Chapter Text
Vaggie hit the ground with a soft thud, spinning around as she thrust her spear forward and saw a foot push the dulled tip away and a long leg lock with the shaft. Attack countered, she retracted and performed several strikes in quick succession, not letting up and providing little room for error. Her opponent remained silent and calm however, only dancing gracefully out of the way every step predetermined by the prior. Rarely hitting back or even blocking, often grabbing the ex-exorcist whenever in range and using her own momentum against her. Carmilla didn’t let any emotion show, only having a look of simultaneous serenity and sharp focus as her eyes followed the spear.
Vaggie unfurled her wings and with a single flap moved several feet backwards earning considerable breathing room and forcing the overlord to actually take the offensive. Carmine in turn began zig-zagging as she got close, incorporating acrobatics into her movements the entire time, somersaulting and flipping into range, building momentum of her own and delivering an actual attack for the first time in the form of a circular kick. Anticipating the angel to overcompensate and take to the air instead of simply dodging.
She was proven right moments later when Vaggie’s legs didn’t even get into a jumping position, rather unfurling her wings to their full length and rising off the ground at considerable speed. The angel didn’t remain stationary for long, watching Carmilla run up or jump off several walls as she attempted to force Vaggie back to the ground. Although being aerial may initially appear like an advantage, the confining space of the room they were in meant the angel had to keep a close eye on her surroundings, which areas would be safe to move to when dodging, and watching from where Carmine would strike next. All these factors made reflex triggered flight a hindrance instead of an asset so with each movement Vaggie made an effort to descend.
The exorcist grunted as she just had a close call when the woman attacked from the front, feeling the rush of air she produced when zipping past before repositioning herself and preparing for the next one only for it to never come.
Wait? Where did Carmilla go? She should have made her next move by-
*THWACK*
Vaggie felt a familiar leg strike the back of her head as she tumbled in the air trying to regain equilibrium. Dropping her spear in the chaos she only became aware of the fact after trying to stab a pillar with nothing more than air, eventually settling to simply hug it until her body could at least tell if gravity was coming from above or below.
Once again she barely avoided another strike from the overlord, jumping off the pillar just as Carmilla landed on it herself her wings covering her form the entire time just to be safe. It was too late however. She jumped too little distance too late, turning around Carmilla was nowhere to be seen again, Vaggie prepared to rush down and pick up her spear until the form of a gracefully twirling Carmine slammed her leg into her back and this time forced the angel to ground, Vaggie bracing by tucking her head inward and covering it with her arms.
Once again hitting the ground with a thud, she heard a light *TINK* indicating her opponent just landed as well and sure enough upon opening her eye the overlord stood in front of her, the tip of her shoe in the air and inches from the angel's head. Checkmate.
Vaggie sighed, head lying back on the ground, a signal for surrender. The women then allowed the former exorcist to stand, offering an outstretched hand and even a small smile.
“Nada mal nina. Nada mal. You have progressed swimmingly. The person who banged at my door demanding weapons 2 months ago can’t hold a candle to you.” The angel only nodded, allowing herself to take pride in her accomplishments.
“However, do you know where you went wrong?”
This made Vaggie fall silent for a few moments as the fight replayed in her head, reflecting on the final moments in particular. “I used my wings to cover myself which also meant I couldn’t see anything around me”. Leaning down to pick up the practice spear she had been using.
“Muy bien” She commented.
“Your limited eyesight is already a liability, obscuring whatever vision you have left at all is a substantial risk. Not only that but you're even more aggressive than usual, all you’ll accomplish is giving yourself tunnel vision”
Vaggie said nothing, already thinking up ways to train those reflexes out of herself.
……Months Ago……
After the extermination, Charlie encouraged everyone to take a short break after in her eyes doing more than enough. Telling them to let loose but promise to keep control of any impulses . Angel Dust, and Cherri-Bomb for the most part taught Fat-Nuggets new tricks or indulged in some literal explosive fun, making an effort to go strictly after any wannabe crimelords. If Katie Killjoy’s broadcast were to be believed, Nifty went off to rob several stores worth of cleaning supplies for the hotel. Husk either napped the day away or played cards at local pubs, fortunately Charlie had convinced him to not partake in any gambling and the hybrid demon actually kept his word…for a while at least. Being barred from many games before finally giving in. Alastor…Yeah she had no fucking clue what he was up to and honestly would like to keep it that way.
Charlie meanwhile had gone to visit Rosie intending to personally thank her for all the help she had given when preparing to fight off the exorcists. The overlord was also surprisingly quite endearing, greeting Charlie like her own daughter before the latter introduced her girlfriend to the cannibal who half jokingly said she smelled appetizing. Normally the exorcist would have felt uncomfortable about such a comment but after a lifetime of getting called that by Adam in a completely different context, and dealing with Angel Dust being well… Angel Dust, she found the literalness way funnier than she should have.
The Pair had also brought with them a large supply of corpses as promised and HOLY SHIT. She never saw people move so fast, the angel did her best to not appear nauseous as she saw demons devour blood, flesh, and some even bone. Thankfully Charlie took notice and prepared to take their leave once their conversation finished, politely declining on Vaggie’s behalf when offered raw ribs, raw angel ribs to be precise.
Yeah…it was gonna be a while before she went back to Cannibal Town, definitely not during some feasting event.
That out of the way, the couple also paid the Carmine residence a visit, wanting to do the same as well as needing to deliver all of the scavenged angelic swords, spears, and lances. Despite initial skepticism of it being a good idea to allow holy weapons continued distribution in hell, Charlie saw it as an act of goodwill that could potentially start a trusting friendship. “It’s only fair after everythings she’s done for us and ♪who knows…maybe we could even get an overlord on the redemption train?♪” the princess said wishfully. Vaggie eventually caved to the idea, if war did break out having an armed and ready hell wouldn’t hurt. Plus making sure distribution stayed restricted to a single provider could make them easier to manage should they get on Carmilla’s good side.
After entering the large driveway both were taken aback by just how busy the place was, sinners and hell-born alike rushing to and fro with large dollies stacked with boxes. Far more crowded than how Vaggie remembered, likely from all the publicity Carmine’s blessed weapons unintentionally got from Vox’s coverage of the final battle.
Walking to the still heavily fortified entrance of the mansion, two guards stood in front blocking the way in. One was a sinner. Broadly built, a batlike face and white streaks going down otherwise brown fur with an attire that had similar patterns to Carmilla’s own dress, absorbed in whatever was on his phone. The other was a hell hound, long smooth well kept fur with clothes akin to that of a biker though noticeably more pristine.
“Appointment”. The sinner said with an inattentive tone, not bothering to look up from the screen.
“Oh I didn’t know I needed an appointment…See I’m Charlie Morningstar and I’ve got some things to give and talk to Ms Carmine about, and I’ve just been so busy that I didn’t check how her meetups worked and…” she rambled with a nervous chuckle, hoping this wouldn’t be an issue only to be interrupted by the now annoyed demon
“Congrada-fucking-lations you know your own name, either get an appointment or beat it” he brashly said only to be violently shoved aside by the hellhound who grabbed him by the ear and scolded him angrily
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!?. That’s the princess of hell you dumbass! Did you see what she did to the Extermination Commander?!? Did you see her order the radio demon around?!? Are you trying to get us both killed?!?!”
The hellborn then violently dragged his partner back to eye level before forcing a nervous smile and bowed.
“I am so sorry for my colleague's behavior, your highness. Sometimes he can’t help himself from being an idiot. How can we help you?”
Charlie was somewhat puzzled at the reactions she received. The sinner’s response was nothing new to her of course, she never really tried to use the weight that came with being heir to hell’s throne but even hellborn demons, with exceptions like her aunt Bee or uncle Ozzie, rarely showed this kind of deference to her.
“Oh no big deal!”, she said cheerfully, hoping it would erase any tension. “We just wanted to talk to Carmilla and give her some things she would probably like”
Even with her reassuring tone, the friendlier guard gave an apologetic expression “Yeah…sorry, because of all the booming business security has also gotten a lot tighter, Ms Carmine-”
“Is willing to make an exception”, a young voice spoke from behind the two, belonging to none other than Odette. Startling the sinner guard, appearing like he was about to curse her out before realizing who was behind him. Waving her hand, she signals the two to follow her, not saying a word the entire time. Passing the ball room where the former exorcist engaged Carmilla, the princess leaned down, “Do you think I was too demanding?” she whispered into her girlfriend's ear who shook her head vehemently. “After all the bullshit I’ve seen you take from Killjoy? I say it's about time you got treated like this”. Giving Charlie a quick peck on the cheek. “Besides I know you hun, and I still haven’t found something that has gotten to your head”.
Before long the two were guided to a door personalized with an embossed ballerina, gracefully standing on one foot while in the middle of a pose. If close enough you would be able to hear music play softly from the other side too.
Odette briefly knocked on the door and waited, taking time to adjust her glasses before neatly placing her hands front. A familiar series of brief high pitched clinks could be heard from the other side before the door opened to reveal the overlord. She greeted her daughter with a warm smile and seemed like she was going to ask why she arrived before her eyes moved to meet the duo and changed ever so subtly.
“Welcome your highness, what brings you to my humble family”, opting to only bow her head respectfully. So much for the princess of hell meaning nothing to her. Vaggie thought.
The royal extended her hand and both shook. “OH! Please just Charlie…” she started. Humble as always. “Were we interrupting you?” the princess asked. Carmilla simply took a step back and invited the two to enter, in the room was Clara, wearing a ballet outfit that mirrored the colors of her usual uniform, taking no notice and continuing with her dance.
Both Charlie and Vaggie, while not exactly surprised, still found it somewhat ironic that a woman as cold as Carmilla enjoyed dancing of all things. “When I was alive, ballet was one of the few things that granted solace and connected me with my daughters. I keep this tradition alive even here” She explained, still analytical but her face had become more relaxed, a peaceful smile forming on her face as she watched her daughter with pride. “Oooh, that's SO WHOLESOME” Charlie squealed while Vaggie remained silent, recognizing that the movements Clara performed were decelerated variations of the moves her mother used when fighting her.
“Son las cosas pequeñas que lo hacen vale la pena” Carmine conveyed, reliving memories forever separated by time and realms.
“Now what is it you would like to discuss”, immediately adopting her usual business voice and turning to face her guests.
Charlie was the first to answer. “Vaggie and I just wanted to stop by and personally thank you for all the help you gave during extermination day. I know you didn’t ask to be part of that fight but you helped save a lot of lives”
The woman offered a well rehearsed diplomatic smile. “Think nothing of it. Thanks should solely go to your lover. I dare say you have chosen your partner wisely. Few with her kind of loyalty exist in this world. Willing to face death in the eye and refuse to blink…”
Vaggie looked away somewhat embarrassed, still not used to being on the receiving end of praise. “Charlie just means that much to me I guess…” being all she could say before her girlfriend spoke again. “Anyway, another reason we wanted to see you is this”, snapping her fingers and a small present no bigger than a shoe box appeared. “As a show of gratitude and good faith, here are all the Angelic weapons collected from the battle. Just be sure to open it when you're in a wide open space cus…ya know… MAGIC hehe.”
Carmilla appeared genuinely surprised and began examining the box, a seal resembling an apple marking the red ribbon atop. “I am touched by your gesture Princess Morningstar”, part of her genuinely grateful and the other jumping at the opportunity to earn favor with demon royalty.
Now it was Vaggie’s turn to speak up, clearing her throat after a nudge from Charlie. “There's another thing that I would like to ask you Ms. Carmine” she said somewhat awkwardly, earning the sinner's full attention. “You see…the extermination was kind of an eye opener for me…It made me realize how quickly everything can be taken away…I’m sure you're familiar with the feeling of needing to protect your loved ones…a-and even now I keep noticing things I could have done differently...” trying to put as much logic into this as possible “...Anyway, you're an amazing fighter, and…I was wondering if you could offer me some advice, point me in the direction of who trained you…something like that” fidgeting her fingers shyly.
The woman paused, briefly thinking about how to respond. “I am flattered by your high opinion of me Vaggie but I am completely self taught”. Letting a hint of pride leak into the end of that sentence. The angel appeared slightly disheartened with the apparent deadend.
“Pero….” Carmilla began, making Vaggie perk up hopefully “I would be willing to offer you some rudimentary instruction…in exchange for my family receiving angelic protection during your curriculum of course…”
The fallen angel looked to her partner who gave her a supportive look “This is entirely your choice dear”. Vaggie turned to Carmilla waiting for her to go on.
“Know this. I am a fair but firm teacher, do not expect me to go easy on you because of our history or that I’ll allow you to slack off. You must put your everything into every session. Right Out for Love in other words . The former thought.
“I’m in. When do we start?” Vaggie agreed.
………..PRESENT……….
Since then Vaggie had made it a habit of attending Carmilla’s instruction twice a week, as she suspected, much of the overlord’s techniques stemmed from modified dances so the first session would be a ballet practice and the second actual sparring. It started purely as a business relationship, Carmilla couldn’t deny the appeal of being in the good graces of her future sovereign, having an angel’s protection only added to her already notorious reputation. Surprisingly or perhaps not surprising at all, she began to enjoy having the ex-exorcist’s company, she got along well enough with her own girls and it was painfully obvious that Vaggie enjoyed having a positive authority figure in her life. Truth be told, she began to see the overlord in a new light and might actually begin to trust her.
After learning about Emily though, everything had to come to an abrupt end. Only telling her mento– Carmilla! That something personal had come out of nowhere and that their meetings would be put off indefinitely. That was over almost two months ago. While Charlie and others held onto hope, others like Husk and Cherri-Bomb began acknowledging and introducing the possibility that Emily didn’t survive her ordeal, that perhaps it would be best to accept she was gone. Not that bluntly of course, but it was always going to be a possibility.
This hit Vaggie and Lucifer the hardest. Both of them knew what it was like to be cast out, have their names tarnished with nowhere to turn too. The thought of another going through the same but never finding someone to lift her up when at her lowest like Charlie and Lilith did for them ate away at the two.
It especially began to affect Vaggie more. A stark contrast to how she treated the situation initially. Like Vaggie, Emily would have been betrayed, abandoned, left for dead and her body mutilated just so she would remember it was her fault she was in hell. She became distracted, lashed out at others, and out of reflex almost slapped Charlie when startled. A habit she thought she had long since left in the past. That truly disgusted her.
To top it off Charlie was then worried about HER! Like she was not the one who almost got hit for no reason! Of course her girlfriend said it was an accident and that stopping herself showed she’s not that person anymore. Going on to say she was concerned about how stressed Vaggie had been lately and told her to take a break.
Now here she was again… and the angel had to admit, she needed this. It took some convincing after leaving without warning for so long, especially since Carmilla had told her she had been working on a new project but she eventually came around.
*SNAP*
*SNAP*
“¿Y hoy que te pasa, niña? You spaced out for the third time today”. Vaggie’s eyes widened as she was brought back to reality, Carmilla holding a glass of water in front of her face for what was probably there for several seconds. Taking the glass, she quickly sipped, waving away the woman’s concerns.
“Que? Oh-uh-nothing, just…got a lot on my mind ya know, the hotel, heaven, and just…STUFF!” emphasizing the last part most.
“That much is obvious, you were noticeably more stiff today, greater hostility in your movements…At first I thought you just got rusty. Honestly It reminded me of an incident with Odette when she was 7. One of her friends from school brought a doll to class and Odette begged me to get her one too. At the time we were in poverty and although she didn’t make a fuss when I said no, during our dancing lessons she was far more short tempered and clumsy than usual”. Turning away to place her glass on the ground and not to show what the smile that formed on her face. Those were simpler times.
“Yeah... I needed a place to cut loose for a few hours, some… personal things happened and Charlie gave me my own advice to take a break. For the past few days I’ve just wanted to hit something so this seemed like the best option” Vaggie solemnly confessed.
Carmilla eyed the angel for several seconds. Curiosity written on her face. Well no harm could come from this right? Besides, establishing a strong bond with her apprentice- CLIENT! She corrected immediately, would let her get close to her partner, and eventually Lucifer himself. Allowing someone as manipulative and unpredictable as Alastor to be a close confidant to such influential people would also never do.
“I won’t pry into what isn’t my business but should you need it I am willing to offer a mother’s perspective”, the overlord offered.
Vaggie raised a brow suspiciously. “Really, and since when did we get so close?”
Pretending to have not heard such a snide remark, Carmilla’s response was simple. “When my own stress became too much for me to keep bottled up, an old friend lent his ear and offered me solace. Think of it as me following his example”. Recalling the comfort Zestail provided after Velvelette’s stunt.
Vaggie paused for several seconds. Everypart of her mind holding common sense told her that letting another overlord in on the whole Emily-situation was a terrible idea. She could trust Carmilla though, right? They don’t display affection but both bore deep respect for each other. They both understood what it meant to sacrifice everything if it meant protecting their family and had developed an “I got your back as long as you got mine relationship.
Bringing her hands up to rub her forehead she let out a long exhale. Fuck it . “You need to understand I am putting a whole lot of trust in you by letting you know about this. Got it?” The sternness in her voice rivaling Carmilla’s own.
The woman remained unintimidated, stayed silent, and nodded cooly. Vaggie proceeded to go into everything.
……BASEMENT……
Clara had a hell of a day.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened, at least for hell’s standards. In her hand was a small pile of books which she deliberately placed over the side of her midriff obscuring a bruise slightly larger than a hand. She was currently making her way down the stairs and into the basement floor. Everything down here was for the Carmine’s personal use, caches of angelic weapons, items of familial significance, disaster equipment, etc. Last but not least, near the very back was a small housing wing, rooms specifically commissioned to hold those who earned her mother’s wrath. If they appeared of questionable loyalty, or deliberately tried to take her out here is where they would end up. In this case, it was holding someone who would make even the sins be weary of the family.
Well more than usual anyway. There was that rumor about an imp who tried to assassinate some royal with their product.
Arriving at the farthest door Clara walked in unannounced, forgetting to knock and walking into something she thought she would never see.
Heaven.
Skies of beautiful golden sheen dissipating into a lavender tint akin to a seaside sunset. In front of her was a grand metropolis where even the ground looked and felt like it was made from crystal. What she assumed were souls and heaven-born were all engaged in their own world, talking with others, running/flying around or simply sitting down and enjoying their surroundings. Cheer and laughter was everywhere. After spending who knows how many years in hell, the girl was speechless, friendly shop owners waved at her, and what appeared to be some kind of dog ran toward her, dropping a frisbee at her feet and excitedly imploring her to throw it before its owner arrived and just that.
Walking further along the crystal path, Clara finally saw who she was looking for. On a bench was Emily, quiet but smiling as she watched what seemed to be a heavenly version of her Carmilla, fluffy bat ears taking place of her hair crests. Eyes now yellow, the tips of her dress now resembling flower petals. Finally instead of black, the attire was a light grey, shimmering silver with rose highlights.
Looking past her mom’s doppelganger, she also saw doubles of herself and Odette, though much more similar to their present selves. Clothing-color matching the realm’s general aesthetics, Odette's glasses were now light blue, her head band replaced with a bow, and antlers replacing Clara’s horns. The three appeared to be in the middle of a picnic and the demon’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat at the scene. She missed when their family could do this.
Remembering why she was her in the first place, she advanced on the seraphim and briefly tapped her shoulders. Jolting upright with a yelp, everything dissipated in an instant, both now in a completely unassuming guest room. Emily turned around and quickly brought her hands up in defense. “I wasn’t trying anything! Honest!” panic slowly leaving her face upon seeing who this was before giving way to visible embarrassment when remembering she was caught.
Clara meanwhile remained two steps behind, “What just happened?!?” she asked astounded. Emily ran a hand up her arm timidly as she tried to come up with an answer. “And… just…HOW did you do that?!? Were we in heaven?!?”
“Well…” The angel began, trying to get the simplest one out of the way. “Yes and no... We weren’t actually in heaven. Everything you saw was just an illusion. All of this is actually perception” she explained, setting her foot on the ground and just like that they returned to paradise though this time several hundred feet in the air. Clara let out a startled shriek before registering she hadn’t begun falling. Emily approached, treating the fact that she was walking on apparent nothingness while wingless as completely normal. “We’re not actually floating and you didn’t actually scream. Your senses are just given the same feeling as the real thing so your mind thinks it’s real too”. Chuckling a little as the sinner tried to wrap her head around this. Winner, heaven-born, or sinner, everyone always had the same reaction to this little trick.
“But this is SUPPOSED to be heaven? Right?”. She asked, trying to see just how far the sky went on. Emily nodded. "After my magic came back I began experimenting. Seeing what I could still create, change, grow, and…what my limits are… ”, briefly gazing back to where her wings once were. “I use this to “go home” whenever I want company. A game I liked to play with winners was being given hints and seeing how close I could recreate their living forms. You kinda caught me doing the reverse of that” Her smile while not forced began looking like it required increasing effort to maintain. “None of this is real obviously...but it's my escape." Sighing a little louder than she wanted as the fantasy dispersed back into the guest room.
“So you're basically talking to yourself the long way round” Clara said with a raised brow. Emily laughed awkwardly for a few seconds. “That’s one way of putting it…”. The sinner girl placed a hand on her hip and bluntly announced what they both were thinking. “Well that’s depressing. Do ya like…need a hug or something?”
Emily instantly perked up at the offer,“Yes Please!”, Clara rolled her eyes, this angel really didn't seem to get social cues. Quickly clarifying herself she crossed her arms and appeared unimpressed, “I was being sarcastic”
“Oh…” The Seraphim responded, clearly embarrassed and disappointed though it was followed by Clara begrudgingly giving in after a few seconds.
“...FINE…”
Walking up she gave the angel a brief embrace and pat on the back. Emily meanwhile let out what sounded like a duck squeak as she gave her technical mistress her signature bear hug twirl. “Alright. Alright don’t get used to it” she groaned, letting go soon after and prolonged silence between the two following. Emily appeared like she was about to speak before something else caught her eyes.
“Was that spot on your stomach always there?” The demon moved her hand up to reveal the bruise in full, seemingly annoyed that it could be seen. “Some drunk asshole from greed tried to assault me while making a delivery,” she explained. “I was sloppy. He got lucky with a pipe after I thought he was down”. Trying not to wince when she pressed it. Her mother explained that presenting emotion was weakness. It allowed people to see what was going through your head and that only those you trusted deserved to see all of you. She was not as good as her mom, but it passed with most. Only the exceptionally perceptive or annoyingly insistent could see through the mask. Sadly for her, Emily was the latter.
“Oh dear, thats horrible! Are you alright?!” The angel asked, leaning down to get a better look. Her captor’s daughter however didn’t seem to care, or more perhaps more accurately, didn’t care about the pain itself. “Our arrival years were worse. All of us have been stabbed, shot, or blown up at least once while in hell.” she said dismissively. “Ughhh. I can already hear mom panicking and then scolding me for not being careful”.
Emily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. When she was the Seraphim of Joy, one of her jobs was to help people who were murdred after being assaulted, raped, or drugged. She patiently and kindly stayed by their sides, made sure they felt comfortable and safe. Here someone who looked barely like a young adult treated the same trauma like she just got detention.
“I’m fine. One mom is more than enough.” She persisted before handing Emily the books she was originally using as covers. “Here. Odette thought these could be useful for you. One is about different sword forms, and the other is about the history and hierarchies of hell” Holding one in each hand so both were visible. “Now if you excuse me, I gotta see if I’ll have enough makeup to make this convincing”, gesturing to the bruise and then heading out. It was here where an idea formed in the celestial’s head.
“Maybe I can help you not need makeup to begin with”.
This caught Clara’s attention. “What have you got?”. Emily walked over and got down on her knees, her hand only an inch from making skin contact and she closed her eyes. Clara watched as golden light emanated from the angel’s hand and flowed into her body. It felt warm, like a bright summer day. Perhaps one on the toastier side though.
Okay now it is starting to feel hot. Like really hot. Clothing-iron hot
“Hey! Ow ow OW! Stop!” she exclaimed, moving away and rubbing it with her by comparison cool hand, hissing as the pain subsided. “Oh my goodness! I am SO sorry!” Emily panicked. “I thought since your soul is still human angelic healing could work.”.
Although painful it was at least very brief the bruise only had a slight glow which was quickly fading. “Let me try something else” she offered, this time putting both hands directly on the wound only for Clara to grab them with her own. “No offense, but I feel like someone put my stomach to a stove, I’ll pass”, not hiding the agitation in her voice. The seraphim however remained persistent, “It won't hurt. Promise. Just…Just let me try” she said almost pleadingly, additionally saying “Let me prove I'm actually good at something” in her head.
Sighing loudly and against her better judgement, she signaled the angel to go ahead. In contrast to her prior attempt, Emily appeared far more focused, squinting eyes and gritting her teeth. Instead of holy light flowing from her hand, dark mist came out from the demon's bruise and flowed into Emily’s hand, more effort being required the longer it went on until at last the injury disappeared completely.
The celestial exhaled heavily when it was over before getting back to her feet. “See. All better" she declared, Clara. “Wow. It’s like it was never there in the first place. Not bad.” Emily merely wiped sweat from her forehead. “It’s nothing, I’m just glad I could help” beaming from ear to ear.
“Well your help saved me a scolding and stricter curfews”, her mood now noticeably better and even seeming friendly. “I won't promise anything but I’ll think about asking mom if she'd let you have meals with us, gotta be better than imaginary friends”. The sound of that made the Seraphim’s face immediately transform into one of joy rushing the girl in a hug and even slightly lifting her off the ground. “OH THANKYOU-THANKYOU-THANKYOU-THANKYOU!”. At this point the sinner would try to preserve her coldness, pull away and make it clear she didn't enjoy the gesture. But after just so narrowly dodging a bullet it could slide just this once. Even when departing, the goodbye's given felt warmer, both not opposed to seeing each other again.
On the way back Clara questioned if after all these years hell finally drove her insane. It went against all common sense. After all what demon in their right mind would consider befriending an angel? Well...Besides the Queen...and the princess...and her mom... Okay it wasn't too unheard of but the point still stood.
Once sure that she was out of the girl’s sight Emily stopped and brought a hand up to her stomach, wincing noticeably before the sensation vanished after a few seconds. As brief as it was going to be, the seraphim supposed she should be thankful her dress hid the quickly healing bruise.