empyreanwings

[empyreanwings]

EVERYTHING PERTAINING TO THIS ENDLESS CONFLICT in Hell was convoluted. Answers seemed so simple in Lute's mind— to vanquish, crush, capitulate with strength and ability. Though, these lowly vermin were seldom blessed with nether the resource nor the influence to get them by. It'd be pitiful if she held an inkling of empathy for them.

"Such a fight would take far too long," her impatience on a showcase, proud and vitriolic.

Lute didn't have a solution for him. Didn't feel like forking one over either. Their equipment and means sitting on opposite ends on the spectrum of warfare.

"Then, kill an Overlord and sequester his men. Territory as well." Easier said than done, but she wasn't Lieutenant because she was beautiful and sweet.

“..No, not asss of this moment.” The bitterness in his gaze grows just that little bit more heavy, and he crosses his arms, letting out a faint sigh. “He’ssss what you consider a sort of…enigma. No one knows how he raised to power and prominence so quickly, and he made his legacy among the massssesss by tearing through the previous Overlords that once ruled this city for centuries as if they were little more than copy paper. I’ve myself fought him over dozens of times in the past, and every time I’ve never so much as been able to lay a single blow on him.” He then moves to straighten up, tensing his shoulders once more, as he schools his face into a more stoic frown. “But yessss, as you said, that is precisely what I’m planning. For Alastor and his enemies to clash, to chip away at each other’s power, to leave the both of their influences soiled and dragged into the muck, and whoever winssss the fight proper, I will be able to swoop in and take their title and their power straight out of their lifeless talonsss. It’s only a matter of time.”

He turns to face her after a moment, looking her over up and down, a more curious glint beginning to fill his face, his tongue flickering free of his fangs to flutter through the air. “The only magic I posssessss alone is the power of hypnosis, and as of now, it’s only limited to thosssse I can ensnare into my grasp if I can force them or compel them to stare into my eyessss. Either than that, I am without capability to perform any sortsss of powers or hexes that aren’t through mechanical design or by means of physical material, such as producing physical paper contracts. If I were ever to gain any soulssss without binding them to contracts, it would be through the sssslaughter of another Overlord, in which I would gain the souls they have claimed under their title, or through contracts being handed off and passed down to me by other Overlords through deals.”

[empyreanwings]

🥚

Cracks it on the edge of a pan and cooks it over easy.

[empyreanwings]

IT WAS A RAINY DAY in Hell when Emily hit the ground. More of a gentle tumble than a full crash, her body remaining unscathed and her divine image unmarred by the experience. The glory of her six wings condensed down into two with her royalty adornments exchanged in favor of a modest dress with lace and tulle white like Winter.

Touching two fingers to her temple, she massaged a particularly pointed ache worming over the tender muscle. Like a cluster of grey matter spamming distress signals over her skull to flag her soul of something terribly wrong. Even if she wanted to nurse her pains, she would have no option to, lest be soaked by the downpour pelting her in this desolate field.

One her own two feet, she carried herself slow over the terrain, trudging through mud and wet sentiment with her hand serving as a visor against the rain and her other thin arm pathetically maintaining the heat of her middle. The angel's shoulders hunched forward, threatening to shake should the air drop another degree.

It would carry on like this for what felt like hours before a stone obelisk peered over the horizon and as Emily drew close, it unveiled the trappings of a castle; worn and eroded with time. Seemingly it was abandoned as well, but it will have to make due. She'll hasten her step towards the entrance, hands pressed on old doors and pushing them open with a strength unbecoming of her size, wrenching the old hinges into movement until the stale, barren interior welcomed her in with a hard slam sealing her fate.

"... Hello?" she calls into the darkness, almost praying no one would answer; her heart could not handle the scare.

Water dripped off her, glistening the tile beneath her with dotted rings. It was everything she could do to gather her skirt and wring was she could off of her along with a beat of her wings to shake off whatever didn't sink into the color of the feathers.

Closed starter — @keeperofquestions

[empyreanwings]

"I don't know, I think it has rabies. You should put it down."

@empyreanwings

"Umm....that's good questions. Most of dogs have not left their area since he showed up."

Cat starts hissin' and glowing slightly red when dogs are spoke'n off.

"Yeah, I don't think he liks dogs either."

[empyreanwings]

EMILY'S HEAD CANTED TO THE SIDE, picking her memory of this alleged 'snake' winner. The moment was such a blur of events of boisterous discovery and immediate restraint. Sera was never faster to usher Emily out of the shared office than she was at the moment, thus the younger Seraphim never received any sort of staunch clarification on what she dubbed as a 'miracle'.

"Ah, hm." A crease carved at the head of her brow, perplexed by this.

Not wanting to doubt Lute's assessment, Emily asked more for herself than to contest the allegations proffered," and may I ask: what makes you say the Seraphims are the one that cast Adam down? Who told you that?"

The pen tip twitched over the parchment, afraid to mark any one name for such thoughtless decisions. A grave feeling swelled within the Seraphim that the mere testimony of this will shake the tenuous foundations of the Heavenly Host and that was the one outcome Emily so dearly wanted to avoid.

"You may..." her sentence interrupted with a malcontent sigh," you host privilege to question Sera, though if you request only her, you may not have the opportunity to question the others. Are you certain that is the route you want to take?"

〞he     was     ATTACKED   ,     yes   . . .     and     was     killed     in     COLD     BLOOD   . . .   !〝   the     situation     seemed     bleak   .     she     knew     Sera   ,     nor     any     of     the     other     Seraphims     would     be     passionate     about     this   ,     not     nearly     as     much     as     Lute     was     going     to     be   .     she     had     to     think     of     how     to     word     this     accurately   . . .     knowing     how     critical     the     court     and     Emily     was     with     their     time     and     making     sure     they     didn’t     waste     any   . when     it     was     your     time     to     speak   ,     you     SPOKE   . . .     or     there     wasn’t     NO     word     to     be     put     in   .   〞you     know     of     the     snake     winner     that     had     arrived     to     Heaven     the     day     of     the     extermination   ?   .   .   . that     snake   . . .     he     was     a     sinner     previously   . so     the     princess   . . .     now     discovered     that     Lucifer     and     Sera     were     wrong   .     sinners     CAN     be     redeemed   .     as     i     know   ,     it     wasn’t     the     Seraphim’s     decision     to     lift     him     here   . . .     but     it     was     to     cast     Adam     down     there   . . .

i     want     to     CONTEST     and     DEFEND     Adam’s     judgment   ,     as     i     believe     he     was     misjudged   . . .     whether     if     it     was     on     purpose   ,     or     with     unawareness   ,     i     am     unsure   . . .     however   ,     i     do     know     that     it     can’t     be     RIGHTFULLY     so   . . .     i     want     a     DIRECT     DEBATE     with     Sera     as     of     why     he     was     casted     down   ,     to     say     briefly   . just     with     cherubs   ,     you     can     be     removed     from     Heaven   . . .     and     return     just     as     easily   .〝

[empyreanwings]

UNLIKE HER NEPHILIM COMPANION HERE, Lute discarded the hand basket she had with all the random items, not bothering to drop any money for things with little purpose to her.

"So, what, you really let yourself live without your wings in the sunlight? I pity you," Lute fished a papery box out of her chest pocket with its paired lighter. Smacking the bottom of the box, she managed to squeeze one thin stick out to fix between her lips. "You learn to fly at all?"

“Lute. It’s lovely to meet you, Lute.” Silver nodded in agreement, motioning for the fallen angel to follow. With very few items, checkout does not take long. She exited the grocery store with the fallen angel, stepping out into the city streets. It was the first time Silver walked out in the open with her wings exposed. It was elating, freeing. The Nephilim gave her wings a small flap, grinning to Lute. “This…is actually really nice.”

[empyreanwings]

NO DIFFERENT THAN THE TALES OF KINGS, Lute found herself on the precipice of another nebulous conflict born from human ambition and hubris. Her nature be damned, she couldn't help the inclination she had to it, only anymore she didn't receive prayers for her brutal assist.

"Then, you're not prepared for the conflict against this so-called 'Radio demon'?" she asks to confirm.

Scratching a nail over the hard metal that served as a terminal plate, the pointed edge outlining the casings of buttons and levers. "No, you have time, don't you? Waiting for those other 'overlords' to whittle each other down then you seed yourself in the middle." Lute speaks as if she were reading a book chapter-by-chapter, foretelling the next arc. Only now she reads this book with highlighter in hand, noting every significant detail for reference.

All five sharpened digits scratched light over the surface as she walked herself away from the serpent to her original spot. "Power cannot be gained from lack of contracts. What about your magic? Or are the principles of that also limited to your influence?"

“Pentagram City, actually. And lesss so of a power vacuum and more of a…ressssurgence, really.” Pentious, upon feeling Lute move up to press into his space, moves to shift a little to the side to offer proper room for her to look over the control panel, eyes trained on the movements of her hands, just to make sure that she didn’t go to touch anything that was super important to keep a steady altitude. “In other words, a long standing enemy of the group I aim to conquer has ressssurfaced after seven years of going missing, with most assuming him to be dead and gone for good. He goesss by the name Alasssstor, or the Radio Demon, and he is a powerful Overlord, wicked and tricky, and he will be a tough opposition for my targets to take down, if they manage to at all. They will surely wish to strike against him, and any Overlords that may ally with him, and anytime overlords tend to clash, it almossst always leads to heavy casualties on both sidessss. Ssssomething I will be able to properly take advantage of.”

“Asss for my ship…” He sighs a touch at that, his grin deflating a little. “Well, it’s been taken down in the past. Jussst a few weeks ago it even got taken down by the very Alastor I had just mentioned. But I managed to rebuild with little effort, and any repairs and rebuilding I have to do in the future can be easily combatted. As for armiesss and loyalties…” His hood deflates in an almost comical fashion, his gaze becoming a bit more bitter as he gestures to the eggs now milling about the ship. “That would be the only allies I currently have the earsss of for the moment. My own creationssss, loyal as can be, as dull as they are. The kind of magic that allows Overlords to contractually bind souls to their whims via demonic deals is a rare one, you see, and while physical contracts are a means of also obtaining souls, not many are keen to sign theirs away to who they see as a delusional madman like myssself. It is…a setback.”

[empyreanwings]

LILITH IN ALL HER DEMONIC GLORY slotted back into Hell's society like the missing puzzle in the center piece of it all. It looked good on her— something that Lute would never openly admit to.

Long, sharp nails dragged over the feathered edges of the aged book, flipping through all the important documents she was instructed to cover until the demonness voiced her wishes and the angel's movements paused, if not to actualize what had been said to her.

"You think so?" she asked in near disbelief.

Everything is in dire need of revision, but to be rewritten when the populace was near triple of the original density when the contacts had been conceived... It all sounded like a management nightmare.

"I'm not in any position myself to sign off on final concepts without permission, so we'll just leave it as- you and me have open discussions and everyone else can build off of that." It was as amicable as she could word it without triggering offense against her superiors nor the returning Morningstar.

A stray hair fell over her lashes and Lute was just as quick to tuck it away behind her ear with embossed metal fingers while she mulled over this thick binder of formal verbiage.

"We'll start with the workings between Heaven and Hell. What do you envision for that? Or, rather, what would you want?"

Lilith made a point to emphasize her heigh, the confident nature she held herself in, and her status with the general with the clothing she wore. Nothing over the top, but intentionally elegant and powerful looking. She knew people regularly underestimated her husband. She knew they were often surprised and disappointed in realizing the king of hell wasn't what they pictured. Though she loved him for it, it was an adjustment for many who did not know of Lucifer well enough.

"Yes, I'm aware. But yes, I have resumed my place." Lucifer was happy to have her, as she was happy to have him. Despite everything- they were still very much in love and neither had any intention of leaving the other anytime soon.

The Queen rose her brow at the book, she recognized it- she'd been present for many of the amendments and talks. However, she didn't expect it to fall to Lute no matter what had happened to Adam. For some reason it caught her evre so slightly off guard. Though she didn't allow much of that emotion to touch her expression.

"They need to be rewritten, entirely." She stated rather simply, know it was a project for a different day, but a project none the less. "I personally do, yes. However I will only give my opinion on matters as I would like to have my husband present for the finalizations. We can still talk over matters and I will relay it to him at a later date."

[empyreanwings]

LUTE MET THAT SMIRK with a jovial one of her own. Grabbing the thick strap fixed over her chest, she raised the guitar case off her back and seated it on the wood floor next to her.

"I am."

Tracing the round edge, she unbuckled the top clasps in anticipation she might find a friend of like tastes tonight. The lid flipped over the hinge with a sturdy thud, revealing its bronze-gold satin interior with a luxury custom 6-string nestled inside.

"You down for a few songs or you a solo act? I'm genre flexible, if you need convincing."

@empyreanwings asked:

Lute locks eyes with some beauty parked near the drum set on the venue stage. Guitarists were a dime a dozen, but a drummer? A blessing — if her assumptions were correct.

"You play?" she calls to Eve over the loud bass-heavy club music, head nodding towards the instrument.

She had definitely had gotten Eve's attention, her head cocking to the side as she tried to process the question she'd been asked.

"Yeah." there was a small pause, "Who's asking?" she called back, a small smirk pulling at her lips, as she stood up and stretched a bit.

[empyreanwings]

AN INSTRUMENT would have made more sense. Some sort of homage to her musical talent. Either way, she turned heel to her small kitchenette, fishing two glasses out of the cabinet and filling them with water for herself and Mavet.

"I wasn't asking, I was telling," she walked herself back to the living room, passing the glass before plunging into the cushion with one leg crossed over the other. "I already know and you're already here. You can take my bed."

An instinctive snarl shaped her lips," plus I'm not interested in what Miss Priss wants to say about it all."

That took Mavet by surprise. "I.. Hadn't realized it was short for your title. I thought it was after the instrument." They admitted, feeling rather silly. Of course it made more sense that it was short for Lieutenant. Their eyes turned to the egg in question again, now hidden from view and warm.

They shifted a little before sitting down, suddenly feeling guilty for thrusting this upon Lute. "I am sure I can find other arrangements. Perhaps Camael or Emily.." They were scared to go to Sera, Sera for sure would confiscate the egg from them and who knows where it would end up after? It wasn't as if Mavet had much in a say, they were just a soldier.

[empyreanwings]

TO SAY EMILY WAS CURIOUS about this so-called hotel would be an understatement. Hell as a whole was a complete unforeseen spectacle to her, an angel whose farthest travels only landed her on the grassy knolls of Earth; burned and bare from warfare.

The doors seemed to have opened on their own, yet the building was far from vacant. She could hear the small chatter from within the walls despite not a soul in sight, up until the expensive clicking of someone's shoes drew near and a filtered voice spoke.

"Oh- Hello," she flashes her best smile at him," do you work here?"

She stepped to the side some, putting more space between the two, trying to get a full glimpse of what looked like a.... deer. How cute!

@empyreanwings | for Emily!

Well, this was certainly an unexpected occurrence. Ears twitching ever so slightly, perking forward in his curiosity, Alastor was quick to set himself before this rather unusual guest.

“Well now! I can’t say I would have expected someone like yourself to grace these halls. To what do humble sinners like us owe this honor?” This was an exceptional opportunity, to be sure. Something perhaps he could manipulate to his advantage. Perhaps. If he played things well enough.

[empyreanwings]

THE WORDS WERE LIKE A DOWNPOUR on Emily's good spirit. Each word she never wished to hear for at least good few years came hurling back to her like daggers to a wood board. All she could manage was a tired sigh, too weary to even attempt to decipher the situation at hand, but such items would soon be her duty once she ascended the intellect ranks. So, she would take to it with all the seriousness and attention she could muster.

"You'll have to forgive me, I was under the impression that Adam had passed in the last purge. You're telling me that was not the case?" the Seraphim asked for clarification, if not repeat of said words to layer another hard shell over her bleeding heart. All the naivety and trust she held for others ( and the truth ) was dwindling upon each revelation.

Clasping her hands together with her weight pushing back against the embroidered upholstery serving as her chair, Emily contemplated her smooth porcelain hands, chewing on ideas that haven't been pondered in centuries.

"If the only way to 'fix' sinners is by, you know, then is there really any way to help Adam then? It can be discussed at the table, but by your claims alone, it was Lucifer who insisted on the management of his own forsaken kind."

Snapping her fingers, Emily summoned an old book where the pages yellowed at the borders and swelled in the middle from overuse, each page thick with sacred geometry and ancient Enochian; practically indecipherable by mortal kind. In her other hand came a pen and as she flipped through the pages, she landed on one near the end with enough space for her to note talking points between herself and Lute.

"Speak plain what you want and I'll see what I can do for you." She was almost certain what Lute wanted here, but she gave her the option to speak as she will," you'd do better to be honest with what you want with Adam to me or else your meeting with the others won't be as productive."

the     pale     wings     twitch     behind     as     the     black     and     white     feathers     perk     like     a     cat’s     fur   . . .     she     wasn’t     quite     sure     how     to     speak     with     Emily     about     this   . . .     but     perhaps   ,     maybe     she     didn’t     know   ?     perhaps   ,     Lute     could     finally     let     out     her     frustrations   . . . with     a     deep     inhale   ,     Lute     immediately     began     to     speak   . . . 〞i     am   . . .     hurt   . . . as     you     know   . . .     Adam     was     killed     on     the     field     during     the     recent     extermination   . . . from     my     recent     discovery   . . .     when     taking     a     trip     back     to     Hell   . . . i   . . .     had     ran     into     him   .     he     is     now   . . .     a     sinner   . . . i’m   . . .     torn   . . . that     the     Seraphim     has     decided     to     cast     him     down     into     Hell   . . . it’s   . . . Emily   . . .     I     understand     that     you     don’t     agree     to     the     exterminations     as     of     how     it’s     been     portrayed   . . .     but     Adam   . . .     he     truly     had     a     good     intention     behind     it   .     it     isn’t     to     mercilessly     kill   . . .     we     kill     demons     to     be     rid     of     their     suffering     in     Hell   .     as     Lucifer     and     Sera     agreed     that   . . .     like   . . .     a     sick     puppy   . . .     we     get     rid     of     their     suffering     so     we     don’t     have     to     bare     witness     to     knowing     souls     is     living     day     by     day   . . .     being     punished   . . . when     Sera     and     Lucifer     discussed     the     idea   ,     he     insisted     there     wasn’t     a     way     to   . . .     help     them   ,     to     fix     them   . . .     so     Adam     volunteered     to     lead     an     army     to     assist     bringing     sinners     to     any     sort     of     peace   .     freedom     from     their     punishment   . he     may     have     played     off     as     it     being     entertainment   . . .     but     that     wasn’t     the     reality   ,     that     was     his   . . .     and     our     way     of     being     able     to     do     it     so     much   . . . i     don’t     mean     to     sugar     coat     anything     for     you   ,     Emily   ,     ma’am   . . .     i   . . .     only     mean     to     bring     light     to   . . .     our     side   . . .     to     Adam’s     side     of     this   . . . i     figured     to     at     least   . . .     have     a     fair     word     in     as   . . .     Adam’s     lieutenant     and     current   . . .     leader     of     the     exorcist   .〝

[empyreanwings]

fortnite battle pass

[empyreanwings]

Send my character a ► and a command. They must obey.

[empyreanwings]

WHAT EMILY ASSUMED would have been lighthearted conversation switched tone almost immediately. Passing her hobby to the table on the side, she placed both her hands on her lap, worried about what Lute has discovered.

"Disappointed? What happened? Are you hurt?" The questions came at rapid fire.

Being out of the loop with everything, the Seraphim was just naturally inclined to interrogation. Not that she expected anyone to give her full truths ( annoying as it was ) but when it came to the soldiers, she wanted them to have equal voice as well.

Lute held reluctance to speak of it with only her causing this grave feeling to creep into Emily that she was being omitted key information once more. "I may not be able to assist immediately, but I can emphasize the urgency, if needed."

the     new     commander     lightly     hesitated   ,     thinking     if     this     was     a     manner     too     important     to     discuss     without     Sera   . . .     she’d     prefer     to     hold     it     but     the     annoyance     got     the     best     of     her   . . . after     a     soft     eye     twitch   ,     Lute     gets     out     a     heavy     exhale     in     attempts     to     calm     down     from     her     frustrations   .     it     may     cushioned     the     anger   ,     however   ,     it     wasn’t     enough     to     fix     her     facial     expression   .     at     least   ,     not     yet   . . . 〞i’m     not     sure     if     i     should     discuss     it     with     only     you   . . .     as     i     know     all     decisions     of     Heaven     is     made     by     all     Seraphims   . . .     though   ,     i     suppose   . . .     i     can     express     that     i     am   . . .     disappointed   . . .     by     my     recent     discovery   . . .〝

[empyreanwings]

Continued — @multistories

"I love horror stories," her wings beat once before folding back against her, the long feathers bending over the flat surface she was seated on.

However, the larger being declined with the tells of his brutalities. She expected this much, but hey, never hurts a girl to ask. "I figured an unstoppable force like you wouldn't mind so much a bit of gossip of old contracts, but I understand the secrecy."

"Something else then-" Lute looks him over once, searching for another topic to pursue," favorite weapon?"

[empyreanwings]

MAKING NOTE OF THIS SINNER'S ENTHUSIASM, Lute leers towards the line of considering him a potential asset for future excursions. It'll have to be workshopped and heavily considered between confidants, but it was very important for her to learn about the sinner free will and how it seems there is little self-preservation among some of the masses.

"Sir Pentious... Ser...pent," she snickers.

Tucking her LED mask under her arm, she inspected everything unbidden by all the technical feedback. The design of modern machines weren't much to her taste, but she can appreciate the inner workings of technology, even if the aesthetic was lacking in favor of practicality.

"How so? Is there a power vacuum currently in Pentacle City?" she pushed into the sinner's space some, nosing over the panels, touching over buttons and labels to translate what they were within her mind. Didn't seem like she cared too much of his size, whether it was foolish confidence or her being generally unbothered by non-humanoid sights. The many eyes within him was certainly a common sight among angels, to say the least.

"What will you do if they manage to take down this ship? Where is your army? Is anyone loyal to you?"

“Heheh. Of course I would.” He almost finds himself laughing at the question, but managed to contain himself back down to a brief huff, his grin growing ever wider just thinking about the conquest and glory that will follow him once his task is complete, spreading his arms wide as the view of the outside air grows higher and higher, and the busy streets of the city below grow smaller and smaller, almost like that of ants. So small, so insignificant, as if the snake could reach down and carve into the earth with his talons and wipe away the life within it as easy as breathing. And perhaps with his machines, it was. “I did the very same thing to my fellow man when I was alive. Slaughtered them, tortured them, maimed them, disemboweled them, watched them burn like ants. I was a specter of terror in the eyes of all. I was a damned shadow of evil and doom across the skies, and any city who crossed the shadows of my ships would be conquered under my name, either peacefully, or through the force of watching their defenses be destroyed and their walls pillaged.”

He spots the exorcist’s talon creeping over the edge of the control panel he stood in front of, and his eyes slide down to watch it, even as he continues to speak, the smile still on his face. “The men and women I worked alongside to build my ships and lead my fleets into battle were soldiers, workers, criminals, former enemies who were broken into submission and ruthless sadists all mixed together, and they all saw me as their leader, the man who would lead them into glory and prosperity, and I was happy to have them surge forth into battle on my behalf. So, the idea of claiming and holding domination over sinners and their souls? Well. That just sounds more than lovely to me.”

He chuckles again to himself, and at the sound of some metallic shifting, he moves to turn, coming face to face with her bare face, lacking of any helmet, his hood briefly twitching upward and his eyes widening a touch. After a moment of staring, however, the sadistic grin comes back, the barest point of his fangs creeping out of his lips. “My name is Sssssir Pentioussss. And my targetsss are a…particular group of Overlordsss who I suspect may make a move against the power structure of the city in the near future. A move I want to harness, and take for myself, by toppling their regimes and stealing their power for myssself.”