Judge and Tempters

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Summary: Hastur loved the 14th Century and beyond; it was his heyday of the time during the famine, the black death, the civil wars and the religious upheavals of Europe. It wasn't until 1462 did his life got turned upside down in the arrival of an angel. And not just any angel, but the Archangel Gabriel. What is he doing here messing up with his temptations to Frollo? And what is he doing here if not stopping him of doing his job?

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Chapter 3: The Arrangement

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"You do know that Frollo is mine, right? I don't like to share." Duke Hastur said, as the demon turned to face him. His abyss coloured eyes stare at him as the demonic heat that smelt of sulfur seem to surround the angel as if the duke himself was claiming his territory like a common mutt. Gabriel rolled his eyes, did the demon think a simple dominating dance would scare him off?

"It will remain unseen." Gabriel said simply showing no fear against the demon. He can tell that the duke was annoyed that his simple display of dominance didn't work but didn't seem too surprised that it didn't as the angel was an Archangel. Gabriel put a metal note to himself to investigate the records of how many angels that came across the Duke Hastur that was easily intimidate by a weak display of demonic sulfur. Or was the attempt a form of a test to see what he would do?

"Bullshit!" Hastur snapped. "Why are you here, wank-wings?"

"I am here to judge the soul of Cladue Frollo." It was no point of lying even to a demon as this assignment has many layers of delicate specifics that needs to happen that he forced to be present for all of them for it to work. It appears that some of them would overlap with Hell it seems. Gabriel knew he may be stuck on earth in the untimely future that may take years. It won't be the first time as it were, but he is not looking forward on the mess he will have to fix when he goes back to Heaven and all the paperwork that will collect on his desk. It would help if he had an assistant as many other Archangels have but… none of angels that he tried with ever fit for him or do it properly to his standards. Sandalphon does help him, as he is the best out of them all with helping Gabriel with some of his duties and may be the closest…. Friend? Coworker? Gabriel has in Heaven. But it's just not the same without Israfil. Sandalphon was the one that replaced him when his brother Fell (or died as what everyone in Heaven believes as that what Gabriel reported to Michael when he was sent to kill him). [1]

Hastur snorted. "Well as you can clearly see, the human is doomed for Hell. You can go back to Heaven. No need for you to be here any longer. Shoo." It was obvious the angel knew that the woman will die tonight and still he did nothing to save the mother and only the child. Has heaven started to get lazy?

"That I agree with you. However, my assignment goes beyond him of course. Not that I will tell the likes of you."

"Oh, you won't now would ya? This is my turf. Get lost." Gabriel ignored him as he started to walk away as he adjusts the grip of the dead woman still in his arms and knocking into the demon's shoulder as he walked past him. Hastur swore loudly as he went after the angel, mindful to keep himself as far as he could from the cathedral's property line. Knowing angels, Gabriel would purposely go over the property line just to spite him. Hastur is reminded again why he doesn't work with angels, unlike Ligur and his back channels. "Don't walk away when I'm talking to you, winged bastard."

Gabriel snorted and side glanced the demon beside him. "Where is your partner?" he asked. "Duke Ligur? Aren't you attach to the hip?"

"None of your damn business."

Gabriel stopped and looked around, suddenly feeling lost. "Mind getting us a cart?" he asked. Hastur rolled his eyes and spotted one at the other side of the mudded street. Gabriel's tilted his head in confusion as Hastur walked up to it, making sure the wheels was decent enough. It was the type of cart in which it takes one or more people to push it by lifting the back part to steer the cart down the street.

"Shouldn't we just miracle one?" Gabriel asked as he watch the demon got on his knees checking the wheels.

Hastur shook his head as he got up. "Why should we when there is one right here for us to take?"

"That's stealing."

"Ah!" Hastur laughed. "Better to steal then using up your miracles on trivia stuff." He said offhandedly.

Gabriel looked back at the cart, not agreeing out loud of the logic behind taking the cart and not miracle one from existence. It would be a wasted miracle as it was, it isn't like they would reuse it for later if they did. It does look abandoned in the side of the street anyway. Plus, it's not like they would going to keep it. Use it and put it back of where they found it would be the most logical thing to do at this point. Gabriel sighed as he walked to the back of the cart and gently sitting down the woman on it. The angel made sure she looked comfortable, wrapped in her cloak, setting her arms cross on her chest. If it wasn't for the cracked skull, the woman would look like she was only sleeping, but the dried blood mix with the tangled mess at the back of the woman's head was the only sign that she wasn't.

Hastur glanced at the blood on the angel's tunic and wonder if the angel knew it was there. He smirked as he kept his mouth shut about pointing out the blood.

"Help me push, demon." Gabriel motion him to join him at the end of the cart to push. Hastur only hesitate for a moment before joining the angel at his side and they began to push down the street.

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And it was the worse decision he ever made that night.

"I blame you for this!" Hastur snapped at the angel as he grunted under his breath. The uneven stones on the road was annoying as they went down the main path. To get to the burial ground is to get off from it into three streets, across a bridge and into another mudded narrow road. The streets are filthy as the humans enjoy throwing their waste out their doors and windows (don't they know how the Black Death kept going on for years? Humans of this part of Earth of this time period are so unhygienic that even put Hell to shame of how dirty everything and everyone are).

"What? What did I do?" Gabriel asked, his eyes widen.

"If you brought the human back to life that you should have done in the first place, we wouldn't have to push her corpse across the damn city!"

"If you didn't target Frollo for a temptation for his soul, his need to wipe out the Romani people would not have happened! Syeira [2] wouldn't have to smuggle herself and her family to safety. Don't you know what's going on in the other part of the Europe and India?"

"Oh, shut up! You know damn well that Frollo would have damned his soul all on his own without my help."

Without any of them noticing they lead the cart into a hole. Back in England, Crowley would be found laughing at the idea of idiots not noticing his hole he left on the road in Paris during his trip to get crêpes, thinking about all the fights that will soon followed when they learn that the hole is deep that it would take a miracle to get anything out. Back in France, both Gabriel and Hastur stopped yelling at each other and found that their cart is no longer able to move forward. Hastur started cursing under his breath.

"Now look what you done." Gabriel snapped as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"What I HAVE done? Look at that size of that hole! How did YOU miss that?"

"It's obvious it has Hell written all over it."

"You think me and Ligur dig up holes in streets just for fun? Do I look like that flashed bastard?"

Gabriel turned away from Hastur. "I do not know what you demons do for fun."

"A lot more fun than any of you angels, that's for sure. No parties. No sex. No starting rebellions. No riots."

Hastur smirked when he noticed Gabriel started blushing. "Angels do have sex." He stuttered. Hastur cocked his head, it was interesting that Gabriel didn't list the other things.

Hastur smirked. Oh, how he loves making Gabriel squirm. "Oh, you do. With each other or with humans? I thought that wasn't allowed... you know with the Nephilim..." [3]Hastur sneered.

Gabriel looked like he was about to throw up at the idea of it. Gabriel knew that the Nephilim are a very sore subject to demons hence why he never brings it up in the presence of them. "Some do. I don't."

"Shame. You do have a nice arse."

"And you have pretty eyes." Gabriel said, not knowing why his looks are relevant at this time. Gabriel knew if one tells you a compliment, you do one back at them. It always works with his field agents that work on Earth. Hastur who wasn't expecting a compliment of his looks, sputtered in disbelief. "I don't understand why we have to state the obvious of about each other looks at this time as it is. We have a job to do." Gabriel said, as he walked around the cart. The hole was deep. When he finds out which demon it was, he's going to strangle them. Why on earth did they had to place it there? What is the purpose of a demon making a hole in the middle of the street?

"You know we can you know, miracle it out." Hastur said slowly, standing there frozen. Why does he always freeze when something happens that it out from his comfort zone? Getting compliments from angels is one of them it seems.

Gabriel shook his head. "This is labeled as 'not a priority'. We have to do it by hand unless of course you would do the honors?"

"No."

"Then help me push."

"Fuck that. I'm just going to stand right here and watch you fail."

"What? You're not going to help me?!"

During their bickering the angel and demon didn't notice another was sitting quietly on the cart watching them, mindful of not disturbing the dead woman inside. Ligur watched as he glanced at the two of them wondering if they are going to notice him sitting there as they argue about pushing the cart or not. His eyes turned gray as he titled his head in confusion. [4]

He left Hastur alone for a few hours and he came back to see his partner with an angel and a corpse. Not only in the presence of an angel but an Archangel at that and arguing at one. Does Hastur have a death wish? Ligur can feel no ill will from the angel, just annoyance but that could easily change as his history with working with Michael is any interaction. Ligur sighed. He would allow them to continue if not for morning coming in a short few hours and they needed to be elsewhere. Plus, the identity of one of the Romani men that got captured may or may not ruin their temptations to Frollo if they are not carful.

"How long have you been there?" Gabriel turned to look at him as if he was the most fascinating thing he ever seen. Ligur wonders how this idiot could be a commander of Heaven standing there without itching towards his weapon in the presents of not one but two dukes of hell. If Michael was here, she would not be happy of how lax Gabriel is surrounded by demons. Or is the angel so ignorant that he thinks that he doesn't need to it to beat them?

Hastur jumped up and pointed at Gabriel. "Ligur! Tell this angel that he is a moron!"

Ligur sighed loudly as his eyes turned yellow. Sometimes his love can be an idiot. "We need to leave, Hastur." He said.

"No, no, no. Not until the job is done! So glad you can join us Ligur! You help push!" Gabriel said, pushing the demon off the cart. Ligur quickly found himself standing next to the angel who stood in the middle besides Hastur. Ligur's eyes suddenly turned darker grey from the yellow as he wonders how this happened. How did the angel just manhandle him into pushing a cart?

The three of them got the cart out of the hole within moments later. Ligur will not admit that he used up a miracle just so they can get it done quicker.

"Very good!" Gabriel said, clapping on Ligur's back. "Come on! Halfway there!"

"How did this all happen? What did I miss?" Ligur asked.

"This moron didn't want to resurrect a human." Hastur said flatly, at least now pushing the cart isn't much of a hassle now that there are three of them.

"Not allowed." Gabriel said brightly as they turned into another street.

"Aren't Heaven supposed to save innocents?" Ligur asked. It was then that Gabriel bit his bottom lip as he faltered from answering the question.

"…. Syeira is not part of the plan for Armageddon. She already done her purpose. Her son."

"…." Both demons stared at the angel in disbelief.

Gabriel didn't like the silence. He didn't agree with Metatron either when he got the assignment. "Orders you know. Can't get too sidetracked with Armageddon just in a few years!" Gabriel said brightly, the fake smile didn't set well with the two demons.

"Isn't that going to happen like in 600 years from now?" whispered Hastur to Ligur. Ligur shrugged. Gabriel heard of course but said nothing. He isn't supposed to show how much he disagreed with Heaven as it were. The rest of the trip was all in silence besides the grunts of pushing a cart over the uneven streets. At last they got to a dirt field in which all of Paris just dump and bury their dead that turning into more like mass graves. In years to come, the place would turn into a public market square with a fountain in the middle. [5]

Gabriel found the perfect place to place the woman. "Here we are," he said, as he pulled out a shovel he found in the cart and started digging. Without being asked, the two demons found other shovels, either by being abandoned in the dirt nearby or just miracle one from existence. Within moments the grave was finished. It was at least five feet (1.5 meters) deep, as the angel picked up the woman from the cart and hoped into the grave to place her in. Dropping her into a hole would have been rude.

Ligur watched as he wondered how this happened of him helping an angel without a fight as Hastur stood little embarrassed as Gabriel, position the woman's arms cross on her chest and make sure her cloak was wrapped around her. "Don't humans, you know? Say something to the corpse before they bury them?" he asked the angel.

"I think you're right!" Gabriel gasped. "Usually Priests would pray for their soul to go to Heaven, but we know she did. So, we don't need to do that?" Gabriel looked at the two demons for help. He doesn't want to make a mistake, it been years since he been to a human funeral.

"Well I think you should at least apologize to her for not bringing her back to life." Ligur said, as he figured it would be polite as well be demeaning for the angel to apologize to a human. It would be interesting to watch of how that would turn out. Michael would never do it.

Gabriel pouted. "I blessed her son."

"I agree, you have to apologize to the corpse." Hastur told the Archangel. They knew it would fluster the Archangel of talking to a shell of a human. Gabriel stared at the two demons, in disbelief.

"Fine!" he turned and looked down on the woman. "I am sorry that you died. I know you didn't deserve it. You originally had a long life ahead of you, you had a daughter. But things happened and you had a son instead that you loved and ended up marrying your murderer's half-brother.[6]Which is not your fault. The point is—the point. Yeah, the point— my brother likes dolphins. Wait… that's not the point ah…" Ligur pinched his nose in the secondhand embarrassment from the Archangel that is now talking about dolphins. Hastur kept on smiling but even he is little bewildered. Gabriel sighed, centering himself. "I'm sorry. Nothing that I will say to make will make it all better. I hope we did you right of taking you here."

Gabriel climbed out from the grave and stared at the two demons with a smile.

Hastur smiled back. "That was beautiful."

"That was horrible." Ligur said.

"Next time you do the apologies. Let's see how you would do any better." Gabriel snapped as he started to shovel the dirt back into the grave.

"There's going to be a next time?" Ligur asked with a jolt of the idea of it. "Who says we going to work together after this?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I'm stuck here for the next few years. So are you two. We going to work alongside each other. Humans die all the time."

"Who says anything about working with you? We can just pretend you never show up!"

"He does have a point, Ligur." Hastur said slowly. "It would be good to keep tabs to each other."

"No. He's an angel. They are not to be trusted."

Gabriel looked offended. "Did I say we could be friends? No, just temporary coworkers. I keep my side doing my job; you stay at your side doing your job. And we compare notes say…once a month and whenever our job is going to overlap." Finished filling up the grave, Gabriel sat his shovel back in the cart.

"Seems reasonable." Hastur said nodding.

"I don't like it." Ligur said, still not trusting the angel but the angel does have a point. It would be easier to work…together then apart. If anything, this could benefit him to know more information about Michael from Gabriel if he plays his cards right with the right questions.

"Think about it." Gabriel pushed the cart towards the exit of the graveyard. The two demons watched as the Archangel left pushing the cart down the street, nodding his head as if playing a song in his head. Ligur and Hastur stood there not believing of how their night went.

Hastur turned to Ligur with a questionable look. "What did you find out?" he asked knowing that there was a reason that Ligur was impatient.

"Jehan Frollo is in the Palace of Justice."

(End of Chapter)

Words: 3,657

[1] Chapter 2 of "Dishonored Brethren"

[2] a Romani name meaning "Princess". Possibly linked to the Hebrew name of Sarah. I randomly picked the name for Quasimodo's mother. Nowhere is she named in any musical, book or movie. So, I picked a name I liked that is common name among the Romani, that I know of. Of how Gabriel knew her name is that is he able to look at any human and just Know things. It's part of his Archangel gifts and abilities that are tied of what he governs as an Archangel from angelology. During his spat towards Hastur, his angelic influence did kind of bleed though and Knew her name right then and there. Hastur just thinks that Gabriel knew all along and keep things to himself.

[3] Both Ligur and Hastur are still angry of the lost of their children and human wives that Heaven took from them. Their story I hope to post soon about that in "Dishonored Brethren"

[4] Ligur's eyes change colour based on his emotions. Grey is sometimes assorted to confusion, boredom, anachronism, dullness, decrepitude & so on. Only Hastur can decipher Ligur's emotions with high accuracy than any other in Hell. Yellow on this chapter is for impatience.

[5] Place Joachim-du-Bellay "Fountain of Innocents" a 16th century fountain marks the site of a lost medieval cemetery once filled with mass graves. It was originally near the now destroyed church that stood by the graveyard. The records describe the old graveyard that dates from the 12th century. It was once the largest cemetery in Paris. In 1780s did the city closed the cemetery because the ground was so oversaturated with decaying dead that even the smallest amount of rain would reveal corpses lying just beneath the thin layers of soil. The dead were exhumed, lingering flesh was burned and removed, the bones were relocated to now world-famous Paris Catacombs which contain sign marking bones that came from the dismantled graveyard. Bodies that were unable to fully decompose turned into globs of fat were collected and transformed into candles and soap. Today the site is a hub of cafes, shops and bistros.

[6] In a stage musical, the half brother of Claude Frollo is Quasimodo's father by the name of Jehan Frollo. During Gabriel's horrible apology I did hint on an older movie version in which Quasimodo's mother switch him as a baby and took a daughter that ended up being Esmeralda. The mother of the switched child believed Quasimodo as a Changeling and dumped in him an orphanage. The original book however, Quasimodo's mother abandons him on the steps of Notre Dame in which Frollo was telling the truth about his mother abandoning him.