It’s always fucking something. If it’s not Wraiths, it's Tarasks, if it’s not Tarasks it’s Adriel, if it’s not Adriel is his weird little groupies. Thankfully it’s none of them today, but it is a whole load of heretics decked out in mercenary styles clothing and weapons.
The OCS was still running strong, protecting the halo and protecting society from harm, they felt good with Mother Superion in charge, they felt like they were making a change. Although right now, Ava didn’t feel good. A swarm of heretics storming sacred grounds and killing innocents who dared try and protect the place they were most at home.
Ava still wasn’t religious… I mean she wasn’t religious in the normal sense, she had to suspend her beliefs in some areas, y’know, due to the whole holy relic in her back and meeting a God, but that’s neither here nor there. Despite not being religious, she knew what it meant to have something so valuable that losing it, losing your religion, is synonymous to losing your life. Believe her, she really knew what it felt like. So, regardless of how tired she was feeling, the gold band that wrapped around her finger on her left hand told her she needed to keep fighting for these people. But man, was it hard. It was only a handful of the OCS, compared to the 50 or however many heretics.
Ava’s attention was caught as Camila got slammed into the ground by one especially large man and she quickly ran toward him, leaping as she wrapped her legs around his neck, twisting her body and bringing him to the ground. No time to breathe. She was up immediately. Blocking a punch from her left, ducking underneath grabbing arms and using bodies as shields from gunfire and knives alike. Lilith was ahead of her, ripping and tearing her way through, Dora not far behind. Yasmine was in the back, her training had come far, these men had no chance against her. A few other sisters were scattered around, holding their own, but every now and then calling for the halo bearer.
The heretic crowd began to get thinner, and Ava thought she could finally breathe soon, but that was before she saw the red trail of smoke that was surrounding a group. “Fuck.”
“Ava! Phase!” Ah, Ava knew that voice well, Ava trusted that voice more than she trusted herself, and so she did, a knife travelling through the spot her physical body just was. The knife hit one of the men in the arm, and Bea appeared by her shoulder, breathing heavily. “How are you doing?”
“Enough about me, you come here often?” Ava said, smirking.
“Now really isn’t the time to flirt,” Bea said.
“Sorry, just slipped out of me, can’t help it when you look so good in chain mail.”
“Ava.”
“Okay, enough. Got it, but whilst you’re here, they’re possessed.”
“Okay, how do you want to do this?”
Before Ava could respond, and her response would’ve been a shoulder shrug, because even now she still didn’t know what she was doing, but Ava likes to think that’s why she’s so good at it; improvisation and good vibes, a loud blast came from behind the group of Wraiths. Bea flinched from the noise and Ava instinctively moved to cover Bea’s ears in the hopes it would dampen the loud noise. It came again and one of the men fell to the ground, allowing Bea and Ava to see what was causing the blast.
Ava’s mouth fell open and Bea was frozen to the spot, both too in shock to react to the man coming up from behind them and taking out Bea’s legs so quickly that her head slammed against the floor. That was all it took for Ava to jump into action, and the anger she felt roared the halo to life, giving her the strength to take down the man even quicker than he took down Bea.
“Ava,” Bea said, getting up from the floor, “Go help with the Wraiths.” Ava hesitated leaving Bea. “Now!”
She sprinted to the Wraiths, unsheathing her sword and driving it into the shadowy red of one of them.
“Hey babygirl,” the voice said next to her.
“Mary, what the fuck?” Ava all but screamed at her as her sword buried into another Wraith. “I’m gonna hug you so fucking hard when we’ve killed these fuckers and then I’m going to hit you!”
Mary grunted as she dodged a hit from another possessed man before pushing him into Ava who was ready with the sword.
“Shut up, you won’t lay a hand on me,” Mary laughed.
“I’ve actually gotten really good and this halo stuff now.”
Mary laughed at Ava again, not that she’d say it out loud, but she’d missed the girl. A long time of laying low and getting back to Spain on less than safe boats would do that to a girl. She watched Ava as she fought off multiple men at a time, barely using the power of the halo, and had to admit to herself, maybe she wouldn’t win at hand to hand combat with the girl.
It was as Mary was watching Ava take down the last of the men, some blood running down the side of her face, that the gold band that led on her finger caught her eye. “Damn,” Mary said, as Ava was placing her sword back into its holder, “who was stupid enough to marry you?”
Ava grinned at Mary as Beatrice walked through the two of them to retrieve one of her knives that was still in the arm of a downed man. “Well, now I feel offended,” she muttered, bending over and wiggling the knife out.
Mary’s mouth dropped open. “Hold the fuck up.”
Ava walked to Bea and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’m the fuck up, Bea you gotta hold me now.”
Bea rolled her eyes before wrapping Ava in a hug and gently placing a kiss on her forehead, “At least you’re my eff up.”
“Married a woman but you still can’t swear, Bea?” Mary said, and here she thought her coming back was going to be the most shocking thing of the day.
Bea released Ava before turning to Mary and taking her in a hug, burying her face into Mary’s shoulder. Mary didn’t make another comment then, she just hugged Bea back and fought off her own tears as she felt her friend around her. It didn’t take long for Ava to join the hug, making the other two laugh.
“We have a whole lot of shit to talk about then?” Mary said.
“I’ll start with mine and Bea’s vigorous sex life!”
“Ava!” “NO!” Bea and Mary shouted at the same time, reducing Ava into a puddle of laughter.
Yeah, it felt good. Really good.