"Should we follow?"

"I...I don't know..."
The decision was made for them as Diah reentered the room, his face expressionless. "They're reassigning me," he said quietly. "They've decided I've gotten too...emotionally involved."
Carol's eyes widened in shocked terror. "What? The...they can't do that!"
"Yes they can, Carol, and they just did."

"Reassining you?" He laughed, "What, are they going to come down and drag you away? Do you really think another angel could do better than you? By being emotionally involved you care for her more, in which case it's reasonable to assume you'll take better care of her." He took the letter, bursting it into flames. "And there, letter intercepted. You never got it in the first place. They can consider you my captive, I won't even be here for them to hunt down, assuming they could breech hell's walls."

"Jin..." He sighed. "I really don't think I can do this, and it's not just because of heaven's orders." He glanced at Carol, who looked somewhat confused.
"Sure you can," she said, taking his hand. "I don't want another angel."
He pulled his gaze from hers to Jin. "I would think that you, of all people, would have wanted me gone."

"Oh sure, I just love bossy higher ups from the higher up invading my home. You at least are somewhat tolerable." Jin said with a small sigh.

"I could volunteer to be her guardian. I'm already her instructor, and impartial." Isaac said as he finally freed himself from Sue and joined them.

"They wouldn't let you," Diah muttered, stroking Carol's hair. "You're a fighter. There's all these rules you have to follow as a guardian...Of course, I broke the main one."
"What's that?" Carol asked curiously, wrapping her arms around him.
"Nothing, don't worry about it." He sighed and looked at Jin, his expression pained. "I don't know what to do..."
"Staaaay."

"Diah, I'm not going to be here to take care of her." Jin reminded him, "Isaac is helpful, but not enough." Jin wouldn't admit any partiality for Diah, but he knew Carol would be crushed without him. Although that only irritated him more...

He thought for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, I'll stay..."
"Yay!" Carol grinned, then looked to Jin. "Now you stay, too. Just tonight, please?"

"Alright, alright." Jin gave in. "Diah, I think you'd better find Anette." He added.

"As if she'll talk to me." He gently pushed Carol away and headed out into the hall, softly calling Annet's name.

"Thank you," she smiled, taking his hand.

Anette didn't respond but her metallic sounds could be heard from a room at the end of the hall.

"No problem..." He said with a sigh.

Diah followed the sounds, poking his head in. "Annet?"

She furrowed her brow. "Sooo...I'm really unclear as to how these demon relationships go. Am I your girlfriend now or what?"

Anette looked up at him, "Yes?" She asked, as she turned away again, her words curt.

"By demon standards no, we aren't sleeping together. Then again, demon standards aren't worth much. Call it what you want..."

"I'm sorry for...storming out on you." He wasn't really sure what else he was supposed to say, so he stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Wait, so you guys up the relationship status by physical contact, and emotional intimacy has nothing to do with that? That's weird." Tilting her head slightly and cuddling up to him, she asked, "What do you want to call it?"

"What about the little part about being manhandled and abandoned in a chair with no way to get back to my only form of mobility?" She cast him a glare, "There's a reason I was so hesitant to leave it. Now please, get out." She said, turning her back on him again.

"Do we have to call it anything? It shouldn't even -be- anything." He said, his voice pained.

"...If you don't want to, then okay." She straightened, pulling away from him slightly. The idea of them not being "officially" involved bothered her; if they weren't a couple, she really shouldn't be kissing and cuddling him.

He sighed. "Look, I really am sorry, okay? I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to get out of there."

"It's not that I don't want to, I can't." He tried t explain.

"Jealousy's a sin you know, although I think falling for the one you're protecting is considered a worse offense."

She frowned. "If no one else knew but us, why would it matter?"

"I know that. And technically, I'm not Carol's guardian anymore." His eyes narrowed, his gaze falling to the floor. "They sent a letter telling me I've been reassigned. Jin insisted I stay-as did Carol-so I will, but by heaven's law, I am no longer her official guardian."

"Alright, but nothing physical, alright?"

"Then you are free to love her, will you try and steal her from Jin?" Anette asked, clearly amused.

"Why would I do that?" He asked, his annoyance with her growing. "She's-ugh-happy with him, for now. And, for now, I will continue to act as her guardian."

"Duh. You think I'd let you get farther than you already have?"

"Typical angel." The mechanics whirred, "Just as well, Jin wouldn't let you live long if he thought you were a threat.

"You might have."

She rolled her eyes. "You want to sleep with me, you marry me. Those are my rules, and I'm not breaking them for anyone."

"And if he did that, he'd lose Carol's trust."

"Right... I bet you never planned to make deals with devils either."

"True, but he'd find a way around it."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's different."

"If he's so deceitful as to go behind her back, should he really be trusted with her?"

"It wouldn't be behind her back, he'd just find some rational reason to send you far far away or something."

"Diah's taking his dear sweet time... Shall we head to bed?"