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Dissonant Hearts (Degusaurusrex x AndrewS)

The collapse created a wave of debris upon making contact with the floor. Beneath the rubble, the demon had been pinned, struggling against the weight. With it's strength, it wouldn't be long before it freed itself, it's healing already working to mend the injured eye and stave off the burns that had etched into it's back. The pieces of what was once the roof shifted as the being within fought for it's freedom, further pushing the urgency in the act that Adelaide needed to commit.

"You've got this." Isen told her, watching her hand lift towards his chest before focusing his eyes on hers. "I'll be okay." He reassured, nodding his head. Isen was well aware of what he was about to give up, and of the circumstance his new humanity would be tested by, but there was little choice. His hearing picked up the sound of Ember, expressing pain as she struggled with the demons. He heard each shift of the wreckage that pinned their foe, the rumble of the flames as they continued to consume the remainder of the building they were trapped in. There was no time to second guess. He trusted her, but now, he had to hope that the very same trust he had developed in Ignas would not be misplaced.

He wasn't quite sure exactly when the separation had occurred, but he soon found himself on the floor as well, Onigoshi clutched tightly in his hand as a stinging sensation rippled through his body. Suddenly, he felt the intense heat of the burning building coax sweat from his body, and he could smell the ash that the blaze had created. His hearing appeared shortened in range, no longer allowing him to hear much past the ringing in his head, and the crackling of fire. His arms were heavy, he couldn't find the strength to lift himself up, so instead, he laid on his stomach with his head turned aside, peering towards the open door that had now been engulfed in the spreading fire.

And then, he saw a figure standing in the wake of Adelaide's spell, though his vision blurred as it tried to correct itself between all of the different sources of lighting, and through the smoke that had been building up in the air. It was difficult to breathe, but he focused with all that he could on the silhouetted figure. It stood taller than him, he could make out a pair of horns barely protruding from either side of it's head. The rubble crumbled, and the demon freed itself, immediately making towards the figure with out stretched hands only to find itself projected backwards, through the weakened wall of the building, with a single thrust of the figure's arm. He could no longer hear the voice in his head, but Isen knew that this was Ignas, and that Adelaide had been successful.

From Isen's stilted perspective, Ignas walked calmly towards the door. The fire that had covered the exit parted as he stepped through it, approaching the group of demons that had surrounded the fallen familiar. Ember's body was wracked with injuries from the various stabs and bites that she had endured, whimpering from the pain inflicted as she had tried to buy Adelaide time. All of the assailants stopped and slowly backed away as Ignas got closer, as if they had seen a ghost. He knelt down and placed his palm against the back of his injured friend, letting purple energy flow from his hand, invading into her fur. It moved faster than it had when he was bound to the sword, swirling rapidly around Ember's body. When it faded, she began to rise, no longer feeling the pain, and no longer covered in lacerations. Though blood remained on her coat, she was no longer bleeding, and she stood at his side, growling in the face of overwhelming odds.

In the doorway, they were resolute together. Ember was at his left, while Ignas extended his right palm, fingers outstretched as if summoning something. Isen felt a warm sensation in his right hand as purple light whisked Onigoshi away, causing it to appear immediately in Ignas' waiting hand. He clutched it tight, casually brandishing it as though it weighed the same as a feather. One of the demons rushed at them, and immediately found their body severed. The others began to back away, but they would not make it far; chased through the trees, the demons ran from their fate, pursued by the real Reaper, and the witch's familiar, in a hunt they would not escape.
 
Watching Isen slip past her grip and crumble to the floor almost made her resolve falter, only the sheer urgency of the situation holding her still as she completed the spell and turned to see where a figure was forming just feet away from Isen's fallen body. If the sight of horns protruding from its skull hadn't told her this was a demon, the familiar but now amplified magic rolling off the being in waves told her it was Ignas, and she watched in utter fascination as a single movement of a limb destroyed the wall and sent the behemoth demon hurtling through like it was nothing.

"Stay down, Isen, stay near the floor and away from the smoke so you can breathe." It had started to get to her for a moment before Ignas had blown the entire wall out of the house, leaving her still scorched in heat and sweating in the face of it all, but much more able to breathe with the open air within sight. "I need to see if I can free anyone... Anyone else while he's out there." A part of her had wanted to flee to where her familiar was and the sounds of her pain had echoed, but seeing Ignas marching straight for and through the fire like parting the proverbial sea with a staff, she knew that Ember would be in good hands... Even if those hands may very well be clawed and out for vengeance. The bond she felt with her familiar hadn't been broken, allowing her the relief of knowledge the cat lived, if only for the moment.

"Tyrath, I'm gonna.. Gonna try to come free you." The strain of using so much magic, albeit some of it stolen, in such a short time was starting to weigh on her, and even the effort of moving her legs to walk seemed excruciating. Adelaide cast a weary glance toward the chained demons and contemplated how she could begin to free even one, let alone the remainder of them when she was feeling so momentarily weak, and even Danica seemed at a loss for words now that Ignas was free and wreaking havoc on the other side of the decimated wall.

"Save your strength, little one. We're not dead yet, although perhaps putting some of the fire out would aid in eliminating the problem. Use my power if you must." That sounded like a possibility, and it meant that she could stay closer to Isen as she pulled magic from Tyrath and used it to try and extinguish some of the flames that were currently destroying his house. The building itself was beyond repair, but if she could stop them from burning to death long enough for Ignas to exterminate the demon front of the threat... Then maybe they all got out of this alive.

"How you doing down there?" She found herself sinking down tiredly to the floor beside Isen rather than trying to cross the room again, reaching out a hand to lay gently on his shoulder as she concentrated on trying to pull some of Tyrath's magic from him to twist into a spell that would extinguish some of the fire closest to the chained demons. "I'm just gonna... Sit here for a minute."

"Don't act so weak, witch. If you have the strength to whine and steal from Tyrath, you have the strength to free me."

"Danica... Shut the hell up."
 
Isen coughed, feeling the smoke entering into his lungs. It burned, causing him pain. Real, actual pain. Not something facilitated by a demon to taunt him, or as a threat for him to listen; this was what it was to be a human. The heat, the sting, the smell, everything felt so much more real. Before, he had been numb, but now, it was like he was acutely aware of every little thing around him from the way the air of the home rose in temperature to the small rush that was created within it when Adelaide moved towards Tyrath to try and free him. He wanted to tell her to take it easy, but his mouth was dry, and he simply coughed again, deciding it best to stay quiet for now until he had better adjusted...or until he wasn't in what was now mortal danger. This was going to be a difficult transition, but it felt easier when she sat back down next to him, and he could feel her touch against his shoulder. There was no strange magic somehow letting him feel her this time. This was the real thing, and it was a comfort he couldn't put into words even if he had been able to speak them.

Beyond the burning precipice of the cabin door, Ignas and Ember were making quick work of the demons that had been sent to capture Adelaide. They shifted through the trees, biting and slicing at anyone they could catch up to. No words were shared, they both understood the weight of the task that was upon them, though part of Ignas was apprehensive to return to the cabin. His newly found desire to protect Isen and Adelaide was very prominent in such a dire situation, but part of him was a little concerned about meeting face to face with the human body he had shared for the last ten years, and in his true form for the very first time.

Through the hole that had been created in the wall, the gigantic demon pulled itself back inside. It was angry, it's claws digging into the wreckage to pull itself out. It had healed the damage, but it had only gotten more furious with having been so easily dispatched of. "Where is he?" It asked, it's voice booming through the burning building of demons, looking left and right before settling on Isen and Adelaide's spot on the ashen floor. "I bet this will get his attention..."

The demon's claws extended further, to their maximum length. He closed in on Adelaide and Isen in a slow, hulking fashion, attempting to fear them with his intimidating presence. "Who first? Hmm...I bet the mage's blood would be delicious."

Isen heard the demon coming closer and he used every bit of strength he had left to turn around and lift himself up. He tried to place his body between hers and the demon, even though he was completely ill equipped to do anything other than bleed in attempting to shield her. He had promised her he would be safe, and that he wouldn't put himself in danger, but the moment he felt she was in trouble, his urge to protect her kicked in against the exhaustion of his body which no longer had any form of immortality or protection.

"I can't wait to see how strong it will make me..."

The demon lifted it's hand to slash through Isen and into Adelaide, but as he swung it down, it suddenly severed from it's arm. In a flash, Ignas had appeared in front of him and had sliced with Onigoshi at such force that the blade buckled, yet carved straight through skin that had been impenetrable just minutes before. The demon seemed absolutely shocked and it howled in pain. Ignas's hand pressed directly into the wound left behind, purple magic seeping inside. At first, it seemed as though he was healing the wound, but instead, it only caused the demon to scream louder. Ignas' magic worked in reverse, preventing the demon's healing from kicking in. Furthermore, purple lines moved through it's body, counteracting the strength it had gained from the blood it had consumed. Ignas forced it out of the demon's pores, causing it to drip onto the floor, separating it from any of the magic it had stolen from Takami and the demon it had slain.

"You will not take what isn't yours." Ignas told him, speaking in his real voice, undistorted by any form of magic. "How much of you is real, anyways?" He asked, forcing even more blood out of the demon's body, causing it's muscular skin to shrink and decay. Ignas was driving every drop of stolen blood from it's body, not just the blood that had been taken recently, reverting it back into a much weaker form while it shrieked in pain and attempted to pull away. Onigoshi pressed through it's stomach, impaling, forcing the demon to stay close until it began to fall limp against Ignas' shoulder. "The mage and her human are under my protection, and you are not welcome here."

"Y-you're not our king..."

With all of the stolen blood having been exuded, Ignas gripped the handle of Onigoshi with both hands and pulled it upwards, cutting diagonally through it's sternum, cleaving it's body into two pieces. They fell apart, limply, purple energy still burning inside, preventing the healing process long enough for the demon's life to truly end.

Ignas stood at the center of an entire room of demons, bound to the floor by chains. They looked up at him, and he stared back down at all of them, aware of the parallel that it was creating; a so called 'king', surrounded by his people, kneeling at his feet like they were paying him respect he never deserved, nor ever wanted. "...and I never will be." Ignas answered the demon's final words. He swung Onigoshi, causing the demon's blood to fall off of the swirling blade. Streams of magic channeled through the weapon, extending outwards like a web, colliding with every chain and instantly shattering them, over writing their magic with something much, much stronger. He freed every captured demon, Tyrath included, refusing to stand among them as a ruler even in a faux fashion. As they all began to pull themselves back up, he finally turned towards Adelaide and Isen, kneeling down closer.

Isen's eyes met the crimson red of Ignas' for the first time. The two horns on his head curled inwards, sharply. His skin was darkened, resembling an ashy black, but that was the only thing that looked purely demonic about him. His features were sharp, making it quite obvious why somebody like Danica, or Clara, would be attracted to him. A tepid smile curled his lips as he extended the hand not holding the sword out towards them. A smirk played at his lips as he prepared to greet them, the worry he felt before melting away.

"Isen." He spoke his name the way he had hundreds of times before, but this one felt different. It felt like an old friend. He paused briefly, before continuing, a laugh serving as the precursor to what he said next. "Witch."
 
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"Shit." She'd barely sapped at Tyrath's strength, had only put out the smallest patches of the flames when the demon returned intent on reaching them. Adelaide's eyes went wide as the hand hovering in the air abruptly fell from its current task and she shifted, ready to gather any of the magic she had at her disposal to ward off the creature quickly approaching with ill intent.

"Isen, what did I tell you?" She hissed at Isen as she spied him pulling himself up in an attempt to do what he always did--place himself between her and harm's way, but now was different. Now the blow that was coming towards them would almost certainly kill him, would maim him and leave him to bleed out in the first few minutes he had regained his humanity. "MOVE!" She tried to wriggle her way in front of him again as Danica screamed foreign obscenities at her, at Ignas, at a variety of names she couldn't parse out from the other language bouncing around the burning room.

She was on the verge of telling him to scoot back with a teleportation spell in mind when things shifted drastically, her eyes widening at the sight of Ignas appearing more suddenly than she was aware he could move. The hand of the offending demon thudded and bounced along the floor as it shrieked in agony, and she watched the severed limb and its accompanying claws twitch and tremor for several seconds before she turned back to Ignas. Whatever he was doing was stopping the beast from healing, was causing it such agony that the ear piercing sounds of its pain were enough to make her cover her ears as she watched everything unfold.

"What the hell...?" Adelaide's brow furrowed as she scooted back and helped Isen to sit up, bracing him against her and watching the outpour of dark blood from the demon's body as it seemed to... Deflate, if that was the correct word, right before her eyes. The magic poured out from every pore as the creature diminished in size, shrieking the entire time as Adelaide heard Danica began to cackle madly in the background, the sound growing louder and more maniacal with each passing second that the demoness enjoying the suffering. Whatever was going on, somehow Ignas was expelling all of the magic it had ingested in the most painful way possible, and the mage couldn't help but watch in a mixture of fascination and horror as Onigoshi gutted the bastard and then cleaved it entirely in two with one smooth cut.

"Holy shit." Forget the shock about Ignas claiming them under his protection, that was absolutely astonishing to watch, and even Danica's insistent laughter and curses had fallen silent in the wake of Ignas' unleashed power. It didn't matter that the house was still burning in parts, it didn't matter that there was a demon corpse slowly dissipating in front of her, especially not when she watched the path of the blood slung across the room and the way all of it and its accompanying magic made contact and utterly shattered every chain holding the demons captive.

She didn't miss the way that Tyrath immediately went to Danica when they were freed, or the way her already pink cheeks seemed to darken slightly as she huffed and puffed at how she would have tortured the offending demons longer, but her attention was abruptly drawn back to Ember's approach not long after Ignas, and the realization that she still hadn't seem Isabella emerge from the back room.

"Demon." Adelaide's tone was weary but not unfriendly as she took the demon's hand and hauled herself up, releasing it almost immediately as she nodded and then slipped away to check the back room. There was nothing but a puddle of blood where Takami had been with Isabella and Adelaide frowned, noting the broken window on the far end of the room and deducing that the vampire had gone out it with Takami and taken his body away from the fight.

"Isabella's already gone with Takami's body. We should figure out what to do from here before the rest of the house comes down." She made her announcement just as soon as she'd returned to Isen's side, noting the way that the remaining demons stood near Tyrath but had cast their eyes toward the freshly freed Ignas in clear awe. "I see you have a fan club brewing."
 
After helping Adelaide to her feet, Ignas did the same for Isen, hoisting him up by his shoulder. "Are you injured?" He asked, and Isen shook his head. "Good. You're fragile now." The demon teased, watching Adelaide disappear in the back room to check on Takami and Isabella. As she returned, he wondered where they had gone, and whether Takami had survived. If he was still alive, Ignas could have healed the wounds, but now, they had no way knowing what was the aftermath of his horrific injury.

"I see you have a fan club brewing."

Ignas looked around at the staring demons and practically rolled his eyes, setting Isen down on a nearby couch that had been unaffected by the fire. "Instead of staring, they should be helping put out the fire before this place caves in on top of all of us!" Upon saying that, the demons dispersed in a hurry and Ignas groaned in annoyance. "Children, all of them."

"Ig-nas..." Isen finally spoke, coughing again.

"Spare your energy, Isen. There will be time for that much later." He said, turning his head towards Tyrath and Danica. "Tyrath. I'm sorry for the casualties." He sympathized, knowing at least one or two of Tyrath's friends had met their end during the attack. "Imp. You're looking as miserable as ever." He taunted, knowing Danica was sure to have something sharp witted to say back to him.

Soon after, the flames were under control, but the building itself was practically in ruins. After everybody had relocated outside, Isen felt a chill move through his body from the sudden change in temperature. The fresh, cool air, however, helped clear his lungs, making it easier for him to breathe without inhaling the left over smoke. He was beginning to stand on his own again, thankfully, but he was keeping very close to Adelaide, his arms crossed over his chest to preserve his body heat.

"That was incredible..." Isen commented on everything he had witnessed, offering the compliment not just to Ignas, but to Ember and Adelaide as well. "Are you well? You must be tired..." He whispered to Adelaide as Ignas led the way, stopping before Ember. He ran his hand beneath her chin, scratching gently in her transformed state.

"The cat needs a bath." He commented on the blood dried to her fur. "She smells bad...And she needs to become smaller again."

Isen laughed quietly, still feeling a bit of pain in his chest as he continued to adjust. "How does it feel? Being...alive, again?"

"How does it feel to be human once more?"

"Different..."

"Good different, or bad different?" Ignas asked next, wondering if Isen regretted it.

"Just...different."

"Are you worried that you're no longer the most attractive man in the room?" Ignas teased, and Isen rolled his eyes, still trying to maintain warmth.

"I liked you better in the sword."

"And I liked you better when I didn't need to worry about you dying when you catch a cold."

"I'll be fine...but it's nice to know that you're worried. 'They're under my protection'." Isen quoted, raising a brow.

"Don't make me change my mind." Came the reply, but the smirk on Ignas' features told the full story; he was enjoying this.
 
"They knew the risks." Tyrath shrugged off the apology. Danica, surprisingly, only held up a long nailed middle finger at Ignas before murmuring something else to Tyrath and then batting at him with her tail. Adelaide couldn't hear whatever she had been saying, and judging by the small smirk tugging at Tyrath's mouth, she probably didn't want to know what the demoness had said. Knowing Danica, the violence and death had made the demoness flirtatious. Instead she focused her attention on the surviving demons skittering around putting out fires, grateful that she didn't need to expend more of her magic for the time being. Breaking multiple spells and then separating not one demon from its catalyst but two had been exhausting, and even the massive amount of magic still dwelling in her ring couldn't stop her body from aching.

"Come on, Ember. Settle down." She could see how antsy her familiar was even now that everything was calmed down, watching as Ignas walked over and gently scratched her as though she were just a normal everyday pet. Seeing Ignas show her familiar attention rather than just verbalize concern was... Interesting to say the least, and she chuckled before turning and answering Isen's question.

"I'm exhausted. I'll be glad when it's time to get some sleep tonight." They hadn't even gotten through a full day and she was utterly exhausted from using so much magic, losing one of their own, and then dealing with demons dying and a house burning halfway down. "I still need to get our things before we leave, if they even survived." It might be better to just start fresh, even if their things in the bedroom had survived they were going to reek of smoke and who knew what else. She followed Ignas and Isen outside, noting the blood on Ember as it was pointed out and groaning unhappily. There didn't appear to be wounds underneath the blood, which was strange enough, but a quip from Ember about being healed by Ignas explained that as the cat shrank back down to her usual size.

"We need to figure out where to go from here." Adelaide could hear Tyrath speaking with his demons from several feet behind her, glancing back to see anxious tails moving around as the demons spoke with one another while Danica stood there looking annoyed with them all. "If Malakai finds out that Ignas has been freed from his catalyst, things will become more complicated, so the best we can hope for is keeping that knowledge away from him and figuring out a fresh plan."

"I... May have a place we can go." Adelaide made a face at the thought of her freshly restored home being infiltrated by a bunch of clawed and tailed demons. Where else did they have to go that was readily available and had a fair amount of space, though? Samara's shop, while protected, was well known about and would be easy enough to overrun if Malakai put his strength into it, but as far as she knew, none of them knew that her childhood home had been restored and usable.

"Isen." Now that he and Ignas were done speaking she turned to him, digging around in her pockets for the key Samara had spelled as a quickfire portal to the house. "I can't believe I'm even suggesting this... But what do you think about us taking up there for the moment?"
 
Isen turned back towards Adelaide, facing her as she approached and began to speak. He eyed the key and moved his gaze back towards her face. "Is it large enough for everybody? There are a lot of demons here..."

"And no vampire." Ignas added. "Grieving the Ora?" He wondered, out loud, hoping that Adelaide had an answer for what had happened to Takami.

Isen's expression dropped. Now, as a pure human once more, everything he felt seemed a little more intense. There was no demonic influence within him anymore to suppress or dampen any emotion, and the realization that Takami had possibly been murdered during the attack was beginning to dawn on him properly. They had been so caught up in the dramatics and the fight, and distracted by the freeing of Ignas, they hadn't even truly faced the possibility that yet again, they may have lost another ally in their fight against the DSTF.

"Is he...?" Isen asked, shaking his head in dismay. "Was there even a body?"

"Isen...we both know he was on borrowed time. Don't do this to yourself."

"We were supposed to help him, Ignas. Onigoshi was supposed to save him..."

"A sword is far from a savior to a dying man." Ignas corrected. "Though, I may have been able to aid him. With that being said, it seems unlike the vampire to just run off like that. Maybe it's best we wait to hear from her before presuming the worst."

"Yeah..." Isen agreed, if only because that made it a little easier for him to move forward, especially with so much left to do. "We can take them home, if you'd like, Adelaide."

"Can we leave the imp behind, at least?" Ignas scoffed. "I saved your life, it's the least you can do."
 
"There's plenty of outdoor space, and even if they need to be inside to sleep, I'm sure we can manage to figure something out. We'll make it work." Adelaide turned her attention to Ignas and sighed before she shrugged. "I'm honestly not entirely sure where she is, but I'm sure if anything she'll turn back up at the shop and Nikolai will see her." She was too tired to try and work out the logistics of where the vampire might be and where Takami's body was, just wrapping her brain around the thought of taking an entire group of demons to her childhood home was daunting enough. Then there was the matter of clothing and food, although she supposed she could ask Nikolai to take care of some of that with one of his portals and a handful of bags.

"No, you cannot leave the imp behind, not when you know how much power I could offer to your little suicide mission." Danica spoke up with a scoff, although after a quiet murmur from Tyrath she rolled her eyes and settled down with a huff.

"I'm too tired to argue about this right now, Ignas. I'm going back inside to retrieve our stuff, if it didn't manage to burn up in the fire, and then we're going home so I can figure out how to get food and whatever else the house needs for the next couple of days."

"We can take care of the food." Tyrath spoke up calmly, the sudden offer startling her as if she hadn't even thought to have a demon who could appear human go out and retrieve food for the house. It was much easier than forcing Nikolai to trek around through portals slinging bags over his arms, and if the large demon was going to offer his help... Well, she'd be a fool to turn down something that made life easier right now.

"Actually, that'd be really helpful, once we're back at the house and you know where it's at, feel free. I'm too tired to cook." Adelaide was back into the destroyed house a moment later in search of their things, stuffing whatever she could find into bags and coming back out before surveying the amount of demons they were going to be transporting. Even with her magic linked to the key it was still a lot to do, and she wondered if she could open a portal like Tyrath had done before, and one of the other witches had done. She'd seen it done, so it stood to serve that her little gift had absorbed the magic of the spell.... Right?

"Tyrath, will you help me open up a portal so I don't have to make everyone hold hands and teleport them that way?" A nod came from the demon who merely extended his hand, waiting for Adelaide to approach and siphon off of his magic and knowledge before she slowly opened up a shaky door large enough for everyone to get through, even if some of them had to duck.

"Let's go home, Isen." She wasted no time in returning to her partner's side and took his hand, lacing their fingers together before she watched the demons begin to filter through the opening. "Don't wreck my house!" Just watching them go through while she held up the spell was enough to wreck her nerves, her fingers gripping Isen's tightly until it was their time to step through and finish the line.
 
On the other side, the demons filed through the portal, quickly infesting the confines of Adelaide and Isen's home. Given the sheer amount of beings being sandwiched inside, there clearly wasn't enough room to properly house them all, but they managed to squeeze in well enough, with some deciding to relocate to the front yard rather than stay within the cramped confines. It wouldn't take long before demons were all throughout the home, however, disturbing it's picture-perfect layout. Books and picture frames were moved, chairs and tables bumped, and as conversation continued, more disarray filtered throughout, making sure to cause annoyance to Adelaide once she realized.

Isen was still trying to adjust to his new senses and feelings; to being human. Even the smallest inconvenience, like accidentally hitting an elbow against a door frame, caused him pain that he wasn't used to anymore. The silence in his head, while a comfort, also felt off-putting after ten years of having a near-constant source of noise bouncing around inside of it.

Ignas found his way to Adelaide for the first time without Isen being around them at the same time. He seemed to have something he wished to speak to her about, but wasn't quite sure how to begin the conversation, especially given the fact that talking directly without a middle man had never really occurred before. Isen, however, found himself trying to navigate a room full of people he didn't recognize, stumbling in Tyrath near the kitchen.

"Tyrath..." Isen began, pausing for a brief moment to collect his thoughts. "...I thought it was hard before, you know? Facing loss, hopelessness...but now it feels so much more...vulnerable?" He sighed, trying to open up about something that was bothering him. "I need you to help me. I can't lose her, but I also can't protect her anymore the way that I used to...can you keep her safe? The way you did Clara?" He asked, referring to Adelaide.

Meanwhile, the mage in question was the center of Ignas' attention for now. Ember being around was enough to give him an in to begin a conversation, though just like Isen, he clearly had something he wished to speak to her about. "The cat is still dirty." Ignas told her, breaking the quiet. "...but that's not what I came here to talk about. We need to talk about Isen, and what we're going to do about his mortality now that separation has finally come to pass." Ignas began, expressing concern of his own. "I am on board with killing Malakai, a death is what he deserves, but Isen isn't going to allow us to go on our own. If the time comes that we must act to keep him safe, I need to know that we're on the same page."
 
Adelaide hadn't remembered there being quite so many demons gathered with Tyrath before, but everything was jumbled and blurred together after all the energy she'd just expended. On the bright side, the house was two floors and there was plenty of room outside for those that didn't fit or desire to stay inside. So long as none of them destroyed anything sentimental inside her house... Well, she could handle the company of demons as they planned forward. She'd survived having Danica inside her catalyst bitching and moaning for the past while, how hard could it be to temporarily live with a pack of demons that were, for the most part, polite enough if only for Tyrath's sake?

She watched furniture and various decorations being moved around and felt a sliver of annoyance, then reminded herself that it was better to have them moved now than damaged later because someone bumped a wall or a tail lashed out without intent. Maybe she ought to take some time later to pack a fair bit of things into the attic just to get them out of the way... But not until she'd filled her belly and gotten some form of rest, if only a long sit to rest her weary limbs.

It took her some time to realize that Isen had wandered off on his own, a blanket draped over her arm as she twisted and turned before finally spotting him headed in Tyrath's direction. It wasn't that she didn't trust any of the remaining demons there, and Tyrath seemed to be the most trustworthy of all in the current situation (Ignas excluded), but there was a fresh wave of new feelings with the notion of Isen being entirely human and entirely vulnerable now. She could see the two of them conversing and thought for a moment to try and listen in, but ultimately turned away from the quiet murmurs as Tyrath mulled over an answer for Isen.

"I'll do my best, but I think you know by now your little girlfriend is entirely capable of taking care of herself." There was a quiet sort of amusement to Tyrath's rumbled answer as he looked before the tired man before him and the mageling now standing with Ignas. "I have to admit, I feel as if she may ask the same of me in regards to you, if she isn't entirely relying on Ignas to do that. I'm sure having him and Danica separated from their respective catalysts and back in the middle of things is a big change for everyone. I know Danica won't shut up about the rush of power from being in that ring." It didn't seem to bother the demon that Danica had spewed nonsensical rambling for several minutes as they'd moved things around, a corner of his mouth quirking with a hint of a smile as he spoke of the rambunctious demoness.

"You have my word I will do what I can, Isen Hiyori."

"Yes, I'm aware she's dirty. I'm not looking forward to putting her in a bath, and I'm half tempted to just use a wet washcloth. I don't think you understand how much cats hate water." Then again, Ember wasn't like a normal cat, so maybe she would get lucky and be able to bathe the filthy feline without much trouble. "Yes, we do need to talk about that," Adelaide sighed wearily, knowing the conversation needed to be had but still coming to terms with her formerly invincible lover being... No longer invincible. "No, he's not going to let us go on our own, but at least we have the others. I know Danica won't do a damn thing, but you and Tyrath can help me to keep him safe... And Isabella if she ever shows back up." She needed to pop back to Samara's shop sometime soon and confer with Nikolai about everything that had happened, if only to assure him that she was still alive and kicking.

"Why, what did you have in mind?"
 
"I'm aware that she can take care of herself..." Isen began, formulating a response to what Tyrath had told him. He really did; it was far from a doubt in his mind, and he trusted her more than he could have thought possible. But his reservations were very real in his head, more so now that he was powerless to really play a part in stopping any of it. "But so was Clara...Adelaide has so much power, but I don't think she knows when to stop herself. Tyrath, I don't want to see her go down the same road...I don't want us to lose anybody else. I don't really trust Danica either..." But he did trust Ignas. Things had turned so upside down.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. And I'm sorry for any hostility I may have shown you in the past. Things have been complicated, and perhaps I'm not always the best judge of character."

"I have a feeling that what I have in mind isn't going to be something you will like." Ignas continued, on the other side of the home, speaking to Adelaide in tandem about Isen's safety as Isen had been with Tyrath about hers. "Either you convince him not to, or we have no choice but to bind him here. Temporarily." He paused, letting it sink in, before continuing. "If he won't agree to stand down, we must make the decision for him, at least until Malakai has been dealt with."

"Am I interrupting anything?" Isen asked, approaching the two of them now that his talk with Tyrath had come to an end. "It's nice to see the two of you getting along so well, you know."

"Having her separate from the imp certainly helps." Ignas grumbled. He did so in such a casual manner, hiding the fact that their previous conversation had been much more serious, and had been about Isen himself. "Though, perhaps, she may say the same about the two of us."

"Maybe." Isen laughed, shaking his head. "At least we no longer need to use a spell when we want to be alone. Now, we can simply close a door."

"You act as if I couldn't open one if I really wanted to." Ignas responded in amusement, a brow raised. "Not that I'd want to see what the two of you get up to behind closed doors, but that's a different argument."

Without any influence from Ignas on his emotions, and being entirely too human now, that comment seemed to get a fluster out of the usually stoic Isen. He looked away, averting his gaze from either, luring a chuckle from the demon's lips. "It's not nearly as fun teasing you when I cannot hear you curse me in your thoughts. Please, speak them out loud."

"Kill me." Isen grumbled, clearly joking, but given the previous context of their conversation, Ignas' smirk and amusement all but faded away.

Behind them, demons had begun to exit into the yard some more, causing some open space within the living room of their home. With a little more breathing space, the interior of the home would be given a break, revealing just how much the commotion had disheveled the once, picture perfect arrangement of Adelaide's childhood home. "I will leave the two of you to play house. Remember our conversation, witch."

"Hm?" Isen asked as Ignas left, focusing on Adelaide instead. He knew she'd be concerned about the state of the room, but now, his curiosity was pushing him for an answer before she started to try and fix the disarray. "What conversation?"
 
"Nothing is going to happen to me."

Isen responded as if he truly believe it, but belief was all he really had. Her worries were valid. In fact, they were the very same concerns he was having in return, but the idea of him staying behind while Ignas and Adelaide fought their battle alone was not something he was ever going to be okay with. "You can't expect me to just stay here, though, right?" Isen had been fighting for the better part of ten years. As much as it had been instilled into him by Ignas, it was very much part of who he was now. Human, or not, their story had yet to be finished. They still had to make the ending count, as a certain witch once said. "...you don't think I can take care of myself anymore, do you?"

Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but this was the first time he could truly remember having full, unbridled access to all of his human emotions. As much of a rush as it was to feel again, even simple sensations like a breeze against his skin, or the ache of a tired muscle, it also encouraged him to truly wrestle with other concepts as well. Was he a burden to them in this state? Was it a mistake to separate from Ignas so prematurely? He looked across at her like he expected her to have the answer to that, unaware of the fact that Ignas had been listening in on their conversation despite being out of sight. Unfortunately for the demon, Isen knew him better. "Neither of you do." He followed up, making his knowledge of Ignas' presence known out loud.

"Isen." Came the voice from behind him, but Isen didn't seem happy to hear it. "What good is a world without Malakai if you aren't around to live in it? Otherwise, what exactly are we still fighting for?" He asked, poignantly, and Isen did not reply. "Revenge? Certainly. Freedom? Perhaps. I want nothing more than to see that demon's blood spill. Death is the least he deserves for what he did to my beloved...but it's more than that, is it not? You have done your part, Isen Hiyori. You have given more than any human could be expected to give. You have seen and experienced things that you shouldn't have come back from. You are standing on the edge of a second chance with the one that you love, and yet you seem so eager to throw your life away before you truly get the chance to live it. I will end your fight, Isen. Our fight. You are repaying me by living on."

"Ignas..."

"Do you feel as though you've lost your purpose without a reason to fight?"

Isen paused, for a brief moment, facing the realization of that. Was he so unalike from Takami in that regard? Warriors, conditioned by elements outside of their control to pick up a sword and fight. His eyes flickered between Ignas and Adelaide, lingering longer on her than it did the demon speaking to him. "Is she not exactly what you're looking for?"
 
She wanted to lash out in response and tell him he couldn't make that assurance, but she bit her down and allowed him to continue uninterrupted despite her growing anxiety. "I mean..." She bit her lip hard enough she tasted a hint of copper, worrying it between her teeth as she tried to sort out the proper words to respond with that weren't a flat out insult.

"I didn't say that, Isen, but things are different now." Neither of them? She looked around curiously before spotting Ignas nearby, realizing with a sinking feeling that he clearly hadn't gone far and had been eavesdropping to make sure she didn't try to formulate a plan he disagreed with. "Why am I even surprised at you lurking in the shadows?" Adelaide muttered to herself without the expectance of an answer, crossing her arms over her chest and resisting the urge to pace the room and alleviate the anxiety.

Her annoyance melted away as she listened to what she assumed was Ignas' version of a motivational speech, the stiffness of her shoulders slowly drooping into a relaxed stance even as her heart thundered inside her ribcage, rebelling against the uncertainty of this entire situation. Just weeks ago she would have said that Ignas only wanted Isen out of the way so he didn't have to babysit him, so there was one less thing to concentrate on as he did what he always did as a demon--killeed without mercy, but now... Now there was that hint of concern he'd been showing as all of them grew through continuous events of carnage, and a part of her warmed at his words even as she watched for Isen's reaction.

Then the attention was suddenly directed her way and she flinched, more out of surprise than fear or annoyance, her eyes going wide as she looked between human and demon in anticipation. She noted Isen doing the same, his gaze lingering on her as she held her breath for what seemed like an eternity while her thoughts ran rampant inside her head.

"I'm not her, Isen." The words whooshed out with the breath she'd been holding as her arms fell to her sides. "I'm not going to kill myself using every ounce of strength and magic for every poor soul I see. I'll see it to fight Malakai, to fight for you, Isabella, those of us that are still left. I'll use it to fight for us and our future, but I want it to be a long future. I want to live in this house until we know the layout like the back of our own hands and I want to wake up next to you every morning. I have you to come back to now. Clara didn't." She paused and gave Ignas an apologetic look for the mention of his deceased beloved.

"But I can't come back to you if you get yourself killed trying to prove something you don't need to."
 
"I'm not her, Isen."

That was what it all came down to, really. In the end, he was terrified of the parallels; him and Adelaide, Ignas and Clara...it was too similar for him to be comfortable ignoring. Her words, alongside those shared by Ignas, seemed to be enough, however, to reach through to Isen. He felt himself come down from his worry and, in quiet, simply nodded his head in agreement.

"But she would have." Ignas inserted himself as well, making the point all the more poignant. "If I had been there to guide her home, she would have come back to me. Do not make my mistake."

"I won't." Isen finally answered, after allowing the silence to brew for a few moments more. "I'm sorry. I get it, I do...it's just going to take a little while for me to get used to this." Finding another pause for introspection, he deliberated another, brief moment, before speaking up once more to finish his thought. "But you both come back. You understand?"

"Of course." Ignas responded, and it was enough to satisfy Isen, though he had no doubt that Adelaide could sense the fluctuation in his magic, and his demeanor, when he spoke what was apparently a lie. "Consider it a promise."

Isen rose a brow, curiously. "A promise from a demon. Is that something I can really trust?"

"Probably not." He responded, smugly. "But we've come a long way, Isen."

"We have."

Ignas was the one finding hesitation now, breaking with a nod. "Enjoy your night. I will take my leave, properly this time."

Isen waited until Ignas was out of sight, testing whether or not he had actually given them privacy. "What an asshole." He commented, and upon hearing no response, he shook his head dismissively. "...honestly, he's like a different person...demon? ...but he was right. You both were, and I'm sorry for losing my temper. Imagine suddenly losing your magic and going back to just being a regular human. It would be difficult to accept, right? Or am I just doing a really poor job at this whole thing?"

Outside, a small fire pit had begun to burn, casting smoke into the sky. There were demons congregating around it, paying tribute to those they had lost during the attack earlier, while also preparing for whatever their future might hold now that everybody present was in the sights of Maximilian and the DSTF. Even without his advanced hearing, Isen could hear it, and he cast his gaze back over his shoulder towards the exit. Turning back to Adelaide, he offered his hand, invitingly. "Want to join them?" He asked, wondering what exactly what she wanted to do.

With how he was feeling, there were still so many things that left him uncertain, but the only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to spend as much time as he could by her side, as a human, to enjoy the best part about having humanity to call his own; love.
 
A part of her ached at the thought that things might have been different for Ignas and Clara. That instead of running herself and her magic dry to the point of death, Clara might have lived a full and happy life with Ignas instead of all the demons waging war on each other behind walls of trickery and betrayal. Adelaide shifted her attention back to Isen almost nervously, curious to see his reaction to the demon's continuance of motivational words that never would have even formed in his mind just a month ago.

"Yeah, both of us." Even as she agreed to Isen's demand alongside Ignas, there was something off about the way that the demon agreed so readily. She wasn't sure if it was the tone in which he said it, or the fact that he was making something dangerously close to a promise, yet again. Even Isen seemed to pick up on it and questioned it, but at least he seemed to be teasing Ignas rather than outright calling him a liar or showing any type of venom.

"Proper and you don't belong in the same sentence." Adelaide snorted not so subtly but managed a small smile before the demon departed. Isen's next words had her laughing as she watched him listen and receive only silence in response, telling her he was clearly testing the boundaries of Ignas' "proper" departure before continuing any sort of serious conversation.

"He is different," She agreed. "You don't need to apologize, if you call that losing your temper then I'd hate to see you completely fly off the handle," She paused and chuckled. "Just teasing. It would be hard to accept losing my magic entirely, yeah, so I know it's all new for you and it's a lot to process. I can't imagine living for so long without human needs and feelings only to have it all bursting out of you the very next moment. Now you have to deal with feelings and hunger, and all sorts of things." She glanced toward the back door and then back to Isen's outstretched hand before nodding.

"Yeah, might as well make sure none of them are setting the world on fire out there. Maybe Tyrath is back with food by now, depending what exactly he was planning on doing for that." She couldn't imagine him walking into any type of grocery store looking like that, and with his house mostly destroyed getting groceries from there wasn't an option, either. Maybe there was someone else in the area that had food?

By the time they got outside she could faintly smell what she thought was some sort of meat cooking, and she was surprised to see Tyrath standing with a couple of demons near what looked suspiciously like some sort of grill. How the hell had he manifested a grill and food so quickly? Better not to question it and drive herself insane when she knew full well that demons were capable of all sorts of odd tasks. It shouldn't be that weird for the gentle giant of a demon to have brought food and have it cooking on a grill so quickly?

"...Oh my god, I'm starving and that smells so good." Not only was there food, but she spied an assortment of beer and other assorted alcohols congregating haphazardly across the grass, drawing her attention just shortly before Tyrath looked up and waved briefly at her.

"Never thought I'd have a backyard of demons grilling and drinking before a war." She looked back at Isen and offered a small smile. "One more night of normalcy before things get heavy again?"
 
Isen nodded his head, agreeing with her statement. One more night to enjoy 'normal' sounded nice, though he wondered just exactly how normal things would actually be given then company that seemed to extend in all directions. Just an hour ago, they had all been on the brink of death and now, they were partying and enjoying life like nothing had happened. Isen shouldn't have been so surprised, but he was. He had lived a similar life, balanced on the edge with a demon in his head that manipulated his thoughts and actions, yet, he was finding confusion in how the other demons here could move so easily between the two? He shrugged it off. This was new to him, after all. Humanity was strange to somebody who hadn't experienced it in ten years.

He sat out to do as he had done in the past, acquire something she could eat, not yet realizing his own exhaustion was catching up to him. She had used just as much strength as he had in their fight, and he wanted to take care of her in the best way he knew how; filling her stomach. It was much easier to grab some of the grilled meat and food than it was to lay waste to another vending machine, but as he procured her dinner, it dawned on him that food was something he now needed to be concerned with as well. With a grumble in his stomach, Isen returned to Adelaide's side with two pieces of meat and an assortment of beverages. He juggled them less than gracefully, but managed to make the trip from the fire to her without spilling anything.

He handed her the food first, setting the drinks down on the grass beneath their feet. What Isen hadn't realized, however, was that these were not normal drinks but rather, alcoholic in nature.

"Such a strange taste..." Isen mumbled, sipping from the open tab of a can of what was very obviously some sort of alcoholic beverage. It stung the back of his throat in a way that should have felt unnatural, but he presumed it was simply due to the lack of consumption over the past few years of drinks and food. "Humans really like this stuff?" He asked, taking another sip and pulling a bit of a confused face.

He could already feel a warmth growing in his chest, alternating between the can and a half-eaten steak that he had been chewing on far too quickly.


"I guess we should probably talk." Ignas said, glancing over at the woman he had purposely been searching for. "Danica."

Ignas gave pause for a moment, allowing the demoness to no doubt make some smart remark towards him.

"Like it or not, and believe me, I definitely do not, we appear to be allies. While it frustrates me to no end knowing that I need to coincide with you, imp, I need to know that you will not get in my way." Leaving another break in his speech, though this time for emphasis and dramatics, Ignas continued after allowing it to linger for a couple of seconds. His eyes remained away from hers, not wanting to even look at her. "We have a common enemy, and a common goal. Malakai must die. Any objections?"


By now, the alcohol had gone straight to Isen's head, causing him to enter into a state of slight inebriation. He hadn't been exposed to anything of the sort in almost his entire life, regardless of Ignas' influence. It had been a while since they had joined the others, and their food already been taken care of. Every thing felt a little warmer, a little fuzzier, especially when he looked at her. What Isen hadn't known in that moment was that getting drunk so fast had definitely messed with his perception in a way that Ignas never could.

His hand reached out, as if on it's own, resting dangerously low on the small of Adelaide's back despite the large crowd of demons that still surrounded them. Something about the way the evening sun cascaded down onto her was hitting just right for him. She looked good. Really good. He moved his head back and forth, trying to shake it off, but his finger tips were already pressing in a little harder through her clothing. "Maybe we should go inside...get away from all the noise." He told her, feeling a slight headache coming on and presuming it was due to the constant conversation around them and not the drink he had.

Besides, getting some alone time with her was sounding better by the moment. He took a brief look around and saw no sign of Ignas, nor Danica. Tyrath was still occupied, none of them would even notice if the pair snuck away back into their home. "A night of normal, y-yeah?"
 
Watching the scene play out in what had once been her family's backyard and would be her and her lover's in the future, Adelaide felt conflicted about it all. It didn't give off quite the same vibes as a bunch of college kids throwing a frat party, but there was something unique and almost familiar about the way a bunch of horned and tailed creatures were milling about drinking beers and God only knew what else. It was very clearly up Danica's alley, the pink-skinned demoness flitting from demon to demon in a mixture of boastful pride and sultry glances that made her slightly concerned for the state of her home. So long as Danica kept any of her shenanigans to the outdoors and didn't destroy anything, Adelaide didn't care what, or who the demoness decided to do tonight.

Then again, she hadn't missed the subtle, shared glances between Danica and Tyrath. If she hadn't already suspected there was some sort of connection between them, she'd definitely be wondering now as she watched Danica stalk back up to the bigger demon and smack at him with her tail, brushing it against his chest and then sauntering by after slipping a beer from by his feet. It was enough to make the mage snort quietly to herself before looking for Isen, watching him retrieve a plate of food and some drinks before awkwardly bringing the armful of things back over. She'd picked a spot near the fire and was enjoying the heat of it without being too close, her shoulders relaxed as she took one of the cans and popped it open with a chuckle.

"Thank you. The food smells great." She watched him open the beer, which upon closer look was some sort of alcoholic tea, or juice or something, then watched the ensuing reaction on his face before she took a swig of her own. "Yeah, they're an acquired taste, I guess." She had already set to working on the food hungrily, a piece halfway to her mouth as she swallowed the previous and then burst out laughing.

"Well, you're human now too, Isen, so yeah. We like this stuff sometimes." A part of her wondered if she ought to break the news to him that it was alcoholic, but the other decided she'd just keep an eye on how many he had and allow him to enjoy this last night of so-called normalcy before things went back to chaos. Hell, it might be the only time he was able to drink alcohol if things went south, so might as well enjoy it.

--

"Whether or not I agree has never stopped you from blathering on before, I don't see why it should now." The demoness had taken up a perch on a low hanging branch of one of the trees further away from the congregation of demons, and she glanced over to see Ignas not far below her. She gave an over exaggerated sigh and slipped down from her spot lazily, settling on the ground and wrinkling her nose in distaste before taking a swig of the mediocre human beer she'd had her tail wrapped around.

"In your way," She scoffed and took another long drink as her features twisted into an expression of displeasure. "Says the idiot who found himself trapped for years and years inside of a sword." It was clear she was as much against the idea of them joining forces as he was, her tail twitching and snapping irritably behind her back before she emptied the contents of her drink and tossed the bottle away carelessly. She had no intention of following along after Ignas like he was her leader, but it seemed that keeping her loyalties, faint as they might be, with Tyrath, was going to leave her a part of the same group as the obnoxious demon standing beside her.

"Malakai must die."

--

They'd been out there for hours. Adelaide wasn't sure how many drinks either of them had drank, but judging by the color in Isen's cheeks and the delicious warmth she felt, she'd wager that both of them were heavily tipsy, if not borderline drunk by now. The sight of the sun starting its descent was a lovely pairing with the dancing flames of the continuing fire, and she found that she'd relaxed so much that the sudden feel of Isen's hand on her back was a welcome addition rather than something that had startled her.

She wasn't sure much could startle her right now, shy of an apocalypse or another attack by Malakai's army. After watching several of the demons drunkenly brawling for sport, sparring each other with claws and tails until the back yard was full of the smell of blood and the sound of laughter. At one point she'd grown concerned that their sparring had escalated to an actual, hostile fight, until the victor of the current match had burst into laughter and tugged the loser to their feet. Or hooves. She couldn't remember how many of them had normal limbs and how many didn't, and the more she'd drank the more she'd just accepted the strange features of all the demons.

"Hm?" She caught him shaking his head out of the corner of her eye, just as she noted the increased pressure of his hand against her back. How long had he been trying to get her attention before she'd noticed? Hopefully not long. "We can go in, yeah." She suddenly remembered how bad the city had been for him when she'd given him a pair of her headphones ages back, and it made her wonder if he was getting overwhelmed with all the noise now that he was experiencing everything as a human again.

"I don't know if we'd both fit in my bed though. I guess we'll find out." It was bigger than a twin, wasn't it? Her head was fuzzy and she couldn't quite remember. The rest of her drink was emptied in one go before she pushed to her feet, steadying herself for a moment before stretching and starting towards the back door. "I'm definitely going to need a shower in the morning, though." That, and to brush the taste of all those drinks from her teeth... Eventually. For now, she concentrated on navigating inside the house, shutting the door quietly behind them and making for the kitchen.

"I'll grab some water and meet you up there in a minute, yeah? You good for the stairs, mister pink cheeks?"
 
Making his way inside, he stuck close to her, needing her to keep him steady as he adjusted to moving around while intoxicated. As they passed through the back door, he heard her comment and conjured a response in his head that he couldn't quite get out. Shaking it off, he waited until she was ready to move again, stopping at the foot of the stairs. Surveying the daunting task ahead of him, he nodded in over-confidence. "Don't make fun of me." Isen grumbled in fake annoyance. "I used to fight demons, I think I can handle a couple of stairs."

This was, of course, easier said than done.

He gripped the railing as his head spun a little more after the first couple of steps. He pushed on, with bravado, not wanting to seem stupid after making such a bold declaration. The higher he climbed, the further away the noise outside became until he couldn't hear any of it at all. In fact, if not for the occasional flicker through a window into a dark hallway, he couldn't have told the difference.

Alone time.

Why did saying that in his head feel so different this time?

Remembering his previous visit to this place, and hoping that tonight would go much more smoothly, he recalled the room that had belonged to her. He remembered the vision he had seen, a window into her past spurred on by the magic spell that had been left for them. It was a troubled reminiscence for as pleasant as it was seeing her in a more innocent light, she had also seen him at his most vulnerable. He hated that this was the memory and feeling he had when walking into their home now. It was time to change that.
 
"I'm not making fun of you... Much. Maybe just a little." How could she not tease him when he looked all flushed and adorable like that? "You'll be fine, I'll be up in just a minute or so." He could make it up the stairs without falling and breaking his neck, couldn't he? It'd be a shame if they'd come this far to be ended by some alcohol and a fall down a flight of stairs. Going out in a bad B-flick horror movie way was not on the agenda for tonight. Or ever.

After making a quick stop in the downstairs bathroom and washing up, she filled two glasses of water in the kitchen and took to the stairs. It was strange navigating her house like it hadn't been dilapidated and on the verge of some form of destruction in the next five years. Pulling out dishes that would have been dust covered and stained if not for the work Samara and Isen had done when the witch was still alive. Even climbing the clean stairs and turning the corner towards her bedroom without having to worry about whether or not there was an intact room to sleep in was... Well, it was nice, but the intoxication tugging at her brain struggled to comprehend it momentarily.

The sight of Isen sitting on bed was enough to draw her mostly back to reality. She held out one of the cups before plopping down beside him and taking a sip from her own. The last thing either of them needed was to be hungover the next morning, especially since she knew for a fact Isen had never experienced an alcoholic hangover in his life. Plenty of water, some rest... A glance at the size of the bed told her that while it would work, it would put them in very close quarters due to his size, a realization that had her cheeks heating up in a way that had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"So... What did you wanna do before we crashed out?" Smooth. Real fucking smooth. "I mean, I figure you're not ready to sleep yet, and we should drink some water so we don't feel crap in the morning, but did you wanna just talk, or.." Good grief, was she a nervous teenager again? She shut off the tap of nervous words she was stumbling over by drinking more of the water, her leg bouncing absently up and down as she peered over at him nervously. "You look good, by the way."
 
Isen leaned against the edge of the bed, finding his legs much too wobbly to keep him aloft properly after all of the stairs he had climbed. Feeling it sink beneath him, he enjoyed the rest it gave his tired body. Being human was hard work. The bed didn't really seem big enough for two people to share, but he didn't mind too much. He was sure they'd find a way to make it work, and he wasn't at all opposed to getting that close to her, especially with the alcohol still floating through his system and killing all of his inhibitions.

He curled his hand around the cup when she walked in, staring down at the water but finding his eyes drawn more prominently back to her. The darkness of the room, the way the outside light was peering through against her...Isen's thoughts raced and wandered back to the night they had shared together. A sip from the cool refreshing water drew him back to the present, a brow raised as she awkwardly tried to navigate the situation. She seemed as distracted by her mind as he had been.

"I'm not sure. How long does it usually take for a human to sober up?" He still couldn't get over just how strange it was to have to say that, or even make that distinction. Her sudden compliment, however, caught him by surprise. He looked at her a little more closely, head turned to better face her. "So do you. I was staring a little." He admitted, his honesty knowing no bounds in his current state. "When you said or..?" Quoting the way she had nervously trailed off beforehand, his eyes found their mark on hers despite the darkness around them. The cup in his hand had found it's way to the nearby night stand after the first couple of drinks he had taken and the hand that had once held it had reached across between them, finding purchase atop her opposite hip.

His touch lingered against it's curve, sliding upwards, ever so slightly, tracing a path over her shoulder until his rugged fingers could trace over her jaw line. Cupping her cheek, Isen closed distance before either of them could fulfill the final part of the sentence. His lips sealed to hers in a manner conveying urgency, his entire form leaning into hers, desperate to draw closer without separating the connection he had created. Instinct took over from there, threading fingers through blonde hair as he lost himself in an all too human emotion; desire.
 
He'd been staring at her? She'd been so enraptured by the fire outside and all of the commotion from the different demon antics she hadn't noticed much. The sight of him putting his water aside had her breath hitching in a sort of anticipation, her own hand gripping her cup tighter as he settled a hand on her hip. Then it was moving, coasting slowly up her side and over the curve of her shoulder before finding purchase at last on her cheek. It was a gentle yet intimate touch that she leaned into eagerly, savoring the warmth of his skin and the way that he looked at her, like he couldn't get enough just by being there seeing her. He needed to touch her, to feel her, and it was a sentiment that she fell wholeheartedly when his lips crashed into hers.

She nearly dropped the glass as something suspiciously close to a whimper caught in her throat, her chest pressing forward as she tried to bridge the gap and draw closer to the delicious tangle of fingers in her loose hair. Something about this felt different than the last time, whether it was the hum of alcohol working through both of their bodies or the urgency of the desire that they both felt. Maybe it was some combination of both, but whatever it was had nearly shattered glass and soaked a small patch of the floor.

"Water." She gasped out the word after reluctantly tearing her mouth away from his, lifting the glass with an awkward expression and leaning past him to set it on the nightstand with his. "Fuck, the door." She hadn't closed the door when she'd come up with the water, and although she didn't think anyone would come barging in, she wasn't willing to risk someone seeing them getting frisky because she'd left the door open while there were demons partying in her backyard and one had gotten curious. God forbid Danica came snooping, they'd never live it down.

"One sec," She half stumbled from the bed on wobbly legs that had nothing to do with the alcohol she'd been drinking, making her way to the door and pushing it shut until she heard the secure click of the latch that signaled her success. She made an immediate beeline back to the bed in her haste to close the distance between them, slinking her way around the piece of furniture and sliding onto his lap to straddle him.

"I'm glad I didn't listen to you the first time we met, and that we saw all this through. The thought of a life without you now," She leaned in and brushed her lips gently over his, fisting her hands in the front of his shirt before she sucked in a shuddering breath, "You're mine, Isen, and I'm yours. Til death do us part." Just feeling him wasn't enough for her, she needed to taste him, to know every part of him and become one with him in every way that two humans could. It wasn't more than a matter of seconds before she was tugging at his shirt between hungry kisses, panting heavy breaths as she tugged insistently at the material even as she stole another kiss.
 
There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach when they were separated, even briefly, so that she could lock the door to the bedroom. His body, in his inebriated stupor, yearned for her touch, for a closeness they could only indulge in when they could be truly alone. To his surprise, and delight, she seemed equally as eager for that connection, and he put up no resistance whatsoever when she settled herself down into his lap in a much more intimate position.

Reflexively, his palms found their way towards her back, yet again, holding her steady until she could get acquainted with her new seat, but as her lips pressed back to his, they did not remain stationary. The fabric tugged and pulled at his torso, and he took the hint without questioning. As he listened to her speak, and felt his heartbeat race and flutter out of his chest, he sloppily lifted his arms in a way that was all too uncoordinated so that she could discard the unwanted garment. Settling them back down, around her, playful fingers grasped at her thighs, rocking her slowly against him, and pulling her forward so that the toned musculature of his chest could press against her softer body.

At least losing Ignas hadn't taken away the physique he had built through all of the training and fighting.

He realized, in the briefest of moments, that he would need to start working to maintain it now, but when her lips were on his and her body was so wound about his, even his drunk mind couldn't stay focused on insecurities at a time like this. Being human meant many changes, but somehow, it made what they were doing feel even more intoxicating. Giving in to human urges without inhibition, without a voice in his head (subdued or otherwise) tugging him every which way...it felt liberating. He felt free. Free to be with her, to do as he pleased, to touch where he wanted and not ask questions or feel remorse for what he had done. His enhanced strength was gone, so he wouldn't be able to hurt her. His powerful hearing had dulled, so he couldn't rely on cheating to test the limits of her patience and her stamina; it was like an entirely new experience.

"Yours." He repeated, breathing heavy against her lips. Fingers curled, tugging at her shirt the way she had his. He didn't put any thought or care into how he was pulling it upwards, he just knew he wanted it gone so that he could feel her skin, flush and bare against his own. "Til death do us part." Confirming with a nod, the look in his eyes said much more than a simple, drunken love induced vow while his voice spoke in a tone that was more of an emboldened order rather than a suggestion.

"Now, take it off. I want you."
 
Other than the fact that she'd almost run her face right into one of his arms while trying to strip him, things were going well enough in her mind, although there was still far too many pieces of clothing between them. She didn't care that they were going to make the entire bed and probably the room smell like a campfire, all she cared about was getting more of the delectable friction that was building when he rocked her against him.

Then he was tugging at her shirt and speaking, causing her to halt long enough to soak up his words and try to formulate a response. It was hard to manage a coherent sentence when he was pulling at her clothes like that, so instead she focused on rolling it up and over her head before unclasping her bra and tossing them both to the floor. He wanted her, the feel of their skin against each other's, wanted to share the intimacy with her, and there was still the matter of the remainder of their clothes.

"Too many clothes." It would have made more sense just to pull herself from his lap and ditch the rest of her clothing, but she was greedy for the warmth of his skin and the taste of his lips, her arms winding around his neck as she squirmed in his lap and pressed boldly against him with her bare chest. Between the liquid courage she'd gained from their hours of drinking and the knowledge that this may very well be their last time together as man and woman, all of her shyness had dissipated in the face of her burning need for the man she was currently squirming on.

"Pants," She tried to tear her mouth away and mumble the word, only half succeeding before she laughed at the awkwardness of it all and pulled back slightly. "Fuck, you feel good, but I need to have you inside me." It was a struggle between wanting to rip the rest of their clothes off and take what she wanted, while still rocking in his lap and chasing the high from the friction it created.

"God help me, I don't want to stop, but I absolutely have to get you naked."
 
Isen let out a low groan in a way she hadn't heard since the last time they had been in this position, spurred onward by the softer feeling of her chest pressing flush into his. The warmth of their skin collided, and he felt every single inch alight with that delicious heat. It caused his arms to curl around her a little tighter, his finger tips to press a little harder, making the exploration of her body somehow even more urgent than it had been before. His lips were too preoccupied with their assault upon hers to bask in the beauty of her in such a state of undress, but it clearly did not go unnoticed by him. His hips shifted into hers, subtly, allowing her to feel the sense of arousal she had fueled as he began to swell and lurch upwards against her lower half.

He let out a low laugh, near inaudibly, at her awkward mumbling. It was endearing, and all too hot, knowing that she could hardly control herself enough to properly formulate her words into a sentence. While he hated the idea of separating them, especially as she began to create friction with her back-and-forth, he knew it was for the better if they didn't delay any longer. Pushing her off of his lap and onto the bed, he went to work on her first, despite her plea being that she wanted to get him undressed. Fingers curled at the waist of her bottoms, tugging them down over her legs in one, smooth pull, overcoming the inherent awkwardness of his drunken movements with the force by which he yanked, showing that although he was no longer connected, his body had not lost the natural strength that had been built up over the years, just the demonic influence that had further heightened it. He did not, however, leave her in that state alone, and by the time he rejoined her on the bed, he was baring himself completely for her with nothing to cover the modesty he no longer had.

He placed a palm down against the mattress, causing it to dip, supporting his weight as he staggered slightly. In doing so, he caused his obvious erection to brush against her thigh, signaling to her that she had been more than able to excite his now-human form. His other hand moved over her stomach, upwards, caressing skin until they found their perch a top her right breast. His digits curled in, squeezing gently as his lips returned to hers for but a brief moment before relocating to the crook of her neck instead, focusing on an intimate attack of kisses and bites, some more gentler than others, while his hand worked it's magic against the prize it had found.

A warm exhalation lingered over the wet patches he had created, kissing down over her collarbone as his heart beat hammered in his chest. Leaning her back against the bed, he moved over her a little more, establishing a sense of dominance over her in this position. He no longer had to worry about hurting her, about losing control. Instead, now, he could push against her resolve and test her limits in a more natural way, and he did so by pinning her beneath him and returning his lips to her neck.

"Adelaide..." He breathed her name in a moan, lips descending lower until they found the place where his hand had been moments prior. "I want to hear you." He told her, a simple, lascivious command punctuated by the curl of his tongue across her hardened peak, coaxing her nipple between his lips and sealing them tightly thereafter.
 
One second she'd been grinding in his lap and the next she was sitting on the bed. It was enough to make a breathless laugh burst forth before she sucked in a ragged breath, lifting her hips to accommodate the way he was tugging just as insistently on her clothes as she had on his. Not that her assistance seemed to be required, because despite his lack of demonic connection to strength and regeneration, Isen seemed to have retained enough of the strength to be set in his removal of her clothes, something that was both simultaneously curious and thrilling. The fact that he could move her so easily... It was enough to send an involuntary shiver through her limbs as she watched him undress the rest of the way, her teeth working at her lip as she waited impatiently for him to rejoin her on the bed.

The feel of his weight dipping into the mattress was enough to excite her and have her ready to grab at him, especially when his partial stumble caused the part of his anatomy she yearned for to brush against her. It was almost like a taunt, so close and yet so far away, pressing so close to the juncture she desperately needed it to reach. A part of her thought to chastise him and demand that he immediately get inside of her and feed the fire burning in her core, but the other part of her was faltering under the wandering exploration of his fingers.

For a moment she thought to call him on his teasing, to demand more from him lest she lose what sanity was still remaining in this moment of intoxication, but then she found those thoughts quelled when his lips were stealing both air and coherent thought from her, making their way from that invigorating kiss to the sensitive spot at the crook of her neck that had her squirming under the touch.

"Tease." Her voice came out breathier than she had expected as he pressed her down into the mattress, her hands finding purchase on his shoulders and winding around for nails to trace over his back. She eagerly spread her legs to allow him to settle between them, wanting to tear away at the last of his restraint and get what they both clearly wanted from the other. The way the heat of his skin was pressed against hers was a delightful torment, the feel of lips against her skin as she tried to curl her legs behind his to draw him closer to the slick heat between her thighs.

"Then get over here and--- F-fuck." Her command faltered at the end when she felt the wet heat of his mouth descend on her chest, her back arching off the bed as her nails formed crescents in his back and her legs insistently tried to pull him towards her aching core. "Fuck, get inside me, p-please." The stutter of the plea was accompanied by a shaky moan and another arch of her back under the assault of his mouth, her hands nearly clawing at him as she desperately tried to bridge any gap between their bodies in search of that feeling of togetherness.

"Isen, please."
 
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