Adrian scowled at the angel as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.<span style="font-style: italic">Is it...mocking me?</span>Was it retarded? Defective? Perhaps it<span style="font-style: italic">was</span>a fallen; those angels seemed to end up fucked up in the head after being cast out of Heaven like that. It would certainly explain the complete lack of regard for the obviously potent danger threatening her.<br/><br/>Here he was, pressing a blade of vile energy to her throat, a blade that obliterates souls, and the angel met his gaze levelly. The faintest flicker of fear crossed her blue eyes, barely detectable under all the snide defiance. There was daring anger in her eyes, and she scathed him with a raking glare.<br/><br/>She did not cower. She did not even shiver.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">What the hellâ€¦?</span><br/><br/>Fearlessly she shoved away the wall and got in his face, the tip of his demon blade scraping an angry red line of blood against her pale white skin. The scent of pure water and water lilies swam in the air around him, completely dominating his senses and drowning out all the foul smells of the alley they occupied. Her closeness made the scent all the more intense, and he found himself taking a step back, a bit disoriented.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">â€œHow many angels pissed their pants with that line?â€</span>The angel hissed.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Today?</span>He thought blandly.<br/><br/>Suddenly she bared her wings to him with the drop of her own glamour.<span style="font-weight: bold">â€œI got news for you demon, just in case my looks didn't tip you off, I'm not like other angels and I'm sure as hell not going to cry and beg you for my life.â€</span>She growled, yanking her daggers from her waistband and glaring at him.<br/><br/>He stared down at her in bafflement. She stood against him, a powerful demon â€“ at least as far as she knew â€“ with nothing more than kitchen knife. And she was not lying, she was certainly nothing like any angel he had ever encountered. He eyed strange wings, puzzled. They were pitch black, nearly invisible against the shadows of the alley. But the feathers caught the moonlight and shone with softness, appearing to be as smooth as her ebony hair.<br/><br/>This was very wrong. Incredibly strange. Any angel â€“ as a rule â€“ was terrified of demon assassins like himself. They cowered and begged â€“ never fought. Only avenging angels or guardians and the like put up any sort of fight. And never before had there been an angel without white or golden wings â€“ or at least never before seen by him. It went against everything he knew about them â€“ they werenâ€™t violent, mocking, and few were brave as this one. Angels were meek, kind, pure, et cetera. That, and he never thought of their hair as soft-looking.<br/><br/>What made this one so different? There had to be some explanation. He resorted to his defective idea. Though heâ€™d never seen one, angels could in fact defect. Stray from their holy conquests and some shit like that. Had this one done just that? He studied the girl with veiled curiosity, staring down his nose at her. She glared back at him with brazen fury, ready to defend herself to the end, and try to take him down with her. She would try to kill him, he realized, if he decided to destroy her. Key word:<span style="font-style: italic">try.</span><br/><br/>She was...oddly intriguing.<br/><br/>Adrian wasnâ€™t sure how long he stood there watching her, but when he finally snapped back to himself, he made a compulsive and stupid decision. He tore his eyes from the angel, his demon blade vanishing, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Without sparing the angel another glance, he turned and began walking toward the street, his shadows retreating to pool at his feet normally. He looked like any other human who would be strolling down the sidewalk.<br/><br/>He shut off his senses, decided on ignoring the angel completely. For the rest of his existence. If he never laid eyes on her again it would be too soon. He would purge everything from the scent of her skin to the look of defiance in her vibrant blue eyes from his mind. Never again would her face appear in his mind.<br/><br/>He had nearly reached the opening of the alley when two figures stepped into his field of vision, casting abnormally long shadows on the pavement in the moonlight. Adrian glanced at them slowly; two young men, probably early twenties or so, both of them apparently lacking in hygiene and good mannerisms. At least, that was what was on the surface. A horrible, rotten smell filled the air, effectively pushing away any recollection of the angelâ€™s scent from before. It was the smell of decaying flesh and rotting fruit and three-day-old trout.<br/><br/>Not many humans smelled<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>disgusting.<br/><br/>Surely enough, Adrian sensed a glamour coating their forms, concealing their true looks.<br/><br/>Demons.<br/><br/>One grinned at him and spat on the ground. â€œOi, chap! That an angel you got there?â€ He showed a row of grimy teeth, and his saliva had begun to fizz on the pavement. â€œYou willinâ€™a share?â€ Resounding chuckles could be heard from the others. The first oneâ€™s spit began to corrode through the asphalt, eating a hole in it as if it were acid.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Low class</span>demons. The worst.<br/><br/>Adrian could take on twenty of these idiots without getting ichor on his boots. He noted blandly that there were also four more lying in wait for a signal, most likely. They stood just outside the alley and hid on the rooftops on either side.<br/><br/>Again, Adrian was presented with a problem. He had decided he didnâ€™t give a ratâ€™s ass what the angel did or what happened to it, but he didnâ€™t want to see it ever again. But, perhaps slaying these vermin, angel or not, would be a charity to society of sorts. He pondered the possibilities idly, as if he had all the damn time in the world. He cast a wry look over his shoulder at the angel who remained in the middle of the alley.<br/><br/>She could handle it.<br/><br/>He turned and slipped past the low-class demons with a shrug. â€œSheâ€™s all yours, guys.â€ He said sardonically, hiding his smirk with a turn of his head. Finally, he made it a point to vanish into the dark, smirking to himself the whole way.