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The party was held in a wide, wooden room, in a nearby tavern. The weak amount of light coming from the fire was enough for them to see eachother, so the night went on.
It was a small reunion. Not shy of laughter and alcohol, the group was having the fun they deprived themselves from for ages.
Kaisar and Favaro had a mild disagreement about the color of a plate, but aside from that, everything was going smoothly.
Not so much for Jeanne.
A headache distanced her from the rest of her comrades, so she sat down on a table by the corner of the room. A sigh escaped from her lips. Not a sad one, just tired. She barely noticed when the smell of leather and sandalwood invaded her nostrils. That scent had a name. Azazel.
She looked at the demon when he put his cup on the table's cold surface, sitting in the chair next to her.
— Hello. — Jeanne said.
— Hey. — Azazel greeted. — What's up?
— Hm? Nothing, what about you? — Her eyes stayed in his dimly lit face.
— If it's nothing, then why did you isolate yourself in here? — He leaned his arm on the chair back, arching an eyebrow.
Azazel wasn't really sensible with his words, but Jeanne learned to understand him. When it seems like he's trying to bully her, it means he sensed there's something wrong and wants to help. That put a smile on her face.
— It is nothing. I'm just a bit tired from the day. I went shopping with El. — She told him, clasping her hands together.
— Then it's not "nothing", it's "tiredness". — He took a sip from the red wine on his cup. — Your woman is concerned about you. She was staring at you, in this sad corner, worry in her eyes… Painful to watch. Pitiful, even.
— My woman? — Jeanne raised an eyebrow, ignoring his little show.
— Do I really have to say the name? Do you have more than one? — His gaze went back to her.
— …You speak of Sofiel? — Jeanne asked. The corner of his purple lips folded, revealing a sly grin.
— Of course. She was sighing just from imagining you in distress. She really loves you, y'know.
— Lady Sofiel? — Jeanne said, like it was something impossible. — No, me and her just have a great mutual respect for helping eachother in dire situations. We became good friends.
— Tch. I know what a friend is, Jeanne. — Azazel stated. — And she doesn't see you as a friend. She's willing to sacrifice anything for you. I know a few things about angels in love, since I used to be one.
Jeanne tipped her head, smiling.
— You were in love with a human?
Azazel frowned.
— Kinda. But I wasn't a hopeless romantic like Sofiel. My human was a dear friend. Very loyal to the gods, who then betrayed them. Their death, plus all the horrible things done by the gods that I saw, made me do what I did. — He paused. — Sofiel would fall for you. Literally. If the gods nowadays were as merciless as the ones from that time, she would be a fallen angel right now.
— Sofiel as a fallen angel… — Jeanne thought about that. — That would certainly kill her. I feel like being comparable to you is what she despises the most. — She noticed her gaffe. — I mean, I don't think you are-
— I understood you… — He squinted.
Jeanne held back a laugh.
— I'm sorry. She doesn't really appreciate you, but I do. I'll never be able to repay the debt I have with you. — She said, staring into his eyes. Mostly to prove her honesty. — El loves you. Too much. I can see the shine in his eyes when he talks about you. He thinks you're his father. He even asked if he could call you that.
That caught Azazel off-guard. His lips parted a bit when he heard that word, father. It made his heart warm.
— And what did you answer? — He asked.
— Well, I told him he should ask you. — She answered. — He knows that Michael is his father, but he wants you. And I feel that Michael would like to know that you are El's found family.
Azazel smiled. That surprised Jeanne. She never expected to see this. A genuine, soft smile from Azazel. His eyes shining. His hands shaking. He looked away for a few seconds, to take that off his face.
— That's good to know.
— Don't be like that. — Jeanne smiled. As someone who also preferred to collect her emotions, she knew that this wasn't the moment.
This spawn of hell, who she met ten years ago as her enemy, was now a proud dad to her own son. Who would've thought.
She stared at the ceiling, and her smile slowly faded, but her expression was still happy.
— I think I want to marry Sofiel.
— Nice.
— Really?
— Yes. Good for you. — Azazel sipped his wine again. — I want to marry Lucifer.
— Really?! — She was now practically forced to look at him, surprised.
— Yes.
— Nice! Tell me about it!
— There's not much to say. — Azazel stared at the ceiling too. — I've been living my life for him for years. Spending so many years away from him, not even speaking to him, made me realize that I can put up with his stubbornness forever if it means I'll be where he sees me.
— I thought you were away from Cocytus for five years. — Jeanne said. — And that's… beautiful.
— Well, before that, I couldn't spend a month without him. During all these centuries. — He turned his head, looking at the human. — And that's why you should marry Sofiel. She'll love you for thousands of years, too.
— And you should go back to your realm. — Jeanne told him, more confident now. — And tell your man you love him.
— Yes. — He said, after a long pause. You're right. You do the same to your woman.
They fell in silence, done with that talk. The two found out that they really needed that reassurance to communicate the obvious. Jeanne gave the rest of her night to Sofiel. Took her to the roof, to pour the contents of her heart onto her. Azazel went straight to his room. Fell asleep the fastest he could, since he had to be well-rested for his morning trip to the current location of Lucifer's castle.