tushanshu_logs | I don't Wanna Battle from Beginning to End

As Valdis neared, there was the slightest of flickers in Abaddon's figure - recognition, though it would be hard to perceive it as such. At the very least, the aspect did not consider her a threat.

After a moment, the figure gave a rumbling, rasping noise that might have been laughter. That depends, little fledgling, on the person or creature in question.

Fledgling. Valdis supposed she shouldn't be surprised that an angel with such power would recognize her for what she had once been. She stopped, giving the aspect plenty of room, more out of respect than fear.

"A wise answer," she replied," But I'd expect that from one such as you. Tell me, is that your real face? Or just something you put on for visitors?"

Edited 2017-11-10 16:25 (UTC)

As if in answer, the shape of the figure's head shifted beneath the flames.

I have many faces. What is real and what is not is sometimes merely a matter of perception.

Valdis tipped her head to the side, watching the figure change shape. His answer wasn't particularly helpful, but divine beings rarely were.

"I see."

Perhaps it was time to get down to business.

"Devin has a few concerns over the affects of the Death Plane and how it is affecting you."

Maintaining an air of mystery was as much a performance as a survival technique.

Yes. I am dormant, not deaf, the being elaborated. A sound like the crashing of waves upon rock, and in the space to Valdis' left the shadows solidified into a barrier. Spots along it were obviously thin or cracked. As the Death Plane draws closer to the one you live on, the separation between us diminishes as well.

Valdis arched a brow, suddenly very glad that the Void was seemingly not as privy to her conversations as the death angel was to Devin's. She flinched at the sound, but turned to look at the barrier, evaluating its integrity. If the barrier between her soul and the Void was in such shape, then they would have major problems. Luckily it didn't seem as if the ancient angel was interested in breaking the barrier.

She crossed her arms, continuing to scrutinize the barrier, "What will happen if the barrier breaks?"

Nothing. Everything. Abaddon was probably not being unhelpful on purpose. It is a subtler thing that divides me from my host than what divides this living world from the Death Plane. Supple; more forgiving.

Black flames roved over the barrier, shoring up one section. It was more a representation than a literal depiction of what was happening.

If I were evoked, I would not bring unrestrained destruction.

"More forgiving..." Valdis repeated, turning her gaze to the death angel, looking at him through narrowed eyes as she began to recall Devin's vision.

"Two things," She continued, "Firstly, not bringing 'unrestrained destruction' is not the same as not bringing any at all." Any kind of destruction could be considered a problem. In addition, the Void had been interested for a reason beyond what it had said, but it seemed that she had missed the main point of the vision, until now. "And secondly, what happens to Devin should you be evoked?"

Some things must be destroyed to preserve balance, was all the angel had to say about her first remark. It considered in silence whether to answer her second, black flames swirling and dancing in the darkness.

He will live, and he will change.

"And who decides which things must be destroyed?" she asked, her tone calm, "Who is playing judge and jury? You?"

The executioner part was rather plain, but this death angel was treading into territory Valdis disliked.

"Does Devin have a choice in this?"

The implication was 'no', but she felt she should ask instead of assuming.

The aspect did not appear remotely bothered by Valdis' displeasure with his answers. She would not be the first, nor the last.

You assume much, the angel observed. Death is my domain, and life is my charge.

For the briefest of moments, grief opened on the darkness like a yawning chasm, gone as quickly as it had come. There was so much he could not explain.

It has always been his choice.

"You are not the only one to lay claim to Death's domain, Aspect," Valdis replied, but the grief, gone as quickly as it had appeared, caught her off guard. The beings she spoke of didn't feel grief, though she couldn't help but continue to draw certain comparisons.

"I'd like to believe you, but do those beneath divinity ever truly have a choice?"

You continue to assume meaning where there is none. I did not state that it was mine alone, the aspect pointed out. And she had apparently missed the depth of the importance in the latter half of that statement, but that was partly intentional.

In the endless black, a glimpse of light flashed, gone so quickly as to make one think it wasn't even really there.

I would not abide being forced on an unwilling host. For that burden, he is not beneath me; I am beneath him.

"Interesting," Valdis replied, still watching the aspect, "Angels are usually self righteous fools, who only see the short term and speak as if they know everything. You seem to only possess the latter."

Humbleness wasn't something she normally saw in angels and for the aspect to claim he was beneath Devin because of the situation, that changed things somewhat. Then there had been the flash of light, brief as that instant of grief, but she had seen it.

"You were affecting Devin several moments ago, when the ghost of Raphael was hanging around, should we expect more of that as the barrier between the Life and Death planes weaken?"

My age brings experience and knowledge, but not even the Creator is omnipotent. Death humbles us all.

It had humbled Abaddon in more ways than he was going to reveal. A wave rolled through the flames while he considered his reply, the movement almost thoughtful for all that it was inanimate.

It is possible. I am trying to contain my influence; even if the barrier between the planes collapses, I do not anticipate emerging uncontrolled.

"If only that were true," Valdis sighed, allowing some of her hostility to fade away. Raphael seemed just as prideful as she remembered, but she possessed no memory of him as her father, so perhaps he hadn't always been so bitter.

"Are there other options?" She asked, "Or will a collapse result in you taking over no matter what?"

Raphael might have been prideful, but he was also still dead. Everything died, one way or another.

I cannot say for certain if a collapse will wake me, but Devin would retain control if it did. I will not wrest it from him. At least, not for many years to come, when they ceased to be separate beings. You challenge him, Abaddon observed after a moment.

Devin would probably be relieved to hear that, so she filed it away with everything else she was learning. She arched a brow at his comment, tipping her chin down almost defensively. If the aspect paid such attention to their conversations, she wondered what other observations he had made.

"I enjoy playing devil's advocate," Valdis said, crossing her arms, "It's in my nature."

That is not what challenges him most, the aspect clarified. It is you. Who you are, and who you are to him. What you have seen.

Not only the vision of his far distant 'death', but the way Devin's facade was utterly broken by his family. Bookends of his life that Valdis had had the unique opportunity to experience.

You do not know how fragile it is, what you hold.

Valdis stared at the aspect, her hand creeping up her arm to where the bandage should have been, though here, on this plane, there were no physical signs of it. Devin had come quickly when she texted him. He had confronted Raphael. He had even tended to her injury and was letting her walk in his soul.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Some things ought to be understood, even if they are not spoken of, the angel replied, flames rolling almost like a shrug.

Out of context, defense and first aid were actions Devin would take for just about anyone. After all that Valdis had seen, the fact that Devin still showed up carried more weight.

Actions speak louder than words, I believe is the phrase.

"Devin can't afford to trust me," Valdis replied, shifting her weight back as if to step away, "If you know I'm a fledgling, then you've probably realized that there is something else. Under the current circumstances, trusting me is very dangerous."

If the Void took over, it would use that trust against everyone. It would use everything she knew to hurt everyone she cared about. That was especially dangerous for someone like Devin.

The rasping crackle of the flames had a humorous slant to it, akin to laughter. The aspect's frame shifted and resettled to something new.

Trusting you blindly is dangerous. Accepting the possibilities that face you now means they would be no betrayal at all, should they come to pass. It is deeper trust, not abandoning it entirely, that will see you both through this.

The frown that crossed her face was accented by a brief flash of red in her eyes, but it vanished so quickly that most would have missed it.

"When did this become about Devin and myself? I'm only here to find out if you are a threat to Keeliai should you emerge, and Devin was kind enough to allow me to find out."

Valdis began to think about time, and how much time had passed while she had been here.

***

On the life plane, Valdis opened her eyes, her irises a bright scarlet. She took a breath as it debated over breaking the connection and almost lifted her hand from Devin's chest.

The aspect regarded her silently, dark flames rippling to a dull roar around them. Abaddon probably did not need the visual alert to the change in Valdis, but he didn't miss it in any case.

Your being here at all is as relevant as your reasons for seeking me out, he remarked. Then, in what might have been a warning tone: You came by choice; you must accept the consequences. In that vein, you may wish to return to your body.

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