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( you say we're not responsible ) jophiel. ([info]poweroflight) wrote in [info]beyondthefall,
@ 2009-01-26 22:04:00

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move no distance in your stride;
Ah, the joys of being self-employed.

It was a new and rather odd concept for an angel, especially one of the Archangels, a being who was very much used to having orders and directives to accomplish, goals to achieve. But Jophiel wasn’t the kind to turn away from a new experience, and upon discovering that his current host ran his own business, he had buried himself in leaning how it all worked so he could continue with that, not only to keep people who knew of Jared Kilmartin from noticing something had changed, but also for the experience itself. It was new, and therefore intriguing to him. They said curiosity killed the cat, but thankfully, there wasn’t very much about Jophiel that was feline, so he would count himself safe. After learning the ropes, he had discovered that managing everything single-handedly as Jared Kilmartin had for years before his accident meant he could keep his own hours; if something came up, there was absolutely nothing stopping Jophiel from locking up and moving on to whatever it was that needed handling.

Useful, to say the least, especially when Metatron and Sandalphon had a habit of setting off the Archangel’s alarm bells by attempting new and inventive things in their kitchen or somehow ‘breaking’ all the clocks in the apartment.

Naturally, though, there were small tasks that even angels had trouble with. Namely, trying to unlock a door when you had your hands full. Oh, for the ability to temporarily grow a third hand. He certainly needed one right now. That, or a place to put something down, just for a minute.


( OPEN )


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[info]leonine
2009-01-26 04:46 pm UTC (link)
Self-employment wasn't exactly something that this particular Angel was used to, either. Not necessarily due to having taken orders and gone by certain rules for Lord knew how long, but -- despite the fact that Dr. Evelyn White owned her small vet clinic -- the time she spent at the clinic was directly proportional to who, or what, needed help. Ariel was used to taking care of others and now was no exception, in work or otherwise.

Case in point: she saw a familiar figure struggling with his arms full and immediately swooped in to help. Obviously, it was a good thing that she'd been in the neighborhood -- divine intervention, most likely. Ariel liked to look on the bright side of life.

"Goodness," she laughed. "Still trying to manage everything on your own, huh?"

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-26 05:00 pm UTC (link)
At least Jophiel had had the chance to get used to this host and the employment that went right along with it. In his last host, he hadn’t had the opportunity; he had only been in residence a matter of weeks, really, before being violently forced out by mortals who hadn’t cared one way or the other whether he was an Angel or a Demon. So really, the chance to settle into some kind of normal life, employment and all, was refreshing for Jophiel; honestly, he wouldn’t have cared if Jared Kilmartin had been a bagboy at the local supermarket. Jophiel would have risen to the challenge, big or small, and gone along with it. Hey, it paid the bills, and if it kept him from getting bored and helped him blend in like the rest of the Fallen, then that was even better.

Looking at it that way was likely reassuring for all the Angels, regardless of rank and standing as it was on Earth. Ever since Zadkiel had been defeated by Moloch -- something that he was still trying to deny as possible, if only to himself -- Jophiel had been left as the senior-ranking Archangel, which was a responsibility he was still very much trying to adjust to. But looking on small victories and strokes of luck as their Father nudging things in their direction didn’t hurt when they were cut off in all other ways that mattered. It was comforting, to think that He might still be looking out for them, even though many were starting to lose hope. A frightening concept, Angels losing faith.

As someone appeared at his side with a light laugh, reaching to take the coffee from his hand, Jophiel reached up to take the mail from between his teeth, tucking it under his arm with an appreciate smile, recognising who it was standing to his left, now holding the takeout beverage in its insulated cup. “You know me.” Managing to fish the keys out of his pocket now, allowing himself a brief feeling of triumph, he worked on unlocking the door. Stupid thing, it liked to jam. “I’m surprisingly stubborn. Thanks, though.” For rushing in to his ‘rescue’, that was. That’ll teach him to try and multitask. Didn’t Jophiel know males of the species just couldn’t do that?

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[info]leonine
2009-01-26 05:21 pm UTC (link)
"Stubborn, and not well-versed at multitasking," Ariel replied with a teasing smile. Once her friend managed to open the door, she took hold of it, pulling it open so he could pass before her. "No one's perfect. And you're welcome."

She still held her faith. It was something quiet that she didn't talk about, but it was there. She saw no reason to announce what she believed in; it was private. As frustrating and frightening as being cut off was, Ariel knew that maintaining her faith was the only way to keep functioning. She was Fallen, yes, but she was still an Angel beneath the human flesh. She couldn't not believe.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-26 05:29 pm UTC (link)
“Yeah, well.” Jophiel was smiling as he said it, and with a well-placed shove of his shoulder, the door finally gave and he managed to not fall through the hole and on his face. Not a bad start, all things considered. With Ariel’s help, he got himself inside and with a sideways jerk of his head, invited her to follow him in. The lights were flicked on, revealing the modest interior of Out of Print, an independently-run bookstore that was home to all manner of novels and volumes, from fact to fiction, and even a few rare, undoubtedly collector’s items that were kept under lock and key. An oddly perfect occupation for one of the Angels whose very ‘purpose’ -- or at least one thereof -- it was to learn, and it had actually made Jophiel smile upon realising what business it was his host owned. Behind the somewhat plain counter, which was home to a cash register and something that was almost an armchair but wasn’t quite, was a door, which Jophiel proceeded to unlock and swing open. The office, where he dumped the bag from his shoulder.

“Coffee?” he called through, before emerging in the doorway. “It’s not great, the stuff I have here, but it’s drinkable. If I’d known I was going to run into you, I would have brought two.” He nodded to the cup she still held in her hands. “You can put that down anywhere over there.” Jophiel indicated the corner of the counter near the wall, where it wasn’t in danger of being knocked over, before he picked up the bag he had just set down inside the office, peeling open the flap in order to pull out the laptop computer he always brought with him to work.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-26 07:36 pm UTC (link)
It was considerably warmer inside of the store than outside, for which she was thankful. Of course, sensation wasn't completely new to Ariel -- she'd been in this body for long enough -- but she didn't always enjoy it. Winter in Chicago was often quite lovely, but there were days when stepping outside literally took her breath away; it just got so cold. Natives grumbled about 'lake-front weather', and it did seem like they tended to get the worst of winter, but so long as one could occasional duck indoors to warm up, it really wasn't so bad.

With a smile, Ariel set down the insulated cup where Jophiel had instructed. "Sure, I'll take some," she said. "Honestly, I didn't know I'd be by, either. Should've headed home earlier, but I was just... wandering."

Potentially dangerous when one was alone in the city, but it wasn't as though she walked aimlessly. Ariel was always alert, which made her something of a difficult target. Pity the crook who dared to snatch her handbag.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-26 08:08 pm UTC (link)
Chicago was hardly the warmest place, true, but Jophiel wasn’t exactly the best candidate when it came to noticing dipped or uncomfortable temperatures. He tended to run ‘hotter’ than most people, especially when confined to mortal form, when his pyrokinetic abilities were churning away beneath the surface as if they were just waiting for a release, and he had all that heat and light just waiting for an outlet; it was always there, lurking where it couldn’t be seen or even necessarily felt, and it was ready to be put to use when it was needed. Reassuring, to say the least, and it had its practical uses, like right now. Winter in Chicago. It didn’t touch him as much as it did most others.

After setting the laptop down where it would be perfectly balanced and relatively out of the way, he left it closed and powered down before giving a nod and going to fetch the offered coffee for Ariel, a task that didn’t take him too long. Soon enough, he emerged once again with a steaming mug in hand, which he offered to Ariel. “It’s hot,” he advised, perhaps unnecessarily, but he wasn’t actually holding it by the handle; he didn’t burn as easily as most everyone else.

“So you’re on your way home?” Jophiel picked up the mail he’d been holding between his teeth upon her arrival and started flicking through it. Apparently, he did all the morning tasks when he got to work rather than beforehand. To each their own.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-27 08:53 pm UTC (link)
"Thank you," she replied gratefully. The mug was indeed quite hot on her bare hands, but it scared off the chill that had settled into them. And, the coffee was perfect -- nothing fancy, of course, but plenty of creamer and no sugar. Ariel smiled over the lip of the mug, blowing over the hot coffee for a moment before she spoke;

"Yes -- I was just in the city to place an order for some inventory. Felt like taking the scenic route to the train station. Good thing, too, hm?"

It had taken time for Ariel to become accustom to the workings of Dr. White, job and all. Of course, no one had expected the good doctor to make a complete recovery after having come out of a vegetative stage, so there was some wiggle room that allowed the residing angel to get up to speed. Being able to communicate with Evelyn's furry (or feathered, or scaled) patients was also a bit of a boon, too.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-27 09:04 pm UTC (link)
That was another plus side to essentially having an encyclopaedic memory: he never forgot how anyone took their coffee. Okay, so it might not have been the most useful facet of his abilities, but it cut out the middle ground when you had to awkwardly ask how much milk -- or creamer -- and sugar they took when you knew you’d asked it before. A minor timesaver, but a timesaver all the same. Jophiel certainly wasn’t one to turn his nose up at small favours.

“Don’t they have phones for that kind of thing?” He asked the question with a slightly crooked, faint smile on his face as he tossed an obvious piece of junk mail towards the deep trash can in the corner behind the counter.

It might not have been a major reason why the Angels preferred to take up residence in coma patients, but it certainly helped them to ease into the mortal world around them; patients who had suffered any kind of severe trauma were known to experience any degree of amnesia or even complete personality shifts after they regained consciousness. It helped the Fallen to conceal themselves, or at least those on Earth who cared about discretion.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-27 10:18 pm UTC (link)
Jophiel received a 'Look', an expression that Ariel had learned to master rather quickly. "Yes," she sniffed. "But I don't see any reason why it can't be done in person. Besides, I hate talking to people on the phone."

Of course, Ariel did own a telephone, and she didn't have any serious fundamental issues with technology as a whole. That said, she didn't see why humans had to be so damned disconnected from one another. There was nothing wrong with real, face-to-face communication -- in Ariel's opinion, it was far more natural. But, it wasn't as though there was much to be done about it, so she would rebel to the best of her ability.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-27 10:52 pm UTC (link)
In response to that Look, Jophiel laughed, nodding his head in recognition and acknowledgement of that potentially fatal expression that human women seemed so adept at forming on their faces. It just didn’t carry the same way with men, the Archangel had noticed. As one of the Fallen who always adopted male form -- for reasons unknown; not even Jophiel was sure why his preference was what it was -- he had absolutely no experience, and therefore no skill with it. By now, he was all too used to being on the receiving end.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with doing things face to face.” If anyone could appreciate that, it was beings like Jophiel and Ariel, and any other Angel or Archangel who had ever had to take matters into their own hands in one way or another. “From what I can tell, most people are allergic to that, nowadays.” Which was a shame. Interaction with others on a daily basis was one of the simple pleasures that many mortals chose to ignore or just take for granted. Jophiel almost envied them for said simple pleasures, but now that he -- along with every other Fallen around the globe -- was restricted to human form, he was finally getting his chance to experience it all firsthand.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-27 11:18 pm UTC (link)
"Aye," she agreed with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "Phones and computers... no reason to look someone in the face anymore."

That's right, Jophiel. Cower before Ariel and the fury of the Look! Or, y'know, chuckle. Sad as some might think it, Ariel had never been one to intimidate. She healed and supported, though she wasn't known as the 'Lion of God' just for kicks. In wrath, she could be just as deadly as a lioness protecting her cubs, but only when provoked. This angel wasn't exactly the avenging sort. She was happy to leave that up to Jo' and the Archangels.

The coffee in her hands had cooled enough for her to drink without scalding her mouth, and so she did, moving toward one of the bookshelves as she did. Though she was not so ridiculously intelligent as Jophiel, she could appreciate human literature. She did like to visit the store from time-to-time.

"Are you well?" she asked after a moment of silence. "I feel like it's been awhile."

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-27 11:29 pm UTC (link)
“Don’t be stupid,” Jophiel joked lazily, tossing another piece of junk before frowning briefly. That one looked like a bill, and perhaps an overdue one at that. Oops, perhaps a little lax on his part. It was quickly filed away as important before he shuffled through the slim stack of remaining envelopes, saying as he did so, “People? Interacting? Absurd.” She was granted a casual smile after that, and the Archangel decided he had had enough of flicking through mail. He would open them later.

Intimidation was actually something that Jophiel did well, due in part to his preference towards tall, well-built male hosts, but also because of his reputation. As the Angelic equivalent of Agent Mulder -- yes, people had actually called him that, granted only in recent years, at least by their standards -- he had a few tricks up his sleeve, and the history to back up any rumours that might be circulating with his name attached. He might have been an Angel, and extremely intelligent, but it wasn’t all about good deeds and booksmarts; Jophiel could kick ass and take names as well as any warrior. He was one of the Seven Archangels, after all, and one of Michael’s right hand men, as it were.

Remembering his own coffee, he collected it from where Ariel had set it down, beginning his steady work on the beverage as his fellow Angel browsed the volumes nearby. “I’m getting by,” he said after a brief hesitation. Then he sighed. “To be honest, I’m still trying to find… well, you know.” Ever since the catastrophic battle between Zadkiel and Moloch, Jophiel had been somewhat obsessed with finding evidence that his fellow Archangel -- the Scully to his Mulder -- was still alive and kicking. So far, he wasn’t having much luck.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-28 12:21 am UTC (link)
Ariel chuckled, ceasing momentarily in her perusal so she could look her fellow Angel in the face; purposefully defying all human logic, of course. She had seen Jophiel in action many a time, long before their Father had fallen silent. He was, indeed, a sight to behold, and she often found herself glad that she had never been on the receiving end of the Archangel's wrath. Ariel also knew him to be a steadfast friend and companion, someone she could trust with her life.

Such was the bond between Angels.

At mention of their missing -- not dead, she wasn't dead -- leader, Ariel's cheery countenance faltered. She moved toward Jophiel and settled beside him, sipping at her coffee for a moment. "No news, then?" the Angel murmured.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-28 11:12 am UTC (link)
Jophiel set down the cup, no longer interested in its contents, despite the fact that he had paid for them. With the topic that had come up -- even though he had been the one to bring it up; he could easily have left it alone and moved beyond mentioning it -- it was difficult to think about anything but just how desperately he had been hunting, going through source after source, keeping his ear to the ground for the slightest hint that the other Archangel had recovered from the fight and returned.

“No,” he replied, his own voice quiet, his eyes fixed on the cup he had set on the counter ahead of him, as if it would suddenly spring to life with the answers he had been waiting for. Jophiel snapped himself out of it, and glanced at Ariel. “But I’ll keep looking. She’ll show up.” There was conviction in his voice, and something else that any Angel worth their salt would recognise easily: faith. Jophiel had nothing but the utmost faith that Zadkiel would be back. She would. It was just a matter of when. “And I’m hope I’m with her when she decides to pay Moloch a visit to return the favour.”

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[info]leonine
2009-01-29 09:30 am UTC (link)
Faith was at the core of their being. Before the Fall, there would have been no telling Ariel anything contrary to what she'd be imbedded with -- that steely, undying faith in her Father and His almighty power. Even now, when it seemed they had been abandoned and left to fend for themselves, she knew He was still out there, somewhere. Still listening.

It was only a matter of time. And Ariel believed it because she didn't want to be one of the ones to spiral downward. To lose faith. That thought terrified her.

Nonetheless, the Angel found herself burdened with a sudden wave of sadness and grief. They were two emotions that she was still having difficulty with, for they could be harsh and unrelenting, but at least she didn't burst into tears. Ariel let out a slow, steadying breath and dropped her head so it rested on Jophiel's shoulder; a younger sibling looking for comfort from the elder.

"I do miss her," she murmured.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-29 10:08 am UTC (link)
There was no question about Jophiel’s faith. Each and every host he had inhabited had ended up wearing a crucifix, even if they hadn’t to begin with; the one around his neck currently was silver, on a simple chain, and in plain view thanks to the parted, unbuttoned collar of his pale shirt. He had found it rattling around in the bottom of one of Jared Kilmartin’s desk drawers during his initial hunt for information about the new form he had adopted; whenever he changed hosts, he spent a good few days learning absolutely everything he could. The crucifix that had never been worn before could easily be explained away now as Jared’s newfound belief in miracles and the power of God.

Much like Ariel, Jophiel still wasn’t able to truly manage the negative emotions; those like grief and sadness. They rolled inside of him like a fierce wave of water that couldn’t be stopped, and it was all he could do to keep from grimacing with the force of them as they crashed about within him anew at the thought of Zadkiel. “So do I,” he said quietly by way of agreement.

He and Zadkiel had essentially been created together. For all intents and purposes, as peculiar as it might sound, he believed they were two parts of the same whole, and even with everything that had happened between them -- as sticky and complicated as it had become after the war -- there was just no denying that they were a pair to be reckoned with; it was why their Father had created them the way he had. They were supposed to be together, and the fact that they weren’t hurt more than Jophiel could honestly say.

Jophiel looked down at Ariel, with her head against his shoulder, and his sigh was quiet. “She’ll come back. It’ll take more than a Demon Prince with an attitude problem to put her down for good.” Wishful thinking, yes, but if anyone could muster a strong sense of optimism, it was the Angels.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-30 01:50 pm UTC (link)
Zadkiel and Jophiel were two sides of the same coin. She had seen them together many a time before Zadkiel's disappearance, seen them leading, fighting, and laughing together. They were an unstoppable force, and they would be again once Zadkiel was back. It might have been little more than a pipe dream, but there was no way that the likes of Moloch could destroy one of their Father's Archangels that easily.

"If -- when we find her," Ariel said. "Maybe we'll be able to go back to Him. Work something out. You never know."

Earth was so... different. There was so much that had to be dealt with, human emotions aside, and despite the fact that Ariel had been back and forth for centuries, it was never something that she got used to. Discomfort aside, it all came down to what their Father asked of them. He was out of touch, yes, but it had to be some kind of sign. There was no way He would just cut them off without reason. No way.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-30 04:26 pm UTC (link)
After he had received news of the outcome of the fight between Zadkiel and Moloch, he knew he had been in shock for a time, but after that had passed -- forced though its passage might have been -- he had gotten in touch with as many of the others as was possible and did everything he could to find fault in the rumours. He had gone to the site as soon as he was able, only to be repelled by forces not even he, an Archangel, could overcome. It didn’t matter. He hadn’t found anything, and no amount of searching and praying so far had uncovered any results that could be classed as favourable. Still, he couldn’t give up hope. He just couldn’t. It wasn’t in his nature to give up; quit.

“You never know,” he agreed, quietly but with sincerity, nodding his head before glancing down at her. Anything was possible. This all had to be part of His plan, part of His grand design for the future; just because they couldn’t understand, that didn’t give them any right to question or judge, and Jophiel would wait and see, as any good child should. Zadkiel’s disappearance had to be part of that plan, and her return would be as well. Her return might even lead them to something remarkable, as Ariel had -- albeit subtly -- suggested. All they could do was wait. Wait and see.

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[info]leonine
2009-01-30 07:16 pm UTC (link)
If anyone could discover Zadkiel's whereabouts, it was Jophiel. He had more drive than anyone to find his fellow Archangel, and Ariel had faith that he would succeed. For what would happen if Zadkiel was truly gone? It was a grim and saddening possibility, but a possibility nonetheless, and despite the fact that she tried her hardest not to think that way, it sometimes came over her. These heavy, painful human emotions that seemed to pull at her from all directions until it felt as though she would be ripped to shreds.

Stop. Breathe

She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath. Ariel's exhale came out in a powerful whoosh before she sucked in a great lungful of air again. It was enough to clear the darkening thoughts from her mind, and she gave Jophiel a light bump on the shoulder with her forehead before finally looking him in the face.

"How's the shop been?" she asked with a smile, seamlessly changing the subject.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-01-30 07:58 pm UTC (link)
There was no doubt in the Archangel’s mind that he couldn’t find his friend, his partner, alone. It would be a combined effort, everyone doing their part. God’s Angels were a team, and a powerful one. Extremely powerful. Even if they didn’t do much, even if it was one of them alone who found her physically, it would take everyone’s faith, everyone’s prayers, everyone’s belief, to bring Zadkiel back to them. Because she was coming back. No Fallen had been destroyed like that since the war had ended; it wasn’t about to start happening without warning, it just wasn’t. Jophiel refused to believe anything else. They could suffer and be forced violently away and along, but they couldn’t be destroyed. They couldn’t.

That bump prompted a faint smile, and when they dragged themselves determinedly into ‘normal’ conversation once again, he reclaimed his rejected coffee. It was going cold, but he wasn’t going to waste it. “Same as usual,” he said after drinking a mouthful of the cooling caffeine. “Comfortably quiet with the odd rush here and there.” His smile grew, gentle but genuine. “Reassuringly predictable. How about you? How’s the menagerie?”

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[info]leonine
2009-02-01 12:31 pm UTC (link)
Ariel chuckled, shaking her head. "It's been... hectic. We've been getting a load of strays, so we're a bit packed. You ever think about adopting a pet?"

She had chosen Dr. White partly for her good nature, yes, but partly for what she did. It was taking longer for Ariel to catch up to what the good doctor did -- Evelyn had managed years of education and trainingl, after all -- but she wasn't the Angel of Nature for nothing. The technical side of things was difficult, but no one in the clinic could deny that Dr. White had a certain 'way' with animals. Even if she couldn't keep up in surgery, she could always find the probably, and it was only a matter of time before she had everything down pat.

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[info]poweroflight
2009-02-01 06:33 pm UTC (link)
“I’m not great with animals,” he said with a smile and a laugh in his tone even if it didn’t come tumbling out of his mouth obviously. “I found some fish food in the back of my- uh, Jared’s cupboards. But there’s no tank. Something tells me he wasn’t too great at remembering to feed them.” Which meant the poor things had probably died, and Jophiel considered himself too busy to put any kind of animal through that. It just wouldn’t be right.

Jophiel almost envied Ariel for being able to choose her host the way she had. After what had happened to Shawn Winters, Jophiel hadn’t had a choice at all, and it had been pure necessity that had driven him into the comatose body of Jared Kilmartin. Yes, he might have gotten lucky, or so some would say, and the host did fit his ‘type’, odd as it was that he had one, but he hadn’t had the luxury of choosing after the torturous experience that was his exorcism from his last form.

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