Balseraph's Warning

Pushing back her desire to ask Detective Ross why humans so often feel they have to shorten names, Jezreel peers intently at the lock he is indicating...

"You see these scratch marks on the lock?" he asks.

Assuming that she does indeed see them, Jezreel says, "Yes, sir..."

"These indicate that someone has tampered with the lock, they've put something in the lock other than the key to force it open."

Jezreel nods, thinking that makes sense...

Just then, Jezreel hears a familiar voice coming up from behind them, and it sounds like the person is running.

"Jezreel!" The voice calls. The voice is very clearly that of her father.

At the sound of her name, Jezreel turns to face her father. She pales slightly as she realizes who it is; then she flushes a little with embarrassment as she realizes that Michelion will see her with her Fallen father.

At the sound of her name, Jezreel turns to face her father. She pales slightly as she realizes who it is; then she flushes a little with embarrassment as she realizes that Michelion will see her with her Fallen father.

"Dad?" she says a bit shakily. "What... What are you doing here?"

Then, feeling somewhat guilty for her less than enthusiastic response to his greeting-- he is, after all, still her father-- she adds, "I tried to come by the shop yesterday to see you, but the woman there said you were out of town...."

Jezreel glances at Detective Ross for permission before allowing herself to be drawn away from him...

"I was," he says. "Look, uh," he looks at Detective Ross, "Would you mind if I had a word with my daughter?" he asks while drawing Jezreel aside.

"Jezreel," he says in hushed tones, "You've got to get out of the city!"

Jezreel glances at Detective Ross for permission before allowing herself to be drawn away from him...

The human detective says nothing that would indicate that he disapproved. He merely takes a step backward, apparently making room for Jezreel's father's personal space.

At Detective Ross's apparent acceptance, Jezreel moves in closer so that she can talk more or less privately with her father.

Jezreel stares at her father a moment; then she starts to ask, "Why?" But before waiting for an answer, the young Seraph shakes her head. "I *can't*, Dad," she says. "I'm on *Assignment*," She says the last word beaming with pride.

Then realizing that now more than ever it's important to try and sort her father's lies from the Truth, Jezreel activates her Resonance, repressing a shutter at the memories of the other times she's done this around her father.

[Jezreel, resonance roll 3, 2, CD3,
success, CD3, zero disturbance]

SERAPHIM RESONANCE ON COZBI

OOC:

I've gone back and looked at our initial conversation about the interaction between the Seraph and Balseraph Resonance . . . and now I'm consulting my APG and IPG . . . the IPG states that as the Balseraph believes everything he says to be Truth, the Seraph can only read that the target believes it's telling the truth.

Earlier I had said that because of the nature of the Balseraph's resonance, EVERYTHING they said while using it would register as a lie to the Seraph. This meant that when Cozbi said that he loved her, it registered as a lie to Jezreel, because he had been using his Resonance at the time.

I view the Balseraph's resonance as the ability to create a sort of "truth bubble" which stands apart from the Symphony. Because the Seraph's resonance does not recognize it as being even a valid part of the Symphony, anything which is part of that "truth bubble" would register as false-hood by defaut. I believe that the Balseraph's ability to create a "truth-bubble" is used when they want to persuade someone of a new truth, either themselves or someone else.

OOC: That works for me....

OOGM: Effectively, Jezreel will be able to discern when her father (or any other Balserpah) is Resonanting and when he isn't. Whether or not, and when, she figures this out is up to you. :)

[Charybdis]
OOC: I think that may take her a little while... I mean, right now she finds the whole thing discomforting. I think she has to get beyond that be clear-headed enough to start making the connection...

IC:

[Cozbi]
"Jezreel, if you're not outside of Vancouver proper by midnight tomorrow night, you're not going to have an assignment any more, you're going to be in Trauma."

[the Symphony]
"He believes his words," whispers the Symphony, "he does not lie because he loves you and he wishes to protect you so that you may love him in return."

Jezreel gives her father a sad smile. "I know you're trying to protect me because you love me, Dad," Jezreel says. "And I love you too, in spite of everything that has happened. But I *can't* just pack up and leave. I'm not a fledgling anymore. I have responsibilities. I have to stay. If you can tell me anything that might help me while I stay here, I'd appreciate it. But if you can't, I understand."

"This is bigger than you or I, don't you understand?!" His voice rises a bit. "This isn't about computer crime or recovering stolen data, this is about mass extermination of angels and angelic tethers in this entire city."

Jezreel swallows hard, but does not interrupt.

His voice is picking up speed, as he speaks. "This will be one of the greatest strikes against Heaven since the destuction of Sodom; Vancouver is going to become a stronghold of Hell, the dead shall rise and the Calabim shall set about spreading Terror and Nightmares to her citizens, no one will be spared from our pain. The Media will flourish on the destruction, people will look to Drugs, Lust and Gluttony to relieve their pain, love and peace will become unknown. In the chaos Canada will deply its military to keep the peace, military rule will serve only to increase the nightmares, Baal and Saminga will ensure that."

[the Symphony]
"He believes he is speaking the truth, for he loves you and wishes for you to leave the city to save yourself."

Jezreel swallows again, trying to push back the dismal image her Father is painting. "How..." she starts, but it comes out little more than a squeak. "How is all of this supposed to begin?" she asks, trying to clarify the facts.

[Cozbi]
"I can't say, but your mother has already left, I can't protect you if you stay."

[the Symphony]
"He believes he is speaking the truth, for he loves you and wishes that you trust in him more."

"Mother left on business," Jezreel protests. "Not to abandon me to my Fate. Thank you for the warning, Father. I appreciate it; I really do, even if you can't do anything more active to help me. But I can't just flee every time there is trouble. I have... responsibilities of my own here. People I need to protect. If... If Hell is about to launch a major offensive, Father, then Heaven needs every Servitor here it can get, even a novice Creationist who's just figuring out how to stand on her own..."

The Balseraph is silent, his eyes dim with sadness.

"I will be careful, Father," she promises. "I really will. And..." she hesitates, not sure whether this will reassure her Father or anger him. "And I'll let the local Servitors of Judgement know you tried to warn me. That might serve to let them give you a little leeway if they run into you."

[Cozbi]
"Somehow I think that telling Judgement that you've been believing what the enemy has to say would be a poor idea, especially since you're a Servitor of Eli," he says a he beings to back away,

[Jezreel]
"You're not my enemy, Father...."

[Cozbi]
"but I cannot stand in the way of your Free Will. I can't risk being seen with you any longer. May your Trauma be short and your recovery swift."

He swiftly removes himself from the scene, quickly moving into the unseen.

Jezreel stands there staring after her Father as he leaves, hands hanging limply at her side. She trembles as she watches him leave, only barely conscious of the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Uh, Jezreel," detective Ross says after a few moments of silence,

Blinding lights come alive from a car in the parking lot, Ross holds up his hands instinctively to block the glare as he takes a few steps towards the young angel.

Jezreel turns towards Detective Ross, realizing that she is crying now by the fact that her vision is blurred.

The black vehicle spins and moves away, its lights moving off the pair. Detective Ross notes that its moving in the same direction in which the Demon had just disappeared.

[Ross]
"you okay?" If and when she turns to look at him, she can see that his face is pained with obvious and real concern, an expression she recognizes from her own mother's when she's been in distress before.

Jezreel takes a deep shuttering breath before answering. She knows that the answer that he wants to hear, the polite answer, is 'yes', but she cannot bring herself to say that, no matter what her mother's lectures on etiquette would dictate. Considering her words carefully before speaking, Jezreel says slowly, "I am unharmed."

Embarrassed and touched by the evident concern on Ross's face, Jezreel takes another deep breath to try and collect her emotions. Then she runs the back of her hand across her face to wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry," she says quietly. "It seems I frequently end up like this when I talk to my Father lately."

"It's okay," says Detective Ross.

"He..." Jezreel cuts herself off and starts over, changing trains of thought. "...He came to warn me about something that the Demons are about to do here in town. I... I have to report in to Phalgus," she says. "It... It's one of the conditions of my still seeing my Father. Do you have a phone?" she asks the detective.

The human detective shakes his head, no.

"I need to call him right away. Then I really should tell Michanelion what my Father said. Judgement needs to know.... Everyone needs to know, really."

"Uh," says the good detective, "maybe we should get out of here. With all the Disturbance to the Symphony around here, there's sure to be other . . . celestial forces nearby."

[Ross]
"Let's go back to the station, I can let you use my cell phone on the way."

Jezreel looks around the area trying to see if she can spot Michanelion. "Don't you think we should talk to Michanelion first. I mean, he knew there were several Disturbances. That's what we came here to investigate. I think we should talk to him before we leave, don't you?"

[Ross]
The human ponders the statement briefly, "I just figured I'd call him when we got back to the station or in the car. Besides," he says, looking a bit nervously over your shoulder, "matters involving," his voice drops to a whisper, "Demons," his voice picks back up, "Isn't the sort of thing the rest of the police department needs to hear."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel shakes her head. "I still don't think I should leave without getting permission, sir." To the latter statement, she nods, "Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind. I'll be *discreet.*" She emphasizes the last word as children sometimes do when they repeat a word used by an adult and they are not entirely sure of the meaning.

[Ross]
"Most people don't seriously believe in Angels and Demons, much less the religions beliefs of whatever organization they belong to."

[Jezreel]
"I know, sir," she sighs. "Sometimes I think that's part of the problem. But I understand. Even Lord Litheroy insists we keep this secret..."

[Ross]
"I guess if we just refer to . . . to him as your father, it could be okay."

[Jezreel]
"Yes, sir," Jezreel promises with all sincerity. "I will." With that, she looks around the crime scene looking for Michanelion.

[GM]
And the human detective follows her in haste. Jezreel finds detective Neelon off to the side from the rest of the police, but the area is still a bit crowded, examining the motorcycle. Seeing Jezreel and the young detective approach, he rights himself to greet her and pushes some people out of way to come to meet Her. "Jezreel, what's the matter?"

Keeping in mind Detective Ross's reminder not to discuss Demons around the main population, Jezreel says, "May I speak with you privately, sir. My *father* was here to speak to me-- to give me a warning, actually-- and I think you should hear what he had to say."

A look of concern crosses the old detective's face. "Do you believe that what he had to say may have an impact upon our interpretation of this crime scene?"

Jezreel thinks a long while before answering. Finally she admits, "I'm not sure, sir, but I think that it might."

[Neelon]
"Well, let's go to my car and talk about it there. I won't really be needed until the situation on the roof has been taken care of."

Jezreel nods and follows Michanelion to his car.

After both of them are in, Michanelion asks, "What is this about your father, now?"

Jezreel takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before she starts. "My Father..." she starts, then stops realizing that her voice is shaking.

[OOGM: And Michnelion would like to make a resonance roll on Jezreel at this point. Unfortunately, I do not have either of my In Nomine books on me, but Michnelion succeeded with a CD of 3, what can you tell me? :)]

[Chary] OOC: (looking up this information on the Elohite Resonance Roll table) Let's see. A check digit of 3 gives you 1) the current emotional state in broad general terms, 2) Plus the single strongest emotion, 3) and the emotion's current motivation. Sheesh, that's tough. Not because it gives you so much, but because it really gives you so little given Jezreel's current flood of emotions... Okay. Here goes...

IC: Activating his Resonance, Michanelion realizes that Jezreel's current emotional state is one of anxiety. Her biggest single emotion is confusion because she's not sure whether she's done the right thing in telling Michanelion what her Father said, whether she should have pressed her Father harder for details, whether she should be glad that her Father warned her and if she should take that as a positive sign, or if her Father has some sort of ulterior motive as well.

[Jezree]
With an effort of will, she forces herself to start over more steadily. "My Father came to warn me to get out of town. He said..." She pales slightly remembering his words. "He said that this was just the start of a major offensive by Hell against the Angelic forces and Tethers in the city. He said..." Despite her best efforts, tears start streaming slowly down her cheeks. "He said that the dead were going to rise and that Nightmares was going to have free reign. He said that was just the beginning. He said that Vancouver was going to become a stronghold for Hell..."

Jezreel pauses a moment, meeting Michanelion's eyes. "I know *what* my Father is, Michanelion," she says. "But he was telling the Truth. He was trying to protect me. Whatever else may have happened, my Father still loves me, sir..."

[Michanelion]
"He said that this was just the beginning? But, Science World isn't a tether to either side of the war." The detective's face grows more grave.

[Jezreel]
"Yes, sir," Jezreel says. "I don't understand exactly what's going on. He wouldn't give me too many details. He said..." Jezreel closes her eyes trying to recall exactly what her Father had said. "He said that if I didn't leave Vancouver by midnight tomorrow, I would be in Trauma... He said that this was the start of a major campaign against Angels and Angelic Tethers in the city. He said that this would be one of the greatest strikes against Heaven since the destruction of Sodam...."

"Destruction of Sodom . . ." echoes the detective.

[Jezreel]
"Yes, sir. That's what he said."

The detective 'hmmmms' slightly to himself.

Jezreel shrugs. "I know that sounds melodramatic, but that's what he said, and the Symphony told me he was speaking the Truth... Father didn't give many details, he just said that Vancouver would become a stronghold for Hell. He said the dead would rise and that the Calabim would cause so much pain that people would turn to Drugs, Lust, and Gluttony for solace. Then he said something about the Canadian government calling in the military to settle things down, but that Baal and Saminga would use the military occupation as a means to increase the nightmare."

"When you say the Syphony told you he was speaking the Truth, do you mean your resonance was able to pierce into the Truth of the matter, or only that your father was speaking truth as he knew it?"

Jezreel stops a moment, trying to be sure of her answer. "The Symphony told me that he belived what he was saying. But it also told me that he chose not to lie because he loves me and wants to protect me. And that he was trying to earn my love."

"I'm sorry, Michanelion," Jezreel says. "I know that's not very clear, but that's all that Father would say. When I tried to get him to explain, he just said that was all he could tell me. Then he just said that Mother was out of town, and he could not protect me, so I should leave... I tried to tell him I couldn't just leave, that I had an Assignment. I asked him for anything else that could protect me, but that's all he would say."

"That's fine, Jezreel, that's fine," says the Elohite.

Her eyes haunted with worry, she asks, "Does that help at all, Michanelion?"

"Yes," replies the Elohite of Judgement, "yes it does. I will need to ponder this new evidence further."

Jezreel nods solemnly. "Is there anything I can do?" she asks.

"No, no, not yet."

And then trying to shake the intensity of her feelings, Jezreel shakes her head as if to clear it. "Do you have a phone I could use, Michanelion? I need to call Phalgus. I need to report to him... I'm supposed to do that whenever I talk to my Father..."

"Certainly." The good detective pulls a cell phone out of his jacket pocket and hands it to her.

"Thank you, Michanelion," Jezreel says politely when he gives her the phone.

[Michanelion]
"I'll just step outside, I won't go far."

[Jezreel]
"You don't have to," she says. "I have nothing to hide."

[Michanelion]
"Perhaps not, but I do not wish to possibly pollute your message by my presence, no matter how you feel on the matter."
And with that, the detective removes himself from the car.

She nods her understanding.

Once the older Angel has left the car, Jezreel dials Phalgus's number and waits anxiously for him to pick up the phone.

The phone rings once.

"Hello," comes Phalgus' voice.

"Phalgus," Jezreel says. "I am calling because I saw Father just a few minutes ago. He found me to give me a warning, and I thought you should know about it..."

"Ah," says Phalgus pleasantly, "good of you to call me. Please, tell me more about what your father said."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel takes a deep breath, but she is surprised to find that she does seem as upset by telling Phalgus as she was when she talked to Michanelion. Perhaps, she speculates, it's because she's already ordered her thoughts.

"Yes, sir," Jezreel says before beginning. "My father came to warn me to get out of the city. He told me that the attack at the Science World was the start of a major offensive by the Demons against all the Angels and Angelic Tethers in town." Jezreel pauses here. "When I reported this to Michanelion, he seemed surprised, since Science World is not a Tether for either side..." The young Seraph shrugs. "Anyway, my Father said that this was to be the greatest Demonic attack against Heaven since the destruction of Sodom."

Jezreel pauses a second to let that sink in. "I know that sounds melodramatic, Phalgus," she says, "But, considering my Father's tendency to... distort the Truth, I asked the Symphony for help in sorting things out, and the Symphony told me that my Father was telling me the Truth because he loves me and wants to protect me..."

[Phalgus]
"Do you mean the Truth or the truth as he knew it, Jezreel?"

[Jezreel]
Jezreel sighs. Thinking back, she reluctantly admits, "I don't know, sir. The Symphony told me that he believed what he was saying, and that he was not lying to me because he loves me, and he wants me to love him too. I *think* he would know if he were lying to me, sir, but I'm not sure..." She trails off into a pensive silence...

[Phalgus]
"Jezreel," says the old Malakite, "How much do you know about the Balseraphim and their innate abilities?"

[Jezreel]
"I know that they are Hell's greatest liars," Jezreel says quickly. "And I know that Lucifer himself is one..." She pauses a moment here as if unsure of the wisdom of speaking that name.

"I know..." She pauses again, pain in her tone. "I know that my Father can twist words, can distort the fact, in ways that quite frankly sicken me..." Her voice adds revulsion to the pain. "I know he... and Balseraphs in general, can make almost anyone believe their lies... But other than that, sir, I have to admit, I don't know a lot."

[Phalgus]
"The major weakness of the Balseraphim is that they believe their own lies, Jezreel. One of our chief weapons against them is to trap them in thier own lies. It appears to be about a painful for a Balseraph to be proven wrong, or trapped into contradicting himself, as it is for a Malakite to Dishonor himself, a Mercurian to Kill a Human, or a Seraph to blatantly lie."

Jezreel shudders at the whole idea that someone could be so twisted as to believe their own lies. "But how could they..." She shudders again at the thought. "That's disgusting," she says, not really catching the importance of the rest of Phalgus's explanation as she is overwhelmed with revulsion at what seems wholly unnatural to her.

[Phalgus]
"This means that whatever your father told you he believed as being the truth, but that in no way shape or form means that it is. I'm not sure how he's managed to convince himself of what he's told you, unless someone's been filling his head up with nonsense. Either that or we have a major situation on our hands, which I seriously doubt."

Still reeling from the revolting thought that someone could actually be twisted enough to lie and yet believe it, Jezreel half listens to what Phalgus says about her father. Bewildered by the whole concept, she asks the only question which makes sense to her right now, "*Why* would anyone do that?"

"Do what?" asks the Malakite in confusion.

[Jezreel]
"Why would anyone lie to my father; tell him all that stuff if it wasn't true?" Jezreel explains. "I mean, I don't have much experience with lying, but from what little I've seen, most people-- and most Demons too-- generally don't do it without a reason. After all, the Truth is easier. It takes less effort being what is real and all. So if they lie, there's usually a point to it, no matter how twisted."

"My mom, for example, will tell what she calls 'little white lies' to protect somebody's feelings." the young Seraph's tone clearly shows that she disapproves. "And sometimes I've seen people lie to protect themselves or to try and hide some misdeed that they have done. The children Mom watches often do the latter, until I can show them the error of their ways..."

Jezreel shrugs. "So, if lying is not normally done without reason, what purpose would anyone have in lying to my Father about this? What would they be trying to accomplish?" She thinks a moment. "Did they want him to tell me? Why? In the hopes that I would follow his advice and leave? Surely anyone who knew us enough to know that Father *would* tell me should know that I would *never* leave in the middle of such a crisis?"

Jezreel pauses again. "So that I would tell you or other Angelic authorities? Why? To what end? What purpose would that serve?" Still thinking aloud. "A smokescreen perhaps? To keep us worrying about one thing while another, less obvious but more sinister plot was carried out?" The young Seraph's tone holds more questions than answers, and she is obviously seeking advice.

[Phalgus]
"Could be a smokescreen, though why why create such a ridiculuous story when something more realistic would be more believable, not to mention the fact that. Well, Jezreel, let me tell you more about the Balseraphim. I've already told you that they believe their own lies, as fervently as you Seraphim love truth. Therefore, the most painful thing to a Balseraph is to be proven wrong, and have it therefore implied that he's a Liar. In fact, its Dissonant for them."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel listens carefully, nodding, not quite realizing that Phalgus can't see her nods over the phone.

"Therefore, it seems odd that your father has chosen to believe something as obviously unlilely as Hell capturing all of Vancouver, which means that he's either been lied to himself, he's chosen to sacrifice himself and take the Dissonance in an attempt to save you from some sort of harm, and I personally doubt he'd act so selflessly, or he already right or he's going to try and ensure that he will have been right, i.e. cause Hell to capture Vancouver."

[Jezreel]
Confusion spreads across Jezreel's expression as Phalgus seemingly contradicts himself, but she waits for him to finish in the hopes that his ideas will make themselves clear before he is finished.

[Phalgus]
"So, either Cozbi is completely wrong and therefore stupid, he's gullible or weakwilled, or he's being incredibly unselfish, but he's none of those things. Most likely he's chosen to believe these things with reason, which means that there's either a plot afoot to take over Vancouver, or there will be one soon, orchestrated by your father. Either that or it's all a ruse and he'll go and pursuade himself of something different now."

[Jezreel]
The young Seraph shakes her head, thinking that Litheroy's mind puzzles are easier to solve than this line of logic.

[Phalgus]
"But a ruse to what end? To cause Heaven to panic and pull all of its Angels from the city, that would directly accomplish what Cozbi has said, but we wouldn't do that anyway. Heaven isn't going to abandon an entire city except by force. If anything, what he has said would cause us to pull more angels into the city.

[Jezreel]
Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, Jezreel asks, "So either Father's lying or he's not; there is a plot, or there isn't..." The young Angel's confusion is evident in her tone. "What do I do about it, Phalgus? Should I try to get closer to my Father and find out what's going on? If he *is* telling me the Truth, what can I do to protect him? He does deserve some protection for trying to warn me, doesn't he?"

[Phalgus]
The Malakite grows silent. "I do not believe your father would take too kindly to a cadre of Malakim offering him protection. I recommend that you follow whatever leads you discover in order to uncover the Truth behind this matter. If this means confronting the Balseraph Cozbi, so be it. However, I would ask that if you do decide to confront him, you take some necessary precautions, such as enlisting the help of a local Cherub or someone else to offer you some protection. If the Balseraph is heading a mission against Heaven, then he undoubtedly has some muscle at his command."

[Jezreel]
Jezreel thinks about this for several moments, the she says quietly, "Yes, sir." The disappointment in her tone is evident, but she makes no protest. "Well, I'd better be going," she says, "I have to get back to the situation at hand. I just wanted you to know what was going on, Phalgus..."

[Phalgus]
The Mal'akh doesn't respond for a moment, then says, "As you can imagine, I, as a Makakite of Judgement, I cannot truly understand your feelings for the Demon your Father has become. Still, I am not blind to the pain of my fellow angels at the loss of their loved ones to the dark side. I will do what I can to arrange for the envoy of an angel who may be able to help you redeem your father. The angel will identify him or herself as having been sent by me.

[Jezreel]
"Thank you," Jezreel says with all sincerity. Then, by way of explanation, she explains,"My Father loves me, Phalgus, no matter what else has happened. And if he can love an Angel, he can be Redeemed. At least I think so... And Eli and Litheroy are willing to let me try..."

[Phalgus]
"Good day, Jezreel. Go with God."

[Jezreel]
"Thank you again, Phalgus," she says before disconnecting, "And I'll try..." Once she hangs up, Jezreel steps out of the phone and looks around to see if Michanelion is still there, and to see what the situation is now.