Shadowess

shadowess - May 10, 2023 "See!" Larissa said triumphantly while gesturing at Theron. "Only a couple of years short of manhood!" "Rissy, the world doesn't work that way anymore. He's actually more like five years away from manhood." Bianka explained. "No, because then he'd be middle-aged!" Larissa countered, clearly confused. Bianka chuckled softly and shook her head. "According to our human visitors in those black suits, humans actually live longer than they used to and age slower because of it. This is a good thing, Rissy. It means he still has some childhood left. Now please go and get him some milk instead." Larissa was shocked by this news and awkwardly fiddled with her fingers. "Maybe half a cup wouldn't hurt him?" "Rissy..." Bianka rolled her eyes with an exhausted sigh. "But we're acting as his parents so we can supervise him!" Bianka gave Larissa a frustrated look before shrugging in defeat. "Fine. Half a cup. But only if Theron wants it. You still need to bring him some milk though." Jumping to her feet and clapping excitedly, Larissa skipped away from the table and back to the kitchen. "It's a drink that adults sometimes have to relax or have fun. If you drink too much too quickly, it'll make you drunk. Being drunk feels fun in the moment but it can make you do things you might regret later and then leave you feeling unwell once it wears off. But if you're mature with it, you can still enjoy some without losing control of yourself or becoming sick. Just make sure to drink it slowly and sensibly." Bianka then explained to Theron patiently while sitting back in her seat and letting him enjoy his meal. "Now, where was I? Ah! The Vampire families had fled into the woods. They needed to make themselves a new home so deep in the woods that they would be hard to find and they needed to build their new home quickly. Before the sun would rise. So they got to work. They cut down trees and gathered large rocks and took it in turns watching their young while the others worked together to build the first room of what would eventually become this castle." "But as they worked, and chopped and hammered, they awoke a monster that had been sleeping nearby, under a great blanket of peat moss. The monster was a troll. He was large, ugly and smelled rotten. He raged at the Vampires for waking him up. He raged even more when he realised they were trying to make a home in HIS woods. The beast was too strong for the Vampires to fight and they were running out of time to build their home. So the Vampires begged the troll to let them stay." "I'm back! Where are you up to in the story?" Larissa asked eagerly as she sat down again and set a second cup on the table near Theron. This one was filled with fresh milk. "The deal." "Ohh! It's getting good!" Larissa grinned at Theron excitedly before turning to Bianka and listening intently with her head resting on her hand again. "Anyway. The Vampires begged the Troll to let them stay. The Troll agreed and even offered to help them build their home faster under one condition. Every month, under the light of the full moon, the Vampires must bring their youngest child to a large cave in the woods and leave them there as an offering to the Troll." "He was eating them." "Shh! Let me tell the story. Desperate and frightened, the Vampires agreed to the deal and with a snap of his bulbous fingers, the rocks and trees in the area moved magically and rapidly. Reshaping themselves and binding themselves together until this great castle was built. And just in time too as the Vampires only had time to run through the door and close it before the sun peeked over the horizon!" "Years went by and true to their word the Vampires dropped off one child every month to the Troll and they were never seen again. One day, a grief-stricken father went for a walk into the woods to mourn the loss of his child. He wept and wept into the bark of an old tree. He told this tree his woes and his regrets and wished that there was some way that they didn't have to keep giving this Troll their children anymore. What the father didn't know was that the forest was listening to him. The forest felt his pain and pitied the Vampires in the castle who had turned to the forest for safety so long ago but had been tormented by the evil Troll instead. A strange wind blew through the forest that day, carrying unheard whispers from leaf to leaf until they reached the keen ears of the Forest Folk." Bianka smiled at Theron, checking to see if he was still interested in this story while also giving him a chance to actually eat his meal. --- Once the blood had receded from the Agents, they both jumped when X had appeared and started to tell them off. "Uh-! But- we-we did say that, sir. They were still resisting!" One of them tried in a defensive, yet very flustered way. "Dude..." The other agent mumbled to the agent disapprovingly while holstering his gun. This was the first word this particular agent had uttered since their arrival. "Sorry boss..." "Hiya pal!" Bob greeted X as well. Lilly cautiously approached him, being careful to keep her distance. The way the other two agents had threatened them before had caused her to feel less trusting towards the CIA. "What is this about?" she asked. Her voice trembled with a mixture of anger and nervousness. --- Her heart had been beating so fast through all of that but as Nil became defensive of their new home, Layla immediately felt safer. She was then surprised as Nil seemed to backtrack on his words by suggesting that they move elsewhere. "No." She said softly as she lifted her head to look at him. Her face was close to his as she stared into his eyes. "I'm tired of running. This is our home now and I would fight to defend it... and you." --- Keeping his head down, River followed Will out to the car and got into the passenger side. He took a quick glance around but couldn't make out anything that was out of the ordinary. He debated saying something but decided to keep quiet. If the vampire was listening in, his voice and accent might give them away. Instead, he opened his window by a crack and took the vial out of his pocket, being careful to keep it hidden. He popped the top loose so that the scent of Damien's blood would be stronger around the car as they started to drive away. The plan was in motion and although he was still well hidden, Tristan had already locked on to the scent coming from the car and was moving swiftly yet carefully through the alleys to keep up with it. He'd noticed Will and something about his scent seemed strange. Tristan had never encountered a Leviathan before so he had no idea what he was up against. All the more reason to move cautiously. "I just hope they break a few of his bones while they're at it." Damien chuckled. "Asshole might be nuts but he still... attacked me." He then winced and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "Ugh, I think the hangover from the moonshine is finally kicking in. That was only a matter of time," he smirked at James as he pulled his own hood up. "Worth it though. We should get going. Hanging around here is making me feel uneasy." --- Kat hesitated before answering. "I wanted to be like my brother," he said simply before pulling up to a strip club. "We're here. The club is a front. All the business is done in the VIP suite." he got out of the car and headed towards the bouncer who lifted the red velvet rope to let him through as soon as he saw him. He was about to put the rope down for Sawyer when Kat stopped and told him in Japanese that he was with him. The bouncer reluctantly lifted the rope and let Sawyer through as well. Kat motioned for Sawyer to keep following him and lead him through the club. They passed a lot of girls in small, tight clothing who walked around serving drinks, dances and private dances. There were a few girls on the stage, dancing around poles or around each other suggestively. Men and even a few women in sharp suits were sitting on chairs in front of the stage. Drinking and cheering on their entertainment. Kat seemed utterly disconnected from his surroundings as he walked towards the VIP section without so much as a glance at what was going on. They'd climb a set of stairs and get past another bouncer before reaching the VIP section. It was a little quieter here and not a single dancer was in this room. Only a group of men in sharp suits, drinking hard alcohol in short glasses. Their leader was sat on his own, in the centre of the group. Kat bowed his head respectfully before he handed him the money that he'd managed to get from the old man's apartment. The leader asked him something in Japanese and Kat took a moment to regard Sawyer carefully before answering in the same language. "Good!" The leader smiled and sat back in his seat to relax. "Keep him with you. Let him learn our ways from one of our own. Be sure to tell him the consequences of failure. Now get out. I'll call you when there's another job." Kat bowed his head again before turning and gesturing for Sawyer to leave with him. Once back at the car, he let out a long sigh and went to grab his packet of cigarettes only to remember he'd run out earlier that evening. He cursed under his breath in Japanese before starting the car. "Alright Red Fox, let's get that bullet out. We'll have to do it at my place but then we can go grab that drink after." --- David was still in shock from all the news he'd had to take in and the choice that he now faced. But when Bern mentioned pasta, he couldn't help smiling and shrugging. "I love a good pasta," he said, completely unaware that he hadn't needed to eat any food for a few decades now. Amelia nodded with a smile. "Then it's settled. I need to go. I have a few things to clear up but I'll be back soon to see if you've made a decision." she kissed David's cheek. "See you both later," she said before vanishing. --- John looked out of the window of the Library. He'd never noticed that river there before. But then again, it was hard to see anything outside of this building with it being so dark all the time. He stared at the Ancient Devil with a mixture of concern and confusion. "I don't even know them," he said as he placed a hand on Adam's shoulder and stepped away from the window cautiously. Bringing Adam with him as he moved. "Stay behind me," he told Adam while tensing and preparing himself for anything. --- While relieved that they wouldn't be destroyed or subjected to torture, Shiva felt an overwhelming sense of shame that he'd had to beg for mercy. He couldn't stand that feeling so he quickly diverted it into rage towards Sam and his family for failing to live up to their promises. He remained silent but glared at Sam continuously as Carol yanked him back to his feet. "Good boy." Carol teased with a smirk as she pulled Shiva up. She then took Sam's arm and teleported the three of them to Hell's Cells. By now, a couple of the cells were crowded with Demons who had been at the arena. She opened up an empty cell near them and gestured into it. "Get in," she ordered them in a cold tone. "And do try anything stupid." --- "Oh! That's a wonderful thought!" Sebastian cooed excitedly. He turned to look at Carter. "We should go and say hello to the little ones." he beamed. "You guys going out?" Parker asked as he descended the stairs, having overheard Sebastian. He looked like he hadn't long woken up. --- Donnie stirred sleepily as he slowly came to. Despite the pain relief in his system, his entire torso felt sore and tender. The upper half of his body, as well as his upper arms, were completely wrapped in clean bandages. His mouth felt dry. Likely from the anaesthesia. Groaning, he turned his head and blinked at Insanity with a puzzled expression. "Am I still drugged?" he asked in a quiet voice. --- "Your Grace, I can only apologise for the Arch Angel's attitude," Azrael said quickly, trying to calm Death down. "He has a short temper and seemingly a shorter memory but he means well, I assure you," he added, unable to resist the subtle dig at Raguel's inability to let the matter of the books go. The Reaper that had been waiting anxiously was watching all of this tensely. Seeing Death so angry made him even more nervous about the news that he had to deliver. Knowing it might anger his superior further. But duty was duty and this was far too urgent to put off. He tried to quietly clear his through but it was already so dry from nervousness that he let out more of a frightened squeak before recovering with a much more believable cough. "E-excuse me, your Grace? Th-there's something that you need to see... Um-..." he said before stepping forward and opening his own book to show Death the hole that had been burned in the page where a name had clearly once been. He offered the book to Death so that he could get a better look. "I was going to reap this soul but then something weird happened. This girl... she looked like she was in a trance. She chanted something and the recently deceased... well, she wasn't so deceased anymore. Then the book lit up on its own and the name of that soul was forcibly stricken from it! I couldn't stop it. I've never seen anything like it." Azrael stared at the book in disbelief and waited with bated breath to see how Death would react. In all the centuries that he'd worked for Death, he'd never seen anything like this either. Denix Vames - May 10, 2023 Theron had eaten during her story. He hesitantly picked up the cup of wine and sniffed it before taking a sip. His eyes widened, "Is the forest here really alive?" --- "We believe there's a portal that will open at some point somewhere. Do you know anything about closing portals?" ,asked X. --- Nil smiled. He gently kissed her. "Then I guess it's settled. I think we deserve some rest now." --- Will tensed up. Wondering if the vampire was already following them. James nodded. "You good with my speed? Can't imagine a hangover is a good mixture for a fast ride." --- Sawyer took out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket. He tossed them to Kat. With a smile he said, "Got them while no one was looking. Had a feeling you might need more." He got in the car. "So, your brother huh? I guess for me....It was always my wife who inspired me to do everything. Even now too." --- Bern waved him over to the direction of the kitchen. "You are going to love this dish! If you want, we can do this together. Just follow my lead." --- The Ancient Demon ran towards them. Having gone through the doorway, he jumped high. Aiming to take down John and his friend. --- Sam bit his lip at her cold tone but walked into the cell. --- "Hey Parker! Wanna come with us? You guys get to see my kids!" ,said KIte. --- "You're not. I drained myself of all my power and placed it somewhere hidden. I didn't realize until I was done that I would become a child." ,said Insanity. --- Death looked at the book before glaring. "This cannot happen again! Find this girl and bring her to me! And find a way for that name to go on the list again! Balance must not be destroyed." He slammed the book closed and gave it back to the reaper. He sat on his throne. "First that pathetic Angel pokes at me and now this woman?! Is everyone trying my patience?"

Shadowess - May 8, 2023 Bianka looked over at the tables with a curious expression which quickly melted into a warm smile as she recalled the first time she'd seen the dining hall. The tables were long and very old. They had been carved out of the sturdiest trees long before most of the castle's inhabitants had even been born. The chairs were wooden as well and most of them had soft cushions tied to them. Walking with Theron, she glided her fingers over the polished surface of the table. Tracing the lines in the wood as she walked, she let Theron choose which chair to sit in before sitting next to him. "Here's another story for you. I don't think it's anything other than a fairy tale, well, most of it anyway, but it's a favourite among the oldest families here. I'll do my best to translate it into English for you." She smiled warmly at Theron. "A long, long time ago, vampires and humans were at war. Vampires back then had the upper hand, for no human alone could match a vampire's strength and speed. But Vampire's pushed their luck and after a few centuries of warring, the humans started to birth stronger and faster humans. Humans that did not easily succumb to a Vampire's venom. They trained them. Honed their new strengths into unmatched skill. Then, these new humans began to hunt Vampires and they were very good at it. So good, that they ended the war. But these humans were so full of anger and hatred towards Vampire kind that they continued the bloodshed long after Vampires had been pushed into hiding." Bianka lifted her hand to brush some of Theron's hair from his face. "This is the history of the castle, but don't be sad. That was a long time ago and things have changed a lot since then," she said as she glanced around and grinned at Larissa who was walking towards them from the direction of the kitchen. She was holding a plate full of food in one hand and a large pint of liquid in the other. She seemed quite proud of her haul. "Anyway, after several failed attempts to hide among the humans, several Vampire families, desperate to seek a safe place to live decided to journey into the dense, dark woods." "What's this?" Larissa asked as she set the plate and pint down in front of Theron. A large slab of medium-rare steak took up almost half of the plate on its own. The rest was filled with vegetables, roasted potatoes and mashed potatoes with a drizzle of gravy over everything. This wouldn't be like any meal served anywhere else in the world. The meat had been hunted earlier that evening, while the vegetables, potatoes and even the herbs had been grown in the castle's grounds and prepared practically straight from the ground. Even the gravy had been made from scratch. Not a single part of this meal had come from any sort of packaging. "I was just telling him the Troll story-" Bianka answered her. "Oh! I love that story!" "-But never mind that, what's this?" She then pointed to the pint, which was more like a medieval pitcher than a cup and it was filled almost to the brim with a dark, red liquid. "Wine," Larissa answered, obliviously. "Rissy, this isn't the 18th century anymore. You can't give a boy his age wine!" "Why not? I don't see the harm in it. Besides, he doesn't look that young to me. He looks just a couple of years short of becoming a man. How old are you?" Larissa asked Theron as she sat down opposite them and rested her chin on her hand with her elbow on the table. "Old enough for wine, right? Or would you prefer that I fetch some milk? It's alright if that's the case." --- The agent let out a frustrated sigh when Grim stood between them and Hades used her power to prevent them from moving. Lilly hugged herself, shivering as she glared at the agents. The girl watched anxiously from where she was sitting on the curb. She didn't understand what was happening but she felt an intense instinct to protect Lilly, if necessary. The agent lifted his hand to his earpiece. "Sir, We have Lilly in our sights but she's resisting. Her friends are protecting her and they've pinned us. We can't move. Please advise?... No sir, the skeleton isn't here." "Yes, I am!" Bob sounded offended that none of the agents had recognised him. "Yes, sir." The agent said, ignoring Bob then looked back at the group. "Look, we don't have a lot of time for this so the choice is yours. Either release us and Lilly & Bob come with us peacefully, or we use knock-out gas and our backup comes to take them anyway. If you're going with the second option then everyone here will be arrested for obstruction. Do I make myself clear?" "But... It was an accident. I didn't know I was doing it. I-It was like I was dreaming..." Lilly pleaded and the agent rose a brow at her. "Ma'am, I can honestly say that I have no idea what you're talking about." He said and for a moment Lilly seemed a little relieved. Until the agent followed up with;- "But I think we'll need to talk about that later, too." "But, then...why?" was all Lilly could manage to ask as she stared at the men in confusion. "Come with us and we'll talk about it. As I said, it's classified. My boss would eat me alive if I gave out government secrets while out on a mission." he replied then chuckled to himself while mumbling "Literally..." He then glanced at his partner and nodded before looking back at the group and holding his gun up with his hand open, keeping the gun hooked onto one finger to stop it was falling to the ground. His partner copied his movement. "What I CAN tell you is that you're not in any trouble. We just need your help understanding a few things, is all." "Then why threaten my friends?" Lilly asked, folding her arms. "Why point those guns at us? You let an evil man get away, do you realise this?" "He's not our mission and like I said, we don't have a lot of time to waste. Speaking of which, you've got about two minutes to make your decision before we make it for you." "That! Threats like those are why I don't trust you!" Lilly pointed at them, a fire alighted behind her eyes. "One minute." "Leave her alone!" The girl had jumped to her feet, having seemingly recovered from her shock. "Can we all just calm down a second and talk?" Bob darted between the girl, Lilly, Grim and the agents. "Why the big hurry, fellas? It's not like the world is going to end!" he chuckled. "30 seconds." The agent pressured them. "Fine!" Lilly said finally and raised her hands. She looked at Hades. "Please let them go. I don't want any of you to get hurt just to protect me." "Party at the CIA? I'm in!" Bob cheered then offered up his wrists to the agents. "Cuff me, officers!" "We don't need you." "Yeah man, Lilly and Bob. I'm Bob." "Bob is a skeleton." "Not anymore." Lilly sighed. "Grew me some skin... and hair... and nails... and organs... and this big dangly-" "BOB!" Lilly yelled suddenly, cutting Bob off and causing him to pause as he'd been just about to undo his trousers. "What?" For the first time since their arrival, the agent looked flustered. "That's- That's ok, sir. I'll er- take your word for it... Now please get in the van." --- Layla rested her head on the soft, mossy pillows. The fresh earthy smell rose around her and she found it oddly relaxing. Within moments though, she was tense again as Nil told her about the other werewolf. She held onto him nervously as she turned her head to stare at the tightly threaded vines that made up the walls of their new home. After a couple of minutes, she caught his scent. Then she heard his footsteps as he marched through dried leaves nearby. Briefcase in hand, Florin marched through the woods at a brisk pace. If he intended to lay low, he would need to be cautious about how much energy he used. If he needed it at any point to defend his life or flee, he would need to retain as much of his energy as possible. As he marched on, he caught a new scent. One he hadn't detected in these woods before. A new wolf. This forest, particularly this section of forest, was his territory and over the years he'd torn a few werewolves apart in order to keep it that way. But now, he supposed, he wouldn't have to anymore. He wouldn't be able to come back here for a very long time. The more he walked, the more he noticed that he was naturally walking towards the scent. The closer he got, the more he picked up. He recognised the scent as female and couldn't help but grin as he detected the heightened hormones. Whoever she was, she was in heat. No wonder, considering how close they were to a full moon. His pace slowed to a stop as he found the clearing with the curiously shaped little home. He couldn't help staring at it in awe for several seconds. Whoever the wolf was, she was inside. He stepped towards the door, almost as if drawn to the scent but then stopped with a look at disappointment and agitation before he could touch the handle. There was someone else in there. Male. Not a wolf though. He growled but took a step back and shook his head. What was he doing? He needed to get out of these woods. Whatever this was and whoever these people were, they weren't his problem anymore. Once upon a time, he might've destroyed the house, killed the male and conquered the female as a way of reclaiming his territory. But this wasn't his territory anymore. He was leaving it behind. In an unintended way, he guessed he was passing it on to these newcomers. He stepped around the house and walked about halfway around it before stopping and leaning against the wall to take in one long breath of their scents. "I know you're listening to my movements. You're lucky to arrive when you did. Enjoy your new home while you can. I am immortal and this is MY forest." he said through the vines. "One day I'll return and you will give back what is mine or I will take what is yours." Without another word, Florin stepped away from the wall and continued on his journey. When his footsteps and scent faded away, Layla let out a sigh of relief and realised just how tense they'd been. She sat up and looked at Nil, thankful for his presence. She wrapped her arms around him, seeking comfort. --- "Christ! Are you both mad?! You could've hit an artery!" The forensic officer gasped after he saw James dig the knife into Damien's wrist. Damien barely winced and simply let James fill up the vial, displaying an amount of trust that was rare, even for Damien. "Here, the cap..." The officer handed it to James to close up the vial once it was full. "I'll go get some bandages." Meanwhile, Damien was looking over the sketch with some scrutiny. "Almost... His nose was slightly more crooked but it's mostly right." River reappeared in the room, bringing a slight smell of hair dye along with him. "This was the closest shade I could get," he announced. The difference was only subtle though, as Damien's hair was only a little darker. "Oh! And-..." he lifted his wrist and shook it the same way Damien had earlier to show off the bracelet. Only this one wasn't angelic, but a pearl-coloured stone that had been shaped into a fashionable accessory. "I snuck it out of Jessica's jewellery box... She wasn't home or I would've asked but I'm sure she'll be ok with it when we explain it later." "I don't want your sister to know about this," Damien said defensively. "But-" "That's the end of it!" Damien snapped as he stared hard at River then sighed at the crestfallen look he was getting. "...I just don't want to worry her. Ok? I'm so-..." He sighed again out of frustration. As small as it seemed to be, the word 'sorry' wasn't an easy thing for him to say. In fact, he found it immensely difficult to express any regret. "I shouldn't have snapped." River nodded. "Alright. Are you ready?" "As ready as I can be. James has my blood and this sketch is looking better." "No problem, then let's get going." River walked over to James and took the vial, tucking it into his jacket pocket. He turned to the other officers. "Werewolves, head out into your positions and remember if you see him chase him like your venom is still toxic to him. Try to get him to run towards the safe house." River turned to Damien and James. "Wait until Will and I are out of sight before you head out." he then turned to Will while pulling his own hood up. "I'm ready. Remember, we can't teleport there. He's got to follow the scent from the vial, so you'll need to drive me there and pretend I'm powerless. If you have to talk to me at any point, call me Damien. He might be listening to us as we move." --- Kat glanced at the bullet wound in Sawyer's arm before pulling the car over to the side of the road. "It's in the trunk. I'll get it," he said as he took the key out of the ignition and got out of the vehicle. He walked around to the back and opened up the trunk. A moment later, he closed it and got back into the driver's seat, passing a small, black box to Sawyer before starting the car again. The box contained simple bandages, gauze, disinfectant wipes and other little medical tools for on-the-go. "Is it a through and through?" He asked as he pulled the car back onto the road and accelerated back to the speed limit. "If the bullet is still in there it'll have to wait until after we hand this money over the to boss. I can get it out for you. Wouldn't be the first time I've had to fish a bullet out." He admitted while lifting the side of his shirt with his free hand to show Sawyer several scars on his side. A large dragon tattoo on his back was slightly visible until he lowered his shirt again, keeping his eyes on the road. --- "I-... am?" David turned to look at Bern with a surprised expression. "A lot of people owe their lives and second chances to you, Dad." Amelia agreed. "You believed in me and supported me when I said I wanted to change how Hell was run. You alone have saved countless souls from eternal damnation and set an example to other demons that it's not impossible. With the right words, the right attitude and the right amount of compassion, Hell can become a realm of second chances rather than punishment. And not just in Hell, here on Earth too. Bern, his boss and his men were on the wrong path until you stepped in and showed them that they were capable of better things." Amelia paused and glanced at her drink thoughtfully. "It's like, you never took a day off. You would always manage to find someone who needed help but you were ready to do whatever was needed to save them..." Amelia trailed off, as though just now realising why that was. David seemed to come to the same conclusion as he leaned against the wall by the window and stared at the ground. "Because I couldn't save her..." he whispered. "I would've felt compelled to save as many people as I could." Amelia lifted her eyes from her glass and then said something that shocked even herself. "Maybe this is a good thing?" David looked at her in alarm and she waved a hand quickly. "Hear me out. You've done it all. Like I said, you helped me turn Hell around. You've set an example to other demons. You've saved so, so many souls... If I'd asked you yesterday, when you still had your memories, if you wanted to retire, you would have told me no. That you're not done yet. But now? Dad... I think it's time." "What? To- to retire? Retire to where?" David laughed. "Do I get a pension? A house on the beach? Drinks with those little umbrellas for all eternity?" Amelia simply smiled at him tearfully, sort of glad that his sarcastic sense of humour had been revived in the wake of his amnesia. By the time Amelia was found, David's sense of humour had become more or less dry. "No pension but apparently you don't need any money in Heaven, so you should be ok." David's mouth fell open. "H-Heaven?" he shook his head. "Wait a second, I'm a DEMON. Am I even allowed up there?" "You've been there before." "I have?!" Amelia nodded with a chuckle "It's like Bern said. You're a hero. You're welcome there. Just remember to come and visit your family every now and then, ok?" David ran his hand through his hair. He was shaking and his eyes were wide. "I-... I don't know... All of this is... I don't know!" "Dad, you don't have to if you don't want to. The option is just there." Amelia reassured him. She bit her lip and stood up before walking over and hugging David tightly. She then let him go and wiped her tears from her eyes as she looked at Bern. "Can he stay here to think it over? Regardless of what he chooses, I think some time away from everything, surrounded by friends will do him some good." --- John seemed unsure of Adam's words. "You will need to blend in with the rest of humanity if we're to pick out your spouses without drawing unwanted attention." He said then shrugged. "But let's see just how different you are first. I'm sure we can apply some masking spells to trick mortal eyes while we're on Earth if necessary." --- Shiva's eyes widened as Sam spoke. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were in grave danger and the Prince that he'd hoped would lead Demons into a new age was cowering like a frightened child. In Shiva's mind, Sam was dooming them both despite Shiva's efforts to save them. "B-but sire-!" he gasped but then let out a sharp cry and Carol's high heel struck the small of his back and pinned him to the ground. The point of her shoe felt like a burning knife being pressed into his already sore flesh. "Why you sucker-punching son of a bitch!" he heard her rage as she dug her heel in more and made him cry out again. He clawed at the carpet in desperation. When Charles appeared Shiva's screams quickly died out and became pitiful whimpering. "What shall we do with them, sir?" Carol asked Charles as she lifted her head to look at him. "P-please." Shiva whimpered. "H-Have mercy?" --- "We're fine here," Sebastian said. "It was just a little shake, I don't think anything even fell off the shelves. How are Cindy and the kids? I'll bet you both barely get any sleep anymore!" he asked, eager to talk to Kite about his new family. They hadn't heard much from Kite or Cindy since the twin's sudden arrival. "Do you need help with anything? You only need to ask, you know. I'd be happy to babysit if you two need a break every so often. Can I get you anything? Coffee?" --- "No! Insanity! Please! Don't leave me! Come back! Do you want me to change? Fine! I'll change! I'll be what you want me to be! Just don't go!" Donnie erupted into sobs. He looked up, towards the ceiling with a mixture of desperation and anger. "Is this a game to you?! Huh?! Is this my divine punishment?! Are you enjoying this?!" He broke down into sobs and then lifted his head to bang it against his pillow a few times out of frustration. His panic then worsened when the doctor re-entered the room. He tried to get up but the restraints kept him in place. "Please. Please. Not yet. He- He's coming back. I need him here. I'm not ready! I don't want to be alone!" The doctor shushed him gently. "It's alright. You're safe and we'll take care of those wounds for you." "Safe?!" Donnie laughed sourly. "After what I've done? How do I know you're not my executioner?!" "I don't know you." The doctor said bluntly with a shrug. "My job is to help ease pain and heal the sick. If I burdened myself with every moral dilemma then I'd never get any work done and then I just wouldn't be doing my job, would I?" "You-you don't know who I am?" "Not a clue, now count backwards from one hundred." The doctor said while placing a breathing mask over Donnie's mouth and nose. "W-wait-! Insanity?" "Is that the name of the man who was here with you?" Donnie nodded. "That's-... quite a name... I'm sure he'll be back around the time you'll be waking up from the anaesthetic. Now just relax and breathe. This'll be over before you know it." Donnie tried to relax but his mind was racing. Would he ever see Insanity again? Would he even live to see another day? Would he-? Before he could think of another question, he was sleeping soundly and the doctor wheeled him into the surgery room. --- Raguel's hands balled into fists and his knuckles cracked as he strained to keep himself composed. He gritted his teeth. "Listen here, you-" he started to growl but seeing the situation start to escalate, Azrael acted quickly and stepped between them before bowing slightly to Death with his hand on his own chest. "-Your Grace, I apologise for the interruption but I sense there is a Reaper in your throne room with urgent news and it would seem this meeting is over anyway." he lifted his head and glanced back at Raguel. "Isn't that right, sir?" Raguel glared between Death and Azrael before huffing in defeat. He stepped away from his desk to turn and look out of his window. "Yes, this meeting is over. Thank you for your swift attendance, Death. I will forward any more news on the portal straight to you." Denix Vames - May 9, 2023 "I'm fifteen." Theron held a confused look. "Wine? What's wine?" --- Hades encased both agents in black blood. "C'mon everyone. We're going to the CIA together." She got in the driver's seat. Once the whole gang was in the van, Hades freed the agents from their prisons. "Now, you can either hop in and give us directions or we can-" Xenos appeared. "What is the meaning of this?!" He sighed as he massaged his temples. "I know I said to keep this classified but did you two really have to act like those typical agents in Hollywood movies? The least you could say was we need her help for something important!" Hades waved at him with a smile. "Hey X!" --- Though angry, Nil stayed with Layla. "This land doesn't belong to him. If he returns, I will make sure he knows that." He looked at her. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't notice him until now. Maybe we should find a new forest." --- Will sighed. "Well, here we go." He walked with River to the car. Once inside, he started the drive. James smirked, "That pesky vampire won't know what hit him." --- Sawyer flustered when he saw his torso. He kept his eyes on the road, "Why did you join the Yakuza anyway? Is it because you had to? I only joined because of a stupid reason. You already let me know that." He shrugged. "But maybe you're right." He checked his wound. "The bullet is sitting there. Guess I'll have to wait." --- Bern smiled. "Of course. We'd be happy to have him here. I can whip my mother's famous pasta." --- "So, do I just stand here and let you turn me back into a human?" ,said Adam. An Ancient Devil had swam out of the waters. He transformed into a pale man with black eyes, black lips, and black nails. He had short hair and an outfit that matched the colors of his features. He crawled towards them and hissed at John. Adam pointed at the man. "Uh I think someone's mad at you." --- "Put them in a cell. David can deal with them." Charles glared at them. "And if I hear that you two fought against my right hand woman, I will not show mercy." He disappeared. Sam stood and walked over. "I won't fight. Just take me back." --- Kite's eyes lit up. "Well, actually I wanted to show you two our babies. I think Cindy would love it if you guys came over to visit." --- Once Donnie would wake up, he would see a bird-child that resembled a lot like his partner. Insanity smiled. "I'm glad you're ok. I'm sorry I left. It's a long story but I'm here now." --- Death glared at Raguel before nodding at Azrael. "Then I shall take my leave." Both men disappeared. Once he was back in his throne room, he let it all out. "Who does that pompus angel think he is?! To talk to me like that?! He should be grateful that I help at all!"

Denix Vames - April 8, 2023 Theron was silent for a moment before he suddenly laughed. His eyes had lit up at the visuals in his head. --- Hades slammed him against the car. "And who exactly do you work for?" Grim said, "Awesome!" Pain placed a hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" --- Nil nodded before sobbing into her chest. "I fear for them as much as I fear for us." Vines grabbed him. His aura glowed as his clothes fell off. Replaced by large leaves which formed as sleeves, underwear, and shirt. He smiled at the vines. "They wanted to make me feel better." --- "Then how about my place?" ,asked James. --- For the first time, Sawyer genuinely smiled. "I don't think you're selfish. It's clear that you care enough to give me advice. I wouldn't have thought you were anything but a person if I didn't take that bullet for you." --- "Sure thing." Bern soon came back with a bottle of scotch and two glasses. He poured into each glass. --- "But why would I want to ruin this place? Seems alright to me." Adam raised a finger. "And no to that. I don't miss being mortal." --- When Sam was grabbed, he suddenly slapped her. Instead of trying to run or fight, he only shouted, "You're just like my pathetic family! Cold and heartless! Not even my real dad was any better!" He crossed his arms. "I thought Hell was the answer but apparently not." Sabrina shrugged. "Suit yourself." She walked away. Charles laughed as Florin died. "You'll bow soon enough." --- "I know that we've been through a lot but it didn't feel good to leave our friends to deal with everything." ,said Carter. He lifted his head when there was a knock at the door. It would be Kite. --- Insanity frowned. "I can't deny that. But this is different. You have never said such things before. This proves that you are slowly changing. However, it is difficult to be near you. I'm sorry." Fred nodded. "Thank you. Oh thank you. My fear has weakened from your words." --- "If there is anything strange with our books, I can assure you that you will be the first to know. However, no one other than the Reapers are allowed to look inside. Need I remind you this everytime we meet?" Death gripped his chair. "You do know how to puncture me with your curiosity." shadowess - April 23, 2023 "It's good to hear your laughter," Bianka commented and ruffled Theron's hair. "Perhaps we can share more stories with you while you eat? This is the dining hall." They paused outside the large, double doors which were almost always left wide open. "Oh! I'll go and ask the cook for their biggest, juiciest steak for you!" Larissa said excitedly and before any of them could say another word, she'd darted off towards the kitchen. "Always so full of energy, I've no idea where she gets it all." Bianka laughed then nodded towards an empty table. "Would you like to eat here to take the meal home?" she asked with a smile, purposefully implying that Theron could live with them if he chose to. --- The woman that had died and been brought back to life was staring around at the commotion. She didn't understand what was happening. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten in that car or what had happened to her. Although she was shivering from the cold, she felt numb from shock. She flinched at Pain's touch then recovered when she realised he wasn't a threat. "I don't remember what happened..." she mumbled. "Who are you people? Where am I?" She glanced up at Lilly when she heard her vomiting. Immediately she realised that she not only knew Lilly's name but also felt a curious connection to her. Like an ethereal string had bound them together. She looked over at the bloodied man who seemed to be grinning like a lunatic and realised she felt the same connection to him as well. "Ow! Fuck! Calm down, brat!" The taxi driver writhed in Hades's grip after he'd been slammed against the car. His back hurt from the impact. "What're you so pissed for? She'd not hurt! And I don't even want her anymore. So just let me go, alright?!" he complained, dodging Hades's question in the process. During this commotion, a large black van sped down the road and screeched to a halt near the group. All doors opened and several agents in suits stepped out. Lilly turned, wiping her mouth on her sleeve and immediately recognised the suits and badges being flashed. The CIA. Her heart sank. Did they turn up because of what she'd just done? "Lilly, where's your skeleton friend? Your presence is requested as a matter of urgency." One of the agents said. "Why?" Lilly asked, defensive. The agents took one look around the group before one of them answered. "That's classified. Come with us and we'll explain everything." "Explain it to me now," Lilly demanded and the agent shook his head. "Afraid it doesn't work that way." "And if I refuse?" "You don't really have a choice." "No! You can't do this! You told me I could live here! You made a deal with David that I could have a life here!" "That's really not up to me, ma'am. Now you can either come willingly or if you continue to resist we can use force, if necessary." While all the focus was on the CIA and Lilly, the taxi driver would use the distraction to his advantage and shove Hades away with him with every bit of strength he could muster. He'd then jump into his cab and speed away. None of the agents would react to the taxi driver. They were only given orders to collect Lilly and Bob. "Surely we can just talk about this? What's this all about, fellas?" Bob asked as he took a step towards them. One of the agents lifted a hand to signal to Bob that he shouldn't come any closer. "As I said before, that's classified. We only came here for Lilly and Bob the skeleton, so you and your friends need to stay out of this." "I'm Bob the skeleton." "Very funny, sir.-" "I am!" "-Look, we don't have time for this. You can either bring the skeleton to us or we'll find him ourselves. In the meantime, Lilly needs to come with us now." The agent took a step towards Lilly, who in turn took a hurried step back. "Leave me alone!" She snapped at them in a quivering voice. --- Taken aback, Layla wrapped her arms around him to comfort him. She then gasped when the vines removed his clothes and her face burned red as she quickly averted her gaze. When he was dressed in various foliage, she looked over him and then at the vines. "Oh, this is going to take some getting used to..." she said as her head spun and she placed a hand on her head. It was too much, too fast. She felt like she'd stepped straight into a fairy tale and the sudden shift from dark, gritty CIA life to this was enough to make her very light-headed. "I think... I feel... " she said breathlessly while leaning against Nil for support. Elsewhere in the same forest, Florin appeared near his old hut. The grounds were still a mess from the fight that had taken place in this clearing. Broken trees, twigs scattered everywhere, bodies and blood stained the grass. But Florin barely paid any of this his attention as he strode towards his hut, grabbing his axe along the way. He was no fool and had lived long enough to recognise when it was time to get the hell out of dodge. He kicked his door open and marched inside. He yanked a heavy-looking briefcase out from under his bed and opened it. It contained some money and his passport. He wasn't sure how long it'd been since he'd last needed it, but he could use it, all the same, to obtain a newer, more up-to-date form of identification and start a new life elsewhere. For now though, this old home of his wasn't safe anymore. He'd made enemies during his short time helping Donnie's family, so now he needed to go into hiding until things cooled down. He closed the briefcase and stepped out of the hut. --- Damien considered the run-down place James had taken him to in the wake of his being attacked. It wasn't a five-star hotel, but it was definitely safe. He smiled and nodded at James. "That could work." "Then we have a plan. Let's put it into motion while it's still night." River nodded. He looked over at the officers. "Anyone from forensics got a spare, clean vial we could use? We'll just need a small sample of Damien's blood." he then looked back at Damien. "I'll head over to your place to change into some of your clothes now." "Don't forget, when you sneak out pretending to be me you'll need to pretend you're powerless." Damien reminded him while shaking his wrist a little to make the Angelic bracelet jangle a bit. "Got it. I'll be back in a couple of minutes. In the meantime, someone get that sample of blood and make a sketch of the vampire." River vanished. One of the forensic officers headed out of the room and returned shortly with a small vial, although they seemed a bit unsure of how to collect the blood. "Uh- don't we need medical tubes and stuff?" they asked as they brought the vial over to Damien. "I'm not a pussy, just cut me somewhere," Damien remarked impatiently as he turned his attention to the other officers. "Who do I need to describe this vampire to for a sketch?" he called out. A few minutes later, River reappeared wearing Damien's clothes. "How do I look?" he asked while giving them a twirl. "Looks good. There's one slight problem with your get-up." Damien said then used his free hand to lift a couple of strands of his own, very red hair. "Ah... yeah." River paused with an awkward chuckle. "I keep forgetting that I'm blond now. I'll er-... be right back." he vanished again. --- For a long moment, Kat was quiet as he drove. He glanced at Sawyer for just a second before returning his gaze to the road ahead. "You're alright, Red Fox. I had my doubts but..." he trailed off, debating his words carefully. "Look, after we hand this money over to the boss, do you want to go get a couple of drinks? I know this little place in town that does pretty good saké." --- "Thanks." Amelia handed one to David who raised a brow at her. Then stared at her worriedly when she downed her own drink before requesting more from Bern. "I'm guessing, some of what you're going to tell me isn't all happy memories?" he asked as he watched her take another sip of her drink, cringed at the taste and then shook her head in response. "I'm afraid not, no..." She answered finally and took a deep breath while hesitantly looking at her father. "I guess we should start from the beginning. What's the last thing that you remember?" "Me? I was living in London with my daughter. We're not... we were not on good terms. I'd-... done something horrible and she wouldn't forgive me for it." Now it was David's turn to feel hesitant about sharing. He dreaded Amelia's reaction to telling her about what he'd done to his real daughter. To his surprise and relief, however, she already knew. "You'd held her down while Lucifer forced her to sign his contract." She said, leaving David with a shocked and shameful expression on his face as he nodded. "I had to..." He began to defend himself but Amelia held up her hand to stop him and shook her head. "I know, I know..." she said gently before pressing on. "Well, from there..." Amelia began telling David all the details that he'd previously shared with her. They drank some more, she answered a few of his questions and explained everything to him to the best of her knowledge. Neither of them would mind if Bern sat with them to listen in. Several hours later, when Amelia would finally be done telling him everything, David would be sobbing into his hands. Although it had actually happened decades ago, he was so struck with grief when he learned of Sara's destruction that he could do nothing but weep. "I'm sorry, dad..." Amelia said in a broken voice as she watched him with tears in her eyes. He lowered his hands and looked at her. He didn't hold this against her. Without being able to remember it, he knew simply by how she spoke and held herself that he had raised her. He knew without any doubt that he loved her like his own. But he was just so overwhelmed by the news that he'd never again see his real daughter, or hold her in his arms. The pain felt new, raw and very real. He reached across the table and took Amelia's hand to gently squeeze it, letting her know that he wasn't upset with her. Then he let her go and got to his feet to walk over to the window and look out at the world. It all felt so empty without Sara. --- "I said human, not mortal. After all, humans who live in Eden are immortal, yes?" John pointed out and gestured to the world through the window. "Don't you see? By growing the fruit here and bringing the living to the realm of the dead, you will re-awaken Eden and in so doing this world and its people will bow to your every whim. What's more, you could take several wives and even a few husbands. In time, you will have spread your seed enough to breed an army capable of taking over Heaven and Earth. Finally enacting the revenge that you deserve and taking back all the peace, pleasure and love that you were once promised!" John's eyes had lit up madly as he'd been talking. "Doesn't that just sound wonderful?" He took a step towards Adam and placed his hands on his shoulders. "I know where we can begin and it all starts with you. I will bring you to Earth in the guise of a human man. There you will choose the ones that you wish to marry and I will deliver them to your home here, in this world. They will be honoured to have been chosen by you." --- Carol was taken aback by the slap and then glared at the boy as she grabbed his arm again, more roughly this time. "Kid, if you're trying to get sympathy out of me, slapping me definitely won't help." she snapped while yanking his arm to drag him with her. Shiva glared at Sabrina as he watched her walk away. He looked up at Charles. Like the other Demons, he was reminded of Lucifer and the idea of being punished for defiance was enough to cause him to break out in a cold sweat. He'd turned to start following the other Demons when he heard Sam shouting from the balcony above them. He stopped in his tracks and looked up. He looked from the balcony to Charles, then back again. He looked back at Charles and glared at him defiantly before using what little strength he had left to teleport into the balcony. He surprised Carol who had little chance to realise what was happening before he'd punch her in the face. He let out a pained cry from how much the impact had hurt his already very fragile skin. Knowing time was of the essence, he grabbed Sam's arm and teleported them both to a remote little cabin on Earth. Having used so much energy while he was still so weak, he collapsed to his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. There, he realised what he'd just done and really started to panic. If they came after him, he couldn't defend them. "Sire!" he gasped, looking up at Sam in panic, hoping the young prince would have some kind of plan. "What do we do now?" --- "I don't think even our friends would've seen an earthquake coming." Sebastian pointed out. "I see your point but don't forget, in a few months we're going to be dads. We'll need to get used to not jumping in whenever something goes wrong." He said worriedly as he followed him to the door. When the door opened, Sebastian looked at him with concern. "Kite? Is everything ok?" --- "No, please!" Donnie gasped when Insanity told him it was difficult to be around him. He tried to reach out to him but the restraint prevented his arm from leaving the bed. "Please don't go. They'll heal me, sure, but... when Charles comes for me... Insanity you and I both know he's not going to let me live." his lip quivered as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm on death row. I might only have these few hours left. I want to spend them with you. Please. Please." "All in a day's work." The doctor told Fred as she clicked her pen before turning on her heels and leaving the room. She needed to prepare all the necessary equipment that she would need for the surgery before heading back to Donnie's room. --- Raguel was annoyed that he had once again failed to convince Death to let him look in their books, but he put on a strained smile in an attempt to mask it. "You know I only have the best interests of our worlds in mind when I ask," he said. "It's a shame but I won't press the matter further. I wouldn't want to soil the goodwill between our worlds." "Forgive me for interrupting, but surely you didn't just summon His Grace here to ask about the books?" Azreal asked, barely containing his frustration as he glared at Raguel. Raguel blinked and stared back at the Angel. He seemed a little wounded as he muttered disapprovingly to himself while rubbing his chin to hide his lip movement. "'His Grace? Is that what you're calling him now?" In truth, he was a little agitated that the Angel he'd always treated as a son tended to side more with Death than him in almost all matters. In Raguel's eyes, it was as if Azreal considered himself to be more of a Reaper than an Angel. "No, I didn't," Raguel answered. "I was hoping Heaven and the Reapers could work together on this, considering nothing of this magnitude has ever happened before. We keep communications open between our worlds and report anything related to the tremor. If it is a portal, we may need to look into what kind of portal it is and whether it could be a threat to us all. I will order my Arch Angels to monitor the humans as they seem to be technologically capable of tracking this thing. What can the realm of the dead offer in the way of aid?" he posed the question to Death. Denix Vames - April 23, 2023 "I've never ate at this kind of table. I want to try it." ,said Theron. --- "Basically, you're in San Francisco and we're in a band. That's as far as I know." ,said Pain. Hades stumbled when she was pushed. She glared at the taxi but didn't follow. Grim ran in front of the agents. "Back off! Yo're not going anywhere with them! They're our friends!" Hades raised her hands. The black blood hardened over both men's feet. "Now talk." --- Nil held her in his arms. Carrying her back into the house where he laid her on the bed. "It's alright. Just rest." His eyes widened. "It's telling me that there's a werewolf unlike any other. I'll stay here with you so that nothing happens." --- James pulled out a knife and cut a bit from Damien's wrist. He placed the vial under. Filling it up. An officer stepped over and asked for details on the suspect. He would then start sketching before showing the drawing once he was done. --- "That sounds great. First though, I need to take care of this wound. Do we have a first aid kit somewhere in this car?" ,said Sawyer. --- Bern had poured another drink for her. After the conversation, he walked over to David. "You really don't remember me, do you? You saved my boss. Saved all of us. Made us realize that we could use our power for good. You're a hero." --- "That does sound nice. I think I'll try this plan out. Still, you have to know that my human form isn't what you think. It's not pretty. God had fun making the first human so I look a lot different. So get ready for that." ,said Adam. --- Sam hugged his knees. "I don't know. I should have never tried to do anything. All of this was for nothing. I lost a family and a home. I have no one who actually cares about me. And why should they? I stepped on everyone. Treated them like disposable objects." Charles appeared. "What an interesting statement. Perhaps you have changed." --- Carter frowned. Not knowing what to say. "Everything's fine at home. I just wanted to check on you guys and make sure everything was alright. I didn't think I would have time because of the kids. Thankfully, Cindy said she could watch them while I'm gone." ,said Kite. --- Insanity shook his head. Tears ran down his cheeks. "I don't know what I should now. I think I need to do something." He disappeared. Fred gently squeezed Napoleon's hand. "You rest my friend. I will come back to see your progress." He left. --- Death stood. "I do not appreciate this growing tension. Nor do I appreciate your insistence on seeing our books. We may help in any detail that resembles decay or the deceased if this becomes associated with the portal. As I have said before, I will inform you if anything happens to the books." He glared. "However, I would think carefully before asking that irritating question again. Otherwise, I will talk to an Angel whose personal interests and emotions does not steer him from his duties. Unless you can keep yourself level-headed?"

Denix Vames - April 8, 2023 Theron looked from Larissa to Bianka. He soon nodded. --- Hades ran to the cab. She hopped over it before ripping the door off its hinges. She yanked the driver out. "What the fuck have you been doing?!" She slammed him against the ground. Pain quickly grabbed the lady and helped her away from the car to the sidewalk. "Are you alright?" He began to untie her. Grim placed a hand on Bob's shoulder. "Are you....hurt?" --- Nil nodded. "They would appreciate that." --- Kite smiled. "I know you will. Thank you." He left the house, got in the car, and started the drive. --- James said, "There's this mansion. Apparently, some of your friends live there. Would that be a good place?" --- Sawyer smirked. "Then maybe I really am not cut out for this business, after all." He soon frowned, "You may have lost your touch with humanity but I didn't. Though that's not a great statement after just shooting an old man's legs." --- Bern grabbed David and threw him to the house. He growled. "Amelia told me to keep you safe. That's what I'm going to do!" --- Adam thought over this. "That does sound nice. I've been living in this actual Hell for too long. I know Amelia said she could help me but this sounds quicker." He smiled. "When do we start?" --- Charles grinned. "Now, this is what you all should have done long ago." He straightened up his tie and fixed his coat. "I want you all to follow Sabrina to Hell's Cells. If I hear so much as a peep out of any of you, I will bring pain." Sabrina saluted. "Got it boss!" She soon walked past everyone and waved them over. --- Carter nodded. He ran his hands through his hair with a sigh. "This is another thing that I would have wanted to get involved in." --- Insanity looked at Donnie before nodding at Raguel. "Thank you." He walked by Donnie's side. "I'm right here." Fred appeared in the medical ward. Placing Napoleon on a bed. He noticed the missing wing and looked over the wounds. Suddenly, he sobbed. "Oh you fool!" Nate nodded. "I will monitor what the humans are finding." He disappeared. --- Death raised a leg. Placing one over the other as he listened. "I see. For once, even Raguel does not have the answers. How amusing would it have been in different circumstances." He stood. "Alright. I shall come to this meeting." He soon appeared in front of the angel. "Raguel, it is a pleasure to see you. Though these circumstances are quite sour for a visit. Perhaps we can enjoy another time of a more peaceful variety. You do need friends." He sat at the chair across from him. Shadowess - April 8, 2023 "Alright." Bianka smiled and turned to face forward while the three of them began to walk together. "I was a human back then. Just a little girl. There was me, Hannes and Niko. We all liked to play together in the woods when we were small. One day, we got lost. We were scared, cold and hungry. When we were just about giving up hope of finding our way home, we found this castle. By then it was already very dark, so we could only see its outline in the clearing. But the guards who were on watch saw us very clearly. They knew we were in trouble, so they brought us inside and took us to the dining hall where their own children were just sitting down to eat. They wrapped blankets around us to keep us warm and brought us a plate each of veal and vegetables." "The meat was a little rawer than we were used to but by that time we were so hungry that we didn't care." Bianka smiled and glanced over at Larissa. "Rissy was the first one to come over and talk to us." "I was one of the children." Larissa beamed. "None of us had ever seen a human child before. Or anyone from outside the castle, for that matter. We were all fascinated and nervous. But then I saw how sad, scared and dirty they all were..." "We weren't that dirty!" "Please! Niko looked like he'd been rolling in mud!" "He had..." Bianka chuckled. "Before we got lost, he slipped into some mud while chasing Hannes." "Anyway, I saw how they all looked and I felt bad. So I decided I wanted to show them that we were nice!" "She came over and dumped all of her vegetables onto my plate..." Bianka rolled her eyes. "You looked hungry!" "You just didn't want to eat your broccoli." "Hmph! So ungrateful!" Larissa bantered. Bianka grinned and shook her head. "We couldn't leave the castle. It was too dangerous for everyone who lived here, so a couple of the vampire families adopted us. They raised us with love like we were their own. Larissa and I had all the same classes and spent almost every waking second together. When we grew up, we got to choose who would turn us for our joining ritual. I chose her." "My first and only." Larissa smiled over at Bianka lovingly. --- "The fuck-? What are you people?!" The driver shouted in surprise when Hades flung him out of the car like he weighed nothing to her. "I w-was just doing my job, ok? Look, you don't want to mess with me. The guys I work for are not to be messed with!" he warned her. "So just let me go, I'll let you take her and we'll just forget we ever crossed paths, cool?" Lilly stumbled to her feet and watched Pain help the woman from the car. Her vision swam as she came back to her senses and realised what was happening. She saw the colour of the woman's skin, even as it started to turn a bit more pink than blue. She knew what she'd done and her eyes wandered over to Bob before lowering to the ground. She took a few steps to one side then bent over a bush and proceeded to vomit into it. Bob was staring at his still bloodied hand. As he watched, he could see his fingertips healing. Just a shame that the act of healing his wounds didn't also make the blood magically disappear. "I don't... believe it... " he mumbled as Grim asked him if he was alright. Slowly he turned to look at Grim and his shocked expression melted into his usual goofy grin. "I'm freaking Wolverine!!!" he cheered excitedly, comparing his power to that of the comic book character that the group had introduced him to back when he'd been a skeleton. Nearby, unseen by all, one of the Reapers who had originally come to collect the woman's soul had watched the entire thing unfold. He stared from Lilly to the now very much alive woman. He lifted his book to check the name but there it was, still written clearly. Clara Ingles. Oh wait, is that a stain... no... what? He scratched at what appeared to be an ink blot on the line near Clara's name but then it started to move. Then a wisp of smoke rose from it. Embers. The book is on fire! He dropped it and stamped on the page desperately to put it out but it moved across that line so quickly and didn't extinguish itself until Clara's whole name was gone. This wasn't right! That's not supposed to happen! The Reaper stared at his book then at Lilly and then back to the book. Had she done this somehow!? Quickly, he snatched up the book and took one last look at the group before vanishing. Death would hear of this! --- Taking a few small steps toward him, Layla tilted her head slightly as she looked over Nil. "Are you alright?" she asked. It had been a hell of a day for the both of them, but so far he'd seemed to be doing a far better job at coping with all of these changes than she'd been. --- Damien looked up at James and thought for a moment. "Last I saw, Bryce was there. Donnie had forced him to feed from me so he'll be going through withdrawals by now. Probably not a good place for me to be." --- Kat couldn't help but laugh at the absurd statement. "Humanity." he laughed. "Humanity is a plague. All we ever do is take, take, take. Everything wrong with the world was the doing of over-ambitious and selfish humans. Take it from me... an over-ambitious and selfish human. The sooner you accept that the easier this job gets." --- David stumbled back and growled angrily as he regained his footing and stared Bern down. "Alright, that's it. You want to have a go? Huh?" He challenged as he took off his blazer and threw it down before rolling up his sleeves. He then held his fists up and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Come on then! Let's see how tough Lucifer's minions really are!" "Alright, that's enough!" Amelia snapped as she appeared nearby, holding a book. "You again?" "Yes, me." Amelia marched over and shoved the book into David's hands. "What's this?" "Open it." David looked at her skeptically and Amelia rolled her eyes and opened the book in his hands. It was a photo album of David holding a small, blond child. David blinked and stared at the image. "That's..." he pointed to the bookcases behind them in the photo. "The library that we were just in..." Amelia finished then pointed to the child. "That's me. You found me in Hell when I was little. But the barrier in and out of Hell prevented me from leaving, so you stayed with me to keep me safe. You adopted me." David stared at the photo for a long moment and listened to what she said before looking up at her. Amelia had tears in her eyes. "You're my dad." "But... Th-that can't be right... I don't remember this..." David shook his head as he looked back at the photo and turned page after page. But in each one, it was always either himself with the child or Carol who at that time had a very 80's hairstyle. "Ok, this definitely can't be real... Carol is the least maternal person I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. And look at that hair! You'd think she'd never held a comb before!" "Apparently you and Atma had to convince her to help," Amelia smirked, agreeing with David that Carol wasn't exactly the parental type. She also couldn't help smirking at his comments about her hair. "I took her last name." "Not mine?" David asked as he glanced up at her. At the mention of Atma, he seemed a little more open to the idea that something like this could've happened. "What's wrong with Sedley?" Amelia shrugged and chuckled. "Is that Clementine?! The Demon Child?! That kid gave me nightmares for weeks after I first met her!" "I snuck out when I was nine and found her home. You had to convince her not to turn us all in to-..." She trailed off and lowered her gaze. David picked up on this immediately and stared at her for a tense moment. "And... where is Lucifer now? Did he ever find out?" Amelia looked him in the eyes and shook her head. "No... because he vanished before you found me. Dad... this..." She placed a hand on the album and looked at her father sadly. "This happened almost thirty-five years ago... and before that... You-... You'd already been dead for twenty-three years..." "I- what?!" David's knees almost gave out from under him from the shock and Amelia had to catch him and hold him up. "Come on... let's get you inside and sat down... I can explain everything." "Wait, I don't understand something... If Lucifer had been missing all that time, who was Clementine going to turn us in to?" Amelia bit her lip and thought carefully about her answer. She didn't want to overwhelm him with so much information all at once and she knew that David had yet to find out that his real daughter had been destroyed. So starting with 'Oh, by the way, Lucifer made your grandson his apprentice.' might be far too much, far too soon. "Lucifer's apprentice," she answered finally. "Lucifer has an apprentice? Christ! As if one Lucifer wasn't enough! At least he doesn't have any kids for us to worry about!" David joked as he let Amelia help him back into the house. Amelia let out an anxious and forced laugh as she helped him to a chair. "uh-huh..." she looked over at Bern awkwardly. "This is going to take some time and there's an awful lot to fill him in on... Do you have any strong drinks here?" she asked as David noticed the ring on Amelia's finger. "Oh hey! You're engaged? Who's the lucky man?" "Actually, I might need a glass for me too..." Amelia added to Bern as she quickly realised she would also have to tell him that not only did Lucifer, in fact, have a son but that she was also engaged to said son... and already had a child with him. --- "Immediately." John beamed. He threw up his arms and turned to look out of the tall windows. "This world that has been overrun with dead souls, demons and devils was once the perfect grounds for life. The fruit that grows here is for the very purpose of nourishing new life. All we need is just a few seeds of that fruit and we can grow our own Eden! And now, thanks to your new Devil friend, Amelia, we now know how to get the fruit to grow." He lowered his arms and turned to Adam. "It grows to sustain life. But there is no life here. If we bring the living to the land of the damned, the fruit will blossom across the entire hellscape. But the life that we bring here must be pure of heart. I have brought life here before but nothing grew and Lucifer snuffed us out before we could complete our mission." He took a couple of steps towards Adam and grinned. "But Lucifer is gone and with you to help us, we stand a far greater chance of success. But first things first. Did you want your human body back?" --- Carol watched Charles and the way he spoke... the way he fixed his suit. "It's like he's still here," she mumbled dreamily before glaring at Sabrina once more. She tore her eyes away and looked at Sam before sighing. "Not still crying, are you?" she asked, sounding a bit disappointed. "Oh, come on. On your feet." she bent down to grab his arm, intending to drag him to his feet. "You've had your fun but playtime is over. Let's go, kiddo." she turned and started walking while keeping a firm grip on his arm, planning to march him personally to the cells. As Sabrina drew closer to Shiva, he recoiled from her waving arm and growled at her. "Don't fucking touch me!" he snapped angrily. He saw the wink but after being thrown into a pool of acid, he still didn't trust her. He groaned as he jumped to his feet and stumbled away from her. His skin was still sensitive from the burns but by now it was no different from sunburn damage. Florin was still on all fours and unmoving as he strained to stay awake. He lifted his head and glared up at Charles. "Ich verneige mich nicht vor dir!" (I do not bow to you!) he growled before collapsing and losing consciousness. In an instant, his body vanished. --- "What do you mean?" Sebastian asked, sitting on the corner of the bed and looking up at him. --- As Donnie was lifted into the corridors, an Angelic doctor met them halfway to look over Donnie's injuries. "We'll need to prep him for surgery immediately," she said as she looked over the burns. As they continued to walk, she scribbled notes into a notepad. Once in a room, she snapped her fingers, summoning a bag of clear liquid which was attached to an intravenous pole. She gently tried to take Donnie's arm but he pulled it away with a pained yelp. "What're you doing? What's that?" he barked, half expecting it to be something sinister. "Something for the pain and to prevent infections." The doctor replied calmly. "Infections? I'm a Devil, woman. I don't get sick." "Common misconception. New Devils can get a rare and sometimes fatal sickness. As for infections, try telling that to the puss coming out of your wounds." The doctor fired back assertively. "You were injured by another Devil who, by the looks of things, didn't want you to live past today. Now, if you'll allow me to do my job, I can take away the pain and see about helping your wounds to heal." Reluctantly, Donnie gave the Doctor his arm and allowed her to insert the drip. Within moments, he gasped, letting out a sigh of relief as his body relaxed and the pain subsided. He was soon very high from the drugs and barely paid the Doctor any more notice as she rushed around, preparing things for his surgery. He looked up at Insanity and smiled at him. "My love! You didn't leave me!" he sounded genuinely surprised then broke down into sobs. The drugs amplified his inner despair and for once, he was going to say exactly how he felt. "What's wrong with me?" he asked him. "Why am I always so angry? Why couldn't I just let it go? Why'd I have to keep pushing and pushing and making things worse? I tried to hurt you! My love! My beautiful man! I chose you from Oblivion and then I tried to send you there! You shouldn't be here! You should have left me! All I know how to do is destroy!" The same Doctor soon rushed over to Napoleon. She looked him over quickly then snapped her fingers to place him in a similar drip. "I need to perform surgery on another patient before I can see to him properly." She explained to Fred. She didn't have enough details to know who these people were, so she was basing her priorities on whoever had the most urgent injuries. "He'll be fine on that for now," she said while nodding to the drip. "Unfortunately we won't be able to reattach his wing so we'll be doing a full replacement. We'll surgically remove his other wing and then feed him the elixir to grow new ones, like when he first became an Angel. All in all, his stay here should be about a week at most." --- "I have friends," Raguel responded defensively as Death greeted him. "For instance, there's this one particular Reaper that occasionally likes to test my patience." he bantered. Azrael appeared as well and silently stood off to one side until he was needed. "Thank you for coming." he then nodded to Death as a show of mutual respect. "I don't have the evidence just yet but apparently the humans believe that this tremor was caused by some kind of energy surge. Like a portal opening. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" he asked. "And what about your books- I know, I know, you like your books to remain confidential. But these aren't exactly normal circumstances and I believe Heaven has a right to know if there's anything funny going on with those books." Though Azrael stayed quiet, he glared over Death's shoulder at Raguel. Every opportunity or excuse to try to get a look in the Reaper Books, Raguel always has to ask. He always pushes his luck despite the many, many times Death has patiently explained to him that he could not permit Heaven to delve into their records. Meanwhile, unable to follow Death into the private meeting in Heaven, the Reaper that had witnessed Lilly's power was waiting patiently in the throne room. He held his own book to his chest as he wondered how Death would react to such news when he'd reveal the damage in the book to him. --- Back in the CIA facility, the humans were still scrambling to figure out what had caused the power surge and where the portal would open. They seemed to be getting close to tracking it until... "It's... gone? What do you mean, it's gone?!" "We lost its signal, sir. It's like it just... vanished." The superior officer stared at the monitors as the rest of his men struggled to trace the signal again but it was no use. With no way of tracking or identifying the random energy reading, it was impossible to tell if, when and where something like this would happen again.

Denix Vames - April 8, 2023 Theron thought over what she said. With tears in his eyes, he looked at her hand then her. He held her hand. As he stood, the spikes went back into his body. "Does that mean we're family now?" --- Hades shrugged. "Ok." She rolled her eyes at Bob. "C'mon guys. Let's go." She helped Bob out of the car while Pain helped Lily out. Grim got out and followed to the house. --- "They're not sure but they're afraid. This might be supernatural." Nil walked to a tree. He wrapped his arms around it. "It's ok everyone. I'm here to protect the forest." --- Kite held Carter in his arms. He cradled him and whispered, "I'll keep you safe. You and your sister. Always." Once Carter was asleep, he gently set him back in bed. He sighed, "I hate this. Not being able to help my friends. What if that earthquake was something? Or maybe it was normal and I'm being ridiculous." --- James nodded. Will pat River's back. "You're my brother. I'll listen to what you've got to say. So, sounds like a plan. Anyone want to add something?" --- Sawyer looked at the old man before jumping out of the window. Landing on his feet. He followed Kat to the car. As he got in, he said, "Are you alright?" --- "Why can't you just listen?! You're not there anymore! Hell isn't what it was now! You've changed and so has everyone else!" ,said Bern. --- Adam blushed at the kiss on his hand. "John huh? Well, it's been a while since I met fans. Now, if you want any fun stuff to happen, it'll cost ya." --- Seeing the knife in her hand, Sam glared. He grabbed an axe that had been dropped. Insanity's eyes widened at his pleas. He pushed Charles so that he would lose his concentration. Charles stumbled. He glared at Insanity before raising his hands at him. Insanity grabbed Donnie before appearing in front of Raguel. Charles saw the whole crowd and flew up. "ENOUGH! I am the true King of Hell! You will all bow before me!" Exhausted and afraid, Sam dropped the weapon. He curled up and silently cried. Fred began to play the flute. Music notes flew out. Slicing into Florin's body. Once Florin was hit, he grabbed Napoleon and disappeared. Sabrina jumped to where Charles was floating. She winked at Shiva. Letting him know that she was a spy. --- "We should call them. See if they'll pick up." ,said Carter. --- Insanity caught his breath but kept his head down. "Lock us away. We are not trying to trick you anymore. We truly surrender. Please heal Donnie but you can lock us away." Fred appeared with Napoleon in his arms. "Do as may you like sir but know that Insanity has proven himself to be quite the opposite of the man he once was. Napoleon showed him a better path." Napoleon gave a weak smile. "I hope you are not upset with my actions." He slowly closed his eyes. "Napoleon!" ,shouted Fred. Nate bit his lip. He didn't want to do this but considering it might involve the people he cared about, he nodded. He disappeared. --- Death was able to calm everyone down after some time. He sat in his throne with frustrating thoughts. His eyes lit up at the sight of Azrael. "What is it now? I fear the worst when such a realm as this can be moved by such an event that should only happen upon mortal soil." --- Nate soon appeared again. "The humans believe it's another powerful surge of energy. Apparently, the first time energy like that had shown up was when a portal was opened." shadowess - April 8, 2023 Larissa's smile became a little warmer as Theron asked if they were family. "If that is what you want." she brushed her thumb over the back of his hand to comfort him a little more. "If you would like a family, I would be happy to offer you my home." she then turned to look expectantly at Bianka who seemed a bit more hesitant than her partner. "Of course." Bianka nodded and looked at Theron seriously. "We have a culture here. We look after each other. We protect each other. We teach each other. If we take you in, protect you and call you family, then it's only fair that you do the same for us. And by us, I mean the entire community here, not just me and Rissy." "Aunty Rissy." Larissa corrected her with a proud smile. "If you insist, Aunty." Bianka chortled as she moved to the other side of Theron to take his other hand. She'd noted that Theron had freaked out when Larissa had tried to ask him about where he'd come from, so she decided to try something different. Sharing stories about their own lives with him instead. "Would you like to hear a story about how Aunty Rissy and I met?" --- Lilly hugged Pain's side as they walked. She still felt drunk but she noticed that since stepping out of the cab, she felt different. It was difficult to describe and she compared it to the feeling of goosebumps fading away. Something about that car ride had been simply wrong but she hadn't even noticed until stepping away from it. She stopped in her tracks, stopping Pain in the process and stared back at the cab with her brows furrowed. Unable to hear the voices of her friends, like they were underwater, she stumbled as though in a trance towards the car. "Uh... you ok there?" The driver asked as he noticed her walking back towards him. He was a little disturbed by the cold expression on her face and the faraway look in her eyes. "Did- did you forget something? Your purse, maybe?" he asked as he glanced through the window into the backseat but couldn't see anything there so looked back at her. "There's nothing in the cab, you might want to go back to your friends and sleep it off. Looks like you had a hell of a party!" he let out a nervous laugh then became alarmed when Lilly turned and started walking towards the trunk of his car instead. "Uh- what're you-? Hey now, that's enough. I don't know what you're thinking but you need to go home with your friends now, ok? Hey! Are you even listening?" his calm tone became a bit more agitated as Lilly brushed her hands over the trunk and he slammed his hand down onto it to stop her from opening it. "Get off my car! Hey, can you guys control your friend, here?!" In a trance-like state, Lilly rested her hands in the centre of the trunk, tilted her head back slightly and rolled her eyes back as she started to chant in an unknown language. "Woah... This feels... really familiar..." Bob commented as he watched Lilly with a puzzled expression and scratched his head. "Where've I heard that chant before... I don't think I've ever seen her do something like this... not since-" he snapped his finger and smiled. "Oh, that's right! She was chanting like that when I crawled out of my grave! Ha! Good times... Good times..." he seemed reminiscent for a moment and oblivious to the fact that Lilly appears to be performing necromancy once again. "I said, get off of my car you stupid bitch!" The driver yelled angrily, not understanding what was happening and far too concerned that Lilly would try to open the trunk. He backhanded her across the face. As he did, two things happened. Lilly's concentration broke, causing a power surge to explode between them, knocking them both off their feet in opposite directions and simultaneously causing the trunk to pop open. The other, wasn't obvious until both Lilly and the driver groaned, trying to sit up and they both heard a meek "H-hello?" come from the trunk. Inside was a barely dressed woman with dark hair who had her hands and feet tied together. She had various bruises across her arms, thighs and throat. Her skin was still a little blue, having suffocated in the trunk just minutes before the taxi driver had offered them a ride. The driver hadn't noticed that she'd died when he'd checked on her after the earthquake and just assumed that she was still passed out from the drugs he'd slipped her earlier that day. "Hello?! Someone help!" the woman became more distressed as she realised she was tied up in the back of a vehicle with no memory of how she got there. Lilly sat up and held a hand to her face. Her cheek and lip felt sore from where the driver had struck her and she noticed blood on her hand when she pulled it away from her face. Her lip felt like it was swelling and it throbbed painfully. The driver, realising how much shit he was about to be in, jumped to his feet and made for the driver's side door, only to be stopped by Bob. Seeing his closest friend being struck like that, the usually happy and energetic Bob had transformed instantly into a terrifyingly angry man. Bob's hand grabbed the Driver's shoulder and yanked him away from the car with surprising ease. As he did so, in his fury, he became vaguely away from something sharp stabbing the tips of each of his fingers but didn't realise what it was until the driver started screaming and writhing in his grip. "Get off! Get off me!" Bob saw blood on his hand and out of shock, he let go. Withdrawing four long shards of bone that had pierced through the Driver's shoulder and seemed to have grown out of each of Bob's fingertips. "What-?" Bob started but gasped as the bones shrank and retracted back into his fingers, leaving just cuts on his fingertips. Bob was shaking as he stared at his own hand and was so consumed in his shock that he didn't notice the driver try to make a run for it. --- Layla watched Nil. Before today, she would have thought someone mad for hugging a tree. Or think they were a hippie or something. But now it was all different and she understood why Nil felt the need to do something like that. "I felt it... before it happened. I didn't know what it was though. I've never experienced anything like it before. Maybe it's a werewolf thing? But I think it also means that I can sense when something like that is coming... we could have enough time to prepare if it happens again." she told him, hoping it would provide some comfort. --- Cindy looked at Kite and bit her lip anxiously before turning and placing a gentle hand on his arm as she silently walked with him out of the nursery, closing the door behind them so as not to disturb their children with their conversation. "Go," she whispered to him. "They're sound asleep and will probably be out for the rest of the afternoon. Go and check on your friends. I'll keep my phone to hand in case you need to call or in case I need you to come home." she kissed his cheek. "We'll be ok," she reassured him. --- River grinned at Will's comment about them being brothers. "You still need somewhere strong enough to hold him." Damien pointed out. "He's right." River agreed. "He might believe he's just as strong as any other vampire but even an average vampire has enough strength to bend the bars in the cells here." "Hells cells," Damien suggested. "He doesn't need to know where he is, only that he won't be able to leave until my blood is out of his system." "Alright, here's the plan then," River said as he stepped up to the front. Emboldened by Will's statement earlier. "We take some of my dad's- Damien's blood and place a vial of it in my pocket. I'll be the decoy and stay with Will. In case the vampire is watching the building, I'll dress like Damien, and cover my head as Will escorts me out to the car to drive me to a 'safe house' where we'll wait and prepare our ambush. After we leave, the wolf officers leave the precinct to follow us but fan out to all potential exits in case the vampire catches on and tries to go back. If you see the vampire, confidence is absolutely key. He can't know for a second that he's temporarily immune to your venom or he'll take advantage. Chase him towards the safe house and alert myself and Will so that we can move towards his location if necessary. Lastly, once we're completely clear of the building, James escorts Damien to a safe location in the opposite direction. Any ideas where you could go?" --- Once in the car, Kat flicked his cigarette out of the rolled-down window and took his packet out of his pocket to get another one, only to find it empty. He cursed under his breath before throwing the pack out of the window too and starting up the car. "I'm fine," he answered in a cold tone as he started driving down the road. "You didn't have to do that, you know," he said after a few minutes of driving silently. "You could've died and you don't even know me." --- "I don't know what you're talking about!" David snapped in frustration. "I don't have time for this!" he threw his hands up dramatically before turning and walking towards the gate at the end of the drive. --- "Oh, I-" John stammered, momentarily taken aback by the offer then laughed softly as his cheeks turned red. The idea excited him. "I'm flattered but I'm not here for that. Perhaps, one day though?" he suggested as he let go of Adam's hand and walked further into the room. "Adam. The first mortal man... " he said dreamily as he walked. Stopping in the middle of the room, he turned around to get a better look at him. "What God did to you was cruel. It was unjust. You were promised a kingdom, peace, and happiness, then had it all ripped away from you and for what? For being... human? The way that He made you?" John shook his head disapprovingly. "But what if I told you, you could have it all back? The kingdom. A new Eden. Even your old human body if you wanted it. Lovers of your own choosing. Even a new Eve to bear your offspring in this brave new world of yours?" He watched Adam eagerly, waiting to hear his thoughts. --- Carol watched Sam pick up the axe and smirked. "You're a stubborn one!" she chuckled and prepared herself for a fight. That's when Donnie began to beg and Insanity knocked Charles off balance. She'd had to duck to avoid being hit by Charles's flames as he'd been pushed. She turned and glared at Insanity and Donnie before they both vanished. Once they were gone and Charles ordered the other Demons to bow, she turned her attention back to Sam who had dropped the axe and curled up into a ball. For a brief moment, she considered that the boy might be feeling abandoned and afraid. Briefly. Then she caught sight of Sabrina joining Charles's side and she couldn't help glaring at the back of her head out of pure jealousy. It wasn't the romantic type of envy, more so a professional one. Who did this chick think she was? Carol is Charles's best warrior demon! She was gripping the knife in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Florin had been surprised that the flute could inflict damage in the way that it did and he yelped, jumping back from an invisible force that sliced into him. Once Fred had vanished with Napoleon, Florin glared at the spot they'd been standing. Too exhausted and injured now to maintain his wolf form, he rapidly took his human form and held himself up on all fours as blood poured from his various wounds. This made him appear like he was bowing to Charles when in reality, he was simply trying to stay conscious. Seeing this, however, the other Demons who couldn't help but notice a resemblance to Lucifer were afraid of Charles's retaliation and assumed that one of their strongest fighters was bowing to him, quickly dropped to their hands and knees. The only one who didn't was Shiva. Who was far too busy staring at Sabrina in disbelief to realise he was the only one not bowing. --- "Good idea." Sebastian took out his phone. "We should check on Parker too. See if it woke him up. He could help us call around to make sure everyone else is ok." --- Only moments after giving his orders and watching his most trusted Arch Angels leave, his office became pandemonium again. He stared between Fred, Napoleon, Insanity and Donnie with a mixture of surprise and frustration. The only thing preventing him from completely losing his temper was seeing Donnie in the state that he was currently in and knowing he was completely helpless. Donnie was placed on his back, on the cool marble floor of Raguel's office. He was shivering uncontrollably but the cool air was soothing on his burns. He was gasping for breath and involuntarily shifted back into a naked human, revealing the extent of his injuries. His entire chest, part of his upper arms, his neck and chin were so severely burned that it was a mess of charred black skin and red cracks which had already begun to ooze a combination of puss and blood. He was groaning from the pain as he struggled to simply breathe. "As I recalled being told several times by David, you two aren't my jurisdiction," Raguel told them coldly. "We'll hold you in a cell and tend to his wounds until you are collected by Hell's leaders." "N-No! H-He'll destroy me!" Donnie gasped, tilting his head back to look at Raguel desperately. "Then perhaps destruction is what you deserve!" Raguel snapped. "After the things you've done, after all the atrocities you've committed. You dare ask for mercy?! You don't fool me Donnie Shadow! You're not sorry for your actions at all! You're just scared that you've finally run out of luck and now have to face the consequences for your actions!" "N-never said that I was sorry!" Donnie muttered and groaned. "What was that?!" Raguel snapped and this time Donnie shouted it. "I never said I was sorry! You're right! I'm not sorry! How can I be?! It may have only lasted a short while but I achieved something that I didn't know I'd ever have and would never take back!" Donnie looked up at Insanity, tears rolling down the sides of his face. "My greed both won them and cost them. I should have stopped when we took in those boys. You were already changing but I was so obsessed with revenge that I missed my opportunity for something greater... Insanity, my Insanity, I cost us our family. The greatest thing I'd ever known and I was so blinded by rage and arrogance that I let it slip through my fingers! My love... our boys... our family..." He turned his head away and closed his eyes, letting a few more tears fall. Not touched in the slightest by Donnie's revelation, Raguel snapped his fingers and a couple of armoured Angels entered the room. "Take Mr Shadow to the cells and be sure to provide him with medical attention. Don't take any risks. Strap him into a bed with Angelic cuffs if you have to." The Angels nodded, took one look at Donnie and decided it'd be best to come back with a stretcher. For the brief time that they were away, Raguel listened to Fred and Napoleon's words. "You two are lucky that I don't court marshal you both for going into Hell without orders." He barked at them. He watched Napoleon pass out and let out a sigh. "But you succeeded where others have failed. You rehabilitated Insanity and helped to finally bring Donnie to justice." he seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Fred, please escort Napoleon to the medical ward. There will be no punishments for you. Just make sure that his wounds are tended to." Finally, Raguel turned to Insanity. "I already knew that you'd turned around for the better and left with Napoleon," he revealed. "I've spent a good portion of my career chasing the same three rebellious Angels and saving their backsides when they inevitably get into trouble. So, there isn't a lot that gets by me." Raguel leaned against his desk and regarded Insanity calmly. "When David tried to tell me that even you two could be saved, I thought him mad..." he commented and watched as the two Angels from earlier re-entered the room and placed a stretcher down next to Donnie. "But maybe he was on to something, after all. Go with him to the cell if you'd like, as a visitor and not a prisoner. I can't make any promises but rest assured that I will try to plead your case to Charles and Amelia. If you can turn around..." He looked from Insanity, down at Donnie. His expression became cold as he did. "Then perhaps all is not lost for him." Donnie grit his teeth and strained to hold back a scream as the Angels tried to lift him as carefully as they could from the floor to the stretcher. Once on the stretcher, he caught his breath raggedly and between pained moans. "Insanity?" he asked, opening his eyes to look at him again, hoping he would go with him. Only once Raguel was alone in his office once more would Nate appear and give him the news. "A portal? Good work, lad." he praised him. "We need to know more. Can you do that for me? We need to know what this portal is, where it's going to open and whether or not it could be a threat to life. Robert?" He ordered then called out. Robb appeared, looking nervous. After all, he was just a low-level Angel, not an Arch Angel. So being summoned by the Arch Angel's superior wasn't usual. But then again, neither was an earthquake in Heaven. "You called for me, sir?" "Yes. I need you to round up the souls of any scientists you can find. Specifically physicists, meteorologists and climatologists. I need them to work as a team to study the tremor and what it could mean. Inform them that the scientists on Earth believe it could indicate a portal opening. Give them all of the equipment that they ask for and report any findings to me. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone else, understood?" Robb was surprised to have been chosen for such a task after his actions in the past but he knew that Raguel was giving him a rare opportunity to redeem himself among the Angels. He nodded. "Yes, sir," he said before vanishing. --- Azrael had walked into Death's throne room before kneeling with his head bowed as a show of respect. "Your grace." he addressed him before standing again. Even now, with all of his fears, he couldn't mask his fondness as he spoke. He glanced around at the reapers who had just been leaving as he had arrived, then looked back at Death. "Heaven has felt it too. Raguel has requested your audience to discuss possible causes," he told him, getting straight to the point.

Shadowess - April 8, 2023 Larissa and Bianka both stopped in their tracks to turn and look at Theron. Both of them exchanged a concerned glance. Larissa took a step towards Theron and was quickly stopped by Bianka who grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Rissy, don't," she warned but Larissa yanked her arm free and stubbornly walked over to Theron, being careful not to get too close to his spikes. She gave him a sympathetic look while tilting her head slightly to one side. Bianka could only watch with bated breath. "Nobody is perfect," Larissa said with a shrug. "We've all done terrible things and if you live as long as we do, you're probably going to do other things that you'll one day come to regret. That doesn't make you a bad person. As long as you're willing to admit when you're wrong and always try to do the right thing going forward, then what you did in the past shouldn't dictate who you are or will be. Does that make sense?" She was calm as she spoke. Despite what she was seeing, she didn't seem to be afraid at all. Once again, she held a patient hand out to him and gave him a kind smile. "There's good in you. I can tell. So, leave the past where it belongs. In the past. Come and have some supper with us?" --- No sooner had he closed the trunk had Hades walked around the vehicle to pay him. Just narrowly missing catching a glimpse of what was inside. "Ah, thanks." The driver smiled as he took the cash and counted it. He paused and looked back at Hades when she asked if anything was wrong. Putting on his most charming smile, he shook his head. "Oh, no. Everythings fine. Thankfully it was only a small quake, so no harm done to the cab. You can understand why I'd be a little worried, after all this car is my means of work. Without it, I'd be jobless and out of pocket until it got fixed." he explained away with a dismissive wave. "But it all looks good, so I guess you guys can go on home and I can go to my next fare." "Woah... is the world still shaking?" Bob asked as he climbed out of the cab and struggled to walk in his drunken haze. "Hmm?" Lilly squinted, groggily waking up as she realised the vehicle was no longer moving. "Are we back?" she asked, with a slur to her words as well. --- When Nil ran out, Layla followed. Alarmed by his sudden shift from calm to fearful. "Different how?" she asked, almost afraid of what the answer might be. --- "That was an earthquake?" Cindy asked as she stepped away from Kite and looked around the room cautiously, almost as if expecting another one. "I've never experienced an earthquake before," she told him before looking at their babies with a sympathetic frown. "Oh, little ones. It's alright. Mommy and Daddy are here. You're safe!" she cooed in a soothing voice as she moved to pick up Emily to comfort her, expecting Kite to do the same for Carter. She gently bounced and rocked their daughter, hushing her as she did. Until her little eyelids could no longer stay open and her cries died away as she slipped back into blissful dreams. Once back to sleep, Cindy replaced Emily in her cot and tucked her in before turning to Kite to see how he was getting on with Carter. --- Once more, Hayward raised her hand. "Tear gas affects wolves too, sir. Our sense of smell is just as strong as a vampire's, if not better. We'd need to use gas masks to protect us." "You're overthinking it." River appeared in the room and leaned against the wall. Considering Damien was also technically his father, he couldn't help but pay attention to what had been going on. Unlike Parker, he very much wanted to help their dad. "He might have some Devil blood in his system, but he's still just a vampire. He's not a demon. Not a devil. And he's certainly no Blood God. Against any average vampire or werewolf, he'll put up a hell of a fight. But against someone like me, or Will? We could pin him down easily. We'd just need somewhere strong enough to contain him until the Devil blood is out of his system." "He still flees whenever he sees James." Damien pointed out. "I don't think he really understands what about my blood is different to any humans. He just knows that it tastes different. He's delusional, for sure. But I think that he thinks he's still an ordinary vampire, despite my blood in his veins." "We could use that to our advantage." River nodded and looked at Will. "If he still thinks he's a normal vampire then he'll be hiding from the sun and avoiding werewolves like the plague. He probably thinks that either can still kill him." Damien hesitated before suggesting. "I could lure him out-" "No." River looked back at his father, worried for his safety. "That's not necessary. If he's following your scent then all we need is a bit of your blood to use as bait. If he's still scared of wolves then James could stay with you in case he figures out the ploy and heads in your direction instead." He glanced at James questioningly to make sure he was on board with that idea first before turning to look at Will again. "We could take the wolf officers out to flank him. Scare him to us if he strays from our trap. Then, once he's in position, you and I can take him in." he suggested then faltered as he realised he seemed to be taking charge of Will's meeting. "Uh- sorry. If all of this is ok with you, of course." --- Surprised, Kat stumbled to the side when Sawyer had shoved him. He heard the shot and looked up at him, seeing the wound in his arm. Did this guy actually just take a bullet for him?! Regaining his composure, he knelt down and picked up his cigarette which had fallen from his mouth and left a small burn, along with some ash in the fibres of the carpet. Placing it back between his lips, he straightened up in time to see the old man get both of his kneecaps blown out and Sawyer screaming at him to pay up. Smirking, Kat took a drag on the cigarette. "Damn Fox, and here I was thinking you were too soft for this gig." he chuckled as the old man whimpered, sobbed and begged for mercy in Japanese. Walking over calmly, Kat knelt by the old man and stared at him coldly. "You tried to kill me. No more messing around. I'm going to give you to the count of five to tell me where our money is, or I'll go into that bedroom over there and kill everyone I find." he nodded to a door with children's drawings taped to it. "One." The old man began frantically and desperately speaking in his native tongue. "Two." The old man became increasingly desperate. "Three." "Blue box! Blue box! Hole in wall, behind the calendar!" The old man cried out in broken English and Kat smiled. "Was that so hard?" he asked as he got to his feet and walked over to the calendar on the wall. "Keep your gun on him, Red Fox." He said as he yanked the calendar off its hook and dropped it to the floor. Sure enough, there was a hole in the wall there, and inside was a small blue box. Taking it out, Kat opened it up and grabbed a fistful of bills. "What the hell is this, Yuri? There isn't enough here to pay your debt!" "All I have! All I have!" The old man wept. "You deadbeat, gambling, useless fuck! I'm taking this and you'd better have the rest ready by tomorrow night or you won't live to see another day, got it?!" he shouted while stuffing the notes into his pocket and throwing the now empty box across the room. "H-How?! M-My legs-!" "Not our problem! You should have thought of that before trying to fuck us over! And let's get one thing straight, you shifty old shit stain! You don't pay up tomorrow, you die. You try anything funny or try to shoot us again and it won't just be you we kill, it'll be your whole damn family, understand?! C'mon Red Fox, we're done here." --- "The hell are you talking about? Get out of my way!" he pushed passed him and stepped outside before pausing and looking around. There was no mistaking the difference in the air. This was Earth. He was home again. "Sara..." he mumbled. He whirled around to face Bern. "Look, I don't have time for Lucifer's shenanigans. Where is the nearest payphone? I need to call my daughter! She must be worried sick! Where even am I? Am I anywhere near London?" He asked then glanced towards the road and froze at the sight of a car driving past. It didn't look anything like the models he was used to seeing. It looked sleeker and barely made any noise at all. Maybe it was just a newer model and he hadn't seen one yet? Yes, that was surely it. --- "What makes you say that?" Amelia asked Adam curiously as she continued trying to comfort her son. It had been an odd thing to suggest, but then again, when wasn't there a big battle going on when Insanity and his lover were involved? "Look, I'm sorry but would you mind waiting here for me for a minute? I need to take Oliver home and arrange for someone to watch him so that I can figure out what's going on. I don't know if Insanity is up to something and I also need to figure out what happened to my dad... what a mess... I'll come back for you though. Just stay here, ok? I still have so many things that I need to ask you." and with that, she vanished. Within moments of her disappearing, an unfamiliar blond Angel knocked on the open door. "Knock knock," he said playfully. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion. I couldn't help but overhear some of your conversations from another room. I just had to come by and say, I'm a big fan of yours." he said as he extended a hand to him. "My name is Jonathan." he grinned warmly. If Adam had taken his hand to shake, the angel would bring it to his lips and kiss the back of it. "Jonathan Devine. There is much that I wish to speak to you about." --- Florin let out a high-pitched whine when the sword bit into the side of his head and he was sure he felt it chip the side of his skull. Fur soaking in his own blood, he landed on all fours and wonkily stumbled around for a moment until he regained his bearings. He looked up to see that he had at least succeeded in wounding Napoleon just as badly. He turned, growling and opened his mouth, preparing to finish him off when Fred appeared, standing in his way. He watched him pull out the flute and while still in his wolf form, he let out a low, gruff laugh. "Oh, no. Old man time is going to serenade me to death." Florin mocked him. "Move aside, Angel. My meal is going cold." Already knocked off balance by the sudden quake, Carol hit the ground roughly and grunted as she reacted quickly to grab Sam's hands, fighting to push the knife away from her chest where it was poised dangerously close. "Oh, don't be such a crybaby." She grunted between her teeth. She tilted her head back and then snapped it forward to headbutt him. Her hands stayed tightly wrapped around his knife as she hoped to simultaneously knock him back and pull the knife from his grip. "Besides, what did you expect? You and your daddies would take over Hell and you'd live happily ever after? Treason is treason. Now be a good boy and come quietly." Letting out a pained and surprised yell, Donnie looked at his tail in Insanity's hand. He'd barely had time to react before he was bombarded by both Charles's flames and Insanity's power. He flew back, pinned against the Obsidian wall. The force of their combined powers had caused the Obsidian to crack. As hard as Donnie tried, he was unable to break free from their blast. Insanity's power held him in place while Charles's fire slowly burned through his scales. He gasped, struggling for air. He hadn't felt a heat like this since Lucifer had branded him. Despite all of his training and his strength, he was unable to stop the scream from building up within him until it erupted from his mouth. He writhed and turned his head away from the stream of flames, closing his eyes as his scales slowly blackened and flaked. "Insanity!" he screamed, his voice suddenly full of fear. He knew that if the intensity of these flames remained consistent, he wouldn't just burn, he would be sent back to Oblivion. He'd now spent so long back in existence that his memories of Oblivion had almost completely faded away and to his horror, he realised that he could no longer remember how he'd broken free of the void. "Insanity!! Please!!" he shrieked. Please. That was a word Donnie wasn't used to using. Anyone who knew him knew that he refused to use such words so as not to appear weak or like he was begging. Well, he's begging now and it wouldn't just be the demons in that room that would have heard it. The demons who remained in the coliseum would also have heard it and knew in an instant that, for their crimes of treason and conspiracy to aid Donnie in usurping the throne, they were all fucked. Unable to run or their contracts would destroy them, the demons threw down their weapons instead. They wouldn't fight nor run, but a loophole in their contracts meant that as long as they didn't actively aid Charles in either capturing or destroying Donnie and his family, they wouldn't technically be betraying them. Only just healed enough now to sit up, Shiva looked up at the balcony where the battle was taking place and seemed deflated as this realisation sank in. "Oh... ffffffuck... We're fucked... " "INSANITY!!!" Donnie screamed desperately. He was weeping now. "Make it stop! I can't go back! Don't make me go back! I don't want to be nothing! Insanity! If you ever loved me at all, please help me!!" --- Sebastian was already sitting bolt upright when Carter gasped awake. His words didn't seem to surprise him as Sebastian had the same, frightened look. "Did you feel it, too?" he asked in a half-whisper. "It felt like an earthquake but... I don't know..." he cautiously got out of bed but the ground seemed just as firm as it always had been. "We should check on everyone," he said quickly as he grabbed his pants to pull them on. "It was only a small one, but just to be sure." --- Since the quake, Raguel's office was overrun with concerned Arch Angels. He stood from his desk and lifted both of his hands. "Quiet! Everyone calm down!" he barked at them. "Something like this has never happened!" "What was it?" "Is He angry with us?" "It's because SHE'S here, isn't it?!" "Is it The Rapture?!" "Enough! Don't be fools! If it were time for that, I would've been the first one to know because I'd be giving the orders to the rest of you! Now get back to your posts and let me worry about Heaven shaking!" Raguel snapped and watched them all leave. Once they were gone, he ran a shaking hand through his hair and leaned against his desk. No, something like this was certainly not His doing. But then, what? "Gabriel. Azrael. Naoutha. I trust you felt that as well?" he asked the air, expecting all of them to appear before him. Whether or not Nate might hate it, Raguel was far too much in the habit of addressing him by his full name rather than his nickname. "Truth be told... I don't know the cause of it." He admitted to them after some hesitance. "I need you boys to help me investigate this while I try to keep the rest of Heaven's population calm. Azrael, does your 'Grim Superior' have any ideas on this?" "You know I can't discuss matters of Death without his authority." Azrael reminded him. Already on edge, Raguel pointed a finger at Azrael angrily. "You are an Arch Angel first and foremost. You serve Heaven before you serve the realm of Death." "I was given to Death as a peace offering. Would you risk tainting that offering by breaking his trust?" Azrael fired back. "Azrael, this is an emergency." "Heaven gave its word! The world could crumble but I still would not break that vow!" Raguel and Azrael glared at each other for a long, uncomfortable moment before Raguel relented with a sigh. "Fine. Then at least request his presence so that we can discuss this in a meeting." Azrael nodded before vanishing, heading back to Death's Realm to inform him. Truth be told, Azrael was just as on edge as Raguel, if not more so. He knew that Death's Kingdom had also shaken and caused a great deal of panic among the reapers, which meant Death also had his hands full with his subjects in much the same way Raguel had been bombarded by worried Arch Angels just moments ago. Even more worryingly, was the sudden incline in the number of names appearing in Reapers books in such a short amount of time. But as Azrael had stated, it wasn't his place to relay this information and for all he knew, Death might not deem it wise to share this information in case it causes unnecessary panic. Especially as the reason for these events is still, as of yet, unknown even to Death's Realm. With Azrael gone, Raguel turned his attention to Gabriel and Nate. "Gabriel, I need you to remain focussed on the fight against Donnie and his kin. Hell, Charles, Amelia and even their allies on Earth are not to know that anything else is amiss. If they found out that we don't know the cause or that we're not in control, it could damage our reputation and any chances of us maintaining an image of strength and dignity in our negotiations for peace. We would always be at a disadvantage. While you're in the field, report any clues you find that could reveal the cause of the tremor directly to me and no one else, understood?" "Naoutha." He addressed Nate last. "I know you had your heart set on leaving the rank of Arch Angel to pursue a mortal's life. I need you to do one last mission for me. I wouldn't ask but something like this has never happened before. I need your help. Infiltrate the mortal's secret services and bring me any information that they have regarding this. I have a funny feeling the humans either might know what's going on or once again blindly stumbled into yet another force that they do not understand nor have any business toying with." --- Deep in the CIA Facility, the officers were clambering and talking over each other. Pointing at screens, running in and out of the room, answering phones and typing away on keyboards. Naming all the locations that had reported feeling the tremor. A high-ranking officer stood in the centre and stared up at the various screens with a combination of fear and disbelief in his expression. "All of them? The whole damn world felt that?! Can someone in this room explain to me how that's even possible?!" "Sir! We've found something!" one of the officers shouted over all the commotion in the room. The superior officer didn't move and instead shouted over the rest. "What've you got?" The room quietened down a bit as the officer called back. "An energy surge. Like the one we got when that portal opened up. But... bigger." The superior officer recalled the day Lilly and Bob had stumbled onto Earth from another dimension. Hard to believe the CIA just let such valuable scientific assets go like that. But that wasn't what was concerning them right now. "How big?" he asked. "And where? Can you pinpoint it?"

Shadowess - March 12, 2023 "That's a strong name." Bianka complimented him. "Oh, and it suits you!" Larissa fawned as she brushed some of Theron's hair from his face. "It's awfully drafty and dusty in these halls. Would you rather come back to our home with us? I promise you'll be safe and we can call for one of the chefs to bring you a meal if you're hungry. We usually only store veal and vegetables for our young but it's good for a growing boy, like yourself." --- "Oh, right." The driver chuckled awkwardly. "I suppose you're right. Playing in a band isn't exactly a normal job and I hear life as any kind of artist is a hard one. But, I mean, if it's something you enjoy doing then that alone should make it worth it, right?" Bob was grinning ear to ear as Grim agreed to stay up with him to watch a tv show. He glanced out of the window but not familiar with the route, he turned his attention back to Grim. He sniffed the air a couple of times. Seeming to have no sense of personal space at all, he quickly leaned into Grim's neck and sniffed at his collar too. "You smell nice," he commented. "Is that the, what do you call it? the guy perfume?" He asked, very drunkenly. He then glanced down at himself with a mixture of confusion and amusement. He recalled removing his shirt when he'd gotten hot at the club but had absolutely no memory of where he'd put it. "Say... where'd my shirt go?" he asked, just now realizing that he still wasn't wearing it. --- Arms still around his shoulders, head still against his, Layla stared back into Nil's eyes. She vaguely noticed the bed taking shape beneath them. "House, bed, and crowns for us both. It's like nature is trying to tell us something." she chuckled in a soft whisper. "The forest didn't just marry us, did it?" --- Once fed and changed, Emily quickly dozed off in her mother's arms. Cindy smiled at her daughter lovingly as she carefully and silently moved into the nursery. She placed her into her cot and pulled the little blanket up to her stomach before stepping back and simply watching her sleep for a moment. She liked these quiet moments where she could observe her children and feel nothing but love towards them. Letting out a contented sigh, she turned her head to look over at Kite to see how he was doing with Carter. --- Damien followed James into the meeting room and stood to one side, out of the way of the officers. "It's no problem," Malone said gently then nodded his head towards the bathroom door. "Now, come on. The boss wants us all in the meeting room for something." --- (Private time) --- Kat followed Sawyer into the building. He chuckled at his words and gave him an amused look. "You worried about me, Red Fox?" He asked as they rounded another corner. Kat didn't seem to notice nor care at all that he was smoking in the building, despite the few 'no smoking' signs that they passed. "You don't need to worry about me. Given the kind of life I live, I'd be lucky to live long enough to die from cancer. You just focus on what you should be doing." --- Upon seeing Insanity, Amelia gasped and reflexively held her child closer to herself as she recalled seeing her baby in his arms the day that Charles's appearance had changed. When he quickly defended himself though, she looked at David who had stopped pacing to stare at the group with a mixture of fear and confusion. David's eyes landed on Adam, and having no recollection of him, was alarmed by his appearance. Even more alarming to David though, was the small child in Amelia's arms. This can't be real! It had to be some kind of trick! Everyone knows there are no children in Hell! "Dad?" Amelia said in a concerned voice and David's eyes snapped to her face. He looked angry. "No." "What?" "No. To whatever messed up thing this is to mess with my head! No! I don't know you! I don't know that child, if it even is a real child! I don't know anyone in this room! Now for the last time, WHERE'S LUCIFER?!" Jumping at the sudden angry shout, Oliver started to cry and hid his face in Amelia's shoulder for comfort. "But... Da-" "Stop it! Just stop! I'm not buying it for one second! If you won't tell me where he is then fine! I'll go find him myself!" David snapped and marched passed the crowd, purposely avoiding getting close to Adam as he went. "Wha-? No! Dad, wait!" Amelia turned and watched him walk out of the room. She turned to Insanity. "I'll deal with you in a minute." She then looked at Bern in panic. "He thinks he's still human! Take him to Earth! He can't wander Hell like this!" --- Florin wheezed, stumbling back when the hilt of Napoleon's weapon hit his side and he let go of the now mangled wing. His hands were severely burned from the effort but seeing the damage he'd done to the Angel brought a vicious smirk to his lips. He'd been about to rush him again when the energy struck him head on and he flew backward, over the balcony wall, and into the arena below. He tried to control his landing but he had very little time to react before hitting the ground and heard a loud snap as the bone in his lower leg broke through his skin. He let out a pained roar and gripped his leg before looking up at Napoleon furiously. "You think one broken bone will stop me, chicken man?!" he yelled up at Napoleon. "I break bones to transform all the time!" and with that, more snapping noises, sudden muscle jerks, and a few more howls of pain, Florin began to rapidly shift into his monstrously large wolf form. All while glaring hungrily at Napoleon. Within seconds of being struck by Charles's flames, Donnie was laughing maniacally. He walked through the flames until he was standing in front of him in his humanoid dragon form. The flames simply bounced off his dark-red scales. "Up until now, I'll admit, I have been somewhat half-assing my take-over. I thought I'd have some fun and cause a little trouble before I got too serious. But now? Now, I only have one family member left that I can count on. The rest, you and your kind have turned against me! Playtime is over. Now, you die." He flicked his razor-sharp tail towards Charles's abdomen, only for it to be caught in one rapid movement, before it could touch Charles, by Carol. She gripped the tail tightly in one hand and glared at him dangerously. "Donnie Shadow," she growled. "Traitor to the throne. Usurper. Conspirator. Murderer. Rapist. And an all-around shithead. This ends today." "Lucifer's whore." Donnie snarled. "I should have known you'd be nearby. Always ready to jump to your King's defense. We'll need to dispose of you as well. Sam?" he said expectantly while yanking his tail free and subsequently leaving a large, deep wound in her hand. Causing her to let go suddenly while gasping sharply through her teeth and holding her hand. Denix Vames - March 12, 2023 Theron nodded. "I'd like to eat something." --- Hades shrugged. "I guess so." Grim's face became red. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Are we almost there?" --- "I don't think so but it says that we fit as a wonderful couple." ,said Nil. --- Kite was surprised that he was able to put Carter to sleep. He had placed him in his own cot. Having covered him with a blanket. Though Carter was sleeping soundly, Kite looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. ---- Jeremy nodded. He followed Malone to the meeting room. Will cleared his throat. "We need to keep an eye out for a suspicious person. I'll need someone to sketch his face so that everyone knows what he looks like. Damien can give full details of the man's appearance. He is a vampire who has already assaulted him. It seems as though he is obsessed with him. Be wary that this suspect is most likely not thinking correctly. He could be dangerous." --- Sawyer flustered. He did his best to focus on the mission. Getting inside the apartment, he headed to a window and jumped out. On the balcony, he went into another window which led to the old man's home. He raised the gun at the old man. "Don't you dare think about it! We're only here for the money! Unless you want one of your own family members to die!" --- Bern grabbed David and teleported him to the Don's home. Insanity frowned. He didn't know what to do. But when he recalled the Coliseum, he clenched his fists. --- Napoleon raised his sword. "You've been a bad dog! Someone needs to teach you a lesson." He jumped high and from behind Florin, he swung his sword. Insanity appeared when Sam was about to strike Carol. He grabbed his arm and threw him aside. He glared at Donnie. "Whatever love we had is over! I realize now that you are the enemy!" His wings expanded as his eyes glowed. Charles smirked. "Looks like you're the weakling here." He transformed into his dragon skeletal form. Blowing fire into Donnie's direction. Shadowess - March 28, 2023 Larissa clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh! You'll like the food! I mean, I haven't eaten anything in years but I know our chefs are exceptionally skilled! Come on, Theron! Let's get you settled and into a warm blanket with some hot food in your belly!" She jumped to her feet while holding a hand out to the boy. "I promise she's not always this energetic." Bianka winked at Theron. "I don't recognise your accent. What part of the world are you from? I'll bet it's lovely there! You'll have to tell me all about it!" Larissa beamed at him as she led them to her home. A tremor passed through the castle. It was only small, not enough to do any damage but certainly strong enough to be noticed. It only lasted a minute or so but in that time the ground, walls and everything else vibrated. Larissa and Bianka paused and glanced at each other before shrugging and continuing towards their home. "Not had one of those in a while!" Larissa commented. "It's been a few years." Bianka agreed. Sure, earthquakes and even tornados weren't exactly normal for most of Europe but that didn't mean they never happened. --- "As a matter of fact, we are." The driver answered as he pulled up to the address that they'd given him. He pressed a couple of buttons on the meter before turning to face them. "That'll be forty-two fifty. Which one of you will be paying?" "I left my wallet in my other skeleton." Bob joked out of habit. Any other time that would have been an odd response, but the slur in his words caused the driver to think it was nothing more than a drunken man's attempt to be funny. Lilly was still snoozing against Pain's arm. Blissfully unaware of anything for now. It was at this point that the whole vehicle seemed to vibrate for a solid minute. Looking out of the windows, Bob noticed that during this time some of the trees had a bit of a bounce to their leaves and branches, meaning the car wasn't the only thing shaking. "What was that?" he asked with a mixture of fascination and excitement when it was over. Lilly slept straight through it. "Felt like a quake..." the driver commented as he looked around the street. He noticed in his rearview mirror that his trunk had popped open and he quickly removed his seatbelt. "Um, excuse me, just going to make sure my cab is ok," he said hurriedly as he jumped out and walked briskly to the back of his car. He glanced into the trunk, making sure his latest 'acquisition' hadn't been disturbed before slamming the trunk shut. --- Layla's cheeks turned pink and she couldn't help the small smile that crept across her lips. "Oh?" she said in a softened voice. "And what do you think?" Hearing the low rumble first, Layla glanced around warily. Sensing something was coming but was unsure of what until it finally happened. The trees shook and she felt the vibrations through the ground underneath them. She gasped and looked around them but their new forest home seemed sturdy and unbothered by the minuscule earthquake. When it was over, she giggled nervously before looking back at Nil. "That was a little exciting." --- Cindy had a similar look about her. She knew that having a child would mean less sleep for them both, but twins? And werewolf twins at that. Turned out wolf children had far more energy to burn in a day than any average, human child. Walking over to Kite, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him before resting her head against his. "You're so good with them," she whispered. Then, suddenly, both babies let out cries of complaint as if they'd both been woken up by a noise that Cindy couldn't hear. "What's gotten into-?" she started but then clung to Kite tightly as the whole apartment building started to vibrate. It didn't last long and it had been nothing more than a light shake. Once it was over, groaning in annoyance, both babies fidgeted in their cribs. ---- At the mention of being assaulted, Damien lowered his gaze to the ground. He glowered as he recalled the vampire pinning him to the ground. The things he said... Catching sight of one of the officers staring at him nearby, he felt the need to assert himself so as not to appear weak or vulnerable. "What're you staring at?" he snapped in a low voice and stared the officer down until they broke eye contact. He glanced away to stare at the wall, all while mentally repeating to himself:- 'This doesn't make me weak. I am no-one's victim! I'll show them... even without my powers, I'm not a Devil to mess with..." Officer Hayward lifted her arm before asking "What's the plan for bringing him in, sir-?" she started to ask but then bolted to her feet and glanced around. "Quake incoming!" she alerted them. Though she could hear it rumbling through the ground before it even arrived, she had no way of knowing how big it would be so knew the best thing to do was to raise the alarm. This was a trait that all werewolves shared. Much to their collective relief, when the earthquake did hit, it barely shook the room and mostly just vibrate everything for around a minute before fading away. "Huh... Never mind, I guess?" Hayward sat back down, mildly embarrassed for seeming so panicked over nothing. "Sorry, boss. You were saying..." --- Kat followed closely behind Sawyer and after climbing through the window after him, he leaned against the wall and flicked his mostly depleted cigarette out before promptly lighting another. At first, the old man had jumped to his feet. Startled by the first intruder, he began yelling at him in Japanese to get out. Then he recognised Kat who had climbed through the same window so casually and his face turned pale. He said something under his breath and Kat scoffed. "Red Fox here will break your legs if you even try it, old man," Kat warned him. "You know why we're here. You owe 1.7 million yen. We've been generous and given you enough time. Time's up. Pay your debt or we'll find other ways to collect what you owe. I hear organs are worth quite a bit. Maybe not your wrinkly, old ones but your kids or grandkids..." "No!" The old man gasped and Kat laughed. "I knew you spoke English, you old bum!" "Please!" The old man's accent was very thick. "I don't want trouble but I don't have the money!" "I wonder how much your daughter's liver would be worth..." "Please! Don't!" "Or your grandson's kidneys... Red Fox, are you going to do any work tonight? Hit him already-!" Kat was cut short when the room suddenly began to vibrate. Caught off guard, the old man seized his chance and pulled a gun on them. "Get out my house!" he yelled in broken English as the earthquake passed. --- "What the-?! Get off me!" David shoved Bern away just as they appeared in the Don's mansion. He looked around. This place felt vaguely familiar but he had no recollection of it. It felt like nothing more than Deja Vu. "Where am I? Where did you take me? Who are you? Where's Lucifer?!" he demanded, rounding on Bern angrily. The whole house vibrated. Already freaked out and confused, David used the distraction to make a run for the door. --- Once Bern and David vanished, Amelia turned to address Insanity only to find he'd vanished as well. "Oh, for-!" She flustered and then turned her attention to her still-crying, child. "Hush, it's ok. Grandad didn't mean it. He's not himself..." she said while bouncing Oliver on her hip and hugging him to try and comfort him. As she spoke, she heard her voice begin to crack and she felt her face become flushed as her eyes watered. Taking a sharp breath to try to hold herself together, she looked over at Adam. "I still have so many questions that I want to ask... but with everything going on-" The library shook lightly. Not enough to knock any books off the shelves but enough to cause Amelia a great deal of worry. Even growing up in Hell, she'd never experienced an earthquake before. "What was that?!" she gasped as the vibrations faded. --- Letting out a loud yelp, Florin darted away from Napoleon with what was left of his tail between his legs as the rest of it rolled to one side. Turning with his heckles raised, he bared his teeth and let out a low, guttural growl that vibrated the ground they stood on. He began circling Napoleon, watching him. Calculating his next move while looking for any kind of opening to strike. That's when hell began to rumble. While almost all other demons were concerned about this, Florin kept his eyes on Napoleon and dove at him, aiming for his throat. Taken aback by Insanity's appearance and confirmation of his betrayal, Donnie stared at him with a mixture of grief and anger. Even in his reptilian form, there was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes. "I thought I told you..." he began in a soft voice as he took a step towards Insanity. "How much I despise traitors." he finished with a growl and flicked his tail towards Insanity's heart. Whether or not his attack was successful, he would then dive out of the way of Charles's flames. "I'll destroy Lucifer's line and rule Hell if it's the last fucking thing I do!" he raved and dove at Charles, aiming to crush a few of his bones between his powerful jaws. In his fury, he barely paid the random quake any attention. Carol turned her attention to the boy that had tried to attack her and she glared at Sam while standing between him and his fathers. "Be a good lad and sit in the naughty corner until the adults are done 'talking.'" Wearing heels, as always, Carol was almost knocked off balance by the sudden vibrations. Denix Vames - March 29, 2023 Theron clutched his head. Shaking, he screamed. Tentacles sprouted from his body. He fell to his knees. "My family....Me....We did terrible things! I shouldn't be here!" --- Hades pulled out some cash. She stepped out of the car and handed him the money. She raised a brow as she read his face. "Is there something wrong?" --- Nil ran out of the house. He looked around. He placed a hand over his chest. "The trees are scared. This earthquake feels...different." --- Kite tensed when he sensed it too. Just like his babies. "Damn earthquake. We just put them to bed." --- Will couldn't help but overthink this earthquake. So much had happened that his mind was thinking of possibilities as to how it happened. He did his best to brush this off and focus on the meeting. "There's not much to it. Obviously, we would need to sedate him. He may be a vampire but I can assume that tear gas will still affect him. We could use that and tackle him." --- "Watch out!" ,said Sawyer. He shoved Kat out of the way as the bullet entered his arm. Despite the immense pain, he ran towards the old man. He kicked the gun out of his hand before shooting both of his legs. He glared at the old man. "Give us the money!" --- Bern appeared in front of David. He raised his hands. "Wait! Listen to me! You're safe. We're not the enemy. You just lost your memories. That's all." --- Adam gasped at the vibrations. He frowned. "Insanity....What if he went into battle? What if there's a big fight?" --- Napoleon jumped to the right. He pierced the side of Florin's head. He was met with a claw that knocked him to a wall. Hitting the ground, he lost consciousness. Fred appeared in front of him. He glared at Florin. "No one dares touch Napoleon Bonaparte! For any who does shall face my wrath!" He pulled out a flute. Insanity caught his tail. With all his hurt and anger, he ripped the tail off. He blasted his aura at him while Charles threw fire. Combining both powers as they hit Donnie. Sam jumped on Cindy. Tackling her down. He raised the knife with tears in his eyes. "You and your so-called friends destroyed my family!" --- Carter suddenly gasped awake. There were tears in his eyes. He looked at his hands. "Sebastian? Something doesn't feel right. I don't know what it is. But....I'm worried about everyone."

STORY CONTINUED HERE;

shadowess - February 23, 2023 Once the commotion had died down and everyone had gone their separate ways, Larissa stepped out of her home and followed the direction that she'd seen Theron run in. Bianka followed shortly behind. "What are you doing?" she whispered to Larissa, who determinedly continued to walk down the corridors. "Sticking my nose into other people's business, my darling. As per usual." Larissa answered with a cheery song. "Rissy, maybe that's not such a good idea, hm? What exactly are you hoping to achieve?" "Oh, come on! You saw that poor Junge! He is in desperate need of an embrace!" "Rissy-..." "Nein! You cannot stop me, love!" Larissa grinned playfully while starting to sniff the air. "A broken heart is calling for help and I must respond!" "You're hopeless, do you know this?" Bianka rolled her eyes but continued to follow her lover who gleefully giggled in response while playfully swishing her large silk, blue skirt. "Ja! But you love me!" Larissa laughed and then ran a little further down the corridor before coming to a stop. Her expression shifted to a softened gaze and she proceeded down the hall at a slower pace. "Boy?" she called out to Theron, spotting him in a corner that was blanketed in shadows. "Don't be frightened. My name is Larissa. This is Bianka." she introduced them as she cautiously took a few steps closer before coming to a stop. "Everything will be alright," she said gently, looking at him sympathetically. "Come, talk to us. Please? Are you hungry? I think there is fresh milk in the pantry?" "He is not a calf, Rissy..." "But he seems as sweet as one!" Larissa beamed then tilted her head to Theron. "Sweet boy, will a hug make you feel better?" Hannes had set Niko down on the couch. Niko was still breathing heavily with tears rolling down his cheeks. His burns were slowly healing. He hugged his knees and rocked while looking around the room jumpily. Hannes sat in a chair nearby and buried his face in his hands and let out a long, shaken sigh. He felt awful for what he'd done but he still felt that it had been justified. After all, there was far more at stake here than just Napoleon and Insanity. He had to consider the safety of everyone else who lived in this castle. The safety of the boy they had taken in. The safety of those who had been victims of Insanity and who had sought sanctuary here. What he did was in defence of them all. Maybe Insanity was really changing but that was an awfully big maybe considering his past crimes and all that was at stake here. It was too big of a risk. That's not even mentioning the amount of trouble he and Napoleon could get in for releasing him from Heaven without authorisation. In fact, Hannes would be in enough trouble as it was for not turning Theron in. If he was found out he could lose his wings. Or worse, sent back to Heaven as a soul and not be able to see his beloved Jean again. "Why did he do that?" Niko's quivering voice stirred Hannes from his thoughts and he lifted his head to look at his friend. "H-he could have stolen me again. He could have let me burn. Wh-why?" Niko's voice was breaking from crying. Slowly, Niko looked over at Hannes questioningly. "Why was he here? Why was he talking to you?" "Niko-..." "Why was he talking to you?!" "Niko, calm down." "You said I was safe- YOU SAID I WAS SAFE! BUT HE WAS HERE! AND YOU WERE TALKING TO HIM LIKE A FRIEND! AFTER WHAT HE-...After what he did to me..." Niko devolved into more sobbing. "I can't do this anymore! I can't stand this!" he started rocking faster. Hannes jumped to his feet and sat next to Niko, wrapping his arms around him. "He's gone! He's not coming back!" "Why was he here though?!" "He says he's changed-" "LIKE FUCK HE HAS! HE'S LYING!" "Niko-!" "No! Get off me! I don't want you near me! You let him in!" Niko shoved Hannes away and curled up into a ball at the end of the couch. He'd started counting again and Hannes watched him helplessly, unsure of what to do or how to comfort him. --- The driver glanced at Hades and smiled at her politely as he started to drive. If he had a nickel for every time he was asked that question he could retire tomorrow! But this being part of his job, he had to put on a smile and give an answer that he'd already given so many times before. "It's pretty interesting. You meet all sorts of people in all kinds of situations. Never a dull moment." Lilly had started dozing against Pain's shoulder. With little room in the back, Bob practically sat in Grim's lap. "Hey, you're not tired are ya?" he asked him, slurring slightly. Bob was still very much awake and didn't seem ready to slow down yet. --- Layla thought about this a little more. She looked at Nil, then around at the home that had formed around them. She glanced back, out of the 'door' to the forest and thought about the facility. But there was no going back now. She knew that. As sad as she was to be letting go of a life that had once given her purpose, she looked back at Nil with a look of hope. That this would be a new start, with a new purpose. She took a breath and nodded, looking into Nil's eyes. "Ok. I'm with you. Let's do this. Let's make this our life." --- Cindy grinned at the kiss and his words. Then her eyes moved over to their daughter as she started to whine and kick her little legs in frustration. "I think someone's getting tired." she chuckled. --- Damien looked over at Will, wondering if he and James should be included in this meeting or whether it was about something unrelated to his attack. Malone nodded at Will and headed towards the men's room. He knocked on the door out of courtesy before walking in and standing a bit away from the stalls. "You ok, kid?" he called out. --- Continuing to kiss him, Alex brought his hands to Gary's chest. He lightly traced his fingers over his chest and abdomen to caress his muscles. --- "The fun is just a bonus," Kat said without missing a beat and seemed unbothered by Sawyer's attempt to get under his skin. "But don't lose sight of the reason we're doing this. We still have a job to do at the end of the day, so don't get sloppy on me. Got it?" he pulled up outside a very run-down apartment building in what was clearly a poorer part of the city. "We're here. Well, Red Fox? Off you go. I'll be watching you closely." --- Even Amelia was taken aback. Of course, growing up in Hell, most of the stories that she was told were from the books written in this very library. More than a few explained the origin of Adam, Eve and even Lilith. Almost none were accurate. But if Adam was telling the truth then that would make him not just the very distant ancestor of humans, but of all other species that had branched out from humanity over time. But this only left Amelia with more questions than answers. "Wait, hang on... so, you're THE Adam? Then... and forgive me for being so blunt... why do you look like...?" she trailed off uncomfortably and gestured to his physique. "And uh... how do you not know what a child is? or were you just messing with us?" Oliver, who obviously had no idea what any of them were talking about, had finished his fruit and proudly showed them all his juice-stained, but otherwise empty hands. Not that Amelia knew, but the fruit she had survived off of as a child and had innocently offered to her own son was in fact the Forbidden Fruit. Growing from the soil of a world that had once gone by the name of Eden, before it became Hell. --- If forgetting Insanity's name wasn't enough to cause to worry about David's current mental state, the next thing he'd come out with would be: "I-... don't know what you're talking about. Look, is Lucifer here or is he just fucking with me again? I don't have time for this!" David then looked defensive as he added while pointing a finger at Insanity. "And he'd better leave Sara alone!" He no longer had the calm demeanour that David was known for. He seemed brash and jumpy. Maybe even a little... younger. Behaviour-wise, at least. He looked down at his clothes and looked bewildered. "And why the hell am I wearing a suit?!" --- Donnie was too stunned by the news of his beloved and his son betraying him to react. He felt overwhelmed with a mixture of rage and heartbreak as he struggled to accept this as truth. But he remained as stoic as ever. Maintaining a cold expression as he was teleported to a place he hadn't seen in a few decades. The Obsidian Colosseum. His eyes landed on Sam and he couldn't help grinning at how he seemed to suit a throne. "My boy! Look at you! You've made me proud!" he chuckled. His smile rapidly vanished when Napoleon appeared and he glared at the Angel dangerously. Florin, however, seemed eager to follow his orders. "mit Vergnügen Eure Hoheit" (With pleasure, your highness) he growled as he stepped towards Napoleon quickly. Rapidly, his teeth sharpened and his face shifted into a monstrous, dog-like shape. He aimed to grab Napoleon's sword with one hand while aiming a powerful punch to his gut with the other. While Florin was fighting Napoleon, Donnie stepped around them calmly and knelt by his son's throne. "Might I borrow your knife for just a moment, son?" Denix Vames - February 23, 2023 Theron was nervous when they walked over. Yet, once Larissa introduced herself, he nodded for the hug. --- Grim blushed. He nervously cleared his throat. "No, I'm wide awake." Hades smiled a little. "Must be nice to have a normal job." --- Nil hugged her. "Everything will be ok. Let's just rest first." --- Kite sighed but smiled. "Want me to keep an eye on Carter?" --- Jeeremy had splashed some water on his face. He turned the faucet off before he looked at him. "I'm sorry. It's just...It feels like everyone has a place. I don't." Will and everyone else went into the meeting room. --- Gary moaned as he ran his hand through his hair while reaching under his shirt. --- "The apartment number?" ,said Sawyer. --- "Remember the classic story of me and Eve? Well, God got mad. More than what people expected. He turned us into abominations. And there never were babies when I was on earth." Adam scoffed, "I can't believe he lets your baby eat the fruit." --- "You don't remember? Lucifer left long ago. You're helping Amelia. She's the new leader." ,said Insanity. --- Sam handed the knife to Donnie. "Sure thing." Napoleon jumped back. He swung his sword. Charles appeared in front of Donnie. He smiled. "By all means, chop off that toe. I want a fair fight. Just you and me." shadowess - February 25, 2023 Seeing him nod, Larissa smiled at him and nodded. "Alright then! Let Aunty Rissy make it all better!" she sang as she walked over to him. She knelt by his side and wrapped her arms around him warmly. Bianka stayed a short distance away to watch over them. She folded her arms but couldn't help smiling at the boy with kind eyes. "Everything will be alright, sweet boy! What's your name?" Larissa asked in a softened tone. --- Hearing Grim's answer, Bob grinned happily. "Oh good!" he slurred. "Cos, ne-(hic)neither am I. Maybe we can watch some of that doctor stuff while everyone else is sleeping?" he suggested. "Normal?" The taxi driver chuckled in amusement. "As opposed to an ab-normal job?" he asked jokingly. Though deep inside he felt his stomach churn a bit as he tried to focus on the road. His paranoid mind wanted him to consider for a moment that this girl might suspect or even know him. But his rational mind knew this simply wasn't possible and that she was just another drunken customer making an innocently oblivious remark. --- Wrapping her arms around Nil, Layla nodded. She was a little tense but then physical affection hadn't been normal for her up until today. Especially after everything that had happened, she hadn't relaxed any muscles nor let her guard down once since X had first warned her not to go near Nil at the beginning of the day. But now that he embraced her and she accepted that this would be her new life, she finally started to relax which Nil would likely be able to feel as her body became less rigid and practically melted against his. She rested her head against his and started to notice for herself just how tired she was from being on edge all day. --- "Yes, please." Cindy smiled and kissed Kite's cheek. "Then maybe once the kids are asleep, daddy can give mommy a special massage?" she winked at him suggestively as she got up and walked over to their daughter. She picked her up and started to gently rock her in her arms while humming a lullaby. --- Damien walked over to stand next to James. "Do you think we should go in too?" he asked, nodding to the meeting room. "Jeremy..." Malone sighed and shook his head with a small smile. "Of course, you have a place! You only feel like that because you're new and, to be fair, your first call-out wasn't exactly an easy introduction..." He walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to lie to you. It doesn't get any easier but you'll learn how to deal with it better as time goes on. And you'll always have the support of your colleagues when things get tough because we all know exactly how this job can make you feel sometimes." --- "Oh, Gary..." Alex sighed between kisses. Wrapping his arms around him, he moved back until he would be laying down with Gary on top of him. He kisses up and down his neck while his hands caressed his back, down to his hips. --- Kat tapped the photo and then got out of the car without another word. The apartment number would already be written on the back of the photo. When Sawyer would step out of the vehicle as well, he'd see Kat light up yet another cigarette, apparently having just finished the one he was smoking, and then pull out a gun of his own. "Lead the way, Red Fox. Show me what you're made of." --- "Left? What do you mean, he left? Lucifer never leaves! He always comes back! Like a damn cockroach!" David snapped then paced around the room manically. "Lucifer?! Lucifer! Why do you keep messing with me like this!?" He yelled angrily into the air but, of course, Lucifer wouldn't come nor answer him. "I signed your damn contract, didn't I?! You got my daughter's signature too! What more do you want?!" "No babies? How is that poss-?" Amelia began but was cut off by the sound of David's shouts upstairs. "Dad?" she looked towards the staircase worriedly before marching up them fearlessly. --- Donnie took the knife from Sam and smiled at him. "Atta boy." he praised him then lowered the knife to his own foot just as Charles appeared. He paused and glared up at him. Already seething from the knowledge that some of his own family had betrayed him, he was itching to vent his anger. He grinned back. A hint of malice behind his stare. "Well if it isn't Lucifer's bastard son. So nice of you to make it easy for me to dethrone you myself," he growled. "Maybe when I'm done with you, I'll pay your lovely family a visit. Your son I'll dispose of but a pure-blooded Devil womb is hard to come by these days. I think I'll put your fiance's to good use when you're gone!" Donnie sneered. Though there was no doubt that he wasn't bluffing, there was a tactical reason for him saying something like this to Charles. It was to rile him up. Because an angry fighter usually isn't thinking clearly and becomes prone to making fatal mistakes. Taking a few quick breaths, Donnie held the blade over his toe before placing all of his weight onto it. He couldn't help grunting and gasping in pain. Toe severed, he felt a rush as his powers returned to him but he couldn't allow his toe to 'regrow' or the angelic band would reappear on that one. Rapidly, he brought the knife up to his face and blew a small stream of flames onto the metal until it started to glow. Then he slapped the hot blade against the stub where his toe had been, barely concealing a cry as the skin sizzled and the wound became cauterised. Catching his breath, Donnie passed the knife back to Sam and picked up the severed toe with the angelic band wrapped around it. "Here, keep this safe for your father," he said as he stood and passed the toe to Sam as well. "To the arena then?" he asked Charles. "We can settle this like true Devils." Meanwhile, Florin was still fighting Napoleon in the background. He ducked under the sword and laughed at the Angel. "What's wrong chicken man? Can't handle the big bad wolf?" he mocked before snapping at the air near him to try to psych him out. "I'm going to eat you and shit you out, chicken-man," he growled and barked at him aggressively. Florin lunged behind Napoleon suddenly and aimed to grip one of his wings. He ignored the burning sensation from the feathers and would try to twist the wing at an awkward angle with the intention of violently breaking it. Denix Vames - February 25, 2023 "Th-Theron..." --- "Sure. We could do that." ,said Grim. Hades shrugged. "Being in a band is abnormal in most people's eyes. Makes the job more fun. But it has some not so great things. I guess I was expecting a Metallica dream." --- As the plants created a large flower bed for them, Nil couldn't help but looked into her eyes. --- Kite chuckled. "Sure thing." He made sure Carter got into a clean diaper before picking him up. Cradling him in his arms. --- James nodded. He headed into the meeting room. Jeremy held a small smile. "Thanks." --- Gary moaned. He nibbled on his neck as he pulled his shorts off. Caressing his thigh. --- Sawyer kept his gun by his side. He went to a corner of the apartment. He looked behind himself. "You know, you really should quit smoking. It's bad for you." --- Insanity walked back when he saw Amelia and the others following. "I can explain! I-I didn't do anything! It was my son! But I brought David back here! He doesn't remember anything!" --- Charles growled. He blasted fire at him. Sam held on to the toe and watched the fight begin. Napoleon dodged an attack that was only a bluff. He gasped when Florin grabbed a wing. He cried out as Florin pulled and twisted. He strike the sword into his abdomen. He caught his footing when his wing went off. He turned around with a glare and hot tears in his eyes. He sent out a blast of energy towards him.

Denix Vames - February 20, 2023 Jean covered his mouth and gasped at what Hannes had done. Yet, when he saw Warren panicking, he had to hold his emotions back. He clenched his fists. "Warren? Please follow me. I'll take you to your room. You're better off without him. I know it doesn't make sense now but you'll understand." He grabbed his arm. They appeared in Theron's room. Napoleon was shocked when it happened. He pressed a hand against his cheek. When he heard Raguel's name, he couldn't help but let tears escape him. He lowered his head in shame and disappeared. Theron backed away as he covered his head. "Oh no! I made everyone mad! I'm sorry! I don't know what to do!" Jean soon appeared in front of Hannes. Glaring with tears in his eyes. "You didn't have to do that. I know Niko is hurting but to hurt someone who was only trying to help! Even if they were naive...." He turned away from him. "Just take Niko to his room. I don't want to see you right now." --- Pain laughed. "Doctor Who is the name of a TV show. The Doctor is the name of the main character." Grim headed over to the van as others followed, "Who's the least drunk?" --- "You are whoever you wish to become." The vines returned to create a crown for Layla which they placed on her head. "They accept you as one of their own just like they accepted me. Nature will always have a place for you." He held her hand. "I am now another protector of Nature. You can be too." --- Kite smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad. It means a lot." He sighed with a frown as he looked at baby Carter. "I can't help sometimes but think about before. It feels like I forced you into this mess. I know I'm supposed to look at the bright side but things still feel off." --- Jeremy bit his lip. Wondering if he should have even become a cop in the first place. Was he even the right person for this? When he got out of the car, he stepped into the precinct. Seeing everyone there, he felt like he was being judged. That's when he saw Will, Damien, and James. He saw how much better they were compared to him. How stronger they were. Will smiled with a wave. Knowing that he was a new cop. He said, "Hey there. It's nice to meet-" Jeremy ran past him and into the men's restroom. Will raised a brow. "Is he ok?" --- Gary cupped his cheeks. "You won't hurt anyone because I'll be there. Just like you were for me." --- Sawyer thought over what he said. His grip on his arms tightened but he nodded silently. --- Adam sighed as he rolled his eyes. "You know, Hell use to be really cool before you guys showed up." Bern glared. "Adam! Apologize!" "Don't start with me! You're not my dad anyway." ,said Adam. --- James nodded. He accepted Will's other hand. --- "I'm sorry for what happened. I heard that this is the safest place in Hell." Insanity suddenly sobbed. "I'm so sorry for everything!" --- Sabrina grinned. She winked at Shiva. "Better luck next time." She walked to Sam. Sam nodded at Florin. "Make him give up the key." She chuckled. "Oh, he doesn't have to. I already took it from him." She threw up the key. Holding it out for everyone to see. Sam cringed but was at least happy that the key was found. "You go unlock his cell then. I'm not touching that. After that, we'll talk about your place in my army." "Thank you, your highness." --- Sabrina appeared in front of Donnie. She grinned. "You've missed so much. Your son Sam has been doing just fine as King. Care to see his progress?" She unlocked the cell. Shadowess - February 21, 2023 (Wait, how did she get the key if Carol swallowed it? ) Denix Vames - February 21, 2023 (shit i forgot about that lol what do i do?? AAAHH) shadowess - February 21, 2023 ( xD It's cool. We could say she swapped the real key for a fake while David was out of it & before Carol showed up.) Denix Vames - February 21, 2023 (oh ok awesome) shadowess - February 21, 2023 Hannes watched Napoleon disappear and seeing his tears had already started to fill him with regret. Then he heard Theron's voice and looked over at him worriedly. "Nein, my boy." He said to him gently. "Nein, you did nothing wrong! I-!" but he paused when Jean appeared and he saw how angry he looked. He felt his heart drop before Jean even spoke and when he did, he felt so much worse for what he'd done. "Meine Gel-..." he started to say but broke off when Jean turned away from him. He hesitated, having been about to reach out to his beloved but thought better of it and pulled his hand back while lowering his gaze in remorse. Silently, he bent down to lift the sobbing Niko into his arms. He gave one last look at Jean and opened his mouth to say something. Then closed it again before vanishing, taking Niko to his room. --- "I'm not tired but I don't think that's the same as most sober." Bob laughed in response. Lilly stumbled and held on to Pain for balance as they followed. She squinted at the vehicle. "Should we be operating such a machine in this state?" she asked. "I would certainly hope not." Came a voice from their left. The taxi driver that had tried to abduct Damien was leaning against his own vehicle and smiling at them. He might be sketchy and definitely up to no good on most days, but he was still a taxi driver the rest of the time. "Where are you guys headed? I can drop you off." --- Layla flinched reflexively when the vines moved towards her and froze as she felt the crown being placed onto her head. She didn't pull away though as she knew that she wasn't in any danger. When Nil spoke and the Vines retracted, she relaxed. "What, like... a guardian of the forest or something?" she asked, looking at Nil. At first, it had sounded silly to her but as she thought on it more and on all they had been through in just the past few hours, the idea started to seem more and more plausible. After all, she might not be a fairy but she was a werewolf. A creature that was just as at home in the woods as any other woodland creature. "We can do that?" she asked him quietly. "Just live here and watch over the land?...together?" --- Cindy laughed softly and shook her head while caressing Kite's cheek. "You didn't force me into anything. I had every opportunity to back out but... I wanted this." she looked between their children lovingly and then back to Kite. "I wouldn't give any of this up. Not for anything. I love you and our babies, so much." she rested her head against his. "They are the greatest gifts you could ever give me. This isn't a mess. It's our family." --- Malone had walked in behind Jeremy and sighed when he watched him run off. "Tough first call out." He explained briefly. "Poor kid got to see the aftermath of a murder-suicide. Stuff like that's not easy for anyone." Damien stood by and looked around the precinct while waiting to find out what they should do next. --- Alex recalled that night. How frightened they'd both been. The random rogue werewolf that had threatened them. But he also remembered how Gary had dug his way out of the magic dome to defend him. Maybe it was the memory stirring up his emotions or the lunar cycle being so close to a full moon now that it magnified certain natural urges, but he couldn't resist leaning in and capturing Gary's lips with his own. --- "Good. You're learning." Katsura smirked then tapped the top of the glove compartment across from Sawyer. "Open that," he told him. While keeping one hand on the wheel, Katsura took another cigarette out of his coat pocket and placed it between his lips. He then took out a lighter and lit his cigarette with it. Placing the lighter back into his pocket, he swapped hands on the steering wheel and rolled his window down by about a crack. He then leaned against the door with his elbow while placing his fingers on either side of his cigarette to take a long drag off it. Once Sawyer would open up the glove box, Kat would glance at him briefly to see him take out a gun and a photograph of an old man. "You didn't think you'd get into the Yakusa that easy, did you? The Boss wants you to pass a test of loyalty. We loaned that old geezer a lot of money and hasn't paid back a cent of it. Keeps coming up with excuses. So the Boss has ordered us to put the scare on him. Break a few bones. Wave a gun in his face. Take as much money as we can tonight and give him until tomorrow to give us the rest. Think you can handle that, Red Fox?" He said Sawyer's code name in a mocking tone. "Oh, and don't be afraid to use any family members you see as leverage." --- Amelia's lips tightened as she held back her frustration as best she could. She had to bear in mind that some souls weren't aware of just how much she'd done to give them a chance at redemption. "Before I 'showed up' Hell was a literal Hellscape. Demons hunted and tortured souls to punish them for their sins instead of actually taking the time to help souls understand what they had done or how to get better." "It was- and still is in some areas- a very dangerous place where violence, fear and gore is just another day! I should know. I grew up here. Stuck in this building like Hell's version of Rapunzel..." she sighed but looked at Adam patiently. "That's why I want to help the souls that live here. In a way, it's their home too. So why live here in constant fear when they could spend their time here learning from their mistakes? and working towards a better version of themselves?" she offered him a kind smile but his last comment to Bern had bothered her a bit. "Adam? How old are you anyway?" --- David's face had turned pale and he glanced around quickly. Then looked at Insanity in alarm when he'd started crying. "Uh-..." he stammered, uncertain. "Don't worry about it?" he lifted himself to his feet but wobbled unsteadily. "So, is he here?" he asked, still looking around shiftily. "And you? Are you one of his servants or something? Did he send you to fetch me, uh-... Sorry, I didn't catch your name." --- "Fucking bitch!" Shiva seethed through bitter tears but couldn't move to stop her. Florin rose a brow at Sabrina but chuckled in amusement. "The sassy one has proven to be invaluable. If you would permit me to advise you, I believe that you should keep that one close, Sire" he said to Sam. --- "King?" Donnie looked at Sabrina in surprise. "So then... Insanity? Theron?" he stepped out of the cell. By now he looked dishevelled. His beard had grown a bit and his hair was a mess. As soon as he stepped out of the cell he felt the release of its magical hold. He was free but not completely. He looked down at the angelic band which had sapped his powers and was still snuggly wrapped around his toe. He would need to remove it but first things first. He looked back at Sabrina. "Take me to my son." Denix Vames - February 21, 2023 Jean appeared in his room and climbed under the covers. Theron ran to a corner of the castle where he couldn't be seen before he sat there and cried. --- "Back home everyone!" ,said Grim. Pain told him the address to his house before they squeezed into the taxi. Hades leaned in the passenger seat. "So, how's driving strangers around like?" --- Nil nodded. "Yes. Together we can protect this forest." --- Kite smiled. He kissed her. "I love this family too." --- "Well, try to talk to him and calm him a bit. Meanwhile, everyone else needs to get into the meeting room. I have something important to talk about." ,said Will. --- Though surprised, Gary returned the kiss. He wrapped his arms around him before deepening the kiss. --- Sawyer glared at his mocking tone. "I'll try not to kill him. I know that would ruin the fun for you and your boss." He smiled. "Kitty kat." --- Adam smirked. "You're a quick learner. The name's Adam. As in The Adam." Bern's eyes widened. Adam chuckled at his expression before snapping his fingers. "I love it when the spotlight's on me." --- Insanity shook his head. "No one knows that I'm here." He nervously rubbed his arm. "I'm...Insanity. So go ahead. Put me in one of those cells. I know I deserve it." He frowned. --- Sam nodded. "You're right, Florin. She seems like she's willing to do anything." --- Sabrina said, "Insanity and Theron were exiled for being traitors. Sam is your only loyal son who has shown promise." She placed a hand on his shoulder. They appeared right by Sam who suddenly had Napoleon standing before him with a sword out. Napoleon glared. "Enough of this! This ends now!" Sam only yawned before saying, "Florin, would you get rid of this bug for me?"

Shadowess - February 12, 2023 At first, when Warren heard Sam's outburst, he averted his gaze out of shame. Of course, he hadn't meant to betray him at all. But then he noticed Insanity and his eyes lit up with joy. He'd been so worried for him but seeing him alive and free filled him with utter relief. He didn't even care that his King seemed to carry himself differently or that he was accompanied by an Angel. After all, Warren had sworn loyalty to him, no matter what that would entail. Only moments later, they were standing in the German Castle once more. Warren's heart sank when Insanity seemed to give himself up. "But I just got you back!" he blurted out. Then his face turned red and he lowered his eyes awkwardly. "We.... We just got you back, is what I meant." he said quietly and shyly. He then stepped forward when Napoleon did, also standing in front of Insanity. "If you take him then you must take me too!" Hannes looked at them all in shock. Then anger. Then he seemed conflicted as he hesitated to answer. His eyes landed on Napoleon and he glared at him in annoyance. "Do you know the position you put me in!? This entire population in, for harboring him? You didn't get authorisation to release him, did you!?" He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to think. "I've only just got my wings! I'm still on probation! If I lose them, I'd have to go back to Heaven and away from..." he looked at Jean then back at Napoleon. "Get him out of here!" he pointed at Insanity while glaring at Napoleon. "Get him away from my people! Before-!" Hannes's face turned pale as he trailed off and stared behind the group. Into a terrified face at the end of the corridor. "Niko!" Niko was frozen with fear as he stared directly at Insanity. He made no sound nor any movement for what seemed to be a long time. He was holding his breath and his eyes were dark. Haunted. As soon as Insanity would move or say anything, Niko would begin screaming uncontrollably. He bolted away from them, running as fast as his vampiric speed would allow. Forgetting that it was the middle of the day outside, or not caring, he ran for the main doors. The guards there tried to stop him but he'd already sped passed them and shoved his body at the doors out of sheer desperation to get away. It was only when the overwhelming heat hit his skin that he realised his mistake... (Is Sam still at the colloseum or did he get dragged along?) --- Bob grimaced at the taste of the shot again but then whooped excitedly as he picked up another. Then another. Soon his vision was swimming but his fun didn't seem to slow down. Between periods of time that he already could barely remember, he vaguely recalled dancing with Grim. Being utterly amazed by his first experience with using a toilet. Laughing at the smell of the soap as he washed his hands. More dancing. Another drink. More dancing. Then finally, sitting on a bench outside while smoking another joint with Grim. "So wait..." he slurred. He was smiling goofily as he stared intently at Grim. "Let me get this straight... the guy flies around... in a (hic) blue box, but he's a doctor, not a wizard? How does the box fly then?" Across from them, just as drunk but more mellowed out, Lilly was sitting on another bench with Pain. She seemed tired but she was smiling away as she rested her head on his shoulder. --- Layla watched the foliage take shape around them and gradually felt less nervous. Yet she stayed close to Nil as an irrational fear made her wonder if the trees might forget she's with him if she strayed too far from him. Once inside, she stared at his new crown in wonder then burst into tears, covering her face and falling to her knees. Now that they had a moment of peace in what seemed to be a safe location, the shock had subsided and their situation had finally sunk in. "What've we done?! We're deserters! AWOL! We'll be hunted for the rest of our lives! If we get caught, we could be trialled for treason!" --- Cindy shrugged as she kept dabbing at the baby powder to clean it up. "I'm fine, I just..." she sighed and sat straight to look at Kite. "Part of me wishes that I could remember him so that I can understand where he's come from but from the things that I learned about him I don't think I'd want to anyway..." she shook her head. "I know he said he's trying to be better and maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt but..." she glanced between their children sadly. "If it turns out he's doing this to fool me then I can deal with that... I just don't want them to get close to him if he's just going to end up hurting them later." she brought her eyes back to Kite's as she finished her sentance. Making it clear that her wariness around her brother was more out defensiveness for their children than herself. "I want to believe that he's really changing, I do... I guess I'm just not there yet." --- Malone smiled back and nodded, happy to have helped Jeremy feel more at ease. He finished off his burger and when Jeremy was finished with his he started up the car again, heading towards the precinct. --- "Maybe." Alex smiled as he cuddled Gary. "Maybe she's a Guardian Angel? Watching over other firefighters to make sure they don't get into trouble while they save lives?" he suggested, hoping that this thought would bring Gary some hope. --- The leader didn't lift his eyes from the documents as Sawyer was being frisked. When they were satisfied that he wasn't bugged, they shoved him back down into the chair and gave their boss the OK in Japanese. Finally, the leader looked at Sawyer with mild confusion. "Why would we want the supernatural to die when they could make us so much money?" he asked him seriously. He held up the documents, shaking them at him. "We will use this knowledge to develop weapons to sell to the highest bidder. We have no personal stake in this. It's just business." He said something in Japanese to one of the men who promptly bowed before leaving the building. He then turned back to look at Sawyer. "This information you have brought. It is useful. We could do business. I trust I don't need to tell you what would happen to you if told anyone of this. Go with Katsura now. We will be in contact again soon, Red Fox." Accompanied by his entourage, the leader left the building. All the men got into several large, black and very clean cars that looked expensive. Their windows were tinted, so it was impossible to see them once the doors were closed and soon, all the vehicles had left the warehouse. All but one. Leaning against the car, Katsura was smoking a cigarette as he waited for their newest member. He was strongly built and his sharp suit fit snugly over his muscles. He was wearing black sunglasses despite it being the middle of the night. His silken, black hair was semi-short and didn't pass his ears in length. --- Oliver giggled when Adam pointed at him. Apparently the child took after his mother when it came to not easily being scared by beings that were not human. The toddler took another large bite out of the fruit and the purple juice started to stain his little shirt. "He's my son." Amelia patiently told Adam again. She held a small, proud smile when looking at her little one. "Charles and I made him when we fell in love. That makes him the Prince of Hell. I just hope we raise him to be a compassionate ruler." Amelia moved some of Oliver's now sticky blond curls out of his face while he ate. --- "What about the vampire?" Damien asked. Occasionally he would glance towards the windows in a paranoid way. "What if he's lurking out there? Should you get some officers to search the area or something?" he asked. Try as he might, he couldn't hide his uneasiness. In fairness to Damien, he had no way of sensing if the vampire was still around or not. Denix Vames - February 13, 2023 Insanity reached out. "I-" His eyes widened at the sight of Niko willing to place himself under the Sun. He appeared and grabbed him before appearing in front of them. He placed Niko down. Jumping back instantly with tear filled eyes. He covered his mouth. Feeling disgusted by his actions. "I'm so sorry. I...What I did was inexcusable." He nodded. "I will leave. I must leave!" He raised his hand at Warren. "No! You cannot follow me. You don't realize now but I did terrible things to you too. You should be fearing me. Not loving me." He disappeared. Napoleon glared and pointed at Hannes. "He's progressing! Why can't you see that?!" Jean covered his mouth at the argument. He was unsure of where to stand but he was frightened. (he's still at the colosseum) --- "Well, the whole show's about science so I'm gonna guess it's science!" ,said Grim. He took another puff. Pain smiled at her. Happy to see that she was enjoying her night. "It's getting kind of late and we're pretty hammered. Maybe we should go home?" --- "No." Nil turned to her. "I won't let that happen. Her will not let this happen. So long as I have my powers, I will always protect you." He held her and looked into her eyes. "You have nothing to fear." --- "Sometimes it takes a while to build up that kind of trust. It's fine to do that. If it helps, I feel like he's a good guy." ,said Kite. --- Jeremy looked out the window. "Do you ever get the feeling that something isn't right? That venom....What did that kid get himself into?" --- Gary beamed a smile. "That sounds like something she would do. I wonder if I'll see her in the next situation. I wouldn't mind talking to her again. I'd like to know how she's been." --- Sawyer glared at Katsura. He crossed his arms. "I came here to seek revenge on the Supernatural! To rid them from this world! Do you have any idea what those vampires did to my wife?!" He held back tears and turned his head away. "I-I'm sorry. It's just...It's been hard without her." --- "Quick question. Are brothels still going to be open?" ,asked Adam. Bern rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to stay away from that stuff." Adam sighed with a wave. "I know. I know." --- "We will get officers around here to check the perimeter. What's more important is that I take you somewhere safe." ,said Will. He held out his hand. "We're going to the precinct." --- Insanity appeared where David was. He could see that Florian had done a number on him. He grabbed David and appeared in the Library. He placed him on a couch. "Are you....alright?" shadowess - February 20, 2023 Still screaming, Niko freaked out even more when he realised he was in Insanity's arms. The second he was set down, he scrambled frantically away. "H-HANNES!!" He screamed. His voice was brimming with terror. He was so consumed by fear that he didn't feel the few burns on his face and hands that had been caused by the sun during his brief exposure. Of course, the second Insanity had brought him back inside, the guards pulled the doors shut again. Hannes immediately knelt by Niko and placed his hands on his shoulders. "I'm here, brother," he told him quickly. When Insanity left, Niko calmed down a little but was now in the throes of a full-blown panic attack. Hyperventilating and sobbing, he clung to Hannes's shirt for dear life while searching the halls with wide eyes. As if expecting Insanity to reappear and snatch him away at any moment. It was in the midst of trying to calm Niko down that Hannes found himself staring up dumbfoundedly at Napoleon. He stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and anger before pulling himself to his feet, ignoring Niko's protest of letting him go. Hannes then did something that he didn't even register until it was too late to take it back. He struck Napoleon across the face. Hard. Hannes blinked, realising what he'd done. Then he regathered himself and glared at Napoleon while gesturing to the still distraught Niko. "Look at him. You take a good look at him! Was bringing him here worth it?! You're not the one dealing with his aftermath! You're not the one who will have to pull my friend back together! Get out! And be grateful that I don't report you to Archangel Raguel!" Warren, who had been stunned by Niko's abverse reaction to his King as well as Insanity's words and abrupt departure, finally spoke in a wavering, fragile voice. "What did he mean?" he looked at Niko. "What did he mean?" he asked again, fearful that he already knew the answer. "Did he-? No... But... I-I..." he shook his head. "No... NO! I- this isn't right! None of this is right! It's upside down! I don't want- I-!" he gripped his head. "Sire? Sire?! Don't leave me here!" he called out, stumbling around now and looking like he was close to going absolutely mad as his mind tried to repress the truth. "I want to go home! Let me come home, sire?! I love you! You want me to fear you? I'll fear you! I'll do what you want! I'd do anything for you! Please! Please!" --- Still smiling, Lilly nodded at Pain's suggestion. She was so drunk now that she found the idea of sleep to be very inviting. In fact, she was already practically dozing as she relaxed against Pain. Bob, on the other hand, was still as energetic as before. "Already?!" he sounded surprised by the suggestion. "But I'm having so much fun! and I want to know more about this weird space physician!" "Who?" Lilly asked, groggily. "The guy Grim was telling us about just a minute ago! What's he called? The Doctor?" "Doctor... who?" "Yeah! That's the one!" "..........What?" Lilly's face contorted in utter confusion. "The doctor!" "Doctor who???" "That's what I said!" Lilly stared at Bob blankly for a minute before turning to Pain with a defeated look. "I think I drank too much. He's just not making sense to me anymore..." --- Layla looked into his eyes and she knew that she trusted him without hesitation. Still, she felt lost. Like the world, she once knew had shattered and all that was left was an abyss of despair, ready to swallow her whole. "That job was my life... I put everything that I had into it... I just wanted to be able to protect people... protect our country." She said in a broken voice. "I dedicated my whole life to it... I was transformed into a werewolf against my will in the line of duty! But I didn't care because I knew there were bigger things at stake! I'd have given my life if it meant saving innocent ones! ... But what they did to you..." she lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "After all they told us about how ADIEU are evil and should never be allowed to return? Those hypocrites were behaving no differently! And to their own men!" Layla cried. "I don't know what my purpose is anymore...or who I'm supposed to be... What do I do now?" --- Cindy smiled at Kite. Her eyes softened and became warm. "It helps." She said softly and wrapped her arms around him. "I trust your judgement." --- Malone sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Probably using it as a kind of 'legal high', would be my guess. I hear that stuff has a similar feeling to drinking or smoking weed... That's, of course, assuming that he even knows what it really is... Kid might just be clueless for all we know." Flicking his signal light, Malone turned onto the street where their precinct was located. "The way his folks went out... they were fighting, no doubt. And I'll bet it wasn't the first time if their kid is going out of their way to get vampire venom just to escape the chaos." He was guessing, of course. But he'd seen a similar situation before. Only it involved meth and a very unfortunate fate for the kid involved. So he couldn't help comparing. --- Alex smiled, glad that he brought Gary some comfort. He cuddled him and buried his face in his hair, taking in his scent. He kissed his head. "I think I like the idea that she might be out there, watching over you and making sure you come home to me, safe. He whispered to him softly. After a couple of minutes of cuddling, he frowned a little. "Gary? I'm nervous... about the moon... I know I transformed in Hell but there was no moon there and I heard first timers don't have control... what if I hurt someone?" --- Katsura regarded Sawyer calmly for a moment before responding by flicking his cigarette away with a sigh and gesturing towards the passenger side of his car. "Get in." He said in an emotionless tone. His accent wasn't as thick as the others. He walked around the car and climbed into the driver's side. He waited for Sawyer to climb into the vehicle before locking the doors and pulling out, onto the road. "If you want to last more than a few days with the Yakuza, you need to wise up. They won't give a shit about your dead wife and if they think for a second that your lust for vengeance will jeopardise their payday then they won't hesitate to put a bullet in your skull. Understand? This isn't some random street gang. It's the fucking Yakuza. So show some respect." --- Unaware of what else was happening upstairs in the Library, Amelia blushed at Adam's question but chuckled. "Relax, I'm not as prude as my dad." She glanced briefly at her son, thankful that he wouldn't understand this kind of conversation just yet. "Before I met Charles, I would party pretty hard myself. So, I get it. Plus I'm sure it'd keep the out-of-work succubi and incubi happy." She shrugged. "I'll see what I can do but something like this can't be abused. It'd need to be more of a recreational service than an escape from responsibility." --- Reassured by Will's explanation, Damien nodded and looked over at James. "You coming, too?" He asked as he took Will's hand. --- Having still been unconscious when Insanity took him, David groaned and stirred as he lay on the couch. His head hurt like Hell and even as he groggily opened his eyes, his vision swam, making him feel ill. "Where am I?" He asked, disoriented. "Where's Sara?" --- With confirmation that one of the Kings had defected, Florin returned to Sam's side. The Prince's takeover, in light of this revelation, seemed to be assured. "Young King." he addressed him urgently. "I think the games are over. Now is all the direr that we find a way to release your other father. We should extract this information from our prisoner while we have him." he told him, referring to David whom he assumed was still hanging by his feet in the next room. In his human form, Shiva lay on the ground. He gripped the sand and breathed heavily as he recovered from the damage inflicted by Theron before he'd vanished with Insanity. Hatred burned behind his eyes. If there was one positive thing his arrival had achieved though, it was establishing Sabrina's loyalty to Sam, as far as anyone here knew. About the only thing Sam, Florin or any other Demon here would suspect of her, was only that she'd formed a rivalry with Shiva. This meant that, if she wanted, she had the perfect opportunity to embed herself within Sam's most trusted Demons.

Denix Vames - January 27, 2023 Overwhelmed with the idea that Niko and Theron had been abused or tortured in any way, Jean covered his face and sobbed. --- Theron shook his head. "Stop treating me like something that I'm not. I'm not really royalty. My dads were trying to take the throne. But you're right. We need to find them." He held out his hand. "Let's go." --- Grim laughed at Bob's energy. He kept ahold of his hand as he ran with him back into the bar. Ordering drinks again. --- "Then we'll go to one." Nil held her hand. They appeared in a forest that they wouldn't know was actually near a particular castle. "This looks like a good place to make a home." He raised his hand. His energy spread throughout the forest. Some of the trees fused together. Transforming into a house. He looked at his hand. "The trees....They spoke to me. Told me that I was allowed to use them to create a home. Am I connected to nature now?" --- Kite smiled and nodded at her. Letting her know that it was alright. He walked over to Desi and hugged him. "It would be great to see you again." --- Jeremy's eyes lit up at the idea of another werewolf officer like himself. "Really?" He quickly cleared his throat. "Uh I mean, that would be great. I didn't know there was another one like me." He took a bite of his burger so that he could stop talking. --- Gary leaned against Alex as he sighed. "It was about Cheri. About that fire." --- "Well, what is a test that you guys do to make sure someone is loyal? I could do that!" ,said Sawyer with a smile. "Or do you need a sob story like in those movies? Because I have one about real bitch of a vampire who killed my wife and unborn child." Some of them might find his energetic personality strange considering what he was talking about. Yet, that was the way he was able to deal with the worst things in life. --- "I convinced some of my friends from the old brothel to try out the program." ,said Adam. "And I was watching him like I was ordered to do by David." ,said Bern. Adam raised a brow at Oliver. He pointed, "What is that?" --- James jumped awake. Ready for action. He could see that the vampire he was talking about was gone. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just calm down for a second. Why don't we get the hell out of here? Let's look for a better place to hide. Somewhere he hopefully won't find." shadowess - January 27, 2023 Seeing this, Hannes stopped and turned to face him while wrapping his arms around him gently. He had actually been referring to Warren but didn't realise that the way he'd phrased his words made it seem like Theron could have been abused too. But then, for all both of them knew and given his 'fathers' reputation at this point, it might be a possibility. It wasn't. At all. Donnie was, without a doubt, a sexual deviant but he would never harm a child. But neither Hannes nor Jean knew this, of course. "Hush, Meine beloved. I'm sorry for upsetting you with such thoughts. They are safe now. Surrounded by a loving community. Protected. That is what matters now." he said softly. --- "I'm sorry," Warren said again, though he disagreed with the statement that he wasn't royalty. After all, Donnie had explained it all to him and he wouldn't lie about that, would he? "R-really? You mean it?" He asked, surprised. He'd fully expected Theron to argue against going after his fathers. Hope filled his eyes, he nodded eagerly and took Theron's hand. --- "More of that spicy water, please!" Bob cheered as they ran up to the bar. He glanced around and his jaw dropped. He nudged Grim playfully with his elbow then nodded in Pain and Lilly's direction. Both were still showing off their moves on the dancefloor and seemed to be completely focussed on each other. Lilly was smiling and blushing. Yet she flawlessly and elegantly dominated the floor with move after move. "I wana know what they've been drinking!" Bob laughed, happy to see their friends having a great time. A tray of shots was placed between them and Bob lifted one to Grim. "To experiencing life!" --- "I- I don't know. This is all new!" Layla said as she watched the trees move, bend and change shape. The sight was amazing and frightening at the same time. Anxious, she hugged Nil's arm and continued to watch the new shelter form around them. --- Desi was taken aback by the hug and he felt happy tears sting his eyes as he was let go. "You too," he said in a soft tone as he looked between them and glanced at the children too. "Thank you, for giving me the chance to be a part of your lives. I won't let you down, I swear." he smiled before turning and leaving. Once he was gone, Cindy relaxed and let out a small sigh as she continued to dab the baby powder out of the carpet with a damp cloth. --- "Yeah, she's been on the force for about three years now. She can be a little blunt but she means well. You're lucky, you know. Being employed at our Department and not any other. About a year ago, non of the human cops in the precinct knew about the supernatural world...Like the other Departments, I guess. You should've been there for that meeting! My mind was blown! I was waiting weeks for someone to say 'April Fools!'" he laughed. "I'm still trying to get used to the idea that all of this is real. Sometimes I forget." He admitted with a shrug. "But I'm trying. I guess my point is, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We might not all understand, but we'll sure as hell try to. We look out for each other." --- Alex frowned and held Gary close. As traumatised as he was by his own experiences, he couldn't imagine the horrors that Gary must've witnessed in the heat of a burning home. "I'm sorry, Gary." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know that what happened was awful but at least we know that there's an afterlife. I'm sure she's in Heaven. Where nothing can ever hurt her again and she can be happy." he leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "Is there anything that I can do to help you feel better?" --- "We don't care about your personal life." The leader told him flatly. He then snapped his fingers and a couple of the burly men approached Sawyer to frisk him. They were not gentle about this, nor did they care about how invasive their hands were. They needed to be certain that this stranger wasn't wearing a wire. If they needed to rip seams in his suit to be certain then they did so with no hint of remorse. While this was happening, one of the men had picked up some of Sawyer's paperwork and had brought it over to their leader to look at. Keeping his cigarette between two fingers, he took the papers and studied them carefully while his men lifted Sawyer from the chair to frisk his back, backside and legs as well. --- "Oh good!" Amelia praised. "How many agreed to join?" she asked then rose an amused brow at Adam when he pointed to Oliver. She was tempted to ask 'The child or the fruit?' as a joke but decided against it considering she'd already introduced him as her son. "The fruit? I'm not sure. It only seems to grow when a living being touches the soil. It used to happen when I was growing up here. Especially whenever I was hungry or ill. It always made me feel better. I was actually going to see if there's any description of it in one of the old books." --- Damien glanced at James and then back at the window. At first, he nodded, ready to follow him but then he came back to his senses and quickly shook his head. "N-no." he stammered then shook his head as if shaking off his nerves before saying in a more stable tone; "No." he took a couple of breaths to calm himself. "He could be waiting for me. I can't risk it. Will? He was just here." he called out the last part, knowing that the most logical course of action would be to alert the authorities that already have a couple of officers looking for this particular vampire. Denix Vames - January 28, 2023 Jean shook his head. "Do not blame yourself. I will always be concerned for others. Even if it means feeling their pain. That is how I can help others." --- Theron and Warren appeared. "Leave my new friends alone!" Theron strikes Shiva. Sam stood. "You! And my own servant?!" Black blood wrapped around all four of them. The group soon appeared in front of Jean and Hannes. Insanity covered his mouth as he nearly burst into tears. He turned away. "I'm sorry. Go ahead. Take me back." Napoleon stood in front of him. "Don't! He's changed. He can help us." --- Grim said, "Ditto!" He took a shot when Bob did. --- "It's ok. They said they're friends. So long as we respect nature, they will help us." Will entered the house which held furniture. Vines of flowers reached out to him. Placing themselves on his head. Creating a flower crown before the rest cut themselves off and left. --- Kite placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok? I can't imagine that was easy. Letting him in." --- Jeremy smiled. "Thanks. I won't forget that." --- Gary smiled. "You've done plenty by reminding me about the afterlife. I just hope I get to meet Cheri somehow. Maybe she's an Angel already." --- Sawyer wouldn't have a wire. X was worried that it would be obvious. He only told Sawyer to relay info when he could. Sawyer said, "So, you don't care about helping humans? Otherwise, you can understand we would want the supernatural dead." --- "Five actually. And I was talking about that thing." Adam pointed at Oliver. "That's a baby. Haven't you ever seen one?" ,asked Bern. Adam shook his head. --- Will appeared. "Come with me."

Denix Vames - January 10, 2023 "Oh yes. I miss those moments of us in the garden." Jean smiled. "How we would show our love to each other. That wonderful place is so beautiful." --- Grim shrugged. "Forgetting the fact that everyone else outside of the band sees you as a freak." --- Nil looked at the book in his hand before nodding. He held out a hand for him to shake. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for....everything that happened to us. The fairies. I don't know what it was but I do feel terrible. Maybe when things aren't so dangerous, we could meet again?" --- Kite chuckled. "Everything's ok. I'm just happy for you. Maybe some of it has to do with being a parent. You get more sensitive." --- Sabrina took the blows like a champ and appeared behind him. She high kicked him. With her powers, the red dark shadow entered his body. Piercing into every organ. Sam grinned. "You've earned yourself a possible high position. Go ahead and have fun with him." --- The rookie bit his lip. He was about to rebuttal but decided against it. "I could go for a burger." shadowess - January 27, 2023 Hannes grinned to himself as he listened to the way Jean spoke. He was doing it again and he couldn't help but find this new habit adorable. "Then let's head outside. I haven't had any opportunity to enjoy the sunlight since I became an Angel. I'm... admittedly hesitant after it burned me so horribly but I have the faintest memory from when I was a human boy. When myself, Niko and Bianka got lost in the woods while playing and stumbled into the castle grounds." Hannes held a small smile as he reminisced. "The way that the dew drops on the flowers caught the light from the sun and shimmered beautifully... absorbing the vivid colours from the petals..." He took Jean's hand and they began to walk towards the gardens. As they walked, he tilted his head towards Jean and gave him a playful smile. "You know the Hansel and Gretal fairytale? The Grimm brothers got the inspiration for that from the village I was born in. It's based on my and Bianka's disappearance. Somehow, over time, Niko was forgotten from the story." he leaned closer to his ear to whisper; "He's still a little sore about that." Hannes chuckled. --- Bob rose a brow at Grim. "Who cares what other people think?" He asked with genuine curiosity. He then stepped away from the wall and gestured to himself. "Just a day ago I was a walking, talking skeleton. If I stopped for a moment to wonder whether some stranger thought that was weird, I would likely have just hidden away in a tomb and refused to ever come out. But you know what? Why should I let how other people think affect how I live? I don't want to miss out on all of this!" He threw his arms up and gestured all around them. "Life is so beautiful! The music! The colours! and now that I have skin and-and senses too?!" Bob whooped excitedly and took Grim's shoulder's while grinning at him widely. "Life gets so much better! Flavours like I could never imagine! The way my skin tingles at the slightest touch-" he ran his fingers across Grim's cheek as a way of expressing this then paused, keeping his fingers in place and staring at them with an inquisitive expression as he registered the sensation. "Warmth!" he smiled then laughed softly. "Your cheek is warm... but not like how hot I felt before, just...nice. A nice kind of warm." his eyes moved up to Grim's "...What was I saying?" --- Brian shook Nil's hand "Me too, mate." he replied then nodded when Nil suggested that they meet again when they were safer. "Of course. When you know it's safe to do so, a fellow fae is always welcome in my house," he told him. "I hope you find a way to keep each other safe... and remember;- Despite what some human tales will tell you, fairy folk are peaceful. We're healers, not fighters. We inspire hope, calm the frightened and nurture life. THAT is the fairy way." Layla stayed quiet during their conversation as she waited patiently for Nil. Though, admittedly, she was fascinated by all of this. Until a few hours ago, she had thought fairies were a myth. --- "Oh," Desi replied and looked back at the baby. He didn't really understand it but maybe Kite had a point. Maybe he wouldn't truly understand such an emotion unless he was a parent too. But then, technically speaking, he already was. Cindy was part of him, which sort of made these children his children as well. Yet, he knew in his heart that he didn't share the same bond with them that Cindy had. Perhaps they really had become two entirely separate people after all? Perhaps their time apart had actually made them more like siblings? After bouncing the baby on his knee for a short while, he carefully handed Carter over to Kite. "Well, this has been lovely." he sighed then smiled at Emily who was staring back at him with wide, blue eyes. "My goodness! You look just like your mother!" Desi exclaimed and reached over to move one of her blond curls out of her face. "Cute little button nose and everything! Something tells me you'll be stealing a few hearts when you grow up!" he chuckled. "Good thing you have a tough daddy to protect you." Please to be getting some attention, Emily gave a wide grin which startled Desi a little. He didn't expect them to have so many teeth at such a young age. Particularly ones that looked quite sharp. "Uh... but then again, maybe you'll be quite tough yourself when you get older?" Desi suggested with another chuckle. --- "Earned enough to become a Marshal, perhaps?" Florin asked Sam with a cocky smirk while cracking his knuckles and staring at David. "You have my gratitude, young King. I will pulverize this prisoner until he begs to kiss your boots." David let out a sudden laugh that caused Florin to falter. He strained to pull himself to his feet and gave them both an amused grin. "Please! Not even Lucifer could achieve that much with me. Out of all of his soldiers, I was his most stubborn. You haven't got a prayer." Florin glared at David and then grinned at him evilly. "We shall see." David turned his head to one side and spat out some blood from his various injuries. He then turned his head back to face Florin with a determined expression. "Come on, then." he challenged. Florin marched over to David and as soon as he was within striking distance, he swung a large fist towards his head. Immediately, David ducked under it and swung a punch at Florin's gut. There was a crunch but it wasn't from Florin. David's eyes widened and he stepped away while holding his hand which flopped uselessly. It was completely swollen and he knew that he had just broken almost every bone in it. He looked up at Florin with a mixture of anger and confusion. "You're a Devil?!" "Das stimmt," Florin chuckled as he swiftly grabbed David's head with one hand and slammed it into the obsidian wall. Not hard enough to kill him but enough to render David unfit to fight back. David had grunted at the impact and his body convulsed momentarily before becoming limp. His eyes were still open but seemed to be vacant while a little drool dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. "He will recover," Florin said triumphantly as he lifted him to hold him over his shoulder. "But he will wish he hadn't when I'm done with him." he laughed as he headed out of the royal suite to let Sam continue watching the competition in peace. Meanwhile, in the arena, Shiva let out a yelp when he felt the shadow enter his body. Yet the pain was nothing in comparison to melting and drowning simultaneously, the feeling of which was still very fresh in his mind. Ignoring the damage that she was likely causing to his organs, he let out another gargled shriek as he rounded on her again. This time his face cracked, snapped and shifted into the face of a serpent. His injuries still hadn't had time to heal properly, so when he changed, some of his scales were missing or severely damaged. Still, he opened his mouth wide, baring very large, venom-filled, fangs at her while hissing. The sides of his neck opened up, revealing a large, dark pattern in his scales. His cobra-like head tilted back, poised to strike. 'I TRUSTED YOU!' His furious thoughts would arrive in her head. 'I WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING FOR YOU! I WOULD HAVE KILLED FOR YOU! WE COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING! BUT YOU STABBED ME IN THE BACK! NOW YOU'LL DIE! AND I'LL TAKE THE GLORY FOR MYSELF!' with that, he lunged... --- "Burger it is!" Malone announced as he turned the vehicle engine on and started to drive. Along the way, they passed by a taxi going in the opposite direction but this didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. They pulled into a drive-thru and Malone ordered just a simple cheeseburger for himself before letting the rookie order whatever he wanted. (I'm guessing Malone would already know the Rookie's name considering he's training him. ) --- Hell's library was still and peaceful as it had always been. Amelia wandered through it with Oliver in her arms. She wanted to test a theory, so needed to bring the baby here to do it. It had taken some convincing, but she finally got Charles to agree to it, albeit reluctantly. David was nowhere to be seen. Amelia assumed that he was off helping a soul on the programme somewhere. Absent-mindedly, she glided her fingers over the spines of the books as she walked past them. "This is where your mummy grew up..." she said to Oliver softly. By now, Oliver had grown quite a bit. His blond hair was almost to his shoulders. "I was kind of like Rapunzel... This was my tower and I was forbidden to leave it. But it wasn't because of a big bad witch or anything. It was because this was the safest place for me to be. I was stuck here, you see. I don't know how I got here when I was so little but somehow I did and then I couldn't leave. So, grandad David found me and brought me here to keep me safe until I was old enough to leave." She looked at Oliver with a puzzled look. "But you were born here. In this world. That's never happened before. Before you came along, everyone believed that if a new life came into existence here it would mean the end of all things. That the universes would fold in on themselves and we'd be reduced to atoms. But then I got stuck in this world again when I went into labour with you... and then you arrived and...nothing happened. Here you are and here we are." Carefully, Amelia sat on one of the couches and bounced Oliver on her knees while he looked around the room curiously. "Anyway... I wanted to try something with you... I'm going to be right with you the whole time, ok? But when I was little, I managed to sneak outside once." She tilted her head and rolled her eyes at herself with a playful smile. "Well, more than once, but that was because I got more and more restless as I got older. But the first time it happened, I was very frail because the food that was being brought to me from Earth didn't have all the nutrients that I needed. Because, it turns out, when you bring Earth food to Hell, there is a cost. Not all of the nutrients in food survive the transfer from one world to another..." Oliver yawned and Amelia let out a small laugh. "Alright, I know you probably don't understand all of this and that mummy is just boring you now but my point is this... when I stepped outside for the first time, it was like... like Hell sensed me. Like it's... alive and knew exactly what I needed..." Standing up and placing Oliver back onto her hip, Amelia sighed. "Come on, squishy. I'll show you... Maybe because you're mine and you were born here, it'll work for you too?" She said as she began walking out of the library. Once outside the building, she walked down the stone steps until she was standing on the seemingly barren soil. Staring at the dirt, she hesitated while keeping a tight hold of Oliver. Licking her lips out of nerves, she looked at her son and then back at the ground. "Here goes nothing. I'm right here, squishy. I'm not going anywhere, ok?" she said apprehensively before nervously yet gently placing the toddler down on the ground. She knelt beside him and kept a very close eye on the infant while also waiting to see if his contact with the soil would produce any results. She was overly aware of how out in the open they were and how unsafe Hell was, especially now with a rebellion growing. Glancing around warily and just when Amelia was beginning to think this little experiment wasn't such a good idea, it happened. Oliver had been playing with the dirt as if it were sand by grabbing fist fulls and dropping it over and over. Then, close to his foot, a sprout forced its way to the surface. Gradually and gracefully, it continued to grow into a small bush. Both Oliver and Amelia watched it in silent awe. This was the only plant that was native to Hell and as far as Amelia knew, it only grows when a living being touched the soil. Still growing, the bush rapidly flowered. The result is a cross between lilies and roses, where the petals are long but curved to one side ever so slightly at the ends. Their petals were a vibrant purple. The carpels and stamens were bright blue and seemed to glow slightly, as if under a UV light. Oliver sneezed, sending some of the pollen flying. Amelia chuckled and pinched her own nose as she felt it tickle too. "Yeah... happens to me too, squish." Just as quickly as they'd grown, the flowers shifted and formed a strange, round red fruit. It resembled an apple but biting into it would reveal a berry-like texture. Like biting into an oversized blueberry. At this point, the bush simply stopped growing. Grinning, Amelia reached out and picked the fruit before handing it to Oliver. "This was the same fruit that gave me all the nutrients that I needed when I was little. I don't know what it is or why it only grows like this, but I know it's got everything that you need to grow up big and strong," she told him while kissing the top of his head. She sat down on the ground with her legs crossed and pulled Oliver into her lap to cuddle him while he happily, and messily, ate the fruit from Hell's bush. Denix Vames - January 27, 2023 Jean frowned at the thought of Niko. He hugged Hannes's arm as he leaned close. "I can't stop thinking about what he's going through. I want to help him but what if my powers fail? What if no matter what I do, he will always suffer? I can't let that happen. I don't want it to." --- Grim blushed. He couldn't stop staring into his eyes when Bob touched his cheek. "Uh....I'm not sure. I think I forgot too." --- Nil smiled. "I never thought fairies as bad people anyway. You can thank those cartoons for that." He hugged the book once more before nodding. "I'll see you when things aren't so bad." He took Layla's hand before they left the house. He soon opened the book once they were far enough from the house. "I'm going to see what are the most common places that fairies live in. They have to be secluded so that we can be safe." --- "Oh, she'll definitely be a tough one alright. I can tell. She's got her mom's good looks and both of our strengths." ,said Kite. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "She might even have her Uncle's sass. That doesn't sound like a bad idea." --- Insanity appeared between the fighters. "Enough!" He blasted his powers at them both. Making them fly back. Sam's eyes widened. He stood from his seat. "Dad? Who let you out?!" Napoleon appeared. He glared at Sam. "I did." He pulled out his sword. Insanity raised his hands. "My people! Hear me when I say that we must stop this childish game! I realize now how foolish I have been. Amelia and Charles are the official rulers of Hell! Not me!" He flew into the air. "Obey them or pay the price!" Sam glared, "Somebody capture them!" --- Jeremy, the rookie, got himself a cheeseburger and a coke. He nervously rubbed his arm as he turned away with a frown. "I'm sorry about what happened at the scene. I felt like I made such a mess just fainting like that. I wanted to join the force so that I could become stronger and help people. Instead, I showed my weaknesses." He let out a frustrated groan. "And me whining isn't exactly helping either!" --- Gary tossed and turned in bed as he dreamt about Cheri and that fateful night. He began to sweat as tears rolled down his cheeks. He soon screamed awake at the sight of Cheri's burnt remains. Catching his breath, he ran a hand through his hair. --- Sawyer Bridgeton was running to the building that held those who were trying their best to bring the ideas of ADIEU back to life. He had a big pile of paperwork in his hands. X had sent him out on this mission to replace Nil. Sawyer was to play as the new employee on his first day who wanted to do his best in helping this organization. He wore a grey modern chic suit with a matching colored cloak on his back and a hat. He had short red hair and quite the big mustache. For being in his thirties, he looked young. Breathless, he knocked on the door. --- Adam and Bern appeared in the library. "Where the hell is David?" ,asked Adam. Bern shrugged. He looked out and saw Amelia with Oliver. "Excuse me? Ma'am? Have you seen a man by the name David around here? I was going to update him on Adam's progress. You see I'm a-" Adam stepped in, "What he means to say is I did a good job and David should hear about it." shadowess - January 27, 2023 Hannes frowned and kept his gaze forward when Jean voiced his concerns. His eyes were hard as he tried to swallow the anger that he felt towards Insanity and Donnie for what they did to his childhood friend. "I don't think it's your powers that are failing, Miene Geliebte," he said gently. "Your powers help him to sleep and put him at ease. But the kind of suffering that he endured... It is impossible to simply erase such trauma. He doesn't need magic or spells to help him. He just needs us to be here for him. To help him to work through it in his own time and in his own way. Does this make sense?" Hannes sighed heavily and glanced back at Theron's door as they walked further away from it. "I fear Niko is not the only one who was abused in such a devastating way. I could smell it on him... It's hard to tell how our newest guest is dealing with his traumas, but I have a feeling he's going to need our help to get through this as well." --- Warren paced the new room. He was biting his fingernails nervously. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sire. But I still don't understand!" he said finally to Theron. "I know you said we should help people but what about your fathers? Shouldn't we help them as well? Th-they might think we've abandoned them. I would never- I could never-" he stopped and turned to look at him tearfully. "I'm sorry. I'm speaking out of turn. Please forgive me, I-... I'm just worried about them. Isn't there anything we can do?" --- Ironically, despite Bob's repeated flirtations he actually didn't have the faintest idea of what to do in a romantic moment. He felt his cheeks grow warmer and the strange sensation in his belly that he assumed were the 'butterflies' that people usually refer to in these situations. His throat felt dry for a moment as he contemplated these new feelings but then he remembered;- "Life is beautiful!" he gasped suddenly. "That's what I was saying! Come on! We should cherish every moment! Let's drink and dance like we might never get the chance to do it again! Experience life with me, Grim!" He took his hands. "The way that I see it! So vivid and glorious and utterly, utterly beautiful!" --- Layla stayed close to Nil as they walked briskly away from the house. She kept looking around. Keeping an eye out for any signs to suggest that they might be being watched. She looked at the book in his hands curiously when he took it out to read. Most of the book was written in poems and stories. But there was one common theme in all of them that even Layla noticed. "They really like their forests, huh? Every page mentions one at least once." she pointed out. --- "Oh, I don't know." Desi laughed. "My sassiness gets me into quite a bit of trouble sometimes." he stood and looked over at Cindy just as she re-entered the room and started to clean up the baby powder that was all over the carpet. "Sister, let me help," he said as he walked over to her. "No, it's fine Desi. I've got this," she told him, trying not to sound cold and distant. Unfortunately, it would take Cindy some time and work to grow to trust her brother. But she could see that he was trying. "It's almost their naptime now anyway." Desi got the hint and frowned but nodded in understanding. "Of course... I suppose I'll get out of your hair and let the little darlings get their rest then." Cindy bit her lip, not liking the idea of leaving things like that. "Maybe-..." she started and caused Desi to pause in his tracks as he had turned to head towards the door. "Maybe you could come back tomorrow? For an hour or so... get to know the kids a bit more?" she offered and glanced at Kite to see if he was on board with that idea too. Desi grinned. His heart lifted, happy that his sister was considering letting him into her life at all. "I would love that!" Cindy nodded and smile a little. "It was nice to see you," she said gently. --- The appearance of Insanity and Napoleon had been a shock to everyone at the Colosseum. Challenger and audience alike. Hearing the voice booming through the halls, Florin had run back to Sam's side. He'd only had enough time to hand David from the ceiling of the next room by his feet and was a little annoyed that he hadn't been able to have any fun with him yet. He glared in disgust up at the man that had promised him chaos but now seemed repentant. He strode towards the balcony and barked at him. "You weak-willed, puny little man! You are not fit to rule Hell anyway! Your son has shown more promise in the last ten minutes than you have for your farce of a reign! ALL HAIL KING SAM!" Only a few members of the audience seemed uncertain about who to align themselves with now but the majority of the fighters and audience members, including Shiva, chanted after Florin's lead;- "ALL HAIL KING SAM!" "DO AS YOUR KING COMMANDS AND CAPTURE THEM! BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES! KILL ANYONE HERE WHO DOES NOT BOW TO OUR KING!" The colosseum erupted with roars and battle cries as the Demons rallied to the arena, all rushing to be the first to capture either Napoleon or Insanity so that they could claim the glory for themselves. Even Shiva, who had gotten back to his feet and no longer seemed interested in settling the score with Sabrina, rushed for Napoleon. Completely transforming into a large snake along the way, he moved to wrap himself around the Angel with the intention of squeezing him to submission. --- Once they got their food, Malone pulled up into a parking spot so that they could eat. He glanced over at Jeremy then shook his head. "Don't be sorry. This job is tough sometimes. But you're still new, so you're bound to have more moments like that before you start getting used to things." he told him before taking a bite out of his own burger. He swallowed then shrugged. "Look, maybe I'm not the best person to speak to about this. I don't know what werewolves go through or how their senses work to be able to give any advice. But maybe you could talk to Officer Hayward when we get back to the Precinct? She's a werewolf too. She might be able to give you some pointers?" --- Alex sat up. He'd been having trouble sleeping for a while now. Every time he closed his eyes he relived his experience in Hell. His sudden, agonising transformation and what had almost happened to him and Elliot. He pushed all of those thoughts from his mind as he focussed on Gary and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey," he whispered gently while rubbing his back. "What is it? Did you have a nightmare?" --- The building in question was a large, mostly empty, warehouse. It wasn't actually the base of operations. Merely a meeting place so that the group who are invested in bringing back ADIEU could judge whether or not Sawyer was fit enough to join them and not some rat for the police. As soon as he knocked on their door, it was thrown open and several large, muscular men rushed out to grab him. They were all yelling at him in Japanese and pointing towards a lone metal chair in the centre of the warehouse. The force they used to pull and shove Sawyer into the warehouse caused his paperwork to scatter across the floors. All of the men wore smart suits. Some had the top few buttons of their shirts undone to show off their heavily tattoed chests. Every last one of the men in this room had both a gun and a katana on their hips. Yakuza. Only when Sawyer sat in the chair would they back off and let their apparent leader approach him. This man had long, black hair which was tied up in a ponytail. He had a deep scar across his face that ran from the left side of his forehead, down to the right side of his chin. His left eye was completely white. He lifted a hand to his lips and took a drag off of his cigarette. The fingernail of his pinky finger was longer and sharper than the rest. In a thick Japanese accent, he spoke while simultaneously exhaling the smoke. "You are the one known as 'Red Fox'? You spoke to one of my men and said you knew things about the ADIEU. Tell me, why should I trust what you say? I don't know you. My men don't know you. How do we know that you aren't a rat?" --- Amelia looked up when she heard voices. She saw Adam and Bern through the doorway. "You're on the programme?" She asked as she stood with Oliver still in her arms. He was still eating the fruit and looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying it. She walked calmly back into the library and took one last glance behind her at the open Hellscape before closing the large library doors. Turning to face the visitors, she regarded them for a moment before speaking again. "David is my dad. He's not here so I can only assume that he's out somewhere dealing with someone else on the programme. My name is Amelia Magpie. I'm the Queen of Hell and this is my son, Oliver. I'm actually the one who came up with the Redemption Programme and put David in charge of it. So any report you had for David, you can give to me." --- After drinking so much that they both passed out in front of the TV, Damien was snoozing with his arms crossed and his head leaning against James's shoulder. Yet something caused him to stir. His eyes flickered open and he squinted for a moment at the static on the TV. It was the only source of light in the room and everything else was completely dark. Lifting his head, he groaned and rubbed his temples. He was still a little drunk but already his head was starting to pound from the rapidly approaching hangover. Rubbing one of his eyes sleepily, he stood and stumbled over to the bathroom. Only a couple of minutes later, and shortly after the sound of the toilet flushing could be heard through the door, he re-emerged. He scratched his head and walked back over to the couch. He smirked at the sleeping James with the empty bottle of alcohol still in his hand. Then he picked up the remote and sat on the second couch to give him more room to sleep. He settled down, getting ready to sleep again and lifted the remote towards the TV to turn it off. The second he did and there was no more light in the room, Damien froze in terror. Behind the TV was a window and as soon as the light was no longer reflecting off it, he saw a familiar face behind the glass, smiling at him! "JAMES!!" Damien bolted to his feet, his own face had turned very pale. He pointed to the vampire that had attacked him but as soon as James would awaken, the vampire sped away. The Devil's blood in his veins made him unusually fast and by the time James would get to his feet, he'd be long gone. "It's him! It was him! He was staring at me! Just fucking watching! The creep! What the fuck?! What the fuck?!" he ranted, clearly startled and struggling to calm down.

Shadowess - January 2, 2023 Warren looked around them in shock when they arrived. He took offence to Jean's words and had been about to open his mouth to argue that his Kings really did love him and that he had no intentions of ever betraying them. Until his eyes landed on Patience and her baby bump. "You-!" he gasped. And in an instant, he'd started to rethink his approach to his new situation. He was so convinced that he was in love with his kings that he refused to betray them. Even if that meant watching over Patience in the meantime until his Kings found them again. Surely they would understand if he took advantage of his situation by pretending to be a traitor to ensure the safety of their true heir? Although Warren and Theron smelled nothing alike, Hannes had mistaken Theron's claim of Warren being his uncle to be literal. "This is your home now," he said reassuringly. "Both of you. We will be your new family." Patience had eyed Warren warily after the way he'd treated her in Hell but considering Theron's willingness to change and how close he was with Warren, she assumed that he was also looking to change sides. Still feeling bad for making Theron think he wasn't welcome, she walked over to him hesitantly. "Theron?" she began in a softened voice before gently wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I was just scared." she let him go slowly and looked at him carefully. "What you're doing is very brave." --- Lilly stood by on the dance floor, watching pain awkwardly. "This is dancing in your world?" she asked him. She then smirked and shrugged before limbering herself up. "Here is a dance from my world," she told him then listened for a moment to find a beat in the music. Once she found it, she began moving to it jerkily. The resulting 'dance' seemed to be a combination of ballet, The Robot and a few moves that were reminiscent of the choreography from the famous Thriller song. Bob grinned and wiped some of the sweat from his forehead with his shirt. "Thanks, man." he breathed and glanced up at the stars. He took a deep breath of the cool, night air and stared dreamily at the constellations. "The star patterns from my world were very different," he told him. "Do you have names for yours? We named ours because they looked like certain shapes..." --- Hearing Nil, Layla turned her head and watched him break free from the chair. Before she could react, he was by her side, taking her hand. A second later she was shielding her eyes from the sudden sunlight. She could hear cars on a road nearby and birds singing in the trees. Blinking a few times to adjust her vision to the light, she could just make out a figure of a man through a cottage window in front of them. The man had dropped a cup that he'd apparently been drying with a towel and had run over to the front door. He swung it open and stood to one side, gesturing for them both to hurry. "Put your wings away! Are you mad?! Get inside, quick! Before anyone sees!" Brian said worriedly. "British?" Layla asked, picking up on the man's accent. "Is this England?" "Last I checked. Unless we've bloody been invaded again!" Brian answered. --- "Thank you." Desi grinned. "Yeah, here-" Cindy added and picked up baby Carter before pushing him into his uncle's arms. "Um-! What do I-?!" He stammered and held the baby like he was afraid of breaking or dropping him. "Bounce him gently in your arms a bit. Keep him entertained. I need to finish washing their clothes and getting their bottles ready." Cindy told him as she got up and headed into the kitchen. "Er- ok...um- hello, little... fragile... one...?" Desi looked a little worried as he glanced between the baby and Kite. "Am I holding him right?" --- Pretending to be too weak to continue fighting, David glared at Sam then grunted as he stumbled and fell at his feet. He inhaled sharply through his teeth as his freshly broken wrist hit the floor. Taking a few breaths, he lifted himself to his knees and continued to glare at Sam. The whole time he was here, he would be mentally taking note of what they were up against. "Where they belong," he answered Sam's question with an angry growl. --- "Where the hell did a kid get vampire venom?!" Malone exclaimed as he quickly pinched the radio on his shirt again and reported this back to the officers who were likely already en route. "Wait, I thought it was just werewolf venom that was toxic to vampires?" he asked. "Man... I still don't know how all this supernatural stuff works..." he then mumbled to himself while wondering if he'll ever learn it all. Denix Vames - January 2, 2023 Theron's eyes widened. Surprised at her gesture. He soon smiled and hugged her. "Thank you." Jean nodded at Theron. "You should show him your new home. I think the sight would be nice." Theron held Warren's hand. He looked at him. "No more tricks. No more plans. From now on, we help people." --- Pain smiled. "Nice! Now, that's rockin!" Grim frowned. "We probably have names for them but I never bothered to learn it. Didn't seem that important to me at the time." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Want a puff?" --- Brian's shout took Nil out of his calming mood. He grabbed her hand and ran inside. He turned to Brian. "Why can't I show them? I thought the UK was welcoming of all supernatural?" His wings were still out. He clutched his arm and glanced at them. "How do I make them go away? I've barely had them for a day now." --- Kite chuckled. "You're doing fine. Here. Let me help." He adjusted baby Carter so that he was secured in his arms. He moved his hands and gently made them bounce the baby. "Just do it like that." --- Sam grit his teeth. He grabbed David. Slamming him against a wall. "You are going to tell me or else I'll make your last torture look like child's play!" --- "It's also the other way too. If werewolf venom can be toxic to vampires then why not vampire venom against werewolves? And let me tell you, it's not a pretty picture." ,said the rookie. He awkwardly rubbed his neck. "That's kind of how I became a lone wolf." (i have a new character that we can use as the spy for the mission to infiltrate the new organization. but how should we start the mission?) Denix Vames - January 2, 2023 (i would also like to say that this agent would replace Nil as X would find Nil useless and replace him) shadowess - January 3, 2023 ((I figured as much lol Maybe they could already be in Japan and have made arrangements to meet up with their boss in a warehouse? I'll reply after work )) Denix Vames - January 3, 2023 (yeah that sounds like a good idea. I'll try my best to make this character interesting) shadowess - January 3, 2023 ((I'm sure they'll be fun )) Warren took his eyes off Patience when Theron held his hand and looked at his nephew. Until he did, he'd been staring at her while deep in thought. At Theron's words, he hesitated and bit his lip before answering. "Ok." he nodded and followed Theron into his new home. Frowning, Hannes watched them leave. He knew now that Theron's willingness to become good was sincere. But he was still uncertain about Warren and made a mental note to keep a close eye on him. Patience looked at Hannes and Jean a little awkwardly. "I suppose I didn't have anything to worry about after all..." she shrugged, her cheeks turning a little red. "I'm going to go and get something to drink. See you later." she waved before turning to walk away. --- Bob looked at the cigarette and smirked. "Maybe later, but for now I wouldn't mind trying a smoke?" he joked and winked as he took it from him. He looked at the cigarette between his fingers curiously before placing it between his lips and inhaling. Bob then suddenly found himself having a coughing fit. His lung felt like they were on fire and his eyes watered from the strain of trying to control his breathing again. He almost dropped the cigarette and hurriedly passed it back to Grim. "Ugh! That hurt! and tasted awful!" he complained while cringing from the aftertaste that now tainted his tastebuds. "Why is this a thing?" --- Once they were in the house, Brian closed the front door and locked it before hurrying over to the windows to close the curtains. He caught sight of Heather trying to sneak a peak at the commotion from her bedroom and immediately pointed towards her. "Everything's ok! Go back in your room!" He then turned to Nil and Jayla with a sigh. "What do you mean? How can you not know what you are until now?" he asked, clearly confused. "It's a long story..." Jayla commented. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the new light. "hmph... You too?" Shaking her head a little, Jayla answered "Werewolf..." "Alright, look at me, pal." Brian addressed Nil, giving him a more patient look. "Take some deep breaths and focus." he began then talked Nil through some grounding exercises that are commonly associated with calming an anxiety attack. Considering the appearance of fae wings was directly linked to strong emotions, this was the best defence when it came to suppressing them. Only when Nil was calm enough that his wings vanished would Brian relax and offer them both a hot drink. "No, thank you..." Jayla answered as she slowly sat down at the kitchen table. She had been continually looking around and towards the front door since their arrival. She was tense and paranoid that X might follow them. "Suit yourself..." Brian answered as he put the kettle on and then leaned against the kitchen counter, facing them. "Right, so... you're right about England. It's far more welcoming and accepting of the supernatural than it had been about a year ago... but..." he hesitated and scratched the back of his neck as he thought about how to tell them. "Our kind... we're so rare... endangered... that we've become, well... valuable." he finished and watched Nil's expression carefully. "Sure, the UK authorities may protect us like any other species but not every officer is good and not every stranger you meet on the street has good intentions... all it takes is for one corrupt person or group to figure out what we are and that's it, we're a target to be captured, transported and sold as either a pet, a slave or God forbid, some kind of lab rat... Even in a safer world, we're not safe," he explained. "If you want an idea of how rare we are... Apart from my wife and child, you're the only other fae I've met. Ever. And despite my youthful face, I'm actually two hundred and thirty-three years old." "Now, if you don't mind. It's my turn to ask some questions," he said a little more sternly. "Who are you? How did you end up on my doorstep? And will your presence bring any danger to myself and my child?" --- "Oh!" Desi smiled as Kite helped him to hold the baby properly. He gently bounced the boy and his eyes softened as the child stared at him in fascination. "Ha! Hello, little one. I'm your uncle Desi." he told him in a soft voice. "And from now on I'm going to be more involved in your and your sister's life. I'm going to spoil you both rotten, just you wait!" he laughed. --- David grunted and glared at the boy. "You think you frighten me?" he growled. "Your claim to the throne is false! All your posturing and lies will only end in your misery and defeat!" He turned to face him, glowering at him. "You really think any of those people out there are loyal to you? They're loyal to a dead ideal, nothing more!" "SABRINA!!!" Shiva bellowed from the arena. Despite having regenerated, his skin was a deep shade of red from the burns he'd suffered. His new body still trying to heal the damage that had been done when he was thrown into the acid pool. One of his cheeks had a large, gaping hole in it, making the inside of his mouth visible. Large burn scars covered the majority of his body. All of his hair and nails hadn't had time to regrow yet. Watching him carefully, his body could be seen slowly trying to recover from the massive amount of trauma that it had suffered. He looked an absolute horror, especially with the murderous rage in his eyes. "YOU BITCH! I TRUSTED YOU! WE HAD HIM! WE BOTH HAD HIM BUT YOU WANTED THE GLORY ALL TO YOURSELF, DIDN'T YOU?!" He shouted and paced around the arena with his arms up by his sides. "I DEMAND JUSTICE! I DEMAND HONOUR! FACE ME, SABRINA! JUST YOU AND ME IN A FAIR FIGHT! LET'S SEE WHO REALLY DESERVES THE PRAISE OF OUR KING!" --- Malone listened to the rookie and sighed when he realised what he meant. "I'm- God, I'm sorry," he said then glanced back towards the house. "It just doesn't make sense though... it seemed really out of place... I wonder how and why this kid would have access to that stuff..." He looked back at the rookie. "I'll wait out here with you until the other officers arrive, then I'll drive you back to the precinct, ok?" Denix Vames - January 3, 2023 Jean let out a sigh of relief. "I hope everything works out." --- "A lot of people have their reasons. Mine is to take my mind off things." ,said Grim. --- Nil thought over what he said. He covered his mouth as he heard more. He clenched his fists by his sides and turned away. "Layla, we should go. I don't want to put anyone else in danger."" He headed to the front door. --- Kite wiped his joyful tears. "You've done some great steps." --- Sam was about to cut his throat open when he heard Shiva. He sat on the throne to watch the fight. Sabrina smirked. She landed in the middle of the arena. "Take your first shot!" --- "I'm fine. I really am. I can do things around here without getting anywhere near the venom." ,said the rookie. Shadowess - January 10, 2023 "I'm sure it will," Hannes said as he squeezed Jean's shoulders and kissed his head. He loved how soft his hair felt against his lips. "Shall we take a walk through the gardens, Meine Geliebte?" --- "Like what?" Bob asked, his voice a little strained from the coughing. --- Still paranoid that X would follow them, Layla shot to her feet when Nil motioned that they should leave. She agreed with him and didn't want to see this man or his daughter being brainwashed the way Nil had been by the CIA. She hurried to his side, taking his hand. Seeing this reaction confirmed Brian's suspicion that their mere presence might bring danger to himself and his daughter. He frowned as he watched them head towards the door then sighed heavily, knowing he couldn't just let a fellow fairy leave without knowing what they are. "Wait," he said reluctantly. "Just... before you go, wait for a second," he told them before walking off down the hall towards his own bedroom. After a few minutes of hearing him rummaging around and cursing under his breath, Brian reemerged with a small, leather-bound book. He walked over to them and tapped his fingers on the book's spine as he seemed to come to a silent decision before holding it out for Nil to take. "I was going to give this to Heather one day but I know it so well that I can always write up a new one for her. It's a part of our culture... our history... who we are. Maybe it might answer some of your questions?" he told him. "Go ahead, take it with you. And best of luck to you both... whoever you are." While the book did not contain any record of what happened to make the Fae so endangered, it did contain various healing spells, instructions on building natural fairy fountains, ancient heroic stories about fairy knights which may or may not be true, and poems written by fairies so long ago that half of them still hadn't been translated from Gaeilge yet. --- Desi was puzzled by Kite's tearful reaction and looked at him worriedly. "Is everything alright?" he asked. --- Blinded by his rage, Shiva wasted no time and rushed at Sabrina the second she landed in the arena. He charged, wild-eyed and roaring furiously as he threw punch after punch at her. In his anger, he seemed oblivious to his own pain. David glanced down at the fight but then back at Sam, seeing an opening that he'd be a fool not to take advantage of. Gathering himself, he cracked his neck and then snapped his wrist back into place without showing any hint of his pain. Silently, and while glancing around warily, he crept from the wall to Sam's throne. Just as the boy was within his reach, David found himself flying across the room before slamming into the far wall. Having hit his head and left a small crater in the obsidian wall, he was disorientated as he tried to lift himself onto his hands and knees. He winced, straining to look at who had thrown him while his vision swam. He heard someone whistling a tune. He recognised it only as a song he had heard when he'd been a mortal man. 'Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?' But whoever was whistling this tune was doing so in a slow, unnerving way that caused the hairs on the back of David's neck to stand on end. "Young King." Florin addressed Sam without taking his eyes off David. "Apologies for the wall." David's eyes regained their focus and he glared at them. Florin merely grinned in return. "Please, continue enjoying the entertainment. I will be happy to punish your prisoner for you. Then, perhaps, we can discuss my position within your Royal Guard?" --- "I'd still rather not risk it. You're my responsibility while you're still learning the ropes." Malone told him as he waved down the second police car as it rolled up. "Alright, they can take things from here. Let's head back and report what we found," he said as he walked around the car to climb into the driver's side. "You hungry? We could swing by a drive-thru on the way?"

Shadowess - December 27, 2022 Patience stared in the direction of Theron's door, then at Jean. When he spoke, she realised the reason for Theron being here might not be to spy on them and report her location to Donnie, as she'd first thought. Maybe he was running, the same as she was? While she felt her fears were justified, given all she'd gone through, she felt a pang of guilt when Jean glanced at her after Theron had left. Hannes reached out and gently took Jean's arm to stop him from walking away. "We knew that taking him in wouldn't be easy," he told him. "We should try to talk to him. Maybe it would be best if you could speak with him too?" He asked as he turned to look at Patience. "Don't hold his father's crimes against him. He is not responsible for what happened to you." Patience hesitated before nodding. "Alright. If you can bring him back, I'll talk to him." She agreed while hugging herself. "Thank you." Hannes gave a weak smile before turning to Jean. "We made a promise. Let's keep it. Let's bring him home." --- Lilly smiled and tilted her head a little. She was still blushing and glancing away out of nerves while fidgeting with her fingers. "Or-... maybe you could show me here?" she shrugged. "And I could show you some moves from my world?" "I am?" Bob asked and looked down at himself in fascination. "I can't tell. I'm not used to this much flesh so it all feels flabby to me!" he laughed. He looked up at Grim and nodded. "Sure! I could do that. Wait... so does this mean, you guys still want me around? Even though I'm not a mascot anymore?" --- "NIL!" Layla screamed when he shoved her away and she watched him being tased. She thought about fighting back but considering they were outnumbered and outgunned, it wouldn't be the smartest move right now. Reluctantly, she followed X with an agent on either side of her, holding her arms tightly. Once in the training room, she shivered as she watched Nil being strapped into a chair. She looked at the button and then at X with pleading eyes. "I-I can't-!" she shook her head. She then took on a more determined expression as her tone hardened. "I won't," she told him stubbornly. "You can't make me do this! It isn't right!" --- Cindy looked up and watched Desi enter the room with a wary expression. Although they had once been the same person, she had no memory of that life and what little she knew of Desi didn't paint him in the best light. Of course, there was that one time that he helped Kite to save her but other than that, she didn't really know him. "Why?" she asked him in a cold tone. Desi paused halfway into the living room, taken aback by the greeting. "Um, well...dearest sister... I thought it might be a good thing if I became more involved with my family," he explained. "I'm looking for a fresh start and thought this would be the best place to begin." Cindy stared hard at Desi for a moment before glancing at Kite and shrugging. "Ok. But if it turns out you're up to something, Kite will probably tear you a new one," she warned and Desi let out a nervous laugh. "I would expect so." he walked over and knelt opposite her. "Can I help?" "Keep him distracted while I try to change him? He doesn't like sitting still." Within moments, Desi had settled into playing peek-a-boo with baby Carter while Cindy successfully managed to change him. Emily had also stopped crying now that her brother was calmer. --- "Theron?" Warren gasped as he lowered his hands. Overcome with relief at seeing him alive and well, Warren threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. He then quickly let him go and looked at him worriedly. "You can't stay here. Sam has been on a war path after you left. He says you're a traitor. He's throwing this tournament to put together a strong set of soldiers." he said in a hushed tone. "He says he's working on freeing your fathers but I'm worried that the power might be going to his head." he bit his lip, hesitating to voice his idea but given Theron's arrival, it might be the best chance that they have. "You managed to teleport in, which means you still have your powers. Teleport us both out of here. We'll come up with a plan to rescue your fathers together." --- "Oh?" Carol rose a brow and then watched calmly as Sabrina lay into David. In any other circumstance, she would have intervened but David, who she knew without a doubt could defend himself, appeared to just be letting it happen. Which told her that this was part of a plan that she was as of yet unaware of. "What're we going for here?" David spat out some blood. During the beating, he hadn't cried out once. "We're faking my kidnapping," he told Carol as he winced and held his chest. "Ohhh, then in THAT case..." Carol grinned cruelly. "You need to bear in mind that this is one of Lucifer's finest that you're 'capturing'. No, no, it needs to look much worse." she walked over and aimed a few short, sharp strikes at David's face. He grunted and fell back. His lip was busted open, his nose broken and his eye was already swelling up. Carol then aimed a couple of kicks to his ribs until David coughed up more blood and gasped for air. "And then the finishing touch..." she said pleasantly as she strode around him and placed her foot over his wrist. "Ready, sweet thing?" she asked and David glared at her before slowly turning and bringing his free hand up to his mouth. He put as much of his jacket sleeve as he could into his mouth and bit down on the fabric in anticipation before humming to Carol with a nod. "Mhmm..." "Jolly good, jelly bean!" Carol sang before stamping on his wrist a few times, putting all of her weight down and twisting her foot a little each time it landed until his wrist finally broke in a couple of places. "There! Now THAT is a believable fight!" she said triumphantly as she looked back at Sabrina. David spat the fabric out and took a few sharp breaths to cope with the pain. "With friends like these..." he grumbled sarcastically as he shuffled to his knees. He intended to thank Carol for her help and to warn her to now stay away from him in case the key is found but what came out between breaths was a very disgruntled; "Carol...kindly... fuck off now. Please." Carol squealed excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping. "I love making him curse! He almost never does! Alright, have fun you two!" and with a pop, Carol vanished again. David looked up at Sabrina and gave her a half-hearted smile. "I hope this works..." --- "Hey!" Malone darted over and looked at the shoebox, then at the rookie. "C'mon, let's get you out of here!" he hoisted him up by hooking his arms under his armpits and dragged him out of the house as quickly as he could. "That didn't seem right..." he mumbled to himself as she dragged the rookie out to the car. The way the box had looked in contrast with the rest of the room. It looked very out of place. Like it didn't belong there. He sat the rookie in the passenger seat and lightly tapped his cheek. "Hey, hey kid. Can you hear me? What was that?" Denix Vames - December 27, 2022 Jean thought for a moment before nodding. He gasped at the sight of Theron and Warren appearing. "Theron? Who is this?" "Please don't be mad at me. He's my uncle." Theron looked at Warren. "Don't be scared. They're my new family. But I still need you too." He helped him stand. "What we did uncle, it wasn't right. We hurt people. Please understand." Jean walked over to Warren. "Hello, my name is Jean. I'm the King here but don't be scared by my title. I only want to help. I understand that Donnie and Insanity abused you into loving them. I'm sorry you had to go through that. You can stay here for as long as you want." Theron stood back. "But I can't stay here. Only he can." "That's not true. While you did what you did, you know now that your actions were wrong. I can see that you're trying to be a better person." ,said Jean. Theron lowered his head. "R-Really?" --- Pain smirked. "Alright! Get ready to be amazed!" He took her to the dance floor where he began to headbang and thrash around. "Of course. You're our friend after all." ,said Grim. --- Nil looked at her with determination. "Layla..." His body glowed as his wings appeared. The chair suddenly broke at the touch of his powers. He stood by Layla's side as some agents ran in to stop them. He raised a hand and blasted out his energy. Knocking them all back. He held her hand and closed his eyes. All that he wanted to do was find himself with his own kind. Maybe then he would be safe. Nil and Layla appeared in front of a house that had a father and daughter who were both fairies. --- Kite smiled. "Nice job." --- Theron frowned. "I need to show you something." He hugged Warren before teleporting. --- Sabrina helped him up. "I hope so too." They teleported by the arena. She smirked. "Hey! Look at what I got here!" Sam stood from his seat. He smiled. "Good work. What happened to the other guy?" "David here shoved him into an acid pit. That's why I beat the shit out of him." He laughed. "Well, bring him over here." She walked up the stairs and let David fall by Sam's feet. "Enjoy." She walked away. Sam glared at him. "Now, where are my parents?" --- The rookie slowly opened his eyes as scents of the public replaced the previous one. "....Officer?" He pinched the brim of his nose as he tried to pull himself together. His eyes widened then as he said, "You can't let any werewolf go near it!" He grabbed the front of his uniform. "That's vampire venom!"

Denix Vames - December 11, 2022 Theron followed them as they left the room. He looked back at Jessica before focusing on Hannes and Jean. "Why are you naked?" Jean blushed. "I guess I got use to my weird transformation. Maybe I should cover myself sometimes." --- "There's plenty that you could do now. You can go wherever you want to go. And if you need a new friend for some adventures, I wouldn't mind coming along." ,said Pain with a smile. --- Nil smiled. "You too. I'll see you later." He walked off. Heading into the facility where he soon reached his room. Hiding himself there. --- Vincent shook his head. "I'm glad I could help. I hope you find whatever it is that you need." --- "I already sent two of my subjects to capture them which means they'll get my dads. So shut up and enjoy the show." ,said Sam. --- Sabrina waved her hand dismissively at the idea. "People only come back if they know how to come back. Besides, we need to focus on the real issue here. Sam is expecting me to rescue his fathers. Obviously, I can't get Insanity but I can at least get Donnie." She grinned. "Looks like Charles really wants to have some fun with this. It seems like he knows more than you. So don't worry about a thing." --- "Sure thing." The rookie handed him a bag before making his way upstairs. He sniffed the kids bedroom before yelping at the scent. He covered his mouth and nose as the smell burned his nostrils. (cant wait) shadowess - December 26, 2022 Hannes chuckled at Jean's reaction. "As much as I've loved watching you walk around in your- Was ist das Wort?- birthday suit?, I think it might be for the best if you dressed around the castle. Especially as we'll be opening up our home to tourists soon." He pointed out. When mentioning the tourists, his tone was a mixture of nerves and excitement. Many of the castle's inhabitants were anxious about letting strangers into their home, particularly after being shut off from the world for so long. But many, Hannes included, felt that it was a long overdue and much-needed change. Once they reached the vacant room, Hannes unlocked the door and opened it before stepping to one side to let them in. Like most of the other rooms, this was a home unto itself. Complete with a dining area, living area, bathroom and bedroom with a four-poster bed. Hannes stepped inside after them and casually removed the key from a full-looking key ring. He offered this key to Theron. "This can be your room. Your own home within our home," he told him. "We have excellent teachers if you are in need of education. Just let me know and I can get you a place in their classrooms. For now, though, you will have time to settle in and adjust to your new life." --- Lilly smiled and looked at Pain. She moved her hand to take his and gave it a gentle squeeze in thanks. "Wooo!" Bob cheered as he danced. He was sweating from the movement. He found himself getting a little frustrated with how warm he was starting to feel and the way that his sweat caused his shirt to cling tightly to his torso. "Oh gosh! All this moving around is making me hot!" he panted as he slowed his dancing down a bit. "Is there somewhere we can go to cool off a bit?" he asked Grim. --- Layla watched Nil leave and stayed where she was for a few minutes more. She glanced at the water, unsure of how to feel about it now. It had always been a source of peace for her but seeing the way Nil had reacted to it made her feel a little uneasy. When she was sure that enough time had passed, she sighed heavily and walked back to the facility as casually as she could. She felt like a rebellious teenager that had snuck out after curfew and was sneaking back into their home as she entered the building through a concealed door, all the while looking over her shoulder for any sign of X. Her heart was beating hard and she kept glancing around nervously as she stealthily made her way back to her own room. --- "Are you going home?" Neva asked Desi, turning away from the fridge to look at him. "That I am. Though..." Desi paused with a thoughtful look. "Seeing your lovely little family has given me an idea. I sort of already have a family of my own..." he realised, as though this fact that he had known for some time already was just now sinking in. "And I believe it's about time that I live up to my brotherly and uncle duties." he smiled. "Who knows, maybe It'll be something that I'm good at?" he grinned before waving to them. "Thanks again and take care." he vanished. A few hours later he would appear in front of Cindy and Kite's door and boxes of gifts. He could hear a pair of babies crying on the other side of the door and frowned a little. "Sounds like they have their hands full," he muttered before hesitantly knocking on the door. --- Warren flinched a little at Sam's tone and he immediately lowered his gaze submissively. "Yes, sire..." he said quietly while turning to look over the wall at the arena below. The competition hadn't begun yet but there were a few demons in the arena doing warm-ups, flexing and trying to intimidate their competitors. Warren watched them with mild fascination but he struggled to relax. He kept thinking that something could go wrong again at any moment and that they would once again be on the run. He'd heard about how Insanity was captured and glanced upwards. He wondered where the Angels had taken Insanity. He suspected that they had taken him to Heaven and worried that no demon could possibly follow him to spring him free. Who knows what the Angels could be doing to him there? Out of sight and out of reach. They could be torturing him. They could be brainwashing him. Warren lifted his hand to his chest. He could feel the scars under his shirt. "My King..." he sighed into a shaking whisper. Feeling tears welling up, he bit his lip and tensed up. He didn't want to spoil the Prince's mood, so he remained turned away from him. "S-sire? May I step out for some air, please?" he asked him. --- "Don-? No!" David shook his head, horrified by the idea. Pretending to be a prisoner and enduring torture was one thing but letting someone as dangerous as Donnie loose... "Has Charles lost his mind?! Even with the Angelic bracelet on him, Donnie is still a threat." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk it. His cell key stays with me." --- "What's wrong?" Malone asked, looking at the rookie in alarm. He followed them into the room and began looking around but to him, it just seemed like an ordinary bedroom for a teenager. Cutouts of male celebrities from magazines were pinned to the wall over the bed. A stack of comic books on the desk, along with school books and a tattered backpack. He couldn't smell the intense dark magic that tainted the child's room. He could, however, smell cigarettes. "Well, at least we know the name of the missing kid now..." he commented as he lifted the school book and read the label. "Let's head back to the precinct and put out an APB for a... 'Steven Scruff'" Denix Vames - December 27, 2022 Jean chuckled. "Perhaps you're right." Theron held the key close. "Teachers? Education? I don't know any of that but...thank you." "We'll always be here for you just like everyone else will too." Theron nodded. Once the couple left, Jean looked at the ribbons on himself. "Honestly, why do transformations always involve being naked? I never understood that in movies." --- Pain nodded at the dance floor. "So, you interested in showing some moves?" "We could take a break outside at the back of the club. Follow me." ,said Grim. He led Bob to the backdoor. He let out a sigh of relief. "Some fresh air. Smells good, doesn't it?" --- X appeared behind her. "What do you think you're doing?" Nil ran over to them. Standing between the two. He glared at X. "I won't let you hurt her!" "Enough of this! You and her will be undergoing some training. Now, follow me." Nil punched him. Surprising X. While he was distracted, Nil grabbed her hand and ran to the exit. X appeared in front of it. Nil stopped. "Come with me now. I'll give you another chance." Nil burst into tears as he ran towards him. His wings suddenly sprouted as he jumped at him. Instead of his fist, it was a ray of power that hit X who was taken aback by this. X hit the wall and fell over. He lifted his head up. "Powers? You're a fairy?" --- Kite opened the door. "Oh? Hey! I didn't expect anyone to show up. We were actually planning on having a baby shower but the kids are already here and well....you guys seemed pretty busy." --- Sam smirked at him but shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" --- "Then where should we hide them? Once I do beat you up and bring you to Sam, he's going to take your keys." ,said Sabrina. --- The rookie hesitantly reached for what was under the bed. He pulled out a shoe box that contained various ingredients for potions, spells, and rituals. He cringed at the overwhelming scents. "Something tells me this kid was up to more than just teen drama." shadowess - December 27, 2022 Hannes gave one last glance towards Theron's room. He was still a little cautious but he trusted Jean's judgement and hoped that the boy would settle in quickly. He looked at Jean with an amused grin. "Perhaps it is like a re-birth? In a way? We are not born fully clothed, after all." he speculated then paused when he noticed Patience marching up to them with a concerned expression. "Why is he still here?" she asked in a hushed voice as she gestured towards Theron's home. "You're giving him a room? You know what his 'father' did to me! You're supposed to be keeping me safe from them!" she said worriedly while holding her belly defensively. "Calm yourself, he is not-" Hannes tried but was quickly cut off by Patience. "What do you suppose Niko will say when he finds out his attacker's child is staying here? What happens when that boy's fathers come looking for him and finds us as well?!" she took a step back from them both, shaking her head a little with tearful eyes. "I don't feel safe." --- Lilly's face turned red and she smiled shyly while lowering her eyes. "I don't know how to dance and the dances here are wildly different to what I'm used to." "Oh, that's so good!" Bob breathed with his head tilted back slightly and he leaned against the cool, brick wall as he basked in the refreshingly crisp air. He looked at Grim and chuckled. "This is so much fun! I feel like I'm walking on air! And how did I get so wet? Look at this!" he pulled at his shirt which was drenched in sweat. "Actually..." he pulled it off then tilted his head back once more with a look of pure relief. "Oh, that feels so much better!" --- "I- um- well- err-" Layla had jumped and stammered when X had spoken. Before she could think up a good enough lie, Nil had already run between them. Her eyes widened and she watched them both tensely. "Nil, wait-!" she gasped when he grabbed her hand and started to pull her towards the exit. As afraid as she was, this was her home and her job. She cared about the people here and didn't want to be seen as a traitor. But once Nil had knocked X down, she knew it was far too late to go back. They were at the point of no return and were essentially defecting from the Secret Service. Seeing the altercation on the security cameras, an alarm was immediately raised and it blared loudly throughout the facility. Afraid, she clung to Nil's arm and looked at X worriedly. "Nil?" she started in a shaken voice, looking to him now for direction. They were in this together now, no matter what happened next, but she also didn't want to hurt anyone here if they could help it. But if they didn't leave immediately, they would soon be overrun by soldiers. "Let's just go?" she urged him with a frightened look. --- "My goodness! It looks as though you both have been as well." Desi commented as he gestured into the home. "May I come in? I wouldn't mind giving you a hand." "Kite, who's at the door?" Cindy called from inside. She was kneeling over one of the babies which were laying on a changing mat. She held one foot in her hand as the baby cried and kept trying to wriggle out of her grip. Baby powder was everywhere. All over the baby, Cindy, the mat and the floor around them. Baby Carter just wanted to play with his sister and didn't understand why he needed to have his dirty diaper changed. Meanwhile, Emily was laying in a baby bouncer chair with a mobile attachment hanging over her. She was also crying but mostly just because she could hear Carter's frustrated cries. --- Bowing low, Warren kept his eyes averted. "Thank you, sire," he said quietly before standing straight again and hurriedly leaving the room. Once out of sight of Sam, he walked briskly through the halls while wiping away his tears as they fell. After some walking, he found an empty room and slipped inside. He closed the door behind him, blocking out the noise from the excited demons and announcers that had begun naming champions as they stepped into the arena. He leaned against a wall and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, my Kings... I would do anything to know you're both safe! Anything!" he sobbed quietly. --- David glanced away with a thoughtful expression. As much as he'd prefer to keep the key on him, Sabrina had a good point. In a weakened and beaten state, he wouldn't be able to stop Sam from simply taking the key if they managed to find it on him. Leaving it 'in a safe place' would be irresponsible. Leaving it with someone he trusts would also be dangerous as it would likely make that person a target... unless that person could handle themself? "Carol?" "This better be- oof! David! Light a match next time!" Carol complained as she appeared and immediately pinched her nose with a disgusted look. "That's the acid..." David rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You keep blaming the acid." Carol jabbed playfully then looked over at Sabrina. "Oh, hello there." She purred. "Carol, focus!" David barked then dug into his jacket pocket. "I need you to guard this with your life," he told her as he passed her the cell key. Carol looked at it with a bored expression as she held it in her palm. "You're trusting me with the key to your diary? I'm touched. I promise I won't read it." she joked while winking playfully at Sabrina. "Yours is the pink one with all the pretty butterflies, right?" "It's the key to Donnie's cell," David told her bluntly. "So, I'd appreciate it if you kept a tighter hold on it!" "How's this for tight?" Carol grinned then threw the key down her throat, swallowing it. "There. Happy now?" "As long as you're the one who'll be cleaning it when it eventually comes out the other end." David fired back, causing Carol to laugh. --- "Don't touch any of that stuff," Malone warned the rookie. "We'll report it and let the professionals identify it all...God, knows what any of it would do if we hold it wrong or somethin'" he gripped the walkie on his jacket and used a code to let the precinct know that there were supernatural items found at the scene. This would prompt more experienced officers to join them. While he was calling it in, he also requested an APB for the kid and after finding a picture of the boy, he also provided a description of what to look out for. Denix Vames - December 27, 2022 Jean frowned. He stepped forward. "I understand how you feel but he is afraid too. He only wishes for a home and family." Theron pressed his head against the wall. Listening to everything. Tears ran down his cheeks when he heard Patience. Jean's eyes widened. He whipped his head to the door. "Theron! Don't!" He opened the door and found that he was gone. Knowing that he disappeared. With frustration and tears in his eyes, Jean only glanced at her before storming off. --- "That's alright. We can save the dancing for later then. I can teach you some moves at home." ,said Pain. Grim blushed when he saw Bob take his shirt off. "I never thought you were fit. Ya know, since you're human, we could use an extra hand at setting up the equipment. Not to mention carrying it to and from the van." --- Nil nodded. He took her hand and ran to another door. Knowing the place inside and out. An agent suddenly appeared in front of him with a taser. He shoved Layla out of the way. The agent stuck the taser against his chest. Nil cried out. He collapsed on the floor. X stepped forward from behind. "Bring them to a training room." A couple of agents had escorted them into the room. They forced Nil to sit on a chair which they strapped him to. Layla would only be standing there until X said, "The switch. Pull on it as many times as you must for him to understand that he must remain emotionless." Nil struggled against the straps. "Don't make her do this! She didn't do anything wrong!" "She made you soft." He glared at her. "Now, pull the switch." Nil gave her a defeated look. "I'm sorry. Just....do what he says." --- Kite sighed at the sight of Baby Carter with a smile. "We definitely could use some help." He stepped out of the way. Letting Desi enter. "Hey Cindy. Your brother's here." --- Theron would appear in front of Warren. His eyes widened. "Uncle? I thought of family and I found you." He gripped his own arms. "What's going on? What are those sounds?" --- "Normally, I'd say go off but this is serious." Sabrina winked. "Though maybe another time. For now, I have to follow up with our plan." She cracked her knuckles. "Might want to cover your eyes. This could get ugly." She made sure to hold onto David as she punched him in several places. Even going far enough to use powers to puncture some spots. "You think that's enough to make it look legit?" --- The rookie's vision began to disorient at the scent of these items. He clutched his head. "V-Vam...." Vampire venom was in one of these vials. Before he had the chance to say anything, he passed out.

shadowess - December 9, 2022 Jessica grinned, happy with the outcome. As they were only guests in the castle themselves, she wasn't so sure that the adoption included them but she was simply glad that the boy would now get the love and care that he needed to grow into a good man. Hearing Ben's words, she turned in his arms to face him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gazed lovingly into his eyes. "You'd make a wonderful father," she said softly. Hannes smiled at Jean's suggestion but also at the way he'd said it. He'd noticed that in his time here, surrounded by Vampires who are centuries old, he'd occasionally speak in a similar manner. He found it adorable. "A welcoming party, like the one we had for you and Racheal?" he suggested while rubbing Theron's back comfortingly. --- Lilly looked over and her smile strained. Taking a sip of her drink, she let out a sigh as she forced herself to relax before shrugging and smirking at Pain. "Looks like he'd going to be Grim's problem tonight." "I know that!" Bob laughed. "I meant, what kind?" he downed another shot, coughed, and then looked around the club. His eyes lit up at the dance floor and he turned to Grim with a big smile. "I wanna dance! Come dance with me?" --- "Maybe we could but we'd have to be careful about who we ask." Nil dug his hands in his pockets. "There's some kind of group. They're trying to bring back ADIEU. Or at least the way they do things." He caught his breath. His voice was trembling. "That can't happen. Not when our friends are supernatural. Not when I....Do you think they'll know that I'm not human? What if I suddenly glow again? I know what ADIEU did to their patients. I don't want to think about this new organization." "No way, they can't do that!" Layla gasped when Nil told her a group were looking to resurrect ADIEU. Hearing his concerns, Layla stood and walked over to him. She placed her hands on his arms. "You can't think like that. You've gone this long without anyone ever realising what you really are. I doubt X even knows! Even if you were brainwashed, you were also trained by the best to hide your emotions. You need those skills now more than ever or these ADIEU creeps and even X will see right through you." she bit her lip. They were both in a precarious situation now that his mind was free. "When we get back to base, we both need to pretend like our time out here didn't happen... B-but, before you go on your mission..." Layla blushed and glanced away from him shyly. "Maybe you could sneak into my room and we can... talk some more?" --- Desi shifted on his feet uncomfortably at the suggestion. "Carter and I have made amends but..." he shrugged. "I kidnapped him and tried to brainwash him into loving another man so he repaid me by almost drinking me dry before caving my skull in... What I'm trying to say is, being around him would be too awkward for comfort." --- The Demons in the bar fell silent and still as they stared at their King in alarm. Not only would Sam's power dwarf their own, but it was also incredibly bad form to fight a member of Hell's Royal family. Particularly in a bar, of all places. "Sire, I have a suggestion?" one of the Demons hesitantly spoke up after a tense moment of silence. "The Obsidian Champion Tournament?" Excited murmurs suddenly spread around the bar. Even Warren had lifted his head from his sulking, curious to learn what that was. "In Hell, there's this place. The Obsidian Coliseum. Back when Lucifer reigned, Demons would gather to compete against each other there. They were brutal battles to the death- temporary death, that is. The last Demon standing would earn their place in the King's army." "Bringing back this old tradition might also convince other Demons to accept you as the true royalty, Sire." Another Demon added. --- With Shiva knocked down, David had turned to check on Sabrina's movements when her fist struck his stomach. With a grunt, he doubled over, winded. Before he could react, he felt sudden shooting pains through his chest and gasped as he tried to pull himself away from the Demoness. That's when Shiva, who had managed to jump back to his feet, wrapped his arm around David's neck. "Nice one!" Shiva praised Sabrina. "Though I gotta say, given this guy's reputation, that seemed way too easy!" Through his pain, David chuckled. "Oh, I don't intend on giving up that easily." "The hell are you talking about? We've got you beat!" Shiva gloated triumphantly. "Are you sure about that?" David suddenly teleported the three of them to a part of hell that had several yellowish-green pools scattered across an expanse of burned soil. The air was dense with chemical smells that were potent enough to burn the hairs in their noses. Looking around, Shiva knew immediately that these pools were likely so acidic that stepping into one could cost a limb... or a life. Before he could say anything though, David swung his head back to headbutt him in the nose. He let out an annoyed yelp and stumbled back while gripping his face. Blood poured down his shirt. The strong, toxic air made his broken nose sting all the more. "Oh, fuck!" David's focus went back to Sabrina and he moved to grip her wrist. Ignoring the pain from her shadows, he strode forward and used his free hand to grab her throat. His expression was cold, emotionless and unnaturally calm as he continued to walk forwards to force her to walk backwards. He'd bring her to the edge of one of the pools and hold her over it threateningly. "Who sent you?!" he barked at her in his commanding voice. "What are they planning?!" "I know all about you David Sedley!" Shiva called out suddenly. His eyes watering from how much his nose stung. "Your story is famous and so is your family!" Shiva then grinned maliciously. "Would be an awful shame if something were to happen to them." David didn't answer. He remained glaring at Sabrina while holding her over the pool. Yet the colour had drained from his face and his pupils had retracted out of fear. "Maybe I'll throw one of your great-grandkids in one of these pools, hmm? Who should it be? Alex? Draven?..." Shiva took a couple of cautious steps towards David. At the mention of their names, David had begun seething through his teeth. He trembled, not taking his eyes off Sabrina. "Put Sabrina down safely and come quietly," Shiva ordered. "Or I'll hunt down all of your grandkids until your bloodline is completely destroyed." For a minute, David didn't move. Then, he slowly took a few steps back, away from the pool and set Sabrina down. Without a word he lifted his hands up to show he wouldn't resist anymore. "Smart move." Shiva grinned and then looked at Sabrina, fully expecting her to retaliate for threatening her life despite the fact that David was now surrendering. Shiva had no intentions of stopping her either. He supposed it would be beneficial for them to weaken David as much as possible before delivering him to their King anyway. --- Kodi followed the man's eye-line to the house in question and raised a brow. The lights were still on but there didn't seem to be any movement behind the windows from what he could tell. The whole place seemed completely still. "Alright, I'll see if everything is ok. I'd advise you to go back into your home for now," he said without taking his eyes off the house and he began walking towards it. He walked over to the door and knocked on it firmly. "Police. Everything ok in there?" No answer. "Hello?" he knocked again. Still no answer. No signs of movement inside either. A cold chill passed through Kodi. The air was a little crisp tonight but something told him it wasn't the autumn air that was making him shiver. "Hello? Anyone in there?!" He hammered on the door but still, there was no answer. Something wasn't right here. Kodi wandered around the house and peered into one of the windows. He spotted what appeared to be a blood smear on the kitchen tiles and it was enough for him to be able to break in legally. He hurried back around to the front door and kicked it in. Gun drawn, he cautiously headed in. Several tense minutes later, he hurried away from the house and practically jogged to his car. His face was pale and his voice was shaking a little as he picked up his radio to call in what he assumed was a gruesome murder-suicide. Even more worrying was that after doing a sweep of the house to make sure all the rooms were clear, he'd discovered a child's room but had only found the parents. No child. He'd taken great care to not touch the bodies or crime scene, figuring it best to wait until some detectives arrived to investigate the scene. Denix Vames - December 10, 2022 Ben smirked. "You'd think so?" Jean nodded. "Yes. A party." Theron shyly looked down. "A party? I don't know how to deal with so many people." "Don't worry. We'll be right here with you." --- Grim said, "It's purple nurples!" He grabbed Bob's hand and ran to the dance floor with him. Pain watched them go crazy. "You miss taking care of him, don't you? I imagine you guys must have gotten close as best friends." --- Nil nervously cleared his throat and nodded. "Um...Yeah. I could do that." He swallowed the lump in his throat as his tears snuck in. "Thank you for talking to me. I-I'm glad it was you who found me. And I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I should have never held that knife at you." --- Vincent awkwardly scratched his neck. "Oh. Well, if it makes you feel better, I once killed Carter's entire family. Not that saying that helps now that I think about it." --- "Then let's do it!" ,said Sam. "Take me there!" --- Sabrina walked over so that she stood in front of David. She smirked. "Guess we won. Now, let's get someone out of the way." She winked. With a quick turn, she pushed Shiva to an acid pool. --- One of the detectives was a young man who wore a shirt, shorts, and a cap. He was a werewolf who had a weird way of searching for things. He walked on all fours despite not being in his wolf form. He sniffed the air before running into the house. This was his first day and he seemed eager to look around. The neighbor who had made the call raised a brow at the detective. Shadowess - December 10, 2022 Jessica grinned and nodded. "I really do," she said softly and kissed him lovingly. "Everyone here is a member of your family now," Hannes added. "They will protect you, teach you and love you. Then, of course, there are the gifts." he grinned. "Everyone in the castle provides one gift to the newest arrival during our welcoming party. You'll also get your very own room here." --- "Purple what?! That sounds funny!" Bob laughed giddily. He ran excitedly onto the dance floor with Grim and started making moves of his own to the beat of the music. No longer worried that a random bone would fly off across the dancefloor, he really let himself get lost in the music. Taking another sip of her drink, Lilly shrugged. "I suppose in a way, I do," she admitted. "Like he's an idiot brother, always getting into trouble. He always needed me... now he doesn't. I'm not sure if I feel relieved or lost." she looked at Pain and smiled a little. "He has his own life now. It's about time I had my own too." --- Hearing him agree to meet up again later, Layla smiled. She then looked at him sympathetically when he apologised to her and she shook her head. "You didn't know what was going on. You had a right to be mad." She hesitated then gingerly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug to comfort him. "You're not alone now, ok? Even with your mission coming up and even though we have to act like strangers on base... Just know that I'll always have your back. You can come to me for anything." Letting him go, she looked sadly in the direction of the base. "Speaking of which, we'd better head back or we'll be missed. I'd hate to see what X would do if he realised we're both off the grounds at the same time... We should head back separately. Minimise suspicion." she said hollowly and although she was right, she was reluctant to leave his side. --- Desi was a little surprised by this news and fell quiet for a moment. He then shrugged. "I suppose I never realised just how strong that man's heart is. To forgive us, after all that we've done to him, that takes a phenomenal amount of love to drown out so much hatred." He seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I guess I underestimated him and the support he gets from his partner. But still, I don't wish to burden the man anymore. He's gone through enough without me darkening his doorstep..." he frowned, but this visit had given him a lot to think about. "Daddy!" Neva ran into the kitchen and over to Vincent with a colourful piece of paper. "Look! I drew this for you!" she beamed as she held up the drawing to show him. The image was of a crudely drawn family of three standing outside a house. "That's you, that's me and that's daddy Elliot!" she told him proudly while pointing to each person. Desi watched, finding the moment adorable but he was also a little concerned. He wasn't sure how children grew as this was the longest he'd ever spent near one. But to him, she seemed a little odd. Like she was behaving much, much younger than she appeared to be. But then, maybe that was normal. It's not like he'd know. --- Bowing to him and cheering in excitement, a few Demons rushed to Sam and lifted him onto their shoulders, holding him high. Warren watched, helpless but wary. A few demons also grabbed him and a second later, they were standing on an ornately decorated balcony that overlooked the entire Coliseum. A throne was positioned in the centre and had red velvet fabric draped over it. The Demons gently set Sam down on this throne before hurriedly going about setting up the tournament. Large oil lamps were lit. The Demons had dragged the bartending souls with them, along with several kegs of Demon's Brew and ordered them to serve Demons during the tournament. Invites were sent out, far and wide across Hell while the Demons who wanted to compete readied themselves for battle in the halls below. The entire structure was made of obsidian, including the throne itself. While preparations were being done, a couple of souls were bound and placed in the Royal suite. They were ordered to cater to Sam's every whim. Warren had also been dropped in the Royal suite but beyond that, the other Demons mostly ignored him. He wandered over to the edge of the balcony and looked over the half-wall to get a look at the Coliseum. "It's huge!" he gasped. --- "'Brina-?!" Shiva gasped before tripping backwards into the pool of acid. His eyes were full of hurt and betrayal as he fell in. He had just saved her from this very fate! His expression rapidly contorted in agony as the liquid hissed and spat around him. He let out an awful scream and thrashed, trying to get out but the pool had a pull of its own and within seconds he was dragged under. Completely submerged, the yellowish-green liquid soon turned crimson as Shiva essentially became soup. David had watched the merciless act in shock. He turned his head to Sabrina while keeping his arms in the air. He gave her a look that was a combination of confusion, shock, disgust, disbelief and anger. "Why did you do that?!" he demanded. --- Deciding to let the detective check over the scene, Kodi saw the way the neighbour watched him and thought it best to ask a few questions to keep him occupied. "Excuse me. I'm afraid to say that the house is now an active crime scene. Mind if I take a statement?" he gestured towards the neighbour's house, hinting that they should go inside. This would serve to do two things. Make the neighbour more comfortable and stop him gawking at the werewolf rookie. Along with the new detective, Malone had also arrived on the scene and he gave Kodi a pitying look. If he'd let another officer answer the distress call, he could be at home right now. "Kodi, when you finish questioning that guy, you can take off for the night. We'll take it from here," he called over on his way past them. Kodi nodded briefly to him in thanks before turning his attention back to the neighbour. Malone headed into the house and was immediately met with the faint smell of death. He cringed and walked further in to see where the rookie had gone. "You got your gloves on, kid? Don't go touching anything until forensics gets here. You smell anything out of the ordinary?" Denix Vames - December 10, 2022 Ben returned the kiss as he placed a hand on her waist. Theron's face lit up. "Really? I didn't know my family would be this big. And presents? That's so exciting!" Jean stood. "It sure is. Now, I think we should leave. I need to rest and I think we've settled the matter on who we see you as." --- "Don't forget that just because he's human doesn't mean he won't need you from time to time. He may not need you in the same way but friends still need a shoulder to hold onto." ,said Pain. --- Nil's heart felt strange when she hugged him. He hoped his face wasn't red. He slightly nodded. "Well, who goes first?" --- Vincent smiled and took the drawing. "That's wonderful princess." He placed the drawing on the fridge and put a magnet over it so that it stayed on the fridge. "Now, it's there for everyone to see." --- Sam sighed happily as he placed his legs on a stone in front of him and put his arms behind his head. "Now, this is the life." --- Sabrina smiled. "You can put your arms down. I was never with Donnie and his lame ass followers. I'm a spy sent by Charles. I was supposed to investigate the followers. I just got rid of a pest for you. Sorry for the miscommunication by the way. I had to act the part." --- The rookie stood. He sniffed around. "Nothing but blood. Except...metallic? Something chemical. Someone who works with chemicals." shadowess - December 11, 2022 "I agree." Hannes nodded as he stood up as well and held out a hand to Theron. "Besides, I think our friends would like some privacy." he chuckled as he glanced over at Jessica and Ben who appeared to be lost in their own passion. "Come, we will show you to your own room and let you settle in," he said while walking towards the door. --- Lilly nodded but she was beginning to get a little irritated by the conversation. Sure, she was a little sad that Bob wouldn't need her as much. But she was also relieved and wanted to begin leading her own life. Yet, even now that Bob had a life of his own, she felt like she couldn't just be her own person. Can't people just talk to her without needing to mention Bob? As if Bob was the only thing in this or any other world that defined her. --- "You go on ahead. I'll hang back. I'm out in these woods so often that it's kind of expected of me anyway." Layla said with a nod then smiled at Nil. "It was nice though. Getting to talk to you for once. I'll see you later." --- Neva smiled at it proudly. Desi walked over to Vincent and held out a hand for him to shake. "Thank you," he said humbly. "You've given me a lot to think about. Maybe you're right and I am just missing something in my life. But whatever it is, I don't think it's something to be forced. I'll continue to try to lead a good life but now I know to keep my mind a little more open." --- Warren glanced back to Sam with a frown. "I don't see how this helps you to free your fathers," he commented. Meanwhile, a couple of souls set down a pint of Demon's Brew on the small table near the throne. --- David was taken aback by her story. "Charles...? But then, he knows about the growing rebellion?" he asked as he lowered his arms. He was surprised, given that David had only learned today about how large Donnie's following had become. He glanced at the still bubbling and hissing pool with a frown. Although he wasn't a fan of such methods, he could see the reasoning for doing so. To prevent David's capture and eliminate a witness who could report back to his superiors. But there was still just one problem. "That's not a permanent death." he pointed out. "Your 'friend' is going to regenerate and when he does he'll be angry with you. He'll want answers. If you want to remain covert to gather more intelligence, you'll need a good reason for getting him out of the way. One that wouldn't be disputed." he told her seriously. "Luckily this kind of death is not an easy one to recover from. It'll take some time for him to reawaken. Which gives us a bit of time to talk and come up with a plan. If this rebellion is as much of a threat as I think it is then we're going to need to keep someone on the inside." David took a breath and seemed to ready himself. "So here's what we're going to do. You're going to rough me up a bit and hand me over. Make it seem like you killed the other demon to get rid of competition so that you could claim whatever reward for yourself. I need to see for myself what we're up against. Don't worry, it's not the first time I've been held captive. Believe it or not, part of my training involved torture endurance, lock picking and escape..." he seemed a little uncomfortable at the memories. "Go ahead." he encouraged her with a small smile. --- Malone had pulled a pair of blue gloves on and knelt by the bodies to inspect them. Carefully, he lifted their hands to inspect them. He then looked at the knife laying between them, covered in blood. But given the several stab wounds in the man's chest, that wasn't so surprising. He gently rolled the woman over and immediately regretted doing so as her organs fell out of the gaping slice across her stomach. Malone's face turned green and he had to swallow hard to stop himself from vomiting. "Looks self-inflicted," he commented as he stood. "Murder-suicide. She must've died shortly before Kodi got here," he said then looked at the rookie with a raised brow. "Chemicals?" he asked. "Kodi's already done a sweep of the house, so it's not going to be anything they keep here..." he looked back at the bodies. "Unless they keep it on their person?" he knelt down again and carefully searched the pockets of the corpses. "Well... I guess that explains the fight... The woman was clearly high off her ass on whatever this is." he said as he held up the small, square plastic bag that still had some white power inside. "Grab me an evidence bag, would ya?" he asked the rookie as he looked around. "Kodi said there was a kids room but no sign of a kid. Reckon you can pick up their scent? Poor kid must be terrified." (I kinda have a plan for this but the kids not going to be 'found' until the next morning He'll randomly turn up at the school.)

shadowess - December 5, 2022 Jessica listened to Ben. Her arms still crossed, she visibly considered his words for a moment before sighing and wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, I know you're just being protective... I can't stay mad at you. Thank you for trusting me. I know he's a good kid deep down. I just know. We need to help him." she said softly while embracing Ben tightly. Hearing the door, Jessica looked over at it while letting Ben go. She then looked at Theron with soft eyes. "He cares about his people. The people here don't follow him out of fear, or because of his power. They follow him because he'd sooner put himself in danger to protect them than let them die for him." she explained. She walked over to Theron and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know him. He's nice. He'll listen to you and I'm right here if you get nervous. Do you want us to let him in to talk?" she asked, letting Theron know that he had a right to choose and that his choices would be respected. --- Along the way, Bob had opened up the sunroof of the van and, propped up by standing on the seats, he stuck half of his body out to feel the wind rush by him. "WOOOO!!!!" he cheered with his arms up and laughed at how exhilarated he felt. "Bob? Bob! I know you want to have fun but listen to me for a second." Lilly tried calling up to him from the back of the van. "But you need to remember to pa-" "WE'RE HERE! LET'S PAAAARRRTYYYYY!" Bob yelled happily as he ducked back into the van as soon as they pulled up and darted out of the back door, running towards the club eagerly. "-ace yourself..." Lilly deflatedly finished her sentence and sighed before looking at Pain. "He's going to be a wreck tomorrow, isn't he?" she asked, referring to the fact that Bob's body had never experienced alcohol yet so he'd likely get very drunk, very quickly and have an awful hangover the next day. --- Once again, Jayla's cheeks turned pink as she quickly averted her gaze upon realising that Nil was still naked. "Oh-! No, it's fine! Really! It's not like you could help it!" she replied just as quickly and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "I-I'll just-..." she trailed off as she turned her body away from him to give him privacy while he got dressed. Then she thought about what he'd said. "Actually, now that you say it... that is kinda how it looked. -Your wings I mean. Like fairy wings. You don't think that they're real too, do you?" she then got an idea that could be dangerous for them both but couldn't help herself blurting it out to Nil. "What if the CIA has files on them? We could sneak into the archives and see what we dig up?" --- "Dad! You're messing it up!" Neva complained through her giggles as she dropped her crayons to try to fix her hair. Nodding, Desi followed Vincent into the kitchen. Once out of earshot of Elliot and Neva, Desi relaxed a little. "You have a lovely family." he complimented. "You seem to have changed a lot since last we met, too." he gestured to Vincent's new appearance. "New haircut?" he joked. Still feeling a bit awkward and tense, he stifled a cough into his fist out of nerves. "Um, well, I suppose I should explain the reason for my visit. As I said before, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and Blaire, bless her sweet soul, has been trying to help me with that. I've left my harem to try to live like a mortal. I'll admit, it's not nearly as easy as I'd imagined. I'm struggling... and I'm so afraid that I won't be strong enough to stay on this path. I guess my question to you is... how do you do it? Change yourself so drastically and stop yourself from relapsing into the person you used to be?" --- Shiva stopped in his tracks to stare at Sam with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. Maybe this royal family wasn't as cut-throat as he thought. Still, they were promising to return Hell to its former glory and compared to Amelia's rule, Shiva remained loyal to Sam and his family. "Yes, Sire." he bowed his head then turned with Sabrina and vanished. Timidly, Warren lifted his head to look up at Sam. Surprised yet thankful that he'd changed his mind. Still sick and shivering uncontrollably, Warren struggled to get to his feet. The other Demons in the bar were still glaring at him for being so openly defiant towards Sam and they eyes him cautiously in case he tried anything funny. But Warren didn't want to fight. He was too weak to stand a chance anyway, especially with the bracelet and the effects of whatever it was he'd been forced to drink. He looked at Sam and tried to keep his head lower than his as a show of respect. "I-I failed your family," he said to him in a trembling voice. "I was ordered to protect you and your brother but I couldn't. I failed. Please forgive me and allow me to stay with your family. Please don't turn me away. I have nothing else." "Bartenders! Who said you could have a break? Do you realise you're in the presence of royalty?! Bring his highness some Demon's Brew!" One of the Demons declared to the cheers and approval of the surrounding Demons. The same Demon then turned to Sam and glared at Warren. "If I could be so bold as to offer the young King some advice? Don't allow such weaklings to weigh you down. He's failed you once, who's to say he won't fail again?" Warren was becoming desperate. Tears filled his eyes and he refused to look at the Demon as he stared at Sam pleadingly. "Sire, please." he cried. "My home is with your family. I'd do anything for you all." --- "Thank you." David nodded to Bern then looked at Adam and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you're free to begin your journey as soon as you're ready. Call on me or Bern whenever you need help and always remember that you are never alone in this. You will always have support available to you." he said kindly before removing his hand and turning to listen to Leo's story. By the time Leo was done, David had sank to sit on the arm of the couch once more with a faraway look in his eyes. "The plan failed?" he asked, more to himself than anything. "That bar we told you about? We think it's the same Demons from there that took Warren." Oscar chimed in. "Warren was close to Donnie and his family... he might be telling them all about their capture and plotting a rescue," David said in an urgent tone as he lifted his eyes to meet theirs and quickly rose to his feet. "I need to send reinforcements to Hells Cells! We need to tighten security! Warn the Angels! We need-" "To come with us?" Shiva chuckled from behind him. He looked at Oscar and Leo, and his already evil grin widened. "Oh, look who it is 'Brina!" "Who-?" David started but Oscar cut him off. "It's them! The Demons from the bar!" David turned to face them fully and removed his suit jacket, carefully draping it over the back of the couch so as not to crease it before cracking his neck. "Oscar, Leo, I can handle this. Go and warn the Angels and do what you can to tighten security around our prisoners," he ordered. --- Kodi's grip on the wheel tightened a bit when Napoleon was mentioned as his mind immediately went to the way Carol was flirting with him the last time he saw them. He bottled up his jealousy and anger. After all, he assumed that Autumn would be too young to understand. "Ah, I'm sure he's fine," he said dismissively. "Listen, I don't know what time I'll be home so if you get hungry there are some microwave pizzas in the freezer. Make sure you get your homework done if you have any and you can stay up until ten at the latest. Hey, is Harris home yet?" (Maybe you could create the neighbour that called in the disturbance? By the time Kodi arrives the house is going to be eerily silent ) Denix Vames - December 5, 2022 Ben smiled. "Thanks for the forgiveness." Theron thought for a moment before nodding. When Jessica would open the door, Jean would step in. Theron walked towards him while Jean remained nervous that he would ruin this conversation. "This power feels different. Are you somehow an Angel?" "I don't think so. I know I'm part of vampire and yet my wings tell a different story." "Then you're something stronger like me." Theron flustered as he wondered why he had suddenly gained the confidence to talk to Jean without becoming a mess like all the other times he's ever talked to anyone. He lowered his head. Jean held a gentle smile. "This is my husband, Hannes. I'm Jean. What's your name?" "Th-Theron." "Theron? Is it ok if I ask you something?" "Ok..." He cupped his cheeks. Looking into his eyes. "Please tell me. What do you desire?" With his powers, Theron was allowed to find his thoughts without any problem. Tears soon fell from Theron as he shivered. Jean could feel his sorrow and showed the same behavior. Both fell to their knees. Theron shouted, "I just want a family!" Jean held him close. "You can have us." --- Pain rolled his eyes. "Don't suppose you have a spell for cleaning up messes? Cause I rather not have vomit all over the car or my house." Everybody went in. Storm and the others soon began buying drinks for themselves. Pain bought a drink for Lily while Grim bought a drink for Bob. Grim said, "Take it one step at a time. This shot is a real kicker." --- Once Nil got dressed, he gave her a glare. He wasn't mad but rather worried for her safety should this plan go wrong. "Are you crazy?! No offense Layla but that sounds way too dangerous. We could get reprimanded. Or worse! Maybe we should just try to do our own research through the internet. It's not like our boss knows about modern technology." --- Vincent smirked at his humor before frowning at his question. He said, "It's simple. Well, it wasn't before but...family. I was able to change for the better because of Elliot and Neva. Once I really found the people that I wanted to spend the rest of my lives with, I knew I didn't want to do anything but that. Murdering someone just feels like I'm drifting away from them. I don't want to do that." He laid a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe it doesn't have to be a family but I'm sure you can find someone who you will love enough to want to change. For them." --- "He doesn't have to do shit involving protecting or fighting. He can just be my pathetic servant who only gives my family sexual pleasure and meals. What I do need is an actual bodyguard. Now, who would like to prove themselves to be worthy as such?" ,said Sam. --- Adam smiled. He nodded. "Guess I'll be back with a report or a soul." He walked out of the library. Bern followed. Leo was about to disagree and fight when Oscar forced him to teleport out of there. Sabrina glared at David. "I'll take care of those two lovebirds after I'm done with you!" She jumped high and swung her leg at him. --- "Got it. Harris is in bed right now sleeping." Autumn raised a brow. "Wait a minute? Are you in love with Carol or Napoleon? And don't tell me I didn't hear your voice get all weird." (ok) shadowess - December 5, 2022 Jessica opened the door and anxiously stood back to watch the interaction. Hannes was equally anxious and kept a careful eye on Theron in case he tried anything. When they both began to cry, both Hannes and Jessica looked at them in alarm. When Theron cried out that he just wanted a family, Jessica was so moved that she lifted her hands to her cover her mouth as tears stung her eyes. Hannes's stern gaze softened considerably and he let out a small gasp. At this moment, Theron seemed like more of a lost child than a threat. As Jean told him they would be his family, Hannes found that he had no objections to this. He knelt by their side and placed one arm around Jean. He placed his other hand on Theron's shoulder. "I have misjudged you," he told him sorrowfully before turning his head to Jean. "Once again, Meine Geliebte, you have shown me the right path with your unconditional love. You amaze me still." he kissed the side of Jean's head tenderly then looked at Theron again. "You have a home here. We all are family here. We will raise you, teach you and guide you. We ask for nothing in return because that is the meaning of unconditional love." Hannes lifted a hand to gently brush some of Theron's hair out of his face then rested his hand on the side of the boy's head. "Willkommen in deinem neuen Zuhause, unser Kind." (Welcome to your new home, our child.) "I have no idea what he just said but that sounded beautiful," Jessica said through tears as she leaned into Ben's arms, content with the outcome and happy that she could help bring Theron into a new, more loving family. --- "Again." Lilly began in a firm tone. "I'm a necromancer, not a witch. The only spells I'm capable of involve raising the dead, so unless you want more Bob's running around..." Lilly stopped herself before she could finish that sentence then looked at Pain with a grimace and pleading eyes. "No! That was not a challenge, please don't ask me to make more Bobs!" she complained then could barely contain her chuckle. "One is more than enough!" At the bar, Lilly took her drink and smiled with a nod to Pain. "Well, I suppose with him being human now, I can finally relax and just focus on what I want to do," she said optimistically. "I've always wanted to try one of these!" Bob said excitedly as he took hold of the tiny glass. "I wana savour my first time. I know, let's drink them at the same time. Ready? One, two, three!" Bob down the shot then coughed and cringed at the strength. Feeling just as exhilarated, he grinned widely and stared at the drop of liquid at the bottom of the glass. "What did I just put inside me?" he laughed. "And can I have another?" --- Layla jumped a little when Nil started to scold her and she shivered when he mentioned that worse things could happen to them if they were caught. Considering who they work for, she didn't doubt it. She then looked at him sceptically when he brought up the internet. She scoffed. "Is that a joke? The CIA control the media, including social media. You don't think they'd pay off google to keep shit like this a secret from the US population? They know about modern tech, Nil." she sighed. "I don't know then... Maybe..." she shifted uncomfortably as she considered voicing her idea for a moment. "Maybe we could ask around. Covertly. Like research fairies on the side while we're in the field?" She turned to face Nil and tilted her head to one side to give him a curious look. "Like, maybe wherever you're going on your next mission there might be some clues? Can-... can I ask what your assignment is? Or is that restricted info?" --- Desi thought over his words with a small frown. He was hesitant to consider that he could ever achieve such a life, particularly considering the type of demon that he was. He was about to scoff at the suggestion but then he randomly thought of Cindy. The other part of himself who had managed to find such a life for herself completely on her own. He stared off towards the wall as he considered whether he could find the same kind of happiness for himself. "I-..." he scratched his head awkwardly as he blushed. "I'm not sure. I'm no stranger to romance but..." he shrugged and smiled shyly. "Well, dating is different to what I'm used to. I wouldn't even know where to begin." --- At Sam's words, Warren felt both hurt and relieved. He bit his tongue, knowing that he'd already pushed his luck for one day and didn't want to earn the Prince's ire. "Thank you for your mercy, Sire," he said quietly, bowing his head as he moved to one side to stand out of Sam's way for now. At Sam's challenge and the opportunity to be a respected royal guard, more than half of the Demons in the bar cheered and raised their hands. Some clambering to be heard over others; "Sire! I am better suited for the job! I've been a punisher demon for centuries!" "Sire! Allow me to prove myself! I will be a loyal guard to you!" "Sire! I beg that you choose me! I can turn a soul inside out in five minutes!" "Sire! I killed scores of Angels during the war!" "Sire-!" "Sire-!" "Sire-!" --- Watching his opponents calmly, David slapped Sabrina's leg while she was in the air to throw her off target before using her forward momentum against her by holding up his fist so that her face would collide with it. As he'd been focused on Sabrina, he'd only been vaguely aware of Shiva darting around to his side and turned too late to stop him from charging into him and knocking him roughly into the bookcase. David stumbled, grunted and leaned against the bookcase. Seeing an opening, Shiva made another move to strike at him but this time David was ready. As soon as Shiva was close enough, David slipped a large, heavy book from the bookcase and swung it hard across Shiva's head, knocking him down and causing the spine of the old book to break, leaving a flurry of aged pages falling to the ground. --- "Uhhh-!" Kodi flustered for a moment. Caught off-guard by the question. "Ohhh no, I'm losing signal!" he lied in an exaggerated voice. "I better go now, go to bed at ten, I love you!" he hung up quickly then sighed heavily. "Damn, that kid is smart..." he mumbled to himself. His senses became more alert as he drove onto the street of the reported disturbance. He couldn't hear any noise or music at all. Maybe they stopped fighting? Kodi's first thought was that maybe he wasn't needed here after all and that he could just go home now. But something didn't feel right. He couldn't explain it, but something in his gut told him he should see this through. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he felt goosebumps on his arms. He drove a little more slowly and wound his window down so that he could listen out for anything out of the ordinary but the whole street was blanketed in silence. He pulled up to the address that had made the report to see the neighbour standing in their front yard, waiting for him. Turning the engine off, Kodi stepped out of the car and walked around to greet them. "You the one that called about a disturbance?" he asked. Denix Vames - December 5, 2022 Theron sobbed in Jean's arms as he shouted, "Thank you! Thank you!" Ben held Jessica close. He smiled. "Looks like we technically adopted. I wouldn't mind teaching the kid a few things." Jean smiled at Hannes. "We must have him meet everyone. A social gathering." --- Pain raised a brow at Bob. "I wouldn't be too sure. It doesn't look like he's going to hold back." Grim chuckled. "That my friend is called alcohol. And yeah, you can." He waved at the bartender who poured another shot. He downed his. --- "Maybe we could but we'd have to be careful about who we ask." Nil dug his hands in his pockets. "There's some kind of group. They're trying to bring back ADIEU. Or at least the way they do things." He caught his breath. His voice was trembling. "That can't happen. Not when our friends are supernatural. Not when I....Do you think they'll know that I'm not human? What if I suddenly glow again? I know what ADIEU did to their patients. I don't want to think about this new organization." --- "You could hang around at Carter's office. Apparently, Carter has a knack for accidentally pairing people up. I know it sounds funny but it's true." ,said Vincent. --- "ENOUGH!" Once the crowd was quiet, Sam cracked his knuckles. "Now, the only way to prove any one of you can protect me is if I fight you. If you can withstand my strength long enough then you can be my bodyguard. Now, who's ready?" --- Sabrina fell back when she was punched. She landed on the floor and ran up to him once Shiva distracted him. She punched David hard in his stomach. With those dark red shadows on her arm, they moved about to his chest. Piercing into his flesh. --- Autumn rolled her eyes when he hung up but went about her night. --- The man was surprised to find Kodi talking to him. He nodded nervously but smiled a little. He walked up to the car. "They stopped for some reason. I don't know why. It's strange."

Shadowess - December 2, 2022 Egon followed Theron and Jessica to their room, making sure that their newest guest didn't get any bad ideas along the way. Jessica glanced back as they walked to glare at him. She wrapped an arm around Theron's shoulders to comfort him. Whether Ben went with them or not, Jessica wouldn't look at him. Feeling too hurt from his distrust in her judgement to meet his gaze right now. Once outside their room, Jessica turned to Egon and held up her hand. "We're fine from here," she said coldly. Before Egon could protest or insist on going in with them, she'd hurry Theron inside and slam the door in Egon's face, locking it behind her. She then turned to Theron with a softened expression. "I'm sorry. I should've given them some warning or something first... but, hey..." She placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a determined look. "I just want you to know that what you're doing is very brave. You're doing the right thing and sometimes the right thing can be very difficult, but it's worth it in the end. I'll do everything I can to help you, ok?" --- Hearing Jean, Hannes teleported to him immediately and wrapped his arms around him. He held him close and ran his fingers through his hair. "Meine Geliebte, do not fret," he said gently. "I will not allow anything bad to happen to you or our people." he looked down at him with a small frown. "Though, I must confess... I need your advice. I see that boy and I am filled with anger. Anger towards his fathers and their evil influence. I am also duty-bound to report his presence to the Angels but I don't know if that is the right thing to do. What if Jessica is right? What if he can change, like Niko? But then, what if he is like his fathers and plans to strike when our guard is lowered? I need your compassion. Your guidance, my love. What should I do?" --- "Science! Just a different kind of magic, baby!" Bob grinned. Teeth brushed and breath now minty fresh, Bob stared at himself in the mirror. He was absolutely fascinated and leaned in close to get a really good look. He lifted his hands to smush his cheeks with his fingers. He poked his nose, flicked his lips, lifted random strands of his hair and gently pulled his eyelid away from his eye before letting it go to watch it snap back into place. "This is so weird..." he muttered with a small smile. "I'm so used to seeing just a skull... but seeing all this extra stuff on me... it's like I'm looking at someone else... Huh! Blue... my eyes are blue... who'd have thunk? And brown hair... I was a handsome fella before I died!" he grinned as he stepped back, standing up straight again. --- "I guess that's true." Layla chuckled with a shrug. She heard the sound of the fabric moving behind her and knew Nil was removing his clothes. She blushed a little as she tried not to imagine him naked. She then heard the water sloshing a bit as he walked into the spring. Trying not to picture what that might look like, she continued to talk as if all this was perfectly normal. "I mean, if you'd asked me a few years ago if I thought werewolves were real I'd have called you crazy. I gotta hand it to the CIA though. If not for this job, I wouldn't know that most species existed and it's all so fascinating, isn't it? Vampires, Werewolves, Merpeople... Even an afterlife! Hey, what was it that X wanted to talk to you about anyway?...Nil?...Nil?" Layla grew concerned when he wasn't responding and had been about to turn around to see if he was ok when she heard water dripping. A second later she jumped out of her skin as Nil levitated past the log she was sitting on. As he was gently set down on his feet, she stumbled off the log and shot to hers. She stared at his wings in amazement, holding her breath and shaking. "N-Nil?" she asked, more timidly this time as she cautiously walked around him until she was looking at his face from his left. She saw the hoof mark and stared at it curiously. Then she blinked and just like that his wings, along with the hoof, had vanished. Gasping softly, she stayed where she was for a moment and questioned whether she'd imagined seeing them. Then, just as cautiously, she took a couple of steps towards him. "N-Nil?" she said again and nervously tapped his shoulder. --- "Adam here is a soul. He's on the redemption programme and needs help finding his purpose. I've suggested that he start by searching for souls in Hell that could be convinced to join the redemption programme as well." David explained. "I need you to be his guide. You'll protect him from Demons with ill intentions and serve as a counsellor for him when he needs to process his emotions. I'm aware that this is your first assignment, so should you run into any issues with Adam's progress or if you need any advice, come to me or Hades and be sure to report to either of us on Adam's progress regularly. Does all of this sound good to you both?" --- Oscar looked back at Leo with a similar expression. "Yeah... fat chance we'll get him back. Given how many were at that bar, we'd be idiots to follow them. We'd need backup... a lot of it." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "We've got no choice. We should report back to David and tell him what happened. He'll be pissed but he'll know what to do." --- "You're sorry?" Desi looked genuinely puzzled. He then placed a hand on his own chest and shook his head with a humbled expression. "No! Goodness, no! I'm the one who should be sorry! I was a different man back then." he said quickly then looked at the ground ashamedly. "But I'm trying to change. I have learned that the life I once lived was in no way good." He lifted his gaze to look imploringly at Vincent. "You know what it's like to make such a drastic change for the better. May we talk? There is so much that I could learn from you." He hesitated before adding. "Please? I'm frightened that I'll slip into old habits. I don't want to hurt people anymore." --- Shiva chuckled at Sabrina's temper. "You let a lizard get the better of you?" he teased playfully. When Sam appeared and made his announcement, Warren felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was taking the throne for himself! Shiva had looked up when the Prince arrived and he smirked. "At last! Royalty that raised their heir right!" "Traitor!" Warren snapped at Sam. He was shaking out of sickness, fear and fury. "This isn't right! You should be helping your fathers not stealing their crown!" "Watch your mouth!" Shiva growled at him irritably. "They got their asses captured so they're too weak to rule! The Prince is taking initiative and showing strength! Who the fuck even are you anyway? You said you were one of us and you knew the Kings had been captured. What makes you so special that you think you can speak to the Prince with such disrespect?!" Shiva asked sceptically and eyed Warren with obvious suspicion. "Come to think of it, Sabrina don't you think it was odd that he didn't want us to fuck that Atma bitch up? Piped up awful quick when I suggested having fun with her..." "What are you implying?!" Warren demanded, balling his fists and trying to stand his ground but it was very obvious what Shiva was trying to imply. He was turning the tables on him and making Warren sound like a traitor instead. "I would never betray the Kings! I love them and they love me!" his cheeks turned a deep shade of red and his eyes watered as he said it. "Oh, wow!" Shiva's eyes widened and he laughed maliciously. "You're their slut aren't you?" "I-! No-! I'm-! They-!" Warren stammered but the way the other demons sneered at him and the way Shiva had said it had caused him to falter as he realised the situation he was in. Then men he'd been loyal to were no longer around to protect him and he was surrounded by ruthless Demons who only valued strength. "Your 'Kings' are weak and they're not coming back," Shiva said coldly as he grabbed Warren's shirt to pull him closer threateningly. "Which means you're just another demon whore. I suggest you know your place and show your new king some respect!" he threw Warren down in front of the table that Sam had been standing on, causing the now disgraced & humiliated demon to stumble and fall to his knees. Still angry but now frightened that he was powerless and surrounded by Demons who were all watching him carefully, Warren cried silently. Eyes closed tightly, he bit his lip to stop himself from sobbing as he kept his head bowed low. Denix Vames - December 3, 2022 Theron nodded but still didn't feel any better. Ben knocked on the door. "Jessica? Is it alright if I come in?" --- "I don't know. I must speak to him. I need to know what his heart truly seeks." ,said Jean. --- "So, you've got plenty of possibilities now. Is there anything you'd want to do as a human? Like a job or something?" ,asked Pain. --- Nil collapsed. He grunted from the fall and pushed his arms. Getting to his knees. "What happened? I felt this....connection. And something in me woke up." He looked up at Layla. "Am I ok? It looks like I didn't hurt you so that's good but I'm still confused." He sat down with a frown. He hugged his knees as he pressed his head against them. "I don't like this. Whatever that was made me feel dizzy. It scared me." --- Adam shrugged. "Sure, why not?" "Where do I even start? Do we just walk around Hell until we find wandering souls?" ,asked Bern. --- Leo nodded. "Right. Let's go." He stood and held out his hand. --- Vincent nodded. "Of course. You can come in." He stepped back. Allowing Desi to walk in before closing the door. Elliot and Neva were watching cartoons. Elliot waved at Desi. "Hey pal! How's it going?" --- Sabrina growled. "Not the time, Shiva!" Sam laughed at the sight of Warren. "Now, as I was saying, who will capture David? Tell me now who will volunteer!" shadowess - December 4, 2022 Unsure of if her words had helped him at all, Jessica nodded back and stepped away from Theron. She turned her head to glare at the door when she heard Ben's voice. She let out a frustrated sigh. Despite her anger, she still loved him. Walking over to the door, she flung it open moodily and stepped to one side to let him in but she still refused to look at him. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to step inside then promptly slammed the door in Egon's face again before the vampire warrior could take advantage of the gap. Jessica then walked over to Theron's side defensively and folded her arms at Ben. "Don't bother lecturing me because I don't want to hear it!" she said pre-emptively, fully expecting him to warn her that this whole thing was a bad idea. --- "Then we shouldn't waste any time," Hannes said. "But we should be cautious in how we approach. He seems jumpy and I'm not sure what he's capable of." Hannes stood back and took his hand. "But whatever you choose, I will trust your judgement, Meine Geliebte." --- "A job?" Bob asked and slowly lowered his hands from his face. He'd been poking at it again. He looked at Pain with an uncertain expression. "I-I dunno... I don't know what I'd be good at. As a skeleton, I could get away with all kinds of crazy things but I can't do any of that anymore and the closest thing to work I've had since coming to your world has been taking the stage as your band's mascot..." "Perhaps it might be a little too early to think about putting Bob to work," Lilly suggested thoughtfully. "He's gone through a drastic change. I think it's only fair that he have some time to adjust first-" "The lady is right! I gotta adjust first and what better way than to experience all the things I could never do as a skeleton?!" Bob cheered and patted Lilly on the back just a little too hard. "I want to feel the wind on my new face and in my new hair! I want to get drunk! I want to sing and dance! I want to try some of that weed stuff you guys keep talking about! I want to share my new body with beautiful babes and handsome fellas! Let's go out and party!" --- "Oh, God! Are you ok?!" Layla gasped when Nil had fallen. She dropped to her knees to sit by his side. She listened to him talk and fell silent as she continued to stare at him. She was still trying to absorb what she'd seen to be able to put it into words for him. "I don't know what happened..." she told him honestly. "Y-you were floating. You weren't moving or talking though. It was like you were asleep but-..." she stared behind him as if expecting to see his wings again. The image of them was still so fresh in her mind that she could picture their shape and colour. That glow... "You were um... glowing? And..." she leaned back a bit and waved a hand behind him, searching the air for something that simply wasn't there anymore. "You had... um... wings? I've never seen anything like them. They were... beautiful!" she turned her head to look at him in wonder. --- "Adam does," David answered with a nod. "Though I would prefer for you to stay with Adam for a little while to supervise him at first, you are able to leave him to his own devices now and then if you need to. Adam would only need to call out for you mentally and you would be able to hear him when you're needed to teleport to his aid," he told them to reassure them that Bern could always go back to Earth when he was needed there and additionally, Adam would be allowed some privacy occasionally. It was at that moment that both Oscar and Leo would appear in the library again. This time, Oscar would let Leo do the talking. David rose a brow at them both as he turned to face them. By the looks on their faces, he immediately knew that something had happened. "What's wrong?" --- "Thank you," Desi said in a relieved tone as he stepped into the house. He was taken aback by the homely scene. He stared into the living room and waved back awkwardly as Elliot greeted him. The brightly coloured cartoons on the tv made lively movements with ridiculous and exaggerated sounds. Neva was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed in front of Elliot and facing a coffee table which was littered with crayons and paper. "Hi!" she looked up and beamed at him. She was a little unsure of strangers but Elliot's warm welcome had given her the confidence to assume that Desi was a friend and not someone to fear. "Uh-! Hello." Desi answered nervously. "I'm well, thank you. Apologies... Am I interrupting a family day?" he asked, looking between Vincent and Elliot worriedly. He didn't want to burden them with his problems when they seemed so content and happy. "I like your hair!" Neva said. "It's all yellow and shiny! Not like mine, mine is white..." Neva lifted a couple of strands of her own hair to look at it disapprovingly. "I believe that's called platinum blond," Desi told her. "And I don't know about you, but that sounds much cooler than 'yellow'." Neva grinned then looked around at Elliot excitedly. "Daddy is my hair platypus blond?!" --- The Demons in the bar hesitated to volunteer. Not because they didn't want to prove themselves, but because David had a reputation among them as a formidable opponent. Shiva lifted his head and glanced around at the others before shrugging his shoulders. "Fuck it. I'll do it! I'll bring David to you, beaten and broken. You can count on me!" he then turned to Sabrina to give her a challenging look with a raised eyebrow and a grin. "What d'ya say 'Brina? Wanna come with me on a suicide mission?" "How could you?" Warren mumbled quietly to Sam. He didn't look up, nor did he open his eyes. He kept his head bowed forward and hugged himself as he shivered. "They took you in. They gave you a home, their love... Did you love them at all? Or was it all just an act to take their place?" --- Malone and a couple of other officers had just returned to the precinct from checking over Damien's place. Unfortunately, Damien's attacker hadn't stuck around so they returned practically empty-handed. The forensics team did manage to bag up some short blond hairs and that's not even mentioning the blood splatter around the place. Photos of the damage had been taken as well. It had been obvious from the broken furniture and spots of blood here and there that there'd been a struggle the day before. The front door had been kicked off its hinges- just like Damien had told them it would be. Now all they needed to was wait for the DNA test results to see if it matched anyone already on their files. It was a long shot but it was all they had. Malone sat down at his desk with a sigh, knowing too well from previous experiences that the chances they'd find the attacker with the evidence they now had were slim to none. He turned on his computer and prepared to type up a report on their findings when his radio went off. A domestic disturbance in a rough neighbourhood. A civilian had called in to report loud music, screaming and crashing noises from the house next to theirs. "I got it," Kodi said as he walked past his desk towards the door, pulling his jacket on. "Aren't you supposed to be going home?" Malone asked. "It's just domestic disturbance. Probably a family member had a little too much to drink and just needs some time in the drunk tank to calm down. I'll go take care of it then I'll go home." "Be careful!" Malone called to him and then rolled his eyes at himself as he remembered he was speaking to a demon who could just pop back to earth if he died. "Man, I'll never get used to this... I swear it was simpler when I thought everyone was human..." he mumbled to himself, though deep down he knew he didn't mean it. Kodi headed out of the precinct and headed towards his car, unlocking it. Before starting his car up, he hooked up his phone to the hands-free device and called Autumn's phone. "Hey, I'm gonna be late home again. Just got one last job to do. Are you home yet? Did you have a good day with your friends?" he asked her while starting to drive to the address of the disturbance. Denix Vames - December 4, 2022 Ben had his mouth open when she spoke. He shut it tight before opening it again. "I'm sorry. It's just....so many things have happened to our friends and us that I'm always on my toes. At any moment, I know that I have to be ready for an attack. So, when I saw him...." He nodded at Theron who frowned. "It felt like I was back on duty. Maybe that doesn't excuse what I said but it's the truth. Still, I'll go by your judgement and give him a chance. Because I rather do that than make you hate me." Theron's eyes became glossy. He had never seen his parents do this before. Compromise. Jean nodded. "We should walk there. I don't want him to get scared when he sees us just suddenly appear." He continued to hold his hand as they walked down the hall. Once they would reach Jessica's room, he would knock on the door. "Excuse me? Jessica? I was wondering if I could talk to the boy." Theron turned his head to the door. "That power. He's the King of this place, isn't he? But why doesn't he act like my dads?" --- Pain pulled out his phone. "I'll text everyone in the band and let them know then. Looks like we're having a rockin night out!" With everyone updated, Storm had drove up to Pain's house with Hades and Grim in the van. He honked. "Sounds like they're here! C'mon! Let's go!" He ran out of the house. Hades opened the back of the van. Letting the three get in. Storm soon began the drive to a nearby goth club. --- Nil thought for a moment. "The way you described it reminds me of this old cartoon I use to watch as a kid." He blushed. "Don't judge me but I was always watching girl cartoons. There was this show about fairies. It sounds just their transformations. I mean I know the supernatural is real but fairies? This feels even weirder." He quickly grabbed his jacket to cover himself up when he realized he was naked in front of her. "Oh! Um! Sorry, I...I didn't mean to um....!" --- Bern nodded. "I'll stick by him until you tell me to stop." Adam walked over to him. "So, I'm guessing since these two showed up, then that means we can go? Looks like you're going to be pretty busy." "Desi was attempting to erase Warren's memories but the vial proved to be fatal. We were able to save him and placed him on the couch to rest. All of a sudden, there were these demons. A guy and a woman." He went into describing them. "And they took him! Right now, he's not in any mood to be doing anything. I'm sure he still feels sick but we know where he is. And god knows what he'll do with the other demons." ,said Leo. --- Elliot messed up her hair with a smile. "It sure is sweetie!" Vincent shook his head but chuckled. He waved at Desi. "It's alright. Just come over here. We can talk privately in the kitchen." --- Shiva presented her sharp teeth but grinned. "You're on!" Warren's words had hit Sam. Though Insanity was always an annoyance with his softness, Donnie had made him feel loved. Because his tough personality and cold moves, Sam was impressed. He wished to be just like him. Just like his new father. "Wait!" Shiva stopped and looked at Sam. "If you can take David down then you can free my fathers. I don't care if my title will only be for a short time. Those two are the only reason I was able to find my true power. And if we are to bring back the old ways of Hell then we need them back! Is that clear?" Shiva bowed, "Yes sir." "Good. Now go!" --- "Yeah I did. It was pretty fun. I'm at home right now. Also how is Napoleon? He didn't exactly sound so happy about himself." Autumn frowned. "He reminded me a lot of Phineas when he thought he was a monster. I know I called Napoleon a dick before but....I kinda feel bad." (are you going to create some characters for the disturbance or can I? I don't want to accidentally type something in like with that Hades and Michael thing lol)

Shadowess - November 20, 2022 Surprised by the suicide, Jessica stood and stared at his body in shock. When she heard Theron's voice, she looked at him sadly. She had hoped to help them both but it seemed his brother was more stubborn. Feeling her heartache at his request, she walked over to him and pulled him into a gentle hug. "Family should never fear family. I'll keep you safe," she said softly. "C'mon. I'll take you to where I'm staying. You'll be well protected there." she told him while letting him go to offer him her hand. When he'd take it, she'd teleport them both to the Vampire Castle. --- Once the spirit took the hint and left, Raguel relaxed into his chair and sighed while massaging his temples. Lucifer wasn't even around anymore to cause him trouble, yet he was just as stressed as ever. If not for his caution, Raguel might've taken Life up on his offer. He paused a moment and glanced around the empty room, then to the door. Listening carefully to make sure no one was approaching his office. When he was sure that he finally had a moment to himself, he reached down to unlock the bottom drawer in his desk. He took out a small bottle of whiskey and a glass. He poured a small amount of the liquid into the glass before tightening the cap and replacing it into the drawer, locking it. He sighed and lifted the glass to his mouth while taking a deep breath and sitting back again. He didn't drink often and he also refrained from drinking in front of his soldiers as a way of setting an example. But once in a while, he enjoyed a small glass to relax. --- "Soda, huh?" Bob put the plate down on the counter and took the can. He'd seen the members of the band open cans like this so often that he knew what to do without needing to be told. Tucking his finger under the cap, he pulled it up, hearing the familiar hiss from the carbonated liquid inside. Only this time, he could actually smell the beverage as soon as it opened. Eagerly, he brought it up to his lips and took a sip. His eyes lit up immediately and he started guzzling the drink. Then he stopped suddenly and seemed to swallow with a bit of difficulty while clutching his chest. "Ugh! What's that? Why does it hurt?" he wheezed. Lilly stepped into the kitchen with a smirk and brought a firm pat to his back, causing Bob to let out a long, loud belch. Straight away, he felt the pain vanish and he looked between them both with a mixture of relief and embarrassment. "Trapped wind. Don't drink those so quickly." Lilly told him with a small smile. --- Grinning, Viktor took Bryce's hand and kissed his cheek lovingly. "You're the best!" he said excitedly before letting him go to look around at the various sweets. For now, he'd almost completely forgotten the questions he had asked Bryce earlier on. His attention, for the most part, was on the here and now as he decided to simply enjoy the company of his beloved. --- "No, you can't!" Layla said quickly and placed a hand on his chest to stop him from getting up. She paused, looking at him hesitantly as she realised what she was doing. Blushing a little, she removed her hand and glanced away from him shyly. Regathering herself, she looked at him with a serious expression. "You know what he's capable of. You're human. You wouldn't stand a chance. Besides, if you went back and told him that you remember everything then he's going to know that I spoke to you after he gave me strict orders not to even go near you again. You'd be putting me in danger too." she looked at him pleadingly. "Please. You can't tell him." --- David moved back over to the couch and sat on the arm of it. He stared at Adam with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "How does something like this happen? As far as I know, there is no such creature as yourself on Earth. At least, non that occur naturally." The more he thought on it, the more questions it raised and David couldn't help asking; "Wait, if you're mostly spider DNA... why did you-...?" but he wasn't sure how to finish the question. The way Adam had greeted him, Oscar and Leo... but spiders don't mate in the same way humans do. They don't even have the same... 'equipment'. Unless that part of Adam was more human... David felt his cheeks reddening at the thought and he quickly shook his head. "-uh! Never mind. I'd rather not know." he sighed and glanced around the room. "I suppose you're better off staying in Hell for your task then... Maybe you can tag along with a Demon in search of other souls to recruit onto the programme? God knows there's more than a few billion yet to be found and saved..." he suggested thoughtfully. "Perhaps you might be able to find some of the souls you'd been living with at Desi's? Let them know that all is not lost and they can still be saved?" --- "Agreed." Oscar nodded as he stood slowly and silently. He sniffed the air and his expression darkened. "There are demons here," he told him and looked at him, concerned. "I recognise those scents." At Sabrina's words, Shiva growled a little in disappointment. But then he saw Atma's hurt and offended expression and he grinned again. Knowing her fate was to lose all of the memories from her previous life, Shiva got the impression that Sabrina's callous comment would only cause mental anguish and torment for Atma as she would strain desperately to remember the woman she had once been. "You're right," he said coldly and shoved Atma into the wall roughly. "Without her powers or memories, she's worthless now. Just a shadow of who she was." Tears stung Atma's eyes as she glared back at him, shivering. She trembled and turned her gaze away from him when he brought the knife back up to her face threateningly. "Now you stay there and you don't say a peep until we're gone or I might just bring your retirement to an early end. Got it?" He turned away from her and then confidently strode over to Warren and Sabrina. "Yes, boss," he replied and prepared to teleport out with them. (Thanks. Glad to be back ) --- Desi scoffed and waved a hand dismissively at the idea. "I don't even remember half of their names or faces..." he admittedly ashamedly. "I was a selfish and vain Demon who only ever kept them around for my own pleasures. That false feeling of being loved and needed by so many... it was intoxicating... addictive..." He bit his lip with a faraway look in his eyes. Denix Vames - November 20, 2022 Theron nervously rubbed his arm when they appeared in the castle. "There's so many people here. I don't like it. They're looking at me." --- Pain laughed. "It's cool. You can be chill with us around." --- Bryce smiled at Viktor's excitement. He would tell him about his past but for now, he wanted him to enjoy this day. --- Nil looked at her for a moment before nodding. He placed his glasses back on. "I won't. I promise I'll keep this between you and me." He blushed at her touch and turned his head so that she couldn't see. "I uh....Thank you for helping me. If you ever need anything, please let me know." --- Adam smirked. "Intrigued by my anatomy eh?" He ran his hand down his chest to his crotch. He would laugh when David would blush. "Anyway, I wouldn't mind finding those other sexy souls. They were great company when I was around." --- Leo glared before appearing in front of Sabrina. She growled and shoved Warren into Shiva's arms. "Get out of here. I'm going to have some fun." She swung a punch at Leo who raised his arms and dodged the attack. He grabbed her arm and headbutted her. She flinched but quickly recovered. She wrapped a hand around his neck. Leo cried out as her nails dug into his skin. She grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled at it. "I wonder how you would taste with barbecue sauce." She licked her lips. --- Blaire said, "Vincent didn't do the same things as you but he feels regret just like you do. Maybe you and him could talk about each other's experiences? Otherwise, I can't think of someone right now who would have done the same things that you did. Someone who gets you." shadowess - November 23, 2022 "They're just nervous. They only recently opened up their home to outsiders so they're not used to seeing strangers." Jessica told Theron calmly while looking around to see if Ben was in the dining hall somewhere. Egon cautiously marched over to them. He stood near Jessica while eyeing Theron warily. "Are you out of your mind?!" he hissed at her quietly. "You brought one of them to our home! There are families here! Children!" "He's a child too." Jessica pointed out and was greeted with an incredulous look from Egon. In Egon's time, teenagers were practically adults. "And he needs our help. He's not like the others. He can be saved." Jessica doubled down stubbornly. "I won't turn my back on someone who asks for help!" "Then you will be responsible for him!" "Fine by me," Jessica replied, staring Egon down. "The King won't like this," Egon warned her. "You're putting his people in danger for your own naivety." "Let me worry about that. But I stand by what I said." Having been transported to this castle for safety, Patience stepped into the hall to get something to eat. By now her belly had grown a bit and she rested a hand on top of it as she started to walk towards the kitchens. Seeing the dining vampires staring toward a small commotion in the centre of the hall, Patience followed their eye-line to Jessica and Theron. Upon seeing Theron, her face turned pale and she slowed to a stop. Frightened that he would take her back to his adoptive fathers, she backed away before hurrying back out of the dining hall, breaking into a light jog in the direction of her room. --- "Alright!" Bob grinned, apparently getting over his humiliation almost instantly. He drank more of the soda before noisily eating the pizza with moans of amazement and enjoyment. "There's a quiet way to do that..." Lilly pointed out while watching him with a raised eyebrow and mildly amused expression. "Where's the fun in that?!" Bob asked with his mouth still full. "This stuff is sooo good! Who knew eating would be this much fun?!" he reeled. After demolishing the pizza and draining his drink, he looked between them both with a large, eager grin. "What else can I do?! I wana do something. I feel like I gotta do something, you know? What do flesh bags normally do?" --- (I think we could leave Viktor and Bryce here for now.) --- Relieved, Layla relaxed and nodded. "You too..." she said and glanced at the little waterfall. "I found this place a few months ago. It's where I come when I want to be alone for a bit. When I need some peace away from the job, you know?" she looked back at him and shrugged with a small smile. "It's like my secret little hideaway." she chuckled. "If you need somewhere to go to get away from it all for a while, you can use it too... if you want. Just don't go telling everyone about it or it'll never be private again." she smiled. Then she began to fidget with a frayed hem in her jacket sleeve as she looked away from him and frowned. "I'm sorry... about earlier. When I froze up." --- David's cheeks remained red and he flustered a little. Trying desperately to maintain his composure and averting his gaze from Adam. He cleared his throat awkwardly and stood from the chair to pace the room. "I know you're eager to reunite with some of the souls that you may have bonded with but please don't lose sight of why you're searching for them. The whole point is to save your soul and theirs," he said before coming to a stop to look at Adam again. "I'll need to find a suitable Demon to be your guide and counsellor." --- Shiva caught Warren and grinned cruelly while watching her fight Leo. "Give 'em Hell, Sabrina!" he cheered her on before vanishing with Warren. Just as Sabrina seemed to have the upper hand, a semi-transformed Oscar appeared behind her. His reptilian face sneered at her. His eyes had turned red with slit pupils. "Get your hands off him or you'll be the one getting cooked and eaten." He hissed at her, baring his dozens of sharp teeth. He leaned in closer, maintaining a threatening posture and letting a little smoke rise out of both of his nostrils. --- Desi shifted uncomfortably when Vincent was brought up. "I wasn't the best person when we met," he admitted. "I might've even broken his ribs... or was it his leg? The memory is a bit fuzzy." he looked down, into his glass and absent-mindedly swirled the liquid a bit. "Do you think he'd be willing to listen to me?" Denix Vames - November 23, 2022 (sure) Ben glared at Theron when he walked up to Jessica. "I don't like this idea. You know what they've done. Even if he's asking for help, he could still crack at any minute. Maybe he's just playing with us. Getting intel for his family." Theron clutched his head. "I'm not! I just...." He sat on the ground where he hugged his knees. "I don't know what I want anymore. I think now I just want to be alone." --- "Well, after we eat we brush our teeth. And no, you can't eat the toothpaste. Otherwise, we'll have to go to the hospital to get your stomach pumped which means surgery." ,said Pain. He guided him into the bathroom. "Now, it's important to have spares just in case the one you're using gets too old and damaged." He opened a box and handed a toothbrush to him. "Just follow my lead." Pain showed him step by step on how to brush his teeth and to rinse his mouth. --- Nil shook his head. "Don't. I would have probably done the same thing." He crawled to the water where he faced his own reflection. "Something tells me he did worse things to me compared to you and anyone else in that building." He unbuttoned his shirt but stopped. He turned his head. "I was going to take a dip in. You don't have to be here. I understand if you feel weird about this." He nodded at her. "And about this secret hideout? I won't tell anyone." --- "You're telling me that you can find someone who won't just focus on my ass?" ,said Adam. --- Sabrina glared but Leo go before disappearing. Leo hit the floor. He slammed his fist against the floor. "That's the billionth time I've been a damsel! How am I supposed to help anyone when I get caught so easily? This isn't like me!" --- "The guy was once renowned all over New York as its most terrifying serial killer. So yeah, I'd say he wouldn't mind talking to you." ,said Blaire. Shadowess - November 28, 2022 "What is wrong with you two?!" Jessica scolded Ben and Egon. "I thought this place stood for forgiving people who want to change?! You forgave Niko! You forgave the Steinheils! Why can't you give this kid a chance too!?" Before Egon could open his mouth to argue, Hannes had appeared between them. He glared at Theron for a moment before slowly moving his eyes to Jessica's. He was visibly angry but seemed to restrain himself. He looked back at Egon, then nodded to him. "Egon, please escort Jessica and her new guest back to her room." "Sir-?!" Egon had begun to protest. "Thank you-!" Jessica had started to say when Hannes raised a hand to quiet them both and whirled around to give Jessica a serious stare. "I need to hold a meeting with the other guards about this. But for now, you will respect our ways and not leave your room until we call upon you both to give you our decision. Do you understand?" Egon smiled. Relieved that his superior hadn't lost his senses. Meanwhile, Jessica faltered. She didn't like the idea that they were going to discuss Theron's fate without giving him a chance to show them that he wasn't like the others. Anything could happen in that meeting. It occurred to Jessica that Hannes is now an Angel. As such, he had a duty to report to his superiors on Theron's whereabouts. They might come to arrest him. She glanced down at him with a small frown. He had followed her because she'd promised him safety and compassion. He was probably feeling intense shame and guilt from leaving his family. Jessica felt responsible for him and wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort him. To make him feel like he wasn't alone. Biting her lip as she turned to face Hannes, she gave him a defiant stare. "No Angels," she warned him. Hannes glared back at her. His stern expression was unwavering. "No tricks," he warned her back. Maintaining the intense stare-down, Jessica nodded. It was a deal. She turned to Theron and knelt by his side. Her expression softened, as did her tone. "Come on. You can rest in my room for a bit. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise." --- "Ohhh I know how to brush!" Bob laughed. "He kept stealing my toothbrushes to 'polish his bones'..." Lilly rolled her eyes. Bob took the toothbrush thankfully and squeezed a dollop of toothpaste onto it. When placing it into his mouth, however, he was shocked to find that he could actually taste it! He pulled the toothbrush out and stared at the remaining white paste. "What-?! How does it taste like cold!?" he looked up at Pain and asked with genuine amazement. "Is- is it magic?" --- "There's a rumour floating around that some of the doctors in the facility are ones who were arrested when ADIEU was taken down... That they're forced to work for us or face the death penalty for their crimes." Layla shrugged. "But that's just a rumour. Cantine gossip more than anything, I'll bet." As she spoke, she'd been absent-mindedly staring at him while he'd started to unbutton his shirt. She only caught herself doing so when he'd stopped and spoken. She felt her cheeks turning a deep shade of red and she quickly moved to sit on a log at the edge of the water, turning her body to face away from him. "Um-! No, that's ok. I don't blame you for trying it. I like to relax in it when I come here. I always feel so refreshed and happy by the time I leave." she said while removing her hairband to let her long, brown hair down. She tucked some of it behind her ear. "I swear it's like the water is magic or something!" she joked. --- "I'm sure there's a few Demons I could call on for this," David told him confidently. He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I know! Bern? Are you available? I believe I've found your first assignment!" he called out then looked at Adam with a triumphant smile. "Bern is in a committed relationship. So no risk of conflict of interest," he explained briefly. --- Oscar frowned at Leo. He knelt by his side and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We're just having an unlucky streak, that's all." He said gently as he shook his head while shifting back into his human form. "I know you're feeling frustrated right now, and I hate to sound like a broken record but... we have bigger problems." He glanced around the room. "Like where did they take Warren? David's going to be pissed that we let him escape..." He looked back at Atma who hadn't moved from the wall. She looked shaken and angry as well. She was staring off at the far wall with tears in her eyes. "Atma, you ok?" Oscar called over to her. At first, she didn't respond, but then she looked at them for a moment before turning and walking towards her room. The words of those demons repeated in her mind. 'It's not like there's anything special about this bitch now. She's just a fucking human.'...' She's worthless now. Just a shadow of who she was.' --- "Oh, I'm aware..." Desi said awkwardly. "I think I might've tried to rub his face in it when he tried to fight me... ah well, I suppose you're right... as usual." he gave Blaire a playful smile. "Alright, I'll go and see him." he relented and took one last sip of his drink before placing it down and giving Blaire another hug. "What would I do without your guidance?" he smiled before vanishing. He appeared outside Vincent and Elliot's home. There he hesitated with his fist hovering close to the door. His heart was beating hard. He was nervous. His last memory of Vincent had been when he and Bryce had briefly joined forces to try to cause trouble. Though he supposed this would be nothing in comparison to his meeting with Carter. Although he and Carter were on good terms now, Desi still couldn't help but shudder at the memory of his brutal murder at Carter's hands. Though he had to admit... he did have it coming to him at the time! Taking a deep breath, he knocked gingerly on the door and took a small step back to wait. --- Shiva appeared back at the bar with Warren. Surrounded by Demons who were sympathetic to their cause. Shiva patted him roughly on the back with a small chuckle and gestured to the exhausted souls behind the bar. "Two brews while we wait for Sabrina to return!" "We don't have time for this!" Warren protested in a shaky yet agitated voice. "We wait for Sabrina. Then you can tell us where our Kings are." Shiva insisted and took one of the bottles, pressing it into Warren's chest. Warren looked at it then at the stubborn Demon who was now guzzling a second bottle of the brew like it was water. Growing desperate to be heard, Warren growled as he gripped the neck of his bottle and threw it at a wall across the room. "Enough! This is our king's army?! A drunken mob of Demons?! Some soldiers you are! You're all no better than pirates!" (Thinking this might be a good point for Sam to try to take the throne while Donnie & Insanity are locked up and convince their followers that it's his time to rule ) Denix Vames - November 28, 2022 Theron nodded. He followed her close as they went to her room. Ben frowned. He was only being cautious but after hearing Jessica, he felt like the bad guy in this situation. In his room, Jean gasped. He had sensed Theron's presence. He covered his mouth as tears ran down his cheeks. He shivered with fright. "Hannes! Hannes!" --- Pain smiled. "Nope! Just science." He rinsed his mouth and toothbrush then dried his hands and face with a towel. --- "That actually doesn't sound too out there considering what kind of things we deal with." Nil took off his clothes until he was naked. He stepped into the water. At first, things seemed normal. The water made him feel at ease. Yet, the moment he allowed himself to truly accept the water, he began to glow. A pair of red fae wings appeared. The mark of an elk's hoof appeared on his chest. Shining bright like the wings. His eyes were closed as he was in an unconscious state. He floated up from the water before being placed on the ground. The wings and the elk's mark had disappeared. He stopped glowing. --- Bern appeared. He raised a brow. "Um What is this?" "I'm Adam, hot stuff. And don't worry, I'll respect your boundaries." "Ok?" He looked at David. "What exactly am I supposed to do?" --- Leo frowned as he watched Atma leave. Knowing that there wasn't time to talk to her. "I have a bad feeling I know where they took him." --- Vincent opened the door. He flustered when he saw Desi. "I....didn't expect to see you here. I know we weren't on great terms the last time we met. I'm sorry." --- Sabrina appeared. "That fucking dragon bitch! I'll cook him up real soon!" Sam suddenly appeared. He hopped on a table. "Ladies and gentlemen! My parents have been unfortunately captured but that does not the lineage is over. I am your new King! As one of the sons of the Kings, I will become Hell's new leaders!" He grinned. "And my first order is to capture David and bring him to me. Anyone who succeeds can become my advisor which means a better title and more respect for any possible winner around here."

Denix Vames - November 6, 2022 Phineas smiled. He couldn't help but kiss him right back. "You have to show me more shows like these. They're incredible!" --- "Why should I even stop? It's not like anyone ever stopped hurting me!" ,said Sam. He only felt pain and sadness. He was no monster. Only a hurt individual who had a terrible life with his father and school. --- Napoleon wrapped his arms around her as he passionately kissed her. --- "I wanted to personally inform you that Darcy and Ember have both been executed in order to settle that heated matter. I apologize for any inconvenience." ,said Life. --- Pain was turning red too but he laughed. "Follow me dude." He led him to the bedroom where he handed him a shirt and jeans. "Don't know about socks or shoes but you can try them and see which ones more comfortable." --- "That sounds like a great idea." Bryce would teleport them to a village where everything was the complete opposite of the location they had been in just now. Lively. He pointed at a candy store. "I know we're older but please tell me you have a sweet tooth?" --- Nil stepped closer. "I know what he said to you. I know what he's doing to me now. But it all feels wrong. So please answer me." He tightened his grip on the knife's handle. He clutched his head as memories of his training flashed back into his head. He thought for a second that he saw something before ever coming to this facility. He fell to his knees as the headache became worse. He cried out. --- Adam shook his hand. "So, what's my first assignment? Helping an old lady cross the street? Because between you and me, humans aren't exactly going to be happy to see this face." --- Leo was about to say something when the death of his daughter and wife played back in his head. Though what happened to Warren was completely different, it still felt similar. He quickly wiped some tears off before running upstairs. He went into a bedroom where he laid there. Curled up and silently crying. --- Blaire had some popcorn in the microwave. She was just about to go on a movie marathon. When Desi showed up, she immediately hugged him. "C'mon sweetie. It'll be alright. Just tell me everything from the beginning." She walked to the fridge. "Can I get you anything to drink?" shadowess - November 7, 2022 Kasper chuckled and snuggled into Phineas's chest as they kept watching more of Tom & Jerry. "That's fine by me! I love these goofy cartoons!" (This might be a good point to give these two a break for a bit.) --- Jessica was alarmed by Sam's outburst but just like with Theron, she pitied him. She thought quickly about how she could show him she was being genuine. She then drew the swords she'd borrowed from the castle from their sheaths and threw them both down onto the grass between them, within Sam's reach. She did the same for the daggers on her person. Even the concealed ones. Until she was completely unarmed. Then, calmly and slowly, she walked a little closer to Sam with her hands up to show him that she had no intention of reaching for any of her weapons. "I won't hurt you." She told him in a gentle voice. --- Carol kissed him back just as passionately and pulled him to the ground, laying him on a bed of palm leaves as she straddled him. It had been a very long time since she'd had fun like this so she was going to make sure that every minute of it was nothing but pure pleasure. (Private time) --- Raguel considered the news for a moment without changing his expression. "They broke the law. How they were punished is the Spirit Council's prerogative and is hardly Heaven's concern," he answered simply. "But I appreciate the update. Is there anything else?" --- Bob followed Pain and dressed in the clothes that were passed to him. "Thanks, man," he said as he pulled a pair of socks on. His stomach growled loudly and he pointed to his stomach. "That's what I was going to say! This part has been making some really weird noises and it hurts! Is this what hunger feels like? Cos I gotta tell ya, man. I'm not a fan!" --- Viktor grinned as he saw the candy store with its colourful array of treats in the window. "You kidding? I love candy!" he beamed and held Bryce's hand with an excited expression. "Let's go take a look!" --- Layla shivered and pressed her back against the trunk of the tree while her eyes remained fixed on the knife. She watched him fall to his knees and she was so tempted to run forward and help him but two things deterred her from doing so. The first was his unstable state while holding a knife. The second was that X would somehow find out that she had spoken to Nil again and she would be disciplined for it. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she considered this impossible situation that she'd found herself in. "Nil, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! But I can't! I can't!" she wept. --- The last comment caused David to pause with an eyebrow raised. He could use his abilities to look into Adam's past but he much preferred to give people a chance to talk to him. "Oh? Why is that?" he asked. --- "Leo?!" Oscar ran after him up the stairs. He entered the room and sat on the bed near him. He then placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Leo? You know you can talk to me, right? What's wrong?" Atma pat Warren's forehead with the damp cloth to help him keep cool while he continued to shiver and cry on the floor. "There, there..." Atma said gently. "C'mon. I know you don't feel well but you can't stay on the floor. Let's move you to the couch, hm?" she said to him with a small, kind smile. She then pulled his arm around her shoulders and held him around his torso. "You're going to have to try standing, ready?" on the count of three, she managed to get him to his feet and stumble him over to the couch where she eased him down slowly. Once on the couch, he hugged himself and looked up at Atma with tearful eyes. "You seem nice," he observed through chattering teeth. "Thank you. I try my best." Atma smiled at him. "Now you stay here. I'll get you some water and a fresh cool cloth, ok?" she got up and headed into the kitchen. As she left the room, Warren watched her with a frown and muttered to himself. "Please forgive me for this. I pray you won't be hurt." he then turned to lay on his back with a groan and closed his eyes, focusing. With the bracelet around his wrist, he had no way of knowing if this would work, but he had to try something. 'Demons. Followers of Kings Donnie and Insanity. Please hear me. I am one of you and I need your help. Come and take me from my captors. Don't underestimate them. They're stronger than they look.' --- In her arms, Desi wept quietly. When she let him go to ask if he wanted anything to drink, he nodded. "Do you have anything strong?" he asked as he wiped away a few tears. He then proceeded to tell her everything. "I felt like I was expected to just know how she mixed her potions. Like the success of this task depended entirely on me when actually, I had no idea whether it would work. In the end, I just ended up hurting someone. I know it could have gone far, far worse but still. He almost died because we were all essentially guessing!" Desi shook his head. "I don't care what David says, I refuse to try that again. I won't put anyone else through that. He wants a potion that Clementine once made? Then he's just going to have to find a way to pull her from Oblivion to get one!" Denix Vames - November 7, 2022 (definitely) --- Sam was surprised by her action but remained cautious. "How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?" --- "No. That's all. Perhaps we can hang out together some time and talk as colleagues?" ,said Life. --- "Yeah hunger is one hell of a bitch. I'll make something for you." Pain headed into the kitchen. He placed a small pizza in the microwave. He pushed some buttons and let it work its magic. Once it was done, he took the pizza out. It was sitting on a plate. "Careful. It's hot. You'll need to blow on it." --- Bryce chuckled at his excitement. They went inside. "Oh man....I am definitely going to get a stomachache from all this candy." --- Nil stood. "He's gotten to you too. He really wants me to become a machine." His temperature rose as his vision blurred. He walked over to Layla until he collapsed on the ground. He had passed out from the fever he developed due to stress. --- "Uh Hello?! I don't look human." ,said Adam. --- Leo hid his face with his hands. "When Warren nearly died, it reminded me of....how my family died. I know it wasn't exactly like it but it still gave me that memory." The demon woman from the bar appeared. "Sabrina's here!" She walked over to Warren. "Looks like they made you into a pathetic slop. I'll fix that right up. Just gotta find a spell or something." She turned to Atma and raised her red wavy glowing arm. "Best if you get out of my way unless you want to die. I have missed the good old days." --- Blaire took out a bottle of vodka from the top cabinet and poured it in two glasses. She mixed this with a Monster energy drink. She handed a drink to him. "You were just trying to do the right thing. You couldn't have known how bad the results were going to be. Obviously, don't try that again but don't hate yourself for it." shadowess - November 17, 2022 At his question, Jessica maintained eye contact with Sam with a serious expression, despite the softness in her eyes. "You don't," she said honestly. "You'll just have to trust me." --- The offer stirred some suspicion in Raguel. He'd served as a symbol of justice for Heaven for so long that he'd grown to distrust anyone new. Not even Amelia or Charles with their grand plans of reshaping Hell for the better had fully earned his trust yet. His immediate thought when Life offered to talk in a more casual setting was to wonder what Life was hoping to gain from the exchange. Was he attempting to get close to him for access to confidential information? "I should get back to my work." he evaded the question while looking at the spirit expectantly. --- "Alright!" Bob beamed and he watched eagerly as Pain made the pizza for him. "Is that what pizza smells like?!" he exclaimed excitedly as he caught the first waft. "Oh, man! That smells so good!" He lifted a hand to his mouth, barely containing his giddiness. "My mouth is filling with water. Is that normal?" Once the pizza was done, he took the plate thankfully and unable to stop himself, he tried to pick up a slice straight away. He immediately dropped it back onto the plate. "Ow! Ohhh, that's what that feels like... haha... hot... gotchya." Still smiling, he pursed his lips and began to blow across the pizza to try to cool it down. Lilly had been watching this from the kitchen doorway with a small smile. She supposed she'd never really thought about it before but Bob would have to learn to use all of his senses all over again. It really was like he'd been granted a new life. --- As they looked around the store, a realization occurred. "Wait, what're we going to pay with? We didn't bring any currency." Viktor asked Bryce. --- Shaking and looking down at Nil's unconscious body, Layla held her breath. She half expected him to get back up but when he didn't she knew that something was wrong. Hesitantly, she stepped away from the tree and walked over to him, kneeling by his side. She felt his forehead and noted the beads of sweat on his face. He was burning up. Cautiously and lightly, she shook his shoulder. "Nil?... Nil?" when he didn't move, she looked up and around as if searching for help. She considered dragging him back to the facility. The consequences of this would be revealing to X that she and Nil had spoken again. Then, she turned her head to look in the direction of the hidden spring. Maybe she could use the cool water to lower his body temperature back to normal. She always felt refreshed whenever she took a dip. Healthier, even. Maybe... Tucking her arms under his shoulders, she hoisted him up and dragged him deeper into the woods to her secret sanctuary. Once there, with the gentle sound of the small waterfall behind them, Layla gently placed him down on a large bed of leaves near the pool. She took his heavy jacket off and placed it to one side. Then, using her hand, she cupped some of the water from the spring and slowly poured it over his forehead. What Layla didn't know about this particular spring is that it was an abandoned Fairy Spring from centuries before. A family of Fae would have lived close to it and used it as a communal bath. Over time the water absorbed increments of Fae magic, turning it into a powerful healing well. --- David paused and blinked at Adam before chuckling with embarrassment. "Forgive me. I've spent so much time around non-humans since my death that I hadn't even noticed... What are you? If you don't mind me asking." --- "Oh, Leo..." Oscar gasped softly and wrapped his arms around him. He kissed the top of his head. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how that must feel. But I'm here for you." Warren had jumped at Sabrina's arrival. He strained to sit up then held his arm out to her, showing her the bracelet. "I just need to get this off," he told her. Atma had been about to walk back into the room with the glass of water when Sabrina appeared and she froze. When she was threatened she took a couple of slow steps away, backing out of the room. "No way!" a new male voice next to her made her jump and drop the glass which smashed on the polished wooden floor. Water splashed across the room. The crash caused Oscar to lift his head and look towards the bedroom door in alarm. "Atma? Everything ok?" he called out. As Oscar's voice carried into the living room, the male demon pulled out a small knife and held it to Atma's throat. "Tell them everything is fine. You just dropped a glass," he growled into her ear. Frightened eyes darting from face to face, Atma called out in a shaken voice. "Yes, everything's fine! Just dropped a glass, that's all. I'll get it cleaned up!" "Good girl." The demon grinned and then looked over at Sabrina while keeping the knife to her neck. "Sabrina, you know who this chick is, right? Atma Tou Vitae. The original spirit of life. Heard she got a cushy retirement as a human. We should bring her to Hell with us. Could be fun!" "No!" Warren snapped at him suddenly. The male demon's smile slipped and he suddenly looked at Warren in annoyance. "Why not?" "She's not our enemy," Warren answered simply. "Like that matters?" The demon chuckled viciously. "We have bigger problems." Warren pressed. "Our Kings are in danger. We need to help them!" (The male Demon's name is Shiva He's the same one from the bar.) --- Desi took the glass and stared into the liquid. "How can I not?" he asked. "Blaire... " he wiped at his eyes with his free hand. He then ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't know who I am anymore." he took a sip of the drink. "I know that I needed to change but... I feel like I'm missing something... A purpose, perhaps? It's like... I don't know who I am anymore." Denix Vames - November 17, 2022 Sam glared. "Then I'll be seeing you two in a different battlefield. For now, it's time for me to leave." He dug the knife into his neck until his head fell off. Theron lowered his head, "My family is gone. Now, they're all mad at me. They want to kill me." He looked at Jessica. "Can you be my family?" --- Life shrugged. "Suit yourself." He disappeared. --- "It goes great with soda." ,said Pain. He took out a coke from the fridge. "Try it." --- Bryce winked. "Leave that to me. Just grab whatever your heart desires." --- Nil's temperature lowered. His memories suddenly flashed by in his head. He gasped awake. He slowly sat up and looked at Layla. He took his glasses off. "I remember now. I never had a family. I was an orphan who was adopted by X. He trained me once he had me in his grasp." He clenched his fists. "That bastard! I'm going to take him down." --- "I was born as a humanoid spider. I use the term humanoid lightly by the way. So, this is how I've always looked." ,said Adam. --- Leo sat up. "We should go check out that noise. Something doesn't feel right." "This little boytoy is right. If our Kings are in trouble then we need to take care of that shit first. Besides, it's not like there's anything special about this bitch now. She's just a fucking human." ,said Sabrina. She pulled Warren off from the couch. "Now, let's go before more show up." (cool. also glad to hear from you again) --- "Well, maybe you should talk to the souls that you left behind. Maybe if you got to know them and they got to know you then maybe things will seem more clear." ,said Blaire.

Denix Vames - November 5, 2022 "Maybe I'm only assuming but your family doesn't sound too friendly. Was everything alright?" ,said Phineas. --- Theron nodded. "He is my brother. But Dariel....We left him. Sam's boyfriend. He's probably scared too. Please! We need to find him." --- Death clutched to his wounds. Tears dripped down his cheeks. "These rules...How foolish they are. To see another creature being hurt while these rules tell us to abandon them. It saddens me." --- Napoleon smirked. In French he said, "As you wish my lady." He kissed her. "Pick your poison. Where shall our bodies lie?" --- Gabriel nodded before disappearing. At Raguel's office, when he would return, Blake would appear with tears running down his face. "You killed them!" He ran over to him with his fist ready. "They're dead because of you!" He suddenly stopped as a blade entered his stomach from behind. He turned into nothing. His whole body having disappeared without a trace. It was the leader of the Spirit Council. He was the Spirit of Life. He wore a white shirt, jeans, and a brown casual jacket. His hair short-long. He had a five o'clock shadow. He grinned at Raguel. "I'm sorry about that. I was going to execute him too but he got away." He stuffed the blade inside his pocket. "It's nice to meet the Angel who has the same values as I." --- The trio had walked away. --- Pain smiled and wrapped his own arms around her. He felt moved by her words. A warmth in his heart grew. "Thank you, Lily. I'm glad we met." --- Bryce frowned. "I was a human before I foolishly gave in to becoming a vampire." --- "I'm hoping so too." At the bedroom, Carter undressed and then collapsed on the bed. He let out a satisfied sigh as he could feel the bed against his back. --- Both men watched the movie with each other close by. Letting the night pass by. (i think that's plenty for them. they're not doing much) --- Nil ran to Layla's room. He pressed his head against the door. X shouted, "What were you thinking?! We are supposed to keep Nil as an emotionless soldier! He is our perfect weapon against those who are trying to bring back such actions that ADIEU has done." He let out a frustrated sigh. "I understand wanting to socialize but he is not to be interacted with. He must have no friends or family. No one at all. Do I make myself clear?" Nil breathed heavily. He had never felt angry before. But this new feeling was enough to make him run. He headed out of the facility and into the forest. He sat under a tree to think about who he really was. --- Adam laughed. "You want me to try being a goody-two shoes? Like that's ever going to happen. Besides, do you really think no one's going to look at me without thinking of nine ways to fuck me? Even when I was human, I had a wild life." He nervously rubbed his arms as he frowned. "I don't even think anyone would want to be my friend." --- Leo tied Warren to the chair. "Well, this brings back memories." Having recalled being a tied to a chair himself when he had been deprogrammed. Shadowess - November 6, 2022 Kasper frowned a bit and shrugged. "My family were vampire hunters. Our ancestors were hunters too... going back generations. My dad was really hard on us. He would tell us every day that there was no room in our family for weakness or we'd be slaughtered by our enemies. If I or any of my siblings messed up or showed any weaknesses, he'd beat us for it. Every time he'd try to take me out 'hunting' I'd wait until the rest of my family couldn't see me through the brush and then I'd double back and hide at the house until they came home. I didn't want to hurt anyone." "My dad caught me trying to sneak home during a hunt once and beat me so badly that I could barely walk for days, then had a limp for weeks. The last time I saw him I slipped up and told him I'd been having a secret relationship with a werewolf... he disowned me on the spot and even tried to kill me. Turned out that the same werewolf had been playing with my emotions the whole time to get me to set him free. The minute I opened his cage..." Kasper shook his head and rubbed his throat with his hand. --- "One thing at a time," Jessica said gently. "We need to wake your brother up before the Angels come back or you'll both be arrested too. Then we'll go and find his boyfriend, ok?" Jessica hoped Ben didn't mind her being out on this mission a little longer but she felt too invested now in helping these kids. She didn't want to see them imprisoned and had this naive notion in her head that she might be the one to help them see sense. Especially after talking to Theron seemed to have worked well enough. Though she had yet to speak to Sam. --- Azreal tried to bite his tongue but he couldn't help speaking out of turn. "But Sire, isn't it our duty to remain impartial? All things die in time. Some sooner than others. 'Memento Mori'. We cannot stop such tragedies but we can be there to comfort and deliver the ones who lose their lives." Hesitantly, Azreal looked up at the sigil hanging from the walls on black tapestries. 'Memento Mori' was woven into the fabric with silver thread in an elegant cursive style. "They rely on us, sire," Azreal said carefully as he brought his eyes back to Death's. It was a bold move to look Death in the face while openly disputing his words. But Azreal felt that it needed to be said. "The souls, I mean. We are there for them in their darkest hour. We can't save them but how we tend to them and how they perceive us in those first few moments of meeting us can make such a difference! I can't tell you how many souls were actually relieved to see me because they'd spent their entire lives thinking there was nothing but darkness and silence after death! Don't you see? We're not just guides for the dead, we're the ones who will be there at the end when a soul feels lost and has no one else to turn to. That's who we are!" --- Carol bit her lip suggestively. "I know just the place." She teleported them both to a beautiful oasis. A small pool of crystal-clear water glittered in the sunlight. Providing shade were a few large palm trees. The grass underneath them was a vibrant shade of green. The little bit of land also had several large-leaved bushes to provide them with ample cover. Not that they'd need it as all around the oasis were just miles and miles of desert. "Don't go telling anyone about this place. It's my secret little hideaway." she winked. She then placed her hands on her hips and gave him a more serious look. "But before we have any fun I just want to make one thing perfectly clear. We-" she pointed between the two of them. "- are not a couple. Understood? I like to have fun and I can't stand the idea of being tied down. As long as you can respect that, we'll get along great." --- Raguel had been slightly alarmed but not too worried when Blake appeared. He had tensed up, preparing to defend himself when his attacker was struck down before he could reach him. Looking over the spirit warily, he walked around his desk and opened up a small wooden box to reveal a neat line of thick cigars. He gestured to them as a way of offering one to his unexpected guest while he walked over to the marble fireplace to look into the flames in a contemplative manner. "And what values would those be?" he asked calmly. He knew immediately what this spirit was. There were plenty of them after all. Spirit of Life. More commonly referred to as Midwives. The original had been Atma, though with her retirement he couldn't help wondering if this spirit had been promoted to her position. "So, do Midwives have a seat on the Spirit Council now? I know you're not here to tell me I'm a father because, to be perfectly frank, I have no time for courting." --- "Me too," Lilly answered. She stayed in his arms a little longer then moved her head to look around. "Maybe you could show me around?" she asked while letting him go. --- "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not sure why I thought you'd been born like this." Viktor said as they continued to dance. "If you don't mind me asking... what happened? Who was your maker? Are they still out there somewhere?" It seemed that for every answer Bryce gave, Viktor found himself thinking of even more questions to ask him. He found his lover to be absolutely fascinating. --- Sebastian closed the door behind them and removed his clothes as well. He climbed onto the bed next to Carter and cuddled up to his side. While resting his hand on his chest, he looked at the ring around his finger and couldn't help smiling to himself. At least something good came out of today. --- Layla could feel tears stinging her eyes but she held them back as X berated her. She remained standing to attention, not daring to move or speak until he was done. She was already making plans in her mind to head out into the forest after this to help herself to calm down. Maybe she'd bathe in the hidden springs she'd found to unwind? But for now, she listened to X and when he asked her if she understood she knew that there was only one answer she could give; "Yes, sir!" she barked obediently. Doing so like this always reminded her of when she'd started out as a cadet and her drill Sargeant had made her repeat that line over and over until her voice went from a meek squeak to a booming statement. She'd lost her voice for three days following that session. --- David smiled and sat back. "Resistance to change is normal," he told him. "The idea of changing the way you live completely can bring some anxiety. It's understandable that you'd be sceptical. But change is possible. The first step is simply making the decision to try." He glanced towards the windows with a knowing smirk. "Or would you rather continue to wander from Demon to Demon, trading your body for some temporary sense of safety?" David folded his arms and looked back at Adam. "The choice is yours. But know that my door is always open if you want my help when it comes to earning your redemption." --- Despite how hopeless it was, Warren continued to try to fight for his freedom. Oscar pushed him into the chair and held him in place while Leo tied him down. "Please! Please don't! I just want to go back to my family! Why won't you just leave us alone?!" Warren pleaded through bitter tears. Oscar kept trying to ignore his cries, not wanting to give him any impression that there was any way out of this. It had to be done. Once tied tightly to the chair, Warren's chest rose and fell heavily as he watched Desi re-enter the room with a vial of strange liquid. "No..." Warren whimpered and shook his head. He didn't know what the liquid was but he assumed it wasn't anything good. He looked up at Oscar, then to Leo with desperate eyes. "Don't do this. Please. We can work something out. We could come to an agreement. My kings are not unforgiving. They'll reward you if you return me to them! Please!" he began to sob. "Oscar, would you be a dear?" Desi asked, trying not to pay any attention to Warren's attempts at bargaining for his life. "Yep..." Oscar sighed and stood behind Warren. He gripped his jaw and the back of his head, forcing him to tilt his head back and his mouth to open. Warren whimpered and tried to struggle but Oscar had him in a steady grip as Desi walked over and uncorked the vial. "Gentlemen... cross your fingers," Desi said before pouring the liquid into Warren's open mouth. Before he could spit it out, Oscar clamped his hand over his mouth and used his other hand to stroke his throat. Prompting Warren to involuntarily swallow the potion. Once they heard the unmistakable sound of a gulp, Oscar let him go and stood back to watch the results anxiously. At first, nothing happened. Warren seemed to look uncomfortable. Then he looked distressed and seemed to struggle to breathe. "Is that normal?!" Oscar asked and Desi shook his head. "No! Something's wrong! Shit, shit, shit! Make him vomit, quick!" Desi panicked. Oscar worked quickly to try and loosen Warren's bonds. He tilted him forward and rammed his fingers down his throat. No use. Oscar noted that Warren's face seemed to be swelling as well. Almost like a severe allergic reaction. He looked at Leo quickly. "Is there an epi-pen in the medicine cabinet?" Denix Vames - November 6, 2022 Phineas frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have been there to stop it but it's not like I knew you before. Still, I would have done something if I could. I don't know if saying that makes it any better." He bit his lip. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line because of what I said." --- Theron nodded. On the ground, Theron gently shook Sam. Sam slowly opened his eyes before attempting to strike at Jessica. Theron raised his arm in front of him and let the blade hit his skin. His black blood hardened. "What the hell are you doing?! She's an enemy!" "No, she's not! She's nice. She wants to help us." "Help?! You've gone soft! You betrayed your own family!" Theron shook his head. "No!" --- Death's wounds had healed. He walked down the steps from his throne as he continued to look at Azreal. Once in front of him, he cupped his chin. He held a small smile. "This is why God gave you to me. Not as a tool but as a friend. For you give me hope when I have entered darkness. I thank you for your words." He let him go. "Now go. Continue your duties." --- Napoleon frowned. "I didn't exactly stay loyal to my own wife. I should have but these were different times." He shrugged. "But now? I think I'll go wild." --- "Who said I was a Midwife? I am The Spirit of Life. Or you could say the leader of them." Life accepted the cigar. He lit it by the use of his own finger. He took a puff before saying, "You and I are a lot alike. We both follow the rules that have made for us. And if anyone dares to break them, we show them no mercy." --- "Sure." Pain took her to a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and backyard. Everything was messy. He smiled. "I like to make my home a chill vibe." --- Bryce stood back from Viktor. "How about we save that for another time? We did come here to relax." --- Carter kissed his head and placed a hand on his arm. He soon fell asleep. --- "Good. At ease." X disappeared. When Layla would get to the forest, she would spot a hunched over Nil. Nil would see her and pull out his knife but have tears running down his cheeks. "Am I supposed to be a killer or a human?" --- Adam bit his lip. "Alright fine. You made your point. I'll join this program or whatever it is. But I can still drink and smoke, right?" --- Leo would teleport to a hospital where he would take an epi-pen. He appeared in front of Warren and stabbed the epi-pen into his body. Allowing it to release its medicine. "It seemed like Ricky never had any allergies when we first looked around this place." shadowess - November 6, 2022 "You didn't cross any lines," Kasper said in a surprised voice as he looked up at Phineas. "You weren't to know. Besides, I... I feel like I can tell you anything. What happened to me was bad, but if it hadn't happened then I might not have met you." Kasper lifted a hand to cup Phineas's cheek while he gently kissed his other cheek. "So, don't be sorry. Just enjoy these cartoons with me." he smiled. --- Jessica jumped back and watched tensely as Theron tried to talk his brother down. But Sam seemed convinced that Theron was now a traitor. "It's not like that." Jessica tried. He kept her hands up to show Sam that she wasn't a threat. "Listen to me, the life your family have been living is wrong. They're hurting people. You don't want to hurt people, do you?" She took a cautious step towards them. "Let me help you. Please." --- Azreal looked into Death's eyes as he cupped his chin. He held his breath and felt his heart lift at his words. Only when Death let him go did he catch his breath and he bowed his head low once more out of respect, unable to contain his smile. "Yes, sire," he said, taking pride in his position as he rose to his feet, turning to leave the throne room. --- "Marriage is for suckers anyway." Carol shrugged. She grinned and lifted her arms to him. "What's holding you back? Let's go wild right now, mon amour!" --- "So, you're Atma's replacement," Raguel noted and turned to look him over. Raguel had a great amount of respect for the woman Atma had once been. So badmouthing her to him would be a very bad idea. Raguel moved back over to his desk and sat down, clasping his hands on the desk in front of him. He wasn't sure what to make of this particular Spirit just yet but so far he gave Raguel the impression that he was very cocky and full of himself. Neither are ideal traits in his eyes. "Let's cut the small talk, shall we? You've obviously come to see me for a reason," he said and looked at him expectantly. --- "Vibe?" Lilly looked at Pain then looked around the room and noted the disorder around them. She gingerly picked up a sock that had been resting on the kitchen counter then looked back at him with a playful smile. "Well, at least I don't have to sleep in a crypt." "Mornin' folks." Bob walked into the kitchen from the living room. The blanket must've fallen off him along his short journey as he stood completely naked in front of them and scratched his backside while yawning lazily. Lilly's eyes widened and she quickly turned around to look away. "I haven't slept like that since I died!" he laughed. "Got a weird feeling though in my... what's this called again-? Woah! Hello!!" Bob had been gesturing to his stomach when he'd looked down and saw more skin on his body than he was expecting. "Would you look at that! Really standing to attention, isn't it? It looks so weird!" "Bob! Please cover up!" Lilly exclaimed. "But look at this thing!" Bob jumped up and down and laughed at the way his new appendage moved. "Oh for the love of-..." Lilly covered her face which was turning red fast. "Pain, my man! Might I borrow some clothes to appease the lady?" Bob asked as he stopped jumping and shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what the big deal is. I ran around naked most of the time before I had skin but now that I have some it's an issue. Whatever, am I right?" he grinned. --- "I'm sorry, you're right," Viktor said, though he seemed disheartened by Bryce's pulling away from him. Both physically and, it would seem, emotionally too. If there was anything that Viktor could take away from this exchange it was that something had happened to Bryce that he was simply not ready to open up to him about yet. Perhaps in time? "Maybe we could visit the village nearby then? Look at the local shops?" --- Layla had been glad to leave the facility for some much-needed fresh air. She'd started making her way towards her secret place within the woods when she heard faint sounds of crying. Following the noise, she came across Nil and froze. Her eyes widened at the sight of the knife and at his question. She wanted so badly to comfort him and tell him he should be whatever he chooses to be. But X's angry berating was still fresh in her mind and she dread to think what her punishment would be for outright defiance. Her conflicting emotions were visible in her expression and her words were caught in her throat. She tried to back away from him slowly, her eyes on the knife and became acutely aware that they were completely alone in these dense woods. Unseen. Unheard. "I-I can't-" she whispered and shook her head at him a little. "I'm sorry-... I-..." Her back hit a tree. --- At his question, David stood and gave Adam a patient smile. "Well, I'd rather you didn't but I guess we should start off with baby steps. Welcome aboard, Adam." He held a hand out for him to shake. "Let's get you started, shall we? You'll have a Demon allocated to you and you'll be given an assignment. Complete this assignment and you'll have earned your redemption. The Demon will keep track of your progress and report to me on how you're doing. They'll also serve as your therapist, should you need to talk or voice your concerns at any point. Understood?" --- Warren wheezed and choked, straining to breathe until Leo stuck the epi-pen into him. He fell forward, curling up on the floor as he coughed and gasped to catch his breath. Within seconds, he was breaking out in a sweat and shivering as a fever soon took hold. "It's not an allergy, it's the potion... it failed." Desi sighed in frustration as he threw the now empty vail at the wall, smashing it. "Enemy or not, I almost killed him with this stupid experiment! I can't do this! I'm not Clementine! I don't know how she mixed her potions! I don't even know the correct measurements!" Desi despaired as he placed his hands on his head and paced the room. Oscar frowned but as far as any of them knew, Clementine was still destroyed. He knelt by Warren and looked him over. "We're not out of the woods yet, he looks really sick," he told them and felt a pang of guilt for having put this man through something like this. "N-no more... please... no more..." Warren groaned through chattering teeth. Oscar looked up at Leo and Desi. "What do we do now?" "Tell David," Desi answered with tears in his eyes. "Tell him this whole idea was a spectacular failure and I refuse to put anyone else through this! Now if you'll excuse me, I need a drink." Atma entered the room, having heard the commotion. "What's going on? Who's he?" "Atma, great timing as always," Oscar said as he stood up. "This is Warren. Do us a favour and watch him for us. He's technically a prisoner so don't let him leave the house... though that being said..." he glanced down at him with a frown. "I don't think he's fit enough to even try running right now." he walked over to Leo and took his hand while Atma ran to fetch a damp cloth for Warren's head. "Are you ok?" --- Meanwhile, Desi teleported to the one person he felt like he could talk to about anything. He appeared in her kitchen and looked at her with tears streaming down his cheeks. "Blaire... I did something awful! I tried to do the right thing but I just ended up hurting someone!" he wept.

Denix Vames - November 3, 2022 Phineas glared at the TV as his face grew red. "These people are terrible!" He handed the remote to Kasper. "Why don't you pick a show? I want to see what you like to watch." (honestly they're just douchebags who live near the beach. pretty easy to recreate that kind of show) --- Leo nodded. "Ready." --- Theron listened to Jessica and wondered about what he was doing. He heard Lilith but recalled the way she was towards her opponents. The sword entered back into his body as he took Jessica's hand. When he was close, he could feel her arms wrapped around him. With this kind touch, he cried. Death was surprised to find his scythe split in half. He hadn't expected Florian to do something like that. Before he had the chance to protect himself, he was clawed at. He collapsed and began to bled out. He stared up at Florian. Waiting for his death. Despite his injuries, Nate grabbed Lilith and took her to Heaven's Cells. However, he gave her to a prison guard. His injuries made him unable to further do much. He needed to heal his wounds right away. Napoleon stood proud despite how tired he was. He felt his confidence grow as he smiled. He walked up to Carol and grabbed her face. Passionately kissing her. --- With his powers unavailable, Insanity suddenly had a clearer mind. "I..." He thought back to his first days as a killer. Then he recalled his memories with Donnie. "I thought I was doing the right thing. No, I wasn't trying to do the right thing. I was trying to be like my name. So, why am I thinking about my actions now?" He looked at Hannes with remorse. "I know it won't change anything but I'm sorry. I don't know why it took me this long to realize how terrible I've been but I get it now." --- Gabriel appeared beside Raguel. "We captured Insanity and placed him in one of our cells. Lilith has a bracelet on her and will most likely be captured as we speak." --- "Before you go, we should exchange numbers. Would that be ok?" ,asked Autumn. --- "Sure." Pain and her lifted him out of the car and into the house where they placed him on the couch. He sighed. "Man, I didn't realize how heavy he could be as a human." --- Bryce blushed. "Then get ready for your first dancing lesson." He placed a hand on his shoulder and held his other hand. He slowly danced with him as he guided his footsteps. Being careful about the way they were moving. --- Jack smiled. "Nice work." He nodded at the TV. "I can't wait to see what's in store for this movie." --- Carter sighed. "Man, I really do feel like his dad right now. Family drama really does make me feel old." --- Bern smiled. "I'd love to." He followed him into the living room. "Maybe we could ironically watch The Godfather?" --- Nil seemed confused. "You are worried about me? Why would anyone worry about another person? I was taught that..." He bit his lip. "I cannot tell you that." For the first time in his life, he was feeling something but didn't like it. Any feeling only made him scared now. His hands were shaking as he took a step back. "What's happening to me?" --- Adam blushed. He wasn't expecting this kind of Demon and felt embarrassed. He hesitantly sat on the couch. "Um-" Before he had the chance to say anything, Leo and Oscar appeared. Adam couldn't help but wink at both of them. He laid himself out on the couch. "Want to make it a fourway?" "Holy shit! I want that outfit!" ,said Leo. Shadowess - November 4, 2022 (Fair enough) Kasper had to agree. He'd been fascinated at first but he wasn't really enjoying it. He took the remote thankfully and immediately flicked the channel over just to get rid of that show. As if the remote reacted to his thoughts, the next very show was something ripped from his memories. Specifically, his childhood. Tom and Jerry. --- Jessica wrapped her arms around Theron and ran a gentle hand through his hair as he cried. "It's ok." She whispered to him. "It's going to be ok. We don't have to fight. We can be peaceful. That's all we want, really." Seeing the betrayal, Lillith's eyes widened and watered. She started screaming desperately while thrashing her body in Nate's grip. A second later her surroundings had changed and she looked around at the familiar architecture. She'd been here before. The Angelic guards took her from Nate and she continued to struggle against them as they had to drag her into a cell. There, she continued to shriek in a feral way while continuously slamming herself against the bars. Tears streamed down her cheeks, feeling like she'd been abandoned by her descendant as well as frightened, alone and helpless. Blinded by rage, Florian tossed the broken weapon aside and swiped at Death with his paw. Having knocked his enemy down, he towered over him with his teeth bared and growled loud enough that it caused the ground under them to vibrate. He was about to tear Death to shreds when another sharp pain in his back caused him to jump back with a loud yelp. He threw his head from side to side in an effort to reach whatever was on his back but he couldn't see his attacker, much less reach them. The assailant was Azreal, who had returned after delivering the soul to Hell. He'd seen his master in trouble and had jumped onto Florian's back without hesitation to sink his own scythe between the wolf's shoulder blades. While Florian tried to buck him off, he kept a tight hold on his weapon and pulled backwards quickly, yanking the blade down his spine. Florian yelped and barked in pain before falling onto his side with a whine, unable to hold up his own weight anymore. Azreal jumped away, pulling his scythe out as he did so and watched Florian for a minute, half expecting him to get to his feet again. But he didn't. Florian lay on the ground, unable to lift himself back up and whined pitifully as he suffered from his injury. "Don't fuck with Reapers," Azreal growled before swinging his scythe one last time, severing Florian's head from his body. Once that was taken care of, his weapon vanished and he hurried to Death's side. "Sir, what do you need?" Carol got to her feet when the tentacle crashed to the ground. She'd been about to run at Lillith when Nate had appeared, subdued her and vanished with her. Disappointed that she didn't get to beat Lillith within an inch of her life, she then brushed the leaves and dirt from her clothes. She looked up curiously when she noticed Napoleon striding towards her with some renewed purpose. Before she had the chance to open her mouth for a quip, Napoleon surprised her by grabbing and kissing her. She tensed a little. The excitement and adrenaline of the fight got the better of her though. She gripped his armour, roughly pulling him closer to her as she returned his passion. When the kiss broke, she smirked. "Mon Dieu!" She exclaimed breathlessly. "I was beginning to think you didn't have it in you, Mon Ange!" --- Hannes looked at Insanity, unsure of whether he was being serious. "Are you toying with me?!" he asked, looking at him with disgust. "I don't believe you! You hurt people! You hurt Niko! You tried to twist the mind of his fledgling and I don't doubt that you are responsible for dozens of other monstrous deeds!" Hannes slammed his fists against the bars of the cell out of anger. "You count yourself lucky that you are in the custody of Heaven. Had you been in the custody of my people then we would make you pay for your crimes with your blood!" he growled, bearing his fangs. Hannes then vanished, unable to bear looking at him for much longer. --- "Lillith? Not THE Lillith?!" Raguel's eyes snapped from the report on his desk to Gabriel's face. "I thought she..." he trailed off. He had assumed that she had been one of the ancients that had perished when the first Angels had been cast into Hell and wrought genocide on her people. "Show me to her cell." he stood straight and walked around the desk to walk with Gabriel. --- Stevie hesitated but the idea of having Cory's number was too tempting. He nodded as he took his phone out of his pocket. It was an old red Nokia phone. Cheeks reddening, he tried not to think about the fact that he essentially used a relic of a phone in comparison to everyone else's smartphones. He clicked a few buttons on the tiny keypad and then showed them the screen which would now be displaying his number. --- "Somehow it makes sense that he's so dense..." Lilly commented jokingly as she strained to help Pain carry Bob into the house. Once they'd put him down on the couch, she'd stretch her arms upwards to loosen up her muscles after such a strenuous task. Lowering her arms, she then looked around the room curiously. "So, this is your home?" --- Viktor did his best to follow Bryce's lead as he moved with him. He tried to imagine what the music would have been like as he lost himself in his beautiful golden eyes. "Like this?" he whispered as he moved along with him. --- Sebastian smiled at Carter with warm, soft eyes. "He looks up to you," he commented as he walked into the living room and wrapped his arms around his waist. He frowned, glancing away from Carter. "I'm sorry that I freaked out so much earlier. I know how it feels and I just feel so helpless. I'd do anything to protect you." --- "Sounds good to me." Mon beamed as he hurried into the bedroom then re-emerged a moment later with a blanket. He sat on the couch and when Bern would sit with him, he threw the blanket over the both of them and cuddled up to him. --- Jayla's eyes widened. She knew that Nil had been trained to be a hardened soldier and assumed that she'd fucked up by making him question himself. Especially after she'd seen him talk to X in the hallway. She didn't know what his mission was but felt she could safely assume that he was just given one. "Fuck..." she muttered to herself as she shot to her feet and picked up her tray. "F-forget I said anything. I'm sorry," she said quickly as she hurried past him to put her tray away. She then left the cantina just as quickly and started to walk briskly to her room. --- David sighed heavily. Just when he thought the demon was about to relax and talk to him, Leo and Oscar's arrival caused the soul to regress back to offering himself. "Enough." He said sternly yet gently. "You don't need to do that. Now if you wouldn't mind waiting there for just a moment, I assume my friends here have dropped in on us for a reason?" He asked while looking at the pair expectantly. "Yeah..." Oscar answered. A little caught off guard by the soul's behaviour and Leo's reaction. "David, we have a problem." "Don't we always? What's happened now?" Oscar told David about Desi's request for a test subject, then the bar and the way the demons had tormented a soul in front of them. By the time he was done, David was glaring at the floorboards, deep in thought. "It sounds like we're on the brink of a rebellion..." David took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. Something like this wasn't easily resolved and usually resulted in fatalities on both sides. He stood purposefully to look at Leo and Oscar. "Keeping their leaders in cells will only escalate the situation but erasing Donnie and Insanity's memories is our best chance at crushing their rebellion before an uprising can even begin. We move ahead as planned." He spoke in a way that was reminiscent of a time he gave orders to troops when he'd been a living man in the English army. "You need a test subject? There's one in Hell's Cells. His name is Warren. He was brainwashed by his masters and now believes he's in love with them both. Removing his memories would be a mercy to him and a crippling blow to his 'lovers'." He took a key out of his pocket and handed it to Oscar. "Hurry." David then turned back to the soul on the couch and sat back down across from him. "Now, where were we? I believe you had yet to introduce yourself." Denix Vames - November 5, 2022 Phineas couldn't help but clap with joy. "This is fantastic! It's adorable." --- Theron's eyes widened. "Did I betray her? She seems so hurt. My mom...." He frowned. "I don't want to make mom cry." Death whispered, "Take me to my throne. I must rest." Napoleon blushed and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well, let's just say you encouraged me. Brought me back to who I was before." He smiled. "I cannot thank you enough for that." --- Insanity didn't blame Hannes for being angry. He only wished he could understand that he was telling the truth. He just sat there in deep thought. --- Gabriel nodded. He led him to the cells. "Here she is." He stood by as Lilith could be seen hitting the bars. "You won't be doing yourself any favors by hurting yourself. These cells can't be destroyed." --- All three were amazed by his phone. Autumn commented on the early 2000's and how emos knew how to make them look cool. Winters brought up the technological advancements that Nokia brought. Cory smiled at their enthusiasm. Everyone had placed Stevie's number in their phones and texted him to let him know that it was them. "See ya around." ,said Cory. "It was nice talking to you. Bye!" ,said Winters. "Come hang with us again real soon." ,said Autumn. --- "Pretty much." Pain stuffed his hands in his pockets. He looked around. "Never thought I would actually get some company. I like the guys in the band but it feels like everyone else just stares at me. Like I don't belong anywhere except for the band." --- "Yes. Just keep following my lead and do your best. Don't expect yourself to be perfect at this. I didn't exactly like getting dancing lessons when I was little." ,said Bryce. --- Carter kissed him. "You have nothing to apologize for. I would have done the same thing. Maybe we should head to bed and get some rest?" --- As they were watching the movie, Bern said the classic Godfather line as soon as it came up. He made a face with his hand out to make Mon laugh. --- Nil merely stood there. Still trying to understand these new thoughts. He then had a sudden urge to walk to an agent. He said, "H-Hell...o?" X appeared in Layla's room. He glared. "We need to talk." --- At Hell's Cells, they would take Warren and bring him to Desi. Adam awkwardly played with his hands as they were enclosed together. He took a deep breath before looking at him. He frowned. "I'm Adam Dixon. I was one of the souls that belong to a harem. Desi was the one who took me in. He made me feel safe." Bitter tears peeked out as he felt a surge of anger. A betrayal. He slammed his fists against his lap. "But then he just left us! No! He made us leave! He saw us as abominations! I don't know what made him change but we were abandoned!" He covered his face. Unable to look at David as he cried. "He was our only hope. Now, that's all gone." shadowess - November 5, 2022 Kasper chuckled at some of the antics on the TV as well. He'd almost forgotten how some of these cartoons had played out so it was like he was watching them for the first time again. "I used to watch this show whenever I could as a child. It took all of my control not to laugh or I'd wake my family up." he grinned. --- Jessica glanced down to where Lillith had been. "Shhh... she'll be ok. I promise," she told him in the same gentle whisper. "You didn't betray her. You did the right thing. She needs help. You all do. We want to help you, not fight you." she held him at arms length and gave him a calm smile. She knew that if they hung around much longer then Gabriel and his men might come to arrest Theron and Sam, which might only exacerbate things. "Is that your brother down there?" she looked down at Sam's unconscious body. "Let's take him to where I'm staying. You'll both be safe there. Then we can talk, ok?" --- "Yes, sir," Azreal answered and lifted him gently into his arms. He teleported them both to Death's throne room, in the heart of the spirit world. Purgatory. He carefully set his king down on the throne before stepping back and kneeling out of respect. He kept his head bowed low. --- Carol smirked. "I can think of a few ways you could thank me." she purred. "And you did just get my engine revved up, after all." she chuckled while running her hands over his chest plate. She hovered her lips over his. "Let's go somewhere more private. Oui?" --- Lillith tried to scream at Gabriel in her inhuman voice but with the bracelet on it just sounded like an ordinary screech. Raguel looked in on the woman and his heart sank. It was her. "She knows," he told Gabriel somberly. "This isn't the first time she's been locked in this cell." Lillith growled and walked over the to cell bars to glare at Raguel. The pair had a conversation entirely in an ancient language. The conversation soon turned into a shouting match between the two until finally, red in the face, Raguel reverted to speaking English again. "That was centuries ago! Times change Lilu! I cannot undo what was done and I'm sorry that the actions of our people brought an end to yours. But you must let go! He's gone. He hasn't been seen in decades. You must focus on YOUR future. Those wretches were only using you for your power!" Lillith spat through the bars. Her saliva hit Raguel's cheek. He stared at her for a long moment before wiping it off wordlessly. He turned to Gabriel. His next words would feel heavy with burden. "She stays in that cell until she is calmer. Then bring David to speak with her. There is nothing more that I can say to her." he told him before marching back to his office. --- Surprised by their reactions, Stevie listened to each of them talking about how good his phone was. He'd never considered their points before and had always been embarrassed about the fact that he couldn't afford to get a more up-to-date phone. But they seemed to be genuinely excited by it. He took his phone back and grinned when he received each of their texts. "B-bye. Thanks for letting me come with you." Stevie said to them before walking in the direction of his home. He would smile to himself and stare at the new contact numbers on his phone as he walked. --- Lilly frowned at Pain's words and she turned to look at him. "I never thought that about you," she told him. "And I came from another world!" she smiled. "If there's anyone that should feel like they don't belong here it's Bob and me." she hesitated before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder as well, tucking her face into his neck. "But you have made me feel at home here. Like I could belong here. For that, I'm grateful." --- "Oh?" Viktor's eyes lit up in fascination. "What was your childhood like? I've never seen any vampire kids. I can't even begin to imagine what their lives must be like. Especially back then." --- "I think that might be a good idea." Sebastian smiled and nodded. "It's been a long day. Maybe things will be easier tomorrow?" he said hopefully as he took Carter's hand and headed towards the stairs. --- Mon laughed at Bern's impression and buried his face in his chest as he chuckled. He lifted his head and kissed Bern on the cheek. Loving how close they felt at this moment. --- Layla opened the door to her bedroom and jumped when she saw X waiting for her. Her heart sank at his words and knew she'd messed up. She looked at him guiltily. She expected him to yell at her. Possibly even discipline her. But in a job like this which was almost military, it was to be expected when an agent makes a mistake. She closed the door behind her and stood to attention. "Yes, sir," she said obediently, in a quivering voice. Ready to accept whatever came next. --- David was quiet as Adam spoke. Giving him a chance to let his emotions out. When he talked about Desi's harem, he frowned. He knew about the empty harem. He knew why Desi had abandoned the building entirely. At some point, after he'd left it, Desi had come to David to seek guidance. He had wanted to change for the better. He supposed it was only a matter of time before he'd run into the souls that had been thrown out. "I know Desi," he admitted and watched carefully to see the soul's reaction. "He came to me after he left the harem. I know that you feel abandoned and lost. But he did what he did for a good reason. Let me explain. When you were in the harem, you felt safe. Like you didn't need to go anywhere and you weren't expected to repent for what you had done in life. You were essentially in this bubble within Hell. The souls within were isolated from the rest of Hell and took no responsibility for their own fates. But Desi realised that being there meant that you had no opportunities to grow as a person. No chances to redeem or save yourself. He didn't throw you out because he was disgusted by you. He threw you out because he was disgusted by what he'd done." David sat forward, on the edge of the couch with his hand clasped together and resting on his knees. He gave him a kind smile. "Adam, all is not lost. There is still hope for you," he said gently. "As I said, my role in Hell is to rehabilitate souls and help them to earn a place in Heaven. I would like to help you too if you'll let me. You would be enrolled on the Redemption Programme and the demons who work with me will support you on your journey to redemption. If by the end of it, you'd like to go to Heaven, you can. Or, if you'd like to stay in Hell to become a Demon who can help other souls like yourself, then that is an option too. What do you think? The choice is entirely yours to make." --- Warren watched as Oscar and Leo appeared. When Oscar unlocked his cell, he backed away from the cell door. "What are you doing? Who are you?" he asked in a shaking voice. When they entered his cell and walked towards him, he started to panic. "What do you want?!" To be able to teleport with him, they needed to drag him out of the cell first. So when they grabbed him and started pulling him towards the door, he tried to grab at the bars and looked in the direction of Donnie's cell in alarm. "Sire! They're taking me! Don't let them take me away! Sire!" But trapped in his own cell, all Donnie could do was listen helplessly as his toy was taken away. Once they managed to pull him out, they teleported to the mansion. Oscar kept a tight hold on Warren. "Desi. Got a live one for you!" Warren was looking around the place curiously. His heart was pounding. "Where have you taken me?! What do you want?!" he demanded but Oscar continued to ignore him. Desi entered the living room again and looked over at Warren. "He'll do. Alight, tie him into a chair. We don't want him running off. I'll go get the serum." "Wh-what serum? What are you going to do to me?!" Warren struggled to get out of Oscar's grip but in his weakened state, it wasn't any use.

Shadowess - November 1, 2022 "I'm not sure," Kasper replied honestly. "My parents wouldn't allow me to watch things like this. If it wasn't a documentary or educational then it was trash as far as they were concerned," he admitted then smirked and whispered into his ear. "But sometimes I'd sneak into the family living room when they were all sleeping to watch some shows." --- Oscar glanced around warily. Listening carefully for any movement that wouldn't be familiar. "I don't know..." he said quietly then looked at Leo hopefully. "Maybe we got lucky this time?" "I should hope so." Desi walked into the room while wiping his hands on a cloth. "So, where's the test subject?" "Uh... we sort of... hit a snag in the plan," Oscar said slowly and after explaining what had happened at the bar, Desi also looked quite spooked. "Well, that is worrying..." He commented while perching himself on the arm of the couch. "Fellas, you know you need to report this to David, right? The sooner the better." --- "Sir!" Azreal gasped when he was pushed out of the way and watched anxiously as his superior took the hit. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Death recover quickly and give him a new order. The sight gave Azreal a renewed fire behind his eyes "Yes, sir!" he jumped to his feet and took off after the soul, confident that Death could handle himself. Lillith jumped back, away from the reach of Napoleon's sword and hissed at him savagely while bearing her dozens of teeth. She remained facing both Napoleon and Gabriel, hissing and growling at them angrily as she watched over Sam's unconscious body in a defensive way. She felt outnumbered and cornered, which was a very dangerous thing to make a creature like her feel. Four fleshy tendrils extended from her back. They stretched to twice the length of her body and poised over her head. Their sharp tips aimed at both of the angels in front of her. By this point, Jessica's blood had helped Carol to heal and she picked herself up and rounded on Lillith furiously. "Slit my throat, you fucking bitch?! I'm going to kick your ass into another fucking dimension!! Face me like a real fucking warrior!" she growled while marching over to the Leviathan. Lillith glanced back at her and hissed before flinging one of her tendrils at her. Carol's eyes turned crimson and she jumped to one side before catching the tendril with both arms. She tried to yank Lillith towards her but the Leviathan was too strong and started flailing her tendril around wildly to try and fling her off, causing Carol to wrap her legs around it in an effort to keep her grip. "Fucking-! Pussy-! I'll rip your-! Tentacles off-! and shove them-! so far up-! your ass-! you'll be-! shitting them out-! for weeks-!" Carol shouted as she was flung this way and that. Finally sick of being whipped around, Carol bit down hard on the tendril, causing Lillith to cry out and start whacking Carol against tree after tree to try and get her to let go. With Carol back in the fight and Florian being kept busy by Death, Jessica turned her attention to Theron. She looked up at him sternly before sprouting her wings and flying up to hover in front of him. "The fuck is your problem, kid?" she snapped sassily. "You know you're hanging out with a literal psycho, right?" she gestured towards Insanity. "The guy is a monster. Don't let him turn you into a monster, too." Having had his attention on Hannes and assumed Death was too wounded to fight, Florian was taken by surprise when Death appeared in front of him. He grunted as he was kicked off the weapon then just managed to roll out of the way of its singing blade. Jumping quickly to his feet, he dove at Death and made a grab for the scythe. While trying to wrestle it from Death's grip, he grinned at him maniacally. "All my life I always said that I do not fear death." he chuckled. "I still don't!" Seeing an opening that he couldn't afford to miss, Hannes seized his opportunity to make a beeline for Insanity and swung his fist towards his face as soon as he was within range. --- Stevie listened to them all and stayed quiet for a minute before shrugging awkwardly and lowering his eyes. "I-..." he hesitated. His voice trembling as he tried to think of how he was going to explain himself without admitting to having murdered bullies the day before. "I don't know..." he mumbled then decided to double down on that sentence. "It was just a feeling. I just wanted to help. You were all nice to me... I didn't want to see you get hurt..." he then looked up at Autumn and blinked at her. "Magic?" he asked. He knew that what he'd done with the flute wasn't normal but for some reason, the idea of magic being real still seemed completely farfetched to him. --- Having previously slept in barns, crypts and open fields back in her own world, Lilly wasn't phased by the appearance of the house. "Is this your home?" she asked, looking out of her window at the building with a curious expression. "Are you rich?" she followed up, still unfamiliar with how the economy in this world worked. --- Viktor chuckled softly at Bryce's words. "I want to know you. Every part of you. Good and bad. I told you all about me." he shrugged. "If there's one comfort we can take from the past, it's that it made us who we are now. That's something we should never regret." --- "Oh..." Damien blinked at James as he recalled James had been a test subject and possibly missed out on things like visiting a blockbuster video store. "I used to like renting videos from a store called blockbuster when I was a kid. I'd pester my mom to take me every weekend," he explained with a chuckle. "Let's see... Oh! Snatch! What a classic movie! You ever seen it? It's a British gangster movie that's pretty funny." --- Comforted by Carter's willingness to listen to him, Parker wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly while he continued to sob. Sebastian had heard Parker's outburst from the kitchen and had moved to the doorway to peer in at them. After a few minutes, when he'd calmed down enough, Parker let him go and wiped away his tears. He felt embarrassed at having broken down in the way that he had. "Uh... s-sorry." He sniffled. "I know I should forgive him. That what happened to me wasn't his fault but... I still just feel so pissed at him for not being around. How am I supposed to just let that go?" --- Mon cried into his shoulder, then gasped softly as the embrace started to make breathing difficult. "Uh-! Honey? It's getting a little hard the breathe." He chuckled, assuming that Bern had momentarily forgotten his newfound strength. --- By the time Nil had walked into the cantina, Layla had already picked out her food, sat down at one of the many, metallic tables and eaten most of her lunch. His voice had surprised her and she looked up to see he was speaking to her, which had never happened before. At his question, she felt her cheeks grow warmer. She shrugged shyly while putting her now mostly empty pot of pudding down. "I guess... I don't know... to be friendly?" She fumbled. "I never see you hang out with anyone during your downtime, so I guess it was just my way of letting you know that..." she shrugged again, nervous to finish her sentence. "That you don't have to be alone all the time. We're all one big team, right?" Denix Vames - November 2, 2022 Phineas smiled at the thought of Kasper getting into his own rebellious ways as a child. He could just imagine it. He raised a brow when he watched the intro and got a few minutes of the show. He said, "These people seem awful. How can anyone talk to them?" --- Leo took a deep breath. He stood and helped Oscar up. "How about we take a minute to recollect ourselves? Just let me know when you're ready to report, Oscar." --- Napoleon swung his sword. Cutting her tentacles off. While Lilith would be distracted by the pain and blood loss, Nate would appear to slap an angelic bracelet over her wrist. No matter if she would harm him while he was doing so, he would fight through the pain and go for it. Theron was crying. He shook his head. "They found me when I was lost and confused. They're my first family. I don't want to lose them!" "What a foolish mistake." Death kicked him off of the scythe. He swung at him. Distracted by his own overconfidence, Insanity was not prepared. He flew as the punch took him in the air. Gabriel flew towards him and held him close. Slapping the angelic bracelet over him. Insanity shoved him off but that was all he could do. He shouted, "You son of a bitch!" Gabriel gripped his arm before they disappeared. --- "I know it doesn't make sense but it's all real." ,said Autumn. Winters smiled. "We even got to meet Napoleon Bonaparte! He's an Angel!" "Basically, we totally get you dude. So don't worry about a thing. We can keep this as our secret." ,said Cory who winked. --- "Unfortunately not. In our dimension, the economy really got messy real fast." ,said Pain. He opened the backseat car door. "Do you think you could carry Bob inside? Or do you need me to lend a hand?" --- Bryce smiled. "Well, I do remember those parties I use to go to or would host myself. You should have seen it! All the colors blending in like such a fine piece of art. And those who danced were like swans. Such elegance!" --- "I don't think I have? Honestly, I can't remember things from before I was captured by ADIEU." James glared at the TV as he thought about ADIEU. "Fucking bastards. But maybe one of these movies will bring me back somewhere." --- "You shouldn't let go but you shouldn't stay angry forever. My best suggestion is to just process through this. To deal with these issues or thoughts. Whatever you want to call them, you need to deal with them. Now, I know I'm not a therapist but like I said, if you ever need to tell me anything just say something. But if you're looking for wisdom, I'd suggest David." --- Bern jumped back. "Sorry about that. I'm still new to this. Are you alright?" --- "I have been trained to contain no emotions so that I may follow orders. These things that you speak of are not of my concern." ,said Nil. --- Adam Dixon had been a lost wandering soul ever since Desi abandoned his harem. In order to survive Hell, he would give any Demon or Devil a sexual service. In return, they would protect him for however long they wished to. Adam was running as his last 'friend' was done with his company. He went off in search for another one. By sheer accident, he entered the Library where he could see David reading at a couch. Adam caught his breath before smirking at him. He walked over seductively. "Hey handsome. Care for a fun time? If I give you just what you need then maybe you can keep me safe for a little while?" Denix Vames - November 2, 2022 (forgot to add this) Gabriel appeared at Heaven's Cells. He threw Insanity into one and locked it. "You'll be transferred to David soon." Insanity gripped the bars. "Don't you dare hurt my family!" "I'm nothing like you. I actually care about people." Gabriel walked away. Shadowess - November 2, 2022 "I agree," Kasper said as he watched the show as well. He couldn't help cringing but at the same time, he was morbidly fascinated. "Is this the kind of thing that's popular in the US? Maybe I'm just too used to German TV shows?" ((You'll have to bear with cos I've never actually seen the show myself lol For some reason though, I imagine it's the equivelant of UK's Liverpool scousers lol)) --- "I'm ready." Oscar nodded. "Desi is right. The sooner the better. We should head straight to him and report what we've seen. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be David." he took Leo's hand. "Ready?" "Keep me updated fellas. The serum is ready but we need to test it before we give it to that horrid family. We don't want to risk them suddenly remembering everything a few days later." Desi said as he got up to leave the room. --- In the air, Jessica was looking at Theron with a look of pity. "I get it," she said quietly to him. Gently. "You love them. They love you." she sighed heavily. "I'm not asking you to stop loving them, kid. But you have to understand, what they are doing...the things that they've done. It's wrong." Moving slowly so as not to startle him, Jessica lifted a hand towards him, holding it out to him. Against her better judgement, she lowered her guard. "Come with me. You won't be leaving them behind. We can work together to save their souls. Trust me, I want to help you." Lillith was so occupied with trying to get Carol off of her tentacle that she hadn't seen the threat until it was too late. She let out an ear-splitting shriek as his sword cleaved the appendages from her body The one that Carol had been riding flopped to the ground and twitched from the nerves being severed. The Leviathan rounded on Napoleon. She was sweating from the pain but she was too enraged to back down. She'd started to run at him but her path had been blocked by Nate. When he grabbed her, she instinctively bit at his arm and yanked her head back to rip as much flesh from him as she could while struggling to break free from his grip. The blood loss from losing her tentacles had left her too weak to push him off. Then, her monstrous jaw suddenly and involuntarily reverted to its human shape. The stumps that were left from her tentacles healed and dissolved into her back. She felt notably weaker. More helpless. That's when she noticed the bracelet around her wrist. Her eyes widened and she shuddered. She would not allow herself to become their prisoner! "CHILD OF MINE!!" she screamed and looked up at Theron. Expecting him to save her. Florian wheezed from the kick. Winded as he stumbled back. He felt a white-hot pain spread across his chest and fell back, clutching his chest. He looked down to see a long, deep scratch across his upper torso. The blade of the scythe had cut through his shirt like butter. Wincing at the pain and in fear for his life for the first time, Florian growled at his opponent. His growling quickly became deeper and more monstrous. Then, rapidly, he transformed into a wolf that was larger than a bear. Once in this form, he aimed to snatch the scythe from Death's grip with his teeth. No longer interested in keeping the weapon after being struck with it, Florian intended on snapping it between his teeth if he managed to get a hold of it. Despite his transformation, the cut across his chest hadn't healed and had started to bleed quite a lot. --- Seeing Insanity captured and taken away by Gabriel, Hannes was disappointed that he wouldn't get to fight the Devil but he also knew better than to question an Arch Angel. He teleported after them and once Gabriel had stepped away from the cells, Hannes approached the bars to glare in at Insanity. "Just tell me why. Why did you hurt him the way that you did?" he growled. "He still suffers night terrors because of you and your demented partner! Don't you have any remorse?!" --- Raguel was in a large office with an oval-shaped, mahogany table in the middle. He sat at his desk and was massaging his temples as he read over a few files. --- Stevie listened to them and when Napoleon was mentioned he narrowed his eyes slightly out of suspicion as he tried to discern whether they were being sincere or if they were now just making things up to appease him. When Cory winked at him, he felt his cheeks grow warm again and he couldn't help smiling shyly. "O-ok," he said quietly while lowering his gaze. "Well, I guess that's it for the mall today then... I- I might go home. If I stay out too late my mom will throw a fit." --- "I still have so much to learn about your world..." Lilly commented as she stepped out of the car and continued to look up at the house in wonder. "In my world, having a home like this was a mark of wealth." she turned to look at Bob and frowned. "I think he would be too heavy for me to carry. I could try to lift his top half. You get his legs?" --- Viktor beamed as he tried to imagine how it must all have looked and felt. He ran a finger up Bryce's arm playfully while standing close to him. "Take me there," he whispered. "Show me how we would have danced together if I'd been there then." --- "If it brings you any comfort, I burned down my fair share of ADIEU facilities before my destruction," Damien said as he started the movie. "In any case, I bet you'll love this movie." he grinned. --- Parker nodded quietly as he thought about those words. He could barely remember how he'd met David for the first time or how he'd reacted when he learned who he was. Had he ever been this angry at him? Or had he just been in too much shock at learning he was family to be able to process it properly at the time? Would he feel the same about his father after some time had passed? The only thing that Parker knew for sure right now was that he was still too angry to face Damien just yet. He rubbed his own arms awkwardly. "I'm um... If it's ok, I'm going to go lay down for a little while." "Make yourself at home," Sebastian said in a gentle tone. "But please don't isolate yourself. Make sure you come back down later for something to eat." "Yes, mom," Parker said sarcastically with a playful smirk as he turned and headed towards the stairs. --- "Yeah, I'm fine." Mon chuckled breathlessly. He scratched his chin, stubble had already started to show. "Well, I'm too awake now to go back to bed. You wana snuggle up and watch a movie until it's time to get ready for work?" --- Layla frowned at Nil's response. "That sounds so lonely though." She shrugged and sat back, sipping her water as she tried to pretend that she wasn't worried for him. "But, I mean, as long as you're ok then I guess that's the main thing." --- David had had enough of guarding Donnie and his poor, brainwashed follower. Now that Donnie knew he was going to lose his memories, he'd taken it upon himself to try to rile David up as much as he could. The last straw that caused David to teleport away for fear of throttling him had been when Donnie had started to describe to him, in painfully graphic detail, what he'd done to Patience when she'd been his prisoner. Almost losing his temper, David grabbed a trusted Demon and ordered them to guard the prisoners with his life before teleporting to his sanctuary, Hells Library. There he'd picked up one of his favourite books and settled down on the couch to try to take his mind off of things for a while. He'd just about calmed down when the creaking floorboards brought him back to reality and he tore his eyes from the book to look up at the soul. A mixture of disgust and pity washed over him as he listened to the soul's attempt at seduction. He cringed and pinched the bridge of his nose while sighing heavily. "Oh, Lord... That won't be necessary." He said gently as he rose to his feet and snapped his book shut with one hand. He walked back to the bookshelf and carefully put the book away. "This library is a safe haven for souls. It's forbidden for Hellions to hunt here. You're safe. You can relax." He turned and looked over the soul curiously. "My name is David Sedley. I work for the -legitimate- royal family of Hell. My role is to rehabilitate souls and give them a chance to earn a place in Heaven. What's your name? How did you come to be in Hell? Please, take a seat and talk with me." He gestured to the couch across from himself as he too sat down once more.

Shadowess - October 25, 2022 Kasper chuckled and cuddled up to Phineas. Without taking the remote from him, he pointed to each button and explained its function. "Give it a try. Let's see what we can find." --- "Leo, wait-!" Oscar whispered hurriedly but too late. He looked around the room, recognising it as one from their home. He stood and looked at Leo, fearfully. "They're sure to notice us leave like that," he said. "They might try to follow us. They know our faces now." his heart was beating hard in his chest. His mouth had become dry from nerves. What if all those demons appeared in the mansion and surrounded them? They wouldn't stand a chance! Not to mention the people living with them who would also be in danger. Atma especially, who was now human and mostly defenceless. "Shit, there were so many of them... I think we really underestimated how many followers Donnie has! This is bad!" --- Florian did indeed try to defend his new employer and was caught off-guard by the Reaper King's strength. He lost his grip on his axe and flew across the clearing. His back slammed against a tree and he grunted as he fell to his knees, winded. Hearing a loud crack, he glanced behind himself in time to watch the tree that he had crashed into fall away from them, into the forest. It crashed loudly as it collided with a few other trees and tore off their branches on the way down. "But sir, the council-!" Azreal called out to Death as he heard him announce his intentions. However, he cut himself off as he noticed the recently deceased's soul trying to flee from the chaos. "Wait! You need to stay close! You'll become a lost soul if you wander too far!" he tried to warn him in German while moving to give chase. But his path was soon blocked by Theron and at the last second, he'd managed to lift his scythe to block his sword. "I don't want to fight you," he said desperately to the boy as their weapons battled. "I will defend myself if I must but it doesn't have to be this way! You can stop! You can always stop! Please. I don't want to hurt you." Carol moved Napoleon to one side and promptly slapped him across the face. Sympathy wasn't her strong suit. But given she was once Lucifer's best, that was hardly surprising. "Get a hold of yourself! I thought you were a soldier! One of the best of your time! Not some grovelling fool!" she snapped at him irritably. She flicked her hair back sassily while turning to face Insanity. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an ass to kick!" It was at this point that several things happened and all within a very short amount of time. Death had been struck down by Insanity, prompting an emotional outcry from Azreal who swiftly kicked Theron in the stomach and threw him aside. He then darted to Death's side, gathering up some of his cloak and pressing it against his wound to stop the flow of blood. In his moment of panic, his sole focus was on Death. Nothing else around him caught his attention. "S-sir! You're going to be alright, right? You can heal, can't you? What do I do? Tell me what to do!" he cried. Behind him, Carol had rounded on Insanity and darted towards him with murderous intent. Before she could reach him, Lillith had appeared in her path and moved so quickly that it only appeared that she'd flicked her wrist at her. Carol slowed to a stop and gripped her throat which had been slit wide open and was gushing blood. "Bi- Bi-!" Carol choked angrily as Lillith watched with a twisted smirk. "Bitch!" she finally wheezed the word before falling to her knees. Florian had gotten to his feet and was looking at Death's scythe with greedy eyes. He marched over and reached down to pick it up. Before his fingers could touch it, a foot had pinned it to the ground. Preventing Florian from taking it. Looking up, he saw a blond, pale Angel who was looking back at him angrily. Hannes. A second later, Jessica appeared next to Carol and bit into her own wrist before pouring her blood over the wound in her neck to heal it. While keeping Florian within his view, Hannes turned his gaze to glare at Insanity dangerously. "This is him?" he asked. "That's one of them." Jessica nodded while also glaring at Insanity. She knew that she should be fearful after betraying Insanity but she wasn't. If anything, she was just angry and apparently, so was Hannes. "You hurt Niko," he growled. "Niko is a brother to me. He may have done some terrible things but the things that you did to him." Hannes's eyes flashed red for just a second. "He did not deserve that. You are a sick and disturbed man." he clenched his fists. "I will not allow you to harm again." "Tough talk." Florian chuckled. "Coming from a Vampire." he bared his teeth, which quickly became the venomous, sharp fangs of his wolven form. In an instant, both Jessica and Hannes could smell the strength of his venom and it was enough to send shivers down both of their spines. Even to them as they are now, his venom alone could destroy them. "I suggest you step off MY weapon." Florian threatened. Satisfied that Florian could handle both of the new attackers, Lillith hurried over to Sam and let out a feral, inhuman shriek at Gabriel to get him to back off. As she screeched at him, her mouth split open into a monstrous shape, revealing rows upon rows of tiny, razor-sharp teeth. Her wide eyes glared at him. With her shoulders hunched forward slightly, she looked more like a wild animal that was ready to jump on its prey. She stood over Sam in a defensive manner. --- Watching their reactions caused Stevie to feel a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Were his new friends afraid of him now? But he was only trying to protect them! He looked at them with a crestfallen expression before nodding and following them out of the mall while tucking his flute back into his pocket. He wiped at his nose with the sleeve of his jacket and looked at the blood curiously. That hadn't happened the last time he'd used it. Maybe it was just a coincidence? He paid this little attention as he kept his head down and walked silently behind the group, dragging his heels. His heart was in his throat and he feared what the others would think of him now. --- Lilly smiled at Pain. "I was beginning to think you lived here!" She joked. The irony that she and Bob had been living there as they didn't yet have their own home hadn't escaped her. "It would be nice to see your home," she said with a soft voice and nodded. --- Viktor hugged himself and nodded. "At least we can take some comfort in knowing there really is a Heaven," he said thoughtfully. "I hope the people that lost their lives here... whoever they were, have found a new home there." he turned to look at Bryce and moved to wrap his arms around him. "Tell me something," he whispered as he rested his head against his and closed his eyes. "Tell me a story from your time. Take me there. Make me feel like I was there with you." --- "Well, guess there's one way to find out then..." Damien smirked as he selected the streaming service and was delighted to see the various options. "Holy shit! It's like a blockbuster video store in your living room! But without the liqueur and BO smell..." he then paused and sniffed his own shirt before cringing and laughing. "Scratch that. Exactly like a Blockbuster!" --- Parker folded his arms and immediately became standoffish when Carter started talking about Damien as well. He was very conflicted about how he should feel but he was also as stubborn as his father was. "Pfft. Some father..." He commented sarcastically and rolled his eyes. Then he moodily lowered his gaze and shrugged. "I don't know... maybe you're right but... I'm just still so pissed at him, you know? I mean, he wasn't there! I needed him and he just wasn't there! Where was he when my mom died? When my grandma, my last remaining guardian, died? When I had to get a part-time job while I was still in school just so I could afford to eat and clothe myself? When I almost lost my grandma's place and had to beg the new owners to let me rent it just so I wouldn't be homeless!" Parker could no longer stop himself. He needed to get this off his chest. He needed someone to hear him out, and he felt safe around Carter to do so. He needed so much to let go of all of this pent-up anger and pain that he hadn't realised before now was as raw as it was. "Where was he when I was putting every hour of my time into either studying or working just so I could save up enough to join the police academy? Where was he when I was kidnapped, turned, brainwashed and raped?!" he'd started shaking. His face was red and his eyes were watering. "Where was he when I thought I was going crazy?! Where was he?! Not here! You were! Not him! and I will never, NEVER forgive him for that!" Finally, Parker broke down into sobs. Relieved to have let out all of his frustrations and feel like he was being heard. Despite his pain, he felt like a weight had been lifted as he stood there, covering his face with his hands while he wept into them. --- "You're you!" Mon cried into his arms. "The you that you've always been! The man I fell in love with! Our occupation might not be exactly the same but we still demand respect, Bern. We're still The Mafia. It's just, instead of fightin' over money all the time, we're fightin' for something better. We're fightin' for the little guy! The downtrodden! The folks who need protection from all the bad crap that's going on in this crazy, fucked up world. That's who we are now, Bern. But that's better, right?" --- Layla had been heading towards the cantina when she looked over and saw Nil walking by. She was always a little fascinated by him as he always seemed cut off from everyone else and she'd never seen him show any emotion. Yet, every time she saw him she would always wave and smile at him, hoping to get a reaction this time. She'd been about to lift her hand as always when X appeared near Nil and she jumped a little. She still wasn't used to seeing people pop up out of nowhere. Quickly recovering herself, she lowered her gaze and hurried along into the cantina to get herself some food. Denix Vames - October 25, 2022 Phineas nodded. He flipped through channels until he saw a show called the Jersey Shore. He raised a brow. "What is this?" --- Leo went pale. "I'm sorry, Oscar. I panicked! I just didn't want to be there anymore." He looked around. "They're not here. Are they waiting for the right opportunity?" --- Theron fell back as he grunted. He hadn't expected to be kicked. He stood while shaking. He cried out as his black wings sprouted. He flew up and raised his sword. "I hate everyone!" He threw his blood at Azreal. Death pushed him out of the way. Taking the piercing blow. He ripped the blood spike out of his body and threw it aside. His wounds healed. "Take the soul away from here! I can take care of this." He appeared in front of Florian. He kicked him off of his scythe and picked up his weapon. He zoomed towards Florian and swung his weapon at him. Napoleon healed himself. After that slap, he only realized now that he was being a fool like Carol had said. He ran towards the battle without hesitation and pulled out his sword. He swung at Lilith. Insanity grinned as he watched this all unfold. Knowing that he didn't need to do anything at all. His soldiers could do the work for him. --- Once they were at an alley, Cory took a deep breath. "Ok. We're not trying to freak out here. I just want to know how you did with a flute? And yes, it was totally fucking scary. But-" "We're not scared of you." ,said Winters. Autumn nervously rubbed her arm. "We know about magic and stuff sort of. Our lives aren't normal anymore. We just want to understand you. To be your friend." Winters frowned. "I'm sorry if we're making you feel cornered. That's not what we meant." --- "Sweet! Bob can borrow my clothes." ,said Pain. Hades carried Bob into Pain's used car. Placing him at the backseat where he could rest. "Take care of yourselves." ,said Hades. "I promise." ,said Pain. The trio would soon reach a dirty looking house. --- Bryce frowned. "My stories are mostly me being an ignorant rich boy. Do you really want to hear that?" --- James smiled. "I have no idea what you're talking about but you seem to like remembering that detail." --- Carter gently pulled him into an embrace. "It's ok. I'm right here now. You can tell me whatever's on your mind. Like you did just now." He smiled. Hoping to give him some reassurance. --- Bern nodded. "Yeah, it is." His grip on Mon grew tight as he continued to hug him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." --- Once X was done briefing Nil about everything in his office, Nil decided to make one last stop before going on the mission. He knew where Layla was heading to. Without emotions, he focused more on the details surrounding him. At the cantina, he walked up to her. "Why are you always saying hi to me? And why do you smile?" He wasn't bothered by it but rather interested in her behavior.