Fallen For The Last Time

The sun peeked through the curtains, shining on Vigne's face. She blinked rapidly to get used to it, and after a minute, she sat up, uncharacteristically exhausted. Usually when she woke up, she chipperly made her bed, ate breakfast, brushed her teeth, and got dressed right away.

Today, however, she couldn't even get up from her bed. Vignette was up all night thinking about Satania. She still really couldn't understand it—The Satania she thought was real and the Satania she had just found out about. These two personalities...Vignette felt her cheek where Satania slapped her.

Vignette felt like she couldn't forgive herself. She shouldn't, right?

A buzz from her phone shook her from her thoughts. Reading it, she saw that it was a text from Gabriel.

I'm not going to school today. Not feeling well. Visit me at work, k?

Weirdly literate for the angel. Something was up. Vignette typed in a response quickly.

Something wrong?

The response came after a minute.

I'll tell you about it at work.

And that was the other thing! Gabriel didn't—she doesn't work! It was a chore she did once a week, and even then, not on a monday!

But if it gave her an excuse to have some of the coffee from there, then Vignette wouldn't complain.

Another buzz.

Bring Satania.

Vignette was immediately alarmed. Satania? What would Gabriel want to do with the demon anyways? Wasn't there some kind of mutual hate between them?

Not the only one Satania hates. A scornful thought reminded her. Flashbacks of those red eyes and that angry snarl appeared in her head. Vignette felt her cheek again.

Satania doesn't hate me. She needs me right now.

Breathing deeply, she typed her response.

I'll see if she wants to.

Raphiel and Gabriel hunched over the phone, apprehensive.

I'll see if she wants to.

The two had stayed at Raphiel's place, mostly because of the mess at Gabriel's. They hadn't a wink of sleep, instead huddled under the covers of Raphi's bed shell shocked and mortified. They tried passing the time, but each and every attempt at that would be cut short by thoughts of that bloody knife.

In the morning, they decided to do something about it. Gabriel texted Vignette in order to figure out Satania's situation.

Reading the last text, they breathed a sigh of relief, now knowing that Satania was still in contact with Vignette, and not dead, like they thought she was.

Both of them felt really good all of the sudden, and almost jumped with their happiness.

But there was one thing they still needed to figure out.

Where is she? Gabriel texted.

A minute later.

Somewhere you don't know.

And all of the elation drained from their faces. So something was still wrong. Something bad.

That knife must have meant something, right?

"Okay, then." Gabriel stood up. "Guess...I'll get ready, then." She announced, standing up from her tucked in position under the blankets.

"Get ready?" Raphiel smirked. "That's a little unlike you, Gabe."

Gabriel glared at her. "Shut up. I'm just in the mood, got it?"

Raphiel smiled slightly. Typical Gabriel. The angel who normally never gave a fuck about anything turned into a gigantic nervous wreck as soon as she did again. It was certainly one of the more...amusing parts of her friend.

They didn't talk again until after Gabriel got into her uniform. She spoke first as they stepped outside. It was a brilliantly sky blue day

"What...what do you think's up with Satania?"

And there it was. The question. The thing that both of them wanted to ask, but couldn't, because it felt like if they did, Satania's supposed death would be confirmed.

Raphiel sighed. "I'm sure it's nothing. Satania is a bouncer, you know. But...if whatever it was yesterday was a prank, then...that's far, even for her. I guess I'm a little worried."

Gabriel looked at her, eyes wide and scared. "But...Raph, remember when the four of us first came here? Back then, Satania would show up most every day of class. But now, we hardly see her! Ah-and, surely you've sensed her aura! Why...why didn't we do something?"

Raphiel looked down. "I don't know." She said emptily. "Why would we, honestly?"

After an uneventful day of school, one absent of Raphiel and Gabriel, Vigne stood at the front of Eve's door. With a nervous press, she rang the doorbell.

It was Satania who opened the door, surprisingly. "Oh. Vignette." She said plainly, stepping aside to let her in.

Vignette's eye rose at the dullness of Satania's actions. Her worries ceased, however, when the demon smiled a little bit at her. Vignette asked, "How are you feeling?" once she took off her shoes.

Satania kept smiling. "Honestly? I feel...just alright, I guess. Those pills must be doing their job."

Vigne was slightly disappointed that Satania didn't feel happy, but alright was a step in the right direction. Pills can't do everything.

Oh, right. I have a job to do.

"Erm..Satania? Can I ask you a question?" Vignette phrased quietly.

Satania was caught off guard. "Uh...Ok? Here, walk with me to my room, then we can talk."

It was a silent walk, the two girls saying nothing as they made their way across the golden castle that was Eve's house. When they arrived to Satania's bedroom, Eve was there, folding Satania's clothes. They weren't clothes that Vignette had ever seen on Satania, but they definitely were her size. Eve must have got new stuff for Satania. Vignette thought.

"Ah, welcome, Vignette." Eve said, smiling kindly. "How are you today?"

Vigne nodded. "Good, actually. I just came over to ask a question to Satania, and it's... good that you're here too."

That worried Satania a bit. What could she need?

She waited for the inevitable quipp from Voice, but none came. It wasn't like he was gone, just...blocked. She could feel him, but it was like those pills had him restrained or gagged. It wasn't a good feeling to her...just a less worse one to when she wasn't on the antidepressants. Something to get used to.

"Satania? Do you want to hear the question?"

Satania was shaken from her thoughts to find Vigne and Eve looking at her expectantly. "U-umm...sure?" She said nervously. Vigne sighs.

A moment passes. Vigne breathed, than said, "Gabriel wants to see you."

Satania blinked. Ga-gabriel? Her tormentor? The bully full of contempt and hate for her? She wanted to see Satania? Quickly, her brain tried to figure out why. Maybe Shades was forcing her to because of all the missed homework. Maybe she just wanted to pick a fight. Maybe...maybe…

But try as she might, Satania was at a loss for why Gabriel would want to socialize with her of all people.

"..why?" She asked. For some reason, she wasn't repulsed by this idea. It must have been the pills.

Vignette was caught off guard, looking incredulously at the other demon. She evidently thought the answer would be a no. Eve also looked surprised, having tried to stop herself from saying really?

But Satania wasn't concerned with that. She felt weirdly empty right about then, so maybe this talk with Gabriel would solve this feeling. Even if it made her angry, or sad, that would be something. Where she was at felt...wrong. Even to her.

So yeah.

She said yes, the phone buzzed happily from Gabriel's pocket. When she read it, she felt elated all of the sudden. She smiled at Raphiel in the corner, almost laughing with relief. Now she could put this feeling behind her. This feeling of worrying. And then she could return to games and laziness and apathy.

Master was certainly surprised when Tenma showed up at work. Mondays were never her thing. But imagine his surprise when she actually started working that day! Usually she delivered her job with a healthy amount of uncaring and an extremely low amount of customer service, but today she was at the best he'd ever seen her.

Something was off, though. She did each and every chore he gave her with strange skittish attitude—she would check her phone with a shaking hand every minute, and paced around the shop idly with like she needed to use the bathroom. It was the same with her friend, too. Tenma had brought in another sweet lady by the name of Ainsworth—they met before, but this time they were truly properly introduced—and even she was ordering way too much coffee any high schooler should drink. And when Tenma would bring it over, the two would talk in hushed voices for 10 minutes a time.

But before he could ask her about it, two more of their friends walked in, plus a lady with blonde, flowing hair. "Hello, Master." The first one greeted. Ah, Tsukinose was here! Master smiled. This would certainly soothe Tenma's uptight disposition.

But another look damped that thought. She looked strangely somber, which was not a look that fit her normally angelic mood. And the second one—Mcdowell, was it?—looked bored in comparison to the confident smirk she always wore.

And the woman with them? She also looked tenebrous today. And looking at Tenma and Ainsworth, their sudden fear alarmed him.

Master quietly began scrubbing a glass behind the counter.

He watched Mcdowell freeze in her tracks when she looked at Ainsworth's table. "R-raphi? I-I thought only Gabriel was going to be here!" She looked like a deer caught in a hunter's path with how she was looking at the other girl.

The woman looked at Tsukinose. "Yes, Vigne, I thought you said only Gabriel would be here earlier."

Tsukinose looked caught off guard. "I'm...sorry, Satania. I never asked."

Up until now, the other parties hadn't spoke. Tenma broke the silence. "Why can't Raphiel be here?" She challenged, and for a moment a bit of the old Tenma came out: defiant and spiteful.

But then Tsukinose exploded. "I think you know why, Gabriel." She hissed. Master scrubbed the glass harder—he's been scrubbing it forever—and thought to himself, what happened to them?

But then Tenma snarked back, "No, I don't, actually. This is why I asked you to come! Don't get mad if I never told you Raphi was coming! Doesn't she deserve to know what the hell is going on with useless over here?" She gestured to Mcdowell.

The girl in question flinched. When Master looked over to Ainsworth, she was silent. Unusual for a normally talkative girl. Why hasn't she spoken yet?

Now, though, the woman spoke up. "Satania asked for you only, Gabriel. But if you start making her uncomfort—"

"And who the hell are you?" Tenma interrupted angrily.

The woman glanced at Mcdowell for conformation to speak. When the girl nodded, she said, "My name is Dr. Eve. I'm Satania's therapist."

Both Ainsworth and Tenma gasped. "E-Eve?" Ainsworth spoke for the first time in a while.

Eve, huh? Like the first woman created in the bible? Master moved to a plate, quietly setting down the glass he was working on forever. Now how do they know her?

"Yes. now, Raphiel, I'm going to ask you to leave." Eve commanded her strongly.

Ainsworth nodded submissively, getting up and walking out the door quietly…

….only to turn around and hid behind the wall outside. Master wouldn't have noticed anything if it weren't for the tip of the shoe visible from the door.

Should he say anything? One look at the hard stares the girls were giving each other told him no, no he shouldn't.

Tenma was back in the nervous shell from before. "So...Eve, huh? You're Satania's...therapist?"

Eve nodded. "Yes. We came here to talk to you about her after Vignette brought it up. It all depends on if you'll listen."

Tenma sat down where Ainsworth was. "Okay, I...will?" She sounded unsure.

Satania took a deep breath. "A couple days ago...I tried to do something. Bad. I tried to…" She shuddered,

"...kill myself."

Beat.

Master realized how horribly wrong his listening in was.

Tenma's eyes widened. "O-oh."

Outside, Ainsworth's shoe tip tapped the ground quickly. She heard as well.

Tenma, still in shock, said, "Is that what the knife was for?"

Master's eyes widened. Knife? She was going to stab herself?

This, however, was ultimately not the right thing to say. Mcdowell's eyes widened, and with a shaky voice, she asked, "W-w- what knife?"

Even Tsukinose looked caught off guard. "Knife?" She seemed positively incredulous.

Tenma kept going. "The one Raphi and I found at your house!"

The world seemed to freeze. "My...house?" Mcdowell stared at Tenma.

One thing that Master learned about Gabriel was that when she was truly, truly nervous, she would not stop talking. Until she screwed up. "Yeah the one that Raphi and I found in your house when we went to visit you but you weren't there and the door was unlocked and the lights were off so we went in and looked for you and found the bloody knife of the ground and—"

Mcdowell was looking at her arms. Upon closer inspection, Master saw that there were red lines criss crossing them like stitches.

oh.

Mcdowell started crying all of the sudden. That shut Tenma up.

"What did I expect. What the actual fuck did I expect?" Mcdowell growled through angry tears. "The only fucking reason Gabriel pretends to care is because she fucking broke into my house! And you know why? Because she can. Because anyone can barge into my living space and use it because I'm so fucking worthless. You wanna know what that knife was for, Gabriel? Friendship. That's what it was for. Don't pretend to have that with me, bitch. I hate you."

Looking at the door, Master saw that Ainsworth was gone.

Eve spoke softly. "Let's go home, Satania. We'll talk later, Vigne." She offered a weak smile to Tsukinose. And with that, Mcdowell and Eve left the shop.

"Wow." Tenma giggled harshly through tears of her own. "I really fucked that up, didn't I?"