Mads didn't know what that meant, or what to even do with that information. Marley didn't know either, but she was much more comfortable with ignoring it and turning to Mads instead. 

"Mads, are you okay? Do you need to go see someone? I-if you've been attacked and you’re still alive, I mean, you're likely possessed. I would let you in, but I don't have the things to... and you know, I'm a girl living alone here, and..." 

"No, Marley, you don't get it!" Mads tried again, holding the crystal right up to the fly screen. "The demon is in here! Your necklace caught it, and it didn't even touch me. I mean, I fainted a bit, so Cid brought me home, but that's all. There's got to be more to this." 

Marley eventually tore her eyes off Mads to glance down at the crystal in front of her. She stared for a moment, then he saw her eyes widen as the flourish of black smoke burst inside the crystal again. Her mouth fell open. 

"Would you look at that...?" She muttered. 

"I know you said you're a studying witch now," Mads continued. "I remember, you said that at the bar! And I know witches are really good with this kind of thing, so I could really use your help. Are you sure there's nothing else this could be?" 

Marley opened her mouth to reply, but Cid interrupted her this time. "It's all good, Mads. Let's go home." 

Mads and Marley whipped their heads up to look at them, the angel bouncing on their feet and already restless to leave.  

"Mads, I don't..." Marley started. 

"I also... needed to ask what you knew about angels and demons, in general," Mads interjected. 

This seemed to catch both Marley and Cid off guard. Cid's head whipped up to look at them, but Marley just chewed her lip. 

"Demons? Loads. I've got books and books on them, and there's tons on the internet too. I don't think angels are a thing though, Mads..." 

Mads was getting agitated and Cid could sense it. The events of the night seemed to be catching up to him. They reached out to touch his shoulder, but Mads shrugged them off to get closer to the fly screen and hook his fingers into the metal hoops.  

"Okay, but, they are, so. Can you help me find out more about them?" 

"Kid," Cid drawled. "You're getting yourself worked up. We should go, and let Marley get back to sleep." 

Marley shifted her weight when she heard this, and set her tired (and now suspicious) squint on Cid. "I... I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. Who are you? Cid, was it?" She eyed them up and down, frowning at their matching outfits. 

"I'm no one," Cid responded, which was not what Mads was expecting to hear.  

There was no way Mads was going to be able to go back to his bed tonight and sleep this off, not without some kind of explanation or closure for everything that had been revealed to him. He turned back to Marley, desperation in his eyes. 

"Cid is an angel, Marley. He's my angel. It turns out I have this guardian watching over me, and now he's in my house, telling me I've been attacked and you're the only one that can explain it." 

"I told you," Cid snapped, "It's you. We'll talk about this later." Their eyes were suddenly burning, and the hand on Mads' shoulder was gripping him viciously tight. 

Marley sucked in a breath, clearly stressed about the scene in front of her. "Mads... I'm sorry, but I don't..." 

Cid's eyes flickered to look at her, then they let out a heavy groan as their hand dropped to their side. "Mads. Look what you did. She thinks you're fucking crazy." 

Mads took a moment to look at himself, what he was doing, and what he was saying. Realisation hit him like a train, and unlatched his fingers from Marley's fly screen to take a step back. "I-I'm so sorry. I've probably scared the crap out of you," he said quickly, head down and hands clenched into fists in his pockets.  

Marley didn't respond, but offered an awkward, unsettled smile. She definitely thought he was delusional. 

"You're right," Mads said to Cid. "Let's go." 

He turned to walk away from Marley's door, but he was stopped by Cid's outstretched arm.  

"You fucking idiot," Cid muttered, eyes fallen shut. 

Mads tensed and stepped backwards from his angel. He felt like he could fold in on himself – he wished he would. But he was stuck there in reality, on Marley's front step, underneath the buzzing mosquito lamp above them and the concerned stare of his old friend. 

"You need friends, Mads," Cid said just quietly enough for him to hear. "And I have a feeling you're going to need this witch's help soon too." 

Mads stood awkwardly aside as Cid stepped up to the door. They turned back to him one last time, snapping, "This is the only time I'm doing this," before turning back to Marley. 

"H-Hi," she muttered. 

"Hi," Cid responded. "He's right. I'm a guardian angel. We're real, and very secret, and I need you to keep quiet about that. I also need you to know that he's not drunk, or delusional, and he's definitely not dangerous." 

Marley took a deep breath in and blew it out through pursed lips. "I-I'm going to bed." 

"Ah--" Cid interjected. "If you'll stay for just a minute longer, and please remain calm." 

Mads looked on with wide eyes as Cid's height crept up and their angelic form seeped out of them. Marley stumbled back out of surprise, but otherwise held her ground and took in the great sight before her. 

She drank in every inch of Micidia, who stood crouched over her door, bent awkwardly so she could see into each of their too-many eyes. They lifted a hand to the fly screen and lay it flat so the eye in their palm was looking right at her. It blinked and she dropped her gaze to it. 

Mads was not expecting her to move forward, closer to the fly screen. He was not expecting her to reach out after a long pause, and unlatch the lock. 

"C-Cid! Did you make her do that?!" 

Cid huffed out a little laugh, then ducked their head down to fit through the doorway. "'Course not. Can't mess with free will. Clearly Marley just has great taste in supernatural phenomena." 

Mads hurried inside after them, and Marley shut the door after him. 

"Holy shit," she finally offered, eyes still glued to Cid, all the way up to their sharp jaw and the crooked mouth beneath it. "Holy shit, you weren't kidding. I've never seen anything like it." 

"You're way cooler than Mads," Cid offered, then lifted a hand to run their fingers through their white blond curls. They kept that part of their human outfit on, they liked it. "But I'm not going to do this again. Not very safe." 

Marley nodded silently, eyes still wide and transfixed on the angel as they shrunk back down into their short human stature. 

As soon as Micidia was back in their five-six prison, they whipped around and smacked the butt of their fist against Mads' chest. "Why would you tell someone about your angel, you fucking moron! What is wrong with you?!" 

Marley briskly walked past them to her little kitchen, where she grabbed her electric tea kettle and sat it down under the tap in the sink. "I don't think I'll be sleeping. Coffee?" 

"Sure," Mads responded, rubbing his chest where Cid had so rudely hit him. "I doubt I will be either. I want to know what the hell Cid is on about." 

"You’re sure you want to do this here?" Cid asked him, eyebrows raised and skeptical. Mads nodded confidently, so Cid turned to Marley. "Make it three."