"Thank you for your help, Nephalem. You have completed all of the bounties in this land and helped to restore the peace." Arcos merely glanced away at the praise Tyrael was directing at him, not just because he generally did not care about praise at all- at least, if it didn't stem from a certain Archangel- but because said Archangel probably did ten times more work than him to help him clear those bounties.

Yet, Auriel was merely humbly standing beside him, her right arm crossed behind her back with her hand holding her left elbow. And while they were currently conversing at Bastion keep, with some of the guardsmen and soldiers being nearby, she was clad in a grey priest's cloak which was hiding all of her angelic features, along with her wings.

"I think you shouldn't direct most of the thanks at me." Tyrael followed the way Arcos's eyes were glancing at Auriel, and a small smile appeared on his lips. He was not giving himself enough credit… but before he could mention as such, Auriel had already taken the initiative.

"I did not do much, we simply acted in a perfectly unified way." it was evident from her tone that she was wearing a smile of her own, and Arcos didn't speak any further upon hearing her reassurance.

"In any way, you have both done a lot for this land and its people already. You should consider taking time for yourself to rest." hearing this, Auriel shifted slightly in place as she slightly lifted an arm, looking over herself and the cloak that she was using to disguise herself. Truthfully, if anything, she was getting tired of having to wear that… and she longed to stretch her wings again after being forced to fold them together for so long.

Albeit a single glance around them revealed that they were at least far away from possible prying eyes, for they had chosen a rather seclusive part of the keep to talk. Though it was still not what she preferred, especially since she wanted to spend time alone with her dear bonded…

However, when she glanced back at Arcos, an almost devious smile formed upon her lips just before she removed her cloak, allowing her natural, glowing form to appear together with her radiant blue wings. Needless to say, it was enough for Arcos to turn around and look at her, and she didn't hesitate for a moment as she took slow but deliberate steps closer towards him.

"I enjoy every second we can spend just by ourselves... and we do have plenty of time left before we will be missed by the council..." Auriel's words were like silk, soothing and enthralling his mind like a spell. Just like that, he was frozen in place when she slowly but surely stepped her left leg between his own, her arms snaking around his body while she gently held her armored hands against his cheeks, leaving tender trails along his skin.

No... no, wait... not this time...! He could... he c-could...

"No, you... you cannot make me this time..." despite his best attempt to sound as convincing as possible, the certain amount of playfulness on both sides was evident. However, what Arcos would definitely not ever forget was the fact that Auriel knew exactly what she was doing, and... and...!

"... are you certain? Give me only a few minutes of time, and I think we both know what will happen next..." her voice was almost a warm husk in his ear, and all else he might have said next was now utterly lost to him.

For whatever resistance he had tried to build up, he had been utterly defeated.

A playful giggle sounded next, equalling a soft melody that he could never tire of, just before Auriel leaned her head against his own, a never ending and bright aura of happiness surrounding her.

At least until suddenly, a loud coughing sound tore them both out of their little world and they realized that they were still not alone.

"Auriel. I did not expect this from someone like you." forcibly taking back control of his mind after it was all but enthralled by Auriel's actions, Arcos merely shut his eyes to prevent himself from falling under her spell again before he pointed at Tyrael.

"What he said."

Suddenly, calmly turned her head to gaze at Arcos regardless, and even though his eyes were closed he soon realized that it couldn't save him. Before he knew it, another warm whisper graced his ear.

"Then I shall show you everything you don't yet know about me when it is just the two of us again…"

He almost fell apart.

However, a new voice suddenly sounded a small distance away, catching the attention of all three of them.

"Arcos! My humble but grim and unhappy friend, I've been looking all over for you!" it was merely the slight familiarity of the voice which caused him to quickly calm down again, as well as for Auriel to, albeit reluctantly, remain in her true appearance. However, Tyrael merely sighed and rolled his eyes upon hearing that voice.

"Lyndon…?" to say that Arcos's tone was less than enthusiastic was definitely an understatement, and even though the scoundrel tried to liven up the room with his infamous kind of humor, nobody was thrilled to see him. And yet, Lyndon had played a part as his ally during his fight against the forces of hell when Bastion keep was under attack, thus, personal preferences aside, Arcos remained silent to listen to what the scoundrel had to say.

"You know, if you are ever looking for more gold, you should take a scoundrel with you the next time… self advertisement not intended." suddenly, Lyndon's eyes glanced at the form of Auriel for a brief moment before they shifted back towards the demon hunter. And he slightly leaned against his ear.

"Albeit I can't fault you for your choice of company." Arcos barely refrained from gritting his teeth, immediately revoking his previous thoughts. How unsurprising… it had only taken a single sentence to remind him why he utterly despised the person in front of him.

To his gratefulness, Tyrael was growing tired of it as well.

"What is it that you require?"

"With all the pleasantries aside, I came to ask you for a favor, dear hunter and friend. A… bounty for you, if you will." Arcos merely raised an eyebrow, signalling for Lyndon to continue.

"You see, I've heard of an interesting rumor. I thought Myriam was not the most pleasant of companies, but she brought something to my attention, and I immediately thought of you! Tell me, have you ever heard of the Jewel of Truth?" suddenly, the attention was upon him, and the scoundrel could barely suppress a small smirk when he realized that he had successfully gained the attention of the demon hunter. Even though he didn't outright show it.

"Elaborate?"

"Apparently, this jewel has the power to reveal one's most inner secrets and to show their true self, simply by holding it." Lyndon tried to sound as mysterious as possible, however, Tyrael merely heaved another sigh in response.

"Sounds to me like a waste of time to think about. I can't think of any way such a stone could be used for a useful purpose." with that, Tyrael simply shifted his attention away from the conversation.

"And Myriam felt the need to tell you about this because..?"

"She claimed that she wanted to find out if I am not secretly holding a golden personality beneath my image as a scoundrel. But please, we all know the answer to that." he chuckled in fake humor, not acknowledging the way Arcos was staring at him with narrowed eyes, before he suddenly stopped.

"Of course I'm a good person, right?" his expression fell in an almost comical way once he realized that Arcos was not even standing in front of him anymore, having long turned away to speak with Auriel instead, the both of them utterly ignoring the scoundrel. And true to that, Auriel had not bothered to acknowledge the scoundrel in any way.

"H-hey…!"

Seeing that he was being utterly ignored, Lyndon merely huffed in a dramatic way before he approached Tyrael instead, much to the latter's irritation.

"So, Tyrael... have there ever been instances where angels and humans fell in love with each other?" Tyrael merely spared a glance at Lyndon, along with a raised eyebrow. Albeit after a moment of hesitation, his eyes fell upon both Arcos and Auriel for a fracture of a second as they stood a small distance away, conversing with each other.

"There... is an angel who has fallen in love with a nephalem, yes."

"Does that mean I have a chance with Auriel?" an exhausted and irritated sigh was the only thing which escaped Tyrael's mouth before he faced away from the scoundrel.

"Never."

However, unbeknownst to them, Arcos had not been oblivious to their not so subtle conversation, having unwillingly overheard almost every single word. A clenching and uncomfortable feeling dwelled in his chest, despite all of his best efforts to suppress them, for he was not foolish enough to not know what that feeling was.

But despite the fact that he told himself a hundred times over and over again that he shouldn't be bothered, that it was utterly silly, he spared a small, almost shy glance towards Auriel. And before he knew it, words were escaping his mouth.

"I'm sorry for his comments, I..." he stopped in his words when he realized that Auriel had not even been sparing a glance towards the scoundrel, even though she had heard every bit of that conversation as well. But instead, she was facing a small rock in front of her.

Only after a small moment of silence did she suddenly perk up before she faced Arcos with a tilt of her head, along with a questioning hum.

"Hm? Who do you mean?" Arcos remained perplexed for a moment before he sheepishly looked at the ground, once again feeling ashamed of harboring these feelings in the first place.

"N... nothing important, I just meant Lyndon's previous words." even though he couldn't see it, Auriel was wearing a not so subtle smirk of glee on her lips before she suddenly intertwined their hands together and she turned to look at the rock in front of her once again.

"Oh, I thought it had merely been a rock that was talking to me."

And in that moment, Arcos stared at her for what felt like an eternity before he merely tried to hide his small but growing smile as he faced the ground.

She knew of his feelings... and she eased his heart with a soothing warmth.

…

"Is there any particular reason why we are searching for this jewel?" Auriel questioned as both her and Arcos passed through a slim and dark corridor of an underground crypt, one that was long abandoned by any living being.

"Not for me, but if Myriam wants to have it so badly, I guess I can try to find it." strangely, the moment Arcos had asked her about this jewel, simply in the means to find it for her sake, Myriam's attention had suddenly shifted towards him in full. And whereas, before, she had wanted to find out what would happen with Lyndon if he were to hold that jewel, secretly, the prospect of him possibly coming into contact with it…

… though, Arcos remained blissfully unaware of Myriam's true intentions.

She had simply provided Arcos with the necessary directions while giving him any leads she possessed. Thus, it ultimately led him to an abandoned underground crypt.

However, as always, he was not alone. Somehow, whenever he regarded Auriel walking alongside him within these dark crypts, he felt a strange sensation within him. Normally, an Angel would never stray from the High Heavens, and even if, an Angel would never find themselves in an abandoned, dark crypt. Thus, the sight of an actual Archangel walking alongside him in such a strange place, it simply perplexed him. Or rather, it was the thought that it was actually him who prompted her to be here in the first place…

… he quietly shook his head, trying to get rid of these thoughts.

However, he was torn out of his thoughts anyway once the pair came to a large, open doorway at the end of the corridor. Ironically, Auriel's natural glow almost always served as the only source of light for Arcos, which is why she remained close by his side as they proceeded further, arriving in a large hall of sorts. Like the rest of the crypts, it was in terrible shape, debris littered on the ground at every corner, and the air was moist.

But at the very least they had not encountered a single threat on their way, and neither did Auriel sense another source of life around them besides themselves.

And within the center of the hall was a small podium, a small, glowing gem placed upon it. It immediately stuck out from the debris that was scattered around, and Arcos took slow, careful steps towards it. Auriel did not feel entirely comfortable at the sight of this gem, her wings instinctively folding together slightly as she didn't stray from his side.

So he wasn't supposed to hold it in his hands…? Arcos rummaged through his small bag on his waist, retrieving a small tool which Myriam had given him beforehand. It was a relatively small iron pincer, meant only for tiny objects such as this jewel. Thus, he slowly picked it up and held it in front of his eyes.

Truly, it was soothing to look at, a gentle, blue glow emanating from it at all times, even though it was weak. However, unbeknownst to him, Auriel didn't quite share the same sentiment. She didn't like the look of it at all…

Suddenly, a small swarm of bats descended from the ceiling, flying in all directions before they discarded and retreated into other sections of the crypt. But it was more than enough to momentarily startle Arcos, causing him to almost fall on his back before he caught his balance, but he accidentally dropped the jewel from his pincer-

-and it landed in Auriel's left palm as she instinctively caught it in her hands.

Just as Arcos calmed himself, cursing himself for being startled due to something such as this, he slowly turned around to look at Auriel.

And a certain uneasiness began to fill him once he witnessed her almost… motionless form.

Before he knew it, her hidden gaze slowly moved upwards from the jewel and settled directly upon his eyes.

"A-Auriel…? Are you alright?"

"Yes… I have never felt any better…" her voice was calm, and for some reason, it frightened him more than anything else.

"... Auriel…?"

Slowly but surely, she stepped towards him with calm precision, and Arcos was almost frozen in fear when she stood mere inches away from him. But she didn't stop there, and suddenly, her arms found their way towards his back, pulling him against herself so that their faces were but a breath apart.

"My dear… have I ever told you…"

His breathing hitched, and he could barely comprehend the way she was suddenly acting. He had never seen her like this before, why…

"... that you are mine and mine alone…?" her grip upon him was almost possessive, yet as gentle and soft as her touch had always been. And then it dawned upon him.

'Apparently, this jewel has the power to reveal one's most inner secrets and to show their true self, simply by holding it'

He gasped, his eyes unable to look away from her hidden gaze anymore.

And in the end… he learned of a whole new side of her.