Re: An Unlikely Prophet

SharpestLife19 Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:13 pm

Grace had known that this was her fault, but this makes her feel worse about it. Vincent doesn't deserve to be punished on her account. He shouldn't have helped her in the first place if he knew this would happen and he knew. She feels terrible about it. But she got all the good times with her mother from that. Surely that had to add up to something. She owed everything to Vincent, that's why she was here. Even if it was her fault, she was going to help now and that was what really mattered.

She is glad to hear their plans will be rather unaffected by this new mortality Vincent is experiencing. It will just be a bit odd. He's not used to any of the things that come with being mortal. Grace imagines this could prove amusing at more than one time. After all, he had made such a funny face when he heard his stomach growl. She lets out a little giggle and then gasps and immediately covers her mouth. She didn't expect to make that sound out loud and she startled herself. "Excuse me, I'm sorry."

Sandkitten Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:25 pm

He raises an eyebrow - it's almost an involuntary gesture, but it comes to him so naturally without thinking about it that he almost doesn't notice. But he does notice, and that makes him furrow his brow slightly... which makes him put forth a conscious effort to not furrow his brow, so he goes through a series of expressions before he finally answers her with a rather bemused look on his face. "For laughing? There's no need to excuse yourself for that. That's ridiculous. I don't expect you to be a statue."

It's all rather stupid, actually - when he had no need to express himself, he didn't. And now, although he doesn't feel that's really changed, he somehow also feels the desire to express himself in terms that she'll understand, as if that might somehow make up to her some small part of this mad infraction of circumstance. Though the more he thinks on it, the sillier it is. Whoever put him in this predicament is surely having a laugh at his expense now, for the discomforting awkwardness he feels. Even eating seems more difficult, being as that he feels he's making faces that aren't fit for him to make while he eats, so he tries to shield his face while doing so. But that just draws more attention to what he's doing. Sighing, he crosses his legs, readjusting his wings behind him again, and slumps slightly.

SharpestLife19 Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:46 pm

Giggling becomes laughter as Vincent's facial expressions go from one to the other with no apparent reasoning. He doesn't seem to know what expression he's making and that is very amusing. Her amusement bubbles up inside her and comes out in the form of a melodious laugh. She still covers her mouth, attempting to hold it all in. "Well, I wasn't sure how you'd feel to have someone laughing because of you. I thought I should hold it in, but I just couldn't."

"It was the face you made when you heard your stomach growl, I thought of it and I had to laugh. And just now you made it funnier because you don't seem to have a handle on making facial expressions. It's pretty funny, you know?"

Sandkitten Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:53 pm

Well... if that's not hitting the proverbial nail on the head when it's down, he's not sure how she could have better outlined exactly what's causing his momentary humiliation. One corner of his mouth quirks up in a smile, and he sighs. "Yes, I think I know what you mean."

The golden flecks swirl lazily in his crimson eyes, and even in the shade, it's bright enough that it's fairly easy to pick out their color. His wings are making his back rather uncomfortably warm, trapping air against him, so he unfurls them carefully and beats them briefly just to get some cooler air on his skin, then he folds them back up behind him. "We're going to be just a little more conspicuous than I had intended, I suppose. I wouldn't expect that there's a race anywhere on this world with wings." He's shed a feather through all of this movement, and he picks it up, examining it before holding it out to Grace. "Here."

SharpestLife19 Tue Oct 25, 2011 6:23 pm

Grace manages to put a lid on her giggles and smiles at Vincent, "I'm sorry for laughing, really. It was kind of.." she stops suddenly. She had been about to say cute. What an odd thought that is! She blushes and decides not to finish the sentence. She hopes Vincent just might not say anything about it.

She watches as his wings move. They're a fascinating sight, really. She smiles when he hands her the feather. A childish part of her wonders if it is magical because it came from an angel. She wants to ask, but she doesn't want to seem silly, so she refrains. "Thank you."

Sandkitten Tue Oct 25, 2011 6:29 pm

The feather feels rather unusually heavy in her fingers, for a feather. It's soft, but strangely it also seems to have a hardness to it, and the point of the quill seems like it might be sturdy enough to pierce something with a little force. All in all, it's a rather strange feather, but it did come from a rather strange place, as well. "You can keep it, if you like... or just throw it out. I'm sure I'll shed others."

He's lost in his own mind when she fails to finish her sentence, so he doesn't make mention of it. But he does notice how she's withdrawn into herself. He can almost see exclamations and questions building up inside her, but she's doing her best to keep a very calm, masked exterior. It troubles him. "Grace, what's wrong? I feel as though you're censoring yourself for my sake. If there's something on your mind, please - talk to me."

SharpestLife19 Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:48 pm

Holding his feather in her hand, Grace notices how oddly heavy it feels. She wonders if that's something all angel feathers have in common or if it's just his. She smiles, "I'd like to keep it, thank you." She holds it, feeling how soft it is. She feels like a child again, lost in the wonder of something strange and beautiful. She feels like if she can hold onto this feather, she will always be able to hold onto those feelings and be like little Gracie again.

She's drawn from her thoughts by his words, trying not to blush again. Did he just say that? Perhaps he meant something else. Or perhaps he's calling her out for not finishing that sentence. But he doesn't need to know what a silly girl is thinking. She realizes she's getting lost in her silly thoughts again and hopes she can buy some time by asking for an explanation. "Pardon me? What do you mean?"

Sandkitten Wed Oct 26, 2011 11:30 am

Vincent is glad to see that she hasn't lost that wonder for the unknown, even if it seems to have been dulled a great bit - the way she examines the feather in her hands gives him hope that she might be able to re-ignight the light of curiosity that she had when she was a child.

When she responds to his question, however, it leaves him second guessing his instincts. He's lived long enough to see all of the reactions that anyone can have to a situation or a question, and usually their reactions are knee-jerk and easy to read. But the flush that crosses her features leaves him slightly uncertain. It could be the heat - the simplest reason, but it was so sudden. Usually that's a mark of embarassment, but he doesn't think his question was that brutal. There's also the explination of attraction - not entirely unheard of, but given their circumstance and her actions and attitudes towards him since he's shown up again, whisked her away to foriegn environments, blown her mind with information beyond her scope of reason, and then stranded both of them in the desert on another world... well, it's at the bottom of the heap of possibilities.

Perhaps she simply doesn't want to open up to him. He would seem to be the source of her current troubles; he couldn't truely say that given the circumstances in reverse he would act the same way, as he has no real idea what it's like to be in her position - the veil is a difficult variable to assess - but he can't say he blames her for the silence. He just wishes that she would allow him the small pleasure of having someone to converse with.

"If you're afraid I'll laugh at you... I never will. If you're worried that I'll brush off your ideas or questions... I won't. I know that it's my fault we're stuck here like this, and I'm sorry that I couldn't have somehow foreseen this, if only to prevent your part in the suffering - I'm sorry for weighing your mind down with things that you resent hearing and don't understand." The words are heavy on his tongue, the apologies especially. Instead of lifting a weight off of him, they seem to add more to the weight in his chest.

"I'm sorry that I'm not a proper Guardian, just a Harbinger of difficult times for you... I would make all of these things up to you, if I could. I just... want you to be comfortable. If you can't be happy, because of what I've done, I want at least that much for you." He sighs within himself, and this time it stays inside. "But for myself... I just want sociable companionship. Just someone to talk to, who doesn't resent me. Though I understand if I've already turned that stone."

SharpestLife19 Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:10 pm

It's clear by her expression that Grace is thinking over what Vincent is saying. She's really not sure what will happen she returns to home, but she's not sure that Vincent is entirely to blame for all of this. Sure, he brought her here into a desert planet that they were now stuck on because he turned mortal without any warning. And he also might have told her all those things that she didn't want to know about that completely blew her mind. And he let her face those bizarre creatures in order to gain knowledge for him, but he wasn't such a bad guy.

When she thought of all he had done for her...And she had promised she would help him in exchange for him saving her mother. So it wasn't fair to blame him for anything that had happened as part of repaying that debt, even if it was completely unexpected and life-changing. She had asked for this. It wasn't his fault. And it was clear to her that he cared about her.

The forest he took her to, it was so beautiful and that was just for her. It was special and just for her. That wasn't the only time, either. She thought about the times he had come to check on her when she was a little girl. He had always thought of her. He had come to her side as soon as he knew that she needed him, even though he was in the middle of something much more important than her silly little life.

She smiles just slightly, "You aren't the one who should apologize. I asked for this. I told you I would repay you and I'm here for that. I should have known that this would change me somehow. It's not your fault that I didn't think about what would happen. You've always done everything you can for me, and I should be thankful that I've had you in my life at all." On a whim, she gives him a hug. It's a strange feeling hugging someone with wings.

Sandkitten Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:08 pm

It's a strange feeling for him, to be hugged. He's certain he's been hugged before - this surely can't be the first time anyone has hugged him - but he can't remember any such instance before. And certainly never under such circumstance. His chest swells warmly in a sickening way, and for a moment, his eyes sting. That is a foreign feeling to him. He's bonded before - it's difficult to live so long as he has, even as an outcast, without forging bonds of some kind - but this is very different, and even as he fights to swallow it, he's certain that his mind has too late recognized the long-knitted thread of attachment between him. He puts his arms around her as well, and returns her hug. There's no chance that she would understand what he's feeling at this moment. He has, for the first time, loved.

The human understanding of love is so convoluted and shallow that he doesn't even feel the faintest desire to express this new revelation to her. Those under the veil's constraint have no concept of love in its true sense - unending and unconditional - for their present lives are full of beginnings and ends, conditions and requirements. He has no design on her, he expects nothing - especially not a reciprocation in like. He only wants her to be happy, in her present lifetime and as far beyond as she will have to do with him.

It's a crushing feeling, really. Over-sweet, like too much honey, and raw, like your tongue after drinking too much lemonade. He knows that in his current condition, he can do nothing to provide her creature comforts, but if she will only talk to him - if she will just allow him that small kindness - he will do whatever he can for her. He will do it anyway, because he loves her, but he yearns for that tiny bit of companionship.

He releases her after a few seconds, and offers her a smile. His eyes have undergone a subtle change - the gold flecks swirling have increased in number, so that his eyes appear slightly less red, and more gold. He's not aware of it himself, but she might notice, if she were looking. "Thank you, Grace. I suppose... if you don't want to share what's on your mind, that's your prerogative. But if there's anything at all you'd like to talk about, you have my ear."

SharpestLife19 Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:23 pm

Grace smiles sweetly, glad that Vincent didn't push her away when she hugged him. Her eyes are bright with her affection. She notices his eyes are more gold than they were and has a look of childlike wonder. "Your eyes..." She raises her hand to his face as she studies them, hovering over his cheek but not touching it. "They're striking. You ought to see..." A light goes on in her eyes and her mind as she realizes he can. She roots around in her pack and withdraws her compact. She opens it and points the little mirror toward Vincent. "Look. How did you do that?"

Sandkitten Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:43 pm

Vincent doesn't protest, since she's so enthused. When she produces her compact, he inspects his eyes dutifully, but he sees nothing striking - he knows that his eyes are crimson and gold, but the ratio is an unknown to him. He hasn't indulged in the luxury of a mirror in years. He hands it back to her after a few moments, bemused. If there's been a shift in the colors, he's certainly not aware of anything that would cause change so rapidly as to allow her to remark on it in so short a time. "I don't know that I did anything... I'm certainly not able to change my appearance just by thinking about it. Wouldn't that be a handy talent." Might've saved him a lifetime's worth of being ostracized. "Honestly, I haven't seen my own eyes in so long I can't even see a difference myself. But I believe you if you say they've changed."

SharpestLife19 Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:53 pm

Laughter bubbles up in Grace again. She lets it out this time, mostly laughing at herself. Why would she think that an angel would be accustomed to looking in a mirror? She's thoroughly amused by her own silliness. "Oh, of course you haven't looked in a mirror, I don't know why I thought you would have. It's just that your eyes are usually so red and suddenly they are very gold. It's lovely." She blushes slightly when she says that, though she couldn't say why. It seems such an odd reaction to stating the truth. She glances off to the side, as if looking away would hide her crimson cheeks.

Sandkitten Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:05 pm

Vincent smiles as she laughs, enjoying the sound. As long as she's happy, he knows he'll be happy as well. Certainly there are angels more vain than himself - he simply hasn't had the luxury of worrying over his appearance for quite a while, as he's been given sundry low-qualifying jobs to take care of, many of them in war zones. He's not sure if that has anything to do with his current predicament, but it certainly kept him humble at the time.

And there it is again - the quick flush spreading over her cheek, and the withdrawing back into herself. He wants to reach out and pull her back to him, but he hesitates, understanding that if this reaction helps her abide him, then he must accept it. "Please don't be ashamed, you have a beautiful laugh, and you haven't said anything to offend me."

SharpestLife19 Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:11 pm

Grace's laugh turns to a nervous chuckle. She can't imagine why she feels so odd. She feels so silly, laughing and blushing like a school girl. She can't think of the last time she's felt that way. No wait, perhaps she can. But that's just silly. No, she won't allow such ridiculous ideas. She shakes her head, trying to put thoughts of her strange behavior aside. "Oh, it's not you. Excuse me."

Sandkitten Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:20 pm

He treads delicately with his words. "If it's not me, then may I inquire as to what it is that's causing you such distress that you keep pulling away from me?" His wings are uncomfortable again, so he readjusts them behind him, thinking of finding a slightly higher perch so that they needn't be crunched up so much. Daylight is still ridiculous beyond their psudo-enclosure, so going for a walk to look for something to drag in as a seat isn't really an option at the moment. He'll just have to abide the discomfort for a while longer.

SharpestLife19 Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:24 pm

She nearly blushes again at the question. How can she answer something like that? Oh my...And would he even understand? He hasn't been mortal for every long and he hardly understands many of the things they do, maybe this is another thing doomed to be lost in translation. Well, maybe she could try to explain herself. "It's not distress, Vincent. I'm sorry to worry you. I'm not really sure if you can understand it, honestly. I'm just being a silly girl. Pay no mind to it."

Sandkitten Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:31 pm

Vincent actually chuckles quietly, unfolding his wings briefly and beating them out to allow them to stretch for a moment before he folds them back up behind him as comfortably as he can. "If you think I wouldn't understand because I'm new to this condition... you may be right, but try me. I've lived around this condition for longer than you'd believe. I'm aware of several things that might be the cause of this "silly girl" episode, but I'd rather know than speculate. Please, Grace - trust me. Just talk to me." Whatever it is, he's sure they'll be able to talk it out like two reasonable human beings, and then she can be done with these episodes.

SharpestLife19 Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:36 am

Another nervous little titter escapes from Grace. Of course she knows what is the cause. Anyway, she thinks she knows, but she refuses to think of it and there is absolutely no way under any conditions that she would willingly share this information with Vincent. "It's complicated. I'm not sure what's causing my silliness, but I shall try my best not to have any more episodes."

Sandkitten Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:53 am

He sighs, withdrawing into himself as well, since she's obviously trying to work things out within herself, and she doesn't want his interferance. That's fine - he has nothing if not time, and all of it is hers, if she likes. Still, there's not much to do at the moment, and it saddens him to have to sit in silence while he knows that Grace is troubled. Folding his legs up, he closes his eyes and relaxes - while he has nothing to do, he'll meditate. He has plenty to think about, after all.

The words she brought back from the Seer float through his mind. "No one escapes the test... death departs his shadow. The new chapter has no written ending... to conquer is to fail. Patience, and unyielding trust." The Seer's words don't seem to be speaking through her relayed message, but rather to her, instead of to him. Every time he's mentioned, it's as an aside, by name or by pronoun, but not as the direct recipiant of the message. Patience and unyielding trust, then, may be an admonishment to her, and not to him. He's still uncertain what either of them would be conquering here, though - that part is still a mystery.

"Find the Golden-Eyed Son, seek his wisdom... not his relief. Find him, and the Harbinger must decide." Well, here they are in the desert, seeking out the Golden-Eyed Son... and apparently he's not to be trusted, if they're not to accept his relief. Or at least Grace isn't to accept any kind of respite from him - he's not sure for his own part. And whatever it is he'll be deciding... well, it sounds ominous, but what about this entire situation isn't?

His mind drifts away into other planes of enlightenment and pockets of languishing knowledge, and he remains unmoving and silent for some time.

SharpestLife19 Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:15 pm

Grace feels a bit useless, as if she should be doing something. Of course she wouldn't know what to do on this planet, especially here in the middle of the desert, but she has the feeling nonetheless. She wishes she had something to sew or knit, just so she would feel like she was accomplishing something. Just sitting around isn't very enjoyable. She fidgets, feeling like a little girl again. She can remember fidgeting in every place she ever remembers being.

She studies the feather from Vincent's wing again, thinking about all that brought her to this point. Such a strange chain of events which lead to an even stranger place. She wonders what the Golden Son will be like and whether he can actually help them or not. She runs her fingers over the soft part of the feather as she thinks. She's having a difficult time remembering what the Seer told her. It hasn't been that long, she feels like she should still know, but she doesn't remember much of it at all. That frustrates her and she makes huffing sound about it although she's unaware that she did.

Sandkitten Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:20 pm

Vincent's concentration is broken just enough to be brought back to the surface of his thoughts, though he doesn't hear another sound from her. Brought back to himself this way, he realizes that he's somewhat uncomfortable again - this getting irritating, to say the least, he's never been in such discomfort. It's as if his whole body conspires against him with the elements to be disruptive to his mind. "Something troubling you?"

SharpestLife19 Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:27 pm

Vincent's response draws Grace out of her thoughts as well. First she has to think a moment, and then she realizes she must have made some kind of sound as a result of her frustration. She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I was frustrated. I can barely remember what the Seer said. Do you recall?"

Sandkitten Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:38 pm

Eyes still closed, the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly. "I do. I've been thinking about that, myself." He recites the entire thing for her. "It seems to me that even though I sent you in to collect information for me, the Seers words were directed at you. I'm not the primary recipient... you only got a little information about my role in this grande farce because I was the one who brought you to them. What are your thoughts?"

SharpestLife19 Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:42 pm

She thought that Vincent would remember the words. Though remembering them doesn't seem to make it easier to decide what the Seer meant. The conquer part is particularly perplexing to her. And was the trust line meant for her? She had to assume it was. "It's a lot to think about. I still don't understand the conquer bit."

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