Stalking Dragons

(Aron has arrived at San Francisco airport, and is met by a young oriental man, who gives him a paper dragon. Taking this as a message, he heads to Chinatown, and spots Eli in the crowd.)

Aron finds a personal chop that catches his eye - his knowledge of sculpture should help - and purchases it.

Aron has the chop wrapped in rice paper, tied with a bit of hemp, and makes his way over to Eli.

Eli looks up. Today he's an old Chinese man with a long white pigtail, dark cotton trousers and shirt, and a "Kiss Me I'm Creative" cap.

Aron approaches Eli. He considers the cap and taps a finger against his lips. "I don't suppose you'd settle for a hug?"

Aron appends, quietly, "Milord."

Eli says, "Sure." He grins, reaches across and hugs Aron.

Aron embraces Eli warmly and steps back. He pulls a small package out of his pocket and offers it. "Tradition, and all."

Eli takes it, with all the restraint and dignity of a six-year-old at Easter, unwraps it, and smiles. "Aron, m'boy, you are as witty as ever."

Aron's lips quirk. "One tries to keep a whetstone on hand."

Eli begins to stroll through the busy street fair. "I suppose you're wondering why I felt the need to have you on hand."

Aron smooths his lip with a finger, then nods. "Milord, it's an unusual honor," he says mildly.

Eli says, cheerfully, "Hey, man, relax. Kick back. I mean, I have it on good authority that you are about to be in very danger of your soul, so I thought we should have a holiday."

<> Azalea says "Nooooooooo"

<> Daimon says "Probably from me. :)"

<> Demiurge says "Hey, it's Eli."

Aron pauses - no, really, he stops. "Danger of my very soul?" A moment later, he makes a heroic attempt at casual expression.

Eli says, "Uh huh."

<> Pat whistles innocently, and makes notes.

<> Daimon says "Ask him about snacky cakes!"

Aron smiles at a passer by. Then, "Milord, may I assume that you still like me?"

Eli slips an arm over Aron's shoulders. "Aron, I created you. I love you. I care about you. Yeah, I like you."

Aron flashes back a smile. "Well, then I shall have to try very hard to keep my soul protected."

>From afar, Aron . o O ( Why does being around Eli always make me act silly. Man. )

Eli says, "Good on you. You do that. Hm." He pats Aron's shoulder. "So, you come across any dark conspiracies lately?"

Aron seems about to give a cheerful negative, when he pauses. "I'm not sure."

Eli says, "Mm hmm?"

Aron says "Within one day of coming here, I've found myself bound to help a Calabite of Nightmare on the road to redemption, while simultaneously involving myself in the affairs of a group of angels who are, in turn, bound to aiding one Daimon."

Aron coughs. "I think you know that last."

Eli says, reminiscently, "Have you ever seen that kid's stand-up act? It is _hot_. That boy has talent."

Aron ducks a bit of dragon costume. "I heard a rant of his - it wasn't all that funny."

Aron says "Something to do with, ah, creatively defrocking mendicants."

Aron pauses. "It was relatively creative, however."

Eli sighs. "It's stress. Puts even the best of us off. You should have seen Kobal in the old days. I remember one time, he and me and Andrealphus, in Novalis' Glade, and Raphael was feeding us these straight lines..."

Aron stares.

Eli says, sadly, "While ago. Long, long time ago."

Aron coughs. "I'm sorry I missed it, Milord."

Eli pauses to pick up a scroll painting, tilting it so Aron can see. It's of a young woman with her head to one side, braiding her hair.

Eli says, "Everything not Redeemed is a tragedy, Aron. The problem with people like Kobal is they then write it up as comedy."

Aron tilts his head, avian, and inspects it. "I wish the artist had used a starker contrast of color," he remarks. Then, he nods. "The Ofanite, Liz, works hard at correcting Daimon, at least."

Aron says "Though sometimes she laughs where I wouldn't."

Eli mutters something about "angst contests" under his breath as he puts the painting down and begins walking again.

Aron's lips twitch.

Aron pauses to purchase the painting, and follows after Eli.

Eli stops to make a sweeping gesture, which nearly hits Aron. "Look! The grand panoply of human experience!" He's pointing at a noodle stall. "Soy sauce!"

<> Daimon says "Eli is excellent."

Aron says "A bit salty as a representation, Sire. Shall we eat?"

Eli says, "We shall eat. We shall indulge in sensual pleasure. We shall then go do the dragon dance, because I've told them that you have a secret yearning to prance round while waving a papier mache head."

Aron replies, deadpan, "How well you know me, Milord."

Eli laughs, and secures two bowls of noodles.

Eli says, more seriously, "If you were a demon, Aron, where would you buy your dark glasses?"

Aron says "In a place where others would be most jealous."

Eli nods, twirling noodles round his chopsticks. "And what would you do if someone tried to convince you they didn't suit you?"

Aron considers. "That, Milord, might well depend on what type of demon I am. Had I one brand of fear, I would reply with cold contempt and festering, petty vengeance. Had I another, I would find a larger demon with similar glasses."

Eli says, "Ooookay."

Eli prods his noodles. "Now suppose you'd been told all your life that the sun would blind you if you took your sunglasses off."

Aron says "You speak of redemption?"

Aron slurps his noodles, thoughtfully, eyes fixed on Eli.

Eli says, "Well, in one of those high-flown metaphorical symbolic ways. Hey, you're the one who edits children's stories. Ever read about lions, witches, and wardrobes?"

Aron nods. "Once or twice." He pauses. "You know, Azalea could do a fine wintry witch. I'll have to look into that."

Eli smiles, and eats more noodles. "That's the spirit. Working with raw materials."

Aron continues to twirl noodles into his mouth, thoughtful. He shakes himself out of his reverie. "You mentioned a conspiracy."

Eli says, "Oh yes. Oh boy. Big conspiracy."

Aron cocks his head to one side. "Tell me about it, Milord?"

Eli says, "Yeah, well, Gabriel told me about it, but she was a bit vague on the details."

Eli says, "You ought to meet her some time, you know. She's a wonderful lady."

Aron says "So I've heard. So there's a big conspiracy."

Aron says "Somewhere."

Aron says "Got it."

Eli says, "As sure as I hold this chopstick, there's a conspiracy out there."

Aron nods. "Of its existence, Sire, I have no doubt."

<> Daimon says "We want DETAILS, MAN."

Aron looks wry.

Eli leans closer. He says, confidentially, "I'm also fairly sure it's something to do with Nightmare, which is why I wanted a chat with you."

Aron raises his eyebrows. "Ah."

Aron says "Nightmare seems to be cooperating with The Game, you know."

Eli sighs. "Dullsville. And kind of sad, that potential cooperating with that kind of repression."

Aron says "I have a hunch. Would you hear it?"

Aron pauses. "It's not really very conspiracy-related, I'm afraid."

<> Pat looks at his notebook. "Nightmare has potential?" *scribble*

Eli leans closer again. "I love hunches. Share, share!"

Aron says "I think Azalea has it in her to remind us what we lost in Beleth."

Eli nods. "Well, good. That's excellent."

Aron nods. "She was, coincidentally, sent to spy on Liz, on behalf of the Game, I believe."

Aron says "You know."

Eli nods. "I know."

Aron says "This is going to be a difficult group to protect, and force that needs no defense, by turns."

Eli's voice is sad.

Aron pays some attention to the noodles, allowing a bit of silence.

Eli says, continuing through the noodles, "Sometimes I worry about you, kid. You carry too many weights. If the world blew up, you'd be fretting about jogging someone's elbow."

Aron coughs. "Well, it would be somewhat rude." He looks wry, however. "I promised to protect them."

Eli says, tactfully, "And do you like them?"

Aron sets chopsticks down. After a moment's though, he nods. "Hitherby is charming - engaging, even, and Shannen is exactly as she should be. Liz. Well, I fear for her."

Eli flicks the last noodle out of his bowl. "Why?"

Aron pushes his bowl aside. "She seems too given to compromise."

Eli says, "Hey, Trade is all about give and take. Bargains. Compromise, as long as everyone comes off best. Like, you know?"

Aron smiles. "I know. But, as my lost Lord made me, I can't help but see the danger in that."

Eli nods. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Sometimes I think I never fully get what you used to be, Taroniel."

Aron's smile turns sad. "And sometimes I think I never fully get what I am to be, Milord." He looks over the dispersing crowd. "I visited the old Cathedral recently."

Aron says "I prayed. Something, someone... well, I was touched."

Aron says "I think big things are happening."

Eli says, "Good."

Eli finishes his noodles.

Aron licks his lips, nervously now. "Are - are you ever coming back, Milord?"

Eli says, "That is, it's cool that you were touched, it's cool big things are happening, and yeah, I've never left."

Eli waves the chopsticks. "I am Creation. Where it is, I am. If there's Creation in Heaven, then I'm there, and I've never gone away."

Aron smiles. "I suppose we just miss your face, sometimes, Milord. Marath will be very jealous."

Eli chuckles, as he puts his bowl back. "Oh well, I'll be by to see her soon enough."

Aron laughs. "You just can't resist her food," he accuses. Then, seriously, "Have you any orders, Sire? That you called me - well, I can't describe the feeling. But if you picked me, there must be something?"

Eli says, "Yeah. Something really important."

<> Daimon says "Oh god. It's important. Eli will never remember."

Aron waits.

Eli thinks.

<> Daimon says "ELI! QUICK! YOUR FLASHCARDS!"

Eli says, "Aron, the problem is, you just don't have enough people telling you that you're okay. So I wanted to tell you, kid, and make sure that it stuck."

Eli says, "There could be a time when knowing that somebody cared enough to sit down and tell you so will make a difference."

<> Arcangel says "Archangels. Can't understand 'em, can't smack 'em upside the head."

Eli says, "So I'm telling you."

Aron looks entirely stunned.

Eli says, "You're okay. I love you. Blandine loves you. Uriel loved you. Edit stories and kick ass."

Aron stands quietly and nods. He leans forward to embrace Eli. Dazed, he turns to pick up his painting.

Eli embraces Aron in response.

<> Daimon says "You were robbed, Aron, my man."

You paged Aron with 'You also just got a nice freebie from the Boss.'.

Aron moves away quietly, attention turned inwards. He avoids collision only through instict or divine providence.

Aron pages: Oh, did I now? *grin*

You paged Aron with 'You just picked up the Song of Ethereal Form/3.'.

Eli slaps Aron on the back as he goes. There is a faint Symphonic tinkle.

>From afar, Aron spins. "My goodness. That's awesome!"

The street crowd swirls around angel and Archangel. Eli is soon lost to sight.

---

Fiat Justitia