Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - June 5, 2022 When Damien would go near him, Carter would sit up and stab him in the leg. He laughed. He raised the knife. Attempting to stab him again. Shadowess - June 5, 2022 Not long after Nate appeared in the mansion, Oscar and Damien teleported into the kitchen. Atma was still in the kitchen with Bryce, drinking tea and had paused mid-sip to look up at them hopefully but then hesitated when she saw the grim looks on both of their faces. "Viktor-?" She asked quietly. "He's fine," Oscar said quickly. "Nate's bringing him home now... Where's Ricky and the others?" "I-I think they're still upstairs. What happened? Is everything alright?" Atma tried to ask but Oscar was already heading out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Meanwhile, Damien was staring at Bryce warily as he calmly and tiredly moved around the island counter to sit at the opposite end. Viktor was still shaking as he lay on the bed. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Bryce being murdered again. Which in turn brought back horrid memories of his parents being murdered. He broke into quiet sobs and covered his face. "Bryce..." --- Rickster stopped and stared at Gabriel for a long moment. "Why?" he asked in shock. He then shook his head and turned around to look around at the street once more, struggling to believe he was in Heaven. "I mean... Why me? I did awful things. I don't deserve to be here." he turned back around to look at Gabriel. "What about Ricky? How do I get back to him now?... Can I even get back to him now?" his heart sank at the thought that he might not be able to go back. He'd assumed that his death would just mean he'd stay in Hell. At least then he could've asked David to make him into a Demon, but now? He wasn't sure. --- Tilting his head back, tossing it this way and that, Parker strained to contain himself as the vibrations pulsed through him. His breaths became more ragged, particularly at Will's kisses. He reached over to his pants which had been thrown to one side and pulled the leather belt from them. He then folded it over and bit down on it to muffle the sound of his moans. His eyes alight with excitement, he grinned at Will. --- Kissing the top of Oliver's head gently, Amelia thought about X's words. By now Oliver's cries had calmed again into fearful whimpers. "I'll let you choose," she said finally then shifted Oliver in her arms. "Would you mind holding him while I pack a few things?" --- "I wouldn't know what I'd do." Kasper shrugged, referring to the idea of getting a job in Heaven. He then frowned and shared a looked with Phineas. "Please don't be sad. I'm sure you'll find someone." He sat in one of the wicker chairs. "When I died, I thought that I'd never find real love. But then I met Phineas and everything just sort of clicked into place. I don't know if there's such a thing as a soul mate, but the way I feel when I'm with him... It's like I'm finally, really home." he smiled. --- Having no idea that David was the reason behind Napoleon's departure, Donnie laughed loudly as he watched him vanish. He then sat up and moved over to the wall to lean against it and gripped his shoulder. He looked at it and grimaced. It wasn't healing. Of course, it wasn't. His abilities had been muted so he couldn't heal his own wounds anymore. David was a little surprised to see Michael's replacement. His surprise soon gave way to anger though and he glared at him. "On the contrary, the only rank above mine is that of my QUEEN and not any Angel in Heaven! and Donnie is a Demon, therefore not your jurisdiction! Any questions you have for him, feel free to make me aware of when you hand him over and I will be sure to question him for you," he argued back determinedly. --- Nodding and with a couple of tears dripping from his eyes, Stevie took some deep breaths until he felt better again. Wiping the tears away he laughed nervously. "Somehow, I never thought that the smoke would be hot... Seems really obvious now." --- With red cheeks, Clementine slowly let go of Harris and faked a cough into her fist as she tried to sit up straight. Going as far as to straighten up her clothes as best she could. She realised she'd been opening up to Harris almost continuously since they'd been reunited, which was understandable given everything that had happened but she felt like she was losing touch with who she was. Like she was becoming someone else entirely and by simply being around Harris, she was changing. "S-so, you said an officer and a child live here? Are they father and daughter?" she asked, trying to focus on something else. --- Carol wrestled to keep Insanity in a headlock and seethed at his words. "Too easy." she glanced at the staircase again and grinned. "Normally I'd be opposed to hurting kids but let's face it, those ones upstairs are only a couple of years off adulthood by this point. Maybe I should flay them? Do it in front of you? I'll hang them from hooks by their feet so that they choke on their own blood too. Unless of course, you reverse the curse on Charles and hand him over." she growled into his ear. "Oh, and I want to make this absolutely crystal clear. If Charles dies, I'm going to take your children from you one by one and dip them head first into Hell's lava. Do we have an understanding?" --- Crying out, Desi fell to his knees just as soon as he'd teleported into the room. Blood poured out of the fresh wound, leaving a small puddle on the stone floor. He looked at Carter in surprise. "Carter?!" He rolled out of the way just as he brought down the knife again and stared at him. He was half tempted to use his ability to convince him to stop but knew it wouldn't work. Especially not after Sebastian had already broken his spell once before and his second attempt had failed, resulting in a gruesome death. He highly doubted a third attempt would be beneficial. He couldn't simply take him back home like this either. He'd be a danger to anyone he came across, particularly if he decided to start hunting Devils for his meals. Desi had no choice but to try to talk him down. "Carter, listen to me. This isn't you. You've suffered a traumatic experience but we can help you! L-Look, the spells are broken and Donnie has abandoned this place! We can go home now! We can get you the help you need but first, you need to put down the knife and calm down!" Denix Vames - June 5, 2022 A sudden shot rang out. Bryce raced to the sound. He opened the door. Nate stood there in tears where Ricky laid on the floor. There was a bullet wound to his head. A gun laid nearby. Blood was around him. "He did it so fast. I didn't know. I couldn't....I'm sorry." --- "You have done enough good deeds to be considered someone who belongs in Heaven. You can return to earth by becoming an Angel. Someone can train you." ,said Gabriel. Ricky suddenly appeared. "Rickster!" He hugged him tightly. Gabriel frowned. "You shouldn't have done that. He would have gone back to you in a short time. But I guess now you are both here. So, I can give you both two choices. You can stay in Heaven or become an Angel so that you can go wherever you like." --- Will smirked. He pulled his own pants off. The fun was just beginning. (private time) --- "Of course." Xenos held him. He looked at the child with such love. "He reminds me of my son somehow." He held her hand once she was done packing. They appeared in Xenos's home. "My wife and child will keep you company. They're wonderful people. I'm sure you'll get along." --- Fred smiled. "Thank you both. You're truly kind. I can give you the list of jobs that we have here if you would like to take a look at them?" "That would be great." He pulled out the list from coat's pocket. Handing it to Kasper. "We keep the same jobs as on earth in order to have a societal home. It brings back memories of our time as a mortal. It can be very pleasant." --- Balconi forced himself to stand. He limped over to Donnie. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he began to heal him. "I can take you to Hell. But don't get any wrong ideas. I'm going to take you to David. I know he'll make you a better person." Napoleon laughed. "You are surely mistaken, British pig. I am not doing this for anyone but myself. You see, Heaven needs a better leader. One that can speak for the people. God is merely a pathetic King. Just like you have a pathetic Queen." He smiled confidently. "People still respect me enough to listen. Does anyone respect your English kind?" --- "Some people get used to it. I only started smoking because I needed to distract myself." ,said Cory. --- "Technically. He took her in. So, you could say she's his stepdaughter. She's really sweet but sometimes her attitude will come out to play. I don't blame her though. Before she met us, she had abusive parents. She almost killed herself when a different officer convinced her not to." ,said Harris. --- "Sam! Give Charles over! Right now!" Sam reluctantly laid Charles in front of Insanity. All while glaring at Carol. "This isn't over. We'll get the chance to win again. And when we do, I'll skin you myself." ,said Sam. "Stand back. Now, let me go. I'll fix this." Once he had some space, Insanity laid his hands on a very old looking Charles. He could feel him turning into ash. With his powers, he returned Charles's energy. He knew it wouldn't be enough so he cut his wrist. Allowing his blood to drip onto his ashes. The ashes burst into flames as the swirled around like a small tornado. In an instant, Charles appeared young but completely different. He had short black hair, five o'clock shadow, black suit, and brown eyes. "Is that you, Charles?" ,asked Insanity. Charles looked at his hands then everything else. "I think so." --- Carter continued to giggle as he stood. He walked over to him with the knife raised. Shadowess - June 7, 2022 Oscar had also run into the room and ground to a halt when he saw Ricky's body. "Shit!" He gasped then looked over at Nate. "H-hey, this isn't your fault," he said shakily. "Shit... what do we do? Can we do anything?" "What happened?" Atma's voice approached the door and Oscar darted out to stop her from walking in. After a few hushed words outside the room, Atma could be heard breaking into sobs. Oscar poked his head back into the room. "Bryce, would you mind comforting Atma for a bit? You two seem to get along. Also, Nate brought Viktor back earlier. He looked like he could use some comforting too. Nate, which room did you put him in?" Oscar then looked around and down the halls. "Leo? Leo, we're going to need your help!" he called before looking back at Nate. "Go get a drink, buddy. We'll handle this," he said gently. --- Rickster had been in enough shock as it was before Ricky appeared and hugged him. He barely heard Gabriel's words as he tried to make sense of how Ricky could be here too. Then the realisation dawned on him and he gently pushed Ricky off him to give him a hurt stare. "You didn't? Please tell me you didn't?!" Tears filled his eyes. "Wha-? Did you really think I'd be happy?! I would've come back to you, you fool! You made me a promise! I was counting on you! I trusted you!" --- Oliver calmed down in Xenos's arms and stared up at him curiously. His little eyes were still watery from crying and even though Xenos was a stranger to him, he didn't sense any danger as he had earlier. Amelia packed quickly and then hurried back to Xenos, who teleported them to his home. She looked around curiously just as Tia walked into the room from the direction of the kitchen. She'd heard Xenos's voice so had come into the room to greet him but paused when she saw Amelia and the baby. She looked at Xenos questioningly. --- Kasper looked at the list and felt his cheeks turn a faint shade of red. "I er-... I've never had a job before. I'm not sure what I would be good at," he admitted. "My parents wanted me to grow to be a 'hunter' like them but I could never bring myself to join them whenever they went out. Other than that, I generally had no need for a job. My family was wealthy and I lived in my parent's mansion... I never learned how to earn my own living." --- Donnie grunted from the pain and then rested his head against the wall with his eyes closed as Balconi healed him. He opened his eyes again to look at him when he said he'd take him to Hell then glanced towards the door before nodding. "Take me out of here, Angel," he said while looking back at him. "Before the lunatic comes back." David rose an eyebrow at Napoleon's words then noticed a certain, very heavily armoured Angel appear behind the prideful Angel. The armoured Angel looked incredibly angry with Napoleon but hadn't yet alerted him to his presence. "So much racism for such a little Angel." David's smirk grew a little as he spoke. "And blatant blasphemy too, here of all places. Isn't that a sin? Look, I don't have time for these games. Hand over Donnie now and we can avoid a diplomatic incident. One that I'm sure, after all the work we've put into achieving peace, we would all very much prefer to avoid." --- Stevie nodded but felt a little awkward so he stayed quiet. He knew what Cory was referring to and didn't want to remind him further by asking questions about it. "So, this is what you do? You come out here and just smoke until lessons are over? Doesn't that get boring?" --- "So young?" Clementine gasped, shocked to hear that the girl who lived here had once been ready to end her own life. "Then it's a good thing she's away from that life now. So, how then did you end up living with them?" she asked curiously. --- Warren had come into the room with Sam to watch over him in case Carol decided to attack. He stayed silent but glared at Carol continuously. "Promises, promises," Carol smirked at Sam's threat then watched quietly as Insanity tried to bring Charles back from the brink of destruction. She was already very angry after watching Charles turn to ash but to then see the way he was brought back she couldn't help but glare at Insanity. "What is this? What have you done to him? You've tainted him with your blood!" she snapped at him then hurried forward to kneel beside Charles. "My King, are you alright? We need to leave," she said worriedly while also revealing the reason she'd risked her life for him. She believed him to be Lucifer's son, which in turn made her loyal to him just as she had once been to Lucifer. After all, she had made an oath to stand by Lucifer and aid him 'by any means necessary'. So, why couldn't that oath extend to his family? She hadn't just been an interrogator as she had told them. She had been one of Lucifer's most loyal servants and skilled fighters. Always ready to defend her King from his enemies. She glared at Insanity once more but seemed to swallow a small amount of her pride. "A deal's a deal. I'll leave your children be and we'll leave peacefully." she then pointed at him, seething. "But this isn't over, usurper!" --- Desi scrambled away from Carter. His mind raced, trying to think of ways he could defend himself without hurting Carter. "Carter! Stop!" he gasped. He got to his feet with a wince and limped away from him while maintaining eye contact. "Carter, you don't have to do this! This isn't you! Think about this! What would Sebastian say if he saw you like this? You want to go home to him right? You can but first, you need to calm down and put down the knife!" Denix Vames - June 7, 2022 Nate and Viktor left the room. Nate would tell him where he placed Viktor. But first, Bryce went to Atma. Wrapping an arm around her. "It's going to be alright. We'll get through this." Leo appeared. When he saw who it was, he was reminded of his doubtfulness on Ricky in the beginning. He picked him up. "What can I do?" --- Ricky's eyes widened. Tears ran down his cheeks. "I'm sorry! I just couldn't think! When I heard, I was....! Please! You have to understand!" --- "These are some of my friends. This is Amelia and her son, Oliver. They need a safe place to stay in until the situation is over. Her husband was kidnapped and is possibly dying. Please make them feel at home." ,said Xenos. --- "You are talking to someone who was also born into a rich family. Yet, I still found a job here. I'm sure you can find one too. You just have to explore." Fred stood. Walking over to the door. "I should be going now. I'm sure there's more souls out there who have requested plenty of other animals." He smiled. "I hope to see you both again soon." "Come visit at anytime." ,said Phineas. "Thank you." Fred left. Phineas appeared to look like a fangirl who had just seen their favorite celebrity. "Can you believe it? Frederick The Great was in our house! Pinch me for I must be dreaming!" --- "Do you mean Napoleon? He's not a lunatic. I don't know where you got that idea." ,said Balconi. He grabbed his arm. They appeared at the cages. He threw him into one before locking it up. "Just have to be extra careful." --- Napoleon glared. "How many times must I say that I am not short?! And you will not be getting that pesky little demon! He is mine to punish!" He took some steps forward as he spoke. Balconi appeared in front of him. Surprising the man. "Don't worry, David. I've got Donnie in one of Hell's cells." "Wha...? How did you....?" "Also I'd apologize to your boss about that whole taking God down thing." He pointed behind him. Napoleon turned to find the Armored Angel standing there. His face became pale. He fell back and began pushing himself away. "Please! Have mercy!" --- Cory shrugged. "Sometimes I sleep or watch the day go by. Other than that, it's sort of like being in my own personal safe haven. I get to feel calm and happy for once." --- "Long story short? Amelia taught me a lesson when I was being the villain. Then I got so scared of the idea of a permanent death that I went into the program. Kodi is the officer who's making sure that I behave." ,said Harris. --- "Please don't bow." ,said Charles who covered his mouth when he suddenly heard a British accent coming out of it. "Oh shit..." He smirked then. Realizing that he truly was the King of Hell. "Carol, take these people down. Knock them out so that we can place them in the cells." He glared at her with glowing eyes. "Now." --- Carter nearly stabbed him when he heard the name Sebastian. At first, he froze. The knife fell out of his hand as tears left him. His smile turned into a frown. His laughter had become sobs. He collapsed to his knees where he covered. Sobbing louder.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Shadowess - June 7, 2022 Oscar walked back into the room with Leo once Bryce had gone to Atma. He looked at Ricky's body and shrugged while shaking with head with a heavy sigh. "I don't know... I don't think there's anything we can do..." he answered while looking at the bullet wound. "He's gone... he's not in here anymore..." he pointed to the body. "We should probably take the body down to the morgue... plan a funeral. He was brought back to life as a second chance and his sins were forgiven... so he's probably already in Heaven and out of reach. The only way he and Rickster can come back now is if they decided to become Angels and from what I hear... that could take years." he glanced back to the door. "The main thing we should focus on now is those guys out there. They've all been through hell... so they're all going to need our support." he looked back at Leo and gave him a weak, teary smile. "I'm so glad I get to see you again." "He took me in..." Atma sobbed quietly and then turned to hug Bryce. "H-He helped me when I had no one... V-Viktor! We should go and see if he's ok!" Sebastian had heard the commotion and could smell death in the house. He'd rushed towards the room and stopped when he saw Bryce comforting a distraught looking Atma and the expression on Nate's face. "What's happened? Where's Carter?" he asked worriedly. --- "I asked you to do one thing!" Rickster snapped, his voice breaking. "Look out for Neva! How're you going to do that from here, huh?! I didn't want THIS!" he gestured to Ricky. "How do you think this makes me feel?! You've hurt me by hurting yourself! Do you realise that?! Dammit! I risked my life to try and make sure you'd still have one! To make sure you'd be safe!" Rickster covered his mouth and stared at Ricky for a minute as tears continued to roll down his cheeks. As if he still couldn't believe he was here with him. "I can't believe you! I can't-! No..." he turned away from him and sank to his knees, gripping the sides of his head as he sobbed. As much as he tried to be angry with Ricky, he actually did understand him. He couldn't imagine how he'd have reacted if the roles had been reversed. Still, he couldn't help but feel hurt that Ricky would throw his life away so quickly and after everything Rickster had done to try to protect him. He felt betrayed. --- "Fiance..." Amelia corrected Xenos. "We're not married yet. He'd proposed right before..." she trailed off, upset. Seeing this, Tia's expression softened and she nodded to Xenos. "I was about to make dinner. Do you like steak?" Amelia sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Who doesn't?" she chuckled and Tia grinned. She walked over to Amelia and gently took the bag from her. "There's a spare room upstairs that you can use. I'll show you." "Thank you." Amelia then turned to Xenos and carefully took Oliver into her arms, just wanting to keep him close to her. The baby cooed and gripped Amelia's shirt tightly. Apparently, he also wanted to stay close to his mother for comfort. Smiling at them, Tia couldn't help but place a hand on Oliver's arm as she said hello to him in a quiet, calm voice. "I remember when Jack was this small!" she grinned. "It goes by quickly. He'll be running around and getting into everything he can before you know it. Cherish this time while you can." She missed being able to hold Jack the way Amelia held her baby and almost wished she could have another. She glanced at Xenos and blushed before turning to lead Amelia to the spare room to help her get settled. As both women walked away, Jack ran in from the garden. He was covered in dirt and holding a stick he'd found. A bandaid was on his left knee and was wearing a red cape which was velcroed to the back of his shirt. "Daddy, you're home!" he cheered and ran over to him. "I found a sword!" he held up the stick proudly. "I'm guna get all the bad guys! Like you!" --- Kasper chuckled at Phineas and shook his head a little. "I would but I don't want to hurt you," he said and put the list of jobs down on the coffee table. "Somehow I don't think he's the last celebrity we'll run into here." The chicken he'd been holding had made itself comfortable on his lap and he didn't want to disturb it so kept petting the feathers on its back. "They're cuter in person! I never thought I'd get to hold one!" he looked at the little leaflet that had come with the animals. "This one's name is... Brenda? Apparently, she lived on a free-range farm and had a happy life." --- "Not that lunatic..." Donnie muttered then smirked when he felt the familiar sensation of teleportation...until he was shoved into the cell and heard the metal door clang shut behind him. "What? No! Why?!" Donnie whirled around and glared at Balconi. "But I'm powerless!" he argued but seconds later, he was alone. Looking around wildly, he hoped he would be close enough now for Insanity to hear him. "Insanity!! Insanity!! I need you!!" he started screaming as loudly as he could. --- The armoured Angel lifted a hand and merely snapped his fingers. Prompting the appearance of two similarly armoured Angel's to appear on either side of Napoleon. "You were given those wings as a gift from Him." the armoured Angel spoke. "Entrusted to you so that you may protect Heaven and its millions of innocent souls. Not so that you can abuse your power! How dare you show such disrespect and ungratefulness! Take him to the cells to await judgement." Immediately the armoured Angels seized Napoleon and began dragging him away. David nodded thankfully to the armoured Angel for stepping in then looked at Balconi. "Thank you, River. If we're done here, I'll need to go and-" "River Balconi, I'm afraid I must arrest you too." The armoured Angel turned his stern gaze to River next and David stared at him, flabbergasted. "Pardon?" "He has delivered a prisoner to Hell without the proper authority or any backup. You are aware of how dangerous Donnie is, he could have escaped. He could have tricked River or worse." The armoured Angel turned to River with a stern expression but regretful eyes. "What you did young Angel, was foolish and naive. I realise that you meant well but it does not take away from the fact you disobeyed direct orders and put lives at risk." "Oh, come now Reggie-!" David began "Raguel" The armoured Angel snapped at him suddenly. "How many times, David? It's Raguel, not 'Reggie'!" David lifted his hands "Raguel. Apologies. But come on, he's as you say. A young Angel. He's got a lot to learn and he was just trying to do the right thing. Surely you can allow this one little transgression to slide? Being arrested seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?" "You do not tell me how to discipline my Angels!" Raguel barked. "You do not have the authority here!" "I know! I know!" David said hurriedly, apparently, even he was wary of upsetting this Archangel. "I'm not trying to take over or undermine you here. I'm just trying to offer some advice. As one leader to another. C'mon. I know you know that I'm right about this. Donnie is locked in one of our cells. He's not going anywhere and no one got hurt." "He was ordered to stay out of this and to help clean up a hospital!" David winced and gave River a sideways glance before looking back at Raguel. "Granted. But he was just doing what he thought was best. Raguel, please. He helped to avoid an incident between Heaven and Hell. Surely that can alleviate some of the punishment? And I really hate to bring it up, but who exactly was in charge when Donnie was captured and gave the orders to keep him here instead of handing him straight over?" he tilted his head at Raguel who quickly glanced away. "I won't press the matter further. Just take it easy on Balconi." David finished. Raguel stared at David for a minute before sighing in frustration and then looked at Balconi. "I thought I told you to clean up the hospital?! Get back down there and help those mortals!" he ordered. Although it seemed harsh, he was actually letting him off the hook almost completely and without losing face. This fact would be reaffirmed as David subtly nodded to River with a small smile to tell him to play along. --- Stevie nodded again and stared at his feet for a moment. "Can I try that again?" he asked, looking at Cory's cigarette. He then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Who said we have to stay on school grounds to skip class?" he started slowly then gave Cory a mischievous smile. "Why don't we go do something fun? Take some risks?" --- "I see." Clementine stiffened. She was a little agitated that she had been destroyed outright when she'd been discovered whereas it would appear that her closest friend had been offered a chance at redemption instead. But then, she supposed, it hadn't been Amelia who had destroyed her. "So, this Kodi is one of the Demons who assist others in bettering themselves?" "Part-time," Kodi answered while walking through the front door. "The rest of the time I'm a police officer." he smiled. "Harris mentioned that." Clementine nodded. "He said you're a father figure to a teenage girl, too." "Been telling my life story, buddy?" Kodi chuckled at Harris. "Who's your friend?" --- Carol blinked at the sudden change in Charles's accent. She stared at him and a wicked smile grew across her face when he gave her orders. It felt just like the days his father had given her orders and she lived for that thrill. "With pleasure!" she purred while turning to face Insanity and slowly rose to her feet as if ready to pounce. That was until Warren jumped her from behind and tried to strangle her with his arm. "Sire! Take the boys and flee! I'll hold them off!" he managed to shout before Carol threw her head back to headbutt him square in the nose. Still, he managed to keep a tight hold on her while she struggled to break loose. "Get off me!" She growled, struggling to break free of his grasp. Meanwhile, still learning about what kind of Demon he was, Warren felt a sudden and strong urge to sing. It was such a powerful feeling that he couldn't help but start humming a tune into Carol's ear. At first, the scene seemed utterly ridiculous and even Carol looked baffled by Warren's reaction. Then she looked panicked as every muscle in her body started to feel heavy and tired. She tried to speak but couldn't bring herself to talk over his humming. She somehow suddenly felt like his voice was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. Enough to bring tears to her eyes as she reluctantly relaxed into his arms. Surprised that his humming could have such an effect, Warren grinned as he realised what kind of Demon he'd become. A Siren! Turning his head to look at Charles, he opened his mouth and began singing wordlessly at him, his power making every note that he hit sound smooth and utterly beautiful. --- Desi watched Carter's breakdown for a moment, half expecting him to pick up the knife again. When he didn't, he limped over to him and kicked the knife away with a pained grunt before slowly easing himself back down to his knees. He cautiously placed a hand on Carter's shoulder. "Hey, it's ok," he said gently. "You've been through a lot but it's over now. It's over. You're safe. You can go home now. I'll take you home, ok?" Denix Vames - June 7, 2022 Leo brought Ricky's body out of the room. Showing everyone what had happened. Ricky gasped awake. Causing Leo to nearly drop him. The bullet wound was gone. "What the hell?!" --- "I-I forgot! I just couldn't think of a life without you!" ,said Ricky. Gabriel placed a hand over his head. "I can bring him back. After all, it wasn't his time to go yet." Ricky began to glow. "Wha....? Rickster, I'm sorry." --- Xenos picked Jack up. He smiled. "Oh you sure are. But a good hero always keeps himself clean. I think you need a bath." He guided him to the bathroom. --- Phineas reached out to pet the chicken. Tears were in his eyes. "This reminds me so much of home. It feels wonderful to have a farm again. To have a home." --- Filled with hurt, Balconi clenched his fists. Tears streamed down his face. "I was better off in the cemetery as a soul." He disappeared. Napoleon struggled in their grasp. "No! Please! I was only doing what I thought was right! Give me mercy!" --- Cory chuckled. "Since when did you get so brave?" He passed the cigarette to him before standing. "Alright. Let's go. What's one place that you like to hang at?" --- Harris blushed. "This is Clementine. A very good friend of mine. I was wondering if she could stay here? She has nowhere to go." --- Charles attempted to cover his ears but it was already too late. He fell to his knees. "N-No....!" He soon fell over. Unable to cry out for help or move. "Tie them up and place them somewhere private. I need to fetch Donnie." ,said Insanity who disappeared. He appeared in front of the cell. "Donnie! What luck to see you here!" He placed one of his claws in the lock. "Let me just get this opened." --- Carter nodded but continued to cry. Shadowess - June 9, 2022 When Leo brought Ricky's body out of the room, Atma cried a little harder at the sight and buried her face in Bryce's shoulder. Sebastian was also in shock and felt tears stinging his eyes. "Where's Carter?!" he asked again, this time with a hint of panic in his voice. "He's here..." Desi answered, having just teleported into the hallway with Carter. They were both still on their knees with Desi's hand on Carter's shoulder, which he cautiously removed. "He's been through a lot." "Carter!" Sebastian ran toward him and landed on his knees, throwing his arms around him to hug him tightly. "Oh, Carter!" he sobbed. It was at this point that Ricky returned to life, shocking everyone. "Woah... That's not possible! You were totally dead and gone, dude! Like, cold already!" Oscar gasped and stared at him in disbelief. Atma lifted her head and stared at Ricky for a moment before running from Bryce's arms to wrap her own arms around Ricky. "You're back! It's a miracle!" "No..." Desi rose to his feet and glanced upward. "That's divine intervention." he sighed. "I see I missed quite a bit between you lot returning and us returning." he tried to walk away but staggered and leaned against the wall. Blood was still pouring from his leg and by now he was feeling woozy. "Hope you all don't mind..." he tried to walk again. "...But I sure could use a nap..." he fell forward, passing out. --- Still hurt and angry, Rickster couldn't bring himself to look around when Gabriel resurrected Ricky. He remained where he was, kneeling on the side of the road and sobbing with his head in his hands. In a way, he felt like it was his fault that Ricky had done what he'd done. That by loving him, Rickster had caused Ricky pain enough to end his life. "I hurt everyone that tries to get close to me..." he wept. "Am I cursed?" Rickster had always had his emotional guard up by default. It had always been difficult to get him to display any affection or sadness as he maintained his tough persona. But this? This had broken him. --- "No! I'm wolf-boy! I don't take baths!" Jack protested with a grin. "I hide in the mud and the bushes and sniff out the bad guys!" --- Kasper smiled at Phineas warmly and lifted a hand to caress his cheek. "Our home," he said softly. --- David frowned at Balconi's response and seemed troubled. Raguel however, merely shook his head. "I swear the humans get softer with each new generation!" he said disapprovingly then glared at Napoleon. "You will get a court-martial if I have anything to say on the matter! Now if I were you, I'd stop digging that hole of yours any deeper! Get him out of my sight already!" "Right, well... it was nice seeing you again Raguel. Forgive me if I don't hang around but I have some pressing matters to attend to. I suppose you'll be at the next peace talks?" David said hurriedly, fully aware that too much time had already been wasted here and he was anxious to save Charles before it was too late. "Of course. I will see you there." Raguel nodded. David nodded then vanished. --- Stevie didn't answer the first question. He blushed and shyly took the cigarette. The second time inhaling the smoke was a little easier. He smiled as he exhaled and passed the cigarette back then glanced around while thinking. "The arcade?" --- Kodi paused and stared at Clementine who looked away from him shyly. He'd only heard about her and had seen Harris having hallucinations about her. "Huh... Somehow I imagined you'd be much smaller." "I hit a growth spurt, it would appear," Clementine answered and Kodi chuckled. "Yeah, it's fine Harris. I'm always happy to help those in need..." he said then gave her a wary look. "Just don't get into any trouble," he added as he headed towards the kitchen. "I can't stay for long. I just came back to grab some snacks. Speaking of food though, any ideas for dinner tonight? I was thinking of maybe making a minted lamb joint?" --- Warren didn't dare stop singing. Somehow he knew that they would both immediately snap out of their trance if he did. Instead, he continued to sing while dragging Carol over to a chair, intending to tie her to it. As he started walking though, a figure appeared in front of him, causing him to stop in his tracks and his singing to falter. River had decided to teleport to Carol's location to see if they could talk things through and reconcile. He was surprised to see her in Warren's arms and at first felt intense jealousy, until he realised she wasn't reacting to anything at all and looked as though she'd been drugged. Rage quickly took over and before Warren could focus his singing on him as well, River had punched him square in the jaw. Knocking him back and causing him to lose grip on Carol, whom River caught before she could fall. Warren hit the floor, covering his mouth. Blood trickled down his chin from his lip. The few seconds that he wasn't singing caused both Carol and Charles to come back to their senses. River had been about to teleport away when Carol gasped and gripped his arm suddenly. "Charles!" she said and pointed in his direction. River whirled around to look at him and was taken aback by his new appearance. Still, if that really was Charles then they all needed to leave now before the Siren could start his song again! Just as he thought this, Warren jumped to his feet and opened his mouth while glaring at the trio. Wasting no time, River sped over to Charles and teleported the three of them back to Will's house before Warren could get out his first note. "No!" Warren cried out. He was angry that they'd escaped but also ashamed that he'd failed. He looked at the boys, then around the house quickly. "We're not safe here anymore," he said hurriedly. "Quick, pack whatever you think we'll need from here. I'll teleport us somewhere new and send a message to your fathers to let them know our new location. Go!" --- Donnie beamed at Insanity and rushed over to the cell door. "My love! They took them from me!" he said quickly then gestured to his foot, at the small band around his toe. "They took my powers! Hurry! That fool David will be here any moment to deliver me to Amelia. I'm certain she will destroy me." As if on cue, David appeared near Insanity and was surprised to see Insanity here. He saw what he was doing with the lock and immediately reacted. "No!" he rushed forwards to tackle Insanity, having no plan in mind but knowing he couldn't allow Donnie to escape again.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - June 9, 2022 Despite Sebastian holding him, his cries only became louder. Knowing that Donnie's family was still out there somewhere. Ricky cried as he hugged her. "I hurt Rickster because of what I did. I never want to see that look ever again. It was so painful to stare at." Leo shouted, "Desi!" He ran to his side. "Don't worry. I got this." ,said Nate. He placed a hand on his arm. Healing his wound. --- "Nate was a rebellious Angel. He attempted to find love so that he could get away from the harsh coldness that was our system. As Angels, we use to be told to show no emotions. Instead, it was our duty to do whatever task we were assigned to do without hesitation. I cannot tell you how many people I've killed because of His orders." Gabriel placed a hand over his own chest. "Love may come at a price but so does Loyalty. You are better off with love for it gives you freedom." He smiled. "I found love recently. It is a pleasure to have it everyday." --- Xenos chuckled. "That may be but you need to take a bath." He set Jack on the floor. He switched the bathtub on. "Now, get undressed and hop in. I'll bring you your bath toys." --- Phineas returned the expression. He kissed him. --- With Napoleon in a cell, Frederick had appeared in front of Raguel. "Whatever Napoleon did, I do want you to know that he only meant well. He's merely stuck in his ways. I'm sure you can relate to having old traditions for centuries only to have them suddenly change. Any blasphemy that he has said was merely emotional. Perhaps if you let him guard France then he will feel much better. I believe he misses his home. That is why he lashed out." Napoleon grabbed the bars. "Please! Someone let me out! I was doing everyone a favor! Heaven is a monarchy, is it not? Why should we allow this to continue?" --- Cory raised a brow. "I've only heard about them. They sound ancient. But sure. Lead the way." --- "That sounds delicious." Harris turned to her. "I think you'll like it." --- Theron started crying. Scared by what was happening. Sam and Dariel gathered a few blankets and sheets. Stuffing them into a bag. "I don't even know what else we would need but there it is." ,said Sam. --- Once Charles could move, he quickly stood. His eyes glowed. "That singing bastard!" He glanced out of the corner of his eye when he noticed David. Yet, he wasn't really here. "Hello? What's this?" He grinned. "I can see from such a distance? How incredible. Looks as though I have a Devil to punish." Charles appeared at Hell's Cells. Insanity dodged David's attempt and swiped at him with one of his claws. "Hello there." Charles stepped forward. Surprising everyone. "My name is Charles and you have just angered the King of Hell." He ran towards him. Insanity attempted to swipe at him but was meant with a hand gripping his arm. Charles grabbed his other arm. He headbutted him. Making him woozy. He grabbed a finger by his teeth. Ripping them off of his hand. One by one. Insanity cried out. Charles twisted his arm as he stomped his foot on his chest. He smiled. "Oh the things that I'm going to do to you!" He chuckled. "I think I'll torture you first then throw you into one of Hell's lava pits." shadowess - June 11, 2022 "It's ok. It's ok. It's over now. You're safe. You're home and I've got you." Sebastian tried his best to comfort Carter through his own sobs while running his hand through his hair and rubbing his back. "Oh, you silly man." Atma cried as she continued to hug him. "You scared us all here too. But it's ok. You were and still are in pain but we're here for you. We're your friends and we'll help you get through this. Rickster will forgive you, you'll see. I'm sure he knows that you weren't thinking straight. Just give him some time to calm down and he'll come around." Desi groaned and stirred. His eyes flickered open again and he looked up at Nate and Leo. "Thank you" he sighed. "But aren't you exhausted?" he then rose a brow at Nate, wondering why he wasn't too tired after he and Rickster had borrowed his energy to break the barriers. --- Rickster stared hard at the ground. "I shouldn't have yelled at him...I might not see him again for years and the last thing I did was yell at him...what is wrong with me?!" --- At first, Jack was ready to run when he was set down but at the mention of toys, his eyes lit up. "Can you bring my froggy?" he asked as he pulled off his shirt. The toy was one of his favourites. It was one that needed to be wound up and would then kick its legs to make it swim across the surface of the water. After showing her to the bedroom, Tia had left Amelia to settle in while she headed back to the kitchen to get a start on making dinner. Amelia's bag had been set down by the bed and a travel cot had been set up for Oliver by this point. Sitting on the bed, Amelia cradled the baby and caressed his cheek with her thumb. She smiled at him lovingly as she rested her back against the headrest. "I guess it's about time for your nap... you must be tired after all the...excitement..." Amelia sighed, moving her hand to wrap her fingers around his little fist. "Mummy is going to tell you a story," she said and her smile grew a little as she looked across the room with a dreamy expression. "This story is about how your mummy and daddy met. You see, your mummy was raised in a place called Hell." Amelia grinned. "Where you were born. And when your mummy grew up, she was put in charge of Hell very suddenly. This scared your mummy. Even though she had all of these big, ambitious ideas, she was also scared that she wouldn't be a good leader. That she might let down the people she was put in charge of leading. So, whenever things got really tough, she would run away to drink, smoke and do other naughty things... because she didn't know how else to cope. Because she was all alone. Sure, she had some friends but at that time, she thought that she was the only one of her kind left. But then, one day while she was trying to look for a friend, she bumped into a man instead." Amelia chuckled and looked down at Oliver who was staring at her, transfixed. "Your daddy!" she whispered and Oliver's mouth widened into a toothless grin. "Daddy cheered your mummy up and helped her to feel like she wasn't alone anymore. He promised to protect her and told her that she was beautiful. And mummy fell deeply in love with daddy. Together, mummy and daddy helped to stop a big war that had been going on since way, waayy before mummy was even born. And then they did something really amazing. They made you!" she lightly tapped Oliver's nose with her index finger, making the baby giggle. Amelia's smile slipped and she stared across the room with a faraway look in her eyes. "But now mummy is scared again. Scared because daddy was taken away and she's scared that he might not come back." Oliver's whinge brought Amelia's attention back to him and she saw that his lower lip was wobbling and his eyes were watering, threatening to cry again. She lifted him so that his head was resting on her shoulder and she rubbed his back while rocking gently. "Shhh. I'm sorry, squishy. I didn't mean to scare you too. It's going to be ok. Grandad went to save daddy so we have to trust that he'll be alright." --- Kasper barely noticed the chicken hopping down from his lap to explore the room as he lost himself in Phineas's kiss. --- Raguel's expression hardened at Frederick. "Why does everyone insist on testing my patience today? I can assure you that Napoleon will be given a punishment that best fits his crime. We can look into relocations IF he's lucky enough to still have his wings after he's been judged. For now, though, he will be left in that cell to cool off. Perhaps he can use that time to learn how to better control his wayward emotions? I would strongly recommend that you stick to your own profession instead of telling me how to do my job." --- "Awesome," Stevie said excitedly and looked around warily to make sure they wouldn't be caught leaving the school grounds. Once they were off the premises and walking down the street, Stevie relaxed and focussed on leading Cory to the arcade. "They're pretty old, yeah. But they've been popping up again recently. Only instead of paying per play, you just pay $10 at the desk for an hour and all the games are free." he then smirked. "Or we could just slip by the front desk and play for as long as we want?" --- Clementine glanced towards the kitchen then back to Harris and nodded shyly. "I could try it?" "Alright then. I'll swing by the butchers on the way home then and pick up a fresh cut." Kodi said as he walked back through the living room with a coke can in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. "Autumn will probably be coming by the station after school as usual. So, you'll have the place to yourselves for a few hours. Unless something catastrophic happens, I should be home for eight. Uh, Clementine? Things are a little tight here and I wasn't expecting to take anyone else in but I have some camping gear I can set up in the living room for you later? You're more than welcome to stay here if you have nowhere else to go." "I would appreciate that. Thank you." Clementine smiled a little, with a nod. --- "No, that's good. We might need it to keep warm." Warren said to Sam then turned to Theron, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be ok. Your dads are strong. Right now we all need to stick together and help each other, ok?" He then looked at the three of them and sighed. "Alright, everyone hold hands. Quickly." Once they did, Warren teleported them all to a place he never thought he'd see again. His old apartment. Thankfully, his father lived in a different place so the chances of bumping into him were slim. Since his death, it didn't look like the place had been sold yet either. Which made things far less complicated. It was only a one-bedroom apartment but at least it would be safe. "Alright, it's a little tight but we can make this work. There's a couch each for you boys. Sam and Dariel will have to share one, but something tells me that won't be a problem. Your dads and I will share the bedroom. This is only temporary until we can find somewhere bigger." he said as he walked over to the door and moved all of the locks across to stop anyone who might have a key from barging in on them. For all, he knew his dad might've hired realtors to show the place now and then. "Ok, the TV remote is on the table. I don't wana hear any arguing over the channels. You can take it in turns to watch whatever. Looks like I've still got power and heating, so that's good. I'm going to order us some food... hopefully my bank card hasn't been blocked yet." he sat at the computer in the corner of the room and turned it on. While he waited for it to boot up, he sent a telepathic message to both Insanity and Donnie to let them know where they were. Of course, Warren had no idea that Donnie had been made powerless as well. So didn't know that Donnie would not get this message. --- David was knocked back by Insanity's claw and wound up leaning against the bars while clutching the deep scratches that had been left across his chest. His now torn white button-up shirt was red and dripping within seconds. He had little time to focus on that however when a dark-haired male appeared and announced himself to be the King of Hell. He watched in shock as Charles quickly rendered Insanity incapable of fighting back. Before he could say anything, Donnie was reaching through the bars at them with a panicked look. "No!! Please!! Not him! Don't hurt him!!" Donnie's eyes quickly darted to David and he flung himself at him, putting his arm through the bars to wrap it around David's neck, choking him. "Let him go!" Donnie then said desperately. "Let him go or I'll-!" But before he could finish his threat, Carol had appeared and punched Donnie so hard that he was knocked back with blood spraying from his nose. Donnie fell to the floor and covered his nose with both hands while groaning as David stumbled away from the bars. Now clutching his chest as well as his throat and panting. Carol tossed her hair back with a satisfied smile. "Just like old times! I've missed this." she turned to Charles and tilted her head a little to him. "I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly." "Caro-? Char-?" David wheezed, trying to talk to them both quickly but was still winded. "What-?!" "Ohh, that's right. You don't know." Carol stared at David as her smile grew a little more. "Turns out Charles here is the rightful heir to Hell's throne. He's Lucifer's long-lost heir." "WHAT?!" Donnie's eyes snapped open and while still holding his face, he stared at Charles with absolute dread. "No, that can't be!" David had lapsed into stunned silence as his face turned completely white. He couldn't take his eyes off Charles and the more he thought of it, the more he realised how Charles had always looked familiar to him. "Ch-Charles..." He managed to mumble finally, still in shock. "Yes, yes. Charles is the son of Lucifer La Plague. Knew it as soon as I saw him!" Carol beamed. "Please!!" Donnie had gotten onto his knees and stared at Charles. "Please..." he swallowed hard, knowing that in light of this news and given their current situation, they stood very little chance of winning this time. "Have mercy?" Carol was still smiling but a fire had lit up behind her eyes at Donnie's grovelling. "The nerve!" she gasped but otherwise stayed quiet to let Charles have the final say. "It was me you were all after! I orchestrated everything! Punish me! Let my family go! I'm begging you!" Donnie pressed as he shuffled back to the bars on his knees until he could grab them. "Don't hurt them." Denix Vames - June 12, 2022 Carter whispered, "They're still out there." Ricky looked at everyone in front of him. He covered his face as he cried. "I was so stupid to do it in the first place!" "I...forgot...." ,said Nate as he passed out. Leo caught him. --- "You were only responding in the moment. Don't blame yourself. I'm sure he knows why you did it. Just like you know why he killed himself." ,said Gabriel. "And don't think of it as years. You may even return to him in weeks. It all depends on your will." --- "You seem highly sensitive about anyone giving you their own words. With all due respect, humanity is far stronger than Heaven and Hell combined. They are morally above us." Frederick turned his back on him. He slightly moved his head to glance at him. "If you really want to know why he said those words then I suggest talking to him like a real person." He disappeared. Napoleon looked at his hands. Thinking back to when he was a great leader. He realized now that what he did was terrible. Why did he want to bring God down? None of it made sense to him anymore. He got to his knees and gripped one of his wings. "I don't deserve these. I have betrayed God." He pulled hard. Crying out as he only pulled some of the wing off. Blood dripped down his uniform as tears ran down his cheeks. "I do not deserve mercy. Only torture." --- Cory smiled. "Sounds like a plan. How are we going to avoid the cashier looking at us?" --- Harris smiled. "It feels good to be like this. Talking to you as a friend." He gripped his pants. "That terrible version of me from before. I can still never forget him." --- Theron nodded. "Ok." Sam and Dariel sat at a couch. Theron sat at the other one. He hugged himself. Staring at the floor. --- "Oh?" Charles lifted Insanity off the ground as he held his arm. "And how do I know that your pesky family won't come back to free? To take out my soldiers?" He grinned. "Tell you what? Have your loverboy here wear an angelic wristband. They can stay useless in their own home. Begging for daddy to return." He let Insanity fall. He laughed at the sight of Donnie in fear. --- "Of course." Xenos soon returned with a few toys which included the frog. Once the tub was filled, he plugged it up and turn the water off. He poured some soap in which would make bubbles. He placed the toys in the tub. He twisted the switch on the frog and let it swim. With Jack naked, he placed him in the tub. He got to his knees and grabbed the sponge. Scrubbing Jack's back. Shadowess - June 16, 2022 Rickster didn't move for a minute as he thought over Gabriel's words. Slowly, he lifted his head and turned it to look up at Gabriel. "You really think someone like me could... could become an Angel?" --- Raguel scoffed at Frederick then glanced at Napoleon. He rose a brow at him and walked over casually. He waved a hand at the guards and they opened the cell for him, letting him in. He knelt beside Napoleon and stopped him from pulling on his wings by grabbing his hands firmly yet gently. "Do not be a fool. Those were a gift. One that you earned." he sighed heavily as he let him go. "Do you repent for your blasphemy? If so, I might be inclined to take it easy on you." --- "Oh, that'd be easy. We use something to distract them so that we can slip passed. Once we're behind the wall we can play all the games we want without them realising that we're even there. They poke their heads around once an hour on the hour too so that's the only time we'd have to duck down behind a machine. --- Clementine blinked at Harris, unsure of what to say. Kodi frowned then carefully tucked the corner of the bag of chips under the fingers of his hand which was holding the coke can. He then walked over and placed it onto Harris's shoulder with his now free hand. "You've come a long way since then. I'm proud of your progress. You should be too." he offered him a kind smile. --- "Oh, thank fuck..." Warren said under his breath as he checked his bank balance online. It hadn't been touched since his death. Seems like his father hadn't had the chance to clean it out yet. He quickly ordered pizzas for them and then moved over to the couches with the boys. He sighed and sat back, hating the fact that he couldn't help Donnie or Insanity but knew that protecting the boys was just as important. "I've ordered pizza. I didn't know what you guys liked so I got one full of meat and one pepperoni. There's cola and potato wedges coming too." he looked around at them with a frown. "I get it guys. You're worried about your dads. Probably wish you could go help, am I right?... me too..." he nodded. "But they ordered me to protect you. Because you're all important to them. Your dads are smart and powerful. I'm sure they'll be fine. For now, we just gotta lay low and look out for each other. Protect each other. Because that's what families do." --- Donnie flinched when Insanity was dropped and he stared at his beloved with clear, undeniable worry. David saw this. He'd always known that he was fond of Insanity but what he saw in Donnie now was something that had been absent in him when he'd first returned from Oblivion. Donnie was sympathetic to Insanity's pain. As if the very sight of his beloved in this state hurt him as well. David thought back to the day Donnie had been turned into a tree. Patience had said she'd done it because Donnie was pure evil and nothing else could stop him. But then he came back from that too and suddenly he was adopting children and was now showing empathy. David stumbled back as his eyes slowly moved from Donnie to Charles and Carol then back again. Then he vanished. Donnie was shivering, staring at Insanity. "Soldiers?..." He repeated after Charles then realisation flickered across his features. Followed by a malicious grin. "I almost forgot." he chuckled darkly then brought his tearful eyes up to glare at Charles. "Thank you for reminding me. WARRIORS!! COME TO DEFEND YOUR KINGS!" In seconds, the cell's hallway was filled with the demons that had signed Donnie and Insanity's contracts. A couple grabbed Insanity by his arms and pulled him out of Charles and Carol's reach quickly before vanishing with him. The sight of this happening brought a wide grin to Donnie's face and filled him with relief. At least now Insanity had a fighting chance of finding somewhere new to hide so that he could recover from his wounds in safety. Donnie had no idea if his minions would stand much of a chance against the likes of Charles and Carol, but considering the sheer volume, it was anyone's guess. But in the end, it was the very last trick Donnie had up his sleeve and right now he was desperate enough to try it. Meanwhile, Donnie's minions had Charles and Carol surrounded. Each of them wore old demonic armour and carried hefty weaponry. Carol backed up, away from the crowd and stood defensively in front of Charles. "JUST like old times!" she laughed nervously. "We've got this." --- Jack played with the frog happily while Xenos washed him. To gain some semblance of normality, Jack had recently been enrolled into a private school and had started to learn how to read and write. "Froggy! Froggy! Froggy!" he sang while dunking the frog in and out of the water as if it was diving. "Fuh-ruh-oh-guh-...ee?" he looked at Xenos questioningly. Once Oliver was finally asleep, Amelia placed him carefully into the cot. She moved to leave the room then paused and looked back at the baby with a frown. She knew they were safe here but she was still fearful after he was almost snatched. Her heart lurched at the thought that he could so easily be taken from her when she wasn't looking. It was enough to leave her breathless and shaking. Tearfully, she walked back over to the bed and sat on the edge, rocking a little out of anxiety while watching Oliver sleep. --- "And we're here." Sebastian pressed. "We've got each other. That has to count for something? Carter, I just got you back..." his eyes hardened while he gently ran a hand through his hair. "And I won't let them take you from me again," he growled protectively. "Ricky, please don't be so hard on yourself," Atma begged him then gave him a playful yet tearful smile. "That's my job," she added playfully. "Goodness!" Desi gasped as he watched Nate lose consciousness. "Well... Had you told me a year ago that I would be healed by an Angel, let alone be friends with one I'd have thought you'd lost your marbles..." he chuckled. A second later, David appeared and looked pale. He was still clutching his chest and his shirt was dripping with blood by this point but he seemed far more focused on something else. He marched over to Leo, stopping just a foot or so away from him. "The compass that Patience gave you. Where is it?" he asked with an air of urgency.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - June 16, 2022 "Anyone can become an Angel. So long as you have the will to do so." ,said Gabriel. He laid a hand on his shoulder. --- "Yes." Napoleon lowered his head. "I don't know what came over me. All I could think about was the way things use to be. I miss being France's leader. I need to know if they are free. If they are not, then will you grant me permission to free them once more? I know that in my position I shouldn't be asking such a thing. You may decline my idea." --- "Sounds like a plan." ,said Corey. --- Harris smiled. "Thank you." --- "Can't I kill someone? I'm feeling so bored." ,said Sam. "Do you even care about them?! They're our dads!" ,said Theron. "So? Besides when they die, we get to become Kings." He shouted, "You're nothing but a selfish liar!" "That is enough!" ,said Insanity who appeared. "I should have known better to believe that you actually cared about us!" He slapped Sam who glared. "If you're going to eat then it won't be with us. Grab yourself some food and get out of my sight!" "Fuck you!" --- Charles stepped forward. He smiled. "Hello bad guys. I guess you all forgot who your actual King was. Don't fret about that. I'll help you remember." He cracked his knuckles before punching a Demon in the face. He began dodging and blocking attacks. He easily ripped off some limbs. Throwing a few demons here and there. He released a gust of fire to the crowd. --- Xenos smiled. "Yes, that's correct. Froggy." --- Carter was shaking in his hold. "Never let me go." Ricky gave her a small smile. Leo faced David. Reading his face. "Are you fucking serious?!" He grabbed Carter and shoved him in front of David. "Look at what they did! Donnie will never be saved! He can never be saved!" Leo let Carter go. He stormed over. "Do you really expect me to give you the compass for someone like him?" Denix Vames - June 16, 2022 Travis was walking down the street after buying a new sketchpad. He accidentally bumped into someone. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" He could only write down sorry to the man on his notepad. "What? You a mute or something?" The man shoved him. "Freak!" Travis fell back. He covered his face as he saw him raise a punch. Shadowess - June 20, 2022 Rickster stared at Gabriel for a long moment then slowly turned to face forward. His expression shifted as he became more resolute and he slowly rose to his feet while nodding. "I'll do it," he said decisively. "No matter how long it takes or how difficult it might be. I'll do it." he turned to Gabriel and looked a little less certain. "So uhhh... where do I go?... y'know, to do that?" he asked while looking around. As much as this place might resemble Earth, he had no idea where anything actually was just yet. --- "France is free. More so than it ever has been." Raguel reassured Napoleon. "They are aware of the supernatural and were one of the first few countries to establish laws that protect the rights of supernatural civilians. France is a shining example of how those laws should be upheld." he then sighed and stood while offering a hand to help Napoleon to his feet. "But if it would bring you comfort and put your mind to ease then I'm sure I can arrange a transfer for you. Perhaps as an Ambassador between Heaven and France to represent the Angelic civilians who live there?" --- Just as Stevie said, getting into the arcade was a walk in the park. Up until now, Stevie had never dreamed of breaking the rules like this but he couldn't help himself. The thrill of taking such a risk was quickly becoming addictive. "Alright, we just gotta be sure to duck behind the machines every hour on the hour and we should be good to game until school ends," he said as they walked around the arcade. "What do you want to play first?" --- Nodding and smiling, Kodi removed his hand from Harris's shoulder and then left the house. Clementine had watched the interaction intently and couldn't help smiling a little. "He seems nice," she commented and watched Harris's expression carefully. --- Warren looked at Sam in shock when he made the flippant comment. But not nearly as shocked as he was to see Insanity and two Demons appear in the already crowded living room. He sat by and watched the argument awkwardly. As much as he hated seeing this family at each other's throats, it simply wasn't his place to say anything. After all, the contract he'd signed promised his loyalty to Insanity and Donnie and technically not their sons. Warren looked at the Demons warily as he stood before turning his attention back to Insanity. "I'm glad to see you're safe." he began then his eyes widened at the sight of blood and he followed the trail to Insanity's hand. "Sire! You're injured!" he gasped. --- Carol was having a blast. Darting back and forth to avoid the weapons while swinging a few punches of her own. Her attacks were precise and resulted in several dislocations and broken bones. She ducked to avoid Charles's fire then grinned at the sight of the demons that had caught fire running around, trying to put themselves out before vanishing. But as the order had been given to defend Donnie and Insanity, the demons that fled due to their injuries or out of fear ended up bursting into flames that quickly destroyed them as soon as they appeared elsewhere. As they were obliterated, due to the contracts they'd signed and despite the ring on his toe, Donnie felt his power reduce slightly with each death. No doubt Insanity would feel this too. Gasping and stumbling away from the bars, Donnie fell to his knees. If this kept up, he'd have no followers left and besides, he'd achieved what he'd wanted to do anyway. Which was to help Insanity to escape. "RETREAT!!" Donnie barked the order over the screams. "RETREAT!! FLEE! RECOVER FROM YOUR WOUNDS!!" His minions quickly vanished, one by one. All of them were injured in some way and looked terrified of Charles and Carol. Carol whooped victoriously and then while still trying to catch her breath she turned to look at Charles. "Just as I once served your father, I swear to be your loyal soldier... slash bodyguard, slash interrogator, slash bounty hunter... etcetera." She grinned. "So Boss, what are your orders?" --- Out of excitement and without much warning, Jack rapidly transformed into his wolf form. The transformation caused quite a splash and as soon as he became a puppy, Jack started swimming after the frog toy. --- "Never," Sebastian promised then glared at Leo when he'd snatched Carter from his grasp. "Hey!" he snapped and stood, not liking the fact that Carter was being used as an example without any thought or consideration for how that might make Carter or himself feel. "I don't have time for this!" David growled; indeed, he was looking frailer by the second. "I believe something has changed and need to know for myself if we're doing the right thing. Please. I have a moral duty to at least check." Sebastian was about to pull Carter away and into his arms when he heard David's words. His expression darkened and in one swift movement, his fist collided with David's face, knocking him to the ground. Surprised and hurt, David sat up and stared at Sebastian while rubbing his jaw. Sebastian merely kept glaring. "And I have a duty to protect the man I love! David, I have never questioned you before but I swear, if you do anything that results in Donnie being let loose again then I will never forgive you!" he then rounded on Leo, his expression just as fierce. "And you! Don't you think Carter has been through enough without you pulling him about like a ragdoll just to prove your own point?! Get off him!" he slapped Leo's hands off Carter to make him let go then pulled Carter into his arms. "Hey!" Oscar's eyebrows furrowed at this but the death stare from Sebastian made him falter. Taken aback by the way he was glaring and unable to help feeling like Sebastian was challenging them in a way. "Take it easy..." he said in a deflating tone. "I will not take anything easy while those lunatics are still on the loose!" David's coughing interrupted Sebastian's tirade. David had rolled onto his side to stop himself from choking and coughed up quite a lot of blood. He grimaced at the mess he'd made. "Apologies..." he wheezed. "Your carpet..." He wasn't too worried about what was happening to him. The wound Insanity had inflicted had been grave but if it would've resulted in his obliteration then that would've happened immediately. He knew that he was simply dying and would re-awaken in Hell. He frowned, knowing this meant he was likely already too late to prove his point. "I just wanted to know..." he looked up at Leo. "The knife that Patience used on him to make him into a tree... it was ancient and with powers that even the oldest Angels barely understand. Since his return, Donnie has been acting strangely. Still his usual foul self but... different. It could be nothing. Or it could be the breakthrough we need to stop him permanently." He tried to sit up again but he shook. The amount of blood that he'd lost meant that his muscles were far too exhausted to hold his weight anymore. "My theory is that when he came out of the tree it was like a reptile or arachnid shedding its skin. He left the rotting piece of himself behind and came out renewed." --- (Thought we could use some comic relief lol) Out of the alley, right next to where Travis fell, a small white blur darted out and latched itself to the attacker's leg. The fluffy defender, although tiny, growled viciously as it nipped and snapped at the assailant's heel. It was a stray pomeranian that had been sniffing in the alley for scraps and had been hiding nervously when it had heard footsteps on the street. But seeing a helpless human in danger kicked its old protective instincts into gear and it leapt into action without any regard for its own safety. Denix Vames - June 20, 2022 Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder. They appeared at Heaven's academy. "This is where you become an Angel. It takes some learning and patience but soon you'll be with him again." --- Napoleon was shocked. "Why do you show me mercy? I thought you of all people would have punished me severely for my terrible act. Do I not deserve such torture?" --- Corey shrugged. "Something to do with fighting?" --- "He is. He's a great friend." Harris looked at her. "Um...I was wondering if you wanted to visit Phineas? I think it would be a good idea to talk to him about everything." --- Insanity raised his hand. "Don't worry. I will heal. However, I have a little pest to deal with." He gripped Sam's arm and dragged him to a corner of the room. Sam pulled out his knife. Attempting to cut him. Insanity gripped his wrist. "You listen here boy! The only reason why you are alive is because you're part of our family! Start acting like it!" He shoved him against the wall. Letting him fall there as he walked back to the couch. "You two." He pointed at the two demons. "Find someone to babysit that mistake. He clearly needs to learn what it means to love a family. Take Sam away." "But-!" ,said Dariel. "You'll see him in a few minutes." Dariel frowned but nodded. "This is bullshit!" ,said Sam. --- Carter had fallen asleep. Becoming exhausted. Leo glared at David but sighed. "Fuck it." He lifted David off the floor. They disappeared. Charles smiled. He gripped the bars. "We'll throw him into one of Hell's lava pits." He whipped his head around. "Good to see you again, David. However, I've already made my decision as King of Hell. He's going to be sent to Oblivion." --- Xenos chuckled as he watched the scene unfold. He rinsed Jack's fur. --- "Ah! What the hell?! Get off of me!" The man shook the dog off before running away. Travis slowly brought his hand out. Letting the dog smell it. Shadowess - June 21, 2022 Rickster stared ahead at the building. He was anxious. What if he wasn't fit to be an Angel? What if he fell back into his old habits? What if-...? Rickster swallowed hard and took a breath. He closed his eyes, trying to quiet his worries. "For Ricky," he muttered before opening his eyes and marching towards the academy with renewed determination. --- "No," Raguel answered his questions simply while watching Napoleon carefully. "If I punished every child of Heaven for the crime of throwing a tantrum, we'd have no Angels left." Despite his very serious tone and expression, this was in fact Raguel's attempt at humour. He gestured to the cell's open door. "Come. We have a lot of paperwork to do to get you that transfer." --- "Mortal combat!" Stevie grinned. "Have you ever played it? It's so gory!" he said excitedly as he walked over to one of the older machines. "So, it's like a battle to the death kind of game and if you know the right buttons to press you can pull off some awesome fatalities," he explained as he pressed the start button, prompting them both to choose a character. "I like this guy," he said while selecting Scorpion. --- The question had caught Clementine off guard and she quickly looked at the ground while nervously fidgeting with her hands. "I suppose I should." She said thoughtfully. "I faced Amelia and Charles to atone for my past. The least I can do is show Phineas the same courtesy." she took a deep breath and let it out slowly to try to ease her nerves. "The sooner the better." she nodded while looking back at Harris. (They won't be able to go to Phineas in Heaven. Phineas would have to come to them.) --- The Demons nodded and wordlessly walked over to Sam to take him by the arms, intending on teleporting to a remote corner of Hell. There they'd simply watch over him until beckoned by Insanity. Back at the apartment, a knock on the door caused them all to look at it warily. "Pizza." Warren reminded them as he headed over and unlocked all the various latches before opening the door just enough that he could get the food and drinks through it without the delivery guy seeing what was going on inside. He smiled pleasantly and thanked the man before hurriedly closing the door and carrying the food into the room where he set it all down on the little table. He then walked into the open plan kitchen and took some glasses from the cupboards before bringing them to the little table as well so that the others could help themselves to the large bottles of cola if they wanted. "I hope this is all ok," he said nervously as he stepped back to give Insanity and his family the chance to get their fill first. He looked at Insanity. "This is my old home... It was the first place that came to mind when we needed to move locations. It's a little tight but it should be safe until we can find somewhere bigger." --- Lifting Carter into his arms, Sebastian walked out of the mansion and carefully placed him into the passenger seat of the car before buckling him up. He got into the driver's side and rested his wrists on the wheel for a minute as he tried to calm down and wondered if he might've overreacted. He worried that his fears might've caused him to push their friends away. He wiped away the few tears that had emerged while staring blankly ahead of him until he noticed Damien leaving the mansion as well. Sniffling and quickly wiping the rest of his tears away, Sebastian opened the door and stepped out to lean an arm on the top of the car. "Hey, Damien! Do you need a lift?" Damien stopped to look over and faltered as his eyes landed on the sleeping Carter in the passenger seat. "N-no, best not. Thank you though," he answered with a frown as he lifted his eyes back to Sebastian. Seeing the look on Damien's face, Sebastian's heart dropped as he put two and two together. But wanting to be sure, he asked; "What happened?" "They forced him to drink from me," Damien answered. "Until I died. Then locked us in a room together so he would get hooked." he sighed and scratched the back of his head while glancing back at the mansion. "Which is why I'm going to head to the airport and take the first flight out to the UK. I'll call Alex and Gary to let them know I'm coming. Look, I know they wouldn't want to hurt me but Carter and Bryce are going to have some pretty horrific withdrawals soon and without my powers, I'll be defenceless. So, it's best for everyone if I'm well out of reach of them both for a while." While watching Carter every so often, Damien took a cautious few steps closer to the car as he looked at Sebastian with a more sympathetic expression. "It's not going to be easy and it's going to get worse before it gets better but Carter is going to need you to stay strong. Be patient with him. Normal blood won't taste good to him for a while and he might even try to convince you to tell him where to find me. Please don't give him that information. Finding and drinking from me will only set him back. He might get angry with you. Lash out. Just remember, it's not him. It's the cravings. I'm-...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." The sudden apology at the end took Sebastian by surprise and he blinked. A couple of tears fell as he slowly shook his head. "You were just as much a victim... this wasn't your fault. You shouldn't be sorry." "But I should be! If I hadn't been an ass to you-... to both of you..." Damien clenched his fists and averted his gaze shamefully. "If I hadn't broken your wall and tried to go rogue then I wouldn't have given David a reason to restrain my powers... and Donnie wouldn't have had that advantage in the first place..." "Damien..." "Take care of yourselves." Damien looked back at him then glanced back at the mansion. "Take care of each other. If there's one thing that Donnie's antics have taught me, it's that you all stand a far greater chance of beating him when you stand together. He and his family seem to have an awful habit of picking us off when we're alone." he looked back at Sebastian and gave him a weak smile. "Stay safe, Sebastian." he nodded before beginning his walk down the street. "You too..." Sebastian called after him before climbing back into the car. He wiped the tears from his face and started the ignition. --- Not wanting to be carried, David opted for wrapping an arm around Leo's shoulders so that he could stand with his help. He found himself staring wordlessly at Charles again, reminded once more of how fierce and ruthless Lucifer had once been. Donnie slowly moved backwards, away from the bars as he glared back at Charles. He was shaking and sweating at the idea of burning alive on Hell's molten rocks. It had been exactly how Lucifer had destroyed him before and it had certainly been no picnic! Yet, true to his training and despite his fear, Donnie refused to beg for his life so as not to give Charles the satisfaction of breaking his spirit. "So that he can come back again?" David questioned. "I understand that you want to see him punished for his crimes but there must be a better way? Charles, please hear me out." "And I was so looking forwarded to roasting marshmallows on his burning corpse..." Carol rolled her eyes. Ignoring Carol's flippant remark, David pressed on. "I'm not asking for much. Just that we consider all the options here. When Patience stabbed him with the ancient Angellic blade, I think it did more to him than just turn him into a tree. All I'm asking is that you test that theory before making your decision. Use the Angellic compass. Prove me wrong and I promise I will drop the matter." --- Jack snapped at the frog a few times in an attempt to catch it as he swam. Each time, the smooth plastic surface would slip out of his teeth and he was be left biting the water. He stopped after a few tries and swam to the edge of the tub towards Xenos while hacking some of the water back up that he'd accidentally swallowed. He was silently asking his father to lift him out as he was done with the bath. --- The dog barked and yapped at the attacker as he ran to warn him off. Once the man had gone, the pomeranian turned around to look at Travis. Its ears folded back and it tucked its tail between its legs. It jumped a little when Travis reached out but remained where it stood as it stared at him nervously. Slowly, it padded towards his hand with its nose up to sniff at him. Its eyes were fixed on Travis's face as it took a few sniffs of his hand. Its tail, still between its legs, began to wag and the little dog let out a high-pitched whine as it walked closer to Travis. As if asking him for help. Now that it was closer, Travis would be able to see the state that this little dog was in. It had clearly been living on the streets for a short while. It was smaller than it should be from being starved and malnourished. Its fur was matted and dirty and there were a few scars on its tiny black nose. Its little body shook out of a mixture of cold and adrenaline.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - June 22, 2022 Gabriel gave him a hopeful smile before disappearing. --- "Thank you. You are far too kind. I am ever so excited to see my people. I wish to hear what they have to say. I wonder now if my actions have brought good things to them." ,said Napoleon as he followed. --- "Sounds cool. Uh...?" Corey looked over the characters. "I guess I'll pick this guy." He chose Sub-Zero. "They're almost matching except the colors are different." --- Harris blushed. "Oh! Um I nearly forgot. We can't go where he lives. He's in Heaven. I'll call him and see if he wishes to come visit." He closed his eyes. Giving his message to Phineas. --- Phineas was working on the field of wheat when he heard the message. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm. "Kasper? There are some friends that wish to see me. They can't enter here so I must go to them. Would that be alright? It'll only be for a moment and then I'll come back here right away." --- Sam swung his knife at one of the Demons. Insanity gripped his wrist and forced the knife out of his hand. Taking it. "No more knife privileges until you learn to behave!" He glared at the demons. "You best hold him good! Make sure he does not escape." He grabbed paper bag from the kitchen. He stuffed two slices in there and a water bottle. He handed the bag over to one of the demons. "That's his meal." Sam struggled against the demons who held him. "You can't do this!" He held a look of pure hatred in his eyes. "Oh but I can. And I will." "No!" Dariel stood. He ran over. "Please! Just give him another chance. I'm sure that he's sorry." Sam smirked. "As if!" Dariel looked at them. "Oh my god...." He covered his mouth as he backed up against a wall. "Have I really been helping the bad guys? All those things that the man said when you were all fighting. Were they true?" Insanity wrapped a hand around his neck. "Listen here boy. You are to do whatever I tell you to do. Otherwise, I will torture you endlessly." He cut his cheek with one nail. Dariel cringed. "Do I make myself clear?" "Please stop. Just stop hurting people." "Hmph! You've got a lot to learn." Insanity let him go and sat on the couch where he began to eat with Theron. Dariel curled up and cried. --- Once Sebastian parked at the house, Carter slowly opened his eyes. "Sebastian? Where's Damien?" Tears dripped down his cheeks. "Oh god....Where's everybody? I have to tell him I'm sorry. They were going to kill you if I didn't...." He breathed heavily. "His blood tasted so damn good. I couldn't stop. I hate this feeling. Please make it go away." --- Charles chuckled. "Alright. I'll entertain your idea." He took the compass from Leo. He glared at Donnie. "Come over! Now!" Once he was close enough, he would grab him by his shirt and place the compass over his chest. Waiting for the result. --- Xenos lifted out of the tub and on the floor. He began to scrub the towel all over his fur. Drying him up. --- Travis gently took the dog in his arms. He walked over to the precinct which was not too far since that was where he was heading. He stepped inside. "Malone! Malone!" shadowess - June 23, 2022 "Ha! Cool. He's got ice powers." Stevie said and in moments they were both mashing buttons in an attempt to make their characters kill each other. --- "Ok..." Clementine nodded and clasped her hands together tightly on her lap out of nerves as she waited for Phineas to appear while trying to think of what she might say to him when he does. --- Kasper had just brought out a couple of glasses of freshly made lemonade when Phineas told him he was being summoned by friends. "Oh. Alright." he smiled. "Promise me you'll be careful?" he asked, showing he was a little anxious about Phineas leaving Heaven. Considering all Phineas had gone through, it was understandable that Kasper would be worried. --- Once Sam was taken away and Dariel had started crying in a corner, Warren walked over to stand beside him. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded and regarded Dariel calmly. "They're not evil," he said firmly but gently. "They're harsh but that's because they have to be. They're the royal family of Hell. They need to be strong to punish evildoers. Do you see? They're not evil. They PUNISH evil. I did evil things when I was alive. That's why I ended up in Hell. They were going to punish me too but they showed me mercy. They took me in and gave me a new purpose. For that, I love them." he tilted his head and gave him a curious look. "Why were you in Hell, by the way? What did you do to deserve to be there?" --- Sebastian tensed but listened to Carter with a frown. He'd been so tempted to reassure him that Damien would be safe with Alex and Gary but remembered his warning about telling Carter his location. He bit his lip and thought through his reply carefully. "He doesn't blame you for what happened, Carter." he began. "He wanted you to know that... and also that he'll be going away for a while until your cravings are gone, just to be safe. Everyone else is back at the mansion." Sebastian turned in the seat to face him and rested his elbow on the wheel. "Listen. I wish I could snap my fingers and make your withdrawals disappear, I really do. But it's not that simple. It's going to be hard but please don't think that you're alone. I'll always be here for you. No matter what. Ok? C'mon, let's go and rest inside." --- Eyeing David questioningly, Donnie stood and nervously walked over to the bars. Not because Charles had ordered him to but because he wanted to know what it was that David had up his sleeve. He automatically assumed that it was some kind of trick. After all, with a history like theirs, why would David try to save him now? He jumped when Charles grabbed him and pulled him closer to the bars and didn't resist as the compass was pressed to his chest. The last time a compass had been used on him, the needle had immediately dipped to the centre of black. But now? Now it was spinning wildly as if someone had flicked it. Everyone watched it curiously and Donnie held his breath. Finally, the needle landed directly on the line between black and grey where every so often it ticked towards grey and bounced back to the line again as though trying desperately to move into the grey area. "Wh-what is this?" Donnie asked while still staring at the needle. "I don't understand. What does that mean? Is it broken?" "The compass isn't..." David brought his eyes up slowly from the compass to Donnie's face. He then looked at Charles. "I thought something was different. Charles, I strongly believe that he has slowly been changing since his return. Earlier, when you were hurting Insanity, Donnie displayed something that I thought I'd never see in him. Empathy." In a deep state of denial, Donnie looked at David and then back to Charles. He convinced himself that the compass was a very convincing fake that David had made to try to prevent his destruction. "So?!" Carol rolled her eyes. "Even if he is changing now, he's done so much damage already! He hurt Patience and got her pregnant, or did you forget that?! "Of course, I didn't," David growled. He was shaking on his feet at this point and clung to Leo to try to stay upright. "But we've saved so many others who committed horrid acts before. Why can't we save him too?" he pressed. "Because he's an asshole whose family targeted ours! All for the sake of power! David, I really hate to say it but you've gotten soft!" Carol argued. "I'm just trying to support the values that Amelia holds dear!" David argued back. "He. Won't. Stop. David!" Carol gestured to Donnie. "You really think him growing some feelings is going to change his ambitions?! You're putting lives at risk. AMELIA, your daughter, is at risk. All so you can save HIM?!" "I have to try!" "YOU ALREADY HAVE!!" Carol yelled, exasperated. "And he threw your mercy back in your face by raping the woman that you love! David... some people... they just can't be changed... not when they're as corrupt as he is." Carol turned her head to glare at Donnie who smirked at her in defiance and blew her a cheeky kiss. "He's just too foul," she added in disgust. "Besides, even if we put him on the program, his lover will just find him and derail him again..." Donnie chuckled victoriously. They couldn't destroy him because he'd just come back and trying to save him was pointless. They were out of options. At first, David's shoulders dropped as Carol's words hit home but then his eyes lit up a little and he looked up at them hopefully. "Unless he doesn't recognise him." Donnie's smile quickly vanished and he glared at him but David pressed on. "It's a little unethical but it might be our last hope. What if we wiped his mind and placed him on Earth to live as a Human? A clean slate, so to speak? We could watch over him and subtly prompt him to become a good person. Maybe if we are careful enough...he'll be human long enough...that even if he remembers who he was...he'll realise how terrible he'd been..." David's speech slowed dramatically as he was trying to get his words out. Then he paused and seemed to turn a shade paler. "David-?" Carol took a step towards them, worried. "I'm dying... it's fine... honestly." David said breathlessly. "GET OFF ME!!" Donnie suddenly screamed and tried to pull himself out of Charles's grip. The idea of losing his memories and, by extension, his family, had shaken him to his core. He was panicking. Determined not to let them win. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM ME!! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!! LET ME OUT OF HERE!! I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!! YOUR LOVERS AND YOUR FAMILIES!! I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET CROSSING ME!!" During Donnie's desperate and distracting ramblings, David slumped in Leo's arms. The last breath escaped his now lifeless body before it faded into nothing. A few seconds later, David reappeared standing next to Leo and fixing the sleeve of his suit. "Ah, that's better. Now then, I believe we'll need a potion. Much like the ones Clementine used to use. That is, of course, assuming you're on board with the idea?" he asked, looking at Charles. If he really was Lucifer's son, then the decision ultimately fell to him. --- Panting excitedly, Jack only stood still for about a minute before darting out of the towel. He ran by his mother who had to side step out of his way and she pressed herself against the wall to watch her son zoom around the house out of pure excitement. He ran up and down the stairs, around in circles and across the couches until he couldn't run anymore and collapsed, transforming into a naked boy in the middle of the living room floor, trying to catch his breath. Tia smirked and had to cover her mouth. She knew she had to pretend to be mad now to stop Jack from getting into a habit of running around the house and on the furniture like that again but she couldn't help finding it funny and she tried so hard to not laugh. Looking at Xenos, her eyes gave away her need to laugh as she struggled to stop the smile from spreading across her face. "I've got it," she said with a hint of a chuckle. Clearing her throat, she took a breath and stormed over to Jack. "Jack, we have guests in the house and I'm sure they don't want to see you naked!" she said in a firm but gentle voice. "and it's rude to run around the house like that! Look at the mess you made!" she pointed to the squished cushions on the couch and the flecks of water everywhere. "Go and get dressed." she ordered and when Jack groaned in annoyance she added a firm; "Now, please." which prompted her son to jump to his feet and run to his bedroom. Tia turned to Xenos and broke into a wide grin while shaking her head. "I'm going to miss these moments when he grows up." she chuckled. --- Hearing Travis, Malone knew immediately that something was wrong. After all, it wasn't often that he spoke, let alone shout through the precinct. He rushed up from his desk towards the foyer and then paused when he saw the dirty little dog in his arms. "Um... Is everything ok, Travis?" he asked as he brought his eyes back up to Travis's face. --- Damien was about to catch a bus when he realised he didn't have a phone or any cash on him. Not since he was kidnapped. With the bracelet, he couldn't simply teleport either. Sighing irritably, he trekked across the town to his apartment to pack a few things and grab his backup wallet. As he walked, his mind wandered and it occurred to him that Carter still had some Devil blood in his veins. He worried that he would realise this and come after him with his newfound, if only temporary, strength and powers. He also realised that Bryce wasn't exactly a normal vampire either and also had the ability to teleport to him if the cravings became too difficult to control. Meanwhile, Damien was practically defenceless to the both of them and to top that off he could no longer sense either of them if they began hunting him. In fact, he wouldn't be able to sense it if ANY vampire picked up his scent and started to hunt him. Anxiety quickly set in and he found himself walking quickly through town to get to his apartment. When he reached the gate he dialled the passcode for the door into the keypad hurriedly and quickly close it behind him. It wouldn't stop either of them but the action made Damien feel a little more secure and less open to attack. He ran up to his apartment and picked the phone up from the receiver, quickly dialling the number for Alex's phone. After hurriedly telling his son that he'd be taking a plane to the UK at the first opportunity, he put the phone down and started packing a few things into a bag which he placed on the foot of his bed.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - June 23, 2022 Corey was trying his best to beat him but wasn't doing a very good job at it. This was his first time at an Arcade. "How the hell are you supposed to do anything with these buttons?" --- Phineas cupped his cheeks. "Of course I will." He kissed him. After saying goodbye, he appeared in front of Harris and Clementine. Seeing her made him glare as he nervously rubbed his arm. He turned around. Unable to look at her. "I'm sorry. It's just...you were there when he took me away from my family. I didn't even know if you were still around or not." Harris cleared his throat. "Clementine would like to say something." Phineas sighed. "Ok." He looked at her. "Go ahead." --- Dariel sat up. He sighed as he hugged his knees. "I was tired of everyone bullying me just for simply existing." He shut his eyes. Thinking about the incident. "I killed so many people at my school and then..." He was shaking. "I shot myself. I know it wasn't right but at the time I felt like that it was justice. I'm sorry. I wish I could take it all back." He looked at him. "Do I even deserve to be loved? Does Sam even love me?" --- Carter could smell Devil's blood. Though Damian was far, he could tell where he was. He covered his nose. Trying to suppress his urges. "You have to force me! That smell! I can't stop thinking about it!" --- Charles suddenly laughed. "You really have lost it, haven't you David?" He grabbed a fistful of his shirt and threw him aside. Leo let go of the body before running over. Jumping high and swinging a kick at him. Charles gripped his leg and slammed him on the ground. Leo groaned. Struggling to get up. "Donnie here will be punished for all eternity by this beautiful woman right here." He had his hands pointed at Carol's direction. "Charles....This isn't you. Stop...!" Leo forced himself to stand. Charles punched him. Making him fall over again. Leo pushed against the ground. Hoping to get up. But instead, he passed out. --- Jasper appeared in front of Amelia. "You've got to talk to your fiance! He's going to order that Donnie be tortured for the rest of his life! The thing is David saw that the compass was leaning towards grey just a bit. Donnie can be changed! I was watching from afar. Spying. Please Amelia. I'll watch the baby." --- "Grows up? I didn't think about that until now." Xenos looked at the frog. "I wonder what kind of man he'll be when he reaches that adult age." --- Travis gently brought the dog into Malone's arms. He began to write in his notepad. 'A man was going to punch me. I accidentally bumped into him. He got really made so I apologized with my notepad. When he found out I was mute, he pushed me. I was expecting that punch when this dog came and save me. It drove him away. We need to help this dog. Please.' shadowess - June 29, 2022 "There's a knack to it. If you press certain buttons in a sequence you can pull off special moves." Stevie told him as he managed to do such a move which resulted in brutality. He smiled and glanced at Corey. "Want to try again? I'll show you some buttons to press." --- Clementine was hesitant but she stood and held her hands in front of her while averting her gaze from Phineas. "The way that I treated you was wrong, Phineas. I was unkind to you and hurt you." she sighed and stared hard at the ground. "I apologise for the way I behaved and the way I made you feel. I was selfish and brutal. I understand if you won't forgive me but please know that I intend to make changes to my life. I don't know why I was given this second chance but I do know that I don't want to waste it by being the same cruel and vindictive demon that I once was. I want to change." --- "Of course he does!" Warren said in a soft voice. "This family, they just... show their love differently." he placed a hand on his own chest and could feel his scars through his shirt. He glanced at Insanity and felt his heart flutter at the memory of being together with him and Donnie. He quickly looked away shyly if Insanity glanced over. His cheeks were red. "Knowing that they love us despite our sins... that's all I need to give them my eternal loyalty. Think about it. If they didn't love us, they would have left us behind when our home was attacked. But they didn't. They scooped us up and brought us with them." --- "Smell? What smell?" Sebastian looked around, confused. Because he currently wasn't addicted and also didn't have any Devil blood in his system to heighten his senses, Sebastian could only smell the blood of those in the neighbouring houses. He looked at Carter worriedly. "C'mon. Let's get you inside." he got out of the car and then hurried around it to open the passenger side door. He gently pulled Carter into his arms with the intention of hurrying him into the house. "I'll make you some hot blood, ok? Just the way you like it." --- After hearing Jasper's plea, she got up from the bed. She didn't know if this really meant that Donnie could be saved and she was still furious with him herself but she was deeply concerned with Charles's state of mind. Especially after he'd been kidnapped. She glanced at Oliver, worried about leaving him alone again but she trusted Jasper. "Thank you," she said softly with a nod before vanishing. --- Eyes widening, David's back hit the wall before he stood and stared at Charles in shock. He opened his mouth to argue but much like Carol, he felt like he was back under Lucifer's reign. He hesitated, torn between his loyalty to Amelia and memories of an old life. Until he remembered how much of a pain in Lucifer's backside he used to be and smirked. "I was one of Lucifer's most annoying soldiers once," he said while straightening up. "But he still kept me around and trained me. Do you know why? Because I was always honest with him. Even if he'd rather not hear the truth, he knew that whenever I told him anything it was never to try and impress him or get anything for myself. He knew exactly where he stood with me. His motto was to never trust anyone... But I truly believe that he trusted me. Charles please, I need you to trust me too." "Charles?" Amelia's voice came from behind them. She was looking at the group in confusion, searching for the man who had been taken from her. When her eyes landed on Charles's face and she looked into his eyes, she was reminded of the moment when Charles had gotten his own body back before. She felt the same emotions she had back then when she recognised him despite his appearance and still felt love for him. But why did he look different now? She took a timid step toward him while staring at him. "Charles? What happened to you?" she asked as tears blurred her vision. "What's going on?" --- "He looks up to you." Tia smiled warmly as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I think he'll grow up to be a good man. Like you." she kissed him and then gave him a look while biting her lip. "I miss the feeling of holding him when he was smaller. Do you think we should try for another child?" --- Malone gingerly held the dog and watched patiently as Travis wrote down his experience. When he read the message he blinked and looked at Travis worriedly before glancing at the dog which was shivering in his hands. "Of course. We'll take the little guy to a vet. We'll have to make sure it's not sick or lost." he looked back at Travis and tilted his head at him. "But first, you're going to submit a statement so that we can catch the guy that assaulted you. Could you draw a sketch of him?" --- Bag packed, Damien sat at his computer to book himself a flight out of the US. The next flight would leave in a few hours. He printed his ticket and stuffed it into his pocket. Now all he needed to do was buy a new phone on the way to the airport and he'd be all set. Not wanting to waste time, he stood and flung his backpack over his shoulder. He marched over to his door and opened it. Then he froze at the sight of a stranger standing there, staring in at him with its hood up. Just a few minutes earlier, Tristan had been wandering the streets. Trying to stay out of sight of any cameras or people while he was still on the run after escaping the CIA facility. He had no idea that Janik was dead. The last thing he knew was that he had to run as far and fast from that facility as possible after witnessing Janik murdering Natali and knowing he would come after him next. His constant hiding had made it difficult for him to feed properly so he had gotten thinner and he felt constantly hungry. So, when Damien had walked past the alley he was in, he picked up his scent immediately and was intrigued by how sweet his blood smelled. He followed him. Carefully and quietly. He managed to slip into the barred outer door when one of Damien's neighbours had opened it. Then he silently followed Damien's scent all the way to the door of his apartment and waited. When the door finally opened, Tristan stared in at Damien, fascinated by his scent. "Who are you?" Damien's question and demanding tone stirred him from his thoughts. "What are you doing here?" Smiling at him weakly, Tristan's fangs were on show and gave away his hunger. "Guten Tag" he greeted him, trying to put on some charm despite his dishevelled appearance. A shiver ran down Damien's spine at the sight of those fangs and without hesitation, he attempted to slam his door on the vampire. Not one to take "no" for an answer, Tristan shoved the door back before it could close. The force of his strike caused the door to be knocked off its hinges and for Damien to be knocked backwards. He'd tripped and fell against the edge of the little wooden side table, breaking it. Groaning and taking a sharp breath in through his teeth, Damien sat up while cradling his arm. There had been a glass resting on the table, which had shattered in the impact and left a long cut across his arm. His scent suddenly became so much stronger and this caused the vampire to gasp excitedly. He took in a long breath to savour the smell. He hadn't known anything like it. With very little self-control, Tristan jumped onto him, pinning him down. "Don't-!" Damien tried to warn him then cringed when he felt Tristan's tongue running over his arm, lapping up the blood. "Trust me, you really don't want to do this!" "Oh, but I do." Tristan moaned as he lifted his head to look at Damien. "And so beautiful too." he gasped. "I thought I knew how love felt but could I have been wrong? Are you my match, Liebling? The one I've been searching for?" "Uh-!? No!" Damien's eyes widened in alarm. "Don't take this the wrong way buddy, but you're definitely not my type!" "We'll see." Tristan chuckled then leant down to kiss his neck. Damien groaned uncomfortably and stiffened. "I'm telling you, don't do this! I'm not human, you'll get- ah!" He gasped sharply as the familiar pain shot through his neck, then shivered and moaned as the venom started to make him feel more relaxed. After only a small sip, Tristan pulled away and stared at Damien in surprise while licking the blood from his lips. "Meine Gott! It must be true! Oh, meine love!" "Don't flatter yourself..." Damien growled. "You're just a vampire who got lucky. That's all. Get off me!" "Neine." Tristan chuckled playfully. "I'm just getting started. You will see. We are meant for each other." "You're a fucking lunatic!" "This time it will work. This time no one will take you from me!" "The fuck are you talking about?!" "I will make you love me!" "I don't even know who you-!" Damien cried out as Tristan plunged his fangs into his throat again. He tensed and groaned, writhing under him. Once more, Tristan only took a sip before pulling back. "Shhh... let my venom replace your pain with pleasure." he whispered into his ear and Damien shivered. "Stop..." he breathed, feeling tired from the effects of the venom. "Don't worry. I won't take too much. I don't want to lose you." Tristan whispered while brushing some of Damien's hair out of his face. "My beloved one." Denix Vames - June 29, 2022 "Sure. I wouldn't mind playing again." ,said Corey. The next character he would choose would be Raiden. --- Phineas suddenly sobbed. Overwhelmed by her answer, he nodded. "I can see that you truly have changed. I forgive you." --- Dariel nodded. "You're right about that. This is all a first for me so I don't really know what to do or say. I still want to impress Sam when he comes back." --- Carter gripped on Sebastian. His eyes widened. "I can smell it more now. But why? Is he getting closer or....did he get hurt? Either way, it smells so damn good." --- Jasper walked over to the crib. "Hey little guy. Looks like we haven't met yet but I'm Jasper. The Spirit of Fairness." --- "Amelia....?" Tears left Charles. He covered his mouth. "Oh god! What am I doing? I've forgotten all about my old ways." He walked over to her. "Amelia I....I'm sorry." He held her hand before kissing her gently. "Do what you think is right, David. I must return home to my family." --- Xenos blushed. "I don't know. Werewolves do grow fast, don't they? But....I wouldn't want someone to be stuck with my abilities. I'm not sure. It's a nice idea." --- Travis wrote, 'It's ok. I deal with this all the time. I'm fine. It's not like it's anything new.' --- Napoleon appeared in France. Having stood where that freaky clown killer was. "So you are the monster that I've been hearing about? Killing my own people. Well, I won't allow this to continue!" He raised his hands as his wings sprouted. His energy hit the clown like a ray gun.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Shadowess - July 4, 2022 "Cool." Beamed Stevie. When the fight started, instead of going straight for his character, Stevie kept his own character distanced while he showed Corey the different combinations of buttons that he could press to achieve special moves. "Give it a try on my character. I won't move for this fight so you can practise, then the next fight will be fairer." --- A weight lifted. Clementine felt so light that she felt a little dizzy from it. It had seemed too easy but Phineas seemed to genuinely believe her. Gasping then sobbing out of sheer relief, Clementine quickly covered her face. Embarrassed about showing her own emotions. --- "Then simply be loyal," Warren said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Show him that he can trust you. That you'll follow him no matter how hard things get. I haven't been with this family for long but I've learned that they value our loyalty and trust." Happy to have helped Dariel come to terms with his new life, Warren looked back over at the family and frowned a little. He was worried about Donnie so he couldn't imagine how Insanity must be feeling now. He moved over to him and stopped at the end of the couch. Out of respect, he wouldn't sit with him unless he was invited to do so. "Sire? Forgive my approach," he said in a soft voice, trying to keep his voice low so that his words would be private. "I know you must be concerned for King Donnie. Is there anything that I can do for you? I'd like to help any way that I can." he said, hoping to comfort him in some way. --- "I-I don't know... I don't know where he is right now..." Sebastian lied and then hurriedly started to pull Carter towards the house. "C'mon Carter. Let's get inside before it becomes too much. You need to resist it. It'll only make things worse." --- Exhausted from all the fear and other emotions he'd felt from everyone else around him for the past few hours, Oliver was still sleeping soundly when Jasper talked to him. While he slept he sucked on his fist and dreamed of being in his mother's arms and hearing his father's french lullabies. His little mouth widened into a smile while he slept and he cooed sleepily. Filled with love from his dream, Oliver was soon enveloped in a pale blue glow while a pair of fairy wings made entirely of blue light shone underneath him. Unaware and unable to control his energy yet, it rapidly filled the house and made everyone inside feel utter affection. --- Just like the last time, the moment Charles kissed her she knew without any doubt that it was really him and that she still loved him despite his change of appearance. "It's ok. It's ok," she whispered to him shakily while running her hand through his hair and caressing his cheek with her other hand. "You're still you. You're still my Charles." she then let out a weak laugh. "But I have to admit, I'm going to miss that french accent." Carol sighed and frowned a little but couldn't help smiling at the couple. She was disappointed that she'd no longer get to torture Donnie but maybe this was for the best? As much as she would've loved reliving her past, she'd rather not put everything her daughter had built in jeopardy. "I meant what I said," she said to Charles. "I will always be your loyal soldier... no matter how you choose to rule." David had nodded to Charles's order. "Thank you." "No! NO!" Donnie was backing away again, towards the back of the cell. "You haven't won! My family will find me! They'll free me from your pathetic plan!" "Not this time," David said with a serious expression. "You're not the only one who knows how to cast spells. I'll have Desi cast a few on you to make sure they never find you. You'll live a human life, making human choices. You will only have your memories back when you 'die' as a mortal. Then we will see if the experience changes you." Donnie turned pale. "Oh, I get it now." he seethed. "You can't destroy me so you found an entirely different way to kill me!" he clapped slowly. "Bravo, my nemesis! Bravo! I have to admit, it's actually quite genius." "What are you talking about?" David frowned. His eyebrows furrowed. "He found a way to save your ungrateful arse, stupid!" Carol rolled her eyes. "No, don't you see?" Donnie chuckled. "He plans to erase my memory to give me an entirely new life with the aim of changing the way that I think!" "Yyyeah? And?" Carol placed a hand on her hip and stared at Donnie expectantly. "So, in a way, I will die." Donnie finished and placed a hand on his own chest. "This version of me. This Donnie will cease to exist." "And a new Donnie will take his place." David nodded. "With any luck, he'll be far better than you." "Fuck you!" "Charles, you were last to see Clementine's home before it was destroyed. I know you destroyed everything but I don't suppose you recall the recipe for the memory potions she used to make?" David asked as he turned to them and proceeded to ignore Donnie's insult. --- "Well, the..." Tia tried to remember the terminology the doctors had used when teaching her people werewolf sexual education when they'd still been in the facility. "Gestation? is fast but once they're born they grow at the same rate as a human." she then tilted her head and looked thoughtful. "But if you're not sure, then I don't mind waiting so that you can think it over." she smiled and kissed his cheek. --- "It's still not right." Malone sighed. "Travis, please. What if we let him get away and he hurts someone else? I promise we'll go straight to the vet once you're done." --- If Patches hadn't already been familiar with magic and the afterlife from previous experiences, he might've cowered when Napoleon's wings made an appearance. Instead, he was reminded of his master's murder and growled savagely at the Angel. Drool dribbled from between his sharpened and jagged teeth then dripped down his chin. His eyes were wide and his pupils were small. Other than the makeup and costume, he otherwise looked like a wild animal. The energy hit him square in the chest and he was knocked back, pinned against the back wall of his cell. He snarled and snapped his jaws at Napoleon in defiance before letting out an enraged roar. Patches simply didn't understand what he had done wrong. The way he saw it, he was a predator like any other animal and only killed to sustain himself...even if his prey happened to be the same species as him. But then, Patches had never thought of himself as being human, to begin with. --- It wasn't clear how much time had passed since Tristan had broken into his apartment. Everything seemed to happen so quickly. Damien had blacked out, assuming he was losing consciousness from the amount of venom in his system thanks to all of Tristan's little love bites. But then he came back to his senses and found himself stumbling down the street hurriedly. Covered in blood, a mixture of his own and the vampire's. His neck had small bruises, resembling hickeys. His breathing was ragged and every muscle in his body ached as he continued on, determined to get to the airport. Blood dripped from the long cut on his arm from the broken glass but he was so drunk on the venom that he barely felt it at all. He had no idea how he'd managed to escape Tristan's grasp, nor did he care to know. All that mattered to him now was that he catches his plane and get to the UK just as he told his son he would. He glanced around woozily and noted the reason he was squinting so much. The morning light had broken over the horizon... Damien's pace slowed and he let out a long sigh out of relief. The vampire couldn't possibly follow him now, even if he was capable of doing so. He stumbled over to a wall to lean against it so that he could catch his breath and think. He needed to get to the airport. Ideally, before nightfall when that crazy vampire might try to find him again. He certainly wasn't going to do that on foot. He glanced around and spotted a phone booth. 'They're still a thing? Whatever...right now, I'll take what I can get...' he thought to himself as he stumbled over to it and opened the glass door. Damien picked up the phone and placed it to his ear while searching his pockets for change. Denix Vames - July 4, 2022 "Alright." Corey began using the moves that he mentioned. "Awesome! I'm really kicking some ass!" --- Phineas turned around. He walked over to her. "I'd like to give you something to show that we are now friends." He took out the photo of himself sitting on a chair with his iron rod. "I know my lover may worry but if you ever need my help then please summon me through this photo. You can speak and I'll be there." --- Dariel nodded. "I'll do my best." Insanity shook his head. "There is nothing you can do but take care of my family. I must find a way to free Donnie somehow before it's too late." He held back tears but the sad expression remained. His eyes suddenly lit up. "I have a great idea! Stay here and keep an eye out. I'm going to fetch something." He disappeared. --- "It's not exactly easy! How the fuck did you ever deal with this?" Carter struggled to ignore the scent. When he got inside, he smashed the coffee table. Hoping to release his stress. He clutched his head. "I can still smell it! I have to go! I need it!" He stormed to the door. --- Jasper smiled. "Well, I'll be!" He lifted him out of the crib and held him close. "You and your family are just full of surprises, ain't ya?" --- Charles chuckled. "I really need to stop changing accents so often. I think it's become quite a bad habit." He turned to Donnie. "No. You'll still be you but you will know better. Hopefully, we can get your family to understand that what they've been doing is wrong." He faced Carol. "Then under my orders, I want you to work with David in helping bad souls become good." He turned back to Amelia. Holding a smile. "Let's go home to our son." --- "That's not what I meant. I would love to have a child with you but you have to understand this. A Blood God is typically insane. I am one of the few to be sane. I'm worried that the child we may have will harm others. I don't want to be responsible for so many deaths." He turned away. "And I shudder to think of killing my own child when I must save the world." --- Travis frowned but nodded. He did a quick sketch of the man and handed it to Travis. He would take the puppy and hold it close. --- Just as Napoleon was about to blast another swarm of energy, Insanity stood right in front of him. "Get out of my way! This monster must be destroyed!" Insanity smirked. "Sorry but finders keepers." He shoved him back. Napoleon raised his hands. Insanity blast his own energy at him before he had the chance. Napoleon was thrown against the wall. He collapsed but forced himself up. "Hello there clown. Patches, was it? Well, if you be a good boy and help my family free one of our members then I can take you to your master. Do we have a deal?" He unlocked the cell with just his nail. Opening the door. "You can play with this little guy first as an added bonus." Napoleon ran out of the building. Knowing how difficult it would be to battle in an enclosed space. --- Grim had gotten drunk and was crying. He was in the band's hangout place as he told Bob everything about his breakup with his boyfriend. "I mean who does that?! Breaking up in the middle of sex? That's so not cool!" The other band members had gone to get groceries. Not knowing where Grim had been and assumed he was sleeping in. Denix Vames - July 6, 2022 (forgot about this for a while) "Let's go home to our son after I write the instructions to making this potion down." ,said Charles. Shadowess - July 6, 2022 "You are now. But when the next game starts the real fun begins because then we'll be an even match." Stevie said as he let Corey practice using the special abilities until he won the game. While he was playing, Stevie glanced up at Corey to watch the way he focussed on the game. He felt his cheeks grow warmer so he quickly and shyly looked back at the game before Corey could notice. Once the game restarted, he selected his favourite character again and let Stevie decide whether or not to change characters before the next round. --- Clementine stared at the image in her hands then looked back at Phineas in surprise. "You'd help me? After what I helped to put you through?" she blinked back tears, moved by the gesture. "Thank you." --- Warren blinked when Insanity suddenly vanished while ordering him to stay. He couldn't help wondering what he was planning and what had caused the sudden inspiration. --- "I know... I struggled. But then Amelia always took herself far enough away that I could never find her even if I wanted to. So I never had the constant temptation." Sebastian admitted. He then looked at Carter in alarm when he started for the door and he ran to block his path. He pressed his back against the door to keep it shut while keeping an eye on Carter. "No, you don't! I know it smells good and I know you're craving it but it will only make things worse! Carter, you're so close. We can get you some human blood to satiate your thirst. I'll make it hot for you. It should tide you over until Damien manages to leave the country." --- Oliver cooed sleepily as Jasper picked him up. He sensed no danger though so he merely opened his eyes slowly to blink at him. His little expression reflected his curiosity at the strange man that was holding him before he broke into a wide, toothless smile. --- Once Charles had written the recipe down, Amelia hugged Charles tightly and whispered into his ear. "I thought I was going to lose you. Oliver is safe with Jasper. Before we go back though, I really need to get something out of my system." she smiled and teleported them both to a swimming pool. It was the break of dawn so the pool was still closed and there were no chances of anyone walking in on them. She bit her lip and smiled at Charles playfully while leading him towards a wall where she rested her hands on his shoulders before hopping up to wrap her legs around his hips. She kissed him deeply and passionately. --- David took the recipe and quickly read it while Carol knelt over Leo to look at him curiously. "Hello handsome," she smirked. "You're definitely not his type and he's already taken," David told her bluntly while not taking his eyes off the recipe. "Ugh! The cute ones always are..." She huffed as she lifted Leo into her arms with apparent ease. "You know him better. Where should I deliver him?" "You know Oscar?" "The punisher Demon?" "Former punisher Demon. He's his partner. Teleport to him and you'll be taking him home. Here, take this with you. I need these ingredients and the equipment to make the potion." "I'm not your damn errand girl!" "Charles said you have to help me." David grinned at her sassily and for a moment the pair looked more like siblings than friends. "Fine! But I'm doing this for Charles and not because you told me to. Got it?" "Got it." David chuckled as Carol snatched the list from his hand before vanishing. --- "Special delivery!" Carol announced as she popped into the mansion with the unconscious Leo in her arms. "Leo!" Oscar gasped as ran over to pull him into his own arms. "What happened?!" "He tried to fight Charles and got his ass handed to him. It was hilarious." Carol chuckled. "That doesn't sound too funny to me!" Oscar snapped angrily. "Oh, calm down lizard boy. Charles is back to his normal self now and Leo helped David to get his way in the end so I guess it wasn't all bad." "Lizard Boy? Who the hell are you?!" "Carol, sweet thing." she winked with a cheeky grin then looked over at Desi. "And he's going to help me find a few things for David." "Wait- Carol? Carol Magpie?!" Oscar gawped. "Ding ding." Carol sang while striding past him towards Desi. "So, how about it. Want to help me and David wipe Donnie's memory clean and make him mortal?" "Wait... what?" Desi blinked at her in surprise. --- Tia tilted her head to one side and regarded Xenos for a moment. "Who says all Blood Gods must be insane?" she asked. "It's like when the humans tell each other that Werewolves are like rabid, feral animals. They say so because they know we're stronger and they fear us. So they make us out to be these monsters that cannot be controlled to justify the cull of our race..." she bit her lip and hesitated before pointing out. "Since you freed us from our prison... you are the only one of your kind that I have met. So, maybe what happened to our people wasn't so different?" She fidgeted with her hands nervously. "I know what I'm asking isn't easy. I know that our kinds...mixing...it never happens. But, I can't help dreaming of having our own little family. Of Jack having a little brother or sister. I just..." she looked down at her arms, how empty they were without a child to fill them. "Jack is growing up so quickly and soon he'll be too big for me to pick up... I just want to feel that again." --- "Thank you," Malone said gently as he carefully passed the dog back to Travis before turning and walking over to Officer Hayward. "Hey, could you put out a BOLO for this guy? He attacked Travis," he said while passing the sketch to her. "Oh, my God! Is he ok?" Hayward jumped up from her desk to peer over Malone's shoulder in Travis's direction. "He's a little shaken but he seems fine. I'm guna take my break now and head out with him for a bit. You guna be ok with that?" he pointed to the sketch. "Uh, yeah. Sure. I'll get on that now." she nodded quickly before turning and hurrying off with the sketch. Malone turned around and walked back over to Travis. "Alright, let's take this little guy to the vets then. Make sure he's not lost or sick." he smiled while pulling his jacket from the back of his chair and putting it on. --- Patches stared at the stranger who was releasing him from his cell and cautiously skulked out when the door was opened. His eyes lit up with hope at the idea that his master could be freed. He watched Napoleon running and growled but knew he wasn't a match for people like him. He wasn't magical in any way so wouldn't be able to do much to defend himself. He gave Insanity a look and hoped that, like his old master, he could read his mind to know that he was afraid to fight the Angel. --- It wasn't like Bob had a lot of places to be right now. Especially not since Lilly had started spending all of her free time with Pain and barely acknowledged his existence anymore. Not that it wasn't nice to see her happy, but Bob was starting to get a little bored of the whole 'will they, won't they?' thing that they seem to have going right now. He'd already lost his bet to Storm about how long it would take for the pair to so much as a kiss. Almost a week since that bet was made and they still hadn't made any dang moves! Now Bob had to figure out a way to pay Storm five bucks... But right now, aside from a random itch, he was scratching on his radius bone, his attention was on the very drunk and upset Grim. "Nah man, try not to waste your tears on that no good cretin, ya dig? You're worth so much more and at the end of the day, it's his loss. He shoulda treated you better. Think of it this way, he's the one that fucked up so badly that he's lost any chance of getting to tap that sweet ass of yours again. Rise above it and live your life like you never even needed him in the first place! The best revenge is showing him how little you rely on him to get by. Trust me, it'll drive him nuts." he paused briefly before saying out loud. "...wink." --- After clumsily stuffing change into the coin slot and dialling the number for a cab, Damien rested against the glass wall of the phone booth until the taxi finally rolled up next to him. Relieved, he hopped straight into the backseat and told the driver to take him to the airport. Once they were on their way and he felt he could relax a little more, Damien passed out from exhaustion. The cab driver saw this in his rearview mirror and took a slight detour. People in this city went missing all the time and tourists were easy targets. The fact that the passed-out male already looked roughed up was an added bonus because it meant he was not only too weak to fight back but was also likely to be the kind of person that wouldn't be missed. He pulled into an alley, wanting to get a better look at him. He jumped out and opened the backdoor to look him over. No track marks so there was a good chance he wasn't a drug abuser, which meant his organs might be good for harvesting... the cab driver then got a better look at his face and smirked. Despite all the blood and bruises, he was quite handsome. So, he would likely earn more money over a longer period of time as a sex worker. But first things first, he'd need to deliver him to the port so that he could be trafficked elsewhere and forced to work. Whistling a happy tune, he walked around to the back of his taxi and opened the trunk. He opened a hidden compartment and took out a few zip ties as well as a cloth for a gag.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - July 6, 2022 Corey decided to stick with Raiden since he had practice using that character. "You're on!" --- Phineas nervously rubbed his arm. "I've learned quite recently that violence doesn't solve anything. A very good man in my life has taught me that." He smiled at the thought of Kasper. "He's made me realize who I truly am. A hero." --- "Hey! I'm a Prince which means I'm above you two shit demons! Let me go!" ,said Sam as he glared. --- Carter clutched his head as he cried. "Just make it stop!" --- Jasper smiled. "Hey little fella. Didn't mean to wake ya. Your parents are busy but they left me in charge to keep an eye on you. You're safe." --- Surprised by the kiss, Charles nearly dropped her but kept a tight grip. He returned those kisses as he kept her supported against a wall. He ran a hand through her hair. --- Leo groaned awake. He looked at everyone that was in front of him. "Oscar? Hope I didn't give you a heart attack." He stood. "I'm alright. I've been through worse." He turned to Carol and looked at the paper. "Looks like we've got what we need to wipe that bitch's memory. Now, where can we find the ingredients?" --- Xenos cupped her cheeks. Looking into her eyes. "Then let's have a child." He kissed her. --- Travis smiled. He nodded. Following Malone. The sketch showed a man with no facial hair, black hair, and a buttoned shirt. Thankfully, he had the kind of face that looked different from everybody else's so he would be easy to identify. --- "Ah! I see. Where are my manners? Let me take care of him for you. I'll make sure he's weak enough for you to kill. Or better yet, and this is my suggestion, you pull his wings off. Make him bleed slowly!" Insanity stepped outside. He raised his wings and flew towards Napoleon with his talons. Napoleon raised a shield before his claws had the chance to attack. Insanity casted ray of his own powers which broke the shield in mere seconds. Sending Napoleon across the street where he slammed into a car. He stumbled to his feet before collapsing. Insanity wrapped an arm around Patches. He grinned with his other arm out. "Go ahead. Play with your new toy." --- Grim chuckled. "You're damn right! You got some good words man!" He took another sip. "Hey don't freak out or anything but can I kiss you? I think you're like awesome. Or are you into chicks?" --- James gripped the driver's shoulder. "If I were you, I would leave before I break your fucking bones." shadowess - July 7, 2022 "Alright!" Stevie started pushing the buttons as soon as the fight started. Now that Corey had some practice, he really had a challenge when it came to trying to beat him this time around. He was so focussed on the game that he forgot to check the time. Luckily he saw movement in his peripheral vision and glanced up to see the clerk walk around the wall to look around. "Shit! Duck!" he whispered suddenly and dove down behind the machine while pulling Corey's arm to make him duck down as well. His heart was pounding in his chest as he wasn't sure if either of them had been seen, yet he looked at Corey and couldn't help breaking into a wide grin from the excitement. --- Clementine stared at the photo sadly. "You're better than I am, then. I don't know if I'll ever see myself as anything other than a monster." she lifted her head as if pulling herself out of her thoughts. Tears hung in her eyes. "Apologies. Thank you for your forgiveness and kindness. I imagine you'll be wanting to get back to your own life. I'll be fine..." she glanced at Harris and smiled. "Harris and his friends will guide me in my new life and I swear that I will try to do better." --- "Your father is above you and he's the one who gave us the order, so that's not going to happen little prince." One of the demons told him. Both demons were watching Sam very carefully. They both had hardened expressions but there was a subtle nervousness about them as well that they were trying hard to conceal. They were only Demons after all, in comparison to Sam who was a Devil. "I'm sure he'll request your return soon enough. Perhaps you should spend this time to think over why he sent you here and how you can make it up to him?" --- "It'll be ok." Sebastian's voice broke as he stepped away from the door to place his hands on Carter's shoulders. "I'm here with you and I'm going to help you get through this, ok? Look at me. It's not going to be easy but you will never be alone. C'mon. Let's go to the kitchen." --- Oliver laughed at Jasper's strange accent. He didn't understand what was being said anyway but he recognised that Jasper was talking in a different way from how his parents spoke. He kicked his little feet excitedly and made a happy noise. --- Overwhelmed with passion and emotions, Amelia continued to kiss Charles. She shivered as he ran his hand through her hair and she pulled back a little to look at his face again. She caught her breath while caressing his cheek and taking in his new appearance. She looked into his eyes again and blushed while smirking and biting her lip. "Wana do it in the pool? The hot tub? Sauna?" she asked with a playful chuckle. Especially with a new baby, it wasn't often that they got to spend any time together like this so she wanted to make the most of this time. Even more so now after being so frightened of losing him. "We could make it extra steamy in there." she winked. --- "You had me worried." Oscar sighed but kissed Leo's cheek. "I'm just glad you're safe." "That's what I'd like to know," Carol responded to Leo's question while keeping her eyes fixed on Desi who stared back at them apprehensively. "This is David's plan? To erase Donnie's memories?" "Well, it's not the WHOLE plan. You're also going to put spells on him so that his evil little family can't find him. Then he's going to live a normal human life, making normal human choices." "And David thinks this will work?" Carol shrugged. "You guys have tried everything else. Why not induced amnesia too?" Desi took a moment to weigh his options. It seemed very morally questionable but this was Donnie they were talking about and Carol was right about one thing; they had tried everything else. So, what was the harm in trying this too?" He took a deep breath and sighed heavily before nodding reluctantly. "If it stops this madness once and for all, then I'm in. Let's see..." he took the list from Carol who stood back with her arms folded while she waited for him to read through it. "This looks like one of Clementine's old recipes..." "It is. Can you make it?" "I-I don't know... Clementine was very particular about the way she mixed her potions. She had this knack for combining alchemy and science... and it's not like I can ask her to be sure that I'll be doing it right... I guess we'll just have to start by gathering the ingredients and just take things from there..." Desi looked up at Leo and Oscar. "We'll need these specific herbs. Preferably freshly picked if you can get it." he pointed to a list of obscure and difficult-to-find plants. Then pointed to the last plant named "gimpy gimpy" and gave them both a very serious expression. "This one is found in Australia. Do not touch this one. At all. Not even with gloves. Use tongs and place them into a clearly labelled, heavy-duty bag. Understood? Its venomous spines are so small that you can't see them but they cover every inch of its leaves and are sharp enough to sting you through most fabrics. You really, REALLY don't want this plant to sting you." He then turned his attention to Carol. "I'll need equipment. Test tubes, bunsen burners...basically a whole chemistry set." "Rob a school science class, got it." Carol nodded and Desi squinted at her, trying to figure out if she was joking or not. --- Happy tears filled Tia's eyes and she smiled up at him. "Xenos!" she whispered and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while kissing him back. --- Malone took Travis to his car and once they got in he took out his phone. "Alright, let's see if anyone will see this little furball at short notice," he said as he started dialling a few different vets until he found one that would be able to see the dog right away. "It's a little out of the way but it's our best option," he said as he put his phone away and started up the car. He glanced at Travis and the dog briefly while he drove them across town. "Try not to get too attached to it... it might already have a home and a family who miss it. If that's the case then we'll have to return it." --- Patches drooled and chattered his teeth excitedly as he eyed the downed Angel hungrily. He'd never eaten an Angel before and he was very hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since his arrest as he couldn't stomach normal food anymore. Snarling and hunching over like a beast he ran forward, eager to find out what the Angel tasted like, only to be knocked back and sent flying across the street. Landing between Napoleon and his attackers, Raguel's wings were spread wide to shield Napoleon. He flicked his wrist and an Angelic bracelet appeared in his hand. "It's over Insanity. You can either come quietly or I'll destroy you. Your choice." --- "Neither." Bob chuckled awkwardly. "I'm a skeleton, Grim. I don't have the uh... equipment for romance. As much as I like to joke around that's all they really are... Jokes." he explained gently then scratched at his arm again. "Ugh... I think some insects might've made a home in my bones. Can't seem to shake this damn itch... Maybe it's mites or somethin'..." --- "That right?" The cab driver had frozen when James had gripped his shoulder. He hadn't noticed the man sneak up on him and couldn't be sure that he wasn't armed. Instinctively, he reached for the gun that was tucked into his belt. Denix Vames - July 7, 2022 Corey waited with him while his head was down. "After this round, we should head to the park. It's been a while now." --- Phineas smiled. "I can only ask that you do the best you can for yourself. I will see you another time." He disappeared. --- Phineas appeared in front of Kasper with tears running down his cheeks. Only he was smiling and feeling relieved. He hugged him. "I believe I've made a new friend and she is such a kind one." --- Sam rolled his eyes. "Damn piece of shit just hates the fact that I'll take over once he and dad dies." --- Carter looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Ok." He let Sebastian guide him into the kitchen. --- Jasper chuckled at his joy. He sat at the edge of the bed. "Wanna hear a story from my time? You're just a baby so I'll try to make this one more clean, ok?" --- "Pool would be just fine." ,said Charles. "Dear god, I've missed this!" --- "Let's work our way up then. Go from top to the bottom of the list. Oscar, you can help me find the ingredients." ,said Leo. --- Xenos smiled into the kiss. --- Travis frowned but knew that it wouldn't be right to keep the dog if someone else was looking for it. He hugged the little guy before letting it rest on his lap. --- Frederick appeared and lifted Napoleon off the ground. Insanity laughed. "Destroy me? I'll only come back you pathetic fool! And what's the point of protecting that useless Angel? He had his time to shine centuries ago. He is now worthless!" Frederick glared. "Hold your tongue!" --- "Oh crap! I mean we have cremes for these situations but when it comes to human. I'm not sure how you can deal with bugs. Maybe we could buy one of those ointments and see if it works anyway?" ,said Grim. --- James gripped his wrist. Forcing him to take out the gun which he grabbed and smashed with one squeeze. He let the broken gun go and punched him. Shadowess - July 10, 2022 Stevie had been staring at Corey while they'd been hiding but was soon stirred from his thoughts by Corey's suggestion. "Um-... di-didn't you say you had to go to the police station first?" he asked in a low voice so as to not draw attention to them. --- Clementine wiped the tears from her eyes and stored the photo safely in her pocket. "Well, that was... something." she laughed weakly. "What should we do now? What do you normally do?" --- Kasper hugged Phineas back with a warm smile. "That's wonderful news," he said in a soft voice. "Let's have some lemonade. You can tell me all about her." he took Phineas's hand and walked with him to the kitchen. --- The Demons exchanged a concerned glance in front of Sam. Then they both turned to look at the Devil-boy apprehensively. "You know Devils don't age, right?" one of them asked. "Deacon, maybe it isn't our place to tell him things like that?" the other quickly interjected while looking at his Demonic colleague. Deacon stammered, knowing he'd slipped up but seemed torn about whether or not the other demon was right. --- Relieved, Sebastian took a quick breath to calm himself down a bit as he walked with Carter to the kitchen. He took two blood bags out of the fridge and handed one to Carter. "May as well drink that one now, it'll help make the cravings subside," he said while taking out a kettle that they had bought specifically for warming up blood. He opened it up and poured the second bag into it before placing it onto the cooker. --- Of course, Oliver didn't understand what Jasper was saying. But his hushed and gentle voice, along with the kind smile made Oliver feel comfortable. He felt safe and also fascinated by the man in strange clothes who was holding him. While staring up at Jasper intently, Oliver began sucking on his own fist. He might not know what was being said, but that didn't mean he wasn't listening carefully to how each word sounded. Soaking up the language like a sponge. --- "Me too." Amelia breathed. She smirked at him while hopping down and stepping away. Giving him an alluring look, Amelia stepped towards the pool and began removing her clothes piece by piece as she did. She slowly dropped each article of clothing to the ground and turned to face the water as she got closer to the edge. Grinning, she sat down and removed the last bits before easing herself into the water. She left out a soft sigh as the water enveloped her, surprised but delighted to find that the pool was heated. She swam out a bit then turned onto her back to smile at Charles. "You coming?" she asked then added with a cheeky giggle; "Charlie boy?" --- "Sure." Oscar nodded and looked over the list. "I think some of these plants are found in the hotter countries..." "Yes, most of them are." Desi agreed. "Check the spice markets in India, Pakistan and Nepal." For a second he looked like he was finished speaking but then he quickly turned back to the pair while holding a finger up. "Ah! And when you get there..." he shifted uncomfortably. "Be careful. That area of Earth, the people have their own customs and traditions... and they're not as 'tolerant' of people like ourselves if you catch my meaning." "Don't hold hands in front of the bigots?" Oscar rose a brow. "Pretty much." Desi sighed sadly. "They're not like Europe and Britain. I don't believe they're even aware of other species yet. The last thing we need right now is to cause an incident." While they had been talking, Carol had vanished. There was a strong possibility that she was breaking into a school somewhere. --- Just as Tia was getting lost in the kiss, a now fully clothed Jack ran out of his room. He stopped in his tracks and grinned before making mock kissing noises. Tia immediately started giggling and pulled away from Xenos to quickly grab a nearby towel which she threw at Jack playfully. Jack laughed and ran down the stairs. Tia continued to giggle as she turned to Xenos. "We um, should probably wait until later." --- The dog licked at Travis's hand before curling up on his lap and yawning. They soon pulled up to the vets and Malone got out. He walked around the car and held the door open for Travis so that he wouldn't struggle to do so with the dog in his arms. They'd then walk into the vets and up to the counter to talk to the receptionist. "Hey, my name's Malone. I called about a dog we found earlier?" he said in a quiet voice. "Ah, yes. It'll be a few minutes yet if that's ok? There's currently another 'patient' being seen right now. Feel free to take a seat." "Thank you." Malone nodded and turned to face the rest of the waiting room. There were a few other people waiting as well. Each with their own pets either in their arms, on a leash or in a pet carrier. "Guess we gotta wait a little," he said as he turned to smile at Travis. --- Raguel smirked at Insanity. He was about to learn how ruthless and harsh Raguel could be. "Worthless, hm? And what are you worth exactly? If I recall correctly, you were a pathetic human murderer before your lover started giving you attention. On the run, because let's face it, you were sloppy! Artist? Pah! Nothing more than a deranged nobody. What exactly were you hoping to achieve with your murders anyway? Did you really think you were doing something great? That it all meant something? You were nothing. You ARE nothing." He lifted his free arm and a large, double-bladed scimitar appeared in his hand. The silver-white Angelic steel glistened in the sunlight. He pointed one end of it to Insanity threateningly. "And once I obliterate you, you will still. Be. NOTHING!" --- "Eh, it's no biggie I'm sure... should've seen the pet rat I had that one time. Little bugger kept nibbling on my ankles!" Bob said cheerily then grunted as he scratched at his arm a little more feverishly. "Ugh... but maybe some ointment or something could help me deal with the itching?" --- There was a short struggle as the cab driver tried to keep hold of his gun but then froze in utter shock and confusion when he saw James crush it with one hand. He was so taken aback by the stranger's strength that he didn't see the punch coming until it was too late and he fell to the ground, knocked out.
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - July 11, 2022 "You can wait further away from the police station while we visit." ,said Corey. --- "Well, we can do many things to relax like going to the spa or watching TV. There's so much to do when it comes to having fun." ,said Harris. --- Phineas sat across from Kasper at the table. He drank a sip of lemonade. "Now, this is real lemon." He smiled. "Her name is Clementine. She was once an enemy but now we understand each other. She feels guilty for letting Harris get away with what he did. Both equally have regrets for hurting me. I do have my regrets too. I know now that talking to my enemies is a better way to bring peace." He drank some more. --- Sam laughed. "Who said anything about aging? If you want power and a title then you must take it by force." --- Carter sank his fangs into the bag. Drinking until it was empty. He let out a sigh. "It doesn't taste so great but it is a decent substitute." --- "When you older, I gotta ask your mom and pop if I can teach you how to ride a horse. I think you'll like it." Jasper yawned. "Who would have thought it would have been tiring to watch over a little fella like you?" He laid on the bed as he kept holding Oliver. --- Charles smirked. "Don't tempt me." He threw his clothes off before jumping in the pool. He sprung his head as water splashed on Amelia. "Can I take off my good boy collar and be naughty tonight?" --- Leo frowned. He wasn't too happy about their views but he couldn't changed them so quickly. He sighed. "Alright. As long as we're only there for the ingredients." --- Autumn was walking down the hall to her locker. Some of the popular girls were calling her names and throwing paper balls at her. She lowered her head. Hoping that they would go away. --- "Of course. I believe I'm available for family time. Would you like to take a trip?" ,asked Xenos. --- Travis smiled at him. After some time, the very same man that had nearly punched Travis walked out of the door with his pitbull on a leash. Travis pointed at the man. "Malone! Malone!" The man froze. Realizing that it was the same guy he had interacted with earlier. He let the leash go and ran out of the clinic. --- Insanity flew back. "First, you have to catch me." He flew past him and fired his energy at Napoleon. Frederick got to his knees and sprouted his wings. Using them as a shield. He cried out as his wings began to burn from Insanity's powers. Yet, he was more concerned with keeping Napoleon safe. --- "Wait a minute!" Grim pulled out a bug spray from the corner near him. "We've got this for road trips." He began spraying all over his skeletal body. "There. Now, no bug will want you." --- James ripped the door open and lifted Damien out of the car. He headed off into an abandoned building. Keeping both of them in the dark. Shadowess - July 13, 2022 Stevie froze at Corey's suggestion. He hadn't said he was nervous about going to the police station. He'd lied and told Corey that he needed to help his mom with something after school so that he could avoid going anywhere near the police station. A wild and terrifying thought crossed Stevie's mind that caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end and a cold sweat to break out across his forehead. Did he know what he'd done somehow?! Yet, in his pocket, his flute vibrated gently and he was immediately calmed. Like he could hear words of comfort and encouragement coming from it. "Uh, that's ok. I gotta go help my mom with that thing anyway. See you at the park later?" --- "Spa?" Clementine rose a brow. "I've heard of them but..." she gestured to herself and chuckled dryly. "I was never big enough to try going to one before. I tried once, you know? The people behind the counter didn't take me seriously and thought I was a lost child who needed help... I teleported out after they'd given me candy and before the police could arrive. Didn't try again after that." --- "That's a nice name. Clementine. Like it should belong to a sweet person, not someone who hurts others." Kasper said thoughtfully then reached across the table to rest a hand on Phineas's. "I'm so proud of you, Phineas. What you did was brave and difficult. It was also the right thing to do and I just know that this Clementine will learn from your forgiveness and hopefully she'll use it to learn to forgive herself too." --- The demons exchanged another awkward and uncomfortable glance. They then looked back at Sam, continuing to watch him as instructed. Neither would talk to the Devil boy again but they were contractually bound to tell either Insanity or Donnie of his intentions as soon as they returned. --- "I know it doesn't taste as good anymore but at least your hunger is taken care of." Sebastian sighed in relief as he watched Carter finish the bag. Suddenly, he lifted a hand to cover his eyes as he started sobbing. He leant against the counter he was facing, with his free hand on its edge. He moved the hand from his eyes to his mouth as he stared at the wall. He was shaking. He removed his hand from his mouth and rested it against the counter too while opening and closing his mouth a couple of times. Like he wanted to say something but was struggling to find the words. "Sorry... I'm sorry, Carter. It's my fault. It should have been me. I shouldn't have let him take you. You shouldn't have to deal with this. I promised that I'd look out for you but I failed." --- Oliver cooed sleepily and kicked his little feet lazily as he tried to be more active but was struggling to stay awake. He kept sucking his fist, soaking the sleeve of his onesie in drool as his eyelids became too heavy for him to keep open for much longer. --- Amelia was too busy staring at Charles's new body when he jumped into the water that she wasn't prepared to be splashed and giggled as she shielded her face. While wiping some of the water from her eyes, she grinned at Charles. "You want to be naughty, huh?" she purred while swimming over to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "That depends. Just how naughty do you want to be?" she asked playfully. --- "You will be. It should otherwise be no different from a shopping trip... if you minus the heat, the smells and the merchants trying to rip you off." Desi nodded, basing his assumptions on his previous experiences hundreds of years ago. He hadn't visited that part of the world since... not since he was stoned for trying to make a second harem on Earth there. "It'll be ok," Oscar said as he turned to Leo and placed his hands on his arms. "We'll teleport in, buy the stuff we need and teleport right out." "Barter for everything," Desi added casually. --- "Psst. Pssssssst! Kid." Carol whispered from around the corner, hiding in an art classroom. She'd teleported in but hadn't realised that school wasn't over for the day yet. "I swear I'm not a meth dealer but... Where's your science class? I need to erm- 'borrow' some equipment. You show me where it is like I'm your big sister visiting from college or something and I'll tell you how to get those bitches to stop messing with you. Deal?" --- Tia hesitated and glanced around towards the door to the spare bedroom. "What about Amelia and her baby? Shouldn't we stay to make sure they're safe? or we take them with us?" --- One of the nurses had grabbed the leash of the pitbull before it could run out into the street and it barked at Malone, growling protectively. This caused the little dog in Travis's arms to start barking and growling back at the bigger dog. "Police! Freeze!" Malone went after the man and took out his taser as he ran after him. He took aim and as soon as he was close enough he pulled the trigger. --- "Teleport home, Frederick!" Raguel barked as he turned to look at Insanity. He bent his knees a little then shot up towards him at an alarming speed. Hurtling his body at him like an oversized, heavily armoured bullet with the intention of tackling him so hard that the impact would knock him back down to the ground and also potentially break a few ribs in the process. --- "And no chick for that matter!" Bob joked then pretended to sniff his armpit. "Still, I suppose I've been sprayed with worse and if it stops the itchin' then I ain't complainin'." He looked back at Grim with his skull slightly tilted to one side. "You doing ok now, champ?" he asked him quietly. "You can talk to me whenever you feel down, ok? But just don't go hiding away as you did. Everyone goes through crap from time to time but the best way to deal with it is by surrounding yourself with people you trust. Who will support you. And buddy, you are certainly surrounded by some top-notch friends here." --- Having simply fallen asleep, Damien was completely unaware of what had almost happened to him and where he was currently going. For all he knew, he was still in the taxi and on his way to the airport. He'd been so exhausted that he slept through the brief struggle behind the cab and even slept through the door being ripped off the vehicle. He wouldn't wake up until they'd reached their new destination and before he'd even opened his eyes, he knew he was no longer in the taxi. He kept his eyes closed for a minute, pretending to be asleep and his heart pounded as he listened to his surroundings to try to fathom if he was in danger again. Hearing nothing but silence, he slowly opened his eyes to look around himself. He'd never met James before now, so as far as Damien knew, he'd just been kidnapped and brought to an isolated location by a complete stranger. Odd that he wasn't tied up or anything though. "Who are you?" he asked nervously, then put on a more authoritative tone. "Where am I? Why have you brought me here?" Denix Vames - July 13, 2022 Corey nodded. "I'll see you there. Let's get out of here before we get caught." --- "Well, now that you look like an adult, I don't think that will be a problem anymore." ,said Harris. "So, do you want to go to the Spa?" --- Phineas smiled. "Thank you, Kasper. I appreciate everything that you tell me." Frederick had teleported himself and Napoleon in front of their door. He shouted, "Help us!" Phineas ran to the front door. He opened it to find Frederick struggling to stand as he gripped Napoleon in his arms. "Oh my god! Kasper! Get some water!" He took Napoleon from him and laid him on the living room couch. "Frederick's wings are burning!" --- Carter gripped his shoulders as he looked into his eyes. "You and I both know that we would be doing the same things for each other. Because I know that if it had been you who got stuck in that damn room, I would be losing my goddamn shit too. Do you get it? No matter what, we're always going to get hurt because we love each other too much to let go. But that's alright. At the end of the day, we always win." He smiled with tears running down his cheeks. --- Jasper began to fall asleep as Oliver was too. --- "Oh I don't know. Maybe the kind of naughty in which you have to discipline me?" ,said Charles. --- Leo nodded. "Right. Let's get there now." --- Autumn nodded. "I can show you where it is but it's alright. I really don't want them to notice me anymore than they already do." She led her to the science classroom. "I'm going to leave soon. School's almost over and I've got to hang with my new friends. But if you need me to stay here, I can always text them." --- "Oh my! I completely forgot. I was so relaxed about everything when we were alone together. Let me knock and see if she wants to join us." Xenos walked over to the bedroom. He knocked on the door. "Amelia? We were thinking of taking a trip somewhere. Would you like to join us?" Jasper had to force himself off of the bed. He opened the door. "Sorry but Amelia and Charles are out on a date. I'm babysitting the little guy here." He yawned. "You seem really tired. Maybe we should take over for you." ,said Xenos. Jasper shook his head. "Nah, I'm good." He yawned again. --- The man cried out when he felt electricity burst through his body. He collapsed as he felt cuffs on his hands. "Fucking asshole! It's just a stupid mute! What the fuck's your problem?!" --- Insanity had not expected Raguel to have more power than him. Yet when he felt the blow, his eyes widened. He made indentation on the road once he hit the ground. He coughed up some blood. Feeling nothing but pain. He glared but knew that if he tried anything else, it surely wouldn't work. "If I surrender, will you promise not to hurt my family? At least give mercy to my children." --- Grim nodded "Yeah, I'm alright. I just didn't want to bring the band down with my personal problems." The band had arrived back with bags of groceries. Mainly, it was just chips, soda, and some microwavable dishes. "Hey, we're back. Who's excited for dinner tonight? Cause Pain makes a really damn good PBJ Barbecue and Popcorn chip sandwich." "You guys can add more to your sandwiches though." ,said Pain. --- "My name is James. I'm a friend of Leo's. I'm sure you've heard about him or at least ADIEU. We were once prisoners but escaped a long time ago. Now, I just roam the streets looking for trouble. In this case, your driver had bad intentions, so I knocked him out and brought you to my place. If you do need a ride, I would suggest staying on your guard." shadowess - July 14, 2022 Stevie nodded as well then peered over the machine to check if the coast was clear. "All good. We should be able to sneak out the same way we got in," he said quietly then carefully led them both out of the arcade. Once they were in the clear, he turned and grinned at Corey. "I've never done anything like that before. My heart is still going fast!" he laughed. "Well, see you later then!" he half waved then headed in the direction of his home. The part of the park that was swarming with police and tape was cleared by now. Although the tape remained to stop anyone from stumbling into the crime scene. The bodies were gone but there were blood stains on the gravelly pavement. Stevie stared into the area as he walked around the outside of the tape. His face was completely devoid of emotion. --- Clementine blushed and looked down at herself. He was right. The limits that she'd grown so used to were gone now. She could do anything she wanted without being spoken down to or treated like a child. "Yes," she said softly. "I'd love to." --- Kasper shot to his feet at the sound of shouting. He turned pale and started to shiver but he steeled himself and ran to the sink to fill up a bowl of water. He ran to the others with it while being careful not to spill it. "Quick turn around!" he said to Frederick before pouring the water carefully yet quickly over the burning parts of his wings. "What did this to you?!" --- Sebastian tried to steady his breathing as he looked into Carter's eyes. He nodded at his words and even smiled a little towards the end of Carter's speech. He moved into his arms and buried his face in his shoulder while running his hand through his hair. His other hand gripped the back of his shirt. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said in a quiet, quivering voice. "I'd do anything to protect you." --- "Oh?" Amelia giggled and slowly ran a couple of her fingers up the centre of Charles's chest while giving him a playful look. "Now you have me curious." --- In seconds they had teleported into an alleyway in the middle of a town in India. "Hmm, I guess things have changed since my last visit here..." Oscar mumbled as he looked around at the now unfamiliar surroundings. "Pretty sure this used to be a park... Anyways, I can't imagine we're very far from a market. Where there's a town centre, there's always a market. That much is true for any country at least." --- "Atta girl!" Carol beamed as Autumn agreed to show her to the science class. Once there, she smiled at the girl but shook her head. "I'll be fine, sweet thing. Although... I don't suppose I could borrow your backpack? Otherwise, I'll have to do this in more than one trip." she then winked. "I promise I'll bring it back to you." Carol snapped her fingers and then dove a hand into her pocket. "Tell you what. Here, keep hold of this for me. It'll motivate me to bring your backpack back to you. Call it a kind of security. It's very important to me, so keep it safe." she said as she showed the girl a necklace. A broken blue crystal on a thin chain. --- Tia chuckled at Jasper's tiredness. She knew all too well how contagious a baby's sleepiness can be. "So, this means Amelia and her child are safe from danger now?" she asked as she kept her eye on the sleeping baby. --- "My fucking problem, you piece of shit, is the guy you tried to hurt happens to be my boyfriend!" Malone hissed into the man's ear as he pulled him to his feet and started walking him towards the car. "And even if he wasn't, what gives you the right to go around assaulting people?! Did you think you'd get away with it?! Just because he doesn't speak much, doesn't mean he doesn't know how to tell me when he's in trouble! Now, you're going to sit quietly in the vet's waiting room until we're done and then I'm driving your ass back to the station. Got it?" --- Raguel landed heavily on the ground, next to Insanity and glared at him while he spoke. "I am not a monster like you. I will not hurt your children." he took the angelic bracelet out again and just as he did the scimitar vanished. "Gabriel. Assemble your men and apprehend the boys," he ordered without taking his eyes off Insanity. He then held out his free hand to him. "Now give me your wrist Devil and let us finally be done with this madness." --- Bob placed a boney hand on Grim's shoulder. "They're your friends. You won't bring them down. But they can certainly lift you back up." he said quietly then stood to greet the band as they walked in. "Welcome back! What did you buy for me?" he asked cheerily. "Noth- ew!" Lilly paused and pinched her nose. "What is that smell?!" "My new deodorant, baby! You like?" "Not particularly!" she huffed as she helped take the bags of groceries to the kitchen. "Ehh, you love it!" Bob waved his hand dismissively at her. Then feverishly scratched at one of his rib bones. "Ow! What the-!" he looked down at himself and flicked at a tough yet squishy red thing attached to his bone. "Well that's new..." he poked it. "Ow! and tender! What is that?!" Lilly paused and turned back to look at Bob curiously. She glanced at Pain worriedly then slowly walked over to Bob. "Let me see," she said as she gently moved his hands away from his ribs. "Careful, it hurts to touch! OW!!" Bob flinched as Lilly ran a finger over the red growth. "Bob... that's flesh..." She said, stepping away. "Was that always there?" "If it was, I sure as hell never noticed." Bob shrugged. "Say, you don't suppose I'm growing my own flesh suit, do ya?" he joked. "I don't know," Lilly responded seriously as she looked over the skeleton and for once, Bob was speechless. "But if you are... why now? You've been my irritating companion for ages... and reanimated corpses are supposed to continue decomposing, not... recompose!" --- "Yeah, I've heard of ADIEU..." Damien sat up with a grunt and regarded James for a moment. "My sister and I destroyed most of them a few years ago. Back when we were trying to find... someone. We'd break in, set the 'test subjects' free, burn the place to the ground then move on to the next one." At the mention of the cab driver having bad intentions, Damien tutted and ran his hand through his own hair in frustration. "I just really can't seem to catch a break lately... Thanks, man. I owe you one." he sighed then glanced around. "Oh, shit! What time is it? I was supposed to catch a flight to the UK."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - July 14, 2022 Corey smiled. "Glad you enjoyed it. See ya!" --- Harris stood. "We can take a ride there by cab. I know there's a Spa nearby. I just hope you'll like the experience." --- Frederick let out a sigh of relief as the water cooled his wings. He collapsed. "Insanity....But Raguel has him in his grasp. I know he can't beat him. Do not worry though. Heaven is well protected. He cannot enter here." Phineas's eye widened. "Is that Napoleon Bonaparte?" "Yes. He fell victim to Insanity's wrath but I was able to save him." Frederick passed out. --- Carter wrapped his arms around him. "I want to do something with you. Only if you're willing to agree. It's a big step but..." He gently pushed him back before getting to one knee. "I got this ring back from Parker." He took out a ring. "I kept my husband's ring to remember him by. Now, I want you to have it. Sebastian? Will you marry me?" --- "I'm thinking you should take charge and just show me how rough you want things to be." Charles passionately kissed her. --- "We should be able to get the ingredients in no time then. Lead the way." Leo smiled and winked. --- Autumn held the necklace close. She nodded. "I promise I will. If you need me, I'll probably be at the police station visiting my stepdad or going to the park with my friends." --- The man grit his teeth. "Fuck you! You better not hurt my damn dog!" Travis kept the little dog close to himself. Making sure that it wasn't near the big dog. --- Insanity stood with angry tears in his eyes. "I would never hurt them!" He snatched the bracelet from him and placed it on himself. "There! You see? I love them!" --- Gabriel and some of his men appeared in Warren's apartment. "Do not fight. Your leaders have already fallen to us. They are in custody. It is best that you surrender as well. We will not harm the children as Insanity has made us promise. However, we would like to know where the other child is? I am led to believe that there is another one." He nodded at an Angel. "Put the bracelet on him." Dariel shouted, "No! Don't take them!" He grabbed a vase. Gabriel raised his hand. Making him pass out before he had the chance to do anything. "You will join them as well. Don't think that I would separate you from your family." Theron sobbed. "I don't want to go! Get away from me! Where's my dads?!" "I have said before that they are safe." He ran out the front door. Gabriel nodded at two Angels. "Go get him. If anyone sees you, make sure you erase their memories. I want no mistakes." --- "So much for our dancing skeleton idea. Looks like you're going to become human." ,said Storm. "But if you're turning human then how are you going to keep your flesh safe? There's all sorts of shit around that can get inside you." ,said Pain. Hades opened her spellbook. "I can find a spell to reverse the effects or make the growth faster." --- "I can take you there if you need me to. I'm a werewolf so I think you know how fast I can be." ,said James. Shadowess - July 16, 2022 Clementine nodded. "I suppose it would be better for me to get used to doing human things for a change," she said, referring to the idea of getting a taxi. "How do we get a cab?" --- Frightened by what Frederick had told them, Kasper put the bucket down and glanced at Phineas before pulling Frederick into the house. He sat him up, with his back against the wall then ran over to Phineas and flung his arms around him. "Phineas, I'm scared. Wh-what do we do? Do we report this to someone? Is there an ambulance service in Heaven?" --- Surprised and stunned, Sebastian could do nothing but blink at Carter for a moment. Then as what was happening sank in, the flood gates opened and he started crying tears of joy while nodding, too overjoyed to form words until he finally blurted out the word "Yes!" Catching his breath after unconsciously holding it, he laughed while wiping away his tears and nodding again. "Yes, I will!" --- Caught up in the moment, Amelia kissed Charles back with the same level of passion. The only sounds around them were the occasional dripping and sloshing noises from the water. She ran her hand through his hair and gripped it firmly while slipping her tongue into his mouth and moaning softly into the kiss. Breaking the kiss, she moved to nibble his earlobe a little before whispering into his ear. "You know I like it when we get really rough." She grinned and her body started to warm up a bit. "Let's make it so hot that this whole pool evaporates by the time we're done!" she grinned mischievously. --- Oscar grinned and moved to take Leo's hand but then had to stop himself. "Ah... this might be a little harder than I thought." he then smirked. "Maybe it could be kinda hot though. Being secretly in love and resisting each other until we get home." he chuckled. Already he was coming up with all the ways that he wanted to express his adoration to Leo for when they got home later. He turned and lead them out of the alley and into the market. "Alright, let's try to find a spice stall..." he said as he looked around. As he did, his eyes landed on something utterly gorgeous. It was a red and gold Indian wedding dress. He couldn't help but recall the way Leo had dressed for Jasper's wedding and additionally couldn't help wondering how he might look in a dress like the one he'd just spotted. Clearing his throat awkwardly and tearing his eyes away from it, he tried to focus on the task at hand. --- Carol smiled and nodded. "Oh, don't worry. I'll find you again later." she took the backpack and then turned to face the chemistry equipment. "Now then... I got some science stuff to stea- [ahem] 'borrow'" she winked at Autumn to show he she was kidding. --- "What do you take me for?" Malone snapped as he marched the man back into the vets and made him sit down in one of the waiting room chairs. He then hurried over to Travis and cupped his cheeks. "Are you ok?" he asked softly. --- Raguel stared hard at Insanity for a long, tense moment. He stepped towards him until he was uncomfortably close and looked down at him with a stern expression. "Do you think me a fool, Devil? You will still be able to remove that bracelet yourself. Remove it and allow me to place it on your wrist. Now." he growled with his hand out, palm facing upwards. "I have lived far too long and seen too much in my time to be a victim to one of your tricks!" Behind him, the clown had stood and was glaring at the back of Raguel. Baring his sharp teeth angrily. He would only need a decent enough distraction to get the upper hand. --- Warren jumped to his feet and look at Gabriel in alarm. He watched the whole thing unfold so quickly that he barely had time to react. "Theron!" He called out worriedly as he watched the boy run from the apartment with a pair of Angels hot on his heels. "Leave my family alone!!" He growled at Gabriel defensively but felt intimidated by him and worried that Gabriel would sense his fear. Instinctively, he ran to Dariel and pulled him into his arms. He'd intended to teleport to Theron and then teleport the three of them somewhere else like he had before but much to his surprise, he remained standing in the apartment surrounded by Angels. "What's happening? Why can't I teleport?!" he panicked, sweat rolling down the sides of his face. Unknown to Warren, the same trap that had been used on Donnie was now also being used on them, where the building was surrounded by Angels holding magical batons that acted as a net to prevent anyone non-angelic from teleporting in or out of the building. "N-No! I can't fail! I can't fail!!" he tried mentally calling for help from Donnie and Insanity's demon army but the net kept them all isolated to that one point. He quickly realised that he was the only one able to defend the boys. He glared at Gabriel with a mixture of dread and anger. Bitter tears rose in his eyes and he breathed heavily to try to calm his nerves. "I don't want to hurt you. But I MUST defend the family." his lip quivered. "I can't fail..." He closed his eyes and took one last breath, letting it out slowly to steady his nerves before opening his mouth again to begin singing beautifully. --- Bob was unusually quiet and it caused Lilly to express an emotion that was rare for her. Worry. "Bob? Are you ok?" "Oh yeah..." Bob said without moving. His tone was sarcastic. "Just looking forward to having this incredibly sensitive and tender flesh growing on all of my bones." "Did you hear Hades?" Lilly tilted her head. "She said she might be able to reverse it." She watched as Bob looked over at Hades, then back at her. "Is that what you want?" "I-..." Bob looked over at Hades once more, then looked around at the rest of the band. Then back to Lilly. "Need to go for a walk... I need to think about this..." he started walking for the door then paused and glanced back at Lilly. Usually, whenever he'd say he'd need to think about something, she'd fire a quip at him along the lines of not having a brain to think with. But this time she didn't. She was watching him quietly with a frown. He turned back to the door and walked out. --- "Thanks but I've lost enough dignity today as it is without piggybacking a werewolf across town as well." Damien smiled as he tried to stand then immediately stumbled as the room seemed to spin and he fell to his knees. "Fucking vampire..." he hissed under his breath. He took a few steady breaths until the dizziness subsided then he looked up at James. "I don't think I can fly in this condition anyway. Pretty sure they have a rule about not flying after giving so much blood... and I apparently involuntarily donated quite a bit to a starving vampire earlier today." he rolled his eyes as he mentioned the vampire. "You got a phone I can borrow? My son will be worried if I don't tell him I'm not going to be flying anytime soon." Denix Vames - July 16, 2022 Harris led her outside until they got to the sidewalk. "Like this." He waved at a cab that was passing by. Once it stopped, he opened the door for her. Inside, he gave the address to a local Spa that he knew. --- Phineas gently ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know." Napoleon groaned awake. He lifted his head. "Where am I? What happened to Raguel?" He got off of the couch. "Frederick!" He ran to his side. "Why did you enter my fight? This was my business! And now you are hurt." He stood. Facing Kasper and Phineas. "I apologize. I should have done my duty as an Archangel but...I was acting foolish at the time." He looked at his hands. "I have heard that rumors were spread about me. Do people really think of me as this tyrant? Am I even helping?" He clenched his fists. "How could I even doubt myself for a second? I am a leader!" He gave a determined look to them. "I will take this man to where he can be attended to. I am grateful that you have allowed us to take shelter in your home. I will return to talk again." He lifted Frederick off the floor. "To show my thanks, do you two have anything to request?" --- Carter had tears in his eyes too. He stood and placed the ring over his finger before kissing him. --- Charles chuckled. "I like your thinking." He kissed her neck. Biting there to leave marks. He moved his hand to her ass. --- Leo rolled his eyes but smiled. "Now, you're making me want you." He followed him. "Wait a minute. There's one problem. Do we even have money for this stuff?" --- Autumn chuckled. "You remind me of my stepdad. He's got a good sense of humor too." The bell rang. "I should get going. Unless you need me to stay here." --- Travis nodded as cried. "Oh give me a break!" ,said the man. Travis had enough of people stepping on him. He wanted to be just like Malone. He stood from his seat and placed the dog on the chair. He stormed over to the guy and kicked him in the crotch. The man hung his head as he screamed. "Fucking bitch!" --- "Fine then!" Insanity handed over the bracelet. Before Raguel had the chance, he flew above and sent a ray of energy towards the clown. Knocking him down. Insanity lowered himself. "Do you believe me now?" He held out his wrist so that Raguel could place the bracelet on him. --- In a split second, Gabriel appeared near him and slapped the bracelet on him. "Do not think that I will let you take me down!" He backhanded him. Theron continued to run as he was being chased. "Leave me alone!" --- Hades frowned. She closed the book. "I hope he'll be ok." --- James blushed. "Uh....No. I don't have a phone. Sorry. But I could take you to a friend that does have one." shadowess - July 17, 2022 The cab driver was the same one who had tried to kidnap Damien. He had a black eye and a pounding head but was simply counting himself lucky that he had been able to walk away from the incident without consequence. He'd taken a few painkiller tablets already and waited patiently for his next fair to get into the vehicle. Patience sat in the back with Harris and glanced at him as the cab started moving in the direction of the Spa. "So, is there a specific etiquette we should adhere to when we arrive?" She asked Harris, paying the driver no attention. The driver had glanced at the pair a couple of times in his rearview mirror. Weighing his options. Still, he drove them to the Spa as they had requested. After all, he was still a taxi driver at the end of the day. "That'll be eighteen bucks," he said as they pulled up. --- The whole thing was still such a shock to Kasper that he couldn't help staring at Napoleon as he spoke. When he asked them if they wanted to request anything, he stammered for a moment and glanced at Phineas. Then he smiled and looked back at Napoleon. "Thank you, but I already have everything that I could ever want right here," he answered honestly as he hugged Phineas a little tighter. --- It all seemed like a dream. First, they decided to adopt Patience's baby and now they're engaged! Sebastian watched as Carter placed the ring on his finger and then sweetly returned his kiss. Eyes closed as he continued to savour the kiss, he reached over to the hob and turned the heat off just as the kettle had reached boiling point. --- Amelia smiled then tilted her head back as Charles kissed her neck. She let out excited moans as she felt him biting her neck as well. Not to mention where his hand was going! She wrapped her legs around his waist and ground her hips against his while running her nails across his back. Her body gradually got hotter as they grew more and more passionate. [Private Time] --- "Well, I imagine some stalls will have card-readers. So we should be able to pay by credit card... though I imagine the exchange rates and charges will be horrendous for doing so." Oscar commented. He then took out his wallet and looked around. "Or we could find an ATM and withdraw some cash that way. I think they use Rupees here. I know, let's try and make this interesting." he grinned. "You take half the list and I'll take half. We'll meet back here in about twenty minutes. Whoever got the most from their list, or got everything from their list first, wins." --- "You stepdad sounds like fun." Carol grinned. "He single?" she winked and chuckled. "Oh, no sweet thing. Best that you don't get involved in what I'm doing. Thank you though." --- "Hey! Enough!" Malone said sternly while gently taking Travis by the shoulders and pulling him away from the man. He eased him down into a seat on the opposite end of the waiting room and gave him a serious look. "Look, I know you're hurt and angry." he started as he knelt in front of him so he'd be at his eye level. "But that's not how we take care of this. He could press charges for assault now. Do you understand? Let me take care of him." A vet came out of her office and looked around the waiting room. "Malone?" he rested his hand on Travis's cheek. "I'll talk to him while you take the dog in, ok?" --- Humans were far too weak to withstand such a supernatural blast. As monstrous as he was, Patches the clown was still only human. So when the energy struck him, he let out a pained howl and immediately fell to the ground while writhing in agony. In seconds he was a charred mess as he rapidly perished. This was enough to cause Raguel to momentarily falter. He gripped the bracelet tightly as he stared back at the remains before turning back to glare at Insanity. His capability to cause so much destruction was all the more reason to subdue him and his family immediately. He moved to grab Insanity's wrist forcefully. Twisting it a little to cause him some pain. "You and your partner will be dealt with. Your children will be rehomed with other families. Away from each other and away from you. Their powers were stripped from them for good measure. They'll stand a much better chance at life if they're as far from you and Donnie as possible!" He then grinned maliciously. Seemingly taking delight in making Insanity aware of what fate was awaiting him. "And the best part? You and Donnie won't remember each other by the time we're done with you. You'll probably never see each other again." He opened the bracelet up, readying it. "And all of your followers, even that little pet that you keep by your side, will be destroyed for treason." --- Immediately after the bracelet was slapped onto his wrist, Warren's singing became slightly off-key and lost its power. He'd gasped, having been taken by surprise at how quickly Gabriel had moved. His head snapped to one side when he was smacked and the force of the blow caused him to stumble back. He almost dropped Dariel but managed to keep the boy in his arms as his back hit the wall, knocking things off the nearby shelves. He heard Theron's shouts and he looked towards the door helplessly before looking fearfully at Gabriel. It was over. "You can't break us apart." he shook his head. "You can't!" He was trying to sound defiant but he was also revealing a great fear. That his family would be broken apart and scattered in a way that prevents them from ever seeing each other again. He couldn't lose them. Not when he was just beginning to feel like he belonged with them. Terrified that the boys would be seized by these Angels, he made a run for the door. "THERON!!!" --- "I don't understand..." Lilly whispered as she looked down at her hands. "How did this happen? This couldn't have been my doing. I reanimate corpses... I don't heal them or regenerate them. That's not within my power... It doesn't make sense... What changed?!" she glanced around the room. "Is it this world? Something in the air? Has someone else cast a spell?" The room spun fast and Lilly found herself short of breath. She placed a hand on her head as she swayed on her feet, looking pale and ready to fall. --- "Shit..." Damien whispered as he sat back against a wall. He then nodded at James's suggestions. "Sure, I guess I don't have many other options. As long as we don't go anywhere near vampires."
Shadowess Posted September 27 Author Posted September 27 Denix Vames - July 17, 2022 "There really isn't. You may have to be naked or you can wear shorts to cover below the waist." Harris took out his wallet. He pulled out enough bills to add up to the price. He was about to hand it over to him when he noticed the black eye from the rearview mirror. "Are you ok? Who did that to you?" --- "Then I will pay a visit later to apologize. Good day to you both." Napoleon disappeared. Phineas raised a brow. "Apologize? He has nothing to be sorry. We wanted to help." --- When the kiss broke, Carter brushed his fingers over his lips. "The thought of Devil's blood isn't as strong anymore. Thank you." --- Leo smirked. "Sounds like a fun game. And I'm pretty sure I'll beat you." --- "Um...He is. But I don't know. I never asked him who he liked. When I get to the police station, I can ask if he likes guys or girls." Autumn looked from side to side of the doorway. Making sure that no one was there. "I've got to go. Bye!" She walked off. --- Travis was shaking as he held the dog close. He nodded at Malone but was still crying. --- "NO!" Insanity yanked his arm away. "Uh....I mean...." He nervously rubbed his arm as he blushed. "Please don't take Warren's life away from him. He was only doing what he was told. Just think about giving him mercy." Tears dripped down his cheek. "And don't take my family away from me. I know I don't deserve to beg but please." He could feel a different side of himself coming to light. One that he thought he never had. "I...I love them." His eyes widened. Surprised by the statement. "I really do." --- Theron kept running but stopped when he heard Warren calling for him. "Uncle!" --- Sam stood and placed a hand over his chest. "Something doesn't feel right. I think my family needs help but I don't even have that power to tell." He cringed. "Don't tell me I'm actually getting feelings!" --- Pain caught her and helped her to a beanbag. "It'll be ok. Just take some deep breaths and try to relax. You could smoke if you need it. Like we said before, it helps people calm down." --- "Alright. I know where to go then." ,said James. He picked him up and zoomed to the mansion. He knocked on the door. They both stood in front of it. Waiting for answer. Shadowess - July 18, 2022 "Oh!" Clementine blushed deeply at the idea of disrobing in front of other people and her eyes darted around to the window to hide her face. The driver noticed this and he'd seen this kind of reaction enough times in his line of work to know exactly what it meant. She was a virgin. Now, he knew better nowadays than to think this was significant in any way but there were still some creeps out there that would pay top dollar to take someone's virginity. If only she'd been alone. That would make things far less complicated but he supposed he could still pull this off if he was careful about it. After all, he now knew where they lived. His focus suddenly shifted to Harris as his eye was pointed out and he seemed concerned for him. The driver gave him a pleasant smile and waved it off dismissively. "This? Nah, it's nothing. Got into a fight in the bar last night, that's all. That's what you get when you have one too many and step on a big guy's toes, right?" he joked. --- "Maybe there's more going on here than meets the eye?" Kasper suggested then shook his head. "Ugh! Look at us! Getting caught up in the troubles of Earth again, just when we'd found our paradise! Yet I see such legends walk through our door and can't help but wonder if the idea of living our dreams in peace is no more than a fool's fantasy! Is this happiness that we've found doomed to be short-lived? Will it get boring for us? Will we end up doing things like becoming Angels and fighting just to keep some sense of purpose?" Kasper's head spun and he rested a hand against his face as he leant against Phineas. "I'm sorry... I-... I guess it's just sinking in that we're here for eternity and eternity has never looked so vast and uncertain... It frightens me..." --- Staring into Carter's eyes, Sebastian smiled as he heard his words and felt his fingers on his lips. "I could probably think of a few other things that would help to keep your mind off it," he smirked and kissed his fingers suggestively while maintaining eye contact. --- "You're on!" Oscar chuckled as he tore the list in two and handed one half to Leo. "And the timer starts...nnnow!" he chuckled and winked at him before darting off in one direction. --- "Hm, sweet kid," Carol commented to herself with a small smile. She then turned to face the chemistry tables and grinned mischievously while unzipping the backpack. "And now to crime!" --- The vet held the door open and gave Travis a warm smile as he'd enter her office. "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure everything will be ok with the little guy," she said, assuming that Travis was crying because of the dog. "Now, I was told you found this little fella on the street, is that right? Let's start by popping him on the table here so I can get a good look at him." Meanwhile, Malone took the leash for the man's dog and sat next to him. He offered him the leash. "I'm not an asshole, you can at least keep hold of your dog while we're waiting," he said as he sat back and folded his arms. "What's its name?" he asked and gestured to the dog, trying to strike up a casual conversation first. --- Warren followed the sound of Theron's shouts. He moved as quickly as he could with Dariel in his arms but the bracelet had even sapped his demonic strength, making it more tiring for him to do so. He could already feel the muscles in his arms and legs begin to ache from the exertion but he pushed on. All of the exits and fire exits had an angel guarding them, holding an angelic baton. When Theron stopped, the two angels that had been following him also stopped. One turned around just as Warren came rushing around the corner and held up his weapon threateningly, causing Warren to ground to a halt. He stood there, trying to catch his breath while looking past them at Theron who would now be trapped between the two angels and a third angel by the exit. "Th-Theron!" Warren said breathlessly, his voice full of worry. "Listen to me carefully. Don't fight them. Don't give them a reason to hurt you! But also don't tell them anything. We have to stay strong now, ok? We need to protect each other by not giving them any information!" "Quiet!" The Angel holding the weapon barked at him. "Hand over the boy!" "No!" Warren glared at them. "Don't separate us! Please! They need me!" "Grab that one. I'll take care of this one." The Angel said to the other who then proceeded to approach Theron slowly. "Come quietly, kid. We just want to talk, that's all," he said gently while holding out a hand. Meanwhile, the other Angel marched over to Warren and placed his weapon near Warren's throat. "Hand. Over. The boy." he growled threateningly. "Then you're going to tell us where the third one is." "I can't." Warren glared back, shaking violently. "Oh, but you can." the Angel grinned. "And you will. One way or another." --- The demons glanced at each other. "We can't leave you and we haven't been ordered to take you back yet either." "But if there's even a chance that he's right then we also can't just stand here while they need our help." the other demon commented quietly to his colleague who seemed to quickly agree with a short nod. "Alright, hang on." he briefly closed his eyes and a third demon appeared. "Our prince here suspects his family is in danger. Gather a group and make sure our Kings are safe." The third demon nodded and then vanished. --- Unmoved by Insanity's revelation, Raguel continued to glare at him. A part of him took delight in seeing his enemy realise his doom but mostly he was just angry that he still hadn't managed to properly subdue Insanity yet. "Too little, too late! Your family have committed treason, kidnapped and tortured people for your own amusement- including one of our Angels! You deserve this punishment! You deserve to be split up and your conspirators deserve destruction! Now I won't tell you again, GIVE. ME. YOUR. WRIST!!!" A second later, Raguel was taken by surprise when three burly demons tackled him to the ground. The bracelet dropped to the ground and rolled across the pavement. Letting out a furious roar, Raguel threw the trio off and rose to his feet while summoning his scimitar. Two more Demons appeared near Insanity while the other three kept Raguel busy. "Sire! Your family are in danger! We sent a scout to check on them but they couldn't teleport into the building. It's surrounded by Angels holding weird rods!" --- Lilly barely heard Pain as she stared across the room. "I summoned Bob completely by mistake..." she confessed. "I knew I was different but didn't know I had powers. I was scared and alone but I would never admit it because that would be a weakness... and in my world weaknesses like that got you killed... or worse. Then he- he..." She smiled briefly with tears in her eyes. "He popped out of the ground and said 'hey tuts, what'chya cryin' for??'" she laughed as a couple of tears fell. "I always thought I didn't want him around. That he was a curse. A mistake. I didn't understand why he kept following me around even though I tried to put him back in the ground more than a few times. But now that he might be turning human... regenerating... I realise that I summoned him because I needed someone." She looked up at Pain tearfully. "What if I'm doing this to him? Because I don't feel so alone anymore? Maybe he knows it and that's why he left as he did?" her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened as a realisation dawned on her. "What if he doesn't come back?!" It was at this moment that Lilly realised that despite all of her complaints about him over the years, Bob actually meant something to her. He was her friend. Her best friend. And she felt guilty as she assumed the skin growth had made him feel like he was no longer needed. --- When they reached the mansion, Damien couldn't help but burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh, man...! I just came from here!" he laughed then quickly stopped as he remembered who else he last saw in this building before he'd left. He visibly shivered. He had no idea if Bryce was even still in the mansion or if he might've gone home by now but after getting hooked on Damien's blood, he couldn't risk being here in case he caught his scent. "We need to leave." He said suddenly and nervously. "Now." Denix Vames - July 18, 2022 "I'll say. Just be careful next time. You might end up in a worse condition." Harris handed him the cash. Him and Clementine stepped out of the car. "Drive safely." In front of the spa, they stepped in. "Hello. Can we get two rooms? And please be gentle with her skin. It's her first time getting this kind of treatment and I don't want her feeling uncomfortable." --- Phineas frowned. "Come here." He cupped his cheeks. "We are safe here. We will never get hurt but that doesn't mean we should stop helping those who come to our home. You barely had to do much but put water on an Angel. I didn't do anything. Does that sound like we're in danger?" --- "I've got an idea for that too. How about we do that venom thing again? That would be a nice distraction." ,said Carter. --- Leo chuckled before zooming off with his half of the list. --- Travis placed the dog on the table. The man still didn't like Malone but took the leash. He bit his lip before saying, "Her name is Cheryl." He turned his head. Raising a brow at him. "Why are you trying to be nice? You just tackled me and said some crap earlier." --- Theron suddenly began to twitch as he laughed. Though he was laughing, he looked to be frightened. His blood oozed from his nose and eyes. He clutched his head and cried out. The bracelet exploded into pieces as the black blood could no longer hold back. That bracelet had become useless now. The blood wanted to kill. He pulled out his sword from his back and swung at the Angels in front of him. As he fought, he was smiling --- "If all of them are captured then you and the rest of my family's army will have no choice but to obey. I will become King of Hell!" Sam laughed. --- "Take me to the building as closely as possible! Now!" ,said Insanity. --- Pain sat by her. He placed a hand on her arm. "Lilly, it doesn't matter when he will grow flesh. Friends will always need each other. The rest of us have flesh and we definitely need everyone. Bob isn't going to leave you just because he's turning human. He's stayed by you for this long. Are you saying that he would just abandon you like that?" --- James let out a frustrated sigh. He carried him away from the mansion but stopped at an alley. "Look. Just steal some cash and use a damn payphone. Or steal a phone." shadowess - July 24, 2022 "No promises." The driver chuckled and watched them both step out of the vehicle. Clementine glanced back at the driver and caught him staring. She felt unnerved by it but couldn't explain why. She quickly followed Harris and as soon as they were both inside the building, the driver peeled off and rejoined the rest of the traffic. In the spa, Clementine couldn't help staring around her at the white painted walls, the seashell decor and the vibrantly green plants dotted around the room. This place certainly had a calming atmosphere. So much so that Clementine quickly forgot that she'd been feeling uneasy just a few seconds ago. The woman behind the counter gave Harris a small nod. "Oh, we're gentle with all of our clients! Which package would you like with your rooms?" she asked and gestured to what looked like a menu for various treatments. The more expensive ones had so many treatments that they'd surely last all day and came with complimentary glasses of champagne. --- Kasper let out a steady breath as he thought over Phineas's words. "N-no, you're right..." he closed his eyes briefly. "Of course we're safe and we have everything we could ever want. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me..." --- Sebastian smirked at the idea. It had been a while. "Really?" he grinned. His heart fluttered from excitement as he slid Carter's index and middle fingers into his mouth and slowly pulled back while sucking on them. When the tips of his fingers would reach his lips again, Sebastian would gently lift them to press his index finger against one of his fangs, injecting a small amount of venom. "You mean like this?" he asked while staring at him lustfully. --- Several minutes later, Oscar would hurry back to their meeting spot with a large brown, paper bag in one hand and a smaller paper bag in the other. --- "Thank you. Ok, let's take a look..." The vet then proceeded to look over the dog very carefully. She checked its heart rate with her stethoscope, placed it on a set of scales to weigh it, checked for a chip as well as made sure it was otherwise healthy. "Ok, so this little guy looks to be about two years old. No chip, so possibly a stray or abandoned. He's underweight and malnourished. Doesn't look like he's ever had shots and will need to be de-flea'd and de-wormed. Poor little guy must've been struggling to find any untainted food before you found him." She gave Travis a patient smile. "If you're wanting to adopt him, I can start his treatments now and give him a microchip? If you're not able to then that's ok too. I can make sure he's cared for until he's well enough to rehome. What would you like to do?" "Yeah well, you tried to hurt the man I love for no good reason. I think you can understand my anger." Malone shot back and glared at the man briefly before letting his eyes soften a bit as he looked back at Cheryl. He let out a sigh. "His too. Do you have any idea how hard it must be for him already without jerks trying to rough him up for simply existing?" His tone was gentle, yet firm. --- Warren's eyes widened as he watched Theron's change. The Angel closest to the boy was taken by surprise and tried to move away as soon as he saw the sword emerge. Not fast enough though. A split second later, the Angel was knocked down. The sword had sliced straight through his chest plate and his own blood was pouring out of the gap. "NO!!" The second Angel screamed and turned in time to block Theron's blade with his own. "You evil little brat! I'll kill you!" he yelled angrily. "Theron!" Warren gasped then glanced behind himself, knowing Gabriel would likely have been on his tail. "Shit, shit, shit!" He looked back at Theron desperately. He could still make sure his last order was obeyed. He quickly and carefully placed Dariel down by the wall and wrapped his arm around the Angel's neck while also grabbing the Angel's weapon hand to stop him from using it. "Theron, take Dariel and get out of here!" he said quickly as he decided he'd stay behind to try to prevent Gabriel and his men from following the boys. "GO NOW!!" Meanwhile, just outside the building, the two demons who had been with Insanity appeared with him and they faced the building. "We're ready to fight at your command, sire." one of them said resolutely. Back in France, Raguel was growing increasingly angry as he saw Insanity vanish while he'd been trying to fend off his demonic soldiers. He manoeuvred his scimitar in his hand and spun on the spot. In one swing, he disembowelled one demon and beheaded another. The third demon narrowly escaped the range of the weapon and fell back. Luckily, Raguel wasn't interested in finishing his attackers off and had only one target on his mind; Insanity. He teleported after him, arriving a few minutes after they did so would be a short distance away when he appeared. "INSANITY!" he bellowed, his voice deep and commanding. Enough to send shivers down the spines of anyone who heard it. "Go to your family, sire! We will hold him off!" one of the Demons said quickly as they both turned and placed themselves between Raguel and their King. --- "You won't be King until your fathers pass that title on to you. Not before little prince." One of the demons told him sternly. "And you would do well to get such notions out of your head. I don't think your fathers will take kindly to you wishing for their demise." --- "I-..." Lilly looked at Pain. She wasn't so certain but she desperately wanted to believe him. "I hope not... It's going to be odd... I've never seen him as anything other than a skeleton... I wonder what he'll look like..." she tried a small smile. "I guess that's the end of plucking bones from him to use as weapons..." she joked. --- "I can't!" Damien complained as if he'd already thought of it. "I promised granddaddy dearest that I'd be a good boy so that I can get this bloody thing off and stop being so weak!" He gestured to the bracelet. "I mean, how do humans do it?! I can't even remember what it had been like to be this powerless before I got my powers. God, I miss them..." he kicked a can into the alley out of frustration. Denix Vames - July 24, 2022 "I'd like for something in a medium range price." ,said Harris. --- "It's alright. I don't blame you for being scared. I'm worried too." Phineas kissed his head. "But everything's alright. No one's here to hurt us." He caressed his cheek. "We should distract ourselves." --- Carter bit his lip. He smirked. "Exactly." He bit into his hand. Releasing his venom. He moved his lips to his. Kissing him with passion. --- Leo had come back with a bag too. However, he was panting and sweating. "Bad idea to wear leather here." He sat on the bench and practically slumped back. Resting against it. "I could go for anything cold." --- Travis smiled. He clapped his hands as he jumped. Realizing that the vet didn't understand him, he stopped. Blushing from his actions, he wrote down, 'I want to adopt him. Give him what he needs.' The man didn't look at him but slightly frowned. "Sounds like a real shit show. I've sort of been in those situations when I was in school." --- Theron's wings sprouted as he grabbed Dariel. He flew into a window which he broke. Flying out of the building, he flew towards Insanity. "Dad!" "Theron!" Insanity ran over. --- "If there's one thing that my fathers have taught me, it is to show no mercy to my enemies." ,said Sam. Two expressionless twins appeared in front of the demons. One had purple eyeliner while the other held a blank face. When they spoke, they were monotone. "Who are you? Speak now!" ,said Sam. The twins looked at each other then back at them. "I am Ember and this is my brother Darcy. We are both Spirits of Truth." "We are here to tell you that your leaders are being defeated as we speak." ,said Darcy. "It is best to hide or surrender." ,said Ember. --- Pain frowned. "Just give him some time. You both need to think. But while that's happening, I'll be right here for you." He held her hand and looked at her. "Ok?" --- "Can't we just destroy this damn bracelet? What's so special about it?" ,asked James.
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