#aamon: discords

[hallowedmuses]

discord chat: breath taking and life saving

SUMMARY: Much to Aamon’s dismay, Dagon and Beel try something dramatic in an attempt to remedy the discomfort of their children. Belgirel proposes a plan to help cure the rest of angel kind, but they’ll have to draw alliances with an unexpected new friend. TRIGGERS: Body Horror, Torture, Illness, Death Mentions, PTSD, Depression WRITTEN WITH: @hallowedmuses (Dagon, Nadia), @offallenfeathers (Belgirel, Beelzebub, Murmur, Echo) @ofbrokenhalos (Aamon, Devour)

DAGON & NADIA: After arriving back to her room with Belgirel, Dagon changed her clothes with great effort and crawled back into bed. She watched the kids take the cocktail of fever medications but she couldn’t stomach it herself and passed on the offer. She was grateful when they laid back down beside her. Dagon wrapped her arms around them and pulled them close. Gods, they were so warm. Had they been this warm when she left?

“You made me snuggle Murmur,” Nadia muttered sleepily as she settled beside her. “I’m never going to live that down.”

“We can pretend it was a fever dream then,” Dagon chuckled. She kissed their foreheads and held them close. She was too tired to do much else. Fuck. She wished she’d done more with them before this. Why hadn’t she done more? Exhaustion and achiness had her pushing that thought away. She began humming the melody to the song that Beel had been singing earlier. Toward the end, as she drifted off to sleep, the kids fell asleep too.

Throughout the night, she and the kids were tended to by the Archangels. From time to time, Dagon could hear bits and pieces of their conversations as Belgirel described to them what had happened at the river and they all quietly voiced their concerns about the sick. Several times in the night, she awoke and frantically called to the nearest person because the kids breathing was becoming more erratic and their fevers were becoming more severe. Murmur’s rash wasn’t going away, and it was now accompanied with violent coughing fits that left him struggling to breathe as well as bouts of delirium. And Nadia…she was tanking faster than the full born angels and fallen. It was so sudden. Just hours ago, she’d been complaining about having cuddled Murmur. She’d gone to bed just fine. And then four hours in, Dagon was screaming for help because Nadia was having a fever induced seizure. Although the seizure had passed and Nadia was given an ice bath to cool her down, her breathing was still unstable.

Dagon tried to help in administering the breathing treatments and cocktails, but she was asked several times to take it easy. She didn’t want to take it easy. She felt…she felt, well, she didn’t feel sick. At first, she thought it was just a second wind of energy from all the panic she was feeling about the kids declining. She was sure she would crash and with the crash would come her death, but as time went on, it didn’t seem like that. They took Dagon’s temperature every time they took the kid’s temperature. Hers was going down as theirs was climbing up and up. Her coughing fits were further apart, and her breathing sounded much better. By some miracle, she was getting better…and they were getting worse.

She paced around her room as the sun began to rise. This wasn’t right. None of this was right. Why was she getting better? She of all people. A depression demon. Someone who at times spent more time longing for death than she did living. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t right. She rubbed at her chest. The guilt was eating away at her. Dagon glanced at the kids who were now asleep, but their breathing was ragged and wheezy. Her chest hurt just watching them try to inhale. “It’s getting worse,” she tried to keep her tone even, but she felt like she was going to vomit again. Not because she was sick but because she was so fucking anxious. “There’s a healing spell for the breathing.” She stopped pacing and faced Beel. “It takes breath from one source and gives it to another.” And what better source was there than an Archangel. “I’ve never tried it before,” she forewarned. “But I’ve read about it. I think I can do it.”

BEELZEBUB & MURMUR: While Belgirel and Dagon went out, Beel just sat with the kids for a while. There wasn't much he could do. They were already asleep. Singing a lullaby to them didn't do much when they were already asleep, and it didn't help his nerves any. He didn't know how he was going to get through this. He'd lost his best friend, and sometimes, it felt like Nadia was all he had left of him. She was everything he felt like he had left of anything. She became his world the day she became his daughter, and fathers weren't supposed to lose their daughters. He braided her hair while she slept, cuddled up with Murmur. He wished that would've made her upset enough to show some life, but it didn't. He cried next to her, pleading, and praying that she'd get better. "If this is my curse, father, let it be mine and not hers," he begged. "I'll do anything, just stop this. Please. I'll kneel at your feet. I'll sing your praises. I'll be quiet. I'll be good. Just don't do this to her." He sobbed. For once, it didn't feel good knowing his father wasn't out there listening. Or if he was, he didn't care. He wouldn't stop this just for Beel's sake. What was his obedience worth anyways to a god who had the power to strip away all free will? He continued to beg and pray to his father until he heard someone walking down the hall towards their room.

He left the room when Belgirel and Dagon came back in. They looked rough, but everyone was feeling that way, sick or not. The vomit that was covering her was concerning, but he didn't want her wasting her energy on his questions. He left the room so Dagon could have some privacy while she changed her clothes. Once she was done, he came right back in. He brought them all their medicine. He didn't like the idea of not giving Dagon the medicine, and neither did Belgirel, but they both respected her decision. It helped the kids a little. They weren't fully awake, but they were awake enough to mutter a few words.

"You chose to snuggle me," Murmur murmured, reminding Beel of why his original parents had given him that nickname. "But on the bright side, if we die we don't have to not live it down."

Beel's chest tightened at the joke. Normally, he might've scolded Murmur for making it, but it didn't feel right at the present moment. "You're not going to die," Beel assured all of them. He needed to believe that.

"Damn, guess we do have to not live it down," Murmur sighed. His hand reached up to rub the rash on his face, but his arm didn't have the strength to move there. "Hurts," he groaned.

Beel squeezed Murmur's hand, pulling it back to his side. "I know, kiddo. I'm sorry."

The rest of the night didn't get any easier. Belgirel told them about the creature he'd come across. Devour had told him and Dagon about his siblings. There had been one he had called the Silence. From the fact that Devour could only taste food from the living realm and the creature they'd met could only repeat Dagon's words and not Belgirel's, it seemed like they fit the description of the Silence. Under normal circumstances, Beel might've been more intrigued, but as more time went on and his daughter's condition worsened, Beel didn't stay to listen to them anymore. He needed to be with his daughter. He couldn't sleep, especially after she had her seizure. He'd nearly died from a heart attack himself just from worrying about her so much. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He knew that if she died, she would just end up in the Empty, but it was torture watching her go through this.

At the same time, Dagon was getting better. He felt hopeful about it at first. Maybe they just needed to wait this out, and the kids would get better too, but they didn't. She got better and they got worse. He was too worried about Nadia to think about how that might've made her feel. "It is . . ." he said lowly, when Dagon spoke up to him. He didn't like it being pointed out how bad this was, but her tone implied she had more to say. "Okay, do it then," he answered, no hesitation in his voice. He was willing to do anything at this point. He didn't care what he had to sacrifice as long as he could help her even a little.

DAGON: She was relived when he said yes. She needed to do something, anything. She felt so useless. What good was her knowledge if she was too weak or sick to do anything? But she was getting better and she could do this. She nodded and rolled up her sleeves. "I need access to your lungs so unbutton your shirt for me," she instructed him before she turned to the children. She undid the first few buttons on their shirts to give her access to their lungs as well. Nadia wheezed and tried to mouth something that looked like mom in her sleep but she couldn't get the words out. "I know, baby," Dagon's voice cracked. She leaned down and kissed Nadia's forehead. "We'll make it better."

Dagon wiped away her tears before turning back to Beel. She guided him to stand against the wall near the bed. The spell was pretty physical so she needed him up against a sturdy base. "Before we get on with this, you need to know the risks. I know it doesn't change your answer, but I still need to tell you." For her own sanity, she needed him to know what he was getting involved in so he could give her informed consent to do what needed to be done. The lines between torture and healing were blurry and this was very much a gray area of magic that she did not like doing.

Dagon managed to manifest one of her snakes. She had it prick her finger and draw blood. The demon began to draw a sigil on Beel's chest with her blood. "The sigil I'm drawing will open your chest up in a metaphysical sense. You will remain whole throughout this procedure, but it won't feel that way. I'll need your blood to fully activate it. It's a palm to chest activation." Meaning she needed to press her bloodied palm to his chest to activate it.

"Once it's active, the clock starts. You'll feel hands, metaphysical ones, mine, enter your chest cavity. They will travel down to your lungs. From that point, you'll feel pressure on your lungs as the hands wrap around them and squeeze upward to harness the energy and breath within. It will hurt. Common risks for the patient, which is you in this case, are that the physician takes too much energy, collapses a lung, loses their way and hits a major organ, or gets stuck. Common risks for the recipient are low and limited to a physician's error of giving them too much of your energy causing their lung to collapse. Given that you are the Prince of Gluttony, they will also leave this procedure feeling hungry for a while. Common risks for the physician include time running out. I have until the sigil fades away and then your body will recognize my meta form as a threat and it will act accordingly." Her meta form did not stand a chance against his body's defenses, but she was quick and good at her job. She could avoid the physicians errors she read about in journals. She would find the lungs, she wouldn't be greedy with harnessing what she needed, and she would get out in time. "Do you consent to this procedure?"

BEELZEBUB: Beel followed her instructions without question, unbuttoning and removing his shirt. He was glad Belgirel wasn't in here at the moment. He didn't think he would've looked too happy about this, but Beel didn't care about his jealousy right now. There were more important things, and Belgirel was still working on other things anyways. He couldn't exactly avoid his responsibilities as the fill in leader of the empty just to stay with his girlfriend. She was doing better anyways, so Belgirel was starting to look less worried. Beel didn't have that luxury. That's why he was doing this.

He stood against the wall. Although he would've done this with or without the explanation, he listened to Dagon, so she could feel better about him doing it. Her hands didn't feel overwhelmingly hot anymore, and the blood actually felt a little cool on his skin. He didn't care about feeling ripped open. He'd just offered for his father to rearrange his guts last night. He was open to any amount of pain as long as it helped his kids. He waited for Dagon to finish before nodding. "Yes, I consent. Just do it."

DAGON: She knew Gears wouldn’t be thrilled with any of this both because Beelzebub was shirtless in front of her and because the spell was risky. But there was nothing romantic about any of this. They were two desperate parents just trying to ease the suffering of their kids and that was really the only thing on their minds right now. She would pull this procedure off as safely as she could. She nodded and took Beel’s hand in hers when he gave his consent. She needed to slice into his palm, but she relinquished her blade to Belgirel a few hours ago when the thoughts started getting particularly dark. So, she took the utility blade that was sticking out of Beel’s pocket and cut into his palm. Dagon used his blood to draw a sigil on her own palm that acted like a key to the one she’d drawn on his chest earlier. When she was done, she closed up the wound on his palm.

“Okay.” She planted her feet firmly on the ground in front of him and tried to steady herself. “I need you to take a deep breath for me and hold it.” She inhaled with him as he took a deep breath. While he held it, she exhaled slowly and pressed her bloodied palm against the sigil on his chest. The sigil began to glow as did both their eyes, and a wave of magic billowed around them as Dagon’s metaphysical hands entered his chest cavity. She could feel the warmth of his body, the flow of his blood, and texture of his organs. She needed to do this fast. The sigil was already starting to disappear little by little around the edges and she could tell that she was hurting Beel. She navigated her meta form expertly to his lungs. She didn’t need to tell Beel she found them. She could feel him tense around her as her hands wrapped around each lung.

“I’m sorry, cariño,” she apologized in a voice that seemed all too distant as she began moving her metaphysical hands in an upward motion to harness the power from his lungs. The hands of her physical form dug their nails into his chest as they tried to help her meta form hold the energy. Air did not want to be held, it wanted to be free. She was going against nature. He couldn’t scream for she was taking the literal air out of his lungs but she knew she was hurting him, she could feel his pain. She was crying for the both of them. “Almost,” she promised. “Almost.” The energy felt raw and heavy. It burned at her fingertips. The sigil was disappearing quickly now. She had to get out of there. She harnessed all that her form could handle and withdrew from his body. Both she and Beel took gasping breaths as he slumped against the wall.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized through tears. She needed to get this energy into the kids before it slipped from her fingers. She wished she hadn’t done this procedure by herself. She needed someone to monitor Beel, but she knew he’d want her to help the kids before helping him. So she walked to the bedside and placed a hand on each child’s chest. She recited a spell in Enochian and the energy from her hands, Beel’s energy, receded into the children’s lungs. Nadia and Murmur arched their backs and let out a gasp in unison as the air entered their lungs. Their bodies settled back down on the bed and their breathing calmed. For the first time since they’d gotten sick, Dagon didn’t hear any rattling in their chest. The wheezing was gone and they were breathing normal again. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou.” she kissed their foreheads quickly before going to administer aid to Beel. She grabbed one of the oxygen masks off the counter and secured it to his face. “They’re okay,” she replied as she kneeled down beside him. “You did good." She ran a soothing hand down his back as she continued to administer the oxygen. "It worked. They’re okay.”

BEELZEBUB: Beelzebub watched as Dagon's hand slipped into his pocket to pull out his archangel blade. Belgirel really wouldn't have liked that. Normally Beel might've said something jokingly about how he would've handed it to her if she asked, but now wasn't really the time for jokes. He didn't feel particularly humorous when his daughter's life was on the line. He appreciated her instructions, not for the warning they gave him, but for the fact that it allowed him to make sure Dagon wasn't in too much danger herself while doing this. She'd told him the risks already, but they were both willing and ready to sacrifice anything if it meant keeping their kids alive.

He took a deep breath as she instructed. Although his body wasn't at the point where it needed to breathe in order to survive, he still could do it when he wanted to. Her palm was cold on his skin, a stark contrast to how she'd been up until now. As the sigil glowed, he could feel it tapping into his energy. It tingled at first, but didn't hurt until her metaphysical hands went into his chest. His hands gripped the wall she had him leaned against as he tried to steady himself. It wasn't a comfortable experience with her going through his chest, but he was managing alright. It wasn't the worst thing he'd been through. He'd had a few injuries during the war that were pretty bad. When he was really young, he'd gotten injured more than a few times too.

He felt her hands on his lungs. His body instinctively wanted to fight and push her away, but he held it back. His fingers dug into the wall, and his mouth opened, trying to scream or reclaim his air or both. Neither happened. Instead of a scream, he made breathless clicking sounds. It wasn't just breath she was taking but his actual energy with it. He could hear her distantly, but his body felt like it was panicking without him, trying to fight back what it considered an infection. If she took too much time, it would've struck at her, but she must've gotten out in time. He couldn't really process it as his body collapsed on the ground without her, gasping for air it shouldn't have normally needed. His body was already trying to heal itself, and he shook as it did so painfully. His insides felt like they were burning as he sucked in the air around him.

Dagon was beside him suddenly. He sat back up, leaning back against the wall as she pressed the oxygen mask to his face. He couldn't respond to what she was saying, but his body relaxed a little hearing that the kids were okay. It slowly got a little easier to breathe, though his body felt completely exhausted. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Dagon. "Thank you."

AAMON: He was looking for Belgirel to check in on the kid. The reports he was getting were that Dagon was improving but it hadn't been a good night all around. The kids were declining rapidly. Belgirel's texts were suggesting that they might not make it through the night. He knew that would be hard on all of them, but Dagon and Beel most of all. As he made his way down the hallway to Dagon's room, he felt a wave of magic. The signature was familiar, hunger with a hint of depression. "Oh for fucks sake," he muttered. Had someone been dumb enough to leave those two by themselves in under these circumstances? He hurried down the hall and much to his dismay but not to his surprise, the energy signature was getting stronger.

He opened the door to Dagon's room without knocking. The sight was confusing to say the least. Dagon and Beel were on the ground holding each other. Beel's shirt was off and he had blood on his chest, but no visible wounds. Aamon's eyes traveled and he spotted the blood on Dagon's hands. Concerning. Then he spotted the breathing mask around Beel's face. He cocked an eyebrow and stared at his brother, both questioning and accusing. "Explain."

DAGON: She held on as she wrapped his arms around her and the reality of everything started to settle in. "That was so many levels of dumb and reckless," she replied as she listened to the rattling of his lungs. She didn't sound like she regretted the spell though. The kids were breathing normal again. She bought them some time and that would always be worth it. "Maybe I can just blame plague brain and they won't be so pissed off at us about it." The adrenaline was wearing off now and she was shivering again, not because she felt ill but because the stress and anxiety. She just wanted this nightmare to end. Unfortunately, there would be no end until there was a cure. All she could do was put bandaids on the problem and she was running low on supplies as it was.

Dagon startled and let out a small yelp when Aamon entered the room. She covered her mouth and glanced at the kids to make sure she hadn't awoken them. They did not stir. She eyed the older Archangel as he took in the scene. Fuck fuck fuck.  She wasn't oblivious. She knew there were multiple ways to interpret this and not all of them were exactly great--not that the reality of it was great either. Aamon's eyes took in the blood and then the mask before fixating on Beel. He always had an easier time blaming his brothers than he did her. "It was me," she began. "He can't explain even if he wanted to...I convinced him," and by convinced she meant asked, "to let me do a healing spell that would let me transfer air from his lungs to the kids." She bit her bottom lip. "It, uh, worked," she added in, hoping to soften the blow though she knew she hadn't. She could feel how annoyed he was with them both.

BEELZEBUB: He didn't fully disagree that what they did was a little dumb and reckless, but he didn't really care if it was either. They knew what they were getting into, and they chose to go through with it knowing the risks, of which there weren't really that many. They risked more by not doing it and losing their kids. If anyone was pissed at them. That was their problem. The only thing he was concerned about was how long this would actually last for Nadia and Murmur and if he would have enough time to recover enough energy to do this for them again when they needed it. However, he couldn't ask Dagon that right now. He'd only barely managed to get the words 'thank you' out to her before, and that expelled more oxygen that his body needed to recover.

He slipped off of Dagon when she yelped. He coughed and wheezed as he sat up, leaning back against the wall to see what had startled her. He thought it might've been Belgirel coming back. He was probably getting jealous of seeing them like this but Beelzebub just really did not care. It took too much energy to worry about that kind of thing. It turned out to be Aamon and not Belgirel, but he didn't look happy either. Beel didn't bother trying to explain. Like Dagon said, he couldn't even if he wanted to. He had neither the breath nor the energy to speak, but his hand in his lap flipped up his middle finger just a little. He recognized that Dagon was trying to take the brunt of the blame, which he didn't think really made a difference. Aamon knew him well enough to know it wouldn't take much convincing to get Beel to do something for his daughter, especially if it gave her more time to live like this. He pulled the oxygen mask down a little just to utter two words. "How long?"

AAMON: His sharp eyes turned away from his brother to look at Dagon when she claimed that this was her doing. He had no doubt that the idea originated from her. The magic was a little over Beel's head and level of skill, but not hers. He gave her a disappointed look. Still, he also knew that it didn't take much to convince Beel to do something, especially where his kids were concerned. Whoever left these two unsupervised was asking for trouble. "I'm sure he made that very hard for you," Aamon replied drily while he tossed her a pack of sanitary wipes. His gaze turned back to Beel. "Must've taken hours." He noticed the subtle middle finger that Beel gave him so he tossed his brother's shirt back at him with a little more force.

Aamon glanced toward the kids when Dagon replied that the spell worked. Their breathing did seem less labored than the last time Aamon was here, but their fevers were still unchecked. Whatever work Dagon had done to help them, this disease would undo it sooner rather than later. He rubbed his temples. "Twelve hours ago, you were barely able to breathe yourself," he lectured her. Better or not, she was in no condition to be performing that kind of magic. "Do you want to end up there again?" He looked at Beel. "And were you just going to let her?"

DAGON: She caught the sanitary wipes when Aamon threw them to her. She took out a few and handed them to Beel so he could clean the blood off of his chest. Then she took a few more to clean the blood off of her hands. It wasn't often that she elicited this kind of tone from Aamon but she tried to keep her head high regardless. Of course, that was easier said than done. "It was fourteen hours ago, actually," she replied though her shoulders deflated a little.

She blinked, tears forming in her eyes when he asked her if she wanted to end up there again. "I..." her voice cracked. "It's not fair, okay! It's not! I should be like that," She pointed to her children's unconscious forms. "And I'm not. And I don't know why I'm getting better and they're getting worse. It's not fair and it's not okay and it shouldn't be me." She was crying now. "If easing their pain and suffering means I end up right back where I was then fine. I'd rather be there than watch them deteriorate from the sidelines. I can't do that and you can't ask me to." She held her head up higher and a little more defiantly toward the end though that was offset by the fact that she was trying to wipe angry and sad tears from her face.

She turned her attention away from Aamon when Beel asked her how long the kids had before their breathing deteriorated back to its original state. She looked over at their sleeping forms and shook her head. "Anywhere from 12 to 24 if we're lucky." There was so much she didn't know about this illness. It was hard to predict. "Your body will recognize me faster and faster each time I do the spell so I can only perform that spell one more time on you. After the second time studies show that..." she trailed off because Aamon was still there and he didn't need to know that the third repetition was always fatal to the physician. "I'll tell you later."

She turned to look at Aamon again now that she was a little calmer. "Where is Raphael?" she asked. "You need to call them here. They need to start running test and take blood samples from me. I'm feeling better which has to mean my body is producing antibodies for whatever this is. We can use that as a stepping stone to try to create a vaccine."

BEELZEBUB: Aamon's sarcasm was pretty obvious, but he didn't see a point in arguing about it. It didn't make a difference whether it took a second or hours to convince him. It was always going to lead to the same thing. The shirt Aamon threw at him hit him in this face. Beel set it on the ground, so he could take the wipes from Dagon instead. A lot of the blood had already disappeared from the spell, so it didn't take much to clean it off. He felt sympathetic to Dagon when she broke down over Aamon's lecture. Although he hadn't even started being sick, he'd constantly wished that he could just trade places with his child, so it could be him that was sick instead of her. He wished he could've comforted her more, but he didn't have the energy to do so. He glared at Aamon instead for making her cry. The poor girl was already going through enough as it was without him lecturing her.

Twelve hours was such little time, and he didn't like what her voice seemed to be implying. He didn't think he could ask her to do something like this again. More than that, he didn't think Aamon would let them be alone in this room together after this. Whoever was here wasn't going to let them try it again. "Raph?" he asked as he buttoned his shirt back on. They weren't sick, so maybe they could do it the next time, and they'd be safer than she was. The problem was just that they were the main one looking for a cure. He didn't know if they'd stop what they were doing just to give his children more time. It was worth asking. Dagon seemed to have more reason to call for them at least. He could've asked them to do it when they showed up, but he worried that what Dagon wanted might've been too soon. She might've been getting better, but the plague still weighed on her body, trying to experiment on her blood might've taken too much for her.

BELGIREL: Belgirel had been trying to manage both the duties of leading the Empty and also trying to plan for what they were going to do about this plague. As it turned out, there was a lot to leading the Empty, especially during times like this. People were looking to him for guidance, and some of the people of the Empty just needed a voice to tell them when they were doing too much. There was a fine line between someone helping and that same person over extending themselves. The good thing was that he was starting to get better at recognizing those lines. He wasn't overly lenient, but he also wasn't just telling everyone no. He wasn't perfect at it by any means. There was a lot going on, and he couldn't keep track of everything. He designated a few people to handle looking out for that for him, and he just kept an eye on it as he walked around. The more serious part of his leadership was just deciding what they were going to do going forward.

He'd told his siblings about the interaction he and Dagon had with the creature at the river. The group as a whole started to call her Echo on account of the fact that she repeated Dagon's voice. At first, he thought that Echo had just relieved the symptoms of Dagon's coughing for a little while, but then as Dagon started getting better, he came to the conclusion that whatever Echo had done was a cure for this disease. Along with Raphael's help and the powers that Belgirel had gotten from Belphegor, they'd been able to determine that the plague Pestilence made was rooted in the Empty, which was why Echo had been able to heal it while their healers couldn't. She was a part of the Empty just like the plague, and just like Belgirel currently was with Belphegor's powers. Of course, those powers didn't give him any sort of idea of how to fix something like this. It seemed like only Echo knew, and it had something to do with that potion she'd given Dagon. Asking Echo for more seemed like the fastest solution.

He didn't know what to expect from Echo though. There were a lot of people who needed to be healed, and he didn't know how willing she would be to help him. Her behaviors were odd the last time he'd seen her, threatening even, and after what he'd seen of the Void. he wanted to be prepared. He donned his armor, only recently crafted by Angus with beautiful silver craftsmanship, and a dark green cloak pinned to the shoulders. A matching hood inlaid with chainmail covered the top of his head. Maybe it was unnecessary just to talk to someone, but if things went south, he wanted to be able to defend himself.

He knew he couldn't go by himself though. Echo had only seemed to be able to use the words Dagon said, so he determined that she simply couldn't use his words. He trusted Dagon most. She also knew the way to contact Devour, who he thought would be their best shot at finding Echo again to talk to her. Besides, Echo had met the two of them already. He felt like it was best to only talk to her as a small duo instead of a large group. It'd be less threatening that way. He walked back to Dagon's room to ask her if she was up for it. He didn't expect for Aamon to be there, but he was glad for it, so he could let Aamon know what he was doing. He heard only the tail end of the conversation as he approached. "They're busy helping some other people right now," he said as he stepped around from behind Aamon into the full view of the room. His left hand rested on the pommel of his sword, making it swing up and down in its sheath. "but I think I have a more immediate solution if you're up for it?"

AAMON: "Hmm, yes, the additional two hours really makes all the difference," he replied dryly while Dagon and Beel cleaned up after themselves. His features softened slightly at her outburst. Survivor's guilt. She felt guilty for feeling better, but still that was no reason to martyr herself. "I never said it was fair," he replied calmly. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away a bit of blood from her cheeks where her bloodied hands had previously touched her face. "But you cannot fight injustice with stupidity and recklessness. If anything happened to you, either of you," he glanced at Beel who was staring daggers at him. "These kids will bottom out." He smoothed out her hair. "Sometimes the road to hell was paved with good intentions. And even the most well meaning of spells will have repercussions that you didn't plan for." She was smart, probably too smart sometimes, but she was not invincible. "You two will not be performing that one again," he replied in a voice that did not leave room for arguing.

He raised an eyebrow when both of them asked for Raphael. Dagon was barely feeling better and already wanted to start having tests done on her. "It hasn't even been a full 24 hours, Dagon. We aren't starting shit until you've at least made it through a full day." He turned when he heard Belgirel's voice. What was with these three today? Two of them were out here playing doctor and patient and the other was dressed in armor like he was ready to fight someone. While Aamon wasn't opposed to fighting, you couldn't very well fight a disease like that. The other part of him didn't wish to see Belgirel don armor ever. It hadn't done him any good on the battlefield and he really didn't want to think about that. "It can't be any more insane than what's already transpired. What are you planning?"

DAGON: His cold sarcasm was exhausting and she found she preferred his rage more when it was just yelling, but he seemed to let up a bit once she started crying. It wasn't her intention to cry, she was just overwhelmed and scared and sad. She wanted the pain and suffering to stop. Not just her kids, but everyone elses too. Sure, there were more terrible ways to die than this, but this was still prolonged torture and she hated it. She sniffled as he wiped the blood and tears off of her face. She wanted to argue that it wasn't recklessness, it was a calculated risk. She knew what she was doing and Beel knew what he was signing up for, she made sure of it. While a part of that was true, he wasn't wrong in his assessment that if anything happened to her or Beel, the kids would deteriorate more rapidly than if they hadn't intervened at all. Still, she didn't think that was reason enough to sit on the sidelines. For now though, she knew that she and Beel would be heavily monitored to make sure they didn't try the spell or something like it again.

She took a step back from Aamon, her anger boiling over just a little when he remarked that he was not going to contact Raphael until she was better for at least a day. 24 hours. That time was crucial. It could make a difference between whether her kids lived or died. She couldn't wait a day. She was about to push back at the notion when Belgirel walked into the room. He was wearing a suit of armor that she hadn't seen before. Had her emotions not been running on high, she would've taken the time to admire every bit of the craftsmanship and the way he looked in it but right now she was feeling too strongly and all at once to really take it in. She was confused when he spoke. If he was dressed for a fight, he had to be talking to Aamon. Dagon wasn't much of a fighter. Most of her combat skill came from a magic that was too dangerous to unleash in a realm like the Empty. "What do you mean, baby?"

BEELZEBUB: Beel understood what Aamon was saying. If he died, he knew it would make his kids get worse, and the same went for Dagon, but his death hadn't really been a risk, and they had been careful to make sure Dagon's death wasn't a risk either. They knew what they were doing. If they hadn't done something, the kids would've bottomed out anyways. While he agreed that Dagon shouldn't have been the one to perform this procedure, he didn't agree that he should be disallowed from doing it himself. For Dagon, there was risk, for him there wasn't. He would've sought out Raphael before asking Dagon to do this again, but if he had to, he'd find a way to do it himself.

He looked up when Belgirel walked into the room. He'd been a little worried before about Belgirel reading into how he and Dagon looked together, but that wasn't a concern now. Now the concern was how this looked with Aamon scolding both him and Dagon and him sitting on the floor with an oxygen mask on his face. He pushed himself to stand up, taking in the fact that Belgirel was dressed in armor now. He wasn't worried about his recklessness as much as Belgirel's now. "What's with the armor?"

BELGIREL: Belgirel might not have been an empath, but he could feel the tension in the room, specifically between Dagon and Aamon. It was weird and uncomfortable. They usually got along so well, and Dagon tended to receive a lot of support from him, but she looked like she was ready to fight him. He looked at her and then Aamon and then at Beel, trying to connect the dots. Beelzebub was wearing some sort of oxygen mask and looked like he barely had enough energy to stand. There were wipes that were covered in blood, and Dagon's hands, despite being cleaned, seemed stained a little redder. "Wait, what do you mean? What "transpired"? What happened?" His own explanation could wait until he understood what was going on. He took a step towards Dagon. "Are you okay? Did something happen with the kids?" He looked over at the kids, but they seemed relatively okay. They actually looked like they were breathing better. "Oh, are they getting better too?" he asked hopefully.

DAGON: "I'm fine," she exhaled to release some of the tension in her shoulders and took a few more steps away from Aamon. "Physically, anyway." Emotionally, was definitely not fine. "They're not," her voice cracked and she shook head. "I just put a bandaid on the issue for now." She wasn't afraid to tell Belgirel what happened. He'd always know the truth of her even if the truth wasn't a pretty thing to see. She wasn't always pretty to look at and that was something he could take or leave. "I read about a spell that takes breath from one source and gives it to another and Beel agreed to let me take his. It required a little blood magic hence..." she gestured to the sanitary wipes. "So, that's why Beel sounds like a squeaky toy right now and why Aamon looks like he wants to use us both a chew toys."

BELGIREL: Belgirel didn't entirely believe her that she was fine until she clarified that she only meant physically. He wrapped his arms around her as her voice cracked talking about the kids. She'd been worried about them for a while, and he knew it hurt her that she was getting better while they were getting worse. He rubbed her back as she explained what exactly had happened. He wasn't really happy about it, not in the sense that he was upset with her, but he wished things didn't get to a point where she felt like she needed to do something like this. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you with this." He kissed the top of her head. Maybe if it wasn't just Beel and Dagon doing this, Aamon wouldn't have seemed so upset either, but Dagon usually knew what she was doing when it came to this healer stuff. While he knew Dagon probably should've been resting still, he assumed she'd know her limits better than he did. "But in the future can you text me to let me know when you're going to do something like this, so I can come help. No one should be subjected to dealing with my brothers alone." Beel shot him a middle finger too, but Gears ignored it. "Actually I wanted to ask your help with something if you think you don't need to rest more. That bog witch, I think she has the key to curing the kids and everyone else. I just need some help finding her and convincing her to help us."

DAGON: She eased into him, or rather into his armor, as he hugged her. "It's okay." It was probably for the better that he hadn't been here. The line between healing and torture was not always clear and that spell definitely weaved in and out of the line. She nodded when he told her to text him next time. "I will, but you have to promise you'll know your limits and bow out if the spells sound like too much." Belgirel had a hard time saying no to her requests for help, as did Beel. But in instances like this, she needed him to know himself and his limits because she could not manage the task at hand and a panic attack if one arose. She snorted when he replied that no one should be subjected to his brothers and Beel flipped him off. That was honestly preferred over the awkward tension that sometimes filled the room when those two were together. She was surprised when he said that he needed her help. So, they weren't going to battle. Or maybe they were. You generally didn't bring a sword to a friendly chat. "Who's definition of convince are we using in this case? The dictionaries or Aamon's?"

BELGIREL: He nodded. He'd had similar conversations with the inhabitants of the Empty. They were allowed to help with this plague on the grounds that they'd back out if it got too much for them. They hadn't had too many problems with that, and he'd been getting better at recognizing his own limits. "I will, but I don't think something like this would've been too much for me. It was just a little blood magic, right?" He could handle seeing blood, and if it just made Beel tired and a little breathless, it couldn't have been that bad. He was glad when his joke made her snort. As a depression demon, he knew she'd be sad often, but he liked when he could pull her out of her sadness even for a moment. He looked at Aamon when she asked what definition of convince he was using. In his eyes, Aamon was generally perfectly reasonable. He was stern sometimes, and he had a look that commanded authority and instilled obedience. Belgirel felt like that wasn't a bad way to convince someone. He shrugged. "Both? I don't plan to go in swinging a sword, if that's what you're asking. This is just in case things go south. I want to just talk, but if things get hostile, I want to be ready for anything."

AAMON: He leaned back against the wall and allowed Dagon both distance from him as well as the space to explain herself. He snorted when she remarked that the spell required a bit of blood magic. “Sure. Just a bit of blood magic to open up his chest cavity and allow your metaphysical form to enter through his sternum so you could dig your way past vital organs to his lungs, grip them, and then squeeze and harness the air and energy out of them.” He paused and glanced at her. “Malachiae Studium Torturae et Vis Medica, Page 622. I’ve read it too.” Under normal circumstances, he would’ve been proud of her use of torture, but these were not normal circumstances and her subject wasn’t a normal fallen angel.

He listened to Belgirel describe his plan. He wanted to go talk to the creature they’d named Echo. Aamon knew she was a Void sibling and from the way Belgirel spoke about her, he knew his brother thought there was something threatening about her. Dagon didn’t seem to feel the same way, but she tended to empathize with the strange and other worldly. It didn’t help that this being was a healer which seemed to endear Dagon more to her. He also simply did not like the idea of Belgirel having to use force on anything. Beel and Dagon had been meeting with the other Void sibling, Devour, for some time now but they still didn’t have a full grasp on what each sibling was capable of doing. The armor might give Gears the false self-confidence to think he could fight his way out of anything this creature threw at him. “I’ll come with you and we can convince her together.”

DAGON: She bit her bottom lip and shot Aamon a glare when he cut in to explain the spell. She was getting to that. Her eyes conveyed that he could have been a little less graphic about with his delivery. "I threw in an energy transfer spell in there that wasn't part of Malachi's original work." That was what made it a healing spell instead of torture. The original intent of the spell was essentially to choke your subject to death very slowly. She just...modified it a little. "And I had informed consent." She looked at Beel as if to say back me up here; I was pretty thorough.

She was relieved when Gears remarked that his intent was to just talk to Echo. The creature scared Gears, but Dagon didn't think there was anything melicious about her. Besides, you really couldn't force a healer to heal you with threats of violence. It just didn't work that way. She wouldn't have trusted Echo's potions if they were given over under duress. The line between potions and poisons was just as thin as the line between torture and healing. "I think she'll be amiable to--" Dagon was cut off when Aamon remarked that he would go with them. There was nothing about Aamon's presence that said I just want to talk. If anything, his presence usually said I'm here to make you scream. With Gears anxiousness and Aamon's predication for violence, the chance that this would escalate were pretty high. Dagon glanced at Beel and then back at Aamon. "You can't. Someone has to stay here and watch Beel. Did you want me to do that?"

BELGIREL & BEELZEBUB: It caught him off guard when Aamon snorted at Dagon's explanation. They didn't usually talk to each other like this, but then again, he'd missed a lot of time. Maybe this was how they usually talked to each other when he wasn't around. His confusion was only offset as Aamon's words registered to him, and he pictured that same thing happening to himself. His breathing slowed, and his gaze singled in on a fixed point as his mind wandered back to his past. He stayed frozen as the room fell away to darkness. He could faintly hear the others still talking, but all he could see was the Void, tearing out every piece of him. He didn't cry or scream or even move, but his eyes were miles away from the conversation.

"She did," Beel agreed. His breath was mostly back, though his energy wasn't. "I was going to do it either way as long as it helped, but she did tell me all the risks and asked me for consent." He didn't think his consent was all that important to Belgirel and Aamon, especially not Aamon, but it was better than just thinking Dagon just forced him into this.

Belgirel pulled himself back out of the memory and into the conversation when Aamon suggested that he come too. Beel was doing his best to look immature and too irresponsible to be left alone, not that Gears thought he needed to do much to convince Aamon of that. "I'm perfectly fine staying here by myself," Beel assured Aamon. My kids lives are in danger, but I know where to draw the line."

"I want to handle this without your help too," said Gears. "I don't want to overwhelm them with our numbers, not unless we have to. And while Echo has already met Dagon and I, she hasn't met you. I'm sure she's heard from Devour how great Dagon is, but she might not be as open if you're there."

AAMON: Normally, Aamon did not talk to Dagon like this. Then again, normally Dagon wasn’t this reckless. His anger with her and Beel did not come from a place of hate. On the contrary, if he hated either of them he would’ve been ambivalent about what they’d done. What was a little torture to him anyway? No, his anger did not from a dark place. It came from the fact that he loved them and they were being reckless with their bodies. Of course, he was never good at expressing those emotions so what showed on his face and in his tone was annoyance. “Oh good. She informed you of all the risks and you still said yes. That makes it all the better,” he deadpanned.

He glanced at Dagon and then back at Beel when she remarked that he could not come with for someone had to watch this dumbass. He knew what they were doing, but it didn’t mean she was wrong. The motherfucker would do something like this again. Maybe stupider. Maybe with the help of Asmodeus. With their lack of skill in this field, they might actually get themselves killed. “Somehow I doubt that,” he replied when Beel said that he knew where to draw the line.

He glanced at Belgirel when Gears remarked that he also did not want Aamon to go with him. He wanted to handle this himself. It hadn’t escaped Aamon’s notice how the kid’s eyes glazed over when he described the procedure Dagon had done. Gears did not have in him to torture which was fair. No one in this room expected or wanted him to do something like that. But did have have the capacity to fight? Or would he freeze if this Void creature came at him? Swords and armor couldn’t fight for you. “And if it comes to using force, what then?” Aamon asked.

DAGON: She sighed and dropped any pretense of continuing the argument. Aamon was going to be mad regardless because he wasn't happy with the fact that they'd put themselves in harms way, but she didn't regret it. And with neither of them really backing down on that, it wasn't going to go anywhere. So, she dropped it and let the Archangel stay mad. He would get over it in his own time and they'd be back to where they were before. That was how things worked with them.

What was more concerning right now to her was the way that Belgirel seemed to disappear from the conversation after the description that Aamon gave of the spell. While Beel and Aamon argued Beel's ability to understand where to draw the line, Dagon squeezed Belgirel's hand in an attempt to ground him back in the present. He seemed to snap out of it when Aamon insisted he come with them.

"There will not be any use of force." She was speaking to both Aamon and Belgirel now. "There are a lot of things that violence can solve, but it cannot force a healer to heal. If my kingdom was forced to do something like that at sword point, they'd poison your waters on principle alone. You cannot trust what a healer gives you when it's given under threat of violence. I barely survived what she gave me as is. If Echo declines to help, we won't force her but we will try to talk to her again in a few hours. Until then..." She grabbed a syringe and vile off the counter and went behind a small privacy partition. She drew a few viles of her own blood before appearing from behind the partition. She handed the viles off to Beelzebub. "I need you to get those to Raph. If Echo doesn't want to help us, then we need to help ourselves. Raph will know where to start, they just need the stepping stones." She knew none of them wanted to start a war or use force. Even Aamon was hesitant about it. "It's just a talk and it will stay as just a talk. Can we all agree to that for now?"

BEELZEBUB & BELGIREL: Beelzebub didn't drop the argument as easily. He actually found it a little humorous how Aamon was lecturing them about this after what he'd done last year. Now that Beelzebub thought about it, it must've been close to the anniversary of that day. "Yeah, you know," he took a deep breath with the oxygen mask. Talking took a lot of oxygen. "When she gave me all the details and all the risks, I thought 'What would Aamon do?' Clearly, I learned from the best." He didn't actually think ill of Aamon, both for what happened back then and for his anger with them now. They were all just scared individuals trying to protect their loved ones. They were all willing to cross certain lines if it meant it kept their people safe. It wasn't just the two of them and Aamon either. Even Gabriel most recently had pushed Andromeda away in the name of saving her and had only put her in more turmoil by doing so, but she was safe at least. For people like them that faced so little danger to themselves, that's all that really mattered was protecting those around them. It didn't mean they couldn't give each other a hard time about it. "It takes one to know one, huh?"

Belgirel didn't really understand the conversation that was happening between Beel and Aamon. He looked between them quizzically, trying to figure it out, but he got nowhere. He assumed it must've just been some inside joke between the two for something that happened while he was dead. Did Aamon go through a rebellious streak? (Aside from the actual rebellion of course.) The thought excited him. He pictured Aamon in the kind of clothes Andras wore, sledding down a mountain with no care to his safety on the shell of a tortoise going down towards the edge of a cliff. Maybe he was fighting a bear that was also sledding. They were weaving around rocks until Aamon used one rock as a ramp to jump up and over the bear, landing in front of it and knocking it off, making it stop and putting his foot over it to keep it from falling off the cliff.

Belgirel bit his lip when Aamon asked him what he'd do if it came to using force. He didn't want to fight. He'd had enough of it for a lifetime. Part of the reason for the armor was to intimidate Echo into thinking she didn't want to fight him either, but if he had to fight, he would. He felt only a little relieved when Dagon said that there wouldn't be any use of force. "She seemed to understand my threats pretty well the last time," Belgirel pointed out. Of course, her understanding of them was also to hold him down against his will to make sure he didn't intervene in her procedure of healing Dagon. He still wasn't really sure how to take that. He grimaced when Dagon went behind the partition and came out with her blood. He didn't know enough about medicine and healing to know how that would actually help, but he assumed Raphael did. "I can agree to that on our end, but I can't promise it from hers." He was still going to be wary of her at least.

Beel took the vials from Dagon. He didn't plan to leave the room, even if they were with Aamon, he wasn't going to just leave his kids. "I'll get Gabe to take it to them." His brother probably needed a reason to get out of the Avani's room anyways.

AAMON: His piercing stare continued to look through Beelzebub. He knew what his brother was referring to. They'd been upset with Aamon just as much as Aamon was with them right now. "You learn from no one and you take direction poorly," he replied in a bored tone. Had he learned anything, he wouldn't have done as Aamon did. It was always better to do as the Archangel said than as he did.

He directed his attention back to Dagon when she spoke up and said there would be no violence or force. He didn't doubt her assertion that you couldn't trust a healer who was coerced to help but if it came to that he didn't plan to test Echo's potions on anyone valuable. Still, he trusted Dagon enough when she remarked that this would simply be a discussion between themselves and the creature. Dagon was much more diplomatic than he was and negotiation tended to be one of her stronger skills. It was also just very easy to fall prey to her endearing nature and maternal instinct. "Very well, Your Highness," he replied, bowing slightly as he tipped himself into a recliner near the children's bed. "Let it be a discussion. For now."

DAGON: She tensed a little when Beel prodded further. She knew what he was hinting at. The irony of Aamon yelling at them for protecting their kids while also having nearly killed himself last year in an attempt to trade places with Gears hadn't escaped her either. But Belgirel didn't know about Aamon's suicidal streak and honestly they didn't have time to unpack that here. Thankfully, Beel only hinted at it and Aamon didn't take much of the bait that was being thrown his way. Dagon gave Beel a look that said please just drop it when Aamon started giving him a performance review. They could go on like this forever and honestly after what she just did to Beel he needed to reserve his strength. She didn't know what the next 24 hours would hold for them.

The sarcasm remained in Aamon's voice as he bowed to her, but she didn't take the bait. He was letting them go and he was going to let them do this their way. No violence, just a talk with a being who struggled to talk. She could do this. She nodded when Beel said he'd get the vials to Gabe. As long as they made their way to Raph, that was all that mattered. She collected a few more of her things and paused by the beside. The healer brushed aside Murmur and Nadia's hair and kissed their foreheads. "I'll be back," she promised. "Call me if anything changes." She told Beel before she left the room with Belgirel. On her way out, she pulled out her phone and texted Beel a message that said and can you also order room service or something? I'm starving but I really didn't want to deal with your brother's 'well, well if it isn't the consequences of your actions' look. She pocketed her phone again, before looping her arm through Belgirel's. "So, what's the plan, Your Grace?" Unlike Aamon's voice, there was no sarcasm in her use of titles. Had the circumstances been different, some might've even called it playful.

BEELZEBUB & BELGIREL: Beel rolled his eyes. He knew what Aamon was really saying. "I love you too, bro." He blew a kiss in Aamon's direction. No one wanted to be like Aamon, except, regretfully, Belgirel. He nodded when Dagon asked him to call her with updates, but he hoped their wouldn't be any bad ones. He didn't think he could handle any more bad ones. I'll mark it up to the fact that I'm always hungry, he texted Dagon back. He wasn't sure how long her talk would go, so he figured he'd wait a little while before ordering food.

Belgirel took Dagon's arm as she offered it to him. "I figured we could summon Devour the way the kids always did, and then he can help us find and talk to Echo. They've gotta have a better way to talk than just her repeating what's been said."

DAGON: She nodded her agreement when Belgirel laid out the game plan. She and Beel had already been meeting with Devour as emissaries so there were a few ways that she was able to contact the being. The easiest one was a pebble drop. She and Belgirel found their way to the rivers edge once again, only this part was much more secluded. Dagon looked around, a tad hopefully that she might see Echo or Devour just on their own but there was no sign of the beings for the moment. So, she picked up a pebble and held it in her palm. Her magic made it glow red as she placed her intention into the pebble. Once her wish to speak with Devour was firmly implanted in the pebble, she tossed it into the water and hoped for the best.

DEVOUR: He had not ventured to the Belphegor's settlement all week. Other things had occupied his time. He'd found a colony of large slugs deep within the Empty and spent some time taking care of them. But, it was hungry work and he missed his little friends. He figured he was due for a visit. He made it halfway to the settlement when he felt the pull of the wish pebble. Trouble was afoot. He knew because the wish pebble was only meant to be used for trouble.

Devour located the nearest source of water and dove into it. Without his friends around, he maintained no form. He was pure inky blackness that melted into the water. The darkness that was his form traveled quickly through the river channels and followed the energy of the pebble to the river's edge. He spotted Dagon and...not Chef. Normally, Chef was with her but this was not Chef. This time she was with some green tin man. Curious. He wondered if Green Tin Man had food.

Devour's inky form began to bubble up from the water. At first, he just looked like a vat of black oil, but slowly his humanoid form started to take shape. Once he was fully formed into the tall blond man that they were used to seeing, he glided closer to the pair but he did not come to shore. Instead he stayed in the water and everything below his torso remained hidden by the blackness. Now that he was closer, he recognized the Green Tin Man as one of the Belphegor's brothers, their twin. "Princess Mother," he greeted Dagon. "You seem troubled. Is everything all right?"

BELGIREL: He wasn't exactly happy about needing to talk to devour in order to talk to Echo, even if it was his idea. All of the Void creatures reminded him too much of the Void. Even if they were nicer, it felt like an old bully that acted differently depending on if other people were around you or not. Even when they were nice, he couldn't convince himself that it wasn't a trap. He felt like he was going to throw up when something rose up out of the water. His gut told him that there were hands in that water preparing to pull him in and drown him. He took a deep breath. Despite all his armor, he still felt vulnerable. He squeezed Dagon's hand. "We need your help actually. Our people are sick. Dagon was sick yesterday, but there was someone here last night who healed her. We were hoping you could help us find her. We think she might have been one of your siblings. She couldn't speak and just repeated what Dagon said."

DAGON: She hadn’t used the pebble method before so she really did not know what to expect while she and Belgirel waited by the shoreline for something to happen. She could tell that he was nervous so she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Things would be okay. They had to be. A moment later, she saw the river waters bubbling where the pebble had landed. Slowly, a black inky mass started to appear. This made Gears all the more nervous. Dagon squeezed his hand back to let him know she was here and he was safe. The mass seemed to melt away as Devour’s humanoid form appeared. He looked confused as he waded toward them. She smiled when he greeted her.

“Hello, Devour,” her voice was gentle as she curtsied to him. “Thank you for answering the call. I’ve seen better days,” she admitted. “I’m sorry I don’t have any food with me today.” She nodded when Belgirel explained what was happening. “The illness has affected Nadia and Mumur as well as my twin Andras and my right hand Seir. They cannot breathe or play or eat. Honesty is still okay and Chef is with the kids, but they don’t have much time left. We could really use your help.” She nodded again when Gears explained how she’d been healed. “The healer presented as a lovely sting ray,” Dagon recalled. “I think she is the sibling you refer to as silence. We’ve taken to calling her Echo. Can you help us get in touch with her? We’d be willing to offer her a fair trade for her services.”

DEVOUR: He stared at the Green Tin Man when he spoke but he could not fully concentrate on the man’s words. There was an odd energy about him, a kindred energy. That could not be. It should not be. The only Child of God that was supposed to radiate that energy was the Belphegor. “How are you like me?” he asked the Green Tin Man. “You should not be, but you are. How?”

His attention turned back to Dagon when she stated that she had better days. Indeed, she looked quite pale and gaunt though still very pretty. Her smiles were melancholy, and they did not reach her eyes. He knew deep sadness resided in her, but today it was not hidden in the waves of her soul. It was on the surface. “That’s alright,” he told her when she said she had no food for him today. “Though you look like you can use some too. Have you eaten?” He frowned when he learned of the sickness. Had he known sooner, he would have come to see his little friends. Whatever this illness was, it sounded bad. “They cannot eat?” He sounded horrified and sad all at the same time. It had to be devastating for the Duchess Nadia. He nodded at their description of the creature that helped them. That did sound like silence. He raised a brow when Dagon asked if he could contact his sister. He glanced at a dark spot in the water. It was not visible to them and blended in very well with the rest of the water, but it was visible to him. “She is here actually.” He splashed in the direction of the dark spot. “Sister, come out please.”

BELGIREL: Belgirel took a step back when Devour said he was like him. He didn't like the way that sounded. He wasn't like Devour, but he didn't think that Devour was specifically referring to himself but to his entire family. He was like the Void was what he meant, and that was an awful thought. He felt even more nauseous. He didn't want to be like the Void, a monster, a torturer, and worse. He wanted to rip off his skin. "I-" He looked at Dagon, not sure how much he should've been sharing with Devour. "It's . . . temporary. Belphegor had to go somewhere, so they left me in charge of the Empty for the time being."

He shook his head when Devour asked for confirmation on the kids being unable to eat. He couldn't help thinking about how Murmur would've made an inappropriate joke about that. He felt unsettled when Devour looked off to the side, as if something was watching them. Apparently, there was. He took a step back as something else started to emerge out of the water.

ECHO: The Silence, or Echo as these people now called her, had been watching the whole interaction. These were her waters after all. She was very rarely unaware of what went on in and around them. She'd been watching because she'd been worried that she was going to get in trouble for helping the mother Dagon before. Devour wasn't one of her harsh brothers, but she was still scared that more people might find out, especially with these two telling her business. They used their voices improperly, but it still interested her all the same. She rose up out of the water as if a pedestal was being lifted up under her, but it was just her recreating her form. It was different from last time. She'd gaged their reactions and determined that her form hadn't been quite right. This time, she'd studied Dagon, the tin man, and Devour's form, so when she rose up, she actually did look more like just a very tall human woman. there was no mouth on her stomach, and no sting ray shape, though a long black dress drooped from her shoulder to her wrist in a similar manner. A metal plated corset went over her chest. Like her brother, she only rose halfway out of the water. She did not speak yet because she had not been asked to do so.

DAGON: She could feel how deeply uncomfortable Devour's words made Belgirel. He already didn't like how much these abilities made him feel like the Void. Belphegor didn't like it for themselves either. But power did not make you something you weren't. The Void was the Void because of its actions; not because of its powers. Dagon held Belgirel's hand even as he backed away a little. "We'd appreciate it if that stayed between us," she added.

She smiled when he asked her if she'd eaten anything today. "I'm afraid I haven't been able to hold much down. But I did ask Chef to order food. I'll bring you what I don't finish," she promised. He seemed truly saddened by the fact that the kids were now in a state where they could no longer eat. She imagined that resonated with his own torture a bit. She glanced over toward the spot in the water that Devour was speaking to. The spot slowly began to take a humanoid shape, choosing to mold its form to something similar to Devour. "Hello, healer," Dagon bowed her head to the creature. "I wanted to thank you again for helping me. I am feeling much better. My children though..." her voice took on a new level of melancholy. "They are unwell and they need help. We are willing to offer a fair trade if you'll help us. Will you help us?"

DEVOUR: The tin man was uncomfortable though Devour could not tell whether that was because of the conversation or because he was wearing a tin suit. Perhaps it was both. So, the Belphegor was gone and they transferred their power to the tin man, their twin. "I will not tell anyone. It is not safe for any of us if that information got out. I have no desire to rule these lands. The responsibility is tiresome. But I cannot say the same for my siblings. I do hope those powers cannot be transferred to just anyone." His family was already upset that the powers went to a foreigner upon the Void's death.

He looked at Dagon sympathetically when she remarked that she hadn't been able to hold much of her food down. That, too, was sad. This illness was taking much joy from them. He perked up at the mention of leftovers though. "That is very kind, thank you." He was famished. He watched as his sister took form from the waters. She was getting better at looking more like them. He wondered if she practiced some. The little ones that she speaks of are my friends, he spoke to his sister mind to mind. If you can help them, please do. I will share my food with you and I'm sure they will share their words. The Mother will meet your terms if you wish to set any.

BELGIREL: Belgirel was grateful Dagon was here with him. It was nerve wracking to be around two of them at the same time. He wondered if Echo had that desire. He watched her as she listened to them. "As far as I know they can't." He hoped Echo was listening to that one. "Belphegor probably would've transferred it to someone else if they could have." It wasn't necessarily that he believed Belphegor didn't think he could handle it, but he felt like Belphegor didn't want him to have to handle it. Belgirel also just didn't want the Void family to believe they could just take this power from him or Belphegor. Even if Devour didn't want it for himself, he didn't want to risk that information getting to the others. He couldn't tell what Devour and Echo were doing as they stared at each other. Clearly, they had some other form of communication that he and Dagon weren't privy to.

ECHO: Devour had talked to Echo before about his new friends. He always seemed happy talking about them, but seeing them interact was a much more different experience. With their family, there was rarely ever happiness. Even with the Silence, Devour had not seemed too happy. They could not offer him the same sort of conversations as these creatures did, but she was learning. She hoped to share more words with her brother, so they wouldn't be trapped in the conversations of their minds. To speak was so much sweeter than to think.

Echo didn't have much of an understanding of what children were. They did not have that concept for their own species. Age was nonexistent here. There was no older or younger. There just was and there wasn't. There were no mothers or fathers or parents for them either. These creatures were different though. It was all so foreign. She relied on Devour and his connections to help teach her what those differences were. So children were the little ones then. Devour's friends. Your friends are sick too? she asked in her brother's mind. I have questions, but I am afraid to ask them. I do not want to admit to healing her, especially when that one is like the Belphegor. Our siblings will think I'm helping them, and they will be angry with me. I would like to help your friends, but I am afraid of the danger. I have no use for food. It will not protect me, so I must say,

"No..." she faced the two while she said it, so that they would know she was talking to them and not Devour, but then she turned to Devour again.

I do not have the words to ask them my questions. I would have many steep terms for this too even if I were to agree. For your friends, I can be more lenient. I will heal those two for you, as long as we can keep it a secret from our family. If we get caught, I don't want the others to think I care for these creatures. I do, but they cannot know that. Let them and these two think they must make a tremendous deal for my aid. The mother, she told me thank you, and I quite liked that phrase. It made me feel good. I want the words of the children that make them feel best. I know this is a steep price, but they must fulfill it for my help. It is the easier task for them to do. However, the tin man said their people were sick, which means there's more who need my help. That will take a hefty price, and I do not know if they can manage it.

DAGON: She understood where Devour’s worry was coming from. It, indeed, would not be good if the others found out about the power transfer. Thankfully, most of them were put off by the settlement and stayed away. It was too overstimulating. She hoped that would be the case in this instance too. She gave Belgirel a sympathetic look when he said that if it were up to Belphegor the power might’ve gone to someone other than him. It wasn’t the first time that Gears had voiced this kind of sentiment. They would have to unpack that later when everyone was safe.

The way that Devour turned to his sister, Dagon could see there was some kind of silent conversation going on between them. Echo’s emotions were complicated. She seemed conflicted by the request. Dagon hoped that Devour might be able to sway her. Her heart dropped a little when Echo turned to them and said no. Dagon dropped Belgirel’s hand as a deep sadness, her sadness, filled the space. She took a few steps away from all of them. She promised no violence and did not want to seem like she was escalating things, but she wasn’t always in control of this manifestation. The bracelet around her hand did a lot to keep the power in check, but it had its limitations. When Suds died, she couldn’t visit the Empty for a few days because of those limitations. It seemed that she was skirting them again. “I’m sorry,” she apologized and tried to reel the emotion back in. “Healer please reconsider. Name your terms and we will do what we can to meet them, but please reconsider.” She looked to Devour as if to say please, they do not have much time.

DEVOUR: He wasn’t sure he believed the tin man, but for his sake he would pretend to believe. It was easier than dealing with the possible implications of what the Belphegor had done. He would not tell anyone and he hoped none of the others found out. He nodded to Echo in confirmation when she asked if his friends were affected. The mother is their caretaker. I wish we had a mother, he lamented. There hadn’t really been a moment in his existence where he felt as cared for as his friends were by the Chef and Mother. She would not lie about this. He understood Echo’s hesitation to help. Their siblings were not always welcoming to the idea of helping or even interacting with the foreigners. If our siblings ask, you were not helping the Belphegor and their people, you were helping us. If we let them die, more of their kind will pollute our lands. It is better for them to live and be able to leave our home rather than die and stay here. There were many ways to spin this situation if the others found out. He would help his sister and he would keep her secrets as she kept his.

He felt Dagon’s sadness permeate the area when Echo declined to help. The energy reminded him very much of Numbness. His friends had said she was like the Numbness but he hadn’t seen that side of her until now. He was about to try to persuade Echo again when his sister turned to look at him. Relief flooded his body when she remarked that she would help his friends. Thank you, sister. “She says that she will help your children on the condition that her involvement in all of this is kept secret. She liked the way you said thank you. She says she wants more words that have personal meanings to the people she is to heal.” He paused to catch the rest of his sisters requests and nodded. “There are steeper requests for healing the others, but if you can meet her demands, she is willing to help.” What would you like them to do? he asked. They are desperate.

BELGIREL: Belgirel felt disheartened when Echo said no, but it couldn't have been as bad as what Dagon felt. She was trying to maintain it, but this was a serious subject for her. If she couldn't get those kids healed, they'd be dead just like he was. He wanted to fight Echo for saying no so quickly, but instead he followed Dagon the few steps away, holding her hand and squeezing it. "It'll be okay," he tried to assure her. "Beel should have gotten your blood to Raph by now, and it can't be long before they get a vaccine." He didn't actually know that. They never had this kind of thing for angels, and he had no idea how long it would take. Nor did he know if the kids would last that long.

He let out a sigh of relief when Devour said that Echo would help. It was such a quick change of answer that he wondered if there was some kind of mistranslation. Did Echo actually mean to say no? Or was Devour just saying yes for her? Maybe there was a way he could force her to do this. Belgirel was willing to turn a blind eye to whatever it took to save their people. "We can keep it secret," Belgirel promised. His face contorted into confusion when Devour said that Echo liked the way Dagon had said thank you. That was an odd inclusion into this discussion. "Thank you?" he asked. They could've said thank you a million times if that's all it took. "If she can heal them, we'd be glad to give her a whole dictionary of words. My little brother, Lucifer, talks almost nonstop." He especially talked when he was nervous, which was happening a lot currently. Belgirel himself felt nervous at the mention of steeper requests, but there was a lot they'd be willing to do. "What are the demands?"

ECHO: Echo felt guilty as the Mother Dagon's emotions became sadder at the sound of her 'no'. She didn't want her words to hurt. She was learning more about how they could do that. Words could make people feel better, like thank you. Or they could make them feel worse, like this no had. Thankfully, Devour translated that her no wasn't a definitive one. She was glad that they agreed to her first terms, even offering her more onto it. "Better." she agreed. She would always be glad to have more words. She looked back to her brother to communicate the rest of her demands. I want protection from the harm of the rest of our family. Protection for me, for you, and any of the others who wish no harm. The Mother Dagon reminded me of the numbness, and I worry that they need protection too. If they can find the Numbness, and ensure all of our safety, I will heal their people.

DAGON: She flinched a little when Gears touched her hand. Touching her when her suppression tools were struggling to hold her manifestation was like touching a live wire sometimes. He seemed okay still and she eased a little. His words held hope but she knew that if Echo did not help them there was no hope for her children. A vaccine took time. Her contribution, her blood, might save some people, but it would not save her children. While Death did not seem like such a horrible thing these days, they had so much life left to live. She and Beel had done so much to protect them from the horrors of the world and yet it all still ended in horror. She couldn’t have that. Her heart couldn’t take it. She let out a surprised little sniffle when Devour clarified that his sister was agreeing to help. It was such a drastic shift and Dagon didn’t entirely understand it. She wiped at her face and nodded emphatically when Belgirel remarked that they would keep it a secret. “You keep ours and we’ll keep yours,” she agreed. Words. Her demand was for words which could very easily be done. “The kids too when they’re better they’ll talk up a storm,” Dagon promised. She was so looking forward to just hearing them talk again. “You might wish they’d stop,” she laughed through tears. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing them talk after this but she couldn’t say the same for others. She nodded when Devour remarked that there were other demands that were a little steeper. “Tell us and we’ll do our best.”

DEVOUR: The Tin Man tried to comfort Dagon, but her grief was intense. Devour could tell that this was her last chance to save her children. He found himself crying a little too. He wished he had something to eat. Eating always made him feel better. He was sure it would make Dagon feel better too. Thankfully, his sister offered something more needed than food right now. She was offering help. “I don’t think she’ll tire of their words. They have many interesting things to say.” They were very knowledgeable about food and other things that Devour had only recently started to experience. He listened intently to Echo as his sister relayed her requests to him. “She would like protection for herself, me, and any other peaceful beings who turn to your settlement for sanctuary,” he replied. His brows knitted at the next request. No one had seen Numbness since the Void’s death. Devour wasn’t even sure their sibling was alive. “She would also like for you to find one of our siblings, the Numbness. We have not seen them for quite some time and they were in a fragile state.” Numbness was always in a fragile state. It was the nature of their being. “If you are willing to agree to these terms, she will help.”

ECHO: Echo shook her head when the Mother Dagon said she might wish they'd stop. Devour knew her well. There was no way she'd tire of someone's words. "I. Won't. Wish they'd stop." She didn't know what interesting things they'd have to say. She'd never met them, but she trusted Devour's description of them. If he believed that they were interesting she believed them. She could see that her request confused her brother, but did he not worry about the Numbness too. She thought he might've been dead, but she needed to know what the truth was.

BELGIREL: At first these requests sounded reasonable to Belgirel. If their siblings were as bad as Belgirel thought them to be, it made sense that they might fear them too. He supposed as long as they didn't cause trouble, they could look out for them. It was a big decision to take in refugees, but he felt like it was one that Belphegor and Cupid would've respected. "We can offer protection, but we'll need to get into the specifics of what that protection entails. We don't want to go to war with your family if one of you instigates one, but as long as you are on our lands, you will have our protection so long as you aren't causing trouble. Devour didn't seem certain about Echo's next request, and it made Belgirel nervous. "The Numbness? How are we supposed to find them. The Empty is endless."

ECHO: Echo looked at Dagon. From the way Dagon had acted similar to the Numbness, that was why she thought she could find them. "You. Are. Sad. Have. Sad. Direction."

DAGON: “I don’t think I will either,” she replied as she wiped her tears. She nodded her agreement when Belgirel said that they could extend the protection as needed. She did not know which Void siblings would come seeking protection, but truth be told even if all the Void siblings banded together, which was unlikely, angel kind outnumbered them. They would be flattened by hell within a day. Echo’s last request was for her to find Numbness. Dagon had heard a little bit about this sibling before. He’d been compared to her kingdom, but she knew he was lost and possibly even dead. Trying to locate him would mean going out of the bounds of their settlement and into the unknown of the Empty. Dagon nervously looked at the woods beyond the waters. “I can do it,” Dagon nodded. “But I’d like five people cured before I leave.” Nadia and Murmur were a given, but she also wanted Andras healed. She couldn’t leave not knowing if her twin made it through the cure or not. She’d feel his death, the way all siblings do. And Belgirel would feel it too. It would throw them into a complete spiral. And then there was Mazikeen. She wasn’t super close to Maze, but Hell needed her alive and Dagon couldn’t spend the next century listening to Lucifer complain about finding right hands while not really addressing the truth of what was actually making him sad. Lastly, there was Zophiel. He was just a child – one that had a massive crush on her and Beel but still a child nevertheless. He’d been through enough with Suds having nearly eaten him. He didn’t deserve to die a painfully slow death on top of that. “I can’t track your sibling with all of this noise in my head and anxiety in my chest. I need it calm. I need to know that these five people are better before I leave.”

ECHO & BELGIREL: Echo nodded. The Mother Dagon must've had a preference for more words too. She could see that her final request troubled them a little more. What she was asking wouldn't be easy. It might have been impossible in fact, but even if they failed to find the Numbness, Echo still would've helped. She just wanted them to try. "Good. Is. the. illness. in. these five people. . ." She didn't have a word that meant same. She needed to know if the illness of the others was the same as the one Dagon had. That was what really determined if she could help. "As. Like. As. You. Your. Illness."

Belgirel tried to understand her conglomeration of words. It was hard for his brain to process, but he felt like he could figure it out. "Yes, they all have the same disease."

"I will help if you can do it." She agreed.

Belgirel was relieved to hear that, but not completely. "Could you just excuse us for a minute or two?" He asked before pulling Dagon far enough away where he didn't think they could hear them.

Echo turned to her brother as they both stood there waiting in the water. Do you want anything, brother? I could have them add something to my requests. Maybe we could have them give you more tasty food regularly. If they are to protect us from danger, they could protect you from hunger too? I've seen pairs of them bring blankets by my waters and having meals on them. We could do that if we were safe and they provided you food. It shouldn't be much more to ask if they're wanting me to cure five people before they go. Chef, he may provide the food, even though he did not make this deal, as a reward for healing his children.

Further away from the river, Belgirel stopped and turned to his girlfriend. "Dagon, you know I don't doubt your abilities normally, but are you sure you can do this this soon? You only just started getting better today, and then you did that blood magic with Beel. I know you want to help the kids and everyone else, but we've already got assurance that she'll help the kids. I know you'd want to see them recovering, and you took more than a few hours to start getting better. If you wanted to, you could stay with them while I just go. I don't have your same sense of empathy, but I do have Belphegor's powers. I may not be great at using them," mainly because he was terrified of even trying to do so, "but I could try to use it to figure out where the Numbness is." He didn't think that was something she'd be fond of either. As much as he worried about her, he knew she'd be worrying about him on his own too. It wasn't even just about him being on his own. He could've asked Aamon to come with him, and he would've been just as safe, but Dagon had to be sidelined during this whole plague just because she was sick. He knew she was itching to feel useful. He sighed. "Can you at least assure me if this is something you really can do or not?"

DAGON: She felt as though a weight was lifted off of her chest when Echo agreed to help. "Thank you, healer," she replied before stepping to the side to talk to Belgirel. He was concerned about her ability to locate the Numbness after having been sick for so long. She understood where the concern was coming from. For the past night she'd been hearing nothing but concerns about how she should take it easy. "I want to go with you," she replied. She couldn't go through all of this and end up losing him at the end because she wasn't there. Sure, she couldn't heal Belgirel but there were other ways, human ways, to deal with life threatening injuries. "I can do this," she assured him. "I'm going to need to eat before we go so I can focus on something other than my hunger." Her stomach ached so much and she was pretty sure she could eat a wagon of cheese fries right now. "But I can do it. It might take us some time. I can track depressive energies but there's no guarantee the energy I tap into is the Numbness. This place is quite sad. But if he's still alive, I'm sure we'll find him."

DEVOUR: He was thrilled that things were turning out for the better. The Mother and the Tin Man seemed to be relieved too. He knew time was of the essence for his little friends, but he also wanted his sister to feel safe while helping these people. He shook his head when she asked if he wanted anything added into this deal for himself. I’m all right. They feed me well enough and I steal the rest. He enjoyed the thrill of it just a little. Besides, he didn’t think friends made demands of one another in times like this. Chef would likely offer it anyway once the Little Chef was better. I likely won’t be able to come with you to the healing station. Too many of us in one location makes them anxious and raises suspicion. But I will be in the kitchen if you need me. He would remain close by until his sister was able to return back to her rivers.

BELGIREL: Dagon's response was about what Belgirel thought it would be. She was caught between leaving her kids or leaving him. It wasn't like he wouldn't try to stay safe, but if anything happened, he knew she'd feel worse for not being there. At least with the kids, she could be there when they got their cure. "Okay," he said acceptingly. He didn't think there was a way he could convince her to stay anyways. He just had to make sure she was sure she could do this. "I'm sure Beel can get you some food, and while he does, we can sit and rest and maybe make a plan for how we're going to handle this. But don't strain yourself. We can always stop to take breaks if you need it, or I can carry you on my back. Whatever you need." He nodded when she said it might take time, but they'd find him if he was alive. He walked with her back to the two Empty beings. "Alright, we have a deal then." He held out his hand.

ECHO: She thought it was odd her brother wanted to steal instead of just be given what he wanted. It didn't seem like a massive request, but she didn't pretend to understand all of her brother's strange ways. I wish it were not so. She didn't like the fact that so many of the Belphegor's people were scared of them. She thought it might've been nice to live among them and hear all their sounds. She hoped that this would be a step towards that. She looked at the tin man's hand when he held it out to her. She didn't know what that was about. "A fair trade," she agreed. "I need to make better feeling . . . Not food before I leave then can we go."

[demonicdiligence]

This is the type of top tier content you can find on my RP discord

Why is Aamon being gelded? You'll just have to be there to find out!

(also art is by my buddy Taffer! )

[salvationhq]

how long have aamon and banshee been in town? 👁️

Banshee is a Salvation local and has tried to run away several times but something always stands in the way of her leaving. Aamon was born and raised in Salvation and has never left the town for any extended periods of time. 

[ofgoldenangel]

Discord Chat: Angel’s in Love

SUMMARY: Gabriel askes to chat with Michael after their Angel’s meeting to discuss his growing attachment to Zatanna.

TRIGGERS: mentions of death

WRITTEN WITH: @ofwarriors

Gabriel: Waited until Zatanna had exited the shop to ask Jesse for some help, he'd noticed her look before nodding his head towards her offering a small smile. He needed to talk to Michael even he could take notice of their weird tension between each other and he needed to talk about it. "Michael, I may be weaker but I see the way you look at her" he replied looking up from his book. "Talk to me brother...what happened?"

Michael: He wondered if he'd actually been that transparent. Apart of him wanted to deny it, but he knew that Gabriel would see right through it. "It's a long story, Gabriel. One that's not going anywhere further so you don't have to worry," he deflected instead turning to focus on narrowing down spell books and grimoires that could be used to aid Zatanna's research.

Gabriel: Could easily see something had happened between his brother and the mage, the angel was never one to show emotions yet now? he could read everything on his face. He snapped his fingers shutting the book Michael was looking at "She is taken Brother, the first time you show any emotion and it's towards a woman who is in a very happy relationship" he replied turning to look at him sighing "What happened Michael, Don't lie to me"

Michael: "Is she happy? Truly?" he asked. The words came out before he'd even had a chance to think. He hadn't meant it. Or maybe he had. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Michael rubbed his temples and leaned against the countertop. "I kissed her," he admitted. "It was a lapse in judgment and it won't happen again." He couldn't believe they were actually talking about this. The city was falling apart and this is what they were talking about. "She's valuable to this team and I don't plan to screw that up."

Gabriel: was quite taken back by his brother's outburst Michael was never one to lose control like this. Did he care more for the Mage than he let on, this was a spell for disaster, it was quite obvious the mage wanted her boyfriend to him unless something changed? "Why would you say that? Dimitri has never given us reason to think he doesn't care great for Zatanna" He replied before looking at his brother for a moment. "Was it a lapse in judgment or are you falling for her? Michael, you know out of anyone I'd understand but this is quite messy.."

Michael: He was embarrassed by it all, truly. He knew that Gabriel was right. He'd felt it in Zee's kiss too. Her heart was with Dimitri and all Michael had done was confuse her more. "They'd had a fight," he explained. "Dimitri charged at John with the intent to kill. In hindsight, that was probably the doing of this whole imbalance business. It frightened her. She'd come to the shop to get space from it." he went on. It felt good getting it out into the open. Confessing what he'd done. "I was there. My wing was injured," he replied as he looked over his shoulder. "I'd gotten jumped and I wasn't healing properly. She's stronger than I am right now," the archangel admitted and for some reason that didn't really bother him. "She healed the wound and..." he let the rest hang in the air. "It was a lapse in judgment, Gabriel. Neither one of us was exactly ourselves at the time."

Gabriel: could read the confusion on his brother's face but when it came to the image. He'd done something stupid that made things rather awkward between them but Zatanna was anything but hateful towards him. "Well, we both know what his dark side holds, if she came back unharmed that should show you how much he cares for her, as for john I'm pretty sure he started said fight." He replied looking at the other "I hope so brother, love at the best of times is painful, it's almost unbearable when it's not returned, I care for you deeply Michael and I don't want you hurt, emotionally or physically, though I have to admit didn't really think shed be your first kiss" he teased his elder brother

Michael: "This time he took care not to harm her but what about the next?" he asked. Again the question had come out before he'd even had time to process it. The archangel had been more than a little confused by the woman tonight. Despite everything, she'd been her usual self. Going so far as to offer help to all the angels in the city. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if this had all been his father's doing. After all, Zatanna hadn't meant to summon Michael. She was aiming for a guardian angel but instead, she got him. Why? At first, he'd thought she underestimated the strength of her magic but now he wasn't sure. Had it been his father's doing all along? He pushed those thoughts away. This wasn't divine intervention. He wasn't ordained for her. She had someone in her life already. "There's nothing she could do to hurt me, brother," he smiled softly. It was a lie but one that he'd happily live with. "If anything I'm the one who's caused the most harm tonight." He rolled his eyes as his brother teased him. "First, last, and never again. Are we done now? Or will I have to live with your teasing for the next century?" he chuckled, trying to push it all aside.

Gabriel: eyed his brother for a moment letting his question hang in the air " you've met his brother, you know what is happening out there. In his right mind, I've never heard of him laying a finger on the mage or anyone without just cause. Do you truly believe he is a bad character? Enough to hurt the women he cares for?" His asked in earnest, Michael knew Dimitri not him, all he had were stories told to him by the mage and his brother get him caught up on the people his brother been spending time with. " I swear we need to work on your poker face, just because dad created Chloe for Lucifer doesn't mean he made us all mates for life, Luci was always the favorite so of course father thought of him more." He sighed moving closer to Michael placing his hand over the others. "There is plenty she could do, but Zatanna isn't the type to do it willingly. You will have to talk to her brother, It can wait till we've restored things and you are feeling more like yourself but that talk will need to happen" he replied before smirking slightly "I finally have dirt on you and you won't let me use it? I think not brother, and don't close your heart off to this feeling who knows there may be some other leggy mage out there dying to wow you, after all, you still have plenty of firsts to take" he chuckled.

Michael: "Truthfully I don't know. He is bound for hell. His rage and killings have done wonders to feed Aamon, but no, I do not think he'd ever turn his hand on her. Heaven and Hell both help him if he did. She's got enough fire in her to put even the strongest of men into the ground," he murmured, finding himself once again fighting with temptation. Gabriel was right. Believing this was father's doing was simply wishful thinking. His less than pious feelings for the magician had less to do with father and more to do with this growing mortality he was experiencing. "I will talk to her and to Dimitri," he promised. "I owe him that much." He rolled his eyes as his brother continued to tease him. "There is no room for this feeling in my life Gabriel. It clouds judgment too much.  You saw it tonight. I can't make the calls I need to make when I'm like that," he explained. "As for having dirt on me," he side-eyed his brother. "Try to keep it between us, yeah? If Lucifer finds out he was right to some capacity I will never live it down."

Gabriel: "being bound for hell doesn't necessarily preach about character, and Aamon has plenty of humans in this day in age to keep him feed for centuries. If even under Aamon's influence he didn't lay a hand on the mage that shows not only great resilience but love for her, notice how even with the stressor of John gone her phone hasn't rung once since being here? He is giving her the space he knows she needs. But that again I've always seen the good in humankind" he chuckled softly shaking his head, his brother was truly lost to his emotions something the younger had never seen except maybe during the war, they'd lost so many brothers and he knew Michael took each lost personally. " you do, though I'm sure they'll forgive you, if not at least you did the right thing" he replied because chuckling "you were fine brother, we took a problem and handled it together as we always do, love does make people rather crazy and if this is you crazy I must say you still function like my uptight brother" he replied before rolling his eyes " I won't tell anyone, besides the next time I see lucifer I'm sure he'll have my wings so I'm going to do what the mage suggested and steer clear of our brother."

Michael: He smiled gently at his brother. Gabriel was always the one to see good in humanity, even in the most muddled souls like Dimitri. Michael had broken bread with the man. He knew despite what he'd done in his past, he'd retired from that life and was trying to do better for himself, for Zatanna. And, if he were honest, looking at the mage's history, Michael simply wasn't her type. "You're right. I do hope they work it out," he nodded, not taking his eyes off the floor. He hoped if he said it enough to himself he'd mean it. He didn't like feeling this way. He wondered if this is what his brothers had felt upon falling. Why anyone would wish to be overcome with dark emotions like this was beyond him. "What I have for her isn't love," he remarked, being the uptight brother Gabriel knew him to be. "It's...infatuation, maybe. Admiration. You like her yourself. I've seen you take to her," he smiled gently. He knew Zatanna had been counseling the young angel after his fight with Lucifer. "She shows us kindness when no one else in this city does. It's easy to see why I made the mistake I made, but I assure you it won't happen again with this mage or any other mage for that matter. As for Lucifer, even in my weakest state, I'd like to see him try. He knows that's an act of war as much as any," he reassured his brother. "But I do agree with Zatanna on this. It's best to steer clear of him for now."

Gadreel: He looked at the other, even he could see his brother held feelings for the mage no matter how much he tried to push it down or deny it they would be there. The problem with humanity is its life was fleeting compared to theirs and if Mike did end up loving Zatanna it would be nothing but pain. "You may not believe that right now, but you know no matter what they'll always be your friend, funny thing about humans they get pretty protective over their friendships brother"  He replied hopefully before smiling at the other. "Infatuation or not, I didn't want to kiss her, if anything my attachment to the mage is in Motherly of nature" he replied truthfully before smiling softly "She is one of a kind, and it's easy to see how you could've developed these feelings and I don't think you should run for them.  I guess I didn't count on such hatred...you didn't hate me in the end. " he sighed nodding his head "I will brother you have nothing to worry about, I shall stick to the shop to ensure you won't worry endlessly about me getting hurt again"

Michael: It wasn't fair, truthfully. If she didn't return his feelings in kind, he could live with that. What he found more painful was the fact that he'd have to watch nature take its course on her and the mortals around her. Whether she remained a friend, a lover, or home, it didn't matter. Death would take her one day and there was nothing that he could do to stop that. "They are fiercely loyal," he smiled softly, nodding his head in agreement. "I'd say that's the one refreshing thing about being here." His brothers had been as well up until Lucifer broke with tradition and started a war. He chuckled when the angel mentioned that he'd found a mother in Zatanna. None of them had ever had a mother. They had all been built for war and shaped by fire. "She'd lay her life on the line for you just as sure as I would. I could never hate you, Gabriel," he reassured the angel. Truth be told, he'd do anything to avoid another war. He'd been much younger by angel standards during the first war. Much more brash and heavy-handed. He'd lost so much in those days. He wasn't sure he had it in him to do what needed to be done again. "Well, in that case," he tossed the angel a spellbook. "I might as well put you to work," he grinned. "Zatanna's picked up a lot just on our behalf. There's a lot riding on her shoulders." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried she'd taken too much on her plate. A part of him knew this had been her way of avoiding dealing with everything else. "We need to narrow down what can and cannot be used to help her. We owe her that much." They owed her more than that, but this was a good place to start.

Gabriel: Could see the struggle in his brother, it was a slippery slope, if he did fall for her and Zatanna returned his feelings her life would pass before his eyes. Or he could just bury his feelings hoping to enjoy what little time they had together it was quite the lose lose situation and Gabe didn't envy his brother one bit. "That they are, we are quite lucky to have found such a good group of them" He replied softly before looking at the other, he found that he liked the feelings of family he received from them, back in Heaven when Lucifer left all he had was Michael, it was strange to think how broken his family had truly become until he was faced with something that worked. "I thought you would...Lucifer and I were inseparable growing up...I shared a lot of his thoughts except the ones about humanity being useless...after the war, even though I fought with you, I'm sure even you could sense my hesitation to attack our brothers..." He replied in a soft voice before chuckling softly at the book Mike tossed him nodding his head head "I know brother, we'll find the fix I just know it, I wonder what we'll find out" He replied opening the book before moving to read over the spells "Make sure you work to Mikey no pushing all the work on us youngsters"

Michael: He saw no sense in wallowing in self-pity. He knew what he had to do even if he didn't necessarily want to do it. He wasn't going to destroy her life over his selfish desire for something comfortable. He hoped that his brother would never be faced with a decision such as this. "One can only hope we can help them as much as they've helped us," he nodded. "We were like them once too," he smiled softly, remembering his family when they had been whole. "Even the strongest of bonds can break. Lucifer's ideology was rigid but so was mine. I know to have to choose sides was hard, but I'm glad you're here brother." There was a reason Michael had summoned him before the others. Gabriel was the kindest of the four of them and earth needed that kindness now more than ever. "Oh, I'm no slacker, brother. I intend to do my part," he teased as he grabbed a book off the shelf. It was going to be a long night.

[zztophat]

Discord Chats: Full Break

SUMMARY: As Zatanna is about to get on stage to perform during the gala event, Dimitri comes by to check on her backstage and let her know that a hit has been put on his head. He is stopped when Zatanna makes the final move to break things off. TRIGGERS: Angst, Heartbreak, So Much Sadness WRITTEN WITH: @ofreddragon

ZATANNA: She was due to be on stage in a few minutes and for whatever reason she was feeling anxious. She rarely got stage fright; she loved the feeling of performing, but tonight's crowd was more than a little intimidating. She briefly peered out into the crowd and while she could see many of her friends and colleagues, she could also see a lot of demon princes. She wasn't exactly on the best of terms with some of them given her recent participation in the balancing ritual. She heard a noise behind her and sharply turned on her heels, a defensive spell on the tip of her tongue, only to come face-to-face with Dimitri. "Hey," she breathed, loosening up her shoulders and pushing back the spell. "You scared me. Quite the crowd out there." 

Dimitri: knew he couldn't hide from her forever either someone pushing them together or him just being unable to stay away any longer. He made his way backstage knowing that she probably felt a bit nervous about the whole thing wanting to give her words of comfort. But he also knew that he had to tell her about the Hit, things were adding up too perfectly for it to not have come from her world and John reminded him just how having her on their side would be better. " hello" he smiled softly nodding his head " I'm sorry that wasn't my intention, I just wanted to wish you good lucky and see if you were okay?"

ZATANNA: Her worried eyes scanned the crowd once more before looking back at Dimitri. She couldn't keep doing this. Dimitri being anywhere near her painted a target on his back. Sure, Gadreel had bargained for his and her's safety, but that was a wartime pact and Gadreel at the moment couldn't stand her. She couldn't trust that the demon princes would uphold their end of the bargain now that things had calmed down. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't be like John, dragging innocent people into her world only to have them die at the sword for her. "Actually, I'm not okay," she admitted. "There are several people in this crowd that want me dead by any means necessary. Dimi," she sighed, pulling him closer to the shadows and away from any potential wondering eyes. "We need to stop this. All of it."

Dimitri: He watched her scanning wondering for a brief moment if John had spilled the beans about his hit, but then again she didn't really talk to him much lately. He knew he was going to have to come clean but her words gave him pause, as she spoke he wanted nothing more then to just break down laughing at her words. She wasn't the only person people wanted dead. "I'm quite used to people wanting me dead by any means necessary. I have enemies too Zatanna" He replied softly before looking at her as she pulled  him. her words felt like a stabbed to the heart, what was the point of being told to chase only for her to reject him like this? "You can't be serious? Zatanna I love you, I understand you world is dangerous just as my old world was but I don't care. To me You're worth the risk, Death comes for everyone, that is something you can't stop no matter how many spells you know love" he looked at moving his hands over her arms. "But that doesn't scare me, your world doesn't scare me, if I have to die i would much rather do it by your side."

ZATANNA: "No, Dimitri," she pulled away from him, her voice shakey and eyes full of tears. "You have enemies but not like mine," she swallowed hard, catching a glimpse of Aamon and Lucifer in the crowd. "There are worse things that can happen to a soul than just dying," she replied. The things those two were capable of doing to Dimitri not just in life but in Death were vile. "I know that you're willing to take that risk for me, but Dimi I--" her breath hitched as tears started rolling down her face. Smeared make up wasn't the best look for stage performances, but she couldn't hold back any longer. Her heart was breaking knowing what she had to do. "I can't take that risk. I can't take any more collateral. There's so much blood, Dimi," she looked at her hands which were shaking now. "I keep trying to wash it off but all I do is spread it. I can't do this anymore." Tearful eyes looked up at him. "I can't have you be the collateral in my war."

Dimitri: it hurt more then he care to admit at her pulling away. she'd been doing since they'd broken up that night, she'd told him to chase her only for her to still pull away from him. Part of him wondered if Mike was in his position if she'd still pull away? of course he was smart enough to know the answer to that, Michael lived in her world unlike him and she couldn't bare to let him be there any more. "You act as if my death at the hands of someone in your world is fast coming...." He replied knowing the truth to her words but he wasn't about to confirm what she was saying. He quietly moved closer taking a handkerchief drying her eyes cleaning up her makeup sighing "you've made up your mind on this no matter how much I love you and don't care about the risks you've decided my words mean nothing to you" He replied softly taking a step back not wanting to hurt you more. "You assume I'd be collateral, because I'm not an angel? or magic like Blayze or John? I have skills, and you have knowledge you could teach me how to take care of myself in your world but instead you just wish to kick me out."

ZATANNA: "It comes faster than you know," she swallowed hard. Death was literally working in her shop now. She dare not ask Az to tell her what's in store for her family; the angel wouldn't say either way. She felt herself trembling, breaking apart at Dimi's touch. Gods, she just wanted to embrace him. Hold him. She wanted to feel normal again. She wanted to have her life back, but she couldn't. She'd gone too deep this time. Pissed off the wrong people. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I love you," she replied honestly. She did love him. She would always love him. "When I met you, I didn't expect we would become what we became. You were kind and calm and everything I needed. You were peace and I was war," she swallowed hard. "Dimi, what you've wanted our whole relationship, a family, a quiet life, you deserve that. But I--" she shook her head. "I'm not that person, Dimi. "

Dimitri: "I told you I didn't care, I've lived my life alone, I'm so tired of it Zatanna, You are one of the few people in this world I actually wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with no matter how short that may be" He replied honestly, he wanted to be with her no matter what, but if she truly wanted him out of her life how could he stop her? He could see how much his touch broken hating not being able to just pull her into his arm and tell her everything was going to be okay. To just rewind the clock and stop himself from leaving her alone to think he was scared and didn't want to be with her. He'd never felt this way before shouldn't that mean something? "If you love me why are you pushing me away? I am showing you, I love you, I've told you of my past, showed you when asked, I'm doing everything to prove to you that I was just an idiot who made a mistake" He replied knowing the tears where coming to his eyes, "I can still be your peace, I don't care what you do, and I'd never ask you to stop or force you to explain it to me Zatanna. I just want you" He replied honestly shaking his head "I can't have a quiet life, Maybe its what I thought I wanted but in truth I liked the world you showed me, it was dangerous and exciting and everything that made me feel normal. I don't need a white picnic fence home Zee, I don't need children if you don't want them. What I want....What I truly want is you" he replied sighing "I want you telling me some story about how this spell book acts as a jail for the worlds worse magician, I want to wake up with you there sleeping peacefully before you wake up for work. I want John, Blayze, hell even Michael over for dinners while you all chat about your latest issues. To me that is my normal...and I don't want it to stop being my normal"

ZATANNA: "You might not care, but I do," she breathed. How could he not see the death and destruction that followed her? When it wasn't John or the Archangels dragging her into danger, it was the Justice League. Zatanna couldn't blame any of them. They always gave her the option to turn it down and run, but that wasn't the kind of person she was. Maybe Bruce had it right all along. There was a point to keeping secret identities and Zatanna's identity was far from secret. Her enemies knew her and everyone she was connected to. "Loving you and knowing I will lose you to this world, it's not even a matter of if but a matter of when, scares me more than anything, Dimi," she replied honestly. "I can't do this. You cannot be my peace if I'm worried that at any moment one of the princes or a warlock I've pissed off is going to come at you the moment I leave your side," she wasn't going to drag him any further into this. No matter how much training she provided, even the most experienced of warlocks stood very little chance against an Archangel or Demon Prince. There was no way of protecting him from the level of danger she'd brought upon herself. "This needs to stop, Dimitri. We can't go back to the fantasy we were living in before. It was an illusion, a beautiful and painful one. But the bubble popped and we have to let go." She heard the announcer call her name to the stage and straightened up. "I'm sorry," she replied as another tear streamed down her face. "It's over, Dimitri," she replied before turning away from him, muttering a spell to fix her make up, and walking onto the stage to the sound of thunderous applause.

Dimitri: No matter what he said she wasn't going to change her mind, it was beyond made up, maybe it had been since they called things off after the sin incident.  No matter how hard he tired to tell her being with her was all he wanted nothing seemed to sway her in his favor. "How is that fair? You're standing here and making decisions for the both of us? You're life is different and dangerous but instead of giving me tools to help navigate your world you're so quick to throw me out of it. " He replied feeling more hurt then he ever had in his life, this was why he didn't let people in, it gave them too much power over people. He could feel his anger rising but what point was there in arguing she wouldn't listen she had already written him out of her life that night.  She talked of living in a fantasy, it didn't feel like one to him but then what did he know of love? he'd lost his heart years ago and replaced it with blood and pain, he didn't even brother replying as she moved to put on her brave face and take the stage feeling a darkness crawl in him he'd long since kept buried. There was no purpose in hiding his true nature it only lead to more pain as he moved towards the bar, he was going to need more to drink to get their this night, especially now that his love had been once again lost.

[ofwarriors]

Discord Chat: Ring of Fire

SUMMARY: Following the panic of not being able to reach Rachel following the discovery of Tracy’s murder, Zatanna asks Michael to check in on those closest to her. Michael’s last stop on the list just so happens to be Zatanna’s ex, Dimitri. Dimitri, too, recieves notice of Tracy’s murder and the message is clear to him. He decides to confront Michael about the death and trouble that seem to follow the Archangel.  TRIGGERS: Angst, Threats, Mentions of Violence WRITTEN WITH: @ofreddragon MENTIONS OF: @zztophat

Michael: He'd dropped Zatanna off at the police station to answer the rest of the police investigator's questions while he made his rounds checking in on his siblings. Blayze, Gabriel, Jophiel, Azrael, and Cupid had all been surprised by his unannounced drop ins but thankfully they were all right. Aamon hadn't gotten to them. Zatanna had made Michael promise he would check in on one last person: Dimitri. It took some doing to find the man. He hadn't been in his office or his home. For a moment, Michael feared the worst but then he spotted the man leaving one of the shops down main street. Michael, unsure that open space was the best place to break the news about Tracy's murder, decided it would be best to follow Dimitri until they reached a more private area to talk. He wasn't looking forward to this, but he knew Zatanna wouldn't be able to sleep unless she knew eveyone was safe.

Dimitri: He’d been feeling a little down lately, with his full break up with Zatanna, mixed in with the fact that Wrath had been the man to put a hit out on him. Natasha had been something of a rock during this entire time especially when his phone pinged with bad news. She told him the contents of the pictures attached would be extremely graphic, something that he didn’t even hesitate to open them up seeing Tracy’s mangled body dressed up like Zatanna wasn’t what he was expecting by any means. The scene painted the perfect picture of violence and death, covered with Tracy’s blood drawing wings to frame it. This message was loud and it was clear, Wrath had grown tired of just pushing scales and decide to send a full-blown message. He’d never felt such rage, how could Michael allow this to happen? Let such a powerful sin go unchecked. In his frustration, he knew exactly what he needed to do as he made his way out of his home forming a plan.  Dimitri noticed Michael the moment the angel started following him, knowing that this was more of a private talk he moved farther into a less secluded ally waylaying his trap waiting for the male to fall into it. “You stink as a stalker Michael, hardly many muscle-bound males in this area.”(edited)

Michael: He noticed the tense expression on the male's face as he glanced at his phone. Michael wasn't sure how much Zatanna was able to tell Dimitri about what had happened or if she'd even been able to reach him. From what he knew, their break up had been tense. The magician had called it off just before her show at the gala. She'd been pulling away from Dimitri for quite some time before that and Michael couldn't understand why. He'd kept his distance and his feelings out of that situation as much as he could. Michael rounded the corner into the alley as Dimitri called him out. He smiled softly, "I'd have to agree with that sentiment. I've been a soldier, officer, fireman, but never a good spy. Zatanna sent me to check in on you," he replied, holding out his hands nonthreateningly to the man. "There's been a situation with one of my brother's and I just wanted to make sure you weren't caught in the fray."

Dimitri: knew why Michael was following him the picture alone alerted him to just what was happening in Zatanna's world. Was this what she was so afraid of? leave now before someone hurts you just as they did Tracy? no this wasn't Zatanna's fault this was Michael's and his damned feelings for his Ex. He turned to face the angel now that he'd found him. "I figured its not like we are friends, so there is no way this is a social call" He replied moving to light his lighter throwing it on the unseen holy oil trapping the archangel there. He smirked muttering a simply spell forcing Michael to his knees. "Situation? is that what you call the death of a girl? a death you've caused? This fray as you've put it has how many different factors Michael please regal me of why Tracy was tortured and broken as a message to you?"

Michael: He sighed deeply as a the ring of holy oil caught fire. It wasn't the first time in Michael's history that he'd been contained in one of these. He wasn't surprised Dimitri had done his research on them. As much as Zatanna had tried to keep Dimitri out of this world, he'd gotten a taste of it and he liked the power it gave him. Michael grunted as the spell forced him onto his knees. An annoyed look flared in his eyes, but the angel contained himself. "I'm not here to quarrel with you, Dimitri. My task was to check in on you and inform you of the danger," he replied as he looked up at the man. "You know why this happened and I'm sure you've figured out which one of my brothers is stupid enough to do it. Aamon will be dealt with accordingly, I promise you that much." He hoped the man wasn't stupid enough to go after his brother himself, but given that he'd just trapped the Archangel in holy oil, Michael could see this break up had made Dimitri unhinged, dangerous.

Dimitri: watched the flames reflecting in his eyes before turning his attention to Mike, to fully catch an Archangel something someone as low as him could never think to do years ago. It was almost comical how badly Zatanna wanted him out of this world only for him to seek more knowledge about it. "Quarrel? is that what you think is happening here? You're task, how very solider like of you to say. Zatanna asked you to check up on me,? She doesn't get that right anymore, she kicked me out of her life and for what so others she loved could die?" He replied before uttering another spell to make it seem like knife had run through Mike's shoulder. "Lets try this again, Why did this happen Mike? I don't want your diplomatic answers I want to know why Tracy had to die dressed as Zatanna famed by a pair of Angel wings. I want you to open that perfectly framed mouth of yours and speak the truth."  he mused uttering another spell to make it seem like a drill being drilled into his shoulder.

Michael: He grunted and grabbed his shoulder as he felt a stabbing sort of pain. "While I'm inclined to agree with you, it's not her business to manage your wellbeing, you don't just stop caring for someone because the relationship is over," he replied as he glared up at the mercenary. "Tell me, have you stopped caring for her simply because she kicked you out?" He grimaced, eyes flaring golden, as the pain in his shoulder shifted from a stabbing knife to a drill. So, Dimitri's intent was to torture the truth out of him. Michael was accustom to torture. He had battle scars still from the last angelic war to prove that. He bit back the pain and glared up at the man. "Ah, I see you've been taking lessons in magic from Constantine," he replied, ignoring the man's question about Zatanna. "It feels good, doesn't it? The power." Michael pushed past the pain of the spell and stood upright in the ring of fire. "Be careful, Dimitri. You saw how tempting and easy to abuse the pocket universe was. Magic is a slippery slope and it always comes with a price." Michael took a deep breath, fighting through the pain that gripped his shoulders. "Let me free and we can talk about Zatanna."

Dimitri: Leave to the archangel to play the big tough guy even when under torture. it was his own fault Zatanna was going to be in this state of mind was he really so stupid to think this would just go away because Wrath was going to be properly punished?  "Plenty of people stop caring, especially after a horrible break up that ended in two broken hearts." He replied looking at the male smirking at the glare. "I cared and she pushed me away, I don't want her in pain or sadness but its not me causing the hurt this time Mike is it?" He replied honestly before grinding the drill into both arms to hit home his point. "Small thing I learned from Constantine, little spells to really make our 'talk' a bit more fair." He replied smirking "Of course it does Michael, much like how God felt when he turned you into nothing more then brainless attack dog"  He replied as the male took a stand of course he was always the strong of the Archangel as he read in each book. "So everyone keeps telling me, but in truth I think this would be quite worth the risk and the price."  He muttered another spell sending him down to his knees once again crushing him. "You are so unwilling to tell me why Tracy was attacked in this horrific way...Maybe your brother will, what was his name, Gabriel? he seems like quite the talkative type, maybe I leave you here and go find him instead."

Michael: "You still care about her, as much as you don't want to," grunted the archangel. "You don't stop loving the ocean simply because it's left you gaping," he replied, trying to appeal to the man's humanity. "I can't speak for her, but I do know that if you let magic twist you like this," he grunted in pain as the drilling continued. "You will become the exact monsters that she hunts. Don't do this to yourself, Dimitri." The type of magic Constantine practiced was erratic, dangerous, and worst of all addicting. Michael could see it in Dimitri's eyes. The power lust at the illusion of control. Michael winced as the spell sent him back down on his knees again. He could take the torture, the abuse, the pain. He could take it for days on end, but as soon as the man uttered Gabriel's name a switch flipped inside Michael. The Archangels eyes flared gold. It was time to break through this illusion of control that Dimitri seemed to think he had. Michael grunted as he stood up and straightened himself. "You want the truth, Dimitri?" His tone was ice cold now. The man was beyond redemption the moment he threatened Michael's family. "Tracy is dead because I," he took a painful step forward, teetering over the edge of the holy fire, "Love Zatanna. I fell in love with her long before I even knew what this feeling was. I tried to push it away." Michael took a step forward, crossing the line of fire. The flames trickled around him as if repelled by water. "But I'm done trying to hide from it. Aamon knows. Lucifer knows. Now, you know." He took several steps forward, advancing on Dimitri until the man was back into the wall. "She is my family." Michael released his wings, eyes flaring. "Gabriel is my family," he snarled. "You touch a single hair on his head and the things that I will do to you will make Tracy's death look peaceful." Michael's wings punched holes into either side of the building where he'd cornered Dimitri. "Am I understood?"

Dimitri: "Of course I do, I love her even if I can't be with her" He replied watching the other chuckling softly looking at the Archangel" I hate to break it to you, but I've long since been a twist wicked little thing, I'm just done pretending to be something I'm not." He replied shrugging his shoulders "If that's true, then the next time we meet, you'll both be putting me down. This power is all consuming, I'm not an idiot nor do I tend to use it where I'm going."  He mused watching the fire, he knew the price of magic, especially the kind that John knew but it served its purpose at the moment. A lesser man would've been scared at the sheer power Michael was displaying, the glowing gold eyes this was the Michael from the stories he'd read growing up the all powerful smiting Archangel who ensured Heaven was always protected. He wanted the truth, even though part of him always knew Mike's love for Zatanna, he belonged in her world and could protect her so much better then a regular damned human could. He did back away or even flinch as the angel moved closer spilling his words. "really was that so hard to admit? I knew from the first moment you sat me down and told me you kissed her." He replied before smirking softly at the little display of power,  letting out a rather dark chuckle "Cute threat, now its my turn" He replied moving closer to the deadly angel "You will do everything in your power to ensure this never happens again, If I hear a single word that harm as come to Zatanna, Blayze, John or even Rachel, I will come back and I will burn you family, Demons and angels, there will be no stopping me unless you put me in the ground. I know you're more then strong enough to do it but I promise you I'll take a few of your family members down first. Tracy's death is the only pass you get Michael, my soul is already damned, I would pay any price to make you feel half the pain she would."

Michael: The mortal was truly lost both to grief and magic. Michael knew he couldn't tell Zatanna about this simply because it would crush her to know her separation had caused the man to fall this far, to use the very magic she feared he'd fall pray to and threaten both angel and demon kind. Did he not understand the very people he was threatening were now part of Zatanna's family? She cared about Gabriel, Jophiel, Azrael, Cupid, and even Levi as much as she cared for Blayze and John. "You wanted the truth and you have it now," replied the archangel as he pulled his wings back. "Death is never the end, Dimitri. You will do well to remember that. The angels cannot touch you where you're going, but if you think the demons will be any kinder to you in hell, you are mistaken. I intend to protect Zatanna and our family with my life," he replied. "You will do best to remember that and stay out." And with a flutter of wings, the Archangel was gone.

[hallowedmuses]

discord chat: cuphegor’s return

SUMMARY: Cupid and Belphegor return from their vacation to a lukewarm reception from Belgirel as he contemplates what their return means for his freedom. Belgirel later confronts his twin and negotiates for shared work and more freedom. TRIGGERS: Siblings arguing (if you know you know) WRITTEN WITH: @hallowedmuses (Dagon, Cupid), @offallenfeathers (Belgirel, Belphegor)

BELPHEGOR: As they came back into the Empty, Belphegor had felt their power returning to them. Cupid's powers were returning to her too. They could see the way that color seemed to come back to her face a little more. Being in that other universe without her powers had been draining for her, but she looked like she was getting some life back. It was basically the opposite of what they walked into. At first, it seemed like no one was around. Belgirel wasn't in the castle. There were a few civilians out, but it didn't look like there was anyone visiting through the gates like Belphegor had expected there to be. They'd struggled so much with even allowing there to be one of those, and it didn't look like anyone was using it. They were able to use their powers to listen to where everyone was, and it led them to the infirmary, which was now as large as a human hospital. Belgirel must've expanded on it while they were gone. They saw Raphael first and had to ask them what was going on. Their heart sunk when they heard the news. Of course something like this would have happened while they were away. They should've been here. They shouldn't have left. They could hear screaming through the halls as people went through the torture of the cure they were receiving. Others were still slowly dying because they weren't getting the cure fast enough. They could feel the life leaving people. Their own people were trying desperately to help too, and that all just riddled Belphegor with more guilt. They shouldn't have had to do all of this. They'd been through enough already. Raphael could feel the guilt Belphegor was feeling, and they tried to reassure them, but it was hard to combat the truth of the matter that Belphegor just hadn't been there for their people.

They tried to make up for it by helping. The cure had been made abundantly, and Raphael explained the procedure to them, both so they could better administer the cure and to understand what they'd been through to help with the aftercare. Cupid and them made their way through the halls, helping where they could. They'd ascertained that she was safe from the disease given that she'd had something from the empty in her mouth more than a few times and been more than fine other than a little moaning. It was hard not to help when so many people were sick and going through so much pain, but eventually they made it through the recovery wing to where Raphael had said Belgirel was.

He looked busy. Despite their brother always saying he wasn't good at healing, he looked very focused on the patients he was helping. His back was turned to them, but they could see how exhausted and tense he looked. It made them feel more guilty for being gone. He shouldn't have had to be dealing with this, but at least they were here to relieve him. "Belgirel, I'm home." He didn't seem to move at first. Maybe he hadn't heard them. "Why don't you take a break. I can handle things from here."

BELGIREL: He felt the moment when Belphegor came back. The power in his body left him, and he felt a mix of relief and dread. On the one hand, he was glad to be rid of powers that just reminded him of his torturer. He didn't have to hear things he didn't want to hear when he was already struggling with the sounds of screams from the people being cured. Instead, he could just focus on helping the people who were recovering from the cure. The main thing that he was dreading was that he didn't think he'd be able to do that for much longer. Aamon and Dagon had both assured him that Belphegor could be talked to. They were reasonable and tried to be understanding, but for Belgirel, he felt like it was different with him. He understood why they felt so concerned about him. Aamon was similar in how he just didn't want to go through losing him again like he had. Belphegor just went further and worse than that because they didn't want to "put him through anything else." He worried that they wouldn't have as much reason as Dagon and Aamon said, so once he felt their presence back in the realm, he just tried to get as much done as he could before they could stop him.

It took them longer to get to him than he expected. He'd cleaned up a few patients during the time after he first felt their arrival. When he heard them speak, he tensed. He'd been at this for a long time with no real break. It was stressful having to hear so many people going through the cure on top of being in charge. He didn't think he could slow down, especially when he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be allowed to help again. He kept working until Belphegor told him to take a break. "I'm good," he assured them, trying to believe that they would understand like Dagon and Aamon had said. "I can handle this."

CUPID: Returning home to the welcoming embrace of her abilities was more than a little overwhelming for Cupid. It was like a neat little high. She found herself feeling both woozy and more relaxed as she held onto Belphegor to keep her steady. Unfortunately, the return of their powers didn't seem to have the same effect on Bells. They looked worried and as though they were in pain. That sobered Cupid back up pretty quickly. She and Belphegor followed the clues all the way to the infirmary where they were met with a rather grisly sight. Raphael was the first person they found and the Archangel was able to explain everything to them.

It didn't take an empath to tell that Belphegor was feeling guilty about having left the Empty to this. She squeezed their hand to let them know it was okay. While Cupid also felt a little guilty, she more so felt proud of how the realm stepped up to help their living counterparts. She knew Bells felt like their people shouldn't have to do anything other than focus on their own wellbeing but it didn't seem like any of the dead minded the work that they were doing. It was clear she and Belphegor had left the Empty in good hands. The crisis was tapering off even now. There wasn't much else to do but administer a few cures to help out.

Raphael had instructed them both on how to do it. It was a terrible process and Cupid felt bad for the recipients but it was better than being dead. It was hard to tell how many new residents the Empty had received as a result of this plague. Raphael had at least assured them that their friends had made it through. Cupid was eager to go see the virtues so she could confirm this herself, but first they needed to find Gears. Thankfully, Belphegor had tracked their brother to the recovery wing so perhaps Cupid would have time to kill two birds with one stone. She figured most of the virtues were in this wing by now.

Belgirel looked positively exhausted when she first saw him, but there was another layer underneath that seemed a little more complicated. There was a sense of determination in his eyes that Cupid hadn't really seen in him in a very long time. While Bells wasn't wrong that Belgirel needed a break, Cupid could also tell that for his own sake Gears needed to keep going. She nodded when he said that he could handle this. "Is there anything we can do to help since we're here now?"

DAGON: The healer was incredibly exhausted. She lost count of how many cures she had administered but it had to be in the hundreds now. She was at the far end of the infirmary when she heard whispers that Belphegor and Cupid were back. Thankfully, they were at the tail end of the administrations now and the crisis was largely over. She didn't know if that would matter to the pair though. Belphegor carried enough guilt to fill an ocean about even the small things. She started making her way over to the recovery wing where it was reported that Cuphegor had last been spotted. Maybe she could ease some of their concerns.

Dagon discarded the dirty top layer of her scrubs as she entered the recovery wing. She grinned when she spotted the pair beside Belgirel. She hadn't realized how much she missed them until that moment. "I thought we agreed that the proper way to tell us you're back is to waltz in and yell honey, I'm home," she joked as she embraced Bells. She let them go and went over to hug Cupid.

"We were gonna do the kool aid man, but no one was home," Cupid joked as she hugged Dagon.

BELPHEGOR & BELGIREL: The reception that Belphegor was getting from their twin here felt like the complete opposite of they'd been received in the alternate universe. Over there, they'd practically been bombarded with affection, from their twin especially, but here? It was like Belgirel didn't even want them back. He wouldn't even look at them. Was he mad at them for leaving? They wouldn't have left if they'd known this was going to happen. They could shut down the gates if it meant keeping everyone safe. "Are you sure?" They asked when Belgirel said he was good and that he could handle this. He wasn't always the best at determining what he could and couldn't handle. They were worried he'd done too much already and was just putting on a brave face because people were in need.

Belgirel felt more relief from Cupid's presence than from Belphegor's. She always tended to let him handle more things. They'd gotten closer before she left. He started opening up to her after what happened with Dagon and the shark, and she knew already some of the issues he had with how Belphegor tended to not let him help. "I'm sure," he told his twin as he actually looked up at Cupid. "If you guys could just focus on helping administer the cure, that'd be best. I can't help with that, and giving out the cure should be the top priority right now. I'm glad you're home, but maybe we can take a break and catch up later?"

Belphegor hadn't heard Belgirel talk like that before. Even when he led a unit, he didn't sound this serious and authoritative before. It worried Belphegor. It felt too much like the war and how it drained every ounce of joy out of everyone. "We can go help with that," Belphegor agreed. He was right about that needing to be their priority.  "But you should still step back and take a break. How long have you been doing this?" They could see the signs of exhaustion on his face, which they assumed was also why he was so tense.

Belgirel felt like he was going to snap at them. There it was. It didn't matter what he wanted to do. They were going to tell him to stop irregardless. This really was the last time he was going to get to work like this. It didn't matter that he'd shown he could work through this. He should've just gone on that journey to find the Numbness. Even if it killed him, at least it would've felt like he just wasted away doing nothing. He opened his mouth to argue, but Dagon walked in at the moment. He used that time to keep working while they were focused on her.

Belphegor grinned as they heard Dagon's voice. This was the kind of reception they'd been expecting. They hugged Dagon tightly. There was no Dagon in that universe. She was dead there, and it made Bells miss her even more. It felt a little like losing their best friend when they found out even if they thought she was perfectly safe at home, which apparently that wasn't even true. "I missed you guys so much. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help with this. I wouldn't have gone if I knew this was going to happen." Their eyes were tearing up just a little, and they wiped the tears away as Dagon hugged Cupid. "Raphael said you met another member of the Void's family?"

CUPID & DAGON: The tension between the twins was pretty palpable to Cupid. Belgirel wouldn’t even look at Belphegor when they spoke. It was such a sharp contrast to the Belgirel they’d just experienced, but it wasn’t a surprising one to Cupid. She knew Gears was struggling with Belphegor’s position of power almost as much as Bells was. Belphegor felt responsible for all their subjects, including Belgirel. And Gears felt suffocated by that. Part of the reason Cupid had suggested now as the best time to go to the other universe was to give Gears some breathing space. It wasn’t Belphegor’s intention to suffocate, they were just worried. Even now, she could tell that their concern came from a place of worry.

Belgirel wasn’t having any of it though. She could understand his point of view. While she and Bells were the leaders of the realm, they came into the situation in the middle of things and didn’t exactly have all the nuanced information to take over the situation fully. Cupid was more than happy to let Belgirel and Dagon run the show if they were up for the task. Belgirel seemed to understand his limits given that he’d acknowledged he really couldn’t be of assistance with administering the cure. So, she had to believe he understood what he could handle in this wing too. “Yeah, we can help the others with the administration,” she agreed. She could see Belgirel tense when Belphegor suggested that he should still take a break. Cupid was about to soften that suggestion by adding that it could just be a five-minute break to go kiss his girlfriend when the girlfriend in question appeared. The mood seemed to lighten and Cupid thought that things might be okay.

Dagon could tell, however, that the mood was not light. Tension and frustration was radiating from Belgirel and guilt and sadness was pouring out of Belphegor. Gears seemed to take several paces away from his twin as the attention turned to Dagon. Dagon held her friends extra tight when they remarked that they’d missed her. “I missed you too. You guys didn’t steal any pirate ships this time?”

“Well, maybe one for old times sake,” Cupid grinned though her grin faltered when she heard the wobbliness in Belphegor’s voice. She let go of Dagon and made her way back to her spouse. Cupid took their hand in hers and kissed it lightly.

“It’s okay, Bells,” Dagon reassured them. “There was no way any of us could have predicted this would happen. We managed to get it under control. We met two new members of the Void family actually. Gears struck a deal with Echo who lives in the river for the cure. She’s pretty cool. She’s a healer like us and her thing is that she can only repeat words given by the living. Gears got Aamon to say bestie for her which might be the highlight of my existence,” Dagon giggled.

“Stooooop, that’s horrifying!” Cupid laughed.

“I think you mean phenomenal. In exchange for the help, Echo asked us to find one of her siblings, Numbness. Aamon and Raphael found him over the border and brought him back to her. She asked for sanctuary for any Void sibling that requested it too and we’re hoping you guys can honor that end of the bargain.”

BELGIREL & BELPHEGOR: Belgirel could tell that Cupid could understand the situation at hand. She was trying her best to guide Belphegor to backing off, but his twin was stubborn about this kind of thing. Why couldn't they just go along with what Cupid was doing? He could feel the way they were staring into him, even though he was avoiding looking at them. They were trying to figure out what was going on, and he was just trying to hold onto as much control over himself as he could while he still could. He was grateful for Dagon's presence to distract Belphegor's attention. While they were distracted, he slipped away into the next room to help the next patient.

"Unfortunately we didn't bring the ship back this time," Belphegor joked before their apologies came in. They squeezed Cupid's hand when she held theirs, and they pulled her closer. It didn't entirely relieve all of the guilt they were feeling, but it eased some of the pain, so they weren't dealing with it alone. "I know, but I should've considered it a possibility. I should've waited until we got back to open the gates like that. Then I could've been here to monitor it." They wanted to believe that if they were here, then something like this wouldn't have happened. Hearing about Gears striking a deal with one of the Void's family members worried them a little more. What did he have to give up for this deal? There were a lot of people sick. It couldn't have just been a simple deal that didn't have major repercussions. "Aamon said that?" they asked. It was hard to imagine, but they knew that Aamon had a serious soft spot for Belgirel. He probably could've gotten Aamon to say anything just with a sad look.

So that was what they traded? "They went outside the border?" More worry crept into their throat. Clearly Raphael had been fine, and they surely would've told them if something had happened to Aamon. Everything must've turned out okay, but still, what if something happened to them while Belphegor wasn't here? They might've been able to just stay in the Empty, but Belphegor wouldn't have been able to forgive themself for not being here. "Sanctuary?" they asked. From what they knew from Dagon's interactions with Devour, most of the Void family wanted nothing to do with them. They wondered if this was a trick of some sort, but the deal had already been made. They worried what would happen if they didn't honor it. "Yeah, we can honor that. Are Echo and the Numbness still here? I should probably talk to them about this . . . deal." They frowned when they looked across the room and saw that Gears wasn't there anymore. "Where'd Gears go?" They looked at Dagon as they walked out into the hall. "Is he okay?" they whispered. "Did something happen? He barely even looked at me when I came in." It didn't take them long to spot him in the next room. "Belgirel?" they walked quickly across the room when he didn't respond. "Gears, I told you to take a break. Just stop for a minute." They reached for his shoulder to make him turn around, but he smacked their hand away. Belphegor recoiled back from him, withdrawing their hand and holding it to their chest. Physically, it didn't hurt, but the action itself did.

Belgirel finally turned around to face them. "I said no. I've been doing fine here. I know what I'm doing, and you can't just swoop back in and tell me to back off like this."

CUPID & DAGON: It took a lot of work to convince Belphegor to build this gate. Cupid didn’t know if it was going to be a feature of their kingdom for much longer after this. She didn’t want her life to go back to revolving around being a transportation vessel so she hoped they could be persuaded to keep it despite the drawbacks. “We’ll just assign more guards to it and add some more safety measures,” Cupid added in a hopeful tone. As much as Belphegor wanted to be there to monitor everything, it was impossible. They couldn’t be sovereign, gate guard, knight, explorer, mechanic, architect, and medic all at the same time.

“No one blames you, Bells,” Dagon assured them. She didn’t necessarily know how much that mattered to them because it was clear they blamed themself even if no one else blamed them. She could see the concern in their eyes when she brought up the interaction that Gears had with the Void siblings. Cupid merely glanced at Gears with pride and admiration. She knew that must’ve been hard for him. Even as Queen she herself wasn’t too fond of interacting with the Void siblings given her interactions with the Void alone. “Maybe he could get Aamon to tell Andras’s he’s a good boy at some point,” Cupid laughed. It was such an absurdity, but if anyone could get Aamon to say something like that it was Belgirel.

“Andras would have to be a good boy for that to happen,” Dagon pointed out. “He’s conscious again and probably about to become everyone’s problem.” She was glad for it though. She desperately needed her twin’s goofball sense of humor.

“He was sick?” Cupid’s voice took on a gentler tone. She wasn’t close with Andras but she knew that must’ve been hard for Dagon and Gears. “I’m so sorry, Sunshine.”

“Yeah, he was. Along with Nadia, Murmur, Zophiel, and Mazikeen. I had it too, but we’re all better now. We were the first ones to get the cure,” she explained.

“Jesus…” Cupid squeezed Dagon’s hand. She could only imagine how hard that must’ve been all around. She’d seen the way both the illness and the cure impacted people. “I’m glad you guys are okay.”

“Yeah, me too. We really owe a lot to Echo.” And by we she meant more than just the Empty. Heaven and Hell owed her too. “Going over the border was the least we could do for her. Aamon and Raph tracked her sibling down pretty quickly. He radiates the same energy that my Kingdom does and that’s usually not hard to follow.” She didn’t bother to bring up the fact that Belgirel had been the one who wanted to undertake that adventure instead. She didn’t want to add more cause to Belphegor’s concern, especially since Aamon was able to talk him out of it anyway. She was glad when Belphegor agreed to honor the other terms of the agreement they’d struck with Echo. “Echo is around monitoring things. Lucifer and Asmo have been trading off escorting her through the area.”

“I can only imagine what words she’s picking up from them,” Cupid laughed.

“Well, she got fuck from Lucifer,” Dagon grinned though her grin faltered when Bells asked where Gears had gone. She wasn’t really sure how to answer whether Gears was okay or not. His cold shoulder toward his twin was enough to frost over the room. He’d voiced his concerns to Dagon and Aamon about Belphegor’s return and it was apparent he feared Belphegor was about to fulfil the prophecy. “He’s handled the hurdles really well so far. I think he just wants to see this through to the end.” Dagon glanced at Cupid and there was a moment of understanding. This conversation was a long time coming, but they both agreed that this was probably not the best time or place for it. Cupid was about to redirect Belphegor back to the main wing of the hospital so that they could start administering aid, but she wasn’t fast enough. Bells was already moving toward Belgirel. Both girls grimaced when Belgirel smacked Belphegor’s hand out of the way.

“Okay, okay…” Cupid stepped forward and took Belphegor’s hand, the very one that Belgirel had swatted away, into hers. “Gears can take a break when he’s ready…” She glanced at Bells and then at Dagon as if to say Dagon is here and she’ll get him to take a break if he really needs one. “We’ve got some work to do ourselves…”

BELPHEGOR: Belphegor wasn't a fan of just leaving the gates open after something major like this happened. It felt like they were naïve to have even allowed something like this to happen. They sighed and ran a hand down their face when Cupid suggested they just assign more guards and add more safety features to the gate. "Okay," they agreed, even if they weren't entirely happy about it, but they trusted Cupid's judgement. "We'll just have a stricter TSA."

They weren't sure if they believed Dagon. There were definitely some people who blamed them, including themself. They were trying so hard to be a good leader, and it felt like they were just a constant failure to their people. At least the idea of getting Aamon to say other absurd things brightened the mood a little until it was revealed that Andras had been sick too. Andras got on Belphegor's nerves more than half the time, but he'd been doing better ever since he had the chance to see Belgirel again. He'd been behaving for the most part so that Belphegor wouldn't prevent him from seeing his best friend. Belphegor mainly only saw him these days when he was requesting that they let him do something with his best friend. Belphegor often acted like they were annoyed by him, but they cared for him just like the rest of their family. He was another little brother to them, and it hurt to picture him going through the same symptoms they'd seen in the other sick patients. "Oh," Belphegor spoke quietly as Dagon listed off the others they knew who'd gotten sick. It had hit a lot of people that were close to Dagon specifically, but also the rest of their family. It made sense that they were the first to get cured. It might've been unfair to some of the others that those with connections to the archangels got cured first, but Belphegor knew their family. If any of those people had died, their kingdoms would've probably suffered from it.

Belphegor could only agree that going across the border to find Echo's sibling was relatively minimal compared to how much Echo was doing for them. "And that's really all she asked for?" they asked. It felt unlikely to do so much for so little, especially when Belphegor was under the impression that the Void siblings weren't all that close. They wondered if there was some ulterior motive, but they'd have to meet Echo first if she was willing to. Devour hadn't been, but Echo seemed a little different in terms of how close she was willing to get to their kind. They smiled as Dagon detailed the words Echo was learning from their siblings, but happiness only seemed to come in short bursts in this conversation, especially since things only went south as Belphegor looked for their brother.

Dagon's words had the opposite effect from their intentions. Belphegor didn't disagree that it looked like Belgirel had handled all of this well. There was only so much you could do for a problem this big, and it seemed like he had done everything he could. By all accounts, the Empty didn't have to take in the sick, but he was smart to bring them here instead of allowing them to infect more people in the infirmaries of heaven and hell. And while Belphegor didn't like the idea of the people of the Empty having to deal with something like this, it was obvious that none of them were forced to do it, and from what Belphegor had seen, most of them weren't dealing with the harsher elements of this cure and were only doing what they could handle. They just felt guilty that Belgirel had to be the one who had to handle the hurdles. While the rest of the Empty had a choice in helping, he really didn't. They'd put all of this weight on him after everything he'd already been through. He shouldn't have had to be stuck in that position, and they felt like his cold shoulder towards them was because of how they'd left him with that responsibility. Only now he wouldn't even let them take the weight off.

They felt frozen in shock after he'd swatted them away. They really didn't know how to deal with this. They didn't think they were swooping in. They were just worried about him, especially when he was acting like this. It made them feel like he'd been at this too long, and he really needed to be taken away from it if he wasn't going to go himself. They followed Cupid's gaze to Dagon, understanding what she was saying. If anyone could convince him to take a break, it'd be Dagon. He wasn't going to listen to them right now. "Okay," they sighed dejectedly. "Maybe we can talk later then?" they asked as they left the room with Cupid.

BELGIREL: Maybe he'd gone too far by slapping their hand away, but it felt like a panicked reaction that he couldn't control in the same way that Dagon couldn't always hold back her snakes when someone got too close. He didn't feel like he fully regreted it either. He just took a step back from Belphegor after he said his piece, and then he went back to what he'd been working on. He could hear Cupid redirecting them as best as she could. He tensed up, expecting them to argue with her and demand that he stop what he was doing. He felt ready for it. His anger was bubbling up, ready to snap at them again if they pushed him anymore, but Belphegor just agreed with Cupid. It caught him off guard, and when Belphegor suggested they talk later, his words caught in his throat. "Uh, yeah, sounds good." He didn't look at them as they left. He just waited until he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore. His shoulders drooped, and he let out a long sigh. "I could've handled that better." He wiped a hand down his face and sat in a chair next to one of the beds. He looked up at Dagon and held out his arms to her to ask her to come to him, so he could hold her. "I just don't want to go back to how it was."

CUPID & DAGON: Cupid smiled when Bells agreed that they would just beef up security at the gate. So, the gate would stay. That was a relief. It was less of a relief to hear about what everyone else had gone through while they were gone. To think that she'd been whinging about her magic when people were quite literally dying at home was awful. She hadn't known, of course, but her ordeals felt like they paled in comparison to what everyone else had gone through.

"Yeah," Dagon replied with equal softness as Cuphegor processed the list of affected individuals. "It was rough there at the beginning. Beel and I did some healing spells to help the kids with their breathing," she cleared her throat. It was better for Belphegor to hear it from her than from Aamon. "But he's fine and the kids are fine and I'm fine."

Cupid raised her brow. "I thought he sounded a little weird when we passed him in the hall. Whatcha do to him? Choke him?" Cupid was joking but Dagon gave her a look that said yeah actually that's exactly what I did. "Oh, for fucks sake. Asmo's not gonna let that go. You'll have to fill me in later."

"Neither is Aamon but we're all okay. Things are getting better now. I'm just glad you guys are home." She knew that didn't really assuage any of their guilt, but truly there wasn't anything different that they could have done even if they had been here. She nodded when Bells asked if that was everything Echo had asked for. "Yeah, we got lucky. Her asking price was pretty reasonable." They would have been willing to pay a lot more if she pushed it but Dagon was glad she he hadn't.

Dagon could feel the waves of guilt rolling off of Belphegor when Gears snapped at them. She knew the pair well enough to know it was honestly just a misinterpretation on both their parts. She was glad for Cupid's intervention though and even more glad when Belphegor agreed to it. Hopefully putting a little distance between the twins would allow her to calm Belgirel down.

"We'll see you guys later," she nodded and hugged Cuphegor. The healer watched them disappear before turning to face her boyfriend. She walked over to him and curled up in his lap, draping her arms lightly around his shoulders as he relaxed into the chair. "Your cold shoulder definitely dropped the temperature by a few degrees," she agreed. She kissed the spot just below his ear before resting her head back. "I know you don't. I don't think their intention is to control what you do. I think they just have this idea in their head of what a good life looks like and they think everyone has that same vision. They aren't being malicious, but if you keep looking for them to be...you're going to interpret all their actions as controlling."

BELPHEGOR: Belphegor wouldn't normally have batted an eye at the idea of Dagon doing healing spells. That was their whole thing as healers, but the fact that she said he was fine made them realize it was more than Beel just doing a simple spell that Dagon taught him. Once Cupid asked her if she choked him, it all but confirmed what actually happened. "Dagon," they groaned. "You shut him up, and I wasn't even there for it?" That was truly the worst part of this. They wished she could do that to some of their other siblings. Belphegor nodded. "I'm glad we're home too." Even though they were feeling guilty, at least they'd gotten here while they could still help. Belphegor hugged Dagon and gave one last sad look to Dagon before they went off to go offer their help elsewhere.

BELGIREL: Belgirel's arms wrapped instinctively around his girlfriend when she sat in his lap. She was right that his cold shoulder had been especially harsh, but he'd just felt so frustrated that it felt avoiding them and not talking to them was the safer option, and in a way, he was right. If they had just let him be for a while, he could've worked through his mixed feelings until he could talk to them with a more level head, but they pushed it, and he snapped. "I know. It's not like I think they're doing all of this to intentionally be an ass to me or anything, but intentions aren't everything. My whole family lied to you and Figs with good intentions, but that didn't hurt you two any less." There were differences of course. At least Belgirel knew what was going on here. He could speak to his twin about this whereas Dagon and Belphegor couldn't say anything about something they didn't know about, but his point still stood. "I don't think they have to be intentionally malicious to say that their actions are controlling. They just think that they're doing it for my benefit, and I don't." He kissed the top of Dagon's head. "Once everyone's in the clear here, I'll go talk to them about it," he promised.

DAGON: "Your siblings did that knowingly," Dagon pointed out. "I don't think Bells is doing any of this knowingly. They just genuinely think everyone wants a quiet life in a cottage with their significant other because it's really all they've ever wanted. They want you to have the happily ever after that they think they can't have. It's not fair that they're projecting that onto you but we'll get them to understand that your happily ever after is a little different from theirs. They just need to know that you don't view responsibility as a burden like they do. Once they know that, I think you can both have a little more of your own versions of happily ever after." Maybe once Bells understood they weren't burdening Belgirel by asking him to do stuff, they'd be willing to give over more control so they could live some of their quiet, private time with Cupid. She nodded when Gears said he'd talk to them once the dust settled. "I think that's a good idea." She kissed him deeply enough that she felt dizzy when she pulled away. "Hmmm," she hummed, giggling a little. "I don't think I've melted all the frost yet. Maybe we should do that again..."

BELGIREL & BELPHEGOR: Belgirel knew that his analogy wasn't perfect, but it was hard to find one that was. Belphegor had always had issues with understanding certain things. Love and lust had been major ones, but there were other little things where it seemed like they just lacked the empathy to understand what other people were dealing with. Belgirel had always tried to be considerate of that fact, but it was harder when that same person was supposed to be his leader and ruler now. Understanding where they were coming from didn't exactly make his life, or afterlife, any easier, and it felt like a minefield trying to figure out how to navigate conversations with them sometimes. He just didn't want this to be another thing where he just backed off for their sake. At least Dagon helped him take his mind off of it for a minute as she kissed him. Her laughter warmed his chest, and he didn't feel so heavy. "I think you're right. I'm frosty all over. I'm gonna need some personal treatment." He smirked as he pulled her up, intending to find a private space for her to defrost him. Unfortunately, another patient was wheeled into the room, effectively killing the mood. The patient looked like they had a rougher time with the cure, and it reminded Belgirel of all the other patients like that. He couldn't just sit on the sidelines during something like this. "Well, I guess break times over." It might not have been a long break. It was just a minute really, but it had helped. He had a little more energy to go deal with this. He gave Dagon another short kiss before walking over to the patient. He checked their breathing before starting to clean up their vomit.

The next few days were a lot more of that. Belgirel worked primarily in the recovery wing. He didn't have to handle the leadership role of the Empty anymore, but he still found ways to help where he could, his favorite task being keeping his best friend distracted. Andras helped lift his spirits up a little more as he regained his own, and dealing with everything was a little easier.

For Belphegor, the days dragged on. They usually liked healing, but giving out the cure felt less like healing and more like torture. They struggled with it, especially while still being weighed down by the short interaction they'd had with their twin. They felt overwhelmed with guilt about this plague and about Belgirel specifically no matter how much time passed. They didn't think they could go to him after how things had gone last time, so they just waited and tried to continue business as usual without him.

Finally, everyone had received the cure. More and more people were leaving the empty to go back home, and since Belphegor and Cupid didn't have to ferry anyone, they were back at their castle. The work had to stay in the office, and they had to leave it there after seven, so they were in their bedroom now. Cupid and Belphegor were laying diagonally on top of each other on the bed, reading their own books.

Belgirel was elsewhere in the castle with Dagon. Enough time had passed for him since his last interaction with his twin where he felt like he should've talked to them again. He was just a little nervous that it wouldn't go so well. "Maybe we should just go back to bed," he whispered to Dagon. "It's probably too late, and they're probably already in bed."

DAGON & CUPID: Dagon giggled as he played along. "Can't have you getting frost bite." Her snakes nipped playfully at his ear. "I think I have just the thing to warm you up." Her hands were already working to undo his belt when someone wheeled a patient into the room.

The nurse gasped, face turning a pale pink as she turned her back to them. "Apologies, Highness. I, uh, I--"

Dagon recognized her as a dead healer from her unit. "It's all right, Clementine. We were just...discussing policies and strategies," Dagon lied. "We're done now though." Tragically the mood had passed. "So the room is yours."

"Ah, very well," the nurse nodded. "I'll, um, I'll go get some supplies from the cupboard..." she informed them as Belgirel walked over to take care of the patient. Dagon watched her leave. She giggled and kissed Belgirel. That poor nurse was going to be so flustered when she came back to help him. "I'll see you in a little bit," the healer told her boyfriend before walking out as well.

Over the course of the next few days they saw each other in passing as much as they could. It was hard on account of the fact that they were working in two separate wings of the hospital but they found the time. Truthfully, she saw Cupid and Belphegor more because they were stationed nearby. Every time she spotted them, she could see the heavy chip that Bells had on their shoulder. There were questions in their eyes that their mouth wouldn't let them ask but still she took every opportunity to assure them that Gears was okay and that things would calm down. Slowly but surely the amount of healings that she had to do started to diminish until the number of discharges started to outweigh the number of administrations and intakes.

She followed Belgirel's lead when he decided it was time to talk to Belphegor. All things considered, Bells had given him a lot of breathing room during this time and Dagon hoped that would count for something. Gears still seemed nervous as they approached Cuphegor's suite though. She squeezed his hand. She would have offered to do it another night if she could. She had to go back to her kingdom for the next few days to try to sort things out there, but maybe she could rearrange a few things. Before she could make the offer, the door to the suite opened and Cupid appeared.

"Aw, I thought you were the pizza I ordered," the angel lamented. She opened the door a little wider for them so they could come in. "It's a good thing I ordered an extra, extra large at least. We can share."

BELGIREL & BELPHEGOR: Belgirel flinched when the door opened before he was ready. It made him feel panicked, like he'd been caught somehow. Dagon's hand in his was the only thing that kept him from retreating. He looked at the open doorway. From where he stood, he could see Belphegor laying on their bed, reading a book. At least it looked like that.

They were trying desperately not to look at him, though they were glancing up from their book every few seconds. They just didn't want to do anything that might make him push away again. It might have been an invasion of privacy, but they'd been listening to what he was saying outside their doorway. They knew he was hesitant to talk to them, though they still didn't really understand why. When they saw that he saw them looking, they sat up as if that was the first moment they noticed him there.

Belgirel looked back at Cupid. "I don't think we can share a pizza between the living and the dead unless half of it is for my kind. I can come back later if you two want to eat your dinner first. I just wanted to talk to Belphegor about some things that are bothering me."

"No!" Belphegor shot up quickly, not wanting Belgirel to leave. "I mean, no, it's okay. We can talk now. The pizza isn't even here yet, and half of it is for the dead. I like it because it has more kick and spice. There should be enough for you too." They offered an inviting smile, hoping he'd choose to stay.

"Okay." Belgirel stepped inside Cuphegor's room now.

"So what's bothering you?" Belphegor sat down on their bed, but Belgirel remained standing. He felt too fidgety to sit, though Cuphegor's room had plenty of places to sit down. Belphegor waited patiently while Belgirel shifted from foot to foot and scratched different spots on his arms. They didn't want to push him to say anything, though they desperately wanted to understand what was going on. In all of their interactions with Cupid and Dagon since Belgirel snapped at them, they could tell it was something that needed to come from him.

CUPID & DAGON: Cupid could tell she caught Belgirel off guard. She gave him an apologetic look as she took a seat back down beside Belphegor. She could tell Bells was both nervous and relieved that this was finally happening. They'd been walking on egg shells since their last interaction with their twin. Cupid placed a hand on their back to steady them. Dagon did the same motion almost in unison to Belgirel. She rubbed his back in slow, calming circles. She didn't move him to a seat, but rather let him decide what felt most right for his body at the moment. The demon's snakes gave him an encouraging little nuzzle before retreating back into hair. He could do this. She knew he could.

BELPHEGOR & BELGIREL: Belphegor didn't know what Belgirel had to say, but they tried to prepare themself. They held Cupid's free hand that wasn't on their back, and they tried to make a face to show Gears that they were ready to listen. They were sat up straight and nodding to let him know it was okay to continue.

It made them look like a shivering chihuahua, which did somehow make this a little easier. They felt less threatening. Being face to face after letting his frustrations had passed made it easier to remember that they'd never really been the malicious type. They might've been a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but they usually tried to make things better. He had to believe that they just didn't know what they were doing and that they would change things if they knew how it made him feel. The hard part at this point was trying to figure out how to talk about this without hurting them too.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you before," he started. "After you were gone, I did my best to handle all the duties you'd left me. It was really overwhelming at first since I hadn't dealt with that much all at once before."

So this was about putting too much work on him then. Belphegor could understand that. The position had been a lot on them too when they'd first started, and they should've made sure he was better prepared, so it wasn't so overwhelming. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to put so much on you. I don't think I can find someone else to take my powers, but maybe next time, I can spread the tasks out, so you don't have to deal with it all."

"No." Belgirel's voice contained a mixture of frustration and panic. "That's not what I mean. Just let me finish, please?"

Belphegor nodded and sat back. "Just tell me when I can respond." It was hard for them to tell when someone was actually finished talking or if they were just pausing while they tried to figure out how they were going to word things. It felt better to just ask him to tell them when he was done rather than just interrupt him at every pause to see if he was done yet.

Belgirel nodded. "I think it felt a little frustrating for me doing that work, not because it was hard to do but because it made me realize there was just so much that you've been doing yourself instead of letting me help you with it. The plague might've been horrible, but it felt good to be able to actively help instead of just sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. I know it felt that way to a lot of other people in the Empty too. It's just that when you were here, no one's ever gotten the chance for something like that, and I felt like once you got back, you'd get upset that we did any work at all, and you'd try to take it over. And I wasn't exactly wrong. As soon as you got back, you were already trying to stop me from working. It felt like I was going to lose that opportunity I had to help, so I tried to hold onto it as long as I could by avoiding you." He felt himself getting a little frustrated again remembering what happened, and he stepped back with Dagon to center himself. "I just want to be able to help with more, and I know that the other people in the Empty want to too. If you just shared the burden of tasks you have with the rest of us, then we could feel more fulfilled, and you'd have more time for yourself and for friends and family. It doesn't really work the way you've been trying to do things, so we need to try something else." He looked at Dagon to see if all of that sounded okay or if he needed to go any lighter on his words. He didn't think he'd been harsh, but she knew Belphegor's emotions better than him these days.

CUPID: Cupid gently ran her thumb in circles around the top of Belphegor's hand as they held it. Neither of them really ever expected to be in a situation like this. Neither of them wanted to be in a situation like this. Leadership was hard and it was even harder when it was put upon you by force. Bells was trying their best and she hoped they wouldn't be too hard on themself after hearing their twin out. Thankfully Belgirel seemed a lot calmer than the last time they'd seen him.

She nodded her thanks when he apologized for snapping at Bells. When Bells tried to apologize in return, they unfortunately misinterpreted what Belgirel was upset about. The tension in Belgirel's voice was thick and terse as a result, but Bells took it in stride. Cupid scooted closer to Belphegor, reclining her legs gently over their lap for added weight and comfort as they sat back to listen to the rest of what Belgirel had to say.

DAGON: Dagon knew that this conversation was hard for both twins. Despite the work that Belphegor put into themself, they were still their own biggest critic. And that was impacted twice as hard when they were actually receiving criticism from an outside source. This would be a tricky conversation to navigate, but she knew the twins could do it. It started off a little rocky when Bells made some incorrect assumptions about where Belgirel's frustrations were coming from, but slowly it started calming back down a bit as they sat back and prepared to listen.

Belgirel was doing a good job explaining his frustrations with why the work had been hard for him and why he felt so snappy when Bells returned. She could feel the frustration bubbling back up inside him when that memory resurfaced. She took a step back with him. Her snakes gently ran themselves up and down his back to ground him and let him know that it was okay. She nodded and squeezed his hand gently when he finished up his thought. It was a hard conversation, but he handled it with grace and hadn't been too hard on their twin. She could sense the sadness and guilt in Bells but they weren't anywhere near spiraling.

"For my part," Dagon began gently. "I miss you." Her voice was ladened with sadness. "I miss going to concerts, art installations, and silly little food competitions with you." She still invited them to all those things but more often than not they declined because of work. And when they did decide to go with her, they struggled to be present because they were always feeling worried or guilty. It was hard sometimes to see how close Belgirel and Andras were getting only to realize how far she and Belphegor were moving. "I just..." her voice got very soft. "miss you."

BELPHEGOR & BELGIREL: For a lot of what Belgirel was saying, Belphegor failed to understand where the problem was. It just felt unimaginable to them that someone would want more work. To them, work was a heavy burden, and although they took on a lot of it themself, it wasn't because they wanted it. It just didn't feel fair to make anyone else deal with something that felt like it was supposed to be their problem. Of course, they were upset to learn that their people had to do so much work when they got back. They'd gone through so much and then to add that onto their troubles felt cruel. Sure, they might've been willing to do it, but to them, it looked like a situation like themself where they felt pressured into doing that work even if they didn't want to. They didn't think it was bad to not want their people to have to work, but it made them feel bad to think they'd made Belgirel feel so bad. They wanted to make it better, but they didn't really understand where he was coming from.

Dagon's words felt a little easier to understand. They'd been hearing a similar sentiment from a lot of people lately where they wanted them to take breaks more and hang out with them more, but with everything they were dealing with, it didn't always feel like something they could manage. Being the ruler of the Empty wasn't an easy task. There was so much that required their attention, and they didn't feel like they were allowed to drop those tasks just to enjoy themself with their friends. They looked back at Belgirel to see if he had anything else to say, so they didn't interrupt him before he was done again.

"We all miss you," Belgirel added on to what Dagon had said. "I know you tried to make more time for us, and while we appreciate that, it's obvious all the work you do still weighs on you for taking those breaks. It's like you're still at work and not with us. I think if you could share your work with the rest of us in the Empty, then we could help you with tasks that give you more free time. That way, you know that the work is actually being handled, and it won't be a heavy weight on us like it is on you because we'd share the work. I just- I know I'm dead, but I don't want to feel dead, you know? I need a purpose to feel like being here is worth anything. It's not like I don't like to relax, but I can't sit still and do nothing. I need something, and I need it to be something that helps." He sighed. "You can talk now."

Now that it was their turn to talk, Belphegor felt unsure how to respond. "I'm . . . sorry. I thought no one would want to do anything after everything you've all been through. It doesn't feel fair to you to ask you to do my job when you're all recovering. I feel like if I add more to your plate, it'll ruin your recovery, and I'll make things worse. I don't want to do all this work myself, but it's not fair for me to make you do more." They didn't know if they could get past those feelings to give away their tasks to their people.

"That's the thing though. You're not making us do anything." Belgirel shook his head. "There's a difference between asking someone to do something and making them do it. I'm not asking you to give everyone your work. I'm asking you to give us the option to choose whether we want to help with those kinds of things or not. Not everyone will choose to do it, and that's okay, because it's their choice. We may not have won the war against dad, but we won against the Void. What was it all for if not for things like this? We struggled and we fought and we killed, some of them the very people we cared for, just for the idea of a world we could build where we have choices, where we could get away from our oppressors, but you can't just build that world by yourself. It's our world too. We need to build it together."

Belgirel seemed so passionate about all of this. While Belphegor felt guilty about not doing this right, they also just felt in awe watching him talk so passionately. It reminded them of what he was like before the war, when he was convincing them to join the rebellion. He'd been so passionate about fighting against their dad's oppression back then, and although they would've followed him anywhere, they'd felt like his words could've convinced anyone to join their side if he tried. Since his death, he'd had some moments where he was happy, but this passion felt like it put new life into him. It made them understand more of what he was saying about not wanting to feel dead. He was always going to be dead. They couldn't change that, but if they could give him more things to work on, maybe that drive would make him feel more alive to them too. "Okay," they agreed. "You're right. I can share my tasks with more people, but only if they want to do them. I'm going to have some stipulations though. There are some things that are still going to have to go through me regardless."

"We can make a committee of trusted advisors to go through those kinds of decisions. They can pass up what they think should be done, and then you can put down the final approval or change the decision entirely if you want, but at least it'll mean you're spending less time on it."

Belphegor nodded. That sounded acceptable. "I'd have to approve who those people are, but I guess we can do that. I also think that considering what everyone's been through, they'll have to go to therapy and get evaluated for the kinds of jobs they want to do, so we can be sure it's not too much for them. I know most of the kind of work isn't demanding enough to really hurt them, but there are all kinds of triggers, and I don't want someone to try a job that will end up hurting them."

A lot of inhabitants of the Empty avoided therapy, but they might be more willing to go if it let them do some kind of meaningful work. "I can make up some applications for people to fill out to see how many people want to do these kinds of jobs." It felt like they were making real progress here, and it excited Belgirel. They were on a roll. "I also wanted to see if I could make a job for myself too." This one was probably going to be harder to convince them of, but they looked like they were willing to listen, so he pushed it. "I want to go out past the border and start finding and cataloguing all the creatures out there."

Belphegor was doing fine up until this point. They knew that Aamon and Raphael had gone past the border, but they weren't happy about that either. The idea of Belgirel going out there was worse though. They felt panicked at just the thought of it. It was one thing to let him have more work, but going past the border was dangerous. They couldn't risk him dying and losing him forever. "What?! No! You're not going past the border."

CUPID & DAGON: Belphegor seemed confused at first about why someone would want to take on more responsibility. To them, responsibility always felt like a burden and to an extent it felt like a burden to Cupid too, but she knew not everyone saw it that way. For most of her life, she'd been in a weird limbo state where she was aware she was responsible for maintaining the flow of love through the world but at the same time she was infantilized and babied for other things. It left her with a very complicated view on responsibility. Still, she knew her relationship to the concept wasn't universal. Some people, like Dagon for instance, were given responsibility, trusted to handle it, and thrived under it. It kept them going and gave them a purpose when times were hard. That was what Belgirel was looking for. Purpose.

Cupid could see the hesitation in Bells eyes when it was their turn to talk. They were still trying to process everything that Belgirel threw at them. She rubbed their back gently to let them know it was okay to take their time and find the right words. "Baby..." she squeezed their hand. "You are recovering too..." she pointed out. The Empty hadn't been the only thing to suffer. Belphegor had suffered and fought too. While they wanted to give the Empty time to recover and breathe, they weren't giving themself the grace to do that. She nodded when Gears explained that there was a difference between making someone do something and asking them to do something. "At the end of the day, it's all just different modes of recovery. Some of us recover ourselves by resting," she squeezed their hand. "And some of us recover through meaningful and purposeful acts of service," she glanced at Belgirel.

While this was a hard conversation to have, it was one of the few times that Dagon saw glimpses of the Belgirel she knew before the war. He'd been one of the top recruiters for the rebellion. He and Lucifer could talk anyone into just about anything when they got this passionate. It was clear Belgirel wasn't just talking out of his ass either. He always believed in being given freedom and choice. He'd been willing to fight for it and die for it to. He wanted that to mean something because it meant everything to him. She missed seeing this side of him. As kids, she just thought he was a good orator, but now she recognized just how attractive it was to see him like that. She had hope that she'd get to see it more often once Belphegor agreed that it would be a benefit to everyone if they shared the tasks on their plate.

Dagon and Cupid listened as the twins threw ideas back and forth to get the ball rolling. A committee of advisors was a good place to start. Dagon and Raphael's staff could help vet them and it was a way to get more people into therapy. Things seemed to be going okay until Belgirel voiced the job that he wanted for himself. Dagon knew it was coming ever since Aamon gave him the idea to get him to back off from going on Echo's mission trip. Cupid, however, did not see it coming. She grimaced and glanced at Dagon. She wasn't sure how they wanted to sell that idea to Belphegor.

"He wouldn't be going alone," Dagon supplied. "You can assign someone to go with him." It was the fairest compromise that she could think of where both twins might get a little of what they want.

"We can't risk losing two of our people to this one task. It would need to be someone living," Cupid countered. She would have preferred another Archangel. "Aamon or Michael, maybe," she suggested. They were people she could trust to keep Belgirel alive.

BELPHEGOR & BELGIREL: Belphegor's thumb ran over Cupid's knuckles as she tried to reassure them that they needed to recover too. They had put a lot of their own recovery to the sidelines, but it was hard not to when their kingdom had gone through so much. They wanted them to have a better life than they had. No more pain, and to an extent, they recognized that they were probably using all of this work to distract themself from their own pain. They weren't going to therapy as often either, so maybe Cupid was right. They did need more breaks, and while it was still hard for them to see how it could be a good thing that people would want, they were able to relent and give them that chance to do more if it was what they truly wanted, which seemed to be the case at least on Belgirel's part. They didn't expect that most people in the Empty would feel the same way as him, which was fine with them. They wouldn't ask anyone to do more than they wanted.

On the other hand, Belgirel going beyond the border just seemed like something that was beyond reason. The passion in his eyes was replaced with dejection. He'd gotten his hopes up too high, and maybe the roll he was on had went too fast. Thankfully, both Dagon and Cupid seemed to understand how much this meant to him and were trying to provide compromises for him. "I don't care who it has to be. I'd play it safe as long as I could just get out there," he promised.

Belphegor looked and felt like they were going to throw up. All they could picture was Belgirel going out past the border and dying. No body even left of him. They saw themself during the war, holding his lifeless corpse. They couldn't survive something like that again. The Empty wouldn't survive if something like that happened again. It felt like such a needless risk just to give him something to do. If he wanted to do more here, they could give that to him, but why did he have to do something so dangerous? Cupid and Dagon might've been providing suggestions, but they couldn't think straight. "I- I just-" They felt out of breath. "Can Cupid and I just have a minute to talk about this alone?"

 Belgirel was hesitant to leave. He felt like if they weren't there in front of them, then Belphegor would just say no in the end. He was fully aware of the pity his presence brought on, and he wanted that to be a factor in Belphegor's decision. If they were going to feel bad about him all the time, he at least wanted it to be used to his advantage, but he could tell that Belphegor was panicking pretty deeply. He didn't actually want them to feel worse, so he nodded. "Okay, we'll be just outside. Cupid can let us back in when you're ready." He walked out of their room and back into the hallway.

CUPID & DAGON: Cupid knew the look in Belgirel's eyes very well. She wore it herself on more than one occasion. It was the kind of look that said I'm probably going to do this anyway; I'm just giving you the curtesy of letting you know. She wasn't sure there was really anything that could be said or done to deter him.

The unexpectedness of it all had thrown Belphegor off immensely. They looked like they were on the verge of a panic attack. They very well might have had one if Dagon and Gears didn't step out of the room to give them space to think on it. Dagon knew that would shut down the conversation for the night and leave both of the twins feeling more than a little frosty. She could see that Belgirel was dejected by the request to step out but she was glad when he relented. The pair stepped out of the room to give Cuphegor a moment to talk things through.

Once Dagon and Gears were gone, Cupid stood up and opened one of the windows in the room to make the space feel a little bigger and to let in the breeze. She sat back down on the bed with Belphegor and took their hand in hers. "Big deep breaths, my love," she reminded them. Generally, they didn't need to breath but in times like this it helped regulate the body. She learned that one in therapy. "Hold my hand and walk me through it," she gently squeezed their hand. "Let's see if we can figure it out."

BELPHEGOR: As soon as Belgirel and Dagon were out of the room, the waterworks came out. They were upset and frustrated and overwhelmed, and all they could do about it was cry. They hated that about themself. It made them feel like they were being immature and wholly unworthy of the position they were in. Why did anyone let them rule a whole realm? They were awful at this. Most of their kingdom was scared of them or were just uncomfortable because of their very presence. Apparently, they'd been making everyone also feel bad for not giving them anything to work on. They'd left their realm open to attack right before leaving it. They didn't really have any idea what they were doing, and worst of all, they were probably going to lose their twin again. He was going to go out there no matter what they said, and then he was going to die. Again. Permanently this time. They started unintentionally sinking through the bed as their sobbing and panicking got worse. Cupid taking their hand was the only thing that kept them from going under. They stopped sinking and leaned against her. They took big gasping breaths. "I can't- I can't do this. I'm going to lose him all over again." They took another deep shaky breath as she asked them to hold her hand and walk her through it. They were able to focus a little more on the pressure of her squeezing their hand. They took another breath, slower this time. "I don't know what to do." Their whole body shook as they took in another breath and let it back out. "I've seen what it looks like out there. I can hear it from in here. I know Aamon and Raph made it in and out of there okay, but . . . they're both smart. Gears doesn't think things through. He'll die out there, and I can't lose him."

CUPID: She held Belphegor as they leaned against her crying. Cupid ran a hand over their back as they took big deep breaths to try to calm themself down. "I know you don't want to lose him but I think we both know he's going to do it with or without our permission," she began gently. He was just being kind enough to give them the heads up because they were his twin. "If we give him the seal of approval, we can at least ensure he's safe about it. The same can't be said if we say no and he goes anyway," she pointed out, all the while still running her hands gently up and down Belphegor's back. "While I don't agree with his choice of special projects..." There were much safer things to be done within the boundaries that could also offer Gears an opportunity to hang out with animals and feel useful. He could train service dogs or run a farm or a petting zoo. There were any number of things he could do with his time that weren't this. "I'm not surprised by it given the kinds of things he liked to do when we were younger. He was stupid and reckless back then and I want to believe some of that has changed. A large part of his torture was watching us suffer emotionally because of a rash decision he made that ended his life. I have to believe he learned something from that. He wouldn't put his body in harms way like that again when he's seen first hand what it does to the people he loves. If we send him out there with help and protection, I think he'll be okay. He knows his limits and he'll mind his hubris, if he doesn't Aamon or Michael will put him in check. We can't minimize all the risks, but we can minimize more of them by working with him rather than against him."

BELPHEGOR: They did know that, and that was what made this so awful. It felt like no matter what they did, they were going to lose him. The only difference was one way, they were giving him permission to essentially go kill himself. "Can we ensure he's safe about it though?" They might've been able to send someone with him who was more capable like Aamon or Michael, but that didn't necessarily mean he was fully safe. There was no such thing as fully safe when it came to the Empty. She was right that it wasn't surprising that Gears decided he wanted to do something like this. "It's just that the Empty isn't like the places he went back then. The garden was dangerous to you guys, but for the most part we still didn't have much to fear in there. Here, he not only doesn't have the same strength as a living archangel, but the things out there are so much stronger. They're not just our failed creations. They're God's too, and I don't even know everything that's out there. And he wants to catalogue them? That means he's going to be directly looking for things that probably want to kill him." They wanted to believe that Gears had learned from his mistakes too, but if he was choosing to risk his life on this, he must not have learned too much. It was a big risk. "Maybe . . . Maybe I can just go with them the first few times just to make sure that he is being safe, and so I can see how he handles that kind of thing. It can be probationary.  If he's not being as safe as he can be, he can't do it."

CUPID: "We can't fully ensure it, no. But we can make it safer for him than it would be if we flat out denied the request." To Cupid, 90% safe was better than 30% safe. She knew Bells wanted everything to be 100% safe but that was an impossibility. She nodded, rubbing their back as they voiced all the possible risks. She knew them well enough herself and so did Belgirel. "Cataloguing things doesn't necessarily mean he'll be actively disturbing all of those beings. The job amounts to just watching animals in their natural habitats." In fact, if you were actively disturbing things it just meant you were actually pretty bad at cataloguing. She didn't think this job was going to be nearly as fun as Gears thought it would be or as dangerous as Bells assumed it would get. Granted, any amount of danger was uncomfortable to Bells. "Honestly, I think he just needs to experience it a few times and see it's not everything he's making it out to be. He might truly enjoy it at the end of the day or he might not and we can convince him to try something like training the service dogs." She nodded when Bells suggested going with them the first few times. "Gears won't like that but I think he can live with it if it means he'll get to do this.

BELPHEGOR: They didn't like it, but Cupid was right. "Can't he just let us deny it and not go?" they asked exasperatedly, though their tone said they knew the answer to that, and moreover, they knew they didn't have any better option. "I'm not really worried about him disturbing things," they sighed. "I'm more worried about them disturbing him. These habitats aren't natural, and neither are the things that exist in there. There's no standard of how things work like in a normal habitat on earth. The creatures might want to kill him just because. They might hunt him." The creatures in there might not even want to eat him necessarily. They didn't think they necessarily had to eat if they were in here, though for all they knew, some might. They supposed cataloguing the creatures at least might answer some of those questions, and as long as Belgirel was protected by themself or Aamon, it could be okay. "Service dogs?" they asked. There were a few sundogs and hellhounds here, but there weren't many, and most of them were just as traumatized as the people. Astrum was still afraid of Belphegor too, but he did help a lot of people with their pain. "Our dogs need their own service dogs. I guess I could make some though. I miss my snakes, and at least if I made them, I don't think they'd be scared of me like everyone else." They had that problem with most of the dead, including the dogs, and even Belgirel at times if he wasn't fully aware of his surroundings. They scoffed when she said Gears wouldn't like it. "Then we'll be on even ground because neither of us likes it." That was just as much as they could agree to for the time being. "I guess they can come back in now."

CUPID & DAGON: She smiled when they asked if Gears could just get rejected and obey that boundary. “He wouldn’t be himself if he did. While it’s possible something out there might prey on him, he’s not exactly a helpless creature. He fought against the Void with you and survived. He can be just as dangerous as whatever is out there too. A fractured mind does not mean incapable. We'll make sure he's got everything he needs to complete the tasks safely." Working with him to ensure his safety was really all they could do. She kissed Bells temples when they remarked that at least their own creations wouldn't be scared of them. "I know it's hard to see it sometimes, but it is getting better." It hadn't even been a full year yet but fewer and fewer people were afraid of them these days. And with the residents possibly helping Belphegor out more, it just meant they'd get to know Bells as an entity more too rather than as some untouchable ruler. She leaned in and kissed them one more time before getting up to open the door to let Dagon and Belgirel in.

It appeared that the pizza delivery guy must have come by because Dagon was on her third slice. She was still stuck with the residual affects of Beel's energy but her lungs were in phenomenal working condition and so were the kids. "Can we...?"

"Yeah, you guys can come in," Cupid replied as she picked up the pizza box and carried it in after Belgirel and Dagon. She set it down on the ottoman and sat back down beside Bells. She took their hand again and Dagon took Belgirel's as they patiently waited to hear the final verdict.

BELPHEGOR & BELGIREL: They groaned dramatically when Cupid said Belgirel wouldn't be himself if he followed rules set for him. They hated being in charge of him like this. They didn't argue against Cupid when she said that Gears had fought against the Void and survived. Belphegor didn't tend to talk much about that fight. Although they had won, saying they survived was a very loose term. Belgirel had been severely injured, and it was a miracle that Belphegor had been able to save him in time. He might not be helpless, but Belphegor couldn't really avoid seeing him in that vulnerable state. It haunted them, but Cupid did still have a point. While Belgirel was vulnerable, he could still dish out a lot of harm. Even if a lot of his power was gone, he was still a fast fighter and flier. Although fighting might've been traumatic for him, he'd been able to handle himself relatively well in the fight against the Void without crumbling from his trauma. They hoped Cupid was right about it getting better, but they didn't feel like they'd seen that as much as her. They still felt like they wanted to get a pet for themself now that the idea was in their head. As Cupid leaned in to kiss them, they deepened it by pulling her closer from the back of her neck. "I love you. Thank you for helping me through this," they said as she got up to let Dagon and Belgirel back in. They used those extra few seconds to try to recompose themself.

Belgirel didn't have the same amount of time to compose himself. He spent most of the time in the hallway pacing back and forth anxiously. He had no idea what Belphegor was going to say. He was hoping that Cupid might vouch for him. They'd gotten closer recently, and he felt like she'd understand why he needed something like this. When the pizza came, he left the box to Dagon. He didn't have the stomach for it with how the anxiety felt like it was boiling his insides. He felt startled again when the door opened without warning. He quickly walked back into the room when Cupid said they could. His feet tapped impatiently, and his hands patted his sides. "So . . . the verdict is. . .?"

Belphegor frowned at his impatience. They wanted to change their answer for a moment. "I'm going to let you have the task of cataloguing the creatures in the Empty-"

"Yes!" Belgirel cheered.

"Hold on. Let me finish." They didn't think he'd be happy with the full verdict. "You'll have to be accompanied by someone at all times when you go past the border. If he agrees to it, Aamon will be the one to go with you, so you can only go when he's here. Alternatively, if Aamon says no or if he's busy some days, you can go with Michael if he's willing to go with you."

Belgirel nodded. He expected at least that much. While he thought he would be fine going alone, he could handle going with Aamon. "Aamon will agree to it. It was his idea."

Belphegor frowned. "Wait, what?" So they had Aamon to blame for this conversation? "Aamon said you should do this?" That made no sense. While they could see why Aamon would agree to going with Belgirel, they found it hard to believe he'd just suggest that Belgirel put himself in danger like this. "You know what? I'll talk to him about that later." They pinched the bridge of their nose. "Anyways, on your first two trips, I'm going to go with you to make sure you can handle it."

"What? No." Belgirel groaned. It was one thing to have Aamon go with him. He felt like Aamon might actually let him handle things more. Belphegor would just be breathing down his neck on the verge of a breakdown if he so much as scraped his knee.

"Yes. If you're going to be going out there, I need to make sure you can handle it."

Belgirel glared at them, and they glared back. Neither of them budged for a few seconds until Belgirel huffed and said, "Fine." He could be on his best behavior if it was just for a little while. "Any other rules, your highness?" He performed a mock bow.

Belphegor didn't catch his rudeness as anything other than a question. "Yes, actually. Before you leave, you'll need to report it to me with which area you'll intend to be in, and when you're done, you'll need to come back and tell me, so I know you got back safe. You'll have to bring a set of equipment that I'll prepare for you whenever you go out too." It would likely mainly be things like a walkie talkie, a flare gun, garlic apparently.

"That all sounds excessive," Belgirel grumbled. "But fine." As long as he got to go out there, he was happy.

CUPID & DAGON: Belphegor seemed a little calmer to Dagon after they talked everything out with Cupid. It was clear they weren't thrilled about this, but they at least weren't on the verge of a panic attack. Belgirel was eager for answers and quick to demand them. Dagon was glad that Belphegor agreed. She was worried that if they declined, Gears would do it anyway. She could try to talk Belgirel down, but since she didn't live in the Empty and had a Kingdom outside of here, she couldn't always be present to talk him down when the mood struck him. She could hope that not wanting to upset her would be enough, but she didn't know how long she could rely on that alone. At least this way they mitigated the most risk possible.

She wasn't surprised by the stipulation that there needed to be a buddy system. No one should go over the border alone. That was a given. She grimaced a little when Gears threw Aamon under the bus. That was probably one of those things he should have let Aamon tell Belphegor directly himself.

Thankfully, Belphegor didn't press it and moved onto the next stipulation. They wanted to go with Gears the first few times. That also wasn't surprising. Bells and Aamon were the type of people who needed to see Gears in action in order to believe he could do it. Belgirel was at least able to accept that with minor complaint though Cupid gave him a weary look at the mocked bow. Dagon listened and nodded to the rest of the stipulations, all of them seemed reasonable enough. Checking in and out, mapping the course and notifying the home tower of your location, making sure you had the proper equipment. "I think that sounds reasonable" she smiled. "Is there anything else?"

"Well, there's the given rules like don't sneak stuff back in with you. You can visit what's out there but it cannot visit here." Cupid gave Belgirel a look that said if you get caught doing that not even I will be able to talk them into giving you a second chance. "Can we manage that?"

BELPHEGOR & BELGIREL: Belphegor was glad that Belgirel seemed to be accepting most of their rules and regulations. They weren't sure what they would've done if he didn't, though really if he said no to any of this stuff, he just wouldn't be allowed to go. They already considered taking it all back when Belgirel blew a kiss at Cupid after she gave him a weary look. They nodded their head when Cupid said that he couldn't bring stuff back in. While they might have thought that was a given, Gears clearly didn't. He looked disappointed.

Belgirel didn't actually know if he would find anything out there that he wanted to keep. The truth was that the area beyond the border terrified him, but that was why he wanted to go. It might not have sounded that entertaining to Cupid, but it'd be thrilling to him just because it all scared him. He hoped that it would help him deal with things that scared him more so he didn't have such panicked reactions like how he handled Echo. He didn't want the panic to just take him over. "Yes, I can manage that," he said wearily, like a child who'd been scolded by his parents. "So can we go tomorrow?"

Belphegor sighed. "I still have to talk to Aamon and make a plan for how we're going to do this. It'll probably be a week before we set out for the first time."

"A week?!" Belgirel asked exasperatedly.

"A week," Belphegor repeated unmovingly.

"But that's so far away."

Belphegor nodded. "In the meantime, you can help with all the other things you said you wanted to do. I may have agreed to let more people help, so I can have more free time, but it's still going to take time to get all of that set up.

Belgirel sighed. He really wanted to go on this trip first, but they were right. He did ask for that extra work, and he did still want it.

"You can start helping me tomorrow morning. Right now, I want to go to bed."

Belgirel nodded. "Can I take some pizza before I go?"

Belphegor laid back down on their bed. "I really could not care less."

Belgirel grabbed a few slices before heading towards the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." As Belgirel left the room, Belphegor rolled over towards Cupid. "Can we just run away? Fly to some forest in the mountains? Live in a cabin for the rest of our lived? Never rule over anyone but ourselves again?" They huffed. "I need another vacation."

CUPID & DAGON: Dagon could feel the disappointment from Belgirel when Cupid told him that he couldn't bring anything back with him, but all things considered it was a fair deal. Both parties gave a little to get a little more and that was how negotiations worked. She rubbed Belgirel's back a little when he agreed to the terms. 

"I'm sure we'll find plenty to busy ourselves for the week," Dagon agreed. "I have to go back to hell after breakfast tomorrow but I'll see you guys in the morning before I go." She blew both Cupid and Belphegor a few kisses before leaving the room with Belgirel. 

Cupid laid back on the bed once the two were gone. She brushed a few stray hairs out of Belphegor's eyes and kissed the tip of their nose as they complained. "I think that's a great idea actually." It was clear she was joking and mostly living in the fantasy of it all. "We can start planning now..." She rested her head on their chest and began weaving a bedtime story about their next great escape.

[demonicdiligence]

It is now December 5th in my timezone which means it's now Aamon's birthday!

(I wanna update his lore pages and maybe do a lil thing, other than the event I have going on on the discord server, and I would do that if I didn't just have a 13 hour day and have to get up for work in 9 hours)

[king-of-wrath]

What can you tell us about those 13 heirs?

"My precious baby boys and girls. My little warrior-generals. They make me so proud and I fucking love them!"

"Amdusias leads my vanguard, commanding 29 legions of demons. He makes the ground quake and the skies thunder, making sure you know you're FUCKED."

"Valefar is my head scout and in charge of 10 legions. He's a patron of thieves and helps them out---until they're caught."

"Barbatos is my beast-master and leads 30 legions. He can teach mortals the voices of animals."

"Eligor leads my cavalry and commands 60 legions. She rides atop a mighty steed that was sired by a horse from Eden. It was a nice birthday gift from Beelzebub."

"Aym is my siege-master and in charge of 26 legions. He can raze whole cities and fortresses to the ground."

"Vepar is my admiral and leads 29 legions. He can control the seas to either help my ships or wreck the enemy's."

"Murmur is my herald, commanding 30 legions. Her name's kinda ironic, since she's actually really loud. It's about making an entrance, you know?"

"Vapula is my artillery-master and war engineer in charge of 36 legions. She teaches mortals mechanical sciences and how to make great weapons of war."

"Dantalion is my spymaster and leads 36 legions. He knows the thoughts of mortals and can wear the face of anyone."

"Aamon is an absolute beast and commands 40 legions of animal hybrid warriors. Imagine a big-ass wolf that breathes fire. Yeah, he's pretty fucking cool."

"Sabnock is my master builder in charge of 50 legions. He actually designed my current palace as a Father's Day gift. Isn't that awesome?"

"Andras is my master saboteur, leading 30 legions to sow discord among the enemy. You won't know what's going on when he's fucking your shit up."

"And then, there's Amy. She's the youngest and still has some growing to do, but she'll be commanding 36 legions one day. She's going REALLY good in all her science classes."

[ofcupidslove]

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑡: 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠

SUMMARY: Taking place during the time warp event, Cupid and Belgirel find Diligence on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean. As they bring Dil back onto their ship, they are met by Aamon who’s been observing a pattern of escalating recklessness between Cupid and Belgirel.  TRIGGERS: Violence, Death Threats, Depression, PTSD, Suicidal Ideation  WRITTEN WITH: @cfdiligence, @ofhellsbells, @ofdivinerage​

DILIGENCE: Now if you asked Diligence if it was his fault he got kidnapped by pirates, he would struggle to answer. It wasn't in his nature to lie, but he also didn't enjoy the idea of admitting the truth. That perhaps the clothes he'd worn, while century appropriate, were a bit too regal in this area. That just maybe, when he encountered what he now knew as Pirates, he should have been more cautious. He didn't like to lie, but he wasn't super fond of the truth either. Now he was at sea, in an unknown land and time, and he really needed to figure out his best course of action. Reasoning with the pirates seemed to be a moot point.  They didn't seem to believe him when he said that he wasn't related to nobility. He was in the brig, though it technically wasn't called the brig yet. He was fairly sure it was 1705 when the term originated. Nonetheless, he needed to think of a plan to escape. Then he heard commotion above. He braced himself for whatever or whoever would enter below. Perhaps these new pirates would see less use of for him. Maybe he could fake his death and get back to land? Hmmm. "Hello?" He spoke politely, despite the situation (there was never a call for rudeness, after all), when the door creaked open.

CUPID: She knew there was someone aboard this ship who was from her timeline. She could feel them. So, she and Belgirel decided to commandeer the ship in search of these individuals. They docked their own pirate ship not too far away as Cupid swung in and landed on the deck of the ship they'd just commandeered. An opposing pirate came at her with their sword, but she blocked their hit before kicking them overboard. And with that it was on. Belgirel's crew came flying onto the ship. There was screaming, yelling, boots stomping, swords swinging left and right. Some more people were being thrown overboard in the commotion. Cupid followed the sensation of home until she reached the brig of the ship. "They're in here," she called out to Belgirel. The hello caught her attention and she whipped around to face the bolted door again. She was pretty sure she knew who was behind the door and Belgirel wasn't going to like it.

BELGIREL: Searching for Cupid's friends was a lot of fun. The pirate thing had mostly been Maze's fun for a long time, but she was off with the other Maze in Hell, talking to Lucifer. She'd left her pirate ship in their hands. Hopefully it would stay in one piece by the time they were done with it, but Belgirel made no such promises. Fighting another pirate ship was obviously bound to leave some damages, but they could all be fixed at some point. Not when Belgirel was around because they were not going to put in that kind of work. They only did this for Cupid. They were willing to do just about anything for Cupid, regardless of which Cupid she was and regardless of which universe she came from. They fought alongside Cupid once they boarded the other ship, easily winning fights against the pirates, even without their angelic strength. Once they finished defeating the pirates, they joined Cupid at the door. "Allow me," they offered with a grin as they kicked the door in. It flung off of its hinges onto the ground. They walked into the brig only to see who was in there. "Nope, there's nobody here." Belgirel shrugged and tried to lead Cupid back towards their ship.

DILIGENCE: Diligence wished it'd been a stranger behind the door. Or even his previous pirate captors. The only saving grace was the embodiment of love (well, the other embodiment of love that was not his sister). He would always consider himself lucky to be Cupid's friend, and perhaps with her here Belphegor would be a bit more bearable. (Though, Dil highly doubted it). He considered keeping quiet as Belphegor tried to deny his presence, perhaps it would have been for the best. But he disliked the way his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and he missed the sight of the sky. It hadn't been that long admittedly, but the lack of freedom was daunting. It was funny how simple pleasures such as seeing the sky could mean so much when stolen. So, Diligence took the bullet and enforced his presence. "Ah, no. I'm here." He raised his voice a bit louder (not yelling though however, he wasn't rude and there was no call for it). "I'm a somebody." Not the 'nobody' that Belphegor proclaimed. Dil tried to remind himself that the presence of Belphegor probably wasn't as bad as those filthy and rude pirates. (He couldn't quite convince himself. )

CUPID: She stepped aside as Belgirel knocked the door off its hinges. Dust fluttered around the room and blocked her view but she knew someone was in there. She gave them a look that said oh really when they proclaimed otherwise and tried to leave. "Gears," she knew very well who was in the brig. "Unless your universe wants to keep him, you know he has to come with me," she pointed out as she tugged at their hand to pull them back when Dil made his presence known to them. "How the heaven did you get here, Daffodil?" she asked as she embraced him. She knew Belgirel wasn't thrilled to see them, but she was always glad to see a familiar face. "I mean not here, here...not the universe," she knew how they'd all ended up there. "I mean the pirate ship." He didn't strike her as the type to be slumming it with pirates. Based on his fancy coat and the fact that he was in the brig, the pirates weren't exactly calling him matie either. "How'd you end up with a bunch of pirates?"

BELGIREL: They knew Cupid wouldn't really fall for that, but they'd hoped for it anyways. They groaned when Cupid had to use facts and logic on them, and Diligence only made himself more known by calling out to them. "Okay, but consider. We weigh him down and throw him off the ship. He stays underwater forever, and neither universe has to deal with him. Boom. We save everyone the trouble." They let her pull them back anyways, but they weren't happy about it. "Doesn't look like a somebody," they grumbled, crossing their arms and looking away as Cupid hugged Diligence. "He probably tried to lecture them about trying harder, so they locked him up. And can you blame them really? I'd throw him in the brig too. In fact, let's leave him in this brig and sink the ship. I think that'd work out . . . swimmingly."

DILIGENCE: Daffodil, one of the only nicknames he didn't hold disdain for. Along with it came a person he greatly admired and respected. Then there was Belphegor. "The century or the ship?" He asked, he was fairly sure she meant the ship but it was good to be accurate. Asking questions never hurt, it just broadened the horizons of your learning. He hugged her back, finding comfort in the familiar face. Cupid was quick to classify her initial question, which was just as he suspected. "I came across the pirates, and they mentioned a ship. Then gave me the opportunity to board and observe it." Opportunity sounded a lot better then kidnapping. Then again, was it really a kidnapping if you could have stopped them if needed? He squared his gaze toward Belphegor. Swimmingly. Ha. "I do have to admit, your presence makes that idea more appealing than it has any right to be."

CUPID: It wasn't going to be easy to convince Belgirel to let Dil tag along (it also wasn't going to be easy to convince Dil to go with it), but it was for Diligence's own good that he stay close to Cupid. Cupid couldn't return home without the virtue. Chastity would be upset and Cupid wasn't the type to leave an angel behind. She left Belgirel on the battlefield after they defended her against one of the fallen and that was the last time she got a chance to see them. Up until now anyway. "The Michael from my universe will come looking for him," Cupid pointed out. "I don't think the world is ready for two Michaels." Cupid gave Dil a skeptical look when he explained how he got on the pirate ship. "They let you observe the ship...from the brig?" she gestured around them. "Gotta say, that's an interesting place to catch the full pirate experience." She didn't buy it for a second and neither did Belgirel. "You two argue like Maze and I do," she laughed. "Look, we've got a job to do and I need all hands on deck. So, Captain Belgirel and Commodore Diligence, I evoke the right to parlay."

BELGIREL: They didn't see how that would be any kind of problem for them. Belgirel doubted they would have to deal with that Michael. He would just come find Diligence and send him back. Belgirel wouldn't have to see either of them, so it sounded like a win-win. "Let Michael come for him then." They shrugged, but they made no actual action against the little virtue. "Horse shit." They coughed into their hands. Diligence was just like the one that Belgirel knew. He didn't like to admit he fucked up either. They didn't argue with Cupid about the fact that they argued like she and Maze did. She wasn't wrong, but they didn't find it that funny. They didn't like arguing with Diligence. They just wanted him gone. They'd been having a good time up until running across him, and just his presence was making their head hurt. "We have enough hands." They spread out their form. Thousands of arms waved fluidly behind them beneath their other set of wings. "We don't need his, and he's not a commodore." Commodores were ranked higher than captains, and there was no way Belgirel would be ranked anywhere beneath Diligence of all people. "He's a stowaway or a prisoner at best." They glared at Diligence. "See, he wants to. We ought to give him what he wants, Cupid."

DILIGENCE: Diligence was touched at the idea Michael would have come searching for him. Though he disagreed at the idea of two Michael's as a liability (He was the Lord Commander after all). "'Let' is the correct word." Just not in the context of the pirates 'letting' him observe the ship. It was more like Diligence 'let' himself get kidnapped for the sake of seeing a real life pirate ship and the ocean. Back in the day, when this past was present, he had dismissed so much of this for the sake of else. Now, thrust back into the chance, he wouldn't let the opportunity slide to see history at full capacity. Even if Belphegor called it horse shit, which it was not! It was a learning opportunity. Being compared to Cupid and Maze wasn't something Dil thought he'd ever hear. "I don't suppose that's a compliment." He noted with faint amusement. He grinned at the mention of parlay. "Code of the Pirate Brethren, set down by Morgan and Bartholomew, that allowed any person to invoke temporary protection and brought before the captain to "negotiate" without being attacked until the parley is complete." Diligence rattled off the definition with glee, happy to hear it used in its proper setting. "I'm good with parlay." He quirked his brow at the sight of Belphegor using their full form, it wasn't a common sight. Despite his dislike of the archangel, Diligence would admit it was impressive. Though, it was very different then what he'd come to expect from Belphegor, admittedly. "I'm capable of being a commodore." He was. Diligence was sure he was capable if he could put his mind to it. Nonetheless, Belphegor continued with a glare (it was very different from their usual look of annoyance). "Perhaps to the pirates, but I don't think Cupid would ever keep me prisoner." Belphegor, the way they were currently acting, perhaps.

CUPID: "Well, let's not let the pirates do anything else. They aren't known for their bedside manner, Dil." Some of them knew enough to be dangerous to even creatures like herself and Diligence. Cupid knew this because she'd also let herself get captured a time or two back in her universe. If curiosity was a sin she would've fallen a long time ago. "If we be pirates, we play by their rules, gentlemen. I've called for a truce and a truce we shall have. So, Belgirel put the wings away and Daffodil we aren't in Kansas anymore so please take caution and just...follow my lead." Dil hadn't had the opportunity to interact with Belgirel much in heaven or during the war and Cupid was thankful for that. It certainly would've ended with Diligence dying if they had met. But it also meant that Dil didn't know how much more serious threats from Belgirel were than from their twin. If after this Dil didn't consider himself lucky that their sloth variant was Belphegor, she'd be surprised. "Gears, put it away, come on..." she tugged at one of their hands to put some distance between them and Dil. "Look," she lowered her voice to a whisper so that only Belgirel could hear her. "If he gets annoying, you can put him to sleep in a safe space on the Morningstar. But he has to come back with me. He's Chastity's brother and I can't just leave him behind," she gave Gears her best pleading eyes and hoped that they would listen.

BELGIREL: The more Diligence opened his mouth, the more Belgirel really considered putting him six feet under. They hadn't yet because they were being as civilized for Cupid as they could be. They'd mainly just tried to talk her into being okay with getting rid of him, but she didn't seem to be budging on the matter. They did as she asked, grumbling as their form went back to looking more human. “Not on my ship, you're not.” Technically, it was Mazikeen's ship, but they were in charge of it now, and she wouldn't be happy about some virtue being in control of any part of it. She probably wouldn't have been happy about Cupid either, but she was mostly accustomed to Cupid's presence at least, even if it was a different Cupid. “If it keeps you alive, she might, and you are very close to being alive no longer if you continue arguing with me,” they threatened as they allowed Cupid to pull them away. “He's already annoying,” they pointed out, not bothering to whisper as they insulted him. It didn't matter if he heard that or not, but they whispered for the rest of what they said to her. “But fine,” they sighed. “I'm not going to kill him,” they agreed. “I won't make you lose anyone else, but I won't promise not to punch him if he really gets on my nerves. There's more than one way to put him to sleep.”

DILIGENCE: He couldn't argue with that one. Pirates were tricky, and sometimes dangerous. It was better not to have risked it at all. Not to say he regretted his choice, he enjoyed the first hand account, but still. Caution was well deserved in this situation. Before, Dil had convinced it was a trick of the ears. Perhaps he had wrong over the ocean waves, or misheard entirely. Maybe it was even a pet name or nickname. But no, this time he heard with clarity, Belgirel. Not Belphegor. He still remembered the day Belgirel was killed, the ruin in the wake of their demise. Could this truly be them?? Gears. Yes, that couldn't be a nickname for Belphegor at all. This was not Belphegor. Even that threat, was decidedly not Belphegor. It was different than anything Diligence had come to know from that particular sin. There was more to edge to it, more air of caution that he shouldn't cross. The two of them spoke amongst themselves for a moment, and Diligence couldn't help but be sure it was about him (why else whisper?). He used the moment to take account of his situation. He needed to be more cautious, not just around the pirates. Once they seemed to be settled on their discussion, Diligence spoke up somewhat eager to change the subject at hand (especially now that he knew he was playing with fire more than sparks). "How did you two end up on the seas?"

CUPID: She was relieved when Belgirel relented and allowed for a truce. "I can live with that," she agreed. Dil at least knew how to take a punch. This one would likely hurt a lot more given that it was coming from an archangel, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. It appeared Diligence was coming to the realization that he needed to tread lightly. Belgirel had a much shorter fuse than Belphegor. "Oh, you know, the usual," Cupid smiled when Dil asked how she'd gotten to this point. "Apparently, the universe isn't really fond of having two Cupids in one place. It's sort of...throwing things off." As if to prove her point, one of the pirates flailed off the ship screaming something about being able to fly before dropping down into the depths below like a cement block. "Anyway, I tried to get away from the village so I didn't hurt people, ended up getting into an argument with Maze as one does, then we got kidnapped by a Pirate Maze, then Belgirel showed up. Long story short, I've got a week, maybe a week and a half to collected as many of our people as I can before the Archangels send us back to our timeline. Do you want to help or do you want to nap until it's done?" she asked Dil. She knew which answer Gears was hoping Diligence would give but then again, she wasn't asking them.

BELGIREL: They didn't imagine that they would actually do much damage to Diligence. Although Diligence was an extreme annoyance, he was Cupid's friend, and they wouldn't do anything to make her go through more trauma by making her lose her friend. Belgirel also knew Chastity well, and they liked her. They wouldn't make her lose her brother, even if he deserved it. They were surprised that he seemed to change his tune when they came back to him, but they didn't trust it. It seemed to have come out of nowhere, but Belgirel was being civil for now. “I saw you all arriving, and I just followed Cupid to see what she was getting up to.” They shrugged. “I've been blocking the other archangels from being able to sense her since she got here.” They quirked a brow at Cupid when she blatantly asked Diligence if he wanted to help or nap. They didn't expect her to actually ask him, but they didn't say anything about it.

DILIGENCE: Diligence nodded, instantly taking her word for it. It made sense after all. "It senses something off balance and tries to correct it, I assume." He grimaced. "Nothing awfully bad has happened though, right? You're okay?" She seemed well adjusted, but then again Cupid always did. She just told him the universe was throwing her around and had a smile on her face. So yeah, Diligence worried a little bit. He blinked at the pirate, then looked back to the duo. "As one does." He teased her gently, understanding all too well. One day they would have to compare notes, perhaps figure out together how to avoid the arguments. Logic and experience dictated, however, they would fail. Not that Diligence would ever stop trying even if he did fail, and he believed Cupid would do the same. "Pirate Maze?" He didn't know Mazikeen well, but somehow the idea of her as a pirate was fitting. "That was good thinking." He complimented Belgirel regarding masking Cupid from the archangels, surprising even himself. He did mean it though, Diligence would always compliment good thinking when he saw it, even if it was someone he had animosity with. Diligence nodded, taking in her information with the utmost seriousness. He refrained from saying I'm not one for napping, on the basis the sin of Sloth itself might take it as a jab (it wasn't, he just didn't nap in general). "I'd like to help in anyway I could."

CUPID: "Yeah the natural order has an...interesting way of correcting things," she grimaced. She didn't directly answer Dil's question when they asked her if she was okay. She wasn't and hadn't been for a long time, but she was holding it together. "I'll be okay," she promised. She wasn't okay now but she had to believe one day she would be. "Pirate Maze is somehow an even bigger ass than the actual Maze, so I'd watch out for her if you run into her on the ship." Belgirel wouldn't let Pirate Maze kill Cupid, but they wouldn't extend the same protection to Diligence. She was surprised when Dil complimented Belgirel's forward thinking and even Dil seemed to be surprised by it too, but she elected not to stir the waters between these two entities. "Good," she smiled when Dil said he wanted to help them with their quest. "Come on, let's get back on the Morningstar." Cupid made her way up to the main deck of the pirate ship they'd commandeered. The demon crew had already rounded up all the pirates and was now shifting loot from that ship onto the Morningstar. Cupid didn't mind them doing so as long as her people got collected and placed safely aboard. On this particular ship, Dil was the only one who belonged to her timeline. Cupid crossed the narrow plank that connected the two ships and made her way back onto the Morningstar. As soon as she was on the ship, she felt a familiar presence...on that wasn't Belgirel's alone. "Ah fuck..." she sighed, she turned on her heels and was face to face with Aamon.

AAMON: Aamon had heard rumors about what was going on on Earth. He'd even seen two Mazikeen's in hell which he was sure Lucifer was thrilled about. The one rumor that Aamon didn't like was that there was now an additional Cupid in his universe. One Cupid did enough damage on her own. And wherever there was a Cupid, there was at least one twin willing to do something stupid to keep her safe. So, his first instinct was to check in on Belgirel. Lo and behold, the other Cupid was the first person he ran into when looking for Belgirel. He raised an eyebrow when the Cupid noticed him. My, my...this little dove was more than damaged. He could feel the rage deep blow the surface that wasn't present in the Cupid that belonged to his timeline. Interesting. "Cupid," he greeted. Belgirel followed closely after her. "Gears. I see you've been busy."

BELGIREL: “Some way of correcting things,” they grumbled. All that really did was hurt people, Cupid included. “She's not bad,” Belgirel defended. They liked their universe's Maze. She was always fun to have around, and she made their brother happy. “She's just cautious about us causing problems for Lucifer, and she's used to eliminating threats.” They shrugged. “But yeah she'd definitely kill you.” That was mainly because Belgirel would let her and maybe encourage her a little. They didn't look like they thought much of Diligence's compliment, but it did surprise them. It was just a matter of fact, but they still hadn't expected him to say something positive about them.  Belgirel followed Cupid up onto the deck, ignoring Diligence saying he wanted to help. He could help clean the ship at least.

They sensed the presence of another archangel as they came out of the ship, and they grinned as they recognized it as Aamon. They quickly controlled their expression, turning it into an angry glare as they stormed over to him. “It's better than being bored. I heard you've been causing trouble in Salem.” They put a hand on his shoulder and punched Aamon in his gut.

DILIGENCE: "Noted." Regular Maze hardly liked him (that was more of a guess, he avoided direct contact on account of her many knives), he would stand far out of the way of Pirate Maze. "The Morningstar?" This time his voice was filled with loose amusement. Perhaps he should have been more insulted at the ship being named after the devil, but he couldn't blame Cupid (or Belgirel, especially Belgirel) in their affection toward Lucifer. Family was family. It was simple as that. Being left alone with Belgirel was not, and never would, be on Diligence's to-do list. There was danger in it. Danger that being alone with Belphegor lacked. So when Cupi stepped away, Diligence was on her tracks. Of course, Belgirel was too, but he basked in the silence. He was grateful that they cared for Cupid enough to appease to her wishes of a lack of a fight. He was a bit behind of Belgirel on account of maintaining a safe distance. But all thoughts of the threat Belgirel held ceased upon seeing Aamon. It had been a long time since he'd seen any violence between the archangels, Diligence knew better then to interfere. He would keep his voice down, observe with caution, and if things got heated, he'd try and minimalize the damage. Not that there was much he could do when it came down to it.

CUPID: She side eyed Begirel as they defended Maze. "This is a cosmic punishment because I defended Dil two minutes ago, isn't it?" she joked. She could hear the amusement in Dil's voice when they told him the name of the ship. "I didn't name her, that was all Maze," she replied as they made their way onto the ship in question. She felt tense and rigid as Aamon addressed her. Her eyes turned to Belgirel and she allowed them to take the lead in this. But their reaction was even more confusing than she expected. Their features turned angry and they came storming in on Aamon. Cupid's flight or fight response activated and she manifested her quiver, ready to use her arrows if she needed to back Belgirel up. But then she got a good look at them. Cupid knew Belgirel well. This wasn't intentional, out to harm you violence. There was a playful look on their face. This was comradery. The angel slung her quiver across herself and eyed the two from a distance.

AAMON: The archangel grunted when punched before laughing and returning the favor by punching Belgirel all the same. "You know," he chuckled once Gears caught their breath. "I can't take all the credit. Your--" he glanced over at Cupid and then back at Gears. "What do you even call an alternate version of your own wife? Your mistress?" he questioned. "Anyway, the energy she's creating contributed to that as much as I did," he teased. He noticed Diligence come into view just behind Cupid. The Archangel shook his head. "I thought we talked about your questionable choice in friends, Gears," he replied with feigned disappointment. He observed Cupid for a moment as she slung her quiver across herself. She'd really been gearing up to actually fight him if she needed to. Now that was new. Belgirel's own Cupid was annoying but harmless. This Cupid though. Oh, she was broken. Belgirel might've been in tune with her sadness, but Aamon was in tune with her rage and there was a lot of it.

BELGIREL: "Maybe." They shrugged. They did actually believe those things about Mazikeen, and at the very least, she was much better to spend time with than Diligence. "Maze just let us borrow her ship for the time being, so we can have a place to put Cupid's friends until we send them all home." It was only right that the ship was named after someone you loved. If Belgirel had their own ship, they would've named it after Belphegor.

Belgirel clutched their stomach after Aamon punched them, but they were laughing as they righted themself, using Aamon's shoulder as support. "She's actually Belphegor's girlfriend in her universe. Well, . . . they're not officially together because Figs still hasn't figured out that they're in love with each other, and they're already in the year . . . 2021 I think was what you said?" They looked to Cupid for confirmation. "Apparently, they're alive there, and I'm the one who died." They squeezed his shoulder as Aamon started talking about Cupid's contributions towards Salem. "Wow, look at you sharing the credit. That's so nice," they teased. "But I know you've been at this since last year when she wasn't here." She was definitely adding to the problem, but there was no doubting that Aamon started this. Belgirel looked back at Diligence and grimaced. "That one's not my friend. He's more like a parasite that apparently tagged along. "If you want to kill him, you can." They shrugged. They'd said they wouldn't do anything to Diligence, but they wouldn't stop Aamon if he wanted to.

DILIGENCE: Being equated with Maze wasn't something Diligence had ever considered the bounds of reality. He wasn't sure what he thought of it. "Oh?" He knew Mazikeen was loyal to Lucifer, but he hadn't known the depths of such devotion. Wife. In all fairness, if Cupid and Belgirel shared the same relationship as Belphegor and Cupid than it was hardly surprising they were actually married in this world. Remarkably, Diligence found himself happy for them. To feel that kind of love after living for a eternity, choosing to spend your eternity with someone, it was wonderful. There wasn't much disagreement to the 'not my friend' part, but there was an undeniable bitch face at the parasite part. Diligence held his tongue, on account of Aamon. He couldn't afford to be insolent in the face of someone who would kill him, though that might also include Belgirel in this world. The invite to kill him was insulting though. He wasn't much of a runner, and he wasn't much of a coward, so Diligence didn't flee. He did move though, slighting away from Cupid's side in case Aamon did take Belgirel up on the suggestion. He knew she would try to protect him. Belgirel would protect Cupid at all costs, but Diligence still didn't want her in the line of fire. Even in the growing-more-likely situation of him becoming a corpse at the bottom of the ocean, Cupid ws his friend. He wouldn't use her as a shield.

CUPID: Cupid flinched when Aamon punched Belgirel back, but Gears took it in stride. This seemed to be a customary greeting for the two and somehow Cupid wasn't surprised. Belgirel and Aamon had always been close. She gathered that he was here to talk Belgirel into sending her home. It didn't matter what fucking universe they were in, Aamon would never trust her. The feeling's mutual, she thought. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased as she felt Diligence's happiness for the love that Belgirel and their Cupid had. Dil's belief in love was strong and really it was sweet. She nodded when Gears asked her to confirm the year she'd come from. "Yeah, I'm about the oldest thing in your universe right now," she confirmed. The tension returned when Aamon brought up the way her powers were contributing to the havoc he was causing but Belgirel was quick to shut him down. "If we wanna talk about hobbies you should really get some better one's Aamon. You don't change at all between now and 2021. Boring," she yawned. She gave Belgirel an exasperated look when they told Aamon he could kill Diligence if he wanted. As if to prepare himself for some sort of dramatic death, Dil stepped away from her. "Oh for the love of love itself...Do we need to go over the rules of parley? No, you may not kill my friend. In fact," she whistled to get the crews attention. They quieted down and stopped what they were doing. "If anyone tries to harm Diligence in any way, I will do much worse than make you walk the plank. Are we understood?" she glared down each and every crew member until they have an Aye in understanding. She turned to look at Belgirel, matching their false sense of confidence with her own. "Are we savvy, Captain?"

AAMON: He quirked an eyebrow when Belgirel mentioned that this Cupid was actually Belphegor's Cupid. Interesting. "Still hasn't figured it out?" Aamon wasn't surprised but he was a little disappointed. It was the most obvious thing in the world and somehow Belphegor missed it. "That explains why she's so frustrated." She wasn't wrong that she was the oldest thing in this universe at the moment. Her features were youthful but the eyes were a dead giveaway. She'd seen some things in her long life, things that couldn't be changed. He felt Belgirel squeeze his shoulder when Salem came up. So that was a sensitive topic for this Cupid. "You know me, I'm always happy to share the credit when it's due," he grinned. The grin only widened when Cupid called him boring. He kind of liked this Cupid. There was a fierceness to her, she was a wild fire of conflicting emotions. "Well, if you've got some ideas I'm all ears, darling," he smirked. Now, killing Diligence was quite the hobby. It wasn't his universe's Diligence so it's not like his death would have an impact. Aamon could make it as fast or as slow as he wanted. Diligence knew this and almost seemed resigned to it, but Cupid wasn't. That fire inside her flared as she reprimanded Belgirel for even suggesting it. Aamon watched with amused satisfaction as Cupid gathered the attention of the crew. She was relentless in a way that Belgirel's Cupid wasn't. Aamon grinned as she squared up to Belgirel. She was using their own boastful confidence against them. Atta girl. "Oh, I'm sure Belgirel wants to see just how much worse you can make their punishment. Gotta admit, it's a tempting offer."

BELGIREL: "I know, right?" Belgirel said incredulously. "I knew they were slow at understanding love, but that's a bit excessive isn't it. I don't know what they can even do for Figs at this point." They shrugged and then laughed as Aamon commented on Cupid's frustrations. "Among other things, yes. Our siblings in her universe haven't exactly been helping with her frustrations either." They didn't give Aamon details about it just yet. Cupid had told them a lot in confidence, and they weren't going to spill out everything she said, even to their trusted family. They watched with amusement as Diligence stepped away from Cupid as if trying to make sure she didn't caught in the middle of Aamon killing him. He should've stayed close to her. At least then he might've had a chance at survival because Aamon knew that Belgirel wouldn't let anything happen to Cupid, but things only got more interesting as Cupid threatened the crew." They couldn't help smiling as she did it, and they glanced over at Diligence as they thought about pushing her to uphold her threats. They weren't going to hurt Diligence, but that was sure more tempting now. They gave Cupid a once over, picturing what kinds of things she might've tried to do. They let a hand casually point to Aamon, approving what he was saying about them. "It is." They chuckled. "You should let me know what kinds of worse things you'd do to me if I don't comply." They smirked, meeting her eyes.

DILIGENCE: It always amazed him how Cupid had no trouble standing eye to eye with the archangels, especially the ones who became the seven deadly sins. Aamon especially was dangerous, and that appeared to be the case for Belgirel too. Cupid was fearless. Diligence almost envied such a feeling, if he didn't fear it that is (he couldn't let feelings, including courage, blind him. he needed to be able to think with clarity. fear granted you that). He could see her exasperation with his own actions as well, but that had been something Dil was prepared for. It was an unavoidable casualty of trying to make sure she wasn't harmed on his behalf. A folly effort, he now saw, given her explicit threat for anyone who harmed him. "Cupid..." He spoke softly, lacking intent on continuing into a sentence but undeniably touchedby her declaration of protection for his sake. Though the crew were quick to resign to Cupid's threat, the archangels were less convinced (not that that in itself was shocking given who they were). Though, Diligence would admit, Aamon and Belgirel's reaction the threat weren't something he would have guessed. His eyes widened almost comically at the challenge to Cupid, and the look in Belgirel's eyes. Briefly he wondered if this was Hell. Though, in that moment of Belgirel's reaction, Diligence couldn't help think of how different they were compared to the sin of Sloth in his own universe, Belphegor. Identical faces, and the same in some ways, but like night and day in others. Then again, perhaps Diligence was wrong. He didn't know either of them like Cupid did. Yet, he found himself unconvinced at the idea Belphegor was capable of the reaction Belgirel gave.

CUPID: Color rushed to her cheeks as Aamon and Gears talked around her regarding her own relationship with Belphegor. She gave Gears a warning look when he mentioned their siblings from her universe. Cupid didn't trust Aamon with that information. She knew how Aamon handled situations and as fun as it would be to watch Aamon tear into Bells family, she didn't trust he wouldn't take it too far. Especially since he could just go home to his actual siblings in this universe at the end of the day. She calmed only slightly when she heard Diligence calling to her softly after she reamed out the crew. Dil was trying to pull her from the edge of her storm, but it was too late for that.

Her eyes met Belgirel's and she watched his aura change. Passionate lavender shifted to lustful red. Her whole body felt hot and gooseflesh arose on her skin when she realized he was turned on by this. He wanted her to punish him. She broke eye contact and looked away to try to collect herself before she did anything stupid, but it was too late for that too. She spotted a piece of rope hanging loosely off the ship's mast and already had an idea formulating in her head. "Alright, Gears, you wanna know what I'd do to you?" Cupid twirled her finger like she was twirling vine and the rope came to life. It coiled around Belgirel's ankles like a snake and hoisted him upside in the air. She took a step forward and grinned at him as if she'd won the game. "You should really learn to respect your elders, Belgirel. Or maybe just learn to shut your mouth."

She could see his archangel blade secured to a sheath at their side. Cupid pulled the blade out of the sheath. "You can have this back when you apologize to Dil," she empathized as she pocketed the blade. Besides, if Aamon was going to stay on this ship, she needed a way to defend herself and Dil if need be. "Come on, Dil," Cupid took Dil's hand. "Belgirel has some thinking he needs to do and Aamon needs to say goodbye before he goes back to hell." She walked away with Dil and made her way to the Captain's Quarters just behind Aamon and Gears. Here, she would be able to at least eavesdrop on whatever Aamon was going to talk to Gears about.

AAMON: He noticed the sharp look this Cupid gave Belgirel when the topic of their siblings from the other universe came up. There was an air of distrust. Something about the information was sensitive. He'd have to remember to get the details from Gears later. He rolled his eyes when Belgirel pushed forward, asking this Cupid what she'd do to him. He could feel tension radiating from both of them. Aamon, the crew, hell even the ship were invisible to the pair in this moment. Normally Aamon would've supported this, but not from these two. Not when there was a void in play. They were playing with each other's chaos.

Belgirel's own Cupid would've backed down, but this one did something neither Aamon nor Belgriel anticipated. Rope sprung to life and a moment later, Belgirel was hanging by their ankles looking like he was having the time of his life. Aamon didn't make a move to free him. If Belgirel really wanted to, he could get down. He could stop Cupid in her tracks. But he didn't want to stop her; he wanted her to keep going and going and going. She was winding him up, making him manic. She wasn't expanding her power onto him, but just the sheer nature of who she was was driving Belgirel's own chaos. Aamon quirked an eyebrow when Cupid took Belgirel's blade. He thought for a moment that he saw Cupid glance in his direction. He had. She was taking the blade to protect herself from him. A scarier thought arose in his head when he realized this small entity believed she could actually take down a being of Aamon's power on her own. For Belgirel's sake, Aamon wouldn't lay a hand on her, but someone who was just as strong might. And Belgirel would step in to defend her and likely get himself killed.

Aamon watched the fiery Cupid disappear into the Captain's Quarters. He was quite as he leaned against the edge of the ship and observed his brother. "Belgirel..." he kicked at his brother until the rope spun him in a way that allowed him to face Aamon. "You're playing a dangerous game here so I'm only going to ask once. What are you doing?"

BELGIREL: He just smiled more when Cupid averted her gaze. There was something victorious about it that thrilled him. All of this thrilled him really. Between the piracy and the fire this Cupid tended to have in her eyes, it all amped him up. He probably should've been more careful. The void always liked to encourage his chaotic behavior to the point that it was dangerous, but Belgirel could never see anything with Cupid as something dangerous. She was just fun. That was all.

"Oh, I do," he assured her. At this moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to see what kind of punishment she had in store for him. He watched as the rope started to come to life. He was quick enough that he was sure he could've avoided it if he'd wanted to, but he'd been honest before. He'd wanted to see what she would do with this. He laughed as the rope pulled him up into the air. "Bondage? I was kind of expecting more. You really . . .  left me hanging." He giggled. "Aw, come on, Cue. You know me. When do I ever respect my elders? Besides, there's other ways to get me to shut my mouth." He winked at her jokingly. He threw his arms down when she took his blade. "Hey, that's not fair. He doesn't deserve an apology." He rolled his eyes but blew Cupid a kiss as she left. "Love you!" he teased.

He could've just gotten down once she was out of sight, but that was the coward's way out. He'd stay hanging for now. He grinned when Aamon spun him around. "Dangerous? It's Cupid. She's not really going to use that thing to stab anyone, and if she does, I'll just get between her and whoever she's considering stabbing." He shrugged as best he could while upside down.

DILIGENCE: Diligence would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by Cupid's display. Hoisting Belgirel in the air with such ease and grace, Diligence would also be lying if he said he wasn't amused. Though he didn't often find comedy in actions such as these, this moment was an exception. He blinked his eyes at Cupid's request. "Ah... they don't- it's okay, it's a thing- it happens." There was a connotation, that if Belgirel apologized, Dil would have to as well. It was the respectable thing to do after all, the noble thing, He'd rather not. Plus, though Belgirel took it to sharper extremes then Belphegor, Dil was used to their rumble. Diligence and Sloth were fated not to get along, trading snipes with Belphegor was just like saying hello, hows your day. It was normal. It was Belgirel's more lingering and deadly threats that made snaps in the otherwise safe scenery. There was also something very often putting in the face he assosiated with Belphegor acting as Belgirel did. Almost unnerving. Diligence in his life never thought it'd be possible to miss Belphegor. Of course, he was such he'd regret it soon enough. But alas, in this moment, Diligence missed them. Cupid took his hand and there was safety in it, in her. She was a friend, true and true. So when she led him away, he didn't hesitate to follow.

AAMON: He sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. Belgirel was chaotic to the point that he allowed himself to be blind to the danger before him. The Archangel slipped out his blade and in one rapid motion, he cut the rope holding Belgirel and watched his brother slam into the ground. "You're being manipulated," he replied point blankly. Deep down, he knew Belgirel knew this, but it would take some convincing to bring that to the surface. "It is Cupid, but she is not your Cupid," he looked toward the Captain's Quarters where he was sure Cupid was listening in. "I don't know what happened to this one, but she's broken in a way you can't fix." She was broken in the same way he and Belgirel were broken. It was a fundamental component inside of them that couldn't be fixed. "You feel her sadness..." Aamon pulled his brother to his feet. "I feel her rage and her frustration." He made sure Belgirel was looking him in the eyes now as he spoke. "She would absolutely use your blade to defend herself. You always liked your angels a little free spirited but she isn't a free spirit, Gears. She is a wild fire that will consume everything in its path, including you. You need to send her home. Tonight."

BELGIREL: He tried to prepare himself once Aamon brought out his blade. He knew his brother wasn't going to use it to stab him or anything. It was fairly obvious he was going for the rope. Apparently he had more problems with them hanging upside down than Belgirel did. They landed on the ground with a thud and a grunt. “I could've gotten down on my own, you know?” they pointed out as they dusted themself off. “Cupid wouldn't manipulate me,” not intentionally anyways. No, she'd only manipulate your twin and lie to them their whole life about me, but she'd never do it to you. Belgirel grimaced, but they also knew that it wasn't just Cupid that Aamon was referring to manipulating them. The Void was always trying to do that. Belgirel tried not to listen to it most of the time, but they couldn't help that it hyped them up sometimes. Having Cupid around only hyped them up more, but they refused to see it as a bad thing because it was Cupid. There was nothing truly bad about her. “I'm not saying she is my Cupid, but does it really make a difference?” They didn't think so, but they knew Aamon was right. They knew some of the things that had happened to her, at least what she'd told him. “I'm not trying to fix her. I'm just trying to be there for her. I can at least help, can't I?” They took Aamon's hand as he helped them up. “She's got a lot to be sad and angry about,” they defended, meeting Aamon's eyes. “And if someone is attacking her in a way that she needs to defend herself, maybe she should be able to stab them.” They didn't want her defenseless. “She isn't anything like that. I'll be fine. I'm not sending her home yet. We need to find more of her friends first, and Lucifer said we could have two weeks before we send her home. I'm going to use all of that time.”

AAMON: "No, to her testament she's not doing it intentionally." That was somehow worse. She was doing all of this by the sheer nature of who she was. She was as blind to the danger as Belgirel. Aamon would make her see it too. "Yes, Belgirel, it does make a difference. Your Cupid pulls you back when you get a little out of hand. She grounds you. This one..." he shook his head. "She feeds that fire which feeds your void. She doesn't realizes she's doing it, it's just who she is. She'll hold your hand and drag you onto the battlefield like either of you stand a fighting chance against what's out there." It was harsh and he knew Cupid was listening, but he didn't care. It was a truth that they both needed to hear if they were going to survive the next two weeks together. "She can't be helped, Belgirel. Not by you. I'm sure she's got a lot to be sad and angry about. She's in love with one of two idiots no matter what universe she's in," he sighed. His brothers really were the dumbest sometimes. "But whatever's happened to this Cupid has put her in a place where her flight or fight response is always active." Aamon could feel it. She was always on edge. "Everything is a perceived threat even when it isn't. And her response to threats isn't to run, it's to fight." That was Belgirel's response to threats too, real or imagined. Neither of them would hesitate or take a minute to even think about what was happening, they would just leap to defense. "The only reason she's probably survived this long is because Belphegor's response was usually to run, to get them both out of the situation. Except the one time they didn't and I don't need to remind you of the price they paid for that." Aamon had already lost one brother to their stupid need to defend Cupid. He wasn't going to lose another.

CUPID: She'd sent Dil out to help the crew members. She knew they weren't going to hurt him after the threat she issued. But Cupid herself stayed in the Captain's Quarters. She was, naturally, eavesdropping. It wasn't easy to hear everything, so she quietly opened one of the windows facing the side where Aamon and Gears were talking. She could hear their voices better that way. She caught the conversation just as Gears started to defend her by telling Aamon she wouldn't manipulate him. He was right, Cupid would never intentionally hurt him. The display back there was done because he literally asked for it and he wasn't listening to her. Besides, she hadn't really hurt him in any way. He was able to get out of the bindings if he wanted to. What she hadn't expected were the harsh words that came next. It was Aamon's voice telling Belgirel that she was feeding his void. That she couldn't be helped. Not by him. She was broken in a fundamental way that made her dangerous to someone she loved more than life itself. She was always keyed up, always ready for the worst, always ready to fight something. And Belgirel would always be there to join in the fight with her. If this universe's Michael came to collect her, Cupid knew what she would do. She would put up a fight. Belgirel would come to her aid because he always came to her aid. She would feed the fire and the void would push him deeper into it.

She felt the wind get knocked out of her when Aamon remarked that the price Belphegor paid in this universe was their life for hers. It was clear Aamon didn't want Belgirel paying the same price. She couldn't blame him. He was right. If they kept going like this, Belgirel would be lost too. Cupid quietly slid against the wall and covered her mouth to contain the sobs as tears slid down her cheek. Her form kept phasing and she felt like she was burning on the inside. She tried to self-regulate, tried to calm down but she couldn't. She was losing control fast. This must've been what Belphegor felt like when they couldn't control themself. She felt so helpless to stop any of this. Unknown to her, below deck all of those whom Belgirel had put to sleep were starting to stir. They didn't awaken, not fully. No, instead they sat up, moving about the cabin as if they were re-enacting their dreams. Dreams that were increasingly becoming more and more manic with each second.

BELGIREL: Aamon was right, and Belgirel hated it. Their own Cupid always pulled them back from the ledges that they were ready to throw themself off of. They weren't always suicidal, but their actions often were. They often needed reminded of what was going too far, and this was no exception. They just didn't like to think Cupid had anything to do with making it worse. It weighed on their heart, and the Void tried to egg them on to fight Aamon over it. Fortunately, they didn't listen. "She can be helped," they disagreed. They wanted desperately to help her. They felt like they could do it. They could understand what she was going through more, the anger she felt, the inner panic. Why couldn't they help? "Belphegor isn't an idiot," they spoke defensively, the fire in them building as their own void expanded. They hated this conversation. They wanted it over. "They might be slow in understanding their feelings, but they're not stupid. If they were still here, they'd help her too." Thunder rumbled in the clouds overhead as a storm brewed inside Belgirel, but not a drop of rain fell yet as Belgirel tried to keep their emotions contained. When Aamon mentioned the reason for Belphegor's death, the clouds broke, pouring out their contents onto everyone outside the ship. The Void was loud with its reminders of everything they'd done wrong with that, filling their head with descriptions and imagery of what it was doing to their twin because they hadn't been able to prevent their death. You should've been the one to protect Cupid. Then Belphegor wouldn't be dead, and now you're going to send her away, when you're the best at protecting her? "No, shut up, stop," they whispered to the Void, but they were talking to Aamon too. "What am I supposed to do?" they sighed, and the rain stopped. "I'm not going to just send her home now. She still needs to find some of her friends. I can get my blade back from her before she does anything with it?" Maybe that would be enough

AAMON: "Not by you," he repeated. "And here I thought Lucifer's sin was pride," he scoffed. "You and I both know this has less to do with Cupid and more to do with you. What exactly was your plan here? She is the oldest being in existence right now. It's going to take more than two weeks in your cave of wonders to undo what's been done to her, Gears. You can't save the princess this time, but there is someone else who can. They're back home, in her universe, probably waiting for her just like your Cupid is waiting for you." Just because Gears couldn't save this princess didn't mean he couldn't save himself. He just needed to be less fucking stupid about it or he'd doom both himself, the princess, and the world. Aamon didn't react at Belgirel's outburst. He was quick to anger much like Aamon himself, but the anger usually lasted in sort bursts. Belphegor was always a trigger point for him. He had to stop himself from scoffing again when Belgirel remarked that Belphegor would've helped this Cupid. Helping Cupid was what got Belphegor killed to begin with. It wasn't exactly a shining example of what one should do, but love tended to make the twins blind to these things. He could see Gears fighting some sort of internal battle with himself until the storm settled and he resigned himself to the truth. "You're gonna have to do more than just get your blade b--" he was cut off by the sound of a body dropping into the waters blow. Aamon leaned over the side of the ship to get a better look and could see one of the individuals Belgirel put to sleep was in the water now. He leaned a little further and could see a couple more individuals standing on the edge of the ship, getting ready to jump. "It looks like you have bigger problems for the moment," he glanced over at his brother as another individual jumped into the water. "Stay here. Don't get involved," he ordered and began making his way toward the Captain's Quarters to find Cupid.

CUPID: The conversation was still going on outside between Aamon and Gears, but Cupid could no longer hear it. She was still reeling in her own guilt over the role she'd played in all of this. Her own flight or fight responses were feeding the void. It wasn't the first time her actions had fed one of the twins voids. It was never a voluntary action on her part, but every time it happened she felt violated and grossly used. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a splash just below. It sounded like a body hitting the water. Cupid peered out of the open window and saw one of the individuals Gears put to sleep in the water. He was drowning. A second body shortly followed, dropping into the water like a log without a thought.

"Shit," she whispered. She knew she was causing this. Her emotions were making them manic even in their sleep. She needed to stop this. She needed to save them. She sprung to her feet and pulled the cabin door open. She stepped back momentarily when she came face-to-face with Aamon. He had a determined look on his face. She knew what he was here to do. He was going to send her home. She couldn't let him do that. Not until she at least had a chance to fix this and make it right. She matched his determined expression with her own. "Move," she ordered as she pushed past him. She held out her hand and performed the same spell she'd used to tie Belgirel up earlier. Ropes shot through the air and coiled themselves around the remaining manic individuals, tying them to the ship and preventing them from jumping overboard. Cupid ran to the edge of the ship to get a better look at the waters below. There were still several individuals down there. No matter how hard she tried, the rope wasn't long enough to reach them and the waters were now dangerous due to the storm Belgirel created earlier. The current kept sweeping the individuals under. "Gears!" her tear stained eyes looked up at them. "Please, we have to help them!"

BELGIREL: They scowled as Aamon talked to them, only upset at the fact that he was right about all of it, and they didn't want to admit it. "Maybe I can't fix all of it, but I could still help some. I died in her universe. It's gotta do something for her if I'm living here. Maybe I can give her some kind of closure at least. Haven't you ever wished you could have more time Belphegor, even if it was only a little while? That's what she's getting here with me. Maybe I'm not fixing her, but I'd like to think I'm at least helping." They had to think they were helping or else what was the point? They were sure Aamon didn't want them to see a point in her being here at all. He wanted her gone. They would've argued more if it weren't for the sound of dropping bodies. They felt panicked by the look in Aamon's eyes as he told them to not get involved. Like hell would they listen to that order. They ran at him, grabbing his arm to pull him away. "Stop! Leave her alone! It's not her fault!" They started biting his arm as Cupid came out of the cabin, only releasing their teeth from his arm once Cupid addressed them specifically. They wanted to make it all better for her, so she'd stop looking so sad. The easiest solution to that was just doing what she said. Without a second thought, they jumped off of the boat into the water. The water was violently pushing people around, but Belgirel navigated through it easily. They grabbed everyone they could and hauled them all back onto the ship. "There, they're all safe," they sighed, laying down on the ship. They held them all down with their wings while they rested for a moment. "Let's just all take a nice, nonmoving nice, yeah? Wouldn't that be nice?"

AAMON: Aamon took a step toward his brother and leveled with him for a moment. "What you call kindness and closure is cruelty," he replied in an even tone. "I should know." He'd seen a lot of cruelty and he'd contributed to a lot of it himself. Wrath was rarely kind. Even now his words were biting and cutting, but they came from a good place. He needed to protect Belgirel so he didn't end up dead like Belphegor. "She'll grow attached to you and you to her. Two weeks will pass in the blink of an eye and it'll be time for her to go. Maybe you'll drop her off in her universe, maybe someone else will...but the point is at the end of these two weeks she loses you again. That wound opens right back up again. You don't get to come back and neither does her Belgirel. And even though you have your own Cupid, you'll come back home and you'll find yourself missing the other one. It'll almost feel like she died too." He would be mourning her loss almost as much as she would be mourning his.

They were playing a dangerous game allowing each other to get attached, to build affection, to miss each other. She needed to go home whether Belgirel wanted her to or not. Aamon reached the Captain's Quarters just as Cupid opened the door. Their eyes met and it didn't take long for her to figure out he was here to send her back. He watched as she steeled herself, bumping roughly into his shoulder as she pushed passed him. For a moment, he stared at her trying to process whether this was actually happening. It was. A moment later, Belgirel was biting down on his arm, trying to prevent Aamon from reaching Cupid.

Aamon swatted his brother, but the jackass didn't let go until Cupid addressed him again. Fucking hell. The eyes. Belgirel always fell for those sad eyes that Cupid gave him. Aamon rolled his own eyes as Cupid pleaded with Belgirel. Naturally, Belgirel didn't even think twice as they jumped into the waters below and pulled everyone back onto the ship. It was almost as if the entire conversation about being careful had gone over his fucking head. As Belgirel began to put the others into a deeper sleep, Aamon turned his attention back to Cupid. Her back was turned to him and she was surveying the waters below in case there were still more people down there.

In two strides, Aamon made his way over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gripping onto it so he could fly her back to her universe. In a swift motion, she wheeled around to face him. He expected that much, but what he didn't expect was the feeling of a sharp dagger a few inches above his chest. It was Belgirel's archangel blade. If he moved any closer toward Cupid or if she moved any closer to him, the blade would penetrate his skin. All intentions of sending her home were gone now, he didn't spare a second thought as he reached for his own blade.

CUPID: She felt both relief and guilt as Belgirel jumped into the waters below. Aamon was right. She shouldn't have put Belgirel in this position. She was constantly dragging them into one thing or another. These were adventures to them and fuck ups to everyone else. If they continued like this one of her fuck ups would get them killed. The last time she felt this helpless was when she found out about Belphegor's void. Back then it had a hairpin trigger that she had no idea how to navigate. It took her a long time to figure out the right things to say or do, but she and Bells figured it out eventually. Maybe there was still hope that she could figure out how to navigate around Belgirl's void. Maybe...maybe...she just had to try. She helped Gears back onto the ship and was a flood of I'm sorrys and promises that she could and would do better. She wanted to be the person they needed right now just as much as they wanted to be the person she needed.

As Gears worked to calm down the individuals they'd collected from the waters, Cupid leaned over the ships edge to get a better look at the depths below in case there were more bodies they might have missed. That's when she felt it. A hand on her shoulders, rough and heavy like hands from the Empty. Panic filled her chest and she wanted to scream for Belphegor like she had inside that dark realm but no sound came out. She wheeled around to face the unknown but when she did, she didn't see Aamon. What she saw instead was the void. She didn't know what happened. Her body's fight or fight responses simply worked on their own to defend her. And her first line of defense was the Archangel blade. She'd grabbed it without much of a thought and held it out to defend herself.

But when she looked up from the blade a second time, the void was gone and Aamon was there, plain a day. There was a cold, sharp look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. It only took moments to recognize what it was. "A-Aamon..." she breathed and tried to back away, but there was no where to go. She could fly but he was faster and stronger. He would get to her in no time at all. "I-I..." she stammered. She had no words. This stuff only happened in her nightmares, it never happened when she was awake. She thought she had it under control. Why did this happen? There is something fundamentally fucked up inside you, Cupid. He'd be doing you a service just ending it. She was trembling now. "Please..." she whispered. She didn't know if she was begging him to back off or do it. She just knew she'd fucked up.

BELGIREL: Despite Aamon being the sin of Wrath, Belgirel had never considered him cruel. They looked up to him and aspired to be like him. Most of the time, when he was mean to someone, they either deserved it, or he was just doing what no one else was willing to do. With Belgirel, that usually translated to Aamon telling Belgirel what he didn't want to hear, but that he needed to be told. They had to take a moment to accept what he was saying. They already had attached to Cupid a little, and the thought of her leaving did make them sad, even when they had their own Cupid to return to. She felt like a remaining connection to Belphegor. Even though she told them what their twin was struggling through, it still helped to think of them in some other way than what the void liked to show them. "And what if we're already attached? What difference does a few weeks make? At least she'll get more good times to remember, and at least she'll get to go home after finding more of her friends." It was her choice in the end too, at least they wanted it to be, which was part of why they fought so hard for her when she asked for help.

"It's okay. You're okay," Belgirel assured Cupid as she apologized. They didn't blame her. They couldn't. They finished making sure everyone was down for the count while Cupid checked to make sure no one else was in the water. They were pretty sure they'd gotten everyone, but there was no harm in checking. When they glanced up again. Cupid was holding a blade, their blade, towards Aamon. Aamon was starting to reach for his own blade, and Belgirel sprinted forward in a panic. They stepped between both of them and took their blade back from Cupid. They spun around towards Aamon and held their blade pointed towards their own heart. "If you do anything to her, then I bring us all down," they threatened. "I think you need to leave. I can handle this from here. I'll be more careful. Just leave her alone. Please."

AAMON: "You always did like running into black holes even though you were warned it would hurt," Aamon sighed. He could warn Belgirel time and time again that this was a bad idea, but that wouldn't change a single thing. The kid needed to experience the pain in order to learn. And even then, Aamon doubted Gears would've done anything different. He was dead set in allowing Cupid to stay. He and Cupid were both creatures of the present, rarely thinking about how their current actions will affect the future. Aamon knew once this Cupid left, to Belgirel it would feel like losing another part of Belphegor again. There would be clean up to do and heartache to resolve. But the kid was a glutton for punishment in that way.

Aamon watched as clarity dawned on Cupid's face when he grabbed his own blade. Her pleaded whispered carried both a prayer for mercy and a call to end whatever she was going through. Broken little dove...what have they done to you? he wondered to himself. Before he could act, Belgirel was in between them. He tore the Archangel blade out of Cupid's hands and...oh for fucks sake. "Someone ought to raise Shakespeare back from hell. He'd be proud of your dramatics, Belgirel," he sighed as he drew back is blade and placed it in its sheath.

"I'll be more careful he says, in the same breath that he threatens self-destruction," Aamon rolled his eyes at his brother before gazing at Cupid. Belgirel was a lost cause, but the reality of the situation was dawning on her at least. "If were looking to find yourself, to heal yourself from whatever hurt your world has caused you, you won't find it here, Cupid. You know how this story ends. He can't save you, but that doesn't mean you can't save yourself. You are not a shattered porcelain doll that needs to be put back together. Truth be told, you're stronger than he is." Sure, he could've told this to her telepathically but that would be the cowards way of doing things.

"You know what you need to do." She needed to put the cap back on the bottle. Was it fair to her that the burden of control fell upon her shoulders? No, it wasn't. Aamon got the sense that it was this kind of burden alone that had broken her to begin with. The demand that she always be strong no matter how broken she felt. He was sorry that both of his siblings failed her in this way, but at least one person needed to be in control of this flame or they would all light the world on fire. In this moment, that person needed to be her. "So do it."

CUPID: She was about to die again. Aamon was going to kill her and whether she wanted to admit it or not, he had every right to. She was a threat in more ways than one. He was doing what he felt he needed to do to protect someone he loved. Cupid herself had been put in that position before. She knew she would've done the same to protect Belphegor. Even though Aamon was angry with Belgirel right now, his aura shone strong with familial love. When he looked at her, it shone with distrust.

Cupid felt Belgirel's hands on hers and in a flash, he took his blade back from her. She didn't fight him on it, not until he wheeled around and pointed the thing at his own heart. "Belgirel!" she jumped forward to face him. She placed one hand over his chest, just where the blade was hovering, and cupped his face with her other hand. "Gears, please..." her voice shaky and tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you. I love you so much, please don't make me lose you again like this." She moved her hands down to cup his hands. "Please, put it down, Gears."

Her back was turned to Aamon and she couldn't see what he was doing. It didn't matter. She never took her eyes off Belgirel. Not even for a moment as Aamon spoke. He was right. She came here looking for all the wrong things and she allowed herself to forget the danger. She knew what she had to do, both for her sake and for Belgirel's. "Hey don't look at him, look at me," she whispered, trying to keep Belgirel grounded. "I need to go," she replied gently. She tried to keep the sadness at bay because she knew he could feel it. "Just for the night. I need to get off the ship and I need to be alone." She needed to figure out how to put everything back in the bottle again. "I can keep myself warded from the other Archangels for the night. Please...I need you to trust me," she brought his hand to her lips and placed a kiss upon it. "Don't follow me. I'll be back in the morning, okay?"

BELGIREL: Belgirel might've laughed at that in other circumstances. They had liked doing that. It had been fun and exciting at the time, but this situation was getting a lot less fun. "He's always been proud of my dramatics. It's why I inspired him so much." Maybe not all of the plays that Shakespeare wrote about Belgirel said anything good about them, but they didn't particularly mind either. Belgirel didn't care how dramatic they had to be as long as it was protecting Cupid from Aamon.

They ignored Aamon's insults as Cupid drew their attention to her. Belgirel might've been threatening self-destruction, but they only did it because they knew it would make Aamon back off. He cared both about Belgirel and about keeping the Void at bay, so they knew he wouldn't have risked it, especially when he considered Belgirel crazed because of Cupid's presence. Belgirel didn't consider there actually being any risk there. They sheathed their own blade. "I wasn't going to," they told her. "I just needed to make sure you were safe." Keeping her safe wasn't just for their own sake. They knew enough to know that if anything happened to her, it would destroy Belphegor, and that was what they couldn't live with.

"Are you sure?" they asked her, both trying to gauge whether she should really be alone and whether it was actually safe for her to not have them with her. If any of the other archangels found her, she could be sent back, and without any of her people here. They sighed as she kissed their hand. They couldn't tell her no, even now. "Okay, but if anything happens, just call for me."

AAMON: "Oh, I'll be sure to give him an update. Can't wait to see what sort of story this one inspires," he rolled his eyes. While Belgirel knew Aamon would back down, if he pulled this trick with someone else, he couldn't be sure they'd do the same. Not everyone was aware of the danger that came with Belgirel and not everyone cared either.

He watched as Cupid talked Belgirel down. They were older now, her more so than him, but they were still as dramatic as they had been when they were young and in Heaven. While Aamon didn't understand the love those two shared, he understood Belgirel's desire to protect her. Gears fought long and hard to keep Belphegor and Cupid out of trouble when they were in Heaven. He covered for them more than once and took the fault on more than a few occasions. He carried guilt for not being able to protect Belphegor in battle as he had in Heaven. Saving Cupid, keeping her safe, was a way to make amends. It wouldn't work though. It wouldn't bring Belphegor back and it wouldn't assuage the guilt. It would just get him killed in the process.

Cupid for her part seemed to understand what Belgirel was doing and why it was reckless. Aamon could see her even now trying to bottle it all back up. She was asking for space, telling Gears not to follow her. These were all dangerous statements to make in front of Aamon. The little dove was flying away from the safety of the nest. Aamon could easily follow her, corner her, and end her. He wondered if that's what she wanted. He knew better than to give it to her. Sure, if he killed the dove he could lie to Belgirel and say Michael found her and took her back home. But she was an angel, and upon death she would end up in the Empty. One master manipulator to another, Aamon knew how the void operated. It would torture Cupid and it would show Belgirel everything. Aamon couldn't risk that so he drew himself back, leaned against one of the masts, and observed.

CUPID: She was relieved as he put his blade back in the sheath. She tried to push back memories from the roadhouse and the moment Belphegor handed her their blade and asked her to kill them. I wasn't going to, Gears promised. She nodded. She wanted to believe them but she knew this was proving Aamon's point exactly. Aamon was backing down, but that didn't mean the next person would. Belgirel was gambling with his life in order to keep her safe and he would continue to do it if she didn't gain control of the situation. "I'm safe," she nodded. She was trying to assure herself of this fact too. Despite the fact that every part of her screamed that she was in danger and she needed to fight back, she had to keep telling herself that she was safe. "I'll be safe," she promised.

"I'm sure," she lied. She didn't want to be alone, but she needed to be. She needed to sort herself out. She needed to scream, to cry, to storm. And then she needed to put all the pieces back together again. She could do it. She'd done it plenty of times before. "I will," she promised, but deep down they both knew if she ran into trouble, she'd try to solve it on her own. "I'll see you at sunrise," she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you," she reminded him as she always had when it was time to leave.

And with that she turned away from him. Her eyes met Aamon's for the first time and there was an understanding. I'm sorry and I won't do it again. I don't want to die, but if you follow me, I won't fight you. Cupid released her wings and pushed off the ground. She flew into the air with the grace of a dancer and began putting distance between herself and the Morningstar as she made her way to the nearby islands to glue the broken pieces of herself back together again.

BELGIREL: She was shaken by all of this, and they hated how much she was hurting. There was so much they couldn't do for her, but she was safe for now. Aamon had backed down and wasn't going to do anything to her, especially if he was worried about how they would react to it. The Void tried to reinforce the idea that they shouldn't let her go off on her own, but that was more of a sign that they shouldn't do that. She needed her time alone, and so did they, even if they didn't want to admit it. "I love you too," they told her after she kissed their cheek. They turned away as she flew off,  walking back towards the cabin. They didn't spare a glance towards Aamon as they went inside. He'd gotten what he wanted, so Belgirel was sure he'd just fuck off to whatever the hell he'd been doing before coming here.

AAMON: He watched Cupid lie to them and tell them that she was sure this was what she wanted. Neither of them wanted space from each other, but they needed to take it. Whether Cupid knew it or not, she was doing the right thing. And the right thing was never an easy thing to do. His eyes met hers as she turned to face him. Her eyes didn’t carry a challenge to follow her, but rather an apology for the damage she’d caused. He nodded in acknowledgement. He would not follow her, and he would not harm her. Aamon stepped out of her way as she kicked off the ground and flew in the direction of the island. His eyes turned to Belgirel, but his brother paid him no mind. Aamon could feel the anger vibrating off of Gears, but it would blow over. The kid had a short fuse, and he knew deep down Aamon was right about this. “Sweet dreams, Gears,” he called out to him as Belgirel slammed the door to the cabin shut. Aamon chuckled to himself and shook his head. With that, he pushed off the ground and flew in the direction opposite of Cupid, and back toward town. / END

[b4phomet]

how does hell's government/ political systems work??

From Collin De Plancy’s Dictionaire Infernale (1863):

Asmodeus - The DestroyerAstaroth - Obtains friendship of great lords. Behemoth - Demon of indulgenceRonwe - Demon of lingual knowledgeUrobach - Of the lower order of demonsAndras - Grand Marquis of Hell, causes discord and quarrelsBeelzebub - Lord of the flies

Sir William Fletcher Barrett’s The Magus (1801):

Mammon - Prince of tempters Asmodeus - Prince of vengeance Satan - Prince of deludersBelzebuth - Chief of false godsPytho - Prince of the spirits of deceitBeliel - Prince of iniquityMerihim - Prince of the spirits of pestilence Abbadon - Prince of warAstaroth - Prince of accusers and inquisitors.

From the Grimoire of Pope Honorius: (1600’s):

PRINCIPLE INFERNAL SPIRITS:

Lucifer - Emperor 

Beelzebub - Prince 

Astarot - Grand Duke

SUPERIOR SPIRITS:

• Lucifage Rofocale - Prime Minister• Satanchia - Grand General• Agaliarept - Aussi General• Feurety - Lieutenant Commander• Sargantanas - Major• Nebiros - Field Marshall

SUBORDINATE SPIRITS

Bael , Bathim, Agares, Pursan, Marbas, Abigar, Pruslas, Loray, Aamon,Valefar, Barbatos, Forau, Buer, Ayperos, Gusoyn, Nuberus, Botis, Glasyabolis

Johan Weyer’s Hierarchy of Hell:

• Beelzebuth - Supreme Chieftain• Satan - Occupies second place as prince of darkness.• Eurynomous - Prince of death• Moloch - Prince of the land of tears• Pluto - Prince of fire• Baal - Commander of the armies of hell• Lucifer - Dispenses justice• Asmodeus - Gambling• Baalberith - Minister of pacts and treaties• Proserpine - Prince of demonic spirits• Astaroth - Prince and treasurer of hell• Nergal - Chief of secret police• Bael - King, lord of the East, and commands 66legions• Forcas - President• Beur - President and commands 50 legions• Marchocias- Marquis and commands 30 legions• Behamoth - unknown

Chamos, Melchom, Dagon, AdramalekSebastien Michaelis’s Histoire admirable de la Possession et conversion d'une penitente (1613):

FIRST HIERARCHY

Belzebuth - pride

Leviathan - faith

Asmodeus - luxury

Balberith - blasphemy and murder 

Astaroth - vanity and sloth

Verrine - impatience 

Gresil - impurity 

Sonnillon - hate

SECOND HIERARCHY

Carreau - mercilessness 

Carnivean - obscenity 

Oeillet - riches and wealth 

Rosier - love

Verrier - disobedience

THIRD HIERARCHY

Belial - arrogance

Olivier - cruelty and greed 

Juvart - demonic possession

Peter Binsfeld’s Demons of the Seven Deadly Sins (1589)

Lucifer - pride 

Mammon - avarice 

Asmodeus - lechery 

Satan - anger 

Beelzebub - gluttony 

Leviathan - envy 

Belphegore - sloth

Faust’s Hierarchy of the Kingdoms:

Beelzebub - NorthLucifer - EastBelial - SouthAstaroth - WestPhlegathon - Center (Not an actual demon, but a river. Phlegathon means center in Greek.)

Misc. Medieval Hierarchies of Unknown Origin-Possibly from the obscure Liber Perditionis; a medieval book of Demons and their rank in the infernal hierarchy.

THE SEVEN PRINCES OF HELL

Baal-beryth - master of rituals and pacts

Dumah - commander of the demons of gehenna 

Meririm - prince of air

Rahab - prince of oceans

Sariel - Prince of the moon

Mephistopholes - the destroyer

Lucifer Rofocale - prime minister and controls wealth

ARCH DEMONS OF HELL

Adramaleck - Prince of Fire

Carniveau - Demon of Possession

Python - Prince of lying spirits

Mammon - Prince of tempters, avarice, and greed 

Rimmon - Prince of lightning and storms

ARCH SHE-DEMONS

Leviathan - The Chaos Dragon

Barbelo - Unknown

Proserpine - Destroyer

Astarte - Queen of spirits of the dead 

Agrat-bat-mahlaht - One of Satan’s wives and demoness of whores

Eisheth Zenunim - Same as above 

Lilith - Satan’s favorite wife 

Naamah - demoness of seduction.

Richard Dukanté’s Hierarchy (1963):

• Satan - King• Unsere - Fertility and Sorcery• Satanchia - Grand General (War)• Agaliarept - Assistant Grand General (War)• Lucifage - High Command (Control)• Flereous - Fire Elemental• Lucifer - Air Elemental• Leviathan - Water Elemental• Belial - Earth Elemental• Beelzebuth - Lord of insects• Belphegore - Master of Armorment and Weaponry• Mesphito - Keeper of the book of death• Amducious - The destroyer• Asmodeus - Demon of Lust• Sonnilion - Demoness of hate• Abbadon - Advisor• Ammon - demon of domination• Mammon - Demon of Avarice• Rosier - Demon of love• Ashtaroth - Priestess of friendship• Eurynomous - Demon of Death• Verrine - Demon of Health• Ronwe - Demon of Knowledge• Babeal - Keeper of Graves

The Demonic Aspects - the true Hierarchy of Richard Dukanté.

-The hierarchy is composed of nine different families including 39 infernal hierarchs of note:

Family 1

• Satan - King• Unsere - Fertility and Sorcery• Satanchia - Grand General (War)• Agaliarept - Assistant Grand General (War)• Lucifage - High Command (Control)• Flereous - Fire Elemental• Lucifer - Air Elemental• Beelzebuth - Lord of insects• Belphegore - Master of Armorment and Weaponry- gain• Mesphito - Keeper of the book of death• Delepitoré- Demoness of magick.• Belial - Earth Elemental

Family 2

• Luithian - Advisor• Leviathan - Water Elemental• Sonnelion - Demoness of hate

Family 3

• Abbadon - Advisor• Ammon - demon of domination• Mammon - Demon of Avarice

Family 4

• Rosier - Demon of love• Astarte - Demoness of love• Ashtaroth - Priestess of friendship• Astarot - Matters concerning the heart• Amducious - The destroyer• Asmodeus - Demon of Lust

Family 5

• Eurynomous - Demon of Death• Balberith - Prince of dying• Babeal - Keeper of Graves

Family 6

• Verrine - Demon of Health• Verrier - Demoness of herbal knowledge• Ronwe - Demon of Knowledge

Family 7

• Svengali - Demon of Vengeance• Tezrian - Priestess of battle

Family 8

• Asafoetida - Demoness of feminine attributes• Rashoon - Priestess of seduction•Taroon - Priestess of Desire

Family 9

Consists of lesser hierarchy.

______________________

This is straight from Connolly as well, so this is accurate information.

[ofcupidslove]

Discord Chat: All’s Fair in Love and War

SUMMARY: Cupid and Belphegor meet up at the charity gala for what seems like a good time, but the fun quickly evaporates when Cupid sees Wrath leaving the party with War. Cupid asks for Belphegor’s help in ensuring that the lovers do not cause another messy conflict. TRIGGERS: Violence, Depression, Death Mentions, Family Drama WRITTEN WITH: @ofhellsbells, @ofdivinerage, @warbegetswar, @ofwarriors, @mcrninqstar

WAR loved parties, not because they were particularly fun at their base. She didn't care about the charity that this Gala was funding, and the dancing was pretty boring. What War liked was the potential for disaster. Parties stirred up drama, and War loved that. It was just a matter of finding it, and with so many of the princes here, she felt like it would be an easy find.

Aamon: He'd spotted War the moment she walked into the room. He was well acquainted with the Horsemen given how much rage went into forging a war, but he was surprised to see her in New York. Was she expecting some trouble here? Michael, that golden halo'd asshole, had stopped the last bit of potential fun by restoring the balance. He hoped War's presence here meant a return to fun. "Alex," he greeted her like an old friend. "Where have you been hiding?" he teased as he ordered a drink for her.

War: "Aamon," she greeted with a smile. War was always happy to see Aamon. The other princes of Hell were fun too, but Wrath was great for a war. "Oh, you know. I'm wherever the wars go. I'm almost offended at how little trouble you seemed to have started here though." She sighed and shrugged. "It's fine. We'll fix it."

Aamon: "Ah, you should've been here a few months back," he grinned. "We caused a whole imbalance shift just by being here. You can imagine I had some fun with that," he replied, taking a sip from his own mug and leaning against the counter. He'd experienced such an influx of souls into his kingdom during such a short time it was mindboggling. New York was swimming in its own putrid rage. He found it to be beautifully chaotic. "Michael's own dull personality naturally put an end to the fun, but you know I'm always up for a good night out," he grinned as he gave her a sidelong look. "What did you have in mind?"

WAR rose a brow, intrigued by the statement. "Really? Shame I didn't get the memo for that one. That sounds like just the thing that could've been the start of a war. I would've liked to have seen it." Of course, wars could actually start without her, but the best and biggest ones required her presence to really kick off like they should. Apparently that had been one of them since there didn't seem to be any actual war damage. War rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. He's always butting in his head where it doesn't belong. I hope it ruffled his feathered ass though." She smirked. "Oh, you know, for now I was thinking just a little fun on the town. We could see a bunch of beefed up men hashing it out at each other or maybe just find some regular crowd and make them go at each other. I've never been picky about stirring up some trouble. Just as long as its not here." She nodded her head at some of the angels she recognized. "They'll just spoil things."

Aamon: "Hmmm," he took another sip from his mug. "I hate to tell you, but it seems both Lucifer and Michael seem intent on avoiding a war this time around. Lucifer's got some human detective he's found himself attached to and Michael...well, spend a minute in a room with him and tonight's magical entertainment and you'll see for yourself." His brothers were, quite frankly, boring these days. Aamon chuckled at the feathers quip. "The whole thing certainly ruffled someone's feathers. Word on the street is he had to cleave off the wings of another innocent angel just to get the magic juice needed to restore balance. You know what they say, some skills are ne're forgotten," he shook his head bitterly. A wolfish grin formed over his features as War suggested they cause a little mischief. He'd of course already done so by placing a generous hit on the gala's host, but the Horsemen didn't need to know that just yet. She was right about his brothers. Should they find out, they'll put a stop to it all. "You know, I do love a good fight. New Yorkers are quite aggressive, I'll give them that. Earlier today, I had two men fighting each other and the police over who gets the taxi cab."

WAR: She rolled her eyes. Michael, she could understand. Despite the fact that they both were leaders of armies, War and Michael never seemed to get along. War actually had some admiration for Michael in the way that he could fight in a war, but beyond that, she was just annoyed at how much of a buzzkill he was about "needless wars," as if there ever was such a thing. She didn't think he actually used those words, but she could see it in his eyes. Lucifer, on the other hand, wasn't someone she would've expected to be so intent on avoiding a war. "I'd heard of love making people do crazy things," she chuckled. "Some of the best wars happened because of romance, but still, Lucifer used to be more fun." She sighed. "Maybe if they remembered how short those girls' lives are compared to their own, it'd change things," but she doubted that. Still, it wouldn't hurt to see them getting all concerned about their little play things. She glanced over at the girl Lucifer was attached to. "I might have to pay her a visit later tonight. See what the fuss is." She doubted there was much to it. "And people paint your lot as the bad guys?" She shook her head. "Of course he would never just sacrifice his own wings. Can't let himself lose even an ounce of power, right? It's not like he's one of the most powerful angels around regardless of his wings. Oh wait." She rolled her eyes once more. Personally, she didn't blame Michael for not using his own wings. She wouldn't have either in his shoes, but she knew the importance of roles. What was one lowly angel compared to the importance, the force, and the pure raw energy of Michael? War grinned. "Hmm. I know you do." She could picture it vividly in her mind, or maybe she just remembered feeling it when it happened. "But you know, we could do more than two. What do you think? The crowd here, where we could be interrupted, or we find another crowd out there, maybe not as large as this one, but just as fun."

BELPHEGOR didn't often take their male form. They generally felt like people were less likely to cause them harm and were generally just nicer to them when they were female. Tonight, Belphegor felt secure enough to show their male form. He didn't just find a comfy corner to sleep in. He walked around and actually talked to people.

CUPID: She swayed around the room with a champagne flute in hand. Not only was love in the air, but also mischief. With this many of her siblings in one room there was bound to be some hell raising. She saw Lucifer and his partner down by the bar looking cute as can be. Did they really not see it? I mean, come on. And then there was Gabriel, making heart eyes at a suave looking man. Good job, honey. She winked at the angel as he caught her eye, but let him have his moment in peace. Her smile grew as she spotted Bell in their male form actually making conversations with the guests. Cupid flashed them an encouraging thumbs up, always giving them the option to come to her if they needed a break from the exhausting task of socializing. She continued to survey the room, worried eyes pausing at Aamon and War. That was a match made in the darkest pits of tartarus if you asked her. She hoped for their sake they would at least keep it cordial tonight. "Quite the turn out here, huh?" she asked the person beside her. "I guess everyone likes an excuse to dress up." 

BELPHEGOR hadn't expected to see Cupid here, but he recognized her easily while he was mid conversation with one of the guests of the party. He waved at her when she gave him thumbs up. The gesture might not have been much to most people, but after questioning so many things about himself and his father and his family lately, the reassuring gesture managed to fill him with a bit of pride in himself. Sure, Belphegor didn't do much, and just talking to people like this was kind of exhausting, but he felt like he was doing a good job now. If this was good enough to be approved by Cupid, he had to be doing pretty well for himself. After finishing talking with the guest, Belphegor made his way over to Cupid with a big grin on his face. "You didn't tell me you were coming," he pointed out, though he didn't really seem upset about that fact as he wrapped her in a big hug.

Aamon: It was no secret Aamon disliked Michael almost more than he'd disliked God himself. Michael was nothing but Father's self-righteous little guard dog. No amount of Hail Mary's could clean the blood from his hands. He had to admit, over the years, Lucifer too has gotten softer. "Love has made him soft. The more time he spends on Earth, the more mortal he gets. It doesn't help that Cupid is now here too," he replied as he glanced toward the crowd where he could see Bells embracing Cupid. "You know she'll only encourage it." He smirked as War mentioned that his brothers needed reminding of just how mortal their love was. It was moments like this that reminded Aamon why he enjoyed War's company most of all. "Hmm, stick around, Alex," he smirked as he brought his drink to his lips. "I've got a little trick in the works that I think you'll enjoy. It's a slow burn, but I think you'll like it." He drowned the drink and shook his head. "Michael's no different than our Father. He only fools himself into thinking he's a good man." Aamon didn't hide behind false pretenses. He was who he was and he was proud of that fact. He bowed to no Gods, not anymore. The demon prince surveyed the room as War spoke. She was right. Their fun would be interrupted here. "You know who else happens to be aggressive?" he asked her. "Sports fans." The stadium happened to be right across from the gala hall and there was a game tonight. "It's been a good while since I've caused a good riot."

CUPID: She squeezed tight as Bell hugged her. She'd missed him so much she didn't want to let go. Out of all the Archangels, both former and current, Bell was always kind to her. Rank never mattered to him. He didn't treat love like a nuisance, in fact, he was filled with it. She could tell that despite some of his fears and doubts, deep down he loved his family so much it hurt. Even centuries after the war, Bell was still fighting with that hurt every day. "I hadn't planned on coming, honest. But I mean," she giggled as she elbowed Bell and nudged her head at Lucifer and Chloe. "How could I resist. Look at that," she blew a chefkiss. "I'm not even doing anything and they're being absolute saps. I love it," she grinned. "And look at you!" she smiled as she appraised her brother. "Absolutely dashing. I would not have missed this for the world."

WAR frowned. She herself had a few loves in the past. They were generally great warriors she'd met and fought alongside, though occasionally it was just the ones with a strong fighting spirit that she felt the urge to protect. Unlike with Lucifer, it seemed, that love didn't make War week. Of course, she could turn anything into a war. She fought to protect the ones she loved, and she fought to avenge the loves she'd lost. She didn't let love hold her back from her full potential, not like Lucifer was doing. "Cupid's here huh?" She smirked a little, glancing around until she laid eyes on the little angel. War often liked to see Cupid around. While she tried to do good and make people happy with love, her arrows were still weapons. The love that they helped along often brought just as much trouble as it brought happiness, and War liked to help those loves become wars. Belphegor was with Cupid too, in his male form surprisingly. War didn't often see him like that, but more importantly, War could feel the battle raging inside him. Cupid was obviously helping to combat that battle inside him right now, but War thought that if she paid the little prince a visit later, she might unravel him just a little bit more. Belphegor might not often do much, but there was still a lot of untapped power in him that could bring about some damage. "Let her encourage it. Love can be twisted. She's not the only one who can encourage things." War smirked. "Oh?" she asked, raising a brow. "You always did know just how to impress me. I'm looking forward to it." Wrath really was the most fun of the bunch, and she had no doubt that whatever he had planned was going to be a sight to see. War nodded. She'd met the Father Wrath spoke of just once if you could even count it as a meeting. It'd happened in a dream, but even then, she'd known he wasn't as good as people claimed him to be. The same went for Michael. War laughed. "They're always a fun bunch. Let's go." She held out her elbow.

BELPHEGOR: He was happy that Cupid seemed just as happy to talk to him as he was to talk to her. “I'm glad you did anyways,” he said, happily grinning from ear to ear. I didn't originally plan on coming here either, but you being here makes it better.” Her presence just made things lighter in a way that didn't feel like an angelic threat the way he felt around some of the other Angels. He followed her gaze to where Lucifer and Chloe were. “She makes him lighter and nicer sometimes. She's got a bad memory I think, but I still like her for him. I try to make sure she's safe when I can, so Luci doesn't get hurt or upset.” Belphegor would occasionally stop by the police precinct when Lucifer wasn't there just to try to mellow out the criminals there. He felt like it would keep her safer if those criminals barely felt like getting up, and more importantly, it'd keep Lucifer happier. Belphegor looked down at himself. “I did try to look better tonight.” He smiled, happy to have pleased her with the amount of effort he actually put in. “But you always look . . . lovely.” He took her hand and tried to spin her around to look at her outfit more. “Beautiful.”

Aamon: He watched as War observed both Cupid and Belphegor, who, for the first time in a long time, was in his male form. He seemed to be having fun for once, but even Wrath could sense the underlying tension within Bell. It was always there, whether they wanted to admit it or not. While Aamon's rage at what Father had done to them manfisted in obvious ways, Bells scars were more sinister and quiet.  "Alex," his tone warned. He knew the entity well enough to know what she was thinking. It was no secret Belphegor was struggling and War could sense that inner tension just as well as Aamon could. "Do with Cupid what you will," he replied as he glanced at the angel. He cared not for Cupid. While God had made them all and thus they could be considered siblings, Cupid was a lower rank than the rest of them. "But Belphegor is off the table," he replied. While he agreed most of his siblings were becoming too soft for their own good and needed reminding of just who they were, they were still his younger siblings and his responsibility. "I'm hoping what I have planned will be enough to wake them up from this daydream," he replied as he took the arm that was offered. "They've spent too much time around mortals and are starting to think and act like them," he replied as they strode to the door. "You know how they get. I hear that one of your siblings is in town as well," he replied, holding the door open for her.

War: War turned to look back at Aamon, not expecting that tone from him right now. He was usually more supportive of her chaotic tendencies, and while she knew that Belphegor was his family, she didn't expect that kind of reaction from him. "Would it make things better if I said I wasn't planning on hurting him?" she asked, not sure if she really cared that much about the answer. War liked Aamon well enough. They'd been in a relationship a few times and had also had their fair share of disagreements. Those things happened when you were as ancient as they were, and War felt like whatever they fought about, they'd eventually get over. However, War felt like the war that was brewing now would be better if she built up her amount of allies. She wanted Aamon on her side this time around. "I would've just made sure he's on the right side of things at most." She shrugged. Maybe she could even trick the prince into hurting Cupid for her. That'd be fun. Belphegor wasn't exactly the brightest one of the bunch, was he? "They're spending time with the wrong mortals," War pointed out. "Some humans do more corrupting than we do. " War nodded, following him outside. "Yeah, he's not exactly the same as I last saw him, but he's here." She chuckled. "My horsemen at least haven't gotten that soft."

CUPID: She was thrilled to see Bells smile. If only he knew what a radiant smile he had. It filled her world with such joy. "I'm glad I came too. I'm staying in town for a while," she nodded. "I'd say we are long overdue for a movie night and some comfort food. You can catch me up on the soap opera that is no doubt our brothers lives," she grinned. She knew Bells struggled with an inner sadness so dark that it made it hard to get out of bed sometimes. These were old, deep scars left over from God casting them out of heaven. Cupid knew she couldn't heal his heartache, but she did what she could to at least brighten his day while she was around. She smiled as Bells mentioned Lucifer and the detective. What Cupid loved most about her brothers, both angelic and demonic, was their desire to protect those they hold dear. Bells might struggle with his own happiness, but she sensed that he greatly desired to protect his family's happiness. "I like seeing this side of Lucifer," she grinned. "You're doing a good job. This is the happiest I've seen him in centuries." She laughed as Bells twirled her about and gave a small curtsy. "Why thank you, good sir. How about we take our fine, handsome selves to  the--" she was going to suggest going to the dance floor, but stopped as she saw Aamon and War heading in the direction of the exit. Her worried eyes followed them before resting back on Bells. "I don't like when those two are together," she replied as she nodded in their direction. "Bells," she bit her lip. Truth be told, Aamon and War frightened her. While War tolerated Cupid, Aamon's disdain for the angel was palpable. He had no qualms about driving an angel blade through her. Cupid was brave, but she was no Archangel. Bells, on the other hand, was. "Will you help me with something?"

BELPHEGOR was happy to hear that Cupid was staying at least for a little while. He loved his brothers, but he felt like it was better having such a bright presence around that wasn't so strong it was nearly burning you to be around them, like how it was with Michael. Belphegor didn't shrink away from him in fear as much now, but there was still a lot of trauma associated with him. He was a raging fire whereas Cupid held more of the comfort of a night light, a soft glow, not blinding, but just enough to keep the monsters away. A lot of people considered Belphegor and his brothers monsters, but even monsters could be scared of other monsters. For Belphegor the monsters were just the thoughts in his head, and Cupid's light helped to scare those away too. Belphegor laughed. He didn't tend to get too involved in his brothers' lives, but he did listen and watch what happened fairly well to know some of the drama. “I'll save all the drama stories for then,” he agreed. “I don't really think I've seen him like this since . . .” Belphegor trailed off, thinking about their lives before the war. Everyone seemed so much happier then, not just Lucifer. He tried not to think about it, forcing a smile back on his face. “I'm happy for him.”[11:46 AM]Confusion pulled on Belphegor's face when Cupid cut herself off. He followed her gaze over to Aamon and War. Belphegor typically kept their distance from War, and they didn't generally see Aamon too often either. Belphegor knew what terrible events tended to happen when the two of them got together. People died in the thousands as wars raged. . . . But Belphegor also liked to see Aamon happy and enjoying himself. He was indifferent to the struggles of humanity,  so he would've really preferred for Aamon to be able to be happy with War like he seemed to be right now. This was why Sloth was such a huge sin. Indifference was just as dangerous as wrath when it let people get hurt without caring. Belphegor just was selective about who he cared for. He cared for Cupid though. “Of course. Anything for you.”

Aamon: While he maintained an aura of aloofness, family meant a great deal to Aamon, not that he would ever admit it. He lost so many of his siblings in battle, he did not want War playing mind games with the few he had left. "That would," he agreed. "Although, if you are feeling peckish, I do hear Gabriel is ripe for the breaking," he offered. "Perhaps you might be the trigger finger that sends him home. Would be one less angel in the vicinity," he grinned and followed her as she exited the building. "You are right," he agreed. "The humans they spend time with are soft, although, if pushed correctly, Michael's human has the power to cause some havoc," he grinned. He planned to test just how far he could push with that one. Aamon shrugged off his coat and draped it around War's shoulders as they stepped outside, chuckling as she responded that her brothers at at least maintained a hard line. "Ah, if only we were all so lucky. I'll have to pay Death a visit. It's been some time. Have you heard from Famine and Pestilence?" he asked. He knew just the presence of War and Death alone worried the others, but Aamon quite enjoyed the Horsemen. Particularly when all four came together.

War: “Then I don't plan to hurt him,” she shrugged, speaking honestly now. She wouldn't hurt Belphegor unless he got in her way, including by messing with his mind. She wasn't weakened by her connection to Aamon by agreeing to this, especially since he was providing her with alternative ways to entertain herself. “I saw he was weakening himself with a human too,” she pointed out. Both Gabriel and the human had internal wars too. Those would be fun to toy with. War smirked. “Depending on how I handle things, he might end up too broken to even move to go home. A man broken by war is a beautiful sight, but an angel broken by it is a masterpiece.” That was one of the reasons Belphegor interested her. Like War, the being Belphegor was now was broken and reforged into something new. War would've liked to see that happen to everyone, especially the angels. 

“I'd like to see that,” said War, thinking about the benefits of the chaos, how if used right, it could spark another angelic war. She smiled as Aamon wrapped his coat around her, snickering at the fact that she knew it served no real purpose except to mock the weakening aspects of most other relationships, especially where Cupid was in view. War wasn't blind to Cupid watching them, and she doubted Aamon was either. It was amusing to put one of the very things Cupid stood for back in her face. “You should. Death and I had a fun little get together that I'm sure you would've appreciated. I haven't seen them in a little while. I spotted Famine during one of the last wars I was in but it's hard to keep track of how long ago that was. I'm sure once we start up more, they'll be drawn in.”

CUPID: She'd heard about Belphegor's run in with Michael. Michael had been torn up about it and she could sense that Bells was confused by the whole thing. She knew some of Bells insecurities to an extent. They felt like the outsider in the family. The black sheep. One who was too kind to be a demon prince, but held a darkness in them that made it impossible to be a pure angel. The darkness wasn't always there, mind you. She remembers a time when Bells was happy and light. That was back when Belgirel was alive. They'd talked about it, not at length as it made Bells uncomfortable but enough. To Cupid, Belphegor was everything all at once. Archangel, Prince, Friend. She knew she couldn't make them whole again like they were when Belgieral was alive, but she wouldn't let the darkness take Bell. She'd already let Belgieral down, she wouldn't let Belphegor down too. She smiled when Bells mentioned he hadn't seen his brother's this happy in a long time. She could see even now his mind was going back to a time before the war. Cupid squeezed his hand gently to ground him back in the present. "And what about you, Bells? Are you happy?" she asked softly.

Her eyes followed Aamon and War as they left the building. "They're up to no good," she replied. Cupid, much like Lucifer, could sense desires. Her abilities to do so weren't as strong as the Devil's nor could she manipulate them such as Lucifer could, but she knew they were there. And what she sensed was Aamon and War's desire to cause trouble. She also knew she shouldn't be doing this. She didn't want to get Belphegor in trouble with the other princes. She didn't want to put him in a place where he'd have to choose between her and his brothers. But she also knew she couldn't do this without his help. "You can say no," she offered Bells an out, "But, I need to go after them. Last time I felt this kind of energy from those two a lot of people got hurt. Will you come with me?"

BELPHEGOR kept his eyes on Lucifer and Chloe. He still didn't understand love in its entirety. Not that kind of love at least. He knew he loved his family. He'd loved Belgirel with everything he'd had, and that had cost him. It didn't, however, stop him from loving others. He couldn't stop loving his family. He couldn't stop wanting them to all be okay. He craved to be whole with his family, hoping it might fill the void Belgirel left behind. It wasn't possible, but that didn't stop him wanting that. Answering Cupid's question wasn't easy. He knew that seeing things like this made him smile. There was a little more light in his chest, but how much could a single flicker light an endless void? He strained to smile, to be happy in the way he wanted the others to be. "No," he whispered softly, the words barely escaping his lips. His form rippled, feathers dancing on his skin as he felt a need to be smaller. He swallowed, and they stilled. "But I might be one day." A flicker in an endless void was just enough to spark hope.

Belphegor looked back at War and Aamon. "Yeah, that's like their whole thing," he responded, raising a brow. He wouldn't be surprised if they had gone off to start another war or just get a bunch of people killed, but Belphegor wouldn't have thought much about it without Cupid's input. "Go after them?" Belphegor eyes widened just slightly, a panic stirring in him at those familiar words. 

I need to go after them. But they need us here. Then you stay, and I'll be back. Okay, just come back. I always do.

Belphegor wouldn't stay behind this time. This wasn't a war, but it was still dangerous and deadly. He wouldn't have Cupid brave it on her own. "Yeah, I'll come with you." He'd do everything he could to keep her safe.

Aamon: "Thank you," he replied as she agreed to leave Belphegor alone for now. Aamon had plenty of siblings that War could toy with. He enjoyed watching her work and a part of him hoped she'd strongly consider Gabriel.  "He has. Some hunter, I think. At least his human is aware of what we are. Lucifer's mortal seems to think we're all deranged. I mean, she's not far off from the truth in a sense," he grinned. "But she is naïve to believe we're just your run of the mill crazy." He smiled as War talked of broken angels. It was the angelic wars that had birthed the entity beside him. The concept of war didn't exist in this universe before them. While Aamon would have liked to see War go after Michael, he knew his dutiful brother would be the toughest to crack, but perhaps going after Gabriel would bring Michael down enough for War and Aamon to target him next. "Watching Gabe break would be a thing of beauty," he agreed. "I'm not sure even hell would welcome him if he fell."

Aamon was well aware of Cupid's eyes on him and based on War's expression she was too. If Cupid was going to watch them for the night, he figured he might as well put on a little show. He enjoyed watching her get miffed when he'd toss in all these little conventions of love just to mock her. Aamon wrapped an arm around War's shoulder, pulling her closer to him and whispering in her ear. "Maybe you will see Michael's mage break sooner than you know. Michael might be untouchable but those around him," the prince smirked and shook his head. He knew the best way to get to Michael was to isolate him. Take away the mage, take away Gabriel and they'd be one step closer to breaking the archangel just as he'd broken them. He chuckled and guided War down the steps of the gala entrance as she mentioned that she'd had a bit of fun with Death lately. "And what kind of sibling bonding did you two get up to?" he asked.

War: "A hunter," she clasped her hands together happily. "Now those are a fun breed." She'd already sensed the war within the hunter, but now knowing that he was a hunter explained some things. It also meant that she knew more ways to mess with Gabriel's little human. Hunter's all tended to have the same issues for the most part. They watched their friends die over and over again and often felt like they should've been the ones who died. Most of them were tired and had seen more than they should've. Of course, messing with the hunter would've been small to the amount of torment that War could put on Gabriel himself. Once she got him isolated, she had the means to put him through immense pain that the poor angel probably wasn't used to, but he'd become familiar with it when she was through with him. War chuckled. "Crazy doesn't put it to justice." She shook her head. "If Lucifer hadn't let himself go so much, they could've welcomed him to more suffering." She sighed in disappointment.

"Promises, promises," she teased, smirking up at him, but she knew him well enough to know that he'd pull through on that. "He won't show it, but it'll hurt him too either way." It was a smart way to take down Michael with Aamon dealing with his lover and War setting up plans to break down his brother. The cracks in Michael's composure would be small, but they would add up, bringing him that much closer to breaking. "We started small for now. Just a small bar brawl that turned into a slaughter." She shrugged. "But it was fun, and obviously we'll be leading up to more entertaining things eventually."

As they got further from the gala, it was clear that Cupid and Belphegor were going to follow them. She kept her voice quiet enough that their followers couldn't hear them. "I did promise that I wouldn't harm Belphegor, but I hope that you'll deal with him if he becomes a problem here."

CUPID: She watched with a smile as Belphegor observed Lucifer and Chloe. Bells didn't understand romantic love. Cupid had tried to explain it but the concept was hard to grasp. What Bells understood very well though was philia, the bond between family & friends. Bells was full of this kind of love. He yearned to have the family back together as they once were. Cupid had tried dozens of times to get the them to forgive one another, each time it fell through with Beel, Aamon, and Lucifer simply not being ready to forgive and forget. Cupid, by nature, wanted to see people happy. She wanted to give Bells what they desired the most, but after centuries of trying, she wasn't sure it could be done. Cupid's heart ached as she watched Bells form ripple . She placed a soft hand upon Bells chest where she knew the void was. "You will find it one day," she promised him. As long as she was here, she would not allow the void to take him. She couldn't stop the hurricane that raged within him, but she could at least keep it from tearing the shingles off the roof.

She saw a momentary panic flicker across Bells face. Belphegor didn't like fights and truth be told neither did Cupid. She didn't want to fight Aamon or War. That was a battle she would never win. But she was still an angel and had a sworn duty to protect humanity. She smiled when Belphegor agreed to help her. "We'll just follow them," she promised. "I'll do what I can to balance them out and if it gets hairy, we'll call the others." Michael and Gabriel wouldn't be happy about what she was doing, but she didn't want to bother them, not unless she was absolutely sure of what Aamon and War were up to. Besides, the pair looked like they were having a good time. Cupid took Bell's hand and began following Aamon and War out of the gala hall. She made a face as Aamon wrapped his jacket around War and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Honestly," she sighed.  "They do this on purpose."

BELPHEGOR looked down at Cupid's hand on his chest, startled by it. In this form, that space was solid and firm. If a doctor had tried to check it, they would've felt a human heartbeat, but that was just part of the illusion. In reality, there was nothing there. No warmth. No feeling. No light like there had once been in that space, bright enough where it could've lighted the way in any cold dark night. That candle had flickered out so long ago that the space where it was felt cold now. Belphegor didn't even feel Cupid's hand there, and knowing it was there, without feeling her warmth, hurt more. He took her hand away from his chest. He could at least feel something then. He smiled softly. “You know, I think I'll be okay, even if I don't find it. I haven't completely given up yet, and that counts for something, right?” Belphegor had considered giving up everything plenty of times, but he was still here at least. He might not have been completely happy, but he was here. There were at least some people who wanted him to continue being here, and that was important.

He was still holding onto her hand as she promised to call the others if things got bad. “If you do that, the rift between heaven and hell will expand. They'll hate each other even more, and more importantly, we don't know how far away we'll be then. They might be too late.” Belphegor had been too late to save Belgirel, and he refused to let someone else be too late to save Cupid when he was right here with her. He let go of her hand to cup her face in his hands. “Promise me that if things get bad, you'll let me protect you. Please.” He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against her forehead. “I can't lose you too,” he whispered before releasing her from the embrace. Looking back at Aamon and War, he shook his head, wishing that they could've just all gotten along and let each other be happy. “At least they're happy.”

Aamon: He’d taken the liberty of researching both the magician and the hunter once he’d learned about Michael and Gabriel’s soft spot for them. The Archangels were painfully obvious in this way. “You’ll have plenty to work with when it comes to the hunter. My demons report he’s from an entirely different universe. His original world is dead along with all the inhabitants in it. My brothers seem to like broken things,” he smirked. He could see the gears working in War’s head. She was already planning trouble.

“You know I always deliver on my promises. The way I see it, I’m doing the poor magician a favor. To love a monster like Michael means you don’t truly know who he, what he’s done, or what he’s capable of doing.” Michael hid behind a facade of honor and duty, but he was capable of more cruelty than any of the demon princes combined. Aamon knew watching his very foundation crack would bring that darkness to the forefront little by little. One bad day is all it takes.

He chuckled as War mentioned the kind of trouble she and Death were bringing about. Small things building onto bigger and bigger things. It was a smart move to help them stay off the radar. This many of his brothers in town would only spoil the fun of they made it too obvious. Aamon could also sense Cupid and Belphegor following them. Cupid’s anger at his mocking display of love was positively delicious. “Belphegor won’t be a problem,” he reassured her. “Cupid, on the other hand, is always a problem.” He was sure this whole follow the leader game was her idea. Belphegor on their own was too lazy to care what Aamon did in his free time. “Let’s see how far she’s willing to take this,” he smirked as he watched people file out of the stadium after the game. Some were chanting victory, others looked forlorn that their team had lost. Aamon’s eyes began to glow red as his power began to infect those around him. He was about to light a fuse and watch the place blow.

War: She hadn't doubted that she would have a lot to work with. Hunters basically tortured themselves most of the time, and although a lot of them had fairly deep connections, those connections were easy to manipulate and turn against them. "A different universe?" She questioned, even more intrigued than she was before. "Poor boy," she smirked. "He must have lost so much to have moved to an entirely different universe." It didn't matter whether he'd come to this one intentionally or not, the hunter would've lost a lot to get here.

"Just because you generally deliver doesn't mean your family won't try to stop you," she pointed out. Assuming that Aamon actually succeeded, there would be repercussions if he was found out, which was also likely. Lucifer might've represented the sin of pride, but Aamon would be too pleased with his own handiwork to hide it too well. Plus, his brothers would also likely recognize that it was him, and if Lucifer was becoming as soft as they thought him to be, he might do something against Aamon too. She'd have to keep an eye on what they did and step in when the time was right. She wouldn't do anything to stop Aamon's demise if it came down to it, but she would make more chaos out of his aftershocks and make things better for when he would eventually return.

"You're too easy on her," War teased. "But if we push him enough, maybe he'll break enough for her to see that monstrous interior, so she can know he's just as bad as they claim you and I to be." War and Aamon were certainly worse than the others, especially when they got together. What they were going to do now was just a taste of what crimes against humanity they were capable of.

"They usually aren't," War agreed. Belphegor didn't really tend to do as much as their brothers, but they were capable of more. When Belphegor actually tried to do something, they could be quite interesting. War had gotten them to be a part of some of the wars she'd created, and they'd managed to help the development of several weapons. The atomic bomb was an especially interesting one that made wars these days more interesting. War would've loved to see Belphegor making ideas like that again. 

War watched as the people came out, feeling the different emotions stirring within them. A man walked by war, and she bumped into him. "Hey, watch it!" he snapped. War just smirked at him, grabbed him by the collar and tossed him towards the crowd, spreading the infection of discord among them. Immediately, people were already arguing. She dropped a knife and kicked it over to the crowd, watching happily as someone picked it up and started fighting others with it. "Oops," War muttered before laughing.

CUPID: Cupid could feel the pull of the void where her hand rested on his chest. It was a frightening thing, cold and hollow. No amount of love ever seemed to close it completely, but occasionally Cupid felt it shrink in her presence. It gave her hope. If the void were a person, Cupid knew it didn't like her. She'd done everything in her power over the years to make it shrink. Some days it worked, and some days it didn't. All she knew was that she could not let the void win. To let it win would mean she failed not only Belphegor but Belgirel as well. She smiled softly when Bells said he would be alright even if he didn't find happiness. Hope. He hadn't give up hope. A warmth washed over her as she squeezed his hand. "It counts for everything," she nodded. "You are the bravest person I know. Braver than Michael even."

Worry flickered over her face as he mentioned that calling the archangels would only cause a greater rift. He wasn't wrong. Things in New York were shaky between the angels and the princes. It was stupid, but she had limited control over them. At the same time, Cupid had a duty to report back to Michael and Gabriel. She was under their command; they could send her home for something like this and then Belphegor would be alone again. She bit her lip, debating for a moment before nodding. "I trust you, Bells," she replied, hugging him tight. She didn't want him to have to fight his brother tonight, but she knew Aamon well enough to know he didn't back down from a fight. "If it gets ugly, I won't hold you back." She knew where this was coming from. She could feel the void getting heavier with guilt. He didn't want her to die like Belgirel and Cupid couldn't make him go through that again. The void would consume him and the whole city along with him. She didn't want to let go, but she knew if they didn't leave soon they would lose track of Aamon and War.

Cupid took Bells hand and began following Aamon and War through the crowd. The angel was small and the crowd was rather large, but she could make out the ethereal presence in the crowd without much effort. Aamon's power was immense and suffocating. "Oh no..." she whispered, feeling a surge of rage whip through the crowd. She saw something shiny fly across the ground, a knife. Someone picked it up and began to have a go at another member of the crowd. "This is not good," she replied as she held out her hands and manifested her bow and arrow. She aimed into the crowd and shot an arrow into the crowd. It was invisible to the human eye, but very much visible to anything celestial. Immediately, the man dropped the knife and back away from the crowd, pulling his son back along with him. Cupid fired a few more arrows into the crowd, with each shot she grew weaker but so did Aamon's hold on the crowd. "Bells," she turned to look at him, sweat on her brow. "Can you make them tired? Can you make them sleep until the police get here?"

BELPHEGOR: Belphegor didn't expect her to say something like that. They weren't typically considered the brave type. They didn't generally do anything brave either. Even this, following Cupid after Aamon and War wasn't especially brave. They weren't being fearless like Michael. They were scared. Admittedly, they weren't scared of Aamon or even War, but they didn't feel much reason to be intimidated by them. Aamon probably didn't even notice Belphegor enough to do something against him. War would hardly feel like Belphegor was a big enough threat either. Belphegor wasn't scared for himself. He was scared for Cupid. It didn't make him brave for just wanting to make sure he could get her out of the situation safely. Odds were that if anything happened, he'd just grab Cupid and carry her off to safety. That wasn't bravery. It was cowardice. "Michael has to carry the weight of what he did, knowing that it was wrong, while he's still heralded as the hero by heaven and earth. I can't imagine what it must be like, to hold that kind of guilt." Belphegor had his own guilt, but it was different. Michael's came from action, and Belphegor's came from inaction, from not being there for their brother. Sloth hadn't been Belphegor's sin because they slept. It was their sin because their own inaction ripped them apart.

He was worried that she'd say no, that she wouldn't let him protect her. He could hardly have blamed her if she didn't trust him to do that. It wasn't like he'd done a good job at that with his own twin. Dark thoughts started to fill his head, thoughts of failing Cupid, of seeing her die just like Belgirel. I trust you, Bells. It pulled him out of his thoughts, grounding him in reality. "Thank you," he said quietly as they went after his brother and War.

Belphegor held tightly onto Cupid's hand, being careful not to lose her in the crowd. Belphegor didn't really see the same problem Cupid saw when she stopped. People were fighting. They did that all the time. When Belphegor was a younger archangel, he might've cared more. Back then, he liked showing them new inventions just to see them happier, but now, he just didn't care. Cupid cared though, and he cared about her, regardless of how differently they saw everything. He watched her shoot arrows into the crowed, wondering if she knew just how good she was. It amazed him how she could turn a weapon into something good like she had. She didn't hurt the humans. She helped them. It had been a long time since Belphegor had helped someone without hurting them. They often wondered if that was all they were capable of, if they could ever do anything to get back to just helping, but that wasn't who they were anymore.

Belphegor didn't often use their powers intentionally, not unless they were making a deal of some kind, but being around Cupid made them a little more reckless. He wanted to impress her to an extent, so he let out a big yawn. Humans often considered the yawns of others contagious, but when Belphegor did it, it was even stronger. Each person who saw the yawn caused the next person to yawn and those next people caused the next group of people to yawn and so on until everyone in the area was yawning, too tired to focus on fighting each other. "How's that?" He asked with a grin.

Aamon: "Something tells me breaking that one won't be too difficult,” he grinned. It was no secret that hunters all seemed to have the same tragic backstory. No one chose this kind of life for shits and giggles. “His brother’s here too. The tall awkward moose hanging around looking uncomfortable. Strange thing is the two brothers aren’t even from the same universe. There’s something off about that one to be honest. He radiates a strange energy, might be worth exploring when we’re done here,” he grinned. Whatever the hunter’s stories were, getting involved with a family of celestials was about to make it worse. Zatanna was about to find this out herself and Aamon knew the hunter would find out much the same in his own time.

He smirked a little as War mentioned his family stopping him. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were worried for me, Alex,” he teased. He knew there would be consequences to this little game, but he wasn’t planning on going after the mage directly. Lucifer had made it clear she was off limits but he’d said nothing of those around her. “Lucifer has his moments, but the one thing he fears the most is becoming like our Father. Between the Princes and Michael, he will choose our side. And if he doesn’t,” the Prince shrugged. “Guess we’ll just have to raise a little extra hell.”

He chuckled when War stated he was too easy on Cupid. “Today won’t be one of those days. I’ve been trying to get her to see he’s not a broken thing for her to fix for centuries now.” Belphegor wasn’t broken. They just simply hadn’t fully embraced what they were. Aamon hoped to change that one day. He supposed Cupid hoped the same, but in the opposite trajection. She was an annoying little thing. No matter how dark and dangerous Belphegor seemed to get, Cupid had a way of pulling him out of it. It was as if Aamon would make a step forward with Bells only for Cupid to bring it all crashing down.

Aamon leaned back against the building and watched as their magic worked the crowd. A combination of his rage and War’s malice waved through the crowd. He had to admit, the switchblade she’d tossed into the crowd was a nice touch. He inhaled deeply, feeling the dizzying surge of power rush over him, but then it began to ebb. He pushed off the concrete and glared into the crowd. There. He could see Cupid’s arrows flying into the crowd. Landing on their targets and disappearing as their subtle love and peace magic words its powers. “Fucking angels,” he muttered.

He looked around the crowd and spotted Cupid standing next to Belphegor not too far away from them. Slinging her arrows into the crowd was taking its toll on her. Good. She would be easy to take down. He sighed as he felt a wave of Belphegor’s power hit the crowd. With a smile yawn, everyone within a mile radius became sleepy and lethargic. They were no longer in a mood to fight. “Alright, that’s enough.” He looked at War. “It’s time to send the children to bed without supper, I guess,” he replied, quickly disappearing and reappearing right behind Cupid. “Belphegor,” he replied coldly as he grabbed onto Cupid’s hand. Infecting a celestial took more energy than infecting a human. Aamon wasn’t pushing his power hard on Cupid, but the threat was there and present. He would do it if pressed. “Is there a reason you’re following me tonight?”

WAR: "I generally prefer a challenge, but it'll hardly break my heart if breaking them takes only a minute." It was the process that War liked and not the end result, at least most of the time. The longer wars lasted, the more fun she got to have, but unfortunately, the longer wars lasted, the more people were likely to get in her way. Namely, creatures like Michael, ones who claimed to want peace, despite nearly always being in the epicenter of large fights. Aamon was write about Michael. The ones who looked up to him clearly didn't know the kind of monster he could be.

War recalled seeing a large figure sticking out in the crowd like he didn't belong. She assumed that was who Aamon had been referring to. She too had sensed something dark inside him, but she'd gotten distracted by other things. She didn't know what stirred within him, but she'd be sure to find a way to turn it to her advantage. "Two brothers from two separate universe. What are the chances of that?" War didn't bother asking how Aamon got his information. She knew he was more than capable of figuring out whatever he wanted.

"Me, worried? Hardly. No, even if they do anything against you, it won't be permanent. They like to act strong, but all they have is their pride. They're cowards. They'd only try to get rid of you because they're scared of you and what you're capable of. Things wouldn't end well for them or the people they care about if they found a way to truly get rid of you." War would've made sure of that, not just in honor of Aamon, but because they needed to know how easily they could be knocked down. War scoffed. "I think Hell would come to join us itself. It should've been someone stronger reigning over Hell anyways. If you do end up there soon, you ought to remind them of that."

War shook her head with a laugh. "Maybe she'll learn that once she sees what it's like to truly be broken." War didn't agree with Aamon, though she wouldn't voice that to him. That was one fight she wasn't trying to start right now. Belphegor was broken. It was easy to see. He was physically shattered. That hole in his chest only showed just how broken he was at any given moment, but War agreed that Belphegor didn't need to be fixed. If anything, she wanted to see him broken more. She wanted to know just how much the archangel could break before something drastic happened. She imagined it would be beautiful.

This was nearly as beautiful, watching the chaos of the fighting going on in that crowd, but it didn't last long enough. The sight of flying arrows usually brought her joy, but right now, they just annoyed her. She'd known that Cupid had been following them, but she didn't expect her to be so stupid as to mess with their fun, even if she had another archangel by her. If War knew anything about Belphegor though, it was that he was not the one you wanted by your side in a fight. He could heal you. He could invent something for you to use, but he would hardly do anything to fight for you or protect you. She wasn't worried about him.

Even that surge of his power didn't feel like something she'd need to worry about. She rolled her eyes. "When will they ever learn?" She shrugged before moving after Aamon. She placed on Cupid's shoulder. "Oh, I know what it is. She's trying to teach little Bell about love again, and she knows we're the best example of that, right?" She smirked.

CUPID: Admittedly, Cupid hadn’t always been this reckless. Back before the war she’d been more cautious and tame. She’d sided with the Archangels because that’s what she was supposed to do, wasn’t it? Angels weren’t meant to question God; they were meant to follow him. And the way Father had put it, the knowledge given by the apple would cause the humans nothing but pain. Cupid didn’t want humanity to suffer. The war had been nothing like she expected. It was long and brutal and bloody. In the end, they’d all come out of it changed in some way. Cupid, for her part, threw caution to the wind and questioned everything, even herself. While the war had fundamentally changed her, it hadn’t changed her love for Belphegor or for humanity. She did not want either to suffer. She knew she would be reprimanded for this, but she couldn’t just let Aamon poison the crowd. Besides, she wasn’t walking into the battle alone this time. Bells was there and Bells would protect her if she needed it. They made her feel safe.

A small, soft smile crossed Cupid’s lips as Bells spoke of Michael. Empathy. Belphegor was showing empathy for Michael’s plight. This was progress Cupid hadn’t expected. The void sometimes made it hard for Bells to see the world the way others saw it, but it was clear to Cupid that on some level, Belphegor understood Michael had to live with an impossible amount of guilt both similar and yet different to Belphegor’s own guilt. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” she recited softly. “Michael is doing the best he can and so are you,” she replied as she squeezed his hand. “I really am proud of you, you know,” she nodded emphatically. “And I’m glad you came out tonight. I’ve missed you.”

A dizzying sort of feeling filled Cupid’s head as shot the last of her arrows into the crowd. She hadn’t exactly come prepared to fight tonight. It was supposed to be a fun charity event; she hadn’t expected there would be much trouble. That was where she went wrong, honestly. With this many Archangels, Princes, and Horsemen in one building there was bound to be trouble. A gentle laugh escaped her lips as she watched Belphegor’s yawn spread across the crowd. The individuals that had been fighting one another to get their hands on War’s knife were now curled up on the ground with their thumbs in their mouths and a sleepy expression on their face. “Now that was brilliant!” she beamed. Cupid brought her hands together to give Belphegor an uproarious fanfare for his work only to find that she couldn’t clap. Two cold hands gripped her shoulders as War and Aamon appeared beside her.

“Hey, let me g—” she tried to squirm away, but his grip only tightened. Cupid gasped as she felt the cold wave of his power ripple through her. He wasn’t pressing hard, but it was enough to hurt. At full power he could easily dissolve her grace into nothing. That’s why the Archangels were dangerous. As brave as she fashioned herself to be, if Aamon wanted to kill her she didn’t stand a chance against him. “Aamon stop!” she ordered, she tried to sound brave, but her voice was wavering. Rage tasted like a bitter poison. She gasped as she felt it edging closer and closer toward her grace. “Bells!” she gasped, holding her hand out to him. Panic filled her features. “I don’t, I don’t—” she didn’t want to lose her grace. She was frightened. She was so, so frightened.

BELPHEGOR: "That's because crowns used to weigh a lot. They were like bricks." Belphegor put his hands on his head like they were the points of a crown, and he tipped over a little like it was too hard to balance the fake weight on his head. He knew that Cupid had been talking metaphorically, but he couldn't help making a little joke.

"I don't know if I'm doing the best I can," he pointed out. "I'm pretty well known for not trying too hard at anything if you hadn't noticed." He was Sloth after all, but she wasn't wrong either. He'd been trying more lately now that more of his family was around. Some habits were too hard to get rid of, but he was at least putting in a little more effort lately. He'd come to that party after all and had even worn an actual suit. It wasn't anything as fancy as the dresses Cupid and War were wearing or the suit that Aamon was wearing, but it was more effort than Belphegor usually put in.

"Really?" Belphegor asked, surprised at her statement. He wasn't used to people being proud of him. There wasn't much for people to be proud of him for, and with how much their void had a tendency to weigh down the people around them, Belphegor would've thought they weighed Cupid down too. That didn't seem like something that most people would miss. "I missed you too," Belphegor admitted, looking down at his shoes for a few seconds while they walked. They weren't particularly pretty either. They had velcro straps because he didn't like bothering to tie his shoes, but his mind was just wandering for a second before he wrapped an arm around Cupid, hugging her even as they walked, silently telling her just how much he missed her presence in his life. Once they'd stopped at the stadium, he let her go, but the sentiment was still there.

As Cupid cheered Belphegor on for his effect on the crowd, he felt lighter and happier. He didn't need to have a lot of self confidence when it felt so much better to have Cupid be proud of him. He wanted to do everything he could to make her proud and to see her happy.

But her smile faded along with Belphegor's. He could see the fear in her eyes. He could see the pain. In Aamon's eyes, he could malice. He could see not only a threat but a promise. He could see how much Aamon hated Cupid and how willing he would be to kill her. Belphegor felt himself getting panicked, scared of losing Cupid like he'd lost his own twin. The void in his chest expanded and contracted with heavy breathing, the rapid movement causing sparks to sprinkle out of his void until a fire raged inside of it, illuminating everything around them and breaking through the casing of the illusion that made Belphegor appear to be human. Any human who might've looked at them then would've been blinded by how bright the area was now, but with the amount of power that Belphegor was emitting, anyone who got close enough would've passed out instantly.

The eyes on their head were smoking, billowing high into the air. Their three pairs of wings unfolded, the eyes on them glowing an alarmingly bright red. Their upper pair of wings splayed out behind them, like a bird defensively getting ready to strike, and that's exactly what happened.

"Get away from her!" Belphegor snapped, his voice so loud and angry that it shattered the glass of all the nearby cars and buildings. He shot forward, punching War so hard that it flung her body across the parking lot. He disappeared momentarily, reappearing less than a second later next to Cupid and Aamon, holding himself at as a large of his form as he could muster.

Belphegor didn't want to hurt his brother. He had always wanted to make sure they're family could all be happy together, but a small fight wouldn't break their family because at least they were all together here. Belphegor just needed to get his point across that he couldn't allow this, and more than that, seeing Cupid in pain just set something off in him. The furious flame that burned in his chest had only sparked in her defense, and it wouldn't go out until she was safe. "I won't let you hurt her anymore," Belphegor told him. His lower wings curved around until they circled Cupid, pulling her back until she was out of Aamon's grasp. They crossed in front of her, shielding her from him.

Aamon: When the Demon Prince put his mind to something, he was generally unstoppable. One thing he’d become very good at over the years was research. It wasn’t hard for him to dig up information on the Winchesters. The one who seemed attached to Gabriel was quite the talker and demons at Lux had a knack for listening in on conversations. “I suppose two brothers from two separate universes is just the way the cosmos tries to right itself. Balance and all that,” he sighed. He bloody well hated the balance and hadn’t exactly been a fan when the angels restored it.

“You’re right,” he smirked. “They don’t have it in them to kill another brother. Although, I would like to see Michael try. He claims to have turned over a new leaf since Father abandoned ship, but I highly doubt that. No amount of shoeshine can polish away the blood beneath his feet.” Aamon knew that his life would never be in danger, although his freedom might be. It wouldn’t be the first time. The Demon Princes were the gum beneath Michael’s shoes that he just couldn’t scrape off. They were a forever reminder of what he’d done.

Aamon smiled at the thought of breaking Cupid. To break love was a beautiful and dangerous way to play with the balance of things. The opposite of love wasn’t hate, but rather apathy. A world devoid of love would bring about a whole new game on earth. He gripped tightly to Cupid’s shoulder as she tried to wiggle her way out of his grip. His eyes flashed for a moment as his rage danced closer and closer to her grace. It would be so easy to rip it out. “You, my dear, need to be taught a lesson in manners,” he replied coolly. He smirked as she winced under his touch. His thoughts, however, pulled away from Cupid as he felt Belphegor’s power building up. Things are about to get interesting, he thought to himself.

He felt Belphegor’s void expand and then it did something very interesting. It sparked like a fuse, lighting a flame of beautiful rage inside of Bells. It was dazzling and delicious. The wave of angry energy fed Aamon more than Bells probably intended. Aamon felt a surge of intoxicating power almost similar to when the balance had been off in the Demon Princes favor not too long ago. He watched as the humans around them passed out in an almost comical manner. It was like watching Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom go to rest all at once. Belphegor, if pushed correctly, could probably make the whole city fall into a deep slumber.

Belphegor’s human form was starting to crack. Aamon could see the Archangel beneath and it was refreshing. He hadn’t seen Bells true form in so long. Aamon arched an eyebrow as Belphegor’s angry bellows shattered the windows around them. He was peacocking, but Aamon was more impressed then afraid. “Now, that was rather rude,” he commented flatly as Belphegor flung War away from Cupid. Aamon loosened his grip on Cupid, allowing Bells just enough space to take the angel from his grip. He smirked as Belphegor’s wings crossed in front of Cupid, shielding her from Aamon.

“Bells,” the Demon Prince stepped forward, snapping his fingers and slowing time around them. “That was quite a show, but I think we’ve both had enough. I have no intention of hurting Cupid. I think she gets my point by now.” He turned his attention to Cupid. Aamon could see the top of the angel’s head and face peering through Belphegor’s wings. She looked exhausted and spent. Aamon reached out a hand and brushed aside a stray hair from Cupid’s face. It wasn’t a sign of affection, but rather a show of power. If Aamon wanted to, he could get rid of Bells with ease and finish what he’d started with Cupid, but there was no need for it. He just needed Cupid to know that he could do it if push came to shove. Aamon took a step back from the pair, his eyes falling on Belphegor. “While I do have to commend you on your display of power, I’m afraid you’ve alerted every celestial thing in a 100 mile radius of our presence here,” he replied. “Michael being chief among them seeing as he’s right across the bloody street. So, take yourself and your girlfriend home before this thing gets ugly,” he advised. The Demon Prince snapped his fingers once more and allowed time to resume at its natural pace. “You know what happens when Michael gets involved.”

War: "Too bad for the cosmos, balancing things doesn't always leave things as peaceful as it might intend." War had a mixed relationship with people and creatures and the cosmos trying to restore balance to their universe. While peace was an annoying thing, it never really lasted. War did her best to make sure of that, and so did Aamon. It was actually pretty easy to turn balance into chaos, especially wherever hunters were involved. The cosmos might have thought it was restoring some kind of balance by reuniting those brothers in this universe,  but it only gave them the opportunity to use those hunters to create more chaos.

"It would be interesting to see them try though, but I know I'll just be disappointed in them in the end." She sighed. The battle would've been amazing to see. She wondered if another clash of the angels would've created something else like her or if she would've just felt a surge of power. It was something she would've been willing to test out, a goal she aimed to achieve. 

Nearly all of that was forgotten when Cupid and Belphegor had stepped into the picture. War wasn't afraid of either of them, but like Aamon, she felt the energy building up in Belphegor. The war inside of him had churned so much that it sparked a flame in his chest, something she'd never seen from that particular archangel. She hadn't been aware that it was even something he could do, but archangels were a particularly interesting species. Their emotions and thought didn't just show through their behavior and actions but through their bodies as well. It was why Belphegor had a hole in his chest in the first place. He felt empty inside, so an empty hole etched a void in his chest. The fire existing inside the void was interesting because the void still existed, implying that Belphegor still felt that pain but with a passion and anger that stemmed from the pain that caused the void.

After that fire had sparked, it wasn't really much of a surprise that Belphegor snapped. Belphegor had kept most of his emotions bottled up for centuries. He'd been depressed and pressed those emotions into himself and into that void of his. He'd cried but never really let those emotions besides sadness out. He had only ever let himself be sad, and everything else built up. Now, it was coming out. Maybe not all of it, but there was enough there that even a small percentage of it was massive.

War just hadn't expected it to come out like this at her. She held up her hands at the last second when she saw Belphegor's fist moving towards her, but he still had enough momentum in his punch to send her flying. War was almost impressed by the action, even as she collided with the ground hundreds of feet away from where they'd been standing. The pain it caused was divine and delicious. She always loved to get hurt a little. It was exhilarating and arousing, and it'd been a while since anyone had been able to cause her some damage. Now that she'd had a taste of that power from him, she wanted to see it more. She'd told Aamon that she would leave Belphegor unharmed, but she was reconsidering that now. She'd just have to wait for a time when Aamon wasn't around, so she could delve into the head of his little brother.

War got up, making her way back to the group, hearing just the last bit of what Aamon had to say. "Please, let's just let Michael get involved. Then, we'd have a real party here."

CUPID: She couldn’t help but chuckle at Bells joke about the crowns. Despite the overwhelming sadness that Bells carried within them, they were capable of bringing so much joy with their humor. Cupid rarely felt stunted or paralyzed by Bells void these days because she knew the heart that lay under its crushing weight was a good heart. Broken, yes, but not bad. Not like God had painted them to be. “I happen to think you’d look lovely in a crown,” she teased. Bells already knew what it was like to carry a heavy weight. They carried one on their chest for the past few millennia.

Cupid smiled as she elbowed him gently. “Getting up in the morning is sometimes the best we can do and that’s okay,” she replied earnestly. Cupid knew most people would consider her friend lazy and unproductive, but those people didn’t understand how hard it was to just wake up and face the day sometimes. Particularly when you are immortal. Besides, she was proud of the effort Belphegor had put into their appearance tonight. Not to mention, their spirits were up – it was almost like having the old Bells back for a night. The one she’d known before the war.

“Really,” she nodded, smiling as he put an arm around her. “Traveling the world just wasn’t the same without you.” She squeezed his hand gently. This was love. Bells might not understand it, but there was a difference between the fake gesture of love that Aamon and War were displaying, and the very real warmth Bells and Cupid felt when around each other. Cupid wasn’t sure Aamon ever felt such a feeling and honestly, it made her sad. God had sapped so much out of Aamon that all he felt these days was rage and anger and hate.

Over the centuries, Cupid had tried to break through Aamon’s cold demeanor, but all it ever did was fuel his rage even more. It was like he wanted to prove to her that he couldn’t love anything or anyone. She was starting to believe that to be true. His grip on her arm was ice cold, like the hands of a corpse, slowly dancing around her grace. Every so often, he extended his power and it felt like a dagger grazing at her heart. Cupid gasped in pain at first and then in surprise as Belphegor’s void erupted in an illuminating flame. She tried to cover her face as a nearby window exploded, but Aamon’s fingers remained wrapped tightly around her wrist, his ice cold magic immobilizing her. Cupid’s eyes widened as Bells hurled War across the pavement and turned his rage toward Aamon. With his wings expanded and the furious flame boiling over in his chest, Cupid could see murder in Belphegor’s eyes. What’s worse, she could feel pride swelling in Aamon’s heart. Cupid realized this was what the Demon Prince wanted all along. She was bait and he was dangling her right in front of Bells.

She felt Aamon’s grip on her loosen as Bell’s lower wings came protruding out and around her. Cupid gasped softly, clinging to Bells as Aamon let her go. She felt the chokehold on her grace loosen, but the lingering rage remained. It was like a poison and she knew she would be sick tonight as her grace tried to expel the poison out of her body, but she couldn’t think about that now. She shuddered as Aamon’s cold fingers brushed a stray hair off of her forehead. It was meant to look like a loving gesture except it was anything but that. Aamon was marking his territory. Letting her know that if he wanted to, he could destroy her before Belphegor or Michael had the chance to stop him. If she was going to die, she wasn’t going to do it cowering from him. Tonight would be the last night she would allow Aamon to ever lay a hand on her again.

Cupid straightened herself up the best she could, turning away from Aamon’s cold gaze to look up at Belphegor. Cupid stood on her tip toes, cupping Bell’s face and getting him to look at her, to see her. “We need to stop this,” the words came out hoarse and broken, like she’d spent hours screaming for help in a place devoid of all hope. She did not look at Aamon as she spoke her next words. “I am not afraid of Michael,” she lied. “But you should be.” She turned around to face Aamon again. She was trembling, but she felt safe surrounded by the protective cocoon of Belphegor’s wings. “Belphegor and I will go our separate ways if you and War do the same. You’ve had your fun for the night. Leave these people alone and we will leave you alone."

BELPHEGOR: He grinned. "I'll have to get one then," though it was only because she suggested it. He wondered if her seeing him in one would make her happier. He probably could've gone to some kids' store and buy a plastic one, but Belphegor was an inventor. He could forge his own. He could make one for her too. She always looked like the kind of person who would be royalty. He could see her as a princess, wearing her crown lightly as she still enjoyed the world, not yet weighed down by the responsibility of being a ruler making hard decisions, yet he could also see her as a queen. She would've been kind to her subjects, always looking out for their well-being and making sure they were safe and happy, but she would also be strong like a wall when she believed in something. Anyone who might've attacked her kingdom would've found themselves easily torn down. She would've done much better than Belphegor ever did in their own kingdom.

His smile softened. "You know I don't always get up in the morning either," he pointed out solemnly, growing quiet for a moment. "Sometimes I get up in the afternoon," he said, turning it into a joke that was also entirely true. He did often struggle to get up at all, especially when his void was bigger. He was lucky lately, that it wasn't as big. Around Cupid, it was always much smaller, but he also knew that some day, that void would consume him. When that happened, he wouldn't wake up at all, and more than likely, he would never wake up again. His void was deeper and darker than most people realized, but he was lucky to have people like Cupid around to keep the consequences of that void from catching up to him.

A blush spread across his face as she confirmed that she was both proud of him and had truly missed him. His void also shrunk down just a little. He never thought much of himself, but she gave him a little more confidence. "I could travel with you, if you wanted." He didn't know if Lucifer would allow it though.

If only they could've escaped from this before it had started. Belphegor didn't care if it was rude that he'd flung War so far. She didn't matter, and in the long run, Belphegor hadn't expelled that much energy to get rid of her presence. "It was rude of her to gang up on my friend," he pointed out. "Even if I didn't care about her, both of you teaming up on Cupid would've been overkill." Aamon alone was overkill for Cupid, but it was harder for Belphegor to be as tough on his family. They'd already been through enough, and Belphegor didn't want to fight his brother. 

Still, Belphegor was scared and angry, and his rage wasn't leaving him. He was still seeing what happened to Belgirel in his mind, and he couldn't come out of it. His past might not have been the only reason for that continued anger either. Belphegor was highly empathetic, and he was currently clutching onto Cupid whom Aamon had pushed his wrath into. Belphegor could feel it going through her, and he was subconsciously taking some of it into himself, unaware that he was actually doing it at all.

When Aamon touched her head, Belphegor touched the same spot once his hand was gone. "You don't need to make a point to her. I'm not just protecting her. If you're not careful, you'll get in trouble. These riots that you're causing . . ." Belphegor waved at the sleeping bodies. "I don't care about them, but you can't let it be so obvious that it's you causing them. War's a bad influence. She doesn't get consequences for doing things like this. You do. We do. Michael promised me that what happened with us being cast out wouldn't happen again, but you shouldn't take chances like this." I don't want to lose you too, he thought to himself.

He kept his eyes locked on Aamon, even as time returned back to normal, only looking down when Cupid took a hold of his face. He felt like he needed to keep his eyes on his brother, like he might do something if Bells looked away, but he allowed Cupid to tilt his head.

"No," he told her shaking his head. "I'm not scared of him anymore. He won't do anything to me," he assured her, though he looked at Aamon as he said that. Michael didn't have any reason to be upset with Belphegor here, but Aamon was a different circumstance. Aamon would've only provoked him more. He held onto Cupid's shoulders as she spoke, hoping that it expressed how much he was supporting her speaking up. "I'll get her out of here as soon as you two get out of here," Belphegor assured him.

Aamon: He watched as War took to his side again. She was seething. He knew Belphegor had hurt her pride and she wasn't going to let that go easily. He would have to talk her down after all of this was over. He supposed he could make it up to her by causing a riot elsewhere in town. There was no sense in wasting a perfectly good night. "If I do recall, Cupid did start this one," the Demon Prince remarked coolly as he held up one of Cupid's arrows for Belphegor to take. "Little angels shouldn't go picking fights they can't win," he smirked.

Although he was disgusted by the lengths Belphegor was going through to keep Cupid safe, his expression softened but for a moment when Bells voiced their concern that there would be consequences if Aamon continued down this path. "It's just a bit of fun, Bells. They're only humans," he shrugged. Going at Cupid was the closest Aamon had gotten to a direct attack on another celestial, but he hadn't killed her. She was in for an unpleasant night, sure, but she wasn't one to tell Michael what she'd done either. She was lying when she said she wasn't afraid of the Archangel. He had the power to banish her to cast her back to Heaven just as he'd cast his siblings out to Hell. "But it does look like this party is pretty dead now," he exhaled. All the would-be rioters were asleep now. By the time he could rile them up again, police would be on scene anyway. "Very well," he sighed and feigned defeat. "War and I will go our separate ways." He looped War's hand around his arm and patted it to reassure her he had other plans. He wasn't going to let her go home tonight without having a good time. He was a gentleman after all.

Before walking away, Aamon clasped Bells shoulder one more time and leaned in. "I do have to caution you though, Bells," he whispered. "Do not make the mistake of trusting Michael and his word. He is his Father's son. Just because the wolf is wearing sheep's clothes, it doesn't make him any less of a wolf." With that, he patted Bells on the back one more time and made his way across the street and out of view with War.

Michael: He'd been enjoying the gala and was watching Zatanna's performance when he felt a blast of celestial energy ripple through the gala. Those around him began to yawn and get drowsy despite being lively and uproarious only moments ago. Michael's eyes scanned the crowd looking for Belphegor, but he couldn't find him. He didn't see Cupid, Aamon, or War in the crowd either although he was sure he'd seen them not even a half hour ago in the bar. His eyes locked onto Lucifer's and he could see Lucifer sensed the same level of energy affecting the gala patrons. Michael excused himself from his table and made his way toward the exit. He needed to see what the hell was going on out there.

WAR: War knew that it didn't matter who started what, though it did help defend their own case. If Michael or one of the other archangels asked about, it wasn't really their fault for responding to such an attack. Of course, it was their word against Cupids, and they all knew the angels would believe one of their own before they believed her or Aamon. They probably wouldn't have even believed little Bells compared to Cupid, but he probably would've just gone along with what she said anyways. Belphegor had always been a follower. He could invent things all he wanted, but when it came to taking action, he was always just playing a game of follow-the-leader.

It didn't last for any more than a second, but War saw it. It wasn't the hardened exterior full of rage and violence that War was used to seeing. Aamon looked at Belphegor softly in a way that she hadn't seen before. Belphegor was his soft spot. If there had been any doubt before about what she needed to do, it was squashed out now. Obviously, Aamon wouldn't be happy with her if he found out, but she would've been doing it for his own good. He needed to get rid of that kind of weakness anyways. Confronting Belphegor didn't mean she'd hurt him anyways either. She just hoped it'd change Belphegor's mind about trying to get in their way. Belphegor didn't need to be the good guy he wanted to be for the angels. They never would've trusted him or liked him anyways. Someone needed to remind him of that, and who would be so honest with him besides her?

She focused back on the conversation at hand, along with her hand on Aamon's arm. It was easy to take the clue there. They weren't done tonight. They left together. They'd have a lot more fun tonight, and the rest of this would hopefully be forgotten.

CUPID: “I could make you one!” she grinned. She loved crafting, sketching, and designing almost as much as Bells loved inventing. It was something they could do together to get Bells out of a funk maybe. “It can be a flower crown.” She was already picturing a daisy chain or maybe something more ornate for Bells. She might be able to get Zatanna to spell it so that the flowers never wilt. Something even the fires of hell couldn’t ruin. Maybe a flower crown would help Bells remember Cupid on their trips back to hell. Cupid wasn’t allowed there, and she found she missed Bells when they left. She sometimes pictured what it would be like to visit hell with Bells, but based on their stories, Bells preferred Earth. Or, rather, they preferred to be where Cupid was, although, they didn’t seem to catch onto the correlation.

Cupid could see Bells was trying to turn the fact that sometimes they struggled to get out of bed because of their depression into something humorous. “It’s morning somewhere,” she winked. She knew for Bells jokes tended to be a coping mechanism. A sort of gallows humor to keep the void at bay. Cupid didn’t like to think about the void. She couldn’t hear it like Charlie could, but she knew what it was. She knew what it wanted and would happen if it consumed Belphegor. Bells didn’t seem to understand, but that didn’t matter. Cupid wasn’t going to let the void get what it wanted. “We’ll have to plan a trip,” she grinned. She was sure Lucifer would give her some leeway when it came to taking Bells away from their kingdom. Lucifer was also aware of what the Void really was and if a vacation helped diminish the void’s hold over Bells, she was sure Lucifer would agree to it. “Somewhere warm and sunny like Greece or Egypt. Oh! Or maybe one of the other afterlife realms.”

All thoughts of an escape disappeared as she watched the back and forth between Aamon, War, and Belphegor. She knew what Bells was saying was true. Belphegor wasn’t protecting just Cupid in this matter. He was trying to keep Aamon safe too. Killing Cupid was a sure fire way to piss off both Lucifer and Michael. Aamon was being careless, but it appeared to Cupid that Aamon didn’t care how brash he was being. He wanted the others to notice him and that frightened her. What did he have planned? She didn’t believe, not even for a second, that Aamon and War would stop their games tonight, but she didn’t have the energy to fight him on it. Even with Belphegor taking some of Aamon’s powers into himself, Cupid could still feel the inky coldness of wrath and rage around her grace. She would spend the night expelling it from her body and she knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant. But at least they would be able to get Aamon and War away from this crowd. Lucifer, Michael, and the others deserved a night where they didn’t have to deal with supernatural fallout. Whatever fun Aamon was planning, he could do it far from here.

Cupid’s brows furrowed as Aamon leaned in to give Belphegor one final warning about Michael. Aamon was a master manipulator and although Cupid was in too much pain to figure out what his game was tonight, she knew spreading doubt was part of it. She balled her hands into fists as she watched the Demon Prince walk away with War at his side. “I know that he is your brother but—” she shook her head. “So is Michael. And for what it’s worth, Michael is trying to be better than Father.”

LUCIFER: He’d felt the wave of energy hit him like a ton of brinks during the magician’s performance. Lucifer quickly scanned the crowd, noting that neither Belphegor, Aamon, or Cupid were among the throngs of people watching the show. Lucifer locked eyes with Michael and knew in that moment that his brother sensed it too. Whatever it was, Lucifer knew it involved his other siblings and he did not need Michael to handle it. Michael had proven how heavy handed he could be in combat and although he claimed to have turned over a new leaf, Lucifer didn’t buy it. The devil had lost enough siblings without having to lose two more to Michael’s fierceness. Lucifer excused himself from his table and made his way out of the gala. Across the street he could see a crowd was gathered. A game had been playing at the stadium tonight, maybe they were on their way home? A closer examination showed that the crowd wasn’t moving, they were in some kind of stupor…asleep, maybe? He knew that had to be Belphegor’s doing, no doubt. But why? Lucifer scanned the crowd, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of either of his siblings in the crowd.

CUPID: Cupid glanced across the street as Aamon and War finally disappeared from view. She could see in the distance two figures coming out of the gala hall. One she could make out as Michael purely based on his size and the other she figured was Lucifer. “Come on,” she whispered to Bells. Her voice was hoarse and dry. “We better get out of here.” She didn’t want Bells to get in trouble by either Michael or Lucifer. She knew how important it was for them to have their family stick together and Bells had made it clear that he thought this would create a divide between the angels and demons even further if they found out. Cupid wanted to be brave and she wanted to be strong, so, she took a step forward to try to aid in their getaway. He legs were shaky and her footing wobbly. Cupid grabbed onto Belphegor’s shoulder for support. “I dunno if I can make it out before they cross the street to get a better look. Can you fly us home?” she asked.

BELPHEGOR: “And I could make one for you too!” he offered her. He felt like it would be nice for them to make crowns for each other. “I’d like that.” He nodded. It sounded cute. “What flowers would you use?” Belphegor didn’t have much of a preference on different kinds of flowers, but he trusted Cupid’s judgement on them.

“I think I like that version better than the one about alcohol.” He laughed. He didn’t entirely understand the whole thing about alcohol and it being five o’clock somewhere, but maybe that was just because he never needed it to be any specific time to drink alcohol. If anything, it just depended on their mental state. They drank a lot when they were sad, but they avoided the stuff entirely when they were trying to stay happier. “I’d love to go on a trip with you!” he said excitedly. “It doesn’t really matter where it is.” He shrugged. He was sure that wherever Cupid would want to go would be great, and it wasn’t just because he could be comfortable just about anywhere.

Except here apparently. This whole situation was too anxiety-inducing to be comfortable.

“And I’m stopping it,” Belphegor responded to Aamon. It didn’t really matter who started it. Aamon had a history of these kinds of things, and he would be blamed for it no matter what if it didn’t stop before it got out of hand. “I know that it’s just fun for you, but you know that the others won’t see it like that.” Belphegor didn’t care about the humans. Live or die, there were plenty more of where they came from. Cupid, on the other hand, was one of a kind. If Cupid hadn’t been involved, Belphegor probably wouldn’t have done anything to stop him, but she was here. It was important to protect her.

Belphegor let out a sigh of relief when Aamon agreed to leave with War. He wouldn’t have to lose his brother this time.

As Aamon leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear, Belphegor stood rigidly. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He didn’t have intentions of actually doing that, but already, the thoughts were sticking in his head, sowing the seeds of doubt. Once he was gone, he looked back at Cupid. “I know he is.” He smiled softly at her. He believed her for the most part. He’d seen Michael make an effort to apologize. He’d promised that he wouldn’t cause a war between them again and that he regretted what had happened in the war. “That’s how I know he won’t try to start any kind of fight from this.” Belphegor had it handled anyways. They didn’t need Michael or even Lucifer to intervene.

Speaking of the Devil, Belphegor followed Cupid’s gaze over to the gala. It wasn’t hard to guess who those two figures in the distance were, but he wasn’t overly concerned by them at the moment. He was more focused on the way Cupid’s voice sounded strained and the way she wobbled when she tried to walk. Belphegor did his best to support her so she didn’t fall. “I got you,” he told her. “Only one of us is supposed to be a fallen angel, and I’m pretty sure that’s me.” He joked. He picked her up, carrying her bridal style. Belphegor didn’t often fly. They didn’t care for it that much unless they needed to go a long distance, but Cupid looked like she needed to be carried like this. Even if Michael and Lucifer weren’t going to come over here, he would’ve carried. “Hold on tight, okay?” he whispered. He crouched down for a second before flying off into the air with her in his arms. “Home it is.”

[hallowedmuses]

discord: the wrath of belphegor

SUMMARY: Belphegor struggles to manage the influence of Aamon and Levi’s grace at Zatanna’s birthday party. Aamon steps in to help them calm down while Beelzebub and Dagon keep Cupid from making things worse. TRIGGERS: Violence, Aamon’s disappointed with the general state of everything, sex jokes, the usual mental health culprits WRITTEN WITH: @zztophat, @ofwarriors, @ofcupidslove, @ofhellsbells, @ofbrokenhalos (Aamon, Andras), @offallenfeathers (Beelzebub, Ouelette)

DAGON: She usually wasn't a fan of parties but at least fewer people were lying to her face at these functions now. Granted, that didn't mean she was relaxed and she could tell she wasn't the only one on edge. Belphegor now carried a total of seven Archangel graces if you included their own. It was becoming more and more difficult to manage the effects of everything they were picking up on. They were hungrier and greedier but also more irritable, jealous, prideful, and horny. The latest grace they'd taken in was Aamon's and it showed. Over the past few days, Belphegor's rage was slowly escalating to a point that frightened Dagon. The small petty things that Bells would usually turn a blind eye to were now all atomic triggers. She'd been down this road before and she'd lost a good friend to his own short fuse. She wasn't willing to travel that path again. Maybe she was overreacting, maybe she wasn't but she needed to talk to Aamon. There was no one who understood the dangers of uncontrolled rage quite like wrath himself.

She visually scanned the room until she located him sitting at the bar. Dagon slipped quietly through the crowd before coming up to greet him. "Hey," she smiled though it was a tired smile. "Do you have a minute?" she asked. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

AAMON: He glanced up from his drink at the sound of the familiar voice. "Hey," he greeted her with a kiss to the side of her cheek. She looked tired and he figured she was here to tell him goodnight before she left for home or maybe for the sea. It was a nice enough night to go swimming. But then she asked if he had some time to talk. The concern that edged her voice was easy enough to pick up on. "Yeah, I have the time," he replied. He tapped on the bar to get the bartenders attention before ordering two additional drinks. He picked the drinks up and motioned for her to follow him to one of the tables that was further away from the crowd. As they moved along, Aamon could feel Michael's eyes on him which wasn't anything new. His older brother had been keeping tabs of his whereabouts all night, not that Aamon had moved much. He set the drinks down and pulled out a chair for Dagon before sitting down across from her. "Is everything okay?"

DAGON & ZATANNA: She smiled softly and her shoulders eased as he greeted her. He always made time for her and she appreciated that more than he knew. She followed him away from the crowded bar. As they walked, her snakes scanned the room once more. They made direct eye contact with Michael before withdrawing underneath locks of dark hair where they could more covertly watch him. They didn't always make themselves visible but they were always poised to strike. She took the seat that Aamon had pulled for her and thanked him for the drink. "Yes and no," she sighed before leaning in. "I'm worried about Bells. These graces are a lot for them and honestly for people around them too. They've been escalating things a lot more than usual lately and I'm just worried that they'll escalate shit with the wrong person..." she glanced briefly in Michael's direction before looking back at Aamon.

Zatanna followed Michael's eyes as she set a drink down in front of him. He was observing Aamon and Dagon talking in the distance. Zee had gotten to know the two the past few months, not well on account of the fact that both Dagon and Aamon were the quiet observant types but at least they both felt more approachable these days. As part of an agreement she'd made with Bells, Dagon often came into the shop to look at the tablets. She was trying to find a way out of the final trial. While she was there, they'd made small talk. Zee knew she was an empath and healer like Raphael. She grew up as part of Belphegor's regiment and after the war, she led their kingdom for a while. Zee had inquired about the snakes in her hair once and Dagon had told her about that form and how it came to be. Still, Zee had a lot of questions. "So, what's the story there?" she asked as she sat down beside Michael and took her own drink in hand. "Your brother's not exactly soft with a lot of people, but he's always a little softer around her. Did they date or something?"

AAMON: "You're always worried about Bells," he smiled gently. It was her default mode to worry about them, not that he blamed her. It was why he trusted her. Void or not, she genuinely cared about Bells. He nodded when she said that the graces were a lot for Belphegor and those around them. Although Aamon had a lot more freedom to move about these days, he wasn't with Belphegor as often as she was. He knew Bells was having some struggles here and there but they were handling the graces better than most people would have. Still, he did not dismiss Dagon's concerns. His own grace was a heavy one. It was the last of their fallen siblings graces for a reason. Wrath, when left uncontrolled, was deadly. And Belphegor themself wasn't always in control of the reigns of their thoughts and actions. The Void could very easily egg them into something they couldn't handle. "What have they done so far?"

MICHAEL: He glanced up at Zee as she set the drinks down. His eyes followed hers to Aamon and Dagon where he'd caught a glimpse of Dagon's snakes staring at him before they retreated. He knew they were still there watching him just as he was watching them. He took his drink and redirected his attention to Zatanna, chuckling when she asked if Dagon and Aamon had dated. "Not to my knowledge. But she and Beel did for a while. Admittedly, I don't know much about Dagon." He hadn't exactly been attentive to the kind of company his siblings kept back in the day. "You know the basics. As for how she became a soft spot for Aamon, I think that was Gears doing. She and Gears had some sort of informal agreement to look after each others twin and I think that sort of morphed into one of Belgirel's few genuine friendships." With time, Michael had learned that Belgirel actually had very few genuine connections. "Those bonds just got stronger during the war and when Gears died, Aamon continued to look out for her while she looked out for Bells."

DAGON: She gave him a look when he told her she was always worried about Bells. It was like the pot calling the kettle black because he was too. "There's a lot to worry about these days," she pointed out. She sighed deeply when he asked her what Belphegor had gotten up to lately. "It was small stuff up until Levi's grace. That's when it really started escalating. And then the addition of your grace made violence their default response to jealousy. They were grocery shopping with Cupid and someone was looking at her a little too long with dirty thoughts in their head so Bells got jealous and knocked a shelf over onto the person. They're not allowed to shop there anymore. A similar incident happened with Diligence too. I was able to heal him while Cupid talked Bells down and I made him swear not to tell Heaven." Actually, she threatened to feed him to a Kracken if he ever spoke of it but that was beside the point. "They've been snippy with Chastity too over her relationship with Cupid. And then with me over the fact that I still have my twin. We've managed to work through some of those feelings in therapy." They were okay with her and Chastity now.

"And then there's Andras," she sighed. She knew Aamon didn't care much for her brother, but she hoped he cared enough about her to pretend right now. "I don't know if he's just not understanding the danger of poking at Bells right now or if he just has this unwavering trust in their ability to control themself like he did with Gears, but he keeps pushing their buttons. I'm worried that one or both of them will take it too far." She couldn't stop Bells if they came at her twin. "And I'm worried its not just going to stop with Andras, me, and the virtues... Belphegor still had some residual anger left from being lied to..." Dagon was worried that anger might pop off at one of them, Michael in particular, tonight.

ZATANNA: She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Dagon and then at Beel across the room when Michael mentioned the two dated. She hadn't expected that. "And what's the story there?" she asked as she took a sip from her drink. This wasn't gossip, she told herself. This was research. Michael's family was extensive and ancient. She was always learning something new about them. She smiled when Michael mentioned that Aamon's closeness to Dagon likely came from his relationship with Gears. That tracked with everything she'd heard about Gears being Aamon's shadow. It did surprise her thought that Aamon had attached to Dagon and not Cupid whom Zatanna had always assumed was one of Belgirel's closest friends. Aamon seemed tolerate Cupid at best. "So, he's kind of like her dad then?" Zee surmised. It sounded a lot like that though she wasn't sure Aamon would appreciate the description but a spade was a spade. His actions spoke for themself.

AAMON: "You're right, there is a lot," he agreed. He sat back and listened as she described all the things Belphegor had gotten up to since inheriting his and Levi's grace. The grocery store incident felt small in the grand scheme of things. "In a few decades, the store managers will be dead and the incident will be forgotten," he assured her. Aamon had done worse throughout the years. "Though they should probably stick to online shopping for now." The fight with Diligence was slightly more concerning. Diligence was a specialty angel and if Belphegor had killed him that could potentially qualify as a treaty breaking event. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. You know you can call me for back up next time. Do you think he'll keep his mouth shut?" If they did escalate to that kind of violence, Aamon would help them cover up the end results for as long as he could, but he was starting to see Dagon's point. In the middle of all of this, the last thing they needed was Belphegor killing someone in Heaven's inner circle.

His features shifted to slight annoyance when Dagon brought up the fact that her twin was also antagonizing Belphegor. Aamon didn't know why it was so hard for Andras to grasp that Bells was not operating under normal circumstances. What they might usually brush off was a much bigger deal now that they were under the influence of several volatile graces they didn't know how to control. Still, Aamon fixed his face for Dagon's sake. His feelings about Andras were irrelevant because at the end of the day he wasn't going to let anything happen to Andras. He knew it would destroy Dagon if something did happen to him. She was right that the risk of one or both of them escalating things was high.

He glanced over at Michael when Dagon brought up the fact that Bells still carried a lot of anger over being lied to. He flashed back briefly to the war, remembering how one snide comment from Uriel had set Belgirel down a slippery path right into death. There was a sizable chance that one comment from any of their siblings would send Belphegor down the same path. At the moment, Aamon wasn't sure how he felt about Michael. He didn't think Michael would react to Belphegor's attempts to fight him because of the risk of setting off the Void, but at the same time he wasn't ready to give his older brother the benefit of the doubt either. "I'll talk to Bells after the party." He'd at least let them enjoy tonight. "And I'll make sure that doesn't happen," he promised. "Now, will you do me a favor and just try to enjoy the rest of the night?"

MICHAEL: He chuckled when Zee asked him what the story was between Beel and Dagon. "The details are fuzzy on my end unfortunately." He didn't really know the play-by-play of how it happened, but he was sure Cupid and Asmo did. "My understanding is they ran a few support groups together after Dagon was assaulted and they bonded through that." There was more to the story, but that wasn't Michael's to tell. "I'm not sure why they broke up," he admitted. By all accounts they remained close friends so Michael assumed the end of their relationship had been a mutual decision, but he couldn't say for sure what precipitated it.

He nearly choked on his drink when Zee surmised from the information he'd given her that Aamon was like a father to Dagon. It wasn't a wrong assessment given what Michael had seen over the years. "He's started wars with the Greek pantheon in her defense so I guess you could say that, just not to his face," he chuckled. "Her presence at least makes him a more tolerable individual. And on that note," he glanced at his empty cup. "I think I need another drink and maybe another dance." He stood up and offered his hand to her. "Come on. This night is about celebrating you." He had plans for them for later tonight. Mainly they were plans to propose to her. He'd been trying to pop the question for about a year now, but things kept going sideways. That was why he'd been observing Aamon intensely all night. He needed things to go right for once. "You swore you'd enjoy the rest of the night so let's make it enjoyable, yeah?" he grinned as he pulled her toward the dancefloor and away from the watchful eyes of his brother and Dagon.

ZATANNA: She nodded along as Michael told her about Beel and Dagon. "Food is pretty healing," she agreed as she stared back and forth between them. She was glad they'd had each other for a stretch of time. "I wonder who was bent out of shape more about the break up: Dagon or Cupid." Cupid was always harping on about how most of the Archangels never wanted to settle down. That was changing more and more lately but Zatanna imagined Cupid didn't take it well at the time.

She grinned at Michael's reaction and his answer. Somehow it made Aamon feel more approachable though she knew Michael would warn her not to let her guard down around his brother. He was probably right. "I'll be sure to let her know the next time she's in my shop," Zee grinned. Making Aamon tolerable in Michael's eyes seemed like a pretty high compliment to give someone. She took his hand, smiling brightly as he pulled her up. Learning about his family was her favorite kind of research and whether he wanted to admit it or not, he liked talking about them too. "I always enjoy myself when you're around," she replied and she kissed him lightly. She allowed him to pull her away into the crowd and a moment later they disappeared among the mass of dancing bodies.

DAGON: She nodded in agreement when he remarked that perhaps Bells ought to stick to online shopping for the time being. "They can only avoid people and crowded spaces for so long," she pointed out. "We're working on dealing with their jealousy triggers in therapy but we really don't know what triggers them until it happens." Thankfully she and Bells were good problem solvers together. Although most of the incidences thus far were minor, the two of them were able to dig deeper and figure out a lot of root causes for the outbursts. It reminded her a little of herself after her assault. Her snakes were so hypervigilant in those days and they'd hurt so many people. She didn't like the person she was during those days and she could see Bells grappling with that same feeling now. She hoped she'd be able to walk them through it.

She nodded when Aamon told her she could call him in for back up next time. "I know and I would have if it had escalated any further," she promised. "And Dil will keep his mouth shut unless he wants to be fed to the Kracken. I healed him so its no harm, no foul but I made it clear there would be plenty of harm to come if he snitched." She was pretty sure Diligence got the point.

Despite his flat affect, she could feel the annoyance radiating off of Aamon as the topic moved to Andras, but she appreciated the fact that he didn't dismiss her worries about her brother. More interesting emotions came up when she brought up her concerns about Bells wrath not stopping there. She felt a flicker of grief from Aamon and knew where his mind had taken him to. Immediately, she felt regretful for having evoked the memory of that battle but that was where he mind was at constantly these days too.

The emotion was gone and replaced by a resolute calmness almost as quickly as it had appeared. Her shoulders eased slightly when he replied that he would talk to Belphegor after the party. "Thank you." Belphegor was acting more and more like Gears these days. And what Gears usually needed the most when he was going off the rails were these kinds of talks from Aamon. She hoped the same would hold true for Belphegor. She laughed when he made his request in return. "That seems like a tall--" she inhaled deeply as she felt a wave of anger not from Aamon but from the hallway to their left. She looked up at Aamon but he was already on his feet and pushing past the crowd. She stood up and urgently followed in his path, bracing herself for the worst.

As they entered the hallway they were met with a grizzly sight. On the ground lay one of the demonic kitchen staff and standing over them was Belphegor. They were vigorously dealing blow after blow to the demon's face and chest. Blood splattered across their suit and colored their hands. Dagon wasn't sure what set Belphegor off until she saw Cupid just over their shoulder. The angel was in panic mode. She was begging Belphegor to stop but they weren't hearing her. All Dagon could feel radiating off of them was rage and blood lust.

There was no way for Cupid to get through to them when they were like this. Still, that didn't stop Cupid. The angel stepped forward, ready to grab Bell's shoulder and pull them off the person. Before she could move any further, Dagon's snakes barreled at her. They wrapped themselves around Cupid's wrist and waist and roughly tugged her away from Belphegor. They pinned Cupid against the wall behind Dagon and held her firmly there. Dagon made no apologies for their roughness. She was trying to clear a path for Aamon so that he could grab Bells. The last person that got in the way of Aamon and another one of his siblings was Belgirel and they didn't need a repeat of that.

BELPHEGOR: Belphegor had always wished they were more like Raphael and Dagon, able to feel and understand all the emotions around them. Comparatively, Belphegor had struggled to understand basic concepts and social cues. It left them feeling isolated and confused and stupid for not being able to figure those things out. There was still a lot they struggled with, but the grace transfers had given the opportunity to understand certain feelings more and also just feel when people around them felt them. It didn't extend to the full spectrum of emotions. They weren't a full empath like Dagon or Raphael. It only extended to the sins: pride, gluttony, lust, envy, greed, wrath, and of course, their own sin of sloth. Even when their level of empathy was limited to just those sins, it was a lot for them to be feeling when they'd only allowed themself a week to get used to each one. It was overwhelming. Their emotions changed sporadically and were highly influenced by whoever was around them or by whatever was going on around them, and wrath was even harder to control than the others.

For most of the night, they'd contained themself. Belphegor was having a good time at the party, playing with the remote that Lucifer had recommended they use. They'd only gone to get Cupid and them some more drinks, but when they'd gotten back, one of the food servers was talking to Cupid. More specifically, he was flirting with her. The demon was clearly drunk and radiating lust, not listening to Cupid's attempts to tell him that she wasn't interested. Belphegor was already seeing red, but when he placed a hand on her hip, it was over him.

Belphegor teleported across the room. They snapped the demon's wrist away from Cupid. "She told you no," they hissed, throwing him by his wrist into the wall of cabinets at the bar. Wood splintered and glass shattered, falling along with the demon into the ground, but Belphegor didn't stop there. They couldn't, especially when the demon got back up and was pissed for being attacked like that.

"What the hell, man?! What's your damage?" He shook off the glass and wood and started coming back at Belphegor to fight back. They could feel his anger, and it amplified their own.

The difference between them was that his wrath faded once he realized who he had pissed off, replaced by fear. Belphegor's didn't. "Don't you ever touch my girlfriend like that!" They picked him up by his throat and slammed him back down into the ground. The floor buckled underneath him, and the look of terror in his eyes didn't stop Belphegor. They sat down on his chest and started beating his face to a bloody pulp. Nothing else felt like it existed besides this need to make him pay. "I'm going to kill you," they told the demon. They were already close to doing it. They were covered in the demon's blood already. It covered their fists, face, and suit. They looked like a Jackson Pollock made of blood.

AAMON: "They're going through a rough time right now," he agreed. "But they'll get through it. You're good at what you do and I know you two will figure out a method of control that works for them," he assured her and he meant it. There wasn't anyone else that he trusted to do this kind of work with his sibling. He gave a lowly chuckle, pride blooming in his chest, as she assured him that Diligence would keep his mouth shut. Atta girl. "Perhaps you should feed him to the Kraken anyway," he grinned. He was glad to see her ease up a little bit when he agreed he'd talk to Belphegor about their escalating behavior. These talks were familiar to Aamon. He'd had several with Gears before, sometimes unprompted and other times at Dagon's behest. They seemed to work on Gears at least for a little while. Hopefully they'd work on Belphegor too.

Unfortunately, it would appear that neither of them would be enjoying the party tonight. As soon as he felt the rush of rage from the hallway he was on his feet. The feeling was strong and unwavering but it wasn't coming from him. He knew at this moment that level of power could only come from one other source. He quickly made his way through the crowd hoping he could get to Belphegor before Michael or one of the others was alerted.

As they entered the room, Belphegor looked like how Aamon usually looked after he was done torturing someone. Blood was splattered all over their face and clothing. Aamon had heard them yelling at the demon just before he'd rounded the corner into the room. It was something about not touching their girlfriend. Did the demon deserve this? Aamon had half a thought to let it continue, but he knew he couldn't. They needed to be stopped. It appeared Cupid had the same idea. She was standing over Bells and getting ready to pull them off of the demon, but thankfully Dagon's snakes got to her first.

As Dagon pulled Cupid away from the scene, Aamon rushed toward it. He quickly grabbed Belphegor and pulled them off the demon. "That's enough, Bells!" he told them as he pinned their arms behind their back. They were still kicking with their feet and trying to push off of Aamon so they could return to their fight but Aamon was stronger. He backward walked them toward the industrial kitchen. He knocked the door open and threw Belphegor into the room. They landed roughly on one of the countertops before falling over onto the floor. The kitchen staff around them looked terrified at both the abrupt entrance and at Belphegor's appearance. They quickly fled the scene leaving just Aamon and Bells in the room. "That..." he approached Bells, holding out his hand to help them up. "is enough."

DAGON & CUPID: The snakes hidden in Dagon's hair lightened to a more pastel pink color when Aamon paid her the compliment. She sat up a little straighter, not even realizing that was a boost of confidence that she needed. She'd been questioning herself and her ability to help Bells through this for some time, but it felt good to have Aamon's approval. She could feel the pride radiating off of him when she recalled the threats she issued to Diligence. He didn't like being compared to her twin but generally they both liked it when she got a little aggressive. The difference was Aamon tried not to be the cause of her aggression whereas Andras did. "I'm sure Bells wishes I would," she grinned back.

The mood changed quickly when the two of them were faced with the destruction that Belphegor's wrath had caused. Dagon watched as Aamon roughly pulled Bells off the demon. The demons face was so badly caved in Dagon couldn't identify him. She imagined he was one of Beel's, most of the kitchen staff were. While Belphegor struggled against Aamon, Cupid was struggling against Dagon's snakes. She was trying to free herself so that she could run after Aamon and Bells as Aamon tossed them into the kitchen.

"LET GO!" Cupid yelled at Dagon, but Dagon paid no attention to her. Cupid had no idea how things had gone so sideways. One moment Belphegor was out getting drinks for them and the next moment they were bashing in the skull of the server who admittedly had crossed a boundary. Cupid was used to handling those kinds of things on her own and hadn't expected a rescue, let alone...this. It was excessive and violent and a little sexy but not at all like Bells. She thought she could handle it on her own but then Dagon and Aamon appeared. Now, she was struggling against Dagon's snakes while Aamon dragged Belphegor out of view. What was he going to do to them? They both seemed pretty pissed off.

Cupid continued to fight against Dagon's snakes as demons filed out of the kitchen. Every time she managed to get her arm out from under one of them, another coiled around her. "UGH!" she yelled in frustration, her eyes shooting daggers at Dagon. "Why are you so fucking controlling? LET. GO."

Dagon did her best to ignore Cupid. Neither of them were strong enough to deal with Belphegor in their current state. It was best to leave that to Aamon. Cupid's attempts to help would likely only result in her or someone else getting hurt. In fact, someone already was hurt. Dagon's snakes kept Cupid firmly in place as Dagon approached the demon Belphegor was wailing on. His breathing was shallow. He had several broken ribs and his face was unrecognizable, but he was alive. Dagon could salvage the situation and save his life, mostly for Belphegor's sake. She knew they would snap out of this murderous rage in a little bit and if this individual died they'd be swimming in that regret.

"This is going to hurt," Dagon warned him. She placed her hands over his chest and they began to emit a gentle white light. The demon began screaming loudly and cracks could be heard from inside his chest as bones broke, re-arranged themselves, and regrew back into place. Healing was akin to torture sometimes.

With Dagon distracted, Cupid took her one and only chance. She managed to free her hand long enough to poke one of the snakes in the eye and kick another. Their grip on her loosened enough that she was able to break free. This broke Dagon's concentration and she ripped her hands away from the demon mid-healing. "Cupid!" she whirled around to grab the angel again but just then Cupid ran face first into Beelzebub's chest. She flew backwards a little and lost her balance but Dagon's snakes caught her and pulled her up before she tumbled completely.

"For fucks sake!" she pushed the snakes away. Her pleading eyes turned to look at Beel. "Please, come on, just let me through!"

BELPHEGOR & BEELZEBUB: Belphegor was still stuck in the fight even as Aamon pulled them off the demon who was struggling to breathe. Even if he had tried to form some sort of apology, it wouldn't have come out coherently when he'd sustained so many injuries. Belphegor gave him another swift kick to the groin before Aamon could get them away, and they struggled against him even then, yelling obscenities and death threats at the demon.

Beelzebub was taking a break in the kitchen when Aamon threw Belphegor into the room. Despite the fact that they were covered in blood, they seemed more frustrated and angry than in any sort of pain by Aamon’s roughness. Beelzebub's demons were scared by the sight and started rushing out of the kitchen, but he directed them to the exits in an orderly fashion. He turned off all the appliances and started leaving the room himself as Belphegor got up.

"Why did you stop me?!" Belphegor snapped at Aamon, smacking his hand away from them. They didn't want his help. "He touched her! She told him to back off, and he didn't. He deserves to be ripped apart." They started to try to go back after the demon, but Beelzebub intercepted them.

It wasn't hard for him to piece together what was going on, but it seemed like Aamon needed some time alone to talk to Belphegor. He made a phone hand signal to Aamon to let him know to call him once he was done, and then he warded the door from the outside, so Belphegor couldn't just leave to go after the demon again.

Things outside the kitchen were just as hectic. He didn't have to walk far down the hall to hear Cupid's screaming along with one of his demons. He frowned as she ran into him. "Are you okay?" He asked her as Dagon caught her. It wasn't just her crashing into him that had him concerned. "I'm not going to let you in there just yet. Belphegor needs to calm down and talk to Aamon first. I know you want to help them and be there for them, but you'll help them more by staying out here. They're too angry right now, and Aamon is an expert on handling anger. He'll help them. I promise. In the meantime, can you talk to me and explain what happened here. I heard Belphegor saying someone touched you. Are you okay? Did he hurt you or touch you inappropriately?" Beelzebub glanced over at the demon Dagon was healing. He couldn't recognize him, but he was pretty sure he was one of the newer demons. The fallen knew better.

AAMON: He nodded to Beelzebub as his brother left the area and warded them into place so Bells couldn't get out. He didn't react when Belphegor snapped at him. Instead, he allowed them to get up on their own terms. They were still fuming, but Aamon remained calm. He knew that if he got elevated, Belphegor would just pick up on that and things would spiral. "Like the guy at the grocery store deserved it? Or like Diligence?" he asked. "You've been picking a lot of fights lately. I don't blame you. That one may have deserved it, but your actions were excessive. I've seen Cupid chop down men like trees on her own. She hardly needed you to do it for her. You've been escalating a lot lately, Bells," he pointed out to them. "You're scaring Dagon...Cupid...me. And whether you want to admit or not, you're scaring yourself too. I know you don't want to be like this."

DAGON & CUPID: "I'm fine," Cupid replied as she straightened up. Dagon made eye contact with Beel and gave him a look that conveyed something along the lines of she is, in fact, not fine. The look also said actually, she's about to start crying in 3, 2, 1... and just like that Cupid was crying. Not because she was hurt or because of anything the demon did but because she was overwhelmed and Beel wasn't letting her through. "I'd hardly call him an expert. Bells is just gonna think he's being hypocritical cause he's done worse than this," she pointed out as she wiped away her tears.

Cupid shook her head when Beel asked if she was hurt. Really, she wasn't. She was just concerned, mostly for Bells. She took a deep breath when Beel asked her if she could explain what happened.  "Bells was just going to get us drinks and this demon came up to talk to me. He started flirting and I turned down his advances." People projected their concept of love onto her a lot so it wasn't an uncommon thing for her to experience. "He put a hand on my hip, I think he was trying to be sexy and whisper his phone number to me or something but then Bells just came out of nowhere and began tearing him apart."

With Beelzebub keeping Cupid out of the room, Dagon turned her attention back to the demon. He was gurgling blood and appeared to be in even more pain given that she'd stopped healing him halfway through thanks to Cupid. Dagon placed her hand back on his chest and continued to work. His chest took shape again as the bones regrew, but he was still struggling to breath. She moved her hand from his chest to his face where those features began to break, reform, and regrow. It was like watching a balloon inflate as his features took their natural shape again.

When she was done, he leaned to the side and cough out the blood that had filled his lungs. Finally, he was able to breathe again. He looked admirably at Dagon the same way that some of the sacrificial virgins Beel used to rescue looked at him back in the day. "Absolutely not," Dagon replied, dashing his hopes immediately. She stood up and wiped the blood from her hands onto her dress. "You're going back to hell. The last thing I need is them seeing your face and getting retriggered when they walk out of that room. I won't be healing you a second time." She opened a portal to hell underneath him and watched it swallow him up as it closed.

With the demon handled, Dagon made her way back over to Beel and Cupid. "Bells has been escalating a lot lately," she explained. She spared the details but it was clear this wasn't the first situation of its kind that she'd cleaned up. And Cupid couldn't really disagree with her either. "I was talking to Aamon about it earlier. We're both concerned it's going to be a Belgirel situation sooner or later." She didn't really need to explain to either Cupid or Beel what that meant. "He said he was going to talk to them after the party but now is as good a time as any. I've seen this work, Cue. You have to trust the process."

Cupid looked at Dagon and then at Beel before sighing. It was clear she wasn't getting past either of them. She stepped back and leaned against the wall. She was admitting defeat for now but Dagon knew the argument would pick back up again once Cupid got tired of waiting. For now, Cupid simply leaned against the wall and averted her gaze from both of them.

"Ugh!" They groaned, slamming their fist against the door after Beel had shut it and warded them in here. "You asshole!" They shouted after him, getting no response. They'd get back at him for that.

Stuck with nowhere else to go, they turned back to Aamon. "Yes, exactly like them." They were pretty sure he was trying to imply something by bringing that up, but they weren't catching it. In their eyes, all of those actions were justified. "People need to keep their thoughts off of fucking my girlfriend, and Diligence just needs to learn to shut his mouth in general." They spoke defensively, but they really just didn't understand why any of that mattered to Aamon. "I'm standing up for her and myself. She's my girlfriend, and you've done worse for less." Cupid might not have needed Belphegor fo defend her, but it wasn't just her they were messing with by flirting with her. Belphegor hadn't been great at ever defending themself or Cupid from that kind of thing before both bc of their lack of confidence and lack of understanding, and although Cupid could protect herself, it felt good to be the one to do it for once. Not only that, but at least the lower half of Cupid seemed to be partially pleased by them doing it. There didn't feel like there was a problem and Aamon was just being hypocritical when it wasn't him that was doing these things.

Bells didn't think Aamon was right that they were scaring anyone. Dagon and Cupid were probably cautious because Belphegor had never really been like this before, but they didn't think it would scare them. Belphegor would never hurt them after all. At least Belphegor actively avoided thinking that could ever be a possibility. They were too angry to admit that Aamon was right about them being scared of themself and the possibility that their wrath would push them into something awful. Deep down, they regretted hurting anyone, even if they had done wrong by Belphegor.

They paused when they recognized that he said they were scaring him too. That didn't make sense. "Nothing scares you," they pointed out, feeling like they'd caught him in a lie. "Why would me doing what you do scare you?"

BEELZEBUB: He looked over Cupid sympathetically when she said she was fine. He didn't need the look Dagon gave him to tell that she was exceedingly overwhelmed, not just by this situation in particular, but by just about everything going on. It wasn't going to change Beel's mind to let her in the kitchen though. "They probably will," Beelzebub agreed. "But they'll at least stay in there until they've managed to calm down to Aamon's standards." Aamon might've had rage, but he also knew how to contain it most of the time, which was something Belphegor wasn't used to.

He nodded as Cupid explained the situation. It was about what Beel expected had happened. "That's pretty excessive, just for a little flirting." The demon touching Cupid's hip was a little unsettling, but Beelzebub couldn't fully determine the demon's intentions in touching her hip. He would put the demon under a thorough investigation once he recovered and deal with him accordingly. "Belphegor isn't in trouble," he assured Cupid. "Not with me anyways, but I do think they need to work on finding a better way to deal with their wrath. Hopefully their talk with Aamon helps with that."

He gave a small smile when Dagon finished healing the demon. Now that he could see his face, he recognized Sheritus. He was a lower ranked demon and new to the kitchens, but Beel was still thoroughly disappointed in him. The look on his face was amusing though. Beel recalled when he used to look at Dagon the same way, but that was a time long past now. Now, that look was mainly something Beel just associated with the people he often had to save from drowning.

"It's good that I warded them to stay in there then," Beel said aloud after Dagon explained what was going on with Aamon. He was mainly saying it so that Cupid would understand that even if she got past them, she wasn't getting in that room until Belphegor and Aamon were done. "In the meantime, Cupid, is there anything you might want to say about how Belphegor's actions made you feel? I know you want to defend them, but your feelings matter too. You don't have to tell either of us, but it might do you some good to take this time to consider what you might want to tell them."

AAMON: He listened as Belphegor went on their rant about why they'd done all those things. They looked so much like Belgirel when he tried to justify his own recklessness to Aamon, but that was a long time ago. Lust, pride, envy, and wrath all played their part in it but it didn't make their actions justified. Aamon knew better than to argue it though. He'd done worse and Belphegor knew his history. They would only feel like he was being hypocritical which would cause them to escalate. In reality, Aamon's concern had nothing to do with the present situation or situations of the past. It had everything to do with the future though.

"There are a few things that scare me," he replied as he leaned against the counter. "Mainly losing you. I know that you can't see how that's possible given that most of the fights you've picked have been with people who don't stand a chance against you," he continued. "But your rage is escalating and your pride is easily bruised. The way you're going, you're on the fast track to picking a fight with someone you can't beat over a remark that you could have let slide. The last time I saw something like that, it had devastating consequences for both of us," he replied. He let the words sink in and allowed Belphegor to sit in the silence for a little while longer before continuing. "We need to get these emotions under control before you are sent to the Empty." They didn't stand a chance against the Void if all the being had to do to make them lose all sense of rational thought was bring up their insecurities.

DAGON & CUPID: Cupid gave an exasperated sigh when Beel remarked that Belphegor would probably have to stay there until they calmed down enough by Aamon's standards. She couldn't see how Aamon could help the situation. She knew Dagon and Bells looked up to him but he was hardly the paragon of control when it came to rage. "Can't Dagon go in there?" Cupid tried to reason. "No offense to Aamon but she's better at the whole calming thing than he is." If Cupid couldn't go in, then maybe someone else who actually knew what they were doing could.

"Not when they're like that," Dagon replied. She was worried Belphegor would just wave off her concerns because, well, she was always concerned about them. The conversation would be more impactful from Aamon. Cupid would just have to trust that Aamon knew how to scale things back and not just escalate Bells rage further. "Bells and I will definitely have a conversation about it when they've cooled down though." Beelzebub was right that they needed to find another outlet for their emotions. There were mental wardings out there that helped filter how much an empath might pick up, but strong emotions still came through and Belphegor would have to learn how to manage those and not let them impact their own mood.

Cupid grumbled something under her breath when Beel mentioned to Dagon that he'd warded Aamon and Belphegor in there. She caught the hint he was dropping. Even if she got around the two of them, there were still wardings to contend with. Maybe she could break the wardings first and then get around Dagon and Beel.

Her mood soured considerably more when Beel suggested she ought to take time to reflect on her feelings about Belphegor's actions. "No, there isn't. But there's plenty I want to say about you staying in your lane," she retorted. Dagon bit her bottom lip, trying to fight back a laugh. Cupid was a tough cookie. She was a feeler whereas Beel was a processor. Truthfully, in this moment there was only one person that could get Cupid to think about her feelings rather than feel them right now and that individual was Belphegor.

Dagon squeezed Beel's shoulder to let him know it was a good effort but Cupid wasn't an individual either of them were going to get through to today. She just needed some time to be angry and upset and to wallow in those feelings. As Cupid turned away from them, Dagon pulled out her phone and sent a group text to Lette and Andras, being sure to loop Beel and Aamon in as well.

[group text > aamon, andras, beel, lette] hey. i'm dealing with a situation on the north side of the building, down by the kitchens. i'm okay. aamon and beel are with me. but i need you guys to keep people clear of this area if you can. michael was eyeing me and aamon earlier. there's a chance he'll come looking for aamon if he doesn't see him in the crowd.

BELPHEGOR: It was hard to believe there was anything that scared Aamon, let alone multiple things. It was his fear that seemed more impossible than Belphegor getting themself killed. They knew that was a possibility. The Void reminded them of plenty of ways they could die or get themself killed, though it had been mainly quiet tonight.

"Well, you had a good thing going there," the Void laughed. "I wasn't going to get in your way." Belphegor had a feeling that it didn't speak because the Void's encouragement had become an indicator of when they shouldn't do something. They didn't want to rely on that though. They also knew it was possible the Void might try to use reverse psychology on them.

"How am I supposed to not get mad when everyone around me tries to pull stupid shit? Maybe they should stop being assholes," Belphegor grumbled, folding their arms and turning away from Aamon. They felt like their feelings and actions were justified, at least until Aamon subtly implied that they might end up like their twin. They turned back around. Their anger slowly replaced with sorrow. "I don't know how. It's just- There's so much, and it's so overwhelming. And it's not just the anger. It's everything."

BEELZEBUB: Aamon might not have been the most calming force, but Beelzebub believed he'd be able to deal with this well. On top of that, although Cupid wouldn't want to admit it, Belphegor wasn't just hard to talk to when they were like this. They were dangerous. If either Cupid or Dagon got in the middle of Bells trying to fight someone, they could easily get hurt or killed, which would be a much bigger problem than if Aamon just kicked their ass into gear.

Beel ignored Cupid's grumbling. As long as she knew she wasn't getting in there, that was all that mattered. She could be angry at him all she wanted, but ahe wasn't interrupting this. "Okay, then say it." He shrugged, not taking offense to her little fit. It wasn't going to get her anywhere, and he doubted she actually would say anything more about him staying in his lane anyway, especially when he didn't care if she did or didn't. He was just giving her options, and it was up to her to take or leave them.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and checked it to see what Dagon had sent. A text from her sister came soon after.

[Ouelette >]: Michael’s on the dance floor with his girlfriend. Nadia and I can keep him distracted and make sure he stays over here. What happened? Nadia wants to know if Beel's okay too. She didn't ask but I know she's thinking it.

[Beel >]: Tell her I'm okay. Belphegor just got into a fight with Sheritus who has been healed and sent home.

[Ouelette >]: alright keep us updated

Beel looked up from his phone to the damage that was still around them. "We should try to get this cleaned up before Michael sees it. Cupid, you can help or stay here. Up to you." He left it implied that getting through the wards wasn't an option.

AAMON: "Unfortunately, that's not going to happen," he replied when they said that everyone should just stop being assholes. The downside of fighting for everyone's free will was that people got to choose to be assholes now. "To feel is overwhelming and to care is painful," he recalled. "But it's not impossible to control," he assured them. "There are mental wardings that Dagon can show you and Raphael might be able to help too. My understanding is the wardings are harder to maintain if you yourself are too deep in your feelings." He recalled that Dagon struggled with hers during the fall and then again after her assault. "So, you'll have to work on regulating yourself first in order to maintain your wardings. I'm not exactly an expert at that myself but I've found having some sort of personal code helps at least with determining when wrath is warranted. Fighting for your honor or Cupid's honor is one thing, but you need to figure out where that fight starts because it can't start at every perceived wrong. You'll exhaust yourself doing that," he pointed out.

DAGON & CUPID: Cupid whirled around when Beel told her to say all that was on her mind. It felt like a challenge. Realistically, was it a challenge? Probably not; Beel didn't care enough to challenge her like that. But both Beel and Dagon had placed themselves in a position of power over her, dictating where she could and couldn't go, so even if he hadn't meant it that way, Cupid took it as one. "Well for starters―"

"―for starters nothing," Dagon cut in. "As in nothing is going to change the fact that you need to stay out of there. You're only wasting your breath. At the end of the day, you have more at stake here and you know you'll get more emotional about this than he ever will so just drop it." She didn't have time for the two of them to escalate this. In Cupid's head, it was her vs the two of them. They would never get her to de-escalate if she started so it was best to not get started to begin with.

Cupid gave Dagon and Beel the once over before rolling her eyes. "Fuck both of you," she replied but dropped it as she went back to sulking by the wall. She pretended not to hear Beel as he listed off the options for her.

"Guess that answers that," Dagon muttered. Cupid wasn't always this defiant but she definitely got a little more bitchy when you restricted her access to Belphegor. Dagon had learned to not take it personally. Cupid usually apologized after getting space from the situation and regaining access to Belphegor. She was like a sour patch. She would probably bake Beel an apology dessert and get Dagon a new book after this.

"The custodial staff can help us with the blood and the debris and I'll pay the owner off for the damages. We can probably put an under construction sign and some trap paper by the entrance. That way even if Michael walks this way, some of the destruction will just look like part of an intentional demolition."

BELPHEGOR: It was upsetting that people could just get away with being assholes and receive no consequences. They felt their rage building up again, though it wasn't just their own. There was a lot of wrath coming from outside the kitchen too. Was that demon recovering just to bother Cupid again? They picked up a pan and threw it at the door. It bounced off the wards and clattered loudly onto the floor. "That's not fair!" They snapped. "They just get to do whatever they want, and I'm not allowed to do anything about it?!" Sure  Cupid could tell people to back off, but they weren't going to learn from that or stop being assholes unless they got serious consequences.

"Can't I just stop both?" They huffed. They didn't want to feel or care. Aamon was right that it was overwhelming and painful, and they felt like they would be better off without either. "Beel does it," they rationalized. Aside from gluttony and pride, Belphegor didn't feel many emotions from him. He was like a blank slate where nothing ever seemed to bother him, and they wanted to be like that. It would solve so many of their problems.

"Can I even use mental wardings when I have this?" They asked, pointing at their head. They were always deep in their feelings, especially with the Void's influence, and if the Void knew about the weakness in the wardings, it would take advantage of that. So what's the point if it's useless. "A code? Like what?"

BEELZEBUB: Cupid seemed like she was about to start fighting him with the way she whirled around, but it didn't mean much for Beel. If she started hitting him, he'd let her, at least so she could let out her pent up anger before Bells got out here. Unfortunately, it didn't get to that point. Dagon was right that no matter what Cupid did, it wouldn't hurt Beel as much as it hurt Cupid, and they had things they needed to deal with first.

"Alright then," Beel shrugged as Cupid cussed them out. A loud crash came from the kitchen, but Beel didn't pay much attention to it, only making sure Cupid didn't run in that direction.

"I don't think that'll all be necessary. The most we need is just to make sure Michael doesn't come in and Cupid doesn’t get through those wards, which she won't, and Ouelette said she and Nadia have that handled. I've got experience cleaning up messes for Laute, remember?" With a bit of archangel magic, Beel waved his hands, slowly pulling back the broken pieces to their proper places. Once he was done, the only mess was the demon blood stain on the ground. Those were a little harder to clean up. "Now all we need is Sam Winchester and a straw," he joked.

AAMON: He didn't react as Belphegor picked up a kitchen pan and threw it at the door. Instead, he let them have their small outburst before continuing calmly. "When you enter the Empty, do you think the Void will be polite and cordial? Or will it grab onto every insecurity you've ever had and make you feel them all at once?" People were assholes, yes, but Belphegor hadn't even run into the biggest one yet. "The assholes of this world are only preparing you for what you'll have to deal with at the end of these trials. It's not going to be easy, but this is your training ground. This is the place and time where it's okay to make mistakes and learn from them."

There was magic out there to stop both, but Aamon didn't see that as an option to even entertain. "Those kinds of spells go one of two ways. You either become like Tenacity or you become like our Father. And I don't think you want to be either. Emotions are not a bad thing, Bells. They make us who we are. Even Beelzebub feels them, he just chooses to mask them." Belphegor didn't have full access to the spectrum or the nuance to read some of the more complicated emotions Beel might've been having but they were there.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Aamon replied. "You're taking leaps in the dark with the spells Ms. Zatara is performing. I don't see why we can't try the wardings too." They might surprise themself if they just gave it a fair shot. Aamon paused for a moment, thinking of a fair personal code Belphegor could use for their wrath. "Like not striking someone unless they strike at you first," he suggested. "Would that be doable?"

DAGON & CUPID: Both of them looked toward the door when they heard the loud crash. Cupid felt validated by it. Clearly, she was right. Aamon didn’t know what he was doing. “Sounds like it’s going super smooth in there,” she retorted. Dagon ignored her because she knew it was better to trust the process. They were angry at the world right now, but Aamon knew how to redirect that anger. The world wasn’t against Belphegor (or Cupid) even if they felt like it was at the moment.

Dagon watched as Beel spruced up the place. “Do you think it’ll be enough?” she asked. “Somehow your older brother always finds this stuff out.” Beel was more trusting of Michael than she was, but that was Aamon’s influence on her. She felt the prickle of anger inside Cupid intensify slightly when Beel joked about Sam. She didn't think he was trying to provoke the angel. Maybe he just didn't know it was a sensitive subject. While a fight might help to have Cupid get the rage out of her system, Belphegor would walk out of that kitchen after their talk with Aamon, take one look at her disheveled appearance due to the altercation, and then likely try to fight Beel over it. It was best to avoid that. And while Cupid was upset right now, her anger generally disappeared the moment she saw Bells again.

“Alternatively, my brother and a Zamboni could do the work too,” she joked to defuse the situation. "There's an old spell we used in the infirmary to get blood stains out of our clothing. Maybe it'll work with flooring too," she replied. She stood over the location where she'd healed the demon not too long ago and recited the spell. The pool of blood disappeared, leaving behind a clean floor. "Well, that's good to know," she smiled. "Now we just have to rinse and repeat the spell on the wall and ceiling."

BELPHEGOR: "The second one," Belphegor sighed, not wanting to admit Aamon was right both for the sake of their pride and because they just didn't want that to be the case. "If it's okay for me to make mistakes, why are you getting mad at me for it?" He wasn't really mad exactly. They could feel as much, but deep down they knew all of this was going to take a lot of work, and they just didn't want to put it in because it was going to be hard.

Again, he was right, and that also made then angry. "Maybe they're not bad for you guys, but they are for me. Beelzebub can mask his because he doesn't react to his emotions. I get sad and it hurts people. I get angry or jealous, and I hurt people. I can't even have sex with my girlfriend without hurting her." Every emotion they had seemed tied to hurting people, and they were awful at controlling it. They didn't feel like they had the time to figure it out. "What if I can't figure it out in time?" Granted, there wasn't a specific timing to these trials. They all depended on Belphegor's ability to continue. They just felt like they needed to no matter what.

"I guess we can try them." They'd already helped the healers of Belphegor’s kingdom, and even the virtues had gained some freedom. It was just that the last time they tried something mind related, it went to a dark part of Belphegor’s mind, and they were scared of that place.

They weren't sure about the code either. "I guess that's okay. I still say that last guy fits in that code though for touching Cupid." That counted as striking them in their eyes. It was like the treaty.

BEELZEBUB: Beelzebub gave a bright smile to Cupid's snide remark, ignoring the sarcasm. "It does. I bet I'll be hearing from Aamon soon." Unlike Cupid, he wasn't being sarcastic. In his experience dealing with Belphegor, when they had a tantrum, they needed to get that energy out by any means. If that was throwing things in the kitchen, so be it. They just needed the release.

Beel nodded. It might not have been enough for Michael to not find out about this, but it was enough to keep Belphegor out of trouble. "He's going to find out either way. Even if this place was spotless, there were witnesses who will report to him. I'll just get ahead of them to frame it better in Belphegor’s favor. As long as we handled the mess, and he doesn't have to deal with the consequences, it should be okay. We kept it in house, so it wasn't his or Zatanna's problem. He'll appreciate that." He wondered if his brother managed to successfully propose this time or if Nadia and Ouelette distracted him too well.

He chuckled at Dagon's joke. "He'd have fun with that." He watched as Dagon cleaned up the blood, admiring her work. "I'll get the ceiling if you've got the walls." He got to work repeating her spell to clean up the ceiling. It wouldn't be long now before Aamon and Bells were done.

AAMON: "I'm not mad at you," he assured them and he wasn't. "I'm concerned," he acknowledged. "But I'm also hopeful. These past few months have been rough for you, but I've seen you grow more over the course of this year than I have over the past few centuries. Managing this was never going to be easy, but I've seen what you can do when you give something your best and honest effort. And right now that's all I'm asking of you."

He nodded along when they vented that all of these emotions they were feeling were just hurting people. "It took a while to figure out control on our ends too," Aamon assured them. For some of them it came easier than others, but that didn't mean that he or his siblings just came into these traits easily. Belphegor wasn't as alone in their struggle as they thought they were. "Lucifer's pride caused him to take on more than he could chew, Val greed has destroyed everything she designed while in Heaven, my wrath has left me with a lengthy list of enemies. All of this is trial and error but we've already made the errors ourselves so we can at least show you how to avoid making the same mistakes we did."

He was glad to hear Belphegor was willing to try out the wardings and he hoped they would adhere to their code. "He did deserve it," Aamon acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean you won't feel guilty about this when it all blows over," he pointed out. They could challenge him on that but he knew he was right. "There are ways to express your anger that won't leave you feeling like that. It might be trial and error to find the right one for you, but I'm pretty sure we can rule out unnecessary violence."

ANDRAS: He'd received the text from his sister and honestly he was just happy to be included. He felt like a spy. Keeping Michael distracted was a pretty easy task, mostly because Zatanna did all the literal legwork. Honestly, Andras couldn't blame Michael for being distracted by that. He was observing the pair from a distance with Ouelette and Nadia. It looked like they were just having some boring conversation on the terrace, but then Michael got down on one knee and pulled out a little box. Just as he did so, Andras pulled out his phone.

[Andras > Super Spies]: Ay I dunno how things are going on your end, sis, but you're about to miss probably the biggest mistake Zatanna's made so far.

[Andras > Super Spies]: [attachment of a grainy photo of Michael on his knees]

[Andras > Super Spies]: Honestly, I was kinda rooting for her and Aamon here. I love a good enemies to lovers.

CUPID & DAGON: "Yeah, hearing that he needs back up maybe," Cupid grumbled. She was used to being the one who got sent in to help them when they were sad. She couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to help them when they were angry too. It wasn't that different in her eyes.

Dagon nodded when Beel replied that Michael would likely find out but they were ahead of this enough to still control the narrative in Belphegor's favor. "At the very least, Michael won't have to worry about it happening again." Anyone who's ever had a talking to from Aamon knew they didn't want to have that same talking to again. It was much less pleasant the second time around. "Thank you for helping with this," she replied. She knew well enough that it would've been hard to contain Cupid and get ahead of the narrative at the same time.

She got to work cleaning the walls and was just about done when she felt her phone vibrate. She glanced down at her phone briefly and smiled at the texts from her brother.

[Dagon > Super Spies]: I dunno about you but I'm still rooting for Zatanna and Aamon. 😉

[Dagon > Super Spies]: At least she makes Michael tolerable.

[Dagon > Super Spies]: Capture the moment pls. Cupid'll want to see it when she's in a less prickly mood.

She looked up at Beel, grinning. "I think it's safe to say Michael is thoroughly distracted tonight." She opened up the image her brother sent and turned the phone to Cupid. "You're going to want to see this, Cue. Trust me."

Cupid cautiously glanced at the phone, expecting that this was some sort of distraction tactic. She did a double take when she saw the photo. "No fucking way." She grabbed the phone and examined the picture closer, zooming into the couple. "Honestly, it's about time."

BELPHEGOR: "For you, that's like the same thing. You don't have to be mad to be mad." He was disappointed in them at the very least and upset with them at most. Even if he wasn't mad, they were still in trouble with him. "But it's exhausting." They sighed, though they weren't saying they weren't going to try. It was just hard to constantly be dealing with all of this. It had already been exhausting when they were just dealing with depression, let alone these other feelings. "That doesn't make any of this better. You guys had centuries to figure it out. You only had to deal with one thing, and I have all of it all at once and only a handful of months to get used to it when I've always sucked at dealing with my emotions. Dad probably put this on me knowing I couldn't handle it."

"I thought it was a good choice."

"Shut up," Belphegor snapped at the Void, their grip on the counter warped the metal. "I want to figure this out. I don't want to hurt anyone, but it's hard to get past the urges that just seem to happen in a split second. I didn't feel like I was thinking anything through in the moment besides just needing to make him stop. What else was I supposed to do in that situation?" They couldn't even recall what they normally would've done. All that had been on their mind was rage and violence. "What would you have done?"

BEELZEBUB: "If he says he needs your help, I'll be happy to let you in." Most likely Aamon wouldn't though. If Aamon asked for anyone's help, it would've been Dagon's. She was better equipped to handle both Aamon and Belphegor, unlike Cupid, who would only end up getting herself and Belphegor more riled up in trying to defend them against whatever Aamon said.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate that, though I'm sure there'll be some other problem to come along for him to deal with." He doubted it'd be similar to this one, but there was always something. He shrugged when Dagon. "It was my pleasure. It was like the good ole days." He imagined Cupid would think he was enjoying pissing her off like he had pissed her off when he'd broken up with Dagon, but he was just missing doing this with his best friend. "I'll have to tell Laute about it when I get home." He could imagine his reaction would've been something along the lines of being horny for the idea of Belphegor getting violent.

He checked his phone soon after Dagon suggested that Cupid check the texts. He could already guess what it was about, and he was happy for his older brother. He knew that Michael had been wanting to do this for a while and had been interrupted at just about every turn, and at least Cupid didn't have to miss it fully based on what the texts were saying.

[Ouelette > Super Spies]: We're already on it. I'll send it to you once they're done.

Beel sent a separate text to Aamon to see if Cupid could get her own happy ending too.

[Beel > Aamon]: You guys almost done in there?

AAMON: Bells rarely had to be on the receiving end of these sorts of talks, at least from Aamon. Aamon could tell they were more disappointed in themself than he was of them. "It is," he nodded. "But constantly losing control and dealing with the consequences of that is exhausting too," he pointed out. "We had centuries alone to figure it out. You have a few months maybe, but you'll have help." As long as they didn't let their pride get in the way of accepting help, their siblings could at least show them better ways to deal with all of this. "We'll figure it out. Tonight we at least figured out what doesn't work."

He watched Bells snap and yell out at something he couldn't hear. He let them take a few breaths while he thought about their question. "I don't think what I would have done is something you'd feel okay with at the end of the day," he determined. He'd had a similar conversation with Dagon a long time ago. "You and I are different people. You can't model yourself after me. And you shouldn't want to." There was something inhumane about Aamon. He had a longer fuse than most people expected and better control over his rage than most, but when he wielded it he was merciless. Deep down, he didn't think Belphegor wanted to be like that. "It doesn't make you weak that you can be like me," he added. "Some of the strongest people I know are empaths." Raphael and Dagon came to mind. To feel as much as they felt and yet to remain kind despite of it took more strength than anyone gave them credit for.

"I think the question you mean to ask me isn't what I would've done, but what I think you should've done. I think in moments when you feel lost to your emotions, you need to look at the people around you. You need to train yourself to look away from the person that pissed you off and instead look at the person who keeps you grounded and tethered. I imagine for you that's Cupid. Rather than focusing your energy on wrath, your energy is better spent focusing on her and what she needs to feel safe in this situation. You'll have to develop some kind of code to determine whether she needs to be separated from that person or whether she needs you to step in with a firm word or an even firmer fist." They needed to communicate with each other but also trust each other. Even now Aamon could feel Cupid's rage from outside of the room. She was absolutely giving Beelzebub and Dagon hell out there.

He glanced briefly at his phone to make sure they were okay. He opened the string of texts from the group chat he'd been added to and briefly perused it. It would appear that Michael finally got around to purposing to his girlfriend. He looked rather unamused at the text between the twins. He held down on Dagon's reply in particular until the add reaction panel came up. He was sure to sent her a 🖕 reaction, but it was all in good nature.

"Speaking of Cupid," he replied as he looked up at Bells. "It would appear Michael's proposed to Zatanna. I'm sure Cupid wants to share in that moment with you. If you're ready and calm enough, I can get Beelzebub to take down the wardings."

He glanced down when he felt his phone vibrate again. It was a text from Beelzebub.

[Aamon > Beel]: We're wrapping up. I don't foresee it being more than another 2-3 minutes. Belphegor is as keen on seeing Cupid again as I'm sure she is about seeing them.

CUPID & DAGON: Somehow she doubted Aamon would call her in for help specifically. He had preferences for a certain snake haired demon. Dagon felt a prickle of jealousy coming from Cupid. She had no idea what prompted the feeling from the context of the conversation but she wasn't going to bring it up.

"Hopefully not too many more. At least the next few graces won't be adding any additional manifestations to their plate. Though, those will come with their own challenges..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about the pain they were about to put Belphegor under. The Heavenly Bodies didn't come with emotion manifestations but they did come with a great deal more pain than the sins. They were pure graces and Belphegor's, well, wasn't. No one was really able to give her answers on how Bell's body would react to that because no one really knew.

She gave a small smile when Beel said that cleaning up after his siblings felt like the good ole days. Cupid took it to mean that it felt like when they were dating. Back then, some of their dates were interrupted by Nadia and required them to stop and clean up after her. Other dates were accidently interrupted by Cupid or Belphegor's own messes. Dagon, on the other hand, knew Beel well enough to know the good ole days referred to a time when Laute was causing messes for Beel to clean. He missed his best friend. "He and Andras will both want the details," she smiled. "Nadia too."

Hopefully this thing with Michael would at least keep Andras distracted for a while. It was certainly keeping Cupid occupied for now. She'd zoomed in and out on the photo several times, flipping it several different ways to get a better view. "Andras sucks at taking pictures," she mumbled to herself, but after she was satisfied enough with her examination, she handed the phone back to Dagon and grabbed her own to text Chastity. The entire venue would probably know about the engagement before Zatanna and Michael re-emerged from the terrace.

Dagon took her phone back, smiling when she saw the reaction notification from Aamon.

"Are they almost done in there?" Cupid complained. She wanted to share the news with Bells. Maybe if everyone was distracted with this, they'd get off of Belphegor's back for the night.

BELPHEGOR: "Is there an option that isn't exhausting?"

"You can always just give up," the Void offered.

Belphegor swatted that idea away like the Void was a fly buzzing around their ear. They knew that just giving up wasn't an option. As much as they wanted to just sleep through all of this until it was over, they couldn't. Their life wasn't just for themself at this point. There were people relying on them, and their own twin suffered the longer they took to get this done. Only one of the option Aamon had mentioned was actually going to help them save those people in the Empty, so they had to go with that one. "So you trust their help now?" they asked. He'd gotten more lenient towards their siblings, but Belphegor wasn't sure how much he was starting to trust them.

They felt offended that he didn't want them to be like him. A lot of people had bad views of Aamon, but Belphegor never thought he was all that bad. He got hard things done that a lot of people couldn't, and Belphegor had a lot of respect for him. What was so wrong with wanting to be like the one person in their family who hadn't been lying to them? "It makes me feel weak," they grumbled. In their eyes, it took strength to be able to do what he did and not let it weigh them down. He was right that they couldn't do it, but they weren't sure how much they could do of managing this empathy either.

The hardest part of what Aamon was saying was that they needed to take the time to look around them. It required being able to pause in the first place, which they didn't know how well they could do. They did care about Cupid though, and that was where most of their emotions came from. They were most easily influenced by her emotions, but maybe they could talk to her about it and find something that could work. "Okay, I can try that," they relented.

They felt embarrassed when Aamon explained what was going on outside the kitchen. They didn't really feel like celebrating anything right now, but they felt guilty for making Cupid miss out on something she'd normally be thrilled for. They hoped she wouldn't hold it against them for making her miss it. "Yeah, I wanna go."

BEELZEBUB: "I'm sure they'll be giving Michael a hard time for many centuries to come," Beelzebub joked. They might not have all been related to these trials, but even once Belphegor won against the Void and took over the Empty, Michael would still likely be contending with their trouble, especially as the family got closer. You didn't just stop causing trouble for your older brother, even if you'd made progress on some of your issues. "Belphegor will be okay," he assured Dagon when he could tell she was worrying about the next few transfers. They'd undoubtedly hurt like Hell, but he was confident in Belphegor's ability to pull through. They'd done well so far, and they'd had more time to make up with most of their siblings. Uriel's would still pose a problem though, no matter what they said. Even then, Beel didn't doubt the fact that Belphegor would get through it. "Are you going to be going to those ones?" While Belphegor could get through it, he imagined it would hurt Dagon a lot to see them in that much pain. It'd undoubtedly be worse than what happened with Lucifer.

"We'll have to have a whole sit down to tell the story," he joked. "Andras will be disappointed you didn't let him try the Zamboni though." He'd also be just as disappointed as Laute would've been at not getting to see Belphegor that violent, not that Beel had seen much of it himself.

Aamon texted him back around the same time Cupid started complaining again. "Well, he said they're almost done, but like you said, he wouldn't know what he's doing and would only make it worse, so maybe he's not the best judge of that. Maybe we should let them wait it out for another . . . fifteen minutes? What do you think, Cupid?" He didn't give her the time to get offended before he already was walking to the kitchen doors. "Let's go let them out now, shall we? Make sure we have on our big smiles." He placed a hand on the door, his eyes glowing along with the wards before they both faded.

AAMON: "I wish there was," he replied. Some things needed to be done the hard way. While some people thought Belphegor would just give up, Aamon wasn't one of them. The pressure they had on them was exhausting, but also motivating. They weren't doing this for themself. They were doing it for others, and for Bells they needed that extrinsic motivation to get things done. "I trust some of them," he replied. "That'll have to be good enough for now."

He could see that Belphegor was frustrated they couldn't be like him, but they had plenty of other examples of strong people they could model. "Different is not weak," he reiterated. "You can still be true to yourself and strong at the same time." Aamon wasn't saying they couldn't pick up traits from him that they admired, but this particular trait was not one they ought to mirror.

He was glad to hear they were at least willing to try something that might work better for them. It would take training to learn to shift their focus from their rage but Aamon knew that with practice they'd be able to do it. He nodded when Belphegor remarked that they wanted to go. They were calm enough now and Aamon hoped it would stay that way for the rest of the night. The two of them approached the door and Aamon could hear it creek as Beel lifted the wardings. Aamon opened the door and stepped aside to avoid what he was sure would be Cupid rushing to check on Belphegor.

CUPID & DAGON: "Someone has to, I guess," Dagon smiled. "Can't let him live peacefully. That would be too polite." Though she was sure Belphegor didn't often go out with the intention of causing Michael problems; most of the time it just kind of happened. She nodded when Beel said that Bells would be okay. She wanted to believe they would be too; she just wasn't a fan of the unknown. There would be pain during the transfer, she knew that. But no one could tell her what it would look like days after. Would they get sick like Lailah for a few days? Would there be hallucinations? What if the body decided to reject the grace days later? "At the very least, they'll have to deal with me being in their business more than usual." She was going to be constantly vigilant at least for this first unfallen grace.

But she knew it wasn't all bad. She and Bells had a way of turning tragedy into a medical case study. Bells was the first fallen to ever go through a procedure like this. She was sure they'd be just as interested in the symptomology as she was. She nodded when Beel asked her if she was going to be there for any of those grace transfers. "They need another doctor present for Raphael's transfer so I'll be there." Belphegor needed the moral support too. "And I'll be there for Uriel's transfer too," she replied a little more quietly. "Aamon will be at Gabriel and Michael's though."

She brightened a little when Beel brought up her twin. "There's always next time. It's his turn to pick what we do for our birthday so I'll throw it out there as a suggestion." She imagined he'd have fun doing that sort of thing at an ice skating rink.

She could see Cupid was getting impatient, but thankfully it appeared Bells and Aamon were done just in time. Cupid scowled at Beel and gave him the middle finger when he teased her. "You're lucky this is a no weapons party, is what I think," she replied, but there was no bite to her remark. She was ready to just be done with the two of them.

As soon as the wards were down and the door was open, Cupid's anger disappeared and was replaced by concern. She ran into Bells arms and hugged them. "Are you okay?" she asked as she pulled away to look at them. They still had dry blood on them and looked a mess, but she didn't see anything of concern. She mimicked the spell she'd seen Dagon and Beel do to clean the floors. The blood from their clothes and hands began to fade away. "I'm sorry," Cupid apologized, thinking this whole incident had been her fault. Everything about her being in the presence of others seemed to trigger them lately so it wasn't a jump in her head to assume this was her fault. "He didn't yell at you too much, did he?" she whispered.

BEELZEBUB & BELPHEGOR: "It wouldn't be right," Beel agreed with Dagon, chuckling. "I think they probably expect as much." She'd been exceedingly cautious about all of this, as was to be expected. This was her best friend, and she didn't want to lose them to something going wrong that she could potentially prevent. She'd already lost one best friend after all. "Are you going to be okay with Uriel's transfer? I can set things up to make it feel safer if you need me to." He wasn't sure what he could do for Michael and Aamon though. That situation was going to be severely on edge, he was sure, regardless of how they felt about each other now. They were obviously still cautious of each other.

He smiled when she brought up her birthday party with her twin. That party would be close to when the final trial would most likely come. He hoped it came after, so Dagon would feel comfortable enough to celebrate. Otherwise, he was sure she'd miss out on it.

"I absolutely am," he agreed with Cupid, though he didn't feel at all threatened by the remark since he knew those feelings for her would blow over soon. He didn't take anything she said to heart when she tried to insult him.

Belphegor felt relieved that some things didn't change, and that Aamon still didn't have full trust in all their siblings. They could guess which ones he really didn't trust, and they weren't sure if he ever would. He was making progress at least, just like Belphegor could. "For everyone's sake, I hope you're right. If me being myself isn't strong enough to beat the Void, we're all going down." It was a lot on their shoulders, but at least they weren't alone.

They opened their arms up to Cupid as she ran to them. Wrapping their arms around her, they squeezed her tightly. Neither of them were angry anymore, and they both just felt tired. "Yeah, I'm okay," they answered. They didn't feel great, and the regret was creeping up on them, but they were still okay. The spell Cupid was used was familiar to them, but they didn't know she knew it. They guessed Dagon must've shown them when she was cleaning up the demon they'd nearly killed. "Sorry?" they asked. "What do you have to be sorry for? You didn't almost just kill someone."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Beel argued, teasing Cupid once again. "I'm lucky this is a no weapons party, or I might have been in danger from her."

Belphegor didn't know what he was talking about, and they honestly didn't really care right now. "No," they shook their head when Cupid asked about Aamon yelling at them. "He didn't yell at me at all. He just got me away to calm down, and we talked." They took a step back, so they could hold Cupid's hands. "I'm sorry I scared you. I'm gonna work on not reacting so violently if you're willing to work with me on that?" They looked up at Dagon. "Dagon, do you think you could help me with that too?"

AAMON: "I'm always right," he grinned mostly to lighten the mood before they got out there. He didn't really know what they'd be met with on the other side of the door. He'd felt Cupid's rage flare more than a few times during the lock out. Aamon was pleasantly surprised when he walked out of the room. The mess that had been there before was now gone. In fact, it looked like it never happened. He admired Beel and Dagon's handy work. "Perhaps I ought to call you next time for my own cover ups," he joked. There was no sign of the demon Belphegor had beat the shit out of either. Aamon wondered who it had been. "Immaculate work." The look on Dagon's face as well as Beel's teasing of Cupid told him that somehow the clean up wasn't even the hardest part of whatever they'd endured tonight.

CUPID & DAGON: "I should be okay," Dagon assured Beel. "There's safety precautions in place for both side and Raphael will be with us. They'll step in if anything goes wrong. Between the two of us, we'll feel a storm approaching before it hits shore so we can at least navigate around it." She was sure she could handle the transfer part. She was usually pretty good about compartmentalizing in the moment and she had Bells safety to focus on so she wouldn't be focused on the painful memories that came about with Uriel's presence. It was the aftermath that was hard. That was when she'd have time to sit with her own feelings instead of everyone elses. It was going to be unpleasant but she'd get through that too.

Cupid gave Beel the stink eye when he agreed with her. Their rivalry was all just smoke but it made Dagon smile. The angel forgot all about the two of them as soon as Belphegor reappeared. She was glad they were doing okay. They didn't look angry anymore, just tired. She could commiseration. Dagon and Beel's presence had made her just as exhausted. "I guess I'm sorry that it even happened," Cupid reasoned. She felt like she hadn't done her part to avoid all of this.

As Beel spoke up she became aware of his presence again, but ignored him. Well, partially. She pretended to scratch her nose but really she was subtly flipping him off. That was all the attention she was gonna give him tonight. She was glad Aamon hadn't yelled at Bells at least, but it wasn't like Aamon needed to yell to be intimidating. He just was. Right now though he just seemed impressed by Beel and Dagon's clean up job.

"Thanks," Dagon grinned when Aamon paid them the compliment. "It's the years of practice. Andras's messes are good for something I guess."

"Apparently his photography skills aren't," Cupid mumbled before turning her attention back to Bells. She squeezed their hand when they apologized for scaring her. "Of course I am," she nodded. "Whatever you need."

"I can help," Dagon nodded when they asked her. "We can start fresh tomorrow. You both look tired so maybe it's best to retire for the night. I know Michael just proposed to Zatanna but you won't be missing much. Ouelette's recording the whole thing and don't worry, she's much better at that than Andras."

Cupid took a deep breath and nodded when Dagon suggested that they should probably call it a night. "Okay," she relented. "Nadia and Ouelette can give me the break down of events tomorrow over..." she glanced at Beel. "Apology breakfast. I think I deserve it for having to deal with you tonight." Naturally, she would bring over her own apology dish but for right now she wanted to have one last dig at him.

BEELZEBUB & BELPHEGOR: Beel nodded when Dagon said she'd be okay, but he still worried for her. She was dealing with almost as much pressure as Belphegor was, and although he no longer had feelings for her, he still cared about her well-being just as much as he had back then. She was his friend, his younger sibling's best friend, and his older brother's conscience. They'd all be at a loss if the pressure they were putting her under broke her. "It helps too when you're the main person the old goat will listen to." Even now, Aamon's intervention came at Dagon's request. "But even so, just let me know if you ever do need help, especially if it comes to cleaning up these kind of  messes." He winked at Cupid when she glared at him. "It's always a pleasure."

"But that's not your fault," Belphegor told Cupid. "I'm sorry I made you feel like it was, but you didn't do anything wrong."

Beel seemed like he was about to say something, but he kept his mouth shut for once to avoid aggravating Belphegor. He chuckled when Cupid flipped him off. "Dealing with Laute does the same thing, even if he's not around anymore, but if it's for the right reason, I'd help you too, Aamon." Beel wouldn't always agree with what Aamon did, so he couldn't always promise his aid, but he would always look out for him. In some cases, that might involve covering up his mistakes.

Belphegor could hear the disappointment in Cupid's voice when Dagon said they should call it a night. Belphegor did want to go home, but they didn't want to ruin Cupid's chance to be there to feel the love between Michael and Zatanna. "You should stay to go see them. You'll be sad if you miss out on those vibes. We can meet back at home. I think I need a little time to myself to think about what I did tonight and how I want to handle things going forward." They gave Cupid a kiss on the cheek and whispered close to her ear. "And it'll give me time to prepare something for you by the time you get home." They didn't want her to feel like they were just trying to get away from her or anything. They still wanted to spend time with her by the end of the night. They just wanted to make up for what they put her through.

AAMON: He made a face when Beel and Dagon brought up their chaotic counterparts as the reason they were good at covering up messes. "I thought we were done romanticizing trauma," he joked. He knew neither of them viewed dealing with their individual chaos duos as traumatic, but it was no secret that Aamon wasn't a fan of Andras and Laute wasn't any better. At least he only had to deal with one of them. He wasn't sure he had the patience for both though he knew Beel missed dealing with his. He smiled when Beel extended his cleaning services to him. "I'll keep that in mind." He could generally clean up his own messes, but there were some ideas that crossed his mind (like killing Uriel or himself in order to resurrect Belgirel) that required assistance from a third party. If he ever decided to go through with it, he didn't want Dagon implicated in it.

He was slightly disappointed when Belphegor offered a counter argument for Cupid to stay. He knew why Belphegor was doing that, but just about everyone and their mother would have been happier if Cupid went with them (including Cupid herself). She was already sulky and moody from what Aamon could tell. And no one really wanted to deal with one half of the pair because much to Aamon's dismay they weren't really whole unless they were together.

CUPID & DAGON: Dagon smiled when he brought up Aamon. "Only sometimes," she pointed out. "He still managed to get himself on house arrest and that was hardly advisable." Though, she was on a trip to the Canyon with her brother when that happened so one could say his conscience took a vacation that day. She nodded when Beel offered his help in these particular situations. She was still struggling with the fact that all of them had lied to her but his concern felt genuine. There wasn't a disconnect that she could feel between his emotions and his words. "Thanks," she smiled. "I'm sure Cupid would love seeing more of you." She wouldn't but that was half the fun, at least for Dagon anyway.

She smiled when Aamon made a face at the mention of Andras and Laute, but her smile faltered slightly when Beel extended his services to Aamon with some conditions, and Aamon remarked that he'd keep him in mind. "No, you won't," Dagon cut in. Was it her place to rescind Beel's offer? No. But Beel knew her well enough to be able to read between the lines. This had less to do with the offer he'd made and more to do with a tired old argument Dagon and Aamon had been having behind the scenes about resurrecting Gears. She'd fill Beel in on it later. "Here I thought I was special and those services only extended to when I needed help, but you're offering them to everyone? Rude, Beelzebub," she joked to defuse the situation.

Cupid paid no mind to the conversation going on behind them, but she was relieved when Bells assured her that none of this was her fault. She was also glad to know their presence would shut Beel up. What she wasn't expecting was Belphegor's counteroffer. She didn't really want to stay at the party, not by herself anyway. She'd spent the last 45 minutes in a constant state of anxiety and stress away from her partner. All she really wanted to do was go home and be with them. Zatanna and Michael's engagement was nice and she was happy for them, but she was too wound up to enjoy it without Bells.

But at the same time, Bells said they wanted space. She didn't want to seem clingy or like she couldn't respect their request for some alone time. She could do it. Right? Well, at least she'd try for their sake. She looked a little deflated as they kissed her cheek. She made eye contract with Dagon (honestly, against her will, she'd been trying to avoid the demon's gaze) and the demon's eyes urged her to speak up, but Cupid couldn't bring herself to do it. They'd asked for space, hadn't they? Shouldn't she respect that?

Dagon sighed when Cupid refused to speak up. "Excuse us for a second," she told Beel and Aamon as she took both Belphegor and Cupid's hand and pulled them to the side. "I'm going to say this with the upmost respect," she began, "but neither of you really want this. You're only giving each other what you think the other person wants."

She looked at Bells. "I don't know what kind of conversation Aamon had with you but never in the history of ever has anyone actually wanted to go home alone and think about the consequences of their actions. I think I've been your friend long enough to know that's not what you really want. You're only saying it because you think Cupid wants to stay."

She turned to look at Cupid next. "But she doesn't. She spent the last 45 minutes arguing with me and Beel about how she should be able to see you and help you through this. And now she has you back and doesn't want you to leave, but she also doesn't want to seem like she can't respect your wishes for space, that you really don't want to begin with. Come on, Cue. I've done the hard part for you, so at least give me something."

Cupid was blushing now that Dagon had read both her and Belphegor to filth. "I--" her voice cracked, but she took a breath and recollected herself. "Yeah," she admitted. "I don't want to be here. I'm happy for Zatanna and Michael, but watching other people in love by myself isn't exactly fulfilling. I know Chastity's out there and she'll try to get me to enjoy it but I dunno if I can focus on it tonight. Can we just go home together?"

BEELZEBUB & BELPHEGOR: "See, and you didn't advise him on that one, did you?" He didn't think she was even around him to try to convince him not to make that decision. He smiled when she said Cupid would love to see him. Sometimes she did like to see him, and he didn't mind her company either, though it was generally better when Belphegor was with her instead of behind a locked door.

"Nah, I think that's Cupid's job." Dealing with Laute hadn't really ever been traumatizing for Beel except for what happened with Justice. That was a lot harder to deal with and had hit Beel hard. He rose a brow when Dagon cut off his offer to Aamon. Although she covered it with a joke, there was clearly something she didn't want him to do for Aamon. "You're not planning on throwing another coup, are you?" he asked jokingly. He didn't think that was something Aamon would want currently, but there also wasn't much he thought Aamon would do that was all that bad right now. He'd been well-behaved and had stuck to just making sure Belphegor and Dagon were okay throughout all of this. Maybe it was about Uriel's grace transfer. Maybe Aamon planned to kill him. Dagon might've been worried about that causing trouble for Aamon, but if it did come down to that, Beel would've helped him cover it up, especially if he could convince Aamon to help him do the same thing to Levi. He pulled himself away from thinking too much about it. He didn't want to get too angry thinking about Levi and risk Dagon, Aamon, and Belphegor all feeling his rage. "It only applies to family, and you're basically that." He shrugged, letting her walk off with Cuphegor while he stayed with Aamon. "So what was that about?" he asked his brother now that it was just the two of them.

Belphegor was confused why Cupid didn't seem happy about the fact that she could stay to be a part of the celebration for Michael's proposal. They'd expected her to just rush out, so she wouldn't miss much more. They thought maybe Dagon was just tired of dealing with them when she pulled them to the side. She wasn't exactly wrong, but she wasn't entirely right either. "I don't want to go home alone to think about the consequences of what I did, but it's not about what I want. It's about what I need to do, so I don't keep making the same mistakes over again. I don't want to go home and just act like I didn't do anything wrong." They bit their lip before addressing Cupid. "I don't want you to feel like you have to defend my actions. I don't think something like this should be defended, just like I shouldn't have tried to fight your battles when you can defend yourself. I wanted to go home alone, so I wouldn't be dealing with the influence of anyone else's thoughts or feelings for a few minutes. I don't want to be alone. I just don't want the stuff that comes with being around feelings. That's all I wanted, and I thought that it would've been better for you to spend that time around love. We can go home together. I'm just going to need a few minutes to myself when we get there, so I can readjust to my own feelings instead of everyone else's."

AAMON: Aamon chuckled when Beel teased Cupid. "And she does a good job of it." He'd seen her romanticize quiet a bit of her trauma. At times it made him angry, but not with her. More so, it made him angry at his siblings. They'd taken a carefree child and turned her into someone who needed to romanticize her pain in order to get through it. It didn't excuse some of her behavior, but Aamon could at least understand where it was coming from. He cocked his head at Dagon's clipped tone and gave her the once over. This topic was a never ending argument between them but he always liked to keep his options open. "No, not this year anyway," he grinned in response to his brother. He watched Dagon walk off with Cuphegor. Hopefully, she'd help them figure out how to salvage this night so that they both didn't leave miserable in the end. He looked up and shrugged when his brother asked the question he was inevitably expecting. "No idea," he lied. "To me, it looks like she wants your very special services to be only available to her," he teased.

DAGON & CUPID: "No, my older brother did and we see how well that went." Azazel was a yes man and what Aamon needed as a no man or woman. Her older sister was better about it at least and knew how to reason with him rather than just creating an echo chamber of what he wanted to hear.

Dagon stood her ground as Aamon eyed her. She was ready to start this argument again if she needed to but thankfully Beel deflected the tension and it disappeared as Dagon moved to the side to help Cupid and Belphegor privately.

Cupid felt guilty when they said they didn't want her to defend their actions. She wasn't planning to do that...well, tonight anyway. She was gonna go home and draw a bubble bath for the two of them and maybe read the incoming tweets from the party. What they were saying just made it sound like they wanted to go home and punish themself for having made a mistake. But then they elaborated and said they just wanted to be alone with their own feelings instead of everyone elses. "I get it. My feelings can be a lot to--"

"No, you're not listening," Dagon carefully redirected her. Cupid had a way of internalizing everything and she needed to get out of the habit of doing that. "This isn't a personal attack, Cue. It's not your feelings that are overwhelming them. It's everything, everywhere, all at once. You remember what it was like when you first started learning about the colors of love and the feelings associated with it? And how overstimulating that was? That's what it's like to be like this when you're first starting out," she tapped her head as an indicative gesture of her empathy manifestation.

"So, what do we do?" Cupid asked, trying to rack her brain on how they could help. "I can go to a hotel for the night and give you some space if you need it?" she suggested. What Dagon said made sense but while the world was overwhelming it didn't mean Cupid wasn't contributing to their overwhelmed feelings. She wanted to do what was best for them but she couldn't stay here and pretend to enjoy the party without them. She'd done enough lying to last a lifetime. She didn't want to lie to herself either. But at the same time she wasn't sure she could go home with them and continue to add emotions to their plate when they were already overwhelmed. She was feeling so strongly that it seemed like it would be impossible for them to tune her out.

"That won't be necessary," Dagon replied. She snapped her fingers and some parchment paper appeared with wardings drawn on it. "These should help. Pick a room in your apartment and ward it with this. It'll act like a barrier so that you don't pick up any emotions except for the emotions of the people in the room with you." The wardings allowed them to be alone but together at the same time.

BEELZEBUB: "For him and Aamon," Beel agreed. It was Azazel's need to kiss ass that had ended up getting him killed, and if he had just stopped to think about the consequences, he might've better advised Aamon on the best course of action. If Dagon hadn't been what kept Belphegor's whole kingdom afloat, she probably would've been promoted to being Aamon's right hand. Of course, Beelzebub doubted Dagon would ever take an offer like that if it took her away from her best friend. Cupid might've been dangerously attached to Belphegor's hip, but Dagon held onto them just as tightly, albeit with more breathing room.

Watching Dagon giving Aamon a hard time was amusing. She wasn't just his conscience or an advisor, and he wasn't just a father figure to her. She put him in his place better than anyone else. "Well, maybe next year then," he continued the joke. He took notice of the counter that Belphegor had dented, pushing it back into place before opening up the cabinet underneath it. He pulled out a bottle of rum and poured out three glasses: one for himself, one for Aamon, and one for Dagon when she got back. "Alright, don't tell me." He shrugged. Dagon probably would anyways, especially if it was something she was worried about Aamon doing. She'd likely want help making sure he didn't go through with whatever it was. He doubted his intuition for a moment when Aamon suggested that Dagon wanted his special services. He wondered if he'd missed certain cues that those feelings were rekindled in her. He didn't feel that way himself, and he didn't want to lead her on. However, after a moment's reflection, Beelzebub ascertained that nothing of the night really indicated that. "Asmo would be proud of you saying that," Beelzebub teased Aamon in return. "Andras too." He patted Aamon on the back before drinking the rum.

BELPHEGOR: They could tell they were making Cupid feel bad, and while they regretted it, they didn't know how to say any of this where it didn't hurt her. They let out a sigh of relief when Dagon corrected her. She seemed to understand what Belphegor was saying better. "Dagon's right. This is a big party. There are a lot of people here all with different sets of emotions. I'm still trying to tune them out now, and it's exhausting on top of having the Void in my head. It's like everyone is screaming, but instead of words, it's emotions." It was deafening really, but they were trying their best to work through it. Belphegor wasn't sure what they could do for it either, but they didn't want Cupid to have to go somewhere alone. That was why they had originally suggested her staying here, so she wouldn't be alone.

Belphegor recognized the wardings Dagon held up. There were a lot of them in their own kingdom, and they were dotted around Beel's kingdom too. "Okay, I think we can do that. Are you okay with that, Cupid?"

AAMON: "Oh, absolutely next year," he joked though he was sure to the wrong person that could be misconstrued as a threat. He watched as his brother straightened up the place. Thankfully Belphegor hadn't done too much damage all things considered. "It seems only fair that I do," Aamon pointed out. Beelzebub might've come clean to Bells and Dagon eventually, but he still withheld the truth for a small period of time from them. He could see a moment of doubt cross his brother's face when he teased him about Dagon. Sometimes he wondered if he ever felt regret for ending it so soon. Personally, he felt it was a great error in judgment to break it off with her, but he was bias. He felt that way about most of Dagon's relationships. It was just that a rare few actually got to live post-break up for him to harass like this. He chuckled when Beel remarked that Asmodeus would be proud of him. "I'm sure he's ready and waiting to hear about all about it," he replied as he picked up the glass of rum Beel had poured him. "There's no doubt that Andras has already spilled every bean he knows about the situation."

CUPID & DAGON: Cupid nodded, her shoulders relaxing a little when Bells reiterated that it wasn't her emotions specifically that were overwhelming. That was a relief to her. She still struggled at times with feeling like she was too much to handle. She remembered being in the other Belgirel's universe and how that Aamon had felt about her effects on Belgirel. It still stung, but it was good to know Bells didn't feel like she was too much. She still felt sad that the world as a whole felt like too much for them. "I'm sorry that you're going through that," she apologized and squeezed their hand. She wanted to help but she didn't really know how to shut out the noise. If it wasn't the emotions, it was the void. There was always something.

She was relieved when Dagon brought up the wardings. It wouldn't shut out the void but at least it would create a barrier around the emotions. "Yeah, I'm okay with that," Cupid nodded. They could set it up around the bedroom and Bells could stay there. She'd sit outside the door like she used to when they'd ward themself over their depression manifestation.

"Okay, good," Dagon smiled and handed them the drawing so they could copy the wards when they got home. She opened up a portal for them so that they didn't have to walk home, it sounded like it was raining outside now. "You've both had a long night," she replied as she hugged Bells and then Cupid. "Get some rest and some self-care in, okay? We'll start fresh tomorrow."

"Sorry I was so rude," Cupid whispered as she returned Dagon's hug. The regret was already setting in for her. Dagon squeezed her shoulder to let her know that she was forgiven.

"Do I extend that apology to Beelzebub?" she joked.

"Absolutely not," Cupid replied, though she was smiling. "I still want my apology breakfast from him."

"I'll let him know," Dagon smiled. She watched Cupid and Bells disappear into the portal and closed it behind them before walking back into the kitchen. As soon as she walked in, she cast the same wardings over the door that she'd just shown Belphegor. Her shoulders relax as she let her mental wardings drop. She could hold her mental wardings just fine, but it was easier when she didn't have to.

"Well, they've gone home together for the night," she smiled as she approached the two Archangels. "I got an apology from Cupid, but..." she glanced at Beel as she picked up the glass of what she hoped was alcohol. "You'll have to pay for yours with an apology breakfast."

BELPHEGOR: They squeezed Cupid's hand in return to let her know that even if it was tough on them, they were still okay. "Aamon told me I should talk to Raph about setting up some mental wards, and I think I'll talk to Zatanna about trying more things to get the Void to shut up too." At this point, they didn't know what else Zatanna could do to try to shut it up, but they were willing to try anything. They were relieved Cupid was willing to try Dagon's idea too. It wasn't like it was anything they hadn't tried before, but Cupid had just told them she didn't want to be away from them. They weren't sure if a room away was too much distance for her. At the very least, she was saying she was okay with it though, and they could go home. The gave Dagon their own hug before they started going home through the portal with Cupid.

"Apology breakfast?" Belphegor asked as they left, wondering who was causing trouble for whom.

BEELZEBUB: "I'll add it to my calendar." He pulled out his phone as if he was adding it into his mobile calendar, but he was just texting Asmodeus about the hard time Dagon was giving their older brother and about the jokes Aamon was making. "Fair enough." He shrugged when Aamon said it was only fair. It was, and Beelzebub didn't really take offense to it. If either Aamon or Dagon wanted to tell him what was going on, they would. He wasn't going to pressure them if they told him no, though he also wasn't going to pretend he wasn't aware when they weren't telling the truth. He didn't want them getting comfortable believing he hadn't noticed the deflection if it ever came up again. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket after sending out the text. "Well, he's heard about it now." He grinned as Dagon came back to them.

"Finally." He shrugged as Dagon explained the apologies. He had given Cupid a bit of a hard time, so he wasn't looking for an apology from her either way. He'd still cook breakfast for her and Belphegor regardless. "Well, that's nice of her to offer. I'll make sure to have it ready for them whenever Belphegor wakes up, which should be three in the afternoon, right?" Belphegor had actually been waking up earlier for training (and morning wood), but Beelzebub didn't know that. "Will you be joining us? I imagine your sister will be crashing with Nadia once they get drunk enough, so she'll be there for breakfast too. Abaddon and Andras are welcome to join too, hungover or not. You're welcome to join too, Aamon. Unless, of course, you're worried Dagon will only be coming for my special skills as you put it. Oh! You know what, I changed my mind. Your comment was more like Cupid. You should tell Dagon about it. I'm ready to head out myself." He passed the bottle to Dagon, patting her back on his way out through the doors. "Have a good night you two."

AAMON: "Fantastic," he deadpanned when Beel remarked that Asmo was looped in now. Aamon still had to go back to the party and show his face so that Michael wouldn't suspect he was up to something. That meant he'd be running into Asmodeus too.

He looked up when Dagon entered. She looked tired, but she was at least able to report back that she'd been successful in helping the pair find a compromise. He grinned when she explained that Cupid wasn't willing to forgive Beelzebub unless there was an apology breakfast in place. "Good on her," he replied, though his smile disappeared when Beel threw him under the bus. The joke could've easily stayed between them or if he really wanted to throw the last punch, he could've brought it up at breakfast. Aamon knew why Beel wanted his night to end on that note, but he wasn't sure why his brother would want Dagon's night to end on that joke after she'd already spent the day dealing with everyone else's bullshit. "I never worry about that," he defused. "Your special skills don't really bring the demons to the yard," he teased as he finished off his drinks. "But no, I won't be at breakfast. If you really want to start a coup next year, you have to start the planning process now." He set his dirty glass in the kitchen sink before turning to Dagon. "I have to go back out there and play nice for a couple more hours. Will you be alright for tonight?" he asked.

DAGON: "Actually, they're awake by 8am these days," she clarified proudly. She shook her head when he asked if she would be joining. "No, I already have plans to meet Kokabiel at the Infernal Library in Lucifer's kingdom. He's helping me with some research." She used the term helping loosely. What he was really doing was driving her crazy. He had about as much focus in him as Lucifer and Andras when they were in a room together. Luckily Dagon had enough practice dealing with those two so she was able to redirect Koka but it was exhausting. "But I'll be sure to pass on the invitation to Andras and Abaddon," she nodded.

"Mmmm," she hummed, taking in the insinuation of the joke. She didn't get paid for dealing with these two but really someone should be paying her. "Special skills?" she played dumb. "You mean the crime scene clean up? No," she shook her head and sipped on her drink. "I shouldn't be needing that for breakfast. The urge to murder Kokabiel doesn't usually kick in until afternoon tea." She snorted when Aamon remarked that Beel's special skills didn't bring the demons to the yard. She looked Aamon straight in the eyes, smirking. He'd brought this upon himself. "No, but his really big dic--"

"Your Highness-es-es!" a voice cut in as one of the Lost Boys barreled down the hall. He was so excited he nearly knocked into Beel. "Sorry," he apologized before turning to look at Dagon. "Your siblings let me through so I could tell you they were serving cake now. They didn't want you to miss it."

"Thank you, Demetrius," she smiled at the demon. "One of these two buffoons will get it for me. They owe me for the emotional damages they've inflicted tonight."

BEELZEBUB: "Really? Good for them. They'll beat your sister to breakfast in that case." Ouelette and Nadia usually stumbled into the kitchen around nine or ten in the morning when they were drunk the night before, though he didn't know or want to know if that was because they kept each other busy in bed until then. Thankfully sound didn't escape their bedrooms. "Choosing Kokabiel over my breakfast? I'm hurt." He joked. He didn't mind either way, though she was missing out. "I'll get someone to drop some food off for you. You shouldn't deal with him on an empty stomach." He'd prepare enough for Kokabiel too just in case he got distracted by her food.

The look of disappointment on Aamon's face was worth however mad he might’ve been at him. It served him right for saying it in the first place. "Well, let me know if the urge to kill him does come up." He doubted she'd have too much trouble controlling the urge if it came up, but he started choking on laughter as the demon came in, which was half the reason they almost ran into him. "I'll get it. I'll get it. Just keep giving Aamon what for." He said between fits of giggles. He couldn't wait to tell Asmo about this.

AAMON: He frowned when she declined breakfast in favor of going to the library to do research. If she wasn't helping Belphegor through the trials, she was in the library trying to figure out how to get them out of the final trial. He knew that research was her bread and butter, but he worried she was overdoing it. Beelzebub was right at least that no one should have to deal with Kokabiel on an empty stomach. His disappointed gaze shifted from Beel to Dagon as she fired back with her own joke. He pressed his lips together and shook his head though there was a glint of pride in his eyes. He could at least admit when he'd been had.

"Yes, thank you, Demetrius. Very much." The demon would never know how much exactly, but Beel was certainly enjoying this. "I'll leave you to your cakes then. Don't let him keep you up too long," he replied as he kissed the top of her head and made his way back to the party.

DAGON: "That depends on whether Nadia and Lette finish first or whether Bells and Cupid finish first," she joked. She'd seen and heard more than her fair share of things out of Cuphegor since Bells was injected with Asmo's grace though she supposed that was only fair. It appeared karma could and would catch up with you several centuries later. She shrugged when he feigned distress about her decision to skip breakfast. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do sometimes, but I appreciate it." She was sure Kokabiel would appreciate the food too.

She grinned, entirely too proud, at both Beel and Aamon's reactions to the joke. She'd been dealing with these kinds of jokes for centuries now so she was a pro at serving it back to them. Demetrius, on the other hand, wasn't sure what was going on but he glowed proudly when Aamon thanked him.

"You're welcome, Your Highness," he thanked him. He would probably ride this high all night. Dagon dismissed the demon and looked up at Aamon as he bid her goodnight and washed his hands of this silliness. She debated making a joke about how Beelzebub would have her in bed by ten because he was a gentleman, but she opted out of it. She didn't want to give Beel or Aamon the wrong impression of where she wanted tonight to go. She wouldn't deny that she felt lonely and craved physical affection, but that craving was for one specific person and he was dead. She wasn't even sure that person had felt the same about her when he was alive.

She knew there was no point in torturing herself over the what ifs. Even if he had felt the same, she'd probably never be able to see him again to ask. Her siblings would tell her the best way to get over someone would be to get under someone else, but that wasn't her style. "I won't," she smiled. "Enjoy the party. And don't forget my cake!" she called after the two of them as they left.

[hallowedmuses]

discord: dancing with your ghost

SUMMARY: As Belgirel’s swap with his twin comes to an end, he has one final person to see and one very important thing to tell her. TRIGGERS: Mentions of torture, assault, PTSD, grief, and loss WRITTEN WITH: @offallenfeathers (Belgirel), @ofhellsbells, @ofcupidslove, @zztophat, @ofwarriors, @ofbrokenhalos (Aamon, Asmodeus, Andras)

DAGON: It was night time now in the pocket universe Zatanna had created for Dagon. It was determined that she would be the last stop on this journey. The setting that Zee had created for her was a cozy cottage by the sea. Dagon was in the main living room warming herself by the fire. She'd dimmed most of the lights by now because her eyes were tired and her nerves were shot, but some fairy lights, candles, and the welcoming fireplace kept the room warmly lit. One of the hellhounds from her kingdom had decided to join her in order to keep her company. He was laying lazily on the couch behind her.

She was trying hard to focus on the book in her hand. It was a collection of the real and true adventures of Peter Pan. This version had gone unpublished because it was a collection of stories the Lost Boys had given her about their adventures with Belgirel when he was alive. They weren't exactly accurate retellings but neither was the story that J.M. Barrie had published in the end. Tonight though she didn't need stories. Tonight she had the real thing.

She gently set the book aside and sighed. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She was...only in love with him and had no idea if he felt that way too. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Should she tell him? What if he didn't feel the same? What if he did? Could she live with that? Could he go back to the Void with that knowledge? Would the Void know from this interaction even if she didn't say anything? Could she live with the regret? Would she ever see him again? Was this her last chance? "Stop," she told herself. "Stop." Sometimes the only way to stop the ruminations was to tell them to stop.

The hellhound, who'd once belonged to Belgirel, could see her struggling. He laid his had on her shoulder to let her know he was there. Dagon reached behind her and scratched him lovingly behind the ears.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to try to recenter herself before the visit. She could hear the sound of the waves crashing in the distance. The sea was calm tonight. There really weren't any clouds and the stars were perfectly visible as was the moon. She could smell and taste the sea salt in the air as a warm breeze blew in through the open window.

She startled for a moment, a few snakes appearing from under her hair, when she heard a knock at the door. He was here. "Play it cool," she warned them. They sighed and disappeared back into her hair as she stood up. She patted the hellhound on the head as he stood to follow her to the door. Dagon took a deep breath at the door, the hound nudging her feet and urging her to open it. "Okay, alright," she laughed at the dog and let the tension fall from her shoulders.

She opened the door and her heart skipped a few beats when she saw him. He was framed by the glow of warm fairy lights and summer fire flies. He was dressed not in the clothes Belphegor had left in that morning, but rather a fancy suit that looked a bit like something Val or Asmo would have liked. He looked handsome as always. But the beautiful suit did nothing to hide the complicated emotions he felt underneath. "Hey..." she whispered gently as she stepped out onto the well lit porch and hugged him tightly. "I missed you."

BELGIREL: Emotional and physical exhaustion weighed Belgirel down as he prepared for the final pocket universe. He'd only held off on going to see Dagon because he was scared. He'd gotten support from the people he had talked to, but he still had a lot of emotions swirling in him. He'd spent a lot of his time with Aamon just crying, and the effects of that still showed as he came into Dagon's pocket universe. He was grateful for the surroundings. The sound of the ocean was calming, and he appreciated the cottage giving him a little more time to collect himself, so he didn't just overwhelm her by saying he loved her as soon as he saw her.

After he knocked on the door and she opened it, they both just stood there for a minute. He wasn't used to the fashion of the modern world, but it didn't matter. She still looked amazing no matter what garments she wore, and these specifically accentuated the shape of her body in ways he'd never seen. "Hey," he whispered back, pulling her closer to hug her tighter. "I've been hearing that a lot today," he joked. "I-UGH!" He grunted as the hellhound excitedly jumped up between them and shoved him to the ground. Slobbery kisses covered his face no matter how much he tried to stop it. "Hey," he laughed. "Get down." The hellhound obeyed and sat down beside him, happily wagging its tail and looking between him and Dagon.

DAGON: She didn't want to let go. She was afraid if she did he'd slip away. She knew they still had a few hours, but that didn't keep the fear of losing him again at bay. She didn't know if she was strong enough to go through that a second time. Unfortunately for her, Ferus decided for them as he got between them and excitedly tackled Gears to the ground. It was hard to stay mad for too long given how cute it was. "And I even had a pep talk with him before this about not doing that," she laughed and shook her head at the dog as she helped Gears up. She imagined Ferus was at least still better behaved than her twin must've been.

She helped Gears shake off some of the dust, dirt, and sea salt off his clothes. "You look nice," she smiled. "And a little tired. Come on," she took his hand. "You've had a long journey. Let's get you down by the fire and you can rest a little while." She pushed the door open and walked into the dim little cottage, still holding his hand. Ferus followed in behind them and nudged the door to a close. They were home, or at least the closest they'd get to feeling at home.

BELGIREL: After sitting up, he was able to actually recognize the hellhound as his own. The fall had changed its appearance but not its behavior. "I don't think you could have convinced him. He needed a hug too." Apparently,  everyone did, not that Belgirel minded. It gave him another reason to hold Dagon's hand as she pulled him up.

"Asmo and Val made me wear these. They said it was so I could feel like I was part of Figs and Cupid's wedding too." He didn't really, but it was a nice sentiment. "Do you want to be my plus one?" He joked. It was just like her to see through him like that and try to get him to take care of himself. "I talked to Cupid about how I really felt about her." He told her as they sat by the fire. I was really planning in telling her first, but she blew that plan out the window by point blank asking me if I'm in love with her."

DAGON: "It was hard enough work convincing your entire regiment they couldn't come with me. They're probably jealous of Ferus here," she laughed as she scratched the dog behind the ear. He took his place back on the couch while Dagon sat down on a pile of blankets and pillows set out by the fire. She tossed a blanket over Gears not because she thought he might've been cold, but simply because she thought he'd like the comfort of the soft fabric. She imagined he didn't get to experience those sorts of things where he was.

She tried to push those sad thoughts away as he explained what he'd done in Val and Asmo's pocket dimensions. "I figured Andras would've beat me to that," she joked. She paused for a moment and observed him when he told her that he'd talked to Cupid about how he felt about her. So, he still felt that way about her then. Dagon pushed back the hollow ache that filled her chest. "Belphegor's straightforwardness must be rubbing off on her." Dagon knew Cupid's heart was with Belphegor and she would've told him that. It was hard to get a read on where he was emotionally right now. He was overwhelmed. He felt sad and happy and scared all at once. She wasn't sure what feelings were brought up by what situations, but he didn't seem too forlorn over his conversation with Cupid. Then again, he might've just been trying to hide the pain. "That had to be a hard conversation. Are you holding up okay or are you just pretending?" Belphegor wasn't the only one who could be straightforward with their questions.

BELGIREL: "I was actually surprised Andras didn't bring them. I was expecting a full fleet to tackle me, but Andras is basically one on his own." Andras probably just didn't want to share what time he had. It was already hard enough to break away from him as it was. It would've been nearly impossible to leave if the whole regiment held him back.

He wrapped the blanket around himself, though for a moment he hadn't been sure what to do with it. It'd been so long since he'd had something like this, he forgot what it was for, but it was soft, and he liked the way it made him feel. He smiled at Dagon's joke, but it made him nervous. Would she not have wanted to go with him? It had him second guessing whether he should tell her about his feelings for her, but he'd already experienced the regret once of not telling someone how he felt. "Yeah, a lot about her feels like it's changed." It wasn't just Belphegor's straightforwardness. Belgirel had seen a lot about her change through Belphegor's eyes. She wasn't the girl he used to have a crush on. "It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I guess I was right about just needing to wait until Belphegor figured it out," he joked. He'd moved on long before then. What took more time and was harder now was telling the person who he was actually in love with. How did he even begin to say it? "As far as that conversation goes, I'm okay." As far as everything else went, he was feeling terrible. "But it's a little better being here with you. I need to- I need to tell you something though." He moved over next to her by the fire. "I realized something while I was in the Empty."

DAGON: "Oh, don't worry, he tried," she grinned. "Asmodeus told him, all of them really, no. They'll be complaining about it for months but I don't think Asmo cares." The more surprising part was that Andras didn't try to sneak in a few friends anyway though she was pretty sure Zatanna would've caught onto it if he did and then they would've made Asmo mad for both trying and failing to execute it properly.

She smiled as he eased into the blanket and relaxed a little more. It was clear to her it had been a long time since he was allowed to do something like that and it made her heart hurt. "Yeah, she'll hate this comparison but she's a lot more like Aamon these days only with less control. She's getting better though. So is Figs. You'd be so proud of them," she smiled. She knew she was. She nudged him with her elbow when he made the joke that he'd been right about needing Belphegor to figure it out first. "They took their time with it but they got there. And you did too." She was proud of him for telling Cupid his truth though she still wasn't sure what that truth was anymore.

She smiled softly when he said he was feeling a little better now that he was here with her. Her heart fluttered a little as he moved closer to her. A pastel pink colored snake briefly peaked through the strands of blond hair but Dagon brushed it back, hoping Gears didn't notice it. She knew it was a losing battle though. Now that one had appeared more were likely going to show up during this visit. They had no idea what play it cool meant. "You know you can tell me anything," she assured him. "What is it?"

BELGIREL: He felt a little bad for his friends. In a lot of their eyes, he was just as much their friend as he was Andras's. He imagined they didn't feel like it was fair that the rest of them didn't get to see him but Andras did. "Well, can you tell them I miss them too and that I think about them all the time." They deserved to know he still cared about them.

He was confused when she started comparing Aamon and Cupid. He didn't see the similarity. Aamon was cool and collected, more like Raph and Michael. Cupid was erratic and quick to strike out, more like . . . Well, Belgirel himself really. "What do you mean, she's like Aamon? Aamon's not like that." He also was proud of them, but he always had been. "I told you all they would." He grinned. He might not have known how long it would take, but he knew they belonged together. "I didn't think I would though, but then again, I didn't realize back then that I wasn't really in love with her."

He couldn't help chuckling a little when she said he could tell her anything. "Yeah, that's part of it. When I'm with you, I feel like I can actually tell you anything, and you know that most people really don't know me like you do. But I'm open with you because I feel safe with you. And comfortable. Whenever just about anything happened, I went to you. Getting you to heal me wasn't just about you not telling anyone. Aside from you being one of the best, I just liked you being there with me when I was in pain. And after talking with Cupid, I think that means I love you. And I don't want to push that on you when I know that I'm just going to have to go back to the Empty at the end of the night. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I tell you everything, so I can't just not tell you that I'm in love with you, Dagon."

DAGON: "I think it'll be better if you tell them yourself," she smiled. She pulled the leather bound book up onto her lap to show him. "These are stories that I've collected from them over the centuries about their adventures with you back home. A writer friend of ours had a few of the stories modified and published as a children's novel called Peter Pan. I'll read it to you the next time we see each other," she promised. She wanted — no, she needed — to believe there would be a next time. "But, I think it's time for Peter Pan to add a page to his story. I can help you write it," she offered.

She smiled when he came to Aamon's defense. "He is very much like that under the right circumstances." She'd spent about as much time arguing with Aamon about the resurrection spell that called for the death of another Archangel as she did arguing with Cupid over her stubbornness. "But don't worry, I can reel him in." She wanted to believe she had that situation handled. She'd asked Beelzebub to keep an eye on Aamon for the time being because she knew this visit would be hard for him. She also knew she had no choice but to bring Asmodeus into the loop too about the spell. She had to start trusting them again because she couldn't physically keep their brother in check on her own.

Her brows furrowed in confusion when he remarked that he'd realized that it wasn't Cupid he was in love with. "You're not?" she asked. It made sense now why he wasn't as heartbroken as she expected him to be from that visit. She melted just ever so slightly at the sound of his laugh. She hadn't realized how much she missed it. She was confused as he started to talk about all the things he liked about her. It was starting to sound like— HOLY SHIT. It wasn't just starting to sound like a love confession, it was a love confession. She felt dizzy and elated all at the same time. She'd anticipated anything and everything from this visit, except for this.

Before he'd even had a chance to fully get his train of thought out and process what he just said to her, she found herself gravitating toward him. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him gently at first, but then it deepened as they both fell backwards slightly from the momentum.

She would have spent all night kissing him if it weren't for the snakes. They were out now in full force and peppering him with kisses of their own. Dagon pulled away for a moment, blushing fiercely as she brushed her snakes aside. A few of them turned back into strands of blonde hair but some of them still remained, reaching out to kiss him here and there. "Sorry about them," she whispered as she tucked the last few back. "I've been wanting to do that for a very long time. You make me feel safe too, and heard. All this weight feels easier to carry when you're there with me. You're kind, and you're caring, and you're loving, and you're protective, and you make me smile. And I think..." she leaned in closer again. "I think it's safe to say that I love you too."

BELGIREL: "Yeah, it would," he agreed, but he didn't know if he'd be able to. "I'd still like it if you told them in the meantime though. Patience isn't their virtue." They might've been waiting a long time otherwise. "Peter Pan?" He asked. It was a strange name, but it didn't matter. He could tell what mattered for her was believing that she'd get to see him again. He didn't ruin that for her by telling her they might not see each other again. He could tell in the insistence of her voice, that she was fighting off every doubt about it. She knew the possibility. "I'd like that." He smiled. "Reading it anyways. I don't know about writing it." It wasn't because he didn't care for writing, but he didn't know how much he could remember.

It was hard for him to imagine what kind of circumstances would have Aamon acting like that. "Well, if he is acting like that, I at least told Andras to be a little more careful and avoid getting himself killed, so it might save you some time of him getting on Aamon's nerves." He didn't know if Andras would actually stick to that, but he gave him an order. Andras at least usually followed his orders in the past when he made them.

"No." He shook his head. "I don't know if it was the Void's intention in replaying my regrets for how I handled things with her, but it all just showed that I wasn't really feeling love for her. She was just the embodiment of love, and I wanted that, so I thought I wanted her. The Void made me think for a while that I just wasn't capable of that kind of love. I thought if I couldn't find it during all that time, and after all the dates Cupid sent me on where nothing clicked, it just wasn't something for me. I had a lot of time to think though, and just being able to live and breathe again helped me piece it together. Well, that and talking to Cupid about it helped get me on the right track."

He was stunned when she kissed him. Realistically, he shouldn't have been. He had just told her that he loved her. It was generally a pretty common response for people to kiss each other after that. It was mainly the reciprocation that surprised him. It was the physical acknowledgement that she liked him too. How long had she known she felt that way? Had he done a Belphegor to her too? At least he could claim she'd never told him.

The kiss itself was fulfilling. He felt warm inside, a deep contrast compared to the nothingness of the Empty. No heat, no cold, nothing unless the Empty made it so. If the Empty had an opposite, it was Dagon. Her lips were warm and sent warmth throughout him as she knocked him over, but her other kisses were cold and so erratic that it sent goosebumps across his neck. She was everything. She made him whole.

It was only once Dagon pulled away that Belgirel realized it wasn't just one pair of lips kissing him. He'd seen Dagon's snakes through Belphegor's eyes, but he'd forgotten about it until now. "You're wearing my snakes," he told her as if she was unaware, like it was his t-shirt she put on by mistake. "Andras mentioned that you were looking after my animals in the trench too." He reached behind Dagon's ear to pull some of the snakes forward. "They look good on you." He kissed one of the snakes on the top of its head. He listened with bright eyes as she described her feelings for him. He'd always wanted to make her happy before, like he'd always been happy with her, and he was ecstatic to hear that he'd succeeded. He kissed her again, letting his fingers play through her hair, pulling the strands forward, so none of it was tucked away.

DAGON: "It's certainly a virtue they'd like to be in," she giggled. "But I'll make sure they know they're loved and missed by you," she promised. She nodded and began to elaborate a little more on the story of Peter Pan. "He's an adventurer who lives in a mythical world called Neverland with his friends the Lost Boys. Your regiment calls themselves that now," she smiled softly. They were spread out among three kingdoms but it didn't make a difference to most of them. They were all still Lost Boys. "Next time, then," she nodded and put the book to the side.

She relaxed her shoulders a little bit when he told her that he'd talked to Andras about the recklessness. Andras usually listened to Belgirel. She hoped that it would help some because keeping track of both Andras and Aamon's recklessness was becoming hard. "Thanks," she smiled. "He means well, I think. He just feels a little lost in situations like this." They all did. Dagon could pretend better than most that she knew what she was doing, but she really didn't.

She listened as he described how he'd come to the conclusion that he wasn't in love with Cupid. It made sense. A side effect of Cupid being who she was meant that people often projected their ideas of love onto her. It wasn't something Cupid had discovered until after the war. Dagon imagined that didn't feel good, either for Cupid or for the person who viewed her as an object of their desire when she really wasn't. She was just sad Gears had to come to the same conclusion through torture. It made her heart heavy to imagine how the Void must have broken him down with that information.

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way," she squeezed his hand. "I wish it were different. I found out some things about us pretty recently too. I think because I always knew, or at least thought, you were in love with her I never really let myself feel it." She'd already been hurting. There was no sense in hurting more by exploring those things. At least not until recently. "But I'm older now and I've been through my own gambit of things, enough to know what love feels like. And I really loved you, I still do."

They were both different now. Each of their traumas had changed them and she was afraid that he might not like who she was after being reacquainted but those concerns melted away as he kissed her back. There was a sense of urgency and warmth and comfort. It was as if they'd always belonged like this. She was smiling and felt more light than ever before as she pulled away. Her snakes turned all shades of pink as he not only acknowledged them but called them his. She could feel the love in his eyes and his heart as he spoke delicately to them. When he kissed the top of some of their heads, they looked absolutely elated before melting back into stands of hair.

She let out a soft little moan as he kissed her again. Her snakes had stopped pestering her for the moment as Belgirel freed them and simply let her enjoy it. She could spend all night kissing him The last few months had been the loneliest she'd felt in her entire existence. She wanted to feel whole again. He made her feel whole again. She laid slowly back down on the nest of blankets, never breaking the kiss as she pulled him gently down with her.

She kissed him for a little while longer, running her fingers through his hair and over his back. It was the scars that she could feel through his shirt that eventually pulled her back to the reality of their situation. She gently pulled away before giving him 1, 2, 3 gentle kisses on his lips again. "We have to talk about it, Gears," she whispered. Her lips trailed down to his neck where a scar was visible. She kissed it gently before looking up at him. Her thumb gently caressed his cheek before circling his lips as she looked up at him with a little more sadness in her eyes than before. "He'll hurt you for what you did and said here today, won't he?"

BELGIREL: He giggled at her joke. "They'd like to be in all the virtues," he corrected. "Thank you." He really appreciated it and hoped it wasn't crushing her dreams to ask her to do that, but she seemed okay with it. "The Lost Boys. Do they feel Lost?" Did he do that to them when he died? Dagon spoke like it was a good thing, but he wasn't sure. So far it just sounded like they were being like him and masking how lost they felt. He didn't want that for them.

"He does," Belgirel agreed. "He just wants to help, and I'd appreciate the help if it didn't cost him his life. I don't want him to die for me. It's as much about myself as it is about him and you. I don't want either of you to suffer, and I don't think I could handle watching the Void torture him if he died." He reached a breaking point a long time ago, but he'd shatter if he had to watch that. The good thing about this spell was that while he could hear the Void torturing Belphegor, he didn't have to see it in his dreams since he wasn't staying that long.

He squeezed her hand back to tell her that it was okay. The Void had traumatized him in every way possible. "At least it took time for it to get that point across, so I didn't suffer with it the whole time." Sure he was suffering with other things, but after a lot of physical torture, it was the emotional torture that hurt more. "I'm sorry I didn't figure it out back then, but I'm kind of glad for it too." If they'd fallen in love back then, his death would've hurt her so much more. While she still had to lose him, at least it wasn't making her lose a reciprocated love like Valefar and Asmodeus had to.

Watching the way her snakes interacted with him was spectacular, and it felt like a compliment that her form included one of his creations. It was further proof that she loved him so much that she constantly kept a part of him with her, as a part of her. As they melted into strands of hair, he felt like he understood the purpose of them. They protected her, emotionally and physically. She must've been nervous before, but she wasn't now. That was why they turned back. She didn't need them when he was here to provide the same thing. And kissing each other was far more important than anything else going on in their minds.

At least he thought it was until she took notice of his scars. He wanted to feign ignorance to what she was talking about. "I don't think Figs will mind that we're kissing as long as we aren't going into anything sexual," he assured her, knowing that wasn't what she meant, but she didn't let him off easy. He sighed. "Yes. It will, but it'll torture me about everything today. That's just what it does. It's okay. This? You? What we did here, it's worth it."

DAGON: "I guess you can say some things never change," she smiled. She shook her head when he asked if the Lost Boys felt lost. "Some are, but most aren't. They've found their places in Aamon, Asmo, and Belphegor's kingdoms. Lost Boy is more of a calling card for them. It's something that strings them together even when they aren't together anymore," she explained.

She kissed him warmly and reassuringly when he explained why he'd asked her brother to be more careful. She was grateful for just about any help when it came to reeling Andras in. "I won't let that happen," she promised. "He'll listen now that you told him no. I don't think he really understands how bad it is in there. We didn't know about the Empty, so we made up our own afterlife to cope and called it Neverland. I think he thinks if you two got rid of the Void it could be like that." Andras had the pride and gull to believe he could get rid of it.

She was glad he hadn't sat with the realization the whole time he'd been dead though she was sure he must've sat with other emotional scars that were just as painful for longer. "It's not your fault," she assured him when he apologized for not realizing it sooner. "We both got there in our own way. And even if we hadn't gotten there, it doesn't change the fact that the time I got to spend with you was special and important to me." She just wished they had more of it.

Even as they kissed by the fireside she couldn't push away the persistent though that this would be the last time she'd see him. How was she supposed to let him go back to the Empty after this? She didn't even want to let go of him long enough to breathe. How was she supposed to keep convincing Aamon he shouldn't go through with what he had planned if she wasn't even sure herself anymore? She smiled and kissed him again when he joked that Bells wouldn't mind they were doing this. The one kiss turned into 2 & 3 more before she stopped to catch her breath.

"It's worth it, but it's not okay," she whispered. She could tell the moment that he walked into her pocket dimension that it wasn't okay. "I love you. How am I supposed to just let you go back to that?" She was sure he could feel her sorrow at the thought.

BELGIREL: Those were the kinds of things he liked. They seemed few and far between during his time here, but every now and then, he'd catch something that was like it always had been, like Cupid's giddiness over love, Andras's chaos, Lucifer's inability to stay focused. Everything that stayed the same was a comfort. It made him feel like he still belonged and wasn't just an imposter in a foreign place. "So they're scattered, not lost?" That was more reassuring.

"If we got rid of the Void, it probably could be," Belgirel agreed. "Getting rid of the Void just isn't something he or I can do." Belgirel was all for believing in people, but not sending them into unfair fights. The Void had more to it than Andras could hope to handle. He was still worried it might be too much for Belphegor.

He caressed her cheek as she reassured him that it wasn't his fault for not realizing sooner. She was so considerate, and he loved the way her face looked when she was being so caring for someone. He kissed her again, he felt emotions welling up as they kissed though. He understood that to be one of the things Belphegor had to deal with. The sadness in her was heavy. "It doesn't have to be okay. I've been dealing with not okay for centuries. Don't do it despite loving me. Let me go because you love me." He kissed her wrist. "Belphegor's in there getting tortured now in my place, and I can hear it. They're not okay. At least if it was me getting tortured, I'd know they weren't. And you promised you'd help me look out for them. At least you know I'll be okay though. Once Belphegor beats the Void, I'll be able to see you again. Aamon told me how you guys had a plan to make sure the Void wouldn't kill me permanently. Don't worry. I won't ask about the details. I don't want the Void to know."

DAGON: "Scattered and a little scatter brained sometimes," she giggled. "My brother ended up in Asmo's kingdom. A lot of the ones there have largely stayed the same. They exhaust Moh-moh but he's largely protected their right to remain free spirited dumb kids." She didn't really think any of the others had it in them to deal with that level of chaos.

"Figs will do it. They've been practicing a lot with me and Aamon." She was sure Raph told him all about Belphegor's accomplishments by now. She could always feel how proud they were of Bells. "These trials aren't great but they have helped them expand a lot. It's a little like seeing Figs before the fall," she smiled. "And yet in other ways it's absolutely not. They're into sex now," she giggled. "Well, sex with a very specific person who isn't Andras, much to my brother's dismay."

The sadness remained despite his reassurances. It wasn't fair. Why did she always have to give things up? Why couldn't she be allowed to be selfish for once? A tear rolled down her cheek despite her attempts to remain steady. She couldn't fault him though. If it was her twin, she'd wish for the same. "I know," she nodded. "I will look out for them always. We're getting close to the end of the first trial. They only have Michael's grace left and their wedding and then..." she trailed off. She inhaled deeply when he remarked that Aamon had a plan and a few snakes appeared here and there. She could see the hope in Belgirel's eyes that his older brother had instilled. That was unfair of Aamon. Why had he put her in this position? She couldn't tell Gears that his brother's plan was to take his place. She couldn't watch the hope fade from his eyes as she crushed it. "Yeah, your brother always has a plan." She needed to tread lightly both for her sake and his. "But what if I didn't have to lose you?" she ventured. "What if there was a spell to bring you back?" Would he want to pay the ferry man's toll to be back here with her again?

BELGIREL: "Well, that hasn't changed then." He grinned. At least he'd still fit in among them. He was glad that they could still be like that and neither the war nor his death took it away from them. He was grateful for Asmo dealing with them.

He smiled at the faith Dagon had in his twin. "Yeah, Raph gave me the details of it all." He laughed. "That's.  . . Hard to imagine, and I'm glad I can't." As much as he supported Belphegor getting laid, he didn't want to see it. "If Andras can get over me only wanting you, I think he can get over that. It's not like Figs has ever been into sex with him anyway." According to Andras, it wasn't just Belphegor he wasn't able to have sex with. "He actually mentioned something similar to that, and I guess I just wanted to make sure. You and Beel aren't a thing anymore, right?" Andras had said they broke up, but Beel had been around a lot more than Belgirel had. What if he pushed his way back into her heart, or her pants.

He wiped her tear away as it fell. "I'm sorry." He didn't want to make her cry, but this was always going to be hard even if he hadn't told her he loved her. "Thank you. I know that last trial is going to be hard for you, but Andras said they're going to make you the new princess of sloth. So that's a nice promotion." Belgirel still didn't entirely understand what all that meant, but he was supportive. He nodded when she said Asmo always had a plan. He was strategic like that, and Belgirel had always admired him for it. "That's a nice fantasy," he said solemnly, but he knew it wasn't one that could come true. "But a spell like that would have a massive cost. I mean look at what happened to Belphegor. They're getting tortured just for trying to get me a day's worth of relief. Sure, I can act like it's not bothering me, but it's heartbreaking whenever I hear them scream. Death is something that takes trades, but I don't want something that hurts someone else in my place. I'm the one who made the mistake and got myself killed, so I should be the one to suffer the consequences."

DAGON: "I wish that you could talk to Belphegor," she sighed as she played with his hands. "They still hold a lot of guilt about what happened to you and the fact that they couldn't heal you." They felt they couldn't fail anyone if they just didn't try at all. They were getting better at it these days, but some of the old habits and thought patterns remained.

She smiled when he said that it was hard to imagine Belphegor getting laid. "Andras just likes to complain. He still holds onto the hope that he'll be able to sleep with Raphael." She wasn't surprised Andras complained about not being able to sleep with Beel too. "No, we haven't been anything but friends for centuries," she assured him. "I don't have those feelings for him anymore. And quite frankly it's still hard to trust him and Asmo sometimes. I've forgiven them for lying but..." she shook her head. It was clear that wound still hurt.

She kissed his thumb as he wiped away her tears. "I know," she nodded. "It's okay." It didn't feel okay right now but it would be. Even if she was scared for him, she had to believe it would be okay in the end because the alternative wasn't acceptable. She bit her lip when he mentioned her promotion. "It's not much of a change," she downplayed it. "But it places me on the same command rank as your siblings." It was the first coronation since, well, the fall. "There's supposed to be a big party to celebrate the transition but I don't think I'm in the mood to celebrate my friend dying and me ascending to their throne. Maybe we can celebrate when they've won and you..." she smiled up at him for the first time since they'd gotten on the topic. "Can be my date," she grinned as she kissed him again.

"It is," she nodded. It was definitely a fantasy that Aamon was looking into making a reality anyway. She wouldn't lie that she was saddened by his answer but she understood. He knew in detail what was going on in the Empty. It was hard to live when you knew intimately what other people were facing. "Some people would say the consequence is disproportionate to the mistake made," she pointed out. She was some people and it was unfair. "I just wish we had more time."

BELGIREL: "Yeah, me too." He sighed. "That's the worst part about all of this. I get to see everyone I want except the one who probably needed to see me most. Raphael said that this spell was supposed to give Figs a break from the Void, but instead they just got the opposite. I wrote some letters for them though." He pulled them out of one of the suit pockets. "The first one you can give them once they get back, and the second one is for what I would've told them at their wedding if I could be there. I thought maybe ... you could read it in my place?"

He chuckled. "Maybe he will some day. He'll keep trying no matter what we say." Andras was persistent about that. He was relieved that Dagon and Beel weren't a thing anymore. While Dagon said she reciprocated with Gears and Cupid and Aamon both said she did too, Beelzebub had the advantage of still being alive. He was a little glad Beel had lied to her, so he didn't have the chance to get her back, but he did regret how much it sounded like losing that trust hurt her. "Not being able to trust people is lonely. I know. But at least you still have Figs and Aamon, and apparently you talk to me at my grave."

He knew it wasn't really okay, so he pulled her into a hug and held her close. "You deserve the position more than most of them do. You'd do better than I probably ever would." Clearly he'd never given his regiment much discipline, which was why they were the way they were. "So the party would be in the Empty? And I could come?" He wasn't sure how soon she could have her party, but he didn't think she cared how long she'd have to wait. "I like the sound of that." After they kissed again he stood up. We should probably get ready for that. They'll expect us to dance." He pulled her up to her feet and then held out his hand to her. My Lady, Princess Dagon of the Clan of the Spiritus, may I have this dance?" He kissed the top of her hand. There was no music playing, but he didn't need it. Most modern music would’ve confused him anyways. His symphony was the dance of the wind and the sea.

"Aamon said the same thing," he chuckled. He knew that none of them wanted him to be tortured, but there was nothing they could do about it without getting hurt themselves, and that would have hurt him more. "I'm supposed to leave you after an hour to go see everyone else one last time, but I can just stay here with you until the last second. We can pretend we have all the time in the world until I'm gone."

DAGON: She knew on top of feeling guilty about what was happening to Belphegor, he just plain missed them. "This was their choice and their wish," she reminded Gears. "They'll be proud you made the most of it even if they couldn't be here." She knew to Belphegor all of this was worth the pain they were experiencing for the moment. She smiled and took the letters. "I will," she promised as she tucked them away in book of stories beside her. "I can't guarantee I'll get through it without crying, but I will."

She smiled when he brought up her brother's tenacity and effort when it came to getting laid. "Cupid says, always to her dismay might I add, that it's probably happened in some universe," she laughed. She imagined that universe was vastly different than her own.

She looked a little more sad and pensive when he remarked that it was lonely not being able to trust people. It was. These past few months were the loneliest she'd felt in a very long time. "They both try at least," she smiled. She wasn't sure either of them really knew how to help her with the heaviness she felt, but they did their best. "I've been working with Aamon on gentle expression of emotions for Belphegor's sake. He wasn't too rough with you, was he?" she asked.

She smiled when he brought up the fact that she visited his grave still. "So, Cupid's been gossiping about me then?" she grinned. It was clear she wasn't upset. "Talking to you there sometimes helps more than talking to anyone else." Sure, he couldn't really comfort her, but at the very least she could release all of the emotions she was holding onto without fear that she'd hurt someone. The Canyon was vast and there were many areas still inaccessible to humans.

She buried her face in his chest as he pulled her close and smiled when he voiced approval of her leadership. "Aamon would say you just needed time to grow into it. And he's right." Gears had qualities about him that made him a good leader. He just needed time. Life had been cruel to take that from him before he had the chance to realize his potential.

She nodded when he asked about the party. "It might take some time for Figs to figure out how to open it up to all of us, but I'd like it to be in there. They're taking on a throne of their own too technically. They can't leave me hanging," she grinned. She brightened a little more when he said that he'd like to be her date to this. It gave them both something to look forward to in the future. She giggled as he pulled her to her feet and asked her to dance. The title didn't sound so terrifying when it came from his lips. "Your Grace, you may have this dance and this heart and all my love," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him while they swayed to the sound of the waves.

She glanced at the clock when he remarked that he was supposed to leave after an hour. How had time passed so quickly? It felt like he just got here, but there was only a half hour or so left until midnight. A few snakes appeared, looking distressed at the thought of him leaving, but they soothed back down when he remarked that he could stay here until the very last second. She wasn't sure that was even possible given that her brother and Cupid probably wanted him out there just as much as she wanted him here. "Are you sure?" she asked though it was very clear she liked the idea of having him here until she couldn't anymore.

BELGIREL: "I know, but it still sucks." He sighed. Belphegor probably didn't even plan to switch with him. According to Raphael, with spells could be tricky, and since Belphegor hadn't verified their wording, they didn't know what the wish was exactly. For all Belgirel knew they just wanted him to be here and the spell made it happen how it was easiest, or maybe they had wished to swap places. Maybe they were scared to face him because of some misguided feelings of failing him. He knew what that felt like. He didn't know for sure and likely wouldn't until Belphegor defeated the Empty, assuming they even swapped back to do that at all. They weren't sure if Belphegor had even kept the wish to end at midnight, but he made sure not to mention that to anyone. He didn't want to make any of them, especially Cupid, worried that Belphegor might not be able to come back. They'd find out at midnight anyways. The Void knew of course, but it wouldn't tell him. "Cupid will probably talk their ears off about how I used my time," he chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing you have my rings to help, right?" He grinned, gladly sharing all the information Cupid had told him.

"It sounds like she's spending too much time with Kokabiel," he giggled. The alternate universe talks were often amusing but were best over a few rounds of drinks. "It's more than I've seen anyone really do in the past few centuries." Of course, it wasn't much these days. It felt like the Void hid everything away now, but he imagined that was because there was more hope. What he'd seen before being locked off was the family doing their best to find a solution. It wasn't hard to tell that they didn't feel like they had any other options. They were misguided, but they tried. "Rough? No, not really, not like I thought he'd be. I thought he'd be pissed at me, but he wasn't, just concerned. He was actually proud when I told him about what I told Cupid and now you."

"She told me everything." He held his head up proudly. "She has a lot of proof that you love me." He smiled, knowing he was able to help her even while dead. "Sorry, I took so long to respond. I was busy," he joked.

Belgirel wasn't so sure about that. One of the things about leadership was that you couldn't always be everyone's friend. It wasn't supposed to matter if everyone liked you as long as the job got done, but he didn't want to lose any friends. He still didn't know where that balance was. "Can I still grow if I'm dead?" he joked, though he really did wonder that even if it was a deflection from the talk of leadership. It wasn't like he had to be one anymore.

He didn't want to ruin her hopes, but a part of him wondered if the living would even be able to go in the Empty. No one knew how much control Belphegor would have over the Empty, but he decided to stay in the fantasy of the what-if. It was better to just imagine dancing there. "I'll take it all, and you can have mine in exchange. I'd give you more if I wasn't in my twin's body, but maybe next time." They were already pushing it a little by just how much they'd made out already. He was covered in her lipstick and who knew how Cupid and Belphegor would feel about that.

He still wasn't used to seeing the snakes. He petted them to soothe them and Dagon. "Yeah, I'm sure. As much as I love all of them too, there's a lot of people out there who I basically already said goodbye to. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet."

DAGON: She nodded when he voiced his displeasure. She knew that Bells would feel the same way about having missed their twin, especially now that they had intimate knowledge of what it physically felt like to be in Gear's position. She wasn't how this would all effect Bells, but she was concerned and she knew Cupid was too. "Oh, bless," she giggled. "Cupid and Andras are probably regaling your siblings with the tale right now." At least it kept Cupid distracted long enough to make sure she wasn't actively panicking about Bells. She smiled and looked down at her rings which were his long before they were ever hers. "What can I say? I like keeping you close," she smiled and kissed him lightly. "Maybe one day I'll add a ring to your finger and we can match."

She chuckled when he mentioned Kokabiel. If there was anyone spending too much time with the demon it was Dagon. He'd have a field day with this. Talks of her relationships always derailed his attention from the research she'd asked him to do. "The initial months after they found out the truth were hard for both of us, but everyone is trying." She couldn't deny that even the ones that had lied to their faces were at least making attempts to mend bridges. "The lies broke us for a little while, but as long winded as these trials are, they're giving us time to repair things before Figs goes. Their power in the Empty hinges on their bond to their family and we're not going to let them go until we're sure those are secure," she promised him. Even if the Void tried to show Gears things to contradict this, she hoped her promises would trump that.

She smiled when he remarked that Aamon hadn't been what he expected. She knew that under the influence of Lucifer's grace, Gears must've felt Aamon's pride in him and she was glad for it. "The man rarely invests himself in anyone's romantic endeavors except for yours still," she giggled. It was amusing to see the kind of influence Gears had on Aamon.

"She is such a gossip," Dagon laughed. "I had a feeling she was studying me lately." She always did when she suspected Dagon was in love. "There's a lot to love. I know that we've both been through things and our traumas have changed us, but I don't think anything will ever change how I feel about you." Before, she was grappling with how to move past what she thought was a one-sided experience, but now that she knew that wasn't the case, she would fight for this. She wanted to know him for who he was now. She wasn't sure he even knew that answer himself, but she wanted to be there with him to help him find out. "I don't expect you to be the same boy you were when we were young. You've already grown, traumatically but beautifully." He'd learned from his mistake of not speaking up about his feelings and he faced a lot of difficult conversations head on today instead of avoiding them. "And you'll continue to grow," she promised.

She laughed when he remarked that he'd give her more than a dance next time. For now all she wanted to do was steal a few more kisses so she did. "We'll do all sorts of things next time," she continued the fantasy as they swayed to an inner music. "We'll have a proper date." She didn't know the Empty well enough to know what that would look like for them, but she could dream. "We'll go for a walk along the beach and collect sea shells or maybe we'll make a small fire and enjoy each other's company under the stars. Assuming we can get away from everyone that is," she giggled. She smiled softly as her mind conjured up an image of the two of them sneaking away from a heavy crowded room. "You'll be a hot commodity. Even now. There's a chance they'll come looking for you." She wasn't ready to let go yet either.

BELGIREL: "Unfortunately for them, there are certain details they just won't know." Sure, they knew that Belgirel loved her and that Belgirel was going to tell her that and even some of the reasons why he loved her, but they couldn't tell the kind of things that only Belgirel and Dagon knew. They couldn't know or tell what she and Belgirel were doing now in this cabin. "They can't tell anyone what you look like with the fire making you glow in this cabin." Sure, they might've seen Dagon near fire before, but he doubted they could tell the story of how beautifully she was framed in front of him like he could. Would they have even paid attention to that detail? Cupid might've. She loved romanticizing everything, but she wasn't here to see it.

"They can't tell anyone what it was like when you and our snakes gave me a hundred kisses together or the fact that we've kissed seventeen times and every time we do it's leaving prints of your lips like that's all my skin wants to remember." He kissed her again to make it eighteen. "I like having you close too." At least right now. He'd be panicking if she ended up in the Empty with him when the Void was in control. He blushed, however, when she mentioned adding a ring to his finger. "Barely dating, and you're already talking about wedding rings." He grinned. He couldn't help himself to dipping her into another kiss. "Do you think Cupid would be mad if I married you now before her and Figs? Or does it not count if I'm in their body?" He wouldn't of course. It was far too early for something like that. Even though he'd known her his entire life, death and distance could change things. She might come to find out she might not like who he was now, especially when he wasn't sure who that was, but the thought of getting married to her on the spot was a pleasant one. He imagined that whether Cupid would've been happy or pissed, her reaction would have been priceless.

"That's good." He knew this was hard for all of them, but they had to work things out for the sake of everyone. He imagined it was a lot of pressure for his twin. "Will you tell them to take their time with it? Connecting with everyone, I mean. I know Figs will want to rush things for my sake and everyone else's in the Empty, but if they do, things are going to be harder for them. We can take the torture for longer if they make sure it's done right." There'd be a better chance of them winning if they just took the time." And hopefully, it gave Aamon more time to set up his plan to make sure the Void didn't kill him in front of Belphegor.

It made him feel special to know that Aamon apparently only did that for him, though he wasn't actually sure why Aamon only cared about his. "Maybe he actually just cares about yours," he joked. She was the living one after all. "Andras said he was scaring off most of the people who were trying to date you." He was lucky that Aamon approved of him dating her, though maybe that was what he'd wanted all along since he seemed to have known about it before Belgirel did.

"I can't blame her. I'd study you too if I could." He smirked, though he doubted Cupid studied Dagon the way he wanted to. It was more like the way he knew she studied Belphegor. Dagon's assurance was something he'd needed to hear. Anyone else could've told him that too, but he didn't fully believe it until he heard her say it. She sounded so sure of it. "I feel like I have an unfair advantage. I've gotten to see a lot of how you've grown through Belphegor's eyes, at least whenever they were going through some sort of crisis." Unfortunately for him, that was often, but he was sure seeing her in those situations helped him come to the understanding that he loved her. "But you don't know what I'm like yet. I don't know what I'm like yet. Are you sure you have time for me to figure that out?"

"Can it be more than an hour?" he joked. He wanted to spend days on end just with her, as a date or otherwise. "How about we start at a cavern instead," he suggested. It wasn't like the Empty had a beach. He didn't know if Belphegor could make one either, but he did know the Empty had a sort of ocean, one whose waves had drowned him repeatedly. A beach in the Empty just sounded horrifying. "We could hide away in there. Or maybe a sort of forest clearing that no one else knows about." He'd find one if he could. "Aamon said he'd keep them away, so I could tell you how I felt. For all he knows, I only am just getting to that, and that's why I'm taking so long." Even if Aamon wanted to see him before he was gone, Belgirel knew his brother would defend his chance to tell Dagon how he felt. "But we could always ward the door if you're really worried."

DAGON: "They are most definitely making up their own stories," she giggled. Andras at least couldn't get ahead of himself because he knew nothing of the sort of behavior that he liked to get up to was happening when this wasn't Belgirel's body, but Cupid was sure to get out of hand with her own speculative theories about what romantic endeavors were going on here. "I'm happy to report that all of their fantasies pale in comparison to the reality," she grinned as they danced about the room.

She'd spent the last few months helping Belphegor and Cupid navigate their own relationship in the aftermath of the truth. In that time, she'd seen so many acts of love between the two. She was always happy for them, but she'd be lying if she claimed that each little act of softness between the two hadn't been a reminder of her own profound loneliness and isolation. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel lonely. She felt seen and heard. She was loved and falling in love at the same time.

Her heart and soul felt full as he described all the things that the others couldn't perceive about tonight. She smiled into the kiss as he kissed her for the eighteenth time. Would these kisses be enough to hold him together when he was gone? She'd kiss every broken piece of him until he was whole again. "They can't see the way your whole being comes alive when you're in love. It's a good look on you," she smiled as she tucked back the stray hairs that fell across his face. Her eyes lingered on him as she observed his features a little while longer. She wanted to commit his features to memory. This was the Belgirel she wanted to remember when the nights were dark and cold.

She chuckled as he blushed slightly at the mention of rings. Now this was a change. Normally, he was the one making people blush. She quite liked being the one to bring the heat for a change. "Now, that's a cute look too," she smiled, giggling as he dipped her into another kiss. In true Belgirel nature, he didn't shy away from the idea of being hers forever. "I think it's only fair we give them the chance to get their first," she giggled. "It took them long enough. We can't steal their thunder now."

His concern for his twin was always at the forefront of his mind and Dagon both admired and understood that facet about him. "We'll make sure they take their time," she promised. "They're stubborn sometimes and they just want to spare everyone more pain, but they're easy to talk down and reason with." At the end of the day, Belphegor knew there were no shortcuts to this and they knew if they tried to take any it would only hurt people in the end.

She laughed and shook her head, loosely curled whisps of hair swaying back and forth as she did so, when he brought up what her twin had said about Aamon scaring everyone off. "It would appear that the Empty not only holds the love of my life, which is you, by the way," she clarified mostly because she liked saying it. "But there's probably a graveyard of my exes there too thanks to that Archangel." Courage, she knew, was there but that hadn't been Aamon's doing. She had a feeling Aamon wanted this all along. Maybe he had even when Gears was alive. Perhaps it was one of those things he hoped Belgirel would mature into. He sometimes talked about that sort of stuff and what he imagined Gears would be like if he'd just been given a little more time to grow.

A blush swept across her cheeks when he remarked that he couldn't blame Cupid for studying her. The way his eyes looked at her reminded her of warm summer nights. She could almost picture herself sitting out by a lake trying to light the campfire only to look up and catch him admiring her with those warm eyes of his. "You might've seen some things but you'll find I'm still full of surprises." Belphgor might've seen somethings and she might've told them other things in confidence as friends do, but there were still facets of her that were her own. She had a better grip on who she was which she supposed was her unfair advantage. "Gears," she cupped his face in her hands. "I will always make time for you. That's one journey you'll never have to travel alone," she promised. She drew him in and sealed the promise with a kiss.

"Absolutely it will be more than an hour," she grinned. She imagined it would be a date that lasted for days. Cavern, forest, mountains, beach...it didn't matter where they went as long as she just got to be with him. "Maybe we can get Aamon to make sure we get the time we need for our next date too." She glanced at the door when he suggested warding it. At the end of the day, it wasn't anyone living that would take him away from her or interrupted this moment. It was an inevitable force that she didn't want to think about. As if sensing the slight shift, Ferus jumped from the couch and made his way to the dancing couple. He nuzzled against Belgirel before making his way toward the door. There, he sat on guard as if it say I'll keep watch while you dance this last song with your girl.

BELGIREL: "You'll have to tell me the stories they came up with when I see you again." Cupid would most likely tell him her theories anyways, but he'd like to hear it from Dagon too. He felt like her reactions to repeating the theories would give him more ideas of what he could do for her, even if this was good for her now. He was pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered this time what he did as long as he told her how he felt, but he wanted the future to be just as special if he was able to live it.

Belgirel couldn't see himself either, but it felt like that much more confirmation that he was right about his feelings for her. Cupid had seen his aura when he was just talking about his feelings for Dagon, but he wondered what it looked like now. It had to be as bright as the sun, but Dagon was the only one who could see him. "Better than the clothes Asmo and Val got me?" he asked jokingly. He was pretty sure she was the best addition to his outfit. She made him more relaxed. He felt safer here with her, like the Empty and the Void were galaxies away. The pain couldn't touch him here when he was with her. He could tell what she was thinking when she just watched him. He'd been doing that all day, just trying to make sure he remembered the good things for when the bad things eventually came back, but he still had time. He was going to use every moment of it.

He laughed as she teased him for blushing. "I can't say there's ever been much that's made me blush like that besides you." Marriage also just wasn't something that he expected to be brought up so soon. He'd felt slightly embarrassed for not knowing if she was joking or not because he did want it. He still wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but it was worth her laughter. "I guess we can, but for the record, I think I might've taken just as long. In your speech at their wedding, you should mention how generous we were to not steal their thunder," he joked.

He could relate to his twin to an extent. He'd done essentially the same thing with most of his friends, taking on the pain himself to protect them from it. He thought it had worked for the most part, but it also dug him into a hole where he barely knew himself and had been lying about himself for so long that most of his friends wouldn't know him either. He didn't want Belphegor making the same kind of mistakes he did, but at least they had people they listened to. He trusted Dagon and Aamon to lead them the right way.

He brightened more when she called him the love of her life. It scrambled his mind to know she thought of him that way. He knew he'd been sitting on those feelings, but the fact that she'd developed them enough to call him the love of her life wasn't something he'd been expecting. "I'm glad you clarified it was me. I might've thought you were talking about Belphegor." He joked before he kissed her again, not wanting to let himself think about what that actually meant for his twin. "I don't know if I should feel bad for them or glad that I was still able to have a chance with you." If Aamon hadn't gotten rid of them, he wasn't sure how he would've felt about being turned down, though he imagined that Cupid would've warned him about the upcoming heartbreak that would've led to.

He smiled as she blushed. "That's a good look on you too," he teased. He kissed her again as she seemed to get lost in thought. "I don't doubt it." He grinned. He was looking forward to finding out about all the things he'd missed about her. He could only look at her as she gripped his face, not that his eyes would've gone anywhere else, but they watered a little at her promise. "I love you, Dagon." He told her before she kissed him. Somehow, she knew exactly what he needed to hear.

He wanted to spend every hour with her, and he hoped he could get to that point, though he doubted it was possible. Even once Belphegor defeated the Empty, Dagon couldn't spend all her time there. She had a job to do in Hell and a kingdom to run apparently. She might've made time to see him often, but he couldn't be with her at all hours of the day. "But do you think he'd be able to stop Cupid from spying on it?" he joked. "She might not work for Asmo anymore, but I don't think she'd ever stop spying on relationships, especially mine and yours." They were new and she hadn't seen much of them together. Of course she'd be interested in it. He couldn't really blame her for it, but he did want time alone with Dagon. Maybe he could arrange a deal with her to tell her most of the details as long as she let them have their date without being watched.

Belgirel pet Ferus's head as the dog moved from its spot to the door. "I guess that works too." He shrugged. "Good boy," he told the hellhound as he went back to dancing with his girlfriend. "How much time do we have now?"

DAGON: "I'll be sure to write it all down," she laughed. Maybe it would help her get through the next few months. Even if she didn't want to think about it, the growing pit in her stomach told her that it was going to be a rough ride. "Andras can re-enact it. He likes mimicking Cupid. Both when she's around to kick his ass and when she's not there." Andras just liked putting on a show altogether. He had a flare for the dramatics.

"Much better though you wear those well too," she grinned. "Lucifer and his three piece suits would approve. I'm sure he and Asmo will be happy to help you pick another outfit for the coronation." It was easier to think about future plans than it was to think about the immediate and inevitable way that tonight would end.

She grinned when he remarked that she was one of the few to get that kind of reaction from him. "It's one more thing to add to the list of things the others are missing out on." There was something wholesome about it that she very much liked. She shook her head when he said he might've taken just as long. "No longer than the rest of your family. Lucifer just figured himself out like last year. Actually, Belphegor figured themself out before Lucifer figured himself out." It was something she never let Lucifer forget. "But I'll be sure to let them know how lucky they are." They were lucky in more ways than one. Tonight would end and Belphegor would return, but her love would be going back. She knew that fact would be as hard for Belphegor to accept as it was for her. She hoped they wouldn't be too hard on themself for it. These were circumstances above and beyond their control.

"Never. To quote Cupid, you two look nothing alike," she replied in the same offended tone that Cupid used when people mixed the twins up. She loved Bells in the same way that she loved Andras. They were her family. That bond was deep and strong and unshakable in many ways but what she felt for Belgirel was different. She never felt those types of feelings for their twin. "Cupid says that people who are meant to be together will always find a way to be." The stars and circumstances all aligned in this universe in such a way that it was impossible to think they weren't meant to be. Had she discovered her feelings a century sooner, she might've already moved on. Had the Void focused its torture on memories of her from the beginning, that love might've been beaten out of Gears by now. But things hadn't gone that way. They transcended and escaped all those odds and even death to find each other again.

She smiled when he teased her again with her own words. "I'm glad you think so cause you'll probably have to get used to it," she giggled. She was sure it was easier to make her blush. If her own face wasn't expressive, her snakes certainly were. Her heart fluttered a little when he said he loved her. If her life were to ever become a groundhog day, this was the moment she'd never get tired of reliving. She wanted to hear him say it again, and again, and again. "I love you too," she replied as she kissed him. If he remembered nothing of tonight when she saw him again, she hoped he at least remembered that.

"Quite the opposite," she giggled. "He might actually join Cupid in spying on us." She doubted it even as she spoke it, but there was something amusing about the thought of Aamon joining the 'love agents' as they liked to call themselves. He tolerated Cupid more and more these days. He seemed to have developed some sympathy and understanding of her now that he didn't simply view her as a problem. "I'm sure we can give them the slip though."

She watched as the hellhound wordlessly took his place by the door. Animals had a way of being quite intuitive. She supposed that's why she enjoyed their company so much. She froze a little when Belgirel asked her about the time. She was afraid to look, but she willed her eyes to glance at the ornate clock in the room. Her heart sank a little and so did she. The rain which had started not too long ago got heavier and thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance. "Five more minutes," she whispered though her voice cracked. A flash of lightning swept across the sky as she pulled him closer to her. Her form changed rapidly as she prepared to weather was was to come. "Don't let go, okay? Don't let me go."

CUPID: Belgirel was supposed to meet them all outside for one final goodbye about 20 minutes ago, but he hadn't come out of the tophat that held Dagon's universe. Cupid was patient despite that; however, she was fighting a neverending battle with her anxiety. She was able to distract herself for a while though. She and Andras filled the time by telling the Archangels who stayed behind all about what Belgirel was planning to tell Dagon. That kept them entertained for a while, but at ten minutes to midnight Cupid was getting restless. At five minutes to midnight, she told Aamon she was going in. To her surprise, he didn't argue with her about it.

She entered the pocket dimension and to her dismay it was storming. She was soaked and shivering by the time she reached the porch. She peered through the window to make sure Gears and Dagon were still there. She didn't want to interrupt them if Gears was still in the middle of confessing though she hoped he wouldn't leave that to the last five minutes. Her heart melted a little as she looked inward. She could see them holding each other and dancing by the fire. So, she was right. Dagon did love him just as much as he loved her. Their auras were shining so brightly. She couldn't take a picture of it on account of the fact that she was the only one who could see it, but she did pull out her phone to take a picture of them dancing so she could show Bells and Chastity. As beautiful as the whole thing was, it filled her chest with a deep aching. She missed Belphegor so much. When these sorts of acts of love happened, they were usually the first person she told. But they were missing this, their twin of all things, finding love. And she was missing them.

Just as she put her phone away, a hellhound appeared at the window. Cupid recognized him as one of Belgirel's dogs. She put her finger to her lips to silence him. Luckily, the dog knew her well so he didn't feel she was an intruder or a threat though he did keep an eye on her. Dagon and Gears seemed to distracted to notice her. She glanced at her wristwatch. There were only a few minutes left. She couldn't rob them of that time so instead she waited patiently for her own love to come back. She would enter the room when they did.

BELGIREL: "Thank you." He gave her an appreciative kiss on the cheek. For all of his loss of memory, it was good to have records of things, even as small as that. "Maybe once I know the skit, we can both re-enact it. Piss off Cupid together." He grinned, though he didn't think Cupid would really mind all that much.

"It's too bad he didn't get to see it then." Of course, Lucifer would see it if he hadn't already. Valefar had some sort of reflection box that had seemed to trap his reflection inside it. He didn't understand it really, and he still felt distrustful of the device. He worried that he wouldn't have a reflection anymore, but Valefar and Asmodeus hadn't seemed the slightest bit worried about it. Maybe that was their plan to get him out of the Empty. If they could trap his reflection in there, maybe they could pull him out of the Empty into it and send his reflection into the Empty. He didn't want to get out just to be trapped in a box though, so he hoped that wasn't the case. The important thing, even if Belgirel didn't realize it, was that Lucifer would get to see him in a suit. "Maybe by then, I'll be able to understand the fashion more." It was hard to pick outfits when he didn't really get it.

"Just as long as we don't tell any of them about it." He grinned. Cupid would undoubtedly ask them both hundreds of questions about this moment when she got to see them again. She had a vivid imagination and would likely feel like she was there if they told her and she imagined what it was like. At least he hoped she could still. She'd been more than thrilled at him realizing he loved Dagon, but she carried so much weight too. He didn't know how much that and the guilt might get in her way.

"In Lucifer's defense, he hasn't known her as long as I've-" He paused, frowning. Had he known Dagon longer? Did that count when he'd been dead? He couldn't remember how long he'd actually been dead, and he wasn't going to ask. "I'm pretty sure they all know how lucky they are. A lot of our time talking, Lucifer spent on . . . Mazey Queen?" He couldn't remember the name exactly, but it was somewhere around there.

"Not if you ask Laute's kid. Naughty-ah. I think she might still think I'm Belphegor playing a prank on her or something." She wasn't the only one, either. Most people who didn't know him as closely still mistook him for Belphegor. He'd dealt with it a lot when he was younger. Even among the Lost Boys, as they were called now, some of them occasionally mistook him for his twin, which had been fine with him. "And what do you say?" He asked. Did she believe that too? He wasn't sure he did. He didn't think anything aligned just for them. The world wasn't kind enough to do something like that for them. It was thanks to Belphegor, not the world or the stars, that got him here, and it was his own choices and learning from his mistakes that led to him telling Dagon how he felt. Nothing gave him this.

"I'd love to get used to it." Getting used to it meant he'd get to see it more, and if he could see it every day, he'd reach heaven without ever having to go there again. "And I'd love to get used to hearing you say that," he said as he kissed her. Really, he could hear that again and again a thousand and one times and never get used to it. The simple assurance that he was loved and that his love was accepted was something that had been unimaginable for centuries, but here it was.

The idea of Aamon spying on them was amusing only because it was for a date. "Both of them together? I don't know how long he could do that with her. They'd probably have to find different angles to spy on us." He giggled with her. Aamon had apparently spied on him before, but it was usually only ever for his own safety. He wouldn't spy for something like that. At least Belgirel didn't think so.

He felt guilty for asking about the time. He wanted to live in the moment, but he also didn't want to be caught off guard for when the Void took him back. He reassuringly rubbed Dagon's arms as she looked at the clock. He could feel how upset it made her. Even before she answered, her face was already telling him that they just had a few moments left. As she pulled him closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her. "I won't," he promised, his own voice cracking as tears poured out. He'd argued so much about wanting to go back to get his twin out of there, but he didn't really want to go, not now. He didn't want to leave her. He felt like he could barely stand, so he moved them over onto the couch. He kissed her again and again as many times as he could in the time they had left. "I love you," he spoke quickly and desperately. "I love you, okay. Don't forget that." He spoke both to himself and to her. He didn't want to forget any of this. "And you'll be okay until I see you again because we will see each other again, and- and- and I-" The clock struck twelve, and he looked at Dagon one last time. "I love-"

Pain erupted from the hole in his chest, like he was experiencing his death all over again. It felt like it was stretching the skin around the wound, pulling him back to the Empty. It hurt so much, but he was gone before he'd even been able to finish his sentence, surrounded by inky darkness.

"Welcome back, Belgirel," the Void's voice spoke through the darkness, not visible but forever present. "Looks like you got your wish too. You got to come back to me. Now, where were we? I think I have some new tools for you. Don't look so sad. This is what you wanted." Belgirel tried to suck in the tears, but they didn't stop, even as he tried to reassure himself that at least Belphegor was going to be okay. "You said you wanted me to let you see more of what your twin was going through, right? Here, let's show you."

BELPHEGOR: Despite the Void letting them hear how bad the Empty was, Belphegor hadn't really fully understood just how awful it was for the people who were there. They hadn't thought that they'd get stuck in there, but they used to think that if they ever did, it wouldn't be so bad just because of how often they'd self-harmed in the past. Unfortunately, the level of pain in the Empty wasn't even on the same scale, and they weren't nearly ready for it. It started physical. Belphegor had never been drowned before, not like that. Breathing had never been a requirement for angels, but whatever was in there provided the same experience as a human drowning. It was inescapable. They'd tried to reason with the Void in order to get it to stop, but that was hard to do when it was drowning them and not letting them speak. It was clear that the Void enjoyed it. It was even harder that the drowning made it hard to think. They got more panicked and more desperate the more it went on. They screamed for help. They just wanted someone to get them out of there. They needed someone to help them, but there was no one who could help them in there. The Void reminded them constantly that they were here from their own doing. It tricked them into thinking they weren't getting out now. It made them think that Belgirel hadn't gotten out either, that they were both here, both getting tortured from a wish that they weren't careful about. It felt so hopeless, but they couldn't help screaming out from the pain. They lost track of time. They thought the Void might've been right. Did they even put a time limit on this? They thought it would've passed by now.

It was a surprise when the torture stopped, but like Belgirel, they didn't realize it had. They screamed into Dagon's arms, choking and coughing, expecting that black bile to come out, but there was nothing there. Belgirel's scars slipped away, replaced with a new set. They kept sobbing without recognizing their new surroundings. Their powers returned to them, depressive energy expanded around them, and they couldn't stop. There eyes were clenched tight, trying to block everything out.

DAGON, CUPID, ZATANNA: "Hopefully Andras's acting skills will improve by then," she laughed. He was awful at that sort of thing, and he was sure to want to play anyone but himself. Despite not being able to see Belgirel one final time, Dagon was sure that Lucifer would get to see him in the tux regardless. Val and Asmo likely took photos throughout the visit. They were sentimental like that even if they didn't want to admit it. And Belphegor would still be wearing the outfit when they returned.

"Lucky for you, I know how to keep things confidential," she joked. "But I'll throw Cupid a bone here and there about tonight." She didn't know how she would handle things once he was gone. Would her grief hurt people? Or would talking about it help? It was hard to tell sometimes. She smiled when he remarked that Lucifer spent a lot of his time talking about Mazikeen. "He's pretty wholesome and dorky when he's in love. He must get that from you," she joked as she pressed a few Eskimo kisses to his nose. Gears hadn't really shared that part of himself with Lucifer and yet here they both were.

It didn't surprise her that Nadia couldn't tell the two of them apart. "She is very much Laute's child," she laughed. Laute would be sad he missed this, but then again that was on a list of things he'd likely be sad about. "What I think is that we both have impeccable timing. In some universes, we didn't meet our window. I'm glad this isn't one of those." Dagon had spent the last few months thinking she might have been living in one of those universes. It was a relief to know she wasn't.

She smiled when he remarked that he'd love to get used to the admiring blushes and thoughtful I love yous. She'd make sure he never forgot what either of those things looked like. "I hope they like the view. At least until we give them the slip," she joked. They could probably get away from Cupid but Aamon was harder to detect. Granted, he was less nosey too. He knew when to excuse himself.

Of course, the time for playfulness was coming to an end. If she could run away from anything right now and take Belgirel with her, it would be this moment. She couldn't help the tears that fell from her face as he held her. Why did it have to end like this? Her legs felt heavy like lead as Gears guided her toward the couch. She didn't dare let go of him, not even for a moment. "I love you too," she told him in between desperate kisses. She wished this was like those fairytale books where love alone would keep him from leaving but she knew it wasn't. "I won't forget, I'll never forget," she promised. "We'll get you out of there. We'll come find you. I love you so much." The clock struck a jarring midnight. "Please--" she cried out, but she wasn't sure to whom she was pleading with. Fate? God? The Void? No one was listening. Gears was gone.

She held Belphegor in her arms as they screamed. They were dry heaving and sobbing, but they were alive and in one piece. Cupid ran into the cabin before Dagon could even register her presence. She'd been watching the whole heartbreaking exchange from afar. Before Dagon could stop her or slow her down, Cupid threw her arms around Belphegor and held them. She was certain it was them and not Belgirel playing some kind of prank on her because he might've seen her spying. She could always tell the twins apart. "You're okay, you're okay," Cupid whispered over and over again as she rocked Bells in her arms.

The pocket dimension around them reflected just how not okay all three of them were as it began to break apart and scatter away like ash under the heavy wave of depressive energy that was radiating off of both Dagon and Belphegor. Dagon wished she could blow away in the wind just as easily.

The outside of the top hat that held the dimension began to fray. Holes began to appear as if it was burning away. They were all anxious and keeping an eye on the hat but Zatanna was the first to notice. "Shit!" she grabbed the top hat and threw it on the ground before casting a spell to release the dimension from its hold. The hat tore open and ashes were kicked everywhere. As the dust settled, Zatanna could see Cupid and one of the Bell twins (she couldn't tell who just yet) huddled together. A moment later, she could make out Dagon's figure.

"Dagon...?"

"He's gone..." her voice cracked. Her legs were still shaky as she approached Aamon. "He's gone."

THE BELLS: "They still haven't?" Belgirel asked. It had been centuries worth of time for Andras to work on his acting skills, so Belgirel wondered if maybe he was just intentionally bad at acting because it was funnier that way. He might've done the same thing in his best friend's shoes.

"It's helped with trusting you with just about everything." She'd always seemed trustworthy, and the fact that she was willing to keep so much confidential was why he was able to connect to her in the first place. He never had to worry about her gossiping about him or telling everyone about all the flaws he tried desperately to hide. "I'm sure she'll appreciate anything you tell her though." It didn't mean she'd get to know every detail though. Some things just belonged to them. "He didn't even get to see me in love." He laughed. "He probably got it from Valefar." She'd been just as excitable when she was dating Ramiel.

In some universes, he was sure they would've both figured things out sooner. In those universes, he imagined that he wouldn't have died in the first place, but he was still glad they got here. "I know I'll like the view." He smiled. He only had so much time to take in that view before he was gone, replaced by his twin.

Belphegor barely felt the transition from Dagon's arms to Cupid's. They couldn't feel anything over the pain. They couldn't hear anything over their own screaming and crying, or over Belgirel's. It was a miracle that Cupid was even able to withstand the immense energy radiating from both them and Dagon, but they were all hurting here.

"I'm sorry," they whimpered once they were able to recognize that they weren't in the Empty anymore. "I'm sorry." They wrapped their arms around Cupid, desperately holding onto her, so they wouldn't get pulled back to that place again.

AAMON, ANDRAS, ASMODEUS, MICHAEL: It was past midnight now and the siblings that remained were all quiet and anxious. If Belphegor did not return, things would be complicated. No one wanted them to be stuck in the Empty, but no one wanted Belgirel to be stuck there either. It was all around a bitter situation. Aamon was checking his phone when the magician jumped up and grabbed the hat that held Dagon's pocket dimension. He raised an eyebrow as she threw it on the ground and called out a spell he didn't have time to catch. Smoke and ash burst from the hat and when it all settled down, Dagon was standing in front of him.

He didn't need her to say anything; her face told the whole story. Belgirel was gone. Aamon held his hand out to her to support her before bringing her in. Her depression manifestation stung and he had to swallow back his own bile of sadness. He glanced at Belphegor to make sure they were okay. They were sobbing still and clearly very frightened, but they were in one piece thankfully.

Asmodeus was quick to read the situation. They needed to separate Dagon and Belphegor for a moment to allow them to calm down otherwise they would just bounce off of each other. He grabbed one of the top hats that was marked Aamon and handed it to his older brother. Aamon took it wordlessly, still holding Dagon, as the two of them disappeared into the pocket dimension.

Asmo turned his attention to Cupid and Belphegor now. There was no point in trying to pull Cupid away from Belphegor. She'd only fight all of him on it. So, instead, he drew a sigil around the two in order to contain Belphegor's energy. As he did so, he performed a visual assessment of Belphegor. They were in one piece physically, but the emotional toll of the torture had very clearly wore them down.

"Come on, let's give them a minute," Michael replied solemnly once Asmodeus as done warding Cuphegor. He motioned for the rest of his siblings to follow him to the back of the shop. He would send Raphael out in a half hour to check in on the two.

As everyone followed Michael to the back room, Andras glanced over his shoulder at the top hat marked Aamon. Asmo put a hand over his shoulder to guide him forward. "She'll be okay. She just needs a minute. Come on, we better call the rest of your sisters and tell them what happened."

[demonicdiligence]

Hey there! May I interest you in my fandomless OC, Aamon Zagan? He's a Demon who uses his powers of multiverse travel to research other universes! Though this mostly just ends with him befriending random people from around the multiverse (your muse)!

I'm comfortable RPing with all fandoms, muses, and (almost) all types of plots!

Go ahead and like this post or follow if you'd want to interact with him, and reblog to spread the word!

More Info: Rules || Muse || World || Interaction Call || Discord RP Server

[demonicdiligence]

Also I have posted why aamon’s final form is 493cm exactly on discord, but anybody (who hasn’t already been told) who guesses why I chose that specific height gets a cookie!