#[ I need to make icons tomorrow/later.. too tired atm. SO HAVE THIS ]

[timelostobserver]

@cast-you-dxwn | “Lord, child. Let me look at you, what did they do to you?”

What had they done?

What hadn't they done...

Those were the questions that churned in Azrael's head. He was dizzy, disoriented from his Fall. His body was wrapped up in bandages, tended to by the Goetia. He was squinting, everything burned, everything hurt.. He'd lost so much of his golden blood that the avian demons tending to him were shocked he wasn't passed out.

Thus no doubt spoke of the fortitude of Angels, they weren't human after all. Something like blood-loss wouldn't take them down.

The fact they'd let anyone in the room at all was nothing short of a miracle. But it was on Paimon's orders.. rather for the staff to get OUT of the way of Lucifer's 'Knight' charging in.

Then again, it wasn't every day an angel fell, especially an Archangel.

Azrael's condition wasn't.. ideal, however. Sure they had bandaged him up, but there were glaring, open wounds on his back from where four of his six wings were torn out. Cuts that spoke of shattered glass scoured his body, arms and legs burnt from the fall, and a face that showed that he'd yet to stop crying...

He'd only just run out of tears left to shed.

He couldn't even look up at the one speaking to him, red eyes blurred with pain focused on the floor as his remaining pair of wings lay slumped at his sides. Burned of the raven black feathers they once sported, held together by a burning red membrane much like a bat. His halo.. gone, shattered upon impact, a crown of horns now instead took their place.

"Sera... she.." He barely managed to cough out. Azrael's voice was hoarse from his weeping.

"She kept.. she kept overruling me. S-she kept changing my verdicts.." Azrael's body shook.

"First Adam.. he w-was meant to go to Hell. But.. she said no." The newly Fallen Archangel crossed his arms, hands grasping into his bandaged forearms.

"T-then Abel.. poor sweet Abel.. She tried to say he did something t-to cause his murder.. Then Cain.." A hiccup.

"It kept happening. She kept.. she kept trying to do my job.. Th-the job I was made for." Everything he was. The very thing Father created to oversee the necessary evil of Creation.

Death.

An angel created to bring it upon the living, to keep balance in creation. To ensure life ended, and started anew. In a never-ending cycle. To act as the judge and jury of souls into the Afterlife.

"I.. I had enough. I was sick of her taking my work away from me.. I.. I bit her. I lashed out." On the table next to the newly fallen's bedside were two curious objects. A set of golden, radiant weighing scales.. and a black book with a golden skull and motifs.

"She attacked me, tore out four of my wings... cast me out in anger. I took my treasures with me... I wouldn't let her have them. Sh-she would abuse them. She would abuse the tools F-Father gave me." His voice petered out into a whimper at this point, Paimon looking on from the door-frame.

'.. Says his name is 'Azrael'...' He spoke quietly, mainly for Michael's ears. 'The rumored 'Angel of Death'. To think Sera would stoop as low to cast out Death itself from Heaven.'

[rpsocsandcanonohmy]

A Fighting Chance

Note: This is part of an ongoing story that can be read on AO3 here. Reading previous installments is reccomended for context purposes but is not required. Posted here for Whumptober 2021 @whumptober-archive

Day 6: Bruises

-------- The next day, Lori was tasked with helping Abilene around the house. Despite the size of the house and how many people trekked through it on any given day, very little of the work centered around cleaning. No, today, Lori was going to be testing her patience with cooking and food prep.

Lori knew how to cook. In theory. She knew how to use an oven (electric, gas, and the occasional wood-burner). She knew how to heat up something in a pan or a pot. She could even make a few things from scratch, assuming she had the ingredients handy, mostly eggs and pasta.

Food prepping for a ranch was a much different story.

There was no experimenting to see if the temperature dial was accurate. There was no obsessively checking the clock in lieu of a timer. There was no double-checking the instructions written on the box. 

Nope. Abby’s kitchen was run with fresh ingredients that were either being prepped for a later meal or being used in a current one. Abby had (semi-correctly) assumed Lori didn’t have much experience with cooking like this and just put her in charge of cutting vegetables or stirring sauces. Technically she was also a Taste Tester but that seemed more like an honorary title than a useful role.

She was chopping some apples under Abby’s not-so-subtle watch when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” she said, leaving Lori to her chopping. A few moments later, she heard giggling and the sound of loud footsteps coming near the kitchn. “Oh, Cordi’ll be so happy to see you! It’s been ages… Oh, Lori! Hoyt, this is Lori. She’s one of Stella’s friends from school; her dad’s out of town so she’s staying with us for a while.”

Lori smiled softly and waved. “Hi….”

“Howdy.”

Abby snorted and gently pet Lori’s back. “I’m gonna go check on Bonham and Liam. Will you two be alright alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

She turned back to her chopping. Hoyt came around the counter and grabbed a few pears to chop with her.

“So,” he started. “What happened?”

“Pardon?”

Hoyt chuckled. “You’re at home for the day on a school day, you’re working in the kitchen instead of being sick in bed, and I noticed that bandage. Something happened.”

Well. That was her caught. Lori shrugged, clearing away some apple chunks to make room for the next one. “I got into a fight. Some girl was being a bitch to Stella and August so I broke her nose.” There was no point in lying; it’d probably just come out later anyway.

“I can respect that,” Hoyt said. “Sounds like the kind of stuff I used to get into back in those days.”

Lori nodded, focusing on her chopping.

“You’re a good friend. Stella’s lucky she found you.”

She liked the way he said that, like she wasn’t some lucky charity case that got picked up out of pity. That didn’t make it any (potentially) less true, but still. Lori wondered if he had his own experience in a situation like that.

-----------

Lunch was miraculously uneventful. Hoyt didn't even ask her about why Liam was being careful around her, course he was likely too busy telling wild stories about whatever mess he’d gotten involved in while he was away. She was just glad not to be the topic of conversation at a meal for once.

She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket while she was putting away the last of the dishes. Checking to make sure no one was paying attention to her, Lori ducked into the next room and pulled out her phone. The text was from an unknown number, but she knew who it was. Only one person would text her out of the blue like this without an introduction.

[Text from: Unknown]: Hey boo. You still in Austin? There’s a tourney starting next week and I’d love to put your name in the ring. Withdrew your entry fee from my bank account today xo

[Text to: Unknown]: Hey. Yeah, I am. I’m not sure if I can compete though; I’m under a little surveillance atm

[Text from: Unknown]: When has that ever stopped you before lol xo

[Text to: Unknown]: It’s different

[Text from: Unknown]: Come onnnnnnn

[Text from: Unknown]: It’s a massive payout. Big city, big names, big tournament. It’s all monsters right now though. They’ll flip if they get a hunter in. Massive bucks sweetie 

[Text to: Unknown]: There’s always a massive payout

[Text from: Unknown]: Not like this. We’re talking almost 5 digits if you make it to the top

Okay, that was impressive. It would definitely come in handy when she met up with Dad again. They would definitely need the cash even if she didn’t have to pay bail this time.

[Text to: Unknown]: You know me so well

[Text from: Unknown]: Is that a yes?

[Text to: Unknown]: Duh

[Text to: Unknown]: Just get me the time and place

[Text from: Unknown]: I knew I could count on you xo

[Text from: Unknown]: I’ll get you the deets. Meet me in the locker room and we’ll discuss my cut

She wanted to respond but the number was blocked. Of course it was. That was how he operated. She’d never get used to that. He’d get her the address later, probably through email, and they’d just go from there. Like they always did.

All Lori had to do now was figure out how to sneak out….

------------

One day, Lori was going to suggest the Walkers invest in a security system that wasn’t accessible through a smart device. She’d have to figure out how to bring that up without mentioning she’d been able to bypass the alarms on Cordell’s phone with relative ease first though.

Regardless, she was out and headed for her destination. Why are these things always held in the most out of the way place possible? she thought as she entered the abandoned warehouse. She worked her way through the crowd, holding her duffle bag with her gear close to her chest, and headed for the locker room area. Once she was there, she got dressed and checked her first aid supply while she waited

“I was afraid you might back out,” came the all too familiar voice.

“Like I’d ever squelch on a deal with you,” Lori replied with a grin. She turned around and there he was, standing uncomfortably close as usual. “How’s the crowd looking?”

Darian grinned. “Very good turnout. I worked the room a bit, lot of people looking forward to seeing you in the cage. And, get this, they put you against a Were for your first fight!”

Of course they did. Hunter v. Monster fights drew a crowd as it was. Pitting a Hunter against their Thing? Pure gold. “Do you know anything about them?”

He shrugged. “Just that he’s a small thing with a big temper. It’s not his first rodeo but he’s not as well known as you. A lot of people are betting on you to win.”

“I take it you tossed your hat into that ring too?”

Darian smirked. “Always. Don’t worry, you’ll get your cut of that once you get to the top.”

Classic Darian, working all the possible angles. He was a smart guy, for a shapeshifter. She was about to respond when the fighting bell rang and her name was called over the loudspeakers.

“Showtime, babygirl. Make me proud!” Darian waved her off as she headed for the arena.

Lori took a deep breath and her mind cleared as she entered the cage. The crowd roared and she let it all wash over her. The sounds, the lights, the smells, everything. This was it. In here, she wasn’t a pitiable soul taken in by a friend. She wasn’t a reminder of her mother. She wasn’t a forgotten soul in the wasteland of The System. Here, she was Lori fucking Graves, one of the best fighters in the ring and the youngest hunter in the system. She was a badass, an icon, the love-to-hate-em fave. And she owned it.

The bell rang and the fight was on. Werewolves were tricky because of their claws and teeth, especially when she didn’t have a weapon of her own. But she’d been in worse situations before. A swift kick to the nuts took him to his knees and gave her the chance to land a few solid punches to his face before he got back up. A part of her couldn’t wait to see the bruises later. The larger part of her was regretting she couldn't run away faster when he lifted her above his head and threw her at the chain-link wall. That was going to smart later. But she could handle it.

Punch, kick, jab, punch, dodge, swerve, punchkickjabdodgepunchkickswerve and on it and on it went. Once she got into a rhythm, she could work off muscle memory and fall into a state of near zen. This is why she loved the fights. This is why she’d never walk away. This is why the payout was always worth it. This is why working around the bruises and scrapes would always be worth it, no matter who she was with.

It felt glorious. 

Her opponent was tiring out and she took advantage of that to elbow him in the face and knock him to the ground with a kick to the shin. She pinned him down and spit in his face while the ref counted her. 

She won.

She was bloody and bruising and she was definitely sleeping in tomorrow. 

But she won.

“Excellent work, darling.” Darian smiled proudly and gently clapped her on the shoulder as she stepped out the ring. “Payout for tonight is $915. Well, minus my cut, of course….” He handed Lori the cash and she stuffed it in her bag.

“Thanks. When’s the next one?”

“They’re gonna finish out the first round over the next couple days. I’ll text you the morning of so you have time to figure out your excuses.”

Lori shouldered her duffle bag and made her way to the back exit. “Alright. I’ll see you then.” 

It was a long walk back home, but the bills she counted later were more than worth it. She just had to figure out how she was going to hide the evidence from the rest of the house…..

[opepin]

august: week four

21: i woke up at 8:30 am and then did 30 minutes of hiit and it killed me LOL. my body felt up for it though and there was a bunch of sweating. i showered and then ate breakfast and woke kevin up. we both wfh’d today because we wanted to see the eclipse together :) plus, dave would be out until wednesday. i ordered my nike free tr7s from zappos and then i did some internet errands and started to go over some training stuff for tomorrow. x_x; it was a really chill day because everyone was too preoccupied with the solar eclipse haha. i got off a really short stand up and then kevin and i brought our leftovers outside to eat. we had the lobster and garlic bread for lunch outside in the courtyard while watching the eclipse. it was nice :) then we cleaned up and went back in. i think i was mainly distracted when i got back. i started feeling pretty crappy in the stomach area and i felt nauseous after a while too. ugh, these period symptoms got me going crazy this week. i laid down for a while and did my best to get through a call that phil led, which wasn’t too bad. then i did some window shopping on reformation clothing’s website and kevin helped me decide against buying a new dress LOL.

i had to try on my dress with my heels to restrain myself from buying another dress. when i felt a bit better, i worked out my legs and kevin went to cook. i showered and then watched agents of shield while kevin did his thang in the kitchen. he made taiwanese beef noodle soup because i have been craving it and i needed some tender lovin’ from soups for my stomach. i ate a lot today tbh, but i think i worked out enough to balance out the calories. i didn’t feel like i overate though? lol. idk. we watched more agents of shield and then i got a really bad tension headache. i laid there while watching another episode before calling it quits and brushing my teeth and washing the dishes. i hopped into bed and just ko’d because my head really hurt. i went to sleep at around 12:30 am.

22: i woke up at 8 am and just went on instagram to get to the eggie clothing launch. i was upset to find out that the one shirt i really wanted was sold out of smalls already :( so i decided not to get anything. lol this choice haunted me for the rest of the morning and afternoon T_T i should have gotten an xsmall. anyway, i spent 20 minutes on that in the morning and then did a low impact workout so i don’t kill my body from doing too many hiit workouts. then i showered, ate breakfast, and kevin left for work and then i hopped on the first call of the day. it was just me and a client and it went really well. she was super understanding! then i did some emailing and more regretting LOL. ugh, i need that black blazer and eggie tee and the try again tee in blush -- i guess i have to wait now. i also made another uniqlo order because the jeans i wanted were on sale and i tossed in 2 mock neck ribbed crops tops in there for only $3.80 each ;D lol sigh.

my second meeting of the day was rescheduled for tomorrow so i took this time to reassess my work stuff and do some internet errands. i watched agents of shield while working and then hopped on the third call of the day and right after, went on stand up that lasted an hour... haha... i continued watching agents of shield and then did a 40 minute back / arm workout. i showered and then chilled for the rest of the evening. it’s nice getting things done early. kevin came back from climbing, i washed the dishes, and he made dan dan noodles. we watched more agents of shield and then he went to game and i watched another episode. lol, i feel like i can’t trust anyone in that show anymore T_T i called it a night at 11 pm. i brushed my teeth and ko’d in bed at around 11:30 am. zzzz.

23: i woke up pretty energized but i checked my phone and happened to check my chase account and i got charged a service fee -__-” so i had to deal with that later on in the morning. first thing’s first though -- i did a kickboxing workout, showered, and ate breakfast. then i hopped on the train and the man sitting next to me reeked of smoke and body odor T____T it was the most unpleasant train ride to work that i’ve ever experienced... i got to work at around 9:30 am and then went into a telephone booth to figure out this darn chase thing. the customer representative was not helpful at all so i sent chase a secure message asking for a first time fee waiver. then i talked to dave about the eclipse and started prepping for my prep call with phil, ahha. my call went really well. we got a lot of work done and i feel more confident of doing training on my own now. well, we only got through one section of it but we’ll schedule more time later.

it was a very quiet day but i bumped into cait in the kitchen and talked with her for a bit. joe came in the afternoon and we talked for a bit. we got on stand up and after that, i finished my work (had to erase some templates to make more space) and then packed up and walked to kevin. we met on the bridge and walked to south station and went home. we had a small argument about accessing saving account money with atm cards and/or debit cards. i got mad because i hate it when he’s right because he thinks he’s right all the time. -__-” we both turned out to be right and kevin kept teasing me which made me even angrier. so we talked about it when we got home and then i took like an hour nap in the bed with kevin while he read and/or gamed. then he went for a run and i did my oblique workout. i showered first and then chilled for the rest of the day. kevin made eggs and chives and this new green bean recipe for dinner. we watched agents of shield and then kevin went to game and i watched a bit more before going to sleep. zzzz. it was nice coming home early and just cuddling with kevin (:

24: this was the first time in a while where i turned off my alarm and ko’d right away. luckily, i only woke up 15 minutes later and then i got up and did my low-impact workout for the morning. i took my time getting to work resulting in me getting there later than usual, but i let dave know and i skyped him on the train to ask for more work to do. i started working on a journey map and creating a few icons :) i changed into glasses again today to gauge how comfortable my eyes are with the computer again and wearing them constantly. my prescription is high so i’m still getting used to it. dave had to step out for a bit and then i bumped into a bug that byron had to fix himself so i tried walking to uniqlo with my glasses during this “break” but walked back because my eyes felt really tired and it was too bright outside with too many moving people.... oh, also i felt bad for using about an hour’s worth of work time to walk there while dave was dealing with something.

so i walked back and then worked on the map some more. byron fixed it fairly quickly! dave got back before 4 pm so it’s a good thing i didn’t leave for long. my eyes felt tired so i took my glasses off for a bit and rested them. i’ll walk to uniqlo after work and take my time; kevin won’t be back until 8 pm because he’s climbing today so i’ll have enough time to get my stuff, go back home, exercise, and get the chicken thighs in the oven. ;D there was only one hour left of work and i just had questions for dave so i did internet errands while dave finished a call. i talked with dave, made some changes, and then i was basically done for the day. i walked over to faneuil hall by memory and without my gps because my phone was at like 10% when i left the office. i picked up my order and tried on the items in the changing room. i took a while because i needed opinions on whether to keep the two shirts i got as well as the boyfriend slim fit jeans i got from uniqlo. i got two ‘yes’es from michelle and vivian so then i walked to downtown crossing and commuted home. i got back at like 6:40 pm.

i got my shipping box for my macbook pro trade-in as well as my new nike free tr 7s; tbh, i was kind of underwhelmed. :( i think it’s because there were too many color ways that were pretty nice but none that i loved. i went with the black / lava glow / anthracite color way, which i think is the nicest one that isn’t too girly. anyway, i was a bit rushed because i opened my packages, put my macbook in the box, tried on my shoes, ate a snack because i was pretty hungry, seasoned and put the chicken thighs into the oven, washed rice (and apparently forgot to hit cook Dx), put away and washed the dishes, and clean up all the boxes we have in the apartment. we have a ton of boxes in our apartment right now and we haven’t even begun moving LOL.

well, i managed that and then kevin got back home from climbing, showered, and i went straight into doing a free weight butt workout, which i love! it burns so good lolol. then i showered while the rice actually cooked and kevin and i ate dinner while watching agents of shield. he went to game and i continued watching. i stayed up until 1 am for some reason -- it felt like a weekend. i ended up going to bed at the same time as kevin, which happens rarely. :P he wants to do other things instead of just watching tv together so we’re gonna brainstorm what we can do. i think it’d be fun to game with each other, but also scary territory because most of the time, i’m a sore loser @_@; we’ll see!

25: it was a nice day to wfh. i woke up pretty sore so i just did some hip hop cardio in the morning. then i ate breakfast and showered. kevin left for work and i did some errands. i re-ordered my new nikes in a 7.5 because the 7s seem a bit too tight. then i started making wireframes for a new feature in ux360 while watching agents of shield! i finished the second season and the next one seems a bit weird... i got on a client call with dave and phil and then worked some more before stand up. i am very happy with my prototype right now and i spent more time adding in more functionality to it in axure (: ahhh, so much fun! after work, i ate a scallion bun as a snack and some chips while watching youtube videos. hm, i think what’s plaguing my mind right now is when eggie is going to restock the items i want LOL. i think i am in a fashion phase right now @_@; i did my workout, kevin got back home, and then we played a trivia game together. then i went to shower while kevin made dinner. we had a really late dinner because we played that game...lol oops. we didn’t watch anything while eating because we were starving. then kevin went on a run and i watched an episode of shield on my ipad before going to sleep... it was a nice start to the week. 

26: i woke up at 10 am and just took it easy this morning. kevin and i looked for coop games on steam and i did some internet errands. i ended up watching the rest of the digimon tri series that i forgot to watch. there’s still part 5 that’s not out yet, but now i’m excited. kevin gamed and then we meal planned and went grocery shopping. we stopped at kam man and bj’s and also got my car washed :) lol we’re still noobs at going to car washes. we got back home and then put everything away and started going through the games that kevin bought on steam. we played a lot of overcooked -- we both really liked it. then we started cooking dinner. kevin cooked the ribeye on the cast iron skillet and i made garlic mashed potatoes :) we ate dinner while watching agents of shield and then after digesting, i did my 45 minute workout. kevin tried getting me to play portal knights at like 12 am after he showered but i was so tired and i got grumpy because the set up took so long. i was tired and ko’d before 2 am. x__x; it was a pretty productive day though, and kevin’s idea of playing coop games together seems like it’s going well.

27: i woke up earlier than kevin again to clean the kitchen and bathroom. kevin did wake up earlier today though. we ate breakfast and after i put the fleece blankets in the wash, we went straight to gaming. we started playing the other coop games that kevin purchased yesterday. we gave portal knights another chance but it was meh. out of the ones that we played, we really liked ibb & obb and battleblock theater from this batch. then we went to get our thai massage! the massage was just ok today because a different person massaged me and she was either too gentle or too hard. i did get walked on though :O afterward, i started washing our clothes and then we ate lunch outside. then we continued to play games. i legit started crying while laughing while playing ibb & obb. i’m really bad at jumping but it was so funny. kevin asked what was wrong with me LOL. we stopped gaming at around 6 or 7 pm and kevin cooked off the last piece of steak while i did a 60 minute kickboxing routine. he ate while i worked out and then i went to shower and ate while watching agents of shield. kevin washed the dishes and then watched with me for a bit. i folded the clothes and stuff and then we continued gaming. we ended the night playing overcooked and battleblock theater until 11:30 pm. i went to sleep at like 12:30 am or something because i was still really excited about all the games we played together <3 hehe, it was a good idea to do this. it was a great weekend :)