Secret Satan Fic Exchange - For Verucasalt123
Title: Dinner XAuthor: licklesoxy
Artist: amber1960
Recipient: verucasalt123
Rating: PG
Prompt: 'All the Supernatural angels trying to get through Christmas dinner without anyone killing a sibling.'
Summary: "You'd think whoever sorts out the invites every year would actually think before giving some out to both warmongers of the century."
-o-
Dinner X
Castiel did not scare easily.
He was a soldier, first and foremost; an angel of the Lord, created in Heaven, for Heaven, and although his primary task was submission and obedience to his superiors and Father, Castiel understood that he was, overall, a being designed for combat. There was no denying that truth. Whether it was a positive or negative association was not important, because it simply was. No matter what he did, he could not change what he'd been created to do.
Fear was not a terrible emotion - in certain circumstances, it helped to be afraid - but it was one to be frowned upon when in situations that did not call for it. Being scared did not give an advantage in most combat instances.
Despite this, Castiel realised that fighting his brothers to protect the Winchesters was indeed a task he could freely be frightened by. It was fine to admit terror and horror in response to that situation.
The current action he'd been asked to do - namely, sitting down to dinner with said siblings he was opposing, plus the devil - was not something that should allow fear to emerge. He should be strong, confident and able to face any brother or sister that happened to be at the dinner. The problem was, what he should be able to do and what he was doing were two entirely different things. Apparently, his emotions did not agree with the assessment of his thoughts, because Castiel was most decidedly scared right now.
What was the instinct that humans referred to in such a predicament? Fight or flight reflex, perhaps? Regardless of whether that was the case or not, Castiel did not appreciate the feeling in the slightest sense. He wanted very badly to remove himself from the obligation of attending the gathering - it could not really be called a meal, as, from memory, Gabriel was the only angel Castiel had ever seen partake in the act of eating.
His main problem was terribly simple: he didn't have a valid reason as to why he shouldn't show his wings. Of course, he could try and use the Apocalypse and his choice of side in it as some kind of statement to excuse himself from the dinner, but he knew that the suggestion would not sit well with anyone. Even when Lucifer had been trapped inside the cage, sealed away for his crimes, and the angels in Heaven had been divided between loyalty to each of the eldest archangels, the tradition of these dinners being held every year had remained.
Castiel, personally, had attended three. The gatherings were invitation only, and the invites were usually distributed to very specific angels in need of a long, overdue conversation.
His first had been to discuss his work, while his next two had been of an alternate standing, yet still important. This time, Castiel had the suspicion that his duty, once again, would not be on the agenda of topics to be spoken of.
He had no clue as to who among his brethren would also be attending, unless he counted the archangels. The four were - should have been - present at every dinner, though Lucifer hadn't come to any whilst in his cage, for obvious reasons. Gabriel had skipped a few without apparent consequence, too. Would the two show up to this particular occasion?
"You had to be here, didn't you?"
The question tore Castiel from his thoughts. Turning to the person who'd asked the question, Castiel felt his features lower into a frown as he contemplated the meaning behind the lexis.
"I got a message, so had to be here," he explained, confused as to why Balthazar seemed to think his being here was from personal choice.
Balthazar's lips rose into a thin smile. "Funny, that. I'm guessing it's so you can discuss your delightful decision making skills as of late with the rest of the shindig."
Castiel was not an idiot. Contrary to popular - or was it just Winchester? - belief, he did realise it when he was being insulted. The intelligent response to such attacks was to ignore the statement altogether, opting instead to change the subject. Dignifying Balthazar's comments with acknowledgement of the attack would be of no benefit. Not allowing his facial features to move into a deeper frown, Castiel tilted his head slightly, before choosing to move his focus from Balthazar.
"Who else received messages?"
He saw Balthazar's shrug out the corner of his vision. If he were being honest, that was exactly what he'd expected.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Balthazar's smile seemed to lift into a strange grin. "I heard rumours that all the big honchos were showing up. You'd think whoever sorts out the invites every year would actually think before giving some out to both warmongers of the century."
Castiel's eyes narrowed. "Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel attending is mandatory; you already know that."
Balthazar nodded. "Yes, but that's not correct, is it? Sure, old Lucifer had an excuse, but when's the last time you heard of Gabriel making an appearance? Our big brothers can defy the unwritten rules, then so can we."
That made Castiel turn his attention back to Balthazar. Eyeing him for a moment, Castiel felt a sense of clarity wash through him as his mind raced to understand Balthazar's meaning.
"If you believe that," he said, gaze unwavering, "then why are you here, Balthazar?"
Balthazar's grin faltered slightly, before fading completely. Nodding his head once in silent acceptance of Castiel's logic, Balthazar didn't bother to speak, for it was not needed.
Both angels knew that they were required to attend, regardless of their feelings, or the fact that one archangel had managed to slip free of his obligations for the past who knows how many decades.
-
"Do the carrots go in the dish before cooking it, or after?"
Hester watched her fellow angel through half lidded eyes. Never taking her focus from Inias' form, she had to fight the desire to force a yawn from her lips in a display of boredom. Having no interest in his current activities was not advantageous, as it meant she did not wish to participate in helping him achieve his goal. This, in turn, was bad news, as it lead to irritation as she waited with a growing impatience for him to finish.
Seated at one of the many tables situated in the building that was serving as the location for the dinner event, Hester was resting her chin on her hand. The action wasn't for comfort - the temperature of the skin on her hand and chin were identical, considering she maintained her vessel's flesh at a specific warmth - and it certainly wasn't a necessity, yet it was a position she'd placed herself in the moment they'd arrived.
Certain that she'd made it clear to Inias that she was not going to help him with his ridiculous desire to make a meal from scratch, Hester wasn't quite sure whether he actually wanted an answer.
"I am certain the oven is supposed to be heated prior. Maybe for five minutes?"
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Hester opted to sigh in place of the wanted action. This meal was not going to be eaten by anyone; that was rather an excellent truth, considering the consumption of the food would probably not be satisfying in regards to taste. Inias was just being complicated, again, for a reason she could not fathom, no matter how much thought she put into figuring his motives out.
"According to the recipe, I add brussel sprouts, even though almost no one likes the taste." Inias paused mid step so he could send a bewildered stare Hester's way. "Why would anyone do that?"
Not bothering to wait for a reply that wasn't coming anyway, Inias moved his attention back to the task at hand. Hester's eyes narrowed. Although she had made a mental promise not to assist in the minutest of amounts, there was a problem on display in front of her that really did need solving.
"You're forgetting an important ingredient," she intoned with the utmost of sincerity. Being patronising with Inias was a waste of time, and she had no desire to exert effort on making him look a fool.
Stopping once more to look at her, Inias blinked rapidly a few times, before he lifted his chin a touch. Then, after a second or two, he nodded firmly.
"The turkey." Pursing his lips, he concentrated a tiny amount of his power on conjuring up one of the birds to cook. As he took the ready made carcass from the table to begin his preparations, Inias allowed a smile to rise on his lips. He glanced momentarily at Hester.
"Thank you."
Hester just shook her head.
-
Lucifer was not in a good mood.
Balthazar couldn't read minds unless given the explicit permission from the angel whose mind it was, but he could still tell that Lucifer was absolutely pissed off. Why the archangel had turned up to this event was anybody's guess - wasn't he supposed to be avoiding Michael like the plague, until he was possessing whichever idiot Winchester was set to hold him? Nevertheless, Lucifer was here, and he was staring at the table they'd all gathered around as though merely peering at it would cause it to burst into flames.
He could, obviously, make the wood set alight without so much as a passing thought, but that was beside the point. Lucifer was in a terrible mood; that was never a good sign.
"What are you doing?"
Balthazar's attention was pulled from Lucifer and to Rachel. Thankful for the distraction, Balthazar was kind of surprised to find his sister glaring intently at the bar of chocolate that Gabriel was holding, almost as if it had caused her some great offense. It seemed that, for whatever reason, Gabriel had obtained a sweet tooth from his time spent on Earth. Balthazar mentally snorted. Wasn't that a stupendous trait to take from the humans?
Keeping his opinion to himself, Balthazar watched on with curiosity as Gabriel glanced at Rachel and raised one of his eyebrows. Despite the expression showing blank awareness in regards to Rachel's confusion and apparent anger, the glint in his eye was a mark of mischief that one could only witness if specifically looking for it. Balthazar frowned. What was Gabriel thinking?
"I know it's been a while since I was in this joint, but I didn't think I'd have to explain the likes of eating to anyone, today," he commented, completely straight faced. The spark in his gaze flashed with amusement. Gabriel was being deliberately dense.
This time, Balthazar did not succeed in keeping his snort quiet.
Rachel, it seemed, had noticed what Balthazar had. Her glare easily transformed into a sneer.
"I meant why, Gabriel."
Gabriel's mouth lifted into a peculiar smile. It was quite startling, something that Balthazar had never seen on the archangel before, and it was rather unnerving. Perhaps Gabriel had picked up too much from humanity.
Holding out the chocolate, Gabriel gestured towards it with a nod of his head. Blinking down at the offered food for a moment, Rachel's expression softened in curiosity. Balthazar shook his head. She actually trusted Gabriel? Surely she didn't care enough to try something offered by him?
Keeping his attention on Rachel, Balthazar watched as she broke a piece of the chocolate from the bar and, without hesitation, placed it inside her mouth. Balthazar had to admit that, when it came down to it, Rachel had a hell of a lot more guts that him. He wouldn't eat anything given to him by any of the archangels, unless his life depended on it; even then, it'd be a decision he would still have to think about.
It took a moment, but after chewing and swallowing the chocolate, Rachel gave Gabriel a smile of approval.
"Pleasant," she said, and Gabriel's smile lifted into a triumphant grin. Was the archangel going to try and convert angels to the human life one chocolate at a time? Was that his goal?
Frowning, Balthazar had to halt the want to smack himself. He was being an idiot, letting his thoughts linger on things that were absurd. Closing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face, Balthazar gritted his teeth together to stop the laugh that wanted to escape his throat. He was becoming paranoid. Maybe it was time he took an extended vacation from Heaven.
-
She was going to be late. Anna was going to arrive at the wrong time, and although she understood that the greeting she would receive would be no different than if she were to get to the dinner on time, she didn't want to be the last angel to show up.
Trying to increase the pace in which she was removing the gunk covering her wings - she absolutely despised the stuff and tried to avoid it at all costs, yet somehow she always ended up coming into contact with some every other year - and letting out a grunt of annoyance as the sticky material refused to be affected by temperature change, Anna seethed. Her powers never worked to remove the slime-like substance, meaning she would have to get rid of it by hand.
Again.
Not letting out the curse that wanted to escape her mouth, Anna narrowed her eyes and continued on with her work. The messy gloop was going to disappear, even if it took her another hour or more to make it vanish completely. Anna sighed. She was definitely going to be late. Despite this, she simply refused to miss the dinner entirely.
-
"That looks..." Trailing off, Hester felt her features contort in mild disgust as she examined the plate of food Inias was trying to arrange in an acceptable display. "Inias, did you cremate it purposefully?"
That had to be the case because there were no other explanations that would give sense to the travesty in front of her. If she were being honest, Hester was past being civil with her brother. His desire to cook in a human fashion was an action she could encourage, since there was no harm in it, but she only had so much patience to give. She didn't care whether her words were cruel anymore, because Inias was trying her last nerve. Fussing over a turkey and the mass of various ingredients also included in the dish was something she could accept; failing to produce a single piece of edible food was not.
Watching with a small glare as Inias turned to look at her with confusion, Hester absently noticed that the dark hair of his vessel was obscuring one of his eyes. He quickly swept the strands aside with little thought.
"No. I don't think I prepared it right... or heated it correctly, for that matter," he admitted.
Hester was not going to reprimand him. He'd done nothing inherently wrong, and regardless of her irritation and want to have a reason for releasing her frustrations on the person who'd made her feel in such a way, Hester had no true excuse to attempt harm through spoken language.
"What are you doing?"
The new voice was sudden and unexpected, but it didn't startle either angel. Swiftly moving her focus to Zachariah - should that not be impossible, hadn't he been killed? - and silently thanking him for the distraction, Hester was not quite able to conceal her annoyance. The expression on her face almost certainly indicated her real feelings towards Inias' attempts at cooking.
"Inias is being ridiculous," she said, as bluntness was key to getting this conversation done fast. "He's done now." Looking at the angel in question from the corner of her vision, Hester scowled. "Aren't you?"
Before Inias could answer, Zachariah held up a hand. "It doesn't matter. We're all waiting. So, are you two coming or not?"
He didn't sound in the least bit bothered as to what their reply would be. Giving them both a quick once over, keeping his lips in a thin line and his expression flat, Zachariah blew out a tiny, inaudible sigh as he caught sight of the food.
"Don't bring that with you," he deadpanned, before vanishing from the room. Hester frowned.
"We should follow."
Not waiting for Inias to give his opinion on the matter, Hester spread her wings and rapidly released a swell of energy that would transport her to the intended destination. Although it was only a couple of rooms away, she was not in the mood to walk. As she arrived, she noticed that not even a second passed before she heard Inias appear beside her. She glanced at him and nodded, then turned her attention to the table and its occupants.
Assessing the room full of angels for a moment, Hester made a decision and sat herself down next to Zachariah. There was no way in Hell she would sit next to any of the archangels, and although she still respected Castiel, she had no desire to associate with him today.
She wasn't at all surprised when Inias took the seat on her right.
What did surprise her was the sudden appearance of an angel with a naked vessel.
"Brother, Gabriel!"
Gabriel returned Cupid's embrace with all the enthusiasm he was receiving from the cherub. It was strangely nice to witness.
"Brother, Lucifer!"
He wouldn't dare... would he? He would.
Mouth falling open as Cupid boldly and confidently stalked up to the archangel and held his arms open in anticipation, Hester was somewhat afraid that her jaw might fall off with how wide it became when Lucifer willingly pulled Cupid down and into a fast hug. It was impersonal and was done within moments, and Lucifer didn't look too joyful at the prospect of what had just happened, but judging from the gleeful grin lighting up Cupid's face, Cupid truly didn't care.
Watching as Cupid continued down the line, Hester couldn't help but stare. Weren't they all supposed to dislike his form of saying hello? Shaking her head, she kept her eyes glued on the cheerful creature as he conquered each angel, one by one, until reaching the far end of the table where one angel was still standing.
"Brother, Virg-"
Cupid was not prepared for the flash of power that sent him flying through the air and into the wall. Judging from the surprised faces surrounding her, Hester assumed that many of his siblings - her included - hadn't either.
Seemingly ignoring Gabriel's cry of protest - why he was so fond of the cherubs, Hester would never know - and the laughter coming from Uriel's side of the table, Virgil appeared to be glaring quite viciously at the crumpled heap of angel on the ground.
"Don't touch me."
Hester made a mental note to avoid Virgil for the rest of the dinner.
-
The turkey did not look decent. Although he had heard Zachariah tell Inias not to bring it, it seemed that Inias had decided to ignore that order. Charred at the sides, its burnt outer layer held a stark, unnatural contrast against the pristine white of the plate it had been placed upon. Surrounding the bird was a collection of what appeared to be mixed vegetables, though the identity of each individual food was impossible to tell, given they were all the same, murky brown colour. What on Earth had Inias done to the ingredients?
Grateful that he wasn't interested in eating anything, Castiel's lips drew into a thin line as he took a look at everyone who was already here. There were a few absent, though it was not time for the official event to begin yet, so that was expected. Though, admittedly, Castiel was rather surprised to see some of the faces among the crowd - Cupid, mostly, considering the only thing he was ever involved in was creating soul mates.
"Can I leave now?"
Attention being pulled in the direction of the speaker, Castiel wanted, more than anything, to tilt his head. It was a habit he'd developed to convey a vast array of emotions whilst in his vessel, and he was starting to feel the need to halt doing it so often.
"Uriel, you just arrived," Balthazar said, and his tone indicated his indignation. He was still upset by the fact that he'd been invited, thus forced to attend, judging from his expression.
Castiel's gaze lowered to the table. Of all the angels in the room, he was the one who deserved more than anyone to be furious right now. He was surrounded by 'enemies', people who opposed his choice of siding with Dean and Sam, and he was expected to be civil with them. Some had tried, repeatedly, to kill him, and he them.
"Exactly. I showed my face; now I wish to leave."
Why did Uriel think he was entitled to go? Did he believe he had better motives to leave? Was he arrogant enough to think he deserved exception to the mandatory attendance?
"Attempt to leave, and I'll scald your wings," Lucifer threatened.
Gaze snapping back up, Castiel found his eyes locking onto Lucifer's form. Of course, Castiel knew that he too had no right to complain. At least, not like Lucifer did. The archangel was among a group who had desired to help - who had helped - with his banishment to Hell. In a few minutes, if Michael was punctual, he'd be in the presence of the person who'd actually done the banishing.
How Lucifer was coping with this without even attempting to kill someone, Castiel did not know. In all honesty, he didn't want to understand; he just hoped the peace would last long enough for him to get out of this dinner alive.
-
"Is that everyone?"
Gabriel frowned. "Joshua, Michael, Raphael and Anna."
"And Virgil."
Everyone turned to stare at Rachel for a moment, before all focus shifted to the angel sitting right beside her. Gabriel's frown deepened.
"Virgil's right there," he pointed out, unable to contain his confusion. Rachel lifted her chin, before locking a blank gaze on Gabriel's form.
"Where?" she asked, features unchanging.
Gabriel blinked once, then twice, before opting to stare in open befuddlement at his sister. What the hell was wrong with his family? They'd all turned insane in his absence. Gabriel shook his head. For the first time in a long while, he was glad he'd slipped out of Heaven when he had. If he hadn't, who knows what would have happened to his state of sanity.
-
"Brother, Raphael!"
This time, Cupid ended up going through the wall.
-
Everyone was silent. The entire room was quiet enough to hear the shallow breathing of each that, truthfully, was not required to be done for them to live. All who had decided to turn up had sat themselves down - archangels at the top end of the table, with Michael and Lucifer sat together, Raphael on Michael's right, and Gabriel on Lucifer's left, and all the other angels scattered down each side of the table in no particular order.
No one had spoken for a good five minutes, now. Movement was limited to blinking only, as they all sat still, staring at different things. The inedible mess of food Inias had tried to make was situated in the centre of the large table, and that was where it was going to stay, untouched, until the dinner ended.
Balthazar had never been more uncomfortable in his entire existence.
He needed someone to talk, be it a muttering of an insult directed Lucifer's way, an enquiry to Gabriel as to whether he was going to return to Heaven now that he'd come out of hiding, or a boisterous uproar of annoyance in response to how utterly ridiculous this whole situation was. Anything was better than this. Why weren't Hester and Inias having a conversation? What was possessing Virgil and Rachel to remain quiet? How could Michael not be commenting on the fact that the brother he was supposed to be killing some time in the future was sitting right next to him.
Had he been placed in some kind of alternate reality? Was this some kind of cruel and unusual punishment created for him in response to something he'd done recently? Balthazar knew it wasn't likely, but he needed to keep all ideas in his mind in case they turned out to be true.
From the corner of his vision, Balthazar saw Gabriel open his mouth. All eyes darted to the archangel. Pausing with his lips parted, Gabriel's eyes did a strange twitch, before he glanced at Michael and Lucifer. Then, without uttering a single syllable, he closed his mouth again.
Awkward.
Licking his lips to ease up the dryness of the flesh, Balthazar exchanged a concerned look with Castiel. Surely this couldn't go on; somebody had to strike up a conversation eventually. Yes, his species was rather patient, but this was stupid. Pulling in a deep breath, ignoring the faint stench of burnt meat roaming through the air, Balthazar bit his lip and poured out a slight amount of his power. Trying and failing to not notice the sudden attention he was receiving, he quickly made a glass full of alcohol appear from practically nothing.
He downed it in one go. Okay, so he really wasn't handling this predicament very well, but he couldn't be blamed. At least he had spoken a few words since his arrival, unlike a certain, chief archangel, who was supposed to be good in circumstances that didn't hold a friendly atmosphere.
"How long do we have to stay?"
Surprise flitting through him immediately when that question left Castiel's mouth, Balthazar was also hit with a sense of the utmost relief. Castiel was a magnificent brother, regardless of what others said about him, if just for the fact that he'd broken the silence.
"Probably until Mike and Luci declare war over who gets the turkey breast," Gabriel piped up, his tone bored but his expression furious. Balthazar's features lowered into a frown, which rapidly transformed into worry when Michael finally decided to acknowledge someone's presence - specifically, Gabriel's.
Watching quietly, Balthazar couldn't quite pin down the emotion passing over Michael's face. It looked like confusion, but that didn't fit exactly right. There was something else there, something unidentifiable, and Balthazar didn't know whether to be concerned by it or not. Hopefully, whatever it was, it wasn't an indication that Michael was about to draw his sword for an unknown reason.
"Why would you think that?" Michael asked, voice laced with complete bafflement.
Gabriel scowled. "Oh, I don't know. Whatever could give me that impression?" A lot of the angels around the table cringed, if only a touch. "You two going to kiss and make up, is that it?"
"Gabriel." That was Lucifer. It was a clear warning; given the mood Lucifer had been in not too long ago, it was the beginning of a very dangerous threat.
Balthazar swallowed back any remark he wanted to make on the matter. Gabriel really did have a point. The two eldest archangels couldn't get along, and although it hadn't happened yet, the chance of a fight developing was atrociously high.
"Maybe we should just all keep quiet until the absentees come," Raphael suggested. Well, it was more like an order than anything else, but Balthazar knew that neither Michael or Lucifer would listen to Raphael unless they agreed with his assessment. Waiting for a moment to see what their reactions would be, Balthazar felt a sudden desire to dig a hole and bury himself within it when no one reprimanded Raphael.
They were back to silence, and this time it was an order. Balthazar closed his eyes.
Was it too much to ask that Father just kill him?
-
An hour had passed without any sign of Anna or Joshua. The two weren't going to come, it seemed. Neither had given an advanced warning of tardiness, so either they were held up, or they had no intention of attending.
The silence had lasted all but three minutes, before Castiel had once again asked a question. Raphael had almost beheaded him with the chair he threw at him, but, luckily, that was the only instance of violence that had occurred thus far.
Michael and Lucifer were still sitting together, but both refused to even look at each other. Gabriel, for some bizarre reason, had taken to playing a game in which he tried to get them to speak. So far, every effort had failed, but the guy was persistent. Right now, he had an arm wrapped comfortably around Michael's shoulder and was discussing some pointless topic with him.
And that was it.
No tricks were being pulled, as had been done with his past two attempts. He was simply talking to his eldest brother, quite eagerly, and catching up on everything he'd missed whilst on Earth, and Michael was actually talking enthusiastically back to him.
Lucifer, of course, could hear it all. In fact, he was purposely not moving from his spot so he could keep a tab on their conversation. Was he jealous? It appeared that it might be the case, but it was hard to tell with him.
Raphael was glaring daggers at whoever came within a foot of his person, whilst Inias was attempting to get someone to at least take a bite of the food he'd cooked. Castiel, although not one for holding grudges, had been sneering disdainfully at Raphael for the past half an hour, almost as if he could make the archangel explode through sheer will alone.
Cupid... To be honest, nobody knew where he'd gone. He certainly wasn't situated anywhere in the room, but it was likely that he was still inside the building somewhere, crying.
Poor guy.
Taking a look around at all the siblings surrounding him, Zachariah had the sneaking suspicion that the unremarkable, subtle peace was not going to last another hour. Something would break, someone would say something that would provoke a negative reaction, and all hell would break loose.
It was just a matter of time, really.
-
The goop was gone. Anna was no longer imprisoned by the horrid substance, and could finally make her way over to the location of the dinner.
Unable to prevent the grin from forming on her face, she spread her wings to their full height and revelled in the cool air that swept over her feathers. Closing her eyes for a moment, she let her muscles relax and her wings fold back in as she took comfort in the clean feel of her largest physical attributes. It was lovely when she got to expand them out without any restriction. She was free.
Opening her eyes, she blew out a contended sigh and took flight. Within seconds she was at her destination.
The room was deserted. Chairs were scattered all over the floor, the table was torn in two, and... was that a turkey that had been splattered across the ceiling? What the hell had happened? Whatever had gone on, she'd missed it.
Anna's features dropped in irritation.
She'd missed the entire thing? How was that possible? Frowning, she assessed the time passage that had occurred whilst she'd been tending to her wings. Her frown deepened. She'd been at it for three hours? She'd had practice at getting rid of the stuff before. How could she have taken so long?
Shaking her head, Anna glanced at the floor with a scowl. Absolutely perfect. Now what was she going to do? Was there going to be a punishment for lack of attendance? She honestly didn't know.
Pursing her lips, Anna lifted her gaze back up and once again spread her wings. It wasn't worth staying put - she'd lost out on being a part of the dinner. As she prepared to leave, something caught her attention. Tilting her head slightly, her eyes narrowed as she listened out for the noise that had come from above her. Quiet and lacking substance, she knew that, had there been any other sound around her when the bump had happened, she wouldn't have had a hope of hearing it.
Curiosty piqued, Anna closed her wings and headed for the stairs of the house. Grateful that they had not been damaged in the battle that seemed to have occurred, she climbed them and cautiously stepped over to the first door. Reaching out, she grabbed the cool knob and hesitated. What if it was Lucifer? What if, upon entering the room, she was attacked without mercy?
Frowning, Anna shook her head again. She was being silly. Swallowing, she tugged the handle down and pulled the door open fast and without reluctance. Almost instantly, she regretted the action as a silhouette appeared immediately in front of her, its arms wide.
"Sister, Anna!"
-
"You didn't show."
Joshua didn't bother to look at who'd dropped into the garden to see him. The offer to strike up a conversation was just that; it held no accusation, because the speaker had known that Joshua wouldn't be attending the Christmas dinner, despite receiving an invite. He never showed up.
Continuing to keep his gaze locked on nothing in particular, Joshua's eyebrows lifted slightly as he contemplated the words. They were cheerful, yes, but there was a small sadness behind them too.
"You are the one who sends out the messages, Gabriel," he said; there was no bitterness or accusation in his tone, either. He heard something shuffle behind him.
"Who else is going to, now Dad's on a permanent vacation to End's Ville?" Joshua could practically hear the smile in the archangel's response. Sporting one of his own, though it was a tiny, barely visible lift of his lips, Joshua nodded his head once, firmly.
"You are Messenger. Did it go as planned?"
He didn't need to look to know disappointment had seeped into his brother's expression. He already knew the answer, understood what it was going to be, but he needed it said aloud so they could both accept the confirmation.
"Of course it didn't."
This time, Joshua did turn to look at Gabriel. His smile rose into a more genuine sign of affection. He knew what dismay felt like, what it caused, and he had no desire to witness it in another angel at this moment in time.
"There's always next year. Play it right, and I might turn up."
The words had the intended, desired effect. Watching with a growing satisfaction as Gabriel's smile changed into a playful, almost challenging smirk, Joshua knew a victory had just been made, and it felt incredible.
"I'll hold you to that, you know," Gabriel stated, before vanishing from sight in a fraction of a second.
Joshua closed his eyes and grinned. "I know, brother. I know."
-o-