23 Party

Flicking away the coat of white blood staining his blade, Riku gave Shizu an impressed look as he stepped over the lion he just killed. Looking around, the remains of their enemies littered the silver streets as they casually stood as the victors of this encounter. Not that it was difficult by any means, but it was still a proof of concept regarding his current partnership with the Champion of Tyche.

Frankly, if she could give him such powers like what she gave him earlier on a regular basis, he could see their team up flourishing the more they got practice fighting as a pair.

"You did good, Shizu," he praised his partner with a faint smile and soft applause. "You're surprisingly accurate with your attacks."

"Y-Yeah... I kind of practiced throwing cards back when I was younger," Shizu blushed, her smile growing wider as she twiddled with her fingers. "I... I didn't think I'd actually be this good."

"Well, you're clearly a good shot," Riku hummed in approval. "And your power is clearly versatile."

Shizu retreated even further in her own embarrassment even as her smile grew brighter. Looking at the way she moved, he was certain that his partner had been a heartbreaker when she was alive; an innocent young woman that clearly had no confidence in both herself and her looks. Still, her being like this after every battle shouldn't be the norm. If she were to be useful to him, she had to be able to calm down quickly to avoid being caught off guard at the worst possible time.

"I'm not that good," she weakly insisted, still clearly giddy at all the praise. "Again, I didn't think I was this good... It was all just a game back then..."

"Shizu, you did good, alright?" he blandly stated the truth. "You don't have to think too much about it."

"Indeed," Nyx chimed in, having come back down from the literal heights as she placed a hand on Shizu's shoulder. "This is real, and you have the skills needed to beat this... N-Not that you should though."

Riku scoffed at the sudden shift in his goddess's tone. It was both hilarious and kind of pathetic, depending on who was asking, but it clearly caught Shizu off guard at how she suddenly coughed out a laugh. It was a good distraction for her though.

"And here I thought you were capable of being a typical wise goddess, Nyx," he lightly teased her, illiciting another chuckle from his partner..

"Hey, I'm more than capable of giving out sound advice," Nyx pouted. "And as if you're one to talk with your constant stoicism and acting cool."

"It's just how I work," he shrugged, inwardly chuckling at his goddess's expression.

Through it all, Shizu just laughed at what she was seeing, her embarrassment evaporating at the amount of fun she was clearly having. Riku liked what he was seeing. It would seem that his partner actually managed to calm down from the highs of battle. Now was the time for him to address her faults.

"Still, while you did good, you'll have to keep your emotions in check, Shizu," he began. "We can't have you gushing over your successes after every fight."

"W-Wait, wha..."

"Always remember that we're still technically in danger at all times," he continued, his sharp eyes taking in the blank and confused expressions of the women in front of him. "We can't always celebrate every win. And while I know that we can afford to do so now, you should remember this moving forward, Shizu."

...

....

"Way to ruin the mood, Riku," Nyx grumbled. "And here I thought we had something going on here."

Riku simply scoffed as he sheathed his knife, his eyes turning to the carcasses that remained from the rabble. "It's just common sense to remain alert, Nyx," he casually explained. "Shizu said she can learn, but she could be even better with the proper direction. So I'm doing exactly that."

At the reminder of her own words, the tarot reader perked up, her eyes gleaming with attention as she absorbed every single word Riku had for her. It was nice seeing an eager learner, especially since he never really experienced having an apprentice of some kind.

"I'll... I'll keep that in mind, Riku," she firmly nodded. "I know I don't know how to fight, but if I want to survive, I'll learn as quickly as I can."

"That's the spirit," he faintly smiled at her. "In addition, as someone that's primarily ranged in terms of attacks, you should focus your attention on enemies furthest away from us. I told you earlier to do so, yes?"

"Yeah, I was kind of wondering why you told me that," she hummed to herself in thought. "Though you did say that you'll take care of those closest to us."

"That's because we should play to our strengths," he explained. "As a unit, we should cover as many bases as we can, and you already cover both support and ranged while I cover the frontline."

Well, he could cover the frontline for now. Sure, he could do that for the entirety of the game himself, but he really didn't want to be up close and personal with anything if he could help it. He worked best in the shadows, and perhaps he could find someone else to cover that certain spot in their forming party- Wait... Why was he even thinking about making a party?

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm kind of getting hungry again," Nyx interrupted with a bright twinkle in her eyes. "There's a lot of ingredients around us right now, and I'm sure Shizu wants to have a taste of what I had earlier. Isn't that right?"

Riku was taken out of his stray thoughts at the sight of Nyx elbowing Shizu to go along with her request. He at least heard that last part where he was being asked for food again, but still, the thought of actually going through this game as a group now stuck to his mind. And even now as he watched Shizu awkwardly laughing at his patron goddess's antics, he couldn't help but ask himself...

'A party... Why?'