Fantasy The Dying World Beneath (IC)

[Rustic]

Zerah's face twitched, but he breathed a little deeper as the chains wrapped around the demoness. He had been expecting her to try and get under his skin - such was the way these creatures did business. Still, he focused on making his hold on her as tight as he could, even as few of the chains breaking off dented his confidence. What mattered here was giving this his best effort - not necessarily succeeding. Unfortunately, he was sure she must've noticed the minute reaction, since she pounced on it happily. With a chilling disregard for the situation she was in, she merrily began on a maniacal tirade.

He tried. He tried to keep calm, but successive word out of her mouth cut deeper. As busy as he was making the chains, she seemed just as intent on breaking through them, flexing her skill by doing so without even lifting a finger. Worthless. The very word was malignant, rotting through his focus with every second he reminded himself of it. What had he done to deserve this? He tried to get a firm grip back on the magic controlling the chains by reminding himself that it didn't really matter, but the hesitation in the back of his mind still poisoned his hold. The magic could only be so strong without faith, and every chain that broke only weakened it as a whole. Was he useless? Everything in his heart was desperately trying to hold on, to prove he wasn't, but he couldn't hold on for much longer than this. His heart skipped a beat as the last few chains started to slip and lose their hold. He doubled down, trying despite his doubts to steel resolve, but still he felt it falling away. A few more seconds...

Without warning, the tide shifted. The chains he was connected to were thickened and solidified significantly in an instant, and more he had not made began to appear. For a moment, all he could feel was the steady breath in his throat as he understood what was happening. His eyes shifted, the scene around a small miracle - angels gracefully landing from all over, stepping into the square and cleansing the circle as they began to lend their aid. The demons all around somehow already disappeared, replacing them only more angelic beings, stepping forward to offer their aid to the people who were dropping successively from the demoness's hold. He was still as he watched, his own grip on the falling off entirely as he marveled at their impossible presence. He was in such a state of shock that he lightly started at someone's gentle touch to his shoulder. And nearly did again as he read for himself the angel's insignia.

"Well done," he caught the man say, which was already difficult for Zerah to comprehend. He was being told he'd done well from an Archangel? And then the rest... that the demoness before them could potentially be a weapon, that he'd been welcomed back to Heaven. He touched his face.

"I-Is that so?" he asked, staring blankly toward the ground. This wasn't a dream. He knew it wasn't - this was far too real. But he felt like he had to be sure. He could feel his skin under his fingers, the steady beat of his heart as it hummed in his chest. All signs that this was really happening. He forced himself out of his stupor.

"Thank you," he said gently. It was otherwise hard to tell his mood, but he smiled weakly, a private joy in his heart. He was still in a state of shock, but he knew that if he gave himself time, the gravity of this situation was really going to hit him. For the moment, he finally looked back up; unfortunately, onto an indescribably grim sight.

It was like glass shattering. The woman he had watched being assaulted before pushed away the angel that held her as she struggled even to breathe. Every defenseless citizen around her fell into the same gruesome death rattle, seizing up and screaming. There was nothing that could even be done. Before Zerah could even try to move to offer his help their suffering met an gruesome end; their bodies tainting before leaving this world forever, leaving no recourse for turnabout or even mourning. Despite their generally stoic nature, it was clear that all of the angels were stunned, some even politely raising their sleeves to their faces in order to privately mourn. It was instantly over. The only sound left he could hear was the haunting sound of the demoness as she left out one final chuckle, delightedly bathing in the despair she had created.

Even that died too, as she slowly drifted off. There were a few more seconds of palpable heartbreak and grief before the angels around slowly began to roll back into motion. There was a sense of reluctance, but each and every one of them knew their duties, the still dire need of them elsewhere. Zerah knew the Archangel in charge had likely said something else to them, too, but what is was, he couldn't hear. His hand was over his mouth, gripped hard. He had thought, naively, that it couldn't get any worse than it had been, but it had sank even lower. A reluctant moment of hope snuffed out before him in an instant. He had to stop himself from retching. Again. He had been made privy to the true weight of sin. And ones like this were committed every day.

Maybe he'd have broken down right there, if it weren't still for the presence beside him. The Archangel was still close, his magic and the magic of those around still lingering in the air. In that magic he could feel their comfort, their hope. He could feel God close to them, even if Heaven felt so far away. Somehow, just knowing that was enough to help the dull ache. It seemed like something insurmountable, but, he took a deep breath. Even if it didn't seem that way now, there would always be hope. He held that thought close to him, as fragile as he still felt, as the Archangel looked to him. He didn't need words to express his concerns, his aura telling enough. Zerah simply nodded.

"Thank you, sir," he said again. Except, this time, he had used an honorific which was certainly not correct. He winced. Hard. If the man noticed, though, he was too polite now to say so. Zerah breathed out deeply quietly in deep appreciation.

It had felt like an eternity he'd spent standing here, but it still seemed all to soon when the Archangel lead him forward - as promised, in guidance toward Heaven. Zerah could do nothing but take it breathlessly, feeling almost weightless as the two of them silently took off. Many others followed behind. Notably, he noticed the lamentable sight of the small, lone survivor of the possessions, and the angels that were carrying the demoness up. He did not know their continued intentions with her - only that she would be coming with them, 'made use of'. As if in response to such an idea, he could hear the faint cry's of the Demon's leader below, the utter brutality in his voice sounding almost like ominous warning.

Was she worth preservation? As a weapon the answer was obvious. He'd seen for herself a fraction of the power she wielded, and the Archangel could not be wrong in his wisdom. But surely not as someone who could be redeemed in the eyes of the Lord? He was merciful, yes, but could a woman so devoid of compassion be deserving of such compassion? It seemed like it should be clear what the answer was, but still, despite himself, he touched a hand to his heart. As a servant of the Lord, it seemed right that he should believe in miracles. Maybe not with his full conviction, yet, but in every soul, there was room to better. So, he looked to her unconscious form and tried.

"May you find peace," he said somberly, rigidly. However it came for her, so be it.

DergTheDergon Daniel Reaving


"People of Deepvale, I beseech you!" Naomi nearly faltered from her defensive position, speechless. She could hear the strong, roaring voice of her love, but from just from the words it seemed something was off. Was she really the sort to say 'beseech'? Not that that was a bad thing - it was actually rather charming - but... her shock only grew at what was said next. As a golden tint continued wash across the sky, a fearless declaration of Heaven's intervention was made. 'Wow,' she dryly thought. And that was about all she had time to think, as she continued to launch away the projectiles streaming in from below. She probably wasn't as over the moon as the residents below, but even her heart was deeply warmed at the prospect.

After the speech had ended, a smile appeared on her face as she heard her name called. Just to be safe, she didn't turn to meet it, but her posture loosened as Xaira flew in behind her. Hearing the job was done, though, Naomi's happiness only increased, more than evident by the relieved look on her face as she briefly turned to look back at her. About fifteen minutes ago the idea of heading back down for more would have been anathema to her, but to Xaira's confident request, she nodded, feeling better about it already. It seemed clear things had turned back in Deepvale's favor, and despite the danger, she was more than ready to offer some much needed assistance to the people below. Xaira asked for her to hop on and her smile turned into a grin.

"Sure." Her response was mostly warm and sincere, but vaguely suppressing her amusement of situation. What a lovely oddity of a request it was. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Naomi was ready to follow through, but before she could move at all came the surprise halt of an interloper. Her head turned to face him for a moment, looking appropriately shocked as she saw what it was. An angelic man, from out of nowhere. No... she could see the portal beyond him, a little farther up into the ceiling. She found herself distracted between that and his words, unsure of what to think of either. The angels were doing Deepvale a big favor, but didn't feel like enough to ease her hesitation about this. There were too many unknown factors; she couldn't be sure of anything regarding them.

"'Should', maybe," she delicately said to Xaira, frowning slightly. However, when she looked over to Xaira, Naomi could tell she was right. It was clear just from her face that she was utterly drained, and if Naomi was honest with herself, so was she. It seemed the magic had done nothing substantive to fix that fact; it had only temporarily given her a means to work past it. Now, standing here, the fatigue was beginning to set in again, sending the point home. After a moment or two more of deliberation, she conceded.

"You're right," she said. Her posture did not fall from the rigid way it was set, but she let out a small sigh, politely letting it go. Xaira's talons on her shoulder were a consolation, but one she knew she probably shouldn't have needed. Even she could see she was treating this with a rude level of skepticism. However, a fear of discourteousness wasn't going to be enough to stop her in regards to matters of safety. Whatever kindness the angels had treated them with, all she knew of them was through mythology and allegation. In any event, this was clearly the safest path forward afforded to them at the moment. She let the angels that had come to take her place through and took off with Xaira upward.

As they flew through the gates, Naomi instantly noticed the change with Xaira. It came automatically without the fanfare from before. She looked down to see her own body, but she could feel before she saw that she was the same. Interesting. It wasn't like succubi had anything to 'default' to, so it made sense, at least. Or maybe it was just that she wasn't as much of a threat. In any case, she took it upon herself to revert back to as she had been before the battle before they landed. They were already in the domain of angels now; there wasn't much use in staying battle-ready, anyway. She nodded uninterestedly at the angel's explanation of the fact, having assumed as much for herself. She was more busy in looking around anyway, somewhat surprised despite it's known descriptions at just how Heaven looked. Indisputably gorgeous.

So it took her by surprise as she could feel Xaira's hands gently reach to turn her around. She was willing but unsure what for until she could suddenly feel a familiar press of lips against her own. Intertwined, even, as Naomi leaned happily. She could feel a bubbling up of excitement in her chest as she did. With that, it was all finally starting to sink in. She was here, in the most beautiful place imaginable, with the love of her life. A impossible scenario that was and felt oh so real, and nothing could conceivably be more romantic. She could feel her bliss grow stronger with each and every second, and as their lips parted, she felt almost on the urge of passing out. Granted, maybe because of the lack of air, but the emotion was definitely strong enough, too. She took a moment to breathe, heart lighter than air.

Her smile stayed wide, until Xaira's promise of prolonging it further, when it fell into a devious grin. "Bring it on," she laughed, smiling as they came together again. And again, that light feeling was there. For once, she didn't even notice anyone staring, too happy to be here that she couldn't even care. All she had was one thing on her mind right now, and that was being close to Xaira. She truly savored their time together, standing in Xaira's embrace until she was good and ready to leave, letting herself cool down instead of heat up in acknowledgement of where they were. The place, not their company. After a period of time which was probably more than awkward for their onlookers, Naomi parted, and breathed deeply again, finally ready to face their new circumstances.

"We're really here..." she said to Xaira breathlessly, looking again at the world around them. It was only now that she noticed the angels trying their best not to stare, but she felt she could ignore it, still in such a mystified mood from everything going on. Upon noticing their presence, though, she did realize it was probably time to move on. She took her time, looking around for a few seconds more, before she shuffled back to standing alone, and she looked toward them.

"I have to say, I have... questions," she trailed, looking a little concerned. She waved her hand dismissively. "But they can wait." They didn't have time, probably, and when they did, they'd probably let her and everyone else know. Still, it felt worth putting that out there. After she did, she smiled shyly, looking toward them hopefully.

"As long as you can help my partner, I'll be fine," she said softly, modestly. She then pursed her lips a little, but the tone stayed the same. "I'm not really injured - I can just rest." Not that she didn't have smaller wounds - there just wasn't a need to waste that kind of effort on her, in her mind. Not when there promised to be others coming in in more dire need of the assistance.

DergTheDergon

 

[Aukanai]

The Action

Hell had just waltzed in and Alisha wasn't in the mood for smashing heads. Rather, she was in a rather shitty mood after uncle Nio denied her of something that she had wanted. Just like the spoiled, angsty teen she was. She had always been like that, moping around when she didn't get something, it might have worked with her mother and father, but her uncles didn't seem to budge.
Having found herself confronted by numerous demons on her way to her current hiding place, Alisha was just a little be drained of energy and having broken free from battle because she simply was in a foul mood. The only time to battle, was when she enjoyed it. It didn't matter if her opponent wasn't enjoying it, just as long as she was, that was all that mattered
With a sigh, Alisha continued to walk further along the darkened paths she had found to get away from the demons having appeared. "Someone better be getting rid of those pests about now," the girl grumbled as she looked around at her surroundings. Placing a hand along the wall to scale her fingertips over as she walked, she might have just missed the sights of the few guards still around. They might be busy dealing the commotion outside. Alisha wasn't going to help them anytime soon. Especially, when it finally clicked in her mind of where she was exactly, and how she had managed to get in so easily.
"What a turn of events," the girl snickered in amused as she continued walking further into the prison, not bothered by how she even ended up here. Her thought might have been elsewhere, or rather, Alisha simply didn't care. For the prison often being off limits, this was her chance to snoop around as she pleases. That was clear as she snickered again at the thought, her hand coming to cover her mouth - almost as if to silence herself as she entered a room with cells lining each side. "What shady crooks do we have up in here?" Her voice was louder now, booming around the room as if to make her presence known. She went to reach for her small dagger, flipping it to bang the handle against the bars of the nearest cell - empty, but the loud clank was deafening enough. Huh.
"Wakey wakey," Alisha moved forward, dragging the handle along the bars to draw out the clank, making her way to peer into the next cell to find - "Oh-" She stopped in her tracks to eye the figure locked inside. "I didn't realise this was a pet store," a tease at the wolf ears, an smirk crept onto the teenager's lips with an amused glint in her eyes.
"Were you a bad doggy? Alisha only laughed more.

---------------​

Well...this was literally hell
Mihn found herself scampering for the shadows when the heat got turned up. A useless mutt at most, she wasn't battle ready and was not about to fling herself into action. She barely seemed to escape the sighted of the demons that seems to raid and swarm the whole area in a blink of an eye. So, there Mihn was, dodging to avoid being whipped clean off the ground, and tucking to avoid the eyes.
If only to hide and watch from afar in fear of trying to make a runner back home and being caught mid-run, she stayed in her hiding spot...until a demon might have found her. And then she was flipping and jumping again, being tailed as she foolished went for the height. But..at least then..she might have seen the new arrivals of bright lights.
"huuh?! Are those ang-" the tanuki might have stopped and stared at the unfolding scene - before being crashed back into her own situation. Almost mid-jump, Mihn would have been swept cleanly out of the air by the following demon, feeling her breath leave in harsh crush.

Down, down, then breaking into the ground with a thud at the hands of the demon, Mihn could barely let out a scream.

"Oh god! Help!"

01: Alisha Sphear

▋Status

Location: Somehow ended up at the jail?
Mood: Irritated / Amused
Health: 80%
Scenario: Just gonna wait till things keel over.

02: Mihn Kript

▋Status

Location: The center of the action
Mood: Frightened / Curious
Health: 30%
Scenario: Sneaking around in the shadows

03: Amel Grand

▋Status

Not in scene.



.

Spoiler: Mobile Users

Hell had just waltzed in and Alisha wasn't in the mood for smashing heads. Rather, she was in a rather shitty mood after uncle Nio denied her of something that she had wanted. Just like the spoiled, angsty teen she was. She had always been like that, moping around when she didn't get something, it might have worked with her mother and father, but her uncles didn't seem to budge.
Having found herself confronted by numerous demons on her way to her current hiding place, Alisha was just a little be drained of energy and having broken free from battle because she simply was in a foul mood. The only time to battle, was when she enjoyed it. It didn't matter if her opponent wasn't enjoying it, just as long as she was, that was all that mattered
With a sigh, Alisha continued to walk further along the darkened paths she had found to get away from the demons having appeared. "Someone better be getting rid of those pests about now," the girl grumbled as she looked around at her surroundings. Placing a hand along the wall to scale her fingertips over as she walked, she might have just missed the sights of the few guards still around. They might be busy dealing the commotion outside. Alisha wasn't going to help them anytime soon. Especially, when it finally clicked in her mind of where she was exactly, and how she had managed to get in so easily.
"What a turn of events," the girl snickered in amused as she continued walking further into the prison, not bothered by how she even ended up here. Her thought might have been elsewhere, or rather, Alisha simply didn't care. For the prison often being off limits, this was her chance to snoop around as she pleases. That was clear as she snickered again at the thought, her hand coming to cover her mouth - almost as if to silence herself as she entered a room with cells lining each side. "What shady crooks do we have up in here?" Her voice was louder now, booming around the room as if to make her presence known. She went to reach for her small dagger, flipping it to bang the handle against the bars of the nearest cell - empty, but the loud clank was deafening enough. Huh.
"Wakey wakey," Alisha moved forward, dragging the handle along the bars to draw out the clank, making her way to peer into the next cell to find - "Oh-" She stopped in her tracks to eye the figure locked inside. "I didn't realise this was a pet store," a tease at the wolf ears, an smirk crept onto the teenager's lips with an amused glint in her eyes.
"Were you a bad doggy? Alisha only laughed more.

---------------​

Well...this was literally hell
Mihn found herself scampering for the shadows when the heat got turned up. A useless mutt at most, she wasn't battle ready and was not about to fling herself into action. She barely seemed to escape the sighted of the demons that seems to raid and swarm the whole area in a blink of an eye. So, there Mihn was, dodging to avoid being whipped clean off the ground, and tucking to avoid the eyes.
If only to hide and watch from afar in fear of trying to make a runner back home and being caught mid-run, she stayed in her hiding spot...until a demon might have found her. And then she was flipping and jumping again, being tailed as she foolished went for the height. But..at least then..she might have seen the new arrivals of bright lights.
"huuh?! Are those ang-" the tanuki might have stopped and stared at the unfolding scene - before being crashed back into her own situation. Almost mid-jump, Mihn would have been swept cleanly out of the air by the following demon, feeling her breath leave in harsh crush.

Down, down, then breaking into the ground with a thud at the hands of the demon, Mihn could barely let out a scream.

"Oh god! Help!"

 

[Rustic]

If there was any word Rollin could use to describe most of their time in this Deepvale jail cell, it was 'boring'. They'd somehow fallen asleep on the job during their short stint at the Single's Gala, and bam, they'd woken up here. And that's where they'd been for the past day and a half. Sitting and staring at the dark grey walls, waiting. They were fine with their choices; letting the small fries get away was the right thing to do, especially the kids like Clem who only joined up because of their parents' more misguided beliefs. So the only thing left to them now was to lie down in the bed they'd made - even if it was in a room with no windows, and separated from the rest of the house by iron bars.

Thankfully, though, there was something happening today that was improving their stay. About an hour or so ago had began some sort of rumbling. Something had caused the floors of a magical detention facility, of all places, to shake, which had definitely made them raise an eyebrow. There was no telling what could have caused something like that, nor was it necessarily meaningful, but it certainly held promise. Thankfully, from there, things had only continued to pop off. Sometime after, a few of the guards started howling from outside and ran off with their tails between their legs, leaving the 'inmates' to their own devices. Unfortunately, that was presumably only Rollin today, which meant they were now alone in this magically sealed cage. Only able to speculate what might happen next as the small amount of light that filtered into the jail, for some reason, started to glow an ominous gold.

They were casually curled up, ready for things to get cracking again, when their ears began to flick. The first signs of activity in awhile; a loud 'clink, clank' echoing down the hall. Like the guards were running their batons along the bars, but with an added metallic 'shing' that somehow made it even more annoying. It made them curious, causing them to pull themselves up to a sitting position, but not for long. A shrill voice followed, letting their intention here be known. Being irritating. They rolled their eyes. This was insult to injury, considering the commotion outside had given them an ounce of hope this encounter might be interesting. But whatever. They settled back down, resolved to ride out whatever else this imp had planned.

Or that's what they'd planned, until they saw her, from the corner of their eye, stop right in front of their cell. They turned their head acutely in her direction in acknowledgement, until she started her quips, to which they finally decided to rise to their feet.

"It's looking more like a day care, with you here," they joked, ignoring her other comment entirely. As they did, they looked to the right and left of her curiously. Who's kid was she? They might've just assumed she only looked young, if her immature attitude didn't suggest otherwise. But, seeing nobody else with her, it looked like they'd been right that she alone. But then, that raised a different question. What was she? She looked human from here, but then, it wasn't like there were so many humans in the Beneath. Besides that, her fearlessness about waltzing in here with all the creeps running loose suggested she was something else. They tilted their head. They towered above her at seven feet, and so looked down at her to speak.

"Unless you wanna bail me out," they suggested. Their tail swished behind them slowly. Their face was unreadable. "Then I'm all yours."

Aukanai

 

[Rustic]

With Aukanai

A daycare? An insult that Alisha was found unexpectedly snickering at. Perhaps something that she found weakly amusing. But no rebuke was made in regard. Rather, she might have found the wolf’s glances at her already something to laugh at - seeming to identify her as some kid on a twisted school excursion. Alisha didn’t seem bothered by this, even as she covered her mouth again to hush herself, her amusement perking up again at the idea the wolf had now planted in her mind. As something unfolded in her plans, a smug smirk slowly crept its way onto the girl’s thin lips.

“What a great idea,” words hinting at her twisted new idea, ”I certainly like the idea of having a pet dog.” Alisha seemed to nod to herself in agreement, as if confirming with herself, before giving the wolf another glance over and gave a soft shrug, “you’ll do for now.”

Rollin didn’t even bother to roll their eyes. Whether she was kidding - or she was sincerely so insolently cocky - it really didn’t matter to them. “Right…” they responded dryly, obviously only humoring her. “Sure. A dog.” Whatever got them out of here faster. They continued to impatiently stare.

Those spoken words went almost completely unheard by Alisha, rather it was almost like she was ignoring them intentionally. As, the girl had decided she wasn’t going to bother with their response as she turned her gaze away to searched her pockets. “You must be pretty grateful,” Alisha’s smug smirk was all the more annoying, having just pulled a certain small object out, ”that I just so happened to to find this lying around.” A key that Alisha began to teasingly wave in the direct view of the wolf - she must have found on her way through the prison.

Rollin’s eyes followed it intently. So, she had really found it. It had just been hanging around? The guards really had made a break for it, then. That didn’t bode well for the situation outside. It was rather fortunate for them, though. They looked back over to the girl in front of them, finally seeing opportunity.

“Oh…” they said slowly, letting their newfound interest drip from their voice. “Lucky me.” It was still obvious they weren’t taking this entirely seriously, but they were at least ready to play along, now that she had something to leverage with. They smiled as best as their canine mouth would allow. “Nice to meet ya, then…” They trailed off mid-sentence, expecting her name.

There was a deep hum in response, almost like Alisha was agreeing - they really were lucky. At least, that’s what she thought to herself. “I’m not one to introduce myself to dogs,” a hushed snicker sounded from the girl, until she straightened her back again and reached out to slot the key into the lock, “especially not my own.” Nonetheless, Alisha slowly but surely unlocked the cell.

Rollin took a deep breath in through their nose. Half out of impatience for her attitude and half out of disbelief for what she was doing. But all of this was really happening - they could hear for themself the tiny mechanisms in the lock give out a small ‘click’ as the metal door in front of them lazily came open. And then there they were - standing face to face with their impertinent little savior. They slowly walked out past her, their gaze checking out the new view outside their prison. How nice. They couldn’t help but admire it, and the circumstances that had led them here. But, after a moment or two of sightseeing, they decided to finally look back down to her.

“Well...” they started to say. They could see the hall she’d walked down behind her. It wasn't like they had any further business here. After all, why hang around some brat like this? Surely she had some better use of her time than bothering them. Some inattentive guardians who were going to realize she was missing? In any case, she wasn't their problem. They had their own life they had to be getting back to. So, they started walking out. They threw a paw up in a lazy wave back to her as they did. “I’m gonna go now,” they announced flatly. “Thanks.”

It was something that was sure to peeve Alisha off, after having stepped back as they stepped forward and eye them due to this massive height difference that she had not yet admitted that she disliked greatly. If only to give them a brief moment to the savour the scene, Alisha would have cut them short just as they had turned away and headed for the exit.

“Wait a minute-”

Maybe they had turned in response, or maybe they had kept on walking away. Either way, Alisha was not about to let them off easy. With a quick lunge forward, and her hand taking a hold of the wolf’s arm. In one swift, smooth motion, the girl miraculously pulled them back - and down, watching as the significantly taller being went crashing onto the floor.

“You have only yourself to blame for this,” Alisha looked down at them with a somewhat cross look, “to think you could leave just like that."

Rollin’s lips curled into a snarl as they suddenly felt their center of gravity shift. They’d thought they were home free and then, bam - in an instant, they were slammed onto the floor like a pancake. By the time they’d recognized her hand on their arm, it had already been too late. For a moment, they just laid there, in utter shock. Their eyes were wide as they heard the girl gloat above them. The situation didn’t make sense. It hadn’t even been like that dragon from before. That woman was the strongest they’d even seen, and at least seemed beatable. This girl was on something else entirely. Fuck.

They gave a loud huff as they reluctantly attempted to push themself up with their paws. It seemed like even their limbs were resisting the effort as they did, still shaking slightly from the force of being pushed down. They did manage, however. All the while failing to process just how this situation could have turned so quickly.

“What the fuck was that?” they cursed, now looking back up to her from the floor in absolute incredulity. They wiped at their mouth and themself up to a sitting position. “What the fuck are you?”

There was no change in the teenager’s expression, that slanted frown remained in place and her arms stayed crossed over her chest, she certainly was still angry. For sure, she wasn’t going to be giving them the answers they wanted. Seeming to watch them in a few silent moments before leaning down - having the situation turn in her favour, where she was the one now looking down on them ( like some self-proclaimed Queen ).

“You’re my dog now,” her voice itself giving away her irritation just as much as her face.

Rollin’s eyes tiredly closed at that. She had said it before, and she was asserting it again. When they opened them again, it was almost hard to look at her. Because she was right, in her own way. If she was this fast, and this strong, there was no way out of this room except through her. They were at her mercy. Somehow. They continued to weigh their options, for a few more seconds, but only able to come to the return to come to the same conclusion, they finally admitted defeat.

“Whatever,” they said, as they finally rose to their feet. If for no other reason than so they didn't have to keep looking up at her. Nothing else changed as they did, but they still found themself wanting to time to comb over the facts again. For some way out of this. Their eyes even darted back to the hallway leading to the exit, but… they dully fell back onto her, and then, narrowed skeptically.

“You’ve got me,” they said. Finally away from the magical seals on these cages, they were now at least free to assume whatever form they liked. Unless she some problem with that, too. But instead of asking, they let frame magically begin to shift. Within a few blurred moments, in the place of the wolf that had been standing there before, there suddenly came a masculine-looking human profile, albeit with the same grey wolf-like ears and tail. A form less imposing to her, maybe, but was at least one that freed them up to showcase the full force of their unamusement.

“Lead the way, miss,” they said, their lips unnaturally rising up at the edges as they smirked sardonically.

There was a glint of something new in the girl’s eyes - an intention, or a thought, or even an emotion that might have been indescribable to even Alisha herself, but now finding her sights greeted by a new form of this wolf, she found herself grinning again. Perhaps a change that she might have come to approve of, followed by words that too seemed to suit. Well, there was no point left in staying down here. So, at least, she wasn’t still ignoring them, as she gave a small shrug to herself and turned towards the hallway. Finally, they were heading out of this damned place.

The two of them walked out together. Maybe. It was hard to be sure if that was really where they’d both ended up, since the usual landmarks were no longer there. Instead of a fake blue sky above, there was now some bright golden glow in it's place, that made the surrounding landscape almost blinding. The ordinarily peaceful streets, too, were now overrun with activity, with civilians being chased every which way by hulking red demons even taller than Rollin. All in the midst of some winged creatures floating down all around, which Rollin refused to believe could be angels, no matter how much they looked like them. Because there was no way the fucking Rapture had come in the half a day Rollin had been out of commission.

But, it had, because that was just the kind of day this was, apparently. A surreal nightmare. It wasn’t like there was much time to gawk, either - lest they get accosted by any of the satanic freaks mulling around assaulting people - so they just clenched one of their fists, the air in their lungs almost choking them with their own exasperation.

“So?” Rollin asked, finally forcefully letting out a breath. They turned to look at their new ‘companion’, and lifted their hand demonstratively to the chaos around. “Where to?”

Alisha could only let out a sigh at this.

DergTheDergon

 

[PanOtterPus]

Orthrus could only watch as everything unfolded before him. Usually he would have been half way healed by now, however, Aeshma knew better, his blade made differently than any other. This wound would take time, or a miracle. Watching as the demon's lover used her magics, Orthrus struggled to move as he saw the monsters appear, thankfully they were soon too occupied to make it very far.

Just when all seemed lost, he heard a horrible, angry scream come from Aeshma. The hound followed his gaze and saw the heavens opening, a winged army pouring through. "... It can't be.... Angels..." One of which made a beeline for him, explaining that even if Orthrus' people make it to the gate, they'd die before they finished their task, as such the angels were offering them sanctuary. "Its more than mere defiance, friend, believe me. For now, I'll come, but I darent leave these beasts here too long. If they make it through the city gate they'll spread to the mortal world above. That can't happen."

Orthrus could feel it then. The overwhelming need to rest. Now that his fight was done, and the angels had confirmed Tyra was ok, he no longer fought the dying adrenaline rush. He simply smiled and allowed his heavy eyes to close, if just for a moment.

----------------------------

Wow. That kiss. The pair had shared their moments of passion before, but this... This was different. Each of the hunters were going into this knowing the possible outcome, which became even more possible upon witnessing the massive battle. Gabe gave her a nod at her defiant orders to move out, and followed her, as he would always.

They walked for some time after that, through caverns and beyond, into the depths, all the while keeping an eye on the goings ons. However, it seemed a few of the demons had been patrolling, and had found their group. Gabe had his guns out, ready to attack, when suddenly the attackers were engulfed in some kind of light. Gabe couldn't breathe it was so beautiful, and the owner of the light made it more apparent why. An angel. Gabe had read of them, but he had believe they were just rumours, myths from biblical times.

Next thing he knew he was being extended an invitation of protection. Fifer was the first to speak, all too keen to follow the stranger. "I have to admit, we have no other option right now. Lead the way." Chase seemed to be the only one capable of voicing his inner questions, making Gabe chuckle at his enthusiasm. "Hopefully no wrestling needs to be done."

----------------------

Danto was in his own personal heaven. These creatures were nothing more than pawns to him, and he took no pity in destroying those that came for him. Sword meeting flesh, Danto laughed the maniacal laugh of a cold blooded killer. "Die foul creatures! Back to the depths with you!"

Those that knew Danto would have seen the display as rather beautiful, the vampire seemingly dancing as he slashed and struck. Anyone who didn't would simply see a madman having way too much fun chopping heads off... Either way, Danto was having the time of his un-life, and he had no qualms showing it.

He remembered a battle not unlike this one in the past, perhaps the last time Hell tried to seep through, and he laughed all the harder. He had fought for neither side that time, seeing no allegiance and owing nothing to either side. If he had his way it would be the same this time. Good opportunity to kill off certain citizens whom he disliked, such as the elven butcher who tried to refuse him blood, insisting the vampire should be using the proper channels. Danto knew the man had a habit of offering his own blood for a price, knowing that vampires had a certain taste for certain breeds. The fool didn't know who he was dealing with..... Alas, Danto had no choice this time. He owed this city at least one more battle.

Just as he was about to slice the head off of yet another victim, his fun was ruined by the arrival of the winged beasts from above. "Oh for shit's sake! Can't a man finish a battle?" The angels very briefly explained their purpose to him, before carting him off with the others. The vampire kept murmuring curses under his breathe - ignoring the fact that heaven's army were immune to being transformed into frogs - and watched as his last victim shook it off and continued ahead. "Bloody heaven, ruining everything."

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xaira laughed at Naomi’s challenging statement of “bring it on,” happily doing so and losing heself just as much as her lover did. The dragoness then kept holding Naomi close after the kiss; she could tell that there were a lot of worries on her mind, especially with how reluctant she was to leave the battlefield behind. It hurt Xaira as well, but she knew that they’d get another chance to give them what they deserved, and be better prepared for it next time. It made sense for her to be wary of heaven, though; and considering how too goo to be true this all seemed to her, Xaira was a little wary as well, but it’s like the Aura of this place bid her to trust what was happening, as much as it seemed unwise to a large part of her.


“We Really are…” the redhead Dragoness said, just as in awe as her lover. After wards, as she was being doctored up, she noticed Naomi’s restlessness and watched her, concerned. Listening to her with keen draconic ears as she talked with the nearby healers, she sighed, a bit sad for her.


“They will be answered, do not worry,” the healer said, “an announcement will be made soon.” At Naomi’s next words, Xaira interrupted the angel as she began to speak. ‘Naomi… please let them heal you. You can’t be fine… I saw what happened to you down there… you could’ve died! Please? For me?” Her eyes showed great concern, a pleading look Naomi hadn’t seen from her just yet, her great concern showing through.

Fifer found her cheeks coloring and her hand nervously scratching the back of her head as she a realized her fear of Chase being disturbed in some way by her spur-of-the-moment PDA with Gabe had come true. However, looking at Gabe’s face, plastered with utter bliss and amazement, certainly helped to make her worries a bit less of a stressor in this already very stressful situation. Unbeknownst to her, however, the way she lovingly gazed at Gabe for a moment there probably just raised more red flags for poor Chase; The moment might’ve also given Caroline an idea or two in that purportedly perverted mind of hers.


However, the moment thankfully did become far less awkward when Fifer then moved her focus to their surroundings, nodding at Chase’s statement. “Yeah… to think, thousands of sentient creatures live in all these rundown huts… you’d think they could magic up better living spaces or something.”


It wasn’t too late after making that statement that she became aware of the encroaching enemy surrounding the group. The other three were on it a moment or two before Fifer was, for once; all these supernatural signatures she was picking up felt like they were obscuring her usual focus, making it hard to act. Chase’s battle cry of sorts, playfully enthusiastic as it was, aided Fifer very much in fully breaking out of the funk all those strong auras had left her with so that she could put her best foot (and trigger finger) forward. She was now as present as she always remembered being before in any other confrontation.


Just before she got into the thick of things, however, one of the demons dodging her first few bullets and beginning to divebomb towards her from above, the Angel arrived. As Fifer slowly began to feel relaxed around him, she felt as if he could be trusted, when usually her intuition told her the opposite regarding any stranger she crossed paths with. However, looking over her team once she gave him the okay to lead on and heard thier confirmation, It was clear to her that Gabe wasn’t exactly ready to trust the winged man; she shot him a reassuring smile, though, complete with a subtle rub of his shoulder for just a few seconds, whilst she also nodded back to him in double-affirmation. Fifer felt strongly that he had nothing to worry about. She could sense the Angel’s trustworthiness within the potent field of his holy energy, which felt like it was lifting the weight from her shoulders and the stress from her body the longer she followed him, her teammates surrounding her as always, providing their own comfort. Besides, admittedly, the four of them needed all the help anyone could spare at the moment. Sticking close to Gabe’s side, Fifer alertly trudged on in the direction the Angel was leading her little team.


It was not long before the current group of five had driven the demons from their surroundings, and the holy guide heading up the squad began to move faster towards his destination. Time was certainly of the essence, after all. The angel then took this time to explain what was going on, and where they were going.


Any demons that came at them seemed slowed or even replied once it even came close to the holy barrier, and Fifer was more than happy to help clear the way, as it were, her gun making noises that startled the angel at first before he saw that it was a weapon. He ended up eying at least three of the four a little suspiciously as he then realized that most of them were packing heat. He knew what guns were, but he also knew that they were human technology and because of magic and abilities, most supernaturals didn’t have much or any use for them.


He let it go for now, however, knowing that God himself would know what types of beings they truly are and that they needed all the help they could get regardless. Those thoughts in mind, the Angel simply kept trekking onward carefully and slowly.


Upon hearing Chase’s first, excitable question, the angel escorting the Hunter group, turned to listen and answer, only for his ears to be bombarded by a torrent of more questions. It didn’t bother him, though, and he simply and calmly took each one into account as best he could as he continued to lead the group, a shield of light projected around them and himself. It seemed to be a bubble of golden light surrounding the five of them. After a rather long stream of words had escaped his mouth, he had paused his excitable stream of words to allow the winged man to answer, which he did, kindly and patiently. He found it odd that such a seemingly young soul was out and about fighting, but if he could fight, the angel felt it was noble more than anything and so let the fleeting thought pass as he turned around the moment it seemed the Angel-escorted Hunters would have a break long enough for the angel to give Chase the answers his enthusiastic questions demanded, demons driven from their immediate surroundings for now.


“Yes…” he first said, simply, in regards to heaven being real or not. “You will be unable to deny it when you are at the gates. The beauty you will behold will be like nothing else, just as God’s Word describes it.” The curious young man’s “I mean, I guess, yeah,” in response was quite amusing to the angel indeed, progressing into yet more words of utter amazement that made the Holy creature chuckle after hearing Chase’s awed proclamation of “wild.”


His other questions caused the Angel to shake his head a little…. So naive… yet the winged guardian of all that is holy sensed that the boy was more than he seemed, and he’d also witnessed as much moments ago, in the form of the young man’s fancy bladework. Letting these thoughts fade into the background like clouds against the blue sky his Lord created, he spoke up once more.


“What is going on here is that Lucifer has, after a very long period of preparation, decided to begin the invasion spoken of in Revelation… yet our Lord is not ready to deliver His flock to their reward just yet. So… war has begun. War between heaven and Hell, for the fate of the Earth. As for evil, it exists because of Lucifer. He, as a serpent, tricked Adam and Eve into committing the first sn, and has had destruction of our Lord God’s greatest creation, this earth, in mind ever since he fell.”


The Angel found himself chuckling once more at Chase’s next words. The reference to the Word of God that Chase unexpectedly made caused the Angel to smile, the sheer naivete of his bold words only amplifying the mirth his Angelic guide felt. He opened his mouth to answer, before Chase’s excitable arm movements caught the Angelic escort off guard, his subsequent words and actions only serving to surprise him yet more still; yet, whilst he slightly lost his balance, he ended up catching chase in his arms.


“There is no need for that, son,” he said playfully, now clearly fully appreciating Chase’s jovial personality, which lended a lighthearted air to even this dire situation.”As long as you are virtuous, and I’ve a feeling you have it in your heart already, then God, as long as you accept him as your Lord and Savior, will gladly open the gates of Heaven for you once more after it is your time, for eternity. You’re already on the right track by aiding us so skillfully and passionately against Satan’s vile followers” Careful not to hurt hm in any way, he then set Chase gently down on his feet once more without much unsure footing, his wings very useful indeed in keeping his balance. “Now, let us reach our destination; we are close.” Fifer found herself grinning, though it may not have been the most noticeable expression, at the Angel’s words and Gabe’s little quip about wrestling.


With that, the angel’s amusement wore off, just in time in fact, as several more Demons suddenly found themselves bold enough to attack the group, but they too were fought back. The Angel knew, however, as evidenced by the look of worry on his face, that it was only a matter of time before enough Demons spilled forth for Aeshma to more than likely overwhelm all Angels and Supernaturals both that were opposing them.


Whilst the four of them kept trekking towards the light, fighting off Demons along the way, Fifer felt increasingly better and better about their situation. However, in the back of her mind, she knew, with comms cut off and no phone signal possibly able to reach this far down, not to mention Heaven, that she’d need to find some way to contact Ms. Crowne soon, or the four of them would be assumed dead. “Hey Gabe… mind if you help me talk with one of the angels up there about some way to contact our boss? Knowing her, she’s gonna assume we croaked damn soon, if she hasn’t already. Plus, we gotta warn them about what’s around here… and that they’re coming.” She kept her words vague and was very careful to leave out any language regarding the surface or being unground, just in case any of the supernaturals crowding this area overheard. The last thing they needed was to be found out and assumed to be down here to oppose them, which they original had been. However, the end of times happening all around you when you’ve been an Atheist all your life has a way of changing a person’s mind.


Finally, the group saw the column of light just a hundred Meters or so away from them. “We must reach it quickly, keep up as best you can,” the angel said while he increased his pace, looking back carefully for a moment to to ensure his run was not too fast. Thankfully though, the four following him were certainly fit enough to keep up; a Hunter needed to be ready for anything, after all.


Once they reached it, the sheer size and brightness of the column left Fifer utterly stock-still, stunned into silence by both the sight of this massive manifestation of Holy energy as well as the sheer intensity of the calming, centering aura to the energy-sensitive young woman. The Angel snapped her out of it when he began hastily uttering instructions, drawing her attention to him as well the beings she could see around him within the light, many supernaturals in various states of exhaustion, injury and other types of disarray. Once again, the sheer intensity of all this energy saw her reaching for Gabe’s hand, and the great comfort it provided her one her own weakly slipped into it, her fingers interlocking with his whilst her cold, clammy hands, made that way by all this stress and other bombardments on her senses, began to be warmed up slightly by the natural warmth gabe exuded as a male, their shakiness simultaneously beginning to subside as she took a deep breath, reminded by the presence of her man.


“Step into the column,” the Angel explained, “I will take you, young man,” he said, pointing to Chase who he’d grown a little fond of already due to his playful antics before. “Once my brothers return, they will take the rest of you up. Once there, you are to wait for instructions.” All angels who’d brought and were still bringing others up to Heaven had given their precious cargo all the same speech, orders passed down from God Himself. It was not long before all four of them were offered the hand of an angel, Fifer tentatively allowing one to scoop her up into his arms, although it felt rather awkward to her. The only man’s arms she ever felt comfortable in were Gabe’s. Thankfully, thoughts of just how absolutely batshit this whole situation was kept her mind off the strange half-calming, half anxiety-producing feeling of the angel holding her the way she wanted gabe to, whilst looking over at him also being flown up into the light by his own personal Angel Express, Chase and Caroline not far below.


When they reached Heaven itself, it was as beautiful as any of the Hunters may or may not have imagined, and much, much more. Everything seemed to glow with that same Holy light that surrounded the Angels and the column of light that lead here, and a few short Meters from here where the unmistakable, massive pearly gates that made it clearer than ever before that this place was the real deal… it really was Heaven. “We… really are in Heaven…” Fifer began to tear up with the beauty of it all, or perhaps the sheer amount of loving energy that radiated from this place. She found herself embracing Gabe as spontaneously as she’d kissed him before wading through the Demons moments earlier. Like this, she stayed, looking over at Chase and Caroline. “Good job, team… we made it to Heaven alive. There probably aren’t a lot of people who could say that.” She found herself laughing, and tearing up more, finding herself not caring about her tears as she normally would, just enjoying this moment with her team as they and all others gathered here waited for further instructions, Angels going around and healing all. Nearby, something Fifer felt made her reather uncomfortable: a draconic aura, and a Demonic one near that. Both of them, Fifer could just feel on the edge of thier auras, were as calm and good-intentioned as she was, yet she found herself snuggling closer to Gabe as she whispered in hr ear. “Watch that one for me, okay? That… Dragon…” she pointed to a tall, imposing woman with red hair, as well as wings and horns that made her species clear to all who saw her. Her arm was wrapped around that of another woman that Gabe could easily identify as a succubus, yet they were surrounded by angels; she clearly was not one of the enemy. Also, not to far nearby, a hound of hell, clearly announced by his size, was hoisted up into the heavens by a team of four Angels, who carefully set him down near a much smaller woman who was clearly very happy to see him. “How can they tell those demons aren’t the enemy?” Fifer whispered to Gabe quizzicallly. “Might be something to ask the highest aurthority we can access around here… along with how the hell we let our boss know about alll that happened.”


They were still bringing supernaturals in at a rather steady rate, and holding onto Gabe was helping to keep from feeling overwhelmed by all the different aura’s of various kinds of magic she felt. It would be clear to the other Hunters that she was in her own little world right now, and that she had, for a moment at least, dropped her usual serious nature in the face of all this beauty, not to mention the presence of the man she loved.

---

The angel hovering protectively above Tyra looked upon the shifter woman as she seemed to brace for the axe that had come for her. Giving her a slightly sad look, he decided to let her discover her lingering life herself so as not to startle her in this crucial situation. The angel found himself smiling wistfully as tears of joy formed in the woman’s eyes. He had been glad to be the one to deliver the good news to her. Gratefully nodding as she transformed into a form that more easily allowed him to carry her, patiently listening to her questions before moving to answer, his tone very even and seemingly devoid of any distaste for the amount of questions, the angel more than eager to answer them all.


“We are going to the safety of heaven, brave one,” he began. “He had moved wisely away from Aeshma, the one I can sense has caused him great pain; I can feel him even now and I will point him out to you once we are airborne. Even now, I know a few of my brothers are approaching him just as I am approaching you. Do not worry, I promise he will be safe; an angel’s primary duty is to protect and guide those of righteous heart, after all, and even though he is a hound of hell, he is very sound of heart.” Pausing for a moment, he then nodded with a wistful look in his eyes. “You are alive, yes… I know the tale that one is supposed to see an angel only when they are dying, and whilst that is usually true… this is a dire occasion and god himself had ordered we do this. No time to waste, brave one.” With that, he carefully scooped her up into his arms. Admittedly it wasn’t very hard at all; she was light as a feather to him.


As the angel rose in the air, rapidly approaching the gate of light whilst dodging all sorts of projectiles, the moment he was in a safe zone he kept goo on his promise, pointing in o the sea of fighting figures down below., “There he is.” True to his word, there Orthrus was, hard to miss even from this height, as Tyra had pointed out at an earlier time. Four angels gathered around him as another spoke to him, countless other angels gathering under the nearby ship. It was a mystery as to how the vessel got here, but there it was.


Turning away from the sight and making the rest of his way up to heaven, the angel holding Tyra spoke to reassure her once more. “You will be reunited with him soon. Love is a beautiful thing...” the angel had a calm smile on his face even as he flew above this chaotic battlefield, finally reaching the gate to Heaven and stepping through. He gently set Tyra down. “The healers will tend to any injuries you have. You are safe here. Your… lover will be joining you shortly.” It was clear by the tone that he was wary of Tyra having such feelings for a genuine Hound of Hell… though he couldn’t deny that it was clear the love was mutual; it was hard to accept, as he’d assumed that Demons were not capable of love, as many Angels tended to believe. But then… what had triggered had that loud, clear call of Rage from Aeshma, the vilest Demon Heaven was aware of, when the Demoness known to have some sort of intimate relationship with him was captured and brought to heaven in clear view of all beings in the area?


Realizing that his mind was elsewhere than with the pure soul he was helping, the Angel quickly shook his head and, with that, seemed to let the thoughts pass.


“Would you like me to stay here with you until he arrives?” The Archangel asked, clearly at least a little concerned for her after seeing just how worried Tyra was for her man, she clearly not caring that he was Demonic in nature, though her self-proclaimed guardian angel seemed to be indirectly urging her to be careful around him with the tone of his words when he spoke of him. He was not ready to trust a Demon, as any angel would be in this situation, and that they would also advise all other creatures be as of now. Still, his gaze was patient as he waited for her answer, a beautiful winged woman rushing over to Tyra, looking her over and beginning to heal her wounds once she realized how banged up the she-wolf was, the angel smiling as she told her lupine patient to relax and let her take care of things, the angel who brought tyra here still standing nearby as the Angel Priestess conjured a warm, golden light in her hands that began to soothe all Tyra’s aches and pains, slowly beginning to close her wounds.

---

Every angel completely surrounding Virel, minus those that were busy directly holding her or rescuing a citizen (or so they thought) kept a watch of on her, ensuring that they wrapped her tightly enough with holy chains that she would be unable to use her clearly expansive powers of Dark magic for much longer.


The Angel who had caught the unfortunate woman who’d been under the influence of Virel’s magic returned her joyful gaze with a smile, before his eyes widened. He could feel her soul itself rapidly corrupting, and then he realized: by some foul dark magic, Viriel had turned this woman into a demon, and thus by the cruel machinations of her captor, his own holy aura was killing her. The moment she died, the angel stared into her eyes in shock before moving to point his blade towards Viriel. “Any more tricks? Any more utter disregard for life, Demon?”


Once it was clear that the imminent threat the demoness presented was quelled for now, the Archangel told all except the two who were holding the Demoness to spread out and look for more innocent survivors, after ordering those who did have her to deliver her to Archon, which was a secure place all captured demons were taken to.. Then, he turned back towards Zerah and smiled, nodding, a sympathy in his eyes as he realized the pain and great sadness in Zerah’s eyes at seeing what he had seen. Considering the reason he’d been “Yes… keep your head up, fallen one.”


Zerah seemed to be lost and confused more than anything as he was told that he was to be reinstated and lead to heaven, which was, in all honesty, very understandable indeed. At his ‘thank you,” Sir,” he simply nodded, showing no reaction. Zerah would have to work on his use of honorifics and such once reinstated though, Emanuel noted to himself, nodding as if to confirm as he continued to hold out his hand, patient as always.


As he then flew alongside the to-be-reinstated fallen, keeping an eye on him gently yet mindfully, he found himself gazing towards where Zerah was looking. Taking in the pitiful sight of the young child in the arms of his trusted lieutenant Marius, he uttered a short prayer for her quietly before then looking towards a lass that caused him to feel him far less sympathy, the demoness. However, as he heard Zerah’s words, his eyes widened and he found himself uttering much the same. ‘Yes… may you find peace…” it was difficult not to add the word ‘Demon’ to the end, spoken with hate… in that moment, Emanuel realized that even this Fallen One may have a thing or two to teach him about serving the purpose God created his Angels for.


Once they’d reached heaven, the Archangel landed beside Zerah, another angel with even more presence standing before him. It was a female, a tall and fair woman in pure white robes, her hair a silken white itself although she looked to be quite young. Her eyes shimmered a light, bright sky blue that boasted intense aliveness that would make many earth men swoon. That youthful beauty was only on the surface, however, as Zerah would know angels are granted immortality by God himself, and for all anyone knew, she could be thousands of years old. Zerah himself could be, in fact; it was actually quite the possibility as most an Fallen Angels obey for many years before they do eventually fall. “Aaah, Seraphim Indara,” Emanuel addressed the female. ‘I assume you’re here to take him to our Lord?” “Yes,” she said softly, nodding and smiling kindly at Zerah. “Come with me, young one. God wishes to bestow your rank upon you once more as a reward for redeeming yourself. Ahand, Emanuel?” The male angel looked into her eyes attentively as she continued. “He has ordered that you continue to patrol for survivors; the others need all the assistance they can acquire.” Nodding, Emanuel placed a hand upon Zerah’s shoulder for a moment, before turning and diving back down through the portal to Deepvale.

---

When the Angels escorting Viriel reached heaven with their prisoner of war secured, they opened a gate to purgatory; specifically, the magic-warded prison within it that they intended to keep her in. The very air of the place was dulled by a drab, nearly-transparent-yet-thick gray fog that seemed to drain the spirits of all that came into contact with it. There was a complete absence of other prisoners here, just a long hallway filled with empty cells on either side. The walls and bars respectively were made of some strange enchanted stone and metal that was created by God himself just to ensure the security of this place. The prison had no name, but Demons spoke of it with great loathing and fear as “the prison in purgatory”, the rumors having spread from the very few who’d escaped.


The angels, summoning their will to obey the code they must abide by, were not rough in placing Viriel in her cell as they wanted to be, and instead simply into one of the cells in one well-practiced and synchronized motion of their arms, closing the cell doors in front of her and locking it with a spell. “Aaahktahn Ne-eru virtuosi,” they both muttered, once again in well-practiced unison, the black metal bars locking with an indicative glow across their entirety. To their relief, it seemed that her magic being drained had left her utterly unconscious, and thus unable to resist. They left as soon as they had come, then; leaving the demoness to wake to the sight of solid black walls and bars, little light streaming in from a small window in the ceiling, and and inability to fly or to use her magic in any way. There was an angel patrolling down the seemingly endless hallway, passing by her cell every now and again, but no life to be seen here aside from him and the prisoner he was guarding, though there were others placed a long ways from her cell that had been here for quite some time, Viriel placed in this area in order to prevent communication with these dangerous, angry brethren of hers. The angel pacing about the cell was told to interrogate her when she woke… he was dreading it, to be honest, but still did his duty by watching for signs of her regaining consciousness.

---

The angels gathered near the odd, foreign ship fought off quickly gathering demons as their leader, a General, one rank below Archangel, listened to the woman leader’s protests politely, nodding in understanding, and then nodding again with a slight smile of appreciation at her subsequent, rather reluctant words of cooperation. The winged being bowed before the strange woman in thanks, before replying. “It may look that way from where you stand my lady…. But there are seemingly endless waves of increasingly powerful demons flooding from that gate and they will be here any minute. As strong as you and your men clearly are, and as stout as your spirits may be, I am afraid we will need strength far beyond all that have been fighting the demons here, including my own kind. Thank you for your cooperation, you won’t regret it. We will ensure all your men and your ship come safely along with us.”


Then, he turned back to Orthrus, smiling a bit at his awestruck statement. “We can be and are Angels,” he said calmly, “though I understand it may be hard to believe. Hell is gaining serious ground, and we are here to stop them.” The determination in his voice made his seriousness about this situation very clear indeed. The angel found himself smiling at the declaration of it being more than defianc,e and his determined words. “Your words are inspiring; if only more of your kind turned away from evil as such. Do not worry, we tend to strike back the moment we have gathered a larger force, an thus have a greater chance of defeating them. We will work to do so as quickly as possible, with the aid of the citizens of this place. Thank you for your cooperation.” With that, the Archangel bid his men to carefully lift and carry Orthrus up ,and they did so. Once he was beyond the gate, they were certain to drop him near Tyra, as their leader had instructed along with giving a description of her. They then promptly left the two be as healers rushed to go and heal Orthrus’s wounds.


With that, the angels all around him (numbering at least as the number of men at Ariella’s disposal plus half) began gathering around her ship and going out to collect the strange armored beings that followed this mysterious pale woman.


Just as they were about to hoist the ship up, a large- powerful-looking demon barrelled through the crowd of his brethren and managed to bring his massive, dark-magic-corrupted sword down upon the neck of an angel, the unfortunate winged man unprepared as he moved to help lift the massive vessel before him and his brothers. Instantly, He cried out in great pain for a moment, the shrill noise disrupting the air around him with a nearly palpable aura of fear and pain; shortly after, though, he was silenced, the light around him going out as his body fell to the ground, a lifeless shell.


In response, the Archangel in charge instinctively took action, four of his closest soldiers following suit. A massive greatsword of light blindingly golden light appeared in his hand, his men drawing their own weapons. The archangel swiftly kicked off from the ground, light spreading about the area his feet had touched, and wings giving him a vantage point and the vertical leverage needed to kill the beast with his subsequent and swift stab to its chest,


Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the Archangel stood before the corpse of his fallen brethren, bowed his head and muttered a small prayer, which sent a glowing, sky-blue light rising from the angel’s body like smoke. All creatures for a 100 meter or so radius would be able to feel the pure energy escaping into the air and rapidly floating up towards heaven, the spirit of the angel having been sent back to the heavens. With a heavy sigh as his men fought off other encroaching demons, he turned back towards the woman and said “that is how urgent it is that we retreat…”


Without further ado, he ordered the angels who’d been encircling the ship to carry it, and the others to assist the armored soldiers, two angels to one considering their heft. One found himself saddled with a very grumpy, clearly bloodthirsty (in more ways than one) Vampire, the angel finding himself sighing as he heard the useless attempt at cursing those who were bringing him to safety. It seemed that this one would have to have eyes kept on him, just to be safe.


Meanwhile, once Ariella had allowed the archangel to carry her, he began speedily ascending towards the portal. Once he’d set her down at the gates of heaven, he looked her in the eyes and asked a rather important question. “Ma’am, my name is Tyriel, commander of this army. I can tell you aren’t from this world… you and your soldiers give off an energy that feels… foreign to us. I may be ordered to keep watch over you and your people for a time, only because we have not encountered anyone like you, mind you. Simple precautions. Regardless, healers are standing by to relieve you and your forces of all that ails you. Your ship will remain here by the gates until we see fit to release you all back onto earth if that’s alright with you, miss…?” The angel cocked his eyebrow, searching for her name.

---

Meanwhile, Emanuel was flying over the battlefield, seeing no trace of remaining supernaturals once he gained a fair distance from the column of light; this made him a bit relieved, as it meant they’d rescued nearly all the survivors. Now, just to check for the last few stragglers.


That was when he heard a shrill, fear-stricken cry for help a short ways off to his left. Darting instinctually in that direction and further down so he could see, he then summoned his Holy spear and dove at lightspeed once he noticed a rather large and muscular Demon holding down a being who was so small, he couldn’t even see her from the angle he was approaching at, only hear her utterly distressed voice. Thankfully, once his feet touched the ground, he was finally able to see the Tanuki trapped underneath the hulking, crimson-skinned, hungry eye and horned monster above her, more terrifying in person than any mere description of them ever recorded; even the word of God could not have prepared the terrified creature for what she was faced with now.


The beast had just torn the first small, but clearly very painful gash into the trapped Tanuki’s torso, relishing her screams an intending to take his sweet time in robbing the delicate creature of her life. Yet he froze, his eyes as wide with fear as her own, when he felt the holy presence that had just landed beside him. Turning to look at the archangel before him, that wide-eyed fear remained for a moment before he lunged at Emanuel, remembering his pride as a demon. If you run from any fight, you’re considered weak and are slaughtered, or worse yet, abandonded on earth without your powers where you are hunted like prey by humans, now a mortal yourself. With those fears and millenia of hatred running through the Demon’s mind, it was only a matter of moments before he had rushed forward and was impaled strasight through the chest with Emanuel’s glowing spear of pure light. The beast disntegrated within moments, screaming in agony as he was reduced to ash by the Holy light.


Taking a moment to catch his breath, Emanuel then willed his spear to dissipate, all that was left being the faint glow of his aura. “You are safe now,” he said, carefully approaching the Tanuki and being certain he made no sudden moves so as not to startle her, his golden aura causing a feeling of calm to wash over her, numbing her wounds and pushing back her fear. He knelt down before her. “Have I permission to carry you? We are taking all denizens here to the safety of Heaven for now.” His voice radiated an all-encompassing calm, deep compassion in his eyes as he looked the frail girl over, waiting patiently for her response.

---

Not too far from her location, two of Emanuel’s platoon found two more supernaturals near what looked like a prsion of sorts, the pair of angels nodding before coming in for a landing in front of the two. “You there,” one said, his tone not commanding yet loud so as they could undoubtedly clearly hear over the din of battle nearby, “we are evacuating all denizens of this place, a sort of tactical retreat to better prepare to fight the menace. You two… or, at least one of you,” he said, looking more closely over the much-to-young-and-frail looking Alisha (a mistake he may end up regretting later, unbeknownst to him). “Regardless, we advise you come with us. The horde is too strong and we shall need to gather help from elsewhere before we have a chance. If you are coming with us, hurry.” They both held out their hands to each. Angels were known for their natural strength, so carrying even one such as Rollin wouldn’t be a problem for either. Time was clearly of the essence, however, as the growls and cries of Demons grew ever closer.

Back in heaven, masses of frantically socializing people all fell quiet as an angel flew straight over the imposingly tall gates of heaven and called out with a commanding voice. “Good people of deepvale, I beseech you!” Xaira would recognize the voice as none other than the angel who took control of her, the one known as Tyriel, and many here recognized his voice as well. “I’ve no doubt you all have questions, and I promise you they will be heard and answered in the morning. For now, however, you must all be very tired. We are now erecting-“ A massive structure began to materialize out of golen light, the final product coming into view as a marble-and-gold building as beautiful as the light, “a place for you all to stay. There should be more than enough rooms for all of you for the night. Tomorrow morning, we will discuss plans. We will need more people, many more indeed, and will begin opening portals to other Beneath settlements later. Most are, as you may be aware, less….cosmopolitan than others, mostly belonging toone of the races representing here, so we may need to send representatives of that race to be better heard. It is paramount we spread the word and gather as many forces to our side as possible. With that in mind, we are away that four of you are not originally from Deepvale, we know who you are. I would like to see the four of you personally at the crack of dawn the next morning. I will come find you personally. You four have a task of great importance to complete, and are likely the only ones capable.” Many murmurs of confusion rippled through the crowd at that, some suspicious, and Fifer found heself clinging to Gabe tighter, casting her comrades knowing glances. It was clear what Tyriel was saying… he knew they were human, and he probably expected them to try and get as much of humanity on their side as possible.

“With that, I bid you all good day. You all shall be heard and your questions answered in the morning. Foor now, get some rest; I trust you all will need it greatly.” With that, he flew back over the Gate into paradise proper.

Once everyone woke up from the stupor they'd been stuck in, various tones of voices heard and states of confusion and disarray seen, Fifer sighed and whispered towards her comrades. “’Well, guess so much for incognito… but if this gets us back home, and I think it will… I guess we should trust him. What do you guys think?” She looked over her friends closely, and once she heard their answers and considered them, she sighed, realizing that they couldn’t really do anything about it anyway; he was coming to see them next morning whether they liked it or not.

“Hey Chase, Caroline.. you think you two will be okay staying erm..” Fifer clammed up and blushed for a moment as she realized what she was beginning to say, but she pushed through it. “Staying in a separate room… o-or two?” Fifer suspected that at least one half of the stabby pair had plans involving them staying in the same room, though. “We could all meet outside the building for him to find us easily first thing tomorrow…” she looked down for a moment before catching herself, still holding onto Gabe. She couldn’t be making it any more obvious, but in Chase’s case she was worried about confusing him even more.

For Xaira’s part, she looked around at all the confusion and sighed, rubbing her temples. “Well, looks like you’ll get your questions answered tomorrow, babe,” she said, clasping her hand gently in Naomi’s for comfort. “For now though… such a peaceful place is really putting me in the mood… I think it’s time we go get a room so we can uh… help keep each other’s minds off of things…” She winked, looking into Naomi’s eyes, and found her smile widening just looking into them. “Damn, you’re beautiful… I love you, Naomi…” this place was definitely getting to her, as she was going to wait for a more private place to say that, but once she realized she’d said it, she blushed and smiled, resting her forehead against Naomi’s and waiting for her response… both to the confession and to her proposition of sorts, but more the former, anticipating greatly the answer she knew was coming.

Angels remained near the portal to Deepvale to tell the remaining stragglers being carried up everything that Tyriel had said, get them healed if needed, and direct them to the hotel of sorts that had just been materialized nearby.
Aukanai Rustic PanOtterPus Halexia Daniel Reaving

 

[Rustic]

It startled Zerah, ever so slightly, to hear the words he had spoken quietly repeated, but it quietly heartened him.

But soon came the moment of truth. Passing through the gates into Heaven was something otherworldly. It was almost hard for him to continuing flying straight; he felt light and even dizzy as an overwhelming feeling of relief and joy washed over him. This was the soul's hopeful destination, the home he'd never known. He was really here. Everything still seemed so surreal, but it still didn't stop him from nearly coming to tears. It's features were triumphant in neither a gaudy or ostentatious way; this was an immaculately beautiful place, in a way that did truly glorify God's name. He even found himself having to contain grief as he came closer toward it. He was still absolutely euphoric, but he almost lamenting, too, that he should have this chance to see it. He couldn't imagine himself to be so deserving. However, he reconciled, choosing to believe it spoke to God's grace. As the soles of his shoes touched down onto the breathtaking surface, he felt truly blessed.

He began to sober up somewhat, however, as he was faced again with his new reality. His face fell again stoically and his posture straightened as he looked to the woman ahead of him. An angel's who's rank or purpose was unclear, but who's general aura carried a great weight. It really hit him as he glanced toward her eyes - a clear, deep, and astonishingly vibrant blue. They should've been another pleasing sight, but, without warning, some other sharp emotion hit him hard instead, and forced him to avert his gaze.

He still did not want to distract from the matter at hand, though, and did his best to look alert, even as he subtly continued to fail to really look at her. His attention was actually more on the man beside him, especially as he casually mentioned what this new angel was actually here to do. It was, um... surprising. He avoided doing what his instinct immediately told him to do (scream), but his lidded eyes still very obviously widened, and his shoulders rolled in a way that suggested he was having to suppress a stronger emotion. His eyes darted up to meet hers as she spoke to him, attempting to be polite, but they carried strongly how stunned he was.

There was more. The woman gestured to the man as his side - Emanuel, apparently - and told him he was further needed. Elsewhere. Which was admirable for him to take on, and not something Zerah would ever want to keep him from, but he couldn't help but internally further panic about it anyway. He wasn't even entirely sure why. Maybe for a misguided want of something familiar? He knew that was probably a childish thing to want to cling to, so he tried to still himself, to get a grip. It was also right to look in God in these situations, but... that seemed to be was he was already nervous about. He tried, regardless, quietly taking a deep breath. He didn't want to admit it, but, the Archangel's light touch as he departed really helped. It carried the grounding heat of something living, somehow, and the sincere kindness of his aura. It was touching, in a way that warmed him a little.

It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving with him only a little more strength to face the matter at hand. His hands clasped together softly, and after a moment, he stepped forward toward her, ready to go with her. He wondered if he was ready, but it really didn't matter. It was time. But, there was something else, maybe, that needed to be asked, if he was to best prepare for what was coming. He looked to the ground, giving it some further thought, before he ultimately opened his mouth. He spoke quietly, modestly mimicking the address he'd heard before.

"Seraphim Indara?" He came to walk beside her.

"I can face what is ahead, but..."

His lips pursed. Despite his doubts, he forced himself to stop, and ask his question.

"Will I... know what happened? Before?"

He didn't necessarily care to know, or to be, the person he had been. They had been indefensible. A soul that had betrayed it's true purpose. A soul that would commit such a crime against Heaven that it had to be removed from it. But then, it was still his soul. Was it correct for him not to know the matter he was being absolved of? How would he otherwise repent for it? Then again, maybe there was no need to risk his return to whatever he had been before. It was possible that was just part of the blessing that was being given, a turning of his head away from temptation. He thought specifically of Lot's wife, Edith. Of the idea of some things being better left unseen.

He looked toward, and then at, the woman beside him unsurely.

DergTheDergon


All of this chaos had put Rollin on edge. It only got worse when they heard someone new yell at them. 'You there,' the voice had called. Even though Rollin stopped for it, having to pissed them off. It shouldn't have, considering the tone in the interloper's voice obviously attempting to be demanding, but they couldn't help it. That was how cops usually tried to stop them, and the last thing they needed right now was a cop. They turned their head toward the newcomers with their ears flat and their eyes narrowed. But then, their mood flipped. They saw angels; two of them, bright and ethereal, right in front of them. An interesting turn of events to be sure. Their stern glare quickly cracked into an unsure smirk, and their eyebrows knitted together in what looked to be trepidation.

"...Howdy," they said. The feeling of uncertainty carried over to their voice, but in an obviously intentional, confident mimic of incredulity. As if to benignly joke about how mundane an entrance these celestials had made. Their face twitched just slightly as they again decided to finally shift gears, switching up their stance, turning around to completely face them, and moving up closer to actually engage. They couldn't very well be rude to these angels who had so kindly flagged the two of them down, could they? Apparently, God was watching. For once. Their tail swished in a friendly, attentive way as the angels spoke, but their face felt wrong, maybe a little stiff. It'd been awhile since they'd tried to properly emote like a human. They huffed quietly with an explicit thought. 'Fuck.'

So they gave up looking good. They knew their neutral expression was something between 'exhausted' and 'bored-looking', but they were too tired for anything but honesty, so they returned to it.

"Are you now?" they asked, as the angel made reference to the girl. Rollin's tone was impassive, but their eyes flickered in Alisha's direction for a moment, and their eyebrow cocked teasingly. It could just as well be what the girl wanted these two to think, but, in any case, they found the irony hilarious. But they only bothered with it for a second but focusing back in on the real issue. This whole situation was an even bigger mess than it'd looked if Heaven was having trouble handling it, but whatever. They tightened and loosened their fingers absentmindedly until the angels extended their hands. They offer caused them some surprise, but more obviously, it made them relax, and look like they'd come to some conclusion.

"Alright." The reply came before before Alisha's could, clearly in the affirmative, but something was off. After a moment, without warning, they turned back toward Alisha and tilted their head in an inquisitive fashion.

"We going?"

Not that the two of them actually had much of a choice - it looked like either 'help out' or 'get maimed' - but obviously, this girl was unpredictable. Maybe she did want to maraude around a little longer, they didn't know. What they did know was that, as a general rule, kids who were satisfied with their situations didn't make random strangers into 'pets'. So, this was looking like the perfect solution to both of their problems. Rollin wasn't keen on dying today, and she take credit for this and plant her flag however she intended in some new territory. A solid deal. Of course, it was was possible she wasn't too happy about their making a spectacle of this - but hey, they had to vent about this bullshit arrangement somehow. And if they weren't allowed active aggression, passive-aggression worked, too.

Once they got her answer, they turned back to the angel that had offered his hand and shrugged their shoulders. As if to say, 'you guys know what it was like to take orders, right?' They lidded their eyes and cryptically smiled as they then took the man's hand, and waited until their traveling companion had done the same before the four of them took off.

And boy, was it a hell of a trip. If there was anything it had reaffirmed for Rollin, it was that wolves belonged on the ground. Now that they'd brushed up against it, they could firmly say the whole 'flying' thing wasn't for them. Regardless, the four of them somehow managed to touch down past the pearly gates, safe and sound. Which would've been one hell of a thing to think, anytime before then. But no - as they looked around their new surroundings, everything was in impossibly fine order. Everything was remarkably pretty, everyone was dressed up in an overwhelmingly bland amount of white, there was this weird peaceable atmosphere. In other words, it was just the vaguely creepy place they'd thought it'd be. It was nice or whatever, but it seemed too put together. Too clean. So it was a relief to, as well, see other refugees milling about, in such various states of gore or disarray that this place actually seemed normal. Or rather, actually real.

Maybe that was the sort of thinking that would ensure this would be the last time they'd ever see this place. But they rode pretty high anyway as took their first steps in. Their situation still sucked, but the little things really made the difference. Like getting their foot firmly in the door of God's kingdom. They stretched their long limbs, and pointed their ears over to the little angels frantically trying to keep the hoard they'd unleashed handled. The gist of their spiel was pretty easy to discern. There were a part of the crowd over somewhere trying to get healed, but, even if they cared to be, this girl with them was a problem. They don't bother - instead, passing on what they'd heard so they didn't have to waste any more time here.

"They're trying to get everyone corralled over there," they said, speaking a little louder to get heard over the crowd and tilting their head over in the direction of the impromptu hotel. They guessed, however, that this fact wasn't going to mean anything to her.

"Knowing that," they sighed. "What are you actually doing?"

Aukanai

 

[Rustic]

Chase, being quite enamored of the group's new friend, listened cheerfully to everything the man had to say. Though he was brimming with questions, he could accept the importance of hearing the answers, and ate them up as they came with starry eyes. It almost seemed like his attention was totally inseparable... save for the fleeting moments his gaze flitted toward the barrier, occasionally making sure it was still holding up. And the point in the conversation he had to poke a knife through the eyes of a demon. That kind of worked against what he'd been taught about polite, attentive listening, but every rule had it's delightful exceptions. Anyhow, Fifer and Gabriel seemed to mostly have the work covered, so it was easy to be mostly engrossed. He wasn't sure if what he heard satisfied him or not, but he was appeased just by the honest effort, and the black and white nature of it all. He loved fighting against evil. And, well, all sorts of roughhousing. Which was part of why he jumped for the man, hoping to see what he was up against. It was an unexpected turn of events to end up in his arms, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

"Nice!" he praised, smiling at the man's reflexes. He also kind of felt like a big fish being appraised by a proud fisherman, which made him laugh. He wanted to try flopping around, to see if he could angle himself back into the water, but he realized the angel was kindly informing him of something else, and stayed still. What the man said, too, was really sweet! He'd never been called virtuous before. "Aww!" he chirped adoringly, as the angel took pains to set him down gently. He could land on his feet with more ease than a cat could, but he appreciated the gesture, too. This guy seemed like such a gentlemen! He walked a little lighter once he touched the ground again, just pleased as punch to be reminded of how many nice people he was meeting lately.

That bubbly mood stuck around, too, even as he had to start nailing baddies again. It became a little harder for whatever reason - maybe it was the numbers? - but it didn't really worry him much. He happily went about it like he always did, even making various small talk with their new companion. Who he was very thankful to have around, since after that whole conversation he'd had with the man, Caroline seemed to be a little less talkative. He couldn't really fathom why. The guy was cool. Regardless, he had lots of fun, and before he knew it, they were finally really close up to where they'd been going. It surprised him, actually, how fast things had flown by. He hadn't expected he'd get any enjoyment from the underground, but his new pal had really brought it all together. When he asked the group to sprint for him, Chase did so gladly, running so fast he almost looked like he'd fall the whole way.

It left him a little out of breath when he finally got to the light, but that was fine. He was quick to recover, especially under the mood this place gave off. It was stronger than the vibe the angel carried, enough to even mitigate his feelings being stuck around all these supernatural types. The five of them didn't have to hang around for long, either - when their angel friend called for him again, he was positively over the moon. He didn't waste any time in dancing on over, coming to stand by his side with an obvious look of pride. Any of the anxiety the others were facing by the gesture was totally absent in him; when the two of them took off, he happily relaxed, strangely happy to rest for the moment and let his chauffeur take the lead.

The ride was mostly smooth, too, except when he actually saw Heaven and nearly jumped out of the angel's arms. He couldn't really help himself, though - it was a nice looking place! Lots of space to jump around, the air felt fresh, and everything was lit up and stuff. After they'd hit the ground (and he apologized again for nearly bolting) he had a strong urge to do it here, to see what all was around. He had to beat that thought down, knowing he was duty-bound. Instead, being the last one to make it, he waved to the rest of the group as he saw them again and joined them. In time for Fifer to get really misty-eyed about it all, too. He hadn't been as caught up after his initial shock over the place - as he'd been to a lot of nice places - but at Fifer's sincerity, he smiled sympathetically, his arm folding over the back of his head a little shyly. He couldn't help but get a little caught up himself, with everybody being so happy. "Yeah! We did it!" he laughed, looking at their smiling faces enchantedly.

There were a boat load of supernaturals around though, and once everybody had had their fill of relief, it felt like the reality was setting in. For some time again, they'd be trying to blend in with these people, like they said they would. Instead of moving straight into discomfort, he tried to focus on something else, like all the different types of weird creatures wandering by. Some they saw kind of often, in the scheme of things, and some he'd never seen at all. While Fifer and Gabriel whispered to each other about whatever, he forced himself to wonder about all these guys. Was the one he could see way in the back even stabable? Maybe he'd get a chance to find out. Though the exercise rang hollow in the wake of real gaiety, he resigned himself to keeping his spirits high like this, as the four of them waited for something more to happen.

It came out of nowhere, from some dude just flying on over the gates. He had a lot to say - about a cute building, about some plans... Chase was almost starting to inadvertently zone out when the guy had something relevant to say about them. But boy, did he ever. It made his ears burn - and apparently, that made dog ears twitch like crazy. He realized the importance of not drawing too much attention, especially as people started looking around, but what a spicy thing to say! Who was this guy, and why was he being so loud like this? He covered his mouth to hide his surprise and stole just a momentary glance toward the rest of the group, that pretty much screamed what they were all thinking, in some way or another. 'Uh oh.' And that was the cliffhanger the guy ended things off with. Chase had to resist the urge to bark at him at he left, the pointlessly dramatic, nosy jerk.

Fifer then somehow suggested they should trust him, but he made it clear he was disgruntled about it. Even though he knew they had no choice in meeting the guy, it still sucked. He seemed rude. But, everything considering, he was affiliated with all the nice angels, so he had to at least treat them well. Chase deflated a little at this, and shrugged.

"He's coming anyway, so..." he answered noncommittally.

He listened in for everyone else's thoughts, hoping to be swayed. But at any rate, the topic quickly shifted to something else. Fifer took her time asking her question and... his teeth gritted as she finished, immediately uncomfortable. His eyes looked off awkwardly. If it hadn't been so soon after Caroline had made her proposal to him, and seeing Fifer and Gabriel doing their thing earlier, he wouldn't have been able to guess what she meant, but he did, because it'd already been on his mind. But he didn't wanna think about it. He'd been trying hard not to, and he'd been really enjoying the moments of the day where he'd been successful. Now he had to outright say what they wanted to hear? He had to give an answer to Caroline, too, right now? He couldn't really deal with all of this. His eyes fell off into the distance.

"Whatever..." he said tiredly, almost inaudibly, as he reached a hand up to hold his face. His eyes closed, but when they opened, they were still looking over at unexplored world before him. Still so inviting. So he... took up the invitation. He broke into a sprint, and ran off. Not looking back.

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus

 

[Aukanai]

Mihn Kript​

✦​

Location: The center of the action
Mood: Frightened
Health: 10%
Scenario: Meeting her White Knight​

The sight of the terrifying demon was reflected in green eyes, the tanuki's eyes stricken wide with fear. This was a face from hell Of course it was. The fear of the whole situation had seemed to cause the smaller being's body to tremble like a leaf, and almost rob her of her voice. It was too much, at the least, and all Minh could do was glance the other way. All just for the sake of trying burn the image from her memory. But, when she found she could not, she quickly faced the reality of her situation. Moving her gaze slowly back to the demon's face and managing to swallow down the lump that had risen in her throat, the tanuki would have done what she was best at - screaming for rescue.

Or, that was what she had been intending at first. But, the tanuki's mind was so clouded with fear that she might have actually forgotten that the demon pinning her down actually had a mind that was capable of understanding what she was up to. That was made clear when the demon shifted above her, only to pay her a nasty gash across her stomach - shallow but enough to draw blood. It was surely enough to turn Minh's screams for help into screams of pain. And, for certain there was pain, that it made the tanuki twist around violently, as if trying to find a way to get rid of the pain.

Then, almost just as the demon would have taken another slash, the tanuki's rescue had surely made his appearance.

A soft feeling was washed over Minh's body at the new presence, it was at least enough to ease her stress off to a small degree. Even more so, when the demon's weight on her seemed to disappear. Minh let out a tensed breath, her arms seeming to instinctively wrap around her bleeding stomach.

If it weren't for that reassuring voice, Minh was sure to have spent quite a long time laying there, with her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes closed. The tanuki looked like she was trying to curl herself into a small ball for one reason or another. But, certainly, the stranger's voice had made her strain those green eyes open again, and through tear-blurred vision, found her gaze blessed upon an angel.

"Am..I dead?" Almost a whisper, as Minh barely to understand the situation happening around her. Nonetheless, she might have reached out an arm as if to accept the angel's offer, but then hesitantly drew that pale, small hand back again. If she were dead, did she even have a choice? What if she refused to go with the angel, would she still live? Yet, in both of Minh's realities, it didn't seem like she would survive on her own.

If anything that Minh knew right now, she was scared of the everything she didn't know. The thought of not knowing what to do, what would happen or where she was going was overwhelming. It was at that precise time that the tears began falling from her eyes, leaving the tanuki with more of a feeling of sadness than fear.

"But..anywhere but here," Minh stuttered out between breaths, and quickly pushing herself up onto her knees - only to fall into the angel before her, her shaking hands grabbing onto the angel's shoulders gently. Anything, anything at all to distract her from all this chaos.

DergTheDergon

code by aukanai​

 

[Rustic]

Naomi nodded hesitantly to the angel's assurance. There would be answers. She hoped so. After that she had mentioned she'd rather go without being healed, which was, apparently, not a great answer. Not only did the healer in front of her frown, but it seemed to really bother Xaira, too, if her almost frantic response was an indication. Naomi's eyes widened slightly, a little surprised she'd even heard, much less has responded so strongly. Nonetheless, it wasn't so surprising, in retrospect. Giving it some deeper thought, she could see why Xaira was so bothered. It seemed obvious, now. Her fingers subtly intertwined and wrung anxiously. Though it made her more than uneasy, there was only one sort of answer she could give to such a plea like that, and it fell from her lips automatically.

"Y-Yeah..." Her reluctance came through with her stutter, but she seemed otherwise sure, her eyes narrowing with determination. She silently puffed out her chest with a breath, summoning up her courage.

"I can't say no to that," she joked, giving Xaira an affirmative smile. The joke was that, well, she could. She might've, otherwise. But Xaira was Xaira, and Xaira was right, again. Naomi didn't want her girlfriend to worry, and, despite her qualms, it didn't seem reasonable to make her. So, she stilled herself for the process, and gave one final nod to Xaira before giving the same to the healer she'd been speaking with. As she did, she wondered, idly, how one day could bring so many types of fear with it, but, oddly enough, her smile ended up widening. It occurred to her that, out of all the things she had heard would come out of love, she would have never expected courage. But she felt braver now.


After they'd both been healed, there was a small wait between their actually ending up where everyone had gathered. It passed by quickly enough, though, with the two of them so amorously enjoying their company. Even more so, after everything that had transpired. Soon enough, however, the angel from before rose up before them, to give his promised information. It was surprising to notice it was the same angel from before, but then, Naomi supposed that made enough sense. He was a spokesman, of sorts. And he delivered his speech in a way that attested to his ability for talking to people. While most of what he had to say really did nothing to allay her fears at all, it was all understandable. She could imagine, by the time he left, most people had been satisfied what they'd heard. She couldn't count herself among them, but she'd at least gotten close. The angel left regardless, and her old questions, and some new ones, lingered.

She almost wondered if that was really the end of it until she felt Xaira's hand clasp onto one of her own. The one that wasn't placed firmly on her hip. The gesture, though, made Naomi relax, knowing how tense that must've made her look. "Guess so," she said in turn, still looking unsure but giving a small smile, looking past her misgivings for a moment. An opportune time, too, since Xaira bounced back with a pleasant turn of the subject. She laughed delightedly at Xaira's proposal, stepping closer into her arms. As Xaira's eyes widened, her own lidded, quite contented by the mood of the moment. If nothing else, she at least Naomi could take solace in her.

"I love you, too," she said quietly. Her voice was unmistakably sweet, drowned in the utmost sincerity. There was nothing more in the world she wanted right now than just to feel the soft press of Xaira's skin against her own, the strength of her embrace. And honestly, it was all she could imagine herself wanting; her heart swelled, too, bursting with a suddenly renewed feeling of being so lucky to be here with her. She had to laugh a little, if only to keep herself from crying.

"Oh, I'd love that more than anything..." she sighed fondly. She'd never felt so grateful in her life before. Her heart was beating fast with possibility, just imagining another night like the one she'd had last. Oh, it was such a promising prospect, especially in such a romantic place! Her hand rose to lightly caress Xaira's face, just so overwhelmed with the thought of her even the tiniest bit closer.

"But..." 'But', she was forced to speak the word as it's creeping tendrils slunk into her thoughts again. Her fingers gently traced a dejected pattern down her face before they reluctantly fell away entirely. There was still one big issue to reconcile, and she knew it was the right thing to do to give it attention before anything else. She frowned for a moment, readjusting to pull back a little, but then she looked back to Xaira seriously.

"If you don't mind..." she drawled, in a way that suggested she really meant it. "You don't have to come with me, either; I do realize how early this is, but..." She tapped a finger anxiously on her leg.

"I should really find my sisters, if I can," she finally said. "Let them know I'm fine." She shyly but politely smiled. It was a small detour, but, it also carried with it an implicit offer. It seemed like such a nice idea, to have her family meet Xaira. She could imagine they needed some good news right now, stuck in a place they probably weren't so fond of. It would be difficult, possibly - if the deal with getting their questions answered was any indication of how things were run around here - but, this seemed right. And, though her hopes weren't too high, she did hope Xaira felt the same.

DergTheDergon

 

[Halexia]

"Heaven" Tyra exclaimed "I... I didnt think my kind would be welcomed with such
enthusiasm, Im part vampire not exactly heavenly material" she began to shake at
mention of Aeshma causing pain to Orthrus, the man/ demon/ hound whatever he was
had captured her heart in such a short time and hearing that he was hurt broke it.

she held on tight as she was lifted from the ground, heights was not one of her
strong points and, despite her brave demeanor, Tyra was terrified of being in the
air, when her angel companion pointed out Orthrus, visible even above the vast
crowds down below, she let out a sigh of relief then a gasp of worry, his fur was
matted with what was clearly blood even from this distance there was no mistaking
that horrible crimson colour within his coat "M...my god" she cried "I know he is
strong, he is very strong but h...how is he gonna come back from that?"

When they arrived in Heaven Tyra looked around as she sat on the ground, it was
pristine, everything seemed to shine brightly, the beauty and magnificence of the
place was far superior to anything she had imagined when she thought of Heaven,
she heard the warning tone in the Angels voice and felt the need to justify her
love "please, forgive me I don't expect you to understand why I love him, but I
beg of you spend some time with him and you will understand, a demon he may be
but the depths of Hell have never produced a more kind, caring and protective
being as Orthrus" she was aware that her next words may have been classed as
blasphemous but they needed to be spoken "in my eyes he is an angel disguised as
a demon, he is everything I could ever want... and more."

She noticed that the Angel was momentarily distracted as his eyes seemed to glaze
over with deep thought for a moment then he returned to the here and now with a
question she never expected an angel to speak to a vampire "I seem to have aquired
a guardian angel, your presence here is a comfort to me so please stay, at least
until I know Orthrus is okay" she gulped back a wave of emotion not wanting to cry
again.

Tyra watched with a kean interest when the healer angels began their work on her
up until now she had not realised just how hurt she had gotten herself, adrenalin
had taken good care of masking the pain, but now it seemed to hit back ten-fold
she winced as the angels healed her realising each of her injuries seemed to just
fade into nothingness until she felt almost normal again, normal except for the
fact that now Orthrus was placed next to her she could see the full extent of his
own injuries, from high up and at a fair distance it had looked bad but now up
close it looked horrendous.

Tyra stood up and walked over to Orthrus careful not to actually touch the wound
she traced her finger in the air in front of it "oh God" she gasped she then
proceded to climb the large unconcious beasts head and lay down by his ear
"you come back to me you hear? I've just found you Im not willing to lose you now"
she ran her hand through the fur by his ear "not now that I know that I love you"

 

[Aukanai]

Alisha Sphear​

✦​

Location: The Prison > Heaven
Mood: ???
Health: 80%
Scenario: Ya damn mutt!​

Chaos was looming of the entirety on her entire world as she knew it. Alisha had always been in Deepvale, being one that had not even glimpsed the world above the surface. And seeing her only home as it was now; overrun with those cursed creatures, the thought of going somewhere other than here was an idea, and a good one too. And yet, the questions still standing were 'where?' and "how?" Was there some sort of secret exit to take that would get her to escape to the above world that she had heard of in stranger's chats. Alisha had certainly been around town many times, when things weren't being obliterated and ripped apart by hulking red demons that had dragged their rotten butts all the way out of hell. Perhaps there might have been a tunnel, or gate, or a door that Alisha might have seen but not thought anything off it. But, with all this death inducing racket it was hard for her to collect her thoughts and attempt to recall any possible exits. Something so simple that she had not really thought about before now, was a detail that was exceptionally easy to forget. It was like dismissing the direction trees sway in the wind. It was simply something so easy to miss, and Alisha just could not recall anything of real importance.
Then the only issue was getting out, alive. What were the chances of getting through this swarm of demons, managing to find an exit and avoid getting ripped to shreds? Alisha would have bit her lip in thought, ultimately concluded that the chances were low and simply not worth it. But, what good would hiding do then? Surely the demons would find them eventually.

As her fist clenched, for a brief moment Alisha let her eyes wander away from the chaos before her to the exceptionally taller being standing beside her. If she hadn’t totally just flung them around like a doll just before, maybe she would have thought more highly of them. They certainly looked capable of kicking some ass, and maybe Alisha might have admitted, to herself at least, that they might still be useful and capable in their own way. Regardless how cruel she might have been considering on using the wolf as her a meat shield to cover her own ass. As, after the previous events that had occurred, she might have been left with a feeling of control and ownership over this wolf. Almost on the top of the world, Alisha felt like the authority here.

Just as Alisha had settled for her poorly constructed plan, she was interrupted as a voice called out to the odd pair. And, as if expecting someone to come walking up to her, she turned her head slightly to glance around, only to find that there wasn’t anyone walking – rather, two angels flying toward them. She might have let a grin creep to her lips as the holy beings drew close, but instead was found scoffing at Rollin’s responded greeting. Simply put, it was such a thing that Alisha found pointless and amusingly unnecessary. This wolf was an interesting one for sure.

Perhaps, if Alisha hadn’t turned away to try to stop herself from chuckling at the angels themselves, she would have intercepted Rollin’s acceptance – almost as if they were answering for the both of them, as the angels seemed to immediately respond to it. Raising her head in almost a snap-like motion, with an expected cracking sound to follow, Alisha’s expression switched like a flash of lightning from amusement to something that could only be described between shock, anger and offense. Her brows furrowed, and her mouth opened just as if she was going to shout back at Rollin. She knew just as well as they did, that the only choice was to go with the angels, and for she too wasn’t quite enthused about dying for pointless cause with a shitty plan – not that she would let anyone else call it a shitty plan. Alisha was not ready to let Rollin be excused from it. She was beginning to see just how disobedient this damn dog was going to be. If she had any chance, she was surely about to drop kick Rollin, but she shortly felt the angel’s soft touch on her shoulder.

Then, before she knew it, she was almost spun into the angel’s arms as it quickly took flight. Not that she really cared about the angel, rather with her hair whipping into her face was just adding to her annoyance. The annoyance that did not settle even as she was set down gracefully in Heaven’s domain. Alisha would have watched the angel fly away – until Rollin joined her shortly after, perhaps the wolf having hoped to find a way to get away from her. The young girl glared up at with deadly intent.

“You damn mutt,” maybe Alisha wanted to punch or kick them, do anything just to cause them pain for speaking out. But, this time, she just didn’t feel that desire. Perhaps it was because she knew that Rollin was right, and she hated to say it. Reward the good and punish the bad. A notion, that perhaps wasn’t so evident in Alisha’s case. The reward was not beating them up, at least. Even in heaven, the teenager was still like this. No matter how many holy angels surrounded her, and no matter how magnificent and beautiful Heaven itself was, Alisha was not going to relish the scene. A teenager with no value for the graces of God.

A tense sigh escaped her lips as she turned away from Rollin, her gaze wandering again as she glanced to get a better view at what was happening around. Of course, some looking around all confused, while others were off getting healed by the angel – Alisha could at least she was one of the lucky one that got away with just a few measly scratches from the demons. Not that it was much of an achievement with her making the prison her hideout and getting herself a pet dog.

A pet dog that liked to talk, Alisha rolled her eyes but looked in the direction they were looking anyway. And surely, there was a group already gathering at the place they would all supposedly be staying.

“Oh, isn’t that fun, it’ll be like one big slumber party,” the teenager gave out a small snicker, finding the entire situation a joke. Or rather, just not willingly going to go along with it.

Mindlessly tracing her index figure along her bottom lip as she eyed some of the angels flying overhead, maybe she was misjudging them as some mind-controlling jerks. And, maybe if it weren’t for Rollin’s posed question, Alisha admittedly would have began cursing them.

She glanced back at them and was found biting her lip again.

What was she doing?

”Well, aren’t you the one to stick your muzzle into everything,” she really had no idea herself, but would just pretend she did as she huffed and walked towards the ‘hotel’. May as well check it out anyway.

code by aukanai​

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Viriel
it didn't take long before Viriel started to gain consciousness to an immediate fill of pain as the holy chains singed into her a little. Though unmoving the surrounding area would seem to darken as she started to regain consciousness as a seductive pinkish aura seemed to engulf her body as she let out a low small wince, though she couldn't actually do anything with her power the aura remained still. Bordering her body with a sinister energy as her powers did there best to battle the holy chains and keep her from feeling most of the pain that they would come with at first. Slowly she raised her head just in time to see the angel guarding her. She was glad she hadn't been annihilated though now she knew where she was, knew they most likely had her secluded from the rest and also knew now that she was awake interrogation and possible torture would take place. Letting her head drop down once more before she got the strength to keep her had up and lifted her head up all the way. Looking around she realized how they had chained her up and chuckled. She sat in the center of the cell on her knees her arms where locked behind her back at the wrists being held to where her hands where parallel with each other and in a way that kept her elbows bent at a 90 degree for maximum restraint. Glancing back she saw the chains glowing bright gold as her dark energy fought against them. Smirking gently she looked to the angel guarding her and spoke. "Rather unholy restraining position don't you think?" She asked him with a small smirk as she locked her eyes with him. Her Irises glowed bright pink in the darkness. Shifting her shoulders a little she looked back to the glowing chains before back to him. Taking in a deep sigh she let out a breath before speaking again. "Well lets get it over with. Don't be scared to play rough sexy. I can take it. Though I do recommend you take caution. A certain someone wont be to happy with you if I go home with some marks. He doesn't like me being marked unless its by him. " She spoke to the guard as she gently whetted her lips with her tongue as she stared him down. Knowing she could do nothing with the chains holding her in place all she could do was unnerve her guard, possible make him scared enough to not come in, Either that or just get him to get it over with so she could rest. The first set of chains had exhausted her and these ones weren't helping her at all. From a ways away some cries of other demons were heard though not ones of pain. Despite her seclusion the others knew she was there. Knew a higher arch was here, knew a demon of high power resided within these walls know. "Well you gonna come in and say hi?" She called to the angel once more, waiting for the questioning to come in.
DergTheDergon ​

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Ariell looked to the angel as he lifted her and carried her to the heavens. Instinctively she had pressed herself to him and held tight as they ascended. When the Archangel had them in heaven he set her down. Immediately looking around she was eased by the sight of her soldiers as well as her ship being lifted as well. Looking back to the man as he spoke she nodded and crossed her arms. "You are right sir none of us are from this planet or this dimension for that matter. I am queen Ariella. Ruler of the great Velanari race. We are nothing more than explorers sir. And I must thank you for going out of your way in collecting our ship. without it we would not be able to get back home." Nodding to his words of needing to watch her she understood there reasoning. Though before she could reply her eyes caught sight of an injured soldier who had just been brought up about 5 feet from where her and the archangel was. Instantly she gave him an apologetic look before she darted over to her wounded soldier. "Los hi bek dii kendov. Fos ahraan. vos zey hiif hi dii kiir." She spoke softly as she looked over the wounded soldiers body worriedly. "Sir will you please come help?!" She called to the archangel as she took the soldiers hand in hers as she swiftly worked to get his chest plate off to find his injury and tend to it.
DergTheDergon ​

 

[PanOtterPus]

Orthrus began to stir once again, the angels making quick work of his wounds. He had been... Dreaming? He wasn't sure what it was or what it meant. Love? No... Surely not. Though, as he came round, he could feel another presence that seemed to have lured him back to consciousness... "Tyra?" He couldn't see her in her current position, then he realised he was still in his true form. Craning the other head he found her laying on one of his heads.

"Hang on..." Orthrus stared around and realised just how much space he was taking up. He carefully used one paw to lift Tyra, setting her down beside him, and proceeded to shift to his human state. It was a struggle given his condition, but he managed. Black eyes looked at the woman before him as the body they were attached to slumped to the floor once more. "Probably shouldn't have done that so soon, but to he-" He caught himself, remembering where he was. Cursing in Heaven? He wasn't sure how things worked here.

Instead, the hound turned his attention back to Tyra. "I'm glad to see you're more or less ok yourself. Pretty rough one back there." Orthrus had no idea why he was so nervous now, he never got nervous (except of course when he was fighting one on one with Aeshma). Their chat was cut off though, when one of the angels addressed the crowd. He wasn't quite sure what the guy meant when he was talking about the four individuals but if they were a big help, he'd take it. They needed it.

--------------

Danto was not happy. Not that he ever was. Right now though, he was livid. Heaven. Bloody heaven. Crowded, bright, angel ridden. It was a nightmare. He should have fought for the fucking demons. All his carrier did was sigh and roll his eyes, he couldn't even turn into a frog like he should have (Danto once again forgetting that he was no witch).

The vampire was even less impressed to learn personal hell bringer hound had survived. He'd never admit it, but Danto was slightly impressed he'd lived against Aeshma, though it was probably only because the demon had let him. "Tsk."

All of a sudden some know it all angel began talking to them all. Danto stared at his nails, fussing over a break in a pinky nail, ignoring the fact that they had four important guests. "Probably just some punk kids who have connections..." He mumbled to himself. He also had no intention of sleeping in the angel built rooms. None at all. Maybe if the beds were comfy.... Protesting every step in his head, Danto made his way inside, scouting for an empty room.

-------------

Gabriel would normally agree with any statement from Fifer, however, looking around the underground city, he couldn't help but wonder if the inhabitants even wanted to "magic up" comfier homes. Perhaps they lived this way by choice, or it was the best they could manage. Usually, the hunter would despise anything to do with these creatures - being amongst those that witnessed their family being murdered by such creatures, it was no surprise - but given the circumstances, seeing the beasts fight so valiantly for their homes, Gabe had a new respect for them. They made this place out of convenience back when they were forced into hiding, now they fought for it out of love.

Of course, that didn't mean he was ready to trust any of them, angels being np exception. Sure, the guy had saved them from their attackers (which he felt they were dealing with just fine) but Gabriel planned to keep a close eye on the situation. Apparently the angel wasn't trusting their nature either, eyeing up their weapons with suspicion. It had never occurred to the group that true supernaturals had no need for modern weapons, they had their gifts.

Instead of butting in, Gabriel simply took hold of Fifer's hand and allowed Chase to bombard the angel with his questions. The group learned more than they bargained for, after all. But on they trudged, towards the angel's goal.

He focused in on Fifer's suggestion. "Of course. Our people need to know what's happening here. Plus, can't have them thinking their best team would fail so easily, huh?" Gabe winked at her playfully. He was glad that they'd be able to send at least some good news back to the world above, though he was unsure how it would be taken. They were sent to scout, and here they were, heading for heaven.

Next thing he knew they were being given instructions on how to reach their destination. Gabe almost missed it stating at the column before them. He gave Fifer's hand a squeeze before she stepped through, followed by the others. One of the angels casually scooped Gabriel up, carrying him in the same fashion as Fifer up towards Heaven itself. He was as awestruck as Fifer, naturally accepting her embrace as they stared around in wonder.

A dragon was pointed out to him, and he nodded in agreement. "I believe I'll be trying to keep an eye on them all." Gabe chuckled. He knew it'd be impossible, there were so many, but he too wondered how the angels told the difference between the food and the bad. He wasn't so sure they got it right every time, judging by the vampire causing a fuss in the corner, and a hound of hell? Before his eyes, said hound took on the form of a human, or what would pass as a human from a distance anyway. Damn, it was getting hard to ignore his instincts, but Gabriel wasn't going to be stupid enough to cause any problems here. He would simply bide his time and learn what he could.... Like a way to contact home.

Once it seemed everyone had been gathered, a rather important looking angel stepped forward to address them all. "Well shit..." Gabriel wasn't prepared for the four of them to be addressed so pointedly. "I guess we better hope he knows what he's doing."

He had other things to worry about now, though. Apparently Fifer had some serious plans for this evening, and he wasn't about to disappoint as he followed her to their quarters, grinning wildly.

 

[Halexia]

That one word, her name, had given her such an overwhelming relief her eyes once again filled with tears of joy, Orthrus, her Orthrus was ok and, even though he was injured, he made sure of her safety, the gentle way he had lifted her and moved her to his side, she watched him turn into his human form as she wiped her eyes, when he slumped to the floor she got up and ran to him laying next to him and gently put her hand on an uninjured part of his chest feeling his heart beating, eratic as it was but of course he must have been in a great deal of pain.

"I am fine" Tyra said between her sobs of joy "better now I know you are okay, I thought I had lost you and it was the worst feeling in the world.. I thought you were dead, I stood up to that demon because I believed he had killed you, then he tried to kill me, next thing I knew I was here"

at that moment Tyra had heard the Angels address not really taking much of it in, she was sure she would be filled in on the parts she missed later but right now the only thing that mattered to her was Orthrus.
She moved her head back to check him over she was barely touching him as she ran her fingers over where the wound was a few minutes before; then, feeling overwhelmed with her emotions, she threw her arms around his neck and full on broke down sobbing into his shoulder "please don't leave me again, I couldn't bear to lose you, I was so frightened Orthrus, I thought he had killed you and it broke my heart"
-----------
The hype surrounding the "big discovery" of the map, and the choosing of the agents to go investigate had kept running right through until the team first lost contact. The bosses were getting worried - it wasn't like this group to just go missing. They needed to investigate. In came Beckah. She had done some recon work in the past, and knew the general strengths and weaknesses of the chosen team, so she was chosen to go down, to find out what happened and to report back.


Seemed silly really. It was obvious something was blocking their signal, but she wasn't going to argue and lose a field mission. And so the preparations were made and she was sent into the cavern. Most of the journey seemed to be spent descending tediously to the bottom, hours it seemed. Eventually she reached the bottom, discovering along the way she had been correct - a blockage of sorts, probably the same reason they didn't know this place was here to begin with.


Beckah began scouting immediately, not one to wanting to waste time, and ran head first into a war striking as many of these beasts as she could with her trusted sword, Beckah was happiest when she was fighting for her there was nothing more enjoyable she was just getting into the thick of things feeling elated at the demons she had slain when the angels showed, she wasn't impressed at all, even less so when she was lifted high above the crowd looking down she saw more demons she could have slain, she was a fighter and being protected was not something she enjoyed at all, plus angels could be classed as supernatral too, Beckah sighed as they landed somewhere very bright and clean.

Beckah looked around confused, she knew where she was but a few minutes before she had been subject of the literal Hell on Earth, and, in her eyes, that was her kind of party, yet now here she stood in peaceful Heaven, she leaned against one of the pillars sticking a piece of chewing gum in her mouth and chewing frantically, to say she was not in the least bit impressed was an understatement, she wanted to be back in the thick of things, fighting for her world.

She saw all the supernaturals 'littering' Heavens floor. they expected her to be nice to these beings, thats was something she was not sure she would be able to do, she watched as the angels created the temporary accomodation and rolled her eyes, not only was she expected to be nice to them but she was expected to live with them too, this was going to be interesting to say the least

 

[DergTheDergon]

Emanuel’s pale blue, gently luminescent eyes gazed with great empathy and kindness toward the eyes of the terrified creature before him. He had never seen such a delicate creature, radiating such youthful innocence (or seeming to, anyway), nearly fall at the hands of a demon. The sight tore at his heart. A sad look adorned his features when the Tanuki then pulled her hand away from his, so soon after extending the dainty appendage towards him. Still, he managed to give her a genuine, kind smile when she asked if she was dead. “No,” he said, shaking his head slowly from side to side, a smile.l adorning his features. “You are alive and well, but the Lord has great need of those residing here, and you are no exception. Please, I only wish to take you to the safest place there is, to protect you from these foul beasts.”

Then, whether it was the Tanuki’s own inner dialogue, Emanuel’s words, or a combination of both, she ended up lunging forward desperately, and not grasping his hand, but taking him by surprise with her sudden embrace. It froze him in place for a moment before he gently, yet firmly enough to keep a safe grip on her, returned the Tanuki’s embrace and rose swiftly towards the Heavenly Gate, dodging arrows and thrown pieces of rubble as he went. A few of them hit his shield as he went, the sheer amount of hellspawn now present here beginning to reach the numbers he had anticipated.

Beyond that stark-white portal, Emanuel then touched down, gently placing Mihn down before him. “Here we are… we’re safe now,” he said. A passing thought made him miss the warmth of her arms for a moment; not even the soul of the most devout christian had ever embraced him as this small, terrified creature just had. Looking into her eyes after setting her down, the deep empathy in his own soft blue eyes grew even more, somehow, as he looked upon her.

The next moment, however, he then realized he was staring at a female and thinking that she was rather beautiful. While most mortal men (and most immortal men that didn’t happen to be Angels, for that matter) would simply accept this thoughts as a natural, healthy thought for a man to have, catching this thought running through her mind terrified him. He was normally far too busy with his duties to even look upon any of the stunningly beautiful women among the Angels for very long at all, but here he was admiring the physical beauty of an earthly being. There had been quite a few angels in the past who had fallen, lost all they that had been before, because an attraction such as this one grew to the point that God deemed the Angels in question no longer the pure beings they were created to be. A sad look glinted in Emanuel’s eyes for a moment; he would have to be careful not to get too close to her, he thought, conflicted within his mind.



Recomposing himself, though still looking into her eyes, he reminded himself of his duty to help her and leaned into it, speaking up kindly, softly. “If you have need of anything at all, I shall be right here,” he said. “ I shall stay with you a while if you wish, and I may be able to help you locate anyone close to you that has made it safely to Heaven. Simply give me their name. My name is Emanuel, by the way, pardon my manners. What is your name?” That little smile had then returned, now that he was once again focusing on the girl’s needs and not on the thoughts that had risen within his mind regarding her; the kind that scared him as they had begun to go beyond kindness; they carried a twinge of mortal desire that God had deemed angels were forbidden to act on ever since He created the very first one. This internal dialogue showed, unbeknownst to him, in the way his eyes averted hers, just slightly. Regardless, it wasn’t going to keep him from helping her calm down from her near-death experience and settle in here. He would stay with her all night if it was needed, though deep inside he was dreading the inner struggle he may have to endure if such was to happen.
---
Fifer found herself laughing alongside Gabe at his remark about trying to watch all of the supernatural beings here. “Not sure how well that’s going to work, hun, but I appreciate it.” She then punctuated that teasing statement with a playful kiss to his cheek, giggling like a schoolgirl afterward without any worries about being judged as girly, which to her meant weak. She just found herself not worrying about things like this around him; her world had taken on much brighter colors after the day they'd laid their hearts bare to each other that day in the hospital.

Gabe’s “Well, shit" seemed to Fifer to be the perfect response to the group being called out by the authoritative angel during his speech. She nodded to his following words, holding him closer for a moment as she then whispered into his ear. “He better…” her expression showed a bit of worry for a moment, though as she wrapped both arms about Gabe’s back and gave him a firmer hug than usual, the look dissipated in favor of a content smile.

Chase’s uncharacteristically moody “whatever" in response to Fifer’s awkward request was surprising, and a little worrying, causing the huntress to wordlessly look over him with worry, apology and a bit of sadness. The look only grew in intensity as Chase stormed off a mere moment later, the huntress sighing deeply and gripping Gabe’s hand more tightly. She had half a mind to call out to him, but knowing she was the one to cause this split in the team as well as knowing that this place was safe made her keep silent. It seemed as though he simply needed some time, and thus it seemed that all Fifer could really do was allow him to cool off a little. Gabe seemed to agree, his words causing Fifer to grip his hand a tad tighter as she turned toward where the young Hunter was running off to. She tried to look around for Caroline, but to no avail as it seemed that she’d run off somewhere as well.

Nearby, an angel who had just finished tending to an injured Gnomish couple who were now holding each other tenderly noticed, whilst looking around, that one of the four aperent humans here, according to God himself, that all angels had just recently been telepathically told to keep an eye on was suddenly bolting away from the other three. Spurred on by the possible problems that could arise from this and his compassion toward everyone in distress, the angel was moving towards him before he was even finished thinking through what he was going to say, his pace not rushed but not slow either, ensuring that he intercepted the young hunter even amongst the crowd.

Sighing deeply as she looked upon the increasingly smaller form of Chase retreating across this vast expanse before the pearly gates, her only comfort was in the form of the Angel who’d caught onto his distress and went to greet him. , she then shook her head as if shaking off the worried thoughts inside of it, mentally wishing Chase well before turning back towards Gabe and looking deeply into his eyes with a blush staining her currently Elven-looking cheeks as her heart and mind picked up in pace, her worries vanishing as thoughts of another kind began to overtake her.

The hotel was, of course, just as stunning inside as the exterior was, complete with extravagant gold and ivory decorations and soothing, evenly-bright lighting. Gabe’s giddy grin as they walked inside the newly erected, lavish and beautiful building made it clear to Fifer that her boyfriend had picked up on what she was planning, her cheeks flushing even redder as she realized this. However, the realization also caused her to stand yet closer to him and snake a slender arm gently around his back. Soon, the couple had arrived at an ivory-white, pearlescent door which sported a golden plaque adorned with the names Gabriel Matthews and Fifer O’hara in beautiful glowing yellow script. “Well… here we are…” she said nervously, giggling afterward whilst she opened the door.

The pace of her heartbeat quickened greatly once she was inside and had pulled him in behind her, closing it behind her. She let go of Gabe’s hand only to rest both that hand, wamed by his, and her other hand.

Desire deeply seated within her Emerald gaze, her red hair resting over one eye, she playfully reached for the button to deactivate Gabe’s cloaking device, which just so happened to be right next to his belt buckle. Blushing and grinning, she let her hand rest there to build anticipation for a spare few moments before she pressed the button on the left side of the buckle, hidden but there. This being no normal belt but his high-tech disguise, the fur and other features of his realistic canine form dissipated in the next instant, Fifer grinning up at him as she brought both the hand that had been at his buckle as well as her other hand up and around his back, her eyes sparkling with love and desire as she stared into his eyes. “None of them are going to see your true self unless you leave the room like this… only one that might is that angel who already knows who we are. He doesn’t matter right now, though… right now, our whole world is just you and me.” She leaned forward and planted a light peck upon his cheek.

Seeming hesitant for a moment as her gaze wandered toward the floor, she then refocused and met Gabe’s eyes again, running a hand over his cheek, her heart beating quicker.

“So… will you have this me or… the real me?” She asked, her right hand playfully taking one of his and placing it near the invisible button on her own belt. Her eyes gazed deeply intoGabe’s, lovingly, hungrily, as she bit her lip in anticipation. Her face hovered close to his as the sound of his breath and its warmth on her skin caused her heartbeat to accelerate, longing for his decision so she could finally be with him.
_
The patrolling angel halted when he heard the rustling of chains a ways down the hall whilst at one of the limits of his rounds.. Sighing, he mentally grounded himself for the surely difficult conversation to come as he turned roundabout, approached the cell and stood before the chained up Viriel with crossed arms.

He was rather handsome, as all of his kind tended to be. He sported shoulder-length blonde hair, and golden eyes that signified him as a Warrior angel, the type of his kind highly trained in dealing with demons in all facets. His face was well-chiseled and masculine. His body sported an athletic, lithe and muscular frame. Adorning said body was a set of golden armor that was clearly the same material that the chains binding her were made from, as Viriel w. uld be able to feel some of her energy being sapped from her in his direction, seeing it absorbed in the orante chestplate he was sporting.

“Rise and face me. I intend to make this quick, as long as you cooperate.”

He waited for the onslaught of hateful words he was sure would come as a response, but what she said instead was… something quite different. Despite knowing that he was speaking to a powerful succubus, for some reason the last thing he was expecting her to do was flirt with her captor so amorously, especially in her current predicament . His eyes widened at first, the angel rendered speechless and frozen for a moment, then he found himself closing his eyes and rubbing his temples as he recentered himself. His cheeks did tinge pink quite visibly as well, unbeknownst to him.

The most jarring thing about her attempt at seducing him, strangely, was that she’d called him sexy; no one had ever referred to him as such before, and to be honest, he liked hearing it just as any man would, especially from a being that embodied the male fantasy. His heart was even beating just a little faster after that raunchy display… Viriel’s reputation, known quite well among Angelkind, was well-earned, quite cleary. He felt disguted at her and t himself because of this.

However, God himself had trusted this particular angel not to fall for her wiles, nor any of her tricks; it was why he was assigned this post. He certainly was still holding his own for now, and he intended to see this through with the information he wished of her, if at all possible bending her to God’s will. In the process, if he ended up allowing her any leeway, he knew it would likely end up very badly for him indeed; perhaps all of creation even. The pressure was such that his nervousness likely shone through even his disgust at her words; another subtle show of weakness, which bred more nervousness. With great caution and effort in remaining rpesent adn not a the will of his own imperfect mind in this moment, he stepped forward just a little closer as if to deny his own fear and any notion Viriel may have had at this point that she had affected him in any meaningful way.

“I am unsure why you think I’d ever have such intentions, but I assure you I do not intend to indulge in pleasures of the flesh, especially with one of your kind. I would be an utter fool to do so.” As he kept looking upon her though, despite his words, rather unholy thoughts continued to crop up, likely discernable through the look in his eyes. Even like this, the influence of her dark energies were clearly still powerful to affect one such as him. After all, she was a powerful demon, one who likely wields the power to make any sentient bend her will through the seductive power of lust, and even Angels were not above such base desires. The existence of fallen was all the proof one needed of this.

Steeling himself, he unlocked the cell and stepped in, continuing to speak as he did so, remaining as tall as he could. “Now… I will ask you some questions. You can give me straight, honest answers in one of two ways: right away, quickly, painlessly, and with a chance to be treated not as an enemy, but as an ally, or... “ Holding out his hand, palm open and facing towards her, he concentrated, took a deep breath and his eyes began to glow a brighter gold. A small but noticable portion of the dark energy swirling around Viriel then began to float towards the golden gauntlet of his suit of armor. One the energy made contact with metal, it dissipated, seemingly absorbed. This process would be both painful and draining to the demoness.“...You could drag it out, or lie, which I have been trained thoroughly to detect by the way, and the dark energy within you will be drained away until your will is gone, and then you will tell me what I have ordered to learn from you. This will also esnure that you are kept here for eternity, as you failed to cooperate. It is your choice.”

Before beginning to ask the questions, he steeled himself once more, meeting her eyes stonily a bit easier now. The energy he’d drained allowed clarity to penetrate the influence Virel had begun to have on her for now.

However, considering how he had faltered earlier, It was indeed possible, through appealing to him as a man in the ways she knew so well, the more passionate and sincere-seeming the words the better, to bend him to her own will, at least a little. It seemed clear that there was no way he’d allow her to escape God’s domain willingly, no matter what she did, but there was certainly the possibility of being allowed perhaps a bit more freedom than he was allowed to give her. She would be able to see it in his eyes, steely but behind them, conflicting morals and desires, the kind all angels had. This man was a demon hunter, yet he was trained to deal withthose demons that fed off hatred, not lust. He was far less prepared than he imagined he’d be, and that had to be clear to Viriel by now.

Taking one last deep breath, he spoke as firmly and authoritatively as the moment would allow him.

“Now… first and foremost, you must tell me: where is Aeshma planning to conquer next?”

Due to her closeness to him, Viriel would know that e planned to, after securing Deepvale entirely, build up his army as much as he could and strike a two-pronged attack on the two smaller settlements closest to it, named Wolf’s Reach and Fanghollow. Each was so named because they were founded by Shifters and Vampires respectively, yet nowadays were not much less a melting pot of species than deepvale was. Viriel would be one of hte few, evenn among Hell’s denizens,



“Remember, there are two ways we can do this…” he said, raising the gauntlet towards her again menacingly. He seemed confident that he had her where he wanted her now. However, his eyes wandered idly over her body now and then despite this.

---
Collaboration with Rustic

Staring passionately into Naomi’s gorgeous eyes with her own green orbs, biting her lip subconsciously, Xaira felt Naomi’s softly-spoken, passionate ‘I love you too’ as a wave of love washing over her, coming in through her ears, straight down to her heart and then throughout her entire body. Xaira could tell by the look in her eyes that her headwinged girlfriend desired her touch about as much, if not more than Xaira desired the same from her. Xaira couldn’t wait to hold her delicate lover once again, to treat her like royalty and take her to even greater heights of bliss than before. A grin grew upon Dragoness’s face without her own knowing, a toothy, silly thing that clearly broadcasted the sheer giddiness she felt in this tender moment. Once those sweet words were done passing through her Lilin lover’s lips, accompanied by the equally sweet caress of her soft hand across Xaira’s scale-speckled cheek, a powerful urge to kiss her again came over the crimson-haired, scale-speckled woman. Xaira slowly and subconsciously began closing in what little space remained in between their lips.​

Yet, before she could lean in all the way, Naomi caused her head to tit not in preparation for a kiss, but in slight confusion. Xaira had expected her lover to all but leap into her arms after the ordeal she’d gone through, yet she began with saying she’d love to, which was usually used as a lead-in into someone saying “no” in a situation like this one. Naomi’s tone was sincere, and the mutual longing in her voice and eyes sent Xaira’s heart beating like a war drum in tandem with Naomi’s. However, the Dragoness saw the word “but” coming before she heard it. The faltering and subsequent ceasing of Naomi’s amorous caressing seemed to silently emphasize the word.

Naomi’s carefully spoken following words, “if you don’t mind,” set it in stone that Naomi was essentially rejecting her advances for the moment. Xaira couldn’t hide the still-hungry and slightly disappointed look in her eyes as she realized this; however, once the topic shifted to what Naomi felt was important to do before getting amorous, the expression was replaced by wide-eyed realization. Her sisters! of course! It was only right that Xaira allowed her to search for them and make sure they were okay. Her gaze softened then as she instantly decided what to do. “I don’t mind, babe; just got a little carried away. You’ve probably noticed I tend to do that.” She winked, alluding to how she got carried away during the lovers’ first night together. “We’ll have plenty of alone time while we’re here, I’m sure.” Her lips curled into a sultry grin that likely rivaled that of any Lilin.



For a moment, all of Naomi’s nervous energy seemed to fall away, and she smiled similarly in response, warm with the strength of Xaira’s tenderness and optimism. It meant a lot more than she’d realized to hear her girlfriend respond so well, and in fact, it’d really helped her own mood significantly. She playfully shivered with anticipation in answer to Xaira’s playful comments and breathed a little deeper than she had been, a little more ready to face what was coming next.

Her expression then shifted to a serious, thoughtful look that Naomi likely hadn’t seen Xaira sport all that often yet, aside from during their deep conversation during their blind date. She reached for Naomi’s hand gently, taking it while looking deeply into her eyes with a loving gaze, speaking up softly. “It really is early, but… I feel like it’s only right to meet your sisters while we have the chance. Only God probably knows what might happen once we leave this place for Earth again… besides, I’m not sure if you’ll get to meet my family. They… they live pretty far from Deepvale, and Demons are probably invading the whole damn Beneath right now. They’re strong though, so… hopefully someday.”

Naomi’s expression had cooled as Xaira’s did, looking solemn, but as Xaira lifted her hand, she cracked a gentle smile. Xaira’s response solidified her uneasiness - the potential of the important people in her life meeting now a looming reality - but it also took a lot of the edge of it off. She chose a practical way of approaching it, but it comforted her to hear, all the same. Though, her face did fall a little, at the mention of Xaira’s own family. It was a sobering reminder of what was going on in the world right now, and she certainly didn’t want Xaira to have to carry that sort of stress.



Sighing slightly, Xaira then gave Naomi a peck on her cheek. “Anyway, let’s go look for ‘em.”



To that, Naomi gave renewed look of resolve. There wasn’t much that could be done about almost everything else, but, she could at least try to make sure this meeting happened, and that it went right. She gave a happy, confident nod. “Let’s.”

​

The journey to finding her sisters was astonishingly brief, as Naomi saw it. She had been expecting far more trouble or resistance in them finding their way, but as it turned out, the angels in charge of keeping track of everyone seemed to have things worked out. Pretty well, actually, for an impromptu system. Perhaps it attested to how smoothly things generally operated under a supposedly omnipotent force. In any case, the two of them were making their way up before they knew it. Naomi was ready to face whatever was ahead of them, but her general effervescence had remained, the suspense more than she could stand. To stay strong, she held onto Xaira’s hand tightly as the two of them approached. Once they finally arrived at the room they’d been directed to, she had to take a deep breath, to steel herself for what was to come. And then, gently, she knocked on the door.



At first, there was no response. No distinctive sounds emanating from the room beyond - just the low hum of voices all around as the hotel continued its struggles in getting situated. For a moment, Naomi found herself worried that she’d have to try again, but before she could, someone’s muffled voice called out.



“Salome?” It was not the name she’d been expecting to hear, but once she did, Naomi was immediately relieved. She could, of course, recognize the rough and brazen tone of the speaker from anywhere. “You think that’s Naomi?”



The response that followed was the previous voice’s opposite - closer, and markedly higher pitched, but so cold and quiet it was still, somehow, harder to hear. “Not really.”



“Answer it anyway!”



With a sigh, the more muted voice got to its feet, complete with the slow sounds of someone tiredly shuffling across the floor. It took the person on the other end some time to get the lock undone - time Naomi thought her heart would beat out of her chest during - but soon enough, the door creaked open, and standing by it was a cute, teal-haired woman with large, melancholy eyes. Staring down, it took her a few seconds to think to adjust, but when she looked up, her eyes widened further, her vaguely sad expression shifting into a slight shock.



“Hi again, Salome!” Naomi greeted her quietly, positively ecstatic and somewhat amused. She tried to keep her face controlled, but she couldn’t help but turn her head for a moment toward Xaira, too delighted not to share her joy. The woman at the door, Salome, looked between the two of them quickly, seemingly breathless and obviously full of questions, but before she could seem to ask any of them, the woman further in shouted again.



“Well? What’s up?”



There’s a momentary pause, where her mouth began to attempt words uncertainly, but Salome seems to think of something quickly. “You’re going to have to answer it…” she flatly answered. Her uncertainty seeps into her tone, but she lightly smiles to Xaira and Naomi, assuring them of the joke.



“Salome, really?” There was a loud, exasperated huff of indignance, but surely enough, someone began to make a stomping approach toward the door, and as the woman in question turned the corner, Naomi’s eyes almost started to water.



“Delilah.” Though she spoke the name quietly, Naomi’s love and relief was easy to hear. It doesn’t take any time at all for there to come a response, either; as soon as the tall, disgruntled looking woman, Delilah, heard, she immediately came flying forth, managing to throw Naomi up against the wall with the force of her velocity.



“Naomi!” Delilah wrapped Naomi startlingly quick into a furious hug, seeming to not care at all as she aggressively started to swing her smaller sister back and forth. Naomi wasn’t bothered at all, though, as she simply returned the gesture in kind, modestly wrapping her own arms around and enduring it all. It was clear to see too that, despite their efforts until now, the two of them had finally broken out in tears, presumably overwhelmed by not only this, but all the events of that had led them to this point. Naomi looked a little embarrassed, even blushing a little as the force of the embrace died down, but her older sister was clearly not, grinning just ecstatically from ear to ear. The long moment eventually fell away organically, but as it did, Delilah finally looked around. Once she did, her eyes narrowed into an unreadable scrutiny at Xaira.



“Who the hell is this?” An astonishingly bold turn of phrase, but one obviously spoken light-heartedly. While she still looked critical, she kept her jovial look as she waited for the answer.

____________________________________________________________________________



As the pair approached the door the angels had helped them find, the one they seemed certain contained both of Naomi’s sisters, thankfully safe and sound, she held her Lilin lover’s hand gently, but firmly, the skin-on-skin contact acting as reassurance for the both of them as they came closer, and Naomi did the honors of knocking on her sisters’ door. After squeezing Naomi’s hand slightly for reassurance Xaira backed up a little to ensure she wasn’t in the way of the sisters’ initial reunion as she then heard a rather gruff, almost militant, but clearly feminine voice from inside. The sound of it startled her a little, and she found herself shivering as a thought occurred to her that the woman might prove in future be quite the handful of a sister-in-law. However, that wasn’t to be worried about at the moment, as a softer, seemingly deadpan voice accompanied hers, seeming to grow closer before the door opened, revealing the woman on the other side who was indeed unmistakably Naomi’s sister.

Xaira looked the girl over for a moment and smiled at her, ensuring that her posture was straight and that her smile didn’t look menacing on account of her draconic fangs. Come to think of this, she’d never been brought before another’s family before, but until now the thought had never occured to her. She certainly felt nervous, but she was confident, at least, that her love for Naomi would show and she would be able to assure her sisters that she intended to treat her right. This gave her just enough comfort to not appear visibly nervous in front of Salome, as the other voice had called her.



Speaking of the other voice, Salome was kind enough to clearly say her name so that Xaira no longer had to ask either of the sisters who they were. That would make things a bit easier and less awkward, she figured. For now, Xaiira stayed still by Naomi’s side, hand still in hers, until the other sister, who looked visibly at least a little older than Salome and Naomi both, retorted in her exasperated tone and then came around the corner, revealing herself.



The very next moment, she barreled into Naomi with force that caused xaira to let go of her sister’s hand, the Dragoness stepping back a little farther so as to ensure she didn’t spoil their moment. Once the shock of the sudden occurence faded, her wide-eyed look was then replaced by a soft smile, her heart warming at the site of them. They’ll probably be delighted to hear that Xaira had ensured their clearly beloved sister’s safety during the horrendous siege of deepvale; perhaps it wasn’t going to be too much of a struggle to get into their good graces. A woman could hope, at least.

The green-winged, scale-speckled woman was then snapped out of her thoughts by the commanding voice of Delilah. She found herself flinching slightly at first, before composing herself, locking eyes with her and smiling kindly. Two could play at the bold game, and Xaira had a feeling that showing she didn’t play around would perhaps aid in establishing good relations with Delilah, at least; quite frankly, she had no clue about Salome yet.

“Xaira,” She said, offering her hand in polite greeting. “I’m…” ‘Well, here goes nothing’ was the only conscious thought that occurred to her before she moved beyond her hesitation. “I’m Naomi’s girlfriend. We met during the singles Gala before all of…. This happened.” She sighed. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Delilah.” She looked over towards the other sister. ‘You as well, salome.” Her smile and calm, friendly tone made it clear that she was taking getting to know her lover’s family quite seriously.



There wasn’t much of a reaction between either of Naomi’s two sisters as Xaira explained. Delilah still looked on scrutinizingly while Salome simply looked blankly. As she finished, though, the tension in the hallway felt like it disappeared completely as Delilah gave what was obviously a sigh of relief.



“Oh thank God,” she said, her expression immediately warming up. “You’re not an incubus.”



Salome, who had moved over to Delilah’s side in the interim, lightly gave her a jab in the ribs.



“What?” she asked, overdramatically feigning ignorance. She quickly comedically deflates, pursing her lips defensively. “You know I’m right. They’re primadonnas.”



She looked over toward Naomi for a moment, expecting her support. While Naomi proceeded to give a bemused, jokingly solemn nod in response, Delilah looked back toward Xaira.



“Anyway, it is nice to meet you, Xaira!” She extended her hand out firmly to shake, her grip maybe surprisingly strong. On a roll, she confidently continued her introduction with her other hand.



“Like we said before, this is my cute sibling, Salome…” The woman in question, about average height and probably the most slight and modestly dressed person of the group, including even Xaira, nodded. She was, in fact, covered up quite thoroughly, only her head and her incredibly long hair peeking out from a large scarf around her neck. And, though it generally wasn’t easy to tell with succubi, she somehow looked to the be youngest present, too, though it remained to be seen if that was really true. She didn’t say much else, simply turning to look back at Delilah, who continued.



“I am Delilah, your impromptu parental stand-in for the evening...” she used her free hand to point to herself, and gave a cheesily prideful grin. As she implied, she did look to be the oldest of the group, as evidenced by hers being the most mature, and perhaps, overdone outfit and build. She had similarly long hair and an especially noticeable look, as befitting of someone who probably garnered as much attention usually as she was busy doing now. “and in the backroom is-”



“Eve isn’t here,” Salome curtly cuts in.



“I - what?” It seems to take all the air of her speech, as when it happens, everything suddenly falls short, even Delilah’s hand falling free to gesticulate her surprise, by throwing her palms up in front of her.



“She left…” Salome pauses. “An hour ago.”



“Salome! You didn’t tell me!”



“I thought you’d noticed.”



Delilah placed one of her palms on her forward defeatedly. “Oof.” She shook her head, a little disappointedly, as she went on. “Anyway, our little runaway is Eve, who’s never around. Not even now, of all times! You’ll at least know her if and when she comes in, though. She never shuts up.” At that, she winks in a self aware way, which prompts Naomi to sigh teasingly.



“I don’t know how Salome ever gets a word in edgewise…”



Delilah just laughs, taking it in stride and abruptly shifting gears again. “But yeah! Come in! Sit down! Make yourself comfy!” She gestures to the nice-looking living space beyond while waving her fingers demonstratively. Before anybody has a chance to move in, though, she waggles an eyebrow at Xaira. “Not too comfy, though, because you’re about to tell me the scoop.”



With that, the other girls began their retreat back inside, with Delilah looking noticeably excited. Naomi did seem to be too, in her own way, gently reaching back over to take Xaira’s hand for a moment encouragingly. It seemed like, from her similar smile, she was about to say befittingly cheering, but just as she was about to, she broke into a small giggle, and raised her other hand politely to her mouth. “I hope you’re prepared…” she said playfully, her timidness but reluctant bravery for the occasion shining through, with a small nod of her head to suggest she was ready whenever.



When everyone was finally inside, with Delilah appropriately sprawled out on one of the couches, and Salome sitting modestly beside, Delilah waved a hand blithely, and looked toward Xaira and Naomi with ravenous-looking eyes.



“So?” she trailed along pointedly. “How serious is it? How’s it going? What’s the spark between you two?”+

**2

​

Xaira’s heart beat a little faster as a first, no reaction from either was shown. Just when she began fearing the worst, however, Delilah suddenly seemed to decide to rid herself of the suspicion she was showing just a moment ago, her accompanying words Causing Xaira to stare blankly for a moment, and then laugh. While she was pretty sure she didn’t look like an incubus, or like someone who perhaps had some sort of nefarious reason for hanging around Naomi, it was rather clear to her after a moment that Delilah either might’ve not been 100% serious, or she simply was very glad indeed to hear that Naomi had fallen for someone other than an Incubus. Xaira didn’t really peg her as the type to fall for someone like that, though she was starting to understand that questioning Delilah was likely one of the biggest wastes of time one could ever pursue.



When Delilah took Xaira’s hand for a shake whilst affirming that it was nice to meet one another, the Dragoness returned the Lilin’s firm grip, careful not to apply too much force whilst nodding and smiling in genuine returned agreement. She wasn’t sure what her power level was like compared to Naomi’s, but at a glance it didn’t look like Delilah had seen as much combat as Xaira herself had. Regardless, the firmness of her grip was pleasant, and instilled in Xaira a sense of respect for Delilah right off the bat. A lot of people were rather afraid to shake the paw of a Dragon, even with claws sheathed as hers were now. Not this woman, though, clearly.



When the introductions were then formally passed around by the eccentric older Lilin sister, Xaira smiled and nodded to Salome, mentally agreeing as she got a slightly better look of the woman that she was indeed a cute one… her Naomi far surpassed her though, Xaira affirmed mentally with a slight smile accompanying that thought.



Delilah’s introduction of herself as the “parental stand-in for the evening” made Xaira chuckle, before just for a split moment, she found herself thinking of her own parents and their uncertain situation. She shook the thoughts off, however; it was to be worried about when she could do something about it. Thankfully, delilah provided a great distraction from this train of thought in the form of her mention of someone in the backroom ,her eyes widening and cheeks flushing as she assumed that it was the sisters had been… with, to put it politely. However, the more the banter between them progressed,, the more clear it was that they were instead speaking of a third sister, more than likely.



Once Delilah was through with her frankly riveting speech regarding the mysterious Eve, she found herself smirking at the self-aware comment and the facial expression accompanying it that rounded off the breifing nicely. “I see... well, I hope to meet her soon. Hopefully before we’re thrust back down to earth…” Xaira shook her head and smiled as if to then disregard the solemn reminder she’d soiled the air with.



She found herself refocusing on the now with the the thought that, at the very least, it was clear her future in-laws weren’t boring. Xaira found herself chuckling amusedly at Naomi’s quip; it did indeed seem that Delilah was quite the talker, to put it lightly.



Then, Delilah decided to move this meet and greet forward by inviting them inside. Her warning of what sounded like the inevitable kinds of questions a parent, or in this case a ‘stand-in parent’, would normally ask their daughter’s romantic interest in a situation like this caused Xaira to straighten her posture a bit and take a deep breath. She had a feeling that Delilah was going to be very blunt about this, but she had confidence that her words would be true, heartfelt and hopefully, more or less what Delilah herself wanted to hear. It was clear that this sisterhood was a very close one, so Xaira had every intention to choose her words and actions carefully to ensure she made the kind of impression that made the sisters comfortable with the prospect of her eventually marrying her sister. After all, as far as she was concerned due to how strong their connection was already, it was already set in stone.



Naomi’s hand finding hers, the playful giggle escaping her mouth, and her teasing statement that still seemed to betray a bit of the nervousness they both felt, all only served to intensify the determination she had to come out the other side of Delilah’s interrogation, not to mention relax her just a little. “I’m as prepared as I can be babe,” she said softly, both playful and laced with trepidation, just as her girlfriend’s comment had been,



Once Xaira was comfortably sitting beside Naomi, her hand resting in hers between the pair, Xaira met Delilah’s eyes, the woman in question wasting no time at all in getting straight to the point. Her questions were just as deep as she’d expected, though thankfully devoid of having to discuss things that could embarrass the both of them… yet, anyway. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak in a heartfelt tone, giving loving glances over to Naomi as the most passionate words of her little speech flowed forth. It was not rehearsed, not even thought of beforehand at all. It simply flowed straight from her heart, and out of her mouth.



“Honestly, it’s quite serious… we’ve already discussed a future together. As we spoke on our first date, the conversation went really deep, really fast, and I guess we ended up making it clear to one another that neither of us intend to fool around: we’re looking for someone to settle down with, for life hopefully, and nothing less.” Her hand squeezed Naomi’s gently, and she took a momentary breather before answering the next question. She was clearly overwhelmed with emotion, love shining in her eyes as she continued.

-

*+3+-

“It’s going perfectly so far, really. It’s like we fit together perfectly. Now, I don’t expect to agree on everything but, it’s like we just understand where the other is coming from, y’know?” One more question remained, and by this point, tears were forming in Xaira’s eyes as her heart positively swelled with love.



“It’s just this… feeling that we’ve found our soulmate, as cliche as it might sound… not sure how else to explain it. It’s just, when I look her in the eyes I feel like I see a lost part of me in there, and when we kiss, I’m filled up with this feeling of being…. complete, at peace. I’ve been in plenty of other relationships but… this is something else. This is something real.” She found herself then turning to look her lover in the eyes, tears gently streaming down her cheeks as she wiped them with her free hand and then smiled, her green eyes and reflective scales shining in Heaven’s light as she bared her love fully, yet simply, her face clearly broadcasting it to the world. She then turned back to Delilah, smiling and taking another deep breath.



“Did I… answer your questions satisfactorily?” She smirked, having a very deep feeling that, in one way or another, she’d exceeded expectations.



During Xaira’s impassioned speech, Naomi could only look on proudly, her heart so unbelievably full. It really was something special, to see her girlfriend speaking so passionately about anything, but when it was about Naomi herself, she couldn’t even fathom what to do. She could only hold Xaira’s hand in her own tight, feeling unbelievably fortunate. Her hand even started to shake, as Xaira neared the end of her answer, but once it was truly over, she knew what to do. She reached over to Xaira to hug her close, so devastated by the depths of their feelings that she couldn’t help herself. She was even tearing up too, by the time they parted again, but she gave a wide to both Delilah and Salome, to emphasize that this was a good feeling.



Delilah just looked on the scene with an inscrutably wide smile. Of more interest was Salome, who somehow seemed affected by it all in some way. Her face was halfway buried under her scarf, but her eyes were lidded pensively, looking somehow sadder than usual. It might've otherwise seemed like Delilah hadn't noticed, but as the woman sat up in her seat and crossed her legs affably, she put a hand lightly on Salome's shoulder, and brought her a little closer as she responded.


"I believe you believe it," she said evenly. While the words themselves seemed the type chosen to politely be impolite, her tone suggested she meant no such offense, her painted lips frowned sympathetically, yet sadly. Even through her usually jocular, feisty personality, it was clear this was something she didn't take lightly. She seemed to give the moment some room to breathe before gently letting go of Salome and turning to Naomi with the same smile she'd had before. "What about you?"


Naomi looked somewhat surprised to be asked, her concerned eyes only now finally pulling away from Salome, but she did, and her determination was clear, her fingers brushing over Xaira's again fondly. "It was all true. I didn't know what I wanted, but she's... it. She's real, and I can imagine us honestly being together. She's turned what should've been the worst day of my life int

+

392o the best, and, she's brought out a side of me I didn't know I had." Her feet shifted, making her look as restless as she felt, but not capturing how bubbly. "What else is there to say?"


Delilah drummed her fingers along her leg in consideration. Eventually, apparently seeing no other way around it, Delilah exhaled slowly, defeatedly. "Well," she began carefully. "I can't say I understand it, but..." She looked between the two of them, and then extended her arms out joyously, as if to take the rest of the world in. "After all this," she said, one of her arms gesturing around. "You two are safe, you're here, and you're together. That's a lot for anybody."


"Romantic," Salome suggested impassively. At that, Delilah's finger abruptly stopped in Salome's direction and bobbed up and down, suggesting she was right on the mark. However, that explanation doesn't quite seem to be enough to satisfy her, as, just when it looks like she's about to completely give in to the thought, she abruptly put her hand to her chin in further scrutiny.


"Just, what gets me is," she suddenly began, "Naomi never seemed like the type! Salome and I, we're two softies- " Salome chuckled at that as Delilah continued, "but Naomi, she's got a head on her shoulders! I figured she'd know better."


After hearing her sister harp on like a confused heterosexual mother worrying about her daughter's new girlfriend, Naomi was somewhat exhausted, but happily so. She hadn't expected full support, but this at least was better than a lot of the alternatives. It seemed like, in their own ways, they were both warming up to Xaira. And she did so love to see Delilah enjoy herself like this in front of unfamiliar people - it seemed she rarely did. But she put a hand to her face anyway, and looked at Delilah with tired eyes. "Dear..." she trailed out sarcastically. "Would you have been this receptive if I brought home a man?"


Delilah's face lit up in disgust immediately at just the suggestion. "No!" she yelled violently, throwing one of the pillows she's sitting next to at Naomi in a fit of fake indignance. "Do I look like I need that energy in my life?" She was practically howling, but Naomi simply chuckled from underneath. Salome, too, looked actually entertained, cracking a small, barely visible smile. Once all of their amusement settled down, Delilah leaned in a little closer to the new couple, and stroked her long-nailed finger against the coffee table.


"...Here's how I see it," she said simply, like she was laying down the law in the simplest terms she could. "You're someone who wants my sister, who's good enough to have her." She twirled her finger around, to give the point time to digest, before tapping her finger against the table hard. "My worst nightmare."


"I mean, what?" she asked, giving up on the small gesture entirely to again make a loud, sweeping gesture with her hands. "Sweet, strong, attractive? Next you'll be telling me you have a job!"


She listened intently for Xaira's response, but seeming to only notice it affirmed her fears, she looked just appalled. Except for her teasing smile. "Sickening!" she cried, placing a hand over her heart. "All of this, just to take my only sister."

6.+.6999999999999999999999999999999***********

9*.*

2691
Salome's shoulder rose to the side dejectedly at that comment, as if she'd taken offense to it, but her small, pursed lips mirrored Delilah's from earlier, suggesting she wasn't serious, either. The two of them, at their own paces, looked back over to Xaira, and began to look a bit somber again, in their own ways.


"I can already tell how strongly she feels about you," she said wistfully. "You're gonna leave a big, dragon-sized hole in her heart one day."


Delilah sighed. "Make that day a long day from today."


Salome nodded, but looked toward Xaira hopefully. "Today is a good day."

​

Every time the Dragoness caught a glimpse of her Violet-eyed lover’s face, it only spurred her passion on further. She seemed to have entranced her with her outpouring of love for her, and she felt blessed that her feelings had come across, as been received, so strongly, even though this speech was directed at Deliliah and not Naomi herself. Perhaps all it took was to know that these impassioned words were about her, further affirmed by the gentle, yet firm grip Xaira had on her hand with her own throughout her monologue of sorts.



The moment she had finished pouring out her heart, she found herself tackled by a familiar warmth, the warmth of Naomi’s body, her arms wrapping about her Draconic lover as the Lilin visibly teared up herself due to the sheer intensity of the feelings seeming to flood the room. Xaira locked eyes with Naomi passionately the moment the women parted, gently wiping a tear from her eye with her forefinger, stroking her opposite cheek with the other hand.



This face she was caressing… it was not the face of a demonic creature to her, nor the face of a born sexual deviant one would do well to stay away from. Naomi had made it very clear to Xaira that Lilin were nothing like demons, or at least, they had the capacity to be very much the opposite; creatures of good heart and intention, if not exactly “pure”. Xaira knew she wasn’t either. She also knew that when she looked into Naomi’s eyes in this moment, and saw the clear expression of love etched deeply on her face, she felt more at peace than having the privilege to see Heaven itself before death had given her alone. If she had had need of any more proof that Naomi was the one for her, which she didn’t, there it was.



When Naomi turned to then smile at her sister in what seemed like a gesture of reassurance, the movement of that beautiful face of hers was what was needed to shift the Dragoness’s attention back towards the woman who had spurred on the outpouring she’d just given. Seeing the smile on her face was a relieving sight, a good sign, Xaura felt.

Salome’s expression was a little concerning, on the other hand. She seemed sad… was it simply dawning on her that her sister was going to be officially going off to live with another, or something else? Perhaps a bit of both? Either way, Delilah’s hug seemed to calm her, though Xaira couldn’t quite tell. Regardless, as Delilah straightened herself in her seat, Xaira did the same, bracing herself for more of Delilah’s interrogation.



Xaira found herself nodding slowly at Delilah’s curt, yet clearly well-meant statement. She didn’t think Xaira was lying, at least; it was a start. Clearly, though, the implications of Xaira’s passionately-expressed words visibly concerned Delilah, and rightfully so.

To both new lovers’ surprise, Naomi was then addressed as well. It was usually only the suitor who was put on the spot like this, as far as Xaira knew. Once her surprise faded, however, she returned Naomi’s soft, comforting brush of fingers against hers and attentively rested her eyes on her face as she began, the passion in her voice spreading a deep warmth through her Draconian lover instantly beginning at her heart, it only growing with every word.



It was perfect. Just as Naomi expressed herself right off the bat, it was as though they were both taking their words from the others’ mouth as it were. Xaira felt more tears welling up once again, but ended up letting them freely flow, each of the few teardrops gently streaming down her face an indication of the pure love and joy she felt in hearing Naomi speak of her just as fondly as Xaira herself had done for Naomi. In hearing that she had turned what should’ve been the worst day of Naomi’s life into the best, Xaira recalled all that had happened during the Gala, and what had happened afterwards. When she then mentioned Xaira bringing out a side of her she didn’t know she had, several possibilities came to her mind; one of them being the side she’d revealed behind the bedroom door, that she had a suspicion even her sisters would be surprised to hear about. Regardless, every words still seemed to also be an expression of how Xaira felt about her. When Naomi had finished, Xaira found herself embracing Naomi in much the same way she had done right after her own speech, giving her a peck on the cheek for good measure before settling back into her seat, her arm now snaking gently about her lover’s shoulders as she sat directly beside her, hoping that the gesture didn’t seem too forward in front of her sisters.considering they were Lilin, though, she had a feeling it wasn’t and thus she wasn’t too concerned.



Xaira’s eyes wandered towards Delilah once again as she spoke up, nodding in solemn understanding that, unless she’d felt a connection this strong with someone before, which was likely quite rare, delilah probably couldn’t understand. However, it had already been clear that she was willing to believe, at least, that xaira believed, and clearly her sister now as well. Xaira nodded again, solemnly, as Delilah then mentioned the pure, nightmarish chaos they’d all been caught up in that had caused Heaven itself to intervene for the first time in, if the bible is meant to be believed, many thousands of years. She was right; they’d become enamored with each other before all of this happened, and here they were after it all. Salome’s unexpected added quip caused Xaira to smile slightly. It was indeed something right out of a cheesy romance novel but, it happened; the woman beside her was proof of that.



As Delilah continued speaking, she went on a tangent that at first confused Xaira completely, then caused a bit of indignant to well up in here. The way she was speaking, it sounded to Xaira is if she felt that the Dragoness had manipulated her into feeling the way she did; however, it was clear that she wasn’t hell-bent on not allowing them to be together,even if she didn’t agree. A thought then arose in Xaira’s mind after she gave herself a moment to collect herself; she’d just have to make it clear, over time, that this love of theirs was what they both knew it to be. Hopefully, this would cause Delilah to relax a bit more about all this than she seemed willing to now, albeit rightfully so.



Naomi’s quip in response to her big sister’s rambling caused Xaira to chuckle a little, the girlish giggle erupting into a bout of roaring laughter as the cheeky words caused a mock-irate outburst to pour out of Delilah. As much as, sometimes, Xaira felt that perhaps she should’ve been born a man, this was one of the times that made her very grateful that she turned out female instead.



Once the moment calmed down a bit, Delilah once again turned stone-cold serious out of nowhere, a feat that caused Xaira to straighten her posture again and pay utmost attention as she spoke, the words “my worst nightmare” sending a shock to her system, truth be told. Her eyes then began to widen at first, astonished that Delilah had come to such conclusions about her already, though of course relieved that they might spell hope of a little less of a “strict father” attitude from the oldest Lilin sister. For now though, it was laid bare by her tone and choice of words that that particular part of her demeanor would likely be there to stay for a good while.



The words “only sister” were strange enough to bring Xaira back to the present, shaking off the shock from experiencing Delilah’s most sudden, yet honestly understandable, outburst out of all the sudden changes in demeanor she’d had in the short few moments Xaira’d been exposed to her so far. Then, realizing the smirks on both their faces, she began to understand that not all of this was wholly serious, perhaps. She’d certainly have to spend a while around these two to get a feel for them, that was for certain.



Then, both sisters seemed to simultaneously look upon Xaira with that somberness that Salome had mostly been expressing earlier. Glancing back and forth between them, Delilah’s next words made a realisation hit her that, with all that was happening lately, she hadn't really come to herself as of yet. Lilin live a long, long time, from what she knew… longer than Dragonkind. Upon understanding this to a degree she hadn't before, a third somber look came upon her own face, and her grip tightened almost instinctively on Naomi’s hand. She looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath, sitting with that realization and making a promise in her mind that she would make Naomi’s time with her as long, as joyous and as memorable as she could, as it was all she could do. After pausing for a few short moments that felt, to her and likely the other women in the room as well, like a very long time, she then raised her head, looking into Naomi’s eyes with determination and love that silently expressed the promise she’d made, shifting that very same gaze towards Delilah and Salome. “I will…” she said, softly yet with deep and clear passion behind the statement. Salome’s words, impactful as they were for several reasons including having come from a woman who seemed to be one of quite few words indeed, then caused Xaira’s solemn, serious expression, tears welling up once again, to be replaced with a soft smile and a nod, for once Xaira being rendered speechless. She looked to Naomi once again with great passion, once again, words not being needed.



After a moment of simply looking into her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, she once again met eyes with Delilah, shifting her gaze respectfully to Salome as well. “If the two of you don’t mind,” she softly began, “I’d very much appreciate some time alone with Naomi now… but only if she wants it as well.” She then looked to Naomi once more, visibly holding back a kiss that Xaira could feel would open a floodgate of desire in her, likely both of them, that would stop for nothing.

The sudden allusion to mortality hadn’t put a happy expression on Naomi’s face either, but with Xaira’s hand still tightly in her own, she tried to stay gripped to the moment. The future would come at it’s own pace, but there was still comfort to be found in the quiet, thoughtful moment of now, and looking at Xaira fondly, she intended to relish every second of it. Her smile came again at Xaira’s willful decision, and she let herself calm, and just be happy for this small, peaceful moment. No matter where the end came, she couldn’t ever imagine herself regretting this moment now.



Though, it was pretty hard not to cry as she watched Xaira do the same. Her happy expression was a little strained as she tried to hold herself together, but it was clear she felt just the same. The two onlookers, too, even had their own brands of similar expression, with Delilah holding her hands clapped together in pure adornment and Salome looking on with an almost timid-looking fondness. The two of them readjusted as they were addressed, though, and specifically Delilah seemed to hop up and out of her seat at the first opportunity, giving one last fleeting glance toward Naomi before getting ready to leave.



“Say no more! We’re happy to leave you two to it,” she said, giving a quick little wave. And, to Naomi’s embarrassment, a more than obvious wink. Salome, moving at her own pace, slowly does the same, gathering up her long dress carefully before starting to move out herself. Though, not before also giving a wink. Naomi gritted her teeth as she proceeded to watch them go, finding their antics charming but tacky. Still, she gave a small, huffy laugh at it all once they were finally out the door, looking toward Xaira again with a pained but positive expression.



“I suppose that went well!” she said. For all of the quirks of the night - and even Delilah’s uneven final judgement - it all seemed to have worked out, in the end. She certainly knew her sisters would not have been so kind as to leave if it had not. At least now she could breathe easily, knowing everything was right in the world. The hand she had intertwined with Xaira’s rose to drape across her shoulder, and she in close, to, for the time today, finally unwind.



“So,” she drawled slowly, letting the amorous energy creep back in. She gave a coy smile. “From where we left off earlier?”

___

A couple of passionate hours then passed by in a whirlwind of pent-up love and desire, ending with the pair of them cuddling and simply enjoying the moment a bit more, both of them restored to modest appearance after donning thier clothes once more. Xaira was gently twirling a lock of Naomi’s lucious, silky long hair about her finger as they laid side-by-side, the Dragoness’s lips rarely straying from Naomi’s, every part of her engrossed in utterly surrendering herself to the wondrous feelings that wracked her in the afterglow, imprinting everything about Naomi in this moment deep into her mind whilst thinking about just how lucky and blessed she felt to have met the woman in her arms. She was surely never going to let her go.



After a while of this, Xaira spoke up softly. “Maybe we should go looking for your sisters instead of kicking them out of the place all night… I already feel kinda guilty for some of the things we just did in their room, on thier furniture… even if it was instantly fabricated by fancy-pants Angel magic.” A blush colored her cheeks as she chuckled, sitting up slowly. ‘Then, maybe we could ask around before retiring for the evening. Now that I remember… there’s someone I really need to check up on. Her name’s Mihn. She’s like a really close sister to me. She’s a Tanuki, and hopefully shouldn’t be too hard to find… she tends to make her presence known, you’ll see what I mean. Would you be okay helping me look for her? I… I have to know she’s safe.” Xaira felt rather guilty that recent events had lead to almost forgetting about her sisterly Tanuki friend entirely.

---

Meanwhile, the angel who had approached and politely questioned Ariella listened to her explanation intently, nodding as she confirmed what he had inferred about her and her people. The thanks she then gave him was unexpected, however it did put a smile on his face.



Suddenly, Ariella noticed a nearby new arrival that, at a glance, was clearly in very bad shape. The angel followed her to him, already intending to help the man. However, the angel found himself observing her clear deep empathy and care for an underling of hers, rendered still in the moment by the act of deep, genuine loving-kindness playing out before him. It was almost a Godly level of care that she was exuding towards the injured Velanari male, leading the Archangel to think that she’d make a great angel herself, had she have been created as one or even born into this world at all. Many leaders in this world treated their soldiers as inferior beings, but this woman certainly held a great love and respect for her own no wonder they all seemed so devoted to fighting for her.

The moment the plea for his help began to flow from Ariella’s lips, the angel was already kneeling carefully beside her brave warrior and laying his hands, emitting that calming blue light that holy magic always emitted. “I am very glad to; this man fought and ended up in dire pain for a cause that was not his. It is the least I can do.”



Concentrating, eyes on the wound, the Angel poured his healing energies into the soldier’s body, over time closing the wound. Once the process had begun and thus he had to exude a little less effort to finish it, he then looked over at Ariella, meeting her eyes respectfully.

“What will you and your people do now? You could head onwards to a world that isn’t enshrouded in such chaos, whether your own or another… and as much as we may need your help, I recommend it. But if you do wish to stay and fight… our God himself will owe you a great debt. He is responsible for creating all the creatures of Earth, the planet currently below us. I am certain He could offer you compensation for your services the likes of which you could ever imagine. So… what say you? Are you staying or going?”

Soon after posing his question, the angel could feel no more physical pain radiating from the area he’d been treating. He removed his hands whilst smiling to her in a silent assurance that her soldier would be okay whilst he listened for her response. He would’ve fallen unconscious from the pain by now, but at this moment, all he needed was rest.
---
Nodding in response to her name being uttered by Zerah, Indara turned to meet his eyes with her own respectfully. As he hesitated, her face and the look in her eyes betrayed her knowing what he was going to ask and what her answer would be. When he had found the courage to let loose the words on his mind into the air between them, Indara solemnly nodded, her eyes closing for a moment. ‘Yes… you will remember everything. It may be painful… some particular ways of sinning for our kind tend to leave a… larger mark than others…” Looking down with her eyes still closed for a moment, she then tentatively raised those eyes towards Zerah again. “I might as well tell you… I remember you, Zerah… I remember being there when all the consequences for what you’d done surfaced… I was saddened when you were marked as fallen, as God knows it was not truly a fault of yours… this is why you’ve been given a second chance. Please… enter, and you will understand. Learn from this. Guard your heart… that is all I will say.”



As the female angel climbed a very tall spiral staircase now in silence, not leading into heaven’s gates but upward off to the side of those beautiful, pearly arches, she looked over her shoulder for a moment, meeting Zerah’s eyes to speak briefly to him. “our lord had provided this place for you to have a one-on-one with him. In all my years I have never seen a fallen be given another chance like this… I am glad you have found the light in your heart once more.” Her voice was soft and kind, yet distant; her posture and the subtleties within her tone of speaking made it clear that she was wary of him. After all, God had deemed him impure in his past, and she had no idea why. Only God knew unless the Fallen was reinstated; this rarely happened, sadly, as even without memories of why they did the things they had done, they often still fell back into the sort of behavior that lead to where they began. This was always how He had handled the Fallen, and Zerah was perhaps proof of the merits of this punishment that many angels have questioned as harsh within their minds, even though they didn’’t dare to tell God Himself. He knew, of course; but he also knew that they knew this is for the best. Once an angel begins living for anything other than upholding the glorly and virtues of God, it was very arguable that they were dangerous walking around with Angelic powers of any kind.



Silently leading him p the rest of the way, the Angelic woman stopped before an open doorway, nothing seen beyond It but stark, bright golden light more intense than those angels give off, and calming vibes of a similar intensity. “This is where you must go alone, Zerah. I am excited to see what sort of angel you become when you return. Ah and, welome back.’ The woman smiled, illuminated such by the golden light that she appeared to be made of it entirely herself before she began to descend the steps again, leaving Zerah to enter.



The very moment he did, he would hear the words “welcome, my child… I have deeemed you ready to come back to me.” Everywhere he looked, there was white, and he could see no one, but could clearly feel the presence of God in an overwhelming torrent of calmness and affection within his heart. “We haven’t much time, as Lucifer himself has already seized much of the Beneath. Remember, my child…”



The white surrounding Zerah then dissipated, forming instead into a vivid scene: Zerah saw himself standing over a young woman with with weapon pressed to her throat. He felt dark energies coursing through her, saw the blackness overtaking her eyes, courtesy of her demonic Father. Here he was, on the cusp of comepleting his mission; wiping out a bloodline of half-demons and the hellish sire who created them. The father and the older members of his bloodline had already been found and slain by Zerah and the others working with him, but at a price: he was the only one left. It was necessary for angels to do dirty work at times, sadly; and with that came nexpected casualties. Their souls, thankfully, were always reborn into other angels, though ones with different bodies and minds.

Zerah may have taken some comfort in that fact, but in this moment, he was faced with an even more difficult-to-stomach situation. This girl, as much darkness as he felt in her, was not resisting. He was crying, begging from her life, and clearly not controlled by that which had taken hold of her half-siblings which she had no knowledge of. There was something in her eyes that made it clear that she still had kindness in her.

The vision-Zerah stayed like that for a moment, blade of holy energy to the girl’s throat as she cried, thrashed and begged for her life beneath him. His hand was trembling. In the end, he simply rose, deciding he could not do it. “The first mistake,” God’s gentle voice said his tone grim but not accusatory. “Those with such darkness inside of them, such hellish taint, can only be saved by death; the soul splits in two and the human half will Rise to eternal rest. The demonic half will die. It is a just, peaceful reward for these tortured beings. But you chose to try and save her through kindness.”



The scene then changed to Zerah sheathing his weapon, and healing the very wounds he inflicted on her. She was confused, and fled from him. The scene then began to rapidly change.



It pictured past Zerah watching the girl over many years try to navigate life, unable to let her go. God forgave him for letting her go, and decided to give him time to do what was right. These conversations with Him were also broadcast, God’s calming voice echoing from the strange dreamlike scene that sent all these memories flooding back to Zerah.



However, after watching her struggle and suffer at the hands of many horrible calamities, and then begin to turn down a very dark path herself, past Zerah was then seen appearing before her in his full Angelic glory to intervene. “The second mistake… and the last before your fall…” God said, as the scene changed to many more appearances, the woman’s demeanor slowly changing each time until, in one scene, she was seen kissing him. Zerah remembered the feelingof being in mortal love, then; it would’ve made him smile until the scene changed one last time.



This time, she had snapped: the darkness had finally surfaced in her after learning what she was, and that Zerah’s love for her was born of pity. It was as if giving into a desire for the antagonist to her Demon blood had riled it. Zerah ran from her after realizing words would do nothing, then, vowing not to hurt her. He found himself running from his duties as an angel as well, then, and God then decided all was lost for him. A group of angels led by Seraphim Indara then captured them both, bringing them to God for judgment. The girl was executed, her soul sent to live in heaven as promised. Zerah, however, had broken the code, and now that he was before God, he knew what would befall him. The memories ceased playing as he saw himself falling from heaven without the wings to fly back up, then appearing on earth’s surface, lost and alone- the first thing he remembered until just now.

“Let it take time to sink in, child… you musn’t lament yourself nor anything that happened. You simply must learn, and understand. You will be fighting amongst many, but as an angel, you must have your love available for all good beings of earth, and to ensure this you must guard your heart… you musn’t allow yourself to fall again, or this time there will be no going back. You may stay here to collect as long as you wish, child… but come morning you must report to Archangel Tyriel. I am grateful to have you back, my child.”

With this, God’s voice faded, and Zerah was left in the bright golden-white expanse again, indescribably beautiful and filled with that warmth, invaluable in helping him cope with his memories.
---
Above the gates of heaven, anotherAngel flew over, one of lower rank this time, adn announced to all those gathered that they kindly wished everyone still gathered outside, including Orthrus and Tyra, would enter the hotel and rest as it was close to Earth's midnight now. Whilst everyone including even the odd wolfkind-and-vampire duo began fling towards the hotel besides those being healed and Chase, who was being flagged down by an angel, another of the angel healers spotted a human woman who seemed to still be standing by, looking around with a rather annoyed expression. A nearby Angel healer then approached Beckah to ensure she cooperated ah and kindly as he could. “Ma’am, we kindly ask that you get some rest. You must be as exhausted as the others. We’ve a room waiting for you.” His tone was kind, but it was clear that he was imploring her to go. Several other angels stood by just in case she caused a scene- not to use force, but mostly to ensure their calming aura had an affect on her. No matter how ticked off she might’ve been, she would still feel this calm slowly spreading over her the longer she stayed here, and it was very pleasant indeed.


(aight peeps, take as many posts as ya need to finish up any interactions ya wanna have with nearby characters and get your charries to a room. My next post will move thangs along to the next morning so that the real fun can vury vury soon begin :3 Ya’ll deserve dis mega text-wall x3). PanOtterPus Aukanai Rustic Daniel Reaving Halexia

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Viriel
Viriel was a little surprised at how ill equip this handsome angel was to deal with her. She knew the instant he had faltered and planned to use it. Though she did have to admit this angel was pretty cute when he blushed she didn't vocalize it as she sat there watching him. He spoke of questioning her and showed her his gauntlet that would torture her if she didn't cooperate and his chest plate which both made her cower back a little but she still sat where she was knowing of each dirty thought that ran through his mind. As he stepped into the cell she smirked slightly and adjusted herself a little all the while doing it in a way that exemplified the parts he wanted and only made them look more appealing. She knew how angels worked all to well. they were servants of a pure being but there minds still heald the instincts every male creature had, the instinct to mate with one of the opposite gender. On top of that Angels were beings of care, and compassion. They run to any who plead for help from them, which was good for Viriel as she listened to him. As he thrusted the gauntlet at her once more she sprang into action.

Quickly she flinched back turning her head away from the angel. "Please don't hurt me!" She cried out with fear in her her voice. "I dont want to feel anymore pain. Aeshma is a cruel and vile being. All he does is violate me and hurt me." She said as she sobbed a little some tears welling up in her eyes. She had a hunch that with those sentences alone she had him hooked though she knew she had to continue to get him. "Please? you wont hurt me right? I know you angels. Your all sweet and caring. I don't want to feel this hate anymore. Please don't hurt me with that gauntlet?" She begged as she turned her gaze to the gauntlet and stared at it with horror before turning her gaze up to him. There she locked her eyes with him and gave him the act of the century. The expression on her face showed pure fear and sadness and a want for him to show her something other than hate as she pleaded him to not hurt her. Tears welled up at the edges of her eyes as she stared into his still. "Please all I want is to feel the warmth of someone else. All ive ever known is cruelty and pain. Please?" She begged once more before she shivered a little and looked away from him as the tears gently rolled down her cheeks. "I know what I am. I know what you think of me. But shouldn't even someone like me get to feel what its like to be loved by someone?" She asked. Then an idea popped into her head. A sinister, evil, absolutely amazing idea. Slowly she drew her aura back into her making it look as if the combination of his gauntlet, armor, and the chains had weakened her aura and broken it. Smoke began to rise from her wrists as she winced in pain. Turning her head away from his direction as smoke started to rise from her face as all the holy objects started to eat at her. God the pain hurt like hell but she could deal as more tears strew down her face. "i don't want to feel anymore pain." She muttered in a tone of defeat. "Please make the pain stop? Ill tell you everything. Ill even tell you how to get into hell if you please..... Just make it stop?" She pleaded as she started to struggle a little against the chains only making more smoke rise from her wrists as the sound of singeing skin started to come from her arms as the chains bored deeper into her. Pulling her head back more from him to try and get away from his armor and gauntlet she soon moved herself into one of the corners of the cell to try and get away from his armor.

A gentle weeping came from Viriel as the scene played out perfectly. Everything she said, every movement she made played perfectly to the angels always dire sense to help those in pain and who are suffering, as a small added bonus the way she moved only appealed to the male instincts more though it was unnoticeable that she was doing it all on purpose. Hell her act even fooled some of the underlings as roars of rage echoed out from other cells. even the word traitor here and there as other demons believed she hated Aeshma. Everything had played out perfectly for her in her eyes. the hole scene said she wanted to stop the pain, said she wanted to be shown kindness and care by this angel that sat in the cell with her. She knew right now appealing to his male urges would get no where. first she had to appeal to his morals and feelings before she went after his body and heart.​

 

[Rustic]

Chase ran as fast as he could carry himself away, pushing back any supernatural in his way with prejudice as he felt their repulsive, unnatural features brushing up against his skin. All of the crushingly disparaging thoughts he'd been suppressing unexpectedly began to run free in his head. Why did he think he could make friends in the first place? Why did he think he could like it in a place like this? And why would he ever volunteer to he let himself look like this - like one of these disgusting monsters? He didn't know how he could've been so, so wrong about everything he'd been doing to this point, but this quickly sinking despair felt like a fair price to for his hastiness. Even in the peaceful atmosphere of this place, his heart was still beating like a jackhammer. There was nowhere for him to cool off what what felt like enemies on his every side, and not a single place of respite as far as he could see. To add insult to injury, and to make his growing anxiety even worse, he didn't even feel like he could fall back on who he'd came with to feel secure, because nothing good was waiting for him there, either. Not that going back would help him right now anyway. Doing so would only admit and exacerbate the feeling welling up in him that was getting so much bigger than the others, enough to blot them out, and it was the only one truly couldn't stand: vulnerability. It was like he was being hunted.

His consuming, choking anger and desperation at his circumstances only worsened as he continued to scramble forward, despite the fact that he had ran in the first place to try and feel better about all of this. He had wanted to run somewhere, but now it only felt like he was running from something. Which made him feel stupid for leaving the others like he had, and stupid for ending up like this so quickly like he always did, which in turn, made all his confusing and conflicting emotions all the worse. He was nearly on the verge of doing hasty when ahead of him an angel unexpectedly decided to step in the way of his path. An angel he reflexively considered barreling over. He was not prepared to be stopped now, not by anyone or anything. The only thing that forced him to slow was the angel's overwhelming height and stature; Chase could estimate offhandedly that, unfortunately, his own more diminutive size would not be able to take him down, or climb over him quickly enough. And because he seemed to have made sure there was no other way around him, Chase found himself forced to come to a skidding halt. But not without resistance.

"Stay back!" Chase fiercely demanded, practically shouting as his eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a feral snarl. His tailed flicked threateningly behind him, and he threw his arm out defiantly to the side in warning. His other hand, all the while, moved toward his pockets. The only reason he didn't immediately flick out his knives, was, again, the now infuriatingly placid aura. This particular angel seemed to be giving it off so harshly as to give his usual impulsiveness pause and his mind enough time to give the action further consideration. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew he had orders not to be doing supernaturals any harm, and this way powerful faction of angels had been helpful to them, in at least a waveringly trustworthy way. Everything pointed at this being something he shouldn't do, as strongly as he felt compelled to by his instincts. Instead, the compromise he made was a frantic attempt to scurry backwards. If he couldn't fight, the only alternative he had was to run, and nothing was going to stop him from doing that. Especially not this weird and vaguely sinister magic apparently attempting to pacify him. The angel, noticing Chase's distressed mood clearly from his face, subtly attempted to bridge the gap between them by quickly calling out to him before he bolted off again.

"Please. Just a moment," he said. Not that Chase noticed, but the angel's tone was, as well, acutely distressed, betraying, even under his stoic expression, his underlying concern. The angel could tell there was something disturbed in him that was going to require a sensitive touch, so he was careful in choosing how he went about presenting his next words. He tried very subtly draw closer, too, to not further startle the young man or any of the various frazzled onlookers of this scene.

"...Is there anything we could do to assist you?" the angel asked. Chase blinked, looking momentarily bewildered at the consideration before falling back to his defensive stance, teeth gritted.

"N-no," he stuttered out unsurely, his hands brushing across the hidden knife holsters in his outfit. He didn't know, really, since the answer forced it's way from his lips out of spite. What he did know is, despite having orders, if this angel guy got any closer, Chase was going to be forced to nail him, no matter what. He really could not handle this right now. The angel frowned, wanting, but unable to, back down. A thought occurred to him that both worried and saddened him: a fear that he might not be able alleviate this situation calmly. This young man just looked to be scared, after all, and he certainly didn't want to cause anymore distress unnecessarily. Thankfully, though, things quickly clicked into place for him. Telepathically, another group of angels had something to tell him that steeled him again, and with that information, he decided to change his approach.

"Well..." he trailed out coolly, cautiously. "Someone has arrived for you, if I'm not mistaken."

"Arrived...?" Chase parroted back in the same tone. As in, had just gotten here? Which meant it was a human that wasn't Caroline, Fifer, or Gabriel? He finally hesitated, his narrowed, suspicious eyes widening with hesitant confusion. The angel smiled reassuringly in response, happy to see him backing away from the edge, if even a little. To further try and deescalate the situation, the man continued to softly coax him.

"I can take you to them, if you'd like," he offered. Chase's eyes shifted away. Chase didn't like the sound of that. Maybe it was just his general distrust of the unearthly, but it was incredibly suspicious this angel had just shown up the second he fell away from the rest of the group. But, on the other hand... whoever it was could be someone he knew. Anyone familiar would be enough, but it could even be one of the Naves, even Heath... and he certainly couldn't leave any of them here alone.

The angel was hopeful he had sufficiently diffused the situation, and so extended a hand out toward Chase slowly, but even that benign gesture made Chase scowl and back away a bit. He refused to be afraid, but even more than that, he refused to be trapped. Wherever this guy was leading him, he was going to stay a safe distance away, where Chase would have a head start, if he needed one. That said, his incredibly tense posture slackened once the angel did not insist, and after a moment, he stiffly nodded, letting his dejected face soften with reluctant resignation. He didn't have much of a choice, one way or another; this was the right thing to do, no matter how it turned out. And, if he admitted it to himself again, running off hadn't been the best idea, anyway. He didn't want to be alone here right now if he could help it. So, once the angel turned to begin to lead a path forward, Chase began to trail behind, silently grateful, in the wake the angel made in the crowd around, that he would no longer have to force his way by.

His eyes were still alert as they walked, however; he still felt he had to be on the lookout for any signs that the angel guiding him had not been telling him the truth. That suspicion did seem to be thankfully unwarranted, though, since it did not take long for the two of them to reach their promised destination. They found themselves in a small clearing, where, just as the angel had said, a young woman with no obviously abnormal traits was starting to be surrounded by a cavalcade of other angels, all eyeing her warily. He certainly would've thought to believe she was a hunter because of this display, even if he hadn't recognized her, but as he approached her, he figured he might. As the angel who had been leading him fell back beside his brethren, Chase eyed her over, almost unsure whether or not to believe she was real. But then, here she was.

"Wait..." he suddenly said, his disguise's dog ears perking up in recognition. "You're... Beckah, huh?" The name took effort to dredge up, but he managed. He was bad at remembering most things, but he was no slouch at identifying hunters. He admired them all, even if the good will wasn't so mutual. How she herself felt about him, however, he did not know. He was at least vaguely aware he didn't have the best reputation, so maybe she already thought he was some sort of freak... but maybe not. Despite his still sullen, touchy mood, he tiredly smiled at her, and extended one of his scarred hands for her to shake if she wanted. He wanted to make a good impression, regardless.

"I'm Chase, if you didn't know," he said weakly, but warmly. Most hunters did know that - him being the son of the guy that wrote their checks and being somewhat infamous in his own right for the way he hunted - but it never hurt to be polite.

"This guy here-" he pointed to one of the angels, and then readjusted his finger toward the angel that led him here upon remembering which of them it'd actually been, "said you came for us?" He phrased it like it was a question, but it wasn't. He knew this already. But that question was leading to an assertion - one he felt it was more important that she hear.

"I guess that means we should stick together for a bit, then," he said. In an attempt at his usual jovial voice, but still obviously hinting at something running a little deeper. In that regard, he gave a fleeting glance toward the angels around them and then started at her a little more pointedly. If she didn't want to hang around him, that was fine enough - people rarely did - but he wasn't planning on sticking around otherwise. And, in the back of his mind, he trepidatiously wondered how friendly these many angels would be if either of them tried striking out on their own again.

Halexia

 

[Rustic]

Naomi reluctantly lifted herself up from Xaira's side with a small sigh. Another unimaginably perfect evening between them had come and passed. It had surprised her every time she had thought so these past few days, but the thought crosses her mind again that no time spent with Xaira really felt like enough. It was curious but lovely thing to think, in a way that made her giddy everytime. However, she had to leave her lovesickness behind for a moment to explore the new matters at hand for them. She brushed a hand through her short and untidy hair thoughtfully to Xaira's concerns, but in the end, hearing her girlfriend's thoughts about her sisters' states could only elicit a light, amused giggle. She looked a little hesitant to speak for a moment, but eventually, she gave what was her immediate thought to the subject anyway.

"I mean, it it wasn't us, it would've been them..." she slyly commented, giving a shyly amused glance. Though, really, the excuse was clearly just a joke. It was an honest joke, but saying it didn't mean she had no intention about doing something about it. She just wasn't especially concerned, considering... well, this wasn't the first mess of this sort her and her sisters had had to clean up together. In any event, Xaira's other trouble with the situation caused her to purse her lips a little carefully. That was also something she wasn't especially concerned with, but... how to put it...?

"About that..." she coughed, jumping right in. "They'll find their way back without our help." She placed a hand lightly on Xaira's shoulder in slight embarrassment. "I was going to tell you we might need to wrap it up soon, anyway." Frankly... the implication here was what it sounded like. She could imagine her sisters would not have any problem coming back if they felt she was taking a little long. They'd been considerate in waiting as long as they had, bless them, but Naomi knew for a fact they'd find such a prospect deserved and hilarious for her hoarding their room in the first place, and that fact was another good reason she didn't want them coming back to such a mess. She wouldn't even normally be so modest about it, but... well, it seemed like, with Xaira, everything felt a little different. She didn't question her feelings on the subject - just made her agreement to the general sentiment that Xaira was expressing otherwise obvious before starting to get to her feet. She was given pause, though, when Xaira began to express something else to her that she hadn't been expected. She turned back curiously to listen, before her expression melted with warmth.

"Aww, really...?" she asked. She placed a hand over her heart fondly. "That's adorable. A tanuki." She sighed affectionately at the thought. A tanuki was already special enough - mischievous shapeshifters spoke to something close to her own heart, unsurprisingly - but she was like a sister of Xaira's? That was so precious. A big brave dragon and a small, cute tanuki. Not only that, but if she was honest with herself, she had been a little disappointed to hear she wouldn't be getting to meet any of Xaira's family anytime soon, so this was a comfort, to know there there was at least someone significant to Xaira that Naomi could greet. Family said so much about people, after all. What would she learn about Xaira from Mihn, she wondered? There was really only one way to find out. She moved her hand from her heart and waved it, as if to dismiss her girlfriend's concern.

"I understand. And I don't mind at all," she said firmly. To that point, she readjusted her tights and her corset a little as she finally rose to her feet, ready for today's round two. She had thought, in reaching Heaven and this hotel, that there could be nowhere further for this wild day to take them, but apparently, fate had other plans. Which was perfectly fine. She had plenty of energy from the hours they'd spent amorously, but beyond even that, she was just ready. She stretched out a little before turning to reach out her hand to her girlfriend with warm grin. Anywhere, any pace - as long as they were together, she felt like she'd always be ready.

"Let's get to it," she said, nodding resolutely. "Today's a good day to be with family."

DergTheDergon

 

[Aukanai]

MIHN KRIPT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE TRICKY TANUKI

Of course she had been scared - and yet, the word ‘scared’ was a severe understatement. But, when green met blue, she found something comforting in the angel’s eyes. Something that so quickly stripped away her fear, leaving her in such an eased state. And, it was something that she wanted to take grasp off.

When she did tuck herself tightly against the angel’s own figure, there was a certain warmth about it. That it distracted her mind elsewhere, where she might have blocked out the words spoken. If it were not for the angel’s actions, Mihn might have wandered too far into her own mind.

While she might stayed contently as she was now, feeling herself no longer on solid ground she would have quickly glanced up to discover that they were flying.

In any other situation, Mihn might have found it a fun and thrilling experience. But with demons trying to kill them in the process, she was a lot less excitable about the whole situation. In such a case, not being where she felt most secure - on the ground - was just increasing the tanuki’s stress. With that obvious fact being noted in the way her delicate hands seems to grasp desperately onto the angel’s shoulders, her eyes locked downwards at the earthly surface they were ascending away from.

But Mihn wasn’t stupid. No matter how badly she wanted to be standing back on her feet again, she knew jumping from the angel’s arms would end with a bad result. On the second hand, asking to be put back down also seems to be an illogical decision, with those demons swarming the place.

Yet, it wasn’t long until she was put down. With a blast of white, the entirety of her fear and stress seemed to wash away.

This was the oh so glorious heaven.

It was even more beautiful than Mihn’s wildest dreams. Not that, she ever seemed to dream of particularly beautiful things. It was just, heaven itself was stunning enough to leave the usual talkative tanuki speechless.

Or maybe that was the angel’s fault.

Her gaze wandered back to his face, seeming to have similar thoughts running through her mind. Though it’s not the first time she has gazed upon one and thought they were rather attractive from first glance. But, it’s then, that Mihn finds herself becoming deeply fascinated by him.

She herself was not disturbed in the last by the closeness of which the two of them were standing, rather Mihn was silently savouring it. Yet, as she gazed at the unique blue of his eyes, she could briefly notice the change in the angel, with the way he seemed to glance off to the side.

Had she caused him trouble? Had she done something wrong?

If she were anyone else, she might have lingered on the thought. This was Mihn, however. A girl that very rarely pondered consequences or dwelled on regrets. So what if she had? She’d deal with the issue in a passing wave. Right now, it didn’t seem to be much of one.

Or rather, just hearing the angel speak of his name was enough to distract her away from her thoughts. Hearing it seemed to make her beam, a smile quickly flicking into place.

“Emanuel…” mumbled out in repeat, Mihn glanced off in thought as she had tested out this new name in her own voice. It would have seemed she liked the way it sounded, just by the way her smile stretched wider.

In such a state, she might have forgotten to introduce herself in return if it were not for Emanuel’s question.

“It’s Mihn,” she seemed to almost sing it out, feeling rather excitable about being around Emanuel.

However, that excitement was short lived as Mihn glanced around, her spirits seemed to die down again. The whole situation was still a bit daunting, even if she was in heaven, where there were plenty of angels around to ensure her safety. But, she couldn’t see anyone she really knew, and surely Emanuel was due to depart too. At this, her lips slanted into a frown.

“Ah…what do I do now?” Mihn mumbled, not yet turning back to face Emanuel. “Will you leave too?”

Status​

currently interacting with emanuel and seeming to really like him, however she seems to be rather nervous about being left alone. at this point, she is most likely hoping emanuel will stay with her until she finds xaira. // emanuel has already healed her, but she seemed to still have signs of a physical strain.​

Spoiler: mobile

Of course she had been scared - and yet, the word ‘scared’ was a severe understatement. But, when green met blue, she found something comforting in the angel’s eyes. Something that so quickly stripped away her fear, leaving her in such an eased state. And, it was something that she wanted to take grasp off.

When she did tuck herself tightly against the angel’s own figure, there was a certain warmth about it. That it distracted her mind elsewhere, where she might have blocked out the words spoken. If it were not for the angel’s actions, Mihn might have wandered too far into her own mind.

While she might stayed contently as she was now, feeling herself no longer on solid ground she would have quickly glanced up to discover that they were flying.

In any other situation, Mihn might have found it a fun and thrilling experience. But with demons trying to kill them in the process, she was a lot less excitable about the whole situation. In such a case, not being where she felt most secure - on the ground - was just increasing the tanuki’s stress. With that obvious fact being noted in the way her delicate hands seems to grasp desperately onto the angel’s shoulders, her eyes locked downwards at the earthly surface they were ascending away from.

But Mihn wasn’t stupid. No matter how badly she wanted to be standing back on her feet again, she knew jumping from the angel’s arms would end with a bad result. On the second hand, asking to be put back down also seems to be an illogical decision, with those demons swarming the place.

Yet, it wasn’t long until she was put down. With a blast of white, the entirety of her fear and stress seemed to wash away.

This was the oh so glorious heaven.

It was even more beautiful than Mihn’s wildest dreams. Not that, she ever seemed to dream of particularly beautiful things. It was just, heaven itself was stunning enough to leave the usual talkative tanuki speechless.

Or maybe that was the angel’s fault.

Her gaze wandered back to his face, seeming to have similar thoughts running through her mind. Though it’s not the first time she has gazed upon one and thought they were rather attractive from first glance. But, it’s then, that Mihn finds herself becoming deeply fascinated by him.

She herself was not disturbed in the last by the closeness of which the two of them were standing, rather Mihn was silently savouring it. Yet, as she gazed at the unique blue of his eyes, she could briefly notice the change in the angel, with the way he seemed to glance off to the side.

Had she caused him trouble? Had she done something wrong?

If she were anyone else, she might have lingered on the thought. This was Mihn, however. A girl that very rarely pondered consequences or dwelled on regrets. So what if she had? She’d deal with the issue in a passing wave. Right now, it didn’t seem to be much of one.

Or rather, just hearing the angel speak of his name was enough to distract her away from her thoughts. Hearing it seemed to make her beam, a smile quickly flicking into place.

“Emanuel…” mumbled out in repeat, Mihn glanced off in thought as she had tested out this new name in her own voice. It would have seemed she liked the way it sounded, just by the way her smile stretched wider.

In such a state, she might have forgotten to introduce herself in return if it were not for Emanuel’s question.

“It’s Mihn,” she seemed to almost sing it out, feeling rather excitable about being around Emanuel.

However, that excitement was short lived as Mihn glanced around, her spirits seemed to die down again. The whole situation was still a bit daunting, even if she was in heaven, where there were plenty of angels around to ensure her safety. But, she couldn’t see anyone she really knew, and surely Emanuel was due to depart too. At this, her lips slanted into a frown.

“Ah…what do I do now?” Mihn mumbled, not yet turning back to face Emanuel. “Will you leave too?”

 

[DergTheDergon]

As the Demoness before him reeled back, Tyrellius froze for a moment. Her cowering reminded him of the many moments in the past wherein he’d found himself face-to-face with a Demon showing fear, sadness, even remorse, because they knew it was all over. Many had thought that Demons were incapable of showing such emotions, unless they see, as Tyrellius had many times over, a Demon faced with complete and imminent non-existence. After all, Demons, like Angels, ceased to exist after death. They are at once flesh, and made near-entirely of light in the case of Angels, and dark in the case of demons. Many a death, all his own doing, raced through his mind as the Succubus put on her display of great pain. Consciously, he knew it was very likely indeed that she was toying with him, as that tended to be the name of every Lust Demon’s game in his experience. Subconsciously, however, there was within him an empathy for all the creatures of dark he’d personally killed, which Viriel had done an excellent job of bringing to the surface, her act becoming more effective with every word she spoke and expression of pain she conveyed.
However, he did not show this inner conflict of his at first; his arms crossed, he met Viriel’s eyes with a cold and knowing expression, shaking his head at her first plea to him. He was nearly able to keep his composure for the entirety of her act, but when she backed away and then made it clear just how much real pain she was actually in at the moment as the finale to it, she’d managed to make him cave.
With a deep sigh, Tyrellius met her eyes, compassion and regret clearly shown in his faintly glowing blue eyes, though trepidation notably shared space with those emotions born of all living beings. The fact was, despite being essentially made of sin, creatures such as Virel were also living beings. These thoughts made him take a deep breath before slowly lowering his outstretched hand, her genuine screams and tears causing him enough pause to genuinely question his own morals, the morals pod a supposedly pure being of light. Even angels could fall though, and thus he found himself very afraid that the kinder course of action he was about to take could lead him toward falling himself; yet, he was more afraid of causing any more pain to Veriel so as to cause enough pain to make yet another Demon to break completely, which is an amount God would consider unforgivable were it inflicted upon any other being.
After a long few moments of these conflicted thoughts running through his head, he finally reached a resolution, looking deep into Viriel’s eyes with an even mix of compassion and mistrust. Slowly, he lowered the gauntlet back to his side, ready to raise it again should she so much as flinch.
Pausing for a long moment as he looked over her face, he then mustered as steer a tone a expression a as he could despite her display, and took a deep breath. What he had decided to do just a moment ago was monumentally risky, but if it worked, it would ensure he could keep her in check without having to further hurt her. As he spoke up, his voice was projected in a tone made up of equal parts gentleness a sternness, as if he was a protective father giving his daughter a protective
“I will not harm you so long as I do not feel any increase in your powers, and you do not move. However,” he began, carefully taking off one of his gauntlets and placing it in front of the cell door, “I will have to touch you to ensure you don’t take advantage of this situation. I must take caution for the sake of all. It won’t hurt, it’s just a simple spell. All it will do is allow me to suppresses your powers, and allow me to choose who, if anyone, is affected by them. I promise I've no ill intent.”
At that, Tyrellius then proceeded to make it as clear to Viriel as he possibly could that he was being honest by approaching her slowly, no sudden moves, his still gauntlet-covered hand relaxed at his side annular his now bare hand reached towards her. This was risky, and she’d likely be able to tell that he was very nervous indeed. ‘Why am I taking this risk with such a powerful foe?’ he asked himself mentally, all the while knowing the answer.
Daniel Reaving

 

[Rustic]

Zerah caught his breath as Seraphim Indara spoke, and bowed his head with modesty... and melancholy. The air between them, even in this idyllic space, was mournful and tense, quietly venerate of something lost. He wondered offhandedly, as he looked back to her, if that uneasiness he felt was solely his own; stemming from his acknowledgement of the gravity of the events that had passed without a true understanding of them. Once she spoke, however, that idea felt wrong. He could hear the same slow drawl in her words that he'd been making before. One of someone selecting, and leaving out, select thoughts. As if there was something she felt compelled not to tell him. He kept his face as it was - solemn and unflinching to the events ahead - but her warning only made his heart begin to race. Not because of what she saying, the things he knew he could not be prepared for, but of what she might not be. What she said next, once her silence had ended and she confirmed his suspicion, kicked up further waves in his already swirling thoughts.

His eyes blinked with shock, but still, he continued his unbroken march behind her. His mouth stayed a thin, dutiful line. But he hadn't expected to hear anything like this; he hadn't ever conceived that there could possibility that he have been... blameless, in some way. At any other moment, he was sure information could have shaken him to his core - and maybe that was what it was doing, unbeknownst to him. Yet, all he knew was that he couldn't feel it. Everything in him felt lost in the uncertain future. Maybe that was his mind's way of attempting to keep his vital composure in tact, or maybe something in him knew that, in a few minutes, this information would be irrelevant anyway. He'd know the truth soon enough. Regardless, all he could do was nod respectfully in acknowledgement of the advice she had given otherwise, and attempt to pursue it, as best as he could without understanding it's meaning. It was the least he could do, obviously, but it was the most as well, as he found himself with without even words for a response. Embarassing, maybe, but... what was, was.

As the two of them ascended ever upward, at least, he found his silence was likely for the best. What she said next only further drove him into his determined daze to stay together. He could understand the importance the rarity of being given a second chance held, but just the fact that he was even here at all, being given this chance at all, he felt already every bit as reverent and anxious as he could possibly be. Which was saying a lot, because as a general rule, he was always plenty of both. The same didn't seem as though it could be said for Seraphim Indara, though, and for that he was quietly grateful. He didn't feel much warmth from her, even as she spoke kindly, but he could understand that. He appreciated it, even. If he admitted to himself, he preferred her caution, her overall detachment from this result; he wouldn't have found much comfort in open arms right now. It hardly fit the purpose for why he traveling. He was to receive an act of mercy, after all, and not a miracle. Failure, forgiven or otherwise, was hardly something to celebrate.

And so, the two of them proceeded in their procession in their comfortably tense silence until they had arrived. In front of them a perfectly modeled archway, concealed by a light so bright it could reveal nothing beyond. A baser panic told him, as they stopped here, that this had come too soon, that he still might not be ready, but his more focused mindset hurriedly smothered that concern. Or maybe it was the aura that this gate that had done so? He could feel a wave of peace coming from it so much more natural and clean than he'd ever known. He took a long, deep breath in it's soft, inviting glow, and finally found himself able to comfortably meet the eys of the angelic guide he'd been accompanying. He gave one last resolute nod to her parting words... and a small, appreciative smile in return to the one she gave him. Even just as a niceity, it was appreciated; it helped at a moment like this. And then, for a few moments, he could only began her trek back down. The way the overwhelming light of the gate faded way from her features, and she disappeared into the architecture below. Which left him alone. Steps away from... everything. From fate. There was no point in delay, he knew. Here, or there, he was with God. The archway was only a formality, a pleasantry. So, he walked forward.

The contrast of the two planes was something almost indescribable, like life and death. A world of light and sound and variation around him instantly transitioning into an absence of any sensation at all. It was a world of blinding white, where there could seem to be nothing, but his faith could not be fooled. In a voice that he did not hear, but which innately was, God 'spoke' without volume, at every point. This realm, as imposing and alien as it's featurelessness should be, felt overwhelmingly 'right' to him. Like he'd never been anywhere else. His hand fell calmly over his heart, somehow beating so sedately as it cried out with a sudden flood of his love and adoration. He was really here. His eyes serenely lidded as he stared out into the space ahead, and even with the alarming information shared regarding Deepvale, the only home he currently knew, he could only nod. His anxieties washed away, he could truly feel an implicit trust for God's plan for the future, more secure than he ever had. It was.. good. It was absolutely, perfectly good.

God had been so, so kind in giving him such a moment of rest, but the issue at hand had absolutely had to be addressed, and when the slate of white around him was wiped clean to instantly reveal a new world, he knew it was time to start. Like the transition before, it was another sudden jolt; this time literally, as his heart went from almost still to beating out of his chest in an instant. His eyes forced themselves wide to adjust to the scene in front of him; that of himself, or the man he had been, standing over a young girl. He knew - he could feel - what this without having to wonder. It was there, in his mind's eye, like he was experiencing it for himself now. He could feel how tired he was here, standing over this girl. How desolate he'd become, fighting such a long, bloody battle. This battlefield had become such a wretched place. The little emotion he could muster past his exhaustion was dirty; marred by short-sighted anger and fury. Righteous, hungry for retribution for the soft, ripped feathers strewn around, stained by unholy, blackened blood. He couldn't have imagined being capable of an anger that ran so deep, but even in only feeling this memory, it pervaded his very esscence.

Neither him, nor his past self, then, could understand his hesitation as he stood over this girl. Just one more, and this nightmare would finally be at it's end. But his past's self's eyes were frozen. He was filled with so much emotion; any of the ones he was feeling could've spurred him on. But the one that stilled him, the one that caused him to hesitate, he couldn't understand. His hands trembled as she looked at him. She didn't thrash or spit or curse or scream like all the rest. She was crying - really crying. In confusion, in desperation, and in helplessness. As Zerah watched his past self, looked into these same eyes, he knew. Amidst all of this abject suffering, he hadn't been able to stand it. His past self couldn't bear in that moment the thought of taking another life, let alone one which still clung so innocently to it. Not even then.

God knew as well. Zerah's fragile heart, even now, wrestled with the lingering emotions of this memory. But in His infinite wisdom, this moment was clear, and he reminded Zerah of the truth of it. This act had been a mistake. Zerah knew this, and with the reassurance, he knew he could accept it, as painful a truth as it felt, even now. He felt his heart sink as he continued through the vestiges of this memory afterwards; the naive way his past self cut open and poured his heart's light into saving this girl, giving away what was not his to give. Thinking, all the while, that this might heal the wound of this day in his soul. Unaware he was only bleeding himself deeper.

The scene passed from him, and gave way to a wider collection; brief snippets in his field of view, but all giving him so much more than sensation alone. As they went by, they became a part of himself, too, like they had already been there. Like they had never been lost to him at all. Slowly, through this, he felt like he was somehow coming to a deeper understanding. These memories unfurling in front of him were an image coming into focus; the person he was in the memories, with every new scenario imprinted into his mind, felt more like himself. Not like being subsumed, or like he was 'rebecoming' something, but like the amnesiac he was, the angel he had always been, were both now 'him'. And that 'him' could see the inevitable ending to these events. The dramatic irony of it sickened him as he watched, and yet, he could only fall deeper, to finally face and rise above this long and truly malignant sin.

Those feelings grew and grew until they climaxed here, and these final moments. His final mistake. The girl from before him had become so different now, and yet, she was still all too familiar. She been through so much, but her vibrantly blue eyes remained, still begged for his mercy as they had so many years ago now. It had been so long, but she touched a hand to his trembling skin again, and pleaded with him in that same desperate way. After all of these memories, Zerah could feel it; his past self's heart had become so much more weak. Angels were supposed to be eternal, and yet, the man he was had spent years stitching and draining and bleeding his faith and his belief. He was so tired. He wanted this, he thought; he wanted anything to save him them from their misery. She needed this, she'd said, so he needed it too. So, in that moment, he finally surrendered. His past self closed his eyes, and let happen what he'd been simultaneously fighting for and against for so long. His lips parted for hers, and she kissed him as hard as she could, waiting to feel his passion, longing for the fight he'd promised in this life they'd chosen together. He let her.

Why? He had spent so long in pain, in longing. And yet, this was all he could do. Just...submission. He still felt his love, even as an onlooker. He felt it so despairingly deep that it stabbed through his stomach with guilt and choking him with every breath he breathed near her. But that wasn't what she wanted from him. And this had never been what he'd wanted from her. As she slowly parted from his past self, her confused, blue eyes looked furiously to his, and finally began to piece together for herself of what both his selves were just now coming to understand.

His soul was young. Too young, and too naive, to truly understand the nature of longing. To understand the difference between a want of a person, and the want of a feeling, or an experience. He had chased after her for so long, believing she would be remedy to the ache of his soul, without thinking twice if this eventuality was something he really wanted. He'd taken it for granted. He loved her, truly, and he'd thought that was enough. But he knew now, he'd never wanted her for himself. He'd just wanted her to be happy. He had put the idea in his head, in both of their heads, that by being together, they could make each other finally happy. She had trusted him, too, worked her own exhausted heart to this point to attempt to find that hope for the future in him. And now that they were finally here, he could not even give her that.

This was all they had had left. He had irrevocably stained them both.

The next scene was the same scene, minutes later. In her coming to realize this, she had finally broken. He had been merely a spectator then, too, to her suffering; all of the triumphs she had experienced, and the heartache, he had only taken in secondhand. But in had been so much more for her, and now, it had all become too much. The war her soul saw a victor, and from her arose the demonic half that had been lying in wait. No matter how hard he screamed her name, no matter how much he begged for back, there was nothing he could do. Her mortal half succumbed, and there was nothing that he or anyone else could do to bring it back. There was only one recourse to this, and it was not one he was strong enough preform for her. Maybe, he had never been strong enough to, in the first place. It was truly a pathetic sight; he had brought her to this point, and now, he couldn't even put her out of her misery. In his anguish, he fled. Trying to escape the ending to this tragedy that he knew waited. A mortal world without her light. The rejection of the Lord and his brethren. The ending of 'himself', and the birth of an identity without memory or purpose. In the end, this had been for nothing.

The last scenes followed, showcasing the exact events he had feared, but the grief from the memory of losing his love, Mara, were left burned into his heart. He could hardly focus on anything that came after in holding back tears he refused to let come. He couldn't pity himself and this mistake he had made, as much as his soul implored him to properly grieve. After everything he'd seen, he did not feel blameless for this wandering of his faith. He could feel the stain he'd left on his souls again, that feeling like death in his heart. It was phantom pain; he knew his time wandering had him stronger than his past, given him perspective, but still, it threatened to overtake him, feeling too real. And yet, he still refused. He would not give himself over to it again.

The memories finally faded, back into the blinding white, and in his heart, God's echoing words soothed his soul. He caught the breath he hadn't realized he'd been gasping as the as peace sank into his being once again, and God's laid His wisdom clear. This feeling now was not a punishment - as excruciating as it was - but a reminder. A reminder of what an obsessive love of an individual would bring. Even if he found a love different from the ill-fated one he'd had for Mara, the end result would be the same. There was simply no room in an angel's heart for a love that could eclipse that for God. Now, more than ever, his service was too important, such longings for the ephemeral too much of a waste of the world's precious time. Despite his transgressions, God's trust was with him again, too. That was the one person he could trust, the only one that could calm wayward souls like his. The only thing he needed.

The intensity of the memory faded away like God's voice from his mind, but the ache of it remained. And with it, he was alone again. But this time, it was different. He was home. He finally felt as if he had returned. He could go to Tyriel, and the world in need of his service, soon. But right now, he had to take a moment here to face the man he was. His weakness. With his God. Here, in His presence, Zerah could finally take the time to rest, to recover the wounds he'd inflicted on himself once and for all. He could guard his heart in the hours he had left.

And in the morning, he would be stronger.

DergTheDergon

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Viriel

Though he showed no sign of the inner turmoil that went on within him she knew it was there and he was losing the battle. When she finished she knew it was all over. just a bit longer. Looking to him with tears streaming down her cheeks the smoke continued to rise from her body as the holy relics continued to eat away at her. As he spoke her eyes lit up with hope though her expression was still stuck on sadness and pain. As he spoke of keeping her in check with a small spell she mentally laughed at the notion. From what she saw he had no clue that spell had no effect on demons of lust. All she had to do was play it off that it worked. As he pulled his gauntlet off she flinched back a little afraid to be hit. Though when he spoke of it being for her good and reached out for her she hesitated. Looking from his hand to him before she leaned forward. Gently she placed her cheek into his hand. Closing her eyes softly as she took a deep breath in. Gently she pressed her cheek against his hand as she opened her eyes and locked eyes with him. The look she gave him was a pleading look as her energy seemingly disappeared entirely. An immediate screaming sound came from Viriels skin as there was no more power holding back the pain the smoke increased 10 fold and the syngeing sound only grew louder by the second as a look of utter pain and agony pain washed over her face. "Please?" She managed to whispered softly as she turned her face more into his hand her nose gently nuzzling it as she spoke her eyes closed as more tears fell from her eyes as she did all she could to keep her self from screaming in pain. "Please make the pain stop? Take the chains off please?" She begged in a tone of utter agony.

Slowly she crawled closer to him wanting him to remove the holy chains to at least relieve some of her pain. As she slid closer to him she hoped he would go as far as take his armor off so she could even hug him. Though it was a long shot she was hopeful. Keeping her eyes on his she soon found herself at his feet staring up at him. "Please?" She whispered softly before she leaned forward. Intending to press her forehead against his thy though when her forehead made contact an immediate screech of synging skin rang out from her forehead as she flinched back. It was all due to her putting her forehead against the holy thy plate he wore. Crawling back a little she looked away trying to hide her face now. Though after a second she looked to him and revealed the massive scorch mark that now marked her forehead. It had already started to heal up but it was clearly slow and would take a while to heal back up. A small sacrifice for a possibly great reward. She had done this in hopes that he would remove the massive chest piece at least. so she could hold onto him maybe even more if she played the cards right.

Though her ideas started to change. As she thought of the situation she couldn't help but feel she could use this situation to her advantage. Having an angel that could possibly be in love with her was bound to be able to be used to her advantage. But for now she just wanted these holy objects to go away so she could feel the warmth of someone else against her. Locking eyes with him once more she gave one last plead to him. "Please make the pain stop? Get rid of the holy objects please? Ill do anything for this pain to stop." She said as she leaned up to him. It was clear by her actions she wanted to feel loving gestures. And it was clear she wanted to feel those gestures from him. Though at this point it was all on him of what would happen next. She had done all to persuade him so now all she could do is wait and see if he would stop the pain his armor and the chains were causing her.​

 

[Halexia]

Beckah looked at the Angel approaching her, his voice was kindly and there was something soothing about it that had disarmed her and made her anger dissapate, she looked around and noticed all the other Angels who, although at a distance, were surrounding the huntress. Normally upon being surrounded Beckah would have reached for her sword but something was stopping her, she sighed and held her hands up in a surrender type motion "Don't worry friend" she said softly "you've bought me to Heaven and causing trouble here would hardly be appropriate would it? You have my word I shall behave."

Beckah heard her name and turned quickly towards the sound with refexes born of her training, she was constantly vigillant and prepared for an attack at any moment "yeah, I'm Beckah" she said cautiously to the young man now approaching her. When he identified himself as Chase she stopped for a moment trying to recall where she had heard the name before, it finally dawned on her that Chase was on her assignment papers as one of the points of contact "finally, Chase hi" her demeanor changed instantly and she laughed more in relief than anything else, she was no longer on her own up here having being flung head first into the battle she had not had chance to meet or even speak to any of her colleagues before now, "Sorry I apologise, I didn't mean to sound rude by laughing, relief just washed over me and it was my first instinct, pleased to finally meet you" she smiled and shook is hand before noticing something odd "although I have to admit I wasn't expecting you to have a tail" she stood back and took in his entire appearance "a disguise no doubt, and a very good one too if I may say so."

Now she had started talking Beckah seemed a lot more relaxed "yes" she said in response to what seemed like a question "yes I was assigned as a replacement for erm.." she took a list of vitsl information of her assignment out of her pocket and read the name "Caroline... I hope I am not treading on anyone's toes that is the last thing I want to do, I am sure me and her have very different techniques...maybe" upon Chase suggesting the pair stick together she nodded and smiled once more "ok, that sounds good to me."

DergTheDergon Rustic