They made it down just when the bonfires were lit, a cheer rising along with the flames. It was easy to get caught up in the excitement. The music was loud, and laughter rang even louder. It became darker as the night drew on, but the fires and the colorful lights kept everything illuminated. Simone was having an amazing time, dancing with her friends and watching the more daring ones jumping over the fires, but she kept one eye out for her bondmate. Stepping farther away from the fires and the dancing, she caught her breath; the others now just dark silhouettes against the firelight. Smoke swirled around her feet, circling her. She gave a knowing smirk.
"I was wondering when you would show up." She spoke softly, knowing he could hear her. A figure started to form, his upper half becoming solid as he continued to circle around her. She started to turn, trying to face him as they circled together. She gave a short chuckle, commenting on his attire.
"That's a very good color on you. Did Satya and you collaborate?" She asked, his stark white cloak and gold fixtures wasn't what he usually wore. A hand settled onto the small of her back, pulling her closer, the bells at her ankles chiming as they turned together.
"A happy accident." He said, a hum in his voice. He looked her up and down.
"Remind me to thank her later." His voice low. Simone flushed, though equally thankful for the choice of fashion. It seemed that Sombra was right; Gabriel did like it. The turning stopped, Gabriel completely solid now, hand still on her lower back.
"I think that counted as a dance." She told him, sliding a hand to his shoulder. He gave a low growl, lowering his head to whisper in her ear.
"I'll deny it if you tell anyone." Simone felt heat spread up her neck and behind her ears.
"I knew you were a good dancer." she teased, biting at her lower lip.
"You saw this?" He asked, his other hand stroking up her arm lightly.
"Something like this." She confessed. Her mind kept jumping back to her lifting the mask, but her fingers felt so heavy. Resting them on his upper arm, she slowly trailed her other hand up to his neck. She knew what she wanted, but she was worried about him. Looking into the eyes of his mask she pressed in closer. She licked her lips nervously before asking.
"Do you trust me?" He was silent for what seemed to be the longest second of her life, before giving a jerky nod of his head. He stood perfectly still as she lifted both hands, pushing lightly at the bottom of his mask. It rose, tilting up to slowly reveal his chin, then higher. It was just like her vision, his dark skin showing more and more as she continued to push the mask away. Her heart beat hard against her ribcage as she finally uncovered what she was wanting. His mask was pushed up just enough to expose his lips, framed by nicely groomed facial hair, a small scar at the top corner of his upper lip. She pulled her hands back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Standing as tall as she could, she pulled herself up and brushed her lips against his.
The first one was quick and light, but she kissed him again, more firmly and his hands found her hips, pulling her impossibly closer. She felt as if her heart had exploded into bubbles, popping and rising high in her throat. He was kissing her back! A breathy moan escaped her, and he responded with a pleased growl that make her knees weak. A shrill whistle cut through the rest of the noise, followed by cat calls and clapping. Simone snapped her head back, her face a bright red as Sombra and Jamie made kissy noises in their direction. Gabriel pulled his mask down roughly.
"I'm going to kill them." He snarled, probably just as embarrassed as she was to be caught like a couple of lovesick teenagers. Simone hid her face in her hands as laughter turned into shrieks, the two trouble makers trying to escape the enraged wraith. But she couldn't stop the smile that split her face.
With the fun behind them, Simone focused more fully on the needs of the war council. Preparations were rushed, and everyone was on edge. With no real knowledge of when or where the attack was going to be, everyone was staying on their toes, keeping watch for any threats. It seemed like the forges were working all day and night, and the time she spent portaling between lands had her exhausted. And it apparently was easy to tell, because both Jack and Gabriel insisted that the two sides of the war council should combine, meeting together to keep her from overworking her magic. She didn't protest, having both sides together was more efficient and since they were allies now, there was no real need for them to keep themselves segregated. They met at the old ruins, a large canopy set up for everyone to sit under. Simone kept the portal open as people filed through. Gabriel had chosen Amelie, Torbjorn, Zenyatta, Jamie, Mako; and two she hadn't met, Hanzo and a squat goblin woman named Bastion. Sombra had begged to come along, but Gabriel told her she was too young to be on the council. When everyone was there, she opened one for the council members from Overwatch. Jack came through first, with the other members of the council as well as Fareeha, Mei, Lucio, Jesse, Genji, and Zarya. Though the canopy was quite large, the 19 crowded underneath it made it seem small, and the atmosphere seemed to make the air thick. For most of the people there, it was the first time meeting someone from the other lands. Jack and Gabriel exchanged curt nods, and the meeting was started. They knew who the enemy was, so devising a strategy was first.
"How do you even kill a demon?" Torbjorn asked.
"Fire with not hurt them." Simone said quietly.
"Anything dies if you behead it." Jesse commented.
"Wait, what am I supposed to do if my fires ain't gunna do nothin' to them?" Jamie asked, crossing his arms in a huff.
"Demons can not survive without their heart. Though removing the head will do the trick as well." Ana supplied the answer.
"I am with the fire dryad, how is my fire supposed to help if it will not harm them?" Fareeha asked, taking Jamie's side. Ana gave her shoulder a pat.
"You're holy fire with certainly harm them, dear."
"Perks of being an archangel's daughter." Jesse snarked. Fareeha elbowed him in the stomach. There was arguments over the different strengths of each species, specifically geared towards how it would fare in a battle against a demon. As Simone watched the faces of the people around her, flashes of her vision flitted through her mind. Jack, face bloody. Ana, broken and still. Zenyatta, eyes wide and unseeing. Squeezing her eyes shut she took calming breaths. That was the future they were trying to prevent, she reminded herself. The vision was not going to pass as she saw it, they were going to win, she tried to convince herself. She would make sure of it, going over everything, reliving the visions if she had to, until every scrap of useful information was known. A hand grabbed hers, and her eyes popped open. Gabriel was next to her, still participating in the discussion, but giving her a comforting presence by taking her hand. She gave it a squeeze as thanks, and focused on what was being said.
"Zarya has her clan working with the blacksmith." Jack said.
"30 good, strong workers." Zarya boomed with pride.
"We can make plenty of armor and weapons."
"My forge can out smith yours anyday. No one is better at metal work then a goblin." Torbjorn taunted.
"Big words for a little man." Zarya smirked.
"Ya have me and Hoggie helpin' too, ya know." Jamie pointed out.
"Bastion, are you willing to join Torbjorn?" Gabriel asked. He got a nod in response, but Jamie interrupted.
"Hey now, we is getting everything done without no help. We even got Simone's special stuff done, even with all the extra stuff ya' keep piling on." It was like all sound stopped, Simone's eyes went wide and she looked at Jamie.
"Oops, wasn't supposed to say nothin'." Jamie gave an apologetic grin to Simone before Mako cuffed him on the back of his head.
"What stuff?" Gabriel asked the same time Jack questioned.
"What are you talking about?" Jamie gave a giant shake of his head and hunched his shoulders, choosing not to say anything. Mako stayed silent as well. Attention was turned to Simone, and she cleared her throat nervously.
"You asked them to make you something?" Gabriel was looking down at her expectantly.
"Wait just a minute! Why didn't you come to me? It's my forge." Torbjorn demanded.
"Umm… It's not that important, I wouldn't want to take up council time with this." Simone tried to brush it off. Gabriel brushed a thumb across her knuckles, staring down at her with that expressionless mask of his. Jack's blue eyes across from her, questioning, and between the two men, she found her resolve cracking.
"I.." She sighed, giving in.
"I asked Mako and Jamie to make me a set of armour and weapons in secret. I didn't ask Torbjorn because I knew he would ask you and you wouldn't like it." Gabriel gave an exasperated sigh.
"Why would you need armour? It's not like you're going to be there to fight." Jack questioned.
"Why not? " Simone demanded, straightening up in indignation.
"We are preparing for a war, and every able body is going to fight. Am I not an able body?"
"Are you actually going to let her do this?" Jack turned to Gabriel.
"She obviously thinks not, she commissioned it in secret." He responded, then turned to whisper in Simone's ear.
"We will finish this conversation later." She grimaced, not looking forward to that future conversation.
The rest of the council moved on to other matters, but Jamie leaned towards her as said in a low voice.
"Sorry, forgot it was a secret." Simone gave him a tiny smile to let him know it was okay.
"It's a real beaut though. Come by and see it." He gave a wink and set back up. Mako gave her a thumbs up. Simone suppressed the laugh that wanted to escape and returned the gesture. But the good feelings were easy to slip away when talk of war surrounded her.
Plans for combat and weapons training were set, the need for the two lands to better equate with one another before the actual battle. Jack and Gabriel setting aside a time for them to specifically discuss battle strategy based on special skills and abilities; which there were quite a few of. Ana promised to send some of her special calming tea to help Simone with her meditations, and Zenyatta assured her that he could also help with them as well. But it was time for everyone to head home, and Simone surprised them by opening two portals at once. Watching everyone go through, she closed the one to Overwatch, and stepped through the other after Gabriel, closing it after she reached the other side.
"You are not over taxing yourself, I hope." Zenyatta cocked an eyebrow and gave her a curious look.
She waved a hand in a dismissive way.
"Of course not. I feel perfectly fine. You are getting as bad as Gabriel." She teased. Gabriel scoffed, and Zenyatta took that as his cue to leave.
"Your magic is growing." It wasn't a question.
"Yes, I assumed as much when I was able to open a portal without a destination in mind. I just thought of you and one opened on its own." She flushed slightly when she realised how it sounded. He didn't say anything though, leading her with a hand in the small of her back. She looked around, wondering where they were going. But before she could ask, he supplied the answer.
"I thought you wanted to see your new armor." She stopped instantly, grimacing.
"You would not have let them continue if you had know." She tried explaining.
"You're right." He growled, clearly upset.
"And why not? I am not so weak that I couldn't fight."
"War is not a game." He snapped angrily. Brows furrowed and fists clenched she turned to glare at him.
"I'm not saying it is, and I will not be treated on the same level as a child, Gabriel." He gave an angry sigh, reaching out and pulling her tightly against his chest. Taken by surprise, she gripped tightly to his cloak as her head started to spin and she felt light as air. When everything returned to normal, they were in his room. He had misted, moving them to a more private place for their argument. Hand to her forehead, she swayed, trying to regain her balance.
"Warn me next time!"
"Why did you go behind my back?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"This is the reason." She claimed, waving her hands at his stoic stubbornness.
"You would have put a stop to it, and then I would be stuck here while everyone else fights."
"You will stay where it is safe."
"And why am I so special? Why am I the only one who gets to stay tucked away safely?"
"Because you are!" Gabriel shouted. Silence fell between the two, Simone unable to look at him.
He came up to her, hand on her shoulder, tipping her head back to look into her eyes.
"I need to protect you." He said softly.
"Because I am the doomsayer?"
"Because you are my bond mate." Her eyes began to burn, tears threatening to spill.
"And why can't I feel that way about you?" Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against his chest.
"I am not some damsel who would promise to die for you." She looked back up, determination in her eyes.
"But I will fight for you. To protect you and to protect our people. And I can't do that if you lock me away under the false promise of safety." He cut her off, pushing his mask up just enough to capture her lips in a kiss. Hands fisted in his shirt, she was a little breathless when they broke apart.
"You are incredibly stubborn." He accused, and she watched the way his lips moved as he talked.
"I don't think anyone has ever accused me of that before." She gave a soft chuckle. Leaning up, she kissed him again.
"Does this mean I can keep the armor?" She asked, a little hesitantly. He growled low in his chest, fighting with the decision.
"You are not a warrior. I'll need to teach you how to use your weapon." He finally said, slipping his mask back into place.