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Elysia makes a firm mental note. Search Angela's stuff tongiht.
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Elysia considers this.
Elysia changes course, and follows the man as he leaves!
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Elysia . o O ( My roommate is clearly blackmailing this man. I can offer him my help. )
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You paged Mellor with 'Pick a name, any name -- J. Random male student, I figured was caught.'.
You paged Mellor with 'The better to get Angela to hold hands for long enough to ooze.'.
Mellor pages: Ah! Right.
Elysia hms. Those must be some drugs.
Elysia continues pattering down the stairs after the man.
Steve puts his hands in his pockets, patting the photograph. He glances around curiously, but keeps walking.
Elysia decides to cut the time with a small time-cut resonance, which probably involves slinging herself over the railing from one set of stairs to the next at exactly the place where her agility alows it.
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Demiurge says "Poor Henrik. ;)"
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Elysia says, as she gets close, "Sir! A moment of your time?"
Mellor doesn't look round, never let them know you know they.... (!) The host stops, surprised.
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Steve peers, brows knitting slightly. "Sure," he says, "Ah.. what can I do for you?"
He smiles, then.
Elysia says, "I couldn't help noticing that you were being blackmailed, and I'm afraid that if I allow it to go on you will turn into an MBA that drips slime."
Mellor tries to parse this against its knowledge of fleshly beings. Blackmail? Hmm.. that's familiar.
"You're very kind," he says cautiously. "But security are just like that."
From afar, Mellor figures the only person who has tried to sort of blackmail it recently was Abdeel. She must be talking about that!!
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Elysia says, "Thank you! However, you will notice that I am not wearing a badge marked 'Campus Security.' I am, in fact ..." She holds up a finger dramatically. "A student!"
Steve says, slightly confused, "So am I..." then pauses. "Sorry, this is no way to get introduced. I'm.. Steve."
Elysia adds, "More to the point, I'm Angela's roommate, so I thought that if she's still got the negatives, I could get them for you."
Mellor stretches out inside the host and wriggles, getting it to extend a hand politely.
Elysia holds out her hand in turn. "Elysia Fielding," she says.
Mellor watches Elysia through its host's eyes warily. It asks Steve what negatives are...
The host thinks of -- photographs? Originals, that copies can be made of? Bad things?
Steve ahhs, blankly. "Negatives? Right, That's kind of you... Elysia. That's a pretty name, quite unusual..."
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Elysia says, "My father's kind of eccentric."
Steve shakes Elysia's hand warmly. And keeps shaking as the demon tries to think of ways to distract her.
"In what way?" he smiles, still clutching her hand.
Long distance to Demiurge and Daimon: Arcangel notes that Jude's after-law-class searches for Danny will not be successful (unless he really truly wants to go to Heaven) -- but he might consider looking for Tarot, who is an authority figure!
Demiurge pages to Daimon and arcangel: Oh, lord. ;)
Elysia says, "In a good way, of course."
Elysia says, politely, "It's a form of greeting, not aerobic exercise."
Mellor has to probe the hostmind again for translations. Aerobics was never popular in its particular section of Hell.
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Steve releases Elysia's hand, embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he says. "I hadn't realised."
Mellor . o O (She's diseased?)
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Elysia smiles. "I'm supposed to be thinking about how demons and angels might perceive this world, for a class. I don't suppose you have any thoughts?"
Elysia starts walking down the stairs again, but stops after a few steps unless Mellor follows.
Steve does follow. After all, she's pretty damn cute. "I could buy you a coffee? I'm really sorry to hear about your anerobics."
Elysia works on parsing as she walks. "I'm always up for a caff." She considers. "I suppose anerobics are just things one has to live with."
Mellor stretches the host's hand, patting the photographs again, and coils back into his hindbrain, leaving him to deal with... with this.
Elysia says, "But as long as I can still breathe while I'm shaking hands, I think I'm okay on that count."
You paged Jo with 'With this _human_!'.
You paged Jo with 'Or angel. Or something.'.
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Steve laughs, with an easing of the alien thoughts. He shakes his head. "You look just fine to me, Elysia. So are you close to your father?"
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Elysia reaches out a hand to nip the photographs, asking only halfway in and not slowing her action in the slightest, "May I?" If he tries to stop her, she Ofanites it. He may still stop her, of course, because they're probably in a pocket where she'll be at a disadvantage.
He certainly tries to stop her, as quickly as an inexperienced human-rider can control it's current flesh...
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Elysia staggers sideways into the wall of the stairwell.
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Steve whirls away from the reaching hand, and his brows knit. "What the hell?"
You paged Elysia with 'It _hurts_! You never messed up the motion before!'.
Mellor pushes the host to move on, and is forced to press against his natural inclination to help her up.
Elysia says, with a kind of wheezing, distracted, pained laugh, "Must be the anerobics."
Jo pages: Shall I do a will roll or... hmm.
Elysia . o O ( Calm. Calm. Did he do this to me or did it just happen? )
You paged Jo with 'You can probably prod the host to leave her without a Will roll -- she's not badly hurt.'.
Mellor pages: But. I need to know how much she knew...
Long distance to Mellor: arcangel grins. Yup.
Steve stands around gormlessly, torn between several different points of view.
Steve asks, "Are you OK?"
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Elysia says, "I'm not sure." She works on standing up, moving as if she doesn't trust her legs. Or arms.
Steve wipes his hand on the side of his pants and offers it to her, hand behind the elbow if she needs to be steadied.
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Elysia says, winsomely, "Thank you."
"You look as though you need to sit down." (and a demonic whisper prompts) "And tell me all about yourself."
Elysia says, "I believe I misunderstood the situation. My apologies."
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Elysia twitches erratically.
"Please don't apologise," Steve says. "You really don't look well. I can;t just leaev you like this."
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"At least let me take you down and get you a coffee..?"
Elysia says, "All right."
Elysia schemes darkly inside her head.
Elysia . o O ( Obviously a Shedite. A Kyriotate wouldn't have that kind of protection. )
Steve supports Elysia and heads coffeeward. "So which class are you in?"
Mellor pages: Everyone has these great shedite-spotting skills ;)
Elysia says, "2003, I think."
You paged Mellor with 'Divine Destiny'll do it to ya!'.
You paged Mellor with 'You clearly need the Humanity attunement.'.
Elysia says "'M a frosh."
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Steve smiles, "So that'd explain why I hadn't seen you around before. And how are you enMellorying it here?"
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Mellor sulks some, and lurks in the back of Steve's brain. It watches, and stretches sleekly, exploring his darker mental crevices as he chats.
Elysia says, smiling brightly at Steve, "There are some good points."
Steve returns the smile, admiring. "I'd avoid the canteen," he says. "That isn't one of them!"
Elysia says, "I'll keep that in mind!"
Elysia says, "I appreciate your kind assistance. I'm sure I'll feel less wobbly soon."
Steve nods. "It's not a problem. If yuo want to stop for a rest, let me know."
Elysia says, "Mm." She grins. "Normally, I'd take you up on that, but I'm looking forward to that coffee."
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Mellor is strong, and resists the temptation to push her down the stairs.
"Me too," says Steve.
Steve, asks, after some more walking, "So do you have any reason to dislike this room mate of yours?"
Elysia says, "So how'd you and Angela meet? And why'd you break up?"
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Steve sighs deeply.
(Mellor is suddenly inspired. Must have been all those dark human mind-corners it was lurking in!)
Steve says, "It's all a bit personal, Elysia. I dno't mind talking to you about it, but I'd rather it didn't get back to her."
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Elysia says, "Of course not!"
Elysia says, "I'm only concerned for your safety."
From afar, Mellor may need will rolls for the amount of lying I have in mind?
"Mine?" he says, confused.
You paged Mellor with 'Hm. Only if Mellor wants Steve to admit to a crime.'.
Elysia nods seriously. "You may have noticed some weird stuff going on on campus?"
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You paged Mellor with 'Steve's having a Weird Dream -- it's easy to get him to babble.'.
Mellor pages: I was going to say that she got pregnant, and pretended it was mine. And had a secret abortion and has never been the same since...
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Long distance to Mellor: arcangel laughs. One Will roll, and then a Lying or Fast-Talk.
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You paged Mellor with 'Yours.'.
Mellor pages: OK, lying or fast talk. Whichever I am best at.
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Mellor pages: OK, I'll RP it
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You paged Mellor with 'Fast-Talk.'.
Steve glances at Elysia, sideways. "I don't know," he admits. "I've been kind of concerned with my own problems. And Angela's."
Elysia says, "Understandably."
Steve sighs. "Did you know she was pregnant?"
Elysia says, thoughtfully, "No."
You paged Elysia with 'Gimme a Detect Lies roll.'.
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Elysia pages: CD 4.
Steve nods, and presses his lips together. He supports Elysia in silence.
Long distance to Elysia: arcangel nods. "I don't think that will beat CD5."
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From afar, Elysia grins. "Elysia isn't taking anything on face value anyway, since she's fencing with a Shedite, but okay, she doesn't get a lying batsignal :)"
Elysia says, "And the pictures?"
Long distance to Elysia: arcangel giggles and hugs.
Elysia pages: Elysia has an evil plan of her own.
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Steve shrugs, "The only pictures I had of my father. She stole them, she was upset and she knew it'd upset me also."
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Elysia says, "Oh dear."
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Elysia says, "Why was she upset?"
Steve shrugs bravely.
"You have to understand, ELysia, it was never a long term thing. And she started seeing other guys."
Elysia says, "I see."
Elysia frowns, and stops, turning to face Steve once he has stopped as well.
Steve shrugs again. "It's all a bit sad, really. Shall we see about that coffee?"
Steve pauses, politely.
Elysia says, "I'm not sure how to say this. You'll think I'm being silly."
Elysia looks meek and small.
He smiles. "Why don't you just say it?"
Elysia listens carefully to the Symphony, watches his face carefully, fills her voice with the subtle timbres of truth and conviction. "She didn't just take them, Steve. I've seen her ... supplies. She's been dealing with a demon, Steve, and I think she cursed them."
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Elysia pages: CD 3 :)
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Mellor starts to get paranoid.
You paged Mellor with 'Detect Lies? At the Per-2 default?'.
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Mellor pages: As if ;)
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Steve asks, uncertainly, "What are you talking about?"
You paged Mellor with 'Though it's possible this person means _Mellor_.'.
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Mellor pages: That would be OK. But what if it another demon I didn't know about???
You paged Mellor with 'You'd have to jump back into her and rummage in her braaaaain!'.
Mellor pages: What am I going to do with this dratted photos?! (!)
Long distance to Mellor: arcangel snickers. "Curse your Prince for telling you to keep them?"
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Long distance to Demiurge: arcangel wonders if Dai will be in a Jude-mood. Who's the Authority Figure? Tarot...
Elysia says, quietly, retaining the same tenor of conviction, "I've seen it. It ..." She frowns. "It's a monster, Steve, the kind of thing that can get right inside you and twist your very soul. God alone and the Devil maybe knows what kind of sick ..." She says, "I came too close to them, and you can see, I'm still shaky. What they're doing to you ..."
Elysia says, "We need to get you and them cleansed."
Mellor shivers. What sort of demon could get right inside.. oh.. wait...
From afar, Demiurge chuckles, nods. Though I can't be up too late tonight - I have to be up early tomorrow. ;P
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Long distance to Demiurge: arcangel eyes the time. "Good point. Ah, well."
Steve backs away from Elysia (if there is room).
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Elysia says, with a hint of fear and pain and sorrow in her voice, "Can you feel it inside you, Steve? If not, there may still be time."
Steve says nervously, "PErhaps if you started by cleansing someone else?"
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He says, in that voice people use when there are dangerous wild animals in the room. "I don't feel anything. But you're starting to worry me."
Elysia says, "Look. I try to keep my nose out of these things. Dad doesn't want me running around the University trying to save everyone. But --" She waves her hands around. "You know what people use for these kinds of curses? Blood, hemlock, hearts torn from living horses? Do you want to take a chance that someone that psycho couldn't accomplish *something?*"
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Steve pales, "Come on. I'm sure Angela hasn't been anywhere near a horse..."
Mellor is pretty sure she hasn't at any rate...
Long distance to Demiurge: arcangel likes.
Elysia says, "I expect she used paralytic poison of some sort. Or maybe there's a black market in these things." She shrugs. "Speaking of poison ..." She thinks. "Well, you did touch the photographs already, taking them, I guess, and you look all right. So worrying about that would be silly."
Mellor extends itself more widely, for this has gone far enough.
Demiurge pages: If Betharan had been a Lilim of War, the other angels would have hung around to kill her if necessary rather than let the Habbalite have her. Sniff.
Steve's tone changes briefly, and not for the better. "That's enough," he says. His eyes gleam with something dark and amused.
Long distance to Demiurge: arcangel giggles. Yup.
Elysia looks curiously at Steve. "Am I addressing the demon?" she asks. "You seem different."
Long distance to Demiurge: arcangel thinks Betharan got caught on a solo mission. Of course, War wouldn't have allowed _that_ to happen.
Demiurge pages: Definitely not.
Steve says, "I don't know who told you to get them, but it won't work. Can't any of you understand that I'm here to learn stuff, and not try to cleanse me. Just for once?"
Steve scowls, unattractively, and the expression fades very quickly, as the demon remembers how to control facial expression.
Elysia says, "Ah, I *am* addressing the demon. Good. There's something I've been waiting to try. I wouldn't stick around for it."
Elysia begins an edged, violent chant in what sounds like an Aramaic tongue. Spending a point of Essence.
You sense Elysia says, "This is pure Emote, again with Essence going into it. I want to scare this creature away. Because he made me dissonant, darn his eyes."
You paged Mellor with 'Would Mellor like to make some sort of Detect Lies roll, at a small bonus?'.
Elysia pages: Er, not 'again'. With Essence going into it. No Essence was spent on the last Emote :)
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From afar, Mellor lol. I guess that really was a summons!!!
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Elysia pages: FWIW, CD 8, but Mellor's roll dominates :)
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Steve raises his voice. "Stop it! Don't you know there are RULES around here???"
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There is a tapping on the stairs, and an elderly man sets foot on the landing below the two celestials. "Really, dear," he says to Elysia. "You should know better than to use -" (he says something in what sounds like an Aramaic tongue) "instead of -" (he says something else).
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Mellor _stares_
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The Archangel comes up the stairs, like an old man.
Mellor bolts, retaining the host. (Or attempts to)
You paged Mellor with 'Or call Asmodeus...'.
Mellor pages: Erk.
Steve/Mellor dashes up the stairs -- and upon rounding the next corner, discovers that he's looking up at the back of that "old man" and Elysia.
Elysia brings her chant to a startled halt after a few completing syllables, and blinks. "Bright Lord!"
The "old guy" smiles at Elysia. "What seems to be the problem? You're usually more precise in your chants, child."
Mellow crashes to a halt, and stumbles back down the stairs again.
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There they are, on the stairs beneath!
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Elysia says, "Um. I'm a little bit on edge, I guess, my lord. I screwed up the *motion* and it hurts. And I think it's his fault, or the fault of the photographs in his pocket."
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Yves pats his pockets. He takes out a photograph and hands it to Elysia. "One of these, you think?"
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Elysia looks at the photograph.
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Steve's hand grips the balcony, and he looks over, sweating.
The photograph is of a pretty Lilim, in celestial form, with thick glasses.
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Elysia says, "Sir, if you say this is one of them, then I accept it on faith, but if you are testing my knowledge, I'm afraid I have none."
Elysia relaxes, going as boneless as one can while still standing. "And thank you."
Mellor decides that the Archdean would slaughter it if it trashed the host. Makes another rush for.. UPstairs.
Yves says, "Oh, it's one of them. The one you should be concerned most with, really."
Oh, look -- Archangel and angel!
Mellor pages: OK, this time I'm out of the host and down to my heart. (If poss)
Elysia says, "Thank you, Bright Lord. I will study it. May I ask who she is?"
Yves glances at Mellor. "Please don't tire the host needlessly. I'll be gone in a moment. Or there's always the wall out."
Mellor whimpers internally, and gives up the ghost, streaming out of the host and into celestial form.
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Steve stares at the Shedite boiling out of him and sits down hard. Then he slumps against the wall in a faint.
Mellor's glorious and awe-inspiring celestial beauty, strikes fear into the hearts of the unworthy!
Yves tilts his head at Mellor. "Indeed."
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Mellor also plummets for Hell as quickly as demonically possible, in a quicver of terror.
You paged Elysia with 'Oh, look, small Shedite!'.
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And Hell is dark and inviting, wrapping around the little scared Shedite before the nastyscaryicky Archangel can do anything to it!
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Mellor gets intimately re-aquainted with its heart.
Elysia says, "And I apologize for growing angry with him, my lord. I think my actions were acceptable but the emotion could use some work."
Within a dark cubby in Hades, a Heart flickers. A smallish Djinn raises its head and eyes Mellor dubiously as the Shedite appears. But the Heart croons softly.
Mellor croons back to its heard, squirming closer, to cuddle up against it.
Yves pats Elysia on the shoulder. "Shedim are easy to hate. Try not to be too cruel to it, though -- it hasn't learned true bitterness." His eyes go distant. "Do you have any questions for me, dear? I'll need to be going soon."
In Hades, the Heart sings like ice cream.
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Elysia says, "Bright Lord, why do humans keep walking into walls and trees?"
Elysia says, "I have not seen it in the literature."
Yves chuckles. "Well, humans are easily distracted, compared to Cherubim and many other angels, and not so graceful as Ofanim or able to see everything as Kyriotates."
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Elysia says, "I see!"
Elysia beams. "Thank you."
Elysia says, "I have other questions, but none that I cannot investigate on my own."
Yves smiles. "That's good, child." He pulls out an envelope, with a wax seal upon it. "Here, for the poor Shedite. Don't open it -- it's just the photographs it had. We don't want it to get into trouble just now."
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Elysia says, "Okay. Um, does it have an answering machine?"
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Elysia says, "Or should I just trust it to find me and ask for them?"
Yves shakes his head. "No -- but you could leave it with your orientation instructor. Miss di Ordo, I believe it would be?"
Elysia says, "Ah! I will do so."
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The envelope now bears Mellor's name. In Heavenly runes.
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Elysia beams. "Thank you again for coming, Bright Lord. It is good to know that you are watching."
Elysia . o O ( I could have handled him, of course, but not nearly so well! )
Yves says, "Of course, my bright child." He bends to kiss Elysia on the top of the head, affectionately, and then he is making his way down the stairs, spry and fast for such an old-seeming man.
Elysia calls after him, "The coffee stand is pretty good but don't try the Canteen!"
Elysia then heads for ... Tarot di Ordo's office.
His chuckle of amusement floats back to Elysia like a benediction as he rounds the corner.
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When Elysia rounds the corner -- her Archangel is no where to be seen.
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From afar, Demiurge imagines Elysia having to go past the secretary...
Long distance to Demiurge: arcangel grins!
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Elysia wonders why everyone she reads the Destiny of is a celestial.
From afar, Mellor says "OK. Well, I think I really wouldn't want to unless I had no choice, and if I had no choice, I'd be avoiding celestials like the plague."
Elysia thinks. Perhaps humans don't actually exist, save a few hosts.
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From afar to Mellor, arcangel grins. "This sounds reasonable."
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From afar, Mellor says "And then I kind of screw up in the marches also. I dunno."
arcangel snickers at you all!
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Sephar blinks mildly.
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Sephar Hee.
From afar to Mellor, arcangel hugs. "Mellor has bad luck. Maybe we should do a Hellscene for poor Mellor. to cheer it up a little."
Jude writes this all down in his notebook.
Mellor says "It's like playing Battleships. You have to sink the enemy humans, so that they can't be used as hosts."
Elysia compares notes with Jude. "Hey! You're a celestial!"
Jude sniffs. If Mellor disappears, then he'll never be able to smite him!
Elysia knew that, though.
At your table, Demiurge hugs poor Mellor.
Elysia smote Mellor with the lash of ancient Aramaic love poetry!
Mellor says "I fear Elysia's aramaic poetry!"
Jude says "But the Chief has instructed me to conduct an Investigation!"
Mellor says "But that was still funny!"
Mellor says "Well. Can't you investigate Mallory instead?"
Elysia says "You *do!* It was very intimidating. :)"
Jude says "Nope."
Jude sniffles and stuff. Hmph.
Sephar grins.
Demiurge points Jude at anyone who's not her.
Jude goes yay and inquisits all these other cool celestials!
Jude hopes to smite a few, too. Smite smite smite!