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.
