Shadowess

Raguel had been monitoring the two new Devils closely since Lucifer's disappearance. Particularly Damien as he seemed to be going well out of his way to live up to Lucifer's expectations even without his teacher around. The girl was an unexpected anomaly but so far hadn't given him much cause for concern. Still, given her upbringing, he knew it would be best to keep a close eye on her in case she turned into yet another Lucifer. One was bad enough. Raguel wasn't stupid either. He knew this might be their best opportunity to put an end to the war once and for all. The fact that Lucifer had disappeared so suddenly gave him hope. If he hadn't been destroyed already then this could only mean that he was weakened and in hiding somewhere. Perhaps these fledgling Devils could be the key to his destruction? According to his spies, Damien had received at least some training from Lucifer himself prior to his disappearance, so he knew that trying to trick him in any way posed a high risk. Whereas the newest Devil had never met Lucifer, was practically brand new to her powers and was beginning to learn about the world from Damien. Perhaps she was still new enough to be manipulated? He had heard of an Angel on Earth who was adept at hypnosis and spent most of his time encouraging mortals to procreate either with himself or others. He had ordered this Angel to seduce the female Devil with the intention of gathering any information she learned from her 'brother'. This had been several weeks ago. Raguel now stood, in plain mortal clothing, outside a cafe. He hated hiding his wings but the only way this Angel would report to him was if he met with him on Earth. He glanced over in time to see said Angel round the corner and approach the cafe casually as if he were on his usual stroll. "Lovely weather." Raguel greeted him. "let's hope it doesn't rain," Tuzo responded in a tired tone as he pushed open the door to the cafe. Chuckling, Raguel followed him inside and sat with him at one of the little tables. Being approximately seven feet tall and very muscular, he made the cafe table seem like a toy from a doll's house in comparison. Tuzo sat opposite and stared across the room with a bored expression. "Any new information from your 'secret lover'?" Raguel asked in a hushed voice. "Well she just learned the reverse cowgirl but I'm thinking I might change into my female form, get her some mango-flavoured lube and- Oh you mean about Lucifer?" Tuzo responded cockily. A flicker of irritation crossed Raguel's expression but he maintained his composure. "Yes." "They still don't know." Raguel's shoulders dropped slightly out of disappointment. "But, have you heard of a mortal organisation called ADIEU?" Tuzo asked, his expression suddenly becoming much more serious. "Why should I care about some mortal affairs?" Raguel sat back and waved dismissively. "Because these mortals could become very dangerous. For Hell and for Heaven. Dangerous enough that my 'lovely new lady love' practically trembled when telling me what Damien had told her... whether that was from fear, anger or both, I couldn't say." "And what makes these mortals so dangerous?" "Look around you," Tuzo said while glancing at the various appliances in the room. "Look how far mortals have come technologically and in such a short space of time. Now imagine a mortal with that kind of ingenuity not just searching for proof of life after death, but hunting it. Capturing it. Experimenting on it without the slightest hint of empathy or morality." "Impossible." Raguel laughed but Tuzo's expression remained serious. "Damien doesn't seem to think so. What's more, he's convinced that Lucifer might actually be a prisoner of one of these secret facilities." Raguel paused mid-chuckle then his facial features dropped into a dark, determined stare. "Tell me everything."

To calm down, Amelia decided to wander around the city on Earth for a while. Even though it was incredibly dangerous for her if she was caught on her own by a group of Arch Angels, she was utterly fascinated by the way Earth worked. The exchange of currency for products. The vehicles and electronic devices that would never work in the depths of Hell. The wild variety of personalities around her. Sweet and exotic smells. If not for the constant danger of simply being here, Amelia felt she could easily lose herself in the experience of it all. Though nothing would ever compare to the first time she'd arrived on Earth. Now THAT was an exciting day! But that is a story for another time. Trying her best to put her argument with her brother to the back of her mind, she wandered into various shops to browse the countless, mostly useless trinkets. She found herself wandering into a cafe at one point. The strong smell of coffee had caused her to wrinkle her nose at first but she quickly got used to it. Her curiosity drew her to the counter where she purchased her first latte. It wasn't bad. After adding a little sugar, she enjoyed it more. However, she was unsure if the coffee was responsible for her sudden burst of new energy or whether that was simply the excitement of sampling a human beverage. Either way, she felt she needed to use it up somehow so she began to wander the city once more. By then the sun had gone down and the city had a new lease of life. Girls wore smaller clothing and higher shoes. Men wore more fashionable clothes. Flashing lights and loud music everywhere she turned. Until she found a large sign lit up above a pair of doors. One door was painted black and the other was painted white. 'Equilibrium' the sign read. Staring at the sign, Amelia was reminded of what the Angel had whispered into her ear. The way he'd made her feel. Would he be here now? What did he want to show her? What if it was a trap? These questions ran through her mind but she found herself pushing the doors open and stepping into the dark corridor as if being pulled in either by an invisible force or her own curiosity. The carpet was black, yet soft under her shoes. The walls all around her as well as the ceiling were also painted black but they were bejewelled with millions of tiny fake diamonds that reflected the dim light of a few ceiling-high lamps that were attached to the walls and evenly spaced apart. It was like Amelia was walking through a night sky as she wandered further into the building until she reached another set of double doors that resembled the first set she'd walked through. These doors led to a staircase. Although the floors here were covered in black linoleum instead of carpet, the walls and ceiling were exactly the same as in the previous room. Here she could hear the low rumbling of music from downstairs. The faint smell of alcohol hit her nose. Her heart fluttered with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Is this one of those 'night clubs' that Damien sometimes mentioned? Will Tuzo be here? Gingerly running her hand over the handrail, she descended the steps. Reaching yet another set of painted doors, Amelia notes that these doors were not only thicker, which muffled the music behind them a great deal, but they were also guarded by a large man in a black suit. He looked over Amelia briefly and without a word he lifted his arm to push one of the doors open for her. The volume of the music suddenly popped and she felt each beat pulse through her as if trying to beat along to the rhythm of her heart. She nodded to the bouncer in thanks before stepping into the club. She stood for a moment to take it all in. Through the dry-ice fog and flashes of light, Amelia could make out the silhouettes of dozens of people. This place was absolutely crowded. Most people were dancing in the centre of the room. A few crowded the bar and rest areas. She wandered over to the bar but it was difficult to even get close. The moment a spot opened up, someone else dove in to shout their order at the bar staff over the music. She watched for a moment to see how the others moved. Finally, a spot opened up nearest to her and she dove in. The barman nodded to her and she felt a rush of victory that she'd managed to get this far. She tried to shout her order. "Demon's brew?!" It was the only strong beverage she knew. The barman wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly over the noise so he placed a hand around his ear and used his other hand to gesture for her to try again. "DEMON'S BREW!" she shouted and still the barman looked confused. Deciding to go with what he assumed she'd meant, he poured some popular ale into a plastic cup for her;- Doom Bar. The colour was exactly the same as what she was used to so Amelia couldn't tell the difference. She smiled and took out her purse which made the bartender also smile as he assumed he'd guessed correctly. He shouted the price over the noise and Amelia paid a little more than she needed to. The bartender had assumed this was a generous tip so hadn't corrected her. Happily, she took her drink to a less crowded area in the club and took a sip. She stared at the beverage, mildly confused then took another sip. 'Boy, the Devil's Brew here is really weak...' she thought to herself as she looked around. A few more trips to the bar though and not only had she gotten used to the weakened taste, she found herself relaxing more. Eventually, she made her way to the centre of the dancefloor and let the music take over her movements. Then she saw him. The dark curls and deep, hypnotising eyes. She stopped dancing as she caught his eye and he turned to smile at her from across the room. His mouth moved and although she couldn't hear him, she could make out the words his mouth had formed. "You came!" He seemed genuinely happy to see her. Blushing and suddenly feeling shy, she nodded while unable to contain her smile. This time when he approached her, she didn't feel so anxious. But maybe that was the drink? As he got closer though, he hesitated and looked around warily before looking back at her. "You're brother?" he mouthed. "Not here." she mouthed back while she shrugged and grinned at him. He grinned too and continued to walk closer to her. Once close enough, he leaned in so that she could hear him. She felt that same rush of excitement that she'd felt back at the bar when he'd whispered into her ear. "I'm glad you came. I was worried about you. You looked upset earlier." She was touched that he cared. "I'm fine," she said but her lip quivered as she'd said it. Ordinarily, she'd be able to bury her emotions but the alcohol in her system made this very difficult. Seeing her upset, Tuzo gently took her hand. "Let's go somewhere quieter?" he asked and she nodded, letting him guide her to a back area that was decorated the same way the first hallway had been. It was a shorter hallway and another set of doors in the room led out to a smoking area. Amelia leaned against the wall tiredly and vaguely felt the small, plastic jewels dig into her back. The room span a little but all she could focus on was Tuzo and how beautiful he was. "You sure you're ok?" he asked her with a concerned look. "Yeah..." She nodded and glanced away from him while trying to keep herself composed. "I don't want to think about it. I just want to enjoy this." she smiled as she gestured to the doors that led back to the club. "I've never done anything like this before!" she told him excitedly. "Really?" Tuzo asked, surprised. "Well, I grew up in Hell and never really got to explore when I first came to Earth..." she admitted. The truth flowed out of her with little to no filter. It barely occurred to her that she was talking to an Angel who, for all she knew, could be trying to get information from her. "That sounds lonely," he observed and for once, Amelia felt seen. She looked back at him with a small frown and nodded. "It is lonely." she then stirred from her thoughts and gave him an inquisitive look. "What did you mean back at the bar, anyway?" "Oh." he chuckled and Amelia could swear his cheeks turned pink. He stared at her for a moment as if trying to make a decision. He then licked his lip and leaned in to whisper to her. That shiver again. "Did you want me to show you?" She turned her head, her own cheeks turning red. "Show me what?" He pulled his head away ever so slightly and stared into her eyes purposefully. A strange feeling washed over Amelia and the room spun a little more than it had been already. But she didn't care. Her focus was on his eyes. His closeness. He lifted a hand to caress her cheek, his thumb glided over her lips. She shivered, practically melting at his touch. He leaned in and instinctively she tilted her head slightly to catch his lips as he pressed them against hers. They tasted sweet and felt soft as he recaptured the kiss again and again. Each time he kissed her she felt that tingling sensation and it motivated her to keep going. She felt his fingers running through her hair then his lips moved from hers to leave smaller kisses across her cheek. She sighed softly and tilted her head back a little as his kisses found their way to her neck. She bit her lip, unable to help the small moan that escaped her. She heard Tuzo chuckle as he pulled away to smile at her. "Now your brother's really going to kill me." he joked. "He'd have to get through me first." Amelia grinned breathlessly. "Well, if we're both already in trouble..." He took her hand and gently tugged it to bring her into his arms. "Then why stop here?" Together they vanished, marking the beginning of their secret affair.

Before Sebastian had been found at the ADIEU facility, back when Damien and Amelia's sibling bond was just beginning, and Atma had tried once again to open a bar as a neutral meeting place, the pair entered the building with a cocky yet cautious air about them. "Are you sure this is safe?" Amelia asked as they stood in the doorway and looked around for an empty table. On one side of the building, the Angelic aura was so strong that they could practically smell it. But despite a few glares their way, none of the Angels made any attempt to confront them. On the other side of the building, the Demonic aura was just as strong as its opposing counterpart. This side was far more welcoming as a few Demons raised their glasses and cheered the arrival of their missing King's protégé. "Relax, sis. This isn't the first neutral bar to exist and Atma is seriously good at keeping the peace. She might be a Spirit of Life and incapable of killing anything but she sure knows how to make your life hell for crossing her. Besides, there are always a few dozen loyal Demons around to watch our backs." Damien explained as they walked towards the bar. Despite still being on his guard, Damien seemed to be considerably more at ease than Amelia was. But then again, Amelia was still new to Earth, being a Devil, being hunted by Angels and the war. So she was far more tense as a result. "Just don't get too drunk, keep your wits about you and don't stray too far to the Angel's side of the bar." "Got it." Amelia nodded as she placed her arms on the bar and smiled at the bartender. "Demon's Brew?" the bartender asked in a bored tone. "You go ahead. Relax here and mingle with a few Demons." Damien surprised Amelia. "You're not staying?" "I've got a lead on something... I can't say right now but I'll tell you about it when I know more. I just gotta meet someone upstairs to get some details. I shouldn't be long." he explained and patted her on the shoulder. "Um-!" Amelia's eyes darted over to the Angels nervously. Seeing this, Damien leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Don't forget what I told you. If they see your fear they'll use it against you. You'll be fine and I'm not far." She turned to say something but found that Damien had already left. She sat on one of the bar stools in a huff. The bartender placed the glass of Demon's brew in front of her. Still getting used to the idea of money and having to pay for services, Amelia pulled out her purse with an uncertain look. "How much is it?" "Free. Compliments of that guy." The bartender told her while nodding to the Angel's side of the bar. Following his nod, Amelia's eyes landed on a dark-haired Angel who raised his own glass at her with a charming smile. Unlike his fellow Angels, he seemed friendlier. Amelia genuinely couldn't tell if he was being sincere or if he was trying to mess with her. Either way, he paid for her drink and she knew there was no risk of it being poisoned as the drink had been made by the neutral bartender. So, to be polite, she took the glass and smiled with a nod of thanks to the Angel, hoping that would be that. She then tensed and felt her heart freeze when the Angel stood from his stool and started walking over to her. She hadn't meant to invite him over! The Angel's eyes glanced behind her as he walked and then he stopped and seemed to hesitate moving any closer. Amelia turned her head and saw a couple of Demons had risen from their tables to glare at the Angel. A warning not to try anything funny. The Demons glanced at Amelia questioningly and she knew immediately that they were looking to see if she was ok with his approach. She thought about it for a moment. It's risky but if what Damien said was true then there wasn't anything the Angel could do here that wouldn't result in earning Atma's ire, Not to mention, the Demons that already looked prepared to defend her despite Atma's rules. For the first time since their arrival, Amelia actually felt she was safe when visiting Earth. She nodded to the Demons to assure them. She was curious to see what the Angel wanted. After all, she could always tell him to piss off if he got on her nerves. She turned back to watch the Angel who looked back at her with a relieved and thankful smile. He began to cautiously move closer again. He sat on a stool next to her while maintaining a short, respectable distance. "Thank you for the drink." Amelia greeted him. "Thank you for allowing my company," he responded. "Aren't you worried what your friends will think?" she nodded to the Angels behind him who were watching with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. The Angel didn't bother looking behind himself as he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. It's not every day that I get to sit next to or even talk to a Devil. They can judge all they like, but really..." he leaned forward a bit and whispered with a cheeky smirk. "They're just jealous. Most of them are Arch Angels that would get royally bollocked by their superior for so much as saying 'Hello' to a Demon." "You're not an Arch Angel, then?" "Oh no, that life isn't for me." the Angel grinned as he sat upright in his seat again. "I'm practically a civilian in comparison." he hesitated before extending a hand to her to shake. "My name is Tuzokath Amor but you can just call me Tuzo." Amelia hesitated before taking his hand and shaking it a bit. "I'm Amelia Magpie." "Lovely to meet you, Amelia," Tuzo said and Amelia felt his thumb gently caress the back of her hand before he let her hand go. She blushed, unsure of how to react. She instinctively pulled her hand away. "So, um..." she stammered while tucking some loose hair strands behind her ears. His approach, cool manner, and unexpected contact had caught her off guard and she found herself feeling something new. She wasn't entirely sure what it was yet but she knew that she was fascinated by the Angel sitting near her. "What kind of Angel are you then? If you don't mind me asking." "That's an interesting question." Tuzo chuckled. "You're still new to all of this, aren't you?" "To Angels, at least," Amelia admitted. "So far the only Angels I've met since becoming what I am have tried to kill me on sight." "I'm sorry to hear that... to answer your question though, not all Angels have titles. Some, like I say, are merely civilians. The only time they get called for any work is if it's something small but impactful. Like helping someone with a drug addiction to get clean. Those kinds of Angels aren't trained to fight and would usually just avoid Demons or Devils as best they can." "Oh, I didn't know. So, is that what you are? A Civilian Angel?" "Almost." Tuzo winked with a smirk and Amelia couldn't help but blush again. "I specialise in primal passions." "What does that mean?" she asked naively. Although Amelia was in her early twenties by this point, she hadn't had the time or the opportunity to find romance. That and being sheltered for most of her life meant that she was still quite innocent. "May I whisper it to you?" Tuzo asked quietly. Intrigued, Amelia nodded and sat perfectly still as Tuzo slid from his stool and slowly approached her. The way he looked at her, the warmth radiating from him as he drew closer, the way his fingers felt as they gently moved her hair away from her ear and his hot breath on her cheek made her feel a sort of excitement that she'd never felt before. When he whispered into her ear she felt a shiver run through her as well as a tingling sensation run down her spine. "Come to the Equilibrium sometime and I'll be happy to show-" "The fuck are you doing?!" Damien's bark as he pushed Tuzo away from Amelia had made her jump. Tuzo had stumbled back. He immediately held his hands up and backed away a bit. Amelia looked at her brother and was alarmed at how furious he appeared to be. He looked ready to tear Tuzo apart. "Damien wait, he wasn't doing anything!" she pleaded while jumping from her stool. "We were just talking-" Tuzo tried. "That didn't look like talking to me!" Damien raged as he grabbed Amelia's arm and pulled her behind him. "You stay the fuck away from her! You hear me? You look at her again and I'll burn you to a damn crisp!" By this point, all the Angels on the other side of the bar had gotten up from their seats and looked ready to defend Tuzo. Meanwhile, the demons on their side had also gotten to their feet and also seemed ready to fight. "Damien, stop! It was nothing! He was just being nice!" "Their kind aren't nice without an ulterior motive!" "Pfft! This coming from a Devil!" One of the Angels snapped back. "You wana say that again? You feathery fuck!" One of the Demons shouted. "ENOUGH." a woman's voice boomed and immediately, everyone in the room had the look of a sheepish child who had just been caught doing something they shouldn't. Atma, with her golden locks loose and covering her eyepatch, stepped into the room with a very stern look. "Unless you all want a multi-lifetime ban from my establishment, I strongly suggest you all behave like civilised adults!" The room was still for a moment before both Demons and Angels began slowly returning to their tables but not without exchanging a few nasty stares. Atma turned to Damien who hadn't moved and was still glaring at Tuzo. "You should know better." she scolded him. "Lucifer wouldn't have behaved so irrationally." "What would you know about him?!" Damien snapped, sounding almost hurt by the statement. "I knew him better than most think," Atma said simply then walked away, making it clear that she had no intentions of elaborating further. Damien glared at her then back at Tuzo. His shoulders dropped in defeat but his gaze remained menacing. "I meant what I said. Stay away from my sister," he warned before marching towards the door. He hadn't let go of Amelia's arm so naturally he pulled her along with him, whether she wanted to go or not. She gave one last apologetic look to Tuzo before being pulled through the doors. Once outside, she yanked her arm free and rounded on Damien. "You didn't have to do that!" "How could you be so stupid?" Damien hissed at her while turning to stare her down. "After everything I taught you. After all the times we've been hunted and attacked by his kind and you let him get that close to you? What were you thinking?!" "Oh, come off it!" Amelia rolled her eyes. "They can't all be in support of the war! If they knew- if we just tried my idea-" "Here we go again!" Damien threw his arms up dramatically while shaking his head. "But it could work! I know it can!" "It's just a dream, Amelia! They hate us! They will always hate us! We will always be hunted by them!-" "Not if it ended the war-!" "Oh for fucks sake will you grow up?!" Damien shouted. "It will never happen! It's a childish dream and it's about time you let it go or it'll be the death of both of us!" he shook his head. "Pfft! I've been coddling you. All the more reason to find Lucifer. He'll set you straight." he turned and started to walk away. "C'mon, I have a lead-" "No." Amelia's voice broke a little but she stood firm. Surprised, Damien turned to look at her. Her cheeks were red and she was shaking with rage as she held back tears. He saw faces in the windows of the bar behind her and knew their fight had drawn some attention from the patrons inside, both Angel and Demon alike. "Amelia-" "Just leave me alone," she growled and vanished. Damien sighed heavily. He knew she just needed some time to calm down after their fight. He decided he'd wait for her inevitable return before he'd talk to her about it. Maybe she'll see how silly she was after having some time to think about it.

Thick, long black hair was untangled easily by the paddle brush carefully running through it. Glasses still missing, Jessica stared at her reflection in the mirror on the vanity table. She thought how odd she appeared to herself. After all, she was so used to wearing them constantly. As she brushed her hair back, behind her shoulders, the small, light brown bruise on her neck became visible. For a moment, she merely stared at it in her reflection. The puncture wounds had almost healed completely and were so blended in with the bruise that they were no longer visible. More than anything, the bruise looked more like a hickey. Jessica chuckled at the thought. What would her mother think if she'd seen it? Jessica, her innocent and pure daughter with a hickey! Gently, Jessica places her finger tips on the bruise and winces a little. It was still sensitive. At least she didn't feel light headed anymore. There was a knock on the heavy wooden door behind her, shortly followed by the voice of the vampire that had bitten her. "Jessica, may I enter?" "Yes." She answers simply, calling through the door which opens immediately after. The dark eyed, dark haired vampire entered swiftly yet elegantly, closing the door behind him then turning to look at Jessica with his hands behind his back. A forbidden excitement passed through Jessica for no more than a moment. When this vampire had been connected to her, she too had been connected to him in a way. Through this connection, he had allowed her to learn his name while offering soothing words telepathically to keep her calm. As if the immense, seductive and euphoric sensations caused by the connection were not enough to take her breath away and render her completely helpless. "Render you helpless? You were already tied up if I recall." The vampire smirks, causing Jessica to blink in surprise before shaking her head and sighing, half laughing. "Must you intrude on my thoughts like that, Edgar? It's rude." "It's hardly intruding when you offer them so freely." Edgar laughs. His features then become serious. "They're waiting. Are you almost ready?" Jessica takes a deep breath, letting it out heavily before turning to look at herself again in the mirror. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be...What happens...when they all know I'm telling the truth?" "That's for the elder to decide." Replied Edgar as he wanders towards the four poster bed. His fingers tracing the detailed carvings in the bed post. "One thing is certain. You will be safe. You have become so important to us and that is a fact that I am certain has not quite sunk in for you yet, am I right?" He turns his head to look in Jessica's direction. She was still staring at herself in the mirror. "I feel your tension. You must relax. You have nothing to fear." He says as he walks boldly towards her and kneels by her side, looking up at her as she turns to look down at him. "You wonderful being. None of us would be able to express our gratitude enough." His words were warm, as was his smile. "It's not that I'm not flattered...but what exactly have I done? What happens when they all learn what I know? I feel like I'm blind folded, being led to some unknown future. It's frightening." Edgar's smile slips, but his gaze is soft and understanding. He lifts a hand to cup her cheek gently. "All will become clear very soon. Come, let's not keep them waiting." --- The Grande Hall as Edgar called it, was located in the building's cellar. Although Jessica had no idea where in the UK she was, after all she did have a bag over her head during the journey, she did know however that she was currently staying in a castle so large that it could house the inhabitants of a whole village. Or at least, that's what Jessica thought. Nothing but moors for miles surrounded this luxurious castle. But getting back to the cellar, Jessica and Edgar had to climb a couple of flights of stairs before reaching a very large, metal door which was opened at the sight of them by two guards with astonishing ease. Once inside, Jessica saw that there were no windows (obviously), and that the large, circular room was lit by several candelabras standing on tall, black metal frames around the room. It was almost as if she'd stepped back in time. Were they even aware that they could use electric lighting? Jessica heard Edgar chortle beside her and glanced at him curiously to see him looking at her while trying (and failing) to keep a straight face. She was about to ask what he was laughing at when she heard his voice in her mind. 'You're going to offend someone with such thoughts. Try to focus.' Jessica's cheeks reddened a little as she quickly then glanced around the room at the hooded figures standing by the walls. There were so many of them. All eyes on her. She noticed a couple of them smirking and her cheeks grew even redder. Leaning towards Edgar a little, she whispers to him. "Can they all read minds?" 'No, not all. But I'm sure a couple caught what you thought just now.' She hears his voice in her head. The centre of the room was clear, as all the other figures lined the walls. Only one figure stood in the centre of the room. His robe that of a deep crimson colour. He was the only one in the room (except Edgar) who had his hood down to reveal long white-blonde hair. His features that of a young man, barely in his twenties. His eyes such a bright shade of green that they could rival her brother's eyes. Her brother...Jessica wondered where he was now. What he was doing. If he was alright or if Lucifer had hurt him to spite her. Just as she thought this Edgar nudged her elbow sharply to bring her back to herself. She noticed a couple of the vampires around them were now squinting at Jessica suspiciously. The vampire in the centre meanwhile had extended an arm to her with a serious expression. Jessica gave Edgar one last uncertain look before walking to the centre to stand near the vampire. He looked over her briefly before addressing the room. "You all know why you have been summoned here today. This mortal has brought word that our God, Ravios has made contact with her. Edgar, step forward." Edgar steps into the center beside Jessica obediently. "Please provide us with your statement." Giving a short bow, Edgar looks around at the other hooded figures. He holds his hands behind his back as he begins pacing around while confidently telling the room of how they captured Jessica while she was stalking Vampires. Her words once they had gotten her into the interrogation room and the memory he'd uncovered while drinking from her. He concluded his statement by saying he was convinced she was genuine. Nodding, the the blonde vampire looks around the room. "Vampires. Elders of the largest, most respected covens. This is why I have summoned you here today. If this story is true, then our wait is over." "Why would Ravios choose a mortal? Why not a vampire?" One of the vampires pipes up. Murmurs spread through the room until the blonde vampire held up a hand to silence them. "It is unclear as God's actions always are. However, if the Blood God has chosen to send his trusted messenger to this mortal as Edgar claims, then perhaps he views her as equal to ourselves or worthy of our sacred blood." Turning to look now at a very nervous Jessica, the blonde vampire addresses her. "Jessica Sedley. As the oldest vampire, I must access your memory in the same way that Edgar has done. If you are telling the truth, you will be treated and viewed as royalty. The vampires here will confirm this story to vampires across the world. You will become close to that of a deity to our kind and the story of today will be passed on for generations. But if you are found to be lying, you will be tied to Edgar who will be tied to a stake to await the burning sun. You will both burn together as he would combust under it's rays. Do you understand?" "I understand." Jessica replies while terrified of the extremity of the punishment. "To blaspheme in such a way as this is deserving of such a punishment Jessica." The elder says, having clearly read her mind, while extending a hand for her to take. Jessica takes his hand and the elder pulls her arm towards him. At first, Jessica assumed he would drink from her neck but the elder doesn't pull her so close. Instead, he holds her arm gently while bringing her wrist to his mouth. She feels hands on her shoulders and glances up quickly to see Edgar watching her with a calm expression. Then, with a gasp, she feels the sting and the throbbing pain in her wrist as the elder begins to drink. Feeling the sensations taking hold again, her legs feel weak. Jessica leans back a little against Edgar, glad that he had a hold of her. Just as she felt she might faint, the elder stopped. Still holding her arm, he looked at the bite mark and the blood oozing from it for several moments before licking the wound and biting his tongue to rub his own blood into the wound. While this would not turn Jessica, it would heal the wound. Letting go of her hand, he withdraws a handkerchief from his pocket and pats his mouth dry. The room seemed to hold it's breath as it waited for the Elder's verdict. Placing the handkerchief back into his pocket, he looks back at Jessica before looking around the room. Then he smiled. His smile grew wider. Jessica felt chills running up her spine. What had she done? What did this mean now? "The mortal speaks the truth." The room immediately came alive with murmurs and excited chatter before being interrupted by the Elder as he shouts over all of them. "Silence!" The room falls silent. All eyes on the trio in the center. "It is the end of an era. The end of hiding in the shadows. Our God has sent word through his messengers and we must answer the call. The mission is simple. Spill blood." The elders smile becomes more crooked. More menacing and Jessica felt helpless to stop any of this. It was all happening around her and all she could do was watch. "No more sparing the lives of those we hunt to remain anonymous. Drink until they're dry. No more drinking from one mortal a night. Drink from as many as you please! The more the better. Spill some of their blood on the ground for good measure. For every four you hunt, turn one! Build our numbers. Destroy the non believers. Destroy all those who will not follow but be sure to drain them before burning them. Before long, humanity will be at our mercy. They will become nothing but slaves and cattle. We will overpower the hunters. Will will dominate this world in preparation for our Gods arrival!" The room was now filled with cheering before gradually being emptied. The elders wanting to get back to their covens as soon as possible to spread the word. The elder had also left the room. Jessica stood, still leaning against Edgar. She felt the strangest combination of numbness and sickness. "What have I done?" She whispers, staring at the ground. "Something wonderful, my lady." Edgar whispers in her ear, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. But this was no comfort to Jessica. She had just condemned humanity to being hunted and enslaved by vampires. How will she ever forgive herself? What can she do to set things right? "Shield your thoughts, my lady. You heard the elder. Royalty or not, they will not hesitate to destroy you if you falter." "You're hesitating..." Jessica half laughs, though she currently feels nothing. "I dare say I've grown quite attached to you, my lady. I also understand that you could never possibly understand what it's like for us. You've never had to live like us. How could you know?" She feels her hair being pulled back, away from her neck and his breath on her skin but she doesn't recoil or pull away. She was in far too much shock to care. "But I could help you to understand...?" she felt his lips on her neck but he didn't bite her. He seemed to be waiting for an answer...or permission. "No...I need to...think" He kisses her neck softly. "The offer is there. For now, I will be your guard." He lifts his head to rest against hers, his lips just lightly brushing her ear. "My lady." "Yes..."

Another bit of creative writing I had been working on on Vampirefreaks.com. ---------- Hands bound behind her back in metal cuffs. Head pounding from where she'd been hit. Darkness. Something over her head. Jessica was stumbling as someone gripping her arm tightly forced her to walk blindly. She could hear their footsteps. Too many steps to be sure how many were walking with her. Then they narrowed down to two sets of echoing footsteps. Hers and her guide. She heard the sound of a heavy door being opened. "The chair in the middle." Came a male's voice, deep and commanding. Jessica was pushed forward a little more hurriedly, stopped, then turned on the spot before feeling hands push her shoulders down so that she was forced to sit on a chair. Her arms still bound behind her didn't feel a back to the chair, which meant she was sitting on a stool. The dark, fabric bag over her head was pulled off harshly and she had to allow her eyes to adjust to the sudden light. She squints, her eyesight not brilliant as it is without her glasses, she watches the large wooden door being closed and locked. Leaving herself, the man stood next to her that Jessica assumed had guided her here, and another male leaning against the door with one leg crossed over the other and his arms folded over his chest. Dark eyes stared at her, putting her on edge. It felt as if he was looking into her. "Wher-" "Quiet." That deep voice interrupted her from across the room. "I'll be asking the questions". The male then walked forward, his footsteps soft, barely audible in comparison to what hers and her guide's had been. When stood close to her, he bends his knees to squat in front of her, staring at her carefully. She could see him much more clearly here. Chiselled, pale features and a strong jawline. He was quite handsome, particularly the way his short, dark hair was combed back. His deep brown eyes continue to stare into her very soul. Jessica sat tense, and rigid as he looked over her carefully before opening his mouth to speak finally. "Who sent you?" He asks and Jessica was slightly taken aback. "Sent me?" Her voice shakes and the male in front of her sighs heavily. "Who are you with? Secret Services? Vampire Hunters Guild? Supernatural Observers?...You were caught following one of ours towards our coven. Why? Who. Sent. You?!" Jessica shivers, her pupils dilated in fear. She hadn't realised in her tracking that she'd be mistaken for a hunter. Or anyone else for that matter. Until a few weeks ago, she had even been sceptical at the existence of vampires! But she had a mission to fulfil. Whether they will listen might be another thing. "R-Ravios sent me-" Jessica starts then lets out a squeal as the one who'd guided her into this room pulled her head backwards by her hair to force her to stare at the fangs he bared at her angrily, hissing. His eyes seemed to glow in his anger. "Do not blaspheme! Do you wish to die?!" "No!" Jessica cries out, tears stinging the corners of her eyes, mainly from the mild pain of her head being pulled back by her hair. "Enough! Let go of her." The male in front of her says sternly. The guide then releases Jessica's hair with one last angry hiss. "I would advise that you refrain from lying to us. Especially about our religion." "Your religion?" Jessica blinks and the male in front of her narrows his eyes. Feeling their mistrust, Jessica leans forward a little, desperate for at least one of them to believe her. "I-I didn't know it was your religion, I swear. I'm telling the truth! Omkara came to me, he told me about Ravios. You must believe me!" The male continued to stare, though his eyes seemed now to be looking through her in deep contemplation. "I swear I'm going to kill this bitch if she insults us one more-" "Leave us." "...B-boss?" The male in front of Jessica looks up at her guide coldly. "Leave us." He repeats in a harder tone. Jessica, for a moment, looks hopeful. Did he believe her? "Boss, either she's mad or she's lying! Either way, she knows of our existence! She's a threat!" "That's my call to make. I will not repeat myself, Bogumil. Leave." The guide, now known as Bogumil, made one last scowl towards Jessica before storming out of the room, being sure to slam the door behind him. "Y-you believe me then?" Jessica asks naively. "No." the male answers shortly, rapidly dashing any hope Jessica had gained. "He's right. Either you're lying or you're crazed..." The male sighs and looks to the ground. "Or I'm telling the truth!" Jessica blurts out desperately. The male doesn't react at first. He remains as still. Seemingly lifeless as a statue which makes his sudden movement, although merely a simple nod, all the more alarming a few seconds later. He smiles a little, and despite the immense fear and desperation, Jessica felt weirdly comforted by it. The male looks back at her in wonder. Once again, seeming to be in deep thought as he lifts a hand to gently cup her cheek, his thumb moving over it softly. "There is one way I can find out." He says as his hand moves down and his thumb strokes her throat. Jessica stiffens. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Are you going to kill me?" She half whispers, her breath held and her throat feeling tight. Her heart quickens as the male leans towards her, his face just inches from hers. At her question, he chuckles softly, lowering his face towards her neck. "Only if you're lying...or mad." He whispers softly, his hand supporting her back while the other moves her hair behind her. Jessica closes her eyes.

This was a story I was working on on VampireFreaks.com when it was a social media site. Please consider it an example of my writing skills. ***Had to do some research on The Vatican as it's not something I'm familiar with so please forgive me if I get anything wrong.*** It has been about two weeks since Damien's funeral. Sara and Jessica haven't been staying in one place since. Always on the move in an attempt to be difficult to track. Sara had sold the café and bought an RV. All their belongings on board as they drive across the states day by day. They had no goal. No plan. Simply survive and avoid another run in with Lucifer. Sara couldn't bare to lose her daughter as well as her son. Funnily enough, Sara hadn't cried since his death. She wouldn't allow herself to. She needed to be strong for her daughter who grieved openly. No, she needed to focus on trying to keep them one step ahead, which in itself is difficult to do when you have no idea where your enemy is nor how they move around. To Sara, Lucifer had always seemed to simply "appear" in her life then just as swiftly disappear to not return for a random amount of time. Sara was driving, the only sounds she could hear being the engine as they cruise down the highway and the occasional quiet sob from Jessica who sat in the passenger seat, staring out of her door window at the scenery outside. She was still coming to terms with their loss and Sara knew she felt responsible for Damien making the choice that he did. She blames herself for not signing the contract. Wanting to take her mind off things, Sara leans towards the centre of the vehicle's dash board and turns on the radio. Bon Jovi is halfway through singing the chorus to "You give love a bad name" when Jessica suddenly turns the radio off again and looks at Sara. "It's never going to end, is it?" Sara blinks at her daughter before returning her gaze to the road. It had been the first time Jessica had spoken since Damien's death. It takes her a moment to find the right words and just as soon as she opens her mouth, Jessica speaks again. "Damien said...we're damned anyway...is that true?" Sara didn't take her eyes off the road but she could feel Jessica's eyes on her. "Why didn't you tell us? You kept it from us..." Her voice sounds broken but the accusation is heavy in her tone. Sara sighs and flicks on an indicator before pulling into the hard shoulder to park up. Putting on her hazard lights so she wouldn't be bothered by police, she turns off the engine and sits back in the chair. Resting an elbow against the glass of her door window, she rubs her forehead with her fingers. Her eyes closed for a moment. She knew Jessica was still staring at her. "I wanted to protect you. Both of you." Sara sighs again. She hadn't considered that her own contract might still be affecting Jessica, despite Jessica having not signed one. "I don't know...I don't know..." Sara wanted to much to cry and break down but at the same time, she felt numb. Almost lost. Jessica on the other hand was staring out of the windscreen thoughtfully. "You said my dad is an Angel..." Sara didn't move nor answer. "Maybe...maybe we can get help from them...there must be a way to reverse it all...maybe they know how." Sara lowers her hands and turns to look at her daughter who seemed to be looking back at her with new hope. Sighing again, she puts the vehicle into gear and turns the engine back on. "Worth a shot..." She says as she drives down the hard shoulder until they pick up enough speed to join the other cars on the road again. Sara was uncertain but if it was a chance to keep her child safe, what other choice did she have? Jessica meanwhile was now smiling a little as she watches the scenery out of her window pass them by once more. They finally had a plan. *** After driving for several hours to the nearest airport, a quick phone call to one of Ryan's "friends", paying for tickets and finding somewhere safe to keep their RV before take-off. Sara and Jessica boarded a plane to Rome, hoping that they might find Arch-Angel's in the Vatican City. Once there, they took little time to see the sights before getting themselves a hotel room. Only moments after placing their bags in the room, they lock the door and leave the hotel to head straight for St Peter's Square. To avoid being confused with tourists as well as avoid any security that might try to stop them, Sara led Jessica around the back of the building where they managed to climb in through an unguarded, open window. Now to find one of the priests... It didn't take them long. Upon walking out of the room they'd climbed into and walking along the corridors that echoed with each footstep, a priest in black robes with a purple belt caught sight of them. The elderly man with the purple cap that just about covered a balding head shakes his hands before him in shock at seeing the intruders and begins calling down the corridors in Italian. "Help! Help! intruders!" Inwardly thanking her father for making her travel the world with him when she was younger, Sara shouts back in fluent Italian. "Wait! We need the help of Arch-Angels!" It was a long shot but it was straight to the point. Unable to understand the language, Jessica is left to watch everything unfold with uncertainty. "We're seeking to escape the grasp of the Devil! Please help us!" The priest pauses as the Swiss Guards come around the corner wearing what appeared to be police uniform. They begin barking orders at the two women when the priest raises a hand to quiet them. His eyes not leaving Sara and Jessica, he tilts his head a little then speaks again. "Elaborate?" He says while watching them carefully. It was clear that he was debating whether or not they are being genuine or if they're simply mad. Sara and Jessica don't move while under the glare of security who held guns pointed at them at the ready. "I am Sara Rai and this is my daughter Jessica. My husband is Ryan Rai, an Arch-Angel who is currently on duty in Hell to search for missing Angels...." Sara pauses and gulps, a little nervous to explain the rest but continues regardless. "Myself and my father were visited by Lucifer before I met Ryan. He forced me to sign a contract that I refused to sign...please...please help us. You're our last hope. If not, it's not only my soul that's damned but the souls of any generation of my family after mine." She finishes close to tears and barely notices that Jessica had placed a hand on her shoulder as she'd been talking. The priest is silent and regards them both thoughtfully for several seconds before sighing and taking steps towards them. As he does, the haggard old man dissolves and a younger, more beautiful male stands before them in the same robes. His features seemed more chiselled and full. Shining, ginger hair with just a kink of a curl fell to his shoulders. Large white wings appear behind him and he wears a warm smile as he comes to a stop in front of Sara. He turns to look at the Swiss Guards, who don't seem the least bit surprised, and makes a gesture with his hand to prompt them to lower their weapons. "You may return to your posts. These women are not a threat." He says then turns to look back at the two. "They are our guests." He smiles, his tone soft and comforting. "Come, I will take you somewhere you can relax while I gather others to listen to your story then we can decide whether or not we can help you." The Angel says and begins leading them down the corridor to a room with dark wooden walls and a red carpet. He walks to the centre of the room and holds his hands together in front of him while turning to look between Sara and Jessica. "You may wait here. Make yourselves comfortable, I shall be back soon." and he was. He brought five other Angels with him, three of whom had remained looking like the old, human priests. All of them had a very stern gaze, even as Sara explained her whole story to them. It wasn't a surprise that her faith would be called into question by one of the Angel's but Sara was prepared to answer for herself, saying that in the years since, she had no reason to not believe and that she'd done everything she could to help herself and her children by taking them to church, repenting her sins and generally trying to live a good life. It only seemed to be when Lucifer came that she'd need to resort to violence. The angel's didn't seem entirely happy with her answer but thanked her for her honesty. After asking Jessica a few questions as well, they exchanged glances between them before finally asking that Sara and Jessica wait in their hotel rooms while they discussed the matter. Thankful to at least have been given the chance to be heard, Sara and Jessica returned to their hotel room where they waited until around midday the next day. A couple of the Swiss Guards knocked on their hotel room door and escorted the two women back to St Peter's Square. Sara and Jessica were escorted into a different, smaller room this time. It appeared to be more like an office, with a large chair behind a desk that the Angel they'd spoken to the day before now sat in. He gestures across from him to the two chairs on the other side of the desk, closest to them. They each take a seat and Sara looks at the three other Angel's in the room. One stood directly in front of the now closed door, the other two on either side of the desk, facing them with their hands behind their backs. The two beside the desk could easily be twins. They looked identical from their brown, cropped hair, right to their slightly crooked noses. The one at the door was blonde, with brown eyes and was staring at the two with a frown. All of them had large, white, feathery wings. Sara didn't like this. Something felt off. The way they're positioned...almost like guards. She returns her gaze to the one sat across from them who seemed to have a sad smile but was waiting patiently for them to settle into their chairs. "I'm just going to ask you a couple of questions. Just to confirm that we understand everything. Is that alright?" He asks in that soothing tone. Sara nods, as does Jessica and the Angel sits back a little. Shuffling his wings slightly to make himself more comfortable. "You signed a contract with Lucifer?" "Against my will." Sara answers, being sure to make this point crystal clear. The Angel nods, looking at his lap for a moment then bringing his gaze back to Sara's. "And this contract was signed with your blood?" "Yes." Sara was getting a little agitated. She didn't like repeating herself and she couldn't help but feel like they were accusing her. "And this contract, not only binds yourself but all of your children and future generations from those children?" Sara takes a breath to calm herself. "Yes." The Angel now looks at Jessica. "Is this your daughter?" "Yes." "Do you have any other children?" Sara hesitates then lowers her gaze. "Not any more." "Condolences...Has your daughter been bound?" "No." "Will her children be bound?" "Not if I can help it!" Sara growls but the Angel holds up a hand to quiet her, his gaze returning to her with a gentle smile. "But they would be if you were not there? Is that correct? You're not immortal Sara." "Which is why I'm here!" Sara snaps but once more, the Angel holds up a patient hand to quiet her. "There is one way we can help those future generations..." The Angel nods to one of the twins by his desk and the twin gestures for Jessica to stand. As she does so, Sara looks between them with confusion before returning her gaze to the Angel behind the desk. "But-!...what about Jessica? What about my son?...me?" She asks, some fear coming through her voice. The Angel's warm smile slips into a saddened frown. "Whether or not you were willing to sign that contract, your blood is on it. There is nothing we can do. If you seek release, it's Lucifer you need to speak with but even then, I would advise against making any further deals with the Devil. He is not to be trusted." Sara's heart sank but then a realisation began to dawn on her as she returned her gaze back to her daughter who was now being told to close her eyes. If they couldn't help because of the contract Sara had signed then how else would they "help future generations"? By helping them not exist! Sara realised this a little too late, "JESSICA!" she screams, diving out of her chair to attempt to grab her daughter but by the time she'd reached her, the twin Angel had plunged a knife, hidden under the sleeve of his robe into Jessica's stomach, twisting it sharply before retracting it and stepping back in time for Sara to catch her. Kneeling on the floor, holding onto Jessica who coughs up a little blood before her eyes roll, Sara begins breathing heavily, starting to panic. She taps her daughter's cheek lightly while trying to put pressure on the wounds with her free hand. "Jessica! Jessica stay with me!" She begins to cry. The Angel behind the desk had gotten to his feet and was looking at Sara with a sad expression. "Don't worry. The knife is glazed in one of our poisons. Jessica will drift into a deep sleep before she passes. You'll be joining her very soon." Unable to believe what she was hearing, Sara looks up at the Angel then eyes the twins holding a knife each warily. "Why?! We came to you for help!" She shouts at them, tears falling freely now. "This is the only form of help we can offer. We cannot free you from your contract but we can ensure future generations do not suffer the same fate. If by some miracle, you both survive the poison, where we strike should leave you both barren." "You bastards! If you couldn't help, you could've just sent us away!" "I'm afraid your contract poses a far greater risk than you realise...but we thank you for bringing it to us as quickly as you did." "What risk?!" "I'm afraid I've told you too much already. I wish you the best of luck in freeing your family Sara Rai." The twins begin approaching Sara but by this point, Sara had begun to see red. Her last hope dashed. She'd come to them for help and what do they do? Kill them? If not leave them barren for life? Sara was growling as she slowly moved to stand straight. Her teeth lengthening into fangs. "Saints." She looks between the twins, her eyes shifting to her demonic red ones. "My." Sara's finger nails harden and sharpen, changing into claws. "ARSE!" Sara doesn't recall what happened after. Having blacked out. But she can remember the angry shouts, painful screams and savage growls clearly. By the time she'd calmed down enough to see straight again, the room was practically painted red. Feathers, skin, innards strewn across the whole room. Sara was standing over the battered, mutilated body of the ginger Angel. Her features slowly returning to normal but still contorted in rage. Apparently swords had been brought into the mix. A couple of the Swiss Guards had run in, only to be ripped apart as well. A price for having her blood on Lucifer's contract was the slow transformation into one of his demonic servants. Sara could hear sirens in the distance. She had to get out of here...before more security turns up...before the authorities turn up...she had to get Jessica out of here too...get her to a hospital. Moving across the room, she looks at her daughter on the ground, now splattered with Angel blood. Sara's lower lip trembles, her eyes threatening tears. Not yet. Have to get out first. She beds down and picks Jessica up, turning to leave through the window, the pauses as the Angel coughs some final words. "These...events will...not be...forgotten...You only...served...to damn yourself...further...There is...no place...for one like you...in Heaven." While the words stung, Sara looked down at her daughter's relaxed, sleeping features. If Heaven would take her children's lives..."Fuck Heaven." She growls and leaps through the window.

Written by Denix Vames Carter was caught off guard by his kids jumping on the bed. “It’s Christmas! Christmas!” ,said Nate. Nate was a wild rambunctious kid. He had brown spiky hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing his Scooby doo pajamas. Every morning, he would wake his fathers. Normally, it was a shake on an arm and a shout. But today was different. It was a special holiday. Sally said, “C’mon dads! Wake up!” She too was jumping. Her red pigtails flopped about. Hitting her shoulders. She had beady green eyes like a doll. And freckles across her nose. Carter groaned at the early morning wake up call. He rolled over on his side. Facing Jack’s direction. His husband smiled at his irritation. “Yeah, Apples. We gotta open the presents.” He kissed him. Carter couldn’t help but smile too. Jack's blonde short hair radiated under the sunlight along with his ocean blue eyes. He recalled getting the nickname, Apples, from him way back in high school when he use to eat an apple every single day. Nowadays, the taste of an apple is souring to him but the title never left him. And he didn’t mind. It was welcoming. Getting called a name because of a simple action which brought them closer as friends and then as a couple. He chuckled at the continuous jumping that the kids were still at. “Alright alright.” He sat up. “Head on down there. We’ll be following.” “Yay!” The kids raised their hands. Running out of their parents bedroom. “Hey! Don’t run at the stairs!” Jack wrapped an arm around him. “Just face it. They’re not going to listen.” Carter sighed. “Yeah, I know. But there’s no harm in trying.” Jack caressed his cheek. “Maybe we should take the wifi out for a week? See how they would do when it comes to playing outside?” “Oh god! No! I’d be the one suffering too. I’m on a binge of The Office.” He rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You can’t take one day off of Netflix?” “Have you seen me away from the TV?” He held his hand. Looking into his amber eyes. They held a sparkle in them. A star from the night sky. “I think you would be great at pitching a tent.” “Yeah, after I look up a video on how to do that.” He shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.” “So are you.” Carter brushed his lips over. Savoring another kiss before both men went into the living room where the large Christmas tree and its presents that lay beneath it were waiting to be ripped to shreds. To reveal what lay under the wrapping. The kids had waited. Sitting near the tree. “Can we open them now? Please!” ,said Sally. Carter smiled. “Sure thing pumpkin. You two can open your presents.” Both kids were excited. They looked through the pile and quickly skimmed for their name. There were a couple of presents. Each one having been bought by friends or the parents themselves. Every present was a sight to behold. Especially Jenga. A phone suddenly rang. Carter pulled out his cell phone. He read the name. Jack gave him a look. “Hold on. I’ve got to take this. I’m sorry. It’ll only be a moment.” He went into the kitchen to answer the call. “Yes?” He listened intently. His working partner, Sanchez, gave him some new details. His eyes widened. “You sure about that?” He nodded. “Alright, I’ll be there.” He hung up. Putting his phone away. Jack walked over. He frowned. “So, you’ve got to go?” “Sorry about this. There’s a new lead on the case. I have to get to the briefing right now. But I promise I’ll be back in time for dinner and games.” He sighed. “I know. I could never stay mad at you. Not even the kids would.” He opened the fridge. “Before you go, I’ve got something for you for morning and your break time.” He handed him a large brown paper bag. “It’s got your favorite Beglian Waffles and a Classic BLT but with mustard and an accidental chicken in there.” Carter’s eyes lit up. “You made me a crispy chicken sandwich?” “I’ve been trying to perfect you. I just hope you’ll like it.” “Like it?” He almost couldn’t believe the amount of work that Jack had gone into to make this come to life. “I love you so much. You know that?” Jack smiled. “I know.” He lifted up a small plant above both of them. “Mistletoe!” Carter’s cheeks tinted red. “Have you been waiting to do that all morning?” “More like since yesterday. Now, give me those kisses or else you won’t be able to leave.” “In that case, I think I’ll stay. Beats being at work and listening to boring old meetings.” “Just come here!” Jack wrapped his arms around his neck. Their lips held together tightly. Going slow and tasting the sweet nectar of honey that Jack loved to have on toast. Carter stole another kiss before quickly changing in their bedroom. He came down stairs. Fully dressed and with a dash of cologne to smell decent. Jack straightened out his crooked tie as Carter pulled his overcoat over himself. “Be nice out there.” “Don’t worry. I’ll try not to bite.” “C’mon kids! It’s time to say goodbye to daddy.” They ran over. Carter picked them up. Holding them in each of his arms. “I’ll be back for dinner, ok? I won’t be gone for too long. I promise.” “Pinky swear?” ,said Nate. Carter chuckled. “Well, I can’t exactly do that right now. You two have got my hands occupied. How about a kiss for luck?” “A Promise Kiss!” ,said Sally. “Yeah. A Promise Kiss.” She kissed his cheek on her side while Nate kissed the other cheek. Carter had returned those kisses on their cheeks as well. “And last but not least.” ,said Jack who kissed him for what felt like the thousandth time. But that didn’t matter. Carter enjoyed every moment he had with his family. He almost couldn’t wait to come back home. Just to see them playing Jenga or eating turkey and all those sweet chocolates, garlic mash, fruitcake, and whatever else would be at the table. He set them on the floor. He stepped out of the house with his lunch bag in one hand and his keys in another. His kids waved at him as so did Jack. “Bye daddy!” “See ya later!” “Have fun at work, Apples!” He waved back with a smile then got in the car. Shit! He thought. It was nearly nine. He couldn’t believe how long it had taken him to investigate. The evidence they found was hard to decipher. Some kind of code. It was the first time that the killer had given them a message. He wondered if it had been a ruse to get them off his trail. He shoved that thought into the deepest recesses of his mind. Focusing on getting back home. He soon parked his car on the driveway. He jumped out of the car. Running to the front door. He stuck the key out to the lock. The door had been pushed open by his movements. Immediately, the back of his hair stood on its ends. So many horrible scenarios ran through his head. “Jack? Kids?” He cautiously stepped inside. He flipped the light switch on. He dropped his keys. His kids were on top of each other. Blood poured out from their gaping wounds where their organs dangled nearby. A sick feeling hit his stomach. He leaned against the shelf near him. Trying to keep himself from falling. “Carter!” He moved his eyes to Jack who was standing there. “Jack! The kids…! What the fuck?!” “That’s enough from you.” A man stepped over. He wore a dark red suit and black gloves. Carter pulled out his gun. Aiming at the stranger. “You killed them! You sick fucking bastard!” The man aimed a gun to Jack’s head. “And I’ll kill him too if you do not pass your weapon over here.” Carter hesitated before placing the gun on the floor. He kicked it over. “Perfect.” The man picked it up. “You should all be honored that I came here to make your family beautiful. They are part of my new artwork.” “This is art to you?!” Carter grit his teeth. He glared at him. Seeing the insane eyes that saw people as nothing but tools. “Of course it is.” The man walked to him. He aimed the gun at him. “My name is Vincent Hayes.” He smiled. “And you are not even worth my work. You’re useless.” Bang! It was as if everything was in slow motion. Carter’s eyes widened. Blood stained his clothes. Partially getting on his face. Jack collapsed. “What?!” Vincent growled in his words. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Carter’s mouth gaped open. He fell to his knees. Unable to do anything. His mind was a total blank. Vincent looked down at him. “You ruined everything!” He ran out of the house. Leaving Carter alone with their bodies. At first, Carter remained still. Tears slipped by. Rolling down his cheeks. His lips quivered. He could barely utter a word. “J-Jack….Kids….” He dragged Jack into his arms. Holding him close with a shaking tight grip. He recalled how the morning started, the kids jumping on the bed, the presents that he saw being unwrapped, the many kisses he had with Jack who had given him his meals for work, and the hopeful thought that he would make it in time for dinner. All of his anger and pain built up into the scream that made a neighbor call the police.

Added what we've got for now. I'll need to update it with the newer names and add in a list of who's dating who at some point. If you notice anyone is missing from the list feel free to give me a shout and I'll add them in

When a RP is so good that you need to put together a list of characters and where they're at & other notes at to be able to keep up xD (To be updated as/when things change) -----CURRENT LOCATIONS------- ---TBD--- Billy The Kid Pat Garrett Selene Simon Insanity Ellesse O'Quinn. ---USA--- Blaire Nurse May Officer Hayward Storm Grim Pain Autumn Luke Atma Tuo Vitae Helena Frida Steinheil (Blind. Whitehouse.) Allie (Whitehouse) Desi Dimitriadis Theo River 'Harrison' Greg Fuller Officer Zimo Lang Bern Mon David Sedley Galiel Salvo Tia and Jack (Mother & Son) Officer Walter Rhett Officer Yami Stag Travis Bones Officer Rueben Malone Ricky Leo Oscar De Graaf Will Harrison Draven Parker Elliot & Vincent Hayes & Neva Hayes & & Oliver Magpie Charles Amelia Magpie Kite & Cindy Dimitriadis & Baby Carter & Gary Dunn Alex Parker Travis Carter Sebastian Walker ---CIA Facility--- Werewolf Agent 'Alpha Werewolf' (Unnamed) 'Steinheil Hunter' 1 (Broken Legs. In prison.) 'Steinheil Hunter' 2 (Turned by Werewolf. In prison.) Adrian Basket X (Xeno) ---Netherlands--- Damien Sedley James Keller ---Japan--- Kat Sawyer ---France--- Nate Tom Tuzo ---UK--- Brian & Heather (Father & Daughter. Fairies.) ---German Vampire Castle--- Sven (North & South Guard) Egon (Vampire Warrior) Lukas (Vampire Warrior) Gregor (Vampire Warrior) Joel (Vampire Warrior) Lars (Random Vampire) Layla Peterson (Werewolf) Niko Bernbaum (Vampire citizen) Ben Collins (Blood God citizen) Jessica Wilson (Blood God citizen) Bianka (Vampire citizen) Larissa (Vampire citizen) Racheal Steinheil (Vampire citizen) Elimar (Vampire citizen) Patience (Vampire/Angel citizen) Jean Poe (King) Hannes Strassmann (East & West Guard) Shezmu (Blood God citizen) Warren (Demon Citizen) ---Germany--- Tristan = Disgraced/Banished Vampire Bryce Heathcliffe Viktor Armin Steinheil ---Death's Realm--- Death Azrael Lilly ---Heaven--- Jack, Sally & Nate Carter (At peace) Jonas Bernbaum (At peace?) Richard Strassmann (At peace?) Harley Poe (At peace?) River Balconi (Angel) Doctor Evans (Angel) Hades (Leviathan) Jasper Carter (At peace) Beau Carter (At peace) Rickster The Trickster (Angel in training) Gabriel (Arch Angel) Robert (Rob/Robb) McGregor (Angel) Raguel (Commanding Arch Angel) ---Hell--- Rickster's minion 1 (Wandering Soul) Rickster's minion 2 (Wandering Soul) Beatrice (Redemption Programme) Janik = Disgraced Vampire from the castle (Wandering Soul) Natali = Disgraced Vampire from the castle (Wandering Soul) Carol Magpie (Demon) ---Destroyed Characters / Oblivion--- Michael (Mickey) Dunn (Unnamed) Crazy 'Devine' Angel Lucifer? Angel Magpie? Donnie Shadow ----------------------------------------- ---NOTES FOR FUTURE CHARACTER IDEAS--- Some Angels, Demons & Devils are capable of changing into 1 other form. Forms can include; * Dragon (Common) * Minotaur (Rare) * Siren (Rare) * Skeletal (Extremely Rare) * Animal-humanoid (Common) * Nightmarish (Uncommon) * Humanoid (Aka- shapeshifting to mimic known people) * Cerberus (Rare) * Other known mythical creature (Rare) - Examples of Other known mythical creatures - * Kelpie * Phoenix * Hippogriff * Pegasus * Unicorn * Basilisk * Anubis * Chupacabra * Kishi * Shachihoko * Kraken * Yeti * Al-mi'raj * Dungavenhooter * Jackalope * Peryton * Faun * Longma * Onocentaur * Sleipnir * Simurgh * Centaur * Ichthyocentaurs Angels & Demon Types; * Incubus/Succubus (Common) = Angel equivelant; Angel of Firtility/Love/Passion/Desire * Punisher = Angel Equivelant; Angel of Judgement/Redemption * Soldier = Angel Equivelant; Arch Angel Angel, Demon & Devil abilities. Generally start with one or two. More can be acquired during rp. * Wings / No wings (Equally common) * Telepathy (Common) * Empathic Telepathy (Rare) * Pyromancy (Common) * Water elemental (Rare) * Earth elemental (Rare) * Air elemental (Rare) * Blood control (Extremely Rare) * Mind control (Extremely Rare) * Telekenisis (Common) * Healing (Common) * Necromancy (Extremely rare) * Invisibility (Rare) * Shapeshifter (Uncommon) * Predictions (Uncommon)

I'll need to re-write up our character notes

lol Yeah, I just finished my post and got a bit carried away on Shezmu hahaha

MORE EXPOSITION! 😄

Damien paused to look back at James. His eyes lowered to the bear and softened. He sighed, accepting it as James handed it to him. The corner of his mouth twitch briefly into a warm smile then vanished just as quickly as he marched over to the cashier, trying to maintain whatever dignity he had left. Once paid for, he turned to James. For a moment, he averted his gaze. "It was nice to get away for a while. I'm tempted to just stay here. Part of me believes that Parker probably wouldn't miss me or he'd be better off..." he admitted while unconsciously holding the bear close to his chest and squeezing it a little. The smallest glimpse of the tender, anxious man within. "But I owe it to him to try. Maybe getting high was a mistake. I think it might be time to go back." He took a breath and lowered his arms by his sides, holding the bear by one of its arms. He brought his eyes back up to James's, a fire had re-ignited behind them. He was prepared to change if it meant that he wouldn't lose his son. "Ready?" --- Sebastian had been just as shocked by the news. Before it could truly sink in, Carter had dropped to his knees. Without hesitation, Sebastian knelt beside him and rubbed his shoulders to try to comfort him. "There was nothing we could have done to prevent it." He said to Carter gently. "The main thing now is that we're here to support him and he's going to need a lot of support." He looked up at River, trying not to focus on the remark about Damien. "Where is he now? Can we see him?" River shook his head. "He's already in surgery. I guess they couldn't wait around for too long." "How long has he been in?" "About an hour? An hour and a half-ish? It's been a little hard keeping track of the time and I don't know how long these things usually take." "Thank you, River... Is Alex ok?" Sebastian glanced over at Alex who had been tapping his foot and biting his nails anxiously. "He's been like that since we got here." "He can also hear you and speak for himself, thanks." Alex piped up irritably. "I just don't like hospitals, ok?" --- The children had been alert, wide-eyed and looking around. Cindy had been standing in front of them so that they always had a clear view of her. This seemed to keep the pair calm. The quake had spooked them both and they struggled to relax again despite Desi's rocking. Cindy had run over to hug Kite back when he'd arrived. She was still shaking from the adrenaline. She hurriedly kissed his cheek as they let go, relieved to be reunited with him after the chaos. When Kite's face appeared in front of their stroller, both babies whinged uncertainly. Simultaneously smiling from the comfort of seeing their father while their eyes watered, threatening that they might start to cry again. "It's good to see you're safe." Desi greeted him while still gently rocking the stroller. "We should get your family out of the streets. We heard glass smashing and some shouting down that way just a few minutes before you arrived," he said while warily looking around to their left, the opposite direction to where Kite had driven from. "If you have a place in mind, I could teleport us?" --- Carol grinned. "Sounds like my kind of plan. To Dead City then." She stopped walking and offered her hand to Eris, intending to jump them both straight there. "And be ready for anything." --- "Dad?" Amelia called out when they arrived. "Oh, it's you again," David replied in a curious yet relieved tone. Trying to ignore the hurt she felt from the fact that her father clearly still couldn't remember her, Amelia looked around them curiously. "Where are we? Why are you all here?" --- Nodding, John would have preferred to be with Adam when he chose his wives anyway. When he'd closed his eyes, he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He focussed on the image that Adam conjured and willed them both to teleport to the centre of that place. The moment they landed, he opened his eyes and looked around. It wasn't as cluttered with pillows and blankets as Adam had remembered. It was clean. Tidy. A hint of lemon-scented the air and the place looked like it had previously been occupied but the rotting apple on the dining table told John that it had since been abandoned once more. This was a relief, as the last thing they needed was to end up fighting for territory when they were so underprepared. Still, it was a large place and John wasn't ready to relax just yet. "Stay here. I'll make sure we're completely alone before I begin the spells to hide this place," he said quietly as he started to walk away. "Call for me with your mind if you see anyone but otherwise stay quiet and out of sight." --- Larissa pondered the suggestion before nodding with a wide smile. "Sounds good to me! Shall we go say hello?" "Perhaps later, Rissy," Bianka said quickly. "As you said, he's just come home from a very long nap and is likely disoriented enough. It might be best to give him time to adjust before introducing him to um... your level of... niceness." Bianka's cheeks turned a bit pink. "What's that supposed to mean?" Larissa huffed and folded her arms. "Nothing bad! It's just... you're very... what's the word I'm looking for? Enthusiastic? It might overwhelm him, Meine darling." "Fine." Larissa tutted with an eye roll. Then she grinned cheekily. "Then I shall overwhelm him enthusiastically tomorrow!" --- The way the new monarch carried himself and had addressed him left Shezmu baffled. He had returned to this home determined to take back his rightful place upon one of the thrones but it would seem much had changed since his reign. He walked calmly out of the hall as he contemplated how quickly this new king had simply talked him into avoiding violence completely. He had sensed the attempt to manipulate his emotions but, of course, such things barely affected him now. Even though he is weak from the gnawing hunger since his awakening, he was more powerful now than he had been when he'd fled to the crypt in which he spent the last few centuries in deep slumber. This was the result of several factors. His age was one. All Devils and Angels become stronger with age, even if it is only in the tiniest increments. The second factor was due to his feeding habits in the past. He had slain scores of Angels and Demons alike. Preferring their blood to mortals and devouring them until their true death in which their essence added to his own. The third factor to consider, like any Devil from his era, was the contracts he'd made mortals sign. Like Lucifer, Donnie and even at one time Damien had used whilst Shezmu had been sleeping. To strike a bargain with mortals and in return, the contract they signed would grant the Devil in question more power. Even now, after all this time, Shezmu could sense that some of his contracts were still active. Meaning the mortals that he'd bargained with long ago to include their bloodline in his pact, still had family living somewhere in the world. These mortals he would not bother and would allow them to go about their lives without intervention. Shezmu had already kept his end of those bargains and by simply keeping their bloodlines strong they were continuing to provide him with all the strength he needed. Given all this power, it would have been a simple thing for Shezmu to march in and take the throne by force. But as long as he had what he needed and was treated with the respect he deserved, why disrupt what was clearly a time of peace within his old home? And Shezmu, despite his reputation in his day, had always been a man of his word. A bitter, spiced scent hit his nose and the gnawing hunger almost caused the ancient Blood God to lose his composure. His fangs had sprouted and he took in another lungful of the smell as if savouring it. There was a Demon somewhere in this castle... and he was bleeding. Just about managing to control himself, he walked towards the source of the scent confidently. He soon found himself standing in front of a door leading to one of the homes. He sniffed the air around the door warily. One demon and no one else. Perfect. He moved to knock on the door but found himself standing on the other side of it in the blink of an eye. His hunger and longing to be in the same room as the source of the scent had caused him to teleport involuntarily. Fortunately, the Demon in the room had not noticed. He seemed to be preoccupied with the blade in his hand which he used to slowly glide across the skin of his chest, drawing blood which trickled down and mingled with the blood from other, similar cuts across his chest. The Demon's eyes were closed, though he was facing a full-length mirror and seemed to be muttering under his breath. "I deserve this. Please come back to me. I deserve this." Shezmu opened his mouth to speak but his mouth felt so dry and the smell of his blood was suffocating. In an instant, he was on him. Warren barely had time to gasp when Shezmu pinned him against the wall and sank his fangs deep into the man's neck. Warren's eyes rolled back and he immediately fell limp as a moan escaped him. He hadn't realised how thirsty he'd been until now and he lapped up the Demon's blood like a dehydrated man who had finally found the oasis in the desert. Memories shot through him, carried to his mind by Warren's blood. He felt it warm up every inch of his body. He heard Warren's heart slowing down and oh how sweet it would have been to keep going until it stopped. Until Warren's essence joined with his. But this Demon had done him no wrong. He had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Using all of his willpower, Shezmu pulled his fangs out of Warren's throat then quickly bit his tongue and licked at the wound to seal it. Of all the memories Warren had unwittingly shown him, the most important to Shezmu right now had simply been this era's speech. Suddenly the way the others in the hall had spoken to him made much more sense. Lifting Warren into his arms gently, he carried him over to the couch and sat him down. The Demon's head lulled to one side and he groaned, struggling to remain conscious. "Forgive me," Shezmu said calmly. His accent had also been affected, adopting a subtle amount of Warren's Philadelphian notes. He lifted his finger to his fang to draw blood, then began tracing his bleeding finger over Warren's wounds over his chest. Each one closed up as his finger glided over them. "I had intended to introduce myself and to ask first. My hunger got the better of me. My name is Shezmu, it is a pleasure to meet you, Warren." Warren's eyes widened and he stared at Shezmu in silent fear. Seeing this, the Blood God shook his head. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Allow me to make it up to you, hmm?" he gave him a warm smile. Even his skin tone had changed from a sickly pale colour to a light, golden brown tan. Unfortunately, his new complexion had come at the cost of Warren's who had since turned several shades whiter. Shezmu looked over the man curiously then spotted the bracelet on his wrist and he smiled. "Ah! I know how I can make amends." he reached over and gripped either side of the bracelet, snapping it in two with little more than a strained grunt. "There! You are no longer restrained... though I probably should have asked why you were restrained first but I assume it has something to do with this?" he lightly tapped Warren's chest with his finger. "Why were you mutilating yourself, anyway?" "P-Punishment... I-I Deserve it." Warren stammered weakly. "I understand..." Shezmu nodded. "Y-you do?" "Oh, yes. I once knew some monks who would whip themselves raw for their transgressions. This is no different." Warren blinked at the strange Blood God and sat up slightly. "Everyone else treats me like I'm mad." "Is that why they bound you?" Warren nodded then glanced at the door. "I can't leave. They're always watching me so I can't risk being followed. But I need to know that my family is safe..." he looked at Shezmu pleadingly. "Please, would you find them for me? and let me know if they're safe?" Shezmu contemplated this. Of course, he'd seen who this family was from his memories. Warren's last memory of seeing his family was of them trying to escape the Angel's ambush in his old apartment building. He had no idea what had become of Donnie, Insanity or Sam. "And if I do this for you, what would be in it for me?" He asked finally. He knew a contract was out of the question. Warren had already signed away his soul to Donnie and Insanity. Though, neither of them knew yet that Donnie had been destroyed which rendered all contracts he'd drawn up, to now be null and void. "I don't have anything to give." Warren despaired as he stared at Shezmu. "Don't you?" The Blood God smirked and brought his fingers up to caress the Demon's throat. "The new King here informs me that the vampiric community is restricted to animal blood but my tastes are a little more... refined. I once had my own consorts. Willing thralls who would offer their blood to me whenever I grew hungry. It kept me sated then, it can keep me sated now." "Con-consorts?" Warren repeated apprehensively. "In a sense." Shezmu shrugged. "What you do with your body is still your choice, it is only your blood that I am interested in. Now, do we have a deal?" Warren hesitated as he weighed up his options but seeing as there wasn't much to weigh, he nodded. "Yes, yeah, ok, just please find my family?" "Of course. In a moment. First, we must seal our deal. Close your eyes, my tortured one." Eyeing him warily, Warren reluctantly closed his eyes. Once closed, Shezmu re-opened the tiny wound on his finger with his fang then squeezed a couple of drops onto Warren's lips. Warren had jumped a little and recoiled but Shezmu was already done and had stood up. Having been open slightly, a droplet of blood had slipped between Warren's lips and touched the tip of his tongue, sending a brief but powerful, almost electrical jolt of pleasure through him. He couldn't help but lick the rest off his lips and his eyes snapped open to stare up at the Blood God. "What was that?" "My blood. Without venom, a large dose would kill you. Venom and a large dose would turn you. Venom and a small dose binds you to me... for a short while." "I... wait, no. I read up on vampires from those ADIEU bastards. There's no mention of-" "It is an old trick. Primarily used by Blood Gods, though a vampire could pull it off if they wanted." Shezmu explained tiredly then turned away from Warren. "A deal is a deal. I will return when I have news of your family." he vanished. His first intention was to seek out Insanity as he had been Warren's main concern when Shezmu had briefly seen into his mind. --- "He'll kill you for this. You know that, right?" The taxi driver said darkly as he stared down the barrel of the gun into the hitman's eyes. "Look, I can't just leave. I have business in this city, same as you." he lifted the wad of cash that the hitman had just given him. "So, I propose we work together. I have contacts, access to weapons, drugs, vampire and werewolf venom, anything you need. After all, you've already paid me. So, what exactly is it that you need here?" --- "I was starting to worry." Tom moved over to hug Nate as soon as he'd arrived. He sat in the chair opposite and poured a glass of wine for him. "There's been riots all over the news. What happened? Are you allowed to talk about it?"

"But that's my point..." Damien said with a small frown. He traced his fingers over the shape of the stuffed animal's face. "He is an adult... and I missed him growing up. I missed being able to take him to a zoo. I missed being able to give him gifts and seeing his face light up. I missed it all. I don't know... I know it's stupid but... I'd like to think that getting him something like this might be a way of making up for all that lost time." He scoffed sourly and threw the teddy back into the bargain basket. "Or maybe I'm just high... C'mon, let's go then." --- Both Alex and River stopped to look at Carter when he spoke. Alex shook his head but stayed quiet. After all the times Gary had ended up mortally wounded, he'd grown some anxiety around being in a hospital. That, and every so often he'd catch himself staring at blood packs as they were being transported past the waiting room and they kept reminding him of what he used to be. Of what River could apparently be without losing his mind like he had. Meanwhile, River turned to face Carter and Sebastian with a frown. He walked over to them to tell them in a hushed voice; "He's going to lose a leg. Damien offered to make him a Devil to save it but Parker refused. I don't know where Damien is now. He left with James a few hours ago, saying something about getting stoned or drunk or whatever." He tried to hide it but he sounded a little bitter about the last part. --- "Just drive safely. There are riots all over the news." Cindy said worriedly. She was standing outside their apartment building, looking up at the ruin. Desi was standing close by, gently rocking the twin stroller to keep the babies calm. As soon as the quake had stopped his first instinct was to teleport to his sister to make sure she was ok. He'd found her out in the open, struggling to calm the twins down while also struggling to remain calm, herself. He'd run back into the crumbling building to get their stroller so that she could rest her aching arms and gave her his phone so that she could call Kite. --- "I'm definitely down for the getting drunk part!" Carol laughed. "I know this cool little place on Earth. Mostly caters to vampires but babe, you have got to try mixing their venom with liquor!" she does the chef's kiss expression. "Though I gotta admit, I'm not usually one for big speeches about being good and all that crap. That's more Amelia's shtick. I usually just throw punches and hope for the best." she shrugged with a grin. --- It was a lot of information to take in, but if it meant that she didn't have to think about Tuzo right now, then it was a welcome distraction. Amelia nodded, gently rocking Oliver in her arms to keep him snoozing while they talked. "That's awful, the poor boy..." she shook her head sadly. "Alright, at least we know Carter and Sebastian are ok. I'd like to check on my dad though. Vincent, Elliot, I know I'm asking a lot but would you mind watching Oliver for a little longer? I don't want to risk him seeing any destruction and I think he'd be safer with you two until this whole thing blows over..." she then winces and gives an awkward expression. "No pun intended..." --- John nodded. "Picture it in your mind. I'll see it and be able to teleport there to start preparation. Do you want to come with me? Or would you rather begin your search while I do that?" --- "What if he's just misunderstood?" Larissa asked naively. "You said he was ancient but you know, for a long time we all thought Blood Gods were extinct. Until X showed up and took the throne for a little while. What if he was slumbering all that time and we just all thought he was dead? I can only imagine how disorientating it would be to wake up to a completely different world and to a home filled with all new vampires." Bianka held a small smile for Larissa's words but she couldn't shake her concern. Even if she wanted to give a Blood God as old as that the benefit of the doubt, she'd still want to be wary of them. Afterall, learning the ways of the new world was not the same as choosing to adapt to them. Maintaining some caution around the Blood God would be the wise thing to do right now. She exchanged a worried glance with Theron. --- Once again, Shezmu was unaffected by Jean's aura but he seemed, for a moment, that he genuinely considered his words. He still didn't understand how words alone can be enough but if it brought an end to the centuries-long feud between vampires and Steinheils, then who was he to question it? "Thou art a curiosity of your time, Jean Poe," Shezmu commented. "I shall not pretend to understand thy logic, but I wilt attempt to open my mind to it." he nodded to him respectfully. "For now, if there is nothing else, I should like to wander these old halls of my home to find an unoccupied space that I can inhabit." He said as he turned to walk away. --- "I don't really care." The taxi driver replied simply. He was tense and constantly looking around in case the rest of the officers returned. "I would suggest that whatever you do, you do it quickly though. I was paid to make sure you escaped, I'm not being paid beyond this point so I'm out of here," he explained quickly then glanced at the hitman with a cocked eyebrow. "Unless, of course, you can afford to employ me further?" --- The champagne had long since arrived but Nate hadn't. Tom sat on the end of the hotel bed, checking his phone for messages but nothing had come through. Particularly after the earthquakes and the riots all over the news, even here in France, Tom was understandably worried. Meanwhile, Tuzo had settled into his own room and decided he needed a shower after the ordeal with Amelia. Once he was clean and feeling much fresher, he stepped out of the shower and placed a small towel around his waist. He stared at the distorted silhouette of himself in the misted mirror, wondering what he should do with his life now. Or rather, what he should do with his life once Amelia and her husband forget about him. It had become painfully clear while he'd been 'caring' for her that there was no future for him with her anymore. This left him feeling a little aimless since he'd arrived at the hotel. He didn't dare contact Raguel to make him aware he was back from Oblivion. He didn't want to go back to being his informant and with the things he'd done & learned, he didn't think Raguel would be too happy about him wandering around unchecked. So for now, he'd just have to lay low and figure out what he wanted to do. Tom's face flashed in his mind and he smiled a little to himself as he walked casually out of the little bathroom, into the bedroom. He wondered who the dark-haired stranger had been. Who knows? With some persistence and a little hypnotism, maybe he could spend a few years having some fun on Earth while he tried to stay off of Heaven & Hell's radar?

STORY CONTINUED HERE;

Shadowess - February 16, 2024 Taking a breath, he gave Will a thankful smile before nodding to the nurse. "You'll need to wait in the waiting room. We'll call you back in when the surgery is over so that you can be here when he wakes up." The nurse told Will in a reassuring tone while ushering him out of the room. --- Damien led them out of the hospital and down the street. It was the very early hours of the morning and he supposed they'd completely lost track of the time. "Damn... is that the sun coming up? Nowhere is going to be open at this hour... Fuck! That's right! I can teleport now!" He laughed while slapping his forehead. "C'mon, buddy! I know exactly where I can take us!" He beamed while placing a hand on James's arm. In an instant, they were standing in the red light district in Amsterdam. "Drinks! Weed! Women! or men, if that's what you're into." he chuckled with his arms outstretched in front of James. "And waffles too, if you're hungry. Here, dude." he gestured to a nearby pub. Inside its walls were decorated with an array of medieval armour and weapons. Heavy metal music played in the background. The pub itself was a little busy but not crowded. "I used to come here all the time when I first got my powers. When I just needed to get away for a while... What do you want to drink?" --- "Don't be a fool." Kat shook his head and sighed heavily. "Handing me in is the best chance either of us have of surviving this, and you know it. Your government gets the information they need to stop ADIEU, you might get a promotion out of it and if I'm lucky enough I'll get a second shot at life. Hell, maybe you can even be the one to check in on me now and then. But mostly, we'll be out of ADIEU's reach." Kat fell silent for a moment. Staring into their campfire as he tried to imagine leading a completely different life. He'd finally be out of organised crime. Maybe he'd settle down? Run a little shop or something? Even the idea of being locked away in a US prison sounded better than the alternative... He rubbed his face tiredly then removed his jacket, bunching it up into a makeshift pillow. He then removed his shirt and placed it carefully on the concrete floor before laying on it. He could still feel the cold from the ground through it and that might become a problem later in the evening but right now he barely noticed it as he stared up into the metallic rafters of the abandoned factory. His muscles seemed to ripple as the light from the fire danced across them, bringing life to the coloured ink of his dragon tattoo which coiled around his torso like a fierce emerald-opalite serpant. "Anyway, what we plan to do doesn't actually matter until we make it to the US. Until then, we need to watch each other's backs and make sure we're not followed. Or we're fucked." --- Oliver giggled at first and pointed at the ceiling. Fully expecting Carter to give in to his demands. When nothing happened he whined and jabbed his finger towards the ceiling in annoyance. Soon he realised he wasn't going to get his way and started to cry, scream, kick and slap. Despite being a full-blooded Devil child, he was still just a child. Which meant all of his kicks and slaps would only hurt as much as if it were a human toddler throwing a tantrum. Before long he'd tired himself out and with one last frustrated kick, he gave up. His screams dwindled into weary crying as he rubbed his eyes and rested his head against Carter's shoulder. Having no experience as a parent himself, Sebastian watched all this silently. Like Vincent, he'd been a little worried at first but he trusted Carter's judgement and observed the way the child was handled. When Oliver tired himself out, he gave Carter an impressed smile. --- Thankfully the Angels that Charles and Carol stumbled upon hadn't had enough time to make any plans. Their first focus had been on getting as far away from the cells as they could without dying and dooming themselves to become Devils. Seeing the pair arrive, the four Angels immediately had their backs up. "You expect us to believe you with her nipping at your heels?" One of them snapped while pointing a finger at Carol. Unbothered by this, she simply shrugged. "New King, new rules." The Angel that had pointed to her bristled, then quickly plucked a feather from his wing and pointed it toward her threateningly. They didn't have many options in the way of weapons but to Charles and Carol, an Angellic feather was already quite dangerous. "I don't buy it! Not for a second! What do you get out of this, huh?" "A clearer conscience?" "You're messing with us! Both of you! We're nothing but entertainment to you!" "Oh, stop stressing, would you! You're free! The war is over! Don't you sense it? You're not trapped in Hell anymore. You can go HOME if you want. No one is stopping you." The four Angels paused with puzzled expressions. They each exchanged wary glances as they realised the ethereal barrier preventing their escape had indeed vanished. They turned back to Charles and Carol with uncertain expressions. The first Angel had lowered his feather slightly. "We... can go?" "Sure can." "Is this a trick?" the second Angel asked. "Nope. Tell Raguel I said 'Hi!'" "And Lucifer... he's really gone?" Carol winced subtly before giving a slightly strained smile. "Gonzo! You don't have to worry about him anymore." The first Angel stared at Charles for a moment. "I don't know. It feels too good to be true. The war has been going on for centuries. You could've followed in your father's footsteps and kept it going but your Demon says it's over. Why? What do you get out of ending the war?" --- Bob stared at them all as they each spoke. The frown never left his face. Despite his concerns, they all seemed to assume that he was just upset that Lilly was gone. He felt he hadn't actually been heard. That his emotions were being dismissed. When they finished talking he sighed with a defeated and disappointed look. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and immediately became aloof. "I... need some time." He said as he looked away from them all. "I'm going for a walk." He then turned and headed towards the graveyard exit. --- Was this real? What if all of this was her mind playing out a made-up scenario and in reality, she was still bleeding out on the asphalt near the portal? Lilly was speechless. For a moment, her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find the right words. The moment was tense. Azrael watched Lilly's reaction carefully. The way her cheeks reddened, her eyes darted back and forth as her mind was clearly racing, and her little frame trembled once more. "Miss?" He placed and hand on her shoulder and she seemed to come back to herself. Her face drained of colour instantly and she caught her breath while quickly gripping Azrael's arm for support. "I think I need to sit down..." she said quietly. "Of course, here..." Azrael carefully guided her to a nearby chair at the side of the hall. "This must come as a shock to you. Do you need anything? Water, perhaps?" She shook her head and took a breath to stop the room from spinning. She then looked up at Death. "I- um..." she stammered. It was difficult for her to open up. "In my world... I never knew my family. No mother to hold me. No father to protect me. Just an orphanage until I discovered my powers at age 11... then the road as I tried to hide or outrun people who would've burned me for being different. I spent 7 years on the road after I accidentally raised Bob from his grave... he was the closest thing to family that I knew..." she paused. Taking a moment to try to gauge Death's reaction before continuing. "What you're telling me... is that you want me to be your daughter. That I'm somehow like you. But you're a King... I'm just-... Just an orphan nomad necromancer nobody... I don't know how to be a daughter, much less a-a..." she trialled off. "A princess?" Azrael finished her sentence with a gentle smile. She glanced at him then lowered her gaze while nodding. "You can be. We can teach you etiquette. How to use your powers. Lillian, this can be your home. Your family. You would be valued. You would be loved. You don't have to be alone anymore." Lilly thought on this for a moment. Tears hung in her eyes but she wouldn't permit them to fall. She looked up at Death. "So, should I call you Death? Or father?" She asked uncertainly. Azrael beamed and stood back. Although she still seemed unsure, it was clear that she was open to the idea. Denix Vames - February 16, 2024 Will blew a kiss at Parker before leaving. He sat in the waiting room. Hoping that he would be ready to see the end results. --- James twitched a smile. He wasn't exactly use to smiling. But when Damien showed his fun side, that smile couldn't leave him. He said, "Got any hard whiskey?" --- Sawyer blushed when he saw Kat's bare chest. Immediately, he looked away. He squeezed his knees as he grit his teeth, "No. We can't go to him. My boss....He use to be understanding and happy. You think him having a family would have helped him keep that attitude but he's changed. I think it's because of what he is. A Blood God. Not an actual god but a mix of vampire and devil. Still, they're not known for kind gestures. They are bloodthirsty rage filled creatures. Not even those of the Supernatural want them. Typically, they're killed because they always start bloodshed. I wonder if being a boss made him thirst for chaos." He sighed, "All I'm saying is, we need to talk to a demon agent first. I need to ask someone if they can get the King of Hell to talk to him. Clearly, he needs help." Bitter tears ran down his cheeks. He hid his face, "Fuck! This is all my fault. Believing that everything we did was so fucking righteous. Like we were the good guys and nobody else. I'm just as bad as.....No, I'm worst than any crook out there. At least they have better reasons than I do." --- Carter smiled, "And that's how you do it." Vincent's eyes sparkled. "Wow! I can't believe you did it." He frowned, "It's really hard for me to be like that since you know?" Carter nonchalantly waved a hand, "That's fine. I can always help out. Just tell me when you need me." Vincent couldn't help but cry with a smile. He finally felt the love he had for Carter. A real kind of love that was true friendship. "Damn it! I'm such a softie." Carter handed Oliver back to him. Vincent looked at Oliver before hugging Carter. Elliot sniffled as he had his hat in his hand. "Ya'll really making me burst a pipe in my eyes." --- "Before I woke up, I stayed hidden because of so many reasons. One of them being Lucifer, my father. I didn't know at the time but even so, I'm sure he would have killed me anyways. Didn't like competition and all that. So, I am happy that he's gone. Otherwise, none of this would have ever stopped. My people would have kept getting killed by your hands. And your people would have kept getting killed by my hands. A neverending war? Who the fuck finds that shit amusing? Well, I don't. So go. Reunite with your people. Be happy for the first time in centuries. Let me make up for what my father did." He nodded, "I apologize for his childish actions." A black pool moved about it. Forming itself into what appeared as a devil with a deer-like features but had a suit. It laughed maniacally as it shapeshifted. Making itself become larger. It reached out to the Angels. Charles immediately fired his energy at the devil. Making it stumble back. He turned to the Angels. "Go! I can take care of this!" The devil growled. Glaring at everyone. --- Pain ran over, "Bob! Wait! Please be careful. Just yell if you need anything, ok? I know this is hurting you right now. I can't imagine what you're feeling. Just don't forget that you've got us." --- Death's ears perked up. Having heard a surprising a statement from her. He smiled because he knew his back was still on them. He quickly withdrew that smile and turned to face them. Looking composed as usual. "You may call me whatever you like. I rather not force you to call me a certain name if it makes you uncomfortable."

Shadowess - January 1, 2024 Parker held on to Will's kiss for as long as he could. He was understandably nervous about what was to come but knowing he had his support brought him some comfort. "Don't- don't let me sleep in too long. Bedhead doesn't look good on me." He said with a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't sure if he said it to cheer Will up, or himself. Damien's smile slipped. He hadn't meant to sound reluctant but he supposed, given his obligation to Parker, they would need to be quite a bit more responsible than Damien was used to being. "Huh... I'm not sure... " he sighed and thought for a moment. "We could still go get some drinks, we'll just need to be... sensible about it." He suggested and felt himself cringe at the word 'sensible.' It wasn't a word that he ever really used and for a moment he'd sounded a bit like David. He caught James's eye and realised he was still visibly cringing at the way he'd said it. He laughed quietly then nudged his elbow with his own. "Come on, I'm buying. You know any decent, quiet bars around?" --- Kat sat on the ground, on the opposite side of Sawyer. He shook his head with a frown. We might not get far on a stolen vessel. Especially if it's just us two manning it..." he ran his hand through his hair. It was a difficult situation but they would need to lay low for a few days before making any attempts to move anyway. So they had a bit of time to think things through. Kat's eyes lifted to meet Sawyers. "So, you're a fed... " he began, trying and failing to hide his disdain. "Who are you? Really? The Yakusa have clans all over Japan... why choose this one to infiltrate?" --- Once again, Oliver laughed heartily as Vincent grabbed him and he turned towards the floor expectantly. When Vincent didn't put him down again, he reached out to the floor to show Vincent he wanted to be put down. But when Vincent kept him in his arms instead, he began getting frustrated and fussy. He started wriggling, putting his weight down and whingeing. A tantrum was imminent. --- Carol paused in her tracks at Charles's command but she frowned as her eyes gave one last sweep over the debris. She couldn't see him and he hadn't responded to her calls so she prayed that he'd made it out safely. But as of yet, she had no way of knowing for sure. For all she knew, the poor lad could've been crushed. Her shoulders dropped and she lowered her head before reluctantly turning back to Charles. Inwardly she scolded herself for growing soft. Since when did one little traitor matter anyway? First and foremost, her duty was to her King. Always. "We'll find them, sire!" She called as she ran back to him. "They could have teleported by now. Most of the prisoners who escaped were either Donnie's followers or..." she hesitated to finish her sentence but he needed to know. "Demons and... A couple of Angels from what I can tell of the broken cells. Sire, those specific prisoners where locked away by... by your father. During the war. They won't know that the war is over and they'll likely see you as just as much an enemy as Lucifer had once been to them. Sire..." she stepped forward with an urgent look. "We need to find them before Donnie's followers do." --- At first Bob lifted his head to glare at Napoleon for being so insensitive to their pain. Then he realised what he was saying and his eyes widened. "Y-you're sure?" He asked uncertainly. "But we- Lilly and I- we come from a different world. I'm not even sure it's the same universe... our world's rules of death are so much different to here. How do you know she wasn't sent there? Or that her soul even still exists at all?" --- "Yes, Your Grace." Azrael replied as he took a quick breath to calm his heart which now beat so strongly for him. Within seconds, he appeared to be as professional as always. He placed the book back into his pocket and followed Death out of the throne room. Meanwhile Lilly and the Reaper who had since introduced himself as Garrett had just finished a quick tour of the local town. It was equally jarring and fascinating to her that the Reapers here lived a life that closely resembled human life... But from a time long since past on Earth. There were no electronic items. No vehicles more advanced than a horse and carriage. Gas lamps brought light to the grey, foggy streets. It might seem depressing on the surface but the gothic decor and architecture where hauntingly beautiful. The locals were warm and welcoming in contrast to their surroundings. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, there was a deep sense of peace here that settled even Lilly's heavy heart. They had stopped to rest by sitting near a stunning fountain, depicting a hooded figure holding a sun in one hand and a moon in the other ,located in the center of the town square. "That's our King." Garrett told her as they looked up at it. "The sun and moon represent our role in the universe. When the lasting darkness falls on the mortal soul, it is our duty to light the path for their final journey." "That's beautiful..." Lilly said then caught sight of Death and Azrael heading towards them. At Death's question, she nodded and looked around at the town once more. "I never imagined that the afterlife in this universe would be so... beautiful." She smiled as she turned back to look at him. The moment he'd realised Death approached, Garrett bowed deeply and waited quietly for further instructions. Lilly glanced at him hesitantly before asking. "Oh, um... should I be bowing too?" Denix Vames - January 2, 2024 Will smiled. "I'll be sure to do that when I get the chance." He suddenly frowned. "Sorry. Kind of hard to keep a confident face on, ya know?" Tears continued to drip down his cheeks. James shook his head. "I try to keep telling you. I was only ever a soldier. Do you really think I had a social life before meeting you?" Though he kept his typical cold expression, his voice gave a hint of hurt. Frustrated with the idea that he never had a life of his own. --- Sawyer couldn't help but smirk. "Well for one, I'm a CIA agent. And two, you guys were getting involved in business that was getting innocent people killed. Supernatural people to be exact. You see, that whole story about my wife dying from vampires? Not true. She did die but at the hands of ADIEU. She was used as a plaything for them to dig their knives into. I'll never forgive them for that. That's why I have to stop this from happening again." --- Vincent sighed. "Oh alright." He set him down. "I rather not make you cry. It would only make me cry as well." --- Charles sighed. He rubbed his forehead. "My father was quite the 'friend.' How exactly are we supposed to find anyone? Hell is a maze. Carol, surely there's some way to make this a little easier?" --- "Because she died here, she became a new resident to this world. She is currently being guided in the afterlife by Death himself." ,said Napoleon. --- "Not at all. You are above bowing to me. It may sound confusing but I will explain everything to you in private. Garrett, you are excused. Thank you for keeping her company." Death nodded at her. "Follow me back to my throne. I will tell you everything. Azrael, keep yourself near for possible support for Lily. She may need it once she is done hearing what I have to say." Death walked to his throne room. Once Lily was there, he slowly explained as best as he could. "It may be hard to comprehend but you are somehow like me. A being with powers associated with death. Far stronger than my own people. Equal to me. That is why I will personally teach you the ways of the reaper. Under these circumstances, I see you as...." He cleared his throat. "Perhaps that last comment would be impolite." shadowess - January 2, 2024 Parker took Will's hands in his own and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I know." he smiled sadly. "We'll be ok. It'll just be an adjustment, that's all." The nurse entered the room and made a small, polite cough to let them know it was time to prep Parker for surgery. Parker glanced at her and his heart dropped. He looked back at Will, holding his hands tightly out of nerves. "You'll be here when I wake up?" Damien faltered and looked away from James. "You did tell me..." he said and sighed while rubbing his forehead. "Sorry man, I've got so much on my mind right now. C'mon. Let's go find somewhere to drink." Not that Damien had realised it yet, but he had just apologised to James without stammering, cringing or generally any difficulty at all. This was a first. --- Kat listened to Sawyer quietly for a moment. As he mentioned what ADIEU had done to his wife, he averted his gaze. "I'm sorry about your wife..." he mumbled without looking up. "So, it's those guys you're after..." He thought for a long moment before looking up and staring hard at Sawyer. "So, what happens if we do manage to get out of Japan? You planning on handing me over to your CIA for questioning?" He scoffed and shook his head. "Fuck... that's what you're going to do, isn't it?... It's over for me... I have no gang to go back to... and those guys that chased us... Well, are you willing to guess who they were? Cos I can give you a hint, it sure as fuck wasn't your CIA. Like I said in the car... it's a 'clean up' operation. After a quake like that, the authorities are likely to use the opportunity to conduct raids. So, 'they' needed to plug any leaks before that could happen... You think they were brutal in your country?" Kat shook his head grimly and a couple of beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "You have no idea..." He shifted uncomfortably. It was clear by the way he was talking that he may have been working for this organisation, not just out of loyalty to his gang, but out of fear of what they'd do to him if he didn't. "I think I'm the only one of my gang who got away... they'll be looking for me. To 'take care of me' before I can become a problem for them. And they saw you with me... you're in just as much danger as I am now, even if I don't spill the beans on their operations to you." He bit his lip nervously. "I'll make you a deal 'Red Fox'. I'll help you get out of the country and I'll even hand myself over to your CIA. You can hand me in like a neatly wrapped gift for all I care. And... I'll talk... but ONLY once we reach the safety of the US. You're not getting another word out of me about ADIEU until then. In return... I want immunity, citizenship and a new name or whatever your guys have to do to stop those bastards from ever finding me. Deal?" --- Sebastian grimaced as he watched Oliver pop back onto the ceiling instantly with a roar of laughter. "I would say it might not be a good idea to coddle him but then what else can you do when he can teleport at will?" he commented then raised his eyebrows as Oliver rapidly started crawling across the ceiling and reached out to the wire of the light in the centre. "Oh, watch out!" "Silly Oliver!" Neva laughed. --- "My sister figured out all the shortcuts and she was just a soul at the time... But then it did take her a few decades and we don't have that long..." Carol shrugged. "But it should be easier for you. You're a Devil. And not just any Devil! Lucifer's son! Whenever I'd follow him on a mission, he'd always walk in a direction and end up right where he needed to be in a couple of miles. Let me..." Carol thought hard for a moment. Straining to remember if Lucifer had ever mentioned how he'd done it. "I can't be sure, he never said exactly, but I think he focussed on which part of Hell he needed to get to and... it was kind of like Hell re-arranged itself as he was walking... I think the same can be done for areas you've never personally visited. If you want to explore Hell's expanse, just... focus and walk?" She looked at Charles curiously. "Does that help?" --- Bob considered Napoleon's answer carefully before nodding. He ran his hand over the coffin and then stood while wiping the tears from his eyes. He hadn't stopped frowning. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly jumping for joy," he said sourly. "Even though I know she isn't gone for good, she still died. She died horribly. I saw her in her final moments and that knowledge is going to haunt me forever." He kicked a rock across the dry grass. "I'm supposed to be her friend. I wasn't even there for her when she needed me the most... And you... You talk about death as if it's no big deal. Are you so desensitised to it? Do you care at all?" --- Azrael nodded and followed them back to the throne room. He remained silent to allow Death to handle this without interruption and stayed close in case he was needed. Lilly followed them, curious about what Death had meant. How was she above bowing when other Reapers weren't? She stopped when Death stopped and she studied his features carefully as he explained what he'd meant earlier. Given all that had happened so far, she was already somewhat in shock and struggling to grasp that this new world was her life now. Or rather, afterlife. So when Death told her that she was like him, she was understandably stunned. "Me-? No, no, that can't be right. I'm just- just a necromancer." she stammered as she struggled to understand how she could possibly be like Death. Azrael gave her a small, understanding smile. This would take patience but at least now she was where she needed to be. Somewhere she belonged. After a moment of denial, she suddenly caught on to Death's last comment. "What do you mean?" Lilly asked curiously. "See me as what?" Denix Vames - January 3, 2024 Will kissed him. "I won't leave until you wake up and I'm the first thing you see me." James raised a brow. He nodded. "Lead the way." --- Kat looked at the fire. "Earlier, I would have done that. But now? Things are clearly different. You're not who I thought you were. It seems like I was completely wrong. So no, I won't turn you in. Guess that means I'm out of a job. Frankly, it's not like there was much to look forward to when I got back. But you? You're my real friend. Consider me a deserter from my own kind." --- Vincent immediately grabbed Oliver. Carter took Oliver from his hold and kept him in his arms. "Watch. I had to do this with my kids. You can't let them get everything that they want. No matter how much they cry. He's going to stay in my arms and not get on the ceiling. No matter how many times he makes a fuss." Vincent began to tear up when Oliver started crying. "Are you sure this is right? I don't know about this." "It's all about teaching them discipline." --- Charles thought for a moment. "I think so." He took a deep breath and thought about finding the prisoners from Lucifer's reign. He began to walk. Once he reached another area, he faced the old Angels who were clearly pissed. He cleared his throat. "The war is over gentlemen. I am the King of Hell. My name is Charles. Son of Lucifer you see. Unlike my father, however, I have come here to settle matters diplomatically." --- Napoleon cleared his throat. "Let me explain. I was once a human like all of you. I died long ago. Because of that, I became an Angel. It seems that there's a lot to explain. Oh dear. Well, the fact is that Lily will most likely become an Angel or a Demon based off of her forgiveness to herself. However, that does not matter now. Slowly but surely Angels and Demons have been able to cooperate with each other." Grim covered his mouth. His eyes widened. Storm facepalmed. "Oh shit! We forgot to tell Bob about the afterlife. We were so use to that we just assumed...." Pain frowned, "We're sorry man." --- Death's cheeks held a tint of red. He awkwardly smiled. "As my own daughter." He quickly turned around with his hands behind his back. "However, that title does not have to rest on you. You can choose to discount that idea. It is your decision." In truth, he felt embarrassed for having said it in the first place. Believing that he had offended her somehow.

Denix Vames - December 3, 2023 Will frowned. He sighed. "Ok. If this is what you want then I'll be with you through this." His brows furrowed. "I don't like this but pushing you won't help either. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you." James smirked. "Sure, why not? Sounds like we both might be able to work this out together." --- Sawyer lowered the gun. He placed it back in his holster. He walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I thought that was the right answer. Turns out I don't know what to do." He looked out at the horizon. "Looks like you and I are going places. If you want to go to places with me. Despite everything that's happened, I want you to know that you really are my friend. So, I will protect you. Become your bodyguard. You still have the power to do what you want to do. Don't forget that." --- Adam ran his hands down to his sides. Getting lost in the kisses. His body suddenly glowed. He was like a shining naked ornament. A present ready to be unwrapped. He winked. "Get it in baby." --- Elliot sighed. "Neva sweetie. You're not a vampire. Trust me. I'm sure you would know already." He took out the cooler filled with ice from the hallway closet. Opening it to reveal blood bags. He took one out and handed it to Sebastian. "We kept this door locked just to be safe." Carter knelt by Neva. He ruffled her hair with a smile. "I appreciate the interest in vampires but don't drink blood, ok? Can you promise your parents and me that?" He held his pinkie out for a possible pinkie promise. --- 'I will work on this. For now, I must attend to our people. I need them to know that everything will be alright. I'll talk to you another time. I love you Amelia.' Charles opened his eyes. "She is safe. So is my child. Let's go and see Hell's people. I need them to be hopeful. I'm going to need their help." He walked past her. Finally making his way to the wide lands of Hell. --- Grim raised a brow. "I don't know. He didn't seem trusting." Storm shouted, "CIA guy! Come out! You owe us!" Xenos appeared. He glared. "How dare you think that you can order me around?!" Storm poked at his chest, "You led her to her death! You need to give her body to us! And get Hades back too!" Xenos rolled his eyes, "I can retrieve Lily but Hades is not anywhere near earth. She has been taken by Heaven to study her. Apparently, that portal did something to her." Storm glared. "What? Then let me talk to an Angel! Now!" "Talk to Napoleon. I heard he's popular." Xenos disappeared. Pain punched a wall. "Napoleon, where the fuck are you?" Napoleon appeared. "I'm sorry but she cannot come back. Not until we can find out if she is safe to be around others. For you see, she has become a Hellhound. One of Hell's lapdogs. As for Lily, she has already been taken care of. Her body is in a coffin at the local cemetery. I can take you to her." --- Death sighed. He rubbed his eyes. Parting himself from Azrael's hold. "It is not appropriate. Yet, I cannot stop my heart. It aches when you are around." He leaned against his throne. Gripping hard. He couldn't face him. "For you see, my heart belongs to you. Please do not feel as if you must stay with me. I understand that this sudden truth must be overwhelming." shadowess - December 3, 2023 "I don't think there was anything anyone could've done to stop it..." Parker said as he wiped away more tears. "Thank you. It means so much to me that you respect what I want." he fiddled with a loose thread in his blanket. "So, um... did you catch my dad's creepy stalker?" "I look forward to it." Damien nodded then glanced at the clock with a small frown. He sighed, turning away from the others to whisper to James privately. "They have to amputate his leg. The damage was too much. I offered to make him a Devil to save it but he turned me down. He says he wants to keep being human no matter what. I said I'd still support him and I will, you know? but... I'm still worried for him." --- Kat couldn't help but scoff at Sawyer's hopeful comments when right now, he felt like they were just a wrong step away from being spotted by whoever was chasing them. Not to mention Japan's police force, secret agents and, of course, the CIA. The thought alone was overwhelming but first things first, they needed to work together if they were going to survive this. He stood and carefully placed his brother's urn onto the bench before turning to look at Sawyer. Then he punched his chin. "Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system," he said afterwards. "And also you deserve it, you prick. But I... I need you. So you better not betray me again!" he offered him his hand to help him up. "Now come on, we need to stay out of sight and lay low for a little while. Who knows where those assholes went. We should consider making a small fire in there too. Not big enough to draw attention but enough to keep us warm at night." he nodded to the warehouse. --- When Adam glowed, John took a moment to stare at him in awe. Was he really about to do this? To take Adam, the first human man, for himself? It felt like it should be a sin. To defile one so perfect as he. Adam's words drove his passion over the brink and he lost himself again, unable to resist this sweetest of temptations. He kissed him deeply, passionately. All while unbuttoning his own pants and pulling them down. All thought left him then as pure, primal instinct took over. (Private time.) --- "Smart." Sebastian nodded to Elliot as he revealed the cooler. He then nodded in thanks as he took the bag from him. Neva pouted as Elliot told her she wasn't a vampire and continued to pout as Carter knelt to her level to talk to her. She stared at him for a moment, clearly listening to what he was saying. Reluctantly she wrapped her little finger around his. Her action alongside her continued pouting said that she would do as she was told but she wasn't happy about it. "What about when I grow up?" she asked him. "That's a long way away, you might change your mind by then." Sebastian pointed out before biting into the bag. "Nuh-uh! I'd make a pretty vampire. Like Mina in the movie! But my hair is white, not red..." she paused for a moment. "Daddy, can I have a green dress like Mina's for my birthday?" she looked at Elliot. Oliver was still giggling and trying to reach the ceiling as Vincent carried him around. Although he was getting a bit frustrated that he couldn't reach so he focussed on what he wanted and with a pop he vanished from Vincent's arms and appeared in the middle of the ceiling, sitting on it like it was the floor with his little blond locks falling downwards towards the floor. Making him look like he had his hair spiked up. He sat there giggling even more heartily than he had been, especially when he saw the shocked looks on their faces. --- Relief washed over Carol, quickly followed by determination. "Alright! Where do we start?" she asked and then snapped her fingers as she answered her own question. "Donnie's followers were locked in Hell's Cells. We should start there. If we can get them on our side then they can fan out to help the rest of Hell." Little did they know, that half of Hell's Cells had collapsed during the quake and most of the prisoners had escaped. Some were Donnie's followers. Some were Demons and Angels that had been locked away centuries ago by Lucifer and long since forgotten. Those particular prisoners could potentially seek revenge on Lucifer... or his progeny. --- Bob felt awful for Storm and Hades. He didn't have a clue what a Hellhound was but it didn't sound good. Then the offer to see Lilly's body was brought up and Bob nodded quickly. "Yes, please," he said hoarsely. "I need to say goodbye." he tried to lift himself to his feet. After spending so long sitting on the cold, hard floor with Grim, his legs had fallen asleep. --- Azrael stopped singing and his notes faded against the room's stone walls. He stared at his King in shock as he considered his confession. "Sire...?" he whispered. Then, he chuckled as he shook his head and looked away from Death. "Of course!" he chuckled as he rubbed his forehead. "Of course, it's you! It's always been you!" he looked back at Death, fully expecting him to be surprised by his reaction. "How did I not see it? I've dedicated my whole life to you and this job. I love this life, I always have. So much so that I've struggled to start any relationship that wouldn't be anything more than just a quick fling. I always thought it was because my dedication to my work would put a strain on whatever relationships I'd start so inevitably they'd end anyway. But that's not it. It's you. I don't feel right with anyone else because... they're not you..." He beamed tearfully. "Because I love you." Denix Vames - December 3, 2023 Will nodded. "And he's going to stay in that cell until somebody can get him to stop acting like that." James awkwardly cleared his throat. "We could go out and drink. We did that when we were in bad moods." --- Sawyer clutched his chin. Groaning at the pain. "I definitely deserve that one." He took his hand. Standing up and heading into the warehouse. "I'll find something to burn. I can start building a small fire." He grabbed a small wooden box which was empty. He began ripping it apart. Placing it in the middle as it was surrounded by rocks. He ripped his late wife's photo. Using it as fuel for the fire. He took out his lighter and lit the fireplace. --- Elliot smiled. "Sure thing pumpkin." Vincent's mouth gaped open. Everyone couldn't stop looking. He quickly grabbed Oliver and placed him on the floor. Carter said, "How the hell did he do that?" "I guess he really did want to touch the ceiling. Oh dear. How am I going to explain this to Amelia and Charles?" Elliot replied, "Oh boy. Looks like this little fella is gonna be a handful." --- "Alright then. Follow me." Once they reached Hell's Cells, Charles's eyes widened. "Oh dear. This is bad." --- Grim helped him up. Napoleon nodded. "Everyone. Touch my back." Once the whole group did, they appeared by a hole with a tombstone. The coffin was closed. Laying nearby. --- Death slowly reached out as he turned. He cupped his cheek. "Azrael..." He gently pressed his lips against his. "I am forever grateful to Heaven that you were given to me. Since that day, I do not regret our time." shadowess - December 4, 2023 "Good." Parker nodded. "Don't tell my dad, but I was actually pretty worried. I know what it's like to be preyed on like that." he shivered as the memory of Bryce's golden eyes flashed through his mind. "To feel hunted and helpless. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even my dad." Damien grinned. He was very tempted. He looked at the clock again. "I guess we could. His operation will probably take hours and it'll take him a while to wake up from the anaesthetic. But I'll need to be back here and sober for when he wakes up. I owe him that." --- Kat watched Sawyer head inside before lowering his eyes to his brother's urn. He sighed heavily, knowing what he needed to do and not feeling certain as to whether he was ready to do it. But it was necessary. The urn would only get in the way and there was always the risk that it could be shattered or lost while they moved around. He walked back to the bench and lifted the vase into his arms before carrying it to the ledge. He stood there for a moment, looking down at the intricate paintwork on the chipped lid. "I guess this had to happen sooner or later... I'm sorry that I didn't live up to your reputation. I guess I was never cut out for the Yakuza like you. I don't know what to do next but I know that I need to keep moving. So, I guess it's time to let you go... goodbye brother. I'll see you in the next life... if there is one." He removed the lid and scattered the ashes over the ocean. He watched the ashes dissipate and although he was saddened, an odd sense of relief washed over him. He threw the vase over the cliff with the lid and watched it hit the water with a splash. It bobbed on the surface for a moment until water slipped into the neck and he watched as it slowly vanished under the waves. It was done, he was gone and it was time for Kat to focus. He walked back into the warehouse in time to see Sawyer's campfire begin to grow. "We should think about our next steps. We'll have to do food runs while we lay low. When it's quiet enough for us to move, our best bet of escape will be to leave the country. We're pretty close to the harbour. Maybe we could stow away on a vessel? or tell the captain we're new members of the crew?" --- Oliver giggled even more loudly when Vincent grabbed him from the ceiling, flipped him around and placed him on the floor. "How did you do that, Oliver?!" Neva laughed. Sebastian had been just as shocked and even felt his stomach lurch in fright at the thought of baby Oliver potentially falling from the ceiling. "Well, he is mostly Devil with a smidge of Fairy..." he pointed out thoughtfully. "Maybe he inherited powers from both sides?" Just as he said this, Oliver was on the ceiling again, laughing loudly and holding his arms up (down?) towards Vincent. This was now a game to the child who had no way of knowing any better. --- Carol looked at the ruin in absolute shock. These cells were supposed to be indestructible! Now half of it is rubble! She'd already guessed that whatever had caused that quake had to be immensely powerful, but this? She dreaded to think which prisoners might've escaped or become trapped under the debris- "The boy!" she gasped suddenly and began running at full speed towards the Cells. Sure he was Donnie's son but he was still just a kid. He didn't deserve to be buried under heavy bricks! Carol was brutal when she needed to be, but she wasn't heartless. "Sam? Sam?!" she called out as she ran around the open corridors of the cells, not knowing that Sam had escaped with a large group of Donnie's followers earlier on. --- "She was going to be buried so quickly?" Bob asked as he looked at the coffin near the open grave plot. "Did no one stop to think she might have loved ones who would want to say goodbye?" he sounded a little offended. But all the while, he couldn't take his eyes off of the coffin. Knowing she was in there was unbearable. Her death suddenly felt very real and Bob's heart hurt as he stumbled over to it. He fell to his knees next to it and flung his arms over it, sobbing into the wood. --- "Nor I," Azrael replied as he placed his hand over Death's. His heart had fluttered at their kiss and as he stared into his eyes, he knew without any doubt that he truly loved him. "That out of all the Angels in Heaven, I was the one that was chosen to be your gift. I will forever count myself fortunate. Heaven is my heritage but you are my home." he whispered to him softly. Denix Vames - December 4, 2023 Will caressed his cheek. "I understand. Don't worry. I won't tell a soul unless you tell me to." He kissed him. "I'll be here when you wake up." James awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "You make it sound like we shouldn't. Is there something that we can do?" --- "We have to gather enough supplies and steal a boat. No one will fall for that trick." ,said Sawyer. --- Vincent grabbed him again. Keeping him in his arms. "Oh Oliver! What are we going to do with you?" --- Charles shouted, "Carol! We must find anyone who will fight alongside us! I cannot let these bastards potentially destroy everything else!" --- Napoleon smirked. "It was pretty obvious that she came from a different place considering her powers aura. I know that you all are the only ones she has ever known." Pain dropped to his knees and slammed his fists against the ground. Silently crying with anger boiling inside him. Napoleon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Would you all please calm down? Her body may be deceased but her spirit still is here. She is merely in the afterlife. She will return when she was become what fits her spirit." --- Death kissed him again. "Come. We must see her. I wish to guide her personally. You will be there to help." He walked past him. Heading out of the room. "Lily? I assume my fellow reaper has given you a good welcome."

shadowess - December 3, 2023 Layla quietly watched the scene unfold from the bed. Having not moved since Nil had stood up. Both Bianka and Larissa watched the transformation in shock. After a moment, Bianka chuckled. "Well, I guess we don't need to get him enrolled in school anymore." "They grow up so fast!" Larissa sniffled with a happy smile. Grinning at Larissa's humour, Bianka wrapped an arm around her and they both approached Theron. "We're happy if you're happy. If you ever need anything, you know where we are," she told him. --- "Uh... sort of..." Parker started as he squeezed Will's hand for comfort. "My leg was crushed really badly. I'm on so many drugs to stop the pain right now..." he told him with teary eyes. "They tried to save it but there's just too much damage. They're going to amputate." Parker burst into tears and covered his face. Damien was taken aback by James's display. Once upon a time, he would have welcomed James as a soldier and may have even promoted him to a Demon Bodyguard. But now? Now Damien wasn't a king anymore and he didn't have any need for a soldier. But a friend? Damien had almost forgotten what having a real friend felt like. "Man, please, don't do that." he grinned. Unable to help but enjoy it just a little. "I'm not a king anymore. I don't need a soldier. In fact, before I met you, I'd literally forgotten what it was like to have a friend. So, thank you for that. I guess I was so wrapped up in being Lucifer's apprentice and making him proud that I forgot how to live my own life." he offered a hand to help James to his feet. "So my new life starts today. I'm going to be a better person. A better father. And a best friend." --- They raced around the city. Drifting around corners and zooming through tight alleys expertly. Even when they had long since lost sight of the other vehicles, Kat kept going. Determined to not let their guard down for a second until he knew without any doubt that they'd really lost them. Finally, just as they were running low on fuel, he skidded into an abandoned fish processing facility's warehouse. Although the equipment here was no longer in use, the place stank of fish. Kat didn't seem bothered by the smell at all as he turned off his engine and took a moment to catch his breath. His adrenaline made him shake slightly. After a moment of pure silence, he turned his head to glare at Sawyer. Without a word, he opened his door and stepped out before slamming it shut after him. He took a step to the rear passenger door and opened it. Carefully, he lifted the old vase that he'd picked up from his ruined apartment building and held it to his chest. He then walked away from the vehicle, heading to a back area that was concealed from the view of the city and overlooked the ocean. Possibly a place where the people that once worked here could have taken a break? There, he sat on one of the benches and hugged the vase while watching the sunrise. Wondering how much freedom he had left and replaying the events of the night over in his mind. --- John blushed deeply, and when Adam again brought up his offer, his wings burst from his back out of excitement. "Um, sorry. I- uh..." he started stammering then caught sight of Adam's eyes and he stared again. Lost in them. "Oh, fuck it," he whispered then pressed his lips hard against his. He pushed his body against his, pinning him to the wall near the window and kissed him passionately as the song from the TV reached the chorus. He moved his kisses to Adam's neck then made his wings flutter and vibrate. --- Oliver giggled mischievously while being changed and tried to roll away a few times. When he was cleaned up and in Vincent's arms, he looked around the room interestedly at the new guests. He stared at Carter for a long moment. Taking in his facial features to commit them to memory. "AaaAAah!" He sang loudly while looking back at Vincent with a big grin. He lifted both his arms in the air and threw his head back. Wanting Vincent to play either by pretending he's a plane or tickling him. "I guess you're right..." Sebastian nodded. "Maybe Hell was hit and they have to prioritise their subjects?" he theorised. "Are you like Dracula?" Neva asked Sebastian. She'd walked over to keep herself occupied while Oliver's diaper was being changed. "Huh?" Sebastian blinked at the girl, confused momentarily by the sudden change in subject. "You said you're a vampire. I watched this funny movie about a vampire called Dracula. It was Dracula, Dead and Loving It. He was silly. But he couldn't go in the sun like you can." "That's because me and Carter are a special, new kind of vampire," Sebastian explained simply. "What about crosses? He hated those." "That's a myth. Some vampires are religious and like looking at crosses." "Do you have fangs?" "I sure do." "Can I see?!" Sebastian chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not sure that's appropriate." "Why? They're just teefs!" "You've got me there..." Sebastian grinned at her and allowed his fangs to show. Neva looked at them in awe then reached out to poke one with her finger but Sebastian gently caught her hand before she could reach. "No, no. Only look with your eyes. They're very sharp." "How do you brush your teeth?" Neva asked while bringing her hand away. "Do you go to the dentist? Do you ever accidentally bite your lip? Do you bite people?! Do you really drink blood? Do you-...?!" Curious Neva began bombarding Sebastian with question after question. To Sebastian's credit, he answered them all calmly and at her level so that she understood each answer. When she was done, she happily went back to playing with her toys as Sebastian took a breath and looked at both Elliot and Vincent. "I hope that was ok. What's made her so interested in vampires all of a sudden?" --- "What a strange... yet oddly endearing woman..." Carol mumbled as she strode over to inspect the puddle of liquid with her hands on her hips. Amelia had just started to settle down again, trying in vain to take a nap but with Tuzo in the next room to make her uneasy, it was difficult. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped when she heard Charles's voice. "You ok, in there?" Tuzo called out, having heard Amelia's gasping. "Yeah, I just said you're still an asshole!" Amelia responded. "... Ok, then... Let me know if you need anything." Amelia relaxed into her pillow and closed her eyes as she focussed on responding to Charles. She had no way of knowing if it would work until Charles would respond. "I am," she confirmed. "I think it might be Black Vein. I feel awful and I miss you. I miss Oliver. And Charles, don't be mad... the person that found me and is taking care of me... his name is Tuzo... he's an ex-lover from years before I met you. I hate him and I don't trust him but right now I don't have a choice but to let him help me." Amelia paused before adding. "Charles, I'm scared. I know you can't be here physically, but please stay in contact like this?" --- Bob looked up at Storm in alarm. He'd been so consumed with grief that he hadn't thought about Hades. "There was a lot of death around Lilly. I could sense it. I couldn't see or sense Hades among the dead though. Maybe she's ok? Isn't there anyone we could call to check? And maybe even retrieve Lilly's body for the funeral?" --- When Death confirmed that they would not only help her to learn to control her powers but that she would also be welcomed into this new community as one of their own, Lilly was overwhelmed with relief and hope. As another reaper stepped into the hall to guide her away, she couldn't help but fling her arms around Death to hug him tightly. Both Azrael and the reaper in the room tensed at the scene. It was unusual for anyone to be so forward, especially without seeking Death's permission first. They didn't know how to react as they watched silently. "Thank you." Lilly sobbed before letting Death go and turning to the reaper and following him out. As they walked, Azrael heard the reaper eagerly introducing himself to her and offering her a tour of the Kingdom. He smiled, knowing that Lilly would fit right in here. Once they were alone, he turned his attention back to his King. He was always amazed when Death seemed to know he wanted to talk to him without him ever saying anything. Perhaps he'd spent enough time serving him now that Death knew what he wanted by simply looking at his expressions. "Sire, I think you should see this." He wasted no time and produced the book from his pocket. "When Lilly was struck down, the book struggled to write her name in. I'm assuming that because she wasn't originally from this universe that it needed to sort of 'claim' her first. It was only when she accepted her fate that it was able to write her name in without it being immediately erased. But that's not the most interesting part! Look!" he opened the book to her name and showed it to Death. Her first name remained as 'Lillian' but her surname kept swapping and changing between languages. All with roughly the same meaning:- 'Of Death.' "I think it's trying to translate from whatever tongue or alphabet her universe uses." Azrael guessed. "But it's the same word over and over. I think, in her universe, she may have been a descendant of a Reaper. Perhaps even that Universe's equivalent of, well... you." Azrael looked at Death, eager to know his thoughts. He was simultaneously intrigued and in awe of Lilly's potential heritage. It would certainly explain why her powers specifically revolved around death. "I don't know for certain, I'm just guessing," he admitted. "But it just seems too coincidental to not be something. I don't know if it might be too soon to talk to her about it right now though. She has a lot to wrap her mind around already. It might be best if we wait before we ask." Denix Vames - December 3, 2023 Tears dripped down Theron's cheeks. His smile grew. He threw himself into their arms. "I'm glad that I came here." --- Will gripped his shoulders. "No! There's got to be another way! We can get Nate to heal you!" James looked at the stump that was once his arm. He sighed. "Maybe you're right." He took his hand. Standing up, he sighed. "I haven't exactly been a good friend to my fellow soldiers. You heard the story. Still, it feels weird not receiving orders." --- Sawyer frowned. He walked over but stayed across from him. "I'm sorry." He clenched his fists. "Before I ever even met you, I thought all gang members were cold heartless monsters. Now, I realize that you've been doing what's best for yourself and your friends. Some people don't have a choice. Just like me. You see, I may have signed up for the CIA but I didn't have a choice. Not really. I lost everything because of that day. I thought being in the CIA would help me somehow. Instead, I was forced to take tests to prove my loyalty. To show them that I could be a killing machine. Yet, something was already bothering me. I didn't know what it was until I met you." He sighed. "You don't have to accept my apology. I understand." He stepped close to the edge and pulled out his handgun. "I don't have anywhere to go now. Not after tonight. I'll make things less troubling for you and kill myself. I'll keep myself deep in the waters so no one will find my body." He nodded. "I know that's your brother. I just hope he doesn't mind me joining him." He smiled. "Sorry for the inconvenience." --- Adam gasped. He moaned as he dug his nails into his back. "Oh my! You really did want this, didn't you?" He moaned louder when those wings vibrated. "Oh! Take me!" --- Vincent lifted Oliver up and began making plane noises as he moved him around. Elliot shrugged at Sebastian. "She's always finding something interesting. It can be just about anything." Carter raised a brow, "That movie she was talking about. I'm pretty sure that's not meant for kids." Elliot blushed. "Well, I was there. So supervision and all that." --- Charles sighed. 'As much as I hate the idea of you being there, I trust you to be safe and stay on your toes. I will keep in contact with you. However, if anything does happen, let me know. I don't care how sick or infectious it is. I will be there!' --- Storm frowned. "I'm not sure. From the looks of things, everyone's all over the place probably. I mean, you guys felt that earthquake." "There has to be something we can do!" ,said Pain. "Does it look like I know magical people?!" ,asked Storm. --- Death looked at Azrael as tears started to slowly form in his eyes. He suddenly threw himself at him. Wrapping his arms around him as he sobbed. "Oh Azrael! So much has happened! I needed her to go, you see? For I cannot hold it any longer. This pain hurts me so! I must let it all out!" He caught his breath. "I shall treat her as one of my own after what you have told me. Nevertheless, I ask that you stay here for a moment. That you hold me like this. I need you by my side. I must have someone here to heal these mental anguishes." shadowess - December 3, 2023 "Why does everyone we know rely so heavily on magic and the supernatural?" Parker asked as he lowered his hands from his face. "It's not fair on our friends that we're always exploiting them like that! Sure, I'm scared and I really don't want to lose my leg but how many other humans go through something like this and have no choice but to just live with it?" He wiped away his tears and took Will's hands in his own. "It could've been so much worse but it isn't. I'm still here... mostly. I'll figure out a way to live with it. Maybe I could get one of those cool robo-legs or something?" he laughed dryly. "I just want more than anything to be a normal human, including all the hardships that come with that." "I hear you." Damien nodded. "It feels weird for me to not have to live up to Lucifer's expectations anymore. Maybe we can get used to this new beginning together, eh buddy?" --- Kat glared at Sawyer when he'd followed him. His eyes followed his movements to the cliff edge. Kat supposed that the earthquake had caused the cliff face to crumble. Taking the safety rails and wall with it. He watched him take out his gun. When he was finished speaking, Kat shook his head. "So, that's it, huh?" he asked. "You're just gonna leave me alone in this mess? A traitor AND a coward?" he questioned him angrily. But right now, he didn't know how else to react. "Just what the fuck am I supposed to do now, huh?!" he shouted. Tears in his eyes. "I have nothing now! No home! No gang! I'm on the lam! and now you're just guna fucking take the easy way out?! You asshole!" he tilted his head to rest it on the top of the vase as he suppressed a sob. "What the fuck do I do now...?" --- John lifted Adam and turned, flinging him across the room and onto the bed. His shirt was already ripped at the back from his wings sprouting so he gripped at his chest and tore it the rest of the way off, revealing his toned muscles as he marched over to the foot of the bed. He loomed over Adam for a moment, his wings arching around the sides of the bed as he again considered what he was doing. But the come-hither look in Adam's eyes was irresistible. He knelt on the bed and crawled over him as if under his spell. He moved a hand over his chest as he leaned in to capture his lips again. --- Oliver laughed and giggled loudly. "Oh! you're flying so high, Oliver!" Neva cheered as she looked up at them. While being lifted, Oliver kept trying to reach up to touch the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Elliot. But I don't suppose you still have a few bags of blood in the fridge?" Sebastian asked. "I'm still recovering and my head is throbbing." "Daddies hid them away." Neva shrugged at Sebastian before sticking one of her dolly's arms in her mouth to chew on. "What-? Why?" Neva shrugged. "I wanted to play pretend Dracula but daddies said 'no'. I was only pretending though! I wasn't really going to drink it..." she replied then not-so-casually moved her eyes away, making it obvious without meaning to that she might've actually ripped a bag open out of curiosity if she'd been left alone for long enough. --- Amelia smiled to herself as she heard Charles's response. "I love you so much." she thought to him. She then had a thought. "If Tuzo is here taking care of me then that means he's also stuck here in quarantine or he risks causing an epidemic. That gives us an advantage to figure out what he's up to. The last time I saw him was when Damien was ruling Hell and the war was still on. He sold me out to a group of Angels and they tortured me for a week before I... escaped... Sorry, but that's all I have right now. Maybe you can dig up some more info on him from out there?" Not being able to hear any of this conversation, Carol turned her back on the puddle to look at Charles. "Anything?" she asked worriedly. --- Bob flinched when Storm snapped at them but he understood the helpless anguish that he felt. "The guy that was here. The one who tried to take Lilly away. What was his name?" Bob recalled. "He said he was with the CIA. Maybe we can contact them somehow?" --- Azrael was shocked by Death's hug and his need for him in such a way. His breath caught in his throat for a second and then he wrapped his arms around his King to hold him. "Of course! Whatever you need. I'd do anything for you." he said softly. He really would. He'd served Death since his arrival in this realm and despite being an Angel, he hadn't been treated any differently by any of the reapers. He'd been welcomed as one of their own. In those first few years, Azrael had been shy around his King. Unsure of what to make of him. But as the years became decades and then millennia, his loyalty and appreciation for Death had only grown. He could no longer imagine having a different life or serving anyone else. He'd give his life to Death if he asked him for it. Hoping to ease Death's pain, he emitted his calming aura around them. While running a hand through his hair, Azrael began to sing a soothing melody. Apart from his wings, the only other giveaway he had that he was from Heaven was his Angelic singing. His high notes, coupled with the echoes of Death's throne room, made for elegant vocals that stirred hearts.

Shadowess - December 2, 2023 Layla smiled at the heartwarming scene as she rubbed Nil's back and kissed his forehead lovingly. "Excuse us!" Came Larissa's voice through the closed door. "Sorry if we're disturbing you!-" "Just her..." Bianka chimed in. "But we seem to have misplaced a very curious boy! He sort of vanished with a pop!" "There wasn't a pop..." "There WAS a pop! I heard it! It went-" a small popping sound came from behind the door followed by Bianka's exasperated sigh. "-And then he was gone!" Larissa finished. "Sorry to have disturbed you!" "If he is in there, we're not mad! Just want to make sure he's ok! It's all a bit disorienting, all these people that can just pop in and out of places like that. Whatever happened to walking?" Layla couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. "Who are they?" she asked Theron. "They seem nice." --- Damien had been sitting with his head in his hands when Will had approached him. He'd spent so long in the bracelet that he hadn't expected it to be removed at all. So when it was, he sat for a moment and stared at his wrist. It felt oddly naked without it but he was relieved to feel his power rushing back to him. He stood and looked at Will, about to thank him when his next words almost knocked him back on his ass. He grinned and let out a small chuckle as he nodded. "I'd be honoured to call you 'son'," he told him proudly. "But right now, I need to check in on him. I just have to know if he's ok." before anyone could stop him, Damien had teleported into Parker's room. The waiting room was so crowded and full of panicking people that hardly anyone noticed Damien's sudden disappearance. Any that did put it down to them just seeing things because everything was just so chaotic. The nurse in Parker's room had jumped and dropped her clipboard when Damien had appeared. She then threw Damien a dirty look as he snatched her clipboard from the floor. "You should be in the waiting room!" she scolded him. "Give me that! It's confidential!" "I'm right where I need to be," he responded simply while looking over the notes. Parker rolled his eyes at him "What the fuck are you doing?" He was in a hospital gown and sitting in a bed with white sheets draped over his legs. He was hooked up to an IV drip. Damien's smile slipped as he read the notes before the nurse finally snatched the clipboard away from him. "They're amputating?!" "Waiting room, now! You're stressing the patient!" "He's my son!" Damien snapped back at the nurse. "Only when it suits you!" Parker said angrily. "What do you care what happens to me?" Damien paused and took a breath to calm himself then approached Parker's bed. He sat on the side. "I haven't been a good father to you. I know that. But I want to be better. I missed your childhood and I'll regret that for eternity. I should have been there for you. All those times you needed me... I'm so sorry that I wasn't there. But I'm here now. Please, let me make this up to you. Let me help you." "How?" Parker asked, biting back bitter tears. Damien glanced down at his leg and sighed. "I can't heal you. I don't have that power. But I can take you to Hell. Make you a Devil." "So your answer to saving one of my legs is to kill me to hurry my transformation?" "You'd be whole." "But I wouldn't be human anymore! I already had my humanity taken away from me once." "This isn't like that." "Isn't it? Because in both scenarios, I don't get a choice! If you want to be my dad, you can start by respecting my decisions. I'll change when I'm ready to. But I want to be human for as long as I can be, first!" Damien paused and thought for a moment. "You're right," he said reluctantly. "If this is what you want-" "-It is." "...Then I'll do whatever I can to support you." He hesitated before gingerly taking Parker's hand. "Will is here. Do you want to see him before your operation?" Parker nodded tearfully. "Alright, then. I'll go for now and send Will in. You'll be ok. I know you will. You're strong, like me." he tried a smile and let go of Parker's hand to stand before teleporting back to the waiting room. He wondered if he should tell Will what was going to happen to Parker but decided Parker should have the chance to tell him himself. "He wants to see you. He's in room 11B." is all he said to Will before turning to his newest friend, James. "I'm going to be hanging around at the hospital for a few days while Parker recovers. You don't have to hang around here if you don't want to." --- "Oh, you must be a special kind of stupid!" Kat snapped as he drifted around a sharp corner. "Think about it for just two seconds, 'Red Fox'! Would your CIA buddies point-blank execute an unarmed man? He wasn't even running anymore! He was trying to warn us of something and my gut tells me we shouldn't let those fuckers catch up to us... so SHOOT OUT THEIR DAMN TIRES ALREADY!" he yelled the last part as a flurry of bullets took out his wingmirror. "This isn't an arrest, it's a clean-up operation!" --- "Yes!" John beamed as he stood from the bed. He walked over to the window as well to look out at the world with him. "We have much to do to make it happen." he turned his head to look at Adam, finding this view to be much more pleasing. He couldn't help staring at his features, his jawline and the way his hair framed his face as 'Cry Little Sister' began playing from the movie on the TV behind them. It struck him how perfectly beautiful Adam had been created. The way the colour of his eyes caught the light from the sun. He was the epitome of forbidden temptation and what John wouldn't do just to have a little taste... he caught himself and looked away quickly. Their mission was of the highest importance. They couldn't afford to be distracted. --- "So, I guess you want to know why I left back then?" Tuzo asked awkwardly from his chair. "Not really," Amelia replied coldly. "I kind of put it together after your Angel friends grabbed me." "Dammit Raguel!" Tuzo hissed under his breath as he covered his mouth and turned his head away. Between his whispering, covering his mouth and her stuffy head, Amelia didn't catch what he'd said. But she didn't care as she pulled herself into an upright position with a pained grunt to glare at him. "Do you have any idea what they put me through?!" "I can only imagine... Ameli-" "No! Just shut up! You don't get to talk to me after what you did!" She snapped. "I trusted you! I thought you were different! I thought you wanted peace, like I did!" "I did-!" "Stop it! Stop lying! Or is that all you know how to do?! I can't believe I fell for y-..." Amelia cut herself off and Tuzo raised his eyebrows slightly. "No, fuck you!" She said after a moment to catch her breath. "As soon as I'm feeling better, I never want to see you again! If you come anywhere near me, Charles or Oliver, I'll FUCKING RIP YOU IN HALF!!" "Amelia, calm do-!" "Fuck off!-" "No seriously-" "Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!-" "You're heating up-!" "Why the fuck did you come looking for me?!-" "The blank-" "After what you did, did you really think I'd be thankful that you-?" "-The blanket is on fire!" Amelia's eyes snapped to the blanket that was draped over her legs. Sure enough, a small fire had started and it was growing. Before she could react, Tuzo had already snatched it from her lap and thrown it into the sink. He turned the water on and the fire died out with a hiss. Some smoke puffed up, causing Tuzo to cough a little as he hit the extractor fan before turning and walking back into the living room. He looked over at Amelia worriedly. "Are you alright?" "Of course I am..." Amelia huffed quietly. A little embarrassed that she'd set fire to something unintentionally. "I'm fireproof, remember?" "Yeah, well, my furniture isn't. So unless you want to try getting better in a chilly, burned-out ruin, I'd suggest not setting fire to my things?" "Wait until I'm better, then. Got it." Tuzo couldn't help but chuckle as he walked out of the room to let her rest. "I missed your humour." "Go fuck yourself." --- Sebastian looked at the coke in Elliot's hand and couldn't help but smile in amusement. "I appreciate the gesture, Elliot. But I'm still very much a vampire..." "Daddies! Oliver smells!" Neva called out. Oliver giggled at Neva as she wrinkled her nose at him in disgust, thinking it was just a funny face. "So, wait, they dropped their son off without saying anything?" Sebastian asked worriedly. "That doesn't sound like Amelia. You don't think the earthquake hit their home too, do you?" --- Carol eyed the newcomer warily. After all, they had gone through a lot recently. Especially when it came to Donnie's followers. "I don't know about her," she said bluntly while looking Eris up and down. After hearing that Amelia might be seriously unwell, she was half tempted to teleport to her to check. But two things stopped her. If it was true, then she herself risked bringing the disease with her. The second thing was that she didn't want to leave Charles alone with this strange woman. As confident as she was that Charles could handle himself, she wouldn't be a very good bodyguard if she up and left her King with a suspicious transient. She then looked at Charles thoughtfully. "Amelia's telepathy isn't great, but yours is the most powerful I've ever come across. Maybe you could reach out to her mentally? Ask her if she's ok?" --- Bob nodded and buried his face in Grim's chest. He didn't have the energy left to continue crying. He blinked slowly and tiredly as he stared across the room. "We should have a funeral for Lilly..." he said in a broken voice. "Lots of purple and black... she'd like that..." --- "Foolish girl." Raguel merely commented as he glanced back at Hades. Though admittedly he was intrigued by the strange power that had caused her sudden transformation. "Take her to Heaven's hospital. See if there's anything our medical staff can do to help her," he ordered without moving. He continued to stare at the portal, pondering on what to do next. --- Being away from the carnage helped to calm Lilly down a little but her heart was still racing. She barely heard Death's words as she couldn't help thinking of what she'd done. She was shaking and whimpering while staring off into space. The sight of her in this state caused Azrael to worry. He stepped forward to lightly place a hand on her shoulder. This action caused her to flinch and look up at him with wild eyes. Then she blinked as if now realising they had moved. As if a simple touch had brought her back from her spiralling. If only for a moment. "What is this place?" she asked. Her voice was a dry whisper as her throat stung from her screaming earlier. "This is Death's Kingdom," Azrael told her slowly and gently. He realised that in her current fragile mental state, there may be a necessity to take their time with her so as not to overwhelm her. Even if that meant repeating what Death had already told her. He gave Death a swift, knowing glance. As if confirming this with him without saying it out loud. "Your new home." Lilly's eyes dropped to the ground as she allowed this information to sink in. She wanted to object. To tell them she already had a home. With Pain, Bob and the rest. But knew what they meant. She couldn't go back. She had really died and this was her new beginning. Whether she'd been ready for it or not. "Death has offered you a valued role among his subjects." Azrael reminded her gently, wondering if she'd even heard Death speak before. "A reaper..." Lilly muttered. "Yes. Such a title is an honour," he confirmed, hoping that this would help to cheer her up, or even give her the slightest bit of hope. He then hesitated, glancing again at Death as he wondered whether to say something about what he'd seen in the book now or tell Death in private later so that he could decide what to do with that information. Considering Lilly had yet to adjust to her new unlife, he decided it would probably be best to talk to Death in private once Lilly was taken to her new home to settle in. Just as he'd made this decision, Lilly turned to face Death and looked up at him with a guilty expression. Her lower lip shook and her eyes watered again but she dug deep to find what little strength she had left as she opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry." a couple of tears dripped from her eyes. "You even tried to warn me but I didn't listen! I just wanted to help. Before I came to this universe I would never have dreamed of using my powers. I would have been hunted for having them. They would have called me Monster. Witch. A Wraith Whore. If I'd been caught they would have burned me. I was so careful to never use my powers to hide them but I always felt that it was such an injustice... I couldn't help having what I'd been born with... but now?" she shook her head and lowered it while closing her eyes tightly. Her hands balled into fists by her sides as she strained to stop herself from crying more, but she couldn't stop the few tears that dripped onto the floor. "I AM a monster! They would've been right to burn me! I bring nothing but pain and death! You were right to strike me down! I deserve it! I swear, I will never use my dark powers again! I swear it!" Azrael was taken aback by the outburst and his heart ached at her story. He looked at Death briefly before stepping forward. "No," he said firmly yet softly. "You lost control the way that you did because you had no idea how to use your gifts. You've spent your whole life suppressing them, it's no wonder they overwhelmed you when you finally tried to use them! You're no monster, Lillian. Just a girl who was never given the chance to flourish. Your death was not planned nor did it bring us any pleasure." He looked back at Death and emphasized his next words, aiming them more at him as a way of comforting him simultaneously. "But it was necessary and unavoidable." He turned and placed a couple of fingers under her chin and gently lifted them to make Lilly look at them again. "This isn't the end for you. It's your brand new beginning. But this time, you have us to teach and support you. You don't have to go through this alone, Lillian." Lilly stifled a sob as she moved her chin off of Azreal's fingers and she looked between the two men briefly. Her eyes landed on Death once more as new hope began to fill her. "C-can you teach me how to control my powers?" She asked. Denix Vames - December 2, 2023 Nil smiled. He opened the door. "It's alright. He was no trouble. In fact, he's a good kid." Theron backed away as he gripped his own arms. A kid is all he will ever be. He knew that now. Yet, that's not what he wanted. He needed to be ready to protect everyone. He dropped to his knees and clutched his head as black blood dripped from his mouth, eyes, and nose. Nil walked over. He knelt. "What's wrong?" "I want to be strong." "You already are." "I mean....I want to be the real me." He nodded, "I see. Then go ahead. Be the real you." He stood back. Giving Theron some room. Theron realized then and there that he could finally start making his own decisions. He stood up and closed his eyes. His body glowed before he suddenly transformed. He became an adult man with purple robes. He had short black hair with a tinge of grey. He opened his eyes. Wondering how everyone would think of his new appearance. Yet, already he was assuming the worse. He looked at his hands and twiddled his thumbs. "I wanted to be a grown up so I became one. I hope that's alright." Nil took his hands. Surprising Theron. Nil smiled, "It's perfect because it's who you want to be." Theron held a small smile. --- Will nodded. "Thanks." He entered Parker's room. He smiled with tears in his eyes. He held his hand tightly. "I'm so glad you're awake. What did they say about your condition? Are you alright?" James nodded. "I understand. However, you are my first friend. I am loyal to you until there is nothing." He got down to one knee and bowed. "I will call you sir if that's alright with your orders. I was once a soldier for ADIEU. Now, I am your soldier." --- Kat knew well that the CIA could do just about anything and see it as a right. Nevertheless, he fired at each tire. Never losing sight of his targets and never missing. --- Adam chuckled. "You sure do know how to make a man feel special." He tiptoed his fingers on his shoulder. "You know, that offer is still up on the table." --- Elliot blushed. "Oh yeah. Right. I forgot." Vincent took Oliver. Placing him on a towel where he changed his diaper. He held him in his arms. "There. Clean as a whistle." Carter shrugged, "Charles and Amelia have been through the worst before. Seems like Oliver wouldn't have shown up unless one of them had come here." --- Charles nodded. He closed his eyes. 'Amelia! Hear me! Are you ill?' Eris gave two thumbs up to Carol. "If you guys ever need me again, just let me know." She sank into the ground. Turning into a liquid as she was soaked in. --- Storm nodded. "But first, I need to find Hades. I have to know she's alright. She was with Lily. Who knows what might have happened?" --- Napoleon nodded. He lifted her off the ground. Appearing at the hospital where he placed her on a bed that a doctor offered to place her in. Once they did do a basic check on her, they would soon quickly find out that she had become a Hellhound. --- Death wanted more than anything to run away and sob in despair at his throne. Yet, this was not the time. He took a deep breath before nodding. He held her hands. "You will never have to worry about your powers instability. I and my fellow reapers shall be your new companions. Your people to look to for guidance when you will need it. However, if it's not too much trouble, I need you to stay with another reaper for now. I and Azrael must discuss some matters in private." He nodded at a reaper. "Please take her away. Give her something to busy herself with. I shall return."

shadowess - October 28, 2023 Layla glanced at Theron and then at Nil. She took a breath. Just as this was all new to Nil, Layla was learning how to help Nil cope with his new powers. She patted Theron on the shoulder for reassurance then hurried over to Nil and sat beside him. She pulled him into her embrace and ran her hand through his hair in a gentle way. "It's ok. It'll be ok. Don't forget, the great thing about nature is that it's resilient." She said to him in a soft voice. "There's going to be earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural weather that will affect the forests. We can't save them all but we can help it all regrow, can't we? And I'll be right here with you, always." --- (I figured Will would overhear what Tristan said about Parker xD ) Damien looked at Kite irritably. "Do you have kids? How would you react if it was your kid?" he asked. "What's worse is I wasn't even there for him for most of his life. I wasn't there when he needed me. Now I'm here but I can't do a damn thing because of this GOD DAMN BRACELET!!" he yelled angrily then kicked a couch before growling at the pain in his toes. "I hate this. I feel so fucking helpless." Alex rushed up to Gary and kissed him deeply. "I'll be back as soon as I know he's ok. Ok?" He said hurriedly before running back to River. With a final worried look, they both teleported to the hospital. "Dad! Is he ok?" Alex asked as he ran over the Damien. "I don't know," Damien answered in an exhausted tone as he sat on the couch and held his head in his hands. --- Hearing the click of Sawyer's gun, Kat froze without looking at him. Slowly he lifted his hands from the wheel while staring out of the windscreen. "You're a rat?" he asked then cursed under his breath. "I vouched for you. I thought-..." he trailed off and shook his head. He looked over at Sawyer, angry and betrayed. He then noticed something odd about the "police" who were slowly surrounding the vehicle with their weapons drawn. They were all wearing black, armoured clothes... with no badges or identification. For a second he wondered if this was because it was some kind of SWAT squad, but then the backdoors to one of the black vans burst open and one of Kat's gang jumped out, trying to make a run for it. The gang member caught sight of Kat and Sawyer in the car and yelled at them in Japanese to run. He was clearly in a blind panic and looked as if he'd been badly beaten. Bang. Blood and brain matter splattered Kat's windscreen and he watched between the dripping mess as his former friend dropped dead. Without hesitation, he switched gears and slammed the vehicle into reverse. "They're not police!" he said as he did this to alert Sawyer that this wasn't an attempt to flee the authorities. Their lives were in danger. Whoever those people were, they weren't messing around and Kat did not doubt that Sawyer was in just as much danger as he was right now. A rain of bullets struck the car as it smashed between the two vans that had parked behind them. He swung the car around, switched gears again and sped away while zig-zagging around debris from the quake. He flicked a switch near the steering wheel and water sprayed the windscreen while the wipers tried to clear off the bloody mess. Within seconds there were several black vans on their tail, continually trying to shoot out their tyres as Kat tried his best to see through the red gunk and avoid their shots. "Sawyer, use that damn gun! Shoot their tyres! Engine! Anything!!!" --- "Wasn't so bad?" John scoffed. "He was an ass! He obliterated me and my followers when we came looking for you the first time. And he took your kingdom from you! Hell-no- EDEN is rightfully yours! It was created for you! He had no right!" John stopped himself and took a few breaths to calm himself. "I'm sorry, please forgive my outburst, Adam. I just get so angry when I think of the way you were wronged." --- Amelia's head was throbbing. She opened her eyes and found herself in a new location. An apartment by the looks of the layout. She was lying on a couch with a blanket over her. The last thing she remembered was standing in the ruined Library in Hell. But the air here smelled like Earth. How did she get here? She tried to sit up but her muscles felt exhausted. "Easy there, Little Devil" came a familiar voice. Smooth as silk. "Tuzokath?" "I still prefer just Tuzo," Tuzo replied as he walked around the couch into Amelia's view. He was smiling at her, seemingly unphased by her glaring while holding a glass of water. His brown, loose curls fell just short of his shoulders and his eyes were intense, dark pools that you could very easily lose yourself in. His smooth, pale skin seemed to gleam with a dull radiance. He was utterly gorgeous. Amelia knew him as an Angel but not just any Angel. In much the same way that some Demons were Incubi, he was the Angelic equivalent and he had always relished in this fact. He thrived on primal passion. He placed the glass down on the coffee table nearby before turning back to face her. "Would you like some help sitting up?" "What did you do to me?" "Ouch!" Tuzo feigned being insulted before chuckling and shaking his head. "I wouldn't hurt you. You know that." "I thought I did." Amelia snapped in an acidic tone. This caused Tuzo to falter momentarily. "I'm sorry for leaving," he said quietly. "But I'm not to blame for what you're feeling now. You're sick, Amelia." "Devils don't get sick." "Yes. They do. Newborn Devils, that is to say, Devils who are less than a century in age, can catch a particularly nasty illness that is highly contagious to other Newborn Devils..." Tuzo explained as he resorted to sitting in a chair across from her. "Black Vain..." "That's the one..." he nodded with a grim look. "Am I going to die?" "That's up to you... or well, it's up to how strong you are. But you don't want to be going anywhere near that precious little boy of yours anytime soon." "Oliver!" Amelia tried to sit up and winced as she struggled to find the strength to do so. "He's safe," Tuzo reassured her. "And just how would you know that? Have you been stalking me?!" "Sort of," Tuzo admitted calmly. He didn't seem the least bit guilty or ashamed of himself. "I was in the area and sensed your presence. I wanted to see you but knew you wouldn't want to see me. Not yet, anyway. So I kept my distance. Watching. He's beautiful by the way. He has your eyes." "Where is he?!" "Safe," Tuzo repeated. "I'm not your enemy, Amelia. That sickness ravaging your body is. Oliver is with your friends. The pair with the little girl... I didn't have time to catch their names... I hope they didn't mind that I dropped in and placed him in their living room then just left. The girl seemed happy enough to see the little tyke." Amelia relaxed on the couch. She was still uncomfortable in Tuzo's company but knowing that her son was safe with Elliot, Vincent and Neva was a relief. "Why now, then?" Tuzo shrugged. "I was on the fence about approaching you. I didn't want to bring up the past when you seem to be making a new future for yourself." he pointed to the wedding band around her finger. "But then the quake forced my hand. I saw you were busy dealing with the Ancient Devil at the Library so I teleported to make sure your child was safe first. When I came back, I found you face down in the rubble. At first, I thought it was the Ancient Devil's doing but when I checked you over..." he pointed towards the back of his neck and Amelia got the impression he'd seen something on the back of hers. She placed her hand on her neck but of course, she couldn't feel anything different there. "You're in the early stages. It's going to get worse." "I'm surprised you know so much about it." "The library helped." Tuzo chuckled. "Your husband should be safe from the illness. We were nowhere near him in Hell but I could sense him... he's powerful and quite old. But if you want to keep your son safe, it'd be best if you stayed here. Away from both of them. If he visits you, he runs the risk of carrying the disease back to your child." --- "What about Ricky's mansion? or your old house? We can check in on the others while we're there and make sure no one else got hurt." Sebastian suggested. --- Carol stopped skipping and humming to look at Charles in alarm. "I teleported straight to you after the quake... I had assumed they'd be with you," she admitted with a lurching feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was frightened for her daughter and grandson. She also felt ashamed that the thought of them hadn't occurred to her after she'd teleported to Charles and worried that he would be disappointed in her as a result. --- Bob held on to Grim and sobbed into his chest. For a long time, he'd be utterly inconsolable and unable to bring himself to speak again. Just when he felt like he was calming down, he would realise again that Lilly was gone and would begin to sob again. He only began making an effort to stop when his eyes became sore and sensitive from the amount of crying he'd been doing. At this point, he noticed a smell in the room and his eyes landed on the source. The dead girl in the chair. "Sh-she's starting the smell... we need to move her." He said numbly. --- At first, Raguel had given Napoleon a very dangerous look as if he was considering lashing out at him for getting in the way. But then he blinked and looked back at Lilly just as Death reached her. He shook his head a little, as if coming back to his senses and he stepped back from Napoleon, pulling his weapon away from his. He glanced away, breathing a little heavily as he considered what had almost become of him. He looked back at Napoleon and nodded without a word. A way of thanking him without saying it. He then looked around at the other Angels who had been floating nearby and watching them tensely. "Angels! Secure the area! Clean up the bodies! And do not allow mortals to wander in. We need to figure out how to close this damn thing before it gets any bigger!" He commanded them then looked at the portal that was still humming and crackling with unknown magic as if trying to look for a way to close it. Lilly's surroundings were a blur but as Death came closer and knelt beside her, he came more into focus. She moved her tearful eyes up to look at him. When he spoke to her and caressed her cheek she felt her fear evaporate, if only slightly. His words were confirmation that there was something afterlife and that she wouldn't be alone there. She felt her strength return and the blood vanish from her lungs. She even felt the feeling in her legs return. Moving slowly, she took Death's hand and let him help her to her feet. It was then that she looked back and realised why she no longer felt any pain or that she could stand at all. She gasped and gripped Death's arm tightly while lifting one hand to cover her mouth as her eyes took in the sight of her own corpse. The blood and organs glisten on the road. The eyes were still open, staring vacantly across the street. When she couldn't bear to look at it any longer, she tore her eyes away only to see the dozens of corpses that her powers had disturbed and mangled beyond recognition. She shook and sobbed, not knowing where else to look or what to do. She could feel a scream rising within her that she knew she wouldn't be able to stop. All of this, the horror of it, was her fault. She could only feel hatred and disgust at herself. 'I am a monster! A wretched agent of evil!' She thought to herself as she wept. The moment Lilly that had taken Death's hand, she had accepted the end of her life. In doing so, her soul was able to step out from the body and the book that Azrael had been watching was finally able to write her name in without it being erased. He looked up with a sigh of relief. While this had been a tragedy for Lilly, at least now she would be able to learn her powers in a controlled, safe environment, and she could not ask for a finer teacher than Death himself. He looked up from the book and frowned as he watched Lilly's turmoil. She'd screamed and screamed, looking around them at the mess she had made. Azrael jogged over to them and looked at Death. "We should take her away from here." Denix Vames - October 29, 2023 Nil nodded. He leaned into her hold. Theron slowly made his way over. Nil lifted a hand, "Who are you?" Theron nervously rubbed his arm. "I-I'm Theron. Are you a real fairy? My family told me about you. They said you protect the forest. Is that true?" Nil held a small smile. "Yes it is. I'm Nil." "Th-Theron..." "Theron. You don't have to be scared. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." Theron reached out, "I'm always nervous but I want to not be." Nil hooked his finger over his like they were doing a pinkie promise. "Then consider me as a friend. I can teach you what I know about fairies." Theron smiled, "Thank you." --- Will appeared in the waiting room. Kite ran over to him. "Will! You have to give him his powers back!" Will frowned. He walked towards Damien. "I think it's safe to say you've been wearing this long enough." He took the bracelet off. "Parker will be alright. I know this because he's going to be my finance. I just need to wait for the right moment to propose. And I'm sure once that's done, you and I can talk about anything. Eh father-in-law?" He winked with a smile. --- "Stop Kat! They must be secret agents! I work for the CIA! They'll listen to me!" ,said Sawyer. --- Adam frowned. He sighed. "I can't blame you for feeling that way. Guess I never thought about it since it's been forever." He walked over to a window. Looking out at the city. "I do miss a lot of things." He looked at his hand. "You're right. We have to take Eden back. And this time, I won't let anyone take it away from me again!" --- Charles said, "I must look for them!" "Don't worry! You won't have to do that." He looked around. "Who said that?" A lady appeared in a red dress. She had long grey hair, a grey eye and yellow eye, and appeared to be young but old in some sense. She raised her hands, "Now before we go crazy here, let me explain. I was just created by this power that was left sealed. When I just showed up, I decided to sneak everywhere and listen to everyone's conversations. Sounds like to me that shit's getting chaotic." She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now, I don't know if you'll believe me or not. You can ask Amelia yourself. But she's sick. And I mean you can't go near her kinda sick." "And who are you to this situation that we are under?" "Somebody who wants to help out and have fun. Just call me Eris." Charles raised a brow, "Carol, what do you think?" --- Carter nodded. "Let's go see Elliot and the others." He zoomed towards his old house. Once there, he ringed the doorbell. Vincent opened it. "Carter? Sebastian? Is everything ok?" "Yes and it looks like everything's fine here. We just need to rest. Can we come in?" "Of course. This is still your house." Carter stepped in and placed Sebastian on the couch. He noticed Neva playing with Oliver. "Where's Amelia and Charles?" Vincent frowned, "We're not sure. Oliver just appeared." Elliot handed a coke to Sebastian. "There ya go buddy." --- Pain and Storm carried her out into the backyard. Pain grabbed a shovel from the shed before handing another one to him. They started digging. Grim continued to hold Bob. "It's going to be ok. We'll find a way to move on. Right now, let's just stay here like this." --- Death nodded. All three disappeared. Hades yelled, "NO!" She raised her hands. Throwing her energy at the portal. Putting all her anger into it as she forcibly tried to close it. Suddenly, a blast of energy hit her back. Knocking her off her feet. Her skin began to grow fur as her body transformed. It seemed like she had become a type of wolf. Only she was two legged and somewhat resembled a Hell Hound. Napoleon ran over to her side. He touched her arm. "What has the portal done to her?" --- Death, Layla, and his right hand man appeared in Death's throne room. Death had tears running down his cheeks. "Forgive me for my hasty judgement of you. I can only now help you in this afterlife as a means of apologizing for the wrongs I have done. May you be alright with it, I would like to have you as one of my reapers. A being who's only role is to guide the dead to their afterlife and treat them with such kindness."

Shadowess - October 22, 2023 (To save my computer/phone throwing a fit when trying to load the page xD ) "My love..." Hannes breathed as he caressed Jean's face. "I am so glad that you found me," he said sleepily before falling asleep. Layla watched the boy patiently. She pulled a nearby chair away from the desk and offered it to Theron while sitting at the end of Nil's bed. "You're not the bringer of death." she began then held up her hands. "I know, right? How could I possibly know? After all, I just met you." She lowered her hands and gave him a small smile. "Because that's what we were led to believe about ourselves." she gestured to herself and Nil. "We were trained to be emotionless, obedient killing machines. Him more than me, admittedly. Neither of us really had a family either. Mine all died when I was young so my work was the only family I really knew. I'm fairly sure the same can be said for Nil. But you know what?" She shrugged. "Whether you're raised or trained as a killer, at the end of the day the decision to change is still your own. If you hate hurting people and you know in yourself that isn't the type of person you want to be then it's never too late to break free and start walking your own path. That's what we did. We broke free. Because we want to help people, not hurt them. And yeah, it's going to be tough to learn how to trust people after being used for so long but that's natural after what we've been through. It doesn't mean that everyone we meet is going to be bad. Be careful about who you trust, sure. But don't go isolating yourself, OK kid? Because loneliness can also mess you up." --- "Damien?" Tristan paused. This was the first time he'd heard his name. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Damien..." he said again as if savouring the way it sounded and the way his lips moved to form the name. He focussed on the image of him in his mind. His strong jawline, fiery red hair and shockingly green eyes. "Damien..." he said dreamily and envisioned the way the name suited the face perfectly. Without meaning to, he'd tapped into the remaining Devil power in his blood and jumped as the sound of cries and beeps suddenly surrounded him. He could see Damien as though he was in the hospital with him. Watched him pace around the room. "I see him!" he gasped out loud, no longer aware of Will's presence. "God, he's beautiful!" he grinned then frowned as he saw the torment in Damien's eyes. "He's in pain... beloved, why are you in pain?" he asked and as he did he could feel a mild connection to Damien's emotions. Two words sprang forth. "Parker's hurt?..." Tristan tilted his head. "Who's Parker?" he asked and again, as if Damien was unconsciously answering his questions, Tristan heard a single word. "Son..." Then he was gone and Tristan felt very dizzy as he felt the last of the Devil's power evaporate, leaving him hungry and weak. He collapsed, barely conscious. --- Damien barely heard Kite as he paced back and forth while waiting for news. When he realised he'd spoken to him, Damien looked at him briefly and then shrugged while shaking his head. "This isn't your fault," he told him flatly. "You did the best you could just by simply bringing him here and getting him the help he needed. For that, I'm grateful." He said then realised he may have sounded distracted and irritable as he'd spoken so he stopped pacing to look at Kite properly. "I mean it. Really. Thank you." he reassured him. Every time a nurse ran by, Damien caught himself looking up anxiously but right now it was far too early to hear anything about how his son was doing. He placed his hands behind his head and continued to pace the waiting room. As he did he couldn't help remembering the day he'd been born. The first time he held him. Trying to care for him in secret before being found by Lucifer. The day he had to say goodbye. He felt tears sting the corner of his eyes and for no other reason than needing to release his frustration due to feeling utterly helpless, he growled and punched a nearby wall. Then cried out in a mixture of pain and frustration as he felt a few bones in his hand break. But then, without breaking stride he went right back to pacing. --- "River?" Alex called out when he noticed his brother appear in the midst of the chaos. "Hey, you two ok?" River jogged over to them. "Yeah, just about... Gary sensed it and knew to get us out before I could make sense of what I was sensing." Alex explained. "I'm still not used to all this wolf stuff but at least it saved our asses. What're you doing here?" "Dad sent me to see if you're ok." "We're fine. Why didn't he come himself?" Alex sounded a little disappointed as he asked. River hesitated. His eyes darted between Gary and Alex. "Parker got hurt. Badly. He wanted to stay with him but also wanted to know if you and Jessica were alright. Jessica is fine too. She's pretty much doing the same thing you two are doing in the place that she lives." he explained. "Wha-?" Alex stammered then looked at Gary. He glanced at the people who needed help then looked back at Gary as if asking permission. "He's my brother..." was all he could say. --- Kat smirked. "Easy Fox. Save the smooth talk for when we get a chance to rest." His smile slipped as they rounded a corner and saw a dozen men in black suits with shiny black vehicles. Behind them, a building was burning. Kat cursed in Japanese as he slammed on the brakes. Before he could set the vehicle in reverse, two more black vans pulled up, blocking their route. The men in front of them aimed their handguns at them and barked orders for them to get out of the vehicle. Kat could see members of his gang being cuffed and escorted into the vans in front of them. His heart was racing. "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! What did I tell you? Like damn roaches! Coming up out of the cracks! Hold on!" He said as he switched gears and prepared to drive across the field near the road to get around them. It would be tight but Kat was panicking and prepared to do anything to escape. --- John eagerly turned his whole body to face Adam. He couldn't mask his excited smile as he began asking question after question. "I know the Garden was originally Hell. Was it as beautiful as the stories make it out to be? What did the fruit taste like? Whatever happened to Eve? Are the stories about Lilith true? What have you been doing in Hell all this time?" John had to force himself to stop and coughed awkwardly into his fist. "Uh, sorry. I never thought I'd get this opportunity. I'd heard rumours that you were still in existence somewhere but when I came to Hell to search for you the first time... well, let's just say Lucifer found me first." --- Amelia watched the pair head out on their first step towards redemption. She couldn't help but smile, glad that she had been given the chance to create such a system to help those who wanted to better themselves. Her smile quickly slipped as she worried for the safety of her family as well. She would need to make sure Charles and Oliver were alright, then she'd need to check on David and the others... she paused halfway out of the library and lifted a hand to her forehead. For a moment she'd gone extremely dizzy and needed to lean against one of the still-standing walls of the library to remain on her feet. She felt a little out of breath and hot. But that just had to be stress, right? Devils can't get ill, right? She thought these questions as she tried to take a few deep breaths. She attempted to walk again but that would be the last thing she'd remember before passing out. --- "We should get out of the street... and find somewhere safe to recover." Sebastian pointed out as he became a bit more aware of their surroundings. --- Ever the proud and loyal servant, Carol skipped cheerfully alongside Charles as they headed off to rebuild his kingdom and convince Demons to serve him. All while humming a merry little tune. --- "Me too, man..." Bob agreed with a sigh. "Me too..." Only mere moments after saying this, they would get their answer. Both Bob and the girl in the chair let out agonised cries. Bob fell to his knees. First, he clutched his abdomen, then his chest as pain shot through his entire torso. Bob looked towards the others for help but then caught sight of the girl in the chair and his eyes widened. She was already dead and slumping in the chair. Her skin had already turned blue. Breathing heavily, Bob groaned and grit his teeth as he felt the pain in his chest again and this time he understood. His heart was failing... which meant... "Li-lly!" he gasped as he slumped forward against the cold floor while clutching his chest with both hands. In flashes, he could swear he saw her as if she were lying across from him in the room. She wasn't, of course. But the connection between them caused him, for just a few moments, to see her. Her usually sleek and neat black hair was a mess and covered in dust. There was a red pool gradually growing underneath her as her already pale face somehow lost more colour. She was gasping for breath but staring back at him sadly. He saw the tears welling in her eyes and though he couldn't hear her he recognised the words 'I'm sorry' as she mouthed them. She then gave him a sad smile and he felt something break then suddenly she was gone. Just as suddenly, Bob's body jerked and he started gasping as though he'd been holding his breath for some time. He coughed and sat up quickly, feeling life flood back into him and he gripped a nearby empty chair to steady himself while looking at the others. "She... she broke it... the tether binding us... she- released me... she saved me. I saw her... she-..." Bob began to sob as he looked up at the dead girl. "She was dying." he wept. "I lasted longer because I was older and stronger... but I would've died... So she broke our connection to each other... But she- she..." he shook his head and broke into uncontrollable sobs. --- The sudden agony and spreading numbness snapped Lilly out of her trance. With no memory of what had happened, she dropped to the ground as her hips separated from her torso. She'd gasped from the pain and then began to shiver violently as shock set in. Heavy, wet thuds drew her attention and she moved her eyes to the source of the sounds. The corpses were losing their connection to her and one by one they dropped, returning to their former, lifeless state. 'Had I done this?!' she thought to herself with a mixture of horror and guilt. Unable to find the strength to speak or even lift her head, she looked around in the hopes of seeing someone she knew for comfort but her vision was fading fast. If she was truly responsible for this nightmarish scene then she felt awful. She also felt alone, cold and frightened as she realisation of why she couldn't move began to sink in. Azrael watched the corpses around them drop like flies. He looked over at Lilly and no longer saw the terrifying necromancer she'd been just moments before. Now he just saw a frightened and confused girl. He glanced over at Hades, apprehensive about how she may react to all this, before returning his gaze to Lilly. In the short time they'd communicated he'd gotten the impression that although she was stubborn, she wasn't inherently evil. All of this may have been an accident brought on by a simple lack of training. He couldn't help but pity her. Perhaps if she'd had the correct guidance... the correct teacher... perhaps all of this, as well as her unfortunate fate could have been avoided. He looked to Death sombrely. It was a look that Death would know well by now. It was his way of silently imploring his King's mercy. After all, considering she wasn't naturally from this universe, there's only one place that her soul would likely end up- which would soon make her soul their responsibility. Speaking of which... out of curiosity, Azrael took out his book and looked at the last place. There he watched as a name began to write, erase then re-write itself over and over. As if the book itself was fighting to claim this person into the realm of the dead. 'Lillian Morte' As Azrael watched the book in fascination, Raguel managed to catch his breath and bring himself back to his feet. He growled angrily while brandishing his own weapon. He glared at Lilly with a new, dark and murderous look as Donnie's bloodlust momentarily took control. He began marching towards the already helpless and dying Lilly, intent on making her end as bloody and violent as possible. Denix Vames - October 22, 2023 Nil suddenly gasped awake. His eyes glowing green like that teenage boy from across the world. Theron jumped. He hid behind Layla. Tears suddenly ran down Nil's cheeks. He sobbed uncontrollably, "The trees and the plants! They're hurt from the earthquake! I can hear their screams!" --- Will raised a brow. "Yeah, I'm gonna go. I'll question you when you're awake." He walked away. --- Kite placed his hands on his shoulders. Stopping him. "Hey, calm down. It's going to be ok. You just need to relax. Try to take some deep breaths." --- Gary nodded. "Go. Me and the rest of the firefighters got this." --- Sawyer bit his lip. He aimed his gun at Kat. "Kat...Put your hands up. I'm with the government." A tear ran down his cheek. Regret was in his eyes but he knew that this was part of the job. "Get out of the car and please don't try anything stupid. I don't want to pull the trigger." --- Adam chuckled. "That's alright. Anyways, Eden sure was a beautiful place. Like nothing anyone has ever seen! And the fruit? Well, it tasted freaking sweet! Something you would definitely put on bread. Lilith and I were a thing until God realized she wasn't going to be obedient. Then Eve showed up and we sort of got a long. Long enough to break the rules. Now, that was fun." He thought for a moment. "Lucifer huh? That guy wasn't so bad. I mean I get the idea of being overprotective. God wasn't exactly being merciful to anybody. Not even his own angels." --- Carter got up and kept Sebastian in his arms. "Where should we even go? Everything's a mess!" --- Charles suddenly stopped. "Before we go, are my wife and child safe?" --- Grim dropped to his knees and hugged Bob tightly. Crying along with him. Hot bitter tears ran down Pain's cheeks. He let out a scream of frustration. "NO! This can't be happening! I just met her! I barely got to....!" Storm could only watch on as everyone seemed to be at a loss. --- Napoleon shouted, "Stop!" He appeared in front of Raguel. Clashing his sword against his. "She is already suffering! Her death will soon come! Just let her be!" Death ran over to her. He knelt by and looked her over. He touched her blood. Seeing what had become of the battle. Shame and regret reached his heart. He frowned with trembling lips, "I'm sorry. I wished I had seen it sooner. You and I could have understood each other. If only I had just...." He caressed her cheek. "I will make it up by helping you through your afterlife. Please let me guide you personally. For I am Death itself." Denix Vames - October 22, 2023 (forgot about this) Jean smiled. "I am glad too."

STORY CONTINUED HERE;

Shadowess - September 1, 2023 Hannes's lip quivered and he stood as tears dripped from his eyes. He turned and wrapped his arms around Jean, burying his face in his neck. "There is nothing to forgive. You were right Meine Geliebte, I should have handled things better." "You can teleport? You're not a vampire, are you?" Layla asked as she looked up at the teenager. She didn't move from Nil's side and continued to hold his hand in hers. "Are you ok?" --- "Gregor Smith." Tristan gave a fake name that he hadn't needed to use for years. He hoped Will would buy it. A shiver ran down his spine as he briefly considered the possibility that the CIA could find him. His stomach growled and he winced at the pain. Damien wasn't the only one suffering withdrawals. All Tristan could think of was Damien's blood. It's taste, thickness and heat. His throat felt dry from thirst and he generally felt uncomfortable as the blood gradually left his system. It was like his every vein was itching horribly. --- Damien thought about James's words for a moment. "If you'd like to get out of staying in abandoned places, you're welcome to move in with me. It'd be the least I could do for all you're help." He suggested before turning to River with a nod. "Alright, let's check on your brother." River nodded in return then held his hands out for both of them. Before they knew it, they were standing near Kite in a very chaotic hospital. Damien and River's hearts sank. Damien tried to get the attention of a couple of nurses as they whizzed past but the injured patients around them took a much higher priority. "Where's Parker?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer. "Where's my son?!" --- "Sure, I just didn't want your corpse the stink up my car." Kat joked as he started up the car again. He started to drive with speed, skilfully avoiding cracks that had opened up in the road as well as debris. "The first safe house is close by. You stay in the car and keep a lookout while I run in and grab the assets. No doubt the cops or our rivals might try to use the situation to their advantage." --- John glanced over and couldn't help grinning at Adam. "Like you just stepped out of the 80's" he chuckled. "But I'm pretty sure that look is still in style so you're good. I like it anyways" he commented, barely able to conceal his blushing cheeks as he turned back to the tv to turn the sound down. "That earthquake has caused some chaos across the world. We might need to postpone going out on the town until everything calms down." --- Amelia listened to Abaddon and was a little shocked by his confession but she also understood that Abaddon simply came from a different time. "Things have changed since your time and I intend to change them further, for the better." She told him. "I'm trying to change Hell from the hopeless realm of pain and torture that it was, into a place where souls can have a real chance to change themselves. To become the best version of themselves and earn their way into Heaven." She glanced around sadly at the destroyed library before bringing her eyes back to Abaddon. "You can't take back the things you have done but you can strive to be a better person. To help others who might know what you feel. It's never too late to do the right thing." As she said this, it was as if she was indirectly telling Insanity the same thing. --- "What?!" Sebastian gasped and tried to get to his feet but he was too weak. "We should be there with him." He breathed but it was clear that Sebastian wasn't healed enough yet to be going anywhere. --- "What's with the pity party?" Carol asked, folding her arms. "You're the King of Hell! Son of Lucifer La Plague himself!" She gestured to the glass-less gothic castle window. "The souls and demons depend on you to help them get through this. Amelia is counting on you to bring Hell into a new era of peace and prosperity. Your son- Charles, think of Oliver. What kind of throne will you raise him to sit in? He's got an opportunity to have something you didn't have- a father to raise him. He's going to be looking up to you as he grows up to learn what being a good leader is all about." --- "Maybe." Bob shrugged nonchalantly. "But I'll try talking to her. She's like me now so I guess that kinda makes her my sister." It was then that Bob stiffened and his wondrous smile slipped. At the same time, the girl awoke and started looking around frantically while beginning to hyperventilate. "It's Lilly," Bob said gravely. "Something's wrong. She's calling us to her. Summoning us..." he shivered and shook his head. "It sounds like her but it feels wrong. I don't like this." The girl started wrestling with her bonds and screamed angrily. Bob's attention snapped back to her. He was puzzled as to why he wasn't behaving as mad as she was but he had no time to ponder on it. He jumped to his feet and knelt in front of the girl. "Stop, stop! Look at me. At me. Who are you? Hmm? Think about it. Focus on it. Try to remember." He said quickly. He knew she would have difficulty with this. After all, he couldn't remember his life before death at all. But perhaps this could serve as a strong enough distraction to prevent her from breaking free and trying to tear them all apart. She tried to ignore Bob at first but the more he implored her to try, the slower her movements became as she gradually realised that her memories, the very person she once knew herself as, were gone. She slowed to a stop and stared at Bob, dumbfounded. She tried, she strained and she struggled to recall a single aspect of her former life. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued to stare at Bob. Her face was a reflection of the absolute terror that she felt. "Who-?... Who am I?! WHO AM I?!" "It's ok. It's going to be ok." Bob said softly as he wrapped his arms around her. "I know what you're feeling and you don't have to go through it alone. My sister." --- The burst of energy had sent Lilly flying backwards. When she landed, she hit her head on the concrete pavement and lost consciousness. A moment later, her limp body rose from the ground as though she were a marionette being lifted by invisible strings. Her head snapped upright and her body twitched, jerking from a sleeping power that leaked from her in the form of a green aura. Her eyes opened and although they were shining emeralds, they were lifeless. Devoid of emotion, she began to chant but her spell was not being directed at the corpse in the boy's arms. It would take several seconds for any of them to realise what she was doing and by then it was too late as fresh corpses shambled sluggishly from the wrecked, burning buildings that surrounded them. They were gasping and wheezing as their recently expired lungs suddenly began to work again. Some moaned in agony from their horrific wounds and burns. But they all marched out into the open and towards Lilly as if drawn to her in a hypnotic daze. As they limped and staggered in droves, the ones who drew closest to Death, Azrael or even the boy hissed and growled at them threateningly. None of them knew who they had once been. Only that they are now the soldiers of the floating woman and would defend her without hesitation. Denix Vames - September 2, 2023 "But I shouldn't have been so cold. Oh Hannes. I love you." Jean kissed his head. Theron shook his head. "I'm a Leviathan." He clutched his chest. Trying to catch his breath. "I'm sorry. I've never met a fairy before. I'm really scared." --- Will raised a brow. "Look man. You can either be honest with me or stay stuck there. What's it gonna be?" --- "I wouldn't mind you as a roommate." ,said James. Kite turned around. "Guys?!" His eyes widened at the sight of James. James awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he looked away. Kite said, "Look, Parker's alright. I gave him to some doctors. He should be fine. I don't know if you'll be able to see him since everything's gone crazy." --- "How do we know they're not too busy losing their shit too? Seems like everyone is confused and panicked." ,said Sawyer. --- "That's not a problem. I need to rest anyway." Adam sat on the couch. He let out a sigh of relief, "Now, this is relaxing." --- Abaddon held a small smile. Insanity flew to his shoulder and sat there. Abaddon said, "Is there anything that you need me to do, your majesty?" Insanity shook his head, "Things are very different. You don't have to call her that. Just say Amelia." Abaddon raised a brow, "Oh?" --- "We're going to stay here until you get healed up. Don't worry about them. I know Parker is in safe hands with Kite. They'll both be fine." ,said Carter. --- Charles smirked. "Always was the motivational soldier. Though I'm going to need suggestions. What do you believe I should do?" --- Everyone looked at this scene with a frown. Concerned about Lily and the woman right before them. Pain stepped forward. "Look, you have nothing to worry about. We're Lily's friends. We want to help too. She has help with her right now. If she really needs our help then we can figure out a way to go to her." "Are you insane? We're human!" ,said Grim. Pain glared, "We can't just leave her!" Storm raised his hands between them. Keeping them separate. "Enough you two! Arguing isn't going to help!" --- The teen began blasting his powers at the walking undead. Death stood up and took a step back. "Azrael! Bring out your scythe! We must stop her!" Napoleon and a few angels appeared. They slashed at what looked to be undead minions. "Angels?" ,said Death. "This must be affecting all of the kingdoms!" shadowess - September 9, 2023 Despite his exhaustion, Hannes was so emotionally overwhelmed that he lifted his head and kissed Jean deeply. "Meine Geliebte. I love you too." He cried between kisses. Layla stood from Nil's bedside and took a cautious step towards Theron. "There's nothing to be afraid of." She reassured him. "Nil is a kind man. We both came here to help because we heard the castle collapse." Layla then tilted her head slightly while giving Theron a kind smile. "You know, I've never met a Leviathan before either." --- His withdrawals, growing desperation, along with the fact that Will seemed to know he was lying had made Tristan very irritable. He scratched at his arms and neck feverishly while gritting his teeth and growling at Will in frustration. "That IS my name!" He snapped. "You cannot hold me here! You have nothing on me! No evidence of a crime! Let me out of here!" He slammed the cell bars with his fists. --- Damien listened to Kite. He frowned, looking around with his heart beating fast. He felt so helpless. "I shouldn't have left..." He mumbled as he walked over to the waiting area and began pacing. "River?" He paused and River walked over to him. "I can't leave your brother like this. I don't care that he hates me. Please go check on Jessica and Alex. Let me know if they're ok." "You got it." River nodded and then vanished. He'd quickly check in with Jessica but seeing that she was fine and otherwise had her hands full, he'd then teleport to Alex. --- "Because if we're calm and collected enough to go get our assets then we can't rule out the possibility that they'll send a squad to seize the opportunity before we manage to move it all." Kat explained simply. "Besides, and I didn't tell you this, but our boss suspects the US are trying to get involved. When you arrived we thought for sure you'd be a rat but you've proven that you're trustworthy. Get your gun ready, we're almost there" --- "Adam? I have so many questions... would it be alright for me to ask them? I realise you must get this all the time." John asked while turning to look at him in wonder. By this point, the movie had gotten to Sam being approached by the vampire hunting teens in the comic store. --- Amelia was taken aback by being referred to so formally and when Insanity corrected him she nodded in approval. "Yeah, I actually prefer just my name rather than title. Makes people more comfortable around me." She shrugged. She looked around and sighed. "I know we will have a lot of rebuilding to do but first and foremost, I'm worried that there are souls and demons alike out there that might be trapped or hurt after the quake." She turned back to Insanity and Abaddon. "So your first official task for your rehabilitation is this; help as many as you can. Pull them to safety. Comfort the distressed. Let them know that they aren't alone or forgotten in this tragedy." --- "Carter..." Sebastian sobbed as he clung to him and peered sadly over his shoulder. "Your office..." --- Carol grinned, happy to have brought Charles back to his senses. Even happier still that he trusted her enough to ask for advice. "That quake has done a number on Hell. But, and forgive me for being a little blunt here, this disaster could be an opportunity to win back the trust and loyalty of the Demons that had sided with Donnie. I propose you seek them out and implore them to join you in confronting whatever force was the cause of it as well as help to repair and rebuild Hell. Seeing you at their side in a time like this, even after all they had done, will be sure to win back their favour." --- "I hate to say it but Grim has a point." Bob said reluctantly. He turned to Pain with a sympathetic look. "I want to be able to help her too but think about it. Once we get there what would we do? Myself and my new sister here have no idea what we are capable of but the rest of you are human. I believe that if anything were to happen to any of you because you wanted to help her, you especially, she would never forgive herself." --- The moment the boy began attacking the risen dead, they retaliated. Rapidly and violently, the ones closest to him shifted into hairless, fleshy dog-like shapes. Their teeth were jagged and sharp and their eyes had turned into deep pools of pure darkness. They encircled the boy, growling and snapping visciously. Just waiting for an opening to tear him to shreds. Azrael lifted his arm to summon his scythe as instructed. Once it had materialised he'd noticed the ones around the boy. He flew over and swiped a few that had been about to lunge. Preventing the boy from falling victim to them. As he struck them down though, more around them shifted just as violently. "Your Grace, the girl is the source. Stopping her would surely end this madness?" He called out to Death while pointing to Lilly. As he did, one of the necro-hounds dove at him. It clamped it's teeth around Azrael's arm while throwing it's own weight this way and that. Azrael let out an agonized cry then struck the hound with his scythe. He clutched his bleeding arm briefly then grit his teeth as he prepared to fend off more of them. Raguel arrived with his army of angels. He saw the chaos unfolding from his vantage point in the air and quickly assessed that Lilly was the cause of the evil he was seeing. He swooped in, drawing his sword and prepared to strike her down. Seeing him coming, Lilly lifted her arm towards him and sent her green aura to ensnare him. Raguel was stopped in his tracks and plummeted to the ground while clutching his head. His eyes shut tightly, he writhed around in pain as Lilly's aura tried to command control of the 'dead' soul of Donnie that was now trapped within Raguel. As Raguel resisted, all of Lilly's concentration was on trying to overpower him. This would give Death an opening to try and stop her. (Please excuse any spelling/grammatical errors. I'm replying from my phone \ud83d\ude01) Denix Vames - September 9, 2023 Jean lifted him off the floor. Holding him close. "You should rest now. Let me help my people. I need you to regain your strength." He appeared in their room and placed Hannes on the bed. He kissed him. "Don't worry now. Everything is alright." Theron looked at the floor. "Um it's not like there's much. I learned that we bring death. That's what I saw whenever someone got close to me. They would always use me. But now these people want to be my family? I'm trying to be happy but it feels like they're tricking me." He cried into his hands. "I've never had a real family!" --- "We got eyewitness reports about you assaulting Damien! And let's not forget the fight you had with James! So stop your temper tantrum or I'll stop it for you!" ,said Will --- Kite walked over to Damien. "I'm sorry. I pulled him out of the debris but I couldn't keep him from getting hurt." --- Alex would be with Gary. Attending to those who were hurt in the earthquake. Because of his abilities, Gary was able to sense the incoming earthquake. Getting himself and Alex out of the house. --- Sawyer took out his gun and nodded. "Frankly, you're not so bad yourself." --- "Ugh! I use to. Honestly, it'd be a real treat to answer any questions that my number one fan has. So..." Adam smile with a snap of his fingers. "Ask away." --- Abaddon nodded. "Yes Amelia." He stood up. Showing just how tall and lanky he was. With Insanity on his shoulder, he walked out of the library. Searching for anyone who needed help. --- Tears dripped down Carter's cheeks. Destroyed by the fact that his office was gone. However, he was more grateful that Sebastian was here. "I know I know. It's ok now. All that matters is that you're alive." He caressed his cheek. Looking into his eyes, he kissed him deeply. --- Charles hopped off of his throne. "Then you and I will seek out the hurt together. I need someone by my side in case anything should happen." He walked ahead of her. Knowing that she would follow. --- Pain clenched his fists. "I know I don't really know her. For all I know, she doesn't need me. But...I want to know if she's ok." --- Death grabbed Azrael's scythe and swiped at Lily. Cutting her in half. The teenager saw all the chaos and used it as an opportunity to teleport himself and his fallen lover to a location. Anywhere far from the battle. (that's fine. i think you did a good job)

Shadowess - July 19, 2023 Layla noticed the vines starting to slack straight away and turned to see Nil collapsing. "Nil!" she called out after helping another vampire into the safety of the castle and she ran out to kneel by his side. Bianka had walked over to Theron with a smile and nodded to him approvingly. "Well done, Theron." she praised him then turned to Larissa who had run over to them. "Do you think he's one of them?" she whispered to them excitedly. "A forest folk?" she turned to look out at Nil and Layla. "They came out of nowhere to help and he commands nature like they do in the stories." Pulling her wrist away from an injured vampire's mouth, Jessica let the cut heal before flying over to Nil and Layla. "Thanks for your help, both of you." she said to Layla who nodded in response. "It was the least we could do." "Come on, let's bring you both inside to rest. The vampires here are incredibly welcoming and I'm sure they will be eager to thank you both once they've healed up properly." Between Jessica and Layla, they both lifted Nil and carried him into the castle. Hannes was also beginning to feel faint after giving out so much of his own blood to help vampires to heal. "Let's move the wounded into the infirmary. Guards, cordon off this hallway until we can rebuild the wall. We don't want to risk vampires wandering through here during sunlight hours." he ordered as he leaned against a wall. He then re-cut his wrist to feed to another vampire and stumbled onto his knees as he became light headed. --- James sighed, "Ain't that a fucking sigh of relief. Your kids are something else." He helped Damien up. "I think it's safe to say we can relax. At least I hope." Will cuffed Tristan. He forced him to walk out and into the car. "You have a lot to answer for." He got in, made sure the doors were locked, and nodded at River. "You coming?" "They're good kids..." Damien said breathlessly. He shivered, having broken out in a cold sweat. He stood but looked around warily, half expecting Tristan to appear again. He looked at James and smiled. "Thank you, by the way. I've only known you a day and you risked so much for me. You've been a true friend." he then grimaced and held his stomach, groaning. He leaned against the wall, barely stable on his feet for a moment until the pangs subsided. "Man... this isn't good. I've been bitten so frequently in a short space of time but several different vampires... I'm pretty sure I'm having withdrawels from all the venom. When Tristan appeared just now, I kind of wanted him to bite me... I know that must sound wierd." he scratched his arms and looked away from James out of shame. --- "Yeah, I wana see this through for my dad." River answered as he climbed into the passenger side of the car. Tristan sat in the back. Although he knew that the sun wouldn't harm him, he was instinctively terrified and stared wide-eyed at the horizon as he watched the light filling the sky. He realled seeing Hannes engulfed in flames when he'd burst in on him and Jean. Glancing at the passenger wing mirror, he caught sight of River glaring at him continuously. Feeling a shiver run down his spine, he quickly averted his gaze. He wondered what would become of him now. How they would charge him as a vampire, especially when he'd eventually need to be kept away from sunlight. It wasn't like he'd be able to attend court at two in the afternoon... Then another thought occurred to Tristan that make him break out in a nervous sweat. They would have to log his arrest onto their system... which means taking his name... which means his original captors, the CIA, would immediately know where he was... which means X would come for him. He remembered the screams from the facility and knew that a lot of the escaping prisoners had died at his hand. He started to hyperventilate at the thought and looked up to see River, another Blood God, was still glaring at him in the wing mirror. There was no escape. --- Kat glanced at Sawyer worriedly. "Hey. Hey! Red Fox! Wake up, man!" he snapped his fingers near him to try and make him more alert but noticed he was slipping out of consciousness. "Shit." he pumped the break and pulled up on the side of the road. Removing his seatbelt, he leaned over and took a look at Sawyer's wound. "Sorry about this..." he said before jamming his fingers into the hole. After about a minute or so of not feeling the bullet, he pulled his fingers out and wiped the blood onto his pants. He then gripped Sawyer's shirt and quickly ripped it open reveal the wound. He took the lighter out of it's port near the radio and looked at the red hot end. "This is going to suck but we need to stop the bleeding." he said, unsure of whether sawyer could even hear him. He stuffed some of Sawyer's shirt into his mouth so that he could bite down on something if he woke up and then pressed the hot end of the lighter against his bullet wound to cauterize it. --- John stood and looked at Adam with pure adoration as he told him he wanted for him to see him as a friend. "It would be an honour." he told him. He glanced over his body before quickly looking away and gesturing towards the bedroom. "I'd be happy to show you my collection of clothing. We can find a style that suits your human form. The human of this world prefer to cover themselves and only reveal their bodies to their lovers." he informed him, unsure of whether clothing had been a thing in Adam's era. He and Eve were always depicted in the nude, after all. --- "Abaddon?" Amelia repeated as she watched him walk into a corner of the room. "Where have I heard that name before?" she rose a brow at Insanity's words. Abaddon's behavious was odd, considering he'd greeted them with violence. Still, she wanted to know more about this other Devil. She had so many questions about their kind and he was the only other Devil like her that she'd met. She slowly appraoched him again and placed a hand on his shoulder. "My name is Amelia." she told him. "I'm the Queen of Hell. You're the first Devil like me that I've met. I think there's just us two left. There are other Devils but they're different. They came from Angels. They didn't originate from Hell." she removed her hand and looked him over. "There is so much that I want to ask you. I don't know where to begin." --- Seeing the state that Parker was in, a few medical staff hurried over and took him from Kite's arms. Parker cried out from the movement as they carefully transferred him from Kite's arms to a stretcher and carted him off to the operating room without any delay. The hopsital was buzzing with activity and it would soon become apparent to Kite that Parker wasn't the only person in the city that had suffered horrendous injuries during the earthquake. Sebastian groaned. His eyes were still closed but he coughed up a small amount of blood as his ribs snapped back together. "Cart-? Carter?" he wheezed, feeling the unpleasant sensation of the deep wound in his head starting to stitch itself back together. "What... happe-...?" he struggled to speak while he continued to heal slowly. --- Carol watched Frederick lift Napoleon then became aware of the screams around them as he told her to help. She removed her heels so that she could stand and she ran out into the hallway. She expected to still see Raguel leaning against the wall and everything running as normal. But Raguel was nowhere to be seen and the rest of the hospital was in chaos. Without wasting any time, she hurried to the first Angel that she saw who needed help. Breathing heavily after his transformation, Raguel stood and stared at the tipped over, empty hospital bed. He didn't understand why Donnie had given his life for him but he didn't have time to ponder it. He heard the screams all around him as he stared at his own hands. He could feel new power filling every part of him, right to his finger tips. Slowly, he lifted his hand, bringing his fingers together and then snapped them. In an instant, everyone in the hospital was standing outside. The wounded had been healed instantaniously. A power like this should have immediately tired him out but Raguel still felt energized. He looked around at the others. His eyes landed momentarily on Carol who had obviously been trying to help prior to being teleported with the others. In this moment, he felt no animosity towards her. "Arch Angels!" he called out in a booming voice. "To me!" --- Bob sat across from the girl and stared at her curiously. "I wonder if I was ever that crazy in the beginning..." he said outloud. "I wonder why I'm not now... I wonder if me and this broad are brother and sister now because we were both raised from the dead..." --- "Of course!" Lilly rolled her eyes angrily. "Because that's the right thing to do, isn't it?! I can bring the living back from the dead so that MUST mean that I'm evil and need to be gotten rid of, right?!" she snapped at Death, glaring at him as she rounded on him. Azrael also turned, apparently forgetting for a moment that the portal was even there. "You do not speak to him that way!" "I'll speak to whoever I want however I damn well please!" Lilly raged. "Especially when the other person threatens me!" "Stop! Please, stop!" The other reaper begged them, watching the portal warily but the others didn't seem to hear him. It almost felt like their bickering was helping the portal to expand. "Well if you feel so strongly about my life, I'M RIGHT HERE!" Lilly yelled at Death, raising her arms by her sides. Then she decided to use a word from this world for the first time. A word that the band had taught her was an insulting one but in this moment she felt it was the right time to use it. "Fuckface!" Denix Vames - July 19, 2023 Theron smiled shyly. "I-I'm glad I helped. It felt good." He watched Nil being carried away. "Is he ok? Why did he pass out? And how did he know where to find us?" Jean placed his hands over Hannes's shoulders from behind. "Rest my dear lover. Let someone else share the burden of giving blood." --- James shook his head. "Not really. I mean, you're talking to the guy who thought he could take over the world and make a werewolf army. So, weird isn't the word I would use to describe you." --- Will looked in the rearview. He glanced at River. With a smirk, he said, "Save the shitting in his pants party for me too." They soon reached the department. He got out of the car. Escorting Tristan inside and to the cell room. --- Sawyer suddenly cried out. Biting down hard on his shirt. His eyes were wide open. --- "Oh really? Well, I'd like to try your clothes on. I'm so excited!" ,said John. --- Abaddon cocked his head like a confused dog, "Why aren't....you scared? Everyone runs. Screams when I am there. They know what I do." Though this was something that he was once proud of, it began to feel like an obstacle over time. In fact, he seemed sad when he told her. --- Kite's wide eyes looked at everything that was happening around him. "Jesus christ....!" Carter caressed his cheek. "Hey, you're ok. You're gonna be ok. You were hit by some debris during the earthquake but you're healing nicely." --- Every Arch Angel appeared. Standing in line and awaiting orders. That included a very confused Napoleon who recalled being badly injured before. --- Storm tapped his shoulder. "Uh I hate to break this moment but what do we do when she wakes up?" --- Death raised a brow. "Evil? Nonsense! I merely wished you didn't disturb the balance of life and death!" "Would you two shut up and get ready?!" ,said Hades. Suddenly, two teenage boys in robes jumped out from the portal. Instinctively, Hades threw a ball shaped mass of power. Hitting the teenager with dark brown hair. "NO!" ,said the other teen with lighter brown hair and freckles. The injured teen coughed up blood. Gasping for air as he hit the ground. He clutched his wounds. The teen knelt over him. "You're going to be ok! I promise!" But just as the injured teen looked at him, he soon passed away. The teen slammed his fists against the ground. Tears were in his eyes as he cried out. With hatred in his heart, he turned around. Facing everyone with glowing green eyes. He raised a hand and blasted his powers at the reaper standing by. Turning him into nothing but dust. "Wait! It's my fault! Don't hurt anyone else!" ,said Hades. The teen shouted, "Are you kidding me? Because of you, my lover is dead! You all deserve to die!" He raised both hands and threw a ray at them. Hades raised her hands and created a shield. Blocking his powers. Death seemed utterly confused. Having not expected the one crossing into their world being two kids. He was only ready for a monster. "Azrael, we must place that boy into a deep sleep. I need to know what he is. I must examine him." shadowess - July 19, 2023 At Jean's touch and his gentle words, Hannes's lip quivered while tears stung his eyes. He lifted his hand to hold Jean's on his shoulder and turned his head to kiss it tenderly. "Meine Geliebte. Have you forgiven me?" "I guess he tired himself out," Bianka suggested as they watched Jessica and Layla carrying him into the castle. "That wolf girl came with him. They have really good hearing. Maybe she heard the wall fall and our cries for help?" Larissa pointed out. "It's possible... wow... an actual Fae." Bianka couldn't help staring in awe until she heard a triumphant fake cough come from her partner. She rolled her eyes at her. "Alright, fine. I admit it. You were right and I was wrong." she said then smirked as Larissa whooped in celebration. Jessica held Nil's legs while Layla supported his torso. Together they carried him into one of the rooms, out of the way of curious stares. Jessica was strong enough to have carried him on her own but Layla seemed like she wanted to be of some help and Jessica knew all too well how awful it was to simply stand by, watching and feeling helpless. They eased him onto a bed and Jessica gave them some space. "You should both be fine here for a while. I'm going to go and help the others. I'll come back later to see if you need anything." "We appreciate it, thank you," Layla said as she sat on the bed next to Nil and took his hand in hers. Jessica smiled at them before leaving and she shooed away a couple of curious vampires that had followed them to the room. --- River barely contained his smirk at Will's comment. Tristan stared up at the precinct when they pulled up. He felt nothing but pure dread as Will pulled him out of the vehicle and began walking him inside. "Please, don't do this. You will be killing me," he begged them in a trembling voice. "Should've thought of that before attacking my dad," River replied coldly. He assumed that Tristan was just overreacting to being arrested and had no idea of what had happened to him previously. Once Tristan was thrown into the cell River glared at him through the bars before patting Will on the shoulder. "Your turn, I guess. I'm going to check up on my dad and make sure he's ok," he said before vanishing. Tristan was shivering as he looked back at Will. If he hoped to avoid being found by the CIA he'd have no choice but to give a fake name when questioned and hope that these officers would take his word for it. --- Damien half laughed at James's remark. "You're alright, James. If I ever get my powers back and you need help, give me a call. I kinda owe you after all this anyways." He winced as he stepped away from the wall and gripped his stomach. "Well, I guess I don't have to worry about my stalker anymore. I'm kinda worried about my other kids too after that quake though. It was pretty bad... I should check up on them." River appeared near them and immediately looked worried as his eyes landed on his father. "Are you ok? You don't look so good." Damien waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I'm guessing he's been taken care of?" "If by 'taken care of' you mean locked in a cell and probably having the shit beat out of him? Sure. He's not a threat to you anymore." "Good," Damien said with a sigh of relief. He then scratched at his neck feverishly and seemed generally uncomfortable. "You sure you're ok?" River rose a brow. "Fine," Damien answered shortly then gave James a look. Silently hoping he wouldn't say anything about his withdrawals. "I was just saying to James here, we should check on your siblings after that quake. Make sure everyone is ok." "...Yeah, I guess we should." River agreed, reluctant to drop the matter but also eager to confirm that his family was safe. "I could teleport us to them? Who do you want to check up on first?" Damien thought for a moment before glancing at James and then back at River. "I know he doesn't want me around but, I'd like to see if Parker is ok. Then we should visit Jessica and then Alex." he looked at James. "I understand if you'd rather go home now but you're welcome to come with me, if you like?" --- Kat was used to hearing screams so he paid this little attention as he kept the lighter held firmly against his bullet wound. When he was sure it had been long enough, he pulled it away and looked at the burned blood and flesh that had dried against it. "Oh... this is going to stink out my car for a while..." he complained as he stuffed it back into its port. He sat back in the driver's seat but didn't start the car up again yet. He sat and let Sawyer catch his breath. "Welcome back. You had me worried there for a second," he told Sawyer with a small smile. "Sorry about that." he pointed to his wound. "We kinda ran out of options. I had to improvise." --- "Right this way, then." John smiled and led him towards his old bedroom. He opened up the large, walk-in wardrobe and then gestured to the clothes filling up the shelves and hangers on either side of them. "They might be a little dated. I was destroyed back in the '90s. But I think you'll still be able to blend in. I'm pretty sure some of this stuff is still in fashion. Take your pick." He stepped out of the wardrobe to give Adam time to look around at the clothes. There were a few magazines on the dressers in there that Adam would be able to use to figure out what kinds of outfits looked good in the 90s. John headed over to the TV that was in the bedroom. It was a big heavy box with a built-in VHS player. A rarity in this day and age. He took a tape out of a drawer and popped it in to watch a movie while he was waiting for Adam to dress himself. The movie happened to be The Lost Boys. --- Amelia was hesitant to ask but if she wanted any chance of getting closer to this Devil, she had to know what his history was. "And what exactly is it that you do?" she asked then nodded to him encouragingly. "It's ok. I'm braver than I look." she smiled and winked at him. --- "Earth-Earthquake?!" Sebastian gasped. He tried to open his eyes but his eyes felt sensitive to the natural light around them. He blinked and squinted at Carter. "I don't remember... I was... What was I doing?... The last thing I can remember... Kite was at the door..." he looked around quickly, trying to see Kite if Kite was still around. He also recalled Parker had been in the house. "Kite? Parker? Are they ok?" he asked, looking back at Carter. --- Carol was equally confused that she had been teleported outside and that everyone around her was suddenly uninjured. She looked over at Raguel and immediately noted the change in the colour of his feathers. Something had happened to him but she had no idea what. She looked over at Napoleon and was relieved to see that he was fine. She gave him a small smile. In much the same way that he must serve Raguel, she had a duty to serve Charles. Given that Charles had yet to make his appearance and there had just been a large quake, she had an obligation to make sure he was safe. She blew Napoleon a kiss and then vanished, teleporting to wherever Charles was. Raguel paced in front of his Arch Angels and barked orders at them. First, he split them into several different groups. He ordered one group to fly across Heaven to make sure all of its occupants were safe and got the help that they needed after the quake. The second group was ordered to head down onto Earth in the guise of various emergency service workers to aid the mortals in any way possible. The last group he ordered to follow him to Earth to investigate the portal that no doubtedly had caused the quake in the first place. --- Bob looked up at Storm and then back at the girl with a frown. "Uhhh... good question. I have no idea." he laughed. "For all I know she might be strong enough to break free of those bonds. I guess we'll just have to try and keep her calm. Tell her that Lilly is safe or something." --- Lilly was far from safe. She watched everything play out and felt helpless to stop any of it. She felt awful for the poor boy that had died and was shocked that Hades had been so quick to attack. But considering the last time a portal opened up, a Pestilence Wraith had stepped out, she supposed the reaction wasn't too big of a shock. Azrael was shocked and angered that a reaper had been struck down. He obediently nodded to Death's order and his black wings burst out of his back. Emitting his signature calming aura, he flew closer to the boy but maintained a cautious distance. "Listen to me. Hear my voice." His voice was soothing and almost hypnotic. "Feel your anger ebbing away. Let go of your hatred. Feel the welcoming embrace of slumber. Submit to your desire for rest." Azrael's voice was so soft and beautiful that even Lilly was tempted to lie down for a nap. But she resisted. She had a goal of her own as she struggled to take her eyes off the dead boy. "I've done it twice now... I can do it again," she told herself then glanced uneasily at Death. When she'd catch his eye she'd smirk at him cheekily before raising her middle finger to flip him off. "How's this for disturbing the balance?" she said to him before darting off towards the corpse. There was just one problem. She had no idea how to use her powers or what had even triggered them the first two times. She stood over the dead boy and became too aware that she was standing just feet from the boy that had reduced a reaper to dust. A boy that may not know or understand her intentions. Of course, the second danger to her was the King of the Reapers himself whom she likely had just pissed off further. But she had no time to dwell on any of that. She forced herself to focus on the corpse and held her hands over his torso. "Come on... come on! I can fix this, I know I can!" but as much as she tried to summon up the power that she knew she had, nothing happened. No trance. No chanting. No green aura. Nothing. "I don't understand! I KNOW I can do this!" Denix Vames - July 20, 2023 Tears ran down Jean's cheeks. "I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I'm sorry for what I said before. You were only trying to protect everyone here." Theron suddenly appeared in Nil's room as he had been thinking about him and what he could do. "Huh?! Why am I here? Uh! Sorry! I didn't mean to be here." --- Will pulled out a notepad and pen. "Alright. What's your name?" --- "That home is only an abandoned dump. I think I'll stick with you guys." ,said James. --- Despite the pain, Sawyer smirked. "You were worried about me?" He caught his breath. "Thanks for not letting me die by the way." --- After looking through some magazines and checking over all the clothes, Adam finally came to an idea. He walked out wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, and a leather jacket. "How do I look?" --- Abaddon hesitated, "I would bring destruction on any that God allowed us to. And even when he didn't, I still did it. Taking great pleasure in killing any sinners." Insanity frowned. Knowing that he had done things like that not too recently. --- "They're fine. Kite took Parker to the hospital. Parker got badly hurt. More than you." ,said Carter. --- Napoleon smiled at her before she left. --- Charles was sitting in his throne. Wondering what the hell he could possibly do. He saw Carol appear. "Honestly, this shit show is giving me a headache. Maybe I should let everyone else deal with it." --- "I don't think she'll like us after this. She might try to kill us." ,said Grim. --- Just as Death was about to run after her, the teen's hands were filled with power. He said, "GET AWAY!" A radius of his power blasted everyone far away. When he was alone, he dropped to his knees and held his dead lover close. "Oh Conrad....I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you. I should have never brought us here." He sobbed.