#hollowfaith 02

[occultacarne]

The pain of holy flames surges through the entirety of Sebastian. He feels it from his back where it strikes, as well as through his fingers and toes. His head felt like it would explode, and yet Sebastian did not CRY in pain. His body trembles and...

he laughs through the pain as he wheezes out,

"you were thinking it, weren't you?" Shit...He can feel his body GIVING in. As much as he struggles to break free of Aurelius' onslaught of attacks, his body is weakened against the holy flames of the angel.

Vision begins to blur and the shard he gripped in his hands to inflict pain drops to the ground. He scoffs weakly, his eyes still locked on Aurelius.

Just before Aurelius can get further in the upper hand though, the hellhound launches himself, latching onto Aurelius' back and tearing the wings from Aurelius' back. He uses the claws to his paws to dig into Aurelius' back.

「✦」 Aurelius can't imagine Klaus jumping to such conclusions. He was the only seraph he cared about, while Riel was someone different. Klaus didn't need saving, he was perfect as he was—

But Klaus doesn't understand you, his mind reminds him treacherously. He stood against you when he had a chance.

"Nngh—!" Gritting his teeth, Aurelius chokes back a cry as Sebastian stabs him, hands fisting into the demon lord's hair to jerk him forwards. Sections of feathers snap off before his wings renew their stabbing into the demon lord's back.

No, he decides. Listening to a demon was fruitless. All they did was mislead and confuse.

"I'll kill you as many times as it takes," he promises under his breath.

"Starting with today."

Summoning a handful of holy flames, Aurelius sends them straight into the healing wound on Sebastian's back, aiming to burn him alive.

[guidingstarmira]

@hollowfaith

Mira hadn't really explored much of the Golden Ward yet, and honestly, most of it seemed far out of her comfort zone just yet. Most of every single area seemed to be bustling with various activity, from large crowds of people, to the loud machinery of the Boardwalk from it's amusement parks, to the mall again from the large crowds and being an enclosed building.

Maybe one day, she'd explore it when she could handle all the noise better, but today, today she deemed not that day. So, she was making her way back towards her own housing, floating idly above a more calmer area of the Ward as she went, and she had simply lost track of how much she had used her ability.

Even if she wasn't that far above the buildings, the sensation of falling makes her eyes widen for a moment as she feels the wind whipping through her hair as the buildings come closer, and closer, and closer-

And her hand reaches out to grab a hold of a ledge of whatever she can, stopping her decent as she hangs there for a moment before she's hauling herself up onto the ledge, not even bothering to look into the window she's in front of as she balances there unsteady for a moment as she turns around and peeks towards the ground.

..She could jump from here and be safe right..?

[darkenforcer]

"in this economy? i'm not exactly rolling in dust, here, king moneybags." he wasted most of his last job's payout on a shiny, new dagger for repede. oops.

for someone so openly critical of humanity, aurelius sure as hell lands in the same pitfalls. no amount of holiness is gonna make you immune to power trips, apparently. "'we humans' wouldn't be so ready to whip out the guillotine if nobles acted more, y'know, noble. might wanna take that into consideration," a grumbly, empty threat.

he swipes for his floating fries, "also cut the paranormal activity bs! you'd think a proper guy in a stuffy suit would've learned not to play with food by now."

「✧」 Aurelius cradles his slapped fingers with an incredulous look which grows bigger once Yuri steals his drink.

"What sort of subject moves so blatantly against his king?"

"It's no wonder you humans are always fighting amongst each other."

He can't summon back the loss of his soda, but he does increase the offensive against Yuri's fries, suddenly levitating a handful of them from the box until they're lining up in the air like miniature soldiers in a row.

"With the prices they sold them for, these can't be worth more than a tiny fraction of Dust at most."

[bitemedotmp3]

Damn, all of Uzi's clients should be as thoughtful as Aurelius. Flexible hours, open windows, offering to keep her fueled up... What a nice guy. She can't imagine anyone in the city would have any problems with him, so she better make a good impression.

"Wow- uh, yeah, sounds good. I'll be there as soon as I can, maybe like thirty minutes?" she says, already gathering her things into a backpack and reaching for her strongscreen. Aurelius' office isn't super far from her home since she can just fly over the center of the city, but The Stars have only allotted her so much flight time per day. Should be fine. Probably.

After a short stop at a nearby corner store (drone oil counts as food, who knew?) Uzi soars through the sky of Spiale, only slightly burdened by her tools. Her creepy, techno-organic wings don't lack for power, and before long she finds herself perched on the third-floor windowsill of Aurelius' office, peeking her head inside.

"Hello?" she says, glancing around with an oil can in her hand. "Doorman Electronics Repair? Motto in progress? Oh, hey Aurelius."

He's been waiting for her, and so Uzi lowers herself inside. "Ah, yeah, I mentioned last time I'm not usually a bird, right? These wings are a whole different story," she says, her extra appendages retracting back into her body. "Anyways, just point me at the problem and I'll get it done."

「✦」 Were vampires popular in this city or something? He keeps running into types like them even though they had nothing in common.

"That's fine," Aurelius agrees to the price without negotiation. Bartering wasn't a skill he ever learned. "My morning is open, so you can come by my office anytime. The third floor window will be open."

Looking around his study, Aurelius finds himself at a loss.

"Should I prepare some...oil for refreshments?"

"No, you can pick up any you need and I'll cover the cost. I wouldn't know which kind to choose myself."

By the time Uzi's arrived, he's brewed one of Mira's gifted tea mixes to sip for himself.

[anghexescu]

"Oh..." The man is full of surprises. Klaus had never known for such relic to exist, but when he thinks about it more, it makes sense. SO many people used the angels essence to extract them and put them into objects. Whatever abilities that an angel had that was deemed something that could be used, it was drained from them. He had heard stories of it happening and he himself, Klaus was aware that one of the reasons he was being hunted down by an army of angels was for that reason. They wanted what he had. WHOEVER they were.

From what memory he did have of Aurelius now that this memory of his was returned to him, he realized it was Aurelius. His mind was off limits. Klaus couldn't get in no matter how hard he banged against the door. It was shut, sealed, padlocked, and the keys were thrown into the deepest and darkest oceans.

His mouth opens to say something...ANYTHING but then they just end up closing. His hold around Aurelius' arm tightens, it squeezes in response to Aurelius.

I did not die, nor did I abandon you on purpose.

If Aurelius had known just how much that scene had effected him, he would have turned right back around and returned. Maybe not for good, but just enough to let him know that he was safe and okay. Perhaps Aurelius would have searched for him sooner to clear the misunderstanding and the pain that Morriss had to shield Klaus from. It had gotten so bad that Morriss was forced to do what he did best. Alter Klaus' memory in some way.

"It---yes, it did. I'm relieved to know you're still here." he whispers. The emotions are still riding high against his chest. He had spent so long believing that Aurelius had died. Klaus moves forward. Close. He can see how long Aurelius' eyelashes are. He's never been THIS close. Not in the month that they traveled together. WITH how close he is to Aurelius, his own eyelashes tickle against the man's flesh and then.....

thump, Klaus presses his forehead onto Aurelius shoulder and sighs,

"Are there more?" He asks. "More memories that we've lost, that are around?"

「✧」 No one without a backdoor, at least.

Angels were blessed with a myriad of abilities, but teleportation wasn't part of Aurelius' skills. However, he did have a connection to a certain celestial gate outside his Father's palace, which had come in handy for a quick exit. That took care of the physical disappearance.

"I had a relic that allowed me to depart quickly from the scene. You will forgive me for using it, for the explosion was nearly upon me at the time." The lie came easily, seamlessly blended with some truth. After all, he couldn't access the gate from this city anymore.

As for the lack of presence... Father naturally had safeguards up against renegades like Klaus, though his own natural abilities came into play too. Moreover, the fragment of Solara's soul in his spear... Most likely, the combination of all three had erased his presence from the seraphim entirely, though it wouldn't be prudent to reveal everything in one breath.

"Klaus, you can't read my mind, can you? I was born like this."

"After the explosion I naturally wanted to go into hiding and shielded my presence as well as my thoughts. I expect I must have...done my job a little too well."

His hand squeezed the one holding his arm, warm and comforting. "I did not die, nor did I abandon you on purpose. I thought of you every day we were apart, and sent you my prayers even as I sought to remedy the situation myself. It wouldn't have worked if we kept traveling together and they chose to attack us again."

"Does that answer your questions?"

[occultacarne]

"Paradise?" Sebastian guffaws at the audacity of an angel talking about paradise. He's heard of what Aurelius has done. People talk, and Sebastian is very good at puzzle games. The demon lord giggles, but it's cut short when he feels the shards of glass pierce his skin. They're relentless in cutting his back up, but Sebastian manages to catch one that misses him by an ear and he plunges the shard into Aurelius' stomach

Sebastian chuckles lightly, and once more, his injuries are mending themselves together.

"What do you mean lies? I do not tell lies like you, Aurelius." He leans in close and as he does, he makes sure to twist the glass in. His own palm bleeds.

"I told him that you would leave him. That Angelescu would be all alone. You would have found somebody else. someone who was MORE appreciative of your existence. To think that would be Vanth though..." It angers him to have something that belongs to him TAKEN.

Sebastian pulls the shard out from Aurelius only to then JAM it right back into his flesh. If that wasn't enough, Sebastian is going in for a second round of sinking his teeth into the angel's flesh. Celestial blood immediately settles to burn at Sebastian's mouth and his blood feels like molten lava as it travels down Sebastian's throat. He doesn't release though and sinks his teeth in further into the nape of Aurelius' neck. He plans to rip out his flesh like he had done before.

「✦」 Hot water bursts around them and nearly drowns Aurelius as well, but he manages to react in time, putting up a telekinesis shield to protect his face. The rest of it soaks his hair and parts of his arms and shoulders, where the angry skin immediately starts to heal in the scalding aftermath.

Aurelius barely acknowledges the metal in his chest beyond a hiss, his eyes still fixated on the demon as he hauls Sebastian against him. Neither side seems willing to let the other go.

"I would offer them paradise, while all you have is empty promises."

"What kind of lies did you feed him?"

His fingers tighten their grip on the other's shirt before shaking him impatiently. From the floor of the café, glass shards rise from the window and fly across the building to slash at Sebastian's back, drawing more blood from the demon lord's skin.

"Speak."

[occultacarne]

There's an brief look of apology when his weapon comes into contact with his hound. The mild shock doesn't last and shortly, he's being PUSHED. His body presses against the pot and while it burns and his skin reacts, Sebastian pushes out a chuckle.

"Ah--,"

He winces.

"So, he didn't mention me at all? I have to say, I thought him and I had something absolutely special going on." Sebastian keeps his eyes locked on Aurelius.

"Or perhaps you left him. He wouldn't have had the chance to tell you if that were the case." Sebastian tsks, "he seems the type to tell you everything. Sounds like the complete opposite of someone, don't you think?" Sebastian looks pass Aurelius to keep Morpheus from intervening this time.

"Let me ask you something, mm?" He uses his strength to at least lean his head close to Aurelius' ear. He doesn't care of the fork is against his neck. The cold steel is welcoming.

"If you took Vanth from me....does that mean I can take Anghelescu? It is only fair, don't you think?"

「✦」 Upset, he says and Aurelius feels himself raging further. He grunts when the knife is withdrawn, ignoring the wound as it heals by itself, and meets the fork with his palm as he sidesteps the dessert knife.

When Morpheus rejoins the fray, Aurelius simply levitates the dog into Sebastian's weapon instead, then tosses the hound aside—again. Then with a powerful flap of his wings, he's forcing the demon lord backwards—through the kitchen doors of the café and right against a counter, where a hot water boiler sizzles upon contact with Sebastian's back.

Aurelius holds him against it while his mind slowly pulls out the bloody tines of the fork from his hand, pointing the utensil back at Sebastian's throat.

"What did you tell him?"

"You must be lying. He didn't bring it up at all."

[occultacarne]

Sebastian chomps on hard one last time before releasing his hold on Aurelius. He doesn't want a knife stabbed into his forehead!

Sebastian moves from Aurelius attack and swiftly pulls out the blade from Aurelius ribcage and he grabs the fork lodged into his own shoulder and uses these two weapons to stab Aurelius with them.

"What is the matter, Aurelius?" He asks with a laugh. Morpheus once more pops out of nowhere to attack Aurelius as well.

"Why are you so upset?"

「✦」 Attention drawn to the knife, Aurelius nearly gets brained in the head by the poor, screaming guy in uniform. His eyes glow and the man freezes mid-air before being floated out the broken remains of the window.

Then pain takes over again—this time in his shoulder. With a growl the angel holds out his hand for any weapon and closes his fingers around a floating fork. He stabs it into Sebastian’s shoulder in turn, other hand moving to shove the demon lord’s face backwards even as the fangs dig in.

“You really are a dog,” he snarls.

Holding out his hand again, he grabs onto a dessert knife and this time—stabs it towards Sebastian’s forehead.

[occultacarne]

Sebastian is sure to plunge the blade deep within Aurelius' flesh, and the knee does nothing to deter him only causing a slight wince. The fireball being summoned though will certainly smart.

Morpheus is quick to recover from being slammed into the windows and without hesitation grabs one of the staff members that attempted to rush out the door. That human is FLUNG right at Aurelius. In time, Sebastian reaches to sink his own teeth into Aurelius's flesh once more.

「✦」 Not this time, Aurelius thinks, and turns sharply. His wings buffet Morpheus into the glass walls of the café with enough force to cause a crack—and then they're shattering a second later as the angel forces the glass to break.

The patrons of the shop, already alarmed by the angel and demon fighting, rise to their feet and run out of the place screaming. Those too slow are given a helping hand by Aurelius himself, who simply lifts them with his thoughts and push them out of the building. He turns back to continue.

"You have no right—tch!"

The hidden blade catches him between the ribs unawares, but it gives Aurelius a perfect chance to knee Sebastian in the stomach as he summons another fireball.

[occultacarne]

"My apologies~." Sebastian continues to dodge any incoming attacks. When Aurelius chases him down, intending to get closer, Sebastian uses this moment to strike the angel. He's low enough for Morpheus to come Swooping, aiming at the back of Aurelius' neck.

"You are the one calling him by his name for all to hear, Aurelius."

Sebastian meanwhile awaits to pierce Aurelius with a hidden blade this time.

「✦」 He freezes for a second. "How do you know that name?"

And then fury takes its place as he beats his wings to chase Sebastian down.

"You can tell me after I rip off your limbs."

[occultacarne]

With a threatening growl, Morpheus uses his large stature to push Aurelius and retrieve Sebastian in one swift movement. With sebastian's arm slumped over Morpheus body, the hellhound is moving them away from the angel.

"Maybe next time, Aurelius..." even at death's door, Sebastian smirks. His pleased smile reaches his eyes.

As Morpheus departs with Sebastian in tow, Corvus is the one approaching Aurelius.

She will take any information Aurelius has for her. She doesn't expect any less.

The pain of holy flames surges through the entirety of Sebastian. He feels it from his back where it strikes, as well as through his fingers and toes. His head felt like it would explode, and yet Sebastian did not CRY in pain. His body trembles and...

he laughs through the pain as he wheezes out,

"you were thinking it, weren't you?" Shit...He can feel his body GIVING in. As much as he struggles to break free of Aurelius' onslaught of attacks, his body is weakened against the holy flames of the angel.

Vision begins to blur and the shard he gripped in his hands to inflict pain drops to the ground. He scoffs weakly, his eyes still locked on Aurelius.

Just before Aurelius can get further in the upper hand though, the hellhound launches himself, latching onto Aurelius' back and tearing the wings from Aurelius' back. He uses the claws to his paws to dig into Aurelius' back.

[occultacarne]

Sebastian wasn't immune to pain. He just has a high tolerance for it. Pain was just another sense of pleasure in his book. Still, the wings and shards attacks his back mercilessly and the pain is enough to have Sebastian releases his maw from Aurelius neck, but his attack to Aurelius stomach remains.

He arches his back, pushing INTO Aurelius and driving the shard in deeper as he gasps and hisses in pain,

"You think in the seraph's eyes it would not look as if you replaced him?" He asks, coyly. He pushes the shard upward, cutting through Aurelius in an upward motion as his wings and the shards continues to abuse Sebastian's back.

"Kill me if you can. I will just keep coming back."

Even Sebastian wasn't immune to bleeding out. The hybrid releases the shard and grabs hold of Aurelius' two wings and works to tear them apart.

"He's already weaker mentally. EASY to break."

"Paradise?" Sebastian guffaws at the audacity of an angel talking about paradise. He's heard of what Aurelius has done. People talk, and Sebastian is very good at puzzle games. The demon lord giggles, but it's cut short when he feels the shards of glass pierce his skin. They're relentless in cutting his back up, but Sebastian manages to catch one that misses him by an ear and he plunges the shard into Aurelius' stomach

Sebastian chuckles lightly, and once more, his injuries are mending themselves together.

"What do you mean lies? I do not tell lies like you, Aurelius." He leans in close and as he does, he makes sure to twist the glass in. His own palm bleeds.

"I told him that you would leave him. That Angelescu would be all alone. You would have found somebody else. someone who was MORE appreciative of your existence. To think that would be Vanth though..." It angers him to have something that belongs to him TAKEN.

Sebastian pulls the shard out from Aurelius only to then JAM it right back into his flesh. If that wasn't enough, Sebastian is going in for a second round of sinking his teeth into the angel's flesh. Celestial blood immediately settles to burn at Sebastian's mouth and his blood feels like molten lava as it travels down Sebastian's throat. He doesn't release though and sinks his teeth in further into the nape of Aurelius' neck. He plans to rip out his flesh like he had done before.

[bitemedotmp3]

"Nngh. Yeah. Uzi's good. 'S good. Aurelius, right? Right."

She stifles a yawn, taking a moment to check the time- 9 AM, ugh -and thinking she should've added a 'preferred hours' to her flyer. Like, yeah, she doesn't have a human sleep schedule, but it's hard to go outside during the day without the sun-eclipsing toxic death storm that hung heavy over Copper 9.

Rolling out of bed, Uzi rubs at her visor as she fumbles for her tools. "Either one's fine. Prob'ly faster for me to come to you 'cuz I can fly, buuuuuut..."

Pulling the curtain aside an inch, sunlight spills from the gap and makes her fingers sizzle. "Eesh. Extra charge for daylight hours, since I need to use some strongscreen. Like vampire rules, except I'm not a vampire. I've got a different curse. Anyways." She gives him a figure, something only slightly higher than her usual rate. Just something to compensate her for Marketplace goods.

It would be nice to do some flying anyways; turns out it doesn't come up as often as you might think. "Up to you," says Uzi, putting all her stuff in a pile. "If it sounds good, I can leave in five minutes."

@bitemedotmp3 ໒꒱

"Miss—" The name escapes his lips before he corrects it midway with a pause. "—Uzi."

"I believe that's what you preferred? It's been a while since we've last talked."

He taps a finger on the table as he speaks, the other hand holding a cell phone to his ear as he stares down a blue screen of death in front of him.

"It's a little embarrassing to say, but my work computer seems to have stopped working. Do you do on-site consultations, or should I take it to you?"

"...Of course I'll pay for any travel fees you need."

[darkenforcer]

"me, of all people? scorning royalty? can't imagine where you got that idea, your majesty," his sarcasm-laced words punctuated with a big ol' chomp of an over-salted fry. not that his upbringing has anything to do with kings of the burger variety, of course.

he's peeking at the smiley clientele with a far more cynical lens-- they're laying it on thick. he'd be surprised if they weren't just doing it to play into aurelius' lofty ignorance (that's the only explanation that makes sense, anyway).

ack--!!

"hey! i paid for those, asshole," yuri snaps, smacking the angel's hand away before he can even think to grab more. "tsk, give him a crown for five minutes 'n he's already stealing from the less fortunate... your loyal subjects can still turn on you, y'know."

and to drive his point home, he snatches aurelius' cup and takes a loooong sip. say goodbye to half your soda, aury.

「✧」 Adjusting the crown on his head until it's straight again, Aurelius narrows his eyes at the weight of Yuri's words.

"If that's the case, shouldn't you be showing me the same degree of respect while I take his place?"

"I suspect you scorn this king more than you let on, all while enjoying the fruits of his bounty. At this rate they'll target you first."

His eyes scan the cash registers, where the employees are busy taking orders from more customers. A few of the crowd in line notice him and even make congratulatory gestures or thumbs up, which Aurelius accepts with proper cool-headed indifference. His head whips back, sufficiently convinced of his standing in the restaurant.

"At the very least, I didn't give you permission to use my nickname."

Impertinence deserved correction. Without mercy, Aurelius swoops in and steals two of Yuri's fries.

[guidingstarmira]

"Drink wise, the only thing I've had since my coming here has been coffee, which I've enjoyed most I've tried."

Although, when he speaks that there is strong or subtle, she knows she wouldn't be able to tell which is which, knowing she still very much lacks knowledge when it comes to taste and it's finer meanings as she watches the cups float about before his question makes her hum out in thought.

And yet, her reply is neither of the words he said.

"Whichever is your favorite, I'd like to try that."

「✦」 "Then depending on what you've tried so far, it'll either be underwhelming or incredible."

"Tea can be strong or subtle, depending on the brew and what you add in. Some prefer to drink it plain, while others add flavorings like milk and honey."

He turns to do other tasks—refilling the water kettle, sorting out teacups with his mind so that they float to the coffee table between them, etc.

"Choose a type: simple or sophisticated?"

[guidingstarmira]

Even if it's a quiet comment, she's still picking up as she does with most noises even if she didn't wish for it. Helpless? Mira isn't sure if she fully fits her due to its meaning that she's seen, but given how lowly he spoke it, maybe it wasn't something to be discussed.

Moving a little so that she can see what he is motioning to, she's taking in the canisters design and the words upon them. Tea? Right, a counterpart one could say to the coffee she's shared with Librarian. She's enjoyed all she's had of those, so she can see herself liking these as well.

"If it isn't too much trouble, I am interested in trying some, I have yet to have any."

「✦」 "I suppose the city is safe enough for someone so helpless to go poking about left and right," Aurelius comments quietly.

"Unless you're into people-watching, there's nothing much at the mall to do without the requisite Dust."

He gestures at the side table, where a selection of tea leaves sit in canisters. The motion is elegant, but listless; even the suggestion he makes afterwards sounds perfunctory at best.

"...did you want a drink while you waited?"