Ylva rolled her eyes as she watched the taller move towards her. She watched as the robe fell on the floor and she almost sneered. However, she kept a cool temper as she turned her attention back to the person in front of her. She'd definitely need to wash it when she got home… great. More things to worry about. "The chat was about more demonic and angelic entities in the area." She said simply, raising her brow as her own piercing green stared into Gou's dark ones. "Of course I'm concerned. This is my job, and it seems like whatever you are, it's catching a lot of attention from demons and angels alike." She tilts her head and sets her hands on her hips. Despite how intimidating the other was, she couldn't care less. "As well as Terrance threatening to eat my dinner." Her jaw jut out slightly as her eyes skimmed over the person in front of her. Ylva was a woman who didn't back down after all, no matter how intimidating the person, demonic, angelic, or human was. She looked annoyed at this point as she gazed at the other, her brow raised, her hands on her hips, gazing up at the other with mild annoyance and possibly a bit of curiosity. "Who are you exactly? Why are you so chill around demons? Most humans I meet are either busy shitting their pants or crying."
Gou matched the jut in the jaw, almost in a mocking way as they wrinkled their button nose at Ylva. "If this is your job, you're not so great at keeping time. And if you're so used to dealing with meddling Humans who can't deal with a couple low-life Demons, I must be quite the surprise." Gou pulled out a pack of cigarettes and their lighter, which was a spiky black one that matched their outfit. The acrid scent of their cigarette filled the area instead of Demon blood which was arguably better.
Gou puffed out as she eyed Ylva, keeping eye-contact thoughtfully. "I don't think I can answer your questions before your dinner gets cold, princess." Gou prowled over, leaning over Ylva purposefully and looking down on her. This only lasted a few moments, though, before a puff of smoke was blown into Ylva's face, and the clops of boots brought Gou's face away from her, as they casually walked away, leaving smoke lingering behind them. Gou spiked up their hair with their other hand as they walked, sighing audibly.
"You know one thing about Demons? They know how to mess up my night. Same thing for Angels, too. They should consider themselves lucky I didn't have company, but they won't be afraid to mess with that either." They waved their cigarette as they spoke, as if accentuating their point with it.
She raised her brow slightly. "You'd be surprised how many people don't even know of demon's existence." She rolled her eyes and rubbed at her brow. Good lord tonight was not the best night. She rolled her eyes again, not even flinching at the others scare tactics. She had seen a lot of shit in her life, this was practically nothing. Ylva hummed, "Demons and angles are both annoying as fuck. 'God this, Satan that. God is a deadbeat dad and Satan is a pain in the ass." She shrugged, taking the cigarette from the others fingers and taking a deep drag before setting it back in her hands. "Just don't let a demon sneak up on you again. After all, it would be embarrassing for you if I had to come and save your ass again." She casually picked up her robes and tosses them over her shoulders. "Why are you being hunted anyways? Normally demons don't lock onto a specific human." She looks over her shoulder at the other and raised her brow. "Or do you have no idea and thus, no useful information?" She walked towards the sidewalk, stretching a bit and humming in content.
"Oh, I get trapped in my head all the time, you know," Gou said casually to the teasing with a second hand as they leaned against the streetlamp, watching Ylva curiously. The streetlamp that was sparking somehow sparked more as they leaned against it.
"Like I said, I can't tell you that story without your dinner getting cold." Gou chewed on their cigarette a few times as they watched Ylva, a slight smile gracing their thick, pink lips. All of the color had returned to their face, and the night ended up making them look pale and ghostly, but still laughing at the priest in front of them. "I like your style, that's exactly what they're like. 'Ugh Satan' that, 'Daddy Satan told me to find you and kill you', 'Daddy big man needed you to die'." Gou laughed a rough, scratchy laugh. "Dumbest shit ever, seriously. Especially the Angels, like, isn't that going against what you're standing for?" Gou waved their cigarette in Ylva's direction again as the other paced around them. "But if you're so desperate for information, I'm Gou." They peered at the other with a smirk still prominent. "If you'd like to hear about my story, I'd love to share in your precious dinner time."
(Ylva is spelled with an L btw lol. No worries, just thought I'd let you know.)
"Don't we all get trapped in our heads?" She raised her brow slightly, a small smirk appearing on her lips. She didn't seem to mind the streetlamp, humming a bit as she rests a hand on her hip. "Or, ya know. You could join me for dinner? My team is pretty chaotic, but they're fairly welcoming." She snickers a bit and hummed a bit. She actually looked rather stunning under the flickering light. Intricate tattoos, bright green eyes, an aura commanding respect and oozing authority dripping from her. Her blonde hair was messy and unkempt, and her posture was relaxed but prepared to jump into action. She snorts a bit, "All demons and angels do is complain to be honest." She rolled her eyes. "They don't talk about anything interesting." She clicks her tongue sharply. "I don't even believe in their fucking god but here we are, wearing priest robes." She hummed softly before glancing at the other. "Ah, names. Well I suppose that makes things easier. Ylva. And I'd love to hear your story. I'm all ears, but why don't we go somewhere more comfortable?" She tilts her head a bit.
(ah shit I'll go back and edit. Thanks for letting me know and sorry for getting them mixed up sksjdhm)
"Mm…" Gou looked over Ylva slowly, sizing her up in a different way than before. Gou themselves probably looked better in other types of lighting, but the paleness of their features jutted out their cheekbones and jaw better than any makeup, especially as sparks bounced over their leather jacket and off of their broad shoulders. "Yeah, I'll have dinner with you. I hope your team likes cigarettes as much as you do, princess." Gou shot Ylva a wink and leaned off of the metal pole close to her again. "You act as if Humans are any better, honestly. Everyone just likes to run their mouth, just like you complaining about that comfortable-looking robe. It's priest's clothing, but it's clothing, yeah?" Gou tilted their eyebrows as their eyes tilted back down. "Want a smoke, Ylva? You know, as we walk back to wherever you came from. I'll need a ride." They offered the pack from their leather pocket, shaking it up and down a couple times.
Ylva hummed as she stood there quietly, a look of relaxation falling over her features. She glanced over at the other beside her and shrugged. "As long as you don't smoke in front of Harper. The rest of us are heathens, that's why they put us together." She chuckles. "As for Harper… it's more of a… well. More of a bad memory for her, so we try not to do it around them." She shrugged. "I can't go much into detail, but just make sure that you're not doing it in front of them." She tilts her head and shrugs, "No, humans are just as bad. But when you're constantly fighting an unwinable battle…" She sighed a bit. "Either side can lean either way. It's how a war goes. As for my clothing… it's odd, you know. Wearing clothing that signifies there's this big… G-o-d up there. And I… don't believe in that big old g-o-d." She chuckles a bit and takes the pack thankfully, grabbing one and summoning a small fire to her thumb. She lit up the cigarette before taking a deep drag. "I'll get you a ride." She chuckles, "No need to worry about that." She blew the smoke out and relaxed. "Come on then, this way. I'll take you to the pick up sight."
"Oh, of course, I understand. I'll smoke as much as I can in the meantime, then." Gou spoke in a soothing tone that would have seemed mocking, but they gave a couple nods. "Smoking can mean a lot of things to some people, so I get it." They exhaled another puff of smoke with Ylva's drag, smiling down at the other with a laugh. "I like the way you talk about that big sugar daddy in the sky. Spelling it out is something I truly haven't heard yet. And as long as you're not putting me under arrest or something, I'm good to go wherever you want me to go, babe. If you couldn't tell I live around here, but I could stay the night too if you don't feel like driving any more. Or I could walk, and actually keep myself from zoning off again." Their original intimidating charade dropped pretty quickly under the pretense of being saved, and Gou was obviously feeling thankful for the free food. "So what are you eating tonight? Just outta curiosity, you know. And I'll be sure to be more pleasant than my outfit suggests." Gou glanced at Ylva, wriggling their eyebrows with a big smile as they joked around as if the other were just a long-time friend that they met at a bar.
She chuckles and nods. "Thanks for understanding." She hummed quietly, she didn't care much for herself, people could insult her all day and she wouldn't even flinch, but her team was her team. And her team always came first. Ylva watched the smoke leave her lips before she took another deep drag. "I spell it out quite frankly because I don't believe he exists." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not gonna put you under arrest. Unless you're into that kinda thing." She laughed a bit, humming as she walked beside the other. "You're more than welcome to stay the night, or I can take you home. As for dinner, Alex makes the best food. I'm not even kidding. Honestly if he weren't an exorcist, he could've been a chef." She laughed a bit and brushed her hair from her face. "There's six of us, Me, Alex, he's the spell caster of the group, Harper is the seer, Terrance is the healer, Esther is the tank, and Michael is the know it all." She chuckles a bit. "Alex is the god of cooking though. That man can make pretty much anything as long as he's got the right ingredients." They made it to a practically empty parking lot. "He always surprises us though. And don't worry too much about your personality." She hummed as she moved to a nicer looking car, muttering a soft spell and the door opened. "Climb on in and make yourself comfortable." She hopped into the driver seat and finished off her cigarette.
Gou laughed with Ylva's joke, wiggling their eyebrows again. "I mean, if you're into it, officer. And God definitely doesn't exist, or else the war around us wouldn't be happening. Humans and Angels just like to put their trust into someone who happens to have more power than them for comfort or something like that." Gou settled into the passenger's side of the car, tossing their feet up onto the dash and stretching out their hips with a big yawn. They tossed the cig away before they shut the door, watching Ylva climb in after them. "I've had a lot of good cooking, so it sounds like I'll be in for a good night. I'll go anywhere that has the prospect of free food." They wagged a finger at Ylva with another yawn, stretching their arms up and resting them behind their head.
Ylva laughed at that, smirking at the other. "You suggesting something there,?" She winked playfully before nodding. "Either that or God just fucken gave up. Humanity is just one bad game of sims if I'm being completely honest." She snickers a bit and hums as she starts up the car and pulls out of the parking lot. "Alex is amazing at cooking, you'll have no regrets." She promised. She hummed as she drove, tapping her fingers to the beat of the music. The radio played quietly in the background. Outside, rain started to drizzle down with the occasional flash of light or boom from the oncoming storm. Storms were always nice. Although…. the demons and angels could be fighting. Who knew. At this point she didn't care. They drove for about 15 minutes before she made it to a rather normal looking house. It had a well tended garden in the front, as well as a bubbling fountain and a little creek that led back. Behind the house was a forest. As for the house, it was two stories, light filtering from the windows, and uproarious laughter could be heard from what could be the kitchen. She hops out of the car. "Shall we then?"
Gou laughed with her, a slight shrug gracing their shoulders as they shook their head at Ylva in an affectionate, joking way. On the drive they zoned out the music, not really into that type of genre, and instead watching the sky and city fly by as they drove on the empty streets. They'd steal the occasional glance at Ylva, but back onto the road in front of them with a soft hun at the music.
"Ah, I suppose we shall," Gou hummed as they uncurled themselves from the seat, setting their legs down on the ground after pushing open the door. "Nice place you got in this dump of a city. Way better than my place." They stood up and shut the door behind them, looking around this way and that. They hadn't been in this area a whole lot, but they knew it to be a higher end suburbia area.
Ylva rarely touched the radio, it was more Harper's thing. She hummed a bit as she drove, watching the water drip along the edges of the car. She hummed a bit, noticing that the other would look at her occasionally but she shrugged it off for now. Right now, home was priority.
She shrugged, "The church funds everything. We were sent here to look over this town since it's in our precinct." She shuts the car door before walking towards the front door. Before she could even open the door, it was slammed open by a girl in her early twenties. She was of larger stature, had dark skin, long braids down to her hips, tattoos much like Ylva's, and bright glowing yellow eyes. "Harper saw you coming. Welcome back!" The girl greets warmly, her accent was thick- maybe Scottish? She grinned down at them, towering at 6'6 and pure muscle.
"Gou, meet Esther. Esther, meet Gou." Ylva introduced. "Esther is our tank, as you can obviously see." She chuckles warmly and pats Esther's arm. "I'm hoping the rest of you left dinner?"
"Haven't even started yet. Terrance was just throwing a fit." She laughed warmly and welcomed them in. The smell of steak, potatoes, herbs, and various other foods wafted through the house. There was loud laughter coming from a room off to the side, as well as a pleasant conversation.
Gou wasn't looking at Ylva for any reason but trying to get a better read of her. Despite the friendly conversation and flirty words exchanged between the two, Gou knew better than to put their guard down so soon. Years in the city and experiences with certain people told them that much. They "aah"ed their interest, though, allowing Ylva to lead the way up the big house as their dark eyes trailed up and down the province. Nicer than any house Gou would imagine a church of all things would give.
A jump startled Gou out of their thoughts as the door was slammed open, their eyes jumping to the person who made the noise. Ah, a tank was certainly an understatement, but Gou didn't want to say that and risk being rude. Instead she matched the large smile on the other's face and nodded once Ylva introduced them.
Gou couldn't help but feel slightly out of place as they stepped into the house, shutting the door behind them. They felt like a blotch of ink on a warm piece of parchment, which was usually normal on the streets and other homes of people Gou squatted at, but not when they were being welcomed with a warm dinner and smiles. For now, they stayed silent, trying their best to match smiles and energy to not seem imposing, especially to the larger woman.
The "family" was the six of them, they only had each other. Most of them had lost their parents to demons, or had something else happen to them, but it was home. They fought together, ate together… this was home to Ylva more than anything else. These five other individuals.
Terrance, young 30's, Filipino descent, tanned skin, and dark brown eyes. He had big round glasses perched on his nose, his hair swept back neatly with what certainly smelled like hair spray. His tattoos covered his hands, leading up his arms. He was currently wearing a croptop and jeans, leaning back casually against his chair as he chatted with the other three at the table. When he saw Ylva, Esther, and Gou, he waved and smiled kindly.
His boyfriend, Alex, was checking over the food, making last minute preparations. The two of them wore matching rings, most likely engaged or married. He was smiling at the moment, looking rather content. He was probably the palest in the group, with fiery red hair and freckles everywhere. His sharp blue eyes flicked over to Ylva, Gou, and Esther. He glanced over at Ylva curiously before nodding in greetings to the trio.
Michael, as usual, was sitting in his chair, pouring over a giant book, muttering under his breath. He had fuzzy blonde hair cut neatly into a buzz cut, deep brown skin, and kaleidoscope eyes. He glanced up at the three of them, raised his hand in greetings before returning to his book. He looked to be in his mid to late 20's.
Harper, in their young to mid 20's stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the group. Their eyes were a pure white, glimmering faintly in the light of the dining area. A golden aura ebbed off of them, radiating some sort of power… it was a little offputting. They were still definitely human, but also much more than that. Their hair was cut at medium length, pitch black and resting around their shoulders. They turned their gaze to Gou and their eyes perk up slightly in surprise. However, they didn't say anything and they became relaxed again.
"Please take a seat, make yourself comfortable." Alex greets warmly. "I'm Alex, this is Harper, Terrance, Michael… and you've met Esther and Ylva. I'm just finishing up dinner preparations." He had pointed to each person respectively before moving into the kitchen to grab a few more things. It looked like a feast had been prepared based on how much food was on the table.
Esther sat down next to Harper and ruffled their hair fondly. Ylva sat at the head of the table, leaving room for Gou at her right hand side.
Gou moved to the seat to Ylva's right as they trailed their eyes along each respective person. They themselves would look particularly average as compared to these figures of individuality, all with glowing tattoos, gleaming eyes and different colors of hairs and just wild ways of self-expression.
Not to say Gou was any different; they had sleeves and legs of tattoos all displaying knives, waves, guns, some phrases in Italian, what appeared to be gang symbols, and astronomical forms that weren't able to be seen in the dark of the city. They also paired this with short painted black nails and a short-sleeved leather jacket (that was cut personally) as well as patches for different things that were all in Italian, and a normal pair of jeans that were bleached, dirty from the scuffle, and simply worn from use. Gou was also pretty lanky for Italian descent, closing in at 5'10, and leaner and more muscular due to protecting themselves from city life. They ran their hands through their spiky, poorly bleached hair (that used to be some color like green, but it had just faded to blonde) as they gave nods and a confident smile. There was certainly a lot of people, and not to mention a lot of food.
"I um… I appreciate the hospitality. I know my arrival must have been abrupt, but I promise I won't eat too much if you don't have enough for me." Gou laughed amicably through their thick accent, giving a wink to Alex in their natural flirty personality and simply as a gesture of thanks.
(hahjagh sorry it's so much shorter?/ I love all of them though so far)
(No worries!)
Ylva hummed and chuckles softly as she shook her head. "No need to worry, Gou." She murmured quietly. She glances over the group and Terrance shook his head. "Yeah, no worries. We knew you were coming about two hours before Ylva even met you, courtesy of Harper." He chuckles a bit, and Harper offered a tiny smile.
Harper was definitely different from the others, slower, their movements a little more choppy as they moved. Instead of a plate in front of them, they had a simple goblet filled with something blue. They eyes lingered on Gou before turning their attention back to their cup. "My sight allows me to see into the future. However the further I look, the blurrier it is. I knew that Ylva would be bringing a guest, but I wasn't sure who." They offer a tiny smile before taking sip of their drink.
Alex returned with a big bowl, pressing a quick kiss to Terrance's forehead before setting it down. "Mashed potatoes! I believe that's everything on the table." He settled beside Alex and each person sitting at the table looked expectantly to Ylva. She smiled a little, and raised her hand over the food, making the table glow. "It's not poisoned." She chuckles softly. She removed her hand and glanced at Gou, "After a dinner we had last year, where someone from another precinct cooked, it turned out everyone got food poisoning. At this point it's become habit for me to check." She explained quietly. "Alright everyone! Eat up!'
Gou paused as they watched Harper with interest in their doughy eyes, their head tilted against one of their leather clad shoulders. Though, they smiled back once Harper looked up at them, nodding at the explanation. They went silent and looked back at Ylva, a grin still on their face, but dropping at the sudden shift of tone at the table, their head still tilted. This was a strange amalgamation of people, all seemingly blessed by precinct or church of some sort. All Gou knew was that they were stronger than the other average person, but things as glaringly obvious was just fascinating.
"Ah, well, thanks for inviting me in and trusting me." Gou turned to Ylva, their eyes glistening mischievously as they grabbed a plate to put food on, grabbing a slab of meat closest to them. "I could be someone evil, yeah?" They laughed and cut into their food, licking their lips. "Well, I'm not someone evil or against you guys, but you get it. I'm thankful for it." They nodded at Ylva after their quiet, husky response, straightening up with their chair. They ate quickly, gobbling down food as if they hadn't eaten for years. Gou didn't have a lot to spend, and honestly a lot went into other things than food. Besides, it was delicious and tempting that natural side to just eat and enjoy.
Ylva hummed softly, "No, that's not what Harper said." She chuckles softly and looks over at the other. "They said trustworthy you were trustworthy, and I trust their gut." Ylva grabs a bit of food and serves herself, eating quietly as her group talked happily, occasionally someone would ask a question to Gou about what their life was like, what kind of things they liked, they were welcoming, as if Gou had been part of their family for years. They were kind, open to any questions Gou had. Harper was a bit more on the quiet side, but they'd occasionally answer. As for Ylva, she looked over them with a kind of fondness.
Ylva finished her meal, but didn't say anything, just interacting with her group and with Gou. It was hard to believe that any of these individuals worked with a church, all of them swore like sailors, messed around like no ones business. It was beautiful to see all of them interact. All of it was a sight to behold. Ylva glances at Gou and smiled a little before humming quietly, "I'm glad you like the food." She chuckles softly, "Alex is usually in charge of dinner since he's the one with a culinary masters degree, as well as a knack for making food that's worthy of the gods."
"We eat like kings, my friends!" Terrance laughed a bit, raising his wine. Alex chuckles and took a sip of his whiskey. "If you say so, love."
Gou finished up their third plate of food before sitting back and unbuckling their belt, grinning and laughing with Terrance instead of miming the rolls of eyes and slight chuckles.
"The food was fantastic, seriously. You all eat so much better than I do." They stretched and yawned, stirring against their seat with a grin. Through the conversation they learned that from their late teens they moved in from Italy, and lived in this city ever since. They had an easy humor and large smiles with a sweet laugh even through their big mouthfuls of food. Otherwise, they didn't seem much more special than a queer biker on the streets, not doing much for work and just enjoying life. That wasn't entirely true, however, for they mostly got cash from running into people and doing favors for them, as well as partially being involved in a gang. It was a fun, dangerous life and better than most lives they've seen being lived in this city. Yet the group in front of them was arguably as interesting as Gou thought their life was, and honestly fun to watch and include themselves in.
"I should probably get going," Gou said, sitting up in their seat and shifting their hips on their chair so they could redo their belt. "I don't want to intrude on you, Ylva." They grinned sweetly at her with a wink.
Terrance seemed to be rather pleased at the development of Gou laughing at his jokes. Alex hid a small smile behind his glass, drinking his whisky in content. However at the mention of better food, Alex paused and glances at Ylva. "Speaking of which. Ylva? I know you're probably tired from a full 18 hours of patrol… but can you help me pack up the remaining food in the kitchen, as well as the food here so we can drop it off?" Alex asks quietly. "I'd ask Terrance, but we're getting harassed by angel folk, so it'd be great if you could cast your shield."
Ylva sat with her dishes neatly set to the side for easy cleanup. She nods and smiles a bit, "Of course." Unlike regular priests, this group was called the "variant" group for a reason. Not only did they deal with demons, they also dealt with rouge angels. That was their job. Protect the innocent, no matter if it's demon or angel. The group was obviously tired, all of them had been working so hard. Despite the laughing and the joking, it was easy to see how much this war had been tearing them down.
Esther sighs. "I'd come with you, but the last time I did, I fear I scared off the children." She chuckles ruefully. Harper place a gentle hand on hers and she smiled a little bit. "But if you need back up, don't be afraid to call in. We know where you two will be, and even if we don't, we've got Harper."
Ylva glances at Gou and smiles. "Sure, I can drop you off if you'd like." She hums and stands, stretching a bit. "Come on then, Alex. Let's get this food packed up. Gou, do you want to come with us? Or should we drop you off first?"
The thought hadn't touched Gou's mind as they listened to the group's plans, their head tilted slightly. It felt somewhat wrong listening to them talk knowing full well who they were. Gou was mostly curious, though, in regards to how they'd feel about someone like them. On the outside they were an ambient, animated Italian-American immigrant with crooked piercings and a lot of tattoos and marks of a gang, which was probably scary enough. Being the child of both an Angel and Demon (well, that was rumored among the groups, Gou themself didn't know if it was true), could pose an immediate threat to the well-being of this group. Is this why Harper trusted them so much?
Gou turned their curious eyes onto Harper as they were mentioned in the conversation, giving a good reason to take a good look at them. How much do they know now that Gou was sitting among everyone?
With a start they looked back up at Ylva as they were talked to again, a slight grin touching their lips. "Patrol sounds interesting to attend with you. I'm not in a rush to get back." They shrugged nonchalantly, standing up and brushing themselves off. "I'll come with if you'd have me."
Ylva seemed content as she stood, offering a gentle smile to Gou. "Thanks, we'll go and get everything prepared. And then I can drop you off, yeah?" She winked playfully before moving into the kitchen. Alex followed her quietly, pressing a kiss to his husbands head. Terrance beamed and raised his whiskey glass at the two of them before finishing his drink off and relaxing into the chair again. Esther cleaned up her plate and set it to the side, letting Harper lean against her as Harper gazed into their cup. "Tonight will be a good night." They mutter quietly. "Not necessarily quiet, but good." They offer a serene smile and Esther ruffles their hair gently. "Good to know."
Michael glances up and clears his throat. "They should still be careful, who knows what might happen." He turns his attention to Gou. "So how did you meet Ylva? She's not usually one to bring home strangers, but then again, based off of what Harper said, I'm guessing there's more to it?" He tilts his head slightly as he inspects the other curiously.
"Ah, you don't have to drop me back off at home, like I said," Gou quickly jumped in, raising their eyebrows as they glanced back at the table. Something about this place made Gou not want to return back to their rinky-dink apartment. This place was huge and full of life, with the bustling of many people with bright personalities inside. All Gou had was a creepy neighbor who leered at them as they passed by the door at night. Their head jerked up as they pulled themselves from their thoughts at Michael's questions, grinning as he spoke. "She picked me up after a Demon snuck up on me. I don't really tend to allow Demons to attack me all that often, so I just got lucky that Ylva popped up. And usually I would've been fine anyway, but she offered I come back for food… so I couldn't say no." They shrugged nonchalantly, a sly grin lighting up their features. "It's just a strange series of events that's dragging me along, I suppose."
