"Sinking" continued
Oct. 19th, 2004 03:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalThis section rated R for language, violence, and implied sexual abuse.
He lay huddled in the corner of his cell, after they had let him down, after Andre had finished… …had finished with him.
I am an Archangel. No chains can bind me.
They pulled him down and left him there on the floor of his cell, naked, the will shackles pinioning his wrists, his ankles, his being.
I am an Archangel. No chains can bind me.
And when he knew he was alone, he wept.
No chains… no chains…
He hadn't thought it would hurt so, but Andre had found way to make it hurt. Christopher had not felt such pain since the first time he had lost an Attuned. And what was worse was that Andre seemed to take no particular pleasure from it, his voice never rising above a cool, detached observational tone, even as Christopher screamed.
"Aww, is the little Archangel gonna cry?" a familiar voice said, on the aside of the barred door. For one brief moment Christopher thought rescue had come, but then he remembered how the owner of that voice had changed.
"Druiel…" he dragged himself out of his corner and turned to face the balseraph who stood before him. He wore his favorite human form, a handsome teenaged male in a black leather jacket, no different from how he manifested himself in Heaven's realm. Except for the sneer he wore now as he faced his former Superior.
Duriel kneeled down beside him. "Not looking so good, are you, Dad?" He smiled unpleasantly. "You should'a heard Andrephalus talking about what he was going to do to you. Trust me, he hasn't even started to work you over."
Christopher tried to draw himself upright. Impossible, given the weight of his chains, but he had to make the attempt. The best he could managed was a pained crouch. "Druiel… You called to me. You said you wanted to come home…"
The balseraph laughed. "I wrote a note. You can't resonate the Truth of a note, Dad. You just walked in there expecting me to be on my knees, begging to be forgiven." He drew back his fist, and punched Christopher in the stomach. "I don't want to be forgiven, get it?"
Christopher doubled over, and fell to the floor in a tangle of chains. He drew his head up to look Druiel in the eyes. "I didn't want you to beg…"
"Bullshit."
"All I wanted to hear, was that you knew what you had done was wrong…"
Druiel's booted foot caught Christopher in the ribs. "I… (kick) didn't… (kick) do… (kick) anything… (kick) wrong!"
The pain of the beating didn't hurt, he realized, not as much as the realization that Druiel thought he was right. Even without self-resonating himself, the young Balserpah thought he was right, Christopher suspected. "You killed all those girls…"
"They were asking for it. Every one of them wanted it. I was serving my Word."
He let out a hiss of breath. "Your Word was Teenage Death. You were supposed to be providing succor… and understanding about the concept… not cause it to happen."
"Sorry I didn't get the memo," Druiel said, pushing Christopher away with one final kick. "I was working for Larry at the time!"
His form was more of a concept than an actual body. Nevertheless, it was accurate to say that it hurt as much as if he'd had several ribs broken. "And you didn't once… think to ask him for guidance?"
"The Lord Commander of the Host?" Druiel sneered. "Like he would have even talked to me."
"He was your acting… Superior… It was his responsibility…"
"And where were you?" the balseraph asked.
"Laurence took you… from me…" Christopher let out a sigh. "I did not… think to question it… or how you were getting along… in his service… My great error."
"You're just as stupid as I always thought you were then," Druiel said, and Christopher could hear the self-justifying lie in his voice.
"Druiel… one question," he requested.
"What?"
"In Saminga's service… are you truly happier?"
Duriel smiled down on him. "I'm great. Never better. Saminga is a way better boss than you ever were."
He should have kept silent, but what he heard reflected in Druiel's words he could not ignore. "You… lie…" he whispered.
The subsequent beating was almost worth it.
TBC
He lay huddled in the corner of his cell, after they had let him down, after Andre had finished… …had finished with him.
I am an Archangel. No chains can bind me.
They pulled him down and left him there on the floor of his cell, naked, the will shackles pinioning his wrists, his ankles, his being.
I am an Archangel. No chains can bind me.
And when he knew he was alone, he wept.
No chains… no chains…
He hadn't thought it would hurt so, but Andre had found way to make it hurt. Christopher had not felt such pain since the first time he had lost an Attuned. And what was worse was that Andre seemed to take no particular pleasure from it, his voice never rising above a cool, detached observational tone, even as Christopher screamed.
"Aww, is the little Archangel gonna cry?" a familiar voice said, on the aside of the barred door. For one brief moment Christopher thought rescue had come, but then he remembered how the owner of that voice had changed.
"Druiel…" he dragged himself out of his corner and turned to face the balseraph who stood before him. He wore his favorite human form, a handsome teenaged male in a black leather jacket, no different from how he manifested himself in Heaven's realm. Except for the sneer he wore now as he faced his former Superior.
Duriel kneeled down beside him. "Not looking so good, are you, Dad?" He smiled unpleasantly. "You should'a heard Andrephalus talking about what he was going to do to you. Trust me, he hasn't even started to work you over."
Christopher tried to draw himself upright. Impossible, given the weight of his chains, but he had to make the attempt. The best he could managed was a pained crouch. "Druiel… You called to me. You said you wanted to come home…"
The balseraph laughed. "I wrote a note. You can't resonate the Truth of a note, Dad. You just walked in there expecting me to be on my knees, begging to be forgiven." He drew back his fist, and punched Christopher in the stomach. "I don't want to be forgiven, get it?"
Christopher doubled over, and fell to the floor in a tangle of chains. He drew his head up to look Druiel in the eyes. "I didn't want you to beg…"
"Bullshit."
"All I wanted to hear, was that you knew what you had done was wrong…"
Druiel's booted foot caught Christopher in the ribs. "I… (kick) didn't… (kick) do… (kick) anything… (kick) wrong!"
The pain of the beating didn't hurt, he realized, not as much as the realization that Druiel thought he was right. Even without self-resonating himself, the young Balserpah thought he was right, Christopher suspected. "You killed all those girls…"
"They were asking for it. Every one of them wanted it. I was serving my Word."
He let out a hiss of breath. "Your Word was Teenage Death. You were supposed to be providing succor… and understanding about the concept… not cause it to happen."
"Sorry I didn't get the memo," Druiel said, pushing Christopher away with one final kick. "I was working for Larry at the time!"
His form was more of a concept than an actual body. Nevertheless, it was accurate to say that it hurt as much as if he'd had several ribs broken. "And you didn't once… think to ask him for guidance?"
"The Lord Commander of the Host?" Druiel sneered. "Like he would have even talked to me."
"He was your acting… Superior… It was his responsibility…"
"And where were you?" the balseraph asked.
"Laurence took you… from me…" Christopher let out a sigh. "I did not… think to question it… or how you were getting along… in his service… My great error."
"You're just as stupid as I always thought you were then," Druiel said, and Christopher could hear the self-justifying lie in his voice.
"Druiel… one question," he requested.
"What?"
"In Saminga's service… are you truly happier?"
Duriel smiled down on him. "I'm great. Never better. Saminga is a way better boss than you ever were."
He should have kept silent, but what he heard reflected in Druiel's words he could not ignore. "You… lie…" he whispered.
The subsequent beating was almost worth it.
TBC
