H&H (Closed for Firmhanded_Daddy)

H&h

OOC: This thread is closed to Firmhanded_Daddy and I, please PM either one of us if you wish to give feedback. We hope you enjoy the tale!

Dahlia:
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Dahlia tucked her snowy white wings into her back as she appeared in a swirling mist of white, she gave a soft sigh of happiness as she felt the grass between her toes and wandered from the cover of the trees; followed by four other Angels. Dahlia pulled her sunlight coloured tresses over her shoulder to prevent them from touching the ground as she made her way from the centre of the park and looked up at the towering skyscraper in front of her. Unknown to those that constructed it many decades ago, this was sacred ground and as such Angels and Demons alike were forbidden to engage in battle or use any of their powers there. It covered an expanse of two blocks in any direction and this was why Dahlia and the other Angels appeared in the park across the street.

Her lilac coloured dress was ragged at the hem but complimented her lithe figure beautifully and accentuated her hazel gaze. Dahlia stepped into the street and the traffic seemed to slow to a crawl until both she and the Angels touched the opposite pavement and the traffic sped up as though nothing had happened. The towering skyscraper loomed before them ominously and a large gold emblazoned sign came into proper view now. It was two big H’s diagonally linked by what appeared to be a half of a gold snake and half a gold chain. The Spirit Guardian ignored it and pushed the glass door open and walked into the lobby, the marble floor glittered beneath her as she stepped up to a mahogany desk with a golden sign that read ‘reception’.

Her face glowed as a young raven haired woman of middle eastern descent looked up at her in surprise, she quickly gathered herself and smiled at Dahlia though she was in total awe of her beauty. The other four Angel’s stepped up and stopped surveying the foyer for the moment to give the receptionist their attention.

“Can I help you?” She asked uncertainly, she had only worked in the building for four months but already knew that strange people came and went an awful lot.

Dahlia nodded with a warm smile, “We’re here for the annual corporate meeting of H and H in conference room one.”

The woman’s eyes lit up, the building was named H&H but no one could tell her what it meant and she quickly figured the woman before her must be someone of great importance. The male Angel with sandy brown hair seemed to be growing impatient or bored as he started switching positions and fidgeting a great deal until Dahlia finally had to still him with her hand. The receptionist with the name tag that read ‘Terri’ snapped out of her reverie, somewhat embarrassed.

“Do you have some identification?” Terri asked nervously.

Dahlia nodded and reached into her dress, tugging a solid gold necklace from between the cleft of her breasts, it had the same interlocking H&H as the sign on the building except the word ‘Dahlia’ was also engraved on it. She pulled it from around her neck and handed it to Terri who turned it over to reveal a small black security chip embedded in the back of it which she scanned into the computer. Half a second later the computer beeped and a page popped up, it had ‘Dahlia’ printed across it and a photograph of her face. Terri looked from Dahlia to the photo and seemed to be confused, she clicked on a button marked ‘Upper H’ but was presented with a box that read ‘Highly classified! Please enter passkey’. Terri sighed inwardly and closed it, she nodded to Dahlia as she returned the necklace and stood up.

“This way please.” Terri said as Dahlia put the gold chain around her neck and followed, rolling her eyes at the grumbling Angels behind her.

Terri led them through a series of hallways in silence before she finally stopped at a pair of thick wooden doors, she pushed both of them open and stood aside to allow the five Angels to enter. It looked like your average conference room but it was completely soundproofed to protect the proceedings. Once the five were inside, Terri pulled the doors shut and hurried back to Reception as the Angels circled the large rectangular Oak table and each took a seat along the left side.

“Just like a demon to be late!” Huffed the brunette male.

“Hush Tyshon! They’ll be here soon I’m sure…” Dahlia was unsure, she had never attended the meeting of Heaven and Hell before let alone led it for Heaven. It was an annual meeting to discuss the balance on Earth, generally God ordered his Arch Angels to take care of it but for some reason he had changed his mind and commanded Dahlia and the other Elemental Angels to do it this year. The Angels believed it was because Heaven needed to present a softer image for this due to the overwhelming outbreaks of badly behaved Angels and Demons.

The great wooden doors creaked open and the Angels got to their feet to ready themselves for formal introductions. Dahlia checked her own powers, the harmless ones she was permitted to use on sacred ground which involved some small illusions over her appearance. Once she was satisfied that she wouldn’t be blinding a demon in some extremely painful way; she settled and released some pent up tension in her form, her eyes on the door as she awaited their arrival.

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The ground heaved. Like a parasite just beneath the skin struggling to tear free from it’s host. The soil surged, and the definitive outline of claws rending, raking earthen flesh permeated the soil. Talons rent the earth, and fire seeped from the open wound like surreal blood tainted with brimstone. Screams filled the air, screams of soul rending agony, and screams of carnal pleasure. The two mingled sweetly in a cacophony of delicious torment. Claws slipped beneath the earth like skeletal fingers from a man buried alive who lost the will to keep digging.

Then real hands, hands of flesh, sinew and bone replaced those talons. Dirt shifted and fire streaked skyward. The smell of char eroded senses as the overpowering scent of flame devouring all else fled from the open wound in the ground. Three figures clawed their way from the flaming depths of that terrestrial rent. The one who emerged first drew every eye to himself instantly. His presence alone seemed to be overwhelming. His moods were so potent that he could walk into a room and those around him could sense them, feel them, and tended to leave feeling them.

Eyes that seemed devoid of light, as if the sun burning full in the sky was not enough to bring light to infinite darkness; scanned their surroundings. He pursed soft lips thoughtfully and nodded. Drawing air into his lungs with a heavy sigh of pleasure. How he loved the surface world. The air crackled with…potential. His hand raising to tangle in ebony locks of hair, pushing the errant, lazy strands from his face. His smooth features, and strong jaw were covered with a hint of day old stubble. His blue button down shirt was tossed aside by the slow breeze. It looked as if he had just thrown it on a moment ago as an afterthought, yet still it managed to look slept in. He had not bothered with an undershirt, so the sun kissed bare, naturally along shaded skin.

He glanced furtively at the two men beside him and gave a soft chuckle. His voice soft, filled with amusement and contempt. “well gent’s it smells like the good guys are already here, shall we go keep them company until this farce has been concluded?” The two large men he directed his gaze too nodded. Both men looked as if they could have been twins, or perhaps two of the same man. Short brown hair cropped close to the skull. Dark, heavy glasses obscuring their eyes. They looked at one another and gave mirrored grins, and nods.

The three figures strode across the street without a care in the world. Traffic did not slow, but in the wake of the three men chaos rained down. Tires exploded, pissing air from tubes, engine blocks seized and threw pistons from the hood of cars. Windshields went from smooth class to spider webs of cracks in an instance. One man on a motorcycle actually lost control as the bike and went head over heels careening into a bench. His head struck the wood and split, crimson blood pouring from the ugly gash. Leaning down, Azazel drew his tongue along the crimson fluid and let out a sigh of pleasure. “Suffering, so delicious. Should have worn your helmet today my friend! That is what you get for sleeping with your neighbors wife! I’ll see you soon!”

Laughing wickedly he strode into the lobby of the large sky scraper. He had not really directly done anything. He had just let nature take it’s course. In his presence if he devotes a hint of thought to it, chance actually warps. Those who had done bad things, or had sins to weigh against their soul were more likely to meet with freak accidents, or have terrible things occur. Those whom had a clean conscience and soul, were not effected by this at all.

He let the small glamour fade that hid him from the sight of mortals as the doors parted to admit him and his attendants. The two men flanking him did the same at his example. As he entered the building the world seemed to pause on the point of taking a breath. All eyes drifted to him, and silence fell over the room. The only sounds to be heard were the doors swinging on slightly abused hinges, and the sound of three pairs of booted feet ringing against hard tile. He smiled as he looked to the receptionist. What was her name again? Kimmy? Sammi? Terri! Name tags were a wonderful thing.

He placed both hands upon either side of the name plate on her desk and loomed over her with a warm smile. The young woman’s cheeks heated instantly and she met his dark, liquid eyes with an audible sigh. She stared and forgot for several heartbeats that she had a job to do. Stammering she remembered and spoke in a mouse like voice, barely heard, even in the silence of the room.

“Uh.. Mr. Azazel is it? It’s always wonderful to see you again. Your uh.. your appointment has already arrived. Can I see your I.D. quick sir?”

He smiled at her breathless tone and frowned to himself. Reaching into his pocket. Pulling it out empty he let a look of pure dismay flood his features. He was born with a lie on his lips, and fooling this love stuck woman was as easy as pushing an old woman in front of an oncoming bus. “I may have forgotten it at home today sweetheart. Any chance we can dispense with it just this once? You know me well enough anyhow. We don’t really need to go through all of that do we? Besides, a pretty woman like yourself doesn’t need an I.D. tag to get my phone number, you just have to ask.”

She opened her mouth to reply that she did need it. She felt his stare fill her senses, and felt her heart start to pound. The woman just stared open mouthed at him and then gave a smile. “No it’s ok. I know it’s you sir. I’ll just call ahead and tell them you’re coming.”

He gave her the world’s biggest smile and reached out to touch her hand softly with his own. Her gaze fell to the two linked hands and with his other hand he deftly hid the pendant within the palm of his hand, and stuffed it into his pocket. Another sinner for the masses it’s going to be a good day!

As he turned and walked away from her desk he heard a sharp intake of breath as she managed to give herself a rather deep paper cut. He heard the swear word leave her lips, and chuckled to himself. She never did manage to make that phone call.

He knew coming to the meeting without the I.D. process was a major breach of protocol. He didn’t really give a shit. He was in a fantastic mood, and he was feeling cocky today. He swaggered to the doors and pressed them open firmly. He had not been prepared for what waited for him on the other side. Four Angels flanked a female Angel. The cocky words that had been prepared for his celestial counterpart fled from his mind as he processed the new information, and this new woman.

He had seen beautiful creatures before. He was the son of Satan himself. He had seen succubi, he had even tamed a few of them. Their fel beauty had nothing on the pure beauty of this creature however. He took a moment to remember that he should be breathing on the mortal realm. Then he took in her strength, her power. She wasn’t an Arch Angel. She was an elemental Angel. What?!? Anger seared thought away and he growled. His words dripped with bile as he hurled them at the woman, with an accusing finger.

“What the hell is this? I didn’t know the heavenly host was prone to try ambushes on a mission of diplomacy. I think you will find yourself outmatched even if you are more. Step aside, I’d hate to have to ruin that pretty little dress, girl.”

Tyshon, Deirdre, Gust, Tsunami...


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Dahlia stood with her fellow Elemental Angels, those of fire, water, wind and earth. Tyshon was the impatient fire of them with fiery golden eyes and was in constant need of calming thus he stood between Dahlia and the Angel of earth - Deirdre. Deirdre was as you would expect of the Angel of earth, she had dull brown curls resembling the bark of trees and shocking green eyes that near glowed, the potted plants within the room desired her presence greatly. She wasn’t very tall though and she cared for the planet so much, it was a part of her thus the rampant and rising imbalances were crawling all over her skin.

Next to Deirdre stood another male, the Angel of wind whose name was some long drawn out, long forgotten thing so everyone simply called him Gust. He was rather collected and didn’t seem to be at all nervous though he was the oldest of the Angels and considered to be one of the wisest. Even next to Deirdre he still came off the calmer though to see him whip up a hurricane or a tornado was quite a sight indeed! His eyes were a worn grey and his hair was a lacklustre shade of ebony which always appeared to be windswept.

Finally at the end of the table closest to the doors stood the Angel of water - Tsunami. She was almost as old as Gust but not nearly as wise; she would always be young at heart and headstrong in her ways. Tsunami wasn’t easy to get along with but they managed well enough. She had sparkling blue eyes and her hair was a stark bright blue; she had found a way to change it decades ago using illusions and had kept it that way so long; no one remembered her original hair colour.

When the demons entered however it was clear that Dahlia was leading the meeting for Heaven; she not only stood out from the other four but also took the seat at the head of the table to the left. She was not quite prepared for the searing anger of the one leading it for Hell though but she managed to take it in her stride.

“What the hell is this? I didn’t know the heavenly host was prone to try ambushes on a mission of diplomacy. I think you will find yourself outmatched even if you are more. Step aside, I’d hate to have to ruin that pretty little dress, girl.”

Dahlia’s lips split into a smirk as she rolled her eyes at him, placing her hand on Tyshon’s shoulder as his pupils dilated with wild fire and he stepped forward. Dahlia pulled him back with surprising strength and cocked her head to the side as she regarded the demon. He did not seem like those with him; something about this demon set her on edge and even Tsunami had stepped back from him. Dahlia folded her arms and her hair fell in waves from her shoulder as she knocked it, the shimmering cascade of sunlight practically glowed as it hit the floor and she watched the demon’s eyes tighten almost imperceptibly.

“Well my pretty little dress will beat your hell bent attitude. I have little desire to deal with filthy demons either so you’ll find we have more in common than you think. We are no ambush, this is sacred ground and we’re unable anyway.” In the back of her mind she finished the sentence with ‘idiot’ but she was here for diplomacy and she’d be damned quite literally before she let this little devil get the better of her.

“Introductions. I’m Dahlia, elemental angel of spirit and better known as the grim reaper of Heaven. This is Tyshon.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, “Elemental angel of fire. Then Deirdre angel of earth, Gust is the angel of wind and Tsunami; angel of water. Introduce yourselves and your positions demons. I have no desire to remain here longer than I must.” Dahlia said curtly, in truth she was curious about Hell and its demons but if this was all they had to offer then she was sorely disappointed.

She and the other angels made a peaceful movement and settled at the table, her eyes remained on the head demon as she arched a brow at him in a near commanding manner like a mother scolding her child in silence. Dahlia was telling him to sit and challenging him to keep talking to her like she was some gutter brained teenager who would just roll over for his intimidating presence.

“Oh and it’s not ‘what the hell’ demon…it’s what in Heaven…” She grinned and crossed her legs, leaning back as she proved he didn’t concern her in the least as she waited for him to stop his useless insults, introduce themselves and get this over with!

Tyshon sat with his scorching gaze fixated on the one who would dare to speak to Dahlia in such a way and found he had never hated a demon as much as he hated this one right now. The doors were closed which meant the meeting was supposed to be in session and Ty was not happy that this one was messing with the proceedings. Gust was unmoved by the performance while Tsunami appeared angry though she was quite scared of this demon. Deirdre just looked tired and her eyes were distant as though she was imagining a hillside bathed in sunlight and far from the depressing confines of this boardroom where the potted plants cried out in pain to her.

Dahlia was trying to get this under her control; God had sent her for a reason and she intended to carry out the meeting to the best of her ability. If this one didn’t want to play ball then that was just great but they were locked in until they reached a treaty on all decisions between Heaven and Hell. She couldn’t leave and he couldn’t leave. So they had something else in common…

His depthless eyes took in the group of Angels, in various states of discomfort. From the leader who appeared to be lounging somewhere comfortably, to the large burly flame wielder who looked ready to lunge straight for Azazel’s throat. He wished the foolish little beast would give him a bloody excuse. He was in a right foul mood now! What was this? Elemental Angels? Where was Tyrial? Where were the Arch Angel’s? At least sending them was a sign of respect for his station.

He might as well have stayed in hell; this was a joke of a group. He could crush the five of them without any help. He looked forward to these meetings. Tyrial and the other’s were always entertaining. They were all of a similar level of strength and experience, so they were peers. Even if they were bitter, hated enemies there was a respect in their enmity. Instead what did he get? The janitorial staff of the heavens as negotiators? He gripped the edge of the table with his dark fingertips until turned white as the rush of blood fled from them. The sound of the wood fibers popping echoed through the room and the scent of burning wood wafted into the room. When he pulled his fingers away there were very visible scorch marks on the polished wood, as well as indentations from the strength of his fingertips.

Yet now he felt his anger subsiding. He had a new opportunity to play with a group of Angels who had never met him before. He drew a deep breath to wash the last hint of anger from his features and put on a faint smile. Not too much, just enough to show that he was trying not to disembowel someone and eat the juicy bits. His voice was softer as he spoke, in a soothing tone.

“Of course, I have behaved poorly. I am sorry for that. Your boss is not one to often throw surprises. When he does those of my kind who are not wary, are banished at the least, destroyed or worse at times. Besides, I was looking forward to dealing with Tyrial again. I wanted to tell him about his mother, you see. Now, where are my manners…? Dahlia is it? This is Abaddon, the destroyer.” He motioned to the demon on his left who just nodded his head. Then he motioned to the one on his right. “This is Mormo, king of the ghouls.”

He did not immediately take his seat, instead he walked toward the other end of the table where the five Angelic figures rested and stopped just in front of Dahlia. As he came closer his smile grew and there was a true look of pleasure upon his features. He was taking her in, fully taking her in for the first time. When he had entered he had been blinded by rage, now he was seeing just how beautiful she was. His eyes trailed down the shimmering sunlight that was her hair, and then devoured the rest of her frame slowly, but not in an overtly lustful manner, quite a respectable once over….for a demon. His voice was softer, filled with of all things warmth. “Please forgive my anger; distrust and wrath are second nature to my kind. We are here to make a diplomatic arrangement, and I shall try to uphold that to the best of my ability and make this as painless as possible while we are here. After all this is a sanctuary of sorts, yes?” He slowly extended his hand to her, as if to take her own within it, but he paused on the cusp of touching her, she would have to make the choice to appear rude and fearful, or to take his hand.

“My name is Azazel. It is a pleasure to meet you, reaper of souls. I fear that sometimes when we are pushing and pulling for dominance of one soul, or a thousand things are always so impersonal, so callous. That is why I was looking forward to seeing Tyrial again, we have something of a professional respect, and relationship with one another, bitter enemies or not. I hope that you and I can establish some sort of bond? It will help these proceedings go much smoother. I will be nice, if you will.”

He felt her slender hand hesitantly come to rest upon his own. With a broadening of his smile he tugged her hand upward. His movements were calm, cool, collected. Nothing aggressive about them. He was not trying to provoke her, or her companions, as a matter of fact he had consequently not even looked at her companions since he laid his eyes upon her. His lips pressing to the back of her hand simply, gently. A kiss so soft it was like a feathers caress.

“I truly am sorry for my outburst. I hope the capacity for forgiveness is not over inflated?”

He did not release her hand, but he slowly lowered it from his lips and let it come to rest gently upon the top of the table. His eyes never leaving her own, and he barely even blinked. He seemed totally transfixed upon her and nothing else. Dark ebony orbs seemed to try and drink her in. She could feel his presence, flowing from him, forcefully coming to settle around her. Soothing, warm, inviting. Just as the angels had felt his ire like a harsh slap in the face, now they were feeling this calming energy flowing from him, the desire to establish a common thread with this woman in front of him.

He cleared his throat softly and let his hand slide from her own, but she could feel the regret in his last lingering touch. Then he cast his eyes to her companions. “A pleasure to meet all of you. Now, shall we get down to business, unless anyone has anything pressing to bring up?” He turned upon his heels and strode back along the length of the table to where his men waited. The feeling of his emotional state changed from soothing, to forceful as he directed looks at the two shape shifted demons. “Relax gentlemen, there will be no sport today, this is business, remember you are here as diplomats and we are not to attack unless provoked. Clear?”

The two demons nodded hastily, and the force of his presence dulled back to something pleased, something soothing as he settled into the chair. Turning his attention back to the heavenly host.

Dahlia could barely contain the somewhat victorious sensation that welled up inside her as the scent of burning wood wafted through the room and danced beneath her nostrils. He was infuriated by her brush off of his outburst and still her eyes challenged him to repeat the effort; she was only too happy to show him for the fool he was before his fellow demons. When at last he spoke, her lips curled into a soft smile that glinted with triumph at the peace he took up. Her baiting was not for naught as he had to swing one way or the other and either path meant that she had won in any case.

“Of course, I have behaved poorly. I am sorry for that. Your boss is not one to often throw surprises. When he does those of my kind who are not wary, are banished at the least, destroyed or worse at times. Besides, I was looking forward to dealing with Tyrial again. I wanted to tell him about his mother, you see. Now, where are my manners…? Dahlia is it? This is Abaddon, the destroyer. This is Mormo, king of the ghouls.”

Dahlia arched a brow at the demon’s words about Tyrial; she did not know of his mother but it seemed she resided down below. Dahlia kept her thoughts to herself but she was doubtful as to whether or not she believed the demon. They were evil, deceitful creatures after all and they thrived on the pain of mankind. The angels politely inclined their heads as the introductions were made and they were able to put names to faces.

The angel of spirit was taken aback by the demon’s easy approach of her, she hadn’t expected him to walk straight up to her; especially not after what she’d said to him. She regarded him carefully as he took in the sight of her and she in turn looked him over as though attempting to determine what was beneath the sinewy exterior. He made for a rather handsome demon; she had always thought them to appear disgusting and meant for fear though she would never admit such a thing. Dahlia wasn’t proud but she refused to be stupid and when it came to demons; none of the rules held.

“Please forgive my anger; distrust and wrath are second nature to my kind. We are here to make a diplomatic arrangement, and I shall try to uphold that to the best of my ability and make this as painless as possible while we are here. After all this is a sanctuary of sorts, yes?”

Dahlia nodded slowly, her eyes denoting an element of distrust in a flash as he held his hand out. Did he expect her to take it? No, he was tempting her as demons do. She either took it and made peace; risking injury beneath the burning demon’s touch or she refused it and came off rude. She was saved a moment to consider as he spoke again.

“My name is Azazel. It is a pleasure to meet you, reaper of souls. I fear that sometimes when we are pushing and pulling for dominance of one soul, or a thousand things are always so impersonal, so callous. That is why I was looking forward to seeing Tyrial again, we have something of a professional respect, and relationship with one another, bitter enemies or not. I hope that you and I can establish some sort of bond? It will help these proceedings go much smoother. I will be nice, if you will.”

Dahlia felt her breath catch in her throat as he gave his name, her eyes searching his again quickly; could he be lying? No…she realized he wasn’t lying about that for even in Hell that would be considered blasphemy to give your name as the son of Lucifer if you were not he. She had heard of him but she’d had no idea he would be leading the meeting for Hell! It took her a moment to hear him again and she felt the eyes of her fellow angels on her as she cautiously extended her hand to him. She wasn’t sure of what to expect but her eyes bespoke the surprise as he tenderly lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a very light kiss to her alabaster skin.

“I truly am sorry for my outburst. I hope the capacity for forgiveness is not over inflated?”

Dahlia took a deep breath as he lowered her hand, she didn’t know what to think but her gut instinct told her; demon, danger, liar! Still he intrigued her admittedly but she didn’t betray that; she was pure and refused to be tainted by a….demon? Or was he more than that? To be sure he was born of Hell by the very creator of it, her face split into a smile as she both wondered who his mother was and made to answer him as she felt his power seeping through her warm skin.

“Not at all Azazel, we are all here for the same purpose.” She said coolly, denying herself anymore than a few words lest her thoughts escape through speech somehow.

Finally he removed his hand but she could tell it was quite reluctant and Dahlia’s intrigue flitted across her face; she wondered why moving away from her should matter so much to him? The other angels regarded the conversation warily and more than once Tyshon had shifted in his seat uneasily as though he was about to blast Azazel from the room any minute. Neither party could harm the other in this place and Dahlia rolled her eyes as both factions appeared to be forgetting that important little fact - men!

“A pleasure to meet all of you. Now, shall we get down to business, unless anyone has anything pressing to bring up?”

The angels shook their heads, some watching him with interest and the others with anger as he took over the room. Dahlia was unconcerned as she’d already proven he would be unable to pull one over on her. However there was a throaty growl from Ty as Azazel addressed his companions and the fire angel finally had to break his silence.

“I’d be only too happy to provide you with provocation demon but you forget yourself and your whereabouts. H&H is designed to prevent such things, neither can harm the other on these grounds so stop wallowing in empty threats!” His eyes sparked and Dahlia’s hand came down on his forearm.

“Tyshon calm yourself! Now.” Dahlia’s power surged and burned out quickly before she was able to harm the demons, proving the point. “I would assume Azazel has led this meeting for Hell before and knows the rules of it. We aren’t able to harm each other and that is established. I will admit I have never led the meeting on behalf of Heaven but I shall to the best of my ability. So can we put a stopper on the testosterone and get on with the issues please?”

She implored and the angels fell silent, Dahlia rose from her seat gracefully and her hair trailed behind her like a liquid sheet of glowing light. She pressed a button on the boardroom wall and a projector came to life with a list of issues in a hologram style. It was laid out for them in the centre of the table so that they could view each demon or angel who had committed an indiscretion. They would be the committee to vote on each individual and decide their fate; ongoing or sentenced. The only individuals listed were those that had broken the set rules between Heaven and Hell and had interfered with the other side in some way. Dahlia knew this was where they were supposed to begin and then move onto territorial matters.

Dahlia resumed her seat and brought up the first profile which was that of an angel named Whitney who had entangled with a demon in a bar. She was a fallen which meant she had committed a grievous sin against Heaven. Dahlia sighed and finally opened her mouth to read out the obvious.

“Angel comma Whitney. Fallen and disgraced for engaging a demon in a mortal bar fight and then…” Dahlia cleared her throat to read out the next part, “…and then…violating the laws of Heaven by being found to have had a sexual encounter with said demon…”

Dahlia fell silent before the name and decided it was better not to say anything, she shot a look at her fellow elementals which warned them in no uncertain terms that they were not to comment on it. Her eyes fell on Azazel and almost appeared icy as she regarded him again; wondering what he was thinking and not saying more than what he was.

Her wary approach of his apologies, then his proffered hand of peace made him laugh on the inside. It would never be possible for an Angel or a Demon to trust one another. When the very fiber of creation pitted you against each other there was no way that two could bond in such a way, or was there? He mulled that idea around in his skull as he made introductions.

Her reaction to his name was more than pleasurable, he was not about to have to explain who he was to these creatures. Not a one of them stood on his level of power; the combined might of all of them could not be a match for him. That thought added a glint to the darkness in his eyes.

As he released Dahlia and started to move back to a seat he noticed the curiosity that flooded her features. She did not understand his reluctance to release her. Was she not aware of her beauty? Was she not aware that Demons were a covetous lot who saw something another possessed, and always were left with the desire to posses it themselves? It was their nature.

His men had just relaxed at his command and then the fiery Angel rose with anger and insult. Azazel turned slowly; there was lethality in the way he moved. Like a predator shifting to get a better vantage point on its prey. His face betrayed no emotion; he just stared at the offending little creature. He looked at him like a man peering at a troublesome insect. He had to be polite to these fools but he certainly would not give them respect if they did not earn it.

Instead of anger, and promises of a violent, tormented death he just smiled, and began to laugh softly. He seated himself without another hint of attention cast to Tyshon. When Dahlia mentioned him leading these missions before he just nodded his head in assent. He sat back waiting calmly for the meeting to begin. He allowed her to take the lead. As the information was lain out he seemed to be totally engrossed with the subject. At the mention of sexual contact the two demons behind him snickered like children.

Azazel turned his head slowly and fixed them with a single stare that could not be seen by the heavenly host. Laughter was cut off as if struck by a blade, and both of the Demon’s face lost all color, turning ashen. When he turned his attention back to Dahlia his face was arranged rather seriously. He spoke hesitantly. “This is..not unheard of. Though we both hold to different beliefs now, as you all know, there was a time when we were all one kind, and there was no division. The fact that we come from the same background means our similarities are startling if you look closely enough. Both Angels and Demons are very passionate, and have very strong convictions. The balance between hate and desire can shift in an instant.”

He drew a breath and seemed to be tasting the situation. His tongue darting slowly over his lips. He stood up and began to pace slowly. His eyes never leaving the information on the projector. “Falling from grace is not something that is a punishment for long. Once those who have fallen come to terms with what they are, they are given places of honor among our ranks. Though I am certain there may be times where they regret their choices. He must give you something for serving him so blin… excuse me. Faithfully. Though I can understand you would have a strong punishment in mind for this one, we see no fault in her choice.”

He walked to the table near where the Angels sat. He settled down upon the smooth stain darken wood and peered directly toward Dahlia. He smiled toward her with warmth and spoke in a softer tone. “I imagine that the Demon she engaged in this act with was Asmodeus. He has a soft spot for Angels. He is a lover, not a fighter. I have seen him melt the resolve of more than one pretty young creature and bring her into our fold. So as far as having sexual relations with this one, I see no fault. She made her choice and has lost her way into heaven for her choice. The bar fight on the other hand…that is problematic. That breaks rules on both sides. Though I assume that you will want her punished for both of the crimes?”

He tilted his head slowly to the side and stared straight into Dahlia’s eyes. He was not just trying to push her buttons, and it was rather obvious in the way he carried himself. He was stating his view point, and now he was waiting for her to speak her mind.

“This is...not unheard of. Though we both hold to different beliefs now, as you all know, there was a time when we were all one kind, and there was no division. The fact that we come from the same background means our similarities are startling if you look closely enough. Both Angels and Demons are very passionate, and have very strong convictions. The balance between hate and desire can shift in an instant.”

Dahlia’s eyes held his as she searched out an answer in his body language as to his own thoughts while he waxed philosophical about how much Angels and Demons had in common. Of course they were alike in Dahlia’s eyes only because the first Demon was also the first fallen Angel; technically they really were all the same. Just different colours and even succubi had brilliant beauty to rival the Angels however they used such talents to evil ends instead. Dahlia was shocked that Azazel actually silenced his entourage rather than joined them in their laughter at an Angel’s misfortune. Dahlia was not forgiving of this Whitney and knew she herself would be ostracized within most circles of Heaven if she did not follow tradition.

“Falling from grace is not something that is a punishment for long. Once those who have fallen come to terms with what they are, they are given places of honor among our ranks. Though I am certain there may be times where they regret their choices. He must give you something for serving him so blin… excuse me. Faithfully. Though I can understand you would have a strong punishment in mind for this one, we see no fault in her choice.”

Dahlia looked uncertain and her eyes narrowed in suspicion; was he trying to insult them or make them feel better? Dahlia could see Deirdre snapped back to attention as Azazel spoke while Gust simply looked impartial as usual; the lingering stand of wisdom in the room had yet to say a word. Tsunami was still studying Azazel with intrigue while Tyshon struggled to contain his anger and calm himself as much as possible. Dahlia was surprised again when he spoke to her directly, she wasn’t sure what to make of this Demon.

“I imagine that the Demon she engaged in this act with was Asmodeus. He has a soft spot for Angels. He is a lover, not a fighter. I have seen him melt the resolve of more than one pretty young creature and bring her into our fold. So as far as having sexual relations with this one, I see no fault. She made her choice and has lost her way into heaven for her choice. The bar fight on the other hand…that is problematic. That breaks rules on both sides. Though I assume that you will want her punished for both of the crimes?”

Dahlia nodded slowly, she was still curious as to why Azazel took such interest in her and why he bothered to speak directly to her at all. Why not gloss over the whole thing? Agree to some quick points and end the meeting? No, Azazel seemed to want to drag it out with her for some odd reason. Her hazel eyes burned slightly at the eye contact they held; she knew it was because every inch of the Demon was designed to inflict agony upon anything good and they didn’t come much more pure than an Angel.

“Tradition dictates that Whitney be punished, this deed is among the most heinous in Heaven and is a one way street. She has no return from this and she knew that going in. I know nothing of this Asmodeus but I would say he came across a very weak Angel.” Dahlia whispered in a near hiss to the Demon, she was in agony over such disgrace from another Angel and having to discuss it only made it that much worse.

Deirdre nodded in agreement and finally spoke up, “A fallen is the worst, she remains there. That is her punishment but we would like to know what you intend to do with the Demon? He broke your rules as well in engaging with an Angel in a mortal bar fight, we are all lucky not to be exposed day in and day out with such reckless behaviour.”

Gust, Tsunami and Tyshon nodded and Dahlia’s eyes flared a brilliant burnt umber, enough to scorch at Azazel but not harm him truly. She was searching for the reason he took such interest in her and her every move was a challenge. Dahlia just wasn’t sure what it was about him that itched at her but she felt the need to know more about him and she was losing all focus on the actual reason they were there.

They continued to flick through after that, each Angel or Demon had judgement passed on them and each council member had to agree on it. Finally they came to the issues of territory and power, which entity would be holding power over which major corporation at which time and so forth. Dahlia pushed her chair back at this point and stood up slowly from the table.

“Before we move onto territory and power, I’m suggesting we take a short break.” The others slowly nodded and Dahlia turned to open the flat wooden panelling behind her which slid across to show the room was bigger than they thought.

There was a huge area of tea, coffee’s and specialty drinks of all kinds along with pastries, biscuits and other snack foods. Not really necessary for the Heavenly Host or the Hell Party but they were also supposed to mingle and get to know each other; under normal circumstances. Dahlia was more than willing to bypass that part originally but now she was intrigued by Azazel as she moved up and got herself a caffe latte with a soft giggle at doing something so human as making a cuppa. She took a doughnut and examined it as she wandered back to her seat, curious about what it would taste like; she’d not had mortal food in centuries.

She bit into the cinnamon ring of pastry and held her hand under her mouth in a surprised movement as the crumbs dropped onto her lavender coloured dress. She caught them quickly and then slowly licked her lips to savour the taste as she set the pastry down on the serviette she had taken. Tsunami and Tyshon were deep in discussion while Deirdre and Gust looked like they were doing a silent mind meld as they sat across and stared intently into each other’s eyes. Dahlia considered asking them what they were doing but found this was probably a good time to talk to Azazel as Gust looked over and gestured to the twin demons Azazel had brought with him to join Deirdre and him. They moved away and Dahlia soon found herself alone with the son of Satan and not quite sure what she should say…

Azazel was extremely aware of her eyes upon him through his entire litany. Sometimes her expression was curious, other times it was searching, other still it was accusatory. Yet her eyes rarely left his form. When she was searching so desperately for some sign of deception, some sign of a subtle lie, or insulting jab she would find none, because there was nothing to be found. What she did find was intensity. Always his eyes drifted to her. Sometimes drawn there, and sometimes cast there on purpose.

He tended to focus on her eyes the most, yet there were times he drank in other parts of her, her face, her long sunspun hair, the supple arms that rested upon the table. At one point he was even led to distraction by her drawing a deep breath, actually stumbling over a word or two. He couldn’t quite place why she was so interesting to him.

“Tradition dictates that Whitney be punished, this deed is among the most heinous in Heaven and is a one way street. She has no return from this and she knew that going in. I know nothing of this Asmodeus but I would say he came across a very weak Angel.”

Her voice was a hissing whisper and he barely withheld a smile. She was really offended by the fact that this Angel was seduced away from the light and fell to darkness. It was not like it was Dahlia herself. It was someone more than likely totally unassociated with her, except the fact that they were both Angels, and both served God… well formerly anyway. If a Demon had defected to the other side somehow he would not hold such disgust and be so offended, he would simply dig his talons into the creatures eye sockets, give a subtle tug, a twist, and remove his head, and spinal column from his traitorous body and be done with it.

“A fallen is the worst, she remains there. That is her punishment but we would like to know what you intend to do with the Demon? He broke your rules as well in engaging with an Angel in a mortal bar fight, we are all lucky not to be exposed day in and day out with such reckless behaviour.”

He nodded his head slowly to her words and raised his hand to his lips slowly. Then her eyes began to flare with light and he squinted under the radiance. It was not enough to truly do him harm, but it did not mean he had to enjoy the discomfort. He struggled to remain calm as she challenged him so openly, and attempted to intimidate him, or whatever the hell that was. He would not be baited by this little slip of an Angel.

He cleared his throat slowly and spoke in a level and calm voice. The sort of tone one would use to discuss the weather, or the local news. “Well, I am contemplating turning his blood to fire, strapping a jar around his mid section, filling it with rats, and letting them eat their way out of his abdomen for starters. Perhaps even skinning him alive with a spork. Is that sufficient? Or shall I get creative?”

The rest of the sentencing was minor things. Petty arguments, and minor infractions upon territorial boundaries decided at the last H&H summit. Whenever it was a demon directly at fault he let Dahlia take the lead, whenever it was an Angel at fault, he stepped up. Soon all of the slides were spent and Dahlia stood up and announced refreshments.

He shrugged his shoulders lightly and nodded at the two demons at his side. They quickly found their way into the group and began partaking, chatting up Gust and Deirdre. The conversation looked a bit strained, as the two Demons, and the Angelic pair started to feel each other out. Only after all others were settled did Azazel walk over to the refreshment area.

As he crossed the room he saw that Dahlia was by herself and looking at him. He made a gesture with his hand to indicate he was going to grab something. Quickly selecting a cup of tea, and a pastry of his own he made a direct line for the leader of the Angelic host. His hand on a chair he spoke a soft “May I?” before sitting down at her acceptance. He set the tea and the pastry down gently and left them untouched for the moment. He just looked at her; stared was a better word. His eyes met her own and all of the interest, the intrigue that she was feeling was mirrored in his own gaze.

He realized he needed to break the silence, and pushing a smile to his lips he spoke in a gentle tone. “I do apologize for my conduct at the beginning of this meeting. Unforeseen surprises of that nature tend to put me on edge. Though I am finding you to be much more pleasant than your former representative, I really am attempting to make this as easy on you as I can. If we are going to be working to resolve these issues, then at least here, where we are not in conflict with each other we should extend a measure of friendship yes?”

Again as he spoke there was no trace of deception, he was being extremely honest, especially for a Demon. Realizing he was staring at her still, he reached down to take a sip of his tea, for the simple task of finding something to do, as to not be impolite. He broke a piece of the pastry off with his fingertips and popped it into his mouth. Then he found his eyes fastened back onto her once more. He could not put his finger on what was so interesting about her. Deciding to throw caution to the wind he spoke his mind. “I cannot place the reason for it, but you are quite compelling to me. I cannot help be intrigued. You are certainly more beautiful than the other Angels I tend to encounter, but I don’t think that is all of it…” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Something else…”

“I do apologize for my conduct at the beginning of this meeting. Unforeseen surprises of that nature tend to put me on edge. Though I am finding you to be much more pleasant than your former representative, I really am attempting to make this as easy on you as I can. If we are going to be working to resolve these issues, then at least here, where we are not in conflict with each other we should extend a measure of friendship yes?”

Dahlia was glad that Azazel broke the silence, she hadn’t the faintest idea of what to say to the demon but he had turned her stomach earlier with his idea of what a punishment should be for a demon. She stared into her coffee cup and found herself rather grateful to be an angel if that was what would happen otherwise. She lifted her head to look into his eyes and nodded her assent before she spoke at last.

“Yes though I will safely say I do not understand you or your ways Azazel, I didn’t know why I was chosen to be a spirit angel as I had always considered myself to be something of a loving soul. My first thoughts of what the position would entail were incorrect and ignorant however so I cast no judgement upon you now though your heritage already makes you an inherent liar and a sinner.” She took a breath and sipped her caffe latte, casting her eyes over the other angels as they got more comfortable with the other demonic couple.

Her eyes returned to Azazel, “I can however see deeper than the surface of rumours, they are no better than lies. I won’t judge you by the horror stories that float around Heaven, it would not be right…”

She watched as he devoured the piece of pastry and then finally he spoke again, she was oddly compelled by him but Dahlia wasn’t sure why. She resisted it though and based it all on curiosity, she found herself wondering what the innards of Hell looked like and instantly shuddered at the idea of entering there. She was not allowed. Period.

“I cannot place the reason for it, but you are quite compelling to me. I cannot help be intrigued. You are certainly more beautiful than the other Angels I tend to encounter, but I don’t think that is all of it… Something else…”

Had she been human, she might have gushed at such a compliment but Dahlia was an Angel and pride was a sin. Her eyes looked out at the tinted glass window facing the skyline and the expanse of the large city stretching out before them both.

She spoke softly without ever looking at the demon, “It is my power you see in me, I must veil my true self before you or else I would blind you, I would hurt you and ultimately kill you. Every Angel has a different kind of power whether peaceful or war like but it is based upon personality, mine is rare and based only on my appearance. In life I was a beautiful chaste maiden when I died, thus God saw fit not to change it. I am what He made me Azazel.”

Her gaze shifted back to him at last, “And what of you? For God did not create you…one of the few beings he didn’t. I must confess that I did not believe you existed, I did not believe such a thing was possible…for even Lucifer was created by God. How does that work?” She asked in a soft spoken voice, her curiosity and innocence more than evident though she was unaware of it.

Tyshon eyed the demon Azazel for a moment and looked away as he felt a sudden spark of jealousy, he was in love with Dahlia but to consummate such a thing required leaps and jumps in Heaven. Many hoops and permissions had to be given to such a union though he could not even get up the courage to ask her let alone an arch angel and ultimately; God himself.

At first she seemed to be uncomfortable, or perhaps she simply found something about him unappealing. For she spent more time looking into the murky liquid of her cup than looking to him. Was she even listening to his words? He felt the slightest spark of irritation flare and words were on his tongue to berate this little girl whom he could crush with his bare hands. He would endure these meetings, and he would endure much, but he would not endure disrespect. Then she shifted her eyes to his own and his harsh words melted away. Maybe she was just interesting because of her beauty. He found himself for lack of breath until she spoke. It was as if the sound of her voice had broken some spell he had been under.

“Yes though I will safely say I do not understand you or your ways Azazel, I didn’t know why I was chosen to be a spirit angel as I had always considered myself to be something of a loving soul. My first thoughts of what the position would entail were incorrect and ignorant however so I cast no judgement upon you now though your heritage already makes you an inherent liar and a sinner.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her. Her words had given him much encouragement. For the moment he let thoughts of toying with her to get a better foot hold on the summit drift from his mind, and he decided it was time to just enjoy her company. She could see him relax visibly. She could see tension within his shoulders melt away, and his posture shifted to one that spoke of letting his walls down just a little.

“I admit, Dahlia. I have not taken much time to get to know an angel before on any level other than for the sake of my duty. So perhaps we can learn a little from one another hmmm? I have always thought that your kind and mine were simply two sides of the same coin. Though I am not entirely sure that is an accurate assessment. For I can read currents on both sides that show me that there is always potential for change, even in our situations.”

He cast his gaze briefly over the host of angels and demons conversing near them and let his eyes focus on the fiery angel who had such a free tongue. He let himself show a small, knowing smile.

“I can however see deeper than the surface of rumours, they are no better than lies. I won’t judge you by the horror stories that float around Heaven, it would not be right…”

He turned his eyes back to her and gave her another smile. His facial features were smooth, warm, and inviting. It was apparent that her offers of kindness had opened doors with him that would have been closed moments ago. “You do me a great kindness then, one that I would never have expected. In return I shall do one for you as well. Our kind have earned well those rumors. So while here you have nothing to fear from me, or my kind, you should not trust my kin at any other time. It would put you in great danger. Though myself I do not work so hard as others to corrupt and manipulate. That is not in my nature nearly as much as it is in many others. I am a warrior. I do my best to only engage other warriors. There is no sport in fighting an opponent beneath your abilities.”

“It is my power you see in me, I must veil my true self before you or else I would blind you, I would hurt you and ultimately kill you. Every Angel has a different kind of power whether peaceful or war like but it is based upon personality, mine is rare and based only on my appearance. In life I was a beautiful chaste maiden when I died, thus God saw fit not to change it. I am what He made me Azazel.”

He nodded his head lightly at her explanation. A chaste maiden? Well that was certainly not much fun, was it? She had not judged him, and thus he would extend her the same courtesy. “That is interesting. Then another time I would label you a dangerous foe. For the very sight of you could destroy me. Then again without your powers you have managed to lead me to distraction several times today already. I would say you are not playing fair, my dear Dahlia.”

He let out a soft chuckle at his words and peered at her intently. Yes, he was flattering her, but it was not something she could not have noticed on her own. She had to have seen him staring at her, had to have heard him stumble over his words once or twice when he looked her over.

“And what of you? For God did not create you…one of the few beings he didn’t. I must confess that I did not believe you existed, I did not believe such a thing was possible…for even Lucifer was created by God. How does that work?”

He pursed his lips thoughtfully at her words and he leaned back slowly into his chair. He mulled over the question for several moments before he came with an answer. “To be perfectly honest with you? I do not know for certain. All I can offer you is speculation. Lucifer was His favorite. He was the first fallen, not only that, but he created a whole army of others, he rules hell, just as God rules heaven. He derived his own power after god had cast him out. While I would not say for certain if his power rivaled god’s… I would say that there are few things beyond his ability. I do not know that I will ever know the truth of it. He is my father, but I am just as expendable as every other demon. I maintain no illusion that he actually holds any maternal bond for me. He would send me to my death without blinking twice. For any number of reasons. Though fortunately for me, there is only one in the realm of hell who can match my martial skill, and that is him. So I have no fear from underlings or usurpers. As a matter of fact, though my position is one of great sway and power, I skate a thin line. The moment he thinks that I have the desire or even the ability to overthrow him and take his place, he will destroy me.”

He spoke of everything as if it were matter of fact, and perfectly ordinary. “I do not know how I was created, or if I even have a mother. All I know is that I am the general of hell’s army, and I answer to Lucifer. I hope this answers your inquiry?” He leaned forward slowly and looked to her thoughtfully.

He felt the gaze of Tyshon on him and turned to meet the angel’s gaze. Giving a soft chuckle he turned his gaze back to Dahlia. He spoke quietly, almost under his breath. “You should keep your eyes upon that young man. If I were more of a manipulator, I could easily turn all of that passion toward evil. I am certain that either of those with me are already working on him. Any creature who displays that much passion freely is a target you see, and his affection for you will get him into a lot of trouble. It may even get him killed if he continues to stare daggers at me.”

He smiled at her lightly and spoke again, in a more normal tone. “Forgive me for asking, but it has been on my mind. A chaste maiden… that is quite an accomplishment. Do you still hold to that, even in eternal life?”

“To be perfectly honest with you? I do not know for certain. All I can offer you is speculation. Lucifer was His favourite. He was the first fallen, not only that, but he created a whole army of others, he rules hell, just as God rules heaven. He derived his own power after god had cast him out. While I would not say for certain if his power rivalled god’s… I would say that there are few things beyond his ability. I do not know that I will ever know the truth of it. He is my father, but I am just as expendable as every other demon. I maintain no illusion that he actually holds any maternal bond for me. He would send me to my death without blinking twice. For any number of reasons. Though fortunately for me, there is only one in the realm of hell who can match my martial skill, and that is him. So I have no fear from underlings or usurpers. As a matter of fact, though my position is one of great sway and power, I skate a thin line. The moment he thinks that I have the desire or even the ability to overthrow him and take his place, he will destroy me.”

Dahlia listened and found it increasingly difficult to veil her horror at his words as much as her own beauty. Still she wasn’t so rude as to interrupt, clearly he wasn’t finished but she could not understand how anyone so powerful could possibly feel so limited.

“I do not know how I was created, or if I even have a mother. All I know is that I am the general of hell’s army, and I answer to Lucifer. I hope this answers your inquiry?”

She merely inclined her head, wondering how best to ask him her next question without seeming rude or implying there were better avenues for the son of Satan. For surely she could not find one nor suggest it and why would she want to help him anyway? She already knew the answer to that, she was supposed to love him, angels were supposed to love everyone; including their enemies. It was only now that she was faced with one did she find that thought such a difficult one to stomach.

“You should keep your eyes upon that young man. If I were more of a manipulator, I could easily turn all of that passion toward evil. I am certain that either of those with me are already working on him. Any creature who displays that much passion freely is a target you see, and his affection for you will get him into a lot of trouble. It may even get him killed if he continues to stare daggers at me.”

Dahlia turned her head to find that Azazel speaking about Tyshon who was now looking at Deirdre and Gust disinterestedly. Dahlia’s head spun quickly as Azazel moved onto a question of his own and now she had two burning in her brain. But it was only polite to answer one of his queries first.

“Forgive me for asking, but it has been on my mind. A chaste maiden… that is quite an accomplishment. Do you still hold to that, even in eternal life?”

She blushed furiously that he asked such a thing and turned her head back to the window overlooking the bustling city, “I…don’t know. I haven’t…that is to say…I’ve never…in life or in Heaven…with a man before. I was not married in life when I died and I am not in love now…without love…that’s a sin in Heaven.”

Thoroughly embarrassed, Dahlia turned back and took the opportunity to drain her coffee cup dry until she’d calmed enough to ask those two burning questions.

“Now I have two questions for you Azazel. The first being how can you possibly live as limited as you are? Always in fear of reprisal by your own father? I couldn’t live like that…” She paused for a moment to take a deep breath and get further control of herself, “Secondly…” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper as she leaned close, “What are you talking about?! Tyshon has no affection for me! That’s insane, we work together, we are friends but he…and I’m not…it’s forbidden!”

She leaned back, by now she was thoroughly unnerved by this conversation and she wondered if he intended to make her so uncomfortable by saying such things. Tyshon would never look at her like that and she’d always thought of him as more of a brother than anything else. He was protective of her and made sure she was alright but he had never mentioned that he felt for her in that way before. Not once.

Azael watched with nearly perfect calm as she reacted to each of his answers. She did seem rather unbalanced by the conditions under which he existed. He himself had never considered the possibility of living any other way. He watched the reaction she gave when he asked about her chastity and he gave a very quiet chuckle and had grace enough to let a hint of color touch his cheeks. He reached out a hand and tentatively placed it on her own that held her emptied cup. It was in no way an attempt to seduce her or distract her, he was trying to soothe her and make amends for the embarrassment.

“I am sorry for making you uncomfortable Dahlia. It is hard to remember that sometimes not all are as free talking about things as myself and those whom I typically associate with. My daily life is filled with much worse things than talks of…intimacy. I realize that is no excuse, but I would like you to understand that I am indeed fail able. I will try to keep things less invasive in the future of our conversation.”

As she began to speak again he settled back into the chair and just watched her. He was wearing the smallest hint of a smile. He was not enjoying her discomfort, but he did find her flustered conversation more than a little endearing. The smile vanished when he absorbed her questions. He appeared to contemplate what she asked quite seriously for a moment before he answered. His eyes danced a little and he leaned forward with earnest, he was enjoying this conversation, and the mental excersize of speaking with her.

“As to how I can live in such a limited capacity, I can honestly say I have never considered my life limited in much any way. There are certain things that I must do, certain things I must avoid doing if I want my life to keep itself upon the same course it currently follows. That is no different than your set of circumstances, yes? If you break certain rules there will be consequences. I have never experienced life from your point of view, so to me my situation is quite normal. I can certainly imagine why it would abhor you as it does however. Though in the end, the fly does not find a life of eating the filth of others an objectionable existence until the point where he is eaten by the spider. My life is my life, and until I find something different I don’t imagine I will look at it with the same horror you do.”

He cast his glance back toward the Angel in question, and noticed his two companions were talking quietly to themselves. Apparently with a hint of impatience. They were eager to see this meeting done and over with, and the angelic host was content to just spend time with one another. Azazel turned back to Dahliah and smiled faintly.

“Allow me to offer another perspective, and I do not mean any disrespect in this. Seeing things from one angle and making your choices upon that view point will often lead you to consequences you never saw coming. Just because something is a sin, or forbidden does not mean it will not occur. Human and celestial history is rife with the impossible and the forbidden occurring. Just because it is against the rules for that young male over there to desire you does not mean he does not feel that way. I myself look upon you and find you desirable though that is not only because of your appearance. I have very much enjoyed your company, I find it refreshing. It is nice to be able to converse with someone in a civil manner without having to worry about the dagger hidden behind your back. It is nice to be able to feel… what is the word, trust? Safety? Something to that effect anyway.”

He cleared his throat softly and then sat back into the chair slowly and ran his fingers through his midnight hair. Raising his eyes to meet her own for a moment of silence he then spoke once more.

“I did not mean to upset you, I just thought to give you a warning, for you have given me the pleasure of your company without asking anything in return. Heed it or mistrust me as you will, I am not here today to make you my enemy, we are trying to work together to keep the peace, it was that spirit that inspired me to speak. Shall we get on with the end of the meeting then? It looks as if my companions are about ready to jump out of windows, I’m afraid they do not get along much with others.”

He stood slowly and then Abaddon and Mormo turned and walked toward him. Azazel paused as the two “men” leaned in to speak with him. The conversation quickly turned heated on the part of Azazel’s escort and they were arguing in a loud whisper. With a single hand Azazel silenced the both of them. He did not shout, and anger was not visible in his face but suddenly he looked extremely lethal. The sunlight seemed to dim from the windows and the lights themselves seemed to be less than before. His voice carried loud enough to be overheard by Dahlia, and the faint smell of sulfur touched the room.

“I do not care what you think, you are not to speak to him again. We are not here today to toy with them, we are here to do a job. Unless you would like to step out of the building and challenge my judgement? No? Neither of you? Not even together? That is what I thought. We will speak about this later.”

The two men seemed to shrink in on themselves a little and they fell back into their chairs without a word. Azazel turned his gaze to them and his eyes were like onyx stones glittering in the sun, they seemed to be the only source of light in the room, yet it was a fell light. Then slowly the oppressive presence of his anger faded and all returned to normal. He turned to Dahlia and gave a faint smile.

“I apologize for that, shall we continue?”

The rest of the meeting continued quickly, with not a word coming from the side of hell without being spoken too first, then tension between the three could be cut with the saucer that held the coffee mugs. As the meeting wound down to a close Azazel sent his two lieutenants on their way and hung back. Waiting for the Heavenly host to gather themselves he walked toward the three of them. Clearing his throat softly he nodded to her three companions and turned to Dahlia with another smile.

“Forgive me for being so forward, but may I speak to you a moment in private? I know this is rather…irregular but indulge me for a moment?”

Dahlia watched the smile vanish from Azazel’s mouth as though she had slapped him very physically as she posed questions of her own. He leaned in close as he spoke to her and the movement which was meant to convey a near secrecy between them or some form of intimacy was utterly lost on Dahlia; she was unfamiliar with boundaries and such things by now. Heaven had its own rules and where everyone was trusted, what was the use of personal space? She was therefore curious as to why she felt a strange twist in her guts when Azazel made the same motions, Dahlia felt it and it was a twinge of distrust to spite her angelic nature.

She nodded her ‘yes’ in silent response to each of his rhetorical questions - he knew the answer to each was quite obvious but she was politely showing that she was listening to him intently. She glanced over at the other angel as he did and then bowed her head to stare at her lap as he spoke. Tyshon had the right to feel as he did; forbidden or not and Dahlia could understand that but what she could not understand was his failure to act if his feelings were so intense? Heaven was a literal paradise where those that had earned it could be granted their heart’s desire, all Tyshon had to do was make a request of God for the right to court her and yet he did not. Dahlia was puzzled, she had never been in love but she had heard the stories of men moving mountains and women casting aside all else for it, if it was worth dying for then why did Tyshon keep this secret?

Dahlia was about to give her answer about finishing the meeting when movement caught her eye and she looked over to see Abaddon and Mormo making their way over to Azazel. She dropped her gaze to her clasped hands in her lap; feeling a sudden involuntary shiver run down her spine and ruffling the hidden wings in her back. Dahlia was intimidated by these demons, it was odd that they should make her so uncomfortable while the presence of the son of Lucifer was somewhat reassuring. The idea that she was a traitor to Heaven because of these mere feelings had flitted across her mind and dissipated just as quickly. She lifted her eyes only when she heard the angry whispers growing louder among the three demons. Dahlia’s nose wrinkled as a strange scent filtered throughout the room and the light seemed to dim from the world or at the very least - the world inside that boardroom.

“I do not care what you think, you are not to speak to him again. We are not here today to toy with them, we are here to do a job. Unless you would like to step out of the building and challenge my judgement? No? Neither of you? Not even together? That is what I thought. We will speak about this later.”

Dahlia felt incredibly unnerved and exchanged a fast glance with Gust who shook his head slightly as if to tell her it was fine and not to interrupt them. The smell dispersed and the light flooded in again, Dahlia’s power was blazing brightly and she calmed herself until the glow vanished; being nervous caused her power to go a little wonky on her. She returned his smile with a feeble one of her own.

“I apologize for that, shall we continue?”

“Of course…” Dahlia murmured and the others shuffled around the table again to resume the meeting.

The territorial debates went on as expected, Heaven gave up a little useless ground in exchange for something more mutually beneficial and Dahlia was happy that Azazel did not once try to take advantage of her inexperience in the matter. Finally they were done and before Dahlia could blink; Abaddon and Mormo were already out the door. She shook her head, it was odd behaviour to say the least but she couldn’t lie; she was relieved they were no longer in the room. The Heavenly Host gathered themselves and their party, Gust moved to the door where Azazel stood and waited for the others to shift from the table. Tyshon was thoroughly annoyed, Tsunami was looking for the escape hatch and Deirdre was lost in her dream world of plants as usual. Dahlia looked at Azazel in surprise to see him standing there, tilting her head questioningly.

“Forgive me for being so forward, but may I speak to you a moment in private? I know this is rather…irregular but indulge me for a moment?”

Dahlia was puzzled, “Uh certainly.” She looked at Gust and arched a brow, he gave a small shrug of his shoulders in return - no idea, don’t ask me.

Gust made his exit, bowing his head respectfully to Azazel as he left, Tsunami grabbed Tyshon’s wrist and very nearly pulled the glaring Fire Angel from the room forcibly as she doused him with water waves of cold, unrelenting and unseen power. Deirdre seemed glide from the room, bopping to a tune that none could hear which made even Dahlia cock a brow and shake her head with a smirk. When they had exited, she moved a step closer to Azazel.

“We’re officially ‘in private’ Azazel.” She smiled beautifully, “What did you wish to speak to me about?” Her tone still formal if not a little unsure as to why he wanted to speak to her alone; the treaty for the next year was signed and she had done her job with grace and poise; representing Heaven as God expected. He could not go back on it and she found her thoughts drifting back to the argument he had with the other demons; she still wondered what that was all about.

As the angelic host began to leave the room he noticed Gust paid him respect. The prince of all that was damned returned the gesture just as deeply, as they wandered toward the exit he turned to the foursome and spoke softly to them; the first time he had even addressed them.

“Take caution, and I will assure her safety until she can rejoin your number.”

He ignored Tyshon pointedly, and turned his back to the Angel and back to Dahlia. He looked slightly agitated, almost on the point of nervousness. That was extremely out of character for Azazel. So far he had shown a handful of traits, and a willingness to let his emotions show, but never nerves. As she took a step closer a little of the tension seemed to melt out of his shoulders and he put on a little more of a smile.

“I do not trust that my companions would honor the peace of this place very far, so I did not want your escort to stray very far from the solace of the grounds. It would not look very kindly upon me if you or your companions came to harm even after the proceedings had ended.”

That nervous tension was still there, but if she were seeking deception within his words there was none to be found. Lying was something he could do without batting an eyelash. No, something else had him standing on pins and needles.

“Well I’ll just cut straight to it then. I wanted to let you know I enjoyed our exchange today, and I enjoyed your company as well. It’s not a normal request I’m about to make, but I would like to have the opportunity to speak with you again some time. Hopefully before the year is up. You are remarkable in many ways, and I would like to learn more about you. I will make whatever concession you desire to help you feel secure, we can even meet here if you would like so that you know I mean no ill intent upon you. I would just like to see you again.”

Well, there it was. As he started speaking the tone of his voice was hurried and quick as if he was afraid if he didn’t get it out now he wouldn’t at all. Now he was giving her a searching look, as if trying to read her thoughts straight through her eyes. This was new ground for Azezel, and he had no idea how to proceed from here. Rarely was there anything he wanted that he could not just take with force or intimidation. What he wanted now could only be granted by her free will.

The silence was driving him crazy, he felt a very uncomfortable feeling. The fact that she could tell him no and there was nothing he could do about it.

“If you need some time to think about it, I could return in a weeks time. Your presence or absence would be answer enough…”

“I do not trust that my companions would honor the peace of this place very far, so I did not want your escort to stray very far from the solace of the grounds. It would not look very kindly upon me if you or your companions came to harm even after the proceedings had ended.”

Dahlia smiled in return, he was more concerned for how it unfavourable he would appear but some small part of her still felt that maybe he cared beyond that, “We will wait until they are far from us Azazel…” She trailed off, sensing there was more he wanted to say.

“Well I’ll just cut straight to it then. I wanted to let you know I enjoyed our exchange today, and I enjoyed your company as well. It’s not a normal request I’m about to make, but I would like to have the opportunity to speak with you again some time. Hopefully before the year is up. You are remarkable in many ways, and I would like to learn more about you. I will make whatever concession you desire to help you feel secure, we can even meet here if you would like so that you know I mean no ill intent upon you. I would just like to see you again.”

He spoke so hurriedly that Dahlia almost missed the entire request, she took a long moment to first understand what he was asking and then to process and deliberate. She had difficulty seeking permission to just go off on her own in the human world. It was true that she visited here often but that was all work, she rarely had the time or opportunity to socialize and yet, Azazel obviously felt this was an easy thing. Of course for the son of Lucifer, it would be. He wouldn’t have the same binding rules that she did or even the same regulations placed upon him as other demons did.

It was forbidden. To meet with a demon for a purpose other than God’s will was absolutely prohibited and this gnawed at Dahlia because Azazel was inexplicably…addictive to her. She expected certain things from demons but intelligence and charm were not among them and she hadn’t expected civilized conversation from him either. Dahlia opened her mouth to spill…something of the sort to him but he beat her to the punch.

“If you need some time to think about it, I could return in a weeks time. Your presence or absence would be answer enough…”

Dahlia took a deep breath, his eyes…no! She needed to focus! She swallowed as she considered her words carefully, he was just as nervous as she was about this and if their little stay behind chat wasn’t reported then she might be able to…

“Okay Azazel…in a week. I’m here or not. This is forbidden, you should know that if you don’t already. I could get…I could…this could get me in a lot of trouble.” She finished firmly and paused before continuing, “I enjoyed our conversation but it doesn’t mean we’re friends, we’re on opposing sides…I can’t trust you.” She ended in a near whisper.

Dahlia cleared her throat, “A week at noon. Here.” She exited in a hurry, not daring to shake his hand or look in his eyes again, she realized that she didn’t trust him but she also didn’t trust herself with him.

Dahlia made her way back to the marble foyer where the other Angels waited, Tyshon looking a little more than merely agitated. She held up her hand to cease the questions before they began and shook her head to indicate she wasn’t going to give them answers anyway. She pushed past the glass doors and expected them to follow, drifting behind them as they neared the street and headed for the park. Once again the traffic slowed to minimal speeds as the Angels crossed the street.

Dahlia’s shimmering sunlight locks seemed to illuminate the entire street as her powers radiated when they hit the opposite pavement, the protection of sacred ground was gone. The five elemental Angels entered the park and Dahlia turned her head to look back, she felt eyes burning into her. Her gaze drifted back to the doors of H&H where Azazel stood just outside, she met and held his eyes for a moment. Her power couldn’t harm his eyes; he was still held by the protection of the building but at such a distance; he could truly appreciate her fully fledged beauty. She gave him a small yet dazzling smile as she glided beyond the trees and out of his view. Not a moment later did the Angels take flight and head home in a variety of misty colours, Dahlia still searched for Azazel as they slid into the next plane of astral life.

The first sign of deception she might have seen from him was when he spoke of his companions trusting the peace. The truth was, it wasn’t them he worried over, or how it would make him look, he was actually concerned for Dahlia’s safety. That was more than a little unnerving.

“We will wait until they are far from us Azazel…”

He just nodded in reply to this. He still had no intention of trusting things to their abilities, he planned to leave after the Angels had returned to the safe harbor of heaven. Well one in particular. The rest he could care less about.

When he asked his questions she seemed totally stunned. He could not blame her in all honesty. He could not believe he was asking this of her. Oh he had met beautiful Angels before but nothing like her. It was not her physical beauty that kept him charmed with her presence. It was something else about her, many somethings. Picking out just what it was about her that drew him in was an impossibility. It was a puzzle that you could not unravel lest the whole structure fall apart.

He saw her start to look into his eyes and then look away. He felt a rush of anxiety, and of all things emotional pain and disappointment! This was the part where she told him no. Then she spoke in that voice that he had come to crave hearing.

“Okay Azazel…in a week. I’m here or not. This is forbidden, you should know that if you don’t already. I could get…I could…this could get me in a lot of trouble.”

He opened his mouth to reply to her but found the words he wanted to say dying before they reached his throat. He wanted to tell her that if she was concerned for her safety then not to worry about it, but selfishly he knew he could not get the words out. Why in the hell did he feel bad about that? This was getting extremely strange. He was used to many kinds of emotions but guilt was really not on the top of that list.

“I enjoyed our conversation but it doesn’t mean we’re friends, we’re on opposing sides…I can’t trust you.”

He wanted to wince from that, but he kept his features smooth with an effort. What should he care about her trust? She was absolutely right, they were opposite sides of the most ancient war in creation. Yet he wanted her to trust him because he trusted her.

The meeting was set and she quickly departed. He watched the exchange between herself and Tyshon. He could not help but grin to himself as she put him down with a single gesture. She was really going to have to do something about that boy or he was going to get himself into some trouble. He gave them privacy as they exited, he stayed far enough back that he would not be able to hear any conversation.

As they crossed the street he leaned casually in the door frame and watched them go. Well watch them was not the appropriate term. He scanned the surroundings, then his eyes fastened to her, in a pattern. When they crossed the boundary he saw her release her powers and the full glory of her beauty was unveiled. He stood there in awe of her watching as they prepared to leave. She turned and gave him a smile, and he could not help but return it.

Then they were flying away but his eyes never left her. With a heavy sigh he made his way across the boundary, but his appearance did not alter. She was too far away to feel the aura that normally surrounded him without him making a concentrated effort to do so.

He crossed the street without paying any attention to the mortals zipping by. Yet somehow they all seemed to miss him, even without being able to perceive him. He stepped to the place where he had entered and without much fanfare and the displays that he had given before, the earth simply parted and he slipped back in between the crust. As the earth began to close around his head he gave one last glance to the heavens, straining his eyes to search her out. When the ground slammed shut around him he had the impression of the sealing of a tomb for the first time

***********

The week seemed to pass with infinite slowness. It drove him absolutely insane. He wished he had the ability to alter the course of time itself so that he could simply see her again. Lacking that ability he spent most of the day being frustrated and angry. He took none of the usual joy from his work, and the demons of hell stepped lightly around the very short fused Azazel.

True to his word he punished all of those agreed upon within the treaties, and he did it quickly and brutally. It was a good outlet for his anger, until all of those whom required punishment were spent. Then he had nothing but to fume until the day arrived.

When the day arrived he came to the surface much earlier than noon. He was at the doors of H&H when the doors opened. He went through the proper channels this time and got a badge. He left specific instructions with the receptionist to direct Dahlia to the same room they had met within before. Also there was some freshly picked flowers to be given her when…if she arrived. He sat himself in a chair staring out the window into the morning landscape, the only sign that he was even conscious was the nervous tapping of his index finger on the table.

Heaven wasn’t by any means small and there were no fluffy clouds as one might imagine, in fact it didn’t even exist in the sky for surely; people would find it there. There were no pearly gates and Dahlia herself was the guardian of entry into Heaven. Heaven was whatever the soul wished for it to be, whatever made them most happy in life then became their Heaven, it was infinite and ever expanding with doorways through which angels could travel and make their way.

Dahlia herself had her own little slice of Heaven that she might enjoy whenever she had the time. It was just a simple meadow with a cliff drop off where she could see the ocean’s expanse. Here; in life, Dahlia and her family had a picnic and she’d felt a settling calm within her surroundings, this was what life was. The fresh air and the serene surroundings were simply bliss to Dahlia and she’d not have picked a finer slice of Heaven for herself.

During the week, she’d gone about her duties as per usual between Heaven and the plane of crossing over while she argued matters of souls with Hell’s reaper. All the while; she could think of nothing else but meeting up with Azazel when it was all done and each hour felt longer than the last; time was truly crawling by. When the day finally came, Dahlia crossed the barrier of worlds with severe apprehension, this was a forbidden crossing and if she was discovered by an earthly angel, god would have her head…or much worse…her wings.

She walked across the park as the snowy white mist tucked into her back and disappeared from view. This time the traffic didn’t slow, she could not risk such a great power surge and her own powers were greatly masked until she crossed at the lights and could release once she’d stepped onto sacred ground. She pushed the door to H&H open and calmly made her way across the marble lobby towards reception.

“Hello Terri…” Dahlia smiled brilliantly at the same receptionist of the week before, Terri returned the gesture as Dahlia took her necklace from around her neck and handed it over to the woman.

Terri scanned her in and Dahlia realized she’d be logged her now, she bit her lip and wondered if this was such a good idea for the umpteenth time before she hung the necklace around her neck again.

“These are for you…” Terri said quietly and handed her the bouquet of plucked wildflowers.

Dahlia smiled and smelt deeply of them before she lowered them from her nose, “Thank you…from him, I presume?”

Terri nodded and gestured in the direction of that same conference room, “He’s in conference room one…you remember the way?”

Dahlia nodded, “I…do…your hand…” Dahlia looked at Terri’s outstretched hand which was covered in small bandaids, “What happened?”

Terri seemed embarrassed, “Oh…” She covered it hastily, “Just a lot of paper cuts, I’m fairly clumsy I guess.”

Dahlia nodded and placed the flowers down on the reception desk, “Give me your hand Terri.” Dahlia wasn’t asking her, she was telling her and her power dazzled in her hair, dancing sunlight reflecting within the marble foyer.

“Uh…ok…” Terri said meekly and held out her hand for the woman.

Dahlia took it in her own and tore each little bandaid off without a peep from Terri who seemed to trust the woman she didn’t even know unconditionally. Dahlia covered her hand top and bottom, her eyes fluttered for a moment and closed. A warmth spread throughout her body and shot straight into Terri’s hand which heated a little but dulled again. Dahlia opened her eyes and smiled, allowing Terri to take her hand back. Dahlia scooped the bouquet up and wandered off to the conference room, Terri stared at her back for the longest time before she lifted her hand to her eyes and turned it every which way she could.

“What in god’s name…” Terri whispered in shock as her hand looked perfectly fine, the scratches that had marred it were gone as though they’d never existed.

Dahlia wandered into the conference room, Azazel was facing away from the door and looking out the window while tapping his fingers anxiously. She shut the door harder than necessary to announce her arrival.

She waited until he’d spun around before she spoke, “Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful…” She held his gaze, knowing he’d been just as unsure that she’d show up on this day as Dahlia herself had been.

“You look…surprised…” She smiled at him and said in a soft demure voice, “You didn’t think I’d come, did you?”

The door closed a little harder than nessicary. He did not jump but he slowly turned toward the source of the sound. His fingers had stilled and his hand smoothed out across the table top. There was no more need for that manner of anxiety, she was here now.

It felt surreal really, that he would be so emotionally dependent upon something as logically insignificant as the absence or presence of another creature. Emotion was not something he was unfamiliar with of course, it was the primal playground under which most demons preyed upon the souls of mortals. Yet this bundle of emotions was quite new for him and while at times exciting and powerful, other times they left him feeling exceedingly unpleasant.

However right at this moment he was fighting down an overwhelming sense of joy and something else he couldn’t put his finger on. She was here, she was really here. Truth be told he had not really expected her to show. She had mentioned before they parted ways before that she would be taking a great risk in coming here. That made it all of a shock that she dared show at all. Why take such risks for him? For someone she did not know, and for the enemy at that.

She held the flowers that he had gathered for her and he wore a smile. She seemed genuinely pleased that he had taken the initiative to gather them which was a good thing. It was the only thing he could think of in his excitement to do for her to show favor. He was not the type prone to spending time attracting a woman’s interest. Seduction he could do but this was different, he was outside of his element and he was afraid it would show.

“I am glad you like them, your right I was not sure you would show up. You mentioned risking much to come here outside of duty and I almost told you not to come. I was not intending to get you to risk yourself for me but…”

…But what? I couldn’t say it, I didn’t want to, I craved you, wanted you, needed you. To many things to list and no words to accurately say it all. This was all so stupid, so foolish, so bloody dangerous for the both of them; yet he could not bring himself to regret asking it of her.

“I am glad you came, I wanted to see you again. I can’t think of the last time I was able to take pleasure in the company of another”

Damn he wasn’t any good at this, he felt tense, nervous, and excited all at the same time around her. He didn’t like emotions he did not understand and could not use to his advantage. There was no advantage in feeling weak like this, feeling co-dependent upon the mere presence of another. Was she as beautiful last time they met? Or was it that the memory of her was a pale mockery of the truth?

He closed the distance between them slowly and let his black orbs roll over her features as if a man deprived of water for a weeks time only to set eyes upon an oasis and fearing it was a fevered figment of a shattered mind. He wanted to touch her, to stroke that long sun colored hair, to touch her face with such tenderness that it surprised him when he stuck his hands in his pockets instead. He wasn’t sure he could trust himself if he actually touched her, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

“I am afraid my plans for the day had not come any farther than this. I was so unsure if you would show up and I did not want to invest hope in something that may not come to pass… So I am not sure what to do now. I apologize…”

He realized then that part of him had hoped she did not come, he was afraid of her. Not for her power, though certainly that was something to fear if turned against him. No it was the power she had over him that was truly frightening. The general of Hells army, one of the most feared beings in all of creation and beyond and a look from her could make him tremble, could make him feel like he were capable of anything, yet weak in the knees all at the same time. Whatever this emotion was it was dangerous and he should leave right now.

Yet those eyes kept him here, he was a prisoner of his own making; the name of his warden, Dahlia

Dahlia watched him get up and walk to her near the door, she had to steady her breathing because even she was stunned that she’d had the courage to show up here and she wasn’t yet certain of why. The plane of earth was forbidden to the Spirit Elemental, she could traverse Heaven and the ethereal plane but she was not to come here, Deirdre, Gust, Tsunami and Tyshon had their business here where she did not.

So why risk it? God knew all, surely he would know in some form that she was here? Did he care for such rule breaking? Dahlia was certain it would be left to Raphael or Gabriel to deal with, not God himself, he wouldn’t be bothered by such trivial matters. She would likely be scolded for this, it was not a great enough transgression that she would have her wings clipped or find her end at the point of Michael’s sword; Dahlia shuddered to think of such misdemeanours that would land her in a predicament quite so bad.

Her eyes roved across his face, up to his blackened irises and she shivered in the depths of the darkness she found there. She could only imagine what those eyes must have seen in their time where her light hazel gaze had only looked upon death with beauty and admiration. She’d stared down the reaper for a soul or two in her time, the fight for who would go where was unending but she had also seen the soul of a thousand murderers and conquerors who thought they knew where they’d be meeting their maker; only to have Dahlia turn her back in disgust as Death took them into the bowels of Hell.

Azazel was something else entirely and she knew not what to make of the demon, the devil before her and she felt that she might melt into his blackness, his dark, become his…she shook her head inside, she ought not to think so sinfully as to be drawn in by Lucifer’s son himself. But then he spoke, his lilt, his rumbling baritone, she felt as though she’d traversed Heaven all over and sunk down into a man’s arms, her skin crawled with the sound of his voice.

“I am afraid my plans for the day had not come any farther than this. I was so unsure if you would show up and I did not want to invest hope in something that may not come to pass… So I am not sure what to do now. I apologize…”

Just as it passed through Azazel’s lips and through his mind, so did it pass through Dahlia’s that she too, feared him. She knew he was evil, she knew she was breaking the rules to come here and she knew she felt tempted by him in ways no one had ever tempted her. She felt seduced by him without a finger lifted on his part, she felt an attraction such that she could not trust herself any longer, certainly not alone with him.

“Oh…” She spoke uncertainly and then smiled kindly, “That’s okay, I don’t know that there’s much for us to do in this building but we don’t exactly lack possibilities between us.”

Dahlia’s eyes sparkled mischievously and she moved across the floor, taking up a vase filled with plastic flowers. She eyed them with disgust and tossed them aside, pointing her finger and tapping the bottom of the vase three times. A tiny geyser opened invisibly in the bottom and filled the vase up to a quarter with water. Dahlia popped the flowers Azazel had given her in it and turned to smile at him as she set the vase down.

“Just a tiny trick Tsunami taught me awhile back.” Dahlia blushed, this was obviously a trick she wasn’t supposed to know, she padded across the floor and bit her lip as she realized something.

“I’m not exactly dressed for a walk in the park or anything Azazel.” She gestured to her tattered lilac coloured dress and bare feet, “Angels usually fly everywhere and I so rarely come to Earth. I won’t fit in with these mortals.”

Dahlia’s cheek shone a brilliant red hue, she’d not thought of this sooner but it was not as though she had money which she was told would buy her clothing by Tyshon. He often shared titbits of his earth adventures where fires needed to start or had to die down somewhat, where gas was a requirement or an oil well needed to be discovered. He had to look the part sometimes in order to fit in but Dahlia had no such resources nor did she know how to come by them. She knew the very basics of modern living because of Ty but that was the beginning and the end of what she knew. She just wished she knew how to tell Azazel without seeming ignorant or foolish for her lot in…well…the afterlife.

She stared into the fathomless depths of obsidian that passed for his eyes. Was it the void that swallowed her, or she that consumed the void? He could not be sure. However for as strong as she felt drawn to him, he felt that same unerring tug. Resisting it was like trying to stop time itself. No matter how hard he pulled back it kept roving forward, it was bigger than them both.

She listened to him speak and her reply was brief, to the point. Was she as uncomfortable as he was? He had to wonder.

“Oh…” “That’s okay, I don’t know that there’s much for us to do in this building but we don’t exactly lack possibilities between us.”

She was right of course, certainly together they could come up with something to do. Heaven and earth may be different as night and day but here on the realm of mortals it was like a bridge between the two. Opposite forces met here all the time and managed to blend together to make things better. Perhaps, just perhaps they could do the same.

He watched her move over toward the vase and observed her as she discarded the plastic, lifeless flowers. Strangely enough he watched her tap the vase once, twice, three times. He heard the rush of water and his thick black brow raised in curiosity. When she plucked the flowers into the container he could smell the mix of botanical life and water mingling. So…she just created water out of nothing. What a rather handy little trick. The power of creation was beyond all but the most powerful demons. He had to wonder if it was a common ability for Angels. Creation for the most part was God’s realm, so it was much harder for the darker of His children to tap into that force. Even Azazel did not have the ability to create something from nothing. He had bound certain objects to him that he could bring fourth from other places, but that was not the same thing as simply creating something. He did not create, he only destroyed.

“Just a tiny trick Tsunami taught me awhile back.”

He nodded his head in understanding. So it was the water elemental who had taught her this trick. He would have to track her down and find a way to extract that information from-

What the hell was he doing? He was not here to pump Dahlia for information; though for all that was evil he should be doing just that. Still old habits were hard to brush away and taking each piece of information and using it for his advantage was what he was born and bred to do, he was the general of the army of hell. Battles were won and lost on not only your ability to learn information, but to process and act upon that information. Still there were lines he felt he should not cross, not with her; and that thought should have been a warning.

“I’m not exactly dressed for a walk in the park or anything Azazel.” “Angels usually fly everywhere and I so rarely come to Earth. I won’t fit in with these mortals.”

He raised a brow at her slowly in confusion. Couldn’t she simply use her power to manifest an illusion of wearing something else? He almost asked the question himself but then it hit him; if she were capable of that she would have done so already. Come to think of it illusion seemed to be more in the realm of the Demonic scheme of power than that of Heaven. It was used to trick, confuse, and create disorder.

“That is nothing to concern yourself with, that is if you would trust me enough to allow me to take care of it for you? I could wrap you in an illusion that would alter your appearance to the eyes of those whom look upon you. It would not change anything about you other than how you are perceived. It would fall away as soon as I stopped focusing upon it as well so you needn’t fear that it was something you cannot escape. It takes much more concentration to maintain illusion on another object. You would have to allow me to touch you with my magic however in order for it to take hold.”

“I enjoyed our conversation but it doesn’t mean we’re friends, we’re on opposing sides…I can’t trust you.”

Those words she had spoken before they parted last time rang in his ears. She was right then, and she was right now. They were anathema to one another, they should be struggling against one another in battle, not having a polite conversation, not so attracted to one another that they could not even make eye contact without feeling weak. They were oil and water down to the very foundation of who they were…

“I will understand if you do not trust me. I am a Demon after all, I can’t say I would blame you for apprehension…”

The words were the right ones to say but still they felt…pained. He had never been at odds with his own nature before, but at this moment he wished he were anyone else, someone who he would not have to go to extravagant length to prove that he meant her no ill.

“That is nothing to concern yourself with, that is if you would trust me enough to allow me to take care of it for you? I could wrap you in an illusion that would alter your appearance to the eyes of those whom look upon you. It would not change anything about you other than how you are perceived. It would fall away as soon as I stopped focusing upon it as well so you needn’t fear that it was something you cannot escape. It takes much more concentration to maintain illusion on another object. You would have to allow me to touch you with my magic however in order for it to take hold.”

“Oh…I uhhh…umm…” Dahlia was surprised by the offer and uncertain of accepting it.

She knew she was breaking the rules by coming to Earth but she didn’t quite bank on the need to break more of them by allowing a demon to use powers on her. She knew he couldn’t use any harmful powers within the H&H building perimeter so it was safe to say that Azazel wasn’t about to hurt her, however, Heaven would most certainly hold its own repercussions for this action. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he spoke again.

“I will understand if you do not trust me. I am a Demon after all, I can’t say I would blame you for apprehension…”

“I…oh, no!” Dahlia shook her head, looking into his face again, “It’s not that. I know you can’t harm me here, it’s just that…well, I’m already breaking the rules by coming to Earth and while I might get a slap on the wrist for that, the penalty for letting you do this as well…I…”

She dropped her head and bit her lip as she looked down on her tattered dress, it looked beautiful and simple; draped around her in a clinging yet flowing manner but it was not suitable for these city streets by far. Dahlia sighed and lifted her head to look at him, half in…all in.

“Do it Azazel.” She said firmly, smiling nervously and already wishing she could see the world again.

It took only a moment and flooded Dahlia’s skin with the sensation of rolling hot coals beneath her skin but it was gone in a flash and Dahlia knew she was cloaked in Azazel’s powers.

“So that’s what your power feels like…” She murmured and shrugged, “Hot!” Dahlia giggled and placed her hand in his slowly, as though she was afraid it might burn her too.

“So uhhh, let’s get outside and then we can…well, you can choose where we go anyway. I don’t know this world very well and I assume you can come and go as you like. You’d obviously hosted that meeting more than once before, judging by your initial reaction.” At the mention of their first greeting, Dahlia turned slightly pink, he’d been furious and she had laughed in his face.

He’d mostly annoyed her but it was rather out of character for Dahlia, she was accustomed to arguing with Death; one of the four horsemen but not anyone else. It made her a little more controlling than she’d like but then, such was the nature of her job. She exited the conference room with Azazel and waved to Terri as they passed the reception desk in the lobby before passing through the great glass doors.

Dahlia took a deep breath of the city air and smiled broadly, “I love it here, I wish I could come and go like you do, Azazel. Where do you suggest we go?” She bounced beside him excitedly, like a small child who’d just been handed a lollipop and was now sucking it happily.

He listened to her reply. So she was breaking more rules by letting him use magic upon her? That made sense in a manner, especially since he was using that magic to conceal her. It would not just work on mortals, but it would also work on Angels, and Demons. The only ones it would not work on is anyone who could recognize it for what it is. Illusion magic worked so well because most people rely so heavily on sight.

He opened his mouth to tell her he wouldn’t bother, she was already taking too much risk. Yet she beat him to the punch and told him to just do it. He was not going to argue. It was her choice after all.

He locked his gaze upon her. Extending his will energies began to manifest around her form. It was like being coiled in water that was just a little too hot. His dark orbs glittered like onyx stones glittering from the light of the sun. The sensation passed quickly as it sank into her flesh. He could see the illusion as it locked around her. It was like seeing a person behind a stained glass window. The illusion distorted the real image of her, but that is only because he knew it was there. She would only see the illusion if she looked into a reflective surface, and like him if she chose to ignore it, she could.

He could not help but chuckle at her observation. “It can be a little uncomfortable the first time or two, but I try not to rely very heavily on magic. I use it when it serves a purpose but there are so many things that can go wrong with magic. I prefer to face my problems more directly. Still… no reason to throw an advantage away when it is presented. Shall we?”

He offered an arm to her and they left the building hand in hand. He didn’t bother to even take notice of Terri as he left. Too many thoughts were going through his head.

“Hmmmm well I think for now something simple would be best. Well you did suggest it earlier and it is not a bad idea for us to start out. Lets take that walk in the park now. One word of caution. Covering another person in illusion makes them much more fragile, and also the more you alter something the more fragile the magic is. Try not to do anything extremely sudden. No sprinting, or shoving me into a pond or anything. Such things will increase the chance that the passerby can pierce the illusion.”

He couldn’t help but grin at the idea of her throwing him into a pond. It did sort of seem like something she would do. “Besides, if you throw me into a pond I might have to drag you in after me.”

He wasn’t sure what it was, but something left her suddenly invigorated. He had to admit the sudden change was…charming. Something about her energy, about her was magnetic to him. Perhaps it was just the change from what he was used too? She had a love of life it seemed, there was not much in the pit to love, except violence, and torture. This was different, she was different. It was those thoughts that made him ignore the tickle on the back of his neck. He never saw the small group of men following them as they left the H&H building.

It was just a short walk from there to the park, with the promised pond to be thrown in. As they walked into the park he turned toward her with a smile. “Where should we go? Well that all depends on what strikes your interest. What do you miss most about the mortal world?”

“Hmmmm well I think for now something simple would be best. Well you did suggest it earlier and it is not a bad idea for us to start out. Lets take that walk in the park now. One word of caution. Covering another person in illusion makes them much more fragile, and also the more you alter something the more fragile the magic is. Try not to do anything extremely sudden. No sprinting, or shoving me into a pond or anything. Such things will increase the chance that the passer-by can pierce the illusion.”

Dahlia grinned widely but let it simmer into a pout as he finished, “So no spontaneity at all?” But then how will I ever impress you if I can’t make you go swimming with ducks?!”

He seemed to humour her with a smile and then finished what he’d been saying, “Besides, if you throw me into a pond I might have to drag you in after me.”

Dahlia giggled at the image that conjured up in her mind, “But then I can’t promise I will hate it quite as much as you Azazel.”

Dahlia’s feet crushed the grass, it wedged its way between her toes, crisp and moist. Dahlia sighed with a soft smile, she loved how grass felt beneath her bare feet, her hair gently brushed the ground behind her as they came upon the pond he’d spoken of. Dahlia gasped audibly at her reflection and blushed at what she saw for this must have been the illusion Azazel had cast upon her and she wondered if this was how he saw her or how he would like to see her.

She saw a woman with a coif of blonde hair, tightly wound up into a bun, this woman wore a tight pin striped black blouse that would surely expose her belly button if she turned in just the right way. A pair of tight, straight cut jeans covered her usually very much exposed legs and a pair of low black heeled ankle boots were on her feet. However Dahlia couldn’t feel any of it, it was just how others in public were perceiving her; in reality her feet were bare, her hair was loose and wild and her body was covered with the same tattered lilac coloured dress.

All too quickly Azazel broke into her thoughts about her appearance and she looked up from the reflective pool as he queried her, “Where should we go? Well that all depends on what strikes your interest. What do you miss most about the mortal world?”

Dahlia’s eyes widened in slight surprise that he’d ask her such a thing, she blushed a little again as an immediate answer came to mind but she refused to tell Azazel such a sinful thought.

“But you ask me such a difficult question good Sir.” She smiled coyly at him, “The world has changed immensely since I died. When I was alive, it was a woman’s duty to marry and produce many children for her husband. No careers of any kind and no choices such as are taken for granted today. Even men had less options, now they have so many that they don’t know what to do with them. Some make the wrong choices and far too often sadly…” She trailed off, looking about her at many men and women in the park, some reading, some jogging and some playing with their children.

“How different the world is…so much freer but somehow…a little less beautiful. I do not like this concrete jungle of a world much, I prefer the beauty of nature but I always like to see new things and try new things…” Dahlia murmured and looked around, smiling broadly as something caught her eye, “Say….have you ever been ice skating?”

She pointed to a billboard which advertised an indoor ice skating rink for all seasons.