A/N: Would you look at that? A weekly update. Right on the dot. I'll try to maintain it.
See what happens when you let me cook?
Looking forward to your feedback.
In other news, life's getting real crazy. Hours are down, bills are up, begging for hours that just aren't there anymore now that the holidays are done. Might have to juggle a third job atop all this for a little bit until things stabilize again. It is what it is...still, here we are, inspiration really gave me and the team wings to get this chapter done early.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others. As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far, far, FAR greater than little 'ol me. I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time. Feedback is important. This chapter doesn't pull its punches! Hope you're ready for some chaos!
Last but not least, I hope you've noticed the song-based-chapter-title theme we've got going on here now~!
We needn't use the song names themselves, but rather phrases from within them
Ergo, we have PLENTY of titles to work with now...
Away we go~!
"Do you love her?"
"More than anything!"
Would you die for her, then?"
"In a heartbeat-wait. Why're you smiling?"
"Congratulations. That was the right answer. You get to live."
~One Angel to Another.
More Than Anything
Verosika didn't believe in redemption.
There, she said it.
Happy now?
There was a reason she'd avoided entering this so-called "Hazbin Hotel", lingering by the door while Little Miss Sunshine led the guy who just-might- be-her-new-boss inside. She had stayed out here on guard ever since idly fiddling with her phone, half-listening to the chaos and clamor within, refusing to even acknowledge the chaos taking place within those four walls.
That was, what, five minutes ago?
Honestly, she was surprised Naruto hadn't blown the place to bits yet.
Angels tended to do that. Bastard was still better than Blitzo. And wasn't that sayin' something!
There were still mornings when she glimpsed that damn crossed-out tattoo on her arm and wanted to claw it off. Looking at it made her feel filthy. Wretched. A reminder of her one moment of vulnerability just before all hells broke loose. Before he ran away, stole her car, did a joyride to the Wrath Ring, maxed out her credit cards to pay for horse riding lessons, and left her to pay for the hotel room they shared...! Wouldn't return her calls, wouldn't speak to her, just fucked off because he was too much of a bitch to face her feelings...!
Abandoned...! Betrayed...! Crushed...!
A piece of her had died that day; she'd never been the same since.
By contrast, flirting with an angel made her ex seem about as dangerous as a kid in a candy shop.
Ah, she digressed. Sure, she was a bitch, but she accepted that. Owned it. Lived with it. Redemption was for suckers. And she wasn't no sucker...even if she had gone and got herself caught up in something way above her pay grade.
Angels were bad for business on a good day. But this? This had the potential to go nuclear.
'I mean ten wings?' she bit her fingernail, sulking a little as she searched up her phone. 'Ain't no way in the pits that's a cosmetic choice, right. Gotta be something more than that...
Searching up something like this was annoying, but there were records, even if she had to parse her way through them.
She'd heard the stories. Seen the Exorcists. Regular angels had the two wings.
Those holier-than-thou Seraphim bitches had six.
Who in the flying fuck had ten again...?
Archangels...?
Verosika gulped a little and closed her phone down.
No way, right? He couldn't be one of those.
No shot.
Her gaze flicked back to the hotel, still heaving with noise and raised voices. Sounded like they were having fun in there.
Should she really be considering this? Sure the risk was high, but the prize-no!
Scowling, she shook her head furiously, setting her pale hair swaying about her head. She wouldn't be fooled. She wouldn't be redeemed. She was a hellborn and she liked it down here just fine, thank-you-very-much. Even if most of the days were shitty, and she had to worry about being shot, and she had to do this gods awful work for a living...
.
..
...okay, when you put it like, that it kind of sucked down here.
But her, up there? At the pearly gates?! Ain't no way!
Mama didn't raise no fool.
Except when it came to love and lust, apparently
She couldn't help herself, alright?! Mr. Goody two shoes was hitting all of her switches!
Tall?
Check.
Handsome?
Double check.
Wonderfully witty?
Triple check, baby~!
Of course, it helped that he was powerful enough to put someone like Carmine on her ass. Overlords were no joke. You didn't mess with them. Yet he'd danced with Carmilla as if they were old friends and come out on top with ease. If was strong enough to take down an Overlord, he might even stack up to Sins themselves.
Would he be a good lay? Probably. A beat of anxious sweat ran down her brow, hastily flicked away.
She got chills just thinking about it - thinking about him.
Down girl. Control your urges!
How did someone like that become an Archangel anyway? He just might be one, or whatever the angel equivalent of that was, because there was no way in heck he was a normal angel.
She was still dwelling on the matter when she heard the raised voices.
It started distant at first, someone exclaimed something loudly, which in turn drew her eye, then someone else started hollering; that had her pressing her ear to the door.
The rapid footsteps approaching the door...?
Aw, crap.
She dodged back just as someone burst through and nearly got bowled over for her trouble.
Oh, dear. Little Miss One Eye didn't look happy. She'd only caught a glimpse of the girl before, but now she looked...wrecked.
Not the good kind, either. The girl was utterly, viscerally distraught, tears running down her face.
Verosika had seen that look before. Hells, she'd worn it.
Vaggie stormed past, good eye wild with grief.
"Outta my way, bitch!"
"Whoa, hey!"
The shorter girl tagged Verosika's shoulder as she raced past and sent her spinning to the floor; girl was quick, she'd give her that. Quicker than anyone had any right to be. In the time it took her to right herself aside she was already gone, vaulting away into the city like a bat out of hell.
Waitaminute...!
Not three seconds later, Little Miss Sunshine herself burst through the door, red eyes wide and puffy. "Did you see which way she went?!"
"Yep."
Are you gonna tell me?
"Nope." she smacked her lips, producing an audible pop.
Why not?!
"Because she looked upset." she laid a hand on the wall, nails digging deeply as her tail thrashed angrily behind her. "And I'm guessin' you had something to do with it." Wasn't hard to guess what. "You break up with her or something?"
"N-No!" Charlie recoiled like she'd been slapped and hastily averted her gaze. "We're just...its just a lot to take in...
Her head tilted. "What is?"
"Whaddya think?!" Someone hallooed from deeper within the hotel. "Girl's a freaking winged monkey and she didn't even tell us! Don't get me started on Whiskers ova there!"
"Not one more word out of you, Angel Dust...
"What, you gonna gag me? I'd like that."
"Not happening. Husk. Bottle him."
A crash of glass echoed within, followed by a unmanly yelp.
Alright, now she really wanted to see what was going on in there...
Said blond waltzed through the door with an annoyed murmur, eyes aglow, wings burning. Checking the door with one shoulder, he turned with the other to regard the diminutive one-eyed little gremlin currently clinging to his back and doing her damndest to shank him. Bemused by her behavior, he reached around, plucked her off him and dangled her before him as one might a naughty kitten. An angry, murderous, stabby-happy kitten, that is.
"You can stop stabbing me now, Niffty."
The one-eyed little gremlin blinked up at him, nonplussed. "I can't kill you?"
He smirked. "You can try, but it won't stick, I'm afraid."
She slumped with a sulk. "Awwwww."
"You should probably get back to cleaning," he said. "We made quite a mess in there...
He dropped her, to which she immediately scuttled back inside like a cockroach.
Verosika shuddered despite herself. "Just what kinda hotel is this...?
"Nevermind that!" Charlie all but thrust her way between them. "We're wasting time We gotta go after Vaggie!"
"We?" Verosika cocked a hip at her, unamused. "Whose we? Because right now, sweetheart? You're probably the last person she wants to see."
Charlie recoiled, stung by the truth. "I didn't mean to hurt her...
"Yeah? Well you did. She was crying."
Charlie whimpered.
Naruto sighed. "...I'll bring her back."
"Aaaand just like that, her eyes were sparkling all over again. "You will?!"
Verosika squawked unhappily. "He will?!"
"Yes, he will." Naruto shot her a quelling glance as Charlie gave him a hug. "Go on, now." he gently but firmly pried her off him. "Take a nap, get some rest. This'll all be over by the time you wake up."
Her voice warbled. "But Vaggie...
"Is probably scared outta her wits right now." he chastised her. "That's my fault, so I'll fix it. Have a little trust."
"Promise?" she sniffled.
He held up his pinky finger.
She hooked hers around it immediately.
Little Miss Princess looked like she wanted to protest further, but for once, she listened to him. Taking her hand from his, she slunk back into the hotel, crestfallen, yet mollified.
The moment she was gone, Naruto gave her an annoyed look. "Was that really necessary?"
Verosika huffed and crossed both arms over her bosom. "You tell me. You fucked up."
"Indeed he did...
Someone else appeared, nudging the door aside.
"My, my, this has been a rather entertaining evening~! You've left me in a most murderous mood...
Now who was it?! Verosika rounded on the newcomer, ready to tell him to piss right off...
.
..
...and froze, rooted where she stood.
A dapper fellow wearing red, red, and more red emerged from the entrance. He all but sauntered out the shadows, wearing a toothy grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a smug swagger in his step as he twirled his staff in hand, a gleam in his gaze, and if one where to look closely, they might've seen horns growing out his hair just for a moment before they receded.
Verosika's blood -such as it was- ran cold at the sight of him, followed by a weak whimper parting her full lips.
Shitshitshitshitshiiiiiit! She knew who this bastard was. Nearly everyone in the circles did.
What was the freakin' Radion Demon doing here?!
"Don't worry, old chum," Alastor turned that false smile on Naruto with a hollow titter. "I'll make certain our benefactor doesn't do anything...foolish while you're away."
"You..." Naruto looked like he wanted to say something, only to sigh and shake his head instead. "I'll deal with you later."
His smile sharpened dangerously. "And I you." It sounded like a promise.
Or a threat.
"Wait," Naruto snorted and quirked a pale brow his way. "Was that supposed to be a warning? Is that what we're doing now?"
Alastor laughed back. "I was trying to be coy."
"Were you?" Naruto leered at him. "You're clearly out of practice. Maybe that's why Charlie calls this place the Hazbin hotel."
"Haha!" came the rejoinder. "The name was actually my idea, I'll have you know."
Naruto leaned closer, teeth bared. "Hahaha! Well, its not very clever!"
"HaHA!" Alastor slammed his skull against Naruto's. "Fuck you!"
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Naruto's gaze gleamed gold, wings flaring in all their holy radiance.
Deadly horns grew from Alastor's head as his body became a warped, twisted thing.
The very air trembled between them, yet despite their respective transformations, they didn't budge an inch, too busy headbutting one another. Neither noticed her. Neither acknowledged her. Neither even perceived of her existence. She may as well have been an ant to them for all it mattered; they'd certainly squash her like one if she tried to interfere. She had absolutely no business placing herself between two monsters who were clearly ready to fight to the death.
And yet:
Trembling a little, she gulped once and dared to cough into a fist. "Um...?"
Both angel and demon whipped around to glare her way.
Nope! Not pissing them off!
Meep.
"You promised Charlie you'd get Vaggie." she tried, voice quavering. "Remember? Pretty sure she'd be upset if you wrecked the hotel."
Naruto stared at her.
Alastor chuckled.
Double meep.
...she has a point."
"I suppose she does." Alastor returned to his normal form with a grotesque sound of cracking bone, voice losing its ghastly crackle. "Shall we take a raincheck?"
...just this once." Turning his back on the madman, Naruto stalked away.
Verosika dithered, torn between following him and getting the hell out of dodge. "I think I left the oven on at home-
"No, no, no," Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her in snugly against his hip to prevent her from fleeing, "If I'm dealing with this, then so are you. If you're good, I MIGHT not spank you."
Hello lust again my old friend, I've come to talk with you again~!
Verosika purred contentedly, hips wriggling, tail swaying
Mama like...but how're you gonna track her down, anyway?"
"Easiily." he shrugged a shoulder. "She's not the first angel I've dealt with this week, and she's way weaker than Adam.
Verosika did a double take.
"EXCUSE ME?!"
(.0.0.0.)
Adam sneezed and for a moment, his perpetual torment ceased. "So...we done, big man?"
There was a silence, large and looming, like the whole of creation itself.
He gulped. "Would you believe if I said I'd learned my lesson...?"
The answer proved immediate."REPENT."
"OWWWW!"
(.0.0.0.)
Vaggie fled.
Like the coward she was at heart, she turned heel and ran.
From Charlie, from Him, from everything.
In all fairness, she didn't know where she was running and she didn't care; so long as it was away from here.
Damn that dirty Archangel. This was all his fault!
What was he even doing here?!
She vaulted over a trash bin, skirted a burning building -always something on fire down here- and kept running. Her vision was blurring. She furiously scrubbed at her good eye with her left hand. She wasn't crying. No tears...
.
..
...she really was, wasn't she?
She tripped and sprawled headlong into a wall, and that, as they say, was that. It was too much. Something broke deep inside her and the floodwaters cane. She curled into a ball in the alley buried her fsce in her hands and bawled, sobbing and screaming as she hadn't in years.
She wasn't sure how much time passed after that. It could've been minutes. Might've been hours who knew? Not her.
Eventually, a winged shadow fell over her.
"Is this a bad time?"
She glared up at him. "How did you find me?"
A smile, sharp as a blade. "Hun, you're burning sadness and sorrow like nothing else down here. Not to mention you're basically a beacon to me.
She slumped back in the alley, giving uo. "Go on, then. Get it over with. I don't care anymore."
"Yes, you do. "
She hissed at him. "What?"
"I said, yes, you do. He repeated, thrusting a fingner her way . "You want it all to end, you'd rather die than face your past." He cocked his head aside, considering her anew. "Or are you THAT afraid of upsetting Charlie? "
Shame burned through her anew. "Jump up your own ass and die!"
"Tried that, didn't work."
"Shut up!" She flung a bit of trash his way. "Is this a game to you? One big joke? You ruined my life! "
"To be fair!" He held up a hand. "I didn't even know you were an angel until I'd met you...
Did it matter? It was over. All over.
Heaven had come for her; come back to finish what Lute and Adam started.
Unlesss...
.
..
...did he intend to take her back and torture her?!
Death was one thing, torment another.
She had no love for the latter.
"Cabrón hijo de perra!" She sprang to her feet, swearing in Spanish as jabbed her spear at him. "I know your game! You'll never take me alive!"
"Lucky for you, I don't intend on fighting you at all." He landed beside her, head tilted. "You're an exorcist aren't you? Your soul's familiar...like I've seen it before...
He sounded uncertain, as if he didn't know.
But that didn't make any sense...
If he was truly an agent of heaven, come to silence her, or drag her back for torture, then wouldn't he know?
"How did you get down here?"
More questions! More feigned ignorance!
She scowled at him. "Don't play dumb. Everyone knows why. I spared someone during Extermination Day. They took my eye, my halo, and my wings for it."
"And who was this someone?"
She averted her gaze. "It was just a kid...
A nearby wall shattered abruptly.
Naruto had gone terribly still. If she weren't looking right at him, she would've thought him a statue. "A child? " his voice fell to a low, startled rasp. "You're telling me extermination day kills kids, too?"
Why did the air feel so cold all of a sudden? It was supposed to be hot down here, and yet it felt like she had just stepped into a blizzard.
Had his eyes always been so bright?
"You didn't know?"
"I'm new." He said it as though it explained everything. A muscle jumped in his jaw. "You saved the kid, right?"
Something told Vaggie her very existence hinged on the answer.
"Yeah, I did, alright? She looked away, grabbing her right elbow and tucking in against her chest. Don't stir old shit up for no good reason.
A relieved sigh was her reward. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that...
An awful thought occurred to her, just then. Was he telling the truth? "How do I know you're for real? Why should I even believe you?"
"I could give you all manner of answers, but they wouldn't satisfy you, now, would they?"
She scowled at him, ready to bolt. "No, they wouldn't."
"I'm not really sure how well you would hold up if I showed you my memories right now...you'll just have to wait and see, Although...
In an instant, he closed the distance between them.
"Here." He laid a hand on her ruined eye, and the other on her head, holding her fast. "Consider this a token of good faith."
She tried to squirm away, but it was no use, his grip was too strong, too ironclad. "A token of whaaaaaaargh?!"
Her words piqued into a strangled yelp of pain as long dead sensation came rushing back into her face. It lasted for about a moment before curious numbness settled over it. She blinked her eyes confused by the sudden absence of it.
Wait.
Her eyes?
As in more than one?!
Gasping, she flailed at her face with both hands, tears straning down her face.
What did you do...?!"
He smiled, warm as a sunbeam. "Ain't it obvious?"
Her halo was still gone, but perhaps that was for the best, given she had fallen.
Panic dawned.
"Charlie! Shit! What do I tell her?!"
Naruto shrugged. "How about the truth? The truth will set you free.
The gall. She wanted to smack him for it. "That's rich coming from you, mister fearless."
"Hey, now. I fear plenty of things."
"Such as?"
He flushed. "I'm ticklish for one."
She scoffed. "You are not."
"Sure am. Try me."
Vaggie hesitated, scooted closer, and dared to jab his stomach with a finger, just under his ribs.
He recoiled with a laugh. "See? Ya know, there is one more thing I could do for you...
She eyed him warily. "Sorry not interested."
this time, he recoiled for a different reason altogether. "What? No! I wasn't talking about that. I meant your wings? And your halo? What happened to them?"
Ripping. Pain. Agony.
Her face closed down. "They're gone. Taken from me.
She was an outcast now in every way that mattered .
"Do you know the name of the angel that attacked you?"
She hesitated, if only for a moment. What was the harm? She was screwee either way. Might as well go out on her terms.
"Adam... and Lute."
Naruto chuckled. It was a little more than a snicker at first, but soon that became a giggle, then an outright cackle as he doubled over, clutching his stomach.
"What's so funny?"
Straightening up, he wiped a mirthful tear from the corner of his eye, snickering one last time. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you...
"Buster," she planted a fist on her hip and glared his way. "After the day I've had, I will leave just about anything. Spill it."
So he did.
By the end of it, she was questioning a great many things. "You did what?! When?! To who?!
Oh god, she wished she was there to see Adam humbled...
"I literally just told you...
She swore at him in Spanish again.
"All right, no need to break out the cuss words"
She huffed. I've been down here for ages. This place rubs off on you."
His face closed down. "Yeah, it kinda does, doesn't it?Hold still.
A nervous beat of panic fluttered through her heart. "Hey, hey, now wait just a second, what are you going to do this time?!"
He spun her around, and placed both hands against her back.
"Fix you."
Fire surged through her shoulders, and she doubled over with a gasp, clutching herself. As quickly as it came, itvanished.
There was a weight against her back again.
Impossible. Unless...
.
..
...she dared to glance over her shoulder.
Oh, wow.
Her wings were larger than she had remembered. The colors, once a harsh black-and-white were now a softer shade altogether, more of a white gray. She found herself reaching back to touch them, almost absently, reveling in her newfound freedom.
It was like phantom, limb pain; she had lived without them, gone without them, for so long now, that the sun return almost left her unbalanced.
"Pretty wings..."
The compliments sent a rush of heat to her face.
"Stop that."
He blinked. "Stop what?"
Stop using that silver tongue of yours! Stop being so nice!"
"I'm really not doing anything, though?"He held out his hands to ward off another poke of her finger. "I'm just being me."
"Bullshit. Nobody's this nice."
"I am. Well,"he amended with a shrug. "Most of the time when I'm not dealing with megalomaniac idiots asking for a beating."
What was she to say to that? What cojld she say for that matter?
Her wings tucked in and vanished. "What do you think of Charlie's plan...?"
He smiled sadly. "Would you believe me if I said it's hopeful?"
"I'm sensing a but here...
There was one. "It's also kind of naïve." he held up a finger, further emphasizing his point. "I can sense emotions. Negativity, intent, murderous, or otherwise, I've had that ability ever since the war. Part of it stuck with me I guess even after losing Kurama. or maybe being an angel heightened it I don't know Regardless, there's a lot of nasty shit down here. Maybe some of it can be redeemed, but the idea of everyone being saved? Yeah, that's a pipe dream. I used to think everyone could be saved too. I tried my hardest to save someone. And I succeeded, I think.
"And...?
"But for every hard luck case. There are those who are just unable, or unwilling to change.
So you're saying there's hope for some, at least?"
"Maybe." he waffled a hand between them. "Charlie's a little naive to think you can save everyone...
"Hey, that's my girlfriend, you're talking about." Belatedly she winced, recalling the hurt look she seen in her eyes, the expression of betrayal, horror, hurt. She looked away, gripping her right arm under her blossom as a surge of self-loathing kicked at ehr chest. "I mean, I think she still is...
Naruto scoffed. "Please, a little hiccup like this? I used to carry a monster in inside my stomach. People were terrified of me. You'll be fine."
...how did you deal with said monster?"
He planted both fists on his hips and boomed a belly laugh. "Fought him, kicked his ass, made him my best friend. You get used to it."
She balked at him, incredulous. "How do you even function?"
"One breath at a time."
"You're insane." she palmed her face, despairing. "You're actually insane."
Naruto tilted his head. "You're just figuring that out now? I'm starting to think it's an angel thing."
"No, no, no!" She thrust a finger in his face. "You don't get to pin the blame on me for that. Don't even try!"
He smiled. "Who's blaming you...?"
Vaggie elbowed his ribs.
She found herself starting to... well, not trust him she'd only just met him, but the sheer amount of bombs he dropped on her had done a great deals, a break the ice between them. And if he was telling the truth about even half of the things he said...which she believed she was...
.
..
..well, a lot was about to change.
Maybe for the worse, maybe for the better.
Who could say? Not her. She just wanted to keep Charlie safe.
For her, at least, nothing else mattered. So long as she was safe and happy...
"I won't tell you what to do." Naruto planted a hand on her shoulder, but his grip was comforting, not the icy cold of Lute she remembered from that dark day. "I'll leave that up to you. You're a good person, Vaggie. Just like Charlie."
Her brow furrowed. "Hey, watch it, buster! She's taken!"
He chuckled a little, amused by her. "But I didn't do anything...?"
She flicked a finger between then.
Naruto laughed anew, but only for a moment; then his visage hardened. "Do you love her?"
What kinda of question was that?! "More than anything!"
"Would you die for her, then?"
"In a heartbeat-wait. Why're you smiling?"
"Congratulations." He patted her head. LThat was the answer I was looking for. You get to live."
Maybe not, yet, but she was leery of him still. "I still don't entirely trust you...
Steeling herself, she stepped in and gave him a quick hug.
...but healing me was sweet," she finished. "What now?"
"Now?" He turned an eye toward the sky. I'm thinking I need to have a word with someone...
And that someone would be...?"
For once, the silence was his answer.
Vaggie balked. "Oh, no. Nuh-uh. Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking.
"Alright," he clasped both hands behind his head and grinned her way. "I'm not.
"Naruto, no."
"Naruto yeeeessss-
He was still speaking when a blazing star fell upon him from on high with the force of a thousand hammers, smashing him facefirst into the street in an explosion of dust.
In the chaos that followed, Vaggie beheld blazing red eyes in the haze. Two growling words rumbled through.
"FOUND! YOU!"
A/N: HE IS HERE.
But who is HE exactly?
You'll find out next chapter!
Hope you enjoyed this! Would you like weekly updates? One slot remains!
Felt the need to keep the disclaimer down here since the idea of Heaven and Hell has become so hotly debated.
Naruto isn't so much furious at Extermination Day as he is at the idea of it. He's never been to Hell. He doesn't know what its like, only that it amounts to literal angels -of whom Adam is a poor example- are killing a bunch of souls and keeping it secret from the rest of Heaven. And Lute deliberately framed it in the WORST way possible just to upset him.
Of course he doesn't understand. Of course that would upset him. Of course he feels the need to go and see for himself.
After all, we KNOW there are some monsters down there, but there are a food good folk amongst them all.
You can save some, sure, but you can't save everyone.
Reviews are my lifeblood. Without them, I cannot write.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Revieeeeew, Would You Kindly?
They keeps an old man alive.
And enjoy the previews.
As ever:
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Get ready to smile~!
Obvious references are obvious~!
(POTENTIAL!) Previews! What can I say? We've been busy.
Don't mind the X symbols, Fanfiction app doesn't like the scene break lines atm...
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Long time no see...?"
x
Vaggie liked girls.
Still, she could appreciate some nice muscles...
x
Verosika tilted her head. "Ticklish, you say...?"
x
Carmilla pinched his cheeks and scowled at him. "Stupid boy, are you really so dense that you don't realize you're holding the answer?"
Naruto beamed, wholly unfazed by her anger. "Heh. You kept your hair down. Looks nice."
She swore angrily.
x
Emily...?
x
There is great peril considering this, even as a hypothesis, because thoughts lead to actions, whether we intend them or not. Before you know it, we reach disaster, all from good intentions. They used to say that. About roads to bad places. Paved with good intentions. I want to be better." He gripped their throat, dangling him over the edge. "Don't make me let you down."
"You're insane."
"Ah, but what is madness if not the path to brilliance?"
x
"You'll learn, or you will be made to learn. Simple as that."
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed! Looking forward to your feedback!