lt_safe_house | (no subject)

Date: March 3, 2003?
Place: Wherever on Earth, the Manor
Status: Public (Loki, Uriel - Complete)
Summary: Uriel arrives.

It was never going to get easier, was it.

One might have thought that after so many years, it would get easier to bear, but the truth was quite the opposite. Every time it happened, every time he saw yet another bond of Presence cut and fade as though it never existed, felt even worse than the ones before. Of course, he wouldn't let it show. He'd bear it with all his usual calmness, so what if some thought him heartless for his apparent lack of emotion. The truth was, though, that if he allowed himself to mourn every loss, he would eventually drive himself insane. It was too much for any one being to bear – and he didn't have to bear it, now did he? He was simply doing as instructed, doing the Lord's work. Surely He would also give him the strength to accomplish his task.

The fact remained, though, that at the moment he was still inwardly too shaken to return to Heaven.

Of course, by all logic returning would have made it all easier, but it wasn't so. For him, the Angel of Presence, there was little difference between Heaven and Earth; he could feel the Lord wherever he went. In Heaven, though, there would be other angels – a thousand, million reminders of something he'd just seen lost for Hell. He couldn't face that and appear calm just yet. He needed some time to gather himself.

The problem being, of course, that he had no idea where to go. He was hardly used to being down upon the Earth, more accustomed to the endless halls of Heaven; now, knowing he wasn't prepared to return just yet, Uriel found himself somewhat at a loss. Where on Earth could a lonely angel go and not need to worry about encounters with demons when he'd rather just get a moment's rest?

He wasn't sure exactly how long he wandered around; time on Earth seemed to pass so very differently from Heaven's endlessness. At some point, however, he started to feel a gentle pull towards a certain direction. He couldn't exactly describe it; it certainly wasn't the bond of Presence he felt at all times, but something else entirely. Whatever it was, he figured it was as good a lead as any, especially for an angel who was so unused to Earth it was all he could do to remember to disguise his robes and wings from mortal eyes.

As soon as he saw the manor, he knew that whatever had drawn him close was there.

Of course, he also immediately noticed some traces of the place's past; just like he could see the Presence, he could also see the lack of it. And while He was, in some way or form, everywhere, in places such as this there were certain… energies… that were opposing the Presence, for lack of a better phrase. It wasn't exactly the same as demonic auras, yet it was close enough for him to identify it for what it was.

Uriel, as it turned out, didn't care.

The somewhat peculiar thing about the Angel of Presence was that, as long as no hostile intentions were demonstrated, he made little difference between angels and demons. Some who knew of this said it was because he cared for none but Him, and thus considered every being just as insignificant; others yet said it was because Uriel, of all beings, knew exactly how fine a line lay between the two. Had anyone ever been bold enough to actually question him, he might not have answered at all, or he might have said that for an Angel of Judgement, it was essential to be, in all ways and manners, entirely fair. If he were to ask himself, though, with all his honesty and self-knowledge but to question, he most likely would have leant towards yet another answer: the idea that angels and demons alike were simply two sides of a coin, just two different manifestations of His Presence and Will. They all had their own roles in His Plan; he would have been a fool to blame a demon for being exactly what He had intended them to be. After all, He had created demons just as he had angels – to find one more valuable than the other was to say that some of His creations were not as perfect as some.

Whatever the reasons, though, the fact remained that the implications of the place's past did little to make Uriel turn away. He didn't know why, but somehow he knew that here he would be able to get his rest without having to worry about demons breathing down his neck. And if some showed up anyway, well… there were few demons who could truly cause any particular trouble for an archangel.

With a somewhat puzzled glance at the tank parked in front of the building, he walked inside.

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Well, his chosen corner of attic was about as clean as it was going to get - or as clean as Loki could be bothered to make it - the hammock was hung and tested, but for now Loki had had enough of indoors. Time to explore the manor grounds. After all a good knowledge of ones surroundings could be essential to a grift.

So, dusty as he still was and with his hair sticking up after his nap, Loki went down the stairs. Just as he arrived in the lobby however the door opened and an unpleasantly strong wave of Judeo-Christianity came in.

For a moment Loki almost thought he must be looking at the head god himself, but no, at second glance it was probably not. Definitely a member of that pantheon, though, and probably a powerful one at that. Loki decided to proceed with caution.

"Hello," he called out jovially. "New here?"

"So it would seem," Uriel replied to the greeting, his eyes immediately darting towards the other being. A... false god, he supposed was the politically correct term in Heaven, though technically he knew there was nothing false about the being's powers. Not that there was much intimidating about someone with their hair sticking up and dust covering them all over, but he knew better than to make light of such things... they could be dangerous if they wanted to. "Good afternoon, whoever you are." Because unused though he was to minding his manners lately, he was fairly sure wishing a god of another religion 'blessed day' would be a breech of etiquette at the very least.

"Seem, but you are not?" Loki teased, eyes sparkling with mischief. He wasn't sure just what trick he was going to play on this one, but something told him it would be fun. Of course that was probably the same something that had told him it would be fun to drug Czernobog and steal his hammer, but what was life without a little risk?

"LowKey Laufeyson," he decided to introduce himself with a mixture of his American alias and real Norse name. The name Loki Liesmith was too well known these days and might warn the victim. Maybe this version would keep the stranger guessing. "And you would be?"

"No, it's true." Uriel blinked. Had his words really been that hard to understand?

"The archangel Uriel," he replied somewhat automatically. He didn't feel like clarifying his answer, though; if the other couldn't tell which religion he was from, what with Judeo-Christianity being so prominent nowadays, he really couldn't help the matters. At the same time he tried to recognize the other's pantheon... it wasn't easy, though, not for him. He hardly ever paid attention to anything but his beloved arts and Him.

"Ah, so you are new," Loki concluded not allowing his inner laughter to escape. "But I thought archangels were among the oldest gods of your pantheon?"

Archangels were powerful gods of the boring side, he remembered, but like all the rest except the head of their pantheon himself they weren't allowed to call themselves gods. Why they put up with this indignity Loki had no idea.

"You asked whether I was new here," Uriel pointed out, "which I interpreted as meaning this building, not the world in general. Besides, it is all quite relative -- though I do claim age older than the Earth, if I were to compare myself with the Lord I would have to judge myself quite new, timeless as he is."

"You thought I was talking to the building?" Loki exaggeratedly feigned surprise. "Then why did you answer me? And, if you are older than the Earth, does this make you a cow or a giant? No wait, don't answer that one. You are of course, a chunk of ice."

"But," Ah, here was a philosophical question. "If something is timeless, how can it have any age at all?"

A saner part of him wondered just how patient archangels were and whether it was wise to play games with this Uriel before he'd read up on his function, but the game was in full motion now. Mere second thoughts weren't going to stop it.

"...You're taking my words the wrong way on purpose." Uriel sighed. He really didn't want to get into a fight right after he'd found the place, but really, he'd done nothing to provoke such actions... nothing that he knew of, anyway. "And I'm referring to the time before Earth that I saw take place, not your version of it."

"Perhaps not definite age," he said, "but there is also such a thing as relative age."

"Oh, would I do a thing like that?" Loki asked mock innocently, but grinning openly now. "And how do you know you really saw that time before Earth? You might have dreamed it while you were still part of a frozen block of ice, Icicle. Truth can be relative, too."

"...Apparently, you would." Oh, for His sake... Uriel didn't really expect much. Just the faintest moment of peace and quiet... yet he couldn't apparently walk in through the door without someone doing their best to annoy him. Though he wasn't exactly aware of it, black clouds were starting to gather over the manor. "And how do you know I wasn't indeed there? For all you know, you are merely the figment of humans' collective imagination, with little more than a few centuries to claim to your age. If their sincere faith can move mountains, it shouldn't be too much of an effort to bring something like you to life."

Why that fucking feathered bastard! Loki hopped off the last step and stood before the angel no longer smiling, grey eyes gone cold as ice.

"And if they made me, how do you know they didn't make you?" he challenged. "All gods are equal. Don't you dare think you're any better than the rest of us."

There was a loud rumble overhead even as Uriel met Loki's icy gaze with one of his own.

"I am no god, nor do I claim to be," Uriel said as calmly as he could. "In this world where we can change so much, how can we ever be sure of anything? It all comes down to faith in the end... whether it be ours or that of humans."

The darkened windows were suddenly lit by a stroke of lightning, immediately followed by rumbling. The sudden thunderstorm was obviously right above them.

Ah, so this was the thunder god then. Not nearly as impressive as massive Thor with his mighty hammer.

"Call yourself whatever you will, Icicle," Loki said with just a touch of contempt. "You are what you are and even your arrogant head god can't change it."

He considered going outside as he'd originally planned to show the upstart how little he feared his storm, but he'd get drenched and he was still weak. He didn't want to get sick again right away, even if it would probably just be a cold.

Instead he turned towards the bar as if that were where he'd meant to go from the start. Maybe there were some workmen on break in there. He'd made a few pounds off them yesterday night.

Though Uriel glared after Loki, he didn't try to prolong the argument. Closing his eyes, he willed himself to calm down. Outside, the storm slowly came to an end, the clouds fading away back to the nothingness they had come from.

He would simply have to find whoever was responsible for this establishment and check himself in. He couldn't let some annoying little god bother himself thus. He'd just stay here until he'd got the rest he needed, and then go.

Chances were he would never see the annoying being again.