Story: Dawning Radiance
Genre: Dark Fantasy/Romance/Action
Rating: T, because of violence; no swearing though, since my I have a teacher that reads this for a grade from time to time, and I'll get points counted off. Otherwise D would totally have a potty mouth
Claimer: I own each and every one of the characters in this story, so please don't use them, as they are my babies...enjoy!
My vision was much too blurry with tears of agony
to see what was happening, not that I'd actually wanted to…every pore of my body screamed with pain, and the only thing keeping me awake was the same substance that had brought about my fathers end. I could hear myself give one final cry, followed by the deep, menacing laughter of the man towering in front of my collapsed body before my entire tiny world went black. It felt almost like I was falling into endless nothingness, and I quickly found that, try as I might, I couldn't move any part of my excruciatingly numb body, and after an exhausting ten minutes of fighting to gain use of it, I gave up and cried until my conscious finally let me slip under.
I jolted awake, panting hard, my slender frame soaked with a cold sweat, while the silence in the room threatened to bring the memories back to the surface. I sat up and ignored the dizziness that followed, as that, along with the nightmares, were a normal occurrence now, instead focusing as much of my attention as I could on pushing my messy hair out of my face. It had been almost nine years since I had died, but the nightmare still haunted me; to the point where it happened every time I slept and making it so I got little to no sleep now; not that a Demon typically got much sleep anyways.
The loud banging on my bedroom door had me gingerly pushing myself off the bed and grabbing a shirt to pull over my head to answer the still-knocking visitor. I swung the door open, barely able to mutter a 'what?' before my Incubus friend and roommate Damien glided; that was the only way to describe how gracefully he walked, into the room and sprawled onto his rumpled bedspread with a heaving sigh.
I smirked and strolled over to the table to grab his keychain and throw it to him "Fat lotta good those'll do me now" he grumbled, rolling onto his stomach to stuff them into the back pocket of his loose fitting sweats. My smirk widened when I got a good look at him, his violet eyes glowing, red lipstick marked his right cheek and neck, and his dirty blonde hair looked as if someone had set a tornado on it. "So…" I started, leaning casually up against the table to watch him "What poor human girl did you seduce this time?" I asked, as his trademark grin crossed his face. "Well, my naive little Xander, I can honestly and proudly say that I have no idea who she was." He replied winking happily "I have to say, that's a record even for you, huh?" I shook my head, half in disapproval, half in appreciation, at the fact that, yes, Damien got the women he wanted, when he wanted them, but he was gone almost every night and didn't seem to know the meaning of the words 'serious relationship'.
"Nah, it was close to it though…hey, tell ya what, tonight when I go out, you can come too and we'll find you a babe okay?" I nodded submissively; there was no point in arguing with Damien when it came to girls, everyone in the underworld knew that "Great, be ready when I wake up then" he told me, and rolled back onto his side to nap.
I didn't want to go, clubs had never really been my thing, too many grinding, closely packed bodies, too much dark smoke that threatened to choke you if you took too big of a breath, and too many humans that ended up bleeding by the time they left, which made it impossibly hard for me to stay sane, considering the fact that blood (aside from an Angels; theirs stinks) awoke my demonic instincts.
Sighing heavily, I trudged over to the cupboard to grab a cup, then to the sink to fill it, grumbling to myself all the while. The sounds of my ringtone reverberated from my bedside table, and for a moment, I wanted to ignore it, even though I knew I couldn't; I was on the clock and if I wanted my life to run smoothly, I wouldn't give my higher ups any more reasons to really kill me.
I pushed the talk button and took a deep breath "Hello?" I asked the caller, waiting for my response "Xander, we have another Angel causing problems" Yuna, my boss' secretary informed me blandly "Where's the filthy thing this time?" I inquired, smirking in anticipation of what was possibly the best part of my job "Last time we spotted him, he was on his way out of the pits" I heard one boss, Master Leon from the sound of it, yell something in the background "Xander? Make it fast" she ordered before hanging up.
It had been quite a while since I'd had to use my wings to get anywhere, and I had to admit, unfurling them was a feeling that was absolutely incomparable to anything else. I could sense that I was getting closer, an Angel's aura was almost impossible to miss; even humans could slightly feel their presence, and that was really saying something, due to their utter lack of perceptual powers.
I heard a small chuckle and whipped around, stopping immediately "So then, they sent you after me did they little Demon boy? I don't really feel like fighting a weakling such as yourself, so if you'd kindly move…" the Angel flapped his huge, sleek wings, sending a powerful gust forward that easily blew me aside, allowing him to zip past, laughing superiorly.
I quickly started after him, unsheathing my blade and pressing my palm against the cool metal face, causing it to resonate and flare to life, purplish black tendrils coming off of it like fire, and I yelled as I swung it at him. Shrieking, he stiffened and dropped a few feet before whirling around and shoving his hand out in front of him, sending a palm sized orb of white light speeding towards me "This is why I hate all you Angels, you think you're all so perfect just because you live in Heaven, well here's what I think of that!" I called to him, dodging the bullet and diving at him, slamming hard into his chest with my shoulder. He grabbed me around the arms and shook my sword from my hand, sending it plummeting down to the fiery pits below "All you Demons are is a bunch of trouble makers! We gave you all many chances to come back to Heaven, all of which were barbarically refused, and what do you have to show for it? Absolutely nothing!" he growled into my ear as I squirmed stubbornly.
I heard him mutter something before a shock ripped it's way through my body, giving me nothing to do but struggle jerkily against him "Just give up and I'll let you go" he told me over the ringing in my ears "In your dreams" I panted out, shouting roughly as another, stronger volt made it's way through. I knew that I had to get away from him, and fast if I were to make it back home, and thrust my foot back as hard as I could.
To my relief, it connected to his knee, and his grip loosened enough for me to pull one arm free and elbow him in the temple, so that he let go completely and I could fly a further distance away to catch my breath. "You'll regret that scum" he coughed, pulling out a bow and sliding an arrow into place before fluidly pulling back, letting the gleaming projectile cut through the air and nick my shoulder, leaving a searing cut and a trickle of blood in it's place. "Dodging that last one was just luck, this next one will run you through" he yelled, repeating the motions and letting another glittering silver arrow zip towards me, which I quickly dodged "You're planning on killing me with one arrow? Good luck with that you pompous wimp" I laughed, earning me an evil glare.
"That's exactly what I plan to do; these arrows are made of a special ore that reacts deathly well in Demons…which is why your arm feels like it's burning right now" he informed me, loosing yet anther arrow that narrowly missed me, and I dove to the ground, skimming over it in frantic search of my sword, instead catching the leg of my jeans on one of the Angels discarded arrows.
I didn't even give it a second thought, but ripped it from the durable fabric and flung it at the Angel with all of my strength, watching as it pierced his abdomen, giving him only enough time to give a pained yelp before he exploded into shimmering ash-like powder that drifted lightly to the ground. I narrowed my eyes at the arrows that still littered the battle field and absent mindedly held my bleeding shoulder as I hurriedly picked them up and headed down to the HQ with a satisfactory smile.
As it turned out, the metal was just as lethal to Angels as it was to Demons, and they'd forced me into the medic's office to sit around and grumble as they poked and prodded at my shoulder, trying to figure out just how they could counteract the burning sensation that pounded up and down my arm.
In the end, all they could do was shoot me full of a demons equivalent of pain killers and send me back to my room, where I found Damien eating a bowl of cereal in an expensive looking black button down shirt with thin, far spaced royal blue lines vertically striping it, faded dark wash jeans and black shoes, completely contrasting his mop of dirty blonde hair, which at the moment was wavy and damp, his violet shaded eyes shone dully in the dimmed light.
He glanced up at me over the rim of his bowl and snorted into his milk, sending it splashing over both him and the table "What in the Heaven happened to you?" He inquired, still chuckling madly "Angel" I replied shortly, pulling my torn shirt over my head and letting it drop to the ground before stalking over to my small closet to look for something to wear "I see…you know what? Go take a shower, I'll get your clothes ready" he told me, herding me towards our larger than necessary bathroom and shutting the door behind me.
I glanced at my reflection in the mirror as I passed and grimaced, noting how dirt smeared my face was, with light circles starting to form under my dark blue eyes, how wind blown and dirty my coal black hair looked, the countless bruises that had yet to heal completely that marked my torso, and the swelling red gash that sat on my shoulder, as if teasing me. Yeah, I thought to myself absently, I really needed a shower.
Turning away from the reflection with a heavy sigh, I yanked the rest of my clothes off and stepped into the shower before turning the hot water on full blast to not only wash away the dirt and grime of the fight, but the dull ache that seemed to cloak me, mind and body.
So, maybe I also needed some sleep with my shower, because after I'd given myself one final rinse, I fell asleep until the water ran cold, Damien had unlocked the door and was standing outside the curtains, asking me if I'd drowned.
I stood up and turned the water off, grabbing the towel that hung on the curtain bar and wrapping it around my thin waist before sliding the curtain aside to step out. Damien smirked and handed me fresh clothes, "Now, now Xander, sweeping in the baff tub is vewy dangerous okaaaay?" he taunted in a mocking, childish tone, while he shook a finger at me strictly "Shut up" I retorted, swiftly pushing him out of the room and slamming the door just as quickly behind him. I toweled off, pulled the new clothes on and ran my hand through my hair, glancing at my reflection in the mirror to assure myself that I looked better than when I had stepped in.
"D? How long was I in there for?" I called, raising an eyebrow as I pawed through the drawers for deodorant "About an hour…" he replied from the living room, and I could almost see his amused smile even from here "I see…I guess I was a bit more tired than I thought I was" I frowned, and opened the bathroom door "You still not sleeping?" he asked, giving me a once over "Barely" I told him, watching as a grin spread over his features "That's too bad, but hey, I did a really good job choosing this outfit for you kid, the girls are gonna be all over you!" he nodded in a self satisfied manner and continued to scrutinize me.
'This outfit' that he'd referred to consisted of a fitted long sleeved shirt, the same color blue as my eyes, and crisp, classic jeans that were ripped at the knees "Hang on a sec…" he muttered, quickly running his hands through my hair and stepping back to admire his work "There, now don't mess with it" he gave me a thumbs up and turned towards the door "Yes, ma'am" I replied, earning me a playful punch in my still throbbing shoulder.
It took us but moments to teleport from the main floor of the HQ to a dank alleyway about a block away from the club we were headed to, and soon we were stepping in front of a huge building with flashy neon lights and loud bass pumping from the constantly opening door.
We skillfully made our way to the front of the line and presented our 'ID's' to the built, stereotype bouncer, who simply nodded and stepped aside for us.
Inside, the club was unbearably noisy, and people were so closely packed on the dance floor that you'd be on top of someone if you tried to take a quarter step backwards. Every breath you took was sugar coated in the strong smells of alcohol, smoke, sweat and perfume, making it impossible to breathe without gagging, and even though we had just walked in, a fight had already exploded at a table close to the bar.
As we walked in, we were greeted by two cocktail waitresses whose faces were so caked and smeared with makeup that it was hard to tell if they were dressed up for a job or a Halloween commercial "Just two Cokes for now ladies" Damien ordered, sending them off with a flick of his wrist.
For a long time it seemed like all we did was hit on girls and wander around, until Damien made the mistake of dirty dancing with a woman whose fiance was at the bar to get them something to drink.
"Wha'chu doin' with my wifey boy?" the tanned, muscular man snarled, giving Damien a good shove "I was showing her a better time than her drunken husband" he replied coolly, pushing the man back, sending him stepping backwards in surprise. "You pickin' a fight with me? Is tha' what chu want?" the man slurred, lifting his large hands in a mocking fashion, straightening up and pushing up against Damien fiercely.
"I would, but I don't like beating up on the weak," Damien smirked "But you do need to back off there little man" he gave the man another strong shove, sending him crashing onto his back "D!" I hissed, but the man had gotten back up, gave a loud roar and swung a tribal tattooed arm at Damien, who moved aside gracefully "You dunno who yer messin' with kid! I'ma get you good!" he yelled and hurled himself at D, this time contacting with his chest and making him lose balance for the briefest second.
The fight went on like that, Damien absolutely thrashing him in the end, and we were both quickly kicked out, causing Damien to laugh in ecstasy "That was great!" he whooped after we had Shaded, his jet black and gold tipped wings erupting from his back "Yeah…" I replied absently. Though it had been entertaining to watch Damien beat the guy, I was more focused on the quiet whimpering sounds coming from a slight girl, probably a year or two younger than me, with shoulder length slivery white hair, and eyes gold, with small, but noticeable flecks of a white cream.
"Hey, what do you think her problem is?" I asked, nudging Damien, who squinted around me to stare at her "No idea, but don't you think it's kind of odd how she's staring right through us? It's almost like she's whimpering at us" he replied, edging slowly over to her "It is, isn't it…? But humans can't see Demons when we're Shaded, so that can't be right" never the less, I moved towards her cautiously and held one hand out to her.
That probably wasn't the best idea I'd ever had…she screamed and squirmed down the wall away from me, covering her face with one tiny hand "What in the…" Damien trailed off, staring imperiously at the girl whose eyes were now as wide a dinner plates and who was even paler than the full moon that shone over head "Damien! Hide your wings!" I hissed, moving slowly towards the girl "Why? It's not like she hasn't already seen them anyways…" he answered grumpily, but did as he was told. "We aren't going to hurt you miss…no need to be afraid" I cooed, edging slightly closer "S-stay away from me!" she yelled, holding up her hands to shield herself "If that's what you want…" I murmured soothingly, standing up and returning to Damien.
The girl watched us suspiciously while we whispered a hushed conversation, motioning from her to each other, finally ending in Damien rolling his eyes and me throwing my hands in the air in defeat. Both of us turned to look at her, all of our eyes meeting, before Damien finally walked over to her, exuding the seductive vibes only an incubus could and sat next to the girl, who watched him cautiously "So…" he began, reaching out to brush her shoulder lightly, playfully.
She yelped at the touch and smacked him hard across the face, leaving a red handprint like a badge of honor in its wake "Ow! What was that for? I didn't even say two words to you!" he yelled, jumping up and stomping back over to me "Deal with her" he grumbled, roughly shoving me at her.
I stumbled and let myself drop to my knees in front of her, trying hard to give her a comforting look "You can see us then…" I muttered, more to myself than to her.
"W-what are you?" she whispered, her pretty face distraught with fright "Well, I'm Xander Costello, I'm a Black blood Ravager Demon, and my friend over there, the one you hit? His name is Damien Ravi, and he's a True blood Incubus" I murmured, watching with relief as her tension lessened a bit. "Demons…? But aren't you supposed to be in…you know…" she trailed off, her face lightening with interest and disbelief "Hell? Because we were banished by the fat head of a God you humans and Angels blindly follow? Please, you shouldn't believe everything you hear, he doesn't even exist" Damien growled, obviously angry; the way humans seemed to swoon at the though of Angels and God had always sickened him, and it was never any fun to be around him when he really got started.
Not to mention when someone called him out on the fact that no Demon knew for sure if God was real or not; we weren't even sure some Angels knew.
The girl blushed and stared down into her lap, tensing up once more "We can't really tell you too much about that, but to answer your question, no, we aren't trapped there, we come and go as we please" I told her, causing her to look up at me slightly and give a shy smile "Oh, what's your name by the way?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question "Well…I'm...Valshe…Valshe Marina" she replied hesitantly, suddenly avoiding my eyes.
I nodded and smiled a little "Have you always been able to see Ethereals?" I moved to stand up and offered her my hand to help her up, which she reluctantly took and let me pull her to her feet "Since I was little…I always convince myself that it's just a regular person who decided to dress like a freak…" she answered, shrinking back as Damien suddenly spoke "So now we're freaks? Let me tell you something little girl, if anything, you humans are the freaks, the only reason you're here…" Damien was promptly cut off when I jabbed my elbow into his ribs, and he in return sent me a menacing glare.
"I'm sorry" she told him quietly "I didn't mean for it to come out like that…" Damien just scoffed and turned away, leaning against the wall of the building and staring mutely into the distance "Oh yeah…I don't just see people with wings either…sometimes its things that look like crosses between animals and monsters, other times just huge people with no eyes, and stitches all over, like they're falling apart, and others still that have rows after rows of teeth, like a shark, or drools what looks like acid and smells like blood, or walk along, bent over backwards, like their backs were broken, and groan about how delicious different humans smell or look…are they Demons too?" she asked, her eyes stuck somewhere between desperate and hopeful.
It was everything I could do to keep my mouth from dropping, and I openly gaped at her "You see Under Dwellers too? But you're just a human aren't you?" I asked, hearing even Damien suck in a surprised breath "Those are just monsters then…and of course I'm human!" she replied, still working hard to avoid my gaze. I shook my head in sheer confusion, before glancing up at her once more "There's no way" I argued, glancing quickly at Damien, who was watching me carefully "I am though…my mom is human, and my father is too! There is absolutely no way…well…maybe there is but…I can't be…" her gaze fell to the floor and I saw tears of frustration begin to form in her eyes, which she quickly sniffed away.
Silently, Damien pulled himself from the wall and approached her, his face fixed in an emotionless frown "If you come with us for a little while we can get it figured out" he grumbled regretfully "Wha-? No way am I coming with either of you! How do I know you're not just going to rape me, or kill me, or…?" she backed away as I reached again for her small, warm hands, but I caught them easily.
They were fragile and smooth, completely rigid in mine, but she made no apparent effort to pull away; her whole body had gone stiff with nerves. "You think we're a lot worse than we actually are Valshe" I murmured, and started down the alleyway, her following blankly behind me, followed by Damien, who had pulled a metallic rod out of his pocket, about two inches thick, and only about as long as his hand. He whipped it downwards, causing it to lengthen, and form a large, deadly looking spear tip at the end with a glowing, crimson colored orb in the center; his Oni.
"You want to do it or should I?" he asked, holding it out to me "You can…you know I'm no good at using Artes…we'd sooner end up in one of the Seraphs chambers than back at HQ" I smiled, and he pulled it back with a sigh "Alright then, suit yourself" he replied and clapped the bottom of the rod on the ground, muttering a series of complicated spells while drawing a simple transport symbol on the dirt at his feet before a dark light absorbed the three of us and we were hurtling back home.
We were jolted to a stop, and Valshe was swaying with the shock of having been through a Demon Arte, her face taking on a greenish hue as if she were going to puke.
Her first few steps were staggered but she soon regained her balance and we were on our way to Master Paulet upstairs, for my second time that day. Pushing the heavy, carved oak doors open and strolling into the office, we were greeted by Yuna, tapping speedily away at her laptop, who at first didn't bother to look up as we entered "I'm sorry, but Master Paulet doesn't have anymore openings for today, can you come back…oh, Damien! How have you been sweetie? It's been much too long since I've seen you…" she carefully put her laptop down and clicked her way down the marble flooring to lean her curvy body against his "I've been fine babe, but is there any way you could squeeze us in on that list? It's an emergency…" he hooked a finger under her chin, and pulled her face up as if he were going to kiss her, which truthfully, wouldn't be surprising for D.
"Anything for you Damien! You know, I have been sooo lonely lately-" I wrinkled my nose in disgust and stopped listening, pulling Valshe towards the Masters office and leaving Damien to deal with the poor Demon girl, whom he'd probably fooled into one of his 'I "love" you when it's convenient' kind of relationships he'd pulled most of the women who worked at the HQ into.
"Excuse me…Master Paulet?" I called quietly, knocking on the door a few times before stepping in, Valshe right behind me. "Xander? What are you doing back so soon? And why do you have a human girl with you?" Master Paulet was by far the youngest enforcer we had at this facility, holding onto a healthy 23 years, which almost made him a child, since True Blood Demons were ageless.
He sported a black silk suit with a sleek crimson red button down shirt hanging loosely under it, and his long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung just above his shoulders. His clean, blemish-free face had the easy smile that anyone would recognize as a leaders.
"You see Master, Damien and I found her when we went out to a human club in California, she could see us even when we had Shaded…and it's not only us…she can see the Under Dwellers as well, but she claims she's human" I reported, watching his face go from mildly interested to entranced, and he soon cleared his throat and stood up, gracefully striding towards Valshe with a hushed sort of urgency.
"Is this true?" he asked, eyes widening as she confirmed it with a stiff nod "Fascinating…" he whispered, hand covering his mouth in thought before suddenly holding his hand out to her "I'm sorry, how rude of me…my name is Kale Falsion Paulet, I'm a True Blood Reaper Demon, and I run this fine facility" he smiled disarmingly; a specialty of his, and took her hand carefully, lightly kissing the back.
"M-my name is umm…I'm Valshe Marina…nice to meet you…" she replied shyly, her cheeks the color of a ripe raspberry "And what a lovely name it is" he complimented, letting go of her hand and strolling back over to sit lightly on the edge of his desk.
For a short while, he watched us, resting his chin on his folded hands, elbows firmly planted on his legs "Mr. Costello, I am glad to know you share my interest when anomalies such as this turn up…not saying that you're an oddity Ms. Marina, it's just your power has never been found in humans before, there have been cases where humans have been able to see their guardian Angels, but even that is an extremely rare occurrence." Master Paulet smirked and shook his head "Master…what do you think it is? She has an aura like a human, but sometimes half Demons Awaken late" I leaned casually up against the wall near the door, my arms crossed against my chest while he gave her another quick once over.
He shook his head in defeat and shrugged "I really have no idea Mr. Costello, so I'll just have you bring her downstairs for the more scientific minds to figure out" he smiled contentedly as I nodded obediently, opening the door and motioning for Valshe to step through "Thanks…" she murmured, her head down as she passed.
Shutting the door silently, I turned to Valshe, who was looking around the office in meek confusion "Where did…um…" she stammered, still glancing around "Damien and Yuna go? Trust me human, you don't want to know" I continued walking, leaving Valshe to scurry along behind me, moving at almost a jog to keep up with my long legged stride "Oh," was all she replied with.
Personally, I hated going into the twelfth floor, even though we were supposed to go there after every mission we were sent on so we could make sure we wouldn't be 'infected' by the Angels, no one ever did, and there was good reason for that. The Demons that ran that area were usually only half Demon, half Under Dweller, which made us more than a little wary of them being there since the Under Dwellers took many of our kind and brutally sacrificed them in belief that if they did, the Angels and Nephilim would leave them alone.
Clicking the button on the elevator reluctantly, I wondered idly on the ride down if I could get away with just bringing her back to the room and trying to figure it out myself. Not likely, I thought and sighed heavily "What's wrong?" Valshe asked suspiciously, as the elevator stopped with a quiet whoosh and the door opened with a ding "I hate this place" I replied, grabbing her wrist and leading her out as an ice Nixie pushed past us and quickly jammed her finger on the button for her floor "That makes two of us" I heard her growl, almost silently, but I let it slide; she was probably having a much worse day than me.
We walked down the hall, saying nothing to each other, until we reached a cold, sliding metal door with a bronze plate hanging just below my eye level "Arcanic Studies of the Third Dimension…" Valshe read, frowning "Just be quiet, don't touch anything and stay close okay?" I looked down at her "Okay" she replied weakly and moved aside as I slid the door open silently.
The room we walked into was large, with walls painted a dull brown, the floor uncarpeted, leaving it the solemn gray concrete that the building was constructed out of, wooden chairs were lined up perfectly against the walls and back to back in the middle of the room, and there was a large metallic desk at the wall farthest from the door, behind which someone that resembled a fire enveloped human stood, watching us with hard to see black eyes that were also sheathed in flames.
Valshe gasped, her hand flew to cover her mouth, keeping her from screaming, and she moved so she was standing directly behind me.
Reaching the desk we were met with the reeking smell of burning flesh, and I felt Valshe stiffen behind me "I need to see Forte" I told it shortly "Master Paulet sent us" it nodded, and I heard the crunch of it's charred neck as it did so. "He'll right out sir…" its voice was dry, but bubbled and crackled like a boiling pot of water "Sure" I replied, and pulled Valshe to a pair of chairs behind a large round pillar.
Sitting down in the hard chair, I wrinkled my nose in disgust and closed my eyes with sheer frustration "What is that…?" Valshe whispered, leaning close enough that I could feel her warm breath against my ear "An Under Dweller…not even half a Demon, the disgusting thing" I grumbled in reply, opening one eye to glance down at her reaction, which was to slowly peek around the pillar at it with wide eyes.
"Why is it here if it's not a Demon?" she asked, still staring "Because as much as Master Paulet argues, his higher ups say it's essential to have them around for labor purposes" I stood up as the door opened and Forte's 5'10, dark blonde headed figure appeared, who was probably the only real Demon in the whole department. "Come on in Xander" he called, holding the door open as we approached him "Ah, Xander and friend" he gave a short laugh as we passed, moving into a bleak hall way, where Forte lead us to the very last door on the left, and shut it behind him with click.
He sat himself down in a dark blue swivel chair and motioned or us to sit in the same colored armchairs across from him "So, who do we have here?" he asked calmly, glancing from me to Valshe and back again "This is Valshe, a human that can see us, the Under Dwellers and I'm assuming the Angels and Nephilim as well" I informed him, sighing as he handed me a syringe full of a dark purplish liquid; my 'medicine'.
When he turned his back I pressed the contents into my cupped palm and heated it until the liquid evaporated, setting the now empty syringe on the walnut finished table in front of us.
"I see…that's an interesting occurrence indeed" he spoke slowly, his low voice smooth and careful. Rolling over to his desk, he opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a small white packet, and a clear square of glass, then turned to Valshe and smiled menacingly "Name's Forte, remember it Angel worshipper" he said, ripping the packet open loudly and pulling out a scalpel, black handled and sharpened to a perfect and glittering point. Examining it carefully, as one might examine a car for scratches, he grinned, apparently satisfied and began to spin it idly around his finger "Alrighty human, give me your hand" he ordered, holding his own hand out expectantly.
Valshe looked from him to the scalpel nervously "Is this really necessary?" she asked, clutching her hand against her chest protectively. Forte glared and snatched her hand away roughly "Look human, you may not know the rules around here, but it's common sense to obey your higher-ups" he spat venomously, positioning the scalpel so it hung just above her bare palm.
Across the room, I yawned in boredom and Forte in turn snapped his head around in surprise, as if he'd forgotten I was there "Oh, Xander…you should probably go until I can get this cleaned up" he told me, motioning lazily towards the door, which swung open and I hesitantly stepped through "Be careful Forte, she's a fighter" I remarked, meeting his grin with one of my own before swinging the door shut behind me and heading out to the waiting room.
There are a lot of places in the world where I really don't want to be and this waiting room was swiftly reaching the top of the list. I sat gingerly on the wooden chair farthest away from the desk, right next to the exit, which I desperately wanted to fling myself through at the moment so I could go back to my room and at least pretend to get some sleep, when the door slid open and Damien stepped through, looking pleased with himself.
Plopping down in the chair next to me, seemingly oblivious to the resistant groans it made as he did so, he stared at me with a dopey grin until I finally turned to him "Don't even start" I growled as he opened his mouth to say something, most likely about his tryst with Yuna.
"What?" he asked incredulously, his smile replaced with a sort of pout "You ditched me with the human to go sleep with a secretary" I replied sourly, glancing up at the now empty reception desk "She's not just any secretary Xander, she's-" he began, but stopped mid-sentence at the chilling glare I sent him "Look, I know that was pretty low, but the human doesn't even like me anyways, so what was the point of staying?" he turned his gaze towards the ceiling with disinterest "Know what? Forget it." I muttered, seeing him close his eyes and doing the same.
We stayed silent for a while, not moving much except the occasional shift in position when Damien spoke once more "Sorry" he said quietly, nudging me gently with his elbow "It's fine" I answered automatically; Damien and I were partners; bound by a Blood Bond, and on top of that, he was the closest, if not one of the only real friends I had, so it was near impossible to stay mad at each other for too long.
Standing up to stretch, I yawned and looked down at Damien "I'm going to get something to drink, want anything?" I asked, turning to leave "I don't care, but don't get anything from this floor, no one knows what the Under Dwellers have done to the stuff" he yelled to my retreating figure "Whatever" I told him, and made a beeline for the elevator.
A/N: I hope you all enjoy this story as it is the first one I've ever put up on here...I will try to update this regularly (like once a week to every other week) but some times I will not be able to as RL tends to sneak up on us all from time to time. Until next time, please review and make sure you don't follow strange demons into dark, deserted ally ways like sweet little Valshe, no matter how cute/hot/whatever they may be, okay?
