Just be blunt about the situation.

A look of appraisal crossed Daichi’s face as he looked carefully at the strange woman. Seeing her blinking furiously as the rain kept running down her face, he had a theory. In a normal world he wouldn’t have tried testing that theory given the last minute. However, this wasn’t a normal world anymore.

Daichi very deliberately took a step forward toward the woman. Immediately her eyes locked onto him and he once more felt a suffocating sense of pressure. The rain seemed to quiver as it fell, or was it the air that was quivering? Though his bones suddenly felt like jelly and his heart seemed liable to burst right out of his chest, he could still stand and move. Whether because of the rain in her eyes, or simply because she wasn’t turning her intimidation all the way up after causing herself pain before he didn’t know. He took a shaky step forward, then another, and another.

The woman still didn’t move a muscle. Aside from her expressions and breathing, there was no sign of even the slightest twitch in her body. She didn’t make even the slight turn of her head that it would take to stop the rain from running into her eyes. Daichi walked right up to the damaged woman and knelt next to her spot against the wall. That strange ‘pressure’ she exuded fading with every step. Her eyes narrowed into golden slits, and he understood that she was choosing to let the effect go away. She knew there was no longer any hiding it from him.

“You can’t move your body at all right now can you? You’re basically paralyzed.” The woman held her narrow eyed stoic expression for several moments before answering slowly.

“Only temporarily. One should not confuse my state for that of helplessness however.”

“No, I think you’re plenty helpless. You can’t even properly scare away a normal person without hurting yourself right now.”

“...How observant of you.” She echoed her previous statement, though this time with a tone of measured carefulness rather than dry sarcasm. It was difficult for Daichi to read her expression. He’d noticed over the course of the day that the majority of people were fairly easy to read. People now seemed to favor very obvious tics and strongly emotional behavior. This woman wasn’t like that at all. Even when faced with the fact that Daichi understood how weak she currently was she didn’t so much as budge. Rather he felt that she was scrutinizing him even now. It strongly felt like he’d been allowed to get this close, though he suspected that was itself just a front.

“And if you can’t even scare me off, it makes me wonder what you’d do if the person responsible for you being like this were to find you?”

“Impossible.”

“Alright, then someone like them? Someone on their side? Can you really say that you’d be fine no matter who found you like this?” There were a few tense moments where she simply stared at him, or at least tried to through the rain that kept getting into her eyes. She seemed very proud to him, and he entertained the idea that she really might say there was no danger.

“No. I could not say that to be truth. There are many who would take advantage of my current state for their ends. That a mere man was the one to find me in this state is a sign of benediction. For even in this state you possess no means with which to harm me.” Daichi reflexively thought to refute that, but held his tongue. The reality was that she could very well be right. She clearly wasn’t a normal person, and as such may really not be as **** as she appeared.

“Lucky for me that I have no interest in doing so.”

“So any truth averting aggressor would allege. Such words mean little until your opportunity to do evil has passed.”

“Well I can’t really fault you for thinking that way. But I also can’t afford to wait for you to trust me. We’re kinda out in the rain here.” The woman narrowed her eyes, a chill going up his spine as the golden orbs shone brighter for just a moment.

“Then one should state his intentions that we may hasten away to our lives.”

‘Man, she just keeps getting more, and more weirdly, formal. Can’t say I hate it though.’ He shook his head in pure exasperation at her words.

“I’ve already given my intentions. You’re clearly hurt, and I intend to help.” Her expression was unmoving. Though she’d been blinking due to the rain in her eyes before, she wasn’t even doing that now. The vertical slit pupils in her eyes were locked onto him, and he reminded himself that she couldn’t move. It didn’t seem to help as much as he would’ve preferred.

“I will not be taken to your hospital.” After several tense moments she finally spoke again, the tension in her eyes disappearing as she again started blinking furiously due to the water. With a huff Daichi reached out and placed his hand on her forehead so that it was extending out to shield her eyes from the rain.

“There, is that better.”

“...one should be more careful with their limbs. Under normal circumstances you may have just now parted with one.” What got to Daichi about that was how she didn’t seem to be saying that angrily. Just, as a matter of fact. He swallowed heavily as that sank in.

“If you don’t wanna go to the hospital then fine. But I’m not gonna leave you in the alley to rot in the trash and rain. I can take you to my home to rest and recover.”

“I will not willingly enter the home of an untrusted stranger. You would have me place my health in the hands of a man that I have no knowledge of? Foolishness.”

“I’d like to hear what choice you have then.” He was quick to reply, and though she immediately opened her mouth to retort he held her gaze. She didn’t speak, and after a moment closed her mouth again.

“Yeah, I thought so. But if you need some measure of assurance then fine.” Daichi wouldn’t normally consider saying these things in such a serious tone. And even now he felt slightly embarrassed about what he was going to say. Yet it seemed to him that this woman would actually take such words seriously. “I, Jones Daichi, swear on my honor that I will never willingly allow you to come to harm, neither by my action nor inaction, should I possess the ability to prevent it. My home shall be your garden and refuge in every capacity it can serve.”

‘Gah! So cheesy! Oh how embarrassing! I can’t believe I said that with a straight face! I’m even gambling here. I feel like she might respond to stuff like that, but she might also just be like, ‘Well that was pretty but it doesn’t actually mean you’ll do those things now does it?’ Oh god what if she just laughs?!’ Despite the overwhelming surge of chuuni embarrassment that Daichi was trying to work through, he successfully kept his face straight through his words and after.

Contrary to his fears, the woman did not laugh. Rather her eyes widened, her brow relaxed, and her lips slightly parted. She looked for the first time since she’d opened her eyes completely relaxed. With an expression of quiet surprise that left her face looking so much more ****. Daichi felt his heart accelerate at the look, at the beauty that he noticed once again as the intimidating fierceness left her.

“You…” Her voice was softer than before, and he had the impression that she was fully lost for words.

‘Geez, I didn’t think she’d take me so seriously. Now I feel awkward for thinking it was such an embarrassing thing. When will the rollercoaster end?’ The woman simply kept staring at him for a time. Long enough that he was starting to get antsy, and cold. The rain hadn’t let up, and he was eager to get going since he was already going to feel awful by the time he reached home.

“...Agni.”

“Huh?”

“My name, and my title, shall to you be Agni.” That phrasing drew him up short for a moment, thinking that there was some significance there that escaped him. However another crash of thunder reminded him of the painful trek that awaited, and how he shouldn’t dawdle.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Agni. Even though the circumstances aren’t great. So with that settled-” At that Daichi turned around and knelt in front of her. He grabbed her wrists, bringing them up above his shoulders and pulled her forward so she’d slump over his back and he could carry her. What he didn’t expect was that as her weight fell against him he had to catch himself with both hands. Her weight drove him down to the ground and almost led to him faceplanting.

“Oof! Oh wow… okay. Up we go.” Getting one foot under himself he shakily got to his feet. Holding her thighs, he was leaning forward not just to keep her from falling, but simply because he was bent over at the sheer weight of her.

“...one may almost hear the sound of your promise to protect me growing less relevant with every bit of struggle. Even carrying a person is beyond you? What a peculiar consort you are.”

“Hey! I can- carry someone- just fine! So long as- they don’t- weigh like- a sack of bricks!” Heavy breaths punctuated his words as Daichi began to stagger forward through the rain. This task had already seemed daunting, but now he began to seriously question if he’d even make it home.

“How disgustingly rude.” Contrary to her words though, the woman’s face showed a sort of relaxed contentment that Daichi would’ve surely appreciated could he have seen it. A small blush adorned her features alongside a warm smile. “A peculiar consort indeed.”