mekachu04 | Entries tagged with verse: heteroclite fall

"you sound like them…"

maybe not the best thing to tell the angel of rebelion, even if he had no idea who 'them' refered too. Just the same, lucifer looked at the agnel dumbfounded. "and who is 'tehm'?"

crowely sat up in alarm from where he'd been lounging, coiling around azirpahle where he sat on one of the stone benches. their was an unsteady cese fire between them nad the devil, but crolwey didn't trust it to last any farther than he trusted gabreil. azirpahel however has holding hte devil's gaze with his own steady look, and crolwey gave him a reassuring sqeeze but said nothing yet.

"Like gabriel. and the others. the way the talk down on he humans. i hadn't realised it would be so universal."

Lucifer snareled,'I doubt that - hating on them is why i was caste out - refusing to kneel before hte mud spawn."

azirpahle knodded, "while i don't think gabriel ever calle dthem mud spwn, i think it's more that those words aren't in his limited vocabulay. and her certialy lacks the creativity to string them together if they were. no, he typically refer to anything related to them as 'gross matter' "

azirpahle being here had ogne along wa to pointing out that something in the Fall prossess was amiss. He may have Fell, but he certainly did not Fall.

it agave lucifer pause, and he slumped bakc into his throne, eying the pair.

"remember, they where just as eager so start the war as your lot," azprile added, tilting his head to side eye the dark lord. "there is no love for humans aside the prerquasite charade becuase they are a creation of the almighty. if they didn't think she might be watching, i'm sure they'd of left it all to burn as soon as the gardan fisaco unfolded."

lucifer turned the statement over in him mind. he knew from beelabubs reort that the angel's wrod where almost as cloying as th serpants, but he hadn't relised just how true that stament was. crolwey could lie using only the truth, and his angel certainly had a talent in forcing the perpsectinve in an agument.

"they really don't know what they tossed out, do they pricipality."

he grinned at the queer look ont he angels face.

this... this could be something huge....

he was still ton open for all to see. Crowley had fabricated a simple button-up and slacks for him to wear, apologetice that he wasn't able to provide the layers azripahel was acutly missing. Too many of lucifer;s dark council demaned to see the wound on a whim; crolwey had offered to make him something with a zipper, but there was something self soothing about worring at his btoons. besides. relly? a zipper?> he did have some standrds, even here!

Hell was much more opressive this second trip around, and the overly long stay was makig it hard for hte angel to remain clear headed. he was mortified that he was *tired* so often, and no matter the face he put on, it was clear that whole ocuncil knew it. as soon as the novelty of his citcumatances wore off, there was litterlay nothing azirpahle or crolwey could do to keep him safe, and that weighted down ont hem almost as much as the sulpgic air of hell itself.

he excepted them to find no allies in the matter, any favour crolwey had gathered had been burned away at he airfield, but lucifer was strangly restrianed, and heavy headned all at once, demainind order during the meeting the angels was trotted out for. he didn't stop the angel from being manganded and groped, but be also did not allow the angel to me tormented, verbally or physically. he also refused to tollerat any of this demons, included corlwey, to touch azirpahles wings while such meetings where in session.

azirpahle, and by extention crowely, where expected to be present at each meeting, thoughneighter was given a place a the table, instead religaed to a corner of to lucifer;s side behind Belzabuub. the lord of the Flies was quite vocal at having crolwey at their back in the begining, but lucifer silanced any protesting with a sharp - "Do you think me incapable of order in my own court?"

crolwey made sure to be on his utmost best behaouir after taht - it might be tempting to taunt his superior officer, to pay them back for six thousand years of petty torment, but he also understood that doing so would remove him from future proceddings, and could break the nonverbal treaty keeping azirpahle safe. Lucifer had only promiced to keep him unFallen after all.

still, he had to wacth his beloved, still unwell and distorght from heavens torments, being continuously trotted out like a freak in a circus show. had to stay his tounge when buttons hwere undone and azripahle would fight to remain stoic, yet another demon lord thrusting their hands inside is ingury to prod at his exposed grace. it could be worse .. it could of been him, instead of legion, that the council dicided to viviset one meeting, azirpahle forced to lay down side byseide with the screaming demon as they where compaired. that eric had not surived the meeting, and azirahle had broken at one point, quite tears streaming down his face as the entire group got to watch first hand the dark void that filled each of them sputter and die inside the young man-looking vessel. once this shard of legion died, dissapating like mist in the sun, the body started to break down immediatly with no power left to hold it together.

a crusous kindness if you will, had a feshfaced erik bring a messge to lucifer not long after. crolwey was more than happy to introduce azirpahle to the cockrach of a demon, "He'll likely be the only one of us left after the war - regardless of who wins," crolwey explained, trying to ignore the touched look on Eric's face. legion was always a strange one, but they'd never given croley any issues, and might be one of hte only demons who found the humans as facinating as he did.

"Call me Eric," the frshfaced demon said - he could pass as humna, even in hell, split across so many vessels as he was. where as even crolwey got a bit scally the longer he was down here - legion just split off into more eriks to balance it out.

"i watche dyou die.." azirahle said finally, holding erik's hand like a lifeline. the demon only blushed, no one had ever cared abotu him dying in six thousdand years.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Erik steeled with fianlly, and crolwey rolled his eyes to avoid the pleased look threating to break across his own face. he shouldn't be supriesd, he guessed, that azirpahle would make freinds with erik.

being one of the nly dmeons that could surive the wrath of a unwanted message, erik popped in more often after that. suprisingly, lucier even whent to far as to not only allow it, but incourage it.

"why didn't you tell us?"

"Because most won't accept it. They never reconver corwley. They never become demons, and they walk back into the lake as soon as we turn away"

"and all this time, you knew?"

lucifer sat back with his drink, gaze drifting over to the nearly eveserated angel resting on his bed. "I had my suspisions. soething about our fall never set right, and - watchers aside - we had no idea of incoming falling until hthey'd already landed. surely - if an angel had done something so outragious to be litteral damned for eternity.... wouldn't someone of heard of their crimes? i have my own feelers in heaven, and even when they do know an angel has fallen, the best the ever gave was a genreaic, they where a poor angel and didt' follow orders. i could toss that one up too not wanything to share qitht he anemiy, but..."

crowley nodded. understanding the line of thought. azirpahle had freeted int he past about falling - it wasn't a severt fear; he was pretty open about how anxious the thought made him.

"the ones that fell alone... the idea of not being an angel drove them mad. they had no purpose outside of that, nd nothing i ever said seemed to override the feeling. cut off from the Almightly, they could not funcion. no matter how long we kept them under observation, they all destroyed themselves the very frst opertunity they had."

"Noo wonder Heaven was never worried about us using them to streangthen our ranks.." crolwey hissed, trying very had not to picture azirpahle in that same place. trying to remindhimself that Lucifer had caught his angel before htat had happened. he might have been exciled by heaven, but he had not lost Her Favour. crolwey only hoped it would be enough. the end of the world might have helpped in that - the Azirpahle of before... croalwy wasn't sure he would have survived such a culling.

"the ones that fell alone - you said none of them made it?"

"The only ones of use who still exist are either from the Great War, or the Watchers. plenty fell one by one over the milinia, but no. they never acclimated. I think after the watcher's survived, Heaven was much more careful about making sure fallen didn't have anyone with them. no chance to devolpe a support network.

"It's gien me some rather worrysome speculations on our own fall, and to see the prove of it.. this may bring about an end no one saw coming."

crowley frowned

"Heaven has come to believe that the only way to kill an angel is Hellfire; and while not completely accrate, we encourage it, becuase well,: he motioned around. everything in the whole realm was lite by hellfire, "Keeps them from comeing down here. but, as any demon will tell you, hellfire doesn't kill angels the way holy water kills demons. Hellfire makes demons. it tourtures them until every good Godly part o them has been burned away. eventually, it takes root, and burns there the Almightly Grace once ran. to kill an angel with hellfire - you hve to keep putting them back in the flame. you have to keept tourturing them until the parts that made them a thing in the first place all get burned away too. it's.. ots very terrible, to kill an angel with hellfire. much earer to kill an angel with holy water. burn out Her Grace, and then douse the flame."

crowley felt sick, years of infighting sprinign to mind with the mention of the liquid. wathcing ligue melt in frmnt of him following slose after. "wait.. you said... killing an angel..."

"You can kill an angel much easier if you just remove the grace. no fire in itse;f place, just... " he getured blankly to the room. crolwey wasn't sure he followed.

"I saw angels die in the Great War, crowley." he admitted, blnak faced. "My clearest memory from before. why i always help susspiosn over htis whole arrangement. I dn't know who the first angel was, hwat side they backed.. nothing like that. they'd been run though, horribly attacked, and left behind. no one coming back to help them. i didn't know what to do either, i didn't know how to heal, so... so i left them behind too. leater, i ended up reterating back into that area, and there was hte angel, still alone. sitll hurt. watching us maul each other.

"it... became something... else... we were fighting in out true forms, we didn't have any other yet. you could see it... changing. it wans't bright anymore, twisiting in on itewlf. it choked it's own grace out. smothere it out of existance. cut itself off her Her. it wasn't... it wasn't an angel anymore. and it jsut.. started devolouing the others. it ate teir grace, absorbeed them. but every time it did, it didn't get straonger, it just started to unravel. the more it killed, the weaker it got, but it just kept eating. until it couldn't catch us anymore, and just... misted out of existance.

"I don't know why it became that. i don't know if it was hte only time, or not. i don't know if anyone who saw it remmebrs but me. i also don't know why we don't become that, and instead become us. but i think the fire here is the key. and while i'm sure the almighty can do hwatever she wants, i also beleive that we cannot be serpated from her grace without something taking its place, or else we become that...."

"Meaning, " crowley concluded," that we had to have still had Her Grace when we fell."

"That... possibly... we where never Forsaken by Her, but She still let it happen all the same."

crolwey could feel the anger in his words, and had to muffle of noise of disagreeent. lucifer already had a pretty hate/hate relationship with humans, blmaing them for.... jsut about all of his (tragadies). but this was also somehting crowley had heard humans struggling with since the garden. the only why he didn't still ask aloud. infact, after Adam, he didn't really ask it privatly all that much either. at least for humnas, the why was the garden.

the why was becuase by taking the apple, humans took up the mantel of being resposible for their actions. They concluded they wanted to be like God, so she said fine, and gave them the helm. and it had been one fuck up after the other. bad things happened becuase of free will. granted, good things happned becuase of free will, but humans didn't really care about that part. still. not a cnversation that was easy to have with humans, who may possess some understanding of is point becuase they had, after all, eaten of the apple. having that conversation with lucifer? not one he even wanted to attmpt. as much as they where not angels, they where of the same stock. and angels didn't have free will, they where Named with a single Purpose. so the line of thought was that demons didn't have free will either - they had jsut lost their Name so their Purpose was now to wile, sabatos, and terrize - become the antithisis of their once-Purpose.

azirpahel, nce he reconvered, was going to blow their minds, corlwey desided. an Angel who'd used their Purpose to tell heaven to fuck themselves. and truely? crolwey could not wait to see that conversation.

"why didn't you tell us?"

"Because most won't accept it. They never reconver corwley. They never become demons, and they walk back into the lake as soon as we turn away"

All this time, angels had still be falling. Crowley shuddered to think that he had dismissed azirpahe fears, had down played it for centuries, becuase he had nver seen a freshly fallen angel. as far as he had known. it was jsut the first batch.

"did.. di dany of them surive?"

Lucifer shook his head solomly. "I imagined that's why he kept happening, to be hinest. since they where's stranthening our numbers, as long as heaven felt they still had the advantage, let them fall. granted. i... " he gestured to where azirpahle still lay, a blanket drawn from the either to tuck him in, to cover the carved open chest. "I never expected that. there was so much damage to them when they crawled out, it was missed. and few stuck aorund long enough to ever heal. it was too much. most never talked to me, but one or two did - they couldn't remeber falling. nothign on how hte got to that point, nothing of the fall itself. like the impact of the lake burned weeks away."

those where the worse, lucifer things to himself, becuase they seemed like they might make it. that they might be the first to stay. the looked like htey might jsut heal, recover. find a new purpose and name.

but they too couldn't imagaine not serving God, ad walked back inot the lake before a new reson d'etra could be given. lucifer had tried to force a Name early, to try and straong arem them into staying, but they rejected it immediatly. he tried to wait,a dn still. same result.

bt if this wasn't a fluke. if this Fall was the norm; it hurt to think, but it might give him the ammunition to tempt them into living long enough to make a real choice.

As happy as lucifer was to be free of the yoke of his creator, it had been what had given the demons the will to strive - spite. but even he could understand that not all where ready, not all wanted this Will. if he could give that pack to them. to assure them, they where not forsaken...

would it make it better or worse. they had not been (forsaken) but yet still abandodned. that God had not revoked their purpose, but had let them be caste asside none the less.

would it be seen as jsut another trick of the devil....

he's still excaused when he awakaes, some untold time alter, but it's warm and he feels safe in awa her hasn't in a lng time. his visin is filled with soft skina nd pale curls, and the smell of angel almost comeplety blocks out the sulpher lingers at hte edge of his sences.

he can't slip back off to dream land though, the warm blue haze glowing between them a steady reminder of how the balance has been lost. newly formed hands slid thoght he edges of a gory blue shirt to the ragged flesh below, still torn open for all to see. Azirpahle sighs at his touch but doesn't awake, tucking in closer.

he hears a pan tapping somwhere behind him, and he can smell the sublet tones of his former boss working just out of sight.

He prpobbly would of burn himself out rying to heal these last few wounds, and as much as he wants to close the open torso to aziaraple's grace, there is something else that needs his attention first.

His corperation is healed - as least s muhc as it can be, but hrer are still ingures to his true form that need seen too - the worse being the exposed tatters of where his wings where torn out. Crolwey ignores Lucifer as he slides free of his angels hold, and carefully encurages his to lay flat on his stomache.

it's something they don't talk about, the scars high on his back -wings that once covered Crolewy in Edan taken shortly after for failure int he graden. Azirpahle was not hte only angel to be demoted that day, all of the cerib and at least one serphim stipped of their rank and demoned to the lowerest circle. All the cerbim had thier flight wings removed, baniched to earth as Priciplaities. Azirpahle was never comepleteyl certain what happen to his superior, but hadn't thought Chamiel had Fallen. He thinks the former seriph was sent to the Americas, but could never verify it.

In the millium after, Azirpahle had done quiet well confinicing humans his remaining wings - normally used for modesty inthe celstial realm - where infact just as proper as any other wings that angels would display - and most humans whreren't looking close neough at his wings, and more couwering in terrer - to notice anything amiss. they were smaller than typiacly espected, but if he puffed up just right, humans really could tell the differance.

not that any of htat mattered anymore. crowley placed the heals of his hands at the base of hte angels spine, slowley pressing up along the row of bones, it was an indujence that azirpahle tyically only partook in after a few bottles of wine, and it broke crolwey;s heard to realise he'd lost that connection now. the mucles shuddered under his administrations, bother human and other worldly, and each pass caused the remaining appendagice to shudder and relax. instead of oulling them out of the eother to groom though, they slowly calmed and settled back inot the places between existance, still an agreious injuty, but no longer one exposed to the world, and slipped back inside to begin to heal.

the scars fromt he cleam ambutation shone bright and high on his back though the tateeres of his shirt, and now there ews an ugle network on webbing low on his back where the trama and pain still shown on the surface. crowley traced osme o fte network, wondering if htis too would jsut being somethingy they'd have to learn to live with.

He'd loved to jsut stay, let his mind wander, but he had an audiance, even his there was the illusion of privacy. slidding off hte angel, crowley checked to make sure he was comfortable, but for turning to the Master of the Realm.

Lucifer set aside his work, tunring to regard the renigade demon adn the angel tht had upset the balance he'd been trying to mintian since hte end that wasn't. finally, he gestured to the chair across te desk from him, still posisioned to keep crowley between the Lord of Hell and the angel.

"I expect you have questioned. you always did."

it was becoming clear that Lucifer wasn't going to be able to keep the angel under much longer, despite crowley's increased efforts to aid him. He was still broken and torn open, and the pain was becoming to dangerous to ignore.

Prince 1 finally put it into words, "And this one. what are we doing with it?"

Crowley was still a traitor, and most of htem wanted him erased, and usually, the same would go without saying for his anglic paramore. but this also present Hell with the most tangelble prove of something they had long since wondered about, and without any clear idea of what to do with such information.

"We ought to stabalize it," beexzabub said fianally, realising that was their Dark Master wanted and what the council decided needed to align as mutally as possible, but if Lucifer voiced anything, it might be grounds for him pushing his own wants onto the council. they needed to come to that on their won or they would never accept it as their own, on a manipulation. "keep it from dying, if possible. interigate it before it fades if it comes to tat."

"Possible the first one to fall that remmebres how it happneed," Prince 2 mused, "That could be valuable information."

"What does it matter," Prince 3 interjected, "What excaptly changs? so it was still favoureed when it fell? it stil Fell. It wasn't favoured enough to save it from a nose dive. And now since we caught it, it's jsut some... powerless little thing."

"I say we finish the job, and see hwat happnes. See if the Lord of the Files was right, and the pits burn our the Grac, or if htis howl things was a fluke. If it looks like the rest of us did when we crawled out, then we know fianlly. and if it doesn't. well, Heaven is trying to clean up a mistake. We should take notes." crawloy curled tighter, letting out a soft warning hiss at the implication.

"Even if i disagree on the why," Prince 4 stated, "I think we ought to dump it in anyway. we tourture those who desirve it, right? what's this angel done to us? why should we tourture if, just becuase Heavan says so? more the reson not to. and leaving it liek this... it's tourture. needless suffering. we can't heal it, we can't fix this. best to put it out of it's missory, like the others."

Arguments rose up on either side of the matter, and crowley could feel himself start to panic. becuaes it wasn't a bad agument. either the lake at him up and he was set free, or the lake burned him out, and finished his fall. in which case, Hell could heal him; if Azirpahle knelt to Lucifer, the Devil would connect him to the dark realm, ginving him back miricles.

And maybe croalwy couldn't heal the interal tears; he couldn't patch up a etheral esseance even if he had learned how to co-exist with one. But.. but he knew azirpahle, knew him inside and out, and knew his corperation, even the updated version adam had created. Hell might not be able to mircicle an etheral vessel, but crwley had learned how a long long time ago, somwhere around the ime azirpahle had learned to cast a curse, and he'd leaned to (cast) a blessing.

in hell, there was no need to snap - he didn't need to draw power up though the universe, he was alsreay soaking in it. He jsut needed to rediect it, curling his body up, coiling around azirpahle jaw, tucking into his damp, sweat soaked curls. he let the power of hell oose form his scales, reknitting bone and fillin int oe fractures along his angels skull, easing the bruising on his jaw and cheek. lighting his jaw back ot here the agnel prefered it,a nd filing inthe few teeth that had been lost. the neck was next, checking bine and nerves and tendons, letting hte councils voices slip away.

He'd show them, there was no need to toss his angel back in, crowley could care for him just fine. He'd figure out the wings and the miricles later. he was crowley. he's got this.

chest shoudl of been next, but lucifer only reached forward, moving his head to aziraphles arms,adn crolwey set about working the bones bak into one, joints back into place. hands anf fingers back to their rightful place. he was redirected, much to his annonace, again away fromt he gaping hwole torn into his friend, but moved downward, hips nad legs and feet.

he didn't even notice the voices fall away, didn't notice the conversation still until he was denighed a third time for the worse ingure, hissing at the pesky hands. if he had the strantgh, he would of bitten them, instead he was lifted up and away, danginly exhausted in the hold of the master of the realm.

His vision had fallenw aya until all he could see was the exposed heat of injury, weakly coiling up to try and free himself. instead he was held in a firm grip behind his head, and a second grip down his body to keep him from consticting around the wrist of his captor in an attempt to free himself.

More demonic aspects hwere starting to rise into esiastnace, his tail splintering and wings pulling free in his attmept to follow the heat as it was carried away, but he was too tired to grow big enough for it to matter. he was forced to remain behind, the voice of hsi dark lord rumbling though him, but remaining unregistarted. finally, when he though he could hold out no more, the universe smile don him for once, and he was depositied on s soft silken surface nex tot his angel. he couldn't grip the sheets with his scales, last bit of power giving him claw to drag himself forward before passing out from exhaustion with his snout buried in the first warm crease of body that blocked his momentum, burrowing betwwen arm and body uncarring as his head pressed into the arm pit of an angel.

Lucifer watched the duo contempetivly; they both rested peacfully at the moemnt, the angel curling to one side around his demon, the stump of a wing moving like it had forgotton, and was trying to sheild them both from sight.

it was a mess, the whole ordeal opening too many questions with no clear corse of action in front of them.

as teh Lord of Hell, it's not much to wave his hand, his suit miticulously clean dna pressed once again, a stern reminder to remain so until the meeting was over.

Crowley cooed and soothed the angell dark power ppowering in to numb horrific injues, not healing anything, but atleast deflexcitng the pain. too soon, a dimoniutive legon marterialized in his doorway, meeting Lucifer's gaze.

The council was ready.

"Crowley," Lucifer said, adjusting his cuffs, "You may come one the single condition you remain out of sight and out of mind. This is not about you, and if you become a distraction, i will elminiate you. Doo you understand this?"

"Yes bosss," his hissed, slinking back to the shadows. Better.

Now, to the angel. He'd lost awarness at some point, but looked to be comeing back around, eyes half lidded, and slowly traking crowley as he moved away. There was no allegiance sworn to him, so no amount of ordesr would work on an angel. but he could compel wants already there to be stonger.

"Sleep." He urged, and the angel slipped away agian.

---

"Lord Lucifer, Dark Lork and Master." the imp decrided as he entered, angel in arms. the council table was lower than normal, smaller. Lucifer placed the angel careful on teh table, midful of the broken limbs and maimed wings.

"Thank you for gather ing on such short notice" he said, stepping back, mindful that no one's attention was actually on him at the moment.

-- (talk about how they are hte first, yet no one can remmebr the actual fall. and that it's no secret to them the agels fall regulaly)

he had to compelte the angel back to sleep, he knew the danger the room held for him and was strying to wake up, guird itself.

--

carefully manevousing the stubs, the angel jerk and moaned, eyes flickering but remaining closed, Lucifer layed the angel flat on its back. the table lowered a again, lucifer parted the scraps of shirt to revealt he sergical dicetion. he could see crolwey out of the corner of is eye turn to face the wall, unable to look.

The room went dead quiet.

"Its... it's still Favored."

The grace glowed warm in the room, and Prince 1 reached out and touched it before anyone could stop him, or he could think about it. he'd claws slipped thoguh it like it was an illusion, unaffected. Lucifer noticfed the angles toes and figners twitch, a clear sign he was not unaffected byt he action. Prince 1 pulled away, seemign to not relaise the tears starting to slip form his eyes. a nother price moved forward, poking around, "what is all this other.. damage though?"

Beelazabub looekd forward then, and the angel maid a soft noise of sidtress. "Pleeeease, Master," crowley whispered, still refusing to look, but lurking a this side.

Lucifer knew it was become harder to complete hte nagel back into sleep. :No distractiosn." he warned

Crowley lithered ont he table, tiny black snake that coiled at the angels thraout, taoil resting on his shoulder, head resting right up under the jaw. the nagel calmed almost immediatly. there was a few eye brows raised but no one said anything, even if beezabul made a point to flick a coil away from teh insiction as the inspected the wound. "The grace remained, but it's been .. docked. acress blocked."

"No more mircicled," another whispered, loking inside.

"No way to save itself."

---

"WE can't intesct with it's grace," dagon said suddenly, from where he'd been taking minutes fo rhe minting. "What if.. what if angels can't either.."

"What do you mean?" Prince 1 asked. Beelazbub too the angles hand, and placed it inself it's own chest. it didn't effect it any more hten their own actions had. "What are you getting at Dagon?"

"Netering it from mircicles, clrippling it so it can't fight back, or escape. binding it inside a fleshy body, adn then cutting it open - it's awfeully hard to get htoguh the layers of angels usually, but this is awefully iffeicent."

"And then fropping it straigh into the pits:

:One of the only natural places that can damage a celstrail."

there was a quiet acrosst he room. demons sat back in their chairs, looking disturbed and completivive. each prince circled aorund hte same thought Lucifer had come too when he frist saw the grace.

'what do we do... now?'

"I suggest we keep this quiet until we know for certain. No angel fell yesterday. the only thing that happen on the shore was the trator crowley had been spotted, scheming somthing. it was foiled,a nd been delt with. anyone who has trouble with this, bring them directly to the council,a nd we'll take it case by case," beez proposed. no one seemd to have a better idea, so it was agreed on.

which jsut left he angel and trator is question.

demon's chuckled around him, not so much a sound of amusement but of unease. Lucifer eached the face fthe demon befor ehim - scales run wild, eyes completely yellow is dsistress. He was beaten and bloodly and wings torn asunder. He'd been fighting like a wild rabid thing.

And lucifer could he it as clear as day. it wasn't for himself he'd been ready to destoy himself.

OPeneing his own cursed whight wings, Lucifer left the shore with a might down stoke, his sujcsts scattering out of his way in confusion.

Eavn Duke Hastur as skurred away, eyes of his Lord instead of his prze, and the VDevil easy soared over the lake. it was a path he was more used than then he would admit - he'd been there for neary every fall in the end, watching them fight to live. He'd never interupted the act before, and had certainly never been there earliy enough to prevent it, but he'd watch their progress in the sulpher, and had shone then the way to shore.

Thos that made it,he accepted. those that did not, he morned.

As he appoached the tear, he could see a figure pludgng down, raw and exposed grace weeping behind them as they wnet. the angel had remanind bound inside a corperation - dead weight - and as Lucifer apoached, he could see it's agony. it had not gone quietly into the night, instead torn open front an dback, human blood and atherical ichor spilling out. Lucifer matched its pace in its free fall, and the angel looked at him.

it wept, face twisted in sorrow and mornful. it did not look afraid, but resigned. As lucifer approached, it make no attempt to push him away or to flee.

instead, it whispered. a sound lost to the winds and stench, but a thousand times to loud in his ears. "Forgive me Samuel. For ever thinking you wher ehte enimy"

----

The angel is dressed in only shirtsleeves and slacks, both stained and torn more rags than clothes. the raggesd stumps of wings prtrud low on his back, but thankfully away from the arm lucifer has wrapped around his back to carry him. there, there are only long inflcted scars from a demontion millinia ago, long since healed, and perhaps only a blessing now as htey no long existed to be mulitpated futher.

Lucifer bridal carried the angel back to the shore, looking ot hte horrific lasations on his front instead of to any of his demons. the angel has been carved open throat to navel, grace exposed, and connection to heaven grutuoisly severed. They wanted him to feel every bit of pain and helpless ness onthe way down, no miricle to call forth for aid.

But it also confimed something horrible that Lucifer had long since been suspisions of, but had nver earrived quickly enough to know for sure.

At his feet, crowley had drug himself, and was now clinging to his shoes, hands and arms more lizard than human, his mental state fractuing to much to hol dhis form steady. his tail coiled behind him, fractuing off into more and more pieces as it went. he wept blood, desperate and pleadding, grapping no higher than his pant cuffs but nearly stoking his shoes like one would a small animal. "plase," he beged, "please, Lord, don't hurt him, please"

Lucifer looked up from the display to the other gather demons, the hoard bowing heads nad defferment once his atention was drawn to them. Prince Beelzabuub had joined them bu this time, bowing as well, and making a point to push the protesting Hastuts head down until the duke was kneeling as well.

"Maszter?"

"Summon the Dark Council, Prince Beelzabub," Lucifer responded, before nodding to Hastur. "Take him with you. the other Dukes as well. If they can hold thrie tounge, I want them there too."

"And... the tratoir?"

"Not your concern." it wasn't just dismissive to the Prince, but the entire gathering, and soon the Dark Lord was left alone with only backward glances from his subjects. Alone, except for...

"pleassse," crowley begged again, growing despeate to know anything ont he body now held in his former master's arms.

"Either pull yourself together and walk with me like a proper demon," lucifer hissed back, "so let me pass, and fall to pieces on your own time"

It didn't work as well as Lucifer had hoped, but when he marched away, the serpance crawled after him; his forming collecting itself slowly, but steadily.

But he time Lucifer made it to his own waiting area befor ehe adressed the counsil, the lower demon had found feet again, even if his broken wings still dragged behind him, and he was more scales than skin.

"Clear my desk" Lucifer ordered of him once they entered, and the serpant immediatly set to gathering up the items are relocating them. Any since of propeirty he had was gone though, the monet Lucifer set the angel down.

Lucifer wasn't sure it could dicorperate anymore, the fleshy body acting like a prison cell he was bound too even once it started to rot away, so 'alive' was goign to be an extrealy unhelpful term. the blood had slowed, likely had run out, but etheral matter still escapped, condening an a golden mist itn eh air.

But it's grace was stil there, a powerful, heavy thing, adn Lucifer was never more recluctant as he was now to take crolwye wrist in is grib when the demon moved frward to try and close the wound.

It did say something though - how true his words could be. that he was the Almightly grace, and intead of turning biter or angey, or tying to steal it for himself, crowley tryed to protect it inside the vesal of an another. those pleading yellow eyes turned to him - six thousdan years ago, crawling out of the sulphur fo rht first time, confused and scared, unable to comprehead what had happen, why it had happened, what.... no. not right now.

"The council has to see this first. You can heal what else you can, his wings and hte like, but this must be left for them to witness."

"of ... of course, Master."

No quesioning, no attmept to understnad. and nothing but obediant defferment to him. it was like crowley had fallen again, had lost everything that had been him; no Purpose, no Name.

And Lucifer realised wiht a start, that there where several ways he could used this to his advantave, and he reached forward, cupping the serpants face in his hands, fingers pressing agsint scales, feeling wher ehte jaw connected, adn where it tesec under his grasp. "C[ROWLEY]" he invoved the demon's chosen name, feeling the sigil burning under the presure on it, "Listen to me, and do as I ask now," he compleled him, before promising a reward to tempting for even the first tempor, "And no futher harm will come to the angel while in my domain."

Crolwey sagged in his grip, scales fleeing in a rush of skin as the demon agreed, the serpant (brand) coiling on his flesh as he submitted to Lucifer once again. Lucifer wasn't nessisassilyr happy with maniluplating the traoir back into the fold, but he would also be the first to tell you that freedom at hte price of being eteranlly alone was seldom worth it.

there wass no reason to trust gabriel - but there was also little other options let to crawoley. Azirpahle wasn't on earth anymore, and crowley suriving a one man rescure attempt on heaven was a death sentace for both of them.

Getting croawly to go back to Hell was *probbaly* a trap, though he was pretty sure if gabriel was involved, it was as a pawn. subterfuge wasn't really the angel's style. But it was Micheal's style, as he'd learned long ago from half whicpered confessions from azirpahle, even if his own angel wasn't allowing himself to connect the pieces.

He also recognised the half manic look in Gabriels eyes - the building of /questions/ that no angel was allowed to hold, much less dare to speak them. Heaven worked becuse angels followed their orders,a nd that was that. The why's didn't matter. the reaon's where for the archangels to know, and you just kept your head down. or, didn't, in croalwy's case, and found yuorself on the outs real quick.

And then for Gabriel to imply that not even archangels got to be in the know. that...others disappeared still.

Craolwy wasn't aware of any new fallen angels - he'd been working under the assumtion that there was jsut the mass exidus in the beginging, and that was that. Granted, crowley also made a point to stay out Hell as muhc as possible. Was it possible he'd missed somehting as big as this by trying to stay aloof?

It.. it had been one of the reason's he'd dared azirpahle to push ont heose boundress. he didn't actually think the angel would be in danger.

Just the thought of it made him panic, as he spilled out in a grimmer corridor of hell, slithereing int he shadows frantically as he moved deeper. He was hoping being limbless might prevent him form being regocnized too quickly; demon's had stoppepd looking at each otheres true forms along time ago. it was an aweful reminder of the lake, or ingues that would never heal.

Injuries that azirpahle might be facing very quickly.

The smell of sulpher thickens theair. the building crumbles around him the further he gows, old and unkept. the only things here beside the lake is Satan's dwellings. Even Lucifer doens't come down here anymore.

the heat joins the smell, and the air is thick and heavy. once the blue light of the flames stars to glow int he miasma, crowley pulls his limbs back into order, his wings work better on the more compact body, even if his feet protest their existance nad he finds it harder to stand than usual. if he tookt he time to look, he'd see his panic had him still mostly scales, skina nd hair too complicated to fabricate right now.

The lake stratches out endlessly before him. above - above is the tear between Heaven and Hell - a one way pass from grace to damnation, an anti galaxy idally spinning.

the end of a black hole.

He'll have to be diligant and unwavering, if he wasn't to spot anyone falling in time to try and catch them before they hit the lake. it's a long fall, but it's a far flight, and without knowing a when, crowley is hesitantt ot start circling. He doesn't know how long he can remiain airborn, and he doesn't want to draw the wrong type of attnetion.

Untilamtly.

It won't matter.

He'll never know if someone recognised him whe ntey reported him, or if Hastur managed to piece it together from 'very large snake' but regardless, he was takeled from behind suddenly, mecililly grip on his wing as they where thrown tot he ground.

Hastur was scream exlicitives at him, words pouring out in an endlass toumble ans he rained blows down, trying to tear his wings out, biting and thrashing and sobbing hate. rowley grabbled with him as best as he could, breaking a wing in the process of knocking hastur off of him, only for the demon to tacking him once again, this time face to face.

crowley could sence a crowd growing to pay witness,a nd he fuaght back jsut as dirty, letting his legs slip away to coil around hastur, who just disolved into maggots to try and get a new grib on him.

No one stepped int o help, or break it up, chanting and jerring. they likely didn't care who won one way or the other, just there for the thrill of a fight.

And then it went quite. even hastur froze in his onslaught, and crolwey turned to look at the tear in horror as it came alive - lightning cracking impossible form it;s center.

It was opening.

Someone was Falling.

And croalwy screamed as he crawlyed to the lake, to battered and broken to life his wings to fly, condemmed to watching fromt he sidelines. He'd swim if he had too - maybe he could no longer prevent azirpahle from falling, but he would not let the angel hit the lake alone.

He would not...

Not...

...

Lucifer was standing over him, his face carefully blank.

tears streaming from his face, corlwey could only look up at him beseachingly. his jaw trembled, and he forced the words past broken teeth, "Lord... He's my friend."

Lucifer looked at the tear. any moment now. "We are Demons. we don't have friends."

"I Love him."

"where is he?" there was only one reason gabriel would be here - to gloat.

It took all of crowley's willpoer not to throgh himself at he archangel. To keep himself composed long enough to try and wheedle out his angel's location. Surely it wouldn't take much, Grabiel loved to -

"He's in Heavn, for hte Moment. Micheal's orders. She..." Gabriel straigthened his jacket, "She means to make him Fall."

It was like being hit with a brick. Crowley shook his head in denile, "You can't do that; he's a good angel! i know you don't see it, but he is! He-"

"I did think it strange. that he hadn't fallen already. Surely, surely the Almightly disarpooved. Azirpahle was.. a terrible angel. and then fratanising wit you, uprooting the Plan. And hwen he didn't... I duno't know. Micheal made it all make since at the time. elminate the both of you, get everyone back to the same page. But hten.. But then She insisted on going down to Hell herself. and then... well. He didn't die. Niether did you."

There wasn't time for this, but crowley felt smething ithcing under his skin, the need to know why and how and to what end demaning he hold his tounge.

"He didn't Fall. And neither of you died. and..." he looked like he had jsut eaten a whole lemon, "Maybe the plan is ineeffable.

"So why now? Why would the Almighty have him Fall now? And why... why all the dragging out and secrect? Why is Micheal being all secrative about everything. Why is he /going/ to Fall instead of just.. Falling?"

"Don't let Micheal hear you talking like that," crawloy couldn't help but warn, "don't let her hear you ... questioning."

"That's why you fell, right? Tha'ts the romour ayway."

"I missed the fight. Was workign at the time. All i did was ask where everyone went. and then down i go witht he rest of them."

"And micheal was there?"

"Of course Micheal was there, Micheal was..." he frowned. that was important, but fo rhte life of him, he couldn't remmebr. the next thing he recalled for agony and burning and pain, for a very long time.

"Azirpahle was.. a terrible employee. but things are coming to light that suggest that... i may have been harsh in attempting to exicute him. I don't think he was ment to Fall at all."

"So why ar eyou here talking to me?!"

"I don't believe the Almighty commanded him to Fall. But. I can't prove anything yet, And i have no one to discuss it with it. No one I'm certian I can trust. All I am growing certain of, is that I can't trust Micheal, and that the Metatron is most certainly not speaking for God. at least not right now, if he ever was. I'm... not used to being distrustful of other angels. but i fear that if i try and make a move now, someone will just.. disappear me like the other archangels."

"So Azirpahle becomes your sacrafital pawn in the mean time?"

Gabreil's face closed off, gaze unfocused and turned imward. "Do you remember where you landed when you fell?"

"Sulphur pits - "

"Did everyone land there?"

Crowley nodded slowly, "As far as I know, yeah."

"Same pit?"

"Yeah..."

"And this pit is in Hell?"

"Deepest part. esentiually we built everyhting around it."

"Can you get to it still."

"It's not like they blocked it off or anything - "

"No, you, Crowley. Can /you/ get to it still. I relase Hell is likely closed off to you - we bared Azirpahle form Heaven, so it standest to reason Hell did the Same. But you got into the garden. Can you get back into Hell?"

"To the pit. How long have I go, yo figure? Has Micheal tossed him in yet?"

"No, i believe SHe's still...w orking out her frustrations, as it where."

Crowley paled, what gabril wasn't saying making his blood run cold.

Gabrile started to walk away, never looking back at him, "I don't believe this is the Almightly Plan, but I don't know anything anmore regarding tat. But... if she didn't mean for Azirpahle to Fall.... I wonder what would happen if he... didn't... land in the pits. Mciheal will caste him out, I have no doubts.. But if... somwheere where to catch him on the way down...."

And with that - he was gone. and crolwey had loast his limbs and burred into the grass, burrowing down as fast as he could.

They where a missable lot, no question to it, but they'd been angels up until they'd hit the sulphur, their connection to Heaven burned away, Her Grace caught alight and turning into a twisted inerno inside of them.

The area was filled with agonized wailing, the terried cries of those still plumitting down, wings torn or removed outright to prevent them from saving themselves, and the morose silance that had fallen over those who had started to come to terms with their new lot.

Eventurallt they will turn to Samuel for guidance, but until then, the former archangel has a moment to themselves, to stare up though the cosmos to where they knew Micheal was staring back down. They expceded there owuld be fallout from the argument, but this was beyond the pale. How could She allow this? Punich them, sure. infighting needed to be addressed. but to attempt to destoy everyone who do much as /didn/ back Micheal?

( ;_; unplugged more anout how could this possobly fit inthe Her morals, ect.)

angels crawled over to them, disfigured, mulitplared and burned. angles looking up at them, lost. They'd had their only pospose, the thing She created and Named them to do, torn from them,a nd most lacked the ablity to understand this as anything but devistating; an existance without purpose the most horrifing thing they could comprehend.

Samuel needed to deal with this first. to (deal) with the pleeding faces beginign to multiply before them. They took all teh rage and betrayala nd anger and hated that Micheal had drawn out,a nd pulled it free of their own self. Satan. Micheal's advasary. A part of them created to allow him to remain level headed. Let Satan rage at Micheal, leave Sameul to deal witht he horde growing before him.

"My bretheran," He cried, his voice rolling over ever corner of this horrid dark place. All remaing eyes turned to him, all ears listening to his proclimation, "This is not the End. We survived, despite of former Master's wishes, We lived, depsite teh horror inflicted upon us. And we will not just survie, but thrive, to spite those who try to look down at us!"

He'd barely spokein his Words, whent he hell they'd fallen to eroupted with a roar of voices, boken and pained, but strenghtening with his own proclimation non the less. One of the angels who clawrled closest to him let out a 'huzzah' followed by "HAIL THE LIGHTBRINGER, LORD OF THIS REALM!'

The cries rippled out out, and the once archangel turned to hisself in uncertainy, Satan smiling back at him with encouragement. He'd never set otu to be the Lord of anything, only to call out Mciheal for abuse of power. "What say you, Lucifer," satan asked, head bowing in deferment, "Lord of the realm?"

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Day 156 - 381 words - Prompt: heteroclite fall
Day 127 - 798 words - Prompt: meetings
Day 117 - 1250 words - Prompt: a quiet talk
Day 78 - 427 words - Prompt: hunger
Day 72 - 691 words - Prompt: finger tips
Day 71 - 1077 words - Prompt: fresh sheets
Day 69 - 800 words - Prompt: coma
Day 68 - 1210 words - Prompt: an ancient word
Day 67 - 875 words - Prompt: a quiet lake
Day 66 - 731 words - Prompt: running late
Day 63 - 467 words - Prompt: nightmares

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Entries tagged with verse: heteroclite fall

Day 156 - 381 words - Prompt: heteroclite fall

Day 127 - 798 words - Prompt: meetings

Day 117 - 1250 words - Prompt: a quiet talk

Day 78 - 427 words - Prompt: hunger

Day 72 - 691 words - Prompt: finger tips

Day 71 - 1077 words - Prompt: fresh sheets

Day 69 - 800 words - Prompt: coma

Day 68 - 1210 words - Prompt: an ancient word

Day 67 - 875 words - Prompt: a quiet lake

Day 66 - 731 words - Prompt: running late

Day 63 - 467 words - Prompt: nightmares

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