Shadowess

Shadowess - April 24, 2022 Mon moaned a little and struggled to stifle it as his excitement grew. Sitting on the table, he wrapped his legs around Bern while gently gripping his hair in one hand. His other hand moved quickly to unbutton his shirt as well. --- "Yeah, I got a waft of it when we were pulling you through the mirror." Rickster crinkled his nose in disgust. "Can't imagine what it was like for you with your sense of smell," he commented to Bryce. "Wait a sec, maybe Desi knows," Oscar suggested. "He used to run one, right? Maybe he's familiar with other Succubi and Incubi that might also have Brothels?" --- "An army of Devil kids... That's a terrifying thought..." Damien folded his arms with a frown. "Hey, why'd they bring you here anyway? I thought they were just trying to get Bryce hooked on Devil blood?" Being trapped in this room, he had no idea what had happened to Bryce since he last saw him. Warren hesitated then took a short breath before asking what was on his mind. "You seem a little old to still be playing with toys. Did you ever get the chance to play like this as a kid?" "I think I could think of a few ways to punish you," Donnie smirked. He flipped Insanity around and pressed his body against his. Pinning him to the bed and letting him feel his hips pressed against his backside. "I believe I saw some whips and handcuffs in one of those drawers. Perhaps I should tenderise you first?" he said into his ear then nibbled on his shoulder while waiting for an answer, not hard enough to break the skin but rough enough to leave a few marks. --- "Do you not understand?" Clementine said irritably. "If it was an Ancient Devil then it couldn't give you any power, even if it wanted to! It can, however, destroy you if it so chooses." he lifted her hands to grip his arms, looking at him desperately. "Harris, I need you now. Please forget that creature! Chasing it will only lead to pain and death. Please." Denix Vames - April 24, 2022 Bern threw Mon's shirt and coat aside. He gripped his backside. Kissing him passionately. --- "We could ask him. How many of us should be there to talk to him? I feel like one of us can just go there." ,said Will. "I can head over there. I'll be back in a second." Leo had appeared at an alley near the club. He soon walked up to where Desi stood. "Desi? We need your help." He explained the entire situation. "Can you help us find the brothels? We're sure that Donnie's hiding in one of them." --- "He was going to take Sebastian. I told him to take me instead. Looks like he took me up on that offer. I know it sounds stupid to you but he's my boyfriend. I wasn't going to let anything happen to him." ,said Carter. Theron shook his head. "The people in white never let me play. All they did was open my chest to look inside. Sometimes they would make me kill people just to see it." Insanity's moans grew louder. "Oh please do!" --- Harris looked at her. "Your name. Have you thought about it? Are there names out there that you like?" shadowess - April 24, 2022 He couldn't help it. The moan slipped out of his naturally and loudly. Mon was now utterly lost in their passion as he savoured the feeling of both their chests pressed against each other. He kissed Bern back, deeply and slipped his tongue into his mouth. --- Left to wait for Leo, the others hung around the bedroom. Still trying to calm her nerves, Atma fidgetted with her hands. "D-Does anyone want a drink?" she offered, hoping someone would say yes so that she could distract herself from her fear. Parker leaned against the wall with his arms folded, doing everything in his power to pretend that Bryce wasn't in the same room. Oscar looked at Bryce's corpse and cringed. "We should probably burn or bury that before it starts to stink." He looked at Bryce. "I can take care of that if you want? There's a pretty big furnace in the cellar." Rickster sat on the end of the bed where Ricky was still passed out. He was somewhat thankful that he'd slept through the chaos and that none of Donnie's group had paid him any attention. "Brothels?" Desi repeated. "Darling, I was the only Incubi with balls enough to provide damned souls a safe place to hide from torture during Lucifer's reign." As he said this he realised that his beloved home may have been repossessed by the likes of Donnie and his new demented family while he was away. He tried to teleport there but just as he feared, he couldn't. "Sons of a-!" he seethed then looked back at Leo. "I know how to find them. Wait here though." He headed inside to let Blaire know that he would need to take the rest of his shift off to go on what was likely to be a suicide mission. --- "It doesn't sound stupid," Damien said and turned his head to look away from him. "I'd have done the same thing for Hope." he had a faraway look in his eyes for a moment before shaking his head and looking back at Carter. "But I still don't understand. Why would he go after Sebastian if he had Bryce? Did something else happen?" "That sounds awful," Warren said, appalled by the boy's story. "Well, at least your safe now and you're with a loving family." he nodded. Smirking, Donnie got up from the bed and walked over to the drawers, opening them up and taking out a lace whip in the style of a cat o' nice tails whip along with a pair of handcuffs. "Don't move. I want you just like that," he said as he walked back to the bed. He wrapped the chain part of the cuffs around the bars in the headrest then tightened them around Insanity's wrists. He playfully caressed his bareback with the strands on the whip. "What's your safe word?" --- Relieved that Harris seemed to drop the idea of going after an Ancient Devil, Clementine relaxed and lowered her arms as she tried to think up a new name. "What about Bella?" she suggested then shrugged. "I've never had a surname before. I wouldn't know where to start with one..." she then admitted, hoping that Harris would help her with that part. Denix Vames - April 24, 2022 "Mon....I missed this. I'm glad I get to be here again." ,said Bern. He unbuckled his belt before slipping his hand under his pants. Rubbing his crotch. --- "Please do. I really don't like looking at my corpse. It's not a great sight to see." ,said Bryce. "You better come back here in one piece." ,said Blaire. "And tell Donnie that I said fuck you." --- "We were able to rescue Bryce. Somehow, one of the mirrors in the mansion became a portal to where he was. When I got to the mansion, I could see Rickster and Viktor trying to pull him out as others were trying to keep Bryce in. Me and Sebastian pulled and that's when they attacked. Once we had Bryce safe and sound, all hell broke loose. It seems like, for whatever reason, Donnie needs or wants a vampire as prisoner." Theron crawled over to him. He hugged him. "I'm glad I'm here too. I love you Uncle." Insanity licked his lips. "How about....Murder?" --- "Um....Maybe Miller? How does that sound? Bella Miller." ,said Harris. Shadowess - April 29, 2022 "Oh, Bern!" Mon moaned loudly. He was shivering out of pure pleasure. "Oh, I missed you so much!" he kissed him deeply, pulling him close and slipping his tongue into his mouth to make the kiss more passionate. His hands slid down Bern's sides, caressing his skin with his fingertips as they moved until he reached his pants. He unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants. --- "On it." Oscar nodded and hoisted the corpse over his shoulder. He left the room with it, heading down to the cellars to burn it. "I'll certainly try." Desi chuckled. "Although I don't want to do anything that might bring Donnie's attention to you, darling. You're far too good a friend to put at risk." he nodded to her and turned to leave. "Stay safe." he left the bar to regroup with Leo outside. "I suppose we should go and gather the rest of the rabble then. I'm hoping you all have some kind of plan to bring them down and this isn't just some spur of the moment mission?" --- "He wants to get one hooked on Devil blood." Damien sighed. "as for the 'Why'... I still haven't figured that part out. But I think we can both agree that it won't be anything good." he nodded to one side of the room. "Jumping them will be a lot easier if we sit on opposite ends of the room. As soon as one of them pops in, I'll distract them as planned. You can then jump them from behind." he turned and walked over to his side of the room then sat down. "I just hope they decide to come alone or things might get even dicier for us. But what other choice do we have?" Warren found himself taken aback again by Theron's love. He was hesitant at first but then recalled Insanity's words and wrapped his arms around him warmly. "I love you too," he said gently. "Don't let your dad hear you call me that." he then whispered to him. He pulled back a bit and looked at Theron with a kind smile. "But also, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to listen. I might not be any good at fighting but I'm great at listening." "Such a tease." Donnie chuckled before flicking the whip across his back. Not hard enough to hurt but enough to give him a little shock to get things started. "You need to be punished, don't you?" he asked coyly. "Tell me why I should punish you. All of your delicious sins." he started rubbing his own crotch, over his jeans and in full view of Insanity while smirking at him. "I want to hear them." --- "Bella Miller..." Clementine repeated thoughtfully. "That could work." she nodded. She then reached a hand out to him. "Help me up? I haven't eaten since I came back and that was a few days ago... I feel weak." Denix Vames - April 30, 2022 Bern pulled his pants off. "It feels so good to be this close to you." (private time) --- "We do have a plan. What we need is you to guide us to your Brothel." ,said Leo. He placed a hand on his arm. Both appeared in the mansion. Will said, "I think I should head to the PD. Parker, you can come with me or go with them. Whatever you feel is comfortable for you." He smiled. --- Carter took a deep breath. "I hope this works. Or else we're fucked." Theron's smile beamed. "Thanks Uncle. And I won't call you that in front of them." He raised a dinosaur. "Let's play!" Insanity smirked. He licked his lips. "I've killed over the tens of innocent lives. Slaughtered them all like pigs. Their guts hanging out for all to see." He moaned at the whipping. --- Harris helped her up. Letting her lean on him. "I can take you to Carter's house. You can take some clothes and eat there. Or I could take you to any location that you prefer before seeing the group."

shadowess - April 23, 2022 (Woops, knew I'd missed something lol ) "Y-yeah..." Parker nodded then hugged Will tightly. "They tried to kill you. They were going to kill Atma too. They've kidnapped Carter and Viktor." he told him in a broken voice. "Not to mention kicked the shit out of me..." Rickster commented as he came to with the help of Nate. He looked up at him and nodded gratefully. "Thanks." "What do we do now?" Oscar asked. "We need to try to get Viktor back. He had a way for us to rescue anyone they kidnapped. Without him, we're right back to square fucking one." Rickster said. Denix Vames - April 23, 2022 "I'm glad to be back." Bern kissed his head. "I'm a Demon now. How's everything here?" --- Leo shook his head. "Bryce is at home." --- Carter collapsed to his knees and curled up into a corner of the room where he sobbed. Insanity walked over to Donnie. "Right over here. Don't look now but it would seem like Sam has brought in a possible lover for himself. What do you think about this? Should we be mad at him? Or proud?" Theron clapped happily. "Yay!" He ran to his room. Assuming that Warren would follow him. In his room, all the new toys were scattered about. He raised a firetruck. "You can be the firefighter! And I can be the police officer." --- Will stood. "What can we do? I think we're fucked." --- "Then think of anything and I'll try to read your mind. I'll let you know whether or not your thoughts are protected." ,said Harris. Shadowess - April 23, 2022 "We held a funeral for you," Mon told him then his cheeks turned red. "Er- well, your body anyway. It seemed like the right thing to do. Other than that, things have been pretty quiet here. I think the Don misses you too." he looked over Bern curiously. "So, what's it like?" he asked. --- "We can't give up on them!" Sebastian protested. "Leo, go and get Bryce. He's been to their lair once, maybe he knows where it is so that we can find it?" "And do what?" Oscar folded his arms. "I hate to say it but we barely got out of this fight alive. What do you suppose we do once we find out where they are?" "I don't know but we have to try something!" Sebastian insisted desperately. Parker stood with Will and looked at him curiously. "When I came to the precinct earlier, it looked like you, David and Gabriel were having a meeting. Do you guys have a plan that we don't know about?" --- Seeing Carter breaking down made Damien a little more desperate. He crawled over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a little hurriedly. "We don't have time for this!" he said firmly. "Carter, pull yourself together and work with me here! You think that was bad? What do you think they'll do to you when you ARE hooked on my blood? We need to come up with a plan fast and for the love of fuck, do NOT sign anything they give you!" Warren had followed Theron into his room and followed his lead when playing with the toys. He did consider that Theron seemed a little too old to still be playing like this but he supposed it wasn't his place to judge. Relieved to see Insanity in one piece, he wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him deeply. At his words, he glanced towards the kitchen and sighed with a small smirk. "They're teenagers. Hormones through the roof and if we try to barge in it will only drive them away from us," he said to Insanity as he turned his attention back to him. "Let them have their fun for now. When they've got it out of their systems we'll talk to Sam about being careful when it comes to relationships." He caressed his cheek and brushed some of his hair from his face. "After causing chaos among our enemies and forcing Carter to drink from Damien, I must admit that I'm feeling a little frisky myself." he chuckled. "Should we have a little fun with our 'toy' or would you prefer something else?" --- Clementine thought for a moment. She thought back to the day she and Harris met. When he'd walked into her home and convinced her not to turn him into a Doll for trespassing. She studied his features carefully for any signs that he'd seen the same memory. "Anything?" Denix Vames - April 23, 2022 "Honestly? When I passed over, it didn't feel great. But being what I am now, I just feel a little bit different for obvious reasons. I can do some cool things now. Like turning into a Centaur. Whatever that is." Bern smiled. "But enough about that." He caressed his cheek. "I missed being this close to you." He kissed him. --- "The plan that we have is to use the wristbands that strip anyone of their powers. If we can get Donnie and Insanity to wear them then they'll be harmless. Only the person who places the wristband may take it off so it's a done deal. But the hard part is getting to their wrists without them trying to kill us. We need to knock them out." ,said Will. --- Carter rubbed his tears off. Still sniffling, he nodded. "Wh-What do we do?" "There's a fire in the house! We need to put it out. Are the police there to keep people away from it?" ,said Theron as he imitated a firetruck's siren. Insanity placed his hands on his waist. "This may sound out of place for me but I would like us to be the only two around for this event. I rather love our personal moments." --- Harris frowned. He shook his head. "I can't read your mind. I know that's supposed to be a good thing for you but it somehow makes me feel sad. But please don't feel bad. It's just me thinking too much I guess." shadowess - April 24, 2022 Mon's eyes widened when he was told that Bern could now turn into a Centaur. He had so many more questions but his mind soon stopped racing when Bern kissed him and the only thing that he could think of was how much he'd missed the way Bern's kisses felt. He kissed him back passionately and wrapped his arms around him. "Oh, Bern!" he sighed as a couple of tears rolled down his cheeks and he kissed his cheek then his jaw then his neck in quick succession before kissing his lips again, deeply and passionately. --- "Yeah, I don't think knocking them out is going to be so easy either or we would've done it already," Parker commented. "But those wristbands might be a good idea to keep on ourselves in case one of them pops up to try to kidnap someone again. We could use it in self-defence while we come up with a way to trap them," he suggested. Rickster stood "Once we've got one of them, we could use them as leverage to release their hostages!" "Maybe," Parker commented. "But you saw what happened when we managed to steal someone they'd captured. If we caught one of their own and tried to use them against them, things could turn ugly fast. We need to be prepared for anything." "So then we set a trap as you said. We could ambush THEIR ambush!" Rickster pointed out. He looked at Will. "Do you have any Angels in your force? We could set up an ambush and have those Angels hold them back while we get the bracelets onto the rest of them." A little hope filled Sebastian's eyes as he too looked at Will. "That might work." "How do you get the first one captured?" Atma asked. She was still shivering and hugging herself but she was trying her best to focus on the issue at hand. "It's all well and good coming up with a plan to trap the rest of them, but you'll need a trap to catch your hostage first." "We get their attention. Give them something that they want." Oscar suggested. "Which would be?" Atma asked expectantly. "...I'm not sure. I have no idea what they're planning..." Oscar seemed a little deflated by this realisation. "But we know someone who might." Rickster pointed out and looked at Leo again. "Looks like we'll need Bryce's help after all." --- "I'm not sure yet. But that's why we should work together." Damien said quickly as his eyes darted around the room. "Ok, look. While we figure this out, I think we should address the elephant in the room. Donnie was right about one thing. While we're stuck together in here, I'm your only option to survive but if you keep drinking from me as you did earlier then it won't take long for you to get addicted if you're not already. So, when you get hungry give me some warning and I'll let you drink from my wrist. But only take small amounts at a time. We don't know when they'll next appear and the last thing you want is to be showing signs of addiction when they do. Because then, we'll both be fucked." He sighed and rested his back against the wall. "Carter? I'm-" he paused and seemed to struggle to say what he wanted to say. "I'm...sorry. About the wall...Throwing David through it... breaking the glass... hurting that mafia guy and generally being a dick. I'm trying...I really am... I just wanted you to know that." He averted his eyes from Carter's as he spoke. He still didn't know about Bern's death. "Maybe we could jump them and force them to teleport us out?" he suggested after a moment's pause. "All here and holding back a small crowd who have come from the other houses," Warren said as he played along. "Looks like there's someone trapped in the house. They need to be rescued!" In the back of his mind, he was still a little confused as to why Theron was still playing with toys like this, but he did his best to keep him entertained and happy. Donnie grinned and kissed Insanity again. "That's fine by me, my love." he kissed his neck a bit then smirked at him while slipping his fingers into the rim of his pants and started pulling him towards their bedroom. --- Relieved, Clementine couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "I guess I still have a knack for keeping others out of my thoughts. I was so good at that. No one was allowed to look into my mind if I didn't want them to. Not even you." She placed a hand on his. "I do trust you. I suppose guarding my thoughts against everyone has always been more out of habit than anything." she removed her hand and looked down at herself. "I'm going to miss my second form... I suppose all that is left now is to come up with a name for me and a story that the others will believe." Denix Vames - April 24, 2022 Bern gripped his waist as they continued to kiss. He kissed his neck. Biting there with more kisses. Ever since his transformation, he felt more dominate. --- Will nodded. "I'll get some of my officers to help out. There are some Angels at the precinct. However, I also have a suggestion. Recently, an officer of mine became a Werecat. I'm not sure what you can do as one other than turning into a cat at will but Yami might be able to help with that. I'm wondering if maybe Werecats have an advantaged against a guy like Donnie. If there's a possibility to use their abilities against those bastards then I'll let them join in." Leo disappeared. He soon came back with Bryce who was standing next to him while Bryce's corpse was over his shoulder. Bryce glared at everyone. "They took him. Viktor...." --- Carter couldn't help but chuckle. "You didn't just injure him. You killed him." He stood. "But it's not like it matters. Last I heard, souls can become Demons. So maybe Bern is already one or learning to become one. However that shit works." He leaned against the wall. "And about your plan? What makes you so sure that we can take them as a hostage? You've seen what they can do. And so can I. That kid in the black dress was something else. I'm not sure what he is." Theron brought out a firefighter action figure. "I'll save them!" He walked the firefighter over to the vehicles. Pretending there was a burning house, he brought a soldier action figure. He made it look as though the firefighter was holding the soldier. Bringing them over to the vehicles. "We've saved the day!" He glanced at the box. "Dinosaurs!" He grabbed some of them out when they suddenly fell apart. He didn't know but these were toys that could be put back together. When he saw the body parts of the dinosaurs fall, he started to cry. "It's broken!" Insanity grinned. He laid on the bed. "Go ahead. Use me." --- "A story is important first but I really don't know what we could say. That I saved you from some kind of attack?" Harris sighed. "The thing is.....I sort of told them that I would go to Hell. I didn't really directly say it but I think my words weren't too vague. You see, there's this old Devil who I thought would fuse with me. Someone who could give me power and change my form. But when I mentioned the idea of changing forms, she realized that she could do that for herself. So she left." He lowered his head. "I want power. I need it. Where can I even get it now?" shadowess - April 24, 2022 Mon shivered excitedly at Bern's kisses and nibbling. He tilted his head back and ran his hand through his hair, losing himself in the moment. He felt the table behind him and before he knew it, he was perched on the edge of it. Biting his lip, he slipped his hands under Bern's shirt. --- "We could give it a try?" Parker said thoughtfully. "I'd never heard of one until you told me about him. Maybe they'd be interested in him just for being rare? We could use him as bait to lure one of them out." It was at that point that Leo had teleported back with Bryce. Although he hadn't said anything, Parker was incredibly uncomfortable in Bryce's presence. So far, Bryce had only earned Alex's forgiveness but as far as Parker was concerned, he was still bitter about what had happened in the past. As soon as Bryce was brought back into the room, Parker stood a little behind Will to stay out of Bryce's eye-line. He folded his arms and remained quiet out of fear that he'd say something he'd regret out of spite. Seeing Bryce's body, Atma gasped and covered her mouth with both her hands. At the confirmation that Viktor had been kidnapped, her eyes became teary. Out of everyone who lived in this mansion with him, it seemed that most of the time it was only ever Atma that gave him the time of day whenever he was home. Because of this, she had grown quite fond of him and considered him a good friend by this point. "Fuck..." Rickster muttered under his breath. "We feared as much when Leo said he couldn't teleport to him..." "I'm sorry that he's been taken," Oscar said to Bryce. "We'll get him back but we need your help to do that. When they took you, did they say what their plan was? Did you recognise where in Hell that they took you?" --- Damien blinked and turned his head to look at Carter in stunned silence when he told him that he'd actually killed Bern. "Shit... I hadn't meant to..." he muttered ashamedly. He made a mental note there and then to check in on Bern as soon as they got out of this mess. If they ever got out of this mess... To Carter's question, Damien stood as well and gave him a serious look. "You," he said simply. "I could try to take them on but with their contracts, they're now too strong even for me..." he sighed. "But you have something that I don't. Venom. It's pretty damn strong too. One bite from you was enough to knock me on my ass, and that's saying something." he visibly shivered. "Wait, what kid in a black dress? I only saw one and he was a Devil." Damien grit his teeth. "They're recruiting kids now? What the fuck are they planning?" he shook his head. "We'll worry about that later. I have an idea, provided only one of them turns up next time. I'll rush them to distract them and you bite them to knock them down. You might have to bite down more than once if they're resistant. Then we can force them to teleport us out of here." "No, it's not! Look." Warren said gently and moved over to sit next to him as he picked up the parts and clipped them back onto the rest of the toy. "It's so that you can change how they look." he smiled at Warren. He then dug into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth that he offered to Theron to wipe his tears away. "Prince, may I ask you a personal question?" Donnie locked the bedroom door behind them and eagerly took his shirt off while approaching the bed. He threw it to one side and climbed over Insanity to kiss him deeply and rubbed his groin. He stopped after a few seconds and knelt over him with his knees on either side of Insanity's hips. He gripped his shirt and pulled it over his head before throwing it onto the floor. He then bent over to kiss down his chest to his stomach and around his hips while toying with the hem of his pants to tease him. --- Clementine looked at Harris in surprise at the mention of an Ancient Devil. "Barr Amelia, I thought they were extinct," she admitted. "Ancient Devils cannot make Demons or Devils though. That's why Amelia never managed to create any herself. They're the first version of Devils to exist so they only procreate the er- 'old fashioned way'." she explained. "If there's an Ancient Devil out there, then it's probably been in hiding since Lucifer's rise to power. As tempted as I am to see this creature in the flesh, I don't believe any good could come of it. In fact, I suspect it might be too high of a risk to take. The Ancient ones are powerful as it is without adding madness to the mix..." she seemed thoughtful. "Perhaps you could tell them that you went back to Earth after failing to find it? That you found me there. The idea of having saved me is a good one... considering my lack of clothing and various injuries, I think we could sell that lie very easily." Denix Vames - April 24, 2022 Bern smirked. He rubbed his crotch as he gripped his thigh. He dug a hand into his buttoned shirt. Unbuttoning it and caressing his chest. He opened that shirt and kissed his chest. --- Will nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Bryce looked back on the memory of being in that room. "I couldn't see the entire building. I was locked in one room. However, it smelled of sex." "Hell's Brothels. I've been in them before. They must have taken one as their own home somehow." ,said Nate. "How do we find these?" ,asked Leo. "I'm not sure. I mean I found only one but I don't know if that's the same building that they're in right now." --- "It's better than nothing. I'll do my best. But yeah, they've got kids. Two of them. I don't know why. Maybe they're building an army?" ,said Carter. "Yay!" Theron smiled. He wiped his tears off with the cloth. "Huh? A personal question? Um sure." Insanity moaned. He gripped some of his hair. He chuckled. "Sorry. Force of habit. I was wondering if you would be oh so willing to punish me? I think I've been quite bad." --- "Your story....What about me?! I wanted power! And she rejected me!" ,said Harris.

Denix Vames - April 21, 2022 Bern soon found his footing with help from David. "Thanks. I guess I'll try that now." He closed his eyes. Imagining his own two legs back. He was met with just that. He smiled. "I didn't think I had a knack for this." --- "Yes dad." ,said Theron. "Sure thing." ,said Sam. Both disappeared. "No!" Carter pinned Donnie to the floor. Making him lose his grip on Sebastian. "If you're going to take any vampire then take me! Please!" --- "Viktor...." Bryce had kissed him before Sam and Theron appeared. He glared at them. "I won't let you hurt him!" Sam chuckled. "That's a good joke." "A joke? I don't get it." ,said Theron. "Just forget it. Let's cut them up." Sam ran to Bryce who dodged his attack and socked him in the face. Theron raised his sword. "Fight me." He swung his sword. --- Dariel shrugged. "Sometimes I do it just to feel something. Now, I only do it when things don't feel quite right." --- Harris sat across from her. "Clementine? Was it true about what the others said? Did you only ever cared about your own goals? By using others....?" shadowess - April 21, 2022 "You're a natural." David patted Bern on the back and gave him a proud smile. "Are you ready to go home? I'm sure Mon has been missing you." --- Parker gasped when Sam and Theron vanished. He had to take a few quick breaths to try to calm himself. Just as he did, he saw Atma run from the doorway and Donnie asking Insanity to 'take care' of her. Without hesitation, he darted to the doorway to stand in Insanity's way. He then pointed his gun at Insanity. "Don't you dare!" he shouted at him. Donnie chuckled at Carter's tackle and seemed relaxed despite being 'pinned' to the floor. "Oh, hello big boy!" he laughed. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I prefer being the one in control." he winked. "Carter, no!" Sebastian stumbled towards them. "Hmm, not sure this will work. You seem to be more resistant to the temptation in comparison to your partner there." Donnie said thoughtfully then tilted his head to one side, showing Carter his neck. "Or maybe you're just hiding it better? What do you think? Are you thirsty?" Sebastian paused, his eyes locking onto Donnie's neck for a second before he shook his head quickly and placed a hand on Carter's shoulder. "He's toying with us! Carter, don't listen to him!" "Go ahead, muscles. You've got me pinned. I'm going nowhere and my blood is so, so sweet. Just waiting for you to take a bite!" Sebastian's eyes widened and he gripped Carter's shirt, trying to pull him away. "He's just trying to get into your head! I'll bet he could throw you off if he wanted! He just wants us to lose control!" Meanwhile, in the next room, Atma had already tried to dial both Oscar and Leo's numbers but with them currently being in Hell, neither call was going through. Desperate, she clasped her hands together. Closing her eyes, she prayed that someone, anyone would come to help them. --- Surprised that they had been followed, Viktor stood shakily and stared at the boys. "Why are you doing this?!" he yelled as he ducked out of the way of Theron's sword. As he did, he stumbled tiredly and almost fell over. Plucking another one of his feathers, he pointed it at Theron. He'd automatically assumed that Theron was a Devil, like his brother and fathers. "Just leave us alone!" --- Warren frowned at Dariel and immediately felt uncomfortable about what he'd done to Patience. "Maybe I was a little hard on her..." He sighed. "The Kings said she'd been kidnapped by their enemies and she hasn't been the same since," he explained. "I've tried to be understanding... but I'm not so certain that she was brainwashed anymore... I think she might've actually switched sides." He gently lifted the towel to look at the cut before pressing the towel back down. "I'm so sorry that you had to see that... but I swear to you that the Kings are not evil like she says. They gave me a home here and their love. They protect me. They took in two orphans and have given them both a home and adopted them." he lifted his eyes to Dariel's. "Does that sound evil to you?" he glanced around the kitchen. "Hold the towel on that, I'll see if I can find some bandages to patch you up." --- Clementine stared at Harris for a long, quiet moment. The silence following his question spoke volumes as she looked at him guiltily. Finally, she took a breath and then said to him in a broken voice and with pleading eyes "Not you, though." she was trembling now, a little more than she had been. Slowly, she moved a little closer to him. "You were my friend. My only true friend. Harris, please. I've already paid for my treachery once. Please don't tell them that I'm back. I mean, look at me for crying out loud! Do I look like I'd be a danger to anyone now?" She leaned forward and buried her face in her arms on the ground. "I'm tired, cold and hungry. I got what I always wanted. An adult body. But it's human, alive and trapped in Hell! Harris, I hate this! How do humans do it?! Live with these constant needs?! and they're so fucking fragile! My feet hurt so much and all I did that caused them so much harm... was WALK!" Denix Vames - April 21, 2022 Bern smiled. "I'm ready now more than ever. I can't wait to see him." --- Insanity smirked before grabbing the gun and squeezing it into a broken mess. Despite a bullet entering his chest, he barely reacted. He threw Parker aside and yanked the door off of its hinges. Leo suddenly appeared in front of him. Surprising Insanity who received a high kick which made him fall back. He stomped his foot on his chest. Making the floor crack. Insanity gasped for air as blood jumped out of his mouth. Leo pulled out a gun and shot him in the head. Killing him. "We're not ready to take you down just yet." Carter shoved Sebastian back. "If I drink from you, will you promise to leave Sebastian alone?" --- "Because our dad said so. Duh!" ,said Sam. Theron leaned forward until his chin was resting on Viktor's shoulder. "That won't work on me but thanks for trying." "Viktor!" Bryce was about to shove Theron when Sam sliced his neck open from behind. He gasped for air as he hit the floor. Theron let his sword go when it transformed into his handcuffs over Viktor's wrists. Sam grabbed his arm. "C'mon! Let's go." Theron and Sam appeared in one of the secret rooms. The black blood let Viktor go and went back into Theron. Sam smiled. "Stay here like a good doggy." Both brothers disappeared. --- Dariel looked at him as he held the towel over his arm. "Devil or not, it seems like anyone can be bad or good. Right now? I think all I see is a family feud. And I'm not talking about the game show." Sam stepped into the kitchen. "Do we have coffee anywhere?" Theron shivered as he saw Dariel. "Another stranger? I don't feel comfortable." "It's alright. I only came here because I saw him." Dariel nodded at Sam who raised a brow. "Me? Are you here to fight me or something?" He shook his head. "I-I um...." His cheeks became red as he awkwardly stared at the floor. "I just want to talk to you. To get to know you. I know it sounds hard to believe but I think you're...." Sam's eyes widened as he blushed. "Oh! Um....Yeah I guess we could talk. What happened to your arm?" Dariel shrugged. "I cut myself." Sam smiled a little. He walked over. "Can I see?" Dariel lifted the towel off. Sam looked at it for a moment before licking the blood off. Dariel shyly looked away as Sam suddenly licked his cheek with the blood. Theron held a fearful expression. "I don't like this. I'm going to my room." He headed out of the kitchen. --- Harris knelt down in front of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go somewhere far away from everyone and live together. We could help each other. We would have our own land and everything." shadowess - April 22, 2022 David smiled and nodded. "Alright then, I'll take Bern back to Earth. Would you two mind-?" David paused as he turned to Leo and Oscar, only to find that they'd both vanished. "I suppose something came up..." he shrugged then turned back to face Bern. "Well, no time like the present. To teleport, either image a person that you know or a place you have visited before and image you're there as well. It's your first time doing it, so it might be a little jarring but you'll get used to it very quickly." --- Parker hit the floor hard and stared at his mangled gun. "Not another one..." he grumbled. He then jumped back to his feet, preparing to try to stop Insanity again when, much to Parker's relief, Leo arrived. Carter's bargain brought a sadistic smirk to Donnie's lips. That was until Leo arrived and he saw him manage to overpower Insanity. Although he knew that Insanity would merely re-awaken in the safety of their palace, Donnie's amusement was still rapidly replaced by rage. He shoved Carter back so that he could stand and kept a tight hold on his shirt. "Tell you what," he growled at Carter furiously. His eyes were lit up and crazed. "I have a better idea." he teleported the two of them into the room where Damien was and shoved him towards him. "Drink from him. Drink every. Last. Drop. In return, I won't burn your beloved Sebastian alive in front of you!" Damien stood from where he'd been sitting and pressed his back against the wall, staring between the two and wondering what exactly had made Donnie this vengeful. "Carter..." he started nervously. "Don't. I don't know why, but he's trying to get you hooked on Devil blood." "Tick tock, Carter!" Donnie snapped. "Drink from him and your boyfriend lives! And I don't want you to just drink from him once either. You're going to stay in this room with him for a while. He will be your ONLY source of nourishment or you will starve to death. I don't need to tell you again what will happen to Sebastian if that happens." --- Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Sebastian was now hysterical as he ran his hands through his hair and ran over to Leo. "W-we have to get him back! Oh God, we have to get Carter back!!" he looked around the room wildly, his eyes landing on Rickster who was unconscious from when Insanity had kicked him and was now back in his human form. "Rickster! Rickster, wake up!!" Sebastian knelt next to him and tried to shake him awake. "They've taken Carter! Where's your friend? The guy with the blonde hair? Where would he and Bryce have gone?" When Rickster didn't stir, he looked back up at Leo. "Th-the blonde guy that was here... when we got here he was halfway through that mirror-" he pointed to it. "He pulled Bryce out and Insanity and this kid was on the other side trying to pull Bryce back in. M-maybe he can help us get Carter back too?" Oscar walked into the room with Atma in tow. She was still shaking violently. "Atma's fine," Oscar said as he walked over to look at Rickster. "Shit... he's got a few broken ribs and some head trauma. He's going to need a hospital." Parker had moved over to Will as well and was looking over his wound. "Will? Will, can you hear me?" he asked tearfully then looked at the others desperately. "S-someone help him! Please!" "Holy shit..." Oscar mumbled as he looked over at Will. "We're going to need all hands on deck then... Nate? Dude, are you around? Shit hit the fan in here!" --- Taken aback by Theron's immunity, Viktor had frozen up in fright. He looked over at Bryce just in time to see Sam cut his throat. "NO!!!" he screamed and moved to shove Theron away to try to get to Bryce but it was at that moment that his hands were bound in cuffs and all he could do was helplessly flail in his grip as he tried desperately to get to Bryce. "BRYCE!! BRYCE!!" Tears streamed down his face as he frantically and hysterically used what little strength he had left in an effort to push past Theron and Sam. In a blink, however, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. "B-Bryce...?" his voice broke as he fell to his knees and stared in the direction that he'd last seen him. He barely heard Sam's parting words and didn't notice them leaving him alone. The only thing he could think of was the look on Bryce's face just before they teleported. Exhausted and terrified, he curled up into a ball on the floor, wrapped his wings around himself and sobbed. --- Warren had found some bandages but by the time he'd turned to Dariel, the Prince's had reappeared in the kitchen. Both of them looked as if they'd been in a fight. Sam, in particular, Warren noted, was covered in blood. He watched the display between Sam and Dariel with a small frown and looked away awkwardly. The whole thing reminded him of when he'd first arrived. When Insanity had cut him before he and Donnie had welcomed him into their bed, so to speak. He felt his cheeks redden at the thought and found himself longing for his kings. When Theron left the room, he felt that it was his turn to give the boys some privacy too. Without a word, he put the bandages down on the counter and left the kitchen. He headed back to his bedroom and lay on his bed, wondering when his kings would return home. --- Clementine lifted her head to look at Harris, unsure of whether he was serious or trying to make some kind of joke. She felt the old urge to berate him for such a foolish offer but she didn't want to risk losing the only friend that she might have left. As much as she hated relying on anyone, she needed his help if she had any kind of hope of surviving now. "No, Harris." she sniffled and sat up while shaking her head. "I appreciate the sentiment but it's simply not practical." she looked down at her new body. She still wasn't used to seeing herself this way and it was taking some getting used to. "I look nothing like how I used to look. I am also human..." she said thoughtfully. "Perhaps the safest place for me to be is in plain sight?" she looked back up at Harris. "Harris..." she bit her lip, hating feeling so vulnerable but she was now out of options. "I need you..." she admitted finally. "C-could I live with you? I could change my name... we could tell the others that I am someone else." she looked around the room sadly. "There is nothing left for me here..." Denix Vames - April 23, 2022 Bern nodded. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes. Imagining himself with Mon. Before he knew it, he appeared right in front of him. He slowly opened his eyes then suddenly stumbled. He leaned against the wall and turned his head to him. "Mon? Is that you?" --- Nate appeared and healed everyone who was injured. Will sat up and sighed. "Thank you." He caressed Parker's cheek. "Are you alright?" Leo frowned and shook his head at Sebastian. "I can't seem to teleport to Viktor. The man you're talking about? I think Donnie has him. That's my only idea. Otherwise, why can't I find him?" --- Carter was shaking. He slowly made his way to Damien. "I-I don't want him to suffer. I'm sorry, Damien. Besides, you'll be out of here. Right? But he said...." He glared at Donnie as he clenched his fists. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "You! Why are you always prepared? You put a spell in this place, didn't you? To keep us here forever." He looked back at Damien. "But if I don't...." He bit his lip. "I'm sorry." He jumped on him and forced his arms on the floor as he sank his fangs into his neck. He continued to drink from him even when he was disgusted by the action that he took. --- Theron knocked on the door. "Warren? Can we play with my new toys?" --- "That sounds nice but some of them can read minds. Are you sure that we will be able to hide this from them?" ,said Harris. Shadowess - April 23, 2022 Mon had been polishing parts of a disassembled gun when Bern had appeared. As soon as he saw him, he dropped the part and the cloth onto the table before running over and throwing his arms around him. "Bern!!" he broke into tears. "David said you'd come back! God, I missed you so much! I thought I'd lost you!" --- Sebastian's face turned a shade paler. "W-what about Bryce? He took him away from here. Did they kidnap him again too?" --- When Carter had guessed correctly in regards to Donnie's spells, he couldn't help chuckling evilly as he watched Carter approaching Damien. Damien moved around the wall, away from Carter as he approached. "Carter. Seriously. There has to be something else we can do." he recalled how it'd felt with Bryce and he shuddered with dread. "Carter, no-!" he tried to dart away just as Carter jumped at him but quickly found himself pinned down with the familiar stinging feeling in his neck. He'd let out a gasp and struggled to push Carter off but his efforts were soon overpowered by the venom entering his system again. He closed his eyes tightly, trying not to focus on the feeling of his muscles weakening and his heart slowing down. "Good vampire." Donnie praised Carter. "Don't forget. Every last drop." When Damien's heart would finally stop, it would only take a few seconds for his body to vanish. Then a few seconds more for a newly revived Damien to land in the room again, as if the spell had hurled him back in. He landed on the ground roughly, still panting from his new lungs starting to work. He looked around the room, disoriented. He looked at Donnie and Carter and remembered what had just happened. He then looked down at his wrist and saw that the bracelet was still attached to him. "FUCK!!" he punched the floor the ran his hands through his hair while rocking back and forth on his knees, trying not to have a breakdown. Donnie laughed and clapped his hands. "Well done! A deal is a deal. You stay in here, feed on him whenever you get hungry and I won't have to murder Sebastian brutally." He smirked as he looked from Carter to Damien. "Have fun you two," he said before vanishing and appearing in the main hall of the palace. "Insanity?" he called out, wondering if he'd already been revived here. As soon as he was gone, Damien looked up and over to Carter hurriedly. "Listen to me," he said urgently. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. You had no choice and I'm not holding a grudge. But now that he's not here, we can try to come up with a plan to escape." --- Sitting up, Warren looked at the door and sighed. Getting up, he walked over and opened it to give Theron a kind smile. "Of course, sire. Whatever you'd like." --- Clementine hesitated. He had a good point. She remembered how to shield her thoughts but since she became human she had no idea whether or not it was actually working. "I don't know..." she admitted with a shiver. "I've been trying to shield my thoughts since I came back... we just need to know if it's working or not."

Denix Vames - April 19, 2022 Bern breathed heavily as he was resting. "It's never a walk in the park but the good news is that it's over." ,said Leo. "And? What am I now? You mentioned the idea that I could turn into something." --- Will and him appeared in Carter's office. Charles had caught Amelia and placed her on the couch. "It's alright. Just rest now. I can tell David about this." He turned to both men. "If you're looking for Carter, he went to Ricky's mansion." "Is she ok?" ,said Will. Charles nodded. "She used a lot of her energy so she's exhausted but she'll be fine once she gets some sleep." --- Sam glared. He stuffed the glass vial in his sweater pocket before grabbing his arm and cutting into his palm. He held out the vial. Attempting to get the blood dripping from his wound into it. Letting it sit under to catch every drop of blood. --- Insanity cried out as the feather burned his cheek. He clutched his wound. Having lost his grip and jumped back. "Dad!" ,said Theron. "Just keep pulling! Don't let him escape!" He looked back at the people on the other side of the mirror. Carter and Sebastian had ran upstairs to the situation. With a tight grip, they would pull back too. Theron grabbed the back of Bryce's shirt but was suddenly pulled into the mirror. Everyone had fell on the floor. Having escaped the grasp of Insanity. "Theron! My son!" Insanity attempted to put his hand through the mirror but couldn't. "No! No! No! I won't let you have him!" Theron ran out of the room. He clutched his head as he backed away from them. "I want my dads! I don't want to be here!" --- The teenager nervously looked down. "I'm Dariel. I know it's a stupid name but I can here because I saw this guy who I wanted to talk to. He had a grey hoodie on. Is he here?" He awkwardly smiled. "It's just I'm a big fan of Satan and was hoping that I could be friends with him. I mean the guy who I don't think is Satan but I just want a friend, ya know?" shadowess - April 19, 2022 Oscar nodded in agreement with Leo. "Welcome to Demon-hood." he smiled at Bern. "You actually took that pretty well." David shrugged as he headed over to the chair near the couch to rest himself. "Perhaps. It's as we said earlier, what type of Demon you become is entirely a gamble. For instance, I don't actually have a second form. Nor can I sprout wings as many other Demons can. Oscar, however, is a Dragon." "Yeah, and I don't need to change my whole body all at once either. Check it out." Oscar then shifted his face into its reptilian shape. His wings popped out too. As did his sharp tail. "I like to shift like this whenever I get into a fight because my full Dragon form kind of feels unfair." he chuckled in a raspy voice. He then shook his head and his shape dissolved back into his human form. "Let's see what you are, Bern. Stand in a clear space and focus on your body. Try to relax and when you feel a weird tingling sensation, just let it take over." "Now, hold on." David stood. "We should probably take this outside. If you turn out to be something large you could end up destroying the building." --- Amelia sighed in frustration and leaned back against the couch, trying to relax but her mind was going a million miles an hour trying to think of what they should do next. Parker looked between Charles and Amelia. He noticed they were both dripping water onto everything. He also noted the freshly patched hole in the wall which was only partially painted over as well as the crack in the floor. "I really have been missing stuff..." he muttered then sighed and looked at Charles. "Do you know why they went there? Do you think they'll need backup?" --- "Ah-! You little shit!" Damien gasped in surprise at how quickly and easily the teenager had grabbed him. He struggled, pulling his arm away and causing droplets of blood to fall but miss the vial completely. "That's it!" Damien raised his hand to strike Sam but by the time this was happening, Donnie had just seen what had happened to the others and was seething. He'd teleported to Sam's side and grabbed Damien's hand before it could land. He then used the momentum to headbutt him, causing Damien to fall to his knees in a daze. "Gather the blood quickly, son. There's an emergency that we need to deal with." 'What are you doing?' He thought to Insanity. 'Teleport after them! Sam and I will join you momentarily.' --- "Get back here you little-!" Rickster began to growl angrily while jumping to his feet. He'd been about to take off after Theron when he could sight of himself in the mirror and froze. He had a sudden flashback of all the times he'd marched after Neva in a similar way with the intention of beating her for disobeying him. His face fell at the memory and he turned pale. "N-no... not me..." he shook his head. "No, I won't do that again..." he mumbled as he ran his hands through his hair and wandered back over to the bed, sitting on the corner and burying his face in his hands, wishing that Ricky was awake so that he could confide in him. Overcome with relief, Viktor hugged Bryce tightly and sobbed into his shoulder. "I told you I'd get you out of there! Are you alright?" Sebastian panted and stared at the mirror, half scared that Insanity would come through it after them. He looked in the direction that Theron had run in and followed him cautiously. "Hey, it's ok," he said gently as he slowed to a stop a few feet away from him. "Your dad's? Who're they? Were you kidnapped?" he asked, assuming that Donnie and Insanity had been holding him hostage, too. "It's ok, you can talk to me." --- "I wouldn't know anything about Satan..." Patience commented as she crossed her arms. Of course, Patience hadn't met Sam yet so didn't know who Dariel had been referring to. "No, sorry. Doesn't ring any bells... and if you're looking for friends, I fear you might've come to the wrong place." she sighed and walked over to him, letting down her guard as she held both of his arms. "Listen to me carefully. There are Devils here that will try to use you for their own power. Don't sign anything that they give you! You need to hide... I'll try to find a way to get you out-" "That's enough!" Warren stepped out from where he'd been eavesdropping. He was glaring hard at Patience. "I've had enough of your bad-mouthing the Kings!" "They're not Kings!" Patience argued desperately, turning around to face Warren. "They've brainwashed you!" "Yeah, well I used to think the same about you. I pitied you! Poor lost pregnant lover of the King who was kidnapped and brainwashed by his enemies. Bullshit! You've turned into their spy, haven't you?! Once an Angel, always an Angel!" --- (Knew I'd missed something lol) The Clementine vision walked over the rubble and debris towards the centre of what used to be her house. Not a single spec of dust was disturbed by her movements, only further proving that she was no more than a hallucination. She stopped in front of an open hatch in the ground. "My old sanctuary," she said while looking down at it sadly. "You remember how often you'd come to visit and would find me down there... in my lab... concocting all kinds of experiments." Her little form was fading ever so slightly. She no longer looked solid and seemed to be a little transparent. Below, in the cellar, in the laboratory, there came the sounds of movement. It was subtle but there was definitely something or someone moving down there. "I loved this house." the vision of Clementine spoke again. "Imagine how I'd feel if I came back to find it in ruin like this. Everything I ever owned, either destroyed or stolen." her appearance flickered as it lost a little more stability. She lifted her little face to look at Harris. "You were my best friend, Harris," she said as she faded even more. "What if you were my only friend?" she asked then vanished. Below, an adult woman with long, black hair was pulling a tattered and half-burned blanket around herself. Apart from that, she was naked. She sat in the corner of the cellar, hugging the wall as she cried quietly. She looked tired and dirty. Her feet were blistered and sore as if she had spent some time walking barefoot across Hell. Denix Vames - April 20, 2022 "Uh ok. I hope this doesn't go bad." ,said Bern. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Besides, we're right here for you." ,said Leo. Bern nodded. He took a deep breath before following David out of the library. He stood in the middle of an area. Keeping his eyes closed as he focused on transforming. That's all he did his best to think about. To transform. He felt that weird tingle and let it flow. Even though he was scared, he still went with the transformation. In a moment, he had become a Centaur. Leo's eyes widened. "Whoa...." Bern slowly opened his eyes. "Holy shit! What the hell am I?" --- "Carter said Rickster found a solution to freeing our friends. But I think you two should head over there just in case." ,said Charles. Will nodded. "Hold my hand, Parker." --- Sam kept Damien's hand over the vial. Making sure that it was filled up before closing it with a cork. "There. You said emergency? Does that mean I get to stab someone?" --- Bryce kissed him. Tears were running down his cheeks. "I'm alright. I'm just glad that I'm with you." "Get away!" ,shouted Theron as the spikes zoomed to him. His eyes and mouth were dripping black blood. "Sebastian!" Carter ran in front of him. With his arms out, he took some of the spikes which pierced through his torso. He coughed up blood. Insanity appeared. He placed his hands on Theron's shoulders. "It's alright dear. I'm here." Theron sobbed into his hold as the spikes went back into his body. "Dad! I thought I wasn't going to ever see you again!" "Shhh...I know. But I'm right here. I'll never leave you." Insanity gently rubbed the back of his head. Carter collapsed to his knees when the spikes came out. He clutched his chest. Coughing up more blood. Insanity glared. "Don't you ever touch my son." Will and Parker had just arrived. "What the?! That kid....He almost has the same scent as me but..." Will walked over. "Hey kid! Whatever they're making you believe is nothing but bullshit!" "Don't speak to him that way!" ,said Insanity. "I'm telling him the truth!" "Shut up!" Theron raised his hand. Gathering the blood that was leaving him. It transformed into a long large black sword. "I don't care about evil or good. I just care about my family. And if anyone tries to harm my family then I'll kill them." He tilted his head as he held a blank stare. "It's time to die." Insanity grinned at the sight of seeing his son being able to handle his own powers. Theron zoomed to Will who immediately created a shield before he could have strike. He grit his teeth. Feeling such strength nearly cracking the shield. The purple hands attempted to grab Theron who was moving from side to side. Theron found an opportunity and strike. Cutting diagonally on Will who collapsed on his back. He was taken aback by the blow. He coughed up black blood as it also left the wound too. Theron walked over. "Your blood is black like mine. You're almost like me. Does that mean you understand too? Or maybe you don't since you're trying to kill my family." He raised the blade with a grin. "I guess I'll kill you now." --- Dariel took some steps back. "Did I come by at a bad time? As far as I'm concerned, both God and Lucifer had their pros and cons. But from what I've read, it seems like God was the douchebag. But either way, I think I should just leave. I'm sorry that I showed up out of nowhere." --- Harris looked at the trapdoor before opening it. "Hello? Clementine? Are you there?" He began walking into the cellar. Shadowess - April 20, 2022 "Dude, no way!" Oscar beamed. "It would appear that your second form is a centaur." David said, looking impressed. "Those are so rare, man! They're pretty strong and fast too." Oscar added. --- "Certainly." Donnie answered with a twisted grin as he took the vial from Sam and carefully placed it into his jacket pocket. "While we were busy here, some of our enemies infiltrated our home and stole one of our prisoners. They also kidnapped your brother in the process. Insanity has gone to face them so we need to go and back him up. There's a man there who made the doorway into our home. We cannot let him escape or he might cause problems again in the future." He quickly pushed the image of Viktor into Sam's mind so that he'd know which person he was referring to before standing beside him. "You're going to teleport. I'll teach you how now and you can do it yourself. Focus on a face that you know or a place that you've been to. Imagine yourself being wherever that is and you'll teleport there. In this case, you'll need to focus on either Insanity or Theron." Donnie would then wait to see if Sam would teleport before he'd teleport after him. --- Viktor kissed Bryce again passionately then rested his head against his, feeling too exhausted now to simply stand. When Insanity turned up and Theron began fighting them, he looked around in alarm then looked at Bryce fearfully. "Bryce, I can't teleport us out! I'm too exhausted!" "Carter!!" Sebastian screamed and caught him from behind, easing him down as he knelt with him. "Sh-shit! I-it's ok. They didn't pierce your heart. You'll heal. Here..." he lifted his shaking wrist to Carter's mouth quickly. "Carter, take it." "Will!" Parker gasped when he saw the teenager manage to get the upper hand against his beloved. As Theron raised his sword, Parker darted between them and pulled out his gun. He pointed it at Theron's head at point blank range. "Back off! Now!" he ordered, though he was shaking. Rickster had jumped up from the bed, snapped out of his stupor by the chaos unfolding. He rapidly transformed into a doberman and ran at Insanity while growling and baring his teeth. He jumped at him with the intention of biting him. --- "You can't leave..." Patience sighed. "As much as I hate to agree with her, she's right." Warren nodded. "The Kings have put spells on their home to protect them. You can't leave unless the kings allow you to." He then walked over to them and grabbed Patience's arm roughly. "Don't listen to this traitor though. They're not evil. They will probably welcome you with open arms. Head to the kitchen back there and I'll make you something to eat or drink while we wait for them. I'll be with you right after I secure her." "Get off me!" Patience tried to pull away as Warren dragged her back to her room. "You can answer to the kings when they return." Warren said coldly as he pushed her into the room and quickly locked the door behind her. Patience could then be hear screaming and begging Warren not to tell Insanity and Donnie but he simply walked away to meet Dariel in the kitchen. --- The woman in the cellar jumped at the voice and stiffened. She looked around but there was nowhere in the room that she could hide. She remained quiet. Her wide, dark eyes staring towards the stone steps. Denix Vames - April 20, 2022 "Really?" Bern was trying to find some balance when he started walking. "Whoa!" He fell over. "Not exactly use to have four legs." Leo smiled. "You'll get the hang of it eventually." "How do I uh turn back into me?" --- Sam closed his eyes. Imagining himself being where Insanity was. Suddenly, he found himself there. He grinned and pulled out his knife. "I believe you have a gun pointed to my brother's head. Not very nice." He had appeared behind Parker where he placed the knife near his neck. "Put it down." Carter had sank his fangs into his arm. Drinking some blood. He was slowly feeling better. Insanity smiled. He ran around Rickster and kicked his side. Making him fly to a wall. --- Dariel looked around before walking to some rooms. Exploring the home that he was stuck in. He soon found the kitchen. "I wonder if I did make the right decision. Was she wrong or....? I don't know." He pulled out a knife and rolled up his sleeve. He pressed the tip against his skin before cutting himself. Watching the blood drip. --- Harris kept going further down until he saw her. "It's me, Harris. Do you remember me? I'm your friend." Denix Vames - April 20, 2022 (forgot to reply to this) Bryce grabbed Viktor and teleported them to his apartment. "We should be safe here. They're fighting them. No doubt they'll be distracted." shadowess - April 21, 2022 David walked over and tried to help Bern back to his feet. "The same way that you changed into a Centaur." Oscar shrugged. "Once you change, you relax into the shape and you won't turn back until you will yourself to do so... or you take a pretty big hit and get knocked out. It'll take a few practices to make the process quick and fluid but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to control how quickly you change shape and what parts you want to change singularly." --- Parker tensed and continued to glare at Theron as Sam threatened him. He grit his teeth and stood his ground, refusing to lower his weapon. "No! I won't let you kill him!" he growled then pulled back the hammer. "Go ahead. Slice my throat. I'll pull the trigger on your brother if you do!" he said, trying to call Sam's bluff. He really didn't want to shoot a kid but in their current situation, he didn't see any other way out. Carter's venom hit Sebastian's system and he was starting to feel a little lightheaded and drunk but he didn't want to pull away until Carter had taken enough to heal. Donnie appeared in the room and looked around at the chaos. He smiled at the standoff their sons had found themselves in but were confident that the boys were strong enough to overpower Parker. His smile twisted into a malicious grin when he heard Rickster let out a pained yelp as he hit the wall from Insanity's kick. "Oh, I've missed getting our hands dirty." he chuckled at Insanity then glanced around the room. "Where's our vampire?... where's the little shit that created the door?!" he growled in frustration then he spotted Carter and Sebastian and smirked. He strode over and yanked Sebastian to his feet by the collar of his shirt. Sebastian gasped and tried to pull away as Donnie gripped him firmly around his chest. "A vampire was stolen from us so it's only fair that we take another one!" Donnie laughed. "I'll have to get you hooked like the other one though, but that shouldn't be too hard after the two of you drank from Amelia, right?" "What are you-?" Sebastian started, frightened by what he could mean when Donnie suddenly lifted his own wrist up to his mouth. Sebastian recoiled, the smell of his blood began to make him sweat and now hungry from giving his own to Carter, he felt his fangs growing in his mouth. Desperate, he tried to wriggle out of Donnie's grasp and kept turning his head this way and that to get away from his wrist. Donnie merely laughed at the reaction as it only proved to confirm his theory. He lowered his wrist and looked at the others. "I think we're done here. I still want that bastard who created the door but at least we're not going home empty-handed," he smirked at Sebastian. "No! Let me go!! Someone help!!" Sebastian screamed. "Boys! When you're done playing stand-off, I want you to fetch me the trouble maker who started all this. Bring him home to us-" Donnie ordered but cut himself off when he caught sight of Atma who had run to the doorway to see what the commotion was. Her eyes wide and her breath held out of fright, she took a couple of steps away from the doorway then darted back down the hall to lock herself into her room. There she shakily took out her phone and hurriedly tried to call anyone who would answer for help. "Insanity honey, would you mind taking care of that?" Donnie smirked. --- Warren entered the kitchen then his eyes widened at the sight. "Why're you doing that?!" he gasped as he ran in and grabbed a kitchen towel. He gently took Dariel's arm and pressed the towel against the cut. "Why would you harm yourself like that?" he asked, looking at the boy in confusion. --- The woman stared at Harris and looked over him suspiciously while gripping the blanket around herself a little more tightly. "Harris?" she whispered while staring up at him. She shivered and wiped her eyes as she looked around the destroyed room. "It's all gone..." she said in a broken voice. "Everything I owned... Everything I worked on and created... gone..." she closed her eyes and nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks. "I remember you, Harris... I remember it all. I remember being murdered. I remember waking up like...like this...then wandering across Hell while trying to stay hidden." She opened her eyes and looked up at him tearfully. "What will you do with me now?" she asked fearfully. "Will you turn me in?" she bit her lip and looked at him pleadingly. "We were friends once, right Harris? Please, please don't tell anyone about me. I don't want to go back to the void!" --- As bad as Viktor felt for leaving the others to deal with Insanity and his twisted family, he couldn't help but feel relieved that they were away from all that now and that Bryce was safe. He looked at him tearfully and caressed his cheek. "I was so scared for you," he said softly. "I love you. I don't care that we've only known each other for a short time. I can't stand the thought of not being with you." he brought his fingers across to Bryce's lips and lightly traced over them lovingly while staring into his eyes. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Denix Vames - April 17, 2022 Hades smiled. "It's all good. I was just worried about you. Me and the band just got our first gig in Liverpool. They loved them! Bob was dancing with the music as part of the performance. I think we're going to be big in the UK." She placed a hand on his arm. "But how about you? Are you alright? I can't imagine any of this being easy." --- Sam looked at his hands before tilting his head back. He chuckled. "Like a million bucks!" He looked at his Donnie. "So this is what power feels like? I like it." A wandering soul had been hiding behind a boulder. He had short dark brown hair and pale skin. Everything that he wore was black from head to toe. He wore fingerless gloves, a sweater that had the number 45 on it in white large font, jeans, and converse. He was watching the process. Seeing Sam, he suddenly felt a want to be near him. But he knew that if he revealed himself then he would be killed. --- "Uh yeah. I need you to track down Damien. Turns out Donnie has him." Carter sighed. "I guess now I need you to find Damien and Bryce. Just try your best. I know it won't be easy." Bryce shook his head. "It's not a body mirror but I would say it's big enough for anyone to crawl through." He smiled. "Like The Grudge?" He had made this comment to make light of things so that Viktor would feel less terrible. He wondered though if that was a good move. --- "Oblivion....What if Clementine comes back? Or Michael? We can't let that happen. That's why I need power!" ,said Harris. Denix Vames - April 17, 2022 (whoops forgot to include this) "I know that you're brave but you're a human! And Donnie wouldn't kill you! He'll make your life a living hell! Don't you care about yourself? How do you think I feel about all this? You're my boyfriend! I'm not losing you!" ,said Will. Shadowess - April 18, 2022 "That's wonderful news. I'm proud of you." David smiled then his smile strained a little when Hades asked how he was doing. He glanced around the room and then sighed. "We should talk somewhere more private. As it happens, I need to go back to the Library and relieve Leo and Oscar from babysitting duty," he smirked and offered her his arm. "Care to come with me? We can talk there." Parker tutted and rolled his eyes. "You don't think I know that? Will, I get just as scared for you but the difference is you don't have to sit around twiddling your thumbs and hoping for the fucking best all day!" he tried to call Carter again but yet again he was met with the 'line busy' tone. "Fuck it! I'm going over there!" he marched out of the office and headed towards the exit, intent on catching a cab to Carter's Office. --- "Wait until you get your first contract signed," Donnie smirked. "Alright. As promised, you can help me run some errands now. First things first, we need to extract a small vial of blood from our captive, Damien. I'll let you do the extracting, here." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass vial. "Do whatever you feel is necessary to get him to comply. Nothing is too much and don't worry about killing him. I've set up spells in our palace so that our prisoners cannot escape. Not even when they die." He placed a hand on his shoulder and teleported them both into the doorless, windowless room where Damien was being kept. The room itself was only lit up by a few gas lamps around the room. Damien was sitting in a corner, still recovering from blood loss although he had recovered enough now to be able to stand when Donnie and Sam had teleported in. He glared at Donnie. "You fucking around with kids now? You're a sick fuck, Donnie!" Damien seethed as he tried to take up a defensive stance. Donnie merely smiled and walked over to the wall. He leaned against it and folded his arms. "Damien, I'd like you to meet my son. Sam." he introduced them then looked over at Sam. "Make me proud, boy." --- (Rickster didn't find out who Viktor's boyfriend was. How does Carter know as well? Viktor's been hiding it all this time. lol) "Fuck... How am I supposed to do that? The spells they use stop people from teleporting after them so they're impossible to track." Rickster said as he stepped into the hallway, scratching his head while he tried to think of how they could possibly track them down again. "Last time we had to use Werewolves to try to track them. Even then, they saw us coming and tried to cover their scents with fire. I don't think that would work twice, man..." Viktor couldn't help but chuckle at the reference. "Calling me ugly now?" he joked then thought about what he'd said in regards to the mirror. "I'll try it. Let me just find a bigger mirror on my end. I'll only be gone for a moment, I promise. Just hold on, ok?" He said quickly then reluctantly tore himself away from the mirror and ran out of the room. He darted down the hall and stopped abruptly when he saw Rickster on the phone. Rickster looked back at him and was surprised by the wild look he had in his eyes. He paused mid-conversation with Carter. "Hold on a sec, Carter. Viktor, what's wrong? Has something happened?" "Mirror!" Viktor blurted out hurriedly. "Mirr-?" "Need a big one! Is there one in your room?!" "Wha-? Well, yeah. But what do you-? Viktor? Viktor?!" Rickster followed Viktor as he pushed past and ran into the bedroom. He looked at the full-body mirror and knelt in front of it, pressing his head against it. "Please work again...pleeease...." Viktor mumbled as he focussed on trying to see and hear Bryce again. "Vikto-?" "Shhh!" Viktor held up a finger and then lifted his head a little to look at the mirror. "Oh, c'mon!!" he gripped either side of it desperately. "Please!!" he burst into tears and rested his head against the glass again. "Please..." "Viktor, what are you-? Holy-!" Rickster lifted the phone to his ear hurriedly. The phone would still have been connected the whole time, so Carter would've heard the commotion. "Carter, you need to get over here quick. I think we've found a way to track down Donnie, Insanity and anyone they've taken hostage!" Hearing Rickster, Viktor's eyes snapped open and he looked into the mirror quickly to see Bryce again. He let out a relieved laugh. "Bryce! Bryce, I'm coming!" "Wait, what?" Rickster paused and his eyes widened when the glass wobbled at Viktor's touch as he reached an arm through. "Wait, Viktor! No!" Unsure of what protective spells Donnie might have in place, whether one of the two Devils would sense Viktor's intrusion into their domain or if Viktor would even be able to come back, Rickster dropped the phone and dived forward to grab his waist in an effort to try and pull him back. At this point, Viktor had already pushed his head through the mirror and was trying to crawl into the room on the other side. Feeling Rickster trying to pull him back, Viktor gripped either side of the mirror on the other side and struggled to push the rest of himself through. --- "What are you talking about?" Amelia asked, exasperated. Having not seen nor heard from Damien since his return, she didn't actually know how he had come back from Oblivion. "Harris, that's not going to happen." Denix Vames - April 18, 2022 Hades smiled. "Sure." She wrapped her arm around his. "Parker! Wait" Will ran after him. He placed a hand on his shoulder. Looking into his eyes. "Can't we talk about this first? Please?" --- "Wait!" The teenager stood from his hiding spot. When they disappeared, he sighed. "So much for talking." Sam grinned. "I will." He walked over to Damien with his knife out. "Would you mind bleeding out for us. We just need a little of your blood to go in here." He displayed the small vial by shaking it. He chuckled. --- (whoops XD) "Alright. I'll be there as soon as possible." ,said Carter before hanging up. "Sebastian, we need to head over to Ricky's mansion. Looks like Rickster might have found a solution to freeing our friends." Bryce grabbed Viktor's arm. His head poked through the mirror. "Rickster! Pull us back!" --- "Donnie came from Oblivion, didn't he? Who's to say that not one of our other enemies will?" ,said Harris. Shadowess - April 18, 2022 David smiled back and then teleported the both of them to the Library. "Thank you, boys. I'll take things from here," he said to Leo and Oscar. He then turned to Bern. "I have the authorisation to make you into a Demon. Would you mind standing in front of me and crossing your arms to hold my hands?" David said as he let go of Hades and crossed his own arms over each other to offer his hands to Bern. "I hope you don't mind me rushing you, but I have other appointments to keep. Besides, I'm sure you're eager to get back to your husband." "Can we watch before we go?" Oscar asked Leo. "It's not every day you see someone become a Demon and I'm kinda curious to see what kind of Demon he turns out to be." (Speaking of which, should we do a roulette for powers/forms or do you have something in mind already? lol) --- "What do you think I just tried to do?" Parker gestured to the precinct. "Do you think I just came out here to get attention or something? I wanted to talk to you about this but you won't even consider it! So, I'm taking the initiative. I want to help! I'm so sick of being left to sit back and watch helplessly! There has to be SOMETHING that I can do!" Tears threatened to leave Parker's eyes but he held them back as he continued to get this off his chest. "I can't stand it! Every day I'm just sitting around wondering where you are, what's happening and if you'll ever come back... I'm scared that one day one of our friends will pay me a visit and tell me you're gone for good and I was just sat at home waiting for you when I might've been able to save you!" For a moment Parker faltered as he struggled to keep himself from crying. "I know I'm only human. I know I'm not strong like you guys. I can't fly. I can't change shape. I wouldn't stand a chance against them if they turned up. But I'm fine with that..." he said after a couple of breaths to regather himself. "But don't leave me behind like that. Don't coddle me. I'm tougher than I look. Even if it's just something small... I want to help." --- Donnie watched Sam proudly but as Viktor entered their lair, Donnie sensed something was very wrong. No doubt Insanity and Sam would sense it too. He quickly took his eyes off Sam and used his powers to search the palace. He spotted the figure lurking in their gardens and as alarming as that was they were currently not the threat he was looking for. Then he saw Viktor halfway through a mirror and reaching out for Bryce. 'Insanity, our vampire is being stolen!' he projected this thought to him, knowing he couldn't currently take care of it himself as he was a little busy with Sam and Damien at the moment. Damien gave Sam a very stern look. "I generally don't believe in hitting kids, but I'm warning you, if you try to attack me with that knife then I will defend myself. Don't make me hurt you, kid!" --- Sebastian nodded. "Please, don't trash the place." He said to the others before leaving with Carter. Amelia stared at Harris and thought for a moment while exchanging glances with Charles. Clementine's hallucination was staring at Amelia with a smirk. "Penny in the air..." "That... could that be possible?" Amelia asked Charles quietly but as she asked the question she realised that there was indeed a very real possibility that others might find their way back to reality the same way that Damien and Donnie had and her expression reflected this realisation perfectly. "And the penny drops." Clementine finished with a chuckle as she looked back at Harris. "I was your best friend once. If there's a chance that I'm out there somewhere, who would know better as to where I'd be hiding?" she asked him. --- Rickster tried to pull Viktor back but he was clinging to the mirror for dear life. It was only when Bryce grabbed his arm and told Rickster to pull him back that Viktor realised what the better option was and let go of the mirror to wrap his arms around Bryce's chest, under his arms. "Now Rickster! Pull us out!" Denix Vames - April 18, 2022 (do you mean for Bern? I'd say we should do a roulette for him) "Uh ok." Bern stood in front of him and crossed his arms. "Is this going to hurt?" "If he turns into a cute demon like a bat or small dragon, maybe we can tease him just a tiny bit? I've always wanted to dress a baby dragon like how some people dress their dogs." ,said Leo. --- Tears rolled down Will's eyes as he listened to him. He hugged him tightly. "I think I understand now. I'm sorry that I've been making you feeling this way. I can take you to Carter's office." He held out his hand. "Please Parker. Let me make things right." --- "Then how about you cut yourself and fill up this bottle. Deal?" ,said Sam. Insanity appeared behind Bryce. He grabbed him from behind. Trying to pull him away from Viktor's grasp. "Theron! Be a dear and help me!" Theron appeared. He clutched his head. "But I don't know how to use my powers properly! I don't understand!" "Just do it!" He cried out before black spikes came out of his body. Piercing random parts of Bryce, Viktor, and Rickster. The teenager soon found himself standing in front of the entrance of a palace of some kind. He assumed a brothel. He pushed one of the doors open with all his might. After some struggling, he fell inside. The door slammed shut. He stood and dusted himself off. "H-Hello?" --- Charles frowned. "It's a possibility but we can only hope that doesn't happen." Harris stood. "I have to go." He appeared at the ruins of Clementine's home. "She may not even be around yet. Or maybe she's not here at all. Still, I might find something." --- Carter drove to the mansion. He soon parked before heading inside. "Rickster? Guys?!" shadowess - April 19, 2022 (lol So I did a few roulettes with different results so that there was a range of possibilities. I'll post them up in a second so that you can see and if you like the results then you can use them ) Denix Vames - April 19, 2022 (alright i cant wait ) shadowess - April 19, 2022 "Holy crap, that's a hilarious thought." Oscar chuckled. "Please don't behave like children." David gently scolded Oscar and Leo before turning his attention back to Bern. "Considering your entire biology is about to change, I wouldn't say it'll pinch," he replied. "Take some deep breaths and prepare yourself. It will hurt quite a lot but I'll be sure to make things as go quickly as possible for you, alright? Just let me know when you're ready." David would then wait until Bern let him know when he was ready before he'd begin chanting. The entire process would take no more than a few minutes and when he was done, David would move quickly to stop Bern from collapsing afterwards. He would then help him to move over to one of the couches to rest. "There. All done. You'll feel sore and tired for a couple of minutes as your body readjusts to being alive again." --- Parker looked at Will then his own tears finally fell as he was hugged. He looked back at Will's hand when he'd let him go and then moved his eyes up to look into his before taking his hand. "Ok." He sniffled while wiping at his eyes with his other hand. --- "How about you fuck off, kid?" Damien retorted. "I'm serious, you come near me with that and I won't take it easy on you." Donnie was keeping an eye on Sam but he was also paying close attention to what was going on with the others. 'That blonde one... he's the one making the door. He could become a problem if we allow him to escape. Do what you must to pull him through.' he thought to Insanity quickly. --- Amelia watched Harris leave with a frown. "I don't know what to do..." she muttered then looked back at Charles. "There's something not right about Harris. He needs our help. But he might also be right about past enemies coming back. We need to think about this. We need to follow Harris. We need-..." She stumbled and reached out for Charles as she fell. After the exhausting task of giving Carol her own body than trying to fight off the Ancient Devil that had tried to possess her, Amelia was left absolutely drained of energy. --- Viktor held on tightly to Bryce as he tried desperately to pull him away from Insanity. "RICKSTER!! PULL US OUT!! PULL US OUT!!!" he screamed. "Shit! I'm trying!!" Rickster screamed back as he used his entire body in an attempt to hoist both Viktor and Bryce to safety but Insanity was so strong that he felt the three of them sliding slowly through the mirror. Desperate, he swung his legs around and planted them on either side of the mirror while keeping his grip on Viktor and yanking back as hard as he could. That's when the black spikes struck them all and Rickster almost lost his grip on them completely as one embedded itself in his shoulder while another flew past his cheek, leaving a cut and hitting the wall behind him. Viktor had been hit as well. One spike was sticking out of his arm while another was lodged into his side. Sucking in air through his teeth, he refused to loosen his grip on Bryce as he glared at Insanity. Recalling something Bryce had once told him about Angel feathers, he removed one arm from Bryce to quickly pluck one of his own from his wings. He winced then continued to glare at Insanity. Only being part Angelic, he wasn't sure just how much damage it would do if any at all, but he had to try something. "You can't have him!!" he growled as he shoved the feather roughly against Insanity's cheek. Sebastian followed Carter into the mansion. As soon as Carter shouted, Rickster turned his head towards the open bedroom door and yelled as loudly as he could. "UP HERE!! HURRY!!" Sebastian exchanged an alarmed glance with Carter before bolting up the stairs with him. As soon as they reached the bedroom door, Sebastian ground to a halt to try to fathom what he was seeing. Rickster was pulling on Viktor's legs while the rest of his body had vanished into a mirror! And on the other side of the mirror, was Insanity and a boy trying to pull Viktor and what appeared to be Bryce through to their side. "What th-?" "HELP US!!!" Rickster screamed at them as soon as he saw them. "HE'S REALLY FUCKING STRONG! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN KEEP HOLD OF THEM!" --- Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Patience had poked her head out of her room. When she saw the door opening and someone stepping inside, she rushed out to try to stop them. "Wait! Don't-!" too late. The door slammed shut and the teenager had fallen into the building. She stopped in her tracks and remained at a bit of a distance from the stranger. He might look like just a boy but there had to be a reason he was wandering Hell. She looked at him warily as he stood and dusted himself off. "Hello..." she replied in a deflated voice. "You shouldn't have come here. It's dangerous... and now you're trapped," she told him quietly. "What's your name?" Nearby, after hearing the commotion, Warren was watching the intruder and Patience. Listening carefully to them.

Denix Vames - April 10, 2022 "Oh...I'm sorry if they're doing that to you. But you have to understand that this is a Devil that we're talking about. You against him would just mean death. Maybe if you talk to Will about how you feel, he'll let you join in on the battle?" ,said Hades. --- Gabriel appeared with Rob. He held a box full of bracelets. "I think we've got plenty." Will nodded. "Then we'll take your advice and go about our day as usual." He looked at the officers. "Any questions?" --- Sam rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Sorry Theron." "Th-Thank you for the apology." Theron held a scared expression. "Am I weak? I don't know what I am but don't be mad. I'll be good. I don't understand. I thought I was already strong?" Insanity wrapped an arm around him. "It's alright. You just need some practice. That's all." Sam chuckled. "As long as we get to kill some people, I'll do my best." --- Ricky went on all fours. "I'm tired of this! Why won't that damn coward show himself? Donnie needs to die!" His aura's size grew. His skin grew fur as his eyes were shone red. Bryce lifted his head up. "Huh? What's this weird feeling?" He walked over to the strange aura that he felt. "Hello? Is someone there?" --- "Let her go!" Charles jumped into the waters. He grabbed Amelia and began swimming to the edge. Harris appeared. "Those that show loyalty to you in this realm have agreed to fight. I have gathered other creatures from earth, some of your friends, to this war as well. Those that aren't handling important matters that is. I have also asked for the hand of Heaven to help. Many Angels are willing to fight by your side. The CIA will defend earth if Donnie chooses to enter." shadowess - April 14, 2022 "I know that..." Parker sighed. "But even if I die, it'd just mean I'd come back as a Devil. I'm still a half Devil after all... it's just Alex that wouldn't change if he died. I'm not saying I want to die, either. But I know I at least have that as a sort of safety net... but maybe you're right. Maybe I should talk to Will." He lifted his drink and finished it off. --- They all looked at the bracelets curiously. Kodi raised his hand. "Once we make the arrest, who do we report to?" David nodded toward Will. "Your superior here. He will then contact myself and X. I think you can understand why we wouldn't be able to keep these particular criminals in a standard prison. So that's where they'll go to be interrogated. I will then report the arrests to my own superiors." Meaning Charles and Amelia. "And we'll take things from there." Kodi nodded and lowered his hand. Looking like there were no other questions, David then turned to Will and offered a hand to shake. "Good luck, Captain." he turned his head to the rest. "All of you, good luck." he then moved over to Gabrielle and Rob. "Thank you both." --- "Ata boy." Donnie chuckled and ruffled Sam's hair. "Don't take it to heart Theron. I'm just making you aware of what I expect from my children. Do everything you can to make me proud and you won't have anything to worry about." he said while turning to face Theron. He looked at Insanity and smiled before stepping close to him. "Why don't you relax here with Theron? Keep an eye on the woman. I'm curious to see what she'd do when there's only one of us here. I'll take Sam to extract a little blood from Donnie then go and see the dealer." --- "Ricky?" Rickster took a few more steps away from him, unsure about what was happening or what he should do. "We'll get him but you need to try to stay calm." Viktor gasped and opened his eyes when he heard Bryce's voice. It had sounded a little distorted but it was him! He looked at the mirror and was surprised to see him standing on the other side. "B-Bryce! Bryce! Over here!!" he tried, hoping that he could hear him too as he tapped the mirror with his finger to try to get his attention. "Bryce! You're ok! It's going to be ok! I'll get you out of there, I promise!" --- Amelia's body stiffened and tried to pull away as Charles tried to take her out of the water. They stumbled and the saltwater splashed her face, causing her to gasp and blink wildly. "Charles-!" she managed to say before groaning as the creature tried again to maintain its grip on her mind. Yet she managed to keep a firm grip on Charles, signalling that she wanted to be taken out of the water. The creature let out a low growl that caused the ground they stood on to vibrate violently. The water jumped and splashed through the vibrations. The tendrils around the creature's neck shot down and tried to wrap themselves around Amelia to drag her back into the water. It heard Harris's words but was far too focused on trying to keep its puppet submerged. Denix Vames - April 14, 2022 Hades stood up. "Do you want me to come with you?" She frowned. "This whole conversation has made me realize that I've been running away from these real issues. I don't even know how my dad is handling this." --- Will nodded. "Thanks. But just letting you know that I'm the Chief now." Gabriel smiled. "Whatever we can do to help, you just call us. Cause I really fucking hate that guy." Referring to Donnie. --- "I think that would be a perfect idea." ,said Insanity. He guided Theron out of the kitchen. "Come now. Let us play with your toys." "Yay! Bye dad! Bye Sam!" They headed to his bedroom. Sam smiled but quickly forced it down. "What the hell? I never smile." He crossed his arms and glanced off. "Don't think that I'm getting mushy when I say this. At least you're not my alcoholic shit-for-brains dad. I can actually respect you." He frowned and lowered his arms. "And thanks for accepting me when no one else has ever." --- "Why should I bother?! Calming down is getting us nowhere! We need to fight! NOW!" Ricky soon transformed into a nine tailed beast fox. Bryce ran over to the sound. "Viktor? Where are you? Please help me!" --- Harris raised his hands. Using his dark aura as his extra hands, he pulled the couple and the beast with all his might until Amelia and Charles were thrown away from the pool. "I will be your vessel. In return, you may change my form for I do not like this one. It makes me appear weak." He stepped into the waters. Shadowess - April 15, 2022 Parker looked up at Hades and considered the offer before standing as well. "Fuck... I almost forgot about all the shit David must be going through... Yeah, of course." he offered her his hand. --- David blinked at Will then slowly closed his eyes as he felt his face turn a little red. "Of course. Apologies... I haven't been in the right frame of mind lately." he sighed as he opened his eyes again and then looked back at Gabriel. "Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated." --- Donnie watched Insanity and Theron leave the room with a small smile. He rose a brow at Sam's words then chuckled. "Smiling is not a sign of weakness, boy. It would be wonderful to see you smile, especially while we work." he grinned evilly with an eager look in his eyes. "How would you like to make someone bleed? His name is Damien. He is a Devil too but he's wearing an angelic device that practically makes him human. He is an enemy and our competition. Right now, he's trapped in a room but he is unrestrained so you will need to beat him into obedience. Do you think you can handle that?" he placed a hand on his shoulder and his smile became a little warmer. "Son?" --- "Ricky...?" Rickster gasped as he stumbled backwards until his back was pressed against the kitchen counter. "Ricky? Wha-? What-?" Viktor heard the commotion coming from downstairs but he was far too focused on Bryce to really take notice. He looked at the mirror and thought for a moment. "A mirror? I'm looking through a mirror? Is there one in your room? Maybe it's acting like a window? I can see you perfectly. Oh God, Bryce. Is that blood on your collar? They didn't hurt you did they? I swear I'll get you out of there! I won't give up! I'll find a way!" --- Once they hit the sand, Amelia gasped and coughed as though she had been unable to breathe for some time. She clung to Charles, shivering while looking around wildly at the creature. "I saw its memories...A-Ancient Devil. I-It's an Ancient Devil. The Devils that populated Hell before Lucifer and his followers fell. It's the only one left of its kind. It hid under the water for so long... so frightened... and so alone... Over time that fear and sadness have turned to hatred and anger." The creature turned to Harris. Towering over him. Words would arrive in his head. 'Change...form? Of course. I don't need a puppet or a vessel. I need to adapt... Evolve... Change form.' The creature moved. Suddenly and with alarming speed. It left the water, revealing its back end to be more like that of a whale but with more tendrils curling and coiling around it. The sudden movement and now lack of a large creature in its depths caused the water to pull back rapidly and a strong gust of wind to sweep over the beach and into the ocean. This created a massive sea wall that began crashing towards them at terrifying speed. Amelia's eyes widened. "Tsunami!!" she gasped, gripping Charles tightly. She teleported them over to Harris, grabbed his arm then teleported all three of them back to Earth. Having needed to think fast, she teleported them all to the first place that had popped into her mind and the three of them found themselves in the middle of Carter's house, surrounded by some very shocked and confused human workers who had only just finished patching up the hole in the wall. All three of them dripping wet with seawater. Denix Vames - April 16, 2022 Hades took his hand. They appeared where David was. "Is there anything that we can do to help now then?" ,asked Gabriel. --- Sam smiled. "I think I can...dad. In fact, I can make him scream." --- Ricky slowly walked over to him. Bryce stepped over with his head down in shame. "It's not my blood. It's someone else's...Donnie made me drink from...." He shook his head. "I did such a terrible thing, Viktor. You have no idea." He placed a hand over the mirror. "I can see myself." --- Harris fell to the floor where he sobbed. "It rejected my offer. All I want is for this damn horrid excuse for a body to be gone!" Denix Vames - April 16, 2022 Will seemed concerned that Parker was here. "What are you doing here? This case is too dangerous. You should be at home." (forgot to include this) shadowess - April 16, 2022 David nodded and stood a little closer to Gabriel to speak to him in a hushed voice. "I know that some doves in the world are Angelic spies. Could you send out an order for them to report back as soon as they see Donnie or Insanity?" Parker shook his head at Will. "It's just as dangerous sitting around at home. You know these guys don't have any boundaries. Besides, I'm just where I belong. Working side by side with people who helped to make me who I am today." --- Donnie laughed and patted Sam on the back. "I believe Damien took the same training that I had. Making him scream will be difficult but it will be fun to see you try." he walked over to a clear area in the room and wondered if it would be big enough. He took a small bit of chalk out of his pocket and began drawing the small circle on the ground, filling it with symbols. When he was done, he looked back at Sam and smiled at him. "It's time to become what you were born to be. This will hurt. It will feel like you're burning from the inside out. But when I am done, you will be unstoppable." he said as he stepped into the circle and knelt down. "Stand just outside it and give me your hand." he ordered while reaching his hand out for him to take." --- Rickster shivered, unsure of what to expect or whether he should be running. "Ricky? Ricky, are you still in there?" he asked in a shaking voice. "Ricky, please... I just want to support you and protect you...because I love you. I always will. Even now. You're everything to me, Ricky. You helped me to see the world differently when no one else could. You broke down the walls that I had so carefully built over the years. You made me so much better. I will always love you for that." Rickster closed his eyes tightly, unsure of what would happen next but he knew he couldn't just run from Ricky. Viktor lifted his hand up to the mirror so that it was over Bryce's as he longed to simply touch him. "Bryce..." Viktor said in a soft whisper. "That's not your fault. Whoever you drank from, it wasn't you. You were forced to do it." Viktor leaned his head against the top of the mirror. "Do you remember when we met? I felt alone and scared. But then you appeared and you taught me how to use my powers. You gave me comfort and support when I needed it most. That's who you are and don't forget it. Don't let that go. Just hand on and be strong. For me. I'll get you out of there, I swear it." --- Sebastian opened the kitchen door when he heard the commotion and his shoulders slumped as he realised their cover had just been blown. "What's going on?! Why are you all wet?" "S-sirs?" One of the workers pointed in the direction of Harris, Amelia and Charles. "Th-they just...appeared...H-how? what? What's going on here?!" Amelia's cheeks turned red and she looked at Sebastian and Carter apologetically. "S-sorry... we had to teleport fast and this was the first place I thought of..." she stood with Charles and looked over at Harris sadly. "Harris, why do you hate your body?" she asked him gently. "You know you could've just come to us if you were unhappy...Trust me, I saw inside her mind when she had hold of me... she's spent so long hiding under that sea that she went mad. Nothing good could've come from becoming her puppet." Denix Vames - April 16, 2022 Gabriel nodded. "I'll get right on it." He closed his eyes and sent out the message to the doves. "So, we'll draw some symbols all over the house to protect you! I can't let you get hurt! You know what Donnie has done to our friends. He will do it to you too!" ,said Will. --- Sam grinned. His eyes were wide. Holding Donnie's hand, he held the same expression that Insanity had when he twisted Alex's arm. "Go ahead. I love pain." --- Ricky had heard his words. Though he was filled with anger, he had suddenly felt love. In a flash of fire that had disappeared just as it went, he was back in his human form. The moment he was, he lost consciousness. Having been exhausted from using such an amount of energy. He was going to fall. Bryce leaned his forehead against the mirror. "Viktor....You have given me hope that I never thought I could regain. I love you. I swear by those who have fallen by my hands that I will touch your lips. That I will take down these monsters. To make up for my actions." --- Carter crossed his arms and sighed. "Anyone have a wipe memory spell?" Harris said, "You don't understand! I detest this body! It's nothing but a reminder of my weakness! I need power!" He slammed his fists on the floor. Leaving cracks there. Shadowess - April 17, 2022 "Thank you." David nodded to Gabriel and then turned to look at Hades. "Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly. Parker huffed and turned his head to look away from Will. "I can't just sit around and wait for everything to blow over. I'm not afraid of them! Not after all the shit that I've been through already. Let me do my job." he took out his phone and tried to dial Carter's but the line seemed to be busy already. "Oh, come on..." he muttered as he opted to send a text instead, asking why Carter hadn't called him to work lately and making it clear that he wanted to be more involved. --- Donnie grinned then closed his eyes and began chanting. He kept a tight hold of Sam's arm until he'd finish the spell. Like with Insanity, he gave Sam just enough power to become a Devil but not enough that he would overpower him. He rationalised that the boy would grow stronger as he grew but also he didn't want to give him any chance of being able to overthrow him if such a thing happened to cross his mind. By the time he was done, Sam would have all the abilities that Donnie and Insanity would have. Making him truly their son. Donnie would then stand and look at Sam proudly, admiring his work. "How do you feel, Sam Shadow?" --- Feeling heat and hearing the sudden roar of flames, Rickster's eyes snapped open just in time to see Ricky standing in front of him looking woozy. Without hesitation, he jumped away from the kitchen counter and wrapped his arms around him to stop him from falling. "I've got you," he said gently as he pressed his head against his. "I've always got you." With a little strain, Rickster hoisted Ricky into his arms and carried him up the stairs to the bedroom where he carefully set him down on the bed. "It'll be ok," he whispered before kissing his forehead. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and redialled Carter's number. When he'd pick up, Rickster would sigh. "Sorry about the call getting cut off. Things went crazy here for a little while. Turns out Donnie kidnapped Viktor's boyfriend as well...I didn't even know he had one but apparently, he's also been targeted and Viktor damn near killed himself trying to teleport to him. Anyway... you said you needed my help?" Viktor let out a small sob and said in a broken voice. "I love you too." he took a couple of small breaths to try to calm himself down. "I told Ricky about us... I was so scared when I couldn't teleport to you. I just knew there was something wrong. I almost destroyed his house trying to get to you..." he admitted. "And now I'm so tired... and dizzy... but I won't give up. I found a way to talk to you. So there must be a way to get to you!" Viktor thought for a moment then blinked at the mirror. "I made this thing into a window... what if I can make it a door? How big is that mirror on your side? Is it full size?" he asked, hoping that it was. Maybe if he found a full-sized mirror on his side as well he could step through? A new hope began to fill him at this idea. --- "I do," Azrael said as he appeared in the room and snapped his fingers. All the human workers in the room passed out instantaneously. He snapped his fingers again and they all vanished. "They'll all wake up at home, with no recollection of how they got there. All they'll remember is that they finished your work, left and got celebratory drinks." he shrugged. "It's not the first time I've had to do that trick... Billy said you were friends of his? My name is Azrael." "Oh, come on!" Sebastian protested as Harris broke their floor. "Why does everyone feel the need to break our stuff when they're upset?! We JUST had the damn wall fixed!" "Sebastian, hush." Amelia gave him a sideways apologetic glance before turning back to Harris. "Harris, you don't need power. You're not weak. What you're saying sounds a lot like something Clementine would say but she's not here anymore. You need to trust in yourself and be your own person." Harris's hallucination of Clementine was standing by the newly repaired wall with her arms crossed. "I might be a figment of your imagination but she might also be wrong about that." The child demon spoke. "Damien said it himself. Donnie left a door open when he crossed back into reality. That's how Damien got back... so what's to stop me from following? Or Michael? Or the Devine group that Lucifer destroyed all those years ago? Think about it, Harris. I could be out there somewhere. Just waiting for you to find me." The hallucination turned her head to one side with a sigh. "Honestly, it's a wonder that no one else has thought of that yet."

shadowess - April 3, 2022 Having been taking a nap, Rickster groaned when the sound of his ringtone woke him up. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he answered the phone. "What's happened now?" he asked tiredly. --- Warren stiffened a little when Theron hugged him, worried that Insanity might frown upon this show of affection towards their servant, but gave the teen a fleeting smile as he watched him run off towards the kitchen. He turned his attention back to Insanity and lowered his gaze submissively. "Is there anything that I can do for you, sire?" --- "Hm." Parker walked into the kitchen with a nod. He had discovered shortly after moving in with Will that one of the wooden panels under the cupboards was loose. When he inevitably got bored of eating salads, chicken with rice and the like, he began to keep a stash of unhealthy snacks in the small space under the kitchen cupboards. He carefully removed the wooden panel and pulled two soda cans out before just as carefully placing the panel back into position. He carried the cans into the living room and handed one to Hades. "Will comes back and sees these, you brought them with you," he smirked playfully as he sat in a chair across from her. "And that's nice and all, but I think you know what I meant," he said seriously as he opened his can. "C'mon dude, I feel more left out than ever lately. I'm lucky if Will gives me the slightest bit of info. I get that he wants to keep me safe but then that just means that I'm left with my own thoughts and worries all the time. What are we dealing with here? What's the threat?" --- Malone hesitantly raised his hand. "Sorry to backtrack, Boss. But what is that thing? How does it work?" "It's a Moral Compass," Kodi answered. "Angel technology and ancient at that. It shows whether or not a soul is pure good, pure evil or somewhere in between... savable," he explained briefly then shrugged. "But I'm seeing a slight flaw with this plan. Those devices are not accurate. I mean they'll tell you how good or bad someone is just fine but you could place that thing on ten of Donnie's men and ten of our own and come up with the same results. It won't tell you who is working for who... I mean, it's great that we have one now. It will actually make our jobs a little easier but we still don't have a way to be able to arrest Donnie's followers if we run into any. How're the human officers here supposed to stand a chance against them?" --- "We were on high alert!! But we're also spread thin, Charles!" David snapped back, feeling the need to vent these fear and frustrations that had been building since Donnie first appeared. "That bastard isn't moving in any particular pattern anymore! He's unpredictable! Whatever his plans are, I haven't the slightest idea on how to figure it out! And now he has my grandson! What the hell am I supposed to do?!" David slowed down, his voice breaking and this usually stoic and reserved man suddenly seemed very vulnerable. "Please. Tell me what to do. How do I fix this? How do I get my grandson back?" he breathed, catching his breath while biting back tears. For the first time in a very long time, David considered how simpler things used to be when Lucifer had ruled and even caught himself missing that tyrant. He surprised himself and quickly shook away the thought. Rapidly reminding himself of why they were better off without him. Oliver's crying became progressively worse in the next room as he became more and more sensitive to the tension in the building. It was even beginning to have an effect on Neva who, despite her best efforts, was also now trying very hard to blink back her own tears. "Why are they shouting? I'm scared. Please make them stop." she whimpered, subconsciously echoing Oliver's emotion. --- Donnie sat in a nearby chair and crossed one leg over the other while smiling at Sam in amusement. "As long as they're not one of our loyal followers, I don't see why not. Just be wary that you don't draw the attention of Arch Angels though. If there is one thing that is true, it is that their weapons can destroy a Demon completely. Even their feathers are dangerous to us. Remember that." --- Viktor blinked at Ricky. His breath caught in his throat for a moment. How did he know?! He didn't seem the least bit surprised by the news that Viktor was dating anyone and he even knew his name! How long had he known!? How long have any of them known?! "...I...never told you his name..." Viktor pointed out in stunned confusion. He then blinked again, regathering himself. "And who the fuck is Donnie?" he asked protectively. "What the hell does he want with my boyfriend?! I swear if he's heard him, I'll rip him apart!" his words had become an inhuman growl towards the end and his eyes shone brilliantly red but with a hint of gold around his irises as well. His opal feathered wings erupted from his back. "I have to get to him! I must!" he growled in the same way and seemed to be overcome with a supernatural determination. He tried to teleport but nothing. He tried again and again. The lights in the house flickered a little at first and then rapidly. Electronic devices turned themselves on and off. The rings on the stove lit up in unison. Viktor wasn't moving but he didn't seem ready to give up either despite the blood now seeping out of his eyes like tears. --- Amelia opened her eyes and regarded Harris. "There's a storm coming, Harris. This is far bigger than simply saving my brother," she told him but she didn't seem to be herself anymore. She was calm. So calm that it was unnerving. "Lives and unlives alike might be lost. It will be a long and bloody battle. Are you prepared to put your unlife on the line in the name of peace?" she asked him, but seemed to stare right into him. She held his gaze for a minute or two more. She studied him silently before turning back to face the ocean and slowly dropping her crystal into the water with an audible 'plunk'. "Gather me an army. Be them Demon, Human, Angel...Leviathan... We must unite, or all is lost and we will sink into another age of darkness and pain. Doomed to repeat our misery." she said while slowly walking into the sea. She waded through the waves, the water quickly enveloping her legs and hips but she remained staring ahead. Entranced. Denix Vames - April 3, 2022 "We need your help to find Damien. Donnie has him." ,said Carter. --- Insanity looked at him. "Donnie may discipline a little differently but when he's not looking, make sure to give my dear son the same affection that I always show him." He turned to the box of toys. "Take these to my son's room." --- Hades drank some. "Well, there's this annoying bastard called Donnie who's been trying to gain the title of King of Hell. He wants to bring the old traditions back. Believe it or not, he's doing a pretty good job at it." --- "I'll ask David for some help if he's available. He might know some tricks so that we can take them down." ,said Will. He looked down. "Hey David? You there? I need some help here." --- Charles shook his head. "I...." He raised his head when he heard Will's voice. "Help him. He's going to look for Donnie's followers. They'll need you. I'm sure doing this will help us." "It's ok, Neva. They just need to talk things out." ,said Vincent who placed a hand on her shoulder. --- Sam smiled. "Then I accept the deal." He pierced his finger with the pen without flinching or showing pain. He wrote his full name. "I'm use to bleeding." He rolled up a sleeve. Revealing his cuts. "It's my way of being mad at the world. So, if you ever need me to shed my blood or someone else's then I'll be there." He took his hand. Allowing himself to be teleported to his new home. He looked around. Insanity walked over. "Ah! Donnie my dear. So, you have brought another child for us to love?" Sam cringed when he was hugged. "Who said anything about me being your kid?" --- Ricky placed his hands on his shoulders. "Viktor! Please stop! You're hurting yourself!" His grip grew strong. "Look, I don't know how I knew his name. Maybe it's my new powers? I haven't really been able to control them. But if we talk to Rickster, I'm sure he'll be able to help us." --- Harris read her face before nodding. "I see. I know the right people to call. Where would you like me to take them?" He placed a hand over his chest. "No matter the situation, I will always be there to sacrifice myself for my new friends." shadowess - April 3, 2022 "Wait, isn't that the guy Amelia and Charles beat the shit out of a little while ago?" Parker sat forward in his chair, intrigued. "I heard Patience turned him into a tree. He came back? When did that happen? And what do you mean?" --- David blinked and took a breath. Trying his best to compose himself again but after such an outburst, it was difficult to do. "Charles, please find my daughter before Donnie decides she's his next target..." he said tiredly before vanishing. David appeared in the precinct and although it was expected, Malone still couldn't help but jump when it happened. He still wasn't used to the way Demons and Angels could just appear anywhere at will. David looked over at Will, trying to focus on this current task but his mind was still on his recent failure. "How can I help you, Will?" he asked, trying to put on his usual polite tone but it was strained. His cheeks were still flushed from his argument with Charles just moments ago. --- Warren brought his eyes back up to look at Insanity in surprise. His love for his captors only grew further as Insanity revealed this softer side. Still, he had seen the not so soft side previously and didn't want to risk keeping him waiting. He bowed his head hurriedly. "Yes, sire," he said simply before moving to grab the box of toys and take it to Theron's bedroom. Donnie was happy to see that pain did not affect Sam but he was troubled to see the self-infliction. Such actions never made much sense to Donnie. But then, he was incredibly vain and would never dream of tarnishing his form in such a way. He teleported them both to his palace once the contract was signed. He watched the way Insanity behaved and smirked at Sam's reaction. "Although I must admit, you do share a lot of my own values," Donnie observed. "But a deal is a deal. Insanity, this is Sam. My protege. I will be changing him into a demon and then training him to be one of my elite soldiers. He will go on to lead our armies and manage our defences, my love." he said as he regarded Sam with a prideful smile. A part of him almost wished he had adopted him as well, but c'est la vie. He supposed he will just have to do the next best thing... raise him to be a loyal and brutal Royal Guard. "I believe he will grow to do great things," he said before glancing around the room. "Where is Theron?" --- "What?" Rickster lowered his hand from his face and then looked around wildly as all of his electronics began to go haywire. Including, unfortunately, his phone which continually turned itself off and back on again, cutting off the call. "Oh for... What the hell is going on now?!" he grumbled as he jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants before running out of the room and down the stairs to see what was going on in the kitchen. Blood dripped from his eyes, his nose and even his ears but still, Viktor continued to try. "I can't give up! I can't just leave him there!!" He panicked and tried harder. The lightbulb in the kitchen exploded, making Rickster flinch as he stepped into the room. "What's going on?!" he shouted over the noise of the blender and other electronics randomly going off. He looked at Viktor worriedly. "What's up with him? Christ! Stop it! You're going to kill yourself!" But Viktor wasn't relenting. Thinking fast, Rickster uttered a quick spell to knock Viktor out. Viktor slumped forward, against Ricky and Rickster ran over to make sure they were ok. He looked around in relief as all the appliances in the room stopped working simultaneously. He walked over to the stove and quickly turned it off before walking back over to Ricky and giving him a look as if silently letting him know to prepare himself. He mumbled a couple of words then snapped his fingers by Viktor's ear, waking him up. Viktor groaned and gripped his head which now felt like it was splitting in two. Too dizzy to stand and now feeling too exhausted to try teleporting again. He winced and tried to look between Rickster and Ricky then immediately broke down into tears. "What were you thinking?" Rickster scolded him gently. "You could have seriously hurt yourself...and us. What's gotten into you?" "He's gone... he took my boyfriend and I don't even know why... I don't even know who he is... or where he's taken him... I don't even know if he's ok... What do I do?" --- "Loyalty is admirable but so easily promised," Amelia said in a monotone voice as she came to a stop. The sea was just a little above her waist now. She looked up. Towards the stars. The stars looked back. In unison, they all extinguished and then reignited. Like a light that flickers... or eyes that blink. Now that it was in her head, Amelia knew what this benevolent creature was. She also knew that this area of hell was always dark. Always 'night'. That when the stars occasionally shone here, it was not an illusion that Hell was creating to mimic Earth. Those stars were not stars and the creature in the sea was never always fully submerged. It was simply too massive and well hidden for anyone to notice. The stars flickered again. All at once. Then suddenly, they seemed to shift ever so slightly. Moving slowly until they were directly above Amelia and Harris. Now that the creature was so close to them, an elongated face became visible. Large nostrils twitched as the creature let out a breath that to Harris and Amelia would feel like a particularly strong gust of wind. It opened its mouth, revealing yellowed but flattened teeth. A telltale sign that the creature was not carnivorous. The whalesong rang out again but this time it was almost deafening. Even Amelia, in her trance like state, had to cover her ears and brace herself. The stars.... millions upon millions of them... were its eyes! All quivering and alight, like bioluminescent frogspawn attached to the top of the creature's long face. Slowly, Amelia lowered her hands and turned to look at Harris. Still, in a trance-like state, she spoke in a long-dead version of the Demonic language. A language so dead that there was no longer any written record of it anywhere in Hell. Yet the translation of these words would arrive in Harris's head clearly. "Bring them, thy chosen warriors, to my door." Denix Vames - April 4, 2022 "I'm not sure. But he's out. He has some plans but even I don't know what they are." ,said Hades. She drank some more. "I'm focusing on the band instead of that. I can't exactly do anything if I don't know any info. It's probably best that you don't get involved. Aren't you human?" ,said Hades. --- Charles said, "Vincent, I need you and your family to keep my son safe. I'll be back." He disappeared. --- "We need to find out which Demons or Devils are Donnie's followers. Can you help us?" ,said Will. Travis hugged Malone's arm. Letting him know that he was safe. --- "Who the hell is Theron?" ,said Sam. "He's your new brother. And he's eating in the kitchen. Go on and meet him. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He walked into the kitchen. Theron dropped his fork. "What are you doing here? I've never seen you before. I don't feel comfortable with this." "Geez! You're such a bitch! I'm your brother or whatever. But why do I have to be living here with you? You're a coward." He clutched his head as he cried. "Stop saying mean things! I don't understand why you're saying that!" "Sam! Enough!" ,said Insanity. He gripped his shoulder. "Be nice to your brother." "Why should I? I thought everyone in Hell was supposed to be tough. But this guy-!" "Silence! Now you either behave or leave the kitchen!" Sam let out a frustrated sigh before opening a cabinet. He grabbed a box of cheese crackers and began eating them at a corner. Insanity glared at Donnie. "I admire his murderous rage and ideas but you need to teach this child how to respect his family." --- "Just shut up!" ,shouted Ricky. "I don't know how to help but you yelling isn't making things any better!" His aura surrounded him. His eyes glowed. "Stop talking!" --- Harris smirked. Amused by her change in personality. "I will get your army." He disappeared. Charles soon appeared. "Amelia? What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here! Get out of there!" shadowess - April 10, 2022 Parker shifted uncomfortably in his chair and glanced away from Hades. "Yeah..." he answered after a moment's hesitation. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happier being human. But I don't like being left out of it all, you know? I mean, I'm supposed to be working for Carter but when all this shit goes down, he doesn't call, and I'm left without a clue." he shrugged. "I can't help but wonder if the only thing you guys see when you look at me is this frail human that needs to be protected." he took a sip from his can. --- David blinked at Will then looked around at the rest of the officers in the room. "You're police." he pointed out. "Officers. Trained to spot criminal behaviour, no matter how subtle. Use that knowledge to your advantage. You don't need magic or otherwordly tools to do this. You only need to look for the right things and ask the right questions. Observe. Listen." He lifted his hands a little to emphasise his words as he continued. "You are at a rare advantage because Donnie won't think to look in your direction. He will overlook the strengths that you, as a force, have honed over the course of your training. It may seem too human and primitive to someone like him. He'd never see it coming, and all you have to do? Just do your job. Go about your business as usual. But keep a keen eye out for suspicious activity. Listen out for conversations that might hint that one or more of his followers are nearby. Then make your arrest as appropriate." he explained. "For this, I plan to get some Angelic Bracelets that you can use as cuffs... In fact..." He paused and briefly closed his eyes. "Gabriel? Robert? Were you able to get enough bracelets for this mission?" he asked aloud before turning back to the officers. "You must make sure you put them onto the suspected Demon as quickly as possibly. Preferably without alerting them too soon. The bracelets can only be removed by the person who put them on and once it has latched on, they will render the Demon or Devil harmless. No stronger than any other human suspect. From there, you can bring them in for questioning." --- Donnie merely smirked at Insanity's glare as he walked past him to look into the cupboards as well. "I said protege, you said son." he bantered. He then sighed, knowing the risks of letting Theron get upset. Donnie turned to Sam, snatching the box of crackers from him before pointing to Theron. "Well, apparently you're a part of our family now. This means the people in this room are the only people you can trust. The only people you can thank and the only people you can apologise to. Because, just as you will be expected to have our backs, you can count on all of us to have yours. Now, apologise to your brother before I give you a good hiding." Donnie then looked in the cupboards again and tutted loudly. "This is depressing. I'm guessing the pie was made out of the last of Desi's ingredients. It's a good thing food doesn't spoil here..." he muttered then turned to face the kitchen door. "WARREN!" he barked sharply. A second later, Warren hurriedly skidded into the kitchen. He came to a halt at the door and looked between the family members. "Yes, sire?" Donnie pointed to Sam. "Meet our newest son. He needs decent food as well and I need someone we can trust to run that errand." Donnie stepped forward and stared intensely at Warren, making him avert his gaze submissively. "So, far you've served us well. Tell me, can we trust you to go to Earth and return with nutritious foods for our family?" Warren blinked and brought his eyes back up to Donnie's. He quickly nodded and seemed happy for a second before a look of realisation crossed his features. "Y-you can trust me, sires. But, h-how to I get to Earth? I'm dead." Donnie grinned. "I'm going to give you a gift. A reward for your obedience and loyalty. I'll make you a Demon. Not a powerful one, mind you. Just strong enough that you can visit Earth and come back when needed." Donnie then stepped close to Warren and caressed his cheek. "Just be sure to come back to us. You'll be rewarded when you return." Warren shivered. His cheeks turned pink and he could barely look away from Donnie's lips. When he did, he found himself gazing into Insanity's eyes instead and felt awestruck by his beauty as well. "Yes, Sires. I will always come back to you," he said a little breathlessly. Donnie chuckled then lowered his hand and stepped away from Warren, turning to go back to his family. Warren blinked, feeling a little cold now from the way Donnie had turned from him so abruptly, yet his heart was still fluttering wildly in his chest. He kept catching Insanity's eyes and hurriedly looking away shyly. "Leave us. I'll change you later." Donnie said, waving his hand dismissively at Warren. Nodding, Warren quickly turned and left the kitchen. Excited but having no more work to do, he decided to make himself comfortable in one of the spare bedrooms while he waited for further orders. He walked over to the full-sized mirror and unbuttoned his shirt to look at the long scars across his chest. He'd found it surprising that the wounds Insanity had inflicted had turned into scars rather than healing completely. But he didn't mind. As he traced his fingers over them, he convinced himself that they had been some sort of gift. As if the pain he'd endured had been some kind of right of passage. He'd been chosen. Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Donnie turned to Sam while picking up an apple from the little fruit basket. He sniffed it warily first before taking a bite. "I said I'd make you a Demon, too," he said then swallowed the bit of apple in his mouth. "But if you're going to be my son, Demon isn't going to cut it. I'll give you the same training and you will still lead my army. But I will make you a Devil instead." he pointed a finger between Sam and Theron with a serious expression. "Being the sons of the Kings of Hell will come with responsibilities, training and high expectations. This will not be easy. I will not raise spoiled brats, nor will I raise weaklings. Do I make myself clear boys?" He took another bite out of his apple and then thought for a moment. "Theron, I understand that you're still getting used to your powers." He swallowed the apple piece. "Which is why training with you will start first thing tomorrow. Today, I just want you to rest, settle in and keep an eye on 'the woman'. Got it?" he then turned to Sam. "I will change you into a Devil today and you will accompany me on an errand to see how we work. You are to follow my orders without question. Failure to do so may cost one or both of us our lives, do you understand?" --- As Ricky now seemed to be losing it, Rickster quickly took the woozy and unstable Viktor from him and helped him stay on his feet while looking at Ricky in surprise. "Ricky, take it easy..." he said uncertainly while taking a step back. "I wasn't yelling at anyone... It was noisy with all the electric stuff going off..." he explained. Viktor had broken down into quiet sobs, feeling helpless and too weak now to do anything. He broke away from Rickster and stumbled out of the kitchen, to the stairs and headed towards his bedroom. He just wanted to be alone. "Ricky, please," Rickster said softly. "I need you right now. Viktor needs you. I gotta call Carter back, it looks like Viktor's boyfriend wasn't the only person Donnie took today." Viktor reached his bedroom and stumbled slowly into the en-suit to wash his face. Still sobbing, he looked at his reflection and stared at his wings behind him. What good were these powers if he wasn't strong enough to save the man he loved? Frustrated, desperate and frightened, he pounded the wall next to the mirror before leaning his forehead against it with his eyes closed as he continued to sob. All he could think about was what Bryce must be going through right now. He wished he could see him. Talk to him. Tell him he wouldn't give up on him. As he thought this, his reflection in the mirror flickered. Then jolted and heaved into distorted shapes until a new image could be seen. In an instant, the mirror had become a window into a dimly lit room. There was a circle painted onto the ground in a red substance. Candles dotted around on the stone floor. Books piled up in one corner of the room and on the other side, directly opposite the mirror, was Bryce. --- Amelia tilted her head at Charles with the same faraway look in her eyes. In the same dead language she spoke; "This child's mind is safe. Hell hath awakened and her fury will be unleashed. The self-proclaimed King hath stepped down. Peace hath been promised but is now in peril as another rises to repeat my people's genocide. Hell hath summoned and untethered me, that I may devour thine enemies and traitors." The whale song rang out again, as if in triumph. The creature was so close to the both of them now that Amelia had to cover her ears and even bend her knees a little from the shock of the noise. This short jolt gave her just enough consciousness back to look at Charles in confusion. She then jerked her head to one side a little and let out a strained groan, apparently trying to fight off the possession, before looking at him with a blank expression once more. The creature stood over her now. Now close enough to see its silhouette. Its long face resembled that of a horse. Millions and millions of tiny eyes, shimmering and quivering on each side of its head looked more like it had frog spawn attached to its face. Its mane was made up of long, thick tendrils while coiled and moved around its neck absently. Its gigantic hooves landed on either side of Amelia like she was stood between two walls. The back end of the 'horse' lacked legs and instead dipped down into the rest of the sea, completely submerged and out of view.

Denix Vames - April 1, 2022 Sam Byron was a teenager with only his thoughts to tell him what the world was like. He sat in front of a drawn pentagram where a dead rabbit laid. Having killed it as a sacrifice. He chanted the spell. A demon or devil of his desire would appear. That devil was Donnie. "It actually worked." Sam stood. "Look, I need your help. This world is filled with nothing but pain and misery. Then there's those bastards who shit on our lives! I want the world to pay for what it's done. For what they've all done!" He clenched his fists. "Everyone deserves to be punished. This world will become nothing." shadowess - April 1, 2022 Sebastian shivered and shrugged. "I don't know. This feels different from all the other things we've faced. It's like Donnie is some kind of cockroach. He just keeps coming back and now all this?" he shook his head and looked at Carter worriedly. "I think we might've made a mistake... sending Patience to spy on him. But I don't know how we can get her back." --- Warren smiled a little sadly when Theron told him he didn't understand the game. He shrugged. "It's ok. Maybe it might be something you'll like when you're a little older?" he suggested. Donnie had heard their conversation and looked at Theron sternly. "Boy, a word," he called to him and waited until Theron was closer to them. "Listen to me carefully, the only people I ever want you to apologise to are myself and Insanity if you do something wrong. To anyone else, you must remain unapologetic. Don't make yourself appear weak. Remember what I told you earlier? There are people out there who would use your weakness against you. So, don't let anyone think for one second that you might be vulnerable. Especially not those who work for us." Donnie's eyes darted to Warren then back to Theron. "Do you understand?" Donnie then looked back at Warren, who was watching them quietly. His expression shifted to agitation. "I believe our son told you to check on his food." he barked at him, causing Warren to jump and scramble to his feet. "Y-yes, sires!" he bowed then ran off towards the kitchen. Donnie chuckled and looked back at Theron. "There, you see? Respect is power." He turned to say something to Insanity then found himself standing in a completely different location... --- "Pretty much." Parker shrugged then smirked. "When he's home anyway." he then commented, hinting that he occasionally eats junk foods when Will isn't around. "So, how've you been? Have I been missing much excitement lately?" River walked down the stairs and looked at Hades and Carol curiously. He knew Hades. He could sense who she was immediately and felt the slightest hint of fear which was leftover from their encounter in Parker's mind. But this fear was largely overshadowed by respect. He nodded to her in greeting. "Hades. Long time no see," he said then smirked. "I promise I'm behaving." he then looked at the other woman and rose a brow. "And...sorry, have we met?" "We have actually. Although no one else could see me at the time." Carol grinned and it took a moment for River to realise what she meant. When he did, his eyes widened and he grinned happily. "You found a way out! I knew you would!" "Yes. If not for you and Will giving me the hope that I could find a way to escape, I wouldn't have even tried. But here we are and I need to find a way to thank you both." "Oh, well...y'know...you don't gotta... it-it was nothin'..." River stammered as he shook his head while his cheeks started to turn pink. Carol found this highly amusing and she placed a hand on her hip while smirking at him. "Well, well. Do you have a crush on me, River?" "W-what? No. I-I mean-! Maybe?..." he flustered as his cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "I mean... do you-? Would you-?" he pointed between them wordlessly and Carol laughed. "Maybe tiger. Buy me a drink first and we'll see where things go from there." she winked at him and River beamed. "Sure! Did you wana go now?" "I should really thank Will, too." "He's at work. He might be a while. Sounds like shit is hitting the fan." Parker commented as he turned his attention back to them. "You guys go ahead." he then said, knowing how much River had been dreaming of something like this happening. "I'll let Will know you dropped by. I'm sure he won't mind." "Oh, before I go anywhere..." Carol said and turned to Parker and Hades. "Does anyone know where I might get a job? It's been a very long time since I've been human but if there's one thing I remember it's that earning money is essential to having a comfortable life." --- Malone couldn't help but look at Travis and hope that he was ok with all this. After all, there was a Devil running around in the body of a man that had traumatised him as a child. He reached over and placed a gentle hand on his knee while giving him a small smile to show him he was there for him if he needed him. Kodi was leaning against the back wall with a serious expression. He couldn't stop worrying about Autumn and Harris. Hoping this wouldn't affect either of them. He raised his hand when Will finished speaking. "First off, I think I speak for all of us when I say that it's good to have you back, sir. Secondly, how will we know if a Demon has sworn allegiance to them? I think, as a Demon myself, you can understand my concern. I don't exactly like the idea of humans and Angels potentially pointing the finger at any Demon they see because they're not sure how to tell whose side they're on. Thirdly, how exactly do we 'arrest' these Demons and Devils?" --- David sighed and stepped inside. He looked at Amelia and then back to Charles. "Well, first things first. I know I haven't needed authorisation until recently but I think that now that the Peace Treaty is in full swing and Demons are looking to you both as the rulers of Hell, it's only proper that I set an example. I came to request authorisation to change a man named Bern into a Demon. He's in Hell because he didn't forgive his own sins but he spent his last year changing his ways and doing good. He is also mentally stable enough that he does not require time in the programme like other souls. I think he would fit right in among our ranks." he said seriously. Amelia blinked at David and thought for a moment, taken aback by the request. "You were given that ability because I trust your judgement. I get why you're doing it but you really don't need to ask. If you think this guy is worth the change then do it." she answered. David smiled and nodded but his smile was strained. Amelia picked up on this immediately. "Something else has happened." She observed. "Dad, tell me. What's wrong?" Glancing between Charles and Amelia, David sighed heavily. "It's Damien," he said and he could see Amelia holding her breath. "Donnie has kidnapped him and... He's wearing an angelic bracelet... he's as helpless as a mortal." Amelia stared at David in silence. Slowly, she stood while still staring at him. Oliver felt the shift of emotion in the room and whinged fearfully. This caused Amelia to snap out of her thoughts and look down at him quickly. Kneeling down again, she bent forward and gently kissed his forehead. Oliver's whimpering stopped and he looked up at his mother. Staring at her worriedly. Amelia stared back and caressed his cheek with her thumb "I love you" she whispered then stood again and looked at Charles resolutely. "Both of you," she said softly before vanishing. She already lost her brother once. She wasn't about to lose him again. Neva had listened to her parents quietly and remained silent long after they finished speaking. "That lady died?" she asked, confused as she was certain she'd seen her alive since then. "And I got powers from her? But if I'm bad, I'll lose them?" she asked, trying to wrap her head around this new responsibility she'd been given. "And then I help people to be mommies and daddies when I die?" She scratched her head, still a little confused. --- "How about we-?" Donnie started then stopped, looking around the room in confusion before staring at the boy in alarm. He noted the pentagram and the dead rabbit. He glared at the boy before rapidly moving to grip his throat. Not hard enough to choke him but tightly enough that it would be a shock and a bit uncomfortable. "Listen here you little whelp. I am not your genie that you can summon to grant your fucking wishes. I am a Devil and I will be treated with the respect and fear that I deserve!" he shoved him back. He pointed to the pentagram. "Who taught you this spell?! Hmm? How did you learn it?! Answer now!" --- Viktor paced the kitchen at Ricky's house. He had planned on meeting Bryce at the club but he wasn't there when he arrived. He hadn't answered his texts either and even more worryingly, he couldn't teleport to him! He hadn't told anyone in the house that he was dating anyone but then again, no one really asked. Viktor just sort of existed in the house and helped Atma to clean the place now and then. To top that off, now that he needed advice from the man who turned him he couldn't seem to find him either. He didn't know what to do or who to talk to. He was terrified that something had happened and he couldn't do anything about it. Denix Vames - April 2, 2022 "I really don't know either. Isn't there someone we know who might have an idea?" ,said Carter. --- Theron nodded. "Yes dad. I understand." His eyes widened when Donnie disappeared. He clutched his head. "Where did he go? What happened? I'm scared!" Insanity held him close. "It's alright there. Your father knows how to deal with these types of situations." --- "Um...Maybe a local business? Otherwise, you could work for Carter in his private detective agency. That's all I can think of." ,said Hades. --- Travis rested his head against his shoulder. Keeping himself close. Will sighed. "I think I've got an idea. We need that watch. The one that tells anyone whether or not someone can be saved. Maybe that could work. The problem is I don't know where to get one." --- Charles lowered his head. "Who allowed this? How could you just let this happen?" "It's all confusing right now but in the end everything will make sense. Because we'll be here to help you." ,said Vincent. "Darn right!" ,said Elliot. --- Sam sat up after falling. He took his bag off and pulled out a satanic bible. "People either don't believe or think that Hell is a terrible place. Either way, I don't care. I know that it's a realm where you can gain power. So I'm going to say something that I would never say to anyone since I'm in different circumstances." He sighed and bowed. "I'm sorry for disrespecting you. What I want to do is destroy the world. If you're willing to help me then that would be nice for me. To give you a better deal, I'll sign your contract and do whatever you ask." He raised a finger. "Except for sex. I've never been and don't think that I am into that." He lowered his finger. "So, what do you think?" --- Ricky was heading to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He noticed Viktor's odd behavior. "Is everything alright?" shadowess - April 2, 2022 Sebastian hugged himself and bounced on the spot anxiously. "No one can teleport to them. That's what everyone keeps saying..." he bit his lip and glanced out of the window. "...But maybe there's a spell to bring her to us? If there's a spell-like that somewhere then we could rescue Damien too." he scratched his head. "But then that might just bring Donnie and Insanity after us as well..." He gasped as a realisation struck him and he looked back at Carter. "Unless we play them at their own game!" his eyes had lit up hopefully. "Rickster is good at magic. Maybe he knows the spells that Donnie and Insanity use to stop people teleporting after them? We pick a safe place, put down the spells to stop them from teleporting in then use another spell within that area to pull their hostages away from them! Anyone Donnie and Insanity decide to target could then stay in that one place until everything blows over!" --- Warren walked back into the room. He briefly looked at Insanity and Theron before quickly diverting his eyes and faking a cough into his fist. "Food is ready, sires," he told them and stood by, waiting for further instructions. Patience had been peering through a slight crack in her bedroom door to keep an eye on what they were doing, as well as listen in on their conversations. --- "Hmm... I may need to weigh my options then." Carol said thoughtfully. "I'll just grab my jacket. I know the perfect place." River grinned as he bolted back up the stairs. Parker chuckled and shook his head before looking at Hades. "You didn't answer my question," he observed. "Things that bad?" River ran back down the stairs and walked over to Carol. "You ready?" "You bet, sweet thing." Carol purred and took his hand. Feeling overwhelmed with joy and excitement, River looked between Parker and Hades. "Don't wait up." he chuckled then vanished with her. Parker rolled his eyes and then nodded towards the kitchen. "You want a drink? I have a stash of fizzy drinks and liquor in the kitchen. You can tell me what's going on." --- Malone wrapped an arm around Travis and gently rubbed his arm. "The Moral Compass?" Kodi asked. "The Angels have those but from what I understand they're rare. They only hand them out to their most trusted Angel Soldiers." --- David had watched Amelia vanish and got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew how attached she was to Damien and recalled what she'd done to his murderer after he'd been destroyed. But this wasn't the same. Donnie and Insanity were not Demons anymore! Charles spoke and guilt consumed David. "How were we supposed to know he'd be targeted?" he tried to justify himself. "Damien was out of control. He was trying to use contracts to build power to be able to face Donnie! I couldn't let him. I needed to remind him that he was more than this soldier that Lucifer had turned him into! I did what I thought was best..." Oliver had started to cry and Neva's attention turned from her father's to the kitchen door. "Daddies? Something's wrong. Oliver is scared." --- The bible looked old and nothing like the typical versions that were circulating Earth. That was a very specific copy, written by non-other than Satan during the time he'd tried to gather mortal followers. Donnie was surprised to see a surviving copy. He rose a brow as well at the boy's request and considered his words carefully for a moment. "Destroy the world, huh?" he repeated. "But the world churns out millions of corruptible souls every day. Why would I want to cripple my own source of power?" he questioned while staring hard at the boy. He then laughed at the boy's comments regarding sex. Donnie might be a twisted, perverted psychopath but he had standards. Kids were simply not on his radar in that sense. "Don't flatter yourself pipsqueak!" he chuckled then shook his head with an amused grin as he looked the boy over. "Though you are an interesting lad. Perhaps you might be a decent addition to my army?" he thought out loud while scratching his chin. "Tell you what. If it's power you're after, I'll turn you into a Demon. I'll give you powers and train you to be one of my elite soldiers. Then you can punish sinners to your heart's content. All I ask in return is your undying loyalty to myself and my family. That and a little signature, of course." he smiled as he snapped his fingers to summon a contract and pen. "What do you say, Sam?" he asked, letting him know that he already knew his name. "Want to be a Royal Guard for the King of Hell?" --- So lost in thought, the sound of Ricky's voice had made Viktor jump and whirl around to face him with a surprised expression. "Uh-! Y-yeah." he lied then immediately shook his head. "I mean no. I-..." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do. M-my boyfriend... he's not answering his phone and..." he glanced around the room, trying to hold himself together. "I can't teleport to him. I think something happened. I'm scared." --- Amelia arrived in Hell, alone and standing on the beach. She looked out across the black ocean and listened to the deafening, crashing waves as she thought about how she could hope to rescue her brother. She took out her crystal and stared at it in the palm of her hand while the thin chain swayed in the salty breeze. When she took out Satan, it had been when she was blacked out under the influence of Devil's Rage. She couldn't even remember how it had happened. Nor does she remember what she did to the woman that had destroyed Damien years ago. Anytime she had managed to take out a threat, it had been while she was in a murderous trance. Not herself. She wondered if she would even be capable of fighting Donnie and his army without needing to resort to her ailment again. A noise echoed over the waters and she looked up in wonder. It sounded like whalesong but Amelia knew better. There was a creature under that black, liquid blanket. A massive, ancient thing that no one had seen in millennia. No one knew what it looked like anymore but all were reminded of its presence now and again when it made such noises. Amelia had a hunch that she knew what it was. The ancient Devil that had given its existence to change her hadn't looked human either, after all. The five-headed beast she had found as a teenager had once been native to this world. Born here. She wondered what Hell had been like before Lucifer's fall. When the Ancient Devils and Leviathans had lived here from the beginning of time. Before Earth's creation. Before God. What if the Devil that had made her hadn't been the last of its kind? What if there was another... one that had been living peacefully under those waves for so long. So passive and gentle that even Lucifer himself couldn't bring himself to destroy it? Amelia closed her eyes and breathed in the sea air, finding it relaxing despite her worries, and listened to the noise as if it was some sort of strange lullaby. Denix Vames - April 2, 2022 "It's worth a try. I'll call him." Carter took out his phone and waited for Rickster to answer once he hit the green phone icon. --- "Go ahead and enjoy your meal son. I'm sure your father will be back in no time." ,said Insanity. Theron nodded. "Ok dad." He walked over to Warren. "I'm sorry that I made my dad mad at you." He hugged him before heading to the kitchen where he started to eat the pie. --- "Things have been going pretty great actually. The band's had their first concert in Liverpool at the Cavern Club." Hades sat on the couch. "And one soda please." --- "But I know a friend of mine has it. I just have to remember." Will placed a hand against his forehead as memories suddenly flashed in his mind. His eyes widened when he found it. "Leo! He's a federal agent who has a Moral Compass. It was given to him by Patience. An Angel. I'm sure he's heard plenty to understand our situation." Leo appeared. "You're right about that." He handed the Moral Compass to Will. "Here. I once needed use for this but my Deadpool days are over." "Thanks. And about that job? You've got it." "I appreciate that. I still have to look for a replacement so that someone can guard the President's daughter. But thank you. I'll be in touch later." He disappeared. "Looks like we've got our best weapon." ,said Will who placed the Moral Compass over his neck. It had shown grey. --- Charles glared at him. "Everyone should have been on high alert! That bastard takes anyone that he wants!" Elliot picked up Oliver and took him to Neva. "It's alright there little guy. Everything's gonna be just fine." --- "Souls is what makes a Devil powerful. Then what I'm thinking of would be pointless." Sam walked over to the contract. "Just one question. Am I allowed to kill living humans after I sign this?" --- Ricky's face went pale. "Viktor....I'm sorry. From what you're telling me, it looks like Bryce was kidnapped by Donnie. But Bryce is strong. We can only hope that he fights his way out." --- Harris appeared. "Beautiful, isn't it? At least I think so." He looked at her. "I want to help. For what I've done to you, I want to save your brother. Please."

Denix Vames - March 28, 2022 "Bern's coming back already? I better get dressed." Salvo slowly got off the bed. He nearly fell from his splitting headache but leaned against the wall. "Salvo! Please stay in bed." ,said Galiel who walked over to him. Placing his hands on his shoulders. "It's not right for any of my men to see me like this. I'm the Don here." --- Bryce glared at Donnie. He burst into tears. Hissing at him. "What are you talking about?! Why the fuck did you make me do this?" He swung but his fist was caught by him. He cried out as his arm was forced back. --- "Alright. To that guy it is." ,said Hades. They appeared in front of Will's house. --- "Um guys? Neva said that Oliver is hungry. The thing is she somehow knew." ,said Elliot. "Perhaps Neva can read others thoughts or sense someone's emotions? Is that a possibility?" ,asked Vincent. Charles rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe. I didn't even know she could if that's true." --- Theron raised a hand. "Yes. But it has four different symbols. They're all black and have a pointy tip." (i didnt even know this was an actual game until you mentioned it) shadowess - March 28, 2022 David shook his head. "You should rest," he said in a soft but firm tone. "Your men will understand," he assured him. "Trust me on that." He looked at Sebastian and raised a brow at him. "I would've thought you'd be on your way by now." "Just wanted to make sure everything was alright here first," Sebastian answered and David nodded before offering him his hand. "Let me take you home, then." He said with a small smile. Thankful, Sebastian took it and both men appeared in the kitchen just as Sebastian remembered. "Shit! I forgot about the workers!" He gasped and whirled around. Thankfully the kitchen door was closed and he let out a sigh of relief. "The what?" David asked then heard the voices of several men in the other room. "The workers... After Damien ran off, he hired them to fix the wall and clean up the place..." Sebastian explained. "Ah... So he ran away from his responsibilities and hired others to correct his mistakes for him..." David didn't sound too impressed. --- "Don't be a fool," Donnie growled at Bryce dangerously. "You owe me after you betrayed me. All you had to do was babysit a pregnant Devil and a tied up Angel and instead, you helped them both to escape!" he gripped Bryce's hair and pulled his head back roughly. His eyes turned red. "I don't think you quite realise how dangerously stupid it is to stab ME in the back! How much I loathe traitors! So, count yourself lucky that I don't decide to destroy you here and now you worthless leech!" he gripped Bryce's hair tighter. "Luckily for you, I need a test subject for my latest plan. But when that is done, Insanity and I will have our fun tormenting you for all eternity!" He looked at Insanity. "Come beloved, let's put these two somewhere safe until we can show them off to the dealer. Best to keep them locked away from each other though, in case Bryce gets peckish again while we're gone." --- Carol looked nervous as she hurriedly fixed the little black dress she was wearing. "Oh, I have sand up my skirt... That's not flattering." She complained under her breath as she shook some of the sand loose from her hair before looking at Hades and sighing. "How do I look?" --- Neva hugged her legs as she listened to the adults and she looked between them all shyly, having not realised that she'd done anything like that or that it had been special in any way. She shrugged. "I don't know what everyone else is thinking," she told them innocently. "I just know what Oliver wanted... He told me. But it was weird because it wasn't in words." Amelia blinked at Neva then slowly turned her head to look at Oliver who was now sucking his fist obliviously. "Well... That's a thing." Amelia half laughed. --- Warren smiled. "Sounds like you got a four of spades. Go ahead and put that down on top of that one. If you have any other fours you can put those down too." he said then would watch as Theron followed his instruction. "Now, if you have any fives you could put those down on top of the fours too. Then six if you have any and so on. But if you run out of numbers that follow on from each other, then that's the end of your turn." (I used to play this game a lot as a pre-teen. Even taught my little step-sis how to play it and got her hooked. Then just stopped playing one day and almost forgot about it until recently lol Its other name is Blackjack but not the typical version of that game. I think it's an older version.) Denix Vames March 28, 2022 Salvo nodded. He sat back in bed with some help from Galiel. --- "Well, it's not like Damien knows how to fix walls or windows, does he? Speaking of, do you think we'll be able to find him?" ,said Carter. --- Bryce cringed at the painful grip. "The last time you tried to destroy our family, you got fucked over! You'll get screwed again! I swear!" He spat on his face. "Mind telling me where we should put them?" ,asked Insanity. --- "You look pretty good to me. Do you want me to stick around?" ,said Hades. --- "Don't worry, Neva. It's not a bad thing." ,said Vincent. "Do ya think David could tell us about it?" ,asked Elliot. --- "Um...." Theron put down a five with clovers. "That's all I have. The others are....Am I supposed to say what numbers I have?" shadowess - March 28, 2022 "You'd be surprised..." David muttered then sighed. "I don't know..." he replied and exchanged a worried glance with Sebastian. "Donnie got to him..." Sebastian told Carter. "Looks like he and Insanity ambushed him. But David has a plan to stop them..." David quickly and quietly filled Carter in on the plan. --- "Our home, of course," Donnie answered Insanity simply. "Desi had a few hidden rooms in that palace for his spells and such. We can use them as cells. They have no doors so you can only teleport in and out." he explained then flinched as Bryce spat at him. He turned his face to stare at him intensely while slowly licking the spit from his cheek. "I can't wait to make you suffer," he said coldly. He turned back to Insanity and nodded to Damien who was still laying on the floor. "Let's go. The sooner we get these two locked up, the sooner we can give those toys to the boy." --- "Only if you want to, darling." Carol smiled then took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She strode over to the door and rang the bell. --- "Ok," Neva said quietly as she tried to understand how she'd done what she had done. As Elliot asked whether David would be able to explain it, a thought occurred to Amelia. "Maybe it's a Spirit of Life gift?" she suggested as she recalled Vincent telling them about Atma's sacrifice to save Neva's life. "Maybe it's one of those things that starts to develop while she's young and still alive?" --- "That's fine for this game because I'm teaching you how to play." Warren nodded. "But the next game we'll try to keep it a secret until we have to put cards down. You'll see why when I tell you about power cards." he winked. "Ok, my turn then...let's see..." he looked at his cards carefully then smirked and read out his cards as he put each one down. "six of diamonds, seven of clubs..." he paused then showed Theron his next card without putting it down. It was an eight of clubs. "All eight cards are power cards. They make the next person miss a turn," he explained then placed it down on the pile. "It doesn't really make much difference to us now because there's only two of us playing. But if there's more than two of us then that person would miss a go and it would be your turn straight away," he said as he placed down another card. "Nine of hearts and that's the end of my turn," he said, now left with three cards in his hand. Denix Vames - March 28, 2022 Carter nodded. "I'll call Will." He took out his phone. Waiting for him to answer which he did right away. He stepped outside to talk to him in private. "Will? I've got some news." --- Bryce glared. Insanity lifted Damien off the ground. "I'll pick a random room then. I'm sure it won't be hard to find them once we do need them." Once they placed the two in their own hidden room, Insanity teleported back to the building to fetch the box of toys. He soon appeared where Theron and Warren were. "Dad!" Theron ran over to Insanity and hugged him. Insanity smiled. "How is my little one? Having fun?" "Me and Uncle are playing a game." "Uncle? I wouldn't call him that. It's not proper since he is our servant. Just call him Warren if you wish." "Oh ok. But can I still play with him? I want to keep playing." "Of course." Insanity caressed his cheek. "And then you can play with the toys that I got you." "Thanks dad." Theron ran back to the table where he placed a ten of hearts. Insanity looked at Donnie. "We still need to teach him to control his powers. And once we do, our child will be unstoppable." He smiled. "He'll make me proud." --- "Guess I'll stick around then." ,said Hades. Since Will was busy on talking to Carter on the phone, Parker would open the door. "Hey, this is Carol. I don't know if I told you already but I changed my sex. I'm Hades. We wanted to come over and talk to River. You see, it's a long story but I think her name probably rings a bell." --- Will, in his uniform, had appeared in the precinct. "Alright everyone! This is an emergency meeting. Get to the meeting room now." He noticed that Ben's seat was empty. He bit his lip. Trying not to think about the fact that Ben would probably never come back. --- "That's a definite possibility." ,said Charles. "What sorts of other powers is she going to get?" ,asked Elliot. Shadowess - March 29, 2022 (Might have to remind me what's happened to Ben lol) Denix Vames - March 29, 2022 (oh sorry. ben and jessica are currently still known as being under government protection) shadowess - March 29, 2022 (Lol oh yeah) "I need to go. Call me if you need help with anything." David said before vanishing and leaving Sebastian alone in the kitchen. David would then appear outside Amelia and Charles's apartment. He dreaded what he would have to tell her but he knew it needed to be done as he knocked on the door. --- Donnie smiled at Insanity and wrapped his arms around his waist. "We will. As soon as we have our guard dog, we'll train him." he promised. "Remind me to get a chess set for him. It's the perfect game to teach strategy." Warren smiled at Theron and looked at his cards. "I have a Jack but it's the wrong colour... See, Jacks are power cards too. If you place a black one down then the next player has to pick up five cards but the Jack has to match the colour of the card on top of the pile. If the other player has a red Jack though they can put it on top of the blackjack to cancel out the need to pick up five cards." he explained. "But I can't put this one down and because Jacks come after 10 then I can't take my turn, which means I'll have to pick up a card from this pile here..." he picked up a card from the pile that was face down. "...and then end my turn. See in cards, it goes from ten to Jack, then Queen, then King. Then we can start from one again." Warren then hesitated and looked over at Donnie and Insanity nervously. He tapped his cards against his hand and looked at Theron. "W-we need to tell you..." He called over to his masters. "You told us to tell you if Patience does anything weird..." Donnie turned his head to look at Warren. The smile slipped from his face. "What is it?" "She was confused. One minute she was telling us you two were evil...warning us to run... and the next she was apologising and saying she loved you both." He looked down at his cards nervously. Wondering if he'd done the right thing. "Oh, really?" Donnie looked at Insanity. 'Either she's pretending or I managed to scramble her mind so well that she doesn't know up from down anymore.' he thought to him. "Thank you, Warren. It's nice to know we have chosen someone loyal to be our servant. Insanity and I will think of a way to reward you later." "What about Patience?" Warren asked worriedly, looking back up at them. "She was out of line, but I don't believe she meant it." "It's sweet that you care for our family." Donnie smiled. "We'll talk to her." he reassured him. "When we're done with everything else. For now, just continue to keep an eye on her for us." he added. "Yes, sire." Warren bowed his head a little then turned his attention back to their game. --- "Yeah, you could say that..." Parker replied awkwardly. In fact, helping Carol get her own body was all River seemed to be interested in lately. To a point that it was beginning to become an obsession. "Glad to finally meet you by the way." He said to Carol. He stood to one side to let them in while turning his head to call up the stairs. "River! Someone to see you!" He turned back to the women while closing the door behind them. "Will had to go to the precinct. Can I get you anything to drink?" --- Malone looked from his desk then hurriedly went to fetch Travis. Kodi, who had been about to go home for the night, stopped in his tracks and followed the others into the meeting room. --- "I duno..." Amelia shrugged. "Only a Midwife would know that." "But I already have powers." Neva said in confusion. She had no idea of the sacrifice made to save her life. Denix Vames - March 29, 2022 Carter came back when his call was finished. He looked around. "I'm guessing David had to be somewhere. So, do you think we'll be ok? I know we've got everyone who can help us but this Donnie bitch sure sounds like an annoying psycho bug." --- "I don't feel comfortable with confusing directions. Can we check on the pie?" ,said Theron. He lowered his cards. "I'm sorry that I don't understand." --- Hades looked around the house. Seeing all the boxing related items. "I'm going to guess that Will eats like a rabbit. That means no soda or pizza?" --- Once everyone was in the meeting room, Will took a deep breath. "First off, I'd like to apologize for my recent behavior. Obviously, I've got some anger issues which is something that I'm going to take care of by seeking professional help. Second, there's two Devils who have an army. Not sure how big it is but I heard it's a group. One of the Devils, as far as I'm concerned, still has Vincent's old face. Now, if anyone here arrests a suspect, please identify if they are a Demon or Devil. If they are either one, they will be questioned about this whole rebellion against the peace treaty. You see, Donnie wants to take over Hell and put things back to the way they use to be. Angels and Demons fighting. Now, we can't let that happen. So keep an eye out. Alright? I'm counting on you guys." Travis pointed at his sketchpad. "I'll call Carter real quick and ask him for a description. It shouldn't take long." --- Charles opened the door. "David, what's going on? I hate to say this but your visits never come with good news." Vincent looked at Elliot. "I think we should tell her." Elliot nodded. "C'mon Neva. Follow us." They led her to the kitchen where they explained the story. About what happened to Atma and the gift that Neva had received because of her self-less sacrifice.

shadowess - March 27, 2022 Lilly was touched by Pain's words and she struggled to express how happy he made her feel at that moment. Tears welled in her eyes and she had to blink them back quickly. Smiling, she gently pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. --- Sebastian stepped into the room and saw the scene, unsure of what to make of it. "Salvo? What happened? What did Donnie do?" he asked, kneeling beside them. --- David nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said before vanishing and appearing next to Mon in Salvo's mansion. He looked at what was happening and concern spread across his features. "Sebastian? Salvo?" he looked at Mon then back to the others with a torn expression. "Mon, could I have a quick word with you in the hallway?" he asked him and Mon nodded quietly, stepping out of the room with David. A few minutes later, David would re-enter the room alone and look between Salvo, Galiel and Sebastian with a look of concern. "Tell me everything," he said in a serious tone. --- "I saw a deck of cards while I was cleaning the palace. Maybe I could teach you how to play Queenie?" Warren suggested. "It's a game I used to play with my dad as a kid when we'd spend our summers camping." He finished kneading the dough and set about rolling it flat. Once that was done he lined a baking tin with it and carefully cut off the excess. While he'd been sorting the dough out, a meaty broth had been stewing on the hob nearby which he now carefully poured into the baking tin before covering with another thin layer of dough. When that was done, he placed the pie into the oven and set himself a timer. "I never thought there would ever be a need for a fully functional kitchen in Hell... Yet here one is... I guess the previous owner of this mansion liked to be able to cook now and then." he said thoughtfully with a smile before turning to face Theron. "Now then, let's play some Queenie while we wait for that to finish cooking." --- Damien clenched his fists and glared at Insanity. He loathed this feeling of helplessness and he looked around wildly. He saw large shards of glass by the broken window and also noted that they were a few stories up from the ground. Two ways out for him. He couldn't be certain that he wouldn't still be wearing the bracelet when he woke up but it was beginning to look like this was his only option to maintain some kind of control over his life. "Fuck you!" he seethed and marched over to the window. "I want no part in your madness! I'd rather throw myself from this building!" --- Donnie placed his drink on the table. "Don't you recognise me?" he asked coyly as he leaned a little closer and let his eyes turn red. Then, in his normal voice, he said to him quietly. "Because I recognise you, traitor!" he quickly grabbed Bryce's arm and teleported them both to Insanity's location, just in time to see Damien marching to the window. With a flick of Donnie's wrist, Damien flew back into the room and rolled across the floor. "Did you miss me, darling?" Donnie said as the rest of him rapidly changed back into his usual form. "Look who I found." he grinned as he pulled Bryce into his arms, keeping him facing the others while he gripped his chin roughly. "Tell me, my dear friend," he said to Bryce. "Does that man look familiar to you?" he asked as he forced him to look in Damien's direction. "He should. He's your ex daddy in law." he laughed mockingly. --- With the help of Vincent and Elliot, Neva gently set Oliver down on the blanket. She then grabbed a horse-shaped teddy and held it over Oliver so that he could see it. "Do you know what this one is Oliver?" she asked and let him look at it with a curious expression. "It's a horsey! Look!" she clicked her tongue while moving the horse as if it were running through the air. Oliver blinked at it and let out an amused squeal while kicking his feet excitedly. --- "You're family doesn't just end at Amelia and Oliver, either." Carol pointed out. "David and I were never an item but we raised Amelia together. We're the closest thing to parents she's ever had. Which would make us your mother and father in law. Then, of course, there's Hades now, and Damien, and his kids... your family just got a whole lot bigger." She grinned. "Oh, and before I forget." she stood beside him and whispered to him while Hades and Amelia were distracted. "David is a little old fashioned. You might want to ask his permission to marry his daughter before you go announcing your betrothal to him and er..." she shook her head a little while looking at him seriously. "Don't tell him about... your 'dad'... just yet. Let me talk to him about that first." Meanwhile, Amelia was too busy talking to Hades to hear Carol's words. She hugged her back with a wide grin. "Of course! I love the heavy stuff! Oh, but don't forget you'll have to plan my hen-do before the wedding." she winked. Denix Vames - March 27, 2022 "No problem. I'm getting kind tired. Do you mind if I take a nap?" ,asked Pain. --- "Donnie? Who's Donnie?" ,said Galiel. Salvo spit out the rest of his vomit. "Must have been that bastard who I ran into. He tried to control me. I could feel it. When I resisted, this sickness must have shown up." He clutched his head. "He took the guy we were told to look for. Damien." --- "But that means we would have to sit all day. I want play. I want to jump and run. I want some toys. I wish my dads would be here with toys already." ,said Theron. --- Tears dripped down Bryce's cheeks. "Leave him out of this! Just take me instead! I deserve it!" --- Insanity grinned. "It is good to see you again. Now that we have them, can I stop by the toy store and fetch some things for sweet Theron?" --- Vincent and Elliot smiled. Enjoying watching their daughter play with Oliver. --- Charles blushed. "Oh! Wow. I never realized." He nodded. "I'll let him know before anything else happens." "Hen-what now?" ,said Hades. Shadowess - March 28, 2022 Pain and Lilly had been so engrossed in their own private conversation that neither of them had noticed that Bob had stopped talking to stare at them silently. Just as Lilly was laying back and looking as if she was ready to sleep, Bob leaned close to Storm. "Five bucks says they're gettin' it on by this weekend," he muttered the bet, despite the fact Bob never had any cash to bet on. --- "He what?!" David looked at Sebastian. "Why wasn't he with you?" Sebastian hesitated. "He was giving us grief and being...well..." "Damien?" David sighed. "Yeah... He slipped out when we weren't looking and Salvo went to look for him." Sebastian summarised while deliberately leaving out the part when Salvo had threatened to kill Damien. "Where was he when he was taken?" David asked, turning back to look at Salvo. "Did it look like his captors were doing anything else before you intervened?" --- Warren felt at a loss. "I'm sure they'll be back real soon. But I promise this game is fun too! Then we can play with your new toys when your dads get home, ok?" --- Damien glared at Donnie as he slowly got back to his feet. "Is this it? This is what you brought me here for? Because you think I'd be angry at this man? What is this? Some sick entertainment for you fucks?" he then gestured to Bryce. "Alex already told me about him. He told me he's changed and that he's forgiven him. So, bringing him to me was pointless! I am not going to fight him so that you bastards can get a sick thrill out of it!" "Hurry back." Donnie winked at Insanity then turned his attention back to Damien. "Oh, that's not why we brought you both here although I did find it amusing that of all vampires to choose from, this one happened to be there." he chuckled then whispered into Bryce's ear. "You drank a lot of Devil blood when you and Parker were together. Both from your ex and Amelia when you had her prisoner. Do you remember how good it tasted? How it made you feel when it coursed through your veins?" Donnie smirked. "How terribly awful the withdrawals were when you no longer had access to it. It just doesn't compare to human blood, does it?" he glanced at Damien who now had blood on his knuckles as well as his head. "Can you smell it? Doesn't it just make you want to pounce on him? He's powerless, you know? That bracelet cannot be removed and it makes him harmless." "Fuck you!!" Damien snapped at Donnie as he realised what his intentions were. "Bryce, don't listen to him! You're better than that! And don't sign anything that he gives you or they'll make you do worse!" "The smell in here must be driving you crazy." Donnie continued to talk to Bryce. "Surrounded by Devil blood. A Devil weakened and bleeding in front of you. Are you hungry, Bryce?" --- "Huh?" Neva stopped playing with the horse and tilted her head at Oliver who looked back at her with the same curious and delighted expression. "Oh! I get it! Ok." She smiled and looked up at Vincent and Elliot. "Oliver's getting hungry," she said simply then went right back to playing as if what she had just done was completely normal. --- "You know! A Hen-do! Bachelorette party! Where we and a few girly friends get absolutely trashed before the wedding!" Amelia explained excitedly. "We're going to need plenty of booze and weed. Both of which I haven't touched since I found out I was pregnant with Oliver, so I think my tolerance might not be as good as it used to be." she chuckled. Denix Vames - March 28, 2022 "You're on." ,said Storm. --- "There was a bar. Some kind of club. Donnie was just standing there. This other guy stood behind Damien and grabbed him. I don't know where he took him." ,said Salvo. --- Theron frowned but nodded. "Ok." --- Insanity had disappeared for a moment to steal some toys. Having placed them in a large box. He soon appeared with that box back at the building. Bryce started to sweat. He licked his lips. Recalling how Devil's blood tasted like. He grit his teeth. Attempting to resist the thought of drinking from Damien. "N-No! I won't!" --- "That's what you call it? Normally, it's called a Bachelorette party." ,said Hades. Charles walked over to Amelia. "We really need to get back home. It seems like Oliver is hungry." --- "I'm sure Charles and the others will be back soon to feed him." ,said Vincent. Shadowess - March 28, 2022 "They seem to be adept at making sure no one can simply teleport after them..." David commented. "That certainly sounds like Donnie and Insanity..." David turned and began pacing the room with a deeply troubled look. "What do we do?" Sebastian asked, watching him anxiously. "Damien went through years of rigorous torture training. He knows how to handle pain." David said thoughtfully. "I'm just concerned that he won't be able to escape them on his own. Not with that bracelet on..." he then stopped pacing and stared at the wall. "The bracelet... I wonder..." he turned to look at the others. "It was strong enough to render Damien completely powerless. That might be the answer!" He looked at Sebastian. "Go home. Tell Carter to stay on high alert and to keep an ear to the ground for other strange activities. Let him know to make the police aware as well so that they can keep a lookout. Donnie and Insanity are up to something but we can't stop them if we're continuously searching for them or waiting for them to appear. So, we monitor everything and try to figure out what they're doing without getting involved too soon." David pointed upwards. "I'm going to visit Heaven in the meantime and request a few more of those bracelets. I'll distribute them among yourselves, Carter and the police. Then, if any of you happen to bump into Donnie, Insanity or any of his contracted minions, you just slap the bracelet onto their wrist to neutralise them! The bracelets can only be removed by the person who put the bracelet onto them. We can decide how best to deal with them once they're no longer a threat to anyone." --- "Oh, but you will." Donnie chuckled into Bryce's ear. "I know how much you miss it. The thrill of the hunt. Feeling your prey fighting desperately to escape your grasp as you slowly take your fill." Donnie glanced at Insanity when he appeared again. 'This could work. We just need Bryce to get hooked then we can convince him to try to pill to satiate his addiction. He's close to cracking, I can feel it. We need to add more pressure.' he thought to him then looked over at Damien. "Insanity, darling. Would you mind making Damien bleed a little more and bring him closer to us?" "Don't you fucking touch me!" Damien snapped at Insanity as he whirled around to face him. "Stop this!" he ordered then looked at Bryce. "Stay strong! Don't let them get into your head!" --- "I really should invest in a pump..." Amelia sighed. "Especially before the party." she winked at Hades. She then turned to look at Carol. "You can stay with us if you want?" "Oh, no thank you sweet thing." Carol chuckled while shaking her head. "Me and babies don't mix. Besides, there are a few things that I've missed doing that I really need to get out of my system... I'll catch up with you later." She then turned to Hades. "I don't suppose you'd mind giving me a lift?" Amelia smiled at them then turned to Charles, taking his hand. 'Something tells me she's going to drink, smoke and fuck her way through the population of the US...' she thought to him. Denix Vames - March 28, 2022 "I'll have my men keep an eye out on things here too." ,said Salvo. --- Insanity grabbed Damien by his arm. Forcing him to walk over to Bryce. He took his knife out and cut below his neck just enough for him to bleed. Bryce shut his eyes. The smell of devil's blood was overwhelming. Making him shake and gasp. He bit his tongue. Blood trickled down his chin from the self-made cute. "B-Bastard!" "C'mon. Don't you want a little taste?" Insanity brushed a finger over Damien's cut. Taking blood which he placed into Bryce's mouth. Bryce's eyes widened. The taste had taken over. Insanity jumped back as Bryce tackled Damien to the ground. His fangs sank into his neck. He couldn't stop drinking. --- Hades held out her hand. "Sure. Where to?" Charles thought, 'I'm sure she'll be fine. She knows how to use protection. And I think she can take care of herself.' He and Amelia appeared back home. --- Theron looked at the cards in his hand. They had barely begun setting up the game. "How do I play?" shadowess - March 28, 2022 "Thank you." David nodded. "Before I can grab those bracelets... I suppose I should arrange for Bern to come back. You're going to need all the help you can get." David smiled. "I've already told Mon. Bern will be coming back as a Demon. I've yet to request authorisation to change him but I don't imagine it would be a problem." --- "Get off me!" Damien barked at Insanity when he'd grabbed him and he'd struggled to break free from his grip. He merely cringed when he felt the knife cut his skin and his attention shifted to the way Bryce was behaving. "Bryce? Bryce, don't give in!" he said to him quickly. His desperation growing. He then watched as Insanity fed him a drop of his blood and his heart sank at the effect it had on him. "Don't-!" was all he managed to say before he was knocked to the ground. The impact made him gasp then his entire body tensed and he grimaced as he felt Bryce's fangs sink into his throat. The effects of his venom were rapid. Just as Damien got over the shock of being tackled and was beginning to try and fight Bryce off him, he could already feel the venom weakening him further. Nothing Damien did seemed to matter. He thrashed, writhed and hit Bryce with everything he had but it was just like hitting stone. It was only when he'd exhausted himself that he finally lay still with his eyes closed tightly while still gripping Bryce's shirt. At this point, Donnie clapped his hands together. "Alright. That's enough. As entertaining and...oddly arousing as it is to watch, we don't want you to drain him completely." he chuckled then frowned as Bryce seemed to have difficulty stopping himself. "I said that's enough!" he barked and yanked Bryce off him, pulling him away from Damien who remained on the floor feeling dazed and a little drunk. Damien's head rolled to one side and he squinted up at Insanity. "Just you wait..." he murmured tiredly. "You'll get yours..." "Easy! Easy!" Donnie said to Bryce in a gentler voice. "What did I tell you? I knew you missed it!" he chuckled. "If only there was something you could take to stave off that hunger, hm? Like... a pill, perhaps?" Donnie grinned. "We're going to make such a pill. With your help and his. That's why we need him alive." --- Carol took it and thought for a moment before smiling. "There's someone I'd like to say hello to," she said as she thought about River. If not for him noticing her and bringing her existence to Will's and consequently Amelia's attention, she might never have had this chance at freedom. In fact, until Will had walked up to her and tried to have a conversation with her, she had given up any hope of being an individual again. She owed them both. --- "Oh, I don't doubt that." Amelia had commented out loud once they arrived home. She then grinned at the sight of Vincent, Elliot and Neva playing with Oliver on his playtime blanket. "Oh, that is adorable!" she beamed as she walked over to them and knelt by Oliver. "Hey, squishy! Did you miss us?" she asked him while gently poking his belly and making him giggle loudly. --- With seven cards each and the rest face down in a pile, Warren sat across from Theron with a small smile. "I'll talk you through it as we go along. It might be easier to learn that way but you'll get the hand of it pretty quickly. It's a pretty easy game to play." He said as he picked up the top card from the pile and set it to one side before turning it right side up to reveal a four of hearts. "Ok, the aim of the game is to get rid of all the cards in your hand. To do that we gotta put cards down on this pile so that they match a sequence of numbers and suits. So, this one is a four. Do you have any other fours in your hand?" he asked while looking at Theron patiently. (Man, I haven't played that game in forever! I actually had to look up the rules to refresh my memory lol)

shadowess - March 25, 2022 The slightest touch was amplified by the effects of the weed. So when Pain touched her hand, her skin tingled a little. Still, she continued to look at him while blushing as she nodded a little. --- "Yeah..." Sebastian sighed, glancing out of the kitchen window and hoping they'd managed to find him and were waiting back at Salvo's mansion by now. One of the workmen stepped into the kitchen. "We've measured up the hole and taken a look at what materials we'll need. The good news is, we have most of the parts already. The bad news is it'll take most of a day to get it fixed for you. We've let the cleaning crew know for you and they've agreed to do the living room last so that they can clean up the sawdust and dirt when we're done." "That's great, thank you." Sebastian nodded to them. --- "Of course. I can pass along a message for you if you'd like?" he suggested. He then glanced around the library warily. "This place isn't as safe as it used to be... not since Donnie came back... I can't leave you here alone." He scratched his own chin as he thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Leo? Oscar?" --- Warren paused mid-kneed and watched Theron for a moment with a frown. "I know..." he said softly then let go of the dough and wiped his hands clean onto a nearby towel. "Would it be ok to hug you? Would that help you to feel a little better?" he asked kindly. --- Damien growled in frustration as he stumbled back into the room and rounded on Insanity again to stare him down. Seething, he pulled his shirt off and threw it to one side. His muscles, although they weren't huge, rippled as he paced in front of Insanity as if sizing him up. He looked around the room quickly then pointed to him. "Everyone has a weak point! I just need to find yours!" he said. He then marched over to a nearby pipe and ripped it from the wall, pointing the jagged end at Insanity. "Now get the fuck OUT OF MY WAY!!" --- Donnie stumbled back a little and watched Salvo flee from him with an amused grin. He was half tempted to chase him down and make him his new plaything. But there were more pressing matters to deal with. He turned his attention back to the vampire club and shifted his appearance. He made himself look like a completely different male, with short brown curls and hazel coloured eyes. He even changed the shape of his teeth so that he could pass for a vampire before making his approach to the club. --- Surrounded by happiness and positivity, Oliver thrived. He smiled widely, showing his gums as he looked at them all in delight. "Yeah!" Neva replied eagerly to the offer and carefully held Oliver in her arms. Her heart swelled as she smiled at him. "We're going to be best friends!" she said happily. Then an idea popped into her head and she looked at her fathers curiously. "Daddies? Will I ever get a little brother or sister?" --- Amelia hadn't felt pain like that since she'd transformed into a Devil. During the spell, despite her best efforts to stay strong, she had cried out from the agony. She had felt Carol's soul being torn from her and when it was finally done she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. When Charles walked over to her, she looked up at him. Tears had streamed down her cheeks from the pain. She reached out to him, needing him to support her as she tried to stand up. Slowly, in front of her, the coffin's lid opened and a blond woman squinted in the desert sun as she tried to look around. Hearing the squeak of the hinges on the coffin's lid, Amelia looked over at it with her breath held. "...Mum?" The woman turned her head to look at Amelia then grinned. "Hi there, sweet thing," she replied tearfully. Denix Vames - March 26, 2022 Pain kissed her cheek. "So um...Do you think we could hang out again?" --- "Yeah. We really appreciate it." ,said Carter. He answered his phone when it suddenly rang. "Hello? Wait a minute. Slow down. What happened?" He nodded. "Alright. We'll be there as soon as possible." He hung up. "Sebastian, we have to go. Something happened to Salvi." He said his name incorrectly in case any worker knew Salvo's real name. "I'll explain on the car ride over but it's pretty much an emergency." --- Leo and Oscar appeared. "Do you really expect us to be able to protect this guy from Donnie? No offense but I've been taken out by that bastard twice now." ,said Leo. --- Theron nodded. He ran over to Warren. Sobbing into the hug. Having exhausted his emotions, he caught his breath. "Thank you. I like the hug." He looked at him. "Can I call you uncle?" --- Insanity rubbed his crotch. "Are you going to stick that somewhere? Or are you just teasing?" --- Blaire nodded at Donnie. "What can I get you?" --- Elliot and Vincent looked at each other for a moment. Elliot awkwardly cleared his throat. "Well, it's a lot of responsibility to take care of children. But maybe." ,said Vincent. "Guess having another kid wouldn't hurt." --- Charles helped Amelia stand. Letting her hold on to him. His eyes widened at the sight of the woman waking up. "Carol....You're there. It really worked. I'm so glad. Now, the two of you probably feel much better." shadowess - March 26, 2022 Lilly felt a subtle shiver coarse through her when Pain kissed her cheek. She smiled at him and tucked her hair behind her ear again. "I'd like that," she said softly. "I like spending time with you." --- "Alright." Sebastian nodded and was about to follow him out when he remembered why they were standing in the kitchen. "Shit. The fridge." he glanced at it and looked at Carter. "You don't think the workers will go in there while we're gone, do you?" he asked, worried that they'd find the blood bags in there. --- "Against Donnie? No." David stood and straightened out his suit again. "But he's not alone anymore. From what I understand, he managed to convince an entire bar full of Demons to sign a Devil's contract. Binding them to himself and Insanity. I don't know where Donnie is now, but his new minions are certainly around and could potentially cause trouble. That being said, if either Donnie or Insanity do happen to turn up, I'd like for you to call for help. Alert all of us and we'll come. Whatever you do, do not sign their contract. No matter what they do to try to bribe you into it. Not only would it make them stronger, but any display of disloyalty to them once you've signed one will result in the destruction of your soul." he said this last warning to all of them while looking at Bern. "He going on the programme?" Oscar asked while nodding to Bern. He stood close to Leo with his arms crossed. "No. There's no need for that. Bern is ready to join our ranks." David replied. "No way!" Oscar grinned at Bern. "You're guna be a Demon? Can't wait to see what powers your wind up with. It's always a complete gamble when a human soul changes." --- Warren hugged Theron warmly and rubbed his back to try to comfort him. When he looked at him and asked his question, Warren was surprised. "U-um... if your dads are ok with that? I'm their servant so they might not think it to be appropriate." he answered honestly. "But that doesn't mean you can't ever talk to me. I'm loyal to your dads, which means I'm also loyal to you. I'd protect you with my life..." he paused then smirked. "If I still had one." he chuckled. --- Damien was taken aback by what Insanity was doing and it caused him to hesitate for a second. Letting his rage bubble over again, he let out an angry scream as he charged forward and attempted to ram the pole at him with the intention of impaling him. Unlike others that Donnie and Insanity had captured previously, he was not easily frightened and would simply keep fighting no matter what the odds against him were. Because that's what he'd been trained to do. --- Wanting to keep up his appearance and not arouse any suspicion from Blair, Donnie smiled at her pleasantly. "Could I get some venomed blood?" he asked casually while looking around the club to find a vampire who would be suitable for what he intended. Although, with his own blood smelling as sweet as it did, it didn't take too long for the vampires around him to take notice of him. --- Neva beamed at them excitedly. "I'll be a good big sister, I promise! I'll help feed to feed them, wash them and I'll even help with changing their diapers!" --- "Y-yeah... I feel...lighter." Amelia breathed as she stood and clung to Charles for support. "And I feel..." Carol looked a little puzzled then sighed. "Mortal." she laughed suddenly and rested her forehead in her hand. "For the first time in decades... I'm human. Oh, I'm going to miss those gifts that I had... but I guess it was worth it to be free again." She carefully climbed out of the coffin and stood shakily while leaning against it. She looked up at Amelia and smiled as she gingerly walked over to them before wrapping her arms around her. Embracing her daughter for the first time in a very long time. The moment was overwhelmingly emotional as both women wept into the other's shoulder. "I watched you turn to dust!" Amelia sobbed. "I know. I know. I'm here. I never left you." Carol looked over to Hades. "Thank you so much!" Denix Vames - March 26, 2022 "Same here. I can't get enough of you." ,said Pain. --- "How about this? You take my car or run over to the mansion. I'll stay here. Just let them know that I sent you there to help out." ,said Carter. He leaned in to whisper, "Salvo ran into Donnie. He felt sick afterwards when he escaped. He's been throwing up recently. It's some kind of side effect from fighting off the spell that Donnie tried to cast on him." --- "Does it look like we'd ever work for that pathetic shitbag?" ,said Leo. Bern rolled his eyes. "Thanks, I guess. Hope it ain't awkward abilities." --- Theron laughed. "Can we play after food?" --- insanity grabbed the tip of the pole and squished it with one hand. He raised it high so that Damien was dangling by his legs. "You're really starting to annoy me. Why don't you shut up before I rip out your insides?" He threw him aside. --- "Sure." Blaire poured a glass. "Did you want the whole bottle or just a cup?" Bryce was sitting at a table. Drinking some blood. Hoping to relax on his day off. --- Vincent smiled. "That's nice but it's going to be a big responsibility. Not to mention the smell will be awful when it comes to cleaning after the baby." "But I'm sure we can do it!" --- Hades smiled. "No problem. Just doing my thing." She was surprised by Charles hugging her. "You have no idea how much this means to us. We're forever in your debt." "Easy tiger. It's what my family does." shadowess - March 27, 2022 "Me?" Lilly asked in a quiet voice. She lowered her gaze. "You don't think I'm 'grumpy'? A 'sourpuss'?" she asked. These were things that Bob called her regularly. In all fairness to Bob, until today he hadn't been wrong. Still, she found herself worried that Pain was only interested in this version of her. The version that was currently stoned. She worried that she would eventually bore him or drive him away by being herself. --- Sebastian's eyes widened and he nodded to Carter. "Alright, I'll go and see what's happening. I'll call if anything else happens." he stepped close to Carter and kissed him slowly, savouring the feeling. "I love you," he whispered then left through the backdoor. Once he was over the fence and out of sight of the workers, he ran full pelt to Salvo's mansion. Once there, he stopped at the gate and looked at Salvo's guards. "I'm here to see Salvo. Carter sent me." he panted. --- "Of course not," David replied to Leo calmly. "But that doesn't mean they won't try to make you think it's the only option you have. They may try to trick you into it or threaten your loved ones until you do. I only want for you to be prepared for any scenario." "I'm sure you'll end up with something cool." Oscar nodded to Bern with a smile. "Now, if you will excuse me I need to speak with Mon. Bern, is there anything specific that you would like for me to tell him for you?" David asked, turning to him. --- "Sure, what kind of games do you like?" Warren answered while getting back to kneading the dough. --- Donnie was stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened when Insanity crushed the pipe with one hand. He gasped when he was lifted then grunted when he hit the wall. Gripping the side of his head as a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face, he dragged himself back to his feet to face Insanity once more. "Why haven't you already?" he growled, panting. He spat some of the blood onto the floor. "What are you bastards planning this time?" --- "Just the cup for now," Donnie responded pleasantly. He paid for the drink and picked up the glass. He turned and scanned the room carefully until his eyes landed on Bryce. A wicked smirk began to spread on his lips. What luck. He knew that Bryce had tasted Devil blood before, so getting him hooked on a 'drug' made out of it would be easy enough. He just needed to get his hands on him. Knowing he was being watched, he took a small sip of the blood in the glass. This didn't bother him. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd drank bodily fluids. In fact, he'd eaten a few souls in his dragon form before everything had changed. The only difference in what he was drinking was the venom which he noted was particularly strong, so he would need to be careful with how much he drank so as to keep a clear head. He made his way over to Bryce and smiled at him. "May I?" he gestured to the seat next to him then sat down anyway before Bryce could answer. He wasn't worried that Bryce would smell his blood. The last time he and Bryce had been this close, Donnie had been a Demon. So, his scent would have changed dramatically. "I'm Mike." he introduced himself. --- "I don't mind! Honest!" Neva insisted. Oliver cooed in her arms and Neva smiled at him. "We should get your blanket and toys out! C'mon Oliver!" she said happily and walked with him in her arms into the living room. "Daddies, I can't get the blanket!" She called to them as she looked at the little box in the corner with a colourful patchwork blanket inside as well as lots of soft toys. "When Amelia gets the blanket out, she puts it there and puts Oliver in the middle." she looked at a clear spot in the middle of the room. --- Amelia wiped away some of her tears and looked at Hades as well. "Our family." she corrected her. "My dad adopted you, right? That would make you my sister." she grinned and walked over to her. "And it would make me so happy if you were to be my Maid of Honour." Carol grinned at them then looked at Charles and winked. "Attaboy. Told you she'd say yes." Denix Vames - March 27, 2022 "Lily, I like you for you. I know I've seen you when you're mad but I don't blame you. Everyone gets frustrated sometimes. Besides, I can't exactly judge you because I don't know how your life was like before you came here. And I shouldn't. You're an amazing person. At least I think so." ,said Pain. --- Carter smiled. He mouthed out the words, "Love you too." The guards nodded before one of them open the door. He would only see Mon standing inside. With Mon guiding him to Salvo's bedroom, gags and vomiting would be clearly audible. There would be a bucket in front of Salvo. His skin was pale. His nose was runny as his eyes seemed red. Galiel was right beside him. Gently rubbing his back. "It's going to be ok. You'll feel better." --- "Just tell him that I love him. That I'm not gone. I'll be back before he even knows it. He needs to hold on and believe that because I know it will happen. Us seeing each other again." ,said Bern. --- Theron sat in front of the fruit. Still eating some. "I don't know. I want to play but I don't know any games." --- "Oh, you'll know eventually." Insanity pressed a finger to his lips. "It's a surprise." --- Bryce raised his brow at the sudden talkative vampire. "Uh My name is Bryce. Are you new here? I'm not sure I've seen you around here before." --- Vincent grabbed the box. Bringing it to the middle. "Hang on a second. I'll set the blanket up." He laid it out. Elliot dumped out the toys nearby. "What a mess!" ,said Vincent. "It was gonna happen anyway." He rolled his eyes but smirked. --- Hades's eyes widened. "Really?" She began to tear up. "Oh my god! You're the best sister ever!" She hugged her. "Dibs on who gets to play the music? Maybe like a certain band called The Undead Maggots? A band that just so happens to have my boyfriend as the lead singer?" Charles smiled at Carol. "I'm just glad you helped me. I never thought I would be able to start a new family but I'm thankful that I can."

Denix Vames - March 24, 2022 "We can start practicing whenever. But today, this is a day off for us." ,said Storm. Grim attempted to a handstand against a way before falling. Pain laughed. "Maybe next time." --- "I guess so. It's not like Damien needed to do this so you're right about that." Carter crossed his arms. "I love my kids but they were a little bratty too sometimes. Normal for their age but this guy?" He shook his head. "Ridiculous." --- "I never thought we were going to put him in a public school anyway. Although, I never taught anyone. Do you think I can really teach?" ,said Charles. --- "I want to try this with you." Phineas smiled. He caressed his cheek. "So please. Go ahead." --- "Thanks dad." Hades disappeared with the book. Bern raised a brow. "I'm supposed to forgive myself? And when did I repent? Either way, I'm a gangster. Do you honestly expect me to be in Heaven?" --- "Um....Fifteen." Theron lifted his head. "Hurt me? They would never do that. They're my family. They stopped the pain and gave me a name. I finally have parents. I thought the people in white were my family but they were only using me. Making me do tests and opening my chest." He smiled. "But the people here, the ones who saved me, they're my dads now." He placed a hand over his stomach when it growled. "Warren? I'm hungry. Can you make food?" --- Insanity grinned. He didn't know what other private place except for an abandoned building. He grabbed Damien from behind before appearing at that said building. He laughed. Shoving him. "Don't be foolish to escape." --- "Hey!" ,said Salvo when he parked near the club. He hopped out of the car. "Where the hell did you take that guy? Doesn't look like you guys are up to no good!" He grabbed Donnie by his shirt. "I will get some answers out of you! Otherwise, you're going to lose some limbs." --- Hades appeared in Amelia's home. "Alright. I have the book and a similar corpse for her. We're doing this in the desert like always. I did place the corpse in a coffin so sand wouldn't get in her. Don't want her dealing with that." She nodded at them. "Are you guys ready?" shadowess - March 24, 2022 Lilly laughed along with Pain and when the joint was passed to her again, she happily took a couple of tokes on it without coughing this time. She passed it along again and began to feel far more relaxed than before. She even began to feel a little spacey as she walked over to one of the large bean couches and plop herself down. She loved how the fabric felt and the way the chair encased her as she sat in it. She rested her head against the back of it and watched the others as her body completely relaxed. She grinned up at Pain and patted the spot next to her on the bean couch. Although he couldn't smoke, the smoke that was trapped in the room was having some effect on Bob as well as he too seemed to slow down in his movements. He'd also begun to talk rapidly and enthusiastically to the others about anything and everything that popped into his mind. --- Sebastian smiled thinly and nodded as he watched the workmen warily. "Damien told Amelia his story..." he started then shrugged and put his hands into his pockets. "Back when I hung out with them for a little while, after they rescued me from ADIEU... Damien and I had an argument. I can't even remember what it was about. Something petty that didn't really matter... but when he left to cool off, I was upset. Amelia came to try to comfort me... as she usually did." He smiled and leaned against the fridge, folding his arms as he recalled that day. "I remember asking her why he was so angry most of the time. She told me about his training with Lucifer, of course. Then she told me about how Lucifer had taken him on as an apprentice." Sebastian lifted his head to look at Carter and sighed. "Lucifer had made the offer to him when he was just a teenager, Carter. He'd snapped his neck just a few weeks after his eighteenth birthday and changed his soul into a Devil. Before that, he'd spent most of his life moving from place to place with his mother and sister because his mother was terrified that Lucifer would knock on their door one day to claim the Sedley debt. He never really had a childhood. Never stayed in one place long enough to make any real friends. Later in his life, both his sister and his mother destroyed themselves because they'd rather be in oblivion than serve Lucifer." He shook his head a little. "I think that's why he acts out the way that he does. Or at least, it's just part of the reason... whatever training Lucifer put him through is the other reason for his outbursts of anger. That's just what I think, anyway." --- (Private Time) --- David and Azrael glanced at each other before looking back at Bern. "Well... your gang gave up crime, right? Didn't you ever feel bad or sorry for the crimes you committed before that?" David asked. "Because that's a form of repentance." Azrael nodded. "It's not just the act of saying 'sorry' you have to genuinely be sorry for the repentance to be accepted." "And then there's forgiving yourself. Being sorry for what you did during your life is good because it shows that you're developing a strong moral compass. But you can never truly move forward and let go of your regrets until you forgive yourself for them." David concluded as he folded his arms and gave Bern a stern look. "Now tell me honestly. Did you and your gangster buddies really give up the life of crime? Do you regret the things you did when you committed those crimes? and lastly, do you forgive yourself for committing those crimes?" "It is important that you answer these questions honestly, Bern," Azrael said as he leant against the bookshelf. "Because if we can eliminate these possibilities, then we can look into other causes for you being here that might be more supernatural than the typical process." --- "N-no..." Patience shook her head in disbelief as Theron referred to Insanity and Donnie as being caring parents who had apparently saved him. "That's not right. Donnie is pure evil. You have to listen to me, you're in danger as long as you're with them! You need to leave!" "That's not true!" Warren stood and glared at Patience. "They're not evil!" "For goodness sakes, they were torturing you when I arrived!" Patience gestured to Warren, looking exasperated. "I'd have thought you of all people would agree with me!" "No, you're wrong! They were punishing me because I led a sinful life! But they have shown me mercy and given me a place by their side! Because they love me! Just like they love their son!" "You're deluded!" "No, you are! And you need to stop talking about them like they're the evil ones because you're hurting them! I just wish you could see that! They just want you to love them!" Patience blinked, struggling to understand what was happening here. "What?" she mumbled in disbelief as Warren strode over to them and offered Theron his hand to take while still glaring at Patience. "C'mon, Theron. I think I saw enough ingredients in the kitchens to make a pie, and maybe even some cookies." Warren said to him in a gentle tone. "I think the lady needs some time alone to think." --- Damien had gasped and struggled against Insanity when they teleported. Once in the abandoned building, Damien stumbled forward then let out an enraged scream as he whirled around and aimed a punch for Insanity's torso. However, Damien was not as strong with the bracelet on and found himself surprised yet again as his punch only hurt himself. Grunting, he stepped back while gripping his fist which now felt like he might've broken a couple of bones. "You son of a bitch!" he yelled. "Just you wait! I'll fucking destroy you!" --- Donnie merely grinned at Salvo as he looked him over. The confrontation was unexpected but also welcomed. "Salvo Vassano." He greeted him. "The Don of the local Mafia. Italian heritage. I had high hopes for you, y'know. You could be so brutal yet you are an intelligent man. Your mafia was both respected and feared before you let your reputation go down the toilet." Donnie yanked Salvo's hand away from his shirt and twisted it enough to put some strain on the bone without breaking it. "You're mortal, Salvo. But I'm a Devil. I can give that glory back to you. I can help you rebuild your image. Take back your city. You'll never lose another man again and any that do die, I will give you the power to bring back to Earth. You can be unstoppable." he said to him slyly before letting go of his arm and stepping back. "And all I would ask in return is loyalty. What do you say? Do we have a deal?" --- Amelia shrugged at Charles's question. "We can figure it out together." she smiled. "My dad taught me while I was growing up... maybe we could ask him for help or pointers?" she suggested. When Hades appeared, Amelia looked at her and then looked between Charles and Oliver. She would rather Charles be there for her as a source of support but at the same time, they couldn't take Oliver with them. "We need someone to watch Oliver. Maybe we could ask Vincent to babysit him? Neva seems to like spending time with him." Denix Vames - March 25, 2022 Pain sat next to her. He leaned his head against hers. Enjoying her company. Grim snored over Bob's leg bones. Storm was eating some M&M's. --- "Guess I can't blame him for his attitude. If I was in his shoes, I'd feel the same way." ,said Carter. --- "As far as I'm concerned, the gang aren't doing anything crime-related. No, I don't forgive myself. And I don't regret doing what I did. We had to survive. To help the family. If I had regrets, I'd be dead already. Ironically, I am now." ,said Bern. --- Theron glared. He shouted, "They're my family! And if anyone hurts them then I'll destroy them! You're just an ungrateful meanie!" He accepted his hand. Letting himself be guided by Warren. He rubbed his eyes with his other. Tears dripped down his cheeks. "She's mean! I hate her." --- Insanity chuckled. "Just keep telling yourself that pal." --- Salvo cried out at the pain. He massaged his wrist when he was free. He shook his head. "Maybe before I would have accepted your offer but things have changed. I have some new friends in my life who showed me a better path. I don't need to get down to your level to be content with myself." He raised his weapon. "Now, tell your boyfriend to bring Damien back! I may be mortal but don't think I'll be intimidated by your damn threats!" --- "Let me call him." ,said Charles. After the phone call, Vincent and Elliot had appeared with Neva. "Alright. Let's hurry this up." ,said Hades. Charles disappeared with her. Amelia would obviously appear too. Hades opened the book. "Now step me in the circle that I've already made and I'll start reading out the spell." shadowess - March 25, 2022 Pain sat next to her. He leaned his head against hers. Enjoying her company. Grim snored over Bob's leg bones. Storm was eating some M&M's. Bob didn't seem to mind Grim sleeping on him as he continued talking to Storm happily. "And then the cheeky broad shoved her hand down my pants! She got a handful of bone that she wasn't expecting, if ya know what I mean." He nudged Storm with his elbow. "We ran out of there faster than the lady could scream 'that skeleton seduced me!'" Distracted, Lilly barely heard Bob's story as she stared at Pain. Her cheeks were a deep red as she felt his body heat from their closeness. --- "Don't get me wrong though." Sebastian smirked. "He's still an ass that needs knocking down a peg or two." --- David closed his eyes slowly while Azrael massaged his own forehead. "I understand." David said finally with a nod. This caused Azrael to look up at him in surprise. "I don't. He had a shot at getting into Heaven." he said and David waved a hand at him dismissively. "You've never had a mortal life. You don't know how difficult and morally questionable it can be." he said as he sat on the couch across from Bern. "I have and I can say with absolute certainty that even if Lucifer hadn't made me sign his contract, I would have wound up in Hell anyway as well. I lived as good a life as I could towards my end but I never forgave myself for the lives that I took. Nor did I regret the murders. Because if I hadn't killed, the soldiers with me would have died. I don't regret killing enemy soldiers to protect my home." he glanced at Azrael. "Thank you, but I think I've got this from here." Azrael nodded, although he seemed utterly perplexed before he vanished. David sighed and looked at Bern. "But that doesn't mean you're beyond saving. Maybe there's a better purpose for you? You don't need rehabilitating because you've already taken steps to turn yourself around for the better and you're stable enough to know where you stand." he nodded. "How would you like to become a Demon, Bern? You can help others the way myself and other Demons do now. Help souls make up for their past and earn their places in Heaven. As an added bonus, you can go back to Earth and continue your life there as well." --- Warren led Theron to the kitchens, leaving Patience alone in the main room. She watched them leave, feeling lost and alone. By speaking out against their captors, she might have just doomed herself. Her heart and mind raced. She looked around towards the exits. It would be risky for her to wander Hell alone in her current condition, but right now it was better than whatever Donnie would do to her. Quickly and silently, she tried to leave. But just like Warren, she found herself repeatedly walking back into the room. "Fuck..." she breathed as she lifted her hands to grip her hair. She looked towards the direction of the kitchen and lowered her arms. They might be her only chance now. She had to convince them that she was on their side. Warren had given Theron a small bowl of fruit to tide him over while he cooked the pie. He stood close by with the dough on the counter which he kneeded and folded over and over. "I want to hate her too but..." he shook his head. "They said she'd been kidnapped and brainwashed. Maybe we shouldn't judge her too harshly. We don't know what she went through to have her mind twisted like that." he stopped and sighed, wiping away some sweat from his forehead with his arm. "We should tell your parents though. They need to know how badly she's been affected." "Please don't." Patience stepped into the room, looking between them with a guilty expression and hugging herself. She had been listening in from around the corner and knew now what Donnie and Insanity had made them believe about her. Enough to know that she could use it to her advantage. "I didn't know what I was saying. I love them, I do. I just..." she lowered her head and sniffled. "I feel so confused. Please help me?" Warren merely watched her warily from where he was. He started kneeding and folding the dough again. "Then maybe you should tell them." he suggested. "Confess what you did and apologise. I'm sure they'll forgive you." He glanced at her again. "Are you hungry?" Patience shook her head. "Then you should go and rest. Too much stress is not good for the baby." Taken aback by this reaction, Patience was lost for words as she nodded and left the kitchen to walk back to her room. Warren sighed and looked up at Theron. "You ok?" --- "Fuck you!!" Damien shouted furiously. "Get out of my way!" he then darted for the exit. --- Seeing the gun, Donnie chuckled. "A pea shooter to the likes of me!" he laughed. "What do you hope to accomplish, Salvo? You think you're going to be the one to bring down the big bad Donnie Shadow?" he mocked. "It's really a shame that you won't consider my offer, but if you insist..." he trailed off as he began chanting his spell to try to take control of Salvo. --- "Oliver!!" Neva ran to the crib excitedly and peered through the bars at him. Feeling her excitement, Oliver giggled heartily. His eyes alight with joy as he looked up at her and kicked his feet enthusiastically. --- Amelia hugged Charles tightly then reluctantly let him go. Hesitantly she stepped into the circle and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Ready when you are." she shivered as she looked over at them. Denix Vames - March 25, 2022 Pain touched her hand. "Is it ok if I kiss your cheek?" --- "I just hope Salvo and Mon find him soon." ,said Carter. --- "Really? Well, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm in. But is there a way that I could tell Mon that I'm doing alright? I know how he would feel about my death. I don't think I'd be the same either if he died in front of me." ,said Bern. --- Theron had been eating some of the fruit. "We can't let her make us listen. Maybe she was hurt by the people she was with before but my dads said we have to tell them." He sniffled. "I want my dads right now." --- Insanity grabbed and threw him back. "Nice try but no cigar." --- Salvo clutched his head. The gun fell out of his hand. Hitting the ground. He grit his teeth. Trying to fight back the spell. He shoved Donnie. Making him lose his focus. He grabbed the gun and jumped into the car. Driving off with speed. --- Vincent picked Oliver up. He held him close before sitting at the foot of the bed. "It's always good to see him." Elliot sat next to him. "He's as cute as a button." "Do you want to hold him, Neva?" --- "Alright." Hades began to chant the spell. Charles made sure to remain out of the circle. To not attempt anything because he knew it would be fine. Once the ritual ended, he hesitantly walked over. "Amelia?"

Denix Vames - March 22, 2022 "Rock on!" ,said Pain. Everyone else cheered. --- "It'll be ok. He'll come back. I promise. But if you really need him now then there is a way. I can summon him probably. Use some kind of ritual or spell. It might just work." ,said Salvo. "Damien? Um...Could you give me a second?" ,said Carter. He walked over to Sebastian and the others. "Looks like Damien hired some guys to repair the damages done to the place. Sebastian? Could you take them upstairs? I don't want anything to seem out there for them." --- "He knows that his name is Oliver. He also understands what feeling you are evoking. Calm. He appreciates your voice. It warms his heart." ,said Charles. He smiled. "I believe he may know others better with these new powers of his. I am sure that he will feel emotions the way I do. It will be hard for him but I can teach him. And you can teach him too." --- "Kasper..." Phineas passionately kissed him. He ran a hand through his hair. A song in the laptop suddenly played. It was a once many romantic songs from his time. He glanced at the laptop and blushed. He nervously chuckled. "I didn't even know I could do that." --- "What?! Of course not! But did you honestly expect a guy like me to go to Heaven? You must be drinking the wrong wine if you're thinking like that!" ,said Bern. "I need a spell so that I can transfer Carol to a body but also keep Amelia's devil powers remained within her." ,said Hades. --- "Sounds like a grand idea!" ,said Insanity. Theron walked over. "Dads?" "What is it dear?" "Can I come with you?" "No can do. We told you that you have to keep an eye on that woman. Maybe next time, ok?" "Oh. Oh ok." Insanity smiled. He gave him a hug before kissing his head. "And I promise I'll get you some toys. It'll be easy to fetch those." Theron smiled. "Thank you." He hugged Donnie. "I love you dads." shadowess - March 23, 2022 Lilly giggled happily as her drumming came to a gradual stop. Her heart was fluttering from the rush of playing the instrument. She looked around at them all and felt her cheeks turning a little red but she couldn't stop grinning. "That was fun." she grinned at Pain. "I think I sing better than I drum though." "I've never heard ya sing!" Bob said, tilting his head at her. "I was always on the run after I summoned you! There was no time for it!" Lilly said though she was still giggling. Taking a couple of breaths to stop herself from laughing, she closed her eyes and started to sing an old song from her world. It was a sad tune about how beautiful her world had been before the wraiths were created. "Before the night was long and dreaded, All the world was rich and splendid, Rolling hills of grass so green, Healthy crops and crystal streams, Return to us oh world we holler, Return to us oh world we plead, But all remains is our dishonour, The punishment for our own greed, Still, we recall a world so wondrous, Feilds of fauna in abundance, Air so clean and unpolluted, All we took and all we flouted, Return to us oh world we holler, Return to us oh world we plead, But all remains is our dishonour, The punishment for our own greed, So heed this warning all who follow, save yourselves from pain and sorrow, When you hear the War Wraith's summons, Heed not the call, lay down your weapons." Lilly stopped singing and scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. By now her cheeks were bright red. "There are a couple more verses but it gets a little more depressing after that." --- Mon looked at Salvo hopefully. He knew it was probably wrong to do something like this but he was so desperate and grief-stricken that he would do anything to have Bern back. "Really? Can we try? Please, Salvo?" Sebastian was too distracted by Carter and the workmen to hear Savo and Mon's conversation. He glanced at them then back at Carter and nodded. "It sounded like those cleaners wanted to clean the whole place though. It's probably better if Salvo and Mon slip out the back. We can catch up with them later... Actually..." he turned to Salvo and Mon hurriedly. "Guys, there are workmen here and if they see mafia guys they might not react too well. But maybe you could help us out while you're out? I know he caused the death of Bern and again, we're sorry for that, but Damien is still out there somewhere. Normally we wouldn't be worried but he's wearing this bracelet that basically makes him human and David made us responsible for him while he makes up for his actions. Would you mind trying to find him for us?" --- Amelia grinned at Oliver and hugged Charles. She then frowned however when Charles mentioned that Oliver might have inherited some of his empathic abilities because it caused her to consider that he might also have inherited some power from her as well. She began to worry about what Oliver might be capable of if he threw a tantrum. She wasn't so much worried about the pyromancy. After all, both she and Charles shared that ability so they'd be able to get that under control very quickly... but what if he went Super Nova? Not even Amelia would be able to stop that! She tried very hard to suppress the memory of how terrified and confused she'd been the first time it had happened to her. How awful she'd felt when she found herself standing in the crater and the realisation of what she'd done had dawned on her. She hugged Charles a little tighter and shook a little as she tried so hard to bury that memory again and bury it deep. --- Kasper glanced at the computer and blushed as he turned back to Phineas with a small smile. "I like it," he said softly before kissing him again, slowly and sweetly while caressing his cheek. --- David looked between Bern and Hades, feeling torn on who to react to first considering they'd both just said something equally shocking. He flustered for a moment before stopping and straightening up his suit to regather himself. "Ok, Bern would you mind taking a seat on that couch. I'll talk to you in a moment but there is definitely something wrong here. Hades, did you say Carol??" he walked over to her with a look of disbelief. The last time David had seen her, Carol had been destroyed when defending Amelia from Satan. It had been a shocking end to a woman whom David had never expected to become close friends with. "If she's attached to Amelia from the spell... I don't know... maybe?" he looked thoughtful. "I don't know of any demon spells but what about that Leviathan book we found? Maybe there's a spell in there for this?" --- Donnie winced at the affection. He wasn't so bothered about showing his softer side to his lover and their consort but he was very old fashioned when it came to rearing children. "Enough of that," he said in a gentle but firm tone as he placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him off. "Listen to me carefully, boy. You want to make me proud, right? Then here's a valuable life lesson for you. Don't show affection to anyone but your lovers. And don't trust anyone. Always have your guard up because there are nasty people out there that would see your affection and trust as weaknesses to be exploited. Do you understand?" he then cupped Theron's chin to look him in the eye and gave him a warm smile. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. So, just know that whenever I seem cold or heartless, it's only because I want you to grow to be strong," he explained in a quieter and more gentle voice. He then let go of his chin and ruffled his hair playfully while grinning. "We'll be back before you know it." "You're leaving again?" Patience asked as she entered the room once more. "Wha- well, when will you be back? Where are you going?" "That's none of your concern," Donnie replied coldly. "None of my concern? You're the father of my child! What if something happens to you? I don't want to just be stuck here waiting to give birth, I came back to you to be one of you!" Patience argued then looked at Donnie hesitantly as his features shifted rapidly into a dark glare. She lowered her gaze submissively and stifled a whimper as she worked up the courage to speak again. "Why won't you trust me?" she asked, sounding hurt. Donnie blinked and tilted his head at her before walking over and cupping her chin to make her look up at him. His expression remained emotionless as he did this. "Because you stabbed me. Because you turned me into A FUCKING TREE!" he snapped, glaring at her angrily. His sudden outburst had made Patience jump with a gasp. She had immediately begun to shake while she continued to stare at him tearfully. "If not for your carrying OUR child-" he gestured to Insanity while still glaring at her intensely "I would have gutted you already!" he growled the let go of her face but not before flicking his wrist to make her head turn to one side roughly. "But now you ask me to trust you?" he stepped close to her with a threatening posture. Towering over her dominantly and causing her to shrink back a little. "The way I see it, you have around nine months to prove to us that we can trust you," he said to her in a low voice before stepping away and walking back over to Insanity and Theron, leaving the consequences of failure to her imagination. He stopped next to Theron and said to him in a hushed voice so that Patience wouldn't hear. "Watch her carefully. She's powerless and pregnant but she can still be cunning. Befriend her but don't forget that she was brainwashed by our enemies. If she tries to convince you or Warren to defect, I want you to tell us in secret. Like our little spy." he winked. He then walked over to Insanity and took his hand. "Sire, what should I do while you're gone?" Warren asked, feeling a little lost now that the cleaning had been done. "So far you're the only servant we have. So serve our son and the woman until we get back. If they're hungry, cook. If they're bored, entertain." Donnie waved to him dismissively. "Yes, sire." Warren bowed. After watching the way Donnie and Insanity had interacted with Theron and learning that they had adopted him, Warren's own devotion to them had only grown. He felt a little bad for Patience but if what they said about her was true then perhaps he should be wary as well. --- Damien ran a hand through his hair as he left the private room in the Vampire Club. He glanced over at Blaire behind the bar and smiled at her with a thankful nod before making his way to the exit. Once outside, he waved goodbye to Desi and began his slow walk down the street. Sighing heavily, he considered teleporting to his house across the city as he took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. He then went to light it when the realisation hit him. He couldn't teleport. "Fuck!" he shouted and punched the wall next to him then let out a surprised cry and looked at his bleeding knuckles. The cigarette had fallen from his mouth, onto the ground. His hand throbbed and he sucked air through his teeth from the pain. "Shit..." he muttered as he glanced back. He hadn't gotten far from the club and knew at least some of the vampires inside would catch a whiff of his blood. Stuffing his hand into his pocket and grimacing as his grazed knuckles brushed against the fabric, he began walking a little faster down the street while trying to still seem casual. Denix Vames - March 23, 2022 "Whoo! That was awesome!" ,said Pain. "Nice vocals." ,said Grim. "Maybe you could be our backup singer if you want to." ,said Storm. --- "Of course. I'll do anything that I can to bring him back." ,said Salvo. He nodded at Sebastian. "We'll head out from the backyard. We've been in the business long enough to know how to climb fences. When we find him, we'll let you know." He ran to the backdoor with Mon following. He quickly climbed over. "Hurry Mon!" --- Charles gently rubbed her back. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out. We always do." --- Phineas pressed his hand against his chest. Squeezing a fistful of his shirt. He caught his breath. Breaking himself from the kiss. "I want you to lead me again. I enjoyed your touch. I loved every second of feeling your bare body against mine." --- Bern nodded. He headed to the couch where he sat there. Watching David and Hades talk. Hades's raised a brow. "Maybe? Do you have any books involving Leviathan magic?" --- "Yes dad." Theron chuckled when Donnie messed his hair up. "I promise I'll be strong and watch the woman cautiously." When they were gone, he walk over to Patience. He nervously rubbed his arm. "I have to keep an eye on you. So, can we play? Staring at someone will eventually get boring or uncomfortable." --- With all Salvo's men back in their vehicles, most of them drove back to the mansion. Salvo only needed one of his guys with him who could sniff out anyone's blood. Letting him say the directions on where to go. This member wasn't anything supernatural but was born with an unusual skill. His nose was highly sensitive to smells. Shadowess - March 24, 2022 Lilly tucked some hair behind her ears and looked around at them all shyly as they praised her singing. "I-I don't know..." She replied to Storms offer, uncertain that she would be good enough to play with them. "C'mon gloomy! Give it a shot! What'veyou got to lose?" Bob encouraged. Ordinarily, Lilly wouldn't listen to Bob, but the combination of her newfound happiness and the weed in her system made her a lot more open minded than she had been. "O-ok." She answered, feeling her cheeks turn red. "I'll give it a try." --- With the mafia gone, Zero resting in the spare bedroom and River having gone back to Will's house to recover as well, the workmen had begun working on cleaning the place up. Sebastian had hurriedly gotten rid of the Bluffin cake mix and had opted to stay in the kitchen in case any workmen decided to help themselves to a drink and saw the blood bags in the fridge. He planned to offer to bring drinks to them instead if they asked for one. "I know he's not doing this himself but maybe this means he's learned something at least?" Sebastian commented to Carter. "I know him from when he had ruled Hell and he wouldn't have even considered doing something like this back then. He would have just said 'That's not my problem' and moved on by now. So, I guess this is at least a small step in the right direction?" --- Amelia nodded and let out a sigh. "Maybe you're right." She said as she looked over at their son. "Besides, he might not even have some of our powers. Either that or they might be diluted versions." She shrugged then pulled a thoughtful face. "Except pyromancy. That might actually turn out amplified..." She chuckled. "I think we might have to home school him." --- Kasper looked at Phineas lovingly and nodded while gently biting his lip. He pulled his own shirt off and threw it to one side, then removed Phineas's shirt before moving down and kissing his torso. Leaving slow, sweet kisses all over his chest and back up to his collar bone, then his neck, then back to his mouth. He broke the kiss after a moment and looked at him while caressing his cheek. "There's something that I want to try, if you're up to it?" he asked then grinned shyly. "I've never done this before, so I don't know if I'm any good at it. But I'll do my best." he said as he unbuckled his belt. He then started to his down Phineas's chest again while simultaniously pulling his trousers down. When his head was level with Phineas's hips, he glanced up at him to see if this would be something that Phineas would be ok with. He didn't want to pressure him into doing anything he didn't feel comfortable with. --- "Just this book. The one we found..." he trailed off, not wanting to remind her of her father's death. David then walked over to the dusty and ancient looking book. He picked it up carefully and handed it over to Hades. "You might want be careful when turning the pages. It's very old." he said then turned to Bern. "As for you. You should be in Heaven. I know you were in a gang but since me and the others intervened in your lives, you have all repented and improved over time. Crime has ceased and individually, you have become better people. So your past sins should have been forgiven... Something is not right. Why would you be dropped off here?" he turned to one side. "Azrael?" "David." Azrael appeared and greeted him then blinked at Bern. "I-... just sent you to Heaven. Why are you here?" he asked in confusion. "That was going to be my question to you... So this wasn't intentional?" "Of course not. Bern should be in Heaven. I don't know why-..." Azrael then paused and looked over at Bern before sighing softly. It didn't happen often but it was possible. "Bern... I know you repented but did you ever forgive yourself for your sins?" --- Patience looked over Theron warily but after Donnie announcing that he didn't trust her after what she'd done, she wasn't surprised that he'd asked this boy to watch her. "How old are you?" she asked him as she tried to wipe away her tears. She was still trembling a little. "You look like you're in your teens. They haven't... 'hurt' you have they?" she asked quietly. Warren watched them and stayed close by. He sat on one of the large pillows and waited for one or both of them to give him any orders. --- Damien had walked a couple more blocks away from the Vampire Club by now and it was so late at night that the streets were practically deserted. He was lost in thought, recalling the day's events when he came to an abrupt stop to look up at the man blocking his path. His eyes widened in surprise then he glared at Donnie. "You!" he growled but the throbbing hand in his pocket was a constant reminder that he wouldn't stand a chance at fighting him now. He took a step back. "The fuck are you planning now, you creep?!" he snapped. Donnie merely grinned and looked behind Damien at Insanity, whom Damien hadn't noticed yet. "Be a dear and take him somewhere private while I capture a... guinea pig." Donnie said as his eyes moved slowly over in the direction of the Vampire Club. "After all, we're going to need to demonstrate just how well our 'product' works to be able to sell it."

Denix Vames - March 17, 2022 "Don't worry. Everyone coughs on their first try." ,said Pain. He took a puff before passing it around. Grim began to laugh as he laid a hand on Bob's shoulder. "You're the funniest thing I've ever seen!" "He can get like that when he's high." ,said Storm. --- "Usually it's through training. With Hell, it's a program. I'm not sure about how Heaven does it. But I know it doesn't take long. Honestly, you'll see him in no time." ,said Carter. Salvo suddenly turned away. He headed to the doorway. "I fucked up, Mon. I almost made you regret doing something. I should have never twisted your thoughts when you were emotional. I'm sorry." --- "Sure." Blaire led him to one of the private rooms. She unlocked the door. Once he went in, she left him to his own business. --- Charles smile beamed. "Before we celebrate, I need to find Hades. She can help Carol. You stay here with the baby, ok? Or would you rather come with me?" --- Phineas pointed at a picture passing by in the video. "I forgot how the Europeans dress. It's very artistic." He covered his mouth when he was hearing about the effects of Arsenic. "Those poor people..." --- Autumn began taking notes down. "Thanks. I think I've got plenty to finish this essay." --- Theron backed up against Insanity who stood. "Who is that?" "Don't worry. That's just a friend of ours. His name is Warren." He nodded at him. "Warren. Meet Theron. He is a new member of our family." He caressed Theron's cheek as he smiled. "And our son." Theron smiled. He turned to the direction of where Warren last saw Patience. "The woman is in there? Is she nice? I don't like staring at grumpy faces." shadowess - March 17, 2022 "High?" Bob asked then looked at Grim. Lilly wiped away the tears that had come up from her coughing and she blushed as she smiled awkwardly at Pain. She tucked some of her hair behind her ear again then tried again. This time it was a little easier and she managed to hold her breath a little to try to get used to the feeling of the smoke in her lungs while she passed the joint along. When she exhaled she only coughed a little while watching the steady stream of smoke leave her mouth. At first, she didn't feel anything. Then she felt the smallest twinge of pressure in her head. Then the pressure faded and it was replaced by a feeling of calm that she'd never experienced before. She looked around and found herself noticing how vibrant some of the colours in the room were. "How ya feelin' grumpy guts?" Bob asked, having turned his head in her direction. Lilly looked up at him and smirked. "Pretty good, bone bag," she said, then unable to contain herself she began to giggle. "Someone pinch me! She's actually laughing!" Bob sat up and stared at her in disbelief. --- Mon held his gun in his hands and stared at it with a lost expression. His hands were shaking and he barely heard Salvo's words. Vengeance was pointless because Bern wasn't actually gone forever. But Bern was still gone and he was so desperate to be with him again. If the afterlife was that simple, then what was the point in living? When Mon still hadn't responded to Salvo in over a minute, Sebastian grew concerned. He saw the way he was looking at the gun and it reminded him of someone else who used to have the same look occasionally. "Carter, talk to him. Please. I don't think he's thinking straight!" he whispered to him hurriedly. --- Damien had nodded to her thankfully when she'd let him into the private room. He looked around briefly out of curiosity and was surprised by the double bed in the middle of the room. "What kind of club is this?" he muttered then shrugged to himself and dialled a few numbers. Damien wasn't much for apologies so he did the closest thing to an apology that he could think of without degrading himself; He hired a team of builders and the like to professionally fix the wall in Carter's wall. He also hired a professional cleaning crew that would not only clean up all the broken glass in that house but also make the rest of the building spotless as well. He paid them all in advance and arranged for them to arrive at Carter's within the next hour. With all of that done, he sighed heavily and sat on the end of the bed, just wanting a quiet moment to himself. He rested his elbows on his legs and buried his face in his hands. --- Amelia smiled at Charles and thought for a moment. "As much as I would love to come on an adventure with you, letting Carol use my body left me feeling a bit exhausted." she chuckled. "I think I'll stay here with Oliver and rest up." she kissed his cheek. "Hurry back though. I'll miss you while you're gone." she purred. --- Kasper frowned as they watched the video. He was a little shocked though to learn that some people who used dangerous cosmetics knew that they were dangerous, yet did it anyway. All for the sake of 'beauty'. When the video ended, Kasper was quiet for a moment. "When I used to watch things like this, it never felt so real... I suppose because it was so far in the past. It was just something to learn about and be fascinated by. I never thought I'd ever meet someone from that time but now that I have... It feels real." he frowned and looked back at Phineas. "I feel bad that people had suffered like that to learn such a lesson. But there were good things about that era, weren't there?" he asked curiously. --- "You're welcome." he looked at his watch and rose his eyebrows. "It's getting late. You should probably head home," he said as he got up and walked over to one of the counters. He pulled out a mug from the cupboard and poured himself some coffee. He still had a few hours left of his shift and he needed to stay alert. --- Warren blinked at Theron then bowed his head again. "It's nice to meet you!" he said quickly as he realised this would mean he'd have to obey Theron now as well. He looked up again when the teenager asked about Patience. "She was a little grumpy but I suppose that might have been just her hormones," he suggested. Donnie nodded at Warren's explanation. "That's fine. Keep working her though and come to us at the first sign that something is amiss," he ordered and Warren nodded. "Yes, sire." "Theron, there are bedrooms at the back of the palace. Go and pick one for yourself. Make yourself at home." Donnie then said to the teen as he waved a hand towards the back of the palace. He then turned his attention to Insanity with a smirk. "My love, I spotted something on Earth that might be fun. Could potentially get us another follower too," he said. He was referring to the cannibal clown, Patches. Who, at that moment, had been apprehended by British police for murdering a family in their home. A worried neighbour had called the police after hearing the commotion and the officers had run in to find him mid-feast. Without Tricky to keep him in check, Patches had become an untethered killer. Denix Vames - March 18, 2022 "I can't exactly pinch you but I can give a high-five." ,said Storm. He raised his hand. Letting Bob give him a hard high-five. "Ow...You're strong." Pain wrapped an arm around Lily. He laughed with her. "Want to play some drums? It's pretty easy." Charles smiled. "I will." He disappeared. The band all looked at Charles when he appeared. "Hades? I need your help. It's really important." Hades kissed Storm before walking over to Charles. "I'll be back guys. See ya." They disappeared. --- Carter walked over to Mon. He placed his hand on the gun. "I know what you're thinking but that isn't the way. Your husband will be back. I promise. He'll be here before you even know it. All you need is patience and hope. He'll be there." He slipped the gun from his hand. "What if he found out? Cause he will when you see him. Would he want you to do this?" --- Hades and Charles appeared. "So, what do you need my help with?" "Basically, we need to transfer Carol's soul into a body so that she and Amelia don't have their personalities mix together. So that they can have their own lives." "We'll have to find a recent corpse if you want me to do that. Does Carol have a preference on what kind of woman she wants to look like?" --- "In a way, there were some good things. Like the home cooked meals I use to eat. The people in Chile were nice. My nieces and nephew loved to hear stories about my accident." He smiled. "I might have made up a couple of things in the story to entertain them. But it was fun. They were like my own children. So, I guess there were lots of nice things during my time alive." Phineas moved the mouse but slowly. Doing his best to copy what he saw from Kasper. He clicked on the search engine. He poked at each letter. Trying to type his name in so that he could find videos about himself. --- "Alright. Fine. I'll just rob a store before I head home." Autumn stuck her tongue out. "Just kidding. I'll see you home." She headed out of the precinct. --- Bern was standing in Hell's Library. He looked around. "This looks like Hell alright. I'm not surprised. I deserve it." --- Theron nodded. "Thank you." He headed to the bedrooms. Finding one that he liked. insanity shivered. "I really hate clowns. How are we going to use that thing to our benefit? It's the most revolting thing I've ever seen." shadowess - March 18, 2022 "Sorry," Bob said after giving Storm a high-five. After Charles had popped in and then disappeared with Hades, he turned his head a little towards Storm. "Wonder what that was about." Lilly's blush deepened as she felt Pain's arm around her but she was so relaxed and happy that she didn't mind. "Alright." she agreed eagerly. Wanting to know how to play the way these guys did. --- As Carter spoke, tears welled up in Mon's eyes. Once the gun was taken from him, he sniffled then began to sob. "I just miss him so much! What am I without him?!" he cried. His tears fell onto his open and now empty hands. Sebastian walked over to Salvo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're his boss. He looks up to you and right now he needs your support. Not your self-pity." he said gently but sternly. He then glanced to the window and had to do a double-take when a couple of vans pulled up outside the house. "Carter?" he said as he walked over to the window and watched a couple of workmen jump out. One wearing blue denim overalls and the other wearing white overalls. They each approached the door, with only one of them ringing the bell. --- Amelia had been sitting by the cot and had poked her fingers between the bars to hold Oliver's hand. She'd been talking to him with a small smile before Charles and Hades had appeared. She looked up at them. "Maybe something like how she used to look? She was pretty tall and slim, with blond wavy hair and blue eyes." Amelia described then stood and faced Hades. "But it's not just a case of putting her into a new body. We need to try and do it in a way that won't break the spell on me. A lot was sacrificed to make me what I am. I don't want to just throw that away. Not if it can be helped." --- Kasper let Phineas try to use the computer and watched him patiently as he typed in each letter slowly. After all, he was sure anyone who had ever used a computer for the first time had started out similarly. "If you just hit that enter key, it'll search for you." he pointed out while still letting Phineas have control. Kasper was curious to see what he was looking for. --- Kodi smirked and watched Autumn leave. For a moment, he worried about her getting home safely then quickly disregarded that thought. She was tougher than she looked and he needed to give her the sense of independence if she was ever going to thrive as an adult. Besides, she knew to call for him telepathically if anything ever happened. He tried to take his mind off that by taking his coffee back over to his desk to finish up his paperwork. --- David appeared in the Library to see if any new souls had been dropped off. He blinked at Bern then frowned as he recalled the explosion of glass. The last time he'd seen him, Salvo and Mon were carrying him out to the car to take to their doctors. "Oh no..." he gasped. "No... Bern, I'm so sorry. You know he didn't mean for this to happen, don't you?" he asked as he walked over to him. "This will set him back so much... Oh, God and Mon! He can't be taking this well. But what are you doing here? I was so sure you'd go to Heaven!" --- "So we remove the paint and weird outfit." Donnie chuckled. "Then he'll just be a regular cannibal. As for what we could use him for, every ruler needs a caged wild beast! His mind is practically mush so he'll be easy to bring onto our side and from looking at his history, he was loyal to his last leader all the way up until his leader died. We win him over by offering him a little power. Just enough to make him a weak Demon and make him into our 'guard dog'. Oh, now that's an idea... I wonder if we should just inject him with a little wolf venom to make him an actual dog?" Denix Vames - March 18, 2022 Pain led Lily to the drum set. "Just sit here and hold these." He handed the drumsticks. "Now, hit everything that you see! Make some noise!" --- Salvo looked at Sebastian before looking at Mon. He then walked over to him. "Mon...." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be ok. I know it will. Just take a deep breath and look at me." Carter placed the gun under his pants to keep it hidden so that the workmen wouldn't notice it. He opened the door. "Why are you guys here? What is all this?" --- "Looks like I'll have to find a specific spell for this one then. I'm going to head to the Library. I'll be back in a second." Hades disappeared. Charles walked over to Amelia. "How's Oliver?" --- Phineas nodded. He pushed the enter key. He gasped at the results. "There is so much about me. And my photo! This video has it in color!" He clicked on it. He watched as the person began to work on his photo but also realized that he was telling his story. Overtime, the man spoke about respecting people like Phineas and to tell their story proper. Some tears left him. "He understands. They all do. Everyone nowadays understands." He smiled. "Oh! I love the modern era." --- "Look at me buddy. I'm a member of a gang. Just because I saved Salvo's life doesn't mean I'll end up with a halo on my head." ,said Bern. He frowned and shook his head. "And I just hope Mon's doing alright." Hades appeared. "Did I come at a bad time? I just need to find a spell." --- "That sounds like a good plan. But where would we obtain wolf venom if we wanted to turn him into a werewolf?" ,said Insanity. Shadowess - March 22, 2022 Lilly looked at the drum set with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. She wanted to try to play but also didn't want to end up breaking anything. She decided to hit the biggest drug that she could see as lightly as she could but ended up still jumping from how loud the sound was. She giggled and tried hitting a different one to see how different it sounded. Then another. Then a cymbal. Before long, she'd worked herself into playing a simple paradiddle. --- Mon didn't react immediately. He looked up at Salvo. His cheeks were wet from fresh tears. He looked lost. "I don't know what to do. I don't know who I am without him. I just want him back..." he sobbed softly. The workmen at the door had struck up a little conversation by the time Carter had opened the door. Each was surprised to have been hired at the same time by the same guy. They then looked up at Carter and the man in the blue overalls spoke first. "Hi, my team were hired by Damien Sedley to fix up a hole in a wall? He said to ask for Carter." "Uh, same here." The man in the white overalls said. "Only we were sent to clean the whole building. Everything's already been paid for." "Same with us, just point us to the job and we'll get it done." --- "He's fine," Amelia answered with a small smile as she peered over the crib bars at their son. "I was just talking to him. He seems to like that. I can't help but wonder if he understands me sometimes." He didn't. Not yet, but he could sense the calm in her tone and the way she spoke lovingly to him, soothed him. He was, however, already beginning to grasp certain words. He recognised his own name now, for example. --- Kasper looked at Phineas with a small smile and wiped away some of his tears with his thumb. Lost for words to describe how he felt, he simply looked at him in adoration. Taking in every detail like the colours of his eyes, the shade of his lips and the frame of his face. He was a stunning man. But it wasn't just his looks that Kasper adored. He knew that Phineas had a caring heart and needed to be protected emotionally. Kasper felt a strong desire to ensure that Phineas always felt loved and safe. "Phineas..." he whispered as he brought his face close to his. "I always want to be with you. I love to see you happy and I love you with all my heart. I feel like I'm complete with you." --- "...Please tell me your gang weren't still doing gang things after everything?" David sighed. That would definitely have prevented his ascension to Heaven upon his death. He looked at Salvo and shook his head sadly. "I feel responsible. I brought Damien along to help and to try to help him feel like he wasn't alone. Like he belonged somewhere that wasn't Lucifer's shadow. It's my fault that this happened. I should have known better than to thrust him into that kind of situation too soon. I'll make it up to you all though. All I need to do is find-..." David trailed off when Hades popped into the room. He looked at her curiously. "Spell? What spell?" --- Donnie thought for a moment. He considered kidnapping one of the wolves of the group again but thought better of it this time. He then caught sight of something interesting and grinned. "I think I just found a 'willing' provider." he chuckled. "There's a man in an alley. He's human but he's capable of defending himself. He's been selling venoms and other such things in the supernatural black market. We just need to make him a deal that he couldn't possibly refuse." Donnie then gasped at the sight of Damien with the bracelet and his grin grew wider and more malicious. "Oh, this is just perfect! I love it when things line up like that!" he looked back at Insanity. "Damien is powerless but he's still a Devil. The man I mentioned sells things on the black market. He would make a fortune selling small capsules of Devil blood to vampires like they're drugs. We get the human to sign our contract. He gives us wolf venom and in return, we give him a defenceless Damien."

shadowess - March 15, 2022 "My hero." Tom chuckled then took Nate's hand and began leading him to the bedroom. "C'mon, let's cuddle while we sleep then." He smiled as they headed to the bed. --- "What's weed?" Lilly asked curiously. "Is it something you eat? Cos I like 'eating' stuff." Bob added, but of course by 'eating stuff' he meant throwing the food through his jaw and letting it drop to the floor. --- Sebastian gave Carter another worried glance. "We could try to follow his scent but Salvo, surely we don't have to resort to this? Couldn't we just talk to him?" Damien blinked at Blaire then recalled the story his sons had told him. This must've been the bar they'd been brought to. "Ah... You might know my son, Alex Parker. He looks a lot like me." He couldn't help smiling to himself as he said this. He gave her some cash plus a tip. "Thanks." He smiled to her then lifted the glass to take a sip. --- "Guess not..." Carol sighed sleepily. "Charles, don't forget I need you to talk to Hades. I'm counting on you." She smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek. "It was nice to finally meet you. Amelia loves you dearly." --- Kasper looked at Phineas with a guilty expression when he seemed outraged by his words. He hadn't meant to upset him. He nodded at the question. "Yeah, they don't even test it on animals anymore." he said then thought about a specific brand which then conjured up various makeup sets on the vanity table. "I'm sorry..." he mumbled, lowering his head. "I didn't mean to upset you." --- Kodi sat back and watched the exchange between the teens with a smile. Once the boys had left, he looked at Autumn. "Well, regardless of what you decide it seems like your efforts to help those boys paid off and you got some friends out of it. Feels good, right?" he grinned. "Listen, you've got plenty of time to make up your mind about what you want to do when you finish school. Try not to dwell on it too much and just enjoy this time while you can. Whatever you decide to do in life, just know that I'll support you." he got up and patted her shoulder as he walked past. "Oh, did you finish your homework?" he reminded her. "Thank you. Will do." Hayward said in relief. She then looked at Yami warily, knowing they hadn't gotten off on the right foot. She looked at his hand and hesitated before shaking it. "Sure thing, man." she smiled. "Sorry I made all those cat jokes." she then added, a little embarressed. --- Donnie thought for a moment while looking at the boy's features for a name that would fit. "How about Theron? It's a little old fashioned but it's a good, strong name." he nodded. He knew that the contract didn't actually need a name for it to work, just the blood of the individual will do, but he couldn't resist granting this boys wish for a new name. "Come now, Theron. Sign the contract and join our little family. Then we can teach you how to control your powers." he urged in a gentle tone. Denix Vames - March 15, 2022 At the bedroom, Nate laid on the bed. Keeping Tom close, he kissed him. "Good night." --- "Don't you remember?" ,said Storm. Everyone got out of the van. Heading to the building. "I told you guys that weed is something we smoke so that we can calm down. So how about it? Do you want to try?" --- "Talk?! That bastard killed one of my men! A friend of mine! Not to mention, Bern was Mon's husband! You want me to talk to him? You must be out of your damn mind!" ,said Salvo. "Really? You're his dad? Do you know how much your son can be way too curious? It really bites him in the end." ,said Blaire. --- Charles smiled. "Of course. I won't forget." His eyes sparkled when he heard her comments about Amelia. "I think I see that too. Thank you. Talking to you has been a pleasure." --- "Oh no! You didn't." Phineas ran over. Throwing his arms around him. "I'm just overwhelmed by this knowledge. I should have known better than to conjure up such a thing. I need to study modern culture." --- "Shit!" Autumn pulled out her papers. "I'm still not finished yet!" She let out a frustrated sigh. Yami smiled. "Looking back on it now, I think they were pretty funny. Anyway, see ya in a few days. Maybe you could play laser with me when you get back?" --- "Theron! What a great name!" ,said Theron. Insanity showed him the pen. Explaining how to use it. Theron hesitantly pricked his finger with the tip of the pen. "Ow! I don't like needles. They make me feel uncomfortable." "I know but this will be over soon. Now, sign here." He spelled out his name using his own black blood. Once signed, the contract and pen disappeared. Theron's finger healed. "Welcome to the family, Theron." "Yay!" Theron hugged him. Insanity placed his hands on his back. "I have a family now! Does that mean you two are my fathers?" "We can be if you'd like." Theron smiled. "Thank you! I finally found my own family." shadowess - March 16, 2022 Tom lay with Nate and cuddled up to him. He rested his head in the rook of Nate's shoulder and closed his eyes, feeling absolutely at ease in his arms. "Good night, Nate. I love you," he whispered before drifting off to sleep. --- "I almost forgot about that." Lilly blinked, recalling the trip to the clothes store. She and Bob had been so blown away by the strange new fashion styles that the conversation in the van prior to their arrival at the store had been forgotten. "Oh yeah!" Bob pointed to Lilly. "I said you oughta try some!" "Yes, Bob. I remember now." "Lilly." "What?" "You DEFINITELY need to smoke some weed." Lilly stared at Bob for a moment in annoyance but rather than her usual irritating remarks, she just turned to Storm and smirked. "You know what? Sure. I'd love to try some weed." Bob's jaw fell off out of shock. --- "He's David's grandson and he's trusted us with trying to help him become a better person!" Sebastian argued back then glared at Carter for not having backed him up or spoken up yet. He looked back at Salvo. "I get it! He fucked up and Bern died as a result and I'm sorry about that! But I don't believe he did that intentionally! I don't even think he's aware that he caused someone's death! Besides, David is always telling us to give people a chance to become better! Just like he gave YOU a chance to be better!" "Shut up!!" Mon shouted and pointed his gun at Sebastian now. "Just shut up! You don't get to defend that asshole! He's going to get what's coming to him and if you stand in our way you'll be joining him!! Now get in the fucking car and get tracking!" Sebastian glared at Mon dangerously. "Get. Your gun. Out. Of my face." he warned in a low growl. His fangs growing. --- Damien couldn't help chuckling in amusement at Blaire's remark. "Well it's a good thing that I'm not here out of curiosity then!" he laughed, shaking his head. "Hey, I get it. You must get a dozen idiot fanatic humans trying to sneak in here to get close to your vampiric customers on a nightly basis. Worrying that their curiosity will get someone hurt must drive you up the wall sometimes. But you really don't need to worry about me. I'm not human and I can handle myself." he said before taking a sip, apparently having already forgotten about the bracelet he was wearing. "Plus I'm not here to cause trouble. It's like I said, I feel comfortable around vampires. They kind of remind me of home." he held up his hand. "I promise, at the first sign of trouble I'll just leave. Will that help make you feel better?" he asked with a kind smile as he lowered his hand. "I just want a quiet drink after a really tough day. That's all. I promise. Then I'll be out of your hair. What do you say?" --- "You look after her, you hear me?" Carol grinned as she removed her hand and tried to keep her eyes open. "I'm not as merciful as David, so when I get my body I'll kick your ass to Hell and back if you hurt her." she bantered as she lay down on the bed and made herself comfortable. "Oh...and one more thing..." she yawned. "Put a damn ring on it already. Deep down she wants that, but you didn't hear that from me." she chuckled before falling asleep. A minute or two later, Amelia groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Charles?..." she blinked and opened her eyes sleepily. "Did it work? Did you talk to her?" she asked as she sat up groggily. Apparently, Amelia had absolutely no memory of the conversation between Carol and Charles. --- "But you couldn't have known?" Kasper said while hugging Phineas back, seeking comfort in his arms even though he still felt a little guilty for making Phineas upset. "B-but I could help you! I can show you some videos I watched when I'd been alive that talked about how life was lived in your time and what the dangers were if you'd like?" he then said eagerly, wanting to help Phineas adapt to his new life. --- "You good?" Kodi asked awkwardly when seeing how Autumn reacted to the reminder. "When is it due?" he asked while glancing at the clock on the wall. Hayward grinned and chuckled at Yami's question. "Sure, then maybe after that we could play fetch?" she joked to show she was comfortable in herself to make dog jokes too. "Thanks, guys, I'll see you in a few days," she said before heading out. --- The power boost from this kid was spectacular! But Donnie's thrill was short-lived as Insanity seemed ready to adopt the teen on the spot. He looked at Insanity hesitantly, wondering if that was such a good idea and knew they would need to talk about it properly later. But then, he supposed it wouldn't hurt for Theron to feel like he was a part of a real family while he learned to control himself. In short, Donnie was feeling a little conflicted. "We should take our newest member of the family home and get him settled in. I am eager to see if our toy has managed to get the woman to confide in him." Donnie said to Insanity before walking over and kneeling in front of Theron. "You'll be getting your own room in our palace. There is a woman there who is carrying our child so you'll need to be careful around her, alright? She was taken from us and her captors brainwashed her, so she's a little crazy right now and thinks we're evil but we're trying to help her see sense again." Denix Vames - March 16, 2022 "I love you too." ,said Nate before he fell asleep. --- "Cool." ,said Storm. He and the other members rolled up some joints before lighting them up. Storm handed Lily a joint. "All you have to do is take a deep breath of this then let it out." Grim passed a joint to Bob. "Try it out man." --- "Hold on a second!" Carter stepped in between. "Mon, is this really something that you want to do?" "What do you mean? Of course he does!" "Or is it something that you told him to do?" He looked at Salvo who lowered his weapon. Salvo frowned. "I gave him that hateful vengeance. I never meant to. You just get so use to traditions and..." He shook his head. "Mon, I'm sorry." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't how we handle things anymore. We can tell David. Maybe then he'll give him a proper talking-to." "And Bern isn't exactly dead." "What do you mean?" "Yes, he died. But people who die can either become demons or angels. So no matter which one, he'll still be able to come back. He'll always be the same Bern that you guys know." Salvo raised a brow. "Huh! I didn't even know that was a thing." --- Blaire smiled. "Don't worry. You seem like you know how to take care of yourself." She pointed at the bracelet. "What's that around your wrist? Jewelry of some kind?" --- Charles smiled and nodded. "Yes she did. I know how we can help her. We just need Hades's help." He thought for a moment. "But before we fetch her, I need to ask you something." He knelt in front of her. Holding her hand. "Amelia Magpie? Will you marry me?" --- "I do like to learn. I think that would be a wonderful idea." ,said Phineas. --- Autumn blushed. She held an awkward smile. "Uh...Tomorrow?" Yami chuckled at her joke before saying goodbye. Walter waved. --- "Evil? What is evil?" "It means when someone's being mean." ,said Insanity. "Oh." Theron nervously rubbed his arm. "Um...I don't really care about that because I was never taught it. I don't understand. I just know that you two helped me." "Then what if we were evil? What then?" "You're my first family and I will not lose that. Otherwise, I'll be lonely and scared. I'll feel the pain again. So no matter who is labeled as what, I will kill anyone who tries to hurt my family. I'll do whatever you ask of me to do." Insanity grinned. "That's my boy." He hugged him tight. Theron smiled. "Now, keep an eye on our lady friend. Alright?" Theron nodded. "But what if I get bored of looking at her? Can't I have some toys?" shadowess - March 17, 2022 Lilly brought the joint up to her lips while watching the hot end warily. She inhaled then was surprised by how hot the smoke was as it hit her throat and immediately began coughing until her eyes watered from the effort to stop. Wincing, he looked at the others in embarrassment and wondered if the coughing was normal but so far she hadn't seen anyone else cough. Bob had taken the joint as well and eagerly placed it between his teeth. With no lungs, however, there was no way that he could actually inhale the smoke, so he just sort of held it there for a moment before passing it along and pretending to exhale. He then looked at Lilly when she began coughing. "Heh, wuss. I didn't cough once!" he jabbed. "Yep. I'm a pro at this!" He sat back with his hands behind his skull. --- When Salvo seemed to change his tune, Mon's gun hand shook a little. "B-Boss? But-but-..." he then heard Carter's words and his eyes widened. He looked at the gun before looking back at Carter and Sebastian. "H-he can come back?" he asked, his voice starting to break as he lowered the gun. "How? a-a-and how long does that take?" --- Damien looked at the bracelet and his heart skipped a few beats as he remembered he had no powers or supernatural strength anymore. He sighed with a frown as he looked up at Blaire and took another sip of his drink. "It's a reminder that there are some things I need to do..." he answered before downing the rest of his drink and taking out his phone. "Hey, I don't suppose you have a quiet, private room available here? I need to make a few calls." --- Amelia watched Charles curiously then her cheeks turned a deep pink and the breath caught in her throat as he asked his question. "I-I-..." she stammered then moved forward to kneel on the floor with him and threw her arms around him. She kissed him passionately and giggled between kisses. "Yes," she whispered as she rested her head against his. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Yes, I will." --- Kasper smiled and moved to look at Phineas while caressing his cheek. "Then I'll show you... I'm sure there'd be a computer in this house somewhere..." He said thoughtfully as he got to his feet and took his hand. Together they'd look at the rest of their home until they found a little nook with a bookcase, an armchair, a desk, a desk chair and a computer. Kasper sat at the computer and only had to touch the mouse for the computer to log him in. "Oh wow... no need for passwords, I guess," he said in amazement before pulling up YouTube and setting up a video for them to watch. "Here we go." he smiled then moved to sit on Phineas's lap in the armchair so that they could watch the video together. --- Kodi sighed with a small smile as he shook his head and walked back to the table. He sat down next to her and looked at her homework. "Alright, you said it was about Napoleon? Let me tell you some stories about Sir Grumpy the Short," he smirked then started telling her story after story about him. --- "I'm sure we can find you some things to play with." Donnie nodded. He had to admit that finding out Theron was practically a moral blank slate did put him a bit at ease. He was essentially ready for Insanity and Donnie to mould him however they pleased. "But first, we should go home." he placed a hand on Insanity's shoulder while they were still hugging and teleported them into the main room of the 'palace'. By now, Warren had already tidied away all of the sex toys that had been laying around. The large cushions were piled into one corner of the room and the marble floor was now spotless and gleaming. Warren looked up, he was still on his hands and knees with a bucket of soapy water next to him and a rag in his hands. He'd been trying to clean up his own blood stains from when Insanity had cut him. "You're back!" he beamed and bowed to them. "I thought you would like a clean home to come back to." Donnie barely paid any notice and glanced towards the door Patience had gone into earlier on. "Has she come out at all?" he asked and Warren looked back up at them. "She went into the kitchens earlier to get herself some food but then she locked herself in that room again," Warren answered honestly. "Did she say anything to you while she was out?" "No, sires. I don't think she trusts me yet."

Denix Vames - March 12, 2022 "Then I guess that's settled." Nate yawned. "I think we've both had a day. I'm going to take a nap. Are you going to stick around for one too? After all, I wouldn't mind." --- Xenos laid down as he continued to kiss her. He gently pulled her shirt off before running his hands down her back. --- Pain chuckled. "That's alright. Burps are awesome." He stood and placed some money on the table. Paying for the food. "I think the others are already at the van. It has been a while already." --- Bern smiled at Mon. "I love you so much. Don't ever stop being you. My husband...." His body suddenly became heavy. He let out his last breath as he closed his eyes. Accepting his death. Salvo shook his head. He punched a wall. "That fucker! We're going back to Carter's and taking that bastard down! C'mon Mon! You want revenge, right? Let's bring a couple of our men and gun that bitch down!" --- Charles shook his head. "And this whole entire time, I was afraid to go anywhere near him." He pinched the brim of his nose. "That damn bastard. Either he was nice or ruthless the next second. What a leader he was. Hmph!" He sighed. "I won't be anything like him, will I? Or am I already?" --- After the kiss, Phineas ran inside. Having let Kasper open the door. His eyes sparkled at the sight of the indoor decor. He let Kasper stand before running to the bedroom. "It's actually here!" He lifted a foundation product that was made during his time. It read that one of the ingredients was Arsenic. Not knowing the harm behind it. "I've always wanted to try makeup." --- Autumn shrugged. "Sort of ok." Cory nodded. "Yeah sure. I could use a guide." He followed Hayward to the break room. "Cory!" ,said Winters. He gave him a sudden hug. His face went red when he realized he had done this in front of everyone. He stood back. "Um....So, how are you out of that cell?" Cory awkwardly cleared his throat. "They gave me a warning. Are you ok?" Winters nodded. "I'm alright." He clenched his own arm. "Can we talk outside?" ,asked Cory. Winters nodded. "Of course." They headed out of the precinct. Autumn raised her hands. "That's the only time I give therapy. There's no way I'd get lucky twice to help out." --- Carter smirked. "Looks like we have a temporary housemaid." Will rolled his eyes. "That guy has no sense of respect." --- Insanity sat up. "Donnie dear, I sense someone who can't seem to control his own powers. We could kill him but he appears to be a mixture of some creatures. I sense Angelic, Devil, and Leviathan blood within him. I believe when ADIEU was still in existence, he was one of their experiments. Though I'm not sure how he escaped. Those memories are fuzzy." A teenage boy was walking past as he struggled to deal with the pain in his body. He clutched his head as he cried out. His wide eyes were purple. He wore a long tight black dress with a white collar and white cuffs. His hair was short and red. Black blood dripped from his mouth and nose. He leaned back until he was touching the ground with his hands. Spikes were coming out of him. Going back and forth as he screamed. Shadowess - March 13, 2022 "I'm in no rush to go anywhere." Tom smiled then yawned as well out of reflex from watching Nate yawn. He chuckled after he did. "Well, at least we know I'm not a psychopath." he joked. "Apparently yawning when you see someone else yawn is an empathic reflex. That being said, I am pretty tired too. And also pretty sure I can already feel the hangover coming on." he winced as he noticed a small throbbing headache that hadn't been there a moment ago. --- Leaning over Xenos, Tia kissed him deeply and passionately. She let out little moans as she felt his hands on her back. She started to grind her hips against his opening his shirt and kissing down his neck to his chest. --- "Oh, I hope we didn't keep them waiting too long," Lilly said as she was reminded that she and Pain weren't the only ones who had come out today and she worried that they might've kept them waiting. --- Tears rolled down Mon's cheeks. "B-Bern? Bern, wake up?" He devolved into sobs as he held his body and rocked with him. Hearing Salvo behind him broke Mon out of his stupor before he could become overwhelmed by his loss. He looked back at him and blinked away his tears as his sorrow rapidly gave way to anger. His grief blinded his judgement as he stood and wiped the tears from his face before pulling out his gun. "I wanna kill that son of a bitch!" he raged. --- "Honestly, that fear of going near him might've saved your life," Carol commented. "At least with no connection to Lucifer, you stood a chance at a life at all." she looked back at Charles and shook her head with a sad smile. "No, you're nothing like him. For one, your whole empathy thing and telepathy? Not one of his traits. I can only assume you get that from your mother, whoever she was. But maybe that's for the best? I was dubious about Amelia's plans to change Hell entirely when she took over but seeing how the two of you have worked together to make that possible? If you were anything like Lucifer, that plan would've failed outright." Carol smiled as she turned to face forward and pulled her knees up to hug them. "I can't help but miss him though. Grumpy, clever asshole that he was... he was the closest thing to a friend that I had... Barr David, of course." --- Kasper looked around in awe at the decor. The way his tastes and Phineas's had blended together almost perfectly. He followed him into the bedroom and smiled. "Really?" He asked as he walked over and looked curiously at the cosmetics. "Why would Heaven put dangerous substances into the products though? That seems a little odd," he commented obliviously then seemed thoughtful. "Well, I guess it's not like it could kill us now...Maybe the ingredients are more of a nostalgia thing here..." --- Kodi chuckled and sat at the table with Autumn. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe you could take up psychology when you finish school? I think you'd make a wonderful therapist." he said encouragingly. Meanwhile, Hayward had swung by the office and knocked on the door. She looked a little on edge. --- David's eyes were on the washroom door as he responded to Carter's comment. "I don't think we're out of the woods with him yet. He's likely to try and fight this. Don't give him an inch. Be hard on him and if he lashes out, don't be afraid to use force. Even though he's not around anymore, I think he still sees himself as Lucifer's apprentice... Like he has to prove himself to him..." he sighed and looked back at them. "If he gets too much and you need help, call for me." he vanished. Meanwhile, Damien still hadn't come back with the dustpan and brush yet... because he'd sauntered right out of the back door and down the street! --- "Hm?" Donnie turned his head to look at Insanity then glanced away from him to look at what he was seeing. "I see what you mean..." he said thoughtfully. He frowned as he watched him. "He looks as if he just walked right out of a monastery. We COULD kill him as you suggested. Or perhaps we could take him under our wing? Have him sign a contract, too?" he suggested. "He's a hybrid so he's not as much of a threat to us as a full-blooded Angel or Leviathan could be. Still, we should exercise caution anyway. But imagine having a creature like that on our side..." he shrugged and sat up, cupping Insanity's chin. "But I suppose you saw him first, my love. I will leave the decision to you and follow your lead this time." he smiled and kissed him lightly. He then glanced at Warren, who was watching them in quiet fascination. "There is a washroom back there. You should go and clean yourself up. When you're done, I have an important mission for you while we're gone." "Yes, sir?" "Sire." "S-Sire, sorry." "You recall that woman I brought with me earlier?" "Yes?" "Watch her for me. She is carrying my child so I can't risk anything happening to her but I get the feeling that she's up to something. Get close to her if you can. Make her feel comfortable around you. Enough to open up to you and tell you what she's up to. Then tell one or both of us when we get back. Understood?" "Yes, sire." Donnie smiled and caressed Warren's cheek. "Atta boy." he got to his feet and grabbed his clothes, dressing quickly before looking to Insanity. "Ready when you are, my Artist." Denix Vames - March 14, 2022 "I could get rid of that hangover for you, if you want." ,said Nate. --- Xenos moaned. He smirked. "Normally, this scenario would be the other way around. Still, I don't mind if you take charge." --- "Nah I don't think so. I'm sure they took just as much time as we did." At the van, the others had barely started walking over to the vehicle too. "Looks like everyone's here. Let's head back home." ,said Hades. --- Salvo, Mon, and some of the men had gotten into vehicles. Two were heading to Carter's office where everyone got out. Salvo kicked the door in. Everyone aimed their weapons. "Where the fuck is Damien?! That bastard killed one of my men! Bern was barely a married man!" Carter raised his hands. "Just calm down for a second. Sebastian will get him. He's still here." --- "I really need to ask this. Was Lucifer ever...caring? Did he show any amount of kindness?" ,asked Charles. --- "What do you mean by dangerous substances?" ,asked Phineas. --- Autumn shrugged. "I don't know. I've already got my own problems. Having to hear other people's problems would just stack up the emotional baggage." Yami opened the door. He stepped back so that Hayward could walk in. Walter lifted his head up. "Hayward? What's wrong?" --- Insanity smiled. Once both men were dressed, they headed out of the building. The teenager continued to cry out. He bent forward as he clutched his head. "It looks like you can't control these powers. Perhaps we could help you. Make you dominate them." "Please make it stop! It hurts! I don't like it!" Tears ran down the teen's cheeks. "Under one condition. You will sign a contract. Pledging your loyalty to us. If you ever attempt to rat us out to any government or higher being then we will destroy you. Do you understand?" "Yes! I'll do whatever you want! Just make the pain go away!" Insanity turned to Donnie. "Do you have any tricks for this?" shadowess - March 14, 2022 "You spoil me." Tom chuckled playfully. "Please do though. It feels like this could be a bad one." --- Tia giggled and ran her tongue from his chest up to his jaw, then into his mouth. She moved her hands down, under her skirt to unbuckle his belt. "That's good. Because I like being in charge." She grinned. (Private time) --- "Why're your cheeks that colour?" Bob pointed out and Lilly's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. "Because I actually have blood in my body?" Lilly quickly deflected. "Touche" Bob chuckled as he climbed into the van after her. --- "Bern's dead?" Sebastian gasped as he lifted his hands as well. He glanced at Carter worriedly then nodded and walked to the laundry room. He hoped they'd be able to talk them down rather than lead Damien like a lamb to the slaughter. After all, it wasn't like Damien could really defend himself anymore. He stepped into the laundry room, then his heart sank at the sight of the open backdoor and no sign of Damien. Nervously, he walked back into the living room to look at Salvo and Mon. "H-He's gone. He left through the backdoor." Meanwhile, Damien had walked so far and so fast from Carter's house that he was now nearer to the vampire club. He knew it was only a matter of time before Carter and Sebastian realised he was gone and came looking for him. He refused to be made a fool of so he headed straight for the club's door. Desi held up a hand to stop him then blinked in surprise. "Damien?" Damien quickly stuffed his hands into his pockets to hide the bracelet. "Oh, hi. You work here now?" "Yeah, Blaire was kind enough to give me a job. You know this is a Vampire club, right? The clubbers take one whiff of your blood and they'll be drawn to you like magnets." "Relax, Denny." "Desi." "Whatever. I can handle myself and I promise I won't cause any trouble. I've had a rough day and could use a drink." "Here? Why not the bar down the street or one in Hell that actually serves Demons Brew?" Damien bounced a little on the spot, growing desperate to get out of the open. But he couldn't tell Desi that he needed to hide quickly or that he couldn't teleport. "Can you keep a secret?" he whispered and leaned in a little. "Of course." Desi answered and leaned forward to listen to him. His curiousity peaked. "I kinda like getting bit. It's a kink and it helps me relax." he lied. Truthfully he'd never been bitten before and wasn't about to let anyone do that to him. "Ohhh. Ok, I get it." Desi chuckled and lifted the belt. "Just don't let them take too much." "Never do." Damien grinned as he headed inside. Once there he headed straight for the bar and sat on one of the stools with a relieved sigh. "One of the strongest drinks you have." he said as he took out his wallet. "And yes, I know this is a club for vampires. I like their company." He then said pre-emptively with a casual smile. --- Carol's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to recall instances when Lucifer had displayed kindness. "In his own way..." she answered finally. "You have to remember that before he rose to power he had been betrayed and tortured by those who had once been close to him. So, he had difficulty trusting anyone. Even me. But there were moments..." she nodded. "When Damien vanished to look after his infant son, Lucifer found him and helped him to ensure his safety. When David lost his daughter and grand daughter, he showed up to the funeral. He didn't say a word but he stayed even after everyone else had gone home... He wasn't a hugger but I think even David understood that his presence there was purely an attempt to show support." She turned to look at Charles. "He was an angry, damaged man. But I don't believe that he was ever evil." --- "Arsenic." Kasper shrugged and pointed to the ingredients. "To humans, it's toxic." He sat down on the bed and looked at the makeup in fascination. "But it's not a big deal. Most products in history were made from things that humans at the time didn't realise would be harmful. That's how we learned. Trial and error. Without that-" he nodded to the foundation. "There wouldn't be strict guidelines for manufacturers to follow nowadays To keep the consumers safe." --- "Yeah, it can get exhausting. But it can be rewarding too, to know that at the end of the day you managed to help at least one person." He tilted his head and smiled. "Though, you would definitely need to be mindful of your own health too. I guess it's all about figuring out the right balance." Hayward scratched her arm as she stepped inside. "Hey. So, the full moon is in the next couple of days and I'm starting to feel... not myself. Would it be alright to take the next few days off?" --- Donnie looked at the boy carefully while scratching his chin in thought. He nodded to Insanity and whispered a spell into his ear that he could use. It was only a temporary solution to relieve the boy of his apparent spasms. They would need to work closely with the boy to help him control his powers himself. Once done, he stepped back and winked at Insanity, allowing him to take the reigns on this one. 'Once he is calm, have him sign the contract. Let him know we will only help him learn how to control his powers once we have his signature.' He thought to him then snapped his fingers, making the contract and pen appear in his own hands. Denix Vames - March 14, 2022 Nate placed a hand on his head. The hangover soon vanished. "There. Now, we can both sleep without any troubles." --- Once everyone was in the van, Hades placed her hands on the dashboard. In just a moment, there were back in New York City. Their van was parked on the side near their home. "I think I could use some weed. Do you guys want to try it? I have some." ,said Storm as he turned to Lily and Bob. --- "Then we're going to find him together. I'm sure you guys have some special ability to track down people, right? I mean you're vampires after all." ,said Salvo. He pointed at the doorway. "We've got some wheels. Just take us to where he is." Blaire rolled her eyes before pouring him a drink. "You look sort of familiar which is weird cause I've never seen you before." --- "So, he just had a hard time because of what he went through. And it hardened him into what he became." Charles bit his lip. "I guess I can't really blame him for that." --- "Not a big deal?!" Phineas dropped the foundation. "If this is toxic then no one should have ever had it! I'm already sorry that I even conjured it up." The foundation vanished as did the other products. "Those poor people...." He stared at himself in the mirror. "I need to find modern makeup. You said it was safe, right?" --- She said, "Only if that's the right job for me. I'm still figuring things out." Cory and Winters walked in. "Hey, do you go to Stormstead?" ,asked Winters. "Uh yeah, Why?" "Well, we were wondering..." "If you wanted to hang out with us during lunch next time?" ,said Cory. She picked at the loose string on her sleeve. "Oh um....Sure. I mean yeah." "Cool. I guess we'll see you then." She nodded. "Um Bye." Both men left as they held hands together. Autumn barely noticed this. "Uh...Wow..." "Of course. If there's any other werewolf officer, please let them know that they can take some days off too." ,said Walter. Yami walked over to her. "Hey. Sorry that I called you a bitch before when we first met. No hard feelings?" He held out a hand for her to shake. --- Insanity said the spell out loud. The teenager suddenly stopped. He caught his breath as he realized the pain was gone. He cried out, "Thank you! Thank you! I'm glad it's gone!" Insanity walked over to him with the contract and pen. "That was only temporary. If you want us to help you control whatever this is, then you will have to sign this contract. Only then will we help you." The teenager rubbed his eyes. "But I don't have a name. The people in white never gave me one. They were mostly quiet." He enclosed his hands. Pressing them to his chest. "Oh please give me a name! I'll sign your contract with the name that you've chosen. Because I know that you two can make good names. You've already taken away the pain." Insanity turned to Donnie. "Care to do the honors of giving this young man a name?"

Denix Vames - March 9, 2022 "I mean you're practically hired already. Still, it would definitely give us a good excuse to have some fun. Want to start now?" ,said Nate. --- Xenos looked into her eyes. "What a warrior you are." He kissed her deeply. --- "Glad to hear that you like it. Try out the soda. It makes the meal way more better." Pain took a sip from his drink. --- Bern slightly chuckled. "Kind of funny, isn't it? We just got married and now...." He caught his breath. "This is happening." "On it!" ,said the driver. He hit the gas pedal. Speeding their way to the mansion. Everyone soon reached the door which the driver opened. At their doctor's room, Bern had already lost plenty of blood to make him feel woozy. On his stomach, he had no choice but to hope as the doctor worked his magic. Bern began to blink slowly. "Mon? Salvo? Why is it so cold?" --- "Actually, I'm an orphan. I was raised by the headmaster of the orphanage that I grew up. Why do you ask? Who do I resemble?" ,said Charles. --- "A mirror. I want a mirror." Phineas held up the mirror that appeared in his hand. He lifted it. He gasped at the sight of himself. He touched where his wound was but found it gone. Then he realized something which made him frown. "No...I wanted this but now that I understand things better....It just doesn't feel right. Being who I am with my mistakes is what makes me Phineas. Myself. I am grateful that I have my right eye but am I now hiding what happened to me? I don't want to do that." --- Billy rolled his eyes at Azrael's disbelief. He wrapped an arm around him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Does that answer your question?" He chuckled at what he had done. --- "Why even bother talking to me any further? You've practically got enough to know what my favorite color is. I'm sure you would rather be at the computer than listen to me." ,said Cory. Autumn and Winters burst into the holding cell area. "Cory!" ,said Winters. He ran over to him. "What the hell are you doing here?" "I came here to help. I heard about what happened." "Forget it! I don't need your goddamn help!" Autumn glared. "What is wrong with you? He just wants to help." "Yeah? Well, he can stay out of it!" Winters turned to Hayward. "Please officer! Whatever he did just put the blame on me! Or let me pay it off. His parents-" "That's enough man!" ,said Cory. Winters took his glasses off before rubbing his eyes. "Damn it! Why can't you ever let me help you? For once, just let me repay you for what you've done for me." Cory seemed concerned. "Winters..." --- As both men were arguing, Will had placed the wristband over Damien's wrist. It locked itself there. Making sure it would never get off unless Will did the deed himself. Shadowess - March 11, 2022 "I'm always up for fun with you." Tom winked at him playfully and kissed his cheek. "Then I guess it's decided. I'll enrol in college and get that degree. Then I can help you with your new business." he grinned playfully before adding. "Boss." --- Drawn to Xenos's gaze, Tia kissed him back while caressing his cheek. The moon shone through the branches of the trees overhead and showered them both in the lunar light. It was not yet full but would be in the next few days. As it shone on her, Tia's brown eyes seemed to glow a little and subconsciously her body released a pheromone to make her irresistible to Xenos. Unaware of these subtle changes to her body and already caught up in the moment with Xenos, she moved her kisses down to his neck while slipping a hand through the buttoned part of his shirt to feel his chest. --- Lilly swallowed the burger and did find that on the way down it had dried her throat out a bit. She picked up her glass and took a sip. She crinkled her nose a little at the fizz, not used to carbonated drinks yet. She swallowed it then giggled a little. "The bubbles feel strange. But I kind of like it." --- Mon was by Bern's side and holding his hand tightly. "He's going to be ok, right doc?!" he looked up at the doctor frantically who gave him and Salvo a grave look but didn't say anything so as not to frighten Bern. Truthfully, there had been so many shards of glass that had struck him that it was difficult locating the smaller shards that might still be tearing him up inside. Still, he hadn't given up yet and was still pulling glass out of his back, piece by piece. Then stitch up the wounds as best he could. At the look the doctor had given them, Mon broke down into quiet, frightened sobs as he leaned his head against Bern's. "Please stay with me, Bern. I love you so much," he whispered. --- (These memories are based on previous RP's that Carol was involved in ) "Orphan, huh?" Carol nodded. It was possible then and it would explain why Charles had been left to his own devices for so long without being hunted down like the other Devils. She bit her lip, hesitant to tell him in case it upset him but she knew he'd either be told or would figure it out for himself sooner or later. "I think it'd be best if I showed you..." she lifted her hands to him. "Do you mind?" she asked before she'd place her hands on the sides of his head. "I could share my memories with you." If Charles would give her permission, she'd close her eyes and concentrate on sending him short clips of her memory... 'Carol was sitting in an arena full of Demons who were cheering at the contestants in the centre who were fighting. Clementine was one of the contestants and she was in her second form, running after a Demon who was flying about the field, holding a sword and swatting at her whenever he could. "Are you enjoying the show?" A voice came from next to Carol and she turned her head to look at him. The man was slightly taller than she was. He wore a suit and had short, blond hair. His eyes were blue and sharp as he stared back at her. "Oh, yes sire!" Carol replied eagerly. "This was a wonderful idea!" "It was hers." The man nodded to Clementine. At that moment, the Demon with the sword had managed to figure out that the crack in Clementine's head was a weak spot and he'd struck it with force, causing the crack to spread across her porcelain skin. "She's been trying to impress me lately. She wants to become my apprentice." "Her?" Carol scoffed saltily. "When we have such a good thing going?" she joked. The man smirked. A rare sight. "I made a deal with her. If she wins this little tournament thing, I would consider her." "Do you think she will?" "We'll see." They continued watching the fight and the Demon fighting against Clementine had managed to shatter her hard shell, revealing her heart. After a risky move where the Demon narrowly escaped being crushed under her fist, the Demon had thrown his sword into her heart. Killing her and ending the fight. He held his fists up triumphantly as the crowd's cheers grew louder. The only one who seemed to be angry by the outcome was the man sitting next to Carol. "Pathetic!" he seethed then stood and vanished.' After a moment's pause, Carol played another of her memories... 'Carol was following the man from the previous memory closely as he strode through the halls of the abandoned hospital. "Head them off," he ordered and Carol giggled before vanishing and reappearing on the opposite end of the hospital, blocking the way to the second exit just as a female rounded the corner. The woman was human and still alive. She was wearing a jumpsuit with a logo on the right side of her chest that said 'ADIEU'. She also had several bulky looking devices strapped to her and was holding a sword made out of angelic steel. Carol recalled that these humans had used such devices to teleport themselves into Hell on a scouting mission to collect Demons for their experiments. What they hadn't anticipated was that the man pursuing them would sense their arrival and become very protective over his people. "Hello, sweet thing." Carol purred mockingly as the woman ground to a halt and stared at her. "We should 'chat'" Carol grinned. Somewhere behind the woman, a man could be heard screaming terribly. The woman had jumped and turned her head to look in that direction. "Francis?!" She screamed in a trembling voice. This gave Carol enough time to teleport to her side and grab her sword arm, breaking it and causing her to cry out while the sword fell to the ground. The screaming had stopped and while Carol held her captive tightly, she turned them to face the man as he walked calmly around the corner. Only he no longer resembled a man. Now he was completely skeletal and covered in flames. His once pristine suit was now charred and black. In his boney hand, he held a head by its hair which was rapidly burning from the fire. He dropped the head and stood a short distance from them. "You would come into my home and challenge me?" The man's voice growled from the humanoid skull. "John will bring you down!" The woman shouted at Lucifer. "You and God! And together we will create a new Eden! Punishment Devine!!" "Not this shit again!" Carol growled. The male tilted his head forwards a little, making his stance a little more menacing. "I will destroy him as I will destroy you," he promised then reached out a hand and Carol nodded, throwing the woman to him. He gripped her tightly and she writhed. Screaming and struggling to get herself loose, the woman burned up in the man's flames. Once she was an unrecognisably burned up husk, he dropped her body and turned to look in the opposite direction. "Two down. Three to go."' Carol removed her hands from Charles's head and looked at him carefully. "I was loyal to him. Fiercely loyal... I have killed for him. I would have died for him... Then Amelia came into our lives and I did something that I swore I'd never do... I kept her a secret from him." She said as she rested her hands on her lap. "I could be wrong... but, you just look so much like him." --- Kasper hugged Phineas quickly and warmly. "Phineas, how you look does not change who you are or the man you have become," he told him as he pulled back a little to look at him. "After all, it is not your eye or your wound that I fell in love with. It's the man in here." he pressed his hand against his chest, over his heart. "You are so much more than how you appear to others." --- Azrael's cheeks turned red and he chuckled nervously. "I guess it does." he smiled at him. "Alright. Prepare yourself. These things can be pretty heart-wrenching. The only person who will be able to see us is the one who is dying and we'll need to be strong for them. They'll need as much comfort as possible once their soul leaves their body." he told Billy to prepare him. He'd then teleport them both to his next assignment. Bern. --- Hayward was beginning to get tired of Cory's tough-guy act when Autumn and Winters came running in. "What the-?" she started then listened to them all as they spoke. She folded her arms but glanced back at Cory with a look of concern when Winter's had almost mentioned his parents. Malone walked into the area hurriedly. He saw the end of the fight and sighed heavily. "Autumn, please take this young man to our break area. Make him hot cocoa or something. We've got things from here." he said to her then placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright. Promise," he said gently. Hayward nodded to Malone. "Thanks, man." "Anything you need me to do?" "No, I've got things from here. Thanks." "You got it." He then followed the other two out of the room with the intention of keeping an eye on them from his desk. Hayward turned back to Cory and looked at him for a moment before sighing and tearing the page out of her notepad. She crumpled it up and threw it into the nearby trash can. "Let's make a deal." she proposed while folding her arms again and looking at him seriously. "I'll let you off with a warning if you promise to let us know if you ever need help. With anything. We don't all have a stick up our ass, you know." she offered him a small smile. "I get it. You need them to believe you're tough. But it's ok to admit when you need help too. You know that, right?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her own cards before handing it to him through the bars. "Here. If you ever get into trouble and need someone to talk to, just give me a call." --- David had been about to retort when both men heard a click. Feeling something suddenly tighten around his wrist, Damien looked down in time to see Will pull his hand away and the bracelet shift its size to fit snugly around his wrist. "What-?" Damien tried to pull it off then grew flustered when it wouldn't budge. He then began to panic when he felt his powers weakening and he looked back at his contract in time to see it- and the pen- disintegrate into ashes before any of the soldiers could have signed it. "No!" he whiled around to glare at Will. "What have you done! What is this thing?! You bastard!" He went to swing a fist at him but David had been ready for the outrage. He'd grabbed Damien's arm and spun him around. He kicked at his ankle to knock him down then pinned him to the ground. All in one fluid motion. "NO!! FUCK!! GET OFF ME!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?! GET THIS FUCKING THING OFF ME!!" Damien yelled furiously. "That's enough," David said sternly. "I think you've forgotten how difficult it is to be mortal. It's high time you were reminded of where you came from. You can start by helping Carter to rebuild the wall you knocked down!" "FUCK YOU!!" "Will, under no circumstances are you to remove his bracelet until he un-learns the shit Lucifer taught him!" David ordered, then stood while dragging Damien to his feet. "We have enough shit to deal with without you throwing a temper tantrum and putting the rest of us in danger!" he scolded Damien. "Lucifer should've fucking destroyed you." Damien seethed. "You were never loyal!" David became silent. Then, he spun Damien around and slapped him across the face. Hard enough that Damien was left biting back tears. He then gripped his arm and looked at Will. "Thank you for your help. Let's take the brat back to Carters now." Denix Vames - March 11, 2022 Nate chuckled. "So, want me to give an endless supply of money for your classes?" --- Xenos moaned as he ran his hands through her hair. He kissed her passionately. --- "Yeah, they can be pretty cool." Pain took another bite. He suddenly yawned. "I think playing that concert really worn me out. Guess I'll take a nap when we're done here." --- "Hey...." Bern lifted a weak hand to caress Mon's cheek. "Don't cry. It's going to be ok." "I'm ready as I'll ever be." ,said Billy before they appeared in the room. His eyes widened at the sight of Bern. "Jesus....! And I thought my death was bad." Bern moved his eyes to Azrael and him. "Huh? Wh-Who...?" --- Charles nodded at her. "Go right ahead." After looking through the memories that he saw, he just sat there in disbelief. He shook his head. "That can't be possible. I have no memories of being Lucifer. How do I look similar?" --- Phineas held a warm smile. He lifted Kasper off the ground befpre spinning him around. He then held him bridal style. "This day couldn't be any better. I've got my eye back. I can finally respect myself. But most importantly, I have you." He kissed him. --- Autumn nodded before touching Winters arm. "It's ok. Just come with me." Winters reluctantly followed her. At the break room, he sat there with a cup of hot cocoa sitting in front of him. He held his glasses as he cried. Autumn wasn't sure what to do. She awkwardly sat next to him. "You uh....really care about him." He rubbed his eyes and sniffled. "He's been my only friend at Stormstead High. I'd do anything for him." "Wait a minute. Stormstead? I go there. How come we've never seen each other?" He shrugged. "It's not like you'd want to be friends with me anyway." "But I do!" He was surprised. "Really?" She nodded. "Of course." Cory took the card. "Thanks but why are you helping me? I literally acted like a dick to you." --- Will's eye glowed. "The next time you say another comment like that you bratty bitch, I'll take your pants off and spank you. You can enjoy the embarrassment." He held David's hand. All three soon appeared in Carter's place. Carter had been watching a comedy on TV. He switched the TV off when he saw them. "I'm guessing Damien here is in trouble. Again." "And he's here to fix the wall." ,said Will. Carter couldn't help but smile. Looking at Damien. "Then you can start working today." shadowess - March 12, 2022 "No, thank you." Tom chuckled. "Like you, I think I'd prefer the satisfaction of earning something like that the human way." he kissed him softly then rested his head against his shoulder. He held Nate's hand and slipped his fingers between his. --- Letting out a soft moan, Tia kissed him back while unbuttoning his shirt. --- "It has been a very exciting day." Lilly agreed with a nod. She ate the rest of her burger and was so full from it that she barely touched her fries. She downed the rest of her drink then looked surprised when the carbonated beverage caused a burp to slip out. She quickly covered her mouth. Eyes wide and face red with embarrassment, she looked down shyly. "Sorry..." she said quietly. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and stood from the table. "Shall we head back to the van, then?" --- Azrael gently placed a hand on Billy's shoulder and gave him a sombre look as a way of reminding him that they needed to be strong for the person dying. He removed his hand then walked over to Bern before kneeling by the bed, just beside Mon. "Hello, Bern. Please don't be afraid," he said in a gentle whisper. "I mean you no harm. My name is Azrael. I am the Angel of death. When you are ready, I will escort you to Heaven. But please don't despair. Although this is the end of your life, it is merely the beginning of your afterlife." At Bern's words, Mon had looked behind him but only saw Salvo. He looked back at Bern then glanced at the doctor who shrugged. "He's lost a lot of blood and I gave him a pretty strong dose of morphine. He's probably hallucinating." the doctor explained. Sniffling, Mon lifted his hand to hold Bern's against his cheek. "I'm right here," he said to him quietly. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, ok? I love you so much." Mon's voice kept breaking as he spoke. --- Carol let out a laugh at Charles's assumption and she shook her head while lightly patting his knee. "Oh, no sweet thing!" she giggled. "Trust me, you're definitely not Lucifer and I would know!Technically speaking, I've had you both." she winked. Being attached to Amelia, something like that was unavoidable. Yet she removed her hand and placed it back onto her own lap while looking at Charles fondly. "No, you're not him. But..." she sighed. "and again, I COULD be wrong... but you look strikingly like him. Both in your human form and your second form. A form that happens to be as specific as it is rare. Hell has dragons aplenty but flaming skeletons?" she shook her head. "Only ever knew one other... and you just saw him in my memories." She glanced away from him with a thoughtful expression. "Lucifer wasn't exactly a stranger to lovers and marriage either. He'd been around for centuries and had already been married a dozen times by the time I met him. So, it would only make sense that he'd have a few children over the years." She glanced back at Charles. "And it would also make sense as to why he might abandon them... like drop them off at an orphanage for example... I mean, you only need to look at what happened to Damien when he'd announced him as his apprentice. The poor boy was hunted mercilessly by Angels whenever he stepped foot on Earth. Back then, if Lucifer's apprentice had that big of a target on his back, can you imagine what they'd have done to Lucifer's children if they ever knew of their existence?" she speculated aloud. "At least, that's why I think he would have done it. But you know..." she shrugged. "I might be wrong. Of course, if I'm not though... that would technically make you the rightful heir to Hell's throne." --- Doctor Fenton smiled at them as he watched their happy moment. "I'm glad to see such a drastic improvement in the both of you already. Don't forget, you can expect a visit once per week for a therapy session until you're both signed off. But for now, I wish you both the best." he nodded at them before vanishing. "Let's look inside our new home!" Kasper said excitedly. He had an arm wrapped around Phineas's shoulder and his other hand rested on his chest as Phineas held him. He kissed him again and his kiss was charged with pure love. --- Kodi stepped into the breakroom then paused when he saw Autumn with the boy. "Oh, there you are. Everything ok?" he asked as he walked over to the sink and rinsed his now empty mug. Hayward shrugged as she unlocked the cell and held the door open for him. "Because you remind me of someone," she replied with a sly smile. "Want me to show you where the break room is? I think that's where your friend went." --- Damien glared at Will when he'd threatened to spank him. "Aren't you dating my son?" he asked, insinuating that such a threat could be easily misinterpreted. At Carter's words, Damien growled. "Are you all insane?! You'll have me working as a mortal while Donnie gets stronger?! Fuck this shit! Get this damn bracelet off me!" "No," David replied coldly yet calmly. "You'll keep that 'damn bracelet' on until you remember what it was like to be a fragile human. Then maybe you'll be more considerate of the mortals you come into contact with." "Like Bern." Sebastian stepped into the room with his arms folded, glaring at Damien as well. "He got hurt when you shattered all the glass in here! And you can clean this mess up too!" he gestured to the broken glass around the place. "Shame on you!" "Do not speak to me like I'm a child!" Damien growled at him. "Then don't act like one!" Sebastian snapped back while walking over to Carter. "Dustpan and brush are in the laundry room." Red-faced but outnumbered and outmatched, Damien grumbled as he marched into the laundry room. --- A little out of breath, Warren was laying on a heap of large pillows with Insanity and Donnie. Donnie was between them, with an arm wrapped around them on either side of him. Warren's head was on Donnie's chest. He watched as Donnie was still kissing Insanity slowly and passionately before the kiss broke. Donnie's head flopped back to rest on the pillows as he grinned. "I am spent!" He chuckled. He looked down at Warren with a smirk. "Well done. You ended up being more enthusiastic than I thought you'd be." Warren looked between them both nervously. His cheeks were still flushed from their activities. "Y-you said if I did what you told me...that you would protect me?" he asked in a quiet voice. "Of course. That was the deal, wasn't it?" Donnie smiled then snapped his fingers, making the contract appear next to his head with the pen. Warren lifted his head to look up at it. "What's that?" "Insurance," Donnie answered. "It's our contract. Swear yourself to us. Become our loyal servant and concubine. In return, you will be under our protection. Of course, I must warn you. If you break your vow and betray us, your soul will be destroyed and you will cease to exist." At his last few words, Warren's eyes widened as he stared at the contract. He began to shiver. Seeing this, Donnie lifted his hand to caress his cheek. "But that won't happen because you won't betray us. Look at me," he said gently and Warren tore his eyes away from the contract to look at him tearfully. "Your soul is damned. There is nothing for you out there now but pain, punishment and despair. My beloved Insanity gave you a taste of that earlier." Donnie told him and Warren shivered again at the memory of Insanity stripping him down and carving into his chest. He dread to think what any other demon would do to him if he was left to wander Hell alone. "But you are fortunate. Because you have been chosen to be the consort of Hell's rulers. Instead of agony and hopeless wandering, we are offering you an eternity of pleasure and comfort. All that we ask in return..." Donnie sat up and picked up the pen before pushing it into Warren's hand. "Is your loyalty." he then leaned in and kissed Warren gently and slowly. "Be ours," he whispered as he lay back down and wrapped his arm around Insanity again. Warren's head spun and his heart was beating hard as he looked from Donnie to the contract. He bit his lip and toyed with the pen in his hand hesitantly before looking back at them, clearly weighing his options. But as far as Warren knew, he only really had the one option if he wanted any hope of remaining safe. What he didn't realise was that Donnie had manipulated him into thinking that this was his only choice and that this was the beginning of what would likely develop into a very severe case of Stockholm syndrome for Warren. Finally making his decision, Warren tried to sign the contract but the sharp point of the pen left a small scratch on the paper. He paused and looked at the pen in confusion. "I-I think it's out of ink?" he said obliviously, causing Donnie to chuckle. "Your blood is the ink, Warren. The pen is a needle." He told him and watched as the realisation washed over Warren's features. Turning the pen in his hand, he saw the needle's point in place of a standard pen's nib. Hesitantly, he pressed it to his finger then sucked air through his teeth at the sting. He saw the small amount of his blood shoot up into the ink chamber and knew it had already taken enough for one signature. Removing his finger, he looked back at the contract, then took a deep breath before signing on the line. Donnie gasped a little softly from the additional power boost. Although in comparison to a bar full of demons, this was only a small boost. He snapped his fingers and the contract, along with the pen vanished. He then grabbed Warren's arm and gently pulled him down to join them again while running a hand through his hair. "Welcome to our little family, Warren." he grinned while Warren rested his head on his chest again with a torn look in his eyes. He got the impression from his captors that they were happy with him but he couldn't help wondering if he'd made the right choice. Looking for reassurance, he looked between Donnie and Insanity. "So, I'm yours now? You won't hurt me?" "We won't let others hurt you." Donnie clarified. "The contract won't destroy you if you're disobedient. It'll only destroy you if you betray us to our enemies or if you conspire to destroy us. So if you step out of line, we will have to punish you." Donnie continued to run his fingers through his hair. "But you won't disappoint us, will you?" "N-no. No, I won't. I don't want to make you both mad."

Denix Vames - March 6, 2022 "I hope I can get that feeling. I need something to forget the fact that Heaven sucks." ,said Nate. --- Xenos chuckled. "Deal." He kissed her deeply. --- "Then maybe that means you can hang out with us some more? There are lots of places to go to for some fun." ,said Pain. --- "Boss!" Bern threw himself in front of Salvo as shards of glass pierced into his back. The impact made him fall over. Salvo looked at him as he was under Bern. "No! Bern!" He placed him on his side. "Fuck! This looks bad." Carter knelt by Bern. "We need to get him to the hospital." "We can't do that. They'll find out we're still around. We have our own personal doctor. Let's just get him back to the mansion." Will nodded at David. "You lead the way. I'll give him a wake up call." --- "I could try. Just hold still." Charles placed his hands on her head. Sending her to a deep sleep. He gently laid her down. "Carol? If you can hear me, please talk to Amelia. You and her need to talk." --- "Kasper...." His right eye suddenly opened. Resembling that of his left eye. Tears were leaving both of them. He cupped his cheeks before passionately kissing him. --- "What do you mean? Are you saying that I can't see my friends ever again?" Billy stood. "That isn't right! I need to be there with them!" --- The teenager held up his middle finger. "Up yours!" "Some annoying essay about that french guy called Napoleon. I don't even know why they bother teaching us this stuff. It's not like it ever helped me with my struggles." Autumn crossed her arms. "Besides, he sounds like a dick." She stood when she heard some shouting. "What's going on with that guy? Can I go over there and look?" shadowess - March 8, 2022 Tom cupped Nate's cheek and looked at him lovingly. "I could help," he said softly. "I'm not sure how but I could learn. I was thinking of doing a course in accounting before I changed. Maybe it's not too late to enrol at a college and get the qualification for it? Then I could help you when it comes to keeping track of expenses and profits." As Tom thought of this, he found himself feeling excited by the idea of picking up where he left off before ADIEU had flipped his life upside down. It was yet another way that his change to vampirism had given him a second chance at life. --- Tia kissed Xenos back and caressed his cheek as she did. She then broke the kiss and looked behind her when she heard Jack start to snore. She covered her mouth and stifled a laugh as she looked back at Xenos playfully. "Shall we visit 'our spot'?" she asked, referring to the part of the woods where they had made love for the first time. --- Lilly's smile became warm as she looked at Pain. "I'd like that," she said softly. "Maybe you could show me some of these places?" --- "Dammit... I'd come with you but... you know..." River said to Will from the couch, barely able to see now from both his eyes swelling up. "What's an injured Blood God gotta do to get some blood around here?" he called to the others. "Bern!" Mon also knelt by him and held his hand. "Hang on, Bern. We'll get you to the doc. He'll fix you up." he said then took his arm. "This is guna sting," he warned, then helped him to stand so they could walk him to the car. David had taken a handkerchief and held it against his nose as he watched the others try to carry Bern out of the house. "One moment," he said before placing the fingers from both his hands on either side of his nose and popping his nose back into place with a sickening crunch. He grunted from the pain but kept applying pressure with his handkerchief. "That's a little better." "I know something that might help." Rob appeared in the room. He winced at the sunlight which shone through the window. "Also, disclaimer. I'm pretty hungover so this is just a quick visit and I would really appreciate it if you all spoke quietly, thanks." he dug into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet that he had once worn. "I recently had to wear this as a penalty for...oh, it doesn't matter why. Here," he said, not wanting to go into detail about his affiliation with Mickey. He held it out for Will to take. "I'm not sure if it'll work on Devils but it's worth a shot." "What does it do?" David asked, looking at it curiously. "And also, who are you?" "Oh, right. That's right. I don't think I've met any of you. My name is Rob. I'm with Gabriel and that bracelet basically strips the wearer of their powers. The only thing they'll be able to do is teleport. Other than that, they're basically just slightly stronger than a normal human. The only person that can take it off, is the person who put it on them. Might be useful if you want to keep him safe while talking some sense into him." --- Amelia took a breath and relaxed as Charles did his thing, trusting him completely. Within seconds, she was sleeping deeply. A further few seconds later, her eyes flickered open again. Amelia then gave Charles a playful smirk. "Hello handsome." she purred before sitting up and looking at her hands. "Oh, it feels good to have a little control for a while." she shook her head and smirked at Charles again. "Don't worry, it's not permanent. I could never have control like this normally, even when she slept because she was always still at least a little conscious. Fun fact, Amelia is usually a very light sleeper." She turned to Charles and gave him a more serious look. "But I don't just want temporary fixes. I need something permanent. I've enjoyed watching over her but it's time that I had my own life again. I've been thinking a lot about what that man said to me at the wedding. Hell! If a Blood God essence can get his own body then why can't I?" she shook her head then in anticipation of Charles's worries over Amelia. "She'll be fine. We just need a spell that separates part of my soul from her while not stripping her of the spell she'd already placed. Ask that Hades chick. She's a Leviathan and from what I overheard, she's been around a long time. If there's ever a race who is familiar with the type of Devil that Amelia is, it's a Leviathan! From the stories I was told, both Ancient Devils and Leviathans used to be kind buddy-buddy before Hell's first take-over. Even if it doesn't work and Amelia winds up a fairy again, she could always ask you or one of the other Devils to change her. She won't be the same kind of Devil she was but she'd still be Devil." Carol explained hurriedly, not sure of how much freedom she'd have before Amelia woke up. --- Kasper was surprised by his other eye-opening and seeming to function again like a normal eye. He kissed Phineas back just as passionately while resting his hands on his chest. Before they could get too carried away, Doctor Fenton quietly faked a cough into his fist. He had been watching them with a small smile. When the kiss would break and they'd look in his direction, Fenton would hold the clipboard out for Kasper. He took it and smiled at Phineas with pink cheeks. He took the pen from Fenton as well and signed the documents eagerly. Once that was done, he handed the clipboard back and held Phineas's hand. Doctor Fenton handed the clipboard and pen to a nearby nurse and asked that they take it to the reception desk to process before turning back to face them. "Alright." he sighed and held out his hands. "Ready to see your new home?" --- Azrael frowned then looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "Well... You were granted the status of Angel before you were murdered here... and Heaven is considering opening up to Demons and Devils... you know, once this whole Donnie thing blows over..." He sat up and looked at Billy, placing a hand on his. "Let me see what I can do! Wait here," he said before vanishing. A couple of minutes later, Azrael reappeared and no longer stank of booze. In fact, he was completely sober now. "Well. He called me a drunken dumbass but he also said I raised a few good points," he explained while straightening out his suit, which seemed to now be much cleaner than it had been. "He sobered me up and cleaned me up then gave me this to hand to you." he took a small, golden medallion from his pocket and handed it to Billy. "Whatever you do, don't lose it. It grants its holder permission to be in Heaven. Kind of like a passport." he shrugged. --- Kodi chuckled at Autumn's comments about her homework. "Ahh, that guy. See, the reason they teach us these things is so that we don't forget how they happened and we can try to prevent something like that from ever happening again. It's like humanity as a whole is trying to learn from past mistakes." He then glanced over at the other teenager in the holding cell and frowned disapprovingly. "I don't know Autumn. Looks like Hayward has her hands full as it is with him. Best not to distract her. Besides, you should try to focus more on this." he tapped her homework with his index finger. "So that you don't end up like that." he pointed to the boy with his thumb. "Now, I gotta go file away some paperwork. Promise me you won't go getting involved?" Hayward had sighed and rolled her eyes at the kid. "Look, it's either I call your parents or social services. Which is it going to be, tough guy?" Denix Vames - March 8, 2022 "Go for it. I'll support you. Besides, that just mean we get an office as our number of places to have sex in." Nate winked. --- "Of course." Xenos held her hand as they left the room. Both were soon in the woods. "This place seems to get more beautiful each time I come here." --- The waiter came back with their orders. Placing them on the table before walking away. "Yeah sure. There's lot of awesome places to check out. I think you'll like them." Pain lifted the hot dog and took a bite. "Mmm! This stuff rocks!" --- Carter handed River a blood bag. "Here ya go." Will nodded at him. "You just rest up. Me and David can handle this." He accepted the wristband from Rob before disappearing with David. Salvo quickly opened the car door. Letting Mon place Bern in the backseat. Bern groaned as blood dripped from his lips. He leaned his head against Mon's. Nearly keeling over. "Mon....I-I....lov...." He grit his teeth. With Salvo in the passenger seat, his driver began the drive back to the mansion. --- Charles nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to her then and see what I can do. I'm sure we'll find a solution. We always seem to for every problem." He looked at the cot. "Do you want to hold him since you're here? I mean I know you never left but I'm sure you know what I mean." --- Phineas smiled before nodding. "Yes!" He raised a brow. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" He hadn't noticed the change in his right eye. --- "Hell yeah!" Billy gave him a tight hug. "Thanks man. I sure do appreciate it." He stuffed the medallion in his pocket. --- Autumn sighed. "Fine. I promise." The teenager crossed his arms before frustratingly saying, "Cory Blakewell." Another teenager burst into the precinct. He caught his breath. "Is Cory here? I heard he might be here. Please! I came here to help him. My name is Winters. He's my friend. I just need to talk to him." Once Kodi would leave, Autumn ran over to Winters. "I know where the cells are. Sort of. Just gotta here the sounds. C'mon. I'll take you." "Oh thank you!" They headed to two large doors in the far back. Shadowess - March 9, 2022 Tom chuckled with a cheeky grin. "So naughty!" he gasped then bit his lip while giving him a playful look. "I can't wait. Maybe we could try role play?" --- "It does, doesn't it?" Tia looked around then back at Xenos with a smile. "It reminds me of when I was saved and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the forest." she stepped close to Xenos and placed her hands on his chest. "It reminds me of the moment I saw you. My hero." she purred. --- Lilly was fascinated by the food that was set down in front of them. She looked at Pain's hotdog curiously. She knew what sausages were but that didn't look like any kind of sausage that she was familiar with. It was red! She looked at her burger and recognised it as just as a strangely shaped sandwich. Eagerly, she picked it up to try it. After taking a bite and chewing on it a bit, her eyes lit up. She swallowed what was in her mouth before covering her smiling mouth his her hand. "It's good!" --- Mon held on to Bern, holding him steady while looking at him tearfully. "Hey, shh. Don't do that. You're going to make it, ok? Just hold on. We'll be there in no time." he looked at the driver frantically. "Can't this thing go any faster?" --- "Thank you." Carol relaxed when reassured that they would try to find a way to give her her own life. She looked towards the crib and hesitated for a few reasons. Before Amelia had come along, Carol had never really liked kids and had done her best to avoid them. But this was different. Amelia was like a daughter to her now which meant this child was the closest to a grandchild that she would ever have. However, as much as she wanted to hold him, she shook her head with a small smile. "I don't want to confuse him. Besides, I'm not sure how long I have before Amelia wakes up. I don't want to risk passing out while holding him." she smiled at Charles. "Thank you, though. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to bond with the mini Devil once I'm free." She then gave Charles a sly smile while looking him over. "You look a lot like someone I used to know. Even in your second form. I noticed from the minute I saw you and frankly, I'm surprised that David hasn't." she said while turning to him to look at him curiously. "Charles, just curious, do you know who your parents are or were?" --- "You can't tell?" Kasper asked, smiling at Phineas. He'd assumed that Phineas would have noticed the change to his depth perception. "Your eye, Phineas. It's healed," he said softly. He looked around quickly. "Wasn't there a mirror in this room?" he asked and Fenton took their hands. "It's fine. I'll teleport you to your new home now. I'm sure there will be a mirror there for you to use." he said before teleporting them outside of a cosy looking cottage near an open field. "Here we are." he let go of their hands. "It's everything I dreamt of!" Kasper gasped as he looked at the cottage. "I came from a wealthy family and spent my whole life living in a mansion. But I don't need all that. I've only ever wanted a place where I could live comfortably, in a quiet place like this, without having too much." "Your home is adaptable to you. So, if you ever get bored and want a change, the house will shift to your desired size and structure. The same goes for its contents. All of your furniture is styled to your liking and if you get hungry or thirsty, there will always be your favourite foods and drinks in the kitchen." Fenton looked at Phineas. "Because you'll be living with Kasper, the home will also adapt to you. There will be rooms suited to your tastes as well and the kitchen will also cater to your cravings." he looked back at their home with a smile. "Welcome to Heaven." --- "It's the least I could do." Azrael smiled. He then scratched the back of his head, feeling a little awkward. "I'm just sorry you had to see me in that state. So, did you mean what you said about coming with me on my rounds or was the booze making me hear things?" he asked, giving Billy a chance to change his mind if he wanted while saving face. After all, Azrael would understand if he changed his mind given how depressing his job can be at times. He took out his little black book and opened it up. "This is how I see who is due to die. Once a name appears in this book, it cannot be undone," he explained. "It also gives me a little summary of what to expect. Like here, it says this man is due to die from massive internal bleeding. Then next to it, in this column here, it says where the soul needs to be dropped off. So, this man is due to go to Heaven. It also says that his last act was self-sacrifice to save someone else. So, I guess I'll be guiding a hero to Heaven today." he showed the page to Billy. --- Content with Autumn's answer, Kodi had left her to it while he took some of his paperwork to a back office. Malone watched as the other teenager had run into the precinct and had been just about to get up to help when Autumn had run over. He watched them with a raised brow for a moment before sighing as Autumn lead the boy towards the holding cell. "Kids..." He mumbled and got up from his desk, deciding it'd probably be for the best if he kept his eye on them so that they wouldn't get into trouble. Meanwhile, Hayward smiled as she wrote the boy's name into her notepad. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Are you going to give me your address as well or do I need to look you up?" --- By the time David and Will had arrived, Damien was doing something similar to what Donnie had done. Only he was addressing a barracks full of human privates in the UK. He had already promised to make them all into Demons to give them powers to be able to protect their families. In exchange, he had told them that he wanted them to join his army in Hell, swear their loyalty and sign his contract. He held the contract up, along with a pen that was similar to the one Donnie had used. "Who's first?" "Damien!" David barked at him as soon as they appeared, making Damien jump a little. Damien turned and glared at them. "No one signs his contract!" David then shouted to the cadets. "Holy shit! It's him!" One of the soldiers gasped as they all stared at David. In another building next to this one, was a hall. In that hall was a memorial to soldiers who fought in World War Two. David was in one of the photos, standing with a group of British and American soldiers in Germany. Needless to say, the soldiers here all knew who David Sedley was. "I need to do this! This is what I was made for! To lead an army!! It's what I trained for!" Damien ranted, turning on David. "Let me protect Hell my way, dammit!" "This isn't the right way! Those contracts are dangerous to the souls who sign them and addictive to the Devils that use them!" David shouted back. "Damien, Lucifer is gone! You don't need to try and make him proud anymore!" "You don't get it!! You'll never get it!!" Damien raged. He slammed the contract down with the pen and marched over to them. Poking a finger at David's chest. "I will not back down on this! Even if you managed to convince these men not to sign, I'll just teleport and find others who will! So, stay out of my way! Or should I put you through another fucking wall!?"

Denix Vames - March 4, 2022 "Lush is a soap company? Sounds more like what you feel before sex. But if they're a good brand to work with then I guess I could try them out." ,said Nate. --- Insanity moaned as he began stripping himself off of any clothes. He forced him on his knees where he was close to his crotch. "Do it." (private time) --- "They didn't want to. Donnie had them under his control when they sent them. Since they died, the spell wore off. Thankfully, this means that they can go back to their regular lives." ,said Xenos. He placed a hand on hers. "I promise that I'll never let anything happen to you or Jack. You're my family." --- "Alright. Do you want to try some sodas? They've got all kinds of flavors. It's basically a carbonated drink. They're awesome." ,said Pain. --- Salvo walked downstairs with a cigarette in his hand. He stood in front of Damien. "Look kid. If there's one thing I know about contracts, it's that they're nothing but bad news. And the lady knows what she's doing. She'll be fine. Trust me." He tapped the end of the cigarette before taking a puff. --- "I really doubt she being out of you would make you not a Devil anymore. Besides, I think it's time that we give Carol her own space. Otherwise, it's only to hurt you both." ,said Charles. He slightly nodded. "Please Amelia. For the baby." --- Phineas held him tight. "I know you did. I'm sorry that I ever left. I was a fool to think that I could beat him. He was the one who played me out as a clown. I promise that I'll never leave your side again." --- "What about dating a soul? Angel? Demon? Isn't there someone out there who could stay with you?" ,said Billy. Shadowess - March 6, 2022 "You're probably better off going independent." Tom pointed out. "We could visit a Lush for ideas but if a company as big as that got wind of your powers, they'd take full advantage of you to save themselves money." --- "At least they're free now." Tia sighed though she was still concerned. Who was this Donnie and why did he want to hurt them? She lost her train of thought however when Xenos held her hand and she turned her head to look at him. Her heart swelled at his promise. She kissed him, softly and sweetly. "I love you," she said quietly. --- "Carbonated?" Lilly tilted her head a little. "Like those red cans?" she asked, referring to the ones she'd seen the other's drink back at their hangout. "That might be interesting." she nodded then looked at the images of the drinks. She had no idea what flavours any of them were and wasn't sure where to even start with them. "Um... I think I'll just try whatever you're having," she said, looking back up at him. --- Damien glared at Salvo. His conditioning under Lucifer had trained him to recognise his current body language and defiant tone to be a challenge to his authority. Lucifer had always taught him that such insolence should not be tolerated. Ordinarily, in this kind of scenario, Damien would have been expected to assert himself but instead, he had to practise some restraint. He couldn't just go around killing Amelia's friends, after all. She might already be pissed at him for not going to see her since his return without adding something like that to the reasons for her to be angry at him. Instead, he settled for what he thought was a mild warning but would actually come across as a full-blown threat. "I'd back off if I were you. It's not wise to antagonise me." --- Amelia looked at Charles with a mixture of frustration and anguish. "You don't understand." she shook her head. "Carol is my mum. If I knew a way to bring her back, I'd do it in a second! She was destroyed and what little part of her essence was left was absorbed into me when I became what I am." She looked down at the ground tearfully. "There's a reason that you and Damien have the ability to make more Devils but I don't. I'm not the same type of Devil as either of you. It's like how Blood Gods are still Devils but they're a different type. You, Damien, Lucifer and even Donnie and Insanity now... you're all Devils who are descended from Angels. But the Devil that gave me their power? Was one of the Ancient ones... the original Devils. The ones who were born and lived in Hell before Lucifer and his followers fell and wiped them all out." she explained. "I found him when I was a kid. I'd slipped away from David and Carol for the millionth time to explore... I found him in Hell's Cells and he told me how his race had been destroyed and he'd been kept as a memento... He put the spell in my head and told me that I'd need it one day. I went back to release him after I'd changed but he was gone... only dust was left in his cell." a tear rolled down her cheek. "I think the spell takes power from the Devil who gave it to make the newer one strong... he must've given me everything he had and destroyed himself in the process." She used her free hand to wipe away some of her tears. "What I'm saying is, I don't know how much Carol affects the spell that I cast. If she's taken from me, it might undo it and I'll be a fairy again. If that happened, Donnie would take full advantage and overthrow me in a heartbeat... I'm stuck and I don't know what to do!" --- Kasper kissed him hurriedly and passionately, over and over. "I'm just glad that you're safe!" he cried between kisses before hugging him again. Doctor Fenton watched them both with a thoughtful expression for a moment before kneeling down to their level. "I don't think this setting is making your recovery as easy as it should." He observed. "Phineas, you have obvious anxiety just from being here." he sighed and removed his glasses to rub his eyes with his finger and thumb. "Let me see what I can work out. It won't be easy with Phineas not being a resident of Heaven but if it helps you both to recover from your traumas then it's worth a shot. Stay here." he said as he replaced his glasses and left the room. Several minutes later, he would return with a clipboard that held official-looking forms. He held a blue pen in his other hand. "Alright, here's a solution for you. It's entirely up to you if you want to do this. Kasper is a resident in Heaven so he's been assigned his own home here. If he agrees to be responsible for you and you both agree to attend counselling at least once per week then Phineas can legally live in Kasper's home. Sound good? If this is something that you think might help then Kasper will just need to sign these forms to confirm that he will be responsible for your stay in Heaven going forward." "I-... I have a house here?" Kasper was taken aback by all of it. He was overwhelmed with joy at the thought that he and Phineas could live together in a more private and personal space. He was astonished though that there was a housing system in Heaven and that he apparently already owned land here. "Of course." Fenton smiled. "This is Heaven. Kasper, for a Steinheil, you are a remarkably kind soul. Oh-! No offence intended by that. It's just that your family have a reputation for being racist murderers. Since your family began hunting vampires centuries ago, you're actually the first Steinheil to make it into Heaven upon their death. It's like looking at a unicorn. All that training your parents put you through, you didn't once take part in their hunts, did you?" "N-no..." Kasper admitted with reddened cheeks. "We usually split up in the woods, so I'd double back and go home when they couldn't see me. I just couldn't do it..." "That's a good thing, Kasper. You made the conscious decision to not take part in a grave sin." Kasper looked down at the ground in shame. "But I didn't try to stop them..." "They were your family, Kasper. You were in a difficult position. Which is why it hurt all the more when the man you thought loved you, murdered you when you finally got up the courage to set him free." "Because he just saw me as one of them..." Tears rolled down Kasper's cheeks. Fenton smiled kindly and picked up the box of tissues from the nearby bedstand before offering them to Kasper. "Not even a therapy session and you're already making progress," he told him reassuringly. Kasper took a tissue and dabbed at his eyes while trying a small smile. He looked back at Phineas. "What do you think? Want to come live with me?" --- "Stay with me?" Azrael looked up at Billy. "No... I couldn't ask anyone to do that... My job is deeply depressing and it really takes a toll after a while. That's why I let off steam like this..." he gestured to himself. He sighed deeply, blinking back tears as he stared up at the sky. "It's fine... I've been alone this long... what's one or two more millennia?" Denix Vames - March 6, 2022 "Actually, I was thinking of doing things the human way. Just to try it out. I think I might like it more than my powers." ,said Nate. --- Xenos returned the kiss. "I'm sorry that my job keeps me away from you and Jack. If I had been there....I know you're alright but still. I worry." --- "Then it's coke for the both of us." Pain raised his hand. Getting a waiter to come over. He told them their orders before the menus were taken away. "So, you doing alright now? It's just that I'm always...." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, let's just say that when a friend is sad then I'll be there to help out no matter what." --- Salvo laughed. "Who stuck a foot up your ass? I'm just telling it like it is. Patience's got the right idea." He poked at his chest. "Not you." Carter stepped in between before things could have gotten ugly. "Enough! Both of you! Doing this isn't going to help." He rolled his eyes. "Salvo's definitely only right about one thing. You're such a five year old, Damien." --- "Then why don't the two of you try to talk to each other? See if you can work together? Since it seems like she can never leave you, it's best to connect mentally well with each other." ,said Charles. --- Phineas stepped out of the room. "Look at what I caused. You don't want me around you. My sunlight...." He held a sad smile as he looked at Kasper. "You would be a fool to bring a dangerous beast into your own home. I deserve to be locked up. I should be bound and chained. Maybe the people in my village were right about me." He looked at the damage surrounding him. Frowning he said, "I am an abomination." He brushed his hand against the broken table. "I just wish I could-" The broken furniture began to repair itself before settling back to their right places. His eye widened. He looked at his hand. "I thought I could only cause destruction." --- "Fucking christ! That long?" Billy shook his head. "Look man. How about I hang out with you for a bit? Looks like you could use a friend. And we have been talking long enough for me to know that I like your company." --- "Get the fuck off of me bitch!" A teenage boy had been arrested for vandalizing the high school that he attends. Autumn had come back to the precinct so that she could do her homework there. She watched the guy struggle with an officer who a good grip on him. She seemed intrigued by his clothes. Shadowess - March 6, 2022 Tom's smile grew and he nodded in approval. "It's definitely rewarding spending time on something and seeing it come together." --- Moving her hand to hold his as well, Tia gave it a gentle squeeze. "Never apologise," she whispered. "Me and Jack... we're strong. We're survivors. I knew what I was getting into when I opened up my heart to you and I would have it no other way. Your job is important. You protect the world. Let me protect our home." she gently nudged his nose with her own while giving him a coy smile. --- Lilly blinked at Pain. Then she blushed a little while tucking her hair behind her ears again before resting her arms on the table. "Thank you. I appreciate that. It's like I said back at that bar though. I'm the happiest that I've ever felt. Because for the first time in my life, I feel like I actually have a chance... a chance to live without fear or persecution. I can..." she chuckled at the realisation before finishing her sentence. "I can really relax. Instead of being on edge all the time." --- As a knee-jerk reaction to Carter's insult, Damien's eyes immediately turned red and he turned to him. Seeing the danger and knowing from past experiences what Damien was like, both David and Sebastian jumped into action. Sebastian grabbed Carter to pull him out of Damien's reach and David stepped between them just in time for Damien's fist to connect with his face instead of Carter's. The sheer force of the hit sent him flying into the far wall- and through it! Damien's eyes widened when he realised what he'd done and what he'd almost done to Carter. Struggling against his instincts which told him to continue fighting, he took a step back and stared through the hole in the wall to see if David was alright. With a pained grunt, David stood while holding his swelling face. "I-I-..." Damien stammered, seemingly shocked by his own quick temper. Foolishly, bravely, or both, Mon had stepped in front of Salvo and was now pointing his gun at Damien. "You think you're some kind of tough guy, huh?" Mon asked although he was sweating. "Coming here, laying down the law and throwing your weight around. You ain't tough. Just a bully is what you are." Damien snapped out of his stupor to glare at Mon who shivered but maintained his composure. Unwilling to back down while there was a threat to his Don in the room. "I came here to try and help!" Damien snapped back. "If Donnie is using those contracts then we must fight fire with fire! But if non of you will listen to me, then fine! I guess I'll just have to gather up some signatures on my own to take him on!!" "No, Damie-!" David shouted but Damien had vanished, but not before letting out a blast of his energy to smash all the windows, glasses and mirrors in the room. "No, no, no!" David shook as he climbed back into the room through the hole in the wall. "I'm sorry all, this is my fault. I should've known that it would be far too early to involve him in something like this! He's lapsed back into the Devil he was when he was Lucifer's apprentice..." he looked at Will. "He's struggling but I know he wants to change. He's told me as much. I need your help. We need to stop him before he gets anyone to sign one of those damned contracts. I just know that he'll regret it later and it might hinder his recovery. Please." "Knowing Damien though, he's not going to go quietly." Sebastian sighed, catching his breath after his panic attacks as well as the effort to save Carter. "He's stubborn. He'll put up a fight." "I know..." David nodded, still holding his nose. "Fight him if you have to. Just don't let him follow in Lucifer's footsteps again. He needs to learn that there are alternatives." --- Amelia shrugged. "The only time she ever tried to communicate with me was in a dream and it was to tell me to find the pregnancy book in Hell." Amelia caressed Oliver's cheek with her index finger, still finding it amazing how small his face was in comparison to her hand. Oliver stared up at her and cooed at her gentle touch. "I wonder if doing something like that takes up a lot of energy for her. In comparison to just influencing my emotions, it would make sense." she thought out loud. She then had an idea and looked at Charles. "I wonder..." she stood and walked into Oliver's bedroom to place him into his cot before walking back and sitting next to Charles again. "You're really strong when it comes to telepathy and empathy... Is there a way for you to send me to sleep and try to coax her out to talk? Maybe she'll have a better idea of what to do?" --- "You only think that because that's what you've been told your whole life," Kasper said as he approached Phineas and lay a gentle hand on his arm. "I want you to come with me. I need you. If that makes me a fool then fine! I'd rather be a fool in love and a lonely intelligent man." he said tearfully, confessing how he felt for Phineas without hesitation. --- Azrael looked at Billy again, taken aback by the offer. "You WANT to come with me?" he asked, as if finding this difficult to believe. He considered the offer. He supposed that it wasn't the same as dating someone as neither of them really had any real commitments to each other. Which meant that if or when Billy found Azrael's job to be too much, he could always just leave and this wouldn't negatively affect their friendship. After all, Azrael never expected Gabriel or Nate to join him during his work for the same reason. He smiled and nodded. "If that's what you would like, then I would be glad of the company. You won't be able to follow me when I take a soul to Heaven but I can always come back to meet up with you again when I'm done with dropping them off." --- Officer Hayward pulled the boy along by his arm until they reached the small holding cell. "Sit tight kiddo while I call your parents," she said in an almost bored tone as she locked the cell door behind him. She took out a small notepad and pen, then looked at him expectantly. "What's your name and address?" Malone was sitting at his desk, not too far away. He glanced up at them briefly before returning his eyes to the report that he was trying to finish. Meanwhile, Kodi walked into the room while holding two mugs. He set one down in front of Autumn. "Thought you could use some hot chocolate," he said to her with a small smile. "It's getting pretty chilly out. I'll be winter again before we know it." he chuckled as he brought his own mug up to his lips. "What are you working on there?" he asked while looking at her homework.

Denix Vames - March 4, 2022 Nate sighed. "I think after this, I'm definitely quitting. I wouldn't mind working a human job." --- "You're right. Even as much as I like easy opportunities, she is being rather pleasant to us." ,said Insanity. Warren was bare naked. Stripped of his clothes. There were several cuts on his chest. Not too deep. --- "We can get a TV in here. I'll have a private tutor for you. As much as I use to wish school was over when I was a child, you still have a lot to learn." ,said Xenos. --- "We could go to a diner. They might accept American bills." ,said Pain. He led her to a local diner. --- "What the fuck were you thinking?!" ,said Will. He gently lifted River off the ground. "Can you hear me? Are you ok?" Carter ran into the house after Sebastian. "Hey, it's going to be ok. Patience's should be there by now. I'm sure everything will work out in the end." He gently wrapped his arms around him. --- Charles entered the room. He sat next to her. "Amelia....I should have never talk to you the way I did." Tears dripped down his cheeks. "I may be a husband and a father but you're a mother and a wife. You can make your own decisions. I'm the one who made you feel locked in." --- "So you can do what?! Torture us?!" Phineas began to recall a time when he was alive. When the townspeople of his home shunned him away. Fearing him for simply going through the trauma the way he did. Then there was the circus. A place where people would laugh at him and throw things. Kids would cry. "No matter what happens, I will always be used!" --- "I can't imagine what it must be like to not have that comfort. Honestly, I just stuck with the gang because I didn't know where else to go after I died." Billy placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you're seen as something that you're not. I've been through that before. It doesn't get easy." shadowess - March 4, 2022 Nodding, Tom kissed Nate's cheek. "You might be able to get a job at Carter's." he suggested then thought. "Unless you had something else in mind?" --- Shaking uncontrollably, Warren lay on the ground while doing his best to cover himself with his hands. Donnie knelt near them and continued his conversation with Insanity, paying little attention right now to Warren. "We'll just have to keep an eye on her. When we're done here, I'll pat her down for weapons or listening devices." he said quietly. "Either she's trying to play us or that damn group is trying to use her defection against us. I can feel it. I'd make her sign a contract but if she broke it, it's bye bye baby...BUT, she is practically human right now. So, on her own she's powerless." While Donnie and Insanity had been talking, Warren had heard enough to know that there was another group out there that want to stop these two. Given what they seemed to plan on doing to him, he was all for trying to find this group to get help. He seized the opportunity while they were distracted to jump to his feet and bolt for what he thought was the exit. Donnie placed a hand on Insanity's shoulder and grinned, watching Warren run. "Wait for it." he chuckled. A second later, bare footsteps could be heard on the marbled floor, running back into the room from another exit. Waren froze when he saw that he was facing his captors again and looked both frightened and confused. He quickly turned and ran back the way he came, only to run back into the room from another entrance. Donnie laughed and stood. "How do you like my spells?" he asked then gave him a dark look. "Now, how should we punish you for your disobedience?" "No! No, no! Please!" Warren yelped and fell to his knees. "I-I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me anymore! I'll do what you want! I'm sorry!" --- "Aww!" Jack complained and pulled a face. Tia giggled and stroked Xenos's arm. "Maybe while Jack is learning, you could give me a 'private tutoring?'" she suggested subtly. --- On the way out, a kind old man had heard Pain's comment and stopped them both to point out that most establishments in the UK don't even accept the Euro, but that there was a foriegn exchange shop not too far from the museum that could change his US dollars into British pounds. This entire thing had amazed Lilly who looked at the differences in money as they were being exchanged. "Apparently before our war, our world had several currencies too. But when everything went bad, we all found it easier to just stick to one form of currency." She told Pain as they entered the diner. "That was before I was born though, so I've never actually seen more than one type of currency before. It seems a little odd to me now." --- River groaned, his face was already bruised and swelling from the beating. "Looked...convincing though...right?" he groaned, trying to pass off his impulsive attack as an effort to convince Donnie that Patience was really defecting. "But what if it doesn't?!" Sebastian panicked while holding on tightly to Carter shirt and resting his head on his shoulder. "Carter, she'll be alone with him again and he's a monster!" --- Charles entered the room. He sat next to her. "Amelia....I should have never talk to you the way I did." Tears dripped down his cheeks. "I may be a husband and a father but you're a mother and a wife. You can make your own decisions. I'm the one who made you feel locked in." "I just want to protect my family." Amelia cried softly. She then looked up at Charles, confused. "We're... not married." She pointed out and blinked away tears. But it did cause her to think 'should they be?'. She used one hand to wipe away some of her tears. "I have so much weight on my shoulders, Charles. I want to protect you and Oliver. But I also have a responsibility to protect Hell from the likes of Donnie... and so far I haven't even been able to do that... what kind of Queen does that make me?" --- "Phineas, you know that's not what we do here!" Fenton argued. "Just stop and think for a moment. I know we messed up but our motivations were selfless! Surely you can see that? There are other patients here to protect, not just you and Kasper!" By this time security had arrived but Fenton had held up his hands to stop them approaching. He felt he might be able to reason with Phineas. "Please calm down and just think. Is this what Kasper would want you to do? He's not hurt, Phineas. He was never in danger. You must see that?" --- Azrael shrugged and wiped at his eyes. "After centuries of it... I'm used to it." He half lied. "I know what you went through. I'm sorry you had to go through a life like that." He said while lifting his hand to give Billy's a gentle squeeze. "But as long as we don't let the negative parts of our lives affect who we are, we can be capable of doing so much good." Denix Vames - March 4, 2022 "Actually, I was thinking of something more relaxing. Like a store of some kind. What's the most easiest thing to sell?" ,asked Nate. --- Insanity grinned. "Why don't we have a threesome right now?" --- Xenos blushed. He awkwardly chuckled. "Anytime." He headed to the door. "I'll be back in a moment to fetch a TV. Do any of you need anything?" --- "Some currency from other countries definitely look weird. There's some that have all sorts of colors on them. It's like I'm looking at pretend play money." Pain grabbed a seat where he looked through the menu. "I know you've never ate here but see what seems cool to you. I can order it." --- Will sighed. "Yeah, it sure did." He carried him inside where he placed him on the couch. The mafia had gone upstairs to hang out there in case they were needed. Carter frowned. "I know. I'm just trying to hope here. We just have to believe in her. Honestly, Donnie seems like he can easily be tricked." --- "I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself when I called us that." ,said Charles. "But you're right. You should be able to defend Hell as its Queen." He looked at Oliver. "If it helps, I'll take care of Oliver here while you go and fight Donnie with our friends. I want you to know that I trust you even through all my fears." He caressed her cheek. "Because I love you." --- Phineas opened his eye. He looked at Kasper then at the mess that he caused. "What have I done?" He let the iron rod go. "What have I done?!" He sobbed over him as he said, "I am a monster!" --- Billy smirked. "Wished someone had told me that a long time ago." He raised a brow. "Why are you drunk by the way?" shadowess - March 4, 2022 "A few things," Tom said thoughtfully. "Flowers, baked goods, soaps... What kinds of things would you like to sell?" --- "What a wonderful idea." Donnie grinned. Warren's face turned pale but he fell silent as he stared at the two men. "Stand up," Donnie ordered and after a second's hesitation, Warren stood while still holding his hands over his groin. Removing his shirt, Donnie approached him and caressed his cheek. Warren flinched then froze while lowering his eyes submissively and looking away from them. "You don't want us to hurt you?" Donnie asked him in a softer voice, though he was grinning maliciously. Warren shook his head as a couple of tears dripped down his cheeks. "Then don't disobey your masters. Kiss me." Warren was shaking as Donnie leaned closer to him and he closed his eyes, letting him press his lips against his. Donnie kissed him slowly to see if Warren would pull away or react negatively. When he didn't, he slipped his tongue into his mouth. At first, Warren shivered and cringed but dreading the consequences, he forced himself to relax and let the kiss continue. Pulling back, Donnie smiled then moved around Warren to stand behind him. He gripped the back of Warren's neck and forced him to walk over to Insanity until he was right in front of him. "Don't be shy. Kiss him too and this time, make it believable." Donnie said next to Warren's ear before starting to kiss his neck. Shivering at the kisses, Warren looked at Insanity nervously before leaning forward and kissing him hesitantly. --- "Candy!" Jack announced with his hands up. Tia shook her head. "Absolutely not. You'll be awake all night!" she said to Jack who then lowered his arms and a disappointed frown. "But that does remind me. It's almost time for dinner." Tia said while turning to Xenos. "We'll need something for that. I WAS planning on making a roast dinner before those men broke in." --- Lilly looked at the menu as they sat down and had been a little nervous as she looked at the unfamiliar letters on the laminated card. She was excited to try different food but felt a little out of place and embarrassed due to her illiteracy. At Pain's suggestion though, she visibly relaxed and gave him a thankful smile before pointing to an image of a burger with fries. "What's that?" she asked. --- "Then how has he lasted so long?" Sebastian questioned. At that moment, Will had carried River in and placed him on the couch. Sebastian's eyes widened and he let go of Carter to get a better look at the state River was in. "What happened?!" "We... nailed it..." River groaned. "D-Donnie did this? ... And we just handed Patience over to him!? A man that could do this?!" Sebastian was beginning to freak out, as was apparent by his sudden hyperventilating. A moment later, David had appeared with a very angry looking Damien. "That son of a bitch!" Damien growled. "Damien just woke up from his last encounter with Donnie," David explained. "I just caught him up..." he looked around at Will and the others with mild confusion. "Now what did I miss? What's happened to him? Where's Patience?" --- Amelia blinked at Charles as he explained away the reason he'd slipped up and said they were husband and wife. To Amelia, it confirmed something very important. If he could think of them like that now, then there was absolutely no reason for her to doubt that he loved her. Her lip quivered at his words and tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked into his eyes. She leaned towards him and kissed him softly and slowly. As she did, she could feel her mind quieted a bit and the stress she'd been feeling was beginning to evaporate. Sensing that things had calmed down, Oliver had stopped crying and was cooing quietly as he looked up at his parents. Just as the kiss broke, Amelia's blue eyes lit up. Her wings shimmered behind her before fading away. A sign that her love for him was still as strong as it had been the first time they'd kissed. "There's something wrong with me," Amelia whispered as she looked at Charles worried. It was only while they'd kissed that she had become calm enough to realise that she hadn't been acting herself. "I don't feel...right. Charles, I don't know what to do." --- Relieved that Phineas was beginning to see sense, Fenton waved down the security to signal to them that they wouldn't be needed before he clamoured over the broken door to get into the room. "Phineas, you're not a monster. You never have been!" he said gently as he walked around to face him. "You just need some support and if I might make an observation?" he asked cautiously before speaking again. "I think your fears of being controlled are reflected in the way that you act... by trying to control everything yourself." The doctor shook his head. "Life, or in our case, afterlife is full of events and situations that get out of our control. Accidents, mistakes... these things will inevitably happen to all of us at some point. If we were unable to stop them from happening then we can, at the very least, do our best to help make things right in the aftermath. All we can ever do is our best. Does this make sense?" he sighed and looked at Kasper then gestured to him. "This is the perfect example. What I did to him was wrong. Now that I have realised this, I am going to accept full responsibility. I will apologise to him when he wakes up and I will ensure that going forward, both of you are heard." He looked up at Phineas. "I can't take back what I've done. But I can do my best to make up for it." --- Azrael chuckled at the question. "I was at a party. It was going great but then I guess we got kicked out of the venue..." he raised his head a little and looked around curiously. "How'd I even get here?" he asked, unable to remember why he'd decided to teleport to Hell, of all places. "Shoot... My one day off in almost half a decade and I didn't even get laid..." he slapped his hand against his own forehead. "Knew I forgot to do something..." he then chuckled again, drunkenly. "Pun intended..." Denix Vames - March 4, 2022 "Anything that smells good." Nate let a bar of soap appear in his hand. "Soap does sound like a good idea. They have some really great smells." --- Insanity unbuttoned his shirt after taking his coat off. He caressed Warren's cheek before kissing him. --- "I'll have someone cook that then. Just relax and stay here." Xenos left. With a TV and full meal for everyone, it felt sort of like home. --- "It's called burger and fries. They're pretty good. Everybody loves them. It's basically eating potatoes and cow meat but in a more better way." Pain pointed at the hot dog. "I think I'll go for this. That's pork." --- "Hey! It's going to be ok. Just take some deep breaths." ,said Carter. Will frowned at David before turning away. "It was her plan. She's with Donnie now. She's going to try and get him caught off guard so that we can take him out. I know you're pissed at us but she decided this. And we supported her." --- Charles sighed. "David told me.....Carol is still a part of you. I believe she can also influence you in some ways. Like your thinking." --- Phineas sat in a corner as he cried. "Is that really what I've been doing? Trying to control? I-I didn't mean to." He lowered his head. "How could I possibly do better? Every time I try and do anything, this always happens." He clutched his hand when there was a sudden cut. Black blood dripped from it. "What's this? Why is my blood....black?" --- "Trying to get laid? Ain't you never heard of settling down?" ,asked Billy. Shadowess - March 4, 2022 Tom grinned at the idea. "Considering you can summon soap from nothing, you're going to save a lot in manufacturing fees!" he laughed. "Maybe you could do something like Lush?" he then suggested. --- Donnie had started kissing Warren's shoulders and shoulder blades while moving his hands around to feel his chest. Not wanting to anger them, Warren did as he was told and kissed Insanity a little more convincingly than he'd kissed Donnie. He shivered again as he felt Donnie's hands on his chest but he made no moves to resist either of them. He let out a small, restrained whimper when he felt Donnie grab one of his hands and pull it away from his groin, only to then force him to rub Insanity's crotch, over his pants. "Just like that," Donnie whispered into his ear before slowly letting go of his hand. He smiled when he saw Warren continuing to do so once he'd let go of him and he began nibbling on his shoulder gently and rubbing his hips against his, causing a small involuntary moan to escape Warren. Donnie brought a hand up to brush some of Warren's hair away from his ear. "You belong to us now," he whispered. "You will obey us. You will fulfil our desires whenever we want. Do this for us, and we will look after you. You will be protected from all the Demons in Hell. All that we ask, is your absolute obedience." Warren thought on these words while continuing to kiss and caress Insanity. As far as he knew, these two were the rulers of Hell and souls were normally tortured for their sins here. So for all he knew, this was his only option when it came to protecting himself. Afraid of the idea of wandering Hell alone for eternity and constantly being on the run from demons who might torture him, Warren quickly made up his mind and his kisses suddenly became more voluntary as well as passionate. He stood closer to Insanity and ran his other hand over his bare chest while slipping his tongue into his mouth. --- Food eaten and child snoozing on the end of the couch, Tia had cuddled up to Xenos as they continued to watch the tv. She looked up at him, knowing they were now free to talk without the risk of worrying Jack. "Who were those men?" she whispered. "Why would they want to try to hurt us?" --- "Oh." Lilly looked at the images curiously. "I think I'll try that one next time." she smiled at him, then nodded to the menu. "I'd like to try that first one. It looks interesting." --- David looked enraged but he was silent. He stared at them for a minute before marching out of the backdoor to stand in the garden, trying to calm himself down. "Stoic as ever. Even when furious." Damien rose a brow at David then looked back at Will in annoyance. "So, let me get this straight, you guys practically handed over a pregnant and practically human Patience to a guy who knows spells to keep his captives isolated. Quick question, what do you think would happen if Donnie ever discovered that she was spying on him for you guys? How do you think that will end?" "Oh, no!" Sebastian groaned. He'd just started to calm down a bit with Carter's help but Damien's last comments had set him off again. "Relax, Dracula," Damien said while putting his hands into his own pockets. "Lucky for you, an ex-king of Hell is here to help and not only am I familiar with how Donnie gets his power but I was also trained to do the same." he pointed to himself with his thumb. "So, who wants to sign my-?" "No, Damien," David growled as he stepped back into the house and glared at his grandson. "Those things cause nothing but trouble! We can defeat him without them!" "Lucifer was the only Devil to use these and he kept his crown for centuries!" Damien argued. "Lucifer also destroyed every other Devil that he ever came across to eliminate his competition for the throne. In fact, I'm certain the only ones he left alive were the children he'd never raised, nor claimed. We cannot use his tactics. They cause nothing but suffering." "Worked out alright for me. I became Lucifer's apprentice." Damien shrugged. "And that was thanks to you if I recall." "I didn't have a choice!" David barked. "And if you'll also recall, those damn contracts are the reason your mother and sister are in oblivion!" Damien's cheeky grin had slipped into a frown and he glared back at David. --- "Carol?" Amelia's eyes widened and she glanced away from Charles for a moment. "So, she's the reason I've been feeling..." Amelia gasped as a look of realisation crossed her features. "Oh, it all makes sense now. I've been feeling so restless, powerless and trapped lately. It's not because of anything going on in my life, it's because she's tired of being trapped in me!" She looked back at Charles. "But how do we solve this? She became a part of me when I became a Devil. It was part of the spell. If she leaves me... I might not be a Devil anymore! Then I couldn't be Queen!" --- "I-I'm not sure." The doctor admitted. "This isn't something that I've seen before." Kasper groaned and blinked several times. He looked around like he'd just woken up from a long nap. When he saw Phineas, his eyes lit up and he flung his arms around him. He didn't notice the wreckage in the room or the cut on Phineas's hand at first because he was just so overcome with relief at seeing that he was safe. "Phineas! Are you ok?! Did he hurt you?! I tried! I tried to help!" he sobbed into his shoulder. --- "With my kind of job?" Azrael scoffed. "I'm lucky to get a day off once in a while! Any relationship I'd get into wouldn't last... So, I just don't bother."

shadowess - March 2, 2022 "I don't-..." Tom bent over with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "I don't understand. I know Azrael said he thinks he's your dad. Who is that guy to you? Why is he such a dick?" he stood straight while still panting and shook his head a little at him. "Look, I don't care what that guy said. What you went through was wrong. You matter." he walked over to him and placed his hands on Nate's arms. "You were there for me when I had no one and I was at my lowest point. You gave my life meaning again. Fuck that guy. I care about you! and I'll always be here for you. No matter what." --- At the question, Donnie chuckled and hovered his mouth close to Insanity's. "Why not both?" Donnie grinned then kissed Insanity deeply. "I know!" he then said excitedly. His eyes lit up with delight at his idea. "I'll put a spell on our newest home. But this one will make sure that any souls that belong to us reappear there if they die. So even if we get carried away and kill them, we won't have to worry about having to look for them again after." He chuckled then took Insanity's hand. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's hunt us a soul," he said, ready to teleport them to the Library. At that moment, bored out of his mind, Warren was pacing the room he'd been placed in. Out of curiosity, he looked at the spines of the books on the shelves as he passed them. But he couldn't read any of the letters. They were all written in a language he didn't know. Azrael had told him it was the true demonic language. --- Having not needed to get involved, Tia nodded to Xenos once the danger had passed as she set the iron down carefully on the ironing board. She then turned a little and placed her finger and thumb into her mouth before letting out three short, sharp whistles. A second later, Jack had darted into the house through the doggy door in his puppy form before rapidly shifting back into a human boy. "Daddy!" He ran to Xenos with his arms open. Tia watched him proudly. "We were prepared." she sighed in relief. She then walked over and hugged them both. --- "That's the type of music that you play?" Lilly confirmed with a thoughtful look as they walked around. "We had a similar style in my world. We called it 'Sudden'." she said with a shrug. "I think I like yours better though." she chuckled. They came to a stop near a group of mannequins who looked like they were playing in a band. Seemingly frozen mid-song. "Who are they?" Lilly asked with a curious expression. --- Zero looked up at Will then turned his head back and forth between him and River. They looked like twins but he sensed they were utterly different species to each other. Zero was beyond confused at this. River shrugged and looked over at Patience. "I'm sorry for bringing this up, but you've been Donnie's captive before. You saw how he worked while you were with him, right? Do you know what his weaknesses are? How the guy ticks?" Patience hesitated then glanced between Carter and Sebastian with an uncertain expression. "I-... He kept me chained up in one room and only came in when he was bored. So, he didn't tell me any of his plans or let me see what he was up to at any point..." she bit her lip hesitantly. "But... I might now have a way to get close to him," she suggested. "He was thrilled when he found out I was pregnant with his 'heir'. I think he'd go out of his way to protect me if I wound up as his captive again. When he was a tree, he attacked my mind. Tried to make me think like his lover." she shivered and took a breath to steady her nerves. "Not a lot of time has passed since then so I might still be able to convince him that it worked if I go to him now and ask to be a part of his 'family'." she looked up at them nervously. "This is my choice. This is something that I need to do." She stood, looking at them all. "Let me do this. Let me get close to him. I'll find his weaknesses and dismantle his defences from the inside. Then I'll give you all a signal when the time to attack is right." --- David nodded thoughtfully. "Do you remember that day at the wedding? What Will said?" he asked, quietly. "He said Carol, Amelia's adoptive mother, hadn't been completely destroyed. That she was a part of Amelia. If there is a small part of Carol left, then this might be the only way for her to try to get our attention." David crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. "With the way she's acting at the moment, I wouldn't want to make Amelia aware of this. It might make things worse for her mentally. Just... Try to placate her while I try to find a solution. This won't be an easy fix but if there's a possibility of splitting them apart then we have to try it. Don't let her fight but also try not to upset her further. She's not in the right frame of mind to be able to defend herself effectively but she also seems too fragile right now to deal with conflict. As soon as I have the answer, I'll let you know." He stood then looked at the door worriedly before looking back at Charles. "She cannot be allowed to go anywhere near Donnie in this state. He's clever. He'd see what's happening to her and use it against her. I'll get Damien and make him aware of everything. He can stand in for Amelia in defending Hell while she's not herself. Charles... Please protect my daughter." --- When notified of Phineas's arrival, Doctor Fenton raced to the cantine area of the hospital to greet him. He wanted the chance to apologise and explain himself before Phineas would see that Kasper is still currently under sedation and his restraints to the bed hadn't been removed yet. Having not had enough time for it to wear off yet. "Phineas! You're safe! Thank God!" He said as he entered the dining room. "Listen, I owe you an apology. Kasper tried to warn us. He tried to tell us that you needed help but we didn't know the situation. We thought he was simply being hysterical." he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "S-so we uh- we sedated and restained him for his own safety. He IS safe and unharmed though, I can assure you!" he added hastily. "We just need to wait for the medications to wear off and he'll be able to move around freely again." --- Azrael, still drunk, had appeared close by and was stumbling around while muttering to himself. He seemed agitated as he stormed through the area then paused when he saw Billy. He never could turn away from a person in need, so he followed his instinct and stumbled over to him. He knelt down, almost falling over in the process. "Heyyyy" he whispered, trying his best to sound soothing. "Why're you crying? It's ok. It's ok-shhh...It's all good. Juss...Just don't *hic* tell my- my dad... sus-superior... my superior-dad that you saw me in Hell, mkay? He'll kick my ass. Wait..." he reached down to move some of Billy's fringe from his face then smiled at him. "I know *hic* you! I nnn-never forget a face! I tried to help you cross over and you thought you were still alive and that I was trying to rob you! Knocked me on my ass and ran off, you scamp!" he laughed. Denix Vames - March 3, 2022 Nate rubbed his eyes. "Just some bastard who thinks he's better than everyone else just because he has a high title." He smiled a little at him. "Thanks Tom. I love you too." --- (who is Warren btw? kinda forgot XD) Once Insanity and Donnie appeared at the library, Insanity pinned Warren to the ground. He licked his lips. "Well, hello there. Time for your first lesson in Hell." --- Xenos lifted Jack up. Holding him in his arms. He kissed Tia. "I'm glad that you're both safe. We should head to the facility. It would be better if you two stay there. It's more safe." --- "Well, we play punk rock. It's a little bit different." Pain took a moment to look at the mannequins. He crossed his arms as he sighed. "The Beatles. They were the best band there ever was. Paul and Ringo still play music but solo. George and John are....dead." He looked at the photo of the band which was framed near the mannequins. "Even now, a lot of us still miss them. It still hurts. Knowing that they're gone." --- Salvo walked over to Patience with a sad smile. He held her hand. "You're so much like my late wife. Brave and loving." He nodded. "We'll be by your side miss. No matter what." "It's not something that I want you to do. But if you think that this is the only way then I'll go with it too." ,said Will. --- Charles took a deep breath. "It's going to be difficult but I'll do my best. I won't let anything happen to her." He smiled. "Otherwise, I'll get my ass kicked by her dad." He bit his lip. "That wasn't a bad joke, was it?" --- Phineas's aura surrounded himself. He growled as he held his weapon. "You what?! Where is he? Take me to him now!" The tables suddenly hit the walls. Fenton was thrown to a wall. "STOP CONTROL!" --- Billy sat up. He shuffled away before hugging his knees. "I died here and lost my wings. They turned into these burnt ones. I think I'm a Devil now. But I never wanted to be one. I don't know what to do." shadowess - March 3, 2022 Tom smiled, relieved to see that he'd managed to calm Nate down. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and rested his head against his. "Let's go home." He whispered. Then he smirked and kissed him tenderly. "Maybe we could pick up where we left off in that booth?" --- (Lol, he's the guy that broke into the CIA to send information to ADIEU and was beaten to death by the agents) "Wha-?!" Warren looked up at insanity in alarm when he'd pinned him to the ground. "Wh-who are you? Where's David?" Donnie knelt next to them, grinning evilly as he lay a hand on Insanity's back. "David's not coming." He said simply before teleporting them all to Desi's abandoned harem. "Didn't you hear? We're taking over Hell and we're going to run it the way it should be run. By punishing those who sin. I am Donnie. This is Insanity. We are your kings now." He said before moving to kiss Insanity's neck once more. "Feel free to get started, my love. While I place the spells." He then stood and walked around the building while chanting. "Wh-what spells? What's he doing? What are you going to do to me??" Warren asked, his heart racing. --- Tia stiffened at the idea of going back to the facility but as she looked from the bodies on the ground to her son in Xenos's arms, she knew he was right. "Just until this blows over." She nodded while gesturing to the bodies. "I don't want to end up living there for the rest of my life." She sighed then smirked at Xenos. "Told you I can handle myself." --- "They must have done great things to earn such recognition and love." Lilly commented. She glanced back at Pain. "Maybe you could show me some of their music when we go back?" --- "Thank you." Patience smiled at the both sadly. Sebastian shook his head with teary eyes. "B-but what if it goes wrong?!" he said worriedly. "What if you get hurt or-or-..." he gestured to her stomach, not wanting to finish his sentence. Patience looked at him calmly and walked over to take his hands in hers. "He wouldn't allow it. Even if the child is his only motivation for keeping me safe, he won't let me get hurt. Getting as close to him as I can, might actually be the safest place for me while he's running rampant. Sebastian, I know what I'm doing. Please trust me." Sebastian was shaking but he knew he couldn't argue. He hugged Patience tightly. Patience hugged him back while rubbing his back to comfort him. "It's going to be ok," she whispered to him as she let him go and watched him seek comfort in Carter's arms. Patience looked back at the others and took a breath. "Alright. We have a plan then. But there is one minor issue. I don't have my powers anymore, so I will be practically human. We also need to make my defection to his side look real. Make it look like I'm escaping from this group. He's telepathic, so that'll help. I'll run out of here and as far as I can until I'm out of breath. You guys follow and make it look like you're searching for me. Shout my name in the streets. Sound worried. While I'm 'hiding' I'll call for Donnie to help me. I'm certain that he'll come and teleport me away with him to wherever his new home is now." --- David chuckled. "Who said it was a joke?" he winked then nodded towards the door. "Well, the first thing you'll want to do is reassure her that you're not going anywhere. Because that last comment you made to her... kind of sounded like you were planning on leaving her and taking Oliver with you." he patted Charles's shoulder supportively. "Good luck." he vanished. --- Fenton gasped when he hit the wall and his eyes widened at Phineas fearfully. He nodded hurriedly. "O-ok, alright, I'll take you to see him!" he said quickly while holding his hands up to try to calm Phineas. "L-look, we're not a threat here. We're just trying to help but on this occasion, we made a mistake. We're sorry, Phineas." he said sincerely. "I'm sorry." he sighed then turned to lead him out of the dining area. "He's this way." he'd then lead him to the room that Kasper had been locked in. Kasper was still strapped to the bed by the leather restraints and he was staring off to the left with a little drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. Fenton would stand to one side to give Phineas room. "It's not as bad as it looks. He's practically asleep and as I say, this will wear off in a few hours. He'll be back to his normal self once it does. We usually only do this when patients pose a threat to staff or other patients... He grabbed me, Phineas. When he thought we weren't listening he grew desperate to save you so he grabbed me and shook me. As soon as he did he triggered our safety protocol. I'm not trying to make excuses, I just want you to understand why something like this might happen. We don't do it for fun or for control... we do it with the safety of our staff and other patients in mind." --- "Ohhh... yeah, that happens to Angels if they die here." Azrael nodded with a small frown. "But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing! The rules are changing!" Azrael moved from kneeling to sitting on the ground. He crossed his legs and gave Billy a kind smile. "The war is over. So you're not going to be hunted by the Angels you once knew. I hear they're even talking about opening up Heaven to Demons and Devils so you'll be able to visit there again soon!" he then tilted his head and looked over Billy's new wings. "They don't look that bad..." he commented, still slurring and hiccuping drunkenly. "Like... a sexy dragon. Hey! Maybe that's the kind of Devil you changed into?" he suggested. "Some Devils and Demons get a second form that they can change to. Dragons are one of them. I knew a few Dragons... They get wings like yours, they can grow a tail with a sharp edge to it whenever they need a weapon, or they can change their face to grow sharp teeth, or just grow into a giant Dragon. I think the mortals nowadays would say it's 'cool'" he yammered away while leaning back on his hands and staring off at the sky dreamily. He then lowered his head and looked back at Billy thoughtfully. "Why don't you help David? He's got that programme that helps bad souls turn good." Denix Vames - March 3, 2022 Nate smiled. "Maybe later. Right now, I just want to cuddle with you." They appeared back home. --- "Just a little fun is what we're going to have." Insanity ripped his shirt open before slowly cutting diagonally on his chest. He licked the wound as he stroke his crotch. Moaning. --- "Don't worry. I'm sure this won't be long." ,said Xenos. Once they hugged each other, they appeared in a private bedroom of the facility. "You and Jack can have this room." --- "That'd be cool. I think you're gonna love their songs. Everybody does." ,said Pain. --- Carter gently rubbed his back as he kissed his head. "Alright. We'll do that. Hopefully, this works." Once Patience would be outside, everyone else would start calling for her when she was far and out of sight. --- Charles sighed before heading to the door. "Amelia? I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was being overprotective. You're the Queen of Hell. Not to mention my wife. I should have more faith in you." He hugged himself. "And I'll never leave with Oliver. I promise. I said those words in the heat of the moment. Please forgive me." --- Phineas glared at him. "You didn't think to talk to him?! To let him explain himself? You just ignored him! Just like they ignored me after the accident!" He slammed the end of the iron rod against the floor. "I made a mistake and now this is what I am!" He grabbed Fenton by his shirt and lifted him off the floor. "Maybe Donnie was right about something. I'm meant to serve the wicked." He let him fall before ripping the door off its hinges. He stepped inside. Pulling the straps off, he lifted Kasper off of the bed. Holding him close. --- Billy raised a brow. "Do you really think that I could do that? It does sound nice." shadowess - March 3, 2022 "Cuddling sounds good," Tom said softly. He moved over to the couch with Nate and sat down. When Nate was sat with him, he'd move into his arms and rest his head against his. "So..." he started in a quiet voice. "What does this mean then? Did you just quit your job?" he asked, not sure how things were run in Heaven. --- Warren had died in the same type of suit that the agents in the CIA had been wearing. So when Insanity ripped his shirt open, little white buttons flew off to the side and clattered along the floor like beads. He recoiled then cried out as he felt the knife bite into his skin. He tried to push Insanity off him but the Devil was so strong now, thanks to those contracts, that the desperate efforts of this human would feel like nothing more than a tap. He lay back to catch his breath when Insanity stopped cutting him, then he sharply sucked air in through his teeth as Insanity's licks stung his fresh wounds. He heard Insanity moaning and looked down to see what he was doing. His eyes widened and he trembled while watching him. "P-please no!" he groaned and tried to wriggle away from Insanity. At this point, Donnie had finished his spells and walked back over to them with an excited look. He knelt near Insanity and picked up his knife. He ran it along Warren's side, being careful not to cut too deeply. Warren threw his head back and cried out again. "STOP!!" he screamed and when Donnie removed the knife, he lay still again, sweating and sobbing. He then cried out again as Donnie roughly pressed his hand against Warren's new wound to cover it in his blood. Warren looked down at Insanity and Donnie with an expression of terror which only increased as he watched Donnie lift his now bloodied hand up to his mouth. He watched as Donnie sucked the blood from three of his fingers in a suggestive manner while making direct and intense eye contact with him. Donnie then looked distracted and turned his head away from them to concentrate on something else for a moment. His features hardened and he sighed heavily before turning to Insanity. "And I was just getting into it," he complained as he rested his head against Insanity's. "Get him good and loosened up for us. I'll be back in a moment. Just need to save our surrogate. It would seem that she has decided to defect." --- Tia nodded and looked around the room. "Is there a tv?" Jack asked, looking around as well. "What about school?" he looked back at Xenos. "Does this mean I don't have to go?!" he grinned, thinking he was going to get out of having to go to school. With a small smile, Tia rolled her eyes at her son. --- Lilly nodded and tucked some hair behind her ears. "What should we do now?" she asked Pain while looking to him for ideas. --- Sebastian had started to follow the others outside but stopped at the doorway and shook his head, choking up as the memory of watching Patience die in ADIEU resurfaced. "I can't take part in this!" He wept. "I just can't!" he turned and hurried back inside. Patience ran as far and fast as she could from the group, all while frantically calling out to Donnie mentally to collect her. With the intention of ensuring that Donnie took her without any issues, River followed her a little more closely than the rest but remained out of sight from her and called after her like the others were while pretending he couldn't smell her just around each corner. When Donnie made his appearance, however, the temptation got the better of River. He'd overheard that a Blood God might be able to stand up to Donnie and right now he saw this as the perfect opportunity to get rid of him once and for all. He darted around the corner and charged at Donnie. Surprised by the sudden change in plan, Patience had gasped and given him away. Giving Donnie more than enough time to react by whirling around to face him just in time to grab River by the throat. River struggled for air while hissing at Donnie angrily, who merely smiled back at him in amusement before slamming him into the ground. The impact created a small crater in the pavement and before River could react, Donnie had rapidly punched him several times in the head, knocking him out. Not wasting any more time, Donnie marched over to Patience, wrapped an arm around her waist then vanished with her. --- Back at the harem, Donnie reappeared with Patience in his arms and he grinned at Insanity. "Oh, beloved!" he called to him. "Our generous surrogate would like to join our family," he said while standing behind Patience and holding her arms like he was presenting her as a prize. He brought his head next to hers and used one finger to point at Insanity. "I just want to make something absolutely clear to you. You might be carrying my child but in my eyes, you don't hold a candle to this man. In fact..." he turned his head to look her in the eyes and shook his head while saying to her callously. "You are absolutely nothing to me. So, if you want to still be one of us once my child is born, you will be loyal to us and you won't piss us off. Got it?" Patience stared at Donnie quietly and nodded. She tried her best to block them from reading her mind but with her pregnancy limiting her powers, it was difficult for her to tell how well it was working. But she felt she had already identified one of Donnie's biggest weaknesses. His lover. "I won't let you down," she said while turning to look at Insanity. "You were both right. You should be the Kings. I see that now. Sinners should suffer, not be coddled!" "Now she gets it!" Donnie laughed and patted her on the back then gestured to one of the spare rooms. "Go and make yourself comfortable. Insanity and I are going to have some fun with this sinner and I'm sure you don't want to be around for some of the things we're going to do." he chuckled. "Maybe I can join in next time?" Patience asked and Donnie turned to look at her in surprise and was even more taken aback when she pressed herself against him to kiss him. He then watched her practically skip away, into the bedroom with a raised brow before turning to walk back to Insanity. "I don't trust her," he whispered to him, paranoid. "That seemed too easy. I don't like it. It feels...off. I would torture her to get her to talk but I don't want to risk losing my child." he then glared at Warren, his eyes turning red. "You repeat anything we say in confidence and I will not only rip out your tongue but I'll sew your mouth shut for good measure!" he hissed, making Warren shiver and whimper. --- Amelia was rocking and cradling Oliver while sitting on the edge of the bed. She was crying quietly while kissing the top of his head gently. Oliver was still winging and crying in her arms as he could still sense the tension in the air. She listened to Charles through the door while staring hard at the floor. After considering his words for a moment, she flicked her wrist while clicking her fingers. This little action unlocked the door but she wouldn't look up at Charles or talk to him yet as she continued to cry and rock with Oliver. Strong as she was, she looked so fragile at this moment. --- Fenton gasped again when he was lifted from the ground and he stared at Phineas fearfully. When he was dropped, he cowered as the door was ripped from its hinges then watched as Phineas took Kasper from the bed. He got the impression from Phineas's words that he was preparing to take Kasper away. He wasn't sure if that was even possible as souls in Heaven couldn't simply leave. But then again, he was in the arms of a man who was at least half-devil, so the possibility was quite high. Kasper's head lulled towards Phineas's chest but he continued to stare off at nothing. Utterly unresponsive in his sedated state. "Phineas! Think about what you're doing! He's a patient here! You both are! You should stay! Let us help you!" Fearful that he was losing control of the situation, Fenton made one last attempt to be stern and put his foot down. "Phineas, you cannot take Kasper out of here! He is a patient at this hospital and we have not discharged him! If you don't put him down, then I will be forced to call in our security!" --- "Sure!" Azrael gave him a thumbs up before laying back on the hard ground. He felt like the place they were in was spinning as he stared up at Hell's sky. "Y'know, I know what it's like to be misjudged," he said drunkenly. "My job is to guide souls into either Heaven or Hell... But so often, people get me so wrong! They think that I'm the one who causes their death. Or that I'm the one who gets to choose where they go when they die. Often, they see my black wings and think that I'm some kind of bad omen..." he sniffled and wiped at his eyes. "I know it's not their fault but it's so hard sometimes...But I do it anyway! Because there are times when people really need a comforting hug or a kind smile and it makes it all worth it when I know that I've managed to put just one soul at ease about their death that day. Y'know?"

Shadowess - March 1, 2022 Azrael froze and watched Nate tensely. The Angel looked from the weapon on the floor to Nate with a cool expression. "You are so much like him... before he fell." The Angel commented. "We made a mistake. By sending him down in that group. The man he became..." he shook his head then stared at Nate. "How close were you to Lucifer before he fell, Naoutha? Really? You never did answer that question." he crossed his arms. "That's why you were sent away. During the war, you were suspected of being his spy. Suspected, but never proven. He had a few in Heaven and you didn't exactly help your image by visiting Hell when it was illegal to do so." At this point, the Angel lowered his gaze. "I followed you. That's how I know you used to go there for your 'fun'. I never told anyone though. You would have been destroyed if He found out. I knew you weren't a traitor. Just a stupid, rebellious boy that never listened." --- Once all the Demons had signed the contract, Donnie grinned and picked it up. He snapped his fingers and it, along with the pen, vanished again. "Thank you all for your support! My first order as your leader will be to train. Use the old Demon's military barracks to train the way that we used to train under Lucifer. We will call upon you when needed, so we'll need you to be ready." The Demons in the bar vanished, leaving just Donnie, Insanity, Phineas and Billy. Donnie turned to Insanity and walked over to him before kissing him passionately. "We should do something to celebrate," he said happily then glanced at Phineas and Billy. "I have an idea but considering that rat escaped, I'll bet it won't be long before we're tracked down by Amelia and her group. We should send our new pets to cause a distraction. Then, what do you say I show you how to hunt and torture a sinner the old fashioned way?" he grinned. As it happened, there was a new soul currently waiting for David in the Library that Donnie had seen arrive a little while ago. Warren. --- "I-...don't know," Lilly admitted and looked around again apprehensively. "I mean, I'd love to see more of your world but it's all still very new and strange to me. That and I doubt Bob would want to leave your group now that he gets as much attention as he does." she shrugged. "Maybe, if it's ok with you and your band, I'll stay and help whenever you need an extra pair of hands?" --- "I don't know who that is..." Zero said quietly. "I do. He only died around forty years before I was born. He was a medical wonder, even in my time." Sebastian nodded as he looked at the image on Carter's phone from over his shoulder and recalled seeing it in his youth. "If Donnie has them both then he can't be doing anything good to either of them," Zero said while still shivering. "Donnie's been around since Lucifer was around. I remember he tried to overthrow Lucifer to make Hell more, well, Hellish. Even Lucifer thought he was too ruthless..." He hugged himself. He could feel the wound in his chest slowly healing. His eye hurt the most but he could feel the uncomfortable sensation of skin growing under the bandages. He shook his head. "And now he has followers... I'll bet he's getting him to sign the same kinds of Contracts that Lucifer had people sign." "Amelia told me about those." Sebastian gasped. He looked at Carter hurriedly. "For every soul that signs one, the Devil becomes a little more powerful. Carter, Amelia refuses to use them! If he's getting people to sign their souls away, his power will dwarf hers in no time!" Which will give him a huge advantage in his attempt to overthrow her. One of Sebastian's closest friends was now in grave danger. --- "It won't be that simple... Not anymore." David said gravely. Behind Charles, Amelia was holding Oliver who had sensed the sudden tension and started crying. "Charles, could you knock it off with the fire? I'd rather not have the fire department pay us a visit on top of everything else." Amelia said moodily. She then looked over his shoulder at David. Not being a telepath like Charles was, she had no idea what was wrong. "Dad? What's happened?" "Donnie..." David said as he waited for Charles to let him in. "Oh, what now?! Didn't we already deal with him? Patience turned him into a fuc-" Amelia stopped herself and glanced at Oliver before looking back at David while bouncing the child a bit to try and soothe him. "She turned him into a tree! How is he still a problem?!" "Insanity," David said simply then gestured into the room while looking at Charles. "May I come in?" Denix Vames - March 1, 2022 Nate shut his tear-filled eyes. "I hate him and everyone in Heaven! What kind of place is that?! God never loved us. Just the amusement of having us." He ran out of the church. Not knowing where to go but just wanting to get as far away as possible. --- "And who should we sent these adorable pets to slaughter first?" ,asked Insanity. --- "It really doesn't sound like a bad idea. I mean either way, you're part of the group. We're all like family." ,said Pain. --- "How the hell do we make him weaker? That little fuck probably has all kinds of contracts by now." ,said Carter. --- Charles sighed at her attitude before rolling his eyes. His aura faded away. He opened the door wider. "Come in." shadowess - March 1, 2022 The Angel didn't move as Nate ran past him. "I suppose that answered my question." He merely commented with a look of disappointment. Tom ran after Nate. He left the church and sped after him. "Nate, wait! Talk to me!" The Angel turned to Azrael and Gabriel next. "You two... I expected better. Go and clean yourselves up." he said emotionlessly. Rob looked at Gabriel, waiting to follow his lead. --- Donnie thought for a moment while brushing some of Insanity's hair from his face. "How about we send them to teach that son of a bitch Xenos a lesson? That bastard mocked me while I was trapped in my wooden prison. So, let's send our new pets to pay his family a visit." --- Lilly smiled and stood, looking at Pain. "That means a lot to me," she said then glanced towards the museum. "What's this building?" she asked, unable to read the letters on the signage. Although they spoke the same language, their version of English was written differently from this world. In truth, however, she had grown up quite poor in her own world and barely had a grasp on reading and writing, to begin with. --- "You could have his followers break the terms of their contract but... doing so would destroy their souls. It's a consequence of signing your soul away." Zero pointed out. "We can't do that but we can figure something out later. We need to warn them somehow!" Sebastian said. "Don't forget, Angels can still kill a Devil. Those contracts will make doing so more difficult but our steel is still lethal if pierces the Devil's heart." Patience said, leaning forward on the couch. "The downside is it's dangerous for Angels to go to Hell. If they die there then they become Devils themselves. Then we're back to square one." "Blood Gods!" Sebastian gasped. "Aren't they slightly more powerful than the average Devil? At least, I think that's what Amelia said..." He looked to Patience who nodded to him to confirm that he was correct. "And we know a couple! Jessica and River!" "Leviathans too!" Patience added. "Right, but no one's seen one of those since before Lucifer... and everyone knows Blood Gods are as rare as they are crazy," Zero said, leaning back to rest against a chair. "Besides... even if you did know a legendary being like a Leviathan or a Blood God that is actually sane, those contracts would only even things out between them in terms of power." --- David could sense the tension in the air and glanced between his daughter and Charles warily before stepping into the apartment. He closed the door behind him. "They're both Devils now, which is worrying enough. But it would also seem that in the short time since Donnie escaped his tree form, he's managed to not only put an army together but also kidnap an Angel. A being, may I remind you, who is fully capable of destroying a Devil and Donnie had made it more than clear that he wants to overthrow my daughter." "Let him try!" Amelia growled, her eyes turning red. Oliver wailed and she quickly changed her eyes back to blue and gently shushed him while rocking him in her arms to try to calm him down. "I will not hand over Hell to that tyrant! Not after everything we went through to secure peace!" She then said in a hushed tone once Oliver had calmed down a bit. "Amelia," David said simply and sat on the arm of a nearby chair to look at them. "This is getting very serious. You have a civil war on your hands and an adversary that would love nothing more than to destroy your entire family." "You don't think I'm taking this seriously?!" Amelia snapped, still trying to keep her voice down but struggling. "That's not what I-" "I'm getting so sick of having this argument! You sound like him!" she pointed to Charles. "I know how dangerous this is! I know the risks! But I have a responsibility to Hell! It took me sooo long to accept that responsibility and now that I have I keep being told to 'stay out of it'! I can't! Alright?!" she now looked to Charles. "So, let me fight! Let me protect you, Oliver and the rest of my people! I HAVE to do this!" David sighed and rubbed his temples. Amelia reminded him so much of Carol sometimes. Sometimes she loved to come up with well thought out plans and strategies. But sometimes she let her heart do all the thinking and her desire to do the right thing can make her irrational. As it happened, Carol was exactly the reason that Amelia was acting out. But then it was difficult to stop another soul from affecting your own thoughts when you're not even aware that that mind is even there for the majority of the time. Denix Vames - March 2, 2022 Nate kept running as he sobbed. "It doesn't matter! No one cares about what I've been through!" Gabriel walked up to the Angel. "You know, I can take responsibility for everything that I've done today. But you sure as hell don't know how to talk to someone like a person!" He stormed out of the church. --- "Perfect!" Insanity looked at Phineas and Billy. "You two! Go to Xenos's home. You already know what he looks like. Therefore, you know what his family looks like because I gave you their faces through my mind. Now kill them all!" Phineas and Billy stood. "Yes master." They disappeared. --- At Xenos's house, both men appeared. Phineas ripped the door off of its hinges. They stepped inside. Billy held his guns out. --- "This one says, 'Liverpool's Musical History Museum.' Looks like it's all about the music they've created for as long as they've existed." ,said Pain. --- There was a knock at the door. "What the hell? Who could that be?" Carter opened the door. Salvo stood in front of him with his men behind him. All of his men. Will stood by them. "You didn't think I wasn't listening in? I had to make sure my family was alright." Salvo cracked his knuckles then straightened his tie. He smirked. "We don't mind taking down a crook." He took out a purple crystal. "Will made this with his own blood. If we use this on Donnie and Insanity then we can get rid of them just like that." He snapped his fingers. --- "I get that! But you could die! He could send you to Oblivion! Don't you see that?!" ,said Charlie who stood. "If you're going to put yourself in harm's way then maybe I should move somewhere with our child! Where he can be safe!" shadowess - March 2, 2022 Despite Tom's speed, he struggled to keep up with Nate. "I care!!" He shouted after him breathlessly. His thighs burned from the effort but he wasn't giving up. "Nate, please tell me! Talk to me! Nate!" As Gabriel marched away from him, the Angel remained where he was and stared ahead. "You've been spending far too much time with mortals. You've gone soft," he said after him then looked over at Rob who was glaring at him. "There's nothing wrong with having empathy!" Rob said simply before following Gabriel. This, of course, just left Azrael. The Angel rose a brow at him but Azrael seemed a little too preoccupied with something else as he seemed to turn a shade of green and tighten his lips. "I'm guna be sick!" he said quickly then vanished. The Angel sighed heavily while rolling his eyes then vanished as well. --- Grinning, Donnie started kissing Insanity's neck. "Let's find a new toy to play with, hm?" he whispered into his ear while feeling his chest. "One just for the bedroom, what do you think? There's one waiting in the Library right now. He thinks he's waiting for David to start his rehabilitation. We're going to claim him instead, show him what it means to be in our version of Hell and crush his hopes of escape." Donnie nibbled a little on Insanity's ear before speaking again. "Desi had an entire building dedicated to all things sexual. He's abandoned it, so how about we claim it and collect some 'play things' to keep in it for ourselves? We'll hunt the soul at the Library then drag him there to do what we want to him." --- Jack had been watching the tv and sitting on the floor when the door had burst open. Nearby, Tia had been ironing a pile of white buttoned shirts while keeping an eye on her son. When the two men had broken into the house, both Tia and Jack had jumped. "Jack!" She screamed at her son just as he sprung to his feet and vaulted himself over the couch to duck behind it. Tia yanked the cord for the iron out of its socket faced the men while holding the hot iron up threateningly. "Get out! I'm warning you!" she growled. Mentally, she was calling for Xenos. Tia had suspected that something like this might eventually happen, given Xenos's line of work. So, she had been teaching Jack a way to escape and hide in case of such an event. When the attention was on his mother, Jack bolted to the back of the house and out of the backdoor. He ran through the garden and darted straight into the forest that was behind the house before transforming and hiding among the bushes. --- "Who's Liverpool?" Lilly asked innocently then tilted her head at Pain with a smile. "We should go in and look around then. If it's a museum relating to music, then it might help with inspiring new songs for your band." She suggested although she had an ulterior motive; it was the perfect opportunity to get to know Pain more. --- Of course, wherever Will was, River was sure to follow. Rather than turning up at the door with the others, he'd overheard Zero's comments and had appeared right in front of Zero, bent down to his level while holding out a hand to him. "Hi! I'm River. A SANE Blood God." he introduced himself with a cheeky grin which showed off his fangs. Zero's eyes had widened at the sight of his fangs and red eyes. He'd jumped when he'd appeared then quickly turned red in the face when he realised the introduction was a dig at his comments. "Um-! I-I-I D-didn't mea-! I've n-n-never-! What I-I-I mean is-is-!" He flustered and River's grin only grew. "It's cool. No hard feelings," he said while tussling Zero's hair and standing just as the others would enter the room. He grinned at Will mischievously. "What? I said I'd do it." he chuckled. --- "So, I'll just come back! He managed to do it, so why can't I??" Amelia argued naively. At Charles's comment about taking their son somewhere safe though, Amelia's already stressed out mind immediately assumed the worst and she hugged Oliver to herself a little tighter while giving Charles a hurt look. "N-no, you can't." Her voice broke and she ran into the bedroom with their still crying son, locking the door behind her. David looked between Charles and the door awkwardly. "Charles." He said quickly and in a hushed voice. It dawned on him why Amelia might be behaving erratically as he recalled overhearing a conversation back at Beau Carter's wedding. "Has she been behaving strange lately? More restless and impulsive than she normally is?" Denix Vames - March 2, 2022 Nate stopped as he continued to shake. "That bastard had no right to talk to me like that! As if he's any better! That fucker probably doesn't care about me!" --- "Oh? How should our little greeting start? A stab in the back?" Insanity grinned. "Or in the front?" --- Xenos appeared. He glared at both of them. He transformed as he shouted, "Get away from my family!" He dodged the iron rod before grabbing Phineas's neck and twisting it. Billy shot him in the side but it didn't phase him. He simply grabbed one of the pistols and shot him in the head. With both men dead, he took a deep breath. He turned to Tia. "Are you and Jack alright?" --- Pain smiled. "It just might." He stepped into the building. "Liverpool is basically the city that we're in right now. This place is known for having some awesome music. More specifically, rock and roll." --- Will rolled his eyes but chuckled. "You did say that. So, what's the next step on our plan?" --- Charles nodded. "She has....Why?" --- Phineas gasped awake. He was at his old home. He could see that another family had taken over. He became heartbroken but was at least glad someone was taking care of it. "Kasper...." He appeared in the dining room of Heaven's hospital. "Kasper! Kasper?! Where are you?" --- Billy had woke in Hell. Seeing that he had become a Devil, he cried. Never leaving as he curled up. "I'm a monster...."

Denix Vames - February 27, 2022 Nate kissed him passionately once they were in the confessional booth. --- Billy was about lose to consciousness when he heard the chanting. His wound began to heal as his feathers fell off of his wings. His wings became charred and more dragon-like. He stood with a blank stare. Waiting for orders. Insanity examined his face. "I never thought I would be lucky. We have the Phineas Gage and Billy the Kid. What a wonderful moment! Two sexy historical men!" --- "Well I don't know. Do you really want to hear about our history? It's not exactly pretty." ,said Pain. Storm shrugged. "Sure." Hades and the others led Bob down the street where they found an antique shop. Going inside, they look at the items on the shelves. --- Carter clenched his fists as he heard Zero's words. He grit his teeth. "David? The next time there's an another bastard to deal with, you let me know. Now, where is this fucking Donnie and Insanity bitch at? I'm not taking no for answer! I will kill them!" Sebastian would be the one to get what Zero needed. Shadowess - February 27, 2022 Curtain drawn, Tom had Nate sitting on the little bench in the booth while he sat on his lap. He kissed him back, matching his passion while gently rubbing his hips against his. Rob stood from the bench and strode over to Gabriel. He kissed him suddenly, no longer able to resist the urge after admiring his beauty for so long. This display took the churchgoers by surprise and they watched in shock as one of their beliefs surrounding sexuality was shattered before their eyes. If Angels could do it, then what was so wrong with it? It was at this moment that the church doors were flung open and a heavily armoured Angel marched into the church. He snapped his fingers and a third of the mortals in the church would vanish, appearing in their homes with no recollection of what had happened and quite a bad hangover. He snapped his fingers again and another third vanished. Then once more, leaving just himself, Azrael, Nate, Tom, Gabriel and Rob in the church. He looked sternly at Azrael who was still laying on the pew with some red wine staining the bottom part of his mouth. He then shifted his gaze to Gabriel and Rob. Then lastly to the confessional booth. "Get out of there right now!" he barked angrily. He then looked at Azrael. "And you! Join the others before me. Move!" Azrael jumped to his feet and hurriedly stumbled over to Gabriel and Rob. "How dare you?! Here, of all places! With the way the world is changing right now, revealing yourselves to the mortals we can forgive. But drinking and fornicating in HIS house?! What on Earth possessed you, boys?! It's the Greek God thing all over again! Do you have any idea how long it took for us to clean that mess up! There are mortals out there that still believe in your stories!" "Who is this guy?" Tom looked the Angel up and down in annoyance as he stepped out of the confessional booth, still pulling his shirt back on. "Their superior" he nodded to Gabriel, Azrael and Nate. "Shit... I knew this was a bad idea..." Rob mumbled as he lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Relax. This guy's been barking orders at us since before we got our status." Azrael said cockily while taking a swig from his bottle. "He thinks he's our dad or some shit." --- "Holy shit... he took control of another Devil!" one of the Demons gasped as they all stood around, watching intently. Though Donnie wasn't smiling. In fact, he was watching Billy carefully, making sure that his chant had actually worked. He was a little out of breath from the effort too. Taking control of another Devil was far more taxing than trying to take control of any other species. Outside of being a tree at the time, it's also one of the reasons he'd had so much trouble getting control of Xenos when he'd attempted it. "Hold that thought, my beloved. We don't want to run any unnecessary risks," he said, a little breathlessly. "Billy and Phineas. Pleasure each other for our amusement," he ordered and watched them both carefully to gauge their reactions. He was looking for any sort of sign that his spell hadn't worked, so he had no intentions of letting things go too far between them. Only when he was satisfied that neither of them was pretending would he call it off and move on to the next part of his plan... getting all of his new recruits to sign a Devil's Contract. --- "Neither is the history of my world." Lilly shrugged. She sat on a bench outside what appeared to be a museum. "Maybe I should go first then? Where I come from, years ago, there was this great war. In a desperate bid to win the war, the tyrannical leader of the opposing side hired a group of necromancers. Four in total. One of these necromancers, when he was slain, used his dying breath to place a curse on his body and his fellow necromancers. So, when they each were killed, they immediately rose again as these wraith-like creatures to seek revenge on the world." "One spreads disease wherever it goes and getting a scratch from it ensures that you die slowly and horribly. The second one causes wells to dry up and crops to wither the moment it walks within range. A scratch or bite from that one causes you to die rapidly of both starvation and dehydration. The third only needs to be standing close by and suddenly your best friend becomes your nemesis and you end up fighting with them to the death. The last..." Lilly shook her head. "Whenever that one draws near, whole villages abandon their homes and flee... because breathing in the smog that it creates brings certain and sudden death. The war ended when those wraiths were created... but the fight for survival began... as did the condemnation of people like me..." --- Sebastian handed the glass of water to David. "Thank you. Here Zero, drink some water. Let us bandage those wounds for you." he said gently as he held the glass up to Zero's mouth while Sebastian unrolled the bandage and began wrapping it around Zero's head to cover his eye. "Zero? You're not 'Hammerhead' Zero by any chance?" David asked him. "Y-You've heard of me?" Zero looked up at David who nodded. "It's no wonder you're in this state. From what I heard your powers only work when you're submerged in water, correct?" "Yeah... but that's not the only reason..." Zero's eyes then widened at Carter's comments. "N-no! You can't! You're just a mortal and they're Devils with an Army!" "What?!" David's eyes widened and he stood. "An army?" Patience repeated, looking worried. "Th-they appeared in a bar in Hell and started making promises to the Demons... and they listened! They all want things to go back to the way Lucifer ran Hell! When I spoke up, no one helped me. They just watched! They just fucking watched!" "Why didn't you just leave? Come to find me or Amelia?" David asked. "I tried! Donnie saw me trying to sneak out and before I could run, Insanity had me! I thought they were going to destroy me. I thought they were going to torture me." "How did you escape?" "Th-the cowboy angel. A cowboy angel came in through a portal and grabbed me and this other guy that had one eye. He threw me through the portal but...I don't know why they didn't come through after me." Zero trembled. "You don't think something bad happened to them, do you?" Denix Vames - February 27, 2022 "It's not like we were causing any harm." Nate rolled his eyes. "I don't even know why I ever became an Angel. It's not like I wanted to be in Heaven. I mean God makes me into an Angel then straight up abandons me after some centuries? What kind of shit is that?!" Tears were leaving him. "Well, he can go fuck himself because of I'm tired of being his slave!" --- Phineas and Billy walked towards each other before kissing each other. --- "Uh wow....! We just always had a lot of wars because we're so far up our ass that we think we can own anything." ,said Pain. "At least, that's what I've learned." --- Carter's eyes widened. "That might be Billy! But who's the one-eyed guy? Can you describe him? I've never heard of him before." shadowess - February 28, 2022 "Oh, will you stop with the pity party, Naoutha!" The other Angel snapped. "You weren't abandoned, you were punished! For good reason! All those Angels you killed!" "Shut up!" Tom snapped back, standing in front of Nate defensively. "I don't care who you are, don't you dare speak to him like that!" "You'll do well to stay out of this, mortal." The Angel warned him. "No, fuck you and the high fucking horse you rode in on! Nate's right! No one was getting hurt!" "No, but what you were all doing was blatant disrespect towards God!" "That's not-!" "I'm warning you, boy! Speak out of turn again and you'll be punished!" Tom stepped down from the Chancel while glaring at the Angel. "What, like you punished Nate?" he asked sourly. "Good luck. That organisation is long gone!" Azrael felt sick but he was more concerned that Tom might be pushing his luck. "Tom, seriously man, don't push it with this guy. He doesn't mess around." he looked between Gabriel and Nate. "C'mon guys, we could just party somewhere else." --- Carefully observing their behaviour, Donnie crossed his arms and stared silently at them for a minute before waving his hand at them dismissively. "That's enough. Go sit at the bar, I'll have orders for you both soon," he said before snapping his fingers. As he did, a roll of parchment appeared in his hand. In his other hand, a metallic pen appeared with a sharp needle-like nib. The good thing about Billy and Phineas's possessions is that they turned out to be a perfect display of their power. "Alright, you all know the drill. I'm sure you remember these from the days that Lucifer reigned. Sign our contract to swear your loyalty to Insanity and me. In return, we will swear to return Hell to his gory glory." he said as he set the Devil's Contract down on the nearby table with the pen. Before long, a line had formed for Demons wanting to sign their souls away to Insanity and Donnie. As the first couple of Demons signed the contract with their blood, Donnie could already feel his power growing and was sure Insanity would feel it as well. --- "I guess all civilisations come to blows sooner or later," Lilly said thoughtfully. Then looked around at the wonderful inventions of this world. The moving pictures and the vehicles without horses. "At least yours didn't doom your planet in the process. I look around now and I can't help but wonder what might've been if our leaders hadn't taken things too far. There's so much here that my world just doesn't have. Sure we have some steam-powered machines and crude electric devices but nothing like the inventions that you have here. Here, I feel like... I could actually have a life without fear." she looked up at Pain and smiled. "That maybe I could look forward to actually having a future." --- "U-uhhh..." Zero winced as Sebastian started wrapping the bandage around his torso next. He thought for a moment, recalling the one-eyed man trying to speak up and being threatened. "H-he had short hair. One eye. Old fashioned clothes... kind of like that cowboy actually. Oh, and he had a pipe or something. He came into the bar with Donnie and Insanity but I remember that he didn't look happy from the start. Then he tried to speak up and tell the other Demons not to join them. Then Donnie said something to him quietly and he looked scared... terrified, actually. Called them 'Master' after that and went quiet. Then they started torturing me and I could hear him shouting but..." Zero shivered and placed a hand over his bandaged eye. "I couldn't hear what they were saying... I was screaming... I reached out to the man and begged for help. That's when the cowboy showed up." David was pale. As was Patience. Sebastian had finished wrapping Zero's wounds and stood back with Carter, looking at him worriedly. "I need to go see Amelia and Charles," David said finally then turned to give Carter a stern look. "I know you feel like you've missed out on this but do not go looking for Insanity or Donnie. Stay here and make sure Zero is alright." he vanished. --- David stood outside Amelia and Charles's apartment. He took a deep breath, knowing that the issues with Donnie had led to an argument between the two previously. He wondered if they'd resolved those issues between them by now but had no choice but to make them aware of what had just happened. Gingerly, he knocked on the door and waited. Denix Vames - February 28, 2022 Nate stood in front of Tom. Taking steps closer to his superior. He glared. "And why do you think I killed them? Because God ordered those sick fucks to torture me just so he could watch! Anytime I killed an Angel, another one was already being called to my doorstep!" His weapon appeared from his hand. He slammed it to the floor. "I never asked to be made! I never wanted this life!" --- With the kiss broken, Phineas and Billy sat at a table. Insanity took a deep breath as he felt a surge of power grow within him. "Oh it feels so fucking good!" --- "I'm glad to hear. Were you thinking of traveling before deciding on a place to call home?" ,asked Pain. --- Carter let out a frustrated sigh before pulling out his phone. "Might as well look up the description of this one eyed guy." He typed in some keywords before finding a picture. His eyes widened. "Holy shit! This is the guy that me and Blaire use to have crush on! Phineas Gage! They've got him as their slave? How the fuck did this happen? This guy is practically a celebrity!" --- Charles opened the door. "David?" His fire aura surrounded himself when he listened to his mind. "Where is he? I will deliver him to Oblivion myself!"

Denix Vames - February 26, 2022 "I've got just the person for this." Nate and the others appeared at a house of very gullible man who was about to water their lawn soon. "What should we start off with?" --- Phineas's aura surrounded himself. His grip on the iron rod grew tight. He grit his teeth. "Enough! That demon is right. I was a fool to believe in your hallucinations. None of what you're doing is right at all! You need to stop!" Insanity grabbed the demon and stabbed into his chest. Grinning happily. "No!" Phineas ran over to stop him but found himself on the ground when Donnie stopped him. He groaned as he glared at him. "Is this really what any of you want? What all of you want? Neverending war and destruction? To lose everyone you love to Oblivion?" Despite how many times, Donnie would try to shut him up, he didn't back down. Phineas stood back. "I've seen the future! What we are now are friends to each other. Friends to those who are no better than we are. Angels, Demons, and all sorts of Devils? All of us are family!" --- Pain smiled. "You doing alright now?" "Actually, Pain went to go check if she was doing alright. She was crying earlier." ,said Storm. --- "Of course. You're all welcomed to by anytime." ,said Jean who smiled. Carter nodded. "Thanks man." shadowess - February 26, 2022 Tom and Rob stood to one side to see what the others would do. Tom was stifling his drunken giggles while Rob merely watched curiously. Azrael snapped his fingers. "I've got it," he said then huddled with Nate and Gabriel to tell them his plan. "Gabriel, you do your whole bright light and Angel ascending from Heaven bit to get him going. I'll give a little extra life to that dry as hell lawn to make it beautiful. I might even throw some flowers in there... why not? Nate, you lay down the law and tell him he could do more to be good...like throw a party for us and cater to our every desire." --- The Demon cried out and looked down at the knife while coughing up blood. He turned his head and looked at Insanity with wide, fearful eyes. "Stop!" he gasped while trying to wriggle away from him. Rather than race to stop the brutality going on, the Demons in the bar began rhythmically hitting their tables with their fists and bottled. Drumming along as a way of cheering Insanity on. "Oh, shut up you stupid half breed!" one of the Demons near Phineas snapped. Donnie merely glared at him before turning to watch the show that Insanity was giving them. He would not be heard by this particular group. As Donnie had suspected, these Demons very much missed the way Hell used to be run and with the promise that things could go back to how they used to be, they apparently seemed willing to either forgive or forget Donnie's previous traitorous actions against Lucifer. Donnie also knew that they would never listen to the likes of Phineas. These Demons are from a time when mixing Demon and Angel blood was a huge no-no. This thought caused Donnie to reconsider claiming Patience's child as his heir. Better to abandon that child completely and create a pure-blooded heir than let these Demons think for one moment that he was a traitor to his own race. He had been tempted to kidnap Amelia's child but he had already dismissed that idea. That boy was not his by blood so he would be better off destroying it, along with his father. Get rid of the competition. Then, maybe before they destroy the current Queen they could use her as he'd originally intended back at their previous lair? Or there's the other one that had gotten away from them. The redhead. She may be a Blood God but she was still technically a Devil. Now wouldn't that just piss Damien off? Donnie grinned at the thought. Decisions, decisions. Stirred from his thoughts by Phineas's ramblings, he shot him a dangerous look. "Oh dear," he said to him quietly while letting Insanity have his fun. "I wonder what Kasper would think of your misbehaviour towards your masters?" he asked pleasantly. "Should we ask him? Though I doubt he'd be able to say much when Insanity and I spit-roast him." his smile twisted into a much more malicious grin. "Or maybe I should twist his mind? Change him into a Demon and add him to my ever-growing army?" He then turned to look at Insanity and gestured towards him while addressing the onlooking Demons. "Pay attention! Our wonderful 'volunteer' will demonstrate for us the things we can and will do to souls when Insanity and I reign!" He then chuckled evilly while looking at the Demon in Insanity's grip. "Aren't you so lucky?!" --- Bob paused. "Crying? Her? Have you met her?" He joked. Still, despite his complete lack of facial features, his quietness and hesitance spoke volumes. He was worried. Lilly didn't answer straight away. Reluctantly though, she slowly let him go then tucked some of her hair behind her ears again, blushing. "Much better, thank you." she smiled shyly. "We um... we should head back to the van. The others will be waiting for us." --- Sebastian smiled at Jean then took Patience's and Cater's hands. Patience hesitated then chuckled while shaking her head. "I can't. My powers are already gone. I'm practically just an ordinary Vampire now. Albeit a Vampire with wings..." Sebastian blinked. "Oh! uh-..." he too hesitated. "David said he could teleport us back when we're ready. Would that be ok with you?" Patience looked unsure for a moment but supposed that she would need to talk to him sooner or later anyway. She bit her lip but nodded. "David?" he called and David appeared in the room. He froze when he saw Patience and looked between everyone warily. "We need a lift home," Sebastian told him then smiled at Patience. "Patience is coming with us." David slowly stepped towards them and took their hands without a word. A moment later, they were back in Carter's living room. Sebastian had left the Tupperware of 'Bluffins' behind. Letting go of their hands, David stepped away from them. "I guess I'll-" "Don't." Patience said, stopping him as she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "We should talk. I didn't mean what I said. I was a mess and I wasn't thinking straight." David looked back at her with a small frown and his eyes dropped to her stomach. "What about-...?" he began to ask then trailed off. Not sure how to finish his question. "It's not going to be mine." Patience answered him simply then looked between Carter and Sebastian. "But I know who would make wonderful parents for it." David looked back up at her then followed her eyes to Carter and Sebastian. He smiled at them both and nodded. He seemed both sad and relieved. "I can't think of anyone better." Denix Vames - February 26, 2022 Once the plan was agreed to, everyone got into their places. Gabriel began lowering himself as he emitted that light for a moment once the man stepped outside. With the lawn looking healthy, Nate stepped forward to the man. "If you gave us a party and fulfilled our needs then you can have more than this. We can bless you with anything you desired." --- Phineas went pale. He fell to his knees as he held the iron rod. "Forgive me master. Please don't hurt my lover." Insanity threw the demon to the middle of the bar. He gripped his crotch before stabbing into his eye and pulling it out. "Don't you look delightful?" Phineas turned away from the scene. "I beg that you let me stay outside. I feel sick." --- Pain nervously smiled. "Sure." They headed to the van. "We should go back home unless you guys want to explore the city? We have time." ,said Storm. --- "We don't mind visits from friends like you. Just remember that. I think throwing a baby shower might be a nice idea. Only if you guys are ok with it." ,said Carter. Shadowess - February 26, 2022 Despite how drunk they all were, the plan went off without a hitch. Rob and Tom watched the man step out of his home and fall to his knees with tears in his eyes as he was overwhelmed by the sight. When Nate had stepped forward and spoke to him, the man nodded vigorously before running into his house and picking up his phone. While invisible to him, Azrael followed him inside to eavesdrop. He came back outside a few minutes later. "He's set up a party at a local venue. He's invited everyone he goes to church with so like...at least half the town. If not more." Azrael chuckled. "He's also ordered a catering service to be there. Sounds like it's going to be a hell of a party. I think we should disappear now then turn up fashionably late. All with our wings out looking majestic as fuck." --- Donnie chuckled cruelly and shook his head. "Absolutely not. Weakness will not be tolerated. I'll warn you now, if you vomit I will make you lick it up! Every last drop!" The Demon hit the ground and coughed up more blood. Looked around at the other Demons who merely watched. Apparently enjoying what they saw. "H-Help! Don't let them do this!" he cried out but his pleas went unheard. He groaned and flinched when Insanity grabbed him. He hadn't had any time to push him away when the knife went through his eye. At that point, he was in so much agony that he couldn't think of anything other than the pain as he gripped where his eyes had been and let out scream after scream. Donnie tilted his head back and half-closed his eyes with a look of satisfaction on his face. "Oh, it's like music to my ears! Make him sing some more, my beloved!" --- Bob was staring directly at Lilly when she came back. Although she wasn't currently smiling, he had a feeling that there was something different about her. When Lilly caught him staring she rose a brow at him. "What?" she snapped. "Nothin'" he shrugged then chuckled. "Cry baby." "Beg your pardon, bone bag?" "Calm down, grumpy." Bob chuckled some more. "After all, I know how emotional you can get." Lilly walked past him and as she did she yanked on his spine, pulling it out before dropping it on the floor. Causing Bob to crash to the ground in pieces. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" "Don't cry about it!" Lilly shot back. "You know what, I think I'd like to explore this place a bit," she said as she looked out at the rest of the city. She then looked back at Pain. "You want to come with me?" "Me?" Bob's skull asked from the ground, his head bobbing around as his jaw opened and shut to speak. "No," Lilly replied then smiled. An audible gasp came from Bob's skull and his head started jumping and bobbing around like crazy as he spoke rapidly to the others. "Quick! Someone take a picture! Do you have any idea how rare this is?! Quick before it's gone- Hey, Lilly! Where ya going?! Come back and let us take a picture! Do it again!" But Lilly had already turned away from him and was happily walking towards the street. --- "It's a good idea." Patience nodded with a smile. Seeing that Patience was fine with it, David relaxed. "It's a wonderful idea." he agreed. "Maybe I could help you organise it? I could send out your invites." he offered. Patience sniffed the air. The smell of hot bluffins was still very much present here. "What is that?" "Oh! I made-" Sebastian looked around briefly then his cheeks turned red. "Uh... I left the Bluffins at the castle..." he looked at Carter as his shoulders dropped at the realisation. "Bluffins?" Patience rose a brow. "Muffins...made out of blood. I was trying to make food that vampires could eat and thought I'd start simple... I'm thinking of opening a Vampire bakery or something like that." "What an idea!" Patience seemed impressed. "But vampires wouldn't be able to each much if it's still made with human food, right?" "Well no, but it'd be like a small treat we could have once in a while. That's why I thought cakes would be a good fit. That way it's no more unhealthy than a human eating cake." Sebastian nodded then blushed as he added while looking at Carter. "Carter's pancakes gave me the idea." He then shrugged and laughed. "Oh well, I guess Jean can have those ones. I hope he likes them. I'll make some more later." Denix Vames - February 26, 2022 "Awesome!" ,said Nate. They would wait until the right time to appear in the church once everything had been set up. --- Phineas suddenly felt a surge of power run through his veins. He stood before the iron rod went through his chest on its own. A blast of energy knocked over everyone and everything in the area. The iron rod became his skin. His wings grew before he shouted, "I said....NO!" Insanity stopped to watch. Surprised by this sudden change but also worried. Phineas flew up. "Heaven and the right rulers of Hell will know about this! Attempt to hurt those that I love and I will kill you!" --- Pain ran after her. He started walking beside her. "You cool?" "Uh Need some help?" ,said Storm. He picked up some bones and placed them where they should be. Grim helped out with the other bones. --- "There's lot of people to invite but I'm sure we can get everyone. We just have to get the right food for everybody." ,said Carter. "Not to mention the decorations for the party." shadowess - February 26, 2022 By the time they'd arrived, the man had grown flustered as he'd tried to convince his friends that he wasn't crazy, that he'd really seen Angels and that they would be here soon. With Gabriel's light and all their wings out, including Rob's, they appeared at the head of the church. The people inside shielded their eyes until the light dulled enough for them to see and they all immediately fell to their knees. Bowing to them. "Ok, this is epic!" Tom grinned as he stood by Nate's side. "Yeah, I had my doubts but this does feel pretty good." Rob chuckled. "Let there be wine!" Azrael announced and snapped his fingers, making bottles of wine appear. "Mortals! Party with us! Drink! Dance! Enjoy life for all the pleasures it has to give!" --- "Enough of this!" Donnie growled then began chanting his spell to try to possess Phineas. The Demon on the ground tilted his head back to look up at Phineas. One hand still holding the side of his face, he lifted his other hand to reach towards him desperately. "P-please! Help me!" --- "Yeah, I'm cool." Lilly giggled. "That was just banter. Should've seen what I used to do to Bob when he really annoyed me." She looked around them as they walked. "Anyway, I haven't really had many opportunities to explore your world since I arrived here. I mean, I went with you all to that strange clothes shop but that was about it. I thought...maybe..." she tucked hair behind her ears again. "You wouldn't mind showing me some more of your world?" "Thank you." Bob said as he picked up his skull once most of his body was put together again and popped it back onto his neck. He saw the looks on their faces and waved his boney hand at them. "Hey, it's not as bad as it looks. It's kind of a running joke we got goin'." he said as he stood up. "Besides. It's not like it hurts." he dusted himself off. "So! Where we off to now, gang?" --- "I can help with that too." David nodded. "Maybe I could visit your friend, Blaire? I'm sure she'd provide enough blood bags for the vampires." Patience sat on the couch, feeling a little tired from everything. "Speaking of blood. I haven't had any in a while. I don't suppose you have any bags here?" she asked. Denix Vames - February 26, 2022 Gabriel and Nate knew that the party was on. They drank some more with their lovers. Enjoying the company of other humans who were so eager to listen because of who they were. Gabriel had a good feeling that Azrael would have plenty of people to have sex with. --- Phineas clutched his head as he tried to ignore the chanting. Once Billy was able to sense his soul through that presence of energy, he appeared. His wings sprouted. "Grab my hand!" He pulled Phineas and the demon. Throwing them into a portal that sent them into Carter's house. Billy cried out as Phineas had stopped himself in time from entering the portal to stab him through the chest with the iron rod. He threw him across the bar before lowering himself to the ground. Standing there with a blank stare as he awaited orders. "N-No....Almost close...." He tried to stay awake before passing out. --- "Well, I've never really been here before but I'm really good with directions. We can find some historical monuments if you're into that." ,said Pain. "We could always take a look around the city. I'll just text Pain to meet us back at the van in a few hours." ,said Storm who did just that. --- "Always will." Carter brought back a blood bag from the kitchen. Giving it to her. Shadowess - February 26, 2022 At first, the crowd was a little nervous about drinking and partying in a church but after a few drinks, things began to get a little wild. Azrael lay across a pew and let a couple of the humans' stroke his wings while another poured wine into his mouth. After drinking more of his own venom and dancing with Nate for a while, Tom had a very naughty idea. He began pulling Nate towards the confessional booth with a cheeky grin on his face. With a small crowd of mortals fawning over Gabriel's beauty, sat on a pew nearby and had been drinking enough of the wine now to feel more relaxed about what they were doing. --- The Demon was thrown into the portal and rolled across Carter's floor, startling Patience, Sebastian, Carter and David in the process before the portal was snapped shut by Donnie. Donnie turned back to look at Billy cautiously before looking at Phineas in annoyance. "Have you any idea what you've done?!" he asked him in shock before looking back at Billy. He seemed almost afraid. He reached an arm out for Insanity and pushed him behind himself defensively while keeping his eyes on the fallen Angel who, due to his severe wound and current location, was about to become an actual Fallen Angel. A Devil. A being capable of actually standing up to Donnie and Insanity. "Even more fucking competition to deal with!" he seethed. "Maybe this doesn't need to be a bad thing?" he wondered aloud then began chanting again, trying to get control of Billy as well. --- "Sure," Lilly answered. "Maybe you could tell me some of the histories from your world too?" she suggested. "And if you'd like, I can tell you some more about where I came from?" "A lot of old looking buildings around here," Bob noted as he looked around. "I'll just follow you guys." --- "Thank you." Patience said in relief when she got the bag. She immediately sank her fangs into it and began drinking hungrily. She, David and Sebastian all jumped when a Demon came flying into the room and rolled across the floor. Before they could react, the portal that the Demon had come through snapped shut but it had been more than enough time for David to sense a familiar presence. "No..." he whispered then looked over at the Demon who seemed to be covered in blood. He was groaning while holding his face and David noted the wound in his chest. He ran over and knelt by his side. "What happened?" "D-Donnie...Insanity... M-mad... they're all mad!" the demon devolved into unintelligible sobs. "My eye..." "Here, sit up. Easy." David said gently while helping him to sit on the floor. "Someone bring him some water... and some bandages," he said while keeping his eyes on the Demon. "It's going to be ok. You're safe now. What's your name?" "Z-Z-Zero..." the Demon sobbed.

Denix Vames - February 21, 2022 Nate frowned. Ignoring what Rob and Gabriel were doing, he looked at Azrael. "Buddy? Ever thought about finding love? Like I mean actual love? It's really not too late. We could help, ya know?" --- "Where will be able to find Demons like that? Is there such a place? Or are they scattered in Hell?" ,asked Insanity. Phineas stood. "You're wrong." Insanity glared. "What did you say?" "You may see them as evil just like they see you as evil too. But the truth is, evil fighting against evil? No one ever wins in a battle like that. I learned that when I attempted to take revenge on the first person who once possessed me. He and I are now friends. We understand each other better. Don't you see? If we talk among ourselves, we can coexist." Phineas held a hopeful smile. Insanity caressed his cheek. He smirked. "Don't ever stop being a fool. You look cute when you do it." Phineas frowned. He shook his head. "No! I refuse to think that you can't be helped!" --- "Oh, they know. We told them. You see, in the UK, all species are protected by the government. It's a law. So, they can be their real selves. They don't have to hide who they are." ,said Storm. --- "No one's forcing you to raise this child. It's all up to you. And if it helps, we would be willing to raise them. Only if you're ok with it. I just want you to know your options so that you don't feel so enclosed about this." said Carter. Shadowess - February 21, 2022 Azrael shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I just want to have fun tonight." He shrugged. "Besides, I'm really picky about what I want in a partner..." "Preference is one thing but you can't deny yourself the chance at happiness by limiting your options to a set idea," Tom said, turning his head to look at Azrael. "Otherwise you could be searching for years. I'm curious though, what sort of things are you looking for?" Azrael picked up a shot glass and knocked it back. "Well, like I said earlier. My job can get me down. I spend all day every day comforting souls who are grieving their lost lives. So the last thing I want is to come home to someone who mopes, gripes and wants constant reassurance... I need someone who loves to party. Someone who is happy all the time and who is difficult to upset." Tom rose a brow. "Yeah... honest opinion?" Azrael picked up another shot glass. "If you're anything like Nate, something tells me you're going to tell me anyway," he smirked as he took another shot. "What you're looking for sounds more like a robot than an actual living being. No matter who you end up with, there are always going to be bad days along the way. If you're not prepared to support your partner from day one then your relationship just won't last..." Tom watched Azrael carefully, worried that he might have upset him. Azrael became quiet and was thoughtful for a couple of minutes before knocking back one more shot and standing with a grin. "Who's ready to perform a miracle?" he asked them excitedly. --- Donnie stood, holding the blanket around him as he grinned at Phineas while simultaneously staring him down. "Make no mistake. We are fully aware of what we are and we're proud of it. Just a few hours ago I had an Angelic compass pressed to my chest. It revealed to me something that I had suspected for years. My heart is black. Nothing brings me greater joy and pleasure than seeing someone else suffer. So yes, my gullible friend, I cannot be 'helped'." He then looked at Insanity. "To answer your question, I imagine they'd be scattered in Hell. We should start by seeking out those who are still loyal to Lucifer. It'll be dicey, considering Lucifer destroyed me for betraying him all those years ago. But perhaps if we can convince them that we can run a stronger, more ruthless Hell than Amelia will, then we might get them to defect to our side. We just need to remind them that Lucifer would never have tolerated the idea of joining forces with Heaven and that Amelia's ideals are an insult to Demon kind." --- "What?" Lilly's eyes widened and she looked back at Bob and the people talking to him. It seemed so odd to her that they were so comfortable talking to a living skeleton. She half-laughed, her usually stoney expression softened into a relieved smile. "Well this certainly beats the witch hunts and the fires..." she said to herself and her own words suddenly dawned on her. She didn't have to hide anymore. She no longer had to worry about Bob blowing their cover and running from witch hunters who would happily burn her at the stake just for having powers that she was born with and barely understood. She saw something drip onto the drum she was holding and it took a moment for her to realise it was a tear. Blinking, she quickly put the drum in the van and turned away from the band to hide her face. "Excuse me," she said hurriedly before rushing back into the club to clean herself up in the restroom. --- Sebastian looked at Carter then back to Patience as she stared at him. "That's actually not a bad idea. Carter and I were thinking of adopting anyway. Maybe this would be better?" he suggested? "At least then, if you miss it, you know where it is and you know it's safe and with family." Patience lowered her head to look down at herself. "I know that no one is forcing me to do anything," she said after a moment. "I'm just afraid of making the wrong decision and ruining its life." Patience brought her eyes up slowly to look at them. "I'm also afraid... that I'll hate it," she admitted tearfully. "Because seeing it might remind me...of him." Sebastian's heart ached as he saw the pain in Patience's eyes. She was really torn up about this. He exchanged a worried glance with Carter before his expression became more resolute. He looked back at Patience and walked over to her, taking her hands. "Let us adopt this baby. We'll raise it and love it as our own. And maybe instead of thinking about this child as being...his. Think of it as being..." he turned his head a little to smile at Carter. "Ours." He turned his head to look back at her. "What do you think?" Patience blinked at them. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she considered this proposal. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a weight was being lifted from her shoulders and the more the offer made sense. She smiled, her eyes glistening from the tears as she looked from Sebastian to Carter and she nodded. "Yes." she then bit her lip as for the first time during her pregnancy, she felt genuine excitement. But not for herself. For them. "You're going to have a baby," she said to them, feeling the need to say it out loud for it to feel real. Denix Vames - February 22, 2022 "Whoo!" ,said Nate. "Let's find an idiot!" ,said Gabriel. --- "First, we should steal some clothes from this place. I killed the people who lived here and scattered their remains in Hell. They've got plenty of clothes for you to choose from." Insanity opened the closet. Once Donnie was dressed, they appeared in Hell. "Just stop and think about what you're doing! Whatever that compass said is wrong! You can still-!" Insanity gripped his chin as his other hand gripped his wrist. Raising his arm. "You're starting to be a pest. Do I need to take out your worries by having a little fun?" He rubbed his crotch. Phineas shoved him back. "Kasper is my true lover!" He covered his mouth. Isanity smirked. "Do you hear that? We have another to claim hostage." --- Pain noticed her behavior. He followed her before stopping at the Women's bathroom door. He knocked. "Lily? Is everything alright?" --- Tears dripped down Carter's cheeks as he smiled. "We're going to have a baby!" He kissed Sebastian with such joy before kissing him again. He hugged Patience. "Thank you." He thought about his previous family with Jack. He knew now that he would get to start another family again. That he would get to feel love like this once more. "Carter?" Jean had appeared. Carter turned away. "I'm sorry for...those times at work. You have to understand-" "But I do." Jean hugged him. "Your fits of rage only makes sense after what you went through. And I can see now that you have become a better man." Carter returned the hug. "I'm glad to see you." shadowess - February 22, 2022 "What kind of miracle are you guys going to do?" Tom asked as he got off Nate's lap to stand up. "Good point, we need to go somewhere where humans are still oblivious to the supernatural." Azrael slurred. "I'm not sure why but most of the US is still in the dark about the supernatural. I mean, most places are catching on now. How can you not when the EU are completely converted? But some places think that it's some kind of political or media stunt." Rob pointed out. Azrael rose a brow at Rob then smirked at Gabriel. "He is not nearly drunk enough if he's talking like that!" he laughed. Rob blushed deeply. He and Gabriel had gotten too carried away with their kisses to focus on drinking. "No matter." Azrael chuckled. "We'll buy a bottle of wine each before we go." he stumbled up to the bar to order their bottles. --- Donnie smirked at Insanity's statement about killing the people who'd lived in this apartment. "You certainly have been busy." he chuckled as he made his way to the closet and dropped the blanket. He picked out a plain black shirt and blue jeans. Once dressed he tried on the boots that were by the bedroom door and to his relief, their previous owner had been the same size as him. Once in Hell, he then watched with a wicked smirk as Insanity came on to Phineas. His smirk widened into a grin at Phineas's reaction to this. "Wonderful. I can already see the kinds of fun we could have with this Kasper." he turned and gave Phineas a dark glare. "Unless you behave yourself, that is." he took a step towards him threateningly. "In case you don't get just how much we enjoy shit like this by now, let me make it perfectly clear for you. If you cause us even the slightest bit of trouble, I'll possess that Angelic Doctor to bring his ass down here to join us. Then we will make you watch as we rape and torture him slowly until he loses his mind. And if you go so far as to betray us, then we'll rip him apart and send what's left to oblivion!" he growled. His eyes were lit up red by this point as he stared, unblinking, into Phineas's eye. "Do you understand?" --- Lilly had been dabbing at her eyes with a tissue when she heard Pain's voice. She sniffled and threw the tissue into the bin before checking her face in the mirror to make sure she didn't look like she'd been crying. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she opened the door and looked at Pain. She tried to remain composed as her usually miserable self but she couldn't help the small smile spreading across her face as she looked at him. "I'm...I'm fine. Better than fine actually." she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "I'm... happy?" she said, as though this feeling was absolutely foreign to her. In all fairness though, it really was. She couldn't stop herself half laughing as she realised this. "For the first time... in a very long time, I'm happy. I spent so much of my life in fear. Always looking over my back and stressed whenever Bob almost revealed us for what we were because..." she frowned. "Because back where I came from... someone like me would have been burned." she glanced around the bar at the people drinking. People she now knew were fully aware of what Bob was but were completely at ease about it. "But I don't have to worry about that anymore and I guess I kind of felt a little... overwhelmed." Since their arrival on Earth, not only was this the longest Lilly had smiled, it had also been the most she'd ever said in one sitting and she had all but poured her heart out to Pain. --- "We're going to have a baby!" Sebastian repeated in excitement after Carter kissed him. Patience hugged Carter back then they watched as Jean appeared and reconciled with Carter. Patience smiled at Jean tearfully. "Jean, I know what I need to do now," she said as she walked over to him and hugged him as well. "Thank you. Thank you so much for your support. You and Hannes. You both gave me somewhere to go when I felt so lost." "A crib!" Sebastian blurted out to Carter in excitement. "We're going to need to make a nursery. A-and buy all the baby things! We'll need a changing table, clothes, teddies, blankets!" he was grinning widely. "Oh my God, this feels like a dream." Denix Vames - February 22, 2022 "What part of America should we go for?" ,asked Nate. --- Phineas lowered his head but glanced at him. "Yes...." Insanity gave him a look before he finished his sentence. "Yes master." "Good. Now have your weapon out. We can defend ourselves but I do love to see a good fight or two." The iron rod appeared in Phineas's hand. Phineas was now filled with hopelessness and despair. --- Pain smiled. "Well, I'm glad you guys came here. Sounds like those people can go fuck off. Honestly, I thought my world sucked but I guess I was wrong. It's good to see that the band is making not only musical differences but personal ones too." He thought for a moment. "You won't slap me if I hug you, will you?" --- "Of course. I could never abandoned a person who needs help." ,said Jean. Carter chuckled. "And we can have a baby shower! Everyone would be there." Denix Vames - February 22, 2022 (basically i dont have medi-cal anymore for some reason even though all poor people are supposed to be able to have it. you cant take it away from someone no matter how old they are. im pretty sure the medi-cal business is just being stupid again. they suck at their jobs) Denix Vames - February 22, 2022 (forgot to mention that me and my mom are gonna try and fix this crap by talking to someone about it. hopefully i dont get more screwed than i already am) shadowess - February 22, 2022 (This shit is the reason I think all countries should have something like the NHS available. No one should have to put themselves into debt to cover health costs I am really sorry to hear you're going through that though and I hope that they do sort it out for you.) Denix Vames - February 22, 2022 (yeah im not exactly a fan of America either. learned enough history to know that they'll fuck over their people no matter what. and thanks. i hope this stuff gets worked out too) shadowess - February 23, 2022 (Well, there are a few things about America that are admirable. It's just the politics that can be a bit messy from what I've noticed.) "Somewhere that's crazy for religion. They'll lap this shit up. I'll let you guys pick." Azrael slurred as he passed them their bottles of wine. He then chuckled. "Can't wait to see their faces when we pop our wings out!" --- Seeing Phineas's spirit break, Donnie smiled and turned away from him to lead their little group. "I know just the place to start. It's a little bar that was set up way back for Lucifer's soldiers to wind down during their downtime. I wonder if a few of its customers are still loyal..." He took Insanity's hand. "Prepare yourself. Don't let your guard down and even when they pledge themselves, don't trust a single one of them." --- Lilly hesitated. She wasn't usually a fan of people touching her, let alone hugging her. It was a defensive thing. Living the majority of her life on the run had meant that she'd run into her fair share of creeps that would try to lure her into a false sense of security by offering her safety and might've hurt her or worse if it hadn't been for Bob being around to see them for what they really were. But this wasn't her world and these people were not the same. Particularly this group that she had found herself with. If they had been up to anything nefarious, Bob would have picked up on it by now and warned her. So, she supposed she could trust them. She smiled at Pain and shook her head. "No, I won't slap you." she chuckled. --- Patience let Jean go and smiled at him thankfully. "Never change," she said softly. Then turned to Carter and Sebastian who were excitedly making plans. "Maybe I should stay with you two until the baby is born? So, that you can be involved in the pregnancy part as well?" she suggested. Denix Vames - February 23, 2022 "How about Alabama? Those guys are stupid over there." ,said Nate. --- Insanity nodded. "Right. Although, I wouldn't mind cutting some of them should they stab us in the back." He held Phineas's hand before they all teleported. Once they were there, Phineas silently cried as he followed them. --- "Thanks." Pain gave her a gentle hug. "Figured you could use one." --- Jean smiled. "I won't." "That doesn't sound like a bad idea." ,said Carter. "You could help us pick out clothes for the baby too. And some other things that they'll need." Denix Vames - February 24, 2022 (i just want to be happy already. i want this whole medi-cal to be taken care of. i want my moms social worker to stop being stupid. i need my medicine. it takes away my depression and anxiety. i need a therapist. i just want to get better. i feel like dying somewhere so i wont be a bother to anyone. i just want to stop suffering) shadowess - February 26, 2022 Although going along with it all, Rob was still a little uncomfortable about this plan. But he supposed, as long as no one was getting hurt, then what harm was there in having a little fun? Tom on the other hand was drunk enough now to be excited about the plan as he grinned and wrapped an arm around Nate's waist. Azrael shrugged and gestured to Nate. "Lead the way." he chuckled as he uncapped his bottle and took a swig. --- "Cut it out, cyclops. If these Demons are as loyal to Lucifer as they used to be then tears are a major sign of weakness. And we will not tolerate weakness." Donnie growled at Phineas as they arrived just outside the bar. "Now, follow my lead." Inside, the bar was packed with Demons. All with varying abilities. They spoke among themselves while drinking from black glass bottles. A hush fell over the room as Donnie, Insanity and Phineas stepped inside. All of them immediately recognised Donnie and Insanity as not only fugitives and traitors, but as Devils as well. Donnie grinned at them as he stepped forward with his arms opened and his palms facing upwards. Strutting with confidence. "My fellow Hellions." he greeted them. "I know what you're all thinking. You're thinking of capturing us and delivering us to the 'Queen' of Hell." he said the word 'queen' in a mocking tone while doing air quotes with his hands. "Most of you here know who I am from a time before that girl ever inherited the crown. From a time when Lucifer reigned." He looked at each of them carefully. "Who here really thinks that she's fit to rule? Why does SHE get to inherit Hell? She wasn't even related to Lucifer. Neither was Damien for that matter! So what gives her the right?!" "She's a Devil." one of the Demons said then the room erupted in murmurs of agreement from the other demons. Donnie wasn't hampered by this statement however as he smiled and pointed to the Demon who spoke. "You're right. She IS a Devil," he said then opened his arms and shook his head while looking around at them all. "But so are WE! What makes us any less qualified to run Hell?" he jumped up onto a table and looked down at them all. "Let me ask you all just one more question..." he said and gave a quick, sly grin to Insanity. "Would you rather have a weak ruler who believes in the idiotic notion of peace? Or a strong ruler who will restart Lucifers war and destroy those feathery fuckers?!" For a minute the bar was quiet. Then, the Demons looked at each other uncertainly. "Make us your Kings, and we will ensure that sinners are PUNISHED for their crimes! Make us Kings and we will reward loyalty handsomely! Make us Kings and we will give you the freedom to do all the things that once made Demons great! Make us you Kings and together we will bring Heaven to its knees! I don't just want things to go back to how they were when Lucifer ruled, I want us to be far stronger and ruthless as a race than we have ever been!" Donnie hadn't been wrong about this particular group of Demons. As his speech reached its end, they cheered and repeatedly banged their fists on their tables in excitement. All but one Demon at the back that had put their drink down and was now slowly making their way towards the back door. Donnie waved his hands around suddenly to hush the crowd and looked as if he was smelling the air. "Do you all smell that?" he asked them and they looked back at him curiously. Then Donnie pointed out the Demon who was trying to leave quietly. "Smells like a rat!" he looked at Insanity and grinned. "Perhaps we should show them what happens to those who are disloyal? My love. My Artist. Carve for me. Show them all what happens to traitors." The Demon at the back's eyes had widened. "This isn't right!" he shouted at them then darted for the back door, running out into the alley. --- Lilly was tense at first as Pain wrapped his arms around her. Then she found herself surprised by how warm and pleasant the hug felt. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hug him back and felt herself relaxing. Outside, Bob said goodbye to the people he'd been chatting with and rejoined the rest of the group by the van. He looked around briefly and noted that both Lilly and Pain were missing. "What? Did they need to pee at the same time?" he asked as he placed his hands on his hips. "This is what happens when you use the bathroom too soon after you start drinking..." he tutted. "End up taking a piss every two damn minutes." --- Patience nodded. "I think that would be ok." Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile. "Let's go home?" he asked then looked at Carter. "We could always come back once we're settled. I'd love to come back here and see how vampires live in a community." he then looked over at Jean. "If that would be ok?"