"Sinking", continued
Jan. 27th, 2005 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalNotes: In Nomine, Dom and Mike, PG-13 for creative imagery in conversation
Michael propped his feet up on the table and watched as the rest of the Council shuffled, flew, and translocated into the chamber. The overall mood in the chamber was somber, but he couldn’t bring himself to join in the gloom. We’ve got a Demon Prince dead, what’s not to celebrate? Yeah, it would have been nice for Christopher to have stayed a fluffwing, but it wasn’t as if he’d had much choice in the matter. When God says jump, you just gotta say “How high?”
“You’re in a jovial mood,” Dominic said, gliding up beside him.
“Christopher is home, Retzel is safe, and Andrealphus is dead, dead, dead,” he replied. “What’s not to like?”
“It doesn’t appear that Laurence agrees with you.” Dominic motioned to the far end of the chamber, where the Lord Commander sat, his face a dark study. “One would think he and David would welcome a new member of their Choir to the Seraphim Council’s body.”
“We’re in the same Choir, Dominic,” Michael pointed out. “Aside from this recent crisis, we haven’t seen eye-to-eye all that often. As far as I’m concerned, Laurence can sit on his sword pommel and spin.”
“What a… creative… image,” Dominic said dryly. “And we will have to see if your observation about our relationship holds true in the future.”
Judgement settled into his seat as the doors to the council chamber opened once again, and a dark, black winged figure entered. The normal buzz of the council quieted down abruptly as Christopher, with black wings, and oath chains at his wrists and ankles, made his way to his customary seat, accepting a hug from Novalis, and a quiet handshake from Yves along the way.
Laurence cleared his throat to break the silence. “Lord Christopher, Malakite Archangel of Children,” and oh, didn’t Larry’s face twist at that little change, “has requested to address the Council as a whole. Are there an objections?” Nobody offered any. Nobody dared. The collective guilt hanging over the Host after word had gotten back concerning Chris’ treatment at the hands of Andre, not to mention his near Fall, had pretty much shut up anyone who still had any notion of Children being a Minor Word. Even David was keeping his granite mouth shut over this.
Christopher made his to the front of the chamber, taking Laurence’s place at the podium. There was a confidence in his step that Michael had never seen before, but there was also something missing as well. It nagged at the back of his brain, but he set it aside to listen to Christopher speak.
“Lords and Ladies of the Council,” he said, “let me begin by reciting my oaths.”
“I will suffer not an evil to live, if it is my choice.
I will never surrender or permit myself to be captured by the forces of Lucifer.
I will never harm a child.
I will never lie to a child.
I will not permit Unjust cruelty to a fellow Angel go unanswered.”
Oh, Lightbringer, Michael thought silently, as the rest of the Council absorbed that last one, this is going to be interesting.
Christopher placed his hands on the front of the podium and continued. “I am the Archangel of Children, but this was not always so. I hold my Word only because the one who held it before me is long dead. Dead, not at the hands of Lucifer or his minions, but at the hands the Host. Vilely murdered, after having already been judged and punished for her crimes, along with the rest of her Choir. This taint follows the Word of Children even today, though I was not truly aware of it until a Demon Prince revealed to me truths that my fellow Archangels chose to keep hidden from me.”
“I cannot let this stand. The Truth’s strength may only be maintained by the honesty of those who speak it. And the Truth of this matter is that a vile offense was committed against one who was once part of Heaven, and who might have been again if she and her Choir repented for their crime. Instead, her voice was silenced, and the Hunts against her Choirmates would continue, by servitors who may have been acting with tacit, if unspoken, approval of their Superiors.”
“I call upon the Seraphim Council to review the matter of the Grigori. It has been over thirteen thousand years since they banished from Heaven. I cannot believe that in all that time not a single one of them has not come to regret their defiance of Heaven’s edicts, and might desire to be admitted to Heaven once again, to serve God’s Will, and watch over Mankind as God designed them to do. I also call upon the Council to search more closely for those involved with the Hunts. To strike down a Discordant and Outcast angel is one thing. To murder the human family that have joined them is quite another thing, and not acceptable, no matter how far the definition of Justice is twisted.”
“To that end, I ask that a search be made for whatever Grigori might remain upon the Earth, preferably by members of Flowers, and that they be asked if they wish their status to be examined by Judgement. Thirteen thousand years of punishment is enough, by anyone’s definition. Also, I request that whatever Memory Pearls remain that hold servitors’ memories of the first Archangel of Children be restored to their owners. I, of course, have no knowledge of her myself, and I strongly desire to know her better, so I might learn from wisdom she passed down, and see what mistakes she made that forced her Outcasting in the first place. As the human phase goes, ‘Those who forget the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.’ I have no desire, nor intention, to forget anything that has happened.”
“One further matter: Andrealphus, the Impudite Prince of Lust, is dead. Dead with him is the Mercurian Archangel of Love, who is finally beyond any hope of Redemption. Now that this Demon Prince is finally gone, it opens the opportunity for the Word of Love to be once again held by an Angel, so that it might nurtured and strengthened in a world that seems increasingly callous and distant. To this end, I put forth a request that Retzel, Angel of Parental Love, be promoted to this Word. Though she has remained outside of Heaven’s community for some time, not without good reason, I can think of no one else who might hold this Word more dearly in their own Heart. For she remained hopeful, and faithful, against all evidence to the contrary, that Andrealphus might someday see the error of his ways and return to Heaven’s bosum, because she loved him more than he even loved himself.”
He bowed briefly to the Council. “I realized I’ve asked much of you, and there will be serious and lengthy debate over the matters I have brought to your attention. So I will leave you now, to consider my words and debate on their merit. I only beg that you not take too long to consider them, espeically the matter of the Grigori. Few enough of that Choir remain on the Earth, and I would not wish witness their complete extinction before they are granted the opportunity to return to Heaven. Farewell.” Christopher stepped down from the podium and exited without looking back. It wasonly when the doors closed behind him that Michael let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
As the voices of the various Council members began to fill the air, Dominic made his way to Michael’s seat once again, and noted simply, “That was… considerably more restrained… than I was expecting.”
“Restrained?” Michael hooted. “Sure, just ask the Seraphim Council to reverse a thirteen thousand year old decision and let the Choir that nearly loved Humanity to death back into Heaven. Plus practically accuse David of complicity in the first Children’s murder. Oh, yeah, and ask to promote an angel that might be more mentally unbalanced than Gabriel to Andre’s old post. Sure, why not? And people have the gall to call me undiplomatic.”
“I will note that he did not accuse David of direct involvement in the Hunts, particularly concerning the death of the first Archangel of Children,” Dominic noted primly. “Furthermore, despite certainly having the weight of the Council’s guilt concerning his capture and torture on his side, niether did Christopher make any public accusations against Laurence, though he easily could have.”
“Ah, Truth,” Michael admitted, sobering up a bit. “The kid’s learning the game, at least a bit. So what did you think of his modest proposal concerning the Watchers?”
Dominic’s eyes ripple-blinked. “The recent revelations concerning the Hunts is something to be closely considered, in the context of the Grigori’s Outcasting. It is possible that the Judgement against them has finally be served. If the remainder of their Choir could be persuaded to admit culpability in some form to their crimes, I will certainly consider remanding their sentence, the Council permitting.”
“You think they’ve got a chance?”
“Anything is possible, if God wills it. I will be more interested to learn whether the Council accepts Christopher’s nomination of Retzel to the Word of Love.”
“They will, if they don’t I’ll know the reason why. Right now Christopher has enough moral authority to ask Larry and David to dress in tutus and dance Swan Lake to amuse the relievers. Handing out the Word of Love, especially compared to opening the whole can of worms concerning the old Children’s murder, is an easy thing to agree to. I give her a century before they promote her to Archangel.”
Dominic let out a rare chuckle. “And Christopher to the position of Commander of the Host.”
Michael’s good mood evaporated. “Damn, I just just realized what was missing, when you laughed just then” he said.
“Missing from what?”
“Christopher, when he entered the chamber. I was thinking that he looked a lot more confident when he came it, but that he was also missing something. I didn’t know what it was but I do now.”
Dominic cocked his head. “What then?”
“He wasn’t smiling. As long as I’ve known the kid, so long as he wasn’t directly confronted with something awful, you could always count on him to smile, or at least try to find the bright side of things. He didn’t smile once the whole time he was in the chamber.”
“He grew up, Michael, I fear to say,” Dominic said gravely.
“Yes, too fast.”
TBC (but not much longer)
Michael propped his feet up on the table and watched as the rest of the Council shuffled, flew, and translocated into the chamber. The overall mood in the chamber was somber, but he couldn’t bring himself to join in the gloom. We’ve got a Demon Prince dead, what’s not to celebrate? Yeah, it would have been nice for Christopher to have stayed a fluffwing, but it wasn’t as if he’d had much choice in the matter. When God says jump, you just gotta say “How high?”
“You’re in a jovial mood,” Dominic said, gliding up beside him.
“Christopher is home, Retzel is safe, and Andrealphus is dead, dead, dead,” he replied. “What’s not to like?”
“It doesn’t appear that Laurence agrees with you.” Dominic motioned to the far end of the chamber, where the Lord Commander sat, his face a dark study. “One would think he and David would welcome a new member of their Choir to the Seraphim Council’s body.”
“We’re in the same Choir, Dominic,” Michael pointed out. “Aside from this recent crisis, we haven’t seen eye-to-eye all that often. As far as I’m concerned, Laurence can sit on his sword pommel and spin.”
“What a… creative… image,” Dominic said dryly. “And we will have to see if your observation about our relationship holds true in the future.”
Judgement settled into his seat as the doors to the council chamber opened once again, and a dark, black winged figure entered. The normal buzz of the council quieted down abruptly as Christopher, with black wings, and oath chains at his wrists and ankles, made his way to his customary seat, accepting a hug from Novalis, and a quiet handshake from Yves along the way.
Laurence cleared his throat to break the silence. “Lord Christopher, Malakite Archangel of Children,” and oh, didn’t Larry’s face twist at that little change, “has requested to address the Council as a whole. Are there an objections?” Nobody offered any. Nobody dared. The collective guilt hanging over the Host after word had gotten back concerning Chris’ treatment at the hands of Andre, not to mention his near Fall, had pretty much shut up anyone who still had any notion of Children being a Minor Word. Even David was keeping his granite mouth shut over this.
Christopher made his to the front of the chamber, taking Laurence’s place at the podium. There was a confidence in his step that Michael had never seen before, but there was also something missing as well. It nagged at the back of his brain, but he set it aside to listen to Christopher speak.
“Lords and Ladies of the Council,” he said, “let me begin by reciting my oaths.”
“I will suffer not an evil to live, if it is my choice.
I will never surrender or permit myself to be captured by the forces of Lucifer.
I will never harm a child.
I will never lie to a child.
I will not permit Unjust cruelty to a fellow Angel go unanswered.”
Oh, Lightbringer, Michael thought silently, as the rest of the Council absorbed that last one, this is going to be interesting.
Christopher placed his hands on the front of the podium and continued. “I am the Archangel of Children, but this was not always so. I hold my Word only because the one who held it before me is long dead. Dead, not at the hands of Lucifer or his minions, but at the hands the Host. Vilely murdered, after having already been judged and punished for her crimes, along with the rest of her Choir. This taint follows the Word of Children even today, though I was not truly aware of it until a Demon Prince revealed to me truths that my fellow Archangels chose to keep hidden from me.”
“I cannot let this stand. The Truth’s strength may only be maintained by the honesty of those who speak it. And the Truth of this matter is that a vile offense was committed against one who was once part of Heaven, and who might have been again if she and her Choir repented for their crime. Instead, her voice was silenced, and the Hunts against her Choirmates would continue, by servitors who may have been acting with tacit, if unspoken, approval of their Superiors.”
“I call upon the Seraphim Council to review the matter of the Grigori. It has been over thirteen thousand years since they banished from Heaven. I cannot believe that in all that time not a single one of them has not come to regret their defiance of Heaven’s edicts, and might desire to be admitted to Heaven once again, to serve God’s Will, and watch over Mankind as God designed them to do. I also call upon the Council to search more closely for those involved with the Hunts. To strike down a Discordant and Outcast angel is one thing. To murder the human family that have joined them is quite another thing, and not acceptable, no matter how far the definition of Justice is twisted.”
“To that end, I ask that a search be made for whatever Grigori might remain upon the Earth, preferably by members of Flowers, and that they be asked if they wish their status to be examined by Judgement. Thirteen thousand years of punishment is enough, by anyone’s definition. Also, I request that whatever Memory Pearls remain that hold servitors’ memories of the first Archangel of Children be restored to their owners. I, of course, have no knowledge of her myself, and I strongly desire to know her better, so I might learn from wisdom she passed down, and see what mistakes she made that forced her Outcasting in the first place. As the human phase goes, ‘Those who forget the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.’ I have no desire, nor intention, to forget anything that has happened.”
“One further matter: Andrealphus, the Impudite Prince of Lust, is dead. Dead with him is the Mercurian Archangel of Love, who is finally beyond any hope of Redemption. Now that this Demon Prince is finally gone, it opens the opportunity for the Word of Love to be once again held by an Angel, so that it might nurtured and strengthened in a world that seems increasingly callous and distant. To this end, I put forth a request that Retzel, Angel of Parental Love, be promoted to this Word. Though she has remained outside of Heaven’s community for some time, not without good reason, I can think of no one else who might hold this Word more dearly in their own Heart. For she remained hopeful, and faithful, against all evidence to the contrary, that Andrealphus might someday see the error of his ways and return to Heaven’s bosum, because she loved him more than he even loved himself.”
He bowed briefly to the Council. “I realized I’ve asked much of you, and there will be serious and lengthy debate over the matters I have brought to your attention. So I will leave you now, to consider my words and debate on their merit. I only beg that you not take too long to consider them, espeically the matter of the Grigori. Few enough of that Choir remain on the Earth, and I would not wish witness their complete extinction before they are granted the opportunity to return to Heaven. Farewell.” Christopher stepped down from the podium and exited without looking back. It wasonly when the doors closed behind him that Michael let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
As the voices of the various Council members began to fill the air, Dominic made his way to Michael’s seat once again, and noted simply, “That was… considerably more restrained… than I was expecting.”
“Restrained?” Michael hooted. “Sure, just ask the Seraphim Council to reverse a thirteen thousand year old decision and let the Choir that nearly loved Humanity to death back into Heaven. Plus practically accuse David of complicity in the first Children’s murder. Oh, yeah, and ask to promote an angel that might be more mentally unbalanced than Gabriel to Andre’s old post. Sure, why not? And people have the gall to call me undiplomatic.”
“I will note that he did not accuse David of direct involvement in the Hunts, particularly concerning the death of the first Archangel of Children,” Dominic noted primly. “Furthermore, despite certainly having the weight of the Council’s guilt concerning his capture and torture on his side, niether did Christopher make any public accusations against Laurence, though he easily could have.”
“Ah, Truth,” Michael admitted, sobering up a bit. “The kid’s learning the game, at least a bit. So what did you think of his modest proposal concerning the Watchers?”
Dominic’s eyes ripple-blinked. “The recent revelations concerning the Hunts is something to be closely considered, in the context of the Grigori’s Outcasting. It is possible that the Judgement against them has finally be served. If the remainder of their Choir could be persuaded to admit culpability in some form to their crimes, I will certainly consider remanding their sentence, the Council permitting.”
“You think they’ve got a chance?”
“Anything is possible, if God wills it. I will be more interested to learn whether the Council accepts Christopher’s nomination of Retzel to the Word of Love.”
“They will, if they don’t I’ll know the reason why. Right now Christopher has enough moral authority to ask Larry and David to dress in tutus and dance Swan Lake to amuse the relievers. Handing out the Word of Love, especially compared to opening the whole can of worms concerning the old Children’s murder, is an easy thing to agree to. I give her a century before they promote her to Archangel.”
Dominic let out a rare chuckle. “And Christopher to the position of Commander of the Host.”
Michael’s good mood evaporated. “Damn, I just just realized what was missing, when you laughed just then” he said.
“Missing from what?”
“Christopher, when he entered the chamber. I was thinking that he looked a lot more confident when he came it, but that he was also missing something. I didn’t know what it was but I do now.”
Dominic cocked his head. “What then?”
“He wasn’t smiling. As long as I’ve known the kid, so long as he wasn’t directly confronted with something awful, you could always count on him to smile, or at least try to find the bright side of things. He didn’t smile once the whole time he was in the chamber.”
“He grew up, Michael, I fear to say,” Dominic said gravely.
“Yes, too fast.”
TBC (but not much longer)
