Shadowess

"But then, who would I get to clean my underwear for free?" Kris joked and winked at her. Seeming to be satisfied with her answer, he got up and moved to sit a little closer to her. Still leaving her enough space so as not to feel crowded by him. "You were doing what you could to survive in a harsh world. I can respect that. We might not be the same, but we're survivors too." He told her, hoping it would help her feel that she wasn't quite as alone as she might've thought. "Thank you for being honest with me, Violet," he said quietly to her. "Look, I'm not going to take the bracelet off you now. You at least owe us for the trouble you caused, and you've yet to earn my trust. But that doesn't mean that bracelet has to stay on forever. I meant what I said before. I'll protect you for as long as you're working for me. Who knows, maybe when I finally do take it off you, you'll decide that you actually fit in here." he shrugged and drank the rest of his drink. Looking at the remaining dregs in his glass, he sighed. "I suppose I'd better find you somewhere to sleep. Preferably, a room for yourself," he stood and stretched a little. "Alright, come on. You can bring that with you. Call it a nightcap." He nodded to her drink. --- Audrey turned and smiled at the boy as he spoke to her. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and with her free hand she patted the top of his. "This one's a keeper," she grinned at her granddaughter. "Thank you, young man," she said, turning to Blake. She then let go of his hand and turned to leave the room while waving a hand lazily to them. "Good night, you two." --- Relieved that there was no longer any tension between them all, Lang smiled and nodded. Alright then. I guess we'd better get going." He led the way out of the precinct, assuming they'd travel over to the next precinct in one of their cars. --- Azrael was still reeling from the news, but if there was one thing he felt certain of with every fibre of his being, it was that Nate deserved to know the truth. Particularly as they were all close friends, it would be a betrayal to keep this from him. So when Gabriel said they'd tell him together, he nodded with a mixture of relief and resolve. "This won't be easy, but I'm ready when you are." --- Head tilted back and eyes skyward, Lilly couldn't see what Death was doing. Curiously, though, she could sense his every movement as keenly as if the air around them was an extension of her. She felt him struggling to his feet, fighting his way towards her, and then she felt his arms around her. She heard his words and desperately wanted to tell him that she didn't know how to stop. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her mouth continued to move, straining to form the words that she was chanting against her will. She realised with sickening clarity that if she wasn't able to get this under control, then she had the potential to not only destroy Death, but his kingdom along with him. 'I won't!' she thought to herself desperately. 'This is my power! Mine! It does not control me! I control it! I will not destroy my home! I will not destroy my father!' Her chanting became more strained until it sounded more like a mixture of growling and groaning. She focused on her mouth. Mustering the will to force her jaw to clamp shut and stop the chanting. She continued to growl, the noise now muffled behind her closed mouth. She felt the static in the room begin to fizzle. The power behind her spell weakened without the continuous chanting to charge it. Now that she had regained control of her speech, she focused her mind inwards. Focussing on the swirling, erratic, sharp and static power that continued to whir around them dangerously. She felt it within her and how it extended to every part of her body. In her head, her hands, her fingertips and right down to her feet. She was curious about how odd it felt now that she was aware of it. But she didn't have time to dwell on it if she wanted to save her father. Concentrating on this new feeling, she urged her power to stop and to restore everything in the room to how it had been before her 'awakening'. It wasn't immediate, and she felt she had to be stern with it, as if the power itself was a being all its own that was capable of reasoning but was too defensive and immature yet to listen to its host. Stubbornly, Lilly insisted on ordering this power to bend to her will until finally... it relented. All at once, the spinning razor-like aura evaporated into nothing. Everything in the room returned to how it had been before they'd begun. Lilly's feet returned to the ground, and as she gently landed, her arms shot up to hug Death tightly while she sobbed into his chest. Simply relieved that it was over, but also feeling guilty that she had hurt him. --- John brought his eyes back around to Adam's and nodded. "Food from Earth is tricky. It spoils faster in Hell for some reason, but we could work something out," he told them. "When it becomes Eden and can sustain life, though, it should be easy enough to bring livestock over with some seeds to plant crops. Then we'd be able to make our own." "We came to see the styles of the modern world," Eve said as she finished up her meal. "I am eager to see how people decorate their homes. With how things look out here..." she gestured to the world in general. "I'll bet homes are otherworldly on the inside!" "Alright, but we shouldn't linger on Earth for too long. We're already exposed out here. All it would take is for one Angel to see me and recognise you two, and our new Eden will be at risk," John warned them as his eyes scanned the surrounding area once more. Luckily for the trio, Heaven and its Angels were very much preoccupied with the current power vacuum to ever notice them at the moment. --- "Oh, that was thoughtful of you," Damien said. His way of indirectly thanking him. He accepted his plate and looked at the tofu curiously. "You don't like it?" Parker asked as he observed his father. He then smiled at Will when his own plate was passed to him. "Thanks." "No, it's not that," Damien replied. "I guess I kinda got so used to not eating that I'm not used to being handed food anymore," he chuckled lightly. "You don't need to eat?" Parker asked curiously. "Some of us just don't need to. Lucifer didn't. I thought I did at first, but then I wondered if I would starve if I didn't. I mean, not that it would've mattered if I had staved. I knew I'd just wake up in Hell with an annoyed Lucifer standing over me, calling me an idiot if I had. So, I stopped eating to test my limits. I got hungry out of habit to start with, but then the hunger pains kind of just stopped." Damien admitted. "But, you know what? I'll admit I do occasionally eat things to either fit in or try new foods. So, this is nice. I appreciate it." He nodded with a smile to Will before taking an eager bite of his sandwich. This would actually be the first time he'd try tofu. "It's good!" he said after swallowing his bite, then looked at Will curiously. "I duno why, but I never thought you were a vegetarian." --- Layla held her breath when Xenos vanished. She wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting to happen. It's not like she was there to witness it. After a moment, she moved around Nil to hug his side. "Do you think he will do it?" She asked him while glancing towards the door, half expecting him to appear again. --- After finishing her routine checks, May had headed to her locker to dial Carter's number. "Hey, it's May, the nurse from the hospital. You gave me your business card a while ago. I don't suppose you're still in the supernatural detective business? I may have a job for you." --- The French gentleman who had been knocked down stared in awe at Napoleon as he helped him to his feet and signed his notepad. "Merci!" he said almost breathlessly and blushed as he stepped back to let the next fan have their turn. Seeing this as an opportunity to find out the latest events in Heaven without risking stepping foot there, Tuzo had joined the line of fans, waiting to be greeted by Napoleon. "Bonjour!" He sang cheerily as his turn came up. "It's nice to see a fellow Angel enjoying the company of mortals. I love living among them on Earth. May I ask what brought you home, Monsieur Napoleon?"

Awesome. I hope you had a lovely time with your family :D I'll finish up my reply after work.

Oh, don't worry! There's no rush! I hope you're having a lovely time with your family 😄 Awesome, I'll give it a little while so we can finish up a few of the stories we've already got going before I start the new idea. Maybe after I have the Spirit Council call the next meeting cos there's a few things they want to address first 😉 But basically for this idea I thought we'd do another portal event but this time its from a more parallel universe to this one. Where everything and everyone is near enough the same but had minor events in their past happen slightly differently which caused a massive change in the timeline in that universe. So, for instance, in the other universe Lucifer didn't disappear and he was the one who found Amelia instead of David. Resulting in Amelia being raised and trained in Hell as one of his best soldiers until she was old enough to be changed into a Devil at which point she murdered him and Damien to take the throne for herself. This of course would affect Carter and Sebastian's story in this other universe as Sebastian would never have been rescued from ADIEU and Carter would likely have wound up being kidnapped and successfully turned by Bryce who had likely 'saved' him from being murdered by Vincent & Theo. But yeah, my general idea was having these 'evil' versions of our good characters stepping into this world and causing some absolute chaos xD

Also, I had a pretty wild idea for a plot that'll add a little chaos to our rp lol

Hiya 🙂 Hows you? I made a new thread to continue our rp and put my latest response in there. Don't forget to follow the page for updates 😉

Kris continued to smirk at her, but it was a little strained. "You'll call me 'Boss' or 'Sir', like everyone else here." He told her firmly. He considered her question for a moment. "Because I know what it's like to grow up being treated like a pawn in another man's game. Those kids have potential. Every one of them. They might grow up and branch off to become their own bosses. They might choose to do something different with their lives. Or they might stay and continue to work for me. So long as they're loyal and work hard, I will do everything in my power to protect each and every one of them from those who would mistreat them or use them for their powers." He took a swig of his drink and stared at the liquid for a long moment as he almost lost himself to dark memories. "Why did you come here, Violet?" he asked and turned his head to study her carefully. "Power, I get. But I'm sure there are other sources of power in this world that are older and more potent than me and my little tribe here. Why us? What were you looking to gain, really?" --- "Ah, young love." Auntie sighed dreamily as she watched the pair. "Salem, dear, I'm going to turn in." She said as she walked towards the back of the shop, feeling it would be best to give them some privacy. "Thank you for seeing us home, Blake." --- Lang slowly closed his eyes, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a low breath as Luis revealed he was considering leaving the force. "Oh, Luis. I'm sorry that I snapped at you like that," he scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. "Don't go making rash decisions, though. Becoming an Angel is an adjustment. Maybe ask Will for some time off so that you can think things over, at least?" he suggested and then looked back at Reed and smiled a little. "And I'm sorry if it seemed like I wasn't taking you seriously before. I really was just trying to keep your spirits up, but I guess it backfired. Start over?" --- Azrael's lips tightened at Gabriel's comparison of Uriel and Raguel, but now that he pointed it out, he could see it. Both had a knack for politics and subterfuge. Only Azrael would argue that Raguel was much more skilled at the latter. He'd opened his mouth to comment on this when Gabriel's next words caught him so off guard that his drink slipped out of his hand completely, and he barely registered the rest of what Gabriel had to say. The glass shattered on the floor, sending tiny glass shards and brown liquid everywhere. But Azrael didn't seem to notice at all. His eyes were fixed on his friend. "What?" He'd gasped. He briefly thought to question whether this was some outrageous joke, but this wasn't something to be joked about. Not even between Angels such as Azrael and Gabriel. "He said that? You're certain? Does Nate know?! My God... Gabriel! Raguel will be destroyed for this... and Nate... fuck! We have to tell him. You know we do. He deserves to know!" A mixture of emotions rushed through him. A part of him was still angry enough at Raguel to see this as some twisted form of justice or karma. But on the other hand, Raguel had trained, protected and looked out for the trio for a length of time that would be unfathomable to mortals. --- Steeling herself, Lilly braced for Death's attack. As she felt the static in the air and the rush of danger approaching her, she closed her eyes, grimacing as she expected nothing but pain. Feeling the energy almost upon her, she felt nauseous and dizzy. She had assumed this was due to fear, but within seconds, she could feel a wave of something unknown yet familiar washing over her. Involuntarily, her eyes snapped open. They were completely black, just as they had been at the portal. She felt her body lifted just a few meters above the ground as her own green aura surrounded her. This all happened just in time for Death's energy to strike her, but instead of sending her flying back, it seemed to be sucked in and mingled with her own aura. The static in the air shifted and felt more volatile as both auras spun around her faster and faster. This created a shield that looked as volatile and dangerous as the air around them felt. Lilly wasn't in control. She was barely conscious, frightened and internally fighting to stop whatever was happening to her. Her head tilted back and, of its own accord, her mouth began chanting in a language from her own world. But every other word stuttered, strained and elongated as she tried to force herself to stop. At one point, she had managed to force herself to replace a strange word beginning with 'F' with "Ffff-Father?!" before the rest of the chant resumed just as stuttered and strained as before. --- "Tacos?" Eve repeated the word, fascinated by this new world and the new foods that their children had created. She followed him eagerly, and while the pair were enjoying their meal, John kept a wary watch. Despite the warm day, he pulled the hood up on his jacket. Fearful that a passing Angel might recognise him. He turned in to look at the first humans in time to see Eve copying Adam at opening their Coke can before taking a sip. She crinkled her nose with a delighted smile. "The bubbles tickle the tongue!" She giggled excitedly and took a much larger sip before burping involuntarily. "Oh!" she blushed, covering her mouth. "Carbonated drinks do that when you drink them quickly," John said to her. He couldn't help smiling at how adorably she was reacting to each new experience. He caught himself and worried for a moment that he might make Adam jealous, so he averted his gaze from her. Eve hadn't noticed at all. She was far too busy enjoying the taco she was eating. "Such wonders! We must bring some of these to our Eden!" She said excitedly to Adam. --- "Thanks." Parker took the note and went into another room. There, he dialled the number and went about explaining to the social worker that he had been discharged from the hospital, that he had a new prosthetic and was now ready to take Madeline in. "Oh wow! I only saw you a few hours ago!" The social worker commented. "Are you sure you're ready? We can arrange visits to start with. I understand that it is a large commitment, and with your condition-" "It'll be fine. The blood test came back positive, and I've made the arrangements." Parker cut her off. His tone was assertive. "Well... alright." The social worker sounded taken aback. "But just so you know, it might be an adjustment for her. It's going to take time for her to settle in and she-... she's still asking her her mommy is." Parker's heart sank at this, but the social worker continued. "We've told her her mommy is in Heaven, of course. But I don't think she fully understands that she can't come back." "I... I see." Parker sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "I'm sorry. I know it's not something you want to hear, but I just wanted to prepare you. We'll bring her around tomorrow to give her time to come around to the idea of living with her daddy. Would 9 am be alright?" "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that would be fine." Parker answered. Damien stirred on the couch and opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a moment while thinking 'this isn't my place...'. Sitting up, he looked around at the familiar furniture that he'd only briefly seen before. "Huh... I guess he doesn't completely hate me," he mumbled to himself. Then he saw Parker emerge from another room with his mobile phone still in his hand. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Damien asked him. "I feel like I should be asking you that. I fully collapsed after we got to the hospital." "Overexertion." Damien shrugged. "It's something to watch out for, especially when you're a new Devil. I knew I was pushing my luck teleporting us, but at least you're home safe." "Thanks..." Parker nodded and sat in a chair nearby. "I uh... I actually feel pretty great," he admitted with a small smile. "I feel... strong. Alive." Damien smiled too, remembering how euphoric his first few hours as a Devil had been too. --- Layla hid behind Nil, huddled against his back while they listened to X, but she was less inclined to believe what he had to say. At least until he pointed out that he'd actually had ample opportunity to bring them in. Then her judgment of him faltered for a moment. When X suggested they could ask him for help, she piped up. "The other experiments at the CIA, like Nil. They need to stop, too. Or your words will be empty!" --- "I don't have any-!" May began to argue in a hushed and irritated tone as she leaned over John Doe to check his vitals. But as she spoke, she remembered something and trailed off. She turned her head to look at Insanity and then sighed. "I'll see what I can do." She conceded. "But I'm making no promises!" she added while lifting her index finger. Back in her locker, she still had one of Carter's embossed business cards. She recalled being told he was a private detective for the supernatural and wondered if this could be something he could help with. --- Having followed his newest romantic pursuit to Paris, Tuzo sat outside a Parisian cafe to watch Tom from a distance. Tom, having no idea he was being pursued at all, had taken a trip to the city of love to enjoy a day of shopping and sightseeing. Despite Tuzo's stalking, by a series of wild coincidences and near misses, he had never once seen Nate around Tom because he only ever saw Tom when he happened to be alone. Therefore, he had absolutely no idea that Tom was already involved with anyone. Yet, this Tom always seemed incredibly private and didn't spend a lot of time outside of the hotel. He had no social media presence, and looking up any information on him almost always brought up nothing. Tuzo found the mystery of him alluring, so he wanted to enjoy simply observing him for a while before making his move. Tom had been moving between shops when he saw the commotion nearby. He blinked, having not expected to see Napoleon himself in the city of Paris. Of course, being familiar with Angels already, he merely smiled at the clamouring fans and continued about his shopping. Tuzo was equally surprised to see Napoleon back on Earth. Especially as an Angel. Tuzo and Napoleon had never met, but Tuzo knew enough about Human history to recognise why he was so famous. He half expected to see Tom rushing over to but when he looked at where he'd last seen Tom, he was nowhere to be found. "Dammit..." he whispered under his breath at having been distracted enough to lose him. Sighing and sipping the strong French coffee, he decided to watch Napoleon for a moment instead. Comforted in the knowledge that he could catch up to Tom later. After all, they were staying in the same hotel. "Monsieur! Monsieur!" A young man tried to approach Napoleon with a pen and notepad but was shoved out of the way by one of the other eager fans.

STORY CONTINUED HERE;

The world was already chaotic with a secret society of supernatural creatures hiding their existence from humans to simply survive. Throw in the afterlife and alternate universes and you've got some realms in desperate need of balance.

"Then that's where we differ, little girl," Kris smirked as he took another sip of his drink. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking." He commented with a nod to her drink. Admittedly, he had been tempted to use the love potion, but considering she was already powerless, it had seemed wrong to use it. Besides, the potion had been disguised as a bottle of wine, not whiskey. "But if you really want me to treat you like a prisoner, I can always take that drink away from you and throw you into a cold cell in our basement for a while," he teased with another smirk, glancing at her sideways. He seemed playful, but the threat was very much real. --- At Blake's comments about Demons and Angels, Auntie smiled knowingly but said nothing. There was a lot that this old woman had learned over the course of her life. Much of which was not even common knowledge among their own people. When Salem asked if she could show Blake the dance, she laughed heartily. Her eyes alight with joy, she laughed a little harder at Blake's comment. "Show him how it's done, φίλτατη!" (φίλτατη = filtatos = beloved/dearest. I've decided Autie is going to be Greek xD Looking up translations will be fun hahahaha) --- "If you must know, he's upset because of cold, unwarranted comments like that!" Lang scolded Luis, finally tired of putting on a happy facade in an effort to keep the peace. "And I was trying to keep his spirits up, but that's not working, and I guess it won't ever work unless the general attitude around here changes! He's here to do a job, just like the rest of us. He's a human being who is just as capable of his own thoughts and emotions like anyone else here. Where he came from and who he works for doesn't matter!" --- Azrael chuckled as he accepted the drink. "You know me so well," he said before taking a sip. "Oh, this is much better." He commented on their being away from the prying eyes of the other Angels. "We haven't been together long", he explained. "But what you said, about finding love, you were right. If only I'd noticed sooner that he'd been right in front of me all this time!" He smiled to himself as he took another sip of his drink. It felt nice to be talking so openly about it to someone he trusted. "So, to the other news then..." he said, shifting to a slightly more serious tone. "Raguel... I could tell he wasn't acting himself. Has he said anything in his defence? I saw the way Uriel was behaving when we arrived... trying to suck up to Death's children as if that will earn him any favors. Made me sick. You don't suppose he'd actually get Raguel's job, do you? I can't imagine having to take orders from that prick..." --- His first few words had been comforting, but Lilly was shocked when Death told her to attack him. Trusting him when he said he was strong enough to withstand her attacks, she nodded nervously and tried to focus. She tried. She concentrated so hard on trying to conjure up the faintest bit of magic to use that it started to give her a headache... but still nothing happened. "I don't understand!" She said, frustrated. "This is just like on Earth when I had wanted to use my powers, but they just wouldn't come! My powers only ever seem to come to me at the most inconvenient times! Like back in my home world, when those men attacked me and I accidentally reanimated Bob's skeleton! Or back on Earth, when I'd sensed the dead woman in the taxi driver's trunk. Or at Raven's portal when he'd attacked me-... Ohhhhh..." She stopped as a look of realisation came over her. "All those times... I was the one in danger. It was... I was... I was using my powers in defence. But I don't know how. In the moment, it was like my powers were using me, not the other way around." --- Eve grinned at Adam excitedly. "Have you tried the new food?" she asked him before looking around. Now that they'd been standing in the same spot for a few moments, her senses had had time to catch up and begin differentiating the various scents around them. "What of this vendor?" She asked, pointing to a taco stand in a nearby park. "I smell strange spices. It's making my mouth water." --- "I dunno..." Parker said thoughtfully as he stared at his father's sleeping features. He realised there was still a lot about Damien that he didn't know. Perhaps he was partially to blame for that. "I don't even know if he eats. Some Devils don't need to." He turned his attention back to the photos. "I wonder what she likes... Maybe she's a pasta lover, like me." He smiled a little. Before he'd been terrified. But now that he had the comfort of knowing he'd be able to protect her, this all felt right. "Can I get that number she gave you?" he asked as he brought his eyes up to look at Will. --- Waking up next to Nil, Layla groaned at the sound of the knocking. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was one of the local vampires. She and Nil seemed to have made fast friends with their new neighbours. A few of whom had since offered to bring them food and gifts daily. "I'll get this one..." She said groggily as she sat up and pulled some clothes on. She then stood up and wandered over to the door. Upon opening it and seeing who it was, she woke up fully and slammed the door closed again, keeping her weight against it in the vain hope it would stop Xenos from entering. "Nil, it's X! He's found us!" she called over to him in a panic. --- May had signed herself in and changed into scrubs before heading into the rest of the hospital to begin her rounds. Despite the usual difficult conversations, she hadn't been able to wipe the smile from her face as she looked forward to seeing James again at the end of the day. When she reached John Doe's room, she paused before opening the door. She knew she'd had to check in on him again eventually, but remembering his attack brought a slight tremor to her hand as it rested on the handle. Steadying her nerves, she took a breath and walked in, wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible. When the small creature known as Insanity spoke, she lifted her eyes from the clipboard to him. She signed and held the clipboard to her chest. "I'm not sure how you think I can help you with that. I'm just an ordinary human nurse. The most I can do is make him comfortable and try to get him back to health. Beyond that... I'm sorry," she shrugged with a sympathetic frown. "I have a lot of work to do..." she sighed and hesitated a little before stepping closer to her patient to check the usual things, such as his blood pressure and breathing.

Kris turned to glare at Violet. Despite the sunglasses hiding his eyes, his stare was cold and menacing. He had been very tempted to backhand her across the face and then tell her to speak only when spoken to... but that's something his old boss would have done, and Kris was determined to be a better man. A better leader. What their jobs entailed may not exactly be legal, but that didn't mean they'd have to be evil in the process. Turning back to the boys, he nodded to them. "So... what happened with Ortiz?" After some quick explanations from Benny as well as some ramblings and remarks from Drake, Kris weighed the information quietly for a moment before speaking. "I'll deal with it later. Go and find a uniform for our 'involuntary volunteer'. Make sure you're back by curfew." He told them. Both boys stood to attention, nodded and then vanished. With a heavy sigh, Kris turned to look at Violet again. His hand was just as tight on her arm. He teleported them both into his room, and he pushed her down to sit on a cushion. "Don't bother trying to run," he said to her coldly as he walked over to his little bar and poured two glasses of whiskey. He placed the decanter down and paused for a moment while staring at the liquid. Then, he took off his sunglasses, folded the arms neatly and carefully placed them down. He picked up the glasses before turning to look at the Succubus tiredly. His lavender eyes studied her for a moment. He then walked over to her calmly and offered her one of the glasses. "Welcome to your new life. Follow my rules. Don't cause any trouble. And you might just like it here. I'm not a man who likes laying a violent hand on a woman, but I must warn you. You try to hurt any of my boys, and I will not hesitate to put you in your place. Do you understand?" He teased the rim of his glass against his lips with a thoughtful look as he walked to the other side of the bed, away from her and sat down. He was making it clear that he had no ill intentions for her here. That, despite how it might've looked to begin with, he'd brought her here to provide her with a little comfort. To spare her any humiliation. He was still in control here, but he also respected her personal space. He took a sip of his drink, then turned his head to look at her. "I can imagine how it must feel to be stripped of power. To suddenly feel helpless and at the mercy of a stranger." A fleeting smile passed his lips as he recalled how he had felt that way once. But in a moment, his expression was back to being serious as he continued to look at her. "As long as you don't try anything stupid or try to hurt any of my boys, I will protect you. I can promise you that." --- Audrey watched her granddaughter with Blake for a moment, and while they were distracted with each other, she pulled a dagger from her purse and held it loosely in her wrinkled hands. It looked to be made of pure silver but somehow seemed purer and lighter than silver could ever be. It was her personal dagger. One, she had gone to great lengths in her youth to acquire and kept on her at all times for protection against evil. She looked at it now and considered the gravity of what she had intended to use it for. If not for Kris stopping her, she had been fully prepared to use it on the Succubus. But, of course, he'd been right to stop her. By then, the succubus had been powerless and using the dagger would have been immoral. But Audrey was no fool. She'd lived too long and seen too much to know the danger had not completely passed yet. Unless Kris was able to get Violet to change her ways, they would always have to be wary of her potentially getting her powers back. They weren't out of the woods yet. She sighed. She knew what she had to do, but parting with the dagger was hard. After all her years of keeping it close, she was reluctant to let it go. "Blake, dear," she said softly while turning her head to look at the pair. "I want you to have this," she lifted her frail-looking arms for him to take the dagger from her flattened palms. "It's my 'Serenity'. An Angel's dagger. It wasn't easy to get a hold of," she chuckled a bit at the last sentence before continuing. "It will destroy any creature from Hell. I know Kris will have plans for the Succubus, but take this in case those plans don't work out. If she gets her powers back and she tries to get revenge, don't hesitate to use it." --- Lang shrugged, still smiling. "I'd rather be chipper than sullen," he replied simply, then turned to leave. "While you study to act human, I'll be in the kitchen, stuffing my face with delicious doughnuts," he chuckled. --- "It was that obvious?" Azrael whispered to Gabriel and glanced around warily to see if anyone else around them had noticed. "Let's go to your place to talk. I feel there are too many unwanted eyes and ears here." --- Lilly suddenly seemed nervous at Death's words, but Raven's comments made her smile. "My friends from Earth showed me that. My world had science as well as magic, but nothing so advanced. I must admit, I could scarcely wrap my head around it." She admitted, then looked back at Death and nodded. "I am ready to learn, Father," she said, trying to sound confident, but her voice was tinged with anxiety. She knew she had to learn to harness her powers, but the thought of having to do so always reminded her of what she had done on Earth. --- "We will have to do so carefully, if that's you're intention," John said to Adam as he watched Eve cuddle into her husband's side. "If we bring them all to New Eden too quickly, they'll taint it like they've tainted this world." "We can teach them, can't we? We can teach them to be good?" Eve asked, lifting her head from Adam's shoulder to look between them. When she saw the grim expression on John's face, her own features hardened defiantly. "We cannot abandon them. Not like we were abandoned! We must help them!" she pressed, and John couldn't help but smile at her willfulness, finding it endearing. "We'll figure it out when we get to that point. But first, we need to actually build your new Kingdom." He told her, then took Adam's arm again. This time, he teleported them to the heart of a bustling street. Surrounded by people, street food vendors, clubs, bars, restaurants, various stores and more. All of it was wondrous to Eve, who simply stared around them, awestruck. The vehicles moving past them or beeping in traffic made her jump every so often. She stared with wide eyes at all the flashing lights and the strange new fashions. New smells and sounds assaulted her senses relentlessly as she tried to make sense of it all. It was a lot to take in, and she gripped Adam's arm tightly while her eyes took in every bit of detail around them. "Welcome to the modern world," Adam said with a smile. She looked at him briefly before her tearful eyes went right back to looking around, and she laughed at the marvel of it all. --- Parker hoisted his father onto the hospital bed, and at Will's comment, he immediately looked down at himself. "Huh!" He chuckled at the sight of his new leg. He then glanced over at the little window to his room warily and hurried over to shut the blinds before a nurse or human patient could notice his 'miracle'. To Will's suggestion of letting Damien rest at their place, he was hesitant to agree. He wandered back to the photos of Madeline and picked one up to stare at it. "I guess I owe him that much," he said reluctantly. "I dunno how I'm guna pull off seeing the CPS lady again with a brand new leg... maybe we can tell her it's a hyper-realistic prosthetic or something?" He gathered up the rest of the photos and looked at Will. "We should probably teleport out of here." He didn't know how to do it yet and worried that, like his father, he might not be recovered enough to pull it off yet without passing out. --- "I'd say I have a lot of books, but they're mostly medical for my studies." May chuckled as she got out of bed and started to get dressed. "Maybe have a look online if there's some classes going on or something. I know a few places do yoga or painting, or pottery... It might be one of those things where you just need to experiment and find something that makes you feel good," she said. She hurried out of the room to grab her keys and handbag, then came back to kiss his head. "There's a spare key in the bowl on the table. My shift ends at 8 pm, see you then?"

"Shut up." Kris snapped at Violet when he heard her complaining. He glared at her and kept a tight grip on her arm to stop her running off. He stood and dragged her to her feet along with him. When he looked up, he saw Auntie Audrey marching over with a dark expression. He quickly stepped between the old woman and the now powerless Succubus while still maintaining his tight grip on her arm. "Stand aside, Kris!" She barked at him, but Kris stood his ground. "She's not a threat anymore, Auntie." He said sternly. "She kidnapped my granddaughter, hurt her and put her in a cage! How dare you protect her!" "I hear you, I hear you." Kris nodded. "You want retribution. I'm tempted too. But she's weak now. Defenceless. It'd be wasted energy," he then smirked. "Besides. I may have an idea or two on how she can pay us back for the trouble she caused." Audrey's lips thinned in anger, but her eyes moved to Violet and then back to Kris while she considered his suggestion to leave Violet to him. "See to your granddaughter, Audrey. Let me handle the nasty work." He pressed, and the old woman gave a relenting sigh. "Fine." She said shortly, then pointed a thin, wrinkled finger at the Succubus. "If you harm my granddaughter, Kris or any of his boys, there will be no one to save you, dearie," she growled, then turned around to walk back to Salem. Kris nodded to the boys. "Blake, make sure Auntie and Salem get home safely. Take today off and spend it with them. You've earned it. I want you home by curfew to get enough rest to start your training again tomorrow, though." "What about us, boss?" Drake asked, his eyes having lit up hopefully that he and Benny might have also earned a day off by coming to help. "You two are going to tell me what happened with Ortiz," Kris said seriously as he turned his attention to them. "And then you're going to go out and find a uniform for our new maid," he added with a smirk as he briefly glanced sideways at Violet. --- Lang gave him an amused smile. "Alright, alright," he said gently, holding his hands up. "Do your research, then. But you can't say I didn't try to warn you." He said, then smirked as he added playfully. "If you're wrong, you gotta eat a whole doughnut as well as your normal calorie intake, though." --- Azrael couldn't help but blush at Death's comments, and his softened eyes lingered on his momentarily while he smiled almost bashfully. If it hadn't been obvious yet to Gabriel that there was something between them, it was sure as hell obvious now. He then realised what Gabriel had told him. That the council were still processing the events of the earthquakes and portal closure. Which would mean, if they weren't aware already, that they'd learn of what became of Raven. His eyes landed on Raven for a second, then lifted back to Death knowingly. When the Council would eventually come to deal with Raguel's replacement, they would likely also call upon Death and Raven. Both of them would need to be ready for this. The council notoriously have no patience for emotional outbursts, so when called upon, they would need to be both concise and measured when delivering their perspective. Two days didn't leave them with a lot of time to put together their statements. "Sire, perhaps you and Raven should return home and prepare?" he suggested with a hint of haste to his tone. He then turned to Lilly, but before he could say anything, she spoke first. "I'd like to go home too. It's nice here and it would be nice to visit again... maybe when there isn't so much going on." "Ah- ever perceptive..." Azrael chuckled, then looked back at Death. "If it is alright with you, there is more I need to take care of here," he wanted to talk less formally to his friend and preferably in private. --- [Private Time] --- There was a brief delay from when Adam called for John to when John actually appeared. He seemed a little flushed but quickly shook that off to look from Eve to Adam with uncertainty. As if to silently ask him if this was a good idea. Eve was curious, but Adam's warning had unnerved her a bit. If their descendants are so lost that they needed to start over with a new Eden, then she worried how much of a dystopia the Earth had become. She hugged Adam's arm. "Keep me close," she said to him. After being without him for so long, one of the things she most feared was losing him again. She then caught the look on John's face and bristled. "Do not think me a meek child! You heard my husband! Show me the Earth. Show me what became of our children!" Her sudden ferocity took John aback a little, and he relented while giving Adam one last 'don't say I didn't tell you so.' look. He took Adam's other arm and in an instant, they were standing in a run-down-looking street. Shops were shuttered. Graffiti art was scrawled over every available inch of masonry. The streets were littered, and a half-starved stray dog with a foaming mouth was devouring trash nearby. A car alarm rang out continuously somewhere in the distance, along with the odd car horn and yelled profanities while a child cried. "Wha- What is this?" Eve shivered as she looked around, wide-eyed, while holding on tightly to Adam's arm. "The children that the rest of your children discard, neglect and forget about," John answered in a serious tone. "Where people struggle to afford the barest necessities and resort to theft or other underhanded tactics just to survive and then are punished for said survival efforts by the same people who look down on them from their large, warm houses." he turned his head to look at Eve sadly. "You wanted to see Earth. I thought it best you see what we need to avoid in our New Eden first. We can't help this world... but we can make sure nothing like this happens in our new one." "You're telling me there's no hope for them at all?" Eve asked in a quiet voice while her lower lip trembled and her eyes wandered across the dirty streets. --- Given how Damien would need to go about Parker's transformation, Will would have very much underestimated how long they would be gone. The moment Will had left the room, Damien wasted no time. He touched Parker's shoulder and teleported them into the Dead City's abandoned hospital so that Parker would land in another, albeit much dirtier, hospital bed. "Ugh, gross..." Parker complained as he flung the blood-stained sheets away from him. "Pretty sure that's some kind of biohazard..." "Not when you're dead." Damien chuckled, and after a brief sickly look from Parker, he quickly shook his head. "I'm not going to kill you. I don't need to. I can do the ritual Lucifer did for me." Not knowing much about how Damien was transformed, Parker could only take his word for it. "Fine... what do we need to do?" he said, less than enthusiastically. "We need to get you off the bed and onto the floor, first of all. C'mon..." Damien lifted Parker off the bed with ease, which surprised Parker quite a bit. "One of my powers," Damien said as he carried him over to a clear area. "I didn't figure it out until a random Angel picked a fight on Earth during one of my first few days as a Devil. Lucifer didn't show it, but I could tell he was impressed-" "Can we not talk about Lucifer?" Parker interjected, and Damien stopped short, looking a little hurt. "Sure. Yeah. No problem." He said as he gently placed his son on the floor. "Alright, it's really simple. You don't need to do anything but keep your hand in mine and endure. I'll do the rest." "Endure?" "I'm not going to lie, this will hurt. A lot." Damien elaborated a little with a regretful look. It was the only part of the transformation he wouldn't be able to shield him from. "Just focus on why you're doing this, hold on tight to that reason no matter what and whatever you do, do not let go of my hand." "A-Alright." Parker gulped and steeled himself as Damien took his hand and knelt in front of him. With a final deep breath between them, Damien began chanting. At first, Parker felt nothing but a little awkward. Then pain suddenly shot through every nerve, vein and muscle in his body. Even down to his bones. He let out a loud scream and instinctively wanted to pull his hand away, but Damien kept a firm grip on him, preventing him from pulling loose. The rest became a blur to Parker. He writhed and screamed and begged Damien to stop. All reason left him in these moments. It pained Damien to see his son like this, but he pressed on, knowing now it was too late to stop and they needed to see it through to the end. To both of them, it felt like it took an eternity. In reality, it took a little more than an hour to complete. And an hour further for them both to recover. Eventually, still panting and drenched with sweat, Parker opened his eyes. His body ached still, but he felt different. Brimming with new life and potential. He hadn't felt this strong since... He stopped the thought before he could complete it as the memory sickened him. But he wasn't like that anymore. This was a different kind of power. Fearful of what he'd see, he looked down at himself. He'd half expected to see his body as a blackened, charred and burned mess. But he was unscathed. He was surprised to see a large pentagram with infernal sigils had burned itself under him. Shakily, he looked over at Damien, who was watching him silently. Damien was also sweating and seemed exhausted as he sat sprawled on the floor with his back to the far wall. "Is-..." Parker started. "Is this what happened to you? Did it hurt that bad for you?" he asked him shakily. Damien nodded slowly before speaking in a tired voice. "Right before... Lucif-... He told me that if I wanted to be a Devil like him, I had to be strong, no matter how much it hurt. That I needed to try not to scream..." Damien glanced away as he recalled his own transformation. "So I didn't. I wanted so much to be like him. I looked up to him. So, I used every bit of strength I had not to scream... to show him that I could be strong, like him." "That's so fucked up!" Parker gasped. He couldn't have imagined trying to stay composed with that level of pain coursing through every limb like a raging fire. Damien shrugged with a short laugh. "That's just how it was then... we were at war, and he wanted me to be ready for anything. Even the possibility of being captured and tortured. My training was brutal, but... back then, it was necessary." Parker frowned. He understood a little more of why Damien was like he was now. He still wasn't ready to fully trust him, but he was starting to grow on him. "So, how long until I get powers?" "Oh, you'll already have those. Now it's just a case of figuring out what they are, but we have plenty of time for that. Now we just need to rest." "Can I go home and rest? The grungy ass floors in this place are grossing me out." Damien chuckled. "Sure," he groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. He walked over and helped Parker to stand. Although he now had two feet planted firmly on the ground, Parker had yet to even register the appearance of his newly grown leg. Damien teleported them both back to his room at the hospital on Earth before promptly collapsing and passing out, having used up too much energy for one day. Parker had moved rapidly, the short movement appearing to be a blur, as he caught Damien before he could hit the ground. --- Smiling with her eyes still closed, May savoured the feeling of James's fingers in her hair. "Mmm, and thank you for giving me multiple feelings last night," she joked, then moved her head to look up at him and a loving smile. "I love you, too," she said softly. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and groaned. "I have to get up and get ready for work soon. I don't want to move, though," she chuckled. "I just want this moment to last forever."

When Ortiz had snapped at him, Benny had flinched and looked down again. Then he'd looked nervously between him and Blake when his new friend displayed defiance. After Blake had vanished, Benny flinched again with a whimper as Ortiz pinned him to the wall. He stared up at him in disbelief at the order he'd been given. "Wha-what?!" He gasped. His face had turned pale. "That's it!" Drake growled from behind Ortiz and swiftly brought his knee up between the man's legs. It was a cheap shot, but at least it would be effective. As Ortiz would likely be writhing from the nut-shot, Drake kicked him in the back for good measure. "You had that coming asshole!" he shouted. "What did you do?!" Benny squeaked at Drake. He stared at Ortiz with wide, terrified eyes, expecting nothing but retaliation. "Forget him. Come on, we gotta go after Blake." Drake said while grabbing his arm. "Obviously, there's some kind of trouble, and we gotta help!" They both vanished, too. --- "Oh, my sweet girl!" Auntie had hurried over to Salem's cage as soon as they'd appeared while Kris kept a lookout for the Succubus. "Did that wretch hurt you?" she asked. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Kris snapped as soon as Blake had appeared. "Ortiz... you had one job, dammit!" He then muttered irritably. When Violet made her appearance, Kris glared at her and tensed. He wasn't sure how he'd resist her charms this time, but he was determined to fight her influence with everything he had. When she seemed to focus on Blake, he growled at her angrily. "Leave him alone, you bitch!" But then he raised an eyebrow at Blake when her power didn't seem to work on him. At first, he assumed Blake had some kind of special resistance, but then Salem spoke, and he couldn't help but smile at the pair. Seeing the Succubus making her move, Auntie chanted a quick spell to grant Blake a little extra protection. Both Drake and Benny then appeared just in time to see Blake sending Violet across the room. "Dude, wicked!" Drake cheered. "Boys?! Now, why are you two here?!" "Sorry, sir! We just wanted to help!" Benny said quickly. "Yeah, and Ortiz has gone off the deep end!" Drake added. "What-?" Kris started but was cut off by Auntie Audrey. "Kris, you can chatter with your boys when this is over. Put the bracelet on her before she wakes up!" She then turned to Blake. "Come, lad, help me with this cage!" "What about us?" Benny asked "Watch my back while I approach the Succubus," Kris ordered. "You can count on us, boss!" Drake said while walking with Benny behind him as they marched towards Violet. Kris took the bracelet out of his pocket as he walked and knelt beside her with the intention of sliding it onto her wrist. --- Frowning, Lang sighed and brought him his book. "It wouldn't have helped, you know. Research is nothing like the real thing. Life and people are unpredictable." --- "As much as it would be beneficial for the children to learn, you can have friends among your allies, you may have a point." Azrael conceded with a small smile. He watched as Death praised Lilly. "Perhaps we can talk informally later, then?" he asked, turning back to Gabriel. "If there are any other Archangels that I trust, it's you and Nate. I know what Uriel told me, but I want to hear it from you. How are things looking? He said the council still haven't made an appearance. Any word on when they will?" "Thank you, Father." Lilly continued to smile. She watched some of the exchange between Azrael and Gabriel. "You're friends?" She asked curiously, having overheard the first part of the conversation. --- Jessica tilted her head back with a gasp at his bite. The thrill shot through her, and she felt her fangs lengthen a little. She let out little sighs as his kisses and the feel of his teeth on her skin sent excited shivers through her. Running a hand through his hair and feeling his horns with her fingertips, she leaned into him. Nuzzled his neck before biting him in turn, drawing some blood that she flicked her tongue over before kissing his neck so that they were both kissing and biting each other's necks. Lifting her head a little, she moaned into his ear, "Make me yours." --- Eve looked at Adam, unable to begin to imagine how the world might have changed. "Magazines..." She sighed, then stopped walking. She turned to look at Adam pleadingly. "I don't want to learn from pictures on a flimsy parchment! I want to see it for myself! Adam, take me there. Please? I need to see how our descendants have built their world!" --- Damien had been searching for news online for any crimes in the world. A few had caught his interest. He hadn't been able to get his day with Samson out of his head. His veins had started to ache from withdrawals, but he ignored the feeling for now. As much as he'd drop everything if Samson called for him now, he'd prefer not to see him again until he'd picked out their next targets to 'punish'. James hadn't come home yet, so Damien assumed he'd had some luck with that nurse. Stiffening when Will's words entered his head, Damien tore his eyes from his laptop before locking and closing it. He stood and stepped away from the table before vanishing. Parker had watched Will summon his father, and for a second, he'd been tempted to quickly hide the pictures of Madeline. For a wild moment, he didn't want Damien to know he had a grandchild. But knew that after the fight he'd put up to avoid becoming a Devil, Damien would likely start asking questions now that Parker had suddenly changed his mind. Besides, he'd be bound to find out anyway. Reluctantly, he kept the photos on his lap on the bed. Damien appeared a second later and looked between them, worriedly. "Is everything alright?" "I-... Um..." Parker hesitated. He looked at Madeline's photo again to steel himself, and then he looked Damien in the eye. "I've changed my mind. I want you to make me into a Devil." Surprised, Damien looked from Parker to Will and then back again. "You were so adamantly against it, though. What changed?" Parker sighed and held up a photo for Damien to take. He watched his father look at the photo with a mildly confused expression. "Her. Madeline... I'm doing it for her. She's my daughter." Damien tore his eyes from the photo and stared at Parker in shock. The shock quickly melted to give way to understanding. He nodded to his son and handed the photo back. "Then we should get you discharged first. I can then take you to Hell to get it done." Parker wasn't thrilled by the idea of being taken to Hell to become a Devil, but he knew that if it meant he could keep his daughter safe, he'd do anything. "Will, can you do the paperwork and stuff for my discharge? Just tell them you'll help me with physio at home or something."

Drake had laughed at Blake's comment and had been about to say something when Ortiz stepped into their path, bringing the trio to an abrupt stop. The tension was thick in the few seconds before Ortiz would speak. Both Drake and Benny didn't dare speak. Benny averted his eyes from Ortiz, while Drake stared back at him defiantly. Both their hearts sank when Ortiz explained he would be the one training them today. Then they winced as Blake told him he wanted to learn combat, as they immediately knew what would come next. At the order, Drake removed his arm from around Blake's shoulder. He briefly nodded to his sparring partner before grabbing his arm and shoulder. In one fluid motion, he kicked the back of Blake's leg and swung his hips so that he flipped him onto his back on the ground. "Sorry mate..." he mumbled as he stood straight, then offered him a hand to help him up. The first form of combat any of these boys learned was hand-to-hand or martial arts. Because, as good as magic can be, it's not as effective or safe to use when within close proximity to an opponent. After watching Blake's swift take down and wincing again, Benny nervously looked at Ortiz. "Um, Ortiz... Sir, may I ask why the boss isn't training us himself?" He asked curiously, knowing it was unusual for him not to be present for the first day of training. --- As much as he hated not being involved in any of his boys' first day of training, this matter needed Kris's utmost attention. When Ortiz stepped out to stop the boys in the hallway, he wasted no time and vanished. He appeared in the little shop and saw that Auntie wasn't sitting on her stool as usual. "Auntie?" He called out. The old woman's face appeared from behind her curtained doorway and she stared at Kris for a moment. "Oh, Kris. Thank goodness. Get in here and help Auntie." Kris obeyed her, hurrying into the back of the shop where she seemed to be brewing something in a small cauldron. "I came as soon as I heard. What can I do to help?" He said as he looked over her supplies nearby. "Oh, you're a good boy. Hand me those quartz shards. The clear ones. Thank you." Kris helped her with brewing her potion and then asked. "So, what's the plan?" "The plan?" Auntie chuckled darkly. "The plan is we rescue my little Salem, and I come home with a new Succubus pelt! Now, stand back and prepare yourself. This may get messy. Did you bring the gift I gave you?" Kris produced the bracelet from his back pocket and showed it to her. "Good! Keep it close. You might only get one opportunity to use it." He nodded and placed it back into his pocket. He stood back as instructed and let Auntie Audrey chant her spell to locate Salem. When random images of a location popped into both their minds, Auntie reached out to him. "Take my hand, lad." he did, and after a few more chants from Auntie, they both vanished, aiming to teleport right next to Salem's cage. --- Lang followed him into the evidence room and folded his arms while leaning against some shelves. His whole demeanour was relaxed. "Hey, don't worry. Look, we all have a job to do, right? At the end of the day, we're here for the ordinary Joe to make sure he's safe as he goes about his nine-to-five life so that he can go home to his family every night. Right?" He gestured towards the door. "So, in the grand scheme of things, what they think doesn't matter. What matters is we're all here for the same reason. We just have slightly different roles to play in that, that's all. Besides. This is just day one, and a hard day one to boot. Give it time. Be patient. They'll come around when they see that you're just trying to help." --- "I'll tell you about it later," Lilly muttered to Raven in reply to his comment. She then looked up as the blonde Angel appeared and greeted Azrael. In comparison to Uriel, Gabriel seemed to be much more relaxed when talking to him. No pretence that Lilly could detect, anyway. "I was hoping we could talk about what happened." Azrael phrased it carefully, but what he really meant was, he needed his friend. Then Death appeared, and Azrael was relieved to see him. Happy, even. He couldn't hide the smitten smile that spread across his lips as his eyes landed on his beloved. "Your Grace," he greeted him warmly. "Precisely, you, Grace. Those were my thoughts exactly. Although credit where credit is due, this was your daughter's idea. You may have a diplomat in the making." "I uh, I was just curious about what Heaven was like..." Lilly mumbled shyly, her cheeks turned a little red while she awkwardly looked away. "She's being humble." Azrael smiled at her. --- Jessica giggled, blushing. She grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Maybe..." she smiled coyly. "I think you should give me a demonstration." --- "Perfect!" Eve said excitedly. "And we could have incense, some gold lanterns. Maybe a sheepskin rug. Oh, and those decorated vases, you remember how lovely they looked with the painted figures?" And with that, Adam may once again be reminded that Eve had no experience of the modern world. Not its styles, fashions or advancements. Most of what she had managed to learn had slowly been forgotten over time from the moment they had been banished to Hell and she'd found herself surviving, fleeing, and hunting with little more than the clothes on her back. Only ever knowing Hell's wilds. Its fields, forests, mountains and deserts. --- Parker took some breaths as the nurse left the room with a vial of his blood. In anticipation of Parker agreeing to the test and to make things a bit less stressful for little Madeline, a vial of her blood had already been dropped off at the hospital. In the meantime, Parker tried to keep himself calm, but every so often his eyes would drop to the photo and then to his stump, and he would feel the panic swell within him again. What if she gets into trouble and he can't help her in time because he only has one leg? It would all be his fault because he was too proud to accept Damien's gift. He was so stubborn in wanting to be human for as long as possible that he might be a liability when it comes to keeping his own daughter safe. These thoughts swam around and around in his head. Every so often, he'd catch himself beginning to spiral again and would shake his head, then try to focus on the fact that they didn't know anything for certain yet. The wait was excruciating. The nurses hadn't given him any kind of timeframe, so he wondered if he might not hear anything for weeks yet. Surely, something like this wouldn't be so quick? He vastly underestimated how many children had suddenly been put into a similar situation to Madeline because of the quakes, resulting in the strained CPS system doing everything it could to find willing relatives or legal guardians as efficiently as possible. The minutes felt like hours. Parker could swear the hand on the clock on the wall was broken. He bit the corner of his nails anxiously, starting to draw blood, when a small knock on his door finally pulled him out of his thoughts. "Mr Parker?" The nurse squeaked. She was a little smaller than the last one had been, and her scrubs were burgundy rather than the usual blue that most other nurses could be seen wearing. "Yes?" Parker sat up rigidly, unsure of what to expect. "I have your test results here." She said in a soft tone. "Would you like to read them yourself, or would you like me to read them?" She offered. Parker thought for a moment. He licked his lips and found his mouth had dried up from nerves. He turned to pick up the glass of water with a shaking hand and took a sip. Swallowing the water, he briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them to look back up at the nurse. "Please, you go ahead." "Based on a comparison between your blood type, Madeline's blood type and a record of what Lucy's blood type had been... Madeline is your daughter." She told him, then paused to let the news sink in. She'd learned early in her career not to jump to congratulations when it came to news like this because it would turn out not to be a happy situation. "Tha-tha-thank you... nurse..." Parker breathed the words but felt a tightness in his chest. He was relieved to know for sure, but his earlier thoughts came hurtling back to him. In the state he was in, he wasn't fit to look after her... to protect her. And if he'd learned one thing since finding out his true heritage, it was that he and his family would never know a peaceful life. He had already come to terms with that before now, but that was before he knew he had a child to look after. Tears welled in his eyes, and he ran a hand through his hair. The nurse had nodded to them and left the room, but he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed. He knew what he needed to do. Before, he would have fought tooth and nail to avoid it out of sheer pride. Or was it spite? Possibly both, if he was being honest with himself. But now there was an innocent little girl in the picture. His daughter. Even without the test and even without meeting her yet, he'd known she was his from the moment his eyes landed on the image of her face and the fierce paternal instinct to protect her at all costs gripped his heart. Pulling himself together, he wiped his tears away and looked at Will with a new determination. "Can you bring my father here for me?"

"Shit!" Kris hissed, glad that Blake hadn't returned yet. "No, don't tell him. We can't have him running off and springing the trap before we're ready. Stay here with the boys. Go over the basics with them. How to brew a simple healing potion. How to locate objects. You know the drill. I'm going to Aunty Audrey's to see if she has any leads or plans..." he said quickly, knowing the old woman always had some kind of plan up her sleeve. Meanwhile, the boys had just put their packs on and were ready to head out when Blake stopped them. "I'm always up for a day off!" Drake beamed. "Oh, this means training day!" Benny grinned. "You picked us? I'm honoured." "Of course, he picked us. He's a man of taste!" Drake wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders and started walking with him towards Kris's planning room. "You'll learn some pretty basic stuff today, but maybe later we can show you how to make a pretty potent stink bomb?" --- Through the whole encounter, Lang glared at Luis. "You know better," he said to him quietly. His voice was tinged with disappointment. After all, it hadn't been that long since he'd talked to Luis about fitting in now that he was no longer human. Lang turned to Reed. "I'm sorry about that. Like I said, today has been hard on a lot of people. Try not to take it personally. Come on, I'll introduce you to the others." --- Azrael smiled at Raven. "You will find, as a Prince, there will be times when stepping out of your comfort zone will be necessary." He said gently, then turned to face ahead of them as he guided them towards a large building. Its bricks were massive and looked to be made of polished marble. A subtle sweet smell hung in the air as they stepped inside. A mix of earth and flora, like a warm field on a summer day. "Stay close to me, children. Don't speak unless spoken to, and let me do all the talking. The Angels here are outwardly friendly, but in this power vacuum, they will be looking for any opportunity to give themselves an advantage when it comes to a promotion." Just as he finished speaking, he noticed a familiar face walking towards them from the far end of the hall. "Speaking of opportunists..." he mumbled before Uriel could hear him. "Azrael!" Uriel greeted him warmly with open arms, then looked at Lilly and Raven in turn. "And the Heirs of Death! How lovely to meet you!" "Children, this is Uriel. An Archangel, like me." Azrael introduced him quickly, then looked at his old colleague with a serious expression. "What news on Raguel?" "Not good, my friend." Uriel frowned. Though Lilly squinted at him, she didn't say anything. But she glanced quickly at Raven, wondering if he'd caught it. The way Uriel spoke. His slightly exaggerated tone. The way he composed himself. She didn't know for certain yet, but she got the impression that every little movement and every word from this man was off in some way. Uriel's eyes were fixed on Azrael as he continued, having not noticed Lilly's scrutiny. "We're still waiting for the Spirit Council to grace us with their presence, hand down their sentence and choose his successor." "You seem certain he won't walk free." Azrael raised an eyebrow. "Are his circumstances so dire?" "My friend! He attacked you! Attacked one of our own, unprovoked! He is vicious. Dangerous!" "He made a mistake-" "I understand this must be hard for you. You had been close to him, and he hurt you. But you shouldn't worry about him. He can't hurt you anymore." Azrael stiffened. His jaw clenched, and his eyes bore into Uriel's, who looked back at him in faux sympathy. "Where's Gabriel? I wish to speak with him." "Oh, I-" "In private," Azrael added forcefully as he cut off his former colleague. Uriel seemed a little offended, his smile looking a bit strained as he stepped back and gave a small, disappointed shrug. "I understand." He said quietly, then looked at Raven and Lilly again. "It was lovely meeting you both," he said politely, then turned and walked away while mentally summoning Gabriel and letting him know Azrael had asked for him. "And that is how you carefully navigate a conversation with someone you'd rather punch in the face," Azrael told the children with a half-joking smirk. "Azrael!" Lilly gasped quietly, surprised but amused by his remark. --- "No, you heard what that Shezmu said. We'd both have to be human. But maybe once we've got our family, we don't have to stay human? Like I said, I like how I am now. I've never felt more myself. I just want a family, too." Jessica explained. "So, if you're happy with it, when we're ready to turn back, you could..." She paused and thought for a moment. Unlike her, they couldn't just ask any vampire to turn him because then he'd just be a regular vampire. They needed to be Blood Gods. So, they would need to ask a Blood God to turn him. "River. We trust and know River, so we could ask him to turn you. Then we make a romantic evening. Candles. Rose petals. Just you and me. Then you turn me too. What do you think?" --- Bringing her eyes back to his, Eve smiled brightly. "That sounds wonderful, husband!" she said excitedly. Falling back into her old habit of calling him 'husband' as a pet name. She took his hands in hers. For a moment, she felt like his carefree bride in Eden once more. When it had just been the two of them. "Where shall we begin?" --- Andi glanced around the throne room, then looked back at his King. "Perhaps they're still visiting Azrael?" he suggested, then paused to lightly press his fingers to his throat. "That's going to take some getting used to." He chuckled, referring to his own voice. --- Parker's heart was hammering in his chest from his anxiety. He looked at Will and took some breaths to try to calm down as he nodded. He glanced at Madeline's photo once more before looking back at Will. "The- The blood test," he reminded him. "They won't just hand her over unless we prove I'm really her dad." Referring to himself as a father felt weird. He still wasn't used to the idea. "Maybe we can get a nurse to take a blood sample straight away

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Kris praised him. "Alright, I assume you had the chance to talk to some of the boys already? I want you to go ahead and pick one or two of them to join you today. I find learning new skills comes easiest when you have pals to do it with. Plus, it'll give you the perfect opportunity to grow some close bonds here. Go and tell them they're excused from their normal duties today to join you in training instead. Then come back to me." Kris then turned to Ortiz. "Hey Ortiz, would you mind heading over to Aunty Audrey's?" he asked, not really asking but phrasing his order politely. "Grab some of the basics for me. Chalk sticks. Candles. Herbs. You know," he waved a hand dismissively. While they did need the supplies for Blake's training, Kris was also subtly sending Ortiz to check on the old lady and Salem. He was confident in his earlier words to Blake, but he also knew there was no such thing as 'too careful'. "Oh, and uh, don't break anything this time," he jabbed with a playful smirk. --- "You'll be fine," Lang reassured him as he patted him on the back and guided him to the first desk. "This is Travis's desk. He must be on a break or something. He's mute, but the guy has a big heart. He sketches perps for us." Lang explained and then guided him to the next desk. --- Azrael looked at Raven for a long moment, then at Lilly before closing his eyes and sighing heavily. "No, Lilly is right. As Death's children, you are both his heirs. And you will need to learn how to behave as such. Including forming a diplomatic alliance with our neighbouring realms." He conceded, then opened his eyes and gave a stern stare at both of them. "If you are to come with me to Heaven, then I need your word that you will both be on your best behaviour. That you will not leave my side for anything. This will be purely educational. Are we at an agreement?" Lilly beamed victoriously. "I agree." She said eagerly, then looked at Raven expectantly. Hoping he would join them. --- "How can I forget?" Jessica laughed. She shuffled closer to him and caressed his cheek. "That was the first night that I really felt seen," she said softly. She brought her fingers down to his chin, then traced the side of his mouth to one of his fangs. She was going to miss them, but already she knew how she wanted to return to what she is now. "When we-... when we've got our little family and we know we won't have any more kids... I think I want you to be the one to turn me back. Would you do that for me?" --- Eve hesitated for a moment and blushed as she reluctantly pulled away from him. She lowered her eyes to the ground to avoid looking directly at him. "I'm not sure. I could help you make things more comfortable here? Or I could teach you how to defend our home? I learned a few fighting techniques while I was surviving on my own..." --- The second Hades burst into laughter, and David struggled to contain his own. He laughed but quickly reverted his laughter to chuckles to try and save Andi the embarrassment. Of course, by that time it was too late as Andi realised immediately that they had all heard him and his own face had turned crimson as a result. "Sorry, I'm sorry. That was unprofessional of me." David said quickly between his chuckles, and he gently elbowed Hades to hint at her to stop. "I suppose you could say you feel like... a new man?" David then asked, unable to help himself and immediately he burst into laughter again. At Death's suggestion, Andi quickly nodded. "Yes, please," he mumbled. --- "I-I..." Parker tried but struggled to find the words. His eyes were fixed on the photos. "I was drunk... we were both drunk... I had lost weeks' worth of memories and was trying to piece together what had happened to me when we met. I was a mess..." he tried to explain. "And I made this little girl, and I didn't even know..." his voice broke as he started to cry. "Look at her! She's got my hair! My eyes! I don't need a test to see it! I should have been there for her. For them both. I should have answered those calls. Now I'm no better than my dad! And now... and now... " he breathed heavily as his eyes lifted from the photos to his stump. "Oh fuck! Oh god! I can't take care of her now! What good am I now?! I should have taken Damien's offer when I had the chance! Oh shit! Oh fuck! I fucked up!" He sobbed as he looked up at Will. "Will, I fucked up!"

Thankfully, the night had been uneventful as far as Kris could tell. He was in the planning room when Blake approached him. He's been leaning on the table with his hands, bent over to look at various city and underground maps. Hearing the name brought a sinister smile to his lips, and he glanced at Ortiz in amusement. "Rio the Wrong... Jeez, how long did it take the boys to drop that one? 12? 24 hours? Guess you won that bet," he chuckled, then looked back at Blake, his sunglasses catching some light as he moved. "Rio and I were trained by the same Trickster. He took us in much like I took you and the other boys in, only our boss wasn't as... nurturing as I am." He took his hands off the table and straightened up. He folded his arms and stared down at the maps. "I wasn't exactly close to Rio, but we were all we had at the time. We theived together. We swindled together. We killed together. In a way, we look out for each other. He got his nickname from our boss as a slight to remind him of how frequently he was a fuck up. As much as I hated my boss, he had a point, though... Rio would frequently give us false leads, walk openly into traps and then need rescueing, the idiot damn near brought an undercover pig into our den before our boss sniffed him out." Kris shook his head. "I always stuck up for him. As much as he annoyed the shit out of me, it was the closest thing to family that I had. I'd plead for our boss the forgive him, that he was just a harmless idiot and it won't happen again." Kris's jaw clenched as he recalled what had happened. "He was a rat! All the times he 'fucked up' he was actually attempting to lure us into traps. Get us arrested. Dismantle our whole way of life. Only instead of being a fuck up of a Trickster, he was actually a fuck up as a rat because every attempt failed and he was left to convince us all once again that he was just a clumsy idiot. Heh... kind of ironic, really." he looked back at Blake. "He lured me away from our home one day. Then he told me everything. He'd set it up for the police to raid our home while we were gone. He wanted to spare me because I always stood up for him. He thought we were friends... family. But I had other friends back at our hideout. They were my family, too. Like you and the other boys in there... can you imagine getting close to those other boys, seeing and embracing them as brothers every day and then one of them takes you aside and tells you he's sold out the rest of the family but wants to save you? I was just a kid. No older than you are now. But I was strong. I was skilled. I was betrayed, and I was livid," he said the last word in a growl. "We fought. Fists and fireballs were thrown. But in the end, I won. I knocked him out and then raced back to warn the others. By the time I got there, our boss had taken a few cops down, but the whole base was overwhelmed. It was a long and hard fight. We lost some boys... some real good boys. The human cops never stood a chance, but the ones who had been hiding their powers among them? They gave as good as they got. Like I said, I was just your age at the time. But I matched blow for blow the kind of power my boss and the supernatural cops were dealing. By the time the dust settled, there was only me and my boss left. He was so angry. He knew this meant our base was no longer safe. That he'd have to start again. To build his little gang again. With no one else around to blame, he blamed me. We argued. We insulted each other. But too exhausted to fight anymore, we chose to go our separate ways. That was the end of that era and the start of... this," he gestured to the base they now stood in. "I built all this on my own, starting at your age. I vowed never to be as cruel and greedy as my former boss. That my new family would be just that- family! And as for Rio... well..." he smirked and exchanged a knowing glance with Ortiz. "Let's just say he knows never to darken my doorstep again, if he knows what's good for him." Kris walked over to Blake and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you need to worry about Salem. You didn't know her when the Succubus was around, so she likely has no idea she even exists. Also, don't underestimate Auntie Audrey. She looks like a walking raisin, but she's a formidable witch. If you like my stories, she's got enough experiences to tell you stories until the cows come home," he said confidently, then removed his hand from his shoulder and tilted his head a little. "Now then, are you ready for your first day?" --- "Well, crime isn't going to take a break just because we're having a bad day," Lang replied with a chuckle. Simply looking around, it would be clear that everyone had already gone back to their own work. Some had already left to respond to calls. "Want me to introduce you to everyone and show you around?" --- Azrael heard Raven's words, and as they let go of him, he saw both Raven and Lilly in a new light. Not just as Death's children. Death was his beloved, which made Death's children as good as his. Knowing these two had already survived such perils before their arrival here caused a feeling of protectiveness in him that was so fierce it almost frightened him. He would do anything for them. He would die defending them, if necessary. He watched Raven say goodbye to Conrad and felt his heart ache for them, knowing too well the longing that they both felt. Taking a breath, he flung the covers from him and winced as he got out of bed. Still in his black robes, he clicked his fingers. All at once, the various tears and holes in his robes stitched themselves closed. "Azrael, you shouldn't-" Lilly started with a gasp, but Azrael placed a hand on her shoulder while giving her a gentle smile. "Believe me, I am stronger than I look." He told her. Placing the amulet around his neck, he ran his fingers over it briefly before letting it rest on his chest. Regardless of its magical properties, he would cherish this gift for all time. "I have some business in Heaven," he said seriously. "I'm a Reaper. Death's right hand. But I am also an Archangel. I need to know what is happening in place of Raguel's command." Seeing an opportunity, Lilly glanced at Raven before speaking. "Take us with you." "What-? No." "We are safest by your side, and besides, if we are to take the titles of Princess and Prince, we need to be educated in diplomacy with the other realms, and who better to teach us?" Lilly argued. It was clear by her stance and hard stare that she was prepared to be as stubborn as possible. She glanced at Raven and barely concealed a cunning smile. "And Raven would be able to spend a little more time with Cornad without using up one of his passes." Azrael flustered and rolled his eyes upwards. He was very reluctant, but obviously considering it. Education-wise, he couldn't fault her logic. --- "I guess you'd have to anyway." Jessica shrugged with a chuckle. "We'll be human again, and we'll need money for groceries, rent, bills... not to mention a kid. Or maybe two?" She smiled at him playfully. "Oh my god... we'd actually be a 'normal' family." --- His arm around her. The feel of his warm skin against hers. His scent. It had been centuries, but she never forgot how good it all felt. She chuckled softly and nuzzled into his neck. "I've missed this." She sighed happily. "Paradise... Real paradise and this time it won't be taken from us!" --- Andi had closed his eyes and tensed, unsure of what to expect when Hades used her magic. He felt strange all over. Like his skin was rippling and moving. Shrinking in some areas while growing in others. It was unnerving. But when it faded and Hades spoke again, he opened his eyes then stared down in shock at himself. Where he was once very well endowed in the chest area, he was now practically completely flat. He glanced at the others briefly and awkwardly. "I feel fine-" he stopped and quickly brought a hand up to his throat as the deepness of his own voice surprised him. "Um... would you excuse me for a moment?" he asked, then quickly scurried around a nearby corner. A moment later, the group would hear him laugh. "OH MY GOD! IT'S HUGE! This is so surreal... It- IT MOVED! I MOVED IT! IT'S REAL! OH MY GOD IT'S FUCKING REAL!" A few moments later, he came back around the corner, trying his best to play it cool and hoping they hadn't overheard his little moment of celebration. David was still composed, but the twitching smirk on his face was in danger of giving way to laughter. His brief time as an amnesiac had brought back some of the humorous, playful man he'd once been. Andi cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank you, Hades. You've no idea how much this means to me. I feel like I'm finally in the right body." --- "I duno. This lady says she's from social services." Parker answered as Will entered the room at seemingly just the right moment. "Sorry, you are-?" Penny asked as she blinked at Will's arrival. "This is Will, my boyfriend," Parker said quickly. "I see..." Penny quickly jotted something down on her clipboard. "What's this about?" Parker asked, visibly confused. Penny's pen stopped scratching against the paper abruptly as she thought about how to approach the subject. She glanced at Parker's leg but decided to ask about this later. "Mr Parker, are you familiar with a Miss Lucy Brunhill?" Parker shook his head with a blank look. The name kind of rang a bell, but he couldn't recall knowing anyone by that name. "She may have used a different sirname when you met her... I believe she also had a stagename of 'Candy' according to the information we have..." Penny explained as she flipped over a couple of pages on her clipboard before pulling out a photo. When she passed it to Parker, he felt a lump in his throat. He recognised her immediately. "Uh, yeah..." he answered awkwardly, then looked at Will. "Before I met you and after... You know... Bryce... I had a sort of rebound with her. She left me after one night, though, and I didn't hear from her again until..." he paused as the memories flooded back. The repeated missed calls from her as Parker kept hanging up. When he finally decided to answer, Bryce had been on the other end and threatening her, back before Bryce had changed for the better. As far as Parker knew, he had let her go after that, but he'd never heard from her again. "I'm sorry, what's this about?" Parker asked Penny again, this time looking a little paler than he had been. Penny braced herself to deliver the difficult news. She quickly fumbled and dug through papers on her clipbaord again until she had what she needed. "Did you say you kept in contact with miss Brunhill after your one night stand?" "No, not her. I was mistaken." Parker said quickly, then asked again. "Why? What's happened?" "So, she didn't contact you at all after that night?" "I just told you." Parker now started to sound a little agitated. Penny sighed and handed Parker some photographs as well as an official-looking document. Parker stared at these numbly. Some of the photos were of Lucy holding a baby. In others, she was holding a toddler with bright orange hair in little pig tails. There were ultrasound photos, and the document was a birth certificate for Madeline Brunhill. Under 'mother' was Lucy Brunhill, and under 'father' was Parker's full name. The date on the certificate would make Madeline approximately two years old. Parker stared at these numbly. Unable for a moment to comprehend the meaning of this. "Lucy didn't contact you at all about her?" Penny asked again, this time in a gentle tone as she saw the stricken look on Parker's face. "Uh-uh..." Parker mumbled as she shook his head a little. His eyes were on the little girl's wide, smiling face in the photo. "Of course, we will need to conduct a paternity test to know for sure. But I must tell you... If you are Madeline's daughter, then you would be considered her legal guardian. Lucy's family had disowned her some years ago, and when we approached them, they wanted nothing to do with Madeline." "A-a-and Lucy?" Parker found the strength the tear his eyes away from the photo to look at the social worker. "What happened? Why can't she look after her anymore?" Penny paused, her lips tightened for a second while giving him a sympathetic look. "Because she's dead, Mr Parker," she answered softly. "Wha-what?" "During the earthquakes. Her apartment building collapsed on top of her. She died instantly. Thankfully, Madeline had been at day care at the time, and the practitioners there had secured the children to keep them safe. But now she has no home. No mother. And she's too young to fully understand what has happened." "I can't-! I-I can't-! My leg is... How can this happen?!" Parker began to breathe heavily as tears ran down his face. "I understand this news will come as a shock to you. So, and given your... current situation..." she glances to his missing limb. "I understand if you will need time to process this and decide whether this is a responsibility that you want to take on. May I ask in the meantime that you consent to a paternity blood test?" Parker ran a hand through his hair, his eyes were wide as he held his breath, and he tearfully nodded. "Wha-wha-what will happen? If I'm not- or if I can't-?" he asked, his voice breaking from the effort to keep himself composed. He couldn't bring himself the finish the sentences, as if he couldn't quite bring himself to believe that any of this was real. Penny lowered her eyes sadly but answered his question. "If you're not her father, or if you decide you cannot take this responsibility... and Lucy's family have already made their intentions clear... then Madeline would likely end up going through foster care." Parker stared at her for a moment as he grappled with the reality of the situation before lowering his eyes back to the photo of the little girl. Penny took a card with her contact details from her clipboard and passed it to Will. "I'll leave you both to think and talk this over. Call me on that number when you have an answer. In the meantime, I'll ask one of the nurses to take a blood sample for the paternity test." She looked between them both sadly, then nodded to the photos on Parker's lap. "Feel free to keep hold of those for now. I can always pick them up later, if needed." She then left the room. Parker continued to stare at the photo and clasped a hand over his mouth as more tears fell. He mostly felt a numb shock. But another emotion he felt so keenly that it was difficult to ignore was guilt. All those times she'd blown up his phone with calls and he'd hung up on her every time... had she been trying to tell him? He tried to run the maths in his head, but the shock of it all was so overwhelming that he had to resort to counting on his shaking fingers a few times, but the maths checked out. Which meant she would have been in the early stages of pregnancy when she'd tried calling him... and when Bryce had taken her hostage. God knows what Bryce had done to her in that time or what he would have done to her to hurt Parker if they had found out she was carrying his baby. He felt sick thinking about it. It was no wonder she never tried to contact him again after that!

(Hahaha xD Glad you like it. I've been musing over this twist for a while and wanted to wait until juuuuust the right moment to bring it in lol Not sure if you want Will to 'visit' in time to hear the news?)

Cecil regarded Blake for a moment before answering, his arms crossed yet relaxed as he rested them against the wooden bed frame. Physically, he looked younger and smaller than the others. But with the way he carried himself, his posture and how he spoke, he seemed to be more like an older brother. His cobalt eyes were both sharp and warm, as if he held some hidden wisdom the others often overlooked. "You think this succubus might target you? For what reason? You're just as much a kid as the rest of us. The Boss, though..." He trailed off, not wanting to entertain the idea that their teacher and protector could be targeted like that. "But the Boss can handle himself. Did anyone tell you what he did to a rogue trickster who tried to overthrow him? The next time you get the chance, ask him about 'Rio The Wrong.' Kris is an honourable Trickster, but he knows how to play dirty when the moment calls for it." With a little grunt, he hopped down from the bunk and stretched his arms while making his way towards the door. "Oh, and don't dawdle. A cold shower is one thing, but breakfast is pretty competitive. If you don't get to the kitchen quickly, you'll be going hungry until lunch." --- "Humans are capable of more than they're usually given credit for," Lang commented. "Don't take it personally. Today has been a tough day for everyone here, so there's bound to be some friction. Give it time. They'll come around." --- Azrael looked up when he heard the door, expecting it to be his king. He looked at the trio with mild surprise as they approached the bed. Before he could speak, Raven gave him the amulet and explained its use. He looked at the trinket carefully while moving it between his fingers before looking up at each of them in turn, his eyes watering a little as the gesture touched him deeply. His eyes landed on Conrad as he spoke, and he nodded to him with a warm smile. "It's nice to finally meet you," he said, then looked between them again. "I don't know what to say!" he chuckled softly. "Thank you. All of you. This is so thoughtful!" Before Azrael could say or do anything else, Lilly had moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. Surprising him. "We know about you and father," she said to him softly, and anxiety seized Azrael's heart until she followed up with, "And I'm happy it's you that he chose." Relief and love overwhelmed him. Azrael laughed as tears dripped down his cheeks, and he hugged her back tightly. "Oh, children... what blessings you are!" --- "Ben..." Jessica let out a shaky whisper and then gave him a lingering kiss. When it broke, she rested her head against his and held his hands in hers. "This is going to be weird... going from this kind of power to normal humans... but we'll be starting a family," she grinned. "Our very own little family," she looked around the room, a little sadly. "I'm going to miss this place. But maybe we should move closer to our friends once we're human?" --- "It's not ours yet." Eve reminded him. "But it will be once we return it to its former glory..." She glanced around, noticing John wasn't lingering like he normally would be. For once, they were alone. "Do you believe it will work?" she asked Adam seriously. "I want to believe it, but I've survived all these years in this... nightmarish wasteland. Can it really be as simple as bringing in new life? What if those girls aren't enough?" --- "I'm not sure," David answered honestly. "Last I heard, she and her band were touring Hell and providing Demons with entertainment." He smiled proudly. "And it seems to be doing wonders for morale. Perhaps we can catch her between performances?" he suggested and offered his hands to them both to teleport. --- A nurse helped Parker back to his bed at the hospital after his physio session. It seemed learning to walk with one leg, both with and without a crutch, had its challenges. He was developing muscles he never knew would be so crucial to the task. Exhausted and sweating a little, he hopped into the bed and then gave a sigh of relief as his muscles relaxed. He had briefly mused to himself that this was enough life-changing events for one year, but a knock on his door by an official-looking woman with a clipboard pulled him from his thoughts. Ironically, she was here to bring him news that would add yet another life-changing event to his year. One that, if he hadn't already been sitting down, would have certainly knocked him on his ass. "Excuse me, are you Mr Alex Draven Parker?" The woman asked. She wore small rectangular glasses, a white button-down shirt, a formal grey jacket with a matching knee-length skirt, tights and a pair of polished black leather shoes. "That's me..." Parker answered slowly while looking at the woman curiously. "My name is Penny Ashford, and I am from Social Services. Could I come in? There's something important that we need to discuss." "Social Services?"

Just throwing a quick update on here cos I know I've been inactive for a while now. I basically got signed off by a doctor recently due to a combination of stress, depression and my migraines becoming too much regularly. I haven't forgotten our rp and I've been thinking up my reply while I've been off as I'm excited to come back asap. Just need a little time to work on myself first and then I'll be back in the swing of things soon 🙂

"Bad dream?" Cecil asked nonchalantly as he awkwardly tried to make his bed from the top bunk. The other beds were empty. "Drake, Benny and the others have already beaten you to the showers. Hope you don't mind cold water because there won't be any hot left by the time they're done." --- Henderson glared at Will as he shook him. He didn't say anything while Will spoke, but once the ultimatum was given, he shrugged off Will's hands and shook his head. "Guess I'm going home then," he grumbled as he walked past him. "You don't hang out with people often, do you?" Lang observed. "Let's make a deal," he said and gently pried the book from Reed's hands. "I'll promise to eat fewer dohnuts if you promise not to throw your head straight into a book whenever you're not sure how a social interaction works. If you're ever feeling uncertain, you can always ask me." He lifted the book with an amused smirk while gesturing to it. "Just think of this as your social dohnut, and I am your social salad." --- "You're right," Lilly said when Raven had said it felt weird. "I've never been more than a nobody, barely surviving on scraps. That felt odd... but exhilarating." She admitted with a small smile. Her smile grew until she was beaming when Raven said they should go and see Azrael now. "Yes, I can't wait to see his face when you give him our gift!" She led the way, heading to Death's private suite. Azrael was still lying in Death's bed. He rarely needed sleep, so he had spent much of this time being frustrated that he hadn't healed enough yet to return to his duties. He worried for Raguel's fate and longed to stand at Death's side again, but until his wounds healed properly, he was of no use to anyone. So, for now, he sat with his back against the headboard and watched the bruises on his arms as they healed. Though he had to admit, the way they changed colours before slowly blending back to match the colour of his skin was mildly fascinating. He'd never stopped to see that happen before. --- Jessica squeezed Ben's hands a little and bit her lip. She hadn't known how he'd react, but his answer caused her to falter. "We can go and check, but..." She looked away from him and took her hands from his. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Ben, I don't want you to do something you don't want to do. You asked me to change you because you wanted to be with me, to know what it was like for me, and now that you've become comfortable, I'm asking you to change for me again. That's not fair. I'm not being fair to you." Tears stung her eyes as she brought them back up to look into his. In a fragile whisper, she asked him, "Are we incompatible?" --- A demon? An angel? Any other tormentor jumping out of the shadows? In a flash, Eve relived all the horrors she had endured during her time wandering Hell. Within the same moment, she realised the threat was no more than her ever carefree husband. Her face was still pale as he laughed, and for a second, her pupils shrank in anger. "Adam!" she snapped angrily, then placed a hand over her chest as she took a few breaths to calm herself down. Then, colour returned to her, making her face red from embarrassment as she chuckled. "Careful, husband. I may get you back one day," she said playfully. --- "You mean 'his' shape." David corrected him as he rose to his feet. Andi didn't speak but nodded at the Arch Demon in thanks. "I admit, I'm still new to the idea myself, but humanity seems to be taking great strides when it comes to this sort of thing. That being said, I know at least one person who has successfully managed to change their gender through magic." Andi's eyes lit up hopefully. When David had referred to humanity, he half expected to be told that he'd have to go about things the mortal way, via surgery and hormone replacement pills. Which would take years to complete. But at the mention of magic, he became excited at the idea that he could possibly change instantaneously. "Are you able to get us in touch with them?" He blurted out eagerly, then glanced at Death before lowering his eyes to the floor. "Apologies." David merely smiled at them and nodded. "It's Hades. My daughter. I'm not sure how she did it, but maybe there's a way she can help you?"

"Whatever." Drake chuckled as he got up from the floor. He brushed the cards from his bed, leaving them in a messy pile on the ground, as he climbed under his own covers. Benny tutted. "Really, man? That's the only deck we have with no missing cards." Drake shrugged his shoulders, and Benny scooped them up from the floor to put them away neatly before heading to his own bed. "G'night, guys!" "Shush!" Cecil grumbled, and silence quickly followed. Before long, Drake's snoring could be heard as the boys fell asleep. --- "I just- I can't believe they took over again! We made a deal, and they made us break it! It's not right!" Henderson vented when Will had stopped him. "And that prick, Xenos, who the fuck does he think he is?! 'Stay in your lane' he says, StAy In YoUr FuCkInG lAnE?! I'll show him what lane I'm in. That god-damn fast lane is what!" Lang turned to look at Reed with an eyebrow raised once more. "Word of advice? Don't tell people how they should eat. Ever. I know you mean well, but that's not a great way to make friends. Chances are people already know this information, but ultimately what they put in their bodies is their own choice, you know? Besides..." he smiled and leaned against the table as he plucked up a pink glazed dohnut that was covered in multicoloured sprinkles. He held it out for Reed to take. "One once in a while wouldn't kill you. C'mon, there's more things to enjoy and experience in life than what's written in a book." --- "Boys, are you forgetting something?" Lilly said coyly as she set her bags down in the empty room. She walked over to the door. "We're royalty now... and I've always wanted to try this." She opened it and looked into the corridor. When she saw a couple of Reapers walking by, she waved them both over. "You there! Would you mind taking our bags to our rooms, please?" The pair of Reapers hesitated for a moment and glanced at each other uncertainly. They knew these were the newly adopted children of their King but were unsure if they were supposed to drop everything to follow their orders just yet. But seeing as they hadn't been told either way yet, they didn't want to risk angering Death, and she had asked politely anyway, so both Reapers nodded with a short bow to her. "Yes, Princess," they said in unison. --- Jessica hugged Ben back then smiled at him while brushing some of his hair back with her fingers. "River told me something that might help us." She began. "I've thought about it... a lot. I want to have a family and settle down, but if we stay like this, we'll never have kids of our own." She took Ben's hand and pulled him over to the couch to sit down. She kept hold of his hand even while they were seated. "David found a cure for vampirism a while ago. Carter and Sebastian used it so that they could change into the same type of Vampire that Tom is. So that they wouldn't have to hide from the sun every day. I don't know if it'll work for us, given what we are... It might not. But if we want to have a family, it's worth a try, right?" She looked into Ben's eyes. Watching his reaction carefully. "I love being what I am... I've never felt more me, but... I don't feel complete." --- Without a word, John vanished. Eve lowered her arms and approached the magical barrier outside their home. She peered into the darkness with more intensity. She seemed restlessly alert. "Hmm..." Reluctantly, she turned away and crossed her arms again. Appearing to be lost in thought, she walked slowly back into the doorway, only taking one last glance towards the barrier before heading in and closing the door behind her. --- Death and Andi would find David on Earth. Specifically in London where they'd see him sitting on a park bench and watching a little cafe across the street going about its usual business. He had a reflective expression as he looked on. When he felt he was being watched, he looked up, and his expression shifted to that of mild surprise. "Ah, Your Grace." he grinned cheekily, knowing he needn't refer to Death this way anymore but thought it would be a humerous way to greet him after his last mission. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"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.