Day Three, December 23rd:
Elijah had spent hours upon hours speaking with the mirror, a soul now trapped beneath its reflective surface. A soul. A human soul that, for some reason, Elijah had.
He had set said mirror up near the kitchen island and spoke to it from his seat in one of the high stools. It kept him busy and it was interesting to interact with such a strange soul. Strange in the sense that the people like Richard, the old drunk who was now trapped in the mirror, usually threw a beer bottle at him when he tried to speak to them. They were a type of human that he had never been able to get close to till now.
Elijah watched as Richard took a sip from his seemingly bottomless beer bottle and leaned back farther into his worn lawn chair. He wore a stained, white tank-top and torn khaki cargo shorts. Their first conversations together had mostly been Richard slurring curses at Eli, asking what the hell was going on and where he was. He eventually calmed down and Elijah started a game of "you ask me a question, I ask you a question."
Their game had been amusing to say the least.
When they had started, Richard was still sour and confused. "I'll ask the first question; what's your name?" Elijah spoke calmly and with measure as he watched Richard's eyes dart from place to place.
"Rich'rd," he took another swig from his beer bottle, "Where am I an' how?"
Elijah chuckled halfheartedly and shook his head. "That's two questions, Richard, but I'll answer them both since you're the guest." Richard narrowed his eyes as he drank from his beer again. "First question," Elijah readjusted and clapped his hands together once, "You are in a mirror in my apartment in New York City. As for the how, I had a witch put your soul into the mirror."
"I thought I was dead."
"You were," Elijah paused, "And your soul became trapped here on Earth since it had unfinished business. I had your soul because without souls, I can't survive longer than a few days. Your's was trapped, but if it were to move on, it was to go to Hell." Richard didn't seem to be taking the information well. Maybe it was a little overwhelming?
"Do y' 'ave any other souls?"
Elijah smirked, "The rules are I ask a question, you answer, then you ask a question and I answer. Lets follow them, shall we?" Richard scowled at Elijah.
"Sure thing, blondie," sarcasm and annoyance dripped from his voice.
Elijah smiled, "So, Richard, what's you favorite color?" Richard seemed puzzled by the question as Elijah stood to pour himself a glass of whiskey.
"Uh, green?"
"You don't seem very sure about that," Elijah sipped his whiskey.
"No 'nes ev'r really asked m'." (a/n: Doing the read though and I'm realizing it's really hard to understand Richard. If anyone requests translations, I'll put them in.)
"I'm glad to be the first." Elijah began to put the bottle of whiskey away, periodically sipping the liquid from his glass. "Your turn," Elijah motioned towards Richard with his glass as he sat down in the stool again.
"Do y' 'ave any other souls?"
"Do I have any other souls stored away?" Elijah stated the question again to himself and took another sip from his glass. "Yes, and before you label me as an evil Demon or something, let explain myself." Richard nodded skeptically and sipped his beer. He was starting to think this was some kind of sick form of torture in Hell or something, but he got unlimited beer so it didn't seem too bad. "Like I stated before, I need souls to stay alive, but I only take souls trapped on Earth that are destined for Hell. I keep them out of Hell and I put them to good use."
Richard nodded. This was definitely a Hell of some kind. Maybe it was a badly written story he was stuck in and his character was just used for exposition and filler.
Nah.
"My turn," Elijah stated, "Ideal weekend?"
"Beer."
Elijah laughed softly at the joke even though he knew part of it was true. Richard joined in too.
They continued on with their game for the hours till ten AM when Elijah went to get coffee. They had bonded over the hours and it felt good to have someone who also didn't sleep to talk to.
The bell above the coffee shop's door chimed as Elijah stepped inside. The landlady looked up from her place at the counter along with a group of girls who had taken up residence in one of the booths. They chatted animatedly to each other and not to Elijah's knowledge, stole glances at him.
"Three days," She faked amazement and coaxed a laugh out of Elijah. "Same thing?" She asked as she pulled a cup from a stack. Elijah nodded and she started on his coffee. "Do you always wear the same clothes?" She, like the other two times he had gotten coffee, started up small talk with Elijah.
He looked down at his clothes almost as if he had to check if he was wearing the same clothes. He laughed lightly, "Got me. Are they bad?" He was genuinely concerned on whether his clothes were okay. They seemed important to humans and they gave him confidence too.
"No, no!" She fretted, "No, it's kind of cute that you wear the same thing everyday, and the clothes," She leaned in and looked to her left and right, "Don't tell my husband, but they're hot on you," she smiled as she returned to preparing his coffee.
He squinted at her. "Are you flirting with me? Because if you are, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."
She put the lid onto his coffee. "Ha!" she exclaimed, "No way I'd be flirting with you; I love my husband too much. And also, you saying your not interested only further makes me think you and and your 'co-worker' are doing more than just desk work if-ya-know-what-I-mean," she wiggled her eyebrows at him as he exchanged money for coffee.
He deadpanned a stare at her, but she merely laughed maniacally. This human really was more scary than some monsters he'd met.
"Elijah, by the way, we're planning on going out to dinner before we start bar-hopping; it's a formal dinner place," Eli sipped his coffee and nodded, "We've got reservations, but we're all still meeting here at ten if you're still in."
"I've got nothing better to do."
"Perfect!" She pulled her phone from her brown-ish colored apron and turned it on, tapping and sliding before show Elijah a picture of a couple. One looked to be a woman who looked to be the landlady's age. She had tan skin, black hair, and dark eyes with a smile splitting across her face. The other seemed to be a man who was also around her age. He was a brunette with brown eyes and a bit of stubble across his chin. They looked happy together. "These two are Maria and Daniel, or Dan as we call him. (a/n: When I named the character Dan I didn't realize that Dan Howell also has brown hair and brown eyes. This was not intentional, but it is kind of funny that I accidentally did that.) They're husband and wife and me and my husband have known them both since college. They're great people and I'm sure you'll like them." Elijah examined the picture for a few more seconds before nodding again. She pulled the phone back and began tapping away again while Elijah drank his coffee. His eyes drifted to the group of five or so girls in a booth seat that had been eyeing him when he came in. Some of them squealed when they saw him looking at them while a few of the others waved to him. He gave a curt nod and wave before turning back to the landlady.
She finally showed him a picture of a young man with short, curly black hair and chestnut skin. Elijah was intrigued by the picture of him. He looked to be on a beach and was distracted by watching a sunset while the picture had been taken. He had a warm smile on his face while the light of the dying sun illuminated his face in just the right places. "This is Isaiah. He's my best friend from high school and he's flying up for Christmas, which is awesome and super exciting." A wide smile was spread across her face as she put the phone away and splayed her hands over the counter. "Those are the three people you haven't met who are going to be there. You know my husband and me and before we leave for dinner I'll make sure everybody knows who everybody is."
Elijah sipped his coffee. "I'm looking forward to it. See you at ten?" She nodded and said a goodbye to him as he walked out of the shop, paying no mind to the group of loud girls.
He arrived back at the apartment with still three-fourths of his coffee left.
"'Ey, I never asked; is y' landlady hot?" Richard called out from the mirror when he heard Elijah enter the apartment. Elijah rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Don't you dare get any ideas," Elijah warned jokingly (though in actuality he was serious), pointing an accusing finger at Richard as he walked back to the drawer to retrieve a pen to add a tally mark to his palm. Four days till Vincent was supposed to come back.
Elijah put the pen away and drank his coffee from his seat on his stool as he talked with Richard. They talked of all the things Elijah had done, what he was doing currently, how weird Skinwalkers and their gatherings were. The conversations were fast and ranged to any topic they could think of, Richard always sipping from his beer bottle. This continued on till nine PM when Elijah had to do the miracle of the day.
He did the miracle and when he returned at around 9:13 PM, Richard, a disembodied soul, had somehow passed out. How he had managed to do it escaped Elijah, but he decided to occupy himself with getting ready for his outing with his landlady, June (he'd gotten her name off the name-tag on her apron), and her husband August (he'd gotten his name the same way he'd gotten June's). He found it cute how both of their names were months of the year.
He searched through his and Vincent's shared closet in the bedroom, hand tracing over the clothes. His hand stilled on a black suit jacket, vest, and slacks he'd acquired years ago. He pulled the out the outfit and examined it closer. He remembered the last time he had worn it: the 1945 annual summit. He liked it then, and decided there couldn't be any harm in pulling out the old duds again.
He dressed himself and once done, checked himself in the mirror. Man, did he miss the '40s. The clothing was amazing. He ran a hand over his front to remove any dust. He had kept on his dark red tie, but now it was paired with a black suit vest with silver buttons and a black suit jacket with buttons that matched the vest along with his suspenders. He looked... Dapper. Sharp. Classy. All those words and more could describe what he looked like in the clothes. He definitely did not regret dragging the old things out again.
He looked into the mirror and thought of what he had done during the holidays in the '40s. By now he would have been out to a bar, maybe he would have already found someone to flirt with. He stood in front of the mirror longer, trying to decide whether or not he wanted to bring someone home. He had found himself not bring people home since he had met Vincent, but if it was the fact that he lived with someone that was bothering him he knew he could just go home with someone else. He couldn't place what it what was bothering him, but he was debating in the mirror whether or not he was going to go home with someone.
He decided against it and raked a hand through his messy bangs before entering the kitchen and checking the time on his phone. 9:55 PM. He didn't know it had taken him that long to get ready. He spent the last five minutes till ten making sure all the lights were out, that Richard knew where he was, that he had his wallet, keys, and phone. Once he knew he did, is was ten. Just like he had planned on it to be.
He walked up the stairs to the sidewalk before he turned again and made his way up the stairs to the coffee shop. The little sign in the window said closed, but Elijah could see that the lights were on and that June and August were speaking happily with someone inside.
The familiar chime of the bell sounded as Elijah entered the shop for the second time that night.
"Elijah! I see you changed it up a bit," She said with a smile.
Her husband placed a hand on her waist, "I almost feel under-dressed," he added with a laughed. Elijah laughed along with the group, but was distracted by the fourth member.
Maria and Dan had seemingly not arrived yet, but Isaiah was there and Elijah could tell he was a medium and a strong one at that. Elijah knew that such a strong medium could definitely tell he was an Angel, but that wasn't what worried him. It was the fact that Elijah should have known of such a young and powerful medium in the borough. He sifted through his memories of the files he remembered reading about new arrivals and vaguely remembered a description of a medium that looked like Isaiah.
Manhattan had become a place known for being dangerous for mediums. Angels and Demons alike are drawn to them and it can get deadly as Elijah had unfortunately found out. He'd been careful to make sure Skinwalkers monitored all known mediums of the borough.
"Well, Elijah, this is Isaiah," June introduced Elijah to Isaiah. He kept his cool facade and shook his hand, though Isaiah seemed a bit off-put by his presence.
"It's nice to meet you," Elijah smiled, looking into the medium's eyes and seeing that he was looking at something behind Elijah. He looked marveled and distracted by it. It took a few seconds, but Elijah finally figured out what he was looking at. The medium was powerful enough that he must see some form of of his wings. He figured it was just a silhouette, though his wings still puffed out in pride. They didn't get to be seen often and the impressed look in the medium's eyes made a small part of him want to impress him more.
"Same here," Isaiah seemed to finally rip his eyes away from Elijah's wings and return to his normal self. Elijah saw June smiling wickedly out of the corner of his eye. He was confused as to what had happened to make her smile so.
Before he could comment, the bell chimed again and a couple entered the shop. Elijah guessed they were Maria and Dan, but waited for June to introduce them as was customary for humans.
June greeted Maria with a large hug and a few squeals. "It's so good to see you!" June held Maria at arms length. Dan and August had greeted each other with a hug and some laughs. The four of them seemed familiar with each other while Isaiah hung back behind Elijah, glancing periodically at his wings.
"June!" Maria shouted when she noticed Elijah standing idly a small way's off, "You didn't tell me the guy who lived in your basement was so handsome!" Isaiah watch Elijah's wings puff out, invisible to the other members of their group. Elijah definitely picked a good vessel.
He pretended to chuckle sheepishly and looked to to the floor, "Uh, thank you?" Everyone laughed.
"Well, Maria," June gained control of the conversation, "It seems you've already figured out who Elijah is," she walked past him and slung an arm over Isaiah's shoulders. A wide smile spread across his face, but his eyes were still distracted. "This weirdo is Isaiah. Isaiah, that weirdo is Maria," she pointed to Maria, "And that is her perfectly normal husband, Dan," she pointed to Dan. The group of six stood in the shop a few minutes longer to make sure introductions had been done correctly before they made their way to dinner.
Since there were so many of them, they opted to walk the few blocks to the restaurant. Elijah walked behind all of them, surveying the streets, noticing Skinwalker patrols, a witch, a small group of Vampires that looked to be going to dinner. They all looked at ease, unworried of anything coming after them for being who they were.
He walked in silence till Isaiah began to walk next to him, the other four people in the group laughing and talking a few steps ahead of them. Elijah glanced at Isaiah out of the corner of his eye before looking forward again, his pace never changing
"It's dangerous for a medium to be in a city with such high Demon and Angel activity," Elijah whispered in a low voice to the medium who now walked next to him.
"I'm not a medium," Isaiah paused, "I made that decision a long time ago," he added softly. The medium saw the Angel's wings shift.
"It's not a choice. You're a medium no matter what you do." Isaiah scoffed and shook his head while they kept walking. "I'm serious," Elijah spared a glance to him, "Mediums are a rarity in this borough, mostly because of the amount of deaths by Angels and Demons. They're going to be drawn to you, especially to a medium as strong as you." Mediums are most known for being bridges from the human world to the spiritual world, delivering messages to and from each side.
"I'm not that strong a medium," Isaiah tried to tell Elijah, "I haven't done anything with it for years."
"How much of my wings can you see?" Isaiah stayed silent, though he did open his mouth and considered speaking. "How much?"
Isaiah shook his head, "You're delusional."
"You and I both know I'm not." They rounded the corner and could see the sign of the restaurant. People dressed in formal clothes mulled around the front, light illuminating them and the street from inside the building.
Isaiah scanned the area before his eyes came to rest on Elijah. Elijah kept walking forward, his eyes straight ahead and his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. "It's... A light, I guess," he began to describe the wings, "behind these huge... things. They look like a silhouette of wings as weird as it sounds." Elijah's wings puffed again in pride because he was right about the medium being able to see a silhouette of his wings.
Elijah turned his head slightly to look Isaiah in the eyes as they neared the restaurant, "You're a very powerful medium, especially for your age. You have a gift." He was more powerful than some of the older mediums in the borough and it fascinated Eli beyond belief. Only 25 and he could most likely make contact with the most powerful Angels and Demons.
They slowed behind the two couples they were to be eating dinner with as they made it to the front of the restaurant. "More like a curse," Isaiah muttered in response to Elijah's complement. They cut the conversation short once they stopped near the front door of the restaurant.
"Here we are," June stated excitedly as her husband opened the door for her, holding it as the group entered. June got their table and they were soon seated and reading the menu.
"Elijah, none of us really know much about you. Where are you from?" Dan asked to start the conversation.
Elijah looked up from his menu, "I'm not really from anywhere because I moved around a lot as a kid since my dad was in the military and when I was old enough I joined too," Elijah paused, "My dad was a deadbeat more or less though and when my brothers and sisters said I didn't belong in the family, he didn't do anything. I left the military shortly after that and started traveling more before I settled down here in New York." Isaiah sent Elijah a puzzled look, confused as to what parts of his story were true, while the rest of the table was sympathetic.
"That's too bad about your family," June said before sipping her water. The conversation continued as June asked where he'd traveled to. Other questions were asked and they all began to know more about each other. They shared laughs together and it brought Elijah back to the times he would stay with a family while hiding from Angels, Demons, or other supernaturals. It wasn't home cooking, but it was the same feeling around the table.
They ordered food and once everyone had ordered the waiter asked if they wanted any wine. August asked Eli about the wines he had tried while traveling and which ones he recommended, but Elijah said he wasn't very good with wines. They had the waiter recommend one. (a/n: I don't drink wine nor think I can write people choosing wines so there. They have wine now.)
They stayed at the restaurant till they had finished their food, split the bill between them, and left to start bar hopping. They all had a buzz already going from the wine, excluding Elijah.
"There's a bar a block over that I've been wanting to go to for awhile. What do you guys think?" June asked once they'd excited the restaurant. They agree and June lead the way to the first bar of the night.
It was a trendy little place with frilly new drinks Elijah had never encountered before. He got a whiskey and sat with the others at a large table. The rest of the group, excluding Elijah and Isaiah, got the colorful types of drinks. 'Fun drinks' as regarded to by some.
The two couples poked fun at them slightly for not being adventurous, but it was all in good fun. Elijah hadn't gotten a frilly drink since if he even wanted to feel a slight buzz he'd need a strong drink. A very strong drink. Angels don't get drunk easily.
He figured Isaiah was just trying to pace himself.
They talked more and Elijah started to hear a slur in Maria's voice, not anybody else though. She must have been a lightweight.
"So, Elijah," her words ran together slightly as she stirred he drink, "June tells me you started bring a guy home about a month ago. You two a thing?" Elijah choked on his whiskey, coughing slightly. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Isaiah also seemed surprised, but his face shifted to one of curiosity soon after.
"No, no," Elijah assured, "He's just a co-worker."
"Co-worker my ass; where do you even work?" June butted in, the alcohol in her system working as a social lubricant.
Elijah paused for a few seconds, scrambling for an answer that wouldn't compromise anything. "I'm a Defax worker here in the Lower East Side. He helps with case work and stuff like that." Hopefully that would keep her off him. He and Vincent weren't a thing.All Vincent had done is move in with him and help him around the borough. He regarded Vincent as a friend.
Before either of the women could harass him more, Isaiah changed the subject. "You're a whiskey guy, Eli?" He asked as he sipped his beer.
The conversation flowed smoothly after that, the slightly drunk women distracted once they'd been presented with another subject.
They soon left the bar and Maria asked if Eli had any bars he liked in the area and after some metaphorical (and physical) pushing from the women he lead them to a nearby bar that had been open for decades. He was unsure whether or not he should bring them there seeing as it was run by Skinwalkers and was a hot-spot for supernaturals. He decided if he was there with them they'd be safe.
The bar had a live band and thriving patrons at the bar and other tables. Waitresses carried platters of drinks and food through the throngs of people and bartenders mixed drinks from behind the bar.
"This is a nice place," Dan commented as they entered the bar and snagged a large table in a corner near the bar.
They sat down and a waitress soon came to take their orders when she recognized Elijah. She was a Skinwalker, daughter of the bar owner actually.
"Eli!" she greeted him with a smile, "I haven't seen you here in weeks! I hope you and Vincent are doing well." Elijah nodded and she began to take their orders. The waitress, Emily, already had Eli down for his usual: Bacardi. She left the table with their orders and conversation started up again.
"You know," August began, "It's usually not good when they recognize you at the bar," he joked and the whole table erupted into laughter, including Eli. He had to admit it was funny
Their drinks soon arrived on a platter carried by Emily. "I hope you're taking care of Vincent, some of us at the compound were pretty attached to him," she commented as she placed Eli' s Bacardi down in front of him. A scared look came across his face as she walked away from the table. He knew the girls would have something to say about that.
"'Taking care?' 'The compound?' You two are definitely fucking." June's voice was slurred, and it explained as to why she had begun to swear more loosely.
"No, no, no, no," Elijah repeated, trying desperately to gain control of the situation, but it had already gone into an irreversible nosedive.
"Dude, it's fine with us if you're gay. I mean, Isaiah's gay," Dan said. Dan was slightly drunk. Just enough to say what was on his mind, which was plenty enough to propel the downward spiral faster, though the information about Isaiah could be useful.
"Have you guys ever thought that maybe they're not fucking?" Isaiah defended him, and Eli could see that he was slightly offended by the fact that personal information about him had been thrown around in normal conversation.
"But that would be no fun," Maria whined comically. Eli sighed. Drunk humans were a strange force he still hadn't learned to predict.
"I'm going to go get another drink," Eli stated as he stood with his glass and made his way to the bar.
"Don't get too drunk!" June called after him from the table.
Eli rolled his eyes. "I can hold my liquor," he called to them as he began to weave his way through the people in the bar, "which is more that I can say about other people," he muttered to himself.
He made it to the bar and ordered another Bacardi. While the bartender was filling his glass, Isaiah showed up. The bartender, a Skinwalker, looked to him as he poured the drink.
"You're the medium that the LaGuardia Airport Patrol said flew up from down south," he pointed to Isaiah. Isaiah looked to Eli, hoping that maybe he knew what the bartender was saying, since he didn't understand.
Elijah saw the plea for help, "He's the medium, but he's not familiar with the world of supernaturals. At all. From what he's told me," Elijah glance at Isaiah, "He's not even practicing as a medium."
The bartender's mouth fell open as he topped off Isaiah's drink. "Not practicing; I can smell the power on him and you're telling me he's not even trying?" Elijah nodded. Apparently he wasn't the only one who was impressed. The bartender placed the bottle back on the shelf and directed his attention back to Isaiah, "You could definitely apply for an apprenticeship with the head medium. From what I can tell, you're almost as powerful as her." Isaiah was confused about the 'smelling,' but he generally understood what the bartender was getting and opted to ask Elijah what it was all about later since he seemed well versed in such subjects. At least enough to understand.
"He's here visiting some other humans," Elijah placed a hand on Isaiah shoulder and grabbed his now full glass of Bacardi. "They're here in the bar and I'm sure they're getting into trouble, so if you'll excuse us, we'll be getting back to them." The bartender understood and went to serve some other patrons as Eli and Isaiah left with their drinks.
"What the hell was he talking about?" Isaiah asked from where they stood a little ways off from where the rest of their group sat, growing rowdier and more drunk by the minute.
"Manhattan is a hot spot for supernatural activity: Angels, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires," he nodded his head towards the bartender they had talked to, "Skinwalkers."
Isaiah was lost. "I get the Angels and Demons I get, but the rest of that stuff..."
"They're real. All of it. Except Bigfoot, that's a hoax," Elijah added the last bit with a smile, but it didn't seem to make Isaiah feel better.
"And you're an Angel?" Isaiah eyed Elijah up and down skeptically, his eyes darting to the large shadows of Elijah's wings.
Elijah smirked and nodded, "In a vessel."
Isaiah quirked an eyebrow, "Angel's take vessels?"
"Man," he shook his head with a laugh and took a sip from his drink, "You may be a powerful medium, but you don't know anything about this world."
Isaiah shook his head, "I'm gonna need another drink." He took a step towards the bar only to be stopped by Eli's hand on his shoulder.
"I'd like to have at least one person at this outing who's relatively sober." Isaiah laughed and they soon found a tall table for two from which they could watch June, August, Maria, and Dan.
"So, tell me about 'vessels.'" Isaiah watched Elijah. He looked young to him, but it was his eyes. They looked old like the eyes of a wise man who had seen too much. They grew distant at times, if only slightly, but it was enough for a sharp eye to catch.
Elijah sipped his drink and began to answer the question. "I'm assuming the only Angels you've come into contact with are disembodied?" Isaiah nodded. "As a way of helping better or whatever, I'm not that sure because the only time they lectured us about why was what..." He seemed to be counting in his head, eyes turned to the ceiling, fingers and lips twitching, "must have been a short time after the dawn of man." Isaiah's drink caught in his throat.
"You're that old?" A smirk grew across Eli's face.
"I look good for my age, don't I?" Isaiah smiled.
"That I can't deny," he raised his glass slightly to Eli before taking in another swallow. Eli did the same.
"You're not too bad yourself." They held eye contact for a few seconds, but it felt longer. Eli broke it to look back to the now rowdy drunks they started the night with. Isaiah couldn't deny that Eli's gaze was exciting. "Back to the vessels; Angels take them so they can walk among humans and do..." He paused in thought, "Well, what ever Heaven intended when they started doing it."
Isaiah chuckled, shook his head, and took another drink. "Some Angel you are; not knowing what Heaven's intentions even are."
"I left Heaven a long time ago," Elijah stated lowly before finishing off his drink. Isaiah was intrigued by it though, and wasn't going to let Eli off without explaining.
"You left?" Eli and Isaiah's eyes connected again.
Eli broke their gaze by looking into his empty glass. He cleared his throat and placed the glass on the table before looking back to Isaiah. "Enough about me; where are you from?"
Isaiah knew Eli was avoiding the topic, but decided against pushing the topic as not to seem obnoxious or nosy. "North Carolina," he said as he straightened in his seat.
Eli nodded with a slight face of disbelief. "Really?" He asked with a small chuckle in his voice and a skeptical smile upon his lips.
"No accent, I know." Isaiah was also smiling.
"I'm almost disappointed," Eli commented, jokingly, "I do like a good southern accent."
"Are ya'll sure?" Isaiah drawled in what was probably the worst southern accent any one could pull. The pair erupted into laughter.
"I said good," Elijah stifled out through his laughter. Isaiah just shook his head and took another sip from his drink, peering behind him towards the band as it finished up another song.
"So," Isaiah directed his eyes back to Elijah, "I'm presuming you came from Heaven," Eli nodded in agreement, "What did you do up behind the pearly gates?"
"I think I told the United States government that I'm a 'War and Battle Statistical Analysis Consultant,' but that's just some word mumbo-jumbo. In Heaven, my purpose was simply to show the Generals the best way to win a war."
Isaiah nodded, though he caught a note of sadness in Eli's voice as he spoke of it. "Sounds simple enough."
Elijah nodded, but a short sarcastic laugh left his mouth as he did. "Yeah. They knew I could win them any war, they just didn't like how I did it," Elijah paused and pulled in a breath. "They didn't understand that to win a war you have to lose a few battles. Lose a few soldiers. They weren't big fans of the way I went about things. Some of them understood, just not enough."
"You know," Isaiah began, "you talking about Heaven is a real drag." They laughed together again, Elijah nodding slightly in agreement. "How about you tell me your happiest memory of Heaven."
Elijah quirked a brow. "Happiest memory? Well there was this one time with this dead dog," Elijah began with a small smirk. It earned him a punch on the shoulder from Isaiah.
"Come on, you asshole. I'm waiting!"
"Fine, fine," Elijah said, calming his laughter, "There was this one-in-a-million soldier in one of Garrisons that I loved to mess with. Maybe it was because he was so innocent or because he had so much blind faith, but I've never really figured out why he brought me so much entertainment. He just did." Isaiah watched a nostalgic smile creep its way across Elijah's lips and his eyes grow a little distance. Isaiah thought it was cute how happy he looked while recalling the memory. "Anyways, I'm a higher ranked Angel than him since I work so closely with the Generals or something like that. I never asked too many questions as an Angel. Power-wise, I was probably a low-level soldier, but because of what I did in Heaven I was around a lot of powerful Angels. They were intimidating and had thrown me around more than a few times when I was a younger Angel.
"So, I used my higher status to convince this soldier that he has orders to go down to earth with me for this 'very important business.' I get him down there, he's in a vessel for the first time and he looks like some kind of newborn giraffe," Elijah was holding back laughter (a/n: holy shit i need another word for laughing. says giggle. I don't think Elijah's going to be doing any giggling(this part)) while Isaiah watched him with a bemused look. "We're standing on this ledge that's probably no more than a foot over the water, the water over the ledge is pretty deep," Elijah added the information about the water over the ledge as a side-note of sorts with a short gesture of his hand, "And I full on shove him into the water."
"You didn't!" Isaiah shrieked, the corners of his eyes crinkling and the corners of his mouth turned up as Elijah continued.
"I did! And he's flailing around in the water fully clothed, no idea what to do, and I'm laughing my ass of before I see him slip under. I know he can't drown, but I also know he has no idea what so ever how to even get out of the water, so I jump in fully clothed too. We ended up both completely soaked and sitting on the beach next to each other. He just turns to me, tilts his head, squints his eyes, and asks, 'Was that the important mission?'" Elijah deepened his voice a bit as he mimicked his description.
The two of them howled with laughter at the story. Isaiah could see why it was one of Elijah's happiest. "He still believed you? After all that?" Isaiah question as their laughter calmed down a bit. Elijah nodded. "Do you know what happened to him?"
"I heard about him for the first time in centuries a few years ago. Had something to do with a Hell expedition. He's been popping up here and there, but I haven't found reason to go and see him."
Isaiah nodded, eyes connecting with Elijah's. They both had tears on their edges from laughing.
"Got anymore 'Innocent Angel' stories?"
Eli smirked. "Oh you bet your ass I do."
They spent their time watching the group they'd began the night with and talking about Elijah's pranks and adventures with the 'Innocent Angel' along with more long sessions of eye-contact, but neither of them were complaining. Isaiah was giving him a break from the Holidays. Providing a distraction so he didn't have to remember what Christmas had come to represent for him.
Their conversation continued uninterrupted till the door to the bar opened and the building shifted completely. The music faltered slightly on its beat and some of the conversation died down while others stopped completely.
Three demons had entered the bar.
Isaiah felt Eli's energy shift too, the silhouette of his wings becoming harder and harder to see as Eli stood straighter in his seat to see over the crowd. He bobbed a bit before Isaiah broke the silence between them.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
"Trying to see if I recognize them..." He trailed off, distraction apparent in his voice.
"Not that," Elijah looked back to Isaiah, "I mean with your wings; I can barely see them."
Elijah settled back in his seat, going to take a sip from his drink before he realized it was empty. His face looked dejected as he set the glass down, but the emotion passed. "Masking the fact that I'm an Angel. They act differently if they know I'm here."
"Because you're an Angel?" Elijah hopped down from the seat, his empty glass in hand.
"And I run Manhattan." Elijah added the fact nonchalantly before changing the conversation back to the Demons. And liquor. "I'm gonna get another drink and see if I can get a better look at the Demons if you want to come. Or you can go sit with June and Co. Either way, you don't get to be alone."
Isaiah hopped down with his half-full drink and opted to follow Elijah, though slightly confused as to why he wasn't allowed to be alone. "Why don't I get to be alone?" he inquired as they weaved in and out of the bar patrons.
"Because," Elijah paused as he skirted around a person, "I'm fairly sure they're here because they sensed you." They reached the bar and Eli placed his glass down, turning to search the crowd for the Demons when the door opened again, two Angels entering. "100 percent sure now," he commented, watching the Angels scan the masses of people before making eye contact with Eli.
Isaiah saw this and looked to Eli, hoping he knew what was the right thing to do. All he did was smile cheekily at the Angels and wave. Very comforting (note the sarcasm).
Elijah leaned back against the bar as the Angels made a bee-line for the pair. Elijah glanced over and saw the Demons doing the same.
"What do we do?" Isaiah leaned over and whispered to Elijah.
"We," he flagged down the bartender as the two groups grew nearer. The bartender filled his drink before retreating back and watching from a few yards away. Elijah grabbed the glass and took a sip. "Say 'hello'." Isaiah was confused. And slightly terrified. Three Demons and two Angels were coming straight at the two of them and Eli was treating it like it was nothing, which when Isaiah thought about it, probably was nothing to him.
The Angels reached them a few seconds before the Demons, and the two groups glared daggers at each other.
"Don't see you guys around here often," Eli commented offhandedly.
"You can stop hiding behind your vessel's soul, Elijah. We know it's you," one of the Angels commented, arms crossed and wings flaring from the silhouette that Isaiah could see.
"Oh, well that's no fun. I should have known you all know what my vessel's soul looks like." Isaiah watched the silhouette behind Eli return. Elijah took another sip of his drink, "Mind if I ask what brings you to the Lower East Side?"
"I think you know why we're here." It was a Demon who spoke this time.
"Let me guess: Live band?" Isaiah stifled a laugh, but the Demons and Angels didn't seem amused.
One of the Angels flicked their wrist and produced an Angel blade from the sleeve, but before a step could be taken, Isaiah felt the room spin and soon found that the group of two unfamiliar Angels, three Demons, Elijah, and Isaiah had been transported outside to some sort of alleyway. Isaiah felt and saw Eli's... Essence falter. It was strange to see the light behind he silhouette flicker so violently.
Elijah stood with the Angel-blade to the Angel who had produced its chest and his hand wrapped tightly around the Angel's neck.
"I'd advise against pulling weapons against me," he commented, the childish personality he had within the bar falling away immediately. The Angel's eyes were wide as Elijah held him in place. His accomplice made a move to step towards the pair, but Elijah turned quickly and seemingly pulled a box of matches out of the air, lit one, and threw it down to the ground causing a ring of fire to erupt around the Angel.
A rug with strange symbols on a pentagram appeared beneath the Demons, and Isaiah watch as they made no further movements towards escape. He also saw how each time one of these items appeared, the light behind Eli's wings faltered, the light even started staying dimmer.
Elijah returned to how he had been holding the Angel, hand on throat and blade to chest. "Did you all know," Elijah spoke so that all of the people, well, Angels, Demons, and one human could hear, "That going after mediums is against regulations?" The Angel in Elijah's hold looked to the ground. "Pulling a weapon while un-threatened is against regulations. You're also out of your own territories without proper documentation since it all has to go through me first." Elijah released his hold on the Angel's neck and readjusted his hold on the angel blade as he stepped back.
A bucket of water appeared in his hand and used the water to douse the fire. "Now, I want you both to scurry back to Heaven and tell them what you've done and that you may have even earned yourself a territory deduction. If you want to know how much, show up to the summit." The Angels disappeared, Isaiah watching their wings flap once before their whole being was gone.
"You three are going to do the same. I want you all to go directly to Crowley and tell him what you've done and that you'll have a chance to argue for the territory you might lose at the summit." Eli used his foot to smudge away some of the pentagram, and as soon as it was broken, the Demons were gone.
The world spun around Isaiah as the two of them were transported back to the place at the bar they had been before the Angel pulled the blade. Eli picked up his glass and took a sip.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Business. You remembered what I said about running Manhattan?" Isaiah nodded. "That was me making sure the Demons and Angels know their place."
"Well," Isaiah finished his drink off, "That was wild from start to finish."
"Sure was," Elijah agreed and downed his drink. "You want to go send those lightweights home in a cab?"
"Oh that's going to be harder than scaring off three Demons and two Angels," Isaiah commented as he placed his drink down on the bar and followed Eli towards where they had left the two couples.
Isaiah was partially right; it was way more tedious and draining than what they had done in the alley way.
They had begun by first finishing off their own drinks before returning to the table that the two now completely wasted couples sat, drunkenly singing along with the song the band was playing.
Elijah flagged down a waitress so that he could pay of their drinks while Isaiah tried to get the drunks' attention. Elijah finished paying, but it did cause him to have to hand over a good chunk of money. It wasn't something he was particularly content with.
Elijah turned back to where Isaiah was trying to round up the four. Dan and August were hanging off his shoulders and looked like they were about to pass out while the girls were hanging off each other, giggling and stumbling as they went.
"Little help here?" Isaiah called to Eli as he shifted his grip on the two men who were at least half a foot taller than Isaiah. Elijah chuckled at the sight.
"I dunno, you look like you've got it," Elijah said as he walked closer and transferred the two men to his shoulders without a problem it seemed, though Isaiah saw his wings flap behind him slightly so he could keep his balance.
"Asshole," Isaiah mutter lightheartedly as he went to the girls who immediately attached themselves to his shoulder, still giggling drunkenly.
"Is that the only insult you know?" Elijah challenged as they began to maneuver their way out of the bar.
"You know you are one." Elijah let his mouth fall open comically as he feigned a hurt look in Isaiah's direction.
They eventually did get them out of the bar. It didn't require as much teleportation and knives as they needed with the Angels and Demons, but Elijah and Isaiah probably used a lot more stern looks and threats on them. Eli tipped the cabby (a Skinwalker he knew) generously because he knew the four drunks in their twenties were going to be a handful. When it was all said and done, Elijah and Isaiah were left alone in front of bar.
"So..." Eli began. He almost sounded awkward. Almost. "Where are you staying?" Eli asked with his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Holiday Inn a few blocks from the coffee shop."
"I'll walk you there."
"You know, I can't tell if your flirting with me or are just concerned about my safety." Isaiah began walking down the sidewalk, not waiting for Eli to even start walking.
"Would you be offended if I say both?" Eli jogged to catch up, soon walking side by side with the medium.
"Not at all." Isaiah looked at Elijah out of the corner of his eye, the lights of New York City illuminating his face in just the right way. He was undeniably handsome, at least to Isaiah.
Elijah ended up walking Isaiah all the way to his room, and when Eli was meant to turn around and head to his own home, they stayed frozen in the hallway looking at each other. They'd had long looks like it all night long, some of them purposeful, but others? Elijah knew he what he supposed to do. That he was supposed to just walk. That's what he had said when he was mulling over whether or not he would even go home with someone after the night out was over, but there was a distraction right in front of him. A way to keep his mind off missing Vincent and being just generally sad during the emotional time that was December. Elijah stepped closer and slowly let the palm of his hand make its way to Isaiah cheek. His eyes darted down to Isaiah's lips for a split second before returning to his eyes.
Isaiah closed the distance between them.
Eli's eyes closed tightly as he pressed his lips to Isaiah's, but he found his mind wandering to Vincent. He pushed the thoughts away. They were just friends. Colleagues. Eli chocked it up to his mind thinking of strange things at strange times. He deserved a treat, something to keep him busy before tomorrow's Skinwalker Christmas Eve party and Isaiah seemed more that willing to help him keep busy.