Vol.4 Ch.32 – Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Introspection II
Chapter 32: Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Introspection II
Mare had fallen asleep spooning with Aurora but that wasn't how she woke up. She was on her back, the little pixie on top of her. The girl had to weigh as much as a feather, the girl's body weight bothering Mare less than the blanket she usually slept under.
She looked so peaceful when asleep, all the horrors she'd seen sloughing off her face. And without the weariness on her face the girl was radiant, absolutely gorgeous.
Mare had always been able to appreciate a pretty girl but she was beginning to think that what she thought of Aurora might go beyond that. Being inside the girl's mind had made her empathize with her in a way she'd never empathized with another person before. But then having the girl show so much care for her in turn, having her coming to her room just to cuddle, it made Mare grow attached in a way that scared her. She didn't want to come across as too clingy, didn't want to seem too needy, especially not with someone who had been through so much. But Aurora seemed to need the contact as much as she did and so Mare supposed it was fine.
If she'd heard correctly Aurora and Elaine were going to meet up today to practice magic together and Mare wondered if it would be a good idea to tag along. Was that too presumptuous? Would she get jealous if she saw the two people she was most interested in hanging out? Would it be worse if she didn't see them hanging out?
Ah, damn it. Life had been so much simpler back when everyone had ignored her.
**
“Incoming vehicle,” Jane the mermaid said. “Looks like a Gospel.”
“Which Gospel?” Clio asked, rushing to dry herself off after taking a dip in the fish tank they had.
“The serial number isn't registered with us,” Themisto said. “So not one that's regularly stationed on Earth.”
If it had been any other kind of vehicle that would have been concerning. Thankfully Heaven was so protective of their Gospels that the chance of a bad guy having one of them was close to zero. That meant that...
“Definitely angels,” Jane said.
“Oh, those are the two that'll join our cadets on their mission,” Clio said as two figures got out of the Gospel, one a tall male with long black hair and the other a waifish blonde. “The Radiant Prism and the Acheron Vector.”
“Kaja and Omega,” Themisto said. “They're supposed to be terrifying.”
“Who should we inform?” Jane asked.
“The Lieutenant General and Jeanne I suppose,” Clio said.
**
Jeanne hated how needy she'd become. Rachel hadn't come back to her room that night and she felt cranky about it. After finally having that talk with Elaine and after Elaine had planted that kiss on her she'd been desperate for Rachel. Not just for her body but just to have someone to talk to. But Rachel had spent the night with Abigail instead. True to what Elaine had said she wasn't the jealous sort. Even if something had happened between them, which Jeanne absolutely couldn't imagine, it wouldn't worry her. Rachel would come back to her anyway. But right then she could really have used her favorite shoulder to lean on and she absolutely wouldn't have minded being Rachel's chew toy for the night, especially now that she had to meet Kaja and Omega.
“What can you tell me about them?” the Lieutenant General asked as they made their way to the airlock.
“Kaja is one of the smartest people you'll ever meet,” Jeanne said. “But she hides it all underneath an air of bubbly friendliness. Omega is taciturn and efficient. He leaves the talking to her but that doesn't mean he's stupid.”
“Are they going to be trouble?”
“They aren't going to disrespect your authority, if that's what you're asking,” Jeanne said. “I'd rather they didn't come into contact with the Professor, though. They're not his biggest fans, to put it mildly.”
“Alright, I'll trust your assessment.”
She nodded, not commenting on that. Instead she opened the airlock and on the other side stood Kaja and Omega.
'Radiant Prism' Kaja was, well, radiant. Fair skin, braided blond hair, short and petite, with a gorgeous face and eyes like kaleidoscopes refracting the light into a thousand colors. She was one of the oldest angels, the one who had sat in the empty tomb of the White Christ, the one who had informed Mary of the White King's plans for her. And, of course, the one who had poured over the Diary of Randolph Carter, the most intact and comprehensive text ever written by one who had gone through the rituals necessary to become a necromancer. She hadn't merely studied it, she had annotated it, turned it into the most valuable resource in both Heaven and Hell on those damnable creatures calling themselves necromancers.
'Acheron Vector' Omega was, in many ways, Kaja's total opposite. Tall and dark, a body chiseled from snow white marble, long black hair down to his navel, a man who let actions speak for him rather than words. The man was such a dead ringer for his patron, the Angel Lord Gabriel, that half of Heaven joked that Omega was simply a piece of Gabriel, created from the Angel Lord's rib as Eve had been from Adam. Jeanne didn't know if that was true but she did know that Omega had a terrifying reputation as a merciless executioner. During the Fae Wars Omega had been tasked with executing those that had been turned traitors by the Fairy Queens. And while that was no longer a concern she still knew she didn't want to end up on the wrong end of his scythe. That being the case...
“Kaja,” Jeanne said, then paused just long enough to remind Omega that she was still upset with him for that 'devil fucker' comment, “Omega.”
“Jeanne,” Kaja said, rushing toward Jeanne but stopping close. Normally Kaja would have thrown herself at her and caught her in a hug but with the Yesod pattern armor on she didn't. Hugging and full body armor did not mix very well.
Omega simply inclined his head, giving no indication whether he'd even noticed that she was upset with him.
“And you must be Lieutenant General Hayworth,” Kaja said, suddenly sounding much more serious.
“A pleasure,” Hayworth said, “Kaja, was it?”
“Correct,” she said, then nodded over at her partner. “And this barrel of sunshine is Omega.”
Jeanne placed the back of her hand against her mouth so nobody would see her smile. Kaja was not as silly as she acted, Jeanne knew, but the act was still endearing.
“Glad to meet you both,” Hayworth said. “So, I understand that you two will assist us in taking Buffalo back.”
Omega made a low, disapproving noise and Kaja translated:
“Our mission is to kill the Necromancer. But unless and until we discern that those are two different objectives we will be working together with your group, yes.”
“You are aware that we still need to mobilize, right?”
“Naturally,” Kaja said. Her levity was gone and she stood completely on business now. “Will you be informing your cadets of the mission today?”
“Of course.”
**
Aurora woke up when she felt eyes on her. They didn't feel as menacing as the eyes she'd had watching her under Caulder's yoke but still, somehow the feeling of being watched was still enough to wake her up, only to find herself caught in Mariana's gaze. It was a very nice gaze to be caught in, loving, appreciative and ever-so-slightly possessive. Mariana didn't feel so very alone anymore. There was still a loneliness about the girl but it wasn't as crushing any longer. But Aurora knew at least one way to make it even better.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi,” Mariana replied in her slow, soft voice.
“I'm supposed to be meeting Elaine this morning,” Aurora all but whispered.
“Yeah,” Mariana said, so slowly that Aurora couldn't even tell if it was meant as a statement or a question.
“Want to tag along?”
**
Elaine had outgrown the need for stuffed animals. In her childhood bedroom back home she still had a couple of them, mostly teddies, all neatly arranged on her bed's headrest. But while the need for stuffed animals was long gone now, Elaine enjoyed cuddling more than ever now. So when she woke up with her cute squeaky toy Evelyn curled against her she couldn't help but smile.
She'd rocked the girl's world last night and she still had a bit of a freshly fucked look to her but she also looked serene and content.
And it was testament to how much Elaine had gotten used to having multiple lovers that she didn't even feel like the scum of the earth for having to wake up Evelyn so she could go get ready to meet Aurora.