Losing My Religion

@ Broken Lullabies

Rennyn shot up as the angel finally found her way back to the living room, and he wasn't disappointed. Actually, he wasn't quite sure how to react. He could imagine his expression was confusing to look at, as he himself was confused. She actually looked good, which was awkward in more ways than one. And apparently she had no idea what she was doing as she crossed her arms over her chest, telling him about Della. He already knew as much, as Della had already begged him to let her do his as well, but he was a little distracted at the moment to come up with a witty response.

Instead he jumped off the couch and approached her at an abnormal speed. "Don't do that, ever," he said, grabbing her wrists and pulling them back down to her sides. He quickly let go after that, and allowed himself to calm down. There was something just extremely disorienting about seeing an angel dressed so provocatively, though he'd helped pick the outfit out himself. Honestly, she shouldn't have been gifted with such feminine qualities. What did she need them for anyways? Feeling calmer now, his normal self returned. "People might think you're a succubus if you do that," he added with a laugh, and turned towards the door. He didn't like the idea of makeup too much, but if the human could somehow make them look even more realistic, he wouldn't complain.

@ Yuurei.

Leilah honestly had no idea why Rennyn appeared so confused upon first seeing her. As a young angel, she probably had the naivety of a small human child, though she did have much more intelligence. Then he grabbed her wrists and she scowled as she jerked her arms away from him. For a moment he looked just as upset as she felt, which gave her some satisfaction, but then as he moved away, she knew he was smoothing over his expression again. Damn demon. It wasn't fair that her emotions seemed to just pop onto her face even if she didn't want them to, while he could control what others saw. She pushed that away though. Calm, she chanted inwardly. Calm. All tonight really was was her walking around with Della and her daughter and Rennyn. They would see a bunch of other people in costume, kids would get candy. And then they'd go home, take off all the make-up and the costumes and then they could go back to ignoring each other.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. "Succubus?" she questioned, then snorted and rolled her eyes. "Never," she vowed, and brushed past him. Soon she was standing in front of Della's door, knocking politely. "Hello," she greeted. The woman ushered them inside. "I've told you two that you don't need to knock. Just come on it," she admonished, seeming to spare a brighter smile for Rennyn. Leilah had worked hard the past weeks and she'd gained Della's trust -her daughter liked Leilah more still too- but the older human still seemed more fond of Rennyn no matter what Leilah did. Still, it was still believed by everyone that the angel and demon were adopted siblings and they hadn't killed each other yet. So far, things weren't going too horribly.

"And don't you look so pretty! I can't wait to wrap up this costume!" Della was grinning, her daughter nowhere to be seen. She was presumably getting dressed. "Don't worry, Ren. You're handsome as well," Della seemed quick to add. Obviously, her mind was a bit preoccupied, and she seemed to be going about everything quickly and randomly, as if she couldn't quite keep her thoughts straight. Leilah guessed the woman had just been busy all day, likely.

@ Broken Lullabies

(Was her name Abby? I forgot. haha)

Rennyn snorted as she obliviously ignored his warning, and laughed inwardly. Fine, if she wanted to walk around like that then far be it for him to stop her. He prayed to her God that every one of her angel family and friends were watching her strut around on display. Despite his prior reaction, he now felt rather amused by the costume. He was winning even more now, even if he was the only one that knew it. He couldn't wait to see the human male reaction to her costume, and hoped it was just as vulgar as he was thinking it would be. Maybe then she would understand. Then again, she was so ridiculously naive, he just couldn't be sure she would.

As they entered Della's apartment, she immediately got to work. She looked a bit frazzled, but that was her own fault really. She had pushed her desire onto the fake siblings and now she had her hands full it seemed. As she complimented them, he snorted again. "Its fine," he responded, waving his hand off, "Leilah definitely steals the show." He wouldn't be surprised if Leilah got more candy than the kid.

The intent of his words were lost on Della though, and she pushed them further into the room. "Leilah's makeup will take longer, so why don't I just do yours real quick and then you can wait in here with Abby." Rennyn shrugged and allowed her to pull him along into the bathroom. She sat him on top of the toilet and immediately got to work. The makeup wasn't extravagant, but she said she wanted to make him look more.. glowing. Or something. Angels were supposed to be extremely beautiful, in her words, and so she wanted to enhance his features. Rennyn had no idea what she was talking about, and he didn't really care either. He just let her go to work. Indeed, she was done fairly quickly and was pushing him back out of the bathroom again to get Leilah.

Abby had emerged from her room by now, dressed in a poofy pink dress and a crown. She was probably supposed to be a princess, and Rennyn actually had to admit she looked pretty adorable. It was a word he didn't like, but it was the only thing that could describe her. The two sat together on the couch quietly. She still wasn't certain about him, but she didn't seem to outright fear him anymore, so that was at least a little progress.

@ Yuurei.
(Yeah, I figured out her name after I posted. I nearly put Annah, but I wasn't sure so I didn't put a name)

Leilah was exchanging hello's with Abby when Della and Rennyn emerged from the bathroom. It took everything she had not to laugh at 'her brother'. He looked nothing like an angel. For one, angels didn't wear all white. That was ridiculous. Actually, they didn't have much use for clothes in heaven except to preserve their modesty. Most of it was flowing and allowed plenty flexibility. He looked... every bit of the human he was pretending to be, honestly, and she honestly hoped she did too rather than looking like an actual demon. The thought really disturbed her mildly...

Then Della was leading her towards the bathroom, gently but firmly sitting her down on the toilet. Leilah had her hair pinned back while the woman did make-up, and then she was doing hair. While Rennyn's make-up had taken less than five minutes, Leilah's took a good twenty at least. She didn't really enjoy the process either, and felt as if her face was caked. It was weird... "There!" Della finally declared happily, pulling the angel up and pushing her towards a mirror. Leilah's eyes were rimmed in black, making the dark color look even darker. She looked pretty pale with faint spots of color along her cheeks, and her lips appeared to be blood red. She looked ridiculous... nowhere near herself, but a human wouldn't understand, so she thanked Della, telling the woman that she "loved it."

Then they headed into the living room. Abby was all dressed up already, and she and Rennyn looked awkward sitting beside each other. They weren't talking, the two of them silent, and Abby was watching cartoons. As Della whisked into the room, she turned off the TV and grabbed a camera. "The three of you pile on that couch. Rennyn, Leilah, I want the two of you beside each other since you're the angel-demon duo. Abby, sweetie, you sit in either Leilah or Rennyn's lap."

Over the past couple of weeks, Leilah had to accept that Della took a ton of pictures and she couldn't get rid of all of them. So, with a resigned air, she went over to the couch and sat down beside the demon disguised as an angel. Rennyn scooted in close with Della's instructions and Abby hopped up in Leilah's lap. Then they were blinded by the flash on the camera as photos were taken.

@ Broken Lullabies

(I was like searching your post for her name and it wasn't there XD But I didn't feel like going through the effort of finding it so I just guessed. ...PS, I love that song, if I'm assuming correctly in your signature.)

Rennyn had to cover his mouth to stifle the laughter when Leilah and Della reentered the room. She really looked somewhat like a succubus now. They were the only demons that were ever somewhat obvious about the way they looked. It wasn't uncommon for them to be prostitutes either though, and Leilah at least looked more modest than that. But he imagined that Della wouldn't appreciate it if he made mention of something like that, since this was obviously what humans assumed demons looked like--and while it wasn't entirely wrong, female demons that weren't succubi were actually far more intimidating and scary in appearance. He couldn't picture Leilah in that way either. She wasn't intimidating or scary in the least. Or maybe that was just Rennyn's underestimation. He didn't care much, since she wasn't even allowed to hurt him.

Della took more pictures, as she seemed to enjoy doing, and while Rennyn of course still didn't enjoy them he got pleasure out of seeing the resigned and displeased look on Leilah's face. It made it worth it. Plus the kid never chose to be close to Rennyn, which was somewhat relieving. He didn't want to be made fun of later as the "babysitter demon". Let the innocent stick together, in his mind.

"Are you ready to go show everyone your pretty costume now, Abby?" Della asked her child, and Abby, though usually not overly energetic (especially around Rennyn) immediately jumped off of Leilah and nodded enthusiastically. No child could resist candy, it seemed. Such a horribly truthful stereotype. Rennyn wasn't actually sure why he was participating, but he supposed that this was actually a good time to canvas the houses in this area. What kind of humans lived there? Were there any easy targets? Deserving ones? He was getting giddy just thinking about it. This was all the candy he needed.

...though to be completely honest, he kind of wanted real candy too. "Such pretty ladies I get to travel with today~" he commented as they walked out the door. Humans liked their prides to be stroked every now and then, and by now it had become second nature to give such empty compliments. Plus, he knew Leilah would roll her eyes in disgust, and that was a bonus. Always a bonus.

@ Yuurei.
(XD yeah, because I seriously couldn't remember. You're a good guesser though! If you're thinking Schism by Tool, then you would be correct. :3 it's an amazing song.)

Leilah was glad when the pictures were over and she hopped up almost as quickly as Abby had. She really honestly hated the shoes she was wearing -they were starting to hurt her feet and she already hated shoes in the first place besides- but she knew there wasn't exactly much she could do about it so she resigned herself to the fact that she would just have to deal with it as everyone got ready to head out. Abby looked positively ecstatic a the prospect of gathering as much candy as she could, and even Rennyn looked mildly excited at least. It was probably the most emotion he'd shown all day besides the mixture of confusing expressions he'd had upon first seeing her in the demon costume.

Rather predictably, she rolled her eyes at the comment he made. If Leilah had thought she hated this demon before, it had only grown worse over the past few weeks that they'd been forced together for most of their time. Not to mention lately Della had been pestering them about school. Apparently humans their age tended to attend college, though Leilah had no intentions of enlisting in a human school. She had all of the education she would ever need in life already. Even if no one realized it.

Then they were headed outside. Dusk had already fallen and people in costumes were walking by already. A few of the older ones glanced their way, and stared. Leilah assumed they were staring at Rennyn and rolled her eyes. He did look ridiculous, even if the stupid humans couldn't see it. The fake feathers of his fake wings in the corner of her eyes was taunting still, though. She ached at the mere thought of wings, of spreading them out and stretching them and flying.

She'd come to realize that her wings were still with her, but virtually useless... At first, humans kept commenting on how cool her "tattoo" looked. Then she finally got fed up and went looking for what they were talking about. That was when she came to realize there was a wing design on her black that looked to be printed in black ink. Hence why they were useless. She couldn't spread them, couldn't even feel them, but tauntingly, they were there.

"So where are we going?" she interrupted her own maudlin train of thought. Up until then, she'd simply been following Della and Abby. This was a human holiday, and therefore the humans had the expertise on what they should do.

@ Broken Lullabies
(Ohhh~ I forgot about wing marks. I don't think I ever mentioned what happened to Rennyn's? Oh well. Some day.
And yes! That one haha. I love anything created by Maynard.)

"What, you don't know how Halloween works?" he mocked Leilah, though he made sure to make it sound like innocent teasing. Della chuckled, but decided to respond to Leilah anyways.

"I thought we should go out of the city a little. There are much nicer homes there, I feel safer going there than anywhere nearby," she said. It was admirable how much she thought about Abby really. Or something. Rennyn didn't think that way. Not even a little. They continued to walk along the sidewalk. The city here was so segmented, but it didn't take too long to walk to most areas. It was strange that way. Rennyn got lost several times trying to navigate it, but he wasn't going to admit that to Leilah. She'd certainly make fun of him for it, and he didn't want to give her that kind of ammunition. That was his job after all.

He saw Leilah eye his wings a few times, and while he too felt the yearning of having his own (and not these fake ones) on his back, he felt the need to rub it in her face as much as possible. So he often skipped ahead, letting them bounce obnoxiously on his back before falling back in line with them and doing it all over again. To other, he simply looked enthusiastic, and he even engaged in playful conversation with Abby--who was oddly more receptive at this moment than usual. Maybe because it was Halloween? Scary things were supposed to be out on Halloween. And anyways, he was dressed as an angel.

@ Yuurei.
(Rennyn? Wings? -gasp- and yesh; I love Schism.
Sorry it took me this long to reply but I was otherwise engaged yesterday)

The way Rennyn was able to try and irritate her as much as he possibly could while making it appear innocent and like childlike fun was absurd and infuriating beyond reason. For a while, Leilah simply couldn't wrap her mind around it -and now she was used to it. No one should be used to such things, but there she was, face placid and the angel appearing for all the world as if she could care less what the demon did. The notion in itself was ridiculous -it was probably one of those situations a person would have to see to believe. The fact that she couldn't get into his mind and figure out his exact motives and plans also caused her much grief. She'd taken direct approaches at first, and now had switched to subtle tactics -if Leilah could ever be called such a word as subtle- but still she could garner no information.

"Of course I know how Halloween works," she replied lightly. It wasn't a lie -just an over-exaggeration. She only knew so much about the holiday. Leilah would never dare outright lie, though she could bend the truth a little at times. "That sounds like a good idea though," she commented to Della's idea. "They'll probably have better candy too -and more of it." As Abby looked up at her, she winked at the little girl in response to her cute little smile. It was almost a natural response that she didn't even think of, but when Leilah considered her actions, she froze for a moment. Good thing no one was behind her, or they might've run into her backside. I winked at a little human girl... she realized. She wasn't completely indifferent? No, that couldn't be right. She didn't care about any of the humans in this awful place. She was just sticking around to stop the demon and then earn her way back home. She didn't care in the least. She didn't even have a soft spot.

Leilah had started walking again, and unless one was closely examining her, they wouldn't even have noticed her brief hesitation. From the look the demon had though, he might just have noticed. She ignored him though, not even looking at him but straight ahead as she followed everyone, chewing on her lip lightly and contemplating herself and the changes acquired since she had been dropped off in this godforsaken place.

---

Kristopher, per usual, was a sight to behold. His skin was golden, glowing with his inner angelic light of the arch angels. Loosely about his waist was the only apparel he wore, a loose, pristine white article looking somewhere between a loin cloth and a human skirt. He could've been carved from perfection with his features, and though it was never cut, his chocolate curls never grew longer than about his neck. The ringlets hung whichever way they fell, but that was fine. It didn't look bad. His honey eyes sparkled with intelligence. Kristopher was one of the high arch angels and had served as mentor to Leilah since she had begun training.

"Leilah," Kristopher's voice boomed with a warrior cadence. She wondered briefly if she appeared at all as he did since she was also an angel, but there was no such thing as mirrors where they lived. All she knew of herself was from what she could see looking down. She knew her hair was ebony and straight, knew her body was slight yet muscular, knew she wore a flowing, wrinkle-free dress, knew she had small feet and hands, and knew the span of her wings. Twas all she knew of her own appearance, and twas all she would ever need to know.

"Yes, Kristopher?" she asked. Currently, she was knelt on one knee before him as was customary for such formal greetings. She suspected that maybe he had news for her -suspected maybe the news was what she had long awaited. Serenity vied with nervous anticipation, making for an interesting swirl of emotions.

"Leilah," the arch angel repeated. "You have excelled through simple training, have mastered every test you were given, and soon approaching is the day you shall join the ranks of the arch angels."

Praise was followed with an oddly disappointing statement, and Leilah's head snapped up as she met his gaze unflinchingly. "Soon approaching?" she questioned quietly. As with Kristopher, her voice was also slightly musical, maybe more-so for that she was female. She stood up abruptly, facing her mentor at her full height. "Why can't I become a true arch angel?" she questioned, barely holding herself in enough check not to step forward.

Still, her actions were wrong anyhow and Kristopher's honey eyes flashed with deadly lightning. "I need not be subject to answer your questions." Thunder crackled in the air. It should've frightened her, but it didn't and she held her ground rather than becoming submissive. "You are brave," he murmured reluctantly, seeming to gain control once more of his emotions. "You are also loyal and strong, but you lack an aspect that any arch angel is required to have. Indeed, if only you could find this aspect within you, you would become ideal. That is why I do this now, Leilah -why I hope you may forgive me in time."

That was the point where Kristopher had tenderly kissed her forehead. Leilah hadn't had time to open her mouth and ask what he meant, to protest against whatever it was that he was planning. Angels could be a tricky bunch, older ones especially, and she had, without any argument, fallen right into Kristopher's plot. It was that kiss upon her forehead which had sealed her fate and sent her to earth unwillingly. It had temporarily bound her natural angelic abilities, aside from her light, and immediately put her into a human glamour. Then, because she had been given the weakness of a human, Kristopher had sent her to earth without so much as a single hint.

(Sorry if I got carried away... I kind of wanted to describe how Leilah ended up there )

@ Broken Lullabies
(I'll try a little too~ since we're learning.)

Rennyn was actually somewhat excited as they knocked on the first door. Abby was encouraged to step up to the pale green wood first, and her tiny fist connected in a soft quick rhythm. It was certainly too quiet, though. Rennyn smiled reassuringly at Della and as Abby looked back at her mother, he put on his best "big brother" smile and waved her back to the door. "Try again, just a little louder this time," he said, and though Abby seemed hesitant, she tried again. Rennyn, too, lifted his hand but he pressed the little glowing button beside the door that was just out of the small child's reach. She looked up again quickly at him, her lips forming a small 'o' shape. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd never heard a doorbell before, since it seemed she and Della probably would never be able to afford an actual house. He smiled genuinely at her innocent response, and nearly smacked himself afterwards. It was not very demonlike to be endeared by such a silly thing.

He wondered if this was a normal struggle. Was this part of the test? Demons weren't supposed to become attached to humans. It wasn't exactly against the rules, but it was somewhat discouraged. Humans are weaknesses, as well as fragile and easily broken. It was in a demon's best interest not to become attached to them. And those demons that did rarely ever moved up in their world. Rennyn was proud to admit he'd never become attached to anything in his lifetime--he had no one he considered a friend, only demons he didn't dislike being around, he showed the appropriate amount of respect to those of authority and drew the line there. There was no one that he could accept into his life that was worth cherishing. So as he looked away from the child with confusion, the door opening to a smiling woman with a bucket of candy, and a half-hearted 'trick or treat' on his part, he continued to muse on his relationships.

His teacher glared at him. It wasn't really that he had done anything wrong, his face just had the shape of a glare. Sometimes Rennyn wondered if it was because he'd had so many dumb students in the past that the glare had become a permanent fixture on his face. Or he'd just been blessed with intimidating looks. Rennyn certainly hadn't been.

"I'm recommending you for promotion," he finally said, and Rennyn's face lit up. Honestly, he'd thought he'd never make it to this point. While he spent a lot of time being the absolute perfect student, certainly above the rest of his class, his appearance was comparatively meek. He knew that his teacher considered this when that time of the year rolled around, the time when teachers started making recommendations. Rennyn wondered if he really had managed to brown-nose his way in.

He didn't really want to push his luck, but the curiosity wouldn't fade. "Why?" he asked, staring his mentor straight in the eye. The other scoffed, so Rennyn was able to figure out that maybe he didn't think that the younger demon was ready yet. Or that he would ever be ready, even.

"You're the best in class and you need to ask such a stupid question?" he responded reluctantly. He was sure that meant 'You were the best choice whether I liked it or not' though. Rennyn grinned. His classmates tolerated him, his teacher appreciated his effort, and he was always the subject of strange rumors, but Rennyn didn't care about any of that. He didn't need other demons, he only needed one. And as he walked away, he could swear he heard his teacher continue muttering "I don't know why he fucking likes you so much," but he chose to ignore it. Those kinds of rumors, while the best type to hear, were the kinds that only got one's hopes up.

Because everyone wanted to be Lucifer's favorite. Even Rennyn.

Relationships didn't matter to Rennyn, he continued to think. He felt sure of that now, even as they walked towards the next house. The little girl didn't endear him, she intrigued him. That was what humans were to him. They were interesting. He didn't aspire to achieve any sort of real relationship--even the favoritism he desired from Lucifer would be that of a loyal subordinate, something to gloat about as he sat on the top of the chain.

Finally come back to reality, he glanced back at Della and the angel who brought up the rear. Noticing that Leilah was also spacing, he grinned. It was what he needed to put the pep back into his step. "You're a demon, sister, not a zombie. If you walk around all drooly like that you might trip!" he teased playfully. Or at least, he knew Della would take it that way.

(.... ._. I got carried away also. Stupid scene setting. Sorry)

@ Yuurei.
(haha twas a beautiful post :D)

Leilah was almost surprised she hadn't been scowling at herself, had just appeared to be zoning out -according to Rennyn anyhow. And she was sure he would've let her know plenty if she'd been unnecessarily scowling. If there was one thing she could count on the demon to do, it was to call out whatever mood she was in, and to try and ruin it if it was anything above annoyed.

As she grounded her mind back to the present -which was significantly better than the recent past somehow- she rolled her eyes at the "angel-for-a-night" demon who walked a few paces ahead of her. "No, I was just thinking. No drool involved -unless you count the drool of kids staring at the tons of candy they're getting," she replied lightly. One good thing which had come out of her having to live with the demon was that for the most part, she'd stopped reacting to his needling. She'd learned he enjoyed too much getting a reaction out of her, and she wasn't in the habit of wanting to let him get that satisfaction.

Soon they were at another house, and Abby was saying "trick or treat!" and garnered her share of candy. Many of the adults complimented how cute she looked in her little princess costume, and then complimented the angel-demon duo promptly after. After several houses, it became obvious that the longer the trick-or-treating went on, the more spurred on the little girl seemed to get.

Then something happened that for the life of her, Leilah never expected to happen. "Leilah!" She'd turned upon hearing her name, expecting it to be Rennyn trying to get a rise out of her again, but standing off to the side, beneath one of many lights surrounding the houses, was someone she'd certainly hadn't expected to see. Kristopher?? Her mind rebelled against the idea that her mentor could be standing here, when he'd been the one who'd sent her. But then, there he was, standing there watching her, and Leilah was compelled to fall out of the group she'd been walking with to approach him. Kristopher appeared much the same as he had in heaven, the same honey eyes, same chocolate curls, same features, and even if it was muted, he still emitted a glow that put her own minimal light to shame. Then again, he'd forced this human glamour on her, and he still appeared to have much of his angel self in tact. Instead of wearing his usual attire though, he'd gone with a loose white shirt along with jeans, though he didn't wear shoes like humans did. Shoes were generally a foreign concept to angels, and it was one of the reasons Leilah believed it was really him.

Upon her approach, Kristopher's lips twitched up a small bit in the closest thing Leilah had ever seen him come to a smile, his arms opening at the same time. What was he?~ Could he really be here to?~ None of her thoughts seemed to finish as she finally reached her mentor, and he wrapped her in a hug. She would know that feeling anywhere -it was Kristopher without a doubt. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked as she pulled away, eyes narrowed a little in caution.

The arch angel before her shook his head. "To offer the minimal amount of aid I can. You likely do not believe me, Leilah, but you are here for your own good. And once you come back, you will be made an arch angel in true," he answered her, his head inclining as well. "I would ask why you are dressed as a..." He pursed his lips. "Succubus?" he guessed, and then shook his head. "But I am sure I do not want to know."

Leilah's lips turned up as she shook her head. "You don't," she stated flatly. She started to cross her arms over her chest, stopping as she remembered the demon's reaction to it, then shook her head and crossed her arms anyway. Since when did she listen to a thing that demon had to say? "So, you're here offering me help? Maybe you can tell me what in the world I have to do to get home?"

"You should know it doesn't work that way, Leilah. You'll never learn anything if I tell you what to do," Kristopher admonished, his stare hard, and despite that she was rarely cowed by anything, the hard stare of her mentor was one of those things. She ducked her head, scowling for a moment at the ground.

"Fine then. What did you come to tell me?" she asked, turning her gaze back up once she'd gotten rid of the scowl.

@ miki-kat

Rennyn went rigid the moment he felt it. It was a strange sensation--overwhelming, but muted, as if it were hiding but somehow still reaching him. He couldn't tell if it were intentional or if he'd been so attune to auras on this particular night that it had come to him without him needing to search for it. He heard the voice calling out Leilah, watched from the corner of his eye as she wandered off. Della didn't seem to notice though, as she continued following after her young one to the nearby house. He wondered if this angel was disguised or invisible, though as a demon it mattered not. He was able to inspect the other, whose existence did not seem to be stifled as Leilah's was, which meant that should anything happen Rennyn would likely be unable to protect himself. Not with the amount of power he had now--he hadn't been granted much at all for his time on earth.

The new angel certainly made a presence. It invaded Rennyn's soul--or at least it felt that way. It shook right down to his core, and somehow he found himself shaking uncomfortably. He wasn't afraid, but the power made him feel sick to his stomach. A much more severe feeling than that of the one Leilah inspired. This one was actually a threat, and as he watched the two shamelessly, he latched onto Della's hand like a small child. Regardless of whether the new angel approached or not, if he was this close to a human he would do nothing. And as a benefit, Della could rescue him from any sudden illness inspired by a close interaction. And she was currently cooing at his cute reaction. "Did something scare you?" she asked, chuckling lightly. He had the appearance of a teenager afterall, late-teens most likely, so it was a little unusual to show such fear. Especially in public. But Rennyn was still trying to regain his composure.

"No, sorry," he apologized distractedly, "Leilah wandered off, so I'm just trying to look out for her." He figured if he had to be aware, then Della should be too. It was safer for him that way.

@ Yuurei.

Leilah had hardly spared a thought for the demon as she spoke with Kristopher. He hadn't interrupted, hadn't attempted to approach them, and that was fine with her. It could be described as great, actually -a small moment of reprieve. Even if the news her mentor brought wasn't the happiest, it was still something. He was here to help her, on some small level, and that swayed the sense of betrayal she'd been feeling ever since she'd found herself in this place. He didn't look like he'd wanted to do this to her, but more as if he'd not had much of a choice. She still didn't see the sense in this, of whatever she was supposed to be doing here, before she could be an arch angel, but she wasn't going to ruin this opportunity.

"There's something for you to accomplish in this town," Kristopher was saying. She began to open her mouth, but he cut her off with one hand raised. "Listen. I cannot tell you what your mission is. You must feel it, what's wrong and what's right, within yourself and know what to do. Once you've done right, I'll be back to take you home. It seems you need a little guidance though." The look his honey eyes conveyed could only be described as tired, and Leilah felt her face heat a little.

"You just dropped me here!" she argued, maybe a little too loudly, because even she winced, then lowered her voice. "Like I said. You dropped me here. No hints or anything. Anyone, angel or demon, would probably think I was lower than a Guardian with how muted my light is. I can't even access my wings like this." She spread her hands. "It's like you tried to make me as close to human as you could when you left me here. So there's that, plus the lack of you telling me anything beforehand, but you expected me to actually know what I'm supposed to do?"

As his eyes flashed, a warning, Leilah tilted her chin up defiantly. Kristopher snorted, shaking his head. "You're one of my most stubborn students yet," he grunted. "Leilah, trust me, this will all make sense in the end. For now.. it's probably best that no demon can figure out what sort of angel you are. They're scared of arch angels but you aren't there yet, so you would be perceived more as a threat that needed to be taken out. The hint I came to deliver was that there's more than one demon in this town. At least two, but no more than three, and that's unusual. I know you've already found one of the demons -I can feel him not too far off, which means you have as well... but don't focus on just one. Look at the big picture, on what you can do with the minimal resources you've been given, and trust what your heart tells you."

When he lowered his head towards her, Leilah flinched, but Kristopher simply kissed her forehead, nothing else with it as it had been last time, and then he turned and walked away. Leilah knew instinctively that she wouldn't see him again until she got home, and probably no other angels either. But her mentor had given her something.

It was this little emotion called hope. And Leilah was filled with it as she finally returned to the others, murmuring an excuse about running into an old friend.

@ miki-kat

As soon as the angel was gone, a large weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He'd managed to catch pieces of their conversation, something about stubbornness, guidance, and demons, but with just that he couldn't be certain of the real content. He assumed that this angel was Leilah's authority--whether friend, mentor, or simply someone of a higher rank he was not sure. But he'd come here specifically to talk to her, which meant something. He was positive Leilah wouldn't give him any clues, so he'd probably need to come up with the solution himself--though how to do that was the difficult part.

On the other hand, he was somehow glad it was an angel, he thought as he quickly let go of Della's hand as Leilah returned and gave her excuse. He'd be annoyed, infuriated even, if it had been another demon. This was his territory now, after all. And he knew that if there was another demon, it would be competition. Ranking up was a cutthroat field in hell, and every demon had their own methods. Finding one another on the field was only a hindrance. Rennyn hoped that the demon--demons?--they had been talking about was only himself, but the other part of him, the part that knew better, had a strong feeling that this wasn't the case.

And that worried him. "A friend? I've never met him. What did you talk about?" he asked idly, knowing she would give a vague answer but putting it out there anyways. Leilah was a person of half truths, in any case. The biggest lie she'd ever told was that she was related to Rennyn.

(double post ._. )

@ Yuurei.
(tis fine ^-^ had to do dishes)

Rennyn seemed a bit more curious than usual, but Leilah knew it was because she'd been talking to an angel. She was sure he must've felt Kristopher's light fairly well even from the small distance, and strangely enough he appeared slightly shaken. Likely, he was probably worried about his own arse, though it turned out he had no reason to be. From the cryptic advice she'd been given, Leilah had deduced that whatever she was here for, it wasn't to make sure there was one less demon roaming Earth. Unfortunately, that meant Rennyn would come to no harm by her hand.

Well, he could have his answers then. What could it hurt anyhow? He wanted her gone -he'd made that blatantly clear- and Kristopher had said there was more than one demon. Demons didn't generally like each other or work together from what she knew, which meant that this could work in her favor. If she told Rennyn what was happening, there just might be benefits for the both of them -and his benefits wouldn't be so bad that she would have a guilty conscience. Besides, if worse came to worse, she could just come back once she was a real arch angel, and take care of things then...

Thus, mind made up, Leilah decided to answer his questions. "He's an old friend from school," she answered. Translation: angel she knew from training. Rennyn still didn't know what sort of angel she was, but if he had any sort of gauge on angelic light, he would know how powerful Kristopher had felt, and would know he was an arch angel. That didn't mean she'd give the demon her mentor's name. Not unless it was necessary. "Apparently the angel/demon costumes are popular this year..." she was trying to put things in a way to where Della wouldn't wonder what on earth was wrong with them, but Rennyn would understand. "Especially demons.. he said he saw at least one other, maybe two." Translation: he wasn't the only demon around. There was at least one more, maybe two.

"Okay guys," Della unexpectedly interrupted a few moments later as Abby skipped up with her bucket full of candy. "I think Abby's done for the night. She has plenty of candy. How about we head back? Leilah, you might be able to catch up to your friend before he gets too far, maybe introduce him to your brother."

Leilah smiled ruefully. If only it were that easy... "I wish I could. But he had to leave quick. He's long gone by now. How about we all just head back, since it seems the night's over for most everyone else as well?"

@ miki-kat

("Unfortunately, that meant Rennyn would come to no harm by her hand." hahhaha, these poor two just can't seem to get anything they want in life.)

Rennyn's mood instantly soured, and he didn't even care if the angel knew it. He couldn't imagine she was very happy either, anyways. Rennyn's ideals were one thing, but other demons... one never knew what they were capable of. He didn't feel any pride in realizing that his suspicions were in fact correct. He hadn't felt any demons nearby, he'd hoped it would stay that way--but if her angel buddy said there was, then he would have to keep a look out. Heavy demonic activity in a concentrated area would upset the balance, which would be trouble for all involved parties, not just himself. Heaven, Earth, Hell--all three needed to work together, in a highly ironic manner, to keep the balance between worlds. None would want to change this balance unless something big was going to happen.

If something big was going to happen, Lucifer be damned (further) if he'd let it happen without his involvement. He wasn't going to be lose to some other demon, and he certainly wasn't going to let them be anywhere near his humans. Not until he was finished with them, at least.

And so he followed the threesome with a serious expression. Thankfully it seemed Della was still preoccupied with watching out for Abby, even as they made their way home. It was unusual, even when not being watched by the humans, that Rennyn would allow such a mood to fall over him--but this was a serious matter. If he wanted to do something about it, and if he wanted to do it before Leilah, then he had to start thinking. Where would a demon look for another demon on earth?

"I bet my costume's a lot better than any of theirs," he finally said, not really changing his expression, but letting his voice revert back to its playful tone. Della still wasn't looking. "Too bad there's no costume contest going on around here." The meaning was probably more subtle than Leilah's, but he assumed she'd figure it out. He had no doubt about his own abilities, and he'd definitely find them.

@ Yuurei.
(XD well, it's still early yet. Maybe they'll eventually come to tolerate one another lol)

Since being dumped in this place, Kristopher showing up had to be the best thing that had happened to Leilah. He'd given her direction with his few cryptic hints, and that was something she'd needed. She now knew something more, and though she was still having troubles wrapping her mind about what exactly it was she was supposed to be doing, she could be doing something more once again. She wasn't abandoned -they were waiting on her. And so, while she allowed Rennyn some time to process what she'd told him as well as reply, it was no wonder she was in a better mood than he was for once, even with the prospect of running into more demons.

Because frankly, it seemed to her the only things demons hated more than angels was other demons.

Leilah was still confused for a moment though as he replied. She'd tried to keep what she was saying fairly simple -why bother complicating it if the humans wouldn't believe they were in the presence of a demon and an angel even if one of them slipped up? Her eyebrows furrowed together as her mind processed the meaning behind what he was saying, and she ended up guessing that he was hinting at the fact that he wanted to find the other demon(s), and possibly asking her if she knew anything more. "Maybe some other time."

By the time they arrived back at the apartment complex, Abby had somehow managed to procure a piggy-back-ride from Leilah while getting Rennyn to carry her stuffed bag of candy. While Leilah certainly wouldn't put it past the demon to steal a few pieces of that candy for himself, Abby would hardly miss a few pieces even if he did and it really wasn't her business, so she paid no attention. "Okay, down you go," she said to Abby as they arrived where Della lived. Abby clambered from Leilah's back, accepting her bag back from Rennyn, and though it was fairly late for a child her age and she did appear tired, her eyes were wide with excitement as well. And who could blame her? The kid had a ton of candy. To Leilah, it seemed candy was one of the things kids liked most.

@ miki-kat
(Spring break starts next Thursday for me. So you'll be totally justified in getting mad if I don't respond XD)

Rennyn shrugged his shoulders as his only response. He wondered if the angel knew how serious it really was for another demon to be around. It wasn't like every one of them were the same--while Rennyn was here for a raise, another might be here for some totally different reason. They may not be restricted like he is, which would put not only himself at risk but the angel as well. Against an unrestrained demon, not even a combination of their power would hurt them. He intended to do a majority of the tracking by himself, he was certain he could figure something out on his own, but he didn't want to alienate a potential resource. He wanted the angel to be on the same page as him.

But if she wanted to talk about it later then fine. He followed his pseudo-family home, and despite the late hour it seemed Abby was not ready for bed at all. Della seemed to be a little more lenient than usual, allowing her to pick through and sort her candy, and even eat a piece or two, before telling her it was time for bed. Rennyn didn't really find all this interesting. He'd immediately occupied the bathroom before Leilah could--he wanted to wash the makeup off, but didn't really want the responsibility of cleaning up the mess afterwards. He felt completely justified in splashing his face with water in Della's bathroom instead of their own--she'd been the one to insist on the makeup after all. When he was finished, he grabbed the designated "make-up" towel and wiped his face dry, throwing it back on the counter before exiting.

He was glad to see that the little one had been ushered into her room for pajamas already. He was feeling unusually tired, though he wasn't sure if it was because of the humans or the excessive angel crap he'd been exposed to. He kind of felt like vomiting. Like somehow it had gotten lodged in his stomach. He really hoped it hadn't, that would just be disgusting.

"You going to use the bathroom before the small one returns? If you do it at home, you're cleaning it up." He didn't dislike this image, though. The angel scrubbing the sink of all the black makeup stains. While looking similar to a zombie. They didn't have any proper makeup remover, after all. He might even take pictures.

@ miki-kat

(But I guess I've made you wait too many times now? x3 )

@ Yuurei.

(fuuuuuuu I saw this right before going to school but I forgot you replied!!!!)