Shadowess

David hesitated before answering. "Just contemplative," he answered carefully. He recalled how other reapers had addressed Death and figured he should probably show the same respect while he was a guest in his domain. "Your Grace," He glanced around the room. It was quiet but Reapers bustled in and out of the side halls, going about their work as normal. "So this ceremony that Azrael is planning. It sounds like it's going to be quite big," he commented awkwardly, trying to make small talk. "Death is your brother?" La Tramoggia paused, looking at the man in surprise. She then realised what the guide had tried to tell her earlier and broke into a wide grin. "Ah but do not tell me that Life is also an entity? It seems so obvious now!" she spread her arms out and approached him excitedly as if greeting an old friend, despite having never met him before. "And that Life should know who I am? I am honoured!" Both Lilly and the guide had entered the room a bit more shyly than La Tramoggia had. Lilly was looking at Life curiously. "Please don't talk that way about my father," Lilly said flatly. "So, I suppose this means you're my uncle?" --- "Yes, please." Tom nodded and rested his head against his shoulder tiredly. "Nate, I'm sorry," he said quietly, still ashamed of almost losing control. --- "Yeah, you're right. Ok, we have our plan. Let's go. Ash, stay here and help rebuild the old structures. Like the Library. It collapsed as well during the quake. Call on us if you notice any changes with the boys." She would then teleport to Raguel's office, expecting Charles and Hades to be close behind her. "You found something?" Raguel had stopped in his tracks when she arrived. "Maybe," Amelia answered vaguely. She knew they both had the same orders from the council and that Raguel was a man of duty above all. But then again Raguel hadn't exactly jumped to the boy's defence when Life had made his preference clear regarding his fate either. "We need an Angel with the Astral Projection ability. We might have a lead." Raguel nodded and snapped his fingers. A male Angel appeared, wearing a baking apron and a pair of oven mitts. "Oh!" the Angel exclaimed then looked a little worried. "Oh, my muffins are going to burn, aren't they?" "Of course not. This is Heaven." Raguel replied, sounding slightly confused. "Oh, let me pretend!" The Angel shook his head as he took off his mitts. "This is Theodore Ginney." Raguel introduced them, trying not to sound a little exasperated. "Theodore, this is Amelia and Charles, King and Queen of Hell... And Hades." "A pleasure!" Theodore eagerly extended his hand to them to shake. "Wow. Royalty! How-how can I help?" "I need you to astral project me somewhere so I can look around safely," Amelia told him and Theodore nodded a little. "I should've guessed. It's usually the only reason I'm summoned for anything." he chuckled then caught sight of the subtle glare he was getting from Raguel and cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, just some things to know before I zap you anywhere. I'll need to know the location or at least what the location looks like. I can hold the projection for a maximum of two hours. Three at a push but then I'd need a full day to recover. If your projection is harmed in any way then I won't be able to get you back until after I recover. It somewhat stings when that happens." he winced a little at the thought, making it obvious that something similar had happened in the past. "Uh, right..." Amelia scratched the back of her head. She hadn't known exactly how the projection would work until now so hadn't known he'd need a visual on the location. "How's your telepathy?" "Can't astral project without it!" "Good, there's someone you need to meet then..." Amelia then turned to Raguel. "We'll need Theodore to accompany us to Hell if that's alright. We'll keep him safe. There's a friend there who can help us with this." Raguel hesitated. He wasn't fond of the idea of letting any of his Angels venture into Hell. Let alone this one who had already done so much spying for him in the past. He regretted not calling on a different Angel but it was too late for that now. Reluctantly, he nodded. "Fine. But make sure he comes back without so much as a scratch!"

Azrael hurried away to his study. The Reaper stopped their duties to bow to Death obediently. "Sire, the only news I know of right now is the volume of lost souls being found on Earth. But our forces have already headed there to usher them to their afterlives," he answered quickly. David stayed stood where he was with his hands behind his back as he observed this. He glanced up at Death, trying to read his expressions and body language. It was difficult. The man was as stoic as a certain leader he once knew. Probably more so. As difficult as he was to read, he did manage to pick up on Death's tension. But then, given his confinement to his own realm, having both Life and The Hopper under his roof as well as a cursed right-hand man, it would only make sense that Death would be tense. Not wanted to aggravate the King further, David lowered his gaze so as not to stare then sighed quietly. This was going to be a very tense assignment indeed. Elsewhere in the castle, Lilly felt she had rested enough and was eager to get to know her new home. Wandering around, she had found a dining hall, a kitchen with some very friendly chefs taking a smoke break, a locked set of doors that looked like they led to a courtyard and some sort of record room which a working reaper had quickly but politely ushered her out of when they noticed her. She then found a varnished wooden door that piqued her interest. Just as she laid her hand on the handle however, The Hopper and the reaper guiding her had rounded the corner. "This room is the King's personal library. Only those with his permission may enter- Oh, Princess!" The guide stopped talking and quickly bowed to Lilly. La Tramoggia raised a brow and looked at Lilly curiously. "A Princess, eh?" She said and looked over Lilly's clothes which were ones she'd bought from Hot Topic with Pain and the others back on Earth. "For some reason, I thought all Princesses wore elegant dresses." "Who are you?" Lilly asked and quickly took her hand off the handle of the door, realising what she'd overheard the reaper guide say about the room inside. "Mio Dio, has your father never talked about me? I feel insulted!" The Hopper replied in a dramatically playful way. "I- I'm only recently adopted," Lilly admitted shyly. "You're a friend of his?" "Oh, we've had our ups and downs." La Tramoggia chirped. "But I think now we are closer than ever." she strode forward and offered Lilly her hand. "I am La Tramoggia or The Hopper in your language." Lilly looked at La Tramoggia's hand with a raised brow but didn't take it as she tilted her head slightly to look at her. "Hopper?" "THE Hopper, bambola!" "Lilly." "Ah! Princess Lilly!" The Hopper suddenly grabbed Lilly's shoulders to turn her around so they were both facing the same way. She then wrapped and arm around her shoulders and began to walk down the hall with her. Lilly was clearly a little uncomfortable with this but she made no move to stop her. "I have a feeling we're going to be the best of friends, no?" The reaper guide quickly moved to keep up with them. "Come, come, come! This carino reaper was just showing me around your home! Perhaps we can find something fun to do along the way?" "You say a lot of words that I don't recognise. Is that another language?" Lilly asked curiously. "It's Italian, bambola!" "Lilly." "It is my mother tongue! Oh, but isn't this tour so boring? Doesn't your father have some kind of game room or does he not believe in fun?" "Watch your tongue." The reaper guide suddenly snapped which caused La Tramoggia to look at him with mild surprise. Suddenly losing his nerve slightly, the guide pointed down the corridors. "There actually is a social room further down here. There is a billiards table and a bar. I believe there are already visitors-" "Oh, Finalmente! Something fun! Take us there! I wish to let my hair down after such a day!" "But Life and-" "Mio Dio, did I stutter? My life ended less than an hour ago, I would very much like to bring some life to my unlife now please!" The Hopper cut him off loudly and completely misinterpreted what the guide had been trying to tell her. Knowing even after a short amount of time that arguing with her was useless, the guide led both women to the games room where they were likely to bump into Gabriel and Life. --- Tom clung to Nate and continued to shiver as he looked guiltily at the boxer. He had only wanted to help but now he felt he'd made things worse. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he said shakily with tears running down his cheeks. "I just wanted to help. To do the right thing. I didn't mean to lose control. I don't know what's wrong with me." he lifted his shaking hand to wipe away some of his tears. "Please listen to me. Look at what happened to me. Look at Nate's wings. It's real. Like I told you. Heaven is real. What happened to you- the boxing- must have disoriented your soul when you died. You need to move on. You won't find your family by waiting here for them. You need to go to them. I'll bet they're the ones who've been waiting for you." Despite his fear and the shock of what he'd almost done, Tom was still trying to help this soul to move on. "Don't let anger rule you," he said, almost as if he was telling himself as well as this boxer. "Not when there are more beautiful things that you could be feeling." --- Amelia glanced back at Charles and Hades but all she saw was a friend that was looking for comfort and her uncomfortable-looking husband. "Hades..." she said, turning to face them. She gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "There was no way you could have known. It was a mistake any one of us could have made. We can't take it back but we can try to do better going forward, hmm?" Sighing, she removed her hand and turned back to Ash. "Ok, I have an idea. Ash, I'm going to need you to check in on the boys periodically and update us if they move or if anything else happens. Report this information only to me and Charles, understood?" she turned to Charles and Hades next. "I want to try to talk to this boy to see exactly what we're up against but I'm going to take precaution. I know some Angels get the gift of Astral Projection. They can project themselves or others to a location, kind of like a hologram from Star Wars. At least then if the boy attacks the only thing it'll do is end the projection early. We're going to need to ask Raguel if we can borrow one."

David unsubmissively stared back at Death when he spoke to him. Of course, he was a little intimidated by Death. Who wouldn't be? But what Death had yet to realise is that even when he used to serve Lucifer, David could never hold his tongue about things he didn't agree with. He would certainly voice his concerns again but for now he watched quietly as Death addressed Azrael. Azrael nodded but was still visibly distraught. What he wouldn't give to have a private word with Death right now. To confide in him and seek his comfort. But he needed to remain professional. They both did. "Thank you, your Grace. Now, if I may be excused? I would like to occupy my thoughts with the ceremony arrangements. There is much to plan and coordinate." he also just wanted to be alone in his study to gather his thoughts. --- As much as he tried to control his breathing and calm down, Tom still felt the hot rage filling him up. He let out a combination of a groan and a growl as his eyes kept moving away from Nate. Searching for the boxer who was hidden behind Nate's wings. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration as he consistently couldn't see him with those feathers in the way. It was an odd feeling for Tom. Almost surreal. He knew he was struggling to stay in control but his body was reacting of its own accord. Trying to seek out the one who'd threatened him to neutralise the threat. But the boxer had done that all on his own when he apologised. Tom heard his words and the Devil's Rage in him despaired for a moment. It had identified a threat and wanted to eliminate it before it could strike again. But Tom's mind and morality were still conscious enough to sway the Rage back to a reluctant dormancy. As the instinct subsided, Tom's eyes slowly returned to normal and he breathed heavier as if he had just stopped running. Adrenaline caused him to shiver violently and as soon as he felt that he was fully back in control he dove into Nate's arms, gripping his jacket tightly. "N-Nate, what happened to me? Why do I do that?! I-I wanted to- but I also didn't want to-..." he broke off into quiet sobs. "What's wrong with me?" --- Amelia was troubled by Ash's visions. Involving another boy from the world and murdering people to take their home? This isn't good. "I agree with Hades." She sighed. "We can't go to him without some sort of plan on how we're going to handle him. But at least now we have a way of tracking his movements which is more than we had before. Are you able to hear anything they're saying or is it all just visual for you?" she asked Ash. Aleady, Amelia had a couple of ideas on how they could go about approaching the boy but she wanted to cover all possibilities first.

Although confused by how Azrael would be marked if La Tramoggia was harmed, the Reaper who had been passing through to trade in his filled book for an emptier one stopped to bow obediently to Death. "Yes, sire." "Bene! I will get along with your Reapers so long as they're nice, no?" The Hopper said as she skipped over to the Reaper to hook her arm in his. "And you seem like you will be very nice!" she purred, beaming. The Reaper seemed a little flustered but remained professional as he walked away with her. Once gone, Azrael sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "That- that-!" he stammered angrily. "That rotten woman! We need to get her to break this curse! I can't spend my waking moments worrying about my duties and her safety!" "One crisis at a time," David said calmly then turned to Death. "I admit, I don't fully understand how things work here but keeping her here where you can keep an eye on her is a smart move. In the meantime, I must insist against any further adventures outside of your Kingdom." --- Tom hadn't been expecting the punch. Nor had he expected the emaciated man to have struck him as hard as he had. Tom had stumbled back and held the side of his face. While Nate had darted in front of him and started talking to the boxer, a strange yet familiar feeling washed over Tom. He felt a white-hot rage begin to boil within him. He hadn't felt like this since... since... Since the day an Angel and his cronies had tried to abduct him for ADIEU. He'd blacked out. When he'd come to, he found he'd massacred almost all of them. Nate had only seen the aftermath that day but it had taken some effort to calm Tom down once he'd realised what he'd done. And it was happening again. Only this time Tom could feel it coming instead of outright blacking out. "N-Nate..." he mumbled while holding his head in his hands. "H-help... I don't want... I don't want to..." His eyes shifted from brown to red while the whites of his eyes started to turn an inky black. He began to hyperventilate. Straining with every bit of strength he had to resist letting the Devil's Rage take over. --- "No!" Amelia snapped at him suddenly. "I don't care that his power has you practically shitting your pants, I will not allow harm to come to that boy! Is that understood? Now, you'll use this link that you seem to have with him and tell us where he is. What his surroundings look like. Is he alone? Tell us everything and anything that will help us put an end to this bloody witch hunt!"

"My, my! Tesoro! Had I known dying and cursing your amati would land me in such lavish living, I might have done it centuries ago!" La Tramoggia gasped and twirled in the spot as she stared up at the height of the throne room as well as its dark yet alluring design. "You don't quite know when to stop pushing your luck, do you?" David commented offhand as he straightened the cuffs of his jacket. "If I never pushed my luck I would have never left the brothels of Venice." The Hopper responded with a shrug. "Oh, Bello! Will you stop looking at me in that way?" She purred to Azrael who was still glaring at her furiously. "We are working together now! Can you not find it in your heart to forgive me?" "Maybe," Azrael replied coldly. "Remove the curse and I'll think about it." "He's a joker, this one!" La Tramoggia laughed sweetly. "Now, is anyone here gentleman enough to give me a tour of my new home?" --- "I know this is difficult," Tom said to him with a sympathetic look. "But that paper is real. The date is real. Sir, I'm so sorry, but you have been dead for decades. But this is not the end. There is a Heaven, monsieur. It is real and it is within your reach. You just need to let go. Your family are likely waiting for you there." --- Amelia's eyes snapped to Ash as she listened to them speak. "You've seen him, haven't you?" she asked. She had just witnessed this ancient devil reconstruct a powerful ancient structure with little more than a raised hand. Yet this boy, whoever he was, struck fear into this powerful creature. Just who was this child? Amelia stepped towards Ash suddenly. Ignited by urgency and a determination to protect everyone she loved. "Tell me everything. Now."

La Tramoggia gasped and coughed when Death let her go. As did Azrael, who had woozily stumbled back to steady himself against the wall to Death's right. Azrael glared at The Hopper and continued to do so even as Death offered her a place in his kingdom. David was confused by Death's offer but after his words to him at the castle, he remained quiet on the matter. La Tramoggia was equally confused as she looked at Death's hand warily before lifting her eyes to look him over sceptically. "Just to understand," she began shortly after catching her breath. "I cheated you and stole more life for myself than I should have had. I cursed your..." her eyes glanced at Azreal before smirking playfully at Death "'Right-hand man' and to all of this, you offer me such a high position within your kingdom. This is either very generous of you or a very cunning trick." "It's either that or I'm sure we can find a cell in Hell to lock you away in for eternity," Azrael growled at her angrily. "We may not be able to harm you, but you can be locked up. And eternity is an awfully long time to spend on your own with nothing but your own thoughts for company!" For a second, La Tramoggia's eyes widened at him. She wasn't sure if he was bluffing but it had caused her to falter. There was much about the afterlife that she didn't know yet and his threat had sounded real enough to spark fear in her. Quickly masking how Azrael's words had disturbed her, she turned her head back to look at Death with a wide smile as she took his hand. "When do I start, Your Highness?" she said quickly. --- "Monsieur!" Tom interjected quickly while holding up his hands to try to calm the man down. He kept his tone gentle as he spoke to him in French. "Try to calm yourself and think for a moment. What year do you think it is?" He'd spotted a recent newspaper on a bench not too far away and knew it would be the perfect evidence to help bring this man to his senses. --- Amelia had watched the cells being created and felt a chill run through her. If he was powerful enough to rebuild those cells, what else was he capable of? She moved her eyes to look over him warily. She wanted to be able to trust him but she couldn't risk letting her guard down around him. There was simply too much for them to lose. Although she wouldn't realise it yet, this was just the beginning of the paranoia that would come with being a leader of Hell. She turned to look at Charles, wanting to take her racing mind off of Ash. "What did you have in mind next? We'll need to help with searching for the boy soon."

"I guess," Damien said before taking a sip of his drink. When James would finish setting up his ships, Damien sat back in his chair. "I'll go first, so you get the idea. Does C7 hit?" [We could probably leave these two to play games and drink for a bit lol] --- The Hopper gasped but continued to smile at Death. Her smile only widened more as he revealed his emotions for the Angel that she had cursed. Her way of ensuring that if she couldn't escape then she could at least try to avoid the consequences of her stolen lives. David had just missed Death's outburst as he got to his feet from the corner of the room while rubbing the back of his head. He squinted at the trio and stepped towards them while keeping a far more cautious eye on La Tramoggia. Given the headache he'd already endured shortly before becoming Death's bodyguard, suffering such an attack had left him feeling sore and groggy. He took the bottle of Aspirin out of his pocket and dry swallowed a couple more of them. Chuckling with a cunning grin, La Tramoggia nodded towards Azrael while wheezing "Look for yourself, grim one. What you do to me, you do to him." When Death would look at Azrael, he would see him turning a little red in the face while struggling to breathe, as if being strangled like The Hopper was being. He hadn't believed The Hopper at first and had assumed that her words were an attempt to trick them but now that he was feeling breathless, Azrael was looking at Death fearfully. Not frightened of him but frightened of what could happen if anything terrible were to happen to La Tramoggia. "Sire?" he wheezed. --- "Well, we can't just leave these poor people to suffer," Tom said after hearing the sobbing. With a determined look, he marched over to the gym. Cautiously and slowly he entered the building. Upon seeing the man, he didn't quite hear what he was saying but he picked up some of the French tones. He stepped a little closer and gave a brief look to Nate as if seeing him gave him courage, before turning back to the boxer. "Excusez-moi, monsieur?" --- While the other two seemed to be more willing to believe Ash, Amelia wasn't so trusting. Something about this whole thing didn't feel right and she was also a little concerned about Charles although right now she couldn't exactly explain why either. She sighed, figuring there was nothing to do for now but let things run their course and keep a very close eye on everything. Or at least, as best she could. At Hades's question, she turned to look at Charles. Using this Devil's power had been his idea. "Charles?"

La Tramoggia 😉

Damien couldn't help smirking as James explained what he had meant. Though why he assumed he'd looked at him in the same way, he wasn't sure. "Uh, well from the sounds of it, she likes you. Really likes you," he told him before turning his attention back to the game. "It's pretty simple. You put your ships down where you want and we take it in turns to guess where they are. If one we guess right, the other person puts one of these onto their ship." he held up a small peg. "Once a ship is full of these it's 'sunk'. If all of your ships sink, you lose." he explained briefly while picking out the pieces from the box. He gave James his share of ships and pegs. He then went about placing his own ships down. --- Both Azrael and David appeared in the room. David watched as Death easily grabbed the pudgy, middle-aged woman. He glanced around warily, recognising the hospital setting and knowing there was a large risk of humans either being alerted or caught in the crossfire. Hurriedly, he'd moved over to the door of this woman's private room to close and lock it. He then turned and watched as Death pulled The Hopper's soul out of the body, leaving behind an empty husk of a corpse. In comparison to the corpse's appearance, The Hopper's soul was that of an olive-skinned young woman. Her thick, long black curls sprawled across the ground underneath her. Her clothing consisted of a tight cobalt blue corset over a loosely fitted white lace blouse. Although it would have been uncommon and even frowned upon for her era, she wore white silk breeches as well as shin-high socks and a pair of gilded chopines. Large gold rings hung from her ears. An ornate, expensive-looking golden necklace with a sapphire gem in its centre hung around her neck. Her wrists were also decorated with several golden bangles. Her brown eyes glared angrily at Death. "Release me! You cannot take me yet!" she growled in Italian. Clearly, she had been taken by surprise. Azrael wasted no time. At Death's order, he'd reached into his pocket to pull out a seemingly ordinary if not old-fashioned set of shackles. As soon as he stepped towards them, The Hopper started chanting in her native tongue while making quick gestures with her hands. Immediately, David and Azrael fell to their knees while gripping their heads as a sharp pain shot through them. She had also aimed to inflict the same pain upon Death in order to force him to release his grip. If that weren't enough, she would also headbutt him before scrambling towards the door. David blocked her path by quickly throwing his body against it while looking at her with a pained expression. "Don't run! You'll only make things worse for yourself!" he tried while holding his hands up to stop her. "A phrase I've heard all my lives, but running has gotten me this far!" She snapped back and then moved one of her hands rapidly from right to left, causing David to fly across the room. She darted out and ran down the corridors, unseen by the passing medical staff and patients. She just needed to find a fresh new body and it just so happened she was in the perfect place to find one! Following the various signs, she began running towards the maternity ward with the intention of jumping into a new body and forcing its previous occupant into the now empty body back in the other room. It would be a pain to have to go through childhood again but if it meant she could avoid Death for another lifetime then it was something she was willing to do. Azrael suddenly appeared in front of her, surprising her and causing her to skid into his open arms. They struggled as he strained to place the shackles around her wrists while she fought to get free from his grip. "No! I'm not ready!" she cried out in a mixture of frustration and fear. "I can't die!" "You already have! Several times over! And robbed others of their lives in an effort to save your own! It is over La Tramoggia!" Azrael said as he managed to get one of the shackles to lock around her left wrist. "If you take from me, I will take from you!" The Hopper threatened angrily through bitter tears. "There is nothing you can do. Just stop fighting," he said to her gently. "All things must end. This is the natural law." La Tramoggia stopped fighting and turned her head to glare at Azrael. "I curse you," she growled. She then chanted a series of ancient words before spitting in his face. "I curse you. Your fate is now tied to my own," she said again and this time she smiled triumphantly. A cold chill ran down Azrael's spine before he shook his head and started pushing her towards Death and David's location. "Enough. I will not be tricked by your mind games." "Keep telling yourself that, Bello. But your denial will not remove the curse." The Hopper said with a smirk. --- "Huh, well I guess if life doesn't work out at least I know I'll make a decent Angel." Tom laughed half-joking. He then looked at Nate seriously. "Maybe I should wait for you back at the hotel, then? I'm happy to help but I think I might be out of my depth without you around if I happen to bump into any more." --- Amelia was a little shocked by Charles's sudden burst of anger and his display of brutality. But then, given what the Devil had just said, she supposed this might have been the only way to get him to follow their lead. She watched warily as Hades teased Ash then folded her arms and tilted her head at him. "Just know that if you do anything to harm her, I will make you take after your namesake," she told him cooly. Meaning she would turn him to literal ash. "Don't get me wrong, I am curious to learn more about our people from you. But I'll still tear you apart and burn you up if you so much as think about crossing us. Understood?"

"What look?" Damien asked obliviously. By the time James came out of the bedroom, he'd poured them each a glass of whiskey and had set up the board game battleships to keep them occupied for the rest of the night. "You ever played?" he asked while gesturing to the board. "I haven't since I was a kid. I found the box at the back of one of the cupboards when I moved in. I guess the previous tenants must've left it behind." --- "Yes, Sire." Azrael bowed to Death briefly in acknowledgement of the order. "Do you think that's wise?" David rose a brow at Death. "Forgive me, I know I'm an outsider here but I must express my concerns. With everything happening already taking on this mission yourself, as well as sending out so many reapers that your forces are thin will leave your kingdom in a vulnerable state." "This Kingdom and its King have withstood many challenges over the aeons. Including the war between Heaven and Hell." Azrael told him in a firm tone. "Yes, but-" "I have every faith in my King and his rule, Mr Sedley. You may be his guard but as you say, you are an outsider here. You would do well to broaden your expectations and heed my King. He would not risk his Kingdom so brazenly." David didn't seem convinced but he gave a frustrated sigh while throwing up his arms dramatically. "Fine! Fine. But I'll be tagging along. My priority first and foremost is Death's safety." "Enjoy the show, then." Azrael chuckled. --- Tom hesitated but gave the man a hopeful smile as he reached out to take his hand. Not entirely sure what to expect. "You're welcome." --- This being the first time she would encounter this Devil, Amelia was not aware of exactly what his power was. So, at his outburst about taking power, she had assumed he'd meant their rule over Hell as royalty. "There is more to life than power!" Amelia snapped back. She had jumped a little when he'd slammed his fists into the bars but now she was standing firm, glaring directly into his eyes. "You say you don't care about kin. Then what do you care about?"

Damien's eyes lit up at the sight of James's muscles being barely contained in his shirt and he struggled to keep a straight face. "Well, you've got taste, I'll give you that." he half chuckled. "I guess I should have taken our size differences into consideration." he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "But don't worry about it. Maybe get changed back into your normal clothes for now. Hopefully, some stores will be open again tomorrow so we can get you some clothes that fit." --- Azrael nodded in understanding and glanced at David briefly. Hearing that both Life and Death needed additional bodyguards was worrying and without saying as much, Azrael was determined to protect Death with everything he had. "Sire, while you were gone a few issues arose which I need to make you aware of," he said while taking a couple of steps towards the throne with his book in hand. "Firstly, since the quake, it would seem lost souls all around Earth have finally made themselves known. The good news is now that we are able to locate these souls we are able to send out Reapers to guide them on. The bad news is that the level of Reapers needed to do this, as well as guide the souls from our books, will stretch our forces within the Kingdom thin." he paused before adding. "Secondly, La Tramoggia has been found and is up to her old tricks again." La Tramoggia or 'The Hopper' was famous within the Kingdom of Death. They are a Trickster with a strong desire for immortality and an annoying knack for swapping bodies with some unknown young victim while her elderly body lay on her deathbed, just moments from death. She has been effectively cheating death as well as dooming dozens of poor souls to an early demise for well over four centuries. She always managed to disappear before Death or his reapers could locate her new body. "Her new vessel has been diagnosed with lung cancer and her doctors have estimated that she only has a matter of weeks left." Azrael then smirked as he held up his book. "But we have something more accurate than a mortal doctor and this diagnosis may have granted us the element of surprise that we need to stop her once and for all. I assumed you would prefer the honour of apprehending her yourself, you Grace." "Death can't leave this Kingdom until the other threat has passed," David told Azrael sternly, earning him an annoyed look from the Angel. "I forgive you of your ignorance but this-" He lifted his book slightly "is exactly the opportunity we've been waiting over four hundred years for! My King has jurisdiction." --- "And what's that going to solve?" Tom asked him critically while keeping a safe distance from his bat. "What you went through is awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But all you're doing by lashing out is hurting people like you were hurt. What if those people you hurt are like you were before your brakes were tampered with? You're just tampering with their brakes and the cycle continues!" Tom took a breath before daring to step closer. "Break the cycle, man," he said gently. "No one else needs to get hurt." --- Amelia followed them into the Cells and when the Ancient Devil asked why he would want to obey them, she stepped forward to face him. "Because we're kin," she told him simply, in a commanding tone. "You're like me, aren't you?" she then asked in a more curious and gentle tone. "I can sense it. You're like the type of Devil that gave me my powers. Ancient. Original."

Ahh fair do's. I'm thinking of adding in a little story for Azrael/Death that's inspired by it 😄

Have you ever read Tale of the Body Theif by Anne Rice?

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, buddy," Damien called back as he walked back into the living room. He purposefully avoided looking at the armchair again as he turned to face his bedroom door while taking another sip of the water. "Show me how you look." --- Having been shown to her own bedroom by now, Lilly would not be in the Throne room when the others arrived, as she was spending some time settling in and getting accustomed to having her own space. Azrael had been in the Throne room, flicking through his own book busily when everyone arrived. Seeing Death, he immediately bowed to greet him. "Sire, welcome home." He said and as he straightened up again he noticed Gabriel was with them. He faltered for a moment, knowing his work life and social life were about to collide. He gave Gabriel a subtle, questioning look before watching Life being escorted away. David watched patiently, standing at ease with his hands behind his back as Death gave his orders. "You have a daughter?" He asked curiously when Death had addressed him. "Well, I'll be here until the crises is averted, so I don't see why not." he smiled. "I know it goes without saying though, that I am here as your guard first and foremost." "Guard?" Azrael repeated, looking confused. Clearly, he had missed something critical in Death's absence. --- "Why?" Tom suddenly questioned the man. Although he was cautious, he seemed to lack fear. "What are we in the way of? Are you heading somewhere? We could help if you'd just take a moment to talk to us." --- Amelia appeared near Hell's Cells with Charles and Hades. She frowned at the sight of the half-crumpled building. "Oh, wow... That really was some earthquake... I didn't think anything could break those cells."

"Don't be daft." Damien chuckled as he pulled out a small bowl full of various cleaning supplies. "You focus on what you're going to wear. This won't take me long to sort out." he pulled on a pair of yellow gloves before he headed into the living room and went straight into cleaning. The blood splatter on the walls was a bit of a pain and he knew he'd need to repaint this room at some point to cover most of the damage. Carefully, he knelt by the coffee table and began picking up glass shards. As he placed shard after shard into the waste bag, his movements slowed slightly. His mind wandered. "I thought I knew how love felt but could I have been wrong? Are you my match, Liebling? The one I've been searching for?" He heard the vampire's words in his ear and shook his head as if shaking off the memory itself. He picked up a few more shards and threw them into the bag. "You will see. We are meant for each other." Vomit rose up, and burned his throat. Damien quickly covered his mouth to stop it from escaping. Swallowing hard, he took a few breaths and became aware of how fast his heart had been beating. "Oh, come on now." came a familiar voice to his right and Damien looked over in shock. There, looking no different from when he'd last seen him, Lucifer sat in an armchair. Wearing his usual black suit. Blond hair gleaming in the sunlight. He seemed relaxed as his cold, steely blue eyes stared at him. "I thought I trained you better than this." Gasping, Damien closed his eyes and shook his head before looking back at the armchair. Empty. No one had been there. Not really. "I'm losing my damn mind," Damien muttered to himself as he finished picking up the glass. Pale faced and shivering slightly, Damien headed into the kitchen where he threw the bag into the trash before grabbing himself a glass of water. Needing a distraction from his thoughts, he called through to the bedroom; "Hey, you found anything good to wear?" --- David smiled and nodded to them. "Alright. Best of luck to all of you. If you need me for advice, you know where I'll be." he said as he walked past them to head towards Raguel's office. He would end up bumping into Gabriel, Death and Life along the way. "Ah, apologies for keeping you waiting." he greeted them. He gave a thankful smile to Gabriel and then looked at Life and Death seriously. "Arch Demon David Sedley, reporting for duty. It will be an honour to work with you both." --- Feet firmly on the ground, Tom watched the spirit from where they both stood. He frowned at the sight of the man swinging his bat at passing mortals. "Oh, boy..." he sighed before glancing at Nate uncertainly. "I'll follow your lead on this one."

"I guess you'll find out when you start dating her," Damien shrugged. They soon reached his apartment, and he unlocked the gate door before heading up the stairs. Halfway up, he paused. His door was ajar. "Oh yeah..." he mumbled as he dragged his feet up the rest of the way. He looked around his living room. Blood was splattered all over the place. His coffee table, among other things, was smashed. "I should probably clean this mess up now that I'm not going anywhere." he sighed and waved James into the apartment. "Don't mind the mess. This is just where that vampire attacked me when I was powerless. My bedroom is that way. Feel free to take a look at some of my clothes for your date. Grabbing a coffee is more of a casual thing, so maybe not a suit but you still want to look smart." he told him while heading to the kitchen to take out his cleaning supplies. --- Amelia stifled a chortle at Charles's remark. David looked at Hades and gave a relenting sigh. "Fine. You can either come with me to Death's Kingdom or stay with Charles and Amelia. Your choice." --- "Don't be so flippant." Raguel scolded Gabriel. "I put your name forward because you're the best soldier that I have. Because I trust you." he glanced at Death and Life as they continued to bicker in the background. "And between you and me," he leant in to say to him quietly. "I think you may have your work cut out for you. You may have to protect them from each other, as well as this boy." he stood and offered a hand to Death and then to Life to shake. "Gentlemen. Thank you for attending the meeting. I'm not sure what is holding David up but I'm sure he will join you all in Death's Kingdom momentarily. For now, Gabriel here will be your guard until the matter has been resolved. Please do not mistake him for an errand boy, he is here for your protection, not as a servant." --- Tom studied Nate's features with a small frown before gently cupping his chin to make him look at him. "And leave you to get in trouble alone? I don't think so." he chuckled. "I want to help. Take me with you."

"Oh, well that's actually easier! Maybe save the meal for a second or third date." Damien shrugged. "Honestly man, you'll be fine. Maybe having a girl on your arm will help you to finally relax." he chuckled. "Try not to over think it. Oh, and you said you're a werewolf, right? Maybe don't have the first date close to a full moon. A demon once told me about wolves and what the few days on either side of a full moon do to you guys. You don't wana end up getting her hopped up on your pheromones just yet. Maybe save that for your third date." he winked at him and then laughed. --- "Hey, I'm sorry that I frightened you," David said to Hades as she hugged him. "Ah, thank you." He groaned as he accepted the bottle of aspirin and glass of water. After taking them, he nodded at Charles's question. "I sure do. My son-in-law and King of Hell." he smiled at him and then looked between Amelia and Hades. "And these two are my beautiful daughters. I remember everything. It was no picnic getting my memories back but at least it's done." "Dad, I think congratulations are in order." Amelia beamed. "Oh, I wouldn't say I'd go that far." David chuckled, assuming she was still talking about his memories. "No, Dad. We've just had a meeting with the Spirit Council about the portal. They gave you your memories back then I guess promoted you to Arch Demon." "What-? Why? You actually spoke to the council!?" Amelia proceeded to very quickly fill him in on the meeting that he'd missed. By the end of it, he was staring at the end of the bed with a serious expression. "Right, then I suppose there's no time to lose," he said, getting to his feet. "Take me to the meeting room. Then you two need to try and talk to that Ancient Devil to see if he'll help. Please, don't take any unnecessary risks though." He then turned to Hades. "And you, missy," he said playfully, booping her nose with his finger. "We'll figure out how we can help you when all this is over. But for now, please go and make sure your friends are all safe, hmm? I think it would do you some good to be surrounded by friends who will support you right now." --- Raguel had been about to take another sip but Gabriel's words had caused him to pause and look at what he was doing. What was he doing? This isn't him. This has never been him. Yet he had been drinking away at this liquid as naturally as if he had been doing so every day for years. He put the glass down abruptly, spilling a little onto the table. Disturbed and even a little disgusted at himself. A snore from the other end of the room interrupted his thoughts and he glanced at Clarity, or rather the blanket covering Clarity, before looking back at Gabriel in his usual stoic manner. "We've just had a meeting with the Spirit Council." he began so that Gabriel would know just how serious this was. "With the portal being opened and the boy yet to be found, they have decreed that The Balance must be prioritised above all. Therefore, Life and Death are to remain in Death's Kingdom until the threat has passed. You and David will be representing Heaven and Hell's best by accompanying them to guard their lives. If the boy turns up, both Life and Death have been given strict orders to not engage him, to call upon Heaven and Hell's forces and to retreat, if safe to do so. The council have also decreed that no harm should come to this boy if it can be helped. We still don't know whether his life will affect the portal in any way. For all we know, killing him might make it bigger, or worse. So, for now, we are working on locating him to bring him in alive." --- Seeing his expression, Tom looked at Nate worried once the kiss broke. "What's wrong?" --- With hot cheeks and shivering gasps, Daisy tilted her head back. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through his soft hair. His hand brushing over her skin sent another excited shiver through her. Feeling his teeth lightly grazing her neck caused a soft moan to escape her. While Adam and Daisy were getting intimate, John teleported into the kitchen of the brothel with the rest of the group. "Here we are. Your new home where you will help Adam create a new Eden by serving his and his wives' every need," he said while showing them around. "Make yourselves at home. Pick out your rooms and get settled in. You all start work tomorrow." "John?" Eve's voice came from the doorway. She looked around at all the new faces shyly. "Ah! Just the lady I wanted to introduce you all to! Everyone, this is Eve. Yes, THE Eve." The group bustled excitedly, causing Even to jump a little. Seeing her nerves, John quickly stepped between them. "I know you're all excited but please give Eve some space for now. Go and settle in. There will be plenty of time for you to meet her when everyone is more comfortable." Trying to hide their disappointment but still staring at her curiously as they walked past, the group went about looking for their own rooms to settle into. "Where's Adam?" Eve asked John quietly. "With any luck, consummating his second marriage," John answered cheerily. "She seems sweet too. You might like her," he added as he turned to look at her. He then realised how cold that had sounded and hesitated before asking. "It doesn't bother you, does it?" "What? No. I spent a lifetime being his only wife but I meant what I said. I'm done with birthing children. So, if creating a harem is what is needed for him to save Eden, then I am happy." she walked further into the kitchen and sat at the island counter. John nodded in understanding, but then what Eve said next shocked him and caused him to do a double take. "I just hope he doesn't mind sharing a few of his female wives with me now and again." "I- I never would have thought-!" John half laughed. "Oh, don't be so prude." She smirked. "You know where I came from. I'm every bit Adam's equal. His likes. His dislikes. Even his sexual preferences. The only thing that has ever separated us was our experiences after we'd parted ways so long ago. That and childbirth. Lucky bastard." John laughed, amazed. He'd assumed Eve to be this timid thing but it would seem that once she becomes comfortable enough, she practically turns into a female Adam. "Can I get you anything? Food? Drink?" He offered, watching her in awe. "A drink would be nice." She said then tilted her head slightly. "And something to do. It is frightfully boring around here."

"One step at a time, big guy," Damien said while putting May's number into his phone. "There." he put his phone away and then gave the paper back to James. "And don't you worry. We'll get you ready. Come on, let's head back to my place. I'm sure I still have a few suits you could borrow." As they walked, Damien continued to talk. "So, maybe you could take her out to eat for your first date? Somewhere nice. Like maybe an Italian restaurant or something like that. When you meet up with her, be sure to tell her she looks pretty in whatever she's wearing. Then ask her about herself. You know she's a nurse so maybe ask her how long she's been a nurse, what med school was like. All that kind of stuff. Mostly, you want to make it all about her and while she's talking, try to find some common interests." --- "You don't know unless you try," Amelia said to Hades gently. "If they're your true friends then they'll accept you no matter what." Hearing Charles, Amelia looked over at him. Torn between him and her father. "Charles..." Amelia stepped to one side to take his hand. "I know we do. Just hold on a second, please? I need to talk to my dad when he wakes up." She looked at David's sleeping features with a worried expression. "I'll come with you. I want to see this Ancient Devil for myself." "What Ancient Devil?" David groaned, rubbing his forehead and wincing at the light. "And does anyone have any aspirin? My head is pounding." --- Raguel looked up from his drink when Gabriel would arrive. "Take a seat. I have an important mission for you." He lifted the glass to his lips again. Not taking any notice to how this would be the first time Gabriel would see him drinking anything stronger than water. --- It was a breathtaking view. And not just because they were so high that the air was thinner. The sun rose over the horizon, painting the sky and clouds in an array of pastel colours ranging from purple to pink, then amber to blue. The peaceful moment was almost enough to bring a tear to Tom's eye. "And to think, if Sebastian didn't have Amelia's blood in his veins when he turned me, I'd have missed sights like these!" he commented. Grateful to still be able to enjoy the sun. He looked at Nate lovingly before gently pressing his lips against his. Holding on to the kiss for as long as he could. --- It was a little awkward at first. Daisy had been sheltered for most of her life by her very religious parents. She had been on dates, sure. But having come from a strict catholic family, she'd had it drilled into her that she should get married before so much as kissing anyone. This ended up being a huge turn-off for many of her love interests who would ghost her before getting to the second date. So, this would not only be her first time, it was also her first kiss. As Adam kissed her though, she quickly picked up his rhythm and kissed him back. Despite her upbringing something about Adam was pulling her in. It all just felt so... natural. His hands touched her hips and she shivered excitedly. Without a thought or a care in the world, she brought her arms up to wrap around his shoulders as he moved her around the room. She lifted a hand to pull the scrunchie from her hair, letting her orange locks tumble down around her shoulders. Then she felt the bedframe behind her legs and stopped kissing him to look into his eyes again while biting her lip. "You're my first," she whispered to him while blushing deeply.

I swear AI images have improved so much since I last messed with them lol So based on that, Eve would look more like;

Thank you 😄 Hmm, Like these?

Daisy

I'm messing around with AI images again lol What does Adam look like?

May watched him leave and wondered if she might be making a mistake. Not because of James, though. She genuinely liked him. But because she knew any kind of love life would be difficult to maintain with such a demanding job. She supposed she would have to just try and maybe they could figure it out along the way. Outside, Damien stopped for a quick smoke and waited for James to meet him. He was eager to hear how it had gone. When James ran in front of him, he broke into a wide grin. "Wait, you got her number? Dude! That's a good thing. Take a moment to celebrate a little before you worry about what comes next." he laughed and patted James's shoulder. "Way to go for taking the first step. So, next, we need to get you a phone. Maybe not right now with the riots and everything. In the meantime, I guess keep that note somewhere safe. Actually..." Damien took out his own phone and pulled up his contacts. "Why don't I save it to mine, just in case? Then I can text it to you when you get your own." --- "Gabriel, you might want to head to Raguel. I can take care of my dad from here. There's been a meeting and he has a new assignment for you. It's a pretty big one." Amelia told him, then smirked at Hades's last comment before she looked at her seriously. "I swear I won't do anything to take advantage of your condition. Your free will should still be your own... How are you holding up?" --- Raguel watched Charles leave then turned his attention back to the bottle. "Enough bickering," he said firmly as he picked up the bottle and poured himself a glass. He poured one for Death as well then slid the glass over to him. Although Raguel had enjoyed a single glass to himself in private on rare occasions, it was a little out of character of him to be drinking freely in front of others. Even less so for him to encourage others to join him. Yet he lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip, savouring the flavour. "You need to loosen up, Death," he commented before looking at Life. He frowned at the question and averted his gaze from them both. "I would not take pleasure in it, but if the boy needs to be stopped then I will do my duty." he then looked back at them both gravely. "But it would be as a last resort. Besides, we have our orders. No harm is to come to the boy." he lifted his glass, turning it slightly to stare at the liquid in contemplation. "Regardless of how we feel about it." --- Tom held on tightly to Nate and shivered a little as they flew higher. "Oh, it's cold up here." he chuckled and pressed his head against the side of Nate's. "But at least you're warm." he sighed while turning his eyes to watch the sunrise. --- The teleportation had shocked Daisy. She looked around wildly, wondering how they'd appeared in this strange place. Then she felt Adam's arms around her and her eyes met his again. Once more she was lost in his light. Her deepest desires rose to the surface as she melted into his embrace. She knew she should be questioning everything, but his eyes, his light and his aura consumed her senses. Causing her to forget her concerns completely. All she wanted in the world right now, was him. "Me?" she sighed dreamily. "You'd choose me? Oh, Adam..." The name tumbled off her tongue so naturally. Her heart was fluttering. Everything about this felt right. "Make me yours."

Don't forget Adam 😅

"Oh!" May was taken aback and blushed deeply. She looked uncertain for a moment while glancing through the window in the door at the rest of the hospital as it bustled busily in the background. She had always put her career above her love life and especially with everything going on right now, it seemed to be a particularly bad time. She looked back at James and at how nervous he obviously was. She thought back to how he'd looked out for her earlier with Mr Mitchell and she blushed again. She bit her lip while contemplating the idea of meeting him for a coffee. She knew she'd be torn between him and her job but for reasons that she didn't fully understand herself yet, she nodded at him with a shy smile. "Um, sure. I think that would be nice." she took out the little notepad and pen from her pocket and wrote her number down before tearing the page out and handing it to him with reddened cheeks. "Call me when things have calmed down." --- David groaned. The grip on his head tightened. Searing pain shot through his head, exacerbated by light and every little sound around him. He gasped again and again before finally losing consciousness. As he did, Amelia ran up the corridor towards them. "Dad?!" he shouted before slowing to a stop and staring at Hades for a moment. Returning her attention to her father, she frowned while trying to catch her breath from having run all the way here. "Did he say anything?" she asked Gabriel then looked around quickly. "We need to get him into a bed. The Spirit Council did something. I think they helped him with his memories so that he could help us with the portal." --- "I believe your wife has already taken off to check on her father." Raguel pointed out to Charles awkwardly. He looked at Life and Death. The tension was thick in this room. He knew Amelia would find her father and that Gabriel wouldn't be too far away when she did. So it would make sense that she would deliver the same news to them both at once. In the meantime, Raguel would need to try and keep the peace between Life and Death before their departure. "I don't know about you two, but after that meeting, I could use a drink." he waved his hand, summoning three glasses and a bottle of scotch onto the table. He then glanced at Clarity who was snoring lightly and waved his hand once more, making a blanket appear over her... including her head. --- At his touch and the kiss on her hand, Daisy shivered excitedly. Unable to take her eyes off him. "Y-you think I'm perfect?" she found herself asking in the same dreamy way. John had to stop himself from looking directly at Adam. Knowing that if he did while he was glowing he'd find it hard to resist him as well. Especially after their earlier romp. He looked around at the rest of the people who were still on their knees and held back his grimace while leaning in towards Adam's ear. Quietly he said to him; "I think the others may have already passed their prime. But it's not a total loss. Your kingdom will need more than wives. It will need maids, gardeners, chefs. And these people are already bowing to you, so I think asking them to serve you in your new Eden will be easy enough." he smiled at the enchanted way Daisy was gazing at Adam. "Maybe I can finish up here for you. I'll orient them to their new lives as 'Adam's chosen citizens' while you take this lovely one home to become better acquainted?" --- As Nate spun him, Tom giggled gleefully. He kissed his cheek and his neck. "Oh, Nate! What we have... I hope we stay like this forever! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me!" he then gave him a cheeky smile. "Take me flying? I want to be in your arms and admire the sunrise on the horizon from a great height!"