Hope Falls

“Things will feel a lot lighter for you soon… I bet at the moment you feel a little out of sorts mm? Nothing feels quite… right.” Dagmar said gently as she walked with her. “Like somethings coming, but you don’t know what.”

“Are you staying to gloat?” Zero asked him. “It’s not the first time the balance has been upset, my sister cares for her as do I, wouldn’t you do the same if you cared for someone?”

"I - I don't know? I suppose that is a way you could describe it." Florence whispered. "I just don't know where I fit much, don't know where I stand as much as I did before. I'm upsetting everyone and rveryone is upsetting me. I thought I was pregnant, people get like that when they are but I done a test this morning and... no."

---

"This is a public place, you don't own it." Conan scoffed and pushed past him to stand at the counter in order to make a point. "The balance has been upset before and there was a war. I still have the scars from it. It can't happen again."

“Count yourself lucky with that one if the Fallen was to be the father. Nephilim children who have wings when their mothers do not often… cause a lot of harm.” Dagmar mused. “The wombs of Angels on both sides are - you don’t need to know. It’s irrelevant.” She laughed awkwardly. “If you’re sleeping with one they should’ve warned you either way…”

"I don't - I don't get told much. They think they are protecting me, or they claim not to know themselves." Florence mumbled with a grimace. "That is what me and my friend fell out over yesterday, it was horrible."

“We’ll I don’t see you ordering and it is a cafe.” Zero told him and he soon got his drink that he had ordered.

"That'd be because you won't shut the fuck up." Conan answered cheerfully.

“In the spate of honesty, Flo… your time here is almost up.” Dagmar said softly, reaching over to take her hand. “You’ve had your final vision as an Oracle… and it’s almost time for you to go here you do fit in.”

"Where is that, exactly?" She mumbled, shoulders tensing as she snatched her hand away. "No. Don't - don't touch me."

Zero rolled his eyes sipping his drink he could sense Florence and he wanted to go to her but he was useless.

“With The Guardians, and the Fates as you know them, the Norns as they are to the rest of us. And the rest of us who keep neutrality between all the factions of beings down here.” Dagmar explained, taking a step back to respect her distance. “I’m a Valkyrie… we do a few things. We act as emissaries, messengers. The Vampires don’t trust the Angels enough to send one of their own with a messenger so they send us, for example. In times of war between factions we take the souls of the deceased to where they’re supposed to be. And we take future Seers to be trained. Oracles make the top ranking of Seers. Your innate ability makes you all that more powerful…”

Florence swallowed thickly, a trembling hand lifting up to sip at her coffee - spilling it slightly in the process. "I- no one has ever called my powerful before. So I would be going to - to help people? I like helping."

Zero just stayed where he was, he was waiting.

"Your girl told you to go home, so go." Conan encouraged quietly, taking a slice of cake from the side and having a bite.

“Seers are trained to hone their abilities, and every faction has a Seer. Bigger factions have a few… the more powerful ones stay with The Fates… the endgame is to prevent another all out war. We had a war a while back and it was - “ Dagmar shook her head and swallowed thickly. “Fucking horrendous for lack of a better word. Say for example you were working with the Vampires, you’d do all you could to foresee any attacks against their leader Magnus… you’d make sure you did what you could to keep him of sound mind and stable. You’d be taught healing arts as a Seer too. But it’s not just about preventing war, altering it. You’d become so attuned to your people with your training you’d foresee births, celebrations, small victories. You’d see troubled youths on the wrong paths and help steer them the right path. You’d see a mother about to miss her child running off to never be seen again and prevent it. You’d prepare people to steel themselves for those things that just cannot be changed. Your kind are… revered.”

“I’d rather stay.”

"Well, you can stay and be all moody by yourself then." Conan snorted, "But for the record, your sister loves me. I have never treated that woman badly in my life. I saved her ass so stick your nose out of matters that don't concern you."

---

"That - that doesn't sound too bad, not really. I mean - not at all." Florence whispered, a smile tugging at her lips then as she gave a small nod to her own thoughts. "Okay... I can do that."

“We neutral parties have our own realm, its not here. You may return here one day but you may not… that’s not something I know unfortunately.” Dagmar explained then. “You have two options about the way you come with me… Within the next forty eight hours you’ll have another vision - I don’t know when within that time frame. But when I got sent here it was three days, and that was a day ago. You’ve seen what the last vision did to you, this one will completely turn your brain and organs into that black stuff. You can choose to return to your life until that happens - you’ll forget you ever saw me though, so you won’t know it’s coming, you’ll be unaware - and when your body dies I’ll come collect your soul and take it. It means when we get to the Guardians they’ll place your soul into a new body they’ve created, but it means you get to live a little while longer as you are. The second option is I take you now, body and soul and once you’re with The Guardians they’ll fortify your body against the visions so they don’t ruin you… but that means your loved ones here won’t have a body to bury.  the second is the one I’d recommend, though I will respect your choice either way…”

"Then explain to my sister why you gave her a bracelet with your initials, which is not a gift someone who only wants to be friends give, on and come everywhere smelling of another woman." He told her. "And tell her before her hands start charging because you'll end up in cardiac arrest for eternity and trust me that's a bitch."

"Your sister and I are no more than friends." Conan answered calmly, "If she has misread any signs or jumped the gun on anything than that is her fault and not mine. If she touches me then she will be breaking the treaty we are going to sign, if any of you lot touch me then that is where the war will come from. Stop pretending you are all a strong, powerful threat. You don't scare me and my sex life is far more extravagant then you could ever imagine."  

---

"Do I - do I have to decide right now?" She asked quietly, swallowing thickly. "I mean - can I have like... an hour or two to decide?"

"Trust me pussy cat, I've done and seen things that would even make your head spin." He told him, before he ordered himself another drink. "You started this with my sister, and treaty be damned, she might not be able to do anything but I can, I'm a rogue remember, best part of that is no fucking rules and you guys are free pickings, been ages since I've tasted angel blood."

“I… I can’t guarantee that mind melting vision won’t happen before then or that it won’t happen bang on at the end of the two days, that’s the gamble, you could walk away from me right now and drop… but if you want to risk it… like I said I’ll respect your choice.” Dagmar nodded. “Forcing you will do you or I or anyone any favours, the transition is smoother where you make the choices that make you most comfortable.”

"Oh, I am so scared." Conan answered boredly. "Dark angels hearts do not beat until they have found their soul mate, no? No heartbeat means no blood flow, no blood flow means your....." He wiggled his eyebrows; "Wouldn't even work. The Oracle is your soul mate. That says all that needs to be said. You are a boy in a mans world. You have no wings, you have no powers. You are nothing. Drop the bravado, and the unwarranted aggression; honestly it is just boring."

---

"Can stay here until..." She paused, taking her phone from her pocket to check the time. "Until three o'clock? I'll know what I am doing by then. I'll come to you."

"That's what you think, honestly you don't know anything about dark angel anatomy." Zero laughed. "You're just so much fun to be around it's exhilarating really." The sarcasm layered his voice thick but he was truly laughing. "Remind me again why you're still here? Doesn't your hussy need you by now?" He thanked the lady behind the counter for his drink when she gave it to him. "As for my powers, well you will just have to dot dot dot."

“I’ll hang around.” Dagmar nodded. “If anything happens I’ll be drawn to you. I - I don’t think you’re going to do it but I do need to warn you that if you try anything like killing yourself or escaping to another realm it won’t stop anything, I’ll still have to take your soul to The Guardians.” She added gently.