As we entered the dance room, the party was in full swing. Most of the cupids and angels were gathered on the dance floor. I was eager to meet the new angel who had been introduced to me, but I didn't see any sign of them while I was walking around. Eventually, I found the group by the window, where they were enjoying some food.
Bridget waved us three over, and I suddenly got the excitement to finally and "formally" introduce them to Arthur and Casey, I guess.
Rory was sitting on the windowsill next to Seth, who nodded at us. Bunny stood nearby, holding a cake, while Rory stuffed cookies into their mouth. Orwell was swinging his legs and leaning against the wall next to Bridget, offering us a joyful smile.
"Hey, you're Arthur, right?" Bridget greeted Arthur. Seth and the others were right behind her, and I let them introduce themselves.
"Yeah, uh... Hi. It's nice to meet some of Vienna's friends!"
"Best friends," Rory said as he moved to stand beside me. They handed me some cookies, which I accepted. Soon, their eyes landed on Casey, who did not look happy to be there. "Who's this?"
I stifled a laugh, sensing the glare building on the boy's face. "You didn't tell them about Casey?" Arthur asked, looking confused.
I shrugged, tossing a smirk at the taller boy who was looming over me. "I have nothing to talk about with him."
"You-"
"Please, don't fight again, Casey." Arthur quickly cut in between us, pushing Casey away with his hand on his chest. "Let's just get to know them, alright?"
Casey blushed a deep red, mumbling something while looking away. Seth approached with Rory, greeting the shorter boy. Bunny was last to join us, standing surprisingly close to me as she introduced herself to the boy. Naturally, he blushed, looking away nervously as the beautiful cupid worked her charms.
While Rory teased the short warrior, Bunny nudged me to get my attention. Caseper nudged Bunny with his head, prompting her to pet him, although her eyes remained locked on mine. "What happened down there?"
She motioned towards my legs, and I twisted slightly to try and cover them. "Nothing, I just had to groom the Heaven Pups and got scratched a bit."
"Mh-hm." She nodded along with me, kicking her legs lightly. She pulled the plate up to me, pressing the forks towards me. "Here, have some."
"What is it?"
She giggled, "cake, silly."
I rolled my eyes, grinning like an idiot. "I know that. What flavor is it?"
She thought for a moment, puckering her red lips. "I don't know." She moved the piece to my lips, "I guess you're going to have to find out."
I smirked as I took a bite of the cake. It was strawberry-flavored, and the icing tasted like raspberry. The combination of the two fruity flavors created a delightful mix on my palate. I opened my eyes, licked my lips, and gave the cupid a playful smile. "You seem to have a thing for strawberries."
She giggled, taking another piece of cake from the plate and placing it in her mouth. "Shocker, isn't it?"
I laughed and leaned into her shoulder, making sure my wings were resting down by my side. I hadn't even realized we had an audience until Casey gasped audibly. He was watching us with his arms crossed, and Arthur was giggling beside him.
"How did you get a cupid?"
I blushed, moving up to yell at him. "What? That's not what this is, you idiot!"
"It sure looks like it," Casey defended, ignoring Arthur, who was giggling and pulling at his sleeve. "You look so lovey-dovey, it's insane!"
Bunny was in a fit of giggles next to me, sliding down to the ground where Casper was licking her face and stealing her cake. She gently pushed him away, but all he did was flick his wings around playfully.
Meanwhile, I was trying to defend myself against Casey, who wouldn't let up, making comments that turned my face so red it almost hurt.
Arthur quickly came to my rescue, moving in front of Casey to block him with his wings and scolding his boyfriend. Seth was also giggling, ignoring Rory, who was trying to sneak onto his lap. "You really do act like that, Vienna," he said.
I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms in a fit. "Says the one not dating a certain redhead even though they're currently in your lap."
"Wh- RORY!" Seth pushed the redhead who was holding onto his shoulders.
Bridget was enjoying what seemed to be ice cream with Orwell, casually asking questions to learn more about Arthur, while Casey chimed in on the conversation from time to time. I tried to shoo Casper away from Bunny, telling him not to take her food. She gave him a few pats and accepted my hand as I helped her up.
She nodded at me, and I looked down at Casper, rubbing behind his ears. "Come with me. I'll get you something to eat," I said. I moved around them, playfully poking Arthur with my wings. He turned to me, leaving Casey to mumble on her own. "Can you come with me for a second?"
"Sure," he nodded, walking with me and Casper over to the buffet table. "I'll be right back, Casey."
He nodded at him and became engaged in a new conversation with Seth and Rory, who were arguing by the window. Arthur hurried to catch up with me, ducking under a few angels walking past us. Before long, we reached the table, and I made my way to the section that I knew was safe for Heaven Pups.
Arthur could already tell I had something to ask him, so when we were on that side of the large table, he turned to face me with his wings widened to give us space. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," I shook my head, feeling Casper sit patiently down beside me. "You know how I wanted to know about this battle arena that the Warrior Angels do?"
"Oh, right!" He jumped, tightening his wings before he sheepishly smiled. "I almost forgot about that. You wanted to know what it was?"
I nodded, placing a few of the chicken breasts and pork in the bowl of Casper. "Something like at, I know it's only for us, but what is it about to be exact?"
"Right," he said, blushing slightly. This is intended only for us—the more experienced Warrior Angels. It's primarily for entertainment, but it also serves a purpose. The Warrior Goddess created it with the hope that it would encourage competitiveness and foster growth among team members."
"What do we do in the battle arena?" I placed the bowl down at my feet, allowing the pitbull to dig in.
Arthur quickly shook his head. "It's difficult to actually start fighting against Vienna. Not only do you need approval from both Arden and Apollonia, but you also need the Warrior Goddess's consent! She is very particular about this. This has been a largely unknown event, known only to the Warrior Angels."
"Wait, so we can't let others know about this?"
"Well," he scratched his neck, "there's no rule against it. However, only Warrior Angels are allowed to participate, as they possess the skills necessary for a fair fight. I suppose Cupids or other types of angels could join, but most of them might not find this topic very appealing."
I shook off his growing worry. "Can I know what happens inside the arena, though?"
"I-It's pretty simple, Vienna." He giggled, "It's like another one-on-one we have during sessions. Though this one has a minimal amount of rules, and you have a bunch of spectators watching and cheering you on."
"Do you know the rules?"
He quickly shook his head, "Of course not! I had never been to one of them; I just overheard my training partner, who is older than me, talk about it."
I turned away, feeling slightly frustrated that I didn't get the answers I wanted. I felt Casper finish with his head butting into my legs. "Do you know when it will happen?"
"Not exactly," he said, his wings twitching behind him. The small warrior lowered his wings and grabbed a plate. "I do know that Arden will warn us about it and take us there herself during one of the sessions. It will just be us and the Warrior Goddess." He turned red, fidgeting with nerves. "That's so exciting!"
I ignored his little fangirl moment, motioning for Casper to join us on our way back to the others. "How can we... Have a go in a battle?"
Arthur stopped, making me bump into him. He slightly fell, catching himself before his head swiped in my direction: " Oh, please don't tell me that you're thinking about doing it, Vienna!"
"What?" I brushed his feathers from my head, frowning at the boy at eye level with me.
"Vienna, you have just completed your adolescent training and have started with the elite Warrior Angels. However, you were punished during your very first training session with them." He raised his hands, a hint of fear in his eyes. "You're crazy if you want to fight in the arena right away."
"It sounds fun," I shrugged, his words thrown past my ears.
He made a loud sigh, covering his face with his arms and walking blindly back to the group. "Please.. just wait a little while until the steam of your punishment goes by before trying to battle in the arena.."
"Alright, but you didn't answer my question-"
He moved his hands and quickly sped up to the other, tossing me a slanted eye. "I honestly don't know how to..!"
I stopped mid-step, feeling Casey bump into me.
Liar.
"Took you guys long enough!" Rory waved us over, leaning heavily into Seth, who made no move to stop them. I stopped beside them, facing the direction everyone else was.
I turned my question to Seth, who shrugged. "The new angel is welcoming them."
Are they welcoming?
I kept those questions in my mind as I turned to watch the new angel and the goddesses near the entrance. The new angel appeared to be an awkward, tall boy with long ginger hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. He was struggling to keep his wings down. However, my attention quickly shifted to the goddess who was welcoming him.
My heart raced when I saw Janus. She moved closer, with the angel following behind her, and they soon stopped by the ledge where all the goddesses stood. She said something that I didn't quite catch; my eyes never left her.
I know it hasn't been long since I saw her, but I couldn't stop my heart skipping in my chest.
The angels and cupids leaped into the air, celebrating the new arrival. The new angel was led toward the dance room, and the crowd gradually began to follow. I couldn't help but notice the Euphorian Goddess and the Mother Goddess trailing behind them.
"Let's get to dancing!" Rory jumped up, tugging Seth along with them.
Bunny soon led both of the warrior boys with her, lulling them with her cupid's beauty. Before Orwell or Bridget could leave, I stopped them for a moment. "Hey, Orwell?" The cupid turned to me, his hand tightly holding onto Bridget's. "Where's Rue or Brick?"
He blushed, laughing awkwardly. "Oh- they.. they're busy having their anniversary to form uhm.. the new cupid arrival…!"
"Oh?" I nodded to him, not understanding either of the couple's bright red faces. "When will they be back or..?"
"Soon!" He jumped, wings fluttering behind him.
Bridget was soon to help their partner in distress. "The new cupid will be welcomed soon. We wanted to ask if you wanted to come meet them after your next session."
I felt my body jump, excitement running through my blood. "Of course! That sounds fun."
Bridget nodded, tugging at Orwell, who was still stuttering and blushing. She stopped when she noticed I wasn't following. "Are you coming?"
I shook my head. "No, I was actually going to talk with Ja—the Gate Goddess!" They chuckled, and I suddenly felt a pressure on my legs. Casper looked up at me, and I quickly turned to Bridget. "Can you take Casper with you? I think he wants to go dance around or something."
Bridget gave me a concerned look but decided not to press further. She patted her leg for Casper to come. I shooed him off, promising to meet him afterward. Once they were gone, I quickly located Janus, who was with both Minerva and the Warrior Goddess up on the ledge. I took a deep breath and confidently made my way over, hoping to have a moment alone with Janus.
She must have seen me, or she could just tell when I was near, since she turned before I made it two feet to her. Her smile grew, and she reached a hand out to help me up onto the platform with them. "Vienna angel, how are you, my dear?"
I felt myself blush, holding tightly onto her hand that closed around my own. "I'm alright. The sessions are growing, but I think I'm doing okay."
She giggled, her gaze slowly drifting down to my legs. I trembled slightly as her fingers tightened around mine, pulling me closer. I could sense the other goddesses watching us. They had been talking amongst themselves, but fell silent when Janus knelt down and placed a gentle hand on my leg.
Her golden eyes looked back at me. "Does it hurt at all?"
"N-Not anymore." I stuttered, feeling my face blow up in heat. I tried to squeeze my wings closer to my back, and both the Warrior and Attendant Goddess looked at me with strange emotions. "I'm fine now."
Her smile showed a hint of concern as she closed her eyes. With her fingers gently gliding along my brown skin, she let out a breath. I watched in amazement as the marks began to close and fade back into my skin. I felt nothing but the coolness of Janus's fingers and my growing love for her.
She stood back up, petting my head and moving her hand down to cup my cheek. I don't think she cares that the other goddesses were looking at us.
"You wanted to ask something?"
She must have read my mind. I didn't mind, though; it actually made it easier for me to speak up. "Yeah, I have another session in a while, but... I..." Suddenly feeling embarrassed under the gaze of both of the most intimidating goddesses, I tightened up and stumbled over my words. "If you're not busy... I don't know, maybe we could do something? It's just that I don't get to see you much because my training sessions have been getting longer, and—"
Janus shushed me with her finger sliding on my lip. I blushed brightly, relaxing in her hold. She laughed, nodding to me with sweet eyes. "Of course, my angel. We can do what you angels like to call 'hang out.'"
I let out a chuckle, feeling my ears burn and my wings fluff up. Janus moved, lifting her large wing to let me go first off the platform. I thought that was it; Janus and I could head to the garden and do something fun until it was time for me to return to training. However, a stern voice halted both Janus and me.
"I don't think you can walk away so easily." The voice was gruff and intimidating. I stood still, feeling Janus grip my hand as she spun back to face the three towering goddesses. It was the Warrior Goddess who spoke. Her gaze locked onto mine with such intensity that my legs began to tremble under my weight.
"You don't know how to properly greet someone, little angel?" She smiled, showing sharp teeth.
I gulped, tightening my grip on Janus as I was shoved behind her, shielded from the other goddesses. I had no idea what to expect, but hearing Janus again made her voice sound so commanding that it almost made me collapse to the floor.