Little Russia

[SINIB]

Lubei

Had she read his mind, or did she just feel the same comforting numbness that did not freeze and cool that did not prick or pierce, in the solemn breath of the icy wind? Easier to believe it was the latter. He was only so transparent with his displeasure, of which he often had much.

Lubei tried to not project that sensation as he accompanied the Seraph's stride. There was nothing unpleasant to cause it, but where her posture was easy and tried among her people, his silent poise was trained on reproach. Even the most regal iceberg was still an impassable natural obstacle to a mortal.

Icebergs did not feel exhaustion, alas.

"Perhaps," he said, tilting his head towards Ivanna. "I should eat. What do you recommend?"

Ivanna

Ivanna let go of his hand as they reached the bar. She placed both palms upon the stoop and hoisted herself up with a short hop, landing atop the comfortably cold leather. The patron sitting next to the seraph's cheeks flushed, and they immediately got up, making way for her companion. He turned to Lubei and smiled. "Please, sit." He insisted.

"We'll have two plates of stroganoff to start. I'll have your strongest, while my companion will have a mild drink." She kicked the bar, spinning her stoop around to face her subjects before standing up. "All here shall eat free tonight, by the decree of the voice of God!" She exclaimed, raising a closed fist into the air.

A roar of approval resonated through the building as everyone cheered for their glorious leader.

[YOLF]

Lubei

How should he respond to a smile so favorable? Lubei held his position for a second, then smoothed his sharp brows as best as he could and nodded with a soft hum at the man, grabbing for the seat. His long coat crumpled at the small of his back and then drooped down over the edge of the stool as he sat.

The demon king's neck turned to watch Ivanna. He could not imagine himself commanding people in the same way. He knew he had to, it was a calling he could not escape even here, but not these people.

He was still staring when they brought his drink and he wrapped his fingers methodically around the glass.

[SINIB]

Lubei

How should he respond to a smile so favorable? Lubei held his position for a second, then smoothed his sharp brows as best as he could and nodded with a soft hum at the man, grabbing for the seat. His long coat crumpled at the small of his back and then drooped down over the edge of the stool as he sat.

The demon king's neck turned to watch Ivanna. He could not imagine himself commanding people in the same way. He knew he had to, it was a calling he could not escape even here, but not these people.

He was still staring when they brought his drink and he wrapped his fingers methodically around the glass.

Ivanna

The so-called mild drink in his hands was little more than a flagon of ice-cold vodka. The drink planted in front of her, well... It made what he'd been given the night before look positively palatable. A swirling blue mess that looked as if it were vodka mixed with toxic waste, with an unnatural glow to it that suggested radioactivity...

The small child lifted her glass up and clinked it against his own. "To a long and productive partnership, friend!"

She leaned back and began to chug the pint as if she were in a frathouse, with her loyal devotees cheering behind her.

[YOLF]

Lubei

Friend. The word was like a chain around his neck, but he wondered if it could be more than that. If his treacherous mind would allow it to be a comfort and not a binding, a strength and not a wedge driven into his resolve. Did Uria consider him a friend too? If so, then his precedent for friends here in the Nexus was a truly unfortunate one.

His grip clenched around the glass, but he returned the cheerful clink by raising it to his lips. "To a fortuitous cooperation." Lubei said, and chugged, allowing the ominous drink down his throat.

The burn hit him two seconds later, and the demon lord hissed, sucking in air through his teeth.

"Not bad."

[SINIB]

Lubei

Friend. The word was like a chain around his neck, but he wondered if it could be more than that. If his treacherous mind would allow it to be a comfort and not a binding, a strength and not a wedge driven into his resolve. Did Uria consider him a friend too? If so, then his precedent for friends here in the Nexus was a truly unfortunate one.

His grip clenched around the glass, but he returned the cheerful clink by raising it to his lips. "To a fortuitous cooperation." Lubei said, and chugged, allowing the ominous drink down his throat.

The burn hit him two seconds later, and the demon lord hissed, sucking in air through his teeth.

"Not bad."

Ivanna

She slowly chugged the vile mixture, savoring the delicate flavors hidden within. A few seconds after him, she slammed her flagon atop the table and flashed a toothy grin. "There's no shame in being a lightweight, Lubei!"

[YOLF]

Lubei

The demon king glowered vaguely in her direction. "I am not a lightweight. This mixture is just heavy."

If he didn't know any better, he would swear to North and South that it came from the brewing traditions of the ocidental wastes. But those were significantly more inhospitable than this region, which only left him with the possibility that the Seraph's people... inordinately enjoyed their drink.

Lubei could feel the raptor judging his wits under its stare. Fucking quit it!

"I have scarcely spoken to an agent of Heaven like this," he said. "That you are not from the the Heaven I know is secondary."

[SINIB]

Lubei

The demon king glowered vaguely in her direction. "I am not a lightweight. This mixture is just heavy."

If he didn't know any better, he would swear to North and South that it came from the brewing traditions of the ocidental wastes. But those were significantly more inhospitable than this region, which only left him with the possibility that the Seraph's people... inordinately enjoyed their drink.

Lubei could feel the raptor judging his wits under its stare. Fucking quit it!

"I have scarcely spoken to an agent of Heaven like this," he said. "That you are not from the the Heaven I know is secondary."

Ivanna

Ivanna slapped him on the back. "Everything is relative-in this land, you'd be classified as a lightweight!" She chortled, downing a second pint of her vile green concoction. "There's a first time for everything. Enjoy it." The angel leaned forward, and raised an arm above her head to stretch. She felt her muscles relaxing as the intensity of the beverage loosened her muscles and deadened her stress.

"Perhaps my realm shall be viewed favorably by you?" She asked, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction. Within her eyes, there was an obvious longing. She wanted a friend. She wanted a companion who she could trust, and talk candidly with.

[YOLF]

Lubei

He coughed into his drink, hefted forward in surprise. Struggling to retain a shred of dignity in his expression, he wiped the excess on his sleeve and turned his face fully to the Seraph.

Could Lubei take down even the first of his walls for someone who was meant to be a foe under the gaze of fate? She claimed they had no quarrel, but the demon king yet doubted that they could coexist within the influence of her faith. Still, this otherworldly woman was no enemy now, fit to be questioned in his mind - she was his host, and as of these slipping moments, an ally in addition to that. He had to begin somewhere. Perhaps it was too late a start to achieve his desire, but it was not bereft of meaning to try.

"My kind is not wont to worship... and I pray for only one god," he said. Sighing profusely, a weight seemed to shift on his shoulders. "But I believe I could live here. Even enjoy it."

[SINIB]

Lubei

He coughed into his drink, hefted forward in surprise. Struggling to retain a shred of dignity in his expression, he wiped the excess on his sleeve and turned his face fully to the Seraph.

Could Lubei take down even the first of his walls for someone who was meant to be a foe under the gaze of fate? She claimed they had no quarrel, but the demon king yet doubted that they could coexist within the influence of her faith. Still, this otherworldly woman was no enemy now, fit to be questioned in his mind - she was his host, and as of these slipping moments, an ally in addition to that. He had to begin somewhere. Perhaps it was too late a start to achieve his desire, but it was not bereft of meaning to try.

"My kind is not wont to worship... and I pray for only one god," he said. Sighing profusely, a weight seemed to shift on his shoulders. "But I believe I could live here. Even enjoy it."

Ivanna

She chuckled softly and shook her head. "My god has no interest in the worship of demons, ehehe..." She replied with a pained chuckle. She ran her hand down the length of her slender thigh and squirmed in her seat. "I'll certainly enjoy your company, Lubei." She once again patted him on the back. "To our cooperation."

The small angel her go of her drinking glass and offered him a clenched fist. "Tomorrow, we start work. Today, we celebrate."

[YOLF]

Lubei

It would be nice to get back to work. Intimidating aggressive lieutenants and quelling assaults from holy warriors. That was likely not what she had in mind, but he'd do desk work all the same. If he did it well, he expected she would lend her resources. And until he found a way back, the demon king was not likely to want for goals to strive for. He had to return to those slums. To learn what demons he could find here, and how they sorted themselves.

Tomorrow. He could deal with that.

The faint smile on his mouth twitched, as he blinked at her gesture. The demon uncertainly formed a fist and extended it her way. "To cooperation," he said.

[SINIB]

Ivanna

Ivanna gently tapped her fist against his. "To victory. To purity!"

[SINIB]

Ivanna

Some Time Later...

Ivanna had retreated to her quarters to meditate. The events of the day had been exhausting, and she had much to consider. Had the scouring really been her only option? It had seemed as if it was the only logical course of affairs in the moment, but she wondered if she'd given herself time to consider the facts, and to search for alternatives, if there might have been a better way to solve this problem. Even so, she still felt that delaying would have caused more potential harm to this land she'd been charged with governing, but...

The small angel reached up and rubbed her head, finally allowing her wings to splay out in their full and unrestrained glory. Ivanna fell backwards onto her bed and rubbed her forehead. "I've always been such a brute." She muttered quietly to herself. She reached up to grab a large pillow, squeezing it against her body and pressing her face into it. This world made her uneasy and worried. She didn't have His voice in her head, telling her what to do, giving her purpose. She was free to do what she wanted, as she wanted, and to run her church in a borderline heretical manner. Seemingly no matter what she did, God did nothing. Sometimes she wondered if he even cared anymore. About this world, about her flock, and even about her.

Times like these were her darkest moments, and she knew laying around in emotional turmoil would do her little good. Ivanna slid out of bed, stowed her wings away, and meandered over to her bureau, staring at herself in the mirror above it. She slipped into a thin white summer dress without any of her regalia, preparing to head out for a walk around white square.

[YOLF]

Lubei

He was having a hard time resting. Even sleeping seemed to evade him, as though a Snow Lion waited beneath the mattress to spring its fangs up and drag him under, every time he closed his eyes. His aura was restless, and whenever he looked at his sword from the corner of his eye, it rattled.

Lubei had never willingly stayed this long in a territory so seeped in divine power. Not as a guest. Maybe it was as simple as it not agreeing with his body. He'd given his trust, and the presence of this holiness caused no harm, but that didn't make it easy to stomach. In a very physical sense, it was uncomfortable. The unfamiliar, crisp quarters, decorated in a style as unfamiliar as it was self-important, weren't helping.

That was the train of thought that had dragged him away from bed into the streets protected the Seraph, bereft of his outer coat, resorting to slippers instead of his boots, rather than drag himself through the hours by fretting over the things he would do the next day, and all the ones he still lacked answers for. He had tried to read a book, and if those that already were in his temporary desk weren't all heavy religious poetry, he might have been brought it with him.

He didn't have an aim except shallow remembrance until he felt something very distinct next to him. The next thing he knew, his steps brought him face to face with his host.

"Seraph Ivanna," he rumbled in greeting.

[SINIB]

Ivanna

She looked different from usual. Her hair hung loose, tumbling down her back with the faint sheen of divinity giving her body a gentle glow. The vaugely sexual outfit which drew so much attention was gone, replaced by a thin white nightgown, and without her heels, the angel barely stood higher than his waist. Even with the frigid winter air screaming around them, she didn't seem any more bothered by the cold than he did.

Ivanna slowly turned around, taking a small step back so she could properly look up at him. "Friend Lubei. Does your type of demons not sleep, or are you having troubled thoughts as well?" She asked him with a faint melancholic ring to her tone.

[YOLF]

Lubei

He let his head tilt to the side. The angle didn't make her appearance any more or less unusual, but it felt strangely fragile to Lubei's eyes.

"We sleep and eat as mortals, but the mightiest more out of want than need," he replied. Pushing stagnant air out of his lungs with the heaving of his chest, he tapped at his temple with a weary swing of the wrist. "There's no end to what troubles me. And what of you?"