Heaven and Hell

FOUR

F E S T I V I T I E S

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THE NEXT MORNING, Lucius woke up with the most disorientated train of thought. In his mind, the events of last night were continuously playing like a sort of sick joke. He had thought that he was finally beginning to crack open Adelia's hard outer shell, at long last prying into the softest part of her personality to gain her friendship and trust. However, in just a second and like a flick of a switch, they were back where they once were.

"When did this get so complicated?" Lucius groaned softly to himself, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes.

It was just before dawn, the same time in which he would wake up every day to start his job. Today, however, he wanted none of it. To put it simply, he wasn't in the mood to do anything rather than mope around.

Unfortunately, he wasn't given a chance. A few minutes after he had first awoken, a knock came from the door to his hut, effectively gaining Lucius's attention as he sat up quickly. The sudden motion made his brain feel like a slurry and he winced at the sensation. However, it did not slow him down. Instead, Lucius quickly threw his covers off of him before gently padding over to the door, cracking it open only to see two familiar faces greeting him.

"You are late, Lucius." His good friend, Gabriel, stared at him with hardly any emotion in his voice. His eyes, bright cobalt blue irises that must have been colored by the sky, did not leak away Gabriel's inner most thoughts either. "And you are still undressed?"

"Since when did you two bother me during the very start of the day?" Lucius asked, turning around to walk into the hut.

His two friends followed him in, Cassiel gently shutting the door behind him. As quickly as he could, Lucius scurried over to his wash basin so that he could freshen up before throwing on his usual wear— a fresh white cotton shirt and a pair of brown pants.

"Since you slept in, you must have missed the announcement. The archangels had just passed on a message about a festival in which we have to prepare for. And you, oh great light angel, will have to start adding in the decorations. The festival starts from noon to midnight and everyone is said to be attending."

Plucking a ripe ruby apple from the dining table's fruit basket, Cassiel casually wiped the apple clean on the fabric of his shirt before chewing a large chunk of the fruit off.

"Picture it, Lucius! Drinks and food for everybody, music and laughter that will ring for hours and dancing that will last through the night! I am already salivating at the thought. When was the last time we had a proper festival?" Cassiel near sighed, his eyes glazing in a far-off dreamy expression as he handed the half-eaten apple to Gabriel who took it with a roll of his eyes.

"Indulgence is a sin, Cassiel. Do not think of everything as a lighthearted fun fair. If I didn't know better, I might even say that it is a test that is set by the archangels to assess our behavior." Gabriel warned, eyebrows furrowed as he bit down on the apple as well. Chewing slowly, he said, "good things do not come without a price."

"This is Heaven, Gabe!" With a cheeky smile, Cassiel dropped himself onto the nearby chairs. "Everything is good here."

"Too good." Gabriel shook his head. "Something bad is bound to happen soon. It is only the matter of time."

"Bah, nonsense! What can possibly go wrong? You are too pessimistic, dear friend."

"And you too optimistic." Gabriel frowned when Lucius plucked the apple from his hands but made no action to stop him.

The blond quickly finished up the fruit in silence, watching his friends in the suddenly over-heated conversation. Once he was done, he tossed the core into the trash easily, wiping his mouth down with the long flowing sleeves of his shirt.