A departure and an arrival

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

Date: April 22nd, 2003
Status: Public - Complete
Setting: Uriel's room -> lobby -> entrance -> hotel -> ...
Summary: An oblivious genius and a very controlled one do not mesh well. Uriel leaves. Artemis arrives.


The order was simple enough. He was to return to Heaven for the time being. There were others to see over this place, others who could probably keep more of their mind on it, and besides he had some assignments to get to.

Ah, well. It had been nice while it lasted.

Setting aside his paintbrush, Uriel waved briefly at the half-finished painting to let it dry, then shook off the stains and spots of paint all over his skin, clothes, and wings. He had no possessions to gather to take along, one glance around the room being enough to capture all the work he had done here. He could always redo it at a later time, either through the same time-consuming processes of work and toil or simply by another wave of his hand. For now, he simply shut the door behind himself as he walked out of the door, never even coming to think that he might have to clear out the things he left behind. Whoever would be there next could certainly get rid of them. Assuming he didn't need to return at some point.

Obviously, it never truly occurred to him that the next occupant of the room might not be able to simply make things vanish with a flick of their fingers.

Similarly, it wasn't until he was about halfway through his wandering towards the lobby or any other kind of exit that he came to think he might perhaps have to notify others of his leaving. At least his fellow angels. It would be extremely rude to simply leave like that, wouldn't it? About as soon as he thought of this, he found a piece of fine parchment in his hand. Idly tugging a feather out of his wing, he started writing a brief note, never pausing to realize he had no ink. The text certainly seemed to appear easily enough as he walked down the corridor.

"My dear fellow angels,
I have been recalled to Heaven on an assignment. I apologize for my abrupt departure, but it seems fitting at the moment. I may return at a later date, though I trust you to be well able to handle any situations that might arise in these somewhat peculiar surroundings.
Do forgive me for missing the Easter celebration. I'm afraid I was too lost in my own relief at the sunrise to recall any of it. I trust you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me.
Gabs, I'm afraid a cat may have wandered into my room at one point recently and gotten paint on his fur. If the creature was one of your pets, I apologize. You have to admit the pink spots look quite charming on him, though.
Michael, try not to get into too many fights. I'd say don't do anything I wouldn't do, but given the number of angels I've more or less slain I shall refrain; just remember the rules of the place.
Aziraphale, keep in mind that not everyone important is self-important, and that paint on the tip of your nose can be very healthy sometimes.
I hope that we might be able to reunite soon under pleasant circumstances.
May His Presence be with you all,
Uriel"

Giving the message one last glance, he decided it was adequate. Walking further down the corridor, he folded the message into a fine little origami bird, blowing at it to let it take flight. The bird chirped as it flew off towards the nearest glow of Presence it could find, following the thin threads and streams Uriel could faintly see all around himself if he squinted his eyes just so.

Another bit of wandering brought him to the lobby. Relieved to see he was only steps from getting out, he headed for the door.

*

Butler was… late. And not getting into contact. This was most unusual, and might have been distressing had Artemis allowed such emotions to overtake himself. As it was, he simply assumed something had come up that Butler would doubtlessly inform him about at a later date. For the time being, he would have to find accommodations.

Of course, such things were rather scarce in a place such as this. It was really unfortunate, being stuck in a small, non-descript village, but then such locales were often the best for more covert operations. Which was exactly why he had chosen this as a meeting place. Butler had seemed rather doubtful about being away from him for an extended period of time – even if "extended" only meant a few days in this case, or possibly more if whatever was holding Butler back got too troublesome – but had finally been persuaded. And now Artemis was sure that whatever happened, his bodyguard would insist it was a perfect reason never to pull off such an operation again.

Honestly. He was legally an adult, now. Whether or not he had actually lived the full amount of years marked on his ID was a rather trivial matter, considering.

Right now, though, he didn't exactly look like an adult, still somewhat scrawny in build even inside his very expensive business suit, eyeing warily the manor before him. He supposed he had little choice unless he wanted to spend the night outside, but… there wasn't even a "Welcome" sign anywhere. He was quite efficient at bending the rules, but first he had to have something to bend, and entering a building without any kind of invitation after a weary day was not exactly his idea of a good time. Sure, his idea of a good time involved mostly very heavy books and advanced mathematics enjoyed alongside a cup of nice tea, but that was beside the point.

Luckily, someone opened the door just then. For a moment, Artemis looked at someone not altogether unlike himself – dark hair, pale skin, not too strong a build for a grown man. "Ah, do come in," the stranger said, stepping out of the doorway. "I'm sorry, I was just on my way out and didn't mean to block your way."

Artemis didn't have the chance to respond or thank for the invitation – such a blessing, almost! – as his eyes moved on from the general appearance. Immediately, he was almost ready to bang his head on the wall, except that would most definitely have been rather undignified. No amount of weariness could account for missing something like that.

This was clearly not a fairy, yet the man had… wings. Large, feathered wings that, while obviously unable to support the weight of a human being, were also rather intricate for a costume prop. "…Is there a party in here?" he asked. He certainly hoped not. Such occasions rarely did anything to ward off impending headaches, rather to the opposite.

"Huh? Not that I know of." The man looked genuinely puzzled. Stepping out of the doorway, he stretched his arms.

Then, he stretched his wings, the tips reaching wide to the sides.

Artemis actually allowed himself to stare for approximately 0.7 seconds. Then he asked, "…What are you?"

"Hm? I'm Uriel," the man replied, apparently still just as clueless.

"I didn't ask who you are," Artemis replied. "I asked what you are. You're clearly not a human, so what form of fairy are you?"

"Fairy? I don't understand." The man called Uriel blinked innocently. "I answered your question." The smile he gave Artemis was best described as… angelic. "I am Uriel."

"Don't be ridiculous." Artemis only barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Archangel Uriel is a mythical creature." As were demons, granted, but then this man didn't look like a member of another deranged, forgotten species of the fairy folk, so he doubted the same explanation applied here.

"I see." The man tilted his head to the side, still smiling. "I suppose then I am not truly here, am I?"

The wings beat, then, a couple of times, their huge surface area whipping up small gusts, forcing Artemis to shield his eyes from some fine dirt lifted off the ground. As he could again see, the man was gone, leaving no trace behind. After a careful glance around, Artemis even allowed himself a glance up to the sky. He saw nothing.

Shaking his head, he turned towards the entrance again. Obviously, he would need to stay more than just one night. Either there was some fairy magic at work here, or he was even more exhausted than he had thought.

Either way, he would get to the bottom of this.

Drawing a deep breath, he stepped in.

Comments

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

Looking for something to occupy himself with, Loki came down from his room. If Mary was at her desk, he might find some distraction that might turn into some fun. If it was Rose, all the better. The girl was something of a challenge.

Just as he entered the lobby, someone else did so as well. A young man - or really rather a boy - had just stepped through the door. Well, where there was a boy there usually also was a father or, better yet, a mother. And the way this hotel seemed to draw supernatural people, saying hello certainly couldn't hurt.

With a smile, he walked towards the newcomer.

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

...Well. First something he was currently counting off as a hallucination, and now... this. The man was wearing a pair of jeans and a vest, sure, but there was no hide nor hair of a proper shirt, and the scratches on his arms certainly didn't speak of a reputable man. Nevertheless, Artemis had learnt better than to disregard people at teh first glance. Better hide his true reactions until he had figured out whether he could benefit from them.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Might I ask what exactly is this place? At the village I was told this is some form of a hotel, but..." But there was certainly more to the place than just that.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"The village was quite right in that," Loki observed. "It's a hotel, albeit one with somewhat unusual guests."

If the boy was going to stay for any amount of time, there was no way he wouldn't notice on his own anyway. If he wasn't...

Loki lowered his voice conspiratorially. "One of them is a writer," he said.

Let him make of that piece of information what he would. "You're the vanguard?" The boy really didn't look old enough for staying at a hotel all on his own. Not these days. They had long stopped considering people adults when they were able to wield a normally-sized weapon.

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

"Writers are the least of trouble," murmured Artemis. He qualified as one himself, after all, although his creations were more in the vein of scientific research rather than fiction. Writing did not explain the disappearing winged man calling himself an angel.

"...The vanguard?" he then echoed. "That is hardly an applicable term outside specialized fields nowadays... and no. I'm the only one arriving." He eyed the man challengingly as though daring him to disagree. He was an adult, thank you very much, and even before reaching that particular point he had been well capable of taking care of himself.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"Indeed?" Loki asked. Maybe a runaway. His interest in the boy declined sharply, but he could hardly turn around and just leave him standing in the middle of the lobby now, could he?

"Who's going to pay for your room then, boy?" he asked neutrally. "Because unless you're a supernatural being, they cost money."

Oh how he loved mortals these days for just tending to assume that such statements would be a joke.

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

Artemis, on the other hand, didn't as much as blink at the mention of supernatural. It wasn't the word he might have chosen first, but it certainly described well the things he was more than familiar with. "I am not a boy, I'm just small in stature," he said as patiently as he could manage. "And I can very well pay for myself." He might have claimed to actually be more than a human, but he'd rather keep his tiny traces of fairy magic secret from as many people as possible. No reason to invite trouble, especially since Butler wasn't there.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"Very well." Loki smirked as he heard the small in stature part. The boy wasn't just small, everything about him screamed kid.

Then he pointed at the desk where Rose was sitting. "Try there, then," he suggested. "That's where people who're not so small in stature get their rooms."

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

Artemis raised his eyebrows. Making fun of him, eh? Well, he wouldn't be too easily annoyed into reacting. For such a cheap quip, he wasn't about to give the man such satisfaction. "Thank you."

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

Loki stood aside, arms crossed over his chest, and watched to see how rose would deal with the boy.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose had followed the conversation with more than half an ear, but that was thanks to her werewolf senses and she knew a human wouldn't have heard what she had. So she just smiled friendly and mentally went through the list of things she'd need to do if the young man wanted to check in.

[stillnotfallen.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale had been sitting in his room, trying to make curling up in a corner casual even though the purpose was to make sure he could only get attacked from one direction. A little origami figure floated in through his window, landing on top of his book.

He unfolded it, a quizzical expression on his face, and read over the note.

Aziraphale, keep in mind that not everyone important is self-important, and that paint on the tip of your nose can be very healthy sometimes.

He debated keeping the note, but instead wrote the quote down on a spare piece of paper and taped it in that corner. He, smiling, sent the letter on to the next angelic Presence.

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

Walking up to the desk, Artemis looked at the woman standing behind it. She looked... human enough, he supposed.

"Good afternoon," he said calmly. "I would like to get a room."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose smiled at the young man - who looked too young to be called a man yet - and inconspicuously inhaled his scent. He smelled human.

"Good afternoon, sir. My name is Rose Heerkens, and a room will be no problem. Would you like one on the first, second or third floor? Or would you maybe like to have a look at the rooms before you choose?"

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

"Whichever has the best rooms," Artemis replied. "Preferably at some peaceful part of the building, without too noisy neighbours." He supposed that if there truly was more to the place than just a simple hotel, that might become a valid point of concern at some point.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"I'd recommend a room on the third floor then," Rose answered after thinking for a moment. "The bar and the restaurant and the ballroom are on the ground floor, so the third floor should be the most quiet even when there should be a party or something."

Rose took a look on the remaining keys, giving the young man a room on the htird floor would be absolutely no problem. "And I need your name for the records, sir. Do you know for how long you'll stay?"

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

"The third floor sounds adequate, then." Artemis shrugged. He supposed being away from the focus of things would be good. He'd have some quiet time to think without too many people running around.

"Art Fowler," he replied without blinking. For a false name it was rather simplistic, but then he had not yet seen any particular reason to go entirely incognito despite the obviously strange people around; it was merely a reflex not to give his true name if he could help it. Such carefulness often came handy in his line of profession. "I'm not sure how long I'll be staying, yet." However long it took for Butler to show up... and for him to unravel enough of the mystery of the place to be satisfied.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose made the required entries in the records and then went and took down the key to a room on the third floor she had just recently cleaned. She handed the key to Mr Fowler.

"Welcome in Lower Tadfield then, Mr Fowler. If you'd like I could show you to your room and give you a quick tour of the manor?"

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

"I believe that would be... adequate." Which he supposed was the best he could ask for in a place like this.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

That guy seemed rather strange, but Rose would do her job and Ms Hodges would have no reason to complain...

"Very well, Mr Fowler. If you'd follow me please?"

She decided to show him the house fromt the ground floor up. That way he wouldn't have to take the stairs twice. And the most interesting rooms were on the ground floor anyway: bar, restaurant, ballroom and so on.

Rose stood from behind the desk and went in direction of the first room she wanted to show the new guest.

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

Had Artemis known what she was thinking, he would have claimed not to be strange at all; rather, he often found the rest of the human population to be quite puzzling in their habits and actions indeed. As it was, though, he was blissfully unaware of this somewhat insulting opinion, and merely followed her, eyes sharp for any signs of unusual powers at work.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose showed him to the ballroom, the bar, the restaurant, the sitting room and the room to work out in. Then she proceeded to climb the stairs, explaining.

"The first floor are only guestrooms. On the second floor, there are more guest rooms and the library. The third floor has more guest rooms and a chapel of sorts."

On the landing of the second floor she waited if Mr Fowler wanted to explore the library or go on to his room.

"Oh, and I should probably tell you that I don't enter and clean rooms without explicit permission. That means that you need to put a sign on your door if and when you'd like me to clean your room."

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

Artemis made note of all the places of interest, likely as those were to attract people both mundane and less so. He especially made sure to remember the location of the library, though the exploration of it could wait until later. If there was anything truly interesting there, it was likely there due to the nature of the place and thus unlikely to disappear just now, and if it was merely a library, it would hardly interest him anyway.

"I shall remember that," he said, nodding. Good to know, that. He would not appreciate people sneaking about in his room without his permission, even if he didn't have any especially secretive schemes going on right now.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose lead Mr Fowler upstairs to the third floor and there to his room.

"Here we are. This is your room. I hope you'll like it. Do you need anything else?"

[birdhunter.livejournal.com]

"Nothing else, thank you." All he wanted to was to get some rest and try to contact Butler.

After that... he'd try and find out more about this place.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"Then I hope you'll enjoy your stay."

Rose smiled at Mr Fowler and then left him to return to the desk.

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel gently kept Ta-Miu from pouncing on the bird with one hand and caught the note with the other, unfolding it carefully.

Gabs, I'm afraid a cat may have wandered into my room at one point recently and gotten paint on his fur. If the creature was one of your pets, I apologize. You have to admit the pink spots look quite charming on him, though.

Ah. Gabriel had suspected as much when Earl Grey had come back with pink spots on his fur. He'd laughed and tapped the pink-spotted nose fondly before carefully giving the kitten a bath, and later he'd had to wash the bloody scratches on his own arms. Still, Earl Grey had looked rather fetching before he'd turned into a wet, snarling, claw-happy, bedraggled mess in the bathtub.

He frowned lightly at the 'Gabs' and at Uriel's mentions of his assignment and the angels he had Severed, though. Uriel had a difficult function. I hope he's alright.

Gabriel attempted to fold it back into the delicate origami bird, but soon gave up as it degenerated into a crumpled mess, even when he tried miracles. Miracling it clean again, he sighed and folded it into a neat square before miracling it to appear wherever Michael was; he didn't feel like going to give it to Michael himself.

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Michael was going for a nice jog when he felt an incoming projectile. He reached up and caught the square that was aimed for his head. He could feel Uriel's mark on it with little touches from the other two angels in the Manor, and so he unfolded it as he kept running.

Michael, try not to get into too many fights. I'd say don't do anything I wouldn't do, but given the number of angels I've more or less slain I shall refrain; just remember the rules of the place.

He good-naturedly gaped at that. Oh Uriel, he thought fondly, lighten up, would you? You haven't Felled as many demons as I've smote, after all. And why does Gabriel get a nickname and I don't? I'm hurt. Oh well. Have fun on your new assignment. Say hi to Father for me; hopefully I'll be home soon too.

He threw the letter up into the air, where it dissipated back into the Presence. He, smiling, kept jogging.