Messenger, "My Lord we have a request from 'him', he said he wishes to speak to you." A peevish man ran in while Ria was being scolded for running off falling to his knees out of breath as if he'd run a marathon. Ria looked at her father's blank expression curiously.
Lucifer, "Val get her some food while I attend to this and don't let her out of your sight, I've had enough of chasing her." Val nodded sternly; Ria had truly given them the run around. They were damn near ready to send a search party. Lucifer stormed away his heavy feet filled with anger; Ria sighed feeling the room fill with oxygen again. Val couldn't help at chuckle as her face twisted to relief.
Val, "Are you finished running or should I save some energy." Ria rolled her eyes, as if she had anyway to run too, her one salvation had turned her away like everyone else.
Ria, "I'll see what's for dinner and let you know then." Responding sarcastically back Val's red lips perked up in amusement, this girl was more like her father than she knew. Guiding her through to the orphanage, Ria tugged back wondering why a dining area would be in there.
Val, "Just a little word of advice if you run in here, they will chase you." Trying to find humour in the current situation he patted her head and greeted the children. From her observation Val seemed to be very child orientated, he didn't talk down to them at all instead he kneeled to their level with a kind smile. Ria always thought kindness in a superior was impossible, now she could truly say that the poison fed through her ears hadn't affected her soul. Val caught her grin out of the corner of her eye. Ria was overwhelmed as children began walking up to her in a small crowd jumping with excitement. Some were four to five years of age and others were even younger.
Val, "Calm down kids, I'll introduce you all. Everyone this is Ria, she's new here so make sure to be kind." They all smiled and waved shyly. There were only four children in the playroom today which was peculiar.
Val, "This young lady is Alice, she just turned five last week." Ria noticed her curly brown hair and hazel eyes; this young girl was a human. They all appeared quite thin but that was to be expected of rescue children she thought. Alice had a beauty mark below her right nostril. Waving shyly Ria simply smiled reassuringly, they seemed intimidated by her for some reason.
Val, "This young man is James, he just arrived two weeks ago. He may look innocent but he's quite the troublemaker." Val tousled his hair roughly causing him to giggle, he also had blackish hair and equally black eyes, such dark features and fair skin she thought.
Val, "These two are twins, Eve and Joel. They're four years old." Ria looked at them both closer and truth be told they had the same features, even a matching mole on opposite cheeks. Eve had long light purple hair tied up in a red bow while Joel had short spikey blue hair. They both had pink eyes confirming they were superior children. The thought of people coinciding between races was still hard to warp her head around, but they all seemed well looked after.
Ria, "Nice to meet you all, I hope we can get along." She said awkwardly not knowing what else to say. Smiling excitedly, they all followed Val to the dinner hall, it was a small kitchen to the left of the play area. A chef greeted them all handing out meals, when Ria sat in shock to see the twins receive a plate of supplements rather than food. Val also received the same plate.
"Does the princess require advanced supplements sir?" Val looked at Ria's face painted with worry, she seemed suspicious of this. However, because of her genes she did require advanced supplements to help her body heal, Ria was also malnourished from surviving on human food her whole life.
Val, "Yes she does, thank you." The chef wearily nodded and quickly returned with a plate filled with blood red pills, around two dozen. Eve and Joel gulped down their tablets and relaxed back in their chairs. Ria looked at Val coldly.
Ria, "If your trying to sedate me then be forward and knock me out cold. How stupid do you think I am?" Val playfully took his pills looking her in those violet eyes.
Val, "This is the only way for us to receive adequate nutrition, otherwise our body will break down when using our abilities. You need to support yourself, or will you become weak?" Hitting a nerve Ria huffed and picked up the transparent red pill precariously. Like moths to a flame all eyes were on her as she slid it onto her tongue and felt it dissolve. At first it was shockingly bitter but then a sweet flavour much like fresh strawberries filled her mouth.
Eve, "Is it yummy? We've never tried the red ones?" Joel and Eve were waiting for her response, but Ria was in shock feeling her body almost float with energy. It almost brought tears to her eyes consuming something that didn't taste like ash.
Val, "This is what you should have been eating, that's why your so thin. For superiors eating human food is like eating dirt. It tastes disgusting and holds no nutritional value, it surprises me that you've managed to hold out this long." Ria ate another pill and sat back in her chair, her parents tried really hard to keep her healthy. It wasn't their fault they couldn't afford pills.
Ria, "It's nice…but what are advanced supplements?" Hers looked different to Val's and the twins. Val gulped looking around for someone as if this was yet again another taboo topic.
Val, "The advanced supplements are for people with archangel blood like your father, normal ones wouldn't work affectively on you. Maybe it would give you enough energy for a few hours but that's about it." Ria nodded in understanding, so even at the dinner table she was separated by her blood. While she sheepishly swallowed the fruity pills James caught her eye, as he sat staring intensely at her. As she noticed him his eyes darkened, and he spoke.
James, "Val, why does she have such light hair I've never seen a superior girl with hair like hers." Val looked at Ria for support, but her eyes were too rudely transfixed on James to notice. That brat held no subtlety.
Val, "U-Um…because she's special. Why are you so concerned James?" Ria raised her eyebrows as if daring him to speak his mind, not everyone looked as ordinary as him. Alice looked at James angrily as if silently scolding him for being so rude.
James, "It's weird, she even eats different food from the twins. I don't like her." Val scratched his head flustered by his reaction; James was always rude but that was because he had a horrific past a lot like the other children here. Ria noticed insecurity behind those black eyes and decided to let his ego down gently.
Ria, "How coincidental I don't care much for brats like you either. Discriminating between genetics only highlights just how pale that protective barrier is between your body and mind. Think about it carefully would you rather have me as your ally or enemy, it's your choice?" James looked at her smug face wide eyed, she didn't talk like a child at all. Enemies? What happened to not wanting to be friends like a normal person?
James, "I don't understand, why do you talk like that? I just meant I didn't want to be your friend…" Ria was overcome with embarrassment; how could she have spoken so arrogantly to a five-year-old. Come to think of it had she ever really had a friend, the only person she'd been beside her whole life was Ethan…
Val, "It's just because she's older, that's not very nice James. You need to be kind remember?" Ria snickered; you can't force someone to be kind.
Ria, " It's fine, I'm finished eating." Val went to quickly gulp down his pills when Ria shook her head.
Ria, "I'm not going to run away I'm going back to my room for some sleep so just finish your dinner." She smiled painfully before leaving the room. Val sighed and gave James a hopeless look.
James, "I didn't mean to make her sad I just think she's strange." He shrugged off the situation, but Val knew those words hurt Ria more than she let show.
Alice, "So what if she's different, that doesn't mean she's a bad person. You should be nicer to her." The twins nodded in agreement with Alice and finished their dinner leaving to the play area. Alice and James were quite close almost like brother and sister so when he was scolded like her he began feeling slightly apologetic.
James, "Fine, I'll say sorry next time. Will you leave me alone now?" In a huff he also exited the table along with Alice, Val picked up their plates and took them to the kitchen. As he placed them in the sink, he noticed Lucifer sitting with a young boy on the other side of the complex in the adult dining area. Shocked he was conversing with children unsupervised he attempted to push open the door when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
"I want to be her bodyguard; I just want to be near her."
1 Hour Previously…
Lucifer briskly left behind his daughter and Val informed that the prisoner would like to speak with him. It had been three years since their last conversation, so this request was intriguing to him. Expecting nothing less than a rude exchange of words he stood at his door waiting for him to emerge.
Lucifer, "I'm here now what do you want?" A gentle laugh responded as he exited the cell, his eyes widened to see he still hadn't aged since their first meeting thirty years ago. Knowing the researchers kept him young in order to supress his abilities Lucifer quickly adapted to his height.
Sam, "Long time no see old friend, so this is what fresh air smells like." He took a deep breath with his emerald green eyes closed and smiled. Freedom like this was so rare he felt like prancing around under the false light.
Lucifer, "We'll speak in the dining hall it should be empty at this hour, and don't try anything rash I don't have the energy to fight with you today." Sam nodded obediently and followed him through to a private dining suite inside his complex. It had been a while since seeing this pitiful archangel and he looked worn out but maybe that had something to do with a little girl frequently on his mind. They both sat down opposed while Lucifer waved away the security. Sam leaned back crossing his leg on the table while Lucifer sat seemingly uninterested in what he had to say staring blankly out of the windows.
Sam, "You've been busy these last few years I hear, you only returned not long ago. Where did you go?" Lucifer gritted his teeth, why did he always find out such valuable information inside those tiny four walls.
Lucifer, "Stop asking questions you already know the answer too and spill it, I'm a busy man." Sam smirked and carried on with his conversation. This would be delicate, but he needed to know more about this subject.
Sam, "Oh yes I know your very busy at the moment, trying to raise a child. Your child I presume?" Sam was pushing his buttons, asking rhetorical questions hoping to get a reaction out of him. However, Lucifer had played this game too long and grew tired, so he stood up to leave.
Sam, "Wait." A desperate voice pulled him back, a usually stone-cold faced Sam looked desperate all of a sudden. It was the first time he'd asked a favour from Lucifer.
Sam, "We have a complicated past you and I. Only we know about what's really going on out there so out of curtesy of our relationship I would like you to hear me out and try to contain your emotions when I tell you this. Understood?" Lucifer nodded wearily, this was a big surprise hearing such sincerity coming from that silver tongue, almost professional you could say.
Lucifer, "Does this have anything to do with my daughter?" Sam nodded sternly with a hint of worry in his eyes. Lucifer leaned forward intently ready to hear this, after all Sam had spent the most time with her since coming here.
Sam, "The last time we spoke I told you of the revolt in the western region, the one run by your brother correct?" A red glow of rage responded truthfully to that fact, just the thought of that man made his blood boil.
Sam, "My father is in ties with that revolt, he was most likely planning to abduct Ria from my sister and hand her over to him. You know too well that superior children as well as Nephilim are immense sources of power for archangels, if Michael were to feed from Ria, we would have a crisis on our hands. I barely managed to escape with half of my power." Lucifer winced at the thought of his daughter in the hands of that monster.
Lucifer, "I understand that very well, what's your point?" Sam took a deep breath.
Sam, "My point is now that they know Ria is in the hands of the superiors they will use her as a goal, administering people from the revolt to infiltrate the facility posing as anyone they can to get to her, you can't have eyes in the back of your head for the rest of your life. Who knows they may already be here; we've had no trouble from them since my capture, so our guard has been let down? The truth is I don't want her in the hands of those people any more than you do." Lucifer felt a shiver run down his spine; he'd wanted to forget those musters but hearing they could be a threat to Ria his ears were wide open.
Lucifer, "Are you suggesting I add more guards? Why are you telling me all this?" Sam perched himself on the table looking around suspiciously for listeners, when he deemed the coast was clear he gave a once in a lifetime proposal.
Sam, "I'm suggesting you let me help her. I want out of that cell; I want you to break me of this bind in order to protect the one thing you hold dear." Their eyes clashed like thunder. Lucifer could see what he was suggesting and scowled in contemplation.
Lucifer, "Your asking for the impossible, you won't be trusted by anyone in this facility after what you did. How do I know you won't kill her yourself?" Sam looked a little disheartened by that comment.
Sam, "Because after shutting myself in the dark my eyes were finally opened by someone. When Ria came into the cell it was like a cloud was lifted from my mind and I could see the truth about this place. Trust me I can help her." Lucifer watched his eyes look into his soul sincerely, this boy really had changed after all these years he was more open to suggestion and his soul wasn't painted black anymore.
Lucifer, "Can you even control your power if I did concede to you wishes?" This was a very important detail that Sam would have to answer honestly.
Sam, "I may have a dominant gene but that doesn't mean I can't control it. If worst comes to worst put me in solitary, I can't promise I will keep it completely under control but…I can promise that no matter what I will never hurt Ria."
Lucifer, "Why is she so special to you? After thirty years of trying to get you to accept me, why after only two conversations with my daughter have you decided to bypass your ignorance." Sam thought back to something Ria had said the last time they spoke.
Sam, "Because no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, Ria and I are the same. Brought up in corruption, deprived of our true power and manipulated for evil. I am the only one who can understand her pain, that's why I'm asking you to let me protect her. I want to protect her soul, be close to her…I want to save her before she becomes like me…" Lucifer tapped his nail on the table in deep thought, this was risky, but Sam didn't seem like he was lying.
Lucifer, "I'll allow it if you grow the normal rate, I'm not granting you full power until your trustworthy enough. If Ria agrees to it then you can be by her side, but if at any time she decides your not welcome it's right back in the cell. Do you agree to these conditions?" Dumbfounded Sam nodded enthusiastically.
Sam, "I'll make this a blood pact for interest, do we have a deal?" Lucifer pricked his thumb with his teeth while Sam did the same, they placed their thumbs together allowing the blood to mix. This was traditional in superior territory and considered a contract between benefactors. This meant if Sam broke the deal or Lucifer, they would have permission to punish the other however they saw fit.
Lucifer, "You better keep Ria safe or else…" Sam chuckled and winked.
Sam, "I couldn't think of a more amusing job."