~O~

In Health

Thalia had another dream of the High Heavens.

The angel flew through the skies, passing spires and towers just to pursue a small sprite that had gotten loose. Unfortunately, it had been because of her.

"Come back, sprite!" she commanded.

It giggled, darting around a spire while the angel pursued it. She dove down, knocking several angels off of their feet in the process. Their angry, indignant shouts made her wince.

Thalia swooped in and reached out, snatching the sprite from the air.

Ahead of her stood Malthael and she let out a cry, stopping so fast that she ended up sliding across the pristine bridge in a most ungraceful manner. Malthael turned, watching as she staggered to her feet, still holding the sprite in both hands. The angel held out one hand and her wings drooped a little.

"I'm sorry." she said, holding out her enclosed hands.

Malthael took the creature into his sharp, gauntlet hands and carried it toward his realm of Wisdom. Thalia followed him carefully.

"Wisdom, might I have a word with you?" she asked.

Malthael did not refuse, so she took that as an invitation to speak.

"I feel a sense of conflict regarding Imperius." she told him.

Malthael locked the sprite inside a small glass prison before turning to her. He gestured for her to sit before a large pool and she did. He sat on the other side of it before gesturing to her.

"You shared your light with him." His voice was always low, always gravely.

Thalia was embarrassed, but with no reason why. Perhaps that was a way of saying they "made love". It made sense considering what sharing light meant.

Her wings grew tight against her. "Yes."

"I know this." Malthael told her.

Thalia nodded. "Such is in your right to know all things."

Malthael inclined his head. "Sharing light is the ultimate act of devotion between angels." he continued, dipping his hands into the pool. "Imperius would not do such with any angel."

Love was different for angel kind. As Thalia learned, light sharing tightened a bond between one another, though she failed to fully understand it. Did he love her?

"What of you, my Lord Malthael?" Thalia queried. "Have you ever done such a thing?"

Malthael looked at her silently for a moment.

"No." he answered.

That was improper, she saw that now. So she looked away, grunting softly with embarrassment. To ask an angel if he had ever shared light with another was personal and not her concern. Leaving was probably the best choice as not to offend him.

Thalia rose, gave him a bow of respect. "Thank you for your Wisdom. I should go."

She took to the skies, thinking about this.

How peculiar that they had shared what Malthael had referred to as "the ultimate act of devotion" and Imperius had not spoken to her since about it.

As she made her way back to her chambers, she caught a glimmer of orange dancing across the clouds that surrounded the Silver City. Thalia spotted a golden form making its way toward her.

Imperius.

She was confused for a moment, until she darted in the opposing direction. Imperius was surely superior when it came to strength and stamina, but a young angel was much faster in the skies.

She took this as a challenge and test.

Imperius pursued her through the clouds, his wings blurring a trail of fire behind him. Thalia twisted and performed spins in the air, showing off a little for him. If he was going to catch her, he would be questioned about what he felt and why she allowed him to do what they did.

When he captured her, anyway.

He would work for it, after all.

A pulse of excitement fluttered through her being; this was much more fun than she had anticipated. Having the mighty warrior pursue her was actually...rather delightful.

She decided to make it interesting for him and moved between tight confines, testing to see how well he could follow. Oh, he did quite well; spinning, ducking, surging forward in a mighty push of his wings. No wonder he was the ruling body behind the Heavenly Host.

Thalia chuckled, feeling the ache surface beneath her armor. It tickled and itched her, leaving her wanting more of that addictive energy he fed her. The anticipation threatened to drop her from the sky.

Almost...

Distracted by the want, she had slowed down only briefly and Imperius had her.

He snatched her wrists from behind, pulling her to him. Imperius' voice was close to her head. "I have you, angel." he hissed, his voice that same tone it had been in his chambers.

Thalia let out a small, gentle croon. "That you do. What will happen now?"

"You know that well enough."

"Yes. But I think we should change the position a little. Don't you?"

Before Imperius could reply, she was gone again and he followed. She led him to her private chambers; a far-less elaborate hall than his own - she held very limited power in the High Heavens, after all. But that was not the thing on his mind right now.

He started to advance upon her, his light practically swelling with anticipation, but she pressed a hand to his chest, stopping him.

"No."

"No?" Imperius was dumbfounded. "Why bring me here if-"

"No, I meant that this time, I wish to try something else."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Lay down on your back."

He stared at her.

"You'll enjoy it, I promise."

Imperius didn't move for a while. Asking him to position himself in submission was foolish. Yet, something about the deep, feminine manner in which she assured him made him particularly curious. Still, he would not do such. At least, not without a fight.

"You will have to fight me for that right."

Thalia's voice was devious. "I intend to."

The next several minutes involved the two of them wrestling across the floor in her chambers. Thalia played his game, reveling in the raw physicality of it. Her wings brushed against his and the light, coupled with the sensitivity in their forms added to the pleasure.

While he was physically superior to her, Thalia was smaller and much more agile.

He pressed himself on top of her and when she put her hands onto his chest to push him off, Imperius grasped her wrists in one hand, trapping them between their bodies. His wings stretched behind him, resting on the floor in an almost lazy gesture.

"I warned you." Imperius hissed.

Thalia squirmed a little beneath him. "That you did. But you should also concern yourself with an enemy's legs and wings as well."

"Why is that?"

"So they can't do this."

Before he knew what was happening, Thalia stretched her legs back, pressing down onto the floor. Her wings snapped against the floor as well, thrusting her upwards and knocking Imperius back. He had no face, but she could imagine that he would look completely shocked.

When he stumbled backwards, the other angel was upon him in an instant, straddling him before he could think to rise. Oh, he could very well do that, but he didn't. His light was throbbing - she could feel it beneath her.

Above the mighty Imperius at last, Thalia revelled in it, stretching her wings high and leaning back to display herself for him. Imperius' chest swelled, shifting her a little on him.

"Wretched angel..." he hissed. "You are learning better than I imagined."

Thalia laughed a little. "Look who trained me."

"And here I thought you were not paying attention."

"Oh, I pay more attention than you think, Imperius."

"Such a vulgar creature. Under normal circumstances, I would chastise you for such behavior."

"And are you going to chastise me now?"

He offered his hands in reply.

Thalia slowly reached out, letting their fingers caress each other like the bodies of two lovers. The light and energy danced between their fingertips.

Thalia watched him. He watched her.

Finally, they pressed their palms together and Thalia could feel his light rising up, working into her own with all the strength he was capable of. Thalia let out a cry at the heat and might behind it. There was no building it up this time; she paid a pretty price for her seduction.

Imperius vibrated beneath her, his chest rising and falling in deep, staccato breaths as the heat between them grew in strength.

Their light overlapped one another; caressing and stroking almost violently to the point that she could take no more of it.

The fierce, high cry that she uttered came from deep within her very being and Imperius followed with a shout, arching his chest against hers.

They rode the waves of ecstasy together for several moments before Thalia leaned down, resting against his chest with her wings shaking a little behind her.

"My wings are still tingling..." she murmured.

Imperius tilted his head, speaking in a more smooth tone. "It would seem that I have worn you out this time." he said, rumbling that last word.

"For the moment. Do you know that you are the first angel I've brought to my chambers?"

"I intend to be the last."

"Possessive, are we?"

"I am not one to share."

"I can see that."

Imperius released his death grip on her hands and instead wrapped his thick arms around her- a possessive gesture. Thalia let out a sound of amusement.

"Possessive indeed." she laughed.

O

Thalia grumbled when she awoke, displeased with the secondary dream of herself as angel. She had no idea why she had such dreams and they were rather inappropriate.

When she looked over, she noticed that Imperius was gone, leaving only a pile of blankets and furs. She groaned and rubbed her head with one hand.

"Gods..." she muttered.

She sat up and cleared her throat before walking out of the house, searching for her family.

Lyndon was helping Hadar with a few things and she found Tyrael and the others doing the same thing. It amazed her how they helped this long and stayed when they needed it. Thalia would never have known anyone else willing to do such a thing.

Imperius was sitting not too far away, dressed and drinking from a mug.

Thalia approached him and he didn't glanced up. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Well." Imperius answered, "The human enchantress suggests that I drink this bile. Though initially, I did not realize one could have medicine taste so horribly."

Thalia managed a small smile and sat beside him. "Well, at least you are better than you were yesterday."

"Yes. I cannot understand how humans can bear such illness."

Thalia was quiet, considering her dreams. She was partially curious about the personal lives of angels and if "Light-Sharing" was something real. But could she ask him?

"Imperius?" she said. "Might I ask a personal question?"

He stared at her suspiciously, but nodded. "Very well. You may."

"Uhm..." Thalia cleared her throat. "What is...'Light-Sharing'?"

Imperius had been drinking from his mug when she asked that question. His eyes widened and he nearly choked before giving her a strange stare.

"How do you even know what that is?"

"Well...I dreamed of it."

"Light-Sharing is a personal - no, a deeply personal - act that angels would simply not discuss with humans." Imperius said, somewhat disgusted. "Has Tyrael been talking with you?"

"No. Like I said, I dreamed of it."

Imperius squinted at her.

"I was...just curious."

The angel beside her seemed a little suspicious that she knew more, but he didn't ask. Dreams were essentially harmless enough unless he had reason to believe she knew about this for a specific reason. He had a very faint whisper in the back of his thoughts that Itherael had something to do with this.

"Light-Sharing is an act that only angels willing to share a deeper connection with perform," he explained. "Give me your hand. I'll show - Stop that childish look. It is not as if I can Light-Share with you."

Thalia offered her hand and Imperius took it in his larger one. He moved her fingers so that her palm rested against his own and their fingers intertwined. He gave her a serious look.

"The energy from both beings will become one." he continued, "It is not considered to be the ultimate act of how we choose to mate. It is merely an opening of each other's souls. Both angels cannot complete such a merge unless they are both willing to do so together."

Thalia stared at their enclosed hands, frowning curiously. "Has an angel done that with a human?"

"In theory. Though a human would not be able to survive such a union - the emotions and power of our light entering the mind of a human... they could not live with the intensity of it. Yaerius is one of those angels who had 'believed' to have done this with a human woman. Her mind - as I heard it - could not cope with it and shattered to pieces. She became a mad, raving animal."

Thalia made a face. "Gods..."

"Does that answer your question?"

Thalia and Imperius disengaged their hands and she still seemed puzzled. "Well, yes, I suppose it does." she said. "Uhm...have you ever done such a thing yourself?"

Imperius stared at her.

Thalia winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean - "

"Once." he answered.

She looked surprised.

Imperius gave her a funny stare. "Is that truly so hard to believe?"

"Well... Well, yes." Thalia replied, shrugging her shoulders. "You are not the most... Well, I mean... You are not the most approachable of angels."

"That is true."

Thalia smiled a little. "I bet she was special."

Imperius sighed and set his mug down. "For as long as she existed, yes." he said. "Her name was Ramiel. She was a simple messenger angel. Not a great one in the scheme of things. While I trained, she would simply watch me. She said I was special.

"Initially, I had found her presence to be bothersome. After all, she followed me everywhere I went and I found that a messenger angel tailing me was quite a nuisance, especially in the battlefield. Though she was quick when it came to avoiding enemies. She could hide herself in illusion. I found this skill to be rather useful when the time came for fighting my enemies.

Soon, she asked that I train her. Under normal circumstances, messenger angels are not warriors. So this request intrigued me. Her weapon of choice was a bow. She seemed fond of it. When I realized what she wanted, I shared my light with hers. Was it a whim? Was it simply to learn? I do not know."

Thalia frowned thoughtfully.

Bow?

Just like the one she had in her dreams.

Imperius didn't seem upset by the mention of Ramiel's death. It seemed as though he had been used to such deaths. After all, he must have lost many close comrades and friends.

"What became of her?" Thalia asked.

Imperius sighed. "Corrupted. Twisted and bent to the visage of Diablo. Before slaying him, I had found her in Pandemonium, fighting his influence. She begged me to end her. Begged with every bit of her being while she was still herself. And I ran her through with my spear. In her last, dying breath, she thanked me."

Thalia grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Why? I gave her peace."

"No, I mean... I'm sorry you lost her. No one should lose those they care about. It is inevitable, but no one deserves to have it happen to them. No matter who or what they are."

Imperius stared silently at her, contemplating her words.

Finally, he stared ahead, watching the others as they worked.

The two remained quiet for the rest of the morning.