The angel looked me over, giving that dismissive look that Mike was famous for when he was new.
"You do not need to know." That must be in their training manual.
I leaned forward. "Yes. I do."
"This information is not pertinent to humans." His sneer was familiar too. "Clearly, that other angel has spoilt you too much. Crossed certain boundaries."
"Don't you dare blame Mi-"
"Answer her, feathers." Lou sipped his drink calmly, cutting me off. "Her anger might not mean much to you, but what about mine?" Surprise crossed through me as he said that. Lou was doing this for Mike?
I let my mouth fall shut, dismissing my anger as I met the angel's eye. He shifted a bit in his seat, the threat getting through to him. His blue eyes shifted between me and Lou, and I saw his demeanor finally change when he broke eye contact. "I was given orders to turn up tonight in his place if he didn't."
"And where is he supposed to be?"
"Investigating."
Lou cocked his head. "Investigating what exactly?" So, he didn't remember what Mike said last time.
My jaw tightened. I'd never told Lou about this. "He won't know. Mike didn't tell me either."
"Feathers talked to you about this and you never told me?"
"Didn't think it important." I pulled back, placing my arms across my chest. "We fought. I didn't want to relive it."
"I see." Lou turned his head to meet the angel's wary eyes. "Move away a few seats. I've gotten accustomed to the others idiot's scent, I'm not getting used to yours too."
The angel looked down. I thought he'd resist, but he stood up, heading a few seats down the bar to take a seat. Lou's nose twitched and he exhaled. "That's better. Now, stay there. And you-" Lou pointed at me. "Explain."
I shrugged. "I don't know much, Lou. All Mike said is he's investigating the town to check if it's a safe place for me. It wasn't sitting right with him."
"And the fight?"
A sigh escaped me. "He said he'd have to take me back to the city if something fishy turned up."
"Interesting. But..." Lou cocked his head. "What exactly is it that he's investigating?"
I grimaced, placing my hands on the counter. "It's hard to explain, Lou."
"Try." He replied, swirling his drink and watching me over the rim of the glass.
I figured he'd say that. Rolling my shoulders, I waited a moment to gather my thoughts before replying. "This place is a bit stifling. He mentioned if I felt anything because you once said I have good instincts, so I explained this to him."
"'stifling'?"
"That's the only way I can describe it." I shrugged. "He said you might not understand."
Lou frowned, throwing me an annoyed look. "Can you two stop assuming stuff about me? I'm just a simple demon."
"Who's way too overpowered to know what we're feeling."
"Oh. I see." He pulled away from the bar, finger pointing at me. "So, you two bonded over how weak you both are."
I sighed, turning away from Lou. So this is how it's going to be. "Sure." I knocked the wood in front of the new guy. "You need a drink?"
His blue eyes shifted over my selection. "I've never had one."
"Oh." I pulled back. "First time in a human body?"
The angel hesitated before replying. "No. But I haven't indulged in alcohol yet."
"Okay." I nodded, turning to look at that bar. "Anything interest you?"
"What's the other angel always drink?"
"Tequila, neat."
"I'll have th-"
"No. Pick something else." I cut him off.
"Why n-"
"Pick something else."
Silence. "What's that blue bottle?"
"Curacao."
"That?"
"Sure. Neat? On the rocks?"
"You add rocks?"
My eyes went to the ceiling, before I turned to meet his blue eyes. "Ice. It means ice."
"Apologies. Your lingo is still new to me."
"Taken. How do you want to drink it?"
"How is it drunk?"
"The way she just described it, feathers." Lou sounded a lot more annoyed than me.
The angel flinched at Lou's voice. He's not going to last. "Give it with the rocks."
"Right." That took a bit. I reached for the bottle, hearing the bell above the door ding as I was taking it down. Mi-
"Hey, Ryleigh! Been a while!"
I twisted quickly upon hearing that voice. "Axel? What are you doing here?"
He stopped in his tracks, the two demons behind him stopping as well. "You don't sound too happy to see me."
My eyes went to Lou, who carefully avoided my eyes. "What happened to our deal?"
"I never agreed to it." He shrugged, taking a sip. "You've got customers."
"Unfortunately, so." I mumbled, sighing as I started pouring out the new guy's drink. "Place your order."
"You don't sound too happy about it, Ryleigh." Axel spoke up as he strode towards the bar. "I thought I was a friend."
"You are." I slid the bright blue drink across before looking up.
"Then, where was my goodbye?"
"I didn't say goodbye to anyone, Axel." Placing my hands on my hips, I gave him a smile and a nod. "It is, however, good to see you. Order?"
"Two beers and one Blue Lagoon." He looked at the angel. "That's giving me a craving for it."
"On it." I exhaled loudly, turning to meet Lou's eyes. "We need to have a word."
"Uh, I'm le-"
"Stay, Lou." I hissed at him, narrowing my eyes as he kept avoiding them.
"No guarantees." He mumbled into his glass.
"So..." Axel ignored the tense air between Lou and I, leaning on the counter as he spoke. "Why here?"
"I got a good job." I shrugged, pulling down the blue alcohol again. "And the owners kind of left me to be responsible for this place."
"That's rather trusting."
"I know."
"Must be th-"
"Grace? I know." I replied tiredly, dropping some ice cubes into a shaker. "What's been up with you?" I asked, closing the shaker and raising it.
"I-" Axel was, unfortunately enough, cut off with the sound of the ice crashing around in the metal shaker.
I lowered it half a minute later, giving him a sheepish smile. "My bad."
Axel laughed, shaking his head easily. His black eyes were glinting with amusement. "That's fine. Now, do I have to come over there to get a hug, or are you stepping out anytime soon?"
I rolled my eyes. "Give me a few, Axel. I'll step out." I tilted the shaker, pouring out the bright blue drink into a tall glass. "This place back here is only for me. It's my safe space." I heard Lou scoff. My glare met the side of his head. "It's my safe. Space."
Axel chuckled as he glanced between the two of us. I slid his drink in front of him, turning away to pop open two beers. "I'll come to the table with you." I threw over my shoulder as I headed to exit the back of the counter. Grabbing a tray to place the two beers on.
Axel followed me to where his friends were sitting. I recognised them as my regulars, exchanging a few general pleasantries and the usual flirtatious lines demons liked to drop in between. I placed the tray on the table right as Axel placed his drink down before I turning to face him. "Alright. Bring i-oof-"
I had no warning before I was suddenly pulled into an extremely tight hug. A breathy laugh escaped me he squeezed tighter, humming happily into my hair. "Hmmm, I'm so glad you still smell the same."
"Kind of creepy, but thank you." I wheezed out, pausing a moment to tap his shoulder. "Can you... let go? I can't... breathe."
His response was to squeeze me tighter, making me grunt and start seeing stars before letting me go. I stumbled away, placing a hand on the table beside theirs to catch my breath and fix my vision. "Watch your strength, Axel. You almost broke a rib."
"Ah, don't be so dramatic, Ryleigh." He waved a hand dismissively, placing them across his chest. "I..." He trailed off, eyes going wide right as I felt a chill crawl up my back.
My head snapped around to the source of it. Lou's essence was crawling across the floor, wrapping around my ankles like smoke on a dance floor as it made it's way towards Axel. Actually, it had already made it's way there. Axel's eyes were wide open, fear clear in them as he felt his body lock up. My own knees were starting become unresponsive.
"Lou!" I snapped. No sign of any response from him. Not even a nod. "Hey! Stop it! Don't threaten my customers!"
I saw his shoulders hunch. My eyes went back to Axel, realising that the essence's progress up Axel's body had stopped. It hung in the air for a moment, just under his chest before starting to retract. I rolled my eyes, giving a pale-looking Axel an apologetic look. "Sorry. Enjoy your drinks." My voice was a bit deadpan as I hid my irritation.
I picked up the tray, heading back to Lou. My hand snapped out to whack him on the back of his head as I walked past. "Don't threaten my customers." I repeated.
He threw me an annoyed glare. "I should've said yes."
I snickered, replacing the tray and stopping to refill his glass. "You should've accepted my deal."
"Yup." He mumbled, eyes on mine as he sipped the glass. "Don't hug him again, if you know what's good for you."
I gave him a condescending smile. "Don't tell me what to do in my own bar if you want another drink."
Our challenges hung in the air as I turned away. The angel's glass was empty. I started to refill it. "In case you still don't know what to do,-" I jerked my head towards Lou as his blue eyes watch me "-you're supposed to stop those kind of situations."
"Demon infighting only benefits our kind." He paused. "Thank... you."
Surprise crossed through me. A polite angel. Those were rare to come by. My smile towards him this time was genuine. "No problem. Just call me over anytime you need a refill."
He nodded as I stepped away, heading back to Lou, but the bell above the door dinged again. It was more angels this time around. Familiar ones.
"I should've agreed to the deal." Lou mumbled, head turned to the side and nose wrinkled.
"You should have." I gave the angels a wide smile as they approached the bar. "What can I get you fine, feathered beings today?"
"G&T. Three."
Weirdly enough, I missed this. "Yup. Be right up." None of the three stayed at the bar. They all headed to a table in a corner. Good enough. I had questions to ask.
The sets of eyes on their silent table strayed to me as I approached them. "Do any of you know where's Mike?" I asked, placing their drinks in front of them.
"That is not information you're privy to, human." The one on my right spoke.
"Yeah." I replied easily, placing the last drink in front of her. "Which is why I'm asking you."
"You don't need to know."
"I do. Because I'm concerned." Tucking the tray back under my arm, I gave the lady a sheepish smile. "I need to apologize to him for something I said. If you can't tell me where he is, atleast tell me when he'll be back."
"You don't need to know." She replied in the same tone, raising her glass for a sip.
I cocked my head, trying to keep my voice calm. Angels not answering something was the norm for them. But it was still worrying. "Listen up. Mike is a friend to me. And I'm concerned for him, even if you're not. Even if I don't need to know, I want to." I placed my arms across my chest. "Where is he?"
The angel finally looked up from her drink, meeting my eyes with the kind of irritation in it you aim at a bug. "Go away. You're not getting an answer."
"Give her an answer." Lou's voice was quiet, but it vibrated in my chest. I turned to look at him, seeing his essence swell up for the second time tonight.
"Are you threatening us, demon?" The angel on my left spoke up.
"I don't threaten, feather." His essence was still rising. The air was getting colder. "I act. Answer her question. I'm also curious about what your kind is up to."
I turned back around to look at their table. The three exchanged glances as a long silence followed. I could only imagine them conversing during it.
I shifted as I waited for an answer, looking over my shoulder a few times in the hopes that Lou would retract his essence. It was my first day back with with my old regulars. I didn't want a fight.
"Here's your answer, human." I met the eyes of the one on my right again. "The angel you know as 'Mike' has gone underground."
I frowned. "Underground?"
"Fancy term for 'missing'." Axel volunteered. His black eyes showed he was very interested in our conversation. "They don't know where he is."
"What?" I turned back to meet the blue eyes. "You don't know where he is? Is that even possible?"
The angels gave me a scathing look as I called their knowledge into question. "We do not know where he is, nor is it our job to keep track of him."
"Yes, but..." Lou spoke up again. "As much as I know about your kind, which is a lot, you guys are all connected telepathically, aren't you?" His next words had a disgusted undertone. "A 'hive mind' even."
I knew Lou was telling the truth when the angels shifted uneasily. I might lose some regulars tonight. "It is... true."
"So, you haven't heard from him?" I met all their eyes. "At all?"
"We haven't made the effort to contact him."
"Oh, please." Axel scoffed. "A small community like yours- you would know or atleast hear about it if one of you goes radio silent. Just tell the girl where he is already!"
The angel to my left sneered. "Stay out of this, demon. We are not going to give away the location of another even if we knew it."
A chill crossed through me. It was not because of the essence. "Even if you knew it..." I repeated quietly. "So, does that mean you don't know where he is?"
The angel stiffened, meeting my eyes and shaking his head vehemently. "I did not say that."
"You slipped up, feathers." Lou snickered behind me. I felt the essence retract. "Good enough. Any longer and I would've forced it out of you."
All three sets of eyes flashed bright, essences condensing around their body in defense upon being threatened. I sighed. "Calm down. There's no fighting allowed in my bar. I'm not going to let anything start while I'm here." My voice was calm and low, but they didn't respond to it. It was like my words fell on deaf ears.
I sighed, reaching up to run a hand through my hair. Why would they trust a human, right? "Enjoy your drinks." I mumbled, turning away and heading back behind the bar.
I hadn't liked those words. Angels were a tightly-knit community. As far as I knew, every single death hit each of them hard. They could feel the repercussions of a soul lost as hard as if it was their own. I still remembered Mike's state when he'd come to me in the middle of the war. These angels knew he was missing. And they'd been trying to cover for him, but I could sense their worry too. As far as I knew, there was only one reason for going silent, and that was death. But they'd feel the death of their own. And I'm sure they'd tell me.
My eyes went to the replacement sitting at the bar, swirling his blue drink and sitting in silence. "Hey." I walked up to him. He looked up at being called. "You would tell me if Mike was... dead, right?"
"A permanent change in the watch assigned to you would be informed." The angel nodded.
The worry I was feeling finally manifested itself in my face. 'Permanent change'- I guess that's as much of a guarantee I can get of him being alive. He's not permanently gone.
Nodding in thanks, I filled up his glass again. He spoke up as I was turning away. "Can I ask you something, human?"
I turned my head to meet his eyes, nodding once. "Shoot."
"Why do you care so much for the angel?"
Angels always had a subtext to their questions. He's checking if I have feelings for Mike that go beyond friendly. "Mike's a friend." I replied without hesitation. "He's helped me through a lot. Tomorrow, if Axel goes missing without a note or a warning, I'd be equally concerned." I paused. "I'm not biased to either kind."
"I see." He nodded. I could see I'd answered his question satisfactorily. "It surprises me that you call demons your friends too."
My eyes moved quickly to the demons in my bar. None of them seemed fazed by it. These kind of insults and discriminatory remarks must be the norm for them. "Yes, I do." I narrowed my eyes at him. "And I'd rather you stopped suggesting being on good terms with both angels and demons is so 'surprising'. I'm good to whoever is good to me. There's nothing else to read into that." My voice had turned a bit more scathing than I'd intended during my last sentence. But I meant it.
Being acquaintances with both angels and demons should not be so controversial for me at this point. They all know why I am here. They all know what led to me being here at this point. I wasn't dropped into it with my consent, but I'd tried to take in my stride as much as I could.
Turning away from the angel, I walked over to Lou to refill his glass. "Thanks for helping me out there." I nodded. He nodded back. "But why did you help?" I pulled the bottle back, capping it and placing it back on the counter. "I thought you hated Mike."
"I do." Lou drawled, raising his glass to eye level. He continued as he stared at the golden liquid. "I couldn't care less if feathers lived or died. However..." he swirled the drink, meeting my eyes sideways. "I do admit to being curious about what he's investigating."
I smirked. "Aww. You miss him too."
"Not at all."
"It's okay, you don't need to hide it." I snickered, reaching out to pat his shoulder as I turned away. "It's perfectly normal."
"Don't disgust me, Ryleigh." His reply was deadpan. "Which, by the way, happens to be the only emotion I feel for their kind. I couldn't be less bothered about who's coming to mess with my personal time with you everyday."
"It's not personal time if I have other customers." I sing-songed, laughing as I did.
Lou sighed into his glass. "I should have accepted the deal."
"Agreed."
I paused by the sink, my mood raised a bit with the tiny bit of teasing but the worry still lingered.
My eyes flickered to Lou. He's strong. Even if something or someone were to attack him, he'd live through it. I don't know if I can say the same for Mike. Which is what was my main cause of worry. Even if he was in trouble, I wouldn't know it because the angels never share. And it might be my fault.
It might be all because I decided to stop in this town.
"Ryleigh."
I looked up from the sink as I heard Lou's voice. He met my eyes over his glass. "Don't worry. I'll find out what's going on."
"I'm not worried about what's going on, Lou." I looked back down at the sink. "I'm worried about Mike. I couldn't give two shits if there's an underground, virgin-sacrificing cult in this town.x
"Ouch. Would you have the same concern for me if I go missing?"
"You up and vanish on me all the time, Lou." My reply was dry.
"Hey, I-"
"But-" I cut him off "-if the circumstances were the same as Mike, I would." I looked up at him. "If you're going to be investigating what's going on here, I have only one request for you."
Lou's brow furrowed, disinterest crossing his eyes. "Let me guess- bring feathers back safe?"
"Yes. But I'm sure you'll bump into him and inform me what's really going on, unlike these guys." I jerked my head towards the angels table in the corner.
"Then what is it?"
"Don't go missing as well. I don't have the energy to worry about the both of you the whole time."
Lou snickered, shaking his head to himself as he raised his glass for a drink. "Roger that, captain."
I laughed to myself. "Good luck, Sherlock."
******************
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Interesting development.
Is this foreshadowing where there actually is an underground, virgin-sacrificing cult somewhere in this town?
Nah. This isn't that type of book...
Or is it?
Also,
Happy Halloween!
Hope you had a great time indoors and social distancing and staying safe and doing your part towards avoiding Miss Rona roaming out there.
Hope you enjoyed your candy just like you enjoyed this chapter!
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