Shadowess

done lol

I'll edit it

Ah wait, I goofed lol Shezmu has already met Abbadon

Sebastian tilted his head back instinctively and let out a sharp gasp as he felt Carter's fangs. Then he moaned as quietly as he could as he felt the venom rush through him, increasing every sensation that he felt, especially what he was doing with his hand. "Oh, yes!" he sighed. His body quaked from the ecstasy of it all, and he could barely contain himself as he ran his nails over Carter's back just hard enough to leave light scratches. --- "I enjoy working, Sire," Ellesse said, but she knew that wasn't the point he was making. She turned to Amelia and smiled. "I would love to come." "Great! I'll get back to you on the when and where. I gotta finish organising with Charles first. But thank you. I just know it would mean so much to Sara." Amelia vanished. --- Aunty Audrey hobbled into the shop from the back area and smiled at her granddaughter as she walked past. "Salem dear, be a petal and hang the lavender sprigs to dry before you go to your room," she called over to her, then turned to Blake. "Such a gentleman, bringing my Salem home safely. Thank you, young man. Kris got his bracelet, I take it?" --- Henderson stayed with the group as they took up formations, ready to storm the building. He kept Dick in his line of sight as much as he could. The dark impulse within urged him to run ahead of them and fire off a few rounds to draw the fire of the thugs in the building, but he thought back to his conversation with Dick. He didn't want to die. He knew it without question. So why was his every instinct screaming at him to take the most drastic, dangerous actions? He followed Will's lead. Only moving with the group on command as they surrounded the building and positioned themselves at all available entry points. Just waiting for Will's signal to storm in. --- "I suppose..." Lilly said uneasily as she peered through the trees. Of course, there was nothing to fear here. Lilly's instinct to be wary of the silence was brought about from her traumatic life back in her home world. When such a sudden lack of sound or wildlife would indicate the approach of a wraith. She continued to pick flowers, keeping them bunched in one of her hands while she frequently looked around with her senses on high alert. --- "Greif and fear can make people do some wild things when they don't know how to cope," Andi commented. "He was grieving for you. He was lost and alone in a strange world with what he perceived to be monsters who had killed his beloved in cold blood. You cannot blame him for behaving irrationally." --- "Please keep your voice down..." Raguel sighed as he lowered his good eye to the ground. "He's not a kid anymore. That was millennia ago." Raguel glanced to the next cell and wondered what Gabriel had meant, then realised. "Ah." he began hesitantly. "She escaped," he admitted. "And no, I had nothing to do with it. I know that would be hard to believe given my confession just now, but she has gone quite mad... and she despises me now. Rightly so..." he rubbed the side of his head as it ached. "I believe she's managed to make her way back to Hell. I had already alerted Hell's leaders to her escape before-... before my transgression." He clenched his jaw as he contemplated telling Gabriel who his and Lilith's son was. He was tempted to dodge the question because of the drama that would be sure to follow the reveal, but given his current position and Gabriel's knowledge already, there was little point in keeping it a secret any more. "You must swear to keep this to yourself. He doesn't even know, and I'm not sure how he would take the news." he began then hesitated again. He took a breath to steel himself. "Had you ever wondered why God had a particular distain for Naoutha? Why he made his life so difficult and punished him so harshly whenever he questioned Him?" --- They kissed like this a little longer, and gradually their passion built up until May pulled back to take his hand and brought him towards her bed. She walked around him so that the bed would be behind him, and she lightly pressed her hands on his shoulders to motion for him to sit on the bed. There she'd straddle him and kiss him again while grinding her hips against his a little. As they kissed, she reached over to grab the pack of condoms. [Private time] --- Feeling it was time that he saw more of this new world than the German Castle, Shezmu teleported to where he'd sensed the most activity from afterlife creatures. There was another motive to his venture. Warren was fine, but his blood alone wasn't enough to sate his thirst. He needed more options to choose from. Preferably a mixture of Angels and Demons. He knew that Devils were just as endangered as his own species currently, but if he would be able to convince a Devil to provide him a few drops of their blood every so often, he would be over the moon. He had managed to track the movements of a particular red-haired Devil, but as he drew closer, he picked up another scent. A hint of vampire blood in his system. Only a trace amount, but enough for Shezmu to pick up. Quickly, he realised that some clever vampire had managed to claim this Devil as their own and given the blood in the Devil's system, they were on their way to becoming the vampire's thrall. "Bravo," Shezmu muttered to himself in compliment to this unknown vampire. "I had almost been convinced that such a practice was lost to the ages. For a vampire to aquire one so strong under their command... impressive." he chuckled quietly to himself as he left the Devil to his own devices out of respect to his vampire master. Damien would have been completely unaware of the Blood God's presence. Moving on, Shezmu found himself near a hospital. He could smell at least two Devils within and a half Devil. With soundless and graceful movements, he wandered through the halls until he came to a room where a man was strapped to a bed, sleeping. He could sense the other Devil nearby but couldn't see him. Having already met these two, Shezmu moved on. He came across the half Devil in another room. This one was also red-haired and reading a magazine in his bed. But the moment the man looked up and saw Shezmu, his face turned pale. "Fuck off." Parker snapped sourly. "Pardon-?" "You heard me. I know what you are. I've been one of you, and it didn't work out well. Now fuck off before I raise the alarm!" Shezmu opened his mouth, wanting to ask the dozen questions this encounter had given him, but the serious look on the man's face told him he wouldn't hesitate to make a scene if Shezmu didn't leave immediately. Shezmu held up his hands and backed away from the door. "Apologies. I didn't mean to alarm you. I'll move on." "Fucking better," Parker growled and continued to glare at Shezmu until he was no longer in sight. "Swear to fuck, am I just a fucking magnet for vampires or something?!" "Oh, it would seem Devil's blood may be a bit of challenge to acquire..." Shezmu sighed sadly to himself as he left the hospital. He had heard of Hell's current royalty, but approaching them for his needs seemed like suicide. It would seem, in this case, that he may need to take his search for Devils to feed from to Hell itself. A quick teleportation later, and he was standing near the library in Hell where he stifened and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he sensed a powerful presence unlike anything he'd felt in centuries. This Devil, whoever they were, had enough power to rival his own. For the first time since he awoke from his slumber, Shezmu was concerned for his own safety and contemplated going back before his own presence could be detected.

With a gasp and another stifled moan, Sebastian was pinned to the wall. He kissed Carter back passionately while wrapping his legs around his hips. With a smirk, he gently caught Carter's lower lip between his teeth and pulled a little playfully before letting go. --- Ellesse emerged from an adjacent room, ticking things off a checklist as she walked. She looked up from the clipboard curiously and paused when she saw Amelia. "Oh! Amelia, how can I help?" After a few moments of Amelia explaining the plan, Ellesse blushed. "She wants me to be there?" "Of course. You've been a great source of support. I believe that meant a lot to her. So, will you come?" "I-I... Sire?" Ellesse stammered, looking to her King uncertinly. She had always been a workaholic, so taking a day off was alien to her. --- "Is that right? Old Aunty really does have a few tricks up her sleeves." Kris chuckled, impressed by the power of the bracelet in his hand. He watched as Blake offered Salem a drink and then escorted her to the kitchen. Smirking, he walked to the door of his bedroom to watch them walk down the hall while ticking the bracelet away into his back pocket. "Blake, when Salem is ready to go home make sure she gets there safely, like a gentleman." He called after them before closing his bedroom door again. "Kids." he chuckled as he walked back to his bar to pick up his bottle of rum again. "Finally. Some peace and quiet." he sighed, lifting his sunglasses slightly with his fingers to rub his eyes before taking a swig of his rum. --- Henderson nodded without another word then headed to the gear to get ready. Once they were all suited up and appropriately armed, Henderson followed the officers towards the swat cars. --- "We only need a few things so I don't expect we'll be venturing far... wait a moment," Lilly said and paused before they could walk past the first row of trees. She looked around until she found a rock on the ground with a sharp enough point. Walking over to the first tree, she scratched an X into its trunk. "So that we don't lose our way," she explained before nodding to the path that headed into the woods. "Let's take it slow. Look for flowers and berries that might be useful." They began to walk into the woods and with every turn Lilly would mark a tree with an X. There was something deeply unsettling about these woods that Lilly couldn't quite put her finger on but the more they walked the more it dawned on her. It was utterly lifeless. There was no wildlife. No birds singing. No insects buzzing. Not so much as a gentle breeze through the leaves. Everything was completely still. Silent. Lilly stopped and strained to hear anything at all. They couldn't even hear the bustle of the town anymore. There was simply nothing. Only the trees for company. "It's unnerving." She commented and was mildly alarmed at how loud her own voice was in comparison to the deafening silence. "We should hurry and find what we need. I don't think I like it here." --- Andi stayed close to Death but remained a couple of paces back to give him room to work. Uriel guided them to Conrad's home and smiled at the little grey house as he approached its door. He knocked on it before calling through. "Conrad? You have a couple of visitors wishing to speak to you." --- Raguel stared at Gabriel wordlessly for a moment. It was only a moment but Raguel's tense silence following Gabriel's questioning left a heavy feeling in the air. "Gabriel..." he whispered. There was a quiver in his voice. Real fear. Shame. This was no longer a case of his freedom being at stake. His very existence was in danger. Had this confrontation come sooner, Raguel might have fought longer. He'd have denied it until he was red in the face and continued to use misdirection to take the focus away from his oldest sin. But now he was much older, exhausted, beaten down, dishonoured and had held the burden of the truth for far too long. Perhaps, he considered, he had wanted this to happen. And at least, of all people, it should be Gabriel to learn the truth. Slowly, he approached the bars to speak to him in a hushed voice. "I was young. New. I-... I fell in love, Gabriel. I loved her more than I ever knew was possible at the time. Gabriel... I'll be destroyed if this truth comes out." he took a breath, appearing now to be on the verge of tears. "But maybe I deserve it. I was so scared to be found out that I abandoned her when she was cast out of the garden. She went through millennia of pain, torment and loneliness because I interfered instead of observing them as I should have. Because I was a coward. But someone needed to watch over our son when he was brought to Heaven... To make sure he was treated no differently than the other Angels and that his life was fulfilled. I owed her that much." --- May moaned a little into the kiss as she felt his hand on her hip and she pressed her body against his. His scent hit her again and she shivered excitedly while running a hand through his hair. Her other hand glided over the muscles of his arm and shoulder. Pulling back from the kiss to take a breath, she smiled up at him. "I love you."

Sebastian stifled a moan as he shivered excitedly at the feel of Carter's kisses and his fangs. "You're making it really hard to stay quiet," He chuckled softly. Admittedly he was thoroughly enjoying himself and didn't want Carter to stop. He found a thrill in the challenge. --- Amelia whirled around to face Life then realised she was standing in his kingdom. Who else was going to greet her? She scratched the back of her head awkwardly as she recalled the meeting between the realms to plan the search for Raven and how he'd essentially pushed to murder the boy, causing a squabble between the realm's leaders. "Hey man, forgiveness is my whole thing. Anyway, we were all stressed, facing an unknown danger and trying to do what we thought was best for our kingdoms." She shrugged. "Maybe we can start over? I was actually hoping to speak to one of your Midwives. My pregnancy was her first assignment. Ellesse O'Quinn? I have a friend who wanted to see if she wouldn't be too busy to attend a picnic with us." --- The other boys in the bunks were a rowdy lot. In total, not including Blake, there were six boys. The amount of beds to a boy would make it clear that there had been many more at one point but by now the children that had once used those beds had already moved on from Kris's hideout to make their own way in the world. Some still worked for Kris but had simply moved out to get their own place. After a long day of pickpocketing, swindling, spying and busking the boys had deposited the money they earned into a wooden box by the door to the bunks before unwinding for the evening. Of course, they had all immediately been welcoming of Blake. They excitedly bombarded him with questions, not minding his stern demeanour. After all, they were used to Kris acting similarly. Before any of them could get an answer though, Blake had run out towards Kris's room. Kris had stiffened when the girl had appeared in his room. He glanced around at her then relaxed a little when she mentioned Granny Audrey. He then watched patiently as Blake barged in, ready to defend him only to reduce the girl to tears. "Relax Blake." He said calmly as he picked up the bracelet to look it over. "That's no way to speak to a lady, let alone an ally," he said with a smirk as he noted Blake blushing and fumbling. "Why don't you start by offering to bring our guest here a drink? Help her feel welcome." He turned back to the girl. "Sorry about that. We're all on edge right now. Tell Granny Audrey that I really appreciate the help. Did she happen to mention what this bracelet does?" --- "We'll figure it out." Lang smiled. "C'mon, buddy. Let's get our gear and get ready." "It's not you," Henderson confessed as he watched Dick's guilt-stricken declaration. "Don't ask me how I know. I can't explain it. I've felt like this for a while but never noticed until now. It's me. Something dark in me... I just know it." --- "Raven," Lilly said in a disapproving tone. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm a stranger to theft. But when I did it, it was to survive. We're not 'surviving' anymore. We have no need to take things that don't belong to us." She said gently and took his hand to stop them walking for a moment so he could look at her. "We have this new life now. We should strive to be better than who we once were..." She glanced around thoughtfully. "Some of these stalls are asking for herbs, flora and potion ingredients." she pointed out then looked back towards the sign they'd come from. "I'll bet we could forage a few of those things in the nearby woods." --- "I understand." Uriel nodded. "If I might be so bold, your Grace? Might I suggest the news come from someone who knows Raven a bit more personally than myself? Yourself, for example." "You dare ask my King to carry out an order which he gave to you? Is God's messenger incapable of delivering this news, Archangel Uriel?" Andi challenged him. "I meant no offence, of course." Uriel quickly bowed a little again. "I merely ask that your Grace consider that Conrad may be more willing to consider forgiveness if the news came from a mutual acquaintance, rather than someone who doesn't know his beloved at all. I'd be happy to escort you there but if your Grace must return to other responsibilities then I will, of course, be more than happy to deliver the news myself as you have requested." --- Raguel growled at Gabriel when he mentioned that Uriel was helping Death and was about to say something when Gabriel's next words caught him off guard and he gawped at him with a wounded look. He then shook his head as Gabriel suggested the Angel responsible had been Lucifer. "No, it wasn't him!" he growled in frustration then paused, realising his poor choice of words. His un-swollen eye darted to Gabriel for a second then away again to check if his protege had caught the slip-up. He quickly tried to change the subject. "Uriel is using me as a distraction to keep you busy. Think about it. What better way to improve his chances of being nominated than by building a rapport with the very sovereign I had committed a crime against?" --- "More than alright." May purred as she sauntered over to him and ran her fingers over his muscles. Another breath of his scent hit her and she couldn't help herself. She leaned into him, kissing his chest and running her tongue over his skin. She tasted a little of his sweat and it was like his pheromones hit her tenfold. She was overcome with the overwhelming urge to let him take control. She stepped back and took a breath while still looking at him alluringly. She unbuttoned her pants and let them fall then motioned for him to do the same.

Letting out softened sighs, Sebastian resisted the urge to moan at the feeling of Carter giving him hickies. He'd smiled at his comments and with his head tilted back to lean into his kisses, he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm all yours." He grinned then kissed him deeply. --- "It'll be a great day out! I can't wait to see everyone there!" Amelia beamed. "I'll let you guys get back to your lunch for now then. I got one more stop before I head back to Charles so I'll let you know when and where as soon as I can." She said before vanishing once more. This time, she made her way to Life's Kingdom, to see if Ellesse O'Quinn would be available to attend. --- Kris took the bottle from Blake and eyed it curiously. He then watched the pair squabble for a moment before slamming his fist onto the table in front of him. "Enough," he growled sharply. He then pinched the brim of his nose and took a breath. "Thank you for your help with this, Blake. I appreciate it. Head back to the bunks. The other kids should be getting back from their work soon. Relax and get to know them. They're your new family now." he said then his gaze became more stern as it shifted to Ortiz. "When you're done stooping to a child's level, I need you to patrol the hideout. Check for breaches in the runes in every room. The Succubus shouldn't have been able to teleport in like that. There must be a faulty rune somewhere. Find it, fix it and report back to me. I want to know if it's a result of deterioration or if it had been tampered with." He then sighed and lifted the red bottle to look at it again. I'm going to retire to my room for the evening and I'm taking this with me in case she appears again." he flicked his fingers across the surface of the glass which shimmered at his touch before taking the shape of a very expensive bottle of wine. An illusion spell to disguise the potion. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled. If she makes an appearance, raise the alarm." He walked away from the pair and headed to his room. Locking himself in he took a deep breath and let out a sigh. His four-poster bed was made of dark gnarled wood that coiled and curled over itself. The forest green curtains that hung around it were slightly transparent and mostly closed. The pillows and bedspread were made of crushed velvet and were a similar shade of green as the curtains. He walked over to the minibar that was in the corner and set the bottle on it before snatching up a bottle of rum. Flicking the cap off, he took a couple of long swigs of the sweet and punchy liquid. --- "Oh!" Lang blinked then glanced away thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's a tough one. It's always hard when it's someone that has no clue. But with that, you just gotta start off small. If you go in full confession mode 'Oh by the way I'm an Angel', you're gonna risk him going into denial or thinking you're crazy." Lang gave Luis an understanding smile. He walked over and patted him on the back. "Honestly, you're overthinking it. Look, let's just get this job out of the way first then you and I can go grab a drink and see if we can't work out how you're gonna ask this guy out, hmm?" Henderson faltered then glanced around warily to see if anyone else was close enough to hear them. Then he turned to Dick with a shameful look. "There's something wrong with me. I've never felt or thought like this before but it's like I'm being pulled into dangerous situations. Like the idea that I could be killed is... irresistible." he said awkwardly then quickly added. "I'm not suicidal. I just- I don't know... I feel like something in me is being compelled to seek danger. I'm drawn to it like a magnet to metal and I don't know why." --- "Alright." Lilly followed him into the market. They walked from stall to stall. Nothing had monetary value, but a few stalls asked for specific items to trade. One stall had a sign stating they would only accept fabric, another requested payment via dried potion ingredients, and another listed their items for sale, with a specific number of a certain type of flower as payment, depending on the item. "What a strange way for a market to function," Lilly commented. "I suppose we may have to try bartering various goods until we get what we want." But of course, the question remained, how to start bartering when you begin with nothing to barter. --- Andi glanced at Death in surprise at his question. "I-" She hesitated. "The soldier and patriot in me thinks that you would have been well within your right to seek retribution, Your Grace." she began then looked forwards, watching Uriel at the desk ahead of them as she continued. "But I also think that, diplomatically, you did the right thing by staying your hand. I don't doubt that Azrael's plea to grant Raguel mercy was born out of lingering loyalty and sentimentality toward the Arch Angel. But there was certainly more logic to it when you consider the alliance between your Kingdom and the Kingdom of Heaven. Taking justice into your own hands, however righteous it may have been, could have sparked a new war. At least this way we know that Raguel will not escape punishment and we will not be losing a long standing alliance in the process." Uriel walked back towards them from the reception desk after a few minutes. He paused a short distance from them to briefly bow to Death respectfully before holding out an envelope for him to take. "Five 1-Day passes to Heaven for Raven, your Grace. Five similar passes will be delivered to Conrad shortly so that he can leave Heaven. These are just a temporary resolution for now. I have put a request in for permanent passes for the boys should they wish to continue their visits past the first five days. But this will take some time to be reviewed and authorised, you understand." --- Raguel bristled at the knowledge that Uriel had heard him. "It wasn't like that. Ask any Angel that had meant to watch over her and Adam in the beginning and they'll tell you they feel guilty for not catching the Angel responsible." he deflected. His cheeks were red and there was something behind his eyes, like a distant pain threatening to surface. Whether he really was involved with Lilith or not was difficult to determine but he was certainly hiding something. He quickly pointed a finger at Gabriel. "This is what I was talking about! Your colleagues are trying underhanded tactics to give themselves a better chance to take my place! Gabriel, Uriel is distracting you! Likely to give himself the opportunity to get his foot in the door first. Where is he right now? What was he doing when he sent you to me with this unfounded accusation?" --- A little taken aback at James's bluntness, May blinked but then smirked as she took his hand and without a word, she stood and led him to her bedroom. She closed the door behind them then walked over to her bedside table where she opened a drawer and pulled out a box of condoms which still had the cellophane wrapping around it. The thin layer of dust on it gave away that she'd had them for some time but hadn't needed them until now. She placed it on the side and then turned to look at him. She smiled at him, half nervous and half excited as she bit her lip before slowly unbuttoning her shirt. She pulled her shirt off and threw it to the floor and gave him a playful look. "Your turn."

Sebastian smiled into the kiss while running his hands up Carter's arms. Without looking, he absently reached for the TV remote to turn it up a little. Not loud enough to wake Stevie but just enough so as to mask any noises they might make. --- "Good question!" Amelia grinned awkwardly as she realised she hadn't given anyone a location or a time. "I'll need to check with Charles, then I'll text everyone to let them know when and where." --- "Ortiz Diego Hernández if you harm a hair on that boy's head I will ensure you're never able to grow your own again, do you hear?" Audrey snapped at him with a scowl. She then turned her gaze back to Blake and her eyes softened. "A Succubus, you say?" she tutted. "Tricky blighters, they are. And a real nuisance if they set their eyes on you. Let me see what I have, you wait right there, dear." She hopped off her stool and shuffled through a set of partially open curtains into the back room and rounded a corner. Although she was out of sight, she could be heard rummaging around and muttering to herself. "Where did I put that-? I was sure I had some in here... Or did I sell it? No, no, I must still have some- ah! There we are!" She came back to the front of the shop with a misted red bottle in hand and eyed the pair for a moment with a blank expression. "Oh, hello dears. Did Kris need something?" she asked as if seeing them both for the first time today. Then after a few seconds she cackled mischievously. "Ha! The looks on your faces! Old Auntie hasn't lost her marbles quite yet. Here you are..." she handed the bottle to Blake. "He'll only need a few drops of that. I haven't made a love potion this strong since an Incubus caused mayhem among local politicians back in the 50's. Funny ol' thing, the mayor at the time had commissioned it but never collected. I guess the Incubus was either already taken care of or prevailed. No matter, it's Kris's now. Oh, no charge for it dear. The crystals are payment enough. Now you two run along before that pesky Succubus makes a meal of him! Do drop by again! Oh, and here- " she grabbed a handful of wrapped candies from a bowl on her counter and pushed them into Blake's free hand. "For being such a polite young man," she smiled widely at him. --- "Who're you talking to, buddy?" Lang asked Luis with a small smile. "I mean, think about all the shit our officers have been through in just the past few years alone. Parker vanished and came back with amnesia for a while and none of us looked at him any differently. Sure he's not part of the force anymore but that's not the point. Then there's Will and all he went through, but he's still part of the team. We've all got our stories here but at the end of the day we still look out for each other. That's just what we do." Henderson groaned in frustration as Dick sat him down. "Are you kidding? You've been trying to bang me since you met me and now that I'm giving you the chance, you just want to talk?" he deflected. --- Lilly stayed close to Raven as they left the castle confidently. After all, they were as safe as they could ever be in Death's world. They approached the fountain at the heart of the town square and Lilly took a moment to look around at the bustling streets full of spirits who paid them little attention as they went about their un-lives. Looking up, she saw a signpost with arrows pointed in several directions. One pointed the way to the lake, another was towards a forested area, another towards the market and lastly, the castle that they had just come from. --- Satisfied that Gabriel had left them to it, Uriel began to guide Death and his new body guard towards the registry office. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about Raguel anymore, your Grace. His crime against Azrael and yourself was quite a serious one. He'll be lucky to leave Heaven cells at all after his trial. But, of course, I cannot guarantee the outcome of his trial just yet, you understand." Once they reached the registry, Uriel quietly requested that Death and Andi wait in the seated area while he spoke with the reception before leaving them for a moment. --- Raguel jumped at Gabriel's voice, having not expected him to return so soon. He then stared at Gabriel with a mixture of shock and guilt as his face turned red at the accusation. "You-? Gabriel..." he stammered. Then picked up on something that Gabriel had said, which bothered him greatly. "We? who's 'we'? and what exactly did you hear me say?" he asked, probingly. Trying to turn the questioning around on Gabriel while also trying to establish how he should handle the accusation being thrown at him. --- May smiled at James patiently. "What would you like to do?" she purred. "If I'm going too fast or if you're uncomfortable, we can take things slower." She ran her hand along his upper arm, feeling his muscle as she did. "As long as you're with me, I'm happy."

Ngl I had too much fun writing that one xD

Auntie Audrey lol

"Same." Sebastian smiled, relieved that Carter was on the same wavelength as him. He grinned and lowered his arms before taking Carter's hand. "Now, come on you. Let's make the most of our alone time while we still can," he said while leading Carter back to the couch. In the bedroom, Stevie's eyes were open. He'd stirred shortly after the door had closed and heard everything. He'd initially been curious about Carter's kids but then he'd heard them talking about taking him in and he wasn't sure how to feel about it yet. He lay there in silence as he took the opportunity to be alone with his thoughts and figure out what it was he wanted. --- "Yay!" Neva cheered. "Sweet!" Amelia whooped. She'd been getting more and more excited by the idea as more of her friends said they'd join in. "Alright, I can teleport and pick you guys up when we're all ready if you want?" --- Kris watched Blake vanish and felt a bit of pride in watching him grasp his powers. He sighed and shifted his thoughts to try and come up with a plan while he was alone. Meanwhile, in the potion shop, the old shop owner had been giving Ortiz an earful when Blake appeared and made his introduction. Immediately she'd forgotten why she had been so angry and cooed over the boy. "Oh! Aren't you a lovely young man!" she squealed while pinching his cheek before accepting the pouch. "Are you one of Kris's boys? I don't think I've seen your face before! Such a nice man, taking lost youth into his home! I hope he's feeding you well! Come! Come!" she gestured while turning to slowly walk back towards her register. "Come and tell Auntie Audrey what Kris needs this time!" she groaned a little as she pulled herself back onto her little stool behind the counter. She then opened the pouch and squealed again with joy, practically kicking her feet which no longer touched the ground now that she was sat on the stool. "That man always did know how to spoil a lady!" she cackled and poured a couple of crystals onto the table. Without warning she spryly went about smashing and crushing the crystals with a nearby glass ornament. She then gathered the resulting powder into a line and quickly snorted it off the counter in one fluid movement before tilting her head back. Her eyes rolled a little as her body shuddered then she relaxed and grinned at the pair. "That's the stuff!" --- "Yeah, I get it. It sucks and you have every right to be angry but don't lose sight of the bigger picture." Lang said matter of factly. "Think about other people out there. Normal people. Families. All those people that this hitman's boss and his whole organisation could hurt or kill. No one expects you to be friends with Dick. But if you could just tolerate him for a while, at least until we can bring down his boss, you'd be saving a lot of lives. You'd be a hero, man." Lang turned his head to look at Luis. "And we do care. It's not fair to say that we don't, man. It's a hard job. We gotta make tough calls no matter how we feel. Because our first duty, your first duty, is to the people out there." He gestured to the wall but clearly meant the ordinary people in general. "C'mon, man. You know how it is to lose an officer... you grieve but you pick yourself up and keep doing your job. Because who else is going to catch criminals if we can't? That's what we signed up to do." By the time Dick caught up, Henderson's eyes were back to normal and he looked at him quickly before glancing around. Smirking, he took Dick's hand and pulled him towards the back of the armoury where they would be concealed by the shelves. Surrounded by weapons and more or less alone with a skilled hitman sent Henderson's dark desires overboard as he spun Dick around to pin him against the shelves. "Your accent drives me wild," he said quietly and pushed his lips against his. --- "A medallion like that would be good. Hmm..." Lilly glanced around thoughtfully. "We could take a walk across the castle grounds? Or into town?" she suggested. --- Surprised and annoyed by Gabriel's appearance, Uriel tried to maintain his composure in front of Death. Andi concealed an amused smirk at Death's comment, particularly as she watched the two Angels. "Language." Uriel merely commented at Gabriel. "And I thought you were busy with your questioning? I hope you didn't forget about the information you were supposed to get." he then turned his attention back to Death. "Of course, your Grace. I would be happy to help you with your request. If you would follow me to our registry office, we can potentially even arrange day passes between the two realms for Raven and Conrad." he said while moving towards the door. --- "No, not at all," May answered with a smile. "It's... hard to describe. But it's pleasant. It's a natural thing. I can lend you my encyclopedia later if you want?" she leaned in close to him and took a small breath near his neck before leaving a trail of kisses. "I like it," she whispered.

In such a deep sleep, Stevie barely stirred as Carter moved him. Sebastian watched from the doorway as Carter tucked the boy in. His heart swelled seeing the fatherly kiss before Carter left the room. Once they were outside, Sebastian wrapped his arms around Carter's shoulders. "You've definitely got a knack for parenting," he said softly. "I don't know what the future holds for him but I'd say we've made a pretty decent start when it comes to helping him," he said thoughtfully. "He kind of reminds me of me when I grew up on the streets... That kind of life is hard. It does things to you." he said then smiled at Carter. "But a couple of years with you and I'm practically domesticated. So, you're doing something right." he chuckled. He looked contemplative for a second as he glanced at the bedroom door and then back to Carter. "I- I know we already agreed to adopt Patience's baby when it's born. But maybe, we could also..." he trailed off, feeling his cheeks grow warm as his eyes darted once more to the bedroom door before dropping shyly to the ground. "I don't know. I just thought... Maybe it's too early to think like that..." he babbled bashfully, quickly backtracking in case it was too much for Carter. --- "Hey, guys. Charles and I were wondering if you all wanted to come to a picnic we're having with other families. Let the kids play and get to know each other kind of thing. What do you think?" Amelia asked. "Will Oliver be there?" Neva asked "Yep. And some other kids too." "Can we go daddies?!" Neva sat up to look at Vincent and Elliot excitedly. --- "Good lad!" Kris praised him and then glanced around the otherwise empty room. "It doesn't normally take so long to buy a potion... Wonder if Ortiz is having some trouble. I know the old witch at that shop is particular about manners..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, I hope Ortiz didn't forget to wipe his damn feet again. The last time he didn't she ranted at him for two hours... you can never get a word in edgeways with that woman once she gets going but she's also like, a hundred, so we gotta be gentle with her." he explained to Blake with an amused smirk. "Do me a favour. Go after him and make sure he's ok. She loves it when we take in new kids. She'll be so happy to see you she'll forget why she was mad in the first place. And here..." he pulled out a small pouch from a nearby drawer. "Crystalised Nightshade. Bring her some of this stuff as a gift and she'll love you forever." he passed the pouch to the boy. --- Having only recently returned from his annual trip to Heaven, Lang nodded to Will, eager to get back into the swing of police life. "Yes, sir!" he said as he headed into the restroom. He leaned against the countertops with sinks in them as he waited for Luis to emerge from the cubicle. "Luis? Buddy? It's Lang. As a fellow downed officer turned Angel, do you want to talk about it?" "Fuck, yes!" Henderson growled uncharacteristically as he headed towards the armoury to get the SWAT gear he'd need. He walked past Dick with barely a second glance and as he did Dick would have a split-second opportunity to notice something off about Henderson's eyes. --- Gabriel's words stirred something in Raguel. A sense of a memory that he couldn't quite recall. He knew there was something vital he had forgotten but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He reached through the bars to grab one of Gabriel's hands, squeezing it a little in urgency. What little of his face could be distinguished had flushed red and the eye that wasn't completely swollen stared at him with an emotion Gabriel likely wouldn't have seen before now. Sharp as ever but softened with parental love and pride. By now Gabriel would likely notice the tremble in Raguel's grip. "You have always been so much more than a soldier, Gabriel. I knew it from the first moment I'd met you when you dared sass me in front of your peers. Why do you think I always kept you so close? Why out of all the other Arch Angels that would kiss my ass daily, I chose the rebellious Gabriel with my most trusted missions? You are loyal but you are also intelligent and fierce in your pursuit of justice. Even if that means making the difficult calls... or standing against the grain. It's also why I was always the toughest on you with my expectations. To harden you to the responsibilities I knew you might face one day. Gabriel..." Raguel paused to gather himself for a second. "No matter what I have done. No matter how my trial will play out and what my sentence will be. And-and even if I am overtaken by this apparent madness... Know that I am and always will be proud of you." --- Lilly watched them leave with a small smile then turned to Raven. Her smile had slipped slightly as she thought about how awful Azrael must be feeling. "What did you have in mind to make for Azrael?" --- Uriel had been picking up the papers from the middle of the destroyed desk, looking over them quickly as if searching for something before adding them to a pile. When Death arrived, he stared at him hesitantly before giving him a pleasant smile. "Death, uh- I mean, your Grace. Of course. How can I help?" he stammered a bit, clearly caught a little off guard. Of course, Uriel, like many of his colleagues, was now very interested in the new position that had just opened up. And what better way to get a foot in the door than by building a positive rapport with Death after what Raguel had done to damage the relationship between his realm and Heaven? "And I would just like to offer my sincere apologies for what happened with Raguel. I assure you his actions were not representative of Heaven." Andi squinted at Uriel in silent judgement but she said nothing as she stood at Death's side with her hands clasped behind her. --- Feeling his fingers in her hair, May almost completely lost herself in the moment. "Me too." She whispered back a little breathlessly and as she caught her breath she caught his scent and chuckled while her cheeks turned pink as she noted the way his scent alone was making her body react. "Oh wow... the Lycanthrope encyclopedia wasn't kidding about those pheromones..." she bit her lip and caressed his cheek. She wanted nothing more than to just lose herself to him and the moment. As powerful as they were, only a part of that was due to the pheromones she mentioned. She genuinely wanted to be with him regardless. But catching his scent reminded her that she still needed to be careful and not get carried away. Good thing she was responsible and already had some protection in the bedroom that they could use if things got any more heated. It wasn't every day she got to experience this new sensation so she took a moment to savour how his scent affected her while kissing him again.

Sorry for vanishing for a while there. Life got a little hectic

Sebastian looked over at Stevie again and nodded. "You're right. Probably best to move him," he said then smiled at Carter. "Then you and I have a date with that couch." --- "It'll be nice to spend time with other parents." Cindy agreed with a nod. "We'll see you there. Maybe we can bring some extra formula for the new mama? Every little helps, right?" "I'm sure she'd appreciate it but you don't have to considering your current situation," Amelia said and Cindy shrugged while keeping the bottle poised in Emily's mouth. "It'd be no problem." "Alright, then. I'll see you all there." Amelia beamed with a small wave and then vanished. Next stop, Vincent and Elliot. --- "Only temporarily," Kris reassured Blake. "And the potion is just for her. Meanwhile, I'll be looking for a way to either resist her powers, take them for myself or destroy her. Whichever is more achievable. For now, I need to make sure she can't destroy me..." he sighed then smiled at Blake before ruffling his hair. "Or any of my boys." --- Henderson hadn't moved from where he'd been standing. He turned his head slightly to listen to Dick and Will but his heart was still racing. He didn't answer Dick when he'd asked him why he stepped in front of a gun for him because Henderson didn't really understand it himself. All he knew was that for a long time now, he'd had a dark desire to put himself in risky situations. "Sir, we need to go after Dick's boss," he said, a little impatiently. The confrontation with Luis had fueled his desire to run headfirst into danger. Like a switch inside him had been flipped and had altered his behaviour. Potentially permanently. --- "What are you-?" Raguel had begun while turning his head in Gabriel's direction with as much of a confused expression as he could muster under all the swelling. Then he remembered and with the memory came the sickening guilt as well as the realisation of his predicament. "No... no, no." He groaned and sat up before burying his face in his hands, ignoring the sting from his cuts. "I am a disgrace..." he looked up towards Gabriel again and tried to focus. This time he could make out the vague shapes of the cell bars and knew where he was. "Gabriel... Is Azrael alright? What am I asking? Of course, he is not!" he looked at the ground. "God, forgive me... I wasn't myself." he looked back up at Gabriel. "Something is wrong with me, Gabriel. You know I would not do this. You must know it." He stood. Wincing, he hobbled over to the bars. He gripped them tightly as he looked at the Angel he considered to be his son with a grim expression. "Listen to me carefully. I will stand trial. I will atone for my actions. After putting our alliance with Death's kingdom at risk and assaulting one of our own, I will undoubtedly be stripped of my rank. Possibly even dishonourably discharged. There will be a vetting for my replacement and this will create a rivalry among the other Arch Angels. For as long as I've known you I have known your potential. I trained you and I trust you. I can think of no one else fit for the position but you must be careful. Such a rare opportunity is likely to bring out the competitive nature of your colleagues. Some may try underhanded tactics to give them an advantage. Remember everything I taught you and you will do fine." --- Lilly anxiously watched the exchange between Death and Raven. When the tension was resolved and her brother embraced their father, she walked over to them gingerly. She hesitated for half a second then moved to wrap her arms around them both from Death's side. Not wanting to interrupt, Andi stood by and averted her gaze to grant the little family some privacy in their intimate moment. Though she couldn't help the small smile that appeared at the corner of her lips. --- Touched by his words, May sat up and pressed her lips against his again. "I don't want to be alone either." she whispered while tracing his bottom lip with her finger tip. She kissed him again, resting her hand on his chest.

Sebastian glanced at Stevie and smiled. "Give him a few more minutes. I'm sure he hadn't gotten much sleep before coming here." he turned to Carter and kissed his cheek. --- "Oh, hi!" Amelia chuckled at the hug but hugged him back. "And hello, little ones!" She beamed at the babies as they cooed and giggled from a blanket on the floor, surrounded by toys. Baby Carter was trying to roll onto his front. "I'm good, thank you. Is everyone here doing okay? " She glanced around the large room, recognising it as Ricky's mansion. "We're getting there. Just waiting for the insurance money to come in from when the quake destroyed our apartment." Cindy said as she entered the room with a pair of bottles tucked under one arm and a couple of bibs in her hand. She passed a bib and a bottle to Kite, then picked up Emily to take her to a chair. "Ricky and Rickster have been really kind to let us stay here until we're back on our feet. Don't know what we would have done otherwise." Once she was comfortable and the bib had been placed on the baby, she started to feed her. "Rickster is back? When did that happen?" Amelia asked curiously. "After the quake. Something about Heaven needing more hands on deck so they gave their trainees a chance to earn their wings if they volunteered to help on Earth. He got his wings so he's back officially now. He and Ricky haven't left the bedroom yet..." Cindy giggled. "Oh, good for him!" Amelia beamed. "So, I actually dropped in to see if you guys and the little ones wanted to join us for a picnic. Charles and I will be bringing Oliver. Carter and Sebastian might be able to bring a boy they've recently taken in. I was planning on seeing Elliot and Vincent next to see if they wanted to bring Neva. And there's a new Devil going to be joining us called Sara. She recently had a daughter, Ophelia and it would be great if she could meet more parents. What do you think?" --- "Fuck!" Kris growled as he started to pace again. His mind was racing. He had no idea how long it would take for the Succubus to recover and return so they needed a plan as quickly as possible and with how easily she had him under her spell twice already, he was doubting his ability to resist her if she did come back. Then a thought occurred to him. It might be a little cruel but it would be far less cruel than the spell he'd considered earlier and might just save his ass. "Ortiz..." he said and turned to look at him seriously. "The Wiccan market. There's a woman who owns an Alchemy shop. She makes some of the strongest potions in the world. Go and buy one of her most powerful love potions." he told him. "As a failsafe in case I can't resist this Succubus, at least if she falls in love with me she might be less inclined to destroy me." --- Henderson stumbled back a little when Luis jabbed his finger into his chest. He was going to shout back when he saw him march over to Dick. "Don't-!" he watched him twist Dick's arm then Will intervened. As soon as Luis had been kicked back, Henderson ran over to Dick to check his arm. He looked up to see Luis pull out his gun. Unsure of what possessed him to do so, he stood and walked in front of Will to press his forehead against the end of Luis's gun while glaring at him tearfully. "You were better than this," he growled at him. "And now you're an Angel. But you're acting like an ass!" Without taking his eyes off Luis, he pointed at Dick behind him. "He is our best chance to stop others like him from killing people or worse. He wants to change and I believe him! But if you really think he doesn't deserve forgiveness then you may as well pull that trigger on me first. Because if you kill him and let me live, I'll come for you." --- "You know Raguel better than most. He's softened while there has been peace but do you remember what he'd been like during the war? The man is cleverer than he seems. It's what made him a great leader during those times." Uriel said then shrugged. "The Lilith thing could be nothing, but if he really was involved he might still try to conceal the truth at first. But I believe that if there is anyone who can get the truth out of him, it would be you." Raguel stirred and tried to open his eyes, but it was difficult with all the swelling in his face. "Who's there?" he groaned. Where am I? What happened?" Uriel placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder and said quietly to him. "I'll leave you to it. Good luck." he then removed his hand and vanished. --- "Father?" Lilly jumped to her feet. She'd been sitting in a nearby chair, waiting anxiously since Azrael, Raguel and Death had vanished. "What happened? Where's Azrael?" A Reaper stepped forward and bowed low to Death. Her black robes concealed most of her muscle but at a glance, she was a tall, burly woman with short dusty-blond hair and brown eyes. She could easily be mistaken for a man at first. "Sire, I would be honoured to escort you," she said in a serious tone. "I am Andromeda, your Grace. But most call me by my preferred name- Andi." --- "I'm surprised it doesn't smell like the hospital..." May chuckled as she snuggled into his side with her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I- I really like you, James," she told him with a blush. "I always thought that I'd wait until I got my doctorate before trying to date but I want to be with you." she turned her head upwards to look at him. "I'm just worried because of my job... it's so demanding. I don't get a lot of free time and when I do, it's usually spent catching up on sleep or studying. Even on my days off, I might get called in if there's an emergency. It's just how it is in my profession. It means we won't get a lot of time together." she sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is if that would be too much for you and you don't want to date someone who is barely around then... I'd understand."