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Fallen Out of Grace (Yuna & Rauk's 1x1)

LadyYunaFFX2

LadyYunaFFX2

Pulsar
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Location
Boone, NC
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High above the clouds, out of sight from any human, was the home of all of the angels. Typically, there was a calm and peaceful feeling coming from those who resided in Heaven. Today, however, there was .. something new. There was a mix of shock, awe, some disgust, some outright infuriated. But in the end, few of the other angels were pleased with today. This was something that had never been done before and was thus ... almost taboo in nature.

Some of the angels whispered in hushed voices, others didn't even look as the one who was heading to her trial. A quick glance hinted the woman had died young, still barely a teen if she even had been one. She had flowing black hair and eyes that matched the color of the sky. Despite all that was about to happen, however, she looked relatively calm; almost more than she should. That alone could have contributed for the odd looks many gave her. But in the end, it was anyone's guess on what they were appalled at exactly. Soon though, it wasn't really going to matter. It would be a matter of moments before judgement would be passed.

Soon, the young woman arrived before the archangels and even some of the saints. It was quite the sight to behold, especially since it was rare to see them after passing through the gates. Her gaze slowly shifted from the clouds and up to directly in front of her. If she was scared or nervous, none of those emotions were showing.

"Celeste Fay," Raphael called out to her. "Would you care to explain the recent rumors going around regarding your beliefs?"

"... They're not rumors." she quickly answered, causing multiple gasps, glares, stares, or some combination of the listed and a few not to be displayed. It died swiftly down, however, as Raphael raised a hand towards the others then gave a 'go on' motion to Celeste.

"I speak but what seems to be the truth. This ... is not the God I was taught of. He's not merciful. He takes away the lives of good people while so many others who have committed far worse sins survive. It's seen every day from drunk driving accidents to terrorist activities. More innocent than guilty die. Why? Is that his true nature? Shouldn't people know of this? Be told that's how he really is?"

The commotion that had been silenced resumed again, seeming to grow in anger and shock. It took a bit longer but they calmed down. Once it got silent again, Raphael sighed and shook his head.

"You do not wish to take back those words and ask for forgiveness?"

"Why should I ask to take back what I believe is true."

For a few moments, the archangel's eyes seemed as if they held pity, maybe sorrow for the young girl. Still, she'd said her reply. And her voice had held that same calm but stern tone to it. Even if she wanted to try to take any of this back, that was long gone. The words had been spoken, the damage had been done.

"Then you leave me no choice. You will return to them. I'll let you keep those long enough to help with your descent. Once your feet touch the ground though ... those will be gone." As the word 'those' left Raphael's lips, he gave a nod towards the white wings upon her back. "Do you have anything more to say?"

Although Celeste did indeed have a few retorts, she didn't let any of them slip past her lips. Her head merely shook.

No sooner than her head moving from side to side was seen did the clouds part and she began to fall, slowing thanks to her wings. Her eyes closed as she took a few moments to remember everything, including how she'd even gotten to Heaven in the first place. A shiver went down her spine as the memory came back.

It'd been her senior homecoming. She had walked back since her home was relatively close to the school. That had - unfortunately - been a horrible decision. A drunk driver hit her square in the sternum, causing a few ribs to break and puncture her lungs and heart. She died before arriving in the hospital.

That was when the dawning hit her. If she was about to live on the Earth again... how would this work?! She was breaking the laws of life and death. Not that she'd asked for it but .. still. It was about to occur, whether she wanted it or not. Her eyes began to catch the sight of many trees in front of her, making an eyebrow raise. It felt a bit familiar. But .. why?

Before she could think too much on it, her feet had touched the ground. And .. true to her word, the wings began to separate themselves off of her back. The pain was horrid and it caused multiple, loud screams to echo through the forest. The ripping continued at a pain achingly slow pace. One was taken off ... and after what felt like forever, the other one followed suit. Celeste hadn't noticed it before but the once white gown she'd had turned to black.

Blood began to fall upon the grass as she slumped forward, falling onto her stomach as her muscles twitched. Her vision was switching between normal and double. Her voice had gotten a bit hoarse from all the screaming. Still, she knew she had to try. So as Celeste's mouth opened, she managed to weakly call out.

"..Someone? Anyone .... ngh ... "
 
Lucius Benson​

Lucius took another swig of whiskey from his quickly emptying flask, as he was quietly stepping through the forest toward his favorite reading spot. Packing along a side pouch containing some of his favorite poetry books, and a notepad with some amateur scribblings of his own, he closed his eyes as he felt the breeze on his skin and warm sun beating down on his back.

Making his living as a handy man of sorts, he never had a lot of money, and wasn't particularly talented. In fact, some would call him good for nothing. His love of simple things, such as fishing and poetry were not passions of respectable and high class people.

Lucius listened to the chirping of the birds, and the wind through the swaying trees as he chose one of his poetry books from the pack and began to read. Scratching the back of his neck as he flipped through the pages, he noticed that the sun was particularly bright today. In fact, so bright that it was painful to the eyes. As the sudden increase of the sun's output peaked and faded back to normal, he thought maybe it was just the movement of the clouds, and went back to reading.

The bluejeans and tucked in simple white T shirt he wore were held in place by a simple brown latched belt. The short black hair, barely an inch long was complimented by the stubble on his face. Lucius did not feel that he needed to shave often, so he had a scraggly look to himself most times.

His green eyes caught notice of some rustling in the tall grass just out of sight. Wondering what kind of animal could be making a ruckus like that, he sprang up, and pulled out his camera phone to sneak up and snap a photograph or two.

Just when he was drawing near, he heard the vulnerable sounding petrifying screams of a young girl coming from the direction where the disturbed weeds were. What was a young lady doing this far out in the woods? It had taken him thirty minutes to reach this area on a small dirt road, and he did not recall seeing any other cars where he had parked. Was the alcohol playing tricks on him?

Needing to know for himself, he pocketed his phone and jogged toward the area where all the commotion was going on to see something he definitely did not expect: a beautiful young black haired girl wearing a ripped and tattered black dress on her hands and knees, with mysterious wounds on her back. There was blood everywhere. Heavily breathing from the short sprint, he dashed to her side.

"Miss! What are you doing here? I'm going to get you out of here, don't worry!" He told her in a panic, as he noticed the bloody wounds on her back where a large portion of the dress was gone.
"Jesus! What happened to you!?" was all he could think to say, as he undid his belt, and lifted his shirt above his head, ripping it in sections, in an attempt to make a bandage to wrap her up in. Twisting a piece of his shirt tightly, Lucius placed it between the girl's teeth and made a 'bite down' gesture as he twisted the cap off of his flask. Pouring the extraordinarily strong alcoholic beverage down her back hoping it would wash the wound or sterilize it somewhat, he shuddered as the tears ran down the poor girl's face in agony. He didn't know if that would help, but he saw it in a movie once. This was his logic in the decision.

After wrapping his quick-fix shirt-bandage around her, he held both of her shoulders as he looked into her eyes to make sure she has remained conscious.

"Are you still with me? C'mon, I'm going to get you help. Give me your arm..." he said, as he grabbed her wrist and pulled it around his neck. With the left arm supporting underneath her knees, and his right arm holding under her back, he lifted her and began making his way as quickly as possible toward his truck. Sweat poured from his brow, as Lucius' adrenaline was pumping. Her cheek tightly against his chest, as strands of her black hair periodically flung up into his face being caught by the growing gusts of chilling wind. His heart was beating faster, as he wondered to himself if he would be able to get help for his new friend.

After a few minutes, the shirtless Lucius arrived at his old truck with the mysterious young lady. As he opened the door carefully with the hand under her back, he nudged it further open with his shoulder being careful to not hit her head. After carefully placing her in the passenger seat, he shuts the door and scurries over to the driver's side. Starting the engine, he noticed fuel meter.
"Close to empty... Great." he curses, as he gazed once more over to the battered female he had committed to rescuing. Out of breath, he switched the control into 'Drive' and began the journey back toward the town, doing near double the speed limit down the dirt/gravel road. Every now and then, as he operated the vehicle, he glanced over to the girl.

"You don't look like you're from around here. What's your story? ....What were you doing out there all by yourself?" He asks, as he catches his breath. The rumbling sound of the tires on the road, and the wind through the trees outside being the only other sounds to be heard.

"...Name's Lucius by the way."
 
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In between blinks, she had thought at one point a figure came into view. As her ears caught the sounds of panting and running, it registered into Celeste's mind that she heard correctly. The knowledge that someone had heard her cries for help made her weakly sigh and groan. Her eyes slowly closed, remaining shut for a few moments before her head weakly glanced up. A man perhaps a few years or so older than her with matching hair color and green eyes which contrasted with her blue ones. Her mouth began to open and attempt to explain what she'd just endured. But Celeste halted, realizing one major thing. How could she be honest? No human would really believe such an explanation, would they? If anything, it probably sounded much more like a made-up story. But .. the wound upon her back kinda proved it, right? She went silent, unsure of whether to speak up or not.

She never got to decide before the motion to bite was made. She blinked and after a few seconds went through with the motion. Sure enough, a fresh set of tears fell down her face as her body shook violently. Muffled screams echoed through the forest as the alcohol fell onto the wound. Her hands gripped the grass as her eyes rolled to the back of her head before returning to normal. Her breathing was ragged and fast and it was becoming more and more of a struggle to remain conscious by now.

A weak nod would be seen as Lucius asked if she was still with him. "Barely .. " she managed to reply, weakly giving him an arm as instructed. The rapid eye movement continued, seeming to become stronger if anything. One minute she found herself still deep in the forest. The next, a car was off in the distance. She heard the door open and then felt herself placed in the passenger seat. Even with her vision not being so good, she could feel and notice the speed was .. probably more than it should have been then and there. It made her weakly smile, glad to see someone who was willing to go so far to help her out. She was but a stranger to this man. He didn't have to help. But here he was, doing all he could to get her assistance anyways.

"Thank you ... Lucius. Celeste ... Fay ... " she managed to reply, wondering if that had been a smart idea. Her obituary still could be found ... wait. He was taking her to a hospital, wasn't he?!

Oh gods no!

If the staff found out ... fuck! How would this be explained?! Her head quickly shook no.

"Wait .. no. Please ... can't ... "
 
Lucius kept his eyes on the road, as he periodically glanced over at the strange female in his passenger seat. As she mumbled her response, he thought to himself if she may be delirious from the pain.

"What? You -don't- want to go to the hospital? But why! I'm afraid you're going to get an infection if you don't get some help. What do you want me to do??" Lucius grunted. Though he wanted to help her, he did not want to bring her to the hospital without her consent.

With both hands on the steering wheel, he made the decision to keep driving. Upon arrival at the parking lot to the emergency room, he parked the truck, and sat there in the drivers seat battling with himself mentally, trying to figure out what to do. Lucius ran his fingers through his black hair, and then his gaze slowly turned to the girl who he had just rescued from his favorite poetry spot. With his right hand, he reached over to wipe the strands of her hair out of her face, behind her ear and preceded to gently give her shoulder a shake.

"We're here." he softly spoke, as the cool air brushed through the rolled down windows. He inspected the bandages once more and took note that they had luckily stopped the bleeding for now. Pushing his head back into the headrest, he looked up to the sky and asked, "...Why me? What am I supposed to do now?" he rolled his window up, and took a moment to think to himself, weighing the situation.

Just then, after a moment of silence, Lucius heard a tap on his driver side window. A large man with a white uniform, and a funny looking black hat was flashing his police badge and motioning for him to roll down the window. As he cooperated, the man peered back and forth from him to the girl, and asked, "Excuse me, but you've been sitting here for around ten minutes now. Does she need help? And pray tell where is your shirt?"

Remembering that the girl didn't want to be hospitalized, he responded in a stupid panic, "Oh, this is just my girlfriend. She's uh... fine? Yeah, she just scratched her back on a tree and I bandaged her myself. She'll be good as new in the morning! Won't you, ...Celeste?"

Lucius began to sweat profusely as if he wasn't sure what was going to happen. At this point, he was afraid they might accuse him of doing this to her. He looks over at Celeste, waiting for her opinion on the situation, thinking to himself.

Girlfriend?! Why would you tell him she's your girlfriend! Stupid stupid!
 
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A twinge of guilt shot through Celeste. She knew the request was abrupt and sounded incredibly stupid. But she continued to think on this as carefully as possible. They'd need her name, her identity. Even if she tried to use the 'amnesia' excuse, they'd find out. Was it even worth making an attempt to keep the knowledge hidden away? Magics were heard of and even sometimes used. She'd seen this before the loss of her wings. But this ... this would appear as if necromancy would be used. And she didn't want Lucius - anyone really - being blamed for using such powers in one of the most 'wrong' and taboo ways. It hadn't been what had happened, true. But it would seem like the easiest excuse. And doubts had all but grown over the years. Would she be able to convince anyone of the truth, of what had really happened?

She didn't know and it was enough to make her shake as tears began to fall down her face.

"I'm sorry," she finally replied weakly, managing to muster the courage to look at Lucius. "You're trying to do the right thing ... and I'm just being really, really selfish. Just -- "

That was as far as she got before the cop spoke. Celeste took the opportunity to realize he'd already done what she was about to suggest. They were already here, parked at the hospital. Were it not for the fact she'd already lost a lot of blood, tinges of crimson would no doubt have crossed her face upon hearing the word 'girlfriend'. This was, in it's own odd form and fashion, truly sweet of the man. He was lying for her even though they hadn't known one another for very long. Not even a full hour, in fact.

Well, at least there was a new reason to believe in humanity once again. For years, it'd seemed like there were too many corrupt humans. But now, this man was giving her reasons to look on people with a new sense of hope and faith.

A weak nod would be able to be seen as she went along with the lie to the cop. "I .. I am his girlfriend, yes. However, I'm no nurse myself so we'll see how long it takes. But .. he is fairly guessing it's a bit of a chore for me to try to walk as it is. Thank you, officer."

If the cop was going to stay nearby, then hopefully he'd at least take her word if not Lucius'. But what truly made her heart sink ... was knowing she may not be 'as good as new by morning'. She was lucky as it was her spine had stayed intact. It would likely be much, much longer before she'd truly finish healing up. All the same, the words she'd said on not having much medical knowledge were true.

Only time and the hospital staff would really reveal the verdict on how long, if even, she would heal up or not.

It was incredibly nerve-wracking, knowing this agreement made her metaphorically walking closer and closer to revealing her true self as it were. But it wasn't fair to lie and make this all the more worse for Lucius. She'd continue to walk forward and face her new fate, whatever that may or may not include.
 
Lucius Benson​

The cop squinted his eyes slightly, as he caught the scent of the whiskey on Lucius' breath.

"Son, I can tell you've been drinking. And great scott, your girlfriend stinks of booze, too." snarls the cop at them, as Lucius turns white, not sure what to do next. Glancing back toward the Celeste, and then back again making eye contact with Lucius, the cop adds, "Neither of you are fit to drive. Let me take you home. You can leave your truck parked here for the night."

Thinking maybe this is the best idea, Lucius looked to her with raised eyebrows, while shrugging his shoulders. "I think this is our best bet.. Besides, my mother is a retired RN, we can get her to look at you." explains Lucius as he exits the truck, and walks around to open the door for her. "Can you walk?" he adds.

Helping her to her feet, Lucius walks her over to the police vehicle and helps her inside, sitting next to her. As they were soon traveling down the road, not a word was spoken, but he looked at her and thought to himself. Why was he doing this? He had never met this girl before today. Normally he would have just dropped her off at the emergency room door, and driven off, but there was something in Lucius causing him to turn over a new leaf. Could it be that he was lonely, and found her very attractive? That couldn't be it, he wasn't looking for a girlfriend. Maybe he just wanted to help a damsel in distress just like anyone should.

As they arrived at the home of Lucius, it was a humble two bedroom apartment on the edge of town that he shared with his widowed mother. He opened the police car door, and helped her out, pulling her arm around his neck as they walked away toward the building. Fumbling around for his keys, Lucius started to point them toward the lock as the door flung open and his surprised mother looked him in the eyes.

"Where have you been!? I've been worried sick about you. And who's this poor girl?" she snaps at him. Her tone suddenly changed from upset to motherly as she changed her attention to the girl hanging from him. "Oh, you poor thing, what has my dead beat of a son done to you? Mama Benson will make everything all better. C'mon, Lucius, bring her inside for me to get a better look."

Lucius put his arm under her knees, and lifted, picking her up to carry her the rest of the way inside the apartment, and under the stairs to his bedroom. It was a small simple room, with a full sized unmade bed, a night stand with a lamp and an alarm clock, a dresser and an old television set resting on top of it. Beside the door, just inside the room was a book shelf with a few odd and end poetry books. Mrs. Benson puts a large towel down on top of the mattress as to not get bloodstains on the bed, as Lucius lowers her down gently.

Mrs. Benson put her warm hand on the side of Celeste's face as she asked in a sweet tone, "Honey, could you roll over onto your side so I can get you out of this ruined dress, and remove this bandage? I need to clean and dress your wounds properly."

As she began to dab a warm damp cloth over Celeste's forehead, and converse with the young lady, she asked Lucius, "Son, I need you to go get one of my night gowns from my closet, so your girlfriend can have something to wear when I'm finished patching her up." Suddenly becoming beet red in the face, he exited the room, and closed the door behind him.
 
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The cop squinting made Celeste panic. He didn't believe Lucius, did he? Her eyes closed and teeth gripped her lower lip slightly. To her amazement, however, he was bothered by the scent of alcohol. She had remembered that Lucius used it on her wound. But she hadn't honestly paid much attention to the fact he himself smelled of it. Even as the internal sigh of relief echoed in her head, poor Celeste felt her heart race wildly. Well, if she'd been having doubts on whether she had been made a mortal or not, they were all but gone now.

Celeste gave a weak nod, agreeing this probably was for the best. If she had to tell anyone of this, it'd be easier to relay the information to a few people as opposed to an entire hospital. "I ... I can, yes but I might need help again." she admitted softly, accepting the offer to use one of his shoulders.

To say she was nervous by having to ride in the back of the police car was a massive understatement. Celeste had never been in any kind of trouble before and that was typically what it meant to be in such a place. But she tried to reassure herself the cop would keep to his word, that he wasn't one of the corrupt ones she'd heard about prior to her death. They weren't common, though, so hopefully that concern could go away. She managed to at least give a polite bow of her head to the cop as the car finally did stop but not much more. It was clear, even though she was trembling a bit, that Celeste was glad to be done with that part of the trip.

A weak smile crossed her face as Ms. Benson opened the door. Celeste's first impression? The woman was actually somewhat similar to her own. But Ms. Benson definitely had a stronger accent. There was also the slight difference in appearance, naturally. But otherwise, she saw many similarities. "Actually .. your son helped me, if anything. It's ... a bit complicated of a story. In fact, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe it."

This would be something that they would both need to sit down for, or be as still as possible to hear. So she first waited to be led into the bedroom. A few pained winces echoed softly, the turning causing Celeste to pant slightly. She waited to regain her breath before closing her eyes, taking a slight breath, and beginning to speak up.

"Ma'am? Lucius? I'm - or rather I used to be - an angel. My obituary, Celeste Fay, should be easy to research as .. my demise was but about half a year ago." It was slightly depressing, admitting such knowledge. But they had wanted the entire story so ... here it was.

Now the real question; how would they take to this? Would they even believe her? If not ... what would happen. She swallowed softly, waiting to hear reactions and thoughts from the two.
 
Lucius Benson​

Lucius made his way upstairs to his mother's bedroom and quickly retrieved a silky, solid white nightgown from her wardrobe. It was several sizes too large for Celeste, but it would do for now he thought. He stood outside the door, listening to the conversation as he scratched his head at what was discussed. All the while, waiting for their permission for him to enter. He wanted to be respectful and not barge in when her private parts could be exposed.

"Mum, I've got something for her to wear, whenever you need it." Lucius said loudly as he knocked on the door with two knuckles on his right hand.

"Just a minute." Ms. Benson responded.

Meanwhile, Lucius' mother was pulling off the ruined black dress from Celeste's battered body, and began to carefully remove the ripped shirt-bandage Lucius had placed on her initially.

"My Lucius can be such a sweet boy, sometimes. Although this is an ugly job, he did manage to stop the bleeding. You poor thing, an angel? Yes, you sure are a sweet little angel, honey. We'll get you fixed up and shipped back to heaven in no time." She says as she then yelled out the door toward Lucius, "Son, I think you got her a little too drunk. She thinks she's an angel, and that her obituary can be found."

Lucius groaned, "...I heard her the first time, mum." Just out of pure curiosity, Lucius went online with his smart phone, and looked up local obituaries. He searched Celeste Fay, and what he found caused him to turn completely white, and promptly drop his phone to the floor.

Is she telling the truth?

Lucius swallowed a huge lump of fear, as he yelled back to his mother, "Y-yeah mum. I think she's had a little too m-much to drink. Is she decent yet?"

"Yeah, come on in." she said happily, as she pulled the sheets over Celeste's frontside, covering her breasts. Lucius entered the room, and laid the gown at the side of the bed, and gave Celeste a stone cold look, as if to let her know that he believes her, and to let his mother think she's just intoxicated for now.

Ms. Benson had professionally cleaned the wounds, and applied a numbing agent to help dull the pain, before applying a proper clean bandage to each side. She made the comment of how the wounds were shaped, it's almost as if she were an angel, and had her wings ripped off, but most likely just hurt herself in a drunken stupor. After finishing up, Ms. Benson rises, as she explains, "I'm going to go clean myself up a bit, and get a nice cuppa tea brewing. I'll leave you two alone for now, and return in a few moments." as she grants Celeste a warm smile, and exits the room.
 
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Maybe it was because Celeste was awaiting to hear the reactions of Ms. Benson and Lucius, but if she hadn't known better, time had seemed to slow if not altogether cease. Each action felt slower than how long it really took to complete each task. The removal of the bandages, for example, felt like it'd taken almost an entire minute. In reality, though, Celeste knew it only took about ten to twenty seconds. But it had definitely not felt like that. Finally, Ms. Benson began to reply on her revelation about who she was and where the wound had come from. Needless to say, she wasn't sure if she felt more amazed or slightly insulted with Ms. Benson thinking that Lucius had actually gotten her drunk. She was too young for alcohol! It wasn't even legal for her to touch the stuff!

At the same time, however, it was perhaps one of the most merciful reactions she could have gotten. So due to that reason alone plus the fact the woman was healing her and taking the revelation better than Celeste had expected, she decided to be grateful and amazed with her reaction as opposed to insulted. The soft but audible sound of something falling outside hinted that Lucius' reaction was probably - very likely in fact - a different story.

A new set of bandages and cloth found their way around her flesh, covering the area where her wings had used to be. The sensation of the whiskey having been applied was mostly gone, though part of Celeste could still remember and feel it. It stung but not nearly as bad as when it had first been applied to her back. Her hands rested upon the sheets as they covered her breasts and everything else that Ms. Benson needed to do was completed.

Finally, it was just herself and Lucius in the room. A mix of the look on his face and the pale color dominating his face made Celeste feel more certain he had done the research and seen she had indeed told the truth. But to be sure, she waited for Ms. Benson to leave the room. A shy and very nervous smile crossed her face as Celeste mustered the courage to speak.

"... So I'm fairly assuming you know I was being sober and honest?" she inquired, her voice subconsciously lowering in volume to the point it was practically a whisper.
 
Lucius Benson​

The distance roar of a train sounded through the window, accompanied by the chirping of birds nesting in the tree outside. Lucius scratched his head, as he thought of what to say to Celeste. He wasn't sure what to believe, though there was a certain glisten in her eyes that told him that she was indeed telling the truth, no matter how far-fetched it may seem.

"So... you're... dead? If you're dead, then what were you doing out in the woods? And alive again? I'm confused." Was all he could manage to get out, as he tried to make sense of the situation. Could this all just be a dream? Lucius pinches himself to see, but only ends up inflicting pain.

As the sun goes down and the night creeps in, illuminating the sky with the mysterious glow of moonlight, Lucius shuts the window to keep the cold air out, and lights a butterscotch scented candle. The light is blown in his bedroom, so the candle flickering on the nightstand slowly becomes the only light in the room.

"...it gets cold at night so if you need some more blankets, let me know." Lucius says, as the door begins to creak, and open. Ms. Benson is returning with tea, and biscuits. She smiles as she pours Celeste a cup first, then herself, then Lucius. Laying the biscuits on the night stand, she says "Gnight, sweeties, don't forget to use a condom!" and promptly exits the room, leaving Lucius' face as red as ever. He rubs the back of his head, as he lets loose an awkward chuckle, and takes a large sip of tea.

"Hmm.. So how are you feeling, then? you seem like you are in less pain now. What are you going to do...? Do you not have anywhere to stay? m-maybe you can stay with me for a while?" says Lucius nervously, as he suddenly realizes how angelically attractive she is, with the scented candle light softly illuminating her beautiful eyes.
 
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"I used to be dead, yes. When you found me, I'd been ... on trial. I've been watching during my time above and seeing all the innocent lives being taken quickly away. Yet others like terrorists and drunk drivers, to name a few, get to live on with little to no punishment on their actions. It bothered - no - disturbed me greatly. So .. I questioned God's judgements. As punishment, they exiled me. Once my feet touched the ground, my wings left me, hence the wounds on my back."

Celeste went silent, knowing this had to be baffling for poor Lucius. She wouldn't blame him if his trust in her decided to dwindle if not altogether vanish now. Her explanation really did sound more like a story a child would try to make. But she knew it was true. Still, she had no real way to prove it to him, either. Angels weren't know for having powers. Not the normal ones with only two wings, at least. That being said, she couldn't exactly show him the past half-hour or so of her new life and let him see for himself this was indeed true.

The closest thing that could be akin to her desire was if he had a dream and saw this all for himself. But even then, that wasn't something Celeste could control. That was far beyond her capabilities.

As Ms. Benson walked in and set the tea and biscuits down, a small smile crossed Celeste's face. "Thank you, ma'am." she thanked. Her hand reached out and began to grab the tea but stopped. Had she really heard the woman correctly. Had she really told Lucius to use a condom? Her own cheeks flushed, matching Lucius's as she finally grasped the cup and took a sip.

Her eyes closed as the new set of questions echoed in her ears. The first was by far the simplest, hands down. After swallowing the tea, she set it back down and gave Lucius an affirmative nod. "Much better. I am still a bit sore but it's not nearly as bad as it was. I ... have no idea, truthfully. I shouldn't be here to begin with. I probably should change my name to avoid any complications but ... " Her head shook slowly from side to side. "I .. don't know how to even begin with doing that. If I revealed myself to anyone else, that'd cause too much of a riot and .... "

Suddenly, everything began to hit her like a ton of bricks. She couldn't really go anywhere, not with the risk of being noticed and ... gods if she wanted to guess what would happen from there. It'd likely depend on the person. But Celeste could believe that some would try to do odd experiments on her and try to figure out how to cheat death. Others were even more dark and terrifying to even ponder on. Most sent shivers down her spine as she forced them to leave her mind.

"No, I have nowhere. Or rather, I shouldn't. It'd be too ... awkward to head back to my parents. So technically, no." As the offer to remain with Lucius was brought up, her blue eyes quickly looked up into his. ".. You sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to be a burden or anything."
 
Lucius Benson​

The hour was late, and Lucius was growing very tired. The sounds of night time were echoing through the wind, as the burning candle began to dim until only a small bit remained.

"I don't know why, but... I believe you, Celeste." he says quietly, almost whispering. Yawning, Lucius stretches his arms before rubbing his eyes and adds, "We should get to sleep. You've got to be exhausted. I know I know I am."

Lucius motioned for her to lay down, comfortably, as he pulled the warm blankets up over her, covering up to her shoulders. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he half-turned to her and looked down into her angelic blue eyes. While placing his hand on the side of her cheek, he said nothing but smiled at her with a very sleepy expression.

"Good night..." says Lucius. He retrieved his hand as he sat on the floor at the side of the bed, leaning his head on the mattress never bothering to change his clothes, or put on a non-torn shirt. As he watched out the window, folding his arms to keep balance, his eyelids slowly became heavier as he started to drift off to sleep.

Maybe it was the rush of saving someone's life, or maybe it was that he surprised even himself today by going through what he went through with his new friend Celeste. But Lucius could not figure out why he found her to be so attractive. She was an angel, as well, and not many people in the world can say they are caring for someone like that. His dreamed began as pleasant ones, but soon faded into a darkness like he's never imagined. He could see Celeste on her knees, collapsing on the ground in the middle of the street. A drunk man staggered out of his wrecked car, also collapsing on the ground. As she gasped for breath, eyes widening as she drew her last living breath, it was more than Lucius could take.

"Celeste! No!!!" He yelled as he sprang awake in a cold sweat, completely out of breath. Lucius looked around him, finding himself in the comfort of his bedroom at home. He turned to Celeste, his heart beating frantically, to be relieved to see her lying there safely.

"Celeste? I'm.. I'm sorry if I woke you. I just had an awful nightmare...But it seemed so real. I saw you... You were hit by a drunk man in a car... You didn't make it to the hospital.." he says, trying to catch his breath, fighting back tears. How could just a simple nightmare shake him so much?
 
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A soft sigh left Celeste's lips as Lucius decided to believe her. It was something he didn't have to do by any means, especially when the explanation sounded more like a god awful story. She gave him an affirmative nod as her eyes slowly closed. "I am, yes." she murmured sleepily. Out of habit, Celeste had started to turn to sleep on her side. The stinging sensation which shot thorough her body, however, reminded the former angel it wouldn't be a wise idea. A low groan echoed in the room before finally, her chest began to rise and fall, signaling Celeste had fallen asleep.

For months, Celeste had never really had any dreams. But now that she was a mortal again, they seemed to resume. And of course, they'd begin with her demise. Her head shook from side to side as she tossed and turned. "Fuck off ... " she mumbled, not bothering to stop herself from going through with the rare cursing. This felt like a cruel joke and with her luck, it probably was. Although with how things had gone, it was worse than a joke, it was a reminder maybe even a threat. It was hard to imagine let alone believe she was among the living yet again. And, admittedly, the flashback did make her think a bit.

If she did die again ... what would happen then? Heaven probably accept her even if she died in a way that said they should. So ... did that mean she'd end up in Hell? Purgatory?

The thoughts made her whimper as rolled out of the bed and right towards Lucius, collapsing onto him. The pain from the slight fall and - more dominantly - her back made her quickly wake up. Blue eyes quickly glanced around to see she wasn't in the street waiting for the ambulance. She was ... oops.

Her cheeks flushed crimson as she first pushed herself off of Lucius's lap, crossed her legs and covered her breasts with her arms. "S-sorry! Um .... oh? You saw it too? Well ... the reason that seems real is because ... it's how I died. But .. no. No, you didn't wake me. I got reminded about that myself."
 
Lucius Benson​

It was the middle of the night, the candle light burnt out and only the feint smell of butterscotch remained. The moonlight trickled through the window, barely illuminating Celeste's face enough to see the sadness in her eyes. Lucius' blood ran cold as he heard her say that his dream was in fact a vision of her death. Holy fuck was all he could think.

Somehow, in the midst of it all, he was disappointed that she pushed herself off of his lap. Lucius reached out to run his fingers through her silky black hair as took a moment to lock eyes with her. They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, which is why he was not surprised she had been touched by heaven.

Why did I have to be the one to find her? Was it completely by chance? Or was I chosen?

Lucius said quietly, "would you like help getting back in bed?" as he reached out to take her hand. Looking at the curves of her body, barely concealed by the sheets, he felt a stir building within him. Being more or less deprived of sexual contact for such a long time, it was not a difficult task to turn him on at this point. Lucius went red in the face, as he was sure she would notice the tent that had taken form in his pants. This caused Lucius to sweat, and become uncomfortable as he squirmed hoping she would not notice.

Damnit, morning wood after only being asleep for that short of a time?

Her black wavy hair glistened in the moon light, as his gaze shifted from her covered breasts to her mesmerizing eyes and back again. It was astounding how badly he wanted to caress her and connect his lips to hers. Without realizing what he was doing, he found himself with a hand on each of her shoulders, and closing in to kiss her with his head cocked to the side. Breaking off just before the connection, he shook his head and let go suddenly.

"I'm... I'm sorry." He said.
 
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A soft sigh elicited from Celeste as Lucius's hand found her hair. It hadn't dawned on her until she thought back on it but prior to her death, she'd never even had a boyfriend. So the touch was foreign yet still very reassuring and calming to her. She closed her eyes, letting her mind and body remember the gentle sensation of the fingers and skin flowing through her locks. What else had she missed out on, she began to wonder. Her head slowly nodded as she managed to hear the question on being helped back into bed.

"Yes, please." she admitted softly. Inside, Celeste was annoyed at how her wings had been removed. Couldn't the process have been gentler?

Of course not. That'd be too convenient.

Her own hand extended out, intertwining and accepting Lucius' offer. Before she noticed the erection, her concern and gaze went to his face, especially as he began to sweat. A slight frown crossed her face as her other hand rested upon his forehead. "You okay?" she asked softly, thinking the blush to be a sign of an oncoming fever. When her eyes noticed Lucius's moving up and down her body, however, that was when things slowly began to connect. But ... no. She couldn't be thinking correctly about that, could she?

We literally just met. He doesn't think of you like ---

Before the inward argument finished, she found her lips against his. While Celeste made no move to halt the kiss, she didn't accept it either. Confusion and a bit of shock was rushing through her as her heart raced wildly. Had it even meant anything? Or was it just a random act on his behalf?

Her head managed to shake as a small smile crossed her face. "It ... it's fine. I can't say I expected it but I'm not angry or anything." Keeping her hand intertwined, she began slowly pushing herself up to her feet, trying to get back into the bed.
 
Lucius Benson​

The butterflies in Lucius' stomach came to a halt as she unfortunately did not accept his bold move. Feeling defeated, he lifted her up, and helped her slip her legs underneath the covers, and then as she slowly laid back down in a comfortable position, he pulled them back up over her shoulders and with one hand resting on her shoulder again, he said "..Good night." as he went back to his original position of sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed.

As Lucius' eyelids became heavy once more, he stared off into space as he slowly drifted back to sleep. As the sleeping process began, he found himself slightly hurt with rejection. He was used to being turned down a fair deal by females, but Lucius did not understand why this time it meant more than normal. Shrugging it off, and thinking to himself that it's probably just the alcohol he had consumed earlier that day, he lost consciousness as the land of dreams had overtaken him for the night.

...

Lucius awakens as the sun begins to rise, and yawned as he cupped his hand over his mouth. The warm sunlight penetrated through the window and illuminated the room to a pleasant glow. Finding himself stiff, and aching all over, Lucius grunted as he stood up, and quietly walked over to his dresser. Hoping Celeste is still asleep, he opened the drawers and pulled out a change of clothes. He unbuckled his belt, and tossed it aside, and stepped out of his pants, before removing his underwear, one leg at a time, keeping his back turned to Celeste. Lucius opened his underwear drawer after turning profile to the bed's point of view, and retrieved a pair of white boxer-briefs as he slid them on, tucking his soft lengthy penis inside. After finishing dressing himself, Lucius was now wearing a white button up shirt, with bluejeans, and no belt. He was dressed very casually as he had planned to spend most of the day with Celeste trying to help her figure out what she was going to do with her new life.
 
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A slight twinge of guilt shot through Celeste. She didn't need the ability to read minds to understand the shift in his voice suggested he was a bit disappointed at her decision. But she couldn't fully apologize either. It was .. too soon. She was already trying to adjust to the culture shock of being a human once again. But to have an abrupt romance, let alone with someone she hadn't known for a full day? That .. might be pushing it. Maybe in time. He did save her, after all. Clearly, Lucius wasn't a bad person, at least as far as Celeste could tell. The only way that may even still be a possibility was if he was a damn good actor, even while in front of his own mother. But somehow, she didn't count on that.

"Good night," she murmured wearily, letting her eyes begin to close once again. This time, nothing interrupted her slumber, something she was definitely grateful for. Common sense hinted she would need the sleep.

If Celeste didn't begin to know better, she'd have sworn time actually did fly. Because the feeling of the sun gently landing on her skin through the window made her turn and then weakly wince as her body reminded her she had been avoiding moving for very specific reasons. Her eyes remained closed even after she heard Lucius' footsteps move away, albeit not very far.

So now what?

True, she had agreed to stay with Lucius. But her concerns on being limited on where she could go and what she could do still remained. It almost seemed like she should dye her hair, order some contacts, and change her name to avoid having a 'what the fuck?!' reaction should anyone else find out and realize who she was. All the possibilities which very well could happen made her head quickly turn to the side, her teeth gripping her lower lip slightly to suppress a whimper of fear. Even still, could she really go through with all of those steps and lie to herself about her own identity?

While she was physically capable of doing so, mentally and psychologically were two different matters. It just felt... wrong.

Well, you're going to have to figure something out then, hm? she mused to herself, moving her head once again as she slowly began to open her eyes, finding Lucius in a new outfit.

"Morning," she greeted sleepily, giving him a weak wave and smile.
 
Lucius Benson​

Lucius turned his head to look in Celeste's direction, as he finishes buckling his belt. The sun beating through the window illuminates the bedroom enough to where flipping on the light switch would almost seem pointless.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" Lucius said with a nervous smile, as he waves at her.

After a moment, without knocking the door opens and in walks Ms. Benson. It looks like she's been awake for several hours already, as she happily walks into the room and makes her way over to the bedside. She was wearing a beige nightgown, and had her hair up in a bun. Pulling the sheets down, to around Celeste's stomach, Ms. Benson spoke.

"Let's take a look at those wounds, dear, and see if the bandages need changing." she says as she patiently waits for Celeste to lay on her stomach, in order to give easier access to her backside.

Lucius exited the room, and went to the restroom for his morning rituals while ms. Benson was alone for the time being with Celeste. As she finished looking over the wounds, and changing one of the bandages, she is surprised at how quickly the young girl was healing. Though, it seemed like it would still be quite some time before she was fully recovered.

"Do you think you can stand up for me?" Ms. Benson asked, as she backed away to make room for Celeste to do so, if able. Just then, Lucius made his way back into the room. He watched Celeste, as he was deep in thought. What was he going to do with her? He had offered her to with him temporarily, but she had to have other business to attend to. Deciding the best idea was to take it slow, he asks in the midst of everything.

"Celeste, are you hungry? I know a great place to eat breakfast just a few blocks down the road. I'm sure you can borrow some of mum's clothes to wear. Also, if you would like to take a bath, let me know and I'll go run you some hot water. I think we should take it easy today, and explore around town if you would like."

This is going to be tough. I'll have to take on some extra projects this coming week, so I'll be able to afford to help her out a little...

Lucius thought to himself, as he wondered why he was so determined to help this unfortunate angel. It shocked him at how his point of views on life have changed in the past twenty four hours. Up until now, he had been rather self centered and cynical toward other people as his faith in humanity, and even spirituality was very low.

He pops his neck, and folds his arms as he half-grins at the girl, asking "So, warm bath before I take you out? Yea, or nay?"
 
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A half-frown mixed in with her smile as Lucius asked how she was doing. She had to genuinely think long and hard about that answer. While one hand kept the sheets against her skin, the other raised and tilted in midair. "... A bit torn, honestly. I mean, now what?" The answer should have been simple, she knew. Celeste should have just accepted that she'd been given a second chance at life and enjoyed it. But maybe it was that very knowledge, knowing she should be dead, which made her feel uncertain about anything, let alone herself. "I just don't ---- "

That was as far as she got before Ms. Benson arrived. She managed to sneak in a quick but polite bow of her head to the woman before slowly getting onto her stomach. It still hurt, goddamn did it sting. But compared to yesterday, the pain was much less in amount. Much like the other woman, Celeste is astounded to hear the healing process is going as fast as it is. Something like having one's wings ripped out usually took months to even start healing up. It made her unable to wonder if this meant there were still parts of her former angelic side in her blood? The thought made her unable to help but smirk a bit.

Maybe it was Raphael's farewell blessing? He had seemed rather reluctant to even go through with the trial so it wasn't an impossible thought.

As the request to stand up echoed in Celeste's ears, however, it made her return to reality. She had nothing but the sheets! Was this really ... being asked of her? Admittedly, however, Celeste did want to know that answer for herself.

"I think so," she replied, keeping the sheets held against her body as she slowly got up off the bed. Finally, with some effort and needing to ensure her balance didn't try to vanish, she was standing at her full height of five and a half feet tall.

What bits of the frown had remained finally disappeared upon hearing the mentioning of food as she eagerly nodded. "Very much so, yes. A bath would also be nice."

How long can you honestly keep this up though?

Then again, it wasn't like she could go back to her old routine. She couldn't go home, not when she was supposed to be six feet under. She couldn't really go to any location in which people would recognize her. All the painful knowledge and revelations made a new sense of agony and despair begin to build up, almost to the point of Celeste breaking down in front of the two. Everything truly was as she'd told Lucius; with as many good things that had happened, there were an equal amount of bad ones. It may not have immediately seemed like it. But they were definitely there. One just had to think carefully on this as best as they could and realize both the pros and cons that came with this scenario.
 
Lucius Benson​

Birds were chirping outside, as the morning light shined through the window, now accompanied by the artificial lighting from the fixture above. Ms. Benson was checking the girl's physical condition and vital signs as Lucius nodded his head at her agreement to a warm bath.

"I'll get right to it, Celeste. It'll just be a moment." he replied, as he opened the door and exited the room without hesitation. Upon entering the bathroom, he turned on the hot water and waited for tub to be filled to a comfortable level, while he poured in various bubble bath liquids watching the steaming water bubble at the surface. The scented aroma coming from the rising water smelled of roses, and was very pleasant to the senses.

She'll love this, hopefully. I know mum always likes a nice hot soak in the tub. Must be a female thing.

With the now prepared steaming bath, Lucius closed the door behind him, as he re-entered the bedroom where Celeste and his mother were. He happily added, "Your bath is prepared your highness." as he gave her a cheesy bow. Ms. Benson looked at him and rolled her eyes as she finished inspecting Celeste's bandages.

"You're good to go, honey. Don't worry, these bandages are waterproof, so they'll be fine in the bath. If you need any assistance, just yell for me! You'll find plenty of soap and shampoo sitting along side the tub, and towels are in the cabinet just to the left." Ms. Benson explained as she smiled a motherly grin and exited the room.

Oh, drat.. I almost forgot she was nude under the sheets.

Lucius suddenly sprang forth as if it had finally dawned on him of her lack of clothing. Reminding her by pointing to the white over-sized nightgown hanging on one of the foot bedposts, he assumed she could wear it until they found her something more suitable.

"I-if you don't want to wear that, I can let you borrow one of my T-shirts to cover yourself on your way to the bathroom. They're in the top drawer. As soon as you have your bath, I'll take you out to get something to eat." Blushing, Lucius offered her, as he turned his head to look away and give her some privacy, not registering with him that he should probably leave the room.
 
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Even as Ms. Benson continued to look and work on her, Celeste's mind continued to race and contemplate on things that could be done. Honestly, it seemed as if the best way was to go with the flow. Who knew, maybe a more definite plan would fall into her lap somehow. But as things were, her head was starting to hurt from all of this thinking. Nothing was coming to her mind just yet and there would be no point in forcing herself to figure something out now. By the time she decided to let the dice fall where they may or may not land, Lucius had just returned from getting the bath ready.

Her cheeks darkened a bit as Celeste found herself stammering slightly, "I ... I'm not sure if I'm ... well ... thank you." She wasn't sure on the words 'your highness' being a phrase that could even be applied to her, regardless of whether in a serious or joking manner. But she let it slide if for no other reason than he was genuinely trying to help her out. Just to have landed and fallen near someone who was willing to do so much to keep her safe and alive was a hell of a miracle in itself. She could have ended up anywhere, possibly not around any people at all. And then what? Her head dismissed the matter as it found itself not wishing to think on the thought much more.

"Thank you, Ms. Benson," she called to the woman while she left. Soon, the room had only herself and Lucius once again. For a few moments, she had been unsure of what to do. She couldn't just let go of the sheets and walk into the bathroom. Well, that wasn't completely true. Celeste could but it wouldn't be overly smart. Luckily, Lucius had reminded her of the nightgown. While it wasn't her exact preference, it seemed wrong of Celeste to be picky.

"It'll be fine," she reassured, slowly dropping the sheets and pulling the nightgown over her skin, simultaneously being careful of the bandages. It wouldn't be good to ruin them, after all. Once the new cloth was over her, she gave Lucius a smile and bow of her head before heading into the bathroom.

A quick but deep inhale allowed Celeste to catch the scent of roses, which made her smile. It had been a nice gesture for sure. When the gown was halfway over herself, she realized ... Celeste wasn't sure where she arrived at. She herself had been from Rouen, France. But given the lack of an accent and even Lucius' name, she was relatively certain that wasn't where she was anymore. It didn't really bother her, per se, but the former angel was definitely a bit curious on this.

Placing one arm against one of the walls beside her to help maintain balance, Celeste slowly lowered herself into the tub, letting out a long, soft sigh as the water began to cover her body.
 
Lucius Benson​

The morning was bright and shiny, as Lucius debated where to take his new friend first. Assuming she had to have been starving, the plan was to take her out to eat breakfast at his favorite place just down the road. The small corner cafe at which he was a regular in, had a large variety of breakfast foods, and he was sure Celeste would find something she liked on the menu there.

As his friend was taking her bath, he did not want to disturb her until she was finished. While he waited, Lucius exited the bedroom, and made his way into the living room where his mother was watching television. Sitting down on the couch next to her, she welcomed him.

"Good morning, son." She said.

"Mornin', mum."

"I know what and who she is, Lucius. I know you know as well."

"You...Do? But, how?" Lucius said with raised eyebrows.

"Son... She's a special young lady, sent back to this world for reasons not even she may know yet. She may think it's simple, but it really isn't. You'll both learn soon enough." Ms Benson softly says as she takes a sip of her warm tea.

"Mum... What are you talking about? How do you know all this? You seemed clueless and in non-belief around her when she spoke of it."

"Lucius, m'dear. Some things are better kept secret. This is why I'm telling you now. Don't ever let anyone find out who she is, or she will be in very serious trouble. And don't let her know we had this conversation, okay?" Ms. Benson stated, glaring at him.

"Yes, mum." was all he replied.

After the conversation between the mother and son had ended, Lucius watched in wonderment as his mother lifted herself off the seat, and faced away from him, walking into the kitchen area.

How could she know all this about Celeste? Mum must have some weird hobbies I don't know about in her spare time.

As Ms. Benson walked away, Lucius looked up at his mother and to his surprise, saw something he had never noticed before, and it took his breath away. Ms. Benson was wearing a lengthy cream colored nightgown, with a very low-cut back. This made it very easily noticeable as she exited the room, that there were two lines of scar tissue in the exact places where Celeste's fresh wounds were located. The scars were very old, and seemed to have healed up many years in the past. Baffled, Lucius didn't say a word, but slowly turned his gaze into the generic television program playing, and pretended to watch.

My own mother? An... Angel too? What's going on! Lucius thought to himself, as this new piece of information rang throughout his mind. Why didn't she tell him before? Why did she come clean now? All he could do now, was let the new information sink in, and wait until Celeste was finished in the bathroom.
 
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