It was a few days later and I find myself in the training room with you. "You insisted upon accompanying me to the lower levels during my training. I told you I would put you to work if you did so, but like a loyal pet you chose to follow me." I grin and level the halberd I was wielding at you. Of course, it was not a full-sized one. I had crafted the polearm myself, then had it properly detailed.
I see you awkwardly hold the sword in your hand and almost feel bad for you as I lunge forward, making sure to be slow in my movements. I gently bat the blade away with the tip of my polearm, flinging it to the ground. You fall to your backside and I drive the tip of the halberd to the ground, leaning on it as I loom over you with a grin. "Do you wish to stop?"
My tail flicks as you stubbornly backup and collect your sword, standing and shifting back into the awkward stance. I smile and think if this was how Katrina felt when first teaching me. "So diligent... very well. Come practice upon me, I will simply defend."
The concern in your eyes was obvious and I gave a genuine giggle at it. "My sweet, there is simply no danger, I assure you. Do your best and I may even feed upon you a little when we are done, you would enjoy that, yes?"
My teeth bare in a grin at your eagerness. You lunge and I parry, my halberd deftly striking away or deflecting your blows. We keep this up for several seconds before I see you becoming winded. "I forget how quickly mundane's grow fatigued, let us pause."
You lower your sword with a pant on your breath and I flourish the polearm, spinning it over my head a few times to show off, then plant the base hard into the ground. I sway my hips as I go to collect a bottle of water and pass it off to you.
"Would you like me to tell you about my first time visiting the Celestial council? I could do so while I practice my form." I ask you curiously while retrieving my halberd and shifting to a stance I used when drilling myself in strikes.
I grin and nod before starting my regimen of swings. "Of course... it's simple when one doesn't rely so heavily upon breathing."
My polearm blurs as I swing it, giving off a bright maroon wave of color while I practice. "So! Like all things bureaucratic... it took time to secure my first visit... nearly a year of time..."
My ears lift at your question and I tilt my head. "Gloria? Oh... Yes, she spent the first few months meeting and greeting with the various houses in our region. Nothing international though. After that, she settled down with her own room here at the mansion. She wasn't an official family member, more like Alex. She was an important liaison between us and the celestials."
"As I was saying..." I huff out and spin my halberd before thrusting it in practiced movements. "Nearly a year later, I finally received clearance to come speak to their council about matters..."
#
"So, you want us both to go? Won't your denizens be a little troubled about me walking amongst them? I do have some notoriety with them." Lorelai folded her arms over her stomach, cocking her brow while speaking to Toroah.
The archangel smiled upon the arch-vampire and opened both his hands, showing his palms. "I have spoken to my children. They are apprehensive but will offer you no hostilities."
"Well that's a relief, you understand the position this is putting us in, yeah?" I had my arms folded like my lovers and tilted my head up at the divine rabbit.
Toroah fixed me with a neutral gaze. "You were the one that wished to come to the table, Countess, I simply fulfill that wish. You will have your time to speak but you do so under the duress of millennia of strife and ill will on both fronts. The other two archangels were extremely hesitant about this and it took me much time to convince them."
I frowned then bowed my head. "I'm sorry to make things problematic for you. Of course, I am grateful for your efforts, Toroah."
"I never would have believed you got your stubborn brood to listen to reason. I should give you more credit, rabbit." The sheep flicked her ears and pointed a finger at the angel, her teeth showing in a grin.
The angel looked upon the ancient vampire and his lips formed a smile. I saw his posture relax as if he were speaking with an old friend. "It warms my heart to meet your approval, sheep."
Ancient creatures of power or not, I recognized the body language between them. Something was or had happened between them. I lifted my ears curiously and raised a finger. "You two... just how well do you know one another?"
The larger rabbit stared at me contemplatively, as if deciding if he should answer the question. Lorelai answered it straight away. "We tried dating about five hundred years ago, you could say." The sheep huffed the words and cut her eyes towards me.
"Wow! You hooked up with an archangel, love? Damn..." I spoke the words with respect in my voice, looking between the two of them.
Toroah cleared his throat. "H-hooked up? We did little more than hold hands and embrace. There was nothing vulgar about the relationship, Countess Alice."
"Nothing vulgar? What's the fun in that..." I cut my blue eyes to his, giving him a playful grin, both our sets of white ears flicking about.
"Relationships are not always about sex, Alice." Lorelai mumbled the words at me and put a hand to her forehead, pushing her white locks away from her horns.
"You two seem friendly with one another still... what changed?" I asked curiously.
"Must we?" Lorelai grit her teeth and gave me a haughty glare. "I will regale you with the gossip of he and I later. Must we do it right in front of him?"
"I do not mind, Lorelai." Toroah spoke the words, the amusement in his silken voice clearly present. "I am surrounded by stuffy sorts all day, every day. Light talk like this is refreshing."
"Well I mind." She huffed out and fixed me with a fussy look. "Save the personal questions for later, Alice. We are here on council business."
I frowned but felt her will push with the words and nodded my head. "My apologies, my lady. I will keep it professional going forward."
"Thank you." She gave the angel a sharp look. "Toroah, there is one small problem with visiting."
"Yes... our realm is bathed in perpetual light." He nodded as if already aware of her concern.
"It's always sunny there? Do you guys live in Philadelphia?" I hummed the words playfully but drew blank looks from both of them. I rolled my eyes and let them keep talking.
Lorelai looked upon me. "Do you remember the light Ezikiel used upon you?"
"Yeah, it was awful, it made me feel sick and weak. Is it that kind of light?" I asked curiously.
"Yes. It's not true sunlight, so it wouldn't simply turn us to ash, but it is powerful enough it would incapacitate you in seconds and me within a few hours." Lorelai spoke the words to me then looked back upon Toroah.
"I have already planned for this contingency." The angel waved a hand and a large black parasol shimmered into reality and landed in his grasp. He presented it to Lorelai who collected it and looked it over. "It is an artefact that shall give you immunity to the light of our realm, so long as you remain within its radius."
"It's cute... but why a parasol? Wouldn't something like a coin or ring be simpler?" Lorelai asked him curiously, already spinning the handle, making the top twirl around, frilly black lace bouncing against the base of it.
Toroah gave her a gentle smile. "Because you like parasols."
Lorelai gave a sharp bleat at the words and I showed my teeth in a grin, seeing the scowl on her face, her cheeks darkening. "Wow, pretty smooth... I approve." I hummed the words up at the angel.
"Alice! Do not encourage him!" The sheep fussed the words at me and slung the parasol over her shoulder with a frown.
"Let me craft another for you, Countess Alice..." The angel flourished his hand but I pushed up against the sheep and hugged her.
"Don't bother, I will just share Lorelai's." I grinned at her and flicked my tail.
She gave me a haughty look but pulled me closer in a possessive manner. "It is just as well, I had no intention of you leaving my sight during this trip anyway."
I saw a look in the archangel's eyes, but I couldn't tell if it was sadness or happiness at the sight of me holding her. "Then you are set. I will open the gates to our realm for you, please enjoy the sights of our citadel until we are ready to meet with you, we will summon you at that time."
"And your residence will not harass us?" Lorelai asked him in a stern voice.
"They have been ordered to treat you as guests. They will not offer aggression but I cannot force them to welcome you with open arms either, Lorelai." He frowned as he spoke the words.
"A lack of aggression will keep me from removing their throats. That's all I want out of this, a peaceful exchange. They don't have to like either of us, but if they speak ill of my rabbit..." The sheep gave the larger rabbit a defiant glare.
"Rest assured, they will not." Toroah waved his hand and a shimmering gate opened before us, not unlike the kind I had seen Kazemde open. We both winced at the radiant light that poured out, showing a large square before us, old European style buildings all around looking of ivory and gold.
"So you will summon us when the time comes?" Lorelai asked again, pulling me closer to her.
"Yes, please enjoy the sights in the meantime." The angel gave a polite bow to us.
"With me, Alice." Lorelai took a step and I followed with her. I gave the archangel a glance over my shoulder, trying to read the look in his eyes from us leaving arm in arm together.
We stepped into the square and the portal behind us slipped closed. "Woah... t-this is weird... it's been so long since I've seen things in daylight..." I blinked my eyes several times, trying to adjust to the bright colors.
"Indeed... the parasol is a boon, but it does not protect our eyes. Let us stay here a moment and give our vision time to adjust." The sheep grumbled the words, her hand on my hip drawing me closer to her side.
