61

Indra appeared back in his domain with a crack of thunder. He was fuming because of his recruitment failure, but kept any trace of that anger off his face. He had been around for long enough to know what the pair of cultivators really meant when they said they would think about his offer.

"Should have just sent the monkey," Indra muttered to himself. "Didn't make a good first impression? Like hell, dude! Somehow, this is that naive little dove's fault. She probably charmed the kid without even realizing it!"

The advantage of having a cultivator owe you or work for you could not be understated. They were some of the most versatile supernatural beings around and, if you were lucky, some of them had the potential to eventually rival gods. They were like devils, only most cultivators didn't have the societal support framework that the devil race had. They usually stood alone or with a small sect, which made them prime poaching material for a god like Indra.

They also tended to honor their agreements. Indra didn't get the whole concept of 'face', but it was damn useful if you wanted to milk a cultivator for all they were worth before they became too powerful to control. So even a single cultivator was a worthy investment for Indra. And to have two cultivators owe you a favor? When put that way, it became obvious why Indra had personally visited Onari and Yu Wu.

"Wukong!" Indra roared as he plopped himself down on the throne carved into the very peak of his domain.

"Welcome back, Lord Indra," Sun Wukong greeted, materializing out of the background. "How was your offer received?"

Indra grunted, "Hngh… Why didn't you tell me they weren't like normal cultivators?"

Sun Wukong chuckled, "You didn't ask, my lord."

"'Don't want to fight a god' my divine ass… If it was you in your prime, you wouldn't have been able to accept the offer fast enough."

"Surely you jest. I would not even have needed an offer. Even I cannot remember how many deities I tussled with in my youth!"

"Ugh," Indra groaned, "why couldn't they couldn't they have just been good little battle-junkies?"

Sun Wukong nodded sagely, "Indeed, my lord."

"You've been watching this kid for a while. Any ideas for swaying him to our side?"

"Hmm… I am positive he would not respond well to open threats… In fact, any advances you make will have to be subtle. If the boy's mother finds out you are making a play for him -- and she will -- she will tell Amaterasu. My suggestion would be to try and get on his good side."

Indra thought for a moment before he spoke, "... He seemed pretty taken with that bird, Gabriel. Maybe a honeypot is the way to go…"

Onari whistled as he and Yu Wu took in the beauty of the Sixth Layer of Heaven, "Swanky~"

Gabriel blushed and smiled, "I'm glad you like it! It's been a bit empty lately, but it's still home."

Pure white clouds stretched as far as the eye could see. Rays of Holy Light peeked through the cloud cover in various places, illuminating the space with a warm glow. Behind the trio, a grand golden gate stretched into the sky.

The seemingly endless expanse of clouds was actually something of an optical illusion. Subtle dimensional barriers partitioned this layer of Heaven into 11 sections, one for each of the Ten Seraphs and one as a communal space. As Gabriel led them to her personal space, Onari and Yu Wu were slightly taken aback by the amount of trust the Archangel was showing them.

Gabriel's personal space was like an extension of her personality. Other than the mountains of paperwork on the table made of clouds, the 'room' was kept neat and tidy. Most things were made of white clouds, but there were sprinkles of color here and there.

There was only one bed in the 'room'. Onari and Yu Wu glanced at each other, wondering what their sleeping arrangements would be like for the near-future. Gabriel, of course, didn't see any problem with them all sleeping in one bed together. It was just cuddling after all. Her innocence truly was a blessing and a curse.

"A-Are you sure this is okay?" Yu Wu asked.

"Oh, yes, of course! Brother Michael won't mind. He's always telling me to make more friends and live a little."

Internally, Onari was cheering at Gabriel's words, but externally, he tried to keep as calm as possible, "We're already friends?"

Gabriel blinked, "I don't see why we wouldn't be. I promised to keep the two of you out of trouble after all. Isn't that part of what friends do?"

"Oh, I'm definitely not complaining. It's just a bit surreal to be friends with one of God's Archangels."

"Hey!" Gabriel pouted. "We're people too. Just because Father made us like this doesn't mean that our personal relationships are any different than anyone else's."

Onari chuckled and raised his hands to concede defeat, "Of course, Lady Gabriel. I'll do my best to treat you as I would anyone else."

"Well, to start with, you can drop the title. Father gave me my name so people would use it. And calling me 'Lady' feels too formal if we're going to be getting to know each other."

Yu Wu and Onari both smiled at that. Yu Wu puffed herself up in her young mistress persona and replied, "Of course! This young mistress now declares you 'Friend Gabriel'! You may refer to this young mistress as Yu Wu!"

"And you can just call me Onari."

Gabriel's happy smile was bright enough to make the blind see and warm enough to melt the most frozen of hearts, "Wonderful! I must say, this is all still quite new to me. I've been so busy these last few hundred years. Why, if I don't count work, the last time I visited someone I consider friends would be Yasaka and Amaterasu. And that was many years ago…"

Onari blinked, "You know my mother?"

"Mother?" Gabriel asked, tilting her head cutely. "Oh! You're that Onari! What a coincidence! The world really is smaller than it seems."

Gabriel blushed when Onari raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to elaborate, "Ahem… Yes, I know your mother. She and Amaterasu used to invite me over often for… What did they call it? Ah, yes, 'girl's nights'. Since you were born, we have both been too busy to do it regularly, but she does keep in touch."

"I would not think that the two of you would get along…" Onari mused. "Don't get me wrong. You're both great people. But your personalities are very… different."

Gabriel giggled, "Actually, I quite like Yasaka's mischievous personality. She brings a certain energy to a room that I enjoy and she knows when to stop the joke. That last part is something I'm going to have to teach you two."

Yu Wu looked away with a slight blush. Onari rubbed his fox ears and chuckled awkwardly. They both knew she was referring to how their prank over North Korea had gotten a bit out of hand. And the disappointed tone Gabriel's voice took during that last sentence stung more than any physical consequences.

Still, Onari couldn't help but be kind of excited about Gabriel trying to 'set them straight'. The more she tried, the more time he would get to spend with her. And the more chances he had of finding an effective strategy for seducing angels. Also it gave him a good excuse to beg off actually giving Indra an answer to his offer. Though if he was going to be gone for an extended period of time, he should probably inform his mother.

He whipped out his phone to do just that. Maybe he'd be able to convince her to come visit Heaven so Gabriel could see her friend again. And to bring Kunou along. The little fox would absolutely love this place.