Viola flies back to the barracks, quickly walking passed Lute's room since she didn't want to see her crying. She wiped her face when she got to her room and slumped her shoulders. The black winged angel walked to her bed and slipped under the covers. She shifted to her side and covered one half of her face with the pillow, trying to stop her tears. Once the white haired angel stopped her tears, she ended up falling asleep... Only to dream of herself standing on top of a pile of dead sinners, looking down at Emily below... The sight of her girlfriend's face and hearing her say the words, "Why did you lie to me?" forced Viola to wake herself up. Her heart beat fast and her eyes widened. She put a hand on the locket that was still around her neck while trying to calm down, "I... I can't... I..."
The exorcist felt tears prick her eyes again before she laid back down on her bed aggressively. She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to go to sleep again while breathing quickly...
On the night of the court date, Emily didn't say another word to Sera or Viola. She quickly flew to her room and got ready for bed like she normally does... All things considered. She wiped her eyes upon laying under the soft blanket, the same one she let Viola use when she slept in her room. She frowned at the memory before wrapping herself into it.
The Seraphim laid her head down on her pillow and tried to fall asleep. But when she dreamt, she saw visions of sinners dying at the hands of exorcists. Lute stabbing one and simply throwing the body to add to the pile accumulating in front of her. Many others were killing sinners, red blood splattered everywhere. On top of the pile of sinners was an exorcist taking off her helmet; revealing Viola with a glare on her face.
The blue angel suddenly jumped up in her bed, her heart beating faster than ever before. She put a hand on her chest to try and control her breathing before turning her head. She looked at her pillow before picking it up. She looked through the cover before pulling out the black feather with a frown... The same black feather Viola gave her to protect her from nightmares a long time ago, "Oh... Viola..."
Emily put the feather back in the pillow case before laying back down, trying to get a good night's sleep while tossing and turning...
Every day for Viola and Emily was the same routine, get up in the morning, be quiet if around each other or really anyone, do their work, etc... This routine went on for such a long time... Though, Viola would still wear the locket Emily gave her...
Nearly a month later, unfortunately, Viola kept her distance from the seraphim. She was quickly removed from being her bodyguard by Sera, though still caught herself looking at her whenever she saw her. The exorcist noticed that Emily was quiet to everyone, looking sad... Fake smiles while keeping up the joy for the people of Heaven. Sometimes... She would want to go over and talk to her, hug her, anything to comfort her girlfriend. But she remembered that look Emily gave her in the courtroom, when she was pleading with her to tell her truth. Though Viola still wanted to give the Seraphim her privacy, so she thought of a solution one day.
Viola leaned her back on the other side of the Seraphim's bedroom door, "Hey, Emily... So much is happening at the same time... And I know you don't want to see me right now. " She continued when she got no answer, "Or maybe that's an understatement... Considering you've been... Distant for almost a month now. But I want you to know that I'm still here, you know, if you ever want to talk about it. Or anything else!"
Emily sat up in her bed but remained silent while her girlfriend spoke. She wasn't sure what exactly to say to her.
The exorcist sighed while touching the locket with Emily's picture in it around her neck, "But... If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine too. I know you were really upset and I'm sorry. I really am! I just... I couldn't tell you. I didn't think I had a choice."
With that, the exorcist left the door of her girlfriend's room. Emily laid back onto her bed, covering her face with her soft blanket in thought. She rolls on her side on her bed, thinking to herself, 'Wait... Couldn't? Choice?' She shook her head, still in her thoughts, 'But... How? How can someone be so sweet and yet... End lives like that? And lie to me for so long! ...Viola.'
After leaving the outside of Emily's door, Viola made her way to the barracks. She stopped at the door of their training room, which is where she saw the other exorcists sparring by themselves. The attacks towards each other was brutal and uncaring. They were all seemingly unaffected by the fact that Heaven now knew all of what they did.
One sparring with Lute snapped her head towards her with a wicked smile, "Hey come on, Viola! Join us, we're getting some extra training in before the big battle!"
The smallest exorcist shook her head before quickly walked away from the training room. She headed towards the barracks again, this time with faster steps.
When Viola got to her room, she sighed and slid down the door. She looked at the wine bottle on her desk with a paper on it reading; 'In memory of Boob', "Oh man, Boob. I don't know what to do!" The bottle was filled and was even fully sealed. It was pretty much untouched on top of her desk, which had various sheets of paper scattered underneath the bottle. The paper contained scribbled out words, though 'I'm sorry' can be read underneath a few of the scribbles. One of the papers contained her old drawing of St. Peter next to a newer version of the same guy.
She slumped her shoulders upon getting no answer from the bottle, "...Yeah, I wasn't expecting an actual answer from you. Figured it was worth a shot though. You always had... Some sort of advice for me. Especially after lieutenant Vaggie... Left. Sure, it wasn't always helpful but... I can tell that you always tried your best despite everything." She touched the locket around her neck, "Maybe... I just need to get some sleep. It could help clear my head, right." She asked the bottle, still getting no answer.
Viola then stood up and lifted the gray blanket on her bed. She slipped underneath the covers, hugging herself before closed her eyes. After about an hour or so, she finally drifted off to sleep...
All types of memories played in Viola's head that same night, Emily's face when she found out the truth... St. Peter nervously playing with his hands... Molly's glare at her, which surprised the exorcist considering she is normally very sweet to everyone. The pink winner shook her head at her, "Didn't you ever consider that some of us might have family living down there? I have a brother down there, you know! or did you kill him too?" She remembered how she couldn't answer her, scratching her cheek since she honestly didn't know if she did or not...
The next morning, when she woke up, Viola covered her head with her pillow. She turned to lay on her side, "That just made me feel worse than before... What do I do... I wanna fix everything but I don't know if I can."
A very harsh knock is heard on her door but the tiny exorcist doesn't get up to answer it.
Lute opens the door with a glare, "You've stayed in bed long enough. Come on, you have new orders... You look like a wreck. We both know I don't care but are you okay?"
Viola sat up from her bed, "I... I don't know! Everyone looks at me so differently now! Ms. Rosemary looks so scared whenever I walk into her shop! Molly refuses to talk to me, St. Peter looks nervous just being around me and... I don't know what Emily even thinks of me anymore..." She brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them, "I don't even know."
The lieutenant folds her arms and leans against the wall, "Pull yourself together, Viola!" She then thinks for a second and blinks, "...The fact that you're even confiding in me is pathetic."
The smaller exorcist blinked back at her, "...The fact that you're not shouting at me or hitting me right now is weird."
Lute shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose you're right. But come on! You have been requested to meet with the High Seraphim. Do not embarrass yourself more than you already have with all your... Whining"
Viola sighed sadly, "I don't know if I should, Lute. I mean with everything going on with Emily..."
The taller woman shook her head, "This again. You weren't made to date the Seraphim, you know." She takes a step away from the wall and towards the smaller exorcist...
The sad exorcist scratched her cheek, "Yeah but-"
Lute glares down at her while walking closer to her bed, "The fact that you think you even have a choice... You are an exorcist. You were made to kill, Viola. That is all. All you're supposed to do is slaughter sinners and you can't even do that right without someone helping you!" She grabs the smaller angel by her collar, picking her up, "Do you know how embarrassing it is to know that the one made from all of us is completely useless on her own?! All of that energy from Adam wasted on someone like you! Someone who's just dead weight! It's embarrassing to know that piece of me is somewhere in there!" Upon hearing that, Viola's eyes widened. The lieutenant shook her head before letting her go, "...Though what did I expect from someone stitched together from practically nothing?"
Viola stood there and squeezed her left arm with her hand, "...I'm guessing a lot more." She looked down at her arms, where two stitch mark scars are hidden under her uniform. She then began to walk past her superior.
The lieutenant smacked her on the back, which nearly knocked her down, "That's correct. Good talk." She then straightened her shoulders, "Now, go speak to the High Seraphim. Then you are to speak to Adam."
The smaller angel straightened her shoulders back at her, "Yes, ma'am..." She slumped her shoulders after leaving the barracks and started to walk towards the Seraphim's building...
Viola made her way to the High Seraphim, who was waiting in a meeting room. Her thoughts were plagued by Lute's words on the way there. She looked down at her hands, "Since I'm just a collection of scraps from everyone else... Was... Any thought I ever had truly my own?" The brief image of blood on her hands frightened her until she blinked and saw that there was nothing there. She took a deep breath before walking through the door and into the meeting room.
The angel with black wings squared her shoulders, "High Seraphim."
Sera was sitting in the chair at the head of the table, "I see you're finally here, Viola... Please, sit." She gestured to the chair at the other end of the table and smiled when she sat, "I simply have one question to ask of you... Why didn't you feign innocence?"
The small exorcist tilted her head at her, "I'm sorry... What, High Seraphim?"
The tall angel lifted her hand when addressing her, "I am simply curious. You did have the opportunity to pretend that you didn't participate in the exterminations. That you were simply assigned to be her bodyguard and nothing more. So why?"
Viola shook her head at her, "Because that would be just be lying to her even more!" She stands up, "What? You wanted me to lie to her again? Make myself seem like some big hero to her?" She mimicked Emily's voice, "'Oh Viola, you're the only one I can trust! You've never lie to me once!'" The small exorcist shook her head, "I'm sorry, ma'am. But it wouldn't be right. I don't want to lie to her anymore, Emily doesn't deserve that..."
The seraphim peered down at her, "...I can understand the sentiment." She looked to the side before looking back at her, "You may go, Viola. But... Please, do let me know if Emily speaks to you... Admittedly, she has refused to talk to me for these past few weeks. That is all I wanted to ask of you in regards to Emily." She had then placed what looks to be a scroll on the table, "And if I may add one request, I will need you to deliver this to someone incredibly important. Now be off."
The smaller angel nodded her head at her before taking the golden scroll, "Yes, High Seraphim..." She then opened the door and walked out of the room. The exorcist looked down at the scroll, "What the... The name is so hard to read! I don't even know who I'm delivering this to..." The name written on the side of the parchment truly looked like squiggles. She then sighed while walking down the hallway, shaking her head at the scroll, "So Emily hasn't been talking to Sera either... Makes sense. We both lied to her face for a while..." She froze upon seeing the very familiar looking angel dressed in blue walking through the hallway.
Emily stopped when she saw her girlfriend at the connecting point of the hallway. Her eyes widened at Viola before playing with her fingers nervously, "Oh... Hello, Viola. I, um..." She truly didn't know what to say to her girlfriend.
The white haired woman put her hands up, "It's okay, you don't have to talk to me! I, uh... Take your time! Please. I'm just going to go uh, this way!" She walked down to the hallway on the left, only to see that the exit was not there. So she walked back into Emily's view, waving at her awkwardly on her way to the right hallway.
A part of Emily wanted to giggle at the sight, she would have... But she felt so heartbroken. So she just watched Viola leave the hallway...
Viola eventually managed to get to Adam's office, where the first man was sitting at his desk. He pretended to look at his paperwork until he heard his door open. He put his papers down with a large smile on his face, "Heeeeey, Babycakes! Glad to see you could make it! How are you doing today?"
The white haired woman walked over and sat in the chair in front of his office. She then slumped over his desk with a groan.
Adam sat back in his chair, "That bad, huh? Soooo I heard you and Emily are like... Not talking to each other. That f-ing sucks. What'd you think you did wrong?"
The angel with black wings lifted her face up from his desk, "...That I lied to her for so long! Obviously, sir! Have you ever gone through something like this, sir?"
The first man thought about the first woman very briefly but shook his head, "Nope! Never in my whole life! Since everybody loves me! So! ...I was thinking more along the lines of you being terrible in bed. I-"
Viola suddenly sat up, blushing while embarrassed, "Ahhh! Woah, Boss! Don't be gross!" She covered her ears, "We haven't even done stuff like that yet, sir! We were, you know, waiting until marriage!" She couldn't help but feel her whole face turn bright gold from the conversation, "Why are we even talking about this!"
Adam laughed at her, "Awww, you're such a f-ing baby!" He then sat back in his seat with a smile on his face, "Wow, how immature of you! I'm trying to give you advice and you're over here ignoring me! Pfffft! Listen, I just wanted to make sure you were all good for our attack on that d- hotel!" He then scratched the chin of his mask, "You know what, Cain wanted to see you anyway! He's in the training room." He waved her off... But not before finally noticing the scroll in her hands, "...The f- is that and why do you have it?"
The angel with black wings took her hands off her ears, "Um, uh, Sera gave me orders to deliver it to someone." She felt her face calm down from their previous topic.
The angel with golden wings narrowed his eyes at her, "Oh she did, did she?"
Viola scratched the back of her head while looking at the scroll, "Yeah, but I can't read the name at all. So I have no clue who I'm even giving this to."
Adam looked at the scroll in her hands while extending his fingers, "Hmm... Sounds like a problem, Babycakes. Give it here." After being handed the scroll, his eyes widened at the name, "You know what? Let me keep this. I'll make sure to hand this to her, personally." When he said 'her', the word was awfully strained. He picked his head up from the parchment, "You can go. Now."
The exorcist quickly got up from her seat with a salute, "Yes, sir! Uh... Have a good day, Boss!" She then whipped the door open and hurried out the door. But right before leaving the office, she caught a very brief glimpse of a picture that looked like there was an attempt to hide it. The picture depicted a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, pale lilac skin and sharp eyes. She wore a purple dress and had matching purple eyeshadow. When walking down the hallway, Viola tilted her head at the thought of the woman in the picture. Her mind started wandering about the mysterious woman, wondering if she had seen her somewhere before and what her connection to her boss was.
Viola flew in the sky throughout Heaven, spotting some of the winners below looking at her with worried faces. Well, except for Molly, who folded her arms and looked away from her upon seeing her. St. Peter put her hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. The exorcist rubbed the back of her neck and looks forward, away from them. Soon, she flies over the barracks and lands in front of the backdoor. She makes her way into the training room, where she saw the wall full of metal versions of their regular training weapons. She then spotted the familiar tall figure with black hair with a matching black sword in his hand.
The exorcist walked over and tilted her head at him, "So, uh... What are you doing here, Cain?"
The man with golden wings swung his sword at the dummy in front of him, "Training!" The dummy had a crude drawing of a sinner's face taped onto the head. He frowned at her when he got no answer, "Aw come on, aren't you curious? Ask me why!" He turned back around to swing his sword again.
Viola shrugged her shoulders, "Okay, fine... Why?"
Cain stopped swinging his sword and turned to her, "Because I gotta show that brat who's the boss here!" He then twirled his hand around, "Not the girl, the shrimp with the weird legs!"
The woman with golden eyes folded her arms, "Brat? You mean the kid with horns? You're really gonna fight the kid? What'd he do to make you THAT mad?"
The black haired man waved her arm while still holding the sword, "Yeah! Fricken' embarrassing me in front of Emily and the rest of Heaven is what he did! He thinks he's 'so adorable and mature' with his 'little gentleman' act! He's just a little prick!" He then turned and threw his sword at the dummy, causing it to get stuck in the chest.
Viola rolled her eyes while lifting her hand, "Okay, I know he's the son of the Devil but he honestly didn't seem that bad."
The man with golden wings shook his head at her, "But Viola, that's what they want you to think! They seem all nice and friendly and..." He pushes his fist into his other hand, "Bam! You sign a contract with them and your soul is doomed to be theirs forever! I totally figured him out!"
Viola shook her head at him, "Uh... I guess that makes sense?"
Cain nodded at her, "Of course it does! Now come on, we both need to train! Gotta be at our best when we take out that hotel!" He walked over and pulled his sword out from dummy.
The angel with black wings scratched her cheek, "Wait, you're coming too? Why?"
The man pumps his fist in the air, "Of course I am! Dad is letting me participate this time! Gotta show off to him too! He'll really see what I'm capable of when I squish that goat kid!" He pointed his sword at the woman.
Viola then grabbed a metal staff from the wall before pointing it at him. Cain swung his sword at her, which made the exorcist block his hit with the long weapon. She pushed it away before twirling around to slice at his chest, but the man jumped backwards. He flexed his wings to dash at her, swinging her sword at her. The exorcist keeps using her staff to block his hits before pushing his sword away from her. The black haired man then lets out a battle cry while she rolls her eyes at him. She then swung her staff at him when he got closer, hitting his arm when he brought it to block her hit. He twirls his sword in his hand, pushing her far away from him using the flat side of the blade.
The exorcist landed on the ground, using the staff to slow herself down. She puffed out her wings before flying forward at him, causing both their weapons to clash once more...
Once they were done, Viola eventually walked to the showers of the barracks, tired from training with Cain. She looked down at her hands again, seeing the nonexistent blood again. She shook her head to get the image to go away before turning on the shower, "Man... This has been way too long of a day." She frowned at the locket Emily gave her almost a month ago when she gently placed it on the tiny shelf...
When the exorcist was done with her shower, she quickly got dressed and went to her room in the barracks. Being careful not to wake the others up. She briefly looked under her bed, where she used to keep the viola she practiced with. The small angel gave it back to Molly after she requested it back, hoping it would change how Molly currently sees her... It didn't. She gently took the covers off her bed and laid underneath them.
The exorcist took a deep breath while thinking about the events of the day... Cain's enthusiasm for the extermination, Adam prodding into her love life, the looks she received during the day, Sera questioning her actions... Her talk with Lute... Emily.
Viola looked back at the locket on her desk before fully laying down, still stuck in her thoughts. Lute's words rang in her head, 'The fact that you think you even have a choice!' She gripped her blanket tightly in her hands. Her eyes were wide open, looking up at her ceiling...
"Maybe... It IS my choice..."