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Angels & Demons [Degu x Sevatar]

Degusaurusrex

Degusaurusrex

Supernova
Joined
Apr 5, 2019
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October 22nd

"What do you mean there's an angel in our city?! I thought they stayed away from here?!"

Groaning loudly as she threw her hands in the air, the white haired woman stared at the red head in exasperation. While she knew full well the human realm she dwelled in had angels, they weren't usually so close to home. If they were, it was usually just them passing through, which she hoped was the case this time. Dealing with the snotty bastards was something she loathed, and their mutual dislike was well established. Most of them wanted demon kind to return to their realm, but truth be told, Kida liked it far too much to go back to the primitive realm she'd come from. Electronics were far too entertaining, and their liquor was quite delicious if you knew what to pick.

"That.. There's an angel in our city? What else do you want me to say? From what I hear, he's been getting followed a lot. I don't know if the damn thing is just oblivious, or if he's up to something. Several other demons have been tailing him, so hopefully that won't turn out too badly. We don't need any type of war starting because of one stupid angel. But I gotta run, sweets, so call me if you need me!" Kida gave her a stiff nod, blue eyes following the departure of the red head before she was moving around the apartment.

"Fucking.. Angels!" Now she had to go out of her way to find out what was going on. While she certainly didn't rule the city, she was somewhat high on the chain of who was to be feared. It gave her enough leverage to keep her mostly safe, although she'd gotten into plenty of scuffles that had left her injured before. Having to find a quick snack on the fly was a pain in the ass, and usually ended in her biting on some poor drunkard stumbling around behind the bar. It almost always made her sick, but blood was blood in the end.

Flitting around the apartment in jeans and a tank top, she pulled on a black sweater and struggled into socks and boots. This was the absolute last thing she wanted to be doing, but she couldn't let trouble roam around the city she lived in. Resigned to her fate, she tugged on a black coat, grabbed her wallet, keys, and phone, and was out the door. The chill of the wind was instant, nearly taking her breath away as her boots crunched on the thin layer of snow that had started earlier in the day. Now that it was evening and the sun was halfway down, it was gotten significantly colder and she nearly went back inside. With a shake of her head as her hair blew in the wind, she made her way down the street towards the bar demons frequently visited. If anyone had information on the angel, they would. If she was lucky, maybe she'd sense him herself and could go straight to the source.
 
Aldrik let out a soft suffering sigh, reaching up and running his hand through his hair. He let the sensation ground him in the moment, distracting him from the pain that raced down his back with every step. A habitual glance over his shoulder revealed what he already knew to be true, that his normally pristine wings were nothing more than tattered, feathery ruins, dripping blood and ichor behind him with every single step. He hissed with pain as a cold gust of wind brought snow cascading down over the remains, and he angrily shivered, hating the sensations that ran through him. A grimace crossed his face as he tried to focus on what little remained of his powers, willing whatever was left to grant him this final boon. With a startled hiss that faded into a relieved sigh, his ruined wings disappeared from sight, the stinging sensation of the snow hitting his raw wounds fading, becoming nothing more than a painful memory that he could now put behind himself.

Of course, just because his wings were now out of sight, that didn't solve any of the other problems that he currently found himself in. He was alone, in a mortal city that was controlled by demons. He was stripped of his powers, left to fend for himself, with nothing more than the clothes on his back, and the wallet in his pocket. He didn't have a single fucking clue about what he was going to do, and judging by the way that the wind was picking up around him, the winter storm was about to hit in full force. He let out another sigh, this one more born of frustration than anything else. Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control, and he didn't know what he was going to do. He forced himself to take a deep breath, followed by a second one. What he could do, was go get a stiff drink or five, and blow off some steam, try and forget all of the hurt, pain, and suffering of the last month and a half.

With that, Aldrik swapped over to autopilot, his mind wandering over so many different things, memories flashing behind hauntingly dark onyx eyes. He was aware of what felt like a thousand different sets of eyes falling on him as he meandered down and crossed street after street. He was aware that he wasn't exactly welcome here, especially considering how his... former brother and sisters acted. However, it wasn't like he was actively stirring up trouble... But that wasn't stopping what felt like every demon in the city from watching him or even following him. He was aware of half a dozen different people following him as he finally found the street that he had been looking for. He glanced at himself in a shop window as he passed. He looked acceptable, dressed in an overcoat that did its best to hide his form, which was a difficult task. He loomed over most people at an impressive 6'4" with broad shoulders that only made him seem even bulkier than he was. This, of course, made it rather hard to hide from people, which is why he wasn't even bothering right now. He was well aware that he had been under surveillance from the moment he had stepped into the city boundaries.

He was taken from his thoughts by a rather aggressive gust of wind, and he shivered, before making his way inside the nearby bar, ignoring the way that a good half of the bar's occupants stopped dead in their tracks and stared at him like he had four heads. He wouldn't let that stop him, however, and he quickly made his way up to the corner of the bar, finding himself a seat and sitting down with a sigh of relief passing through his body. It was a delightful sensation to be sitting after a day on his feet, even if his skin felt like it was dancing from all of the different pairs of eyes finding their way to him. Of course, he knew that if he glanced over his shoulder to take a look, anyone who was looking at him would have found something else to do... So he would have to sit, and wait, and see if he was going to have any trouble tonight.

Aldrik should have known those words were going to be prophetic, because, by the time he had gotten himself a drink, and retreated off to a corner of the bar, there was a congregation of people forming on the opposite corner, shooting little glances over at him whenever they thought he wasn't looking. He made sure to keep one eye on them, even as he slipped the overcoat off of his shoulders, letting it fall onto the side of the booth, revealing that underneath he was wearing a flannel and jeans. With a groan, he retrieved his drink from where he had set it, and returned to nursing it, absentmindedly forgetting about the gaggle of demons that had been congregating across from him... And by the time he remembered and looked over at them, a group of them were making their way across the bar towards him. His body tensed, and he sat upright, instinctively reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. His hand fell away, hitting the cushion as the group started to form a little semi-circle around the corner where he had been sitting, boxing him in. The tension in his body felt like it was building to a point where it was going to explode, and he forced himself to relax, if only a little bit. "And what can I do for you tonight?" He asked in a quiet voice as one of the demons stepped up, a redheaded woman who looked like she wasn't any older than twenty-five, not bothering to meet her eyes as he took another sip of his drink, enjoying the burning of the alcohol as it slid down his throat.
 
"Yeah?" She hated answering her phone, truly. "Yeah, I'm headed to the bar right now to see who knows anything, then--What? Oh, for fuck's sake. Alright, I'll be there shortly. Thanks for letting me know." She cursed and shoved the phone back into her pocket before moving faster, ducking her head down and trying to shield her face from the cold. Just because she was a demon didn't mean she didn't get cold but tearing open a portal to jump to the bar didn't seem like a smart choice when people were still walking down the street. Discretion was the most important thing of all.

"Fucking angels in my city, this is not what I wanted to deal with tonight." She shook her head and turned the corner to continue toward the bar, dreading the confrontation she would likely walk into. A confirmed sighting of the angel at the very bar she was headed to, and it sounded like things were about to get rowdy. Knowing both the owner and most of his staff tended to come in handy, as they would call on her on occasion to settle disputes and keep her updated on who had been banned from the bar.

On one hand, it made her job easier because she knew exactly where this angel was. On the other hand, he'd be lucky if he wasn't beat half to death by the time that he got there. Angels were strong, resilient creatures, but even they would find their downfall when confronted with ten times the number of demons in a demon run territory. What had the idiot been thinking not only coming into their territory, but going into one of the bars that happened to be most popular with the demons? This angel was going to give her a headache before she even laid eyes on him.

"Are you children done yet?" She'd barely pushed through the bar door and let it slam shut behind her before she spotted the way the crowd had gathered toward one side of the bar. If she was lucky, they hadn't beat the creature to a pulp already, and if she was unlucky, she'd be dragging multiple people out of the bar by their hair tonight. "Can I get one full week of peace without coming in having to play mediator?"
 
Aldrik let out a long-suffering sigh as the demoness that seemed to lead the pack that was currently around him took a seat on the edge of the table that he had selected for himself. She hadn't answered his question yet and seemed content to lock eyes with him. He wasn't going to back down. That was tantamount to a death sentence. He was well aware that showing any form of perceived weakness would open the flood gates, and he could only imagine that each and every one of the demons that were currently crowding around him would take the smallest opportunity to drag him into a fight. Oh, he was most certain of that, judging from the looks that were being exchanged by some of the other members of the group. He let out a frustrated sigh, shifting towards the redhead as she leaned closer to him. "Come on now... We both know you want something. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here with your... group of esteemed friends." He chuckled as he saw an angry expression flash over the demoness's face.

Perhaps he took a little too much enjoyment in riling up her in this situation because one of the woman's 'friends' stepped, his hand moving with admittedly impressive speed towards his face. He didn't even flinch, even as the redhead's own hand moved in response, slapping the older man's hand aside. "Don't be a fool" The redhead snapped, pushing the man back a few steps before she turned back to face Aldrik. "I want many things, Angel" She sneered at him, and the air around the group of people in the corner seemed to electrify, with Aldrik's entire body tensing, ready to burst into a flurry of action at the slightest provocation. The rest of the bar seemed to get drowned out by all of the demons crowding around him, forcing him to take a deep breath. He wasn't here to cause problems. He was just here to get shit-faced. He was above whatever they could do to him.

Then, just as suddenly as the situation had been on the verge of erupting, it was dissipating into nothingness as the sound of a door slamming shut, and a woman's voice echoed throughout the bar, cutting through whatever the redheaded demon had been trying to say to him. It almost made him laugh, the way that all of the heads crowded around him snapped in a different direction, a look of... dread passing over their faces, which sparked Aldrik's interest, and he took a glance for the source of the voice, finding who appeared to be a young woman with hauntingly blue eyes, standing there and looking absolutely furious. But that fury didn't seem to be directed at him... For now.

"Kida!" The redhead turned to stare at the woman who had just walked in, a mixture of emotions passing over her face as she slowly slid off of the table that she had been perched on. "You can't seriously be here to stick up for an Angel of all people!" Her voice was outraged. It appeared that this... Kida, was someone that the rest of the demons listed to, judging by the way the crowd started to disperse. The redhead who had likely instigated the whole group wouldn't leave though, along with a couple of others, lurking around the table. "You know," Aldrik remarked, having relaxed back into his seat, and taken a swig of his drink. "She looks rather angry. I don't think antagonizing her is a good idea." He couldn't help but get that little dig in, finding far too much amusement in riling up the redhead even further. But perhaps that was a bad idea because in the blink of an eye, the back of the redhead's palm connected with his cheek, leaving a stinging welt behind as she glared at him. "You don't know shit, Angel" She sneered, and Aldrik could only chuckle, a rich noise that boiled out of the bottom of his throat, filling the air around them. It only seemed to provoke her further, her eyes seeming to light up, and Aldrik was barely able to dodge the second slap, her fingers barely grazing his chin. "Ah ah ah... Temper Temper" He teased, his smirk only growing at the aggravated growl he got, the redhead looking like she was on the very edge of losing her self-control...
 
"I came to see what was going on. You all know better than to do this in public, now we need to check everyone in the bar and wipe memories of anyone who's a human. You're being stupid." Judging by the look of thing there didn't appear to be any humans, but they would need to do a thorough check just to make sure before the night was over. The owner was not going to like doing that, she could tell by the way he was eyeing the red headed demon who was on her tangent.

"Teresa!" Kida snapped at the woman and shouldered her way through the crowd, grabbing a handful of the woman's hair and pulling her back forcefully. The other demoness whined, her cheeks turning pink as she craned her head to look up at the angry woman holding her in place. "How many times have I had to come in here and deal with drama you've started? One more time and you're going to end up banned from the bar. That sound good to you, Raj?" She glanced over at the dark-skinned man behind the bar who held his hands up and shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Kida. Less trouble for me, so I wouldn't complain." That seemed to snap some sense into the redhead as she tried to wiggle away from Kida, who only gripped her hair tighter and leaned in to place her lips directly beside the struggling woman's ear.

"One more time, Teresa, and I'll drag that perky ass of yours out of here myself, and I'll make sure to have a nice drink from you when I do it." The color evaporated from Teresa's face as she was released and pushed away, huffing to herself as she twirled away and made her way back toward the front of a bar.

"Go back to what you were doing, the lot of you. I'll handle the matter. Raj, the usual please." The bartender gave her a stiff nod and began moving around before the bar as people migrated back toward their seats, even as their attention continued to linger on the scene that had just been cut short. Kida ignored them with a frown, shaking her head and sinking into the booth with the source of all her ire.

"Let's cut the shit, shall we? Why are you in demon territory antagonizing my people?"
 
While Aldrik's cheek might have been stinging from the force of the demon, Teresa's slap, his lips were curled in a smirk as he watched the chaos unfolding in front of him. He shot Teresa a smug look as he was treated to the view of Kida grabbing Teresa's hair and then proceeding to threaten her with not only expulsion from the bar but taking having a drink from her? He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but judging by the way that Teresa's face drained of all color, it couldn't be anything good. He chuckled a little as Teresa twirled away, and he saw the last look she shot him, a rather angry expression plastered across her face that faded after a few moments.

His attention quickly turned to Kida, who had taken a seat across from him. Her words made him chuckle, an amused look gracing his face for a second. "It was never my intention to antagonize anyone. Sure, maybe I made a bit of a provocative comment here and then, but they were the ones who came to me. " He raised a hand to forestall any comment as he watched Raj walk up to the two of them with a drink in hand, which was promptly placed in front of Kida.

"Hey Raj, I do hate to impose, but if I could get another drink, I would appreciate it" Aldrik remarked, before sliding a thick wad of cash over to the other man. He precluded any protests about the evident overpayment. "Keep the change. Consider it my apologies for causing such trouble" He waited with bated breath for Raj's response, which only came in the form of a silent nod, the man turning away and disappearing back towards the bar.

Aldrik turned towards Kida. "Now. I owe you an explanation for what I'm doing in your territory." He let out a sigh, sinking further into his seat. He searched for the right words, an awkward silence falling over the two of them. "Honestly?" He shrugged, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "I didn't want to be in Angel territory anymore." He left it as vague as that, not desiring to elaborate any further. "And as I'm sure you know, there isn't really anywhere that's neutral nowadays." He tapped his foot against the floor, considering his next words carefully. "As for specifics on what I was going to do here" He hummed, glancing around the bar for a few seconds. "I've been wandering for a couple of weeks now and was just making my way through the city. I mostly wanted to get out of the storm and get a drink or two. Nothing really besides that. No grand plan or anything."
 
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"You're an angel in demon territory. Of course they cam to you." She gave the man a thoroughly exasperated look and ignored his hand as she shed her coat, settling properly in as Raj approached and handed her the tall glass. He seemed somewhere between wary and pleased with the angel's offering of money for a simple drink, taking it and disappearing to leave the two of them alone again.

"You didn't want to be in angel territory?" She raised an eyebrow and sipped at her drink, intrigued by his choice of words. An angel that no longer wanted to be in angel territory, perhaps he'd had a spat with his oh-so-lovely brothers and sisters. She couldn't have cared less if they tore each other's wings off and left their own people bleeding in the streets as long as it was outside of her territory.

"You'll never survive in demon territory. The moment that you show your wings, you'll be more of a target than you already are. I've been getting calls and hearing rumors about you as it is, which forced me to drag myself out of my nice, cozy home to come and deal with it. I can't say that I'm surprise Teresa was at the front of it all, the woman is a walking drama magnet," She glanced toward the front of the bar as she heard an annoyed huff and rolled her eyes at the redhead.

"Judging by the look of you, you've just been wandering around staying wherever you can. Weather's getting colder," She took a long drink from the glass and sighed. "And the more people that hear about you, the more people are gonna start turning you away from places you could stay."
 
Aldrik chuckled at the exasperated look he was shot by the woman across from him, and he shrugged. "I mean it's not unexpected, but I didn't really have another choice." He let it at that, watching her quietly, sipping at his own drink as he could practically feel her curiosity spike at the way that she asked about him not wanting to be in Angel territory. He wasn't sure how much he should say. He still didn't know Kida's intentions, and the fact was that yes, he was an Angel, all by his lonesome in the middle of Demon territory.

"Oh, I won't be showing my wings to anyone. But I understand your point. Trust me, if I could be anywhere else. I would be here." He chuckled a little as she called out Teresa, the sound of the outraged redhead bringing a smile to his face. "I apologize for dragging you out of your home on a night like this. It wasn't my intention. I could have handled them myself. But still, Thank you for coming to my aid. None of my 'people' would, and I am surprised and deeply appreciative that you would"

Kida's words made him frown, and he let out a long sigh as she finished her statement. "Yes. You are absolutely correct. I've been trying to keep somewhere warm over my head for the last.. month and a half or so. But, as you can imagine, most people don't want to take an Angel, regardless if I act differently than the rest of my kind. They've already started turning me away, I can't imagine it'll get better than this."

Aldrik let out a sigh, staring down at his drink, picking it up before in one gulp, he downed the entire drink. He gasped, enjoying the burn of the alcohol down his throat. "So," He said, leaning back in his chair to stare at Kida. "Miss Kida." He pushed his drink away and clasped his hands together. "Are you here to... politely ask me to leave the city?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or what is it that I can do for you on this evening?"
 
"I didn't sit over here for an apology," She waved it away quickly. "I get called for things like this, and shy of up and leaving the city to go live somewhere else, it's not something I can really escape. I can't let the place just fall apart, I happen to like it here, and the humans are tasty enough I don't have to travel far just to get a snack." Snacking on one of them sounded pretty good at the moment, actually, but first things first.

"That'll teach you to suck down Raj's drinks like they're water." The demoness looked somewhat smug as she watched his reaction to the liquor, and she shook her head before draining her own glass dry. "Bottoms up. You're gonna be feeling that pretty soon, unless you magically have a good tolerance." She honestly had no idea what kind of tolerance angels had to alcohol; she didn't particularly make a habit out of socializing with them.

"If I ask you to leave the city, I have to deal with whatever demons are in the next city you run into. Then I either have them hassling me and calling us weak for not killing you on the spot, or I have them running you out of their town and potentially back this way anyway. Or, the worst case for you, someone here or there slaughters you and I have to deal with a bunch of prissy angels using that an as excuse to come down and start a fight with us. I don't really like any of those options," Although she really didn't like the one she was about to suggest, but she was ready to get back to the comfort of her own home.

"I'm getting tired of Teresa staring at the back of my head like it'll catch on fire if she looks long enough, and I think we could both use some more to drink without emptying our wallets." Kida stood from the table, fishing out her wallet and setting some bills down before putting her coat back on and glancing around. Too many prying eyes, too many obnoxious whispers she could hear more clearly than they realized.

"Come with me. I'll get you a warm place to sleep tonight. One time offer, so if you choose to stay, offer's gone."
 
Aldrik nodded a little, watching with interest as she waved away the apology. "Well. I commend you for the role that you've taken on then. I imagine it's quite a difficult one to fulfill, but from what I've seen, you've done a wonderful job at it." He paused as she talked about getting the snacks from the mortals, and he shrugged. He was not one to judge feeding habits and self-sustaining. His own method was the only reason he was alive right now.

"It's just been a while since I've had liquor. But I must admit, Raj does have excellent taste. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a mortal drink this much." He remarked, before falling quiet as Kida downed her own drink. Her words made him chuckle again, and he nodded in agreement. "Yes, I probably will be. But with how things have been going for me? I don't think getting wasted in a city full of demons is the worst thing I could do."

Aldrik raised an eyebrow as he listened to everything that Kida had to say, and it felt like his look was getting more and more incredulous as she kept talking. "Well, I think they might be more willing to thank the demons for killing me. And theeeeen try and start a fight." He laughed again as Teresa's scowl deepened behind Kida. He watched her stand up, raising an eyebrow as she set the money down on the table, and he pulled out a little more of his own dwindling supply of cash, setting it down next to his empty drink.

"I think that I'd be an even bigger fool than I usually am to turn that offer down. Plus, I think Teresa might jump me the moment you leave the bar. And not in a good way" He enjoyed the reaction that the redhead far too much for his own good. Standing up, he picked up his overcoat and slid it over his shoulders, buttoning it up with practiced ease, before turning towards Kida. "Well. I'm ready. After you, Miss Kida" He offered her a gentle smile, unsure of how to properly express his thanks for this
 
"Don't call me Miss." Kida didn't skip a beat as she started off toward the door to the bar with a shake of her head. "I'm far too old to be called Miss, I'm not some twenty-year-old mortal you're going to flatter by using that title." Somehow, she doubted he was trying to flatter her and that he was being polite more than anything, but the title felt strange regardless of the intent behind using it.

"Night, Raj. Hopefully I don't see you again tonight." The bartender nodded knowingly to her as they departed the building, already moving to scoop up the money and empty glasses before the door had even fully closed.

"Teresa won't touch you if she knows what's good for her." The other demoness had managed to get herself onto Kida's last surviving nerve with her behavior lately. As it stood, she was becoming far too comfortable with the humans, feeding with little subtlety and risking getting caught. There had been at least a handful of occasions where she'd nearly gotten caught, and even gotten caught but managed to pass it off as an intense necking session to avoid penalty.

"You put the seat down after you use the bathroom, turn off the lights when you're done with them, and stay out of my room, understand?" Realizing that she hadn't entirely made her intent clear to the unfortunate angel, she pinched the bridge of her nose and stopped to look back at him. "You can sleep on my couch tonight. It's the best I have on short notice and it keeps you out of trouble so I can stay at home and relax until I figure something better out."
 
Aldrik raised both his hands in defeat at Kida's words, following her out of the bar. "Flattery is the last thing on my mind. And, I would never touch a twenty-year-old mortal. They're... so boring" He admitted with a chuckle, giving Raj a little wave of thanks as he made his way out the door behind Kida. He raised an eyebrow at Kida's words about Teresa, and he shook his head a little as they made their way down the street. "And while I might be an uneducated Angel, I do seem to think that she doesn't know what's good for her."

He was stopped flat by her words, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. He couldn't help but find Kida amusing in the most endearing of ways. "I understand." He met her gaze as she turned back to look at him, and he sighed a little. "Look. You really don't have to do this if you don't want to Kida. I've already caused you enough trouble as it is, and realistically, I'll cause you even more." He kicked a pile of the forming snow, a sigh of annoyance leaving his lips. "I can just keep walking if that would be easier. I can probably make it south of the border within a few days, and then you'd likely never hear of me again." Of course, he wasn't referring to the mortal border, no, he was referring to the border that separated the disputed Angel and Demon territory, and some of the more.. untamed land, where more of the unwanted supernatural races roamed the land.

"I know my kind isn't exactly..." Aldrik searched for the right word, and he shrugged. He was starting to feel the effects of the drink. He was certainly being more loose-lipped than before. "Fuck, I don't even know. My kind are shitty" He shrugged, before sighing as the snow came down a little harder around them, the wind starting to howl around them. "I don't want to get you in trouble with the rest of your kind, or for my former brothers and sisters to come looking for you after they find out I passed by." He sighed, staring up into the sky. "Not that I am ungrateful for your offer to stay the night, I just want to make sure you are certain that it is something you are..." He threw his hands up as his eyes went back to her face. "I've already gotten one person hurt because of my actions, and I would rather not get someone else hurt."

He fell silent, turning away from Kida for a moment, and she would be treated to the view of Aldrik's ruined wings fluttering back into view. His grasp on his powers was fading, and soon enough they would be completely gone. His wings dripped blood and ichor onto the snow, staining it red. "Are you certain you want me to stay the night, Kida?" Aldrik's voice was quiet, nearly tugged away by the wind as he stood there, waiting for an answer.
 
"I don't want to be woken up at four o'clock in the morning because you kept walking and made a mess getting splattered on the other end of the city. No." She shook her head and turned forward again before continuing to walk. This was far from ideal for her, but neither was dealing with a corpse at four in the morning if he never made it out of the city, so temporarily housing an angel it was!

"I couldn't give a damn less who gets mad at me." Did angels usually curse this much? She turned back again and caught sight of what must have been beautiful wings at one point in the past, but now they were little more than bloodied bits still attached to his back. "You shouldn't still be bleeding unless you reopened those. Come on, you're making a mess in the snow, and I don't want questions on why there's a trail of blood all down the street. The sooner you get into my house, the better." She gestured to him impatiently upon realizing he was still just standing in place, shaking her head and murmuring a series of curses in her mother language.

"Just stay close to me and walk. It won't take too long to get there." Great, she was going to have to do something about his back as well, otherwise he was just going to bleed all over her damn couch and ruin it. That wouldn't do, and she spent the majority of the walk by mulling over solutions in her head.

"Shoes off when you get inside." She unlocked the front door and stepped inside, stopping only long enough to take her boots and coat off before moving further into her home. "And try not to be too loud, I have neighbors." The downside of an apartment, but houses were so troublesome to take care of all on one's own.
 
Aldrik found Kida's words to be half amusing, half concerning, and while he knew them to be very true, he tried to dismiss the concern that they caused. Because yes, she was right, if he kept walking there was a rather strong likelihood that he would end up nothing more than a corpse on the other end of the city. Perhaps it spoke to just how fucked up he was, both mentally and physically, that he was finding appreciation in the rather selfish concern that he was getting from Kida. She evidently didn't care for him, she merely wanted to prevent him from causing more trouble for her. And yet... It still made him smile a little. Fuck. He really was down bad.

"I haven't exactly been able to get them properly treated. I'm not going anywhere near an Angel to ask for help, and I would be surprised if any Demon would willingly give me medical aid... That wouldn't end up with me being more injured than I was before." He fell silent after that, following her towards her house, taking in the scenery around them as it got nicer and nicer. He would wince every now and then as the cold wind ran over his shredded wings, causing him rather intense pain. All of these sensations were far more intense in his current state, and it sometimes felt like they might overwhelm him.

"Of course." Aldrik bowed his head at Kida's instructions, slipping off of his shoes. "Silent as the grave." He nodded, before pausing, glancing back at his wings, and the way they still dripped blood. Shrugging his jacket off, he slipped it over his tattered wings, wincing in pain at the pressure he put on them. "Kida.." He searched for the right words, before settling on the simplest form of what he could come up with. "Thank you." He offered her a gentle smile, taking a soft step inside of her apartment, glancing around at the entryway and the rooms beyond, curious to see how she had decorated her living space. He made sure to not keep her waiting, however, staying just a few steps behind her as they went into her apartment.
 
"Don't thank me just yet, I haven't done anything other than get you off the street." If she didn't get those damn stumps that had once been wings to stop bleeding, she could kiss her security deposit goodbye. Maybe she could just put a bunch of blankets out on the floor to catch anything that fell. She was definitely putting something down on the couch, although she was far less worried about the furniture than the floor. Why hadn't she gotten a rug for the living room just to be safe? She was a demon, and demons often tracked in blood, but she'd gotten used to being the middleman that broke up those fights and usually came home clean.

Usually.

"That coat is garbage. Throw it in the kitchen trash and come into the bathroom when you're done." A drink could wait until she'd patched him up a bit, if she had to smell angel blood for the entirety of the night then she was never going to be able to sleep. It was distracting enough on the occasion she was stuck patching up another demon, but this was something else entirely. On the bright side, she had plenty of medical supplies stocked up from a history of patching up herself and others after fights.

"In here." Kida was already down in the bathroom by the time he was done with what she'd instructed, sifting through a large woven bin sitting on the counter beside the sink. It was full of various rolls of gauze, antiseptics, ointments, and bandages, as well as some metal instruments and other items used for patching up injured immortals.

"You're not going to like what I say, but I think we may have to cauterize them if they won't stop bleeding."
 
Aldrik fixed Kida with a glance at her words, his gaze a mixture of emotions. "Which is far kinder then what anyone else has done for me recently. So, again, thank you Kida" He remarked, letting out a sigh as he tried his best to prevent any of the ichor from ending up on the floor. He winced in pain as the fabric brushed over the stubs. It was excruciating, like every nerve on his back was lit on fire, with the embers being stoked with every little movement.

"Alright," He let out a sigh, making his way into the kitchen and finding the trash can after a few moments of searching. He peeled the jacket off, folding it up and tossing it in the garbage can. He quickly made his way back through the apartment, glancing around as he tried to sort out where the bathroom was, before Kida's voice guided him to the small bathroom, and he let out a hiss of pain as one of the stumps brushed the doorway.

"Ah." Aldirk's voice was hollow as he processed Kida's words, and he thought over his options for a few moments. "They've been bleeding on and off. They stopped for nearly a week, so I thought they had finally started healing but..." He groaned, running a hand through his hair as he let out a frustrated sigh. "It's likely the best option. I can't really think of anything else that can be done. Minus removing them period, but even then, they'd need to be cauterized. I can't say I know for certain how they will heal either way..." He shook his head, turning to face Kida. "Very well. If you think cauterizing is the best option... Well. There aren't really any other options" He glanced over his shoulder at the stumps, trying to muster his resolve. "How do you propose we cauterize them?" His voice was quiet, his mind burdened by what they were about to do.
 
"I'm not really in the mood for late night surgery." Kida's lips pressed into a thin line as he came into the bathroom, and she looked at him thoughtfully before shaking her head and spinning a finger in the air. "Get your shirt off and let's get them cleaned up. I'll bandage them tonight the best I can, and we'll see what happens overnight. They're not pouring blood, so even if they leak overnight, you're not going to die. I won't have a dead angel on my couch when I wake up." She waited patiently for him to strip his shirt and turn around, soaking a washcloth in water and preparing a second one for the antiseptic.

"If it gets so bad it needs cauterized, you might as well just dig what's left of the wings out and stitch everything up." Surgery on an angel, especially for something as intricate as removing the rest of their wings was the last thing she wanted to be doing. Cleaning and bandaging up the mangled stumps was already going to be a messy job, and how did one properly bandage something that wasn't level? She could clean it and tape bandages over it, but then she would need to wrap gauze around him... She was going to go through so much gauze, it was a good thing she had so much of it stockpiled in closets.

"So which angel did you piss off bad enough to get your wings torn off?"
 
Aldrik chuckled, before letting out a pained groan as he followed her instructions to peel off his shirt. "I can't blame you. nor would I ask you to do that Kida" He remarked, clenching his teeth a little as he turned around, giving her the best view of the ruined stubs of flesh and bone. "I've been through worse. I'll survive. I hope" He tried to pass it off, even though Kida had a clear view of the fact that not only were his wings mangled, his entire back was deformed around the base of his wings, as if someone had tried their best to rip the wings out of his body entirely, leading to the possibility of the bones being dislocated, or worse, broken.

"Ah... I wouldn't be surprised if that was what needed to be done." He remarked, his voice almost.. haunted as he stood there, as still as the grave, allowing Kida to do whatever was needed to his back. He let out a sigh, his posture noticeably slacking at her question, and he fell silent, getting lost in thought as he considered just how to answer her question. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you" His voice was certainly haunted by regret and pain, a heavy sigh slipping from his lips.

Aldrik went to speak, and then fell silent, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, taking a small amount of comfort from the action. "It was Azrael, and Gabriella" He admitted with another heavy sigh, wincing a little at the strain that put on his back, the area throbbing in pain as he patiently waited for Kida to do her work
 
"We'll try to salvage them." The demon's tone was indifferent as she set to work dabbing at the lines of dried blood on his back. She was used to seeing severe injuries on demons but seeing them on angels was an entirely different thing. This was going to cause her more trouble than it was worth, she just knew it up "Straighten back up." She prodded at his back gently as she noticed the slouch, catching the change in tone but doing nothing more than continuing to wipe away the blood. Now that it was loosening up where it was old and caked, it was becoming easier to rub at it with the wash cloth to finish the job. That all came to an abrupt halt when he answered her question, though, her hand stilling on his back before she pulled back and rinsed the cloth out with a curse.

"Beelz' horns, man. You pissed off the one they call the Angel of Death?" That was one of the last angels she needed showing up at her house. Next thing she knew, she'd have Michael breathing down her neck. Kida cursed again and shook her head, going back to wiping away the rest of the blood before she wiped her hands on a dry rag and pulled out a bottle of antiseptic.

"This is the part that's going to hurt the most, and I'm going to have to do both sides, so it's going to hurt twice as bad. If you make me stop, don't expect that I'll start again." She doused a dry rag in the disinfectant and held it above his back, her other hand resting on the top of his shoulder gently.

"Deep breath." She gave him one brief warning before beginning to clean the stubs properly now, working her way through one and then the other the quickest that she could before dumping the rag back in the sink. The iodine was staining his skin with an ugly rusty color, but it still looked better than it had covered in blood just moments ago. That had to have burned like hell though, and she paused for a moment before reaching for more supplies to bandage.

"Surviving?"
 
Aldrik let out a soft sigh at her words, his mind already checked out as she started to dab at his back. What was he going to do? Kida's generosity would not last forever, and then he would need to go somewhere else. But where could he go? It wasn't like he had anyone he could turn to. He had always been a loner, and the few friends he had wouldn't dare even talk to him now. "Don't worry about salvaging them" He whispered, sitting up straight as she poked and prodded at his back, finding the motions to be painful, but not as bad as the pain that burned beneath his skin.

"Aye. I did. And I'd do it again. He's an imbecilic, bigoted, self-righteous moron." His voice was suddenly full of a conviction that it hadn't had before, and if Kida was able to see his face, she'd have seen the mixture of emotions that covered his feature. Determination, anger, and loss all flashed across his face and through his eyes. "Just get it over with. It can't be worse then it is now" He encouraged her, his shoulders tensing as he prepared for the pain that he knew was coming.

Aldrik let out a low hiss as the iodine touched the open wounds, and his eyes clenched shut as he allowed Kida to contuine her work without interruption. If he was being honest, her words had reminded her of the reason he had ended up in this situation to begin with, and the pain was a welcome distraction from the memories that bothered him, and threatened to push him into an emotional break down.

It took him a minute to respond, and he nodded at first, before turning to glance over his shoulder to look at Kida. "I'm fine. Keep going." He offered her a gentle smile. "Thank you" He murmured, before glancing away, unable to keep his mind from the thoughts that bothered him now, and his shoulders slumped a little again, a sigh full of depression spilling from his lips as his fingers drummed against a nearby surface.
 
"Don't need to thank me." She huffed quietly and set to work placing gauze strategically over the wounds. "I'm doing this so I don't have to deal with the bullshit later. Just hold still and I'll get this over as quickly as I can." The sooner it was over with, the sooner she could start winding down for the night and get some sleep. The rest of the drama that was going to come with this situation... Well, she could deal with that later.

The demon worked in silence to place the gauze properly and secure it into place with the medical tape, pursing her lips as she examined her work and grumbled about how shoddy of a job it was. It had been awhile since she'd had to bandage someone's back from such a severe wound, and her skills were clearly lacking because of it. Still, it would do well enough to keep them covered so he didn't bleed all over her home.

"I'll make sure there's a blanket for the couch. Don't touch the leftover Chinese in the fridge, anything else it up for grabs." She patted him on the shoulder and stepped around him, then paused and sighed. "And don't kill the booze I have laying around, I don't need you to end up bleeding everywhere again." Was there anything else she needed to relay, or had she lectured the poor bastard enough for the night?

"Anything else you'll need?"
 
Aldrik rolled his eyes at Kida's protests. "You're right. I don't need to thank you. But I'm going to thank you. This is the nicest thing someone has done for me in a long time." He murmured, before falling silent as she kept working over his wounds with gauze and medical tape. "Regardless of why you are doing it. Thank you." His voice was almost mournful in nature as he sat there, perfectly still.

"I won't touch anything. I promise." He met her gaze, offering her a gentle smile. "I'll be fine with just the blanket. Thank you, Kida. Have a good night." He waited for her to hand him the blanket, and then after that, he waited for her to head further into her apartment. Once he heard the door to what he assumed was Kida's bedroom close, he would let out a long sigh, tucking the blanket over the lower half of his body, and turning so that he was laying down on his stomach. Within moments of his eyes closing, sleeping was claiming him for the first time in several days, the darkness a welcome reprieve from the pain that was radiating from his back.

-----

Aldrik groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes, the bright light causing him to turn and shift a few times. He tried to hide his face further on the couch, before abandoning any attempts to sleep further. He was happy with... however much sleep he got, and he forced himself to sit up, stretching a little as he glanced around the room he was in, a frown covering his face. He tried his best to remember the details of the night before, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember until he brushed his bandaged wings against the back of the couch.

Kida. He buried his head in his hands. How could he forget so easily? She had taken him in and tended to his wounds. Even if her main drive was to save herself the effort later down the line. She had still willingly done something nice for him... And if there was one thing Azhek wouldn't allow, would be to let such a kind deed go unanswered.

Humming quietly, Aldrik pushed himself to his feet, glancing around the apartment. With a wince, he made his way into the kitchen, trying to keep as quiet as he could as he reached under the kitchen sink where he was able to find some cleaning supplies. He resolved to do some cleaning while Kida was asleep... And he could cook her breakfast at the same time. A quick glance at the clock revealed it to be just past seven in the morning.

Aldrik would spend the next hour cleaning up around the apartment, and by the time eight o'clock rolled around, he was back in the kitchen, opening up the fridge and starting to root around in there. He found enough to make what he'd consider an acceptable breakfast, and a few minutes later, the sweet smell of cooking waffles would fill the apartment, accompanied by the sound of frying eggs and the smell of bacon.
 
"Night." She gave a half-hearted wave and got him the necessary items to sleep on the couch, then wandered off to her room with a bottle of booze to settle in for the night. An angel in her home, bah! If she wasn't hounded by Teresa or Raj tomorrow with questions about the angel she'd all but drug out of the bar, it would be a miracle she couldn't believe. Someone was bound to ask questions, but as long as they didn't continue to cause any drama and drag her into it, she would take them as they came and handle the situation... Just like she always did with the problems that arose in her town.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, woman? Getting in over your head finally, aren't you?" An angel who had set off Azrael off all the angels to have pissed off. Next thing she knew, she'd have the angel of death or Michael himself breathing down her neck. Maybe she'd have both of them, and she did not want to fight any archs. The species barely coexisted as it was, violence was not unusual when eyes weren't on them, and even she knew that taking on powerful angels like them would be a bad idea.

The thought kept her up for some time as she sipped at the bottle, laid out on her bed staring at the ceiling and pondering what the future days could bring her. Would her long existence finally be ended by an angry angel come to finish off her temporary ward? Was that what Aldrik was, her ward? She had taken responsibility for him, regardless of her reasoning.

"Hell."

Kida wasn't sure what time it was when she finally fell asleep. All she knew was that when she finally woke sometime later, it was to a myriad of smells coming from outside her room. Chemicals and food, an interesting combination she wasn't used to smelling together. It took a moment for her brain to register that no one had broken into her home, that she'd put up an angel for the night and foreseeable future, which had to be the source of the smells. Unless he'd let someone else in while she was sleeping? It wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning!

"The hell is going on out here?" By the time she drug herself out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, Kida was half awake and fighting what was either a hangover, or the alcohol still wearing off from how much she'd drank just hours before. "Are you... Cooking breakfast?"
 
Aldrik nearly jumped at the sound of Kida's voice behind him and he was visibly startled, before he turned around to face Kida, wincing in pain from the strain that was put on his still agonizingly raw back. "Yes, yes I am" He gave her a sheepish smile. "You did something truly nice for me... And I wanted to at least try to do something nice for you." He paused before another sheepish look dominated his face. "I'm sorry if it's bothersome. That wasn't my intent"

He turned back to the stove, quietly humming something under his breath as he picked up a pair of tongs off the counter, using them to turn over pieces of bacon that were dominating the pan in front of him. "Did you sleep well?" He glanced back at Kida over his shoulder, before the soft ding of the waffle-maker distracted him, and he set the tongs down, before turning to retrieve a spatula. Lifting the lid of the waffle maker, he carefully wiggled the spatula under the finished waffle, using it to push it free of the mold.

Aldrik hummed as he grabbed a plate, proceeding to plate a pair of waffles, followed by some scrambled eggs and a few pieces of bacon, and he set it down on the countertop next to Kida. "For you, if you want it." He pushed it towards her, before turning to the stove, turning it off, and taking the dishes to the sink. A few moments later, the sound of cold water hitting a hot pan filled the apartment, and he started to hum to himself again as he started to clean the dishes.
 
"I didn't say it was bothersome." She rubbed at her face and yawned while entering the kitchen, smelling at the food and taking the entire scene in. "Not really, but that's nothing new. I'm often out late dealing with nonsense." Nothing quite like what she'd dealt with the previous night, but nonsense regardless. When was the last time anyone had made food for her? Gifting her blood didn't count, and she couldn't remember the last time someone had cooked for her.

"Uh, thanks." She took the plate awkwardly and drizzled some syrup on top of the waffles, looking back at him with a shake of her head before going and taking a seat in the living room. An angel cooking breakfast, and now he was cleaning up the dishes after. Wait, had he cleaned her living room? She could have sworn that it was a fair bit messier the night before, but now things looked much neater, there wasn't dust on the furniture, she even swore it looked like the couch had been neatened up... Somehow.

"Did you clean my apartment?"
 
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