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The Sacrifice
Stage: Fallen Messenger

Owle awoke to find herself curled up in a pit of dirt, cuddling a stuffed plushie that she could not remember getting. Vaguely, she remembered the dream she had just had...the mechanical man, if he could still be called a man, Abel Cain...and that woman...both bargaining with her, both telling her that she needed to exist, that they wanted to bring her back from the dead.

Dead. She didn't remember dying.

Well, of course she didn't. It was just a stupid dream, no matter how real it may have seemed.

The shifter picked herself up and climbed out of the dirt pit, noticing only then that she had both her arms. She'd probably shifted it that way in her sleep...sighing, she concentrated for a moment. Without a sound, flesh retracted into her shoulder, leaving no trace that her left arm had ever been there.

The sleeve of her shirt caught her eye, and Owle stared at it for a while, puzzled. She didn't own a shirt that color. It seemed a bit tight on her, too. That was very, very odd. Well, she'd just have to find a place to get it off, and shift some of her own clothing out of her body. Her shapeshifting heritage allowed her to store objects within herself...strange, yes, but an often useful talent.

Owle made her way across the dirt floor of the large room she was in, finally arriving at a wooden door. She opened it, and stepped out into a sparsely furnished common room. Closing the door behind her, she noticed that it had the name Tiamika written across it.

Huh...this must be someone's room. Maybe this Tiamika had found her passed out somewhere, and brought her back here? That did have a tendency to happen; Owle occasionally took narcilepsy to its extreme.

Across from her there was a door labeled "Kal Torak." To her right was an unlabeled door. Figuring that was the exit, Owle stepped through it into the familiar hallway of Washu's Subspace Saloon and Restaurant. Good. She was home.

It didn't take her long to locate her room, go inside, and get a change of clothes. With some dismay she noted that none of the clothes she'd been storing within her were there; all of them were now neatly hung in her closet. What money she had saved was gone; had she been robbed, or merely misplaced it? Well, there was no way of tracing it now...and it hadn't been all that much, to begin with...better not to worry about it. Washu let her have the room, and gave her free meals for working there...money was just a luxury Owle didn't need.

Still, it was with an uneasy feeling that Owle left her room. She had left the too tight clothes on her bed...if they were Tiamika's, she could return them to her later, when she could find her and thank her properly for not leaving her passed out in the bar. Right now, Owle needed to take a walk, get some fresh air, and puzzle out the dream that was nagging at her mind.

***

She was halfway to Barton Forest when she realized she was still holding that damn wolf plushie. Silently Owle cursed her stupidity. Someone had picked her up, brought her back to their own room, made her comfortable, and now she had gone and stolen their ridiculously cute wolf plushie. Oh, well...she'd just put it back in Tiamika's room when she got back to Washu's, and explain that she hadn't realized she'd been holding it on her way out. Hopefully, this Tiamika wouldn't mind too much.

Trying not to think about it, Owle trudged along, occasionally glancing up at the cloudless blue sky. She wanted more than anything to be flying right now, but the day was swelteringly hot, and there was no wind to speak of. If she got any higher off the ground, the heat would be unbearable...

The treeline had just loomed into view when something that wasn't grass tickled her foot. Frowning, Owle bent down, and plucked a broken, pure white feather from where it had caught in her wooden sandal. Had some seagull gone and molted here? No...it couldn't be...seagulls were dirty, and this feather was immaculate. As the shifter twirled it in her fingers, it almost seemed to glow...

Maybe an angel had...

No sooner did she think it than Owle saw the limp form, lying on its back as though dead, hair as pure as the feather she held covering its naked form.

"Hey!" Owle shouted at it, sprinting over to it. "Hey, are you okay?! Hang in there..."

It was still breathing, the woman saw with some relief. Beneath all that hair, she couldn't tell whether it was a boy or a girl; it was too slight and small to be an adult. The moment she neared the angel (what else could it be?) it turned its head toward her, fixing her with eyes so brilliant and pure she thought her soul would melt under that gaze.

While she should have been calling for a healer, she stood transfixed by those untarnished blue eyes, just watching as the angel struggled and twitched, reaching for something, occasionally grabbing fistfuls of the grass and trying to drag itself forward. No dirt ever remained on its fingers; it was as though the angel was not truly in the world, as no dirt could touch it, and the heat did not seem to be affecting it in the slightest.

Maybe angels don't sweat, Owle thought stupidly, her mind still a slave to those eyes. Maybe its dying of heat stroke, and I'd never know it, cause there aren't any outward signs...

The thought that it must be dying shook her out of the stupor, and she bent down and put her arms beneath the angel, scooping it up from the ground. It weighed almost nothing, as though she were holding cloud fluff in her arms. "Come on," she told it. "We need to get you someplace cooler...someplace closer to where someone can figure out what's wrong with you."

She took a step away from the place, and the angel started flailing, struggling against her with surprising strength for a creature so frail. Finally it rolled out of her arms, falling back onto the dirt. Once there, it just started reaching out again, and dragging itself across the grass.

Owle just stared at it, dumbfounded. "Okay...so you want to stay here. That's...alright...um...you sure you gonna be okay here?" She squatted down next to it, looking past its reaching fingers, trying to figure out just where it thought it was going. "So...what is that you're so desperate to reach? That rock?"

It was a large, stone slab, the only distinguishable feature out here, an island in the sea of grass. There was nothing else nearby; the rock was the only possible destination, unless it thought it could drag itself clear across the country.

"Alright...look. I'll take you to the rock. I'm going to pick you up, and put you down on the rock? Okay? So don't fight me, please. I don't want to drop you again," she pleaded.

It didn't say anything, just turned those blue eyes on to her again.

"Dammit, can't you just talk?" Owle asked in frustration. She had no idea what the hell was going on with it, and she wasn't about to dirty the mind of this pure creature by entering it. Couldn't it just tell her what it wanted?

Sighing, she worked her arms around it again, lifted it up, and walked the angel over to the stone slab. This time it did not resist her, and as she put it down, she thought it looked a little happier. It remained upright, sitting down on the rock, gripping the front of the slab with its impossibly white hands.

"That makes you happy, then? Can I take you someplace safer, now? Where you can rest up, regain your strength?"

She reached toward it to lift it again, but the angel recoiled from her touch. Owle drew back, staring at it. "Fine...be that way. At least...let me get you some water...something..."

As she turned away to walk toward a nearby stream, the angel's fingers ghosted out to her, brushing against the tail of the plushie she held. Slowly, completely dumbfounded by now, Owle spun back to face it.

"You want this?" she asked, holding the plush wolf out to it. The angel made no sign, no attempts at communication, but it stretched out both hands toward the stuffed animal, cupping them as though hoping to catch some falling rain, or waiting for the wolf plushie to just drop into them.

"It's not mine..." Owle explained, or tried to. She was beginning to think it couldn't understand her. "But...if you think it'll help you get better...well, I don't think Tiamika's going to mind too much."

The woman watched the angel's face as she gently lowered the plushie into its hands, then let it go. Was she imagining things, or was that a smile on its pale, immaculate face?

Before she could be sure, the shifter was blinded by a flash of light. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and took a look around. There was the angel, sitting just as it had been, hands clutching the stone slab, expressionless. The wolf plushie was nowhere in sight.

"O..kay..." Owle murmured. "Look...I'm going to go get you some water...stay put, okay? I'm going to get you some water, then I'm going to find a healer, so maybe we can find out why you're all weak and stuff. Okay?"

The angel made no sign that it had heard. It only sat there, staring at her with those eternal blue eyes.

"Right..." Owle said. "Just don't die while I'm away."

Without further hesitation, the woman sprinted off, toward the stream she knew was nearby.

***

Tiamika blinked. How had she gotten here? She didn't remember waking up this morning...and she wasn't anywhere near home. She was standing near a stream full of rushing water, thin trees all around her. The clothes she was wearing weren't hers...they were much too big for her. Her feet were sliding out of the wooden sandals she was wearing, and there was just barely enough room for her tail in the too large shorts. All of her pants had a hole cut in them, so she could wear them with her tail, but these shorts weren't made that way.

Maybe she'd sleepwalked here. She'd have to ask her father about that. First, though, she had to get home...

Flare
Stage: Fallen Messenger

*Flare Sithfallin is not my character, but her creator left Gaia permanently some time ago. She doesn't mind my using her like this, but since I don't like putting words in Flare's mouth, I've chosen not to write her side of the conversation*

Owle was awake, just barely. She was curled up in that same dirt pit yet again, but she knew that it was night time...hours since she'd seen Verde last. She didn't know how long she had before she blanked out again, so she used the time to reach out to the one person who would know and tell her the truth of things.

She didn't need to use telepathy; she merely needed to let her thoughts and feelings travel down the golden thread that connected her soul to Flare's. To her surprise, there was debris along the pathway...as though something or someone had tried to choke it, block it out, keep her and Flare from each other. Owle shoved it all aside, and felt the connection blaze to full life once more.

Flare?

Relief, anger, disbelief, pain and joy flooded down the link to her.

So, I really did die then? Permanently? The news didn't bother Owle as much as it should have; after all, she was alive now. It was difficult to believe that she had died.

The tears she could feel Flare choking down bothered her much more.

Well, I'm alive again now, but...

Before she could explain the situation, Flare cut in with a demand.

What do you mean I have to get out of Washu's? This is my home!

And then Flare told her exactly how she had died.

What? But Bob would never...he can't! Angelic rules!

Lies, most likely. Flare had tortured the information out of Owle's killer...it was an angel that had sent her after Owle, an angel who just happened to send her after all of Bob's other enemies, too. Flare had planned to kill him, for revenge...but Bob was immortal, and Flare had no way of making the killing permanent.

You know...I wouldn't have wanted him to die...or anyone tortured.

Flare knew. But it hadn't stopped her.

Owle had wanted to believe that Bob was her friend. Even after the betrayal he said had happened....it probably never happened. She would have remembered if she had betrayed. She probably saw something, saw him doing something he didn't want her to see...and he'd probably erased her memory of it. He was a powerful enough telepath to do it, too...he'd just been manipulating her all along, even when she was struggling sincerely to prove herself to him....

It couldn't be true. But it was. How else could this have occurred? It was right after she started insisting Bob bring back the memory of what he claimed was her betraying him that he had had her killed....he probably was afraid she'd find it, and restore it herself, whatever it truly was...keeping it a secret was important enough to him to have Owle killed.

She couldn't stay in Washu's, not if she wanted to live. Bob was head of security here; if he knew she was alive again, and here, he could probably kill her in an instant.

Alright, Flare. I'll go someplace else.

Owle sighed as she listened to Flare's relief that the shifter finally had some sense.

But there's another problem. I keep blanking out...it's different than the passing out. It lasts for days on end sometimes, or sometimes only a few minutes, and I'm always somewhere other than where I was, dressed in someone else's clothes, when I come out of it.

Flare thought she might just be passing out and sleepwalking, though the other clothing was strange. Flare couldn't help her find out what it was, though...their connection hadn't been active since Owle died, so Flare wasn't aware of anything Owle had done the past few days.

Flare...thanks. Owle was thanking her for everything...everything she'd ever done. She wanted to apologize for dying, too, but she knew Flare would only yell at her for being stupid. She couldn't have helped dying, so she shouldn't apologize for it.

I'll go as soon as I can.

Flare insisted she leave now. No telling when Bob might find out she was there.

... Owle sighed. You're right. Let me just find Verde. We can move to Barton Forest till we find someplace better.

When Azruael came home from work, Owle was sitting under the porch in front of his doorway as though she had always been there. A glittering green dragon was sitting on her shoulder; the scales covering his long, snakelike body were emeralds, and his twisted horns and the claws on his small, stubby feet were gold. His wings seemed laced with ebony, and his eyes kept darting this way and that, as though he were trying to see everything at once.

Owle was dressed nicely in a sleeveless top of red velvet and dark flare-legged denim. The top, while beautiful, exposed the place just below her left shoulder where there should have been an arm. The flesh simply ended there, with no visible scarring; it looked as though she had never had an arm at all. On her right shoulder was an ugly burn scar, with a 3 within a triangle within a circle raised in white atop it. A silver pendant hung round her neck, and miniature angelic wing clips decorated her hair. A few bits of grass also decorated her hair; despite her best efforts, Owle still looked like she had spent the night in a forest.

She had followed the unique signature given off by Azruael's mind in much the way a bloodhound would follow a certain scent, and had found herself outside a bar called the Poinsetta. Wanting to make sure she had found where he lived, and was not interrupting him in the middle of hanging out or anything, she had then followed Alexei's mind sig, which had led her here. Then she'd sat down by the door and waited, having nowhere else to go.

By the time Azruael found her, her knees were drawn up to her chest, her head and shoulders were leaning against the door, and her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep.

He...felt like hell. His head had the all too familiar pounding it got after every day of work, but along with that dull 'thump-thump'ing in his head, was the pain...

In his a**.

Azruael wasn't a man cut out for work. Not at all; not only had Lily told him so, but he had said it many times himself, Lucien always sneering some where near by. By nature, the demon was a narcissistic b*****d, lucky to have a look so androgrynous, but it was days like this he wished to retract ever being born remotely...good-looking. Damn shame. But his rear end felt like a human pin cushion, the pins being human hands. Why the hell were bars invented anyway? People just got drunk and did idiotic things - pinching his a** was one of the dumbest, as they soon found out; the last person had been sent flying through a table.

Needless to say, the demon got a day off. He grinned wolfishly, it had been well worth it. Or not.

His black wings ruffled in an annoyed fashion as he neared his home, thumbs hooking into the loop of his pants. He was well aware of the figure that lay at his door - knowing not who it was - and was dearly amused at the thought of someone actually bearing the wait of his arrival. And amused even more, as he approached, to find that it was...Owle, yes?

The demon loomed over her for some time, content with just watching her sleep peacefully; it had been so long since he had seen a woman's gentle slumber. He knelt swiftly and shifted his wings, toying with two options - carrying her inside or leaving her out here. Both would earn a slap, most likely...somehow he always got slapped when he tried to carry anyone. His face pinched as he wondered why.

"Un..." A cat-like smile lifted the corners of his lips. "To think I've been such a good boy that someone thought it proper to deliver a woman at my door." Reaching forward, the demon brushed some wayward strands of hair from Owle's face before laughing quietly at the sight of grass, to which he plucked a piece from her hair, pulling it forth gently.

"Time to wake up," he sang.

The dragon seemed content to let Azruael do what he will, though it kept a close eye on the demon. It seemed as though it would jump on him if Owle got hurt, but since Owle had told it they were visiting friends, it kept quiet for now.

For her part, Owle remained asleep as Azruael approached. It was only when he spoke that she started to stir, mewing a little in protest at being awakened. Her eyes still closed, she smiled at the light touch on her face and the pleasant sensation that filled her whenever anyone toyed with her hair. Finally, she opened her eyes slowly, stretching her right arm and letting her legs uncurl. It took a few moments of staring at Azruael's face with a sleepy smile before she remembered exactly where she was and what kind of situation she was in.

Like a startled kitten she tensed up, pulling her legs back to her and beginning to get them beneath her again. Her cheeks flushed red with embarassment, and she started stammering some kind of explanation.

"Sorry, I didn't know what time to come by, so I thought since you weren't home I'd wait here, and, well, I sort of had a long night last night and, well, I..fell asleep."

She opened and closed her mouth twice, trying to cover for her own awkwardness with words. Her brain, however, was still muddled by sleep and refused to think very clearly.

"Erm...this is Verde," Owle said, gesturing to the dragon on her shoulder.

The wary eye of the dragon was not overlooked, but neither was it focused upon. Why should he watch it when Owle was a much more entertaining sight to behold? He found her sleepy smile and gentle mew both endearing and alluring at the same time, and his tail whisked to and fro like a content cat's in amusement.

He chuckled darkly as she came to, looking like some sort of frightened cat or cornered rabbit under his piercing gaze. Resting an elbow upon his knee and his chin tucked against his upturned palm, he stared at her with eyes half-mast; a pleased and lazy expression.

"Aa," he interjected softly, brows rising a fraction. His eyes burned with mirth he didn't even bother hiding, lips quirked in a gentle smirk. "I gathered as much. I just wonder what could have made your night long..."

He was, of course, hinting at more than just insomnia as his attention turned to the dragon; he hadn't seen one of those in ages, and never one that small - not from what he could remember. His head tilted like a curious bird's before he stood, offering a hand to Owle.

"Ah. A dragon...and in your company. What a lucky beast." A wolfish grin came to his lips and he turned, after hopefully helping the woman to her feet, towards the door; there was a key in his hand. "I hope you like noise, because I have a little hellion of my own that can't seem to make enough of it."

No one knew yet of the new addition to his family, not even his friends...and as he turned the lock and swung the door open, sure enough, a sound akin to tapping nails filled the air.

"J-Jumbo! Uhm...N-Niooo! Come back, don't - no!"

A large...pup of some kind barreled through the hall, pink tongue lolling freely from his mouth, before said mouth opened and yapped. And yapped and yapped and yapped. It bounded pell mell for the black winged demon, who had one fist jammed against his fluted ear; one could tell the noise was drilling into his brain. After the dog came a small boy, running as fast as his short legs could take him. Within his tiny hands he clutched what looked like a collar, one of which had apparently come off in his struggle to keep the giant puppy at bay.

Nio slammed into Azruael's legs. Alexei tumbled over Nio's back. The whole lot of them were sent to the ground - yes, even the usually composed demon lost his balance...and tipped over backwards, shouting a curse in the process. Nio took advantage of his spread eagle state and climbed onto his chest, followed closely by Alexei.

"Jumbo! You...you killed papa'n!"

Owle couldn't tell whether Azruael was pleased to see her or just enjoying mocking her with his eyes. Well...at the very least, she had made him laugh. That had to count for something.

"A, no, it was nothing like that!" Owle protested when he revealed his curious about where she had been the night before. He hadn't said anything, had hardly implied, but the demon was so good-looking he just oozed sex...

However, now didn't seem the best of times to explain that an angel was hell bent on killing her, and that because of that she had just lost both her home and her job, coincidentally both located in the place where the angel was head of security. She refrained from giving Azruael any further explanation, and instead concentrated on taking his hand and getting to her feet. Come to think of it, that was far more kindness than her last two romantic interests had shown her...one had seemed intent on keeping her down, while the other was content to watch her struggle to her feet on her own.

The dragon opened his mouth as though to speak, but anything the little beast might have said was soon drowned out by the pup's yapping. Owle jumped to the side as the gargantuan puppy barreled out of the house, soon followed by the little angel Azruael had been taking care of. As the resulting fiasco unfolded, Owle melted down in laughter, clutching her side with her hand. It was the most amusing sight she had seen in weeks, maybe even her entire life.

"Az..." she said between giggles. "You okay there?"

She walked around the fallen demon, till she was standing over his head, looking down. "Need any help getting this little cutie off you?" She reached down, scratching the puppy's ears, and gave a smile to Alexei. "Hello there."

Nio did what looked like a small tap dance on Azruael's chest, heavy paws beating down upon it as he twisted gleefully back and forth. He snorted and pressed his cold nose against the demon's throat, pushing about and licking his chin; Azruael, who had planned to play dead for both the angel and the dog, could no longer keep up. The saliva was just too...he groaned and shoved the hellhound away from his face.

"Hell yes, I do. I'll be damned if this mutt is cute," he grunted, struggling with the wriggling puppy. Nio suddenly became delighted and intrigued by Owle's appearance, and he barked spiritedly, throwing his head back to lick at her hand.

The little mottle-winged angel hadn't noticed the woman before, but his head snapped upwards at the sound of her greeting. His downy flaxen hair was disheveled from the high speed chase his puppy had put up, and he still donned soft blue pyjamas that were a size too large for him; the result was that his shirt kept slipping down his shoulder. His large, sapphire eyes simply stared openly at her, mouth dropping open.

His pale cheeks flushed as he ducked his head, dropping his gaze to stare at the wriggling dog.

"H-hullo..."

"Gah...Lecks, get 'im off. His feet are on my solar plex- gah! Stop moving!" he growled, trying to push him off, but Nio was stubborn to leave and curious about Owle. A dangerous combination. And this was a great vantage point too! Alexei nearly jumped out of his skin, torn from his reverie, and proceeded to hook to loose collar around the dog's neck.

"C'mon, Jumbo..."

"All puppies are cute," Owle answered back, grinning as the dog's tongue tickled her hand. Her expression faded into one of distant alarm, though, as she was suddenly trapped by an all too familiar sapphire gaze...images of the dying angel she had found in the forest sprang unbidden to her mind. She had never gotten that healer, had she? She wondered if it had survived...

Owle smiled again hastily as the boy turned suddenly shy. "Here...I'll get him back inside for you. Um...I'll try not to break any furniture."

After all, if Azruael couldn't move the pup, she doubted Alexei would make much progress...and Owle had a practically guaranteed way to make the dog follow her inside. How beneficial this way was to her health, however, was questionable.

For half a second, Owle became a black, viscous liquid that shot downwards into itself, quickly forming into a four-legged creature only about a quarter of the puppy's size. In a moment, the liquid solidified into black fur, green eyes, and mottled pink and black paw pads. It was a cat that stood where Owle had been, a cat that now meowed in a way that said "Come and get me, you great big lumbering dog" and dashed into the house as though hell itself were on her heels. Verde, who had been resting on her shoulder, fell to the ground unceremoniously, unable to use its wings in time to stay off the ground.

It occurred to Owle that it would be rather embarrassing if the pup did not chase her, but it was practically written into puppy genes to chase anything...particularly felines and stuffed toys...that ran across its path.

"In a 'god damnit, you need to die' sort of way, I suppose," the demon uttered, golden eyes narrowing in exasperation. Alexei looked up and allowed a fleeting smile to pass over his lips, and he climbed off of Azruael, face barely suppressing his curiosity.

The winged man had barely enough time to question her motives as she seemed to disolve for a moment, twisting and becoming something quite solid. The Herald had gasped softly, while his papa'n merely stared - upside down, of course; he was still on the ground. When a cat stood in her place, the sight garnered a smile from the small child...

However.

Nio froze, large head lowering slowly. His dark eyes stared intently at the cat in Owle's place, and never even managed to put the two together, he was a bit dense that way...his hackles raised and his upper lip curled, and with a low, guttural growl, the puppy ran pell mell after the feline. Hook. Line. And sinker.

As he leapt off of Azruael, his large paws grinded into the man's stomach, much to his chagrin. He grunted and lifted himself up, scrambling none too gracefully into the house and after the other two. Great! Now if something happened to Owle, it'd most definately be his fault.

Alexei simply wavered at the doorstep, much too surprised to act. His hands twisted once another, eyes boring into the dragon still on the porch. Well...it was Owle's, right? Would it be okay...to touch it? The little boy moved forward, gaze shooting left and right as though afraid of being caught and scolded; he was oblivious to Azruael's yells from inside the house as he knelt beside the creature and offered a tentative hand.

"Uhm...hullo. I'm Alexei..."

He had always been more fond of animals than people.

Owle barely had a thought to spare for where she was going; all of her mind was focused on the running, trying to pour speed into her legs by sheer force of will. The pup was gaining on her...she knew she was out of shape, why had she thought she could do this?

Where was the couch, where was the couch, where was the couch...he had to have a couch, had to have something soft and sturdy she could dart behind where the pup would be too large to follow. But as she took the time to glance around, her pace slowed, and the pup loomed larger behind her. It was a miracle she even had time to dodge around obstacles, trying to stick to her promise not to knock anything down.

No couch in her immediate sight, out of shape body - there was only one option. Bracing herself for the impact, Owle changed back to her usual form.

Surprisingly, the moment she did so she had two arms, and the scars on her right shoulder were gone.

Meanwhile, out on the porch, Verde huffed to itself as it got back on its feet. It peered suspiciously up at the boy angel. "You good people?" it asked, in a voice that managed to be high and gravelly at the same time. Not knowing what else to do with the proffered hand, it stood up on its hind legs and place both its foreclaws in Alexei's palm.

Nio lumbered after the cat, barking wildly and quite happily at the chase he was presented with. His eyes sparkled with apparent glee, toes tapping on the hardwood floors as he raced after the feline, hackles raised. Now this was more fun than anything he had done yet! The large pup threw a look over his shoulder and increased his speed. Much better! A three way chase! Demon after dog after cat; he yipped happily.

However, as he once more looked ahead, where a cat should have been, there was only a pair of legs in his sight. And he couldn't pounce something like that...with a yowl even a cat would be proud of, the large puppy barreled right into the back of Owle's knees, though his toes had desperately grabbed for a hold on the floors.

Azruael had been racing after them himself, wings outstretched behind him in hopes of gaining speed; the damn things could get in the way sometimes - more like all the times...made him wonder why he became a demon in the first place. So lost in his thoughts of his demonhood and the benefits it wrought, he was much too slow to notice Owle's tranformation, nor did he hear the loud scraping of Nio's protesting paws.

If Nio didn't take her down, surely he did as he ran head long into her back.

Alexei's face broke into a rare smile, his clear blue eyes sparkling with barely suppressed happiness. Yes, he was much fonder of animals than people; he felt so much more comfortable with them. As he closed his small fingers around the dragon's forepaws, he tilted his head and nodded, wispy white hair falling into his vision.

"Yah huh...papa'n is a little crazy, but he's nice. Don't gotta worry 'bout that..."

Owle tottered backwards as the pup slammed into her knees. She had been expecting it though, and struggled valiantly to stay upright, even fluttering her tiny wings for support. She was doing well, too, until Azruael slammed into her from behind, sending her crashing face first onto the floor.

"Ow!"

She was smiling, though, once the pain died down, even laughing a little as she twisted her head back to look into Azruael's face. Poor Nio must be stuck somewhere in between their legs.

"Haha...looks like we ended up right back where we started."

Verde nodded sagely. "Friend Owle a little crazy too." He gave Alexei a toothy grin. "Me Verde. You friend?"

His eyes were sealed shut as he fell, and they didn't open until Nio began to wriggle in between the bodies he was captured in. The dog yapped loudly, growling only when it seemed the demon didn't care too much what happened to him. He twisted around and batted his giant paws at the winged man, and after a moment, his actions deemed fruitful. Nio wiggled free and shook himself off, shooting an exasperated glare at the man and woman before kicking his hind paws out and sauntering off without so much a 'tap-tap' in his departure.

Azruael issued a hiss from between his lips, pushing himself upwards and shaking his head, hair falling wildly around his face; lovely, just what he needed: knots. He arched his back and grunted, looking down at Owle, expression instantly becoming bemused. A coy smile quirked his lips.

"Aa, true. How interesting." His fangs peeked from his upper lip as his wings arched forward and encompassed Owle, shadowing him as he crouched down and brushed his nose across her cheek. The touch was brief, ending as soon as it came, and just as quickly the demon was on his feet, pivoting on the balls of his feet only to fall into a crouch once more.

"Up, up. A lady shouldn't be on the ground." He smirked.

Alexei giggled a bit and nodded, pulling his hands back slowly and resting them upon his knees.

"Nice to meet you, Verde!" he exclaimed in a loud whisper. "Friend? I guess I am -- ahh!"

The little angel tipped forward and barely caught himself as Nio - or Jumbo, as he called him - rammed his cold nose into the small of his back. The puppy yipped and pulled his muzzle from beneath the boy's pyjama top, tail wagging briskly. He placed both his large paws on the Herald's shoulders, using him as a bolster as he peered over his shoulder and at the dragon curiously. What was that?

Owle wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. A shadow had fallen over her as Azruael wrapped his wings around her, shutting out the tiny living room and the world it was a part of. A brief touch, and then it was over, and things were back to the way they'd always been, as though nothing had happened at all.

Owle didn't know what to make of it. All she knew was that it had made her body tingle all over.

"Erm...yeah," she said. Trying to recover from her befuddlement, she picked herself up off the floor and stood in front of him. Her right hand tugged on a strand of her hair, an old nervous habit. "Heh...guess that didn't work too well. Sorry."

As Alexei drew his hand back, Verde took the hint and planted both his front legs on the floor again. He didn't keep them there long, yelping and scrambling backward as Alexei fell forward. The dragon took to the air again as the pup jumped up on the angel. "Hey you!" He pointed a claw at the pup's nose. "What you do to Verde's new friend? Get off!"

He rose to his feet gracefully, hands folding loosely over his chest as he regarded her silently. It was as though what had just happened had been so brief that he had clearly forgotten about it; but, such was the demon's way. The tip of his tail flicked back and forth idly as his cat-like, golden eyes burned into her face. He looked so serious...only for that moment, though.

"Mm, it worked quite well," he replied, knowing smile quirking the corners of his lips. His wings rotated on his shoulders, black pinions rustling eerily in the growing quiet - that, of course, was disrupted by the none-too-distant yapping of the mutt he had regretted bringing home the instant he stepped through the doorway. You would think the GHS would housebreak the animals brought in...

...Or at least peoplebreak them. He shuddered.

He wasn't too worried about Alexei; he knew his sensitive hearing would pick up any scuffles outside, so the boy was quite safe. As for anyone attempting to harm him...can't quite say the same for them. So he ushered Owle into a seat without a word, head cocked to the side.

"So, what's the occasion?"

The Herald grunted quietly and tried in vain to de-attached the growth known as 'Jumbo' off of his back. This only spurned the pup to drape himself heavily over the boy, using him as a stool as he tried to reach his maw out to the dragon. His barking rose in volume as the creature spoke, tail whipping back and forth.

"D-don't worry, Mr. Verde" - why he had attached 'Mr' to the dragon's name was beyond rhyme and reason, but seemed suitable; he only hoped the dragon would consider himself a he - "This is..."

Alexei twisted around and grabbed the pup's paws with practiced care, easing him off of his body; he finally stood up.

"This's Jumbo. His real name's Nio, but I like Jumbo better..." The little angel smiled smartly, placing a hand on the Dane's head. "He's my friend too!"

Owle was still trying to figure out how she was supposed to act when she found herself being led to a chair. Nothing seemed certain around Azruael...it was as though he bent and twisted every rule of social interaction Owle had ever thought she knew. He seemed to her entirely unpredictable, unreadable from one moment to the next. It made her feel a stranger in her own skin, and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with that.

Still, she had felt this way before, hadn't she? Yes...the first time she'd entered the Firebrand, the first time she'd met the people that became her best friends, her family...maybe it would all be worth the awkwardness in the end.

Hey, at least she knew what to do with a chair. The shifter sat down and tried to make herself comfortable before looking up into Azruael's face.

"Uh, no occasion. I just thought I'd stop by, that's all...it's not like I had anywhere else to be. It's not a bad time, is it? I'd hate to intrude..."

Verde backed off a little bit at the force of the barks, a hand coming up to cover his nostrils as though offended by the dog's breath. On hearing Alexei's explanation, though, and seeing the child stand up again, he seemed to relax a little. He flew over to Jumbo, giving the pup a friendly grin. "You be Verde's friend, too?" he asked Nio hopefully.

"Aa, no, no. You're not intruding on anything. Unless you consider the shower I was going to take upon arrival, but..." His slender brows dipped, a thoughtful look crossing once stoic face. Wings snapping outwards, he took a seat across from her and draped his arms over the back of the chair, ankle lifting to rest against his knee. His tail ticked briefly from its place at his shin. He looked all the part a lazy prince, once again placing the woman under his scrutinizing gaze.

He wouldn't be surprised if he had made her uneasy in some way. If there was one thing he enjoyed doing - out of many sinful little acts he performed - it was unsettling people. He got a thrill out of it, obviously.

His molten gold eyes finally left her, rolling upwards to stare absently at the ceiling. Azruael always loved to make an uncomfortable silence spawn before speaking. Sifting through his past experience with Owle, he smiled thinly, head dropping.

"A little unexpected company is welcome every now and then. Especially when received from a lovely lady," he said, breaking through the quiet with his low voice and unreadable smile. "In all seriousness, though, I do appreciate the visit."

His hand swung absently, head turning to stare at the wall as his thoughts set upon gloomier memories, "I believe I owe you some form of debt - you did, after all, keep me at bay back in the town. Accepting a demon isn't easy, but for you...you must have experience with them?"

For the first time that day, a real smile - albeit small - was coaxed to his lips.

Nio stared wide-eyed at the flying creature, shut up by the close contact as he swooped in. His tail paused in its wagging, suddenly intimidated by the creature; it slowly curled between his legs and his head ducked down, a baleful whine escaping him.

"Heehee, he's being a big baby!" Alexei giggled, rubbing the large puppy behind the ears. Nio seemed to relax at this, and lifted his bear-like head again, offering a yip. Apparently Verde was no danger, so the dog lifted his nose and attempted to bump it against the creature's belly.

The little Herald was delighted once again by the exchange, eyes shutting as a smile brightened his pale face. This was a reprieve from the old to him - he was so used to Lily that it felt good to meet someone new. Especially an animal, one that could talk - it was like a two for one special Azruael would sometimes whoop about.

Of course, the angel and the demon's specials were miles apart.

...Miles.

Tucking his fingers beneath Jumbo's collar, he tugged on it and drew backwards, motioning for Verde to follow.

"C'mon, Mr. Verde! Let's go inside...we can get a snack!"

"Aa, no, no. You're not intruding on anything. Unless you consider the shower I was going to take upon arrival, but..."

The first thing that came to Owle's mind was a quip she'd once heard from James: Save water, shower with me. Understandably, the thoughtful look on his face and the feline gaze he was giving her worried her.

He seemed like nothing so much as a cat, making it clear that he owned all he was sprawled out over, calling attention to himself and his utmost confidence. When cats did such a thing, they generally wanted to be looked at, and admired...so Owle took the opportunity to look. Maybe his behavior would make more sense if she applied cat rules instead of human ones. In any case, there was very little to see of Azruael that was not to be admired...

Too quickly, she returned her gaze to his face, only to find him staring at her. Her expression changed to one of startled guilt; she suddenly felt embarrassed for examining him so. But just as soon his eyes were off her, and the awkward silence stretched on...

"I believe I owe you some form of debt - you did, after all, keep me at bay back in the town. Accepting a demon isn't easy, but for you...you must have experience with them?"

Owle firmly shook her head. "No debt. I..." She didn't know what to say. I only did what I thought was right? I'd have done it for anyone? "My sister, Flare...and my friend, Scythe...I've never seen any reason not to accept demons. I mean, Flare's really the first friend I had in Gaia...I mean, she's tried to kill me from time to time, and has come pretty damn close more times than I'd like, but...well, she's Flare, you know? I know it sounds weird, but, much as she's tried to injure me and burn me...Flare'd give anything to protect me. She's saved my life, more times than I can say...and Scythe, no matter how many people he's killed, is a good guy...he'd always watch over me if I needed him. And he has reasons for doing what he does..."

The shifter paused for breath, and to figure out whether or not she was making any sense. She decided she was, but not really. "Anyway...a demon's just a person. Accepting you wasn't half so hard as accepting Flare and Scythe...and I accepted them near instantly. When I saw you with that look on your face, like Flare gets when she's about to torch someone, I figured you needed someone to calm you down...sides, it wasn't very fair what they all were treating you like. It's not like you even did anything...I couldn't not have said something, given the situation."

Verde looked at the dog curiously as Nio backed down, puzzled to no end. "Why he be baby?" the dragon asked. Then the dog regained his courage, and Verde got a cold wet nose shoved into him, pushing him back just the slightest bit.

The dragon giggled. "Verde be your friend," he said reassuringly, patting Jumbo's nose with a tiny hand.

"Snack?" Verde echoed, floating after his two new friends. "What snack?"

He listened to her words with genuine interest, which was rare for the demon to express. Azruael was the type to listen to his own voice rather than someone else's. He rarely listened to others advice, their stories, because he didn't think them important. Not unless he himself could gain a smidgen of information from their words.

"Nn, I have never heard of friends that try to kill one another, but...I suppose I can understand. To each his own?" There had been many attempts on his own life, only to be saved the last second - again his thoughts reeled back to Rhiannon; his already sharp eyes narrowed even more until his pupils became slender, penstrokes of black. He had been tortured so much by her former lover and his lord, but the woman had always stopped him before he had given the death blow. Just enough, just enough...she had always been a bit soft through her rough exterior, always mothering.

He supposed all women were soft on the inside, though.

Out of the blue, he sneered, eyes flicking towards the wall again.

She hadn't, of course, been the only one to spare the demon's wretched life. His body seemed to relax even more at the thought of his brother - though they were not related at all - for he was one he could never harbor any anger for. He was, after all, an elf...and elves were rarely ever in the wrong. That was how he had grown up thinking. But enough about red-headed heroines and green haired saviours - he had a guest to think about.

"I've never had reasons for killing," he murmured cynically, the barest hints of a smirk turning his lips upwards. "But...sometimes I do believe that I deserve the treatment and reactions others hand to me. A demon can never be...just a person, unfortunately" - he issued a soft sigh - "whether born or made one, we're all damned. Some are born sinners, and those who choose to live the fire and brimstone life were sinners in the making."

Azruael shifted in his seat and leaned his elbow against the nearest arm, chin resting upon his palm; his fingers splayed over his face as if tired, pinky resting against the crease of his lips.

"But really, I had no intention to cause them harm, and they judge me before my heart has time to beat. As if I would do anything before children." He wasn't a monster entirely, he had once been a man, after all. And an elf at that. His lapse into thoughtfulness was dragging him into a downward spiral, tugging him into a dark he had found himself slipping into more and more as of late. Sealing his eyes shut, the demon inhaled deeply before flicking them open once more.

It seemed that was all it took to get him back to normal, either that or he was a damn good liar.

"I still feel indebted," he said quietly. Arching from his seat, he leaned forward and placed his elbows upon his parted knees, cupping his face with his hands; his golden eyes were gleaming. "Are you sure you don't want anything...?" His brows arched over eyes half-mast.

Alexei shut the door behind them with both hands, Nio following his every move. His tail was whipping back and forth as it had been earlier, pink tongue lolling from his mouth in an excited fashion. The little Herald used his head as a boost, one hand firmly placed atop it, as he leaned on his toes and switched the lock.

That done, he turned his eyes back to Verde and nodded, flaxen hair bobbing. "Yah huh...I kin make some peanut butter san'wiches for us - 'cept Jumbo. Well...he can have some peanut butter!"

The little boy bobbed his head, began to walk towards the kitchen, footsteps muffled by the pyjamas that were tucked under his feet - they were, after all, too large for his little body. Once he felt the cool linolium press through the fabric, he knew they had entered the kitchen.

" 'Kay...hold on," he mumbled, shuffling towards the sink and grabbing the foot stool that rested there - it didn't occur to him that Verde had wings as well as small hands that could no doubt grip. No, Alexei simply climbed up the rungs and scrambled onto the counter.

Which was pretty dangerous no matter how you looked at it.

"Well, I don't think she was ever actually trying to kill me," Owle explained during his moody silence. "She sure as hell made it seem that way, though." The sneer, she didn't know what to make of. Had she said something wrong?

Slowly, Owle leaned back into her seat as Azruael spoke. She was beginning to get more comfortable here, as though she had finally found territory she knew.

"You don't owe me anything," Owle said, though it seemed hard for her to come to that decision. "I wouldn't feel right asking anything from you." There was a lot she wanted right now...the shock of just what she had lost last night was still catching up to her. A job, a place to stay that wasn't a forest clearing, a means to get food that she hadn't had to catch herself...there was much she could ask for, but she didn't have any right to. She had done what she did because she couldn't have done otherwise; she expected nothing in return, except maybe a chance at friendship and a kind thought.

"You're not damned. No one should be damned for what they are." Her left hand went to her right shoulder, where the scar of the 3 within the triangle within the circle had been before she had changed. As she ran her fingers over the smooth flesh where it had been, she realized both that she had a left arm, and that the scar was no longer there. Sighing to herself, she made a mental note to fix that when she had a little bit more energy; it wouldn't do to pass out in Azruael's living room.

"Anyway..." Her wandering attention settled onto Azruael once more. "I don't know you yet. Neither did they. I can't just judge you on your species..." Her hands twitched, searching for something to do with themselves while her mind collected her words. "And even if I had to..." Dammit, Owle, what are you trying to say?! "...well, an angel once tried to annihilate my mind, and take my body, continued to torment me, manipulated me into...doing great harm to another...killed me, forced me out of the place I felt most at home.......well, if that's an angel, I wouldn't say that demons are the ones who are damned." It wasn't much of a point, but at least she'd finished the thought.

"Peanut butter..." Verde muttered to himself, wondering if it was some sort of shiny toy. Being more a jeweled sculpture someone had brought to life than a biological creature, the dragon didn't need to eat. Thusly, the concept of food was lost upon him.

It didn't occur to the dragon that Alexei could be in any danger; he simply assumed that all people bigger than him knew what they were doing, and even little Alexei was bigger than him. In fact, if he tried, Verde could probably manage to fit inside a peanut butter jar.

So instead of cautioning the angel, or offering to help, Verde simply fluttered up beside him, hovering so that he was level with Alexei's face.

His fingers had drawn away to steeple before his face, tail snaking upwards from brushing against the floor to slither into his lap. His wings drew forward to cup around him in a more comfortable position.

"It never feels right when someone asks another for something," he responded airily, though his tone was still quiet. His eyes became questioning as she brushed her fingers over her shoulder, though he didn't bring it up; somehow he figured injuries were a territory that shouldn't be crossed into unless you really knew the person, and Owle was still an aquaintence. After all, he would never bring up his past to someone he passed on the street, no matter how talkative a person he was. It wasn't as if the reappearance of an arm had gone unnoticed, though...he just didn't mind it much.

Azruael's ears tweaked at the mention of an angel, though quickly diminished at the rest of her story. He felt a sort of indignance flare within his chest, lips pulling taut. His brows needled over his eyes and as he watched Owle attempt to string words together, he felt something akin to pity for her. He was rarely empathetic, but this...it reminded him of a similar story he had once heard long ago. One of the few he had kept stored within his memory, and he knew, though she had been relatively vague, that her own tale would be tucked within his mind - something to think about when he was alone.

"That...was no angel," he replied sternly, as though he forbid her to speak out against his words. "An angel brings peace of mind, They do not try to take one's memories, sanity. An angel is...the harbinger of life, a pure and untouched creature - an innocent." He paused his words, eyes wandering to look out into the hallway. His thoughts fell upon Alexei, and a gentle smile graced his lips.

"Yes...what you ran into must have been a mimicry of what an angel is. An angel of darkness." It put him ill at ease to think of an angel committing such crimes...

Nio gave a soft whine of warning, before leaping onto his hind legs and placing his forepaws on the nearest cabinet handles. With a yip did he give his support to the child, tail wagging like a flag in a dull draft.

"Nngh...why does papa'n have'ta put it so high..." Alexei had long since swung open one of the cabinet doors lining the kitchen, and was now on the tipiest tip toe he could manage, little fingers scraping against the jar on the top most shelf. Turning to look over his shoulder, he met Verde's eyes and grinned, before poking his tongue out in concentration.

The little boy became a tad frustrated, and huffed loudly, though wouldn't dare call for his papa'n when he could surely do this himself. He began to hop upon the counter, swinging his small hand at the jar. His movement seemed to rattle it closer and closer to the edge, and one last swipe sent the peanut butter over the edge.

And crashing to the ground with a tinkle of glass and a splut of goo.

Silence filled the room and was only broken when Nio began lapping at the peanut butter smeared all over the floor.

She ignored the question in Azruael's eyes, though she was sure he was curious; he couldn't not have noticed, even though he gave no sign of it. People didn't just not realize when you suddenly had an arm you'd been missing. ...but she wasn't in the mood to explain. Not about Drake, not about Morgan. Not about how she'd nearly let herself die.

"But an angel nonetheless," she replied quietly. The fervor in his words didn't scare her. Owle followed his gaze to the hallway, then nodded, as though agreeing with something that went unspoken. "Alexei is nothing like he was. But he was something you'd call an angel, a servant of some unkind god." The woman sighed, resting her chin in her right hand. She knew she should drop the subject, just drop it...but a part of her wanted to go on, to get it all out and talk about the thing she had never talked to anyone of before.

He watched the thing he had planted within me try to slaughter me, and did nothing. He sent someone to kill me; he couldn't even do it himself. He allowed me to think he cared about me, then...

Owle bit her tongue. It didn't really matter, or at the very least, it wasn't something to talk about with someone you'd just met. "Anyway...erm..." She cast about for some abrupt change in subject, but was coming up blank. It was the sound of a small crash and breaking glass that saved her. "What was that?"

Verde flew up to where Alexei was reaching, intent upon pushing the jar closer to the angel's hands. "Me help!" he declared.

Just as he was getting close enough, though, Alexei sent the jar tumbling down towards him. "Yipes!" The small dragon dove down to the counter, his little hands clamping over his head, his tiny body shaking right down to his tail. The sound of glass shattering seemed to scare the little guy to no end.

When the noise stopped, Verde lifted his hands away from his forehead and opened his eyes. Seeing Nio on the floor near all the sharp things spurred him to action, and he fluttered off the counter to reprimand the dog. "Verde's friend get away from sharp things! You step on one, Verde have to pull them out, bandage you all up!"

As the soft voices in the room dwindled to a still quiet, Azruael dropped his gaze and fell into contemplative thought. Suppose there was an err in the way he raised Alexei; suppose he did something drastic in the future and the little boy witnessed it. Would he become like him? Tainted, impure? Pristine white snow stained now with blood?

No, no, he decided. There was a difference between them. He had always been a sinner, this was just another slab of stone upon the stack. Alexei was born innocent, and that...that would set them apart, right?

Right.

The crash struck him like a blow to the head, and before it even registered he was on his feet like a startled cat; had he fur it'd be standing on end.

"Sounded like glass. From the...s**t!"

Without even checking to see whether Owle followed, Azruael bolted from the small living room and towards the kitchen, wings hugging close to his body.

"Oh no, oh no!" Alexei whimpered and crouched down, hands clasping over his ears as his eyes pressed shut. He had just done something terrible, awful! He had broken the peanut butter jar! Now his papa'n would surely hate him and make him sleep in the closet or the laundry room and give Nio his room as punishment! He'd be made to live like...like that one magic-boy on T.V.! Maybe he too would be saved from this terrible thing his mind conjured up; but he loved his papa'n...he didn't want to leave!

Nio's large head swung upwards to stare a Verde, before he growled lightly and yipped. Finders keepers! This loot was his. He circled the mound of splattered butter and gave his back to the dragon, unable to understand his warnings. The goo coated his nose and muzzle - even the fine, little whiskers upon his face! But it tasted good, so he didn't care!

Owle was up and dashing off after him before she had any time to think. It had to be the children; Verde couldn't get hurt easily, but what if Alexei had...?

In the meantime, the little dragon grew even more agitated as Nio refused to listen to him. Sharp things were bad! Verde should know! He darted closer to the dog and gripped its collar, the way he'd seen Alexei do, and tried to tug Nio away from the broken glass. Unfortunately, his small size meant Nio felt barely any force at all.

If Nio didn't budge, Verde quickly gave up and rounded on Alexei accusingly, ready to demand why he'd made things go boom. The moment he saw the position Alexei was in, though, and realized how scared he was, Verde's expression softened, and the dragon darted to the angel's side.

"It's okay, no one hurt. No more go boom."

The scene he came in upon was as comical as it may have been pitiful. Watching the small dragon-like creature move between Nio and Alexei was a sight; the large pup was still stubborn, letting out a low growl before whining in a high-pitched fashion, ears flattening against the sides of his head. When his amused, golden eyes lifted from the mess on the floor to the boy on the counter, his smile froze.

Alexei barely heard Verde's words through his mumbling and his rocking. He was going to be in so much trouble...he couldn't bear to see the angry look his papa'n was capable of pulling. He had seen it once before, directed not at him, but at another man in the bar he worked at. And it had been scary. Very...scary. And somehow the little Herald knew his father was capable of more. With a sniffle he looked up, dragging the back of his arm across his nose, just before spotting the staring demon.

And squealing, arms reaching out to try and grab Verde in the process.

Azruael entered the kitchen, unaware that Owle was behind him. Why did the flaxen haired boy look so scared...at him of all people? He felt his stomach drop somewhere near his navel, an ache tearing down his chest. Scared of him. Scared of him?

"Alexei...?" The boy's squeak made him wince. Nio's tail stopped wagging, and the large dog tucked it safely between his legs before backing away awkwardly, head lowering with a baleful whine.

"Alexei, what happ -- "

"I'm sorry Papa'n, I didn't mean to make it fall! I didn't mean to make a mess, but I was hungry and Nio was hungry and Mr. Verde wanted a snack too, so I thought I could make a peanut butter san'wich, but the peanut butter was too high and when I went to grab it I knocked it over and it hit the floor and it was so loud! And then Nio started eating it and Mr. Verde tried to make him stop but he wouldn't so please don't lock me in a cupboard because the dark is scary and I'm sorry!"

His voice was high-pitched and frantic, and by the time he had confessed his pallid cheeks were red from exhaustion and lack of breath. Even so, he held said breath and snuck a peek at his father, who had long since knelt beside the mound of goo, staring at it with a calculating gaze.

"So...you broke the jar."

"Y-yes sir..."

"Hm..."

"I didn't mean to, honest!" His voice was watery, on the verge of tears.

Azruael swung to his feet, flicking strands of hair over his shoulder, "What a mess, what a mess..." He seemed to have recovered from the shock brought on by Alexei's initial fear - having never been a father, he finally realized he wasn't afraid of him, per say...more of what was in store. So the demon lazily side stepped the peanut butter and approached the little boy, whose face was becoming more crumpled by the second.

"There's only one way to deal with this," he murmured quite seriously, pushing Verde away with one hand. His other shot out and grabbed the tiny angel around the waist, flipping him over his shoulder.

"We'll just have to eat you."

He turned back sharply towards the mess, preparing to faux-fling the squealing angel in, when he noticed Owle.

And froze.

He coughed and looked away, somewhat embarrassed to be caught acting an ounce fatherly.

"Yes...well...you hungry?" Alexei squeaked again. "For something that's not angel?"

Verde let Alexei hold onto him, though he didn't really understand why the little angel was grabbing him. For the most part, he stayed a spectator in the situation, knowing somehow that he was not to be a part of this. The moment Azruael mentioned eating Alexei, though, Verde shot up from the counter, flying so he was smack in front of Azruael's face.

"Bad people!" he admonished the demon. "No eat Verde's friend!"



Owle couldn't help herself. The look on Azruael's face...the way Alexei and Verde were so convinced he was serious...and the little guy acting like he could boss around Azy...

She tried to reply to Azruael. She really did. But whatever she was trying to say just came out as a giggle. And then she couldn't stop.

As Azruael watched, she slowly crumpled into a heap on the floor, laughing so much her sides hurt.

Azruael merely sneered at the little dragon, leaning forward, eyes half-mast, and champed down on the air; his fangs gave a malicious glint.

"Bad people indeed! Bad people thinks he'll eat Verde's friend and Verde!" he cooed, wings rising to begin encircling the little creature.

But the laughter stopped him. His pointed ears gave a twitch, wings retracting as he leaned to the side to spy upon Owle. What was she laughing at? Even Alexei wriggled in his father's grasp to catch a look of the humored young woman. He twisted until he was sitting on the man's shoulder, eyes round as saucers.

"Why's she laughing?"

"I...have no idea." Azruael's facial expression mirrored Alexei's.

Sensing the lightening atmosphere, Nio came out of the corner and gave his tail a tenative wag.

"Meep!" was roughly the sound that came out of Verde as he quickly backed off, flying till he was behind Owle. From this relative safety, he shouted, "Verde not taste good! Verde too hard for bad people to eat!"

He, too, seemed extraordinarily puzzled by Owle's behavior. He followed her to the floor, and began poking at her shoulder with a tiny claw. "Friend? What wrong?"

"S, sorry.." Owle managed to gasp between fits of laughter. "You...carry on...aha...I'll just...."

She stopped forming words all together then, trying to get a hold of herself. She was aware that she must be quite a spectacle, but that was just too funny...

"Sorry," she gasped again, starting to be able to breath again. Only the smallest giggle escaped her now and then, and a huge grin was plastered to her face. "Sorry."

Nio ambled forward and nosed the girl's hand with a whine, tail wagging hesitantly. Was she okay? He didn't feel too intimidated by the noise she made, but it was somewhat unsettling! Two-legs were weird, he decided, taking a seat at her knee and cocking his head in one brisk movement. He gave a thin whine.

Alexei wriggled in Azruael's grasp, suddenly beaming at Owle, "Don't say sorry! You have a pretty laugh!"

"Even if you were laughing at us," the demon commented, one brow tweaking. It'd been a while since he'd heard a lady's laughter, one that wasn't drunk, that is. It was a nice reprieve from the normal, he thought. Yeah, on par with the kid laughing...

He was a little disoriented at being laughed at, though, even if her intentions were as innocent as could be. He finally gave a small grin, brows dipping; grabbing Alexei, he set the child down, who immediately scrambled over to Owle, Verde, and Nio.

Owle sat herself up and found that she was face to face with a rather large puppy. That whine sounded a little upset, so she ran her hand over his head a few times, hoping to comfort him.

"Thank you," she responded to Alexei, glowing a little at the compliment. Then Azruael spoke, and she hastened to explain.

"I wasn't laughing at you - I mean - I was, but...um..." Owle glanced around, as though trying to find some way out of this mess. "I didn't - I mean - I wasn't - I didn't mean to offend you or anything, you just looked so...sorry." She'd better just shut up now, otherwise she'd just make things worse for herself. The woman shook her head a little and stood up, noting Azruael's smile with some relief. So she hadn't offended him...right?

Verde creeped out from behind Owle, peering up at Azruael suspiciously. "Bad people no eat Verde?" the dragon queried.

"Nah, I'm not a fan of scrawny things," he smiled, turning to retrieve a towel from the sink. He knelt down in front of the mess Alexei had unconventionally created, picking the glass from the peanut butter with delicate fingers. He hated cleaning things up, but someone had to do it.

Nio pressed his cold nose against Owle's face, taking advantage of her kindness to crawl into her lap. He may have been a big dog, but he was more of a cat trapped inside a large, lumbering body. He snorted loudly when Alexei giggled.

"He's just like papa'n!" the child exclaimed, small hands clapping together.

"Funny, very funny..." Only remnants of the disaster remained; apparently working at a bar made you quick about cleaning things. At least this wasn't as disgusting as the things you could find at the Poinsettia Inn...he gave an inward cringe when he climbed to his feet, tossing the towel into the garbage can.

"Sorry you didn't exactly gain anything from your visit. Other than...uh, a look into the inside of our life." The demon issued a low mutter and began washing his hands, scraping the peanut butter from his skin.

"Good," Verde decided, coming out from behind Owle to hover beside Alexei again. "Alexei okay? No hurt?"

Owle had been about to get up to help clean when her lap was suddenly occupied by many pounds of dog. "Hey there," she said to Nio kindly, continuing to scratch him behind the ears. She made another half-hearted attempt to get up, but soon gave it up as futile.

She wasn't sure what to make of Alexei's comment...did Azruael like to curl up in other people's laps? The image of the demon, on all fours as Nio was, just crawling up to someone and climbing into their laps to fall asleep, both disturbed her and made her giggle again.

"No...I really enjoyed myself," Owle said, again attempting to escape from beneath Nio. "Thank you for letting me come in."

Alexei gave a bright smile, his eyes falling shut in his glee. He bobbed his head towards Verde, holding his hands up and wiggling his fingers.

"I'm okay! Papa'n isn' mad and you aren' hurt - or eated! - so I'm okay!" his smile faded as a more thoughtful look stole over his face. "But...what about you, Mr. Verde? Are ya still hungry?"

Nio wagged his tail and whined, back leg stretching out as she scratched his ears. He felt the need to flatten against her lap every time she tried to get up, claiming said lap as his. Lifting his large head, he gave her a messy kiss and laid his head down on his paws, which were conveniently hanging off of the side of her legs.

He was a lump.

"Of course. I can never say no to a pretty lady," the demon responded, head canting back to grin wolfishly at Owle. Grabbing the towel from counter, he began to wipe his hands as he made his way towards her and the dog, lifting a food to poke the dog hard in the side.

"Get off of her, doofus. How would you like it if a cow laid on you, eh?" Kneeling when the dog refused to give in, he grabbed his collar and tugged.

"Verde not hungry," the dragon replied, shaking his head. "But thank you to Alexei." The little guy, being more or less an animated desk ornament, didn't have any need to eat, anyway. But, after the trouble Alexei went through, Verde wasn't going to mention it.

"Ew!" Owle exclaimed, pulling back as Nio licked her.

She tried not to look flustered at the compliment, disguising the expression of school girl glee by wiping some of the dog slime off her face. "Come on, you, get up..." She put both hands on the dog's side and pushed, hoping to aid Azruael in getting the big dog off her.

The corners of Azruael's lips quirked upwards, a devilish look causing his eyes to glow as he grabbed Nio around the middle.

"Not used to getting licked?" he asked, a little too innocently. He hoisted the dog upwards - earning a sharp squeal from the mutt in the process - and more or less flung him away from Owle. Of course it wasn't abuse! Just tough love!

Nio managed to land upon the ground with a clatter of nails, his tail curving sharply to tickle his belly. A despondent whine emitted from the back of his throat, a dramatic look of rejection passing over his face. Azruael sworn it was more human than dog.

"Aw...papa'n...you hurt Jumbo's feelings!" Alexei keened, beckoning the large pup to his side, to which, of course, Nio could only oblige. He was going to milk this.

"And he hurt mine. Tst, got to her first. And he's a dog," he responded, tail whisking to the side as he straightened.

"No, I'm not," Owle answered, feeling sorry for the dog as he walked off. She stood up quickly, though...she didn't feel much like being sat on again.

"I guess...I should probably go..." she said. Something was starting to make her feel distinctly uncomfortable...like she was going to black out again. She didn't want to just pass out in front of him like that. "Thank you...it was nice visiting here. I hope I can come again sometime."

Azruael nodded, not saying much more. He wasn't about to tell the girl to stay; it was awkward and inappropriate, or at least, at the time he felt that way. He glanced down the dark hallway that would lead to the door and motioned lazily.

"Yes. Thank you. I do so hope you won't fall asleep in front of any more doors, though," he said quite seriously as he escorted her to the door, only a hint of amusement within his voice. Truthfully, the demon didn't think he wanted company for some time, feeling the thick nostalgia it brought nearly suffocating. She may have not meant to, but Owle reminded him distinctly of someone he would have rather forgotten.

Or he kept telling himself that.

Alexei plodded after them, worrying his lower lip. It wasn't often he saw new people, and this had been a nice intermission from the norm; it hadn't been so bad! Now he could say he knew one whole new person! Or two, counting Verde! He was a very lucky boy, indeed.

He stopped short and lingered near the living room, tipping back and forth with a small smile on his lips. Maybe one day he'd be brave enough to visit them instead, one day. There were always new goals one could achieve, right?

"I'll try not to..." Owle promised. She gathered herself, and motioned to Verde to come along. Then she began walking to the door.

Crestfallen at having to leave his new friend, Verde followed behind her. But not before he had turned to wave goodbye to Alexei and Jumbo. "Bye bye, Verde's friends."

Rand
Stage: Messenger Reborn

Tiamika awoke at the edge of the forest, curled up around something soft and warm and familiar. Uncurling, she looked down at the small, white-haired boy she had been curled up around. He looked nothing like the angel that had been there last night, but she knew who he was.

"Rand," she whispered, stroking his soft hair as the boy made a gentle sound and put his arms around her, trying to snuggle closer to her. After a moment, the child opened his eyes...soft blue eyes that made her feel like everything was alright, even more so than she did when she was in her father's arms.

Tiamika smiled down at the child. "Why don't we go home?"

She didn't know the way back, but with Rand here, nothing could go wrong. She held his small hand in her own as she led him the way she believed was right. Soon, the edge of the town was in sight, and a big grin lit Tiamika's face. They were going to go home!

But...why did she feel so funny? Something was happening...changing...Tiamika clung tightly to Rand's hand, hoping that it would be alright...he'd keep her safe, she knew he'd keep her safe...

***

Owle Isohos didn't know what she was doing here. She knew where she was; that was Barton down there, the forest was behind her, it was a new, sunny day, and she was holding someone's hand...

The hand of a small child with eternal blue eyes...

Startled, Owle let go of him and took a step back.

"Alexei! What are you doing out here? What am I doing out here?"

The small boy shook his head. "Rand," he said firmly, as though he were correcting her.

"Rand?" Owle echoed, confused. "What do you mean 'Rand'?"

The little boy nodded.

Thoroughly bamboozled, Owle took his hand again. Obviously Alexei wasn't in the mood to make any sense. "Come on. Let's get you home."

The child smiled, and gladly walked alongside of her.

***

The two reached Azruael's house without incident. Before rapping on the door, Owle closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind to seek out the mental energy that was unique to Azruael. Once she found it, she would know what direction he was in, and how close he was. She just wanted to make sure that he was home.

As she opened her mind, though, she noticed the feel of the energy coming from the child beside her. It was...raw, somehow, wild, though at the same time warm and comforting...Alexei...Alexei's mind wasn't like this! At least it hadn't been when she'd visited the other day...mind's didn't just change that fast.

Panicking now, not knowing what to make of this situation, Owle reached out for the energy she remembered coming from Alexei's mind...there. It was coming from over there, not from the little boy beside her...

The shifter opened her eyes, and took a close look at the child she had found. He looked exactly like Alexei...except...wait. Owle circled around the back of the boy, searching for a trace of the red and gold wings. No...there were no wings at all. This one didn't have wings.

"But..." By now Owle's mouth was hanging open. "If you're not Alexei...who are you?"

The boy smiled, then, a big grin that encompassed his entire face. "Rand!" he announced, proud of his name, and proud that the woman had finally realized who he was.

Her heart sped up. She felt like she couldn't breath. She wanted to scream, wanted to run away from this little boy with the eyes that seemed to see through her. For a moment, her mind stayed locked in the past...

Rand had been a feral man, with red hair and green eyes. She and Flare had met him, when they began to hunt for the elemental pendants...he had greeted them warmly, and asked them to help him in his search. He had been a friend, a comrade, a genuinely nice person...someone reliable who she never wanted to go away.

Then he found the shadow pendant, and everything changed. The pendant amplified the telepathic power within her, weakening her control over it. It made her want to rip and tear at the fabric of other people's minds, to reform and reshape at her will. She couldn't go near the pendant Rand carried without her power trying to destroy someone. So she stayed away, until Bob Roberts told her that the pendant would eventually corrupt Rand, and drive him insane...

Owle went right away, determined to get the pendant away from him before it was too late. But the inevitable happened, and her power went out of control, diving into the only target available: Rand. It forced him to writh on the sand of the beach, convulsing as though he were having a seizure, all the while tugging at the pendant at his throat, trying to pull the chain that held the pendant right through the flesh, bone, and muscle of his neck so he could give it to her. It could have killed him...it would have killed him, if Flare hadn't stopped it in time.

Rand the feral had never forgiven her. He refused to see her, to speak to her...every time he was in the same room with her, he shrank away. Then, one day, before she could make it up to him, he died...

And this child...this angel...said his name was Rand.

"Rand..." Owle whispered, afraid to raise her voice lest the angel run away. He was the one she found at the edge of the forest, wasn't he? His eyes were the same...exactly the same. Could he be, could he really be, her Rand? Was she finally going to have a chance at forgiveness?

The little boy was looking up at her with those big blue eyes attentively, waiting for her to say something more. That big grin was still plastered to his face. He wasn't afraid of her. He wasn't running away.

"Rand!"

And then Owle was crying, kneeling down so she could throw her arms around the boy and sob tears of joy into his shoulder.

Rand didn't know what to do. Why was his mommy crying? Had something made her sad? He put his arms around her, and, just as mommy had said to him last night, comforted her. "I'm here, now. I'm here."

It seemed like such a long time Owle spent, crying and being held by Rand's little arms. "I'll take care of you," she promised, pulling away. "I'm going to take care of you. I'll never betray you again...I promise, Rand."

The child smiled up at her, even though he didn't understand all of what she was saying.

Owle smiled back, even though worry was creeping through the back of her mind. How was she going to feed a child? She could barely feed herself, without a job...she'd just been catching small birds and fish in cat form so that she could eat. Better than that, where was she going to keep a child? She couldn't just let him live in the middle of the forest...Verde was alright, he was made of metal so nothing wanted to eat him, but a flesh and blood child...

"Come on. Let's find Verde...then find home."

Tiamika was on a beach, wearing the big funny clothes again. But it was okay...she was with Rand. She didn't have to be lost, or scared, cause Rand was here, and he protected her.

"Hurts," the child said, looking up at her with those big blue eyes. His little fingers reached back behind him, scrabbling about as though he was trying to grab his shoulder blades.

"Let me see," Tiamika said instantly, trying to remember what her father did everytime she had a boo-boo. She actually didn't get injured all that often...and usually daddy only had to wave his hand over it to make it feel better. But he always had to see where it was hurting first, didn't he?

She moved around behind Rand, and lifted up the back of his shirt. "Put your arms up," she instructed, then pulled the shirt clear over his head once he obeyed, discarding the bit of cloth on the sand.

Feathers. There were black and brown feathers coming out of Rand's back.

Curiously, Tiamika extended one finger out to touch them. The moment her digging claw brushed against the softness of the new feathers, Rand recoiled from her, ducking his body forward. "Hurts!" he complained again, but angrier this time. As soon as Tiamika withdrew her hand, he started reaching back again, chubby hands trying to reach the feathers like he was going to tear them out. "Itches...."

Tiamika was infinitely perplexed. She had never grown feathers, so she'd never seen daddy heal something like this. But maybe if she scratched it for him, it would be better? Scratching itches made them better, right?

"Don't worry, I'll make it better," Tiamika reassured him. She reached out with her hands again, careful not to touch any of the feathers this time, and began scratching the areas around them with her claws.

Rand was quiet for a time, so the spiny anteater girl continued, slowly scratching harder and harder, thinking that, in some way, maybe she'd get to the root of the problem, maybe she'd get all the feathers to come out.

"Hurts hurts hurts!" Rand screamed out at her, running a few steps away. Tiamika was frozen; the tips of her claws were coated in something red and syrupy, something she'd seen only once before, in a nightmare she wanted only to forget...

She'd wanted to help the man who tended the bar, so she'd followed him, even though he told her she might die. She wanted to help; she thought she could help, and daddy had said to go. So she'd followed the man, and there were bodies...bodies of people, thin and stick-like, their bones pressing up against their flesh like it was going to break and just spill the bones all over the place. Bodies of people chained up to walls, cut up and hurt with that red stuff oozing out all over and drying up onto their forms and....bodies of the servants of the master of that place, that came at them. Tiamika watched, helpless, curling into a ball when they got close, but the bartender, he'd taken out his knives, and he'd cut them, and slice them, and chop them up again and again and again until they just stopped moving, and that red stuff had gotten everywhere, on her armored scales, in her hands, everywhere...she wasn't sure why she'd lived, or what had happened, but it was horrible, horrible stuff, and she didn't want it to be on her, and she didn't want it to be coming out of Rand, and she needed her daddy or someone, anyone, to come and save her...

It was almost merciful, then, that she started seeing black around the corners of her vision.

***

The first thing Owle noticed was the blood on her fingers, and Rand's shirt discarded on the ground. The second thing Owle noticed was Rand, hesitantly stepping up to her, looking like he was in a great deal of pain.

"Hurts," he told her petulantly, and turned around so she could see the injuries on his back.

The scratch marks were nothing serious. She'd seen cats give deeper injuries to people. It was the feathers, looking for all the world like the fur of that wolf plushie, that were pushing up from his shoulder blades and turning the skin about them red and angry that worried her.

"Here," Owle said, producing a clean tank top from herself. She spat on one of the straps, and carefully began using it to clean the scratch wounds. First things first. "Now, how badly does it hurt?"

"Hurts!" Rand replied, twisting around so he could look at her, those immaculate blue eyes filled with pain. "Make it stop."

"Okay, okay," Owle said, hoping she was being reassuring. "Um..."

"Make it stop!" Rand demanded, as she still didn't do anything. "Make it stop!"

What could she do? It wasn't like she could bandage it, or stop the wings from coming in (because they must be wings; what else would it be?) All she could do was be here...

"Mommy..."

Owle jumped at the name, Rand's voice nearly giving her a heart attack. He had never called her that before; she had never expected him to call her that. She brought her attention away from her thoughts, back to him.

"Make it stop!" He was pleading, now, begging her to make everything better. As though he expected her to know how...

He was relying on her. She couldn't just do nothing. But, what...how was she supposed to handle this?

You know full well what you can do, some voice inside her counseled. You can do what you always did when you didn't know enough about a situation. Reach into someone else's mind, and take the information you need...

I can't do that, Owle told herself. I can't just do that anymore. I'd be a monster, using my powers to violate people that way...

"Hurts!"

The voice inside her was silent. Maybe it had decided Rand was the more eloquent speaker.

Well... Owle gave in. Maybe I could ask someone....I wouldn't be evil for asking...

"I'll make it better," she promised Rand. "Just give me time."

Sarielle would know, or Azruael. Hadn't Sarielle's daughter mentioned Alexei was an angel, just like they were? Or maybe that was her friend. It didn't matter. Rand, looked just like Alexei...

One look at Azruael's mind sig, and Owle knew she couldn't ask him. The demon was in a foul mood, wherever he was...she could feel the frustration peeling off of him. She wasn't about to interrupt him, when he was like that....that left Sarielle. Would the woman even help her, after what had happened in town that day?

"Hurts now! Make it stop now!"

"I'm working on it, Rand. Trust me"

Well, there was only one way to find out. Slowly, carefully, trying not to let any of her emotions or thoughts leak through, Owle sought out Sarielle's mind, establishing a weak connection once she had found it.

Sarielle? she sent along the tiny link. It's Owle, we met the other day...do you mind telepathic communication? I...have a problem.

Even though Owle was doing her best to keep anything from leaking through the link, Sarielle could probably feel the woman's unease.

The cold reaction made Owle recoil, her mental presence retreating as far away from Sarielle's as the link would allow. Which wasn't very far. She had the sinking feeling that if she didn't explain herself, and fast, she was going to be blasted out of there...

Just like Morgan would have done.

I found a child, she began. He....looks just like Alexei, and now there are feathers coming out of his back, and I don't know what to do. The worry, at least, seemed genuine, tiny snippets of it filtering through the connection. I...your daughter...she said she was an angel, like Alexei, I thought maybe she might have gone through this, and you'd know...

Owle fell silent and waited, heart in her throat, for a mental boot in her rear or a response. Both seemed equally likely.

Hope burst like a little bubble in Owle's heart as Sarielle answered. I....thank you. Anything you can do, or teach me to do... The telepath practically had to build a dam in front of her emotions to keep the relief and gratitude from flooding out full force; she was probably making the woman uncomfortable enough with whatever might be leaking through as it is.

I can bring Rand to you, fairly quickly, she offered, once Sarielle mentioned the salves. His back's all scratched up like a kitten walked over it, and the area near there is getting redder by the minute.

Or... Owle paused. She knew inviting her over would not be easy for Sarielle; that initial coldness may have grown marginally duller, but it was still there, keeping her at bay. I understand if you don't want me coming anywhere near you. I could probably find the herbs if you described them for me; I lived in Barton Forest for a time.

I can find you, Owle sent. I'm kind of like a bloodhound, that way. So long as you're in your house, I can find it.

It's...a telepathic thing. she explained, as she scooped Rand up with her one arm, instructing him to hold on tight. I can feel what direction your mind is in, and I know when I'm getting closer.

"It hurts," Rand complained again, as he wrapped his arms around Owle's neck.

"I know," Owle said. "We're going to go see someone who can make it better. I promise."

Slowly at first, then faster and faster, she began beating her tiny little wings. It seemed impossible that they should support her own weight, much less the child as well...but against all the laws of physics they were in the air, heading towards where Owle's senses told her Sarielle must be.