Feeling the presence of another person closing in did little to draw Rikudo away from the serenity of the waterfall. He assumed early on that their reason for coming here was similar to his own. Perhaps they to had demons that haunted their past, unable to free themselves from the never ending torment. His assumptions were soon dashed however as the girl came within view. Long flowing hair, wearing dark robes and sitting atop a broom, her appearance clearly that of a witch. Rikudo had heard rumors of mant witch clans Inhabiting these forests though his contact with said clans had failed to be established.

He watched her as she approached the waterfall a magical floating cauldron along with her. The waters began to swirl as she commanded them with her magic to enter the cauldron. The desecration of such a peaceful place did not sit well with Rikudo and his markings began to increase in brightness as a blue orb of energy manifested in his palm. Releasing a small beam of energy, he attempted to shatter the floating cauldron returning the delicate waters to where they rightfully belonged.

Afterwards, he would call out to the female witch, his voice holding just slightest hint of anger. "You there, why do you seek to desecrate such a peaceful place?" He wished to know what had brought her here, it was apparent that she was not here for the reasons he had originally assumed of her. Why had she come here to collect this sacred waterfalls mystical power? Perhaps she intended to use it for some sort of spell or ritual, the latter would make quite a lot of sense actually as the water held power far beyond what most mortal beings woulf be able to truly understand.

His ki blast had missed the cauldron, instead speeding off into the distant darkness. With a snicker at the sight he had just witnessed, Rikudo matched the witches glare. Her energy levels were easily sensed by him as being higher than his own and this meant he needed to tread lightly from here on out.

"If you want something from a stranger, it is proper to introduce yourself first." The witch spoke, not a hint of any sort of emotion in her speech. "It is also customary for peasants to bow their heads in the presence of the upper class." 

As she spoke, Rikudo with a sigh inhaled deeply before speaking a reply back to the witch, "very well then, I am Rikudo a halfing demon/human who used to live within these forests during my childhood." Stepping closer to the waters that drained off the waterfall. His reflection within the pool of glowing water was clear as he spoke once more. "My mother used to tell me stories of how this sacred waterfall held the hopes of all the lost souls who were taken in these forests. She used to say no matter how dark the spirit, the waters light can touch them." Returning to his feet he once again met his gaze with that of the witch. His thoughts now flooded with memories of his mother having soothed his inner fire, Rikudo allowed himself another deep breath before going on to ask the girl for the same formality he had just given her.

"Now I've told you a little about me, I think you should do the same." as he said this, Rikudo had also caught himself wondering if she was still planning to answer his previous questions, and explain to him what her purpose here truly was. He needed to know what had brought her here and why she was bent on stealing the waters of hope from the waterfall, though it was obvious that the waters inherent power would make for great magical rituals and potions.

The mention of his mother being a fool was an insult that normally would have erupted into a frenzy of anger. However in this one instance this was not the case and somehow Rikudo felt as calm as ever upon hearing the insult from the witch. Perhaps his mother had been a fool, quarting with a demon to create the monstrosity that is Rikudo himself. But, even so, despite her foolishness or lack there of she was also still the most loving soul that Rikudo has ever know and nothing would be able to alter his perception of her in any way.

With a smile he calmly responded, "Maybe your right and maybe my mother was foolish for the things she did in life. Regardless of that fact though, my mother taught me what it means to be human and for someone like me? Well.. That life lesson is all too valuable."

With a lady like bow the witch went on to introduce herself as Rikudo had also done. Claiming to be not simply just another witch from the clan of nevermore, but it's heir. Interestingly enough this was not something that impressed Rikudo in the slightest however and with a chuckle he muttered a slightly taunting response, "As charmed as could be m'lady."

A few moments later the cauldron filling with water had begun to fill completely, causing the witch with just a flick of her hand to command the water spout back to its original place in the small lake. Afterwards and with another show of magical prowess she commanded a magical fire to appear with a single word. Rikudo continued to watch the flame for quite sometime admiring its beautiful bright colors that shined through the darkness.

Rikudo stepped forward moments after seeing this, a very small dagger now clutched in his right hand. The dagger he brandished had been once he often kept with him but was used for nothing more than basic tasks like skinning small game or carving wood in times of boredom. Taking the blade of the dagger, he slid the sharp esge acrossed his left palm creating a large shallow gash that bled immediately. "The fact that you feel it necessary to alter the waters properties shows that you do not truly understand its true beauty. Water as pure as this is better left as it is." Rikudo said as he slowly placed his hand in the glowing pool of water. Upon contact with the liquid his blue markings began to glow once more, and as he liftef hid hand from the water and the last remaining drops fell from his skin, the wound he had created was no longer there. He had hoped such a display would be enough to convince the witch of the waters spiritual and magical nature.

The display Rikudo had put on for the witch seemed not to surprise her in the least. Though this in itself wasn't very surprising as a witch was someone who commonly sees things of a magical nature such as this afterall. Rikudo kept his eyes fixated on the female as she continued on to discount his little display with another insult. Rikudo replied with little more than a small chuckle to her little joke before he would actually speak, "Maybe not a bunny, but I can most certainly grab you a fish if you wanted."

Upon the witches next combination of words Rikudo could sense her growing spitefulness. "You know, it’s simply astounding how wrong you are. The physical appearance of the water has no value."

Rikudo smiled at such a claim, he haf hoped a witch would be able to grasp what he was getting at. Perhaps his words had been too cryptic however and what he needed was to be be more straightforward. "Of course the waters appearance has very little value on its own. The glowing blue beauty of these waters are merely a side affect of its healing properties which I have shown you to be true."

The witch would then go on to claim that she would would show off to Rikudo what she claimed was real magic. This did peak his interest and with a raised brow he readied himself for whatever miss nevermore had planned next. Perhaps she was going to transform herself or summon forth some dastardly beast, though Rikudo assumed the latter could be true. Rikudo wouldn't have to wait long to find out though as the witch shouted an incantation allowed soon after, flicking her wand as she did so. This motion caused a figure to burst from the ground in a rather magical display. A green skinned devil woman of the forest. The demons resemblance reminded him of his father and this fact quickly caused his look of surprise to turn to that of one of disgust rather quickly.

"Your little minion reminds me a lot of my father, hes a rather powerful demon thats been trapped in the shadow of this forest for quite some time now. Be wary of him or this may be both the first and last time we get to meet."

From the way Lilith had reacted to Rikudos warnings, it was easy to tell that he had perhaps offended her. She went on to mock him asking if it was a warning or a challenge before proceeding to proclaim that he hadn't a clue of her capabilities. While this was true, it didn't really matter to Rikudo, he knew the full extent of the power the demons of this forest held. No mere magic from a witch was enough to destroy that much evil, no matter how powerful her clan was hailed to be. For while Rikudo may quite well just be mere common rabble to her, as she herself said, but his father most certainly was in a class of his own.

A few moments later the female witches little pet plant demon would return, a variety of mixef plants in its possession. The witch commanded said plants to them however the forest demon kept her eyes fixated on Rikudo as if she wanted something from him. Its beady eyes peared into his and after a few moments of direct eye contact, one of Rikudo eyes would change glowing blue and twisting inti a demonic black appearance. His markings would also glow, the simply demon in front of him merely turning its head to the side in reaction.

After a few moments, and a few deep breathes taken, the glowing subsided. Rikudo smiled at the demon plant in front of him before uttering a single string if words, "sorry, I dont feel like getting too riled up today."

Rikudo could tell that the demon forest spirit had been slightly intrigued by the showing of his markings starting to glow. However this sense of attention quickly faded and boredom took over as Rikudo calmed himself and the light faded from his markings. Upon this happening the spirit would then turn its attention back to Lilith, her very summoner instead.

Lilith however was busy orchestrating a concert of ingredients into her cauldron. Commanding each one with elegance and grace as she added them to the brewing mixture. While this was happening the witch then turned her attention to Rikudo apparently just as intrigued with his markings as her commanded spirit had been. She questioned Rikudo as to whether or not his markings responded to magic or just his emotional state. A question Rikudo could not fully answer.

"Well I can't really give you an exact answer as I just don't really know. If I had to guess id say my emotional state impacts the glowing but I'm not sure what the glowing itself symbolizes yet. All I know for sure is that its a little gift from dear old demonic dad and that whenever the markings glow I can feel a very strong yet fiery hot power surge through my whole body."

The sensation Rikudo spoke of is one he had felt mutliple times before. Like a rush of blood and heat running its course rapidly through his entire body. Bolstering his muscles and stamina along with causing Rikudo to feel as if he could do anything in that instant alone. Beyond just that however, Rikudo had always felt like the markings and thr feelings they provided ran much deeper than simply just a rush of sudden power. He was half demon after all so this power was apart of him always, noy just when he felt emotional. The problem was Rikudo had no idea how to unlock it. Perhaps in the future he will learn to merge his demonic power fully with his human body, the skies the limit once that happens.

"Hm, so there would be no benefit to cutting your head off and using it as a magic detector." Rikudo couldn't help but chuckle at the insulting joke. He figured it probably wasn't one of those, we're laughing with you not at you, things but he also didn't really care either way. With everything he had seen and or been forced to bear witness to in life, being insulted by a petite witch in black didn't really faze him all that much.

"No probably not," He began to reply, "although, if you ended up using your magic to somehow control whatever power causes this marking to glow, then you could fight off demons pretty well."

Rikudo wasn't sure if his own joke would be taken as well as he had done to hers. Rikudo had never been one with well thought out sense of humor. That wasn't really his fault though, as thats what happens when you grow up secluded from the outside world and no friends aside from your mother.

A sweet aroma then filled the air soon after, signifying the completion of whatever the witch had brewing in her cauldron. Rikudo then watched as she summoned a spoon to perform a taste test on the brew. Once pleased she then sunmoned bottles to house the left overs, and corks for seals. An impressive display, but Rikudo wasn't really that well verse in magic either so he had no way of telling if what he was watching was considered impressive in the world of magic or not. "See this, child? This is what true magic looks like. Organized, efficient and beautiful." Rikudo listened to her praise herself once again before mustering up another reply.

"So what is that you made exactly? Is it a bunch of love potions or just like.. Homemade juice?"