The Fires of Summer (first draft)

Unused to using a cannon, Haley struggles to aim it right until it glares at the enemy sloop. The cannons have been prepared for firing, making a first strike quick and efficient, and when he looks down he can see the guards on the enemy ship still preparing their cannons. They have a whole firing crew, with men carrying slow fuses in their hands. Haley turns to Julien, who is manning the cannon next to him, and frowns. "How are we going to fire?"

Julien points behind them, and Haley follows his line of sight to see Keaberos standing there. A sudden yell from Axel comes to fire, and Keaberos lifts his hands.

Haley stares at him in confusion for a moment, then he hears the boom of cannons, one after the other, on the side of the ship. Just in time he jumps back to avoid the recoil as the cannon fires. He turns to Keaberos, amazed, to see a flame simmering down to nothingness in his palm. Fire magic.

The enemies are set back, some injured by the blast of cannon fire. Haley wastes no time in preparing his cannon for another shot, taking the rammer stored on the side of the cannon. First in goes the gunpowder, then the wad of cloth, then the cannonball. Haley notices the enemy recuperating and makes quick work of poking the gunpowder bag.

He doesn't have a chance to aim it. He ducks behind the cannon as a 'bang' sounds from the other ship. Cannons rip through the hull of Axel's galleon. Haley hears the sound of wood splintering beneath them, but the crew is uninjured. Haley aims the cannon again, and waits until he hears Axel call, then he ducks away, watching them tear through the enemy's defences. The men on the enemy ship are thrown back, some hit by cannonballs, ripping them open. Haley averts his eyes from the gore, running to refill the cannons again.

Seeing that they're not winning the ranged battle after yet another shot that does next to nothing, the enemy starts to draw in closer to board. Haley should feel panic - they're going to be outnumbered. Instead, he feels nothing, drawing his cutlass and, without even thinking about it, summoning his wings. Both he and Axel are enhanced now by one another's powers.

That's when he remembers: his Archangel weapon. All Archangels have a summonable weapon for them to use whenever needed, like a spear or a sword or a staff. Haley has something quite unique, and he lifts his face to the sky, calling out for it to come to him, "Taealaa li!"

Within only a few moments there's a flock of ravens all around, and he sees Baguette among them, swooping down to join him. He holds his arm out to the bird and pets him on the head. "Tamziquha 'iilaa qatae."

Shred them to pieces.

The grapples from the enemy latch onto the side of the galleon, keeping the ships at close range. Haley looks over the side of the ship and gestures out towards the enemy men, and with it the ravens shoot down towards them, their bird bodies turning into spearheads, shredding through armour and flesh with ease and then going all over again. Men scramble to start climbing up the side of the ship, terrified and confused by the birds. Some try to fight them off and have their fingers sliced off, unable to do anything to stop their attack. From the other side of Axel's ship, a group of men start to emerge. The crew jumps into battle.

Haley rushes to the others' aid. His eyes latch onto Kallisto, who is starting to change, body sprouting more and more brown fur. Kallisto grows, his face becoming a cross of a wolf and a dog, his legs becoming triple-jointed, a tail forming and his hands turning into great paw-hands. He growls as guards approach, thinking they can take on a werewolf.

Haley picks a guard that's trying to round on Kallisto's back. He catches the enemy by surprise. Haley's cutlass slices the navyman's arm, leaving a wound deep in the flesh that begins to ooze with blood. The navyman uses his other arm to swing, cutting a small wound into Haley's side, but Haley pushes on, thrusting his cutlass. It pierces through the navyman's leg, spewing red all over the weapon and the floor as the man collapses to the ground, wounded but not dead.

Next, Haley runs to the aid of Axel. The changeling doesn't appear to be using any weapon, which makes him seem like an easier target, but he fights well with his fists, and all he needs is a drop of someone's blood to make them suffer. Axel hits a man in the nose, and as soon as blood begins to trickle from it, Axel works quickly. The man starts to convulse, red blossoming under all of his armour, then drops to the ground, pale and dead. Haley doesn't linger on it, instead getting to swinging and fighting, picking off the almost-lucky attackers that almost manage to get a blow in on Axel. One by one men begin to drop around Haley and Axel, pale and drained of blood or full of colour and only wounded.

That's when Haley sees something that makes him sick. His hands go clammy and he can't seem to find enough breath to take in. Marching towards him is the huge figure of the strange guard, kitted out in armour a cut above all of the other guards. The man is carrying a sword with a twisted hilt that looks more decorative than practical. The guard swings at Haley, whose only hope is bringing up his cutlass to deflect the blow. Their weapons clash with a horrible sound, metal on metal, but the guard is stronger, pushing the steel closer and closer to Haley. Sweating profusely, Haley swoops to the side and lets down his cutlass. The sword slices down where the pirate had just been, making him shudder.

Haley centers himself again, taking a deep breath before attempting a jab at the guard, but the strike is predicted and easily parried. Haley doesn't give up, swinging again and again, hoping just one strike will hit, but none do, all being deflected or pushed aside. Even when he puts his utmost effort and strength into a swing it gets thrown aside like it's child's play.

"What the hell are you?" Haley hisses in frustration.

In response the guard hits Haley's cutlass-wielding hand with the hilt of his sword, sending the cutlass spinning to the ground and leaving the pirate defenceless. Haley staggers backwards and manages to dodge one swing, but the other slashes his arm and he doesn't have the time to dodge when a foot comes under his and he topples over. The guard towers over him, then lifts the sword to run through his chest.

Haley's saviour comes in the form of Axel's teeth clamping down hard on a part of the guard's neck that is unprotected by armour. The guard grunts in pain and grabs Axel by the hair, pulling him off, but with the changeling goes a chunk of flesh and a bucket of blood. That's all Axel needs to take a magical hold of his latest victim.

At first the guard doesn't seem to be changing and he reaches for Axel's throat, but then he drops his hand down, blood starting to drip along large fingers, red with a hint of glowing green shimmering on its surface. The guard's final act is to shove the sword through Axel's stomach with his other working arm before crumbling to the ground, dying, blood oozing from his pores.

Haley feels the pain of the injury as if it's his own, and he rushes to Axel, who falls to his knees, hands around the hilt. Haley hears the yelling of guards as they swarm to them, and he spreads all six of his wings wide, turning quick as lightning and pointing at one of the men closing in. The ravens close in, shredding him like meat. They start picking off the others, and those with any brains begin to run before they meet the same fate.

Haley watches as Axel pulls the sword out of his stomach in one quick tug. Immediately blood begins to spurt out and the man keels over and heaves up a whole lot of the liquid onto the floor. Haley pulls him to his feet and, under the protection of the ravens, pulls him up. Through the fighting he drags Axel to the captain's cabin and pushes him inside, gently setting him down on the floor before throwing himself back into the fight. All the while he feels Axel's pain, the deep hum of an injury cutting through a stomach that he doesn't have.

Haley joins Keaberos, who fights with a flaming cutlass, cutting down the seemingly endless number of men. "Axel's injured. Bad. I put him in the captain's quarters."

Keaberos slices a man in the side, aiming for the least lethal parts of the body with his attacks. "I'll tend to him when the battle is over."

"Good," Haley nods, disarming a guard that had been closing in and sending them backwards with a hard hit. Baguette swoops down to dissuade another man that decided to try his luck.

All of a sudden a horn sounds and the men start clambering back towards their damaged ships, running as though their life depends on it, and with the ravens looming over them.

Haley calls for them to return, "Balnsbt 'iilaya!"

Without hesitation they regroup at his feet, cawing their protests at the running guards. Keaberos takes off straight towards the captain's quarters. Haley sticks around up top, assessing everyone for their injuries as they let what remains of the guards escape on their sloops, sailing off back towards the bay, boats damaged.

Everyone has some scrapes and injuries, but nothing lethal or permanently damaging. Haley rushes to Maya and Adayre, who must have been fighting together. There's blood on Adayre's small antlers and face, and both of them are clutching used cutlasses. They don't look as shaken as he expects them to, but they are panting from exertion.

"Are you two okay?" he asks hurriedly.

"Just about," Maya's hand is on her arm. There's blood between her fingers, but it doesn't seem to be pooling.

"I need a wash," Adayre jokes, but their voice is very tight.

"We'll lower some buckets for water to flush out as much blood as possible, and then we'll stop off at the next island we find and have a proper wash," Haley assures them. He goes to Maya, taking her hand and moving it aside to examine the wound. It's nothing serious - hopefully something that'll heal up just fine with Keaberos' care. "Make sure this gets taken care of."

"I will," she smiles, a little strained but genuine. "You have yours taken care of too. That looks painful."

Haley forgot he was even injured. He looks to where the guard had slashed through his arm to see a sizeable injury. With his new body he knows it will already have started healing, stitching itself back up naturally with a speed unlike humanoids. It might even be fully healed within a few days, with any luck. "I will."

The first course of action is to rid the deck of the bodies. They take to dumping the dead off into the sea, their watery graves enveloping them and pulling them under. Haley doesn't like to do it, and instead takes to the men that are still alive and have been abandoned and left to die. He tells them each, "You've been left behind by your men. Join us or be killed."

He doesn't really think any of them will fight that. An untimely death is the last thing Haley wants for men that may be innocent, and that have been betrayed last-minute by those that supported them.

Next finds Julien, who seems to be on the most part uninjured, and stops him as he's going down below deck.

"Could you grab some buckets? Being covered in blood isn't ideal," Haley smiles.

Julien seems off. He stares at Haley for a few moments, then hums in response, going back along his way without saying anything at all. Must be the blood, Haley figures, watching him go.

Sure enough he returns, but he goes back soon afterwards, clearly not wanting to be with everyone else. Haley doesn't stop him, more concerned about getting some water into the four buckets he's holding. He climbs down the splintered side of the ship and fills them one by one, getting his shoes wet in the process.

When he returns the first person he hands a bucket to is Adayre, who clearly needs it. He shares with Maya, washing them both down. Haley checks Kallisto, but now he's back in human form he's completely devoid of blood, the magic having taken it during the transformation. Next he seeks out Ophelia, but he can't seem to find her anywhere. Next he goes to Rabia and gives her one. Then he washes himself down, the water stinging his injuries but washing as much blood from him as he can manage. The last bucket is the one he takes into the captain quarters.

Keaberos is wrapping a bandage around Axel's stomach. There's blood on the floor around him, but he's somehow still conscious, eye half-lidded. He smiles drowsily to Haley when he notices him."Hey Hales."

"Hey Ax," he returns gently, bringing the bucket over and setting it down on the floor. Axel is actually quite clean apart from the blood on his lips and chin, his magic keeping most of the grime at a distance, but Keaberos seems like he needs it. "You didn't have to take a sword for me. It's not like it would've killed me."

"Didn't wanna see you hurt," he strains.

"Goddammit Axel," Haley reaches over to grab his hand. Axel squeezes it, looking to him with a soft look in his eye.

"I felt it, when your arm got hurt," Axel says, "and your side too."

"It's the bond," Haley frowns, running his thumb over the top of the bony hand in his. "I felt your stomach too."

"Wow," is all the man says before he leans forward and passes out.

Haley catches him, holding him up as Keaberos finishes with the bandages, then together they quickly wash away what blood there is on him before lowering him onto the bed in the room. "Thank you, Keaberos. There's a few people out there who need help, and Julien is acting really strange."

"I'll sort it all out," Keaberos smiles, using the rest of the water on himself before heading outside to tend to the others.

Haley stays at Axel's side for a while, holding his hand, watching his peaceful expression as he rests. He doesn't know what he'd do without the idiot. The thought of losing Axel makes his chest tight and his hands tremble. He doesn't know when that started. They've always been friends, but now it's so much worse. Why does it bring tears to his eyes to imagine a life without Axel? They haven't known each other for that long, yet so much has changed.

Eventually he leaves the man to rest, returning outside with the others. Keaberos has finished tending to Maya and Adayre and is now leaning over an injured guard, speaking to them as he dresses their wounds. Haley comes over to help, making himself useful by attending the others scattered across the ship and then helping them to the crew's quarters to lie themselves down.

One stops, arm around Haley's shoulders. "Why are you helping us?"

"Some people don't believe in senseless violence," he answers pointedly.

"That's rare in this world," his voice is strained, but he keeps on walking. "I heard pirates were all merciless and cruel."

"They've been teaching you about the wrong pirates then," Haley shrugs.

"You killed some of the others," the guard says, turning blue eyes to look at Haley. There's fear in them, wild and desperate.

"And you would've killed us if we didn't," he points out, "and we were outnumbered."

"Guess so," the guard agrees quietly. Haley takes him to a free hammock and lets him rest with the others. The crew's quarters begin to hum with quiet conversation between the injured men.

When he returns up top, he pops in to check on Axel. He's still fast asleep in bed. Trust passing out to get him a good night's sleep, Haley frowns in his concern, coming to the man's side and resting a hand on his cheek. Warmth spreads through his fingers, perhaps a little too much. A fever.

Haley leaves Axel to rest it off, though he makes sure to let Keaberos know about the man's condition. He takes up Axel's job, grabbing the mop and bucket. He fills the bucket and then gets to work cleaning up all of the blood on the deck, watching as the red washes away into nothingness. He then scrubs at the light stains on the wood, keeping it pristine.

As the day draws to a close Haley spends his time staring over the side of the ship and drinking. He thinks of Axel, his teeth locked onto the neck of the guard with the strange eyes, how wild he looked. To bite someone in combat is something vicious that most men wouldn't dream of, but Axel puts those fangs of his to use. With the blood covering his face he'd somehow looked no less of a prince than before, though the thought of all the liquid probably in his mouth makes Haley queasy. Many people look more vile with blood on them, but this man so wrapped up in violence wears it like a golden crown or an elegant robe.

Haley is so deep in thought that he doesn't see the galleon approaching until it's right in front of him. Immediately his hand shoots to his cutlass and he surveys the men atop the vessel, only to see they're not dressed in any type of guard or Sanguis attire but rather casual clothes. He looks up to the captain to see none other than the infamous Pistrix.

Pistrix is dressed in a jacket and all black. His skin is steel blue but the light turns it the colour of a bleak purple winter sky. His features are all sharp, his hair spiky and black, and his eyes completely dark. His ears too are spiked and, strangest of all, he has gills on the side of his neck. Sharp teeth poke from his upper lips, completing his sharklike appearance. He steers close to Axel's ship, matching the furling of the sails to keep them travelling at the same pace.

"Captain Undying," Pistrix calls down to him, "it's been a while."

Though Pistrix has never been anyone's favourite pirate, Haley is relieved to see him. Pistrix is a Sanguis son but he's always denounced his family and had nothing to do with them, preferring a life at sea. He and his men tend to butt heads with the Pirate Lords and by extension Haley, but after such a long time it's just nice to see another pirate. "Sure has - what's occupied you these past seven years?"

"Chasing down deserters," Pistrix answers, twirling one of his knives with his fingers. "The usual dirty work. Where's the great Captain Undying been all this time?"

Haley taps his fingers against the rail rhythmically. "Drowning."

Pistrix raises a brow, leaning against the side of his ship with a smirk. "You got Sanguis guards on your ship? Had a run-in with my brother's lackeys?"

"I don't know what to do with them," Haley shrugs, looking back to the ship. Keaberos is with a man who must have come up seeking treatment, the redhead checking out an injury by the looks of it.

"You know what I'd do," Pistrix grins, his teeth mostly spiked, as he tilts his head and draws a line across his throat.

"Well lucky they're not on your ship," he says, "and I'm not you."

"I think everyone could do with being a little more like me," the man laughs.

"If you say so Pistrix," Haley sighs. "So what are you up to coming this close to my ship?"

"Am I not allowed to talk to my fellow pirates?" Pistrix smiles. By now his men are looking curiously at the interaction, and Haley can feel eyes from his side too.

"I was just wondering if I needed to bring out some drinks," Haley shakes his bottle.

"Funny you say that, I was just about to invite you over myself. What do you say to catching up over some rum?" Pistrix's men cheer at his words, and someone pops open a bottle. The decision, therefore, is already made.

"Well we can't use my captain's quarters right now," Haley says, thinking about the sleeping man there. The last thing he wants to do is interrupt Axel's rest.

"Come to mine, our crews can mingle," Pistrix invites him. Pistrix's ship is bigger, so it's his that drops the steps and throws the ropes. Haley helps everyone up top on his ship to tether the ropes to the rails, then heads across the steps.

Pistrix greets him right away with a hand on his back. The man's style reminds Haley a little of Axel's, with the boots that make him taller and the leather jacket. He carries himself with more of a pirate's swagger, though, clearly having spent many years at sea. He takes Haley to the doors of his captain's quarters and opens them politely.

The room is large and decorated in a gothic manner, with a black bed and a dark wash over the planks of the floor. His desk sits to the side of the room, out of the way, but he pulls the chair from it over and gestures for Haley to sit on it. Pistrix opens a crate in the corner and takes them each a bottle of rum from it, which he offers as he takes a seat on his bed, crossing his legs and leaning back.

"I see you've got yourself a new ship," Pistrix opens his bottle and takes a long swig, as though he's been waiting a long time to drink.

"She's not mine, but she's a good galleon," Haley smiles, thinking fondly back to his old ship. "Why don't we make a toast to the Bloody Undead? She served me and my crew well."

They lift their bottles and touch the two with a 'clink'. Pistrix swirls his rum, and before he takes a sip he says, "Shame she wasn't fireproof."

Haley almost spits out his drink, half shocked and half upset by the comment, but he says nothing of it. It's typical of the other captain. He sits back against the plush chair, focusing on the taste of the drink, strong and god-awful but perfect to his honed pirate tongue.

Pistrix settles his head on one of his palms. "Rumours say you're travelling with Axel Sanguis."

"Do they?" Haley hums, though he's relieved by the change of subject.

"Indeed they do. People talk plenty about the disgraced Sanguis son that was on your ship," he answers.

"Well the rumours are true. I'm helping him out with something, and with Corvus' latest announcement that's taking us to Pirate Island," Haley says.

Pistrix smiles. "Where is my nephew, then? Can't say I saw him when I came to accompany you."

"We got attacked by some guards and he took a blow for me," he instinctively reaches for his stomach. The pain is gone now, but he remembers it as if it had just been there. "So he's resting."

"Shame. He's one of the few Sanguises I can tolerate," Pistrix shrugs. "Haven't been a fan of Corvus as of late. I have a feeling he makes no exceptions for his siblings at sea, as always."

"I take it there's little love among the family," Haley guesses.

"I was on Lazuli's side of the war with a lot of the other pirates, so it put a rift between us, if there'd been anything to speak of beforehand," Pistrix says simply. "Besides, I've been a thorn in his majesty's navy since day one and that won't be stopping."

"Retirement's out of the question then," he smiles. "Men your age normally settle down."

One of Pistrix's legs jolts forward and hits Haley's, and he takes a moment to process the fact he's just been kicked. He stares for a moment, trying to gauge whether he messed up majorly or not, but when he looks to Pistrix's face he's smiling too. "I'm not that old. And what kind of pirate goes for retirement anyway? I'll be sailing these seas on my deathbed."

"I don't know Pistrix, there's some nice places on Pirate Island," Haley goes on.

"All my neighbours would hate me. I don't exactly have the best of reputations," Pistrix chuckles lightly. "I'm quick to anger anyway. Don't suppose a heated murder is a popular concept with the Pirate Lords."

"Give them a flower, might make them like you better," Haley suggests playfully, "like a reverse welcoming gift."

"Ah yes, so I can be seen as the local madman. I think I'd prefer dealing with the Pirate Lords over that," he jests.

"They're not so bad," Haley insists, "...if they like you."

"Haley," Pistrix starts seriously, "when have the Pirate Lords ever liked me?"

Haley laughs. "Fair. I remember that time you gave me a knife and I took it home and they got really mad, but Uncle Blackbeard could give me knives and it was fine."

"See? There's some favouritism going on up there," Pistrix's eyes are completely black so he can't tell, but Haley's sure he rolled them. "It was a pretty good knife, too. Custom made."

"Yeah, I remember it being kind of ornate," Haley recalls.

"You were a weird kid. You'd stare at people and always had that crowd of ravens with you. I'm a little relieved that you've changed so much," Pistrix says.

"Wow. Thanks, Pistrix."

Despite his sarcasm, he can't deny it. He was weird. In fact, it was what he was known for on Pirate Island, all those vacant stares and the flat voice and not quite having a grasp on how to act like all the other mortals around. He supposes that's to be expected when you pluck an Archangel out of the aether and kick them into the ocean - life is different up there, and social skills aren't massively important.

"Speaking of you as a kid, do you still speak to that girl and that dragonborn?" Pistrix asks, fiddling with a ring on his finger idly.

"Gray and Vimmie?" Haley frowns. They hadn't crossed his mind at all, and he can't help but feel a little angry at himself for it. "I haven't spoken to them yet, but when I get to Pirate Island I'll say hello."

"Vimmie's doing quite well for herself, so I hear," Pistrix takes to twirling his knife in his one hand again, drinking with the other. The blade spinning so freely makes Haley's hands tingle. "People like her are always talk of the isle."

Vimmie is a sex worker, and a unique one at that: she's a changeling. Changelings are only found in the royal family as far as most people know, but Vimmie was raised on the streets as an orphan on Pirate Island, where Sanguis involvement is naught. Haley smiles when he thinks of her. "She especially makes a point of drawing attention to herself."

"She does," Pistrix agrees with a laugh. "Gray, though... Never really makes a name for himself, so I never know what he's up to."

Though the words feel a little mean, he's not wrong. Gray's a dragonborn who was bullied a lot as a kid and made a permanent residence on Pirate Island, never really venturing too far or sailing with the pirates. He never used to do anything worth much mention, and it seems that situation hasn't changed. As long as he's making a comfortable life for himself, he supposes that doesn't matter. "Yeah, Gray's always been that way. I guess he prefers it like that."

"He'd be great out at sea, I don't know why he doesn't join a crew and go adventuring," Pistrix says. Haley has never asked him why, figuring he has some good reason, or just doesn't like the thought of a more dangerous lifestyle. He once tried to convince Gray to join his crew, but the man wouldn't budge.

"Maybe I'll ask him when I get to Pirate Island," Haley suggests. It does pique his curiosity, and he's sure Gray won't mind all that much. "But I need to go find my dads first."

"You know, they threw a party when the news came that you were alive," Pistrix swirls his drink. "The island was lit up for a whole week."

Haley smiles, imagining the bunch celebrating, all the noise and the drinks and the homemade decorations everywhere you look. When the Pirate Lords throw a party they throw it hard. It takes a long time to recover from all the alcohol afterwards, and sometimes business even slows down for a week. "I take it they're well, then."

"Too well," Pistrix shrugs. He hits the bottom of his bottle (that was quick) and sets it on the floor, then he goes to the crate. "Seconds?"

"Always," Haley necks the rest of his drink and takes the next.

The two proceed with drinking and talking for the rest of the night. The crews outside get progressively rowdier as time goes on, and at some point Haley hears someone drunkenly yelling above the noise, "Let's make a play!"

Haley pays little mind to it until he and Pistrix decide to head outside some time later to see what looks like a semi-organised congregation of people dancing around and acting for the rest of the crews that aren't participating in the 'play'. Haley can't quite make out what's going on through all the drunken slurring, but there's some sort of romance going on between two people that seem to be some sorts of main characters. He watches them for a while prancing around, unaware of his own swaying, until it seems to reach a conclusion and everyone starts clapping. Pistrix slinks away to join them, while Haley decides to seek out a certain someone.

When he enters the captain's quarters on Axel's ship, he sees the changeling still laying in bed, but he seems to be wide awake, his eye open. Haley comes to the side of his bed, staggering a little, then stands over him.

"Haley?" Axel looks to him, brow furrowed. When he speaks his words blend together. "Have you been drinking without me?"

"Another pirate captain came by, your uncle Pistrix," Haley slurs. "He invited me for a drink."

Axel reaches from under the covers to grab Haley by the collar, yanking him in and kissing him possessively. Haley can still taste the blood on the changeling's lips, and if he wasn't numbed with alcohol he might have been repulsed by it, but now he simply kisses him back, mouth open to him. Axel doesn't seem to be in any right mind of his own, his hand trembling and his words also slurred when he pulls away and speaks. "Uncle Pistrix? What's he doing here?"

"He just saw us and said hello," Haley says, face mere centimeters from Axel's, head still tilted from the kiss. His breath is cold onto the changeling's lips. "He's not so bad."

"I guess so, since he ran away," Axel drawls. "I feel so unwell."

"Oh," is all Haley says, the world around him wavy.

"Lie next to me, Azrael," Axel says, too out of it to realise he's spoken that name.

Haley can't do anything to resist. The word pulls at his core, moving his body without his permission, though he doesn't fight it, more than happy to obey. He moves to the empty space in the bed next to Axel and rests his body there, the tug dying now into a feeling of satisfaction and rightness.

Axel seems to realise something as they lie there together, and he turns over, a playful look in his eye. "Azrael, turn your head to the side."

Haley does as commanded. Lips touch the lobe of his ear.

"Azrael, does your name have power over you?"

This time Haley does resist. That sort of information isn't something mortals should be wielding. He has no choice but to answer. "Yes, it does."

Axel reaches for him, but then groans and recoils. "I think I need more rest."

"Yeah," he agrees, leaning in to place a kiss to the other's Adam's apple before turning over.

Axel's arms wrap around his waist, pulling him until they're pressed together. With them so tight against one another, Haley can't even remember why he was agitated. In fact, he can't seem to recall a single bad thing Axel's ever done. Nobody this comfy would ever do anything wrong.

Like that, perfectly content, Haley finds rest.

He awakens the next day to a pounding headache and a man clinging to him. He can't seem to recollect anything and immediately assumes that something happened, until he realises he's fully clothed and he relaxes. He slinks out of Axel's arms and immediately his stomach lurches, so he decides that maybe being in bed for a little longer won't hurt anyone.

Keaberos comes to check on Axel, but he comes with some bottled water from the hold too, handing it straight to Haley without speaking a word. The ceramic is cold in his hands and he pulls off the cork with ease.

"You knew I was in here?" he frowns.

"It's important to me to know where everyone is after everyone drinks," Keaberos smiles, nudging Axel awake. "Good morning. I need to wrap your bandages."

Axel groans, lifting his arms out of the bed and laying on his back. He doesn't open his eye as the bandages on his face and arms are replaced, then as the covers are pulled back and his stomach injury is assessed. Haley can't help himself, casting a glance at what he expects to be a gory sight, but instead he sees a wound that, yes, it's bad, but isn't anywhere near as open or fresh as it should be. He furrows his brows, staring for a little too long.

Axel smiles to him, having woken up a little more. "It's something to do with the family genetics, I think."

"You're telling me your genetics make you heal faster? That's some crazy stuff," Haley shrugs, though it's not the wildest thing Axel has ever told him. "Is that why you always managed to survive back when you'd throw yourself into danger for me?"

Axel points to his jacket. "Keaberos, fetch me my blade please."

Keaberos finishes wrapping his stomach before he goes to the jacket, retrieving the blade that Axel had shown Haley on the way down the mountain. Axel takes it, and then hands it to the Archangel.

"Cut my skin, just a little on the surface," Axel tells him.

Normally, Haley would never take a blade to a friend. But now he's curious. There's no way he would be able to heal a wound made by an Archangel-feather weapon so quickly. Yet, when he slices a tiny wound into the man's shoulder, the skin starts to slowly mend itself after about a minute, very gradually fusing back together until all that is left is a fading mark.

Haley purses his lips. Regenerative abilities aren't unheard of, but ones this strong... they'd usually be reserved for ethereal beings. Axel isn't ethereal and, as far as Haley knows, neither is his family.

"The only catch to it," Axel takes the blade back once his point is made, and with it he makes an equally small cut near where the other one had been. This time the wound doesn't start to heal so quickly. "Is that if I hurt myself it takes the same time as anyone else to heal."

Keaberos, in the meantime, injects something into Axel's arm. Painkillers, Haley assumes. Axel barely bats an eye at it, looking at his blade with gentle eyes, as if he adores its very existence. Haley takes a moment to properly examine the weapon. The blade is black as night and shines as though it's been recently polished, and engraved into it is a raven elf saying that Haley remembers popularising himself back as an Archangel: '[insert phrase here]'.

"I'll leave you two to recover," Keaberos says as he starts to put his things back into the case he always seems to have with him. "Rabia is cooking this morning, so I'll bring you both some of her food."

"Thank you, Keaberos," Haley says, and Axel quickly follows. Keaberos smiles, then takes his leave.

He returns later with a bowl of lentil soup with a little bread on the side, which Haley gladly takes for his churning stomach. It soothes him for a while and goes down easy, and as he eats he feels Axel leaning against him, eating too. Haley enjoys the company and the feeling of the body against his. Something about it makes the soup go down much better.