EXPECTATIONS
@theartofmadeline
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
tumblr dot com
Today's Document
🩵 avery cochrane 🩵
d e v o n
macklin celebrini has autism
Origami Around
Jar Jar Binks Fan Club
titsay
No title available
RMH
untitled
Not today Justin
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
🪼
ellievsbear
Kiana Khansmith
No title available
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Chile
seen from Morocco
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Portugal
seen from United States
seen from Colombia
seen from United States
seen from Indonesia
seen from United States
seen from Chile
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Arab Emirates
seen from United States
@aask-the-archs
@ask-the-archs but for when I post limit because I’m doing crazy shit way too much
“Gabriel speaking, they/them preferred but I don’t really care.”
Michelle speaking, she/her or they/them
•Noah, I really don’t care, but usually he/him•
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
I remember.
⛉good. Any further questions about anything? ⛉
⛉This is the only chance I’m giving where I’m too drugged up to lie. ⛉
I’m not in a stable enough mental state for any of those conversations.
*He laughs a little*
⛉Good, ‘cause I’m not either. ⛉
Works for me.
*Uriel nods, trying to stand and immediately slumping against the wall*
You got it?
*He hisses a breath, trying to stand again, all his weight on one leg this time and bracing himself against the wall*
⛉Sorry- yeah- I-⛉
*He falls again, and curses under his breath*
Wheelchair or my help?
⛉Neither. I’m fine. It’s not real, my body just fucking hates me. ⛉
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
*They partially miss the bucket when they hurl, waking up. Lavina gently holds their hair out of the way*
*Michelle rubs their back gently*
*They lean against her, coughing*
*She wipes their face with a handkerchief, then vanishes the entire mess*
*They whine a little*
It’s okay, you’re alright
*Small nod*
“Do you have crackers? No salt?”
I have literally everything in the drawer, just put your hand in and think of what you want
“I love that.”
*She gets crackers for Azre, who takes a few bites*
Mhm, it’s neat for when I’m too busy to leave and go to the kitchen
“I need one.”
I’ll look into getting you one as a bag?
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
I remember.
⛉good. Any further questions about anything? ⛉
⛉This is the only chance I’m giving where I’m too drugged up to lie. ⛉
I’m not in a stable enough mental state for any of those conversations.
*He laughs a little*
⛉Good, ‘cause I’m not either. ⛉
Works for me.
*Uriel nods, trying to stand and immediately slumping against the wall*
You got it?
*He hisses a breath, trying to stand again, all his weight on one leg this time and bracing himself against the wall*
⛉Sorry- yeah- I-⛉
*He falls again, and curses under his breath*
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
*They partially miss the bucket when they hurl, waking up. Lavina gently holds their hair out of the way*
*Michelle rubs their back gently*
*They lean against her, coughing*
*She wipes their face with a handkerchief, then vanishes the entire mess*
*They whine a little*
It’s okay, you’re alright
*Small nod*
“Do you have crackers? No salt?”
I have literally everything in the drawer, just put your hand in and think of what you want
“I love that.”
*She gets crackers for Azre, who takes a few bites*
Mhm, it’s neat for when I’m too busy to leave and go to the kitchen
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
I remember.
⛉good. Any further questions about anything? ⛉
⛉This is the only chance I’m giving where I’m too drugged up to lie. ⛉
I’m not in a stable enough mental state for any of those conversations.
*He laughs a little*
⛉Good, ‘cause I’m not either. ⛉
Works for me.
*Uriel nods, trying to stand and immediately slumping against the wall*
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
*They partially miss the bucket when they hurl, waking up. Lavina gently holds their hair out of the way*
*Michelle rubs their back gently*
*They lean against her, coughing*
*She wipes their face with a handkerchief, then vanishes the entire mess*
*They whine a little*
It’s okay, you’re alright
*Small nod*
“Do you have crackers? No salt?”
I have literally everything in the drawer, just put your hand in and think of what you want
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
I remember.
⛉good. Any further questions about anything? ⛉
⛉This is the only chance I’m giving where I’m too drugged up to lie. ⛉
I’m not in a stable enough mental state for any of those conversations.
*He laughs a little*
⛉Good, ‘cause I’m not either. ⛉
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
*They partially miss the bucket when they hurl, waking up. Lavina gently holds their hair out of the way*
*Michelle rubs their back gently*
*They lean against her, coughing*
*She wipes their face with a handkerchief, then vanishes the entire mess*
*They whine a little*
It’s okay, you’re alright
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
I remember.
⛉good. Any further questions about anything? ⛉
⛉This is the only chance I’m giving where I’m too drugged up to lie. ⛉
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
*They partially miss the bucket when they hurl, waking up. Lavina gently holds their hair out of the way*
*Michelle rubs their back gently*
*They lean against her, coughing*
*She wipes their face with a handkerchief, then vanishes the entire mess*
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
I remember.
⛉good. Any further questions about anything? ⛉
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
*They partially miss the bucket when they hurl, waking up. Lavina gently holds their hair out of the way*
*Michelle rubs their back gently*
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
Mkay.
⛉Were you mentally there when I went through what happened to Cam or do I need to do that again? ⛉
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
*Azre gags a bit in their sleep*
*Michelle summons a sick bucket and moves them so they won’t choke on their vomit*
[You have 1 new message]
Reg: Hey, weird question, you seen Cam or Uri in the past couple days?
( @tuath-de-danann-rp )
Xipe: I have not seen Cam, I had an interaction with Uriel a bit ago though I do not know his current whereabouts
(Lag reset 4)
⛉Don’t. ⛉
*They bite their tongue*
⛉Stop hurting yourself. ⛉
*They just go perfectly still*
*Uriel sighs*
⛉I’m not going to hurt you. I just needed you to know exactly where you fucked up. ⛉
*They just keep standing there*
⛉Can you fucking respond? ⛉
YesI’msorry-
*They throw up again*
*Uriel’s jaw tightens and he looks away from them*
*They just stand there, hands stiff at their sides*
⛉Take a deep breath. ⛉
*They do so robotically*
⛉And another one. ⛉
¢What has happened now?¢
*A goddess-Micte-leans in the doorway, her eyes on Azrael*
¢Idiot. Azrael, snap out of your little trance.¢
*Uriel stiffens.*
⛉I was handling it, ma’am. ⛉
*She looks Uriel over.*
¢And you are..?¢
⛉Archangel Uriel, ma’am. ⛉
*She nods once, then shifts her focus to Azrael again*
¢You are a pathetic creature, for an archangel. Come to me.¢
*Azrael takes a few steps towards Micte and she pulls them into her side.*
*Uriel stays tense, watching Micte*
¢You are fine. Stop these dramatics.¢
*She runs her fingers through Azrael’s hair and they hesitantly lean into her just a bit.*
*Brigid crosses the room when Uriel sways on his feet the slightest bit, checking his pulse while he continues staring impassively at Micte*
*Her grip on Azrael is tight enough to bruise, but they seem relaxed in her hold*
*Uriel doesn’t react to Brigid at all*
…ow.
¢Are you done?¢
Mhm. Sorry.
*Brigid pinches the inside of Uriel’s wrist and his eyes close as his posture changes to one that sets off alarm bells in both Azrael and Micte’s minds*
*Azrael walks over and gently takes Uriel*
Out, both of you. Please.
ৡAs much as I would love to, I cannot leave him with anyone who hasn’t been given his full medical history, and you don’t fit the bill.ৡ
…well, small pain means worse than physical stuff is coming.
ৡIf that is you threatening my patient—ৡ
*The ends of her hair catch fire*
I’m saying that you just scared the shit out of my brother when you pinched him. So either shut up or get out.
*Brigit walks back to the spot she was standing in before*
Uriel?
*He doesn’t react*
She’s not here, she left. It’s just Az right now.
*He shifts to be slightly more ready to attack, but otherwise doesn’t respond*
I need some help figuring out where we are, would you mind telling me?
⛉The palace. ⛉
Hm, I wasn’t sure. Could you tell me how to know for next time? Like-what should I look for to know where I am?
*Uriel’s jaw tightens*
Nevermind.
*Uriel’s stare is unfocused, staring at something Azrael can’t see*
She left, remember? Anyways do you wanna help me with getting food real quick?
*He stays perfectly still, until he’s looking just barely past Azrael’s shoulder and pure fear shutters across his face*
*Azrael turns to look*
*Theres nothing there, but Uriel starts whispering frantically*
⛉ أرجوك يا أبي، لا تؤذهم. إنه خطئي. ⛉
*They put a shield up around them and Uriel*
He can’t hurt us, either.
*He drops to his knees, breathing fast and shallowly, jaw clenched tightly shut*
*The shield drops and Azrael crouches down*
Big brother, I need you to breathe.
*Uriel closes his eyes, continuing to hyperventilate*
*They start to read a history book out loud*
*He starts crying at some point, not even reacting to his own tears*
*They keep reading, voice sounding more like an audiobook than anything.*
*It takes nearly twenty minutes for him to open his eyes, still crying, but staring at Azrael now*
*They just shift so Uriel can see the sketches in the book, still reading*
*He’s focused solely on Azrael, then seems to fully snap back to himself after a few more minutes, wiping his eyes and shifting to be sat rather than kneeling*
-relationship with their natural environment, but their effect on that environment even at this early stage was not necessarily benign. There is a disturbing coincidence between the spread of human hunters across the planet and the extinction of megafauna such as woolly mammoths and mastodons. Although human hunting is far from being identified as the sole cause of these extinctions—natural climate change may well have been a contributing factor—from our modern perspective they can seem to set a troubling precedent.
And look there’s a really shit drawing of a wooly mammoth
⛉Sorry. ⛉
Nothing to be sorry for, I can keep reading if you want?
*He shakes his head*
Alright.
*They put a bookmark in and close the book*
⛉I- uh- that happens. A lot. In the three days. Sorry. ⛉
You’re all good.
*He laughs, but it’s small and broken*
⛉I probably said something dumb while I was under. Just… ignore whatever it was.⛉
Don’t worry about it, I was probably too busy reading to notice.
⛉Right… yeah. Right. ⛉
I also have memory loss so you really don’t have to worry.
*He nods, taking a slow breath*
Do you wanna feed a hamster with me?
⛉A what? ⛉
*They point at the hamster enclosure that takes up half of the room*
*Zero recognition*
We have to feed the hamster so I can make sure she doesn’t like…die.
⛉…Right. ⛉
*He sounds like he’s just going along with something nonsensical a child has told him*
*Azrael pulls a hamster out of the enclosure*
This is Nippy. She bites. Shes also fluffy.
*Uriel stares at the hamster blankly*
*The hamster climbs onto him and tries to eat the hem of his shirt*
*He doesn’t throw the hamster but it’s pretty obviously a near thing and Brigid starts laughing*
*Azrael gets a bowl of food and Nippy eats that instead*
Isn’t she cute?
⛉…Sure ⛉
She’s very smart, she even knows her name.
⛉Mmmhm. ⛉
Tell Uriel your name.
*in a very disturbingly deep voice that just sounds WRONG, the hamster says ‘Nippy’*
*Uriel shudders*
You don’t like her?
*Uriel shakes his head, looking queasy*
*They put the hamster away*
*Uriel seems so disturbed*
What-?
*He just shakes his head*
You didn’t like her so I put her back in the cage?
*He mumbles something too quiet to catch*
Hm?
⛉Youdidnthavetofeedhertothehamster-⛉
*They pull the hamster back out*
This is Nippy. Nippy is the hamster. This is nippy’s home, where she lives.
*Uriel stares at Azrael for a few seconds before nodding slowly*
*Nod*
⛉Right. Sorry. ⛉
…what did you think was going on-?
*Uriel grimaces*
⛉That you named the cage ‘hamster’ and it gave birth to a rat, which you then fed and then fed to Hamster. ⛉
…how would a cage give birth?
⛉…you really don’t want to know. ⛉
I’m disturbed now.
⛉Mhm. ⛉
*Uriel shudders*
Do you wanna meet my other animals?
⛉Not right now ⛉
*A teenager who looks almost identical to Lavina-save for not having half of their hair dyed-managed to slip into Michelle’s office in complete silence and is standing in a corner*
- @angels-maybe
*Michelle barely looks up from her desk, a few papers spread out over the wood*
(Lag reset)
Is there anything you want to eat or do?
*head shake*
Mkay
*They nod*
*back to work*
*They draw in the book*
*She smiles when she notices, but doesn’t comment*
*they’re sketching a tree*
*soft smile*
*blep*
Adorable
*head tilt*
Sorry, do you not like being called that-?
[≨I don’t care≩]
*She sighs*
Do you like being called adorable?
*They shrug*
Answer honestly
[≨Pah calls me adorable.≩]
I won’t call you that then.
*nod*
Is there anything you want to be called?
*Shrug*
Honest, little brother
*They just shrug again*
Okay
*nod*
Let me know if anything pops into your head, okay?
[≨Okay≩]
*nod*
*nod*
*She hums absently as she works*
*They keep drawing*
You’re good at that
[≨Eh≩]
It’s better than I can do
*They shrug*
*nod*
*Stare*
*more staring*
Is there something wrong?
[≨I like your eyeballs.≩]
*She stares at them in confusion*
[≨Can I have them?≩]
I don’t know how to let you have them without me being hurt so that’s a no for now
[≨We can trade?≩]
That would make both of us hurt, so another no
*they pout*
*She smiles the slightest bit*
Sorry
*Dramatic flop onto the ground*
I’ll figure something out, just probably not right now, sorry
[≨Fine≩]
Okay
*nod*
*nod*
*They go back to staring*
*She goes back to focusing on her work*
*Squint*
[≨Dunno≩]
Mkay
*They try to climb a bookshelf*
*Its bolted to the wall and doesn’t budge in the slightest*
*They climb to the top*
*Theres not much space on top of the bookshelf, but there’s an old box up there, pushed against the wall and out of sight from the ground*
*They open the box*
*Theres what looks like letters inside, addressed to Michelle and dated during the timespan of a single year*
*They start reading*
‘1.09.16 Dear Michelle,
My adoration for you increases as the days pass by, my rosebud. As such, my willingness to be without you dwindles, I ache to be with you in any way your heart and soul allow. I, as always will await your reply with bated breath.
Yours, forever and always, A.’
*They curiously dig through some more of the letters*
*They’re all along the same lines, never anything more detailed about the sender, until the first one Azre finds written by Michelle, buried at the back and dated the most recent*
‘02.09.17
My dear Asphodel,
I adore you so. I wish I could still see you, my beloved, as time passing without your beauty in my presence moves tediously and drags without mercy. Alas, it has become too dangerous for you to be associated with me, and I refuse to be the reason you are in danger. Please forgive me.
With regret, and always keeping you in my heart, M.’
*On the backside, there is writing too, but God’s rather than anyone else’s*
‘I will find who this is, Michael. Do not test me.’
*They shove everything back in the box so fast that they fall off the shelf.*
*Michelle catches them, frowning at the box and the few letters that fall out*
[≨Im sorry≩]
It… I haven’t looked at those in a while. Are you alright?
*They nod a little*
*She puts them down gently, then puts all the letters away neatly, with a tenderness in the act that makes her look even less scary*
*They sit and watch*
She died the week after I got that letter back.
*Small nod*
…You were missing, Gabe was being a dick… I’m pretty sure they were the one to make Father know about Asphodel, in the first place
[≨Thats not nice.≩]
I know.
*They hug her*
*She smiles a little, hugging them back*
*Snuggly child*
*Michelle lets them hug her*
*They cling to her like a koala*
*She picks them up, swaying them like a toddler*
*They giggle*
Yeah?
*nod nod*
*She smiles, swaying them some more*
*They keep laughing in near silence*
*She dances around the room, swaying them*
[≨I love you≩]
I love you too, little brother
*Happy cuddles*
*She just continues swaying them*
*They grin*
*She smiles down at them*
*All the hugs*
Old you would probably tell me to fuck off if I did this to them
*head tilt*
“well duh? You’d break their spine?”
Not if I was careful-
“Picking them up like that and not swaying them would break their spine.”
Really?
“Yes.”
…Noted…
“Head, chest, spine. Those are the areas to be most careful of. With Re it’s just ribs so far.”
Thank you
*Nod*
“The ribs are an issue because of lung damage. Head because of a TBI, spine has just been broken so many times that it does so at the smallest things now.”
Okay
“Mhm.”
I’ll keep that in mind
“Cool.”
*She continues swaying Azre*
*At some point, they start to nod off*
*She smiles a little, keeping on going*
*They fully fall asleep*
*She continues to sway them for a few more minutes before sitting down, holding them into her side while she works*
“aww.”
“…hopefully they don’t puke on you.”
I wouldn’t care if they did
“Good.”
*She huffs a laugh*
You remind me of Uriel.
“The urinal?”
*Michelle grimaces*
Maybe don’t call a rape victim that.
“Ah. Shit.”
Mhm.
*She stretches*
Anyway, yeah, when we were younger… or when I was young, I guess? He’s always been like the same age until Father died… you remind me of him when he was teaching me the ropes.
“How so?”
Well he didn’t let me out of his sight for weeks, while we were both on duty… and he pressed Gabriel up against a wall for them trying to grab me one time
“Makes sense.”
I got hurt one time, this throne kid tried to shoot me, but my armour stopped it from killing me. Just a hell of a sore chest. Uriel was everywhere, somehow, making sure I got to safety but also keeping the kid from being able to shoot again, and he kept me calm during all of it.
“That is good.”
That’s what you’re like with them
*She shrugs*
From what I’ve seen, at least
“My mom has done a lot for me. I’d be the same way with her now if they let me.”
You’re a good kid, I’m sure they just want you to be a kid rather than worry about them
“Well if they didn’t get hurt or kidnapped every five minutes I’d think about it.”
Mhm?
“It’s like having a toddler, but they’re stupid.”
Toddlers are stupid
“Yeah so think of an exceptionally stupid one.”
*Michelle huffs a laugh*
*nod.*
Fair point
“Exactly.”
Yeah… I can’t believe they found those letters, honestly
“What were they?”
Love letters.
“Ah.”
Yeah. Father and Gabriel had started catching on about a year in, so I tried to break it off, but Father killed them instead
“I’m sorry.”
Me too.
“He sucked.”
I know
“Gabriel too, by the sounds of it.”
They were going through things
“Hm.”
They were.
“I believe you.”
Good.
*nod*
*nod*
“If I could stare at you I would.”
Fair
*nod*
Look if you’re gonna keep getting mad about me copying your movements, stop nodding at me
*Shes laughing as she speaks*
“Where’s the fun in that?”
*Dramatic sigh*
