Radicle (Terminal trilogy #2, can stand alone)

Warlords

I had been keeping my voice low, as to not attract attention. I walked from Stacy's booth immediately to Moll, who I sat down across from.

She didn't even have to look up. "Fuck off."

"Hi. Nichael."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me correct myself: Fuck off, Nichael."

"So Stacy was just telling me all about you, and I'm very sorry for all you had to deal with, and the rogue angels you had to bed with. Not all angels are like that, you see, and most of us would much rather just kill you."

"I literally do not care. Do I even need to say what's coming next? Oh wait, yes I do, you're pretty dense. Here's a hint: It starts with an 'F', ends with an 'Off', and also features the letters 'U, C and K."

"I just mean to reassure you of my good intentions. Though it'd be nice to know the names of any and all angels you had, er, 'encounters' with. I will ensure they are dealt with properly, don't worry."

She lowered the book she was reading for once, and stared me in the eye. "Nichael. Go away. Just leave already. I'm not going to say another word."

I was frustrated. I almost tripped on a chair as I tried to storm out of The Blues, but I found the place too big of a distance to storm across the entire time. I ended up walking most of the time.

But then I noticed the Libra and the Virgo sitting on the couches with a couple other people. And I was just angry enough to not care about maintaining my whole undercover identity. I just wanted to attack someone.

"Hey fucks!" I called over. I was not yet used to using this sort of harsh language. "Fuckers. Fuck. You two. Murderers."

The Libra, a man I knew to be named Kell, looked sort of alarmed. "What?"

The Virgo, Kelsey, waved off to someone. "Security. We have a drunkard."

"I'm not drunk, and I hate you two. I'm going to kill you, literally, right now. At this very moment." Something inside me knew I couldn't quite pull out my sword or wings in the middle of this club, but I was still fairly strong on my own. I decided the best course of action was to punch Kell in the face.

I did end up punching him, actually, right in the eye. But then Kelsey shoved me aside, and I fell right to the floor. By the time I got up, two security guards with guns had surrounded me.

"Fuck the security!" I shouted, but I didn't end up fighting them. They put me in handcuffs.

"Wait a moment." Kell said, and he gripped me by the shoulders. I did a sort of snarling thing with my face. "Leave him be. This is something I ought to handle."

He waved the gathering small crowd away, and I was sat down across from the two of them.

"Nichael, is it?" But of course, he pronounced it like 'Nigh-kel'.

"Shut up."

"Are you sure you're not drunk?" Kell seemed genuinely concerned, I had to give him that.

"What are you still doing in Hell?" Kelsey asked, straight to the point.

"I live here now."

"You're not supposed to." Kelsey said.

"Why are you living here?" Kell asked.

"I want to." This was a lie.

"We're going to have to make you leave, you know." Said Kelsey.

"Frankly," Kell said, "You're getting off very easy. If it wasn't for the fact Michael would be pissed, we'd love to just keep you indefinitely down in Wrath. Skin you and use it to wield your weird blades."

"But we can't do that, at the moment." Kelsey reminded. "But next time?" He left the thought hanging.

"Who's even giving you a place to stay? We're going to need an address. We'll pick you up tomorrow and see to it you're deported correctly this time."

"I don't know where I live."

"You were with... The Deadchild girl, right? I'd bet that's where you're staying now. I'll just search it up." Kell sighed. "The next question, I suppose, would be why you were lurking in The Blues of all places, but I suppose you're not about to answer that."

I said nothing, but gave a bonus glare in Stacy's direction. This was probably all his fault. Probably. I guessed the church was going to do fine without me though. I had set standards earlier today for recruitment, and Lilith could probably figure how to manage the rest. She was smart, after all.

Kelsey misinterpreted my glare towards Stacy as a meaningful glance towards Moll. "Her, hm? Hm." Was all he had to say. But it was enough.

Kell and Kelsey both seemed upset at a delightful evening ruined, but accompanied me out of The Blues all the same. I guessed they thought I couldn't be trusted with some lesser demon security guard as an escort. They were using a map on Kell's handheld machine as guidance towards Tecie's apartment.

"You two used to eat angels, you know."

"That's a strange sentence in all it's implications." Kelsey said. "Like either of us could forget our reputation."

"We never ate angels." Kell corrected. "We killed them. But that's just war for you. I don't have anything really against you guys, truthfully, besides a few war-based deaths of friends. But I'm sure you've experienced plenty of the same."

"I've seen you out there, you know. A hellhound. Ripping angels open like an explosive saw."

"I understand you being angry, but again, that's war for you."

"I know. That's war for you. I just wish your side didn't have to be so fucking brutal about it."