God's Gone AWOL

[1] The Return of Bentley Hellbourne

This was probably the least holy thing to ever happen in Jericho's little United Church.

It was biblical mayhem. Spells were flying back and forth. The golden blades of the angels clashed against the chaotic and improvised weapons of the demons, whether they were table legs, microphone chords, hymnals, it didn't matter. A couple sanctuary lights had been blown out and the furniture had been scattered and shattered to the point where the entire room was made unrecognizable in the duration of about sixty seconds.

Only three beings were not participating in the destruction. Camael was one, alongside the quiet angel beside her. It seemed as though they were above the fighting, despite one of them being the chief instigator. The other was Bentley. She didn't bother to raise a finger even when spells were being aimed right at her face —much to the annoyance of her brother who singlehandedly had to stop the both of them from being blasted to a pulp.

"What are you doing??" he asked her, "Why aren't you at least protecting yourself?"

"I'm blind remember! It's not my fault I can't see who's trying to kill me and who's not."

"You are literally the most annoying creature in all four realms, you know that?"

Bentley just smiled. Although Xander had been expecting this, he was still getting increasingly annoyed and increasingly exhausted.

Around them, the brawl continued. By some miracle, the only thing that had died so far was the respect for the surrounding room. Maybe it was because both sides were too hesitant to draw blood, or just that they were equally matched to the point of near stalemate. But no matter what the reason, Xander was glad there was at least some current notion of safety in the whole mess.

Noticing how neither Xander nor the one beside him had moved at all during the fray, Smythe called out to him.

"Whatever you're planning, you better get on it. This ain't as easy as it looks,"

Having seen the look on Smythe's face earlier when she had first spotted "Bartimeaus", Xander wasn't actually sure which of the two she was talking to.

"I know! I know! We're working on it!" He reassured her, then he quietly whispered to Bentley: "You have a plan right?"

That same goddamn smile spread across Bentley's lips.

"Hold on to something," she said.

"What?"

A ripple of energy burst outwards, radiating from Bentley's body, filling the air with the smell of cinnamon. Xander had just enough time to grab on to a nearby lectern, but everyone else in the room, angel and demon alike, was sent flying backwards. The few pews that remained standing all toppled over each other like dominoes, some catching unfortunate angels in between them. It was truly an energy to behold, and yet somehow Bentley still did not give away her identity.

As the passing energy reached Camael, she raised a shield of white light. However, even with this counteraction, both her and the one beside her stumbled slightly as though blown back by a heavy wind.

Now everyone was still. All eyes were focused on the blind demon in black. Before now, most of the angels hadn't paid her any mind as she wasn't familiar to them, and therefore must not have a name powerful enough to draw attention. But now that she had silenced the entire room using just one offhand piece of magic, their expressions turned to uncertainty.

"What is wrong with you all?" Bentley said loudly to everyone —though even if she had spoken softly they all still would have listened. "Fighting?? In a house of God?"

A feeling of guilt suddenly sparked in Xander's heart. With all the commotion, he had forgotten the significance of where they all were. It was a sanctuary after all, and should have been treated as such. Looking around, he saw that the other three High Council members looked as though they shared the same feelings. Only the angels drew faces of defensiveness, as though they could somehow justify their actions if the owner of the house in question were to show up and demand they do so.