Members of the Seraphim Council and Apprentices, all attending winners and angels of Heaven. It is my great honor to welcome you to such an important weekly event as the Promenade Party. We gather here to introduce the Seraphim of Heaven to the new arrivals, to share significant news, and to provide you with the opportunity to fill your heart with joy and make new friends.

Let's commence with the Seraphim Showcase. *She smiles graciously and unfolds her wings.* My name is Sera, I am the Head of the Seraphim Council. *She motions for Shamira to come forward.* And this is Shamira, my devoted guardian angel. She serves the Will of Heaven and will protect its magnificent Light.

*Sera gestures to Sarai and moves away, giving her a place on stage.*

She finds Sarai at a calmer part of the party, drinking alcohol. Hey Sarai. Could we talk?

- @exorcist-ray

Sarai had already managed to drink half the bottle of absinthe by the time Ray found her. The burning sensation did little to calm her nerves as it usually did.

“What is there to talk about?” She asks bitterly, “You saw how wonderfully that talk with Ava went. If there was even the slightest hope at reconciliation between us, it’s completely vanished now.”

[Miraculously reaching the Pearly Gates (with the help of several VoxTek drones) and sneaking past St. Peter in the guise of Lute, Kori finally makes it to the Promenade party. She can't help but grin before drinking the second vial of the potion. It must work. Her plan is purr-fect, just as her.]

[Changing her appearance to an improved, angelic version of good ol' Lee, Kori starts the live broadcast.]

Meow-meow, Kori-chan speaks! Watch me closely, Mr. Vox, because I've prepared an unforgettable entertainment for you, nya~!

[She licks her lips predatorily, then puts on a cute friendly smile and approaches Adina.]

Hello, bun-bun! Do you mind talking to me now? I screwed up really bad yesterday and wanted to apologize.

@ask-kori @askoverlordvox

Adina’s ears perked up at the sound of “Lee’s” voice. She turned and couldn’t believe her eyes. She really couldn’t.

Something about “Lee” was wrong. Her scent was off. Truly, she should know better, but she was desperate to see her dear bug again. Ignoring her better judgement, she decides to believe that it was Lee. She needed that hope.

“Bugaboo? You came back?” She says, shocked. She clears her throat, and tries to force her usual wide, unassuming grin.

*Just as she decides to go find Lute and get out of here, she hears her calling her name from a few paces behind.*

[Lute places a hand on Sadie's shoulder.]

Woah woah, what happened? Are you okay?

[She wipes Sadie's tears away.]

Hey, Willow! Are you busy right now?

[She flies up to Willow and hugs her, curiously looking at what the elder seraph was doing.]

@seraphim-perach

Oh, hey Perach. Willow glances at the flower on the seraph's head, before turning back to her roses.

[Lee, like a shadow, approaches the first Seraphim she likes. She chuckles and hugs Grace from behind.]

Hi, pretty.~ -🍬

@your-favorite-therapist

Grace freezes for a second, before pulling loose and glaring at the "moth". She wants to lash out, but knows she shouldn't.

Hello, dear. Can I help you with something? Her eyes twitches in annoyance. The seraph despises being polite to people who piss her off. "I wish I could just slap her and tell her to fuck off."

[She reaches a hand out.]

My name is Echo, what is yours?-⚫

- @ask-cerethos

Ava was confused by the sight of winner in front of her. But nonetheless, he shook her hand.

“Hola, soy Ava. Yeah, I’m not havin’ a great night. Don’t worry though, mi novia is waiting for me in there.”

He points the library/quiet zone.

Ava tried to escape the presence of the other Exorcists, making her way towards the Peruvian buffet. Seeing Adina was not what he wanted to experience tonight, not when all he wanted to do was distract himself from his unending thoughts.

Despite this, all he could hear was her mocking voice. He was a stupid, pathetic thing, someone that messed up a friendship with one of his best buddies all because he couldn't stop being afraid that she'd leave him too. God, he wished he brought another pack of cigarettes with him to the event.

As he reached the table, he noticed he was breathing heavily. No, not now. Not in public. Can't break down. So don't. Just stop, just stop...

"OH SHIT, A RAT!"

Drawn by the sound of screaming, he noticed some partygoers running away from the platter of papas rellenas. Upon a closer look, she could see that there was a white rat eating the entire supply.

"Hey, I know you!" He said to the rat, "You're one of Papa's buddies! How you been?"

He talked with the rat a little bit, which calmed his nerves a little. Still, she wished she had someone she could turn to - someone who could actually talk back.

The line for barbecue is practically wrapped around the block, so Sadie and Lute opt for appetizers and fresh fruit first.

They both turn their heads at the sound of the screams. By the time Sadie finds the source of the commotion, all she can see is Ava standing all by himself, or so she thinks, where there should be throngs of Winners lining up for food.

Oh, god, what did he do?

She hands Lute her plate and rushes over. As she approaches she can hear him muttering something.

“Uh, Ava? Who you talkin’ to, bud?”

“Oh, Sadie! Great to see ya!” She says, turning to see her, “I just found one of Papa’s street buddies here!”

She gestures towards the rat.

“She and him go way back. He brings her ‘round often. So often that I think I might take her in. How’s that sound, mi pata?”

The rat squeaks happily in response.

Sadie’s eyes glitter and she smiles.

“Ohhhh, da wittle babyyyy! May I give you a little scritchy-scratchy behind the ears?”

The rat squeaks at her as well, so Sadie scratches her head.

“Looks like your little family is growing!” She chuckles. “Anyway, sweet party, huh? I can’t believe I’ve never come to any of these before.”

“Yeah, it ain’t too bad. I’ve been to a few a’ these before.”

He tries to focus on what’s happening right now, but his troubled expression betrays him.

“I don’t usually like goin’ though. Not when I can get drunk myself, ha!”

“Yeah, fair enough.”

She pets the new rat friend again, applies some hand sanitizer that was nearby, then grabs a piece of Yuquitas Rellenas from the buffet table.

She studies Ava for a moment and frowns, concerned.

“Hey, you alright? It sorta looks like something’s bothering you. If it’s the crowd, I heard there’s a quiet room around here somewhere.”

“Yah, all good here! I think all I need is just a good drink to really get in the mood for a party. Say, ya up for another round a’ beer shotgunning? Betcha I’ll win this time!”

Ava puts on his best front, not wanting to tell Sadie about his thoughts. He wanted to forget, just for a little while. Booze would do the trick. It was the next best thing to smoking.

Sadie laughs and grins, then turns her head and glances behind her to where Lute stands a few paces back with their plates in her hands.

“Alright, but I’m only racing you one this time. Lute’s already way less than thrilled to be here, so the last thing she needs is to carry me home.”

She reaches under the table to where the beer is (the alcoholic selections are kept under the tables and are sorted according to their corresponding ethnic cuisines) and grabs them each a can of Cusqueña. She tosses one underhand to Ava.

“I ain’t about to lose either! Not with my girl watching! On the count of three, then?”

Catching the can, he grins back at her. “Ya got it!”

“Uno, dos, tres!”

On “tres”, he and Sadie start their little competition. Breaking it open with his teeth, Ava quickly chugs the whole can. He finishes a second before Sadie does, and so he cheers.

“Hah, looks like I win! This calls for a celebratory drink!”

He pulls out another can from underneath the table and begins to chug.

“Damn!”

She chuckles as she concedes defeat, and uses her forearm to wipe some beer fizz away from her mouth.

“Must be losing my edge! Nicely done.”

She watches as Ava victoriously chugs the second beer, then as he reaches for a third and guzzles it just as quickly as the first two.

“Hey, slow down, champ! Why don’t you eat something before—”

It’s no use, Ava grabs a fourth beer and downs it. He’s knocked all of them back in extremely quick succession.

“Fuck, that’s good!”

He tosses the emptied cans to the ground, starting to feel a bit dizzy. For some reason, it wasn’t working as well as he thought it would. He still kept thinking.

“Ahh, don’t worry about me Sage-Diggity,” he slurs, “Ya know me. Ava El Carbón isn’t a lightweight!”

He laughs, trying to convince her and himself that everything was fine.

On the other side of the party, Sarai awkwardly avoided Ava and Sadie. She kept stealing quick, not-so-subtle glances from the corner of their eye, her mouth feeling dry.

She promised Sadie she'd make an effort to talk to Ava. But tonight obviously wasn't the night for that! He was having fun! With his good friend! No way she could just ruin that for him! Obviously she had to wait at a better time for any such conversations.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

A little person bumped into her. To Sarai's annoyance, it was that small orange Exorcist.

"You again?" She said, her wings raising defensively, still holding a grudge over the whole incident with Sera, "Is this a habit of yours?"

Tess flushes, intimidated by the tall Seraph's bluntness.

"Well, hello again to you too." She murmurs, "Uh, how's Sera?"

Sarai eyed Tess. "Sera should be none of your concern. Care to tell me how in this grand event you manage to bump into me again? Some might just accuse you of being an obsessive stalker of mine."

"What! Fuck nooooo!" Tess exclaimed. She was a simp but not that desperate. "Just how far up your own ass are you!?"

She regretted that as soon as she said it.

"Ah, I didn't mean that. What I meant was...Aha, shit..."

Sarai wasn't entirely wrong. Tess had been staring a bit too much at them from across the Promenade. But to her credit, she had stopped looking when she went to go find a quiet place to retreat from all the commotion as she was trying to avoid the party altogether. She may be a rude, elitist bitch, but Tess couldn't help but be absolutely taken by Sarai.

Maybe if she weren't so...her, we could get along.

"Excuse me, Exorcist?"

Nope. I just ruined any chance at a decent friendship with my big mouth again.

"...Tess. My name's Tess." She squeaked out. If this meant she was getting into trouble again, she did not want it. She was already dreading when Lute had told her she had to figure out a just punishment for her over the whole "pocket sand" incident. (But Tess could've sworn she saw the Commander hold back a smirk when she recounted why she had summoned Tess to her.) She looks around and sees Ava slamming back a few beers with Sadie, and very awkwardly points to them. "I think I'll just...go over there...with my Exorcist friend!"

Sarai noticed Ava once more, and her initial anxiety returned.

"W-wait, excuse me," Sarai said to Tess, suddenly becoming nervous, "You're friends with her? That Exorcist?"

Taken aback by the Seraph's sudden shift in demeanor, Tess looked at her and then at Ava.

"Ava? Yeah. We're not like super close, but we've talked a few times before and vibe pretty well."

Sarai instantly regretted her lashing out. Sheepishly, she asked Tess, "This may be a strange request...but could you lead me to her? I have some...matters I must discuss with her."

If she were anyone else, Tess probably would flat out refused. But in that moment, Sarai looked like a completely different person, like someone that was unsure and kind of lost. And also, she was still very hot. Maybe this could be how she'd amend her mistake of accusing her of being up her own ass! (Even if such an accusation was true.)

"Sure, I can do that. Follow me. Uh, please, Your Highness."

Tess motions for Sarai to follow her through the crowd. It feels strange, to be leading an all-powerful high and mighty Seraph through the crowd. And Tess couldn't help but be a little curious about what Sarai could have to discuss with Ava. Were they friends? It was hard to imagine Sarai being cordial enough with anyone that wasn't another Seraph to actually form a bond.

Nervous, Sarai follows Tess and approaches Ava. They’re taken aback by the sight of Ava’s drunkenness, and by the sight of the rat on her head.

“A-“

She remembered she was in public, in the eyes of many. After her talk with Sera, she was a thousand times more cautious about letting others know about her relations with Exorcists. But it was too late to back out now. She had to save face somehow.

“Exorcist Ava,” she said, trying to sound professional, “I wish to speak with you.”

Ava looks up at Sarai. She feels a jab of irritation at Sarai referring to her as “Exorcist Ava”. There was a time when they were just Ava and Sarai to each other, no need for titles. Suffice to say, she wasn’t happy.

“Ayyy Your Royal High Ass,” he chuckles, “How’s it hangin’? Finally remember us little people exist? Guess that’s easy to forget when you’re built like a damn skyscraper.”

Already, she was aggravated. It was clear Ava was going to make this difficult.

“It would serve you well to show more tact in public,” she answered coolly, “Especially to a Seraph that wishes to speak with you. If you’re done with your little taunts, then follow me to a more secluded area so we can talk like real angels.”

Ava laughs humorlessly.

“No no, princesa. Anything you wanna say to me, you can say right here, right now. This is Heaven, ain’t it? We’re all real angels!”

He feels his temper rising. He knew how he got when he got drunk and angry. It wasn’t a good combination. He was aware of the rat on his head and how nervous she was getting. He gently took her off and looked around.

Then he saw Tess, a familiar Exorcist. Without a second thought, he approached her and handed her the rat.

“Hey, you’re Tess right?” He asks her, “We live across each other in the dorms, yah? Couldja hold her for me?”

After giving her the rat, he goes back to face Sarai.

"Wh— Oh!" Tess jumps a bit nervously upon being startled by the exorcist, but her heart rate slows just a bit when she notices how nervous he looks.

Confused, she takes the rat into her hands, letting the creature climb onto her shoulder and cloak herself in her long red hair — even the animal is nervous.

"Hey, Ava, wait!" She calls out as he leaves, but Tess isn't sure he hears her. "Shit..."

"You've gotta be quiet, okay?" she whispers to the rat, reaching up to stroke her fur gently.

There are so many people on the scene now that Sadie doesn’t really know where to start. She nods at Sarai as a means of greeting her. It’s… something… to see her again.

Sadie really just wants to be eating pierogis with her fiancée right now, but this is important. Although she doesn’t know why, she does know that Sarai and Ava have needed to talk for a long time now, and that her Best Bridesbro is in no condition for a productive conversation at the moment. She cautiously approaches him and speaks calmly.

“Hey, buddy? Try to cool off a bit, okay? I reckon Sarai comes in peace.”

“Sage-Diggity, don’t worry about me, I’m chill as fuck. Hell, I feel better than I have before. And I got lots to say.”

He turns his attention to Sarai.

“So what say you, O Great Seraph? Come to call me “lowly” again? Wanna tell me more about how I’m “unfit to stand beside” ya? I’m all ears, princesa!”

He bows mockingly, staggering as he slightly loses his footing.

“I knew this was a terrible idea,” Sarai scoffed, “You are completely inebriated. I make the effort to finally speak with you, and this is how you act? I don’t know why I even bother.”

“Why do ya? Ya made it pretty clear the first time that you had no use for me! I heard ya perfectly!”

He notices the guilty expression on Sarai’s face and laughs dryly.

“Oh, don’t pretend like ya feel bad. You loved doing that to me, didn’t ya? You’ve been wantin’ to say that to me ever since we met! Just couldn’t wait to throw me out, eh?”

“That’s not true! Stop your lies! Why else would I have let you come around?”

“Haha, that’s right! You let me hang around! Cuz nothing gets by without your approval, does it, princesa?”

His head ached, his heart felt like it was going to explode. Not even he had realized how much he wanted to say until now.

“Just admit it! You were always embarrassed of me! Why else would ya tell me that we can’t be seen together? Why else would you just refer to me as “that Exorcist” whenever Sera came around? For fuck’s sake, I’m your sister!”

“Ava! Quiet yourself!” Sarai hushes her frantically, aware of all the eyes of the crowd, “We’ve talked about this! You know how the Council looks down upon Seraph/Exorcist relations! I was only doing what was best for the both of us and our reputations! I don’t know how many times I have to explain this to you!”

She says this in a hushed, nervous tone, terrified that news of this would get back to Sera. After their last meeting, she was not eager to have the High Seraph discover she personally knew another Exorcist.

Ava flies up, staggering, as she meets Sarai’s gaze.

“All ya ever wanted was someone that made ya feel better about yourself. “Ay, my life sucks, but at least I’m not Ava!” Right?”

He staggers, and lands on the ground.

“Did ya think I was blind to how you ashamed ya looked whenever you were around me? Ya think I never picked up on how much you wished you weren’t stuck with me? God, you’re dumb.”

He chokes back a sob.

“But fuck…I’m the moron here. Cuz I really let myself believe that you weren’t like the others. I thought you were different. I thought you wouldn’t be like dear old ‘Dina.”

“But nah. All you Seraph bitches are the same. All youse care about is your clout, and ya don’t care about pathetic bastards like me.”

He angrily storms off without another word. He said all he wanted to say.

“Ava… Ava!”

Sadie’s calls after him are of no use. She takes a step forward with intent to go after him, but then stops, absorbing everything that he had said to Sarai. She turns to her, now.

“You’re Ava’s sister?”

She thinks for another moment.

“YOU’RE MILAN’S SLAM PIECE?!”

Sarai stood frozen as all eyes were on her. Looks like the cat was out of the bag.

“I…um,” she says, trying to answer Sadie, “I am not…”

What was the point? Out with it.

She sighs.

“I would prefer a less vulgar term…but…yes. I am…involved with Milan. And…Ava is…my sister.”

Sister.

The word lingers in Sadie’s head. As do some of the other words exchanged between Ava and Sarai.

Embarrassed. Ashamed. Wished you weren’t stuck with me.

She thinks of her own sister. She thinks of the terrified look on Josie’s face as their living room burned below them. She thinks of the way Josie clung to her as she carried her outside. She thinks of going back into that apartment and not making it back out. She thinks of how she’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

A heat stirs up in the depths of her belly that she hasn’t felt since her arrival in Heaven. Fire gathers at her clenched fists. Her eyes flash red as she shoots Sarai a nasty glare.

“You… you BASTARD.”

“I made decisions that resulted in the END OF MY LIFE in order to protect my sister. And THAT is how YOU treat YOURS?”

She is trembling. The fire crawls up her arms.

“You make me SICK. What kind of low-life thinks of their own sister as a burden? As an embarrassment? As dead weight? As DISPOSABLE?”

“You oughta be fuckin’ ashamed, alright. Ashamed of yourself. I don’t give even half of a drop of rat piss about Heaven’s goddamn hierarchy, and neither should you. Ava is your sister. You think that’s an inconvenience for you? You think he’s not WORTHY of you?”

She’s been so at peace lately that she forgot; she’s an angry crier. Warm tears gather in her eyes.

“You think you’re TOO GOOD for your own sister? CHECK YOURSELF, BITCH.”

That being said, she storms off as well, leaving a trail of smoke and embers behind her.

As much as she wanted to respond, Sarai knew there was truth in Sadie’s words.

She had always made it a point to hide their sisterhood with Ava, never wanting any of her Seraphim colleagues to know that she was even friendly with her.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Ava was right too. She had been embarrassed. And she had thought herself better than the Exorcist that only wanted to be her friend.

The crowd was loud. There were whisperings among those who had watched the argument, while the rest seemed too engrossed in their conversations to care. She had to get out.

She walks away, hoping to find a good supply of absinthe to keep her busy.

Tess' features pull into a tight frown as she glances back at the rat on her shoulder. She tries not to think about everything she'd just witnessed with Sarai, but... It's hard.

Milan, though? Of all the decent exorcists crawling around the barracks, she picked Milan to be less of a prick to? That's what Ava's friend had put together, right? Were they a thing?

Tess sighs, marking yet another pathetic crush off of her list. At least attempting to entertain the idea of a seraphim was bold, even if she never got past a few sentences. Bold for her, at least.

The rat makes a small noise, dragging her wandering mind back to reality.

"What do you think, squeaks?" she asks as the animal hops off of her shoulder and back into her hands. "Wanna go find your... Dad?" She realizes she still isn't quite sure whether this rat is a pet or something Ava had just picked up off the street. Still, she doesn't seem too bothered either way. "He looked pretty shaken up."