Shadowess

"I can think of a few things you could give her!" Drake laughed, and not content that it was doing an effective job, Benny threw down the pillow before tackling Drake. They wrestled while laughing loudly. "Guys, seriously, knock it off!" Cecil snapped at them, having now sat up to glare at them. "If Ortiz hears you're still awake and comes in, we'll all be in for it! I'm not collecting boil puss again just because you two have no volume control! Took weeks to get the stink out of my clothes..." --- Having been walking briskly, Henderson had already walked far down the road by the time Will had come out to look for him. He was still seething, and his mind was racing. Ideas of finding and breaking into the CIA facility kept popping into his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do it. Even the idea that he could be shot down in the attempt was appealing to him, though he couldn't fathom why. Lang looked at Reed's book with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow. He chuckled and gently closed the book in Reed's hands. "It's not a bad idea, but maybe we could just start with something simple? Like, talk to each other over a coffee and some dohnuts?" he suggested. He then gestured towards the break room where there would already be some boxes of various dohnuts opened on the table. --- Andi hadn't met David yet, but if he had the answer she was looking for, then she was willing to give it a try. She nodded to Death, ready to follow his lead. Meanwhile, in the empty room, Lilly stood off to one side with Conrad as they watched Raven work. She was fascinated with the process and how easy he had made it look. When he was done, she smiled at the amulet. "He'll love it." She commented. "And you have to teach me how you did that!" --- Shezmu smiled and nodded to Dariel's thanks. He looked at the armour on the ground with an amused smirk. "I believe you will need to return it to wherever you retrieved it from," he told him simply. Meanwhile, across the castle, Jessica, who had been in a depressive state after the news that she couldn't have children, finally emerged from her bedroom. She'd washed herself up and gotten dressed up. Up until now, she'd had Ben and everyone else who cared for her worried as she had locked herself away and refused to speak to anyone. During his last visit with Shezmu, River hadn't gone straight home. He'd stopped by Ben and Jessica's place to check in and see if they knew about Shezmu. When he learned of Jessica's mental breakdown following the news that the ancient Blood God had brought, he'd stepped into her room to talk to her. It was some of his advice that had brought her back to herself, and she now held a determined look about her as she emerged and looked at Ben. --- Within the sanctuary of their new little Eden, John sat back on a large cushion, watching Daisy and Juliette babbling excitedly about their new lives and budding pregnancies. He glanced at the walls of their home and at the runes he'd carved. He wondered if there was any way to safely speed up the pregnancies to give them more of a fighting chance at succeeding in their endeavor before they'd be discovered. He didn't know of any spells or potions that would work, and in all his years, he'd only ever heard of one Demon that might've been intelligent enough to create such a thing. He'd heard of her destruction, but as he sat there pondering, he recalled the chaotic void that was his time in Oblivion. Most of his memory of that place had already faded by now, but he distinctly remembered sensing her there, and her presence remained even as his essence was yanked from the madness of the obyss. He had awoken on his own but with the distinct feeling that Clementine had also managed to escape Oblivion. He would need to locate and observe her before they approached her. He needed to know whether her mind had stayed intact the way his had or whether she had succumbed to madness from their time in the void. After all, she might be clever, but John wasn't about to risk everything they had worked towards so far if she was unstable. While the girls were chatting, John was lost in thought, and Adam was doing whatever he was doing, Eve stood outside the building. Still within the safety of the protection spell. The location here seemed to follow a timed illusion of night and day. Right now, it was night and the areas surrounding their home were shrouded in complete dark. Her arms were crossed as her eyes carefully scanned the field and trees close by.

Both Drake and Benny chuckled at Blake's quick defensiveness. "Man, chill," Drake said as he put a card down on the bed and drew another one from the deck to the side. "I mean, only a blind person wouldn't see that she was totally eye-banging you, but sure, whatever." "You're such a perv, Drake." Benny shook his head and then looked over at Blake. "Ignore him. He likes to push buttons." "Shut. Up!" A boy that had been snoozing in one of the bunks huffed at them. "Fuck man, do you guys ever sleep?!" "Yeah, I sleep right after I'm done banging your dad!" Drake laughed. Benny picked up the pillow from behind him and hit Drake with it, knocking a few cards to the floor and making him laugh a little more. The boy in the bunk gave an annoyed groan and turned over, pulling the covers over his head. "That's Cecil," Benny said to Blake while pointing to the boy in the bunk. "He's a snooty prick for a klepto. Keep an eye on your socks." Drake said, then leaned forward a bit with his mouth cupping one side of his mouth as he whispered loudly across the room. "He has a serious foot fetish!" "Drake! Stop being mean! You're going to scare away the new guy!" Benny laughed as he hit Drake over the head again with the pillow, sending some feathers flying. Drake laughed out loud again. --- Not wanting to risk a disciplinary, Malone didn't object but he wasn't happy about this arrangement either. Without a word he headed to the armoury to return his SWAT gear. Lang, having finished healing everyone by now, headed over to the new Agent and gave him a kind smile. "Don't mind the others. They're a prideful bunch, but they mean well," he said to him. "I'm Officer Lang." he turned to Will. "Sir, I can help Agent Reed here set up a desk and get settled in. I have a feeling Henderson might need to be talked down before he does something stupid," he said, reminding Will of how Henderson had been behaving manically before Dick had managed to knock him out back at the warehouse. --- Uriel said nothing as Gabriel left, but as soon as he was gone, his smile vanished and was replaced by a grim determination. Silently, he sent a private telepathic communication to his most trusted spies to keep a very close eye on his rival. Then he turned and also vanished. --- Lilly shook her head as well. Such a thing was unheard of in her own world. Andi had been caught off-guard as Death asked the group of teenagers about her very sensitive issue, and her face turned red from embarrassment. At least these teens seemed to be handling it in a mature way, and although none of them had any answers, she nodded to them thankfully all the same. "Maybe David would know?" Lilly suggested as she looked back to Death after seeing Andi's defeated expression. "I've only met him a couple of times but he always seems to know a lot." she then turned to Raven and Conrad. "C'mon. I'd like to see how your do your magic. Maybe you could show me how to do it too?" --- Shezmu paused and looked at Dariel with his head slightly tilted in confusion. Then he realised what he was saying and chuckled before shaking his head a bit. "No, no. You misunderstand. I mean, the event itself cannot be traumatising. It must be done in a peaceful environment and performed preferably out of love," he explained and then sighed. "In my time, I've regretably had to destroy one or two mad Blood Gods. Those poor bastards had been torn from their families, beaten bloody, likely feared for their lives as they were drank from and then had blood fed to them by a Blood God who could have cared less if they lived or died... either that or they were a half-Devil who was turned by an oblivious and cruel vampire master." He closed his book again and leaned back slightly in his seat while looking at his student. "It is how vicious rumours of our kind began. Now, many Angels, Demons and Devils believe we are always born mad when the simple, unfortunate truth is... when one mad Blood God is made, he inevitably begins a viscious cycle of creating more Blood Gods in the same violent way, which leads to more mad Blood Gods, and on and on. But no, if done right and if done safely, the risk of losing your mind is practically none." Shezmu stood and placed the book back onto the shelf. "And fear not, Dariel. You may have come from dark beginnings but you will always have a home with me." He turned to face him with a small smile. "I admit, I have grown rather fond of you." He then smirked. Now, if you don't mind, I believe you're beginning to stain my upholstry with your sweat and you may need to remove that armour before it rusts."

(Nice!) "It's fine. He gets on everyones case so we all get frustrated sometimes." the first boy shrugged. "Especially if the Boss gives you any attention." Drake chortled "But we're a family here. We give each other grief sometimes, but we still look out for each other. Ortiz included. I'm Benny, by the way. I've been here about six months. This is Drake." "Been here two years as of tomorrow," Drake told him with a nod. --- Henderson was a little shaken and furious from how Xenos had grabbed him and spoken to them. His head pounded as he stared at where he'd been standing just a moment ago. He then turned to glare at this new Agent and scoffed as he walked towards the door, aiming to 'bump into' the Agent's shoulder on his way past while calling over to Will; "I'm going to get some air!" then muttered under his breath; "Fucking god damn CIA bastards showing up, taking over everything and fucking us over... again!" At the Agent's question, Malone massaged his temple with one hand while pointing towards Lang with his other hand. "He's you're guy." Seeing Malone point at him, Lang squinted. "WHAT?!" he shouted, making Malone jump and the rest of the group groan from their collective headaches. "Lang, heal your damn ears!" Malone snapped "MALONE, WE'RE ON DUTY. WE CAN GO GET BEERS LATER." "No, ears- YOUR EARS, LANG!" "WHAT ABOUT ISLAM?" "EARS!!!!" Malone pointed to his own ears, then to Lang. "HEAL!!!" "OHHHH! RIGHT! GOTCHA!" Lang turned a little red from embarrassment as he placed his hands over his ears. A moment later, he removed them and made a few 'mawp' sounds to see if he could hear himself. "Oh, that's better." "Thank fuck..." Malone slumped back down and cradled his head in his hands. "Now, what were we talking about? Something about beer and Islam?" Lang looked at them all, confused. Malone groaned again in aggitation then pointed to the new Agent. "Fancy pants CIA agent asked if you can heal everyone." "Oh! Sure, I can do that." and with that, Lang jumped to his feet and started groing around the room to heal each officer. --- A flicker of irritation crossed Uriel's face for an instant before he went right back to his friendly facade. "I understand why you'd feel this way, but I'm trying to look out for you. I'm serious, if you know something and you don't come clean, you could also end up being investigated for conspiracy and treason here." He stepped back and raised his hands. "But I understand your concerns, so I won't press you. Just know that I only want to help you, so if you ever want to get... whatever it is, off your chest, I hope you'll come to me." he walked over to the office door and opened it, signalling that Gabriel was free to leave if he chose to. "You know how to find me," he said while giving Gabriel a caring look. --- Andi was a little disappointed by Death's answer, yet hopeful that he would at least look into it for her. She was a little surprised when he said that nothing like that had ever happened here but then again, although gender changes were at least a few decades old by now on Earth, she supposed that in comparison to centuries or even a millenia where such a thing wasn't even possible, that it wasn't too surprising for such a thing to still be unheard of in the after life. After all, what's a few mortal lifetimes but a meagre blip in an immortal's timeline. She nodded thankfully to Death, then continued to keep watch over him as his children entered the castle. "I've never felt like that before," Lilly commented as she placed her own bag down as well. It was heavy from the various gifts she'd received, and by the time they'd reached the castle, her arms were a little sore from carrying it. "Everyone was so excited to meet us. It was a little overwhelming, honestly," she said a little breathlessly while smiling at Death. "But it was fun." She looked over at Raven and Conrad. "We should give Azrael his gift." --- Shezmu watched the boy clumsily arrive in his room in metal armor. He held a small smile as he watched his pupil sitting down and removing his helmet. "You will make a fine warrior, yet," he mused with a grin. He stared at his book for a moment in thought as he tapped the cover with two of his fingers. "Dariel, you've been my student for a short while now, and so far, you have excelled in most of your studies. You have a tenacity about you that I admire and the potential to become one of the greatest warriors of this age," he said. Then he turned his head to look boy. Barely even a boy anymore. Almost a man. "What I mean to say is, I believe that were you to complete your training, you may become worthy of one of the greatest gifts that I can bestow." He quickly held up a finger. "I must be clear, I do not offer this gift lightly. I choose my fledglings very, very carefully. And I will not bestow my gift until you come of age but only if your consent has been granted. The choice to reject or accept my offer is entirely yours, and I do not expect an answer from you now. So, be sure to think on it carefully." He lowered his finger and turned his head with a faraway look in his eyes. "My kind is in danger of extinction. We cannot have children, you see. And there is great risk when creating a fledgling. It must be done out of love and compassion always, or you would risk condemning your fledgling to an eternal madness. A fledgling made out of violence and trauma will always be consumed by an unquenchable lust for power and blood." He closed his book and stared at the title. His fingers tracing the lettering on the cover as he continued to speak. "But a successfully created Blood God will have eternal life without the restrictions that the other vampires here live with. We can go out in the daylight. We can move faster and more silently than most Demons and Angels because we are their natural predators. We can fly and, on a healthy diet of Angel or Devil blood, we become a force to be reckoned with. We have the ability to kill our foes or destroy them entirely." He paused, realising that this might be a lot for Dariel to take in all at once. He gave the young man an awkward little smile. "As I say..." he opened his book once more. "Think on it. The offer is there for when you're old enough and trained enough."

"You're one of us now, bud." One of the boys replied. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed with another boy sitting across from him. They had been playing cards when Blake had walked in. "It's Ortiz you want to watch out for." The other boy commented, earning a nudge on the arm from the first boy. "Not so loud, Drake. He'll hear you." "And what? Crybaby wants all of "Daddy Kris"'s attention. I'll bet he's too busy jacking off with his ear to the Boss's door to hear us anyway." The boy, now known as Drake, chuckled. --- "What-? No!" Henderson gasped and then groaned as the sound of his own voice made his head throb. "Y-you can't lock Dick up! We agreed he'd get immunity if he helped us take down his boss!" He dragged himself to his feet to face Xenos. "You can't do this!" --- "Tortured?" Uriel feigned offence as he placed a hand on his own chest. "Why, Gabriel, do you think so little of me that I would resort to such barbaric tactics? No, dearest Gabriel. I will not torture you. But I must admit that I worry for you." he went on. If Gabriel's question had told Uriel anything, it was that he definitely knew something and currently had no intentions of sharing it. But Uriel was cunning. He walked over and closed Raguel's office door to give them privacy before walking back to Gabriel with a look of concern. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I worry because I know how close you and Raguel are. I fear he is manipulating you, my friend. If he's told you something and you fail to disclose it before his trial, you could be considered complicit in his crimes. He would drag you down along with him! I don't want to see that happen to you. You can trust me, Gabriel." --- Lilly smiled at the pair as they headed into the market. Learning how the trading system worked took a little practice, but the local residents were kind and patient enough to talk them through it. When the merchants realised they were speaking to the new Prince and Princess, however, they quickly began offering some of their items for free as gifts. Lilly had been hesitant to accept anything for free, but a couple of merchants seemed disheartened by her refusal, so she quickly changed her mind. Even Conrad was being given tokens and gifts just for being with Lilly and Raven. Jewellery, perfumes, gems and treats were being offered left, right and center. Making the trio absolutely spoiled for choice. --- Andi smiled at Death from her position. "They're in one of the safest realms there is, and their father is literally Death. If I might be so blunt, your Grace, they'll be fine. I'm sure they'd appreciate some time to themselves and it will help them develop some independance. If you're constantly around them, they might begin to feel smothered. Trust me, as someone who's been that age once, I know." She bit her lip momentarily as she worked up the courage to ask Death a question. "Sire, I know it's a little off-topic, and you have a lot on your mind already... I was wondering, when Azrael is well enough to resume his position, could I- that is, before I died, I was about to begin a um... transition. But I never got to even start when- my new life here began." She fumbled a little as she tried to explain as best she could. She sighed. "What I'm trying to ask is... is there any way for me to change, you know... into a man?" --- "You know of me?" Shezmu gasped as Ash revealed he'd been able to sense his power despite his attempts to conceal it. He watched the Devil leave, unsure of how to feel about the encounter. The idea that the two of them could be friends was novel, but by nature and from experience, he was dubious. He supposed there might be an opportunity here for friendship at some point in the future. But for now, he remained cautiously optimistic, especially now that their current deal had essentially just concluded. Leaving him right back at square one. With a thoughtful expression, he teleported back to his room at the German castle. At least now, he felt more or less like himself after such a nutritious meal. However, he noted that as soon as he arrived back in his room, he got a particular sense of relief. As if he'd sensed someone watching him while he was in Hell, but the moment he teleported, he was no longer being watched. He shrugged off this feeling, knowing Hell had always been a place of danger, so the feeling of being watched or hunted was fairly normal. Feeling a little more lighthearted, he picked a book from the shelf near the hearth and took it to his couch. He wondered how his pupil had been in his absence as he settled into his seat, ready to read.

Not drunk but not quite sober anymore, Kris answered his door and looked at the messily scribbled note as he listened to Blake. "Huh... Verrry interesting. That old woman is a wonder for collecting random magical relics. Thanks kiddo. Go to the bunks now, ok? Get to know your new brothers and get some rest. You've done good today, alright? But you need to be up bright and early tomorrow to start your training. Go chill." he put the note between the fingers of his hand that was also holding the half-empty bottle of rum, then used his free hand to ruffle the boy's hair before closing the door. He wandered over to the evergreen rug on the left side of his room and sat on it with his legs crossed. Insence was burning on a little wooden locker in front of him. He placed his bottle nearby and rested his hands on his knees as he began deep breathing and meditating. --- "Wha-What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?" Henderson groaned as he slowly came to. "Oh man, I feel hungover..." Malone said with a gag as he held his head in his hands. "Fucking gas..." "....WHAT?!" Lang shouted, making the officers around him jump. He was barely able to hear the others as his eardrums had burst from the siren. Meanwhile Xenos's agents were busy cleaning out the building, removing the sirens and the gas cannisters from the vents. They stormed the remote location and began decrypting and downloading all the files they could get from the computers. By the time they would be done both locations would be completely empty of equipment, cleaned from top to bottom and the bodies disposed of. Leaving no trace behind. --- "I see." Uriel said though he looked between the pair with suspiscion. Raguel glared back at Uriel. He didn't trust him at all and considering what Gabriel had told him earlier had a strong suspicion that he was manipulating Gabriel for his own means. "Gabriel, perhaps I could speak to you in Raguel's office for a moment?" Uriel asked him as he turned away from Raguel's white hot stare. "Why Uriel? Don't want me to hear you talking about me?" Raguel growled. Uriel merely glanced back at him and responded sassily. "It's classified and you're no longer my superior officer so..." he nodded for Gabriel to follow him before turning on his heels and strutting towards the door. Raguel seethed for a moment but as Uriel's back turned, he quickly looked at Gabriel. He pointed towards Uriel and mouthed 'watch out for him!' --- "Yes, your Grace." Andi agreed as she stood to the side. She was at ease but continually on alert as his guard. "I don't mind." Lilly chuckled. "Sort of. I came through a portal from another world, too. Long before you two arrived. But I was being chased by a Wraith. I'm so sorry, I think that's why the humans reacted to you the way that they did. They thought you might be another Wraith coming into this world. They are terrible, fearsome creatures. I wouldn't wish them on any world." Feeling a little awkward after explaining this, Lilly glanced around for a moment before showing him the flowers that they had been picking. "We were collecting these to trade for goods in the market nearby. We're trying to get a gift to cheer up our father's beloved. Would you like to help us?" she asked, and then, realising that these two might want to spend some time together after their ordeal, she quickly added. "But you don't have to. If you two want to catch up and go for a walk or something, I don't mind going back to the market myself." --- Shezmu didn't move. Knowing the strength of this Devil, he wouldn't risk getting too close just yet. Not until he could trust him, and he doubted that he ever truly would. Also, stepping so close and feeding would leave him open to an attack. With a small, cunning smile, Shezmu lifted a couple of his fingers and summoned Ash's blood from the small wound, lifting it into the air until it formed a floating mass the size of a golfball. He then levitated this ball over to himself and opened his mouth, allowing it to stream down his throat. He was a little sad that he didn't get much of a chance to actually taste it this time around, but at least he managed to get what he needed. Swallowing it with visible relief, he looked back at Ash. "Thank you. I had been quite starved of a proper meal for some time now." He walked casually towards the Library before stopping to admire the architecture for a moment. That this building was still standing after all this time was nothing short of a miracle. "A deal is a deal, and I am a man of my word. You wish to woo your wife? Earth has an abundance of gifts and sights that you can treat her to. Visit a florist. Select a bouquet of delicate and elegant flowers. Give these to her as a gift. Then, choose a destination to visit with her. Somewhere breathtaking to create a memory that she will cherish for all time. But most importantly?" he turned to look at Ash. "Use the time and her company to get to know her. As a person, not a conquest. Create a bond with her. Respect her as you would wish to be respected. After all, if she is to be your mate, then she is to be your equal in all things." He then gestured to Ash's appearance. "As for how a father should look. I'd expect that as long as she adores how you look as a husband, then she would logically like how you appear as a father." Meaning, if she already liked him as he was, then he didn't need to change anything.

"Yeah..." Amelia sighed thoughtfully. She recalled the intense fear she'd felt back before she knew Charles and had found out that Damien had been destroyed, making her a Queen overnight. Until that moment, she had been content to assume that Damien would always be there to rule Hell and had not at all been prepared to take over for him when he'd vanished. She had been so desperately against inheriting the throne that she'd even caught herself occasionally wishing that Lucifer would just return out of the blue to demand his throne back, and she would hand it over to him without question. But with David's firm yet gentle guidance, she was inspired to try enacting the very idea that Damien had continually shot her down on for years. And then, of course, she met Charle,s and the rest is history. So, she knew the heavy burden that their son would one day inherit and knew that they had their work cut out for them if they were going to build Oliver up to be a competent and confident King one day. "We have so much work to do before then..." she sighed. "We need to continue our work to make Hell more of a place of redemption rather than punishment. There are still Demons out there who refuse to accept us as royalty, are convinced that Lucifer will come back one day and are determined to continue their original work of torturing souls... They will need to be dealt with. We don't want our son to inherit a world where more than half his subjects aren't even loyal to him." She shook her head slightly. "And that's not mentioning bringing up Oliver, too. We'll need to teach him how to rule. To be firm but fair. To not let the power go to his head the minute the crown sits on it... We're going to be very busy for a long time... but at least we have each other for support in getting it done." --- Aunty laughed warmly at the question. "Go on back home now. I'm sure it's passed your bedtime, and Kris will likely be putting you to work soon like the rest of his boys. Pop back when you get some time off. I homeschool Salem, and she works in my shop most days. You can always find us here." --- "Actually, pig, we was counting on it." The thug chuckled darkly. Now that they had confirmation that at least some of these officers were supernatural and not regular humans, a trap had been sprung. They hadn't needed to move to put the trap into motion. Having seen the chaos through security cameras within the building, thugs elsewhere had flipped a switch. Immediately, the doors became locked down with thick sheets of metal, and speakers began blaring a siren sound that only those with supernatural hearing would be able to hear. Its pitch was so sharp that it caused agonising pain. Enough to bring Lang to his knees as blood trickled out of his ears. Even Henderson, who had lived his entire life believing he was an ordinary human, woke up and cried out from the pain. Once the siren had them all disoriented, vents opened up and began rapidly filling the room with knock-out gas. "Those Jap scientists will pay a pretty penny for you pigs. Thanks for bringing them Dick. You did great!" the thug grinned as he too began to lose consciousness. Outside, armoured black vans pulled up to the building. The thugs inside them were awaiting radio confirmation that everyone inside was knocked out before they'd hurry in to tie them up and transport them to Japan. --- Lilly watched the reunion with a small smile as she moved forward to scoop up the flowers that Raven had dropped. She waited patiently for them to finish, but when it seemed they might go on kissing forever, she politely coughed into her fist to get their attention. "You must be Conrad." She greeted him. "Raven has told me about you. I'm his sister, Lilly." --- "We may call on you to testify at Raguel's trial. But until then, your Grace, we can take things from here." Uriel answered. He was eager to get away and see what Gabriel had managed to find out. "Once again, I apologise on behalf of Heaven for his assault. Please don't hesitate to let us know if there is any way that we can assist you further." --- Raguel nodded to Gabriel's suggestion at one day talking to Nate about his true origins but said nothing. He had wanted nothing more than for Nate to know the truth since he was born but he'd been afraid of being found out. Then, as the years went on, he also became afraid of how Nate might react to the news. He smiled a little at Gabriel's offer to play cards with him. He'd been about to say that he didn't know how to play, given he'd never gambled in his life. But memories that were not his own flashed through his mind, and he realised he knew how to play after all. "You choose," he replied. There was no point in him worrying about the gambling aspect anymore, considering his current situation. He figured he might as well make the most of this time with his adoptive son while he was still able. --- Shezmu was intrigued by Ash's requests. He pondered on them for a moment while rubbing his chin. "I'm afraid my knowledge on rearing young is a little beyond me. I've never had children. However, I believe I may be able to locate suitable reading material to assist you with your venture into fatherhood," he said thoughtfully. Already he thought of the library with the German Castle. Granted, those volumes may be more directed towards vampiric children, but Shezmu supposed it couldn't be that much different than raising a Devil child. "Regarding your appearance and intent to woo your lady, I may be able to provide advice." he offered then looked at Ash expectantly. His advice wouldn't be free and he'd already told him what he wanted in exchange.

Ellesse's face turned a little red as Life handed her the book. She turned to him, feeling a little awkward. "I- um... Thank you, Sire," she said, then walked away with the book tucked under her clipboard. She'd never admit it, but she would spend a little of her free time glossing over that book. --- "Everyone's up for it!" Amelia cheered as she plopped herself onto the couch next to him and cuddled up to his side. "We just need to let them know when and where. How's Oliver been? Is he asleep?" she asked, noting the child wasn't in the room and the place was quiet apart from the TV. --- "Oh, pish!" Aunty said to him with a dismissive wave. "You're both young! I might be a stickler for manners, but I am certainly no prude! I had many a fella in my day. The odd dame too. I could tell you stories!" She chuckled. "Life is short and can be taken away at a moment's notice. So, make the most of these experiences. As long as you don't go breaking her heart, we'll get along just fine." She told him then reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper with shaky handwriting on it. "These are the instructions for the bracelet. See that Kris gets this, would you? Had a lovely Demon stop in here back in '82... said he'd escaped an Angel that had called it a 'prototype' before slapping it onto his wrist. He had to cut his own hand off to give it to me. He said that only the person who places the bracelet onto someone can remove it, and it drains the power of the wearer, leaving them practically human. He seemed really glad to be rid of it, and then he went on his way. For the life of me I couldn't get the damn thing to open all these years and then last year, click! It opened. I'm guessing either the Demon met his demise or the Angel who had placed it on him had. Either way, it's Kris's to use now." --- Among the officers were Lang, Malone and Henderson. They charged in on Will's signal, and a gunfight broke out. The building was a chaotic mess of shouting, running and bullets flying in all directions. Malone saw Luis's brutality and stopped to shout at him that this wasn't supposed to be a killing spree. As he did, a stray bullet ricocheted off a wall and struck the back of his leg. Causing him to cry out and fall. Lang rushed over, pulling Malone behind a crate for some cover as he tried to quickly heal his wound. Henderson was screaming and laughing in an unhinged way as he charged ahead and fired off his gun towards criminals, not aiming at anyone in particular. His senses had been completely overwhelmed, and right now, he wasn't himself at all. --- "I don't think anything is even living here at all," Lilly answered. "I'm alright. It just... reminds me of things..." she said as she picked some more flowers. "I think I have enough to head back now. What about you?" --- "The passes work by simple teleportation. Simply hold one in your hand and focus on the mental image of your beloved. You will appear near them instantaneously. After twenty-four hours, your pass will teleport you back here and will evaporate so that it cannot be used again. So once you use one, be sure to make a note of the time as that is when you'll be brought home the following day." Uriel explained. "If you want to stay for longer than twenty-four hours at a time, simply hold the relevant number in your hand before you teleport. Two passes will let you stay for forty-eight hours before bringing you back, three would be seventy-two hours, etcetera, etcetera... Raven will also be getting five, so he can visit you here if he'd like. This is only a temporary solution. If you boys are happy to, we can arrange a pass that would allow you to teleport to and from each other as you please." --- "Take this seriously." Raguel groaned at Gabriel's theatrics with the glass of water. "You cannot!" he said sternly, with his voice kept low. "Gabriel, I am serious. If word gets out that I am his father, then it is only a matter of time before the Angels I had worked with back then put two and two together. There is no less terrible punishment for this. I directly interfered with His plan by completely destroying the first attempt at creating humanity, and His wrath for such a crime will be unbridled. Gabriel, please. I know you are his close friend, and I am asking a lot." --- It would seem Shezmu's hesitation to leave had resulted in this Devil finding him faster than he would have liked. He eyed the being cautiously as he contemplated how to answer. "Ah, you must be the Devil that stole Abbadon's powers," he surmised, given the immense power he could sense from him. He debated allowing this Devil to sense his own power to let him know that he wouldn't be easily intimidated, but by now, he had realised who he was speaking to and preferred not to risk this Devil becoming interested in potentially taking Shezmu's powers for himself. So he kept the volume of his own powers hidden so as not to tempt him. "I have not come to seek violence. My name is Shezmu, and I am interested in negotiating a deal," he explained. "I recognise that my species once hunted yours for sustenance. But now, it appears that the numbers of both of our kind have dwindled to a dangerous level. Therefore, I propose we come to an arrangement that might benefit us both. I would require but a few drops of Devil blood once every few days. But I wonder, what can I offer you to make this a fair deal? Therefore, I must pose your own question back to you; what is it that you desire?" The way he spoke to this Devil was smooth. Confident. There was no longer a hint of fear in him at all.

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."

Sebastian walked over to Carter and held his hand while giving him a reassuring smile. "We'll ask him. There's no harm in that." he then looked at Amelia. "It would be nice to go, especially if it means helping Stevie. But we can't promise anything. He just got settled so I don't know if he'll be comfortable with that yet. We'll ask him though and let you know." Amelia nodded understandingly. "Yeah, that sounds fair." she glanced at Stevie before smiling at Carter and Sebastian. "By the way guys, good job on getting him calm. Charles feels awful about scaring him. There was a kind of alternate Devil spirit inside him taking the reigns at the time. All sorted now though. He's back to his normal self." she awkwardly bounced on the balls of her feet for a moment. "Well, I guess I should leave you guys to it. I need to head to Kite and Cindy next to see if they want to bring their twins along." --- Kris paced the room as Ortiz explained things then took the book from him to read this for himself. He was sceptical. Before today he hadn't believed in the afterlife, so it only seemed logical to him to take the information from these books with a pinch of salt. "We don't know how much of this information is accurate. So, better to have more options than less. Get me the necklace AND the bracelet." He continued to pace around as he thought some more. "Fucking her could destroy me so that's off the table... Dammit..." he threw the book onto the table and crossed his arms as a thought occurred to him. "I know a spell I could use as a plan C. I'd need to overpower her." he frowned. It was a spell he'd learned from his old teacher but he didn't like to use it because, even for him, it was too cruel. "I'll use it as a last resort if the other methods fail. What about hypnotism?" he asked Ortiz and pointed to the books. "She did something to me when she was in the room. I was under her spell. Is there anything in these books to help me resist that?" --- Just as Henderson was gathering up the courage to face whatever criminals they were about to try to apprehend, Luis appeared in the backseat. His hand on his shoulder had made him jump and the car ground to a screeching halt. He watched in stunned silence as Luis dragged Dick out of the car. It was only when Luis told him to meet him at the precinct that he snapped back into reality. "Wha-? Wait! Luis don't-!" He tried to hurriedly get out of the car but the door jammed and a second later Luis and Dick had vanished. "Shit!" Henderson restarted the car and swung it around to speed back to the precinct. Thankfully, they hadn't managed to get too far from it by the time Luis had appeared. He pulled up and hurriedly ran inside to see Dick on the ground and Luis standing in the centre. "Luis! We need him! He can help us take down the assholes that hired him! For good!" --- Uriel let out a short disbelieving laugh. "Really? He favoured you more than the others, you know." he pointed out. "He told us he treated us equally but it was obvious to everyone. You, he favoured the most. Then Azrael. And, of all of Angels, Nate. Even after Nate fell from grace and was punished, if any of the rest of us Arch Angels pulled that crap he'd have stripped us of our titles and thrown us out of Heaven to live a mortal life on Earth. But not Nate." Uriel sounded a little sour. Then he looked at Gabriel. Calculating. "You could probably ask him about Lilith. He trusts you. I'll bet he'd tell you anything if you just asked." --- "I couldn't let it happen... I just couldn't." Azrael said in a broken voice as he lowered his gaze. "I know you and him never got along but when it came to me and the other Arch Angels, he was fiercely protective. Treated us like his children. Unruly teenage children sometimes, but still... If he'd been himself he would never have done this." he gestured to himself. "Something is wrong with him. Something has happened to change him, I just know it. But now... I don't know if he'll ever be himself again and even if he is, the council..." he shook his head. "I wonder what will become of him now..." he looked up at Death with tearful eyes. "I defied you in Heaven and I never thought I'd ever have to fight him like that... but to protect you, Raven and Lillian... I would do it again. In a heartbeat. You're my everything." --- While shaking her head a little, May laughed at his suggestion of standing guard. Not a mocking laugh. A soft bubble of amusement. She found his gesture to be sweet. She took his hand in hers and gave him a look of adoration. "Just... be with me," she answered as she pulled him over to her couch and sat down, waiting for him to join her.

"Charles is making some sandwiches... though I guess you and Sebastian won't be having those..." "I can put some blood packs into a bottle or two. I'll bet we could easily pass it off as wine in public," Sebastian said in a hushed tone as he entered the room, being careful not to wake Stevie. One of the perks of having advanced hearing was that he could hear their conversation from the next room. "So, I guess then maybe bring whatever Stevie would want?" Amelia suggested. --- "I'm fine, kid," Kris answered. "Look at me. The first rule is don't ever be 'sorry'. Don't slouch either. You're a Trickster and by what I just saw you'll make a damn good one with a little training. So, be proud. Now, c'mon. Let's see what Ortiz and the other kids found. Then we'll know what we're up against." --- Once they were outside, Henderson gestured for him to get in the car while he walked around to the drivers side. He glanced at the precinct, knowing there'd be hell to pay when he got back for going off without backup. But he figured that if he came back a hero, maybe it wouldn't matter so much. He wasn't exactly thinking straight. He didn't know what he wanted and the subconscious part of him that was self-destructive seemed to be taking the wheel right now. He got into the drivers side and waited for Dick to get in before hurriedly starting the car and taking off before any officers could notice or stop them. "Tell me where to go," he said with a determined look while watching the road. --- "That is understandable," Uriel responded to Death with a nod. When he and Gabriel were alone he didn't look at him as he spoke. His eyes were on Raguel. Watching him muttering away, trying to hear what he was saying. "It seems humans have more and more to repent for each day. I am certainly kept busy in their world," he answered Gabriel. Just as Uriel was beginning to lose interest in Raguel, he heard him mumble "Lil- Lilith..." Curiosity peaked, and he stepped closer to the bars with a look of concentration as he strained to hear him. "Lilith... I'm sorry... " The words were said in the ancient language but Uriel caught them clearly. "It would seem our former Commanding Angel may have more than aggravated assault to repent for," he commented, barely able to contain his sly smirk. If it turned out that Raguel was the angel that had romanced and impregnated Lilith all those years ago, then there would be no way he'd ever regain his position as Commanding Arch Angel. In fact, he'd be lucky to exist for the rest of the day. He may even be cast out of Heaven if he managed to gain any mercy. Aware of Gabriel's presence and attachment to Raguel, he quickly wiped the smirk from his face. Besides, they didn't know anything for certain. Yet. --- Azrael sat on Death's bed and watched him carefully. After so long of being at Death's side, the idea of another Reaper taking his place felt strange to him, even if it was only in a professional sense. But Azrael was more concerned about something else. "Are you angry with me?" he asked him in a softened voice. "For going with you to the cells when you told me not to." --- May inched closer to him and placed her hands on his chest as they kissed. One of her hands moved up to delicately touch his chin with her fingertips. Breathlessly breaking the kiss, she looked into his eyes again. "Stay with me for a while?" she whispered. "You make me feel safe."

Let me post mine first 😁