Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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 Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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?"
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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 Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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 Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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 Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 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 Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Shadowess - May 1, 2022 The second they arrived, Desi felt his face redden at the sight of Bryce. After all, they hadn't exactly parted on good terms. He averted his gaze and looked at the rest of them. "I don't know of any other Incubi or Succubi to have openly had a harem in Hell as I did. I abandoned it some time ago to try to change my life. Now I fear that Donnie and his lover have claimed it for their own in my absence. I've tried teleporting there but I am unable to." he explained. Parker blinked at Will then smiled. Thinking of how easily Insanity had brushed him aside he thought it might be best to stay close to Will anyway. It was also an excellent excuse to leave without having to acknowledge Bryce's existence. Parker nodded to Will. "I'll come with you." "Do you think you could guide us there if we teleported to Hell?" Sebastian asked, desperate to try anything to get Carter back. "Now, wait just a moment. Leo here told me you all have some kind of plan. Before I guide anyone to my old home, I want to know that this isn't some half-baked and impulsive mission. Say I do show you the way there, what's to stop them from slaughtering us all the moment we step foot through the doors?" "The armbands," Rickster answered and stood, looking at Will. "We're going to need them for this." "The what?" Desi rose a brow. "You're all getting off track again!" Atma rose her voice a little, irritably. "The plan was to only capture one to bargain hostage for hostages, remember?" She paced the room with her arms folded. "But we need to know what they're planning if we are to have any hope of setting a trap." She looked back at Bryce. "When they kidnapped you, did they say anything about what they were planning? Why you? and why Carter now? What do they want with a vampire?" "Donnie kept trying to goad Carter into drinking from him," Sebastian commented with a shiver. "He tried it with me too... it was so hard to resist..." he looked away from them, ashamed that he still struggled with the addiction despite it being so long since he last tasted Devil blood. --- Donnie moaned at his words. "Oh, you're so ruthless aren't you?" He whipped him again, this time hard enough to leave a red mark but not enough to break the skin. "Tell me how it felt. The blood on your hands. The sounds of their screams. The look on their faces as they realised hope was futile and resigned themselves to your will." He had to unfasten his jeans to make them more comfortable as they grew tighter. He whipped him again, this time hard enough to draw blood then leant over him to run his tongue over the lashes across his back. "Oh, my love. My artist. We will cause so much chaos and torment together." he ran his tongue from the base of Insanity's back all the way up to his neck, straddling him. "We'll marry under your finest 'work'" he whispered into his ear while rubbing his hips against his backside. --- Clementine gave Harris an apprehensive look. "I'd rather not go anywhere near the others just yet. At least no one who knew who I was before my death anyway..." She said while wincing as she put her weight onto her already sore and blistered feet. "Is there anywhere else that you could take me?" Denix Vames - May 1, 2022 "They wanted me to be addicted to Devil's blood. I don't know why but Donnie really wants it. To have an addict." ,said Bryce. He thought for a moment. "Pills....I overheard him talking to Insanity. He said something about pills to keep at bay the addiction. Maybe he's trying to control vampires this way? But I don't understand why like this." Will held Parker's hand. "I'm sure everyone knows about the wristbands. But for anyone who doesn't, they're basically capable of keeping any creature from using their abilities. Only the person who placed the wristband on their wrist can take it off. It's a win for all of us if we catch them off guard." --- "Their screams were like music to my ears! Their faces filled with terror had delighted me. I enjoyed the sight of my greatest works." Insanity moaned. "My dear, I have an idea for a new body for myself. Would you care to test it out? I can transform before you will even see it." He smirked. --- "My home. I still have it here." Harris and her appeared inside his house. They stood in the living room. He helped her to the couch. "You can rest here. I'll fetch some clothes and get you something to eat." He grabbed some of his clothes from the closet. Bringing them to her. "For now, you can wear these. We can get you some more fitted clothes that are your style later on." He appeared once again with a wrapped up sub sandwich and a cup of water. Setting them on the coffee table. "Eat slowly or you'll feel sick." shadowess - May 1, 2022 "Addiction is a powerful tool..." Atma said, looking at Bryce. "Get someone hooked then promise them a constant source of relief in exchange for loyalty or favours... God, if that's their plan... It doesn't bear thinking about! They can't be allowed to manipulate a whole population in such a way!" "Shit, imagine what something like that would do to a Blood God..." Parker gasped then looked at Will worried about River, Jessica and Ben. "We should warn the ones that we know." "It's all well and good knowing what they do, but in case you hadn't noticed we don't actually have any to hand." Rickster pointed out when Will explained what the wristbands were. "What I miss?" Oscar re-entered the room. "Will, we need some of those wristbands. You said you had some, right? Could you bring some to us?" --- "Oh?" Donnie grinned. He kissed his neck, then his cheek while brushing some of his hair back from his face. "My love, take any form that you desire. It's your mind and your soul that I have fallen in love with." --- Clementine sat on the couch and stared at her figure while she waited for Harris to return. She still wasn't used to being this tall or having a figure at all. It brought a small shock to her every time she happened to glance down at herself. She took the clothes and stared at the food hungrily. Deciding to get changed after she's eaten something, she placed the pile of clothes to one side and then took the food. It was difficult to resist the urge to eat the food quickly but she managed to take her time. At first, she almost choked a couple of times but she quickly got the hang of the basic actions involved in consuming food. "I've never eaten anything before... I'd never needed to so I saw it as a waste of my time and energy." She said as she found herself feeling full only halfway through the sandwich. "I think it's safe to say that I understand humans a little better now. They suffer through more than I'd ever imagined being possible." She re-wrapped the rest of the sandwich and placed it back onto the coffee table with a sigh. Her throat feeling dry, she picked up the water and looked at the liquid warily. She tried to drink it and almost inhaled it instead. Coughing a spluttering, she took a few steady breaths before trying again. Slowly and with a little more control, it didn't take her long to get the hang of drinking as well. When she did, she drank thirstily until the cup was empty. Hiccupping a little, she placed the cup back onto the table, too. Now she looked at the clothes then back up at Harris shyly. "Um. Would you mind-...?" She trailed off, hinting that she needed some privacy before she'd take off the blanket to dress. Denix Vames - May 1, 2022 "I'll get them in a second." ,said Will as he let go of Parker's hand. In a moment, he arrived with four wristbands. "Here." He handed them to Rickster. "I think me and Parker should go take care of things at the precinct. If you need our help, just let us know." He took his hand and guided him to a room. "Before we go, I really need to get this out of my system." He cupped his cheeks and kissed him passionately. --- "Then you are in for a treat." His whole body had changed. Instead of skin, he had feathers over his new skin. Two eyes had now become four glowing red ones. His limbs were entirely different. Much more bird-like. He resembled somewhat of an owl but still retained a human quality about him. "What do you think? Don't I look ravishing?" --- Harris nodded. "Of course. Just let me know when I can come back." He walked away. Having headed to the kitchen. Attached Image shadowess - May 6, 2022 (Sorry, work has been hectic and exhausting this week lol) As soon as Rickster had the wristbands, Sebastian approached him. "Give me one of those. I'm coming with you." "Are you kidding? Carter is one of Donnie's hostages. You're emotional and they'll try to use that against you." Rickster shook his head and took a step back with the box. Sebastian's eyes narrowed in anger. "I am not taking no for an answer!" "He's got a point though. If Donnie is looking for more vampires to add to his army, then you and-" Desi hesitated before saying Bryce's name with clear distaste. "Bryce should stay here with Atma. No offence, dear," he said to her gently. "None taken. I wouldn't stand a chance." Atma said bluntly and shrugged. "Doesn't look like we've got a lot... we should pick who gets to go carefully then..." Oscar said then gave Leo an awkward, apologetic look. "I hate to say it, Leo... I know you only have a little vampire DNA in you, but maybe you should stay behind too?" In the next room, Parker was a little confused at first when Will pulled him into another room. He was then taken aback by the kiss but after the close calls they'd just had, he rapidly reciprocated the passion by running his hands through Will's hair and pressing his body to his. --- Donnie paused and stared at Insanity as he changed. His eyes widened as he looked over his new physique. He then smirked and cupped his chin, nuzzling his cheek and neck. "You look both beautiful and monstrous, my love. I can't wait to see you tear our enemies apart in this form. How their blood will make your soft feathers shimmer." he ran his hands over the feathers and admired their colour as they shifted under his fingers. "Let me fuck you like this?" he grinned. "For anyone else, I wouldn't even consider it. But for you? I want to know how you feel. Every version of you." --- Clementine quickly dressed. Mostly because she was cold and the clothes, although a little too big for her, brought a welcome change to her temperature. But also because she kept catching herself staring at her own body in shock whenever she looked down. Once covered, she brought both of her hands behind her head to pull her hair out from being tucked into the neck of the shirt. "Alright. I'm dressed," she called to him When Harris would return, she would look up at him meekly. "You didn't have to help me," she observed. "Aren't you angry with me?" She asked then tilted her head slightly. "All the time that I had been a Demonic Cherub... I was ambitious. I tried to overthrow Lucifer once. I failed and was lucky that he saw my talents to be useful enough to spare me from oblivion. Then at the first opportunity, I attempted to overthrow the Hellion Child that I assisted in raising... Do you hate me as they do? Is your mercy that you show me now only out of pity for my vulnerability?" As she asked this she knew that she may sound ungrateful for his help so far but she had to know. Because if he was only doing this out of pity, then she would need to prepare herself for this new life that she will need to begin alone. She would never say so out loud, but she was certain that the both of them knew that Harris was the only person left that Clementine could turn to unless he turned his back on her now. Denix Vames - May 7, 2022 (that's alright. no problem) Leo grit his teeth. "I hate it when you're right. I just wish I could kick his ass. But Donnie's always won our fights. Still, I can beat up Insanity. Just let me know when you need me." As much as he wanted to keep going, he knew they couldn't stay here long. He broke the kiss and gently pushed Parker back. "C'mon. We should get to the precinct." He held out his hand. --- "Oh yes....Devour me my dear. Make me beg for mercy!" ,said Insanity. His feathers shivered as he moaned. --- Harris sighed. "When you died and I went into the program, I began to feel such an amount of sadness and anger. I wasn't sure how to feel about you. Especially after everything that you've done. But a part of me realized that you had suffered enough to understand your previous actions. I'm only hoping that today you'll truly see me as a friend. Because I always saw you as one." He lowered his head. "Was I ever your friend?" Denix Vames - May 7, 2022 Ricky groaned as he opened his eyes. "R-Rickster? Are you there?" shadowess - May 7, 2022 Oscar gave Leo a small, thankful smile and walked over to him to cup his cheek. "You got it," he said gently and kissed him sweetly. "You could help guard the rest of our vampire friends," he suggested then realised something. "Or you could let your work know? Maybe they could help?" Desi approached Rickster and took a bracelet, placing it into his pocket. "Well, I suppose it's a given that I will be going..." "Ricky?" Rickster gasped and placed the box on the end of the bed before hurrying over to his side. "Man, can you sleep!" Oscar chuckled as he noticed Ricky waking up. "You slept through all the chaos, dude." "Shut it!" Rickster snapped at Oscar protectively then turned back to Ricky, caressing his cheek. "Ricky. Are you ok?" he said gently. "What I do?" Oscar rose a brow, taken aback at being told off. He looked at Atma questioningly and she merely shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I missed something too..." she admitted. But one thing she hadn't missed was Parker's body language when he'd been in the room. Nor the way that Desi seemed to avoid eye contact with Bryce altogether. Not to mention the acidity in his voice when he'd had to acknowledge him earlier. She didn't know the history between these men but she sensed the tension a mile away and was only aware of the relationship Bryce had with Viktor. She felt bad for him and knew that he must be absolutely anxious about the safe return of his boyfriend. While the others were too busy talking amongst themselves, she walked over to him and gave him a friendly smile. "Would you like to wait in one of the other rooms until Viktor is brought back? I wouldn't mind keeping you company." she offered then leaned a little closer to say in a low voice. "Viktor told me about you a while ago. He had nothing but nice things to say. The only time I ever saw him happy and content were when he had just been to see you... You must be so worried. C'mon, I don't mind listening if you need someone to talk to." she said kindly, hoping to help him in some way. A little disappointed at how quickly they had to stop, Parker ended up staring at Will lustfully as he pulled away. "Yeah, ok..." he breathed with a short nod then paused before taking his hand. "We should see River, Jessica and Ben first. Warn them of what Donnie is up to." --- [Private Time] --- Expressing real emotions after spending centuries repressing them was difficult. She had cried earlier out of shock, fear and exhaustion. But this was different. Now there was an emotional tension in the room that needed addressing and Clementine had to overcome her own pride to show Harris how seriously she was taking this situation that she was now in. She stared up at him and seemed to struggle to speak. She resorted to nodding a little in answer to his question before she finally found the strength to open up to him. "You were my only true friend, Harris. I was manipulative and ambitious, but I could never bring myself to betray you. With the exception of David and Lucifer, you treated me with the same respect that you would give to any other demon, rather than only seeing my child form. But out of the three of you, you were the only one that I truly trusted. I'm just sorry that I never told you that." With a wince, she stood and looked around the home then down at her own hands. "I don't know why but I've been given this opportunity to start over completely. Even before, I had never actually been alive before. But now... I can feel it! Every breath filling my lungs. Every beat that my heart makes. I know that I'm alive now... and it terrifies me. I never appreciated how fragile humans are and how difficult it is for them to simply live until I became one..." she looked back at Harris. "I can't stay in Hell. I know that it has changed but it is still too dangerous here. But..." she hugged herself. "I don't want to be alone either." Denix Vames - May 7, 2022 "I'll see what they can do." ,said Leo who disappeared. "I'm alright but what happened?" ,asked Ricky. Bryce nodded. "Sure. Why not? I could use some company. Viktor.....I may be afraid but I just know that we'll save him." --- Will nodded. "Got it. And don't worry." He smirked. "We'll get to spend some alone time soon once this is all taken care of." They appeared in a room of the White House where Ben and Jessica were sleeping. Ben opened his eyes and sat up. "What's going on?" --- "I can find us a place to stay on Earth. You won't have to worry about anything." Harris walked over to her. He held out his hand. "I think I know the perfect home." shadowess - May 7, 2022 "A lot..." Rickster sighed. "After you passed out, Viktor... I guess he figured out that he has the power to make mirrors into doorways somehow. He pulled Bryce right out of Donnie's lair! But as you can imagine, Donnie and Insanity weren't too happy about that. Turns out they've got a couple of kids working for them now too. We were lucky to survive but... they took Carter and Viktor." He sighed and turned his head to look at the others. "So we're going to go and rescue them." Desi glanced at Nate. "Will you be joining us on this potentially suicidal mission?" he then smirked. "I hate to drag up the past but you kind of owe me for all the effort I put into hiding your presence from Lucifer whenever you visited my home." he chuckled, knowing Nate may or may not have been aware of Desi's efforts at the time. Atma hooked her arm around his and smiled at him warmly. "Do you mind if we go to the kitchen? I could really use a cup of tea to calm my nerves," she asked as they walked. "We'll get him back. He might seem quiet and soft sometimes but he's tougher than he looks. He's been through a lot already." she shrugged again as they headed down the stairs. "Whenever he's home, he talks to me. I hate to say it, but I think he believes that you and I are the only ones here that take notice of him." She frowned. "He's my friend but I know he's not happy when he's here. He leaves to go and see you any chance that he gets." --- Still mostly asleep, Jessica groaned and turned over to bury her face in the pillow. Parker glanced at his sister for a second, deciding it might be best to let Ben break the news to her later. He looked at Ben with a serious expression. "Shit's going down. Donnie has this fucked up plan to get vampires addicted to Devil blood so that they can control the masses with pills. We thought you should know given... y'know." --- Unsure of what Harris had in store for them, Clementine had little option but to take a leap of faith. She took his hand, deciding to place her trust in him completely. She nodded to him, letting her guard down and in so doing she inadvertently lowered the guard around her thoughts too. Making this the first time that Harris would have complete access to her mind. All he would find currently was that she was frightened of an unknown and very different life than what she was used to. That she trusted him and cared about him. That she was utterly terrified of the others learning about her return in case they sought to destroy her again. She was also utterly confused as to why she had come back at all- meaning she hadn't done so intentionally! and she even suspected that she may have been pulled out of oblivion by another force entirely. But for what reason?
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - May 7, 2022 Ricky sat up. "Let me come with you. I want to help. Please." Nate chuckled. "I might as well give this little pesky group of criminals their just desserts." Bryce smiled. "I always had that feeling. I could tell somehow that he really loved me. And I do love him." He frowned. "Which is why I am worried. Who knows what they could be doing to him right now?" --- Ben rolled his eyes. "I swear it's one crazy son of a bitch after the other. Thanks for telling us. I'll be sure to let Jess know." Will and Parker disappeared as Ben rolled over and gently shook Jessica. "Hey Jess? I've got some news to tell you. Apparently, Donnie's trying to get vampires addicted to Devil's blood so that he can control them by giving them these pills." --- Will and Parker appeared in their home. "River? You around? We've got something important to say." --- Harris and Clementine appeared in an abandoned house. "It may look terrible now but we can change that." He spoke some words in Latin as he raised his hands. The whole house suddenly was clean. "I'll go grab groceries. You don't mind if I leave you here, do you? The TV should still work." --- Phineas was working on the large rocks. Blowing them up as he usually would so that tracks could be made here. He was about to have someone pour sand in when his men were distracted by their own foolish behavior. He turned to yell at them before placing the iron bar into the hole. Immediately, there was an explosion. As he flew up, he could feel the immense pain when the iron bar entered his skull. A white light suddenly appeared. He could barely see who it was. But he saw wings. Phineas gasped awake from his nightmare. He placed palm where his wound would have been on his head. Just to see if it was there. He then checked his left eye. When he recalled the pain, he suddenly sobbed. He clenched his fists. "An Angel....It did this to me! I saw! I remember now!" shadowess - May 12, 2022 "That's the spirit!" Desi chuckled. "Uh, no offence buddy but we kinda need help that's a little less... human," Oscar said to Ricky awkwardly. "Plus there's only four wristbands between us. I'm going, and so are Desi and Nate, which just leaves one wristband left." Rickster however was looking at Ricky nervously. The others in the room were unaware of what Ricky had changed into earlier but Rickster had seen it. He'd sensed it too and he worried whether or not Ricky would be able to control his powers or even be aware that he had them. Not to mention the obvious danger of going to meet Donnie, Insanity and their sons head-on. He was frightened that if he let him go, he'd lose him forever. "Ricky..." He said softly and shook his head slowly. "Please...Don't make me choose..." Atma filled a metallic kettle with water and placed it on the stove. While she waited for it to heat up, she sighed and leaned against the island counter with her arms folded. "As difficult as it is, try not to think about that," she said to him in a gentle tone. "He's a kind man but he's tough when he needs to be. You just focus on what you'll do once he's safely back with you. I imagine you'll both need each other's support once he's rescued." she said optimistically. "You have to believe that he'll be ok. No matter what. Don't for a second let your worries eat you up inside. If you need to vent or talk, I'm here for you. Just as I have been for him." she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze as a show of support just as the kettle began to whistle. She removed it from the heat and began prepping herself a cup with a teabag. "I'd offer you a cup but I don't imagine this is something that you can drink?" she smiled at him. --- "What?" Jessica groaned groggily as she blinked at Ben with a confused expression. She heard him but she was so sleepy that she didn't quite make sense of his words. "Pills? What are you talking about?" --- The second they arrived at the house they could hear barely contained giggles coming from the kitchen and as soon as Will spoke, the giggles stopped abruptly followed by a gasp and River's hushed voice exclaiming "Crap! Quick, put it back on!" Followed by more, uncontrollable giggling. "Er- hang on! Wait there-! um-!" River called out. "Shit..." he then whispered in a panicked voice. "What the hell are you two-?" Parker had started walking over to the kitchen when River darted out and shut the kitchen door before they could see what was going on in there. But Parker was a little more taken aback by all the whipped cream which had been squirted all over his bare torso in circular patterns, accompanied by colourful sprinkled and even chocolate sauce. Some of which had clearly been licked off and the majority of it had already started to melt. River's face was beetroot red as he tried to maintain his composure. "Heyyy guyyys." he greeted them awkwardly. Parker lost it and couldn't control his laughter. He tried to calm down and take breaths but every time he looked at River again, the laughter started up again. "Yeah, haha, laugh it up... We got carried away alright?" River rolled his eyes. The door opened behind him and Carol stepped into the room with a wide, almost proud grin. Her lipstick was smeared and she still had some cream and sprinkles stuck in her hair. "If it's any consolation, the kitchen is still clean. We didn't get much further than just eating cream." she shrugged. "We were about to go to the bedroom..." River mumbled awkwardly with his eyes on the floor. He felt a mixture of shame and humiliation. Along with mild frustration that despite all the time he'd spent partying with Carol, he still hadn't managed to lose his virginity. Sure, he wasn't technically a virgin in the traditional sense as he knew what it felt like after experiencing it through Parker and Will, but he'd never had the chance to do anything like that in a body of his own yet. "Oh, sweety. That can wait. Your friends look like they have something important to tell you." Carol chirped happily as she handed him a kitchen towel to wipe the cream off with. "What's going on?" River looked at them both now as he tried to wipe off the cream as casually as possible. The moment was lost now anyway, so he may as well give Will and Parker his undivided attention. --- "I don't mind..." Clementine replied as she looked around the house with a small frown. She was lying but she'd never admit that she was nervous about being alone with her thoughts again after what she'd already gone through. "I'm going to rest on the couch then," she said as she brought her eyes back to his and nodded to him. "Thank you for this Harris. I'll see you when you get back." she turned to walk into the living room. 'Please come back. Don't abandon me.' her deepest fears surfaced mentally for just a second then quickly vanished as she buried them again. --- Kasper sat up and looked at Phineas in alarm. His alarm shifted to concern when he spoke and he frowned as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Who? What did they look like?" he asked. "Why would an Angel do something so awful?" he sounded a little angry as he asked this while also looking at Phineas with worry. He was protective of Phineas and hated to see him like this. Tormented. Denix Vames - May 12, 2022 Tears burst from Ricky's eyes. He hugged him tightly. "You better stay safe or I'll kick your ass!" "Unfortunately no. But I will be fine. If I do get hungry then I'll go to the bar." Bryce watched the steam rise. "I do hope you're right about him." --- Ben shrugged. "I don't know. It's what Will told me." --- Will blushed. He cleared his throat before turning his head away. "Um....Donnie is trying to get vampires hooked on Devil's blood so that he can control with some kind of pills." He whipped his head as his eyes widened. "Hey! Wait a minute! I thought I said no sweets. You know how unhealthy they are?" --- Harris brushed his hand against the door. He turned his head. Looking at her. "I would never abandon you." He disappeared. --- "I could hardly see anything but wings. Still, I know it was an Angel." Phineas stood. He glared as he clenched his fists. "Go on! Show yourself! You know who I am! I am Phineas Gage! The man whom you took everything away from me!" Nate appeared. He held no weapons or wore no armor. Frowning he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know anything about humanity until I met Tom. What I did to you was unforgivable. So go ahead. Kill me." Phineas raised his fists. "Fight me! Now!" "I won't..." shadowess - May 14, 2022 "Nate?" Desi looked around quickly as he vanished. "Wha- Where are you going?! I thought you were coming with us??" Rickster hugged Ricky then turned his head when he heard Desi and his heart dropped. With Nate disappearing randomly, he worried that Ricky would try again to go with them. "Oh, for- Seriously? Make up your mind!" Oscar huffed, annoyed that they were one man down again. He looked at the others. "Who else could we ask?" "Me too..." Atma said quietly while she finished making her tea. She sighed and sat with Bryce at the counter with the cup in front of her. She seemed to hesitate before speaking again. "I couldn't help but notice... there was a lot of tension up there..." She pointed to the ceiling as she referred to how both Parker and Desi had been acting around Bryce. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But, I gotta ask... are you alright?" she asked her question in a very soft voice while studying his face intently. Her own features displayed genuine concern for him as she waited for his answer. --- "Ugh... Donnie needs to fuck off already..." Jessica groaned. "Wait, he's going to try controlling vampires? Is that what he said?" she sat up and looked at him worriedly. "What about that castle? You don't think he'd go after Niko again, do you?" --- If River's face could turn a darker shade of red, it would. "Uh- Y-yeah, I know. I'm sorry-" "Oh no, no, no." Carol shook her head with an amused smile while placing a hand on River's shoulder. "We're not sorry. We were having fun and a little treat here and there won't kill us! Come on, Will. Lighten up." she winked at him. "Speaking of vampires..." she turned to River and smirked. "Didn't you mention there was a nightclub full of them? We should go! I'm in the mood to dance!" She giggled and River blinked at her while still cleaning the cream from his chest. "Aren't you human?" River questioned, worried. "Yes, but you're not. And you're stronger than the others there so I know I'll be safe." she winked at him. "Didn't you hear Will?" Parker now piped up, having calmed down from his laughing fit and was now more concerned for their safety. "Donnie is going to use pills to try to control Vampires. Where do you suppose pills like that would be more commonly found? There is always some creepy ass drug dealer hanging around bars and clubs!" "That reminds me! We should find someone that sells weed! I haven't had that stuff since the last time Amelia had any and that was before she got knocked up! Oh, I am so ready to get wasted!" Carol cheered. "Seriously?!" Parker was gobsmacked by Carol's carefree attitude. She didn't seem to care about the dangers of the world. Not one bit. River looked torn. He liked having fun with Carol but he was also worried that they might be pushing their luck if they just go to the club after the warning they just got from Will and Parker. --- Hearing his words, Clementine gasped softly and whirled around to look at him. Only he'd vanished already. How had he heard her? Maybe she was no longer as strong as she used to be? His words lingered in her mind and she closed her eyes tightly to fight back tears while balling her hands into fists. She'd lost so much so suddenly and now she'd become this weak, fragile thing that would need to depend on someone else to simply survive. She didn't have the skills or experience to be able to live like the other mortals. She opened her eyes and looked at the television. "No... I have skills... I created my Dolls. I mixed potions and conducted experiments... I just need to find something similar here...on Earth..." she glanced at the window. "And pray that I'm not discovered..." she walked over to the window and looked out at the world beyond the glass. "I wonder where we are..." --- "Please don't fight! Can't we just talk? You've already been through so much!" Kasper begged Phineas as he stood to one side. Sure, he was angry at Nate too for what he'd done. But he could also see genuine remorse in Nate's expression and body language. Fighting now would only cause more pain for both of them. Before Phineas could step up to Nate though, the armoured Angel appeared between them and merely stared at Phineas. "You should listen to your partner, Phineas," he said gently. "At that point in time when your life changed forever, the man behind me was a completely different person. He was rebellious, arrogant, big-headed and a general pain in my ass. He still is, but he's learned from his past and even I can see that he has the potential to be a great man." he glanced behind him at Nate for a second before turning his gaze back to Phineas. "Put down your fists. Hear him out. If you don't then this moment might become something that you'll regret for the rest of your unlife." Denix Vames - May 14, 2022 "I'm sure he'll be back. He probably had to stop by somewhere for a bit." ,said Leo. Bryce raised a brow. "Uh yeah? Why wouldn't I be? And what tension?" --- "I'm really not sure." ,said Ben. "But Jean's there too. He'll take Donnie down in one second." --- Will stormed over to them. "No going to the club! Donnie has been trying for so fucking long to mess with us over and over! Don't you understand that everyone is in danger?! More specifically, the vampires! So act like your damn age!" --- Just a moment later, Harris had returned with bags full of groceries. He headed to the kitchen where he placed the items where they belonged. --- "Are you kidding me?! He made me suffer! He did this to me!" Phineas shoved the Angel aside. "Get out of my way!" The iron rod appeared in his hands as he pierced Nate's chest. He fell to his knees. "I...I think I know how to kill you forever but...." He curled up on the floor. "I can see it. You have someone waiting for you. And all of this? It hasn't really changed anything." Nate took the iron rod out of his chest and let it fall. He lifted Phineas off the floor and looked at him. "I'm starting my soap business. Why don't you come by sometimes? I'll tell you where it is once I have the building." He placed him on the bed. Phineas, surprised, nodded. "I think I'd like that." He soon smiled. Nate pointed at the Angel. "You still owe me an apology." shadowess - May 14, 2022 "I hope you're right." Desi folded his arms. Meanwhile, Oscar took this moment to pull Leo into his arms. He kissed him suddenly and deeply. He didn't know if he'd survive this trip, so he wanted to savour this feeling as much as he could. When the kiss broke, he'd rest his head against his. "You know I love you, right? I'll do anything to make sure that I'll come home to you." Rickster was also struggling to let go of Ricky. He kept him in his arms for as long as he could while rubbing his back to comfort him. "Look..." he said quietly to him. "I don't know how things will turn out... so I can't promise anything. But I'll try to be careful. If I don't make it back though... you need to promise me something. Promise me you'll look out for Neva. I know she's got her new dads now but just keep an eye on her for me? Make sure she's alright and when she's old enough... tell her that I was sorry." Atma bit her lip. Now she was anxious that she'd brought to his attention something that he has been otherwise oblivious to. "Uh... " she lowered her eyes to the countertop and fidgetted with her fingers nervously. "Parker...and Desi," she said slowly before bringing her eyes back up to meet his. "They both started behaving... a bit aloof... after they saw you." she then shook her head and shrugged her shoulders quickly. "Maybe I'm just imagining things? We did just go through something traumatic after all... Maybe it was just that." she then said optimistically while picking up the cup to smell the tea. --- "Maybe..." Jessica said uncertainly. "But what if he got hooked on those pills too?" she pointed out. "Jean is strong but he's still vampiric. Maybe we should at least warn them?" she suggested. "Oh, but maybe we shouldn't tell Niko?... I'm not sure he'd take the news too well that Donnie is still out there somewhere." --- Carol tutted and grinned at Will, finding his anger amusing. "I will do whatever I damn well, please. If you don't want me to go then stop me!" she challenged him then turned to River. "Coming darling?" River seemed dumbstruck as he looked between Will and Carol. "But... what about Donnie? The pills? I don't want to wind up being his puppet." "Suit yourself." she shrugged then turned on her heels and started for the door. River looked utterly deflated by this. "Hey!" Parker snapped and darted for the front door, standing in her way. "Why are you like this?!" "How long you got?" Carol answered with an amused smirk. "Move sweety. You're wasting my party time." "You're not going!" Parker argued. "I said." Carol stepped toward Parker with threatening body language. Her smile slipped. "Move." --- Still looking outside, Clementine hadn't noticed Harris return until she heard movement coming from the kitchen. Turning, she walked slowly to the kitchen and then leaned against the door frame with her arms folded. She watched Harris putting the food away for a moment before speaking. "So, what happens now?" she asked him while watching his movements. "Where do we go from here?" --- Kasper clasped his hands over his mouth as he watched Phineas stab Nate. When he saw the blood, he suffered flashbacks of his own murder and he left the room in a panic. Before he knew it, he had sprinted out of the house and across their garden to the fence on the other side where he rested against it to catch his breath. He gripped his throat and sank to his knees as he struggled to regain control of his rapid breaths. All the while, tears poured down his cheeks and he couldn't help but be reminded of the gut-wrenching betrayal he'd felt when the person he thought loved him had torn his throat out. The armoured Angel smirked at Nate, amused. "Oh? What exactly am I meant to be sorry for, Naoutha?" he asked incredulously.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - May 14, 2022 Leo sadly smiled. Wondering if this would be the last time that he would see Oscar. "Yeah, I know. And I'd do the same for you." He bit his lip. "I love you too." Ricky frowned but nodded. "I promise I will." Tears dripped down his cheeks. "The idea of you being gone forever. It just breaks me." "I'm not surprised. Donnie's really been giving us Hell." ,said Bryce. --- "So, who should we tell? Just Jean?" ,asked Ben. --- Will gently pushed her away as he stood between them. He glared. "That's it. You're under house arrest until Donnie is gone for good. If you even attempt to leave this place then I will handcuff you to it." --- Harris shrugged. "I guess you just live your life. Although, we do need to get you some women's clothes. They'll fit you more than what you're wearing." --- "Kasper!" Phineas ran out of the house. He opened the gate and stood near him. "Kasper! I'm so sorry. Please don't be scared. I would never do that to you. You know why I stabbed that Angel, right? But either way, it wasn't helpful." He sat next to him. "Please dear. Don't be scared of me. I would never harm you." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I love you." Nate glared. "For saying all that crap to me at the church. And for also letting God play his little games on me. You know he was a sick fuck back then who just wanted to see his purposefully-to-be-made mistake of an Angel." shadowess - May 16, 2022 Oscar brushed some of Leo's hair from his face and then traced his lower lip with his thumb. He hated to see him sad. "Hey, don't let Ricky play my games. Took me forever to get those high scores!" He smirked, hoping to make Leo laugh. "If the top four high scores don't read 'You eat dis ass', I'll be so annoyed when I get back!" Rickster closed his eyes tightly as he held on to Ricky. It took him a moment to respond. "I'm trying not to think like that. I can't. I have to believe that I'll come back to you..." he pulled back to look into his eyes and cupped his face in his hands, using both thumbs to wipe away some of Ricky's tears. "I -will- come back to you." "No pun intended?" Atma smiled at Bryce, hoping to lift his spirits at least a little. "So, how did you meet Viktor?" she asked with a small smile while looking at him intently. She knew a vague version of the story from when Viktor had told her once after she had caught him sneaking back into the mansion in the early hours. She was hoping to distract him a little by thinking of something a bit more pleasant. --- "I think that'd be best." Jessica nodded then jumped out of bed and started to get dressed. --- "Kinky." Carol giggled then stared at Will with a more serious expression. "Look, I spent almost twenty years of my life trapped in someone else's mind. Then a further twenty years stuck in Amelia's head. I'm done with being cooped up with no freedom to make my own decisions! So if you're not going to let me out of this house then you may as well handcuff me, because I guarantee that I'll find a way to leave the first chance I get!" "Wait- forty years? Who else-?" Parker started but Carol shook her head. "A story for another time. When I have more time to tell it." "I think you've got plenty of time." River made Carol jump as he'd appeared right behind her. He grabbed her wrists and held them behind her back while she struggled. "And you have a lot of explaining to do." "Oh?" "You're nothing like I thought you were." "Well sweety, that's more your own fault than mine. I never once pretended to be anything different than I am." she kept struggling but quickly grew frustrated at how much stronger he was in comparison to her. "God, I miss my powers..." she huffed when she eventually gave up trying to break free from his grip. --- Clementine looked down at herself and grimaced. "Yes. I do miss my dresses..." she said as she recalled the collection of pristine victorian-style children's dresses that she used to wear. "Ah...perhaps I should try the more modern styles for a change? I imagine I would look out of place otherwise." --- Hyperventilating, Kasper could barely see Phineas through his tears. He clutched his chest which hurt from how fast his heart was racing and his head spun as he struggled to regain control of his breathing. He shook his head at first when Phineas asked him if he knew why he'd stabbed the Angel. But he couldn't get any words out between breaths to tell Phineas that he was also angry at him because he could have just spoken to the Angel as he'd originally asked him to do. There hadn't been any need for violence! But Kasper's train of thought soon came to an abrupt stop when Phineas admitted his love for him. He stared at Phineas for a moment as his breathing started to slow down enough that he didn't feel so much like passing out anymore and his chest pain started to ease off a bit. He burst into heavy sobs and, still trembling, he leaned closer to Phineas and wrapped his arms around him. "Phin-! Phine-!" he tried between breaths but he hadn't caught his breath enough to be able to talk again yet. He just hoped that Phineas knew how much this meant to him and that he loved him as well. The Angel scoffed at Nate's demands and looked away from him defiantly. "You speak as though I have any authority over God." he shook his head. "In your judgement of me, you seem to have forgotten the things I did for you. I protected you. You and your friends, every time you all fucked up and got yourselves into trouble! Who do you think cleaned up after your messes?!" Denix Vames - May 16, 2022 Leo chuckled. "I'll be sure to dominate when it comes to games." Ricky smiled. "Then expect me never taking my hands off you when you do." "He had a hard time teleporting. It was his first time using his powers and I found him in one of the aisles of the grocery store that I work at. It was in the middle of the night. I'm a security guard there so thankfully I was able to use my powers to burn the tape. Making any evidence of his presence disappear. We talked and I guess we became closer ever since." ,said Bryce. --- Ben got dressed too. He took her hand once they were both ready. "I wonder how Jean's going to handle this. Maybe we should help in some way besides telling him. If we can help." --- Will handcuffed Carol. "Thanks River. Now, you're going to sit down and tell us the whole story. Whose body were you in before Amelia's?" He guided her to a chair where he gently pushed her to sit. --- "You'd be surprised. Fashion is pretty much anything these days. So, you can wear anything really. But if you want to try any modern clothes then that won't be a problem either." ,said Harris. --- Phineas gently rubbed his back. "I'm so sorry. I'll never do that again. I came here so that I could stop becoming so angry. Instead, I only made things worse here. It will be alright. But do not forgive me if I upset you." Nate turned away. "Then answer this. Did you agree with anything that God did to me?" shadowess - May 20, 2022 "That's my man!" Oscar grinned. "I'm looking forward to it already." Rickster smiled and kissed Ricky lovingly. Desi glanced at the lovers in the room. He let out a silent and sad sigh while averting his gaze. "I guess you did." Atma smiled at the story. "That's romantic. I'm happy that you both found love in each other." She looked down at her tea for a moment. "I've never experienced anything like that," she commented. "Or at least...I don't think that I have. I have amnesia. I can't remember my life before waking up in a hospital bed with a tag around my wrist that read 'Jane Doe'. I only know who I used to be from Oscar. Apparently, he'd met my former self once or twice. I was a Spirit of Life. A being who helps to usher new life into existence." She chuckled and lifted the cup up to her lips. "Sounds exhausting." she joked before taking a sip. --- Jessica thought for a moment before nodding at Ben purposefully. "He said we're welcome to stay if we ever go back. Maybe we could take him up on that offer and help their guards in return? Earn our keep by helping to protect his people." she suggested. She then grinned playfully. "Feels a little exciting though, right? Going to an old castle to basically be a knight! It's like we're teleporting into a fairy tale." --- Carol sighed irritably when she was pushed onto a chair and rolled her eyes at the question. "Fine. If you really insist that I not leave then I may as well tell you the story." She sat back, pretending to be annoyed but really she loved having the spotlight on her. "Do you remember how Alex was a second consciousness stuck in Parker? I was the same once. Stuck in the head of a plantation owner's daughter. Angelica Magpie." "Wait, why does that name sound familiar?" Parker asked. "Because David told us about her back when Alex was trying to take over our body." River answered. "I wasn't strong enough yet to mess with you but I could see and hear everything you and Alex did." "Yes. An Angel named Angel..." Carol nodded. "The naive girl with her head in the clouds and a split personality who fell in love with the Devil himself... although, after getting him in the sack myself I honestly don't blame her." She chuckled and River looked uncomfortable. "Man really knew his way around a woman!" She added and River rolled his eyes while trying to mask his jealousy. "Yeah, ok. Can we move on now, please?" He huffed. "Oh, don't be like that sweety, that was years ago." Carol chuckled. "Anyway, although I was stuck in her head, she was aware of me from a young age and we thought of each other as sisters. We had secret conversations and whenever she was too shy or scared of standing up for herself, I was always ready to take over and assert ourselves on her behalf. The only person she refused to let me talk to was our violent father. Until she reached the age of thirteen and he tried to hurt her in a far worse way... I wasn't about to let that happen. He was my first kill. She was angry with me after that but she also knew that it had to be done. We got rid of his body and reported him missing. Not long after that, we inherited his home, land, and everything. To keep up appearances she had to keep the 'workers'. But behind closed doors, she paid them fairly, ensured they had more humane living conditions and made sure they weren't abused. For all intents and purposes, they were free. We hoped the laws would change so that she could free them officially but she wouldn't see that law come to pass in her time... She died young." Carol paused with a small frown. "Any chance I could get a drink? This is a long story and my throat is getting a little dry." "I'll get it." Parker nodded then headed to the kitchen. "Now when you say 'workers'...?" River trailed off uncomfortably. "Slaves." Carol nodded. "But we, that is Angelica and I, called them Workers so as not to dehumanise them. We had to be careful though. The other plantation owners were constantly suspicious of us and suspected us of being a part of the underground railroad. I mean, they wouldn't have been wrong but if they ever caught us it would have been the end for all involved. On top of that, you also need to factor in how the other plantation owners saw a plot of land and free labour that could potentially be taken from the lone thirteen-year-old female owner... It was a very dangerous time for us. But what neither we nor the other owners counted on was how the workers reacted to the way Angelica ran things. On more than a few occasions the mansion was broken into by thugs who had been paid by the other owners to murder us and make it look like a burglary gone wrong. And each time we were saved by the very people that we supposedly 'owned'. But as the years drew on, the more these attacks escalated. We feared we'd meet our end that way. But then we met him." Carol sat back with a small, dreamy smile. "Lucifer." she sighed. At this point, Parker had returned and silently offered the water to Carol. He didn't say a word as he was too enveloped in the story to want to interrupt. Carol leant forward and placed her mouth on the edge of the glass to let Parker feed her the water. She sat back again when she was done and Parker placed the glass down on the coffee table before sitting down on one of the chairs to continue listening. "No one knew who he was at that point." She shook her head. "He introduced himself as a noble gentleman from Belgium on a business trip." she chuckled, amused at the memory. "It was something that he liked to do now and then. Visit Earth in search of potential Demons for his army while also pretending to be human for a little while to amuse himself. We were sixteen then and had survived the latest attacks as well as dreaded smallpox that were sweeping across the country at the time. He revealed to us who he truly was when he came to visit once and then he made us a deal. The original deal was to offer protection and training in return for Angelica's soul when she died. He wasn't aware that I existed at that point...So I took over her body, made him aware and struck a deal of my own. He split us apart and I would vow to become his loyal Demon immediately. He accepted the deal and placed my soul into a body which he proceeded to change into a Demon." Carol grinned proudly. "And what a Demon I was! I did everything in my power to make him proud of me! I'd have destroyed myself for him if he'd asked me to!" She sighed happily, apparently finished with her story. "So, wait... what about Angelica? You said you two were like sisters?" River questioned, confused. "That's right," Carol answered simply. "But all that danger you said she was in. And she was only sixteen and you ran off with Lucifer to become a Demon? Just like that?" "Of course not!" Carol laughed and River seemed a little relieved. At first. Then he remembered something else Carol had mentioned. "So, how did she die then?" "Hmm?" "Angelica. You said she died young. Before she'd ever see the law change. How did she die?" "Oh, Lucifer killed her," Carol answered matter of factly and with a short nod as if it was no big deal. River blinked at her in disbelief. "P-Pardon?...WHY?!" "Well, Lucifer and I hung around a while after he split us apart because he wasn't done messing with the other plantation owners. You know, watching them damn their own souls further while pretending to be human so that he could rub it in their faces when they landed in Hell later. But Angelica wouldn't stop following him around like a lost puppy. She made it so painfully obvious that she was falling in love with him and he kept trying to turn her away. He warned her several times that loving him would only damn her soul and deny her entry to Heaven. But she wouldn't listen. She was stubborn. So he made one last effort to get her to stop... by trying to send her straight to Heaven. He lured her out to a park then drowned her in the pond." Carol shrugged. "But I guess it was too late by then because her ass woke up in Hell. Fast forward a few decades later and both vanish at around the same time... so I guess she finally got her way in the end. Lucky bitch..." --- Clementine smiled a little and lowered her eyes to the ground. "Maybe I'll have a look when I feel better," she said quietly. "This is all new to me... Being what I used to be, I could manipulate mortals to wait on me hand and foot if I wanted because they presumed that I was helpless. But now? I don't know how to live, what work I could do, how to drive a car... it all seems so... daunting. Sudden." she lifted her eyes to look at him again questioningly. "You said you'd never abandon me. Did-..." she trailed off and seemed to struggle to bring herself to finish the question. She wanted to ask if he'd said that to comfort her in the moment or if he'd actually heard her thoughts but she felt herself becoming vulnerable and instinctively tried to bury her insecurities so as not to appear weak. --- Weeping into Phineas's shirt, Kasper took some deep breaths. Without moving away or looking up, he shook his head. "Y-y-you're not like him," he said shakily, referring to his old love. "A-a-at least you're trying to become better. So, I will forgive you. I love you so much." He lifted his head to look at Phineas. "But please, I'm begging you, no more violence. I can't stand it. It hurts me." The Angel looked back at Nate with a frown and seemed contemplative for a moment. He walked over to him to look at his wound. "You must remember that things have changed since then. Did I agree with you being punished for being a defiant brat? Yes. Do I think you deserved to be hunted relentlessly by your own kin and locked away to be tortured by humans for decades?..." he placed a hand over Nate's wound and began to heal him. "No." he finished in a quiet voice. He brought his eyes up to meet Nate's. "But what was I to do, Naoutha? I was forbidden from helping you at that point. I'd have been destroyed or cast down to Hell if I so much as came within a certain distance to you." Once Nate was healed, the Angel lowered his gaze and turned away from him shamefully. "As much as you are a pain in my ass sometimes, you're like a son to me. That has never changed. But I failed you. You are right to be angry at me." --- Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. Twenty-six. Grey, mouldy bricks. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Pain. Pleasure. Searing pain. Unrelenting pleasure. Thirty. Thirty-one. Thirty-two. Thirty-three. Heavy, ragged breathing and moans. Thirty-four. Thirty-fi- "Now it's our turn to make you finish!" Niko screamed awake and practically jumped out of bed but fell as the blanket caught on his foot. He was shaking, sweating and breathing heavily. Sitting up he looked down at himself to find the reason for his shorts feeling tight. Feeling ashamed and disgusted with himself, he got to his feet and walked into his bathroom. "Thirty-six. Thirty-seven." he continued to count absently. Seemingly unaware now that he was even doing it. He poured water into his sink. "Thirty-eight. Thirty-nine." he cupped the water in his hands and then splashed it over his face. "Forty." he breathed after wiping his face on a towel. He drained the sink and walked back into his bedroom to get dressed while continuing to count under his breath. Once dressed he walked into his living room to pour himself a glass of venomed blood, hoping it would help him to relax.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - May 20, 2022 Leo kissed Oscar. "Show them who's boss." Ricky smirked. "Go get them tiger." "But you did the work anyway. That tells me that you really cared. You probably still do even if you can't do the same job anymore. Maybe you'll fine that special someone. Everyone gets to. Even the ones who think they're always going to be alone." ,said Bryce. --- "It definitely is." Ben thought back to the men that he used to work with. He frowned. "Will and the officers.....I haven't visited them at all. I really should let them know what I'm doing. But later. Right now, this is more important." He held her hand. --- Will clenched his fists. He was shaking as tears fell. He grit his teeth. Glaring at her. "How?! How could you let that happen? I know he was Lucifer but still! You couldn't at least try to save her?! She was just a fucking kid!" He recalled the way Balconi died. "Did you even love her? Cause it sure as hell doesn't sound like it!" He slammed his fist on the table. "You were better off stuck in Amelia's body! At least you had some sense in there!" --- Harris gently hugged her. "Yes, I did read your thoughts but I was serious about what I said before. I will never abandon you. You may used me before but things have changed. I can see that now. And I will help you learn the ways of a human. I may not be one but I have seen what humans do. So yes, I will stay with you forever." --- "I promise. I swear to you that I will never commit another violent act again." Phineas kissed his forehead. He helped him stand. "Let us go inside. I could make us something wonderful. Or try to. Maybe you and I could attempt to cook?" Nate's eyes widened when he was healed. Hearing his words, he suddenly hugged him. "That's all I needed to hear." He awkwardly clear his throat as he blushed. "I did sort of told Tom that I quit being in Heaven's army and decided to sell handmade soaps." He nervously smiled. "I uh...hope you don't mind." --- Jean knocked on the door. "Excuse me, Niko? May I come in?" shadowess - May 20, 2022 Both Oscar and Rickster smiled at their partners before looking at each other uncertainly. Desi glanced around the room again, looking a little annoyed. "Nate, are you coming with us or do we need to replace you?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know about that." Atma chuckled and shook her head a little. "I don't really know anyone outside of this house, so I don't tend to go out much to meet anyone new. Not that I would know what to say or how to act." she shrugged. --- Jessica gave Ben's hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll say hi to them when this whole thing blows over." she kissed his cheek. "Ready when you are." --- Carol watched Will's reaction with a calm expression. "Correction," she said about a minute after he'd finished speaking. "She was eighteen when she died. Sixteen when we split then Lucifer and I stuck around on Earth for a further two years. During that time he protected her and her land. Two years. Two. Full. Years. Of Angelica pining after him and refusing to accept that loving him could ruin her. Of her refusing to take his warnings seriously. He didn't kill her out of malice, Will. He did it to try to save her soul because she simply wasn't willing to save it herself. Even I had tried to talk to her but she wouldn't listen. 'you'll see, he'll change.' she'd say. 'He just needs someone who loves him for who he really is.' she'd tell me." Carol rolled her eyes. "As if after two years she'd somehow know the true Lucifer! Besides, even if I tried to stop him, I'd have turned to ash the moment I'd raised a hand against him. Because that's what the Devil's contract does. It destroys your soul for breaking your vow." She then shrugged. "As for love? I cared about her, sure. But love? That's just a weakness to be exploited. And I wasn't weak. Do you want to know what kind of Demon I was when I was Lucifer's loyal servant?" She grinned and leaned forward. "I got off on pain. The pain I inflicted and the pain inflicted upon me. You can't hurt someone that loves to be hurt. That's what made me a good interrogator and soldier. There wasn't anyone that I couldn't torture the truth out of. Not a damn soul." "My God..." River gasped, turning pale. Mentally, he couldn't help but compare Carol to Donnie and Insanity. "You're-... No, this must be a joke? But... Amelia? Don't you love her? She said you're like a mother to her! You sacrificed yourself for her!" Carol's grin slipped and she sat back, staring at the floor. "I did... I-I do... That was the Demon that I WAS. But then Lucifer left... without any warning... not even to me... his most loyal Demon... Just... gone... and there was a hole left... I was so lost... without purpose... then David found Amelia and the little brat wormed her way into my heart! She filled the hole that Lucifer had left... She was my new purpose. My child. My little Hellion." Carol smiled a little while staring off, remembering watching Amelia grow up. --- Clementine tensed up when Harris wrapped his arms around her. She remained stiff as he spoke and awkwardly placed her hands on his arms in an uncertain hug. She wasn't used to so many displays of emotion in one day and this was far more compassion than she was used to so didn't know how to react to it. But she wanted to show him that she appreciated his words so she timidly moved her arms further around him until she was fully embracing him. For a few seconds, it had felt utterly unfamiliar but then settled into how warm the hug was and the soothing feeling that came with it. She let out a long breath as her body relaxed more into it. As if the hug itself was pushing all of her tension and apprehension out of her. Tears stung her eyes and she tried to blink them back while resting her chin on his shoulder. "Why have I never done this before?" she asked in a broken voice as she referred to the hug. "How does such a simple gesture affect me so? I don't understand this but I don't want it to end. Harris, what is this?" --- "M-m-maybe." Kasper nodded as he stood. He took his hand and hugged his arm while resting his head against it as they walked. "What should we make?" The Angel tensed when Nate hugged him but he did nothing to stop him. He then turned to look at Nate when he spoke to him and couldn't help smirking when Tom was mentioned. "Ah yes, your love." He chuckled, recalling the way Tom had stood up to him to defend Nate in the church. "I can see why you fell for him. He's as defiant and stubborn as you. You don't need to explain, Naoutha. Your life is your own. But what about your friends?" he asked, referring to Desi who was currently calling for Nate. --- Niko paused as he placed the glass back down on the little table. He sighed at Jean's voice. After the nightmare he'd just had, he wasn't exactly in the mood for company. Still, he knew that if he didn't open the door, Jean would likely just pop into the room anyway. "I'm comi- yeah, hang on." he stammered, tripping over his words out of nerves. He walked over to the door and unlocked it to let Jean in. "Guten Tag." he greeted him then turned back into the room and walked back to the little table. "Did you want a drink?" he offered politely while hoping Jean wouldn't point out the dark circles under his eyes. Denix Vames - May 21, 2022 "My little business wouldn't keep me away from helping my friends." Nate smiled. "I'll see you some other time." He appeared back in the mansion. "Can't a guy have a little moment between the man he nearly killed all those years ago? Anyway, I'm coming. Don't pull your dick off." --- Will stepped closer to her. "Do you still want to torture souls? Answer honestly. Do you miss that pain? The horrendous wounds that you gave to those poor souls? Do you relive it in your mind? Because if that is the case then I'm going to have to talk to David about this." --- Harris smiled with tears in his eyes. "It's love." --- "Something that was popular after my death. A dish that people still make to this day. I tried Eggs Benedict but I do want to attempt to make it. That's the dish that the doctor introduced me too. It tasted wonderful." ,said Phineas. --- Ben and Jessica had appeared as Jean entered Niko's room. "Uh, did we come here at a bad time? It looks like you're about to have a conversation." ,said Ben. "Don't worry. Just make yourselves feel right at home. I will be with you in a moment." Jean closed the door. Jean floated over to Niko. "We need to talk. I heard your....nightmare. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. Please don't feel like that you need to keep this to yourself." --- Sam rocked back and forth with Dariel's body in his arms. He was sobbing and screaming. There was blood everywhere. He had stabbed him many times. Eventually ending his life. Dariel was hiding in the kitchen. Unsure as to how he came back alive but still frightened of Sam. Insanity lifted his head up. "Something's wrong! Sam!" shadowess - May 22, 2022 "Oh, uh- We didn't know where you'd gone." Desi fumbled out of embarrassment as Nate appeared. "We should get moving. God only knows who they'll try to hurt next if we leave things for too long." Oscar stole one last kiss from Leo before moving away from him to stand with the others. He took a bracelet out of the box and placed it in his pocket. "Ready when you guys are." Rickster caressed Ricky's cheek and kissed him as well. "I'll be back soon." he winked then stood and took a bracelet out of the box as well, standing with the group. --- "Yet again, you're jumping to conclusions about me." Carol shrugged and folded one leg over the other with a cocky expression. "But sure, go ahead. Call David. I can't wait to see his face when he sees that I'm finally free!" she giggled gleefully. --- "Love?" Clementine whispered. "I've never felt anything like this. I never understood what people meant when they said they loved someone. Is this really what it feels like? To be loved? To love? It's- It's-..." she didn't know how to end the sentence. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she found her words getting caught in her throat. --- Kasper sniffled and wiped some of his tears away with his sleeve. "I like eggs," he said as they walked back to the house. "I asked my mother once if we could get some chickens. I said I'd look after them and build the coop but she said no. I think she was scared of them." he chuckled a little then glanced back at the large field behind their cottage. "Maybe we could get some here?" --- Niko's eyes widened when Jessica and Ben appeared then he quickly turned his attention back to his drink to hide his face. Then Jean spoke and he tensed, gripping the glass tightly. "I'm fine," he said quietly as he brought the glass up to his lips. "I'm just tired. I-..." he hesitated. "I've been struggling to sleep," he admitted before drinking almost all of the glass. Feeling some small relief wash over him as the venom numbed him a little. Every time he tried to sleep he ended up having the same nightmare. Like he was stuck, being forced to relive his trauma every time he closed his eyes. --- Donnie shot out of the bed and threw his clothes on hurriedly. As he and Insanity ran towards Sam, Warren joined them, having run out of Theron's room as soon as he heard the screams. Donnie ground to a halt when they reached Sam's room. He looked at the body and then the knife, then at Sam. "Why are you crying?" he asked him, genuinely puzzled. He knelt and stared at his son. "Stop. Breathe. Don't forget where you are. He might be dead but he is not gone. He'll be in the house somewhere. I placed a spell around us to keep anyone who dies under our roof here." He stood and snapped his fingers at Warren. "Clean this mess up." "Yes, sire," Warren answered obediently and moved forward to take Dariel's body. "Listen to me carefully. I gave you a gift when I changed you. If you focus, you should be able to see where your friend is hiding." Donnie instructed Sam. He had no intention of coddling him and wanted him to overcome his emotions on his own. --- Stevie got off his school bus hurriedly and started to walk briskly through the park to get home. As usual, his bullies had followed him and were yelling taunts at him. He kept his head down and tried his best to ignore them. His black hair covered his face as he kept his head lowered. He was debating making a run for it when something hard struck the back of his head. He yelped and fell forward. His bullies erupted into laughter and jeers as he scrambled to sit up while holding the back of his head. He saw blood on the floor and a sharp rock which had apparently been thrown. Tearfully, he stood and glared at his bullies who only jeered more at his scowl. "Ohhh! Look what you did Ty! You've made him all mad!" one of them laughed. "Throw another one!" another shouted. "What you guna do scruff?! You think you're tough, do ya? Fucking bring it then!" the boy names Ty threw his arms up to challenge Stevie. But Stevie knew better. Ty was a lot bigger and stronger than he was. He pulled his backpack back on and then turned to walk away. "Haha! That's it scruff! Walk away!" "Fucking coward!" "He's crying! Hahaha!" Crying bitterly as he tried to walk away, Stevie sniffled "Fucking assholes..." "What was that scruff?!" Ty yelled angrily and Stevie stopped in his tracks, his heart dropping. He hadn't meant to say it out loud! "You got something to say?! You want me to beat you into next week, scruff?!" "Ooooh! He's done it now!" "Ty's guna fucking kill him! Haha!" Stevie turned around to see Ty marching toward him. "N-no! I-I didn't say anything! I swear! I didn't say-!" Before he could say anything else, Stevie found himself curled up on the path being kicked repeatedly by his bully. "Fucking hell, Ty! Stop! You're actually going to kill him!!" "Shit! Dude!" The thug's cronies pulled him off and Stevie lay groaning, bruised and bloody. "Oh, shit... we need to get out of here." "Shouldn't we like, get him to a hospital?" "No way! He'll be fine! Won't you scruff? And don't you dare tell anyone who did this to you or I really will kill you next time!" Stevie blacked out just as they started to run away from him. He came to a few hours later. The sun had already set and the park was enveloped in darkness. One silhouette stood out against the dark area, and that was of a dead tree. Groaning and whimpering in pain, Stevie managed to pull himself to his feet and limp over to it, finding himself fascinated by it. When he reached the tree, he couldn't help himself and lifted his hand to feel the bark. He could feel something emanating from it. Like static but somehow different. It was oddly comforting. Like it was somehow a living thing and it was whispering wordless encouragement. He reached up and grabbed one of the thick branches. It snapped off without any force and he held it in his hands before looking up at the tree. "Thank you..." he whispered to the broken trunk. "I will cherish your gift." Once he had mostly recovered from his injuries, he returned to school. There, he used the branch during his shop class to carve it into a flute. He then carefully placed the flute into his pocket and kept hold of it as he got on the bus at the end of the day. The bus pulled up at its usual spot. Stevie got off and headed towards the park. Footsteps. Jeers. The usual taunts. They got to the centre of the park... where they had beaten him up last time, and he stopped abruptly. He turned to face them and then pulled his hood up over his head. "Oooh! Scruff thinks he's being tough again!" "Kick his face in Ty!" Stevie pulled the flute out of his pocket and placed it to his lips. He was nervous. He'd never played the flute before but somehow he just knew what he needed to do. "What is THAT?!" the bullies started howling with laughter. "Scruff is guna play us a song! haha!" "I'm going to snap it into pieces when I'm done with you today, scruff!" Stevie blew into the flute as Ty started to march towards him again. His fingers moved over the holes flawlessly and the melody that he created penetrated the thoughts of his aggressors. Within seconds, all three of his bullies were being forced to live through their worst nightmares. Their hallucinations, both visual and audio, were so convincing that they believed what they were seeing to be real. As a result, they each thought they were fighting the other two for survival and by the time Stevie stopped playing, all three of his bullies had killed each other. He stared at their bodies for a long moment, breathless from playing the flute as well as his adrenaline. He then looked down at his instrument and laughed as tears rolled down his cheeks and he hugged the flute to his cheek. "Thank you! Thank you! I will always cherish you!" he said to it before running away from the scene of his crime to wait things out. To any officer, this was an open and shut case. The way the boys died made it clear that they fought each other and that no one else was involved. All Stevie had to do now, was hide his flute and keep his head down. Denix Vames - May 22, 2022 Nate smirked. "God wouldn't know Hell if it hit him in the back of his head." He placed his hands on both men's shoulders before teleporting everyone in front of the Brothel. --- Will kept glaring. He said, "David? We need to talk. It's about Carol. She told us about her past. The thing is, I don't know if she's a better person now. She smiled when she talked about torturing damned souls." --- "It's hard to understand now but you'll get this feeling the more you let it enter your heart." ,said Harris. --- Phineas smiled. "It'll be just like my old farm. But first..." The iron rod appeared in his hand. "I should return this to Harvard. That's where they've been keeping my skull and tool safe. The university. Would you like to come with me?" --- "I know why you're having trouble sleeping." Jean lowered himself so that he could stand on the floor. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "The garden is the one place that has always made me feel safe and happy. Maybe you could go there? Would that help?" --- Insanity sat next to Sam. He held him close. "Your father's right. Take a moment to breath and look." Sam took a deep breath before focusing on his surroundings. He could see Dariel hiding by a corner of the kitchen. He frowned. "He's scared of me." "Oh dear." Insanity brushed his tears off with his thumb. "He may be frightened but I'm sure if you explain everything to him and build trust with each other then you will both be alright. It's alright to go crazy when making love but don't kill your partner. Always love and respect them. Isn't that right, Donnie dear?" --- Salvo had felt much better. He was well enough to go about his day without any assistance. However, he had become sensitive to the supernatural. A sixth sense. His head lifted. He looked at Mon. "Do you feel that?" "Feel what boss?" ,said Bert. "Something doesn't feel right. Something's....off."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 shadowess - May 22, 2022 They all stood outside of Desi's old Harem. Rickster shivered. "Oh yeah... I've been here before..." "You have?" Desi rose a brow at him. "Yeah... you weren't here at the time... Me and Ricky hid from David when we went on one of our escape attempts... We uh- 'blended in' to hide in plain sight." Rickster's face turned red. "Oh my!" Desi placed a hand over his mouth as he smirked. "You MUST tell us that story when we're done!" "I'll pass," Oscar said uncomfortably. "Can we just get this over with?" "Let's make sure we're ready. Knowing Donnie and his spells, he'd probably set a trap or some kind of alarm system that might be tripped when we cross the threshold." Rickster pointed out. --- David appeared immediately and gave them all a puzzled look before his eyes landed on Carol. At first, he struggled to believe it could be her but then he saw the way she smirked at him followed by a greeting that was very typical for Carol. "Hi there, sweet thing." "How-?" David gasped. "Your daughter. The newest one. Bless her, she's a darling isn't she?" "She's twisted," Parker commented, referring to Carol. "That's not very nice!" Carol chirped. "I thought she was lovely!" "I was talking about you!" "Well anyone who ever knew me knows that sweety. Just ask David." Carol grinned and looked back at David who now seemed a little embarrassed as the others turned their attentions to him. "Uh-... it's... complicated." "How?!" River demanded. "She was talking about torturing souls and loving it!" "Interrogating." Carol corrected him. "And more often than not, they were usually Angels or Demons. Souls were beneath a Demon of my skillset." "She's right. She wasn't a punisher Demon like Oscar used to be." David agreed. "Lucifer had enemies and Carol was tasked with routing them out... and she was good at it." "They think that makes me evil, darling." "That's still up for debate." David shot back but this only made Carol laugh heartily. "Still so sharp!" "Twisted? Yes. Evil? No. But she's... uh... I want to say brutal but with the best intentions?" "Anti-hero, darling." "That's one way of putting it..." David sighed and glanced between them. "She's ruthless and has questionable methods but she's certainly not evil. If she were, neither myself nor Amelia would be alive now. She helped me to protect and raise her when we found her in Hell... Instead of turning us in to Lucifer." "Hurt me to betray him like that," Carol admitted with a sigh. "But she was innocent and David was just trying to do what was right." "That and our friendship, right?" David rose a brow at Carol. "Sure thing." Carol bantered with a wink. --- "I don't know if I want to," Clementine admitted. "It-... it frightens me," she told him as she pulled away to look at him. "What if this makes me vulnerable? I used to use my enemy's love against them all the time as a Demon. What if I allow myself to love and it's used against me?" --- Kasper had jumped a little when he saw the rod again but then he looked at Phineas with a confused expression. "But I'm just a soul. I can't go back to Earth... can I?" --- "I doubt it." Niko sighed. "It seems like nothing I do makes a difference. I know they're gone but up here?" he tapped the side of his head. "They're still very real." Jessica tensed at this and she exchanged a worried glance with Ben. If Niko was struggling this much when he thought they were no longer a threat, how would he react to finding out they were still out there somewhere? Niko turned to Jean, desperate. "Right now, I just need sleep. I'll keep visiting the therapist like I said I would but it's hard when I'm so drained all the time. I don't know what your powers are but... is there a way for you to make me sleep but also stop me dreaming for a little while?" --- "Of course." Donnie nodded but couldn't help smirking as he recalled the time Insanity literally took his head off out of anger. He could feel himself becoming aroused again at the memory. 'Unless they're into it.' he thought privately to Insanity. "Go and talk to him. Let him know that you're strength could also be used to protect him. Help him feel safe." he said to Sam reassuringly. Donnie might've noticed the group appearing near their home if it hadn't been for one more distraction that was caused at that moment. Patience was shouting his name and banging on her bedroom door, begging to be let out. Donnie rose a brow and looked at Warren. "Why is our surrogate locked in her room?" Warren's face turned red and he flustered a little. "Forgive me. I meant to tell you sooner but you were um...occupied. I caught her talking to Dariel when he stumbled into the palace. She was trying to convince him that you're all evil and dangerous. So, I stepped in and locked her in her room to wait for you." "What?" Donnie's pupils shrank with rage. "I knew she was lying!" he growled as he marched over to her door and slammed his fist against it. Patience audibly squealed out of surprise. "Shut up you traitorous bitch! You can stay in there until my child is born!" "Donnie-!" Patience shouted through. "Enough! I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" "Donnie, please!" "What were you planning, huh?! Destroy us in our sleep!? Gathering information this whole time?! Tell me!" "DONNIE HELP ME!!!" Donnie paused mid-rant. She sounded panicked. Scared. Something was wrong and he had an awful feeling that it wasn't his doing. "DONNIE!!" "Warren, unlock the door! Now!" Warren rushed forward and shoved the key into the lock. He turned it quickly and Donnie swung the door open before freezing in the doorway. Patience was sitting on the bed, sobbing and holding her stomach. Her skirt was drenched in blood. "Please help me! Please! I don't know what's wrong!" she wept, rocking back and forth. "M-my, my-..." Donnie stammered. His face turned pale and his heart ached. He spun around to Insanity. "My baby! We need to take her to an Earth hospital!" --- By the time Stevie was leaving for school the next day, someone had already found the bodies and reported them to the authorities. So as not to arouse suspicion, he took his normal route which would have taken him to the scene of the crime. He gave the officers a puzzled look when they stopped him on his route and he told them he hadn't seen anything the night before on his journey home. He told them that he'd walked through the park around twenty minutes before their time of death so that in their reports, he would have just missed them. The lies came so naturally that he surprised himself by how convincing he was. But he knew, deep down, that this wasn't his doing. His words and actions were being manipulated by his new 'friend'. He didn't mind, of course. As long as it protected him and gave him the means to defend himself, he was happy. The kind police officers finally let him go but told him to take another route to school, which he did. Apart from that, his day was more or less normal. He had to sit through the school eulogy for his bullies but he knew it would only be a matter of time before everyone stopped talking about their deaths. He kept his flute in his pocket and occasionally ran his fingers over it for comfort. Denix Vames - May 22, 2022 "If there are any spells, then how can we possibly get in?" ,asked Nate. --- Will let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm going to let you out of these cuffs but I will keep an eye on you." He took the cuffs off of her. --- "Love may be able to be twisted but it can also be used as a person's greatest weapon. Love is the reason why I gave you a chance. I could have easily killed you but I chose to spare you. Because of our friendship." ,said Harris. --- "Oh....Maybe we should postpone the trip?" The rod disappeared. "I'll wait until you're an Angel." --- Jean frowned. "My powers are still somewhat new to me but I'll try." He raised his hands and casted his aura over him. Attempting to find that specific ability of his. Hoping that he could make Niko sleep in peace. --- Insanity ran into the room and lifted Patience into his arms. "Let's go dear. We can leave this place for Theron and Sam to protect." Sam walked over to the kitchen. He could see Dariel. Cowering in fear. "I'm sorry about before. It won't happen again. With my powers, I'll never let anyone hurt you." "How do I know that you won't kill me again?" Dariel stood. Sam frowned. "Because I love you." Dariel walked over until he was in his arms. Theron heard the commotion and headed to where Patience was. "Gross! Is she having a body coming out of her? I don't like this! I don't understand! It's so scary!" "Theron, it'll be alright. We can teach you about this later." ,said Insanity. --- Cory was passing down the hall once class was over. Stevie would be able to spot him and recognize him as a bully. Cory had done a lot of things to students that he had considered lower but stopped after making new friends. Still, he felt terrible about what he did before. Shadowess - May 22, 2022 "We just walk in, I guess..." Rickster shrugged. "There's no way for us to know what kinds of traps they might've set unless we actually spring them. We'll have to be careful, and ready for anything." "There must be another way!" Oscar protested. "If we just waltz in there like this, we'll lose the element of surprise!" "We could try splitting up?" Desi suggested thoughtfully. "Two of us enter from the front entrance and two go around to the back?" --- "About time. They were starting to get uncomfortable." Carol smirked. "You haven't changed a bit." David shook his head a little. "I mean..." she looked down at herself then rose a brow at him. "I have changed -a little-." "I meant your personality. You're still a pain in the backside." "Aww! Thank you!" she grinned. Once she was uncuffed, she stood and stretched before turning to River and caressing his chest with her fingers. "Now then, should we pick up where we left off?" Annoyed, River snatched her hand from his chest and shoved it away from him. "I don't think so," he said moodily before turning and going to his room, slamming the door behind him. "Hmph! Wonder what's made him so grumpy?" Carol tutted and Parker scoffed at her. "Seriously?" "Hmm?" "You! Your attitude! The things you did!" "Do you mean to tell me that none of you have done terrible things in the past?" Carol asked sceptically with a hand on her hip. "...What? That's not-" "Oh, but I think it is." Carol interrupted his flustering. "The only real reason you judge me so harshly is because I can do the one thing that none of you is capable of doing!" "Oh?" Parker laughed in disbelief. "Which is?" "Embrace. My past!" Carol emphasised and this caused Parker to fall silent. "The things I did were what made me who I am today. Therefore, I regret nothing! and that just pisses you off, doesn't it?" she grinned. "Because to you, the only way to move forward and become better is to feel shame and regret the horrid things that you did. But then I come along and I'm proud, shameless and free from regret and that just boils your blood, doesn't it?" Parker was angry but also speechless. His face had turned red as he glared at Carol. "That's enough." David sighed and walked over to Carol, gripping her arm. "Making friends as per usual, Carol..." "Always, sweety." David looked at Will and Parker apologetically. "She takes some getting used to but believe me, she's not bad. I'll take her out of your hair. Where she will be safe and won't get into any trouble." "Ugh! Can everyone please stop trying to lock me away!?" Carol complained as she tried to pull her arm free. "Is it too much to ask that I spend my first day of freedom doing what I want?!" --- Clementine listened to Harris, trying to understand what he was saying but she frowned at his words and stepped away from him. "You're angry with me," she observed. Her voice was quiet. She lowered her eyes and looked around the room, struggling to look at him again as she thought about how she used to treat him. "You have every right to be." She looked down at her hands. Struggling to imagine a future after everything she'd done. "Why am I here?! For what purpose was I brought back?!" --- "I-... I don't know." Kasper said with a shrug. "I don't know if becoming an Angel is something that I want. I'm perfectly happy to just stay here and have a peaceful life with you. I don't need feathery wings for that." --- Niko tried to relax and he closed his eyes as he felt the aura wash over him. He could feel his drowsiness build-up and he feared that he would fall over if he didn't sit down. Before he could move over to the chair, however, he caught a flash of Donnie's face in his mind and let out a gasp while visibly jumping. "N-no! Stop! S-stop! I don't want it!" he panicked as he snapped his eyes back open and kept blinking to try to force himself to stay awake. He was shaking violently and had broken out in a cold sweat. --- Patience didn't fight when Insanity picked her up but she sobbed as she looked between them. "Please hurry!" she cried. Warren looked at Patience's stomach which was much too small for her to be anywhere near ready for labour. "It's too early!" he gasped. "No shit!" Donnie snapped then looked at Theron. "Keep an eye on the palace, boy! Keep our home and family safe!" "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'll do anything you want! Just please hurry!" Patience continued to sob. Donnie hurried over to Insanity and placed a hand on his shoulder. He gave him a deeply worried look before teleporting them outside of a hospital. They'd hurry in and Patience would immediately notice that she didn't recognise any of the letters on the posters and signs dotted around the building. Donnie immediately began speaking to a nurse rapidly and fluently in a language she didn't know either. As soon as the nurse prompted Insanity to place her onto a bed which they then began wheeling towards a room, she looked at him puzzled. "Wh-where are we?" Donnie smirked. He was walking with Insanity alongside her bed. "You didn't think I'd just teleport us to a hospital in the US, did you? Where we'd easily be recognised and could lose you again? I don't think so. Welcome to Sweden." Contrary to Donnie's belief, however, the Angelic spies who spend most of their time in the form of doves, that had been previously instructed to watch the world's cities by Gabriel and report any sightings of Donnie immediately, had spotted them appear outside of the hospital. Without delay, they had taken off to report what they'd seen. --- Stevie spotted Cory and stared at him as he walked by. He recalled being bullied. His back still hurt from the beating Ty had given him a few days ago. He couldn't help but look around the school now and see only bullies walking the halls. The groups who would jeer as he walked by. The girls who would smirk at him then turn to giggle at each other as if sharing some joke about him that he wasn't aware of. He felt surrounded. Outnumbered. The hallway was spinning. His heart was racing and his mouth had dried up. His throat felt tight and deep, deep down he was seething. They're all rotten! All of them! But he can take care of that... He caressed the flute in his pocket and smirked to himself. "Hey! This kid's jerking off in the halls!" Stevie was snapped out of his thoughts and stared red-faced at the big kid that was pointing at him and laughing. They couldn't see the flute in his pocket, they could just see something poking the fabric and he was holding it. "What a creep!" "Dude, eww! What the fuck?!" "He couldn't wait until he got home to his crusty sock, I guess! Hahaha!!" His face grew redder and redder. The jeers surrounded him and the room seemed to spin out of control. The laughter felt like it was getting louder and louder. "S-Stop it! I wasn't!" he complained and his voice squeaked as he did, which only made the taunts and laughter worse. "I-I said stop it! I'll make you pay!! I'll make you all pay!!!" he yelled. More laughter. He was getting ready to pull the flute out when the bell rang. Everyone started filing out of the hall. A few of them pushed passed him as they did. One knocked him down. Sobbing, he picked himself up and ran into the bathroom to lock himself into the cubicle.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - May 22, 2022 "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Rickster and me can take the front. Desi and Oscar? You guys can go to the back." ,said Nate. Going to their separate places, Nate pushed the door open. Allowing Rickster in before stepping inside. He held his weapon. "Large place. But where do we look?" Theron was shaking as he saw them. He held his arm. "There are strangers in our home, Sam. I don't like this!" Sam stepped out of the kitchen. He glared. "Dariel! Stay in the kitchen. I'll take care of this." Dariel ran back. Sam pulled out his knife with a grin. "Let's have some fun." Theron pulled his sword out of his back. He held a fearful expression. "There's a man with wings! He's scaring me!" "So kill him!" He ran towards Nate who clashed his sword with his. "Look Theron. It's going to be alright." "How do you my name?" He let out an ear piercing scream as he swung. Nate jumped back. Clutching to his bleeding arm. Sam appeared from behind Rickster and placed the knife near his neck. "Don't do anything stupid. I want to savor your death." --- Will raised his fist. He nearly punched her but stopped himself. With tears dripping down his cheeks, he collapsed to his knees. "He didn't have to kill her to help her go to Heaven. He could have just let her live. She was just a kid. So young....She just didn't know better." --- "I don't know why you're here but I'll tell you the truth. Yes, I'm angry at you. Yet at the same time I want us to become friends again. I want to forgive you. Believe it or not." ,said Harris. --- "But don't you want to travel and see the world?" ,asked Phineas. --- Jean gasped when he felt Niko's will fight back against his powers. He collapsed when a sudden blast of energy took his spell out. He lifted his head. "I-I'm sorry. I wish I could help." Tears hit the floor as he was shaking. --- Gabriel appeared with two other angels. Insanity jumped back. He glared. "You little feathery shits! How did you know we were here?" Gabriel chuckled. "Do you really think that I'm going to tell you? Anyway, we have orders to capture you." He pointed at Donnie and Insanity. "Subdue them. Make sure that they can't leave in any way possible." --- Cory had witness the whole event. He stepped into the bathroom. "Um....Hey, are you ok? I saw what happened." shadowess - May 22, 2022 Rickster tensed up and looked down at the knife. He knew what he needed to do and also knew that the boy could very easily slit his throat when he'd do it, but it was a chance worth taking. "Eh... can't be any worse than the time I was decapitated by a very angry vampire..." he chuckled then looked over in time to see Oscar and Desi running in from the back of the room. Desi was immediately occupied by Warren who'd screamed as he darted out of a room to try and tackle him, taking Desi by surprise. Oscar semi-transformed into his reptilian form and swung his sharp tail at Theron's sword in the hopes of getting him to back off from Nate. Rickster would then catch Nate's eye. He'd give him a purposeful and sad smile. "Well, this is going to suck!" he laughed then quickly pulled the bracelet out of his pocket and snapped it around Sam's wrist while preparing himself for Sam's retaliation. --- Carol gasped with wide eyes when Will moved to strike her. But it wasn't out of surprise or fear. She seemed excited by it. She then looked disappointed when he fell to the floor, crying. "Oh, for- She knew EXACTLY what she was doing!" Carol argued. "Didn't you listen to my story?" "Wait who?" David rose a brow. "Angel." "Ah... Afraid I can't comment. That part happened before my time..." Carol rolled her eyes and looked down at Will. "He warned her. Several times. For two years in fact. And Lucifer wasn't one to mince his words. Every time he warned her, he was very direct and to the point! He told her that because of who he was, she would be damned by default if she fell in love with him. He knew she didn't deserve that so told her, explicitly, to stay away from him. But did she listen? No! She was obsessed with him! He tried to leave. She summoned his ass back with a spell! That was the last straw. That's when he realised she would never let him go unless she was stuck in the one place she would never be able to reach him and could get the help she needed to forget him. Heaven. Except, unfortunately, by the time he realised this and murdered her it was already too late and she was damned anyway. Just for falling in love with the 'wrong' man." Carol sighed and looked away from them. "If it makes you feel any better, he eventually found her again and finally convinced her to stop pursuing him, thus saving her soul... at least until she got her wings, bumped into him on Earth a few decades later then bumped into him again the same night in a hotel room. And then of course, literally ran away with him...presumably. There, happy now?" --- Looking up at him, Clementine bit her lip. "I believe you. I just don't understand it yet. None of this makes any sense to me but I'm trying and...I know that this is real but... I keep getting the feeling like this is too good to be true. Like something is going to go wrong at any moment. What if I'm still stuck in Oblivion and this is another fantasy my mind is playing out because I've gone insane again?" --- Kasper shrugged and scratched his arm awkwardly. He felt pressured but didn't have the heart to say so. "Maybe one day? But right now... I don't know." --- "N-no! Jean! I'm sorry! I panicked! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Niko began apologising and sobbing. "I just want this torment to stop! Why won't it stop?" Jessica rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Niko, hugging him tightly. She didn't know what else to do or say so she simply held him while he wept. Gentle hands took hold of Jean's shoulder's and a strong figure helped him to his feet. "Meine Geliebte," Hannes whispered softly. New, white feathery wings wrapped around them as he took him into his arms and kissed him lovingly. He moved some of his hair from his face and caressed his cheek. "I missed you, my Jean." he smiled at him then looked up while moving his wings back to look at Niko who had stopped crying to stare at him in shock and couldn't take his eyes off the wings. Hannes chuckled and gently let go of Jean to walk over to him. He placed a hand on his forehead and gave him a kind smile. "Sleep now, my old friend. You need to rest." "Hann-!" Niko gasped but then immediately lost consciousness. "Niko?" Jessica stared at him worriedly then visibly relaxed when she heard him snoring. "I'll go and put him on his bed." she sighed as she lifted him into her arms and carried him into the next room. She'd re-enter the living room without Niko just a moment later. "I know why you're here," Hannes said to Ben and Jessica. "I can pass along your message. But for now, if you don't mind, Jean and I would like some time alone. We have a lot of catching up to do. But please stay in one of the empty rooms if you'd like." --- Given how infamous the pair were by now, it wasn't long before every exit point was being covered by an Angel. Each holding a specialised baton which then formed a barrier around the hospital, preventing teleporting from occurring. But neither Donnie nor Insanity were aware of those Angels just yet as their main focus was on the ones in front of them. The nurse had jumped at their arrival. He seemed more star-struck than alarmed and muttered a short prayer in Swedish while staring at them in wonder. "Gabriel!" Patience gasped and couldn't help smiling at him out of sheer relief. Donnie saw this and his rage twisted his features into a horrid scowl. "You bitch!" he seethed. Patience had seen him angry before but not like this and she feared for her life at that moment. As the two Angels nearest Gabriel began to move towards them Donnie grabbed Patience's arm and dragged her off the bed, causing her to yelp. He darted over to Insanity and tried to teleport them away but they didn't move. "What?!" "Took a leaf out of your book." One of the Angelic soldiers chuckled as they each produced bracelets from their pockets. Donnie's eyes darted from the soldiers to Gabriel and around the hospital for a way out. They had outmanoeuvred him and he hated it but now he needed to focus on getting them out of there in one piece. Seeing the soldiers getting closer, he shoved Patience in front of him and snatched a scalpel from a nearby table, holding it close to her throat. "No one move or I'll fucking kill her!" It was a blatant bluff but he was out of both options and time. He was desperate. A thin layer of sweat had started to form on his forehead. "Donnie, please! The baby!" Patience pleaded. "I'll make another one!!" He snapped back and then glared at the soldiers. "Back off!!" 'Gabriel, Insanity is Donnie's weakness!!' Patience thought to Gabriel hurriedly. --- "I wasn't jerking off! I wasn't!" Stevie shouted defensively. By now he was so used to people making fun of him that his first instinct was always to defend himself. Denix Vames - May 22, 2022 Sam slit his throat wide open. "What the fuck did you just put on me?" He tried to get the bracelet off but couldn't. "Son of a bitch!" Theron jumped back when he saw Oscar's tail. "How did you two get in here? I don't like it! Just leave us alone!" He cut his wrist. Allowing his blood to fly at him like knives. Nate clasped the bracelet over his wrist while he was distracted. "No! Something feels wrong!" Theron's blood entered his body. He tried to conjure up his sword again but couldn't. He clutched his head and began to scream. Dariel grabbed a knife from the kitchen. He ran out and stood in front of Sam. "Leave them alone! They didn't do anything wrong!" --- Will stood. "Then she did get a happy ending." He smirked. "I get it now. You're just jealous that Lucifer took her and not you. It all makes sense." --- "I can assure you that you are alive. But if you want to prove it, we could run some tests." ,said Harris. --- Phineas frowned nodded. "Alright. Let's just relax for now. What would like you to do? I'm not sure if you feel up to cooking at the moment." --- Ben nodded. "We'll you two alone then. I'll find a knight to take us to a spare room." They walked away. "Hannes!" Tears left Jean who hugged him tight. He cried into his shirt. "Oh Hannes! I am so happy to see you! I love you!" --- Gabriel attempted to grab Insanity when he was met with a fist. Insanity laughed. "Do you really think I would lose my guard under these circumstances?" Gabriel raised his weapon. Between their fight, it was mostly dodging but sometimes capable of landing blows. Balconi appeared behind Insanity and knocked him out with the butt of his weapon. "Your choice. We can torture him endlessly or you let go of her." --- "I didn't think you were. What were you doing? If it's ok to ask." ,said Cory. Shadowess - May 23, 2022 A red spray ejected from the slash in Rickster's throat and he fell to his knees, clutching at the wound while straining to breathe. He rapidly bled out while simultaneously choking on his own blood. He had no idea if that bracelet would even stay on Sam's wrist after he died, but it was a risk he needed to take to give the others a chance. The last thing he saw before blacking out and falling forward was Nate successfully placing a bracelet onto Theron just as Oscar managed to narrowly avoid his blood knives. Desi had managed to wrestle Warren and pin him to the ground. "No!! No!! Sires!! We're under attack!! We're under attack!!" Warren screamed, trying to raise the alarm to Donnie and Insanity. But although they'd hear Warren's screams, they currently had their own problems to deal with. "This one's just a human soul!" Desi shouted to the others. "We'll need to turn him in to David." "NO!!! SIRES!!!" Oscar turned to look at Dariel and gestured to Rickster. "This look like nothing to you kid?!" he snapped. "They and their fathers kidnapped and tortured our friends! Speaking of which-" He marched up to Theron and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, glaring at him with red eyes. This was only a mild form of intimidation in comparison to the types of things he used to do as a Punisher Demon. He wanted to scare the kid into talking, not scar him for life. "Where are they?!" he growled. --- "Beg your damn pardon?" Carol rose an eyebrow and David uncharacteristically chortled at Will's statement. "For your information-! Ugh! I'll have you know-!" "Lost for words now?" Parker chuckled. "No! You know what? It doesn't matter anyway. Because I'd never tie myself down to just one man!" Carol folded her arms. "I prefer being free to have fun with whoever I want, whenever I want." she flicked her hair back in a sassy manner. "So, wait... you weren't planning on dating River?" Parker frowned. "Nope. And before you both get your panties in a twist about that, I'll have you know that that was the first conversation that I had with him! He knows we would only be fooling around... but I suppose that hardly matters now. He seems to be repulsed by me now." --- "What do you mean?" Clementine blinked. "What tests?" --- "We could still cook if you want to." Kasper shrugged his shoulders and as he relaxed once more, he took hold of Phineas's hand again. --- "I love you too!" Hannes grinned as he hugged him back and ran his hand through his hair. He teleported them into their own room and then kissed him again deeply. "I missed you so much, Meine Geliebte! I worked day and night to pass the exams and earn my wings. Just so that I could be with you again. My gentle love. My kind King. I would do anything for you." he kissed him again. --- "Insanity!" Donnie watched him get knocked out and gripped Patience tighter, keeping the scalpel by her neck as he backed away from the approaching Angels, keeping his back to a wall. All while his eyes darted from each of their faces then to Insanity. He heard Warren's screams and knew the boys were in danger too but there was nothing he could do. Not like this. He was trapped and surrounded by enemies. "Fuck...FUCK!!!" he shouted, shaking out of fury. His eyes flashed red. "No!! I will not be your prisoner!! I am the King!! I will rule Hell and you will all regret being on the wrong side of me!!" he raved. "You think you've defeated me?! I haven't even begun to show you what I can do!!" he growled then shoved Patience away. She gasped and stumbled over to Gabriel. Next, Donnie began to transform. As he did, he flicked his sharp tail rapidly at Insanity to kill him instantly. He knew he'd wake up back in their palace where he'd be able to help their sons while Donnie effectively stayed behind to face these Angels alone. Seething, he continued his transformation by growing continuously. He fully intended to transform completely into his dragon form. He knew this would cause the hospital to collapse as he'd break through its roof and that such destruction might end up crushing Patience in the process, but at this point the only thing that mattered to him was self-preservation. Donnie was growing rapidly and had already broken through the ceiling above them when Patience thought of something that could be just crazy enough to work. While they tried to dodge falling tiles and debris, she pointed to Donnie's feet which had grown enough to burst from his shoes and had taken to looking more like a reptile's feet. Although his wrists and ankles were now too big for the bracelets to fit, Patience had spotted a part of Donnie that they would fit on perfectly. "Quick!! TOE!!!" --- "I-..." Stevie hesitated. "You promise not to laugh?" Denix Vames - May 23, 2022 Theron squirmed in his hold. "Stop giving me that look. I don't know how to deal with it. You're scaring me!" "Get your hands off of my brother!" ,said Sam who ran over. "Stop!" Dariel stood in front of him. He let the knife fall. "Is it true? Did you really torture their friends?" Sam forced his mouth open. He cut into his tongue. In a moment, they kissed with Dariel's blood staining them. Dariel blushed when the kiss broke. "Yes I did." He felt confused but also happy. He took some steps back. "What is going on here?!" ,shouted Insanity. Surprising everyone by his new form. He grabbed Desi and threw him off of Warren. His eyes glowed red. "Leave my family alone!" Nate ran over to him. Insanity grabbed him by his neck and threw him to the wall where he collapsed. Insanity pierced his claws into Oscar's shoulder. Glaring at him. "Let him go!" --- Will suddenly laughed. His face was becoming red from it all. "I get it now! You're just a really old child. No discipline at all." --- "Well, anything that can prove that you're alive. You did some tests in the past for many topics. Maybe you could do another one for this?" ,said Harris. --- Phineas sat in the living room chair. "I'm sorry. I still feel such great shame for having done that in front of you. It makes me feel ill." He massaged his temples. "I don't know what to do about this." --- "Oh Hannes! Because of you, I never lost hope. I've made so much great progress. Your love is the reason why I'm here. I would sacrifice myself for you." Jean passionately kissed him. --- Gabriel caught her. "I've got you." River appeared in front of Donnie. He quickly placed the bracelet over his toe before he was thrown back by a wing. He hit the floor and clutched to his large wound which was on his chest. He spat out blood. A pool of it surrounded him. Before he could do anything else, he passed out. Shadowess - May 23, 2022 "What the- ahh!!" Oscar almost buckled from the sharp pain shooting through his shoulder. He sucked air in through his teeth. "Where the hell did you come from?!" he said through gritted teeth. "Fuck it!" he let go of Theron and hurriedly shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out his bracelet. "Sire!" Warren ran forward and shoved his arm in the way just as Oscar lifted his hand to try to snap the bracelet around Insanity's wrist. The band wrapped around Warren's wrist instead. "Wha-? Are you fucking kidding me?!" Oscar despaired. At that moment, Rickster appeared and woke up in the room. Dazed, he sat up and looked around at the chaos. "How did this happen?! How long was I out?!" he gasped. He looked over at both Nate and Desi who both seemed to be out for the count. Then to Insanity whom he didn't recognise in the new form. "Son of a-! Oscar, who has the last bracelet?!" "Desi had it! Hurry!" Oscar shouted back while trying to writhe out of Insanity's grip. Riskter shot to his feet and ran for Desi to try and get the last bracelet before any of the boys or Warren could head him off. He would then of course need to figure out how he was going to get it onto Insanity's wrist given he was far stronger and faster than Rickster. --- "Watch it," Carol warned, glaring at him darkly. David knew that look all too well. It was a look she'd get when she used to be a Demon, right before savagely murdering whoever it was that was getting on her nerves. He hurriedly faked a cough into his fist to get their attention before things could escalate further. "Forgive the interruption but I have a few questions. I'm sure Carol will tell me the story of how she got her own body another time so let's just stick to what's relevant for now. What started these disagreements with you in the first place? How did you end up handcuffing her and getting her to tell you about Angel?" "They wouldn't let me go and party." Carol huffed while rolling her eyes. "Why?" David asked, looking a little puzzled then gave her a sideways glance. "What were you up to?" "Nothing!" Carol protested his suspicions of her. "I just wanted to drink, smoke and have some fun! Is that a crime now?" --- "Most of my experiments were potions and serums..." Clementine folded her arms. "... except the dolls..." she said slowly then shook her head. "No... that's a slippery slope. I can't do things like that anymore." She sighed and glanced around the room. "No, I'll just have to take this one day at a time and hope that this time... it really is real." --- Kasper frowned and knelt down in front of him while placing a hand on his thigh. "Phineas, it's done," he said gently. "There is no taking it back but you have already apologised and I have already forgiven you." he looked at the rod with sad eyes. "Go," he said softly. "I can't go with you but this is something that you need to do. For you. So that you can move on, once and for all." he moved his hand to hold his and gave him a small smile. "I'll be right here, waiting for you to come home. Then we can get some chickens." --- "I never doubted you for a second! You must tell me everything! I've missed so much since I've been gone." Hannes looked at him lovingly while caressing his cheek. "But first, let me just hold you in my arms. I've missed everything about you. Your voice, your scent, the way that you kiss." he kissed him again, as if unable to resist his desires. When the kiss broke, he moved his mouth to Jean's ear and whispered an old german poem. "Dû bist mîn, ih bin dîn: Des solt dû gewis sîn. dû bist beslozzen in mînem herzen; verlorn ist daz sluzzelîn dû muost immer drinne sîn." Translated it would be; "Thou art mine, I am thine! Certain of this thou must be. Locked thou art within mine heart Wherein thou must ever be." Hannes would then leave small, sweet kisses on Jean's neck. --- Immediately, Donnie stopped growing. "What?! No!!" He growled as the bracelet forced him to revert back to his human form. Having torn through his clothes when he'd been growing, he now stood naked before them, bar his new toe ring which had shrunk in size to remain where it had been placed. "No! No, no, no!!!" He knelt down and tried to pry the ring off his toe but it was no use. It wouldn't budge. In a desperate attempt, he lunged towards where the scalpel had fallen with the intention of using it to cut either the ring or his toe off. One of the Angelic soldiers brought his foot down onto Donnie's hand, making him wince. The Angelic soldier then kicked the scalpel across the hospital floor before grabbing Donnie and dragging him to his feet. "It's over Donnie Shadow." "It will never be over," Donnie growled defiantly. One of the nurses who had managed to take cover had rushed over to Patience. She spoke to her quickly in Swedish and pointed to her skirt which was covered in blood. "Oh! No, it's ok." Patience shook her head at the nurse then smirked at Donnie before lifting her skirt to reveal cuts that she'd made high up on both of her thighs. "I'll only need a couple of stitches." She said triumphantly and Donnie stared at her in disbelief. "But-? My baby-?" he stammered, struggling to understand. "Was never in any danger." She finished. "But I had to make you think that to get me back to Earth." --- "I-..." Stevie hesitated. "You promise not to laugh?"
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - May 23, 2022 Insanity raised his arms. "I am done hiding! You will leave my family and my home at once!" The whole floor began to shake. He sent a gust of wind at everyone. Making them fall over. "Hurry! My family! Come to my arms! We shall leave this place for now." --- Will crossed his arms. "Well, we were worried about Donnie kidnapping her and doing some terrible things. But after this conversation? It looks like she can handle things on her own." He headed to the living room. "She can go." He sat there. Just to rest for a moment. --- "I wish that I could reassure you about everything but it seems like you'll have to make yourself understand." ,said Harris. --- Phineas held a sad smile. "Thank you." He stood before disappearing. In the little museum of Harvard University, there was a professor there. "Excuse me? I'm sorry that I took this. I thought I'd needed it still but it looks like that I don't anymore." He frowned. "I hope that I'm not scaring you. I only came here to return this." He held out the iron rod. --- Jean giggled. "You're so sweet." He brushed his fingers over his lips. "I'm tempted to just take these ribbons off. Right here and now." --- Balconi forced himself up. He clutched his wound as he limped over to Donnie. He slapped him once he was close enough. "That was for Will." He collapsed. Gabriel knelt down and placed a hand over his arm. Healing him. "You're still new but even you impress me for such a modern Angel." --- "I promise that I won't." ,said Cory. Denix Vames - May 23, 2022 Theron, Dariel, and Sam ran over to Insanity. "Come Warren!" shadowess - May 24, 2022 Rickster had been thrown back by the wind and the bracelet had been knocked loose from his hand. It rolled across the smooth marble floors to the other end of the room. He turned to look at where it had rolled then glanced back at Insanity. "No!! Guys we've got to stop them! Desi! Nate! Wake up!!" Warren moved to run towards Insanity but almost tripped when Oscar grabbed his pant leg. "Let go!" He screamed in panic then kicked at Oscar to try and get loose. Oscar's claw ripped through his pant leg and with Warren pulling away, it didn't take much more for the fabric to tear off completely in Oscar's hand. Warren made a beeline for Insanity. "Fuck!" Oscar yelled as he jumped to his feet in time to see Warren reach him. --- "If only you'd known me when I was a Demon!" Carol chuckled. Parker frowned. "But you're not a Demon anymore. Will might think you're capable but I know you're just as vulnerable as I am now! If we could cuff you and hold you in one place so easily, what do you think Donnie would do to you?!" "I know you're proud of your strength but he has a point, Carol." David agreed. "I know you're smart enough to see it too." He added, hoping the compliment would convince her to listen. Sighing heavily, Carol flopped herself dramatically onto the couch with her arms folded. "I hate this." She admitted. "I want my powers back." "I know you do," David said gently. "But I also remember the type of Demon that you used to be. Things have changed. If you ever want to get your powers back, you're going to have to adapt to those changes." Carol didn't respond as she frowned and stared hard at the ground. "Carol..." David sighed and she looked up at him silently. "He's not coming back." She seemed hurt by these words as she looked away from him while fighting back tears. "You don't know that." She said in a broken voice. "But you do, right?" She looked up at David questioningly and David gave her a sad smile. "You were closer to him than anyone. Including Damien. Given all that's happened, would Lucifer have made a return already if he could?" The realisation hit Carol suddenly and she looked away from him again to stare out of the window while tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "He's really gone..." "I'm sorry, Carol," David said softly as he sat down beside her and hugged her. --- Clementine nodded. "I think I just need some time..." She said thoughtfully then gave Harris a weak smile. "But I'll try. I'm going to try to get some sleep." she turned to leave the room but then paused and looked as if she was having some sort of internal struggle before turning to look back at him. "Harris..." she started in an uncertain voice. "Thank you... for helping me. I know you didn't have to. You're right. You could have killed me or turned me in... and maybe you should've. I would have deserved it. But you didn't." She bit her lip and lowered her eyes a little. It was clear that none of what she was saying now came easy to her. "I'm sorry... for using you. You were always loyal to me and the closest thing I had to a friend. You deserved better." she turned to leave but stopped again. She sighed heavily and shakily. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can't do it..." she shivered. "I was never any good at running away." She turned and looked at Harris again. "I can't live on the run. I can't hide forever. It's not me. Harris, I need to face what I've done. If I'm destroyed then maybe it's what I deserve." she turned and walked back over to him. "Take me to them. Amelia and Charles. Let them decide if I should live." --- The professor, dumbfounded, took the rod while staring at Phineas. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find the right words, all while questioning his sanity... as well as the strength of the drink he'd had from his concealed hip flask. He giggled nervously while mentally blaming the drink for his apparent hallucination and decided to just roll with it. "N-not a problem!" he chuckled. "Thanks... I'll er-... make sure it's returned to the proper place." --- Hannes grinned at Jean while keeping his lips close to his. "I wouldn't mind if you wanted to make yourself more comfortable, meine geliebte." He ran his fingers over Jean's chest. "I want to make love to you. I could say it over and over again but I cannot fully express how much I've missed you. I want to cherish every inch of you." --- Donnie grunted as his head had been forced to turn to one side from the slap. He felt the fresh cut on his lip from the impact but didn't show any signs of pain as he turned to smirk at Balconi. Seeing him collapse only made him grin. "You'll all regret this," he growled at them and lifted his eyes to glare at Patience. "All of you." Patience glared back but was soon taken into one of the other rooms by the nurse so that she could have her cuts stitched up. The Angelic soldier who was holding Donnie's arm looked to Gabriel for instruction. "Sir, should we call for David?" "Oh, yes. Report me to David. Mr 'I can save everyone' Sedley." Donnie rolled his eyes. He was angry at being captured, to begin with, but he was also using anger and sarcasm as a way to cope. Since the band was placed onto his toe, he'd lost the ability to watch people telepathically. Which meant he had no idea whether or not his family were alright and he was deeply concerned about this. --- Stevie bit his lip nervously before answering. "It's going to sound stupid... I-I made a flute in shop class. It... it comforts me when I'm nervous." he said carefully. Making it out to be just a sentimental item rather than a weapon he'd used before. "It's the best thing I ever made, so I don't want to lose it." Denix Vames - May 24, 2022 Nate lifted his head. "Hmm?" Before anyone had a chance, the family had disappeared. --- Insanity guided his family to ruined building. "I don't know where to go. Donnie always knew what to do. Right now, we can only hide. I'm sorry everyone." --- Mixed with emotions on how he should feel towards Carol, he headed out the front door which he slammed shut. He decided to take a walk. --- Harris cupped her cheeks. Tears left him as his lips quivered. "I can't....I'm mad but...." He caught his breath. "If this is what you want then I will take you to them." "That won't be necessary. It's not like it was that hard to look for you two." ,said Charles. Amelia stood next to him. Harris stood in front of Clementine. He glared. "I swear I will throw you both into Oblivion myself if you attempt to do the same to her!" --- Phineas sighed. Maybe it was better that this professor didn't know who he was really talking to. "Just one question before I go. What do you think of Phineas Gage?" --- Jean let the ribbons fall. Revealing his bare body. "I want you to show me your love." He kissed him slowly. --- "No. We will throw this pest into Oblivion ourselves." ,said Gabriel who smiled. --- "I've never had that before. A personal item. But it sounds like that flute really means something to you." ,said Cory. Shadowess - May 26, 2022 "FUCK!!" Oscar cursed after the family had vanished. "We were so fucking close!" "At least we managed to get bracelets onto most of them." Rickster said as he walked across the room to pick up the last bracelet. He put it into his pocket then hurried over to Nate and Desi. "Are you two alright?" "What happened?" Desi groaned then looked around the room wildly when he realised they were alone there. "Where are they?!" "Gone." Rickster sighed as he held out a hand then helped Desi to his feet. "Insanity turned up and everything went to chaos as it usually does when he's involved..." "Now he and Donnie are probably going to be after us with a vengeance for de-powering their kids." Oscar worried. "I think we have our own problems to worry about..." Rickster said, turning his head to look at him. "Of all places in Hell, why did I wake up here when I died?" Desi's eyes widened. "The spells..." he realised. "Oh, I have an awful feeling about this..." "About what?" Oscar asked them, puzzled. "Think about it. They love to kidnap and torture people. What better spells to put down than onces that isolate their victims from the rest of the worlds?" Desi explained. "I still don't follow." Oscar looked more confused. "Just watch..." Rickster sighed then ran out of the exit...only to run back into the room from the back entrance. "What the-?!" "Yep..." Rickster threw up his hands. "We're stuck! I'm also willing to bet that we can't just teleport out or even communicate with anyone outside by telepathy either." "We're trapped here?!" "Relax..." Desi looked around his old home sadly. "You happen to be with two people who are skilled when it comes to spells. We can break it but it might take some time to figure out exactly what spells were used... in the meantime, you two-" he looked at Oscar and Nate "- should keep an eye out in case Insanity and Donnie come back to take revenge." "I think we should probably find our friends first? They could help to guard the place while we work on breaking the spells." Rickster added. "Good idea. I think I know a few areas in this place where they'd be locked away." Desi nodded. "I'll go and take a look..." he vanished. A moment later, he re-appeared with a shaken and frightened Viktor before vanishing again... --- "You saved us." Warren said to Insanity in a soft voice. "So please don't be sorry, Sire." he looked around sadly. "What happened? Where is the other King?" he asked, looking back at Insanity. "Apologies, that wasn't my place to ask." he then said hurriedly. "I'm just worried." --- While David stayed behind to comfort Carol, Parker ran out after Will. "Will, wait up!" he called out then started walking beside him when he caught up. "You ok?" --- "Chill Harris." Amelia said tiredly. She was still exhausted from her encounter with the Ancient Devil. Though this didn't stop her from glaring at Clementine furiously. She might've doubted it was her, if it wasn't for the mixture of guilt and terror in Clementines eyes. "Hello again traitor." She greeted her acidically. Clementine looked guiltily from Amelia to Charles and she shivered with dread as the recalled her destruction. She would have been frozen with fear if Harris hadn't darted between them and she knew what she needed to do. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a nervous yet sad smile before stepping in front of him. "I don't know why I came back and I have no idea why I returned in this form. This was not my doing. All that I do know is that this could possibly be a chance to have a life that I had always been denied but I refuse to live that life in fear and hiding. What I did was unforgivable. I confess to conspiring to destroy Amelia. I confess to plotting to take over Hell by means of controlling the next ruler. I am a traitor and I deserved the destruction that I suffered. I beg you both, as the true rulers of Hell, to forgive me and grant me this second chance. But if you think it would be better to send me back to Oblivion..." She paused, hesitating. "Then I accept my fate." Amelia scoffed but said nothing. She was familiar with how deceptive Clementine could be and suspected this might just be another manipulation tactic. But she was definitely human now. Amelia sensed that much. So she waited to see if Charles could read her mind and emotions to know whether or not she was being sincere. ((I just thought, Clementine would've been around when Harris had control of Phineas. She might be one more person he'd have an issue with then xD )) --- "Um, we'll I'd say he was a deeply misunderstood and misjudged person." The professor answered while fixing his glasses on his face. "He suffered a horrific accident and the lack of medical knowledge at the time meant that the care he received was less than insufficient. Medically speaking though, we have learned a lot from his experience for modern practitioners to know how best to treat similar patients." --- Hannes looked over Jean, savouring how he looked then returned the kiss. He kissed him slowly and lovingly while his hands wandered around his sides and across his back. He pressed his body against Jean's and brought a hand up to run it through his hair while slipping his tongue into his mouth. --- Donnie shivered at the threat but glared back. He then grinned knowingly. "You can't do that. I'm Hell's prisoner, not Heaven's. If you destroy me, you risk starting up a new war!" "He's right." The armoured Angel then appeared and looked between them. "To maintain our new peace, we have a duty to report his capture to Hell's authorities." He then grinned malisciously as he glared at Donnie. "But that doesn't mean that we can't 'interrogate' him before handing him over. After all, he did murder, kidnap and rape some of our own when he'd been loose." "You son of a-!" Donnie growled, struggling in the Angelic soldier's grip but was cut off when the armoured Angel punch him in the face and knocked him out. A little blood trickled out of his nose as he slumped in the Angelic soldier's arms. The Angel then turned back to Gabriel with a smile and placed his hand on his shoulder. "This is a great achievement. You should be proud. I will let you handle the rest." --- While still locked in the cubicle, Stevie took the flute out of his pocket and caressed it while staring at it lovingly. "It does..." he sighed. He glanced at the cubicle door warily. "I'll be ok. I'm used to being made fun of." he called out, hoping to be left alone. The flute was whispering to him again and it had given him a few ideas. Ways that he could rid the school of bullies, once and for all. --- It had been a few hours since Carter and Damien were locked in this room together. Each sat on either side of the room, waiting for Donnie or Insanity to appear so they could enact their plan. Damien had been watching Carter warily for the past few minutes. He hadn't been looking too great and he was concerned that he might already be suffering cravings. "You good, man?" He asked finally. "If you need a couple of drops to tide you over, just say so. But, you know, you gotta stop when I tell ya." A couple of minutes later, Desi would appear in the centre of the room. Denix Vames - May 26, 2022 Nate stood. He healed himself. "Never been better. That Insanity guy and his family really know how to fight." --- "It's quite alright. Unfortunately, I can't teleport to him. He must be in trouble somewhere. But I need to focus first on finding ourselves a new home before I can even attempt to save him. We must journey on foot. But first, I need to give you this gift. I must make you into a Demon. It's the only way that we can keep the children safe. Are you willing to become such a creature?" ,said Insanity. --- Will stopped and sighed. "I don't know. I was really glad when I got to make her eat her own words but then she starts crying. And I just...." He shook his head. "Was I being an ass?" --- Charles's eyes widened. "She really is telling the truth." (lol more drama but he's going to be in Heaven. I don't know. Maybe we should get them to meet each other so we can start up some kind of fight?) --- Phineas smiled. "That's all I needed to hear. Thank you sir." He shook his hand. He stood back before becoming a ball of light and floating to the ceiling. He would soon appear in front of his new home in Heaven. "Kasper? I'm back from my trip." He entered the house. --- Jean moaned as he wrapped his legs around him. Practically jumping on top of him so that he would be held. "Oh god! Hannes!" He kissed him. His red wings sprouted. He gasped before they began to vibrate. Making himself feel like butter in his arms. "Oh....my....god....1" --- Gabriel chuckled. "Oh the fun that I'm going to have with you." He looked at the other Angels. "Take him to our interrogation room." "No!" Balconi stood after having healed himself. He was between Gabriel and Donnie. "We have to tell David that we've caught him! He would want us to do that." "Out of my way. I'm only going to break some of his bones. Nothing permanent." "This is wrong and you know it!" "Get out of my way!" Balconi glared. "I won't." Gabriel grit his teeth. "Take this childish Angel away from here." --- "You shouldn't be. I'd say you should stand up for yourself but that never stopped my parents from being dicks to me." ,said Cory. He bit his lip. Unsure of what to say next until, "I know what it's like to feel like no one cares about you. That everyone uses you as a punching bag. I should have realized that when I use to pick on people. But it was my way of coping with....home." He caught his breath after nearly crying. "I'm sorry that I hurt you too." --- Carter shook his head. "I-I can't....Never again." He practically crawled when he saw Desi. He clung to his leg. "Thank you! Thank you! Please tell me you took them into custody!"
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 shadowess - May 26, 2022 "Tell me about it..." Oscar groaned as he gripped the deep wounds that Insanity's claws had left in his shoulder. "I was so damn close to getting the bracelet on him... Why the hell was that soul fighting for them? Who even was that guy?" Rickster was walking around the room with his hands up as if feeling out some invisible walls. --- Warren's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened at Insanity's words. "I-It would be an honour, Sire!" he gasped. "S-Sire, if I may express myself? You and King Donnie gave me a home, love and protection. I would do anything for you both. I love you both with all my heart." he stepped forward. "For you, I will accept your gift and protect this family with everything that I have." --- "Hell no!" Parker laughed. "If anything she was being an ass! But I get what you mean. Seeing the way she looked when she realised Lucifer is really gone... I felt bad too." he shrugged. "I guess, maybe we could be a little more understanding... I know she's basically acting like a teenager but I don't think we can really blame her if she's spent most of her life stuck in other people's heads... It's a wonder she isn't completely insane... Maybe we should give her more of a chance? Help her out?" --- Amelia blinked and looked at Charles in disbelief. "Really?" she looked back at Clementine and looked her over sceptically. She was hesitant to trust her but she sighed heavily, knowing she couldn't turn her away when she was asking for forgiveness. It would be hypocritical of her to do so considering her entire life's work to this point had involved restructuring Hell in a way that redeems those who have previously committed sins. Amelia turned away from them and leant over the back of a tall dining chair as she thought privately to Charles. 'We can't destroy her... I'm still pissed at her but if she really wants to change then we should give her the same chance as everyone else.' Meanwhile, Clementine was waiting tensely for their judgement. (Maybe they could bump into each other later on? Doesn't need to be rushed. Just something to bear in mind. ) --- The professor shook the man's hand and then watched the way he left in amazement. He stood there for a long moment, staring at the spot in the ceiling that Phineas had vanished through. "I really gotta quit day drinking..." he mumbled as he slowly left the building. After this encounter, this professor would quit drinking altogether. As a result, he would live a little longer rather than dying young of liver failure. Somewhere in the world, in both confusion and astonishment, Azrael just witnessed a name vanish from his book. Kasper hurried over to Phineas and threw his arms around him. "Phineas! Come look!" he said happily as he walked into the kitchen with him and showed him a pink form that was on the table with a pen next to it. "I was thinking about the chickens when you were gone and this appeared! There is a system for pet adoption!" he grinned. "We can adopt any animal that has already died, within reason. It says large animals are off-limits for adoption as they prefer large open spaces to roam freely. But small animals are allowed, like cats, dogs, birds..." --- Hannes gasped in surprise as well then moaned at the vibrations. He grinned at Jean and began carrying him to the bedroom. "However you're doing that...don't stop!" he moaned. He reached down and unbuckled his pants, letting them drop to the floor while continuing to kiss him deeply. He wondered if he could do the same and within seconds he was letting out a louder moan as his own wings vibrated in unison with Jean's. "Oh Jean!" he breathed then dropped his underwear to the floor as well. (Private time) --- "We will turn him in to David." The armoured Angel assured River with a nod. "After we've gotten our answers! and you should know better than to disobey a superior Angel!" he then scolded him. "You can stay behind and help the mortals fix up the damage to this hospital!" The armoured Angel then turned to Gabriel. "I want a thorough interrogation done on him," he ordered. "Leave no stone unturned. I want to know what he was planning with those vampires. How he planned to create pills. Where his family are hiding. How many Demons are in his private little army? The names of those Demons. Hell, I even want his grandmother's name if you can get it! Do whatever you feel is necessary to make this bastard sing! Then report all the information you've gathered to me." he ordered. --- The cubicle was silent for a long, uncomfortable moment after Cory had apologised to Stevie. Then, finally breaking that silence, Stevie called through the cubicle door once more. "Hey, what are you doing tonight? After school?" --- "Not exactly..." Desi said slowly. "You're stuck here too, aren't ya?" Damien asked. "For now. But Rickster and I are working on a way out. I believe Insanity and the rest of his family just abandoned this place after we discovered their location. What's wrong with Carter?" "Withdrawals..." Damien sighed. "They made him drink me dry earlier." "Oh, dear..." Desi looked down at Carter thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should keep you two separated for a while then?" "Yeah, might be a good idea." Damien agreed. "Take him out. I don't mind being alone for a while until you get those spells broken." "Alright. We'll come and get you as soon as we can leave." "You'd better," Damien smirked. Desi smiled back and then bent down to help Carter to his feet. "Come on you. It's not as good as Devil's blood but I'm sure a few drops of mine will tide you over until we can get you home." he offered as he teleported them into the main room. Denix Vames - May 26, 2022 Nate shrugged. "I think he might be attached to them in some way. He seemed like he really wanted to protect that specific kid." He placed a hand on Oscar's shoulder. Healing him. --- "Come with me then." Insanity took his hand and guided him a bit further away from his sons and Dariel. "Hold on to my hand and never let it go. No matter how much it hurts, you can never let go while I turn you." He closed his eyes and took a moment to gather his energy. He held a tight grip just in case. Warren would soon become a Demon. --- Will bit his lip. "I guess we should." He awkwardly cleared his throat. "We didn't exactly get to finish what we were doing at the mansion. Maybe when I'm on break, we could step into my office and talk privately?" --- (yeah sure) "Alright. We won't destroy you. You will be entered into the program. This means we are going to keep an eye on your progress. Is that clear?" ,said Charles. --- "Dogs? Oh I love dogs! They're adorable." ,said Phineas. "What pet did you have in mind?" --- Balconi swung his weapon at Gabriel who clashed it with his own. "Be a good pest and listen!" ,said Gabriel. He pushed him back. Before Balconi could do anything, Gabriel wrapped a hand around his throat. Squeezing tight. "You have no idea what this bastard has done to one of our Angels. If it were Will who became victim to his insane antics then you would be merciless too. Now, go clean up this mess." He let him go. Balconi hit the floor where he coughed. Catching his breath. Gabriel walked over to the Angels that we're holding Donnie. "I expect him in the room when I return to Heaven." He disappeared. --- "I was going to hang out with my friends at the park. First, we're going to visit this police department. Apparently, Autumn's guardian works there. She wants to visit. You can come with us if you want." ,said Cory. --- When Carter was in a different area of the Brothel, he collapsed. He was shaking as he silently cried. Curling up like ball. "I-I'm sorry. I heard about what Donnie did but.....That bastard. He made me kill Damien! I thought I was going to have to....to do it again. I just didn't know when." shadowess - May 28, 2022 "Thanks." Oscar sighed in relief as Nate started to heal his wounds. He then glanced over at Viktor who had sat in the corner of the room, hugging his knees. "Wait... we already have a way out!" He gestured to Viktor. "Leave him be," Desi called over while shaking his head. "He's still exhausted and besides, that wouldn't solve the problem that my old harem is essentially a soul trap now. Currently, anyone who wanders in here will never be able to leave. We need to ensure that this is not the case when we're done here." "Dammit..." Oscar sighed "We will leave. Just be patient." Desi said before turning his attention back to Carter. He knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There, there. That's not going to happen. Here, you're going to need your strength." he held out his wrist. "We will need you to help Nate and Oscar guard this place while Rickster and I try to break the spells so that we can leave. Will you be able to help us? and don't worry about Damien. Lucifer chose him as his apprentice for a reason. He's strong enough to not be bothered by dying. I'm sure he's fine." --- Warren followed Insanity away from the others and listened to him carefully. He held his hands and tried to mentally prepare himself but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer agony that rapidly changing his biological makeup could bring. His grip tightened out of fear of what might happen if he let go and he tried so hard to conceal his pain but was soon reduced to crying out as he struggled to simply stay standing. The bracelet that Oscar had mistakenly placed on him was not designed to withstand such a drastic change in the DNA of its wearer, so just as Warren's transformation hit its peak, the bracelet splintered before exploding and crumbling into dust on the ground. Warren breathed deeply and raggedly while gripping his burned wrist when it was over. He watched in amazement as the burn began healing on its own then he'd look up at Insanity. "I-is it done?" he asked, unsure. Then gasped and clutched his chest as he felt his heart begin to beat again. He hadn't even noticed while he'd been dead that it hadn't been beating but now that it was starting to again, he definitely noticed! "I'm-?" he looked down at his hands, feeling a new sensation. Was that what power felt like? Physically, he had changed a little as well. His hair looked softer, fuller and a slightly lighter shade of blonde while his brown eyes seemed to have darkened slightly and yet somehow they also seemed to glisten a little more. --- Alex grinned at Will while blushing. "I'd like that." --- Clementine had never thought much of the programme but if it meant she could have a second chance at life, she was willing to try anything. "I- I understand." she nodded then bowed her head. "Thank you for this chance. I will not make you regret it." "You'd better not," Amelia warned with the same acidic tone. She then sighed and turned to Charles. "Let's go home?" she asked, giving him a specific look that told him she was anxious about being away from their son for too long. --- "I wasn't sure," Kasper admitted but then grinned widely. "But I think a dog is exactly what we need. We have more than enough room for them to run around!" he glanced out of the window at the field. "I'll request some chickens and a coop too." he giggled excitedly as he set the form down on the counter and picked up the pen to fill it in. --- The soldier holding Donnie teleported as well. The instant they arrived in Heaven, Donnie awoke to feel incredibly uncomfortable. Like pressure was being applied over his face, making it difficult for him to breathe. He looked around wildly and tried to hop out of the soldier's arms but a swift punch to his stomach caused him to fall to his knees before he could even try to make a run for it. He tried to speak. To shout at them to take him out of Heaven but the pressure along with being winded from the punch meant he couldn't get any words out as the soldier took him by the arm and dragged him into an empty, heavily armoured room. He was thrown in and as soon as the door was locked the pressure he'd been feeling lifted. "No! NO!!" he shouted, jumping to his feet and throwing himself against the cell door. "You can't keep me here!!" he slammed his fists against the door desperately. This was the last place he wanted to be! Being here meant that he was not only surrounded by creatures that could cause him a great deal of harm just from their feathers but also that he was also now completely cut off from his family. It would be impossible for any of them to find him, let alone teleport to him now. Donnie then froze up and held his breath nervously. His hair standing on end on the back of his neck told him he was being watched. He didn't turn away from the door. Staring at the metal as he swallowed hard to try to hide his fear. "There is nothing you can do to turn me against my family," he said without turning around or looking away from the door. "I spent years training to be one of Lucifer's best. You know what that means right? I was trained to withstand torture. So you're wasting your time." he had to conceal a shiver before trying his luck at negotiating his freedom. "But maybe, we could come to a deal? Hm? You let me go. Turn a blind eye and when I win the war, you can be the ruler here." --- "No!" Stevie answered a little too hurriedly and then faked a cough and said in a much calmer voice; "Uh, no. Sorry, I almost forgot that I gotta help my mom with something right after school. But I can meet you at the park later?" He didn't want to go anywhere near the police after what he'd done. He was paranoid that they would somehow see right through him. Denix Vames - May 28, 2022 Carter forced himself to sit up. He grabbed his wrist and pressed his fangs into his skin. Drinking some of his blood. He drank just enough to help himself. "I-I don't know. I want to help but nothing feels right." --- "This is what true power feels like. Now, protect our family while I go off in search for something to help us get Donnie back." ,said Insanity before he disappeared. --- "Wanna head back to the precinct and see what's going?" ,asked Will. --- Charles nodded. "Of course." He held her hand. When they did appear back home, they would sense a disturbing presence. It was Insanity who was holding Oliver in his arms. Charles head straight to his bedroom. He glared at him. "Get away from my son!" He stormed over. Insanity grabbed him by his neck and lifted him off the floor. "Shhh....You made the baby cry. Now, how is he going to sleep?" "Let him go! Oliver has nothing to do with this!" "Oh yes. He does. You see, you took away my children's father. I need him back or else Oliver will be given to Oblivion." Charles kicked his stomach. Causing Insanity to lose his grip. He grabbed Oliver and gave him to Amelia. "Find David! We have to get out of-!" Insanity gripped his head as he drained his energy from his body. Charles cried out. --- "It's been a long time since I've dealt with papers. I use to make lots of money from clearing paths for railroad tracks." ,said Phineas. He wrapped his arms around Kasper from behind. "It's satisfying to see you working." --- Gabriel smirked. "I'm not so easily manipulated." River appeared in front of Donnie. He held out a hand. "You're going to see David. None of this is necessary." Gabriel flew over and slammed River against the wall. River headbutted him. Giving himself time to swing his weapon. Gabriel jumped. They glared at each other. The fight had only just begun. --- A little puzzled by his response, Cory nodded. "Yeah sure. You'll see us when you get there. We won't be at the department for long." --- Harris burst into tears as he hugged Clementine. He sobbed. "I'm so glad that you're alright. I nearly thought they were going to send you away." shadowess - May 28, 2022 Desi grunted subtly, winced and turned his head away while Carter drank from him. He'd used to enjoy such a feeling in his Harem when he'd get the odd vampiric soul pass through but then he also couldn't help recalling the time Carter had drank from him against his will before crushing his skull... granted, Desi had deserved it at the time but it still left Desi with very mixed feelings about being bitten again. He pushed those emotions down, however, as he recognised that this was simply something that he needed to do to help Carter regain some of his strength. When Carter pulled away from his wrist, he tore off a small piece of his own shirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound. "That's likely your withdrawals talking," he said gently. "Your body is going to tell you that nothing feels right or that any other blood simply doesn't taste right to try and get you to hunt Devils. I'm sorry to say that the only way you'll ever feel normal again is by simply ignoring those feelings for a while... and even then you're still likely to get the occasional cravings whenever you meet one of our Devil friends." "C'mon man, we could use all the help we can get," Oscar called over, trying to sound encouraging. --- Warren watched Insanity leave and sighed dreamily. "Yes, sire." He then turned to the boys and smiled. "We should probably try and get this place cleaned up before your father's return. We don't know how long we'll be staying here and I'm sure you'd rather not sleep in filth." --- "Sure." Parker smiled and slipped his hand into Will's. He moved his fingers between his and caressed the back of his hand with his thumb. --- "Oliver!" Amelia gasped when she'd seen Insanity holding her son. Her voice shook in fright, knowing exactly what Insanity was capable of. She wondered where the babysitter was but was far more concerned at this moment by the imminent danger that her family was in. When Charles managed to get Oliver to her, she grabbed him quickly and rocked him in one arm to try to calm him down. "Charles!!" She screamed when she saw what Insanity was doing to him. Immediately she took up a stance. In one arm she held Oliver securely while a large, sharp shard of crystal formed in her other hand. "Don't you dare mess with my family!" she growled furiously and threw the shard at Insanity as if it were a javelin. She aimed for his shoulder and threw it with enough force that it would pin him to the wall if it hit. All while glaring at him dangerously to let him know that he'd be a fool to mistake her for a damsel in distress. As if that weren't enough of an onslaught, Oliver's eyes started to glow red. He too sensed the danger in the room and instinctively used his still developing powers to defend them. He continued to cry but his powers manipulated his shrieks so that only Insanity would find the noise to be painfully ear piercing. --- "I'm only filling out a form." Kasper giggled. He turned his head and kissed Phineas on the cheek. "What kind of dog should we get?" --- Donnie slunk away from the fighting Angels and kept his back pressed against the cell wall as he watched them both warily. The way he saw it, he had two options. One, stay here to be tortured for an unknown amount of time until he's eventually handed over to David or two, convince the rebelling Angel to take him to David straight away. At least if he's taken to David, he'd have a far better chance of being found and saved by his family. Although he also had to bear in mind the risk involved with being taken back to David. Considering how much he'd already put him through, there was nothing stopping David now from obliterating Donnie on the spot. It wasn't an ideal situation to be in, that's for sure! Still, he at least stood a small chance of survival if he reached Earth. This means that his best option so far would be to convince River to break him out of Heaven. So far, the way the Angels fought positioned them across the room from Donnie. River currently had his back to him while Gabriel would be able to see Donnie over River's shoulder. "You're right!" he called over to Balconi. He gave Gabriel a sly, cunning smile before continuing to manipulate River. "David would never stand for this! I should have a fair trial, like anyone else! David believes that everyone can be redeemed, does he not?!" --- "Ok. I'll see you guys at the park," Stevie called through the door. "We should probably head to class now though. We're both already pretty late..." he said, recalling that the class bell had run before he'd run into the bathroom. --- Overwhelmed with emotion and relief, Clementine hugged Harris back and caught her breath as a couple of her own tears fell. "Harris..." she breathed then broke down and sobbed into his shoulder. "I don't have to run or hide! I can live! I can live!" She both cried and laughed.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - May 28, 2022 Carter nodded. He slowly stood. "What can I do to help?" --- Theron looked around. "Are the scary people going to come for us again?" "They don't know we're here, you idiot!" ,said Sam. --- Will smiled before teleporting them both in his office. "Maybe we could say that this is my break time?" --- Insanity let him go. Dodging the shard in time. He covered his ears as he heard Oliver's cries. "I will have that child!" He disappeared. Leaving Charles on the floor where he was unconscious. --- "I like golden retrievers. What about you?" ,said Phineas. --- Balconi turned. Facing River. "I'm only doing this because it's what David would want. This isn't for you. Not really." Gabriel backhanded him with his weapon before he had a chance to dodge. Making Balconi hit the wall and leaving a bloody wound on his head. He wrapped a hand around Donnie's neck. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah. Where is your family? Talk!" --- Cory smirked. "I don't give a shit about class. You can go if you want. I'll be somewhere else." --- "Yes! I'm so happy to hear this!' ,said Harris. Shadowess - May 29, 2022 "Alright." Oscar smiled at him and then waved him over. "Probably best if we split up. We can't teleport out of the building but we can teleport within it. We'll each take an area of the building and patrol it. Make sure Donnie or any of his follers don't try to sneak up on us. If you see any of them call for us and we'll teleport to your location straight away. Sound good? Our main objective here is to give those two-" he nodded to Desi and Rickster. Desi had begun doing something similar to Rickster but on the other side of the room. "-enough time to break the spells on this place so that we can all escape." --- "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be on our guard," Theron told them with a serious expression. "Boys, if you see or hear anything strange while we're here I want you to tell me immediately. No matter how small. If needed, I'll move our location. I'll do everything in my power to keep you all safe, alright?" he walked over to them and placed a hand on Theron's shoulder. "I'd give my life if it meant keeping you all safe. Now then! We need to get this place cleaned up. There's likely some cleaning equipment in the kitchen. If we all work together, we'll have this place looking more livable than it does now. So, Sam, you're going to focus on the bedrooms. Remove all the sheets and bedding and bring it all down to wash. We'll have to do it by hand. Looks like the washer is...well..." he looked over at it. The lid was completely missing and the exposed wires looked fried. "Out of order. I'll help you. Dariel, you're in charge of the bathrooms. And Theron, you've got kitchen and living areas. Are we all clear on what we're doing?" --- Parker chuckled and bit his lip. "Maybe we could," he answered coyly then glanced at the door. "We should probably lock your door." --- "Over my dead body!" Amelia snapped back just as Insanity left. She remained where she was for a moment and looked around the room on high alert. Half expecting him to come back. The shard in the wall dissolved into glittering blue sand and left a hole in the wall. She turned her attention first to Oliver who was still crying and shaking and her arm. She held onto him now with both arms and rocked him a little. "Shhh, it's ok. It's ok. You're safe. Mummy's here. You're ok." she whispered to him and kissed his head lovingly. Although not completely calm, Oliver's cries reduced to little whimpers as he tried to calm down. Next, Amelia walked over to Charles and knelt beside him. She placed one hand on his shoulder and shook him a little. "Charles?" her voice trembled as she shook him a little harder. "Charles!" Not knowing what else to do, she looked around the room and rocked Oliver in her arms. "Dad!" she called then broke into tears. "DAD!!!" Immediately both David and Carol appeared in the room and looked at the scene in shock. "What happened?" David asked worriedly. "Oh, sweety!" Carol rushed forward and knelt next to them. She wrapped her arms around Amelia and cooed over the baby. "Insanity!" Amelia cried. "H-he's tried to take Oliver!" "What?" Carol sounded angry and she stood, facing David. "Ok, no. David, give me my powers back," she demanded. "I want them back and I want them back NOW!" "Carol, we JUST talked about this!" David argued. "That was before some psycho tried to fuck with my family!" Carol argued back. "Language..." Amelia sniffled and pointed to Oliver. "Sorry, sweet thing. Heat of the moment." Carol said in a gentler tone to Amelia then turned to David again. "David, you know what I'm capable of when I have my powers. You know I could protect this family." "I thought you didn't want to be tied down?" David rose a brow. "That the only Devil you'd ever serve is Lucifer. What's to stop you from taking off to try to find him or do your own thing and generally make me regret giving them back to you when all this blows over?" Carol paused and glanced at Charles. She bit her lip and glanced back at David. David had followed her eye line and looked back at her questioningly. "It's-... Look, I won't ok? I have no need to. David, please. I helped you to protect her once before... let me do it again." David seemed uncertain. "I'll think about it." He answered and Carol groaned. "David, we don't have time for this! What if he comes back? Do you really expect to be able to take him on alone?! I thought you were smarter than that!" "Dad..." Amelia was looking up at him and David pre-emptively shook his head at her. "Amelia... don't-" "She's right. Look, I know what kind of Demon she was. That was never exactly a secret. But I also remember her LITERALLY defending me with her life! She saved my life by sacrificing herself. I owe her for that. Big time." David sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling. He was losing this argument and he knew it. "Dad, please. For me. For Oliver." "Stop it." he rolled his eyes and looked at his daughter. "You can stop with the emotional blackmail now...damn, you're a lot like your mother..." he muttered. "I take that as a compliment." Carol winked. "Fine! Carol, let's go into the next room... I know what you get like when you endure pain and it's not for a baby to see." Carol giggled and glanced back at Amelia. "We'll only be a minute sweety. Shout us if he comes back." Amelia nodded and watched them both leave the room. She kept a hand on Charles's shoulder while rocking Oliver in her other arm. She strained her ears for hints of any movement and kept glancing around the room anxiously. Paranoid that they still weren't 'safe.' --- "I don't know." Kasper shrugged. "I've never had a dog before to know what I like. But a retriever sounds good. They're cute and intelligent from what I remember." he scribbled on the form and then read some of the conditions for adopting a pet. "Oh, the pets we adopt are already named. Of course, they are, they belonged to someone else on Earth before they passed away. But it looks like, -oh!" The form suddenly turned into a booklet in his hands. He opened it up and there was a long list of available golden retrievers. It listed their names as well as the types of lives that they had before their deaths. Quite a lot had been reverted back to their prime years as they had died contented at an old age, surrounded by loving families. Some hadn't had such lucky lives however and had died young for various reasons, ranging from abandonment to abusive homes. "Oh gosh... How do we choose?" --- Gasping for air, Donnie gripped Gabriel's arm and strained to shove him off. But the bracelet kept him as weak as a human so it was like trying to push off dead weight. He glared at Gabriel defiantly and spat in his face. "Fuck off!" he gasped. --- Stevie placed the flute back into his pocket and wiped his face with his sleeve to get rid of his tears. He unlocked the cubicle door and stepped out. "Don't you care about your grades?" he asked. "What do you even do when you're not in class?" --- Pulling away a little, she sniffled while wiping away some of her tears. She was still smiling. "Harris..." she glanced around the house before bringing her eyes back to him. "I don't need to hide anymore. We don't have to stay here. We could..." she shrugged. "We could go to your home if you want? You could introduce me to your friends and show me how to live like a human." she smiled bashfully. "I promise I'll try to keep a more open mind." speaking of which, her mind was literally more open to him now than it had been earlier. She didn't feel the need to hide what she thought or felt from him. Denix Vames - May 29, 2022 Carter could hardly focus on anything after what he went through with Donnie. He noticed a kitchen and stepped inside. He soon found a knife. Stepping out into the open, he began to laugh. "Carter?" ,said Nate who walked over. Carter looked at him with a crazed stare. He ran at him with the knife. Screaming as he did. He stabbed his chest. Nate flinched before grabbing his arm. In a moment, Carter was knocked out by his powers. He placed him on the floor. "What the fuck was that?" --- Will locked the door and made sure the blinds were closed. He placed a hand on Parker's waist. "Now, where were we?" --- Charles remained asleep as his body seemed to be slowly aging. Insanity flew as a butterfly. Landing on Charles. He soon transformed into himself. He grabbed Charles. "Fine. I won't take the child but I will keep this one. If you want your dear lover back then give back mine and leave our family alone." He disappeared. --- Phineas pointed to a dog. "This one has only one eye. I want to know this dog." He placed a hand over his left eye. "I want to remember." His left eye suddenly closed. Reverting back to what it had been before. "I hope this doesn't make you mad." He bit his lip. "I can always fix this if you really want me to." --- Gabriel glared. He threw him on the floor. His wings sprouted. He plucked a feather and stomped his foot firmly on Donnie's chest. He brushed the feather over his cheek. "Tell me now! What were you going to do with vampires? What pills were you attempting to make?" --- "Can't exactly focus on grades when your family sucks." Cory shrugged. "I just smoke and think." --- "Well, it's not my home. I'm staying with a few of my friends. But of course, I can bring us there." Harris held her hand. They soon appeared in Kodi's home. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm sure they'll like you. Right now, everyone's busy so they'll be back later." --- Everyone had nodded. Sam shrugged before making his way over to the bedrooms. Theron went into the kitchen while Dariel stepped into the bathrooms. Everyone was doing their part to clean this new home of theirs. Insanity appeared with Charles. "He is our hostage. Thankfully, he won't wake up until we get Donnie back. Plus the aging process which will turn him into nothing if his powers do not return to him." He grinned. "It's a foolproof plan!" shadowess - May 29, 2022 "What the hell?!" Desi's concentration was broken by the commotion and he ran over. "Are you alright?" he asked Nate. He then looked sadly at Carter and sighed. "Oh, I hoped my blood would satiate him for a while. I suppose he's suffering from more than just hunger..." he said sadly. He bent down and placed a hand on his arm. "I'll be right back," he said then teleported back into the room where Damien had been waiting. "What are you doing? What's wrong with him?" Damien shot to his feet. "Relax, he's unconscious... for now. I think it would be best if we swapped you. He'll be safer in here." Damien then pointed to Carter. "He's probably still got my blood in his system." "I'm aware. That's why I gave him some of my-" "Yeah, not the point I'm getting at." Damien cut him off and Desi gave him a questioning look. "He's got Devil and Demon blood in his veins. A lot of it. Which means, if he wanted, he could just teleport out of this room." "Ah..." Desi frowned. "What do we-?" "I duno..." Damien sighed. "Do our best to try to keep him away from me until we can leave, I guess. C'mon. Let's just hope he doesn't figure out he can use those powers when he does wake up." "Right." Desi nodded and they both teleported back into the main room, leaving Carter where he was. "Alright, so what's the plan?" Damien asked, placing his hands in his pockets while looking between Desi and Nate. "Defend myself and Rickster while we try to break the spells." Desi explained briefly before going straight back to work. "Easy enough." Damien nodded then looked at Nate warily. "Uh-..." he faked a cough uncomfortably. "Hope this isn't weird." he said, knowing he had a reputation in regards to murdering Angels back when Lucifer had been his teacher. --- "I think we were about here..." Parker purred as he placed his hands on Will's chest before pressing his lips against him. --- While Amelia waited for David and Carol to return, she had been sniffling while lightly brushing Charles's hair out of his eyes. It was then she noticed something that hadn't been there before. Right in the corner of his eyes. Crows feet. As she watched carefully, they seemed to get a little bigger and the realisation of what was happening dawned on her. "Charles? Charles! Wake up!!" he shook him again but he didn't wake. Just as she was starting to shake him a little harder, she noticed the butterfly and watched it land daintily on Charles before shifting into Insanity. Before she had time to react, he'd already pulled Charles into his arms. "No! Stop! DAD!!!" she screamed while reaching out for Charles. Oliver had started crying again and just as David burst into the room, Insanity had vanished with Charles. Carol had run into the room just in time to watch them vanish as well. She and David looked at Amelia in alarm. "Dad! We've gotta get him back! We have to! He was- he was ageing! We have to do something!!" Amelia cried at them hysterically. "Slow down, Amelia. Did he say anything?" David asked. "He said he wanted Donnie back. I don't understand! What does he mean? Did we capture him? We would know if he was caught, wouldn't we?!" Amelia panicked. David exchanged a dark look with Carol. "I need to find out. Carol stay here with-" "-Can't." "-What?!" David turned to Carol but she'd vanished before he could ask her where she was going. "Carol?! Damn woman is going to get herself killed..." he grit his teeth and then looked back at Amelia with a worried expression. "Hang on, alright? We'll get him back." he said to her gently. "Oliver needs you to stay calm right now. Take some deep breaths." He paced the room a little hurriedly then snapped his fingers. "X? We need your help." --- Kasper watched him with a small frown but said nothing. When Phineas said he could fix it if he didn't like it, he shook his head. "Phineas, I love you for you. Not for how you look." he told him in a soft voice. He kissed his cheek again and let it linger before pulling back and smiling at him. "If you're more comfortable being this way then that's what's important." he said then turned back to the form and put a tick in the box next to the dog's description. "There, now we've put in our interest. I guess we have to wait to find out if our application was successful." --- Muffling a groan, Donnie flinched when the feather touched his cheek and he inhaled sharply through his teeth as it burned his skin. He took a couple of breaths to try to keep himself calm and glared back at Gabriel. "Vampire viagra." he grinned. "So we could fuck 'em extra hard!" he laughed. This was obviously not the real reason he had been planning on making pills but Donnie loved seeing the fury in Gabriel's eyes. "Just like I fucked your little Angel friend!" --- Stevie kept quiet and didn't want to comment on family. Especially after lying that he needed to help his mother with something after school. Truth be told, he rarely ever saw his mother. She worked long hours at the grocery store to try to provide for both of them. He'd never met his father and his mother had forbidden him from asking about him. Said he was better off being oblivious to the truth... whatever that truth might be. He shrugged and lowered his eyes shyly. "Isn't smoking bad for you?" he asked then bit his lip a little. "What's it like? Does it taste like anything?" --- When they arrived, Clementine was admittedly a little disappointed that no one else was home yet. She looked around the small house. At the little ornaments that had been placed onto the shelves. "Who lives here with you?" she asked curiously while turning to look at Harris again. --- "Sire!" Warren, hurried over while wiping a little sweat that he'd worked up from his forehead. Cleaning bed sheets by hand was hard work. "You're back!" he smiled then looked at Charles while listening to what Insanity had to say. He grinned and looked at his King in awe. "That's genius! Now they'll have to release him!" It was then that someone knocked on the old, worn down door. It wasn't a friendly knock either. In fact, they were three sharp, slow bangs. Warren looked around at them all. His eyes darted between the boys and he placed a finger over his lips to tell them to keep quiet before starting to cautiously tip-toe over to the door. Before he could reach it, the door was kicked right off its hinges and slid across the foyer floor. With a cocky swagger, Carol stepped over the threshold and glared at Insanity while grinning. She looked about as insane as he was. Particularly when she greeted them in a sassy tone; "Ding dong." Denix Vames - May 29, 2022 Nate pulled out the knife and let it fall. He healed himself. "It really isn't off putting to have you here. I've had to kill my fair share of Angels too. It's a long story. Let's just say that God use to me as his chew toy." --- Will returned the kissed as he brought his hands under his shirt. He moved his lips to his neck. Biting there. --- X appeared. He raised a brow. "If Donnie was captured and you don't know about it then Heaven must have taken him first. Both Hell and Heaven want to destroy him. I can only assume that Heaven got to him first. You need to talk to them. They should have given him up to you long before this all happened." --- Phineas smiled. There was a knock at the door. "Could it really be? That was quite fast." He opened the door. Before his eyes, Frederick The Great II was standing there with a dog by his side and basket full of chickens. His eyes widened as he covered his mouth. "It can't be! Frederick The Great?" Fred smiled. "It's good to meet new faces. I believe these wonderful animals are for you two." He gave the leash to Phineas who was met by the dog's happy licks and wagging tail. "It's an honor to meet you sir!" Fred raised a hand. "Please. I'm honored to meet a man of your title. I see that you are living in a great home." "Oh please! Come in! Come in! I never thought I would be having a man like you here." "If you insist, I shall step in." As he stepped inside, he looked around. "Ah! I believe you are this man's lover?" He held out a hand for Kasper to shake. "I am Frederick The Great but you may call me Frederick or Fred." --- Gabriel threw him across the room. Just as Donnie hit the wall, he threw his spear at him so that he was stuck to the wall. He stormed over to him. "I know what kind of sick person you are! So I know that you will hate the idea if I were to simply cut off your genitals. What will it be? An eternity of suffering or to be released from here and given a merciful cell in Hell?" He ripped his shirt open. Placing the feather all over his chest. "This is a warning." --- "It can kill you but I don't really care. And taste? Well, I guess there is something. I can't exactly describe it though." ,said Cory. "Do you want to try it?" --- "An officer named Kodi and a high school student called Autumn. "I became good friends with them when we saved....Phineas." Harris awkwardly grabbed his arm. "Um....I'm not sure when I should let you talk to him. Phineas was in a very emotional state when I freed. He's been in Heaven ever since." --- "Sam! Take this man! I want all of you to hide!" Insanity turned to Warren. "Stay with them. Protect this family!" Sam and the others would follow Warren as he carried Charles in his arms. Insanity glared. He raised his arms. Letting his wings expand. "Do you really think that you can just waltz in here and take what you want?" He flew over to her. Aiming his feet at her. "I won't let you!" He swung his claws.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Shadowess - June 4, 2022 "Shit man, sorry to hear it." Damien nodded. "Yeah, from what Lucifer used to tell me, He used to be an epic asshole. I wouldn't blame you if you're still pissed." He looked around the place and then down at the bracelet on his wrist. "Damn thing... I keep forgetting it's there and I'd be more helpful without it..." Desi and Rickster continued to work on identifying the spells that had been used. It would be another few minutes before Rickster's eyes snapped open and he lowered his arms. "I think I got it!" he said excitedly then ran over to Desi. They discussed the spells and what incantations would be needed to break each one before going about it. They each placed their hands on the walls of each room and chanted spells in unison. Considering how powerful Donnie was when he placed the spells, breaking them would require the power of both Desi and Rickster combined and even then... "It's not enough!" Rickster kicked the wall in frustration. "They're too strong for us both. We need something stronger. Something we could use as a sort of conductor..." Desi said thoughtfully. Rickster then glanced back at Nate, Damien and Oscar. "Or someones..." Desi turned and regarded them all thoughtfully. "We would need all of them." "So, let's do it!" Rickster "This could leave them all drained and exhausted. They'll all be vulnerable if we're attacked again after we leave." Desi warned. "It's better than sitting around here and waiting for them to come back!" Rickster argued then turned back to face the others. "What do you say? We need to link hands and 'borrow' your combined power to break all of the spells." --- Leaning against the desk, Parker let out a quivering sigh as he tilted his head back and enjoyed the way Will made him feel. He ran his hand through his hair and had to bite his lip a little to stop himself from moaning out loud. A small, quiet moan escaped him and he chuckled while blushing. "This is so hot!" he whispered. --- "Yeah, I had already come to that conclusion," David said seriously. "That's not what I need your help with. I have a sort of pass into Heaven so I'm going to go there to investigate." he then sighed and looked at Amelia who was staring at them while holding Oliver in one arm, biting the nail of her other thumb and rocking back and forth a little to try to soothe the still crying baby. "No," Amelia said firmly yet her voice was still trembling. "Amelia..." David tilted his head at her and gave her a pleading look. "I said no! I don't need a babysitter I just need my boyfriend back! I can handle myself!" "And what about Oliver? Amelia, he needs you and right now you're both vulnerable! What if he decides that Charles wasn't enough? What if, God forbid, he comes back and tries to take one or both of you? We can't risk it." David then turned to X. "They need protection while I'm in Heaven. Can you provide that?" --- Kasper shyly shook the man's hand and nodded. "I'm Kasper." he introduced himself in a quiet voice. He looked from Phineas to Fred, seemingly star-struck. "So many historic figures in Heaven... I know it is something I should have expected but I can't help but still be surprised." he smiled. "How did you come to care for animals in Heaven? If you don't mind me asking? Oh, and please let me take those off your hands!" He gently lifted the basket of chickens from Fred's arms and smiled at the poultry as they clucked at him curiously. He set them down carefully by the back door which led to the garden to let them roam and become acquainted with their new home. --- Donnie let out a sudden scream when Gabriel's weapon pierced his shoulder. The angelic steel burned him while the weapon itself pinned him to the wall. He was sweating now as Gabriel approached and threatened him with mutilation. He tossed his head to one side and tensed as the feather touched his chest. He struggled now to contain his pain. For a moment, he had an intense flashback to one of Lucifer's punishments back when he'd been caught conspiring to take over the throne during his reign. Lucifer had pinned him to the wall telekinetically and had burned the word "Liar" across his torso then an "X" on the other side. The flashback had been so vivid that for a second Donnie forgot where he was and whimpered as he recalled Lucifer's furious and dangerous glaring. Then he snapped back to reality and caught his breath. He turned his head back to look at Gabriel and glared at him. "Feathery bastard!" he growled angrily. "You touch me again and I'll be sure to make your beloved my next target! You hear me?! And trust me, I can find a dozen other things to violate him with!" he grinned, his eyes full of malicious intent. "How about I throw him to my followers and let them all take turns?!" he laughed. --- Stevie glanced at the bathroom door. He should really go to class. Maybe if he told the teacher he was sick they'd understand his lateness? But there was something so tempting and exciting about skipping class altogether to do something he'd always been warned against. Freeing, even. He smiled shyly and nodded while turning his head back to Cory. "Ok." his smile grew a little more. "Let's go." --- "Phineas?" Clementine's heart dropped. She remembered seeing him following Harris around. Clementine hadn't been involved with his enslavement but she hadn't stopped it either. Rather, she paid little to no attention except when Phineas could be used for one of her plans and even then, she had been cold and emotionless towards him. "He's free?" she asked nervously then glanced around. "I imagine he'd have a few things to say if he knew I was back... Oh, Harris..." she sat on the couch and buried her head in her hands. "I have so many enemies... So many people that I've hurt or crossed. How do I face them all?" --- Warren nodded to Insanity and hurriedly ushered the children further into the house to hide. Carol chuckled as she strode towards him. She didn't change form but continued to walk toward him with absolute confidence. "Something tells me you don't know who I am," she smirked then ducked out of his way, diving under his wings and sliding across the floor before springing to her feet behind him and aiming a sharp kick to the centre of his back. Her movements were both rapid and fluid as if she'd done this very move hundreds of times before. "My name is Carol Magpie. Royal Guard. Entrusted by Lucifer to capture and torture those who would conspire against him. And you, dear sweet birdie, are fucked!" Her eyes shifted to resemble the eyes of a goat and they began to glow red as they fixed on Insanity. "Unless of course, you hand over the man that you stole and release him of the curse you've placed on him. Then I will leave you and your family be... for now. At least until I'm ordered to torture and/or execute you all." she placed a hand on her hip and grinned at him. "Tik-tok," she added mockingly. Denix Vames - June 4, 2022 "If it means getting out of here then sure." ,said Nate. He let one of them hold his hand. --- Will chuckled at his comment. He unbuttoned Parker's shirt and began kissing his chest. He tugged on his belt before pushing some of his fingers under his pants. He kissed him slowly. --- "Of course. I will do anything to keep your family safe." ,said Xenos. --- "Well, I was looking for a job in Heaven because I wanted to help this wonderful place. Taking care of animals just felt right." ,said Fred. He sat on a chair where a soda appeared from his hand. He opened it before drinking. Phineas raised a brow. "What is that?" "Oh Phineas! You should have tried this before. It's soda. A rather great invention for delicious taste." Fred burped. He covered his mouth. "Excuse me. It also has quite a kick to it too. Care to try?" Phineas hesitantly took the drink. He sniffed it before taking a sip. His eyes widened. "Wow! Such flavor and energy! What is this?" "Coke." "It's amazing!" --- Gabriel pulled his weapon out of Donnie. Frustrated that he wasn't getting anything out of him. "You are not doing enough." An Angel stepped in. His uniform would be recognizable to anyone who had knowledge about this man. It was Napoleon Bonaparte who stood with his wings that were just as massive as his ego. Gabriel smirked. "Knock yourself out." He left the room. Napoleon walked over to Donnie. Never taking his eyes off and keep a cold expression. "I can assure you that what he did was child's play compared to what I can do to you. If you wish to not suffer then talk." --- Cory smiled. He was in disbelief. "Really? I guess we're both skipping class. Follow me." He led him out of the bathroom and to the football field. They sat behind the bleachers. He lit a cigarette and took a puff. "Do you still want to try? I won't make you if you don't want to." --- Harris sat next to her. He wrapped an arm around her. "By meeting them head on and talking to them. I know it isn't easy. Believe me. But if you just tell them how much you've changed and how sorry you are for what you did before, I'm sure they'll forgive you." --- Insanity laughed. "All you have done is kick me! Do you really think you are such a threat?" shadowess - June 4, 2022 Rickster took Nate's hand with a thankful nod. "Yeah, let's get the hell out of here." Oscar agreed and took Nate's other hand. Damien stared at his bracelet then smirked at Oscar's response. "No pun intended?" He chuckled as he took Oscar's free hand. "Of course it was. I intend all of my puns!" Oscar laughed. "Let's all stay focussed," Desi said while taking Damien's hand and then holding Rickster's with his free hand so that they all formed a circle. "Now then, for this next part, we will need you all to try to stay quiet so that Rickster and I can concentrate on our incantations. You will all start to feel your powers draining. You may even feel a little sleepy. That's normal and will take you some time to recover from when this is over." "Nothing a quick nap won't fix," Rickster reassured them with a wink. "What about my bracelet?" Damien asked. "It's already sapped my powers." "I'm not certain but my theory is that it has only halted your ability to utilize your powers but they're still there and we might be able to tap into them to charge our spell," Desi answered. "Fingers crossed then." Damien sighed. Together, Desi and Rickster began their chant. Within seconds, both Oscar and Damien felt the effects of the spell and began to feel tired, weak and even a little light-headed. To them, the spell seemed to go on forever but then, finally and with a loud cracking sound, the spells on the building all broke at once. Rickster and Desi stopped chanting and looked around the room warily before glancing at each other, then at the others. Both broke into wide grins. "We did it!" Rickster cheered. "All of you go ahead! I'll bring Cart-" Desi began but in a blinding flash that caused them all to cover their eyes, Rickster had vanished. "What was that?! Where's Rickster?" "I'll give you two guesses..." Damien sighed as he looked over at Rickster's dead body from earlier in the fight. "He was alive when he came to Hell with you guys, wasn't he? And those spells that you broke were keeping his soul trapped here... so now his soul has gone where it should've gone the minute he died." "Heaven! He sacrificed himself to put that bracelet on the child!" Desi gasped and covered his mouth. "Shit... I almost forgot he was still a living human..." Oscar admitted while scratching the back of his head. "Oh fuck... Ricky's not guna take this well..." "Oscar, take Damien with you," Desi said with a heavy sigh. "Nate..." he glanced back at Viktor who hadn't moved from where he was curled up. "Would you mind taking Viktor home? I'll-... I'll go and get Carter..." he said the last part apprehensively as he recalled the way Carter had behaved. --- "What was that?!" Rickster had shielded his eyes with both his arms and was now blinking as he tried to look around. "Guys?... Guys?!" he froze as he looked around. It looked like he was standing in an ordinary street but something felt different about this place. He felt... warm... light... safe. "Wha-? How-? N-no... no, no, no... I-I gotta go back! I can't be here! Why am I here?! I gotta go back!" he started to panic as he worried about the friends he'd left in Hell. For all he knew, they might still be in danger and in need of his help. --- It was taking all of Parker's willpower to stay quiet. He gasped then gripped the side of the desk suddenly and tightly when he felt Will's hand creeping into his pants. He kissed him back and another quiet moan slipped out of him. His hands moved over Will's chest slowly before reaching the buttons. He pulled at it, ripping it open and sending buttons scattering across the room. He wasn't too worried. He was pretty good at sewing so would likely fix them back on for him later. For now, caught up in the moment, he smiled into the kiss while his hands moved over his bare chest. --- "So, what? You want me to just 'sit tight' while Charles is in danger?!" Amelia stood and bounced Oliver a bit on her hip, still trying to calm him down. "For now, yes," David replied in a firm tone. "Amelia, please. Just go with X. He'll keep you both safe. Let me worry about getting Charles back." "But-!" "Amelia, the more time we spend arguing about this, the less time Charles has!" David interrupted her, effectively putting his foot down on the matter. When she looked at him defiantly with tears in her eyes, his own softened a little and he sighed. "Please. I'm asking you to trust me," he said softly. Although she clearly wasn't happy about the situation, Amelia sighed and relented. "You'd both better come back!" David smiled at her sadly and nodded. "I'll take that as an order." he chuckled then nodded to X. "Thank you." He vanished. Amelia wiped some tears away and continued bouncing Oliver in her arms a little for a minute before sighing and walking over to X. "I can't be here right now. Is there anywhere else we can go?" --- Kasper smiled at Phineas when he tried the cola. He turned his attention to one of the chickens that had wandered back into the house. He scooped it up, into his arms and pet its brown feathery back. He grinned, loving how soft the feathers felt and petted the top of the chicken's head with his index finger. "So, there are jobs in Heaven?" he asked, looking back at Fred in fascination. "I mean... I know the Angels here have jobs but I never realised that souls could get jobs too." --- Another agonised scream escaped Donnie as the weapon was yanked out of his shoulder, the steel burning his skin again on its way back out. He fell forward and lay on the floor, panting. Shakily, he propped himself up on his elbows as he looked up towards the sound of a new voice. When he saw who it was, he burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh, and what are you going to do, short ass?!" he laughed then spoke the next part in French. "You'll fail and when you do I will be ready to deliver agony so endless that you will beg me to send you to Oblivion! Winged pig!" --- David appeared outside the judgement halls of Heaven and marched straight into the main halls. "I demand to know if Donnie has been captured and brought here! He is a fugitive of Hell and must be handed over at once!" he barked, using a tone and pitch that he hadn't used since his days in the English Army, back when he'd been a living mortal during the second world war. It was enough to make the Angels in the room jump and whirl around to look at him. --- Stevie's excitement grew when Cory told him to follow him. He felt his heart racing as they snuck out of the school towards the field. He sat behind the bleachers with him and fidgeted with his hands nervously. If they got caught, they'd definitely be in trouble. Stevie had never been in trouble before. He was always that one kid that was somehow early to every class, kept his head down and got good grades. Doing something like this was wildly out of character for him but ever since he made his flute and killed those bullies, he'd been feeling different. Bolder, angrier and rebellious. Cory offered him the cigarette and an old part of Stevie told him to turn it down and just walk away. That it wasn't too late to go back to how things were. But that part of him was being drowned out by his newest desires. Why should he go back to how things were?! To being bullied on a daily basis, walked all over, and looked down on?! He was sick and tired of being treated like shit. All being good ever got him was a daily beating! But no more. Not THIS Stevie. This Stevie is going to do whatever he wants whenever he wants and if anyone tries to stop him... He thought back to the bullies and the effects his flute had on them and smiled. He then took the cigarette and looked at it curiously. "Thanks," he said nervously before bringing it up to his lips. He inhaled then immediately began coughing and struggled to stop. The hot smoke tasted horrid and hurt his throat while also making him feel sick. He passed the cigarette back quickly while still coughing into his free hand and blinking through tears. --- Clementine listened to Harris and the idea of confronting every enemy she'd ever made sent a shiver down her spine. She turned and hugged him tightly, wanting to feel that calming effect again that she had gotten from their hug before. "I'm scared," she admitted in a whisper. --- "Oh, darling." Carol shook her head and took up a stance. "I'm just getting started. As much as I would love to have a proper dance of death with you though, I'm afraid I'm a little short on time." she glanced towards the staircase where the others had run to earlier. "So, I'm just going to have to speed things up a bit." She darted towards him suddenly then jumped at the wall to kick herself off it and land behind him again. There she attempted to grab around his neck, trying to put him into a headlock. Denix Vames - June 5, 2022 Nate lifted Viktor off the floor and teleported him to a bedroom in the mansion. "You're safe now." He stepped out of the room. Knowing that he would have to tell Ricky the truth. --- "Your friends are safe. They broke the barrier. You are in Heaven now." ,said Gabriel. --- Will's wings sprouted before they vibrated. He pinned Parker to the floor where he unbuckled him. Pulling his pants off. He left a trail of kisses on his thigh. --- "There are two options. I could take you to my family's home or to the facility. Either one will be very private. No one knows where both locations are except for my agents." ,said Xenos. --- "Oh, I'm an Angel but I'm sure a soul is allowed to help as well. You can talk to someone about that. Or I could tell them about you. Making a suggestion for you both." ,said Fred. "That would be great. Thank you." ,said Phineas. Fred could hardly look at them suddenly. He appeared to have tears. "Frederick?" "Forgive me. It's been so long since I've had the chance to find love. Seeing you two like this reminds me of my previous relationships." --- Napoleon glared. He was about to say something when he heard David. He grit his teeth. "Damn Demons!" He appeared in front of David. "Before we can bring Donnie over to Hell, we will need to extract information from him. You will wait. After all, he has also deeply upset Heaven. And I am above your title. I did replace Michael after his death." --- "Just take some deep breaths. You'll be fine." ,said Cory. He took another puff. --- Harris frowned. "I know but I'll be there to help you." --- Insanity struggled in her grip. "Do what you will to me! There will still be another to keep my family alive!"
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