She took a deep inhale of breath through her mouth, held it for a moment and then slowly exhaled through her nose as she tried to calm herself. This wasn’t something she was looking forward to doing, but at this point she knew that it was necessary to try and make peace for the foreseeable future. Since the failed Revolution and the third Aspect that Sirona had had buried within her from her home world, then angelic Goddess had started to think a lot clearer. No longer was she on a near mindless mission to wipe evil and sin from the world, now she knew that it was not a possible ideal to strive for. Instead, she and her Clergy had turned their focus into more humanitarian endeavours; helping the needy, the poor, the hungry, the meek. They had set up meeting places for those that had no home where they could get a meal and stay warm and safe at night. Those that were left of her Anointed would still go out and deal with bandit camps that harassed smaller outlying towns and village, but they would always offer the bandits a chance to redeem themselves first.

But there were still things that Sirona had to deal with directly and in a more personal level. One of those things she was going to try and deal with today. More specifically Sirona was going to see Serafina and try and see of the two of them could come to some kind of peaceful understanding. Sirona knew that this may not be easy, after all during her Revolution before Serafina could react the Outsider angels that Sirona had summoned into the world had destroyed parts if not all of Serafina’s bar and brothel. Add in the personal… thing that had had happened between them just as Serafina was rising to a Goddess and a little while before Sirona herself did, and there was a lot to work through.

This is what had brought Sirona to Vilpamolan, a city she had usually avoided as much as possible, as it embodied everything that made her skin crawl. She had taken the calming breath while standing at the door to the Second Circle. Sirona was alone, she had left Lume at home as much as she would have liked to have him here she wanted to do this without distraction. Sirona wasn’t wearing her armour either, a state that was becoming more and more common, but was different for Sirona who usually never took her armour off in public. She still bathed while wearing her small clothing, so having no armour on while in public, for her, was a big step. What she was wearing were simple clothing of off white, and about a size too large as not to show off any of her bodily curves. On her feet were simple slippers, but she had socks on, and on her hands were thin evening gloves, proving that she still some anxiety about physical contact. She had no weapon, and she wore nothing on her head, leaving her raven black hair, brilliant blue eyes and black ink facial tattoos open for all to see.

Opening the door Sirona walked in, tucking her wings up as much as she could as not to accidently knock anything over or bump into anyone. Black and red velvet and silk adorned the tavern she was now standing in, and she could see the bar at the end of the room. There were other clients here already, but Sirona ignored them as she walked towards the bar, but she could still feel their eyes on her. Some of them might have known who she was by description alone, but for now none of them tried to talk or do anything to her. As Sirona came up to the bar the tender, a young lady with bright orange hair smiled to her. ”Welcome to the Second Circle, I don’t believes I have seen you here before, miss.”

”I have been here once before, but I guess it was before you started here? Have you been here long? Sirona asked out of curiosity, she seemed human, but something was telling Sirona otherwise.

”Well, first off, my name is Cassandra, and please let me know if there’s anything I can get you. And I haven’t been overly long, Lady Serafina was kind enough to give me a job and a purpose after she found me dying from a lycanthrope attack.” Cassandra explained.

”I see, that was very kind of her.” Sirona blurted, that was awfully kind of Serafina, and not something Sirona would have expected. ”Speaking of you Lady, I was hoping to gain and audience with her. If you could please inform her that Sirona is here and would like to speak with her.”

Cass’ eyes widened for a moment, oh she knew who Sirona was alright. ”Y, yes, I can inform her for you Lady Sirona. Would you like a drink while you wait?”

”Just water please, and thank you.” Sirona nodded as she sat on one of the stools, as Cassandra got her the water and then disappeared behind a door that was behind the bar.

Sirona sipped the water and just waited.

Serafina sighed with frustration. Seated at a wooden desk in the room behind the bar at the Second Circle, she shuffled through several rolls of parchment and single sheets, trying to make sense of the nonsense scrawled across them. Jasuin had been gone on an errand she had sent him on for a few days, so another one of her staff had been helping with the books in his absence. Unfortunately, this particular employee seemed to be inept at such a task, and Serafina was now trying to make sense of all of the errors and incomprehensible scribblings. ”What an absolute disaster,” she muttered, shaking her head as she continued to rifle through the documents.

When the door to her would-be office opened, she lifted her head, looking up at Cassandra as she walked in. ”Is everything alright?” Serafina asked her, immediately becoming alert as her newest, and possibly new favorite, employee entered. She knew that Cassandra could handle her own at this point, but she also knew that Jasuin was usually there as well – Jasuin had seemed to have taken a kind of liking to Cassandra. Serafina couldn’t blame him, she was certainly an interesting and unlikely addition to their staff.

”Define ‘alright,’” said Cassandra, and Serafina could tell from the look on her face that, while Cassandra was in no danger, she knew Serafina would not necessarily be pleased with the information she was about to be presented with. Serafina stood up from the table.

”Well, what is it?” Serafina asked her. She wasn’t about to get angry with Cassandra, but she had been in the middle of something that needed to be taken care of. She knew that Cassandra was also well aware that she was not to be interrupted, and she knew the girl wasn’t stupid enough to interrupt her unless it was absolutely necessary.

Cassandra grimaced before answering her. ”Lady Sirona is here, and she just like… weirdly asked to speak with you. She asked really nicely, actually,” she said, and it was clear to Serafina that she found it just as odd as she did.

Serafina’s eyebrows raised in incredulity. ”I’m sorry, what?” she said, before laughing sharply. Cassandra just nodded at her as if to reaffirm the question she had been asked. Serafina shook her head slightly. ”This ought to be interesting,” she said, and walked out the door, Cassandra following behind her to reassume her position at the bar.

Serafina exited from behind the bar counter and walked over to where Sirona sat, eyeing her as she drank the water she had ordered. ”Hope you haven’t come to burn my bar to the ground again,” she said to Sirona, clearly looking mildly displeased with the fact that she was there. ”Nevermind, I guess you couldn’t even be bothered to do that on your own, had to send your minions to do it,” she added. She paused for a moment, leaning against the side of the bar, still a safe distance from her. There was no threatening tone to her voice – merely a questioning tone. ”Why have you really come? The last time we spoke, barring our confrontation on the mountain, you made it clear that we had nothing left to discuss,” she said, referencing when she had visited Sirona’s temple in an effort to make amends for transgressions she had committed against her before her rise into divinity.

She let out a slow breath. ”If you’re really here to speak, let us retire into my private office upstairs – no, not that kind of office,” she said, holding up her hand to stop Sirona’s disgust before it could even surface. ”The affairs of gods are not for mortals to hear,” she explained, and with a courteous gesture, she motioned towards a hallway. ”Please,” she added, and when Sirona rose to follow her, she lead her up to the office she generally held meetings in. A large, ornate round table was in the middle of the room, a pitcher of wine and a pitcher of water having already been placed on the table along with glasses.

She poured a glass of the water and set it at a place for Sirona before pouring a glass of wine for herself. ”If I remember correctly, you don’t imbibe,” she said, an air of seriousness to her tone as though she were making an attempt to prove that she really was trying to be hospitable.

She sat down in one of the chairs at the table and took a sip of her wine. ”What is it you have come here for today, Sirona?”

Sirona kept her breathing under control so that she could keep her heart from wanting to race as she waited for Serafina to arrive. This wasn’t something Sirona had expected herself to ever do, yet here she was, and she knew that this is what needed to happen in order to keep some kind of peace going. After this, no matter how it went, she wanted to go and seek out Raith and see if she could try and smooth things over with him. They did not exactly need to be friends, but at least some kind of peace between them would be good enough.

When Serafina came out from the area behind the bar, Sirona finished the sip of water she had been drinking and stood up to greet her fellow Goddess. At the initial comment about burning down the bar, again, Sirona visibly flinched and glanced away, that stung, but she wasn’t going to argue about it. The further jab cut that much deeper, but Sirona again didn’t try and defend herself, because, well, how could she? Serafina continued, asking what Sirona was there for, mentioning their encounter on the mountain. Before Sirona could answer Serafina said that they should head to her private office, cutting off any attempt from Sirona to interject on that, but it was clear that Sirona wasn’t about to do so. ”Of course.” Sirona agreed and finished off the water setting the glass down. ”Thank you, Cassandra.” Sirona said with a nod to the bartender who smiled back with a nod as the two Goddess walked away.

”Fuck me, I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.” Cassandra muttered to herself as she got back to looking after the rest of the customers.

Sirona followed Serafina into the office and the Reaper poured a glass of water for the angelic Goddess. ”Thank you.” She managed and when Serafina sat so did Sirona, she was a guest here after all, she wasn’t going to take any kind of liberties. Serafina asked again why Sirona was there, Sirona was quiet for a moment as she took a sip of water before she spoke. ”I came to try and make amends between us, and to apologize for my past behaviour.” Sirona started. ”I know you tried in the past to make peace between us and I rebuffed you, but now, looking back with a clearer mind, I see that that was a mistake on my part.” She inhaled. ”Ever since the Revolution, such as it was, I have been able to think more clearly. I don’t want to use that third Aspect of Revlotion as an excuse for my actions, but ever since the Voice removed it from me it’s as though my mind is my own again.” She sighed, was this going well? Did she sound sincere? She had no idea, but she continued unless interrupted. ”I have done a lot of thinking, if that Aspect could have… heightened my thoughts and beliefs, perhaps when you rose that new power within you could have been the catalyst that pushed you to do what you did.” She blinked. ”N, not that I want to assume anything on your behalf, it’s just what I was thinking is all, that that new surge of power could have, um, contributed to that night in some way. Just like how Revolution gained power from Strength and started to affect how I thought to such extremes.” She explained, hoping that she hadn’t upset Serafina with any of that.
Sirona inhaled again and looked to Serafina directly with her brilliant blue eyes. ”All that being what it is, I am sorry, Serafina, for having your bar destroyed, and for snubbing your attempt at making amends. I’d like try and settle things between us, somehow, and move forward peacefully.” She left it at that, as not to ramble on and she waited to see what Serafina would say and do in reaction.

Serafina eyed Sirona with suspicion as her fellow goddess took a small sip of the water that had been set out for her. In turn, she took a rather large drink of the wine, swallowing slowly. Resigning herself to the fact that she was going to at least hear Sirona out, she said nothing, instead allowing the angelic goddess to speak without interruption. When Sirona had finished talking, Serafina remained silent, her blue eyes fixed unendingly on her face. She drained her glass of wine and set it down on the table, not bothering to fill it back up again.

Finally tearing her gaze away from Sirona, Serafina got up from the chair she had been sitting in and walked over to the wall that had been behind her. She leaned her back against it, folding her arms across her chest and raising one leg so that the sole of her boot was pressed against the wall as well, her leg bent at the knee. ”So let me get this straight. You’ve come to me, to basically say that we have both done some shit that we are not necessarily proud of,” she began. Her expression was serious, as was her tone of voice, which was unusual for Serafina, at least to those who did not know her too well. ”And you’re saying ‘let bygones be bygones,’ essentially? Isn’t that…. Isn’t that what I came to you not all that long ago seeking?” she replied.

Of course, she knew all about Sirona having had a third aspect and subsequently losing it, and she also knew that it most certainly had to do with why she had felt such strong hatred towards Serafina – it had been something she had no control over. She found it ironic, however, as she had been so blatantly disregarded by Sirona for her past actions. Hadn’t she also been in the same position? She hadn’t chosen the spheres that the Voice had given her, the spheres that had been so influential on her behavior – the behavior that had, in turn, included Sirona.

”I have half a mind to tell you to get the fuck out of my sight,” she said, sighing as she stood back up from the place where she leaned against the wall, moving back towards the table where she sat down again. She reached for the wine decanter once more. ”Lucky for you, I’m not that petty,” she said as she poured the red liquid into her glass again, before setting the decanter back down. She looked at Sirona silently for a moment before continuing.

”Don’t you think this would have been a little easier if you had just listened to what I had to say in the first place?” she asked with a bit of a smirk on her face. She wasn’t gloating, but she had a fair point to make. ”Regardless, here we are, and you’re not wrong. We’re better as allies than enemies.” She took a deep drink of her wine before setting the glass back down and leaning back somewhat in her chair. ”Don’t think we’re going to be sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya and holding hands, though,” she added, though it was uttered with a cheeky grin and a bit of laughter – clearly a joke.

”You know, it wouldn’t kill you to loosen up a little,” she said, looking Sirona up and down – though not in the manner one would expect from her. ”You could have a lot of fun while still sticking to your scruples – well, maybe not my idea of fun, but you could let loose a little bit couldn’t you?” She knew it was a rather fruitless attempt, but she was trying to start a bit of conversation with her rather than continuing on with the back and forth about getting along. They were on the same page, it was time to move past it. ”Or at least have a little light hearted conversation?” she added, hoping that maybe Sirona would offer a bit of history that might help her understand why she was the way that she was. After all, if Serafina were to share her history, it would all sound completely accurate for the way she behaved.

As Serafina started to reply Sirona nodded, though a bit nervously. ”Yes, that’s about it.” Sirona confirmed as she leaned back in the seat and took a gulp of water from the glass as she watched Serafina standing with her foot on the wall. The angel waited until Serafina spoke again, she flinched at the swear word, though if she knew she flinched or not was another thing, at this point it was likely just a reaction, like a nervous twitch. But she breathed a sigh of relief when Serafina didn’t tell her to leave and instead poured more wine and sat down again to talk.

”Yes, it would have been, hindsight being what it is.” She replied managing an actual grin to Serafina’s joke, though she made no comment on it. Serafina mad comment on Sirona’s ability to loosen up and the angel glanced away for a moment as she sipped water. A lighthearted conversation? Sirona leaned back in her chair again, though her shoulders slumped a bit. ”Well, I’d like to, but, honestly, I don’t know how.” She confessed. ”I don’t do a lot of things aside from work around the Cathedral, and I don’t have anyone to really just sit and talk to. I have my big sister, but I don’t see her too often as she’s busy with her own things, and my parents are around these lands I have come to find out, but…” She sighed again.

”Alright, if we’re going to try and understand each other, it’s probably time I tell you more of my past, or, at least, what I know of it.” Sirona started and took a large gulp of water. ”I’m not from Revaliir originally, I’m from another world, though not the one where I found those other angels. I don’t remember nearly anything from that time of my life, I woke up in Onnen one day, and all I knew was my name, I had my sword and my armour, but no clear memories. The monks that found me helped me recover and if it wasn’t for them I’d have been lost. I spent years with them and explored much of Onnen helping those I could. When the insect tribes invaded your lands, the rest of Onnen wasn’t too pleased once word started to spread. But once things settled I was able to explore a new land.”

”One day I got in over my head with a group of bandits, I was wounded, unarmed and too weak to fly. I called up magic that before that I didn’t know I had, and summoned an archangel to aid me, who, it turned out, was my older brother, Gabriel, though we aren’t related by blood. He wasn’t pleased to see me, to say put it mildly, and after helping me kill the bandits told me more.” She paused to drink. ”My spell had forcibly dragged him from our home world to here, very much against his will. On top of that, apart from not realizing that in that moment I had no idea who he was since I had no memories, he told me how I ended up here in the first place. He had banished me from Heaven, but he had been so enraged that he used more magic than needed, which is what knocked my memories lose, or at least that’s all I can think of why it happened as it did. Apparently, according to him, I asked too many questions about some of the other archangels and why they were missing from the world and Heaven, and Gabriel didn’t like that. One day I pushed the subject too far and here I am. Since that day I have found that my blood sister, and our parents, are in these lands, along with another non-blood related older sister, Uriel, but she’s a lap dog to Gabriel.” She shrugged. ”I tried to patch things up with Gabriel and Uriel to, new lands, a new chance to be family again, but, no, their hatred of me runs too deep. Doesn’t help that I found out that in the past Gabriel ripped out my mother’s wings, because she rejected his love, because she loved my father, so in his anger Gabriel tore out her wings.” Something dark for a moment crossed her face, just the moment she spoke the last part. ”But now he’s missing a wing to.” She didn’t say that it was her, but she wouldn’t deny it either. The day she had found out what had happened Sirona had lost herself for a moment and had ripped out one of Gabriel’s wings in retaliation for what he had done to Sirona’s mother.

”All of that said, and I’m still putting pieces together, Artiya’il, my sister, helps when she can. So, to be honest, I actually have no idea why I think the way that I do. I don’t know why the idea of seeing someone, even myself, without clothing makes my skin crawl, why the idea of two people together having…” She trailed off and cleared her throat, reaching for the pitcher of water and refilling her glass. ”Anyway, like I was saying, I have no memories that would lead me to thinking that way, but I do.” She thought a moment, of all people, Serafina was the only to have seen Sirona naked, and see that her body was actually covered in angelic tattooing. ”I don’t even know what the tattoos I have mean, and you’re the only other one that has seen them, aside from what’s on my face and arms. A few weeks ago I was trying to change into some clean small clothing and the moment I removed my top and went to quickly put on the new one that’s when Lume decided to jump on me. I nearly threw him into the wall, he startled me so much when his feathers hit my skin.” She leaned back in her chair again, taking interest in her glass of water. ”I can’t even look at myself in a mirror.” She muttered at the end. During that whole talk something it seemed had either clicked or snapped in her mind and she had managed to upset herself once she got on a roll.

Serafina stayed mostly silent throughout Sirona’s retelling of her history, or at least part of it. Even though she was not necessarily Sirona’s biggest fan, it was out of respect that she did not interrupt her or interject with any quips or sarcastic remarks. After all, it was a huge step already that the two were in a room together having a civil discussion, let alone revealing intimate historical details about themselves. When Sirona had finished her story, Serafina remained silent for a few minutes. The look on her face was one of contemplation – after all, the information that had just been revealed to her… well, it was a lot to process. Sirona had certainly gone through quite a bit, and whether Serafina wanted to admit it or not, she could see how some of it would make her act and behave in the way that she had.

”So, I wouldn’t exactly call that a light hearted conversation,” Serafina finally said after a few moments of silence. While her words may have held a bit of humor, her expression did not – she was smiling rather warmly at Sirona, as though she were attempting to make her feel more comfortable. ”Thank you for sharing that piece of your past with me, Sirona. I’m sure it could not have been easy to share, especially with me, but thank you. It certainly gives me some insight into why you are, well, the way you are,” she explained. ”It does not sound as though you have been dealt an easy hand, and we all have our ways of figuring out how to cope with things. Believe me, I know… I haven’t exactly used the best coping methods myself.” She took another drink of her wine and sat silently for another moment, staring down at the table top.

”I think I’ve got an idea of how we might be able to get you a bit more relaxed, maybe to start feeling a bit more comfortable in your own skin. I promise, it won’t be anything untoward or immoral. You have my word on that, sworn upon the Voice itself,” she added, her tone serious. ”But before that, you were kind enough to share some of your own history with me… Let me tell you a bit about myself. I doubt it will be as in depth and fascinating as yours is, but it might afford you a bit more insight as to why I am how I am, just as your story did for me,” she said.

”A very, very long time ago… so long ago in fact, that I don’t even remember how long ago it was, I was just a human. Nothing special. Born to a whore, lived in a whorehouse… Grew up, and I worked as – go ahead and cringe, I know you’re going to – a madame in my very own brothel. One thing led to another and before I knew it I had been turned into the creature I am now, minus the divinity of course. My maker and I were very close for a long time, intimate with one another – and one day, he brought another home. She became a part of our family as well, and soon he was more attached to her than to me, it seemed, and the two of them had a child. I branched out on my own, became a maker myself. My protégé turned mate left me eventually, while my maker ended up marrying a woman he had been with long, long ago, perhaps even before he had turned me. Love lost, love returned, scorned woman, blah blah blah… I’ll tell you more some other time, but there you have it. Might help you understand me just a bit more.” Serafina finally ended her shortened and condensed version of her own history, finishing by taking a drink of her wine once more.

”But the past is the past, right? We make the present what it is and the future is molded by our actions. What do you say, are you willing to give me a chance? I’d like to take you my personal tailor and perhaps have some clothing made for you. I promise, she can do the measurements over your clothes, and we won’t make you anything too revealing. Will you allow it?” she asked, looking hopeful. There was nothing sinister to her voice to suggest that she was trying to set up Sirona or anything along those lines. She was being utterly genuine. ”Clothing is pretty superficial, but I think it might be a good start. Not to change who you are, but to change how you see yourself!” she added encouragingly. ”What do you think?” she asked.

If Sirona liked the idea, Serafina would guide her from the quarters they met in to another set, where she would have some food summoned for them and her tailor would meet them with several fabric samples and suggestions for the two of them to look at and tweak to their own specifications.

When Serafina reacted to what Sirona had told her, the angelic Goddess glanced away, looking a little embarrassed. ”I’m, uh, not very good at that kind of thing.” Sirona sighed lightly, but listened as Serafina started to talk again, firstly thanking Sirona for sharing such things. Serafina mentioned she had an idea to help Sirona relax and be comfortable in her own, but that it was nothing immoral, and that made Sirona curious. She would very much like to find a way to break herself out her current deep-rooted phobias but had no idea how.

But before Serafina explained what that idea was, she moved forward and started to share details of her own past. This was good, as Sirona saw it was a good way for each of them to try and understand where the other was coming from. Serafina had been born human, to a whore, and the warning to Sirona did make it so that Sirona managed to not cringe, but that didn’t stop her left eye from twitching slightly. Close with her maker for a long time before a betrayal, and a child with the other woman. She had turned another but he left her eventually, while her maker married yet another woman from long ago. It did in fact help Sirona see more of why Serafina was as she was, and that did make Sirona feel more comfortable talking to her, and empathy for the Reaper to. ”Thank you for sharing, that does help.” Sirona spoke as Serafina finished her wine, she would take all of that into consideration going forward for sure. Sirona had been nervous about coming here but this had ended up being a good thing after all, they were talking and sharing their pasts, Sirona was still acting a bit awkward but then again this wasn’t the kind of situation she was normally in either. So for just being here talking like she was with Serafina was a decent step for the angelic Goddess.

Serafina spoke of the past being the past and the future is what they made of it, and Sirona nodded when asked if she would give Serafina a chance. But as Serafina spoke on that left eye twitched again and Sirona a took sip of water while being very interested in the bottom of the glass. It took a few seconds of silence before Sirona finally seemed to register what had been asked of her and react to it. ”I… yes, please, I think that is a good starting place.” Sirona replied finally a confident nod, though she was nervous, what Serafina had said made sense. Clothing didn’t make Sirona who she was, and the fact that since the Revolution she hadn’t been wearing her armour everywhere was already a huge improvement that Sirona had done herself without really noticing it. ”Thank you, Serafina, I was nervous about coming to see you, but this going better than I had hoped, I didn’t want to keep fighting and hating you.”

Serafina kept her eyes averted from Sirona for a moment. If truth were to be told, she did actually feel a bit guilty from what had happened when the pair had first become acquainted, if one could call it such. Even with that being the case, she was not ready to say that word for word out loud, not yet. She had already revealed enough about her past, as had Sirona. Perhaps if the two continued on good terms, the in depth apology could come along, but until then, the niceties that were occurring already would have to suffice.

When Sirona accepted that they seemed to have come to the conclusion of a good starting place, Serafina gave her a smile, and she found that she was genuinely surprised at how warm the smile came across. Perhaps there was a chance for she and Sirona to be friends after all. ”I promise the tailor will be able to craft you something tasteful, yet perhaps something to let your inhibitions down just a little bit,” she said with a grin. It almost sounded as though Serafina was excited to have this outing with Sirona, and truth be told she was. It was a prospect she had never imagined, yet here they were.

Serafina stood up from where she was sitting and placed her hands on her hips rather nonchalantly. ”Well, I’m glad you did. To be perfectly honest, I’m awfully surprised at how well we are able to hold a conversation, considering that we’ve easily come to literal blows in the past, and over such strange things,” she said, speaking matter of factly. ”It’s good to know that people can change – and of course, I mean the both of us,” she added, wanting to make it clear that she was not insulting Sirona.

”What do you say? Shall we head to the tailor’s, then? We can chat some more along the way and while we are there.” When Sirona accepted her offer, the pair exited the sitting room they were in. As they walked down the hall towards another room, Serafina came to a halt, her face going expressionless for a moment. ”I’ve just been informed that my tailor is offsite at her own establishment today,” she said. ”What do you say, care to take a little adventure?” she asked with a grin.