Solomon’s lair had become increasingly more stuffy lately. It was only natural, then, for a certain fallen angel to seek entertainment.

     Rune made a face while they stared at one of the demon’s many cabinets. Their face reflected in the glass, but they ignored it, focusing instead on a toy on the third shelf.

     “It’s beautiful,” Rune whispered. “Solomon, what is this? I’ve never seen anything like it!” Their breath clouded the glass, obscuring their view, but Rune quickly rubbed it off with their sleeve. The kazoo which stared back at them seemed to sparkle in spite of the fact it was made of plastic.

     “They held so much promise,” one of the council members said. “This is such a waste of a resources. Think for a moment-- can we really afford to lose another soldier?”

     The angel beside him shook her head. “We haven’t a choice,” she murmured, avoiding his eye completely. “They’ve broken too many rules. Besides,” suddenly her voice gained an edge, “if that demon were to gain control of them, Hell would have an insurmountable advantage over us.”

     Closing his eyes, the first angel sighed. “Of course,” he said, “of course.”

     On the stage before these angels stood Rune. Their eyes were shrouded by their hair, which had become knotted and greasy due to their lack of energy. The energy they did have was spent on repairing the wounds they received from the other angels.

     “What is it?” they had asked them. “A succubus? A lowly demon? Answer me, traitor!”

     But they didn’t. Rune hadn’t spoken since they had last seen Solomon. They had nothing to say; they couldn’t defend themselves nor did they want to. Rune also didn’t want to tell the angel high lords about Solomon.

     It was strange, Rune mused. Very strange indeed. The only loyalty they had ever felt was to heaven, but now...

     The floor beneath their feet suddenly vanished, the enchanted rope around their neck tightening. GUILTY, said the council. GUILTY, said the jury. GUILTY, said the wind.

     Contrary to what any city folk might think, the convenience store wan’t empty. At the far back of the store, situated primly on a wooden stool, Rune held a phone up to their ear. It rang once before immediately relaying the cheerful voice of their superior, Mary. 

     “You’ve reached Angel Kushiel’s front office,” she said, her voice fading in and out due to the poor signal. “This is Mary speaking. How may I help you?”

     Rune’s nails bit into the sides of the phone. “ID 7373-4006 speaking,” they replied tightly. “I’m calling to check in, wh--” Hissing in pain, Rune glanced down at their ankle bracelet, which had just shocked them.

     “You’re tardy, 4006. A whole seventy-three seconds tardy, in fact, if this analog clock is to be trusted!” The sound of shuffling papers could be heard, followed by silence. Then, quietly, “Kushiel won’t be pleased.”

     The night was dark but the moon was red, dripping blood across the starry black sky. Rune floated down the street with their hood covering their eyes, listening to crickets and car horns, looking up once every few minutes. They saw nothing however. Not even when, once their eyes lifted for the third time, the wind picked up and a crow cawed from a nearby tree--a classic omen. 

     But it didn’t last. Rune turned a corner, their feet barely brushing the asphalt, when all of a sudden the world quieted. The crickets did not sing nor did the cars honk. Glancing up, Rune raised an eyebrow. On the opposite end of the street stood a shadowy figure. The demon-eater simply stared at it for a moment, their lips twitching downward, their cloak falling away from their head.

     Then they were suddenly next to the figure, breathing in its ear.

     New York City is a pain in the ass, Rune decided. Their eyes strayed to the alley on their left, and then their nose crinkled in disgust. And it smells like ass, too, they added matter-of-factly. A gust of wind flew through the alley, carrying a strange beetle-like thing with it. Rune followed it with their eyes. Once it stopped soaring and started hovering, Rune stuck their nose in the air. “Go away,” they said. “I don’t want you here.”

     “Shut up,” replied the bug. “There’s a demon nearby. Keep your head up.”