The Smell of Something New

[~Xandrael~]

In an alleyway just off the Market, there was a silent shimmering of light. It didn't sparkle, it didn't glow. It was as if light was reflecting off of water, but there was no water in sight.

The reflected light formed an outline of a silhouette and was gone. In its place stood a tall and pale figure. It was dressed rather curiously in grey cotton pants and a black tank top. Its feet were bare. Its long black hair was a tangle of tendrils and braids.

Opening its eyes, Xandrael took its first glimpse of Earth from this perspective. It saw a dirty alley, garbage piled up against the wall, a fire escape from the building on its left, windows boarded up.

It blinked, looking down at its physical form, taking a moment to sense every part. It lifted its hands towards its face, palms up, noting the intricate lines etched in the translucent skin. Glancing downward, it touched the cloth of its shirt and then its pants. It lifted each leg, testing out the joints and feeling how they responded. Feeling something on the bottom of its feet, it lifted them to see, but stumbled, in that moment discovering loss of balance. It took a breath and steadied itself, but was startled by the cold air that entered its throat.

A bit overwhelmed by the Earth experience, it took a moment to focus its thoughts, but was distracted by the dirt and grime that covered its feet. It had never been dirty before.

Suddenly, as if turning on a switch, it took in information through its other senses: smell, hearing, and taste. The stench of the alley infiltrated its nose and its mouth, but it didn't find it foul, because it had never smelled it before. It heard sounds of crowds and city, tilting its head to better catch the noise.

London...it was in London. It had been sent here, with a mission. It tried to remember a map. Maps were new as well. In Heaven, it had always known where it was. According to the memory, it was near a Market. The Square Mile Market.

Turning around, it glanced down the end of the alley, seeing where it met another street. There was more light there, and it began to walk towards the light.

Reaching the end of the alleyway, it stepping into the sunlight, its vision suddenly flooded with brightness. Instinctively, it raised a hand to shield its eyes. Not used to having eyes that responded so strongly to changes in light, it blinked several times, waiting till the brightness faded. The noise was louder now, human voices talking, shouting, machines rumbling, horns honking, and footsteps, many many footsteps, and the various jangles, shuffles, and rustling that went with them. It could smell so many more smells, but it couldn't connect them to sources.

All the while it was standing there on the street, people passed by, eyeing it oddly and turning their eyes away. All they saw was a disheveled figure, barefoot and not at all dressed for London weather.

[Cassiel]

Midnite usually never left his home but on this day he found himself being called. The humm of the halberd told him who it was even before the message arrived. “So you have sent another? I will meet Xandrael.” Grabbing up his coats he pulled one over his shoulders The other was simply thrown over his forearm. Unlike his, cause Midnite was so obviously male at the given moment; brothers and sisters, his family he looked and took on the appearance of a male.

Beyond obvious. “I am going out.” He mentioned to someone that stood beside his doors. Up from his rooms he continued to step partially wondering if Xandrael would see through the mask of a man. Shaking his head suddenly he continued moving out of The Aurora. This would be perhaps the first and only time he would be leaving in ten years. And now he was sure as he stepped out the doors he would be leaving more often. Something just said. Home just got more trouble. Some how Midnite felt there was more to just leaving the Aurora.

Such a strange gathering in London. He walked a bit then teleported from where he was to the back of the alley that Xandrael had appeared in. He stepped behind the other who obviously didn’t quite fit in. “Humans are such interesting creatures are they not?”

The question was meant to draw the other’s attention to himself while the coat was folded in half and offered to him. At least it was Egyptian Cotton that had been dyed black. “He sent me to find you. There has been some unusual activity by demons lately and a gathering of fallen in my sanctuary. Quite worrying.” He spoke as though all was clear as the daylight.

[~Xandrael~]

Xandrael raised its head, ear tilted towards one sound out of the many. A voice, directed to it. Turning slowly, smoothly, its eyes found the source.

A man, tall and dark. It blinked. Its eyes seemed to accept what they saw, but its mind...its mind registered more. It could sense, could know that this man was more than a man. The same way that Xandrael was more than this human shape.

Its eyes glanced down to the cloth in the outstretched hand of the man-who-was-not-a-man. Reaching out its own hand, it felt the cotton, fingers grazing, before grabbing it and pulling it towards its body. Soft, smooth, thick. Its gaze rose from the coat to meet the other's eyes, its own eyes catching the light, their amethyst hue starkly evident.

"They are curious...It is curious to see them this way..."

It felt the words rise up from the back of its throat, sliding over its tongue before passing in between its lips. So curious to speak this way when before its mind would only have to reach out and it was understood.

Its eyes went back to the coat, which it unfolded, letting the cloth fall and dangle in the air, before finding the holes that led to long tunnels meant to be occupied by its arms. Awkwardly it put each arm through, feeling the coat slide onto its shoulder blades. It was a little wide, but the touch of it was...nice. It looked towards the Other.

"I thank you..." It bowed its head, its hair tumbling from its shoulders.

"I did not think I would be met...It is an unexpected..." Xandrael searched for the word, "...consolation, knowing that He sent someone."

It took a few careful steps, closing the distance between them. "...But these words you speak that tell of such things, they concern myself. This sanctuary...may I see it?"

[Cassiel]

At the words Midnite found his head nodding very slowly as those eyes watched the man slip on the coat. He had been here for ages, many a life time always hidden from the casual eye of man and now he was within the presence of another much like himself. Those eyes closed for a moment only to reopen to catch the light and reflect it in a show of firelight a glow quite unnatural to many beings.

Bowing his head in return Midnite’s eyes closed once more to give in to the illusion of the reflection. “It would have been safer if you were met. Lucifer is gathering the fallen to him. Lilith apparently is seeking the weapon that destroyed her children either to free them or to assist her in her overthrow of Lucifer. She after all is one that twists the mind of all. One of the most devious demons I have ever come across.”

He spoke as though it was not more than a casual conversation. If Xandrael were to see the Halberd... his thoughts began but stopped, entirely cut short so they wouldn’t tug upon that which was the actual vestige of the angel. So slowly he continued his words.
“My mission was to keep the wars from the humans and to stop the demon caused genocides.” The Angel of Peace was giving away the cover they had used for so many millennia.

“The Sanctuary is not only used by Angels and Fallen but many times I have had demons enter it and upper level ones like Lamashtu the Crowned Demon. There are no fights or battles allowed within the walls and I cannot raise my weapon unless he says I can.”

[~Xandrael~]

Xandrael stared at the being, strange and different from itself, having spent so many more years on the Earthly plane. This being the angel's first mission upon Earth, it would have much to learn from this its elder in experience.

News of Lucifer's culling of the Fallen did not incite any kind of noticeable reaction from Xandrael, but hearing of Lilith's scheme caused it to tilt its head inquisitively. It had observed Lilith's path of vengeance from time to time, but this new information was quite interesting. Lilith overthrowing Lucifer? Most intriguing. It would definitely look into this.

"I'm sure measures have been taken to prevent Lilith from obtaining the weapon..." It spoke assuredly, as if it were not an issue, but an already resolved problem. It looked upon the other, amethyst gaze unfazed.

This Sanctuary...as a safe haven for members of both sides, it would be an ideal location from which to observe and gather information on the various situations and the players involved. Already the angel had somewhere to begin.

Bowing its head, Xandrael continued after its pause, "...It seems with all that you have told, this place is where I must begin..." It turned its body, indicating with its stance that it wished for the other to take the lead through the labyrinthine pathways of London.

[Cassiel]

“Firstly the weapon would need for a human hand to touch it and that same human to carry it from it’s place. If and only if that human is of great faith can they lift and hold it. It would have to be given willingly to Lilith and that isn’t going to happen. But something else more troubling is on the rise.” With a pause Midnite then began walking. “We don’t usually walk and I am never this far from my home. Not since Sofiel... returned to the surface.”

Would Xandrael know of the angel under that name? Or would he know her as Shoftiel? Midnite frowned. He wasn’t exactly lying to Xandrael he was just omitting telling the angel his own angelic name. Which was perhaps not a very good thing to do. “Then follow me I shall lead you there in a contraption called a car. I am sure you have seen these...”

With the wave of his hand once they were on the street he hailed a cab once it stopped he motioned for Xandrael to enter before him.

[~Xandrael~]

It seemed it had arrived in a maelstorm of conflicts and problems.

Xandrael's brow furrowed slightly. "Something more troubling?..."

Its curiosity was peaked. Something more troubling was bound to be incredibly interesting. That is, if Xandrael didn't already know about it. It had tried to catch as wide and detailed a view of the situation in London before it descended, but there hadn't been enough time to comb through everything.

Sofiel. The name seemed to ring the bell of familiarity, but Xandrael was sure that it was confusing it with another similar-sounding name. Yet...there were no coincidences, were there?

It sifted through its memories and found what it was looking for. Shoftiel. The Judge of God. Xandrael remembered the angel writing in so many books, it remembered the hammer, and it remembered a lesson it had learned from Shoftiel, on watching the world of man.

It had been a long time since it had seen Shoftiel. No one had seen Shoftiel, not since a group of foolish humans locked the angel away.

Not since Sofiel... returned to the surface. Xandrael blinked and glanced at the being beside it. From his tone, it seemed that something or someone had prevented it from returning before. Something like an imprisonment?

Xandrael mentioned none of this until it had entered the cabin of the 'car', sitting back on the cushioned seat. (It had seen cars before, many times, but the feel of sitting in one was something quite different.) Once the other had settled in beside it, it turned towards him and asked in a soft voice, "How is Sofiel?"

[Cassiel]

Once inside the Taxi he stated quite easily “To The Aurora.” The man began the usual driving of a taxi and took his sweet time about it which Midnite didn’t mind at all. The question that came was one that he was prepared to answer. “Sofiel is not the same. Very withdrawn so near to fading at times but children keep that aura bright.”

Midnite almost sounded saddened by the thought of loosing her too. “So many of us have already fallen to the wars between heaven and hell. So many fall from grace for love... and those they love become depressed think it is their fault and end their lives. It is a very crude life to fall that way. You will see what I talk about.”

He allowed his energy of peace to flow through the cab bringing the peace to him that had been unsettled by the memories. “You may not know Sofiel when you lay your eyes upon her present form, but looking through the eyes of an angel you will see Sofiel and much more than you bargain for.”

[~Xandrael~]

Xandrael watched the other silently, listening to his words and the tones of emotion that colored them.

This one had been here a long time...

Xandrael pulled its eyes away and looked out the window, listening to the crackling music from the radio. But its thoughts were not distracted. Its eyes seeming to watch the buildings and streets pass, it sat in silence for a moment.

Then it spoke very softly, almost a whisper.

"All I have ever done is see..."

The humans filled the sidewalk, walking and going about their business. So many, so much.

"It makes one wonder...for we do not love each other that way...in the way the others loved their humans, in the way that made them fall..."

"They are such incredible creatures these humans...to have such power over an angel..."


[[ Since we are leaving the Market, I think we should open a new thread at the Aurora, continuing where this one leaves off. If you want to continue the conversation in the car, let me know ]]