"Well, you're the special one today, what do you want?"
"...I dunno. You pick."
"That's a lot of help."
"I can't think right now, you decide."
"You're just being lazy."
"True."
Angelus sighed. "How about a couple of sandwiches, there should be some bread in the cabinet...I think."
"With what? We haven't gone shopping, and nothing's in storage. Not even butter."
Angelus groaned in annoyance at that. "Guess we'll have to go out somewhere. I really didn't want to leave now that I'm so comfortable." Angelus' stomach growled in protest. Food was important.
"We'll just get some sandwiches at Bowers, you alright with that?"
Azreal shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Let me clean up and change. I probably smell like shit."
Lunch turned out to be the most exciting event of the day for Angelus and Azreal.
Aegis walked with a bit more speed than normal as he walked home. He wasn't quite sure how everything had turned out today, and there were a lot of unknown factors. He hoped that he didn't return home to a disaster, or learn of some catastrophic event.
Even Aegis noticed just how long the stairs were as he climbed them in haste, and made his way to the door. He stood before the door, bracing himself for whatever he might find, turned the knob and opened the door.
What he found was even more shocking than what he had imagined. Aegis had imagined that either the two of them got into a fight sometime during the day, destroying the apartment in the process. Or, that the apartment would be completely empty, and he would have to go on a search for the two of them, learning that both of them had been thrown into confinement. And perhaps the worst case scenario, is whether or not Azreal attempts to take his life due to the events of last night.
But this...the two of them, sitting quietly on opposite sides of the couch with each of them glued to a book? Even Aegis' mouth hung slightly open at the sight as he stared at them.
Angelus felt the stare, glanced up to see Aegis standing in the doorway before returning to his book, not noticing the expression on Aegis' face.
"'Sup Aegis." Angelus greeted as Azreal's eyes rose and Aegis recovered himself.
"Yo." Azreal greeted as Aegis walked in and closed the door behind him.
"This is quite a surprise, what started this?" Aegis asked as he sat in the nearby chair.
Angelus shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing else to do. Neither of us really wanted to go anywhere today." Angelus answered.
"Fair enough. What are you reading?" Aegis asked next.
"Yeah, about that Aegis, you got some fucked up tastes. Like this shit for example, Eyes of the Moon, what the fuck is this?" Angelus asked, though he did not avert his eyes away from the pages in front of him.
Aegis cracked a small smile. "True, it is a strange book with some very...interesting events and perspectives. How far along are you?"
"Uhh, Ralph got killed a little while ago, and Castor is all fucked up because he witnessed the killing of Ralph by the monster. They're about to lock him up about it because no one believes him."
Aegis' smile remained. Angelus had only just started, and doesn't realize that one, the monster's real target was Castor, and the murder of Ralph was to prep Castor for his own time, a mistake that would prove fatal for the monster much later.
The second is that the monster owns Joshua through fear, which has not been truly demonstrated at the current point that Angelus was at.
Aegis himself had read Eyes of the Moon three times, and has great respect for the author, for the majority of the book consists of a very powerful theme, which is the life of a teenager and why such a time in a person's life is almost always filled with what is now labeled as 'typical teenage drama', and takes it to the extremes.
The monster in the book both does, and does not exist. It does not exist on Joshua, but in another dimension entirely. But, it is able to manifest itself on another world should it feed on the minds of those who are at the height of their attempts to blend reality and fiction together into one.
And that's what a teenager is, and what most of them do. As a child, most live in a more imaginary world than the real one, where everything is fine and everyone in the world is happy and the child has dreams to be a helper of others or plans to become a great leader.
But, as a teenager, that imaginary world begins to fade away as the real world settles in, and nearly every teenager attempts to fight this process. They don't want to believe that bad things can happen to them, that others aren't so kind and trustworthy as they once seemed to be. That nearly everyone around them, who they had known for years, are suddenly not the people they once thought they were. That maybe they can't be the person they want to be.
And so, in retaliation, they attempt to blend fiction into reality, believing that they can overcome the hardships and obstacles, that they can change reality. That is the energy the monster feeds upon, a mind trying to blend fiction and reality together.
The book itself isn't very popular, due to the rather explicit, dark, and violent nature of the book. Aegis, however, appreciated it's rather realistic depiction of all natures of growing up, stretching from sexuality to learning how to lie and deceive as required when one 'grows up'. Plus the supernatural part of the story was fun as well.
Angelus, even if he never had one before, will most likely have nightmares when he sleeps tonight. Or, he'll sleep with one eye open.
"And dude, I'm reading a porno over here, and a really strange one at that. Don't tell me this is what you do in your bed...wait, what am I talking about, you don't have a sex life."
Aegis shrugged. "I pick those up for quick reads when I get bored from time to time."
Azreal raised an eyebrow as he looked up to Aegis. "You read porn when you're bored?"
"They're mildly entertaining."
"...what a strange hobby you have." Azreal said as he returned to his book.
Aegis raised an eyebrow at the comment, but ignored it. "I realize this may be rude, but it's necessary. Have you thought about what you're going to do tomorrow? Or, did something happen today?" He asked of Azreal.
"Today's been fine, we've just sat here all day, except for lunch. We went out for lunch." Azreal replied as he returned to his reading.
"And tomorrow? You do work tomorrow, don't you?"
Azreal remained silent as he continued reading.
"You can't ignore this. You've had all day to avoid the issue, but you can't do so anymore."
"I fucking know that!" Azreal shouted at Aegis as he laid his book down in frustration, which was followed by a sad look on his face.
"Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you like that."
"I was expecting it. I would have been more concerned if you had no reaction. Now, I'm not suggesting what you should do, because that decision lays solely upon you. I just want to know what you have in mind."
Azreal's eyes wandered at the question. "I don't...I haven't thought about it, and...I don't really think I'll know until it happens."
"You don't think you'll do anything...rash, will you?"
Even Angelus lifted his eyes and turned to Azreal at that particular question, knowing the meaning behind it. Azreal had almost lost control once already.
"N-no, that won't happen again. Look, one thing that I know that's been established is that it's over, I get that. So long as I know that, I'll know there's no point in arguing anything with her, or even speaking to her for that matter. I think what I'll do is say some parting words, and quit my job."
"We can't afford that. At least wait until you've found another form of work before you quit."
"And how do you expect me to do that!? It's one thing if I face her one last time before I walk out, but now you're going to ask me to work with that cheating cunt whore bitch!? You must be out of your fucking mind! Not to mention, fucking Cameron works there too! How the fuck do you expect me to work with them for an extended period of time after knowing what the two of them did!? If that happens then yeah, I just might do something rash!" Azreal shot back.
"And how do you expect us to pay for the apartment while you look for work? You know how thin our budget is. Even if you were to only miss a week, which I consider a best case scenario only, it would put us behind, not to mention just how big of a pay cut you might have to take by changing jobs. You quitting your job now might ultimately put all three of us back on the street."
Azreal growled in frustration, then sighed a heavy sigh. In fact, they will be behind if all three of them don't pull a few extra hours by the end of this month. "Fine, I'll fucking stick around while I look for a new job, okay!?" He conceded, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration.
Aegis waited a moment before speaking. "And Danica?"
"I don't know." Azreal shot back.
"I see...just remember that Angelus and I will not be there to stop you should you lose control. It's up to you to make sure things don't go that far."
Azreal remained silent, averting his eyes away from Aegis and Angelus.
Aegis stood, and went to the kitchen. "I'll make dinner tonight, what do you want Azreal?"
"There's nothing there, we need to go shopping."
Aegis went through every cabinet, and as Azreal had claimed, everything was empty.
"We need to work on our consumption, we shouldn't be out of everything at this time of the week. I'm a bit short, so I can't afford an expensive dinner."
"Bah, who needs expensive dinners? I just want some burgers."
"Burgers it is."
The subject was not brought up for the rest of the night.
That night, however, Azreal dreamed. Though he would not remember when he awoke, it was a rather vivid dream with a single theme.
Azreal dreamed of bloodshed.
Azreal was here a little early to talk to the boss, Richter, who normally is here at the crack of dawn. Since Azreal knew there was most likely going to be a problem, it was important that he talk to the boss and give him a heads up first. As he opened the door, he hoped that neither Danica nor Cameron were here.
Unfortunately, fate slapped him right in the face, as she was on her way out for a smoke and was at the door.
"Good morning Azreal, is something wrong?" Danica asked, concerned. Or at least, she appeared to be concerned, but Azreal wondered about that.
"No, everything's fine." Azreal snapped at her in a low voice, pushing his way past her as he went inside.
Danica's eyes followed Azreal as the door closed between them, too shocked at his words and tone to try and follow him.
Azreal kept his head down as he hastily made his way to Richter's office, wanting to avoid any sort of conversation for the time being. He had important business to settle first.
Nearly everyone who saw Azreal had to stop a moment and question about what had happened to Azreal. Azreal, who was usually a happy go lucky guy, was walking around and had a face that said that he was almost ready to blow up the world. And most guessed that something must have happened between him and Danica.
As he walked, he heard one or two try to get his attention, but Azreal paid them no heed and found Richter Stover in his office. The office itself wasn't much and consisted of a cabinet, a desk, some torches on the wall, and posters with random quotes with some being jokes, and others not.
That, more or less, described Richter Stover on the outside as well. Though a bit on the taller side at six foot even, he had a very plain face that wasn't really distinctive in any way, including his grey eyes. He kept his dark brown hair short at all times, and rarely dressed in anything spectacular. For example, as of right now, even though he was the owner, was wearing a short sleeve tee shirt and work pants, ready to chip in should he need to.
There was one special distinction of Richter that one could only see if one knew him personally. While it's true that he had a very plain appearance, what wasn't so plain is that his appearance didn't match his age. Most would bet their lives that he was in his late twenties to early thirties, and would not believe that he was actually going to be fifty next year. (Just about everyone at this point believed that Richter must have sold his soul to demons or something to be able to retain his youthful look. Of course, this wasn't true. What was true is that Richter was a man who loved to work and exercise, a man who is simply unable to sit still for long. If he wasn't working at the restaurant, then he would be working on himself, keeping in shape by running, lifting, and various other forms of exercises.)
Currently, he was sitting at his desk, a small pair of glasses hanging on the tip of his nose, and his eyes were glaring at the paper in his hands. And he looked pissed.
Turns out, he was.
"I fucking told those idiots I needed that shipment today! Fucking New Years is a week and a half away and I don't have time to be dicking around waiting for shipments!" He shouted at the paper, the corners that he was holding it by crumbling in his grip.
Despite Azreal's foul mood, he decided to be very careful about this. Richter Stover was one scary man when pissed.
"Mr. Stover, sir?" Azreal asked in a polite and somewhat quiet voice.
Richter's eyes shot up. "Yes, Azreal?" He asked, his anger not abating. In fact, he looked slightly more agitated because of the interruption.
"Well, I have a problem."
Richter's hands flew up. "Unfucking believable! Don't tell me your fucking sick or something, you know I need you all the way until New Years! What the fuck is it?"
"...I may end up leaving." Azreal replied.
Richter's face instantly changed from frustration to confusion. "What the fuck for?"
Azreal sighed. "Well, the night before yesterday, I..I saw Danica cheating on me...with...with Cameron."
Richter's mouth dropped.
"And I'm...about to go confront her right now. I don't know how it will go, but, I have to do it. I came here to give you the heads up, and to apologize ahead of time for whatever goes down." Azreal spoke quickly, spun, and headed out of the office before Richter could try and speak.
With the formalities out of the way, it was time to face her. Azreal's heart raced, with the confrontation now imminent. He had no idea how this was going to go, especially since he still didn't really know what he was going to do in this situation, and that was perhaps the most frightening question of all. Would his...other self take over? This...monster that existed deep in his core, buried as far down as Azreal could push it down. Yet the other night...it had almost come out despite Azreal's will to keep that part down.
In the end though, Azreal wasn't going to avoid this. If there was one thing Azreal knew for sure, it was that he could not just simply walk away from all of this, nor was he going to allow Danica going to get away with what she did completely unscathed.
He retraced his steps back the way he came, looking to intercept her while she was outside smoking, and feeling even more glares from his coworkers as he marched. If anyone had tried calling out to him, Azreal would not have heard them, far too focused on his objective for his ears to work properly.
He braced himself as he approached the closed door, reviewing what he was going to say, and did not intend to give her a chance to speak. He wanted this to be over as quickly as possible so that he could allow himself to move on.
But his efforts were for not, for when he opened the door he saw that she was not outside. Growling in frustration, he spun around, but found that he had been intercepted.
"Azreal? What's going on, you're stomping around without so much as a 'hi' to anyone, what's gotten into you?" Brandy asked, genuine concern in her eyes and voice.
Brandy herself was a year younger than Azreal at fifteen, though for some reason, she was really developed, something Azreal couldn't have failed to notice even if he wanted to. Though extremely flirtatious, she has not been in any relationship to date, and her sights set on a single goal that nearly all knew about.
Azreal.
Today, she was wearing her bright blonde hair in two ponytails which were hanging over the front of her shoulders and stretched down to the rise of her developing chest, which was large enough to show cleavage. Her bright blue eyes were always clear somehow, so clear that Azreal could see his own reflection in them. She was also wearing the standard waitress uniform, a plain pink blouse with a short skirt, allowing plenty of her legs to be seen.
But right now, her looks had no effect on Azreal. "It's nothing, where is Danica?" He asked.
"Nothing? What do you mean nothing!? What's going on, what happened?"
Azreal growled. "If you want to know so fucking bad, fine! Danica cheated on me with Cameron, happy? Now have you fucking seen her or not!?" Azreal snapped, causing Brandy to flinch in surprise and a bit intimidated.
Azreal, quickly realizing that he was wrong, let out a heavy sigh. "Look, I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that, it's just...look, I just need to find Danica. After that...well...who knows."
"...sorry, I don't know where she is. By Osirus Azreal, I am so sorry. If there's anything I can do...anything...you can come to me. And I'm being serious Azreal, you're a good guy, and the last thing I want to see happen is that prissy whore ruin you. So, whatever you need, you can just ask me and I'll do whatever you need me to do. Even if it's just to talk."
Azreal looked at her with a bit of surprise. But, he also wasn't ready for this kind of thing, not right now.
"Thanks." He said as he turned and walked away, and Brandy letting him go, allowing him some distance before she began following him again. Brandy has never been a fan of the whole Azreal/Danica hookup, and they had already been going out for a month and a half when Brandy had been hired, too late to do anything about it. She had always felt that Danica took Azreal for granted, and never appreciated him properly. Brandy would have never done that, and now, because of that whore, she might never get her chance now.
Azreal dropped the encounter with Brandy from his mind as he proceeded on his search. He didn't want to lose focus on what he was here to do. What he had to do.
He eventually spotted her in the kitchen, and at first, everything froze. He suddenly was unsure of himself, and wasn't sure that he wanted to go through with this. She was currently speaking with James and she looked...genuinely hurt. He had, for all intents and purposes, shoved her aside when he first ran into her.
But now she looked distressed, and Azreal knew that he was the cause of it.
Azreal shook his head. He had to stop himself right there. This had all started because of her. This was all her fault, and he had to remember that. At this point, everything that's about to happen is something that she brought upon herself.
On a small plus note, Cameron was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Good, Azreal could deal with them one at a time, and the first is Danica.
He drew in one good breath, and began walking towards her. Somehow sensing him, she turned with those distressed eyes, which widened.
"Azreal!? Wha, what's going on!? Why are you-"
"We have something very important to discuss." Azreal began. James, who had been speaking with Danica, went silent. "But, I suppose you wouldn't find it that important, do you?"
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