The Beginning Of Penance

<> Demiurge says "Hm. We last left Sephar and Chephirah on the outskirts of the Groves."

<> Chephirah says "Sarah would be pinging her resonance whenever seems reasonable, checking for the Trouble."

<> Demiurge says "Ping away, baby. ;)"

<> Chephirah rolls the d666 and gets 5 4 CHECK: 5.

<> Demiurge says "Alas, Daimon's alcohol level must be confusing your senses."

<> Sephar giggles.

Chephirah muses, "I wonder what Daimonique is doing."

Sephar floats along happy and tired, "Probably....uhm... whatever Creationers do when they have time off?"

Chephirah says "I'd imagine that would vary according to the Creationer. Would you like to clean up?" She pauses. "Is that even necessary, for Kyriotates?"

Sephar blinks mildly, "Well, I think it's necessary for me, and it would be keen to clean off, I like showers, they feel neat. And, yeah, I'd imagine it would vary, but uhm...." it blushes mildly, "I guess I was thinking of the sexual aspects, as Daimonique seems to follow the more stereotyped lines of that, sometimes... uhm... maybe?"

Chephirah agrees, "That's entirely possible. Let's get you cleaned off, then - and I'll take one more look back at the Halls for Daimonique, just in case; and then... Is there anything else we've to do here?"

Sephar says "Well.... I'm supposed to get more exposure to sexual things, to see if I'm weak in that area, as I seem to trip over even the simplest of thought-speech lines on the subject, but that may be done at any time, I think... yes, though, your plan seems good."

Sephar says "I'll go clean off and meet you in the Halls near Daimonique's apartment?"

<> arcangel loves Sephar's matter-of-fact explanation of that.

Sephar sounds a bit peeved at itself with the first, but goes more matter-of-fact with the latter bits.

Chephirah pauses a moment, tailtip fluttering. "Ah - yes. Why don't we meet there."

Sephar bobs a nod, gives a cheerful wave, "Okay..." and zooms off back towards the Lightning parts of the Halls...

The Halls of Progress have all manner of facilities for the discriminating Kyriotate. Including showers.

<> Pat says "Which look oddly like washing machines."

<> Sephar punches the button and goes "Wheeeee!!!" as it whirls about....

<> Pat giggles.

Sephar zoops into a shower and sings harmony with itself as it washes all the 2000 body parts...

<> Demiurge snickers.

The sweat is washed away, leaving Sephar sparklingly clean and efficient.

Sephar shakes off happily, wings fluttering a bit and it finds a couple towels to dry off with completely, and then puts them into the towel hamper neatly before wandering back towards the Halls of Creation.

Chephirah lingers by the Halls of Worship for several long, wistful minutes, before going to her rendezvous with Sephar.

The Halls of Creation are bustling and full of activity. A Seraph is arguing the case for a new mural down the main stairs.

Sephar floats by the main entryway, watching curiously.

Chephirah lingers to listen to the Seraph for a few moments, intrigued.

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 6 5 CHECK: 1.

The Seraph flexes its wings. "Newness! Change! The eloquence of passion! The fulfillment of style. The orgasm of the paintbrush - stop looking like that, Tomas - and the proper use of the colour green!"

Sephar murmurs softly, "... orgasm of the paintbrush? Woo."

Chephirah nods slowly, and edges past. She carefully does not look in the direction of Tomas; it's not proper etiqette to burst out laughing in front of a Seraph.

Tomas, a soul with a Hispanic look to him, has clearly heard all this before. He mutters, "I want _malachite_."

Sephar follows Chephirah, can't help but look in all directions, but is so mildly boggled by the wording that it doesn't quite laugh.

Chephirah pauses a little down the hall from Daimon's apartment. (Poor Tomas.)

Sephar drifts lightly outside the door.

Sephar peers at Chephirah, and then floats over to Daimon's door and knocks on it.

No answer at the door.

Sephar hrms mildly.

Chephirah considers this.

Chephirah scratches at it, lightly and tentatively.

Still no answer. There are light strains of Mozart coming from behind it, muffled by the wood.

Sephar settles back a bit, listening and watching lightly. "Wonder if she heard us?"

Chephirah says, "Either she didn't, or she stepped out, or she's, ah, moping."

The light strains of Mozart start to swell louder into chorus through the door.

Sephar says "We could wait, then, or... uhm... knock louder?"

Chephirah muses, "On the other hand, she might have company."

Sephar says "Oh."

<> Daimon waits for people to, I dunno, try the knob. :)

Sephar says "It might be safer to wait, then."

<> Demiurge says "They don't want to intrude on Daimonique+Malakim. :)"

<> Daimon says "Oh, well. Or Daimonique with the music cranked and headphones on."

<> Chephirah says "Headphones don't occur to Chephirah! :)"

<> Demiurge says "Chephirah could try her resonance."

<> Chephirah rolls the d666 and gets 4 1 CHECK: 3.

<> Chephirah says "Yup, she's in there. :)"

<> Sephar wouldn't have the music on headphones cranked so loud it would come throught he door, likely...

<> Daimon hees.

<> Daimon just has da music on. Remembers from dorm room days of loud Mozart and people knocking.

<> Demiurge says "Chephirah, your resonance tells you that Daimon is in there - and not moving around particularly, either."

Chephirah considers this.

Chephirah then draws a deep breath, and calls, "Daimon?"

No answer from inside.

Chephirah nudges the door with her head experimentally.

The door, which is not locked, swings open a little.

Chephirah blinks.

Chephirah says "Oh."

Sephar floats up and peers in as well.

Inside, the room looks like a small whirlwind hit a box which had earlier contained a large set of nondescript worn books, some of which are open to yellowed pages. They look like they have been thrown against the wall. There is also a small pile of framed pictures lying face-down in the middle of the living room. From the stereo comes the strains of Mozart's Requiem, playing in the other room and cranked to nearly eardrum splitting decibels. Bent over the computer at the far side of the room sits Daimonique, muttering to herself and typing furiously. There is a small drift of print outs covered with red ink lying on the floor at the foot of the chair in a small heap. The room smells of beer, cigarettes, and hashish.

Sephar sniffs dubiously.

Chephirah pauses, blinking.

Daimonique types, and mutters, and never sees them come into the room. *tap* *tap* *taptaptaptap*

Chephirah then pads inside, quietly, and begins to pick up those books that look like they've just been thrown about rather than left open to a specific page intentionally. She doesn't /move/ them, but does close them and position them more comfortably.

Sephar floats in and hrms softly, then whistles a high note.

On inspection, the books are filled with scrawled Helltongue, which goes away when the covers are closed.

Daimonique starts suddenly at Sephar's high note, and in a sudden panic knocks her empty bottle of Jack Daniels off of the desk and onto the floor. She says something incomprehensible under her breath and looks around, eyes full of manic madness.

Chephirah shivers, and attempts not to inspect.

Chephirah . o O ( The poor things. )

Sephar meeps at the fallen bottle and swoops down to pick it up before all its contents are spilled.

Daimonique blinks at Sarah and Sephar, drunk, stoned, and in some other head universe for the moment.

Sephar says "Oh... empty."

Sephar sets the bottle carefully on the desk, peers up at Daimonique with quite a few eyes, "Uhm... hello?"

Sephar blinks several eyes, out of synch back at otherworldly Daimonique.

Daimonique sighs as comprehension starts to fill back in, and she says, "Oh. Hi. Scared the bejesus out of me."

Chephirah peeks over her shoulder, and purrs a gentle rumble.

Sephar says "Sorry."

Daimonique turns to save her document, and then gets up to pick up the books and the photographs off the floor.

Daimonique mutters something about "Nothing you want to see", and when she's done putting them away, she looks a little more sane. Not much, but a little better. "So, uh, hi."

Sephar floats mildly in a cleared patch of the room, not looking at what Daimonique doesn't want looked at. "Uhm. Hi."

Sephar says "We were thinking of... uhm... picking you up to go back down or something? Or did you hae other plans?"

Daimonique looks at the computer, sighs, and settles into a chair. "No, no other plans."

Chephirah says, "If you're Creating..."

Daimonique says "It can wait."

Sephar says "Oh..."

Sephar says "It can?"

Daimonique says "Duty before and all that. Yadda yadda. And besides, I have to have a talk with both of you."

Sephar says "I'm... uhm... sure we could go down and start on the hospital stuff and a few other things without you, if you need to... uhm..."

Sephar quiets at the last bit.

Chephirah cocks her head to one side, and settles.

Daimonique shrugs. "Work is work. I will do this when time permits. I'm not hired to sit around and write."

Sephar murmurs mildly, "Maybe you ought to be?"

Daimonique shakes her head. "Doubtful. I should be on Earth right now. I'm just not."

Sephar says "Okay..."

Chephirah nudges her head against Daimon's knee.

Daimonique says "Anyway. We need to have a talk."

Sephar settles by the desk and blinks up at Daimonique.

Chephirah says "I believe we're talking now?"

Daimonique says "I was given a penance by Dominic, and seeing how I'm stoned out of my gourd, now is probably a good time." She clears her throat. "I'm supposed to explain why it is I feel a certain personal responsibility for certain people to those certain people on an individual basis."

Sephar peers mildly at Daimonique.

Chephirah blinks twice or thrice. "Oh, dear," she murmurs.

Sephar says "What does that... uhm... mean? Are you talking about the freed Celestials from the uhm... place?"

Daimonique says "No, I'm talking about you two. And a few others, but they aren't here."

Sephar blinks many eyes at that.

Daimonique says "As in, alot of things I'm going to talk about make me feel very stupid, so just bear with me."

Daimonique gets up and roots around on the desk, and comes up with a not-quite cigarette that, when lit, smells a heck of a lot better then tobacco yet cannot be entirely masked by the smell of cheap incense.

Sephar settles a bit, cloud spreading a little.

Chephirah says, "I think we'll both understand, dear."

Daimonique settles back in her chair and tokes deeply. One thing about Heaven, the doobies you scam off your neighbors are much better here then in Hell.

Daimonique says "So. I'm supposed to talk about why I feel responsible. In the last few decades of my life, I've spent a large portion of my time trying to concentrate on keeping everyone else together, making sure everything went as planned, making sure no one killed each other or did anything stupid, and generally cleaning up after the party was done, and this has never actually left me, so it tends to extend to anyone I come in contact with. But that's just me."

Sephar sits on a few hands quietly and listens.

Daimonique says "I'm so used to taking responsibility for every one of my decisions, I can't let the reprocussions of something stupid I've done simply go unnoticed - and I try to duck praise when necessary, because it's usually just part of doing what I have to do. Praise makes me uncomfortable anyway, I would rather have people yelling at me. At least I know they're paying half attention."

Sephar blinks many eyes at that.

Daimonique says "So, when people follow me into a Demonic Tether so that I can simply finish up something that I feel that I've started, and they get hurt, I feel that it is largely my fault. It was, after all, my call and my decision, so anything that happens to anyone is for me to take care of."

Sephar coughs at that.

Daimonique says "Sephar I- I feel extremely badly that you had to go to Hell and see it. And luckily, you only saw a tiny portion that happened to be on the street, and it was a pretty clean street at that. That entire fiasco should never have happened. And you should never have been part of it. Neither you, nor Hitherby."

Sephar raises a hand.

Daimonique falls quiet.

Daimonique also tokes. Ffffffffffffffft.

Chephirah nods to Sephar, mutely.

Sephar says mildly, "Uhm... can I say something?"

Daimonique says "Sure."

Sephar says "Or are you just supposed to -- oh..."

Sephar says "What hubris pills did you take? I made the choice to stick with you. With all of you. Because of my own free will and desire to see you and the other safe with what I little I might do. You didn't make me do a thing. You aren't responsible for my actions. You're responsible for *your* actions, sure, but you aren't responsible for my trust. I gave it to you as a gift, from me, of me and of my own desire to do what was right."

<> Pat says "Go Sephar!"

Sephar says "To write that trust off as nothing more than a given..."

Sephar coughs again.

Sephar says "Not that you meant it that way, but... still."

Sephar deflates a little after the speech, "And I have to admit that I don't like having to yell at you to show you that you have my attention. I prefer being nice."

Daimonique just sighs, and stabs the joint out in a nearby ashtry.

Sephar says "And you aren't responsible for what happened at the Tether, really you aren't. It was Terry's actions, he is entirely responsible for what he did. I can't see why you keep saying that that was your fault, no, I guess I can see why, but I think your basic reason is false."

Daimonique says "No, I brought Terry to DC. I told him what happened."

Sephar says "So? He got to choose what to do about it."

Daimonique says "Had I not choosen to trust him to not be a jerk, then nothing would have happened. No one would have had to get dragged through Hell twice. I mean, hell, these are stupid decisions I'm usually chasing after other people for making."

Sephar says "He may well have just come after you."

Sephar says "If he was willing to take you at the Tether, who's to say he wouldn't have just gotten up a posse and come after you anyway?"

Daimonique sighs. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Expect I didn't expect him to piss away a large percentage of _my_ life and my trust in one swoop. I still have to talk to him. I _have_ to talk to him. I refuse to just let this lie."

Sephar says "You can't be ominiscent, Daimonique."

Sephar says "Even my Boss doesn't claim to be omniscent."

Daimonique says "Until a few weeks ago, it was pretty much expected of me."

Sephar says "Well, it isn't, anymore."

Chephirah murmurs, mildly, "We'd have to kidnap him to do it at all safely..."

Sephar grins mildly at Chephirah.

Daimonique says "And maybe I can't deal with it not being expected anymore."

Sephar peers at Daimonique.

Chephirah says "Give it a year or two, dear."

Sephar bobs a nod at Chephirah.

Daimonique says "I dunno. I mean, I dunno anything anymore."

Daimonique says "I can't change how I'm wired, deep down inside, no matter how hard I try."

Sephar says "Most of you seems wired pretty darned right, and maybe you aren't the one that has to change it. Maybe time or circumstance or just getting used to your new place?"

Daimonique says "I don't know if I can ever get used to my new place in the cosmos. Not completely."

Chephirah says "I don't see anything wrong with that."

Sephar just blinks mildly.

Daimonique says "So basically what it all comes down to is that I don't trust anyone. I can buy that, I probably don't."

Sephar says "Huh?"

Sephar says "Oh."

Daimonique says "That's what you said, right Sephar? That I don't trust you."

Sephar says "Uhm... no."

Sephar says "What I said was that while I trusted you, it doesn't make you responsible for my actions."

Sephar says "Or my choices."

Sephar sounds curious, though, "Why do you think what I said meant that you didn't trust me?"

Daimonique says "I don't know."

Sephar says "Uhm... I'm curious as to how my communication went wrong, I'd like to know how to do that better."

Chephirah lowers her head, nuzzling lightly against Daimon's calf, and keeps her quiet.

Daimonique shrugs vaguely, and puts her forehead into her hand.

Sephar sighs very softly and bobs a nod. "Do you trust yourself?"

Chephirah lifts her head long enough to nod to Sephar quietly.

<> Chephirah says "... right question. :)"

Daimonique says "It depends."

Sephar listens quietly.

Daimonique says "I trust myself to get up in the morning and dress myself."

Sephar bobs a quiet nod.

Daimonique looks up and stares out the window.

Daimonique says, finally, "No. I don't trust myself. No more then I would trust any other demon or Lilim."

Sephar sighs softly at that.

Sephar thinks a bit, "Okay... then answer me this. What reasons can you think of that makes it possible for Chephirah and I to trust you? You don't have to answer that immediately, but I would like for you to think on it."

Sephar contemplates, "And it isn't just ignorance or innocence, though I'm sure your reflexes might say it is."

Daimonique grunts at that.

Daimonique says "Maybe, unless I'm bound to geas, you just can't."

Sephar says "But we do."

Chephirah says "So evidently it's possible."

Sephar bobs the quiet nod.

Daimonique says "I'm just as likely to drag everyone on my mad jaunt through life tomorrow as I was say, yesterday."

Chephirah says "Yes, dear. We know."

Daimonique says "I can't say that's spectacular leadership qualities of a sane, stable individual."

Sephar chuckles.

Sephar says "Don't think on why we shouldn't, why *do* we?"

Daimonique says "My great sense in fashion?"

Sephar peers a bit dolefully at its cloud self, "I'm afraid not. Though it does lend a sense of style I don't think I've ever had."

Daimonique says "I don't know. I don't know why anyone ever chooses to follow me wherever I will go. People just do. Maybe, I suppose, when the time comes for a decision, I usually just make it and away we all go."

Chephirah says, "Trusting and following aren't necessarily the same thing, dear."

Sephar bobs the nod again.

Daimonique says "Ah."

Daimonique says "I don't know why you trust me, then."

Sephar nods at that quietly. "Then, I guess, for now, you'll just have to take it on faith until you figure out why. I think you will, and that'll probably be when you figure the rest of it out. I've a feeling that telling you why won't do that for you, though."

Daimonique just nods.

Daimonique falls silent.

<> Sephar awaits the agonized scream that most koans bring...

<> Sephar says "Ahem."

Chephirah says, quietly, "As for me: I love you, both of you, and love is worthy of risk."

Sephar grins happily at that.

<> Demiurge admires Sephar, Angel of Koans.

Daimonique sits still like a statue, staring out the window.

Sephar settles quietly.

Daimonique says "I guess we should return to Earth."

Sephar bobs a nod.

Daimonique says "Job and all that."

Sephar says "There's the hospital explosion to look into and I'm worried if there's another incident involving Disease."

Daimonique says "And Stone and god knows what else."

Chephirah says "And Hitherby's poor host."

<> Sephar somehow thinks that 'why do we love her ?' is the natural extention of the 'why do we trust her?' and the same question in the end... of sorts... but that's something of an answer.

Sephar chuckles.

Daimonique says "And a million million other things under the sun."

Sephar says "Poor Pat. I hope his house is okay."

Daimonique says "This is like getting out of bed in the morning. Once again, I'm left staring at the ceiling asking myself, "Can I do it?""

Sephar gets up and floats a bit at about desk level...

Sephar laughs softly, "'I think you can' doesn't quite have the same level of commitment to it, I guess as 'I think I can'. But I do think you can, if that helps at all."

Sephar whirls slowly, thoughtfully in place.

Daimonique says "Aron asked me if I knew I was immortal. I said 'yes' to avoid the lecture. The real answer is that I believe I'm unchanging, but I have a hard time believing I can get through another _day_, let alone eternity. It's not the same thing."

Sephar bobs quietly.

Chephirah nods, deeply.

Daimonique says "So I'm thinking, once again, I have to lock up my stuff, grab my belongings, and go up, or down, or whatever, that Tether and go back to work and I wonder, can I really do it? I don't know. I'll try. But I don't know."

Sephar says "Then get through each moment as it comes? Each motion? Each action? I think, sometimes, not knowing is okay."

Sephar says "And trying is what matters."

Daimonique says "It's difficult. I don't really want to move. I don't really want to go back to work. I don't really want to face what is left of my life. But it will be another day, and it will be something else do think about and worry about."

Chephirah nips lightly at Daimon's fingertips.

Sephar chuckles softly, "It's how I walked through Hell with you. Not knowing, but trusting that each step would lead, as best it could to what could be as right as possible in the end."

Sephar bumps Daimon's chair, gently from behind.

Daimonique says "Sometimes I need a little help getting through the day. People are generally better then smack - or healthier, or at least easier on the vessel."

Chephirah says "That's one of the things we're here for, dear."

Sephar says "Yup."

Daimonique sighs. "I gotta get out of this chair."

Sephar bobs against the back of the chair.

Chephirah straightens up, and reaches out a paw.

Daimonique sighs, and heaves her weight out of it and heads toward the computer to save her writing to disk.

The computer, being JeanTech, does this with a quiet purr and no timelag.

Daimonique saves everything, and then tucks the disk away, hoping it can make the field trip down the tether.

<> Demiurge says "It will."

Daimonique turns and nods. "Everything else, I think, stays here. Except I'm wearing my Eli sock. That, I need."

Sephar grins.

Sephar says "Cool."

Chephirah says, "It's a very important sock."

Daimonique says "It is. In ways that is difficult to explain."

Sephar nods.

Daimonique says "Okay. I think I'm largely ready. Just don't let me sit down or think about it."

Sephar says "Okay..."

Chephirah purrs gently. "Sephar, would you like to take her right side or her left?"

Sephar laughs, "Left."

Chephirah positions herself on Daimon's right, and innocently fans a wing out behind the Trouble.

Sephar ducks in by Daimonique's left side... peers mildly at Chephirah to synch with her with the eyes on that side.

Daimonique gives herself up to being led.

Chephirah ushers gently, and licks the side of Daimonique's face if Daimonique stops paying attention to where she's going.

Sephar ushers cheerfully, and uses psuedopods to open doors and such just before they get there.

Daimonique says, randomly, "I met this nice Malakite."

Sephar says "Oh?"

Chephirah says "Wonderful."

Daimonique says "He has the nicest butt of any being I have ever seen."

Chephirah's ears twitch.

Sephar blushes mildly.

Daimonique says "Yep. Babe-o-rama. He's a droolfest."

Sephar murmurs mildly, "Babe-o-rama." tasting the word curiously.

Daimonique says "So anyway, I had no choice."

Chephirah says "Of course not."

Chephirah is grateful for fur, which does not blush.

Daimonique says "Poor Jordan. He should have taken the offer to jump right in."

Sephar blinks many eyes at that.

Chephirah murmurs, "Oh, my."

Daimonique says "He was sweet. And Jordan was _totally_ scandalized. I think it was the fact that my panties were over.... there and I was over.... here, ya know."

Chephirah murmurs, "Quite... possibly..."

Sephar blushes silver thoroughly. "Wow."

Daimonique says "Or maybe it was the ducks. You can never tell these things."

<> Eduardo HOWLS.

Sephar blinks all over again, "Ducks?"

<> Demiurge says "Well, we all know Daimonique and her pants fixation. ;)"

Daimonique says "We were mobbed by ducks."

<> Demiurge says "And it was quacking good sex."

<> Demiurge covers her head.

Sephar says "They weren't dangerous, were they?"

Chephirah says "Ducks... ahh... generally aren't, no..."

Sephar whews softly.

Daimonique says "They weren't particularly dangerous - but he rescued me from them all the same! It was a very brave Malakite thing to do. And then I promptly jumped him."

Chephirah says, "That's a ... very Daimonique thing to do," over purring.

Sephar laughs softly.

---

Fiat Justitia