It was just a silly, throwaway joke. Yet the Keeper of the Archives giggled sheepishly and brushed some hair strands behind her ear. Had Alric not witnessed firsthand how fearsome she could look when she cast a spell out of her book, he would have dismissed her as some flirting college chick. Thankfully, it didn't look like he'd be on the receiving end of her spells - at least for now. Aodhan kept an interested eye at the pair from a distance, something that did not escape the angel's notice.
Once Ming-Ji had taken her to leave, Alric was back to munching the dumplings he had purchased yesterday. After an eventful night, he had not been able to eat them yet, and he was dearly, dearly looking forward to it.
"You seem to be quite the ladies' man," Aodhan surmised after walking up to him. The bite in Alric's mouth began to feel unpleasant. Hoping the Fae would leave him alone soon enough, he did not look up.
"What makes you think that?" He demonstratively poked around his food with his disposable fork.
"Well, this Gamma right there seems to have the hots for you," explained Aodhan. Clearly, Alric's plan failed. Sighing, he swallowed another bite before answering.
"That would make her one. Not sure how you extrapolated to me being a ladies' man."
"Come on now, you were a celebrity before you ended up here!"
Alric gave his friend an angry glare.
"Dude. I saw those news articles. You always had another bae wherever you went."
"You call those 'baes' escorts, Aodhan. You pay them good money for them to stand next to you. Just like you did last night."
Aodhan turned beet red. "Well, I bet they'd have hung around with you for free, unlike me, a Fae."
Alric chuckled, then shook his head. "Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how you look or what race you are."
Finally, Aodhan fell silent. Alric managed to finish his dumplings in peace before focusing on the task at hand. He was grateful that Ming-Ji had successfully convinced the IT department to develop software strikingly similar to what he had back at the company. Alric reminisced the time he was still CEO. If he was honest, he didn't miss it too much, albeit he had to admit that he missed the glamour that came along with it. Wasting money on fine dining and women seemed like a good idea back then. But what remained of it now? As he had just explained to Aodhan, none of those girls were meant to stay. So why did he suddenly feel a little sad about it?
"Oh right."
Alric grimaced. It seemed the Fae was particularly chatty today. At least he'd hopefully distract his mind.
"Somebody saw you hanging out with some hot chick last night. I thought you wanted to head home?"
Alric's hopes died. "What chick?" His heart began to race. Had he actually brought Fiera in danger? If one person had seen him with her, then maybe the one behind the succubus killings saw it too and followed them. Being so nervous, Alric had to delete and re-do some of his work.
"Come on, man, stop acting innocent!" Sensing some intriguing mystery, Aodhan's eyes lit up with excitement. "They saw you with some tall blond lady at the night market."
The angel gave a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed as if only he had seen through Fiera's shapeshifting ability.
"Oh... that... uhm... she recognized me and requested I accompany her home since she... felt she was being stalked."
"Well, did you get to see the inside of her apartment?"
"I... guess...?" Alric realized too late what Aodhan's intention was. He snorted and added, "but to disappoint you, my dumplings were more important, so I left before anything happened."
"Whaaaat?"
"You don't always need to score."
"How boring." Aodhan frowned and stared at the pack of books in his hands.
"I always thought you'd be the guy who'd jump into bed with anyone. I know I would if I could."
"You sound like a virgin."
Aodhan's ear tips grew deep red, causing Alric to laugh. "Jackpot! And also, I kind of feel insulted by your words. Do I look like some lover boy?"
"Yes. Very much so."
Now it was Alric's turn to be embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head. "Alright, then, to get this out of the way... contrary to what you expected, I don't mess around a lot. Sure, I've slept with more than one woman, but I don't invite anyone into my bed, you know? There's got to be some connection at least."
"You mean love?"
Alric paused to think. Was it love he had felt for those women he had been intimate with? The old him would have scornfully laughed at that idea. But there was some truth in there. They had been dear to him, and he always made sure to treat them well. "Perhaps some sort of love."
"Hm."
It was clear that Aodhan was not satisfied with the answer. However, it gave Alric some time to focus on his work again. The Fae shifted around some books, taking the stack his friend had already completed back to the shelves. For a while, the only noises in the archive came from his footsteps and Alric clacking on the mechanical keyboard. Yet Alric could feel there was something on Aodhan's lips. It was as if he was always about to ask something and then decided at the last moment not to. Eventually, this irked the angel.
"Aodhan, spit it out. It's making me antsy watching you inhale to speak without doing so."
Aodhan gasped, embarrassed to be caught. "Oh! Uh, I, uh..."
Alric looked up with a tired expression on his face. "What is it?"
"I, uh, I was wondering... if those girls never were your lovers, did you ever have one?"
"I did. Back in High School. Or even university."
"But did you think any of them were 'the one'? Like, in terms of marrying them?"
Alric raised an eyebrow. "Why are you suddenly so interested in my love life? Is there somebody you have a crush on?"
Aodhan looked away, finding the tiles beneath his feet suddenly more interesting.
"Seems I was right." Alric sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Okay, who is it? Maybe I can help."
Aodhan opened his mouth to say something but shook his head instead. "Never mind. It's not important." He continued his work as if nothing had happened, irking Alric even more. He hated nothing more when the Fae pretended everything was alright when things were not. The angel let his friend continue for a little while longer but decided he needed to talk to him again. If there was something he had painfully learned from the past, it was leaving things unsaid.
However, Aodhan had successfully disappeared for several hours before suddenly reappearing, huffing and puffing.
"He's... he's here!" He aggressively whispered.
"Who's here? And why are you whis-" Alric did not finish his sentence. Zan was approaching them at a fast pace. "Oh fuck." Remembering his run-in last night, the angel grimaced.
"Hm, seems you two are quite busy at work."
"Yes, Sir," Alric replied unenthusiastically. The Beta exchanged intimidating glances with him. Aodhan felt the hostility in the air and immediately backed off.
"Not being too tired after a long night?" Zan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm an angel, I don't need much sleep."
Silence.
Then, all of a sudden, Zan grabbed Alric by the collar, dragging him over the desk and right into his face. "You better not be playing games, Mister Wingless Scum," he growled. Alric felt the hot, smelly breath on his face and looked away.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Alric managed to say, trying to wrestle free. Zan's grip continued to tighten, suffocating him.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Zan!" Hovering above them, Min-Ji called out to the Beta in a surprised tone. She landed safely, closing her spellbook and clutching onto it as usual.
Zan dropped Alric like a hot potato and turned to face her. The angel coughed as he gasped for air. Aodhan came to his rescue and gently patted him on the back.
"Ming-Ji."
"What brings you here?"
"I was just checking to see whether the 'Heavenly Duo' are not causing you any trouble."
"Oh, no, quite the opposite!" Ming-Ji beamed at her superior. "In fact, the Wingless One has helped develop a program to hasten the process."
"Oh?" Zan gave Alric a side-eye glance.
"Yes, I can show it to you on my tablet if you want?" Ming-Ji pointed to the opposite end of the Archive.
"Please do." After looking at Alric one last time, the Beta followed his subordinate away from the two.
"What was that all about?" Aodhan only dared to whisper.
Alric's eyes followed the two disappear from view. Only then did he dare to exhale properly. It seemed like any interaction between him and Fiera was considered a taboo, according to Zan. "This is going to be fun," he mumbled to himself.
"What is going to be fun?"
"Nothing."
"Great, being secretive, are we?" Slamming the next pile of books on Alric's desk, Aodhan walked away with a disgruntled look on his face.
Alric stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He had a handsome face, just like his father's. However, the contours were softer, almost feminine. Even the muscles on his body seemed merely toned and not bulky, much to the chagrin of the angel. How many hours did he spend building an appealing physique? Yet he always looked like he only put in half the effort he was actually doing.
Sighing, he combed through his hair with his fingertips, ensuring the strands fell the way he wanted them to. He then plucked a few stray feathers from his wings to finish his morning routine.
Today, he chose to wear a dark grey shirt and a pinstripe necktie that matched his dress pants. His polished shoes reflected the sunlight coming through the window blinds of his apartment. Having an excellent mood, Alric hummed a tune and went on his way.
Which meant traveling merely two floors downstairs. As the designated CEO, he lived and worked in the same building. To some, it was a blessing, to others, a curse. For Alric, it was definitely the latter. Not being able to escape the office building made him feel trapped like a rat in a cage. And it didn't help that he still felt like he didn't belong in this world, despite his father's reassurance.
When he arrived in his office, Samael was already there, focused on the hovering screen before him. Alric smiled. They had gotten off to a good start. Samael did his job and let Alric handle the work he was supposed to. No meddling, no tutoring. If he failed, it was only he to blame. And Alric was perfectly fine with that. After all, if there was no failure, to begin with, then how would he learn?
"Good morning, fair hair," he said to his assistant, passing him by. He loved Samael's soft brown hair that was either neatly braided or tied to a ponytail. How often did he find himself wanting to touch them?
As he always did, Samael briefly looked up before returning to working on his tasks. But just as Alric was about to enter his own office, there was an audible "oh". When he turned around, he noticed that Samael had gotten up.
"Sir."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I... wanted to propose an idea."
Alric's smile immediately froze. For a moment, he pondered whether that was a good thing or not. Wanting to give his assistant a chance, he decided to trust him.
"Alright then, let's hear of this idea." He beckoned his assistant into his office. Alric swung over to his chair, facing the glass facade. With a short high squeak, he turned around to look at Samael. "Go on."
"I was thinking, if you could let me handle all appointments, we would have less friction. Right now, we sometimes book each other on days we're already busy."
"So essentially, you're telling me I'm causing issues when I accept meetings without checking the schedule," Alric summarized. "That's quite unfortunate." He began to cross his arms, thinking of a solution. His gaze drifted to the tablet lying on his desk. It was switched on, presumably by Samael.
"Ah, no, Uhm..." Samael stuttered, feeling insecure. Had Alric implied he was blaming him? "I meant that it would alleviate your burden, and you can focus on other things."
Alric stared blankly into the void. The silence permeating the air felt heavy. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally exhaled loudly and said, "very well. If you insist." There was a kind of disappointment in his voice, something Samael did not comprehend.
Instead, he happily nodded, saying, "thank you, Sir! You will not regret it." Bowing briefly, the angel hurried back to his desk, leaving Alric alone.
So the turning point had come, Alric thought to himself. He had wished Samael would merely point out the issue so he could work to improve himself. Instead, his assistant immediately grabbed the opportunity to take over the task himself. Trying not to feel too disappointed, he started doing his work, checking emails, and calling contacts to network.
Meanwhile, unaware of the landmine he had just triggered, Samael happily began planning away when he received an anonymous call on his smartphone.
"H-hello?" It was unusual to receive unsolicited calls in the first place, but using a hidden number was all the more baffling.
"Why so timid?" The hoarse voice on the other side sounded quite familiar. It took Samael only a moment to realize who it was.
"H-how did you get my number?"
"I have my ways."
"I told you before, I do not require your assistance." Samael was annoyed. Why was this archangel so interested in him?
The man laughed. It sounded slightly maniacal.
"Alright, alright. I won't keep you from your precious work. I just thought I'd check up on you to see if everything's alright. Things and opinions can change, after all."
"Well, it hasn't so far."
"That is nice to hear." There was a pause. "Oh, before I take my leave, just bear in mind that not everything is as it seems at Gabriel Corporation."
Samael huffed. "What do you mean?"
"Mhm, I'll leave that to you. If you snoop around admin files, I'm sure you'll find one thing or the other."
And just like that, the archangel hung upon him. Samael stared at his phone for a long moment, unsure what to make of it.
Knock, knock.
The noise startled the assistant so much that he nearly dropped the phone out of his hand.
"Are you alright?" It was Alric. He had slung a jacket over his shoulder, signaling he was about to leave the building.
"Yes, uh, no problems," Samael hastily replied, nearly tossing his phone on the desk as if he had been handling hot coal. Alric looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No, no," the angel insisted. "I'm fine, I just jump easily."
"Well, if there's nothing to worry about, I'll be out for today. I don't know when I'll return, so make sure to eat your dinner. In a bit."
And with that, Alric left the office, heading for the elevator. Samael watched him until he was entirely out of sight. Then he heaved a heavy sigh and continued to work.
It was getting late. Samael's phone beeped, reminding him to eat. He looked at it and smiled. Alric had snatched his phone a few weeks ago and had programmed the alarm to make sure he ate.
"I won't always be around to feed you, so better rely on this," his boss said back then.
Samael switched it off and headed downstairs to the first floor where the building's canteen was. Since it was late at night, all the lights were out except in the hallway. Three vending machines emitted a faint glow, giving fake promises of a tasty, nutritious meal. The angel looked at the meager options and quickly decided to get cup noodles. As the machine whizzed away, he was reminded of the archangel's words.
"Not everything is as it seems," Samael repeated them. They had been nagging at him all day like a headache that refused to go away.
An unpleasant beep signaled his meal was ready. Samael took out the cup noodle and grabbed a fork from the cutlery section before the canteen. He then took the elevator all the way up to the rose garden.
Tonight, clouds had obscured the beautiful starry sky. The breeze was stiff and cold. Samael hurried to finish his dinner before it got too cold and decided to return to his desk one last time before calling it a night.
As he sat there in the barely lit office, temptation overcame him. Surely, his boss' tablet was still switched on? He probably wouldn't notice if Samael accessed it. And judging by the words he had said earlier, he did not need to fear his return anytime soon either.
"No," Samael called out loudly. He got up abruptly, pushing his office chair away so hard that it hit the glass facade behind him with a loud clack. What kind of assistant would he be if he snooped around? After inhaling and exhaling a few times deeply, Samael calmed down. He placed his chair back where it belonged and decided to take in the fresh air at the rose garden once more.
Armed with a coat, the angel braved the winds atop the Gabriel Corporation building once more. The scent of the flowers blew right into his face. What usually would be something pleasant, however, quickly became overwhelming. Just a few minutes later, Samael found himself back at his office.
Not able to focus, he decided to shut down his devices and call it a day. Jacket draped across his left arm and his messenger bag around his shoulder, Samael was about to switch off the light when curiosity hit him hard again. Eventually, he gave in, tiptoeing into Alric's office.
"What am I doing?" He quietly said to himself, yet he could not stop himself from approaching his boss's tablet, emitting a cold blue glow in the darkness. Like a moth to the flame, Samael looked at the screen.
Perfect. Alric had not even bothered to lock it. Placing his belongings aside, Samael began to use the tablet, randomly searching for files he personally had no access to.
"I should stop," he whispered to himself. He put the tablet down, hoping he had returned it to its original state. Then, a popup message appeared on Alric's screen. It was a summary of the monthly finances. Something only he and probably his father had direct access to. Intrigued, the angel opened the report. Most of it was uninteresting. Transactions he already knew of.
Except for one entry. It was a rather large sum, paid anonymously onto a bank account with no name. Samael reread the details, hoping he had just missed something. Desperate for answers, he began skimming through previous summaries. There it was. And there again. The same sum. The same anonymous transaction.
What was Gabriel Corporation hiding?