he grabs whatever blade he had hidden away in his jacket as he discards it, sharp edges cutting through the fabric of his shirt to the side, enough to leave a good window for julian and keeps him decent enough. does the same to his pants : whatever, he has a handful of others. “ no. ” the answer tumbles out through a groan at the faintest of movements to the side, trying to peek at the damage to his side. “ but look at it, and tell me if it's really worth worrying over. ”

“ and delusion on you. ” angel born snorted, though knew his own skills with a blade were best used on his seraph companion than in the kitchen ⸻ his skills were passable, good enough to keep him alive and fed, but angels help us all if they are passed down to his own hypothetical kids. “ but i won't lie, better you than i, you've got me there. i'm sensible enough to know that any cooking of mine would have poisoned the kids long ago. ”

it may be an old promise, one that is incredibly difficult to uphold among shadowhunters, but it serves as a reminder that some things are worth fighting for. more so, it proves that they care ⸻ despite the endless arguments, rolled eyes and attempts to annoy the living hell out of each other. ❛ that makes two of us. ❜ and yet, julian knows better than to expect his parabatai to stay behind, let alone give up on them. maybe that is why the faintest trace of relief mixes into his frustration tonight. her absence gives him a disadvantage on the field, but it also means she's safe. ❛ yes. ❜ his tone is slightly sharper than usual as he narrows his eyes. ❛ my order. ❜ he knows it must be strange to take them from him, knows that aziel does respect him, but this job is starting to feel much more challenging than it should have. his hands add arrows to the quiver and he nods, just once before he starts to move toward the exit of the institute. ❛ yeah. and a seraph blade in case i run out. let's go. ❜

his boots hit the porcelain of the institute heavily, quickly, and out the doors into the biting air of new york. chest heaved, strong heart beat snapping against ribcage, with his stele gripped and dragged across the speed rune to get wherever they needed to go quicker. aziel breathed, turning towards the direction of city hall and making a run for it. “ divide and conquer, split up and meet back at city hall? or are we going straight for the biggest source of demonic energy together? ”

Chain of command... 9-1-1, S03E05 & S09E08

“ worth it in what way? ” rozaliya delicately hummed, twirling utensil in her fingers like a wand : of all things mortal, and mundane opinion, food is where the main population often disagrees on. never interested her, never craved to try leafy bowls not from the realm. “ there are so many ⸻ categories to judge from these days. taste? calories? color? ”

“ secrets, truths. lies, knowledge. yes, my children are quite the chattering bunch. ” their little spies, hidden in corners, blending into nature's serenity and beauty : some secrets they know that they should not. “ some people share too much with them, without meaning to. how does the saying go? woods have ears, fields have eyes? ”

“ would you be here if you had your doubts? ” words caressed the line between a truth and a lie : not quite an answer, but dismissive enough to appear as one. the cloak shed, and hardened exterior of the representative proof that the death of one of the king's people was in fact not a surprise. “ a question for you ⸻ why does the clave's soldiers now turn their focus towards the death of an unseelie. curiosity? responsibility? or something else entirely? ”

DAMIAN HARDUNG Maxton Hall 2.05, "Deceptive Lightness"

“ it's not a hobby, no. ” fingers unclasped, catching the woman's movement with unnerving speed. there was no use pretending : the ache is curbed, taking a backseat when she focused on the other. isara seemed more relaxed. ⸻ knees that would rub red, blood flowing to the surface remained pale as the girl stood from the grave with cat like grace. “ i was trying to get away from the main road. too much going on. your friend was just the first to catch my eye. ”

❛  i  thought  i  smelt  you  here.  ❜  a  sentence  that  might  sound  odd  to  anyone  who  isn't  a  downworlder.  she  slows  when  she  spots  isara,  kneeling  at  the  grave  ⸻  her  face  serious,  distant,  wearing  an  expression  that  feels  achingly  familiar.  one  violet  has  seen  reflected  back  at  her  in  mirrors  more  than  once.  her  steps  soften  as  she  draws  closer,  voice  quieter  now,  careful  not  to  disturb  the  stillness  wrapped  around  them.  ❛  you  good  ?  ❜

the young vampire still feels like a stranger in her own body. ⸻ what was once driven by mundane humanity, now combats a lurking monstrosity every night. she does everything, fights every undead nerve craving a walk into the occupied square : to slaughter, and feed it. sometime, she needed to be away from everything. everyone. at the presence of kin, another just like her, that beast calmed, eased into something more docile. the somber expression was still worn, but she managed to look relieved at violet's intervention. “ yes. at least, now i am. my cravings were getting a bit violent for a moment, had to step away. ”

isara wasn't really most people : it could be argued most people didn't crave blood, or needed a moment away to get those urges in check. “ i'm not a fan of phi, and frankly i wasn't expecting someone else to be around at this hour. ” a half truth, born of her mother's rooted superstitions ⸻ stories she grew up with, warnings and late night stories to deter her from stepping out past curfew. “ maybe in the daytime, but a cemetery at night is a whole 'nother story. it'd be weirder to not be so jumpy when among the dead. ”

sure, his focus hadn't been a hundred percent on where he was going. his blood sang, pulled him in this and that direction trying to find the feeling of something unpleasant creeping nearby : chasing uncomfortable intuition. but was he completely at fault when a familiar blonde walked smack into him? he'd say no. a sound of annoyance pulled itself from his chest, blues bleeding into brown stabbed into josie's figure, and gloved hands fruitlessly wiped at the grease spot now on his jacket. “ what the fuck right back at you, josie. did you forget your training back at the institute? ”

aziel agreed with cosimo, finding it easier to navigate certain circumstances from early exposure. quicker to pick up on body language, faster to the draw with words. “ recommendations? ” the dip of his back leaned back onto the mahogany of the bar, not feeling like turning his back to a crowd tonight. “ not high praise, not really. it's the obvious choice. ” because i'm your son, is on the tip of his tongue but the nephilim instead lets it hang between them unsaid. “ will you be cooking? the kitchen barely survived the last time. ”

blades are hidden in easy to reach places, tucked into belt and within the lining of his jacket. if a pair failed, another to take their place in a comfortable amount of time. ⸻ the two compliment each other's fighting styles, and it cements the fact that this mission could not fail. “ oo-oh, your order. ” he chided, snickered though made no comment to actually mock his authority. he was reckless, selfish minded, but he respected julian that much. moves him like a pawn, and he doesn't second guess it. “ then let's get this mission done. quicker we kill them, quicker we can come back and get yelled at. ready to go? enough arrows? ”

“ if you and papà need a break, i could always drop by and take the twins off your hands. ” aziel offers selfishly, because if you were to ask him, there's few things he misses more than his younger siblings. one of many downsides of living at the institute. “ that way you can focus on your vampire life crisis. ” he joked.