"...Men are staring at me." Rikive muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She had never worn so little clothing before in all her life. She felt as though she was naked, the 'bikini' Parael had picked out for her left very, very little to the imagination. Even the robe she had insisted on getting to help cover up didn't lend much in the way of modesty. The fabric, while a lovely colorful pattern, was extremely sheer. It was better than nothing though.

She turned her head to glare at a few of those men before she sat down on the sand next to Parael. The sand was warm and felt nice to dig her toes into after slipping off her sandals. She didn't feel like swimming, it meant she'd have to take off her cover and be completely exposed.

She put the towel around her shoulders and relaxed. As well as she could anyway. She was nervous waiting for one of her relatives to appear and punish her for what happened with the Fairy Queen. After the thunder storm it had grown suspiciously quiet and she didn't know if that was good or bad.

Her green eyes settled on Parael, watching him for a moment with a frown. He had been acting rather off the other day, he had barely moved from his bed and seemed quite disoriented. She attributed his weakness to being left drained from the curse that had been placed on him. He appeared to be doing better, but maybe he needed a bit more bed rest?

I sound like a mother hen. She mentally shook her head and looked back out toward the water. The past few days, she had been replaying the events of the Fairy Queen over and over again. It had sounded like someone hired her to take care of Parael. Either kill him or make him something so helpless that he wouldn't be able to do...anything really. Somebody clearly saw him as a threat and just because the Queen had failed to take care of him, didn't mean that whoever hired her would stop.

Rikive had tried to bring this up to him a few times, not sure if he had thought about such a possibility or not. But hesitated because of how exhausted he seemed. It wasn't as though now was an opportune time to mention it either. Too many people around that could overhear them. She didn't know what a bunch of mortals would think of the conversation, but better to be safe than deal with an even bigger mess.

"Maybe we should go back to the center once the sun sets?" She suggested with a small shrug, looking up to the clouds, searching for any sign of her uncle. Her father couldn't leave his post, so likely Thor would be the one to come get her. "I fear you will put me in something more revealing then these...scraps of fabric I'm wearing now if we go shopping." She was trying to speak more like modern mortals so they would stop giving her such strange looks every time she opened her mouth.

"Men are staring at you because you look good," Parry said, looping his hands behind his head. "You've got a good body. You'll catch a fine husband some day. Or wife, if that's your thing and it's legal in Asgard."

The law in Asgard was a funny thing when Parry visited last. Back in the 1000s or so, give or take a decade. Heimdall was fun, if a little dour. Thor struck him as a huge jock type, unable or willing to let anyone question his masculinity (though there was always that story of him dressing up as a woman to trick a frost giant that made Parry snicker a bit on the inside). Freya was a classier Aphrodite. And Odin was the old grandpa you were afraid to get on the bad side of, terrified he'd beat the shit out of you. Plus he seemed to know everything at every time.

The worst combination of Santa Claus and Chris Brown ever imagined.

Loki was the only one who had a spirit of fun about him. Always wanting to do new things, meet new people, and poke them with a stick to see what they would do. Man, they had some good times. Maybe they could go back someday, without popping up on the Celestials' radar.

"And don't forget that I only told you what looked cool. You could've taken the one-piece suit I showed you. Just because I say it makes you look like a grandma doesn't mean it's necessarily true."

Parry shifted his legs slightly, his rash flaring up as it came into contact with some sand on the breeze.

Yeah, this was a bad idea. I'm gonna need to moisturize the fuck out of that rash. Stupid fairy queen.

As he was leaning forward to brush the sand off his thighs, Parry caught sight of an ass walking past him. And not the kind that walked on four legs.

He was shy of six feet tall, mocha skin and with a shaved head wearing a Speedo. The man gave Parry a sidelong glance beneath his own sunglasses, eyes all white with no pupils, and blew a kiss toward each of them before walking toward the tacky gift shop not fifty yards away. The worst part of the display? Was the sick smell of tar wafting off off the shimmering body as it moved past the two of them.

"Uh-huh, yeah," Parry said, ignoring most of what Rikive had to say about going back to the center as he watched that ass walk away. "You know what's six feet tall, has the body of a Greek God and looks a Celestial dead in the eye before walking into a heavily populated gift shop?

"A Demon."

Parael had a point there, the one piece had covered more but she didn't want to look like an elderly woman or seem like one. Also, she hadn't realized how much worse it would feel wearing a two piece in public compared to the privacy of a fitting room. This was truly her own fault, but now she knew better. Or she just needed to get used to the strange fashion mortals wore.

She may not enjoy wearing revealing clothing, but she did like to see men wearing it. Hypocritical of her? Most definitely. She noticed the tall bronzed skin man approach before Parael did and admired his sculpted form. He looked fairly strong and she was wondering if he had any skill in fighting when the smell hit her.

It nearly made her retch.

"You don't say?" She responded, waving her hand in front of her nose to shoo away the awful smell of tar. "What should we do?" She asked him seriously, frowning in the direction the speedo clad demon had gone. "Do we need to vanquish him?" She looked toward Parael's diaper bag where she had put Winterthorn.

If her first two days with Parael had taught her anything, it was to never, ever, leave her sword far from her reach when they were out in the city.

It was the worst kind of dilemma for Parry. On the one hand, a demon was antithetical to his very existence- a creature that existed to consume creation rather than tend to it. His hand was all but reaching into the bag for his own blade.

On the other, Parry had hung up his wings centuries ago and was not at the height of his powers. Rikive and he might be able to subdue the demon, but defeat was not certain. Not head on at least.

"Need?" Parry said, tipping his sunglasses further down his nose. "We don't need to do anything. But... it might not hurt to follow it. Just to see what's up."

Parry cocked an eyebrow at Rikive as the demon sauntered into the shop.

"At the very least, wearing a Speedo in public like that is probably a mortal crime. Might as well be naked."

Rikive snorted at the comment and shook her head. "It may look suspicious if we both got up and followed after it." She observed, as he had looked at both of them as he walked by. Her eyes landed on a cart near the door to the gift shop where a man was selling something called Italian Ice.

"What if we went to that cart?" She asked him, motioning to the frozen treats while standing up. "We have a good view of the shops door and there's a line. We might be able blend in with the people in it." A thought occurred to her and she crouched back down on her haunches. "Unless...do you think there's a possibility it knows what we are just as thou could tell what it was?"

Parry wrinkled his nose at the idea of hiding behind an Italian Ice cart like they were in some cheesy Scooby-Doo episode. The demon had waltzed into the shop, but so far no screams, crashes or explosions of dark energy followed in its wake. As far as Parry knew, demons spent all their time lusting after the essence of the living. Not buying tacky hats from a tourist shop.

"If it knows what we are, it either doesn't care or wasn't in the mood to start shit. I think it'd be best to leave it be. But..." Parry rolled on his side, then stood and hoisted the diaper bag over his shoulder, "I'd be up for getting some Lemon-Lime ice if you would too."

Rikive furrowed her eyebrows. "Well...alright, I suppose." She muttered, confused by Parael's change in heart to keep an eye on the demon. Maybe it really was nothing for them to concern themselves over? After what just happened with the Fairy Queen however, she didn't want to take chances.

She took the towel off from around her shoulders and draped it over her arm while putting her sandals back on. They walked the short distance to the cart and she kept an eye on the doors to the gift shop just to be sure. She hardly paid much mind to the humans around her until she noticed a man in a trench coat approaching the line. Something about his walk and the expression on his face seemed off.

The short, pudgy man stopped in front of them and opened his trench coat, revealing that he was completely naked underneath. A human next to Parael that was drinking a soda, spat it out in surprise.

Rikive stared, stunned for a moment before bursting into surprised and disbelieving laughter. It was by far the strangest, dumbest thing she had seen a mortal do and she believed Parael would say, 'he's tripping on something hard'. He covered himself back up then went running away as fast as he could.

"Well then!" Rikive said, still laughing and covering her eyes while shaking her head.

PArry wasn't too happy to be in the vicinity of a Demon. But he wasn't happy about the rash either, and all things considered, he could deal with both. It was nice out, the sun was starting to go down, there were plenty of bodies to look at. He even got Italian Ice for the ludicrous price of 5.50 a cup, and he had to fish in his bag for cash because the seller wouldn't take cards; he wasn't in the 21st century apparently.

To top it all off, while Rikive's ice was a nice snowy mound, Parry's was a frozen snowball- the kind you could throw at someone and leave a bruise that'd show the next morning.

What he couldn't deal with was the ludicrous perv who opened his jacket in a public place. Rikive found it hilarious, and Parry had to snicker as the guy ran off.

"Holy shit. I've heard of 'Micros' before but... I kind of feel sorry for the guy." Parry frowned, watching the guy run as pool security started chasing after him. He looked at his Italian Ice ball, then at Rikive, and his snickers turned into an evil grin.

"I never taught you how to throw a baseball," Parry said, starting to walk in the same direction as the man was running. His right hand settled on the ice ball, clutching it hard. "You take the ball in one hand, like this. You rotate, then lead with the foot on the same side. Like so."

The Ice ball went flying forward, sailing across the boardwalk until it impacted on the back of the perv's skull. He flew forward and landed face first in the sand, where security promptly tackled him.

"Wanna try it-"

There was a loud crash inside the tourist shop. Parry watched through the front window as a kid went down on the floor and took a tee-shirt rack with him. On the far side of the shop, the Demon's silhouette walked through into the back of the store.

"Fuckin' demons," Parry grumbled, putting his hands back in his pockets. "Always gotta ruin a good thing."

A small crowd had gathered inside the store, someone shouting "Jason? JASON!" while on of the clerks grabbed the house phone to call 9-1-1. The demon's stench hung in the air, but Parry caught a whiff of something else. Something he liked far less as he approached the half dozen people watching as a mother hovered over a bald, pale-skinned teenage child.

Jason Moore, age 13, Stage 3 Liver Cancer. From the smell I'd peg him at a 60-40 survival rate. If the chemo doesn't do it eventually.

He fucking hated knowing all that shit about the kid. Came with the old job though, and some skills he couldn't lose when the wings were hung up.

Parry had to tear his eyes away and look back at the exit door where the demon had slunk out.

"C'mon," he said to Rikive, nodding at the back door. "Let's get a leg up. There's enough people here."

Rikive grinned and was about to congratulate Parael for his amazing throw when the crash from inside the shop caught her attention. She frowned listening to what Parael was saying as her eyes landed on the sickly looking teen. Looks like the demon had done something and she nodded in agreement. Now they had to see what it was up to before it hurt anyone else.

They made their way into the store, carefully avoiding the crowd and trying not to attract too much attention as they went to the back door. Rikive set her frozen treat on a shelf and went to the door ahead of Parael. She pressed her ear against it for a moment before opening it and stepping through the doorway.

Outside the back door, the scene was very different from what was in the front of the store. The quaint beachfront facade was gone, replaced instead by a generic back alley. Dumpsters lined the wall, trash on the pavement, and graffiti sprayed on the bricks by kids with too much time on their hands.

So the 12 foot tall creature hanging above the ground by black spider-webs definitely didn't fit the scenery.

The demon had given up that perfect ass for eight legs and a spinneret and stinger, covered in coarse hairs while from the waist up, it maintained the human form it held walking outside of the beach front property. In its front hands it clutched a flickering blue flame, while its front four legs held another form of prey.

A woman, blue-robed and black haired like, dressed for battle in overlapping plates. Six ribbons of white light shimmered from her back while on the pavement, a freshly polished iron blade and winged helm sat in a pile.

"Oh fuckberries," Parry whimpered.

There was a new Celestial in town. But was she hunting Parry or the Demon? Or was she looking for Rikive?

No answer to that question was a good one.

Rikive gasped when she saw the demon's true form and the woman it held in it's clutches. A warrior of the Heavens it would appear. Though she looked like she was losing her battle to the demon. She backed Parael up so he was behind her and held her hand out to him. "Parael, I think you should give me my sword." She said slowly and in a low tone so as to not attract the attention of the spider demon.

Eager as Rikive was to remain undetected, Parry was doubly concerned with his current predicament. Whoever this Celestial was, he/she/it had a purpose for being here. On the surface, probably hunting this demon down and eradicating it from the city. But underneath that it was entirely possible she was here to find Parry and bring him back to the Nether.

Where he could potentially face consequences for going AWOL. So... to help or not to help? That was the question.

So while Parry reached into his bag and offered Rikive Winterthorn by the hilt, he withdrew his Dawn Blade and held it at the ready, letting Rikive take the lead on this one.

Rikive unsheathed her blade, annoyed she was going to be fighting half naked. She slipped off her sandals before charging at the spider with her sword poised for attack. The spider looked at her and hissed, one of it's legs lashing out to strike at her. Rikive swiftly dodged the attack and cut off the leg the offending limb.

It growled, striking at her again with one of the back legs. Rikive moved to dodge it and ended up moving into the path of another striking leg. It hit her and sent her flying into a dumpster in the alley. She hit the metal hard, leaving a sizable dent where her back hit it.

Growling to herself, she stood back up and charged at the Demonic spider again.

Parry kept himself out of the fight for the moment, watching and waiting. The spider-demon held the struggling Celestial captive, but for whatever reason the Celestial wasn't fighting back. Oh sure, she was struggling against the creature's legs, but she wasn't trying to get in closer and use her own powers against it- something that should've been easy when the spider lost one of its legs.

Something was off here. Very off.

When it dawned on Parry, it was almost too late.

"Riki! Duck and roll!" he shouted, fumbling in his bag for his own sword.

The Celestial in the demon's grasp vanished like a mirage as it raised itself up on its hind legs. The stinger on the demon's thorax protruded toward Rikive, dripping a clear and slimy liquid before firing off like a dart toward the charging Asgardian.

Rikive's eyes widened when the Celestial warrior vanished into thin air. The stinger came at her faster than an arrow and she jumped to the side to avoid it. However the stinger was fast and the venomous tip grazed her arm.

She stumbled to the ground, gritting her teeth in pain. Her skin started to hiss as though it was on fire and began to fester like an infected wound. "Bastard!" She shouted at the demon.

The demon hissed triumphantly as its stinger grazed the immortal warrior, its mouth opening wide at the mandibles as it skittered toward her on six legs, hunched over and ready to tackle Rikive to the ground. at the rear of its thorax another stinger was pushed out with a wet THLOP sound, ready to be launched at Rikive.

Parry was snapped into action by the loss of the demon's facade. His hand grasped the hilt of his Dawn Blade and removed it from the enchanted diaper bag as he charged forward, trying to intercept the creature.

He managed to hack off the other of its forward legs before the one directly behind it swept Parry off his feet, barreling through him while on a collision course for Rikive. It was an all or nothing gambit- either Rikive would gut the thing as it tried to attack, or the demon would send her onto the ground where it would try to get a solid jab with the stinger.

Parry didn't bother to scream 'Watch out!' to Rikive as he rolled back to his feet and ran for the demon as fast as his now mortal legs would allow.

Rikive had eyes and was trained as a warrior by the best of Asgard.

She would know what was coming and react as best she coul.

Rikive didn't move as the demon rushed her, her green eyes narrowed into a hard glare as she held still and waited. The demon was quick, but so was she. At the last possible second she lunged up with her sword and cut up through the demons stomach and torso. She rammed it into it's heart, digging her bare feet against the ground so she could stop the demon's charge.

Winterthorn was a powerful blade, but she had never used it to kill a demon. Her uncle had said it could be used to 'destroy the wicked' but was it strong enough to kill a demon?

The blade pierced right through the demon's skin, slicing bone and muscle until it struck the heart. The Arachnus didn't stop, but the scream of pain it let loose answered the question of whether Winterthorn could harm a demon. Parry wasn't about to wait and see how long it would take to die though. His own sword swept horizontally over the creature's neck, severing its spine.

The creature collapsed on its remaining legs, oozing a black ichorous blood before its form began to evaporate into a dark smoke, rising skyward. The blue flame it clutched in one hand rose skyward, then sped off east into the heart of the city.

A nest. Fucking hell.

Parry, back to business, slid his sword into his bathing suit at the hip and approached Rikive, eyeing the wound, then her face. Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer to the water park.

"Look at me. Look at me, Riki. Do you feel numb, nauseous or faint? Or just pain?"

The demon dead, Rikive yanked out her sword and dropped down to her knees. She stabbed the blade into the concrete, gripping it tightly and leaning on it to remain upright. She breathed heavily, a cold sweat starting to break out on her skin. The pain in her arm was starting to spread up to her shoulder and across her chest.

It felt like a million, red hot pins were being stuck into her skin. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to look up at Parael when he spoke to her. "Pain!" She hissed out through her teeth. She squeezed her eyes tight and ducked her head back down, pressing it to the cool metal of her sword. "It's...spreading!" She explained through labored breaths.

"Pain is good," Parry said, gripping Rikive and looking over the wound. Superficial. A scratch. But a scratch tinged with venom. "Pain means it didn't lay eggs in your bloodstream that'll hatch and eat their way out from the inside."

Nasty way to go, Arachnus demon.

Fortunately Parry could hear sirens getting closer. The ambulance for the kid in the shop were getting closer. The human doctors wouldn't be able to do anything for the venom, but there were a few other avenues they could pursue at the hospital- if they went to the right hospital in the first place. Either way, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience for Rikive if they didn't get her some help soon.

"C'mon Riki," Parry said, sheathing his own sword in the diaper bag before replacing Winterthorn as well. While Rikive could still walk, Parry didn't want to encourage the spread of the venom through excessive movement on Rikive's part. So after hooking his diaper bag securely around his shoulder, PArry lifted Rikive in a Fireman's hold and ushered her around the back of the building.

Three ambulances had answered the calls for the human boy and as a gurney was rushed in to the store, the other two vehicles started to back away. The driver on the smaller vehicle noticed Parry coming toward him with a blonde-haired woman in his arms and stopped to roll down the window.

"Hey! Hey, I got a snake bite!" He yelled through the window. "It's, uh, African Rattleback. Some kid must've got it from exotic pet store or something. She got bit on the arm. I need transport to West General."

Thankfully the EMTs didn't argue the point (probably out of fear of a lawsuit if they called Bullshit and were wrong) so they popped open the back doors and got Rikive fitted onto the gurney. One of the techs started to clean her cut and inject anti-venom (pretty useless but not harmful in this case) while Parry took a seat inside and whipped out his phone.

Lizzy. Coming your way. Arachnus sting. Will need potion ready to go please.