Ravenna looked up at Michael from the safety of his wing as Lucifer disappeared. He seemed to be deep in thought about the strange man's words. –Did he believe the man?– She watched Michael look down at the firestone in his hand and then curl his long fingers around it. Ravenna put her hand on his, the one firmly wrapped around her waist. "Michael?"
The angel looked down at the young woman in his embrace, who had softly called his name. "Sorry, Ravenna. I let Lucifer get into my mind. We should get traveling. I know you want to get home."
"Do you want to discuss what he told you before we go? Graenwood shouldn't be far, we don't have to rush tonight. It's not a hurry. There are only a few hours to walk, rather than the whole night and then a few hours of traveling alone in the day. I can tell his words are troubling you." Ravenna wanted to know what Michael was thinking. Particularly the part where Lucifer mentioned that he suspected Michael would Fall very soon. She had understood that to be the ultimate punishment of the Kingdom, and every angel was terrified of Falling. What did Michael feel about Lucifer's prediction?
Michael frowned, running his hands through his golden curls. "No, not yet. But if you're okay with waiting a moment, I think I'm gonna take a quick dip in the river and clean myself off. You can have the nice, warm water in the inn when we get to town. I just…I need the cold to think right now, if that's alright with you?"
Ravenna nodded and took their traveling bags. Michael kept the thinner blanket, Ravenna suspected he intended to use it as a towel. She watched him walk to the water and unlace his boots, placing them on a stone. She watched him unbutton the back of his waistcoat to free his wings and then unfasten the front before gently folding the black garment and placing it next to his boots. She watched the same routine with his shirt before facing the opposite direction. Michael deserved some privacy while he entered the water.
Ravenna sat on the grass, waiting patiently for the Seraphim to return. Her back to Michael in the river, Ravenna thought about Lucifer and his tale. The Ruler ripped his wings from his back. That must have been agony. Ravenna reached around to touch her own back. She could imagine the thick rope of scarring Lucifer must have where his wings used to be. All of that muscle and bone, just torn. She thought of Michael and his wings. He was so expressive with them- he flicked them when irritated or feeling playful, and wrapped them around her to keep her feeling safe and protected. Would the Ruler do the same to him?
Ravenna turned, intending to look at Michael's wings that she had grown so fond of. Instead, she saw the Seraphim emerging from the water, his wings stretching wide. His hair was sticking up wildly from his hands rubbing it. She watched the water drip down his chest. Her eyes followed the water as it trailed along his sculpted abdomen and down to the narrowing of his hips. Her face turned pink as she watched Michael.
"Like what you see?"
Ravenna slapped her hands over her mouth to stop her scream. Lucifer leaned casually against a tree, taking a bite from an apple. His green eyes danced with amusement, and the fruit did a terrible job of hiding his smirk.
"What are you doing here?!" Ravenna hissed. She was quickly growing to dislike Lucifer. She turned her body away from the Fallen man, not wanting him to see her humiliation at being caught.
"Woah, woah, settle down, I'm not here to tell on you for spying on handsome over there!" Lucifer put his hand up as if he was dismissing such an idea. "Can't say I blame you for being a little snoop, though, I mean look at him. Nicely built, I would spy on him if I were you t-"
Ravenna had enough of Lucifer's words. She threw a pebble at him, cutting him off. The Fallen man looked at the pebble that bounced off his chest and watched the offending stone roll away from him.
"You need to work on your manners. I'll let you get back to your peeking, I just thought I would be nice and bring you one of these," Lucifer reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a second apple, and tossed it toward Ravenna. "I heard your stomach complain earlier and thought I should be friendly to my new allies-to-be." Lucifer looked at his fingernails as he smirked.
"By the way, the Lost man Michael sent me? Kept shouting at me about his status and how I can't treat him that way and so on. I could fix his neck, but frankly he's much more entertaining to watch run around the UnderKingdom the way Michael left him. My demon finally tossed him into a fire. Thought you would enjoy those tidbits with your apple. But you seemed to be finding your own entertainment just fine without me around." Lucifer winked and chuckled as he dodged another pebble from Ravenna.
"Happy travels tonight."
Lucifer disappeared in his cloud of smoke as Michael made his way toward Ravenna, fastening the last buttons of his waistcoat front, the blanket tossed over his shoulder. Michael grabbed the blanket, finished drying off his hair, and noticed the smoke. He looked at Ravenna, who was still a bright shade of pink, holding the large green apple in her hands.
"I see the smoke. Was Lucifer back? What's with the blush?"
Ravenna looked downward, not wanting to admit she had peeked at the Seraphim while he had been naked in the river. "He came back with this apple for me. Decided he wanted to be nice." She ate her apple and kept the rest of the story to herself.