Shadowess

Omg what if Kris and Rickster are rivals from way back? 😂

"I just know she'd be safest with you both. I know I'm asking a lot..." Amelia said as she watched Vincent soothing the baby with a lullaby. "Honestly, we'll be as quick as we can and hopefully when I come back I'll be able to take little Ophelia and Oliver off your hands." she smiled at her son who was babbling happily to himself while smacking the squeaky button shapes on a toy. She longed to hold him and take him home again. But she had work to do. --- Shezmu lifted his gaze to Xenos's. "We must be careful who we turn. Choose carefully. After all, we would need to be certain that they could survive a millennia of existence. They'd need to be strong enough to protect themselves in case there is ever another genocide attempt." "I think he means more like a romantic partner, dude." River suggested. "Romance does not interest me." Shezmu waved dismissively. "Or a companion, then. Someone to keep you company." Shezmu thought for a moment and sat back in his seat with his arms folded as he crossed one leg over another. His mind briefly went to the boy he'd been training. He shook his head slightly. "I would not turn another in haste, nor out of loneliness. Like I said, such a thing needs to be done with care." --- Hearing the boy explain what he'd done caused a wicked smirk to spread across Kris's face. When the other trickster grabbed his wrist, he gave him a stern look. Even through his sunglasses, the other trickster would get the sense that Kris wanted him to back off a little. Turning his attention back to Blake, he lifted his own hands and pressed his fingertips against his. "Shhh." He hushed him gently while using his own powers to 'measure' the boy's through their fingers. "You're going to be very useful to us." he chuckled darkly as he removed his fingers and turned his back on him to walk back to his throne. "Take a look around kid. This is your home now. You work for us. You'll train up those powers and learn how to fight. You'll steal for us. You'll fight for us. Hell, you'll kill for us if we tell you to. You do good enough and we can make life really easy for you. Fuck up though and well, I'm sure that vampire out there would find another use for you." --- "Will's not guna like it but fine." Henderson sighed. "I guess you'd better come in and talk to my boss then." --- "And I am ready to follow by your side. From here until the end of time." Azrael kissed his cheek and stood from the bed, offering a hand to help Death to his feet.

I thought something was missing 😅

"Uh... " Amelia hesitated to answer. "Newborn-y? With a teeny tiny hint of... magic shenanigans? She's super cute though." "Trucks! Trucks! Trucks!" Neva started chanting and then ran around them excitedly with her hands up, pretending to be turning a big wheel while making truck noises. --- "LIES!" Shezmu shouted and all at once his eyes flashed red and the armoire behind him crumpled in on itself as if crushed by an invisible force. "Dude!" River had gasped and stared from the armoire to Shezmu who now seemed a little embarrassed as his eyes returned to their usual dark colour. "Apologies for my outburst." He said quietly then walked over to the couch and sat down, cradling his head in his hands. "Everyone I ever knew... gone." "But, I mean... at the risk of pissing you off. It is kinda true though." River broached carefully and when Shezmu lifted his head to glare at him he lifted his hands up. "Hey, I'm not saying all Blood Gods are evil psychopathic nutjobs but I was definitely one before I had my ass handed to me and my soul split a couple of times to handle the sheer level of crazy." "You were born of trauma." Shezmu sighed. "Your turning. It was violent, wasn't it?" River frowned as he thought back to being Parker. The night Bryce had caught him on his own. The terror from his prior kidnapping as well as witnessing Carter being shot. He nodded silently. "B-But I forgave him for it. I-It's all cool now." "Matters not. Blood Gods must be created with care. With patience, guidance and love. Creating one of our kind out of violence or cruelty runs the risk of their mental stability being broken in the process." Shezmu explained. "These things were once common knowledge among our kind. But since we have been reduced to a mere few, I fear most of that knowledge has been lost." "So, wait, if our kind were mostly 'not' crazy, bloodthirsty or take-over-the-world-sy... why did we get hunted off?" "Is it not obvious?" Shezmu smiled bitterly. "Heaven is the domain of Angels. Hell is the domain of Devils. But we Blood Gods claimed Earth as our domain. Yet Angels and Devils have warred for control of Earth before. Caught in the middle and with enough power to hold either side at bay, we became an obstacle. We were 'in the way'. The possibility of one of our kind being born mad was obviously used against us for propaganda... to make the genocide of our kind 'justified'." --- "Kids are good for all sorts," Kris answered with a shrug. "They can pickpocket. Spy on our enemies. Look out for potential 'marks'. Run errands." Kris stood and walked over to him. Stopping just a few feet in front of him. "Or they can learn magic and train to become one of the team. Hold up your hands and tell me, you ever managed to do something weird without meaning to? Ever dabbled in the arts?" --- Henderson flustered a little more. His eyes darted from the hitman's to the ground shyly as the corner of his lips twitched into a small smile, unable to help himself. He felt a little hot under the collar with the hitman so close to him. "Y-you will? You're ready to do it properly then?"

I give you... Kris!

"Oh! Um... I'm not sure. I never had those kinds of games at her age... mostly books... a lot of books..." Amelia said distractedly. "I like the trucks!" Neva cheered then looked at the game in Vincents hand. "Who's that?" she asked, pointing at Sherlock. "His glasses are broken, he's only got one!" she laughed as she immitated the image by placing her fingers in a circle around her eye. "Is he a pirate?" Oliver babbled happily as he sat in the little seat on the shopping cart. Smiling, Amelia walked over to him and kissed his forehead. She then stood straight and looked at the little family. "So guys, I know you have your hands full with Neva and Oliver... Can I be a pain? I really need someone I can trust to look after a newborn too. I'm taking her mother to Hell to try to find her father." --- "Most interesting indeed." Shezmu agreed as he looked up at the stranger who already seemed to be familiar with this castle. He wasn't from Shezmu's time so he assumed he must've been created or born sometime after he went into his slumber. He got to his feet to regard the other Blood God curiously. "I admit we had our debate over leadership when I arrived but that has since been resolved and Jean still rules this place. I have offered him my knowledge and guidance in return for my staying here," he explained. "Where the party at-?! oh..." River announced excitedly as he popped in then paused awkwardly when he saw there was only X and Shezmu. "Man, I thought more of us would show up than this... I kinda assumed it'd be some kind of family reunion type thing..." "You are a curious one..." Shezmu pointed out. "I get that a lot." River laughed in response. "I mean your soul. I see it. You're only a fraction of a whole. How is this possible?" "Wait, you 'see' my soul? How powerful are you?" "Powerful enough," Shezmu answered dismissively. Clearly not wanting to answer that question. He looked despairingly between the two men. "Are there really no more of us than this? Have we dwindled so drastically close to extinction?" --- Kris sat back in his makeshift throne of gnarled tree limbs. He had lightly tanned skin. Wore black, circular sunglasses despite the dimly lit room. Short purple dreadlocks decorated his head. A long scar was sliced across his face from his upper right cheek to the left side of his chin. He wore a long patchwork trench coat with military boots. After watching the display before him for a moment, he simply gestured for his man to release their grip on the kid. "Boy," he said. His tone was deep. Commanding. He gestured with his fingers for Blake to step forward. "Let's get a look at you." he then gestured for the boy to turn on the spot so that Kris could get a good look at what he was dealing with. "You seem healthy enough. Not got any defects that'll slow you down? Asthma? Anything like that?" --- Henderson jumped when the hitman appeared. He stared at the rose and chocolates in disbelief. "Are you serious?" he gasped. He couldn't help blushing but at the same time, he seemed flustered. "Do you realise how much hot water you put me in?!" he said in a hushed tone. For reasons he couldn't fathom himself right now, he didn't want his colleagues to hear them or know the hitman was here. "You shot cops. You killed a taxi driver outside the building, which, thanks for that! I'm not going to get the image of that man's exploded skull out of my head anytime soon! And to top that all off you dumped a load of info on my lap before just taking off, leaving me to try to explain things to my boss when he got back and saw that the one task I'd been given I'd failed spectacularly at!" The more he ranted, the redder his cheeks grew. There was an excitement in this secret meeting. Even if he was a little pissed at the mess he'd had to clean up the last time they'd met.

lol No worries.

Is Oliver still with Elliott & Vincent?

Amelia thought for a moment. "Will you be ok if I leave for a sec? I think I know a couple we can trust but I'd like to check in on them first and make sure they're in a good position to help." --- Tears welled in Azrael's eyes. He was worried that their enemies would exploit their love but at the same time, he also felt Death's pain. "My love..." he whispered, cupping his cheeks in his hands as he pressed his head against his. "Then let us break free of this cage and stand in the open together." --- Rolling his eyes at Jean's theatrics, Shezmu teleported into his own room. He sat in the middle of the room with his legs crossed and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his shoulders and reached out with his mind. Searching from country to country for more of his kind. Sending out his greetings, reassuring them he meant no harm but that he had enough power to defend himself if necessary. He reached out with invitations to meet them and to know what has become of their kind. --- "The fuck- Who do you think you are?" The vampire complained. He debated killing them both but for the sake of what would basically be a snack, the trouble didn't seem worth it. "Fuck it! Fine! Have him!" he threw his hands up in the air. Then he had a thought and pointed to Blake while grinning in a sinister way. "These Tricksters aren't to be trusted. Take my word for it. Come and find me when you've had enough of being treated like dirt. I'll give you something those fantasia fuckers only wish they had!- Immortality!" laughing, the vampire took off, content that his parting comment might stir enough temptation in the kid to make them want to wander from the flock.

Hmm, maybe. Or if it'd be easier your Trickster could be working for another Trickster (My own). What do you think?

"There's been a few, actually..." Amelia said, puzzled as she thought back to meeting Ash, Abaddon, Adam and others. "They all seem to be coming out of the woodwork now that Lucifer is gone... and Hell's Cells collapsing didn't help much." She sat back on the couch with her arms folded as she thought for a moment. "I could take you to them one by one? See if you sense anything in their presence?" she looked at the sleepy child. "Would you want to leave her with a babysitter or bring her with you?" --- "You needn't apologise," Azrael said softly. "We're alone now. You can confide in me. I won't think little of you for it. I know you've been through so much." --- "Must you?" Shezmu complained awkwardly as he stood there. The hug made him increasingly uncomfortable. "I am not afraid." He said firmly, agitated that Jean would try to make him appear weak in any way. Or maybe he was agitated because Jean could see right through him. Hard to say with how little emotion he actually allows himself to display. "I request that you unhand me now." --- The vampire ground to a halt some distance away as he realised his dessert had just run into another supernatural being. "Hey, I saw him first! He's mine!" he called over possessively. He then smirked at the kid. "C'mon, don't make this harder for yourself. It's not all bad. Just a little pinch, that's all."

Did you just want me to play the vampire?

I like it 😁

"Well, that's easy to work with. Some gothy curtains, some spider web-themed wallpaper and a Lucas plushy should make her feel right at home." Amelia smiled as she put her phone away. She thought about what Sara said and recalled seeing something rush through the bars shortly before Sara had gone into labour. "What do you remember about that, by the way? Maybe I could try and track down its source." --- Seeing his tears, Azrael frowned. He wasn't sure if he could reach him in this state but he would do anything to help him. He emitted his calming aura while he kept watch over him and slowly caressed the back of his hand with his thumb. He couldn't help admiring his beauty as he slept. Leaning forward, he planted a loving kiss on his forehead. --- "We should really finish what we came here to do first," she told him while looking around the room. "He might be in a better mood if we can tell him it's done." she stood and helped Raven to his feet. "No more dwelling on the past. We have a whole future together as a family to look forward to," she said, trying to cheer him up as she picked up the mop. --- "Correct." Shezmu nodded, completely ignoring Jean's earlier statement about finding someone. "I require a quiet space to concentrate and will call out for other Blood Gods with my mind. It is then up to those who hear me to respond so that I can find them. I need to know that there are more of us out there... that we are not dying out as some of the vampires of this castle have suggested." There was a hint of desperation to his tone but his stoney expression gave no emotions away. --- He'd barely had time to wipe the blood from his mouth when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone running away. The vampire had turned their head in time to see blond hair round the corner in a hurry. "Huh..." he paused as he stared after them for a moment. He then looked down thoughtfully at the corpse he'd just made before smirking. "I guess I have room for dessert," he commented to himself and took off after the boy, catching up quickly.

Fair lol Just typing it up now then 🙂

Just thinking up a vampire for that scenario lol Did you have an idea of where you're going with it or just improvise, as usual? xD

"Well, there goes my search history..." Amelia mumbled as she watched the various grotesque images flicker and glitch on the screen. She looked at Ophelia and sighed. "Surely she can't know what these things are yet?" she wondered out loud. "I wonder if it's random..." She turned the laptop off and then pulled out her phone, bringing up another search page. Thinking back on one of the images she saw, she searched for something similar but much more light-hearted. "Ophelia, wouldn't you like something like this?" She asked as she showed some pictures of Lucas the Spider with his adorably large eyes. --- "Sire!" Surprised by his collapse, Azrael ran to his side. Hearing a dozen footsteps running towards them, Azrael lifted Death into his arms and turned to address the Reapers that had come to help. "Go back to your duties. The King needs rest. See to it that he is not disturbed for the rest of today." he ordered them before teleporting into Death's room to gently lay him on his bed. He sat beside him and brushed some of his hair back with his hand. He clasped his hand in his and anxiously watched him sleep. --- Lilly stroked his hair and rocked slightly with him in her arms. "I've got you." she said after a quiet moment. "You're my brother now and we'll get through this together. Let's make a promise to each other, hmm? That no matter what we protect and look out for each other. We comfort each other." --- Damien looked at Samson's belt and bit his lip. He was a little nervous considering this was the first man he'd ever gone to bed with and he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. But he figured he'd go with whatever felt right and Samson could always communicate to him what he liked. He took his own belt off and then strapped each of Samson's wrists to the bed. Making sure they weren't too tight but also tight enough to pinch and leave marks. He kissed him again, deeply. Then he bit down a little on his lip, drawing a little blood which sent a sudden shock of pleasure down his spine, making him gasp and pull back to look at him. He looked at the blood on his lip and touched the droplets that had clung to his own. It was only a small nip and Damien could already see it healing. "Too hard?" he asked. He wanted to be rough with him but didn't want to go too far. --- Shezmu raised an eyebrow at Jean's reaction once they were outside. "Why do you hold yourself responsible for the sorrow of others? This is a waste of your energy. Some things cannot be mended merely by words." he said simply, unable to understand how Jean could take someone else's problem so personally. He felt uncomfortable. A leader crying openly had always been considered a weakness in his time. "Thank you for assisting me. I'm going to my home. I wish to meditate to search for more of my kind. I know they're out there. We cannot be the only three in the world."

Shezmu isn't big on comfort or feelings lol xD

"Of course," Amelia said with a nod. "My laptop is at home so I'll be back in a sec!" she then vanished. A few minutes later she reappeared with her laptop bag and went about setting it up on the coffee table. "Alright, let's see what the world wide web can give us!" --- "Only temporarily." Azrael pointed out. "Once Raven passes his training, would he not then be able to visit his lover whenever he chooses?" he then looked at Death with some concern when he mentioned feeling weak. "Sire?" --- Hearing the clatter of the mop and Raven's sobs, Lilly turned to look at him briefly. Quickly moving her hands and feet to the sides of the ladder, she slid down it rapidly before running over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a hug so that he could cry on her shoulder. "I'm not innocent either... but we're here now. We've been given a chance to be something different. Something better. Let's not waste this opportunity. I don't believe Father would have brought us to be his children if he hadn't seen something worth saving in both of us." --- Pinned down, Damien tilted his head back, sighing in pleasure as he felt Samson kissing his chest. He then jumped a little, gasping and moaning from the bite. He could feel a small amount of venom there, increasing the sensations he felt as Samson licked up his blood. "Oh fuck!" he moaned as each lap of his tongue on the wound sent a shockwave of shivers through him. "I wonder how you taste." He smirked playfully. He wrapped his legs around Samson's waist and then rolled on the bed so that he'd be straddling him. It was Damien's turn to rip Samson's shirt open and kiss his bare skin. He kissed him deeply then moved his kisses down his neck, to his collar bone then to his chest. He focussed on one of his nipples for a moment, running his tongue over and around it and then he ran his tongue up the centre of his chest, back up his neck and into his mouth. --- Jessica gave them all a sad smile and then shrugged. "Maybe later... I just want to be alone right now," she said tearfully, not wanting to be looked at or pitied anymore. She got up and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Shezmu frowned as he watched her leave. "Perhaps she simply needs time? I have other matters to attend to for now... I can come back another time to share my knowledge."

"Maybe." Amelia shrugged. "There seems to be a theme for everything nowadays. Maybe we could look online and find out?" --- Azrael wanted nothing more than to approach Death's throne and comfort him when he saw his tears. But there were too many eyes around, going about their routine as normal. "Sire, if I may, I don't believe that to be true," he said gently. "I saw how you handled your children just now and they both accepted your offer of becoming their parent when you found them, despite all they had gone through prior. We may not be familiar with how parental responsibilities work but I think that has to count for something. They've both been through horrors and it will naturally take time to earn their trust but I think you're already off to a great start." He offered him a kind smile and then thought for a moment. "If Conrad is in Heaven then I could go and request a visitation? I'll need authorisation from Raguel and, of course, yourself, but I could bring Conrad here to see Raven." --- Lilly paused and turned on her ladder to look at Raven in surprise. "My friend sacrificed himself for the portal from my world too..." she told him. "There were these creatures. Wraiths. Horrific things. They roamed our world bringing death and disease with them. A single scratch from one was fatal. They had been created by dark magic long before I was born and it caused people of my world to fear all kinds of magic... if anyone had magical abilities and was caught, they'd be burned alive for fear they'd bring another horror to our world..." Lilly's expression became sad as she turned to continue dusting the books. "I lived most of my life on the run. Frightened of being caught and burned. Frightened of being attacked by a wraith. Frightened of starving or freezing from constantly being on the road. I always felt alone and hopeless." --- When they suddenly teleported, Damien went from leaning against a pool table to stumbling back to his feet as the table vanished from behind him. He chuckled, seeing Samson was just as surprised as he was. He had forgotten to tell him how teleportation worked but he guessed he'd figured it out by now. His lustful eyes moved to his as Samson moved his fingers down to his belt then gasped a little out of excitement as his shirt was ripped open and buttons flew to the side of the room. The bullet wound in his shoulder was slowly healing itself and was now no longer obscured by his blood-stained shirt. "I'm always ready," he smirked. Impatient to know what it would be like to kiss him, Damien moved his hand up to grip Samson's hair roughly as he passionately pressed his lips against his. --- Shezmu took Ben's hand with a small smile. "I will share with you all I know," he told him then looked over at Jean. "Thank you, I believe our conflict has been resolved." Jessica, while glad to know there was someone who could teach them things about themselves, still felt numb as she watched all of this. Jean's suggestion of adoption caused her heart to ache more. She knew he had meant to be kind with his words but the mention of adoption was a reminder of the thing that she hadn't yet come to terms with. She still needed time to process the news.

"Of course." Amelia nodded. "With Charles currently out of commission, until he recovers, I'm pretty much the only person in charge of Hell at the moment though. So, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hang around. But I would love another mummy to hang out with! What kind of theme were you thinking for the room?" --- Azrael thought for a moment. "They are barely children anymore, your Grace." he pointed out. "But perhaps there is still time for them to have a chance at a proper childhood under your care. I'm afraid I'm not knowledgable on these matters but perhaps we can ask someone who has children, or rather teenagers, of their own?" --- Centuries worth of dust flew up around Lilly as she wiped the books with the feather duster. She coughed for a bit and waved a hand in front of her face to waft the dust cloud away. "I know it's not easy." she breathed. "I was kind of like that when I arrived. Even though I was saved when I stepped out of my world, it was hard to trust the people looking out for me after..." She trailed off for a moment as she remembered her and Bob being constantly on the move in her own world. Terrified of being found out and burned alive every second of every day. "Where I came from... it left scars." she finished. --- "Just as well I'm not looking for love then." Damien chuckled. An excited shiver ran through him at his words and as he touched his cheek. "You'd be the first man to ever seduce me," he admitted and gave him a playful look. "I hope you have no intentions of being gentle. Because I won't show you any mercy either." --- Shezmu had been ready to argue that he'd already apologised earlier but the look he got from Jean made him pause. With a sigh, he stepped forward to look Ben in the eye. "I apologise for the pain that was caused. I only meant to offer my knowledge. I had hoped, being the few remaining of our kind, that we could form a sort of kinship between us." By now, Jessica was feeling numb as she sniffled from her seat on the couch as she watched them. "You wanted to be our friend, you mean?" she asked. Shezmu looked over at her with softened eyes before nodding. "I had no idea of how much or how little you knew. Had I known, I might've been more delicate on the subject." he looked back at Ben. "What can I do? How can I make amends?"

Smiling at Ophelia, Amelia tickled her little tummy. "You're going to be a handful, I just know it." She chuckled. She then looked at Sara. "You were literally born today and just had what I can only guess is some kind of miracle birth. One thing at a time. Just focus on getting used to being a mother and figuring out who you are first. Romance can wait. Trust me, it's not the kind of thing you want to rush into." --- His last comment brought Lilly little comfort as she nodded guiltily. Knowing she'd disappointed the one being who had taken her in as family was too much for her. "Yes, father. I'm sorry." She said before turning and walking back to the archives. Azrael watched her leave and turned to Death. "I don't know much about child rearing but I think you handled that perfectly. From what I know, it's only natural for children to occasionally test their boundaries." He said, hoping this would bring him some comfort. --- "We both do..." Lilly replied as she accepted a feather duster and headed towards the older section of books as pointed to by a Reaper. "I'm sorry." She said to him. "I shouldn't have dragged you along." --- At the suggestion, Damien held his breath a little while staring up at Samson. It had been obvious, at least to Damien, that he had had an attraction to him from the moment they'd met in the club. But after Samson's attack, he hadn't been so sure that the attraction had been mutual. So since then, up until this point, Damien had assumed he'd simply been played. Now he wasn't so sure. Feeling a little flustered but hiding it under a mask of confidence, Damien smirked then asked coyly; "Like what?" --- Shezmu, in his awkwardly serious way, did his best to explain the events to Jean. "I realised these Blood God's were new and with no Blood God elder to guide them I wondered how much of our kind they knew. I thought it only appropriate that I step in as an elder to educate them but had not realised they not only were unaware that our kind do not procreate conventionally, but that they may have had their hearts set on doing so until I'd told them it was impossible. I apologised and offered more of my knowledge but they were too distraught to hear me. I'm not certain how I can rectify this and make them aware that my intentions were not malicious."

"A baby shower is a great idea." Amelia smiled. "If you want to make some new friends, I know a few people we could invite. And don't worry about Ellesse. Mid-wives are usually too busy to stick around for too long but I can get an invitation to her if you want her to come." --- Lilly jumped, having not noticed Death and Azrael catching up to her in the hallways. She looked at them with an obviously guilty expression and she panicked. "N-no, father," she answered him nervously. Azrael raised and eyebrow at her. "Lillian." he said simply but his tone was sharp and stern enough to get her attention. "Please don't lie to us." Lilly hugged herself and avoided looking either of them in the eyes as she shivered, knowing there was no point in hiding. She was fearful of their reactions when they found out but also felt guilty enough that she wanted to tell the truth anyway. "I-I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry, Azrael. This was all my fault. It was my idea that we look for Raven's boyfriend in the archives. We both snuck in and looked through the books together. We were going to come and tell you but then Raven knocked some books over and we panicked and ran. Raven went ahead to tell you it was just him before I could stop him... by the time I got there to tell you..." she trailed off. The rest was obvious. --- Damien found himself speechless for a moment. Samson had hit the nail right on the head. He did miss it. He just didn't realise how much until they were practically ankle-deep in gore. An annoying niggling feeling of guilt crept in but Damien was so keen to savour feeling like himself again that he instinctively and unconsciously pushed it deep down. "You weren't so bad yourself out there." He smirked. "I saw you zipping around, running circles around them. You looked like you were having fun." he grinned as he recalled the memory and then looked down at himself. He sighed. "What a mess... I can't go home like this. My roommate will throw a fit." he looked back up at Samson thoughtfully. "I don't suppose I could borrow some clothes?... and your shower?" he chuckled. --- Shezmu left them to their sorrow and paused outside of their home for a moment before teleporting to wherever Jean might be. "Excuse me, I may require your gentle manner," he said immediately. "I wanted to get to know the other Blood Gods here and I seem to have um, what is the expression? Placed my foot into my mouth. They are upset with me and I'm not sure how to correct this." Jessica held on tightly to Ben as she sobbed into his chest. She had just started to get her hopes up that they could settle down and have a family. That maybe they could finally have some semblance of normalcy. But if what that other Blood God told them was true, then having a child of her own would be impossible now. Not only that, but she felt guilty for having doomed Ben to the same fate.

"The sooner the better," Ellesse said as she nervously looked towards the windows to check if any humans had happened to notice them using their powers. "Alright, let's go then." Amelia helped Sara to her feet and a second later they all stood in Charles's old penthouse. "Thank you for the gift, Ophelia." Amelia then said while smiling at the baby. "My job is done here too. Sara, if you have any questions or need any medical help for your baby, please don't hesitate to call on me. Oh, and congratulations." she smiled, then vanished. --- "Wha-? Raven, wait!" Lilly called after him. She felt responsible for what had happened. After all, it had been her idea and she had literally dragged Raven along. However, she was still so new to her powers and even her afterlife powers that she didn't know how to teleport yet. So, assuming he was heading back to the archives, Lilly took off at a run after him. Azrael had quickly made sure he was also presentable before following Death to the archives. By the time Lilly had reached the door to the archives, which was ajar with Reapers looking in, she overheard Death talking to Raven and knew she was too late to step in. It sounded like they had already resolved the matter and while she was relieved that Death wasn't too angry with Raven, she still felt guilty that Raven had taken the blame. She didn't know what to do now, so she turned and started to walk back to the throne room while nervously biting her nails. --- Damien gritted his teeth and gripped Samson's arm when he dug his fingers into the bullet hole. Being so close to him now, it would be clear that Damien did indeed feel pain. He just resisted showing it. Once it was out, Damien gasped in relief and stared at the blood-covered bullet between Samson's fingers. He thought about his words for a moment. Tempted to tell him what he used to be but bit his lip, unsure of how much he could trust him even with the contract signed. He ended up settling for; "I was trained by the best..." he glanced around at the carnage again. "I used to do things like this all the time, you know." he looked up at Samson, feeling his cheeks getting warmer but was sure it was hidden under all the dried blood sticking to his face. "I used to enjoy it," he admitted. Realising he was still holding on to his arm, Damien let go. "For a while there... I felt like how I used to. I thought I'd never feel that again." --- "What would you have me do?" Shezmu asked softly. He looked over at Jessica who was still sobbing. "What would you have me say that I haven't already?" he looked at Ben apologetically and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I only brought you the knowledge. I am not responsible for our circumstances..." he said, pointing out that not only was Ben effectively shooting the messenger, but also that Shezmu himself was unable to have any children. "Apologies. It was not my intention to bring you both pain," he said somberly.

Amelia smiled back at Sara, touched by her words. She looked at the little bundle and carefully lifted her into her arms. "Hello there, Ophelia," she said in a soft, quiet tone. "Welcome to the world." she thought for a moment. Then, while cradling Ophelia in one arm she held out her hand and concentrated. Crystals formed rapidly and at first, it was just a shapeless mass but as she focussed, the crystals shifted and moulded itself into the shape of a pacifier. Concentrating a little more, she visualised ballbearings forming on the inside of the teet before dropping off inside so that they could rattle around. Her forehead was a little sweaty from the effort but when she was done, she gently shook the pink crystal toy to make the rattling noise while smiling at Ophelia. "There you go. A birthday gift for you," she said, slightly out of breath. "It'll never break." She added, looking at Sara. --- When they reached the bench in the greenhouse that they'd been sitting on earlier, Lilly doubled over while leaning against a large plant pot to catch her breath. She watched Raven make the cloaks vanish and looked at him in surprise. "How-how-?" she tried to speak between breaths but needed to catch her breath a bit more before she could speak properly. "How did you do that? The fog and the cloaks. That was brilliant!" She then tensed as bells rang out across the castle as an alarm and she looked towards the doors guiltily. "Oh no... We're in trouble now... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dragged you along." --- Just as Azrael was beginning to let himself get lost in Death, the alarm bells rang across the castle and he froze. Those old bells hadn't been run in centuries and they were only used for one thing. Someone had broken into the archives. He pulled back, looking at Death as he gently placed him back on his feet. --- Damien laughed at Samson's enthusiasm before vaulting over the railing. Before he could even begin to fall he teleported just above one of the fleeing men. Using the momentum from both his fall and the teleportation, he aimed a punch at the man's head. His fist broke through the skull and continued down through his neck and chest cavity, crushing the man against the concrete floor in a large, bloody mess until his fist struck the ground and grazed his knuckles. Time seemed to stand still as he marvelled at the carnage he'd caused. He felt himself strongly reminded of the days he'd be fighting rogue Demons and Angels during the war. Of the times he'd be sent to hunt traitors and conspirators. Of when he was instructed to torture and kill as part of his training under Lucifer. It felt familiar. It felt... good. His breathing became heavy as his heart hammered in his chest. He absently ran his bloodied hand through his hair, leaving a large streak of fresh blood across half of his forehead and through his hair. His eyes lifted and he seemed to see the men in the warehouse scattering in slow motion. Sparks flew as they tried to aim spells and guns at Samson but kept missing due to his enhanced speed. Grinning with malicious intent, Damien teleported behind another of the fleeing men. He jabbed his hand into his back as easily as if the gang member's skin was nothing but playdough. Closing his fist around his spine, he yanked it out. Killing him instantly. He then laughed a little as he whipped the spine around to smack another of the gang members with it with so much force behind it that it sliced into the male's abdomen, getting stuck there so that Damien had to yank it back out. Leaving the man to bleed out, moaning in agony on the floor, he turned his attention to the falling head. It was close to landing. He appeared where it would land. Catching it by the hair before it could hit the floor he swung it around before flinging it back up towards the ceiling. "Round two, Samson!" he laughed then was knocked back a step by a bullet hitting his shoulder. Hissing from the sting, his fiery gaze landed on his shooter who was practically wetting himself in fear as he feverishly tried to reload. "You!" Damien growled, apparently recognising the man. He grinned evilly and began marching calmly towards him. Bang. Another bullet. This time in his arm. "Your aim is shit!" Damien laughed as he kept on marching. "A little higher and to the left!" Bang. Damien paused and looked down at himself. The bullet struck his abdomen. Glaring at the man, Damien dug his fingers into the bullet hole. He grimaced but the only sound he made was a few irritated grunts as he worked through the pain to fish the bullet out. Once he had it between his fingers he pulled it up to look at it then smirked at the male who had watched him in disbelief. "Ow," Damien said mockingly then ran at the man who only had time to let out a short scream before he was tackled to the ground. Damien swung punch after punch at his head. The man had died on the first punch but Damien simply kept going. Pounding his skull over and over until it was nothing but pulp and the only thing that stopped him was the wet thud of the head hitting the concrete floor. Catching his breath, Damien stopped and looked around. Not a single gang member was left. The warehouse was littered with mangled corpses and blood dripped from most surfaces. Looking down at himself, he was no better. His once white button-down shirt had been dyed red from the amount of blood that they'd spilt. Wincing, he slowly got up from his knees and wandered over to the poker table to lean against it. As he moved his eyes returned to green and the embers in his hair went out. He dug his fingers into his arm and just as soundlessly as he had before, he fished the bullet out before letting it drop to the floor. He looked at his shoulder and attempted the same for the last bullet but it was deeply embedded and at an odd angle. "Fuck..." he grunted with a sharp breath. "Samson..." he breathed while looking over at him. He gestured to his shoulder. "Would you mind trying? Don't be shy either, really dig in there if you have to." --- "Unhand me!" Shezmu snapped. "This would not end well for you, fledgling. Release me, now," he warned him. His own eyes turned red. Just like he had done to Jean earlier, he allowed Ben to sense the extent of his power for just a second. He hoped it would be enough to make him realise fighting him would be pointless. On comparison to Shezmu's age and all the power that he'd consumed, Ben was no more than a gnat.