Fantasy A Friendly Wager (angel/demon; 1x1 starbear & endersheart)

[starbear]

Assiah wasn’t so bad, he guessed.

The food here was better. There was music instead of the eternal screams of the damned, which was fun. And really, humans were just as nasty and evil as most of the demons in Gehenna, so it was kind of like being at home most of the time. He’d been here long enough that he’d mostly gotten used to it, and had largely assumed that he’d been forgotten by the upper echelons of Hell.

Until a messenger arrived.

The crow landed neatly on the balcony railing of his apartment, interrupting his nightly smoke break (the smell of cigarettes was another thing that reminded him of home, and he’d gotten really good at encouraging the habit in humans, too). It squawked noisily, then dropped a piece of paper in front of him and flew away in a feathery black flurry. He picked the paper up and scanned the demonic speech scrawled there: a promise of a warm welcome back to Gehenna, along with orders and a human name.

Well. That ought to be interesting.

It’d be fun to flex his corruption skills after so long languishing here - oh sure, he’d swindled his way into a comfortable life for a human, and he had no problem tempting whoever caught his eye into bed when the fancy struck him, but it had been a while since he’d really done a good old fashioned soul tainting. Maybe he’d gotten too complacent after so long here - maybe it’d be good to prove he still had it.

Oh, this was so on.

He’d settled on a human male for his form here on Assiah - tall, with dark eyes and hair that he wore stylishly long. His own name being unpronounceable by a human tongue, he’d settled on a human name at random and had come up with Tony Wolfe - ‘Tony’ after a human that he’d had a particularly amusing time with, and ‘Wolfe’ because the animals reminded him of a lesser demon he’d once kept as a pet in Gehenna. He walked with a casual, self-assured air as he headed out the next morning in search of the hapless human that was his ticket out of this realm.

 

[starbear]

Picture of what I kinda had in mind for Mr. Wolfe!

 

[endersheart]

Alula wasn’t having the time of her life; being banished onto this dreary place was enough. Being tasked to do something to “earn” her way back into Empyrean was something even more draining. Not like her light hadn’t dimmed enough in the past couple of months. Now she had to use more energy, she had to focus her attention on a human and try to bring them to the light. To get them into the realm of angels, his realm.

It didn’t seem like a difficult task, the dove that brought her the message had also brought something to boost her energy. Did the father know she was slacking. It’s not like she wanted to fix humans after she got cast out. She clutched the little orb in her hand, nodding to herself in the mirror. Today was the day.

If the human was a male this would be a piece of cake, men drooled over her. It’s not like she particularly asked for the attention. Angels just had this certain glow to them. She couldn’t help it, but it was an easier way to achieve her goal.

How annoying. Maybe if it was one of her friends she’d be more enthusiastic about it, but doing work for a place that tossed her out seemed as if it was more of a nuisance than a fun time. She fixed herself so she looked fit to go out: took a shower, put on fresh clothes, brushed her hair. All the normal humanly things they did in the morning time. Then she set out, on a journey to find this human and make them the best she could.

|| I decided on the first look I sent you, the blonde with gray, blue eyes. ||

 

[starbear]

Tony had a good feeling about this - he had the devil's luck on his side after all, and what human could really stand up to a demon with resolve?

'Gehenna, here I come.'

He hadn't gone far when he sensed something - an unmistakable tingle of warmth that crept uncomfortably up his spine. It could only mean one thing: there was an angel nearby. Great. He glanced around, trying to find the source of that sensation, and settled on a young blonde woman.

"Ahh, they didn't tell me I was gonna have competition." He greeted her with a casual grin. "That is, assuming you're here for the same human I am."

 

[endersheart]

There was a cold air to this place, uncomfortably so. She had been so confident until her eyes landed on him. Why was there one in this sort of place, it took a moment for her to process.

It wasn’t everyday she saw a demon, it was extremely uncommon to find one with the same task she had. What game were their leaders playing at and, even more importantly, why with this particular human. Her gaze swept over the entity: red hair, peculiarly warm eyes. Most of his kind had cold stares, strange.

“Look, I’m not inexperienced with your kind, back off.” She swept her hair back off her shoulders, making her diamond earrings dangle gracefully. This would make this process much harder, instead of just getting it over with as quickly as she had planned. She clicked her tongue, violence wasn’t warranted here. Their kinds had, had centuries worth of battles, fights, malicious intent towards one another. Why start something at this moment.

She brought a finger up to her lips, tilting her head. Perhaps aggression wasn’t the answer at all. “Excuse my behavior,” she glanced at him, eyes shimmering, innocent. Puppy dog eyes. “Could you maybe let me have this one, love?”

 

[starbear]

A normal street filled with normal people - anyone that glanced at this chance meeting wouldn't have given it much thought, completely unaware of the power struggle brewing there. Tony's grin widened as the angel shifted through tactics - cold hostility, followed by cloying sweetness. Did she really think that was going to work?

What did she take him for?

"It's cute that you asked so nicely," he said. "Any other day I might even let you have 'em. But I've got a little too much on the line here, sweetheart. I suggest you just save yourself the trouble and step aside."

 

[endersheart]

She released a quiet huff, giving him a smile, “I don’t think you want to play this game with me.” Angels weren’t thought to be dangerous, but they could be. How else would they have protected their realm for centuries from demons. They might not be in an all out war right now and yet the tides changed so often it didn’t matter. If they got into a fight right now it’s not like either side would blame them.

The fit she was in dispersed when the human they’d been looking for caught her eye, watching them travel closer and closer. She seethed, it was a girl, thankfully, she looked to be too young for anything to happen anyway. “Okay demon.. I’ll make a deal with you,” funny, huh, making a deal with a literal devil. “No seducing, no flirting, we both get a fair chance.. nothing more than a friendship allowed,” she peered over her shoulder at him. “You can talk her into whatever you want, I can talk her into whatever I want.. but it stays friendly and, when it’s all said and done, whoever wins.. wins, there’s nothing either one of us can say or do about it.”

She had a feeling this would backfire on her, he seemed way more lively than she was. Dear oh dear, she couldn’t stand to live another second on this place. Maybe this would work, maybe it wouldn’t. All she knew is that if he won, she, an angel, lost to a demon. Her kinds mortal enemy.

 

[starbear]

Ah, there she was - Tony watched the human carefully as she passed by. A girl, huh? A little young for his tastes, and he couldn't sense anything in particular from her. So she wasn't yet corrupted, or saved...in essence, she was neutral ground.

His gaze slid back to the angel.

"Hm...sounds fair enough. I'd rather keep things civil, anyway. You've gotta deal, Angel." He smiled and offered his hand to her. "No flirting, though? Really? Guess that means I'll have to try to seduce you instead."

 

[endersheart]

Alula couldn’t figure out her feelings on the situation yet. She was desperate to get back to Empyrean, that’s why she’d proposed the deal. But, she found herself biting her tongue in thought. If she lost, she lost everything: her way back home. When he outstretched his hand she eyed it, her confidence wavering. She couldn’t let him win. Taking his hand, she shook it cautiously. That little shake intertwined their fates for longer then she knew.

— "No flirting, though? Really? Guess that means I'll have to try to seduce you instead."

She felt her face burn up, pink dusting across her cheeks and nose. If only he knew, she’d never done anything a day in her life. Some angels loved the idea of humans falling all over them and took advantage of it, she never had. Damn, she had to admit he was cute though. “W-Whatever... if we’re gonna be working on the same playing field, we might as well get familiar, my name’s Alula.. it’s not that hard to remember and I won’t tell you again.”

 

[starbear]

She probably had hoped that he wouldn't notice the delicate blush that crept across her features, but too bad - it was a good look on her especially paired with that confident look in her eyes.

"Alula, huh? Oh, I won't forget it. As for my name, it's ****," he said, his demon name coming out in a series of sounds that sounded like a hissing fire. "But for convenience, why don't you just call me 'Tony.'"

"Tony?"

"Yeah. Human name. I like it. Short, easy to say, rolls nicely off the tongue." He grinned again. "Well, now that we're all acquainted, let's see what the deal with that human is, huh?"

 

[endersheart]

Tony, he wasn’t mistaken it was an effortless name. She wondered if there was more to it then that but decided not to ask. His demon name would be difficult for anyone to pronounce that wasn’t apart of his world, especially humans. His next words broke her out of the trance she was in.

Alula’s eyes flickered back over to the human, she was a couple blocks down now. “She’s getting away,” she pointed, before shrugging half heartedly. She slid her hand sideways, a wallet slowly falling out of the girls purse. She winked at Tony, taking off. Manipulating objects was easy, especially in this realm.

It took her little effort to reach the spot, kneeling down and picking up the wallet, the hardest part was about to start. Pulling herself together, she caught up with the human tapping her shoulder lightly, “excuse me miss, but I think you dropped this?” She held the brown leather square out, beaming. The brunette turned, gasping, “oh goodness, thank you! I could’ve sworn..” she peered down at her purse, a confused look on her face. “Never mind, is there anyway I can repay you?”

Alula shook her head and hands dramatically, “repay? No way! It’s only common decency to have returned it back to you.. actually, I think we might have a mutual friend, I saw you at Niki’s the other day, your name’s Lyra right?” The letter the dove brought her had, had some information up there. Pretending like they had a mutual relationship seemed a perfect way to wiggle her way into her life.

 

[starbear]

Tony kept a respectful distance and watched Alula work her charm. She was pretty good - he'd give her that. It only took a few minutes for her and the human to be chatting like old pals.

"Not bad," he said, after the human was on her way. "My turn, yeah?"

He caught up to the girl in a few long strides, standing near her as she waited for a crosswalk light to change. He spoke casually, quietly, as if to himself - but when Lyra continued on her way, there was a shadow on her face, her expression drawn in a troubled frown.

"What did you do?" Alula asked, when Tony sauntered back towards her.

"Just made some suggestions," he said, "You know, implied her friends are talking behind her back, that her coworkers are all out to get her...that kinda thing. It's pretty amazing how many negative emotions you can generate from a few words."

 

[endersheart]

Alula watched Tony work his magic with a lopsided grin. She shouldn’t be this happy about manipulating someone’s emotions or about a lowlife competition. She should just take what she wanted. She hated the fact that the father had kicked her out, like she was something replaceable. Honestly, her fellow angels probably agreed. She was too strong willed, too devilish, not sweet enough. It was like she was born on the wrong side of the realm.

What was the true reason he had kicked her out? She manipulated a little too much, got too deep into someones emotions. People could get high on too many positive emotions, people could get reckless. Someone’s death was on her hands. Whether they had went to Empyrean or Gehenna she honestly didn’t know, nor did she care. There was more to the story than they let out.

Tony reached her side and she focused in on the girl, “what did you do?” Lyra looked devastated, it almost pulled at Alula’s heart strings. His words basically went in one ear and out the other, she was half listening but she got the point. Poor girl. “You’re cruel,” she murmured, before reaching into her pockets. She pulled out a phone with a text on the screen, ‘you won’t believe what happened’ it was from Cierra. Did she even want to know? She gave a short, but listening, response, ‘try me.’

Flashing him a smile, she shook the device, “did you even try to be friends with her? I got her number.” It wasn’t a super proud moment, but at least now she could do more than influence the girl in person. Shrugging, she turned on her heel, “so demon, tell me what you did to get kicked out while you walk me home. We can continue the shenanigans in the morning, hmm?” It wasn’t super late, probably about three or four in the afternoon, but it was late enough she could retire to her apartment and question her competition.

|| I’m thinking maybe I can do something with the Cierra part, if not it can be a filler. Also.. I’m assuming they headed out around 12(ish) and it took them a lil’ bit to find her, I hope the time isn’t a big deal! ||

 

[starbear]

((Sounds good!))

This angel was really something - Tony couldn't help but wonder how much of her brash confidence was real, and how much of it was an affected persona. He was strangely intrigued by her, despite himself and the circumstances. At the very least, she was making things interesting.

"Ah, cutting right to the chase, huh?" Tony shrugged, casually. "There isn't much to say. I didn't follow orders, and they booted me up here. Better than being stewed in an acid bath for all eternity or something like that, I guess."

He glanced over at Alula, watching her carefully.

"What about you? D'you get a little too naughty for Elysium?"

 

[endersheart]

He didn’t follow orders, for some reason she had thought it’d be more serious than that. Seemed like such a small offense to get kicked out for. Maybe their leader didn’t take such disrespect, sounded harsh nevertheless. She smiled at his question, brushing her hair behind her ears. “You didn’t hear?” Honestly she thought everyone had heard about the “fallen angel” that had led to somebody’s death. It had been such a big topic around the time it had happened.

“And tell me why I feel like the thought of me being ‘naughty’ excites you.” She rolled her eyes, pursing her lips a little. Demons were interesting to say the least, they found such satisfaction in negative emotions. She had to wonder what went through their heads while they were hurting people, was it all fun and games? “I resulted in someones death,” she turned her head away from him, “that’s really all there is to it.”

 

[starbear]

That was enough to give him pause, and for just a moment his steps faltered. Angels could be vicious when they had to be - there was a reason their war with Hell wasn't one-sided, after all - but it was always framed with holy self-righteousness, not that guilty tone that tinged Alula's voice.

((I'm so sorry, I thought I sent this an age ago! ))


"Sounds like there's a lot more to it," he said. "What happened? I thought angels were supposed to protect people."

 

[endersheart]

“We are,” she mumbled, “that’s why I’m down here and not up there.” She didn’t really want to discuss the matter further than what she had already said. It always caused such a stir. She brought her hands back against the top of her hair and ran them through it, flattening it out. Her race was supposed to be perfect, it was obvious she didn’t fit the standard. She wasn’t sure if there was anything perfect about her.

Sighing, she glanced over at him, “I’m sure you know a thing or two about getting high? It’s kinda like that, but with emotions. You boost them up too much, humans get a little too reckless. The guy, I think his name was Tyler, he got into a car crash going at a pretty.. fast speed.” A grin flashed over her features, “too much adrenaline, at least he felt exhilarated though.” She didn’t care, but it’s not like she hated people, it was the circumstances. She stopped walking, head dropping down, “there was this girl and he was going to.. you know.. so before he ever got the chance I altered his motives and gave him a little bit of a rush.” Angels had their moments, demons had theirs. Recollecting herself, she started walking again, “my place is just up the block.”

|| Oh, you’re totally fine! No big deal ||

 

[starbear]

Tony listened quietly to her story. It was hard to imagine - an angel taking responsibility for a human's death. In all honesty, he didn't quite get the hang up over it - he'd been responsible for his fair share of human downfalls, after all, and it wasn't like she'd done anything outside of her job description. Why punish her for that? Why was she punishing herself?

No, that wasn’t quite true. He understood a little of that guilt and regret. It was the reason he was here, after all - because who had ever heard of a demon that cared about a human?

Well, that was all in the past. Now, he had a chance to prove himself again; he couldn't waste it feeling sorry for anyone.

'Too bad, Angel.'

And yet, his thoughts inexplicably strayed to her in the days that followed. Though he trailed their human mark daily he had yet to cross paths with Alula again - was that coincidence, or was she actively avoiding him? The human seemed to be in a good mood most days, so he figured she was doing her job well, anyway.

But so was he.

Tony leaned back against the brick wall of a building and took a long drag off his cigarette, watching with bemused satisfaction the scene playing out in front of the cafe across the street. Lyra was all but screaming at one of her so-called friends, who shot back with equal vitriol. Ah, female drama - so easy to rile up. He paused at the sight of a familiar blonde, and grinned wolfishly as Alula approached him.

"Hey there, Angel. Been a while." He offered his cigarette to her, nonchalantly, though he doubted she'd accept his offer. "Enjoying the show?"

 

[endersheart]

Alula had grown tired, it had been a little over a week since she had last seen Tony. Purposefully avoiding him was getting old however, with the warning from his friends, she didn’t quite want to see him again. Had he really sent them to her house to threaten her? They almost got physically violent until Alula agreed to compromise. She would stay out of Tony’s way. It didn’t seem that hard and yet.. familiar red hair came into view, along with shouting from two girls. Lyra, ugh.

She made her way towards where a small group of people were watching two girls duke it out. Great, she wanted to crawl in a hole and die. This was all but draining her entire essence. She couldn’t help but wonder if she even cared about Empyrean this much. The other angels were never nice to her aside from two or three friends.

— "Hey there, Angel. Been a while."

She hesitated, wondering if he was actually referring to her as an angel or calling her angel. She took in his next words with a shrug, “tired.” Was all she managed before waving him off about the cigarette, she then made her way to the shouting girls. “You really are such a b*tch” she cringed, whatever Tony had started he really did it this time. Looking up, she met Lyra’s gaze, “Alula, can you tell her to back the hell off before I make her regret it.” Ugh, she grabbed their hands, smiling. “How about you both calm down,” she didn’t waste time, it seemed almost in an instant the two of them were in a content like trance. “Great! Now make up and go back to what you guys were doing before, why ruin a friendship over nothing?”

She probably looked like a complete mess right now. Eye bags, uncombed hair, definitely not the sight of a typical angel. She listened to both of the girls apologize, letting out a huff of air before giving Lyra a light wave. She was done here and she was going home, why stick around. She was drained, feeling like she might collapse any minute now. She had barely been sleeping and constantly going back and forth with Tony on Lyra’s emotions was exhausting.​

 

[starbear]

Something was off.

It wasn't even just the brusque nature of Alula's tone when calming Lyra, or even the dark bags under her eyes and her generally disheveled appearance - no, it was the way she blatantly refused to so much as meet his eyes before turning to walk away. She'd been so confident before, defiant even when faced with a demon - and yes, sure, Tony had made her work to keep Lyra balanced on the side of light, but surely that wasn't enough to account for such an abrupt change.

He ground the remnants of his cigarette out beneath his heel before following Alula, catching up to her with a couple of long, quick strides.

"What, I don't even get so much as a 'hello?' I'm wounded." He grabbed her wrist to slow her down. "Hey, Angel, seriously...what's going on? You look like hell, no offense."

 

[endersheart]

— "Hey, Angel, seriously...what's going on? You look like hell, no offense."

She had to hold everything in her to not yell, instead turning around with a glare. She felt like she was on the verge of tears, he really had the audacity to ask her that? Yanking her wrist away from him, she scowled, “are you serious? You send your buddies to my house to antagonize me and then act like nothing’s wrong? That’s low, even for you.”

She knew this was how devils played, but she thought Tony would at least want to win or lose fairly. He seemed so different. He was the same as the rest of them, in the end, though. “I got the memo, okay? I’m leaving you alone.” A tear slipped down her cheek, she didn’t even know why she was crying. Turning around, she wiped her eyes, “and I’m going home.”​

 

[starbear]

"My...buddies? What? Hey, wait," Tony said, following persistently after her, "What are you talking about? I didn't send anyone. I may be a demon, yeah, but I made a deal with you, fair and square. You really think I'd go back on my word so easily?"

 

[endersheart]

That was a good question, did she really think he’d go back on his word so easily? She didn’t know. She didn’t know him that well at all, they had only ever talked for a couple hours at her place that one time. Yes, they spewed some stories and said some things about themselves, but it all seemed like such irrelevant information now. “Even if you didn’t send anyone, those demons made it pretty clear they don’t want me anywhere near you.”

Turning around, she huffed, “and why do you care anyway?”​

 

[starbear]

Why did he care? It was a good question, one he couldn't yet summon an answer to.

"Just tell me more about these demons," he said, listening intently as she described the group that had accosted her. His expression darkened as she spoke, and he snarled an unsavory series of curses when she was done. "Those idiots...do they really think I can't do this on my own?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen, Angel, I really didn't send those guys. I don't know what the hell they thought they were doing," he said, meeting her eyes with a sincere gaze. "If I'm gonna win, I'm gonna do it on my own. I'm not gonna sneak around, and I sure as hell am not gonna get someone else to do my dirty work. As for why I care, well...I gotta reputation to uphold. I might be a demon, but that doesn't mean I don't have pride."

 

[endersheart]

She hesitated, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him about them yet. She wasn’t sure if he was a part of it or not. Opening her mouth then closing it again, she watched him for a second. “The demons.. well, there was one with dark hair and the typical “straight from hell” devil look, so red eyes, a tail, horns. He was kind of slimly built and tall, he said his name was.. um, well I can’t pronounce it, so we’ll call him Aaron.” She almost laughed at herself, why Aaron? She had entirely no clue. “Anyways, Aaron said directly that the two of them knew you.. I don’t really know what to say about the other guy, he had a cloak on so it was hard to make out his features.”

Hearing his next comment, she was quite certain he actually didn’t send them. He seemed upset they had even paid her a visit, good thing she didn’t tell him what all happened. She had a window to fix. They really did do a number on her place, sadly. Looking to the side as he continued talking, she sighed.

It took her a second, but she met his gaze again listening intently. Pride, of course that’s it. She rolled her eyes and to think she almost forgave him. “Okay, I believe you,” she muttered and that was the truth, she did believe him. “But, unless you’re going to do something to help, I have a window to fix and things to do. Plus, I might as well catch up on some sleep.” What was she supposed to say? He literally didn’t even care about her, just this competition.​