Tokarin was nervous. Actually, that didn’t quite cut it. She was anxious, fidgety, even feeling slightly sick. Today was a major event and she had to be at her best. She had spent hours trying to get her braids to look the same (two long fishtails on both sides of her head), and also on her dress (knee-length, pale blue with yellow flowers), and on her eyes (a little bit of mascara, a little powder to hide the dark circles) but she still didn’t feel any more confident. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get rid of the puffy pink cheeks that gave her a baby-face. It was going to be a disaster.
Today was her coming of age. At last, she was going to enter the official ranks of the angels and put her gifts to good use. She was going to move out of the Council building and move in next to her partner.
And that was the whole problem. Every possible candidate would have had a detailed profile of her abilities and one of them was expected to choose to be her tutor, mentor and partner… and she really doubted anyone would. Her gift was as much a liability as it was helpful, and most fighters would realise that. At the same time, she couldn’t see far enough into the future to warrant her staying under the protection of the Council… not that she’d want to anyway. To be honest, she was excited about the prospect of gaining more independence. But at the same time she really didn’t want to be one of the drop-outs who didn’t get picked and had to be imposed on others by the Council itself… She felt tears well up in her eyes, threatening to ruin all her effort.
Tokarin took a deep breath and slapped her cheek instead. When the tears retreated, she gave the mirror an accusatory look as the imprint of her hand turned one cheek brighter pink than the other. Man! She stood no chance.
Annoyed at the Council’s operations and herself, she grabbed her little yellow bolero and stormed out of her room.
Then almost froze in place as she saw the hallways filled with people. Not just the usual current of pastel-dressed Council members and the occasional bright fleck of outsider angels here for reports or missions, a real mixture of colours. There were angels from all kinds of backgrounds, wearing all kinds of clothes and expressions and even a few Dark angels!
Her foot made one last feeble step before she stopped, taking in the number of people and feeling the lump in her throat grow. A huge man with tree-trunks for arms glanced at her, making her jump. His face was hard and one of his eyes was a milky white and when he grinned she felt like wrapping her wings around her protectively and retreating to her room.
She couldn’t, though, not anymore. She was 17, the time had come for her to prove her worth. Whatever it was.
As the man moved on, she forced herself to follow. Entering the main hall, she tried not to look at the sea of people (no more than 30 but it felt like a sea to her!) and headed straight for the small stage at the far end. There were no chairs for the people on stage, they were unnecessary. Two of the girls were already there, a dark Tamer who seemed just as nervous as her and the bashful Trixie – the most self-assured rookie Tokarin had ever met. They had prepared to show off, Kali with her little imp and Trixie with her tight-fitting leathers and her two daggers. It always made Tokarin nervous when she had to interact with her – she was always carrying her weapons and one could tell she was dying to bury them into your flesh the first chance she gets. Toki also suspected she hadn’t chosen short weapons for any other reason than to feel the blood flowing down her hands.
In comparison, Toki felt incredibly plain. All she could show off was her cute face and her gift to foresee the short-term future. And what good was that to anyone? Sure, an arrow would never catch her off-guard, nor would a kick to the face, but by the same token most Battles could heal and Tamers didn’t like to be in the front lines anyway. She would do wonders if she joined a Guardian but those worked alone and that wasn’t about to change.
“How are you feeling, dear?” The bid manager, Carlos, asked with a bright smile, cutting her half-released sigh. She looked up and forced a smile and a lie. “Good, thank you. I can’t wait to see whom I’ll team up with for the next year.”
“I’ll bet!” He laughed obnoxiously and pat her shoulder, waving at the lines of chairs and angels below. “Stay calm and remember to impress and I’m sure someone will want to take you home.”
She tried not to grimace. She knew he’d love to “take her home” given the chance and she was set on not giving it to him. As the final two rookies joined them (two boys, both Battles), she puffed her chest out and tried to look proud and meet the crowd’s eyes, not really listening to the bidding manager’s introductions.
~*~*~
Solus was expecting this meeting to be an apprentice bid. It was that time of the year after all. As he joined the crowd, with his wings hidden within him, of course, he rolled his eyes at the whole affair. He looked up at the stage and saw several young Angels, eager to be trained by veterans and masters, and see the world outside the Citadel. They were kids, naive, innocent. The horrors out in the real world would either break them, permanently, or wisen them up. But that was not for him see. He wasn’t one for companions anyway.
He crossed his arms and awaited for the auction to begin. He found it horrendous how you had buy an apprentice, like they were expendable cattle. Looking around, though, he didn’t see many others take issue with the event.
The first to go was the dark Tamer. She started off hesitant, making her imp jump around, spin in circles and breathe little rings of smoke towards the first row. The woman there didn’t seem too amused so Kali quickly turned the imp around and made him jump on her shoulder and breathe fire instead. Again, that didn’t produce the desired effect and it obviously upset the girl. The next thing she knew was the imp’s teeth in her neck. And, surprisingly to Tokarin’s horrified eyes, that’s when the crowd did let out a chuckle. The clairvoyant made a step forwards, seeing how no one made a move to help. But before she could reach, she saw Kali raise her hand to stop her and the imp already crumbling to the ground.
Tokarin smiled and returned to her place under the mocking stares of the other rookies. Hushed voices filled the room as the Tamer’s act was over and it occurred to the girl that they might not only be discussing Kali’s skills. Perhaps they were also questioning why a Clairvoyant hadn’t foreseen that her interference would be needed. She let out a small sigh.
By the end of Michelle’s and Kieran’s spar she’s already stopped caring. It seemed so staged and rehearsed that she didn’t even find it interesting to watch, instead exploring the crowd.
The sparing was indeed rehearsed, which made Solus speak up. “If you planing to sell off these kids into experienced hands, why not actually have them fight to show of their actual performance on the battlefield instead of having them play pretend?”
The bidding manager looked just as offended as the two boys and then started spouting some nonsense about “it’s all about the technique” that Tokarin wasn’t really listening to. She noticed Trixie nod in agreement to the man but she was more interested in him. He looked strong but not in the bag-of-muscle kind or way, a buzzcut and a clean-shaven face. Overall, he had a very “practical” look about him which, along with the long scar running diagonally across this entire face lead her to believe he was a Battle himself.
Except—her eyes widened—he was lacking of wings. Was he a Fallen angel? Or perhaps even a human? She looked back to the bid master but he seemed completely unbothered and was still giving some speech. “Of course, anyone willing is welcome to test our apprentices themselves.” He concluded and Tokarin couldn’t help but peer into the future. In the one where the man who’d spoken up accepted, the fight was going to be well over within the minute, ending with both boys groaning and writhing in pain on the stage.
“Um, I wouldn’t recommend it.” She spoke up quietly, barely containing her smile.
“Step aside…” Solus grumbled to one of the Angels who stood in his way and shoved him aside so he could pass. He stepped up to the large stage and climbed it’s few steps. “If both of you would like to prove your worth. Grab a sword, a sharp one, and step up…”
Tokarin thought about telling them that using real swords would be a bad idea (for themselves, not for the man) but thought better of it. Instead she just interlocked her fingers behind her back and turned to watch. The bid master hesitated and glanced at her, evidently catching on to her recent vision. She looked at him and asked, not too politely “What? You could have asked earlier.”
She shrugged slightly, letting the tiniest smirk creep out. “I recommend sticking to the swords they have.”
The young apprentices decided on taking up real swords. A bad idea. It gave Solus a reason to use his gun. They circled him on the stage, their shields up and swords at the ready. This wouldn't even last five seconds.
The one in front of him began his charge, screaming at the top of his lungs as if he was charging the front line of a demon invasion. As the Angel ran close, his shield in a guarding position, Solus let out a full powered front kick against the metal plate of the shield. Sending the Angel sliding across on his ass to the other end of the stage.
The other Angel was already making his approach, much more cautiously and with significantly better footwork. But that won't save him. Solus pulled out his gun, and pulled the trigger. A bullet penetrated the armour of his thigh, and ripped its way through the meat of his leg and out the other side.
He crumpled to the ground, screaming in pain, just as his sparring partner stood and charged again screaming at Solus for his actions. He calmly put a bullet through his leg, silencing him, in a way.
The atrium was silent. The barrel of Solus’ gun smoked with gunpowder traces. Solus put the safety on, holstered his weapon, and approached the speaker. “Before you say anything…” he said. “They attacked me with lethal weapons, I was defending myself. Second, if you are going to send Angels to their deaths, make sure that they are trained properly.” His face turned into snarl. “Because what kind of imbecile, trains their soldiers to use swords and spears, against a fucking gun!” The entire atrium could hear Solus’ little rebellious speech. “Answer me, Speaker.”
Everyone was silent. Tokarin was trying to put on a serious face and not look too smug. She was also trying not to look at the blood on the stage and not to think of the earful she was surely going to get later on for not warning Carlos just how bad things would get. On the up-side, she was sure the boys’ pride would be damaged more than their flesh which would be healed quickly enough by Mirria.
The room was silent for a few seconds longer before everyone started shouting at once. The demands for “Solus” (so that was his name) to be throw out rising above most others. But of course then Trixie decided she was oh so much better than the two boys (and perhaps she was) and she challenged the man to fight “fair, with his bare fists”. And Toki wondered if she was mad or not but when she glanced at Carlos what she was on his face was relief and the readiness to accept any offer as long as it got Solus off his face.
“You don't know, do you…?” He asked the Speaker rhetorically. He turned to the audience and asked them. “Do any of you truly believe that demons fight with fairness, honour, humility? Hmm? Do you believe that when you will step through the Citadel doors and out into the real world, that you will last five fucking minutes before you get slowly eaten alive? ANSWER ME!”
Trixie twitched and seemed outraged but also scared for the first time. Next to her the two boys were still wriggling in pain and she dropped her daggers to kneel down and help them stand.
“That is exactly why we’re here to train them.” A woman in the front row spoke up. She was dressed in an old-fashioned dress and fanned herself with a large feathery fan. Despite her words she still hadn’t put a single bid on anyone, Tokarin noted, and she’d been to them more than once.
“Solus, if you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to carry on with the bidding.” A large man who went by the alias “Stylus” stood from his chair and started moving towards the stage. He was a Tamer and one of the few who could manipulate angels and humans as easy as demons. And he was also one of the few in this room who could, and had brought Solus to his knees. “If you’d be so kind to leave us to it, we’d like to wrap things up so our dear apprentices can start their training and the rest of us can return to our duties.”
Stylus. Solus always respected the man. He was probably the only one in the room who had some common sense. “Just passing on a message that people here continue to fail to grasp, Stylus…” Just as he was about to step off the stage he stopped himself, and added. “One more thing. People aren't cattle that you can sell off to the highest bidder like a cow at a farmer's market…” But instead of joining the crowd, he pushed his way through towards the doors to leave.
“Your concerns will be noted and addressed appropriately, although I assure you the money we get from these events always goes towards the upkeep and education of our younger pupils.” Stylus smiled at Solus as he made his way through the displeased crowd. When their shoulders brushed against each other, the man reached out and stopped Solus to say something in a hushed voice. “Speaking of which, I’d like you to consider taking one of them for yourself. I can assure you it will benefit both of you if you say yes. I don’t suspect anyone else will be able to recognise her talent so she’ll probably still be available at the end of the event. Stick around if you’re interested.”
“Noted.” He replied. “I'll wait outside. The aura here is making me sick.” He quickly made his leave, and slid through the doors.
An hour later Tokarin’s mood could best be described as “anxious”. Again.
As expected none of the seniors present wanted to give her a chance. But at least there was some consolation in knowing that Trixie didn’t get chosen either – apparently they were reasonable after all and realised she was way too cocky for her own good.
So that was that, they’d both have to stay with the Council for at least another year. Or so she thought. She was playing with her braids distractedly, waiting for everyone to leave the room when a bulky angel approached. And just in time too, because Tokarin had the nagging suspicion Carlos would volunteer to teach her himself. In that case, she really would have had to run away.
But it wouldn’t come to that. “Hello miss Kania. ” He addressed her and reached out for a handshake she took, puzzled. “I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t get elected today. Then again, perhaps it’s for the best. I’d like you to try your luck with someone who might turn out to be a very good teacher.” He was grinning and that was making her nervous. But Carlos’ hand somehow wound up on her shoulder and that made her even more nervous. “You might have already spott--”
“She already has a teacher.” Carlos proved that he had some balls. Stylus stared him down and Carlos proved that said balls were very small.
“Let’s go.” She smiled and the two stepped outside. Then she realised why Stylus had been grinning.
A brief check of the possible futures revealed that there was a seventy to eighty percent chance for her to say the wrong thing. So she decided to keep quiet and just stare at the guy, trying to make it not-too-obvious.
“Solus, meet miss Tokarin Kania. Tokarin, this is Solus. He is a Battle angel despite what he looks like, so you’ll be in safe hands.”
Really? she thought somewhat skeptically but just smiled in response.
“Have you read her file? It should have been sent to you via feather sometime last week?” The man addressed Solus again.
“I have.” Solus replied. “5 minute Clairvoyance can be put to really good use. If trained properly, she wouldn't even need a partner…” He took his back off the wall he was leaning on and uncrossed his arms. He extended his hand towards the girl for a shake. “I believe we already met on the stage… if you could call that a meeting.”
Tokarin stared at him for a second with pure disbelief and then remembered she should shake his hand. “Thank you.” She stammered, hearing Stylus chuckle in the background. “I think so too.” She continued after clearing her throat. “But not many seem to be willing to give me a chance. I just need someone to cover me while I learn not to space out in the middle of the fight. I can already do that for a couple of seconds here but I haven’t tried it in real battle conditions. I can even beat Trixie.” She bragged a little with a shy smile.
“Trixie’s overconfidence will be her own down fall one day. Good thing I ignored her. Probably would have destroyed her self-esteem. You on the other hand…” Solus replied.
“…Have none?” She smiled. “You would be wrong about that. But I know my place. And I won’t be in your way if you choose to train me.” She was trying so hard to sound brave and confident.
“Those aren't the words I had in mind. And I already chose you a week ago.”
Tokarin’s jaw dropped.
“What?!”“I had you picked out. But that doesn’t mean I reserved you. Things don’t work here like that.” Solus replied. “Plus, I had a feeling people won’t see the use of a 5 minute Clairvoyant. One trained like a Battle Angel though… It’s a pretty powerful combination.” His shoulders slouched a little. “Sadly. Angels around here stick to the principles of old. Swords and Shields in an age of Firearms and Nuclear Bombs. I feel like I’m the only here who thinks outside of the box.”
“A gun…” Tokarin uttered, as if the idea had never occurred to her. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I can learn to use a gun. And you chose me? That’s even better!” A smile blossomed on her face and she pounced at Solus, hugging him before he could react.
Next to them Stylus laughed before venturing off to get Tokarin’s documents.
~*~*~
The trip to her new home took quite a while, taking them all the way to the opposite end of the city. The building wasn’t too tall and it wasn’t in the center of the city either so there probably weren’t many angels living inside but it was nice and there was a big park close to it, which was a plus. Solus’ flat was on the fifth floor, facing east, and the one designated for Tokarin was right next door, facing south.
It gave her a better view of the street than the park but it was a good size (one bedroom and a kitchen/living room) and it was nicely furnished.
As she took the keys and wheeled her suitcase in she had to wonder what had happened to the previous tenant. She was definitely a girl, judging by the huge picture of shar pei puppies over the grey-and-pink sofa and Toki could only hope she wasn’t evicted because of her.
A quick check confirmed she had everything she needed – cutlery, sheets, even shower stuff… and a TV. Toki paused for a long moment, unable to believe her eyes. She’d never had her own room back at the Council, let alone control over the remote in the common room. A wide grin spread over her face as she reached out gingerly and turned it on.
What greeted her was a sharp, unpleasant noise and a black and white screen full of snowflakes. Toki covered her ears with a start, turned the TV off and ran straight for Solus.
“Solus, how do you turn the TV on?” She almost whined, barging in without even knocking.
Solus didn't react for a few moments. He was busy cleaning one of his weapons with delicate care and concentration. Once he was finished, his head half-turned towards the Angel and said. “The previous tenant neglected to pay her rent, so I doubt that she even had cable. And since she left the place, she most likely canceled her TV service.”
“Say what?” Her shoulders dropped. “Couldn’t the Council have handled that if they knew I was moving in…” She groaned, then eyed his TV greedily. “You seem bored. I can keep you company if you want?” She suggested.
Solus chuckled before giving her the bad news. “I don't have cable either… But sure, you can join me.”
“Why not?” Grumbled the girl but took a seat next to him. It was remarkable how much effort he’d put in cleaning his gun and she was tempted to ask him to have a look at it but thought it’s a bit too early for that. Instead she grabbed her knee and rocked in place. “So what’s the routine going to be like? What’s a day in the life of Solus Grim?”
Solus raised an eyebrow for a second before replying. “Routine? You mean my day to day?” Once Toki nodded her confirmation, he continued. “Well, my days depend on what the Arch-General gives me to do. So… luck of the draw really…”
“Ah. I bet that’s exciting.” She commented, frowning a little. Didn’t most angels do whatever they want? “And about our training? When do I get to show you what I can do? When do we go fighting? Do you have like however many push-ups and stuff for me to do daily?”
Solus put down his cleaning tools, and was now turned fully towards her. “I already know what you can do. You don't need to show me. What we need to do is refine it. As for the fighting, whenever I get a mission. I don't want to put you in too much danger, though.”
She nodded. It made sense, she was eager to improve but she didn’t have a death wish and had to agree she probably wasn’t very skilled just yet. “How long have you been fighting for, Master Grim?”
Solus lightly chuckled. “I was fighting before I was even an Angel. Since I was 5.”
“Five? Five years old?! And wait, became an angel?! What the heck?! Are you a grey?” She showered him with questions and actually grabbed his shoulder to turn him ‘round and check for wings again.
“Yeah. I grew up homeless. So I spent my younger years fighting humans. And no, I'm a black. I turned into an Angel when I was 14.”
Tokarin stared at him unblinking for a few long moments, then leaned back in her seat, hugging one knee. “That makes no sense to me. Can you tell me more? What I’ve been told is that dark angels atone for the sins of their forefathers and their own. And that you can only become a grey angel if you’re a human, if you’re really virtuous. So becoming a dark angel is a paradox, isn’t it? I mean.” She hesitated and scoffed a bit. “Not that a five minute clairvoyant isn’t a contradiction itself.”
“Nature is a wondrous thing, isn't it?” He asked rhetorically. “What do you know about souls?”
“Souls?” Her eyebrows arched. “Um, well. Human ones dissolve after death and demon ones morph and ours… carry on living after we die?” She sounded unsure. “But!” She added. “I thought only one soul can survive in one body, otherwise they merge.”
“That depends on the will of both souls, just how much they want to remain themselves.” He adjusted himself in his seat. “Greys are when a human defeats the angelic soul. It happens when the Angel possesses a human adult, but the human wins. Blacks and Whites are the same as each other, the Angel wins. Me though… me and Azazel couldn't defeat each other. So we came to an agreement.”
Tokarin was staring at him wide-eyed, probably forgetting to blink. When she realised he wouldn’t continue she prodded for more. “How does that feel?”
“I can’t really describe what it’s like to have two minds. Two personalities.” He looked off to the side. “I’m just glad he doesn’t interfere.”
The girl nodded and seemed to have no more questions for the time being. Or perhaps she had too many and wasn’t sure where to start. Finally she decided on a smile and a “Thank you for giving me a shot. I really do appreciate it.”
Solus gave her a kind smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
=^~^=
Solus shut the door behind him and closed his eyes, letting out a deep sighing breath. He was a little beat up. But those Vampires didn’t stand a chance against his MAC-11. He locked the door behind him, and with his machine pistol in his hand he walked over to the couch and pulled the loading knob, exposing the loaded bullet inside, forcing it to eject into his free hand with a ching. Sitting down in the middle of the sofa, he pushed a button on the side of the handle, the half empty magazine slid out and dropped onto the couch cushion in-between his thighs.
He leaned back against the couch, setting the gun down beside him, and stretching across the top of the back cushions. Letting his muscles rest.
He must have drifted off because the next thing he knew was the sound of his window frame bang against the wall and a gust of air hit his face. It was a good thing his weapon wasn’t loaded, for both his and the other angel’s sake. She didn’t pause before she pounced him, banging his head against the back of the chair, speaking without pausing to take a breath. “OH MY GOD I’m so glad that you’re here, I’m sorry I used the window, your door was locked for some reason, can you sleep at my place tonight?!”
Solus groaned from underneath Tokarin’s chest, which pressed heavily against his face. “Why…?”
“There were scary stuff on TV, about demons and…” She pulled away slightly to reveal she was almost crying. “This building is not protected, is it? What if they come in while we sleep? Can I at least have your gun?”
Solus sighed heavily before he spoke from underneath her breasts. “Alright, I’ll stay with you tonight. Now, if you could please get your tits off my face…”
That made her jump away just as fast, her wings embracing her while her face turned slowly red. She didn’t know what to say, her eyes darting about the room insecurely. “Sorry.” She said at last. “Thank you.”
He left his MAC-11 on the couch as he stood and walked over to a dresser at the far end of the room and grabbed his M1911 out the drawer. Tucking it away in his pants, he casually unlocked his front door and said to Toki. “Bang on my door next time…”
“What, before coming in?” She followed, unfurling her wings slightly. Things were very different at the Council.
Solus shook his head slightly. “I forgot. The Council don’t know what manners are… Come on, let’s go.” He stepped out into the hallway and gestured for Tokarin to do the same with a tilt of his head.
Even if he didn’t know where Tokarin lived, he’d have been able to tell by the door which was half-open. Going in, he immediately noticed she’d got cable: the TV bathed the room in a flashing ghostly light. Quite appropriate as what was on at the moment was some sort of horror movie. “I’ve got TV now.” She bragged, waving the remote. “I called the Council and they sorted it out for me. I’m not sure if it’s because they really like me or because they really don’t want me to go back.” She grinned. “Shall we watch something?”
Solus took a seat. “Alright. We’ll watch something. Your pick.”
Toki seemed to have been hoping for him to say that as she grabbed the remote as soon as he started his last syllable, turning the channel over. Suddenly a bright white light washed over them, the black title appearing on the screen before their eyes: “Until Death Do Us Part”. It was just starting, with the old-fashioned romantic music and the long subtitles, so Toki used the moment to hop off the sofa and click the light off and get the popcorn. All in all, she seemed very well prepared.
On the coffee table there was a paper TV programme. “ ‘Dasy and Jacob were meant for each other. There’s only one problem. She’s in the realm of the living and he’s from beyond. Can their love defeat the odds?’ ” She read out and looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Sounds interesting, right?!”
“A romantic movie… Really?” Solus said skeptically before mumbling something under his breath about him picking the channel. “Ok…” Sounding somewhat defeated, he relaxed himself on the couch and awaited for Tokarin to join. All he could do was hope that she didn’t make this painfully awkward.
Things looked promising as she perched on the sofa next to him, sitting on the edge and almost hugging her popcorn bowl. The only problem was that the sofa was only meant for two people and not only were they brushing shoulders and thighs, but there were wings involved too. And the girl’s wings were truly huge. Even as folded as possible, they still took up over half the sofa and her left one was firmly pushing into Solus’ face.
“Your wing is… in my face…” He grunted as he tried to place it behind him in some way.
“Oh. Sorry.” She took her eyes off the screen for just long enough to glance at him. “Lean up and I’ll slip it behind your back.. just.. be gentle.”
He leaned forward slightly, giving her some room to move her wing behind him, still firmly clutching her popcorn.
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