omg i finisheeddd the ending's a little rushed sorry i'm honestly surprised nobody swore this chapter: i mean, leo and catherine? in the same room? interacting?honestly --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a buildup to the end The dawn rose, clear and feverish, over the painted horizon on the edges of the candied land. Sand crunched softly under the black boots of the twelve, strolling over the hills. Taurus held up the back, Leo skipping at the front with an icy green flower in hand, which they spun back and forth between their fingers. They came to a stop suddenly, wind whirling through their loose-hanging clothes. Leo twirled back around, skipping unevenly backwards and throwing their hands out. “This is ittt~” they sang, grinning at the group. “Right up there to His Heaven, and then we’ll have a meeting with - our - clients~!” “What are we charging?” asked Virgo, clutching a notepad and pen and pushing her rounded crown back up on her head. Her usual dithering was now assisted by anxiety, their new job being the largest in a while - it had been years since they were all needed, and it really was a thrill when they had: full for years, the excitement lingering with them long after. They had charged much more for that job, however, and none of them honestly expected quite the exhilaration to come from this one. “We’re discussing that when we get there,” Aquarius answered, not trusting Leo to give a sensible answer. The latter beamed at them all and fumbled in their inside pocket for something long and rounded. “Here we are!” They pulled out a long fluorescent key with a flourish, hopping back and turning to face away from them. Apparently reacting to the glow of the key, something ripped in the space floating above the ground, contorting into a keyhole. “Off - we - go!” And the key was turned in the lock with a single click. Emilia woke up with a sudden rush, chills running up and down her spine. She looked up at the faces of the people surrounding her wildly, blurry vision going in and out. Gabriel leaned in, their voice sounding distant and muffled. “I’m so sorry, honey! The door got out of hand, I’m so sorry. . .” They trailed off, but she couldn’t tell whether they really had or if it was just her disoriented hearing. Every sense felt as though she had just been underwater for a very long time, and the water was just now starting to drain from her ears and lungs. She tried to stand up in her panic, the person holding her - Catherine, she thought - pushed her back down. “Stay, we’ve got to take care of you,” Catherine warned before disregarding this entirely and dropping Emilia hard on the ground. She was too tired to react to that, however, and just laid there, every muscle in her body aching vaguely. “Catherine!” she saw Raphael admonish from the edge of her vision. “Shush!” “What’s going on?” Mitsu eased Emilia gently up to be propped on a rotting mailbox before freezing at the sight of a faint smoke over the horizon that shouldn’t have existed. She stood there next to Emilia, silent, and the latter attempted to look up, but couldn’t as it made white and black spots flash in front of her eyes. Gabriel had noticed too, and responded quickly with a loud profanity, which earned them a grin from Beelzebub. “They’re here.” Catherine groaned loudly, putting her head in her hands. “Oh - I can’t believe I did this.” She took a deep breath. “Brace yourselves, guys, there’s no going back now.” And the demons waltzed over the edge of the hill, the one in front snapping their fingers and turning the scenery upside-down. (cont)
(cont) The world flipped, landing them in an extravagant replica of the home of the Children: an ostentatious ballroom display, marked by a moving painting of stars across the canopy of ceiling and deep red drapings falling from the arches. Dizzy at suddenly being flipped on her feet, Emilia stumbled aside, landing softly on a plush armchair Michael had flicked up for her, sniffing. Leo smiled widely and spread their hands, falling back on a similar chair that materialized out of nowhere. “Lord Beelzebub,” they acknowledged, winking at the mentioned, who made a face and hid behind Gabriel. “First things first,” Aquarius started, getting straight to business. “We need to adjust the price. You must realize that this is quite the serious job offer, and will take considerable toll upon us.” Catherine snorted and Aquarius shot her a glare. “As I was saying,” she continued pointedly, “This is going to cost them.” “What price exactly?” Raphael interjected. Gabriel fidgeted nervously with their hands, biting their lip. “I think Leo named it over the phone, but we’re willing to make some adjustments. The Angel can tell you,” she answered, looking over at Catherine. “Go on.” Catherine scowled at her and pushed her glasses up. “A strong soul or something of the sort, and eleven-sixteenths off of their time.” “That’s right!” Leo clapped their hands and lounged back in their chair. “Now, we’ve heard about a halfling on your side - That’d be you, wouldn’t it?” They were looking at Mitsu now, who stiffened. They stood up and approached her, smirking as they poked one finger into her chest. She balled her hands into tight fists, leaning away from them and stretching her back in order to be taller. “Your soul for their safety. How does that sound?” “No,” Catherine interjected. She slid between them and pushed Leo away, who frowned and pursed their lips. “Absolutely not.” “Well, you’re certainly fired up about this. I’d suppose you have a secret love of the sort, but then again, you are an Angel,” Leo commented, raising their eyebrows and taking a step back. “Shut. Up.” Catherine hissed as she stepped closer to make up for it. Mitsu opened her mouth to say something, but Gabriel quickly pulled the two in front of her apart before a punch was thrown or a skirt was lit aflame, possibly involving holy water in the matter, and then that was a whole other thing. The short Archangel looked up at the slightly taller two, who remained staring at each other, Catherine’s chest heaving with anger. “Fine, then,” Leo sniffed. “We’ll sort it out later. Plus,” they turned and smiled, “I’ve got a date.” And the Demon vanished, leaving the rest of them behind. Emilia watched this all transpire from behind her knees, having drawn them up to her chest. Her dead heart was beating very fast inside her chest, though she hadn’t understood most of what was said. Everything was very strange, and she was still dizzy, her head pounding with every little movement. She couldn’t stop thinking about the young woman who had fallen from the sky. What the heck was going on? Was she safe? In another universe, another time, a young woman with dirty-blonde hair wakes up in her bed, a splitting headache running through her head. Another day of hell begins.
