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It's the same, day in and day out. She couldn't even remember what life had been like, all she knew now was never-ending training up until the Exterminations. This was her destiny, this was her duty, she was a tool and a weapon honed by angelic hands.
Vaggie knew her mind wandered more than most angels, she felt more uneasy than ever about the day they went down to hell, and that made Adam and Lute furious.
She had talent, it was why she was an exorcist, but she didn't fit in with the rest, not really. Half of her peers would say she was a ruthless killer, one to look up to and idolize as a perfect spear, while the other half always sneered her way, spitting quiet words about how she always had nightmares after the Exterminations and how something must be wrong in her head.
Lute was the most confusing. One moment she'd act as if Vaggie was her favored right hand, as if she were an actual friend, and then another moment she'd act as if Vaggie didn't exist, or worse, treat her like she was a training dummy.
After all, she was just a tool. She had to be useful, had to be prepared to be all that her superiors needed her to be.
Years of this and Heaven had lost its shine entirely. Even in the spare few moments where she'd be able to leave the training halls to get food or rest her aching body, Vaggie could barely find any real joy. Nothing held her focus, nothing made her feel much, but she never stopped smiling at those who nodded her way, always waved back, and always made sure to be the pinnacle of a honest pleasant angel.
Even when Adam was being horrible to her, spouting his usual shit. She hated it, though she never spoke out about it. The other Exorcists never seemed to mind him, some even seemed thrilled when he talked to them that way, but it just made Vaggie's skin crawl.
Especially since he was the one to rename her when she became an Exorcist, he was the one who branded her with this. While she'd gotten used to the sound of it and had even come to like her name, she loathed when he would say it incorrectly, when he'd put the emphasis in the wrong place. She'd taken back the like of her name by altering it, by saying it in a way that rolled off her tongue almost pleasantly, and yet he always laughed and corrected her in turn.
However, none of it mattered when she was flying through the portal with her mask on. Once she was dressed in uniform, spear in hand, Vaggie became someone else. She shut her mind off, followed orders to the most minute detail, and racked up kill counts that made other Exorcists look like failures.
Whenever they'd return, Vaggie would always have to be rinsed off before entering any open areas to remove the blood and gore that would saturate every inch of her.
Dead eyes and a cold smile were her signature look when they'd return to the training center. Adam would ask for details, laughing uproariously as she'd give an account of her best kills and what she'd seen while flying along the streets of hell. Lute would press for a body count and depending on how high the number was, she'd either praise Vaggie or punish her for failing to go beyond the previous years quota.
She always had to be better, more brutal, more vicious, more bloodthirsty.
If she killed one hundred, she better kill two hundred next year or else she's worthless. If she fails to beat every single other Exorcist in training trials, then she's an utter failure of a weapon. If she doesn't manage to train the squad assigned to her well enough to gain at least fifty kills each, then she's a broken tool that needs to be fixed.
"Vaggie! Get your shit together!" The pommel of a sword bashed her temple as Lute's voice registered in her mind. They'd been preparing to fly down, she'd gotten stuck in her mind as she stared at her uniform.
"Fuck, I got it, Lute." Vaggie rubbed her head, wincing when a glare was shot her way. "I'll be ready in a minute."
"Make it thirty seconds." She sneered the words as she pulled her mask over her head, wings sending enough wind Vaggie's way to make her have to flutter her own to stay balanced.
The others were already above, listening to Adam's usual pre-extermination speech. She sighed, getting changed and feeling as if her uniform was changing her, shutting down all the bits of her mind the others scolded her for constantly. Bits of her boxed up until all that was left was her training, the righteous words of the higher angels echoing in her mind.
This was needed, this was necessary, she was the front shield to protect all of heaven from an invasion and war.
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Blood was thick on her spear as she flew through bodies, slicing past any in her way. She'd always been the best at fishing any sinners that were thrown by others to be sacrificed out of the air, slicing them to pieces before letting her weapon catch the next.
Intestines wrapped around the shaft, nearly causing it to slip free before she spun the gore loose, using the momentum to behead any close to her.
Something was wrong. The slip of a heart past her fingertips made her gag in her mask, the easy cut through a spine made her body tense instead of relax, and the sight of sinners fleeing from her made her feel dizzy, like she was about to pass out. Vaggie tried to shake it off, yanking off her mask to breathe in the air around her. It smelled of death, a constant undercurrent of brimstone and, to her utter confusion, vanilla.
It was something she'd always had to ignore, something that always sent her mind into a tailspin if she let it get to her too much. That damn trace of vanilla was always what made her hesitate for a breath and caused her kill counts to fall.
This time was no different and yet, it was so much worse. She'd already been off before she caught it but now, with her mask off, it was all she could seem to focus on. It made her think of good things, of foods in Heaven that helped repair the hidden rips in her heart, reminded her of comfort and warmth, even in the blazing heat of hell's landscape.
"Focus up, Vaggie." She whispered it to herself, hoping the frustrated growl in her own voice would remind her of Lute's barked instructions.
Before she could replace her mask, Vaggie's eyes caught on a fleeing body. Her vision was still swimming, blurry with either tears or anxiety but it didn't matter. Another death, another kill on her list, and she'd be fixed. If she could get this done then she'd be praised, she'd fulfill her duty and destiny just as she should.
So she flew, wings pushing so hard her shoulders ached with each forward motion. The chase was quick, ending when the sinner was cornered in an alley. Something like a smile slipped across her lips. This was a sign, an easy slaughter to reset her mind. She could be right again, she could be okay and in the end, she'd get Lute's comradery and she'd get the approval of her Exorcist sisters. That's what she needed, right? That would bring back the shine of Heaven in her eyes.
She spun her spear until the tip was aimed at the body and one step closer, the fearful whimper finally registered in her ears. Blinking against the haze, Vaggie felt something pang in her chest as she took in what she was doing.
A child, shivering and terrified, was crowded into the corner. From the look of him, Vaggie couldn't tell if this was a sinner or a hellborn. Truth be told, the Exorcists had killed a few hellborn before, though it was meant to be against the deal. It didn't matter much when Lucifer didn't watch what happened and no one would ever speak up against Heaven's activities while they happened. If one or two happened to disappear during the exterminations, who could say if they died by angelic hands or now when some Exorcists left their weapons behind.
Not her, though. Vaggie refused to be the reason this could break, refused to be the one to be found stepping over that line and causing strife for Heaven.
So she hesitated and in that moment, hearing the boy beg for his afterlife and hearing him whimper and sob, something within her cracked. This child, even if he was a sinner, didn't deserve to die twice, didn't deserve to have his soul ripped apart.
Whatever led him here, to this alley in hell, didn't make him worthy of the full force of her angelic smite.
Her arms shook as she slowly lowered her spear, taking a quick glance around. There were no other sinners here, fleeing from this place would be a straight shot to safety. For a moment, she wondered where his parents were, and then felt nauseous at the slick sensation of gore she'd had upon her hands just minutes before.
Had she killed them? Had her sisters? Did he even have parents down here? It all swirled heavily in her mind. Before she could stop herself, she let the weapon fully fall at her side.
"Go." The words came out cracked, like her vocal chords didn't understand why they were forming this sound. For a second, the boy just blinked at her, a little untrusting, so she nodded to the open end of the alley that fed into the street. She even backed up, so she was no longer between the buildings. "Go on, run!"
A breath passed between them, a strange silence following her shout but he listened, taking off down the street. She watched him go and felt lighter than she'd ever been, felt as if mercy shown had been the thing to really make her an angel and not the slaughter of thousands.
All of that joy and warmth came to a chilling halt within seconds, though, as her mercy had not been unseen.
"You bitch!" Vaggie turned and fear sliced through her when she saw Lute rushing her way. She'd watched, she knew. Before she could even think to say anything, pain lanced through her head. A sick pop, slick and wrong, echoed in her ears as she fell to her knees.
Raising her hands to her face, Vaggie's breathing picked up as she felt blood pooling, her eye flashing to the sight of the one that Lute had removed being speared by her sword. It felt wrong, like she couldn't be seeing such a thing, but when she couldn't sense anything in the bleeding and cut socket, she knew it must be real. A heeled foot pushed her head down, the hot pavement grinding into her cheek as Lute circled her.
"Filth like you has no place in heaven." Pressure, an ache that she couldn't escape, and then Vaggie was screaming and clawing at the ground. Lute's grip on her wings was unyielding, harsh enough she could hear the crack of bone beneath her hands. Another pop, something sick and slick, and then her entire back burned, screaming at her as if she'd rolled in hellfire. Her nerves were raw, skin torn open, and as she blearily blinked up, she saw Adam rip away the halo above her head.
"She's fallen, sir."
"Uh, yea, I've got eyes, Lute." He was pissed, growling as he glared down at her. "One of my best and she's this much of a failure?! Fuck."
"Don't worry, sir, I'll make sure the rest of the Exorcists never follow her lead."
"That's what I wanna hear!" He grinned, slapping Lute's shoulder before he grimaced at Vaggie, as if she was a bug he'd just stepped on. "Let's keep this fall a little secret from Sera. She wouldn't approve of the wing rip, as fucking awesome as that was! I mean, HAH, she can't even fly away from sinners now!"
His roaring laughter surrounded her until they flew away, the remnants of her wings tossed callously to the side. He'd kept her halo, a show of a fallen angel, and something heavy settled over her. She could never go back, she was removed from heaven for an act of mercy shown to a demon. Everything burned, she couldn't tell what was blood or tears flowing from her face, and her body was growing weaker by the moment.
Was this how she died again? Would she regenerate or would she disappear? She knew angels could hurt angels, little injuries happened in training all the time, but devils couldn't truly harm her, not in any way that mattered. Was that true now though? Could fallen angels be harmed by sinners and hellborn?
"Oh no, oh no! Don't die!" A voice floated over her and for a moment, she wondered if one of her Exorcist sisters had come to save her. "I saw what happened but I was too far to stop them! Not that I think they'd listen to me, really, but it's time for this to end so I was already out to check on anyone who lived and I saw what you did! You saved that boy and you went against them and-" She stopped, kneeling down so Vaggie could see her. "Sorry, sorry, I need to bandage you up before I get talking! I'll take you somewhere safe, I promise."
The woman before her was a demon of some kind but the look on her face put Vaggie at ease. She flinched when the demon reached into her pocket but only a roll of fresh bandages were in her hand when she came closer.
"I'm going to wrap your eye and your back okay? It won't be great but it'll help with the bleeding until I can get you back home." Then she waited, hesitating a breath until Vaggie gave her a barely there nod. A pained gasp slipped from her as hands carefully sat her up, making sure she didn't lean against anything. "I'm Charlie, by the way! If you can talk, can you tell me your name? If you need to wait, that's totally fine!"
Taking deep breaths to fight off the instinct to snarl and scream, Vaggie let herself sink into the warmth of Charlie's hands, a heat that didn't burn but soothed. She waited until her eye socket was wrapped, waited until another thick roll of bandages was wrapped around her middle and a jacket was settled over her shoulders before she spoke. At first she wanted to wait, she couldn't let this demon hear the pain and fear in her voice but when Charlie ever so carefully pulled the lapels of her coat to make sure it was secure around her and she was overwhelmed with the scent of vanilla, this time paired with cinnamon, something in her heart fractured and bloomed.
"Vaggie. My name, it's Vaggie." There was a sharp gasp between her words, ripples of agony coming with each breath as the movement of it pulled at her back. Charlie shifted to help her walk, an arm solidly wrapped around her waist. "I'll get blood on your coat. Sorry."
A snort of laughter followed that, Charlie sending her a beaming smile as if she'd just said the best thing ever. Vaggie just gave her a shaky smile back, though she was sure it was more of a grimace, but it still felt good.
"Don't worry about blood! It'll clean out just fine, I'm used to a little blood splatter." She flustered a bit then, giving a nervous sort of chuckle. "Not because I, I mean, just because it flies around sometimes! Sinners can be a bit lively so you never know what might happen when you wander around the city!"
Something Vaggie didn't recognize sparked in her chest at Charlie's little rambles as she kept talking as they walked. She ached, every step was a new form of torture, but she couldn't stop the tiny flickers of a smile and the way her expression softened the more she watched the other woman speak.
She was just so... cute. How had she never realized demons could be cute?
The little protruding muzzle, not big enough to be too noticeable from a front view but very noticeable from the side. The cute little nose, now registering in her mind as very similar to a goats. Bright vibrant eyes and fangs that protruded over her bottom lip when she spoke too quickly or took a moment to think. The tips of pointed ears poked out from her fluffy blonde hair, twitching occasionally when Vaggie would let out little sounds when the pain hit in waves. At first she thought the little click of her steps were from heels but when she looked down at them when they took a break, Vaggie vomiting off to the side when the nausea finally hit her too hard, she realized the sound was mostly from her hooves, tucked into little shoes to protect them while outside.
"Is... fur?" She felt a little incoherent, a little drunk, as she trailed a finger along Charlie's forearm where her sleeve was rolled up. Her skin was bright white so she'd wondered but her senses weren't working quite right. Everything felt fuzzy to her so Vaggie couldn't fully grasp what she was touching.
"Oh! Yes! It's just really short so it looks like smooth skin but I'm quite soft! I keep it really clean, don't worry!" Vaggie frowned a bit at her tone, leaning more heavily into Charlie's side as if to tell her it was fine, she wasn't upset about it. The demon just seemed to fluster a bit more, even though her expression melted into something sweet and soft. "Sorry, I just don't want to make you uncomfortable, I know you're not used to being close to hell's residents like this."
"S'fine, I don't mind. Plenty of different kinds in Heaven too, just couldn't tell." Vaggie sighed, trying to keep her focus. Charlie seemed to be catching onto the slur in her words as she picked up speed. "Besides, I feel like I'm the one who should worry about making you uncomfortable. I am- Well, I'm an exorcist."
"You were an exorcist! You didn't kill that boy from Cannibal Town! I know it's probably not exactly what you want to hear right now, how you're not what you're used to being anymore, but... I think you should be proud of yourself. What you did was incredibly brave and nice and way more angelic than what the other angels did!" Charlie huffed, carefully leading Vaggie through a fence surrounding what seemed to be a villa. She narrowed her eyes, trying to take in the structure but everything was a little wobbly. "This is my mom's place, technically, but I'm the only one staying here right now so there's plenty of space! I'll set up a room for you after we get you cleaned up a bit."
"Are you sure? I don't... wanna be a problem." Guilt gnawed at Vaggie, thinking of how she'd just been killing sinners before this.
"Of course! You don't have anywhere to go right now and I have this huge house! You can stay as long as you like." The smile on Charlie's face made her knees feel weak. Or maybe that was the blood loss. "Okay, yep, let's go, you need treatment."
She didn't put up a fight as she was led through a hall and into an extremely large bathroom. The bath looked more like a pool and a stand alone shower took up a whole corner of the room. Charlie had her wait for a moment before she brought out a stool for her to sit on.
As soon as it was placed behind her, Vaggie collapsed back on it, groaning as Charlie's hands caught her shoulders so she didn't fall off backwards.
"I'll start with your eye since I think that'll take less time, okay? Your wings... I might need to ask my dad for help if your back is as bad as I think it might be." Charlie winced a bit but then plastered on a smile as she kneeled in front of Vaggie. She dug through a box of medical supplies, frowning until she pulled out a little syringe. As soon as it was pressed into Vaggie's arm, her pain lessened to a degree that was much easier to handle.
"Your dad... knows about angel wings?" The sudden cold of the bathroom felt more like Heaven but after the heat of Hell, Vaggie felt herself shivering.
"Right. Well, uhm, my name is Charlie Morningstar." She sent Charlie a blank look, her mind blanking on the name long enough for her to sigh and slump forward a bit. "My dad is, uhm, Lucifer Morningstar."
Vaggie coughed harshly, blinking rapidly at Charlie for a moment. This was the daughter of the fallen, the princess of hell was before her, nursing her wounds. It made a bit more sense now as to why she was wandering out in the open after the Extermination, and even during it. Charlie was safe from the angels, if anyone harmed her it could cause an all out war.
This villa also made more sense now. If her mother owned it... That meant Lilith.
"R-Right, that Morningstar." At the slight squeak to her voice, Charlie seemed to crumble a bit before her, her shoulders slumping. She didn't stop preparing what she needed to look at her wounds, didn't stop herself from reaching up to start unwrapping her eye, but there was a heaviness to her now. A weight that Vaggie wanted to remove immediately. "Whoa, wait, Charlie, it's okay. I'm not afraid or uncomfortable, I was just surprised."
Charlie's hands froze mid-motion, eyes growing wide as she met Vaggie's gaze. Her rosy cheeks seemed to grow a bit pinker around the red and she fidgeted with her hair a moment, a shy smile sliding across her face.
"Oh, well." She bit her lip as she refocused, carefully pulling away the gold soaked bandages from Vaggie's face. "Okay. I'm sorry, I just thought that might be too much or something."
"It's not. Everything right now is weird and messed up and kinda terrifying but you being the princess of Hell isn't a problem." She shrugged, groaning as pain sliced down her back at the motion. That seemed to jumpstart Charlie into action as she went to work, immediately cleaning the blood off so she could put a salve over her empty socket.
It was strange, not being able to see what was happening around that side of her face. The sensation of her eye being gone, of there just being a vacant hole now, was making her mind spiral a bit. She didn't know how she'd handle it when Charlie poked around at her back.
"I can't do much here. There'll be a scar across it where the blade cut along your skin but the inside seems... okay. There's not too much trauma for what happened, really." Charlie sounded a bit upbeat, like she was giving Vaggie the best news she could. It was pretty good news to know that it wouldn't have much threat of infection. "I'll put this on it, it'll keep it clean and boost your regeneration, and then wrap it again with a better bandage."
Vaggie just let her do what she said, listening to the rasp of bandages and the soft humming Charlie was doing without seeming to realize she was. The pain in her head had died down to a low throb now, mostly ignorable, especially after the salve was applied. It was cool and seemed to soak up any blood that tried to still leak through.
Charlie apologized softly as she rewrapped her head as the bandage put pressure on the wound. To try to keep her from feeling any guilt, Vaggie just forced herself to stay absolutely still until it was done, even though a part of her wanted to writhe away from the sensation.
"Okay, that's done." There was a slight hesitation before Charlie tugged on the jacket still hanging off of Vaggie's shoulders. "Do you want to wear this backwards? I'll either need you to take your top off or--"
"Just cut it. I don't need it anymore." The uniform wasn't anything she wanted to wear any longer, the tank top she had on beneath it also made her skin itch. She wanted something new, something untouched by Heaven to feel more settled in her new reality. "I'll need some clothes for after, though."
"Of course! You can borrow something of mine for tonight and then tomorrow I'll go out and grab some things until you feel well enough to check out some shops yourself." The princess beamed at her and a part of Vaggie felt it strange to think of something as mundane as shopping in Hell. Then again, why should it surprise her that this place really wasn't that different to Heaven and there were plenty of shops there. "You're taking this really well."
Blinking at Charlie's curious tone, Vaggie hummed and moved her arms to help her put the jacket on her to cover her chest. Why was she so calm? It could be shock from her blood loss or it could be the realization she'd never have to take an order from Adam again.
"I guess. I... Heaven hasn't felt right for a while, sorta, and you've kinda been the nicest person I've ever met so..."
"Wait. The other angels weren't nice to you?"
"I mean, the angels outside of the Exorcists were for the most part, but I didn't meet them much. I've mostly lived in the training center and spent almost all of my time there."
"So you were a winner then?" Charlie's hands were soft, careful, as she cut through her uniform and then the shirt beneath it. The bandages were already on the ground so when she heard the demon gasp, sucking air between her fangs, Vaggie knew it was just as bad as it felt. "I thought the Exorcists were heavenborn."
"They mostly are. A few were like me but not many." She grit her teeth against the shocks of pain that came from Charlie checking the edges of her wounds. "I don't remember my life before."
"That's so interesting! I've always wondered if those in Heaven remember or not, since sinners remember everything." Her voice was so excited, so curious, Vaggie wanted to tell her everything she knew about Heaven. "But! We can talk about this stuff later! I need to call my dad!"
"That bad, huh?" She chuckled and then regretted it instantly when she felt blood seeping down her back.
"No! Well, yes, I'm not sure, really, I've never had to fix where wings used to be." As she spoke, Charlie grabbed a phone out of what seemed like thin air. She seemed to hesitate, finger hovering over the screen, before she sighed and put it on the sink with it on speaker.
"Charlie! What's up, girl?!" Vaggie winced at the face the princess made, reaching out to take her hand without thinking. When Charlie looked at her in surprise, she went to pull away but was stopped when she squeezed lightly as she gave her a smile.
"Uh, hey dad, I could use your help. I've got an injured fallen angel here and I'm not quite sure how to go about fixing her wounds."
"A fallen angel? On extermination day? What- Wait! Did you find an Exorcist?"
"An ex-Exorcist, dad, she saved a little boy from Cannibal Town and they ripped her wings off."
"They did WHAT?!" Vaggie winced at the sudden loud tone, echoing in the bathroom. Charlie seemed just as surprised, biting her lip. "Fuck, okay, I can't do much beyond sending you supplies, Charlie. There's no way to regenerate wings forcefully, but if they weren't cut off then they have a chance of coming back."
"They could grow back?" It was a weird idea, one she wasn't sure was a good thing or a bad one. Getting her wings back would give her balance back but... "Would they be angel wings?"
"Is that the little exorcist? Hello!" Both of the girls laughed at that, Vaggie a bit more quietly than Charlie. The princess seemed pleased, all the apprehension she'd had when looking at her phone gone. "Anyway, no! Well, in a way! A fallen angel's wings will still have feathers but they'll look more like a demons wings, maybe some kind of bird demon. If they do grow back for you, no one will really know they're angel wings, unless you have multiple like me."
"I don't think I'll gain multiple wings, sir."
"Dad, can you bring supplies to me? Just to look at the wounds at least? I know you're busy but-"
"Charlie, I can't stay long but if it'll help, then of course. Just one moment, let me just grab this, and this, oh and this too and then I'll just make a little portal and!" Before Charlie could fully end the call, a rip in the air beside them opened, Lucifer stumbling through with his hands full of supplies. Charlie rushed forward to take some things, putting them with her other things.
"Thanks for being so quick, dad." She gave a little smile, though to Vaggie's eye it seemed strained.
"Of course! I need to go meet with someone so I'll just need to check things here and then I'll go but..." Lucifer lost some of his bravado and gave Charlie a softer smile. "I'll always come when you call, Charlie."
"Right!" There was an almost embarrassed tensing to Charlie's movements, her expression flickering like she had no idea how to feel in the moment. Vaggie just reached out to squeeze her hand again, giving her a little grin when the princess relaxed at the touch. "Well if you just look at her back, I just need to know what I need to do to get it to start healing."
"Yes, yes, what's your name again?"
"Oh, it's, uh, Vaggie sir."
"Well, Vaggie, let's look-" He paused, his eyes glowing and to her surprise, the tips of horns just starting to peek out from his head. "Did they take your eye too?"
"Y-Yes, sir. Lute stabbed it out with her sword and then ripped off my wings. Uh, sir." Vaggie stuttered a bit, not wanting to be impolite or to say anything wrong. Charlie squeezed her hand, trying to soothe her by rubbing her knuckles with her thumb. "Adam took my halo which caused my falling but I... I mean..."
"You allowed yourself to fall."
"Wait, what?" Charlie looked between them, brow furrowed.
"Removing a halo does mark one as a fallen angel, yes, and it does mark one for falling, but technically, that is chosen and done by the higher seraphim and those above Adam's standing. While Vaggie would be marked for falling, she should have gone back to Heaven for trial."
"But she's already fallen..." The princess seemed to catch on, looking at Vaggie with wide eyes. For her part, Vaggie just shrunk away a bit until the pain hit her again. "Hey, it's okay."
"Don't you worry, Vaggie, my Charlie here will be sure you have a good time here!" Lucifer had called back his horns and was back to looking as he did when he arrived. He walked around her, making a little sound in his throat at the sight of her back. "Well I can see why it's so painful, the nerves are just hanging on out there. Let me just."
He waved a hand and Vaggie barked out a pained shout but it cut off a breath later when the agony died down. Blinking past the tears hazing her vision, Vaggie caught sight of Charlie gripping her hand tight, growling softly with her fangs bared and her own horns fully out. She looked beautiful, hair flowing wildly around her as her eyes watched her dad carefully, like she thought he might hurt her again.
"I'm alright." Her voice was rasped and quiet but it got the princess's attention immediately, her more demonic visage dropping the moment her eyes met Vaggie's own. "He made it feel better."
"I removed the remaining dying nerves but that's about all I can do. It should heal up just fine if you use what I brought you." He nodded to the supplies before he straightened his coat and gave a smile that seemed more dangerous than anything Vaggie had ever seen before. "Now. I've got a meeting to arrange. Call me if you need anything else!"
Charlie groaned as he vanished before she could say anything else but she went right to grabbing the supplies he'd left as she shook her head.
"Sorry about him. I mean I didn't think he'd stay long but I thought he'd be here for more than a minute where he removed your nerves." There was an anxiety building in Charlie's voice, her hands waving emphatically before she stopped it when she almost threw a vial across the room with a sheepish grin. "Anyway, at least we have a little more information, so that's helpful!"
"Whoa, Charlie, it's fine, he was fine. I don't think I'd really want an extended visit from anyone right now anyway."
"That's true." She handed over another vial, this one purple and bubbling. "Drink that, all of it. It'll taste horrible but it helps to jumpstart regeneration."
Vaggie downed it in one go, gagging and throwing the glass into the sink when it was empty. Charlie giggled at her disgusted face, this time hanging over a cup of water, before she went around to her back. Once more, a soft wet cloth wiped across her skin, removing any lingering golden ichor that remained.
"Okay, so this is going to scar since I can't really stitch this up, there's not enough skin, but that might make it easier for your wings when they regenerate!"
"If they regenerate."
"I'm going to remain positive and say when!" Charlie's grinning face appeared in her line of sight as she leaned over her shoulder. "I have to use the stuff dad brought on these wounds and I'm not sure if it'll sting so I'll try to be quick."
"It's fine. Be thorough, I don't want to deal with regeneration infections."
"Okay. Once I have it wrapped up, you can get some rest and then we'll get some dinner!" She seemed so pleased by this little plan that Vaggie just smiled with a little huff of a laugh and nodded her agreement.
Charlie was gentle but thorough as she had requested, which meant even her gentle touch burned intensely. It wasn't as bad as before, Lucifer having helped that, but it still sucked. That didn't mean she didn't do her best to conceal her pain response, though. Gritted teeth, clenched hands, and Vaggie tried to keep her muscles as still as possible, calling up her training.
She didn't want Charlie to think she was hurting her, didn't want her to feel any guilt for saving her and dressing her wounds.
"It's clean and I've got the salve on it. I'm gonna just tape the new bandages down really good so they'll stay but they're easier to change, okay?" Vaggie nodded, relaxing her muscles a bit now that she knew the worst was over. "Alright! I'm almost done, I promise."
Almost meant about another five minutes. By the time Charlie was finished and helping Vaggie stand up, she felt ready to sleep for a week. She was led out of the bathroom, stumbling a bit over her own feet. They went up stairs, slowly, until they arrived at a hall with three doors.
"Here, this one is a guest room you can use! I think it was meant to be an extra office or something, I really don't remember, but no one uses it. Plus, it's right across from my room there, so if you need anything I'm not far at all!" She grinned as she pointed to the door right across the way. "This other door is another bathroom. Feel free to use it or the one downstairs, or there's another one down that hall too. We're the only ones here so, really, use whatever rooms you want."
"Thanks, Charlie." Vaggie gave her a smile, feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. "Maybe just some rest first."
The princess nodded vigorously, leading her into what was now her room and carefully helping her down to sit on the bed. It was sinfully plush, softer than any she'd ever had in Heaven, especially compared to the bunks in the training halls.
"Don't sleep yet, just wait here. I'll go grab something comfy for you to change into, okay? Do you want more blankets or anything?"
"Oh, uh, I'll be fine."
"I'll bring some just in case." A wink was sent her way, as if they were conspiring in something, and it just made Vaggie snort a soft laugh at her.
Maybe a little extra comfort wouldn't be such a bad thing. After all, why deprive herself now that she was in Hell?
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Charlie wasn't one to hate people easily.
She was the princess of hell, she knew the kinds of sins that could send a soul their way, but she also knew how varied the hellborn themselves could be as well. Even so, she loved her people, wanted to help them and hoped they'd succeed in anything they chose to do. It meant she had an open mind and a big heart, something that tended to get her looked down upon, if she was honest.
It was something she tried not to let bother her too much.
So yes, she didn't hate much, didn't hate easily, but right now, she was boiling in her rage.
Vaggie had finally fallen asleep. She was laying on her stomach, pillows piled up around her and blankets layered to make her as comfortable as possible. When getting her set up for her nap, Charlie took notice of how she seemed amazed at how everything felt, how she smiled with something wistful on her face when she sank into the mattress.
Those wounds, the vicious nature of her forced falling, made her angry enough but to know it was done over a show of mercy, to see the pain lashed out against her in response to that mercy, made her so enraged she didn't know how to handle it.
As she paced her own room, her tail lashed behind her, unable to hold her form down with how her emotions swirled like a storm inside her.
Razzle and Dazzle watched with matching looks of concern, huddled up on her bed. She growled as she ran her hands through her hair, hooves clocking angrily against the floor, her shoes discarded by the door.
"If I ever see those Exorcists again, I'll rip them apart. I don't care what I have to do, I'll find a way." A snarl ripped from her throat before she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself with a deep breath. It wouldn't do to let Vaggie see her like this if she woke up, she didn't want to worry her injured angel. Charlie stopped pacing, freezing for a moment at that thought. "My... angel..."
Well she supposed it was sort of true. Vaggie was going to be living with her, she would be helping her heal and would be providing for her since she had more cash than she knew what to do with. That made sense. Right?
"Oh. Oh fuck, wait." Her demon form fell from her in an instant, Razzle and Dazzle flying up to nuzzle comfortingly at her cheeks until she thawed out from where she was still stuck. "Guys, what did dad always say about mom?"
Razzle made a little squeak by her ear as Dazzle flew up to land on top of her head. She thought back to the stories she'd heard about how they met, how their first conversation went. Her mom had always played it down, speaking on how she'd been pulled in by Lucifer's dreams and ideas but it had been her dad that had fallen first, and how he fell hard for her was a story he told her.
"Now listen, Charlie, this is something you should know. High power angels and demons can sense when the one who is for them is in front of them, when a soul was made to fit into their own heart. That's how I knew your mother was for me when we first met in that garden. She doesn't know it but I was ready to marry her after our first hello. One day, little duck, you could find someone like that too and when you do, you'll just know deep down that that person is there to fill your heart up with love."
Charlie let herself fall forward onto her bed, clutching her blanket as Razzle and Dazzle went to curl up on her pillows. She wanted to both scream and squeal with joy.
She'd always hoped she'd get that person, she'd find that soul just like her dad had told her about. It was one of those dreams from her childhood she never lost, something always living in the back of her mind. The fact that this soul was a fallen exorcist angel didn't really bother her at all.
It was more the fact that Vaggie had just fallen, she was injured and probably scared and confused and Charlie didn't want to overwhelm her at all.
Yet now that she'd realized why she felt such a pull to this woman, so comfortable with her, all she wanted to do was crawl into the bed with her to nap next to her.
"Yea, that wouldn't be creepy at all, Charlie."
Still, according to her dad, the other soul would feel a similar pull. If Vaggie felt even the tiniest bit similar, then Charlie wanted to know. Even if she just wanted to be friends at first, or forever, she wanted to know how she was feeling and what she thought would be best for them both.
The idea of just being friends sent a sad painful little pang through Charlie's chest so she'd already figured out what this connection was for her. She wanted to hold her hand again, like they'd done in the bathroom, and to soothe her, to care for her, to hug her. Charlie growled into the blankets, banging her head against the mattress to keep herself from falling any further down that line of thought.
"I can't keep it from her though." Razzle chattered curiously at her as she groaned, turning her head to look at them. "I don't want to keep secrets that affect her. I mean, who knows how Heaven was for her if she chose to fall, especially if this kind of punishment came from mercy. I don't want to be a person who lies to her and hides stuff. Plus! I'm a horrible liar! She'd know something is up!"
If she could just ask her mom...
Charlie whined and hid her face again, this time feeling Razzle and Dazzle patting her head almost frantically. Her mom had left quickly, basically vanished with a little note left for her about keeping the villa for herself and to do what she wanted. At first, she thought it would just be a quick trip somewhere, an emergency meeting for something.
Now, though, Charlie wondered if she'd ever hear from her.
What would she say anyway? Most likely, she'd tell her to follow her heart, to be bold and brave and just speak her mind. It was what she usually said when Charlie felt nervous or scared. It had never been her forte and she'd grown up fairly alone, her parents not wanting her to mingle with sinners when she was young and not many hellborn felt safe enough to pair up as a playmate for the princess of hell.
Still, she'd never really minded it. She knew a few people fairly well but she'd always had her parents, always had her mom there to be with her, to spend time with her.
Now she doesn't have either.
"Fuck, okay." Sniffling, Charlie rubbed forcefully at her cheeks to brush away any possible tears that may have sprung up. She stood up and shook herself out, patting down the bits of fur that had fluffed out. "I'm going to go make some food and when she wakes up, I'll tell her. That way she at least knows and has her options. It's super important for her to know if she's going to be living here, anyway, since if the idea makes her uncomfortable, I can help her find somewhere else."
The idea that Charlie would make Vaggie that uncomfortable made something twist painfully in her chest but she pushed past it. It needed to be Vaggie's choice and she would work with whatever she wanted.
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Pain woke Vaggie before anything else, her back throbbing as she shifted slightly between the pillows. She groaned, trying her best to ignore it, when she heard Charlie's voice out in the hall. It seemed like she was singing something, her voice soothing something in Vaggie's brain.
Between that and the lingering scent of vanilla and cinnamon, all of Vaggie's muscles turned to mush, melting back into the blankets for a few long minutes.
Eventually even those comforting things couldn't keep the pain at bay so she crawled out of the bed, stretched as best she could without pulling her back too much, and wandered out of her room. The oversized shirt and shorts Charlie had given her to wear made her feel strangely exposed, though she supposed it was because she wasn't wearing her own clothes.
Even so, she felt more at home in this place she'd only been within for a few hours more than she had in the training center where she'd spent most of her life.
Stumbling down the halls, and very carefully down the stairs, Vaggie eventually made her way to where Charlie's voice was echoing from. The kitchen was warm and made the whole house smell wonderful. Her stomach growled, loud enough to grab the princess's attention as she spun on her hoof and gave Vaggie a wide smile.
"You’re up! Did you sleep okay? It's only been a few hours so if you're still tired you should sleep more after you eat, because really, your timing is wonderful since the soup is almost done!" She blinked at the rapid fire words, grinning when Razzle and Dazzle dragged a chair over for her to sit in.
"I'm alright." A yawn broke up her answer, flushing at the warm look Charlie sent her way. "Everything hurts so it woke me up but I do feel better than before."
"Is it itching?" Charlie stirred whatever she had in the pot on the stove once more before she focused all her attention on Vaggie, peeking at the bandage around her eye.
"Yea, a bit. Mostly my back."
"Well it hasn't been super long but it might be a good idea to change the bandages. If that stuff dad brought worked then the itching and pain might be your regeneration working overtime."
"Which means blood."
"Which means blood." She nodded sagely, cracking a grin when Vaggie snorted at her. "The one around your eye seems pretty clean but it's a little harder to tell with the gold ichor so I'll just change all the wraps."
"Before or after eating?"
"That's up to you! Soup is basically finished, I'm just letting it simmer still to be extra sure."
"Then I'll eat first, not sure if I'll want to after we do more medical stuff." With that decided, Vaggie suddenly found herself with a nervous Charlie, the taller demon seeming to shrink as she got each of them a bowl and then led her to a dining room. Sitting right next to Charlie made her anxiety even more apparent as she could catch the very slight tremble in her hands.
She didn't push, though. If she made Charlie uncomfortable, she would have said, so maybe this was because she wondered if she'd like her food?
Maybe she was worried about her wounds?
Whatever it was, Vaggie did her best to soothe her. She ate three bowls, finding that she really was starving and enjoying the chicken soup that she'd been given.When they were both finished, she helped carry things to the sink and didn't make a fuss when Charlie waved her off and showed that Razzle and Dazzle would clean up after them.
She let her lead her upstairs, leaning on her easily even though Charlie had stiffened up a bit at the sudden closeness. That stung a bit at first but she'd quickly softened, sliding an arm around Vaggie's waist until they were back in the bathroom.
"Uhm, do you want to wear my jacket again? Since you'll have to take the shirt off fully this time." There was a blush along Charlie's face again, her eyes bouncing around the room to keep from looking at her. It would have been endearing if Vaggie didn't catch the slightly scared tremor in her voice.
"Yea, that works but let me ask you something first." She took Charlie's hands as she went to sit on the stool again, pulling her to stand before her and doing her best to catch her eyes. When she did, Vaggie smiled and squeezed like she'd done earlier to ease her. It worked again as some of the tension zapped out of her. "What's wrong? Did I do something or-"
"No! No, no, it's not, you didn't do anything but I'm, I just, I need to tell you something but I don't know how." She eventually got it out, gnawing at her lip so hard by the end that Vaggie winced at the divot her fang left behind.
"If you have to tell me something, then it's okay, just tell me. I won't break."
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Charlie shifted on her hooves, ducking her head down. "You just got here and after everything that happened, you're dealing with a lot and I don't want to add to it, but I don't want to keep it secret either, so it's just... I'm just... scared."
"Do I scare you?" That thought made Vaggie feel so sick she regretted eating first but then Charlie shook her head so hard she worried she'd hurt herself. "Okay, then what's scary?"
"Your reaction? If you want to leave? I don't want you to leave." Now it just seemed like she was whining and even though this felt serious, Vaggie couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up from her chest.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you but, Charlie, I'm not going anywhere. I don't have anywhere else to go but even if I did, why would I go somewhere alone?"
"Well... this is... It's big and it involves you and me and I don't want-" When she kept stuttering over her words, eventually just helplessly opening her mouth to speak before changing her mind, Vaggie laced their fingers together and pulled her a little closer.
"Hey. Just say it and we'll go from there."
"You're my soulmate!" Charlie blurted it out, her eyes trained on their intertwined hands. "I mean, it's, well, powerful demons and angels just kind of know when a soul is made for them. It's different from mortal ideas of soulmates? Still, my dad explained it to me a long time ago and I remembered it while you were sleeping and I was thinking about stuff and I-"
"Charlie! Whoa, it's okay, breathe." Vaggie put one of their connected hands on her chest and took a few slow breaths, waiting until the princess seemed to calm down. "There we go."
"I should be the one comforting you today." Charlie sniffed, looking a bit upset with herself. "It's... I'd understand if this is too much or if I make you uncomfortable knowing I-I mean that I want-"
"That you want to date me?" There was a grin pulling at Vaggie's lips and Charlie looked so confused, so lost, that she had to bite back another laugh.
Truthfully, she knew she should have been overwhelmed. This should have been too much, just another thing to add to all the things that were building to push her over the edge.
Yet, compared to the rest, this felt good. This made her feel warm and flattered and happy in a way she almost couldn't identify. Charlie's presence felt comfortable, her home felt like a place Vaggie was meant to be in. Normally, Vaggie craved a praising word or pat on the back but she also disliked being touched more than that, however her first instinct was to hold Charlie's hand and when she'd gone to sleep, a part of her wished she was laying there next to her so she could hug her.
The princess of hell had helped her, was making sure she healed, was providing her a place to stay and food to eat, all while Vaggie was a mess and had no idea what was even going on in her life anymore. Her being her soulmate, Charlie wanting a romantic relationship, didn't suddenly make Vaggie see her differently.
"Well, y-yes?"
"You liking me doesn't make me uncomfortable, Charlie." Vaggie grinned when the princess went from shocked, to a little wary, to extremely shy, almost hiding her smile as she pressed her face into her own shoulder.
"This is going over way easier than I thought it would."
"A soulmate isn't exactly bad news to me and, besides, I'm a fallen angel now, we've got all the time we could ever want to get to know each other."
At that, Charlie beamed, looking brighter than the light of Heaven as she nodded her agreement. She shuffled a little closer, those pointed ears breaking through her hair more as they strained forward, the tips flushed pink. Vaggie just kept hold on her hands, making sure it was loose enough so she could easily pull away if she wanted, but Charlie didn't seem keen to separate from her at all.
"Right, we have time." She looked a bit nervous again but differently, like she was unsure but not afraid. "So, you're okay with me helping you still?"
"Of course."
"A-And... can I, uhm, k-kiss your head? When I change the bandage? To make it feel better?" Ah, that's where the nervous energy was pointed. Charlie looked embarrassed, like she wished she would spontaneously combust into hellfire, but Vaggie just felt her own heart melting, even as her skin heated with her own slight embarrassment.
"Oh, yea, that's fine." She tried to ignore the squeak in her voice when she answered.
This time, Charlie turned around entirely when Vaggie took off her shirt and pulled the jacket on. When she did turn back to her, she buttoned the bottom few buttons to make sure it stayed comfortably, something that made Vaggie bite her lip to contain a grin.
"I'll start with your back so you can put that back on, okay?"
"Alright." Dread bubbled up at the reminder of her back, of the empty holes where her wings should be. Now that the pain had died down a little and she had time to rest, it had finally fully slammed into her that her wings were truly gone. It was no wonder she felt so off balance when she walked down the stairs. "Do you really think they'll grow back?"
The question was so quiet, so sad, that Charlie's hands paused where they'd started removing the medical tape. She sighed softly as she went back to work, obviously sorting her thoughts.
"If it heals well, I think they'll come back. I don't know how quickly, I've never seen an angel's wings removed like this, but I hope they will so I'm going to still say yes. When they come back, I'm excited to see what they'll look like." Charlie gave her shoulder a little pat before she peeled the gauze pads away. She almost screamed as she felt partially dried blood stick to her skin for a moment before it came free. "Sorry, sorry! I'll clean these up again but they look much better! Whatever dad gave us is working."
"How long till it heals?"
"Well, comparing this to demon regeneration, it should be healed up completely in two or three days, maybe? There was a lot of trauma and that tends to take longer than a clean cut." As she spoke, Charlie rushed around the bathroom to get warm wet towels to wipe the blood away. Gold was splotched across the floor tiles and the sink, the reminders making Vaggie a bit nauseous. "Unless it looks bad, I'd guess your eye would only take one good long sleep to get at least mostly healed up."
"Angel regeneration shouldn't be too different but I'm really not sure. I've only ever been hurt during training before and those wounds were never this bad."
"Did it heal quickly?"
"Yes, I've always healed pretty fast. Bruises and cuts vanish after one rest cycle."
"One rest cycle?"
"Oh, uhm, a four hour nap."
"Wait, you only slept for four hours between training exercises?" There was a dangerous edge to Charlie's voice, something Vaggie couldn't parse for a moment. Then she realized from the snarled huff even as she kept her hands ever so gentle that Charlie was being protective.
"It was normal for me. I'd wake up, train, eat, train, rest cycle, train, eat, train, rest cycle, and so on. Every fifth day I'd get time to go outside for relaxation to recuperate but it was only for a few hours, and some days Lute didn't allow it at all if I wasn't proving my worth." The room shook a bit with a deep growl, Charlie stopping what she was doing and curling her hands into fists. Vaggie peeked over her shoulder and felt her heart flip at the demonic anger in the princess's eyes as she stared at her wounds. "It's alright, Charlie, I'm not there anymore. Though I... I want to keep training."
"What? Why?" Her anger dissolved quickly, replaced by worry and confusion.
"I need to be able to do things without my eye. My wings might regenerate but my eye... I don't think that will come back. If I can't fight then I-" She sighed before turning just a little to be able to meet Charlie's gaze. "I want to be able to protect you, to keep you safe from the sinners who don't respect you as the princess of Hell. I can't do that if I can't even stand balanced with my wings gone and only one eye."
"You don't have to-"
"I know. It's only been a few hours and I already know you'd never force me to do any work for you, but I want to. I need to, for myself."
It was quiet for a few minutes. Charlie went back to re-bandaging her back, silent as she handed her shirt back and turned to let her put it back on. When she faced her again and took her jacket back, she sighed.
"Okay. I won't stop you but I want you to take it easy, for a while at least! And that kind of schedule will change entirely, no more working yourself to death! We work together now, which means we take care of each other." She fidgeted with her hair, tucking it behind her ear.
"I can agree to taking care of each other." Vaggie nodded her agreement, reaching a hand out for Charlie to shake. Her face heated when she took it in her own instead, using her free hand to gather what she needed to re-patch Vaggie's eye.
This time she worked even slower, making sure no tape got stuck in her hair and doing her best to be sure the gauze didn't tug this time. There was still new blood there but it was less, whatever Charlie had put on it before keeping it from sticking.
"This looks great. It'll definitely scar and I'm not sure if you want to get a fake eye or a patch or anything, but we can get whatever you want."
"I don't want a replacement. A patch might be okay though." She wanted this to be a reminder, a mark of her loss and the horrors she'd escaped. Even if Heaven was meant to be the best afterlife, for her, she was quickly finding that Hell was her paradise instead.
Charlie didn't question her, she just put a new gauze patch down and then started to bandage it again, her hands trembling a little. Vaggie was confused for a moment before she felt her press the tape to hold it in place, followed by the soft press of her lips in a kiss.
Oh. Right.
A giggle came forward before she could stop it, some sort of joy warming her as she looked up at the giddy little grin on Charlie's face. She was bouncing on her hooves, looking so proud of herself, that Vaggie just shook her head and grabbed her hand again.
"Thank you." Before Charlie could say anything, she brought up her hand to kiss her knuckles, smirking at the shock and awe on the princess's face. "Wanna watch a movie together?"
That got her a nod, Charlie shyly slipping an arm around her again as they left the bathroom.
This time she was led to a large living room. When she was settled on the couch, Charlie ran around the space to get her a blanket and a pillow. Then she disappeared for a few moments, returning with a bag of chips and some drinks that were put on the table before her.
Vaggie pulled Charlie to sit down next to her before she could second guess herself, grinning when Charlie nervously resituated the blanket to cover both their legs.
Eventually she ended up sleepily leaning her head against Charlie's shoulder, humming softly when an arm wound around her shoulders. Before she could fall asleep fully, she felt another kiss, feather light, being pressed to the top of her head.
Maybe falling from Heaven would be the best thing that could have happened to her. After all, she'd found her perfect princess in Hell.