Red will always be my colour - Michael

T: about 2.15am
P: Michael’s flat
O: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a6/97/31/a6973193ecaab9a4f41990d951222a0e.jpg
W: clear skies after a long and rainy afternoon, evening and early night.

Every movement felt like her lips were being stretched and pulled to the point of detaching from her body. The moment she had seen Tidus and Collin back safe at her home, she had messaged Bienvenido; telling him to take care of their friends. She couldn’t be there for them; she needed to be able to soak in her own misery as she had left the house to walk in the brisk night air. Little did she know that she had ventured further than what she had expected, until she found herself looking at the apartment complex where one of the few she considered to be a friend lived.

All the way from her own home to where she now stood, blood had dripped ever so slowly from both her hands. Her nails were gone - sliced off with sloppy attention to detail; leaving a clean cut on her nail bed, yet crooked at mostly leaving some of the nail behind. Bruises on her torso revealed that she had taken a hit or two - most likely from being doped, dragged and dumped in a car. Not to mention how she coughed blood and almost for certain had either fractured ribs and punctured a lung, or simply was bleeding internally from the car crash. She needed someone to talk to - someone that wouldn’t judge her for not fighting back; she had tried, but whatever sorcery the Dark Angels-leader had used on her had rendered her without her powers… She had never felt more useless. Her brother’s screams; Lazy’s laughter; Darius’ words as he tortured her brother… Collin that had been ready to throw Tidus under the bus to safe Cassandra… She needed to get away from it all. No one understood… Almost no one…

With her body being at the point where it was ready to collapse, she entered the stairwell that led to the archangel’s flat; still leaving a trail of blood dripping. She wanted to knock, but it pained her hands too much, so she tapped at the door with her naked foot - she had been wearing heels earlier that day, but one had been lost in the crash and the other she had dumped back home. ‘’Michael? Please..’’ she said, her voice slightly shaky. She was trembling, both because she was cold and because she felt like the blood loss made her feel colder by the second. Her teeth rattled slightly, as she leaned against the wall next to the door to his flat. ‘’Please… I don’t want to go back…’’ she sighed, not even sure where ‘back’ was. Back to her house? Back to the chamber she had been held in, by The Dark Angels? Back to the headquarters? She looked at her fingers as she held one of her hands out in front of her; reminding herself that her nails would grow back, she sighed by the sight. Her gorgeous long and slender fingers was soaked in blood, while the place where her carefully manicured almond shaped fingernails had been growing and thriving, was tender, aching and dripping with blood every time her heart pumped. Thankfully, her suit was black, hiding how much blood had stained her, until she would undress to discover how much blood had soaked through her suit and onto her skin.

Outfit

Michael had fallen asleep early that evening, still with an open book in his lap and the light on in his bedroom. He woke up by the sound of something knocking, thinking that it was just his neighbors coming home, so he just adjusted his position without opening his eyes. Then he heard the tapping again, and now that he was awake, he realized that it was coming from his front door. He looked towards the other room, wondering who it could be, before he reached for his pistol underneath the pillow and walked out to the door. He hesitated to open it, until he heard Cassandra’s voice on the other side. He unlocked the door, only to see his good friend in a critical state. He looked behind her to make sure no one was following her, before looking into her eyes with a worried expression, then down her body, noticing blood dripping down from her. “Jesus Christ, Cass,” he said, reaching his arm around her waist to help her inside his apartment. He then closed the door with his free hand and put the gun down on a dresser. He walked with her to his couch and helped her lay down on it, before he went over to grab a vial of vampire’s blood in a cupboard. He didn’t need any medicine for himself, but he always made sure to keep a stash of it to help others and it was easier than giving his own blood. He walked back into the living room, kneeling beside the couch and placing the open vial against her lips. “Here, drink this…” he said, looking at her face with a concerned expression. Her hands looked to be in a lot of pain, all bloody and without nails, so he held the vial instead. He looked at her face, making sure she drank the blood. He knew that multiple people were after her, but he’d thought that the torture was over. He thought that she’d be given a few years break from it. He couldn't have been more wrong. “What happened?” he asked, wondering where she’d escaped from and if they were still after her. “Why didn’t you pray for me?” he then asked. He felt like he’d failed her for not being there, for not protecting her from getting hurt.

She would often wonder if the archangel pitied her or thought her to be a burden. In this moment,as he opened the door and looked at her with a worried expression, she felt like a burden more than anything else. He had never been anything but kind and welcoming to her, and still, she sought him out in situations where she was so taken aback that she was on the verge of giving up. With an arm around her waist, he guided her to his couch. A blood stained couch, soon - just as the one back in her boyfriend’s apartment... she had noticed his gun, and for a very brief moment she had considered reaching for it and ending it all. A consideration she deemed unworthy of her thoughts.
She laid down on he couch,only to prop herself up on her elbows as he went to look for something. Why did she regret seeking him out? She shouldn’t be bothering him with this... it wasn’t fair to involve him in this... what he returned with made her look rather confused at him, but before she could even reject the demand, he had placed the vial of blood against her lips, forcing her to drink the blood. She felt like throwing up by the thought, as she did as she was told. Fighting him on such a small matter was foolish, and he wouldn’t harm her... would he?...

His questions came in rapid succession, so she didn’t answer them in the correct order. Why hadn’t she prayed for him? Because she was too busy fighting back as much as she could. She simply didn’t know what to answer. Instead, she shook her head. “I... I didn’t want to involve you in that mess too,” she admitted, as she looked at him. She wanted him to calm down; relax. She wasn’t dead, or even close to dying. She was beaten and bruised - and missing fingernails - but she would survive, most likely.

She sighed, as she felt the ache in her shoulders from being propped up like she was, resting in her elbows. She decided to lay down as he had guided her to do when he placed her on the couch. That poor couch... and his floor... and his clothes... blood stained so terribly...
“A rival mafia decided to show us that they should be considered superior... their boss in a dick, but his right hand is even worse...” she sighed, as she was reminded of the fact the pat she had severed Lazy’s finger from his hand as he had gotten a hold of her tongue to cut it from her mouth. Just the thought chilled her to the bone.

“They crashed our ride - my brother’s Porsche... then, they drugged us as we tried to protect Tidus, just to throw us in a torture cell. My brother got the light treatment, while I managed to only get my nails torn off. Tidus,-“ She said, but as she was about to tell what had been done to Tidus, she realized that she didn’t know. All she knew was, that when they had been inches away from raping him, she had snapped. She would never tell Michael that she killed a man with her magic, or that she offered to take Tidus’ place. Michael wouldn’t agree or accept her choices regardless.

“Tidus is home, safe, with my brother. I couldn’t stay... I needed to get away for a bit.” She sighed, looking st him. Her voice was still shaking, mostly because the blood soaked clothes didn’t grant her any heat. “I am so sorry to just show up like this..” She then apologized, realizing that it was the late hours and she had just appeared to get his help without a warning.

He didn't understand her reason. If that meant she didn't think it mattered to him, that he didn’t want to be involved, and wasn’t she involving him by showing up at his doorstep? Either way, all that mattered now was that she was okay. “You could’ve died,” he said. The slightest risk of her dying was enough reason for him to get involved. He’d seen enough of the world to know how quickly and unexpected death could arrive. “I never want you to get hurt… and saving people, it’s kind of what I do” he said, before placing the vial on the coffee table, briefly looking down at his t-shirt that was now stained with her blood. He was leaving in two days to France, not daring to think what would’ve happened if she’d shown up just a few days later. If she’d lost too much of her blood to survive.

He looked up at her again as she told him what had happened. He’d never agreed with her going back to the mafia. It was a terrible idea. All he wanted for her was a normal life, to have a chance at being happy, but it wasn’t his decision. “The dark angels?” he guessed. He’d heard enough about the gangs in Gaia to know that they were one of the bigger ones. He'd always thought that name was disrepsectful to his kind. There were no such thing as dark angels, only fallen ones, and those he viewed to be a different species entirely. He looked down at her nails as she said they ‘only’ managed to tear them off. He was terribly sorry to hear that they’d captured her and Tidus. He raised an eyebrow as she mentioned her brother, someone he hadn’t heard about before. “Why get away? I mean, shouldn’t you be with your friend and brother?” he asked, not really understanding what she needed to get away from. “It’s no bother… really. I’m glad to see you,” he admitted, sending her a brief smile. He’d never seen her as a bother or a burden. He sincerely cared about her wellbeing. “Are you sure nobody followed you here?” he asked, needing to be sure of this. He didn’t know the circumstances well enough, or why the mafia had done this to begin with. He had a hard time believing they’d torture them just to let them go freely, after all, many gang members died on the street because of this kind of rivalry, and if they’d escaped, it was only going to make them that more determined to get back at them sometime.

She knew that it wasn’t the case - that he didn’t really care about her trying to keep him out of her messes, since she had showed up at his doorstep. She felt horrible for dragging him into this, but she had no one else to turn to - no one else she trusted. Then, she heard his words, making her close her eyes for a brief moment. If Lazy or Darius had tried to kill her, she would have been dead by now. She shortly felt how her stomach churned, making her nauseous…’’I know,’’ she said, clearly affected by his words. ‘’I’m sorry,’’ she said, once more, as she knew she had been reckless as well as foolish for thinking he wouldn’t care.

She understood that he wasn’t pleased with her working with the mafia, so when he mentioned the rival mafia, she looked straight at him - creating eye contact. Something in her eyes warned him, yet she felt terrified just by hearing their name. Already there, they had won. ‘’Darius, their leader, wants Tidus dead… I’m not sure what they want me for, other than they keep referring to me as a ‘fellow witch’ or Jasper’s trophy wife…’’ she explained, before she looked at his shirt. ‘’I’m sorry for the mess…’’ she then said, trying to shift the topic after hearing herself calling her a trophy wife. The words felt coarse and greasy at the same time.

As his eyes wandered to her hands, she tried to clench her fists to hide her fingertips - which resulted in her whimpering in pain due to her sore and aching fingers. His question - why she needed to leave - made her shake her head. ‘’I just watched my brother and my best friend being tortured… I can’t look at them right now…’’ she admitted. She didn’t want to tell him that she almost witnessed someone she considered her family getting raped. She couldn’t handle it, she had snapped. She couldn’t tell him that. ‘’I can’t give you a better reason… I don’t have one,’’ she said, looking up at the ceiling for a moment.

He told her he was glad to see her, making her look at him slightly perplexed. He was? Really? She showed up, unannounced and bleeding - how could he be glad to see her!? ‘’Nobody followed me… They released us… I know they aren’t done with us yet, but…’’ she said, closing her eyes. Mafia’s were known to keep their end of a bargain. They would allow them to return home without further harm, for now… She wasn’t sure how long the ‘peace’ would last…
‘’I woke you up, didn’t I?’’ she asked, slightly apologetic still.

He realized that she might not feel the same way about him, but he hoped that she did. That she would want to be involved if it would help him. He placed a hand on her arm as she said she was sorry, closing his eyes for a moment and thanking God for her being alive.
He had been right about the dark angels and it made sense that they wanted Tidus dead, probably expecting it to destroy their mafia. He looked at the trail of blood from his door as she mentioned the mess. It was nothing compared to what he’d seen in the past. He just sighed as he tried to avoid thinking about it. “That’s okay… I’m sure you've got some spell to clean it up,” he said, a bit as a joke before he looked back at her.

He listened to her with the same concerned expression as she explained why she'd showed up at his door. He understood the pain of seeing loved ones being tortured - especially if you weren't able to do anything about it. He nodded quietly as a response, hoping that she’d at least told them where she was.
She said nobody followed her, so at least he didn't need to worry about that. “But what? You’ve got a plan or something?” he asked, the best thing she could do was leave the country because they’d be after her or Tidus sooner than she thought, but he knew she wasn’t going to do that. Then she tried to change the subject, asking if she woke him up. “Yes... but I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I knew you weren’t okay, anyway,” he said, sending her a calm smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked, referring to the blood he'd given her earlier.

As he tried to joke a bit about the mess, she sent him a tiny smile. Although she found this no laughing matter, it was nice that he was somewhat comfortable enough to joke with her as she was placed on her back, on his couch. She breathed in heavily, as her chest still ached immensely from the blow she had received during the car crash, even as Collin - her brother - had tried to keep her from getting harmed.

As she had explained why she had sought him out, she felt completely unreasonable. She had left Tidus alone with her brother and her boyfriend... just as he had left her at the bar back when she tried to explain what was happening with Jasper and her. Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house... right.
Then, he asked if she had a plan. Oh, she had a plan alright. She wanted to kill Lazy for ever touching her, but Lazy was just for funsies. She wanted Darius to know that simply because he was a witch, he had no place in her area, after what he had done. She wanted to terrorize him to the point of him breaking, and then she would blow one last soft wind at him, snapping him in half. She wanted him to suffer, with fright in his eyes, as he had done to Tidus. She couldn’t tell an archangel that. Although she trusted Michael with every inch of her being, she couldn’t tell him what dark thoughts plagued her mind. “I’ve got a plan alright,” she said, not going into details.

She had woken him up. She bit her lower lip slightly. Should she feel bad that he felt that way? Somehow, it felt like being next to the childhood friend; the one where you couldn’t be sure if it simply was their way of speaking, or if feelings had started to evolve from just being friends. She decided not to ask - asking could result in awkwardness, and she couldn’t be bothered with that right now. “I should have called. My bad,” she said, looking at his calm smile and feeling how she felt better already - just from his smile.

Then, he asked how she felt. She knew that he referred to the blood she had ingested - something that still made her nauseous. “Numb,” she answered, knowing it sounded weird. She couldn’t cry, scream or be angry. The pain in her body had dulled a bit, but nothing major. Healing took time, she had learned. The blood simply did what her own spells would have done, without draining her for energy. “Thanks for asking,” She then said, looking him in the eyes for a moment. Her eyes were slightly swollen, red and irritated - both from the powder she had gotten blown into her face but also because of the tears or fear, pain and anger that had been running down her cheeks.

He could see that she’d killed someone recently, her moral compass revealed that to him, so he had a feeling that, by plan, she meant vengeance. He was about to ask about it, when he realized that she proabbly wouldn’t listen to his advice. “Just think it through, okay? I’d hate to see you in this position again,” he said, looking into her eyes. He looked down at her lip as she bit it, wondering if he’d said something wrong. Michael had expressed that he cared about her many times, but it was only because he felt like she didn’t believe it. He knew she cared for him as well. She wouldn’t have come to his apartment if she didn’t.

He nodded when she said she felt numb, thinking that the blood had dulled the worst pain. A faint smile showed on his lips when she thanked him. “Of course,” he said, looking at her with a warm gaze. He then got up to walk into the kitchen, washing the blood off his hands before he poured water into a glass. He walked back to the living room and placed the glass on the coffee table beside of her. It was important that she drank something to replace the blood she'd lost. He then grabbed a blanket from a chair to lay it over her, tucking it slightly down by her feet as they were bare. All she could do was rest until her injuries healed. He sat down in the armchair, wanting to stay with her to make sure she was okay. “You should get some sleep,” he then said, looking at her for a moment before he put his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back.

She still felt completely stupid, as he told her to think it through. He would hate for her to end up like this again. That statement made her feel sick to her stomach, as she knew this would never be a situation of the past. It would happen again. It would be this again and again… she would never learn; she lived too much in the moment, letting her feelings run her off the road every time she was close to be stable, she ended up like this; bleeding, broken and seeking someone she could trust… ‘’I know… I won’t do something rash,’’ she said, looking up at the ceiling. ‘’he is a witch, like me… I don’t know how to handle him yet…’’ she said, breathing deep in a sigh. She didn’t have to tell Michael that, but sharing information that made her insecure seemed to help her. Did her little voice on the shoulder not tell her to leave him out of this? Why did she never listen…

She listened, as he went to the kitchen to wash his hands. Her blood, soaking through her clothes still. She closed her eyes, trying to rest her mind a bit - only to watch the demon Lazy ripping her nails from her fingers; watching Tidus getting attacked, once again. She trembled by the vision, opening her eyes to look at the ceiling once more again. He returned with a glass of water, making her turn to look at him. ‘’You’re spoiling me,’’ she mumbled with a little jesting smile on her lips, although she found nothing amusing about the situation, besides the fact the she was placed on an archangel’s couch, getting tucked in and pampered beyond what she ever could deserve. He placed himself in his armchair, telling her that she should get some sleep. ‘’You need sleep more than I do, my dear,’’ she said, as she turned to look at the ceiling again. Honestly, she feared closing her eyes and watch the visions of the day’s events roll through her head. ‘’You know I’m ever so grateful to have met you… Right?’’, she mumbled, before she bit her lip once again.

He had a hard time believing she wouldn’t do something rash. People often did when feelings were involved, but hopefully she was right. He looked straight ahead of him with a thoughtful expression. He did know many ways to handle witches. It was some of the creatures he'd studied the most because of the power of dark magic. “I do have witch killing bullets… but it won’t help you much in case they get a hold of the gun and use it against you…” he said, looking at her. She probably didn’t expect him to help her in any way, nor did she probably want him to, but he dealt with taking down enemies all the time. “Anyway-uh… just make sure you gather as much information as possible on him beforehand, you know special abilities, weaknesses, et cetera,” he said, folding his hands in front of him as he looked a bit up at the devil’s trap on his ceiling.

He chuckled when she told him that he spoiled her. “That’s sweet of you,” he replied, thinking that her brother and friend would’ve done the exact same. He tilted his head as she said he needed sleep more than her. “Says the girl who looks like something the cat has dragged in?” he asked in a teasing manner, lowering his head slightly as he looked at her. Then he checked the time on his watch. “Besides... I’ve slept about five hours already which is more than I get most nights,” he added and smiled briefly at the fact he’d slept well for once.

It came a bit unexpected when she expressed her gratitude for meeting him, but it brought him a warm feeling. “I know,” he said, looking at her for a long moment. He was happy that she felt that way, knowing how skeptical she’d been of him in the beginning. “Somebody’s got to watch over you,” he added, teasingly. It was far from all angels who were guardians for a person, but in another life, he certainly wouldn’t mind if Cassandra had been appointed to him.

“You have what?!” She asked, slightly concerned about the fact he had bullets laying around that were designed to kill her kind. Then, as he continued to speak, she looked at him. “You’re right. It wouldn’t be wise to carry bullets designed to kill my own kind.” She said, smiling at him to try covering up her slight panic about the thought that bullets designed to kill her were somewhere in his home. She just had to trust that he would not use them on her...

“I won’t be doing anything without consulting with both you and my boss... my boss is the witch’s mate, so there’s a conflict there.” She said, looking at the ceiling once more.
Their little teasing was simply how she wanted it to be. Them, having a little jest. “Sweet of me? Oh, darling, you don’t want sweet. I’ll give you cavities,” she said, winking st him knowingly. “Oi! I’m looking hot as ever!” She said, sticking her tongue out st home. “I’m a hot mess!” She chuckled. “Five hours? It must have been quite the early night for you then!” She exclaimed with a smile, knowing that his nights more often than not wasn’t that pleasant.

Her gratitude wasn’t based on him protecting her. It was based on her having a real friend in him. Someone she trusted with the things she couldn’t or wouldn’t tell her boyfriend of brothers. She needed Michael to be there, to unload her thoughts on from time to time.
“And someone has to bring some excitement into your life, love! Were the perfect match!” She said, looking back at him, only to look directly into his eyes.

He didn’t realize how it must’ve sounded to her, but it wasn’t anything personal. He had weapons to kill most supernatural beings and he had absolutely no interest in harming Cassandra. “Yea-no… It’s a terrible idea,” he said, looking at her. He nodded when she said she wouldn’t do anything before consulting him and her boss, then raising a brow as she told him that her boss was the rival’s mate. It certainly seemed complicated. “Really?” he asked, clearly surprised. It sounded like a one in a million chance. Didn’t that mean the boss wouldn’t want to kill him? If the tales of a witch’s bond were true, he’d feel love towards him, not hate.

“You’re right, God forbid I get something sweet in my life,” he joked, sending her a smile and trying to hide the fact that it’d been true for most of his existence. His father never seemed to care much about his happiness. He laughed when she said she looked hot as ever, happy that she was able to joke about it. “Smoking hot,” he agreed and winked at her. She was right about him falling asleep early, so he just nodded.
He laughed at her comment, about what she brought into his life. “You call this excitement?” he asked, shaking his head lightly. No, it was stressful more than anything, but it had made his night more interesting. He couldn’t deny that. “You’re crazy,” he smiled. He did get what she was saying, but he couldn't help to think about their kiss and that he'd once thought they were a match in a different way. “Now, drink your water and go to sleep,” he said, slightly more demanding. It was the best way for her body to heal and she was probably exhausted after everything.

She nodded slightly, as he clearly was surprised by the fact that Tidus was the mate of the Dark Angels leader. It was a common misunderstanding that just because someone was your mate, then you had to love them. ‘’Mates are a weakness. Once the bond is sealed, the witch will die if the mate dies. Therefor, Darius seeks to destroy Tidus. He doesn’t want the bond to exist.’’ She said, looking at Michael. ‘’’I don’t blame him for that part… Mates have brought me nothing but trouble,’’ she said, before she looked up at the ceiling again. Her first mate - Josiah - died as a result of her panic attack after they had been back at his folks in Brighton for Easter. Her new mate, she didn’t like one bit even though her body screamed for her to be with him. It wasn’t fair! He was a jerk, clearly only allowing her company with little and precise patience. She hated it…

‘’Why do you want sweet, when you can get spicy? At least it’s not plain?’’ she asked, clearly still jesting just a bit. She knew that both of them would give more than they would be willing to admit, to live a quiet and normal life for a moment. As she had stated that she was hot, and he agreed, she winked back at him. ‘’I’m glad you agree,’’ she said; her lips folded to a smile. ‘’I call it interesting; an adventure!’’ she said, but her words drowned immediately in the next thing he said, although it was said in good fun. She felt how her heart skipped a beat, as the words echoed in her head, making her look at the glass with water. ‘’Yes, of course,’’ she answered as he - slightly demanding - told her to drink the water he had presented her with, and then go to sleep. She didn’t want to sleep; she didn’t want to close her eyes and allow Darius to haunt her mind as he ordered for Tidus to be molested… ‘’So… You slept well?’’ she asked, as she reached for the glass with her still aching hand. She didn’t really care much for the pain. It was dulled by the blood he had given her, making the pain more of a throbbing mess than a stinging pain.

He nodded when she explained that their leader wanted to kill Tidus. He supposed he was evil enough to do it, but he didn’t realize that it was such a common viewpoint. “What do you mean? Have they tried to kill you in the past?” he asked, not understanding what she meant by trouble. A mate was supposed to be your destiny, your true love, and although he could see how that was an inconvenience, wasn’t that what most people desired? “Do you think the bond is a curse?” he asked, thinking about how he’d feel if someone had been appointed to him like that.

“Honestly, something plain and sweet sounds kind of refreshing,” he said, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't live a normal life. It had never worked out for him. He always had to leave, putting other things and lives in front of his family, and it was often hard for them to understand that or the fact that he didn’t have a choice. He smiled when she said it was an adventure. He couldn’t disagree with that. He watched her as she took the glass, asking him if he’d slept well. “Yes,” he answered her, wondering if she was afraid to fall asleep and wanted to keep talking instead. He turned his head to look out the window as it started to rain, thinking that soon he’d be sitting in some sleazy motel room. “You should know that I’m leaving for France in two days... you know, in case you think of showing up unannounced at my door again,” he said, before he looked back at her.

it was easy for most to understand that mates should be something magical, loving and destined to be. to her, though, it had never been the case. She had fallen in love with her first mate, only to kill him a few months into their relationship. Her new mate, she was terrified of - solely because he was a psychiatrist; a person trained to pick at brains in a meticulous way. ‘’No,’’ she answered. Neither the Dark Angels nor her mates had tried to kill her before. ‘’I killed my first mate by accident… We were fighting when he jammed me up into a corner to get me to promise him something. I snapped, hurting him badly. He ended up in the ER; later in a coma. He died shortly after…’’ she said, looking up at the ceiling.
She considered saying yes to his question. The bond was a curse, she thought. She had seen it as romantical; almost like a fairy tale. Now, it was a grim tale of how destiny decided your life before you even understood your own magic. It was… unfair. ‘’The bond is… Well, it’s… The bond is a way of dating without even trying. Like; boom, here’s some feelings you’ve never asked for, about a person you don’t know. You might even hate him - but you want him too. No givesies-backsies!’’ she said, slightly frustrated about the whole thing. ‘’I don’t mind the bond… If only I had a say so in who fate decided was the right one for me..’’ she then admitted; closing her eyes, only to see Dorian’s face; smiling smugly at her. She shook her head, looking back at Michael with a neutral expression on her face.

‘’Well, sugar, that won’t be with me then,’’ she said, before she started drinking from the glass. She had never enjoyed water that much, but in this moment it tasted like the finest wine to her. She emptied the glass, only to have him tell her that he would leave for France in a couple of days. It would be a lie to say that it didn’t sadden her. That first thought was ‘how long?’, while the second was ‘why?’. She didn’t ask, though. It wasn’t her place to ask such personal questions now, was it? ‘’France? I’ve heard it’s a cold and gloomy as Gaia,’’ she said, trying to hide the mild panic growing in her from knowing that he wouldn’t be there if she needed him. She then sighed slightly, as her body tried to tell her that she really needed to sleep.

He felt relieved when she answered ‘no’, but his expression quickly changed as she admitted killing her first mate. It didn’t sound like an accident, but perhaps she hadn’t been able to control her abilities, and that’s how it'd happened. “That’s terrible…” he said in a low voice. He could see how she’d have a complicated relationship to her mates after that. He listened to her explain the bond in her own words, nodding quietly. It sounded a lot like love at first sight, except her saying you could hate the person at the same time as wanting them.
Then she said she didn’t mind the bond, but rather that she didn’t get to choose the person she was supposed to be with. “I understand,” he said as he remembered back on the love affairs his father hadn’t approved of. He folded his hands and looked at Cassandra, thinking that even if she’d let their romance continue, that it probably wouldn’t have worked out in the long run.

He chuckled when she told him that it wasn’t going to be with her. “No, you’re daring and exciting,” he said, looking at her with a gentle smile. A dark witch was never plain or sweet. “Yeah, it is… but there’s a friend of mine who needs my help. It shouldn't take more than a week or two,” he explained, not going into details about what he needed help with. He never travelled for leisure, just like he never took days off from working. “If you could go to any destination in the world, where would you go?” he then asked.

Of course his first words were filled with empathy. She cringed on the inside by it, as she knew it had been her own fault. She had killed someone simply because she had no means of controlling herself. Now, she was left with a path in life she wouldn’t never have chosen if she had been able to control herself just a tiny bit. “It’s... well, complicated.” She then said, trying to push it all away instead of dwelling by the fact that she had ruined her chance of having a family of her own. Of course, she had Bienvenido, and he seemed rather keen on the whole family thing himself.... the thought scared her to oblivion, as she knew that even if they decided to start a family of their own, they wouldn’t have anyone besides maybe Tidus and Michael to help them out. Bienvenido had no family - not that she knew of, at least. Her own family were inconsiderate bastards that wouldn’t want anything to with Cassandra or her offspring...

The mood shifted as he with a chuckle sounded in the room. “I’m a mess, and you know it,” she admitted with a crooked smile. She wasn’t going to pretend it wasn’t so. “I’ll try to stay out of trouble until you get back then,” she promised, smiling calmly at him. It was a true promise, as she had decided to take some time off and maybe even start working on the agreement to purchase the facility she had been a benefactor of for a while now. His question made her look at him slightly baffled. She had not expected such a question, and the answer seemed... dull. “Home.” The word sounded so unreal to her. So distant. “Back to Edinburgh... back to Scotland, to the moors and the lochs... just to experience it all now when there’s nothing to fear there. I left in such a hurry back then. I wonder what became of it all.” She explained, as she felt the homesickness grow in her core. She missed her mother, although she would never admit it. How could she not? Her mother had died a year ago, rendering Cassandra all alone. She had met her father, only to realize that the reason he had left was him being selfish. She missed the sound of where she grew up, although it had been nothing special to everyone else.

“What about you, Michael? Where would you go?” She asked, before she looked down at her hand, where the bleeding had stopped and the numbing faded, only to reveal that he nails had already managed to grow slightly. “By the way... and, don’t get mad,” she said, before she looked back at him. “I’ve managed to transfer some funds to you. Nothing major, just enough to cover the rent and utilities here for a while. Wouldn’t want you to be forced out. I need you here, after all.” She then said. The money had been her own; her inheritance from her mother. She didn’t need it, since she was working a well paid position with the Patrons.

“Good cause I’m worried about you enough as it is,” he said as he looked at her, hoping that she’d keep true to her words. He wasn’t going to be able to hear her prayer or know if anything bad happened until it’d be much too late. She answered his question, saying that she wanted to go home, to Edinburgh. “Is there a reason you haven’t gone yet?” he asked. Edinburgh wasn’t far when you considered all the places she could’ve said, but he also knew that the bad memories might be what kept her away.  
She returned the question and he looked out the window as he thought about it. She should already know that he’d been about anywhere, but there weren’t many places he cared to revisit. Not unless it was to see someone. “I’d want to go home as well,” he replied. He did visit Heaven from time to time, but his true purpose was on earth, and whenever his father needed him in Heaven, it was to train his army or mentor new angels, not to vacation.    

His expression quickly got serious when she told him not to get mad, wondering what she’d done now. He didn’t know what to say at first, or why she’d do such a thing. He understood why some angels donated money to him, but she had enough trouble as it was, and he’d never thought that she owed him anything. It was far too generous of her. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said. It was hard for him to accept a gesture like that, but he also knew that he had little time before he’d get kicked out for not paying his bills. Then he realized she’d admitted to needing him, something he couldn’t deny, but he was still curious to know what she meant by it. “You need me to save your ass, is that it?” he joked, chuckling lightly before he placed a gentle hand on top of hers, looking at her nails to see that they’d healed a bit. “Thank you,” he then said, looking from their hands to her eyes with a grateful smile.

‘’Aw, you worry about me!’’ she said in a joking tone; mocking him slightly, but all in good fun. Of course, she wouldn’t promise him anything she wasn’t going to be able to keep. She had promised to try to stay out of trouble, but with her work being as it was, she couldn’t promise something completely.
Then, after she had explained why she wanted to visit home, he asked her the question she had feared would arise as soon as he had gotten his answer. ‘’I… I’m not welcome there. My kin have decided that I’m not worthy of being of their decent, so if I ever were to return, they would surely have me either killed or institutionalized like they did with my mother.’’ She explained. It was a real fear of hers; being locked up in an asylum. As soon as Cassandra had left her mother in Edinburgh, her family had her declared mentally unable to take care of herself and had gotten her locked up. The same fate awaited Cassandra, no doubt, unless she followed her grandmother’s commands; a thing she would never do.

‘’Home? You mean, up there?’’ she asked, nodding upwards. ‘’Why don’t you? I’m sure a little time off wouldn’t kill you,’’ she said, although it went unspoken that she could have followed up with a ‘but it might kill me tho’.
His serious expression made her slightly anxious that he was going to be mad at her for doing such a thing. She enjoyed his company, although it had turned more like friends than anything else. He had become someone she trusted rather fast, and she feared that he would leave if he had no means to stay; hence her paying off his living-expenses for a while. ‘’There’s a lot of things I shouldn’t do. This, it isn’t one of them.’’ she stated with a careful smile. ‘’I need you to keep me sane.’’ She then admitted, as she looked away from his face; down to her hand where he now placed his own. ‘’No need to thank me. It’s a small fee for having you around.’’ She said, not looking away from their hands. ‘’I’m sorry you’re the one who got stuck with me.’’ She then said, with no hint of teasing in her voice, as she was completely serious.

“Of course I do,” he said, smiling at her joking tone. He had plenty of reason to, considering that none of their encounters had started off peacefully. He listened to her as she explained her situation with the family, understanding why it held her back from going. “I’m sorry… they clearly aren’t good people,” he said, trying to be comforting, but he knew that it probably hurt a lot - to be disowned by her family like that.
He nodded when she asked if it was up there, looking from her to the ceiling. “I can’t… My father has commanded me to stay on earth… and if I do get a chance to visit, it won’t be to take time off,” he explained. He knew that she probably didn’t understand his responsibilities and that he was on duty 24/7. He looked back at her when she said she needed him to keep her sane. He was happy that she felt this way and it was probably the reason she had come by tonight. He didn’t believe he was stuck with her - after all, he could always leave, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she thought this somehow changed things between them. “I’d rather be stuck with you than most other things,” he said. For now, this was the truth. He valued their relationship for how real it was.

Their relation had been built on her being hurt and him being a comfort when she had no one else to run to. She felt horrible for using him in this manner, but she knew she wasn’t able to do anything about it. She had once might felt something deeper about him; something romantic, but those feelings had been buried under a load of guilt from treating him ill the time he had saved her at her own house. ‘’I’m glad. That makes me less inclined to feel bad for worrying about you too,’’ she admitted; somehow walking the line between joking and being completely honest.
As the conversation took a turn towards her family, she decided that they wasn’t worth wasting breath over. ‘’No. They’re not.’’ She answered, trying to show him that it didn’t pain her that her family was a bunch of a-holes. It pained her to be alone however.

Michael explained why he couldn’t return to his own home, making her closed her eyes. ‘’So, unless he commands you to return, you’ll stay here? That sounds like a good deal, considering that I need you here,’’ she said, although she understood the feeling of being homesick. ‘’Then we can miss home together,’’.
‘’I can only say that the feeling is requited,’’ she said, biting her lip slightly before she gave his hand a slight squeeze.