[His name was once carved from the heavens. He knows it, at least he thinks he knows it, but every time he links of it it's with an intense amount of sadness. It's a sadness too deep for words that burns in him like a hole. He's lost something so important that he sometimes spends days thinking about it, hiding from his brother.
For yes, there is his brother, his brother who he followed from her grace. He had been trying to stay with him between the work that he had ordered him to do because without it that heartache was going to kill him. Without him the heartache was going to kill him.
Thinking about his name. Today however he has a new name. Asmodeus. His brother tossed it aside calling it something perfect, new and unholy. As far from heavenly grace as he could get. Except then the woman came, the human woman who had been wandering and found him and taken care of him. It was all very confusing.
Or was she wholly human?
It bore asking, but right now he was busy grooming himself, plucking burned feathers from his wings and letting brown and burned feathers fall. It would take a thousand years for them to grow back and even then he wasn't sure they'd grow back white. Ever since he had fallen, been stripped away, his wings had been slowly graying. One hand gripped in the down at his shoulder he looked up and saw the woman.
Torn between a strange mix of lust and confusion he glared over the tip of his wing at her. Wrapped in a black robe over a perfectly sculpted body, he buried his feelings back.]
Did you come from my brother? Does he have commands for me?
( lilith. she'd heard the mutterings frequently amongst the angels, the ones that lucifer had brought her to after he'd found her. mutterings over her being some sort of pet, distaste for her presence. lucifer had shielded her all he could, shown some of them the consequence of questioning him though it secretly made no difference.
though she didn't desire to spend her time with them either, only him, the only one who had ever made her feel as if she had a place, as if she meant something.
most of the time she practiced her gift, the strange power that only she had, something different to their own angelic nature. for she wasn't an angel, she was one of god's children and unique in who and what she was.
it was this power that had brought her to the angel rather than lucifer, quieter, careful steps as she watched his grooming, feeling as if she were intruding but at the same time wanting to help, wanting to do what she'd been able to do for lucifer )
He didn't send me. I do make my own choices.
( sometimes. as much as lilith liked to believe it was a partnership she did serve him, served him as she'd vowed to serve no man )
( her head dips at his compliment, lilith not feeling worthy at such words. they were powerful beings, magnificent and her-- she had no idea what she was, a woman rejected by those she sought love from, abandoned, discarded. lucifer her raised her back up, shown her the care and affection she'd desired but she still had many questions about herself.
questions that she pushed aside, acting on instinct to prevent herself from having to think too long about them, to keep her doubts tightly locked away. if she doubted then she wouldn't be able to help him or them and right now that was what she wanted to do )
No, you're not.
( she steps slowly over to him before crouching beside him, resting her hands on his )
You're in pain. Pain I could not feel but-- you don't have to.
( healing. that was her thought, her wish. oh, it would hurt as his injuries began to knit back together but it would be less than being left like this )
[Lucifer is not cruel - no. He is very cruel. But not in this case. Asmodeus transfers to wrath demon. He is, he is very very angry. Beneath that anger is a duty impressed upon him by the being transforming into a goat. When she puts her hand on his his chest stirs with a strange heat and his loins twist and it is...
very confusing. He is not prey to these things. He is not prey to the sins of the flesh. He is supposed to be above that but she...
The flesh could fill the hole in your heart-
He lowers his gaze.]
...Can you make them stop hurting?
They won't grow back for a millennia but if they stopped hurting...
[Tossed in a sea of new emotions and physical sensations he looks hopeful, new and desperate as he stares at her. Hopeful.]
( lilith nods though she's as hopeful as he is, something she tries to keep from her expression. she'd healed lucifer, knew that it was possible but she wasn't practiced in it, hoping that the same thought and feeling as before would guide her through it.
she moves one hand to his shoulder just above his wings, the other remaining on his hands in a comforting gesture. and lilith focuses, eyes closing as she reaches for that power of hers, remembering what she'd felt when she'd healed lucifer, her intention as strong now.
it's only as her magic begins does she open her eyes again and he'll feel a warmth from her hands, something soothing at the pain, contrasting with the pricking of his skin as wounds begin to close, healing over similarly to how lucifer's had.
when she stops there's a gentle smile on her expression though she doesn't yet remove her hands from him, letting them remain a few seconds longer before pulling them back )
[They are all patchy still, still graying to his vain dismay, but he no longer hurts and she gets his full attention, turning to reveal himself and sit beside her. Perhaps she is not useless.
Not like he knew truly. He only knew to be cast away as he unconsciously looks skyward before wrapping a wing around her - keeping it distant from her form. If he wasn't watching, she was, but it's the angelic version of thanks and it is so...so unbearably hot in these early days of the world.
Hair falling into his features he offers what will one day become a roguish wink as he grows into his power before he smiles.]
...He named me today. Asmodeus. Crafting something unholy and giving me duties he said. Healing seems so contrary to what he said we're supposed to be doing down here.
Has he given you duties too? Besides being beside him?
[He hates it. And loves it.]
Kind of hard not to listen and want to listen to him isn't it.
( chooses to out of a feeling that lilith doesn't yet truly understand. but lucifer had saved her, given her new life and it felt almost like a debt to him.
but there was another sense to it, a greatness and a feeling of power, almost as if she could do anything by his side. and it was where she wanted to be, a place she found happiness and home in )
Your-- brothers. ( it's how she'd heard them refer to each other ) They choose not to see what he's done. They don't ask.
( did he? it was the point that lilith was making. he'd asked her a question but was he truly interested in the answer? )
[His throat works. He stares across the horizon - the empty horizon - before looking back at her.]
He spared us her tyranny but ever since we fell it feels like there's a hole in my heart that's slowly getting wider and wider. Like I'll never be whole again.
[Translation? He saw it. Even if he didn't know he saw it. His eyes unconsciously fill with tears as he looks at her.]
But I will follow him. For...For freeing us.
And you...well. He raised you up too with us. And that will be all right won't it? We're not so bad.
This place isn't as wonderful as heaven but let me tell you...let me tell you...
( she doesn't know if that's where he's going with it but right now this place, this corner of the world is theirs and theirs to make.
which for lilith often happens unconsciously. her magic is connected to nature, simple feelings and things that she can't yet fully control. her energy blends easily with the world, her emotions not yet hidden and it causes her magic to make little alterations -- natural growth. even just where they're sat he'll start to notice it, the hard, cracked ground becoming a little softer, things looking a little greener, plant growth prompted by an unconscious will.
she wants more from this world but lilith doesn't yet realise that she's doing it or at least how she's doing it )
[It's fascinating to watch. She may be attuned to the earth but he is attuned to the cosmos and that won't ever change. The slightest alteration in it gets his attention and he studies the grass.]
That's why I followed him. Why I'd keep following him. The opportunity to build a new world, to make music for it when my duties allow.
I just wish-
[He shakes it off and realizes that grass has sprouted beneath his feet. He stares at her before raising an eyebrow.]
Is that you doing that? It's an energy like the garden. It's wonderful.
( her eyes close as he speaks, at the mention of the garden-- what she can do is wonderful but that place is still a little sore for her, somewhere that was supposed to be paradise but all she felt was rejection and as much as she doesn't want to be there with him-- part of her still longs for it, the simplicity. happiness )
I don't know how or why.
( her eyes slowly open, not meeting his. whilst lilith has this power, has some control over it or at least a little intuition over what she can do there's so much that's unknown, so much that she's left to learn herself. lucifer doesn't know it. no one has an answer for it. she took this power, is making it hers but-- what is it? )
[That is very interesting. He tries to reach for something that might help, but instead he puts a hand to his head as a sharp spike of pain rushes through his mind. Grimacing, he shakes his head.]
Whatever it is, keep it, take it, and use it. If it's yours that's good because that fucking bitch-
[He glances skyward and lowers his gaze and then lowering it so she doesn't see the tears in his eyes. When he looks up again his gaze is stone cold.]
Kept secrets. Keep your own secrets. That is my advice.
( she hadn't expected that response, for him to encourage it. considering how most of the fallen spoke about or treated her-- he was something entirely different. would it have been so if she hadn't healed him?
his question instead makes her watch him, silent for a few seconds though it isn't to consider her answer but perhaps to wonder why he asks )
Yes.
( lilith reaches a hand out to the grass that's forming beneath them and, now aware of what she's affecting around them, tries to focus that power through her hand, a simple thought of creation running through her, the idea in her mind of what she wants to do.
it takes a moment but her focus, the channel through her hand causes her magic to do her simple request. and a single flower starts to grow in the spot beneath her hand, a full bloom before she relaxes, a heavier breath before answering him. between healing him and focusing then it's taken a little from her )
I'm happier here than I was with-- him. Adam.
( there may be nothing but lilith is encouraged to be herself, praised for it. she knows where she stands and lucifer has given her so much )
[Yes? No? He is a needy thing and without his name he has no strength to give or share and the name Asmodeus is...a hungry name. Hungry for wrath, hungry for love.
Perhaps he senses her wavering strength before he moves closer by a hair before he inhales and then exhales and something something new in him asks...]
Did he teach you that? What else did he show you?
There is...quite a lot more that exists in this reality then what Adam and the bitch above has shared with us.
He's-- helped. But what I can do is different from angels.
( some of it has transferred across in what lucifer's shown her, helped her to be much calmer with her power but some of it lilith had discovered for herself -- she'd been alone for years before lucifer had ever found her )
I know there's a world. ( a blank world so far, very little in it though no doubt more than when she'd just left the garden )
[An instinct welled up in his chest. It was a new and strange one that filled him, something powerful that stirred feelings the angel had never felt before...]
There are other things to see in this world, especially for someone as beautiful as you.
[He stopped. His voice had dropped an octave low and husky and it felt like he was burning from the inside out. His first fear was somehow betrayal Lucifer should not know he spoke to her like this, his second fear She is delectable and innocent and his third fear What is happening to me?
He pulled back and rose, features anxious.]
...I apologize. I am so sorry. I have no idea what just happened.
[He swallowed. His figure is stiff in strange new ways and he tucks his wings around himself before standing.]
( there's pure confusion on her expression when he pulls away, rising quickly before his words have really even settled in to her.
for lilith it was a simple compliment, something that she heard frequently (god had intended on making the perfect wife, at least in lilith's beauty) which-- is why now it meant less to hear it, only really feeling it as anything special from lucifer.
which is why his motions confused her, expression on her face almost a lost animal, pure and innocent as she questions-- )
Asmodeus?
( she'd appreciated his words, his encouragements of her power, of keeping and using it, the fact that she should be herself. few spoke to her pleasantly never mind telling her things such as things. and she liked it )
He is weary, weary in spirit but she is his strength and Lucifer and his fallen traitors have taken to earth. With her will filling him, he will hunt down Lucifer, or at least make the first contact with him.
Truth be told he wants to hunt the bastard down.
Amid that however is a command, like iron and steel. Like light and heat.
Do him no harm. Deliver my commands.
They are three when they land near where he fell. Michael stands behind him, tawny wings outstretched and Sandalphon, all in shades of brown and gold, has a spear drawn in his hands.
The sun frames their faces with halos of light.
The first being he spots makes him frown. It's a familiar-ish face. Though he cannot recall.]
Hail. We seek the traitor morningstar. I have a message from him.
( she'd been gathering fruit, berries from some of the nearby bushes, things that had suddenly started growing in the days since lilith had met lucifer. she'd spent so long travelling a barren wasteland, scavenging the bare minimum of what had managed to grow that finding herself here where plantlife was more plentiful-- it amazed her, the ripeness of the apples, the tastes that were more than she'd yet experienced.
it caught up with her sometimes, lilith spending far longer enjoying the simplicity of where they were, something she'd never call a garden but helped cultivate in her own ways, finding new flowers blooming in her presence. magic, though not yet something she had a name for.
it was this that caused her surprise, lilith surveying a new flower when the voice sounds, her basket dropping to the ground as she looks at them )
Who are you?
( except-- she can feel it, their power, something similar to lucifer's )
( she says it before really thinking. he'd warned that others might come looking for him, may attempt to hurt him or even her but-- she'd not expected it so soon. and she wasn't as gifted with words as he was, too new to this world, a little naive still )
What do you want with him?
( naive as lilith may be she's also stubborn, refusing to kneel despite the command in which it was given. she'll kneel for no man -- it was something she'd decided a long time ago )
[It speaks! Sandalphon's voice was a sneer and Michael smirked. Gabriel's eyes looked amused but he raised another hand to them.]
Peace siblings.
[He folded his hands.]
...Your name human?
[Did this one remember the garden? The one where Eve now, a much more superior model, walked and prayed and mingled with the animals.He folded his hands.] We wish to speak with our former...brother.
( there's displeasure in her expression as the angels speak and whilst the one continuing the conversation with her is more-- palatable he's no more polite than the others. considering how lucifer had treated her it was incredible they were all 'family'. though perhaps this had been what had caused some of lucifer's downfall, a difference in attitudes similar to her own.
she makes certain to pause before answering, trying to feel a little firmer in her response, making them wait. because she has something that they want, something that lilith doesn't intend on giving them. for all he's done for her she will protect lucifer, give her life for him even. she loved him )
My name is Lilith.
( and that's all she gives them. it was the only question they'd asked but she's stubborn. she knows what they want, knows she could say more but chooses not to )
( their comments don't help their position, not in lilith's eyes. they call him untrustworthy and yet what has god done to her? the very mother she hoped would care, would understand but turned her back on her creation. so lilith took from her, refused to die and survived in spite of her.
and now there are more, beings that would harm the only person who has ever shown her kindness or a different path. to lilith they're the untrustworthy ones )
( she wasn't his messenger as such but lilith did know one thing -- she had something that they wanted. perhaps they'd be able to find lucifer without her but she certainly had a little head start, maybe even leverage )
I assume you recognise that you cannot seek him without me.
( a less-than-perfect bluff but not entirely a bad one. they didn't seem to think much of her which meant that they underestimated her. she also chooses not to confirm anything about what he's said )
[Michael is the first one to move - starting to walk forward looking like a ruffled hen. Sandalphon follows suit and Gabriel -
Gabriel's massive white wings spread out blocking the two of them from the human before he holds up a hand.]
...Let us compromise.
I have been asked to come here and negotiate with him the future of human beings. She wishes to discuss what is to be done with human souls after they die.
This is my message, but I have been tasked with negotiating with my...former brother.
[He looks genuinely angry.]
I do not believe he would have entreated you to negotiate with me...Would he?
[He might have lost his mind and be working with humans. Curious, his feathers fluttered before he retracted his wings.]
I am the only thing that keeps my contingent from harming you.
( her head dips slightly, small smile forming at the confirmation that he has underestimated her )
God cast Lucifer out. Rejected his ideas, made falling all he could do. He wasn't all she cast out.
( she lifts her head again )
You're coming to negotiate over human souls without looking at the ones you're with. ( she pauses briefly ) You may have some-- divine power but you're not the only one.
( she didn't yet know the full scope of her power or what it was but she'd taken it from god as she was banished from the garden )
[The three angels exchange glances with Michael again moving forward glaring furiously at the human. Sandalphon, looking down his nose at Lilith, snorts. What power do you think you have? Or more importantly what did you steal from us?
Gabriel raises an eyebrow.]
He raises an excellent point, but it's one I'm willing to pass over. Are you asking for us to judge you?
[He lowers his head and - for the first time - looks truly pious]
We are not judges. We merely obey her will and if your new master claims to be a judge then I wouldn't trust him. As for humans, if you have ideas I will entertain them.
[That makes the other two glare at Gabriel instead of her.
Michael: You can't be serious. She's a human being!- Sandalphon: After what happened with Eve is this what you want to entertain? the idea that they are somehow capable-]
Please excuse my siblings. They don't know when to keep their mouths shut. Now. If there's something you'd like to share, I will hear it. And if there are other humans here...that is of a great interest to us as well.
And if Lucifer cannot come out to greet us, and Her, then that's on him.
Lucifer-- ( she begins a little more sternly, firmer than any of her words before ) Is not my master.
( whilst much of lilith's magic so far is an unconscious act, the response of the plants around her in their blooms this time she actively reaches for them, feeling their energies around her, grasping for it with her power. the response to it is that some of the vines of the nearby plants start reaching out towards the angels, a mental willing of their movement )
I don't ask for your judgement. I reject it and hers. You have no place here with me.
( no wish, no belief. she rejected the false god and the angels she sent, accepting lucifer because of their situations, his help of her. these angels didn't wish to help, didn't think much to begin with )
( she's bluffing again but this time lilith thinks that she has something that might work against them )
You came to deliver a message, to discuss the fate of human souls. How would she feel to learn that you'd enacted your will against a human instead of hers?
( sure, lilith was not favoured by god but she's certain that the act itself, of the angels going against her will would still carry something and they certainly seemed to care more about god than about her )
( a small correction and she just about manages to conceal the irritation that comes with being linked to adam )
Do I need to?
( it's an answer without being an answer. but also-- would she stop them? lilith doesn't know if she could but she also won't submit to them. she won't submit to anyone )
Nowhere did it say that he couldn't take a walk outside the guarden walls. He would know, he checked. There wasn't much out there yet, but stretching the old legs is good for you. Get your steps in. Whatever that means and despite the fact that that concept won't get introduced until a good few millennia from now.
Yes, right, well. It's a bit chilly out at this hour, too, outside the walls. Possibly something about the vast..nothingness. All the sand and the sky and not much else. Just complete barrenness and the occasional wild beast.
The Guardian of The Eastern Gate quickly steps through the sand, every so often taking care to erase his foot prints by brushing them over with his pristine white wings. She can't have gone far, can she? Perhaps she has. Would certainly be better than most alternatives that would result in her lack of presence.
The angel steps up to the top of a dune, rubbing a thumb against the palm of his other hand. He has to get back before anyone notices he's gone-- not that he's doing anything wrong, of course.
She's knelt in the sand when he finds her, exhausted, not certain how she can carry on. There's nothing out here and yet-- there's a stubbornness in her, the same stubbornness that had refused to acquiesce to what Adam and God had wanted, that same stubbornness keeping her alive now. That and the strange power now running through her.
She was catching her breath, fighting off the emotion that was rising up in her now that she'd stopped, the adrenaline fading into-- sadness, fear.
An emotion that wasn't helped by the looming shadow that was approaching her.
Lilith lifted her hair, hands instinctually moving out in front of her but-- her expression became one of confusion, almost recognition. She knew him. Didn't she?
When he does spot her, there's a small spark of relief - she hadn't perished, at least not yet, nor been eaten by any of the things out here. That's good. That's great. So he quickly steps over to her, vaguely cursing how difficult it is to step through sand without looking absolutely silly, using his wings to keep balance.
He doesn't mean to loom - he stops a couple of feet away, looking agitated and rushed, sparing a glance back at the garden before facing her again.
"Are you alright?" The angel asks, in an ancient language that will eventually be forgotten. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
Is she hurt? It's a laughable sounding concept given everything that's happened to her and yet Lilith doesn't know how to answer.
So instead, she's defensive, expecting his reasons for being here to not be particularly pleasant ones, expecting her death or somehow return. No, she'd been banished, death was the only option.
"Why are you here? Why ask when we know what will happen?"
Perhaps the angelβs sword might seem more menacing than he means it to be. Honestly, the only thought heβs sparing it is that its a hassle to carry around.
Unsure how to respond, he falters. He doesnβt tend to talk much with the humans - feels a bit above his pay grade -, and the reasons for him being here is really probably something he should avoid speaking aloud. βHum. Well.β A false start, and he flattens his lips. In a swift motion, he snaps his fingers, and a dim light manifests in their immediate area. There really is no point in talking to silhouettes.
But that means he can now see her, and...ah.
With a breath through his nose, he carefully but quickly steps over to her, making sure to avoid stepping on his tunic, and offers his hand out to her.
Somewhere, someplace, a long, long time ago. A couple thousand years BC.
A blond man clad in black robes steps through a small village, arms crossed behind his back. At least, he looks like a man, if you don't look particularly close.
He's not saying much, simply stepping through, watching the people go about. He notices a small goat tied to a fence post by a rope against its neck, and he gives it a strange look.
He should be up to causing some trouble. Some particular level of temptation. Something...productive. Something he can put in a report to his superiors so he can buy some more time without having to worry about it. But it gets so incredibly dull when you do it as an obligation. He likes to play with indulgence, and to do it forcefully going right against that whole notion.
The demon sighs quietly, looking off towards some children playing some sort of game, when something in the air changes, and he wrinkles his nose. Something smells different. Something not very...human.
It's been complete and utter chaos, and they don't know what to do anymore. But they can't let that show, no matter how blatant it might be.
There has never been another. There has never even been the concept of anyone usurping the dark throne. They've all prepared for war, of course, most delegated to gathering souls for their Dark Lord, as a smaller group concentrated on bringing forth the Armaggedon and getting ready for the final war. The settlement of scores. The regaining of glory.
So much so that they couldn't have imaged that would have failed, much less any of the things that followed it.
Hell is not in shambles, but it is in extreme unrest. Princes and Dukes and Lords working overtime to keep the masses in check. A powder keg ready to blow, and there's a lot of fire down there.
Beelzebub steps quickly through the dark, gross hallway, a little less crowded today than usual. It's not a great sign. Regardless, they take a deep, huffing breath and pull their coat together, before finally stepping into that one massive chamber.
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Asmodeus~
For yes, there is his brother, his brother who he followed from her grace. He had been trying to stay with him between the work that he had ordered him to do because without it that heartache was going to kill him. Without him the heartache was going to kill him.
Thinking about his name. Today however he has a new name. Asmodeus. His brother tossed it aside calling it something perfect, new and unholy. As far from heavenly grace as he could get. Except then the woman came, the human woman who had been wandering and found him and taken care of him. It was all very confusing.
Or was she wholly human?
It bore asking, but right now he was busy grooming himself, plucking burned feathers from his wings and letting brown and burned feathers fall. It would take a thousand years for them to grow back and even then he wasn't sure they'd grow back white. Ever since he had fallen, been stripped away, his wings had been slowly graying. One hand gripped in the down at his shoulder he looked up and saw the woman.
Torn between a strange mix of lust and confusion he glared over the tip of his wing at her. Wrapped in a black robe over a perfectly sculpted body, he buried his feelings back.]
Did you come from my brother? Does he have commands for me?
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though she didn't desire to spend her time with them either, only him, the only one who had ever made her feel as if she had a place, as if she meant something.
most of the time she practiced her gift, the strange power that only she had, something different to their own angelic nature. for she wasn't an angel, she was one of god's children and unique in who and what she was.
it was this power that had brought her to the angel rather than lucifer, quieter, careful steps as she watched his grooming, feeling as if she were intruding but at the same time wanting to help, wanting to do what she'd been able to do for lucifer )
He didn't send me. I do make my own choices.
( sometimes. as much as lilith liked to believe it was a partnership she did serve him, served him as she'd vowed to serve no man )
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I knew he wouldn't want you. Or me. Or anyone.
[He rubs at his shoulder blade and continues to pluck at the dead feathers before looking back at her.]
That was cruel. I apologize, he's just...
[Is there such a thing as making a stupid decision but not regretting it? Or maybe he did.]
You're better then the rest of us. I can't say no to him. He doesn't know what he has in someone like you.
[His features crust over with pain as he grimaces and tugs at his shoulder.]
...You shouldn't look at me. I'm hideous.
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questions that she pushed aside, acting on instinct to prevent herself from having to think too long about them, to keep her doubts tightly locked away. if she doubted then she wouldn't be able to help him or them and right now that was what she wanted to do )
No, you're not.
( she steps slowly over to him before crouching beside him, resting her hands on his )
You're in pain. Pain I could not feel but-- you don't have to.
( healing. that was her thought, her wish. oh, it would hurt as his injuries began to knit back together but it would be less than being left like this )
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very confusing. He is not prey to these things. He is not prey to the sins of the flesh. He is supposed to be above that but she...
The flesh could fill the hole in your heart-
He lowers his gaze.]
...Can you make them stop hurting?
They won't grow back for a millennia but if they stopped hurting...
[Tossed in a sea of new emotions and physical sensations he looks hopeful, new and desperate as he stares at her. Hopeful.]
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she moves one hand to his shoulder just above his wings, the other remaining on his hands in a comforting gesture. and lilith focuses, eyes closing as she reaches for that power of hers, remembering what she'd felt when she'd healed lucifer, her intention as strong now.
it's only as her magic begins does she open her eyes again and he'll feel a warmth from her hands, something soothing at the pain, contrasting with the pricking of his skin as wounds begin to close, healing over similarly to how lucifer's had.
when she stops there's a gentle smile on her expression though she doesn't yet remove her hands from him, letting them remain a few seconds longer before pulling them back )
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Not like he knew truly. He only knew to be cast away as he unconsciously looks skyward before wrapping a wing around her - keeping it distant from her form. If he wasn't watching, she was, but it's the angelic version of thanks and it is so...so unbearably hot in these early days of the world.
Hair falling into his features he offers what will one day become a roguish wink as he grows into his power before he smiles.]
...He named me today. Asmodeus. Crafting something unholy and giving me duties he said. Healing seems so contrary to what he said we're supposed to be doing down here.
Has he given you duties too? Besides being beside him?
[He hates it. And loves it.]
Kind of hard not to listen and want to listen to him isn't it.
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( chooses to out of a feeling that lilith doesn't yet truly understand. but lucifer had saved her, given her new life and it felt almost like a debt to him.
but there was another sense to it, a greatness and a feeling of power, almost as if she could do anything by his side. and it was where she wanted to be, a place she found happiness and home in )
Your-- brothers. ( it's how she'd heard them refer to each other ) They choose not to see what he's done. They don't ask.
( did he? it was the point that lilith was making. he'd asked her a question but was he truly interested in the answer? )
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He spared us her tyranny but ever since we fell it feels like there's a hole in my heart that's slowly getting wider and wider. Like I'll never be whole again.
[Translation? He saw it. Even if he didn't know he saw it. His eyes unconsciously fill with tears as he looks at her.]
But I will follow him. For...For freeing us.
And you...well. He raised you up too with us. And that will be all right won't it? We're not so bad.
This place isn't as wonderful as heaven but let me tell you...let me tell you...
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( she doesn't know if that's where he's going with it but right now this place, this corner of the world is theirs and theirs to make.
which for lilith often happens unconsciously. her magic is connected to nature, simple feelings and things that she can't yet fully control. her energy blends easily with the world, her emotions not yet hidden and it causes her magic to make little alterations -- natural growth. even just where they're sat he'll start to notice it, the hard, cracked ground becoming a little softer, things looking a little greener, plant growth prompted by an unconscious will.
she wants more from this world but lilith doesn't yet realise that she's doing it or at least how she's doing it )
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That's why I followed him. Why I'd keep following him. The opportunity to build a new world, to make music for it when my duties allow.
I just wish-
[He shakes it off and realizes that grass has sprouted beneath his feet. He stares at her before raising an eyebrow.]
Is that you doing that? It's an energy like the garden. It's wonderful.
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I don't know how or why.
( her eyes slowly open, not meeting his. whilst lilith has this power, has some control over it or at least a little intuition over what she can do there's so much that's unknown, so much that she's left to learn herself. lucifer doesn't know it. no one has an answer for it. she took this power, is making it hers but-- what is it? )
I couldn't do this in the Garden.
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Whatever it is, keep it, take it, and use it. If it's yours that's good because that fucking bitch-
[He glances skyward and lowers his gaze and then lowering it so she doesn't see the tears in his eyes. When he looks up again his gaze is stone cold.]
Kept secrets. Keep your own secrets. That is my advice.
...Are you happy here with my brother?
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his question instead makes her watch him, silent for a few seconds though it isn't to consider her answer but perhaps to wonder why he asks )
Yes.
( lilith reaches a hand out to the grass that's forming beneath them and, now aware of what she's affecting around them, tries to focus that power through her hand, a simple thought of creation running through her, the idea in her mind of what she wants to do.
it takes a moment but her focus, the channel through her hand causes her magic to do her simple request. and a single flower starts to grow in the spot beneath her hand, a full bloom before she relaxes, a heavier breath before answering him. between healing him and focusing then it's taken a little from her )
I'm happier here than I was with-- him. Adam.
( there may be nothing but lilith is encouraged to be herself, praised for it. she knows where she stands and lucifer has given her so much )
I wouldn't wish to leave.
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Perhaps he senses her wavering strength before he moves closer by a hair before he inhales and then exhales and something something new in him asks...]
Did he teach you that? What else did he show you?
There is...quite a lot more that exists in this reality then what Adam and the bitch above has shared with us.
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( some of it has transferred across in what lucifer's shown her, helped her to be much calmer with her power but some of it lilith had discovered for herself -- she'd been alone for years before lucifer had ever found her )
I know there's a world. ( a blank world so far, very little in it though no doubt more than when she'd just left the garden )
But I don't need to see it.
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There are other things to see in this world, especially for someone as beautiful as you.
[He stopped. His voice had dropped an octave low and husky and it felt like he was burning from the inside out. His first fear was somehow betrayal Lucifer should not know he spoke to her like this, his second fear She is delectable and innocent and his third fear What is happening to me?
He pulled back and rose, features anxious.]
...I apologize. I am so sorry. I have no idea what just happened.
[He swallowed. His figure is stiff in strange new ways and he tucks his wings around himself before standing.]
I should go. Please, please don't tell him.
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for lilith it was a simple compliment, something that she heard frequently (god had intended on making the perfect wife, at least in lilith's beauty) which-- is why now it meant less to hear it, only really feeling it as anything special from lucifer.
which is why his motions confused her, expression on her face almost a lost animal, pure and innocent as she questions-- )
Asmodeus?
( she'd appreciated his words, his encouragements of her power, of keeping and using it, the fact that she should be herself. few spoke to her pleasantly never mind telling her things such as things. and she liked it )
And Gabriel~and Lilith
He is weary, weary in spirit but she is his strength and Lucifer and his fallen traitors have taken to earth. With her will filling him, he will hunt down Lucifer, or at least make the first contact with him.
Truth be told he wants to hunt the bastard down.
Amid that however is a command, like iron and steel. Like light and heat.
Do him no harm. Deliver my commands.
They are three when they land near where he fell. Michael stands behind him, tawny wings outstretched and Sandalphon, all in shades of brown and gold, has a spear drawn in his hands.
The sun frames their faces with halos of light.
The first being he spots makes him frown. It's a familiar-ish face. Though he cannot recall.]
Hail. We seek the traitor morningstar. I have a message from him.
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it caught up with her sometimes, lilith spending far longer enjoying the simplicity of where they were, something she'd never call a garden but helped cultivate in her own ways, finding new flowers blooming in her presence. magic, though not yet something she had a name for.
it was this that caused her surprise, lilith surveying a new flower when the voice sounds, her basket dropping to the ground as she looks at them )
Who are you?
( except-- she can feel it, their power, something similar to lucifer's )
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You address the messenger of the lord. Kneel.
Gabriel waits, expecting it, before he raises a hand to his sibling and gestures.]
We seek the one you found. One of our number who you...comforted. He and his allies have been seen this way. We want to parlay.
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( she says it before really thinking. he'd warned that others might come looking for him, may attempt to hurt him or even her but-- she'd not expected it so soon. and she wasn't as gifted with words as he was, too new to this world, a little naive still )
What do you want with him?
( naive as lilith may be she's also stubborn, refusing to kneel despite the command in which it was given. she'll kneel for no man -- it was something she'd decided a long time ago )
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Peace siblings.
[He folded his hands.]
...Your name human?
[Did this one remember the garden? The one where Eve now, a much more superior model, walked and prayed and mingled with the animals.He folded his hands.] We wish to speak with our former...brother.
[The anger on his face is palpable at that.]
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she makes certain to pause before answering, trying to feel a little firmer in her response, making them wait. because she has something that they want, something that lilith doesn't intend on giving them. for all he's done for her she will protect lucifer, give her life for him even. she loved him )
My name is Lilith.
( and that's all she gives them. it was the only question they'd asked but she's stubborn. she knows what they want, knows she could say more but chooses not to )
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I am Gabriel, her messenger. This is Michael, general of her armies, and Sandalphon, keeper of her duties.
[He pauses] Have you fallen in with the traitor? I must warn you, he is not to be trusted.
[Accursed Sandalphon snorts and Michael nods, growling. I want to drive my spear through his heart-
Gabriel rolls his eyes at that before glaring at them.]
I beg your forgiveness. You have no part in our quarrel with our brother and we do not intend to kill him...
[That is clearly tough to say and he shakes his head - clearing the clouds away from his face.]
...We are not without compassion and as it is, we have a message for him.
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and now there are more, beings that would harm the only person who has ever shown her kindness or a different path. to lilith they're the untrustworthy ones )
Then tell it to me.
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Gabriel raised an eyebrow. With a slight swagger he stepped forward before spreading his hands.]
You speak for him? You are his messenger? Entrusted with his business, prepared to do his will? You speak with his voice as I do? You?
[Condensation is natural to a being like him. His eyebrow raises but he folds his hands and studies her.]
For my message is one of negotiation on her behalf from the metatron himself. I assume he's told you how that works.
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I assume you recognise that you cannot seek him without me.
( a less-than-perfect bluff but not entirely a bad one. they didn't seem to think much of her which meant that they underestimated her. she also chooses not to confirm anything about what he's said )
So give me the message.
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Gabriel's massive white wings spread out blocking the two of them from the human before he holds up a hand.]
...Let us compromise.
I have been asked to come here and negotiate with him the future of human beings. She wishes to discuss what is to be done with human souls after they die.
This is my message, but I have been tasked with negotiating with my...former brother.
[He looks genuinely angry.]
I do not believe he would have entreated you to negotiate with me...Would he?
[He might have lost his mind and be working with humans. Curious, his feathers fluttered before he retracted his wings.]
I am the only thing that keeps my contingent from harming you.
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God cast Lucifer out. Rejected his ideas, made falling all he could do. He wasn't all she cast out.
( she lifts her head again )
You're coming to negotiate over human souls without looking at the ones you're with. ( she pauses briefly ) You may have some-- divine power but you're not the only one.
( she didn't yet know the full scope of her power or what it was but she'd taken it from god as she was banished from the garden )
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Gabriel raises an eyebrow.]
He raises an excellent point, but it's one I'm willing to pass over. Are you asking for us to judge you?
[He lowers his head and - for the first time - looks truly pious]
We are not judges. We merely obey her will and if your new master claims to be a judge then I wouldn't trust him. As for humans, if you have ideas I will entertain them.
[That makes the other two glare at Gabriel instead of her.
Michael: You can't be serious. She's a human being!-
Sandalphon: After what happened with Eve is this what you want to entertain? the idea that they are somehow capable-]
Please excuse my siblings. They don't know when to keep their mouths shut. Now. If there's something you'd like to share, I will hear it. And if there are other humans here...that is of a great interest to us as well.
And if Lucifer cannot come out to greet us, and Her, then that's on him.
[His lip curls]
Stubborn bastard.
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( whilst much of lilith's magic so far is an unconscious act, the response of the plants around her in their blooms this time she actively reaches for them, feeling their energies around her, grasping for it with her power. the response to it is that some of the vines of the nearby plants start reaching out towards the angels, a mental willing of their movement )
I don't ask for your judgement. I reject it and hers. You have no place here with me.
( no wish, no belief. she rejected the false god and the angels she sent, accepting lucifer because of their situations, his help of her. these angels didn't wish to help, didn't think much to begin with )
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...If you don't want my judgement can I at least trust you will deliver my message?
How can I?
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( though after that the rest was up to lucifer and she wasn't going to be encouraging anything )
You've delivered your message. You have no other business here.
( it was a little bold with their power but they weren't welcome here )
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If we chose to stay how are you going to stop us?
[His arms cross over his chest because is this humanity? It's disconcerting. Thank God Eve wasn't this...obstinate.
Still though. He is used to strong female creatures. He glances toward Michael.]
I can't believe you would side with him. Has he told you who we are?
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( she's bluffing again but this time lilith thinks that she has something that might work against them )
You came to deliver a message, to discuss the fate of human souls. How would she feel to learn that you'd enacted your will against a human instead of hers?
( sure, lilith was not favoured by god but she's certain that the act itself, of the angels going against her will would still carry something and they certainly seemed to care more about god than about her )
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You're brave, former bride of Adam. Very Brave.
[Brave and foolish Sandalphon murmured, Our will is her will and therefore our will is righteous.
Gabriel glances over at him.]
Peace.
Will you stop us? Former bride?
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( a small correction and she just about manages to conceal the irritation that comes with being linked to adam )
Do I need to?
( it's an answer without being an answer. but also-- would she stop them? lilith doesn't know if she could but she also won't submit to them. she won't submit to anyone )
Aziraphale & Lilith |
Yes, right, well. It's a bit chilly out at this hour, too, outside the walls. Possibly something about the vast..nothingness. All the sand and the sky and not much else. Just complete barrenness and the occasional wild beast.
The Guardian of The Eastern Gate quickly steps through the sand, every so often taking care to erase his foot prints by brushing them over with his pristine white wings. She can't have gone far, can she? Perhaps she has. Would certainly be better than most alternatives that would result in her lack of presence.
The angel steps up to the top of a dune, rubbing a thumb against the palm of his other hand. He has to get back before anyone notices he's gone-- not that he's doing anything wrong, of course.
Just a walk. All this is.
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She was catching her breath, fighting off the emotion that was rising up in her now that she'd stopped, the adrenaline fading into-- sadness, fear.
An emotion that wasn't helped by the looming shadow that was approaching her.
Lilith lifted her hair, hands instinctually moving out in front of her but-- her expression became one of confusion, almost recognition. She knew him. Didn't she?
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He doesn't mean to loom - he stops a couple of feet away, looking agitated and rushed, sparing a glance back at the garden before facing her again.
"Are you alright?" The angel asks, in an ancient language that will eventually be forgotten. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
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So instead, she's defensive, expecting his reasons for being here to not be particularly pleasant ones, expecting her death or somehow return. No, she'd been banished, death was the only option.
"Why are you here? Why ask when we know what will happen?"
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Unsure how to respond, he falters. He doesnβt tend to talk much with the humans - feels a bit above his pay grade -, and the reasons for him being here is really probably something he should avoid speaking aloud.
βHum. Well.β A false start, and he flattens his lips. In a swift motion, he snaps his fingers, and a dim light manifests in their immediate area. There really is no point in talking to silhouettes.
But that means he can now see her, and...ah.
With a breath through his nose, he carefully but quickly steps over to her, making sure to avoid stepping on his tunic, and offers his hand out to her.
βCome on, now. On your feet. There we are.β
Zirafell & Lilith
A blond man clad in black robes steps through a small village, arms crossed behind his back. At least, he looks like a man, if you don't look particularly close.
He's not saying much, simply stepping through, watching the people go about. He notices a small goat tied to a fence post by a rope against its neck, and he gives it a strange look.
He should be up to causing some trouble. Some particular level of temptation. Something...productive. Something he can put in a report to his superiors so he can buy some more time without having to worry about it. But it gets so incredibly dull when you do it as an obligation. He likes to play with indulgence, and to do it forcefully going right against that whole notion.
The demon sighs quietly, looking off towards some children playing some sort of game, when something in the air changes, and he wrinkles his nose. Something smells different. Something not very...human.
Beelzebub & Lilith
There has never been another. There has never even been the concept of anyone usurping the dark throne. They've all prepared for war, of course, most delegated to gathering souls for their Dark Lord, as a smaller group concentrated on bringing forth the Armaggedon and getting ready for the final war. The settlement of scores. The regaining of glory.
So much so that they couldn't have imaged that would have failed, much less any of the things that followed it.
Hell is not in shambles, but it is in extreme unrest. Princes and Dukes and Lords working overtime to keep the masses in check. A powder keg ready to blow, and there's a lot of fire down there.
Beelzebub steps quickly through the dark, gross hallway, a little less crowded today than usual. It's not a great sign. Regardless, they take a deep, huffing breath and pull their coat together, before finally stepping into that one massive chamber.
They step up to the throne and bow.
"You asked for me, My Lady?