Ramiel

silas couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh, shaking his head as a smile crossed over his face, “i wish i could, but i made a promise to be good and i like to keep my promises,” everytime he thought of giving an overconfident master attitude samael’s words echoed in his head and he remembered what happened last time he got caught being bad. he tilted his head a bit at the mention of being claimed, “you are? you must be lucky. i hate those damn cells with a passion,” he felt more comfortable knowing the other was a fellow slave so he didn’t have to watch himself as much as he does around the masters and mistresses. “i would give anything to feel free again, ya know?”

Ramiel grinned a bit, not all that surprised by the others response. “Such a school boy. I can respect that though. A man with honor.” He nodded a bit, approvingly. He too was the kind to keep his promises, however he had gotten much more careful about making them while a slave to the city. Now that he was no longer branded and belonging to just one person, who just happened to be the girl he loved, he was probably a bit less skeptical about it. Silas seemed interested in the concept of being claimed. Which was probably a good thing, considering that Ramiel couldn’t imagine such a guy would remain unclaimed for too long. “Yeah. After a lot of time alone in there, I got lucky. Found a woman that wanted more than my pretty behind. Most of us does. Trust me the longer you’re in there, the bigger that hate will become. Then again, you don’t strike me as someone who will spend too much time locked in. I’m sure there’s already someone who’s got their eye on you?” he was half asking, half assuming. “I’m not sure freedom is in the cards for any of us. But I do get where you are coming from.” 

silas smiled his wide smile and let out a breath of relief as he said he would help, “oh thank you, i swear i have the worst sense of direction.” he really did, and it was even worse when it was a place that he didn’t know at all. he nodded his head and followed along side the other, as he led the way. “i guess it is, i’m the errand boy,” he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. even though the other was was nice and all he still minded his words and actions, anyone really could turn around and hurt him at any point. “and you? what are you doing today?” 

The kids visible relief made the otherwise stoic angel smile. It was obvious that for him, a little help meant a lot, and it was hard not to be a little charmed by that. New slaves often felt lost in the city as well as L’Enfer and while Ramiel couldn’t remember a time when he had been lost or physically directionless on earth, he’d helped out now and then simply out of pity or feeling somewhat responsible. He’d been here so long, seen slaves come and go. If he could lighten another persons load by lending a hand he didn’t see anything wrong with that. “Well that sucks.” he said with a small head shake. “I’d say give them hell later, but that really ought to be your call given how some responds to attitude.” His loose lips had gotten him in plenty of trouble. Then again, at some point he really hadn’t cared what the consequences might be. “I was going to get some coffee and just.. walk a bit I guess. I’m claimed so I have a bit of a loose leash.” Looser than most. 

Truth be told, she was thrilled that he didn’t leave her… He would have been well within his rights to do so. Cyn had left him once, after all. Though not coming back wasn’t intentional, did payback really need a reason? The city was regaining itself and returning to normal, with a whole slew of new additions in the cells. But HE wasn’t among them. He was right where he belonged, back in their home.

“Is it that obvious?” A smile crossed her lips and she lowered to her knees. “I should have known that you were out here.” She kissed his lips ever so softly before shifting and laying on her back right next to him, head by head. The sun felt good on her skin, but it never felt the same as i did when she was a witch. She’d traded the sun for the moon.

“Ramiel… Why didn’t you leave?” She was glad he didn’t. She didn’t want him to… But as weird as it was, she would have covered for him to avoid re-capture had he fled…

It would probably take some time, to figure out who he was and who he could be as an angel bound to earth. Before meeting her Ramiel had allowed himself to hold onto hope. To mentally fight for the day when he would get out and return to heaven. The harsh truth was that he couldn’t return. The gates of what had once been his home was closed forever. And yet he had reached a mental space where he was okay with that. Because as much as he would miss it, he would miss Cyn more. He had known what it felt like, missing her. Aching for her. Being without her. And he wasn’t eager for a repeat. 

“Kind of.” he teasingly replied, his lips moving to return the kiss, that familiar sensation of butterflies leaping to flight inside him occurring. He hummed softly, contently, as she laid down beside him, feeling her hair fall against his. Staring up at the sky, he contemplated how to best answer her question. “Isn’t it obvious?” he asked finally, a soft smile on his lips, moving his hand to take hers. “I love you.” He began, his voice quiet but steady. “And I realized that having my freedom wouldn’t matter if gaining it meant not being with you. None of it seems to matter much without you.” 

The wars Brandon had seen and had been a part of were too many to count. He had seen and walked too many battlefields, including the ones back when he was still a full-fledged angel in the service of heaven. Bloodshed was so natural for him. It was why he didn’t really take any pleasure in violence, not that he didn’t mind it or dished it out occasionally. But because his eons of existence was so full of it, he had become indifferent to it.

After all those years of violence though, he never predicted he’d end up here. Thorn Haven was not necessarily a city devoid of violence nor was his relationship with Coco completely domestic but still, he had never thought he would actually build a home with someone he loved, let alone fall in love. Ramiel did make a distinction between them: Brandon chose to leave; Ramiel didn’t. The both of them found themselves in the same place, but their circumstances, both how they got here and what they were in right now, were different.

“Because you haven’t found them yet.” Brandon himself was surprised at his words, that he would defend having a life on a place as miserable as Earth. “If you didn’t come here, you wouldn’t meet Cyn. Even those emotions - sure, they make things complicated, but without them you wouldn’t be able to love her like you do now.” The angel downed his drink once more and looked at his friend. “Maybe it’s not about easy or simple. Maybe it’s about whether it’s worth it.” Brandon looked at Ramiel with a smile. “Do you think it’s worth it?”

Over 300 years on this earth, yet he had never forgotten what his home looked like, or the sensation of being connected to his heavenly father and his brothers and sisters. None of that would ever fade, or so he hoped, and remembering them and who he had been was to a degree important to him. They were his past. By now he had long since realized that both being blocked from communicating with heaven and having been with a witch, now a werewolf, meant he was no longer welcome and would never be able to get back home. It was a sad sensation, realizing that all you had treasured and valued before was and would always remain gone. 

The pessimist in him didn’t know if Thorn Haven could become a place he’d call home. A place to settle down, to grow and evolve. He’d been held back from it all except for when he had been with Cyn. As long as she had him claimed, he was presented with opportunities and new journeys to take should he wish to. The truth was that at this point, Ramiel didn’t know how. He had been stuck in one place, in one role, behind bars so long that the idea of becoming more still struck him as near impossible. It was perhaps what separated the two angels most of all. The fact that Brandon had been able to make a choice for himself when leaving heaven, when settling here, when evolving and growing as a man. Whilst Ramiel hadn’t chosen to live on earth, nor to settle in a town filled with supernaturals, nor that he wanted to evolve and grow. Into what? He still couldn’t see it. 

“No, I haven’t.. any advice on how to go about that?” he prompted, scratching the back of his neck a little. Hearing Brandon recant in favor of his relationship with Cyn was a surprise to Ramiel. They’d talked about the concept of love and commitment before, but then the other had always shied away from really getting into it. “Thats an awful good point.” he said, a little stunned. Damn, for some reason, Brandon was really hitting the head of the nail tonight. His eyes crinkled with an answering smile. “Yeah, its worth it. She is and always will be.” 

Brandon chuckled and shook his head as he put his handkerchief back in his pocket. “You know we don’t keep count, Ram,” Brandon replied. “Seems like you’ve been here too long. You’ve forgotten.” 

There was a shift in Brandon’s tone and features as the slight smile that was on his lips as he teased his friend disappeared. “Now’s a good time as any,” he said as he walked towards the other angel. “The city’s in chaos. You can slip out, get out of Thorn Haven.” His gaze met Ramiel’s as he spoke. “The brand could be weak enough to let you get out of the city. This could be your way out.” He heaved a sigh. “You and I both know you don’t deserve to be a slave here.”

Ramiel curiously tilted his head, having to admit that the sight of a fight intrigued him and stirred a certain thirst. There was nothing he had been better at than engaging in a battle. “Oh you mean that still applies here? Okay then.” He replied with a grin. After hundreds of years in battle, keeping count seemed very useless for sure. Which was why it had been agreed between them that keeping count wasn’t something they did. But down here? The body count couldn’t get especially high.. 

His eyebrows rose at the distinct change in Brandon’s features, accompanied by his words. It didn’t occur to the angel what his friend was suggesting, not until he spilled it out. Before Brandon was done talking, Ramiel’s head had already begun to shake in protest. Yet he struggled to find the best words to respond with. “I.. I can’t.” he finally said, a mixed expression on his features. Shame, guilt, conflict. “I finally got her back Brandon. And Cyn can’t leave this city. Yes, this could be my way out, but I would have to pick. My freedom, or.. love..” 

it was one of the first times silas had been ‘rented’ out from l’enfer, and fortunately for him he was only need to run a bunch of errands for them. unfortunately for him, he had almost now idea where anything was in the town, so he ended up roaming around, looking to each place to see if it was the right one, obviously looking incredibly lost. it worried him, he feared of getting in trouble for not finding the right place. silas could almost thank god when someone had finally approached him and asked if he needed help, letting out a breath of relief, “yes, oh thank you, i’m so lost,” he laughed a bit nervously, “i need to find uh… i think it’s called la petite… i forgot,” he groaned, “it’s a bakery i think?” 

Offering something as simple as a helping hand used to second nature to the angel. Now he had to really think about it before doing so. It was what living in a cell and prison did to you. The longer you stayed in there, the harder it was to remember that simple acts of kindness and small gestures of politeness still mattered and could make a difference. Given how frazzled the younger male looked, he figured that it was the least he could do. “We’ve all been there. Happy to help.” he said, giving the kid a reassuring smile. “La petite patisserie. Its only a few blocks walk. I’ll show you.” the angel said, waving a bit to show the other which way they had to walk. “So thats your role of the day, errand boy?” he asked, curious but also being polite by making conversation. 

It was peaceful out here though. A perfect place to sit or lie down if you were in a contemplating sort of mood. Ramiel wasn’t surprised when a familiar shadow was cast across him, his sight of the sun obscured by the face of the woman he loved. “Were you looking for me?” he calmly asked, his smile a bit faint. He’d had the chance to leave her, to leave the city and reclaim freedom, yet chosen to stay. Sure he might have survived out there without her, but he would never be happy. If that made him whipped or under her thrall to everyone else then so be it. Yet it was hard to deny that it sometimes felt like a lot to give up. Or that he didn’t miss the life he’d once had. 

“It’s all you’re getting out of me tonight. Enjoy it.” The smile was visible on his chiseled face before it was obscured by him raising his glass to his lips. 

Brandon simply listened to his friend’s words and gave a slight nod. Pushing off the bar, he beckoned. “Walk with me.” Drink in one hand and the other in his pocket, Brandon walked and heaved a sigh. “Who would imagine that after countless years of battlefields and doing someone else’s bidding, we’d both end up here?” The bar wasn’t too crowded to allow the both of them to walk a little freely. The Brit glanced at his fellow angel and asked, “You ever miss being up there? Doing what we were ‘made’ for?”

The sandy blonde haired angel snickered softly, as always feeling content and rather happy in his friends company. Brandon was always able to walk that fine line between joking and being serious. It was probably why the two of them had hit it off in the first place. Well that and the slow but steady build of trust between them. 

There was a certain melancholy added to their conversation, which was only to be expected when talking of what they where as opposed to what they had both become. Even if they’d landed on opposite sides of the spectrum, Ramiel didn’t really find that it mattered much. He’d never been the jealous or resentful type and saw no reason to direct such emotions towards Brandon for having power and freedom he himself did not possess. Walking about the bar, drinks in hand, he listened to his friend speak. “Its definitely not something either of us could have predicted.” he agreed with a small nod. Hardly noticing the other people around them, Ramiel found it hard and slightly pointless to mask his expression prompted by the question at hand. His eyes alight with a longing he couldn’t put into words. “All the time. The only exception would be the period when Cyn claimed me..” He shrugged a little before continuing. “I didn’t chose to live on earth, you know? Being up there, I constantly had a purpose, a home, a family of sorts. I was powerful, respected.. besides, earth makes everything more complex. And I do miss not being steered and influenced by emotion. Being without it was much easier.” 

He was sure that someone would say that his heart was too soft for a master. Oscar knew he probably should have let the slave to get in trouble but if he could do something, he thought he should. For all he knew, the slave was new and didn’t know all the rules yet or how bad it could be. Oscar didn’t want that on his conscious so he acted, pretending like the slave had been waiting for him. They wouldn’t know the difference until they went and checked their records. “I’m certain they would,” he agreed, looking over at the guards with a small wave. “Well I figured I’d give you a reason to not get into trouble with them.” Oscar wouldn’t admit it but he wouldn’t mind taking the attractive man home for himself but he hadn’t rented him. The alcohol was still buzzing in his system, leaving Oscar to throw caution to the wind unlike he normally would. “Want to come back to my place? It will give you a bit more freedom,” he offered.

“I..” Now, how could Medea possibly tell Ramiel that she didn’t plan on sticking around? Magic was obviously acting all sorts of funky – which meant that whatever spell kept the slaves from escaping the city.. well, it would be wavering. It was her only shot – and a long one, at that – but what other choice did she really have, but to take it? This wasn’t living. She wasn’t living – she was making it by, day by day – the witch knew that she deserved more. More than just survival. “I don’t think I’m going to stick around to watch it bite me in the ass.” Honesty – if anything, she didn’t want to do what Cyn had done all those years ago. “Think about it, Ramen.. this is probably the best chance I’m ever going to get at getting out of here.. who knows when else I’ll get another.. and if it might even be as good as this.” 

Leaving her favorite angel behind would probably be the hardest thing of all – everybody else she didn’t exactly hold enough fondness for to ever regret deserting.. but Ramiel? That’s a different story. “You don’t have to. If you’re right and I don’t get to see this through the way I want it.. then you shouldn’t be the one facing the consequences of my personal vendettas.” she mused, stuffing whatever she could get her hands on into one of the bags she had managed to sneak away from the guards “Just promise me that you’ll.. take care? Be less of an annoying shithead? Make it work with Cyn? I don’t know. I guess I’m asking you to promise me that I won’t regret not taking you with me.”

Her loss of words made him frown, unsure what he’d said to warrant that kind of response. Did she think he was sticking his nose where it did not belong maybe? Well tough. She was his best friend. Come hell or high water he would stick up for her no matter what. Even if she didn’t think he needed to, or that she needed him to. When she revealed what she was thinking, the angel couldn’t help but drop his gaze for a moment, the realization hitting him hard. She was leaving.. Swallowing back both spittle and emotion, he tried to keep his expression neutral as his eyes refocused back on her. “You’re right, its your one shot, you should take it. You deserve to be free.” Even if being free meant he could no longer see her or talk to her. Even if the thought of loosing her was making him feel incredibly lost, and physically sick. The question wasn’t what would she do without him. Medea was strong and fierce, determined and beyond clever. She would make it out in the world with flying colors. He on the other hand.. it was near impossible to imagine how he was going to get by without her. She had been his constant companion for over three hundred years.. 

“I’ll miss you.” Words spoken slowly but in a very low tone, as he tried not to let her see how much this all hurt. It also hurt that she wouldn’t even take his help with anything.. here he was offering to help in any way she might need, and she was simply telling him goodbye. Pressing his lips together, Ramiel sighed a bit, not sure how to respond without turning their last conversation into an argument. That wasn’t how he wanted her to remember him. Nor how he wanted to part ways with her. “I will. On the other counts though, I can’t promise anything. I’ll try with Cyn, you know I will but yeah.. Were it not for her I would come with you. I’m sorry I can’t..” 

“I am used to my own nudity and my packs nudity…..not to strangers nudity.” Erik clarified with a shrug of his head, putting his hands in his pockets as he stood her awkwardly. What was going on with him? “I..don’t….I’ve never…..” He cleared his throat before continuing. “The thought of seeing another guy naked has honestly never crossed my mind.” He admitted with a shrug. Liking men as a man was totally unheard of in his family so the thought that he might be interested in guys as well has never crossed his mind.

“Yet you live in a city where nudity is a big currency.. interesting.” Ramiel commented with a slight smile. He couldn’t help but notice how he made the master uncomfortable. And while it was probably not the best way to make friends, he couldn’t help but like it, the slight sense of power shifting between them. The males answer didn’t exactly give the impression that he meant what he was saying. The stutter and the shrug. Though it also made the angel guess that this one had never actually been with another man. “Well if you’re interested in taking one on a spin, expanding your horizons, I’m always available.” he replied, dropping a naughty wink. 

“Lot we could do for fun in a few hours,” Nico teased, tipping his head to the side and looking up at the taller man through the dark fan of his lashes.  He wiggled his fingers at him.  “Interested in seeing what I can do?  I promise, I still got a lot of skills, even with my powers all bound.”

“If there’s anyone I know who can put up with all the shit, it’s you,” Brandon said, raising a glass to his friend. Still, of all people that should be in those cages, Ramiel wasn’t one of them. Brandon didn’t usually give a shit, but when it was one of his men - granted, former men - that loyalty was still fierce in him.

“Yeah well, thought means fuck-all,” he breathed in frustration. He shook his head. “Sorry. This was supposed to be a relaxing night out for the two of us and here I am making it all glum.” He heaved a sigh. “Being in this fucked-up world and in this fucked-up place isn’t doing us any favors.”

“Now thats a fine compliment. I will take it. Got any more while you’re at it?” Ramiel responded, his tone curious though a little teasing. He couldn’t stay too serious for too long. It was a huge part of why he had lasted as long as he had. That and friends like Brandon to confide in. Still he too raised his glass, smiling crookedly. Nothing could or would ever alter the bond between them, and for that he was grateful. His friendships were the most stable things in this half assed life he was bound to live. 

Ramiel slowly shook his head, giving Brandon a light clap on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry about it. Cause I know that while on this earth you have a certain amount of power, even you have to be reminded you’re not all powerful somehow. Balance restored and all.” He shrugged a little. “Nah, its not but its not as if we can go back and change it all. This is what we have and while its in our blood to fight until there’s nothing left, I think making our peace with it grants us just a little more happiness than the alternative.”