As didn't return to the apartment he shared with Caspar and Morgan until the following day. He knew immediately that Caspar was there, and Morgan was not. He was, honestly, slightly relieved. While he was sure that Morgan would understand, the white-haired Demon still was not looking forward to that conversation. He let himself in, his appearance much as it normally was, if albeit slightly more bright than he normally was. His wings he had veiled, materalizing them into his soul in order that he could move easier. He'd forgotten just how cumbersome they could be. He had been thinking about the events of the day before, and he was fairly certian that he had at least a slight understanding of what had happened.
He walked into the apartment and sat down on the sofa across from Cass's chair, the other man reading a book. Asmodeus had to smirk slightly, the red-haired angel was so predictable. He laced his fingers together as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Cass." was all he said. This was his usual start to a conversation when it was something serious.
Cass had been able to sense Asmodeus’s approach, and he was also sensitive to the fact that something was different about him. Actually, he might have been able to hazard a guess as to the what, and perhaps even the why, but the how was something he definitely would need to ask about at some point. But he had learned that overall, it was best to allow other people to approach him with matters like this one, because if he was the one doing the asking, it could start to feel like an interrogation fairly quickly, even if he did not intend it so. That was what truth-compulsion powers got you.
So when As sat down on the sofa and allowed the one syllable out, Caspar lowered the book he was reading, marking his spot carefully and setting it on the stack behind his chair. His arms rested casually on the corresponding parts of the chair, but his eyes flickered with obvious curiosity. “As.” The change wasn’t just in his aura, apparently—there was something different about the rest of him, too. The fallen angel might even be willing to call it happiness, which was unusual, for any of them. At least, happiness of this kind was. They had their moments, but this seemed like something more than a temporary amusement.
As saw the flicker of curiosity in Caspar's eyes, making him smile slightly. He reached up and removed his shirt, not really willing to ruin another set of clothes. There was a second where nothing happened, and then, the wings unfurled from his back. They were large, at least six foot in their span, and made of feathers that were blacker than the sky with no moon. The demon looked at the angel. "We've had a bit of a revelation."
Cass’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward somewhat in his chair, reaching up to rub at his jaw with one of his palms. That was… he’d wondered. The change he felt in Asmodeus was one he’d expected to return something lost to him, but he wasn’t quite sure he’d thought it would be this. “So it seems,” the fallen angel replied, shaking his head with something resembling wonderment. He’d missed his own damn wings something fierce, but it had never been the case before that anything short of an untainted angel had them. “How exactly did this come about?”
Asmodeus brought his wings back in, pulling the shirt back over his head. "It was Kaz. I used to think that my fall was because I indirectly caused the death of a man, and yesterday made me realize that I was wrong. I loved Yuimei, but in the end, I rejected her. And were we not always told that love is the reason for all? That was why I fell. And..." He looked down at his hands, a small smile on his face as he did so. "Ever since I became one of the Princes, I had long since given up on being forgiven. After hanging around you and Morgan, I began to get that hope back, but...I never believed that anyone could truly love me. But she does. I got my wings back because this time, I accepted her. I allowed myself to love her back, just as she loves me. I cannot fully claim to understand why this came about, but...all I know is that it did."
“Heh. Imagine that…” Something like a sigh passed from Cass, but it was more relieved than anything, and he relaxed back into his chair. Hadn’t he just told Tsuki that sometimes, the choice people had about love was whether or not to accept it? And that sometimes, the outcome of that choice made all the difference? This seemed rather like a case in point, but then, there was something about this that had the flavor of fate, too. It seemed to surround those women, their friends, like a thick, impermeable veil. They were important, vitally important, and it became more and more clear that if the three of them never succeeded in anything else ever again, they needed to protect the Fuhen sisters, and support them as they reached the precipice of that fate.
A thought struck him, and the smile he’d been wearing died on his face, dropping into a frown. “I meant it earlier, As. Sacrifice can’t be an option for us.” His eyes were hard, a glimmer of fraternal protectiveness in them, for Kazehana’s sake. She would not take it well if any of them threw themselves at a ritual like that, unsure of what the outcome would be.
There was an almost mourful look in Asmodeus' eyes. "Unless we can find someway to stop him before hand, we may not have any other choice. Asaroth is Satan's right hand, and is the one who will be the herald of the Four Horsemen. He cannot be allowed to rise to the surface. I stopped him from rising the first time, solidifying my own place in Hell, but I miscalculated. It's only been eight hundred years, yet he's amassed enough power to try it again. He's more powerful this time as well. There aren't many options open to us." That was true, Asmodeus had stopped Asaroth the first time, dragging both of them into Hell, chaining the 7th Prince and taking away his ability to walk on the surface. As a result, As himself had been trapped in his own Circle for well over one hundred years, becoming its Prince in the process. Now, Asmodeus couldn't help but feel that no matter what they tried, it may very well all be futile.
Cass knew this, and yet… perhaps it was just a residual instinct from who he was before, but he could not bring himself to give up. An angel sees darkness and is compelled to create light. Cass saw doubt and was compelled to bolster the person affected. It may all be futile in the end, but there was no point in assuming so right now. “He may very well be,” the flame haired man replied, fixing his friend with a notoriously-stubborn stare, “But so are you. And you have us now, people who will quite literally go to Hell and back to help you, As. It’s like you said: we have three months. With the progress Kaz and Tsuki have made in the past few, who knows what they’ll be when all is said and done? Even Asaroth should fear them, if he’s smart.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, then dropped his hand back to the armrest and shook his head. “Spend three months with her. Love her, and let her love you, for that long, and see if you can really think they’ll win after that. I can’t see the future, As, but it’s brighter with them in it, I know it.”
Asmodeus shook his head with a soft smile. "He does fear them, that's why he took control of Vivian, to try and intimidate them, as well as make sure he had all of the surface preparations done in time." He let out a soft sigh. Something took ahold of his senses then, and his head jerked up, his eyes narrowing. Sometimes he wondered, why Morgan always seemed to be a target. "Morgan didn't happen to say where he was going when he left, did he?"
Morgan was staring with a stoic expression at the golden-winged Angel who stood in front of him, a sword of fire in hand. "You know, for not having seen each other in almost millenium, you'd think your greeting would be a bit more courteous, Raphiel."
Raphiel only smiled grimly before replying, "You have been marked as the herald for the oncoming nightmare, and I have been charged with elliminating such threats. It is not yet time for this world, and it shall not succumb before its time. I ask that you stand and face judgement."
He walked into the apartment and sat down on the sofa across from Cass's chair, the other man reading a book. Asmodeus had to smirk slightly, the red-haired angel was so predictable. He laced his fingers together as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Cass." was all he said. This was his usual start to a conversation when it was something serious.
Cass had been able to sense Asmodeus’s approach, and he was also sensitive to the fact that something was different about him. Actually, he might have been able to hazard a guess as to the what, and perhaps even the why, but the how was something he definitely would need to ask about at some point. But he had learned that overall, it was best to allow other people to approach him with matters like this one, because if he was the one doing the asking, it could start to feel like an interrogation fairly quickly, even if he did not intend it so. That was what truth-compulsion powers got you.
So when As sat down on the sofa and allowed the one syllable out, Caspar lowered the book he was reading, marking his spot carefully and setting it on the stack behind his chair. His arms rested casually on the corresponding parts of the chair, but his eyes flickered with obvious curiosity. “As.” The change wasn’t just in his aura, apparently—there was something different about the rest of him, too. The fallen angel might even be willing to call it happiness, which was unusual, for any of them. At least, happiness of this kind was. They had their moments, but this seemed like something more than a temporary amusement.
As saw the flicker of curiosity in Caspar's eyes, making him smile slightly. He reached up and removed his shirt, not really willing to ruin another set of clothes. There was a second where nothing happened, and then, the wings unfurled from his back. They were large, at least six foot in their span, and made of feathers that were blacker than the sky with no moon. The demon looked at the angel. "We've had a bit of a revelation."
Cass’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward somewhat in his chair, reaching up to rub at his jaw with one of his palms. That was… he’d wondered. The change he felt in Asmodeus was one he’d expected to return something lost to him, but he wasn’t quite sure he’d thought it would be this. “So it seems,” the fallen angel replied, shaking his head with something resembling wonderment. He’d missed his own damn wings something fierce, but it had never been the case before that anything short of an untainted angel had them. “How exactly did this come about?”
Asmodeus brought his wings back in, pulling the shirt back over his head. "It was Kaz. I used to think that my fall was because I indirectly caused the death of a man, and yesterday made me realize that I was wrong. I loved Yuimei, but in the end, I rejected her. And were we not always told that love is the reason for all? That was why I fell. And..." He looked down at his hands, a small smile on his face as he did so. "Ever since I became one of the Princes, I had long since given up on being forgiven. After hanging around you and Morgan, I began to get that hope back, but...I never believed that anyone could truly love me. But she does. I got my wings back because this time, I accepted her. I allowed myself to love her back, just as she loves me. I cannot fully claim to understand why this came about, but...all I know is that it did."
“Heh. Imagine that…” Something like a sigh passed from Cass, but it was more relieved than anything, and he relaxed back into his chair. Hadn’t he just told Tsuki that sometimes, the choice people had about love was whether or not to accept it? And that sometimes, the outcome of that choice made all the difference? This seemed rather like a case in point, but then, there was something about this that had the flavor of fate, too. It seemed to surround those women, their friends, like a thick, impermeable veil. They were important, vitally important, and it became more and more clear that if the three of them never succeeded in anything else ever again, they needed to protect the Fuhen sisters, and support them as they reached the precipice of that fate.
A thought struck him, and the smile he’d been wearing died on his face, dropping into a frown. “I meant it earlier, As. Sacrifice can’t be an option for us.” His eyes were hard, a glimmer of fraternal protectiveness in them, for Kazehana’s sake. She would not take it well if any of them threw themselves at a ritual like that, unsure of what the outcome would be.
There was an almost mourful look in Asmodeus' eyes. "Unless we can find someway to stop him before hand, we may not have any other choice. Asaroth is Satan's right hand, and is the one who will be the herald of the Four Horsemen. He cannot be allowed to rise to the surface. I stopped him from rising the first time, solidifying my own place in Hell, but I miscalculated. It's only been eight hundred years, yet he's amassed enough power to try it again. He's more powerful this time as well. There aren't many options open to us." That was true, Asmodeus had stopped Asaroth the first time, dragging both of them into Hell, chaining the 7th Prince and taking away his ability to walk on the surface. As a result, As himself had been trapped in his own Circle for well over one hundred years, becoming its Prince in the process. Now, Asmodeus couldn't help but feel that no matter what they tried, it may very well all be futile.
Cass knew this, and yet… perhaps it was just a residual instinct from who he was before, but he could not bring himself to give up. An angel sees darkness and is compelled to create light. Cass saw doubt and was compelled to bolster the person affected. It may all be futile in the end, but there was no point in assuming so right now. “He may very well be,” the flame haired man replied, fixing his friend with a notoriously-stubborn stare, “But so are you. And you have us now, people who will quite literally go to Hell and back to help you, As. It’s like you said: we have three months. With the progress Kaz and Tsuki have made in the past few, who knows what they’ll be when all is said and done? Even Asaroth should fear them, if he’s smart.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, then dropped his hand back to the armrest and shook his head. “Spend three months with her. Love her, and let her love you, for that long, and see if you can really think they’ll win after that. I can’t see the future, As, but it’s brighter with them in it, I know it.”
Asmodeus shook his head with a soft smile. "He does fear them, that's why he took control of Vivian, to try and intimidate them, as well as make sure he had all of the surface preparations done in time." He let out a soft sigh. Something took ahold of his senses then, and his head jerked up, his eyes narrowing. Sometimes he wondered, why Morgan always seemed to be a target. "Morgan didn't happen to say where he was going when he left, did he?"
Morgan was staring with a stoic expression at the golden-winged Angel who stood in front of him, a sword of fire in hand. "You know, for not having seen each other in almost millenium, you'd think your greeting would be a bit more courteous, Raphiel."
Raphiel only smiled grimly before replying, "You have been marked as the herald for the oncoming nightmare, and I have been charged with elliminating such threats. It is not yet time for this world, and it shall not succumb before its time. I ask that you stand and face judgement."