Getting away from his brethren was both a simple matter, and entirely dependent on luck. It helped that they were all buzzing over Pandemonium Fortress right now. Tearing down Baal's colors and putting up their own. Shoring up defenses.
Inarius probably wouldn't be missed. Even if he was, he didn't worry too much about it.
Nonetheless, he departed the Pandemonium Fortress under his own power, when at last his role in the battle had (mostly) come to an end. He'd checked in with all his captains, and noted the losses in his own legion. He'd made his report to Tyrael, and then helped oversee the clearing of the Fort under his order. They'd made it at the very least serviceable for Malthael, whenever the Archangel of Wisdom deigned to show up.
Inarius made very sure not to be around for that . Of all the angels likely to ferret out that he was up to something, Malthael was the one. Nosy little bastard.
Escape was as easy as spreading his wings, and diving off a balcony. It was as simple a matter as no-one looking when he vanished into the nebula that cradled Pandemonium.
Heaven had thousands of abandoned worlds and fortresses upon them within their territory at this point. Thousands more had been destroyed, either by the Burning Hells or their own Sicarai. There were perhaps a hundred more that were still occupied, mostly those on the fringes of Pandemonium, or closest to Heaven itself. Most never got proper names. Maybe if they made use of a fort long enough, Imperius would come up with something proper-like to call it. But the multitude of celestial bodies the angels had created were simply logged with a number code; based on their star-chart, when they'd been created, and whatever the next closest world was.
Malthael had called the little crystalline world he'd created this time K2-415b , and Itherael had quickly jotted it down before they'd gotten to work forging the fortress that occupied it. Inarius had considered blessing them both (since they clearly needed it), or maybe cursing them (since they clearly deserved it).
Creation, such a sacred act, had been reduced to a triviality in their hands.
Upon its completion, the angels had seen battle in K2-415b's fortress only once, as part of a larger, multi-world invasion on their territories. Then, as was usually the case, they had slowly but surely pulled their resources from it, until no one was left. The little planetoid was deep enough within their territory that nobody really expected it to be a problem. It could also come in handy in the event of another deep-territory battle. It had few resources, and was considered strategically expendable. It was also far enough from the Silver City, and obscure enough, that if something ever did happen, no one would notice for some time.
Boons and curses.
In theory, Inarius had the power to correct this oversight. It may have even been expected of him. But if no one else was going to pay attention to such things, why should he? Besides, nothing had happened to the little world, and until it did it was unlikely anyone would believe him about such a threat being possible. Not to mention that if he made a fuss about it, he would no longer be able to exploit this oversight for himself.
He could admit this was his main reasoning for keeping the world under wraps.
Inarius had visited the fortress by himself a few times now, ostensibly to make sure nothing ever did wander in and make itself at home. He would log in their books that it was still there, still untouched. Plenty of planetoids had been wiped out by the rest of the cosmos, or were sometimes even torn apart by the very internal magics that fueled them. Itherael liked keeping their records up to date, and would usually send an angel of Justice, or sometimes Valor, to check up on a series of outlying worlds - they were the ones tough enough to go out into Heaven's wilds alone, more or less unescorted. Or at least, Inarius was. And Itherael had just enough authority, both concrete and implied, that if they told him to jump the only thing he might get to ask was how high.
But, despite the indignity of being forced to play checkup-patrol, Inarius could admit he didn't mind coming here. After all, it was quiet, a nice place to get away from the others and think. It was also an unfairly beautiful world, to have been tossed away to the winds of the cosmos as it had.
Today found it just as comely as it had been the last time he'd visited. Inarius hummed in contentment as he descended through the thin atmosphere, wings flaring as he made landfall.
K2-415b was made primarily out of crystalline structures that stretched into the skies. He glided carefully past the jagged spires admiring his own reflection in the surface on the way down. The ground crunched when he touched down on it, metal cracking through the thin layers of crystal as he made his way to the abandoned keep. Around him, larger crystals loomed. Mostly clear, but some had taken on a pinkish, and even violet hue. The smaller ones refracted the light in a blaze of colors. Idly, he thought it reminded him of the Crystal Arch.
This world was truly beautiful. Would that anyone in the Heavens valued beauty for its own sake anymore.
It was quiet, save for a gentle moaning breeze, and the crunch of his boots. Inarius wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Compared to the noise and bustle of Heaven, and the uproar about Pandemonium fortress at the moment, a bit of quiet was a novelty. It made him feel terribly alone though, with no other angel-song about, no one else to resonate with.
At least Lilith would be here. He hoped.
The thought that she might not come had nagged at him ever since he'd suggested this place to her. It was such a gamble for her. But then, he'd had no choice about being dragged into her him with this would've been more than a fair exchange in his opinion.
He hoped she'd come.
As with most angelic fortresses, the one that served K2-415b had no true main gate. What need did angels have of such a thing? To give the demons something to bash down and come crawling inside? No, the fort was surrounded on all sides by a great curtain wall, and meant to be entered from above. The bulk of it was actually dug into a sheer mountainside cliff, with only main defenses poking out to meet the wall. It was both a very defensive, and uniquely vulnerable design. Few things could force their way inside, with but a few well-guarded entry points that had to be hit from above. This did also make it far easier to be trapped by an enemy should those defenses fail.
Inarius didn't suppose they were likely to ever find out how the fort held up. The odds of it ever seeing battle again were not particularly high.
For a time, he simply wandered the old fort. Everything was in as much order as he'd left it, albeit dusty from disuse. He considered cleaning it out a little…did he have the time? Would Lilith mind? Hell in general wasn't exactly known for its cleanliness, but she was different. A proper lady.
It couldn't hurt to tidy up a bit.
Inarius set about opening some of the heavy bay-windows (which were more like launch-points for attacking angels), and got to work. It was mainly chasing out the dust, until he came to the armory. With a trill of dissatisfaction, he realized that the previous host had left it in rather a hurry. Perhaps they expected to return, and finish where they left off. Alas, the result was that there were discarded weaponry and bits of broken armor in the midst of mending strewn about. The weapons were easy enough to sort into their respective racks, but Inarius puzzled over what to do with the armor. He scooped up a wayward pauldron and turned it over in his hands. These were pieces of angels, in truth. Rightfully, he should try and return them to their owners. This would expose him blatantly though. Not to mention, it was as likely as it wasn't that the angels whom the armor belonged to were long dead.
But if he did not return them, what then should be done with them?
So engrossed in puzzling this out, he didn't notice that he had company until she poked him in the back. Inarius dropped the piece of armor, stifled a yelp, and couldn't stop his wings from puffing out in jagged alarm. Slowly, he twisted to look over his shoulder.
Lilith was watching him with plain amusement on her pretty face. How embarrassing - was he so accustomed to her presence now that she could sneak up on him? She grinned when she saw she had his attention.
"Oh don't mind me. I love watching a man work." Lilith purred. Despite the sultriness of her tone, it seemed strained to his ear. But perhaps she was only tired.
"Ah. I was only…" Carefully, he bent to scoop up the pauldron he'd dropped, and returned it to the bench from which he'd found it. "...Tidying." It seemed a terribly silly thing to have been doing now. When he turned back to face her, he found himself lost for words.
His very core was aflutter with excitement, and it was lighting up his wings more than usual. Inarius tried to get ahold of himself, but he'd been counting the minutes till he could see her again. Now that Lilith was here, right in front of him…oh dear. Now he had no idea what to do with himself. Was - was he allowed to touch her? Grasping a hand or shoulder as he might do with a fellow angel seemed too formal, but to wrap an arm about her as he really wanted seemed too forward. Nevermind that she had kissed and fondled and touched him most inappropriately; she was a demon. A succubus. That was her lot. He was an angel, and she was a lady, and he had no idea what he was and was not supposed to do to her.
If she noticed his inner conundrum, Lilith did not show it. The demoness instead laughed at him. "A fine maid you make! I must admit, the only times I've been in an angelic fortress, it was to conquer it." Lilith looked around. "I think I like this fort of yours."
"Oh. Then, that is good."
"Come." Lilith seized him by the wrist, dragging him forward to practically wrap herself about his arm. "We have much to discuss. Show me more of your fortress, and tell me how things are progressing on your end."
His mind wanted to bluescreen. His wings wanted to flutter off without him. Inarius determinedly did not hyperfocus on the soft warmth of her skin against his armor, or her little claws scratching at the seams in his gauntlets. Right. The Fortress. And his growing movement in Heaven.
"What do you call this place?" Lilith asked lightly. She leaned a little heavily into his side, and Inarius had to stop himself from marveling at that.
" K2-415b. " He dutifully told her.
"Kayt- What? What the Hell?"
"I know ." Inarius groaned. "Malthael and Itherael had no passion in their cores."
"I'll say." Lilith sounded skeptical, and looked around the fortress as if she could see what the numbers were supposed to mean. "Are all your worlds called as such?"
"Most of them. Auriel and her people tried naming them in the beginning, but then they began producing more and more smaller worlds, and half the time they were destroyed as soon as they were finished. It wasn't worth the time or attachment." Inarius sighed. Part of him could understand why they'd adopted the numerical identifications. Another part of him thought that everything they did was pointless anyway, why not indulge in some small nice thing?
"What does Hell call their worlds?" He asked.
"Bloodreaver. Flame. Honor's End. Arx." Lilith said. "Brimstone Halls - that world is hollow. There's one little planetoid simply called 'The Cleaver.' Supposedly the first butcher-demon resides there, but no one is really keen enough to find out. Wyrmworld and Wormworld, very similar and no one's sure which is which. There's a world named after Imperius, and no one will fess up to who named it. We're pretty sure it was Diablo though. Baal's newest world is called 'PlayPlace' or something silly like that."
"And you name all of them?" Inarius was impressed, he could admit. Ghastly names, but names they were. At least they were descriptive.
"As many as I can remember." Lilith confirmed. "Names hold strength and power. Names have meaning. To create something and not truly name it? Well, you may as well state that you do not care about what you've created."
Inarius couldn't help it, he burst out a short laugh. When Lilith peered at him in curiosity, he explained; "They don't care about our worlds."
"A pity." Lilith hummed.
They had circled up to the ramparts as they discussed their own respective movements. It was rather slow going, but that was to be expected. If the wrong ears ever caught wind of their plans, it would all be for naught.
"I believe I may soon gain someone significant." Inarius told Lilith as they walked. The farther they went, the more she leaned on him, and the more he quietly worried about her. But demons were proud. They did not like to have weaknesses exposed. He wasn't sure what do do about it.
"Oh? Tell me of them."
"A courier within the Aspect of Hope." Inarius explained. "She is part of the division responsible for ferrying messages and the occasional supply run between Heaven and its outlying garrisons. Dangerous stuff. She is frequently alone on her missions, with multiple routes and destinations. And she is quickly tiring of how often she must travel."
Lilith made an interested sound in her throat. "That could go either way. Sounds as though she could be our missing piece to joining our networks. But if she is discontent because of her job as a courier…"
"Asking her to detour to meet Hell's minions may be the thing that pushes her over the edge." Inarius agreed. "I have been taking my time with her. If she knew the end goal was to leave the war behind…"
"She might realize she'd never have to travel again. Yes, that is a tricky one. You'd need to gain her faith." Lilith sighed, and it became a yawn as they walked. She seemed strangely tired.
Then, she stumbled, claws digging sharp into the arm she gripped. When she realized how deeply they'd sank, the demoness jerked herself away, with a muttered apology. Light-blood beaded where she'd pierced him. And Inarius couldn't keep his silence.
"...Are you well?" Carefully, Inarius turned to face her, keeping his hands low, non confrontational. "Something has happened to you."
Lilith only frowned at him, bitter and resentful. At first he thought he'd indeed managed to offend her. Then, she sighed, and peeled off the long gloves covering her arms from shoulder to wrist. Inarius raised a hand in protest, but Lilith stripped off her dress, which had been far more reserved than it typically was, covering her chest and belly completely where in the past she'd left herself bare and open. Cuts, abrasions and burns littered her perfect skin in distinctive patterns and even a sigil carved into her belly. It had only begun to scab over. Strangely, her face was unmarred. Whatever had done this to her had been careful, deliberate in its assault.
Horrifying. It was horrifying what had been done to her.
Inarius let out a mournful sound, and gently reached out to her. To his hopeful surprise, she let him take one of her hands, bring it closer to examine the scrapes on her knuckles. Strange; no blood under her claws. Had she not fought back? Perhaps she'd been unable.
"Who did this to you?" His own tone surprised him, with even Lilith looking up at him in ponderment. Anger. He was angry. Something had touched her. Something had hurt her. What could have dared? Lilith was a powerful demon in her own right, there weren't many who would be able to do this level of damage. And…no angel would take the time to leave her face untouched.
Yes. He was angry. But his anger wouldn't help anything right now. Inarius tamped it down, and covered her hand with his own, grasping her claws in his gauntlets. Gentle. He kept himself gentle for her.
She seemed to consider him, weighing her words, before shutting her eyes with a sigh.
"My father, of course." Lilith spat the word, and when her eyes opened they were once again lit with anger. "He's such a cunt , he saw my success in battle as a threat to himself. He sees my failures as an insult to his blood. Bastard."
"I will break him." Inarius declared before he could think better of it.
Lilith stared. He felt a curl of embarrassment in his resonance the longer she gazed at him in surprise, but then her face shifted. She grinned at him, and a laugh bubbles out.
"I'd like to see it." Lilith giggles. "He's a house of cards to your bulk, although his look has always been a deception. But perhaps you should temper yourself. Mephisto is no one to trifle with."
That made him scoff. "Oh, it would be a simple matter; he is just as flammable as any other demon. Are you sure you don't want me to immolate him?" Inarius asked, casually, mostly-joking. "Surely he wouldn't expect it." Lilith peered at him in surprise, and it made his wings flicker with a bit of anxiousness. When she didn't say anything, he began to worry that he'd misspoke - just because Lilith's father was a cunt, apparently, didn't necessarily mean she'd want him dead. (Even if he was a master demon that would just come back later.)
Finally, Lilith sighed. "It wouldn't matter. Even if you did."
Inarius nodded. "...I am sorry he did this to you. You did not deserve it."
Lilith just shook her head with a sigh. Then she came back to his arm to curl around it again.
They walked in silence for a moment.
A vague idea in mind, Inarius asked "What was it you called him?"
Lilith was growling and making strangling-motions at the air with her free hand, apparently imagining her father's neck before her, but turned to blink at him. "What?"
"Your father? You called him…"
"A cunt, yes." Lilith confirmed, and watched as his wings briefly ruffled in animatedly. He seemed to do that whenever alarmed or excited, and she hadn't yet figured out how to tell the difference. More importantly though…was that really so scandalous to her angel? Here they were, cajoling about abandoned fortress after having a sneaky mid-battle tag and dry-hump, but calling Mephisto a cunt was too much?
But Inarius was just watching her with a tilted head. Innocence poured from his very mien.
And suddenly, Lilith was rather uncertain.
"It's a…rude word for female sexual organ? Implying immense levels of bastardry?" She tried. And yet, the angel continued to stare at her without comprehension. She had never before realized how unnerving their scrutiny could be, with that empty void giving no hints about what they were thinking. Angels could be creepy, who knew.
And…they'd definitely been getting grindy with each other, and he'd definitely been into it. Lilith had been pretty sure she'd felt something down there during their little roll-in-the-air. Oh sure, it was a long-standing mystery in the Hells just what angels were capable of. No demon had ever encountered any kind of angelic intimacy, and it's not like the frilly metal peacocks were handing out biology pamphlets. (Was biology even applicable? They were made of armor and light and song. How was that supposed to work?) Few demons even knew that angels came out of their Crystal Arch, and even that wasn't well understood.
Lilith's mind jumped to a very prominent question; Could angels…did they…?
This was going to mess her plans up badly if Inarius was a completely sexless being.
"Do angels not…" Feeling like she'd had a rug pulled out from under her, Lilith held up one hand in an 'o' shape, and one hand with a single finger up. She married the two, crudely thrusting her fingers together.
Inarius only continued to stare at her…and then she registered the way his armor was starting to rattle. He was laughing at her.
"Oh, oh, you little shit." Lilith suddenly swatted at the angel, who held up an arm to halfheartedly protect himself. "You were making fun of me! Bastardous! Heathenly behavior!"
Inarius fled her onslaught, floating out of range with a laugh, and Lilith immediately gave chase. Strong hands caught him around the middle, and the two of them tumbled end over end as Lilith tackled him to the ground. Inarius let out a trill of alarm - angels were heavy, and he didn't want to squish her. But Lilith must've known what she was doing, for in the next moment he found himself sprawled on his front with her perched proudly on his back. A hand came to the back of his head, and pressed his face into the ground.
It was…an experience.
Okay every part of his brain had stalled out.
"Ha-Hah! I have you now, naughty angel. Repent for your heathen crimes!"
She was straddling him from behind, and while Lilith was not particularly heavy, her weight across his back and shoulders completely immobilized him. Something she definitely noticed. With a sweet giggle, she ran her free hand down his back, between his wings. The sensation made them ruffle and twist against the crystals they were sprawled in.
"Mhnf." He tried to ask her to please get off. All that came out was something like a moan. How embarrassing!
"Sensitive back here, aren't you?" Lilith purred, lightly scratching his back. "I simply must find all your favorite places. And in return, you will tell me of how angels mate! It is the least you owe me for such shenaniganry. I have kissed you and felt you. Do you have a cock? There are succubi who insist you must fuck each other with your wings! Do you?"
What lewdness! Inarius had tensed up beneath her in embarrassment, but Lilith tucked a claw up under the plating that housed his primary wing-filaments, and it had him sighing in bliss.
"I think you must, to have a reaction like that." Lilith lowly told him. "Tell me how angels touch each other Inarius." She let go of his head, in favor of drawing patterns on his struts.
Carefully, Inarius twisted his neck to get his face off the floor. "...This is similar, albeit a very scandalous position compared to the traditional way of coupling. The…top would usually merge their wings with their bottom while holding themselves chest-to-back. It would be considered…the most sacred way to lay with another angel."
It felt a little bit like sin, a little bit like conspiratory, a little bit like trust to tell her this. Lilith was watching him in rapt attention. She licked her lips and rolled her hips, grinding herself on the armor of his lower back. Idly, she wondered what the darling angel would do if she rode one of his legs, or made him to ride her thigh. Or, perhaps she should take one of those funny wing-tendrils and find a way to take it into herself.
"Well. In Hell, there is nothing sacred about a position like this, Inarius. This is how a Lord takes a whore." Lilith told him. She shimied herself down his back, until she was straddling his arse with her hands on his hips. "This is how I'd fuck you if I had a cock and you a cunt. If you were in my dungeons again, and at my mercy." And she rolled her hips against him again, and relished the wet press of her undergarments against her.
He considered that. "Angels have neither of these things. It would be considered terribly crass. But our inner resonance can be penetrated with a…specialized…tendril… Otherwise we merge our wings together, a fusion of resonance." Inarius wasn't sure what to make of the way she moved against him. It wasn't quite as nice as what she'd been doing between his wings, but the sensation was sensual enough for him to remain interested.
Lilith's face turned to triumph. "So you do fuck each other with your wings!"
"They are the part of us that is truly us. It is a fine line between sacrilege and sacred to join with another angel in any manner, but to do so like this would be far too lewd." He shifted under her, grinding up into her slightly. A low breath escaped the demoness.
"Sacrilege hm?" Lilith breathed. "And what do you imagine your angels would call what I'm doing to you now?"
Inarius considered that.
"Worthy of the Death Penalty." He told her, frank. It was true enough. At best he would be considered corrupted by her, and killing him would be a mercy. At worst, he'd be considered the traitor to their cause that he was becoming. At that point, killing him would be Justice.
Lilith only laughed at that. Laughed, and rolled her hips unto him once more.
They lay together on the ground. Inarius found himself playing mattress, sprawled with his wings curling contentedly on the ground, and Lilith laying appreciatively on his chest and stomach.
"You're surprisingly comfortable" She sighed. "I didn't think angels would be such cozy creatures to cuddle with. You've become soft!" It was no exaggeration or insult. Her hand pressed curiously against his armored stomach, and the metal bowed under her touch.
"It is as malleable or solid as we will it to be." Inarius admitted. "Although It is…rare for us to let it be so…So." He also prodded at his own metal, and it practically rippled under his fingers. The armor on his hands and legs stayed more or less the same, and his back had returned to standard rigidity, but all the places Lilith was laid out upon had softened for her.
"You seem more comfortable now." Inarius suddenly noticed. He craned his neck to look at her arms, and found them mostly unmarred. When had that happened?
Lilith raised the arm and flexed her claws. "Ah, of course. I am a creature of carnage and lust Inarius, and what we did was purely carnal. I am nurtured for it." Then she snuggled back down into him.
"Truly? That is most fortunate." Inarius told her in earnest. He had known that succubi could take energy from their victims, but hadn't realized the very acts of pleasure-seeking would revitalize them.
"You should see what happens when I fuck another demon properly. My cunt is a joy and a weapon. As are many of my charms."
Charms indeed. Inarius thought he could see why they were both danger and pleasure. He certainly felt as though on the precipice of terror-wonder. He was sure he would never want nothing more than to touch her. He was certain that if he continued pursuing her like this, he would be completely lost to her wyles.
Lilith herself was surely the ultimate blend of delight and peril.
"Hm. Cunt . I had never heard it used as an insult before. Most likely because no one has had the gall." Inarius told her. "...I think I may apply it liberally from now on. Possibly, or even probably, to my own brother."
Lilith burst out laughing, high and pleasant, at the thought of her stoic angel-friend using such foul language at another stuck up angel.
"Who is this brother? He must be uptight."
Inarius sighed, wings doing an exaggerated up-down motion. "The Archangel Tyrael."
Lilith hummed sympathetically - and then stopped. Pushed herself up so that she was looking down at him. Stared.
"Your brother is…"
"Ah. Yes. Tyrael." Inarius told her, feeling resignation well up.
Lilith blinked several times. "See, I knew you were an important angel when I first laid eyes on you. But the brother of an Archangel…"
Resignation turned to annoyance. "It is not as much of a boast as you may think. If I am far-reaching, it is to be as my brother, and certainly fall short. If I am underperforming, I cannot live up to his legacy, and do him a dishonor. My existence is ever in orbit to his own. Ever in its shadow."
Lilith smiled sadly down at him. "In Hell, they say Angels don't cast shadows. It is considered unnatural, to be as a ball of flame."
"Well. Tyrael has cast a shadow, and here he lays." Inarius huffed. He didn't want to talk about his brother. He didn't want to think about his brother. In fact, he was regretting mentioning to Lilith at all. Would she…would she too cast him aside, in favor of reaching for the bigger prize? The better angel? It would be expected of a demon, and Inarius could feel himself resigning to the inevitable loss.
But Lilith surprised him then. She bent close, nuzzling his cheek with her nose, and finding her way to his mouth. Her lips were just as bruising as he remembered, but they were softer this time. Comforting.
"...Would you want me to break him? " Lilith asked against his mouth. She raised her brows in exaggeration, trying to show that she was definitely, probably, mostly joking. Mostly.
Inarius snorted, but then sighed. "No. He's…it's…"
"Complicated?" She softly put forth.
"Very."
"I understand." Lilith said, and Inarius knew she did. Relief turned his wings soft again, and Lilith brought her lips to his cheeks and forehead and nose. When she leaned up and away, it was with a curious squint down into his hood. No doubt searching for the face that she could only barely see, and only feel when he willed it.
Absent yet caring, Inarius curled his arms about her and pushed them both up with his wings. One of the two stars K2-415b orbited was drifting beneath the horizon, and it was bathing the crystalline world in dramatic violets and pinks. Lilith let him carry her to the edge of the balcony, but poked him in the shoulder until he set her down. She let out a pleased sigh as they watched the landscape shift with color.
"This world deserves a name." Lilith declared, claws on her hips as she stared out over the balcony. "That number-salad you rattled off simply won't do."
"Oh?" Inarius responded, curious. "And what would you call it?"
Lilith considered the crystalline landscape beyond the balcony. Inarius wished he could preserve the moment in time, for how beautiful she looked.
"'Luster's Edge'." She declared. "For the gleam of those crystals, and their jagged surface." She turned her eyes to him, just beyond her shoulder, and grinned wickedly. "And for you. I've made you a creature of lust here."
Notes: Fun fact, K2-415b is a real exoplanet! Didn't choose it for any special reason, just cuz it seemed like fun number-letter salad. I made up everything about the crystals tho. Lilith really, really wants to suck this guy's dick but he doesn't have a dick. He's got light.