Kell seemed like he was considering a response to what had just transpired, and everyone else was watching him in anticipation. "I told you, he's not some pet you can just drag around."

"In my defense I'm fairly certain you never said that."

"Does that even matter? If I didn't say it, someone else did, or maybe it should have just been your common fucking sense that told you that maybe there was a reason we only kept him in chains. You know we can't trust-" He glanced at Percy. "People like him."

"I'd love a recap here. Is there any context to a woman getting her throat ripped out, or is that normal here in Hell?" Asked Percy dismissively.

"What- no, it's not normal here. Why would it be? We're not barbarians," said Lane.

"Excuse me for the concern, but in Heaven we don't typically have this happen in our meetings."

"Do you guys have 'meetings'?" Leigh asked.

"Can we stop and deal with Mannie first?" Kell re-centered everyone's attentions towards me and my posture got worse. If I had a chair to be sitting in, I'd be balling up.

"Can we not?" I said quietly.

"Mannie, I- I wanted to talk to you alone. But when things like this happen, I'm not sure what I feel in regards to you. Except, obviously, quite upset."

"Sydney's dead," Noel offered, like her dead body wasn't a foot from her face.

"You guys kicked her out!" This was not the right thing to say, though the looks of repulsion on everyone's faces was more from the blood than my own social blunders. "I didn't realize he'd do that."

"You left him alone with her," Kelsey stressed, "What did you expect?"

"Him to be... more polite...?"

"People like him can't be," Charlie, the capricorn emphasized. All the people in this room were starting to melt into one under this thick layer of rust and death, and I was sick of spinning to meet everyone's gaze. God, eleven was a lot of people.

I was responsible for Sydney's death. That... was it. I knew it, it was obvious, and there was no way I couldn't be blamed for how much blood pooling around my shoes.

But I never wanted to face the consequences for any of my actions. Kell was rare to lose his temper, but he was grimacing at me now, holding his chin in one hand. Blood on his fingernails.

Only one thing to do, then: "That's the thing about locking up angels like him, I mean. Torture them for too long and they get a little stir-crazy." I wasn't even trying to make it sound like a natural sentence.

"What." Said Percy as Kell bit his lip, "Who was that? What was his name? You said you hadn't been abducted any of us. Are there more?" It was fantastic to watch Percy blow up like this, mainly because it took the pressure off me.

"Look, Rhamiel was the only-"

"Rhamiel? Rhamiel? I knew Rhamiel! What did you do that made him crack like that? And what happened to his face?" When people get angry they always try to make themselves as tall as possible, and the already tall Percy was standing on his tiptoes. "Trust me, no one's going to want to hear this. The deal's off, for one. And for another, I'm sure that there's going to be dire action taken against you. And-" He had been running his fingers against his ring for awhile now, perhaps deciding on the best time to draw it. "This too."

With a jerky motion like his sword was already drawn, Percy summoned his blade to his hand. Then, like it was a fresh pair of chopsticks, he pulled at the hilt and suddenly had twin blades. They solidified slowly, going from a pale green light to solid silver.

Cautionary, Noel stood up, hands above her head, a ring clearly shining from her middle finger. "I'm also armed. Let's have this go peacefully. If the deal is off, please leave without another life being taken." After a second she added, "You're also terribly outnumbered. Two others have blades like yours, and three of us are hellhounds."

Percy didn't falter in the slightest, but continued to search through everyone in the room. "I'm not scared of you. I'm faster, I'm more skilled, and it'll take a lot more than a demon poorly trying to use an angelic weapon to down me." He fixed his jaw in that way many unsure people do. "I'd love to gank one of you two." He used his blade to point at Kelsey and Kell. "Aviinox, ver? Aerdens? Killed lots of us, you did."

Kell just looked confused at the angelic nicknames he had been bestowed. "You've probably killed plenty of us as well."

He didn't respond, and pointed his blades towards me. I cowered back a little more than I already had been. "You're pretty tempting too."

"Hey, I'm the one who freed Rhamiel, remember? We bonded a lot on the elevator. I'm on your side."

"You are a demon."

I laughed hoarsely. "You never know!" I said weakly, hands in the air like I was a sitcom star saying their catchphrase.

No, I wasn't actually a demon. Saying that now would not do much to change his mind.

"You said you were important. This was a lie."

"So I'm a compulsive liar." I shrugged. "It's no excuse to kill me."

"Actually, why don't you? Mannie's been nothing but trouble lately," Kell said. He was speaking deliberately slow, and looking at me with a gaze that clearly was requesting my cooperation. I was immortal, sure, but that didn't make death fun. Fuck the greater good, I just wanted to get out of here.

"Can you believe Kell's cruel dismissal of life? He's sort of a terrible monstrous guy," I said. "What did you people call him and his boyfriend again, the blood vultures? I don't know about you, but I don't trust anyone who has earned themselves a title that could also double as a shitty band name."

"Holy shit Mannie, what side are you on?" Kell said, as Percy faced him again.

"I-I mean-" Okay, I definitely didn't want Kell to die. "All of them are killers. You need at least twenty to be just considered for upper management around here."

Percy grunted, scanning the room again.

I continued. "Scorpio, Saggitarius, and Aquarius are the military generals in order of lowest to highest- I'd start there if you want revenge. Taurus is a terrible dresser. Cancer smokes, which is disgusting, and ironically enough, causes cancer. Pisces makes a mockery of the concept of a fair trial, and-"

"Your willingness to betray your superiors does not paint you in a good light," Percy said stiffly.

"Alright." I gave him a little bow. "I'll be on my way then." I quickly made a bee-line for the door.

"No, stay here."

I turned right around.

"Is there any chance you're going to leave without killing one of us?" Asked Glenn.

"No," said Percy.

"Please just kill Mannie."

"Hey!" I said. "He's probably going to kill several people, for one-"

"I have honor," Percy spat.

"You're the logical death here," reminded Kell in that slow tone, trying to hint that it was pretty much my duty to off myself.

"But you're nothing," said Percy glancing down at me, "These others, at least they hold some importance in your world. But not you."

"Oh yes, that's a key point. I'm nothing," I said enthusiastically, "Why would you waste your time killing me when you gain literally nothing from it? Especially since I'll just come back to life immediately after."

"You'll... revive after death?" Lane said slowly. "Is that a joke?"

"Come on, Mannie," Kell hit his forehead in frustration. "Now he's going to kill someone who isn't you. Someone who matters."

"Why do you possess that power?" Asked Percy, slowly, his eyes seeming to bore into my skull. I suspected he knew a thing or two about immortals like me.

"Uh, beats me to be honest," I said cheerfully, "If you're not going to kill me, am I free to go? I bet I can wrangle Rhamiel down to normalcy."

"You aren't worth anything at all it seems, not even a death. Don't call any security down here. I will leave when I'm ready."

"Excellent," I said, feeling very, very relieved. I almost closed the door behind me before I remembered something. "Oh right! Have any of you seen Blake?"

"Sydney came by my office earlier about a human. Left a file there for you," Kell said, staring at me, his green eyes clear even at this distance. Something in his voice suggested he thought he was going to die. Something else reminded me that it'd be my fault, again.

I closed the door.

Rhamiel had gone to Pride. Unfortunately, Pride is a very large city. Fortunately, strange men covered in blood are easy to track.

A blood trail took me down a couple streets and to a boutique. A police line kept me out.

"Murder," A cop said, "A stabbing." She smoked a cigarette, flagrantly illegal, but who was going to prosecute her? "Can't say anything else."

A pile of bloody clothes were particularly of interest.

From there it was going to be a bit harder.

"Have you seen a man with square strips of skin missing from his face?" I asked around. A few thought they had but ended up describing someone else. Many simply hadn't.

One man: "He had those strips all over- I wouldn't call them square, but they were precise. Some of them were older than the others. He looked out of his mind with fright, and I caved in and gave him money for a meal. Sent him down to Issa's diner. Why are you looking for him?"

Time was on my side and I was feeling frantic. Something about Rhamiel made him feel like a mess I should've cleaned up a while ago.

It was meant to be in the style of one of those very old diners that don't exist anymore. All the furniture was bright, sleek, and often red. A few people were in here, emphasis on few- the moment I slept in I could tell he wasn't here.

I stopped a waitress who was carrying a grilled cheese sandwich to one of the tables. I was reminded then how hungry I was- I guess I had lost my knack for going without food for long periods of time because I was damn starving. But that wasn't important right now.

"Have you seen a man covered in weird scars?"

"I see a lot of people with a lot of strange things on their body, you're going to have to be more specific."

"They're pretty square, unevenly aged and precisely cut."

"More?"

Who else could match that description? "Uh, Korean, new clothes, hasn't bathed in a long time, maybe looking either very angry or very scared."

"He was here," said the waitress, her eyes looking up as if trying to search her mind, "He started to order something but another man recognized him. They starting chatting enthusiastically in another language- Italian maybe- and left together."

"Do you know where they went?"

"The other man, he mentioned a rather infamous nightclub, The Blues and The Banes. If they're heading there, good luck. It's incredibly exclusive. Very few even know where it is, let alone are allowed in."

"And I don't suppose you're one of the them?"

"Oh god no. Do I look like I have the sort of money?"

I left in a huff. So much for finding Rhamiel, he had managed to luck his way into the most exclusive club in the city. Plus he had run into someone who was without doubt another angel.

I knew where the place was, as one gets to know these things in the city. But getting in had gotten hard since they started having a guard.

To find an angel I needed one. Angelswords leave a very distinctive wound on demons, a sort of grey burn that spreads through the flesh. The police would know that the killer was an angel, and if they knew, the public knew.

Backtracking to the crime scene, I spotted exactly who I had expected to see in a side alley, watching the police. As tacky as usual.

"I thought you were just visiting here for that one day," I said.

"Oh! Hello, Blake's friend," Pepper said, "How could I not come back to my favorite hellhole while my best friend is doing peace talks?"

I decided it would be a good idea not to mention the turn that had taken right away. "I need some help tracking down an angel-"

"Oh, that's what this is about," She said darkly, "I'm not doing you any favors. Scram."

"He's very dangerous."

"We all are," Pepper said, matter-of-factly, and I was reminded that the crime Percy had felled her for was mass murder.

"He killed one of The Few. Don't tell anyone yet though."

She rolled her eyes. "Which one?"

"Sydney. Uh, Sydney Westman."

"Oh, that's great!" She had the habit of bouncing on her toes as she talked, giving her the appearance of constantly jumping. "We're much better off without her. Who did this?"

"Rhamiel."

"Didn't know him, but I tell you, now I want to!" Pepper said joyfully, "Any clue where he might be?"

"Blues and Banes. Another angel took him there."

"There's one angel in Hell that I know of, and he is the type to slum up at the B&B. His name's Salt, he's a fallen, and they allow him to live here as long as he works as an informant on angelic matters."

"Salt and Pepper. Really."

Again with the eye rolls. You'd think you'd get dizzy. "We didn't plan it, okay. We just sorta happened to choose matching names when we fell." There was a beat. "I'd rather reunite you with Blake you know."

"Blake?" I said, nearly forgetting. Shit, Rhamiel was sort of pressing- but. Blake.

"Name ring a bell? He's been looking for you whenever and wherever he can."

"Yeah, no- I need to take care of this first." Her gaze made me feel guilty. At least she led the way with a lightning pace, a few steps ahead at all times and rarely looking back at me.

The silence got to be unnerving at some point, and I decided I needed something to get her talking. "What was Heaven like?"

"Oh!" Boy, she sounded delighted to be asked. "We are amazing! I don't mean that in some down-on-you way, I just mean we totally rock, you know? Like Heaven is the most amazing place and it is so beautiful and everyone is so happy with everyone else. Like, paradise and all that."

She turned to look at me and I wondered what I was supposed to be adding to this conversation. "Uh, yeah, sounds nice."

Satisfied, she continued, "Everyone's pretty much best friends. Me and the other girls didn't do much real work- we weren't even allowed in the military, a huge disappointment to me since I always thought chopping people up with those swords would be wicked awesome. But I mean, it was so pretty. Huge fields of grasses and every sort of flower. Breezes and hills and trees and water and stuff. You'd have to be there! And like, even the buildings were pretty. Our walls were this shimmering white stone- nothing was better than sitting on top of the outer wall and just looking out over everything else."

She paused, expecting another response from me. "Cool...?"

Smiling, she went on. The speed she was speaking at was probably a new record. "Me and Percy used to spend every day out on the hills just chilling. There's nothing better than curling up in someone else's arms and watching the sunset! But not in the illegal sense."

"Seems a little totalitarian to deny you guys love."

"Sex? Ew! Romance? Lame!" Pepper laughed. "I know now about the other kind of love, and I see its appeal, but it's just not for me. I liked our system and our rules. Michael always knows best."

"What's up with Michael?"

Pepper turned again to look at me, clearly not understanding what I was trying to ask. "Michael gave us our Grace. He loves us all. He protects."

"You're a little more into that mantra than I'd expect for a fallen angel."

"Heaven was the best place I ever lived. And pretty much the only one, of course, but I'd give anything to go back. I love Christina, and the humans, and even some of Hell, but I'd forget it all to go back."

I had a thought then, a comment, but it would come off as too rude. Cult. Yeah, probably shouldn't throw that word around too much.

After waiting a moment or two for Pepper's thought to feel settled, I decided to casually change the subject. "What's the deal with Percy though?" We were nearly to the nightclub now- though of course, calling it that sounded silly. It was really more of a restaurant and lounge.

"Percy? Oh, he's a downright darling! Me and him have always been so close." She chattered like an elderly woman talking about her prized miniature dog.

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but like, what's up with him?"

"Nothing's up with him?"

"Something's up with him."

"No no no, what are you talking about? Percy's my best friend. I know he's perfectly fine."

"Okay, so look, he sort of- actually never mind." I decided it might be for the best if she didn't end up learning he had all of The Few trapped in a conference room so he could kill one of them. She'd probably only encourage him.

"How pointless of you to bring up!" Pepper sighed dramatically. "Here."

We had been walking as twisty of a route that one can take in a city made of perfect lines. It was hard to distinguish the levels of wealth in the city- every building was made of the same grey stone. However, I knew we were heading to a poorer area, the shops beginning to look more dingy and the roads began to crack. The people were the same, but that's a given.

Despite the perfect measures of all the streets, there were still small alleys between some buildings, and Pepper slipped into a particularly large one. A string of small bulbs lights gave the ally a dull blue illumination, one that barely covered the small little courtyard at the end. A large set of double doors sat in the back, wooden and no doubt full of splinters. There was no sign.

The doors were best described as barn doors, heavy and creaky. The area they opened too could also have been described as a barn; despite the exterior clearly being an ordinary skyscraper, the inside was dark, wooden and covered in hay. There were no signs of life. What did Hell even need this hay for?

Behind one of the bales of hay, there was another wooden door. Pepper knocked on it authoritatively. "Pepper, here to see Salt. I know he's up there with a guest, and I have someone for him." The door opened slowly.

The wood of the door was a facade, for on the other side was a little room that looked right out of a hotel. The other side of the door was all steel, bulletproof and electronic. A small windowed area concealed a security guard's eyes who watched us with care.

A particularly large elevator took up the other wall. On the last wall was a plaque, in what was likely solid gold, said:

The Blues and the Banes

5/5/1/2

"Yesterday came today"

A reference to the first cycle change. God, what a doozy that must have been.

Pepper called the elevator and we got in. Moving on, moving forward.

Blake, soon.

But for now, I breathed, and thought of Rhamiel.