It was a brisk morning, the wind blowing chilled air through the dim streets as the sun hadn't risen yet. The environment had taken on a pretty bluish hue indicating daybreak would happen soon, but the angel was too distracted to care. Jaune walked with his hood up and eyes downcast. He'd been to six bars already, four of them closed until later and the other two said he was "underage." He's a five thousand year old Angel for God's sake! And they have the nerve to refuse service! Well he'd just have to take his business elsewhere then, preferably somewhere that was actually open.
He didn't see too many people out this early on a Saturday, except for the more athletic types going out for morning jogs. There were also far more dog walkers out then he wished to encounter, as dogs were the last animals he wanted to see right now. Every damn dog he passed had either snapped and snarled at him or attempted to run away with their tails tucked low. The next canine was no exception. Up ahead was a female deer Faunus running with their pet doberman. The dog was quick to catch on that something was off, and refused to get within fifteen feet of him. It whined and tried to run the opposite direction, but the owner wasn't having it. She pulled the dog hard on its leash until they passed him, resuming their jog with the dog nearly pulling her off balance when it tried bolting. He sighed and watched the two go. At least the Faunus didn't lash out he supposed, though that was expected.
It was all another reminder of what type of Angel he was, though perhaps monster would be a better word for him. Only a monster would hurt their own friends and he was doing that both physically and psychologically. He tightened the strings on his hood and continued forward, coming across an interesting looking building. It had a large black door with a neon sign above it flashing "The Club" in big curvy letters. It looked like a bouncer was off to the side of the building taking a smoke, leaving the door unattended. Though there wasn't a line anyway at six in the morning.
He looked around carefully before making his way to the door. Pulling the handle he realized the thing was unlocked. The Club must be open then, or that guard was an idiot. He shrugged it off and slipped inside, seeing the place practically deserted except for some staggering attendees making their way to the exit plus a few guys passed out on the dance floor with some men in suits heading over to throw them out. He walked towards the long white bar and took a seat, waiting until someone came to serve him. It took a few minutes before a big man in a black vest and red tie finally stepped in front of him rather annoyed.
"The club's closed kid. I suggest you leave." Jaune ignored him, grabbing twenty lien from his wallet and setting it down.
"Could I get a drink please? The strongest you've got would be great." The man just looked between him and the lien almost offended.
"You deaf? I said scram. Leave before I make you."
"Is it not enough?" Jaune grabbed another twenty and set it down. He didn't want to be turned down again, and the value of objects for currency was never something he took time to truly understand. There were so many different types of currency, and even with the Arc sisters teaching him the whole idea still made his head hurt. It was ironic since many souls he dealt with came to Hell due to greed, but it's not like the Devil ever needed to shop for himself. If money could make humans sin then clearly adding more would do something. "Will you give me one now?" The man responded by grabbing the neck of his jacket and pulling him off his seat.
"Listen dumbass, I'll kick your bony ass-"
"Hey Boss." The bartender froze, looking up at the goon that stopped him. "The girls have a message for ya." He dropped the Angel roughly and walked around towards his underling. Jaune could vaguely hear the two talking in hushed voices, though he couldn't understand a word of it. The man came back though while grumbling curses and reaching for his lien. He roughly took it before slamming three small glasses of dark liquid in front of him.
"You must have the worst luck kid. The twins have their eyes on you."
"That's nice." Jaune responded absently swirling the fluid in his glass. He brought it to his lips and downed the alcohol in a few gulps. The nasty shit burned his mouth and entire esophagus on the way down but he wasn't feeling any different. He double fisted the last two and drank the cups quickly, enjoying the warm feeling that started washing over him. It stopped quickly, his body recognising the alcohol as poison and healing his system. This couldn't be the strongest he had. The man must have watered this stuff down.
Jaune grabbed the last fifty lien from his wallet and set it down. "Could I get a few more please?" The man didn't respond right away, staring at him in complete disbelief.
"You do realize you downed three glasses of Jägermeister in under a minute?"
"Is this the strongest you have? It barely affected me." The bartender almost seemed insulted by the comment, his eyes narrowing as he quickly grabbed four glasses and several fancy shaped bottles. One of the labels read "Everclear" and another one said "Sunset Rum." Jaune couldn't tell what else the man mixed in but it didn't take him long to get them ready. He deftly mixed the fluids together and set them forward.
"It's your funeral kid. A cocktail of the strongest I've got. If you end up dead from this it's not my problem." The man stepped back while Jaune took a tall glass in each hand. These certainly smelled stronger, and they bubbled a bit. He shrugged and drank both glasses quickly. It burned way worse than the last drinks did, and he thought his ear canals would blister with how strong it was. He shivered and quickly downed the other two despite the man now trying to stop him. Jaune coughed a bit setting the glasses down and waiting while his raw burning throat quickly healed.
"For the love of Oum I didn't think you'd keep it down! Are you trying to kill yourself?!" Jaune ignored the man's ranting as he waited for something to happen. His words were starting to sound distant and a fresh warmth was bubbling through his system again. His body became clumsy as his head sunk to the table. This must be what drunk feels like. Or maybe it's the precursor buzz. His head was getting airy and it was increasingly difficult to care what the right term was. He barely reacted when two sets of hands grabbed both his arms and yanked him to the floor. It was almost funny, seeing the bartender watch as Jaune was dragged towards the back and thrown into a room. The kidnappers wasted no time in pinning him down. One of the perpetrators walked into his line of sight, a pretty looking girl with long black hair and harshly cut bangs glared down at him. Actually there were two girls, both of them appearing like duplicates of each other except for the color of their clothing. The one on the right wore a short white dress with lace and a feathered neck accessory, while the other stood in a bright red dress with larger black feathers framing her face. They stood on either side of his body, both placing a heeled shoe on his chest as their eyes began glowing in an eerie red light.
Jaune groaned as his body finally started fighting off the effects of the alcohol. His brain slowly caught up with how dire the situation actually was, and before he could sit up a strong force glued him tightly to the floor. He managed to see a red glow radiating off the ground around his body matching the color of the girl's' eyes.
This wasn't good.
"It's been a while Lucifer." The girl in white stated coldly. The one in red followed with a victorious smirk.
"I've been waiting a long time to do this." She licked her lips in anticipation. Jaune finally got the sense to judge their souls, confirming that they weren't human at all.
"Raguel and Sariel." Lucifer sighed. The former was the Archangel of harmony and justice, always eager to see evildoers pay whether it be among humans or angels alike. It wasn't like they had the worst relationship though. She was out to serve justice, he wanted all unworthy souls to suffer eternally. Jaune supposed he shouldn't be surprised though. It's not like he got along with any of his fellow Archangels.
Sariel was a surprise to see though. As the former leader of the Fallen Angels that sought to corrupt mankind by impregnating their women, it was hard to believe she'd be sent on a mission to hunt him down. Somehow the Angel managed to find redemption with the Lord despite her sins. He never expected in a million years to see Sariel working with Raguel of all angels.
"It's Melanie and Militia currently, but if that's what you prefer we'll go by our true names." Sariel said in a venomous voice. Jaune could only stare ahead deep in thought. He was in a really tough spot now, and all because he dropped his guard and didn't bother judging the souls of the club attendees. It's not like he expected to see them here of all places, but that didn't excuse his idiocy.
"I can't believe you made it this easy." Archangel Raguel stated fluffing the white feathers around her neck. "I completely believed you had come to hunt us down, but instead you actually tried getting drunk. Before I enact judgment upon you, do you have any last words?" Jaune thought for a moment, a small glimmer of hope welling in his chest.
"If I die, will Uriel cease her attack on the humans?" Both angels paused for a moment, glaring like he'd grown a second head.
"I beg your pardon?" Sariel questioned while extending clawed weapons from her wrist.
"Will Uriel leave the humans of this realm in peace if I die?" He questioned again. Sariel stared at him as if trying to read his mind, finally choosing to ignore his question and surrounded her claws in angelic magic. She moved to severe his head but was swiftly caught mid swing by Raguel.
"Stop." The Archangel stated with authority. "Something's off." The girl in white leaned down and placed a hand around the side of his face, using her own powers exclusive to the Angel of justice. The only celestial that could judge a fellow Angel. Memories of his time in Remnant flashed before his mind and hers. His first time waking up in the Arc household, meeting the sisters that lived their, entering Beacon, befriending his teammates, and encountering Uriel. Everything he thought and felt at the time were brought up to the surface, all laid bare for Raguel to see. Apparently the Archangel didn't find what she was expecting.
"Well?" Sariel asked impatiently.
"This is all wrong. He hasn't actually tried anything since coming here."
"What do you mean he hasn't tried anything?! This is Satan your talking about!"
"I know, but he doesn't feel like the same Lucifer I remember. This may be a trick of some sort." Raguel dispelled some of the magic bonding him in place, letting Jaune sit upright despite Sariel's protest. The Archangel ignored her and instead stepped out of the room for a moment. She came back carrying a large bullet of some sort, resembling the rounds Ruby typically used. "Bite this thing in two." She commanded.
"What are you trying to do now?" Sariel questioned angrily.
"The worst punishment in Hell was to be eternally chewed between Satan's teeth, something I believe would manifest over here. If he can bite this thing in half I'll believe it's really him." Jaune took the bullet and shrugged, placing the tip of the metal between his molars and biting down hard. It didn't require as much force as he actually used, but the metal deformed and split between his teeth while the cartridge bent out of shape spilling fire Dust in his mouth. He coughed up some powder and presented the destroyed round back to Raguel, whom took it with a quick nod. "It's Lucifer all right."
"I still don't believe it." Sariel stated unamused. "Your methods of identification seem flawed-"
"You didn't answer my question." Jaune interjected trying to get them back on track. "Will the Angels leave humanity in peace if I die?"
"I'm surprised you care. Since when did the fate of humanity concern you?" Sariel sneered.
"Since I came here. Now will you answer my question or not?" Sariel was about to banter more but Raguel stopped her.
"Do you mind asking Junior for a few drinks? I think we need to talk this out." She turned to Jaune and completely released him from the ground. "Sorry about this brother, but we need to have a serious talk."
"I couldn't agree more." Jaune stood following Raguel into a new room with an actual table. The two took a seat and waited for Sariel to return. A thug was sure to deliver a platter of alcohol before leaving the three to their conversation. He took a glass and sat rigidly in his seat, watching the two impatient ladies. "Alright, where do I even begin?"
XxxxxxxxxX
Breakfast at Beacon was awkward to say the least. Team RWBY had spent the last few days preparing dance decorations since team CFVY ended up on an extended mission and couldn't pull through. Aside from meals the two teams hadn't interacted much, and the awkward silence was testimony to that. Team RWBY sat on one side of the table, Blake surprisingly looking more at ease with her face buried in a book. The same could not be said for the heiress. Weiss was too busy glaring off to the side while absently stirring her morning coffee to converse. Poor Yang and Ruby were sitting with Blake between them and the Ice Queen as a shield, both clearly hoping for a moment of normal conversation with the three attending members of JNPR. Unfortunately the three of them couldn't really provide that, especially after the horrible morning they all had. Ren sipped his coffee trying desperately to stay awake while Nora slowly picked through her eggs in uncharacteristic silence, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ren as if fearing her partner would take off at any second. Pyrrha was too busy on her scroll, sending what the others assumed were a wall of text messages.
"So… is everyone excited for the dance?" Yang asked with a forced grin. Ruby smiled and nodded but quickly frowned at everyone's lack of enthusiasm.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Pyrrha asked startled. Clearly something was bothering them but nobody was talking.
"Are you guys alright? You all seem a bit tired." Ruby finally asked worriedly.
"We didn't get much sleep." Ren commented before downing the rest of his mug.
"Is that why Jaune's not here?" Ruby tried next. Ren looked off to the side trying to keep his expression neutral.
"... yes." Was all he said before standing. "I'm going to get more coffee. Does anyone want anything?"
"Could you get me some more juice for me please?" Nora asked. Ren nodded with a small grin before walking off.
"That was… something." Yang commented. "Did you guys have a fight?"
"No." Nora said quietly. "It's more a lack of things said."
"I don't think I follow." Ruby said looking between the two. Nora was still too distracted and Pyrrha wasn't sure how to explain things. She choose to change the subject instead.
"Blake, That looks like an interesting book. What's it called?" The Faunus looked up a bit surprised at being called out.
"It doesn't have a title. It's just school notes."
"Oh… that's nice." Pyrrha strained a smile. Weiss stood up having had enough of the awkward small talk. She took her half finished mug of coffee and turned away.
"I'm going to do some studying in the library." She walked off without another word despite Rudy's protest.
"Is she okay?" Pyrrha questioned grateful to see the sisters distracted.
"Not sure." Yang stated. "She's been like this since last night. We thought it was more of something bad happening back home, but she really doesn't want to talk right now." The champion nodded remembering spotting the heiress with Neptune last night. Perhaps it was related?
"Maybe you should ask Neptune. They seemed to be having fun the other night."
"Neptune you say?" Yang asked suspiciously. Her mouth shifted into a frown before nodding. "I'll see about tracking him down, I'm sure Blake will know where to find him." The Faunus rolled her eyes and continued reading. Pyrrha agreed before looking back down at her phone. "So who are you talking to?" The brawler tried next.
"No one. I'm just trying to contact Jaune."
"Is he alright?" Ruby questioned.
"Yes! I mean, I think so? After… this morning he disappeared without a word. We're not sure where he went."
"Perhaps he just needed some air?" Blake added quietly. That was the first time she'd actively joined a conversation regarding the fallen angel since that night in the woods. "You all seem rather stressed."
"Right. That's probably it…" Pyrrha trailed off looking guilty. She rubbed her arm and looked off to the side before Yang growled in frustration, just in time for Ren to return.
"Come on you three! Today is supposed to be fun! There's plenty of time for moping tomorrow. I snapped Blake out of her funk and will do the same to you three too!" She cracked her knuckles loudly, getting all three of them to tense.
"That won't be necessary!" Pyrrha smiled tensely. "We're all just a bit tired. Perhaps some time resting before tonight will do us some good. Right guys?"
"We can nap before hand?" Ren sounded almost hopeful.
"I don't want to sleep though." Nora groaned.
"We can spar some outside today, and Ren can rest. How does that sound?" Nora thought about it for a moment before smiling wide.
"Alright, That sounds great."
"Wow, your methods actually worked Yang." Blake commented with a knowing grin.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Yang fumed but Blake was already gone. The blonde chased after her with Ruby looking to the other team still concerned.
"Seriously guys, what's going on?"
"Please Ruby, I don't want to talk about it." Nora whispered. Ren rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.
"We'll talk this out with the full team once were all together." Ren reassured. Pyrrha just checked her scroll again only to be disappointed by the lack of replies. Ruby looked between the three and nodded.
"Alright. It's just… I don't like seeing you guys so stressed. If you need Yang to knock some sense into Jaune or something just ask."
"I think Nora is capable of that herself, but the offer is appreciated." Ren nodded while Ruby stood up to follow after her own team, leaving the three teens to themselves.
"Are we as bad as Jaune?" Nora ask after a moment of silence.
"Why would you ask that?" Ren inquired.
"Well, whenever we ask Jaune questions he gets evasive. When Team RWBY wants to help none of us spoke up either. It feels… "
"Hypocritical?" Ren suggested. She nodded and rubbed her arm guiltily. The teen thought for a moment before answering.
"I believe our issue is more internal. We should try working this out amongst the team before dragging others into it." Nora smiled at his reassurance.
"Okay Ren, I trust you." The dark haired boy grinned while The champion remained quiet. She had been on her scroll the whole time and it was starting to get aggravating
"Pyrrha, if he hasn't responded by now he's probably busy." Ren sighed.
"I know. But what if something went wrong?"
"The guy's almost indestructible." Nora waved her off. "If nothing else he's probably walking around Vale." Pyrrha looked between the two and back down at her scroll. "How many messages have you sent anyway?"
"Sixteen…. I thought maybe he hadn't seen the first five so I just kept sending more." She looked surprised to see their creeped out expressions. "What? Too excessive?"
"... yes Pyrrha. I think you've sent a few too many." The girl whined, begrudging putting the scroll in her pocket.
"Come on you two, let's get to work! I have a lot of energy to burn!" Nora bounded out of the mess hall with a fresh wave of enthusiasm. Ren and Pyrrha followed behind, trying to hide their own worries.
Everything would work out in the end.
It just had to.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Oh boy, some new angels have entered the fray and everyone's being evasive. Why is Lucy being hunted? What's Cinder up to? What could it all mean!?
Plus Dante's Inferno comes into play. For those that don't know it's a book about this guy Dante who gets a personal tour through the nine rings of Hell and gets to meet all of his favorite philosophers and authors that were all hanging around there for not being Christian (so a self insert fic before they had an offial name). At the ninth ring it's a cold desolate cave where a three headed Satan chews the souls of the worst sinners for the rest of eternity. I liked the idea so I incorporated it so Lucifer can pretty much chew through most things, especially when he's distracted an not thinking. He's gone through a lot of silverware sinse coming to Remnant.
Feedback is appreciated.