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Episode 28:

Peace talks

It was a few days later and I find myself in the training room with you. "You insisted upon accompanying me to the lower levels during my training. I told you I would put you to work if you did so, but like a loyal pet you chose to follow me." I grin and level the halberd I was wielding at you. Of course, it was not a full-sized one. I had crafted the polearm myself, then had it properly detailed.

I see you awkwardly hold the sword in your hand and almost feel bad for you as I lunge forward, making sure to be slow in my movements. I gently bat the blade away with the tip of my polearm, flinging it to the ground. You fall to your backside and I drive the tip of the halberd to the ground, leaning on it as I loom over you with a grin. "Do you wish to stop?"

My tail flicks as you stubbornly backup and collect your sword, standing and shifting back into the awkward stance. I smile and think if this was how Katrina felt when first teaching me. "So diligent... very well. Come practice upon me, I will simply defend."

The concern in your eyes was obvious and I gave a genuine giggle at it. "My sweet, there is simply no danger, I assure you. Do your best and I may even feed upon you a little when we are done, you would enjoy that, yes?"

My teeth bare in a grin at your eagerness. You lunge and I parry, my halberd deftly striking away or deflecting your blows. We keep this up for several seconds before I see you becoming winded. "I forget how quickly mundane's grow fatigued, let us pause."

You lower your sword with a pant on your breath and I flourish the polearm, spinning it over my head a few times to show off, then plant the base hard into the ground. I sway my hips as I go to collect a bottle of water and pass it off to you.

"Would you like me to tell you about my first time visiting the Celestial council? I could do so while I practice my form." I ask you curiously while retrieving my halberd and shifting to a stance I used when drilling myself in strikes.

I grin and nod before starting my regimen of swings. "Of course... it's simple when one doesn't rely so heavily upon breathing."

My polearm blurs as I swing it, giving off a bright maroon wave of color while I practice. "So! Like all things bureaucratic... it took time to secure my first visit... nearly a year of time..."

My ears lift at your question and I tilt my head. "Gloria? Oh... Yes, she spent the first few months meeting and greeting with the various houses in our region. Nothing international though. After that, she settled down with her own room here at the mansion. She wasn't an official family member, more like Alex. She was an important liaison between us and the celestials."

"As I was saying..." I huff out and spin my halberd before thrusting it in practiced movements. "Nearly a year later, I finally received clearance to come speak to their council about matters..."

#

"So, you want us both to go? Won't your denizens be a little troubled about me walking amongst them? I do have some notoriety with them." Lorelai folded her arms over her stomach, cocking her brow while speaking to Toroah.

The archangel smiled upon the arch-vampire and opened both his hands, showing his palms. "I have spoken to my children. They are apprehensive but will offer you no hostilities."

"Well that's a relief, you understand the position this is putting us in, yeah?" I had my arms folded like my lovers and tilted my head up at the divine rabbit.

Toroah fixed me with a neutral gaze. "You were the one that wished to come to the table, Countess, I simply fulfill that wish. You will have your time to speak but you do so under the duress of millennia of strife and ill will on both fronts. The other two archangels were extremely hesitant about this and it took me much time to convince them."

I frowned then bowed my head. "I'm sorry to make things problematic for you. Of course, I am grateful for your efforts, Toroah."

"I never would have believed you got your stubborn brood to listen to reason. I should give you more credit, rabbit." The sheep flicked her ears and pointed a finger at the angel, her teeth showing in a grin.

The angel looked upon the ancient vampire and his lips formed a smile. I saw his posture relax as if he were speaking with an old friend. "It warms my heart to meet your approval, sheep."

Ancient creatures of power or not, I recognized the body language between them. Something was or had happened between them. I lifted my ears curiously and raised a finger. "You two... just how well do you know one another?"

The larger rabbit stared at me contemplatively, as if deciding if he should answer the question. Lorelai answered it straight away. "We tried dating about five hundred years ago, you could say." The sheep huffed the words and cut her eyes towards me.

"Wow! You hooked up with an archangel, love? Damn..." I spoke the words with respect in my voice, looking between the two of them.

Toroah cleared his throat. "H-hooked up? We did little more than hold hands and embrace. There was nothing vulgar about the relationship, Countess Alice."

"Nothing vulgar? What's the fun in that..." I cut my blue eyes to his, giving him a playful grin, both our sets of white ears flicking about.

"Relationships are not always about sex, Alice." Lorelai mumbled the words at me and put a hand to her forehead, pushing her white locks away from her horns.

"You two seem friendly with one another still... what changed?" I asked curiously.

"Must we?" Lorelai grit her teeth and gave me a haughty glare. "I will regale you with the gossip of he and I later. Must we do it right in front of him?"

"I do not mind, Lorelai." Toroah spoke the words, the amusement in his silken voice clearly present. "I am surrounded by stuffy sorts all day, every day. Light talk like this is refreshing."

"Well I mind." She huffed out and fixed me with a fussy look. "Save the personal questions for later, Alice. We are here on council business."

I frowned but felt her will push with the words and nodded my head. "My apologies, my lady. I will keep it professional going forward."

"Thank you." She gave the angel a sharp look. "Toroah, there is one small problem with visiting."

"Yes... our realm is bathed in perpetual light." He nodded as if already aware of her concern.

"It's always sunny there? Do you guys live in Philadelphia?" I hummed the words playfully but drew blank looks from both of them. I rolled my eyes and let them keep talking.

Lorelai looked upon me. "Do you remember the light Ezikiel used upon you?"

"Yeah, it was awful, it made me feel sick and weak. Is it that kind of light?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. It's not true sunlight, so it wouldn't simply turn us to ash, but it is powerful enough it would incapacitate you in seconds and me within a few hours." Lorelai spoke the words to me then looked back upon Toroah.

"I have already planned for this contingency." The angel waved a hand and a large black parasol shimmered into reality and landed in his grasp. He presented it to Lorelai who collected it and looked it over. "It is an artefact that shall give you immunity to the light of our realm, so long as you remain within its radius."

"It's cute... but why a parasol? Wouldn't something like a coin or ring be simpler?" Lorelai asked him curiously, already spinning the handle, making the top twirl around, frilly black lace bouncing against the base of it.

Toroah gave her a gentle smile. "Because you like parasols."

Lorelai gave a sharp bleat at the words and I showed my teeth in a grin, seeing the scowl on her face, her cheeks darkening. "Wow, pretty smooth... I approve." I hummed the words up at the angel.

"Alice! Do not encourage him!" The sheep fussed the words at me and slung the parasol over her shoulder with a frown.

"Let me craft another for you, Countess Alice..." The angel flourished his hand but I pushed up against the sheep and hugged her.

"Don't bother, I will just share Lorelai's." I grinned at her and flicked my tail.

She gave me a haughty look but pulled me closer in a possessive manner. "It is just as well, I had no intention of you leaving my sight during this trip anyway."

I saw a look in the archangel's eyes, but I couldn't tell if it was sadness or happiness at the sight of me holding her. "Then you are set. I will open the gates to our realm for you, please enjoy the sights of our citadel until we are ready to meet with you, we will summon you at that time."

"And your residence will not harass us?" Lorelai asked him in a stern voice.

"They have been ordered to treat you as guests. They will not offer aggression but I cannot force them to welcome you with open arms either, Lorelai." He frowned as he spoke the words.

"A lack of aggression will keep me from removing their throats. That's all I want out of this, a peaceful exchange. They don't have to like either of us, but if they speak ill of my rabbit..." The sheep gave the larger rabbit a defiant glare.

"Rest assured, they will not." Toroah waved his hand and a shimmering gate opened before us, not unlike the kind I had seen Kazemde open. We both winced at the radiant light that poured out, showing a large square before us, old European style buildings all around looking of ivory and gold.

"So you will summon us when the time comes?" Lorelai asked again, pulling me closer to her.

"Yes, please enjoy the sights in the meantime." The angel gave a polite bow to us.

"With me, Alice." Lorelai took a step and I followed with her. I gave the archangel a glance over my shoulder, trying to read the look in his eyes from us leaving arm in arm together.

We stepped into the square and the portal behind us slipped closed. "Woah... t-this is weird... it's been so long since I've seen things in daylight..." I blinked my eyes several times, trying to adjust to the bright colors.

"Indeed... the parasol is a boon, but it does not protect our eyes. Let us stay here a moment and give our vision time to adjust." The sheep grumbled the words, her hand on my hip drawing me closer to her side.

I rested my head upon her shoulder and hugged closer to her. "We've... you and I have been through some crazy things over these last few years love, but this takes the cake..." I spoke the words gently towards her.

Lorelai looked at me, her soft brown eyes looking bright and extra beautiful in the daylight. "It's true... I never dreamed of stepping foot into the citadel, you have given me a first, Alice. That is something that is truly rare these days."

"I have also given you my love." I cooed the words and moved forward, pressing my lips to hers for a quick kiss. She returned the gesture then pulled from my mouth to grin.

"We have already gathered onlookers, let us not encourage more..." She whispered the words gently to me and took a few steps. I nodded and paced with her as we began to walk from the square.

The citadel wasn't as populated as I had imagined it to be. It was huge with large buildings and sprawling roads, but for its size it looked rather devoid of a population. Consider walking through a large metropolitan area in the height of the day. You would expect to see thousands crowding the streets, not hundreds. That's how this felt, there were plenty of beings to see, but not the volume to match the area.

"It feels a little more empty than I imagined it would." I spoke gently to my sheep while we walked, every passerby taking a glance upon us.

"You may not know this, but organized religion is losing its grip on the modern world. As technology brings people closer together, it also melds the various faiths together and blurs the lines of definition. The miracles of the past are debunked every day and faith in the supernatural wanes as mundanes begin to explain away the mysteries of their world." She spoke the words casually while I walked and clung to her arm.

"So divinity isn't pooled from a specific god or pantheon?" I asked curiously.

Lorelai shook her head, her curls bouncing about. "No. The divine is drawn forth from the collective belief of the mundane as a whole. All of the divine beings share in it. That also means all of the divines will suffer the effects of a lack of belief."

"So they are dying off?" I asked curiously.

The sheep set her jaw and nodded. "All of us are, Alice. The mundane grow stronger by the day and slowly discover more about all of us. Like all things, our time will eventually pass."

I shuddered and hugged closer to her. "I don't want to lose any of you..."

"I speak of things that could be millennia in the making, if they ever come to be, my rabbit. Do not even concern yourself with these things. We have a long, long time ahead of us together. I swear to you." She stopped her walking and turned to face me, putting a palm to my cheek and gazed into my eyes.

My forehead pushed to hers as I looked into her eyes and nodded. "Alright... I will try not to let it weigh upon me."

She gave me a smile and we continued to walk. Eventually, we shifted to simply holding hands together. After some time, Lorelai called out to me curiously. "Do you still have the ring?"

"I do." I lifted my hand, the gold band on my marriage finger. "I slipped it on from my pocket shortly after we stepped through the gate."

Her cheeks darkened and she held her own hand up, showing the band on it as well. "You read my mind, then. These types will show a little more interest and be less judgmental if we claim to be married vs simply being lovers"

I huffed and lifted my ears, sticking my nose up. "I didn't put it on for them, I put it on because I'm with you."

Lorelai grinned and squeezed my hand, pulling me back to her and putting her arm around me. I grinned and flicked my tail while hugging her tightly. "So go ahead and ask, I know it's tearing at you."

With a giggle, I hummed playfully. "So you and Toroah? How did that work?"

The sheep sighed. "After our fight came to a conclusion he asked me to have tea with him. I do not think there was any intent behind it, but things just happened."

"Yet the two of you never...?" I showed my teeth in a grin.

"No, it wasn't a sexual thing, we just wanted companionship." Lorelai huffed the words, her small tail flicking rapidly.

"He's pretty damn hot though... I'm surprised you didn't go for it." I practically purred the words into her ear. "Even now... I wouldn't blame you... damn... bring me along for the ride, my wife..."

The sheep bleated out and glared at me with dark cheeks. "Alice, must everything turn to sex with you?"

"Yes." I hummed out playfully and moved in for her throat, nibbling at it eagerly. "Ha... I would even play along and let you be dominant if you didn't want him to see that side..."

Toroah just was there in a blink, next to us with no warning. Both of us jumped and I pulled my mouth from her throat, my tongue still lolled slightly. Lorelai bleated out sharply then glared at the angel. "Y-you! Were you listening to us?!"

The angelic rabbit frowned and blinked at her slowly. "Uh... I came to gather you for the meeting... I told you I would, remember?"

I heard my sheep huff out and could hear her heart pounding, despite not needing to. I cut my eyes back to the rabbit and showed my sharp teeth in a grin. "Speak of the devil, and they will appear?"

"Alice! Behave yourself..." Lorelai spoke the words with a huff and quickly jerked her eyes from the large rabbit before us.

Toroah gave us both a clueless gaze and tilted his head. "Is this poor timing?"

"No, it's fine." Lorelai huffed out and her composure was set again in an instant. "Let us go."

#

I expected something more elaborate but when we stepped out of the new gate Toroah had made for us, we were in a large windowless room. There was a long table run along one wall with a series of five normal looking desk chairs. One moment they were empty, the next they all had been occupied sans the fourth one from the left.

Lorelai didn't bother putting the parasol away and kept it on her shoulder, as if wanting something to have as a diversion, spinning it casually. I only recognized one other member in the room, it was the platinum blonde fox from a year ago. It took me a moment to recall her name before I spoke out to her.

"Ah, it was... Dame Rachel, isn't that what my Master titled you as?" I gave her a polite bow.

The fox lifted her ear and gave me a courteous smile but didn't return the bow. "It was, yes. Now I am High Bishop."

I frowned and put my finger to my cheek. "I'm not sure what to address you as, would it be your bishopness?"

Lorelai snorted out a laugh at me before gripping my arm. "You would technically refer to her as her eminence." The sheep cut a glance to the fox then back to me. "Only if you wished to."

The fox chuckled and shook her head. "You are not part of our family, I do not expect you to adhere to formalities. Please just call me, Rachel if it pleases you, Countess."

I folded my arms and frowned. "Fine, but only if you drop the title on me as well."

"That's quite enough pleasantries, can we move this talk along?" The central most figure in the chair spoke out in a strong tone of voice.

I looked upon him to see he had a similar set of wings to Toroah's. He was dressed in a flowing white and gold robe, his hands folded upon the table, covered in large gold rings with various gemstones laid into them. His head was bald and two large heavy black ears hung down from the sides of his head, a large thick black tail behind him. He looked heavy of build at first but then I realized it was just his stature, he appeared to be of a species of st bernard, or something similar.

Toroah cleared his throat before speaking out gently. "Let me make quick introductions then. Alice, you've already met High Bishop, Rachel." He gestured a palm towards her in the first chair, then moved to the far one, gesturing to a black cat. "This is our second High Bishop, sir Gerald."

The black cat had dark skin that almost matched the color of his fur and bright yellow eyes. He gave me a silent nod while keeping his hands resting upon the table. His build was fairly small and similar to Rachel's.

The angelic rabbit motioned to the being in the second chair, a large stocky bovine woman with platinum blonde hair like the fox. She had heavy white and black ears, I could see her wiry white tail with a large plume of black fur at the tip flicking about impatiently. Like Toroah and the bernard, she had massive wings on her back. "This is archangel, Samantha."

The large curvy woman fixed me and the sheep with an irritated look and snorted through her nose. "I share Ichiro's will in this matter. Let us get this over with."

Toroah frowned and moved his hand towards the central figure. "And this is archangel Ichiro." The rabbit took the fourth seat after making the final introduction.

Lorelai spun the parasol on her back and sighed. "Never thought I would see the day I would be in a room with all three archangels and both High Bishops. My, my, how the fates love their twists."

The large bovine woman spoke out dryly. "I do not think any of us did. Regardless, can we cut to the heart of the matter?"

Lorelai looked to me and cocked an eyebrow. "My wife is the one here to speak to you, not I." The sheep stepped back a pace.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and stepped forth before the five of them. I rubbed the back of my head and sighed. "Uh... so I thought about this big impassioned speech to give all of you, something to try to explain how I felt. However..."

With a grin, I spread my hands and flicked my tail. "Look, let's just be realistic here. None of us benefit from trying to kill one another. Let's just all get along and work this out!"

An awkward silence hung between the seven of us before the black cat purred out a laugh. "How childish..."

I showed my teeth and glared at the cat. "Hey, at least I'm trying here, asshole!"

"You assume to speak to me in such a manner, abomination?" The cat hissed the words and stood from his seat. In my mind, I noted I seemed to always end up with someone having this reaction when I tried to negotiate.

"Sit down, Gerald." The dog at the center spoke out with a barked but authoritative tone in his aged voice. The cat dropped back to his seat right away and said nothing. The dog then focused upon me and I could see the bags under his eyes, the age of who knew how many centuries behind them. "Young chimera, why do you come to us and seek peace? Our kind has known nothing but conflict with one another since the equinox of recorded history."

"Then isn't it about time we got past it?" I spoke the words and pushed my hands out. "Our people are not rampaging monsters, most of us don't even kill anymore."

"How do we know you don't feed us falsehoods?" The bovine called out casually.

I shrugged a shoulder. "You have a seer right there, ask her. She witnessed all of this a year past. She knows I speak the truth."

The other two archangels and bishop looked upon Rachel. She nodded her head. "She speaks the truth. I witnessed her love and honesty at fallen angel Gloria's tribunal. She and her friends risked their lives for nothing but to save her."

"Ah, the fallen knight. How is she doing?" The bernard asked curiously, his gaze shifting towards Lorelai as she spoke up to answer his question.

"We took her in, she has spent the last year going to various lords and ladies of our court, learning our ways and teaching the benefit of yours. She truly believes in her task and has taken to it with the utmost vigor." Lorelai rolled her parasol as she showed her teeth. "Why, the little dog has even started learning other languages so she can speak to those outside of our region."

"That is commendable but seems fruitless, our kind simply can't coexist." The central angel spoke the words in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah, how about no?" I spoke out, showing a glare in my eyes. "I and Gloria have been together for years now. Her wings may not be white, but she is the same kind soul she has always been."

"A fluke I'm sure." The female archangel quipped out flatly.

I sighed and ran my fingertips through my hair, trying to keep myself rational. "You see... this is why you guys aren't doing so well these days."

The five of them shared a look and then Toroah spoke out to me. "Explain what you mean."

My ears lifted and I shrugged. "You said it yourself, I'm young and stupid. I know I don't have all the answers, but even I can see what's happening just in the short time I was here in your city."

I paced over to my sheep and grinned at her as I reached for the parasol. Lorelai smiled and let me take it. I began casually walking to the front of the table, spinning the parasol as I spoke out. "You guys haven't gotten with the times, we have. You are set in the old ways of thinking, while we adapt."

I moved back to the center of the room and looked over my shoulder at the five of them, my tail flicking. "We found a better, smarter way to find our blood and survive, ways that keep the mundane and things like you from finding us or hunting us down."

I casually tossed the parasol back to Lorelai who caught it without hesitation and shouldered it. I put my hands on my hips and gave the trio before me a flat look. "Instead of dragging this crusade out, you guys should be out there making miracles happen and reminding your flock you exist. That is why we thrive and you wither, we have moved past this petty squabble, you keep the torch of hatred burning."

The black cat hissed and called out to me. "You speak much too disrespectfully to-"

"Hold your tongue, Bishop." Toroah snapped out at him. The cat clenched his teeth and grew silent.

A silence hung in the air as the trio stared upon me as well as the two bishops. I could see Rachel focusing her will, judging me for falsehoods. I cleared my throat after a few more moments and spoke out once more. "Change has to happen somewhere. Even a tiny step is still a step."

"What do you get out of this, chimera?" Samantha called out to me skeptically.

I looked to her and back to the fox to make sure she was still judging me. "Not a damn thing. I have my angel which is all I wanted. But you are her people and I do not wish to come at odds with you. Likewise, I do not wish to see my kind hunted and persecuted by your lot."

"What would you do if we agreed to peace talks, arch-vampire Lorelai?" The bernard asked the sheep directly.

The sheep frowned at the title and stepped forward. "You're considering this? Color me shocked, Ichiro."

"More humoring it at this point, sheep." The bovine called out with an edge to her voice.

"Pull your head out already, Samantha. You know I don't treat fools lightly." The sheep showed her sharp teeth and glared at the cow.

"Both of you stop." I snapped out sharply between them. Both glared at me, Lorelai's looking particularly fierce. I swallowed hard but stood my ground. "Listen to you, this shit... this right here! This is why we can't move on! Everyone has bad blood here, but we have to get past that if we want to see us stop butchering one another."

My sheep gave me a focused glare but I saw her eyes soften. She darted her gaze back to the three archangels. "To answer your question... If you were willing to cease your callous slaughter of my people, I would consider speaking with the council at large and calling upon a vote to take killing off the books completely. I wager ninety percent of my court already adheres to a no-killing policy, it would meet little resistance."

"I'm sorry to call out, but how would this benefit us in any way?" The black cat spoke over towards us.

Lorelai showed her teeth in a grin. "You really want to know that answer?" She lifted her ears and looked to Toroah. "My court lost twelve members to celestial attacks over the last ten years. How many of your knights fell for those dozen of my family?"

The rabbit grimaced and looked down. "Three times that number, not even counting what we've lost to demons, lycanthropes, and mundane."

The sheep gave the black cat a bored look. "You understand now, cat? My wife is offering you a very generous thing. I could wait for one more attack... I could let one more member of my court fall to your kind and I could rally every house to my side. We would have your kind swept away in weeks."

"Your boasts will not garner you any leeway here, Lorelai!" Samantha spat the words as she rose from her seat.

"I believe archangel Hagen told me something similar before I plunged my teeth into his throat and drank his life away." The sheep showed her large canines and gave the bovine a challenging glare.

"Enough..." The dog at the center called out sharply to the room. "You see, young chimera. There is poison blood between us all." The archangel fixed me with a calm look.

"Get over it." I spoke out plainly, warranting a curious look from him. I looked to Lorelai then to Samantha. "It's in the past, get over it. Everyone needs to just get the fuck over it, already."

"Toroah, why did you arrange this meeting?" I called out to the other rabbit in the room, giving him a sharp glance.

"I believed in your words and agreed with your goals." He spoke the words back to me gently.

I looked at the other two archangels and folded my arms. "This isn't a matter of who has the biggest guns. This is a matter of what is best for our families. I say it again and I say it as plainly as I can. The times are changing and we must adapt. Get, the fuck, over, your shit."

A long silence hung in the air before the bernard spoke out gently. "I can't argue with her logic. The times have found us and we must adapt."

"So we will just treat with the murderers of our kind as if they were old friends?" Samantha called out bitterly.

"I would like to point out, most of the time, it was your people doing the murdering, mine were simply defending themselves or retaliating. We have never actively sought to hunt your kind out and slay you." Lorelai spoke the words calmly as she walked away from the table, spinning her parasol.

"She is right, Samantha. They only want peace, they are not making unfair demands of us though they are in a position to do so." Toroah spoke placatively towards the other archangel.

"Oh, there's an idea!" I hummed out playfully and looked at my sheep. "They donate divine blood to us, we don't kill mundanes anymore."

Lorelai's eyes glittered at the notion and she nodded. "Oh, I agree. I do so love the taste of divine blood..."

"You two are insane!" The bovine yelled out at us sharply.

"They are jesting, your holiness." Rachel spoke out respectfully towards the archangel. "They do not mean their words."

"We do not, but it would be a fair demand for tribute if we so desired it." Lorelai fired back sharply. "Our terms have not changed. We only want peace, we have enough to deal with, we do not need your kind involved. Leave us be and we keep a gentle hand towards your flock as we have mostly been doing for the last century or more."

The dog gave a resigned sigh and lowered his head. "These things take time, Lorelai... it would not be an overnight change."

"Tell it to the diplomat, not me." Lorelai jerked her head towards me and I stiffened my back slightly at being put on the spot.

"Ah... that's understandable, I'm sure we would have discontent members that would need to be spoken with as well." I spoke the words nervously and flicked my tail.

Ichiro nodded and looked over towards Samantha. "My sister, I understand your view, but shouldn't we give them a chance to prove their words? We have been the ones endlessly hunting them after all, and here they are extending an olive branch all the same."

The female archangel sighed and lowered her head. "If it is for the good of our people and our flock, I am willing to give it a chance..."

"Toroah, this is your brainchild, I assume you will be spearheading things on our end?" The dog asked the rabbit curiously.

"Of course, I will begin preparations at once. Are we making this official then?" The divine rabbit asked the other two.

Samantha sighed and nodded. "I am not opposed."

"I also am not." Ichiro spoke out calmly. "What say you, Countess? We will call off hostilities and your kind will stop preying upon our flock."

I raised a finger. "We will not kill them, we still must feed upon them. The only killing we will do is mercy ones."

"I do not like this grey area, Ichiro..." Samantha grumbled out.

I didn't wait for his answer. "Stupid. I mean mercy killing as in people dying and beyond hope of saving. Would you rather we offer a member of your flock a painless slip into death, or leave them to agonize and wallow in pain so your ego is sufficiently stroked?" I showed her an angry glare.

"I do not like your attitude with me..." The archangel narrowed her eyes while glaring upon me.

"I do not care. This is the last time I'm saying it... get over your shit. We aren't here to promote trickery, our terms are simple and clear."

"Toroah, see that all the information is relayed to every knight. We are under a cease-fire until the vampires have made their arrangements. Once that is done, we will refrain from any hostilities so long as they do the same with us and our flock." Ichiro spoke the words in commandment and the rabbit nodded.

"I will begin gathering the council to speak of the new arrangement and vote upon it. I do not suspect it will fail." Lorelai spoke the words calmly and nodded her head.

Ichiro then turned to me. "Countess Alice. I expect to see you and your wife at least annually for the first several years of our treaty, we will no doubt have several bumps in the road that will need to be discussed and smoothed."

"You have a lovely city, I look forward to visiting it as often as you will allow. I sincerely hope this opens the doors to a future both our families can look forward to."

#

"I still feel like a jittery mess..." I huffed the words out over a steaming hot cup of blood, sipping it slowly while seated at the small dining room table in Toroah's home.

"I confess, Alice. I did not think you would pull it off. You have my thanks as well Toroah, I'm impressed you even got them to the table to talk." Lorelai hummed the words while sipping on her own mug.

The angel smiled at us both while drinking a cup of tea. "I truly hope this will bring a bright future to all of our kind."

"Not too bright I hope." I hummed the words with a playful smile.

The rabbit looked confused at first, then the joke caught up to him and he gave a soft laugh, his earnest laughter sending a chill down my spine. "Oh, you are too witty for me, Alice. I was always slow on the uptake of puns and jokes."

I saw Lorelai gazing upon his figure over the rim of her cup silently. I cleared my throat and leveled the rabbit with a coy grin. "Council business is over, why did you two split, Toroah?"

Lorelai bleated out and glared at me. "Alice, that is-"

"The strain on our positions was too much. I distanced myself like a fool, I felt I was protecting her." He spoke out sharply and met the sheep's eyes. Lorelai cleared her throat and looked away.

"That's too bad... and now I have her." I spoke the words with a cocky tone in my voice.

Toroah frowned and Lorelai glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "Yes... you are very fortunate, not a day goes by I do not-"

"Good thing I'm not opposed to sharing." I showed my teeth in a coy grin at the angel.

"A-Alice! Are you insane?" Lorelai growled the words at me, her cheeks flushing heavily.

"C-countess Alice, what are you saying?" The angelic rabbit looked at me in shock, his blue eyes wide.

"I know your type all too well, Toroah. Here, let me explain in a way you will understand." I moved to my sheep and pushed my palms to her cheeks. The heat on her face and glare in her eyes told me she was furious with me, but the moment my mouth pushed to hers, it all melted away.

I stood there kissing her, the divine rabbit watching us in shock and awe. My lips parted and Lorelai blinked up at me, her jaw setting as she fixed me with that fussy princess glare I loved. I showed my teeth and pulled from her arms, sauntering over to the rabbit. "Do you understand now?"

"I... I think I d-" I slid into his lap and shoved my mouth to his own in mid-sentence. His blue eyes widened then slowly closed as we kissed. A moment later his tongue was pushing forward curiously and I was happy to play along. My nails dug into his chest while I ground against his lap, clearly feeling the effects watching me and Lorelai kiss had made upon him.

His energy was surprisingly gentle, not unlike how it felt to touch Gloria. I rolled my tongue against his own for a few more moments, then pulled from his mouth. His tongue was still showing slightly and I grinned upon him before shifting my gaze to my sheep. She was staring upon the two of us with a conflicting look on her face.

"Did you at least kiss her while you were with her?" I spoke the words while still working my hips, feeling his hands avoiding touching me, as if out of fear.

"No, I didn't want to be too forward." He spoke the words quietly to me, my body shivering at his smooth angelic voice.

"Well, now's your chance..." I whispered the words and pushed my palm to Toroah's face before gently sliding out of his lap and moving over to my sheep once more.

Lorelai glared daggers at me but I said nothing and grabbed her wrist. She bleated out softly as I tugged her to me once more, my teeth showing in a coy grin before I pushed my lips to hers once again. The sheep widened her eyes, realizing I was passing the kiss back to her, then eased into my arms.

My eyes shifted to red and I rolled my tongue against hers, feeling her give in to my touch. Our tongues flicked against one another for a few more moments and I broke the kiss with a huff. Lorelai blinked up at me with her soft brown eyes, then gasped out as I pulled her forward and shoved her right into the rabbit's lap that had been watching us.

Toroah gasped out as she pushed into him and both of them stared upon one another for a long series of heartbeats. The archangel swallowed hard and spoke out timidly towards her. "Ah... I really did miss you... I'm sorry for-" Lorelai parted her lips, showing her teeth while he spoke and then shoved her mouth to his in an aggressive feral kiss. The rabbit shuddered at the attack then relaxed instantly.

I watched as her tongue lashed out and forced its way into his mouth. Her nails dug into his chest and dragged down it hard, tearing at his simple black shirt before dragging across his ivory flesh, leaving bloody scratches in her wake. My eyes widened at the dominant display of my sheep and I squirmed on my feet.

"Take me... take us, to your bedroom, now." Lorelai snarled the words after breaking from his kiss, her fingertips clenching hard at the torn shirt he wore. Toroah blinked upon her eyes and nodded his head quickly. The sheep slid off his lap and gave me a haughty look before darting her hand out and snatching my wrist hard. I bit my lower lip and felt her pull me along as she followed Toroah.

"Do you have any idea how many centuries I walled myself up for, all over you?" Lorelai spoke the words in a dry neutral tone as the rabbit walked us into his bedroom.

"I just didn't want to hurt you, hostilities with our-"

"Shut up!" Lorelai glared at him and then cut her eyes to me. "Alice! Do you think this is okay?"

I bit my lower lip hard at her glare, then furrowed my brow and showed her a cocky grin. "Yes."

The sheep flinched at my confidence and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me closer. "You will not play cupid with me, rabbit."

I gave my sheep a haughty laugh and put my palm to her cheek. "Do not be absurd, I have no intention of fostering love between any of us."

Lorelai clicked her tongue and glanced back at the nervous-looking angel, then back to me. "Then what are you doing?"

"He's hot and I want to have sex with him. I want us to have sex with him. If you two rekindle something that was lost, bonus points. You're still mine though." I tapped the sheep on the nose and pulled from her arms, moving over to the larger rabbit. "How about you Toroah? You still like my wife, don't you?" I showed my hand, the gold ring still upon it.

"I-I do... I never stopped caring about you, Lorelai." He spoke towards her and frowned.

I hummed and shoved him to a sitting position on the edge of his bed, climbing into his lap. "Do you like me, rabbit?" I huffed the words and grabbed his left hand, forcing it up my side to brush over my right breast. I felt him curiously squeeze and rub it through the silk vest of the business suit I had worn for the meeting.

"You are gorgeous, Alice, both of you are..." He whispered the words while squeezing at my breast. He reminded me of some of the virgins I occasionally hunted when I went out.

"Don't be shy... you don't have to ask... touch them all you want." I cooed the words into his ears while he deftly moved to unbutton my vest and peel it away, leaving me in a button-down white top. I showed my sheep a grin and folded my ears. "You just going to stand there, sheep?"

She bit her lip at my voice, recognizing the bedroom tone and her tail flicked as she obediently moved over towards me. "I can take this off... give Lorelai some attention..." I huffed hotly into his ear in a whisper. "Be aggressive, she will love it..."

Toroah widened his eyes at my words and gave a quick nod. I grinned and slid out of his lap, moving my hands to undo the pants I wore and peel them away, revealing my blue panties beneath. I finished unbuttoning the top next and tugged it away, a matching blue bra the only thing left upon me.

"L-Lorelai... I... we..." Toroah drooped his ears and bit his lower lip speaking to the sheep. Lorelai frowned and folded her arms, giving him a glare. Toroah glanced back at me and I cocked my eyebrow at him, looking at him like he was stupid.

The platinum-haired angel closed his eyes in thought, then opened them and grabbed the sheep by the wrist. Lorelai let out a gasp as he pulled her to the bed and rolled her onto her back. She bleated out from the movement and the rabbit climbed over her, resting his hands to the side of her head, staring down into her eyes. "I never stopped, okay? I'm sorry! I'm glad you're happy now, I'm sorry you had to wall yourself off over my own weakness."

She parted her lips to speak but the angel shoved his mouth to her own, hard. I saw her eyes turn red, then close while he kissed her. Toroah's hands moved right to her ample chest, kneading and rubbing her breasts through the blue dress she had worn. The sheep bleated into his mouth and shuddered as he rubbed and squeezed them eagerly.

"Why didn't you ever kiss her and touch her before?" I hummed the words, moving beside them on the bed, grinning up at the archangel.

Toroah pulled from her mouth, his hands fumbling to undo the dress she wore. "Ah... W-when we would touch, it would hurt her..."

"Tear it off her." I showed my teeth in a grin.

"W-what?" He blinked upon me in shock.

I lowered my ears and growled. "Are you all looks? Grab the fucking dress and tear it off her! You want to touch that sheep don't you?"

He bit his lower lip and looked back to Lorelai who was now glaring at him with that fussy look. The rabbit hesitated then grabbed the collar of her dress, tearing the fabric as threads ripped and buttons flew in various directions.

"D-damn it, Alice! Stop encouraging him!" She glared at me as her breasts spilled out in their red bra. Toroah blinked down upon the sight of them and I saw him bite his lower lip hard.

"Cmon rabbit... stop letting me hold your hand here... Just go for it." I hummed the words and moved in to tug the rest of her dress apart, leaving her in matching crimson panties and bra.

Toroah gave me an understanding nod then looked down upon Lorelai. "I'm glad my touch doesn't burn you now... I'm... I'm going to make it up to you right now!" He spoke the words confidently and grabbed at the sheep's crimson panties. She huffed out at the words then felt him peel them down her legs. I could clearly see the crotch of them were soaked through.

"That's right... show us that charismatic adonis I saw when we first met." I cooed the words and moved to finish tearing the shreds of his shirt away, exposing the wounds she had left him earlier as well as his gorgeous muscled form.

He gave me a confident nod and lifted his large white ears. "I apologize for my timid moment."

"Hey... the hot sheep you've been pining after for centuries is in front of you. I have to cut you some slack." I hummed cheerfully and grinned at him.

"Will you hurry up!" Lorelai showed her sharp canines and grabbed at the rabbit's platinum hair and one of his ears. Toroah yelped out as she wrenched his head down and shoved it between her legs.

I bit my lower lip and watched him go right to it, his tongue lapping and tasting her eagerly, his small fluff of white tail flicking about in his jeans. "Ha... well, it's a work in progress I suppose."

Lorelai nodded at me, then lolled her tongue at his eager mouth. I bit my lip and watched her pant and groan in time to his tongue. "That's a good bunny... don't stop... get a good taste of the sheep you left behind..." She hissed the words and then shuddered and let out a throaty moan as her body gave in to him.

Toroah gasped at the flow of her honey, then eagerly lapped it up. I sighed hotly and peeled my blue panties off, my own tail flicking. "How is he?"

"N-not as skilled as you, but really good..." Lorelai sighed the words and shivered as the rabbit came up to look upon her and me.

I took a seat and grabbed under my knees, spreading my legs for him and showing my soaked folds to him. "You want to taste me too, my angel?"

The divine rabbit seemed to have found his confidence and moved right in. I grinned and then folded my ears, feeling his tongue roll and flick hard at my folds and pearl. I moved to grip Lorelai's hand with my own, whimpering and panting out with each lap of his tongue. It didn't take long and soon enough I had given in to him and he was lapping up my own lust like he had done hers. "Oooh... that was nice..." I sighed the words blissfully and blinked up at him as he rose up once more.

The archangel tugged his pants open and both of us lifted our ears as his length came out, hard and swollen, pre dripping from it, a faint little tuft of platinum blonde hair at the base of it. My sheep and I shared a look before I gave her a nod.

"Can you decide for yourself this time, Tor?" Lorelai hummed the words and shifted her hips.

I did the same and wiggled my own. "Such a tough decision, isn't it?"

The look of confidence filled his eyes and I grinned excitedly. I felt his hands on my hips but then gasped out as he rolled me over on top of Lorelai. I yelped out in shock as I straddled her, both of out folds dripping and against one another.

"S-seriously?" The sheep huffed out in my face, then her eyes widened as the angel grabbed under her knees and hefted her hips up. I lolled my tongue as I watched her reaction when the divine rabbit shoved his length against her folds, teasing her for only a moment before plunging himself deep down into her.

"Hgn... so tight... by the gods..." The rabbit moaned out the praises of my sheep and I sighed blissfully, watching her eyes widen as he began to thrust into her impatiently. I moved in and pushed my mouth to her own, feeling her kiss me back eagerly while the rabbit that had been wanting her for centuries claimed his due.

My hips ground against her crotch while we kissed, then I parted from her lips with a gasp as I felt Toroah grab my own hips. Lorelai shuddered and bleated out from his withdrawal and then he was at my own entrance. I gasped out and dug my nails into my lover's shoulders, feeling him force his way into me, his length covered in the honey my sheep had just given up for him.

Lorelai grinned up at me, rubbing my ears while I panted down in her face, he was eager and not wasting any time. His thrusts moved deep inside me, bumping into my core heavily. I shook my head, feeling him coaxing me easily and within moments I was crying out happily, my body eagerly giving in to him.

"That's my good rabbit..." I heard the angel huff the words confidently and I grinned excitedly as he pulled from me and shoved himself deep into Lorelai again. She bleated out and blinked up at me, biting her lower lip. "Can't ignore my sheep, now can I?"

"I- I am not yours to... claim!" Lorelai bleated the words out in a fussy tone, moaning and panting in time to his thrusts.

"I will let him have you for today, seeing as he's taking such good care of you." I cooed the words and kissed her lips gently.

"Ngh... come on my sheep, I'm waiting..." He moaned the words, grinding against her core slowly. Lorelai shook her head and clutched at me, her eyes watering.

"Huff... huff... I don't think I... ngh!" She grunted out, clenching her teeth and tugging hard at my bra straps. The blue material snapped and broke, my breasts spilling out while she cried out in defeat.

"That's my sheep, such a good girl." I grinned and lifted my tail eagerly, panting as I looked back at Toroah, waiting for my turn. The angel didn't disappoint and as soon as Lorelai came down from her throes, he was at my entrance and pushing deep into me again. My eyes rolled up and I shuddered, feeling him fill me once again, his head snug inside my deepest point.

"So good... so good..." I panted the words, sighing blissfully while looking down into her eyes. He drove me over the edge after a while and the cycle repeated a few times more, the archangel taking turns with the both of us, his confidence growing with each pass.

He was deep inside me when I heard him groan out, recognizing the sound and feeling his energy shift. I looked back at him and bit my lower lip hard. "Toroah... you already know how this should end." I huffed the words and hiked my tail up.

He gritted his teeth and nodded, shoving into me with one final push, then I shuddered as he withdrew and pushed himself deep into Lorelai. Her eyes widened as he shoved deep and held himself at her core.

I panted down at my sheep as she looked up at me, shaking her head and clenching her teeth, tears in her eyes while he violently pushed into her. She finally gave in again and cried out sharply, her nails digging into my flesh. I lolled my tongue watching her, imagining how violently she must have been clenching at the poor rabbit within her.

Lorelai shuddered at her release, then her brown eyes widened and turned red while she let out a sharp bleat as he obviously started filling her. I watched her pink tongue show as she panted and blinked up at me, her vision looking unfocused, her small body jerking beneath me as he pushed against her while finishing.

Toroah gave out a defeated moan and I felt him slump against my back slightly, his palms on the bed next to us, his arms shaking to support himself. His large wings that had obviously been spread now drooped over us. I sighed happily, feeling his weight upon me and my sheep beneath me. Both of their energies were cycling through me like a hurricane and I licked my lips as I drank in every drop of it. No need to return it, an archangel and arch-vampire would have plenty to spare. I did, of course, push plenty of his divine energy into my sheep though.

"Well... it was a rocky start, but you found your feet nicely." I hummed the words, leaning against the archangels chest, my tongue lapping at the wounds Lorelai had given him, healing the last of them.

"He did alright, don't praise him too much or it will go to his head." Lorelai spoke the words in her haughty princess voice, her own tongue lapping at his wounds as well.

Toroah moved to rub at both our heads and sighed happily. "I'm just thankful you both enjoyed it, that's all I wanted..."

Lorelai frowned at his touch but I smiled at her and shook my head. "It was a lot of fun... I'm really glad we all could have a good time." I hummed the words with a happy sigh.

"This... this encounter doesn't mean we're dating, Tor. Is that clear?" Lorelai sat up and looked down at him sternly.

The angel nodded and shifted to push his palm to her cheek. "I understand, Lore. I'm happy to just be your friend again... with benefits."

The sheep huffed out at the words and I giggled. "Oh ho... look at this rabbit, already so full of bravado." I sat up and grinned at Toroah as I spoke the words, feeling his palm rest upon my cheek as well.

"Thank you, Alice..." He spoke the words gently and fixed me with a strong gaze.

I felt my cheeks darken and looked away. "I- I didn't do anything special... just got us in bed, silly..."

"No... you did." Lorelai spoke to me as well, fixing me with her own gaze. "Because of you constantly moving divine energy about within us, I am able to touch Tor now. We never would have had this experience if it were not for you."

I blushed then raised a finger. "Then, isn't it technically Gloria's doing?"

Lorelai snorted through her nose. "I will continue to give you the credit all the same."

#

I shove the halberd into the floor and wipe my brow of sweat. "Did you not expect that outcome, my sweet?" I give you a knowing grin, then frown as I avert my eyes. "Only a few days remain."

You speak out and my hand moves to your mouth. "I will not hear it. You only have three days remaining. Search your soul and think hard on things, remember it is a one-way trip."

A deep breath fills my lungs for the first time tonight and I grab my halberd up to rack the weapon. "I think my next tale shall be the last before you make your decision. It only happened half a year ago, you know."

The question comes at last and I show my smile before shaking my head. "If you must know, this spring will be my tenth year with my family." I fold my arms over my stomach and grin. "Did you think your mistress decades upon decades old? We are not so far apart, you and I. Does that make you happy?"

I roll my eyes and grin. "I am glad, but this also means you have even fewer excuses for not picking up on all of my poor jokes and puns."

With a sigh, I shake my head. "Come along, my pet. Let us go have some tea."

---

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