Shadowess

STORY CONTINUED HERE;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Denix Vames - October 8, 2022 Phineas blushed. "Oh..." He awkwardly smiled. "Maybe you should teach me more about modern words before I say something even more embarrassing." --- "Shut the fuck up and keep cleaning!" ,said the woman. "You belong to Donnie which means you belong to us! None of you souls will get respect unless you earn it!" Leo clenched his fists. "Shit! We might be surrounded by his followers." --- Gabriel gasped but flew back. He ran towards her and was ready to kick her when Napoleon screamed. It was Insanity who gripped Napoleon's shoulder so hard that his claws went into his muscles. --- Insanity grinned at Florian when he appeared and threw Napoleon at his feet. "I want you to tear the wings off of this pathetic Angel and burn them in front of him." He grinned. "I'm sure that reaper over there would love to watch." Napoleon clutched his bleeding shoulder as tears ran down his cheeks. He forced himself to stand. "I won't let you get away with this!" Insanity gripped his hair. Making him bend back so that he could face him. "This little swine is Napoleon Bonaparte. For some reason, people think he's a genius. Yet, he just another silly excuse for a soldier." "Shut up!" He forced him on his knees. "Don't even think about moving." Napoleon placed his hands firmly on the ground and silently cried. Insanity stood back and nodded at Florian. "Do it." "I think not." A man in black appeared. "Though it is not my place to take action, I grow tired of this game." "And who might you be?" ,asked Insanity. "I am the Grim Reaper. The leader of all reapers. Though I cannot stop you from torturing this Angel, I will not allow you to touch my reapers. I can see in your eyes the perversion that you have. You make me ill." Insanity laughed. "I'm flattered." He pointed at the Grim Reaper. "Change of plans. First, beat him until he begs for mercy." --- "I'm not better than anyone! I just learned to be a decent fucking human being!" Cory punched him. "You want to fight? Let's go!" Winters ran over. "No! Stop!" He stood in front of Cory. "Please! Just leave us alone!" --- Theron appeared by her. "You hurt people, didn't you? How did that make you feel?" --- "Well, that was....something." ,said Storm. Grim threw a blanket over Bob. "Looks like he's sleeping. I wonder if he'll be ok when he wakes up?" "We can only hope." ,said Pain. Grim and Storm brought Bob to a beanbag where they kept the blanket over him. Pain cupped Lily's cheek. "Are you ok?" --- Bryce smiled. "Alright. Get ready. I'm going to teleport us there." He closed his eyes and imagined himself there. Soon, they were in an abandoned village that was located in France. "I guess not every part of France was transformed into something modern." --- "Nah! I rather watch something. If we talk anymore then I'll just cry in front of you. That would be embarrassing." ,said James. --- "It's been a long day for both us. But I imagine things haven't been easy for you either. What's going on?" ,asked Carter. --- "Then what the hell is the point of the mafia when we can't even be it?!" Bern's tears hit the floor. "We were something! Now, what am I supposed to be? Things made more sense when we had power! The Don's just slowing us down now! He's someone else's bitch!" --- "I do know one. He has no morals and does anything that I order him to do. He is the perfect human weapon. I can send him in. His name is Nil which means nothing. It represents the fact that he can't feel emotions. I'm sure we'll have to change his name for this operation but I know he is perfect." ,said X. Nil wore glasses and had short-longish brown hair. He blankly stared at an agent who was expecting him to kill a prisoner without mercy. And like every other day of training, he sliced the prisoner's head off without objecting. His cold stare even scared other agents. Shadowess - October 9, 2022 (Quick question about the logistics just so that I know how to reply. Where is Insanity currently? Did he just teleport to Napoleon and stay there or did he teleport, grab him and teleport back to the clearing in the woods? Cos Azreal would have no reason to follow him considering he still had the old man's soul to take care of.) Denix Vames - October 9, 2022 (insanity basically teleported to Napoleon, grabbed him, and then came back to Florian) shadowess - October 9, 2022 (Awsome, thanks. I'll reply soon ) Denix Vames - October 9, 2022 (cool. glad to hear) shadowess - October 9, 2022 "Sure, I wouldn't mind. We've got all the time in the world to learn stuff like that." Kasper replied. He took Phineas's hand and started to lead him towards the couch. "Let's watch something. We can find out what kinds of shows we like together," he suggested as he sat down. --- The soul whimpered and tried his best to mop up the puddle with his shirt as quickly as he could. Oscar tensed and held Leo's hand tightly. "I think you might be right about that..." he said quietly to him. "We need to be careful here. At least we know which bar they seem to like hanging out in... maybe we can slip out and bring backup?" he looked at Leo nervously. Them leaving as soon as they'd arrived is certainly going to look odd but he really didn't want to hang around much longer. The soul gathered up the now sopping wet shirt and shakily got to his feet. One of the Demons stopped the soul by placing a hand on their chest and grinned at them viciously. "Where are you going, sinner?" "J-just t-to wring out my shirt, out the back?" he answered shakily. "But that's such a waste of brew!" The Demon announced. "Do you know how long it takes us Demons to make that stuff?!" "I-I'm sorry... I won't spill any again!" the soul said quickly. "Tell you what. You've worked hard today." the Demon pat the soul on the back. The soul's knees almost buckled from the motion. "I'd say you've earned yourself a drink." "R-really?" the soul looked up at the demon hopefully. He assumed he'd meant water and he was so desperate and tired that a little water could go a long way. "Yeah." the Demon smirked. "So go ahead. Wring that shirt into your mouth instead." The demons around him chuckled nastily as they watched the hope drain from the soul's eyes. "B-but I can't-!" The soul tried to object. He knew full well that Demon's Brew couldn't be consumed by humans. It was too toxic for them. Even if he was already dead, drinking the stuff would result in a painfully slow death and he would wake up elsewhere in Hell. Most likely to be found and dragged back to this bar to do this all over again. "Don't be ungrateful! You're insulting my generosity!" The demon snapped. "I said drink! Or should we cut you open and start drinking from you?!" The soul wailed in despair, much to the delight of the Demons who were watching. Trembling he then brought the shirt up to his mouth and squeezed it over him. The second he got a taste of the liquid, he gagged and spat the fluid out. His self-preservation reflexes betrayed him. "I said drink!" The Demon grabbed the shirt and shoved it deep into the soul's mouth until they could barely breathe and squeezed it hard. The soul choked and groaned, weakly gripping the Demon's arm. He continued to gag and choke on the liquid, unable to spit it out, until his eyes rolled back and his body began convulsing. The demon let him go and watched until the soul's body fell still before vanishing. "Well that was fun." he chuckled. --- Carol had been ready to block Gabriel's kick when she heard the scream as well and they both stopped what they were doing to look in Napoleon's direction. Although it had only been for a moment, as soon as Carol's eyes landed on Insanity's face she growled angrily and rounded on him. "You!" but before she could take action, they were gone. Carol turned to look at Gabriel with an air of urgency. "Well, you wanted to hunt down Insanity and his family. Let's go hunt!" she held a hand out for him to take. The significance of this gesture did not escape her. For years they fought against each other but today, for once, they were fighting alongside each other. --- Florian blinked when Insanity vanished then watched as he reappeared with a screaming Angel in his grasp. It was only when Insanity pointed him out that Azreal seemed to appear in Florian's peripheral view. Even Azreal was stunned by being seen that he stared at them both, unsure of how to react or what he should do. Interfering was one thing but there weren't actually any rules preventing Azreal from defending himself if it was necessary. Although Azreal had never been in this kind of position before so wasn't sure how well he'd fair in combat against what he sensed were two Devils in front of him. It was then that the old man's soul sat up from his body and looked around, terrified by what he saw. Azreal moved towards him quickly and pulled him to his feet before shoving him behind him. He had a duty to protect souls under his care until he'd delivered them safely to their afterlife. "What is going on? Who are you?... IS THAT ME?!" the old man panicked in German, looking at Azreal and then at his own corpse on the ground. He saw the axe wound in the back of his head and gagged. "OH, GOD! AM I DEAD?!" "Yes, but we have other problems right now. Stay behind me." Azreal told him shortly. Florian turned his gaze back to Napoleon and smirked. "Yes, sir," he growled, amused by what was happening. It seemed he'd been right about his new employer making his life more interesting. He gripped his axe firmly and took a step towards Napoleon. He then came to an abrupt stop when the so-called Grim Reaper appeared. Azreal immediately looked at the Grim Reaper with a mixture of relief and concern. Azreal wasn't actually a Reaper. He was an Angel who had been assigned the role shortly after his creation. The role had earned him the title "Angel of Death." Traditionally, reapers are souls who were chosen for their neutrality in life. The mortals who passed on after having committed an equal amount of good and bad deeds. Whereas Azreal was more like a gift from God to the Grim Reaper in an effort to win the Spirit's favour. At least...that's the rumour. Just like with Raguel, the Spirit that had just appeared was Azreal's superior. So when Insanity ordered his lackey to attack, Azreal darted in front of him and flicked his wrist. A second later, a large scythe made of black metal appeared in his hands. He pointed it to Florian who paused in his tracks to lift his hands warily. "This is a Reaper Blade. It cannot destroy you but it can send you straight back to Hell. I will use it if I have to." he warned them. Florian stood still while he sized up his opponent. He didn't seem worried. In comparison, Azreal was much smaller than he was so he felt confident that he could beat him, despite the weapon. He casually scratched his beard with the flat side of his axe. "That's a nice-looking Scythe." he grinned. "I will claim it from your corpse when I am done." Azreal tightened his grip on the handle of his scythe. "I'm warning you! Stay back!" His black wings erupted from his back and spread out, shielding both the Grim Reaper and the soul. --- "You fucking dick!" the bully known as Gord yelled furiously after being punched in the face. He gripped his freshly bruised eye for a moment before growling and balling his hand into a fist. Despite Winter's standing in the way, the bully wasn't about to hold back and he aimed another punch at them. Before the punch could land, Gord froze and stared at his own hand with a mixture of confusion and terror. Back at the table, Stevie had stood up and placed the flute into his mouth. He'd started playing melody and melody. One song led seamlessly into the next as if the music itself was just flowing out of him. His eyes had glazed over as he played and he was completely focused on the bullies in front of him. Gord let out a high-pitched squeal that sounded more like it had come from a small girl. He started to flail his hand around frantically as if trying to fling something unseen off of it. "G-get it off! Get it off! GET IT OFF!!!" he cried out while dancing around and shaking his arm about. "What are you doing?!" "There's nothing there, Gord!" The other bullies had started to call out at him. They had even started to laugh when Gord had wet himself. Then, one by one, the rest of the bullies started freaking out about one thing or another as well. What was perfectly clear though was that no one else could see what the bullies were seeing as they all ran out of the mall. It was only when they were no longer within earshot of the flute that the terrors they had seen vanished, leaving them bewildered and frightened as they each hurriedly made their way to the safety of their own homes. Once they were gone, Stevie stopped playing the flute and held it in front of him as he tried to catch his breath. As a little blood started to trickle from his nose, he looked up at Cory and smiled wearily. Relieved that he could stop the violence before things went too far. Around them, people were chatting among themselves about how awful it was that those school children "were clearly abusing drugs." Because to all but Stevie, Autumn, Cory and Winters, that is how it had appeared. --- The woman let out a yelp when Theron surprised her by appearing near her. She stumbled back, away from him and hugged herself as she quickly realised that running from this Demon would be useless. "P-please don't." she shook her head. Her voice quivered out of fear. "I-I don't know... I didn't-... I never thought about it..." she answered him while avoiding his gaze. In truth, she'd gotten a thrill out of the robberies. Not so much the violence, but the rush of getting away with stealing from others. She'd never once given a thought to their many victims. She brought her eyes back up to his and sensed his hesitation. Maybe he was new at this? She wondered if she could talk her way out of torture this time. "Please don't hurt me." she tried in the sweetest voice she could put on. "I know I did wrong but I've learned." she lied. "I can be better. Please, please help me." she dropped to her knees and looked at him desperately. If she could convince him to not only spare her but protect her too, she'd never have to worry about being hunted and tortured again. "I'll do anything." she faked a smile. "Anything you want. You name it. I'll be yours, ok? Your servant. I promise I'll be loyal and I'll do everything you tell me to. Please?" --- Lilly couldn't tear her eyes away from Bob's new appearance. She had wondered what he had looked like before he'd died. Seeing him with an actual face felt strange. "Um... yeah, I'm ok." she nodded while looking back at Pain. She glanced back to Bob with a small frown. "I just hope he's alright. He sounded like he was in so much pain..." At that moment, Bob began snoring quite loudly while scratching himself over the covers. Lilly quickly averted her gaze and rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Something tells me he'll be perfectly fine." "Excuse me, sir, I've misplaced my 'bone'..." Bob mumbled in his sleep and smiled widely. "Can I borrow yours?" "Oh, good grief... and I thought he was randy as a skeleton..." Lilly shook her head and smiled at Pain. "Perhaps we should let him rest?" --- As soon as they appeared in the abandoned village, Viktor felt cold. He looked around at the old, crumbling buildings and the burned-up vintage vehicles. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "Something awful happened here..." he said quietly while turning on the spot to look around. The landscape was uncomfortably silent. Everything was still. Although there were no actual ghosts here, the entire place felt haunted nonetheless. --- "I get what you mean." Damien chuckled awkwardly and pat the seat next to him. "C'mon then. I haven't had the chance to watch any TV since I came back into existence. I'm eager to see what shows are popular now." he grabbed the remote and turned the TV on then was immediately confused by the choices on the screen. "What are Netflix and Amazon? Are they TV shows? Movies?" he asked curiously. Streaming services hadn't become a thing until just a couple of years after Damien's destruction. --- "Damien..." Parker rolled his eyes and shrugged while stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Apparently he got attacked last night so River and Will are letting him stay at theirs for a little while. I don't want anything to do with him so here I am... Just until he's well enough to get lost again anyway." --- "Stop it!" Mon shouted back. his own eyes had started to water. "Stop it! You're scaring me! We can't turn against our own!" he took another step towards Bern despite his fears and tried to look brave. "Bern, listen to yourself! You're talking crazy! Please, just think about this!" he made a grab for his hands, wanting to hold them. --- The Officer nodded. He was aware of Nil's work. "Bring me his file and brief him on the mission immediately. Get a wire on him and I want around-the-clock surveillance. If those bastards so much as sneeze around him then I'll want a recording of it! We need to know who these people are and why they're so interested in the ADIEU files." Just as the Officer finished speaking they were approached by an agent with a remote control. "Sirs, sorry for the interruption but I think you should see this," he said quickly before pointing the remote to one of the smaller monitors and pressing a button. The display would then show CCTV footage of school students in a mall about to have a fight before the larger portion of children started freaking out and running from something that wasn't there. Meanwhile, to one side, a boy was playing the flute. "The civilian witnesses seem to think drugs are involved but..." he rewound the footage and paused it just after the boy placed the flute to his lips. "The other kids don't start acting strangely until that boy starts playing. How should we proceed?" "Monitor the situation. We can't assume he's supernatural from one incident but we also can't afford to assume that he isn't. Send a couple of agents to the school posing as drug awareness campaigners to gather intel." The officer answered swiftly while waving a hand dismissively. Given the previous topic, the Officer felt that the case with the boy wasn't as urgent as the matter with the thieves in Japan. "Yes, sir." the agent nodded and walked away. Denix Vames - October 9, 2022 "That would be nice. Let's see what's there." ,said Phineas. He picked up the remote and raised a brow. "How do you use this?" --- "We need to get out now." ,said Leo. He would make Oscar stand. They would teleport from the bar and appear in their mansion. The woman had laughed when she saw the soul struggling. She glared at the couple when they disappeared. She had no intention of going after them but if she were to ever see them at this bar again or anywhere in Hell, she would beat them for answers. --- Gabriel nodded and grabbed her hand. They appeared at the scene. "Enough of this! I will be your only opponent! It is time that you learn your place!" ,said the Grim Reaper. He stepped forward but walked past Florian. Instead, his eyes were on Insanity. If Florian were to try and attack him behind, he would grab the axe and throw him far by his sheer strength. "I have had enough of watching others being tortured and killed while my own kind cannot do anything to stop it! It is time that we help each other! Starting with you!" Insanity laughed. "Go ahead. Fight me." Gabriel grabbed Napoleon from the area. Bringing him to Carol. Napoleon was still crying and shaking. "It's true! I can't do anything!" Insanity said, "Theron? Sam? You're needed for something very important. Don't disappoint your father." Theron and Sam appeared when they heard him. "You can fight the others with our new pet, Florian. I'll take care of Death himself." Sam grinned. "Yes dad." "I don't like when there's so many people. It makes me feel terrible." ,said Theron as he ran towards Azreal with his sword raised. The Grim Reaper dodged Insanity's claws. He snapped his fingers and held his scythe which was made from the bones and flesh of the damned. It was a weapon to warn those who dared cross his path. Insanity appeared behind him and let out a belch of fire. The Grim Reaper jumped high and swung his weapon at him. Insanity moved aside and jabbed his claws into his stomach. The Grim Reaper's eyes widened as he coughed up blood. Insanity threw him to a tree. The Grim Reaper now laid under a tree with his scythe out of reach. He struggled but forced himself to stand. Sam ran towards Gabriel who merely knocked him out with a punch. "Dumbass." ,said Gabriel. --- Autumn covered her mouth in shock. Cory turned around and saw the flute. Winters was pale. Cory grabbed his hand and ran to their friends. Cory whispered, "We should get out of here and talk about what the hell just happened." Autumn was already standing. She placed a hand on Stevie's shoulder. She looked at him. "Please." --- "I'm sorry miss but I have to go." ,said Theron. He disappeared. --- "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." ,said Grim. "I can understand not being comfortable around Bob right now since he's naked. If you want, you can hang out at my place for a bit." ,said Pain. --- Bryce frowned. "You're right unfortunately. But we can only hope that the people who lost their lives are resting peacefully now." --- "I know just as much as you do." ,said James. --- "Don't get the wrong idea because I'm always going to be on your side. But don't you think you should give him the benefit of the doubt? I get that he's done some things but he's still your father." ,said Carter. He raised his hands. "But hey, we don't have to bring this up. I'm sorry if I touched a nerve already." --- Bern let the bottle when Mon held his hands. He sobbed as he hugged him tight. "I-I never wanted to scare you! Mon....I'm so sorry. I just feel so lost. I don't know who I'm supposed to be anymore." --- Xenos raised a brow. "A flute? I guess it isn't uncommon to find tools that have the ability to command such actions like that." He teleported to his office and soon appeared by the agent. He handed him Nil's file. "I will talk to him about this mission." He disappeared. --- Nil walked past everyone as he intended to take on another task. Xenos appeared in front of him. Nil stopped and looked at him. "I have an assignment for you. Let's talk in my office." Nil nodded and followed.

Denix Vames - October 2, 2022 Phineas watched the sprinklers in awe. He placed his hand close to the water and smiled at its touch. "It's beautiful." --- The woman glared. She jumped before landing in front of their table. "Don't think that you can just ignore me. Besides, you two don't seem like the type to hang out at a bar. Especially if you're both in a relationship. So, what's the plan?" --- Gabriel jumped up and dodged her attack. He spun around and punched her. --- "Sure." ,said Autumn. After the group ordered themselves something and gave Steve a recommended cola, they went to a table to enjoy their meals. Winters smiled. "I never thought I would be here with you guys. It seemed like only yesterday that people barely noticed me. And when they did, they were always picking on me." "Well, that's gonna change. I can beat those asses into a pulp." ,said Cory. Winters chuckled. "Thank you." --- Theron continued to walk. "Hello? Anyone?" He thought for a moment then said, "I'm kind of lost. Can someone help?" He only hoped that this would attract lost souls. --- "Perfect!" ,said Hades as she picked up the book. "Alright. I need everyone to stand back so I can focus my powers on Bob only." Once the group walked away, she asked, "Now, do you want to be human or stay as a skeleton?" --- Bryce blushed when he forgot about that. "Oh yeah. Well, I guess we can go then. I mean I drank from you already. I think that should be enough." --- Will wrote all of this down. James described the driver right away. Will sighed. "A human driver? Why the hell did he want to kidnap Damien?" He stood. "Guess I'll figure this stuff out at the department. Just stay here guys. There's plenty of supplies for you both. If I hear anything new, I'll let you two know." He disappeared. James nodded at Damien. "You're my first friend so I'm going to protect you." --- Carter hugged Parker. He could hardly hold his tears. "I really appreciate what you said. I guess that means I have three kids." --- Bern was in tears and could hardly speak without his voice breaking. "I didn't want to call kill him. But the Don told me to. Tony was gonna tell the feds everything about us." He caught his breath. "For god sakes! He was begging me not to kill him. That he would disappear. But I didn't listen to him. I only thought about the order!" He rubbed his tears with his wrist. "What kind of man am I?" He took a swig from the bottle. --- Insanity appeared by the werewolf. "My oh my! I could definitely use you in my kingdom." He smirked. "My name is Insanity and I'm one of the Kings of Hell. Care to join my crew in torturing souls? Or you could have any position you desire. I'm sure you'll find all of them desirable." --- Xenos was frustrated but only showed it through his face. "Calm yourself officer. I understand your anger but if we're going to find these people then we need to stay calm." shadowess - October 2, 2022 "It is pretty neat." Kasper agreed with a smile. "It'll do that at set times of the day every day to make sure the crops get the right amount of water. I guess we just need to make sure the plants grow healthily and take out any weeds that try to grow here... but this being Heaven, I doubt we'll get any weeds." he shrugged. "What should we do now?" --- Before they could take a seat the woman had leapt over to their table to confront them. Instinctively, Oscar moved in front of Leo to defend him. "The hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked her incredulously. "Why would us being in a relationship prevent us from drinking, huh? We might be on a date for all you know. So, if you don't mind, we'd like to sit and drink in peace. That is if you're done wiping your feet all over the table we want to sit at." he snapped back. --- Carol brought her arms up and ducked her head to one side just in time to avoid Gabriel's strike as well as catch his arm. She'd then quickly turn her body with the intention of pulling Gabriel over her shoulder to slam him down on the ground in front of her. It would become clear very quickly why these two were once rivals. Despite their physical differences, they were surprisingly evenly matched. --- Stevie sat at the table with them and listened to Winters talk. He was surprised to hear that Winters had been bullied as well. When Cory said he'd beat up the bullies, Stevie couldn't help but smirk. The idea of Cory fending off their attackers even caused some excitement to pass through him. Enough that he had to cross one leg over another to subtly hide his 'excitement'. He picked up the burger and started to eat hungrily. He was so caught up in enjoying the food he'd never had before that he didn't realise the bullies across the mall had spotted him. They'd all started whispering to each other, pointing toward him and laughing among themselves. When Stevie finally looked up and noticed them, a few of the boys in the group started making crude hand motions over their crotches. Clearly making fun of him because they all assumed he was playing with himself in the halls at school earlier that day. The rest of the bullies immediately started laughing loudly. His face turned red with rage and humiliation as he quickly lowered his gaze to his burger. He swallowed what was left in his mouth. He was shaking and could feel his eyes watering. He suddenly didn't feel so hungry anymore and wished he could just disappear. The flute in his pocket demanded action but he tried hard to resist the temptation. --- No movement or sound came from his surroundings. If there were any souls nearby they were doing well at hiding from Theron and Sam. This part of Hell had a higher concentration of souls that were experienced in hiding from Demons by now. It was rare to find souls in this area that had only just landed in Hell. In a run-down and crumbling building, there was a thin and tired-looking young woman. She'd been in Hell since the 1930s and so far hadn't managed to find any souls that she could trust to watch her back while navigating Hell's landscapes. Hearing Theron's calls, she crawled over to the broken window. Being careful to stay low so that she wouldn't be seen and peered out towards where his voice had come from. She was tempted to run out and see if he was alright but past experiences told her that this could be a trap. So for now, she remained quiet and watched him warily. --- With everyone else standing behind Hades and Bob standing in front of her, he looked down at the small bit of flesh growing on his ribs. He then lifted his skull and raised his arms by his sides. "flesh me up, baby!" --- Viktor nodded then caressed Bryce's cheek. "And if you need any more, I'll be happy to feel you kiss again," he said then grinned and took his hands to pull him to his feet. "Come on!" he said excitedly. "Where should we go first?" --- Damien nodded to Will then looked over at James and smiled. "I appreciate that..." he said and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess I haven't had any real friends before either... at least not since my old mentor...Hell, you know more about me than most at this point thanks to our drinking game." he chuckled. "Speaking of which, you still got that bottle?" --- Parker was taken aback by the hug but couldn't help smiling as he wrapped his arms around Carter as well. "I-I guess it does." he chuckled. "Well, you know... you were there for me when I needed someone to look up to... You both were." Sebastian had been watching Carter warily but Parker's words and seeing the way Carter kept himself under control made him relax. He even smiled at the thought that Parker saw them both as his parents. "You can stay in the spare room. Are you hungry Parker? I'm sure there are still some frozen pizzas or something left in the freezer. I don't mind making one for you." "Nah, I'm good for now. Thanks though." Parker said as he pulled out of the hug and looked at them both. "Is everything ok with you guys though? Why were you acting so weird earlier?" --- "Tony? What- 'Short Fuse' Tony?" Mon asked as he stepped into the kitchen. "I thought the police got to him? But-but Bern, the man was psychotic. Don't you remember what he did to that family? I mean Jesus, the boss told him to send a message but what he did to them..." he shook his head and shivered. "That was dark even for us!" --- As he reached out once again for the axe, the wolf paused when Insanity appeared and he stared at him intensely while listening to the offer. He smirked and caressed the handle of the ace with his fingers. "I can think of a few desirable positions." he purred in a very thick German accent. He glanced back to his little hut and then to Insanity. Whatever work he had in mind for him was bound to be more entertaining than the life he had now. "I am Florian." the wolf told him directly then yanked the axe out of the tree stump and used it to point towards his hut. "I will accept your offer but first I will 'tie up a loose end.'" he smirked and began walking back to his hut casually. As he walked he'd whistle the same tune but at a far slower tempo to unnerve the man trapped inside. --- The officer nodded as he watched the team on the monitors quickly go to work bagging up any evidence that they could find and carefully removing the computers to bring back with them. "We need to nip this in the bud. We worked so hard on bringing those bastards down, the last thing we need is for them to start popping up around the world again..." the officer vented. "Especially if they decide to set up in a country that we have no jurisdiction in... Did you hear? The crazy bastard in North Korea sympathises with those fucks! This could be bad news for us if they decide to cross their border and seek refuge. If we thought getting rid of them before was difficult, it would be nothing in comparison to if they succeeded in crossing that border." Denix Vames - October 2, 2022 "Oh! I heard about this thing called Netflix and Chill? I think it's when you watch moving pictures with your friends." ,said Phineas. --- The woman growled. "I'll walk away. Just don't start anything. This is my bar. I get to fight." She headed back to the stool she was sitting at. She started drinking again. Leo rolled his eyes. "Someone's trying way too hard to look tough." --- His wings impacted the fall. He stood up and headbutted her with the back of his head. --- Cory noticed the situation. He got up from his seat and headed to the bullies. He grabbed one of them. "Get the fuck out before I make you!" --- Theron cut his own wrist. Allowing some of his black blood to slither around the area. It noticed a soul's presence. Theron turned his head and appeared in front of the woman. "Hello there. Please stay still. I have to punish you for being bad." --- Hades raised her hand as she chanted a spell. It took a lot of her energy but she continued until Bob was finally human again. She was about to fall when Storm helped her to a bean bag. --- Bryce thought for a moment. "Why not something less known? We should look at ancient ruins from France." --- James raised it. "Never left it." --- Carter frowned. "Donnie kidnapped me. Made me addicted to Devil's blood. It took a lot of effort for Sebastian to make me feel a little better. That's why he's worried about you being here. But the thing is, the urge isn't there. I think Sebastian taught me that my heart was more stronger than my hunger." --- Bern stood and glared. "That was how it was! We use to actually have real jobs. And now what? We babysit a fucking merman? Help this damn bitch called David to protect people without getting our payment? We use to be something! Fearless!" He slammed his fist on the counter. "It's time we take the Don down and regain that title. After all, I'm a Demon. He can fuck with me." --- Insanity smiled. "I'll wait right here, Florian. Take your time." --- Xenos suddenly laughed. "Do you really think that man can ever do anything right? He will always be a joke. Even if he tries to do anything, we'll just take him down like his father." shadowess - October 7, 2022 Kasper chuckled at Phineas's suggestion and hugged him. "Um... not exactly... it's when... well..." he blushed then leaned in to whisper what it was into Phineas's ear. He then bit his lip and looked at him. "But we can watch something together anyway if you want? And if..." Kasper walked his fingers up Phineas's arm playfully while shrugging shyly and grinning. "If you want to do anything while we watch it, then I wouldn't say no." --- "Yeah... " Oscar mumbled as he sat down. His eyes scanned the rest of the bar. "Something seems off though... I can't put my finger on it... like, I just know that something here isn't right." he muttered to Leo while still looking around them warily. "For starters, the bartending souls. They look Exhausted. Flustered. Maybe even a little scared." he paused, biting his lip nervously as he turned to look at Leo. "Like they're being tormented." Just as he said this, one of the souls collapsed while trying to carry a heavy tray full of pints out. Demons surrounding him jeered and complained when they'd been splashed by the spilt liquid. The soul seemed so weak and tired that he struggled to lift himself back to his knees. The other souls paused to look at him fearfully for just a fraction of a second before continuing to pour drinks and serve Demons. As if they were worried about the consequences of slowing down. "Please..." the soul on the floor wheezed as he looked up at the Demons. Particularly the woman. "Please, I'm sorry! I-I just need to rest. F-for five minutes! Just five minutes! I'm sorry! I'll clean this up, I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" he devolved into terrified sobs as he removed his shirt to start mopping up the Demon's Brew that was now in a large puddle in the middle of the inn. --- His head collided with her chin and she grunted as she stumbled back before regaining her composure. The smack had caused some memories to bubble to the surface, of a time when they had actively tried to kill each other. Every run-in, every showdown, every bloody fight. Then, just when it seemed like one would win, the other would find a way to escape. Living to fight another day. Carol grinned. She had lived for that thrill. Never knowing which fight might be their last but deep down hoping their confrontations would never end. The challenge was far too much fun. She laughed and darted around him, aiming a punch just under his ribs in an effort to wind him. --- "Get off me!" The bully shoved Cory. "You think you're better than us because you're sticking up for the freaks now? Fucking pussy!" "Kick his ass, Gord!" one of the other bullies gauded him Stevie was watching the confrontation from where he sat. His heart was pounding. His hand was in his pocket, caressing his flute nervously. --- The woman gasped and fell back from the window. She stared up at Theron for just a moment before her flight instinct kicked in. Her experience of being tortured by Demons for decades meant that she knew it was a bad idea to hang around or try to talk her way out of punishment. Without wasting any time, she jumped to her feet and with a whimper, she started to run towards the door. If he were to look into her past like Lillith had taught him, he would see that she had once been involved with a group of bandits. She would pretend to be hurt or lost along a road and when passing travellers stopped to help her, her accomplices would jump out from their hiding spots to rob them. Occasionally the people they robbed tried to fight them and a few of their victims lost their lives in the scuffle. On one such occasion, the woman was caught in the crossfire and lost her life. --- Lilly held Pain's hand tightly as she watched the process. At first, Bob simply stood there as the bit of flesh on his ribs started to stretch out and spread. "Heh, tingly..." he commented, amused. Then, rapidly, the flesh pulled itself over his bones and along the way it grew nerve ending after nerve ending. This resulted in Bob feeling quite a bit of pain as they would be completely exposed to the air until he grew skin over the new tissue. "Ah-! ah-! Not tingly no more! Not tingly no more! Pain! Lots of pain! Lots of-!" an otherworldy shriek erupted from Bob's skull and he gripped his head as flesh covered it and crept over his boney hands as well. When his vocal cords grew, they took over from Bob's familiar voice as he continued to scream, only his cries took on a completely different pitch to his skeletal version. Gooey white blobs formed inside his eye sockets and with a squelchy 'pop!', his new eyes developed. Feeling frightened but helpless, Lilly turned to Pain and hid her face in his shoulder, hugging him to stop herself from running to Bob's aid. A few screams, pops, and squelches later, Bob's transformation was completed. What stood before them now was a naked and woozy man whose age matched the age of Bob's bones when he'd originally died. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties. Brown hair with a small brown beard and blue eyes. Having just grown a brand new brain, Bob swayed on the spot for a good minute while his eyes rolled around and his mouth hung open. He tried to focus on the people in front of him. Wondering who they were, where he was and why he suddenly felt so cold. "Ifshhhbthhh..." he tried to speak, drooling as he did and looking very drunk. "Cob-cobble....fwib..." he blew a raspberry and then laughed before pursing his lips and blowing through them. "Brrrrrrrrr......" he giggled to himself while still swaying on his feet. "Yellow, hum, sing, ribbit, goldfish, smiling sausages, hold my banana hat!" he announced proudly before passing out and falling backwards. --- Viktor's eyes lit up at the idea. "There are ruins in France?" he asked excitedly. "Then let's start there! I want to see it all!" --- "You truly are a good friend!" Damien laughed. "You want to talk some more or should we watch something while we polish off the rest of that bottle?" --- "Shit..." Parker muttered when Carter told him he'd been kidnapped. "Well... I'm glad you're feeling better." he nodded, unsure of what else to say. Sebastian was looking at Carter tearfully, appreciative of his words. After all the stress and worrying about Carter, it was exactly the kind of thing he needed to hear. "You ok?" Parker's question snapped Sebastian out of his thoughts and he nodded to him with a small smile. "I'm fine." He answered as he started walking towards the kitchen. "I just need a minute. It's been a very long day." Once in the kitchen, he poured himself some of the blood that was still in the pot from earlier on, then leaned against the counter while taking some sips. --- "Bern..." Mon shook his head. He was shivering at the thought. "Sure we made more money and people respected us but that was only cos they were scared of us. Is that what you want? To hurt people? Bern, what Tony did... it wasn't right and you know it!" he took a step towards Bern with an imploring look. His heart was racing. "A-and we can't go against the Don! He's- he's our family!" --- Florian opened the door to his hut and stood there for a moment to stare at the old man with a dark expression. As soon as the old man saw the way he was looking at him, he knew what his intentions were and started to whimper while desperately struggling with the bars of his cage. Assuming that he was unseen by all as per usual, Asreal appeared in the clearing. He was looking at his book and lifted his gaze towards the hut with an unreadable expression. His place wasn't to judge. Only to guide. The old Steinheil in the hut was screaming in fright and begging, in German, not to be killed. Resuming his slow whistling, Florian opened the cage and stood back to allow the old man to make a run for it. He'd watch the Steinheil run a few steps from his hut before flinging the axe at the back of his head. The axe hit its mark with a sickening crack and the old man simply came to an abrupt halt. He stood there for a moment with a shocked expression, his face twitching ever so slightly. Then he stiffly fell forward, dead. Azreal had turned his head away and closed his eyes with a grimace. When he opened them, they landed on Insanity and he froze. He knew the trouble this man was causing and wanted so much to intervene but his job forbade it. While glaring at the Devil, Azreal waited where he was for the old man's soul to leave his body so that he could escort him to Hell. Florian didn't see Azreal as he swaggered out of his hut and strode over to the body triumphantly. He bent down and yanked the axe from the corpse before looking at his new employer. "What did you have in mind?" he asked him with a smirk. --- "Don't be naive, X." The officer said. "He might be a bumbling idiot but he's a powerful bumbling idiot with a brainwashed population and some of the best media censorship on the planet. That's not even mentioning the nukes. We need to tread carefully." he glanced at him sideways with an expectant look. "Covertly." he looked back to the screens. "Japan is huge. They might have packed up and moved on from that location but they would need a convoy of some kind to transport their tech across any borders. I expect they'd already know that we'd be looking out for that so they might be laying low somewhere in Japan until the heat dies down." The officer lifted his hand to thoughtfully stroke his short beard. "We need an agent to go undercover as soon as possible. If these bastards are sympathetic to what ADIEU stood for then our agent will need to be human. A human who can handle themselves as this will be a dangerous mission." He looked back at Xenos. "Do you know any human agents for the job?"

Shadowess - October 1, 2022 "I suppose you're right," Kasper replied, keeping his head down. He felt a little more guilty that he'd complained. "Come on, let's get this set up." --- Oscar shrugged. "Could be. But some demons are just rowdy. Take Carol for example..." He tilted his head to Leo with a smirk. "Or me back in the day." He chuckled. "We should try to listen out for conspiracy. Might be worth asking a few Demons what they think about Hell's royal family." --- Carol grinned eagerly. "I might not be out to kill you anymore but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, sweet thing." She warned him while settling into a fighting stance. "Show me what you got!" --- Stevie looked around, careful to not look in the direction of the bullies. He shrugged. "Maybe the burger place?" He suggested quietly. He was clearly nervous about his surroundings. --- Tony screamed initially. Then he groaned, feeling uncomfortably cold as his body went into shock. He was bleeding out but also dying slowly as none of his vital organs had been damaged. Rather, they spilled out of his torso. Lillith grinned, approving the method of execution. She walked over to Tony wordlessly and stared right into his wide eyes. She reached down and dug her hand into his open torso. Tony winced but made no sound while he watched her in helpless terror as she pulled out his liver and proceeded to take a bite out of it. What Lillith was doing was horrifying but it was not done out of malice. Not completely anyway. Eons ago this was how her species sustained themselves. So at this point, she only viewed Tony as food. After all, the human form she was currently maintaining was only an illusion. Naturally, she was a beast. A hunter. A predator. Tony could no longer feel any pain. Gradually both his hearing and his sight dulled as he stared off to one side. His mouth hung open and his breathing became laboured. He surprised himself as his last thought before taking his last breath was; 'I've been made to suffer worse. I was lucky this time.' His body vanished and Lillith stood while licking the blood from her fingers before it could vanish too. "Good children. It is your turn now. Hunt on your own. Prove you are capable of ruling your domain. I will watch closely." --- "Oooh... So you're like a hopeless romantic type?" Bob nodded. He was quiet for a moment. Whether he was contemplating Pain's words was difficult to tell without any facial expressions to read. After a minute or two, he lifted his skull and looked back at the building. "Y'know, I think something like that is just what she needs. You're a good guy, Pain. Something tells me that when you two eventually do hit it off, you'll be good for her." --- Viktor closed his eyes as he tried to think of what his kind of date would be. He smiled and sighed dreamily. "If time travel were possible, I'd want to go back to experience the kind of parties you told me about. To dance with you in a ball while wearing fine suits." He opened his eyes and looked into Bryce's. "Let's travel," he said suddenly. "Let's just go. Experience the world together. We'll start with Europe. I want to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in England, The art museums in Amsterdam and the canals of Venice. I want to see the remains of Pompei, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Acropolis of Athens. Just you and me. What do you think?" --- River seemed to relax a little but still felt a little bad that he'd fallen out with Parker in the process. He decided he would try to talk to his brother later to make amends but for now, he wanted to focus on keeping his father safe. Damien nodded to Will thankfully then shifted on his feet uncomfortably while looking at him with a serious expression. "I'd like to give my statement now. I'd prefer to get it done so that you know who you're looking for as soon as possible." --- Sebastian hesitated and looked at Carter warily. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked him quietly. "Carter, him simply being this close to you while you're trying to recover is dangerous for both of you." he reasoned. "Please just stay in here. I'll go and see if he's ok." he got up and headed out of the bedroom. He practically jogged downstairs and only opened the front door by an inch. He peered out at Parker who looked back at him with a confused expression. "Hey, um... Is now a bad time?" "You could say that..." Sebastian answered as he glanced behind him briefly. "What's wrong, Parker? Is everything ok?" "...Actually no..." Parker sighed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Can- can I stay with you guys? Just for a few days? Damien is crashing at Will's and I really don't want to be around the guy." "Your dad?" "He's not my dad." Parker quickly snapped back with a dark expression. He then sighed, put his hands in his pockets and looked around the front lawn awkwardly. "Carter was more of a dad to me than he'll ever be. Please, Sebastian. I don't have anywhere else to go..." Sebastian was quiet for a moment. He really wanted to help Parker but knew that it simply wasn't safe for him to be here. Especially this early into Carter's recovery. "I-I'm sorry, Parker. I really am. But like I said, it's not a good time. Look... here..." he opened the door a little more and dug into his pocket to pull out his wallet. "I'll give you some cash. Get yourself a hotel room..." "A hotel? But..." Parker looked up at the house sadly. "Why? What's happened? Where's Carter?" (Nice I love the Hellsing anime. Could be interesting if she was a follower of Donnie & his family. It's up to you though.) Denix Vames - October 1, 2022 "You can lead on this project. I don't know much about modern technology." ,said Phineas. --- (i think ill make her a follower) The demon smirked at Leo and Oscar. She kissed the air as she winked at them. "Maybe let's not start with her." ,said Leo. --- Gabriel chuckled. "Wait a minute. Shouldn't we do this in a more open area? Like a field?" ,said Napoleon. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Follow me." Gabriel disappeared. Napoleon would be watching the battle while sitting under a tree. Gabriel cracked his knuckles. "I'll let you take the first shot." --- "Sounds cool to me." ,said Cory. The group headed there. "What do you want off the menu?" ,asked Autumn. --- Theron was shaking. "But I don't know how to hunt by myself." "It's easy! Just have fun!" Sam laughed as he ran off. Theron walked as he kept an eye out for any soul. --- Pain smiled. "Thanks Bob. You're a great friend to be around." --- Bryce smiled. "Sounds like a wonderful idea. We just need to pack and teleport wherever. I still am partially vampiric so we'll need to go out when it's dark." --- Will nodded. He sat on the living room couch and took out his notepad. He had a pen in his other hand. "Just take a seat and tell me what you can." --- "I'm right here." Carter was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. "I went through some things but that doesn't mean I can't be strong enough for my friends. I know you're concerned Sebastian but you've proven to me that my own will can keep me from hurting others. I'll help Parker no matter what. So please, let him in." --- Bern was sleeping right next to Mon in bed as he dreamt of how he died. He could recall the glass shattering, the piercing pain, and the bullets which was weird. There were no bullets. That's when he saw Tony lying on the ground with bullet holes in him. He gasped awake. Frustrated with the nightmare, he went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass. He accidentally squeezed it. It broke into pieces as it fell to the floor. He sighed and just chugged the bottle of scotch. Shadowess - October 2, 2022 Kasper nodded and took the equipment out of the box. After reading the manual a few times, he managed to set up the sprinkler system. He stood by the outdoor faucet and turned it on. He then used a remote control to set the timers on the sprinklers. Moments later, the gadget came to life and formed a dome of misty water over their freshly planted crops. --- "Agreed..." Oscar commented as he stared back at her uncomfortably. Defensively, he took Leo's hand as if to make it perfectly clear to anyone who looked that this man was taken. He particularly wanted to make it clear to that woman. "C'mon, let's go and sit over here... We'll probably be able to eavesdrop on most conversations from there..." he said to him quietly while nodding towards a table in the corner of the room that had just become available. --- "Ever the gentleman." Carol purred as she stretched her arms above her head. Once she felt limber enough, she poised herself low before darting forward. About halfway to reaching Gabriel she vanished. Rapidly, she reappeared behind him, close to the ground, where she swept her leg at both of his to force him to lose his balance. --- Stevie looked up and was unsure of what he wanted. He never usually had this much of a choice. In fact, it was rare that he could ever even afford the luxury of fast food. "Umm... what about that big one?" he asked, looking at the largest burger on the menu. This might be the only time he could get something that big, he wasn't about to let the opportunity slip through his fingers. --- Lillith watched the boys but would offer no comfort to Theron. The way she saw it this boy was almost an adult and needed to harden up if he was to rule one day. She silently slinked off to the shadows and appeared to vanish completely but she would remain close to the boys, unseen, to keep watch over them. Effectively giving them a sense of independence while subtly ensuring that they both remain safe under her watch. --- "As are you." Bob nodded. "C'mon. I wana know how handsome I am with skin!" he said eagerly before marching towards the building at a brisker pace. His boney feet clacked against the pavement as he walked. "Honnies, I'm home!" he announced while swinging the door open before stepping inside. --- "Won't my blood give you some protection?" Viktor asked as he got up from the bed. He looked around. "None of this stuff is mine anyway. I'll bet all of my old belongings are in a landfill by now... or destroyed..." he shrugged. He'd been keeping tabs on his family home. After the murder of his parents was discovered by authorities, the house had become a crime scene. When the police found all of the old Steniheil weaponry, some with dried blood from previous hunts, the entire house and its contents were seized for evidence. Eventually, Viktor and his sister were declared missing and presumed dead when neither of them had come forward. Then the house itself had been auctioned off. Not that this mattered much to Viktor anymore. Once he realised how wrong his family had been and how close they'd come to making him into a murderer, he cut himself off from that life entirely. He had no intentions of looking back. "But that's fine. I can always buy new clothes and stuff while we're away," he said eagerly as he looked at Bryce. --- Damien sat down across from Will. River also perched himself on the arm of the couch that Will was sitting on as he listened in on his father carefully. He wanted to know who had attacked him as well. After thinking about what he'd say, Damien sighed and nodded while clasping his hands in front of him and staring at the ground. He took his mind back to his apartment. "I'd just gotten home. With everything that had happened with Carter and Donnie, I wanted to leave the country to try to make things easier for Carter's recovery. So I called Alex to let him know that I was coming..." Damien paused and glanced up at River. "Shit, he's probably worried..." "I'm on it." River stood and vanished. Once he was gone, Damien seemed to relax a little more. "I packed my things." he continued. "I was about to leave and opened my door. But there was a vampire loitering just outside. He looked... starved. Thin. Dirty too... I think he might've been homeless. He seemed jumpy... erratic." Damien's eyebrows furrowed. "He looked desperate. Um... short blond hair... blue eyes... He must've caught my scent and followed me. He broke in and..." Damien sighed heavily. Admitting or appearing vulnerable in any way shape or form was not something he was used to. His training heavily discouraged it. But he needed to tell someone what had happened. "He knocked me down. The last thing I remember is he was on me... drinking from me..." Damien intentionally left out the kinds of things the vampire had been saying to him. What the vampire had intended to do with him. There were some things that Damien was just not ready to open up about. "Then I remember walking down the street... I don't know how I escaped..." he looked down at his hands and showed Will his bloodied and bruised knuckles. "But something tells me that I fought like hell." he chuckled. "I think the only thing that stopped him from coming after me was the sun... When I came to, it was already morning. But my main concern now is that he's had a taste of my blood and if he really was starving prior to that then there's a good chance that he's now addicted. He'll hunt for me as soon as he's able to." Damien tilted his head a bit and scratched the back of his head. "Then of course there's the asshole taxi driver that tried to take advantage of my state..." he added then glanced at James. "If not for James... I dread to think what would've happened to me. I got in this taxi after I was attacked and asked to be taken to the airport. I must've passed out in the backseat from blood loss... then next thing I remember is waking up in James's place. I didn't see the guy's face...sorry." he looked at James, wondering if he'd weigh in at this point and describe the taxi driver along with telling them whatever he'd been doing at the time that James had caught him up to no good. --- Sebastian looked back at Carter uncertainly. Parker peered in with a mixture of caution and curiosity. Seeing the stubborn look on Carter's face, Sebastian knew he wouldn't win. He sighed and relented. "Alright, but at the first sign of trouble he has to leave," he warned as he opened the door more to let Parker in. "I won't be any trouble, I promise," Parker said quickly as he walked into the house. "Not you..." Sebastian mumbled as he closed the door and watched them both warily. Parker was puzzled but he didn't press the matter. He was a little more embarrassed as he realised Carter might've heard his comment about seeing him as a father figure. He headed into the living room with the other two. "I really appreciate it. I just needed to get away for a while, you know?" --- Mon heard the glass smashing and got up from the bed. He headed into the kitchen and saw Bern drinking. "Hey, Bern? You ok?" he asked him sleepily. "What're you doing up? And drinking?" --- In the German forest, just a few miles from the Vampire Castle, a newly built log hut was sitting in a small clearing. Shirtless, a muscular man walked into the clearing while holding three large logs over one shoulder. He was whistling to the tune of 'who's afraid of the big bad wolf?' and generally seemed content. Dropping the logs by a tree stump with an axe embedded in it, the man went to grab the handle when a pained cry came from inside his hut. He paused and smirked. Leaving the axe where it was, he walked back to the hut and opened the door to glare at a gagged, naked man who was crouching in an uncomfortably small cage. The man was the father from the Steinheil mansion. Kasper's father. The Steinheil had captured him and tortured him for months in an effort to make him subservient before his foolish son had released him. Now the Steiheil father was his captive and the 'Big Bad Wolf' was taking great pleasure in causing his suffering. Giving him a taste of what he'd put him through before he would eventually slaughter him. "What did I tell you about making noise?" he growled at him in German. Immediately the man in the cage froze and grew silent. He stared up at his captor in fear. "Should I whip you again? Hm? Will that teach you to be quiet?" The Steinheil father quickly shook his head and the Wolf's grin widened maliciously. "What? No to the whipping or no to teaching you to be quiet?" he asked coldly. Unable to answer the ridiculous question, the man in the cage whimpered desperately but the second he made a sound the wolf kicked at his cage and yelled at him. "I SAID NO NOISE!! SHOULD I RIP OUT YOUR FUCKING TONGUE?! HUH?!" This made the man jump and cry out fearfully while covering his head with his hands as much as he could. He started hyperventilating. "YOU MAKE ANOTHER NOISE AND I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU REGRET IT!" the wolf snapped then slammed the hut door shut, leaving his captive in darkness once more. After taking a brief moment to breathe and calm down, the wolf went right back to whistling his tune and heading over to his axe as if nothing had just happened. --- Back in the CIA facility, the agents were still busy trying to clean up the mess that Warren had left behind when he'd infiltrated the building and stolen files. Now, by working together with the Japanese authorities, the control room was preparing to monitor a raid on the suspected hideout of the people who had hired Warren. An officer stood by with his arms folded as he watched the SWAT teams take their positions on the monitors. Xenos will have been called in to watch the operation as well. The atmosphere was tense as they prepared themselves for anything. They watched as the team moved in quickly. They swept through the place but met no resistance nor did they find anyone in the building. The place had already been cleaned out. There were obvious signs that the building had been occupied but they had recently packed up and moved on. The only thing that remained was a few computers that the suspects apparently hadn't had time to take with them. "Fuck!" the officer shouted as he threw his headset across the room. "Fuck!" he kicked a chair. They were too late to stop them. He marched over to his headset and placed it back onto his head. "Gather up those computers and see if you can decrypt wherever those fuckers might've gone! We have to find them! Get a forensics team in there asap. I want any prints or DNA that you can find. Give me SOMETHING!"

Denix Vames - September 14, 2022 "I never thought about it like that." Phineas tried to open the box. "I think we need a knife." --- Carter did his best to hold a strong smile. "Ok." He laid next to Sebastian and rest his head over his chest. "It's going to be ok. I know it will be. Because we're both here together." --- Leo nodded. "Lead the way." --- Travis laughed when Pickles licked him. He started rubbing his belly to see if dogs really did like being pet there. --- "I see. What did you think of my leadership? And what is rock music?" ,asked Napoleon. Gabriel appeared in front of them. "Sorry to interrupt but I have an offer for you guys. Would you both like to be in my search party? I have orders to look Donnie's family." He smirked. "It could be fun." "Donnie?" Napoleon glared. "That bastard and his army! They all deserve no mercy! The ruthlessness they carry is ridiculous!" --- Cory frowned but didn't say anything. He assumed that it was a really special item to him so he didn't pry. "An Ocarina? Like from Legend Of Zelda? That would be amazing!" ,said Autumn. The group continued walking. They would soon reach the local mall. --- Theron walked over to the mobster. His blood stopped moving. Remaining still. "Why did you hurt people? Mommy says I'm supposed to punish you because you're bad." --- Pain couldn't help but laugh. "Have you never heard of a Demisexual before?" --- Bryce blushed. "Oh. Well, maybe we could do that sometimes when we're really close?" --- "Parker." Will followed and stood in front of him when they were outside "I won't stop you from doing this. Just try to think about this in your dad's perspective, ok?" He gave him a quick kiss. "I'll visit when I can." --- James took his hand. He sighed. "God I hope this doesn't get awkward." shadowess - September 18, 2022 The box's flaps sprang open, revealing its contents just as Phineas suggested that they use a knife. Kasper paused with a contemplative look. "I don't want to complain and seem ungrateful but I hope we don't get everything just handed to us like this," he commented then pulled out some of the equipment. "That having been said, it looks like it's up to us to assemble the sprinklers." he chuckled. --- Oscar took Leo's hand and teleported them to one of the bars in Hell that he knew. It was full of Demons who were having drinks and mostly just keeping to themselves. Oscar rose his eyebrows at Leo and then moved his eyes around the room as if to say it wasn't normal for a bar in Hell to be this full. There was barely any room to move and the poor souls who had been tasked with tending the bar seemed exhausted from trying to keep up with the unending orders. Oscar had to lean in for Leo to hear him above the noise of the bar. "Wonder what's going on here. This is way busier than normal." --- Pickles' eyes rolled a bit, enjoying the feeling. He lifted his front paws to let Travis rub his belly more while he frantically licked the air, making 'nom nom' noises. --- Carol had opened her mouth to reply to Napoleon's questions when Gabriel appeared. When he proposed that they join his search party, her smile twisted into a wicked grin. Her eyes immediately burned red out of sheer excitement. "The Arch-Angel Gabriel! How long it's been! How's your 'daddy'? Still an old grouch?" she purred then realised he might not recognise her in her new body. "It's Carol, sweet thing." she winked. Back when Carol had been Lucifer's soldier, she'd had a few run-ins with Gabriel. Back then they'd been at war so a fight breaking out between them whenever they crossed paths was always inevitable. As much as they had once been rivals though, Carol had always respected him. There, of course, had also been a few rare occasions when she'd stumbled upon Gabriel and his 'brother's' having one of their chaotic parties and rather than fight they had put their differences aside temporarily to drink and get up to mischief without their respective bosses knowing about it. Only to go back to fighting the following day. But now it seemed Gabriel was looking for help and wouldn't you know? Carol was just in the market for some new purpose to fill her life with. "An opportunity to work at an old rival's side and take out a mutual enemy? How can a girl say 'no?'" she said coyly with a playful smirk. "Count me in, but first..." Carol stepped to one side, away from Napoleon and cracked her neck to limber up. "I'm interested to see just how rusty I've gotten. What do you say Gabby? A little sparring match for old time's sake?" --- "Oh, you like that game too?" Stevie's smile became a little wider and more genuine. "I've completed it three times. I'll make you an Ocarina! Like the one in the game. Maybe I could carve the notes for Zelda's Lullaby on the back?" he said eagerly. He followed the trio into the mall and looked around shyly. He practically hid behind the other three as they walked passed a group of kids from their school. Most of whom also liked to occasionally bully him. Instinctively, he kept his hood up and his head down, hoping they wouldn't see him. --- Sweating and aching all over, Tony rolled onto his side and groaned. "K-Kid, I swear, I was just doing what I was told! Don't hurt me again, alright? My boss told me to do it so I did it. Otherwise, he woulda killed me too." "And the rest," Lillith said coldly. "What-?" "You have only told part of the truth. If you were only following orders and coerced into spilling blood then you would not have awoken here upon your death. Why else did you kill? Why were you so meticulous in your tortures? You spent a great deal of time planning your attacks for someone who was just 'following orders" Tony gawped at Lillith. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as his eyes moved frantically from face to face. "Wh-what do you want me to say, huh?! That-that I enjoyed it?! Is that what you want to hear?!" "Did you?" Lillith answered calmly. Her eyes bore into his. For a moment, Tony was quiet as he stared back at her. Then he shivered and looked down at the ground, whimpering as he hesitantly confessed. "...I-I did... I loved it... I was good at it." he looked back up at Theron. His eyes were wild with fear but he tried his best to regain his composure. "So, what now, huh? Now that you know. You're going to kill me right? Make me wake up somewhere else in Hell to do it all over again..." he stifled another whimper while shutting his eyes tightly. "J-Just do it then! Get it over with!" --- "A what?" Bob tilted his head to one side and continued to look at Pain as they walked. "That someone with a thing for Demi-gods?...Sounds hot." --- "I'd like that," Viktor said softly and bit his lip at the thought. He seemed thoughtful for a moment then glanced around the room with a small frown. He turned his head and looked at a mirror in the room that was very similar to the one he'd pulled Bryce through. He shivered at the memory. The desperate struggle to save the man he loved. The look on Insanity's face when he'd tried to stop them from escaping. He found it a little funny that just a few months ago the only supernatural creatures he was aware of were Vampires and Werewolves. If he'd been told back then that he would become a hybrid of both that was also part Angel and part Devil, he'd have laughed it off as a joke. But here he was... He knew Bryce was capable of reading his thoughts and probably already knew what was on his mind so didn't want to dwell on it much longer. Yet, with the trauma still so fresh, he couldn't stand to be in this mansion right now. Nor could he face going to Bryce's apartment after seeing... The image of Bryce having his throat slit in front of him had forced itself to the surface of his thoughts and his heart skipped a beat then ached. Even though he knew Bryce was alive and safe, he couldn't help feeling his heart ache at the memory. "Let's go somewhere?" he said suddenly and looked at Bryce. "Anywhere that isn't here. Just you and me." he lean forward and pressed his forehead against Bryce's. "It could be like a date?" --- Parker looked at Will and nodded wordlessly. He returned the kiss and then walked to his car without saying anything. He thought about Will's words as he drove to Carter's. Not long after Parker had driven away, River appeared in the Precinct with Damien and James. He glanced around at Will while letting go of their hands. "Hey... I'm sorry. I just-... he's my dad..." he tried to justify himself as he felt guilty for putting him and Parker in an awkward situation. Damien placed a hand on River's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile before turning his head to look at Will. "I appreciate the help." he began then glanced around at James. "This is James. He got me out of a pretty bad situation a few hours ago and has been looking out for me since. I'd like for him to stay nearby if that's ok?" He turned to look back at Will. --- Sebastian wrapped his arms around Carter and rubbed his arm to comfort him. "We'll be ok." Sebastian agreed. "I won't let anything else happen to us. I'd do anything to protect you. Anything..." He sighed then closed his eyes, trying to relax himself enough to sleep. But he wouldn't fall asleep and only a few minutes later he'd catch a familiar scent approaching the house. Half human and half devil. Parker. Sebastian tensed and his eyes snapped open. He held his breath. This was the last thing they needed. "Stay here," he told Carter. "I'll tell him to go home, ok?" he said in a careful and calm tone just as the doorbell rang. Denix Vames - September 19, 2022 "It's Heaven, Kasper. They want all souls to feel good here. I don't blame thing since not a lot of us had great lives." ,said Phineas. --- "Another drink! Fucking bitch!" ,shouted a Demon who had a large empty glass with her. Once she got her drink, she drank some before kicking someone's head off. "Get your hands off of this body!" She grinned. "Now, that's what I call a homerun." Leo bit his lip. "What the hell is wrong with her? Please don't tell me she's one of Donnie's followers." --- Travis laid next to Pickles. He found himself calming down so much that he felt like having a nap. --- Gabriel smirked. "You're on." Napoleon raised a brow. "Should I wait somewhere?" "You could watch the fight if you want to." --- "That would be great. Thank you." ,said Autumn. At the food court, Cory said, "Which place do you want to eat at?" --- Theron raised his sword. "I don't like it when bodies are in pieces so I'll be more neat." He slammed the sword down and made Tony's body split in half. He suddenly grinned. Sam's eyes widened. He was impressed. "Whoa..." --- Pain shook his head. "It means it's a person who only has sex with someone once they get to know that person on a more personal. It usually takes a while but Lily really is something else. She's so amazing and strong. I've never met someone who I immediately had eyes for." --- Bryce smiled. "Sure. What's your kind of date?" --- "It's alright, River." Will shook James's hand. "Nice to meet you on better terms this time." "Likewise. And I'm sorry for the last time we met." "That's alright. Looks like you learned your lesson. Anyway, you guys can kick back at my home. Feel free to eat what's in the kitchen." --- "Wait." Carter sat up. "At least ask him if he needs help. I don't want to leave him in the dust." Denix Vames - September 19, 2022 (this is the woman in the demon bar. not sure but i think i might have her as one of Donnie's followers. what do you think her association should be?) Attached Image

Denix Vames - September 11, 2022 Phineas raised a brow. "It says one inch but also recommends a watering system? This wouldn't sound weird if it weren't for the fact that they mentioned something called automatic. What does that mean?" --- Carter bit his lip. "Ok but...I'm sorry if I made you worried." --- Gabriel appeared in front of Leo and Oscar. "No can do! You guys are going to join my search party. We need to find the rest of Donnie's family." Leo rolled his eyes. "Do you even know where they are?" "No but I am recruiting Demons, Devils, and Angels into my search party. I'm sure with everyone's help, we'll be able to find them in a split second." --- Travis nodded and mouthed out the words, 'I love you too.' He carried Pickles to the living room where he turned on the TV. Allowing him to be entertained and to explore his new home. --- Even with Kodi's words, Napoleon still felt terrible. He appeared by Carol's side. "Please don't leave. I would like to apologize for my behavior. My name is Napoleon Bonaparte. What is yours ma'am?" --- Autumn smiled. "So, what's your favorite kind of food? Also, did you have any stores in mind that you wanted to go to?" --- Sam grinned. "This is going to be fun." Theron and him slowly walked over to the souls. Once at close range, Sam jumped on top of Troels and stabbed him in the chest. Theron nervously looked at Tony before swinging his sword at him. "Please stay still. I don't know how to deal with moving things." --- "Then we should hurry back to the band and ask her." ,said Pain. "Well, sounds like ya'll are covered here. I'll be going then." Billy tipped his hat to Bob. "Call me the next time you need to talk. I'll be around." He disappeared. --- James stood. "As long as I won't be a bother to anyone. I don't want to make things awkward." --- Bryce grit his teeth. "The taste of his blood....I still remember. I need it. I need Damien's blood." shadowess - September 11, 2022 "A sprinkler system maybe?" Kasper suggested. "Maybe we can put in a reque-" a funny feeling washed over him and he looked a little dizzy for a moment before blinking and the feeling ended just as quickly as it came. Just as it faded away, the doorbell chimed. "Who do you suppose that could be?" he said as he walked over to the door and opened it to see an Angel in a pale blue uniform. "Sign here please." the Angel said in a bored tone while holding out a clipboard and pen. Behind him was a large box. "What's this?" Kasper took the board curiously and looked over the form. "Your order. One set of automatic sprinklers." "I-... I only thought about getting that." Kasper stammered in shock as he frantically looked over the form, trying to find out how much it cost. "W-we can't afford this!" "You're still new here, huh?" Kasper looked up. His face turned red from embarrassment. "Uh-! Yes..." he chuckled. "No money here. Don't need it. Causes nothing but misery. If you still want this just sign for it but if you've changed your mind it's not an issue, I can just take it back." "That's a relief" Kasper smiled then looked confused. "Wait...Back where?" The Angel shrugged. "Back," he answered vaguely. "Oh... ok," Kasper answered and took the pen to sign for their package. --- "Don't be," Sebastian said as he closed his eyes and simply savoured the feeling of holding Carter in his arms. He felt like he'd come so close to losing him that he needed to make the most of every moment with him now. "God, I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." he sighed and buried his face in his shoulder, taking in his scent. --- "Which is all well and good but useless if they escape again," Oscar commented he then lifted his hands. "That's not to say that I don't agree with you though. I think it's a great idea for us all to work together but maybe we can share our plans so far and come up with something that has a better chance of working." He pointed upwards. "Desi is on Earth right now trying to replicate a potion that Clementine used to make. If it works and we find that family then we can deal with them without causing any suffering or death. It'll erase their memories and make them temporarily human. We can then use their amnesia to mould them into better versions of themselves." he explained. "But first we need a test subject. The only person who knew how to make that potion properly was Clementine and she was destroyed so now it's trial and error until we get the mixture just right and we need to test it on one of Donnie's followers in case...well... in case the first batch or two don't work right." Oscar looked at Gabriel imploringly. "Help us find someone to test the potion on and we'll help you look for the family." --- For a few minutes, Pickles was content to stay in Travis's arms as he got used to being in a new environment. Feeling Travis relax though helped Pickles to also become more relaxed and after a while, he jumped down from his lap to sniff around the room. Poking his nose up and down the couch, across the carpet, over the chest of drawers and the TV stand. His little tail wagged from side to side rhythmically as he moved around. He looked up at Travis to make sure he was still there, his tail wagged a little faster as he did then he shook his whole body, flinging the bathwater from his fur. --- Kodi watched Napoleon vanish and glanced out of the window to see him reappear in front of Carol before she could cross the street. He sighed then ran his hand through his hair while glancing at Parker and Will. "Poor guy'll get his heart broke. She's not a 'commitment' type of person." he commented a little sourly before heading into the break room to calm down a bit. Even after a few hundred years, he still wasn't over her. Carol stopped when Napoleon appeared. Unlike most people though, she didn't jump in surprise when he simply popped up out of nowhere. She was used to it. Lucifer would do so frequently. She placed a hand on her hip and rose a brow at Napoleon as he spoke. "I know who you are," she told him then glanced away as if contemplating whether she should listen to him. "Carol Magpie." she introduced herself then looked at him interestedly to see how he'd react. "You're one of Raguel's men, right? You might've heard of me," she smirked. She held out a hand for him to kiss. "Lucifer's Royal Guard, confidant, Bounty Hunter, etcetera. Or used to be at least. A pleasure to meet you." She said proudly. "So, how about that drink then?" she asked while taking his arm. "I know this cool place. Plays music all night long and the red wine is so good!" --- "Um, I like hotdogs and burgers, I guess," he answered then fidgeted with the hem of his hoodie. "Um, maybe somewhere that sells knives?" he said thoughtfully then realised how that must've sounded. "F-for carving! I like to make things..." he said quickly. "I-I find wood and I whittle it into shapes, like animals and... stuff." He put his free hand into his pocket and ran his fingers over the flute. "I made one that looked like a bear once. It's at home. I-I can make instruments too... Like... Like..." he hesitated and stopped walking to pull out his flute to show them. He'd keep a wary eye on them all and would recoil if any of them reached for it, not wanting them to touch it. "This is my favourite," he said nervously then carefully placed it back into his pocket to walk with them again. "I could make something for you if you'd like?" he offered to Autumn and gave her a sweet smile. --- "Too fast." Lillith scolded Sam as she walked over to them and watched the Viking soul vanish almost immediately after being stabbed. "You are to make them suffer. Save the death blow for last." she then stood by and watched how Theron would handle the panicking Tony who had jumped out of range of the sword. The mobster looked between the two teenagers and the woman in alarm which quickly shifted to a horrified expression as he realised this must be a mother demon training her brood. Something he hadn't seen in Hell before but certainly didn't doubt could be a possibility, nor did he want to be any part of! "You stay away! Stay away from me you monsters!" "See how the sinner tries to make you feel like the monster?" Lillith said calmly to Theron. "Never forget what he has done to earn his place here. You are not the monster here. Merely the punishment. Your purpose, my child, is divine." "Fuck this shit!" Tony squeaked before turning in his heels and trying to make a run for it. "Sam." Lillith turned to him, leaving Theron to deal with the fleeing soul. She gestured for him to approach her and held out her hand towards his bracelet. "You cannot use your full potential with such a hindrance," she said as she gripped the bracelet on two sides and rapidly pulled her hands apart, snapping the accessory in two in one quick motion. The bracelet let off a loud 'bang' as it was destroyed and she dropped the pieces to the ground. "Help your brother," she said to him privately. "Guide him in his task. He looks up to you." --- "Will do, daddio!" Bob waved then looked back at the other two. "Nice guy... strange clothes." "You're one to talk." Lilly rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to get into the habit of wearing clothes again. Especially when leaving the building." "What if the breeze feels nice on my new danglies?" "Bob!" Lilly groaned and turned to walk back towards the Band's hang-out. "What? This guy knows what I'm talking about!" Bob shrugged and pointed to Pain. "I'll bet he'd let his danglies swing all day long if he could!" "Bob! Stop it!" Lilly protested as she turned red and walked faster. "Have you seen his danglies yet?" "Oh my God!" "What? Everyone else is wondering too, y'know. Have ya even kissed yet?" "No- that's not- we're not- it's not like that- shut up, Bob!!" "Wow, really? Not even a kiss?" Bob tilted his head upwards and sighed. "Dammit... now I owe Storm five bucks..." he mumbled. Lilly didn't hear this but had turned such a deep shade of red that she flung her hood up and practically power walked back to the hangout. "I get it," Bob said to Pain when she was a fair distance in front of them. "She's always got her walls up and it's hard to get her to trust ya. Life hasn't been kind to her. Not until we got here anyways." he turned his skull to him. "In all the time I've known her, she's never let anyone get as close to her as you have. She lets you actually hold and cuddle her. She'd never let anyone get close enough to do that before. She likes you." --- "It's no bother, honest." River said with a shrug. "Besides, I'd-... I'd feel a little safer with you around." Damien admitted without looking at him. "Ok, I'll be back in a little bit to tell you how it went... Like I said though, no promises." River said to them before vanishing. Damien leaned against the wall and glanced at James awkwardly. "Uh... he's a good kid..." he said before taking a swig of his drink. --- "No, you don't." Viktor sat up and looked at Bryce worriedly, wondering how he could help. He recalled Leo telling him they were a mix of different species. One of them being Devils. He hesitated before sitting on Bryce's lap with his legs on either side of his hips. He caressed his cheek and looked into his beautiful yellow eyes. "Take some of mine instead," he whispered to him with his lips hovering just over his. "Just a little. Just enough to make you feel better. It can be our thing. My gift to you..." he moved his head to one side, leaning close and exposing his neck to him. "I trust you." he closed his eyes. --- River would appear in the precinct, looking at Parker and Will. "We gotta talk... it's about dad," he said. Immediately, Parker scoffed and turned away from him to walk away. "Parker, please! He's in trouble and needs our help." "Where was he when we needed him?" Parker asked coldly. "Whatever it is, he can deal with it on his own!" "Parker-!... Will, please? He was attacked. He looks pretty roughed up. He's safe now but he needs somewhere to stay." Denix Vames - September 12, 2022 Phineas walked over to the box to inspect it. "Amazing. Such a strange piece of equipment. To do things without actually working? It sounds grand but...lazy. Do all humans have such things to make them lazy?" --- Carter closed his eyes as he breathed slowly so that he could keep himself calm. "Sebastian...I love you too." --- "Sorry guys but I need to follow orders. If you won't join my party then that's fine. I'll just find some others that can help me out. But good luck with your plan." ,said Gabriel. He disappeared. Leo raised a brow. "Orders? He doesn't seem like the type to listen to his superiors. Or maybe I read him wrong?" --- Travis laughed as he got wet. He scratched behind his ears. He wished he could say anything to Pickles but the best he could do was be there. He frowned at the idea of not being able to speak. This trauma had been a curse to him ever since his parents were murdered. --- Napoleon kissed her hand then allowed her to guide him. "Well then, Miss Carol Magpie, please tell me how you know about my character? Have the French spread word about my tales?" He shook his head. "Forgive me miss but I have never been informed about your existence. I imagine with your title though that you were a magnificent soldier." --- Autumn chuckled. "It's ok. Me and Cory use to use knives for some not-so-great things. We weren't exactly kind to ourselves. But that does sound nice. If only I knew which instrument was meant for me." All three had stopped to look at the flute. Cory nervously rubbed his arm. "Is it ok if I hold it?" Winters eyes beamed with excitement. "You made that all by yourself! That's amazing!" --- Sam nodded at her but was reluctant to help. He appeared behind Tony and gripped his arms. "Make him suffer! But don't do it quick!" Theron shook but nodded. His sword reverted back to black blood which crawled over Tony's body and ripped into his skin. Digging deeper in until it was inside. The blood began to wriggle around and slowly rip every part of his body. Sam let go. Knowing that Tony would be in too much pain to escape. --- Pain blushed as Bob spoke but smiled. "Well, the truth is I like to take things slow anyway. I like to get to know someone first before I start dating them. So I can see that she does like me but I also don't want to mess things up by rushing in. Thanks for your thoughts though." He nodded at the path back to the warehouse. "We should head back. C'mon." --- "I can see that." James drank some. "I wonder if it would be a good idea to have my own family." --- Bryce hesitantly leaned in. He opened his mouth and gently dug his fangs into his neck. He began to drink a strange new flavor that he never had before. He pulled Viktor into a tight embrace as he continued to drink. When he felt satisfied, he licked the holes that he made and kissed him. "Thank you." --- Will nodded. "It sounds like he needs our help." He placed a hand on Parker's shoulder. "C'mon Parker. I know you both have your differences but he's still a person who needs help. I can't turn away from him as the Chief." Denix Vames - September 12, 2022 Napoleon smiled. "I'd love to have some wine and listen to music." shadowess - September 13, 2022 Once the package was signed for the Angel didn't hang around and left them to figure out how to use the new equipment on their own. Kasper turned to look at Phineas as he spoke. "It's not always out of laziness." he pointed out gently. "Some people might like to garden but not have time between work and other commitments. So, something like this might be useful to them." he opened the box and looked at the hoses and instructions. "Though this does seem a little complicated... What do you think? Should we set it up or stick with the watering can?" --- Sebastian held on to Carter just a little longer before pulling back and looking at him with wet eyes. "Right, come on." he sniffled and put on a small smile. "It's been a long day and we're both exhausted. Let's try to get some sleep." --- "I dunno..." Oscar sighed with a shrug. "I just hope he's careful. That family are dangerous enough but it's also not safe for an Angel to be wandering around in Hell." he looked across the landscape briefly before looking back at Leo. "So... pub crawl?" --- After shaking the water off, Pickles sneezed. His tail wagged fast again when Travis scratched behind his ear and then he looked up at his new owner. They say dogs can sense human emotions. Whether that is true or not isn't certain but Pickles was picking up on something and it caused the little dog to pause briefly before trying to jump back up onto the couch to get close to Travis again. Once Travis would pick him up, he'd immediately start trying to lick his face relentlessly. --- "Believe it or not, dear Napoleon, I was around on Earth during the time of your reign," Carol said proudly. "So, I had access to all of the propaganda and news articles of the time." she grinned when he told her he hadn't heard of her and speculated the kind of soldier she'd been. "Oh, I was formidable in my own way!" she boasted. "I'd have done anything for my King. Had he asked me to die, I wouldn't have hesitated. If you asked Raguel about me I'll bet he'd have a story or two for you! Of course, you have to bear in mind that there was an active war between Heaven and Hell back then so I fought my fair share of Angels during that time... There was never a dull moment." When Napoleon said he was happy to listen to music and drink wine, Carol beamed. "Oh, good! I hope you don't mind loud music. Tell me, have you ever heard of Rock music?" --- Stevie couldn't help but smile at Winters's compliment, then his eyes snapped to Cory defensively when he was asked if he could hold the flute. "I'd rather you didn't," he said in a monotone voice, his eyes looking dead for just a fraction of a second. Then he looked at Autumn and smiled as if he hadn't just said anything. "M-maybe I could make you an Ocarina? or pan flute?... They're the only instruments that I know how to make." --- Lillith watched them wordlessly as the mobster let out agonised screams. When the man was dropped, he writhed on the ground. Helpless and tormented. "Don't forget young ones," she spoke over his cries. "He murdered people. Tortured people for information. He tormented a family mercilessly before causing their excruciating demise. All in the name of power, wealth and vanity." She was quiet again as the male continued to scream until finally, he broke. "Make it stop!" He cried. "Please stop this! End it already! Enough! Just fucking kill me already! Please!" A twisted smirk grew on Lillith's lips and she lifted her eyes to Theron expectantly. "You are the one in control here. You make the decision. Has he had enough? Or does he deserve more?" --- Bob placed a bony hand on Pain's shoulder to stop him from rushing ahead. He may not have eyes yet, but he could swear he saw something in Pain that he might have been trying to conceal. Bob glanced in Lilly's direction. She was walking quite quickly ahead of them and was easily out of earshot now. "Talk to me, bud," he said to him quietly. "Why are ya really holding back?" he tilted his head. "You were hurt once. Weren't ya?" --- With Steinheil's genetics, a Vampire's venom wouldn't typically affect someone like Viktor and just like when Leo turned him, he would normally feel everything. But the effects of Damien's blood had made Bryce's venom more powerful than usual, which meant that for the first time in his life Viktor was able to know what it would feel like to be bitten by a Vampire like any other ordinary human. He tensed, gasping when he felt the sting of his fangs but then shivered and let out a soft moan when he felt the numbness spread throughout his body. He tilted his head back, relaxing into Bryce's grip then gasped and moaned again when his embrace tightened. Unable to contain the word "Yes...!" as it slipped past his lips in a trembling whisper. When Bryce let him go he was almost saddened that it had ended. He returned the kiss and looked at his beloved adoringly. "So that's what that feels like..." he whispered then smiled, blushing. "I... liked it," he admitted shyly while glancing downward. --- Parker stopped when he felt Will's hand on his shoulder and he gave him an annoyed look. "Parker, please." River chimed in. "If not for him then do it for me." "Don't do that," Parker growled, turning his head to glare at his brother. "What?" "You know what. Using emotional blackmail to try to get me to help him. I've had enough of my head being fucked with." "Fine then! You know what? It's just as much my home as it is yours! So I'm bringing him home anyway!" "The hell you are!" "Fucking watch me!" River vanished. Parker stared at the spot where River had been standing for a moment. He seemed a little torn but he was just as stubborn as his brothers and father. He looked at Will and shook his head. "I know you have a duty to make sure he's safe just like anyone else... but I don't want to be anywhere around him. I'll be at Carter's until he's gone..." he said somberly before heading towards the door. --- Damien shrugged. "Everyone is different. But I think everyone has the right to have their own family if that's something they want. The only person who can decide if it's right for you is..." he aimed a finger gun at James with a small smile. "You." River appeared, causing Damien to raise an eyebrow. "That was quick!" "Uh... yeah, Parker's pretty angry but I told him I was bringing you home anyway. I don't care what he thinks, I think you at least deserve a chance." River told them then stepped towards them while holding out his hands for the both of them. "C'mon, Will's guna want a statement about the vampire who attacked you." Damien nodded and took his son's hand.

Shadowess - September 5, 2022 Kasper took the can and moved to start watering their freshly planted crops but then hesitated and paused. "How do you know how much is enough?" he asked while tilting his head to look at Phineas. --- Sebastian's expression faltered and he looked away from Carter ashamedly. He'd been trying so hard to see things the way that Amelia and David did. To forgive people and give them a second chance. But after what had happened to Carter, he caught himself feeling angry and even somewhat vengeful. He hadn't been this scared of losing someone since he'd helplessly watched Patience being poisoned back when he'd been a prisoner of ADIEU. He felt he should just be thankful that he didn't lose Carter and move forward. But he was struggling to. Now that Carter was safe, it was taking every ounce of his restraint to stop himself from going after Donnie and hurting him in any way that he could. To make him feel as scared and helpless as he had felt when Carter had been taken from him. It had been a minute or so since Carter had spoken, but Sebastian was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise how long he'd been staring off to one side wordlessly. A somewhat dark glimmer in his eyes that hadn't been there earlier. --- "Perhaps." Desi nodded in agreement. "It'd make sense. Hell has plenty of areas that have yet to be discovered. Makes for plenty of potential hideouts or lairs." "The downside is Hell is massive..." Oscar sighed. "And if you can't think of a specific demon or they happen to be hiding in an area we've never been to then it's not like we can just teleport to them. We could be searching for months." "I'm sure you'll figure something out." Desi shrugged and turned away to focus on the potion that he was trying to brew. --- "Pickles, huh?" Malone smiled and scratched behind the dog's ear. "Well, welcome to the family little guy." he chuckled then walked over to the reception desk. "Alright, what's the damage?" he asked jokingly while taking out his wallet. Once the dog's medications and checkup were paid for, Malone also bought some dog shampoo. "Ok, let's get Pickles home and bathed. Then we can pick up some food, a bed and toys for him." --- Irritation flickered across Raguel's features as Gabriel informed him that he'd delivered a prisoner straight to David instead of taking them to Heaven for questioning. Effectively going over his head about it. But he said nothing as he knew that Gabriel hadn't technically done anything wrong. He merely nodded, simply relieved that Gabriel hadn't been hurt or worse in the fight. "Good," he said simply then turned back to glare at Ember when she spoke to him. When they all vanished, Raguel scoffed. "Bloody spirits..." he huffed, in far too foul a mood after losing some of his men to be moved by anything they could have said to him. "Gabriel, I have a mission for you," he said as he turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Guiding him a bit away from the other Angels as they got to work cleaning up the debris, and bodies and wiping human memories. "Those Devils are still out there. That boy... I haven't seen power like that for centuries." he sighed. "I want you to set up a task force and lead it. Collaborate with David and set yourself up with a team of Angels and Demons. Whoever you think will be fit for this job. You will lead them on this mission. Hunt down and arrest that family! I'm trusting you with this. Can you handle this responsibility, son?" --- "I gave up on 'normal' a while ago..." Parker admitted then turned his head slightly to glance at the others. "Shit like this is our normal now. May as well just go with it." he folded his arms. "But you're right. We can't rule out demons either. I mean, there are supposed to be a plethora of different types out there... which unfortunately puts us right back to square one on our list of suspects... At least Napoleon seems a little too distracted to be worried by it now." he observed with an amused look as he watched the man looking around the precinct with apparent fascination. Carol giggled at Napoleon. "I could show you if you'd like." she offered while picking up a ruler from one of the nearby desks and running one end of it over her chest provocatively. "I could show you how to have a more modern night on the town. I hear the French love to party." she purred. Kodi marched over and snatched the ruler from her, making her gasp excitedly as her head snapped to the side to look at him suddenly. "Can I have a word with you?" he hissed at her irritably and unintentionally coming off as aggressive. --- Jumping a little at the voices, Stevie looked up at the small group and was immediately reminded of the bullies that would follow him home. He stared at them as they each spoke then blinked in surprise at Winters's offer. "You want me to come with you?" he asked in partial disbelief. He thought for a moment. Part of him was anxious that this was some kind of trick and that he would be walking into a cruel prank that would humiliate him for the rest of his school years. But he also really wanted to know what it was like to have real friends. The flute suddenly hissed words into his head, jealous and offended that he hadn't considered it a friend in that second of thought. This caused him to involuntarily jerk his head slightly to one side. He seemed uncomfortable for a second and to anyone who saw it would appear to be a nervous tick. "Uh-!" he stammered then nodded while trying a small smile. His body seemed a little less tense. "Y-yeah. S-sure, ok. What are we going to do there?" --- "Sire." The guards bowed their heads to Insanity, preparing to leave. "No." Lillith snapped and stood tall, looking at Insanity regally. She looked at Sam and smiled. "Hunt. Your kill will be more rewarding." she stepped aside and gestured to the vast word behind her. "You wish to one day be King? Grow to know your land then. Roam it's earth for it is your Kingdom." she told him. "I will hunt with you to teach you. But then you hunt alone. Now come." she looked at Theron. "Both of you." --- Lilly was baffled by Pain's reaction to Billy. Just like Bob, she had no idea who he was. "Shucks," Bob said and stood to face them. "Well, you can stop worrying about this bag o' bones. I'm just a lil' itchy that's all." he said as he scratched near the growing bit of flesh on his rib again. He tilted his skull towards Lilly. "At least now I have the perfect excuse for ya to not bury me when I annoy ya!" he announced and Lilly chuckled. "I guess not... So does this mean you want to let it keep growing?" "...Eh, what've I got to lose? I just hope I'm as handsome as I imagined!" --- "Ouch!" Damien commented when he saw the stump. He looked down at the ground for a moment as the words "terrible mistake" resonated with him. He took a sip of moonshine. "When I went off to train with Lucifer, my mom took my little sister... Jessica... to the Vatican to seek out some Angels. She hoped they'd have some way to break the contract and save future generations of our family from becoming Lucifer's servants. Turns out they did... they tried to kill my sister to end the bloodline. Almost succeeded too. My mom managed to fight them off and then rushed my sister to the hospital to try to save her but the Angels had poisoned the blade that they'd used to stab her. So she called for Lucifer to help save her. He was mad but he agreed and we came up with a plan to steal an antidote to save her..." Damien paused and took another sip. "Part of that plan involved me being left alone with Jessica to guard her while my mom and Lucifer got the antidote... but I wasn't just there to guard her... Lucifer ordered me to sign a contract with Jessica's blood while we were alone and she was unconscious." he sighed heavily. "I never disobeyed him. I looked up to him. So I did as I was told. I thought that maybe I could protect her better if our family stayed together. But when she died and woke up in Hell... and she realised what I'd done... how I betrayed her..." Damien had a faraway look in his eyes as he recalled the look on her face. "She threw herself into one of Hell's lava pits... I couldn't stop her. It's my fault." he took another sip of the moonshine. "I named my daughter after her, you know?" he gave a weak smile, though he was trying to hold back tears. "A-and she's real spirited too! and kind-hearted... Just like her aunt was." Denix Vames - September 6, 2022 Phineas raised a brow. "Honestly, we would always guess. We wouldn't put too much but not too little. Something tells me though that doesn't sound helpful." A smile beamed across his face. "I think this means we get to use the laptop." Before Kasper had the chance to say anything, he ran inside and sat in front of the laptop. He typed but with trouble. Since he was a beginner, he was using 'chicken fingers.' Poking at each key with only finger and not pressing another until he was done with the previous key. --- Carter was concerned when he saw him spacing out. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sebastian? Are you ok?" --- Leo looked at Oscar before rolling his eyes at Desi. "Yeah sure. Thanks for the pep talk." --- Travis smiled. As he held Pickles, he kissed Malone. Once home, he would turn the water on in the tub and stop it so that it wasn't too high. He gently placed Pickles in the tub. He turned to Malone with those puppy eyes. Hoping that he would join him on cleaning Pickles. --- "Absolutely sir. You can count on me. And maybe after our victory, I can finally get you to relax and party? Maybe at least a formal party?" ,asked Gabriel. --- Will let out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his temples. "I swear I'm going to need like a million shots of espresso." Napoleon was red in the face as he stormed over to her. He raised his hand and was about to slap her when Will appeared and gripped his wrist. "We don't do that anymore!" Napoleon frowned as he looked at his hand. He wasn't sad that he got caught but rather ashamed of his actions. Will let his hand go. Napoleon sighed as he lowered it. "I shouldn't be here. People were right. I am a menace. I almost hit a woman. How can I serve my duties as an Arch Angel when I have such savage thoughts?" --- "Well, we can eat there. After that, I'm not sure." ,said Cory. "We should go to Hot Topic!" ,said Autumn. "Hot Topic it is then." Cory smiled at him. "C'mon. You'll love it." Winters grabbed his arm and jumped excitedly. "This is going to be the best day ever!" Cory chuckled. He kissed his cheek. "Easy there. Let's save the hype for when we get there." Autumn held out her hand to Stevie. "Let's go before my dad freaks on the bill he's going to have to pay." --- Theron seemed nervous. "Me? But I've never hunted before. I don't know if I should." He hugged his sword as a source of comfort. Sam raised his arm and shouted, "Woo hoo! Let's go fuck some souls up!" Insanity smiled. "Alright. But just make sure you keep them safe. Once they're done with their fun, I'll be back to pick them up from class." He chuckled. "I never thought there would be such a thing in Hell but here we are." Theron ran over and hugged him. "I'm scared daddy!" "Oh hush now." Insanity knelt down and placed his hands on his shoulders. "You're going to do a great job. I know you will." He kissed his forehead. "Now, go on." Theron smiled. "Thanks dad." He ran back to Lilith. --- "The problem is that stuff is going to get all over your meat and that's not a good idea if you want to be flesh. I hate to say it but you need to be somewhere contained where everything is clean. Having bacteria on your meat is a real bad idea." ,said Pain. Billy walked over to Lily. "Do you have some kind of protective spell that could keep everything away from him?" --- James frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. But it's good to hear that you still have family." He downed his glass of moonshine. "I never had anything like that. I can't even recall who I was before ADIEU. That's why I'm so fucking tired of just living, ya know? I made the only man who I ever love fear me. Not to mention, I made his friends hate me. Now, I have nothing." shadowess - September 11, 2022 Kasper watched Phineas from the doorway with his arms folded and a loving smile. He knew that the best way for Phineas to learn to type faster would be through practice, so he patiently watched him. Finding his excitement and concentration to be utterly adorable. When he would eventually press the enter key, Kasper would walk into the room and rest his hands on his shoulders while looking at the screen. "So, how much do we water them?" --- Sebastian blinked and looked back at Carter. For a moment he didn't react, then he pulled him into a hug and rested his head on his shoulder while running a hand through his hair. "I'm fine." he lied in a calm tone. "Just tired. We should get some rest," he told him. In his head though, he was already coming up with plans to get revenge. He rationalised that it would ultimately be for a good cause. That he would be protecting Carter and the child that they planned to adopt. All he needed to do was find a way to become strong enough to be able to fight back... but how? --- Oscar chuckled at Leo's remark and took his hand. After putting the bag with the dress in their room he teleported them to Hell and kissed him. "I have an idea," he said to him with a smirk. "Let's do a pub crawl in Hell." he chuckled. "I know a few we can check out. You can try Demon's Brew and I'm sure we'll run into someone sympathetic to Donnie's cause sooner or later. Then we pretend to be on their side, get them nice and drunk and bring them back to Desi. No resistance or fighting needed." --- Sighing with a small smile, Malone rolled up his sleeves and helped Travis to get the dog cleaned up. Which was far more challenging than they'd both anticipated as Pickles kept trying to leap out of the tub at them if they let go of him for more than a second, soaking them both. Washed and wrapped up in a towel, Malone gave Pickles to Travis as he remembered he was only supposed to be on his lunch break. He checked his watch. "Shit, I'm late." he groaned as he quickly dabbed the wet patches in his uniform with a spare towel. "I know I said I'd take you shopping for dog toys but I gotta go back to work. We'll go later when I get home. Ok? I think Pickles could use some time getting used to his new home anyway." he said as he hurried over to Travis and gave him a lingering kiss. "I love you," he said quickly then darted out of the door. --- "We'll see," Raguel said, reluctant to commit to anything. Appearances and his job mattered to him. He didn't want to risk any of it by allowing himself to lower his guard. He then saw the look on Gabriel's face and sighed. "Fine." he relented then lifted a finger at him in a warning. "But a formal party only. I will not tolerate behaving like animals for the sake of fun. The last thing I need is a repeat of Greece..." he said then gave Gabriel a sly smile. "Adonis." he jabbed playfully then turned and vanished before Gabriel could react. --- When Napoleon marched over, both Carol and Kodi saw the look in his eye. The moment he rose his hand, Kodi had immediately pushed himself between him and Carol, prepared to take the hit. The whole thing had happened so quickly that the two of them still looked surprised when Will appeared and stopped Napoleon from lashing out. When Napoleon spoke, Carol looked disappointed and pushed herself off the desk she'd ended up sitting on. "Hmph! I was only offering to take you out for a drink! Christ! You really need to learn how to loosen up!" she flicked her hair over her shoulder and strode out of the precinct in a huff. Kodi watched her leave with a torn expression then looked at Napoleon awkwardly. "I wouldn't worry too much. She has a knack for getting under people's skin. Besides, knowing her... Nah, forget it. You're better off not knowing." he shook his head and walked away from them as well. --- Stevie stared at Cory and Winters. His heart ached and jealousy threatened to rear its ugly head. But he maintained a calm expression as he looked at Autumn's hand and smiled at her. He took it and strained to ignore the flute which was now berating him for being foolish enough to believe that Cory had liked him in that way. He walked with them quietly and tried not to look at the other two boys as they made their way over to the mall. He felt awkward and nervous about being with a group that he barely knew and part of him was still convinced that this whole thing might still be part of some kind of cruel prank. --- Lillith waited patiently for Theron to rejoin their little hunting party. She nodded towards Insanity before turning and leading the way. As they walked, she glanced at Theron. "Have strength young one. This is our nature and responsibility," she told him. "The souls here are deserving of punishment. Like human executioners, it is our duty to be strong and not be distracted by the pleas of the wicked. Lest we become the victim." After walking for a couple of miles, she came to a stop and held her hand up to signal the boys to stop as well. She held a finger against her lips and crouched, hurrying over to a dark and concealed area. She motioned for the boys to stay low and to follow her. Once in the secluded area, she peered over a low concrete wall toward a semi-collapsed building. There were two souls inside. They had managed to set up a small campfire as Hell's simulated sun hung just over the horizon, threatening to dip below at any moment and blanket them all in darkness. Both souls had their backs to the wall they were hiding behind and were quietly sharing methods of surviving Hell. Both souls were not new to this realm but seem to have only just met. Lillith sniffed the air and motioned for the boys to do the same. "Take in their scents," she whispered. "Observe them first and use your powers to learn how they sinned," she told them then looked at Sam and noticed the Angelic bracelet on his wrist. She could tell just by looking at it that it was hampering his abilities and she glared at the jewellery in silent anger. She would need to remove it but doing so now would alert their prey to their presence. So for now, she would tell Sam what she saw. She looked back over the wall and focussed on one man at a time. "Troels is the name of the man with the long beard and large muscles. He was a Viking warrior who invaded countries. Thousands fell by his sword. He violently raped twenty-two women and thirty-seven men before an axe ended his life." her eyes moved over to the next man. "The thin man with black hair is Tony Bernardi. Or 'Short-Fuse Tony'..." Lillith's features contorted as she tried to make sense of the memories that she was seeing. "What is Mafia? and gun?... he died by one. Such an awful and loud noise. A man wearing blue had used it... before that this man had used such a weapon against dozens of people. His boss wanted him to send a message to their enemies, so Tony broke into the family home of one of them...tied them up. Raped the husband then set fire to the house with them still inside." Lillith ducked below the wall again to look at Theron and Sam. "You see? They deserve punishment. They deserve suffering. They deserve to live an eternity always looking over their shoulder in case a demon should hunt them. Today, they should be honoured to be punished by Hell's rulers. Now go children. Punish them in whatever way feels right to you. Be cautious as they will fight and they are dangerous, but you are the ones they should fear for you are Justice." --- "Eh..." Bob looked at Pain then down at himself. "I don't like it but you have a point. If I stay out here I might die of an infection before I can even finish growing skin." Lilly's concern grew as Billy asked his question and she shook her head. "I'm a necromancer, not a witch." she pointed out. "I only know how to animate corpses. Not bring them to life or heal them. I don't know what's causing this..." she gestured to Bob's ribs. "I just know that it's not me. I think it's this world. It must be..." she thought for a moment. "Hades!" she looked at Pain. "She said she could look in that book of hers to see if there was a spell to accelerate his healing." --- Damien listened to James with a frown. Casually, he lifted his glass up a little to stare at the liquid inside. Due to his blood loss earlier that day, the drink was affecting him more than it normally would. "Forgiveness is a funny thing..." he said thoughtfully. "My grandad would say 'You could do some horrendous acts but as long as you see the error of your ways and make an effort to change then forgiveness will almost always be within your grasp.' And you know what? After the shit that I've done and how far I've come, I'm starting to see what he means." He took another swig of his drink and winced a little at the taste before moving his eyes back to James. "I've got one more story for you. It's about my kids..." he then proceeded to tell James about the two women that he'd impregnated and was forced to leave behind. Then his sudden destruction. "So then I followed Donnie's essence from Oblivion and found myself waking up, in one piece, in Hell. And the first thing I wanted to do more than anything was to just hold my children again. But they had grown up without me and had grown to hate me for leaving them behind. I could've given up then. Left them to continue their lives without me. But I had to at least try." He ran a hand through his hair and sat back, relaxing against the wall while looking across the room at James. "I'm not going to lie. It's been hard. I'm not exactly the kind of guy to open up emotionally either. But I think I'm starting to get somewhere. I've started forming a bond with my daughter and at least two of my sons... Parker is being a little more stubborn but I can't exactly blame him..." he sighed. "My point is, if you want forgiveness then you've got to show that you're not the same person you used to be. Work for it. Earn it. No matter how hard things get. I've got a long way to go to get my forgiveness but I won't give up. And neither should you." As he was speaking, it suddenly occurred to Damien who he could call on for help in his current situation and make Alex aware of his predicament at the same time. He chuckled to himself. "God, what a day... I just thought of who I can contact. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner but I guess between losing so much blood and just being exhausted in general, it's no wonder..." He took another swig. "You should come too. Once I'm rested up I wouldn't mind helping you out with your thing. It's the least I can do after you've looked out for me." Leaning against the wall, Damien staggered to his feet. "He's vampiric but don't worry, he's one of my sons. I trust him. Though, Parker isn't going to like this..." he grinned mischievously. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the spinning feeling he got immediately. He tried to focus on sending a message to his son, unsure of if it would actually work with the bracelet on his wrist. "River?" A moment passed and nothing had happened. "River? Can you hear me?" "Dad?" River appeared in the room and crinkled his nose at the strong smell of alcohol. He glanced at James, not recognising him but noted straight away that he was a werewolf. "What's going on? Are you drunk? Who's this guy and why are you hanging out in this dump?" "In order; I've had a rough day, yes, his name is James and this is his home so maybe don't be rude?" Damien answered with a slight slur. "Wha-? uh! Sorry..." River shrugged at James with an awkward smile. He looked back at his father worriedly. "I can smell blood on you. What happened?" "It's a long story and I promise I'll tell you the whole thing later. But for now, I'm going to need some protection. I was attacked by a random vampire and the things he said..." although he tried to conceal it, Damien had visibly shivered and looked uncomfortable as he recalled what had happened. "I have a pretty bad feeling that won't be the last I'll see of him. Thankfully James here found me, brought me here where I'd be safe and has been watching over me." "You did?" River looked back at James. His expression had shifted to one of admiration and relief. "Thank you!" "But listen, River. I need you to do me a favour..." "Oh no..." "I need somewhere secure to stay..." "Here it comes..." "And where better than the home of the chief of police?" "Dad..." River groaned. "River... I can give a statement and description to your brother for my attacker. I also need to let Alex know that I won't be arriving in the UK after all. I'll bet by now he's worried sick." "Parker isn't going to let you stay at his place. You know that, right? He's still pissed at you." "I know..." Damien sighed and stared at the ground. "Which is why I need you to talk to him for me." "What?! What makes you think he'll listen to me?!" "You're his brother. River... please... I need your help." River paused and blinked at his father. "You-... you said 'please'!" he said quietly in surprise. Damien kept his eyes on the ground. "Yeah..." He sighed, his cheeks turning the slightest tinge of pink from embarrassment. "Look, I know I have a lot to make up fo-" He was cut off and taken aback by the sudden hug from River. He tensed, half expecting to feel fangs but that didn't happen. It was just a hug. Cheeks turning redder, Damien chuckled awkwardly as he gently pushed his son away from him. "Sorry..." River chuckled then nodded a little. "Ok, I'll go talk to him but I can't promise anything." "It's all I'm asking for." Damien smiled at him weakly. River turned to James. "Do you need a place to stay too? I could tell my brother that you're my guest. As thanks for helping my dad." --- It had been several hours since Viktor had been rescued from Donnie's lair and only a couple had passed since Bryce had gone into the room to see him. He'd been so relieved and overjoyed to see Bryce alive and safe that he'd sobbed himself to sleep in his arms. When he awoke, he'd find that they were still in the same spot on the bed, with Viktor's head on Bryce's stomach which was growling and gargling angrily. He could feel his fingers in his hair, still comforting him despite his having been asleep for most of that time. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked up at Bryce sleepily. "You're hungry." he pointed out groggily while rubbing one of his eyes and yawning. "Do you want me to get you a bag from the fridge? Me and Leo don't drink as much so there's a few spare bags in there." When he opened his eyes again he noted the subtle beads of sweat on Bryce's forehead. "Are you ok?" he glanced around. "Is it too hot in here?"

Denix Vames - August 21, 2022 "With enough love and care, they will become massive." ,said Phineas. Once the seeds were in their holes, he would place the dirt back over them. He picked a watering can. "Would you like to water them? Now, don't put too much. Just enough." --- Carter sighed. "Yeah, I know. But...I wish I could take him down. People always say that revenge doesn't help but maybe this one time, it might." --- "We could try looking for one of them now. They're all probably in Hell." ,said Leo. --- Axe remained silent as he took his dog outside and into a car. He soon drove off. Travis put Pickles on a chair. He wrote in his journal, 'No owner. We can keep him! I already got him his shots and that microchip. I named him Pickles!' He smiled. --- Gabriel appeared. "Geez boss. Don't burn my ears off. I brought Warren to David. He's in one of Hell's Cells. He'll be stuck there for all eternity." Blake frowned. He turned around and placed his hands on Darcy and Ember's arms. Ready to teleport them. "Wait!" ,said Ember. Blake looked at her. "Raguel sir, do not blame this Spirit for me and my brother's idiotic actions." He glanced at Raguel but wasn't expecting a good word out of him. He disappeared with the siblings. --- "A Blood God? I mean, what if it's just a regular Demon who can take that form? Honestly, I don't know what to make of this. Suddenly, Napoleon shows up and now this? Can my workplace ever be normal?" ,said Will. Napoleon flustered. "Well, I never! I shall be going back to my duties as an Angel. Good day to you all." "No!" ,said Winters. "It's clear that you are the real deal. Can't you stay and hang out with us?" Autumn accepted the card from her stepdad. "Sorry Winters but it's only going to single us out if we had him around with us. Besides, he has important things to do." Napoleon smiled. "I like you. You would have made a great messenger for my army." Cory walked up to him. "Who even dresses like this?" He grabbed some of the material from his upper clothes. Napoleon smacked his hand away. "An Emperor wears this uniform." He was about to leave but found himself captivated by the building he was in. "Strange. There are no feather pens or papers. No candles either. I must learn about this." Autumn grabbed both boys by their hands. "C'mon. Let's leave him and have some fun!" --- The trio soon made it to the park. "Um who is he?" ,asked Autumn. "He's a friend of mine that I recently met. His name is Stevie." Winters smiled. "Nice to meet you. We've got Autumn's stepdad's credit card. Did you want to come to the mall with us?" --- "Ah I see. But where are we going to find wandering souls here?" Insanity looked at the guards. "I believe we are safe here. I want you both to find a damned soul for my son. Now!" --- Billy blushed. He nervously scratched his neck. "Uh Howdy?" Pain walked over. "I've seen your face on the internet. You're Billy the Kid!" "Yep. That's me." He smiled. "Can you sign my arm?" He pulled out a sharpie. Billy was surprised. "Sure." He took the sharpie and pulled the top off. He wrote his name down. "Oh my god! Thank you!" Pain quickly composed himself. He cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. But yeah, in all honesty, we really did come here to see if you were alright, Bob. I can't imagine what you're going through but we'll be there for you." --- James took a sip. "I don't remember my past. ADIEU had me for so long. I was to become another Super Soldier like Leo did. But things went crazy when a scientist and a guard decided to try and reveal the truth. The security guard was shot down as the scientist escaped. It got me thinking that I hated my damn room. So while everyone was distracted by the chaos, I escaped. I've been on the run ever since." He took another sip. "But when I found Leo, the man that I loved, I made such a terrible mistake. I used force to try to get him to love me. The only thing I did was made myself out to be a villain." He raised his stump which was where an arm would have been. "I attacked a werewolf too to get some answers about Leo. It didn't turn out so great."