Usually, Micah didn't particularly mind getting caught. No-one could ever punish him in a way that mattered; there was no possession he cared enough about that they could take, and no room they could lock him in without him finding some way to spin the situation into one of fun. His escapes were getting rather efficient.

If anything, getting caught was the most amusing part. There was nothing quite like the annoyance of another, their glower deepening the more he laughed.

Now, all that spilled from his lips was a nervous sort of chuckle. The wind lashed at his dangling legs, whipping up the bottom of his tunic. He pinned it against his thigh with his free hand. There was nothing like hanging mid-air in front of your seniors, having just dropped their most treasured possession into the abyss, to make one feel self-conscious.

"Hey, guys," he tried, at least grateful the gusts hid his voice's uncertain tremble. "Is the feast over already?"

Every angel save Siofra could form a decent glare, but none burned with quite the fire that Ghidor summoned. His amber eyes almost cast a garish glow as he stepped forward, his teeth practically bared in anger, the spiked tips of his leathery, copper-coloured wings scraping over the marble. Even hanging limp at his sides, they cast broad shadows. Micah doubted he'd be able to spread them to their full width within this bottomless room, let alone in the confines of the corridor.

"Where is the Heart?" he snapped.

Micah glanced down, his stomach twisting. Should he have plummeted after it? Yet it had been moving with rapid urgency, and he was having enough trouble beating his wings enough to steady him now, let alone out in that turbulent sky without a thing to cling to.

"Um." He swallowed. "I may have dropped it."

Somehow, the flame in Ghidor's eyes managed to flare even brighter. "Get down from there," he growled, his voice dangerously low.

Nerves scratched at Micah's throat. "I actually rather like it up--"

"Get down!"

He cringed, the roaring shout hitting him like a punch to the temples. "Alright," he muttered. "I'm coming. No need to be impatient."

Carefully releasing the ledge, he sank a little in the air as his wings took his weight, then made the cautious journey to the corridor's end. Ghidor shifted aside to give him room to land, blocking his view of Jinx. His wing brushed Eike's shoulder as he touched down. The old angel didn't even flinch, still fixed on the space Asariel's Heart had fallen into. Guilt formed a tight coil in Micah's chest. Trouble was a nuisance to many, he was fully aware, but it was never supposed to hurt anyone.

A sudden, biting grip on his arm severed his thoughts. Yelping, he staggered in the direction of Ghidor's yank, failing to pull free. Micah certainly wasn't one of the smaller angels, but Ghidor still easily towered over him. It wouldn't take much for his head to scrape the ceiling.

"Can you even begin to understand the weight of what you've done?" His nails dug into Micah's arm, long and sharp as claws. "The Heart of Asariel is what keeps us alive, Micah. Its magic glues our world together." He took a long, rumbling inhale, his eyes smouldering. Pale light filtered upwards from the sky lit his thin hair like wisps of flame. "And you just gifted it to the humans."

"He did what?"

Micah jolted around, aware of the rapid thump of his heart. The dance really had whirled him into dizziness by now. He could feel control slipping through his fingers, the world spinning out of focus. Part of him was glad for Ghidor's vice-like grip if only to serve as an anchor.

Ghidor turned as well, his wing shifting aside to reveal Nerezza's sharp gaze. Wings the blackened violet of a night sky draped in curves from her narrow shoulders, tickling her ankles as she slowed to a precise stop a few paces away. Her lips pursed. "Well? Are you going to explain yourself?"

An instinctive smirk tugged at Micah's lips. He dropped his head to hide it, running his free hand through his shaggy mess of sand-brown hair. Silver-tipped strands fell into his face. "It was an accident," he offered. "Me and Jinx were playing a game, and it--"

"A game?" Ghidor's claws were definitely cutting skin now. Micah gritted his teeth against the fierce sting, forcing himself not to pull away. "You're telling me you lost Elysia's beating core over a game?"

"I don't see why you're so surprised," Nerezza cut in, resentment oozing from her tone. "This is Micah. Everything is a game to him."

Micah couldn't help the upward twitch of his mouth. "Life is more fun that way."

"And I see he dragged you into it again," she added, her gaze most likely flicking to where Jinx hid behind Ghidor. "I don't see why you let him pull you along so often."

Jinx said nothing. Although she was obscured from him, Micah could picture her gaze dropping to her feet, wings drooped, shame dulling the green spark of her eyes. All an act, of course. He knew they'd giggle about all this later. But for now, in front of the others, she was the reluctant accomplice, and he was the sole culprit.

He didn't much mind. It was how they'd always operated, and taking the brunt of the blame simply meant he got all the credit.

But this time felt different. Maybe the guilt was real today. His smile vanished.

A far more high-pitched shriek of his name jolted his head up. In a white whirlwind akin to a blizzard, Siofra barged past Nerezza, spun on her heel to lift her hands apologetically, then raced the rest of the way to fling her arms around him. The soft white feathers that formed her wings brushed his arms as they curled inward, tickling his bare right shoulder. He stumbled, breaking free of Ghidor's grip, the wind tugging more fiercely at his back.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she murmured into the front of his tunic, crushing him tighter in her embrace. "I was worried something had happened to you."

A laugh slipped from Micah's throat. Lifting a hand, he patted her head where it tucked into his chest, ruffling her white-blonde hair. "Don't worry about me. I'm immune to danger, remember?"

"You think you are." She tilted her head up at him, smiling softly. "That's why I worry."

She twisted, pressing her side into him, as Nerezza laid a land on her shoulder. Ghidor had moved back to make room for her. Her gaze sliced right over Siofra's head, piercing deep into him. "I'm afraid Micah is lying to you, sweet. He's just endangered all of us."

Doing his best to ignore the fear and confusion brimming in Siofra's wide eyes as she glanced between them, he hoisted back his smile, hoping it didn't waver. "Why are you all making this out to be such a big deal?" He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Surely Ghidor or someone can just fly down there and grab it? It's not like it's broken."

Nerezza scoffed. "Listen to you. Do you not feel the slightest bit of remorse?"

"What?" Siofra asked, her lower lip quivering. Her wings sagged, their light touch sliding away. "What happened?"

Nerezza's eyes narrowed. She didn't reply, forcing him to hurriedly clear his throat, his attempted chuckle falling flat. "I borrowed the Heart of Asariel." He scratched at the back of his head. "And then brought it here and allowed it to fall, uh, down there."

Siofra jerked, shoving at his chest as she scrambled back, willingly enclosed in Nerezza's pinning arms. Her mouth fell open in a gasp. "Micah!" Fists curling at her sides, she mustered what was her attempt at a stern glare. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from laughing at her furrowed brows. It didn't seem the wisest move.

The wind's chills swept in a little colder without her warmth to shield him. He folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not wrong though, am I? You can just fly down there?"

Biting her lip, Siofra cast a nervous glance at the empty sky. Nerezza tugged her a little closer, her scowl deepening. "As if it's that easy. The winds are far too wild these days for a controlled flight, and even if one of us did succeed in getting down there safely, there's the humans to worry about."

Micah scoffed. "Humans can't even fly. They're weak."

"They're dangerous," Siofra snapped, although the supposed anger in her voice cracked through the middle. She stared up at him, her eyes shimmering with fear, then twisted to glance at Nerezza. "Right? That's why we don't go down there anymore."

"Yes." Nerezza's expression tightened. "You're lucky to be young enough not to remember. Although I like to hope that both of you were listening when I told you the stories."

Feeling her eyes rest pointedly on him, Micah pushed up a little on his toes, his wings flaring as he dropped his arms to his sides. "I was listening." Perhaps not as intently as she would have liked, but there was no way he could escape hearing about such a key piece of Elysia's history. There had been a time when angels visited Duine regularly, constantly flitting between the two worlds, helping to sustain humankind's era of peace and ensure that all lived fairly and happily -- or whatever joyful picture of justice the tales painted. But not all humans had been grateful. There was one group, the ones armed with the mechanical weapons that now hung in the very back of Ghidor's keep, who could not be taught goodness and virtue. Who knew nothing but wild violence.

The angel-hunters, the ones with killing in their veins. The humans of demonic blood.

A shiver itched at his spine. He did his best to cast it away, wrenching on some semblance of his former carefree smile. "But they're all gone by now, right? Human lives are short. They've probably forgotten we exist at all."

"That hardly removes the risk." Gaze downturned, Nerezza ran an absent hand through Siofra's hair. Her head jerked up as fresh venom coated her tongue. "And you certainly do not have the right to drag up excuses as to why this is an unimportant matter. This is your mistake."

"Then why not let him fix it?"

After the serrated blades that scraped through Nerezza and Ghidor's lectures, or even the prick of Siofra's anxious scolding, Eike's voice seemed little more than a whispered breath. It barely even rose into a question, emerging as a soft musing that settled with the leisure of a falling leaf. It snatched every one of their attention regardless. Micah jerked, discomfort crawling up the back of his tunic. Eike hadn't moved an inch from his former possession, still standing at the very edge of the sky pit, his golden gaze not leaving its depths as he spoke.

When no-one else responded, Micah fumbled for his voice. "What do you mean?" It wasn't nearly as easy as retorting to any of the others. Eike carried himself entirely differently, and it was impossible to know quite how to act around him.

Not a twitch. Wisps of his blond hair lifted lazily as the breeze swarmed around him, their glittering gold tips sparking like rays of faraway sunlight. "If it is Micah's mistake," he continued, the gentle lilt to his voice gliding oddly through the name, "then it is right that he be the one to fix it."

Micah opened his mouth, but before he could voice his confusion, Nerezza pounced. "You think we should send Micah to fetch it?"

Disbelief bittered her words, yet the concept was still there. A jagged bolt sliced through Micah's nerves, a jitter in his heart's rhythm that threw him off balance. He felt himself tense. "What?"

The sensation only increased at Eike's slow, thoughtful nod. Micah folded his wings as tight as they'd press against his back, afraid their twitching would betray his overwhelming surge of nerves. There was no dance any longer. No wild, playful song, no spice or sugar sharp on his tongue. He stood alone in the quiet, his mind as empty as the void behind him, his thoughts frozen stiff.

"Wait." Jinx slipped under Ghidor's wing, scampering over in a couple of quick leaps. Her hands flung out at Nerezza and Eike as if to ward them away as she skidded into place before him. "Hold on. You can't be serious."

For the barest second, Eike's gaze flicked to them, bright and gleaming. His expression remained a flat line. "I have no reason not to be serious."

Jinx gave a baffled sort of laugh. "Come on. This is Micah we're talking about. You really expect him, of all people, to survive down there?"

"Hey," Micah complained. She shot him a barbed look, the one that read be quiet and let me deal with this. He reluctantly complied.

Eike hummed. His hands slid behind his back, clasping beneath the folds of his wings. "I... I sense this is the will of Asariel." His rounded chin dipped in another precise nod. "Yes. Asariel wishes for Micah alone to retrieve his Heart."

Velvet-black strands flew from one shoulder to the other as Jinx shook her head helplessly. Prising Siofra aside, Nerezza stepped forward to join her. "Are you quite sure?"

"Do you doubt the wills of our founder, Nerezza?"

She jolted. "O--Of course not."

Any delight Micah might usually have found in her splintered composure was swallowed by the dread sinking in his stomach. It was easy enough to argue the simplicity of the mission when he could picture one of the older angels completing it. But him? All he knew of Duine were the fragments of stories he'd picked up over the years, and whether they still hunted angels or not, humans were hardly painted in a favourable light. They were ruled by greed and desire. And with so long without Elysia's guidance, those attributes would only have grown.

But most of all, Duine was new. There was no controlled dance to undertake, no familiar song in which he knew every note, every step. He'd be alone.

His heart pounded in his ears, nearly drowning out Ghidor's voice. "I must say, I agree. This is Micah's problem to solve." Some element of amusement rose in the amber flicker of his eyes as he peered over them. "Besides, it's about time Micah learned the consequences of his actions."

Nerezza sighed. "You're right."

"Please, hold on." Desperation crept into Jinx's voice, and Micah felt a surge of gratitude twine a thread of hope. "You can't just--"

"I'd stand down, Jinx," Ghidor rumbled. "It would be easy enough to implicate you in all this as well."

Jinx's mouth snapped shut, and she bowed her head.

"What about getting to earth?" Nerezza asked. The words were shaped with rough edges, smoothed off as she directed them at Eike. His soft influence must have managed to rub off on her somehow. "Are you sure he can cope with the flight?"

For the first time, Eike turned. It was impossible to read the emotion that glowed in his eyes. Was he angry at the lost piece of his friend? Did he take pleasure in delivering punishment? Or was this simply just the robotic following of orders it seemed, Asariel's word guiding him even now?

"There is a... spell of sorts I can apply," he said. His hands emerged from behind his back, producing a shimmering gold feather, apparently freshly snapped from his wing. Its end was dusted with faint silver. "I keep a small storage of Asariel's blood. Its protective effect should be enough to shield Micah from injury."

All of a sudden, he was advancing on Micah, the feather reaching forward. Panic spearing his veins, Micah stumbled back, his wings bumping the side of the corridor. He held up a hand in feeble defence. "Wait. I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"As if you think this is your choice," Nerezza muttered.

He swallowed. It was far easier to enjoy their frustration when he wasn't about to be chucked out into empty sky because of it. "I just..." He glanced to the left, the cool breeze prickling his skin. "How will I get back up?"

Perhaps Eike's lip twitched then, the beginnings of a smile, although it could easily have been imagined. "Once you find the Heart, Asariel will bring you back. There is no need to fear." He took another soundless step forward, lifting the feather to Micah's face. "Allow me."

Resisting the instinct to flinch back further into the wall -- as if he needed to crush his wings against marble any more today -- he lowered his hand and forced himself to remain still, enough to let Eike trace the feather over his cheeks. It tickled. He bit the inside of his cheek, shoving down the ridiculous urge to snort a laugh. It turned into the itch of a sneeze as the feather brushed over his nose. He sniffed hard to keep it in.

After what felt like an age, Eike withdrew, the feather vanishing behind his back again. He ducked his head in something of a bow. "I wish you luck."

Micah's throat had gone dry. "I... I'm going already?"

"I see no reason to hesitate." Eike was already returning to his former position, his eyes turning to the sky again. Expectant this time, perhaps.

Running his tongue over his lips, Micah pushed away from the wall, also looking down into the blue-tinged void. His breath caught, icy in his lungs. When something slammed into his side, staggering him closer to the edge, his gasp nearly pitched into a yelp.

Siofra wrapped her arms around him a second time, giving only a brief squeeze before she moved back. She wrung her hands before her. Her eyes held the cloudy film of tears, but she didn't let them fall. "Stay safe," she said, then grabbed his wrist as if she was afraid he was already jumping. "I'll miss you. Come back, please."

Wrestling back his fear, Micah mustered the most confident grin possible. He could hardly leave trembling. "I will," he told her, carefully extracting his hand from hers. "I promise. The humans are no match for me."

A tap on his arm alerted him to Jinx, appearing at his shoulder, wearing a similarly strained smile. She nudged him again, harder. "Try not to do anything stupid," she said. "The Micah being dumb series is due a hiatus."

He shoved back at her shoulder, his grin a little easier. "I'll try."

"You better. You're the best entertainment I've got around here."

With a nod, he looked up, surprised to meet Nerezza's gaze. "I hope you're right about the demon bloods," she said. "Be safe."

"Come back with the Heart," Ghidor added, a little less care in his tone.

Micah took a step back, conscious of his heel resting at the very edge. The wind wrenched at his wings. "Don't worry," he called. "I'll be sure to enact vengeance on you all in spectacular fashion."

Clinging to this brief moment of certainty, he spun, spreading his wings. He couldn't let himself hesitate. If he stayed any longer, he'd never do it. Holding his breath, conscious of the sticky silver liquid striping his face, he leapt from the platform and dived into emptiness.

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Wordcount: 3264

Total Wordcount: 7128

I'm realising that I can't have any project without having a chaotic found family somewhere. So here, have the newest one. Nerezza accidentally became the mother. She wants out.

I also love that Eike can casually paint someone with blood and no-one questions it. He's honestly great.

Anyway!! Yeet time :D

- Pup