he asked, crossing his arms and looking abruptly ferocious.
"You shunned your father," she accused.
"I had good reason," he informed her. "He forced my mother. He admitted as much."
"He admitted your mother was forced, or he admitted he forced her?"
A muscle ticked in the dangerous gargoyle's cheek. "Does it matter? Are we to argue semantics?"
"Here's a little fact for you," Sarah snarled. "He didn't force her. He was forced, too. The sorcerers that you trusted over him were torturing her family. If he didn't have sex with her, they would keep torturing and healing her little children day after day. He didn't want to any more than she did, but they gave them both potions and made them choose between sex with each other or listening to her children and her husband scream themselves hoarse. What would you have done, Mr. High-and-Mighty?" She had her hands on her hips now. "Huh?"
Thanatos stood staring at her, and there was stark tension in the air. "I would have broken free and saved them."
"Really? Why, because you're bigger than he is?"
Everyone looked at the mountain of gargoyle laying on the table. No gargoyle alive was bigger than Abaddon.
"Or maybe you're more powerful than he is? Can you turn someone into a gargoyle?" she swayed with obvious fatigue, but it did nothing to detract from her ferocity. Taking a deep breath much like a human, she continued, "He tried multiple times. Every time they did it to another family, he tried to escape. They ripped his wings off. They even ripped his cock off. They punished him in the most brutal ways imaginable, and then some, for trying to save those families, and to the day he finally escaped, he never quit trying. You really think you could do better?"
A raw, ragged silence fell over the small gathering of gargoyles. "There had to be something he could do--" Thanatos began.
"He did the only thing he could do," she argued. "He stopped the torture of their families and he treated each and every one of them with all the dignity and kindness he could muster. You don't know him. You never bothered to know him. You turned your back on him, and you were all he had left. He never allowed anyone to speak badly of you in front of him. Never." Nasargiel fought a strange desire to comfort her as a black tear dropped from first one eye and then the other. "You never bothered to know him, even though you knew--you knew--that the men giving you your information were liars. You knew they tortured and raped and destroyed, but you still listened to them over the man that saved your ass from them."
Then, wobbling and unsteady, she stood up, trembling as she drew herself to her full height. "You broke his heart, and I won't let you do it again. Get out and leave us alone." A trembling arm pointed at the door with regal finality. Another tear slipped down her cheek.
"He'll die if I don't help him," Thanatos told her, that muscle still throbbing in his jaw.
"No. We'll take him outside, he'll replenish and heal," she disagreed. "He doesn't need you." Her chin lifted to a defiant angle even as her body shook.
The door behind Thanatos opened and a small pregnant woman walked in. Enthralled, Nasargiel stared at her.
"He's telling the truth, dear," the woman said, making her ponderous way over to Sarah. "He's almost dead already. Without Thanatos' ability to heal him, he'll die." She wrapped her arm around Sarah's. "Let's go have some cookies and let him do his thing."
"I'm a gargoyle now, I can't eat," Sarah objected, looking poleaxed at the force of the other woman's personality, despite being heavily pregnant.
"Sure you can. It doesn't do anything for sustenance, but you can eat and you'll... um... eliminate... later like humans do."
Sarah blinked her eyes and looked around. Finally, when her eyes met his, she leaned over towards Nasargiel, he leaned forward to allow her to whisper harshly in his ear, "Can we really do that?"
Surprised, he whispered back, "If you're like the rest of us,
"You shunned your father," she accused.
"I had good reason," he informed her. "He forced my mother. He admitted as much."
"He admitted your mother was forced, or he admitted he forced her?"
A muscle ticked in the dangerous gargoyle's cheek. "Does it matter? Are we to argue semantics?"
"Here's a little fact for you," Sarah snarled. "He didn't force her. He was forced, too. The sorcerers that you trusted over him were torturing her family. If he didn't have sex with her, they would keep torturing and healing her little children day after day. He didn't want to any more than she did, but they gave them both potions and made them choose between sex with each other or listening to her children and her husband scream themselves hoarse. What would you have done, Mr. High-and-Mighty?" She had her hands on her hips now. "Huh?"
Thanatos stood staring at her, and there was stark tension in the air. "I would have broken free and saved them."
"Really? Why, because you're bigger than he is?"
Everyone looked at the mountain of gargoyle laying on the table. No gargoyle alive was bigger than Abaddon.
"Or maybe you're more powerful than he is? Can you turn someone into a gargoyle?" she swayed with obvious fatigue, but it did nothing to detract from her ferocity. Taking a deep breath much like a human, she continued, "He tried multiple times. Every time they did it to another family, he tried to escape. They ripped his wings off. They even ripped his cock off. They punished him in the most brutal ways imaginable, and then some, for trying to save those families, and to the day he finally escaped, he never quit trying. You really think you could do better?"
A raw, ragged silence fell over the small gathering of gargoyles. "There had to be something he could do--" Thanatos began.
"He did the only thing he could do," she argued. "He stopped the torture of their families and he treated each and every one of them with all the dignity and kindness he could muster. You don't know him. You never bothered to know him. You turned your back on him, and you were all he had left. He never allowed anyone to speak badly of you in front of him. Never." Nasargiel fought a strange desire to comfort her as a black tear dropped from first one eye and then the other. "You never bothered to know him, even though you knew--you knew--that the men giving you your information were liars. You knew they tortured and raped and destroyed, but you still listened to them over the man that saved your ass from them."
Then, wobbling and unsteady, she stood up, trembling as she drew herself to her full height. "You broke his heart, and I won't let you do it again. Get out and leave us alone." A trembling arm pointed at the door with regal finality. Another tear slipped down her cheek.
"He'll die if I don't help him," Thanatos told her, that muscle still throbbing in his jaw.
"No. We'll take him outside, he'll replenish and heal," she disagreed. "He doesn't need you." Her chin lifted to a defiant angle even as her body shook.
The door behind Thanatos opened and a small pregnant woman walked in. Enthralled, Nasargiel stared at her.
"He's telling the truth, dear," the woman said, making her ponderous way over to Sarah. "He's almost dead already. Without Thanatos' ability to heal him, he'll die." She wrapped her arm around Sarah's. "Let's go have some cookies and let him do his thing."
"I'm a gargoyle now, I can't eat," Sarah objected, looking poleaxed at the force of the other woman's personality, despite being heavily pregnant.
"Sure you can. It doesn't do anything for sustenance, but you can eat and you'll... um... eliminate... later like humans do."
Sarah blinked her eyes and looked around. Finally, when her eyes met his, she leaned over towards Nasargiel, he leaned forward to allow her to whisper harshly in his ear, "Can we really do that?"
Surprised, he whispered back, "If you're like the rest of us,
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