Shadowess

So, yeah. Those would be his Angel vs Human forms

I just love that for the first one I literally only typed in 'Archangel Uriel' and it just knew lol Flaming sword and everything lol

I've done a little research and have a rough idea. Also, it's ai image time 🤣

It's ok, I don't mind doing that. Might need a heads up for things like this otherwise I'll auto-assume they're yours haha Give me a few to figure out how to play them.

To confirm, is Uriel your character? Cos they're not in your new post 🙂

No, that's fine! Sorry, I was trying to display excitement at there being a new character and failed miserably xD

"Maybe some sandwiches? We can store them in the fridge until we're ready to go. It might be good to get them all made up now while Oliver is fast asleep." Amelia smiled as she got to her feet. She walked over to Charles to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I won't be long. I'll swing by each place, make sure everyone is ok and see if they're up for it." She told him before vanishing. Her first stop; Carter and Sebastian's place. By now Stevie would have relaxed enough in their presence to finally fall asleep. Still on the couch with the blanket wrapped around him and the TV on. --- As strong as Kris was, he was no match for Hellion magics. Under her thrall and unable to take his eyes off her, he stepped back and waved his hand to make the concrete wall go back to its normal state. Then he blinked and realised what had happened. All at once he was surprised, embarrassed and furious. Then she began talking about Blake and although his eyes displayed nothing but pure cold rage, his features had paled slightly. Kris wasn't by any means a good person, but the young Tricksters who worked for him counted on his protection. "You touch any of my Tricksters and I'll cut that pretty little face of yours to ribbons!" he snarled. But he knew he was outmatched. "What do you want?" he asked reluctantly through grit teeth. --- Henderson listened but didn't react. He still hadn't made up his mind on what he believed about him yet. Still, his own emotions and frustrations had somewhat clouded his judgement. "You want to prove to me and everyone here that you want to change?" He asked as he moved over to the cell door. "Prove it." he unlocked it and swung it open. "We bust them. Together. Then you stand trial and testify against your former employers to earn immunity. Then maybe, MAYBE I'll think about giving you a chance. Deal?" --- Azrael gripped Death's robes tightly and pressed his head to his chest as he wept. His head turned a little to watch Gabriel examine Raguel. When he'd lifted Raguel and then vanished to Hell's Cells, Azrael continued to weep. He then shook his head to Death's words. "N-not him. That wasn't him. The Raguel I knew would never..." he trailed off as his voice weakened and he had to catch his breath or he'd weep again. "What will become of Heaven now?... He was always..." he couldn't finish the sentence. The idea that Raguel would no longer be in charge after so long seemed impossible. In his shocked state, he couldn't imagine it, but he knew there was already a process in place to name Raguel's successor in case he should ever fall. Unless Raguel miraculously recovered, Heaven was due a visit from the Council very soon to make the decision. --- In the cell, still healing from his head wounds, Raguel hadn't yet woken up. He'd begun to dream. It was a disorienting and almost non-sensical array of faces, past events spanning millennia, long lost love, duty and violence. Like someone had placed all of his memories together with someone else's before jamming them into a kaleidoscope to see what patterns they create. He muttered quietly in his sleep. In a lost and ancient language. --- May was a little surprised at first that James had decided to pick her up and literally carry her home. Initially, she wasn't sure how she felt about it but as he kept walking she couldn't help noticing how much safer she felt in his arms. She'd rested her head on his shoulder some of the way. When they reached her apartment, she numbly opened the door. Admittedly, she hadn't thought beyond simply getting home as the day's events replayed in her mind. So, when James stepped in behind her she barely batted an eyelid until he embraced her. She listened to him crying, feeling just as numb as she had when unlocking the door. She had also thought she was going to die and as glad as she was that it wasn't the case, she was still in shock and dealing with a sort of internal existential crisis. Just as numbly, she watched him sink to his knees and thought for a moment about what he said before closing her apartment door. Then she knelt beside him. She gently lifted his chin to look him in the eyes then moved her hands to either side of his face to wipe his tears away. "You're James," she said simply and in a softened voice. "You're the man who saved my life." she moved some of his hair from his face.

These emojis are tiny lol

New character 😮

"Might be a little too soon to say. He's only been with them for a day and he was still pretty shaken up when I left." Amelia commented then frowned a little. "I hope they managed to calm him down." She tapped her nails against the table as she thought for a moment. "Maybe I should check in on them and give them the invitation at the same time?" --- Kris had waited until Blake left the room before answering the Succubus. He smirked and stepped closer to her. Confident that his spell had trapped her, he felt no fear as he lifted his hand to cup her chin and slowly turned her head left and right to get a good look at her. "Hell? I don't believe in fairytales, little girl." He sneered, overconfident. "You've got some power, but you're bluffing. You just wanted my attention, didn't you?" --- "You're not listening to me..." Henderson sighed in frustration as he rubbed his temples. "You know what? Forget it. I'm just going to go back and do my job. If anyone wants to judge me for something I didn't even do then I guess I'll know who I can't trust." he said sourly as he got up to march back into the precinct. He made a beeline for Dick's cell and gripped the bars. "Let's get this over with. You're going to take me where I need to go to bust these bastards. Now." --- "You sanctimonious son of a-" Raguel had begun to growl angrily, which had already been enough of a shock to Azrael that he'd turned to look at him in disbelief. But then he saw something had caught Raguel's eye and following his gaze, he saw Lilly had entered the room only to slow to a stop as she too saw the way he was looking at her. The last time Raguel had seen Lilly was when his army needed to fight against her horde of deformed corpses when the second portal had opened. He'd seen Death strike the killing blow but hadn't known what had become of the girl after that. He'd assumed she'd been destroyed. Now he stared at the girl whom he knew had so much potential for chaos and destruction... and seeing only a threat his eyes turned red. Raguel's comment had already been wildly out of character but Angel eyes do not turn red and seeing this was enough for Azrael to act before things could get further out of hand. Just as Raguel moved forward, Azrael tackled him and teleported the pair to his office in Heaven. Roaring furiously, Raguel threw Azrael off. Before he could teleport back, however, the dark-haired Angel had jumped to his feet and flew at him, sending them both across the room and pinning the Arch Angel to the wall. "Cease this madness, Raguel!" Azrael begged him while trying to hold him in place. Raguel only laughed and then headbutted him, knocking him back with a bloodied nose. "Madness? You think I'M mad?!" Raguel shouted back as he marched towards him threateningly. "That girl is a danger! A time bomb from another world come to destroy ours! She and Raven, both!" "No! They're innocent! They-!" Azrael tried but was cut off as Raguel punched him, knocking him down. "Is that what he told you? Innocent!?" He kicked him, making him cry out. "I knew handing you over to him would warp your mind! That he'd twist you into something you're not!" He kicked him again. "You're an Angel, Azrael! You were one of Heaven's finest! What a waste!" "There's something wrong with you! This isn't you! Raguel-!" Azrael lifted his hands, pleading. But Raguel kicked him across the room this time. Making his body slam against the wall. "To think I thought of you as my son." Raguel shook his head. His tone tinged with disgust. "Pathetic!" he bent down and grabbed Azrael by his throat, lifting him to pin him against the wall. "I will defend the realms to the last flicker of light. Even if I have to kill him and you for getting in my way." Azrael wasn't entirely sure what had happened next or how he'd found the strength given his beaten body. It all became a blur. He recalled screaming. His own screams continued to ring in his ears long after he'd stopped. He remembered fighting with every ounce of strength that he could muster. Until his fists throbbed with blinding pain and his lungs felt like they could collapse at any moment. A flash of surprise on Raguel's face. Then it was replaced by a shiny, red mess of bruises, swelling and cuts. In the stillness of the aftermath, Azrael looked down at the unconscious Arch Angel. His facial features were barely recognisable now. He looked at his fists which were equally battered and bloodied. As the realisation of what he'd done set in, he struggled to breathe. Weeping, he hurriedly crawled off Raguel's chest, huddled against the broken desk and stared at him for a moment. Raguel would recover but the shock and guilt of what had happened and what he'd done to him left Azrael feeling sick. That's not to mention the dread he felt that something had happened to Raguel to change him so suddenly into something so cruel and vile. Or what would happen to Heaven now that the commanding Arch Angel was no longer mentally stable enough to run things. "He-help..." he whimpered softly as he continued to stare at Raguel's barely breathing body. "Help!" he cried out, his voice breaking as he sobbed. "HELP!!!" --- May whimpered as she felt the blade cut into her neck. For just a second, she'd expected him to pull the scalpel across her throat. When Abaddon cried out, the scalpel fell away from her and he let her go, she immediately ran to throw herself into James's arms. The security staff had already been at the door, ready to step in once May was out of harm's way. So while James was tending to her, they rushed in to pin him to the bed while a couple of nurses prepared to inject him with enough sedatives to knock him out for a while. May nervously watched them work until she was sure they were safe. She barely winced as James cleaned the cut on her neck. Then, when sure they were no longer in danger, she looked up at him as he placed a bandage over her cut. She lifted a hand to gently wipe away some of his tears with her thumb. "May, are you alright?" The chief of medicine asked as he stepped into the room. He'd heard of what had happened and rushed over from his office. "Y-yes, sir. It's just a scratch." May answered, clearly still shaken up. "Could've been worse. Thank God it wasn't," he commented then looked at James. "You're a hero for stepping in like that. Thank you." He then looked back at May with a sympathetic expression. "Take the rest of the day off, May." "Sir, I'm fine. Honestly-" "I'm not asking. You've been through a traumatic experience. Go. You'll still be paid for today. Take it easy. If you feel like you need some counselling tomorrow, let me know and we can arrange something." "Yes, sir..." May replied, defeated. "Thank you." she watched him leave, then looked up at James with a small, tearful smile. "Mind walking me home again?"

Amelia grinned. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. "Neither have I. But I think all of us getting together to relax could be good." She tilted her head thoughtfully. Maybe we could get Carter and Sebastian to bring that boy along? It might help to show him that we mean no harm." --- Kris had been about to leave after the boy had told him it was just a dream but the unfamiliar voice caused him to pause. He stared in shock at the woman in the room. Typically, his first thought was to notice her beauty. But that was quickly replaced by suspicion, wariness and irritation. He smirked at how she presumed his soul would be easily taken, but before he could retort or react, Blake had already jumped to his defence. He blinked in surprise but kept his eyes fixed on the succubus while grinning. Lifting his hand, he made a cupping gesture and immediately the concrete wall behind the succubus shifted. Jutting and shaping itself around her. Zig-zagging around her torso and legs to lock her uncomfortably in place. "I will be asking the questions, woman," he said to her forcefully then turned to look at Blake with a prideful smile. "Good work, kid. You've got some great potential. Now, go and make yourself scarce while I handle the rest. Get yourself some food from the kitchen or something." He turned to look at the Succubus again and stepped forward while removing his sunglasses to get a better look at her. His eyes were a deep shade of lavender. "What are you? How were you planning on taking my soul? What kind of magic is that?" then the most important question. "How can I learn to do that?" --- "Why should I have to!?" Henderson asked, irritated. "Why am I having to defend myself? I haven't even done anything!" --- Azrael would be the first to appear... with Raguel alongside him. The look on Azrael's face would be enough to indicate his frustration that Raguel had felt the need to accompany him back. Keeping up pretences, at least until the ceremony, Azrael stepped forward to bow to Death formally. "Sire, Arch Angel Raguel-" "Would like to know why you want to bring a citizen of Heaven into your kingdom." Raguel cut him off. "If you want to make him into one of your Reapers after he's already settled in then you need to submit the reassignment application to the council." "Apologies sire, I did try to explain..." Azrael said quickly as he gave Raguel an irritated side-eye stare. But as they already knew by now, Raguel could occasionally be hard-headed. Particularly when it came to Death's Kingdom. He hadn't even wanted to give Azrael over to Death initially, but he hadn't wanted to incur God's wrath by defying a direct order at the time. --- "Oh, God..." May gasped fearfully as she tried to keep her head back and her neck away from the scalpel. Her body trembled against Abaddon's. Her wide eyes darted from the scalpel to James. "P-Please..." she said to Abaddon, trying her best to sound calm and composed given the situation. "You don't have to do this. We just want to help. I-If you just put the scalpel down, we can talk about this. We can d-discuss getting you dis-discharged from the hospital. Please, put the scalpel down. Please."

No worries 🙂 I should probs update our rp notes soon 😄

May 🙂 Wasn't that Abaddon? Or is he now going by Balthazar while he's got amnesia?

Nice! Also, not sure if I'm misremembering but who are Mary and Balthazar?

Bing ai 🙂

"That sounds perfect." Amelia smiled after chuckling at Charles's comment. "Maybe a picnic at the park where we can eat together and take the children on the swings or something? We could invite Kite, Cindy and their twins too. I know Sara wanted more parents to turn to. And we kinda owe Elliot and Vincent so maybe they could come too." She continued eagerly, getting a little carried away herself but excited by the idea of all the different families coming together for a day out with the kids. --- Kris glanced at Ortiz. Partially worried and partially annoyed. "And if someone had broken in and he's calling for help?" he suggested. He knew this place was difficult to find and had enough runes in place to keep it safe but he could never be too careful. Particularly with how many enemies he'd made over the years. Unafraid, he marched into the Bunks to see what was going on. --- "Does everyone think I'm some kind of slut?" Henderson blurted out in frustration. "I knew everyone would give me a hard time for Dick escaping the first time while I was on duty, but the way they're all looking at me whenever Dick flirts with me. I haven't even done anything with him! But everyone's looking at me like I have! Is that what they think happened when he escaped?! That he seduced me into letting him go!? Well, he didn't! I was knocked out! When I came to I was alone and unarmed with someone who'd killed a cop earlier that day. I was fucking terrified!" he shook and held his head in his hands, trying to steady his breathing. --- "God?" Lilly tilted her head slightly. Having come from a world with no afterlife, she wasn't familiar with the concept. "Well, if it makes any difference, I like you as a father. I guess I don't have much of a childhood left myself..." she said while gesturing to herself. Knowing full well she was almost physically mature enough to be considered an adult. While mentally, she had been forced to grow up quickly to survive. "But, that being said, I'm happy that I get to spend what's left of it as your daughter." She glanced down at herself. At the dust and dirt stuck to her clothes. "I should also head to my room to get washed." she chuckled. --- Damien waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, that'll be fine. He'll understand when I explain that I tweaked it to be purely for our safety and doesn't really put our souls at risk." He took one last look at himself in the mirror to make sure he was presentable and he took a deep breath. "Alright, I better get going. I'll be back tomorrow." he then gave Samson a cheeky grin. "Don't go getting into any trouble without me." he gave him a wink and then headed out. On the road home, he decided to take his time and walk. Part of him felt guilty that he'd be lying to James, but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to have this private way to let off steam. Plus he couldn't risk an angelic bracelet being slapped onto his wrist again. By far, that was his biggest fear. But he pushed down that fear in favour of confidence. He wasn't going to get caught. After all, this wouldn't be the first time he'd kept information close to his chest. It's just Tuzo's assassination all over again and Amelia never found out about that, right? No, of course not. Damien had nothing to worry about. His mind was a fortress and when it came to keeping secrets, he had once been a master. This would be easy.

"That could literally be anything." Amelia chuckled. "Kid gyms. Theme parks. Kid-themed restaurants..." she shrugged. "We'd have to wait to take him to some of those places. At least until he can walk and get confident on his feet." --- "Good." Kris chuckled. "I don't need weaklings in my ranks. Now c'mon, let's get back. I got some planning to do." He vanished. --- "I just-... I just-..." He breathed, trying to answer Yami as he continued to march towards the main doors. He kept going until he was in the parking lot by the precinct and could sit on the low wall on the other side. He didn't move for a little while as he tried to catch his breath. His anxiety was getting the better of him. --- "You didn't?" Lilly asked curiously. She'd never thought to ask what Death's childhood had been like, or his parents. But now that he'd mentioned it, it had sparked her curiosity. --- With Samson cupping his chin, Damien's cheeks flushed pink and his eyes fell to his lips momentarily. "Something tells me the only thing he's going to be smelling on me for a while is, well, you." Damien chuckled as he reluctantly got to his feet. "But maybe I will borrow some of your cologne, just to be safe." He walked back into Samson's bathroom and came back out a second later, smelling a bit more like Samson. He hadn't even left yet and the smell was already driving him wild with desire. "Alright. So, just to get our stories straight in case he comes around asking. I came over, we went over the contracts. You signed. We had some drinks to celebrate then one thing led to another and I lost track of time. Sound good?"

"Tell me about it." Amelia sighed while relaxing in her seat. "I know we're basically the bosses of Hell but it'd be nice to have one quiet day where we don't have to put out fires. Maybe we could do something like the human families do? Like take Oliver to the park or something when he wakes up?" --- Kris grinned knowingly. "Ortiz, you're my right-hand man. You've been at my side since I started up our little gang. You don't need to feel threatened by a kid, man." He glanced around them quickly to make sure they weren't being watched or followed by either their rivals or the police. "Besides, what harm does it do to make the kids believe they can look up to me, huh? I put a roof over their heads, give them food and clothes. It's only natural they want to make me proud by working hard. The last thing I need is any kind of in-fighting. Understood? We get enough heat from cops and leeches." --- [Henderson might be a bit 'hard to get' for a while xD ] Henderson watched the whole interaction between Dick and Will with a confused expression. He wasn't sure how to react, particularly at Will's promise that he'd be able to visit Dick in prison. His face had already started to turn red from this. Is that what everyone in this precinct thought of him? That he'd already dropped his morals and loyalty to be with a cop killer?! Then, as if to rub it in, Dick had taken his shirt off to work out in front of him. He was hot under the collar alright, but he hadn't yet decided on how he felt about Dick. Overwhelmed, humiliated and confused he left without a word to try to get some air. --- "Yes, sire," Azrael said with a barely concealed amused smirk before he vanished to Heaven to speak to Raguel. Happy for their little family, Lilly smiled at Death and Raven as they hugged. "Raven, we should probably go back to our rooms and get ourselves cleaned up before Azrael comes back," she suggested. --- "I'm not-... that's not what I-..." Damien flustered for a second then looked away from Samson for a second to regather himself. "You're right. I had fun. That's the problem..." he turned his head to look at Samson again. "Before I met you I worked hard to rebuild a relationship with my family. To become someone they respect. I still have a ways to go too." he sighed. "But in that warehouse... and here, in your bed... I felt like myself. I want that again but I don't want it to cost me everything." He turned his body to face Samson a bit more. "They can't find out about it. Ever. But I can be myself with you. And if we kill, it has to be people who deserve it like those assholes who betrayed me in that warehouse. No mercy."

"Charles! You're looking better." Amelia smiled as she looked at him. She sat in the kitchen with him and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "What a day... but everything seems to be easing up now. Hopefully, it stays calm long enough for us both to get a decent rest." --- "Better to know our options, just in case. We gotta be prepared to fight dirty if needed." Kris commented. He then raised an eyebrow at Ortiz and chuckled. "Why? Not getting jealous of the newest addition, are you?" --- When Dick moved closer to him, Henderson hesitated to move. He stared at him for a moment. His gaze, his words and the feel of his body heat were intoxicating. For a moment he almost forgot himself and where they were. But then he heard movement of some other officers entering the room to go about their jobs and he jumped a little while stepping back quickly. He looked at Dick with a torn expression then nodded to the cell while clearing his throat awkwardly. "Step inside, please. I'll come and get you when we're ready to head out." --- Lilly smiled widely then looked at Raven to see if he was happy to know they were working on getting him in touch with his boyfriend. She was equally excited when told they were going to be trained to become Reapers. "You're assigning us a teacher? I won't let you down, father. Will we still have time for you to show me how to use my powers?" --- "Agreed." Damien chuckled as he glanced at Samson. Content with the outfit he'd chosen, he stepped back into the bathroom for a moment to get dressed. A few minutes later, he stepped out fully clothed and stood in front of the mirror again to make sure the suit looked straight. "I'll get this back to you in my next visit... speaking of which, we should probably work out some kind of routine for our agreement," he said as he turned to face Samson. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. "My blood will only last a day or two in your system. You probably have enough to last one more day so I can come back tomorrow, if you'd like?" he hesitated and then added. "Before I go, We... also need to talk about what happened... at the warehouse."

Amelia watched the little family leave and smiled to herself. She had a good feeling that they'd be alright. Holding Oliver to her in one arm, she wandered around the house to grab a pen and paper. Then she wrote a note for Vincent and Elliot to let them know they'd picked the kids up so that they wouldn't panic when they woke up. In her note, she also thanked them for their help and to call her if they needed anything. She folded the note against the table then stood and carefully slipped it into Elliot's hand before teleporting home. She carefully placed Oliver into his crib and then walked into the bedroom to check on Charles as well as update him on what had happened. --- "Good girl." Kris grinned then turned to Ortiz as they started walking away. He spoke quietly so that only his right-hand man would hear him. "Dig up what you can on her. I want every advantage we can get if shit hits the fan. Find out if she's close to any of her patrons so that we can use them as leverage if she starts acting out." --- Henderson paused and looked at Dick in frustration. "You said you wanted to help us! I told you we'd have to do this properly. By the book. I get that you're scared but you need to trust me on this. If we can bust these guys then there's bound to be a trial. If you agree to testify, we can grant you immunity and you can start over. But you need to stop with the bullshit and start listening!" He flustered and looked away from Dick for a moment. "You made me look like an ass back there. I spoke up for you. I stuck my neck out and got them to listen to you but you-... you made me look like an idiot for trusting you." --- "I realise this news is a shock. We had to be careful about our relationship in case our enemies tried to use it against us. But we've decided that hiding is not worth the heartache. We wanted you two to be the first to know." Azrael explained then rose a brow at Lilly's unsurprised expression. "You knew, didn't you?" "I didn't but I had a hunch. You two only ever seemed happy when you were close to each other. And you spend a lot of time working together." Lilly shrugged and smiled. "Ah..." Azreal blushed as he looked at Death. "Aren't you an observant one, Lillian..." "I'm happy for you two." Lilly chuckled. --- "Oh? So, you can shapeshift and hypnotise people? Damn, when were you going to tell me you were so talented?" Damien joked as he took a suit out of the wardrobe to get a better look at it. "I heard the Anne Rice vampires were more accurate..." he commented while holding the suit against him and looking in the full-length mirror.

"That's because you're her family." Amelia smiled while whispering softly so as not to wake the others. She looked at her own child with loving eyes. "Becoming a parent isn't easy. But it's worth it. Just to see the way they look up to you with unconditional love and trust." she bent down to carefully pry Oliver from Elliot's arms. Lifting him into her own, she cradled him to her chest. She'd missed him while she'd been busy and wanted nothing more than to take him home now. She looked back up at the pair with their child. "So, what do you think Ash? Ready to become her daddy?" --- Kris walked over to them. There wasn't much to see now but he was sure Ortiz had made their warning clear. He smiled and shook his head at Blaire. "Au contraire, dear sweet Blaire." he almost sang in a mock rhyme. "Your patrons use your establishment as a safe place to gather night after night. Those vampires respect you, even though you're human because you provide them with shelter and easy food. If there is anyone in this town they'll listen to, it's you." he booped her nose with his finger. "Now, I can be a reasonable guy. I can look the other way when a vampire's snack turns out to be mutually beneficial. But I can't ignore vampires wandering into my turf and trying to devour my young Tricksters. So, just make sure you tell your vampires to stay in their lane. Or your patrons might find themselves sipping on wolf venom-tainted blood one night. Understood?" Although his tone seemed friendly, his stare was hard. Combined with the threat he just gave, he came off as dangerous. Menacing. --- Henderson was almost knocked off his feet when Dick was shoved into him. He gripped his arm to keep him from running off and frowned, feeling like this was some kind of punishment to him too. He ignored Dick's comments. Too annoyed at him to talk to him. "Yes, sir," he said to Will in a serious tone then waited to see which other officers would be joining them on this mission. --- Azreal couldn't stop smiling as he followed Death into the archives. He turned to the Reapers who had been watching the teens. "Leave us," he told them politely and while he waited for them to give the little group some privacy, he looked around the archive with an impressed expression. Lilly watched the Reapers leave and was even more curious about this news now than she had been a moment ago. "Father? Has something happened?" --- Damien shrugged as he opened a wardrobe to look at the clothes. "I'm used to wearing suits. Lucifer used to say there was no better garment to command respect..." he trailed off. Why had he said that? He had become so comfortable around Samson that this tidbit of information slipped out so naturally. He faltered for a second and glanced back at him. "Lucifer trained me when I became a Devil," he explained briefly then went back to looking through the wardrobe. While picking out an outfit, he glanced at the book in his hands. "What're you reading?"

Amelia watched Ash carefully as he spoke. "It sounds like you've gone through a lot today," she commented. "You should be proud, you know. It takes courage to be honest about how you feel and open to change." She looked between the two and offered them each a hand to take. "Let's go see your daughter." --- "You have a son?" Shezmu blinked at Xenos in confusion. Wondering how such a thing could be possible. It occurred to him that his son might be adopted. Contemplating Xenos's problem for a moment, Shezmu relaxed in his seat with his arms folded. "That is not an easy question to answer. We are dominant by nature. Born to rule. In my time, we were the highest authority on Earth. I have to admit, coming back to the world as it is now... I am at a bit of a loss myself. I used to rule part of this castle with four other Blood Gods. But now? No more than a guest." he sighed. "If I could offer you some advice? Find a role in this world that provides you with a position of power and spend your energy commanding your forces to defend your home and your family. As long as you don't allow yourself to become pent up, you shouldn't have a problem. Oh, and don't forget to 'hunt'. Properly. One way we can keep our appetites in check is to feed on our natural pray... Angels, Demons and Devils. You needn't destroy them in the process. I have found that forming a bargain with a variety and taking a small amount from each per night is enough to placate 'the beast' within." --- Kris was quiet for a moment as he continued to stare at the boy. Then he turned and his heavy boots could be heard walking away from the bunk towards the door. The door opened but the boot steps had stopped. "Goodnight Blake," Kris said before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was out of the room he smiled to himself before heading out to catch up with Ortiz. He wanted to know how his message was going down. --- For a moment, Henderson had been proud of Dick for letting Will handcuff him and seemingly taking responsibility for his actions. His pride was short-lived when the cuffs fell off and the hitman had unsuccessfully tried to make a break for freedom. Bitterly, Henderson shook his head at him a little and crossed his arms. He looked at Will. "Sir, I'd like to put my name in for this mission," he said. "I wana help take these guys off the streets." --- Back in the archive room, by now the only things covered with dust and grime were Lilly and Raven. They had cleaned everything else so thoroughly that the surfaces practically gleamed. "I think I've learned my lesson..." Lilly huffed as she wiped some sweat from her forehead. "I never want to see a feather duster or a washcloth again..." --- Hot water struck Damien's face as he stood in Samson's shower. He closed his eyes and let it flow over him as his mind raced. Looking down he watched the blood that had been caked onto his skin as it washed off and swirled around the drain. This was his moment alone. Where he could be with his thoughts and try to figure out what had happened Recalling the day's events, he couldn't help but feel torn. His mind flashed with memories of the men they'd murdered just a few hours ago. What was he feeling here? Guilt? Pride? Satisfaction? Sick to his stomach? All of it was the answer. All of it, all at once and it was overwhelming. Lifting his hands, he held his right wrist as he stared at it. Remembering the angelic bracelet that had been slapped there before. His punishment for losing control of his temper. For abusing his powers. His hands started to tremble at the thought that he could be rendered powerless again if the others ever found out about what he'd done. If they did, would they ever take it off this time? Or find a way to make it permanent? The thought terrified him. More frightening to him than that was the thought of how his loved ones would react. David, Alex, River, Parker, James... They'd be so disappointed. They thought he was getting better. That he had wanted to be better. But he did, didn't he? Yes. Damien knew he wanted to be a better man. To be better for them. But... He bit his lip. Images of the bloodshed again. Of Samson cutting through those men. Then lying on his bed. There was that excitement again. Back in that warehouse, Samson had been right when he'd said he'd enjoyed it. He wanted it again. To feel that rush. And Samson... God! Samson... It wasn't love. Damien was well aware of that. But there was something there. An attraction. A strong one. Infatuation? Definitely. The man himself was like a drug that Damien would give anything to have another hit of. He wanted so badly to kill with him again. To feel his fangs in his throat again. His hands... Shaking his head, Damien turned to let the water hit his back instead. It was dangerous. He should end it here. Never see Samson again. Damien bit his lip again. He knew this line of thinking was the rational thing to do. That he should follow through with it. But he knew he wasn't going to. He couldn't bring himself to. The truth was, while he'd been standing in the stream of hot water he'd had an idea that he simply couldn't resist. Against all his better instincts, this was going to be the start of his double life. A family man on the road to recovery at home. And in secret, he would come to Samson to let off steam and live a life of excitement. When he'd finished washing himself, Damien stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. Steam rose from his toned muscles as he made his way back into the bedroom to borrow some clothes from Samson.

Amelia faltered. "What do you mean she took your powers? Carol doesn't have that kind of power," she asked. She glanced back at Sara briefly then tilted her head back to give an exasperated sigh. "I'm not going to destroy you, Ash. And I can't force you to be a father, either." She lowered her head to look at him tiredly. "I don't know what happened to you and I'm sorry that I couldn't help when you clearly needed it. But taking your anger out on this kid, who has done nothing but exist, isn't right. Don't be angry with Sara or Ophelia. They're victims in this too." she hesitated then turned away from him to look at Sara. Ash may not be willing to care but she still had a duty to make sure they would be ok. "C'mon, Sara," she said softly. "Let's give him some space and go home. I'll help you set up the nursery then we'll go and get Ophelia, ok?" --- Sensing Xenos's question may be private, River nodded and stood before vanishing. When they were alone, Shezmu looked up at Xenos curiously. "What is troubling you?" --- Kris stared at Blake for a long moment. The corner of his mouth twitched briefly but his cold expression didn't change. Lost, orphaned or abandoned trickster kids were unfortunately common and it wasn't unusual for a few of them to end up on Kris's doorstep asking for shelter, training and some form of parental figure. He preferred it like this. It meant the kids were more likely to grow up to be fiercely loyal to him. "Maybe," he answered. "But you have to earn it, like every other member of my gang. Show me every day that you are worthy of my respect and you could have quite the happy life here. I might even teach you a few of my own tricks... if you work hard enough to earn it." --- Henderson followed the other officers into the meeting room and felt his cheeks grow hot when Dick made his comment about him. Then he caught the eye of a few of his colleagues who had given him a quick glare. He felt suddenly torn. He was attracted to Dick but he knew his colleagues would see it as a betrayal after what the hitman had done to one of their own. So he lowered his eyes shamefully and waited for the meeting to get started. --- "Our children!" Azrael repeated as he realised that marrying Death would make them all a family. He laughed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Then this is merely the beginning of our happiness! Oh, my love!" he kissed him softly. "My heart is singing." he chuckled.