Durnall. Harriet. Cherry. Names that stuck out in the forefront of Cobalt's mind, like they had been branded against the inside of his skull. And yet, he could apply no faces to them. Just the barest hints of past confrontations, flared tempers and bruised egos. His aching chest sparked images of duct tape and a dented bat. His stinging eyes conjured spilled ink and cracked concrete. His burning throat made him think of a tight collar and the stench of gasoline.
But none of it made sense. Not in the slightest.
All he knew was that there was something deeply, deeply wrong with him, and the burgeoning Incupsychosis was only scratching the surface. The way it took him over for those brief few minutes, spurring him to attack Quinn like a rabid animal; it didn't just feel horrifying.
He felt a disturbing sense of familiarity, one that came before the Diate incident.
Cobalt's head hurt. He didn't want to think about any of this. It was getting overwhelming.
So he pushed it all out of his head. The names, the Incupsychosis, the blood, the hunger, the cat, the locks and chains... Cobalt pushed it all out and slowly opened his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, the Incubus found himself lying upon a soft woolen bed, staring at a carved stone ceiling. Lamps cut from orange crystals cast a warm light over him, and beneath his head he could feel the soothing embrace of a pillow. Simple handmade cabinets filled with glass phials were all around him, and a curtain of tanned leather had been pulled around his bed.
There was a robe-clad Golem fiddling with some of the bottles on a table, just a few feet away.
The Incubus blinked the sleep from his eyes, his head pounding alongside his heartbeat.
"H- Hello...?" Cobalt croaked, limply kicking the sheepskin blanket away.
The woman turned around and gave him a kindly smile. He remembered her as Lottie's mother from the PTM; she had similarly curled hair and markings upon her skin.
"Are you awake, Colter?" she asked in a soft voice.
"It's, um... It's Cobalt."
She nodded.
"Of course. Forgive me."
Wincing, the Incubus held a hand to his chest. It ached like Hell, but when he looked down, he found that his flesh was unmarred, his bullet wounds having long since healed.
"You must be disoriented. I must say, it's been quite the day," the Golem said, selecting a clay pot of salve from a nearby shelf.
He looked down at his hands. The teeth were gone; only his old scars remained.
"I-"
"You needn't begin explaining yourself. It's alright. You're an Incubus, such is to be expected," Mrs. Deyeyr interrupted, holding up a hand.
Cobalt flinched at her words, his eyes going wide.
"Wh- What?"
"Our order is an ancient one. Almost fourteen hundred years this year. My ancestors bore witness to the Rapture, and while we refrained from joining Lady Fesser in her march against the Devils, we gave her our blessings and instructed her on how to better navigate the troubled mind," she explained in a gentle voice, sitting on the bed next to him.
Taking his hand, she rolled up his shirt sleeve, revealing the bandaged wound around his forearm. It was stained through with blood.
"She used that knowledge to rally even the most broken of Incubus to her side, and she set them loose upon the greatest bastion of our collective foe. She understood that they couldn't help what they were. And so I understand what came over you out there," she continued, unwrapping the bandage.
Beneath it, he was alarmed to find the bitemarks still buried deep into the flesh of his arm, oozing dark blood that Lottie's mother reverently cleaned with a cloth.
"Mrs. Deyeyr...?" he breathed, wincing with every touch.
She smiled and scooped some salve onto her fingers. Gently, she rubbed it into his wounds, causing them to sting unpleasantly.
"It's said that an Incupsychotic man is nothing more than an animal, losing everything of himself once his time arrives. But our records of the Rapture say otherwise. They say that as savage as they were, they fought for a greater cause that day. That deep down, they were still themselves. That a part of them lived on," continued the Golem, calmly and reverently salving the teeth marks.
Diate said otherwise. He said that the Incubi massacred innocents in Pandemonium. Cobalt didn't really know which account to believe.
Rewrapping his arm with fresh bandages, she patted Cobalt's shoulder.
"Just like how you incapacitated Miss Redtile humanely, even when suffering yourself."
"Quinn! Is she okay?!" the Incubus suddenly cried, the gory details of the fight rushing back to him.
"Easy, Mr. Traya. We brought you both to the chirurgeon. Miss Redtile is a few beds over."
"O- Okay... okay."
"It's a lucky thing you managed to pacify her as tactfully as you did. If her outburst had lasted any longer, she likely would have suffered cardiac arrest."
With a heavy sigh, Mrs. Deyeyr returned her medical supplies to the shelf.
"Though I must say, Charlotte certainly caught us off guard. We barely had enough time to prepare the first ceremony, and now that Miss Redtile's here, we're going to have to quickly get another together."
She smiled.
"The Rotainmos certainly likes to keep us on our toes," laughed Lottie's mother, turning back to face him.
"Mrs. Deyeyr, why did Lottie bring me here? This ceremony she wants me to bear witness to... what is it?" he asked, clutching his bandaged arm.
With a sympathetic smile, the Golem gave him a bow.
"You'll find out shortly, Mr. Traya. Take a few moments to collect yourself; you and Miss Redtile will be sent for soon," she told him, before pulling the curtain aside and walking away.
Cobalt sat where he was, staring at the floor with his pained stomach tied up in knots. He was so used to the general public's ignorance of Incubi that it threw him for a loop whenever anybody talked to him about it.
"... didn't happen like that," Lilith grumbled.
"What?"
"I said it didn't happen like that. Pandemonium."
He kept quiet.
"I was there. They were fucking animals," spat the Devil, her voice dripping with venom.
"Lilith... please..." he sighed, rubbing his eyes.
No, enough of this. He promised himself that he'd push it from his mind.
Rising from the bed, Cobalt pushed the curtain aside and peered out into the chirurgeon's infirmary. It appeared to be a lengthy stone hall cut into the bedrock of the mountain, illuminated by crystalline lamps and filled with soft beds. Nearly all of them were empty, though one of them also had its curtain drawn. Taking a breath, the Incubus limped over to it and slowly pulled it aside.
Quinn Redtile lay in the bed, buried up to her neck in wool blankets with her eyes shut tight. Like Cobalt, the blood had been cleaned from her body and her wounds had been carefully tended to. The bandage had been removed from her head, and the erratic feathers and claws formed by her outburst had disappeared.
The Imp opened her eyes. They had returned to normal; green and catlike, though the left one bore a sizable corneal scar. Blinking a couple of times, the Imp gave him a strained smile and ran a hand through her hair.
"Hey there, blood brother," she sighed, leaning her head back.
Sitting next to the bed, Cobalt clasped his hands and avoided her gaze.
"Quinn..." he breathed.
"Hell of a day, huh?"
"Quinn, I'm sorry."
Sitting up on her elbows, the Imp pulled a face.
"Why are you apologising? I was the one who went mental."
"That wasn't your fault."
"I freaked out, jumped to conclusions and broke like every ground rule of bestimorphisis. Pretty sure that makes it my fault, mate."
Quinn smiled for a moment, but it faded as she fell back against her pillow.
"I don't know what came over me. I saw that Lottie was missing, and I just... I dunno. Got scared. Went out to find her," the Imp sighed, holding a hand to her chest.
"How are you feeling now?" Cobalt asked.
She shrugged.
"Like an idiot."
Cobalt had always known Quinn as a sly, calculating kind of person. There was always a reason behind everything she did, and she had a contingency plan for every situation. Even when Diate had her hands bound and a chain noose wrapped around her throat, Quinn remained calm and collected.
She only ever seemed to lose her composure in one kind of situation; when she was close to Lottie.
"You care about her," Cobalt said aloud, staring at his feet.
Quinn's eyes widened as she looked up at him.
"Lottie, I mean. You care about her. That kind of affection can cloud your judgement sometimes, but that's not something to be ashamed of," he continued.
"O- Oi, what are you trying to say here?" Quinn asked, clearing her throat.
Cobalt looked into her eyes, his hands clasped before him. She looked nervous.
"Quinn... I think it would be good if you'd be a little more honest."
She scoffed at his words.
"Pfft. Mate, I'm an Imp. Dishonesty's my bread and butter. Bad to the bone, that's-"
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"With yourself, I mean."
She went quiet before she turned her gaze down to the floor. Clutching her hands, Quinn twiddled her thumbs, face crinkled with worry.
"... I know. I just... dunno if I can... like..." the Imp murmured beneath her breath.
Sighing, the Incubus rose from his seat and walked over to the bed. Retrieving Quinn's battered flat cap from his pocket, he placed it upon her head, slipping her horns through the rips in the leather. She looked at him, cattish eyes wide and glinting in the warm light.
"You're the boldest person I know, Quinn Redtile. You carry a confidence that even I find myself relying upon from time to time. You're brave enough to fight for your convictions. So I know you're brave enough to be vulnerable too," he said, patting her head understandingly.
He heard her swallowed hard.
"Cobalt... is it weird to be scared? Not of her, but... saying it to her. I feel like I could ruin everything."
"I know. But what is it you say about guts...?" he asked, remember the quaint phrase he had heard her say on occasion.
Quinn took a deep, shuddering breath and smiled nervously.
"No guts, no glory. Yeah..."
Reaching into her pocket, the Imp pulled out the kimberlite pebble that Lottie had given her and rubbed it affectionately.
"... Thanks, Cobalt," she said in a quiet, sincere voice.
"You needn't thank me. That's what friends are for, right?" he said, smiling.
"Beating each other senseless and giving sappy advice?" she snorted, returning the expression.
"I suppose so."
The two sat in the infirmary for a moment, quietly contemplating as the sound of distant music floated through the door on the wind. After a few minutes, Lottie's aunt Bessa stepped into the infirmary, dressed in a regal white robe trimmed with pale crystals. She was carrying two bundles of similarly coloured cloth.
"Ah, Mr. Traya, Miss Redtile! How are you two doing?" she asked cheerfully, adjusting her glasses with one hand as she set the bundles down with the other.
"Doing fine, love. Head hurts like Hell, though," Quinn commented, holding a hand to her temple.
Bessa nodded.
"Such is to be expected after an outburst. Plenty of rest and rehydration should fix you right up!"
Quinn nodded.
"Yeah. Sorry for busting up your monastery."
"Oh don't you worry about that. Outbursts are troublesome, but they're perfectly natural. My son had three in the same year, did you know that?"
Planting her hands on her hips, she looked at the pair in kind.
"Now, could I ask you both to change into these and meet me by the entrance?" she asked, gesturing to the bundled robes behind her.
Cobalt and Quinn gave each other confused glances.
"Of course," the Incubus said, lifting the robes into his arms.
They were heavier than they looked, and made from a durable-but-soft material. With a nod to Quinn, he returned to the other end of the infirmary and drew the curtain. Disrobing and carefully folding his clothes, he left them on the bed and slipped into the robes. Despite their weight, they were comfortable. Knotting his tie around his neck, he stepped back out into the main infirmary to see Quinn already waiting by the door, idly cracking her knuckles as the light played off the gems on her robes. Beside her, Bessa gave him a wave.
"Are we ready?" she asked.
"As ready as we'll ever be," Quinn remarked, adjusting the sleeves of her too-long garment.
"Okay! If you'd both follow me, we can finally get the stone ceremony underway!"
-----
The Sunmos Sect monastery looked different now that the sun had set. With the sky clouded over and the snow falling softly, the entire settlement was eerily quiet, save for the soft music wafting down from the temple. A layer of snow blanketed everything, masking the damage from the conflict earlier on in the day. Guided by Bessa, Cobalt and Quinn walked along roads illuminated by crystal lamps, both feeling uncertain.
He thought that he was just going out of his way to help Lottie with an errand, but Cobalt was beginning to realise that whatever was going on was important.
"You got any idea what's going on?" Quinn whispered, leaning over to her teacher.
He shook his head.
"Lottie wasn't very forthcoming with explanations."
"Huh. That's not really like her."
She exhaled sharply, expelling a cloud of steam into the cold air.
"But I trust her," the Imp said resolutely.
Cobalt nodded.
"Me too."
Bessa led them up a gradual, sweeping staircase that circled the central peak, gradual bringing them closer to the temple. The voices of dozens of Golem monks rang out through the night, singing in an ancient dialect of Tongues that Cobalt could only half-understand. Light was spilling from the temple's open roof.
Stopping before the entrance, Bessa turned around and gave them both a thumbs-up and a smile.
"Good luck, you two! Don't worry, you'll do fine!" she told them, before scuttling off inside.
Left standing by themselves in the snow, Cobalt and Quinn shot each other uncertain glances before heading in after their guide.
The central temple was a beautiful structure, there was no doubt about that. Like a huge circular amphitheater, grand carved pillars circled the edges and pointed directly upwards into the night sky, each topped with a flaming brazier. The entire population of the mountaintop monastery sat upon cut-stone steps, dressed in identical white robes. They were cross-legged, chanting melodically as they swayed in time to their song. In the very centre of the amphitheatre was a circular arena, the floor covered in rounded stones.
And standing in the very middle with her arms raised was Lottie. The Golem wore a simply stunning ritual dress, stitched from ornate white cloth that draped across her like silk. Gemstones of varying colours sparkled all across the garment, while sitting upon her head was a headdress laden with similar stones. Her eyes were shut behind her glasses, and as Cobalt and Quinn approached, they realised that she was leading the chorus.
She was asleep. In fact, they all were.
"Fascinating..." the Incubus murmured, walking towards the Golem.
He glanced over at Quinn. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was staring at Lottie with wide eyes.
"W- Woah..." was all she managed to say as the pair walked over to her.
Stopped before the Rotainmos, she turned around to face them both. Opening her eyes, she gave them both a brilliant smile, her green eyes alight with joy.
"Hiya...!" she whispered excitedly, giving them both a little wave.
"L- Lottie... you look...!" Quinn stammered, unable to find her words.
With a giggle, the Golem twirled around, causing the fabric of her dress to flow and ripple in the wind.
"I know! This is my most favouritest ritual robe out of all of them!"
The trio heard a sudden cough from the congregation. Glancing over, they saw Lottie's parents open their eyes and give her a stern look. Nodding, the Golem herself took a deep breath.
"Okay, okay, um... Everyone!" she cried, clapping her hands together.
The chanting stopped as the crowd went still.
"Raise your voices! Lower the sky and lift the bones!"
"Stones!" her father corrected from the sidelines.
"Yah, lift the stones!"
Bowing their heads, the congregation began to sing a rising crescendo, their words forming a combined incantation that sent a surge of geomantic magic rippling through the temple. Beneath their feet, the many stones and pebbles began to swirl, slowly levitating through the air all around them. Astounded by the display, Cobalt and Quinn stared on dumbfoundedly, eyes wide and jaws hanging open.
Twitching from excitement, Lottie turned back to them.
"This is what I needed your help for, Mista Traya. The stone ceremony!" she announced joyously, extending her arms.
"I see... What do I need to do?" he asked.
"Pick one for me!"
Stepping into the centre of the arena, the Incubus stared at the countless stones. Each and every one was different; some dull and grey, others clear and glistening. Black basalt and yellowed sandstone, red granite and white marble, it was all here.
"Come on, come on!" Lottie cried impatiently, hopping up and down.
Swallowing hard, Cobalt's gaze honed in on a small round stone floating just a few feet off the ground. Black and white in colouration, it was flecked with little red crystals that glinted in the firelight. Taking it in his hands, he brought it over to Lottie.
"This one," he announced, holding it out to her.
Accepting the stone, Lottie bowed her head.
"A stone has been chosen for the Roh-tayn-muhs! The stone ceremony is complete!" she cried ecstatically, jumping up and down like an excited kid.
The Sunmos monks opened their eyes and broke into a cheer, their overjoyed cries ringing out into the night as they celebrated. Bewildered, Quinn just looked around as they celebrated.
"Wait... that's it?" she asked.
"Yah! Mister Traya chose a gneiss rock!"
The Imp shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess it is pretty nice. J- Just like, um..." Quinn said, her confidence dwindling as her face burned up.
Holding the gneiss pebble to her chest, Lottie cocked her head. All around them, the congregation settled down and watched on with interest.
"Like what, Quinn?" she asked in an innocent tone.
Cobalt took a step back.
"U- Um..." the Imp stammered, choking up.
Walking over to her, Lottie took both of her hands and looked deep into her eyes. The shorter girl gazed up at her kindly face, shivering from more than just the cold.
"Did you bring the kimbylite I gave you?" Lottie asked softly.
Swallowing hard, she reached into her robes and produced the stone in question. Taking it from her, the Golem held the stones in both hands and took a deep breath.
"Acinotcet arusserp," she incanted in an clearly-recited tone, shutting her eyes as she clasped her hands together.
Dust and stones began to circulate around her hands as Lottie squeezed them together. Heat radiated from them as steam hissed from between her fingers. Standing off to the side, Cobalt watched on with interest, remembering what he had been told. The stone ceremony was just the prelude to something bigger; something that required Quinn to be present. The confused Imp looked at him for reassurance, prompting him to flash a thumbs-up.
"Everyone has a pebble picked by someone they trust, like a friend or a mummy or daddy or auntie or granny. The pebble is very, very, very important," Lottie explained, smiling as the heat from her hands grew stronger.
"Lottie...?" breathed Quinn.
"So when we find someone we like... someone we really like lots and lots... we give that stone to them. A- And they give their stone to us."
Lottie's voice wavered as she opened her eyes, tears welling in each. Opening her hands, she revealed a single gemstone, formed by the fusion of the two stones; a clear crystal filled with flecks of deep red. Diamond and ruby intertwined. All around the temple, the congregation held their breath, Cobalt included.
Turning to Quinn, Lottie stepped close and held it out.
"Quinn... you're so nice to me. You help me with writing and food and having fun and reading and everything else. I'm not good at words or anything, and I get lost a lot. Everyone always says that I'm not good for anything, but you never did. You're nice and kind and..."
Lottie took a shaky breath.
"... and cute. You're pretty, Quinn. Very, very pretty. And I think... I think I love you. Lots," the Golem announced, holding up the gemstone.
It glinted in the light from the braziers. The Imp stood there with a shocked look on her face as Lottie kept talking.
"So I wanna offer you this. Up here, when two people love each other lots, they squish their stones together like this and they ask each other a question."
Running a thumb across the crystal's glassy surface, she smiled at Quinn and offered it to her, tears flowing from the corners of her eyes. She reached out with small red hands, her own cheeks already soaked through.
"Can, um... Can we get married, Quinn?" Lottie asked, her voice echoing out through the night.
Quinn just stood there, paralysed from shock. Snow collected upon her head as she stood in place, eyes locked with Lottie's as she silently cried. Seeing his friend seize up at the most crucial moment, Cobalt took it upon himself to stand up and cup his hands to his mouth.
"No guts, no glory, Quinn!" he yelled, earning himself a few ireful glares from the monks.
His impassioned cry seemed to do the trick, snapping her out of her reverie. Clutching the gemstone close to her chest, Quinn looked up at Lottie with streaming eyes.
"Y- You... wanna marry me?" she breathed in disbelief.
Lottie, with her hands squeezed together in front of her, nodded emphatically.
"I... I never thought... I never thought you'd feel the same way, Lottie," she murmured, rubbing her eyes.
Cobalt clenched his fists. Come on Quinn, you could do it...!
"I've always thought you were just the cutest damn thing I ever set my eyes on. Every day that passed by, I only felt more sure that I liked you, but I just... didn't wanna ruin what we had. I didn't wanna scare you off..." the Imp said, gazing deep into the stone.
Reaching over, Lottie held her cheek and tipped her face up. She tenderly wiped her tears away.
"I'm not scared of you, Quinny. Because I love you," she said simply.
The Imp stumbled, her legs giving out for a brief second.
"I- I love you too, Lottie..."
Swallowing hard, she shut her eyes for a second and nodded, a great big smile breaking out across her face.
"Yes... Yes, I'll marry you!"
A humongous roar arose throughout the congregation as every Sunmos monk rose to their feet and cheered at the top of their lungs, pumping their fists into the air as their Rotainmos' marriage proposal was accepted. Cobalt couldn't stop himself from cheering alongside them; his heart was swelling with pride, and he felt tears welling in his own eyes. The stress and worry of the past few weeks melted away, making him forget his pain as the beauty of the moment washed over him.
"YAAAY~!" screamed Lottie, sweeping Quinn up into her arms.
Spinning her wife-to-be around, she lifted her up and hugged her close.
"So we can be wife and wife?!" she asked excitedly.
"Yes!" Quinn replied, just excitedly.
"And we can live together?!"
"Of course!"
"And we can have a house and a garden and a dog?!"
"If we can afford it!"
"I LOVE YOU QUINNY~!"
Pulling the Imp close, Lottie kissed her passionately. She was clumsy and overexcited, but Quinn just melted in her arms, wrapping her arms around her shoulder as the liplock drew on. The entire Sunmos Sect went wild, rejoicing as their beloved Rotainmos found love. Lottie's parents embraced, her aunt failed to dry her bawling eyes, and over to the side of the arena, Cobalt smiled and quietly applauded his students.
This was nice.
He was glad he came.
"... All that, for this?" Lilith asked.
"Yes. And I think it's worth it," Cobalt said quietly, watching on as Lottie paraded her wife-to-be around the arena.
"You lower demons really care about this sappy shit, huh?"
"And what if we do?"
"... I didn't mean that as an insult, kid."
He pulled a face. Now that was certainly unexpected.
"Mista Traya, Mista Traya!" cried Lottie, still carrying Quinn as she rushed over to her teacher.
The Incubus grinned and bowed his head.
"Congratulations, you two," he said, looked at them both in turn.
"Ah fuck, you don't gotta rub it in, blood brother," Quinn scoffed, trying and failing to hide the great big smile on her face.
"Thank you!" Lottie laughed.
"You're more than welcome Lottie. Had I known you intended to propose to Quinn, I would have been a little more patient on the journey," he said, scratching the back of his head.
She cocked her head.
"Probable?" Lottie asked, setting Quinn down beside her.
"Proposal. You said you wanted to marry Quinn, right?"
"But we're already married now!"
"W- Wait, just like that?"
An uproarious laugh directed all of their gazes to the left. With their arms folded within the sleeves of their robes, Lottie's parents approached, their eyes filled with pride.
"Sunmos weddings are quick and simple affairs, Mr. Traya! The receptions, on the other hand..." Mr. Deyeyr laughed, unfolding his arms.
He grabbed the Incubus' shoulder.
"... are something else entirely. Are you ready to celebrate Charlotte's union?"
Cobalt glanced over his students. Lottie was gazing lovingly at Quinn, who was holding her hand tightly. The pair were practically vibrating with excitement. With a sigh, he looked back at the Golem and smiled.
"Of course!"