˚⋆˚₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆

( @angelofamber )

“One second…”

Michael’s voice calls out from the other side as you hear what can only be assumed as a heavy pile of books being set down before the eldest of the Archangels opens his office door

“It has been quite a while since we have spoken, and in all honesty I just wanted to say hello, see how you’ve been.”

His wings puffed up a bit, it was clear that there was no concern behind his visit.

“Gabriel, he’s…well….”

He paused, his demeanor clearly shifting.

The sol behind Michael flickers slightly, exhaling he leans against the doorframe while looking at you, it’s clear that something recently changed with him, but what it was, who could tell

“It will take time of course, but…yes. I am quite glad as well.”

As he heard the rest of Michael’s words, he laughed a little, nodding again.

“I have been alright, a little tired but…alright. It is not a cause for concern. The children are doing ok as well, they were shaken up by what happened but they have been having enough time to breathe.”

Michael suddenly pauses and doubles over while still standing, three of his four hands going to clutch his stomach while his upper right hand gripped the doorframe, it was at times like these that the eldest of the Archangels was glad he wore his usual attire… that way you couldn’t see his face… how wide with confused fear his bright blue eyes were… and the massive scar on his stomach… but the sol behind him began flickering wildly, expelling both sparks and flames, giving away the fact that something wasn’t right…

“I-I- are you alright? What happened?”

His gaze scanned over Michael, trying to see if he could spot some sort of wound. There was nothing he could see, but it was clear the archangel was in pain.

“How can I assist you?”

The sol behind Michael flickered even more as wilder flames were expelled, he tried to keep himself steady, but audible heavy, labored breathing could be heard coming from the eldest of the Archangels, he was trying so hard not to collapse to his knees… why was the wound acting up now..?! Wasn’t it fully healed..?! Tears formed in Michael’s wide bright blue eyes, he could taste blood in his mouth… yet you couldn’t see anything, his hood remained in place and his belt covered up the wound

“Please sit down, you are going to hurt yourself further- are you injured?”

Based on Michael’s reaction it seemed like he had faced some sort of injury, but Azrael couldn’t figure out what it was. Michael was entirely covered, so even if he was hurt…it wouldn’t show.

Michael didn’t get enough time to respond before he fell to his knees, an alarming amount of blood pouring from where you could only assume his mouth was considering that his face was still shrouded in darkness… the eldest of the Archangels just couldn’t understand why the wound was causing so many issues for him now… he didn’t seem all too worried about the fact that you were witnessing something very strange and concerning…

“If you are injured you have to lie down, do you think you can move inside? T-Then I can try and help-“

( @angelofamber )

“One second…”

Michael’s voice calls out from the other side as you hear what can only be assumed as a heavy pile of books being set down before the eldest of the Archangels opens his office door

“It has been quite a while since we have spoken, and in all honesty I just wanted to say hello, see how you’ve been.”

His wings puffed up a bit, it was clear that there was no concern behind his visit.

“Gabriel, he’s…well….”

He paused, his demeanor clearly shifting.

The sol behind Michael flickers slightly, exhaling he leans against the doorframe while looking at you, it’s clear that something recently changed with him, but what it was, who could tell

“It will take time of course, but…yes. I am quite glad as well.”

As he heard the rest of Michael’s words, he laughed a little, nodding again.

“I have been alright, a little tired but…alright. It is not a cause for concern. The children are doing ok as well, they were shaken up by what happened but they have been having enough time to breathe.”

Michael suddenly pauses and doubles over while still standing, three of his four hands going to clutch his stomach while his upper right hand gripped the doorframe, it was at times like these that the eldest of the Archangels was glad he wore his usual attire… that way you couldn’t see his face… how wide with confused fear his bright blue eyes were… and the massive scar on his stomach… but the sol behind him began flickering wildly, expelling both sparks and flames, giving away the fact that something wasn’t right…

“I-I- are you alright? What happened?”

His gaze scanned over Michael, trying to see if he could spot some sort of wound. There was nothing he could see, but it was clear the archangel was in pain.

“How can I assist you?”

The sol behind Michael flickered even more as wilder flames were expelled, he tried to keep himself steady, but audible heavy, labored breathing could be heard coming from the eldest of the Archangels, he was trying so hard not to collapse to his knees… why was the wound acting up now..?! Wasn’t it fully healed..?! Tears formed in Michael’s wide bright blue eyes, he could taste blood in his mouth… yet you couldn’t see anything, his hood remained in place and his belt covered up the wound

“Please sit down, you are going to hurt yourself further- are you injured?”

Based on Michael’s reaction it seemed like he had faced some sort of injury, but Azrael couldn’t figure out what it was. Michael was entirely covered, so even if he was hurt…it wouldn’t show.

( @angelofamber )

“One second…”

Michael’s voice calls out from the other side as you hear what can only be assumed as a heavy pile of books being set down before the eldest of the Archangels opens his office door

“It has been quite a while since we have spoken, and in all honesty I just wanted to say hello, see how you’ve been.”

His wings puffed up a bit, it was clear that there was no concern behind his visit.

“Gabriel, he’s…well….”

He paused, his demeanor clearly shifting.

The sol behind Michael flickers slightly, exhaling he leans against the doorframe while looking at you, it’s clear that something recently changed with him, but what it was, who could tell

“It will take time of course, but…yes. I am quite glad as well.”

As he heard the rest of Michael’s words, he laughed a little, nodding again.

“I have been alright, a little tired but…alright. It is not a cause for concern. The children are doing ok as well, they were shaken up by what happened but they have been having enough time to breathe.”

Michael suddenly pauses and doubles over while still standing, three of his four hands going to clutch his stomach while his upper right hand gripped the doorframe, it was at times like these that the eldest of the Archangels was glad he wore his usual attire… that way you couldn’t see his face… how wide with confused fear his bright blue eyes were… and the massive scar on his stomach… but the sol behind him began flickering wildly, expelling both sparks and flames, giving away the fact that something wasn’t right…

“I-I- are you alright? What happened?”

His gaze scanned over Michael, trying to see if he could spot some sort of wound. There was nothing he could see, but it was clear the archangel was in pain.

“How can I assist you?”

( @angelofamber )

“One second…”

Michael’s voice calls out from the other side as you hear what can only be assumed as a heavy pile of books being set down before the eldest of the Archangels opens his office door

“It has been quite a while since we have spoken, and in all honesty I just wanted to say hello, see how you’ve been.”

His wings puffed up a bit, it was clear that there was no concern behind his visit.

“Gabriel, he’s…well….”

He paused, his demeanor clearly shifting.

The sol behind Michael flickers slightly, exhaling he leans against the doorframe while looking at you, it’s clear that something recently changed with him, but what it was, who could tell

“It will take time of course, but…yes. I am quite glad as well.”

As he heard the rest of Michael’s words, he laughed a little, nodding again.

“I have been alright, a little tired but…alright. It is not a cause for concern. The children are doing ok as well, they were shaken up by what happened but they have been having enough time to breathe.”

( @angelofamber )

“One second…”

Michael’s voice calls out from the other side as you hear what can only be assumed as a heavy pile of books being set down before the eldest of the Archangels opens his office door

“It has been quite a while since we have spoken, and in all honesty I just wanted to say hello, see how you’ve been.”

His wings puffed up a bit, it was clear that there was no concern behind his visit.

“Gabriel, he’s…well….”

He paused, his demeanor clearly shifting.

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

She couldn’t help but not only squeeze your hand gently in response, but to also also her six wings to flutter slightly, showcasing just how happy and content she was

"I suppose so..."

He nodded again as Irida continued to speak.

She joked around, her six wings fluttering again as they began glowing a mix between light green and light blue, she truly was happy and content in that moment

She “looks” at you as a content aura surrounds her, yes, she was still very much afraid of everything, but you managed to help ground her back in reality… to help her begin to accept that in order to heal… she needs to allow support

Azrael laughed again, nodding.

"And I have really missed you, truly. Gabriel has too. It had been too long since I had returned to Hell..."

The ends of her six wings were now glowing a gradient of light green, light blue, and yellow, she was so happy and content in your presence… sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder if she truly deserved a family member like you…

"Not offensive at all, I promise. My main role was to bring comfort to humans in their final moments, so I always needed to be there for others."

He sighed, reminiscing a bit on his old position, before the extinction of humanity. He missed it dearly.

"That is good to know....thank you. I do not know if Gabriel will be able to come to Hell any time soon, but I will let him know of your words"

Her wings drooped a bit at the memory of her nearly dying… seeing her coding… it was so fucking scary… at least she was able to learn about the existence of her soul during that time…

"I suppose I am, and I have no problem with this."

He sighed, his wings puffing up a bit. It couldn't be seen anymore, due to his helmet, but he was "smiling".

But he felt like he was forgetting something. Something important.....

SHIT.

Azrael quickly went tense, panicking a little. From the outside it seemed as if he had some sort of terrible realization, but...he had just forgotten to pick up Anshel from school.

She immediately noticed your change in behavior, it worried her so she let go of your hand and “nodded”, at this point, anything regarding your family mattered more than ever

Azrael laughed, relaxing a bit as not to alarm Irida.

“I suppose I had just lost track of time…but thank you. I will make sure to return when I can, and I will tell the children you said hello!”

He nodded, bowing his head a little before making his way to the door.

“Goodbye Irida, and remember what I said. I am always one call away if you need my assistance.”

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

She couldn’t help but not only squeeze your hand gently in response, but to also also her six wings to flutter slightly, showcasing just how happy and content she was

"I suppose so..."

He nodded again as Irida continued to speak.

She joked around, her six wings fluttering again as they began glowing a mix between light green and light blue, she truly was happy and content in that moment

She “looks” at you as a content aura surrounds her, yes, she was still very much afraid of everything, but you managed to help ground her back in reality… to help her begin to accept that in order to heal… she needs to allow support

Azrael laughed again, nodding.

"And I have really missed you, truly. Gabriel has too. It had been too long since I had returned to Hell..."

The ends of her six wings were now glowing a gradient of light green, light blue, and yellow, she was so happy and content in your presence… sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder if she truly deserved a family member like you…

"Not offensive at all, I promise. My main role was to bring comfort to humans in their final moments, so I always needed to be there for others."

He sighed, reminiscing a bit on his old position, before the extinction of humanity. He missed it dearly.

"That is good to know....thank you. I do not know if Gabriel will be able to come to Hell any time soon, but I will let him know of your words"

Her wings drooped a bit at the memory of her nearly dying… seeing her coding… it was so fucking scary… at least she was able to learn about the existence of her soul during that time…

"I suppose I am, and I have no problem with this."

He sighed, his wings puffing up a bit. It couldn't be seen anymore, due to his helmet, but he was "smiling".

But he felt like he was forgetting something. Something important.....

SHIT.

Azrael quickly went tense, panicking a little. From the outside it seemed as if he had some sort of terrible realization, but...he had just forgotten to pick up Anshel from school.

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

She couldn’t help but not only squeeze your hand gently in response, but to also also her six wings to flutter slightly, showcasing just how happy and content she was

"I suppose so..."

He nodded again as Irida continued to speak.

She joked around, her six wings fluttering again as they began glowing a mix between light green and light blue, she truly was happy and content in that moment

She “looks” at you as a content aura surrounds her, yes, she was still very much afraid of everything, but you managed to help ground her back in reality… to help her begin to accept that in order to heal… she needs to allow support

Azrael laughed again, nodding.

"And I have really missed you, truly. Gabriel has too. It had been too long since I had returned to Hell..."

The ends of her six wings were now glowing a gradient of light green, light blue, and yellow, she was so happy and content in your presence… sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder if she truly deserved a family member like you…

"Not offensive at all, I promise. My main role was to bring comfort to humans in their final moments, so I always needed to be there for others."

He sighed, reminiscing a bit on his old position, before the extinction of humanity. He missed it dearly.

"That is good to know....thank you. I do not know if Gabriel will be able to come to Hell any time soon, but I will let him know of your words"

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

She couldn’t help but not only squeeze your hand gently in response, but to also also her six wings to flutter slightly, showcasing just how happy and content she was

"I suppose so..."

He nodded again as Irida continued to speak.

She joked around, her six wings fluttering again as they began glowing a mix between light green and light blue, she truly was happy and content in that moment

She “looks” at you as a content aura surrounds her, yes, she was still very much afraid of everything, but you managed to help ground her back in reality… to help her begin to accept that in order to heal… she needs to allow support

Azrael laughed again, nodding.

"And I have really missed you, truly. Gabriel has too. It had been too long since I had returned to Hell..."

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

She couldn’t help but not only squeeze your hand gently in response, but to also also her six wings to flutter slightly, showcasing just how happy and content she was

"I suppose so..."

He nodded again as Irida continued to speak.

She joked around, her six wings fluttering again as they began glowing a mix between light green and light blue, she truly was happy and content in that moment

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

She couldn’t help but not only squeeze your hand gently in response, but to also also her six wings to flutter slightly, showcasing just how happy and content she was

"I suppose so..."

He nodded again as Irida continued to speak.

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back

Azrael nodded again, laughing a bit.

She reaches her left hand out to you as the ends of her six wings begin to glow a light green color, for once… she felt calm… at ease… your presence had such a calming effect on her…

“You are stronger than you think, and that’s not my doing at all- you have to give yourself some more credit.”

His eyes “smiled”, his head wings fluttering around his face.

If she had a face, there would definitely be a smile on it, one of both relief and happiness… so many of these things she had forgotten… or had pushed to the side due to recent events… strength… so much of that was in her now…

"Again, you give me too much credit, but- you're welcome. It's the least I could do as your friend."

He let out a deep sigh, gently squeezing Irida's hand.

@lust-layer-mindflayer

Azrael was back in Lust for the first time in…a while. Not being by Gabriel’s side put him on edge after everything that had happened, but he was slowly getting used to it. So he was back here.

As he walked through the streets he paused, seeing…Irida???

He moved forward, wings puffing up a bit at the sight of her. It had been so long since the two had spoken, and he was quite happy to see her, but something was wrong.

Why was she afraid?

Azrael moved closer, waving a bit.

She immediately jumped in fear, the ends of her six wings glowing black on instinct, but the moment she realized who had called out to her, she calmed down, still she refused to leave her spot to float over to you, something had definitely changed

“It has been a while, yes…I apologize for that. Gabriel is doing alright, better, but….I presume you’ve heard what happened if you are asking.”

As she spoke, she moved a bit to better face you, yet as she did, you could see a strange marking on the left side of her waist… was it always there? Why was she so… off..?

“…is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking- you just seem tense. I am sorry if I am overstepping-“

She seemed to struggle with getting the right words out, at the same time, you could see her left set of wings immediately shield her body from view, an action that was definitely new, after a minute, she “exhaled” and beckoned for you to come into her lair

While speaking, she situates herself onto a bed, it looked like a cot of sorts, right next to it was a chair which was definitely used for beings who came to visit her… taking a “breath”, she steadies herself and “looks” at you, her body shaking slightly

“Irida, I- I’m so sorry…”

His vision shifted to scan over her body, looking for injuries. She seemed alright, but that didn’t help quell his worries.

“I wish I had known sooner, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more assistance-“

He was caring for Gabriel at the time, there was no way he could have been able to help, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. He just wished he could have helped his friend, but he couldn’t, and now she was hurt.

“The person who hurt you, they’re…gone?”

She “looks” down while speaking, the ends of her six wings glowing a mix of dark blue and dark purple, it was easy to tell that she was holding back sobs, trying to stay strong… she needed as many beings as possible to know… because he was hunting and haunting her…

He didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t recognize most names. But if he was a fallen seraph….

“Do you know where he resides?”

Just recalling these things hurt and scared her, but she needed you to know… even if this was just the first half… the other half… she hated even more… especially since you’d be familiar with such a thing… because of Seraph…

“There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

His voice was quiet, but it was not meek. The anger in his tone was still quite prominent, his wings pulled tight to his back.

“I refuse to believe this is a hopeless situation.”

He started fidgeting with his hands. He needed to know how he could help, he needed to know how he could be of assistance. He wasn’t able to help when Irida needed it most, so he had to help now.

Her six wings move slightly as they begin to glow black, the more she speaks, the more nervous she becomes… every word he said to her that day… in the Violence layer… it never left her processors… especially that final threat…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you. I should have, I....you should have never gone through that."

His hands trembled a bit, the anger dissipating from his tone and being replaced by what seemed like...guilt?

She paused the moment you embraced her, it was at that point where holding back those sob like sounds was impossible… so she just let herself cry… she didn’t care how weak and vulnerable it made her look… comfort was needed… and you were there to provide it…

"It's the least I could do...I'll always be here to support you, however you need me to."

It didn’t take long for her to return the embrace, her six cabled wings drooping as she sobbed more, trying so hard not to say too much on the topic… she knew how much pain it would bring you…

Azrael murmured, holding her a bit tighter. He didn’t feel it was fair to withhold the information from Gabriel, but to betray Irida’s trust…he couldn’t do that.

“You are not weak. You were hurt. That does not make you weak.”

He said the words he had said many times before to his own partner.

Apologizing… why was she now apologizing..? Was it all she knew to do when things began to spiral..? She could feel her cooling systems switch on, but what good would they do now..? Spiraling… breaking down… she’d fallen so far…

Azrael’s voice was soft, holding Irida as she spoke, remaining silent. It hurt him to hear just how much she was hurting, and it hurt even more knowing he was unable to kill the monster that did this to her. So he did what he did best. Provide support from the sidelines, bring comfort in any way possible.

Her body began to shudder as she hugged you tighter, all she was trying to do now was to calm down, nothing good would ever come out of breaking down like this… she knew how quickly her processors would spiral… remind her of things she didn’t need to remember…

Azrael’s voice was a bit more stern, leaning back out of the hug to look at her “eye to eye.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It is ok to be vulnerable, it is ok to show emotions, in fact it’s healthier to let your emotions out than bottle them all up. And what happened is not your fault. You built your body for yourself, and he had no right to take that away from you.”

His hands firmly rested on Irida’s shoulders before he moved one back to take off his helmet, setting it aside so he could look at her properly.

She couldn’t help but shakily ask you that question while “staring” directly into your eyes, of course you wouldn’t have the answer, no one would… but she had to ask… it was driving her crazy… the torment…

Azrael sighed before gently hugging her again.

She returns your embrace, having calmed down more, you managed to bring her back down to reality, away from the spiral that her processors were trying to force her through again… she always appreciated how much you cared and were willing to listen, no matter what…

Azrael spoke in the same softer tone as before, hugging Irida gently.

"I will tell him, do not worry...and after some time, you should speak to him yourself. I understand your concerns, but it may help."

He hummed, before leaning back out of the hug again.

"And I am always available to talk, whenever you need.. I promise"

She can’t help but begin humming softly, the sound was more human than mechanical, a sign that she was a lot calmer than before, that… maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as she originally thought…

“Of course. The support doesn’t end with comfort either…I know it has been quite some time since you have seen me in combat, but I can assure you that I have improved. If you need my assistance in combat, I am always available. Do not hesitate to reach out.”

While he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “combat”, it was clear what he meant, and who said combat would be against. Despite how serious his words were, he still continued to “smile”.

She seemed to know about your combat abilities and at one point in the past had considered bringing you to Lust to train you… but now… it wouldn’t be necessary… she couldn’t help but “smile” back