The first { s t e p } in our adventure, + Jordan (Kata maybe?)

[Sariel]

In the darkness I will be your guiding light

The rain was heavy, and the winter chill enough that the warm breath of passerby’s would be seen streaming out of their mouths with every breath, and as hazel eyes peered from one moving body to the next, Sariel found himself feeling rather alone standing outside on the pavement. Considering the amount of people walking outside still it seemed an odd sensation, even as the daylight had began to die down and people were making their way to home or places of gathering for after hours get togethers and gradually the amount of pedestrians thinned out. The odd few walked into the establishment that the angel was standing outside of, his sneakers were getting wet from the water trailing down his blue soggy jeans, though the black jacket seemed to be doing a good enough job of keeping his charcoal grey shirt dry, save where the water seeped down the vessel’s neck and pooled a little about the collar area.

Unlike everyone else that seemed keen to get to wherever they were going and out of the cold, huddling up as best as possible if in groups or trying to desperately get as much warmth out of their winter clothes as possible, Sariel merely stood there, unfazed by the elements as he peered up at the designs of four silhouettes of ravens that sat upon the roof of the building in display. ‘The Rat and Raven’ was clearly named in gold lettering at the front, so Sariel didn’t doubt this was where he was to meet Kata, though so far she as well as her cousin if he ended up tagging along, had yet to arrive. Eventually, as the light started to fade, Sariel found himself taking a few steps closer to the door, eyeing the union jack poster before the door and finding himself unable to stop the slightest smile from tugging in the corner of his lips. In heaven, the angel had happened upon a few heaven’s from individuals who had originated from England, and over the decades the country may have changed but the heaven’s did not, giving Sariel a chance to witness people go about their favorite moments and favoring those that orientated around Pubs. People always seemed so happy, surrounded by friends and family and even though Sariel was rarely able to actually interact with them, and the very few times tended to be little more then moving out of the way or offering a smile or curt word, it seemed so different to how things were with his siblings. Some people were interesting, others not so much, some he didn’t mind watching, while others it bothered the angel being unable to interact, even if at the time he tried not to think about that too much. After all, it wasn’t his heaven, or his place to be there, he was a guest, and as the angel opened he wooden door and stepped inside, it was hard not to feel like just another guest in one of those moments. Groups of people gathered in ‘U’ shaped booths, some lounging back while others leaned forward, the soft red glow of a tiny flickering flame inside a red stained glass illuminating their faces or drinks that hovered close by. A few tables were empty about the floor, with spaced out couples or groups of three or four sitting about them, laughing and chatting away.

Everyone seemed eager to be as far from the entrance as possible, barely any notice given to the new arrival as he took in the scene. It was different to Vitani’s hang outs, far less adrenalin in the air, and while Sariel had enjoyed the more boisterous atmosphere, right now, with how things were going lately, the seraph didn’t mind a little less violence in the area. In fact, maybe that’s what he needed, a little more peace to make the End of Days that loomed over all their heads feel a little less of a priority in these moments. Falling back into habits well learned, Sariel moved fluidly through those gathered, doing skillfully well at not disturbing any one or the private moments they shared amongst themselves. Deciding between where to station himself, or if staying inside was even a good idea or not, what if Kata waited outside and thought he hadn’t turned up, the angel eventually inched moved towards the bar. Out of all the places in the area, directly in front of the door, or at the bar, appeared the two most vantage view points, both for him to see who entered, and for Kata to see him should she come inside. However, standing at the entrance way where people came in and out risked getting in the way, and so Sariel opted to sit on one of the bar stools, standing behind his chosen one and studying the one other guy that sat further down the right on his own. Then attention shifted over towards some of the other patrons, half turning to see some of the humans who sat huddled up in the booths and scattered about the tables. Almost all of them had removed their jackets, which caused a hesitant movement of hands to gradually work at unbuttoning the jacket in a way similar to how Kata had showed him to button up the shirt she had given him the other day to replace the bloodied one he had been wearing.

With the damp jacket now resting on the back of the tall chair as some others had done, Sariel brushed a hand across his face to remove the tickling beads of water that still remained, unbothered by the touch of cold his skin had, though with the warmth inside the bar gently being absorbed by his vessel, the flesh would soon heat up. However, outside of not shivering, none of that screamed out of the ordinary, which was good for the angel, since he was having a rough enough week without any more issues cropping up. Not that he expected to be noticed in here, being too used to getting overlooked, hazel eyes merely stared up at the hanging glasses that caught all the lights and movements in their reflection. There was a reddish glow about the room, but the lights which hit the glasses as they hung upside above the bar was like a collection of bubbles glistening, not the most beautiful thing Sariel had seen, but interesting enough that it held his gaze.

This takes place about 7 weeks before the leap in Sariel's timeline

[JORDAN MAXWELL]

Dark and stormy nights like this one, well Jordan didn’t know what else would be fitting for her adoptive father. The downpour almost matched the sadness felt in the hearts of his family. Though Tom they had all become a dysfunctional family of sorts. More than that he simply would have enjoyed the lighting, the busyness of his hunters coming in with stories about their adventure. Not that the small red head ever knew they were hunters she never really heard their stories. No, they would allow it to fade away until she was out of ear shot, and pick it all back up again. Everyone within this bar walked a fine line. So fine, that many didn’t want to tell the girl what they really thought about Tom’s death, though she held her own suspicions.

Jordan moved from the kitchen holding a tray full of nachos as her powder cornflowerblue eyes took in the faces in the crowds. She noticed one new, several old and a few waving at her after they switched to their favorite booths. A smile crept across the woman’s lips as she approached her regulars. “Baba’ girl, how are ya and Marie really holdin’ out.” It was a common question that she often heard. Though there was only one answer. “We are fine Arty… We have our problems like any family but…” She shrugged and started to serve out the nachos. When she turned to leave them there to retrieve make them another pitcher of beer. The man, Arty, reached out with his dark tan hands and grabbed her tiny wrist. She turned to look into his puppy dog brown eyes and eventually into his graying hair.

She knew if he wanted to hold her she would never get away, but she didn’t fight his want for a hug either. It had become something of tradition tonight, hug the nineteen year old girl. Your last bit of Tom that you would ever see. Not that Jordan knew the truth about Tom and her biological mother, not that she ever would. “One of us will always goin’ ta’ be ‘round for da two of ya’, jus’ in case.” Jordan rolled her eyes at the man, though she smiled. “Arty, one of you are always here getting a drink. Don’t worry, if we need anyone, we will call.” She made sure to look each of his friends in the eyes as well as the man himself, after all there was no way around it. Everyone was worried about the girls, and worried that whatever killed Tom would reappear to destroy his family. One of the reasons many of the men here never took the time to have one.

It was apparent more and more to the young artist that she was everyone’s daughter in a way. They all took her under their wings they all taught her something different about survival or social kills, some about hunting. Though in her world, hunting still meant deer not supernatural creatures.

Her slim body moved gracefully around the patrons and she slid behind the bar eyeing the new comer. Part of her, as the unofficial greeter, felt as though she missed her chance to greet him properly. However, everything was going to be a little off today. “Hi, Welcome to the Rat and Raven.” Her words were soft, caring, with a hint of pain behind them. She was about to stay more, but just slid two menu’s before the strange man and looked up as she was being waved at by Art.

Her brow raised to the man and he shouted over the crowd. “Where’s my beer?” A small smile graced her lips as she started to fill the container. “Get off your lazy butt and get over here!” “You ain’t gonna bring it? Ya’ brought Terry’s nachos. “I like him better than you.” There was a soft laugh from Art as he stood up to retrieve the beer pitcher that she left on the bar for him. She didn’t pay him any mind when he retrieved it, their banter in good humor. Turning back to the stranger she pulled a towel out from under the bar and set it down next to his right hand for his hair. “My name is Jordie, I will be your bartender and waitress this evening… Did you find anything that sounded good?”

---

There were so many hidden secrets from this woman, so many things she didn’t know. Perhaps it would have been easier for her to understand what happened, to understand why all her father’s friends seemed to fear for their safety if one of her family had decided to tell her the truth. Though the one that would have, couldn’t speak, well at least not human. A large black Newfoundland laid under the bar, and only lifted his head when Jordan spoke her own name. His dark brown eyes looked over at his owner then to whom she was speaking with. It was his job to be the bodyguard, to sniff out supernatural beings and alert Tom at their presence. Though, with Tom missing, the dog just simply didn’t know what to do with himself.

Everything had it’s own smell, he knew that better than most, but even though he knew that Arty was indeed a werewolf after his last adventure, he had no one to signal to. The dog let out a huff of disappointment at his lack of communication skills and ventured from his hiding whole just as Jordan asked the man at the bar if he found anything. Well Max had, but that didn’t mean this… He sniffed the air and moved silently behind her, well, as silently as one could, weighing almost two hundred pounds.

His large frame moved around the bar to get a better sniff at the new comer, everyone needed a baseline sniff, after all, if this man came back he would need to know if his smell had changed in anyway. This man however smelled….

[Sariel]

In the darkness I will be your guiding light

"Hi, Welcome to the Rat and Raven." The voice caused the angel’s eyes to drop from the hanging glasses to stare at the girl across from him, Sariel couldn’t help stare in surprise, though it was faintly visible on the angel’s expression. The young woman’s gaze was as dazzling as all human’s, though few tended to be close enough to him to actually admire them. Vitani, Kata and Matteus were the only ones Sariel had actually a chance to admire, though Matteus had only been met once the other night after Sariel’s sibling, Lark, had stabbed him. The seraph found his thoughts quickly abandoning their attempts at lingering on the weekend and moved to focus on the here and now, tilting his head slightly, quietly admiring the soul within her. Jordan Maxwell.. twenty years old, eyes bright as starlight spilling from crystal spheres, obscuring the pained micro expressions that may have flickered into view of those who may have been more perceptive to body language. Seeing facial expressions however had never been required to know what was on a human’s mind, however of late Sariel tried to avoid getting into minds, since Kata made it clear some people disliked the invasion.

Though as the female’s attention was shifted quickly towards another patron, the seraph merely stared down at the menu’s. Hazel eyes peered over at the red head again, then at the creature she spoke with. Nothing seemed threatening so Sariel turned away, looking back at what the girl had given him. Something about her surface thoughts seemed sad, but whatever it was that bothered the human was being pushed to the back of her mind, and Sariel wasn’t yet inclined to push his way into her thoughts. "Where’s my beer?" The other’s voice called out, with the woman replied with; "Get off your lazy butt and get over here!" Which had Sariel wondering how a person’s butt could he lazy, human’s had such an unusual manner in speaking and the angel was struggling still understanding a lot of it. The two continued to chatter briefly, as Sariel opened the menu’s and stared at them, he didn’t really get why she had given him these things with all the names of ... all these random foods and drinks, at least by their titles Sariel assumed they were foods and drinks.

"My name is Jordie, I will be your bartender and waitress this evening… Did you find anything that sounded good?" The angel stared once more at her eyes, as often was the case, ignoring all but the gaze, though Sariel shifted his focus between her and the menu’s. Nicknames were rare in heaven, and Sariel had no experience with them himself, so it was an odd thing for hm to know the person was named one thing, but they went by another name, such as Jordan and Vitani seemed to be doing. Was he supposed to reply in turn with his own name or not? The angel blinked a little, though tried to offer the faintest of smiles as he responded. "Good evening, Jord..ie, I.. I am Sariel... Do you have any ice cream?" The question was hesitant, he wasn’t even sure he should talk to anyone right now, ideally he should probably wait for Kata, he wasn’t good at mingling with people, and it was important not to bring attention to himself, especially on the supernatural front. And everyone seemed to know really quickly that Sariel was not human, it was never a problem in the past, but suddenly when attempting to lay low it was now an issue he had to be weary off. Of course, Kata had pointed out human's didn't tend to just 'magic things out of thin air' and so that for now was something Sariel attempted to avoid when out in public... it was very difficult for him to resist such urges that he never had to worry about in the past.

Right after asking, however, a distraction took his attention to a large canine wandering into the view, a curious tilt of the head at the creature that Sariel had never been close enough to touch before that now inched its way closer towards him. Though the angel knew the species, knew mankind had grown fond of such animals, it was peculiar still to see one so close, and in their history humans used these things as guards, was it going to get upset at Sariel for being around humans? Unseen and intangible wings rose ever so slightly off Sariel’s back, though remained tightly folded, before hesitating and relaxing once more as the dog appeared not to be doing more then staring at him. It would be unfortunate if the creature made a fuss, even though Sariel could just go back to standing outside until Kata arrived, he honestly was bored standing around out there on his own. Staring at the towel she placed down next to him, and then at the dog, Sariel just felt confused by if he was expected to do anything or not, confused fingers pinched at the towel as if studying it even though his eyes barely flicked away from the dog more then a second, before staring at the black animal again curiously.

Chatty Sariel! >.> ...

[JORDAN MAXWELL]

Max made a sound deep in his throat, another supernatrual creature was in his home. Though he had smelled only one other being like this one in the past. That one, a female, well she hadn’t been very helpful to his trainer. Though they seemed to have a good understanding between the two, as good as a ring of hot fire seemed to bring between his training and the creature. No, Max had no reason to dislike this creature, as long a it didn’t harm his person. She was his person and he would allow his training to take over if she was threatened, for the time being. This creature would pass the first level of testing. He would be permitted into his establishment, for now. The werewolf on the other hand…

The dog’s big brown eyes moved towards Arts and narrowed as he considered his options to protect his person. Though there was no threat, he would have to leave it alone, for now. Max’s gaze turned back up to the angel and approached him, sitting down, the dog seemed more bear than dog. He set his head on the Angel’s thigh, test two was beginning.

---

Jordan was a little distracted at first when Max made his testing noise. She hadn’t seen him act this way in a long time, the last time Tom took the man out back for a talking to, the person that left with her father never returned. She pushed that thought a side and smiled happily at the man as her dog put his head on the angel’s thigh. “He just wants a pet… He likes having his ears rubbed.” Her soft eyes moved to the menu’s infront of her customer, she collected them as she answered his ice cream question. “I have, chocolate caramel, chocolate, mint, strawberry, black cherry, and vanilla. As for toppings I have, caramel, fudge, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, gram crackers, strawberries, and blueberries. Does any of that sound good or would you just like me to surprise ya’ with something delicious?” She offered him another smile, as she worked on filling some pitchers of beer for some patrons.

There was something strange about this man before her, but she wasn’t sure what it was. In her own mind it could be any number of things, he could be mentally slow, though that didn’t seem likely. Her eyes moved over his body for a second when she settled on him being from another country. If that was the case, then he might not understand some of her customs and what she was trying to have him do. “The towel is to dry your hair…” She pointed up at his wet hair with a half smile. [color=pink]“I don’t want you to catch cold and get sick. I am gonna guess that you are new around here.” Well, she was never one for beating around the bush. “Would you like tea or hot chocolate or anything like that I know it’s chilly out there… I mean not Michigan chilly but still a little nippy if I say so myself… Just something to warm you up?” She turned from him before he could answer and made a call out. “Edwards! Cara! Matt! Pitchers up!” There was a couple of hoots as three people from different boots stood to gather up their pitches of beer. Of the three a woman, she leaned in and took Jordan’s hand slipping some money into she said softly. “I’m taking off angel.” “Be safe.” There was a hug between the two women, and Cara delivered the picture of beer before leaving the bar.. “I’m sorry I don’t mean to be distracted. I don’t normally have this many people in the bar… My father passed and these are his friends.. Now about that ice cream and possible drink.” Jordan was getting a little bubblier as the night went on, though there was still pain behind her eyes.

---

Though it wasn’t known to Jordan many of the patrons were discussing what kind of creature would have killed her father. Whom was responsible for his early death. They were speaking about revenge, and hunting down the supernatural responsible. Anyone close enough to the girl though stopped speaking on the subject quickly. She was alone in a world of hunters, not knowing the truth or the danger in the situation.

[Sariel]

In the darkness I will be your guiding light

A large thick head settled on Sariel’s thigh, eyes that seemed strangely small in comparison to the mass of fur surrounding them staring up expectantly. "He just wants a pet… He likes having his ears rubbed." The angel shifted his gaze between the two, before settling a little longer on the canine, if he didn’t do as she asked, would Sariel be asked to leave? Would the human go back to ignoring him, as the departed souls did so often in favor of their own worlds that replayed so well, as happily as they remember it, never really fitting a stranger in. This wasn’t heaven though, as strange as the thought was to the angel who barely spent any time down on God’s green paradise, this was real, this was another world full of where those heaven’s were born in the day to day lives of those who lived here. This consideration made Sariel stare all the more at Jordan as she spoke, just a few days ago he’d been so cocky about completing his task and returning back home... how did it all change so fast?

"I have, chocolate caramel, chocolate, mint, strawberry, black cherry, and vanilla. As for toppings I have, caramel, fudge, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, gram crackers, strawberries, and blueberries. Does any of that sound good or would you just like me to surprise ya’ with something delicious?" What did he want? What did Sariel want? What if he chose something that he didn’t like? Was there a right and wrong thing to choose in a situation like this? He hadn’t yet encountered an ice cream he disliked... then again his options were rather limited... what if Sariel made the wrong choice, opted for something so unusual that anyone would just know he was not human. At this point, with that last thought crossing his mind, even the seraph realized he was being paranoid.. "The towel is to dry your hair…." Was there something wrong with being wet? The seraph peered around at some of the other occupants, most of which had since dried off during the time since they’d first entered the bar. Hesitantly, the angel picked up the towel, looking at it inquisitively for a moment before Jordan continued to speak. "I don’t want you to catch cold and get sick. I am gonna guess that you are new around here." There was a small nod, to say yes to the question about his brief duration around here that made many things a little complicated to understand right off still. Like.. why would he catch a cold.. how did one even catch a temperature, and what would Sariel even do with it if he did? As for getting sick, he’d already explained that to Kata, however, it wasn’t going to be very discreet stating that ‘his kind don’t get sick’ since humans did, and that would make for some explaining to be suggesting he was different from them. As Sariel picked up the towel, he examined it briefly, resting his face against the fabric, dapping it lightly at the top of his head before hesitantly putting it down, nudging it towards her and offering a smile.

"Would you like tea or hot chocolate or anything like that I know it’s chilly out there… I mean not Michigan chilly but still a little nippy if I say so myself… Just something to warm you up?" If ice cream was being served, then having a hot drink would negatively effect his ice cream.. wouldn’t it? Sariel considered that a moment, then just shook his head at Jordan a little, declining the offer, barely even getting to part his lips before she called out some names. The mention of Matt turned Sariel’s head, though the human he had met the other day wasn’t in sight, was this a cause of relief or not, the angel honestly wasn’t sure... he disliked.. possibly.. the unusual way the human had acted, so strangely affectionate and yet for no reason, why? Not only had Matteus taken Sariel off the street at night to offer a place of comfort to heal after his fallen sister had taken an angel blade to his back... everything Matteus had done had been so comforting, so ... oddly assuring.. and the human hadn’t even discovered Sariel’s name, or the fact he wasn’t human, all Matty knew was that there was something not entirely human about the guy, and had settled with assuming Sariel was a warlock. Everyone was turning on the seraph, various sides were screaming for affiliations to be chosen, and all Sariel found himself doing was pulling away further from everyone. Well, not everyone, he still felt drawn to protecting Maion, who now went by the name of Lark, from her foolish attempts at rejoining a war that she had no hope in winning, every chance of dying. Why did his sister make it so hard to care for her though? Even when he really tried to show her he meant no harm still the fallen angel would warn him not to give her the means in which to hurt him for she would take it, the words still stung.

"I’m taking off angel." Glancing at the woman who spoke, Sariel felt slightly tense, unsure if he was being addressed at first till it became clear she was speaking to Jordan, the two hugged, a sweet, "Be safe." offered during the embrace before they pulled away... All Sariel could do was drop his gaze. So far his experience with physical gestures had not been entirely well received... Vitani had screamed in startled surprise waking to him examining her hand after she had fallen into a drunken sleep. Lark had stabbed him after letting Sariel sink into her embrace and after that night of Matteus tending to Sariel, the angel had woken the human awake with a startle as well only instead of a yell, Matteus had leaned in for a kiss and drew the angel into a comforting hold, still half asleep and not entirely thinking. Of course, having just been stabbed in the last embrace by someone Sariel had trusted had the angel paranoid somehow it was doomed to repeat and so the seraph... fled. Sariel still couldn’t help but think back, even when he tried to do everything but that, for now it felt as if Kata Denes was going to be his only distraction from all these strained events. And Vitani, though she was dealing with the discovery of the supernatural, her life, and the fact a new friendly face she’d encountered was not just a run of the mill guy, but an angel. Apparently this took a bit to process, even though at this point the three humans Sariel had encountered all appeared to be dealing rather well, as far as he could tell anyway.

"I’m sorry I don’t mean to be distracted. I don’t normally have this many people in the bar… My father passed and these are his friends.. Now about that ice cream and possible drink." With a distracted glance up as Jordan began to speak, the angel listened, hearing her talk about the death of her father, and then looking at the other patrons, back at her, and smiles some. "A father’s absence is difficult.." Like most in creation, Sariel had little to do directly with God, though his presence had always been felt, until now, the last stretch of time where no one was sure just where their father and creator had gone to, what he he wanted them to do or if he was even coming back to them. It was just another strain to deal with, but one that Sariel had even less of an idea on what to do about it then anything else currently being faced with. Though Sariel attempted to keep his comment sympathetic, not that he was at all good with such an aspect, since sympathy was rarely something the angel had to deal with, the personal sense of upset towards feeling abandoned colored his words lightly. With that displeasure felt, Sariel merely offered the faintest of smiles, feeling inclined for some reason to speak more politely then he was accustomed to. "May.. you choose something that is.. sweet?" There was probably a better word for it, Sariel wasn’t sure, he really didn’t mind at this point, it was still strange just being in a place such as this and actually being addressed. At that point, the angel scratched the dog's ears lightly once again, studying the creature a moment later in consideration, such unusual bonding of species, so different in so many ways, and yet for so long had been so co dependent.. How did they live together so well?

.......mmm...ice cream.. Anie said she’d bring Kata in at some point too

[JORDAN MAXWELL]

Jordan smiled at him a little and just watched his eyes for a moment. She couldn’t help but think of her father, how he would tell her to treat the customer before her. “The new ones,” he would say, “The new ones need the most attention, the friendliest smiles, the best time. Our regulars, they will be coming here until hell freezes over, make the new ones feel at home Jordie, that’s your job.” She could hear his voice so clearly. She missed him so much. She would do anything just to speak with him one last time. To tell him she loved him.

“It is very hard without Tom. I miss him, but he’s with God now, and his angels. I can only hope that he could look down at me and be happy. You know something crazy, the first night I found out that Tom was actually dead I… You don’t want to hear this…” She smiled at him and took the towel with care. “I’ll get your ice cream just a moment Sweetie.” She moved away from him and entered the kitchen. The towel was thrown down the laundry shoot and Jordan was just lost in her own thoughts. What if it wasn’t a bear that killed Tom, what if it was something else. What if everything was falling apart and she didn’t know it. She could feel her heart sink at the thoughts. No, there was nothing like that, just humans, angels and demons. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Moving to the freezer she looked inside and chose the chocolate ice cream with caramel chunks in it. After washing her hands she carefully scooped some out into a red bowl. She sprinkled chocolate chips on top, then drizzled caramel and chocolate syrup on it. Then as an after thought she crushed up some Oreos and put that on top as well. She smiled at her mixture, that should be sweet enough for almost anyone. The young artist washed her hands a second time then brought out the bowl with a spoon. Jordan laid it down before him carefully then smiled. “There you are one Jordan Special… Tom use to cringe when I made things like that, said I was going to make myself sick… There is this place in New York that is suppose to serve the most amazing sweets… I was going to go there with Tom in October for my birthday.” She smiled at the thought, though there was also some sadness in it.

“Where are you from originally?” It was a common question to ask. She had no idea what that question really meant to the man before her however. Her eyes remained on him as she watched him both interested in what he thought of the icecream and in hearing the answer to her question. Then it dawned on her, what if she was talking to much, she had that habit when she met someone that was quiet. She would just keep talking to them, she hated silence and this seemed to be the best way to handle such a situation. Her eyes moved and she turned downcast as the bar for a moment. Well, it was who she was, if he wanted her to leave he could say something.

[Sariel]

In the darkness I will be your guiding light

The thoughts in her mind were oddly comforting, save for the confusion as to why hell would freeze over, Lucifer tended to like the fire and rage, the burning enflamed the senses... the cold numbed them. Losing family was hard, however Sariel envied the humans, they got to reunite with their loved ones, assuming they were on the same path to heaven, or hell. When angelic siblings died, that was it, there was no second chance, there was no awaiting paradise, just oblivion, just eternal nothingness. They were so spoiled, like any adored child, they had everything, these humans, they had everything they could want, and still they were never happy... Then again, they had countless trials in their lives, sensations and emotions, sins that dragged them this way or that, but they had guardians, guides and teachers that warned them of such dangers, their freewill is what put them at risk.

“It is very hard without Tom. I miss him, but he’s with God now, and his angels. I can only hope that he could look down at me and be happy. You know something crazy, the first night I found out that Tom was actually dead I… You don’t want to hear this…” While considering if one of Sariel’s siblings may have chosen this ‘Tom’ of hers as a pass time in heaven to watch what heavens Tom formed, he had to admit, it was disappointing when she decided against speaking. Did he give the impression he didn’t want to hear it, or was it something she knew he’d actually not want to hear? “I’ll get your ice cream just a moment Sweetie.” When she walked off, hazel eyes watched her leave in utter confusion, he’d had many variations of ‘Sariel’ over the years, depending on which language it was said in, however, Sweetie was definitely not an accurate spin on his name. The angel waited, looking back down at the dog and watching Max thoughtfully.

"Your human is very sad." Sariel stated, almost sympathetically, then looked back at where Jordan had left, she wasn’t the only one who felt as if the world was falling apart around her... technically, it was, but she didn’t know that. The belief towards angels and demons was peculiar, she believed in them, but had never met one, not that she knew. There was an understanding however, from the old days when faith had started to fade, humans did not always truly believe in what they thought they did. Just because they prayed to God, didn’t mean they honestly thought it would come true. So for now, Sariel didn’t talk to her about heaven or Tom or let on he could sense her thoughts, he didn’t want to be part of anything right now, he just wanted to pretend he was human, or at least as human as possible, and put his tasks and the End of Days all to the back of his mind. The return of Jordan drew a smile, though it faded as he stared down at the bowl, perhaps hard to tell, but he was in awe of all that was before him. So far the ice creams he’d encounters had been relatively plain, save for the toppings or sprinkles, now there was so much more in the bowl it took him a minute to carefully study it.

“There you are one Jordan Special… Tom use to cringe when I made things like that, said I was going to make myself sick… There is this place in New York that is suppose to serve the most amazing sweets… I was going to go there with Tom in October for my birthday.” The angel didn’t know what a birthday was entirely, he didn’t involve himself in such human customs, considering she was already born it couldn’t be the day of her actual birth, therefore he summarized it was a celebration of that day. If he had time, maybe Sariel could find this place... then again, if it was her special place, it didn’t seem fair he go when she couldn’t... the angel stared at the ice cream, hesitantly picking up the spoon. When did Sariel ever care about things like that? “Where are you from originally?” Staring at her a moment, the spoon playing with the contents of the bowl, twisting a little, digging in, twisting again, absent minded in its motions before the angel stared down again.

"My.. home.. is very far away." And was changing, or he was changing, or everything was changing, whatever it was, nothing seemed the same any more, and it was tearing his siblings apart. Placing the spoon between his lips, Sariel chewed a moment, then stared again at Jordan, it seemed to take a moment before he managed to swallow. "Jordan," The very seriously spoken name made it hard to tell if he was upset, about to start talking about something in a stern manner, or tell her to leave him be, any number of reasons could explain why he felt inclined to say her name so strictly, though as his eyes dropped back to the bowl, a flicker of awe within the hazel gaze, the angel then said almost approvingly, as well as content. "Your ice cream is very good." He took another bite of it, savoring the taste, with a very faint, very breathy chuckle following, then the slightest tilt of his head from side to side. Settling down a moment later, returning to his more neutral expression, the angel studied Jordan again, with more appreciation. "What was.. crazy?" Came the question in regards to her earlier comment, offering a smile before looking around, "I do not mind listening, that is what people do in places like this, is it not?" There was an air of an English accent lightly tainting his words, though recent days it had faded since he lost the amusement in having it. "Chit chat an’ all’at." The voice changed, more noticeably English in the previous phrase he’d heard in the past, though somehow it seemed out of place, even if it was fitting, he still appeared not entirely sure if it was accurate or not, as if the phrase was somehow alien enough that it didn’t roll properly off his tongue.

-nomnomnom Icecream-goodness....

[JORDAN MAXWELL]

» like a scattered dream

“Your human is sad.” Max snorted at the angel, he had no idea how sad his human actually was, then again how could a supernatural really understand the trials and tribulations of the human race? Wooo, that was a deep thought for him, supernatruals maybe understanding his humans? Fat chance, like they would know when they needed a hug, or when a simply belly scratch did as much for you as it did for them. When growling at the strangers is the right thing to do to warn them off of his owner.

Max licked his lips as he settled his head back on the Angel’s thigh, why? Well he smelled nice. There was a smell that seemed to be unique to all living creatures, even supernaturals that seemed to use people as their own personal cars, just hitching a ride, and from what he saw, many of them liked sticking their head out the windows to see how things felt, or smelled, just to see how it was different. To him, that was the worst thing, they were sticking their head out the window… Max sighed, now he wanted to go on a car ride.

---

“Jordan.” The seriousness of in his voice made the small waitress stand up straighter and her heart jump into her throat. Was there something wrong with the icecream? Was he unhappy with the combination of items. He didn’t give her a lot of direction on what he wanted, but she always thought it tasted good. If he didn’t like it maybe Tom was right and she had no idea how really make icecream. Everyone just liked different things right? It couldn’t have been just her that enjoyed such things, right? “ Your ice cream is very good” Jordan inwardly Squeed and she smiled at him trying not to dance around a little with joy. She just watched him, though she felt a little strange doing so. She could see the subtle changes in the way he looked. She decided in that moment she was going to have to watch him closely to see what he really felt about situations.

Over the years Jordan had met only two people that suppressed their emotions. Her father, he hated to show any type of emotion, saying that it was a weakness that others would exploit, one of Tom’s friends. She never did catch his name. Her mind was torn from her thoughts when he asked her about a word she used. Her head cocked a little to the left and she looked at him before she spoke. “Right, crazy, in the context that I was using that word, it was a slag form of something strange or ridiculous.” She smiled at him a little. “I was referring to what happened after I had to identify Tom’s remains at the coroner’s office.”

He didn’t mind listening, and he was right, places like this were made for talking, but normally it wasn’t the bar keep that was suppose to open up their souls to the patrons. “These places are made for talking, yes,” She couldn’t help but smile and giggle a little at the way he said the words. “However, normally the barkeep doesn’t unburden their souls to the patrons of their bars… That and my beliefs are not always welcome, everyone has such a rigid look on God and His angel’s it just doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know where they are getting their information. I don’t understand why they just don’t talk to God and ask him these questions, after all he does answer, you just have to be willing to listen to his word.”She fell silent and studied him for second on what she had just said. She then picked up her glass of water and took a sip. “Anyway, I was crying, and my friend and got his truck keys, and I made arrangements for his body to be driven back to this town so we could put him to rest, I stopped at a motel on the way home and cried myself to sleep. That night I had this dream I was talking to Tom. He told me to run, to get as far away from my friend as I could. That I was in some kind of danger. He even told me where to find his military tags since he left them in the truck…” She smiled a little then pulled out her necklace. It was a long thick golden chain, but on the end of it was a pair of dog tags, and a set of wedding rings. She held out the dog tags so he could see that Tom’s name was on them.

“I didn’t think anything of the dream. I kind of ignored it, though I could have sworn I kept seeing him in the truck on the way home. It was almost like he was making sure I made it home safe.” She smiled a little and put the necklace back in her shirt. “I have never had anything like that before, you know I have heard about people staying on earth as ghosts, but I have hard time thinking that, that is what it was, you know? The night I got home he told me he loved me and that he wished I would listen to him more often, but with my friend gone… I just haven’t had any dreams about him sense then and I can’t really feel him like I use to be able to…”

She took another sip, though since he offered to listen, Jordan just kept rambling on, it was in her nature to do so, perhaps that was why no one really ever offered to listen to the things that were bothering her. “I like to think that he has his own little heaven up there, you know? That he can remember all the good times. Like when he first met Marie, or when the three of us went to Vegas and he got me this fake ID so I could gamble…” She giggled a little. “I won over four hundred dollars. It was a great trip… I also believe that Angels and Demons walk among us. I know that sounds crazy, and I have had all the talks with people before so don’t even try to tell me that I am wrong about this matter. However, I don’t think that God would pull His angel’s away. After all what are they going to do in Heaven all the time? I mean, in history, if you look hard enough…” She leans against the bar towards him, with her index finger of her right hand she kind of pokes the bar top as if she was showing him something, though in her mind she could see it, there was nothing on the bar.

“You can almost seen the patterns of when God has to send one of His angels to clean up a mess that we have made for ourselves. Though personally I think there are some demon involvement in those situations. You know I got into a fight with my pastor about demons possessing people. Once again I suppose it just goes to show you that I am no normal in my beliefs huh?” She looks at him, but more rambling followed. “Have you ever wanted to meet an Angel? I mean I have for years, not to bother them, or to be crude towards them, but just to learn from them… They would have seen so much, they would know so much, it would be amazing just to learn from their wisdom you know? Then again I don’t think many people feel that way…” She looks away from him and shrugs a little her eyes down cast, she was starting to get into a land of strange and she wasn’t sure where she was going with all of this. However, there was just this feeling that seemed to flow from this person that seemed to just make her feel calm, made her feel safe and it was easier to open up to him. Not that Jordan ever had a problem talking.

“Sorry, when I get talking it’s hard for me to stop..” She picks at the bar top for a moment. “I don’t mean to ramble like that, it can’t be very interesting to you to listen to things like that.. I know I am not an average person in that respect. Are you staying at the Desert Inn tonight?” It was her only way of asking him if he had a place to stay. “Because if not I do have rooms upstairs you could stay in…”

NOTES: Yey for template -.- || TAGS: Sariel || WORDS: 1449

thanks green eggs and sam!
Thanks to Ang for the graphic!

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Sig credits to Mike <3
Plot | | Application | | Cell

[Sariel]

In the darkness I will be your guiding light

Quietly Sariel listened, unbothered by the length of her chatter, taking a few mouthfuls of his ice cream contently during the one sided discussion. Though it was hard not to feel an air of irritation at the mention of demons, even though there was really nothing but their name that annoyed him in that moment, still, another spoonful of ice cream and that irritation seemed sedated. By the time that Jordan finished speaking, Sariel had scooped up his last remaining portion of ice cream, offering a smile at her comment that it was hard for her to stop speaking when she started talking. Honestly, the angel didn’t mind, he smiled at her more, placing the spoon down into the bowl and leaning back, his expression returning to a more neutral one as he considered what she asked him.

"I do not often have people speak with me, I do not mind listening." Was the first thing he replied to, offering a brief smile, which faded easily, before tilting his head slightly and replying to her comment on the Desert Inn. "I do not stay there, I do not stay anywhere." Having to explain why he didn’t stay anywhere didn’t even occur to the angel who was too used to being honest, hazel eyes dropping to stare at the residue in the empty bowl. There was little more reason to stay if Kata didn’t turn up, he considered leaving, either going to find her or maybe see what Vitani was up to. Though he frowned a little, a thought occurring, and then with a small smile, looked up and asked the teen a question regarding what she had earlier said.

"If you could ask an angel anything, what would you ask them?" He’d never actually had anyone ask him questions aside Kata Denes, and he liked her, so far questions hadn’t been so bad, they were interesting... the thought of questions had his mind trail a little as a rather absent minded question slipped out almost without Sariel noticing. "Do you think angels should be allowed to feel?" Kata believed so, she felt that if God didn’t wish it to happen, then it wouldn’t, she often tried to make Sariel feel better by saying this, and now is proceeding to test just what sort of reactions Sariel had, and what sort of feelings he could produce or sensations he could feel. It felt odd, a strange human/angel interaction that he wasn’t sure had occurred before, though while some would probably feel irritated at being treated like some guinea pig, Sariel found himself oddly intrigued by it all.

Sorry it is a shortie shortie

[JORDAN MAXWELL]

» like a scattered dream

Jordan watched Sariel and smiled a little at him. Though when he mentioned he had no place to stay she seemed to jump into action. She started shifting things behind the bar until she produced a set of keys with a yellow band around them. She wouldn’t hear of such a sweet man having no place to sleep that night. After all everyone needed a home and she didn’t know why he didn’t have one. It made no sense, he was clean, seemed nice. Perhaps he had just lost it. She decided that was the most likely situation and she would just take him into her home. It seemed like the right thing to do.

“Then you will stay here. I have rooms in the loft, I mean they aren’t anything fancy and there are only four little apartments, but you deserve someplace to call your own and I have no one renting them. I am not taking no as an answer either. There is already some bedding and everything you will need up there so after I close up the bar tonight I will take you up there then you can come and go as you please.” She took his hands in hers then set the keys gently in his hands. She held it as she closed his hand around the keys to hold in his hand and she offered him another caring smile.

His questions caused her pause as she thought about how to answer him. “If I could ask an angel anything huh…” She was silent another moment as someone brought her a pitcher of beer. Jordan refilled it quickly as she thought, it wasn’t until that person had gone back to their seat that she spoke. “With everything the way it is today, where is God? I mean, I would want to know about heaven, what it was like to be an angel… Depending on how they came to me I would ask what they looked like, but mostly it would be about God… It just seems like his grace isn’t on the planet as much as it has been in the past. Does that make any sense?” She just looked at him for a moment then sighed a little feeling silly.

When Sariel asked him the second question, she made puckered her lips and moved them from the left to the right before she spoke. “Yes, I think they should feel something.” She nodded a couple of time as she looked at her hands, running her thumb over the palm of her hand. [color=purple]“I think it would be sad to think they felt nothing. With so many feelings that humans have, both good and bad, Angel’s should experience them. I think, feeling compassion, love, those are things that all creatures should have and feel. I would have to wonder why God would not allow them to feel these things. They are some of his greatest gifts to the human race. Something I try and extend to everyone…” She looked up at him and made a face. “That didn’t make sense did it? I’m sorry… I guess I feel that the separation between Man and God and God’s other creatures is silly. If humans met angels, if we had the chance to learn from them, well, I think the world would be a better place.”

NOTES: She’s always worried she doesn’t make sense. || TAGS: Sariel || WORDS: 559

thanks green eggs and sam!
Thanks to Ang for the graphic!

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Sig credits to Mike <3
Plot | | Application | | Cell