April Disc 2: muse_shuffle
Some say you're trouble, boy / Just because you like to destroy / All the things that bring the idiots joy / Well, what's wrong with a little destruction? - Franz Ferdinand - “The Fallen”
“Stupid girl.”
The voice ran over her like cold water. She had just been moving down the street, minding her own business, and the voice came over her shoulder, the slightest whisper in her ear but it was a voice that she knew in a heartbeat and it had no trouble bringing her to a dead stop.
“Barbatos.”
She could almost see the scowl that was crossing his face, but she still refused to turn around. She’d seen the look many times over the years-the eyes narrowing, mouth curling up menacingly in the corner-it wasn’t a look she favored seeing. It usually implied that she had did something wrong, whether she had done something as an angel or done something as the demon, and now she knew that it was certainly because she had done something wrong, at least from his point of view.
“Stupid, stupid girl.”
“Should I even bother asking why?” she asked, finally turning to face him and arching an eyebrow at him. “Or should I just assume that I should know?”
“Fighting with the humans?” he said, the intensity of the glare increasing as his eyes flashed red, a trick she had learned from him long ago.
“What? I’m fighting with the Antichrist,” she said, the defiant look remaining as she stared him down. “Just like you taught me too all those years ago. Although, knowing you-you’d think you’d be happy that I’m fighting in the war, period.”
“Lilith will-”
“Lilith is a gnat.” The statement came out more as a growl, her face giving in to a brief moment of anger as she did.
“She’s a rather large gnat.”
“Then I’ll have to buy a large flyswatter.”
“She’s got more power than you think, Amy. She’s been taught well.”
“She’s a human speck who is thinking beyond her means and destroying the balance that we are supposed to be maintaining.” Her face searched his, looking for some kind of answer to explain the behavior she was witnessing. There was something about this that didn’t smell right, and she wasn’t sure what it was. “Why are you backing her anyway? Aren’t you the one who’s always making mandates about the purity of the race, how taking the human souls was only going to poison the stock, that they should stay in hell where they belong? Instead you’re backing the human born who’s looking to destroy everything?”
“At least I’m not the demon backing the traitor,” he growled. “Demons like Ruby are why I was worried about our stock. Make humans like us, they’re always tainted. Always stand the chance of remembering what they were.”
“At least I’m fighting for something. Lilith is usurping the King, and you’re going to back her on that? You’re going to let her just throw a coup d’état and take control, take the throne?”
“The King abdicated his throne. They have no choice.”
“They were never going to follow him to begin with, and you know it. You think like they do-that Azazel made a bad choice.”
“If the boy is the King, and he takes the position that is rightfully his, than I will follow. However, if he chooses to fight his destiny, fight our kind, then I have no choice but to throw my ranks in with Lilith.”
“You could always overthrow her. Have hell running the way things used to be-with the humans staying where they belonged, and only the true, the pure being allowed to walk the earth. Maintain balance. Maintain control.” She watched his face for a moment, baiting him-seeing if he would bite, and end this battle for her before they even had to start.
He just shook his head. “You know I won’t.”
“Eighth from the throne, Barbatos. You’re entitled. You’re in line. Where are the others? Bael? Vassago? Marbas? They’re all gone. You’re up.”
“It isn’t the way things are supposed to be.”
“So what? You’re going to just sit back and watch the world destroy itself?”
“No,” he said, eyes narrowed as he started to back away from her. “I’ll see you on the battlefield, Avnas.”
She watched him go for a moment, before shaking her head, and continuing on her way. “I hope that’s not the case.”
711 words
“Stupid girl.”
The voice ran over her like cold water. She had just been moving down the street, minding her own business, and the voice came over her shoulder, the slightest whisper in her ear but it was a voice that she knew in a heartbeat and it had no trouble bringing her to a dead stop.
“Barbatos.”
She could almost see the scowl that was crossing his face, but she still refused to turn around. She’d seen the look many times over the years-the eyes narrowing, mouth curling up menacingly in the corner-it wasn’t a look she favored seeing. It usually implied that she had did something wrong, whether she had done something as an angel or done something as the demon, and now she knew that it was certainly because she had done something wrong, at least from his point of view.
“Stupid, stupid girl.”
“Should I even bother asking why?” she asked, finally turning to face him and arching an eyebrow at him. “Or should I just assume that I should know?”
“Fighting with the humans?” he said, the intensity of the glare increasing as his eyes flashed red, a trick she had learned from him long ago.
“What? I’m fighting with the Antichrist,” she said, the defiant look remaining as she stared him down. “Just like you taught me too all those years ago. Although, knowing you-you’d think you’d be happy that I’m fighting in the war, period.”
“Lilith will-”
“Lilith is a gnat.” The statement came out more as a growl, her face giving in to a brief moment of anger as she did.
“She’s a rather large gnat.”
“Then I’ll have to buy a large flyswatter.”
“She’s got more power than you think, Amy. She’s been taught well.”
“She’s a human speck who is thinking beyond her means and destroying the balance that we are supposed to be maintaining.” Her face searched his, looking for some kind of answer to explain the behavior she was witnessing. There was something about this that didn’t smell right, and she wasn’t sure what it was. “Why are you backing her anyway? Aren’t you the one who’s always making mandates about the purity of the race, how taking the human souls was only going to poison the stock, that they should stay in hell where they belong? Instead you’re backing the human born who’s looking to destroy everything?”
“At least I’m not the demon backing the traitor,” he growled. “Demons like Ruby are why I was worried about our stock. Make humans like us, they’re always tainted. Always stand the chance of remembering what they were.”
“At least I’m fighting for something. Lilith is usurping the King, and you’re going to back her on that? You’re going to let her just throw a coup d’état and take control, take the throne?”
“The King abdicated his throne. They have no choice.”
“They were never going to follow him to begin with, and you know it. You think like they do-that Azazel made a bad choice.”
“If the boy is the King, and he takes the position that is rightfully his, than I will follow. However, if he chooses to fight his destiny, fight our kind, then I have no choice but to throw my ranks in with Lilith.”
“You could always overthrow her. Have hell running the way things used to be-with the humans staying where they belonged, and only the true, the pure being allowed to walk the earth. Maintain balance. Maintain control.” She watched his face for a moment, baiting him-seeing if he would bite, and end this battle for her before they even had to start.
He just shook his head. “You know I won’t.”
“Eighth from the throne, Barbatos. You’re entitled. You’re in line. Where are the others? Bael? Vassago? Marbas? They’re all gone. You’re up.”
“It isn’t the way things are supposed to be.”
“So what? You’re going to just sit back and watch the world destroy itself?”
“No,” he said, eyes narrowed as he started to back away from her. “I’ll see you on the battlefield, Avnas.”
She watched him go for a moment, before shaking her head, and continuing on her way. “I hope that’s not the case.”
711 words