Seeing is Believing (JNR)

[Shinigami]

He couldn't help but feel overcome with the feeling of foreboding. Jahaziel knew something bad was going to happen, and it has his adrenaline flowing. There would be blood, and he would be taking part in this. Ezekiel has sensed his brother's unease, his inability to stay calm and still, and it worried him. "What's wrong, Ziel? Have you had a vision?"

Jahaziel paced the small room, shaking his head at his brother's question. "No.. not a vision. Just a strong sense of.. warning. Something is going to happen, something bad, and soon." They were both kept in the dark as to what the guards outside of the house were usually up to, so when signal rang that they were under attack, both brother's froze. It was only for a split second before they were jumping into action, shifting into their Angel forms and taking off down seperate hallways.

They worked as a team, and both knew exactly where they should be in relation to the other. It was an unspoken part of the job that Ezekiel was head of the in-house guard. He had trained the majority of them, after all, and he was the most experianced soldier inside the house, so it made sense. Kiel took off in search of answers, wanting to know what the hell was going on and how they had gotten so close, he ordered guards on his way through the hall. He hadn't met any enemies in the halls until he rounded the corner to the healer's wing, wanting to make sure they were aware and ready for any wounded, but he snarled as he saw the foreign soldiers swarming the halls.

He pulled his sickles and forced his way through the swarm, taking every second he had to check the rooms for the healers. Kiel was furious and speckled in blood by the time he shouldered open the door to Salut's rooms, snarling at the sight before him.

***

Jahaziel was running full speed down the halls, his wings out and spread to brush against the walls on either side of him. It helped to keep him grounded in where he was going in such situations. The Arrighi soldiers moved out of his way and he met a stray enemy or two with already drawn daggers. He was headed straight for the training rooms, and he wasn't about to let anything stop him.

Aeven had been doing defensive training with a group of children when Ezekiel had left them there, and he was damned if he was going to let enemy soldiers get to them. Most left women and children alone, but there were some who sought them out. He heard the banging as he neared his destination followed by the splintering of wood. They were trying to break down the heavy doors, which meant someone had barred them. He heard the doors give, but ran into a group of enemy soldiers, all determined to block his path. He growled, tucking his wings in and letting his daggers do the work, fighting through the group and using every trick he had ever learned when taught to fight blind.

[Maira]

Her heart was racing and she couldn't stop it. With each loud bang on the trainingroom doors as the enemies tried to break through them, Aeven's heart gave another jump and her hands twitched on her bow which she now gripped protectively in front of her. Her staff was tucked into its holder on her back alongside her quiver of arrows and she had her bow aimed at te doors. She had the children ranged behind her, with real weapons rather than the wooden ones they were used to. She hated to resort to pitting children against fully trained warriors but at least being armed with real weapons they had a tiny chance of doing some harm and possibly getting away.

When the doors, and the bar holding them, finally gave way, Aeven took a deep steadying breath and pulled back the arrow she had ready, her fingertips brushing her her cheek and then her ear before letting fly. Her shot was true and the invading angel dropped to the floor with the arrow through his temple. She tried not to focus on the blood that seeped from his head and instead let fly a flurry of arrows as the invaders pourd into the training room toward her and the children.

Before the enemies could get too close, Aeven exchanged her bow for her staff and she took a few steps towards the warriors advancing on her and the children. There was blood, lots and lots of blood, and Aeven could feel herself getting woozy again but just when the world started to go dark and fuzzy around the edges, she felt a flash of pain in her head and suddenly a fireball was leaving one of her hands that had dropped her staff. The fireball slammed into the nearest enemy warrior and Aeven watched in utter shock as he stumbled back into some of his fellow warriors and the fire jumped from one to the next.

She was still watching, part with pleasure and an even healthier part with fear, when Aeven saw a familiar shape among the enemy warriors and with a panicked shout, the fire dissappeared. When Jahaziel finally fought his way through the enemy soldiers to her and the children, Aeven was relieved to find that he wasn't singed at all. "Gods am I glad to see you!" she shouted over the noise then grabbed up her staff again and helped fight back the last few warriors in the training room that weren't already burnt, skewered or slashed to ribbons.

Just as she and Jahaziel got the last enemy warrior out of the door, a man with black dragon wings ran past chasing after the enemies and Aeven blinked in surprise. What was a Custos doing in the Arrighi family's House? She was still breathing heavy and barely had time to notice that her head was still throbbing from earlier when she was violently overtaken by a vision.

The man was watching her approach with curiosity and suspicion. She had been seeing him off and on for years, first in her childhood visions and then later in her dreams of, or flashbacks to, those older visions. When she heard herself speaking to the man, Aeven didn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. The man was a Custos, his dragon wings and armor gave that away. And yet the words kept reverberating through through her mind even as the vision came to an end, "I know you from my visions... You're my father..." Then her world went completely dark, all she knew was the throbbing pain in her head.

[Demeter]

Salut whimpered and rolled away from her bed while the foreign angel pulled up his pants. She curled into a ball, pulling the ripped fabric of her dress around her body and not listening as the angel went on about how he meant to keep her because she was not only pretty but tasty.

When her door burst open again, Salut huddled into an even smaller ball. She finally dared to look up when she heard the snarling. It wasn't a invading angel standing in the doorway to her room but Ezekiel. She shouted his name and lunged towards him, not really noticing that her ripped dress had fallen open again, revealing not only her pale skin from throat to feet but the legion of bruises and the smeared blood that angel had managed to cover her with.

***

Dream popped into the house the same time the other reapers did, stationed at various points around the complex. There would be death and there would be fallens. Angels did not get away with randomly attacking a house like this one over a petty insult. Or whatever...battles often brought about the more violents traits of some angels. She pulled a piece of paper out of a pocket and glanced at it. Mentally, she crowed. She had a fallen to fetch!

Dream looked over her shoulder to the Custos that had accompanied her. "Go and kill something Carma. You don't need to hover over me all the time dispite what my father has told you. Rhystic as well, probably," she muttered under her breath about her new husband. "I'm pregnant, not mortally injured."

Carmine nodded to the younger angel and glanced around after she left. The Arrighi house. He remembered the time he spent here. He enjoyed the time spent here. He did not like that the house was under attack. Carmine shifted into his Custos form, and grinned as the angels, invading and native, gasped as the wings and horns appeared. He pulled Talos free and swung the blade around. "Come along, Pet, you're going to drink deeply tonight." He cackled and leaped for the nearest angel who wore a different crest.

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel cut his way through the gathering of enemy soldiers, determined to get to Aeven and the children and make sure they were alright. He would guard them until it was certain the Arrighi house was secure once more. As he worked his way towards the doorway he began to feel as if he knew exactly what the hell had brought on such an attack, and when this was over, he'd be sure to convince his lord to do something about his damned sons.

He was trying not to focus on his hyper-aware sense of smell, which brought to him the scent of blood and.... burning flesh? He made it through the door, clearing any threats away from his extended reach before pausing to seek out any signs of the children. Aeven's voice carried across the room and he relaxed a fraction, smiling at her before returning to deal with the men closing in. They cleared the room together with more speed than Ziel could have hoped for, but with all of the chaos he didn't even notice the flash of Custosic aura that ran by, nor did he pick up on the familiar sound of his foot-falls.

Just as Jahaziel turned to check on Aeven, as well as the rest of the children, he felt her tense before he too was sucked into whatever vision she was struck with. He gave a shout of surprise, not used to being pulled into another seers visions, and felt himself collapsing to the floor. The images that rushed through Ziel's mind startled him, that he was being shown anything to do with Aeven's estranged parents. He suddenly realized there was something strikingly familiar about the man who was identified as the girl's father...

He was back in the concious world once the vision passed, groaning as he sat upright. They were both surrounded by concerned and frightened children and he quickly assured them all that everything was okay. Jahaziel reached out towards his student. "Aeven? Aeven, are you alright?"

***

Ezekiel didn't even want to think about what this man had done to Salut, but when she called out for him, practically lunged herself towards him, he had gotten a good view of the injuries left behind. And the state of her clothing left only one possibility, and that knowledge only made him more furious. He made eye contact with Salut, a look of worry passing over his face as he took her hand and shifted her behind him. Once he was certain she was protected and where he could keep an eye on her, Kiel shot across the room.

The man was pinned to the wall within seconds, a sickle pressed up against his throat to deter him from struggling. The man was as good as Fallen, but Ezekiel couldn't quite let him get away with simply being hauled off to Hell. He deserved a harsher punishment than the stripping of his wings and powers. He threw the man down to the ground, but was forced to slice open a shallow wound across his chest as he tried to get up and run. The wounds brought him back down towards the ground, but Kiel heavy boot-clad foot shoved him down completely.

Kiel delivered a swift kick to the man's side, feeling a bit of satisfaction when he hears the faint cracking of ribs. There are two things Ezekiel can't tolerate: abuse of any kind towards a child, and abuse of any kind towards a woman.

[Maira]

Her head was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces and somebody was calling her name. The person couldn't honestly expect her to respond when her head was in the state it was in could they? Still, the person kept calling her name and after a while she was able to single out the question the person kept asking as well: if she was okay? The answer to that was a big fat resounding 'no!!!' but she couldn't answer that very well if she sunk back into unconsciousness.

Slowly and painfully, Aeven forced herself to wake up and when she finally surfaced, the smell of blood and burnt flesh completely overwhelmed her. On instinct she rolled away from the voice that was talking to her and let her stomach empty. It seemed like it took forever before she was well enough to wipe her mouth and sit up and when she did, the first thing she saw was Jahaziel sitting near her, worry etched on his face.

Without even thinking, Aeven found herself clinging to Jahaziel for support. The vision had shaken her beyond belief, partly because she knew she'd had it years before, and partly because of what it had shown her. And on top of the vision, Aeven's head was on the verge of pulling itself apart. In the aftermath of her vision, and because of the monstrous headache, the two things Aeven didn't notice as she clung to Jahaziel were that she was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm, and that her once golden feathery wings were now identical to those of the man in her vision...

[Shinigami]

((ooc- splitting the boys up.. Jahaziel wants out now, but Ezekiel has to wait))

Jahaziel began to worry when Aeven didn't answer him right away, but he heard her shifting around. He was about to ask again if she was alright, but the sounds of her getting sick were his answer. He knew he was frowning, a look of worry splayed over his face. Was she reacting to the vision, or to the distruction they had left behind in the room. He his expression was suddenly one of a startled man when she threw herself at him, attaching herself to his person before he could have even thought to object.

He let out a breath, relaxing a bit as he allowed an arm to wrap around the girl, holding her against him. He could tell she was in pain, but as he tried to sence out why, he suddenly got the feeling there was something off about her. She didn't feel like the Aeven he had known, but then again, she didn't feel -wrong-. Ziel was able to place the strange feeling with a bit of dread. She was part Custos, he could feel that now, but how would the Arrighi family treat her? They wouldn't dare throw her from the house, would they?

Ziel held her just a bit tighter as he reached his other hand out to confirm what he already know to be true. When his finger tips brushed across smooth scales instead of the soft feathers he had been expecting, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide her, but he would be damned if he let her get thrown out of the house she had known as her home. This also gave him an idea as to where her pain was coming from. She was around the appropriate age, after all, and Angel and Custos blood were as prickly towards eachother as the people they formed.

He moved his hand to the girl's chin, tilting her face up. He knew he couldn't technically look her in the eyes, but he would be able to feel her gaze on him, which let him know he had her attention. "Aeven, listen to me. You will be in pain, but you will survive, and when you do, you will still be my student. Do you understand?" He paused to get some sort of indication that she had heard and understood him. "Now, we need to see if we can get you to the healer's wing. Do you think you can walk? You can hold onto me if you need to."

Jahaziel was trying not to think about how protective he was being of the girl as he helped her up to her feet. he looked up as a few Arrighi soldiers came in to check on the children and escort them home, but ignored them otherwise.

[Demeter]

Dream grinned down at the fallen she'd just captured. Not the one she was supposed to catch but a renegade fallen none the less. Dream knotted a lenfth of rope around the woman's hands and feet. She also wrenched the mishappen wings down and tied them together. Dusting off her hands, Dream glanced around. It seemed that Carmine had listened to her and gone off to kill something. Shaking her head, Dream yelled out his name and smiled when the Custos showed up minutes later, flicking blood off his sword.

"Watch this one, Carma. I've still got one more fallen to hunt down before we can go back. And this one is a fresh fallen." Dream grinned and spun her sycthe around. "Such a nice day."

Carma watched as Dream wandered off, swinging her sycthe around in lazy circles. Not many people could pull of a lazy, hip rolling strolling pace when stepping over and around bodies and puddles of blood. Carma spared a glance down at the fallen struggling against her bonds, snarling at him. Still riding high on killing and maiming idiots, Carma laughed and brought the hilt of Talos down on the fallen woman's head. He cackled when she slumped over. He stood next to her, and other fallens as the reapers used him to guard the idiots they collected. He cast his awareness out wide and picked out the familar, if slightly distressed, aura's of Jahaziel, his twin, and of the damned princess. All were still alive. Nodding to himself, Carma stood at parade rest, Talos squarly in front of him, and guarded the fallens.

Dream worked her way through the hallways. The fallen she was hunting was over in the healers wing. Charon normally assigned her to fetch the angels who fell by raping someone. She tended to be a bit more violent towards those ones. She finally found the room and pushed open the door, barely sparing a glance at the broken lock.

She took quick stock of the room. One angel, female, was curled up on a chair. Another was currently trying his best to break every bone in the fallen's body. "hey."

When she got no answer, Dream used her sycthe to tap the angel's shoulder, ducking when he spun around. Once the angel figured out she wasn't challenging him, Dream rose while pointing at the fallen. "I think you've done enough. It's my turn now. If you could just make sure he doesn't try to move, that would be great."

Dream circled the fallen and grinned when she noticed that his wings were only torn up and not mauled. She kicked the man onto his stomach, slamming the steel-toed shoes in his side. She raised her sycthe and brought it down with a snarl. She drove the curved tip through the bone and tendons in the fallen's wing joints. Dream couldn't help the cruel smile that spread across her face when the Fallen started to scream. Dream turned and bowed to the two angels. "I'll take care of this one from here on out."

Dream gave a testing pull to sycthe, smiling with the blade stuck tight. She pulled the fallen out of the room by the blade stuck in his wing joints, jerking him about as she went. Each scream he issued as he clawed his stubby nails against the floor made her little grin grow. The pregnancy was bringing out the Custos in her, Dream randomly thought as she gave a hard pull to haul the fallen around a corner.

Salut stared as the reaper pulled the fallen out of the door. She waited until the fallen had been dragged around the corner before she hauled herself out of the corner she'd tucked herself into. Salut went straight over to Kiel and clung to him. She didn't sob but she shuddered against his body while tears streamed down her face.

[Maira]

He said she would be fine but honestly, Aeven barely believed him. How could Jahaziel think that this pain would end anytime soon, let alone well? He told her they needed to get her to the healer's wing of the house and she shuddered at the thought. The healers' wing of the house seemed so far away and trying to get there through the chaos of the attack was very daunting to think about, even if she hadn't been in pain.

When he offered to help her walk there, even that didn't make Aeven feel much more confident that she could make it there but when he stood and hauled her up with him she didn't have much choice. Clinging to the older angel, Aeven flinched when the other soldiers came into the training room. Only then did she notice the children surrounding her and Jahaziel and the looks of fear some of them were giving her hurt and confused her. Why were they looking at her that way?

Once the soldiers had escorted the children out of the room, Aeven asked Jahaziel with a shaky voice, "Is there something wrong with me? The children looked scared of me... Was it the fireball thing I somehow did?" Now her heart was hammering nearly as hard as the pain in her head, she was scared to hear what Jahaziel might tell her...

[Shinigami]

Ezekiel was quite content to kick the man on the ground, though he threw in an occational punch, reveling in the sound of bones cracking. He knew he was quite out of control, but he didn't care. The man was as good as Fallen anyway, so he didn't hold back. His sickles had been returned to his side, but when he felt the tap on his shoulder his body moved on instinct, pulling a sickle from his side nd spinning around, slicing his weapon through the air.

When the blade never met the attacker Kiel had been expecting, he blinked, letting his mind return to a more logical organization. His eyes locked with the woman standing before him and widened. The scythe told him that the woman was a Reaper, mostly likely she had come for the man he had set out to severly maim. He nodded when she spoke, landing his foot, rather heavily, on the man's back to hold him in place as the Reaper did what she willed. Ezekiel winced when the scythe imbedded itself in the now Fallen's wing.

Kiel moved back and out of the Reaper's way, watching as she dragged the man out of the room. He shuddered at the sight, but kept his eyes on them until they were out of the room. Once they were gone, he turned to Salut, only to find her suddenly clinging to him. He let out a breath, wrapping his arms around her, loosely at first because of his fear of scaring her. He led her towards the other room to grab a blanket or a robe, or whatever he could find to wrap around her. "Come on. Lets find something to cover you. Are you..." He paused, realizing it was rather stupid to ask if she was okay. "How are you doing?"

***

Jahaziel continued to lead the girl down the hall, head tilted towards the floor since he didn't need to see to make it to the healer's wing. He wrapped a wing around the form of the girl clinging to him, mostly shielding her from sight as they dodged Arrighi soldiers, the dead, and the wounded. He finally chose to answer her after a few moments in a hall that was relativly empty. "There is nothing wrong with you, but you have changed." At the mention of fireballs his earlier question about the smell of burnt flesh had been answered. "Yes.. those have something to do with what's happened. Just try to make it to the healer's wing."

[Maira]

When he didn't answer her, Aeven worried even more. Why wasn't Jahaziel telling her what was wrong? As he walked, and she stumbled, through the hallways Aeven was grateful for Jahaziel's wing around her, it was warm and comforting. She wasn't even sure just how far they had gone when he finally answered her and it was not the answer she had expected.

She had changed? That's all he was going to say? Could the man be any more frustrating and vague? Aeven was going to grumble at his lack of a real answer but then they turned the corner and they had reached the healer's wing. Unlike most of the rest of the House they had passed through so far it didn't seem too filled with bodies. Of course, even enemy soldiers knew better than to kill healers they would need later if they won.

Looking up to Jahaziel, trying to ignore the pain that was spreading from her head to the rest of her body, she asked in a hoarse whisper, "Okay, we made it to the healer's wing, now what's wrong with me? What has changed?" Maybe she was being a bit demanding or rude even though he was obviously trying to help her but Aeven needed to know what Jahaziel wasn't telling her.

[Shinigami]

It took Jahaziel a bit longer to get the two of them to the healer's wing than it would have on normal circumstances. The events of the day weren't normal, by any means, so it made sense in a way. While helping someone else walk, as well as trying to dodge the dead and wounded, he was forced to go slower. When they finally did make it to the healer's wing, standing not too far from Salut's door, he heard Aeven's words and paused. He turned his head towards her. "You are no longer the full-blooded Angel you, or anyone, thought you were. You're half Custos, and now the two parts are your blood are fighting for control. That is the pain you feel."

Ziel started towards the door again, taking her along with him as he had been so far. She would be shocked, mostly likely disbelieving, but she would see herself in the mirror and know he wasn't lying. he only hoped the pain wouldn't be too severe and that she didn't suffer anymore visions while trying to fight through it. He didn't particularly care what she came out as. Angel or Custos dominant, she'd stay with the house as his student. "We need to get you laying down."

As he pushed the door open, which opened much too easy due to the forced lock, he knew his brother and Salut were there. Because he was fairly distracted with Aeven's situation, he hadn't noticed the state of worry and anger Ezekiel was in. He tucked his wing closesr around Aeven. Once the door opened all the way he noted the smell of blood, but not much. It could have been from any wounded that had come through, but he knew he should be worried. He called out to them from just inside the doorway. "Ezekiel, Salut, are you two alright? What's wrong?"

[Maira]

Tears were stinging Aeven's eyes now, though whether they were from Jahaziel's harsh words or the pain that was completely overwhelming her, she wasn't sure. When he started walking again, she stumbled along blindly and silently. By the time Jahaziel pushed his way into Salut's room, Aeven was lost in her own mind. The vision kept replaying for her and Jahaziel's words kept ringing in her ears. Despite the apparent evidence, how could she believe either? None of the angels who had raised her had sensed anything different about her as a child, her feathered wings had always made it clear that she was an angel and that was all she or anybody else needed to know

Only Jahaziel calling into the room after his brother and the healer brought Aeven out of her daze, and even then she was still distracted. There wasn't much blood in the room, not compared to the rest of the house, but the fact that there was any blood in Salut's room when there were no patients present worried Aeven. Had something happened to Salut?

When nobody came out of the bedroom right away, Aeven gave in to her curiosity and dread and asked Jahaziel, "If I am what you say, will I be allowed to stay here? Or will I be sent away? And what do you mean the two parts are fighting for control?" It was a lot of questions but focussing on those helped her ignore both the pain in her head and body, and the smell and sight of blood not far away.

[Demeter]

Once Kiel had wrapped one of the stiff clothes she normally used to cover paitents who slept on her table, Salut reattached herself to the man. She trust him, even if she had only know him a short while. Any one who had the patience to train children at there own pace could be trusted in her mind. "Get me out of here. Please."

Salut wrapped her fingers around and into the fabric of Kiel's shirt while she looked up at him. "Just get me out of here. I don't want to be here anymore." The smell of blood didn't bother her, nor the sight of bodies lying just outside her door, it was the thought of what had just happened to her that made her want to leave and never come back. Not even the images imprinted on her mind by Kiel and Reaper could cover up the horror of that...that...thing.

When she heard voices just outside her door, Salut buried her head against Kiel's chest, hiding from whomever could be outside her door. What had happened in this room was plainly obvious to anyone with eyes. The bedroom stunk of it. "Do make me do anything, please, just take me out of here." She mumbled the phrase over and over again while she kept her head against his chest, fingers wrapped in the fabric of his clothing.

***

Carma smirked when he saw Dream dragging the fallen around the corner. "Rhystic should spar with you more often," he commented when he saw how she had secured the man. "Probably fix your cravings of violence. You'd think that you could have a normal pregnancy, but nooo...the Custos in you has to come out."

Dream growled. "Shut it, Carma. Do you sense anything else in this house that we have to handle or can I go home now?"

Carma smirked and cast out his awareness again. Nothing had changed...everything was the same as the last time he'd searched through the house. Even that tiny, wiggling sense of another Custos in the house remain off in the corner, plainly confused. And in pain. "Everything remains the same, my lady. Now, can we return to hell? Your brother is visiting and I would hate to pass up a chance as seeing him."

Dream rolled her eyes and popped out of sight with her prey. Carma and the other reapers quickly followed.

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel grew worried when his brother or Salut didn't reply right away. He knew something had happened, and mostly likely it was Salut it had happened to. There were too many dead soldiers outside of the door and too much blood inside the room devoid of patients. Ziel suddenly got the feeling they should leave, but he didn't think Aeven would make it to the other healer's quarters before collapsing.

After Aeven's round of questions he helped her towards the exam table, which was oddly clean of blood, and helped her to sit. He began to answer her questions as he urged her to lay down. "They can try to send you away, but you are the only student I can stand and you aren't far enough in your lessons to do more on your own. If they have a complaint they can take it up with me." He spared a "glance" at the door to the back room before turning back to Aeven. "Angel blood and Custos blood do not stay neutral to one another. One must have dominance over the other, so when a child born with both bloodlines become of age, you are put through a test to see which is dominant. It is painful, but you will survive."

He dragged a nearby chair a little closer to the table, and hoped that his brother understood that they couldn't quite leave, but they would leave Ezekiel and Salut in peace so long as they needed it.

***

Ezekiel realized that Salut was putting her trust in him, and he was determined not to take that for granted. She had reattached herself to him after he had gotten her covered and he took a moment to just wrap his arms around her, to let her know she was safe. He felt an tug of emotion as his heart when she pleaded with him to take her out of there, wanting to be far away from that room, no doubt. He hugged her just a bit tighter at that, whispering back. "I will. I will."

His head snapped up when he heard his brother's voice, felt his presence. Kiel would have known immediately if he was injured, and he wasn't, so had he simply come looking for them? Had he seen a vision of this or had a feeling? He had the overwhelming urge to protect Salut's privacy even from his own twin. He noted the second aura, Aeven, and her voice confirmed it, but something was... off. Her presense was different than it had been.

Ezekial new his brother could sense him, and his moods, so he knew he would understand to leave them alone. He squeezed Salut lightly to get her attention. "I won't make you do anything. No one will. We'll have to go out there, but its only Jahaziel and Aeven. I can get the other healer for them. I'll take you back to my quarters. No one will bother you there."

He released one hand from her form long enough to open the door before sweeping her up bridal style. It would be easier to walk and still allow her to hide and cling to him as he wished. Kiel made sure she was still fully covered, even going as far as to shield her with one of his now present wings. He locked eyes with his brother as he walked out into the room only slowing long enough for a short explaination. He could see right away that Aeven wasn't going anywhere. "I'm taking her back to our quarters, to my rooms. I'll catch one of the other healers on the way and send them back for you."

Jahaziel nodded in understanding, trying to keep a hold on his anger as he was able to put together what had happened from Ezekiel's mood, Salut's state, as well as the smells and sounds. Kiel continued out and down the hall, holding Salut tight.

[Demeter]

Salut could tell that they were moving. The bouncing she did in Kiel's arms told her that much. She kept her face buried against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck. Thankful for the wing that covered her, Salut just clung, still in a state of shock. She knew what had happened to her but she didn't really believe it.

When they reached Kiel's quarters, and he gently set her down on a sofa, Salut reached up and grabbed his sleeve. "Get Greyson for Aeven. He won't judge." She'd seen the girl when Kiel had swept her out of her rooms. She knew that something had shifted within the girl and that Aeven had made an irreversalable change. Even in her state of...confusion, Salut knew that she had to do something to help the girl.

[Maira]

Aeven was on the verge of blacking out again when Ezekiel finally made his way through the room and out into the hallway. The way he had his wings, and the trail of a sheet made it pretty clear he was carrying somebody and considering who's rooms they were in, that somebody could only have been Salut. The fact that Ezekiel had been carrying Salut, wrapped in a sheet, scared Aeven witless. Had somebody raped the healer? Even with her mind as jumbled and pain clogged as it was, Aeven was able to put the pieces together that much.

Her world was starting to go fuzzy again, but Aeven didn't want it to. With a soft whimper she grabbed at Jahaziel's arm and begged him, "Don't leave me. Don't let them send me away... Please don't leave me...." Then her world began to spin and the pain overwhelmed her. She gave one pain-filled scream and then went limp on the table as her world went black.

[Shinigami]

Ezekiel gently placed Salut down on the sofa in his half of the suite he shared with Ziel. He was hesitant to walk away, but he knew he was going to have to send another healer for Aeven. Salut made his decision a little easier when she suggested a healer. She understood he'd have to leave. That didn't make it much easier to actually do it, but it helped. He placed his hand lightly over her cheek, relieved that she hadn't rejected his touch yet. "Alright, I'll go find him and send him to Aeven. It shouldn't take me long, but I'm going to close the door so no one bothers you."

He paused long enough to make sure she had heard him and understood before heading out, closing the door softly behind him. Everyone in the house knew not to bother with either of the twins personal rooms if their doors were closed. Even Jahaziel wouldn't go near Kiel's closed door. He was walking quickly, practically jogging through the halls, stopping people now and again to see if they knew where Greyson was. Kiel had ended up finding the man on his own, but at least it hadn't taken very long.

Kiel pulled him aside, telling him first that Salut had been hurt, but was being cared for. Then he mentioned Aeven and what he suspected of the situation, mentioning that his brother was sitting with her. Most of the life threatening injuries of the days skirmish had been taken care of almost immediately and there were enough healers in the house and on call that Greyson was able to leave right away for Salut's quarters.

He thanked the healer profusly before turning and practically running back towards Salut. Ezekiel slowed to a walk just outside of the suite and was careful to be quite, hoping that Salut might have been able to fall asleep and actually get some rest. He knocked lightly just before opening the door to keep from startling her if she was still awake.

***

Jahaziel heard the whimper, which drew his attention quickly back to his charge just as she'd grabbed a hold of his arm. Her words had him leaning forward instantly, placing his other hand over hers to let her know he was still there. And that's where he was going to stay. "I won't. I won't let them, and I'll be right here."

He scream caused him to flinch and not just because of the volume of it, but because of the pain he heard in it as well. Ziel had always hated feeling helpless, useless, and that was exactly what he felt right then as Aeven blacked out from the pain. Jahaziel had witnessed others go through the test before, but never had it made his heart ache to not be able to help, like it was doing now.

When the healer arrived, quicker than he'd expected, he was holding on tightly to Aeven's hands. The man rushed up, and Ziel could tell from the aura it was Greyson, and proceeded to carefully look her over, trying not to disturb her much. He seemed to ignore he wings, or at least not comment about them, which pleased him. "Well, there is nothing much we can do for her now. I'll give her something for the pain, but it won't get rid of it completely. She has to do the rest on her own. She'll be out for a while, but I'll be dropping in to check on her from time to time. If she wakes when I'm not here send a servant to get me."

Jahaziel nodded, turning his attention back to Aeven as Greyson gave her something to ease her pain and then made his way out of the room. He'd be there when the girl woke up, and then they's address things with the father she saw in her vision.

[Maira]

((ooc: okay, this bit is jumping bout a day's worth, i'm sure Salut and Ezekiel can catch up or jump as well))

She lived in a world of strange dreams that might have been memories, or might have been visions. They could have maybe even been both at once. All Aeven knew was that through the pain and darkness, periodically these dreams bombarded her mind. She kept trying to call out to somebody, anybody, to save her from these dreams but nobody came to her aid. Once or twice she thought she heard voices not belonging to the dreams but then they would fade and dissappear into the darkness.

Finally, after one excruciatingly long surge of pain, and one final dream that showed the Custos, who was apparently her father, over and over and over again, Aeven felt relief. The pain subsided and eventually dissappeared, and with it went the dreams. She was finally left in her own mind, in her own body, totally free of pain and unwanted dreams. With a sigh of relief, Aeven finally drifted off into a much needed sleep.

*****

The soft sound of somebody breathing finally brought Aeven out of her dreamless sleep. It was a soothing sound to wake up to after the chaos and hell her mind and body had put her through. She didn't try to sit up, her body felt to weak for that, so Aeven just opened her eyes and turned her head toward the sound of the breathing. The sight of Jahaziel still sitting close to her made Aeven smile. He hadn't left her, just like he'd said he wouldn't.

Carefully, she reached a hand out to him, and brushed her fingers against his hand and then wiggled them into it. His hand was soft and warm and strong. It was so incredibly comforting. All she wanted to do right then was hold his hand and drift back to sleep but then he started to wake up. With a soft smile still on her lips, Aeven waited until the older angel was fully awake, then she said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."

[Shinigami]

It had been a long couple days, which all started off with the attack on the house and ended with Aeven unconscious in Salut's quaters. They hadn't dared move her, even though Salut wasn't the one tending to her, but they had managed to put up with Jahaziel's anger and stubbornness long enough to get him to take care of his body's basic needs. He had almost bitten one servant for trying to force him to eat, but his hunger had eventually won out.

He wasn't just exhausted over his worry. Aeven had been having visions while she was out, and they were strong ones that drew him in from time to time. The strongest where ones centering around her supposed father, and they more he saw the man in his mind, the more familiar he'd become. It wasn't long before he was able to put the features together with the voice he heard. The voice gave it away, really, and he was astonished to find it had been Carmine. So that's what the man had looked like...

Ziel tried to stay awake as much as possible, wanting to be up for when Aeven awoke, but he had ended up passing out with his head on the exam table the girl was laid out on. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but it had felt like ages as he began to wake. He wasn't quite sure what had woken him until he felt the hand clasping his own. Aeven was awake! He shifted, sitting up right and smiling lightly at her hoarse thank you. He squeezed her hand in his lightly. "You're very welcome. You've had a lot of people worried . You were out for a whole day. How are you feeling?"

[Maira]

The smile and the gentle squeeze he gave her made Aeven smile even more. When he asked after how she was feeling, Aeven took a moment to actually let herself feel her body and when she answered it was quitely. "I'm exhausted and confused honestly. Other than that though, I think I"m fine"

For all intents and purposes she -was- fine. She knew without checking which side of her had won out and while she wasn't happy about it, so long as she wasn't forced out of her home or away from Jahaziel... err... her lessons, she could deal with it.

The longer she looked at him, the more something about his appearance bothered her. Then she realized just what it was, he looked utterly exhausted. Not exhausted in a sleepy way, but in the way he looked after a powerful vision. Worried, she asked, "Did you have visions while I was... umm... out of it?" Aeven had a bad feeling that some of the dreams she'd had, some of them were more like nightmares really, had been visions. And if they had been strong ones, while Jahaziel was so near, he might have gotten dragged into them. If that were the case, then the Seer looked so wiped because of her and that wasn't something Aeven was proud of at all.