#dezdeangelo

-Dez-

Was this some kind of recompense for having died in front of her? This was the second time his former best friend was laid out prostrate and seemingly dead in front of him. Dez couldn’t say that this time was any more enjoyable than the last time. At least this time he knew that she could not go into stasis and that her becoming whatever it was that she truly was now meant that she couldn’t die. Neither of those things meant it was any easier to watch, and maybe that was his punishment. Who knew? The fates and gods were fickle bastards after all. Knowing that Mithos and Thinius were extremely powerful and that Brie had been able to obtain some talismans that amplified their healing abilities did help to reassure Dez that things would soon be put right again.

Movement off to his side caught Dez’s attention as the three who were trying to heal Brie were doing their “thing”. As soon as his head turned and got a full look at Leandre’s face, he knew exactly what was going through the other male’s mind. Since his “return from the dead” and reintegration into those in Brie’s confidence, he had watched them all. He knew that there was some kind of special bond between her guard and Brie, and the look on the Demonic Nephilim’s face now said that their friend’s current state had the male in a murderous rage. Dez also knew that if there was a murder, when Brie woke up she would be in an even worse mood than just having been knocked clean out.

“Leandre, why don’t we take a moment to think.” Dez’s eyes darted back and forth between Thenasus and Leandre. From the look he saw forming on Thenasus’ face, the larger man was seeing what Dez was. Dez slapped his hand into the middle of Andronicus’ chest to get his attention too. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to head off the coming confrontation on his own, no matter how much more powerful he was than he had been before.

-Andronicus-

Andronicus felt the stupid Grigori’s fist hit his chest and was about to show him that while he may not be as powerful he could make the male hurt when he caught sight of his friend, Leandre. Instead of putting Dez on his ass, he joined the Grigori in trying to keep Leandre and Thenasus separated. In normal circumstances Thenasus would be the one that most would have bet on to win a purely physical confrontation between the two males, but this was far from normal circumstances. Andi knew that there was something between the Queen and Leandre. He’d never pushed or pried, Leandre was after all known for keeping his own counsel in most things. The past had made Leandre circumspect about sharing details of his life, let alone his thoughts. Recent events with Talia only served to reinforce why this was smart.

“Lee, it was an accident. Come on now, let’s not add more violence to this day.” Andi moved to put himself between Leandre and Thenasus. He needed to keep them separated till the others were able to heal Brie enough for her to wake up. If she was at least awake, maybe Lee would be distracted enough not to kill Thenasus.

-Leandre-

“Get out of my way Andi, I don’t want to have to hurt you.” Leandre’s jaw was set and his eyes were hard. He was going to make Thenasus hurt for not being careful. Yes, they were supposed to fight all out in sparring but there were certain rules when there weren’t full healers present.

Fingers curled into fists then straightened with each step that Leandre took towards Thenasus. The taller male was backing up, trying to avoid a confrontation, but Lendre wasn’t going to let him escape that easy. Now, if Andi would just get out of the way so he had a clear path to get things done.

-Dez-

Why did it always seem to fall on him to solve things? He had to be the one to explain that Thiniu was Talon and Talia’s dad, he was the one that had to explain the whole “Brie could have more than one mate” thing because she was a demi-godess thing and they had weird connections to things, he had to be the one to know things that were coming and to tell anyone, and now he was going to have to be the one to head of this disaster before it became an epic cluster fuck that no doubt he would get to clean up.

“Leandre, calm your tits, boy, It was an accident. I doubt Thenasus set out to bash his Queen’s brains in. Rarely does a member of the royal guard wake up in the morning and think ‘Gee, I wonder how I can piss everyone in Imperium off in one fell swoop? I know! Try and kill the Queen in training!’ Come on boy! Do not make me put you in a cell to calm your ass down.”

-Leandre-

There were few things that Dez could have said that would have gotten through the rage that had been all encompassing in Leandre’s mind; but the Grigori had found one of those things that cut through everything and had the Demonic Nephilim spinning around and now coming at him. Now all of the rage that had been directed at Thenasus was focused like a laser beam at Dez. Without knowing anything about Leandre’s past, he had found the one thing that would trigger Leandre into even greater violence than injuring Brie.

“You will NOT put me in a cell.” Lee started now to advance towards Dez. The normal blue-green of his eyes started to have a red ring around the iris. He didn’t know if he could defeat the Grigori, but Lee would die before he ever let anyone put him in a cell again.

-Dez-

“Then calm your ass down, Leandre.” Dez, unlike Thenasus, was not backing down. Someone had to stand up to Leandre and get him to listen to reason. Otherwise there was going to be a lot of violence and bloodshed, and the worst part was going to be that it would be from friendly fire. “I do not want to have to put you in a cell, but I will if I have to. Don’t make me do it, Lee.”

While Dez’s stance was set, his entire countenance speaking of resolution to stop Leandre from whatever violence and retribution he was seaking; on the inside, Dez wasn’t as assured. He knew exactly where he would teleport Leandre if he had to, but he’d prefer if the other male would just stop for a minute and realize that Mithos, Thinius, and Orpheus would have Brie patched up before too long.

-Leandre-

A vibration of power filled the air and Leandre barely felt it as Andi tried to stop him from advancing on the Grigori. Lee had developed tunnel vision and all he saw, all he heard, all he could acknowledge in the room was the smartass Grigori who was threatening him. He might end up in a cell, but he was going to make th male hurt first. Fuck going back in a cell and being anyone’s prisoner.

He reached Dez and grabbed the front of the dark button down shirt, pulling the other male til their faces were almost touching. When he spoke, his voice came out a growl, “I said that I will not go back in a cell.” He tightened his hold on the other man’s shirt and his voice dropped even lower. “If you try, you are going to hurt, and hurt bad for it.”

-Dez-

There was going to be no talking to Leandre. It was too bad, he had really hoped to be able to. That meant he was going to have to contain him. It was clear that containment was not going to go well. Dez would just have to deal with the fallout with Brie later.

“Just remember this wasn’t my choice, bro. All you had to do was calm the fuck down.” With that, Dez teleported them to the prison realm that he’d been confined to when he was “dead”.

@darkknightl

@gregoriusimmortuos

**Dez**

“I don’t think that Asmodeus….” What Dez was about to say was cut short by Andronicus suddenly appearing in the strategy room where he was leaning over a large conference table with all of the intelligence documents that they had on the Princes laying on it. Thinius, Mithos, and Arioch were on the other side of the table. Cruz and Adriel had just stepped out to go find Olly and Deacon. The remaining four men now looked at Andronicus concerned, it was clear that something was wrong. “Well, spit it out son.” Mithos wasted no time in prodding. Andronicus was rarely one to be hesitant in saying anything, but it was clear that he was rattled and that was keeping him from speaking his mind.

“There was a training accident. Thanasus hit Brie in the head with his bo staff and she’s not moving. Leandre sent me, O is trying to heal.” Andronicus’ eyes said it all as he spoke to the other males, the situation was dire and they needed the powerful healers. Orpheus was not going to be enough.

Dez didn’t wait for Andronicus to say more, he teleported to the training room. What he saw made it feel like when they had made it back from that damn prison planet all over again. Instead of Cruz with Brie, this time it was Leandre. Maybe this was karma for his dying in front of her in battle to undo all the shit that Clotho had done, somehow that would be fitting. He was ready for it to stop happening though. The first time had been more than enough punishment, this was more like torture to him.

Mithos, Thinius, and Arioch arrived just a moment behind Dez. They too were struck by the similarity to the situation that they had been in just a few short months ago. It was one that none of them had ever wanted to be in again; at least this time they knew that she would recover.

Andronicus had not been lying, additional help was needed in healing, and neither Mithos nor Thinius hesitated in rushing over to assist Orpheus. While Brie was doing better in healing on her own, there was still something hampering her. Div was trying to determine what it was, but coming up short. Dez was ready to go shake the deity till his brains rattled round his skull if it helped him figure it out faster. Most of her other powers were still in full force, it was only the healing. Some of those in Imperium blamed Abbadon for that, none were brave enough to say it to Brie however.

**Leandre**

Mithos and Thinius appearing helped to calm Lee’s anxiety over how slow it seemed that Brie was healing. After what Div had told them, he knew that Brie could not fall into stasis or truly die, but seeing her so badly injured and unconscious still sent a spike of worry through him. His duty as her guard was to keep her safe but it was as her friend that the worry was born. There were few that he had taken into his confidence, and she was one of those few. That made her very dear to him.

Once Mithos had gently taken Brie from him, Lee stood and backed away from where the other three male were working to watch the healing start. As they quiently chanted the incantations and worked their magic, he looked down at his blood covered hands. Slowly they balled into fists as he saw the darkening and drying blood that was smeared across them; his heart clenching an aching to know how badly Brie had been injured in training by Thenasus. You weren’t supposed to aim for the head in sparring, especially without a strong healer present. What had Thenasus been thinking? Why hadn’t he been more careful?

Anger grew, boiled, and bubbled within Leandre as he watched Mithos and Thinius, assisted by Orpheus. They were calm and methodical, too calm in his book and they seemed to be in no hurry. How could they not see the urgency of the situation? Did they forget the events of the past? Leandre’s short fingernails dug into his palms until they started to draw blood. The room seemed to suddenly feel warmer and warmer as he stood there. A tremble started in his hands as anger welled within him, a rage that he had not felt in ages.

He wasn’t even cognisant of his movements as Leandre closed the distance between himself and Thenasus. All he could think of was Brie lying unconscious on the floor from an accident that should never have happened if Thenasus had been doing things the right way. Scenes of the courtyard when they’d made it back from that hellacious prison planet flashed through his mind with each step. He remembered the look on Adriel’s face, the despair in Cruz’s voice, the way the other Horsemen had all seemed to almost wither, every detail was still etched in Leandre’s mind as if it had happened only the day before. That Div had ensured that she could never be in that type of situation again was of no consequence to him, that her injuries now were similar was enough to raise his ire and bring him to the bring of extreme violence.

@darkknightl

@gregoriusimmortuos