Archangel? More Like Archenemy! (ON HOLD)

Chapter 4: Lion's Mane

"My dear friend, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Asmodeus chided Apollyon as they sat together at a dive bar. They were still on Earth, both clad in civilian clothing, using the faces of two unfortunate men whose souls they had taken just moments ago.

"I don't need your criticism, Asmodeus. Your opinions are always twisted by your insane libido," Apollyon snapped. He took a swig of his drink: a hard scotch on the rocks.

There was hardly any substance on Earth that could get a Daemon drunk besides pure alcohol, and Apollyon didn't want to destroy his liver. He took it easy that night: just a simple scotch.

"I'm the Daemon of lust; I can't control it," Asmodeus defended himself, taking a sip of his Budweiser.

"Which is exactly why I'm not asking you for your appraisal. I need your head working, and I need the one with the brain."

"You know, I'm not the sex-crazed lunatic everybody thinks I am. I can actually sit down and get shit done. It's not like a have a permanent erection or something. I evoke lust, but I do not lust," Asmodeus argued. "That much," he quickly added.

"Yeah, alright. You're basically the Sex Cupid." Apollyon rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink. "You don't fire arrows at people, you fire condoms and pregnancy tests."

"Gee, someone's got a scythe up their ass today," Asmodeus grumbled. "What's up with you? Last time I saw you like this, it was 'cause Verin go locked up in Elysium."

Apollyon sighed. "Exactly. Verin's useless to me now. So I went out and got a new Com."

Asmodeus's eyes grew wide as he turned to look at his close friend. "You got yourself a new Companion? Since when?"

"Since, like, ten years ago."

"Ten years ago? That's like yesterday."

"Yeah, well, she was promised to me. Her parents gave her over."

"Oo..." Asmodeus wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "It's a she, huh? This could get interesting!"

"Don't you dare, Mod. Not this one." Apollyon shook his head wearily.

"What? Why? What's wrong with this one?" Asmodeus cocked an eyebrow.

"Nothing's wrong, so per se. It's just that she's still a human and I don't need you smashing her to bits." He shot Asmodeus a weak glare.

With his best poker face on, Asmodeus dully stared at his friend. "Really?"

When he received no reply, Asmodeus pried harder. "A human? Are you out of your fucking mind? How long is it gonna last? Two days, three days? A week?"

"I didn't exactly have options at the time, Asmodeus," Apollyon snarled. "I was desperate. Luc was just growing, and I already gave up searching. To put it simply, it was convenient at the time."

Asmodeus held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm not judging. If you needed help that badly, you could have just come to me. Ipos was bored off his ass back then; you could have just taken him."

Ipos was the twin brother of Asmodeus's Companion, Shalbriri. And yes, it is a masculine name.

"You know, if you had come to me with that offer ten years ago, I'd be a lot better off right now," Apollyon snarled, his voice laced with aggravation. Who did the hell did Asmodeus think he was, just telling him this now?

"Hey, don't blame me. You were the one who needed help; you should have come to me."

They were in the Lion's Mane, a popular underground tavern in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pub had a warm, musky atmosphere: it was constructed entirely of wood and brick, was illuminated by flames and torches instead of light bulbs, and its walls were decorated by professionally taxidermied heads.