It's just the power to charm

[caycep]

((Closed to Cayce, Azi, Crowley, and Ellie. Backdated to a day or two after the Bentley Babes caper.))Cayce wasn't jealous. That much was easy enough to define; she cared for Crowley a lot, but not That Way. And notwithstanding her admission at the community Truth or Dare game, she definitely wasn't queer for Ellie either, although she certainly

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[soho_angel]

That wasn't it, of course, not at all. Aziraphale stopped and impulsively reached out to touch his friend's shoulder. "Crowley..." Distressed, he ran a hand through his hair, searching for words. "Of course I'm not washing my hands of anything. It's just never easy to know where the boundaries lie with you, or when I'm overstepping them. Even after all this time."

He drew a deep breath, uncomfortable as always with expressing these things out loud. "You've seemed so happy the past few days, and you have no idea how glad I have been to see it. Truly. You obviously like Ellie, and she seems to genuinely like you." That much about the succubus, at least, he unreservedly approved of. "I could be wrong; it certainly wouldn't be the first time. If you feel that's the case, or that all Aphrodite did was give you a push in Ellie's direction, then...well, that was still a rotten way to go about it, obviously, and no doubt for all the wrong reasons. But for Someone's sake, don't let my prattling spoil a good thing for you."

He made a palms-up gesture. "Just, try to understand my position. Please. That woman has been known to foul peoples' lives up horribly on a whim, and I can't see inside your head." Not without violating the Arrangement, Crowley's privacy, his own conscience and the rules of civilized behavior in general, at least. "If I stayed silent and it turned out she'd tampered with more than your hormones..."

He shoved his hands in his pockets, eyes on the floor. Crowley unhappy with him, that he could live with. Crowley ensnared in some sadistic game, his heart made into a plaything to be carelessly bruised or even broken (again)...no. Not in any circumstance, but especially not if he could have prevented it. "I'd never forgive myself," he concluded simply.

[anthony_crowley]

Trying to imagine what he would have felt or said or done had it been Aziraphale who'd suddenly run off to have sex with a woman (cue shudder) after an eternity of chastity, Crowley's shoulders slumped and he nodded in understanding. Anger was so much easier than compassion; he wouldn't want to be an angel again for the world.

"Yeah. All right. So Aphrodite made me do something that I wouldn't have ever done otherwise. And I don't regret it - it worked out - but I'm sure as hell not going to let her get away with fucking around with us..."

The demon's eyes widened behind dark glasses. Us. There had been three of them in the car when they ran into the goddess. And Aziraphale had said... "Holy shit. Did you say she got Cayce, too?" If anything had happened to Cayce, he was going to rip that Greek bitch apart.

[soho_angel]

"Yes," the angel said, somewhat reluctantly, knowing how touchy Crowley could be where Cayce was concerned, "but there wasn't much there, and she said nothing to me to suggest that anything untoward had happened with her. I'd say she was either caught unintentionally or," he paused a moment, thinking, "or possibly the geas was intended to affect two of you, without specifying which two? It's a bit late in the game to say for sure, I'm afraid, but at any rate she seems to have escaped without incident."

[anthony_crowley]

"I could have... with CAYCE?!" Crowley blanched, horrified. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive or he didn't like her. It was precisely because she was and he did. A lot. Just not that way. She was human and had a boyfriend and it would have been messy and awkward and wrong. (Crowley could be remarkably old-fashioned sometimes for a modern demon-of-the-world.)

"Fucking hell. That blonde bint is going down."

[soho_angel]

Aziraphale sighed, knowing nothing he could say was likely to change Crowley's mind. He wasn't even sure he would if he could. Really, as much as he tried to downplay it for the sake of keeping the peace, that kind of behavior just was Not On, sex goddess or no. Free will (even, or perhaps especially, the limited forms thereof that were granted to beings such as themselves) was a precious thing, and not to be frivolously violated.

"Well, first things first," he said resignedly, thankful at least that Crowley wasn't the type to go charging off on a headlong quest for immediate vengeance. "Cayce was going to speak to Ellie, and I expect she'll be none too happy either." Probably less so, given that Aphrodite would represent competition in a more than theological sense for her. Or so he assumed. "She'll probably be wanting to talk to you, if she doesn't decide to take matters into her own hands first." Oh dear, now why hadn't that possibility occurred to him earlier...

[anthony_crowley]

"Shit," said Crowley feelingly. He would have to talk to Ellie and Cayce about this, wouldn't he? And it would be all awkward... But they might enjoy planning their revenge.

The demon already had a few thoughts in that direction.

"I'll talk to her."

[soho_angel]

Aziraphale nodded, and smiled slightly, his worry giving way partly to what might or might not have been amusement. "At any rate, I've been meaning to say, however it came about..." His smile widened, and he clapped Crowley's shoulder as he walked past him toward his room, "Good show."

[anthony_crowley]

The demon's lip twitched. "Perv," he murmured and headed back for the door.