Sept. 20, 1999, early a.m.
When we last saw our heroes. . .
Rook is still Sparrow Malakite, checking the area around the Board, Matt weeds impatiently outside of Adrienne's while Jael watches him, Arabis is returning to Boulder by bus and Arashiel is preparing to leave the Painted Pot.
Rashi, sensing no 'loomy' feeling, is surprised to hear a rap-rap-rapping on the front door. It's midnight -- who can it be? She peeks through the second floor blinds and sees a trio of individuals who look like they might be a Triad. Hmm. Call Rook -- no answer. Call Jael then -- who reminds Rashi that she has prior notice of a Triad coming, and that Jael will head home now, just in case the Triad gets, um, nasty. Then Rashi chirps down at her visitors: "Who is it?"
"Arashiel. We need to talk to you."
"Who are you?"
Sigh of evident exasperation. "We are a Dominican Triad. We have come
to speak to you about the Tapestry. May we come in?"
"Sure," and Rashi heads down to let them in. "How do I know," she inquires suspiciously, "you are who you say you are?"
Another exasperated look. "You don't."
"Oh, right, all right then." Rashi leads her guests into the employee lounge, sits them on the couch and herself at the table, a healthy distance.
"Where shall we start?"
"With the Tapestry. Where did you acquire it and through what
mechanism?"
Well, they did *ask* -- Rashi launches into the whole story of intrigue and misery and whatever else from Colorado Springs, including mention of Susannah Eason, the Soldiers, and more bits of exhaustive detail. She also manages to avoid answering the question. . . but the clever inquisitors notice, and refine their questions, until she admits that Eli told her to take it.
Ah, yes, the rogue Archangel. There are shared looks of no good purpose. The Triad asks to look more closely at the Tapestry -- Rashi holds it open for them, but refrains from laying it flat on the table for their perusal.
Peruse, peruse. . . "There is a ban on Ethereals on the corporeal plane. . . you know that?"
(OOC Rashi's player shoots the GM a *look.*) "Um. Now I do."
"Tell us about the roc."
Big innocent eyes. . . Rashi tells of the roc's appearance, describing how a 'huge hole opened in the sky and the roc just fell out' when she unravelled a bit of Tapestry. (GM arches an eyebrow, and makes a roll, and bloody Divine Intervention occurs. GM swears at dice).
Suddenly Arashiel *sees* clearly -- the tall interrogator is a Balseraph -- she can see its bat wings, its six-eyes, superimposed over its mortal vessel. And then the other man by the Tapestry just touches it, and her attunement vanishes. Clearly -- these are Bad People. Rashi grabs the Tapestry and does a diving roll for the doorway back into the Painted Pot's main room. Zap! Songs fly. She is hit by Ethereal Charm, then by Form. And every angel (except Matt the Impatient) hears the Symphony crackle. Therefore, every angel (except Matt the Impatient) starts making angel-tracks for the source of the racket. Then, adding to the racket -- the last 'Triad' member causes the explosion of an entire rack of commissioned pottery behind Rashi. Boom! Damn. . . a Calabite. . . and he heads right for Rashi. Ascend? Why, no. Damn, damn, damn.
Rashi pulls her artifact-weapon, noting the unfavorable odds, and wades in. The short undoer of attunements sings Claws, and Rashi swipes at him with her angelic-Jedi weapon. The Calabite seals off her escape, and the Bal and Djinn move to engage. Rashi strikes at them, and does minor damage; tries to invoke Michael, and fails. The Djinn hooks its claws into the Tapestry and pulls, while spitting acid at Rashi's arm and shoulder. As the Bal moves in, an unknown someone bursts into the room and lands on the Calabite, and they go skidding. Now things are Officially Very Bad -- so Rashi spends Essence and calls for Eli. (GM swears again). He is on his way. . . But the Bal is closer, and gets close enough to Rashi to open his jacket and show her the lining. "What does Rashi want most right now? Safety for the Tapestry, is it? Why, everything is *quite* safe. There is no Djinn holding the Tapestry, no indeed. Rashi relaxes, believing these tings to be true while at the same time aware they cannot be. "Who are you?" she asks the Bal.
"No one important," he murmurs. "Your Malakite would know me. . . "
And then -- Eli arrives, looking peeved. "The pottery!" he laments, eyeing the mess. Then -- "You, you, and you -- you need to leave. Right. Now!" The demons disappear abruptly. Now -- only Rashi and the Mysterious Helper are left. Eli smiles at Rashi. "It's been *years* since you called me, Arashiel."
"Thank you for coming." Rashi is understandably relieved. Then the rest of the angel brigade trickles in -- Jael first, wide-eyed, goes straight to Rashi. Matt stalks in a moment later (he followed Jael) swearing impatiently about the disturbance -- oh. Wait. That's Eli. He looks embarrassed, and the Archangel removes the Habbalation. Rook enters, exchanges pleasantries. Arabis flutters in, and Eli comments on how well she is looking (fluff, preen). Jael hugs Rashi, then notices the Mysterious Stranger -- and goes bone white. Hmm. Rashi notes but does not comment. Matt also notices, and resonates: the Mysterious Stranger is afraid and angry with himself for that fear. Matt, sensing all this, naturally offers him a flower. His eyes, winter-pale, narrow as he looks over the angelic assemblage, and he makes as if to slip away.
No such luck. "Have we met?" Rashi asks.
"We have. And I know your sister as well."
"You know my sister?" Looks to Jael for confirmation.
Jael, very softly, "This is Irad."
Ooooh. Silence, then Rashi asks if Irad would wait out front for her, and he agrees. Eli seems to be blissfully unaware of Irad's presence. She hands off her Tapestry to Jael, who promptly attunes, and follows Irad out.
"Thank you for the help."
Sidelong glance.
" I've always felt that my sister cares about you a great
deal, so I do as well. I will assume the two of you could be together
again . . . but I hope you know it needs to be Above."
Irad makes eye contact. "I have no wish to see her as a Djinn."
"Thank you. It would destroy me."
Irad absorbs that information, then: "The Tapestry canNOT go to Hell. I will try to prevent it. . . I am dissonant," he murmurs absently. "I wish I had known about the Tapestry's existence long ago. Things would not have been hopeless -- those we fought to protect are in there. I had thought them destroyed."
Arashiel hugs him, and he returns it awkwardly. "There needs to be a place for you in Heaven."
Distantly. . . "There was once, and then there was none at all." And Irad turns and walks away.
Rashi vows quietly to *make* a place for him again.
Back inside, Eli decides to leave -- tells Rook he 'would have recognized' the Bal, fills everyone up on essence, and goes on his Archangelic way. Steps are taken to deal with Rashi's very mild acid burns.
Speculations ensue -- was the Bal Daspit in a new vessel? A changed vessel?
Then Arashiel claims to need a shower, to wash the burns clean, and heads up stairs to have a mild crying session in the shower. Jael follows her, having some inkling. There is much Cherubic comforting, and Rashi becomes dog-Rashi and goes back downstairs with Jael.
Meanwhile, everyone else cleans up pottery shards, and the real Triad shows up. Matt politely asks them to leave, and for once, they agree. Perhaps it's a lingering effect of Eli.
When the Cherubim appear, Rashi describes her encounter for the others. Then they 'fess up to Arabis that they *think* they may have encountered Arnu this evening. Arabis is Less Than Pleased. But, being fair and all, she mentions that Adrienne may have subbed at Columbine.
And since we are on the subject of the Lilim. . .
Matt: "I believe that she had a hook in her from Arnu. She may have acquired dissonance from helping us."
Arabis: "But how did Arnu know you were with me. . . ?"
No satisfactory answer.
Jael: "What's Arnu going to think with all the disturbances he's heard
tonight?"
Arabis: "I don't know. Arnu goes after individuals, not groups. If there's an
Archangel, he won't get involved. He's been awfully persistent, though."
Jael: "He's the *last* thing we need to deal with right now."
Non sequiter from Rashi: "You know ŠI was able to see the Balseraph for what he was. And the Calabite Šhe blew up the pots. That would have been ME if he had not SUCKED! Now I no longer feel guilty for the Calabite I killed."
(Rook gets the 'why feel guilty for killing demons' look. Creationers are weird. Matt returns to the Lilim Garden.)
Rashi: "The Balseraph said that Rook would recognize him. He said he was no one in particular. . . . I'm disappointed that they know my name."
"If this is Fate, then it's the same group that kidnapped Rook and went
after Susannah," Arabis adds. "We know that Fate wants the Tapestry."
"Why?" Jael interjects.
Rashi: "To sell it? Could the Prophecy be Irad?"
"He Fell. He cracked his heart and Fell -- he definitely *chose*." Jael says flatly.
(cue Star Wars music) "There's still good in him. I can feel it. Can you?" Arashiel asks.
"I don't trust my feelings when it comes to him. Why did he help you?"
"He said that the Tapestry must not descend to Hell. He wished he had
known about it during the War" Arashiel told her. "I can only assume
that Eli did not foresee this. Eli's desperation Š"
". . . or maybe a test of faith, which some passed and some didn't."
"I didn't perceive Eli as being given to tests of faith. I could be
wrong, even though he is rarely direct," Rashi counters.
The conversation wanders on, and Rook learns that Irad is Word-Bound. Whoa. The angels try to figure out what The Game, Fate, and Death have in common besides Hell. Arabis hypothesizes that the angels have messed up Arnu's plans in Denver, and he is irked. And if Fate gets the Tapestry can they control the fate of all those within it? Of an entire species? Maybe the Ethereals could be reintroduced under some directive from Hell.
Then they take a poll of known demons -- Irad, Arnu, three of
Fate, two of the Game, Adrienne . . .
"Are there more?" Arabis asks.
"Bob was here ten years and no one knew it. Who can say how many more
there might be?" Jael answers. "They could have been here a very long
time -- and we have advertised our presence here very loudly of late."
The angels try to find a solution -- can they copy the Tapestry and confuse/ambush the demons with it? Can they get Adrienne 'out of the way in a good way' -- i.e. force redemption on her? And finally they decide to go to the Tether and tell Giles what all the noise was, so he doesn't worry.
At the Tether they also find Dinhabah. There is more debate, and Jael expresses a desire to *hurt* Daspit like he hurt Rook. . . and to unweave the Tapestry. Much protest ensues, of course. Rook tries valiantly to get the angels to consider what they would do next if they were demons, but Arashiel and Dinhabah engage in a debate about whether or not the Ethereal Ban should be repealed. Rashi insists she will reopen the case with the Seraphim council if she must.
Rook, stubborn angel that he is, manages a word in edgewise. "How did the triad know to come tonight?"
"I was wondering that too," Jael echoes.
Rook: "Perhaps Matt mentioned this information to Adrienne?"
Jael: "I don't think he would do that." (Calls are made -- this is confirmed.)
"Then if not that avenue, though what means did they find out
Arashiel's status? Is there a mole among us?" Rook asks.
Ahhh. Paranoia and distrust.
Arabis: "Who is the mole?"
The conversation fizzles, because no one wants to start accusing. Dinhabah scowled at the mention of a spy, and Arabis, paranoid being that she is, decides to follow him out.
He returns to his office, makes some phone calls, returns home, and cleans his gun. Then he loads it and waits until early morning, and heads down to the creek path.
Jael and Arashiel stay at the Tether, and Rook goes home alone.
Matt is -- quelle suprise -- with Adrienne.
At 4:00 a.m., Dinhabah goes down to the creek path, and after a brief wait on the bench, he is joined by a tall trench-coated woman. Arabis gets as close as she can to listen. . .
Dinhabah: ". . . I do not think this association is beneficial any longer."
Smoothly: "And I do not know what you're talking about. . ."
Arabis moves close enough to resonate the woman. Oh yes, cruel. But not fleeing from justice. Arabis scoots away again.
". . . I will personally find and obliterate every last one of your people in this city."
"You know I haven't done anything to deserve this -- "
"You did that to me before. You will not do it again."
Dinhabah then empties the entire clip into her, aims the last few at her face and head, and walks away. The Symphony makes no noise. Arabis waits till he walks away (calm, of course, as is proper for Elohim) and pokes through the woman's stuff. And I.D. And a police badge! She memorizes the badge info, then wings away as police sirens draw closer, carrying the woman's items (at least those that are raven-sized) away.