻⵙ ⴻⵠⴻⵔⵢⵜⵀⵉⵏⴳ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⵉ'ⵎ ⴰ ⴱⵉⵔⴷ? ⴷⵉⴷⵏ'ⵜ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⴱⴰⴷ ⴳⵓⵢ ⵡⴻ ⴼOⵓⴳⵀⵜ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵙⴰⵎⴻ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴳ?

Zizz lifted off Kit's shoulder and flew near Lily's face. This had the effect of blocking Lily's view of Kit's face. Instead, Lily would see a naked angel floating in her personal space. The Angel started pantomiming and using her body language to indicate offense to being mistaken for a "bird." The Angel was familiar with those creatures and while they had wings like her, they were not even close in terms of biological taxonomy. Were all humans this ignorant?

Kitsuki recalled Zizz to her side and the Angel floated back to its perch on her shoulder. Kit then proceeded to "translate" her friend's ire.

"She isn't a pet....and she's definitely not a bird. Think of her as a little person with special powers. An angel. Do you know what an angel is Lily?"

She didn't want to sound condescending but the girl was probably pretty unschooled about the outside world. She wasn't stupid just deprived of knowledge unrelated to violence. Zizz was sitting on Kit's shoulder cross-legged with her arms folded. The multiplicity of wings shifting to cover her body but each movement was tense as though it were expressing its annoyance.

Oⴽⴰⵢ ⵙo ⵍⴻⵜ ⵎⴻ ⴳⴻⵜ ⵜⵀⵉⵙ ⵙⵜⵔⴰⵉⴳⵀⵜ....oⵏ ⵜⵀⵉⵙ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ ⵜⵀⴻⵔⴻ ⴰⵔⴻ ⵍⵉⵜⵜⵍⴻ ⵛⵔⴻⴰⵜⵓⵔⴻⵙ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵜⵡo pⴰⵉⵔⵙ oⴼ ⵡⵉⵏⴳⵙ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵛⴰⵏ ⴼⵍⵢ. Oⴽⴰⵢ ⴼⵉⵏⴻ. ⵉ ⴳⴻⵜ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ. ⴱⵓⵜ ⵏoⵏⴻ oⴼ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⵍooⴽ ⵍⵉⴽⴻ pⴻopⵍⴻ, ⵏoⵏⴻ oⴼ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⵀⴰⵠⴻ ⵎoⵔⴻ ⵜⵀⴰⵏ ⵜⵡo ⵡⵉⵏⴳⵙ, ⴰⵏⴷ ⵜⵀⴻⵉⵔ ⵎⴻⴰⵏⵙ oⴼ pⵔopⵓⵍⵙⵉoⵏ ⵉⵏ ⵜⵀⵔⴻⴻ ⴷⵉⵎⴻⵏⵙⵉoⵏⴰⵍ ⵙpⴰⵛⴻ ⵉⵙ ⵍⵉⵎⵉⵜⴻⴷ....ⵡⵀⵢ ⵉⵙ ⵉⵜ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵀⵓⵎⴰⵏⵙ ⴽⴻⴻp ⵎⵉⵙⵜⴰⴽⵉⵏⴳ ⵎⴻ ⴼoⵔ ⴰ ⴱⵉⵔⴷ?
I don't know Zizz Kit thought truthfully.

Lily had a small look of confusion when Kitsuki put her jacket over her, but then remembered that some people were weirded out by her lack of clothing, so she wouldn't resist. She'd wiggle a bit as she got her arms into the sleeves and then twirled them a little, the jacket arms like noodles.

When Kitsuki asked about the closest thing to a surrogate parent that she had, Lily continued to play with the jacket arms a little more, though there was a little sadness in her tone. "Oh, I think Bố is dead because he hasn't come to see me in a while. He and a few others went to kill a bad woman because they used ninja magic and that's against the rules when in the arena." Even if she was used to the concepts of death, loss and detachment; it still stung not being able to see him. At least she was allowed to use his old room now on the off-chance she wasn't in the pits.

Lily was a little confused as to why after she called the silly bird hat a silly bird hat, and when shown said silly bird hat it was clear that it wasn't a silly bird hat. Instead, the silly bird hat was in fact a tiny...human? No, humans don't look that silly. Hearing Kit's explanation on the not-bird, her look of confusion only grew. "An angle..? But aren't angles supposed to be pretty? And talk? And use flaming swords to smite bad people? And have a halo?" Clearly this small not-human was not an angle, but maybe Kura was just misinformed, as her 12-year old mind was clearly the superior one and knew for sure what an angle was.

Kit's face contorted into an expression of pity and true sadness when Lily explained that Bo was dead. The girl had perked up when she spoke of him and it sounded like they had been close. The caretaker had apparently died on a mission to punish someone. He sounded like a scoundrel, but the fact that he had left this innocent child alone in the world was enough to tug at her heart strings. She wouldn't say anything bad about him, it only strengthened her resolve to bring Lily out of Vandal's darkness.

"I'm sorry to hear that.....I'll try to find out what happened to him for sure. In the meanwhile, you'll stay with me and Zizz"

When Lily mispronounced the word "angel" and proceeded to compare Zizz to terrestrial constructions of angelic entities, Kit shook her head and smiled. "That's....not entirely accurate and...."

ⵡⴰⵉⵜ? ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⴷⵉⴷ ⵙⵀⴻ ⵊⵓⵙⵜ ⵙⴰⵢ ⴰⴱoⵓⵜ ⵎⴻ?
She said you aren't an angel....because you don't look like conventional depictions of Elohim's messengers.
ⵜⵀⴰⵜ'ⵙ ⴰ ⵙⵉⵍⵍⵢ ⵙⵜⴻⵔⴻoⵜⵢpⴻ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵉⵜⵙ ⴱoⵔⴷⴻⵔⵍⵉⵏⴻ oⴼⴼⴻⵏⵙⵉⵠⴻ! ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ'ⵙ ⵓⵏⴷⴻⵔⵙⵜⴰⵏⴷⵉⵏⴳ oⴼ ⴰⵏⴳⴻⵍⵙ ⴰⵔⴻ ⴰⵍⵍ ⵡⵔoⵏⴳ. ⵀⴰⵍⴼ oⴼ ⵢoⵓⵔ pⵍⴰⵏⴻⵜ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽⵙ ⴰⵏⴳⴻⵍⵙ ⴰⵔⴻ ⵎⴰⴷⴻ oⴼ ⵡⵀⴻⴻⵍⵙ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵙpⵉⵏ ⴰⵔoⵓⵏⴷ ⴰⵏⴷ ⴳo oⵏ ⴼⵉⵔⴻ!

Zizz was floating side to side and jabbing her fists out. It was as if she was sparring with an imaginary opponent. The Angel had picked up on Kit's fighting style and was using it to express her frustration. She wasn't mad at the child per se just that the kid represented humanity's ignorance when it came to affairs outside their own atmosphere. It was a recurring problem and one that she'd hope to fix, not with her fists, but with enlightenment.

ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⴻⵍⵙⴻ ⴷⵉⴷ ⵙⵀⴻ ⵙⴰⵢ? Zizz asked knowing that it wasn't the worst
She uh...well she....
ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵉⵙ ⵉⵜ?
She doesn't think you're pretty...
ⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰⴰ

Kit had never heard Zizz make that sound before. The Angel started to do laps around her head so fast that the blur was creating a halo effect. The Angel then rocketed into the sky before returning to Kit's shoulder. Zizz's boundless reactive energy needed an external outlet sometimes so Kit didn't even tell her lifelong companion to calm down. Instead, she turned to Lily and expressed warmth.

"There are different kinds of Angels, Lily. Zizz is a special Angel from another world and she's been sent here to help us." Kit danced around the impropriety of calling someone "not pretty." She'd save the etiquette lessons for later. Kit's primary concern was clothing, housing, and feeding this child. She turned around, got down on her knees, and hunched over. This would allow Lily to climb on her back. She wanted to offer the mini-pit fighter a piggy back ride to Kiri. It was playful, fun, and it might take the kid's mind off of the fact that she was without a home or family.

"Here, climb on my back. I'll give you a piggy back ride to your new palace"

Zizz returned to Kit's hair and faced the child. The tiny person stuck out a tongue and then disappeared. She had shrank to the size of an atom. Zizz had just about had it with humanity's misconceptions about her kind.

Once again Lily would look confused as she heard the woman speak. Why would she want to find out what happened to Bố? He was dead, simple as that. Being able to stay at a princesses place sounded really cool though. She wondered what sorts of things she'd have, like mountains of ryo and waterslides, or even a fox. She had heard about foxes, some sort of thing that was a mix of a dog and a cat, but she had never seen one in real life, only stories of them.

She'd move her head back slightly as she watched the angle do the punching motions, oblivious to it's frustration and more confused as to why the explanation of the not-angel was on hold. Thinking it wanted to teach her something, she'd try to mimic the movements, though it wasn't perfect. It was fun though, and maybe sometime she could fight this small not-angle. Thankfully though the short time of waiting (which felt FOREVERRRRRRR to Lily) was over quickly enough.

Simple as the explanation on what was, it didn't stick in quite the way as it was probably intended thanks to the hypersonic speed at which Zizz was flying around their host. "Oh, I get it! They aren't an angle, they're your halo! You're the angle princess! I'm sorry Zizz halo!" It made sense, as an angle had many enemies, and if they were a ninja angle, they'd have to have some way of hiding that they were as powerful as they were, so of COURSE their halo would hide itself. Smarty-pants Lily would strike again!

When offered a piggy-pack ride, she'd gladly accept and jump on. "Can we go by Bố's first? He told me to never leave Vandal without my 'Wherever Wares'. It's riiiiiiiight over there." She'd point in a direction. "Wait. No it's that-no. That way? This way? Oh wait! Bố lives there, his home used to be there!" She pointed to the proper home this time, a perfectly normal one on the inside and out. As soon as she got her wares, she'd be ready to take on the biggest fighting arena in Water Land.

{Ready to Exit when Kit is ready}

Kitsuki opened her mouth to correct Lilly's assumption but she decided to let that sleeping dog lie for now. Once more, the child was misinterpreting the world around her and the situation was far too volatile for Kit to risk lecturing her. She closed her mouth and gave a nice nod.

"Uh, Y-yes...I'm the Angel Princess. Angel. its pronounced AIN-GEL Lily" she said sweetly. At the very least she had to get this child prounouncing the word Angel correctly. Kit would never deign to give herself a title so regal but it did have a nice ring to it. Once the pit child was mounted, Kit would start off in the direction indicated.

"Certainly Lily" she said.

Kitsuki would take Lily to go pick up her "Wherever Wares." So long as it wasn't anything wildly inappropriate like drugs, Kit would make a stop there before heading on the road to Kiri. The Chuunin's men could clean up the rest of Vandal without her. In time, this area would be a new town bustling with lawful commerce.


Exit w/ Lily