Most angels would have been utterly ashamed of themselves by now. Possibly even committed some kind of honor-suicide in a misguided belief that what had happened had tainted them forever. Fortunately, Inarius was not most angels.
Oh sure, there'd been an initial bit of ' what have I done ' and ' how can I live with myself ', lasting for all of five minutes as he'd hung there in a demon's chains. Then Lilith had kissed him again, bitten his lips and touched his neck and face, and she'd oh-so-carefully held his hands in her own violent pair. He'd stopped caring pretty quickly after all that.
Honestly, she probably could have done whatever the Hell she wanted to him at that point, and he would have gone down…well, not quite willingly, but complacently. He wasn't sure the demoness had realized just how weak and out of his senses he still was, even as she guided him out of her citadel and back to Pandemonium. Inarius wouldn't have minded so much if she'd unchained him only to pounce on him as succubi were known to do. Maybe he'd even thought about it a little bit.
Inarius didn't want to die, of course not. But he was sick to death of the Eternal Conflict, and going out of his mind the longer he remained in Heaven. Getting dragged into Hell to be chained and felt up by the bloody Queen of the Succubi was alarming at first, but turned out to be a nice change of pace, if he was being honest. She hadn't hurt him.
…Okay maybe she'd hurt him a little, but only enough to be exciting. And that paled in comparison to all the rest she'd done to him.
So he was totally fine if the nice demon lady wanted to take him. Or chain him up. Or, hopefully, sit on his face. So sue him. (Idly, Inarius entertained a brief fantasy about what would happen if someone did sue him for having raunchy thoughts about a demon. Given his rank and status, the case would be given to Tyrael, and no one else could have jurisdiction. The horrified crackle in his brother's wings would almost be worth it. At least it would be different.)
Looking around the High Heavens from his perch above the Courts, Inarius felt his resonance turning bitter. Nothing, nothing, nothing new. Same old Silver City. Same silly little angels, caught up in playing war. Anything would be better than languishing here, at this point.
He could hear the Angels of Valor marching, enacting drill after spar after drill. Not far off, his own Angels of Justice were forming up into their squadrons. Underlying everything, the hum of anticipation-excitement-resolution for the next battle. Always the next battle.
It was enough to make him feel sick. Inarius didn't want to go to the next battle. But he desperately didn't want to stay in Heaven. He wanted…anything else.
Part of the reason he thought the Heavens felt so stifling nowadays was because they never stayed in them long enough to change anything. Inarius could swear he'd spent more time in Pandemonium, or even Hell itself , than in his own homeland. Only the barest amount of time and effort was put into improving the Silver City, and even then it usually revolved around making the place as impenetrable a fortress as possible. Such a horrid fate. The City was meant to be the pinnacle of Heaven, the seat of the angels. Progress was to be made here. History , invention and innovation. All that had been thrown out in favor of turning it into another keep to be defended and attacked.
The City had stagnated. Just as everything the angels ever did with the damned worldstone, their very own capital had begun the slow slide into decay and obsolescence. At least it had yet to crumble, the way their creations borne of the Worldstone did.
And the worst part about it? No one else seemed to even notice, let alone care.
Inarius had approached his brother about the nature of the Conflict, but Tyrael was too enthralled, too caught up in imposing his Justice upon the Hells to see. It hadn't been a surprise, but it was a disappointment. He had tried with a few other angels as well, hazarding out questions and ideas, seeing if anyone else was feeling his own discontent. There were a few, but not nearly enough to make a difference. In a fit of desperation or perhaps daring, Inarius had even approached the Archangel Malthael.
Remembering that mistake made his wings crackle with humiliated annoyance. Malthael hadn't even bothered with a response. The so-called 'Angel of Wisdom' had stared boredly at Inarius as he'd spoken, and immediately walked away from him after he'd asked his questions. Not deigning to give a response, nor his presence. Bastard.
Truthfully, it had been then that Inarius began to doubt everything . Malthael was supposed to be the best of them; he was to be their leader, the fair head atop Heaven's shoulders, guiding them eternally to the Light. Yet he'd become obsessed with war, destruction, and death. He wouldn't even listen to an alternate view on things. What goodness was there in that? Once, Malthael had cared for blessed Life itself, but all he could seem to care about these days was the Conflict and enabling it. Defeating the Burning Hells and protecting the Worldstone had consumed what wisdom had been.
They had beaten the Hells before. Once, ten times, a thousand. They beat the Prime Evils, and then they rose up and beat back the Angels, and on and on the cycle went. Never ending. Nauseating in its complicated simplicity.
And so, Inarius had begun to consider that perhaps things just weren't on the right course here in Heaven. At some point, they'd been knocked off kilter. Probably around the time Malthael found his big shiny rock out in space. If the Heavens were meant to own and protect the Worldstone, it would've come to rest by the Arch, wouldn't it? The same went for Hell. The more either side messed with it, the more Inarius suspected it was consuming them all, sucking them into its vicious cycle. Only battle. Only war. Only death. They should have left it where they found it. Or better yet, let Imperius or maybe Baal figure out how to break it, so that no one could fight over it. Too late now though; Malthael was obsessed, and the others wouldn't dare take away something he obsessed over.
Well, so be it. If the Angiris Council was going to lead them headlong into their own damnation, then who was he to deny them? That didn't mean Inarius would dive headlong in with them. He'd find his own path, thank you very much.
A horn sounded throughout the City, summoning the last of the Angels to their Archangels in preparation for their mounting attack on Hell. Knocked from his musings, Inarius huffed, spread his wings, and went to join his brethren. His doomed, ignorant brethren. As one amongst them, he was equally doom-bound. If he wanted his path to diverge, he couldn't stay here. The thought of Abandoning Heaven made something in him wail, fearful and horrified, but…it was becoming increasingly possible that there was no other option.
If his path happened to lead him away from his home…and down into a certain demoness's claws, then so be it. Everyone was damned, he may as well find a nice place for himself to land after the fall.
Inarius stared dully down at the battling troops, and was more annoyed than anything.
Baal had claimed Pandemonium Fortress this time, and the Worldstone within. As far as anyone could tell, he hadn't actually used the stone for anything. But even so, not having total control of it was driving Malthael particularly batty, and so Imperius and Tyrael were pulling out all the stops to get him his rock back. Hence, this massive waste of time and effort.
To make things even more exciting and predictable, a second army of demons had pulled up to try and make their claim. No one had gotten a good enough look at this new army to tell who it belonged to, and no Lord had made an appearance to challenge the angels or Baal directly. Never ones to be concerned with which demons they were wiping out, the Heavens had collectively shrugged their armored shoulders, and set about the goal of killing absolutely everything with gusto. It never mattered to them who died, so long as they were dead.
And of course, so long as they had the Worldstone once more.
At some point, the whole thing had devolved into one giant mosh-pit of angels and demons. Impossible to tell where the once-neat lines of Heaven had begun, and where the hordes of Hell ended. Somewhere in the thick of it, Imperius was adding his considerable might into killing anything non-angelic that moved. Somewhere else, Inarius could hear Tyrael's shouts as he tried to regroup and redirect his forces, bringing them back from the all out brawl that had taken over the battlefield and into something resembling actual tactics. Given Tyrael was his Archangel, and his forces were also Inarius's, he really should have been adding his own efforts. They might have even gotten somewhere if he cooperated.
Instead, Inarius was staying way the hell away from it all, floating up in the air, and firing holy-bolts in the general direction of Baal to keep him from completely crushing everything in a fit of frustration. The Prime Evil had erupted from his fortress some time ago to join and enhance the mayhem. Inarius had immediately rerouted himself; the armies didn't really matter in this case. Oh sure, beating them back was half the battle, but if they could remove the army's head, then that would make things go significantly quicker. Not to mention, Baal alone could easily crush the might of Heaven. Literally; he had almost stomped Imperius into an angry metallic paste once already. Baal could turn the tide to his favor if he went unchecked. All by his bloody lonesome.
And so, Inarius had decided to entertain the Lord of Destruction. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. By now he could see the demon lord's ire mounting, mixed with a strange sort of glee. Auriel had joined the cause of Keep the Lord of Destruction Occupied, so that he didn't totally pancake half of the army.
She was probably what was really keeping his attention, with how she ensnared him in her Cords. Inarius was just being annoying. And being annoyed himself.
Funny thing was, he thought he could sympathize most with Baal at this moment; watching one's own forces struggle uselessly in a big pile-up was only interesting for the first half an hour or so. By now, it had gotten old. It was something they'd exploited often about this particular demon; he had very little patience. Usually Inarius would have more patience, but these days it was running low. He was itching for something different to happen. Somebody win already, so they could all go home.
And, like an answer to a prayer, something different happened. To him, specifically.
Inarius let out a surprised yell as what felt like hooves crashed into his back. Right between the wings, hard enough to send him spiralling towards the ground. He twisted, wings flaring to try and regain his control. As he spun and fell, Inarius vaguely wondered what had hit him. The rapidly approaching ground, and the angels and demons swarming it, were a much more impending issue though.
He did not want to be on the ground, not in this mess. Inarius teleported, shooting himself up into the air, above his attacker. He sucked in a shaky breath- and then stared.
Lilith twirled in mid-air to look up at him.
"Oh, praise be to the light." Inarius let out his breath, genuinely relieved to see her. "It's you."
"...I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before." Lilith commented airily, charmed despite herself. "So happy to see me already?"
"Yes?" Was that so ridiculous? "I was ready to eat my own wings, this battle is terribly monotonous. And you are…you."
Lilith giggled, and flapped her wings hard to gain momentum. Casually, she circled him with dainty wing-beats. The demoness blatantly eyeballed him, then the battling angels and demons below. Then back to him, with a raised brow.
"You have an odd definition of monotony."
"Oh please, like you haven't also seen a thousand battles just like this?" Inarius flicked his wings, and began circling as well. To any onlookers, hopefully it would look like a stand-off.
Lilith grimaced. "Too many." She admitted. "But really, you can't let the battle get to you like that. Look up every now and again. What if I were some other demon? A terribly pretty corpse you'd make, but you'd still be dead."
She thought he was pretty.
"I'm sturdier than I seem." Inarius surged towards her suddenly, but there was no real aggression in his movement. With a shrieky laugh, Lilith dove out of the way. Immediately Inarius gave chase.
To hell with battle. To hell with Heaven. Inarius had found something better to do.
They dove and chased, darting between towers and dodging the occasional stray limb from Baal. Inarius was vaguely aware of Auriel calling out to him in concern, but he ignored her. Couldn't she see he was busy fighting a different demon? Honestly.
He was enjoying the chase, how his target laughed and shrieked challengingly at him as he darted after her. It felt good to fly like this, really test his wings and reaction time. Fast, but not so that he'd splat himself on Fort Pandemonium's walls. And the view was far more pleasant than he'd found surveying the battlefield. Lilith's form was different, from when he'd seen her last. She'd been wearing dark, flowing robes, low-cut on her chest and back before, hugging her curves and covering her modesty.
Now though?
The demoness wore a pair of dainty gauntlets on her claws and greaves to protect her shins, and nothing else save a bit of chest-armor that cupped her bust and some sort of…protective underwear? Inarius didn't know much about the alternate armor that demons and succubi sometimes wore, but he did know that nobody in Heaven would be caught dead wearing what Lilith wore. Did it even offer any true protection? Or was it…more for show?
She wore it flawlessly in battle, no less. What an incredible creature.
Inarius jerked away suddenly, twisting around a column and speeding around the otherside. To his delight, Lilith nearly crashed into him when he cleared the column, and let out a yelp. She swiped at him with her claws, neatly missing his face. Then she flapped away with another laugh. Temptress.
Once again, he gave chase. Lilith led them on a merry romp about the fortresses, trying to get the drop on him, and throwing the occasional fireball his way. Any one who were paying proper attention might have wondered why Inarius didn't simply shoot back. He could have ended the little game of cat and mouse with a well-placed blizzard, or holy bolt. Alas, no one was paying attention.
Soon, they had chased each other to the other side of the fortress…out of view of the others.
Lilith grinned over her shoulder, all teeth and daring. Her tail flicked at him, taunting. In response, Inarius pulled up slightly and rose, gaining altitude above the demoness. He just had to get the timing right…
His target started to turn, slowing her movements-
Inarius dove, shooting downwards with a flash of his wings.
Lilith looked up just in time to yelp and throw her arms up to shield herself. It did her no good; Inarius grabbed ahold of her, squished her against his breastplate in a grapple, and they spun down through the air. The demoness let out a shriek of alarm, fearful suddenly that he'd genuinely smash her into Fort Pandemonium-
And then they stopped. All momentum halted as Inarius snapped his wings out. Lilith let out an 'oof' as she was smooshed against his armor, winded by the sudden stop. She might have still fallen out of the sky, had he not gripped her in his arms as he righted them both.
"...Warn a girl, won't you?" Lilith panted. "You just about scared my panties off with that little stunt."
"Perhaps if you'd look up every now and again." Inarius purred.
Lilith snorted, and smacked him on the shoulder. Then she gingerly shook her hand at the sting of hitting solid metal.
"...My apologies…" Inarius hadn't expected that . He wasn't actually trying to hurt her here.
"Oh, never you mind about it." Lilith tucked her hand against his breastplate, and wrapped her legs and tail tight around his waist. Definitely to better hold herself up. Definitely…there was nothing…it wasn't a position to get worked up about. They were floating over a chasm, of course she would grab onto the thing keeping her aloft. The heat growing in him was totally unwarranted, as was the slight flush to his armor.
"...Helloooo, you awake in there?" Lilith sing-songed, and tapped against his hood. Inarius shook himself, and Lilith let out a squeak as she was jostled.
"Hello yes. It is good to see you again." He uttered, trying not to act completely undignified. It was tricky when all he could think about was pressing her up against a wall and ravishing her face. Or maybe switch their positions, thus far she was much better at ravishing than he was. And he liked it when she kissed him like he was a prize to be won.
"Nice to see you too, big fella." Lilith purred, and her claws gently traced the fabric of his hood. "My dungeons would be far warmer with you in them. Alas, kidnapping the same angel over and over might arouse suspicion."
It would arouse a few other things too, but that was both beside, and entirely the point.
"I would not mind warming the dungeons for you." Among other things. "It was a very nice dungeon."
"So polite! You say the funniest things." Lilith shook her head at him. But then she was leaning in, and her mouth was gentle against his. Light give him strength. She was holding the back of his head and neck, pulling him close, and squishing her armored-…it really wasn't a breastplate, he didn't know what it was- but she was squishing them together. Inarius shifted his arms, one coming to cup her under the ass (definitely as a way of support . He didn't want her to fall or feel unsafe while clinging to him. …And also because he wanted to squeeze her.) while his other hand rubbed along the spines on her back. He was careful not to get pricked or scratched.
Lilith hummed into his mouth, and pulled away. Her gaze was fond as she looked down at him, before she kissed where his forehead would be. Or at least, where she thought it would be. Inarius let out a trill when she missed, and kissed his eye instead.
"Oh, oops." The demoness giggled. "Not being able to see you properly adds some trickery to these things. Why are your faces hidden?" She tucked her hands into his hood, and could certainly feel his jaw and cheeks. Not to mention his hair, which must have been tied back somehow to keep from spilling out of his hood. It was warm and silky soft. Lilith hummed pleasantly, and snaked her fingers into it, winding the strands around her claws. Careful not to cut him, but also enjoying the soft warmth.
"It's to do with the way we focus our light." Inarius rubbed at his eye with the hand that had been playing with her spikes. "Most of it goes into the manifestation of wings and armor, and leaves a sort of void everywhere else."
"So you could show me your face?" Lilith licked her lips at him.
Inarius considered that. "I could form a sort of mask over it, if I sacrificed some other parts of armor. But…no one has ever actually manifested a face. Not like demons have." Gently he stroked a knuckle down her cheek. Then he traced down till his fingers found the edge of her armor.
"Does this actually protect you?" Inarius curiously asked. He picked at the metal plates holding her bust, and found the metal-mesh to be more flexible than expected. He was leaning towards 'no', there was no way it was deflecting anything . Hell, it squished when he poked at it. What a strange piece of armor.
"It's part of an enchanted set." Lilith loftily told him. "Why, do you not like it? I could take it off."
"Oh, I was only- I-..." Inarius felt his wings squirming in embarrassment. She would take it off? And show him what was underneath? The whole reason he'd asked was out of concern, it didn't look protective, and he did think it looked nice on her. Yes, that was what he should say.
"No, no, don't take it off. It looks lovely on you, and I hope it keeps you safe." He managed. Inarius thought the words didn't come out too strained, or disappointed.
"Oh, you're sure?" Why did she look so disappointed? He wasn't trying to offend her.
"I- we were in a battle." Inarius tried to reason. " Are technically in battle. Armor and war go hand in hand, yes? I only…wasn't certain of its effectiveness."
Lilith simply threw her head back and laughed. She pulled her hands out of his hood and grabbed at his shoulders, claws scratched the metal as she leaned back, and- …The position had her kind of grinding on him.
"I've found it to be very effective." Lilith told him once she'd recovered. Her hips moved subtly against his. "For both purposes."
"Both?" Inarius managed. He wasn't sure whether to try and ignore the way she moved against him, or focus only on the points where their bodies touched. Demons were complicated.
"For defense." Lilith explained, voice low and husky. "And display. It accentuates them nicely, don't you think?" And suddenly, she was cupping her own breast, bouncing it slightly in her hands.
"Absolutely." Inarius agreed. What could he say? Lilith had nice tits, and her armor did push them up so they were round and visible. His agreement seemed to please Lilith, and she grinned before leaning in to kiss him again.
He never wanted to let her go.
As ever, they were pressed for time. Inarius desperately wished it weren't so; he wanted to keep holding Lilith, here in his arms. He wanted to stay here with her. Going back to Heaven, and leaving her behind, sounded positively torturous.
Inarius nuzzled into her neck, and inhaled the demoness's scent.
"So clingy all of a sudden." She murmured as he cuddled into her. "Come now, we will see each other again. I look forward to our little visits too much not to."
He sighed into her skin, wings twisting up with hopeful excitement. It was…so nice to be wanted. And to want, in turn. Inarius squeezed Lilith's thighs, trying to memorize the feel of her skin. He breathed deeply, wanting to remember her scent. He listened to her breath in, and her light giggle as they swayed in the air; he desperately needed to remember the sounds of her. Demons didn't have resonance, but they had voices and their bodies still made noise, when one listened closely enough. If he could just remember her, then maybe being apart wouldn't feel like such torture.
Oh, he was really in it now.
He didn't want to leave her. But the angels were calling.
On impulse, he bit lightly into the meat of her shoulder, prompting a curious noise. He sucked at the little patch of skin, and Lilith let out a moan of pleasure. Only after he'd left a red welt and teeth marks did he let go. Looking up, he found Lilith staring hotly at him, eyes softly aglow. For a moment, he worried that he'd angered her.
"Marking me up darling?" She breathed. "Well, tit for tat. Show me a part of you that I may leave my own mark."
Inarius considered that.
"Hold onto me." He softly ordered. When Lilith had squeezed him with her tail and thighs again, and her hands gripped at his shoulders, he carefully let go of her. Oh sure, even if she dropped off, Lilith had wings and could catch herself. But neither wanted her to fall.
Carefully, Inarius reached up, and pulled his hood back. Silver hair came into view, framing the emptiness where his face would be. He brushed that back too, and Lilith grinned when she realized he was baring his neck to her.
Such a gesture of trust. Among demons, baring one's throat was one of the ultimate signs of loyalty. Nowhere was a demon more vulnerable. Lilith wore a choker of sorts to protect her own neck, and so Inarius could not bite her there. Yet here he was now, baring himself for her to mark. She was actually salivating a little bit at the opportunity.
Where Inarius had been careful and gentle when he nibbled his mark onto her skin, Lilith all but lunged forward to sink her fangs into him. The angel let out a trill of pain that devolved into a heated moan as she sucked hard on his neck. Light-blood filled her mouth, and Lilith swallowed without hesitation. She would never forget the taste of him. He was hers , he had been ever since she'd dragged him into her citadel and claimed his mouth. Lilith bit down harder, and relished the way Inarius tensed against her. His hands had once again wrapped around her, and crushed her closer to him. As if he could somehow absorb her into himself.
When she finally let go, she was panting for breath. Inarius stared at her in heated silence, both taken aback and enticed by her actions.
"Do you remember the second-to-last world Heaven made from the stone?" Inarius blurted. "It was abandoned seventy-two cycles ago, and we only fought there once."
Lilith just blinked at him, taken aback by the sudden question.
"Third moon around a little frost planet. Not much there but the fortress, and there were pink crystals everywhere."
Recollection dawned on her face. "I do remember it. Didn't last long, and I got one of those crystals stuck in my hoof."
Inarius did a full bodied wince at that, dropping them somewhat in the air and making Lilith squeak from the sudden movement. She reflexively squeezed his waist, and ground their bodies together. The resulting feeling… His wings twisted in delight.
"...Could you reach it on your own?" Inarius quietly asked. Nerves suddenly caught up with him. The weight of what he was suggesting…Inviting a demon into angelic territory? She could be caught, or betray his trust and delve deeper in, to the Heart of Heaven.
Lilith pursed her lips, and studied him for a long moment. He could tell she wasn't comfortable with the idea, and batted down his disappointment. It wasn't a good idea anyhow. As desperate as he was to see her again, he didn't want to ruin what they already had by being too hasty.
"You don't have to-"
"Of course I don't have to. And that's why I'll do it." Lilith cut him off, her tone absolute. "When?"
Tentative excitement made Inarius's wings flare, stretching to nearly double in size. Lilith let out a surprised noise as she watched them unfurl. Seemed her angel was terribly expressive. How precious.
"Two rotations? Longer, if we don't actually succeed in getting the damn stone back." Failure would only exacerbate Malthael's issues with losing it in the first place. As if the Hells wouldn't eventually take it right back.
Lilith licked her lips at him. "Two rotations. I wouldn't worry about Baal, he only wanted a little blood bath. Once enough of his army is destroyed, he'll turn tail."
"Then, I will see you again." Inarius murmured.
Lilith's smile was all wicked promise. "It's a date."
Then she twisted backwards, releasing him with his tail and thighs. She flipped out of his arms, and launched into a low glide before flapping to get away. Inarius could only hover for a long moment, watching her go. Demonic wings were strange to him, he would readily admit, but hers were strangely beautiful.
Blood trickled down his neck. With a sigh, the angel tugged his hood back up, and flew away. No doubt Tyrael would be an absolute pill to deal with. If the Archangel of Justice still lived. He supposed he'd better see what had become of Heaven's armies.