Declan was seated next to the koi pond in cupid’s garden of eternal spring. he was talking to dagon about their latest dnd campaign when ramiel walked in. the serpent demon was the first to notice him. she waved at the old soldier before both she and declan stood up. declan gave her a tight hug as she prepared to depart to give the two some time to talk. “see you later, your royal highness, dagon spiritus, princess of sloth, ruler of the sixth kingdom of hell, protector of the seven seas, former duchess to the great belphegor valentine...”
“fuck off, declan!” dagon called out, middle finger proudly in the air, as she rounded the corner and disappeared. declan beamed.
“if you ever wanna piss her off, the entire title is the way to go. and i think i only got through half there,” he grinned before looking up at his brother. “you look good for someone who’s been dead all these centuries. you’ll have to tell us your skin care secrets. lette and val are always looking to add new products to their shopping lists,” he joked.
One thing about hell was that news spread quickly here. especially gossip about who might’ve slept with who. so, when declan heard that gabriel had a one night stand with ouelette, he did the reasonable thing and commissioned a congrats on the sex cake. he set the cake down in front of gabe and grinned. “i’m glad you broke your dry spell, friend.” he uncorked a bottle of wine with his teeth. gabriel’s rendezvous with lette wasn’t the only thing declan gleamed from the grape vine. he knew it was precipitated by heartbreak. “sorry it had to be this way though.” he replied as he poured the archangel a glass. “everyone deserves a slut era at least.”
SUMMARY: Declan and Valefar trick Ouelette into talking through her issues with Ramiel.
TRIGGERS: Depression, Death Mentions, NSFW mentions
WRITTEN WITH: @offallenfeathers (Valefar, Ouelette, and Ramiel)
DECLAN: Declan was well acquainted with the parts of the Empty that he was allowed to enter. He can up here frequently both to visit Ramiel and to offer up his services to the library. But his companion was not as well acquainted with the place. They were both brought in early because of their status so the party wasn't exactly in full swing yet. He decided to take this opportunity to show her around. They'd already explored the entry station and the little shops on the main grounds. He was now guiding her through the Garden of Eternal Spring. "Penny for your thoughts?" he smiled and used some sleight of hand to manifest a penny which he held out to Lette.
OUELETTE: It was intimidating to come here. She'd been avoiding it for a while, but she couldn't avoid her little sister's coronation party. She was proud of Dagon. If anyone deserved to elevate to that level, it was Dagon, who had practically been running her kingdom from the beginning. Her support for her sister didn't really make any of this easier though. She felt guilty being here, but she would've also felt guilty if she didn't come. It was better than she thought it would be. For a place that caused so much trauma and was a realm of death, it felt lively. That was Cuphegor's doing. She didn't think all the money in the world could do what they did here. She pulled herself out of the daze she'd been in and looked at Declan. "You think my thoughts are only worth a penny?"
DECLAN: She'd been uncharacteristically quiet for much of the tour. He hoped the walk would get her to loosen up, but she still seemed tense. “It’s a literary idiom,” he tisked. “But if it makes you feel better it’s more than I’d pay for like…Andras’s thoughts.” Why pay when Andras offered those things for free? “It’s your first time up here and I’ve never known you to be shy when it comes to opinions so….” he elongated that word as they continued to stroll down the garden path. “What’s on your mind? Thinking about how you’d redo this place and make it better? I hear Cuphegor are open to suggestions.” Plenty of people had offered up their services here. Dagon and Byron were providing therapy, the latter did music lessons in between too. Declan was helping out at the library. He was sure Lette had talents that the Empty could use. He just needed to get her thinking in that direction.
OUELETTE: "I know what it is. I was being facetious." She also was just trying to figure out what her thoughts actually were and how much of it she was willing to share. "That doesn't make me feel better. Andras has no concept of what people should pay him." She didn't really think Andras's thoughts were worth paying for either, but she felt like her thoughts were worth something. A lot of people did pay for them. "I'm not being shy about my opinions. Obviously, this place isn't how I would want it for myself, but it's actually really nice." She shrugged. "I thought it was going to look like a war zone or worse, something from the stuff of nightmares that they all just had to live around, but this is . . . Nice. Do the people who have to live here like it?" It was her not so subtle way of asking if they were okay.
DECLAN: "Should they pay him or should he pay us?" Deck laughed. Andras was prone to causing trouble and property destruction. Declan was sure if he let him roam the library unattended they'd have another Alexandria on their hands. He wondered where the kid was right now. Probably off being Asmo's problem somewhere. "I'll send your compliments to the chefs," he teased. "From what I've seen people seem to like living here. Their basic needs are met so now they're just working on figure out their wants and desires." And trying to process their trauma. He found that some of them had a hard time making even small decisions like what kind of books to get for themselves. For many of them, it had been a long time since they'd been given the opportunity to choose paths for themselves. "I know Ramiel's been doing a lot of jogging and gardening." Deck dropped the name casually but he was still observing Lette for any reaction as he continued. "He and Val go on dates near some of the mountain ranges that Cuphegor designed." He gestured with his head toward the distance. "He comes by the library for book club. I tried explaining DnD to him but...well, that's a work in progress. And then there's Gears," he continued mostly to make it seem like he only dropped Ramiel's name as one example and was now moving onto the next. "I've seen him doing pottery, music, and swooning over your sister. So, you can say there's lots to do here."
OUELETTE: "Well, we shouldn't pay him, but he still has no concept of it. He should absolutely be paying me though. I've got a list of how many things he owes me, but I doubt I'll ever get." Andras didn't really lack money to pay for things. She was pretty sure it was just more fun for him not to. "If you have to," she sighed dramatically, though it didn't really bother her if Cupid and Belphegor heard her compliments. They really had done a good job, especially given the circumstances. She was glad to hear that the afterlife really did turn around for the dead. With what they'd been through most of them deserved a better life. There were more than a few people Ouelette knew here, and she wouldn't want them going through anymore pain. Maybe Azazel could've used some more. He was always rude, though she still wouldn't have wished torture on him. She flinched when Declan mentioned Ramiel, her hand hovering over the flower she'd been admiring. Ramiel gave her a lot of mixed feelings: hurt, guilt, anger, fear. It wasn't a secret that she'd been avoiding coming to see him. Valefar had mentioned several times that he wanted to see her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Even now while she was here, she'd made sure that she didn't go near him. She'd been grateful to Declan for showing her around both because she was new to this place and because she thought the tour would get her away from the big crowd where Ramiel would surely be with Valefar. Valefar was easier to spot by her bright golden dress. "So he's doing well then?" she asked quietly. It sounded like he was doing a lot of things, but she wondered if he was doing them because he was truly in a better place now or because he just needed those distractions to be able to handle the trauma he'd been through. "I think I've heard everything there is to know about Gears," she joked. Valefar talked about Ramiel a lot, but she had stopped doing it as much once it became apparent to her how uncomfortable
Ouelette looked. For Dagon, it just made Lette happier to hear about what Belgirel had been up to, mainly because it was obvious how happy it made Dagon. She was happy for her sister to finally have that. "What about Justice? Have you heard anything about him?"
DECLAN: "I'd say send him an itemized bill but he'd wear that like a badge of honor," he laughed. Andras was a tough cookie. The only really effective punishment Declan saw for this kid was to keep him from participating in things. That usually caused him to shape up. Granted, it was hard for Lette to implement that tactic in this case. He smiled when she sighed dramatically. He knew she didn't care one bit if Cuphegor got wind of the compliments. The smile dimmed only slightly when he noticed her flinch at Ramiel's name. He knew getting her to talk to him when she couldn't even handle talking about him wasn't going to be easy. But she needed to rip the bandaid off and do it already. "He's pretending to do well. He at least took my advice to go to therapy. I think he's going to start seeing Raphael once Raph and Dagon launch that program after the coronation. I can tell he misses you. He asks about you every time. Would it really be that bad to see him, Lette?" he asked frankly.
He snorted when she said she'd heard all about Belgirel. He had no doubt about that. Dagon looked pretty smitten. People regularly asked for updates about him and she gave gushing reviews even if concern was peppered into it every so often. He grimaced when she asked about Justice. "I don't think he'll be here tonight. I don't know too much about the situation but from the devastated look on Kindness's face after her visit here, I gather it's not going well." He didn't ask too many questions. Kindness was no longer tethered to her virtue but he still felt like asking her too many personal questions would force her hand.
OUELETTE: "I have, and he does." Ouelette sighed. She wished that getting Andras to stop doing certain things was easier, but half the time there wasn't anything that could be done, at least not on Lette's end. It stung to hear that Ramiel was mainly just pretending to do well. It spoke to how hurt he'd really been by all of this, and it was her fault that he'd ended up here. She was glad at least that he planned to go to therapy. She knew that not everyone was keen on taking that step, herself included. She should've known that this was going to turn into an attempt to get her to see him, but it was her own fault for the questions she'd asked. "For him? No. He got to die feeling like the hero. Once he sees me, he gets to feel justified in doing what he did. It's not like I don't miss him too, but . . . I'm mad at him for what he put me through by dying for me. I know he's been through worse while being in the Empty. I shouldn't be mad at him still when it's not like he's had a better time than me. He doesn't deserve my anger on top of everything else he's going through, so it's better if I just don't see him." It felt like the only way to keep herself from snapping at him if she didn't see him at all.
She saddened a little more when he talked about Justice. Unlike Ramiel, she would've liked to see Justice. She didn't have as many mixed feelings over him, and she missed him too. She hoped that with his siblings back in his life, maybe he'd start doing better.
DECLAN: "Oh the bright side, I hear he's better behaved these days since he doesn't want Asmodeus or Belphegor to take is Empty privileges away. I doubt that extends to your closet but at least there won't be anything as big as the dragon incident for a while." Small blessings, he supposed. But with Andras you generally take what you could get. Declan couldn't speak of his older brother's feelings, mostly because Ramiel was a fucking wall. Deck could gleam some things here and there, but he only had a vague understanding of his brother's inner world. He wasn't able to see through stone facades like Dagon, but he didn't think Rami felt particularly heroic. At least not now that he knew the impact his death had on his friends and family. "Just because he's been through shit doesn't mean he doesn't deserve your anger. Trying to protect him from it just means you're keeping yourself and him in limbo. He deserves to hear what you got to say and you deserve to be able to say it." Maybe she needed to fuck Aamon or something before the conversation if she was so worried she'd unleash unholy rage upon Ramiel.
OUELETTE: "He's better behaved for certain people at least." It rarely ever extended to her, though she supposed with him so focused on Belgirel, Andras didn't cause as much trouble for her either. She wouldn't admit it, but she kind of missed it. "Doesn't it?" she asked seriously. How was it fair of her to lash out at him after how much he'd been tortured? Could you really be mad at someone for saving you from that fate? She sighed and looked down at her hands, wringing them together. "I've been in limbo since he died." Maybe Declan was right. At least if she saw him, she could get her feelings out and get it over with. She still didn't really want to though, especially when it came to admitting Declan had a point. It would get Valefar off her back too. "I'll consider it," she relented. "But we should finish this tour soon. I think Dagon should be starting her speech soon.
DECLAN: "That's how it's always been," he chuckled. He sighed and shook his head when she started shutting down again. She always shut down during these conversations. He was hoping being here and seeing the place and how it was attempting to move on from its trauma would make her want to move forward too, but but he wasn't sure he bought the way she said she'd consider it. "Have you considered therapy? For yourself, I mean?" He asked this knowing full well she was going to smack him for it. He needed to dispel some of the tense energy of their conversation before he initiated the next part of is plan and getting beat up was as good a way as any.
He nodded when she said they ought to wrap things up. "We're near the end of the tour anyway. She said she left some books for me in one of the rooms. I was gonna go grab them and then take you to the library. Libraries are great grand finale places," he explained. "Come on," he smiled and led her back into the castle. He grabbed his phone for a brief moment to text Valefar and Ramiel that they were on their way. He didn't think Ramiel would get the message. His brother was still learning to operate the phone, but he certainly hoped Valefar would get the memo before she had to reclaim her throne for tonight's opening events.
OUELETTE, VALEFAR, & RAMIEL: It wasn't the first time someone had suggested that she seek therapy. Dagon had brought it up several times. Obviously, she wouldn't ask Dagon to be her therapist. Being too close to your therapist could lead to other problems. Belgirel apparently was doing fine with that, but he was also more open with Dagon in general. Ouelette was relatively closed off. "I do retail therapy." She shrugged. "And I don't see myself just talking to someone about all this crap." She didn't think it would really fix anything, and she didn't want to dig deeper into any past pains. She relaxed a little when he agreed to get back to what they were doing originally. They could put that other conversation behind them. She took a deep breath to clear her head. "I didn't know you could get any more books," she joked. "Or is your library's book return going mobile to collect books now?" She wouldn't have been surprised if he went out of his way to make sure his books made their way back home. Regardless, she followed him through the castle grounds. She saw him texting someone, but she didn't think much of it.
Valefar did get the text though. Ramiel was trying to figure out why his pants started dinging while Valefar read the message. "They're coming!" she told Ramiel excitedly.
He looked up at the door. He didn't see anyone yet. "How do you know?"
Valefar rolled her eyes. "The phone." She held hers up. "It dings when you have a text, remember? Declan just texted both of us. Stand somewhere she won't see you before she comes in." She ushered him towards a corner where he was just out of sight from the doors. She stood next to the doors herself, so she could slip out and lock the doors after Lette came in.
"Isn't this a little too much?" Ramiel asked. It felt incredibly deceitful, and he doubted Ouelette would appreciate it.
"Asking her to come wasn't working, and it's at least a step above just dragging her here." She understood that Ramiel was looking out for Ouelette, but this wasn't just for Ramiel. Ouelette needed to do this for herself too. She was just hurting herself by not seeing Ramiel. They just needed to rip the band aid off.
DECLAN: "Maybe you should see a priest," he winked. "Confession is like all the benefits of therapy but there's a panel separating you from the person you're talking to." Lette had a difficult time being vulnerable in front of people so he figured this was as good a solution as any. He didn't try to push it beyond the joke though. He rounded the corner and headed up the grand staircase. "You can always get more books," he grinned. "But, no, I'm collecting some that she borrowed when she and the other Princes were trying to break in here. I'd say my direct collection services are Princess privileges but with her schedule, I might not get them back for three more centuries if I don't go to her directly." It wasn't entirely a lie. He did have books to collect from Dagon. They just weren't in the room he was leading Lette to.
As they reached the top of the staircase, he veered left to the room he and Valefar agreed to set their trap. His hand rested on the doorknob briefly but mostly because he got distracted seeing Cupid rush out of a room further down. She didn't make eye contact with them but she was blushing furiously as she descended down the staircase. "Ah," he snorted. "We'll learn from her mistakes." He knocked on the door. No answer came back. He had to trust that Valefar and Ramiel were in there. "I think we're in the clear." He swung the door open and made a sweeping motion. "Ladies first."
OUELETTE, VALEFAR, & RAMIEL: "I've seen plenty of them, I can assure you," she grinned, "but somehow they're always the ones confessing." She didn't see priests in any serious capacity. She felt like Ramiel's reasoning for there being books here for him was a little odd. When Dagon and the others were researching ways to break in here, they couldn't get inside, so why would the books be here? She wouldn't have been surprised if Dagon did bring books into the Empty once she was able to get in, but on that particular topic, it seemed unlikely. Maybe her sister was researching something she didn't wany anyone to know about, so Declan was lying on her behalf. She wouldn't put it past her sister.
Like Declan, Ouelette watched curiously as Cupid ran down the hall. It wasn't a walk of shame, but she was embarrassed by something at least. "Yeah, good idea," she concurred as Declan knocked on the door. There were a lot of people here tonight, and although Cuphegor tried to keep the party within certain bounds, people were likely to explore, especially a new place like this. You never knew who was fucking in which room.
Lette stepped into the room before Declan, walking in a few feet before she noticed that there didn't seem to be any books left here for him. "Dec, you sure this is the right room? I think Dagon might've forgot to-" She scurried backwards when she got close enough to see Ramiel. What the Hell was he doing here? She looked back at Declan to see Valefar slipping out of the room with him. "You son of a bitch," she cursed as she realized she'd been tricked. The door hadn't closed yet, and she rushed to try to get out before they could shut her in here. She slammed into the door just as it closed. "You fucking assholes! I'm gonna kill you, Declan!" she growled as she clawed and hit at the door.
Her fighting with the door made it hard for Valefar to set the wards to keep Lette in. "No, you are not, Ouelette. Leave him alone," Valefar said back firmly. It wasn't a tone she often took with Ouelette, mainly because they usually only spoke as friends with occasional casual annoyance. It made Ouelette forget sometimes that Valefar was a figure of authority, and her leader at that. She stopped hitting the door for a moment as Valefar continued. "You're going to stay here, and you are going to talk to Ramiel until you work things out. That is an order. He might have been your friend a long time ago, but he is also my husband and the prince of our kingdom. You are not going to disrespect him by ignoring him any longer. Work it out. We'll be back to let you out sometime after the ceremony is over, and you better have made some progress by then." She finished the containment ward on the door and stood up. "And Ramiel?"
"Yes, love?" This was the first time Ouelette had actually heard his voice since his death. It felt like it broke another piece of her. He sounded so much more tired than she remembered. There was a weight to his words that made her feel some of the pain he'd been through. It made her simultaneously angrier and more sad. She hated that she was stuck here, but she crossed her arms and turned away from both Ramiel and the door, moving to the corner of the room.
Valefar had a much softer reaction to his voice. She felt like she was liquid gold, melting to the sound of him. She smiled brightly as she told him, "I love you. I'll be back soon. Good luck." She blew a kiss towards the door and started walking away from it. They went in the same direction that Declan had seen Cupid, but Valefar paused where the hallways intersected. She was used to hearing the sounds of her siblings getting it on unfortunately, but she still had some respect for privacy. She walked up to the door of the other private room and cast a whispering spell on it to keep the sound of Belgirel and Dagon's moaning and groaning within the room. "Good for them though," she said as she turned away from the room. She pulled out her purse as she and Declan started walking down the hall again towards where the ceremony would be, bringing out a check book. "Now, should I make it out to you or to your library?" She was sure it would all go to the library in the end, but if it was out to him, she would've added a bit more than what they discussed as a treat.
DECLAN: He chuckled at her joke. He had no doubt she could get priests to confess all sorts of things. If she had any inkling about what he was doing right now, she could probably get him to confess too. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to suspect a thing yet. Of course, that all changed as soon as she was in the room and his deception became apparent. He backed away quickly, giving Valefar a wide berth so she could secure the door shut behind them. He had no doubt that Ouelette could kill him (and he'd probably thank her) but he sincerely hoped she’d hold off on that for a little while longer. “I’m sorry, Lette, but it’s for your own good,” he told her through the door.
He raised a brow when Valefar used her most commanding voice. That wasn’t a tone Declan heard often. Valefar was usually one to just let things slide off her back with a cool sort of casualness but even she was tired of this. It will be good for the two of them. Declan reasoned. He didn’t like playing the fox, but sometimes this level of deceptiveness was necessary. “Best wishes, old man,” he replied, tapping three times on the door as a way of sending his brother good vibes. He was going to need them. He turned away from the door and began to follow Valefar. “Here’s hoping she doesn’t start another fire to get out of this situation,” he replied. He raised a brow as they stopped by the door of the other private room. “Looks like someone’s already starting a fire in there,” he chuckled. He arch a brow when Val pulled out her purse. “You can consider this one on the house,” he assured her. “I just want both of them to get better.”
RAMIEL & OUELETTE: Ramiel felt guilty for putting Ouelette through this while watching her fight so desperately to get out, to get away from him. He wondered if she truly hated him for what he'd done. He was starting to hate himself for doing this. Was this really even for Lette's own good? She looked miserable. He would've just let her out after they left if he could. He didn't want her to have to see him just because he missed her. "I love you too," he called out to his wife before she and Declan left.
Ouelette was shaking with a mixture of sadness and rage. She felt personally betrayed by all three of them. She hadn't fully opened up to Declan, but she'd told him more than she usually was willing to. She'd even started relenting that she might've been able to talk to Ramiel eventually, but this wasn't what she meant, and he knew that. She wasn't ready for this now. She was supposed to be supporting her sister, not trapped in a room like this. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to see him. It hurt.
"Lette?" Ramiel called out to her softly. This may not have been how either of them really wanted this to go, but they were both here now. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity to talk to her. He took a step towards her, but he didn't touch her and gave her enough space so she wasn't crowded in a corner. "Can't we just talk?" Regardless of Ramiel's attempt to not get too close to crowd her, Lette whirled around and slapped him across the face. Now that she was turned towards him, he could see that she was breathing heavily and crying. Her nails had scraped his skin, but that was just a warning coming from her telling him to back up. He took a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to go this way. I just wanted to be able to talk to you."
"Talk about what?" Ouelette snapped back. "What we've been up to since we last saw each other? How I should thank- thank you for saving me by dying in the process? I hate you for what you put me through by doing that. I never asked for it."
Ramiel looked saddened, but he wasn't surprised by hearing her say any of it. He knew her well enough, and he'd heard from her loved ones what she'd been through in his absence. Even the Void had shown him bits and pieces of Ouelette's torment following his death. He'd hated himself for it too. "I know you didn't, and while I'm not sorry for saving your life, I am sorry for what pain you had to go through. If I'd thought that there had been any way, I would've saved us both, but there wasn't. It was a war, and people die. That's just what happened. You did your best, and I did mine. At least one of us made it out of there."
"But it should've been you," Ouelette shot back. It was hard for Ramiel tell if he was supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult considering how angry she sounded. He wasn't sure if she was really angry at him or herself. "You were supposed to be Valefar's prince. You would've kept her from losing herself." Ouelette had lost herself too, but it wasn't as bad for the world compared to how it affected Valefar.
"There is no should have in how the world works," Ramiel pointed out. "There's just what did happen, and how we can react to that. If I had lived, I probably would have been the first person Valefar turned to gold, and that would've killed her more than it's killing you to think it's your fault I died."
"It is my fault." Ouelette didn't really know why she held onto that fact so hard, but it wasn't something that could be taken away from her. She was there. She knew what happened. She was reckless and stupid. She knew every step that she'd taken wrong. She knew all the things she could have done to save both of their lives. Knowing those things didn't change anything. It never brought him back, but it did justify her punishing herself for his death.
"Why do you feel like you need it to be your fault so badly?" he asked exasperatedly. There was no real benefit to her blaming herself. He didn't blame her, and he didn't think anyone else really did. "Plenty of people died, both on their own and in defense of one or both of us. It happened all the time, and it never caught you up like this. Why do I have to be the subject of your guilt?"
"Because I love you," Ouelette snapped back angrily. "You're my best friend, and I knew you. I knew that if it came down to it, you would do something like that. I watched out for you constantly to make sure it didn't happen, so Val and I wouldn't have to lose you. Then you went and you did it to me, you asshole, and I couldn't even save you. And then Dagon told me what was happening to you in here, and I couldn't even do anything. Valefar was lying to me about it all, and I had to know that it was my fault you were getting tortured." She wrapped her arms around herself and whimpered. "Why did you have to put me through that?"
Ramiel truly did sympathize with her. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I never wanted to put you through all that. I just knew that I couldn't see you die. It was selfish of me to put you through that instead, but I love you too. Asking me to not save you is just an impossible thing to do, but so is asking me to blame you for my own actions. I still want to be close to you, Ouelette. I don't want to lose you in my life just because you think it's better to avoid me than deal with what you're feeling. I couldn't even try to come talk to you because I can't leave this place. Don't ask me to lose my best friend." He held out his arms to invite her into a hug. He knew she didn't have to give him one, but he desperately hoped she would for both their sakes if only to signify that she was willing to really talk to him again.
Ouelette looked at his open arms skeptically. She still had a swirl of mixed feelings, but it seemed he was at least aware of the pain he'd caused her and why she was struggling. He didn't look like he held himself as a hero. In fact, he looked battle worn and tired. She could see the signs of torture on him, and she wondered whether it was Valefar, the Void, or his own reasoning that made him so aware of what she was going through enough for him to understand. She took the steps forward to join him in the embrace. The hug was tight and warm. Ouelette's anger slipped away, and she was just crying now. She'd missed being able to hug him like this, but the shape of him held against her like this had a soothing familiarity. She felt like she was home. Her tails and ears popped out. Her tails swished slowly back and forth, sweeping across the floor. "I really did miss you. I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner. I just . . . didn't feel like I was ready to see you yet."
Ramiel pulled away from the hug, so that he could look at Ouelette's face. "It's okay. We shouldn't have gone about this this way either, but it all worked out. We all love each other, and we're just trying to do the best for each other." He leaned in close to her and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips.
Ouelette shoved him backwards in shock. "You're married to Val. I'm not going to help you cheat on her." Was that all this was? Was he just trying to get laid since he couldn't be intimate physically with Valefar anymore. She might've loved him, but not enough for that.
Ramiel shook his head. "I'm not. Val and I talked about this beforehand. She realized how you felt and thought it was why you were hurt so bad. We both love you."
She was more than a little surprised to hear all of this. It wasn't like Valefar hadn't slept with other people before, but the fact that none of those people turned to gold was proof that she didn't really see any value in them as a partner. "So you both want me to . . . join you?"
He nodded. "Only if you want to, and only to the degree that you're comfortable with." This wasn't something either of them expected to force her into, but from what they both knew about her, they didn't think it was unwanted by her either. "Valefar will always be my wife first and foremost, but we trust each other enough to know that if death didn't really break our feelings for each other apart, nothing else will."
"So she'd be your wife, and I'd be your-"
"Our girlfriend, right." Ramiel nodded. "No strings attached though. If you want to sleep with other people, you can, but know that you'll always have a spot with us if you want it."
It was a strange request, not that Ouelette hadn't received offers to be in polyamorous couples before, but it wasn't usually with the people she cared the most about. She sealed her answer with a kiss. They both pressed close to each other, and it didn't take long before clothes were being removed. It was Ramiel's first time since his death, but he didn't seem to have forgotten anything. Thankfully, the ward Valefar had put on the door kept the noise to the room, but the fun they were having wasn't contained there. Ramiel handed Ouelette a device that he didn't fully understand but had been told it would let Valefar go through what they were experiencing too. According to him, she had a way to watch what they were doing too, so they all experienced the show together until they were spent. They put their clothes back on and fell asleep on the couch together until someone would come let them out.
DECLAN: Declan was clueless about most of what went on in the room. He'd been separated from Valefar during Dagon's speech and then again by the crowd of other leaders that wanted to talk to Val. She seemed wholly distracted whenever he glanced at her but he figured she must've just been worried about how things were going in the room upstairs. He tapped his wrist watch to let her know they needed to get a move on. He slipped out of the crowd and waited for Valefar by the stairs. She looked, dare he say, happy and a little horny. He shrugged it off assuming she was a little drunk. He couldn't blame her for drinking at a time like this. It was pretty stressful. "Alright, let's let them loose." He began walking up the steps with Valefar. As they got to the door, things were quieter than Declan expected. He figured there would be some crying or something. "Alright, mitochondria," he grinned at Val. "You first." At least if Lette started throwing weapons she'd no doubt somehow managed to sneak in they wouldn't hurt Valefar.
VALEFAR, RAMIEL, & OUELETTE: Valefar was having a great time. She hadn't been able to hear the conversations Ramiel and Ouelette were having. She wasn't that invasive, and she really did want them to work through whatever issues they had. She just had a feeling how things would turn out, and she was right. She glanced at the video feed every few minutes just to make sure they were doing okay, and once she saw the clothes coming off, she felt a little lighter and happier. They'd all always been close, and Valefar had only grown closer to Ouelette in the time after Ramiel's death. With Valefar's curse still in play, she didn't want to deprive Ramiel of his own desires and urges, but she knew that he didn't have an interest in sleeping with random people like she'd done over the past centuries. She wasn't sure if she would've done any of that either if it weren't for her curse. Regardless, she was glad that her discussion with Ramiel beforehand led to him and Ouelette having a good time and that they elected to use the remote she'd given them so she could join in her own way. It was hard to keep a straight face during Dagon's speech, but she felt like she was on a high. She almost forgot that she was supposed to go let the pair out until Declan gave her the signal that it was time to go. She met up with him, giggling most of the way there because she knew what they were going to walk into more than he did.
"You scared, Declan?" Val asked when he insisted she go first. She didn't mind, of course. She went ahead and removed the wards, opening the door. There was no sound at first. The back of the couch hid Ramiel and Ouelette from view, but Valefar knew where they were. She stepped around the couch to see them. Ouelette was in her fox form, laying on Ramiel's chest. Ramiel was awake but staying still. His hair was in a mess. A mixture of bites, hickeys, and lipstick marks adorned his skin. He looked up at Valefar and held a finger to his lips.
DECLAN: "Absolutely," he beamed. He knew who the stronger fighter between himself and Ouelette was. Declan was only a Knight by title. Lucifer didn't make him do any of the actual training these days. Sometimes he tagged along so he wouldn't get rusty, but it usually wasn't necessary except in moments like this. He was rustier than a nail and certainly couldn't take on Lette and her sharp claws.
He followed Valefar into the room. It took a moment to register that was seeing Ouelette sprawled naked on his brother's chest. He blinked a couple times then looked to Valefar to read her expressions. If this was an affair, the Demon Prince did not seem phased by it at all. Declan wouldn't have been surprised if she'd planned for things to go this way to begin with. "Suddenly, this seems like not my business," he said in a loud whisper. He actually wished he could scrub this image from his mind. Maybe with enough alcohol he could. "You two, um, have fun with that..." he gestured toward his older brother and began backpedaling out of the room.
VALEFAR, RAMIEL, & OUELETTE: Valefar had been looking forward to how Declan would react to all of this, and it didn't disappoint. She started giggling when he said this wasn't his business. For all the dirty things that Declan got up to, it was amusing that this was what tripped him up. "We will," she assured him with a devious grin. "I hope you have as much fun!"
As Declan left the room, Ouelette stretched across Ramiel's chest. "Serves him right," she grumbled. She transformed back into her human form and sat up. She looked up at Valefar, who was smiling at her. She grabbed the nearest lamp and hit Valefar across the face with it. "You're an asshole too."
Valefar didn't seem to mind. She turned her head back around and giggled. "Hit harder," she teased.
Ouelette rolled her eyes and got up. "I'm still mad at you for how you went about this."
"Our first couple's squabble," Valefar beamed. "I'll make it up to you," she promised. "But you should probably go enjoy the party while you can." Ouelette flipped her middle finger up as she left.
Declan landed hard on the ground. his body shifted from a barn owl to something more human as raphael landed in front of him. they extended their hand to declan but he simply smacked it away. “if you’re expecting a thank you, you aren’t going to get it,” he replied coolly as he pushed himself up off the ground. here he thought only humans had guardian angels. “why’d you interfere?” he bristled. “i didn’t ask for your help and i didn’t need it.”
Jenna tapped the memorized number with shaking hands. Her wet fingers slipped on the screen more than once in her haste, leaving red streaks across the glass. She didn’t bother to wipe them away with her cuff before raising the mobile to her ear. It wouldn’t have made a difference; her sleeve was already soaked with blood.
“Pick up, Declan,” she begged under her breath. “Please pick up.”
She fought back the tears burning in her eyes and the fear that maybe it was already too late. It was a risk calling him like this, but she didn’t have anyone else she could call. Not anymore.
Declan’s recorded voice crackled across the line, but the recording was different from his usual cheeky ‘Declan Ex Machina. How may I save your day?’ Instead, his greeting was brief and ambiguous: ‘What’s your cup of tea?’
Her mind raced as the automated recording instructions played.
Why the change?
Was the reference to their cryptolect just a ploy to make her let down her guard? Would he translate her message and give it straight to Haddad?
Maybe.
Declan had no loyalty to Haddad—not like I had—but he’d always been loyal to himself. Even if Haddad wasn’t forcing his hand, Declan might turn her in of his own volition and wash his hands of the messy situation.
But maybe not, she thought, taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth against the pain in her side.
Perhaps Declan was re-routing incoming calls to a cloned inbox with a different greeting, leaving the original empty.
If there’s a chance that Declan’s still…
The recording beeped, and she made her decision.
“Strong red rooibos today—not the strongest I’ve ever brewed, but it’s close. What are you drinking?”
She hung up quickly, dropping the mobile in her lap so she could use both hands to apply pressure to her wound. I hope I haven’t trusted the wrong person yet again.
(Yes, their cryptolect is all tea-related. Any guesses what her message meant? 😉)
