Laban Meets Jezreel

The sword loosened the jugular of his opponent - an unknown soldier, a mere human - but what Laban remembered most was the look of surprise which crossed his face, a brief flash of annoyance that froze into a rictus of fear even as the body fell from its perched saddle and into the black earth - bile and blood and flesh mixing with the emerald glade as the stallion trampled over its dead owner. Steeling himself to the sight, the angel spurred his mount forward…

Laban sighed to himself. A millennia amongst human beings had certainly taught him the value of seclusion - a self-imposed exile that had erased much of the endless war. For the most part, Yves had been content to assign him tasks that suited his abhorrence of battle; to allow his skills to grow in other directions. Yet now, as he watched the house glimmer in the wake of passing cars, he could feel the many strands of his past converge into one point. It felt as if he was standing at the edge of an immense precipice, and the uncertainty of his future could swallow him whole. "Destiny, indeed," Laban muttered. As he crossed the street, the emerald bract fell from his hand and into the fathomless depths of the concrete path. Forgotten.

[Charybdis] OOC: Well done. I enjoyed it immensely...

[OOC: Here we go, Lake/Laban's pensive thoughts just before he goes up to Jezreel's place and knocks on the door. Thanks Charybdis and Perry, for bearing with me on this count. :-) I got the descriptions you sent my way.]

[OOGM: Man, talk about an introduction. :) I love it.]

[Charybdis]
OOC: There was no "bearing with" at all. Thanks for the insight... :) And since you knocked on the door...

---

[Jezreel]
IC: Almost as soon as you knock, you hear a woman's voice (slightly muffled through the walls and door) call out, "Would you get that please, Jezreel?" You don't hear a verbal response, but can clearly hear the pounding of feet on stairs downward and then approaching the door. The door is flung open wide, but with obvious precision as it stops just short of banging into the wall inside.

In the now open doorway stands an "all American" preteen girl with a peaches and cream complexion, slender build, straight white teeth. She looks to be about 11 years old, with the long lanky lines and washboard build common to girls who have not yet hit puberty. She stands about 5 feet tall. The girl has long, straight dirty-blonde hair which tumbles down to her waist and falls into her bright baby blue eyes. As she self-consciously bushes the errand strands out of her face, she has a wide-eyed expression which gives her a slightly myopic appearance and also conveys a certain aire of innocence.

The girl is wearing faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt which is tucked neatly into her jeans. On the black field of the T-shirt are bright orange letters reading, "Serve Heaven now. Ask me how." And, somewhat odd considering the weather, she is barefoot.

Staring at you unabashedly and obviously failing to recognize you, a look of confusion crosses her face as she says, "Hello?" Her tone makes it more of a question than a statement.

[Charybdis]
OOC: Coolness! We meet... :)

OOC2: Perry, for the record, does Laban arrive before or after Jezreel and Dodai have dinner. This is relevant because Jezreel would tell her Mom about her meeting with Litheroy during dinner, so if it is before dinner, Dodai would know about Laban (at least what little Jezreel herself knows), but if it is after dinner, she wouldn't know anything...

OOGM: Okay, first off, I believe that you're right, Dodai *would* have prepared dinner, for reasons of helping Jezreel get used to human what-not. I would say that Laban arrives during dinner, which would leave the question of whether or not Jezreel had told Dodai about Laban yet in your hands. I presume that you, Charybdis, will play Dodai as well? I can play her if you wish, with your advice on her character. :)

[Jezreel]
OOC: I'll play Dodai, unless you have some specific input you need her to give. And, yes, Jezreel would have told her about Laban at the start of dinner...

OOGM: Okay, cool. Specific imput? Nah, not just yet.

[Adrian]
Laban smiled softly - as much to himself as to the girl, Jezreel - and gave a perfunctory bow in return.

[Charybdis]
As you bow, the confusion visibly increases... Then her eyes gaze up and leftwards, as if considering. Hesitantly, she gives you a small bow in return, attempting to match the manner and level of your own.

[Adrian]
He knew already what her gaze would see - his short-cropped hair turned silver at the temples, cloud-grey eyes set above a hawkish nose. The clothes that he had chosen were conservative, a grey wool sweater over a black turtleneck and matching pants. As much as he could, he tried to soften the brooding presence which his mannerisms and physique inevitably cut.

"Jezreel?", he murmured quietly, in the human tongue.

[Charybdis]
"Yes, sir," she says, almost as if relieved to know the right answer. "I am Jezreel..."

[Adrian]
"My name is Laban, or Lake, if you would. Might I take a moment of your time? There are a great many things I must speak to you of."

[Charybdis]
When you speak your name, Jezreel's confusion washes away, and she smiles slightly. "Of course, Laban," she says, "Lord Litheroy said you would be coming..." Her eyes still hold a hint of worry, however, as she resumes studying you...

"For Heaven's Sake, Jezreel," says the same woman's voice you heard through the door earlier. "Where are your manners? Don't let the poor man freeze to death. Invite him in already..." The woman stands in a doorway at the far side of the living room. She is in mid thirties, blonde and striking in spite of her age. She wears jeans, like Jezreel does, but designer cut and not the least bit worn. Her blouse is obviously off the rack from one of the better department stores.

Jezreel flushes slightly, but rather than seeming embarrassed, she seems relieved. "Right," she says, "Sorry. Won't you please come in?" She makes an inviting gesture towards the living room. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? A Coke?" The words are almost ritualized, as if she has memorized them as a litany."

Then turning to the older woman, "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Laban," she says, "This is my mom, Dodai. Mom, this is Laban, the one I told you about earlier."

Dodai approaches and offers you her hand, "Pleased to meet you, Laban," she says. Then, "You must have a lot to discuss, so I'll leave you two alone..." At Jezreel's panicked expression, she adds with a smile, "I'll just be upstairs. Don't hestitate to call me if you need anything." Though she is looking at you, it's obvious the last words are intended to reassure her daughter. With that, Dodai heads up the stairs leaving you alone with the nervous girl.

Glancing around the room as if looking for answers, she nervously says, "Please, have a seat..." She gestures towards the large comfortable couch.

[Adrian]
Laban moved towards the couch, his coat folded easily over one arm. "Put yourself at ease, Jezreel."

[Charybdis]
'Easy for you to say,' Jezreel thinks, but has learned enough manners not to say.

[Adrian]
He hesitated. "Perhaps it might be best if we start at the beginning.

[Charybdis]
Jezreel nods...

[Adrian]
My Superior - Yves - has called on me to teach you something of the old ways, to help you... how should we say?... move amongst humankind a little easier. Though we are blessed far beyond most creatures, we are not impervious to earthly harms.

"Yet let that be the least of your concerns. For the most part, I am to instruct you in more... mundane... matters." Laban smiled slightly. "However much that's worth."

[Charybdis]
Jezreel's expression becomes hard to read. It is somewhat akin to confusion, relief, disbelief, hope, and fear all rolled into one. And it is more than that... And less.

Jezreel just stares for a moment, wishing she had thought to invoke her Resonance at the start of this conversation... She wonders, desperately, whether to believe you [Laban]. She considers invoking it now, but hesitates a moment, wondering if it would be "politically correct" as Dodai would say. An expression of terror washes over her as she speculates what Phalgus would say. He'd call her paranoid, for sure, to doubt someone on Heaven's side so quickly. And he'd say her father's taint was already evident if she was avoiding her God-given Resonance.

She sighs a moment, then activates her Resonance. Politically correct or not, she *has* to know...

[GM: Resonance Roll! Whee-hee!!]

"Then you're not here because Yves thinks I'm Fated to Fall?" Jezreel stammers out so softly you can barely hear her words. She looks down at the floor and flushes beet red. "You're not here because of my Father?" She lifts her head slightly, looking into your face for the clues she can read there, but not quite daring to actually meet your eyes.

OOC: Course, we don't have a GM to rule what, if anything, her Resonance tells her, but that's okay... I had to invoke it anyway because she would....

[Adrian]
[OOC]: Here's my modest little contribution. *grin* I was going to have Laban hum at Jezreel in the celestial tongue, but since we're without the benefit of Perry's dice judgements, I figured I'd try this instead.

[OOGM: Works for me! :]

[Charybdis]
Hey there, gang....

Adrian... I know you sent me a message after Jezreel invoked her Resonance, but with changing mailers, it seems to have gotten eaten. Would you mind resending it? Thanks...

OOC: So, to be clear, is Labban humming or not?

OOC: Nope, in answer to your question, Laban's not humming. ---

[GM]
Results of Resonance on Laban

I roll a 6, 6, and 4. That's a failure with a CD of 4, not so good.

OOC: OUCH!!!

[GM to Jezreel - Private]
Jezreel tries to invoke her Resonance, but feels somehow that she is unable to connect with the Symphony. Is it the fact that she doubts a fellow angel, an angel of higher rank? Is it her perhaps her emotional state, her worry that's causing this? Could it be she is in a state of sudden selfishness, too wrapped up in her own doubts, fears and insecurities to connect with the Symphony?

What are the implications of this? :) Hmmmm...

[Jezreel]
Terrified by her loss of connection to the Symphony and feeling completely lost and alone, Jezreel hunches her shoulders tightly together, shivering. Though she does not actually move, Jezreel almost seems to shrink back within herself. Blinking back tears that she is too proud to shed, Jezreel awaits Labban's answer...

OOC: You're up Adrian...

OOGM: Adrian, considering the last post from Charybdis it may be necessary to edit this next section a bit. I really like the next section, I just want it all to flow. :)

[Laban]
"Jezreel…" Laban speaks softly but with conviction, "Jezreel, the last thing I want you to feel is afraid of me. I'm not here to cast judgement upon you, nor your father nor anyone else you may care about."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel listens silently, not responding... not meeting your eyes.

[Adrian]
"Now," and at this, Laban smiles, " I'm not one to toss around words, no matter what you may have heard about my Mercurian brothers.

[Jezreel]
At this, Jezreel allows herself a small smile. For a moment, she half wonders if Laban knows that her mother is a Mercurian...

[Laban]
I've spent my life in and amongst humans - and if anything, that's made me a better angel, if not a better man. I don't fault you for your caution - but neither must you feel hemmed in by your fear."

[Jezreel]
Feeling that she should respond, but not really trusting herself to speak, Jezreel nods here, still not meeting your eyes.

[Laban]
Laban canted his head, a look of sadness and joy upon his face. "It's a fine line we celestials are expected to walk, and one which carries as much responsibility as pleasure. How much sadder must it be to walk it alone?" For the briefest of moments, Laban's hooded eyes dropped their mortal veil. Indelible lines of age smoothed over. And somewhere deep inside him, a fraction of his angelic soul peered out at Jezreel, clear and piercing against the burnished ivory of his face. It looked at her with the experience of a creature who had spent centuries living every conceivable emotion, who had tasted of deeper knowledge than many would think impossible. Then it too faded, died, and Laban became once more, simply Lake.

[Jezreel]
For the first time, Jezreel meets your eyes, really seeming to see you. She continues to blink back her tears.

[Laban]
Laban sat in silent for a moment, his eyes turned downwards. But when he looked up at Jezreel again, it was with all the compassion he felt harbored deep for this fledgling celestial. "I think we know each other a little better now, Jezreel. The Symphony binds us in a way that cannot - nay, should not - ever be doubted. It is the one thing that will carry you through where so many other things will fail. And it is because of this bond, rather than because I am pledged to Yves, that I offer you my friendship."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel meets your eyes for a moment, staring while taking in your words without seeming to notice she is doing so...

[Laban]
"As for the question you posed me earlier, I can only tell you this: I have known Yves since the greatest of Ages, and he is not one to favor the ulterior. When we last met, he told me this about your father - 'Jezreel will undoubtedly wish to see him. I do not forbid it, but that is not your chief concern.'" Laban looked at Jezreel, not unkindly. "And if even that fails to comfort, take heart in this: your fate is what you make of it. I think I heard that in a movie once, and it's sound advice."

[OOC]: Perry, at this point, I think Laban would use his Emote skill. I don't think there's any other way he could convey the layers of emotion and depth that I'm going for here. Wanna give some more dice-chucking a go? *grin*

[GM]: You got it. :) Autosuccess with CD 6. With your Emote skill total soaring at around 16, that's an auto-success anyway with a bonus of 4 to the CD, giving you a whopping CD of 10. Not bad... :) Charybdis, Jezreel understands the emotions which Laban is conveying, despite her removal from the human condition. Laban has had a 'while' to perfect the art of the skill, even with Seraphim. Not only that, but she would believe them to be true, feel them to be true. Of black and white, these fall on the side of white - the side of truth.

[Jezreel]
Jezreel shudders once deeply, then as if something has broken down inside, she lets the tears flow. "I can't even feel the Symphony," she confesses, as if that should explain everything, trusting that it will...

[Laban]
"There's no need to cry, Jezreel," soothed Laban. He leaned forward, cupping his hands gently around those of Jezreel.

[Jezreel]
As you take her hands, Jezreel relaxes slightly. She seems to take some reassurance from the simple fact that you are willing to touch her. She takes a few shuttering breaths and meets your eyes, listening intently. You have the somewhat uncomfortable feeling that Jezreel is clinging to your words as a lifeline...

[Laban]
"I still remember the first time I lost connection with the Symphony."

[Jezreel]
"*You've* lost touch with the Symphony?" Jezreel asks, half relief, half disbelief. "Why?"

[Laban]
"A friend of mine - who, fortunately, also happened to be a much wiser angel than me - gave me this advice: he told me to picture the Symphony as something akin to the sky surrounding us. At times, he said, we would feel it buffet against us as the wind, and so know it to be there; at other times, he told me, it would be so subdued that we would feel it not at all. But just because I couldn't feel it, didn't mean it wasn't there. And if ever I wanted to prove him wrong, all I had to do was stop breathing."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel stares out the window for a moment, obviously considering your words. Then she turns back, giving you a quirky half-smile. "That sounds like something Uncle Eli would say."

[Laban]
Laban smiled crookedly. "We can't always hear the Symphony at the frequency we'd like to. But if you just want to make sure it's there - for whatever reason - all you have to do is close your eyes and try to feel it. Don't try to invoke your power - just look for its source."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel nods and obediently follows your advice. She closes her eyes and tries to feel the Symphony around her... not asking anything of it, just trying to touch its presence...

OOC: Okay, Perry... Does it work? Cuz I can't really go on until I know that... It'll really effect how Jezreel reacts...

[GM]
The flow of the symphony, its ebb and flow, its melodious rythmn, is there in Jezreel's ears. It's as though it had never really left, but was always there on the edge of her hearing.

[Adrian]
[OOC]: I feel like Yoda. *grin* All joking aside, I'm going to be fairly busy this next week and a half, so you guys might not be getting replies from me at the rate you might want them. I'm going to be juggling a few essays with a weekend of skiing, which leaves little room for email correspondences. :-)

[Chary]
OOC: Null sheen... I know how hectic life can be... I'm struggling a bit myself with the baby, classroom prep, grading, and (lucky me) the really nasty flu that my students gave me... We'll muddle through at whatever pace you can handle....

[Perry]
Hear here.