[AU] For the Greater Good

[phoenixstrut]

O AU stuff

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It Begins

[phoenixstrut]

She's really.... really not sure about this. Even with her Guard flanking her as she approaches the coffee shop, she can't fight the goosebumps that have crawled up her back, or the squirming butterflies trapped in her stomach. This isn't even a negotiation...not really. There's no need for her to worry so much, not on common ground.

Knowing that still isn't helping the fact she's finally landed an audience with the Demon King.

Dressed in her usual, only mildly more luxurious 'earth clothes', she opens the door, tensing ever so slightly at the tinkling of the bell. She nods toward the man behind the counter at his greeting call, then takes a look around. Will she know him when she sees him?

One of the couples behind her take a seat just outside the door, at a small patio table. The other man heads to the counter to fetch himself a cup of coffee. After all... they should blend in as best they can.

dun dun DUN DUUUNNN

[shirtlesspersona]

Well, if she doesn't know him, he can at least pick out some angels coming in.

Figures. He suggests common ground and guards show up. How underhanded did they think he was?

Probably entirely under the table, trying to get under a skirt. Probably not entirely wrong-

Zaveid whistles, a short trill for attention that shouldn't sound anything like a cat-call, and lazily waves his paper.

"Hey darling, maybe we should exchange selfies next blind date."


Zaveid no, this shouldn't be how you let the Archangel know you're over here.

[phoenixstrut]

Her blood runs cold at the sound of whistle and the rush of extremely clear demonic power when she locates the source. He's strong, no wonder she's overwhelmed.

But she's strong, too, she reminds herself, doing her best to turn her most unimpressed gaze his way. She's.... not sure she entirely succeeds, but at least she knows who to approach. "That would require you to actually answer our messages," she replies, with a grin so sour it almost takes away from that pretty face.

There's an almost hesitant glance back at the guard at the counter before she finally musters up the courage to actually take a seat across from the so called 'Demon King'. "So you're Zaveid?"

At least her voice isn't shaking, right-

im sorry

[shirtlesspersona]

He just grins at her, lounging at his table while she crosses over.

"I lose phone chargers. And someone keeps stealing my mail. Can't be misdelivered, there's not that many Zaveid's out there." Is the lazy shrug. And good job not sounding alarmed by him, but-

"What, he going to order something you don't like?" Zaveid drawls. "Only got two chairs, dear, hope he's not for my lap."

Never be sorry

[phoenixstrut]

She'a able to stop her mouth from gaping just in time. Really?!

She's about to remark on his egregious lack of response and the excuses he spouts for it, but when he openly calls her out on her security team, she freezes... then sighs. "No, though I'm sure whatever he brings me won't be nearly strong enough," she grinds out. Coffee shops don't sell the type of drink she feels she'll need to get through this conversation. "They insisted I couldn't come alone."

It's not quite an apology... but at least he knows she sort of feels guilty for it?

[shirtlesspersona]

"That's three doors down, I think. Or get yourself a flask."

And then he finally pushes himself up a little, right over to resting his elbows on his knees and watching her.

"Surprised you came at all, actually."

[phoenixstrut]

She's considering it, really.

She finally takes a seat, crossing her legs delicately and watching him. Studying him? Both.

"Really? Why?" Of course she was going to be there. She's the archangel, it's her duty to her people-
"They've been trying to invite you to the High for weeks. Even some of your own advisors have met with me, but you..." She just shakes her head.

[shirtlesspersona]

"You expect me to think I could walk into the High and not find half of the upper angels breathing down my neck in attempt to jump me, and not in the fun way?" Zaveid snorts. "It's pretty well known your lot's opinion of mine. You telling me that you are certain none of yours wouldn't jump at the chance to do something to me?"

Wedding Day

[phoenixstrut]

When the day finally arrives, it's nothing like she had always imagined it would be.
For now, she stands outside the large cathedral doors, alone, save for the two young fledglings behind her to carry the train of her veil, listening to the music swelling in the room in front of her.

The music, of course, is the same, as is the ceremony itself- those would never have been in question anyway. Her hair falls in graceful waves over her shoulders, a halo of shimmering white gold circling her brow and keeping the wisps framing her face in place. That much she had had control over.

The dress, while perfectly fitted to her slim frame, is ornate, covered in glittering white and gold gems that seem to reflect the light each time she shifts. It was 'fitting', she had been told, that the Archangel should be the centerpiece, and while she agreed that the bride should never have to steal the show on her wedding day, she hadn't expected to literally shimmer with every step. The jewels up her neck had also been chosen long ago. Fine, of course. Her mother had worn them once, afterall. Dove had just expected a simpler dress...and gardens... maybe a man who actually cherished her and and wanted her as an eternal partner.

At least the Demon King wasn't entirely heinous. Their brief public appearances had been...civil, if not a little awkward, and while she was still sure the gifts she had been sent had been his council's doing, they had been...well received. So much so that she had insisted a few of the flowers from the most recent arrangement be tucked into her bouquet...the bouquet currently keeping her hands from shaking. She, in return, had sent her own gifts to the Low, but the hardest to part with, by far, had been the one she had sent just hours before the flurry of wedding day activity began- her late brother's dagger.

She supposed she wasn't truly parting with it... not really. This union was to be forever,and... well... what hers would soon be his anyway.

Her heart leaps to her throat and nearly stops beating altogether when the music shifts to her song, and her wings go tense behind her. In the moments before the doors groan open, she closes her eyes, focusing not on the shuffling of their guests standing to greet her, but on the promise of good to come from it all. This will end the war and their people's suffering... that she can focus on.

[shirtlesspersona]

Has she really met his council. What kind of gifts would Velvet or Rokurou really give, c'mon Dove.

Zaveid definitely stands out. Surprise, the demon king's formal wear most definitely doesn't match the rest of the venue. His horns are fully there, a crown of their own, draped and gilded - although not nearly as much as her.

He's some kind of steady, which ... she isn't. It makes his skin crawl, but this is ..... feeling most entirely for appearances, now, so. Dove might notice some of the nerves turn to... some kind of confidence. Hopefully his appreciative smile timed with it helps... no one notice it. If it gets them through this, then he will cheat them through the public eye and whatever happens after will be... after!

[phoenixstrut]

She's used to the attention, sure, but the moment the doors open and near thousands of eyes turn her way, every bit of the acclimation from her modeling and acting vanishes...mostly.

She takes another deep breath, trying to quiet the stirring of Light in her veins, but something else finds it's way in when she finally sets her eyes on Zaveid, the Demon King. His smile is almost... encouraging? Somehow?

Slowly, with every timed and calculated step forward toward the dias and altar where he stands, the ice fear starts to melt a little. She's not sure why, but.... She is the archangel. She is stunning, and strong, and more powerful than anyone in the room...

She is, of course, still much paler than she'd like to be, but she does eventually reach the front of the hall. The distraction of carrying the bouquet is short lived, and she sets it aside in its designated vase before looking toward Zaveid again... and taking his hand the last few steps to stand properly before him.

Whatever the officiant says becomes a rush of great wind in her ears as the ceremony goes on while she focuses solely on standing upright... Words of blessing, supposedly from the ancient seraphim (wherever those were these days), yet another plea for peace between their peoples, an exchange of rings, and then...

Her eyes flick up to the crowned Demon King. Right... a kiss. ...right.

[shirtlesspersona]

Right, thats a thing that happens at the end of all the talking - which he didn't even tune out! He was paying mild attention! Okay yes he was mostly trying to tell if she was shaking with nerves or fear, or if his little nudge was enough.

Zaveid quirks a smile at her, sort of a 'yep, it's this part' before he ducks in to press a kiss to her lips.

While not a arms about her passionate affair she probably dreamed of for this day, it's not entirely lacking warmth. And maybe another little kick of confidence.

[phoenixstrut]

She's too caught off guard to even brace herself, fortunately for them both, given the size and attention of the crowd. While it takes her a second to actually react to it, that little boost of confidence from him does just the trick, and she manages to kiss him back.

A stage kiss. That's all it was. She could do that.. had done that many times. Right.

There are more words- announcing them both with a string of full titles and she draws back, shockingly a little more breathless than she might have expected to be as she manages a smile to him, then to the now standing audience.

[shirtlesspersona]

Yup, a stage kiss. Zaveid is fairly certain there's a half dozen glares aimed at him now.

He keeps that smile up, nodding to the audience with a bit of a wry edge to it.

"Party's in the middle." That's what they were waiting for, right? Either way, he's just going to tuck her hand on his arm and head out of the hall to transportation -

[phoenixstrut]

The captain of her guard looks particularly lethal, but no one else seems to notice as they make their way back down the aisle and out of the room. She says nothing, but keeps a fairly decent grip on his arm until they're out of the room and the doors are shut behind them, giving them just a moments reprieve in a separate waiting area while the guests mill about and make their own transportation arrangements. There are, of course, a handful of guards to watch over them, but moreso to keep well wishers and paparazzi away while the couple basks in their freshly married status.

It's quiet, of course, in the little gazebo as they wait for their ride, but her head is swimming in a rush. "Right... cake and things."

Had that just happened??? They were... really were...

[shirtlesspersona]

Y u p. He feels that glare.

Either way, he's going to lead her to a seat - go ahead and take it, Dove, he can keep you steady from a few paces away. Which he is going to step off to lean against a pillar or wall or something should she let him go-

"Cake and things. ... Probably a lot of cake, if I know who set this all up..."

A Healing Touch

[phoenixstrut]

With Zaveid gone again the next morning when she woke and a little more understanding of the area, Dove rises early and slips into another simple outfit, leaving all regalia in the closet and once more refusing a full guard at the door of the mansion.

It takes her a few moments of extra navigating, but once she's reached her destination, she's likely to be there a long, long while, leaving her staff wondering where on earth she may have run off to and her hell-pup sleeping half under the covers of her unmade bed. Should anyone come looking for her, their best bet is to follow the rumors of miracles at the orphanage, despite her best efforts to keep things quiet.

H U N G R Y

[phoenixstrut]

A few more weeks, and she finds herself pleasantly...comfortable in her new life. Despite the lack of full on Light and Zaveid's absence from their room at night, she's surprised to find herself more at ease than she could have ever expected in an arranged marriage. He isn't nearly as awful as she might have thought he could be, and the little company she does keep is...nice.

Still, comfortable as she is, she can't help but wonder why so little intimacy has progressed between them. More curious, however, is the way the staff begins to avoid their wing and the whispers that end as soon as they snag her attention.

[shirtlesspersona]

Some of the staff looks even full on uncomfortable to be near the wing. Zaveid looks like he hasn't been getting much sleep, but aside from one or two sharp words it doesn't seem to be effecting him that much. Still vanishes, although not entirely-entirely, she can still sense the heavy mantle of Demon King power about the manor.

Hope she doesn't need to use the bathroom at night, he's locked the door-

[phoenixstrut]

Even with his avoidance and the heavy King's power blanketing everything, she can feel some sort of frustration rolling off of him, though she can't pinpoint exactly what it is.

When a too heavy sweep of it enters their room, she sits up, hoping to catch him before he can disappear, but he's behind the door and the lock is latched before she has the chance to say anything to him.

With a deep breath to steady herself, she slides out of the sheets and wraps herself in a gauzy black robe as she heads to the door, only to find it locked as she suspected. Another moment or two and she knocks, leaning close and trying to focus on his emotions. "Zaveid...?"

[shirtlesspersona]

"Go back to sleep." It takes a while for him to speak up, and the emotions associated are... complicated. Why now, go away, as well as that very deep frustration, and... some sort of maybe relief soon, that he wrestles with.

[phoenixstrut]

She frowns, and almost heeds his warning... but it's been too long and that edge of relief is too easy to mistake...

"What's wrong?" she presses, still leaning on the door.

[shirtlesspersona]

It promptly gets horribly complicated again. That relief-could-be-soon feeling gets crushed, and a few more negative emotions ficker up. How could she not know, how little does the high care about anything-

"If you dont know, nothing. Go to sleep." His voice sounds wrong, in an odd way. But demons aren't shape shifters, right?

[phoenixstrut]

Aaaand then it's gone entirely.

She does take a step back from the door, but holds her ground. They're married. Shouldn't they at least try to talk things out? She's put it off long enough as it is; at least she cares.

"How am I supposed to know anything if you don't talk to me?"

[shirtlesspersona]

The frustration, irritation, anger build. It's hard to say exactly what all those are directed at, but he's in a foul mood now.

"Should I start with explaining what demons are? Or do you need letters."

He wants to be left alone, that's probably clear.