Zee had grown accustomed to the unrelenting discrimination she faced due to her elven heritage. It was a routine for her to hide her pointy ears whenever she ventured into towns, cities, or villages. She didn't necessarily mind the prejudice; she understood the reasons behind it, reasons she even agreed with. In fact, she'd be more concerned if someone were thrilled to meet her. Despite this acceptance, the sting of hurt lingered. It hurt to see people's faces fill with fear when they caught sight of her, learned about her true nature, or looked into her eyes. However, she had grown accustomed to it for the sake of her sanity.
Yet, this time felt different. An angel, a divine being descended from heaven, gazed into her eyes with a fear that mirrored the same apprehension she thought she had grown used to. "Wh-why?" she stuttered, taking a step back. Tears welled up in her eyes, an unavoidable response when even an angel couldn't mask his fear in her presence.
Was being an elf so inherently dreadful that even divine beings harbored fear? Did the demon fear her? Does Larkin, share the same fear? Does Xain fear her as well? Did even 'he' fear her? As she wrestled with these thoughts, a comforting hand landed on her shoulder. She turned to see Xain, his reassuring smile breaking through the tumult of her mind. "Don't worry, Zee. Even if angels and demons are a tiny bit scared of you, I never will be. How could I be afraid of someone so cute?" he teased, eliciting a blush from Zee and offering a respite from her thoughts.
Grace, not one for sentimentality, chimed in with her own brand of reassurance. "I don't really like you at all, but don't think I'm scared of you either. Also, don't let birdbrain here dictate your view of everything. He's a pigeon for crying out loud, and they're afraid of everything." Grace's words were a strategic move, knowing exactly what Zee needed to hear. The angel, while perturbed by the insult, chose to let it slide, (Not that he could do anything about it in the first place).
Zee, wiping away her tears, apologized, "So-sorry, it just... I didn't expect this." She turned to Xain, who patted her on the shoulder in understanding. Grace, redirecting her attention to the angel, demanded an explanation, "Care to explain yourself, oh great angel who's scared of a perverted elf?" Zee's blush intensified as she exclaimed, "I'm not a pervert!" Grace brushed off her protest, keeping her focus on the angel while noting in her mind, *Good, she's back to normal. At least most of her thoughts are, though there are still some abnormalities. This is the best I can do.*
The angel defensively raised his hands. "Look, I ain't scared of you in particular, alright? I'm just scared of elves in general. I mean, I'm an angel for Michael's sake; it's pretty much hardwired in me to be scared of 'em," he explained, attempting to defend himself. Zee, however, found his explanation confusing. "Why would fearing elves be hardwired into you?" she asked, as his statement seemed nonsensical.
"Other than you, I've only met one other elf, and she wasn't exactly the friendliest person, okay? It's not just me; pretty much everyone and everything up in heaven fears elves because of her," the angel elaborated, leaving Zee with more questions than answers. "Who was she, that even heaven fears her?" she pressed, a burning curiosity compelling her to know who could cause the entirety of heaven to tremble.
"She's one of the people responsible for something called The Collapse. I won't go more into it than that. Let's just leave it at that and move on, alright? We have a demon invasion to stop, remember?" He nervously hoped that Zee wouldn't press for more information. However, his revelation had ignited curiosity not only in Zee but also in Grace and Xain, who recognized that now was not the time to pursue these questions.
"Right, it's just not something I expected," Zee admitted, prompting the angel to sigh in relief. "Great, we can now move on. Again, sorry. I just can't look you in the eyes without triggering what's practically my phobia," he apologized, attempting to ease Zee's unease.
Zee nodded in understanding; this was just another thing she would need to get used to, just another group of people that feared her. "I hope all of you have devised a proper strategy to stop the invasion," a voice echoed. Grace, upon hearing it, muttered, "It can't be," as they all turned around to behold a man whose appearance rivaled that of gods standing by the front door. Zee and Xain were left completely awestruck, but as Grace's gaze fell upon him and she discerned his thoughts, she sensed something was off. "What are you doing?" she asked.
The demon pointed at the angel, explaining, "He suggested that having a human form would make people connect and trust me more, hence my current appearance." Grace sighed. "You couldn't pick a better appearance?" she questioned, looking somewhat bewildered. The demon tilted its head, inquiring, "Is this appearance displeasing?" Grace shook her head. "It's just... odd seeing him, but keep it if you want." The demon nodded.
Meanwhile, still in shock, Xain asked, "Um, excuse me, can anyone explain who he is?" pointing at the demon. Zee was in a similar state of bewilderment. "That's the priest, in the form of our dead priest," Grace explained. Both Xain and Zee gazed at her in disbelief. "Tha-that's the demon?" Zee asked incredulously, as the demon, the angel, and Grace all nodded. "You can't be serious," Xain exclaimed, and the demon reassured, "It is me, Xain. I can alter my appearance, much like how I can shapeshift my body." Both Xain and Zee remained flabbergasted as the angel, visibly exhausted, muttered, "Dear Michael, we're never going to finish strategizing, are we?"
(Nope, not today at least. Goodbye, ladies and gentlemen, because the writer is currently sick as balls. His words not mine.)