Give a little bit

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“Getting upset about it wouldn’t help any one, now would it?” Still she was sure that she wouldn’t be this calm once she got home. For right now though, right now she was determined to keep herself steady.

At Patience’s words, Adelaide raises an eyebrow before nodding slowly. “I don’t know that I want to. Ask him. N-Not just yet anyway. Need to think about what I’d say and all of that stuff.”

She stared at the empty cup before grinning. “I’m always up for more coffee!”

“It might help you,” Patience counters carefully, then lets the matter drop.

“Honestly, I think he’s considering making up a handbook. He did that once! When writing was still a big new deal, he made these adorable little sheets explaining all about Luci and Us and Why We Don’t Ask Patience About These Things Because She Cries A Lot And Punches Trees. It was a real hit, if I remember rightly.”

She catches herself, and grins.

“Sorry, that was me rambling. I’d like to tell him that you know, if that’s okay?”

Snagging the cup, she moves over to the kettle.

“I’d zap you up another one, but they never taste quite as good as home brew. Thanks for not breaking the mug, by the way! I’m always really worried people are going to do that, but summoning is literally the only Angel Thing I can do that isn’t just straight up terrifying.”

"I...don't think a lot could help at the moment. Nothing that isn't already happening." Adelaide gives Patience a reassuring smile before stifling a small laugh.

"That sounds funny." She did laugh at the unintentional joke her friend had made. "Punching trees does sound like a hit."

With a wave she shakes her head, "Honestly I don't mind you rambling and that's fine. He should know about me, I guess." Watching Patience get up and head over to the kettle, she wrinkles her nose. "I don't know that I would've been able to do that but...It wouldn't have been that nice." Her head tilted to the side. "Angel things?"

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“Patience is Patience…” She tilts her head to the side and laughs. “I like it though. It makes sense. Everything is finally making sense. Or at least starting to.”

When she holds up her hands, Adelaide nods and her grip on the now empty coffee mug loosens slightly.

“Stops being peacetime? What would make it stop being that?” Adelaide finally relinquished her hold on the cup and clasped her hands together.

“I’m glad. You’re handling this really well, for what it’s worth!”

Patience pulls a face, and slumps back.

“You really don’t want to ask me that. I get all angry and emotional about it. Or pretty much anything involving the Angel currently known as Pride. You’d be better off asking Dilly, he handles all the wartime things. And he doesn’t start crying when he tells the story.”

She shrugs, apologetic, and moves to take the cup from in front of Adelaide.

“Another coffee? I’ll actually brew it this time, promise.”

"Getting upset about it wouldn't help any one, now would it?" Still she was sure that she wouldn't be this calm once she got home. For right now though, right now she was determined to keep herself steady.

At Patience's words, Adelaide raises an eyebrow before nodding slowly. "I don't know that I want to. Ask him. N-Not just yet anyway. Need to think about what I'd say and all of that stuff."

She stared at the empty cup before grinning. "I'm always up for more coffee!"

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“That does help,” Adelaide agreesoftly. “It helps a lot, actually. And knowing that it’s not an isolated thing also helps. More than you realize.”

She blinks a bit at the knee squeeze. Not because it made her uncomfortable but because it brought her back to the conversation even more. Sariel. “Kindness isn’t that bad Aunt Penelope always told me—” Laughing a little, she snaps her fingers and grins. “Always told me that I had a capacity for that and rivaled most people.”

That last sentence had her eyes widening a bit. “Heather? The one dating Jamie? I have to look out for Envy? Patience I can’t even really look out for Gaspard.”

Patience laughs, and takes her hand back.

“Well, I think I can beat you there. Patience is the name on my birth certificate. Talk about tempting fate!”

Adelaide’s panic makes her laugh a little harder, and she holds a hand up to reassure her.

“No, no, it’s okay! You the human don’t have to do anything about Heather the human, I promise! It’s just, if this stops being peacetime, you-and-Sarry might have to do something about Heather-and-Envy. But that’s a long time away, if ever.”

"Patience is Patience..." She tilts her head to the side and laughs. "I like it though. It makes sense. Everything is finally making sense. Or at least starting to."

When she holds up her hands, Adelaide nods and her grip on the now empty coffee mug loosens slightly.

"Stops being peacetime? What would make it stop being that?" Adelaide finally relinquished her hold on the cup and clasped her hands together.

there are power lines in our bloodlines

Parasites. Oh. “It’s a symbiotic kind of relationship rather than parasitic.” Saying it that way made her feel a bit better about the whole thing. She kept falling silent, sipping at her coffee to bolster herself. “So from the time I was born I’ve had an Angel inside me. There was no choice in the matter?” Despite having all of this to process, she smiled. “You know I’d hated the idea of moving here and now it all…makes sense.”

She wasn’t going to dwell. No. Her coffee had dwindled to the bottom of the mug leaving her nothing to fiddle with.

“I…don’t really know the story, no. Religion has never been a thing of mine, actually.” Adelaide looked almost embarrassed at that. “Wait—When you say that there’s a Sin to counter a Virtue and vice versa—What am-“ No not What. You’re still a person. “Who am I?”

She nods, pleased.

“Exactly. We don’t have a choice in the matter either, if that helps any. I know it helped me, knowing that the Angel didn’t consciously decide to borrow my life over someone else’s.”

That’s a little funny, and Patience has a chuckle lined up and ready to fire until Adelaide asks her next question. Instead of laughing, she gives the woman’s knee a little squeeze.

“You’re Adelaide, coffee addict extraordinaire. But you have the potential to also be Sariel - Kindness, sorry.” She pulls a face. “I’m always getting names mixed up, it’s why Declan let me start calling him Dilly. You’d be the one who looks out for Envy. Or, uh, Heather, I suppose.”

#patienceismymotive #[[Oh wow. Hi so I didn't even see this until now.]]

"That does help," Adelaide agreesoftly. "It helps a lot, actually. And knowing that it's not an isolated thing also helps. More than you realize."

She blinks a bit at the knee squeeze. Not because it made her uncomfortable but because it brought her back to the conversation even more. Sariel. "Kindness isn't that bad Aunt Penelope always told me--" Laughing a little, she snaps her fingers and grins. "Always told me that I had a capacity for that and rivaled most people."

That last sentence had her eyes widening a bit. "Heather? The one dating Jamie? I have to look out for Envy? Patience I can't even really look out for Gaspard."

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“Poor Aaron.”

Adelaide shook her head, still gripping that coffee mug like it was some sort of lifeline. This was a lot to process and she was sure the panicking would come later. It always did with her. Though it was usually about work. And this was a bit bigger than that. Way bigger.

“Thanks for not having me out there then. It’s a bit hard to think that one man did all that though. Or—Is Aaron still in there and so is the…Angel? How-How does that work?”

Despite this whole conversation, Adelaide smiles back and relaxes. Patience wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her, would she?

“Is he your responsibility because he’s your twin?”

“He’s - yeah, pretty much, they share it. It’s not the perfect system - it’s not a fair system, either, not to the fallen or to the people who have to hold them. We’re like…” she trails off, trying to explain it. “Parasites, kind of, but not. It’s complicated. Angels aren’t meant to take form for this long, but we do. We’re born when humans are - all of us in one generation, every fifty years or so - and as they got stronger and as we get nearer to one another the Angel parts of us finally wake up.”

There, that wasn’t too terrifying, was it.

Patience nods, a little less nervous.

“There are seven Virtues and seven Sins. The Sins are Angels, but they fell - you know the story? And for every Sin, there is a Virtue to counter it. Like Aaron and myself! He holds Wrath, which is anger that cannot be justified, and I’m Patience, which is peaceful resolution. So it’s my job to stop him from hurting people, and his job to stop me from helping. It’s not as scary as it sounds, though. We’ve all settled down a lot as time has gone on! We bicker more than we all-out fight, honest.”

She opens her mouth to say something more, but Adelaide looks like she needs a moment (and not her regular rambling stories), so she closes it again.

Parasites. Oh. "It's a symbiotic kind of relationship rather than parasitic." Saying it that way made her feel a bit better about the whole thing. She kept falling silent, sipping at her tea to bolster herself. "So from the time I was born I've had an Angel inside me. There was no choice in the matter?" Despite having all of this to process, she smiled. "You know I'd hated the idea of moving here and now it all...makes sense."

She wasn't going to dwell. No. Her coffee had dwindled to the bottom of the mug leaving her nothing to fiddle with.

"I...don't really know the story, no. Religion has never been a thing of mine, actually." Adelaide looked almost embarrassed at that. "Wait--When you say that there's a Sin to counter a Virtue and vice versa--What am-" No not What. You're still a person. "Who am I?"

there are power lines in our bloodlines

Patience nods, slowly.

“You dreamed about me on the bridge. There was no way you could have known that I’d been there that night unless - unless the Angel part of you was starting to wake up.”

In the back of her mind something clicked.

“The industrial accident. It wasn’t an accident and that-That explains why you’d texted me and said I should stay home.”

“Aaron.”

No, that’s not right, is it.

“Or, more specifically, Wrath. He snapped. And since he’s my responsibility, I was ready to stop him. I didn’t want you caught outside during the battle, there was no possible way it could have ended well.”

She lets that hang for a second, and then she smiles.

“But it was okay! He let me talk to him, and he stopped what he was doing, and he went home!”

"Poor Aaron."

"Thanks for not having me out there then. It's a bit hard to think that one man did all that though. Or--Is Aaron still in there and so is the...Angel? How-How does that work?"

Despite this whole conversation, Adelaide smiles back and relaxes. Patience wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, would she?

"Is he your responsibility because he's your twin?"

there are power lines in our bloodlines

Move away or stay? As it was, Adelaide just sat there and gripped the mug like she was hanging on for dear life.

“So the dreams…That’s why you were focusing on them?”

Patience nods, slowly.

“You dreamed about me on the bridge. There was no way you could have known that I’d been there that night unless - unless the Angel part of you was starting to wake up.”

In the back of her mind something clicked.

"The industrial accident. It wasn't an accident and that-That explains why you'd texted me and said I should stay home."

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“Eerm…”

Fingers tightened around the mug as she considered that. When Patience pointed that out she looked from the other woman to her coffee and back again.

There hadn’t been any. She’d never moved. Patience hadn’t even so much as shifted.

“No…Don’t. Please.” Adelaide didn’t know who she was pleading too. All she knew is that it didn’t feel like a lie. “I don’t want this.”

She reached over, and placed one hand on Adelaide’s knee - nothing she couldn’t escape from, but something meant to be comforting nonetheless.

“I really am sorry.”

Move away or stay? As it was, Adelaide just sat there and gripped the mug like she was hanging on for dear life.

"So the dreams...That's why you were focusing on them?"

there are power lines in our bloodlines

Words. Adelaide Mary Harrison you know words. You speak them all the time so now shouldn’t be any different. She’s still staring at Patience and for the first time she’s not exactly sure of where she stands.

She’s just as still as her before she’s shaking her head again. “No…I…Patience are you sure you haven’t been working yourself too hard? M-Maybe you took a fall or something?”

Without realizing it, she’s taking the coffee in her hands and sipping. Coffee will help. Then this’ll all make sense. ”I’m not going to scream. But…You’re…I’m…They…” She continued on in that vein for a good minute before falling silent.

Damn. She liked that mug.

“Adelaide, I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer it. And then you can decide if you believe me or not.”

She waits to see if Adelaide agrees, and then continues speaking.

“I wasn’t holding anything when we came up, and then I took your coat, and then I sat you down before I could get you a drink. I haven’t moved since. Yes?”

Yes.

“Then… where did the coffee you’re holding come from?”

Using miracles is cheating, but sometimes people need that final kick.

"Eerm..."

Fingers tightened around the mug as she considered that. When Patience pointed that out she looked from the other woman to her coffee and back again.

There hadn't been any. She'd never moved. Patience hadn't even so much as shifted.

"No...Don't. Please." Adelaide didn't know who she was pleading too. All she knew is that it didn't feel like a lie. "I don't want this."

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“O…kay. That’s not unheard of. Adopted family and that kind of thing.” She was still sitting there and tugging on her scarf, unwinding it and playing with it without realizing that she was doing so.

Adelaide laughs a little as well. “You’re reminding me of Uncle Archibald when he and Penelope sat me down to have the sex talk,” she joked. When Declan was mentioned she felt that curiosity rise. “I doubt you’re trying to get me into a cult.”

The way Patience started to reach over then stopped was almost enough to set off warning bells. Didn’t people do that whenever something upsetting was about to be said?

And then she said it and Adelaide couldn’t do anything but stare for a moment. Then there was head shaking. Along with unfolding her legs and scooting away.

She didn’t leave though.

Patience holds her hands up, very still.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You know me, Ad, you know I wouldn’t say something like that unless I believed it - and you know I wouldn’t believe it unless I had good reason to. Right?”

Carefully, she brings her hands together, like she’s about to pray.

“I’m one too. So is Aaron, and Heather, and Declan. And Jaime. And Johnny. There are fourteen of us. Seven fallen, seven not. That’s why I call Declan ‘Dilly’, because he’s the Virtue of Diligence. That’s why Heather doesn’t like me, that’s why Jaime left. That’s how Aaron is my twin. He’s my opposite. The Sin of Wrath.”

She speaks slowly, making sure that Adelaide is following. Then, slowly, she drops her hands into her lap.

“Don’t scream?” she offers, and then she pulls them apart to reveal a steaming cup of coffee which she sets on the table between them like an olive branch.

Words. Adelaide Mary Harrison you know words. You speak them all the time so now shouldn't be any different. She's still staring at Patience and for the first time she's not exactly sure of where she stands.

She's just as still as her before she's shaking her head again. "No...I...Patience are you sure you haven't been working yourself too hard? M-Maybe you took a fall or something?"

Without realizing it, she's taking the coffee in her hands and sipping. Coffee will help. Then this'll all make sense. "I'm not going to scream. But...You're...I'm...They..." She continued on in that vein for a good minute before falling silent.

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“Oh! I’ve met him. He was…” How to put it nicely? “Intense. Only met him the once though. That’s kinda weird that he’s your brother though.”

Adelaide is trying hard to follow or at least feel less confused. She’s not having much luck as she listens to Patience, shifting so that she’s kneeling on the couch while the other woman speaks. The way she was wringing her her hands was making her nervous as well.

“Patience, I…” she opens and closes her mouth before making a sweeping motion for her to continue. “You say what you need to say and I’ll be here.”

“He’s kind of not - not by blood, and we only met a few months ago. It’s complicated.”

Okay. Okay - you can do this, you owe her this much.

C’mon, Patience. Stop scaring the girl and say it.

She laughs.

“You know, it’s really hard to try and open these talks? I’m still not used to it, like, what do I say? Have you ever heard of the seven deadly sins - doesn’t that sound like I’m about to introduce you to a cult? It’s mad, it really is. Dilly’s better at these things - Declan, sorry, his name is Declan - because he doesn’t get all worked up about it. Just, bam, here are the facts. Maybe I should try that?”

She nods, and her hands still. She half reaches towards the other woman before pulling back.

“Adelaide. Angels are real, and they exist on this planet, and sometimes humans are born who are capable of holding an Angel inside of them - like a pilot in a plane - and you’re one of them.”

There, that was easy!

”- And please, please, before you run out, let me prove it?”

"O...kay. That's not unheard of. Adopted family and that kind of thing." She was still sitting there and tugging on her scarf, unwinding it and playing with it without realizing that she was doing so.

Adelaide laughs a little as well. "You're reminding me of Uncle Archibald when he and Penelope sat me down to have the sex talk," she joked. When Declan was mentioned she felt that curiosity rise. "I doubt you're trying to get me into a cult."

The way Patience started to reach over then stopped was almost enough to set off warning bells. Didn't people do that whenever something upsetting was about to be said?

And then she said it and Adelaide couldn't do anything but stare for a moment. Then there was head shaking. Along with unfolding her legs and scooting away.

She didn't leave though.

#patience

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“When you told Aaron and Heather what?” A confused expression was lingering on Adelaide’s features as she sat down next to Patience. “And don’t worry about the coffee, we’ll get around to it.”

This whole thing was already baffling her. “The same as always. Always involving you or one of the others. I think one was about that Johnny guy? But it was just us sitting and talking.” Glancing up at Patience, “Why do you keep coming back to them?”

“They’re involved in this too. You remember I told you about my kind-of-twin-brother? That’s Aaron.”

Patience is trying to keep her smile up, but it’s turning sad - and fast. She’s really not very good at breaking things to people easily (unlike Dilly, who prefers to rip the band-aid off as fast as he can) and her nerves are probably making the whole thing harder on Adelaide than it should be.

She sighs, and goes back to wringing her hands.

“The dreams were how I knew you were involved in this. I’m sorry, I really am. It’s not bad! It’s just… Kind of a lot to deal with. Um. So I’m going to tell you some stuff that sounds really crazy right now, and I’d like you to not freak out and give me a chance to prove it?”

"Oh! I've met him. He was..." How to put it nicely? "Intense. Only met him the once though. That's kinda weird that he's your brother though."

Adelaide is trying hard to follow or at least feel less confused. She's not having much luck as she listens to Patience, shifting so that she's kneeling on the couch while the other woman speaks. The way she was wringing her her hands was making her nervous as well.

"Patience, I..." she opens and closes her mouth before making a sweeping motion for her to continue. "You say what you need to say and I'll be here."

there are power lines in our bloodlines

“I could’ve gotten it…” she murmurs softly before shivering at the warmth once they make their way up. “Oh gosh you weren’t kidding. It feels so good in here.” Adelaide notices the wringing of the hands and feels a little lost.

“Coffee.” It was the first thing she thought of and for once didn’t look that sheepish about. “So…Not gonna lie I’d almost thought about finding a cloak to wear down here just to give you a laugh.”

Patience brightens a little bit more at the joke, and sits down softly on the sofa - waving for Adelaide to join her.

“I’ll get the coffee in a minute, I promise,” she smiles apologetically, “but I’d rather tell you first. I - when I told Aaron and Heather, he nearly snapped his mug in half.”

Reassuring, Patience, really.

“How are the dreams?”

"When you told Aaron and Heather what?" A confused expression was lingering on Adelaide's features as she sat down next to Patience. "And don't worry about the coffee, we'll get around to it."

This whole thing was already baffling her. "The same as always. Always involving you or one of the others. I think one was about that Johnny guy? But it was just us sitting and talking." Glancing up at Patience, "Why do you keep coming back to them?"

there are power lines in our bloodlines

Brushing the snow off her shoulders Adelaide nods. “That would be wonderful, actually.” She laughs and happily returns the other woman’s hug while carefully shrugging out of her coat. “I totally bit it on the way over. There was this curb and I didn’t hit it right. Five seconds later I was on my butt.”

Adelaide laughs once more before hanging up her coat and glancing at Patience. “Wow that was rambley. You mentioned heat?”

She laughs a little easier and walks Adelaide up to their apartment, sneaking the coat away from her as they went. Patience hangs Adelaide’s things up, and wrings her hands nervously.

“So, um -” she begins, then chickens out, “would you like something to drink?”

"I could've gotten it..." she murmurs softly before shivering at the warmth once they make their way up. "Oh gosh you weren't kidding. It feels so good in here." Adelaide notices the wringing of the hands and feels a little lost.

"Coffee." It was the first thing she thought of and for once didn't look that sheepish about. "So...Not gonna lie I'd almost thought about finding a cloak to wear down here just to give you a laugh."

there are power lines in our bloodlines

[Text] Unless I somehow turn into a cat and get Gaspard out I’m all yours. [Text] …Which is just a long winded way of saying I’ll be right there.

Pressing send Adelaide bundled up, remembering to wind a scarf around her neck as she did so. It took a moment or two when she misplaced her keys but before long she was walking towards the coffee shop.

The bells chimed as she shuffled in. “Good grief. I didn’t think it was that cold out.”

Patience can see her just before she opens the door, at which point its far too late to turn back - so she stifles any qualms she may have, and is ready for Adelaide with a big smile and open arms.

“It’s freezing, isn’t it?” Patience laughs, sneaking a hug. “We’ve got all the heaters running upstairs at the moment, want to come up?”

Brushing the snow off her shoulders Adelaide nods. "That would be wonderful, actually." She laughs and happily returns the other woman's hug while carefully shrugging out of her coat. "I totally bit it on the way over. There was this curb and I didn't hit it right. Five seconds later I was on my butt."

Adelaide laughs once more before hanging up her coat and glancing at Patience. "Wow that was rambley. You mentioned heat?"