The start of a new day. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and Raynare was trapped in the feathered embrace of Azalea's wings.
The nephilim was sound asleep.
Raynare tried stretching, only to find that the wings were wrapped too snug for her to move most of her body. The only thing she had motion of was her head.
"Um, Azalea?" Raynare spoke. "Could you wake up?"
No reaction whatsoever.
Raynare then tried blowing air at Azalea's nose; her expression changed. It looked like Azalea was bound to sneeze, but then she just snuggled her face into the crook Raynare's neck.
Raynare resigned herself. She was out of options and wasn't moving any time soon. She supposed things could be worse. The wings were warm, soft, and she wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest. If she'd be stuck like this for a while, might as well enjoy it.
Just then, Azalea's novelty alarm clock began to sound. Azalea's topmost wing bent itself backwards and stretched to shut it off.
Azalea moved her head back and her eyes fluttered open, seeing Raynare painted a smile on her face. Until her consciousness fully kicked in.
"Good morning." Raynare said.
Azalea's eyes widened and face reddened as her wings shot back inside of her.
"I'm So Sorry!" Azalea blurted in a panic. "I didn't mean to grab you in my sleep."
Raynare blinked. This was the same girl that single handedly trounced a wielder of the boosted gear?
"I didn't mind." Raynare assured. "It was pretty cozy, so close to you."
"I think I need a shower." Azalea said, steadily growing redder.
"Great, I'll come along." Raynare offered.
The blood vessels in Azalea's face flared full color, then the nephilim disappeared. The only indicator of her location was the door to the attached bathroom now being locked shut.
Earlier in the morning Aine woke next to an undressed Dohnaseek, semi covered under her blanket. She grinned recalling the night before.
Dohnaseek was practically comatose. While she could attribute it to the fact that he hadn't slept in an actual bed for quite some time, she liked to think she was the main factor.
"Still got it." Aine bragged to herself.
But there was one thing bothering her.
"Where'd your hat go?" She questioned, reaching to scratch her head only to come to the realisation. "Oh, there."
Aine chuckled to herself, placing the hat back on the sleeping Dohnaseek's head. Afterward she put an outfit together and got dressed.
"You can just relax for a bit." A now presentable Aine said, leaving the fallen angel to eventually wake on his own.
The Byrne matriarch made her way out; there'd be preparations to make before the family meeting commenced, or household meeting she supposed.
Azalea stepped out of her bathroom, shivering. How her brother handled cold showers on the regular was a total mystery to her. At least she wasn't so hot and bothered anymore.
Raynare was no longer in her room, leaving the nephilim to worry if she had offended her by running off.
"Azalea." Called Aine from down the stairway. "Family Meeting."
Azalea hurried to the source of her mother's voice, arriving in the living room. Everyone else but Kalawarner had already gathered.
Aine and Dohnaseek sat side by side on the couch, while Brandon, Raynare, and Mittelt stood across from the table. Azalea quickly put herself between her brother and Raynare.
Aine was positively glowing, while Dohnaseek looked as though he'd been tossed through a hurricane. His clothes were disheveled, his eyes were overshadowed, and the only indication of his mood was a small, barely noticeable smirk on his face.
"So." Aine began. "We have quite a bit to figure out."
"Quick question." Kalawarner put forward, wheeling herself over. "Why does Dohnaseek look like he spent eight hours caught in a wind tunnel?"
"Oh, this is a thing now." Aine pointed back and forth between herself and Dohnaseek as he nodded.
"What?!" Both Brandon and Azalea blurted out.
"We kind of hit it off the other night." Dohnaseek said.
"I'll say." Raynare commented.
"Ehem." Aine coughed out. "Don't let this distract from the matter at hand. Brandon."
"Oh, right. My piece." Brandon said, creating a seat for himself from his stand. "Where do I start…"
"And that's when Azalea went full on useless lesbian." Brandon said.
"Brandon!" Aine protested.
"What?"
"You're not calling your sister useless." Aine dictated.
"It's a common turn of phrase in the community." Brandon explained.
"Well I still don't want you using it." Aine maintained.
"Alright." Brandon surrendered. "Moving on."
"There might have been a small disagreement along the way, but I worked out a deal with one of the owners of this town and no one living here is in danger from her." Brandon said. "Oh, and Azalea got jabbed in the solar plexus, so now she knows hamon. Any questions?"
Raynare flipped Brandon off.
"Wait." Mittelt spoke up. "Like, who's Strap-on?"
"Issei." Raynare answered. "That's what he kept calling him when we fought."
"Pretty appropriate nickname." Brandon self congratulated.
"I still want to know why you kissed him." Raynare put forth.
"Wait, you kissed Issei?!" Azalea blurted, repressing the urge to gag.
"Spite overpowers all forms of disgust." Brandon simply put.
"I have a concern." Kalawarner raised. "What about Freed?"
"Oh, that? Must've skipped over that part by mistake." Brandon recalled. "Freed, let's just say he felt the Touch of Shattered Glass."
"What exactly does that mean?" Kalawarner inclined.
"Oh." Brandon said, realising he should make himself more clear, before walking up to Kalawarner. "You don't have to worry any more, Freed's dea-"
Kalawarner cut Brandon off, pulling him down into a tight hug. Briefly freezing from the surprise contact, Brandon eventually pat Kalawarner on the back of the head.
"You know, fallen angels are a lot stronger than humans, physically." Brandon managed to exhale. "I can't feel my spine."
"Oh, sorry." Kalawarner said, letting go.
Brandon stood back up and dusted himself off. "It's fine. Growing up with Azalea, you get used to it."
"Good job, son." Aine complemented. "That's one less nuisance we need to look out for."
"You've got my respect." Dohnaseek added. "By the way, what's hamon?"
"Oh, I guess you guys wouldn't know what that is." Brandon said. "Azalea, would you kindly demonstrate?"
"Oh, alright." Azalea stepped up front and unveiled her wings. Sparks began crackling from her hands and feathers.
"Hamon is an energy with a very similar wavelength to sunlight, produced when oxygen travels through the bloodstream." Brandon explained. "It is extremely versatile, with uses in both healing and combat. Fortunately for me, it's useless against stands."
Azalea looked to her hands, feeling the golden energy rippling through her palms.
"Brandon." Azalea spoke, looking as if she's had an epiphany. "Do you know if hamon can repair bones?"
"It should be able to. But I'm not sure about your level of skill." Brandon said, before looking to Kalawarner's leg. "Planning on giving it a try, anyway?"
Azalea nodded. "Kalawarner, may I?"
"Worth a shot." Kalawarner shrugged, not expecting much.
Azalea stepped in front of Kalawarner. She took deep, steady breaths as her hands rippled brighter. Then she placed both hands gently down on Kalawarner's cast.
There was a medium glow as Kalawarner's shin bones audibly mended themselves. After a couple moments the glow died down and Azalea took a step back.
"Did it work?" Azalea seemed hesitant to ask.
Kalawarner reached an arm out and Azalea helped her stand. The fallen angel maintained the weight on the foot she knew still functioned until she was fully upright. Afterward she experimented with the other one.
Azalea released her grip as Kalawarner applied pressure from her gauzed leg to the ground until she stood evenly. There was no pain whatsoever.
"It's like it never happened." Kalawarner exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well that certainly would've made hospital work easier." Aine commented.
Kalawarner took a couple slightly uneven steps, fixated on her repaired leg. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed.
"What, no hug for me?" Azalea jested.
Azalea spoke too soon. She was suddenly immobilised in Kalawarner's arms. If she were fully human her bones would be popping from the sheer pressure.
"I can't thank you enough, all of you." Kalawarner exclaimed, uncharacteristically teary eyed.
"Don't mention it." Brandon chimed in. "You're family after all."
"Stop it, you're going to make me cry." Kalawarner said, releasing Azalea before reaching down to her cast. "Finally I can get out of this thing."
"Wait!" Aine warned.
"What?"
"You don't want to open that up in the living room, trust me. Your leg has been cooking in there for quite a while." Aine said. "I'll help you with it shortly."
"Oh, good call." Kalawarner said, sitting back down.
"Does that mean we're done here?" Brandon asked.
"There's just one last thing." Aine said. "Dohnaseek made a call to the Grigori earlier. How do I put this gently?"
"We've, like, totally been sacked, haven't we?" Mittelt guessed.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Aine said. "Yes, Mittelt is correct. You have been officially excommunicated."
Raynare looked down in frustration and regret.
"Which means we need Alibi." Aine said, before looking over to Raynare and Mittelt. "Assuming you all choose to stay, that is."
Mittelt shrugged. "Like, where else would I go? All of my friends are here anyway."
"I'm sticking around." Raynare said, taking a look at Azalea from the corner of her eye.
Aine turned her head to Dohnaseek.
"You already know my answer." He said. Aine smiled.
"Then it's settled." Aine said, resolutely. "We need to come up with something."
"Well, funny thing, I Had a cover story all planned out for this scenario last night." Brandon put forth, scratching his chin. "But now it's going to need some reconsideration."
Brandon closed his eyes and thought what explanation would bring the least suspicion.
"How about this?" Brandon said, with a snap of the finger. "Mom and Dohnaseek have been dating for a while and recently decided to test out living together. Mittelt is Dohnaseek's daughter. And Raynare is a friend of Azalea's that needs a place to stay."
"That could work." Aine said.
"Why do I have to be the daughter?" Mittelt complained. "Couldn't I be, like, an aunt or something, like Kalawarner?"
"You're like twelve." Brandon answered.
"Fourteen!" Mittelt refuted.
"Ten." Brandon sassed.
Mittelt glared at Brandon.
A chime sounded from the kitchen.
"Sounds like breakfast is done." Aine said. "Okay, family meeting adjourned. Dohnaseek would you be a dear and help set up?"
Aine removed a good sized cooked turkey from the oven and carried it over to the pre-set kitchen table, placing it at the center.
"Well this is an unorthodox breakfast." Dohnaseek commented. "Although I suppose everyone gets their fill this way."
"Hold that thought." Aine said, returning to the oven. To Dohnaseek's shock she pulled out a second, equal sized turkey. "You were saying."
"Isn't that a tad excessive for seven people?" Dohnaseek asked.
"Azalea skipped dinner the other day." Aine informed, bringing attention to her daughter waiting at the doorway to the kitchen. The nephilim gave off a completely different atmosphere, eyeing the meal with a predatory focus. Her pupils continuously expanded and dilated.
"Is she alright?" Dohnaseek asked as he began cutting into the first turkey, and distributing the meat evenly among the plates.
"She will be once she's eaten." Aine said, placing the second turkey squarely on Azalea's plate. "Speaking of which: Soups On!" She called out.
Azalea was at her seat in a blink, but seemed to maintain enough self control to hold back until everyone else was seated.
Brandon, Raynare, Mittelt, and Kalawarner shortly made their entrances. The sight of Azalea salivating over her portion brought some questions to mind, but Raynare and Mittelt decided to hold off until they had their share. Brandon was well aware of what was about to happen, and Kalawarner had a good idea.
Everyone took their seats.
"Alright, help yourselves." Aine gave the go ahead.
Azalea's topmost wings shot out and covered her meal along with her upper body. The muffled sounds of frenzied crunching, gnashing, and tearing permeated from underneath.
The newcomers listened to the feeding frenzy with an odd mixture of disturbance and fascination.
After a matter of tens of seconds the noises stopped. The wings slowly lifted away and withdrew into Azalea's back before the nephilim sat back up right with a very noticeable blush. The turkey, the silverware, and even the plate were nowhere to be seen.
"Sorry you had to witness that." Azalea apologised, avoiding eye contact.
"Whoa." Was Mittelt's only commentary before digging into her portion as if nothing happened.
"Wasn't there a plate?" Raynare asked with some concern.
Azalea let out a quiet, embarrassed squeak.
"Was." Brandon said, cutting into his food then taking a bite. "And this is why Azalea doesn't skip meals."
After breakfast was finished Dohnaseek offered to take care of the dishes, which Aine was happy to oblige. She made sure to grab a box of baking soda as she left, instructing Kalawarner to meet up with her at the downstairs restroom.
On her way, Aine stopped by Kalawarner's room to grab a handheld oscillating saw from her medical equipment.
The two converged. The fallen angel sat on the edge of the bathtub with her bandaged leg extended over the toilet lid.
"You trust me right?" Aine asked.
Kalawarner nodded her head.
"Then I suggest you hold your nose." Aine said. "Lotus Juice."
The stand manifested, completely undetectable to Kalawarner, but she trusted it was there.
Aine powered the saw on and passed it from her own hand to her stand's. Lotus Juice steadily cut an incision through the cast as Aine held the leg still to prevent any accident from occurring.
After an uncomfortable set of moments the saw successfully slit the cast open. Lotus Juice set the tool aside and faded.
Kalawarner gagged. Aine was less affected, but clearly not enjoying herself.
After they pried the wrapping off, Aine sprinkled on the baking soda generously, absorbing the excess moisture, and masking the smell.
"You didn't tell me it was going to be this bad." Kalawarner complained, holding back bile.
"What did you expect?" Aine countered. "You've been stewing in your own sweat for days."
Kalawarner nearly gagged again. "I'm going to use the shower."
"Good call." Aine said, quickly excusing herself to grant Kalawarner her privacy; Making sure to take her saw along with her and leave the baking soda behind.
After Kalawarner's shower, the fallen angel dressed herself right on time for Aine to call all of the residents front and center once again.
Dohnaseek had made himself presentable. Azalea looked particularly sheepish being in Raynare's presence.
"Alright, so it's come to my attention that our new arrivals don't have any changes of clothes." Aine spoke up. "Dohnaseek and I are going out shopping, Mittelt's coming along.
"Why do I need to go while Raynare stays?" Mittelt complained.
"I'm going to need you to pick out a bed for yourself." Aine said, crouching down to Mittelt's eye level. "Can't just have you camping out on the couch forever, can we?" She added, giving the blond little fallen a poke to the tip of the nose.
Aine stood back up.
"Brandon I'm going to need you to clear some area in your room." She requested.
"What, why me?!" Brandon blurted out.
"We're strapped for space, yours is the biggest room in the house, and you don't have a lot of furniture." Aine explained, leaving no room for argument. "Sorry, it's the best we can do at the moment."
Brandon let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I guess there's no helping it."
"Thanks, honey." Aine said. "I appreciate it."
"I'm not complaining." Mittelt chimed in, making Brandon send a glare in her direction.
Aine ruffled both of their hair, to Brandon's annoyance and Mittelt's indignation.
"Kalawarner is in charge while I'm gone. Call me if there's any issue." She said, before making her exit with Dohnaseek and Mittelt in tow.
"Aine's going to spoil that girl rotten." Kalawarner commented.
"Yep." Brandon concurred.
With Aine gone, Kalawarner began to stroll back to her room.
"Brandon, I'm delegating my responsibilities to you, effective immediately."
"Why is he in charge?!" Raynare questioned in discontent.
"Any and all complaints shall be forwarded to my delegate." Kalawarner said, shutting her door behind her.
"God damnit Kalawarner." Brandon muttered.
The stand user looked to his sister, then Raynare. "Just don't burn the house down." He instructed before heading up the stairs to his own room.
Brandon held his arm out. Shattered Glass shards came together and began to take shape as a rudimentary rod, too rough and crooked for any practical application.
The stand user let the rod crumble and fade, took a deep breath, and tried again. The second attempt was a marginal improvement, somewhat straightened out, and with the addition of a sharpened tip at one end, but still a failure.
Brandon began his third attempt when someone threw open his door, shattering his concentration.
"Hey." Raynare said, letting herself inside.
The coalescing shards dropped to the ground and faded away. Brandon took a deep breath and turned to his unwanted guest.
"Hello, Ray." Brandon spoke. "To what do I owe the honors of this intrusion?"
"Don't speak to me so casually, human." Raynare sneered.
"Get used to it." Brandon replied. "You're every bit the nobody I am."
"I am superior." Raynare claimed.
"By what metric?" Brandon asked. "I was kicking your ass back at the church yesterday."
"You cowarded out and sicked hyoudou on me." Raynare countered.
"I was hoping you'd end up killing him so I had one less annoyance to tolerate, but you just had to play with your prey." Brandon griped. "What's so difficult about aiming for the head?"
"You jumped back in to save him at the last second!" Raynare fumed.
"I had lost all plausible deniability at that point. Blondy would've refuted my case." Brandon explained.
"Wouldn't have been an issue if you let me take her sacred gear." Raynare posited.
"Trust me, I would've gladly stayed home if I didn't know that Azalea would just go on her own anyway." Brandon paused for a moment. "Scratch that, Freed needed to die."
"I guess at least one positive came from your intrusion." Raynare supposed.
"You mean aside from you meeting my sister?" Brandon asked.
A light blush dusted Raynare's face. She raised a finger, then lowered it, realising she had no comeback.
"How did you know?" Raynare questioned.
"Are you joking? That look in your eyes whenever she's in your line of sight is so obvious." Brandon said. "So what did you come over here for anyway?"
Raynare went silent.
"Wait." Brandon said, with a level of amusement. "Don't tell me you came for advice."
"I'd like to know more about her." Raynare's tone changed and her blush became more apparent.
Brandon let out a sigh and stepped to the edge of his bed. "Sit down and we can talk." He instructed.
Raynare complied with no comment, sitting close to the head of the bed. Brandon sat by the foot.
"I guess I should start by saying Azalea's a very sensitive person. Don't make the mistake of thinking her physical strength translates to emotional strength." Brandon warned. "She's the type that'll cry if you crush a spider in front of her."
"Why?" Raynare questioned.
"Why is she so sensitive, or why would she cry over the death of a spider?" Brandon asked.
"The second one, I guess." Raynare said. She couldn't fathom shedding a tear over a lower life form.
"She just hates the idea of pointlessly shortening a life." Brandon said. "It's as simple as that."
"I guess I should watch what I say around her."
"You don't have to feel like walking on eggshells, but it's something to keep in mind." Brandon said.
"Alright." Raynare said.
"She also can't read people like Mom and I can. It's very easy for her to miss obvious clues. And she has no sense of direction." Brandon listed off. "She's not stupid, far from it, but she can be a total dumbass."
Raynare nodded along.
"She's naive too. Always trying to see the good in people, even if it bites her in the ass more often than not." Brandon said. "Kala, Donny, that creepy blonde pipsqueak, and even you, I don't have a doubt in my mind that she believes you all are capable of reform."
"Pretty rare to hear that someone believes in me." Raynare commented.
"Well, Azalea is a pretty rare person." Brandon replied.
"Do you think I have a shot with her?" Raynare asked.
Brandon swiveled his head to face Raynare. That sounded far too genuine to be a rhetorical question.
The look on the fallen angel's face confirmed that she was asking sincerely.
Brandon laughed. This wasn't a spiteful or sarcastic laugh like when Sona asked him to join her peerage, this was out of his control. How could anyone be that clueless?
Raynare scowled at Brandon's reaction, then got up to leave.
"Jackass." Raynare spat as she made her exit.
Brandon almost felt bad. But then again she was trying to kill him the other day.
Kalawarner heard a knock at her door.
"Come in, Azalea." She said.
"How did you know it was me?" The nephilim questioned, peeking into the room.
"Brandon wouldn't knock so lightly after I dumped my responsibilities onto him, and Raynare wouldn't knock at all." Kalawarner surmised. "Need to ask me something?"
Azalea stepped fully inside.
"You've worked with Raynare for a bit, right?" She asked with an obvious blush, twiddling her fingers.
"Indeed I did." Kalawarner answered.
Azalea paused. Did she even know what she wanted to ask? Why was this so difficult?
"What was that like?" Azalea croaked out after the silence had become profoundly awkward.
Kalawarner let out a sigh. "Azalea, what do you really want to ask?" She sat up at the side of her bed, and patted a spot next to her.
"I don't know." Azalea admitted, taking her seat beside her. "It's like whenever I think of her the words just slip away."
Kalawarner patted Azalea on the head.
"She's just so pretty, and I want to know her better." Azalea quietly said.
"Why not just talk to her?" Kalawarner suggested.
"I'm afraid I hurt her feelings this morning." Azalea divulged, putting her face in her hands. "And then she saw me go into that feeding frenzy during breakfast."
"Come on, that wasn't… so bad." Kalawarner tried to sound encouraging.
"I just don't know if I can face her." Azalea said.
"You saved her life, Azalea." Kalawarner attested.
"I don't want her to think she owes me because of that." Azalea countered.
"That's not what I'm trying to imply." Kalawarner said. "You can't just hide from her, you two sleep in the same bed."
"Why are pretty women so damn intimidating?" Azalea groaned.
Kalawarner took a small amount of offense to that statement.
"Gee, I wouldn't know." Kalawarner sarcastically replied.
"Kalawarner, you're gorgeous, but you're also my aunt." Azalea clarified. "Raynare… She's perfect."
"You are aware that Raynare is eight hundred years old, right?" Kalawarner shared.
"She's a sexy older woman, too?!" Azalea's expression grew forlorn. "As if she wasn't already light-years out of my league."
Kalawarner had some serious judgments. She kept them to herself.
"I'm going to go get myself a snack, do you want anything?" Azalea said as she got up, sounding mildly despondent.
"No, I'm good." Kalawarner said. "Sorry I couldn't be of any help."
"Don't apologise." Azalea said. "Thanks for listening."
"Any time." Kalawarner said. "If you need a follow up, you know where to find me."
"Thanks." Azalea said, stepping out and closing the door behind her.
Kalawarner continued sitting in the same spot, then dropped back onto her bed.
"Why are we fallen angels so God-damned stupid?" She groaned to herself.
Brandon continued his progress recreating the shape of one of Raynare's spears from his stand, until he got a light knock at his door.
"Come in." Brandon sighed, setting the incomplete glass replica down.
Azalea let herself in, shutting the door behind her. "Hey, bro."
"Something you needed, Azalea?"
"Yeah, actually." Azalea said, scratching the back of her head. "How do you talk to someone that's way above your level?"
Brandon rolled his eyes.
"You ju-" Brandon began.
"You've got some nerve!" Raynare said, throwing Brandon's door open.
Brandon turned to face the fallen angel.
The sound of glass breaking made Brandon whip his head back in Azalea's direction. His sister was no longer to be seen and his window was shattered.
Brandon was stunned. After a moment he and an equally speechless Raynare rushed to the windowsill, to confirm what they thought just happened had in fact happened. They looked down.
There was a vaguely Azalea shaped imprint in the backyard soil. Not as deep of an impression as Brandon would expect from a second story drop.
Brandon used his stand's ability to pull the shards of his window back. The piece reconnected like a puzzle and welded together, leaving only razor thin marks where the cracks used to be.
Azalea was far worse than Brandon had assumed.
Someone began knocking at the back door.
Brandon let out a sigh. "I'll get it."
For the second time that day, someone was at Kalawarner's door. This time was less mild a knock than from Azalea's visit.
"Come in." Kalawarner said.
Brandon opened the door and walked inside.
"Hey, Kala." Brandon said.
"Hey Brandon." Kalawarner replied.
"Azalea and Raynare are hopeless idiots." Brandon stated.
"Yep." Kalawarner concurred.
"So how'd your talk go?" Brandon asked.
"About as well as you'd expect." Kalawarner said. "How about you?"
"It was actually going fine, until Raynare asked me if I think she has a shot with Azalea."
"Why's that?" Kalawarner enquired.
"I started laughing, I couldn't help it." Brandon said. "Raynare is practically everything Azalea is attracted to in a woman, and she asked if she had a shot."
"Has anyone ever told you you're kind of an asshole?" Kalawarner asked.
"I have heard that once or twice, yes." Brandon confirmed. "But give me a break, Azalea's first words to her were 'step on me.' How much more obvious can you get?"
Kalawarner blinked. "I can see Azalea saying that."
"I mean, it's so obvious there's a mutual attraction." Brandon said. "But it seems like someone's going to have to step in if they want any progress."
"So are you planning to play matchmaker?" Kalawarner asked.
"Oh, no I think I'm just going to watch them flounder about for a while." Brandon said. "It's kind of funny."
"What could possibly be entertaining about two women that are unable to communicate?" Kalawarner questioned.
"Azalea jumped out of a window."
"I thought she couldn't fly." Kalawarner stated.
"She can't."
"Is she okay?" Kalawarner asked.
"She's practically indestructible. Came back knocking at the door a minute later."
"Your family is insane." Kalawarner stated.
"Can't argue there." Brandon agreed.
Brandon prepared himself a bag of kettle corn and remained a passive observer as Raynare and Azalea continued finding new and creative ways to fail at basic communication.
If Raynare entered a room Azalea happened to be in, the nephilim would quickly excuse herself. The few times Azalea gathered the courage to approach Raynare she'd devolve into a blushing mess, fumble her words, and retreat.
Occasionally they'd bump into each other by accident, freeze up, then apologise as they dashed away in separate directions.
Most of the morning was taken up by these failed interactions.
Eventually Brandon ran out of kettle corn, and grew bored of the antics. What was briefly entertaining grew played out and aggravating.
He guessed it was time to play matchmaker.
"Sis, have a moment?" Brandon asked, entering Azalea's room.
"Sure, what do you need?" Azalea replied.
"I never got to finish what I was trying to say." Brandon said. "You kind of jumped out of my window, if you recall."
"Sorry." Azalea apologised, looking down. "Not really my brightest stunt."
"Don't worry, Shattered Glass has already taken care of it." Brandon brushed aside the damage. "Now come on, follow me and I'll finish up."
"Can't you tell me here?" Azalea asked.
"Nope."
"But what if I run into Raynare?" Azalea voiced her concern.
"Don't worry, last time I checked she was napping on Mom's bed." Brandon maintained. "You won't bump into your crush."
"Alright, lead the way." Azalea said. "I guess."
Azalea followed her brother out towards the living room. She knew he was up to something, but she needed the advice. She took some solace in the knowledge that Brandon wouldn't try something as inelegant as just pushing her into Raynare.
When they entered the living room the television was on. It was odd for her brother to forget to shut it off, she supposed even he slips up every now and then. But Brandon had no interest in tokusatsu?
Distracted by the TV, Azalea didn't notice Raynare on one end of the couch leaning her head against the armrest. She had her eyelids sinking, just about to nod off.
Brandon took advantage of Azalea's momentary confusion and pushed her onto the couch.
"What the hell?" Raynare blurted, shooting upright.
Shattered Glass shards surrounded the couch at a one meter radius.
"Brandon, what are you doing?" Azalea demanded.
"It was funny at first, but this 'Will they, won't they?' bullshit has gone on long enough." Brandon said. "Just talk to her!"
Azalea slowly turned her head towards the couch's other occupant, sported a blush, then quickly hid her face in her hands.
Raynare didn't seem to be faring much better.
"You're not getting out until you communicate how you feel." Brandon said.
After minutes of silence, Raynare was the first to speak up.
"Azalea?" She began, making the nephilim face her, and peek through her fingers. "This morning, did I come on too strong? Is that why you've been avoiding me?"
Azalea lowered her hands. She saw how nervous Raynare looked and steeled herself to answer.
"No, of course not… well, yes." Azalea admitted. "But that's not why I've been avoiding you. I was scared I hurt your feelings when I ran off, and then you saw my feeding frenzy…"
"I'm not going to lie, it did hurt a little, but in hindsight I may have been way too forward. You were raised by humans after all." Raynare reasoned. "And about the whole 'feeding frenzy' thing, I've known fallen angels with way weirder quirks. Don't think that's enough to drive me off."
"Regardless, I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to respond." Azalea sighed. "It's not fair, why do you have to be so pretty?"
"You think I'm pretty?"
"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?" Azalea deadpanned. "You know the answer."
Raynare's cheeks began to lightly redden as a small smile formed on her face. Compliments were typically something reserved for her alias, Yuuma Amano, from those who'd cry out in disgust over her real nature. This may very well have been the first one she's received as her true self in centuries.
"Oh stop, you don't mean that." Raynare said, fishing for further praise.
"Raynare, you are quite possibly the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen, and I have no idea how to handle it." Azalea rebuffed, her blush becoming far more apparent than Raynare's.
The full blooded fallen angel was taken aback. Brandon simply rolled his eyes from the other side of the Shattered Glass barrier, but couldn't help letting one side of his mouth give the slightest curve upward.
"No one at the grigori has ever said anything like that to me." Raynare said, getting misty eyed. "I'm considered pretty average by fallen angel standards."
"Well, the grigori is an idiot!" Azalea fervidly blurted out. Just thinking of the mistreatment Raynare must've been through in that organisation got the nephilim heated.
Azalea took a moment to close her eyes and slow down her breathing.
"Sorry about that." Azalea spoke more calmly.
"Wasn't there something you wanted to ask her, Azalea?" Brandon spoke up.
"Wait! Right now?!" Azalea questioned.
"Yep." Brandon retorted.
"What is it?" Raynare asked, curiously.
Azalea slowly turned her head to look Raynare in the eyes. Azalea's face lit up.
"W-would you be willing to?" Azalea closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and steeled herself once more. "Would you be willing to go out for a date?" She said, in an octave louder than she intended.
The nephilim quickly covered her mouth with her hands. She couldn't believe she was able to get the words out. She didn't even notice Shattered Glass dissolving from the air. She couldn't hear a thing over her own heart jackhammering.
"Yes." And yet, the most important part of Raynare's answer still somehow reached through.
Azalea's pupils overtook her irises, and began encroaching on the whites of her eyes.
"Pardon me, I need to step outside for a moment." Azalea said, robotically, before making her way to the front door.
"Is that bad?" Raynare questioned.
"I suggest you cover your ears." Brandon warned.
…
Aine helped Mittelt jump into the back seat of her car. It was a tight fit along with all of the new clothes, but thankfully Mittelt was small. A mattress was ungracefully roped to the top of the vehicle and the trunk was filled with disassembled furniture.
"So how'd you enjoy our first excursion together?" Aine asked.
"I can't lie, I had a blast." Mittelt said.
"I'm glad." Aine said, smiling.
"FUCK YEAH!" Echoed down to the shopping district.
"Was that Azalea's voice?" Dohnaseek questioned.
"That should answer your question." Brandon said as he slowly uncovered his ears.
Raynare was feeling thankful she listened to the stand user.
Azalea walked back inside with the biggest, goofiest smile on her face, then quickly lifted Raynare in a hug.
"Congratulations, Sis. You finally asked a girl out." Brandon said, giving light applause.
"Is tomorrow a good day for you?!" Azalea practically squealed.
"I don't have any plans, sounds like a date." Raynare answered, beaming. "But could you put me down now?"
"Oh, sorry." Azalea said, before lowering Raynare onto the ground and letting go. Her smile did not let up.
Once Raynare was free, she turned the tables and wrapped Azalea in her own embrace, resting her head in the crook of the nephilim's neck.
After a moment Azalea began to feel her collar growing wet, and slowly patted Raynare on the back with a whispered "there, there."
"I can't believe this." Raynare tearily hiccupped out.
Kalawarner left her room, rubbing her ear.
"What the he- oh." She cut herself off, seeing Azalea and Raynare in an embrace. "I thought you said you weren't going to play matchmaker." The fallen angel teased.
"They were more hopeless than I thought, and I ran out of kettle corn." Brandon shrugged.
"Should we give these two their privacy?" Kalawarner asked.
"Good idea." Brandon said, before heading back upstairs. He trusted that his sister wouldn't get into any trouble, and Raynare clearly wasn't in any shape to try. They'd be fine.
Aine pushed her key into the lock and turned. It was far more quiet than she'd expected upon return, almost suspiciously so.
When she entered the living room she was greeted by the sight of her daughter and Raynare, both asleep leaning against each other on the couch.
Mittelt followed shortly behind her, carrying an armful of outfits.
"We're back." She announced, before promptly getting shushed by Aine, who then gestured to the snoozing couple.
Aine reached into her pocket, and grabbed her phone, snapping a couple pictures before shifting her attention back to Mittelt.
"Go get Brandon to help carry things in, but make sure you stay quiet." Aine whispered.
Mittelt shrugged and complied, carrying her cargo upstairs.
Brandon was on the verge of a breakthrough, creating a spear from Shattered Glass highly similar to Raynare's after they'd been encased. He just needed a bit more focus and he'd eventually get it down to muscle memory.
Mittelt threw open Brandon's door and invited herself inside.
Brandon jumped before turning to the unnerving young fallen angel that had brazenly invaded his space. The spear broke into shards at his start.
"Aine wants you to help out." She said, casually tossing her new outfits to the side on Brandon's floor.
"Just barge in, that's fine." He grumbled.
"You'd better get used to it." Mittelt said, unapologetically. "We're like, totally roommates now."
"Wonderful." Brandon uttered in annoyance. He just knew this girl would be a constant headache. "Welp, I guess we'd better head off, pipsqueak."
"Pipsqueak?" Mittelt repeated in offense. "I'll have you know that I'm like a million percent better than some human nobody."
"Sure you are." Brandon replied, rolling his eyes as he walked past her. "Guess that means you can shoulder a million percent of the housework."
"Hey!" Mittelt protested, following after him.
Brandon used a shard of his stand to screw in the final screw–or more accurately the final screw they could find–holding the new bed frame together. All that was left was to bring the mattress in, make the bed, and accept that he no longer had solitude in his own room because of some living doll masquerading as a fallen angel masquerading as a little girl.
The worst part was that there was no reasonable outlet for Brandon's frustration with the situation.
He couldn't blame Azalea for acting on her nature, considering the alternative was to let them die. He couldn't blame his mother for sweeping the problem his way, his room was the only one that had the space. And for all Brandon's talk even he'd get a bad taste in his mouth from kicking a literal child out to the street.
But did she have to dress like a maid?
"Hellooo, Earth to Brandon." Mittelt said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"What?" Brandon responded, standing up to full height.
"You've been scowling at nothing for like two minutes now." The young fallen angel griped. "I can't drag the mattress in all on my own."
"Oh, right." Brandon said.
The two would go on to haul Mittelt's mattress into Brandon's room and onto its frame. Or more accurately, Brandon hauled the mattress while Mittelt 'helped' pull. After the mattress had been set atop the bed frame, Mittelt collapsed on top of it.
Brandon took note that in spite of the fallen angel's minimal contribution she still exhausted herself. Even at her age moving something as simple as a boxspring would never drain him like that. And weren't fallen angels supposed to be inherently stronger than humans?
Then it hit him. Mittelt was likely just as malnourished as Raynare, maybe even more so.
"Are you alright?" Brandon asked, without his usual snide undertone.
Mittelt just laid there, heavily inhaling and exhaling.
"Well, at least you're still breathing." Brandon commented.
Brandon allowed Mittelt some time to catch her breath, a couple minutes and it normalised. Then she got back up as if nothing ever happened.
"Like, what are you sitting around for?" Mittelt asked in her standard inflection.
"I was waiting for you to stop dying." Brandon said.
"Oh give me a break, like you've never needed a minute to catch your breath." Mittelt scoffed.
"I don't remember gasping like a fish." Brandon muttered under his breath. "Are you sure you don't want to sit things out?"
Mittelt thought for a moment. "Well, if you're offering." The fallen angel threw herself back onto the mattress.
Brandon made his exit, then a minute later returned with a set of sheets and blankets.
"You can make your own bed though." He said, tossing the wad of bed linen directly at Mittelt. "Oh, and put on something other than that maid getup. You've been wearing it since yesterday."
Leaving the little fallen angel to her own devices, Brandon went on to assist elsewhere in the house, hoping Mittelt didn't get multiples of the same dress.
Azalea was not deeply asleep. The sounds of footsteps and commotion were enough to get her to crack an eye.
She saw Brandon and Aine carrying pieces of what looked to be disassembled furniture to the stairway. Dohnaseek was bringing in sets of clothes.
Normally she'd be eager to help out, but in this instance she didn't want to move. She was far too comfortable where she was, and had no desire to disturb her… girlfriend? Was it too early to call Raynare that? Were they just going on a date, or were they dating?
Unbeknownst to Azalea, her blush was clearly visible, and growing. Aine and Brandon were well aware she was awake, but opted to leave her to her moment.
Even without Azalea's help, it took under an hour to set everything up and get everyone's new clothes sorted.
"Why'd you grab a display case anyway, Mom?" Brandon asked as they finished setting the piece up. "Neither of us are really big on collecting."
"I thought it would be a good way to commemorate our victories." Aine said.
Brandon gave his mother an odd look.
"I highly doubt Freed and the church will be our last confrontations, and it'll be nice to be able to look back at what we've overcome." Aine explained.
Brandon frowned. "I guess a quiet life is a far off dream."
"Unfortunately." Aine concurred, inserting a small key into the case's lock.
"I think I'm going to check up on Pipsqueak." Brandon said. "Make sure she hasn't started a fire or anything."
"That's a valid concern." Kalawarner called out from downstairs.
"Alright." Aine said. "Call me if you're having any trouble."
"Will do." Brandon said, before turning to his door, which was about two paces from where they set up the display case.
Before Brandon could make a step, Aine wordlessly pulled him into a hug. She knew that all of this was a lot for her son to deal with.
"... I love you too, Mom." Brandon said, patting his mother's arm. After a moment Aine let go, and both continued on.
Brandon opened his door to find Mittelt, struggling with her bed's fitted sheet. She had changed into a frilly white, long skirted dress with accents of yellow. The only piece of her old outfit she kept was her oversized bow. Brandon found the current getup far less unsettling.
"You have no idea how to make a bed, do you?" Brandon deadpanned.
"Shut up." Mittelt growled in frustration as she fruitlessly attempted attaching the sheet sideways.
Brandon rolled his eyes and stepped up to the other side of her bed. He then grabbed one end of the sheet and reoriented it horizontally.
The elder brother pulled one corner to its corresponding edge of the bed and Mittelt followed suit on her side. Afterward they repeated the action for the upper end of the bed.
"Just take a seat, I'll finish the rest." Brandon suggested, to which Mittelt had no complaints, quickly getting out of his way. "And make sure to pay attention."
Brandon dealt with the flat sheet, the blanket, and the pillows along with their cases. Both the blanket and the pillow cases shared a black color scheme with white frills. Brandon wondered if the fallen angel was going for a theme or if she just had generally poor taste.
"There, all done." Brandon said, patting the finished bed. "You're welcome."
"Wow thanks, you're a lifesaver." Mittelt said, before going up and jumping face down onto her pillows.
Brandon supposed living with the pipsqueak would be tolerable.
After a minute, Mittelt lifted her face back up from the mattress. "But y'know, now that I think about it… I, like, totally had the judgement to get your help. So doesn't that make me great, too?"
Brandon gave Mittelt a nonplussed stare.
"Really, you should be thanking me." The fallen angel bragged.
Brandon turned away from Mittelt's bed and let himself fall face first on his own. He had made his judgement too early. This was going to be a headache.
"Okay, lovebirds." Aine spoke.
Azalea, still leaning against Raynare, cracked her eyelids to see her mother, arms crossed and tapping her foot, but also smiling. It took a moment to register what had been said, and in that moment Azalea's face heated back up.
"Open your eyes too, Raynare. I know you're not asleep." Aine said. "All of the work is already done."
Raynare complied, but otherwise didn't make any effort to move. "So you caught me." She said, looking pleased with herself. "Now what?"
"I guess congratulations are in order." Aine said. "I'm so proud of you, Azalea. You finally got yourself a girlfriend." She bent down, and pinched Azalea's cheek.
"Mooom." Azalea whined out in embarrassment.
"So, when's the first date?" Aine asked, releasing Azalea.
"We're planning for tomorrow." Raynare said, with a grin. "Nothing specific, just a trip downtown."
"Need me to drop you off?" Aine offered.
"I've got transportation covered." Raynare said.
"Alright, but I'd like to have some words with both of you before you go." Aine said. "You know, typical protective parent things."
"Fair enough." Raynare shrugged.
A casual sounding knock at the front door caught Aine's attention.
"I wonder who that could be?" Aine pondered aloud. The neighbors tended to keep to themselves, and she was unsure if any of her kids' friends had the means to travel to the edge of town, or even knew their address.
The mother Byrne opened the door to reveal a man with a goatee and violet eyes, wearing a red tapered coat with two belts at the midsection, and standing at 188 centimeters. His hair was the inverse of Azalea's.
"Oh, it's you." The kindness and life drained from Aine's voice in a moment. "Could you step a bit closer?"
The man moved forward, and without warning Aine slammed the door full force into his face. The sound got the notice of the rest of the house's occupants, who flocked to the living room.
"What happened?" Brandon asked, seeing his mother silently fuming with her hand on the doorknob.
The man knocked a second time and Aine reopened the door.
"Oh, sorry. Hand must've slipped." She apologised without the slightest hint of sincerity.
The fallen angel residents were dumbfounded, seeing who it was.
"Hello." The man affably greeted, with a wave.
"I quit last week, I am not getting sucked up in this drama." Kalawarner said, before retreating to her room.
"You wouldn't mind if I stepped inside, would you Aine?" The man asked.
Aine turned away without closing the door, and began marching toward the kitchen. "I'm going to make some tea."
The man took this as an invitation and stepped inside.
Dohnaseek, Mittelt, and especially Raynare went pale. Azalea felt highly uneasy about the stranger.
"Okay, I'm out of the loop." Brandon said. "Who's this bozo, and why is everyone so stunned?"
"How rude of me." The man responded. "My name is Azazel and I am the governor of the grigori, the fallen angel's faction."
"Oh, that's a big name." Brandon replied, not sounding particularly impressed. "Why are you here?"
"I simply came to speak with a few agents that I've received reports of going off script." Azazel said, losing much of his casual demeanor. "You wouldn't mind if I borrowed them for a moment, would you?"
Raynare's heart sank.
"Your mouth works just fine here, Goatee." Brandon held his ground.
"Very well." The fallen governor shrugged.
Azazel claimed the chair and the remaining full blooded fallen each took a spot on the couch. Azalea stood just ahead of Raynare, not quite directly in front of her, but able to move to cover her and the rest in a moment's notice.
Brandon created his own seat from his stand, which garnered a bit of interest from Azazel.
"Where do I even begin?" Azazel asked Rhetorically as he stared down three very guilty looking fallen angels.
"You were gonna let us off the hook?" Mittelt suggested, hopefully.
"You disobeyed orders to observe the wielder of a dormant sacred gear and assassinated him, you attempted to remove the sacred gear of a potentially valuable ally using stolen equipment, and you've displayed blatant disregard for the fact that you have been operating in high class devil territory." Azazel listed off. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"
Raynare was shaking like a leaf. She tried moving her mouth but no words would come out.
"I have no excuse for our actions." Dohnaseek spoke up. "Our motivations were purely selfish and we grew shortsighted."
"We?!" Mittelt repeated in disbelief. "Wasn't this whole thing Raynare's fault?"
Dohnaseek slowly raised his hand to his forehead. "Raynare was clearly never fit to lead, but not once have we spoken up against her decisions. We have been enabling her throughout the entire scheme, therefore we all shoulder the burden of blame."
"Quite noble of you to avoid throwing your former superior under the bus, but that won't lighten Raynare's sentence." Azazel plainly put. "Dohnaseek and Mittelt, you two are officially banished from the grigori for your involvement, but you Raynare…"
Raynare reflexively gasped from being directly addressed. An almost imperceptible growl escaped Azalea's throat as she inched ever so slightly in front of her.
"You nearly caused an international incident that would've reignited the great war, and likely driven the fallen angels to extinction." Azazel illustrated, standing up. "There was more than enough evidence implicating you found at this town's abandoned church, as well as testimony from the stray priests. You'd be lucky if your sentence was to rot in the depths of Cocytus, that's if I don't just hand you over to the Gremory residence and let them execute you themselves."
Azalea moved fully in front of the distraught Raynare and flared out her wings. All ten violently rattled, crackling with hamon as she emitted a low, inhuman hiss. Her eyes pinning all the while, giving off an unhinged image.
The three rogue fallen angels were stunned into silence.
A flash of surprise illuminated Azazel's face. The snarling girl's feathers matched his own perfectly.
Azazel stepped forward and a myriad of colorful glass shards appeared pointed before him.
"Not the best idea." Brandon warned.
"Are you sure you want to go down this route for her?" Azazel questioned, attempting to push aside a shard with one finger, but finding it would not budge no matter how much force was applied. Curious.
Azalea made no change in behavior. It was unlikely she could even hear Azazel's words at this point.
"What does it look like to you?" Brandon asked rhetorically. "Ray almost caused an international incident, but it looks like we're about to incite a bigger one."
Azazel chuckled in spite of Brandon's clear threat. As serious as the situation was, the boy was quite amusing. No reservations in the slightest when talking to the head of a major faction, and that sacred gear of his was fascinating. A subspecies of annihilation maker perhaps?
The sound of a cup breaking snapped Azazel out of his focus. Aine stepped out of the kitchen looking furious. She had small cuts on her palm and fingers.
"Azazel!" Aine's voice made the man freeze. "It's quite rude to invite yourself into someone else's home, then threaten the residents, wouldn't you agree?"
For the first time in what felt like millennia, Azazel felt unease.
"Aine, I apologise for the unannounced drop by, but sentencing rogue agents falls well within my purview." Azazel explained.
"Allow me to pop a jaunty little bonnet on your purview and ram it up the shitter with a lubricated horse cock." Aine flagrantly replied. "Put your hand on the wall." She instructed.
Azazel hesitated.
"I'm telling you to put your hand against the wall, you sack of cum." Aine demanded. "Get the fuck over there before I lose my patience."
Azazel stepped over to the front wall, and put the back of his hand flat against it, then looked back at Aine.
A kitchen knife pierced through his palm and into the drywall. His first instinct was to try and pull it out.
"Leave It!" Aine commanded and Azazel abided, tearing his free hand away.
The mother Byrne bridged the distance between her and Azalea's father. Aine put a hand under Azazel's chin. He felt as though a second, invisible hand was grasping at his heart.
"You are not welcome here. You do not get to threaten anyone I've taken in. They are no longer with the grigori. They are my responsibility now." Lotus Juice strengthened its grip on Azazel's heart ever so slightly as Aine asserted her authority. "If you so much as look at them funny I will rain down upon you so hard that you'll have to be reassembled by fucking air crash investigators. Are we clear?"
Azazel nodded.
"I said are we clear, you mincing fucking Cunt?!" Aine raised her voice.
"Yeah." Azazel managed to expel, nodding again.
"Now get out of my fucking sight!" Aine said, pulling her kitchen knife out of Azazel's hand.
Azazel turned and walked out through the front door, clutching his wounded hand, with no further argument. Once he was gone, Aine closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Wow, Mom's a badass." Mittelt exclaimed, catching Aine's attention. Was she there the whole time?
Aine swiftly pivoted herself in the direction of Mittelt's voice. Raynare and Dohnaseek were wide eyed in disbelief, Azalea was still focused and huffing at the spot where Azazel was, Brandon flashed a thumbs up, and Mittelt looked amazed at what she just witnessed.
"Is everyone alright?" Aine asked.
"Everything's fine." Brandon answered. "Looks like Azalea is stuck in tunnel vision, but that should wear off eventually."
Aine walked over to her daughter. Azalea's eyes were still pinning as she glared at nothing. Aine gently placed her hand on Azalea's shoulder and she near instantly snapped from her daze.
"Everything's fine now, Azalea. He left." Aine said, pulling her into a hug.
"Is Raynare alright?" Azalea asked.
Aine separated and turned her daughter around to face Raynare, who was still processing everything.
Without warning, Raynare stood up, and clung to Azalea. She held on as if her life depended on it, and Azalea wrapped her wings around both of them.
Scooting the couple a bit to the side, Aine's next focus was Mittelt, who she quickly lifted into a hug.
"You poor sweetheart, I'm sorry you had to hear all that." Aine preened, squeezing the little fallen angel.
Mittelt pondered complaining, or playing up her terror to milk it for all its worth, but in the end just let herself enjoy being doted on. Slowly she wrapped her arms around Aine.
After a few minutes, Mittelt dozed off in Aine's embrace.
"Aww, little things had too much excitement for one day." Aine cooed. "How about you Dohnaseek, not too shaken up by my little outburst?"
Dohnaseek put himself together, rather immediately. "Now that you ask, after last night, I'm not all that surprised. It was quite attractive actually."
"T.M.I. Donny." Brandon commented.
"And I know that the only effect this'll have on you is that you'll have a couple new sentence enhancers to add to your vocabulary." Aine said, turning to her son.
"I may have to write down some notes." Brandon shrugged.
"Good, while you're at it you can take Mittelt to bed." Aine said, before passing her over.
"What a pain." Brandon muttered as he begrudgingly complied, taking Mittelt into his arms and walking upstairs.
"And you two." Aine brought her attention back to her daughter and Raynare, still latched together. "Take it to your room."
Azalea had awkwardly carried Raynare upstairs and to her room, before sitting both of them down on her bed. The nephilim gently rocked the full blooded fallen angel back and forth.
"There, there." Azalea whispered. "He's gone now, nobodies going to hurt you."
Raynare tried burying her face deeper into the crook of Azalea's neck. Azalea leaned her cheek against the top of Raynare's head in response.
"Whoever that was, he's not coming back."
Eventually Raynare began to speak, without removing her face from Azalea's neck. The words came out too muffled to understand, and only served to tickle Azalea's skin, making her unintentional giggle. Honestly, Raynare should have expected that.
Reluctantly, the fallen angel lifted her head.
"Azalea, that was Azazel." Raynare said.
Azalea blinked, unsure if that name was supposed to mean anything to her. Was it because they sounded similar?
"The governor of the grigori." Raynare specified.
"Not ringing any bells." Azalea said.
"Oh, for the love of…" Raynare muttered. "Azazel's your father."
"Him?!" Azalea exclaimed in shock.
"Didn't your mom ever tell you where you came from?" Raynare questioned.
"Fathers are a sensitive topic for Mom." Azalea said. "So I never really asked."
"Understandable. That woman is terrifying." Raynare shivered thinking back to the level of control Aine commanded over the world's strongest fallen angel.
"Don't be so dramatic, she just did what any other mother would do. I think. Everything after what's-his-face showed up is kind of a blur." Azalea said. "Still, hard to believe the first, and hopefully last, meeting I have with my father is him showing up out of nowhere to threaten my girlfriend, when I'm almost an adult."
Raynare looked at Azalea as if she couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Did I say girlfriend out loud?" Azalea asked, face growing pink.
"You said it, you can't take it back!" Raynare practically squealed, squeezing Azalea.
Azalea snuggled closer, silently musing that she may not be the bigger dork in this relationship after all.
After a pleasant silence, Raynare separated from Azalea, looking quite guilty. "Can I share something with you?"
"Of course." Azalea said.
"Assassinating Issei, trying to steal Twilight Healing, all of it was to impress Azazel, to get him to look at me."
The thought of the man who hurt her mother laying eyes on Raynare in any capacity put a frown on Azalea's face.
"But not just him. Penemue, Shemhazai, and the rest of the grigori." Raynare looked more and more dejected as she continued speaking. "I wanted them to see that I could be useful, that I wasn't just a lowly piece of garbage."
Azalea began patting Raynare on the shoulder.
Raynare's tear ducts leaked. "I guess that backfired, huh?"
"Raynare, you've done some reprehensible things, but you're not garbage." Azalea assured.
"Even back in heaven I was more of a liability than an asset." Raynare said, looking away.
Azalea stood up, stepped in front of Raynare, and placed her hands firmly on the fallen angel's shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes.
"You're worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love too."
Raynare wondered where these words had been when she first fell. Why was it only after her lowest point that someone was truly caring for her? Her tears flowed freely as she dropped her head against Azalea's stomach, dampening the nephilim's shirt.
"Just so you know, my stance on murder is a hard negative." Azalea added, with a bit of levity.
A quick snicker escaped the fallen angel despite herself.
"I can live with that." She accepted.
Brandon tucked Mittelt snugly into her bed. He still couldn't believe that he had to share his living space with this pint sized fallen pipsqueak, and he had no idea why he was going out of his way for her comfort when her very existence was a discomfort to him.
Maybe he was going soft; he couldn't exactly blame her for her upbringing. Regardless, she was far more tolerable when she was sleeping.
"Pain in the ass." He said, giving the snoozing Mittelt a head pat.
Eventually Raynare was able to fully pull herself together, but not before soaking a good quarter of Azalea's shirt in saline. After the nephilim changed into a spare, the two occupied themselves with idle chatter.
"So what's flying like?" Azalea asked.
"I never really put any thought into it." Raynare said, scratching her cheek. "It's a lot better than using my legs, I guess."
"I wouldn't know." Azalea said, letting her wings emerge. "For the longest time I thought these things were vestigial."
"I can't imagine spending my life walking everywhere." Raynare commented. "Sounds like torture."
"I'm not complaining." Azalea said. "But the prospect of learning to soar has me pretty excited. A little scared, but excited."
"If Mittelt can get the hang of it, I'm sure you can." Raynare encouraged.
Azalea snickered at the thought of that chicklet fledging. The hijinks she must have gotten into.
There was a minute of silence. Azalea and Raynare had nothing more to add to the topic so they spent a few quiet moments just enjoying each other's company.
"Could you show me yours?" Azalea suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Raynare seemed oddly confused, as if Azalea had contradicted herself somehow.
"Back at the church you had them out, but it was dark and hectic so I didn't get a good look." Azalea elaborated.
"Are you sure?" Raynare questioned.
"Did I say something wrong?" Azalea asked, pondering if there were implications to asking to see another angel's wings.
"No, not at all." Raynare said. "I don't mind, I just wasn't expecting you to get so bold after this morning."
Raynare began lifting the front of her shirt. Azalea went wide eyed and red, then vanished. Confused, the fallen angel let the piece of clothes fall back over her stomach.
Just like the morning, Azalea's bathroom door was suddenly closed. Raynare walked up to said door and knocked.
"Azalea, is something wrong?" She asked.
"Why'd you start stripping?" Azalea spouted.
"You said you wanted to see them."
"I meant your wings!" Azalea exclaimed. "Context Raynare, context for Christ's sake!"
"Well, you were glancing at them."
"I was not!" Azalea unconvincingly insisted. She was.
Azalea's blush grew as she heard Raynare laugh from the other side.
"I'm sorry." Raynare said, pulling herself together. "And you can come back out, I'm dressed."
The doorknob slowly twisted and opened a crack. Peeking through, Azalea saw Raynare was telling the truth. She opened the door and stepped out.
The nephilim's face was a shade of red that Raynare had known was possible in a fallen angel, or a human for that matter.
"Wow, you really are a virgin." Raynare teased.
"And?" Azalea questioned. "How would you react if the most gorgeous girl you've ever seen decided to flash you without warning?"
It was Raynare's turn to blush. Quite apparently, blunt complements did the trick.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Azalea said, triumphantly. "Also thanks for not going any further, I don't think my heart could've taken it."
"Of course." Raynare said.
In truth Raynare considered stripping completely before she called Azalea out, but opted not to in the end. Best not to risk accidentally killing her.
Another silence fell between the two. This time more awkward than pleasant, but it allowed Azalea's skin to return to its natural tone, or close at the very least.
"Did you still want to look at my wings?" Raynare asked.
"Yes." Was Azalea's immediate answer, as she enthusiastically nodded her head.
Why Azalea seemed so eager was beyond Raynare, they're just a single pair, completely unextraordinary. Nevertheless she let them emerge.
The nephilim was entranced by Raynare's plumage. She stepped closer, fixated.
"Is it alright if I touch them?" Azalea asked.
"Sure, go ahead." Raynare answered, still unsure about what Azalea found so special about them.
Practically purring, Azalea gently ran the backs of her fingers against the underside of Raynare's wing, with a look of utter wonder on her face. She marvelled at how much softer the downy feathers were than her own and her blush somewhat returned.
Raynare grew even more confused, but enjoyed the attention nonetheless.
Azalea soon turned her sight to the wing's outermost primaries. The black feathers had the faintest violet iridescent sheen, something she found entirely unique to Raynare.
"Beautiful." Azalea let slip without even realising it.
Eventually, the nephilim pulled herself back.
"Your wings are even more wonderful than mine." Azalea enthusiastically shared, not thinking.
"I wouldn't say that." Raynare said, scratching the back of her neck. "Yours have that pitch black monochrome, mysterious and alluring."
"You mean indistinct." Azalea countered. "Like a blank slate."
"But you have ten of yours." Raynare reasoned. "I only have the base two."
"Quality over quantity." Azalea simply put. "And yours are so much bigger than mine, too."
"Are we still talking about wings?" Raynare questioned, glancing down past Azalea's neck.
"Pervert." Azalea exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm not the one who just got done fondling another woman's feathers." Raynare countered.
Azalea's blush grew once more. She tried saying something in response, but could only sputter.
"I'm just teasing." Raynare assured. "You didn't do anything wrong, you weirdo."
Azalea let out a sigh, relieved that she didn't innocently commit some faux pas, but still embarrassed Raynare got her so easily.
Brandon knocked on his sister's bedroom door. He could hear lighthearted chatter from the other side so he knew Azalea and her new girlfriend were comfortable with each other. Nevertheless, he needed to speak with Raynare.
"Come in." Azalea granted entry.
Brandon made out a huff of annoyance from the room's other occupant as he twisted the knob.
"Hey, bro. What's up?" Azalea asked, as her brother let himself inside.
"Just thought I'd come over to check up on you two." Brandon casually explained. "And have a word with Raynare."
"Oh, alright." Azalea said.
"A one on one word." Brandon specified. "Could you keep an eye on Mittelt for the time being?"
"Sure." Azalea complied, rolling her eyes. She knew what was coming up and gave Raynare a look that said 'good luck,' before making her exit.
With his sister gone, Brandon turned his attention to the fallen angel she'd fallen for.
"Ray." Brandon said.
"Human." Raynare replied.
"It seems you're adjusting well." Brandon commented. "Getting along with your bedmate."
"Yes, I was enjoying her company until some worm came around." Raynare said. "Your point being?"
"Ah yes, My point. Might as well jump to that." Brandon said, nodding. "I apologise for the insensitive timing, with the Azazel incident today, but this is something that needs to be said sooner rather than later."
Jagged glass shards surrounded Raynare.
"Listen well, I don't give a fuck who, or what you are, but if you end up hurting my sister," Brandon's tone remained steady, he hadn't so much as raised his voice. "I'll make you wish I had let you die back at the church."
"We both saw how strong she is, how could I possibly hurt her?" Raynare questioned.
"There are more ways to hurt someone than just physically, if you trample her emotions, if you pressure her into doing something she doesn't want to do or isn't ready for, if you use her, well… I don't feel I need to repeat myself."
"I understand." Raynare evenly replied.
Honestly, Raynare wanted to throw back a snappy retort, call his bluff, or act outraged that a human had the gall to make a demand of her. Maybe it was the torrent of emotions she's felt over the past day and a half, but for some reason she just couldn't feel the indignation.
The floating glass shards faded out.
"Good." Brandon said, turning to walk to the doorway. Just before he shut himself out, he turned and spoke one final message. "By the way, Azalea's ticklish at the bases of her wings. Use that information as you will."
Azalea wasn't sure why her brother had asked her to watch over Mittelt specifically, seeing as the little angel was currently sound asleep, but she wasn't complaining.
It required some willpower to resist aww-ing out loud when she saw her snoozing. As if she wasn't precious enough when she was awake.
After a minute or so of keeping her eyes on Mittelt, Azalea absentmindedly raised a finger to poke her in the cheek. But just as she was about to do so, her brother returned.
"What are you doing?" Brandon whispered with urgency. "You'll wake her up."
Azalea stopped her hand right where it was, about five centimeters from making contact with Mittelt's face.
The nephilim slowly turned her face to her brother, then turned back and decidedly squished Mittelt's cheek with one finger before rushing out the door. Mittelt let out a quiet yawn and began rubbing her eyes.
Brandon bit back a swear.
Mittelt stretched her arms before pushing herself upright in her bed, remembering how she fell asleep downstairs and realising someone must have carried her up and tucked her in. She grinned internally, thinking that she basically had adoring servants now.
As the young fallen angel's vision began to clear, she noticed Brandon with one arm raised, looking particularly unhappy.
"What's got you all pissed off?" Mittelt questioned.
"Oh it's nothing." Brandon said, in an empty tone. "Just had a little headache reawaken."
"Like, totally sucks to be you." Mittelt said, tossing her head back on her pillow, secretly ecstatic that she now had pillows.
"Yep, totally sucks to be me." Brandon concurred, striding to his bed and letting himself fall backwards onto it.
"Sooo, roomie." Mittelt said. "How'd a nobody human like you beat Dohnaseek and Raynare anyway?"
"You guys really aren't as threatening as you think you are." Brandon said.
"I'll have you know I'm feared, like, all over the grigori." Mittelt blatantly lied. "I'm, like, totally a big shot."
"You nearly passed out trying to haul a thirty kilogram mattress." Brandon deadpanned.
"That's not what happened." Mittelt denied, giving no alternatives. "Like at all."
"So are the 'likes' a verbal tic, or?" Brandon asked.
"I have, like, no idea what you're talking about." Mittelt said.
Azalea returned to her room, finding Raynare looking rather pensive.
"Hey, Raynare." The nephilim greeted. "Brandon give you the 'don't hurt my little sister, or else' speech?"
"Yeah." Raynare answered.
"Typical." Azalea sighed. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I just have a bit to reflect on." Raynare answered. "Personal stuff, you know."
"Ah." Azalea acknowledged. "I can lend an ear if you want."
"I think this is something I need to sort out myself." Raynare said. "But could you stay with me while I do it?"
"Sure." Azalea sat down and draped herself over Raynare's back, head resting on the fallen angel's shoulder. "Is this alright?"
"Perfect." Raynare said, before leaning her head against Azalea's.
That night, three additions were made to the newly constructed display case, the late Freed Selzen's gun, a trio of black feathers plucked from Dohnaseek, Mittelt, and Raynare in that order, and a small vial containing just a few drops of Rias Gremory's blood.
These additions would be the first in a long line of unorthodox trophies.
"What are we going to do?" Rias questioned her only audience, Akeno Himejima.
"What can we do?" Akeno replied.
"It has to be something within the bounds of that…" Rias cut herself off from saying something uncouth. "Within the bounds of Brandon's verbal contract."
"What happens if a devil breaks a contract?" Akeno asked.
"I don't know!" Rias bemoaned. "There's no record of it ever happening."
"We really bit off more than we can chew this time."
"Brandon is far more of a vindictive schemer than we could've anticipated." Rias said. "And Azalea. Who would've thought a ten winged fallen angel was right under our noses?"
"Well she doesn't really act like one." Akeno granted, with a subtle tinge of guilt to her voice.
"Are you still caught up on what she said last night?" Rias asked.
But not subtle enough.
"'Because I'm not a monster.'" Akeno quoted, feeling the mostly healed cut Azalea left on her cheek. "I treated her just how I was treated, and that stuck with her."
"You couldn't have known that she was a nephilim." Rias offered a small comfort.
"That somehow doesn't help." Akeno said. "I was no different from…"
Akeno paused, memories she tried suppressing rushed to the forefront of her mind.
"If I hadn't said what I did, there wouldn't be nearly as much animosity toward us." Akeno said.
"Don't let your remorse make you forget that Brandon is an unstable thug, and has a grudge against my pawn." Rias firmly put forward. "We likely would have come to blows regardless."
Rias went silent for a moment.
"And I also share blame with how last night's events played out." Rias reluctantly admitted. "I made an amateur mistake letting Issei confront that fallen angel on his own and the delinquent capitalised on it. Now we need to tread lightly in our own territory."
"I guess all that's left is give Sona our updates." Akeno said
Rias groaned, letting her head fall into her arms.
Does writing two idiots with little to no experience with romance entering a relationship, when you're an idiot with little to no experience with romance, make it more authentic or amateur? Either way, it's incredibly awkward.
Mostly a slice of life chapter; characters settling into their places and getting to know one another. Raynare and Azalea fumbling, Mittelt annoying Brandon, Kalawarner just can't be bothered, nothing too groundbreaking. Oh, and Azalea met her birth father, that was a thing I guess.
I believe this was the first time Azalea's metabolism wasn't played out for humor or simply pushed to the background. It is a debilitating aspect of her anatomy, and there are consequences to not keeping up on it.
Eye pinning is a behavior common in the parrot family where their pupils will rapidly expand and contract. It can mean excitement, agitation, fear, or aggression. For parrots it's a conscious form of non verbal communication, but for Azalea it was purely instinctual. If Azazel had gotten any closer, he might've lost some fingers.
Yes, I did quote the She-ra reboot. Thank you for asking.
Coming up next: another visitor, and Azalea has her first date with Raynare. ADVENTURE!
In unrelated events, Fallen Rhea is absolutely heartbreaking, the lesbian dragon pope does not deserve to suffer like that. I may need to do a one shot of her at some point. Also Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroads came out, it was fantastic.
