Girls just wanna have fun

The weekend couldn't have come sooner. While it took a lot of begging from Alice, Beatrice finally agreed to let both of the girls go to Veronica. Even if it would be better for the half-angel to stay at home and let wounds heal up properly, the blonde-haired angel really couldn’t say no to Alice’s puppy-dog eyes. All these years, and they still work on her. Of course, should a demon appear, if she would be able, Lilim is the only one to deal with it. Otherwise, either she or a free unit will take action. Alice, by any means, is not allowed to participate in any combat, and the succubus’s task is to make sure that she will keep her word. And with all of the chewing out they both received from Beatrice, Lilim made sure to do everything in her power to carry out the mission with success. Complete with a salute she gave Beatrice as they left the apartment.

Alice, dressed in her yellow cardigan, and Lilim, in her white dress, were now standing at the doorstep of the dormitory, waiting for Veronica to open the doors. Both girls heard the brunette argue with someone through the closed doors, and soon after, Veronica came down, looking rather annoyed but quickly turning to shock as she saw the half-angel.

"What happened to you?"

"Ah, you mean this? The ginger pointed at the bandage that she had wrapped around her forehead. "I might have been a little too reckless on my last mission." Alice thought that adding that the part where she was flung through the pole was better kept a secret.

"A little, huh? Nevermind, come on in. I hope you won’t mind a slight mess." Both girls shook their heads. How bad could it be, anyway? Handing over the bag with snacks that Alice bought on their way towards the dormitory, they followed Veronica to her room. Opening the doors wasn’t what they would call a ‘slight’ mess. Clothes of all sizes and colors were on the floor, burned and cracked in half mannequin stood in the corner, and in the middle of it all was the orange-haired witch in her dark green shirt but lacking her usual dark blue cape.

"Eve you mole rat, I’ll genuinely strangle you if you won’t clean this up!"

"Then give me back my cape!"

"No, ‘cause you can’t behave." Bewildered, both girls just stood at the entrance, not really knowing how to react or what exactly was going on.

"Should we even ask or..." Lilim tried to make sense of the current situation. Just how did the mannequin end up in half, let alone burned? Veronica, for an answer, simply pointed at the burned remains.

"Guess who tried to practice a new spell and failed."

"Hey, I just wanted something in case I would have to defend us. And your mannequin was the only sensible target... Served it right anyway; it was creepy." Eve muttered the last part while trying to make a sensible excuse.

"Then practice on cans or anything. In any case, Al, wouldn't you mind if I borrowed your succubus for a while? I need to get some measurements down, and while she isn't in the exact same posture as the mannequin, it is rather close. That’s the least I can do now while my new one is being shipped."

"I guess I can, but so you know, I am not stripping down. I need to keep some purity for Alice."

"Pardon?" Questioned the confused half-angel. She didn’t even want to think about what succubus could have implied by that.

"Nothing."

"Great, so come over here. I’ll take a minute." Veronica went to grab a tailor’s tape from her drawer, along with a pencil and a spare piece of paper. Alice, in the meantime, made herself comfortable on the rather small but well-kept bed, which had most of its space occupied by quite big gray and brown cushions. Eve, on the other hand, was putting the clothes back into the closet but not giving up on the search for her cape. Brunette wrapped the tape around succubus's bust.

"You know, you are rather thin for someone of your height." Veronica commenced as she moved the tape down to the demon's waist. Seeing how Lilim was standing at a good 5’10, if not slightly more, she wouldn’t expect her to be this thin. Sixty-two centimeters in the waist is less than she would have said.

"Having to constantly fight against demons will do that to you."

"I can only imagine." The brunette got everything she wanted and placed the paper on her desk. "I have to say, you are quite an obedient mannequin. I might end up borrowing you more, even if it's just to see how my dresses look on someone. Eve is rather uncooperative, if you will."

"No can do. Lilim's mine succubus; find your own."

"You heard the cinnamon roll; as her prince, I can’t argue with her."

"Is that jealousy I hear? My, Al, your prince really has changed you. Here it is!" Eve screamed with bliss as she pulled out the lengthy, dark blue cape from the closet and immediately put it on herself.

"To think you already have pet names for each other. If this keeps up, by next year we will attend your wedding. What do you think, Eve? Eve?" The little witch paid no mind to either of the blushing girls or her housemate. She was too busy enjoying the comfort of the cape. At this point, she didn’t care about anything else in the world.

"I swear you are just like a kid sometimes. Oh, that reminds me. Julie texted me that she might be late. Something about a bus not cruising at weekends."

"Probably too busy spending time with her boyfriend." Eve mumbled out, still in a land of luxury that encompassed her body, as the velvet piece of clothing found its place on her back.

"Wait, she has one?" Alice asked with genuine curiosity in her voice. She wouldn’t have expected that Julie, of all people, would find someone. When asked about it, she always replied that she was too busy with her schedule and training. The half-angel knew that becoming an athlete required sacrifices, and not having time for love might have been one of them. But it was nice that, in the middle of it all, she managed to find someone.

"Yeah, apparently they met at the gym. Shocking, I know. That leaves me and V out of our group without anyone... Ver-"

"Not interested." The brunette quickly shot the witch down. "Honestly, I pity your future husband, incubus or not; they are going to have a hard time with you."

"Come one, I am not that bad, am I?" She was met with complete silence. "Screw you guys; I’m going back to my chamber." Eve pretended to be offended and made her way towards the doors.

"Chamber, right. At least open a window there. I don’t know if something died in your room, but it’s awful."

"Those are my candles!" Afterwards, she left for her ‘chamber’, leaving Veronica alone with her guests.

"You see what I have to deal with on a daily basis?"

"Yeah, and as stubborn as Alice might be, I wouldn't trade places with you."

"Hey, I’m not stubborn... Okay, maybe a little."

"If only a little."

"I guess gingers have it in their blood to be troublesome."

"You know, you might be onto something." Lilim had to agree with Veronica. Granted that she knew only two gingers and only one rather well, from what she had seen and experienced, it seemed to be the case. She could also count the third one.

"Geez, you get flung through a utility pole once, and nobody can ever cut you some slack." Alice said as if it were a simple matter of fact that happens to everyone, but quickly clasped her hand over her mouth once she noticed the rather concerned but mostly shocked expression on the brunette's face.

"I’m sorry, but what happened to you?" If that’s what the green-eyed girl meant by being a 'little' careless, she could only dread what would be a not-so-little one.

"And that’s what I have to deal with every day." Lilim chipped in. "The fact that my hair isn’t gray yet is some sort of divine providence."

Before Veronica could ask any further questions, Eve made her way back to the room, now with a game console in her hands and a bunch of games stacked on top of it. And that’s not mentioning the snacks and bottles of soda that she also decided to take from the kitchen. The cables from the console dangled rather dangerously close to her feet; hence, she had to make tiny steps and balance her entire cargo that just barely did not obscure her vision.

"Could somebody help a pretty girl in need?" Lilim, being the closest to the little witch right now, took a bunch of stuff from her, and the smaller ginger could plug the console into the small TV that Veronica had on the oak entertainment center that occupied most of her room. All of the shelves were occupied by sewing kits, spare pieces of materials that apparently had no space for them anywhere else, a bunch of framed photos, and a few little porcelain figures. Now that Lilim had taken a better look at the brunette’s room, she saw just how serious it looked. While pretty and, for the most part, well kept, save for the occupied shelves and the burnt mannequin, it had none of the charm that Alice’s room had. Perhaps it was the matter of the dull orange walls or simply because it wasn’t half-angel's.

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"I thought you would stay in your chamber. Did you remember to open the window?"

"Yes mom. And it’s not like I can play my games alone. I mean, I can, but it isn’t fun." Eve replied as she booted up the console and handed the succubus one of two pads. "Do you know how to play a fighting game?"

"Do I look like it?" Despite wandering around the world for quite some time already, Lilim couldn’t say that she participated much, if any, in any of humanity’s entertainment. And it’s not like she had any reason not to; she just didn’t feel the need. That, plus her being a demon, might have slightly complicated things.

"Then I’ll have to teach you, but I warn you, I’m quite a stern teacher. Veronica can confirm that."

"Just mash one button. It always works wonders for me."The half-angel tried to give the succubus a little tip, but the disappointed look on the witch’s face made Lilim question if that’s someone she should listen to.

"Alice, you can’t even win a single round."

"Not yet, but I’m working on that. I tell you, this time I’ll do it."

"Anyway, listen to what I have to tell you; otherwise, you will end up like Al and Ver." The brunette wanted to say something about Eve’s comment, but a knock on the door interrupted her. It must have been Julie. Not long after, a blonde head popped into the door frame.

"Yo. Oh, I see I’m last." Julie took off the blue sport bag from her shoulder and put it right next to the half-angel, and just like the orange-haired girl, she made herself comfortable on the bed. She opened the bag and pulled out a bunch of beer cans and two slasher movies whose boxes seemed to be straight from the 90s, as the covers had been rather worn out. "Do you have a spare place in the fridge? I’d like to put those in there for a little longer." She took half of the cans, while Veronica went for another half. They should be able to fit most of them, and if not, they can always drink whatever remains.

"Beer? Just make sure that Al doesn’t get too drunk. Otherwise, mama bear won’t let us go anywhere anymore." Lilim said as she was now thinking about which character to choose. The warrior lady with a katana seemed like a promising option.

"Mama bear?" While Veronica and Eve suspected who Lilim had in mind, Julie, on the other hand, knew no one who could fit the description.

"Beatrice, she gave us a whole scolding once we returned from the last mission. Alice got it for not listening to her and getting hurt, and I got it because I had not stopped her."

"That does sound like her." Veronica commented. Granted, she didn’t know Beatrice all that well, even after all of those years, but she knew just how overprotective she could get over Alice. At the very least, no one had to worry that she would get hurt on missions when she was younger. The brunette remembered, to this day, how shocked she was when she saw the half-angel’s scars for the first time. While not many, the red lines stood out on her stomach and back. And to think this was with Beatrice keeping an eye on her. Alice was more troublesome than she herself was aware.

"And I thought my ma was strict. But then again, I don’t get into much trouble, like I heard happens to you." Both Lilim and Veronica nodded. She couldn’t go on a single mission without getting hurt. "Still a mama bear? I pity those who would break your heart."

"I’m sure Lilim won’t do it, right?" In response, the green-eyed girl was met with smiles from the remaining girls and an ‘oooh’ coming from Julie, along with a gently blushing Lilim. She thought that they knew about them being together. Right, she didn’t text any of them about it. The whole situation with Adramelech threw her off, and then there wasn’t much time, and she forgot about it.

"So you are together, huh? Now I guess only our two loners are left without anyone."

"I mean, if Veronica didn’t shoot me down..."

"I’m already taking care of you enough as it is. I don’t need another layer of responsibilities on top of it."

"You know, you are right. Besides, there is a pretty incubus waiting for me somewhere anyway." Her response was met with a collective groan. She wasn’t letting that idea die, no matter what. After all of the snacks were put into bowls and all of the drinks were cold enough, the ‘party’ could properly start. The girls were laughing, joking, sharing stories, and filling each other in on what had happened in their lives until now. And while Lilim didn’t have much to say other than mentioning the missions she and Alice were on, the succubus couldn’t help but smile, seeing just how cheerful the half-angel was with other girls. It put her at ease that even despite everything that was going on lately, she could still laugh. The smile that was going from cheek to cheek was a genuine one, as Lilim could tell, and it caused the blue-eyed demon to smile as well. She was glad that there were people who allowed Alice to remember that she too was an ordinary teenage girl who didn’t have to worry about protecting an entire town. Or pretend so at the very least.

As the time went on, cans and bottles stacked up on the desk, bags of chips filled the trash can, and Eve remained an unbeatable champion of the fighting game she brought. Veronica decided that it was time for her to take a break for a smoke. Seeing how Alice was busy trying not to lose the final round, Lilim thought to keep the brunette company. She needed to straighten her legs anyway, and while she wasn’t sure, it seemed like Veronica wanted to speak with her with two eyes.

Leaning against the gate and enjoying the evening breeze Veronica pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, took one into her mouth, and proposed one to the black-haired demon, who immediately refused the offer. While it wouldn’t cause her any harm, she never liked the smell of smoke to begin with. And if Beatrice got to know that she smoked, she would hear about it to no end.

"I can’t wrap my head around why you all love this so much; it doesn’t even smell nice."

"One excuse is that it helps with stress. As for me, I started three years ago, and it became a habit of mine". She took a puff of her cigarette and exhaled grayish smoke. "I try not to smoke around Eve; she really doesn’t like it. We might argue about it from time to time, but I think I should be glad that she does so. At least she is worried about me."

"If she is worried, that means she cares about you. And maybe you should listen to her. I can’t imagine it being good for your health."

"Cares, huh? Just like you about Al?" Lilim gained a slight pinkish tint on her cheeks and sent her gaze towards the dormitory’s wall. "Maybe I should, but it isn’t so easy to quit. The best I can do is not smoke as often. Say, I’ve been meaning to ask, are you and Al a thing? A serious one, I mean." Succubus went silent for a while. That was one thing that she herself wasn’t sure of. Alice was dear to her; that much was clear, but was it anything serious? Hell if she knew.

"I guess you could say so... I might try to keep both of us at a slight distance so neither gets too engaged and then hurt. I assume I’m Al’s first, and I just don’t want to leave her scarred. And please don’t tell her that, but I’m worried that she thinks nothing of me as a crush and that this feeling might soon vanish."

"If you are worrying about that of all things, then I can say that you are being rather serious about it, even if you yourself don’t notice it. And for the second worry, from the text I got from Al, she seems to be rather serious too."

"Really? Although I can’t be surprised. She asked me out after all."

"So this time the princess got the prince, eh? And frankly speaking, I think it is a good thing that both of you are taking things slowly. Al might be a half-angel and whatnot, but in terms of love, she is rather inexperienced."

"Let’s just say that I don’t want to repeat past mistakes."

"If you think of them as mistakes, then that means that you acknowledged them and learned from them, right? If so, then I don’t think you will commit the same mistakes twice."

"Let’s hope that this will be the case. How about we go back? It’s kind of chilly out here."

"Sure, I’m done anyway." Veronica extinguished the leftovers of the cigarette, and both girls made their way back to the room. Opening the doors, they had not expected to see the ginger-haired half-angel chugging down what seemed to be her second can of beer, much to the encouragement coming from Eve and Julie. Lilim sighed. Beatrice better not be home today.

"Ah! The pretty ladies are here!" Alice exclaimed, stopping herself from grabbing a third can, and insisted on the succubus sitting close to her.

"Seriously? You know Al can’t handle any sort of alcohol." Veronica sounded rather disappointed. She hoped that Julie would be the voice of reason between them, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

"Come on, let the girl have some fun. Besides, it’s only two. Even she can’t get drunk on those."

"Maybe not, but she is already tipsy. Lilim, don’t give her anything more, as I won’t clean after her or anyone else for that matter." Veronica sent a glare at Eve.

"It was one time, ‘kay?"

"And the whole carpet was beyond saving."

"Geez, you two argue like an old married couple." Alice laid down, resting her head on Lilim’s laps. Even through the fabric of her white dress, she could feel the fluffiness of those orange locks. "Me and Li won’t end up like that, right?"

"I hope not. And Li? Seriously? That’s the best you got?"

"I've got to match your Al somehow. And it sounds pretty.'' The half-angel shot the succubus a toothy grin and started playing with her black hair. Lilim couldn’t help but smile herself. To see Alice laugh despite everything. It put her at ease. Succubus started to delicately caress the orange locks before a cough from Veronica broke the spell.

"Get a room, you two." While Alice didn’t seem to mind the attention, Lilim faced away, feeling her face become hot. Why was she being embarrassed? Was it because of the eyes that were now focused on her and the half-angel? Or was it because Alice had not stopped playing with her hair?

The party went on for a few more hours, and when the clock hit half past ten, Alice and Lilim both had enough fun for today and decided to make their leave. They were the only ones to do it, as Julie would stay for the night, catching a bus to her hometown the next day. They left just as they were about to watch a horror movie. Now, going back home, the succubus gave the green-eyed girl a piggyback. Alice had not minded that; in fact, she was blissfully keeping her buried in the black sea that was Lilim’s hair.

"You smell really nice, you know?" Great, she was still tipsy. It would probably take another hour or two for her to completely sober up. Though she did not mind being showered in praise, as the half-angel has been doing for the last few hours, if only they weren’t for everyone to hear.

"I know; you told me this third time."

"I did? Sorry, I keep forgetting because I keep getting lost in your mesmerizing eyes." Alice snuggled closer, accidentally ticking her in the back of her neck, earning a surprised yelp from the demon. And now people were staring. Just great.

"That’s my line." Lilim answered, trying to get her composure back. Why was she so jumpy? She didn’t drink, and even if she did, it would take literal gallons to make her tipsy. She suspected that her talk with Veronica might have been at fault.

"Hey." Alice’s voice sounded more serious than before. It seemed like whatever was on her mind now was much more important than complimenting her look. "Thanks for today." Lilim was slightly dumbfounded by that. Why was Al thanking her, of all people?

"Don’t thank me; thank Veronica. We could have a fun day only because of her."

"Maybe. But for me, the day was fun because you were with me. It doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy their company. It’s just that it was better because of you." Alice tightened the embrace around the demon, who smiled upon hearing that.

"Say more stuff like that, and you might earn yourself a kiss today." Succubus muttered, hoping that the half-angel wouldn’t hear that, but to her dismay, it was the opposite.

"Really?!" Alice sprang back from the black hair with such force that she nearly made both her and Lilim fall to the ground. Keeping her balance still, the blue-eyed demon didn’t even need to face away to see those green eyes glister like stars.

"Yes, really. Now just sit still." With that, the rest of the way home passed rather calmly, and as Lilim made her way onto their floor, Alice had already dozed off on her back. Oh well, she will have to get her kiss tomorrow.