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Post by Esme M. Lolland on Dec 6, 2008 19:15:28 GMT -1
Perhaps it was because life always led people to do crazy things, but perhaps it was because the Catholic in her felt ignored, but whatever it was Esme found herself in St. Paul's Cathedral that particular night. She genuflected and entered a pew, it truly was a magnificent Cathedral.
She sat and just looked at the statues around her. She didn't quite know why she ended up in this place, but whatever almighty force had brought her there, most likely did it for a reason. Esme began to quietly hum "The Lord's Prayer", one of the many classical songs she had been around since she was younger and one of the greatest pieces of work in her mind.
She quickly became lost in a sense of faith and peace that she hadn't felt in the longest time. How grateful she was to have found peace, and much more grateful for it being in such a beautiful place, so close to her Lord.
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Post by ~Xandrael~ on Dec 15, 2008 1:42:07 GMT -1
Up in the balconies above the pews, in the shadows of the statues, Xandrael rested upon the carved wooden railing, chin upon knee, thinking pensively. It flexed the muscles in its shoulders, feeling the invisible presence of its wings.
Silently it watched a young lady enter the cathedral, and take a seat in one of the pews. It was contemplating other thoughts, but it did not fail to notice that it had seen this young lady before.
It was Esme...from the market. One of its hands idly went to its pocket, pulling out a bit of paper. Esme, who had prevented a vampire from killing a human for its meal. One who seemed able to garner the trust of supernatural beings with her honest, open eyes and her disarming way of speaking her mind.
Its hands played with the piece of paper, fingers pressing it and folding, without the angel paying much attention to it.
After a moment, it brought its hands to its lips, and with a gentle blowing breath, cast the folded paper into the open air over the pews. But it was no ordinary piece of paper now, it had been given a new shape, a pale paper butterfly that now fluttered with paper-thin wings and glided downward, towards Esme.
A bare whisper of a smile appeared on the angel's face, as it watched the little butterfly rest on the back of the pew before her.
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Post by Esme M. Lolland on Dec 15, 2008 2:00:03 GMT -1
Esme's line of thought was disrupted as she heard a small rustling behind her. She looked behind her to see a small butterfly made from paper. She was slightly confused, there was no one near her but this piece of paper could not have made it all the way to her side unless there was someone with some type of power that sent it towards her.
She started looking, both mentally and physically, for the cause. She felt it before she saw it, an angel, somewhere. She started to look around her, trying not to draw too much attention to her spazzing in the pew when she noticed it. It was in the chior loft looking at her intently.
She stared at it for a while before she realized who it was. It was Xandrael, who she had met in the market a while back. It was very quiet then, but it seemed to be smiling when Esme looked up at it. She waved at it and then pointed in the direction she supposed a staircase would be to join it. She rose from her seat and headed towards the stairs to join Xandrael in it's lofty perch.
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Post by ~Xandrael~ on Dec 15, 2008 16:20:30 GMT -1
It lifted a hand in a replying gesture, acknowledging her notice of it. Glancing quickly to the staircase, it nodded to her once and adjusted its position on the railing.
While it waited for her to come up, it watched her with all-seeing eyes, catching up on all that had happened to her since the last time they had met. Its eyebrows rose, impressed by what it saw. Impressed...and concerned.
It smiled again, listening to her footsteps as she approached, but this time the smile was grim.
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Post by Esme M. Lolland on Dec 16, 2008 1:05:36 GMT -1
Esme reached the top of the stairs and took a seat next to Xandrael on the railing. Nowhere near as well-balanced as Xandrael she resorted to straddling the railing, trying to keep as much of her lack of balance as possible. She looked at Xandrael, it looked about the same as she had last remembered, but it's smile was so sad looking. Why?
"Why so serious, old friend?" she asked. She hated when her friends were upset around her, and only moments before Xandrael seemed to be so happy, what caused that change in the few moments it took for her to climb the staircase to be by it's side.
Perhaps Xandrael had gone through alot, or perhaps there was something Xandrael knew that everyone Esme knew had thought was best to keep a secret from her. She wanted to know what caused such a change. An answer to such a question would only come with time, though.
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Post by ~Xandrael~ on Dec 18, 2008 11:22:58 GMT -1
The angel watched as she settled herself on the railing. It was slightly interested in the way the muscles of her body tensed, keeping her equilibrium intact. Xandrael's own balance was so self-assured, it never worried about losing it, at least on its own account.
Her question was so full of genuine concern, it almost pained the angel to hear it. That much care should be turned towards herself. Such a kind human. Definitely one of the good ones. The ones that usually needed protecting...
Xandrael answered her softly, its eyes on her hands. "It is a common state for one such as this...especially for one tasked with keeping an eye on," its eyes lifted towards her torso, "...the sentient creatures of the Earth."
Pausing thoughtfully for a moment, it reached into its pocket and procured a small cellophane bag filled with sprinkled discs of chocolate. In seconds it was open, but how it was done without making a sound was a mystery. Everyone knows that cellophane is notoriously noisy, except it seems, this one.
It offered her the open bag, its eyes lifting to glance at her face. "Nonpareil?"
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Post by Esme M. Lolland on Dec 18, 2008 23:21:00 GMT -1
"Oh," was all that Esme could think of responding with, she had never thought that there was anyone looking after her kind, and most definately would never have pegged Xandrael for having that job.
She was so surprised that Xandrael was able to keep it's balance, grab a small celophane bag and was so surprised it was able to keep it's balance through the whole ordeal. If Esme tried she'd find herself falling flat on her bottom on the balcony floor, that was if she were lucky.
Xandrael opened the bag and offered her a small chocolate, "Thank you," she said gratefully putting her hand in the bag, causing quite a bit of noise from the small act, and pulling out a candy. She held it in her hand for a while, and then placed it into her mouth.
"How has everything been going for you since we last met? Nothing terrible, I hope," Esme asked.
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Post by ~Xandrael~ on Dec 24, 2008 4:36:35 GMT -1
The angel was content to see Esme enjoy the little bit of chocolate. It personally found the sprinkled discs of chocolate incredibly enjoyable.
It closed the bag, again without a sound, and hid it away again in its coat pocket.
"Nothing terrible for myself...but enduring the terrible acts of others. Sometimes it is difficult to simply watch and not act..."
Xandrael had not meant to be so frank with her, but that was how it was with her. She made it difficult to close one's self off. Her openess opened those around her. The angel worried that perhaps it opened the hearts of those she should take care in trusting.
It tried to keep itself from gazing farther along her line of fate; not that it did not want to know, but it was dangerous to know things that might be revealed unexpectedly through conversation. Looking towards her lower left side, its eyes caught a bit of ambient light.
"You should be careful, Esme...This one would not want you to feel the impact of a terrible act, to have something terrible happen to you would be most unfortunate."
Was that concern in its voice? It seemed it was.
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Post by Esme M. Lolland on Dec 24, 2008 4:58:11 GMT -1
Esme nodded as Xandrael spoke, sometimes it seemed to speak in riddles. Esme was surprised whenever she understood what it was trying to say, as seldom as that truly was.
She watched Xandrael sitting, beyond it's grace that shouldn't be bestowed onto any one being, it looked so majestic. It was not beautiful in the conventional way, but had a beauty of some other sort of being. Of another world. It had the beauty that only something sent from God could have, and of course it would, Xandrael was merely angelic.
Xandrael warned that she should be careful. She lifted an eyebrow inquisitively, what did it mean by that? She had already been in enough trouble to last her half of a lifetime after that predator at the University, there couldn't be anything worst in her future than being attacked and eaten alive, could there be? "What do you mean, be careful? I can't seem to be getting into more danger than I've already been in, can I?"
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Post by ~Xandrael~ on Dec 24, 2008 5:14:23 GMT -1
Xandrael could not help but flinch inwardly at such a direct question. It should have known she would have done so. Its eyes glanced a bit further from her person, resting on the hands that held onto the railing. Its hesitation was evident, yet after a moment its low, silver voice softly permeated the air between them.
"Moving into the home of the Council will provide you with greater protection than you can provide for yourself from the dangerous creatures of this world...Yet your vigilance must not waver..."
It said no more, and it said no less. Free will was the most important gift to mankind, and Xandrael was dangerously close to infringing upon it. It could feel the shivering vibrations of near defiance buzz at the base of its wings.
She is only one, Xandrael. And you have many under your Watch. Do not forget.
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