Guard Detail

[Demeter]

(ooc: takes places some 200 or so years before Seeing is Believing)

Carma sighed and cringe when the flock of teenaged angels hurried past him. He'd rather be anywhere else then guarding a teenage female angel but with what the heads of the Arrighi family were paying him, he wouldn't have to work for quite a while. So he dealt with the flock of giggling females as they fluttered around the "princess's" room.

Someone was threatening the youngest daughter of the Arrighi family and they wanted her to remain safe. So they hired him to watch her during the day. One of their own guarded the girl at night. Carma leaned against the wall, watching as the teenage gaggle pressed one dress and then another up to the girl and sighed again. Only five more minutes before the night guard came on duty.

When that one finally showed up, ten minutes late, Carmine took off. He went straight to the training room. He hated guard duty that involved only standing around or following the target around all day long. He needed to work out the stiffness in his weary muscles.

He nodded to the few people in the room and let his gaze linger on the man seat at one of the few tables kept in the room. He heard about the blind seer employeed by the family but this was the first time he'd seen the man. And a very good-looking man at that. Grinning to himself, Carma unshealthed Talos, gave the blade an affectionate pat and then went through his forms. When one of the more experinced angels came forward, demanding to take on the Custos that had been hired to guard the Arrighi daughter rather then one of the family's own warriors, Carma grinned, swung Talos around, renewing his grip on the leather wrapped hilt. "Well, why don't we just see why they hired me?"

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel was out-right bored. He hadn't had a proper vision in a while, and what did come to him were more like strong intincts than visions. The house and its family were relatively calm, other than the youngest daughter being threatened, but the family had quickly taken care of it, hiring another guard for her. They had asked his opinion of the body guard and, while Jahaziel thought it ironic that a high bred Angel family such as the Arrighi's would hire a Custos to guard their precious daughter, he foresaw no harm in it.

The family seemed more worried about their own starting trouble, so they had sent Ezekiel out to continuously prowl the halls and keep the other guards in line. It was a job he knew his brother hated, and it also forced him to sit in the training rooms, available for any of the children if they came by looking for his twin.

Fortunately enough for him, the time was growing late and the children were off settling down. He sat at one of the low tables, as usual, and busied himself with his tarot cards. Ziel's attention was caught by the sound of heavy footsteps moving towards the room, a soldier's, but one he didn't recognize. The only indication that he had heard them was the slight tilt to his head. As the man entered the room he felt his gaze slide over him and lifted his head a bit, but continued to pull cards and lay them out on the table.

Ziel heard the start of a confrontation and frowned. If the man that had entered was the guard the family had hired, than he was much stronger than the other guards. That was the whole point of hiring him, after all, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with the bickering and bitching that would come along with the challenge. He heard the distinct sounds of a sword whistling through the air and heard the guard's voice for the first time. Jahaziel didn't deny that the voice was pleasant, one that made him want to hear it more.

Jahaziel heard the challenger, a man he knew couldn't best -him- let alone the Custos, and decided to speak up, his tone sounding a bit bored. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He knew the Arrighi soldier understood he was the one Ziel was referring to. "My mood is unpleasant, at best, and I do not feel like smelling the scent of blood tonight." He had stopped drawing his cards. Infact, he had shifted them back into their full deck, and it attention was on the two men.

[Demeter]

Carma almost cackled when the other man, following the warning of the blind seer, stepped back and slid his own sword home. He withheld the urge though. Mars would have been dissapointed in him if he revealed in another's forced forfeit. He returned Talos to his side, giving the finely made sword another pat. His companion ever since he'd left the Gods. He grinned at a few of the other angels standing about the room, almost cackling again when a few of them backed up at that grin.

If grinning when at rest startled them, they should see him in battle. He grinned like a madman. And occasionally laughed when he slammed either Beauty or Talos in the side of a man's body. He had the unique talent of being a Beserker warrior. But the angels didn't need to know that little fact.

Bored, but not entirely willing to retire for the night just yet, Carmine wandered over to the blind seer's table. He grinned, knowing that his voice would dropped into its natural Italian cadence not that he wasn't egging on another solider. "I gather that you are the blind seer I've heard so much about." He said as he spun a chair around and sat in it backwards. "Did you know that some of the others around this place actually shake in their boots when they talk about you?"

He may not have been blind or subject to visions but Carma knew what it felt like to stand out from the others because of natural abilties. The blind man had the visions, he had the skills at fighting so endlessly that made Mars and Ares proud to have mentored him through his formative years.

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel had turned back to his cards when he heard the first sword rest back in its sheathe. He knew he could trust their guest to do the same, and smiled to himself when he heard the second sword sheathed. Ziel passed a hand over his cards, spreading them across the table and shuffling them together before starting over again. He heard the footsteps approach and the chair scrape the floor as it was pulled out and spun around. He had his cards back in a neat pile by the time he heard the body settle itself on the chair before him.

He had blatantly ignored teh first comment the man made, only paying enough attention to enjoy the voice of the man speaking to him. He knew the man's name, had learned it from the Lord of the house when they sought out his council, and it rather seemed to fit the Custos. Carmine. He felt a smirk slide across his face at his next comment. "Oh do they?" He was bored, and was looking for some amusement. "Now why, do you think, would they be so frightened of a feeble old blind man?"

While it was true that he was old, he was hardly feeble, and he was sure the soldier-for-hire sitting across from him could tell. Carmine didn't strike him as the type to underestimate an opponent. Jahaziel could practically taste the tension in the room as the Arrighi soldiers watched the exchange. They knew they would be in trouble with Ezekiel, as well as the family, if they allowed harm to come to him, but they also knew Ziel didn't like to be taken care of like a child. They were unsure as to whether they should step in or not.

His hands shifted back over his cards as he nudged the pile closer to the Custos. Jahaziel wanted to know what kind of entertainment he could get out of this man, how far he'd be willing to play until he had to return to his duties. "Would you like to know your fortune, Carmine?"

[Demeter]

Carma snorted. "You may be old but I highly doubt that you are feeble. From what I hear, you can take care of yourself without that twin of yours hanging around." Carma craned his head around and scowled at the hovering angels. "Would you go away?" he hissed at the crowd. "I'm not going to unleash Talos on the man. Why would I attack the advisor to the very same house that is paying me good money to watch their daughter? I swear that most angels think I'm going to bite them or something."

Carmine stared until the angels shuffled away and he turned back to Jahaziel and crossed his arms on the back of his chair. He glanced down at the pile of cards in front of him and used one finger to tap the pile. "Though I'm pretty sure of it, why don't you go ahead and read my future. Tell me what's going to happen to me. I'm not due back on duty until dawn when the chit goes wandering off for a ride..." Carmine muttered his opinion of the girl and scowled.

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel was smiling, though the expression was part playful and part mischievious. He had been right, Carmine wouldn't underestimate him. "I certainly can. And these drones know so as well." He was quite pleased that they backed off at Carmine's hissing words. He couldn't stand their hovering, and it seemed having the Custos soldier around was keeping them away.

Ziel couldn't help but laugh, and not just a light chuckle, at Carma's opinion of the youngest Arrighi daughter. He was liking this man much more already, as he couldn't stand the little twit of a girl either. He ended up being forced to place a hand over his mouth to calm his laughter, but the smile never left his lips. "Well, I certainly agree with you about the girl. Unfortunately I still feel compelled to give warning when I see something bad is going to happen to her. Though, if it brought you here to amuse me I don't quite regret it."

He heard his brother's footsteps approach and pause at the door, but they soon turned and continued on their rounds. All the while Jahaziel had been busying his hands with shuffling the deck of tarot cards a few times. "Do you want to know the outcome of something specific? Or would you just like your future read?"

[Demeter]

Carma laughed. "Well, I'm glad that I could amuse you. Even if I have to deal with the girl. She spent most of the day picking out an outfit for the ball this weekend. In which I have to dress in evening clothes and attend as increased security. I hate wearing my evening wear." He leaned forward, chin resting in his hands and his elbows squarely placed on the table. "Enough about the girl, tell me about my basic future."

Carmine remained where he sat while Ziel dealt the cards out. While the angel handled the cards, Carmine watched him. He liked the look of the man. It wasn't often that he went after an angel, and even then whenever he was..fortunate enough to be bedded by an angel it was normally a female. But he'd heard plenty of rumors about the seer and, if he was stuck her for as long as he thought he be stuck her, Carmine believed it would be worth it to pursue something with the seer...if the seer was up to.

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel shuddered at the mention of the ball. He was always forced to make an appearance at those infernal things... at least they didn't make him dress in formal attire. He wore his robes, as usual, though they were made of a much richer material and finer made than the ones he wore most often. Ziel had completely forgotten about the damned ball. He still had the frown on his face as Carmine turned the conversation back towards the telling of his fortune.

He began flipping the cards, spreading them across the table in a neat, orderly line. He laid out four cards, all evenly spaced and parallel to one another. Ziel already knew exactly what each card was, and whether or not it was up-right or reversed. It was an intuition that went along with his visions. Jahaziel smirked once more as he turned his head up towards his guest.

He tapped the first card. "Your past: The Tower. You were seperated from your family, put in the care of others who you prefered to your own blood. Your Present: King of Pentacles. You're successful, have no problem obtaining money, and your skilled and reliable. Your Near Future:" Ziel's smile widened at this. "The Lovers. I don't think that needs much explaination, does it? Your Ultimate Future: Knight of Swords. You seem to be outspoken enough as it is, but that will continue, and it will earn you great things. Your skill and your logic will also get you a nice bit of authority. You'll never be a Lord, but you'll be damn close."

He tilted his head to the side, listening carefully for for Carmine's reaction. "So, how did I do? Was I accurate?" He knew he was, so it was more of a taunt. His card readings were never as specific as a vision, but they were never wrong. He just couldn't get rid of the amused smirk. "And I hope you don't think I give these readings for free, Carmine."

[Demeter]

Carma listened as Ziel read out the cards and what they meant. Some things he could understand, like being seperated from his blood and preferring those who had raised him rather then his own father and siblings. That much was obvious. When Ziel mentioned the lovers, Carmine grinned No, he didn't have to think to hard on what that card meant.

When Ziel finished, Carma sat up a little straighter. "I'd say that you got pretty close on everything. Hate my blood family, love those who actually raised me. I am indeed successfull and I enjoy that. I think that I can clearly imagine what The Lovers means and we'll just have to see about that last one."

When Ziel mentioned payment, Carmine laughed. He reached his hand across the table and ran the fingers across Ziel's hand. He knew that when he spoke, his voice would drop even deeper into the Italian accent he had. "So, Jahaziel, What exactly do you require for payment. As you well know, I have money but, somehow, I don't think you'll want that for me. I'm quite open for any style of payment extraction you require. So long as you demand the payment from me, I will be more then willing to pay."

[Shinigami]

As soon as he had flipped The Lovers card the idea of getting the guard-for-hire into bed had appeared, and it didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon, which was perfectly alright with Jahaziel. He had mentioned payment for his reading to see how Carmine would react. The fingers across the back of his hand were a very good reaction and they caused a flash of warmth to pass through him.

Carmine seemed to excite his senses. Without sight, his other five senses were natually heightened and more developed. Touch was his most sensitive, but the sound of Carmine's voice as it dropped into a deep and undeniably Italian accent helped speed his pulse a little bit. He was certainly going to enjoy this.

Ziel slipped his hand away from Carmine's, but made sure to keep as much contact as he could until he had pulled back too far. He gathered the cards, tucking them away in a small wooden box under the table and stood, pausing to angle his head down towards the man. "Oh, no. I'm most certainly not looking for money, and I assure you that payment is required." He smirked as he motioned for Carmine to stand. "Follow me. I have an idea how we can resolve your payment.."

[Demeter]

Carma purred as he stood. He returned the chair to it's proper postion and followed Ziel out of the training room. As they walked through the hallways, Carma ignored the stares they earned. After all, it's wasn't every day and a high ranking seer angel could be seen walking comfortably down a hallway with a known war Custos. When the reached the less populated area of the house, Carma turned to look at Ziel.

"I'm sure that you can realize how much I can value control. There are very few places where I value not being in control." He followed Ziel around to his portion of the suite he shared with his twin. He quickly glanced of his shoulder, glad to see that the twin wasn't around. "Now, Jahaziel," Carma purred out, "what did you have in mind for this payment."

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel was walking a bit slower than usual, that way he could keep Carmine at his side and still be at a slow enough pace for him to follow through the many halls to his rooms. He could feel the eyes of the other residents of the house on them, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had a reputation for taking many different people to bed, but sleeping with a Custos would be a first. At least, it would be the first time since he moved into the Arrighi house. many forgot just how old he and his twin were, and they hadn't always worked for the Angel family.

As they neared Ziel's rooms he heard Carmine speak up, tilting his head to the side to make sure to catch all of it. A smirk slid across his face, and if he had interpreted that correctly than it seemed Jahaziel would get to be a little controling if the bedroom was one of those places Carmine is willing to give up his own control. He liked that, very much so.

They entered the suite and Jahaziel led Carmine towards the left side, his side, but paused when Carmine spoke up again. "I am very open minded. Therefore I see no problem with you paying off your reading with your body. Would that be acceptable?" He didn't wait for him to reply before reaching out and beckoning Carmine forward as he backed through the doorway to his personal rooms. "Now come. No one will disturb us in here."

As Carmine entered Ziel reached past him and pushed the door to swing shut behind them and stepped up close to the man. He got close enough to feel his soon to be lover's body heat, but not quite touch, testing him to see if he would be eager enough to close the gap between them.

[Demeter]

Carma barely glanced around the room, he just followed Ziel into his rooms. "That is more then acceptable. I wouldn't be opposed to having to fork over several payments either. I'm sure that your readings are quite costly."

He stood just inches from Ziel. He'd heard that those who'd lost one sense often had their other sense enchanced. Carma was more then willing to test out that theory for himself. When Ziel made no move to touch him, Carma grinned. Testing him, was he? Carma leaned forward, just a bit, and raised a hand. He trailed one finger down the length of Ziel's face.

He balanced on the balls of his face. "What would you have me do? How would I repay such a thing as one of your readings? You're in control here, Jahaziel, so tell me what you'd like?"

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel smirked. Oh, his readings where quite costly indeed, but he was certain Carmine would be more than able to fulfill the payment. There was a pause where neither moved and Ziel wondered if Carmine was going to make a move at all when he heard the rustling of fabric. The fingertip that trailed down his face caused his breath to hitch and his eyelids fluttered underneith the cloth that hide them from view. It seemed his soon to be lover had a good deal of restraint, even in the bedroom, and Ziel figured he would be the type even in battle to wait for his opponent to strike first.

His earlier assumption about getting to be the one in control was confirmed, and he was glad as he usually preferred it that way. And while tumbling around while deciding who got to be dominant could be fun, it wasn't what he had in mind. Ziel closed the small gap between him and Carmine, but didn't stop there. He pushed him back, though not roughly, until he was firmly pressed against the door and threaded his hands in the man's hair, pulling him in for a kiss.

The kiss was strong, but it was controlled, and Jahaziel didn't let it linger for too long before he pulled back. "What I would like... is to touch you." He didn't mean that in a particularly sexual way, though it would inevitably end up that way. He trailed his fingertips lightly over Carmine's face, memorizing contors and putting a mental face to the voice. It wasn't until he slipped his fingers down his neck and let his hands rest on his shoulders that he leaned in for another kiss, this one a bit rougher than the first.

[Demeter]

Carma allowed his face to be touched, tilting his head back to allow Ziel easy access to his flesh. He emitted what sounded like a purr, something he'd gotten very good at doing, as he felt Ziel's fingers sliding against his fingers. When one caught against his lip, Carma nipped at the digit.

When the second kiss came, Carma kissed back. He responded with eagerness. It wasn't often that he got to the chance to sleep with an angel and, dispite their reputation for being pure and sweet, which he knew to not be true, he was practically vibrating to be bedded by this one angel.

He lifted his own hands and slid them up Ziel's chest. He wrapped his hands around the collar of Ziel's robes and tugged at them. Ziel may have been the one calling the shots but that didn't mean Carma couldn't make some demands of his own. They were both wearing to much clothing for his liking.

[Shinigami]

The nip to his fingertip drew a pleased hum out of the normally silent seer. Ziel's past lovers usually left him to simply explore, but he was quite happy to find Carma was going to be a more active participant than that. His response to their second kiss was more proof of that, so he let it linger, enjoying the sensations as his fingers danced around the collar of his shirt.

Jahaziel smirked, pulling back from the kiss when he felt Carmine tugging at his robes. He removed a hand from his shoulders and slipped it between them, removing the unsheathed dagger that had been hiding in the folds of his robe and tossed it off to the side and out of the way. Most people he slept with never considered the idea that he would have weapons hidden on him, but he had a feeling that wouldn't surprise Carmine.

He drew the Custos's hands towards the tie that more or less kept his robes secured as he set about releasing buttons and undoing laces to make the clothes easier to remove as quickly as possible. Ziel hesitated around the belt that housed Carma's sword, only tugging on it instead of unbuckling it himself. He had seen how the man treated his sword, as if it were precious, and he wasn't about to handle it without permission from it's master.

[Demeter]

Carma, in answer to Ziel's tugging, unbuckled his sword belt from his waist and leaned the sheath and sword against the wall. He also, like Ziel, removed a few other weapons. Talos was great and all but she didn't have much to offer when stealth or close combat were involved. Once that was done, Carma returned his hands to the tie that kept the angel's robes closed.

He pulled on the tie while helping Ziel to remove his shirt by shrugging his shoulders. Once he had the tie undone, Carma slid his hands under the layers and pushed them backwards, over Ziel's shoulders. He, himself, toed off his shoes, a comfortable pair of cross trainers rather then his usual boots, in order to step out of his pants.

Though he knew that Ziel couldn't see it, he smirked as he took a long look up and down the angel's body. He had a very nice form.

[Shinigami]

Jahaziel waited until the clink of belts being undone and weapons set aside stopped before he continued his quest to unclothe Carmine. He got some help getting the man's shirt off before he felt a tug around his waist as the tie came undone and his robes loosened around him. The feel of Carma's hands as they slid under the fabric and up over his shoulders caused him to hum again. He decided he very much liked the feeling of his sword calloused hands.

With a roll of his shoulders he let his robes fall to the floor, and almost immediately he could feel Carmine's eyes on him. He smirked, tilting his head to the side. "You like what you see?"

He didn't really wait for a response before he stepped forward once more and resumed his hands' exploration of his newest lover, starting with his shoulders and sliding down over his chest slowly. Jahaziel was paying careful attention to the sounds and movements Carmine made, not only mapping what his body looked like but where any and all sensitive spots were located.

[Demeter]

"Oh, yes, I like what I see ever so much." He purred as he drifted fingers along Ziel's flesh. "So, Ziel, now that you have me here, what will you do with me? I see a very loney, very lovely looking bed over there." Carma ran his hands down Ziel's arms and gripped his hands. He took control for only a second, pulling Ziel towards the bed. When the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress, Carma abruptly sat down, bouncing just a little. He crawled back just a bit. "Here I am, Ziel, on your bed. Naked. All for you." Carma sprawled out on the soft bed coverings

***

Carma panted as he lay next to his lover, legs and and arms hopelessly entangled. "Well, that was certianly different. And I do look forward to paying off my reading. Now, am I allowed to stay and recover or would you prefer that I leave?"

He'd had so many lovers over the past years that he'd taken to asking. It offended some but he'd rather know for any other future get togethers.

[Shinigami]

The smirk widened into a grin, one hiding micheivious thoughts, but before he could speak again Carmine's light touch caused eyelids to flutter once more and he let out a heavy breath. Those light touches made his skin more sensitive than firmer ones, and he shivered as hands traveled down his arms. His smirk was back, however when Carmine grabbed his hands and tugged him towards his own bed. The bed was lonely indeed, but it seemed they would be recitfying that shortly.

Jahaziel followed his lover towards the bed, pausing and tilting his head to the side as he felt the air shift when Carmine sat, the bounce of the bedsprings, and the rustling of skin against sheets as he crawled backwards. Ziel didn't move until he spoke again, climbing onto the bed and crawling across it on his hands and knees until he hovered over Carmine and lowered his face so their noses brushed. "All mine, are you? Good." He nipped the Custos's nose before dipping down for a rough kiss.

***

Kiel was trying to catch his breath, not even bothering to untangle himself from his newest lover. He chuckled when Carmine referred to their coupling as 'different'. He got that from most lovers, sometimes because of his extensive experiances and others because of compensation for his blindness. He frowned when Carmine used the word 'allowed' "Stay, rest. You have time yet before you have to go back that twit anyway."

The knot in the cloth covering his eyes was beginning to annoy him, so he untangled an arm to tug it loose. Once it was undone, Ziel pulled the cloth from his face and tossed it off somewhere other than the bed. Satisfied, he settled down again, re-tangling his arm with Carmine's.