Shadowess

Kris gestured to Violet. "If not for her, you'd be cinders now. Just remember that the next time you want to call me soft." He growled and then waved his hand, causing Ortiz to be teleported from the chair and flung to the ground just outside of the sanctuary, which would now bar his entry. Emotion came over Kris, but he buried it deep as he marched over to the table to snatch up the bottle and take several long gulps of the strong liquid to drown his sorrows. He lowered the bottle and took a few breaths, seething. "Asshole..." --- Clementine rolled her eyes. "Regardless, all of your wives would technically be Queens in your new Eden, would they not? I don't care if you make Eve the Queen Superior out of all of us, as long as I have a throne of my own!" She stepped towards him. Her eyes fixed on his with a look of cold determination. "Or should I call for help and bring your plans crashing down around you before your Kingdom even has a chance to flourish?" she asked him darkly, quietly. They had attempted to manipulate her into helping, so as far as she was concerned, turnabout was fair play. --- "Ok!" Jack beamed, immediately taking his answer for a 'yes' before bolting back into the house. He'd started stripping down and throwing his clothes behind him as he ran, deciding he wanted a bath before bed. Tia ran after him, scooping up his clothes as she went. "Jack!" she called after him, and Jack's giggles could be heard as he reached the top of the stairs and rounded a corner. The patter of his feet was rapid against the floor above. Layla chuckled and looked at Xenos. "Thank you for letting us meet your family. We should probably head home now," she smiled at Nil. --- "Oh, ok, we're here..." Carol mumbled as Ash brought her to his family anyway. She then caught Ophelia and timidly held her a little away from herself with a look of fearful uncertainty. "Um! Hello there! Tiny Devil child!" She tried her best to sound cheerful, but her voice shook from nerves. "Am I holding her right?" she asked Sara, frightened she would hurt the little one by holding her wrong. --- "Sure, why not?" Lang chuckled as he turned on his radio and kept the music low enough that they'd still be able to hear each other talking. Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' started playing. --- "And why was I pulled out of retirement?" Samael asked in an equally frustrated tone. "We would have patience from all of you." Unity addressed them in an older woman's voice. "There are several important matters which need to be brought to your attention. First and foremost will be Commanding Archangel Raguel's replacement." Several Archangels leant forward in their seats to give Unity their undivided attention, except Samael, who looked as if he couldn't care less. "Excuse me, councilwoman. It was believed that the Superior Archangel's replacement would be decided via votes?" Uriel asked. "Correct." Unity answered. "But not from the civilian Angels." "Then who-?" "The spirit council does the voting among themselves." Samael rolled his eyes. "To remain impartial and unbiased so that you assholes can't rig the system because the council can't be bribed or tricked. Honestly, read a scroll sometime..." "We would ask that you refrain from using such language in this meeting." Unity snapped at Samael. "But your crude explanation is correct." A lot of the Archangels at the table, Uriel included, looked troubled by this news. It would appear that Uriel hadn't been the only one trying to earn the trust and loyalty of Civilian Angels in the hopes of being voted into power. "With regards to why you are here, Samael." Unity continued, "Before our votes can commence, the position of Archangel Michael needs to be filled.-" "Nooo..." Samael stared at them. "And as you have prior experience-" "No!" "We have decided to reinstate your title of Archangel-" "No, no, no!" "Until such time as you can find a suitable replacement." "Fuck!" Samael slammed his hand against the table. "Samael, please control yourself!" Unity scolded him. Shezmu leant a little towards Dariel and whispered, not meaning to sound as sassy as he came across, "Take note, how not to conduct oneself at such a meeting." When Samael sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, still visibly furious but seemingly not wanting to argue, Unity turned to face the rest once more. "As this decision will also affect relations between Heaven and the other Realms, we have selected among you those who best represent their respective realms, also to submit their votes in this matter. These are as follows. King and Queen of Hell, Charles and Amelia." Unity gestured to them. "Hello!" Amelia sang to the group while giving an awkward little wave. "King of the lifeless realm, Death." Unity gesture to Death. "King of the creation and survival, Life." They gesture to Life next. Then they paused before continuing. "As representatives of the diverse nature of Earth, we have also selected the following to submit their votes: the ancient Blood God, Shezmu. The King of Vampires, Jean. And the Leviathan heir, Hades." They gesture to each in turn. "Each Arch Angel will have the opportunity during this meeting to present to us and the chosen leaders or representatives with their reasons to earn their votes. Voting will be concluded at the end of this meeting. Are there any questions before we move on to the second topic of today's meeting?" Unity paused and looked around the room expectantly. --- Niko stiffened at the name. His features grew cold and hardened. He looked away from the creature and gestured to his door. "Warren lives in his own home. Theron has been adopted by Bianka and her wife, Larissa... You should stay away from Insanity," he then warned him. "He's-... he's not safe."

Lol it's cool. It was Warren that was serving them

Also, also

I just realised I forgot to put Abaddon at the table lol He'd be between David & Jean, I guess

Also, I've left the other archangels vague for now in case you wanted to claim a few as your own character

Bigger version in case the first one is unreadable lol

For ze visuals

Clementine looked at Adam, and for a moment she said nothing. She turned and walked over to a nearby table to put her glass down. She then gripped the back of a chair tightly as she tried to make sense of her emotions. Then her grip on the chair loosened. She let it go and turned to look at Adam seriously. "What you're attempting here... you know this is all a massive risk, right?" she asked him. She gestured to the door that Eve had left through. "Those women, your wives, they're all in danger here. If they don't die by complications in childbirth, then it might be at the hands of a rogue Demon wandering in! I used to be the type of Demon that would have shredded them to bits without a second thought, so I know there are still Demons like that out there!" she said while keeping her voice low so as not to frighten the other women in the building. "And if, by some absolute miracle, this works? You'll be fighting Devils for the right to rule! Had you even considered this? Or are you banking on them just handing over the throne as soon as Hell starts sprouting grass?" She ran a hand through her hair and looked away from him. "Your little light show was pure manipulation, and you know it. But... it made me realise something. Something I thought I'd forgotten... or something I had been trying to forget. I've tried to make a move for Hell's throne myself in the past. As you can probably guess..." she gestured to herself. "That didn't end well for me. So, when I was granted this second chance at life, I swore that I would try to be a better person. To be kinder. To be 'good'. But then you turned up, showed me your light and I realised that I STILL want the damn throne! ... And then, just now, as I was watching Eve... I realised I also still want to be a good person. I want both. Maybe this is what I was brought back for?" She looked thoughtful as she lifted her hands to look at them, and then she lifted her eyes to Adam's. "So, I've made my decision. I'll work on those elixers for you. I speed up pregnancy and eradicate childbirth pain. I'll look into ways to reduce complications in pregnancy. I'll even help you plan your eventual rise to the throne. In return..." She picked up her champagne flute and took a sip. "You'll make me a Queen!" --- "Yay!" Jack cheered as he hugged the tree a little more. "Alright, say goodnight now, Jack!" Tia called out to him. "It's almost time for bed!" "Awww!" Jack complained, but knowing better than to disobey his mother, he ran over to Nil and hugged his legs. "Will you come and play again sometime?" he asked. --- Surprised by the offer, Carol hesitated to answer. "I uh- I'm not usually the family type," she admitted and gestured to her mostly leather and punk style of clothing. --- "Maybe something light so that you don't get hammered." Lang chuckled as he got into his car. "Maybe a low percentage beer or something to start off with?" --- "That is enough from the mad one." Unity said in a younger man's voice. They waved their hand, and the human who was standing next to Abaddon froze in time. With another hand wave, they were transported to one of Hell's Cells. "The mad one will awaken when one of you retrieves them from their cell," they informed Amelia. "O-Oh, ok... so you can just freeze people... Just like that... that's cool... cool, cool, cool, cool, cool......" Amelia rambled nervously. "This concerns all," Unity answered Jean vaguely. Now turning to Death, Unity shook their head. "The offer is appreciated, but not necessary. They are ready now," they said in the same voice. At a click of their fingers, they were all transported to a council room in Heaven. A large circular table was in the centre, with enough chairs for all of them. Shezmu gestured for Dariel to sit in the chair next to him before taking a seat himself. Lilly glances around at all the strange faces. She briefly caught Dariel's eye and noted he didn't look much older than herself. She then took a seat between Death and Raven. Azrael looked around the room. All the Archangels had been summoned. Uriel sat across from him and was surrounded by Shubael, Raziel, Cassiel, Zadkiel, Camael, Haniel, Raphael and Jophiel. The Arch Angels who were notably missing were Machael, who had been slain a few years ago with Atma's help, and Raguel. Curiously, Azrael noted, Uriel now had a sizable scar down the left side of his neck that he was certain he'd never seen before. But then, he caught sight of Death and the children and was so distracted by their presence that he didn't look into it any further. Smiling, he walked around the table to sit next to Death. Amelia grinned at Charles, relieved to see he'd been called as well. She ran over and threw her arms around him before sitting next to him. David sat on the other side of her and nodded for Abaddon to join them. He glanced across the table and felt his heart seize at the sight of a familiar face. One he never thought he'd ever see again, and they were sitting next to Unity! "Lucifer?!" A hush fell in the room. All eyes were focused on the man that David had addressed. The tired-looking, blonde-haired man sitting next to Unity immediately looked at him with a pained expression. "I'm not-..." He began in an exhausted tone, but Unity cut him off. "Samael was created with the same genetics as Lucifer, but they are not the same person." "So, technically, you're Lucifer's brother?" Amelia asked curiously. The man's eyes moved to Amelia and lingered for a long, tense moment. "Please. Never say that again," he said in the same exhausted tone. "I might look like him, but I have no affiliation with him whatsoever." --- Niko stared at the strange creature that had flown to him and collapsed into his hands. He hadn't yet recognised that this was Insanity, but given his past trauma, that was probably for the best. He stared at it curiously and gently set it down on a nearby couch. "Um... are you alright? Little creature?"

I gotta come up with a seating arrangement now xD

Kris growled and balled his hand into a fist. As he did, the phantasmal had swooped down to strangle Ortiz. Kris's hand shook as he kept the pressure until he could see Ortiz begin to change colour. Emotion flickered across Kris's face, and before Ortiz could pass out, he released his grip. He waved his hand, dismissing the ghostly hand, which promptly vanished. Kris stood with a grunt and limped over to Ortiz while glowering at him. "Don't mistake my mercy for weakness. That was just a warning. I won't kill you, Ortiz. But I will banish you from my home. From our clan. I'll be adjusting the runes so that if you set foot in this sanctuary again, you will be stricken with such pain and sickness that you will wish I'd killed you. If you so much as go near any of my boys, I will flay you myself. Do you understand?" --- "To our new family!" Eve cheered and also took a sip. Clementine said nothing, but also drank her champagne very quickly. She flinched at the movement but stood still as Adam brought her into the group hug. "Now, Clementine, I recall you being very skilled when it came to alchemy." John began, and Clementine's eyes shot to him. 'Of course,' she thought, that's why they'd targeted her specifically. "You needed me for something." She said numbly. "We've chosen Adam's wives very carefully. You should feel honoured." John said lightly before taking another sip of his drink. "You know what we're doing isn't going to be easy, and without you, it could take years to pull off... I was hoping you might know a way to, you know, speed up pregnancy?" Clementine said nothing but merely stared at John for a moment. Meanwhile, Eve seemed thoroughly excited about the question. "Oh, that would be marvellous! Imagine! Little ones running around so much sooner!" "I was also hoping you might know a concoction to reduce or eliminate childbirth pain," John added and smiled when he saw Eve's eyes widen hopefully. He barely had to do much convincing. Eve's innocent excitement seemed to be doing it all for him as she quickly turned to Clementine, hugging her arm. "Oh, is this possible? Can you do that for us?" "I-..." Clementine looked from John to Adam and then to Eve. Once again feeling cornered and put on the spot. "I-I had made notes in my old home of some potential pain relief elixers. Pregnancy is a matter of germination and incubation. There might be a way to accelerate the cells' growth, but it's risky and would involve a steady hand and precise calculations." "But it's possible?" John pressed. "I-I suppose it could be-" "Wonderful! Let me know what you need. Write me up a list. I'll fetch you books, ingredients, whatever is required." John beamed and took another sip of his drink. "How lucky we are that we found you!" Eve said excitedly and kissed Clementine's cheek. She then hopped over to Adam and kissed his cheek, too. "I will tell the other wives, it will make them so happy!" She then practically skipped out of the room. "I suppose you two will want to spend some time together. Help you settle in." John said with a smile to Clementine and Adam. He picked up the bottle of champagne and topped up their glasses. "I'll see what I can find from your old home and will prepare a room for your work, for when you're ready to begin." He said before vanishing and leaving Clementine alone with Adam. "What am I doing?" Clementine whispered to herself as she took another sip of her drink. None of this felt real to her, and she was still trying to process what was happening. --- "I hope it didn't mind the lights we put on it for Christmas..." Tia commented. Jack smiled and ran up to the tree, wrapping his arms around it. "That's ok with me, Mr Tree!" he said happily and then looked at Nil curiously. "Does Mr Tree have a name, or can I call it Mr Tree?" --- Carol looked at Ash with a frown and took one of her hands out of her pocket to place it on his shoulder. "We all lost people, and I'm sure a lot of us have some regrets about things that were said and done... I know I do. I know it doesn't make it hurt any less. But now we have an opportunity that we didn't have before. We can maintain this peace. Protect it. Prevent another war and our future children from ever feeling the grief we've had to deal with. That has to count for something." --- "Or I like you for you, regardless of the book?" Lang suggested with a chuckle. He stood and stretched. "So, are we getting that drink?" --- Cautiously, David followed the human to Unity and watched the council person as they continued to stare upwards. Eventually, Unity's eyes and head slowly moved downwards as if watching something or someone descend from the sky. "We thank you for joining us. Apologies. We did not intend to intimidate." Unity said in an aged woman's voice this time. They then looked slightly to the left and in the same voice explained, "Our vessel is Unity. We are the Spirit Council. We govern the realms and safeguard The Balance." "We know who you are..." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Well, most of us do." David glanced at the human warily. "Indeed." Unity replied in a younger woman's voice. Their eyes now turned to look slightly more to the right, then their eyes stared just a little to David's right. "You have taught these children well in the short time that they have been in your care." David and Amelia looked at each other in confusion, and then David tutted as he realised, "They're talking to other people somewhere else at the same time!" "I totally knew that!" Amelia folded her arms and glanced away with pink cheeks. She totally hadn't known that at all. Unity's eyes then snapped to the left. "This matter is of the utmost importance, and we would appreciate more professionalism from an Arch Angel," they scolded someone in an older man's voice. "Why do I feel like Nate is behind that?" David mumbled. "Excuse me, Councilman? But this is getting awfully confusing. Would it be possible to hold this meeting all together?" Unity looked at David and nodded. "We are awaiting one more, then we shall relocate everyone to a council room in Heaven." They answered in the same man's voice. "Wait, Unity. Now really isn't a good time for us. We need to get this human to a safe-" Amelia started, and Unity cut her off as they looked in her direction. "We are aware of your current predicament. We see and hear all. Upon relocation, your human will be moved to a secure location until our meeting has concluded." Their eyes then flicked a little more to the left, and they continued, "My comment was to Queen Amelia, but we must insist that your mortal also remains on Earth." "Huh, someone else has a human with them, I guess. Wonder who it is..." Amelia commented. Unity was silent for several seconds as they continued to stare at the same spot. Finally, they said in an older woman's voice, "Very well, but your pupil's words and actions will be your responsibility." --- Lilly followed Death and Raven while eyeing the stranger with uncertainty. She stumbled when her feet found the ground and she had to readjust to gravity once more, but she quickly picked herself up and jogged after them until the three of them stood in front of the cloaked figure. "We thank you for joining us. Apologies. We did not intend to intimidate." Unity responded in an aged woman's voice this time. They then turned their eyes to Raven and in the same voice explained, "Our vessel is Unity. We are the Spirit Council. We govern the realms and safeguard The Balance." "The Balance? Azrael told me about that. The safety of everything in all the realms depends on it not being broken." Lilly commented. "Indeed." Unity replied in a younger woman's voice. Their eyes now turned to look at Lilly before bringing their eyes back to Death. "You have taught these children well in the short time that they have been in your care." Unity's eyes then snapped to the left. "This matter is of the utmost importance, and we would appreciate more professionalism from an Arch Angel," they scolded someone in an older man's voice. Lilly glanced at Raven, slightly amused and wondering why Unity was talking to someone who wasn't with them. Or what that person could have said to warrant a scolding. Unity looked between Death and Lilly, then nodded. "We are awaiting one more, then we shall relocate everyone to a council room in Heaven." They answered in the same man's voice. They then turned to look at the space between Death and Raven. "We are aware of your current predicament. We see and hear all. Upon relocation, your human will be moved to a secure location until our meeting has concluded." Their eyes then flicked a little more to the left, and they continued, "My comment was to Queen Amelia, but we must insist that your mortal also remain on Earth." Unity was silent for several seconds as they continued to stare at the same spot. Finally, they said in an older woman's voice, "Very well, but your pupil's words and actions will be your responsibility." --- Eventually, Unity's eyes and head slowly moved downwards as if watching something or someone descend from the ceiling. "We thank you for joining us. Apologies. We did not intend to intimidate." Unity said in an aged woman's voice this time. They then looked slightly to the left and in the same voice explained, "Our vessel is Unity. We are the Spirit Council. We govern the realms and safeguard The Balance." "Who doesn't know who Unity is?" Azrael tutted quietly as he folded his arms. "Indeed." Unity replied in a younger woman's voice. Their eyes now turned to look slightly more to the right, then their eyes stared just a little to Nate's right. "You have taught these children well in the short time that they have been in your care." "Oh..." Azrael's cheeks turned a little pink as he realised who else they were talking to. Unity's eyes then snapped to Nate. "This matter is of the utmost importance and we would appreciate more professionalism from an Arch Angel." they scolded him in an older man's voice. Unity looked at the space between Gabriel and Azrael. They nodded. "We are awaiting one more, then we shall relocate everyone to a council room in Heaven." They said in the same man's voice. They then turned to look closer to Azrael, but as if looking over his shoulder. "We are aware of your current predicament. We see and hear all. Upon relocation, your human will be moved to a secure location until our meeting has concluded." Their eyes then flicked a little more to the left, and they continued, "My comment was to Queen Amelia, but we must insist that your mortal also remain on Earth." "Amelia's involved?" Azrael glanced at Nate and Gabriel. Unity was silent for several seconds as they continued to stare at the same spot passed Azrael's shoulder. Finally, they said in an older woman's voice, "Very well, but your pupil's words and actions will be your responsibility." --- In the German castle, both Jean and Shezmu would happen to be in the dining hall when Unity made their appearance. Shezmu had recognised them immediately, and while Unity had been staring at the ceiling, after they had asked for patience, Shezmu had quickly explained to Jean who they were, that they were important but that they were not a threat. He had then turned to look at his mortal student and had gestured for him to stay close while they waited for Unity to deliver whatever message that they had. Eventually, Unity's eyes and head slowly moved downwards as if watching something or someone descend from the ceiling. "We thank you for joining us. Apologies. We did not intend to intimidate." Unity said in an aged woman's voice this time. They then looked slightly to the left and in the same voice explained, "Our vessel is Unity. We are the Spirit Council. We govern the realms and safeguard The Balance." "Ah, I can only assume that the council are also speaking to others elsewhere. This must be of dire importance," Shezmu commented. "Indeed." Unity replied in a younger woman's voice. Their eyes now turned to look slightly more to the right, then their eyes stared at the empty space between Jean and Shezmu. "You have taught these children well in the short time that they have been in your care." Unity's eyes then snapped to the left. "This matter is of the utmost importance, and we would appreciate more professionalism from an Arch Angel," they scolded someone in an older man's voice. Shezmu said nothing and merely waited for Unity to continue. Unity looked slightly to the left of Jean's shoulder and nodded. "We are awaiting one more, then we shall relocate everyone to a council room in Heaven." They answered in the same man's voice. Their eyes then turned to the space at Shezmu's right, but almost appeared as if they were looking at Shezmu. "We are aware of your current predicament. We see and hear all. Upon relocation, your human will be moved to a secure location until our meeting has concluded." Protectively, Shezmu placed a hand on Dariel's shoulder. "My student will accompany me. I will not debate this," he said sternly. Unity's eyes flicked just slightly more to the left, to meet Shezmu's. "My comment was to Queen Amelia, but we must insist that your mortal also remain on Earth." "As I have stated," Shezmu replied with the same sterness. "This matter is not up for debate. My student is to join me in all matters to learn." Unity was silent for several seconds as they continued to stare at Shezmu. Finally, they said in an older woman's voice, "Very well, but your pupil's words and actions will be your responsibility." "As I would have it, counsilwoman," Shezmu said with a nod. He then gave Dariel a quick look. "You are representing me and must behave well. Watch and listen carefully. As my protege, you might one day have to attend meetings with the council yourself."

I'm almost done with my post but in case it helps for visualising it, this is roughly what Unity is seeing, plus some Arch Angels in the background as well as Life somewhere among them lol

oh my god, I really hope this doesn't get too confusing but I gotta say, this is soooo much fun to try and write hahaha

Violet's touch caused Kris to look at her. Her openness with him surprised him. As did her story. Before she had entered their lives, he hadn't believed in Heaven or Hell. But now, to be sitting next to living proof and hear them talk about their life beyond the mortal realm was all so fascinating to him. "I think I'd like to hear your stories sometime..." he admitted and then turned his head when he heard Ortiz waking up. Just like that, his gentle demeanour was gone. "Don't tempt me," he growled at him angrily and flicked his wrist. Swift as the wind, a phantasmal, disembodied hand appeared next to Ortiz and slapped him across the face. The hand remained floating idly in the air nearby, awaiting Kris's next order. "You threaten my boys." Another wrist flick. Another slap. "You plot to murder one of our own." Wrist flick. Slap. "You lied to me." Wrist flick. Slap. "You betrayed me." Wrist flick. Slap. "You attacked me." Wrist flick. Slap. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you!" Wrist flick. The hand grabbed Ortiz's head and held it up to look at Kris. It's pale-blue nails digging into his scalp. "Tell me!!" --- Clementine blinked a few times as Adam's light vanished and his hold on her evaporated. Slowly, she realised what had happened. Able to recall clearly what had been said during the time she'd been under Adam's spell, she knew that she had spoken out of her purest, deepest desires. Yet, she also felt she'd been tricked. She looked from Adam to John and then at their surroundings and realised they'd brought her to the heart of their plans. She opened her mouth, ready to say something, when someone else spoke and cut her off. "Another one?" Eve stepped into the room, smiling warmly at Clementine, who was so surprised that John had managed to get both Adam and Eve to work with him towards his crazy plans that her words had failed her before she'd even had the chance to speak them. "Yes!" John announced quickly and patted Clementine's shoulder. "This is Clementine! She has agreed to join our efforts and our growing family." Eve squealed happily and rushed in to hug Clementine, who stood stock still as her mind raced. She was tempted to shout at them. To accuse John and Adam of manipulation and demand to be taken home. But John wasn't lying. She might have been influenced, but she had agreed and she had spoken honestly. Part of her felt like she'd already betrayed Amelia for a second time, which meant she was now stuck with this decision, whether she had wanted it or not. She was confused, put on the spot and didn't know how to react or what to do. "I-I..." She stammered, feeling lost. "Oh, I know! I know!" Eve said softly as she pulled back and brushed some of Clementine's hair from her face. "It's so much to take in! But I promise, you will be happy here. Adam is such a loving husband. He will keep you safe!" "Hu-husband?" "Oh, yes! Well, not until you consummate anyway. Did I hear something about a drink?" John vanished and rapidly reappeared with four champagne flutes held by the stems in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. He held out his hand with the glasses for them to take one each, and then popped the cork in the bottle before pouring them each a glass. Clementine stared at her drink in shock as Eve took a sip before crinkling her nose with a smile. "I will never get used to drinks with bubbles!" she giggled and then locked her arm around Clementine's. "I want you to know how happy I am that you will be part of our family, and if you ever need to talk, you can always come to me." Clementine looked at her. She was still very confused about how she wanted to feel about all of this, but Eve's kindness seemed so sincere that it caught her off guard, and she couldn't help smiling at her. "To the future of Eden!" John cheered while lifting his glass in a toast. --- "I didn't know that was an apple tree!" Tia whispered to Xenos in surprise. Having finished his meal, Jack jumped off his chair and ran outside to see what Nil was up to. Layla followed shortly after and leaned against the doorway to watch them with a small smile. "What's it saying?" Jack asked curiously while looking at the tree. --- "He was definitely one of a kind..." Carol said while putting her hands in her jean pockets as they walked out of the hospital and into the street. "He might be gone, but while his son and my daughter are ruling Hell... I have a purpose again." She looked around them before glancing up at the darkening sky with a small smile. "I think he'd be proud if he knew what they accomplished. He'd be pissed, for sure," she chuckled. "But I think he'd still be proud. No one ever thought the war would end. They did the impossible. They really did it." --- May smiled at Carter. She took out her little notepad and wrote down a few details before ripping the page out and handing it to him. "Well, you're the first person in the US to come up with a Supernatural Detective Agency from what I know, so I guess you can pretty much come up with whatever rates you think are fair for the job. Here, when you figure it out, send me an invoice for today and I'll pay it." --- Tuzo tilted his head back and gasped at the feeling of Napoleon biting his neck. When he felt the vibrations, he grabbed a fistful of his own jacket that had fallen to the floor by now and stuffed some of it into his mouth to quiet his moans. When he saw Napoleon leaning in, he took the jacket out of his mouth and kissed him back with equal passion. He moved to sit up so that Napoleon would still be straddling him and held him close, rocking and grinding his hips against his while his own wings also started to vibrate. He toyed with the hem of Napoleon's trousers by running his fingers around the inside until both his hands were at the small of his back. All while he moved his kisses down to his chest. --- "Reed, it wasn't dumb." Lang tried. "And there's nothing wrong with being different. Different doesn't always mean bad. I'm sorry that you grew up around shitty people. That's not your fault. I'm not like that, though, so you never have to worry that I'd think any less of you for it." He offered him a patient smile. "I'm glad you told me, actually. Because now I can get to know the real you and not someone you conjured up from reading books to try to fit in." --- David and Amelia finished chanting and watched the human lunge at Abaddon. When he was subdued by Abaddon's tentacles, David chuckled at his angry shouts. "Yeah, that's kind of why we did this," he shouted over to the human. "Dad?" Amelia's voice made David look in her direction and then he followed his daughter's gaze to a hooded figure standing a short distance away from them. The figure looked like it was staring upwards. "Oh, for- Go and see what they want while I help Abaddon with 'a bad 'un.'" "Awful pun... just awful..." Amelia shook her head as she walked away from the now proudly smirking David. David walked over to Abaddon and placed his hand on the human's shoulder, then gave Abaddon a cautious nod to signal to release him while they'd both stay alert. "Now, let's all be calm about this and have a mature conversation." Meanwhile, Amelia approached Unity but held a confused look as Unity continued to stare upwards. "Um... Unity? Can we help you?..." he said, and when Unity continued to look upwards, she snapped her fingers in front of their face a few times. "Hello??? Can you hear me?" Unity's head snapped to look in Amelia's direction, which made her jump and step back in surprise. "We would prefer to wait until all are in attendance. Please be patient," they said in a man's voice before turning their head to stare at the sky once more. "Um-? O-Ok..." Amelia mumbled in confusion and looked up to try and see what the council was looking at, but could only see a clear, cloudless sky. --- They'd continue playing for a while longer. Occasionally, the ball would hit the ground, but they'd pick it up and start over again. Lilly had never felt happiness like it. But then, given she'd never had a real childhood, it meant that she'd never had the opportunity to simply play games before. She very quickly lost track of time, but also could have kept playing without a care in the world. Until she saw a strange hooded figure at the end of the courtyard, patiently waiting for them to finish their game. She caught the ball and then looked at Death with uncertainty. Although Lilly and Raven wouldn't know who the figure was, Death would recognise them immediately. The figure, was Unity. Very briefly, the figure stopped staring in their direction to look ahead and looked like they were saying something, but the trio were too high up to hear them. Then Unity stopped speaking and proceeded to stare at them again. --- "You can be in charge of advertisement, then," Azrael smirked. "Mind getting the door?" he then asked, considering his hands were currently full. Once inside, they'd get a good look at the interior. Meanwhile, Azrael would head into one of the bedrooms upstairs and set Lilith down on the bed to rest. He'd meet up with Nate and Gabriel back in the bar area. "We always said we'd run a bar together, given half the chance-" he chuckled as he walked into the room and then came to an abrupt stop when he saw Unity standing in the middle of the pub, staring up at the ceiling. Azrael would glance at Nate and Gabriel with a mixture of uncertainty and confusion. "Unity?" he addressed them, but they didn't respond. He looked at Nate and Gabriel again. "When did they appear? What're they doing?" he looked up at the ceiling, and an uneasy feeling washed over him. "You don't think they know about-?" Before he could finish asking his question, Unity cut him off by lowering their head to look straight ahead and saying in a man's voice, "We would prefer to wait until all are in attendance. Please be patient," and then Unity went right back to staring at the ceiling. For a wild moment of pure confusion, Azrael would look from Unity to Gabriel, to Nate and then back to Unity until it dawned on him. "Oh!... they're in more than one place at once... great, because that's not going to be confusing at all..." --- Unity would also appear wherever Charles, Hades, Life, Shezmu, the other Arch Angels and Jean are respectively. They would display the exact same behaviour and would likely cause equal confusion among them.

Seeing her bring a glass for herself and hearing her comment, Kris let out a chuckle. "What the hell, you've earned it," he said as he took the bottle without really looking at it. He poured them each a drink, then set the bottle back onto the table and picked up his glass. Turning his attention back to Ortiz, he sighed, although he couldn't help smirking at Violet's joke. "I just need to get through to him somehow. I don't know why his jealousy is so intense. I have always treated all of my boys equally. I trusted him. I made him my right hand for fuck sakes..." he glanced at Violet. "I don't know if I can trust him again or forgive him after this," he confided quietly. "The boys depend on me to keep them safe and he-..." He shook his head with a sigh and took a sip of his drink. --- Azrael smiled up at the building. He could already picture them running it together. The idea filled him with excitement. He glanced at the hanging wooden sign. It was so aged and weather-worn that the name and image had almost completely faded. Smirking, Azrael snapped his fingers, and a design appeared. It was the back of an Angel standing in a valley of fields, with a hood covering their face and their white wings tucked against their back. They were holding a four-leaf clover up to their hood, as if smelling a flower. The name that appeared underneath it in fancy font was 'The Lucky Angel Inn' "What do you think?" He asked Nate and Gabriel. --- Just about starting to get the hang of flying, Lilly looked up in time for the ball to fly passed her. "Shoot!" she gasped and willed herself to soar after it, trying to get behind it before it could reach the ground. She managed to get her foot around it just as it was a few short inches from the ground and kicked it upwards before shooting up after it and aiming to kick the ball back in Raven's direction. She couldn't help laughing and feeling a little proud of how quickly she'd gotten the hang of flying. It was something she'd never even considered that she could do, and yet here she was, floating and zooming around like it was the most natural thing. --- Within seconds, the three of them vanished from the bus stop. Leaving no sign of their presence, except the spilt bag of groceries that littered the empty, darkening street. Back at the brothel, Clementine continued to stare at Adam in a trance. Meanwhile, John was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped away from her. "And what a catch you've got!" he laughed. "I'm telling you, in her Demon days, she was a force to be reckoned with. No other being in all the realms could compete with her alchemical skills. She was famous for it. With a mind as sharp as hers, we'll never have to worry about illnesses. I'll bet she'd even be able to find a way to make childbirth painless if she really put her mind to it." He looked from Clementine to Adam before snapping his fingers. "I know. I'll get some champagne for you both. This is cause for celebration, after all." --- "Yay!" Jack cheered as he slid Nil's meat from his plate to his own and eagerly started carving into it. By now, Layla was used to Nil's quirks with the plant life. Tia, on the other hand, looked out the window curiously with Xenos. "I don't get it..." she said quietly to Xenos, referring to his comment. After all, she did spend most of her life in a cage before he'd saved her. --- "Forgotton? Mate, the only Devil I knew before you, before Amelia and before Damien was Lucifer. The only etiquette I had to worry about was following all his orders to a T. Everyone else could suck an egg." Carol shrugged. "I was his best fighter, you know?" she then proceeded to brag. "I'd have followed that man into Oblivion, if he ordered it," she then said half dreamily. --- "I mean..." May chuckled. "You are trying to run a business, and at the end of the day, that business isn't going to last very long if you keep doing all the work for free," she told him honestly. She then smiled at him. "I'll pay you for your work today. I'd be happy to. Just tell me how much and where to send the money." --- "He can try, but he won't get far," David chuckled confidently as he started to re-paint the seal on the ground for the spell. "Got a freshie for you," Amelia said as she appeared nearby. "There are some pretty deep cuts in his forearms, though." "They'll heal when the soul is transferred into it," David said dismissively as he finished up the last few bits. "Put him in the centre, please." Amelia placed the body into the centre of the seal and then stepped well away from the spell's boundary markings. David stepped out of it as well and gestured for Abaddon to step in. "Amelia and I will perform the spell," he explained to Abaddon. "You'll need to stand at the body's feet, facing him. I'm not going to lie, this will be painful. Excruciating, actually. But it won't take long. As long as no one else steps into that area with you while the spell is active, then everything should go as planned." --- Tuzo stifled a moan as Napoleon pinned him down. He knew he'd have to try hard to keep their noise to a minimum so as not to alert the staff and tourists outside the room to what they were doing. He grinned at the additional excitement that this knowledge brought to the moment. He stared up at Napoleon with lustful eyes as he felt his hands on his hips. "So dominating, Monsieur!" he gasped in delight with a cheeky smirk. --- Lang listened to Reed and fidgeted with his hands a bit while looking at him thoughtfully. "Reed, and please don't take this the wrong way, but have you talked to a doctor about all this and how you feel?" he asked him cautiously. "Or, maybe, um, have you looked into..." he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not entirely sure on how to broach the subject. "Neurodiversity?"

"No," Kris said, almost a little too quickly. He didn't deny that he felt some sort of parental responsibility for all the boys he'd taken in. Blake included. If anything, he'd pretty much proven today just how far he was willing to go to keep them all safe. "It was Blake he had a problem with. I don't want him anywhere near him, unconscious or not... hmm... " He thought for a moment. "Cecil." He called out, and within a few seconds, Cecil had appeared close by, still in his pyjamas. "Yes, sir- Ortiz?" "Ortiz has lost his mind and become dangerous. I can't lift him, so I need you to be my strength. Can you do that for me?" "I-" Cecil stammered as he looked from Ortiz to Kris. "Yes, Boss. What do you need?" "Lift him and bring him back home. Then tie him up. Use the enchanted binds so he can't use magic. I want to talk to him when he wakes up." "Yes, sir." he walked over to Ortiz and moved his arm around his shoulders to hoist him up. All of them would then teleport home, where Cecil quickly went about tying Ortiz to a chair with the enchanted ropes while Kris tried to relax in a nearby chair with his injured leg elevated. "Violet, fetch me one of my drinks from the bar in my room. I think I'm going to need something strong for this." --- Azrael nodded to Gabriel's suggestion. "Northern Ireland would be perfect. From what I've learned during my work in that area, the mortals in Europe and the United Kingdom are aware of the supernatural kind and are in the process of adapting laws to keep both the supernatural and mortals safe from one another. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, so we, as well as Lilith, would all be protected and welcomed there." --- Lilly had managed to kick the ball back to Raven entirely by accident as she flipped from upside down to right side up. She was still trying to simply get the hang of flying. The spectacle had drawn a small crowd of Reapers in the castle that had paused at the windows to see what the Royal Family were doing. --- Gasping at the sudden appearance of Adam, her hands shot up to grip his wrists, intending to pull them away from her face, but she froze as she struggled to tear her eyes away from him and his light. Her pupils grew slightly as her eyes locked onto his. She wanted to tell him to stop, but struggled to form words and could feel his influence seizing her mind and diminishing any fight she'd had in her. She felt John's hands on her shoulders as he now stood behind her and realised too late what they had done. "Isn't he beautiful?" John whispered into her ear. "He is rebuilding his Kingdom, and you can be part of this great undertaking. All you have to say is 'yes'..." Clementine's mouth opened and closed as she tried to fight against the overwhelming longing and desires that threatened to overtake her better judgment. John had hit the nail on the head when he'd called her ambitious. It had been her greatest downfall in her previous life. Even now, she struggles to accept her new and very simple life as a human. "It can be yours. His love. A crown. The loyalty and adoration of your subjects. Your own legacy." John continued. "Not to mention the things you've never been able to have before. A lover. To know how it feels. The ability to have a family of your own." "Yes!" Clementine gasped. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her desires were pulled to the surface and overwhelmed her. "Yes! I want it! All of it!" --- "Veggies gone, mama!" Jack announced as he finished the last of the broccoli on his plate. He then quickly looked at Nil. "Can I have your meat now?" he asked excitedly and then added, "Please!" "You'd think I didn't feed the boy..." Tia chuckled while rolling her eyes. --- Carol held up her hands and backed up a little. "Easy, man. I was just playing around. Jeez..." --- "Ah, it's fine. I guess it comes with the job." May waved dismissively. She was surprised by him not wanting payment, though. "Thank you. Well, I guess I should get back to doing my rounds or my supervisor will give- ugh... I was going to say they'd give me hell..." she chuckled awkwardly. --- David nodded and stood straight as well. "All species are capable of inflicting harm. There's little we can do about that. But at least, in this instance, we have an opportunity to control the amount of harm that this particular being would be capable of. That has to count for something." "I'm so lost right now..." Amelia rolled her eyes, and David looked at her. "The other part of him is full of bloodlust and a craving for violence," he explained. "Great!" Amelia said sarcastically. "Just what we need..." "We're going to need a human body. A fresh one." "Ugh..." Amelia shuddered. "Can't I order someone else to do it? Morgues are grim..." "Amelia," David said sternly. "We don't have time for this." "Fine! I'll see you at the usual spot..." She vanished. David then turned to Abaddon. "Come with me... We'll need to prepare," he would teleport to the Gobi Desert. By now, the sand had completely covered up the markings from the last time they'd needed this spell. --- Tuzo kissed him back, matching his gradually building passion. As things became heated between them, his hands wandered to his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders and then to the buttons of his shirt. His wings fluttered a little from excitement, sending a few stray feathers onto the carpet. --- "Wait- what do you mean? What makes you think you're not a normal human?" Lang asked him, looking confused.

"I haven't changed; you merely misjudged me." He said while smirking at her. He then frowned as his eyes moved back to Ortiz, and he nodded. "There is," he answered simply, not ready yet to elaborate. "Good, I'm going to need you to keep an eye on him while I try to talk sense into the daft bastard," he said as he moved forward with the intention of lifting Ortiz, but stopped short with a groan, and his knees almost buckled as pain shot through his leg. "Great... Getting him back and tied up is going to be a pain." --- Azrael found himself at a loss. He briefly considered Life's domain, but that would put Death's brother in the same situation regarding diplomacy with Heaven. "If only Atma's bars were still open... we could have housed her in one of those..." He lamented as he recalled Atma running neutral establishments on Earth throughout time, where Angels and Demons alike could rest in safety, regardless of the wars. If only she hadn't lost her memories and become mortal... A radical idea crossed Azrael's mind, and he looked at Nate and Gabriel with an inspired expression. Why did a neutral Earth hub have to be run by Atma specifically? Why not them? What could possibly stop them? And he was certain he wasn't the only one in all the realms to miss them! "We could do it," he said slowly. "We could run a neutral pub... a neutral inn... Like Atma used to! All species welcome. No fighting or arrests permitted within its walls. Just drinks, rooms and conversations between all kinds. Sanctuary!" He looked at Lilith thoughtfully. "She'd be safe there. Protected. We could watch over her and get her the help she needs, and one day, when she's ready, use it to integrate her into a more normal life." --- Lilly watched them both floating, and she hesitated. Her thoughts lurched back to when she'd lost control of her powers, and for a moment, she dreaded attempting to use her powers. But she thought back on how she'd managed to get it under control. 'I can do this,' she thought to herself and then closed her eyes while she focused inward. Tapping into her power and ordering it to bend to her will again, she opened her eyes and found herself a few inches off the ground. She laughed but then wobbled and struggled to hold herself upright. She hadn't anticipated that floating would involve some level of balance, and suddenly found herself thankful that she'd decided to wear shorts under her dress as she ended up almost upside down. --- When the men appeared, Clementine's eyes had first landed on Adam. Upon recognising him immediately, she'd closed her eyes and turned away from him in time to miss his light. Quickly, she jumped to her feet and, while clutching the bag of groceries to her chest, she turned to run away from him. Only to be stopped by John before she'd even reached the end of the bus stop. When her eyes landed on him, she gasped and dropped the bag, which spilt its contents onto the street. "John Devine!" She stared at him with wide eyes. "No- but you- You were destroyed!" "So were you, Clementine... It looks like you've changed a lot since you came back." John answered her calmly. Clementine shivered as she realised with sickening clarity that Adam being here as well meant that this time John had managed to get much farther with his crazy plan than he had when Lucifer had been around. "What do you want with me?" "Well, first I want you to look at Adam." "Go to Hell!" "Eden." John corrected her calmly. "And don't worry, we will. All of us. Together." "You're mad! You're both mad!" "Don't you want to be part of something truly great? You always had ambition, Clementine. What's more ambitious than helping to create a new utopia and becoming royalty?" "Utopia?! More like cult! I will not be your brood sow!" "You've got it all wrong. It can work. We can build a paradise together. But we need you. You're a genuis! Don't waste your potential." John reasoned. He glanced behind her at Adam, knowing Clementine's attention was fully on John and that as long as she knew where Adam was, she would refuse to look at him. Which meant they needed to be smart as well as fast. He wondered if, while they were talking, he and Adam could teleport to switch places before she could react. --- "Yeah, yeah, nice try!" Jack rolled his eyes while still poking his broccoli with his fork. "Mom tried to tell me that before!" "It worked for the whole of ten seconds," Tia commented as she came back and sat down. "Jack, do you wana know a secret?" Layla pretended to whisper to him across the table. When he looked at her curiously, she picked up the gravy boat from the middle of the table and poured some onto her own broccoli before placing it back down. "There! Now my veggies will taste like the meat!" Jack's eyes widened as if Layla had just given him the greatest idea in the world. "Do you want me to put some on yours?" Tia asked him, but Jack jumped up to stand on his chair. "No, I can do it! I got it!" He said excitedly as he reached for the gravy boat. "Alright, but be careful and don't spill it," Tia replied and watched him carefully as he tried to aim the gravy over his broccoli. "Well done," she praised him when he managed to do it himself and put the gravy boat back before sitting down. Jack grinned proudly and eagerly dug his fork into a large bit of broccoli before taking a bite. His face went through a range of expressions. Mostly from disgusted to happy to disgusted and back to happy as he would occasionally still taste the vegetable through the gravy. But he at least seemed to find it manageable as he took another bite without any more complaints. --- "Positively epic, you mean?" Carol grinned playfully as they walked. "So, I guess this makes us colleagues now... How's it feel to be a Devil with a Demon superior?" She chuckled. "I'm just yanking your chain. We're pretty much equals in this job... although technically I kinda have seniority over you when it comes to this role specifically." --- "Thank you." May breathed, feeling a little lightheaded as she sat on the bed. "I think I just need to come to terms with it all... I knew there was an afterlife, but I guess I just never actually gave it much thought before. And now, suddenly, it's like I'm seeing evidence of it everywhere I look..." She glanced at Carter and shook her head a bit. "Uh, sorry. I-um... So, what do I owe you? For helping with this?" --- David jumped to his feet and stepped back as the visions flashed violently through his mind. "Dad?" Amelia looked at him worriedly, having not seen what Abaddon had shown him. It took a moment for David to process what he'd seen, and in that time, he held a hand up to Amelia to signal to give him a moment. He then looked at Abaddon with a grave expression. "We need to get that human out of you," he said with a hint of urgency in his tone. "I know you think we shouldn't, but consider for a moment that you are not the only one out of both of you right now who has access to your Devil abilities. All it would take is for you to lose your grip for just a moment, and we'll have a Doctor Jekyll & Mr Hyde problem on our hands! Only your 'Mr Hyde' will be capable of the levels of carnage a Devil as ancient as yourself can create." He took a step towards Abaddon again and knelt down once more. "Let me put that human into a human body. It won't have any powers, and it'll be much easier to handle. Please." "Dad?" Amelia said again. Her eyes were now fixed on Abaddon. David's words had concerned her deeply, but she didn't yet understand what had telepathically been communicated between the pair. --- "Oh, I can certainly do that." Tuzo purred into his ear. "Before we get started, I think it's best to let you know so that you don't think I'm doing it intentionally. Part of the type of Angel that I am means that my saliva can, well, act as a sort of aphrodisiac. The more we kiss, the more you'll want until both our needs are met." He smirked at him. "What do you say? Care to taste?" --- "Oh, boy..." Lang sighed as he stared at Reed on the ground. He walked over to him calmly and lifted him into his desk chair. He then sat on his desk and placed his hand on Reed's shoulder, using his powers to help him feel a bit better. "Are you alright?" he'd ask him when he'd come to. --- Lost in the whirlwind of lust and ecstacy, Damien kissed Samson over and over with increasing passion whilst undressing himself. He pushed Samson onto the bed and tossed his shirt to one side before leaning over him to kiss him again. He caressed his thigh and lifted it over his hip. His other hand caressed his cheek as they kissed before moving down his chest, gliding his fingertips over his stomach and into his pants. *Private time*

His stream of fire had narrowly missed both Ortiz and Violet, thanks to her quick reaction. Kris stumbled as quickly as he could over to where he heard the commotion. When he reached the illuminated area, he saw Violet beating Ortiz until he was out cold. He stared at her dumbfounded as she made her way over to him. He felt a range of emotions and wasn't entirely sure how to process them all at once. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief that Violet had intervened when she did and ultimately saved Ortiz's life. He admired her strength, despite her powers being all but diminished by the bracelet. But he also felt sadness, betrayal and anger towards Ortiz. Add to that the gut-wrenching guilt at how close he had come to killing him, and it would be safe to say Kris was having one hell of an emotional cocktail. "So, you're following me, now?" he asked Violet in a vain attempt to lighten his mood. It didn't work, and he found himself frowning at his unconscious ex-friend. "Thank you," he said to her seriously. "Really... thank you." --- Azrael hesitated and glanced away. He was surprised that Gabriel hadn't already spilt the beans about him and Death, but he supposed now wasn't exactly the time for that news. Still, especially given what Death already had on his plate with the new children, he wasn't so sure that bringing Lilith to his Kingdom would be wise. "I don't think that would work either." He told them. "It's peaceful, yes. But there is enough going on there for Death to worry about without... a potential diplomatic risk..." he finished uneasily. Of course, Lilith was still seen as a traitor and a criminal in the eyes of Heaven. So, Death's Kingdom harbouring Heaven's fugitive might not go down so well when it came to the already fragile relations between the two Kingdoms. He bit his lip as he thought quickly. He still wanted to help his friend. "What about Earth?" He suggested. "We can find her somewhere secluded and quiet to settle. Somewhere, she can easily seek counselling for supernatural beings. And where we can each keep an eye on her to make sure she stays safe." --- "Thank you!" Lilly called to the villagers politely. She turned to face her adoptive father and brother. "What about your courtyard?" she suggested. "It looked quite large, would that be big enough?" she asked and turned to Raven. --- John took Adam's hand and caressed it with his thumb. "Remember, it's not just Eden we're doing this for. It's for the safety and health of your new wives and children," he then teleported them to wherever Clementine would be... Which would currently be waiting alone at a bus stop after buying some groceries. She was still getting used to being human, and not being able to teleport anywhere was certainly one of the powers she missed. As a demon, she'd never been big enough to even have the ability to learn to drive, and now that she was an adult human, she found the lessons to be tedious and frustrating. She hadn't been human for long but had already managed to fail three tests out of her impatience to learn. So, now she sat with a brown paper bag full of fresh food because it's her turn to stock the kitchen, and she unfortunately had to rely on public transport to get home. Which, frustratingly yet very typically, was running late... again! Harris always offered to pay for a taxi for her, but she was far too proud to still be relying on him financially after living with him, Kodi and Autumn for so long. Within just two weeks of living with them, she'd managed to get herself a job as a secretary for a local law firm. When her first check came in, she insisted on Kodi accepting a portion of her wages going forward to go towards bills, food and rent. It was taking some getting used to, but she found she was quickly getting the knack for this 'being human' business. --- Tia got up and walked into the kitchen. She soon came back with the pan and a ladle and moved to Nil's side. "I always make more in case Jack acts up at the table. The threat of Broccoli for dessert seems to work better than the time-out chair..." She said to him with a chuckle as she loaded up his plate with the greens. "Can I have your meat?" Jack asked Nil while pointing to it. "Jack, eat your broccoli first. No extra meat until they're gone from your plate, Mr!" Tia said firmly as she walked back into the kitchen to return the pan to the stove. "Awww..." Jack complained as he poked the broccoli on his plate with his fork, and a very disgusted look. --- "Not everyone can heal their wounds, ding dong." Carol pointed out to Ash. "And also, what are you waiting for? The slip hazard to get bigger?" she then bantered as she pointed to the small puddle of blood on the ground that had formed under Ash's feet. May looked blankly at Carter and nodded a little as he helped her to her feet. "I thought I'd seen it all... I've met the odd Angel but not... I've never seen... That was a Devil?" She gasped. "So is this one!" Carol beamed and pointed at Ash. "I'm just a Demon. Hi, by the way. Also, are you single?" "What?" May's eyebrows furrowed, and then as she registered what Carol had asked, she shook her head. "N-no..." "...Poly?" "No." "Dammit." Carol snapped her fingers. "Too bad. Anyway, we should get going. Ash, say bye to the nice human nurse," she said playfully, mimicking a parent's voice before walking out the door and expecting Ash to follow. May looked from the door back at Carter. "Are all Demons strange or just that one? ... or was that a racist thing to ask?... I think I might need to lie down..." --- "That's not how this works, I'm afraid," David said firmly as he straightened up. "If you keep going the way you're going, you will drive yourself insane. Abaddon, I've seen this before. You're not alone in this. That human needs to be separated from you. It needs a life of its own. You won't feel yourself again until that happens." --- Tuzo blushed at Napoleon's compliment and then smirked at him playfully when he heard him behind him. He shivered as he felt him touch his wings and turned his head to glance back at him with the same playful smile. "Only 'satisfactory'?" he asked coyly. "I will have to do something to change that, I think." --- Lang was taken aback by the admission. He stared at Reed for a moment, unsure of how to respond. He wasn't exactly the type to rush into things, and he certainly never thought he'd be in this position. At least, not for a long time. He wasn't sure if he was ready, but he also couldn't see the harm in seeing where things would go. "I'm flattered," he said awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "Well, my shift is over, so... I dunno, maybe... do you want to go and get a drink with me? We'll talk and see where things go from there." --- It would seem Samson wasn't going to open up a vein for him to make it easier. He recalled that he'd enjoyed it when Damien had accidentally bitten his lip too hard the last time they'd been together and wondered if that was what he was waiting for. He smirked and leaned in to kiss his collarbone. Starting with a gentle kiss, which gradually escalated into a hickey until he nipped him just enough to draw a little blood. The second it touched his tongue, he felt the same sensation of pure electric pleasure jolt through him. It caused him to moan in ecstasy as his body tensed and instinctively hugged Samson close to him while his mouth locked around the cut. It wasn't big enough for him to get a lot, but it was enough that each time he drew a little more blood into his mouth, he shivered and moaned with the same ecstasy. Of course, the moment Samson would tell him to stop, he'd pull back breathlessly, albeit with some reluctance. For such a small amount, it produced in him a far more intense high than he would have gotten from his venom alone. "Holy fuck!" he breathed and then kissed Samson passionately. Even a little roughly. "I want you so bad right now," he told him while looking at him with lustful eyes.

Kris emotions are somewhere between these two memes rn lol

Kris panted silently as he watched Ortiz's figure from his position in the shadows. He bit back tears, barely able to believe that he had been forced, once again, into a life-or-death fight against someone he thought he could trust. Silently, he watched until he saw Ortiz beginning to walk away from the store he'd been hiding in. He lifted his hand and summoned a ball of fire within his palm. "Then, I'm sorry it came to this," he said quietly, then stepped forward. He groaned as pain shot up his leg, but he continued his momentum and attempted to throw a jet of fire at Ortiz. --- Lilith jumped when Nate snapped at her, and she recoiled from him fearfully as her lower lip trembled. She looked pitifully broken as she tried to decide whether to say something or run. Azrael recognised the expression and knew she'd likely try to run if they didn't do something quickly to try to resolve the situation. He waved his hand to make his scythe vanish. The last thing they needed was a weapon between them. He teleported behind Lilith in time that when she turned to run, he immediately caught her. Much to Lilith's surprise and horror as she let out a terrified scream. Before she could react and try to fight him off, Azrael used his soothing aura to disarm her. Before she could react further, he touched her forehead with his index finger. His black eyes briefly held a pale blue glow as he uttered the word "Sleep." In seconds, she became limp in his arms and dozed peacefully. With a saddened expression, he waved his hand and summoned one of the reaper cloaks to cover her tattered and ripped dress. He then lifted her into his arms and looked at Nate. "I know she hurt you..." he began in a gentle tone. "But you know what she went through. She went through that for centuries, at the hands of, well... our kind. She was right. You might be her first child, but you sure weren't her last. All I'm saying is, I understand why, after all that and living like she had for so long, that she would hate and distrust us. Nate, I don't know how we can fix this for her. For you. She needs help. A lot of it. And probably will for a very, very long time." He glanced around at the dark, dense woods around them. "We could start by taking her somewhere else. Not Heaven. But also not Hell. This place can't be doing her mental health any favours." --- "So we use magic to keep the ball in the air and try to put it through the goals? Like some sort of flying soccer?" She asked as she recalled watching on TV some men running around on a vast green pitch after a rapidly rolling ball. Her friends had told her it was 'Soccer'. When Death had requested a ball in the village, villagers clamoured to be the first ones to offer the Royal Family a ball to play with. "I will never get used to this." Lilly chuckled as she watched several villagers racing to bow before them while offering up various-sized balls. --- "I believe we will," John answered with a small nod and a serious expression. "Apart from speeding up the pregnancies, she would be invaluable when it comes to creating medicines and inoculations as our new Eden develops. After all, we're eventually going to face the same hurdles that the humans did on Earth when they were growing as a species... including dealing with diseases," he explained. "Having her on our side would prevent an inordinate amount of sickness and death among your new children, especially during the early years." --- Layla looked confused by Xenos's explanation. "But part of nature is the circle of life. Unless... are you saying that Nil's species specifically is more herbivore than omnivore?" "What's an om-nom-vore?" Jack asked curiously. "An om-ni-vore eats both meat and plants to survive. Herbivores only eat plants." Layla explained simply. "Wolves eat mostly meat, so we are technically carnivores in nature," Tia added when seeing Jack's interested expression. Jack then looked at the broccoli on his plate with a frown and complained while poking them with his fork. "So, why do you always make me eat these?" "Because the keyword there was 'Mostly'. You still need those to get strong." Tia replied with a chuckle. "Or you can't be a superhero like your dad," she added with a playful smile. She then looked at Nil with an understanding expression. "Don't worry about the meat. You don't have to eat it. I have more broccoli in the pan, if you'd prefer that?" --- "Shit!" Amelia was flustered and quickly looked at Carol. "See to Ash's wounds, I'll take care-" She paused when she heard a whimper in the room and turned to see Nurse May, who had silently watched the whole thing unfold while backed up against the wall, which she now slid down with a shocked expression until she was sitting on the floor. "Double shit!" Amelia said while rubbing her temples with her fingers. She hadn't even noticed the nurse in the room. She saw the phone next to her on the floor with a familiar number on the screen. "Alright, I've got it. Carol, stay here until Carter arrives and take care of Ash's wounds while you're at it," she said as she marched over to May, who flinched as she snatched the phone up from the floor and pressed it against her ear. "Carter, you still there? I'm guessing you heard what happened here. I'm gonna need you to come and make sure this nurse is alright," she said quickly into the phone before hanging it up and placing it on May's lap. She then turned back to face Ash and Carol. "I'll grab David and go help Abaddon," she told them before vanishing." --- Several minutes later, David and Amelia appeared near Abaddon in Hell's Library. "Why is it always the Library?" David mumbled as he carefully observed Abaddon's condition. "Can you help him?" Amelia asked as she stood close by, also watching Abaddon with a concerned expression. "I can, but he's going to need to calm down first," David said as he stepped closer to the continually transforming Devil. "Abaddon. My name is David. I'm here to help," he said clearly as he knelt beside him. "I know a spell that can pull the human side out of you and place it into its own body, but I'll need you to calm down and work with me." --- Tuzo paused, caught off guard by the comment, and he blushed as he glanced at them quickly. "Ah, they tend to change colour. I'm not sure exactly why or what causes it. I guess this is today's palette," he chuckled. "Maybe it's to do with the type of Angel that I am? Although I've rarely met another Angel with wings like mine to test the theory." He straightened himself up and jokingly gave Napoleon a short bow as if introducing himself again. "I am an Angel of Pleasure. I enjoyed the company of humans so much that I moved to Earth a very long time ago..." he admitted and then blushed as he looked at Napoleon. "It's been so long since I enjoyed the company of another Angel. I've almost forgotten what it's like, if I'm being honest." --- Lang looked up just as he'd picked up his canvas bag from under his desk and had brought the strap over his shoulders. "Uh, sure?" he glanced towards the break room, which was currently empty. He headed there, knowing Reed would be following him, and once they were alone with the door closed, he turned to look at him curiously. "Everything ok, Reed? Has something happened?" he asked, concerned by the beads of sweat on Reed's forehead. --- Damien stopped before he'd even managed to take a step. As soon as Samson told him to forgive him, he looked at him and felt his irritation melting away instantly. He sighed with softened eyes and a defeated smile. "Surely you knew?" He asked him coyly as he stepped close and placed a hand on his chest so that the tips of some of his fingers tucked themselves under his collar to touch his skin. As he did this, his powers made his hand feel comfortably warm against his skin. "It's just fun, remember? I find you attractive. You clearly find me attractive. We can enjoy each other's company, among other things, without it getting too serious," he said softly with his lips hovering over his. "Now, how about that taste you promised me?" he grinned playfully.

Ortiz's comments had touched a still-very-raw nerve in Kris. "Fuck you!" He snapped as he jumped past the sign and trash can. He darted into a nearby empty shop, concealing himself in the shadows to try to take a moment to catch his breath. Between his broken leg and the energy he'd used to bend the metal railings, he was beginning to get tired. "Ortiz, enough of this!" he shouted around the corner. "I will not abandon those kids! None of them! You were my right-hand man! I don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you bring danger to those boys!... Whatever it takes..." --- Lilith batted Nate's hands away from her when he told her he worked for Heaven and suggested she'd be welcomed there. She angrily spat on the ground again. "Heaven!" she growled and gestured to herself with both hands. "Did this to me! Heaven made me to be broken! Angels hurt and stole from me again and again! You think you are the only son to be ripped from me?" She seethed through tears. She spoke in the ancient tongue and hurled a slurry of vicious insults at Heaven in general. "Heaven has changed." Azrael tried. "Like any civilisation, we have learned from our past and adapted our morals. What happened to you was... it was beyond horrible. And wrong. You've suffered so much, but you're not beyond help. Please. Let us help you." Lilith hissed at him again. "Angels have tricked me before. They always want something." --- "I believe the souls in the village may have one, Your Grace." The reaper answered with a short bow. "You will have to tell us the rules of this game," Lilly said to Raven. Excitement was bubbling within her. --- "I'm not going to lie, she can be stubborn from what I recall," John said as he stood. "She might even be aware of you and your power, so she might try to look away. But I think she'll be quick to convince if we can only get her to look at you for a moment." --- Before long, Tia and Layla were chatting away in the kitchen like old friends. After setting up the table, Jack chose his seat and then patted the chair next to him while smiling at Nil. Not long after, Tia and Layla brought the dishes in from the kitchen and set them down on the table. Layla would take a seat on the other side of Nil. "Thank you, Mama!" Jack sang out as he grinned at the sight of the medium-rare meat on his plate. --- "Oh dear... I think I know what's happening." Amelia said, then quickly looked at Carol. "You go ahead with Ash and go over training, if needed. I'll take Abaddon to David to get him some help." --- They moved in sync with each other as Tuzo hummed a classical tune. He watched Napoleon's wings sprout and smiled as he lifted his arm to twirl around him. As he moved back to face him and stepped close, his own wings burst forth in a flurry of pink-tipped feathers. "We are as a pair of swans, dancing about the reflection of the moon on the lake, Monsieur. Gracefully in our celebration of the beauty of the night," he said softly. --- Lang raised a brow at Reed, then looked at Luis. "Thanks for the ride back. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Glad you're not going anywhere, by the way," he said with a smile, then headed inside. His shift was over, but he needed to grab a couple of things from his desk before heading home. --- Taken aback by Samson's reaction and words, Damien stared at him in confusion. "See what? That I'm attracted to you?" Damien asked with a half-laugh. "I can be attracted without falling in love. I meant what I said. I'm not looking for anything serious either." he looked away from him. His cheeks had flushed from a combination of humiliation, rejection and irritation. "This is obviously a bad time... I'll give you some space," he sighed as he began buttoning his own shirt back up and turning away from him.

Although he'd been on alert, Kris was still taken by surprise when Ortiz threw an ATM machine at him. He attempted to jump out of the way but hadn't reacted quickly enough, and the corner of the machine struck his leg as it barreled passed him. Kris fell with a grunt and breathed sharply through his teeth as he pulled himself back to his feet. His leg was obviously injured enough that he shouldn't be putting weight on it, but he refused to lose face in front of his attacker. Grimacing, he chanted a quick spell while his fingers twitched by his sides. Thin strands of metal peeled themselves off the nearby railing and wrapped themselves snugly around his injured leg as a makeshift brace. He glared intensely at Ortiz. "You think just because you have brawn that you can take me on? I've lived through worse than this. You're a fool, Ortiz. A fool and a traitor. And I have no tolerance for either." He lifted his arms by his sides, his palms flat and his fingers reaching upwards. He focused on willing more of the metalwork from the railings to bend and jolt from their fixtures. With shrill creaks and loud groaning sounds, the steel rapidly snapped and coiled its way to try to ensnare Ortiz within a large, misshapen cage. --- "Heaven!" Lilith growled angrily at the word and turned her head in disgust before spitting on the ground. She said something distainfully under her breath, and Azrael was almost certain it was a very old slur against Angels. He hadn't heard it in centuries. Not since shortly before Lucifer's fall. Almost as quickly, Lilith turned back to look at her son with the same expression she'd had when she first saw his face. "My Naoutha has come home! Home to Eden! Home to Lilith! Mine! My first!" she cried and stepped towards him while lifting her arms to him. Before she reached him, her eyes landed on Gabriel and Azrael, then she recoiled and hissed wildly at them with fury in her eyes. It was as if she'd just realised that they were even there. Azrael exchanged an uncertain glance with Gabriel, then looked back at her and lifted his hand to try to show her he meant no harm. "We're Nate's- uh, Naoutha's friends. We came to help," he tried to explain. His words had no effect, and she continued to glare at the pair in distrust. --- Lilly remained quiet and watched Raven curiously. She'd seen some games on the TV on Earth when hanging out with Pain and the others. But she'd never seen a ball game that involved flying, so this had caught her interest. --- "I'm not asking you to force anyone to do anything," John said gently but quickly as he got up from his chair, crossed the room and knelt before Adam while taking his hands in his. He looked like a lover about to propose. He looked up into Adam's eyes and continued to speak in soft words. "I wouldn't ask that of you. I know what it means to you. All I'm suggesting is that we try to, uh, convert isn't the right word... bring her into our fold. To show her that she would be welcomed and loved. That she could be a part of your grand new kingdom. To show her the light... your light." he brushed his thumbs over the back of Adam's hands. "This is only my advice. My love. My King. Whatever you choose, I will follow you to the end of time." --- "Water?!" Jack exclaimed at Nil's explanation, struggling to make sense of it. "He certainly is," Tia commented with a chuckle on her way through. "He is always asking questions about everything. You should have seen his 'why?' phase. None. Stop," she looked back at her son with a small smile. "Time to set the table, cub." She said to him in a gentle but firm tone. "Yes, Mama," Jack replied and looked quickly at Nil. "You can tell me more about the clouds later!" he said excitedly, then went about getting the cutlery for the table. "Would you like some help?" Layla asked Tia as she walked into the kitchen after her. Layla saw it as the perfect opportunity to be able to talk to another wolf. --- When both Ash and Abaddon seemed to be interested in Amelia's offer, she grinned and called out. "Carol!" "Oh, this wasn't what I was expecting..." Carol commented as she popped into the room and saw the two Demons she'd previously met and fought, who both now seemed more human in appearance. "Not that I'm complaining." She added with a coy smirk. "Please behave..." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Gentlemen, this is Carol Magpie. My adoptive mother and also currently my only official royal guard... Well, I think it's about time that changed." "Wait, you're not firing me, are you?" Carol asked jokingly with her hand on her hip. "Nope, just expanding. Carol, I'll need you to take these two under your wing. And gentlemen, if you would do me the honour, I'd like to make you both part of my Royal Guard. Like Carol, your duties would include safeguarding the lives of myself, Charles and our son, Prince Oliver. Identifying and eliminating threats to us or Hell. Upholding the peace between Hell and the other realms. I will also give you each the authority to recruit and train Hellions who wish to join our forces, either as soldiers or more Royal Guards, as you see fit. What do you think?" "These guys?" Carol asked dubiously as she eyed both Ash and Abaddon. "You sure about this? They both seem a little unstable." "Because you're so calm and collected all the time?" Amelia smirked while raising a brow at her mother. "I'll admit, I have exotic tastes and a bit of a wild... and sometimes spontaneous side. But these guys are- no offence- unhinged at best." "I think they're perfect for the job." Amelia folded her arms with a triumphant look. "You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?" "Yep!" "Ugh, fine! What'ya say, you two? Wana be my official colleagues and bash traitors' heads in for a living?" Carol looked at them both while Amelia anxiously awaited their answer. --- Tuzo frowned. He took another sip of his drink and then shook his head. "What are we doing?" he asked suddenly. "My good man, we're sitting in one of the finest rooms in France, the place practically to ourselves, drinking some of the best wine that France has to offer, and we're talking about war!" he laughed and downed the rest of his glass before standing up. He carefully placed his glass on the nearby table, then stepped into the centre of the room and held his hand out for Napoleon. "Dance with me, Monsieur! Forget the wars! Forget the politics! Forget the whole damn world if you must! Just dance with me and be here, enjoying the moment to its fullest!" --- Lang chuckled. "It can be nerve-wracking. But honestly, the worst that can happen is they say 'no'. But that's ok. It just means that they're simply not the right person for you. But if you keep trying when you get that feeling, then eventually you're bound to find someone who will say 'yes'. I think never asking is worse, because then you're left to wonder what their answer would have been, and you never get closure." --- Grinning at Samson's answer, he would wait for him to offer it to him before trying a taste. In the meantime, he kissed him again and again. He paused to catch his breath while unbuttoning his shirt. While he did this, his eyes wandered from Samson's face to his chest and downward, then back up to his eyes. As they moved, his pupils widened from the attraction he felt for him.

"That doesn't even make any sense! Listen to yourself, Ortiz!" Kris snapped. He'd been about to take a step forward when he paused. He'd gotten the sudden sense of being watched. He narrowed his eyes at Ortiz. "What are you playing at?" he accused him then looked around in paranoia, expecting some kind of ambush. --- The trio arrived in one of Hell's many forests. This one was dense and the large trees blocked out almost all light. It was one of Lilith's favoured hunting grounds. By now the red dress that Insanity had gifted to her was filthy and torn in several places. Her hair was messy and hung around her shoulders as she crept between the trees. She had been hunting for her next meal when the angels had appeared in front of her. Azreal squinted, barely able to see Lilith through the darkness. He lifted his hand and summoned a couple of floating balls of light, which lifted from his palm to hover above them. Lilith shielded her eyes, hissing in anger at the sudden illumination that stung them. As her eyes adjusted, they landed on Nate's face. For a moment she didn't move. Then she cautiously moved towards him. She sniffed the air around him while continuing to stare at his face. She was about to speak in the original language, but recalled the newer language that Insanity had taught her during her brief time in his company. "M-mine?" She asked him as she reached up to touch his face as if unable to believe he was there. "My- My first? My Naoutha?" She brought her arms back to her chest and, for a moment, she cradled air before pressing her hands over her heart. She hadn't seen him since he was snatched from her when he was old enough to no longer need her breast milk to survive. "Come back?" --- Lilly looked thoughtful, but she'd never had a parent before and had spent so much of her life moving from place to place that she'd never stopped to observe a normal family. She looked at Raven, hoping he might have a better idea of what they could do. --- "I think I know a way to safely speed up the process of your wives going through pregnancy. I was thinking it over for a while but there's only one Demon that I know who is smart enough to concoct something so precise." John rubbed his chin nervously, unsure of how Adam would take such a proposition. "Her name is Clementine. She was once a fallen Cherub who could never age but she committed treason and got herself destroyed. Well, I was destroyed once too so I wondered if she might have also made it out of Oblivion. So, I tracked her down. She's back. She's human, living on Earth and she came back in an adult form. It seems her time in Oblivion granted her the ability to age at the cost of her Demonic powers. That's the good news..." he paused. He turned and grabbed a chair from the nearby vanity table and turned it around to sit in, then looked back at Adam. "The bad news is that in her return she's renewed her allegiance to Charles and Amelia. And, I don't know for certain, but she's sharing a home with two men. Either those men are together and she's their friend, or she's with one of them... or both. It was hard to tell just by observing and I didn't get a lot of time to gather any more information than that. I know you don't want to force anyone into living here and helping with building our new Eden, but maybe you could use that gift of yours to convince her to join us? We'd have to be careful about it. I'm just concerned that the longer it takes for us to create our new Eden, the more at risk we are of being discovered before we're ready. Ultimately though, the choice is yours and I will respect your decision." --- "Woah! Do they feel soft? Or sticky like- like cotton candy? I like cotton candy! I like the blue ones!" Jack rambled excitedly. Layla chuckled with her arms folded as she watched the interaction. She thought it was adorable. "And we love you, my superhero!" Tia smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Now, come! I need to dish up the dinner before it gets cold!" --- "Nonsense!" Amelia exclaimed. "Abaddon, your skills extend beyond violence. Case in point-!" She gestured at May. "Like any other Devil, you are capable of good! Both of you are!" She looked between Ash and Abaddon. "And I would be honoured if you would both join me in my pursuit to make Hell what it was always meant to be- Not a place of torture, fire and bloody brimstone! But a place where troubled souls can find the help that they need to redeem themselves! In fact... I might actually have the perfect assignment for the both of you. If you're up for it?" She gave them a cunning smile. --- "I'm sorry to hear that," Tuzo said sadly as he poured more wine into Napoleon's glass. "I always admired humans, you know. They're certainly never boring." he chuckled. "It's why I retired to Earth to live among them the first chance that I got. I got so tired of Heaven's politics, the war... I just wanted a peaceful life." He took a sip of his drink. --- Lang smiled without turning to look back at Reed. "Well, then, you ask them if they'd like to go on a date with you," he said simply. --- The licking and nibbling sent shivers through Damien and he barely contained his sighs. He felt Samson's hand under his shirt and bit his lip. He gripped his hair and pressed his hardness against Samson's thigh. He then moved his hand down from his hair to lift his chin away from his throat so that he could look at him. He stared for a moment at his own blood on Samson's lips before kissing him passionately. Unbothered by the metallic-sweet taste. "Let me taste you too?" he whispered breathlessly with his lips still close to his.

"So, that's what this is about?!" Kris laughed. "You're jealous of a kid!? You're insane! I treated you well, didn't I?!" he scolded him. Taking a step towards him. "I protected you and those kids. Beat back vamps from our terf to keep you all safe! I trained you! Raised you up from nothing! And you choose to betray me for what? Pettiness?!" --- Azrael stood too and stared sadly at the spot where Raguel had been. He lifted his eyes to Gabriel and then to Nate. "We'll go with you. He said she was in Hell. We'll need to be careful." He waved his hand and his scythe appeared in it. It wasn't as grande as Death's but it was useful all the same. "In case we run into danger," he said. "Like old times..." --- Lilly smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's funny, isn't it? How fortunate we are to have all found each other?" she looked up at Death. "It seems almost like fate brought us to you." --- "Watching us?" Eve looked at Adam worriedly. "But could they have followed us?" "No, I made sure we're protected whenever we teleport here. No one can teleport in or out but us. Anyone trying to locate us also won't be able to. I've put up spells in every room of this place for our protection." John explained. "Oh, thank you, John. How lucky we are to have you!" Eve beamed at him. John blushed a little but avoided her eyes. He instead brought his own eyes to Adam's. "I've had an idea. Could we talk in private?" --- "Shit... How could I miss that?" Parker rubbed his forehead. "Of course, he'd want to be her dad too... he and River probably felt the same love that I felt when I saw her photo. But I know what I'm doing is right by Madeline. Besides, it's not like I'm forbidding him from being a part of her life... And you saw what he was like. We tried to talk to him but he blew us off." --- Meanwhile, River had arrived outside Alex's home in Britain. "You sure you're good?" he asked him uncertainly. "Stop asking," Alex said irritably. "Alright... call me if you need me," River said and reluctantly vanished, leaving Alex alone on his doorstep. Alex unlocked the door and walked in with a heavy sigh. --- "You been in a plane?! Did it make the neeeooooow! noise?" Jack asked, doing his best to imitate what he thought a plane sounded like. "Did you see the clouds up close?" Tia listened to Xenos without saying a word. When he finished, she continued to look at him but her expression wasn't angry. It was loving. She moved towards him and cupped his face in her hands while looking up into his eyes. "You're a warrior. A leader. My superhero." She smiled at him. A superhero is what Jack would regularly call him. "You are a good man, Xenos. That is why I fell in love with you. Good men can make mistakes but as long as you always try to do what is right, that's what matters." --- May was stunned by Abaddon's gesture. She stared at the cut on his neck and lifted her fingers to lightly touch her bandage. Knowing without seeing it that her wound was no longer there. "Thank you!" She gasped. She was still shivering slightly but more out of adrenaline than fear. Now, she was staring at him in awe. "What will you do now?" Amelia asked Abaddon. Concerned that he might try to take vengeance on Ash, which she'd prefer to avoid given Ash's own recent redemption. --- Tuzo sipped his wine and watched Napoleon curiously. "You had quite the life, didn't you? What was it like, being human? I've always wondered." He asked while walking over to the fine-looking couches and moving the velvet ropes out of the way so that they could sit down. --- (It's cool, I think we have a couple of Jacks in our rp but in all fairness, Jack is a pretty common name lol) "I mean, if you want to make it sound simple, sure," Lang commented from his seat in the car. "But I think there's way more to it than any book can cover. Trust me, you know it when you feel it." --- His roughness and the kiss made Damien want him more. Excitedly, he followed Samson's instructions and met him in his bedroom after locking the door. When he felt his fangs penetrate his throat, he gasped and shivered in ecstasy. A moan slipped past his lips as he stumbled back with him until he was pinned against the nearby wall. "Yes-!" He breathed while closing his eyes and tilting his head back. The feeling of being dominated by Samson thrilled him further and he was ready to give himself over to him. "Make it slow," he whispered into his ear, wanting to feel this sensation for as long as possible. His hand wandered over Samson's back and around to his chest. His other hand held the back of his head, his fingers entwined in his soft hair.

Kris arrived at the mall and walked calmly up the broken escalators. He glanced at the broken window at the top curiously and continued to wander around the mall. He could sense his former right-hand man nearby, but couldn't see him yet. "You had so much promise, Ortiz." He tutted while calling out. His voice echoed off the walls of the big, empty building. "I don't get it. Exactly what about this kid was so threatening to you? hmm? We've taken in dozens of kids over the years but this one... this one you had a problem with. Why?" he demanded. "I don't take kindly to those who would wish harm on kids. You know that. Yet you not only tried to hurt one of our own, you tried to pass the job off to one of the other kids!" He stopped and glared from empty shop to empty shop. "Come out here and face me, coward," he growled angrily. --- "Naoutha..." Raguel stepped towards the bars but Azrael appeared, standing between them while glaring at him. "You've done enough," Azrael told him coldly. He turned and knelt by Nate's side to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Seeing his son like this brought pain to Raguel. He looked from Azrael to Gabriel and then back to Nate as his sins weighed heavily on him. "Your mother hates me." He told Nate quietly. I abandoned her out of fear that I would be discovered... I was selfish and she hates me for it. I tried to make up for it by watching over you but I see now that I failed you too." He took a step back, moving towards the centre of his cell as tears rolled down his cheeks. "You can find her in Hell. She has lost her mind and become wild but perhaps you can repair some of the damage that I caused. I'm sorry, Naoutha. I'm so sorry." he knelt now and bowed his head, clasping his hands together. "Father. Forgive me. I am the one who stole Lilith from Adam. I confess that it was my son that she bore. I accept my responsibility and welcome your divine punishment. I only ask that you grant Naoutha your mercy. The sin was mine, not his." "Raguel-!" Azrael gasped in shock. Within seconds Raguel collapsed to the floor of his cell as a great, invisible weight pressed him down. He grunted and gasped under the strain but did nothing to stop it. A second later, Raguel vanished from the cell without a trace. As shocking as this event had been, they each would get the distinct sense that Raguel had not been destroyed. Merely transported elsewhere. Somewhere unreachable. --- Lilly frowned at Raven's words and nodded to Death when he told her to talk to him. She walked over to her adoptive brother. "I know how you feel." She told him. "I felt exactly like that for so long that I buried my powers deep out of fear of what I'd become if I used them. But we don't have to fear them. We just have to know how to control them. I learned how to harness mine today and I learned that as much as I am capable of terrible things... I am equally capable of using my powers for good." --- After viewing a few houses, Eve got a good idea of how modern homes looked. John seemed to become increasingly distracted as he continually peered out the windows and over his shoulder. After some time, he leaned in to whisper to Adam so as not the alarm the pair. "I don't know for certain but I feel like we're being watched. We've lingered for too long. We should leave. Now." --- "Huh?" Parker stared at Will cluelessly when he'd said he recognised Alex's look. "What do you mean?" --- "And I didn't be a wolf like I promised!" Jack told Xenos proudly. It had taken some effort to integrate Jack into a normal school in order to give him some form of normality. But he seemed to have adapted to ordinary life very quickly. Tia was concerned by Xenos's words but nodded and turned to their guests. "Please, make yourselves at him." She then turned to Jack. "Be polite," she said firmly but gently. "I will mama!" Jack said sweetly. As Tia and Xenos walked to another room, Jack ran over to his plane and brought it back to show Layla and Nil. "Do you like planes?" --- "It's fine..." May said softly to Insanity. "I swore I'd take up this job to help those who need it. It was the right thing to do." She jumped when Amelia and Ash appeared, and as she witnessed the power transfer from Ash to Abaddon and then Abaddon's transformation. Barely comprehending what she was seeing, she had backed away from them until her back hit the wall as she looked on nervously. She began shaking when Abaddon awoke and tore off his restraints. When his eyes landed on her, she shivered fearfully. She particularly felt small as he stood. Then he spoke, apologised to her and offered her a wilted rose. Unsure of how to react, she slowly and gingerly accepted his gift with a trembling hand. "Th-thank you," she replied nervously, unable to take her eyes off him. "Abaddon, it's good to see you back to your old self." Amelia greeted him. She didn't mind Insanity perching himself on her shoulder. --- "With pleasure, Monsieur." Tuzo wrapped an arm around Napoleon's waist and vanished with him. After a brief stop to purchase a couple of bottles of Bordeaux, he teleported them to Mont St. Michel, where they managed to join a tour group at the last moment. After walking around and admiring the decor for a while, Tuzo looked around a particular room he liked the look of and just as the tour group started to file out of the room, he nodded to Napoleon for them to linger until they were the only two in the room. He'd found a sign written in French along the way that translated to 'Closed for Cleaning.' and had managed to pick it up without anyone noticing. As soon as they were alone, he hung it on the outside of the door and then locked them both in. Chuckling, he picked up the pair of crystal glasses on a nearby table that had been there for decoration and handed one to Napoleon. "This is thrilling," he admitted as he pulled the bottles of Bordeaux out of his bag. He poured them each a glass, setting the bottles on the table and lifted his own glass to Napoleon in cheers. "To the end of the war!" --- Damien couldn't help grinning at him playfully. "Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you could help me. You see I have this awful itch that I just can't seem to scratch." he bit his lower lip seductively while lifting a finger to run it down the side of his exposed neck before toying with the loosened collar of his shirt. His eyes burned lustfully into Samson's "Just... here..." he breathed the words softly.

"They can be a pain in the ass at times, but they're good kids." Kris smiled. "I need to handle some other business, so I'll leave you to get settled in," he said, knowing it was about time he found and confronted Ortiz. He scooped up Violet's hand and kissed the back of it. "Goodnight, Violet," he said before letting her hand go and vanishing. --- "Well, that went better than expected!" Lang grinned at Luis. He then chuckled at Reed's comment. "Maybe when you meet the right person, you'll get it." He suggested. He checked his watch after realising how dark the sky was beginning to grow. "Oh wow, time sure has flown by today. My shift is over." --- Azrael stared at the spot their friend had just been and worried about what he might do. Especially after seeing him donning his armour. "Do you think we should go with him?" He asked nervously as he exchanged a worried glance with Gabriel. --- Raguel stared at Nate in surprise then narrowed his eyes whilst looking away and muttered "Damn it, Gabriel..." He quickly looked around to make sure no guards were around to listen in. "Keep your voice down, Naoutha!" he said quickly under his breath and then gave Nate an apologetic look. He'd been dreading this moment for centuries. Over the years he'd imagined how he might go about breaking the news, if ever. He'd never once thought that it might end up like this. "I-..." he faltered. All the speeches he'd ever imagined giving to Nate suddenly evaporated from his mind. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't expect you to save me. But please know that everything I ever did... it was to protect you. I didn't want you to feel that you were different. I wanted you to feel like you were equal to your peers." He stopped and lowered his eyes to the ground. All the morally questionable things he'd done. In an effort to convince Nate he was like the rest of the first Angels, he'd erased his memories of growing up and manipulated him to make him believe that he'd been created by God like the others. He'd even gone as far as to manipulate the memories of Gabriel and Azrael when Nate had started to bond with them so that they, too, would believe he had been created, the same as them. One of his many, many regrets was that he hadn't been able to save Nate from God's wrath. He had been unable to interfere when Nate had been assigned as an Angel of pleasure. Almost like God had done it to spite Nate's father for the sin of tainting Lilith. Then Raguel suffered to know that he couldn't save Nate when he had been cast into ADIEU's facility as a punishment for his defiance. Because doing anything to help Nate on either occasion would have certainly revealed him to be Nate's father, and thus would have doomed Raguel to a worse fate. "I know that it will mean little now... but for what it's worth Naoutha..." He said quietly as he brought his tearful eyes up to his son's. "I've always loved you. And I did... and still do, love your mother." --- Lilly chuckled and shook her head a bit when Death admitted he'd collapsed on purpose. But she was thankful that he'd gone about it in such a way that it forced her to realise her own potential. It made her admire him all the more and made him seem so much wiser in her eyes. She let go of him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yes, father," she said with a smile as she followed him to wherever Raven would be now. --- Eve looked in awe around them at the perfect little cul-de-sac full of freshly built and decorated houses. "Oh, I don't know!" she giggled excitedly while holding Adam's hand. "Let's start at this end and work our way around!" She suggested while pointing to the nearest house. John watched over them, following them as they enjoyed their day on Earth. Every so often he'd look around them warily. Worried they would be spotted by Angels but for the most part, they blended in with the other humans. --- "Dad's gone home. He was tired after today." Parker told Will. "And we're excited to be uncles, right Alex?" River beamed and nudged Alex with his elbow. Alex barely moved or looked at Parker but he nodded. "Sure. River, can you take me home? I'm pretty tired too." Parker stared at Alex, sensing something was off. "Everything ok?" "Fine," Alex responded coldly. "Just tired. Like I said." "Well ok... you can talk to us, you know. If there's something-" "I said I'm just tired." Alex snapped, bringing his eyes back to Parker's to glare at him. "I'll take him home. I guess you two will need some time to prepare for Madeline's arrival tomorrow anyway. Good to see you're alright, anyway." River said to them before placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "C'mon then, grumpy," he said before vanishing with him. --- "Dad!" Jack dropped his plane and made a beeline for Xenos to hug his legs. "You're in time for dinner," Tia said as she stepped out of the kitchen with a pair of oven mittens in one hand. "You're... you're both wolves!" Layla said in surprise, having caught their scent. Then she realised why they seemed so familiar. "Oh wow! You're from that pack we saved in the Steinheil case!" Jack had little to no memory of that horrible place by now, but Tia stiffened at the memory before nodding a little. "Yes." "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean- I just wasn't expecting-" Layla trailed off, embarrassed as she looked at Xenos. She hadn't known he'd fallen for one of the wolves from a past case, let alone settled down. She'd just never thought he was the type to be a family man. "I made beef and vegetables," Tia told them, trying to relieve some awkwardness. "You're welcome to join us. "I got- I made a friend at school!" Jack told Xenos excitedly as if he'd been bursting to tell him all day. "His name is Ryan and he likes cars and planes and superheroes, like me!" --- "Um...?" May looked over at Insanity questioningly. "That's everything, right?" --- "How about Mont St. Michel?" Tuzo suggested, referring to the large, beautiful castle in Normandy. "We can admire the architecture. Perhaps we could even steal away to one of the twenty rooms when the rest of the tour isn't looking and... enjoy each other's company." He purred. --- "It's what I do." Amelia smiled as she shook his hand. She took out her phone when she felt it buzzing in her pocket. Looking over the texts and images, her eyebrows furrowed. "Speaking of redemptions... Ash, I'm going to need you to come with me. There's someone who needs your help specifically," she said as she brought her eyes up to his expectantly while turning her phone to show him the image of the unconscious and powerless Abaddon. --- Damien had walked a few blocks away from Parker & Will's house before he had to stop and lean against a nearby wall to catch his breath. His skin was crawling. Itching. And he felt an ache in the pit of his stomach that only one thing would ease. Venom. Having exerted himself to change Parker, he'd brought on his cravings at a much faster rate. He yanked the top few buttons of his shirt loose to cool himself off as he broke out in a cold sweat. He needed the venom. He needed Samson. The thought of his body pressed against his while he received his vampire's kiss was almost enough to drive him wild with desire. Without meaning to, he'd teleported to Samson's front door where he felt a sudden wave of dizziness from the effort. He paused. Not wanting to look desperate, he took a moment to straighten up his shirt and hair before knocking on his door.