#angel 01

Location: The Reef Bar

"Hey, just the person I'm looking for you," she smiled as she walked up to Angel. A friend of Fia's wanted to fundraise for a local wildlife conservation center and came up with the idea of doing so via calendars. Fia was tasked with finding individuals from all walks of life to partake in the photoshoot. It would make a great gag gift just in time for the holidays. "How would you like to be the month of July in a fundraiser calendar?"

The dim light of the lamp cast a warm glow across Ander's cluttered quarters in District 13. Stacks of pre-war books piled high on the floor, a few pens and spare sheets of paper with hastily scribbled notes strewn across his standard-issued desk. He knew if the district leaders were to conduct a surprise inspection he would fail, but Ander couldn’t bring himself to care. 

The cobwebs collecting in the corner whispered of neglect, but the recent influx of refugees to 13 had tied up his schedule as he prepared his already crowded classroom to accommodate even more students. His supply closet was starting to look a little sparse and they were starting to run out of desks, but he was doing his best with what he had. Tonight, though, he had managed to secure a much-needed night off, and all thoughts of the work he had piling up were left behind.

The cold air of his bedroom was mildly uncomfortable as it hung around them. This far underground, cold was a perpetual state of being, but it was fine. Having grown up in 13, Ander was used to it. 

The two boys were sprawled across Ander's bed, the worn blankets and mismatched pillows providing a semblance of comfort and their bodies close together. The lack of personal space was never weird. He and Ángel had been friends for so long that, if anything, he found their closeness to be natural — comforting, even. 

Their laughter echoed off the wall, melting together with the faint sound of distant footsteps echoed through the corridor, the only reminder of the world that existed on the other side of his door. It was nice. They hadn’t had the chance to catch up like this in a while, and despite the work Ander had waiting for him in the morning, he was thankful for the moment. 

“You can’t be serious,” the man managed to finally choke out as the noise died down and they caught their breath. His shoulders shook with residual laughter. Ángel had been filling him in on the latest news down in Tech. Apparently, one of the district higher-ups had spent at least 20 minutes ranting about a ‘broken’ communicuff that — surprise —  turned out to not be broken, just turned off. “I’m surprised you let him go on about it for that long. I would have paid to see that.”

Rome was recovering from the archsatyr’s madness, powerful magic, though it wasn’t as if Hyrsam had managed it alone. The satyrs made it possible, not to mention Hyrsam’s father, while the Prince of Fools was formidable and unpredictable, it was his sire that was the true threat. Idly her mind played over what Lloth would think if the drow slid her blade between the archfey’s rib cage, took him by surprise and watched the light fade from their eyes. That was the thing about Gods and their aspects, they considered themselves simple deaths but Evanuris had watched the divine light fade from enough angelic features to know that God or man fear looked the same on everyone.

Night quiet as those affected by the seraphim’s plague rolled over the city, the only that were unaffected were those who belonged to the realm of the undead. Lloth’s favour wasn’t enough to be undone by a simple plague, and while she wandered unfamiliar streets she took in the glow of the moon above. Most of her life had been spent below within the Abyss, but there was a time when she’d wandered Sehanine’s gardens at her side, laughing while conspiring with a dagger behind her back. Evanuris hoped that the Goddess could see her now.

“For someone without a heartbeat,” The drow turned towards the creature that had been stalking her for the last few blocks, “you make an awful lot of noise.” A derisive look trailed from the other’s feet, up his legs, over his torso, and then rested on the youthful creature’s features. Practically a thread away from mortal, was he going to attack? That would be interesting, but everyone in this realm was so brash and headstrong. Glory and battle and blah blah blah. There was nothing glorious about battle, men drowned in the mud and people shit themselves before death. The quickest way to a man’s heart was through his back.

Benjamin: 10/10 think you need a beer right now

Well, crap.  This wasn’t the first impression Gaige was hoping to give the neighbors.  She’d just been fiddling with some scrap she’d found in the junkyard, trying to build a new weapon system for Deathtrap to supplement his now less-than-imposing stature; her experimentation thus far had lead to the prototype stage of a tiny missile launcher to mount on his shoulder.  Outdoor testing had gone a bit...chaotic, though, and one of the projectiles ended up breaking through the window of the townhouse next to the one she was currently living in.  Based on the layout of her own building, she guessed it was the lowest bedroom in the house.

Thank god she hadn’t loaded it with any explosive or otherwise dangerous components yet- all that had landed in the building was an empty shell.  That meant she could just go to the front door and apologize for the property damage as opposed to running away from the burning building and fleeing to another planet to escape the law.  Again.  She rapped on the door a few times with her metal hand, stepping back and standing with a sheepish expression and posture about her.  The initial apology ran through her head a few times before the door started to open up, so she figured she’d be set. “Hey, I’m Gaige, I live next door...I may’ve accid-”

Her words caught in her throat.  Bright green eyes widened as they met one pale blue, the other obscured by long, dark hair that had been pulled to one side.  Upon the rest of the face, a complexion that seemed even more void of color since the first and only time they’d met in person.  A dumbfounded expression locked on the young mechromancer’s face for a few seconds before she mentally slapped herself, regaining some of the nerve to speak once more.

“Oh.  Hey, uh...Angel?”