Bad Angel, Get Off of My Shoulder *Lyra*

[Anubis]

Anubis could smell the brimstone as he walked down the alleyway. He could tell demons had been here and he really didn't want to run into them.

Whilst he was now one of them, he did not see himself as such so he tried to avoid them. The problem was, they had picked up his scent which still reeked of heaven and angelic goodness which frankly made him ill.

He heard them coming before he was grabbed and thrown into a corner. They didn't speak to him at all, which he found odd since most demons have big mouths. They simple smiled then began to beat the holy hell out of him. It hurt. It hurt really bad but he found himself laughing. The harder they hit him, the harder he laughed.

Soon, they hit him just right and was knocked unconscious. He didn't see the angel that appeared and chased the lesser demons away with an archangels sword.

He woke up only minutes later, bleeding and coughing. Still he laughed as he got up. He didn't know why they had gone but he thought it was funny. And since he had no one to thank, he simply walked out of the alley and continued on his way to The Blue Lagoon where he was supposed to meet the elemental.

She was going to teach him how to eat properly, which, apparently, he was not doing. That was fine with him because she showed him many things that he found to be intriguing and enjoyable.

The Blue Lagoon was a secluded and private restaurant and club where people when into their own private rooms with lush couches and tables and one would not be disturbed during their meal, once it was served unless the blue light was turned on to signal the waiter that something was needed.

His suit coat was torn and his shirt was bloody and smeared with dirt but he straightened his tie and smoothed his hair as he limped in and told the host his name.

The host looked at him with concern but then motioned for him to follow him to a private room. He opened the door and held it for Anubis as he walked in.

"Sorry I'm late, I ran into...someone." he said and laughed softly, "or they ran into me." he coughed then pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his bloody lip. It was healing fast, thankfully but he had deep bruises that were beginning to surface and swell.

"I don't think they liked me very much." he chuckled and lowered himself onto one of the couches.

[lyra]

Lyra was seated on one of the lush couches. She chose the Blue Lagoon, mostly, because she liked the name and she liked the fact they catered to private rooms. It offered some privacy and since Anubis was still fairly new to society, she thought it prudent. The place was exclusive and expensive, but since she'd offered to purify their water supply to immaculate, she was given whatever she wanted when she wanted it. In this day and age, water purification was the closest thing to gold.

The door opened and she stood to greet Anubis and paused at the state he was in. Those impossible blue eyes wide before she turned to the waiter. "Two orders of the fillet mignon and beef wellington. Also, bring in some water and a bottle of wine." Closing the door behind the waiter as she turned to look at Anubis.

Her right arm shimmered and with the dim lighting in the room, cast blue, surreal shadows on the walls as her arm became water. Still her arm, but made of pure, crystal blue water. Reaching out and caressing his face where the injuries were visible before continuing to touch along where he'd been hurt. Any wound on his body would heal under the soothingly cool touch of the water elemental. When her arm became flesh again, there was no wetness left behind on him.

"No, it doesn't seem like they liked you at all." Said as she took a seat beside him. "For being what you are, you're certainly prone to making enemies. Why you don't fight back...well, I may not understand it but it's not my choice to make."

Compared to his mode of dress (not considering the damage his suit had taken) she seemed almost poorly dressed for the occasion. A strip of bright, light blue cloth was tied around her torso, like some sort of makeshift tube top. The white silk of her skirt had a side slit that came up to her hip and the material flowed like water around her legs. No shoes on her feet at all.

"I assume you've eaten nothing today, or drank any water." Reaching over and handing him one of her bottles of water she always had on hand. "If you don't take care of this body, it will crumble around you and be worth nothing." Her voice was soft, naturally musical and light. Of course, it all would make sense to Anubis, who knew what she was. Most people didn't and thought of her as some strange human. She didn't try to correct their way of thinking, either.

"Once the food comes, I will relieve the pain in your back for you." There was a strange sort of affinity between Anubis and Lyra. She didn't try to explain or understand it. They enjoyed each other's company enough and they got along well. They also shared an outlook on humans, vampires and wolves. Inconsequential beings, really. Enough that they knew what the other was and held few secrets; an odd pairing of companions, really. It seemed to work, however.

[Anubis]

Once the door was closed, Anubis knew his secret was safe. The secret was that he was more of an angel than a demon. He was an angel that had gone mad and therefore could no longer function as an angel. Technically, it made him a demon but he did not see himself as evil and he still had his wings etched into his back.

His relief was intense as she healed his cuts and bruises but the fire in his wings was still intense and and moving was quite a burden at the moment. He wanted for the door to close, knowing it would be knocked upon before anyone entered and even if they did, no one would ever say anything about what they saw on his back. Besides, maybe it was just a tattoo…

He dropped his shoulders and pulled his coat off with a hissing wince. The back of his shirt was blood soaked even though the wounds were now healed. He simply pulled it off too. His body was thin but still athletic, like a runner with long lean muscles over a tall frame. His wings were welted and an angry red from the violating they had taken. Taking his shirt off helped a great deal but the burning did not subside.

He looked at Lyra and knew she would not mention that she knew what they were or that he was an angel. She understood that he was somewhere in between and did not have the mental sanity to be either an angel or a demon. He was just…Anubis, or as she called him, her Ani. “They hurt.” He murmured and leaned forward so nothing would be touching them. His stomach growled and he laughed slightly, “That kind of hurts too, but food will fix that, right?” he chuckled slightly and rested his chin in his hands, keeping his shoulders rolled forward to give his wings some relief.

He liked their relationship. She didn’t push the fact that he was supposed to be an angel rounding up the souls that were wondering the deserts and not, and he was fascinated by her since she was the only being in his eyes that deserved to even be alive at this point in time. Her and other elementals that actually cared about the world that its creator was allowing to be destroyed piece by blessed piece. That and he wanted her body quite badly. But then he still had not learned to control his urges or hide the fact when he was horny as a teenager on Viagra at a co-ed cheer leader convention.

[lyra]

She smiled at him when he began stripping off his clothes to ease the pain of his wings. "They always hurt, Ani." She pushed the water into his hands and shifted up to her knees as he leaned forward. Smiling a bit more when his stomach complained loudly. "Yes, food will ease that pain. You need to eat on a schedule, like I told you. Morning, noon and evening. If you do not fuel your body it will become weak." She put her hands to his shoulders and let her hands turn to water. The sensation was something like cool water rushing over his back as she tried to sooth the sensitive flesh. She didn't know much about angel's wings, but she knew cooling the angry red flesh eased him some.

As for what Anubis was...angel or demon, she didn't judge him. It wasn't her place to. That was something he would have to discover all on his own and while she would be there to help him if he asked (and even when he didn't like now) it would ultimately be him. She had considered more than once that he would become a neutral being like she was. Well, mostly neutral. She did not like humans, who had destroyed her carefree nature long before any zombie uprising. She was once so pure and sweet and they had worked her duties to the earth like she was invincible.

Pulling her hands away when she was done as she took her seat again. She wasn't going to ask who beat him so bad...or why he let it happen. She was about to say something when there was a soft knock on the door. Lyra stood and allowed Ani to have a bit of peace as she took the tray from the waiter and smiled one of those breathtaking smiles that seemed to solve so much. Closing the door behind her before setting one of the plates in front of him. Beef wellington. High in protein, fats and carbs that his body was probably starving for.

"Knife and fork, small bites and chew it this time. You may not be able to die but you didn't seem to enjoy choking on the bite of steak last time." With Ani, she felt like her old self again. Endless patience and understanding, the desire to help...it all came back.

"What were we talking about last time? I think you were asking me about the East Coast and complaining that I put a strain on your angelic duties? Please don't tell me I was your last straw." Smiling at him as she cut a bite away of the wonderful smelling wellington and took a small bite. Chewing and swallowing before taking a sip of water and continuing. It was a gentle lesson of etiquette, though she didn't tell him. "I suppose it was my own last straw...I just." Pausing for a moment to think. "Couldn't take it anymore, I suppose. Humans finally succeeded in destroying anything that was pure. Water Elementals tend to be very patient creatures...but when pushed too hard... Especially one as old as I am and with as much influence....there is a reason for such patience and it should never be lost."

It was an agreement between them. Honesty. They both had the ability to refuse to answer a question, but if they answered it had to be an all encompassing answer. No half truths...neither one could stand such petty deceptions. The quality was too human...and he didn't have the ability to lie anyway.

[Anubis]

Anubis sighed at the relief she gave him. She never asked if he needed relief. He never had to ask her to relieve his pain, she always just knew and he always knew she would do it without saying a word. It just seemed like it was understood. It was true that they always hurt, they were supposed to be ripped off when he quit but he never actually switched sides, he mostly just…walked away. It was not the same as other angels walking away. His act was an evil act to let innocent souls suffer and to not care about their pain, even if his reason was madness. But he really didn’t give a flying fuck.

“I know they always hurt.” He mumbled. He could sit there and let her cool water soak into his body all day, but that would not be practical even if it did give him a raging boner. Moreover, he knew that the growling in his stomach usually meant that if he did not fill it, he would be falling down. Waking up in a hospital full of vampires that wanted his blood like a drug addict wanted heroine times 1000, was not his idea of fun. So he knew it was time to eat. He learned early on that he merely had to copy Lyra’s actions to make her happy and to get what he needed. So he ate as delicately as she did, even if he did want to inhale the beef like it was air. But eating this way, made it easier to speak.

“What last straw? Was there a last straw?” he asked innocently. There was no last straw for Ani’s madness. Each battlefield he walked through stole a bit of his sanity, bit by bit until one day it was just gone. “The humans deserve anything they get for being fools enough…” he stopped midsentence and took another bite. He did not bother to go back to finishing his sentence because he no longer cared to answer. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably then reached down and readjusted his toy box so he could be more comfortable. “Why does your healing me always make me want to fuck you so bad?” he asked as if it was a completely normal question to ask. “Angels know all about patience Lyra, but there comes a point in time when nothing matters anymore.” He said and adjusted himself again and went back to eating.

[lyra]

She didn't know what it was like to feel relief as he did. Perhaps something like how she felt when she submerged in her hidden pool for the night? She never asked and he never explained. It was just something unspoken between them.

Chuckling when he asked about straws and shrugging her shoulders, "Perhaps not for you, there was one for me. I'd never felt rage like that before. And being so close to the ocean...it answered my anger very effectively. The East Coast paid the price. I didn't mean for it to be so violent, but every ounce of me was black with that anger. It just happened, I guess." Last time they spoke, he'd known it was her that destroyed the East Coast and he'd been curious about it. So, she explained.

Blinking when he asked why her healing turned him on and she smiled. He never minced words, always asked just what he wanted to know. It would put anyone else off, but Lyra liked that about him. "Likely because my healing you invigorates your body." He was bad at hiding the reactions of his body, very bad as she glanced down and saw proof of his desires and blushes just a little. "You would probably go for any woman after a healing, it's likely not just me." Taking a sip of water.

It had been...well, a very, very, very, very long time since Lyra had a lover. She didn't like to think just how long ago it really was. It made her feel as ancient as she was. Still, she did like Ani, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for that with Ani just yet. Time would tell. He never pushed the issue, though, just made his desires known.

"That is true, we all have a breaking point. Hopefully I am never pushed to that point again. It can be frightening." Said before taking a long sip of water. She let the other subject drop without a word, it was making him uncomfortable and she didn't want that. She wanted these talks with her to be relaxed and comfortable. She enjoyed speaking with him. He was...quirky and innocent on many things and ageless on others. Vastly intelligent and all in all...pleasant.

"Are you enjoying the beef wellington? Once you are done you should try the fillet mignon. Just don't over eat. You'll feel a pressure in your stomach making you feel full. You should not keep eating when you feel that." It was interesting trying to explain such things. Urges and sensations that people take for granted. These were all new to him.

[Anubis]

Ani shook his head, closed his eyes and swallowed. “I don’t care about the East Coast. Humans are all just a parasite. The planet was so full of life before, now it is just death.” He said and took another bite. He wondered why he wanted the food less and less with each bite. Tasting the new dish helped just a little but he soon didn’t want anything else at all and stopped eating.
He was trying to copy Lyra but maybe he was taking bigger bites than her or maybe his stomach was smaller, which was likely all of the above. He finally pushed the plate away, half eaten and sighed. “I can’t eat any more.” He said softly. He enjoyed this one habit on one hand but felt as if it was a hassle on the other. He stretched his arms out to relieve the tension in his back which always seemed to pain him. Maybe it was the fact that his wings had not been ripped off when he tipped over the line between good and evil but they were not. It felt as if he was getting a tattoo on his bones constantly. The only time he had relief was when Lyra’s healing waters soothed it.
“Tell me about arousal Lyra.” He said flatly. “Do you ever feel it?” his tone was as if he was talking about the weather. Just something every day. “I feel it often, you know that. And many women are willing to relieve the problem yet others act as if it is a priceless treasure or an evil abomination.” He kicked his shoes off and stretched his long legs out. “Humans are most curious.”

[lyra]

"I used to care..." Said in a rather hollow voice as she set her plate aside. She ate about as much as he did, but then...she didn't need to eat at all, so. "It's fine, Ani. If you do not feel like eating then you must stop. Though, I think you will want this." She reached over to the cart and lifted the material skirting and pulled out a plate that had two large scoops of vanilla ice cream on it and hands it to him with a spoon.

"Arousal." She repeated the word for a moment. "Yes, I feel it. I am just more accustomed to hiding such things. It is generally considered poor manners to reveal such urges unless one is with a lover. It makes humans feel uncomfortable because many consider sex a private thing." Pulling up her legs to sit a bit more comfortably, her hands over her bare feet as she leaned back more. "You feel it often because you are not used to all of the sensations of life. As to why some are flippant and some are not...well, I suppose it depends on the person."

It was an interesting subject to try to explain in a way that isn't just hand waving it. "For me...sex is sharing something special with a man oman that I have feelings for. That I care for. Mostly because it feels different with someone you have strong feelings for. It becomes better and more satisfying. Some humans believe in something called a soul mate, and that the thought of sex with anyone else seems a waste. Others believe in nothing more than indulging their lusts. Hence there being a sin for it. Lust is very powerful, Ani. It has brought entire civilizations to war." Taking a sip of her water as she smiles...how long had it been since she thought of the story?

"Very, very long ago there was a city called Troy. Massive walls that was said to be built by the gods had stood for what humans thought was forever and would never fall. They thought themselves untouchable. However, one of Troy's princes fell in love with a woman named Helen who was said to be the most beautiful woman on earth. He had to have her and thus stole her away behind Troy's walls. Her father, however, marched on Troy even though it was said to be impossible to get in Troy without them opening their doors. Of course...they did get in by building a hollow wooden horse to fit an army inside. Ah...I miss some of the old stories sometimes." Rubbing her foot absently and smiling. "All of Troy fell because of a man's lust for a woman."

"Still, it is their nature to desire things, especially feeling good. You will find someone, Ani, that makes you feel giddy and want to please and begin to have feelings for. Once you do, you will understand why some humans are free with it and others are not. The last man I had feelings for...no one else made me feel as he did. But that was more than a few lifetimes ago." Smiling as she reached out and tried smoothing down his hair with a chuckle.

"Does that explain arousal to you? I think I started to ramble a bit." Smiling softly as she shrugged a shoulder. She may be an Elemental, but she could feel things just as a human could.

[Anubis]

Anubis took the ice cream when it was offered to him and he began to eat it while he listened to Lyra’s explanation. It seemed everything she did made him want to touch her. Not just with his penis but with his hands and his mouth, with his whole body. And if he couldn’t touch her, he wanted to be close to her. He didn’t buy all of her explanation because ever since he had been spending time with her, he had not wanted to be with anyone else. With the exception of a strapping young man here and there but that was a purely animalistic yearning. Then the explanation turned.
Troy. He had been there. It was just one of the terrible scenes he had been forced to walk through and take the souls of brothers, sons, fathers and husbands and few of the dead were women and worst of all children. Even that long ago, his sanity had already began to slip away. He remembered the bodies strewn across the ground, the sand turned to mud by the blood of the dead. One soul after another he took and sent it on its way to the afterlife. Until he got to the children. His hands began to shake as he remembered the cherubic faces, staring blankly at the sky.

“The children.” He whispered. “So many children.” He absently stood up and took a few steps as if he were on the battlefield stepping over bodies. “How…how could they kill children?” he mumbled. His hands flew up and his hands pressed to his eyes, “Barbarians!” he sobbed, “Don’t you know what you are doing?” He began to rock back and forth, his teeth clenched and gnashed. “Why won’t he stop you? ANIMALS!” his body bent over double as he sobbed in anguish. “No more! I won’t, not one more soul!” He turned to the wall and straightened some then hit the wall with his fist as he leaned into it. “Why? Why won’t he stop you?” he pulled his head back and slammed it into the wall, “Why?” he punched the wall then hit his head again. A goose egg appeared where he struck the wall and split open when he struck it again, “He needs to make you stop.” He whimpered and sank to his knees as blood gushed down his face. He suddenly stopped talking and began to softly sing a lullaby. “Hushaby, don’t you cry, go to sleep my little baby, when you wake you shall have, all the pretty little ponies.” Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned his bloody face toward Lyra and asked, “Why do children always want ponies?”

[lyra]

Lyra lifted her head to look at him when he whispered, her eyes on his shaking hands. Children? Oh...oh no. She hadn't considered that he would have been there. She knew he had been driven insane and walked away from his duties, she never questioned why. His reasons were his own, but this...this glimpse into his mental state broke her heart. A heart she didn't even know could break any more. "Oh, Ani..." Her voice gentle as she stood just as he punched the wall the first time.

She winced as he pleaded with God to stop man from killing innocent children. How he begged for some sliver of insight as to why nothing was ever done. Humans. They destroyed everything, it seemed in their very nature. Even she had turned her back on them. Anubis did the same, letting man wallow in their own doing.

Her arms slid around him as he began to sing, pulling him into her embrace and lightly kissing his forehead. His wounds healing as she gently washed away the blood. "Because horses are entirely beautiful creatures and humans, deep down, are jealous of them. Humans want to be able to run that fast, or fly like birds, or swim like fish." Whispered against his hair as she tried to comfort some of the madness that wrapped his mind. A maelstrom she had no control over.

"Shall I sing to you, my Ani?" Offering him one of her smiles as she kept ahold of them, not minding she was sitting on the floor. She was practically in his lap, her legs over his right but her butt on the ground. Her fingertips tracing along his jaw gently.

"Oh, Death, оh Death, oh Death,
Won't you spare me over til another year.

But what is this, that I cant see
with ice cold hands taking hold of me

When God is gone and the Devil takes hold,
who will have mercy on your soul

Oh, Death, оh Death, oh Death,

No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold
Nothing satisfies me but your soul

Oh, Death,

Well I am Death, none can excel,
I'll open the door to heaven or hell.

Oh, Death, оh Death,
my name is Death and the end is here..."

[/color][/center]

Her voice had a sweet breathless quality to it that complimented well the pure notes she could hit. There was no magic in her voice, but it would not take much of a stretch of the imagination to picture her a Siren of myths. Singing sailors and ships to deadly rocks and reefs. As she finished the song, her arm was still around him and her head rested on his shoulder.

She was silent for a long while before speaking very softly, "I cannot heal you the way I want to, Ani. I wish I could take all of your pain from you in a pool of water...but there is not enough water in the world to reach your depths. Since I cannot heal you...I will give you a gift. You can ask me for anything, Ani. My soul, my life, my body...or my companionship. Anything you can think of...I offer it to you. Something that will give you a moment of happiness in a lifetime of slow agony."

She meant well what she said, she would give him anything he asked of her. Pressing her lips to his cheek before she relaxed against him where they sat.

He had but to ask.

[Anubis]

Ani felt comforted. It was something he had never felt before and he didn’t understand what it was. It was not like arousal but it caused him to have a feeling in his chest that he never wanted to go away. He decided at that moment that if he could have this, all the world would be a better place. For him at least. He clung to her as he regained his senses and wondered what it was that had brought him to this moment, but she was singing so everything was perfect.

“Anything I want?” he asked thoughtfully. “There is only one thing I want Lyra and I am not certain that you will want to fulfill my desire.” He said softly and looked her in the eye. “For I have gone mad and I fear I will never find my sanity again. You see, I want to be with you forever. As companions, lovers, and best friends for eternity. You see, I could never reap you so you will live forever as will I. And when I reap God, I will be all that’s left. The loneliness will be all consuming, unless…unless you are with me Lyra.” Tears filled his eyes for the first time ever and he reached up and touched them with his fingertips, “Is this from you? Another gift?” He asked, confused.

[lyra]

Lyra was beside herself as he spoke. Those impossible blue eyes held him as she smiled fully at him. "No, Ani...you're crying." She took a slow, steadying breath as she tried to find words. She was usually so eloquent with her vocabulary and yet she found herself rather speechless.

He was such a strange sort. She knew she'd never meet anyone or anything like him ever again, and to someone who could not die of age, that was a considerable thought. "Ani...I would never let you endure loneliness. Creatures like you and I...we know what forever means. We understand the implications of using such a term and just how long it can stretch for. Companions, lovers and friends. I think I can comply with such a wish." She reached up and used her thumb to brush aside a stray tear.

The single tear clung to her thumb and she brought it to her lips. "I am not human...I will not age. I can die, though, Ani. As easily as any human can. I must sleep in a pool of purified water and when I am in my water form...I can be destroyed with heat.I am a far cry from immortal." She was not trying to cause him pain, but make him understand that she was not an eternal creature as he was. "As long as I am...I will be yours."

With that, she leaned forward and gently touched her lips to his. It was an oath sealed with a kiss. Elementals had the ability to make a pact, though the art was sacred and guarded fiercely among them. They were pacted with their element by birth, upon drawing breath. And they could make one other pact. She sealed herself to the Angel of Death with a gentle sigh.

She reached out and threaded her fingers in his unruly hair and deepened the kiss sweetly. Her tongue lightly drawing along his lower lip before she sought to taste him truly. It had been, what felt like, an eternity since she kissed another so. The sensations were piercing and electrifying.

[Anubis]

There was just something about the way Lyra touched Ani that made him feel like everything was going to be OK. He understood that she was not immortal but what she didn’t understand was that as long as he was her reaper and refused to reap her, she could not die. Things like that were difficult to explain. But he was happy she agreed to it. He didn’t understand his emotions but he liked it. He knew he would not be alone again for a very very long time and if he found a way, he would never be alone again.

He felt something when her lips touched his, he was not certain what it was but he felt elated, lighter than air at the thought of being with her that way. She would be his…He had been alone for his entire existence and now, he was with her. He loved it when her fingers trailed through his hair. It was another unexplainable feeling. It was definitely arousing. But this, with the kiss that caused him to part his lips and gently search for her tongue with his, was something more. His arms slipped around her and he turned his body more into her and mimicked the way she was kissing him. Then, it seemed to come naturally that his lips be against hers. Suddenly he was overwhelmed with desire and he pulled her closer. His deepened kiss turned into a hungry kiss as his need to be with her, hold her, kiss her feel her deepened to a frantic ache. He didn’t understand it. It was raw, powerful and it felt right.

[lyra]

[Fade to Black...hehe...sexeh time]