The moments where the two were together, quietly watching out on Lostlight and its floating Isles in the distance, and just enjoying each other's company were the ones they cherished the most. More often then not, when Ophelia came up over the small hill towards the mouth of the woods, Duleb was already there, and there was nothing much to talk about. So they would just sit on the grass and watch, listening to everything and nothing around them and just enjoying one another.
Sometimes, they would have gifts for each other; the Cocoa beetles Duleb had bought from Hena, and some Opalescence that Ophelia made in her alchemy class. They brought each other food and wine from their native countries, including fruits neither party had ever imagined they'd see.
They exchanged many things brought from all over their place of origin and beyond, but the most fascinating things that had been seen are the images that Duleb had painted and colored that captured the places she had seen. Bold and colorful canvases, one after the next, displaying all of the different territories of Hell and Hell controlled planets.
Nergal was a frostbitten place, with tall mountains, industrial cities and much more pretty than the angel had anticipated. It's cities were rather grand and polar in design, and the people there were even more so.
The population of Nergal, according to Duleb's account, was mostly Akumas, since they were one of the few species of demon equipped enough to endure the harsh year-long winter. Akumas, although strange to look at, were a very intelligent people, and knew their way around epic machinery, which made a whole lot of sense, considering how much Duleb herself enjoyed tinkering. She told incredible tales of having seen huge battleships soaring up ahead over the city, like giant flying base camp all on its own.
Sophia was a desolate desert place- on it's surface.
Beneath all of the sand and stinging dust devils, were gorgeous temples and spires, seemingly deep enough to penetrate the center of their planet. It was an entire underground country, connected by hundreds upon hundreds of tunnels and underground caves. In all, there was thirty-one spires, some raising high enough that the surface of the ground was insufficient in height, and at their peaks were the tantra temples and observatories.
The people there, Sprites as Duleb called them, were so exotic and insectile it hurt to look at them. Many men and women boasting multiple pairs of arms or eyes, with beautiful gossamer-like wings, each one possessing skin of a different hue, from peachy to blue, red, green, and every color in between.
Opposite their polar cousins, Sprites were hardly the brightest. Mostly superstitions, they were possibly the ditziest race Duleb had ever encountered on her travels. Not to be cruel or anything, but they were pretty stupid. The only thing those people were good at, other than their special attunement to astrological and meteorological phenomenons, were being gaudy, flamboyant butterflies that looked pretty and observed clouds and stars.
There was a Sprite, however, that Duleb said she couldn't quiet place a label on; Manol, one of the many dealers that had made Sophia all the more hazed with the hallucinogenic substance that drove everyone wild. She said Manol was always very relaxed and was either reading or meditating whenever she happened to see him. He was literate, poised, and rather elegant for a man of his standing, and Duleb just couldn't seem to figure him out. He just seemed too smart to be one of your run-of-the-mill drug dealers.
Oh well. Another mystery for the ages.
Now Hena was perhaps the most spectacular location on this Hell controlled planet that Duleb had depicted: a colorful and vibrant capital filled with bustling cities and a metropolis of just about every demon one could fathom, however the creatures here seemed more, civilized, so to speak. It was a place of architecture and science, a place where many of the wise men and women came to solve their country's many problems. It made Duleb wonder why all of those people had to hold their grand counsels just to talk about getting things figured out. Ophelia asked if they ever acted on fixing most of the society's problems. Duleb decided not to answer.
Communism is one reason she left her polar home country.
Hena was an industrial capital, much like Nergal, although rather than working mostly with warfare and battle-wise machinery, the people in Hena worked with just the basics, like trolleys, gaundalas, trains and lite-rails that ran all throughout the city. (Basically, they made hellish little trinkets and incredible means of transportation.) That, and they were a mostly parliamentary society. Duleb loved this place, and would have loved to live there, but sadly, women of any other race, other than a succubus, never got too far in that city.
That was why she wanted so badly to move west. In the west, there were fewer people, and with fewer people came fewer problems.
"I aspire to live on my own, perhaps in the forest, but I'll be happy in a hole in the mountain if it means nobody will come and bother me." the demon said after she shared her tales from Hell's territories. "What about you? Surely you don't plan to live in the noisy city all your life? I know you love your family and such, but that doesn't sound like you at all."
"Actually, you're right. I want to live by the ocean, all on my own. Azreal used to tell my sister and I about the time he lived in Silverwall, an outpost near the Empty Sea, and he told us how beautiful it was. There are a few problems, though…"
"And those are?"
"Well, first of all, there are a lot of monsters in that ocean. I've heard tales of entire ships being devoured by giant serpents that lurked beneath the tidal walls. Plus, Silverwall gets flooded quite often. There was once a time where I had to share a room with a few other girls from there because their house was filled to the near second story with ocean water! Can you believe that?" Opi laughed as she picked some grass off of the lap of her gown.
Silver hair swayed as the demon shook her head. "I can't say I can, but I know you'd never lie to me." Wink. "But anyways, why would you want to live near a swollen ocean filled with monsters? Isn't the White City or Lostlight-"
"Oh, good heavens, Lostlight could never compare to the beauty of the shoreline! I've seen the grand buildings and enormous churches my entire life, heard the city's orchestral tenor my entire life. I wish to go and live somewhere new. Someplace where I could possibly sit outside and read in peace without having to really worry about anyone. And besides, then I get to live on the beach! And there's all sorts of amazing things to find on the beach. The sea might be called "Empty," but it's far from it!"
Where the demon sat, half a pace in front and one to the left, she leaned back and let herself fall into her angel's lap, looking up at her with a smile she knew would get the other's attention. Ophelia laughed and began plucking the tiny green flowers from the ground around them and lacing them into the akuma's hair, around her horns and behind her ears. Internally, Duleb felt a tightening in her chest about the dream of living by the sea. Something that resonated with the demon on an intimate level. Ophelia's words about her passion for the sea began pulling on whatever heartstrings Duleb had, and her body began to suddenly ache with longing.
Longing to swim, mind you.
"Opi, I love the way you look when you're talking about your dreams. You beam so brightly, it hurts."
"Why thank you ever so kindly, Duleb. It seems to me like you must enjoy listening to!me ramble on about silly things." Opi snickered. Not many ever really cared about what she wanted, or what she thought. An angel worthy of respect attends to her duties. Wants and needs are to come second.
Stretching her arms out, Duleb reached up and gently stroked Ophelia's cheek. She offered a small smile. "I could listen to you ramble forever."
There it was, that sheen smothering of red that covered Ophelia's fair cheeks. She knew that nickname would stick the day Duleb was too "distracted" to say her full name. Playfully, she slapped a furry arm, and was poked in her side in retaliation.
For a brief moment, Ophelia suddenly noticed how exotically attractive Duleb was, looking up at her from her chest with big violet eyes hooded by silver lashes. She looked so much different than any girl in Lostlight or the White City.
The two laughed like that and played like that and talked like that for years.
The two loved one another like that for years, and for years, not a soul knew.
A great many years later...
Many times, Ophelia had wandered these hallways, and many times, it was toward the same destination, however these days of late had sent her on many different quests to parts of the Argent Spire she had never seen before. In her youth, she was limited to only a handful of classrooms and libraries, where she devoted most of her time, save for the few gardens and rest areas this place provided.
Right now, though, she was simply taking a more… direct route to Azreal's many offices. She hadn't slept in days- and was being powered by the moment by pure sugar and the strongest tea she could purchase legally- so taking the long way might have killed her.
Azreal had sent Marciabella for her earlier, with a message saying that he wanted to speak with her about her living proposal. The very damn thing she had been waiting to talk to him about for weeks.
Prior to this little arrangement, Opi had asked her teacher for a small loan to be able to purchase an apartment in Silverwall, just to get herself situated there. She had promised, fervently, that she would pay him back every penny, to which his only response was, "I'll think about it."
Way to dig deep, Azreal.
Hopefully, Azreal had come to a conclusion on her offer, and Opi hoped and prayed that it would be a decision in her favor. When she asked her father, Aboddon rejected the idea, and insisted that she stay in the White City to live with the rest of her brothers and sisters where it was much safer for a young lady like herself.
Being as tired as she was, Ophelia had no intent on wasting what little energy she had on walking all the way there, so she took to the wing. Quickly as the ascent was to the near peak of the Spire, any angel could never help but notice all of the colorful lights that swathed every inch of this enchanting chamber of treasures. It was one of Ophelia's favorite places to sit and just read. If she were allowed to set up a hammock somewhere, just to sit and relax, she would be at her most peaceful.
If only…
Everything could be found in this magical place; scrolls, books, graven tablets, and even poetry. Hundreds of thousands of sources of both magical, and political knowledge were located here, including one of the original first copies of the Codex Bellum.
Not that that waste of paper was of any significance to Ophelia, of course. But it was one of the most tedious works of the archangels Zadakiel and Raphiel themselves.
Librarians and other scribes flew up and over her, around and around, going about their endless tasks. Some of these people spent years in this library alone, cataloging, transcribing, repairing, and so much more. Sometimes, the frightening thought occurred that those tasks were the only things these angels ever did with their lives. Nothing but study, study, study.
And how was she to doubt that? Her blasted people had some meticulous, anal system of cataloging their texts that was so complicated and complex, it took someone who had been educated in that system their entire lives to even come close to understanding it. She wondered why things couldn't be organized in alphabetical order, or numerical order? It would make things so much simpler, really.
Thankfully, Ophelia was a smart cookie, and just got the concept of that blasted system right off the bat.
When at last she reached her destination, she floated down onto the marble floor and caught her balance with the help of the platinum guardrail so conveniently placed there. And just as conveniently, it was right outside of Azreal's main office.
Urgently, shakily, Ophelia knocked at the huge door and announced her arrival.
Almost instantly after, Azreal opened the door, ushered her inside and invited her to take a seat, not for a moment looking away from the leather-bound tome he was reading.
"Thank you so much for seeing me, my Lord Azreal. I have to say, I'm feeling exceptionally optimistic about things today!" she spoke around a great big smile.
For a split second, it looked like her eyes twitched and the broad smile looked almost frightening. That. Face.
"Well, well, you're looking especially optimistic, too. What did you eat?" he teacher joked as he placed a marker in his tome and took a seat, finally directing his attention on his guest.
"Well, I've only eaten bon-bons and amber cremes all day, and I haven't slept in a few days, given all my work, but I still feel terrific!" Cheerily, she threw her arms out beside her, which in turn made her teacher laugh.
"Ah, no wonder you're so jittery. Did you brush your hair this morning, or-"
"Nope!" came the wide-eyed reply as the younger angel stroked her frizzy curls. "Haven't had time to. What was it you wanted to speak to me about, Azreal?"
The archangel laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his knuckles, apparently watching her every little move and twitch. "You asked me about that small loan a few weeks ago, for the apartment in Silverwall, remember?"
"Oh I remember, and I did everything you asked me to do until then!"
An ivory brow rose over matching eyes. "And you asked your father?"
At last, Ophelia's features settled, and she seemed to shake less. "I did ask him, but he said he'd much rather me stay in Lostlight with my sisters and brothers, where it's safe. He thought it was silly of me to want to live alone and by the sea… but-"
Azreal brought up a hand to quiet her. "As long as you asked, that's fine. I had a feeling he would be reluctant, but don't worry, I'll speak to him. Firstly, I'd like to know why you wish to live in Silverwall, of all places. I mean, there's only about forty-four people there, it's on the very boarders of Heaven, not to mention the seasonal flooding and… Ah yes, the occasional Abyssal incursions that take place there." He cleared his throat. "The sea monsters... So, why there, so far from home, and why such a dangerous place?"
This time, the young woman blinked, albeit looking a bit drowsy. Her left eye twitched "Are you serious? What could possibly be better than living by the sea, in peace and solitaire? I want to live on my own, so I can have more quiet time once I have gotten all of my work done. I mean, after I get everything done at the Argent Spire and go home, there are still my brothers and sister who constantly choose to pester me about unimportant things, not to mention the fact Idella just loves to torment me as of late, and I keep getting closer and closer to strangling that girl…
"And I also would like to study some of the wildlife that washes up on those shores. Our people know more about our moons than we do our own oceans! It's… curious. But do you really think me helpless, Azreal? I consider you one of my most trusted and cherished friends; you know almost everything about me!-"
"Almost?"
"-So what makes you think that if I happen upon some alien creature of the sea, I would be incapable of at least escaping from the situation unscathed? I might be a lady, but that doesn't mean I'm as delicate as the rest of your female underlings. I think I can handle myself, much less some monster from the sea."
"Those "Monsters of the Sea," have taken out entire fleets of seasoned sailors, Ophelia."
"But never a full-time Scribe who knows how to use a spear!" the young woman rebuttaled proudly.
A flat look. "I didn't know you knew your way around a spear. Did your brothers, perhaps show you how to do that?"
Cockily, Opi leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, sporting a rather high brow. "One of the few things you have yet to learn about me, my friend."
She declared that last part as bluntly as her father would have, and with what can only be described as a "calm vice," as she could muster. And it did little more than tire her out even more.
"Ophelia, listen: you're a brilliant young lady, one of my finest students, but I would still worry about you living all on your own and so far away from your family. I understand that you aren't as tolerable of cramped spaces and large crowds, but the seaside? Really? Are you absolutely sure?" The Angel of Death asked.
Opi drew a long breath and let her head drop onto the desk, almost bonelessly. She sighed for what felt like years before speaking again.
"It's all I want. My Father doesn't understand, Azreal. I don't think anyone does, other than you and Marci, or Luden. I want to be on my own and taking care of myself, with only myself to worry about. I don't want to be bothered, and I don't want to be completely alone, I know that Ignatius lives in Silverwall, and he and Luke could show me how to properly care for and use a small boat. I have so many plans, and so many things I'd like to try. I just… I don't know…
"Am I being too selfish, Azreal?" she asked finally.
Ophelia felt the weight of Azreal's hand on her head, idly stroking her hair with his thumb. "I get it completely, and no, you're not being selfish. Looking out for your own interests isn't being selfish. You just want some peace and quiet. Work and studying doesn't necessarily count, either, and that's what I think Aboddon doesn't quite grasp. Like I said, I'll talk to him. As for the move itself, I'd love to help you, but a loan won't be necessary. I had a loft on the pier when I was living there, but I think Jophiel uses it as of late as one of her private studios. Go home, try to get some sleep, and you can ask her about it tomorrow evening. Come on, get up."
Languidly, Opi rose to her feet and stretched; arms, neck, and wings, and followed her teacher outside. His hand rested on her back, as if he feared she might fall backward, and he walked with her down the many stairs and through the expansive hallways until they both emerged on the outside steps.
"Go home and tell Aboddon I'd like to speak with him about our little arrangement. In the mean time, get some sleep and eat some actual food. No sweets, and furthermore: No. More. Tea. I know those caffeine eyes when I see them. Warm up some milk, or better yet, just drink water."
Already on her way, Opi made an agreeable sound and yawned immediately after. She took to the skies, lazily flying away, and decided that was that.
And so it was. All she even said when she arrived at her crowded little abode was, "Tell father Azreal wants to talk," and she flopped into her hammock.
She was snoring within seconds.
And still she had work to do.
Again, Duleb stepped off of the platform and onto the searing sand, but this time, rather than emerging from the blasted and blackened realm of the Black Stone, she came from the biting, frost-bitten portal in Nergal. Even as she emerged, frost and bits of ice started melting from her brows. She left the city of Lebanon and entered into the city of Underground Lights, where her most frequent customer resided.
Not to mention, her most favorite customer. It would be nice to see Manol, after all that has happened today. The akuma had to trudge through the snow and ice on nothing but her bare feet, she lost all her rations to a family of robbers, almost lost the Night fringe for her next delivery, and then she was caught up in a blizzard, forcing her to hijack a Nebanese lancer's sleigh to get to the portal in time. That part was wildly entertaining, despite the certain consequences of being caught.
Of course, she started trouble, and of course, it was almost too close. In Nergal, any thief that ended up caught was strung up in the Morning Gallows for all to see.
Duleb stood in the doorway of Manol's estate, knocked nineteen times and waited. She listened as best as she could over the sounds of cacophonous laughter and conversation, sporadic street music, and animals hissing and screeching in the streets behind her. She didn't hear a loud room full of people from behind the closed door this time. Everyone must have fallen asleep- at last.
The small panel on the near top of the door slid open, and Duleb was greeted with a pair of bright amber eyes. At this point, there was no need to identify herself, Manol knew exactly who she was, and knew exactly what she was here for.
He opened the door about halfway and stood there for a moment, shirtless as usual. His ever-lax gaze looked her over from head to tail quietly and he paused, staring at her backward-bent legs.
"Where ya shoes at?" he asked nonchalantly.
She didn't answer straight away.
"Someone take 'em from ya?"
The Akuma nodded her head silently. Under the head wrap, she sighed, which was a horrible sensation considering how hot she already was.
The Sprite opened the door and nodded her inside. "Get in here, girl. I got somthin' foe ya." He raked his hair back and sniffed. "You hungry?"
"I could eat. Vulgrim also decided to be generous with you, this time. Since you no longer carry knotts. He's given you about a little more Nightfringe than you normally ordered for the same price as last time. Seems like he intends on firing up the wicket sometime soon"
When all of those loud women and sketchy men weren't here, this place was much nicer. As well as much cleaner, and Duleb told Manol as much.
"I like my home much better when it ain't all cluttered up. Now how much I owe you again, love?"
"About ninety three in gilt."
Duleb had started speaking to Manol much more in the years of late. As a usual customer, and since she was the only one of Vulgrim's he remotely trusted carrying his supplies, she got to see him very often, and since then, curiosity continued to get the better of her in those years.
Manol turned out to be a very interesting man. Duleb discovered that the reason for his constant meditation was for his anger issues revolving around his task as a dealer. (In all actuality, the only reason Manol sold drugs in the first place, was so he could afford to buy ice from Nergal on a weekly basis. Gotta water the plants somehow...) That, and it turned out that all of the women surrounding him were his "Appointed Wives", whom he was none too cheery to be around. However, Duleb had rather not heard all that, given the situations that followed and ended up in Manol's six year absence... He was a rather reclusive man, wishing to be alone so as to further himself in the art of becoming more spiritually close to his so called, "Goddesses." She thought he might have been inebriated at this time, speaking of goddesses and becoming one, and other gibberish.
So Duleb entered, through the small entryway and up the winding and weathered staircase leading to the top of the establishment, which proved to be Manol's private resting area for even these long years.
Duleb had visited this place of whimsy and study many times, as this was always the place Manol took care of his private business of map making and geological construct consultant. Well, that, and this is where he just preferred to spend all of his time.
It was the entire top floor of the building, about one-hundred-sixty paces across and just as wide. All one room, cluttered and dusty, however well maintained in its chaotic disarray. Normally, there would be chalk drawings all over the floor, melted wax gone hard after being let to chill for hours after having been burning for hours on end. He had multitudes of tall candle mountains, made from the melted remnants of other much older candles, all colorful and delicious smelling, some as tall as a regular book, and some, bigger.
Much bigger.
In the furthest corner of the room, there would be a huge pillar-and-arch type of structure covered by a huge dark sheet in the room, but this day, the sheet was nowhere in sight, and in its place: something extraordinary.
Duleb extended her left arm and pointed to it as she walked in, stopping behind the Sprite with perhaps the most shocked look of awe that she had ever made in all her life. "What is that thing? I've never seen anything like it before. Did you build that?"
Amber almond eyes widened where she looked, and Manol looked to have mentally shouted at himself. Hurriedly, he stomped over and reached for the sheet which must have been behind it this whole time and tried to cover up the structure again. His normally limp and flimsy-looking wings were now erect and sharp, twitching every other second. "Don worry 'bout that. Y' never saw a ting, understand, girl?"
Red palms waved about in front of her chest. Duleb had no idea that he would get defensive about that! She honestly thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and made it a point to tell him so. No, Manol wasn't all for her curiosity at first, but she begged him to tell her about it, prying for the knowledge since he had never really told her anything at all.
"Why should I tell you an'thing?" Manol had asked her upon her ferverous implements.
Duleb's exotic features twisted into an ugly scowl, the one she made whenever somebody stared at her for far too long; unnatural looking for her pretty face, but it quickly simmered into a cold-faced pout. "You should tell me because I cared enough to ask you, Manol."
Quiet, they were for a short time, and before Manol opened his mouth to speak again, she continued over him.
"I have seen you and known you and dealt with you for years, since I was still a child, and you have always been a mystery to me. You've never struck me, or called me out of name, or threatened me.
"I mean, who does that? Literally, there is no one soul I have met, other than you, and-" Her words trailed off with a sharp and sudden flush. "- who hasn't engaged with me in a manner of hostile intent. I respect you, Manol, as an individual, but I must know this. This is so… beautiful. I never expected this from you.
"And before you say anything, There are few people with such a sense of style and color and eccentricity when it comes to their private abodes! Mind I say, you, Sir, have a talent! It takes an artist to know an artist, and dare I say it, That- whatever it is,- has got to be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in all my life. I realize this now!"
She paused to draw a few breaths. Manol simply stood there, quiet as always, staring at the fingertip almost touching the tip of his nose. He could smell the leather of her gloved hands.
"I wasn't kidding, Manol. I just realized this, just now. You are an artistic mind, somehow. Damn it, of course you'd be an artistic mind, you're dealing in matters with science and technology on a regular basis. I've seen you and dealt with you and all your involvements in the Sophian-Nebonese weapons trade, as did Vulgrim. However, I can't say Iv'e ever sen you actually harm anybody, or do anything like what we see back home…"
As she spoke, somehow, she didn't quite realize she started pacing and making weird little movements with her head as she talked on. It was a wierd little quirk of hers, and she always would end up doing it when she got to talking.
Her finger returned to her side. "I won lie to yuh there, child. Science 'n technology is jus how this world of ours is getting by. It makes thins easier an more efficient. Right?" He grasped her finger in his fist and lowered it from his face. "My dear child, the only true technology, is nature. All other forms of technology are perversions. The ancient dictators used technology to enslave the masses, and here we are, somehow relying on technology to keep us protected from our Abyssal enemies?"
She watched the burning intensity of his ageless almond eyes, like he was trying to probe her mind somehow. However, he began to look more curious himself, rather than upset. Why was that? She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to look stupid. What he said, though, got her thinking: what in the dickens would make this man think technology was something so terrible? Of course, technology involved weapon of war and mass murder, but at the same time, it helped their peoples advance to a point where they could now protect themselves from Hell's legions!
But wait...
"What do you mean, enslave the masses, and all that about an, "ancient dictator?" I've never heard this term."
"Interesting... " He started, raking his snowy hair back out of his eyes. "O'course you wouldn't know nuthin' bout that, girl. Way before your time... P' haps you could learn… You ain't dat religious yourself, ain'tcha?" He brought his arm around her and leaned in real close, whispering, almost. "Lemme ask you a question, child: You enjoy da water? You like ta swim, huh?"
Duleb wet her lips and nodded, shifting her weight to her other foot. She felt herself grinning a little bit, but tried still to avoid looking too foolish, but what did religion have to do with anything?
"An I take it you a'ready know you an imaginative an intelligent mind, given you clearly a fellow artist." He muttered with a chuckle and a surprisingly handsome grin.
"Exceedingly so, Sir." Came the semi-sarcastic sounding reply.
"Den sit here an let me tell you a story about this planet, jus a lil while before you was born. Hell, before you was even thought of. But," At this point, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders and made sure that she was looking at nothing but the fiery eyes. "You gotta swear on your life dat no other ears will hear of this. Promise?"
Strangely enough, Manol offered up his pinkie finger, just a little thing Sprites do when engaged in an act of contract or secrecy. Duleb had never gotten the opportunity to preform such a strange little handshake, but she had seen it plenty of times.
So she reached forth and wrapped her pinkie around this, and he proceeded to tell her about his Green Goddess. And the world before the rise of Hell.
He told Duleb about a time when Akumas, Sprites, and Daccubi were free from their demonic overlords that currently ruled their realms. A time before this planet was taken over by the Dark Prince and his legions, turning everyone on this planet into either a worker, a slave, or a rouge.
But before that...
He said back before demons were present, and before the Charred Counsel had any involvement at all with the people here, there were temples for the Goddesses and Gods of Yggdrasil, Alvos and Autochthon all over. Upon invasion, every temple and every shrine was destroyed and replaced with the idea of a single Creator, who seemingly left the entities known as the Charred Counsel in charge. Yeah, right. The native peoples here didn't want to forsake their Gods and Goddesses or their religion in general, but the legions of Hell were very insistent. And persistent.
But mostly, they were brutal. Especially if there was any resistance.
Manol followed some strange and intriguing religion that Duleb had never heard of. It was beautiful and spiritual, in a way. He told of a time where there were giants among them, beautiful and powerful in their Exalted might, and they were once the great leaders of their land. But, tragedy struck when their planet was invaded from afar, invaded by Hell and it's mighty legions of brutes and beasts. The Exalted were not prepared for the horrors Hell had unleashed. All of those great entities had been slaughtered, but their stories remained. There was the Sisters of the Sun, Lunar Republic, The Oracles, and the Plaque Banishers.
Some of these effigies were beautiful; Manol worshiped a giant green goddess with twelve arms and eight eyes. He briefly showed her his alter, as well as his handmade shrine he built from stained glass and an array of exotic potted plants. His grandfather had one, he said, that was almost three stories high. Plants along the shrine and in the presence of the shrine were said to be given the power to heal once consumed. The stained glass is to capture the light and funnel it into the shrine itself. Manol said if she ever happened to see his shrine by nightfall, you would be surprised to find that it glowed with its own crystalline light, seemingly on its own accord.
Of course, she'd have to see that herself.
The Goddess of Life he worshiped most was Isis of Yggdrasil, the goddess of fertility, life, light, and childbirth, an earth deity made of green wax with a gorgeous crown of flowers and thorns. She looked to have long pink hair and more eyes than Duleb had ever seen, more arms than a woman should have. In the palm of each hand was a golden glyph and in the center of the belly where Her naval was, was a giant magenta colored quartz of some type.
It was a secret shrine, one that nobody else was to know about, or else there would be serious consequences. Duleb didn't understand why his religion was deemed unacceptable, given that any and all Hell controlled planets had very little religious policies, but he couldn't worship in public and even private worship was still frowned upon. In fact, the last time someone tried to open their shrine to the public and someone else found out about it, Legion Soldiers showed up soon after. They were civil, as far as bloodshed went, but in every other retrospect, they were just awful.
All because of a Alvos shrine and the promise of a light show.
Demons are the worst, just the worst things that the Creator ever blew breath into...
The morning was still dark when Ophelia awoke and began to get dressed. Now was the time that everybody was getting up because in seven days would be the day of Equinox; when the sun and the moon literally shared the sky, and at this time, everybody was running around doing things to prepare. There was to be a great ritual prayer preformed before sunrise, and everyone in Hampchester's Square was to be there. There was to be a huge gathering later on in the White City, and the day was to be one of honor, festivities, and blithe throughout the First Kingdom. Ophelia was excited, because Aboddon said she could go with Rose and Azreal to help organize and plan out the evening's events.
Still in her nightclothes and still nearly sleeping, Ophelia stepped out into the hallway and proceeded to make her quest to Talia's room. Luden was already up and dressed, sitting on the edge of his desk in his room. He was fussing over the collar of his military uniform. And that was just the stuff he had to wear beneath his armor. The actual armor. Opi had tried to lift it and found it quite a try. She certainly couldn't imagine a person having to wear that all over their bodies.
"Morning Opi." He addressed her in a hushed voice. "Nina got in her room again, just so you know. Did you hear her come in through the window last night?"
Leaning on the golden panel of the door, Ophelia giggled. "Yeah, I heard her. I almost thought she was going to break though the glass. How did she get in, did you and father-"
"Oh, yes, yes, yes, we did. Nina didn't break anything, actually. Damn animal unlocked the balcony door from the outside." He finished. When at last he had gotten his collar straight, he stood for a moment to admire himself. He looked like he had preened himself the night before. He had a clean, even look about him. Every single feather practically glittered with the severity of whatever care was given. Ophelia still sported her curly feathers and fluffy underfeathers. Even after all these years, sh had not yet gown into her adult wings.
"You're looking very pretty," she admonished, crossing her arms over her chest. The look her brother gave her made her want to laugh, but given her loud laugh, she decided it would be best not to be so terribly loud in the morning.
"I recall the correct term being handsome, dear sister." Luden retorted in mocking manner. "Don't you have a baby to get up?"
"Talia isn't a baby," Opi firmly planted her fists on her hips and flashed four fingers up at him. "She's four."
"I know how old she is, and I know how old you are. And in case you didn't already know, I know how old I am. Hurry up now, I have things to do to get ready, and so do you. Look at you, you aren't even dressed! Go on and get her up and ready."
As he stepped out of the door to head toward the stairs, she delivered a prompt slap to his arm. He did nothing about it, save for a dismissive wave of his other hand and a rolling of his eyes. So, with all that said and done, Opi made her way down to her sister's room.
From this point in their home, about the size of some great castle, but nowhere near as large as most of White City's architecture, it would be almost a twenty minute walk to her sister's room from her own. And in her own home, no less! The very hallway seemed to be almost a mile long! Why did they need to have such a large home?! To what end did that possibly serve?!
Talia had a strange door to her room, one hat seemed to be like a door cut in half. The top part and the bottom part both opened freely, but one of those doors would always be locked, and whenever anyone tried to open the door and push it inside, they ended up bonking themselves on the forehead. Or worse, falling face first onto the floor after a gut strike from a locked bottom door. Aboddon ordered the door be replaced by the end of this following week. So Opi wasn't the only victim.
Who even made that door? Why? Why do we need half-doors?
She tugged at the handle, to which the door was very polite as to not be locked for her, and she tiptoed inside. Out of respect, she closed the door behind her.
Talia's room was little more than a pigsty. Toys and papers were all over the floor, her clothes from the day before were still at the foot of her little bed. For some reason, there were leaves inside, also on the floor and some in her bed. Brown and white feathers also littered the floor, along with more familiar fluffy ivory tufts of fuzz. Paint stains could be seen here and there on the carpets, and walls, and bed frame. And were there hand prints on the ceiling?
Okay, I don't even want to know how that happened...
Ophelia cautiously stepped over all of the nonsense and sat herself on the edge of the bed. Her sister's back was to her, but Nina's muzzle wasn't. Talia had an arm wrapped over her griffon's back, and the beast had curled all around her person. Opi and Nina had a pretty decent relationship. Opi wa allowed to get Tali up and ready for the day without getting nipped at of hissed at. Opi could even pet Nina, when the animal wanted her to.
She stroked Nina for a good while, talking quietly in an attempt to ease her sister out of sleep. Talia, though hyper active and defiant prone, could be reasoned with. She just had to be made to think that the idea of getting up was an attractive one.
"Come on Talia, time to wake up. Father says you and Nina will have the yard all to yourself today when you came back from the kindergarten, today!~ But, you've gotta get up first, and go to school, like a good girl." Opi said as she took the covers from her shoulders. She gave her a little shake and whispered some more. "Come on,~ Talia, don't you want to see any of your friends today?"
"All my friends are stupid." Talia groaned in that tiny little voice of hers. "They're mean to all the animals, especially the squirrels. I tried to tell on them, but teacher only said to leave the beasts alone! She called them beasts!"
"Do you know what a beast is?" The platinum haired youth said as she threw her covers from off of her and stood up on her bed, stretching herself as far as she could go. Nina mirrored her, arching her back and yawning hugely.
Opi gave her a mockingly puzzled look. "Umm, beasts are monsters?"
"THEY'RE MONSTERS!" Tali shouted, throwing her arms up over her head. "If the teacher can go and call a bunch of squirrels monsters, how will they know not to hurt them?! If I go back and just let it happen, like father said to do, I'll be an abomination! Animals never forget that kind of cowardice and betrayal! Never."
Opi nodded her head and lifted Talia from the bed, carrying the child with her over to the closet. She helped her sister to undress and tried to explain the fact that their people were a tad bit arrogant,thinking that they were superior to the living things that helped to make up their world. She tried to explain the fact that because they can think and talk and fight and speak, we are far more important that some little squirrel, or griffon or any other animal. Plants and animals were beneath the likes of the Creator's Chosen, and were to be treated as so.
Now, to an angel like Ophelia, this was an opportunity to plant a seed for her sister to help grow and flower for later on in life. This was a chance for her to try and get her little Talia to understand why she should treat animals and plants and parts of the earth like she would treat another person. Opi had that kind of hope that if she taught her right, in spite of how people were, she could contribute to Talia by teaching her valuable life lessons.
"I know, those people are so cruel sometimes, but, I'll tell you what," Opi waggled a finger at her as she began wrapping her shirt around her sister. "They're not all bad. Remember that. You can have as many enemies as the Prince of Lies, but as long as you have that one friend, the one who loves you no matter what, it'll be all you'll ever need. I can promise you that."
Ophelia brought the final ties in her shirt to her chest and began tucking them in. All she wore as small clothes were a pair of white shorts. While Ophelia stood up to peer in the closet for a nice dress to wear, Talia rubbed at her nose. Golden eyes flecked from her big sister to the dresses she was looking at, to her bedroom behind her, and to the griffon at the door.
"Opi, do you have a friend like that?" Talia asked, pulling her long hair over her shoulder. She had a bad habit of playing with her hair.
She didn't face her. "I do."
"Who is it?"
Ophelia found herself smiling. She took a deep breath and laughed, one small laugh. When she looked at her again, she was smiling, like she was about to learn some huge wonderful trick that would possibly dazzle her. But she wasn't.
"Why you, my sweet baby sister. You and Luden, Marci, Verdell, and Chamillo. You are all I will ever need, here."
She found a nice set of robes and skirts that looked much like a color resembling a redwood. It was all dark and brickish, like how a tree would look like it were blushing. Talia liked wearing things like those. She prefer to wear trousers and boots, but she was far too young for that sort of look. She was a child of the light; she was to look innocent and pure in her colorful and flowing childish robes, not parading around in button shirts and trousers.
But she liked them. So Opi let her parade around the garden in her shirts and pants. But only when father wasn't home.
"Opi, do you think I could have a friend that loves me very much, too?" Talia asked.
Laughter again. "You already do, silly. Nina is your friend, and she does love you very much, right?"
This time, it was the silver eyed youth that laughed, a typical little laugh of hers. "Yeah. She never bites at me or hisses. She eats all the food I won't eat, too! She's the best!"
Opi began wrapping her robes around her sister's tiny torso, and she in turn started pulling her skirts up her legs. "But she'll bite others."
"Yeah, Father hates it. But he's never gotten too angry with her. Only Idella has." Talia rubbed her eye with one knuckle while Opi moved to her back, fastening the buttons and clasps near her wings, pulling her clothes shut at last. Now all she needed was her stockings and shoes, and she was set.
"Alright, now that you're all dressed, go and get your teeth clean, bed made, hair brushed, and out into the garden for some fresh air before breakfast, alright?"
"Alright. Can Nina and I go down the street to the well?" the child asked as she ran on over to her drawers, grabbing her brush and hair ties.
"Later today, not right at this time."
Since Ophelia wasn't one of the warrior children, she was tasked with taking care of the smaller children in the family. Being the middle child of eight, she was the designated Talia's "Parental Figure" whenever Aboddon, or any of the older children weren't around, and she hated it sometimes. She loved her sister something fierce, but she was never too quick to get excited about spending the rest of the evening taking care of her and keeping watch for her to inevitably destroy something or another.
Oh well. Today was going to be easy. All she had to do was get her ready in the morning, and that was it. Luden had her for the rest of the day. Opi thought it would be a great day to go and meet up with her friend.
Now that Ophelia was getting older and having to deal with more responsibilities, her visits with Duleb have been fewer and fewer in between. They went from seeing each other every afternoon to only once or twice a week. It was the worst possible things for Ophelia, considering Duleb had to have been one of her most favorite people. When you love something, don't you ever feel like you want to have it around all the time?
Well, at least this time, she'd have a few special things from the festivals and parades to show to her. Duleb would love all the trinkets and jewelry she would have brought back to her. Now that she thought about it, she was excited for all of this! Planning the parades, the fair, the festivities! From the Grand Waltz, to the musical performances, and afterwards, a great feast was to be held in honor of this passing year, and the coming of the new one. Everybody would be there, all under one roof, if things went as planned, although a handful of people will return to their homes after a majority of the fun. Opi heard it was so that they could each spend quality time with their own families. She hoped it were so.
But, she was even more excited about meeting Uriel for the first time! She was going to be at the feast with father. Oh yes, that was going to happen. After all the years of waiting and asking Luden about her, she would finally meet her in person. Not being a warrior of any kind, Ophelia had never gotten a chance to meet any of her father's few friends. In all her life, the only Angel of a great deal of importance was Michael, but Ophelia was so young then, hardly even at the flying age. Even still, she remembered being awed at Michael's size this aura of strength and courage. And even then, Michael seemed like such a wonderful man, he had such a laugh and such a smile when he spoke with her father.
He had such an accent.
She went on back up to her room and closed the door behind her. She strode on over to the white hardwood vanity and pulled her gloves out of the top drawer. She tugged on the white silk gloves that were always clean and prepped for her to wear. She didn't feel the need to wear those gloves while drawing, though. She pulled the gloves up to her wrists, and brushed her curls, shaping them the way she liked. She had to make sure she looked absolutely perfect, lest Aboddon scold her for it.
After a quick run through with her trusty brush, all seemed well.
Ophelia had the curliest hair of any angel in all of Heaven, according to her father. She had the springiest set of curls anyone had ever set eyes on, and since she was born, it had been more or less her trademark, not to say that was necessarily a good thing. She hated her curls. Lots of people who happened to be superstitious were leery of her, convinced that an angel born with ringlets- or curls of any kind- would be bad luck and trouble prone. Muck like that Eris. Duleb loved how curly her hair was, since not many demons possessed such a trait as that. Quite often, Ophelia would catch the demon twirling a single curl in her fingers, marveling at the feeling and shape of her hair. It made the angel wonder sometimes, how funny.
Sometimes, Opi would catch her companion staring at her, not the hungry gaze of a potential predator, but something else entirely. There was a longing there, Ophelia could tell that much. Like how a boy would sometimes stare at a fellow sister, or an older maiden whom they thought beautiful. Like how many younger boys looked at Uriel.
Immediately, the angel's cheeks reddened. Was it that Duleb thought her beautiful? Was there some kind of desire there? Nobody had ever noticed Ophelia like that before, like she was at all attractive in any way, other than pretty and clever. If Duleb was to think of her as desirable-
What are you thinking?! This is Duleb you're talking about! She you're friend! So far, you're best friend. She could never... she...
- Waitaminute -
She shook her head in an attempt to expel the idea from her mind, and decided that was going to be the end of that. Anymore thought on that particular subject and her heart might have burst from her chest. The last thing she wanted was to get all excited...
Now, time to get dressed! What did Father say the colors were this year?
The deep green of Ophelia's silken gown stood out in stark relief against all of the blue and gold and white. It's hem brushed the ground as her slippered feet skipped up the stairs into the Argent Spire. It was a long, pine green silk dress, falling flat and flowing, capped at the shoulders and cinched at the waist by a pink and silver braided cord. Beneath the green silk was a cream white blouse with long, drooping angel-sleeves that fell to her fingertips. The silk itself was embroidered with little gold images of trees and flowers and birds, and for once, the young angel carried herself with an air of quiet confidence.
Actually, Opi felt great! Nobody fought with her and no one yelled at her. Oh, it was a lovely thing to feel this way, Ophelia thought. Everybody seemed to be smiling when she smiled at them. Her father said nothing more than a sullen, "good morning," and resumed his normal routine. Opi helped Talia with brushing her hair, and Nina was fed and put in the garden before she left. In Aboddon's household, last person to leave the house was responsible for putting the pet outside. However, Talia was here with Nina, sooo~...
Ophelia looked down at her slippers as she walked. Normally, green colors, as well as gold, silver, and ivory were all that was supposed to be worn during celebrations like these, but this year, the color was changed from green to blue, to commemorate the coming of the Blue Autumn Moon. The first time in one-hundred years that the moon was to be a beautiful lightning blue on the same day of the Equinox, and would fill up a great portion of the sky.
It happened once in a blue moon.
(This is where we all laugh)
Ophelia felt that she looked wonderful in this green dress. Green was most certainly not her color, but she knew it looked good on her nevertheless. Rose thought so, too. She met up with her older friend on the way to the Argent Spire, who had for once in a long while, had done her hair up all nice, pressed her creme colored silks, and had her nails buffed. She looked simple, but elegant, which was nice, because Ophelia had always thought Rose was such a gorgeous woman. She should make more time for herself like this more often.
"You do realize we're wearing blue this year, right? I thought you must have heard..." Rose asked her on their way up to meet Azreal.
"I'm quite aware. But today is more of a green day for me. Besides, it still looks nice, does it not?"
This confident demeanor was very different than what Rose was used to. Azreal's second oldest, being more down-to-earth, timid, and reserved than most, found much comfort in Ophelia's similar personality, and took to her very quickly when the child was still very small. They grew up together, so to speak. In fact, Rose adored her little companion so much, she offered to be her flat-mate when Ophelia was old enough to leave her custodian. Although Ophelia was more than quiet, often times mute, the elder still aspired to make things work between them. Besides, Rose had always wanted a little sister.
"It looks wonderful, honest." A tiny snicker. "Whenever did you become so confident?"
A great big smile. "When I started thinking about how silly I used to be; always shrinking away from the crowds, always biting my tongue. I understand how Big Brother Luden feels now. It feels nice to be outspoken and noticed. But of course, you already knew that."
Rose delivered a playful shove. "Luden has a right to be outspoken."
"And I don't?"
Ophelia had to take note the face Rose was making when she said that. It looked funny, like she wanted to laugh, but couldn't bring herself to do so. The bittersweet smile after the playful giggle betrayed that whole thing. Honestly, things like pride were sort of frowned upon in the White City, and she thought that the last person to be prideful was little Ophelia. Those few who were so smitten to blatantly display their narcissistic behavior were quietly frowned upon, but most of those people had every right to be so confident.
She would say nothing of it, though. Ophelia was happy, and it filled Rose's heart with joy to know that her sister was so cheerful and pleased with herself. In all actuality, she assumed this sudden change to be for the better. After all, with a mind like hers, and this new "go get 'em" attitude, she might just end up a very decorated Archon, just like she and Azreal had hoped she would be.
Since Ophelia was very young, she always displayed an interest in knowing why things happened. She would always make notes and ask in private how things were and how they came to be. She also had a special interest in archaeology and geological discovery, but that was another story for another time. She was always curious, as was any child, but now she was all that on fire. Not only did she have the desire to know how things were what they were, but she always wanted to know why. She asked why a whole lot more as of late.
It was never really said out loud, since Ophelia looked to be doing so well with herself, but pride, intellect, and why were considered a troublesome combination in the White City.
"Is Azreal still in his study?" Ophelia asked as she and her friend began to scale the numerous staircases.
"I believe so. He said he would wait for you and I to arrive before he went off. He seemed excited to see you, especially after what happened last week, with Idella."
"I thought nobody told him!" Ophelia chirped, unable to conceal her great big grin. "Did Idella whine to him?"
Rose's Raven black hair fell over her shoulders as she started nodding. "Uh huh. She had quite the fit about you getting her in trouble. I heard her all the way in the tome hall!"
At that tidbit of news, Opi found herself shaking her head. She smiled spitefully and crossed her arms. " What a pig-headed brat..." she murmured.
Rose quickly smacked the child's arm with a scoff. "Don't say things like that! How terribly rude of you!"
"The truth was never intended to be a polite thing, Miss Rose. As a matter of fact, it happens to be the very thing that gets most people down. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It's all heartbreaking and rude, but apparently it's one of our best policies. Everyone else is thinking these things, I'm just saying it out loud. If she can't handle the truth of the matter, maybe she should do something to change that." Ophelia held her hands behind her back as she walked. "We all know that Idella is a bully, I'm just saying something in hopes someone will actually straighten up and do something about her behavior, or she realizes the error of her ways herself. I love her to death, she is my big sister, after all. But just because I love her, doesn't mean I have to like the person she is."
Wise words for somebody still so young. With a deep thought, Rose realized that Ophelia had a very strong point. Idella had always possessed a rotten attitude, some would say caused by her red hair. (Angels and their superstitions...) Nevertheless, it was good of Ophelia to stand up for her brothers and sisters. She just hoped that Idella had learned her lesson, for Ophelia's sake.
After what seemed like hours of walking through flights of stairs and corridors, both girls finally managed to make it to Azreal's private study. The ivory white walls and sunny windows greeted the girls as they strode on in, being enveloped by the sweet smells of open air and inscents. Dappled sunlight criss-crossed on the marble white floor in colorful patterns, making pretty shapes along the steel grey and blue rugged floors. Huge bookshelves crammed full of leather-bound tomes lined nearly every wall, save the far wall which was nothing but a huge white pained window that let out to a grand balcony. It could have been marble or granite or metal, but she knew whatever that white panning was was far stronger than any of those things. That balcony was where Azreal and Raphiel would chart the movements of the stars and the sun every few weeks or so.
Seated at the dark oak desk in the center of the tiny library, was the archangel himself, looking peaceful and relaxed as always. Or at least, that was how he always looked to his students. Sometimes, Opi thought he looked a little sad. But they still had never imagined they would see him looking any way but content.
"Good morning, girls," his elegant voice greeted them with a polite smile. "My Rose, Ophelia. It's nice to have you both here to help me this morning."
"Hellooo~!" Ophelia singsonged rather unceremoniously, inviting herself to Azreal's side, gently hugging her favorite scholar in the whole wide world. She was almost too tall to properly hug him, mostly smothering him with her belly, but Rose's hug was just the same. Oh well, all she cared about was her hug for Azreal. (Hardly would he hug any of his other students, particularly the young girls. Only his daughters. Ophelia thought for the longest time that Azreal was frightened of girls...)
The archangel smiled and moved some stacks of paper across his desk. "I can see you all are eager to get things started. You two arrived much earlier than I had anticipated."
"Miss Rose suggested the other night that we arrive early," Ophelia started on her way back around Azreal's desk and elbowing her companion. "She was excited to help. I, on the other hand, would have enjoyed more sleep, but when duty calls, we answer, right?"
The youngest grinned as she watched a bright smile broadened her friend's cheeks when Azreal asked her to help him gather the checklist for the night's events. After knowing Rose for so long, Ophelia had figured that she had a special relationship with her father that was a little less than what was socially acceptable, but with Rose being extremely close in rank and standing to her father, so interaction there was as free as free could be for an Angel.
Deep down, it filled Opi's little heart with envy. Hell, he even called her his Rose! His Rose!
Elegant wings flexed as the angel stood. He wasn't as ostentatious as he normally was, in his impossibly long and flamboyant robes. Instead, he wore a simple white robe, embroidered with turquoise, silver and gold designs of suns and flowers. (Pretty fancy, if you asked Opi.) It was cinched at the midriff with darker indigo and gold thread. Beneath even that, he looked to have worn simple white boots of supple leather. He didn't normally ever wear white, blues and oranges being his most favorable colors, but this white attire of his was rather refreshing.
"You see Rose, you needn't worry about this year's color scheme. Azreal is even wearing his dresses today, so I can wear green today." Ophelia announced with a keen grin.
Azreal inhaled sharply through his nose and pointed a finger at Opi's smug grin. "Robes, my child. They're robes."
While Rose rolled her eyes, Azreal smiled. Serenely, he turned to look out the window, watching the doves soar in the updraft, along with a few angels here and there. The Angel of Death watched them all, and Ophelia silently admired him. Azreal seemed almost always quiet to her, save when he was lecturing, then he got exciting. He tended to make learning new things fun for the children. He seemed to make everything more interesting.
"By the way, Azreal," Ophelia chirped as she wiggled in her seat. "I managed to finish up that summary on cyrokinetic physics and distortion," She picked at the buttons on her blouse above the breast of the green silk. She just realized how low the neckline plunged. "I think it's long enough now, you might think I actually put some effort into it!"
Wink.
Those last words came with a cheeky grin and a giggle. Azreal himself laughed. Normally it was Luden and Chamillo that joked about never completing their work. It was different when Ophelia joked about slacking off. Nevertheless, it was an attempt at some kind of socialization, and for that alone, Azreal humored her.
"Perhaps then you could bring the entire paper to my office tonight after the festivities?" The Angel of Death asked as he grabbed at some more papers about the surface of his desk. He found himself laughing at her saucy smirk and a sarcastic, if not bemused stare.
"I take that as a yes."
A gloved finger shot up from below the edge of the desk. Azreal was slipping some papers into a drawer. "What fun would it be to hand it in to you so early? You'll just give me another assignment to occupy my time, and then I'll have that to get over and done with, with no time to myself! No thank you, my Lord. I'll hand it in when it's due. In the mean time, all I have to worry about are taking notes on your lectures."
Ophelia gave a bright and toothy grin upon seeing Azreal's deadpan reaction to her blatant refusal to turn in her work early, despite her known habit to do so. Now all of the sudden, she wanted more time to herself. The elder looked to the sister, who simply shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips shut.
"Well than I suppose we should all go and begin making our lists then, shall we?" The Angel of Death spoke softly as he arose from his chair, hands returning to. "Let's at least get started before the first morning bell sounds. Ladies, let's hear some ideas. What's for supper tonight?"
Ophelia clutched her gloved hands tightly in her lap. The square was absolutely filled with people, thousands of faces, thousands of people who all somehow looked the same. The festivities haven't even started yet, and already Ophelia's anxiety was threatening to overwhelm her. She spent so much time getting her lists ready, sending her flights of angels to go and perform tasks, get things ready, thinking about what she was going to do to talk to people and try to make some new friends, but she forgot about how terrifying it was to be at the center of all the attention.
Well, more importantly, she forgot that she would be sitting up on the dais with the rest of her family. And the commanding generals. And Aboddon.
God dammit.
Opi tried to focus on the gloves in her lap, tried to force out the sounds of all the cacophonous conversation and activities. Instead, she attempted to listen to the trumpets blaring, announcing the arrival of their archangels. She also tried to listen in on what Idella and Luden were talking about. Something about seeing Chamuel? speaking with Chamuel? She couldn't exactly make out all the words correctly, given all this noise...
Normally, it would be Aboddon seated at the far right side of the Grand Dias with his all-warrior cluster, proudly displaying the soon-to-be leaders of Heaven's mightiest factions, but this year, there was a scribe up there with him. Yes, Aboddon was perhaps the greatest soldier the White City ever produced, but that didn't make the sight of one of his children being a scribe any less embarrassing. In fact, scribes were hardly the most popular people when it came to these sorts of social gatherings. In fact, the only reason Ophelia was even sitting up there with everybody was because she was Aboddon's daughter, and he was the best.
The more she thought about that fact, the smaller and smaller she felt. Suddenly, she thought of what all those people might be thinking, seeing a scribe sitting amongst Aboddon's mighty cluster with the brutal Idella, the impossibly strong Luden, and the calculating assassin everyone knew Marci was. Opi was just a scribe.
Just a weak, pitiful scribe. Perhaps a mistake, being a part of the Great Aboddon's family.
She suddenly thought about what all those people down there might be thinking, seeing a non-warrior angel up there with the great and powerful Aboddon. What a shameless display! Perhaps they were mocking her, maybe the laughter in the crowd was directed at her!
She glanced up from her gown and looked into the crowd, only for a second, and there... looking right at her... clad in their blocky golden armor, contemptible faces smiling, laughing. Laughing at her. She could almost hear them as if they were right in front of her. Almost instantly, panic began to smother her. She looked this way and that, and still it seemed like everyone was looking at her, saying something about her, something awful, like what a defective child she was. Her hands shook. A few seats away from her, Luden and Aboddon started laughing, spooking her even worse.
It was all just so much, so many negative thoughts and emotions, all the attention, no place to run and hide. The laughter was everywhere, all at once. She was all alone, all alone in a crowd of thousands. Nobody would care, but at the same time everybody does. Tears threatened to fall from from her eyes, she wished she could just fly away, far away to the only place she knew she'd be even the slightest bit safe-
No! It's okay! You're okay! These people can't get into your head, you're safe here. Take a moment to collect yourself, find yourself, ask yourself, is this how we fall apart? No, it's not. I'm right here...
Duleb's exotic accent suddenly filled the young angel's mind, her spirit, her ears. It felt like she was right there with her. The surprise of it nearly took her breath away, and with it, the anxiety. The sounds around her didn't seem to matter anymore. Ophelia quickly replaced the fear of what everyone else was thinking with the warmth of Duleb's presence. Although her friend was worlds away, she felt that she was there in her heart, in her spirit. And she felt safe.
Cheer up, love! Put on that smile of yours and everything will be just fine.
Ophelia drew in a long breath, and exhaled slowly. She repeated that process about six or seven times before finally collecting herself. As the rest of them did, she stood to greet her Archangels as they appeared on the steps to the dais one at a time. Raphiel, Azreal, Chamuel, Zadakiel, Jophiel, and Michael. Michael stood taller than almost every other angel there, save dear Jophiel. All were dressed in what looked like their finest robes and armor, every one of them looked just as regal as the highest of angels should have.
Michael smiled so brightly. He had a stern face that looked somehow different when he smiled, like a different person, almost. Raphiel took his seat next to his wife, who still towered over everyone, even as she sat in the ivory hued hardwood chairs, same size as everyone else's. Good gracious, Jophiel was tall... Chamuel, Gabriel and Zadakiel were chatting, as they usually were, and Azreal sat quietly at the closest side to Aboddon and Uriel.
Peering over, Opi caught his gaze, and she smiled at him. Michael, who had been sitting beside Azreal, must have thought that the smile was for him, and he smiled even bigger. He rudely leaned over Azreal's lap and called over to her, "Quite a crowd this morning, eh Opi?"
Oh sweet mother of Creation, Michael remembered her name! And he spoke to her! Over her scholar's lap! In front of everybody! His accent made Ophelia laugh, but she tried not to be disrespectful.
"Yes, it seems as though everyone decided to show up. Everyone seems really excited for your introduction for the prayers today!" she called back. She hoped she wasn't smiling too much, or too hard.
Michael stood up and picked his chair up from its place, huge wings stretching and he strode over, tapping the top of Azreal's head and clapping Zadakiel real hard on the back. He asked for Idella to scoot her seat over, to which she almost looked to have died where she stood, moving her seat so Michael could sit next to...
Oh. My. Goodness...
The elder sat back in his seat with a loud whump! He sat very close, and Ophelia felt for a moment that her personal space may be compromised. Michael put one of his huge arms around her, pulled her close to his face and spoke softly enough for only her ears to hear. "I'm glad you're here, Opi. You're old man hasn't been talking about you at all, I had to ask him about you the other day. You, uh," he paused a second and waved to some group of people in the crowd before continuing. "You looked a little upset before I came up here. I'm not asking you to tell me anything you won't want to, nuthin' like that, love, but I want you to know that I'm so happy you're here with us today."
All she could do was nod slowly and dumbly at first. All she could focus on were those azure blue eyes. His eyes that did very little to lead her to believe he was lying. His smile, the very way he sat and the little movements he made, seemed honest enough, but Aboddon had said he was also, "Proud to have her present, given her academic achievements," but really, he looked irritated at having to bring her along. Ophelia smiled still, giving a silent and deep nod of thanks, but she still wondered...
"Why?" finally asked. "Not to sound ungrateful, but You are... well, you're you! Michael, Heir of the White Nation. Aren't you just like every other Warrior Angel? Above the likes of a lowly scribe like myself?"
Blonde hair as straight as a board fell in drooping wisps over the heavily armored shoulders as the archangel leaned forward, almost as if he was trying to get a better look at her face. He looked surprised, in all actuality, but at the same time, it looked like what she said seemed to have played on some heartstrings she didn't know the warrior prince had. Immediately, she regret having asked why he even cared.
"I may be some kind of big deal here, but I've seen you, watched you grow up just like every other child in this place. You may not be able to lift a hammer and anvil, but you could throw a man twice your size. You have brothers, and I've seen 'em messin' with you all the time!. Hell, I'll bet you one of these days, you could spar with your own father. Little girl, little girl; keep on surprising us, little girl."
He winked and again, he rose up and grabbed his chair. He went back to his spot at the center of the dais and sat again for a few minutes, speaking with Raphiel, Jopiel, Uriel. And then he stood.
With a deep breath, he raised both of his hands, palms facing the crowds, instantly silencing all of the commotion. His eyes slowly closed, and one after the next, the neighboring archangels and their families rose, mirroring their Prince. As her father did, Ophelia stood from her seat and raised her hands to the sky, closing her eyes and expelling another breath of impatience. Finally, the blessings would begin.
In her head, she prayed. She prayed That with this coming year would be even more discoveries for her to make, and things for her to master. She would not be a simple scribe for the rest of her life, but rather a powerful Celestial Sage. Magic came easily to her though, and she believed that with enough schooling and apprenticeships, she could learn. Maybe even learn from one of the Greats themselves...
Michael's voice suddenly began to sound from seemingly all angles. "Brothers, Sisters, My family; join me now as we welcome the coming year. With open hearts and open minds, I ask you all to join me in prayer. We thank our Creator, our benevolent and all-knowing almighty for this past year of peace and prosperity-"
And so it all began...
The parades went off without a hitch, and for the entire day, everything seemed peachy, but as soon as the final blessing was passed, everyone went on back to work. Back to work, more like right to work. Every angel who had some sort of duty to preform went off immediately after and that was the end of it. Honestly, Ophelia would have preferred the festivities continue for the rest of the day, at least until sundown.
Oh well, there was little that she could do to change the way things were. Right to work; an angel worthy of respect completed their tasks before taking any real care of their own needs or wants. It was just how Heaven worked. Mind, law, discipline. These were their heroic ideals. That was their way of life.
So was the way of the angels, and as of now, there was a task to be completed, and that task was cataloging. Opi still had to catalouge all of these tomes, at least seventy, but who was counting? Then, after that, she was to go home and take care of her other little chores: Bring Nina and Talia in and get them both cleaned up, feed them both, tend to the garden, bring down the linens and give them to Marci to be put away, clean the dining room, wash the dishes after supper... and perhaps she could run away and get to her secret companion if she got that all done before it was too too late.
Oh, geez. This was gonna be hard. Talia was going to be a pain to bring inside, having been more-than-excited about the parades and the prayers going on all day, and this was her very first time having been part of any of it. Going on three years old, she was still new to all of that stuff, and if you know anything about children, you'd know hyperactivity and "Time to come inside," are a nasty combination. Ophelia knew if she couldn't get Talia inside, Nina was going to be even worse.
Nina was a house griffon, a completely different breed apart from the huge and hard beasts the angels boasted on the battlefield. Nina was an Applegrove Griffon, a griffon more adept to live around the house rather than outside, and as far as Aboddon's family was concerned, Nina was part of the family, Talia's most favorite creature in the whole of Heaven.
And Talia was Nina's baby. Aboddon couldn't scold that child one bit without getting nipped at by that beast, and everyone who knew or lived with that child knew that no matter what she did, there would be no real punishment, save for a loss of a privelige, or the loss of a toy, since any other type of punishment would end up in Nina being put outside for the rest of the week, and whenever that happened, Talia got evil.
Like, evil evil.
Oh well, after all of this, maybe Talia will be tired enough to listen, for once. Hopefully, Luden is with her, having her try some trick or go on some mission in the garden that would wear her out. Having forgotten her place, Ophelia looked down at the graven tablet in the crook of her arm. Lebonon and Jordan: The great Twin Generals. She placed the tablet on the dark shelf before her and with a single flex of her wings shot up overhead. These next few tomes in her quarry were about these two generals, blood twins, and their achievements.
To think, these two had some scribe following them around for ages, recording everything they were doing. A Shadow Writer, so to speak, recording the lives and deeds of these people in the minutest detail. How unimaginably boring. Just wandering around, recording whatever that person says and does? How unfulfilling.
Then again, she supposed such things were a little interesting. Especially reading the degenerate or delinquency files on a particular person or group of people. Degenerates were a things Opi hardly ever heard about until she was older, but she had read about delinquents and had been warned about them her entire life. The delinquents were the angels that everybody was to avoid. Not to talk to them, or sell things to them, or obey their summons; Hell, Opi recalled a time she had seen her father almost throw a man into prison for smoking outside of the church. And he was just smoking!
Angels weren't supposed to smoke, but a lot of them did it anyway. Nobody ever got hurt, so why on earth was a man nearly jailed for it? Maybe it had something to do with the church...
Out of the corner of her eye, something tall and dark caught her attentions: something tall, dark, and somehow very frightening. She suddenly felt like she did wandering the woods all alone at night. At first, all she saw was a dark pantleg and the backside of a man, wingless of all things. And as curiosity should have it, everything that came with this man made all the more sense as to why Opi suddenly felt very nervous.
It was one of the Horsemen. More importantly, it was Death. The Reaper of souls himself, at the Argent Spire.
Never before had Ophelia ever seen a Nephilim, but this whole thing was somehow not how she expected. Why was he here? All this time, she thought Death to be so fierce and vile, all he had to do was look at a man to strike them dead. Here, he was looking this way and that, like he was trying to figure out where he was, or if he had forgotten where he was supposed to go. The masked visage turned left, then right, then up and down, then right again. A crow was perched on the tall of his great blade. Silly thing. It'll cut his little feet off.
"Do you even have any idea where you're going, Sir Horseman?" the angel asked while peeking around the near top of a tall ornate bookshelf. "Lots of people often get lost in this place, those foolish enough to venture in on foot, that is."
The bone mask first sent shivers down her spine. He was about as tall as he was Death's snicker sounded as dry as a bucket of sand. "My dear child, don't tell me you actually think I might get lost in here. I can assure you that I am more than capable of finding my way around. Run along, now."
Ophelia gave a small shrug and turned back to the books on the shelf. "Suit yourself, Sir. But should you have any needs of assistance, give me a shout. I'll be working here all day."
Sarcastically. "Excellent. What shall I call you should I need you?"
Just as sarcastically. "Just give me a Caw Caw! and I'll be there in no time."
As Death opened his mouth, she spoke again. "Nice bird, by the way. You hardly ever see crows in this blasted place. Mostly white things. Boring."
The young girl didn't turn to face them again, but she would have laughed. Dust gave the most chipper of caws and puffed up like a feathered muffin. Pridefully, the bird perched himself on the Horseman's cadaverous shoulder, looking like he was actually smiling.
He was rather smug about it, too.
That was the briefest encounter she had ever had with a non-angel. After stocking the remaining tomes and scrolls she was given, Ophelia hopped down the staircases and shouted up, unceremoniously. "AZREAAAL, I'm going home now. I've finished stocking and cataloging for today!"
After a long silence, "Alright, thank you Ophelia. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Before she left her place at the library, Opi remembered that there was someone she was forgetting, assuming he was still there.
"Goodbye Horseman! It's been a pleasure meeting you, even if you don't say much. Take care!"
In the terribly frigid waters, still enough to reflect the clear steel blue sky, but rippled still, Duleb floated there and watched the nothingness up above. Her lips quivered and her fingers and toes were numb, but she was relaxed as she could possibly be, which more often than not, isn't very. Amethyst eyes looked as though they were glazed over by a jaundiced sheen of tears, but given the fact that they opened and closed vertically from each other every so often proved that they were, in fact, her other eyelids.
There was something about being in the water that the youngling found remotely relaxing, and took advantage as much as she could. In this same frigid lake, since she was small, she would float on the icy surface and just watch the sky, and then dive toward the secret opening in the wards of this particular part of her planet. Never would she dive or float there for too long in one spot, especially in this lake, where enormous eel-like monsters are said to lurk and devour unexpected swimmers.
And she was smart to be so safe. There had been a few times where Duleb had a run-in with dusksharks and sweeper serpents on her way through the particular reef that linked the glaciers to the highrise, and a few other times when she approached open waters. Being anatomically built to be quick in the water, though, she was never too concerned about those. The Mantawars and Megaladons were the only creatures of the deep that Duleb had seen, and genuinely feared.
Akumas, with their strong and long animalistic legs, were specially designed for treading water. They were one of the few species of sentient beasts on this planet with webbed feet and water-resistant coats, making for excellent traits given the polar living conditions.
For a brief moment as she ascended, Duleb wondered if she would start with spearfishing again come the following spring season, and maybe take a new prize to her ever curious celestial companion.
A little surprise might be nice after all! Maybe a sand star, or perhaps a piece of coral, maybe Ophelia would find that interesting.
Coral was easily broken, but not at a small price, which would be the life of the remainder of the coral itself. Once the coral was stressed, it died, turning from a bright and deep jade green to an ugly, murky olive. Oh well, such is the price of knowledge and a smile from her beloved.
The portal was within a tiny grotto of sea rock and concealed by a tall and thick wall of electric kelp. Most creatures that tried to make their way inside the sacred structure were shocked away, or the smaller ones were simply killed, but Duleb brushed herself in the kelp oils often, making her virtually immune.
It took the shock away, but not the sting it left behind.
Alright, if she remembered this spell correctly, all she had to was open the ward leading to the main layline, and then just teleport from there. She'd been working on her means of teleportation a lot as of late, trying to perfect her way of traveling so that she arrived to her destination in one piece.
The way it felt opening an underwater ward, though, was complicated and uncomfortable all on it's own. The sensation of violating the opening in her planet's protective barriers from this particular place made her body feel like it was being crushed by the supernatural pressure of the act, as well as the added pressure of being underwater. It made her feel like something was trying to force her mouth open, and inhale water, but the terror of drowning made Duleb clamp her throat shut even tighter.
Condense the will of your motions into a shield, then visualize that shield surrounding you as you as the ward opens. Imagine the ward as a sheen of thick curtains, obscuring the way from where you currently are to where you wish to be. Once you can feel the ward opening for you, move forward, just like walking, and when everything is white and the void begins to surround you, you have entered the Serpent Hole.
Vulgrim had taught Duleb how to manipulate teleportational spells to enter the Serpent Holes from many different locations, no matter how far away from an actual portal she happened to be. It was a clever trick, so she guessed, but one that she still needed to work on. A normal Akuma could only execute so much magic, after all.
So, Duleb concentrated, and through the cobwebs of reality, she swept right in and entered the void of nothingness made manifest. The empty, eternal, white corridor, which lead to nowhere and everywhere in every direction. All that was real and seemed real was the snaking trail of deep blue luminescence that stretched out for a few feet from where she stood, and as she moved, the trail seemed to fade away and appear again from behind and in front of her.
There was no sound here, but calling this place "empty" lacked accuracy; where there was supposed to be noise, there was just the vacuum of sound. The sound of no sound, if that made better sense.
Held steady by the will of the passenger, this thick void of white presence, was the literal path between worlds. And the path from Nergal to Lostlight was not a long one to take.
Nergal itself was a polarized ice cap on a hell-controlled planet that just so happened to remain in its cradle within the nurturing branches of the Tree of Life. This planet, along with all of its life and sentient creatures, belonged to Hell, and was not yet condemned to be swallowed by the all-encompassing Abyss. To enter from this planet and materialize someplace close enough to the White City was definitely a possible threat, but, cleverly enough, not enough to enter through these wards in great numbers.
One of the many reasons not too many people liked coming to this planet in accordance to some sort of infiltration plan. Not to mention the angry natives.
The short walk there gave Duleb some time to think about what to do this afternoon.
After what seemed like an hour long walk, the wafting mists of reality began to fade away, phasing into the shapes and colors of the actual realm. She listened as the sounds of crunching branches, birdsong, and leaves faintly faded to life as she walked on, and slowly, she could smell the trees, air, and life around her. She felt a great pull from the sky and looked up, far to the north,where the haze of tall blue mountains stretched out from beyond the horizon. She stood high up, almost on the of her toes. She took a deep breath through her nose and smelled it, out there somewhere
A storm was coming, but Lostlight just kept on getting prettier and prettier.
Duleb sat there in the grass and stared at the wad of golden bracelets, chains, tearing jewels, and flowers. There were paper fans, masks, flower crowns, long paper griffons that resembled longer than life paper dragons. She brought all sorts of incredible gifts from the Equinox festival she had participated in, and did her best to explain what each thing was. Opi even said that she could keep all of the gold jewelry. Keep it. Like, for herself.
"All in all, that's what I did today. Nothing much else to report. Oh wait! I also found a whole family of salamanders underneath the bridge outside the Imundii Spire! Isn't that something?"
Duleb sat blinking, mouth agape and rigid. She even looked to be holding her breath. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the tickets in her hand. This was a fortune...
" You actually spoke to him?" She started, slipping the gold into her knapsack." Nevermind seeing the Horseman, my entire street was stopped by the Lady Horseman herself, but you spoke to him? What did he say?"
Opi plucked the petals off off a tiny daisy, scattering the purple petals all over her skirt. "Well, all he really did was ask me where Azreal was , and I warned him about getting lost."
"And? You must have said something else to him? Did you?"
"He did sort of laugh at me and said that he knew where he was going, I tried to play the sarcasm game with him, but I think if he actually tried to beat me, he would've. Oh, and I complimented his bird. The crow seemed happy to be noticed."
Opi let herself drop back onto the grass and looked up at the sky. Through the clouds, she thought for a second that she had seen rings up in the sky. "You know, I don't really understand what scares people so much. I mean, sure, a rider of the Counsel is a scary thing, when you think about it; plus he wears that ghastly mask, but he's just a man when it all comes down to it. He spoke to me like a person, so I did the same. He might have been nice, had we spoken longer, but I guess I'll never know. "
Duleb almost didn't believe what she was hearing. Ophelia actually spoke to the Horseman Death, and nothing happened. Just casual talk between man and child…
Oh! That's it! Ophelia was funny like that. To her, there were few lines between Angel and Demon, as she tried to explain. No less the strange and terrifying combination of the two. If if looked like a person, spoke in intelligent sentences like a person, or even walked upright like a person, Ophelia considered it a person.
"Where can I learn to do that?" the demon thought.
"Is there anything else you would like me to fill you in on?"Ophelia giggled, fingering at the etching in the bronze plate on Duleb's shoulders. "Since we're being so forthcoming…"
The alien laughed and let her legs out from under her. "Mayhaps you can enlighten me on how you can talk to people so easily. I thought you were shy." The way she looked over at her friend was either playful or flirtatious, but whichever it was, Ophelia couldn't say for sure. Either way, it made her blush.
"I'm not even sure how I do it. Some people are just approachable, and in some situations, I know exactly what to say. Sometimes, though, it's still scary to put voice to my concerns, when too many people are around, like when I get called on in class and everyone just so happens to be present, or when I'm trying to talk to my father. That is scary."
Absently, Duleb laid herself down on the ground next to her companion. For some reason, she hoped she knew what she was doing.
"What about Death though? I hear all he has to do is look at a horde of men to strike them dead."
"Surely you don't think I'm an illusion here?" Ophelia gestured to herself with a smile. "I made eye contact with the Horseman and all I initially thought at first was how pretty his eyes were, and how handsome he must be beneath that horrid mask. Although his gaze looked like it could cut through a man, I doubt he kills on visual contact."
Just as she did when the angel first arrived, Duleb sat and just stared at the brave little marvel beside her. She would be the one so bold as to strike up a conversation with Death, or any of the other Horsemen for that matter. Deep down, Duleb wished she could be as brave as she. As social and sweet as she was.
But you can't be sweet and social in Hell. It got you into really bad places, or dead. Or worse…
Duleb wet her lips and grinned, giggling as Ophelia looked over and caught her staring. For a few moments, the two girls sat and just looked at each other. Niether knew that the look in their eyes made their hearts swell with a whole new kind of affection to the both of them. But the very fact the Duleb had been lying there in the grassnext to her made it clear that they were both a hair more comfortable with each other's presence than they should be for just friends.
After a prolonged silence, Ophelia sighed happily, leaned further into her company's side and leaned her head on her furry shoulder.
"Duleb, can I ask something of you?" the angel asked quietly, rather breathy.
"Anything, just ask."
Ophelia sat up, face-to-face with her demon and propped herself on her arms. "Will you say something in your language to me? I like to hear you talk to me like that."
Nervously, Duleb bit her lip. "What do you want me to say? Anything?"
"Say something about me."
Oh good Lord. Well, at least she won't understand … The demon swallowed the wetness in her mouth, and looked forward to the tall spire off in the distance, just inside the impenetrable wall of silver and stone, not quite so, but they looked enough like it. So close, she could almost touch it, and yet impossible for her to ever get near. Finally, she spoke those words she wished she could say, but never could-
"You're my one and only true friend, the one person I feel safe around, the most beautiful and wonderful thing in all of Creation, and I think I'm in love with you."
Ophelia smiled sweetly, and for a moment, Duleb was scared to death that she might have understood her. Then, she placed a gloved hand over hers, brought it to her heart and whispered, "Yanipittin."
Amethyst eyes blinked in awe at this angel's brilliance. She just uttered words of Silvian as retaliation for the Nebonese. Duleb had been around Sprites long enough to know a few words and phrases when she heard them, like for a running man, directions, and mostly to tell people to piss off.
But the demon had no friggin' idea what that word meant. At the one point in her life when she should have!
Ophelia giggled, stood up and brushed her dress off, smiling through that rosy sheen of blush.
"What does that mean? That wasn't Celestial tongue, that was Silvian, what did you say?"
A smug grin and a kiss to the demon's nose. "Figure it out. I have to go, otherwise I'll be late for the parades. Goodnight, Duleb."
"Wait! What did you say?! Please!"
"Well aren't you eager to know?" sarcasm broke through the angel's lips along with a teasing grin. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Duleb. Be safe and travel smart."
While the angel walked down the hill, back toward the path of origin, the demon fumed. To add insult to injury, she was waving behind her head.
"What does that mean?!" Duleb shouted, still sitting in her little knook. "Please don't make me ask a Sprite what that means! I don't got back to Silvia for another three weeks! Ophelia… OPI DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!"
"Goodbye, Duleb. I'll save you a few things from the parades," She called over her shoulder. "And you had better show me that Snype tooth you were telling me about! I want to see it!"
Well, that was the end of that. There was no way Duleb was getting anything out of her. There was the possibility of an interrogation at a later date, bu Duleb couldn't be so troublesome at this moment, since something important seemed to be happening in the White City this day. As she treaded down that dirt path back to the long bridge to the Gates she looked way way up into the sky again, and saw those rings. The rings of what looked like a planet, oh, but it looked so close from here!
She had never noticed that before...
