-
Timio stared at the papers arranged before him, as well as the tablet's video feed, and his jaw clenched. They were right; it was never about sowing distrust. Emails between Aerendyl and the Elevated- video feed of his leaving their official house. Photos through a window of Aerendyl and a redheaded woman; a recognizable higher up among the cult's ranks, a bodyguard to one of their important members. The detailed orders allowing Lynx to join a mission she wasn't qualified for, and the reports of what came after…
"I was blind…" The angel muttered, sitting forward with dark eyes, folding his hands under his chin. "It seems that perhaps I owe you an apology, politician. You have my apologies, and I will have a check made out in your name for the cost of your vehicle repairs, should you forward me the receipt."
"I just got a new car-"
"Forward me the invoice, and I shall reimburse you, politician."
"My name is-"
"Don't care, politician. I must have words with Aerendyl."
The couch creaked under his weight as Timio stood and walked toward the door. Moments later, the politician was left alone in a living room not his own and a decidedly confused look on his face.
Stepping down the driveway, the young-looking man slowly climbed into his car, ducking so that his head wouldn't grind against the roof as he started the engine. After a moment though, he shook his head and twisted the key again, stepping out and spreading his wings. "Forget this…"
When the politician finally wandered outside, he was greeted with both cars having been pushed apart and into the yard, and a blanket of mist where snow had melted- but Timio was already a hundred miles away. He handed, neatly, politely, at Aerendyl's front door, and knocked once, twice, thrice.
For a long moment, there was no answer, and then, just as Timio was about to knock again, the door swung inward, and Aerendyl stepped forward, bleary eyed, unshaven. His hair was tied back, but a few strands had escaped.
"Timio…" The angel blinked rapidly, digging his palms against his eyes. "What are you doing…? Here, I mean. I've been trying to fix a… trying to figure out how to-"
"How to retrieve the young woman you sent to her death? Assuming, of course, that she is still alive?" Timio asked with a pleasant smile and walked past Aerendyl into his house. "Oh, or maybe you are considering what price to negotiate the next thousand rounds of angel shots for, yes?" He continued, raising an eyebrow. "Or, or, or. Perhaps, Aerendyl, you have not slept because the Giant's Bodyguard is bouncing on your lap, is that it?" Timio suddenly snarled, at the end of his sentence, and grabbed Aerendyl's shirt, glowering down at him.
"Do you forget who you're talking to?" Aerendyl whispered lethally, narrowing his eyes. "Who the-"
"You, Aerendyl," Timio snarled lower, more lethal still. "You are meant to be the leader of a team of people that is- that stands for something, you understand that right?" Timio smiled, but the gesture was empty, his eyes wide, manic. "It's supposed to mean something Aerendyl and I gave you complete trust- I did, I really did. When that lowlife politician showed up and he told me that I'm one of the only angels who can harm you in Ravenwood- true, granted- I told him to get out of my house, and I sent him away quite rudely. Because I believed in you, Aerendyl. I believed. In you. Do you understand?"
"Yes-"
"Good. Because today I was handed evidence; overwhelming amounts, that you, Aerendyl, were…" Timio paused, eyes still wide, tapping his chin. "Sleeping with the enemy both literally and figuratively. Now I understand we're all going to have our favorites; you with Lynx, and me with you. What I cannot abide by, is somebody who claims to be good, and pure, and just…" Timio paused and drew a breath, closing his eyes for a long moment. "Sending innocents to their doom and working with the people flooding Ravenwood with drugs. No, Aerendyl see; that is not very pure, and just- and you always said that you wished to stand against corruption."
"Well-"
"It's funny really. You're trying to make excuses- and even with all that evidence, Aerendyl, even then I come here and I speak with you, praying for rage, indignance; even a lie that the evidence isn't real. I looked up to you, and now, this-" He laughed, eyes widening still more, and Aerendyl swallowed, grabbing the wrist that still sat tangled in his shirt, eyes narrowing.
"Timio, listen, clearing corruption takes time, and-"
"-A backbone, Aerendyl. It takes a gods-damned backbone," Timio snarled, stepping forward, drawing a slow breath. "Listen, listen, listen- this can be fixed, all these can be forgiven but you- but you don't want forgiveness, do you? You… you don't regret it. You think you're doing a good thing," He continued, wings ruffling, and Aerendyl started to pull at his wrist, but Timio held fast.
"Aerendyl, if I don't see change- and soon. Real, change. I'll kill you. Do you understand?"
"You couldn't kill me," Aerendyl muttered. "Even like this, you'd struggle to get close."
"A fight between archangels is always a struggle," Timio agreed. "Make no mistake though, I'll kill you, or I'll die and leave you so broken Lynx will have nightmares for the next seven yea-" Timio winced, as his head snapped around in a full circle, the bones setting and healing themselves in an instant. "I didn't mean to strike a nerve, Aerendyl- but change. Now. I'm not requesting, and I have no problem taking on cultist scum. I didn't know that included you- but I'll… follow your preachings. Offer a second chance," Timio concluded, and shoved Aerendyl back. The shorter man stayed silent, throat bobbing, and Timio leaned forward, slowly, deliberately. For a moment, he only stared… then he spat on Aerendyl's shoes and walked outside, shaking his head.
"No," The voice came from behind him, and Timio turned, scowling.
"No?"
"No," Aerendyl repeated, stepping outside and crossing his arms. "Do you have any idea how hard it is, what I do?"
"Oh cry me a river- you're dealing with the Elevated and killing your students with negligence, don't ask me to feel bad for you, you piece of-"
"Tell me though Timio-"
"Aerendyl-"
"TELL ME WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH THE ELEVATED, TIMIO." Aerendyl barked out, anger and venom dripping from his voice. "Seriously. Tell me."
"What, you'd just suggest we say goodbye to individuality and let it all go? Our senses of self, our personalities and our wills?" Timio recoiled visibly, aghast, lip curling in a snarl. "You'd betray everything that we're supposed to stand for?! For what- to prove that you're a spineless coward who couldn't handle the weight of his own ideals?!"
"No, Timio- stop with the insults and talk, damnit! Give me one reason that anything they stand for is worse than working to achieve a false peace!! Are the drugs truly so bad?! At least they create jobs and keep money flowing through the economy- and the Elevated treat people a whole lot better than a shitty military police that cares for profits and thrives on isolation and driving people apart, no?!"
"Ugh, I can't believe what I'm hearing," Timio laughed aloud, shaking his head. "Really, Aerendyl?! You're arguing in favor of the Elevated, then why don't you DO something to make it better? Or do you think that giving up your rights and individuality in the name of unity is somehow better?!"
"Better than being shot dead because you look a little different, or locked up and poked at because you're-"
"Oh save it, Aerendyl!!" Timio snarled, stepping forward, waving his hands emphatically. "Again- do something about it then instead of complaining as if you've been defeated!!"
"I've been trying!" Aerendyl snapped, gritting his teeth and stepping down the porch steps, eyes narrowing. "I have- I've stopped the experiments, I'm having drug dens cleared, I'm imprisoning those responsible who don't want to change-"
"Let me ask you something," Timio cut in, smiling a dead, manic smile. "The people conducting those experiments. Did you kill them?"
"No."
"Why?"
"You can't just kill somebody- there are laws, policies-"
"Aerendyl, if I killed you right now, then the people who conducted the experiments on the fox, and then cleared out every drug den- what would happen? Who would stop me- and, even if I was stopped in the end, would the world not be better off for what I did? You make excuses and you sit back and you chew your nails- but you are too weak to DO something, laws be damned. Do you think that we, as archangels, can be stopped by rules?!"
"The Elevated are NOT the problem right now- it's the addicts themselves, they act irrationally, they-"
"The answer comes," Timio cut across again, crossing his arms. "-From ending the Elevated- or, at the very least, from ending their ability to mass produce drugs that drive our people to insanity. Few dozen demons get high and break off from the Elevated; they lose their sanity and start attacking. Is the root of the problem somehow no longer the supplier? I say if we kill the supplier, things will start to tie themselves up, too. You, Aerendyl, are letting your people die in the name of comforts and profits. You say oh, we'll stop the crazies- but you do nothing to cut the problem off at the source. This isn't me versus you, or you versus CA; it needs to be a people's war."
Aerendyl, silent, stared as Timio continued.
"The Elevated made an official announcement that they will be helping you to address the radicals, the terrorists, whatever. That sounds great on TV, but are you really going to let the drug trade continue? You can wipe out as many dens as you want- yet how many have you found abandoned and no longer producing? Empty warehouses and basements, garages- things move and you do nothing to catch up and stop things for good. If you won't stand up to the Elevated and end the drug trade for good, then you're dipping your hands into the same water as those killing our people, and no amount of spoiling individuals can redeem you. You think giving Lynx a happy or successful life will bring back everybody who's died because you sat on your ass and said you're trying your best?"
There was silence, and Timio drew a slow breath, then raised a hand, pointing at Aerendyl's chest. "I know you've lost a lot, Aerendyl- but you're choosing to keep losing now. Don't let your inability to heal stop you from doing the right thing. Crack down on the people behind the drug rings, and not just the rings themselves."
"That could mean civil war."
"Killers versus saviors, then. If you truly believe that CA needs to be… cleansed?"
"Yes-"
"Then cleanse it. Kill those who are dealing with the enemies, but we have to stop the Elevated. You know I'm right, I can see it in those tired eyes. Killing a sweatshop does nothing if you let the child slaves be relocated to a new one. Ban the drug- make it a war if you have to. Just… make a change, Aerendyl."
"You sound different than before," The Director sighed, sitting down on his porch steps.
"I was angry," Timio admitted, shrugging. "I will kill you though, if that's what it takes. Or, die trying. This isn't the way."
"I just don't… I don't know where to start," Aerendyl sighed, closing his eyes and resting his face in his hands. "I can't just eradicate the Elevated as a whole- they're almost as big as CA, worldwide, and millions, maybe billions, could die in the fallout. Addressing the drug trade by itself, it's a short term fix, yeah- you're right, it all ties back to two things. Ugh," Suddenly standing, Aerendyl turned, beckoned. "Can we finish this inside?"
"Sure," Timio nodded, following the Director inside.
"If we wage war on the cult, billions die. Not ideal, of course- and we risk turning the public against us entirely, waging war on what pretends to be a peaceful cult. The issue keeps coming back to two things; the fact that CA and the Elevated are connected, and the drug dens themselves. They dig deep- we're talking drug runs through the Frozen North, billions upon billions flooding the economy and making the Angel Shots valuable. If we combusted every drug den at once, coordinated it; leaving aside that more would crop up, it would destabilize so many people, businesses, families. Homelessness would spike, people would be freezing to death in the streets- and how can we call that a kindness, really? I feel… stuck," Aerendyl admitted, sighing.
"Oh no," Timio threw up his hands, wiggling them and giving bug eyes playfully. "Who do I kill, what do I blow up, I can't nuke CA, I can't punch a hole in the Elevated- shut up, Director. Change- it starts small. Old proverb, something about how journeys of ten, ten thousand, and ten million steps all start with the first one. Think, Aerendyl; aim small. You're the Director of CA; that's not just supposed to apply when it's time to fight."
"What…?"
"You're so caught up in the big and the grand; but think of programs to help the addicts. People value strength, but mercy is important, too. Bring people to your side with more than beating their asses until they submit."
"Mm…" Aerendyl nodded, glancing down. "I'm sorry, you're right, I'm so caught up in arch demons and dragons, armies, cults, that…"
"You forgot you're meant to be a leader of the people. All of them," Timio sighed, nodding, and turned, headed for the door. "Aerendyl?"
"Yeah?"
"I meant what I said. If I don't see change, I'll do what the politicians ask. I'll do everything I can to rip you apart and take your place. Remind me why I respected- respect, you."
"Thanks."
"Sometimes it helps to remember you can have your head bashed in," Timio chuckled, straightening his back. "Now, back to my professional, hulking persona. Can't let anybody know that I have respect for you."
"Well…" Aerendyl chuckled, trailing off.
"Sometimes, as archangels," Timio added, voice soft. "I think we forget that we came from humans. Immortals and loss of humanity can go hand in hand, but we must remember where we came from, in positions like ours. Empathy, kindness. Remember them- and… sorry. For my outburst. Don't talk to others much. Rather not be wrong about you."
Before Aerendyl could reply, the lieutenant was gone.
-
"Mom, mommy come on!!!" A little girl squeaked excitedly, laughing. "Come on come on, I'm so excited!!!" The girl shouted, yanking her mom past a table where Aurelia sat pouring soup into bowls for the homeless, handing it out and smiling at everybody she could see- the half succubus was dressed for the weather, surprisingly, in a cream colored coat lined with a deep burgundy fur, and pants- real, proper pants.
"Wow Aurelia, you really fancied yourself up," a young blonde angel snarked in passing, laughing.
"There are kids here," Aurelia replied simply, huffing and shaking her head. "Anyway, idiot, I could say the same to you- you're not being racis-"
"OKAY!!! What happens in the Special Ops Games STAYS there, bitch," The blonde snorted, blushing, and hurried off. There was a growing crowd, though, chatter, laughter, and peace.
Sighing, tears pricking at the backs of her eyes, Nara slipped through a crowd of the homeless who paid her no mind, save for appreciative glances, and walked closer to the edge of the park, nearer the sewer tunnel. There were several bands that looked to be varying degrees of professional setting up gear on a hastily-tossed together wooden dais, big enough to host a dance floor. She shook her head, trying to shake the uncanny fear that this was all for nothing- and certainly not deserved-
The fox girl shuddered and gasped as she was suddenly hugged from behind by a very short person. Turning,she was greeted with the face of a beaming young girl- and one that she wouldn't soon forget, she thought with a smile, warmth blooming in her chest.
"Hey!! Still got Softie with you?!"
"I do," Nara beamed down at the girl who'd kept silent while she scarfed down food in a kitchen, in the middle of the night, and pulled back her jacket, exposing the sewn-in patch.. Back then, she'd left cash on the table and caused no real harm- but to think that-
"Goodness, Lily, get back here!!" A tall brunette woman suddenly shoved through the crowd and came up short, blinking rapidly at Nara. "You… must… be the fox of a thousand songs, huh…?"
"What's up?" Nara offered lamely. "I want to offer my sincere apologies for the fact that I needed to, in order to continue on, steal your food-"
"Ma'am?" The mom cut in, and Nara faltered, lips parting in a small o. "My husband," The brunette continued, "-was in Eastbrook. Downtown. Getting coffee, to keep himself awake before meeting with a client he'd traveled to meet. He was… right, there. Maybe the third or fourth person," She continued, voice falling to a whisper and trembling with emotion. "-that you got out of there. That first pile. He told me… about the idiot cops singing that teen love song…? So don't you fucking dare apologize to me, about some stupid s-scraps. Lily was almost fatherless," She added, voice trembling, tears welling, and Nara froze up, stiff, fat tears suddenly cutting tracks down her own cheeks as Lily's mother surged forward, hugging her violently, burying her face in Nara's shoulder. This, she thought- this is the beauty in being a hero. Not fame, or fortune- togetherness, she thought, silently crying, lip trembling.
"Yeah!! Group hug, my dad was like five dads!!" Lily laughed, joining from the side, hugging them both. "Or, in five pieces… all thanks to Softie and the fox lady!!!"
Before Nara could reply, there was the whistling of speakers coming online to her right, and then a talented guitar riff that made her eyes widen. Moments after, as silence began to fall among the crowd; a voice.
"ALRIGHT BROS, LADIES, AND THE EVERYTHING ELSE DEMONS CAN BE- UNTIL THE LADY OF THE HOUR FEELS LIKE CHIMING IN, LET'S KICK IT OFFFFFF!!!!!!" No sooner had the last word left the speakers, a drum kit began to rise, and the guitar returned. When the voice came back, he wasn't screaming anymore, but singing;
"Made a mistake back in twenty twenty nine,"
"Fell in love with a lady divine,"
"Just one problem- with her and I,"
"Little fairy chick's about six inches highhh~"
There was some laughter, but the singer threw back his long dark hair and continued on.
"Now I ain't a pervert- I ain't a freak-"
"But that little lady was an artist see,"
"And I like 'em able to think on their own-"
"Little lady don't need me to take her home!!!"
Nara found herself laughing as she glanced back to Lily's mother.
"It was my pleasure. Now, let's enjoy the show."
"Yeah," The brunette sniffled, nodding. "Let's."
"No, no, NO!!" Lily grinned and grabbed Nara's hand with a wolfish look in her eye. "Why would we enjoy the show, let's PARTY!!!!!"
-
With music blaring in the background, Nara laughed as Alice caught up to her in an impromptu mosh pit, the snow-haired girl crashing into her chest.
"Didn't take you for a mosh pit girl," Alice laughed, eyes as watery as they always were, lately. Power thrumming through her veins, Nara grinned.
"Worry not!! By being here, you're helping me to accomplish something!!! Soon, soon!!!" Grinning, she leaned down and, shocking even herself as she did it, kissed Alice's forehead. "Not that I can teleport her out, or something, but this, we can help!! Celebrate with me!!"
"Mm!!" Alice agreed and turned, twirling away under the arm of a homeless man and into the crowd once more, staggering about. Nara angled her head, curious; could Alice feel the effects of alcohol? She looked drunk… Nara shook the thought out of her head and shuddered as somebody hugged her from behind.
"Hey, girly- feeling the love?" Aurelia mumbled, this one definitely drunkenly, into her ear, and Nara squirmed, skin crawling.
"Leggo of me-"
"Mmmm, okayyyy, can I get one second," Aurelia muttered, shifting. "Hard to stand up… not trying to make you uncomfy, mhm, you're just really cute, mm, mm…"
"Alright, drunk one, it is time for you to git," Nara laughed delicately and pushed; Aurelia fell into a random man who helped her to her feet and pushed her away, only for Aurelia to wander off in another direction.
"Thanks for this Nara," A voice from her left.
"...saved my kids,"
"-brought my wife back to me-"
"Almost ended the family tree, that bombing did-"
"-Against the Elevated-"
"Anybody who'd kill just to prove a point…"
"-While CA does nothing-!!"
"Saved us all-"
The voices made her head spin, and everything seemed almost to blur together; the lights, colors, sounds and sensations, Nara spun, hands going to her tail purely because she didn't know where else to put them, and she laughed; truly, genuinely laughed, with tears of joy leaking from her eyes.
They're right. I did it- I saved them. All of them- this isn't a world where women have to be useless accessories for men- I saved these people. Not for anybody but because it was the right thing to do-
A confused, ragged, joyous sob tore out of her throat like music, and with it came a blinding golden light. All of her love, her desire to protect, to spread safety and love- it exploded out of her, and the party raged on as a glaring golden globe, swirling and pulsing, spread outward from her and beyond, passing harmlessly through people. The air suddenly warmer, the dome kept going, exploding out of the park- through buildings harmlessly. Warm and fuzzy dreams found sleeping bodies, and a positive thought squirmed through even the most depressed and clouded mind.
Similarly, that golden light exploded down the slope toward the sewer tunnels.
Past the rusted grates, which were left gleaming with shining steel as strong as if it were new.
Blasted past a creaky rusted door, flooding hallways.
Through another door, carrying the sound of song, of harps and lyres, of kisses and celebration, of wine and warmth as it exploded deeply into the sewers, shocking something down there to its very core.
Please come home to us, Lynx- this world doesn't have to be full of bad endings. Not even for somebody as ordinary as myself.
In that moment, Nara let go of all worry for Lynx- not because she didn't care, but because under that beautiful golden light, she knew; Everything is going to be okay.
-
Alice, grimacing, stepped into the sewer tunnel, a sick worry warring in her head with the insurmountable warmth of Nara's magic. It screamed to her of happy endings; her soul in one body only, Lynx and herself with gray hairs- and Nara I suppose… you got her soul, I got her heart, I'm still in the fight…
Will this be enough…? Please, come home to us Lynx- please, find the light. I'll drag you here, if I have to- and if you're dead, I'll kill you… please don't be dead…