InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Eat the meat"

Elise de Listenois (welcometobedlam) wrote in light_of_may,
@ 2011-04-08 05:27:00

Entry tags:

2009-08-15, elise, rina

Don't think for a beat it makes it better
Who: Elise & Rina
Where: Courtyard @ U of M hospital -- Ann Arbor
When: Afternoon

Madness, like most properly made blades, was all about layers. Layer upon layer. Heated, folded, beaten, cooled. Repeat as necessary. Some minds, some metals, could be worked and reworked. They remained malleable enough to reshape as and when one wished. The same sword could be passed down through generations of warriors, though it may carry a different form each and every time. The metal that formed the desired edge was still the very same as that reputed to have defended insert-ancestor-here from insert-ancestral-foe-here. It just looked prettier, was better suited to the fighting style of the time.

Other metals, other minds, were not suitable. Could not endure quite so much attention. They shattered when struck a certain way, were only suitable for specific motions. Reworking became out of the question after a time. Thus, the hours, days, weeks and months spent on one subject finally paid off. It was the fundamental difference between metalwork and psychiatry according to the Gospel of Elise. If it broke under pressure - or, indeed, without the pressure - she was doing her job right. In the middle of the hospital courtyard, in front of the Light-Bringer knew how many people, her most recent appointment fell to pieces, clutching desperately at hands that were actually causing the hallucinations he was suffering from. The shared stab of heartache she received as payment for tipping those particular scales was studiously ignored. It made her nauseous, though her mask of sympathy and concern did not falter. More interesting was the stream of images she was picking up from him. His daughter had a new puppy. Or two. Someone find me a shepherd. If he grabbed at her clothing again, she was going to kick him.

“Perhaps it was wrong of me to bring him outside,” she told a nurse, apparently guilt-ridden. Of course it was wrong of her. Else she wouldn’t have done it. “I had hoped the change of scenery would help a little...” Oh, no. She hadn’t. She just couldn’t have him recovering. Not after she had put so much effort into destroying him. Smiling wearily at the nurse who offered her sympathies - Shut up, you utter half-wit. - Elise sank back onto the bench, fingers supporting her temple as she watched her patient disappear back to the ward. Where he belonged. Under her thumb. Her eyes closed, and the support moved from her finger-tips to the palm of her hand as the rest of her tried to sink into the bench. Too much contact for too long, and her mind was filled with images, thoughts and feelings that were not her own. Added to that the rising mental order of her surroundings, and if the demon were not feeling quite so drained, she would have been fit to give everyone hallucinations.

A flicker in her peripheral vision as her eyes blinked open again, and she closed them again automatically. She had pushed herself too far these past few weeks.

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_breakmyself
2011-04-08 06:14 am UTC (link)

The world had changed since Rina had last lived in it, quite a bit actually, but it turned out that no matter how much things changed some did stay the same. There were still hospitals, still people who had problems that needed to be taken care, and they still needed people - or angels - to help with them. It may have been a handful of decades since she had last been working in a hospital but Rina was sure that she could catch up again. Which was why she had figured out directions to the nearest hospital, come here and talked with one of the people in charge. Apparently she needed something called a 'resume' and then some sort of an ID - the man said that they did special IDs for vampires so it stood to reason they would offer the same for angels - to prove who she was... all in all she was going to need to get Darklis to help her again. Because she was certain that she did not understand half of what had been said to her, but she had all sorts of papers.

Papers that she had taken into the nearest courtyard and spread out in the sun with to get some reading done. She would have been content with that had she not felt a little tugging in the back of her head. Of course that was not surprising with where she was, but this was closer, and a moment later she realized why. There was a man falling to pieces, she could feel it and he should not have been, he did not need to be going through that. Rina had set aside her papers and started to rise a moment after he was taken away. And with him gone there was something else tickling at her mind. Something... that was not welcome at all. Something that made her very skin start to crawl. No, why would one of them... That almost felt like a demon. A demon sitting on a bench in the courtyard not five yards from her, having sent that man off in such a terrible state. And of course she doesn't give a single damn about him because she's a demon and they don't know how to care about anything but themselves. Rina had acknowledged that when she was young, it was simply fact. Which meant that a demon had, from her point-of-view, absolutely no reason to be in a place like this where she could hurt people.

Rina was not a spiteful person. She did not believe in starting any sort of disagreement because that could potentially lead to something upsetting or violent and that was just not her style. But what was a demon doing here? Folding the papers up she slid them into a bag, suddenly grateful that she had insisted on leaving Trouble at home, and stood. She could have walked away. Yes, she was fully capable of doing that, and yet here she was walking in the direction of the woman she knew to be a demon. A demon who was making her stomach turn over on itself just be existing and in addition to that there was a vague feeling of... oh, had the demon tired herself out ruining that man's mind? Poor thing. Placing herself several feet in front of the blonde, Rina crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to not just fold in on herself or go right back to Darklis'. She did fidget a little with the bracelet that she had pulled on that morning. "You don't belong here." At least her voice was steady.

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welcometobedlam
2011-04-08 06:53 pm UTC (link)

Behind closed eyelids, Elise felt the world sway. While her free hand trailed patterns over the back of the bench out of sheer force of habit, her mind swam with altogether too much information, barely picking one item out from many. A lot of people sat here on a day-to-day basis. They thought and felt and did. And sometimes it would be nice if they just didn't, so she could take a seat without being assaulted by the occurrences centred around it. She was never going back to wearing gloves. It was boring.

The shrieks, cackling and crying of long dead patients echoed in Elise's ears. Full surround-sound. Followed by inane chattering and the sound of the sheers as they made their rounds, cutting the girls' hair for wigs. Once upon a time, it had been something she'd more than just enjoyed. Now that the inmates weren't actually there it just irritated her. It wasn't exactly something she could recreate. Not here. For a moment, she pushed aside the background noises her mind was adding and contemplated what would happen if everyone came into work tomorrow morning to find all the inmates had been lobotomised overnight. The idea was enough to expel the frown that was threatening to form on her face. That feeling, though... The area had a definite feeling of 'excuse you?' that only one kind of creature had ever been able to deliver. She sincerely hoped she was right. And that it didn't come with some kind of battle-axe. Because she was sure that kind of activity in the workplace would get her fired.

Opening her eyes, Elise looked past the figment of a Bedlam Hospital surgeon looking to jam whatever-that-was into her forehead to the woman stood in front of her. With a smile that suggested she was mildly confused, she straightened up - her hallucination would have to settle for lobotomising her shoulder - and looked the other woman over. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else," she stated, tone perfectly polite. Like someone who gives a damn. And... sorry, but was that her idea of some kind of intervention? Next she would be telling patients that wearing one half of a pigeon on the bottom of each foot would cure... something. Elise couldn't remember which ailment that was supposed to tend to - she suspected it was influenza or pneumonia - but the sentiment remained. With a slow smile, because she knew how sweet she looked, Elise offered her hand. "Dr. de Listenois." Which naturally sounded better with a French accent and horrific in an American accent, but since she was neither she couldn't be bothered complaining.

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_breakmyself
2011-04-09 04:57 am UTC (link)

Not only was this a demon, the worst sort of creature in the world - ranked right with the nephilim - but there was something else not right with her. Like the gears that worked to make her tick had gotten dirt and grime stuck in them. Do all demons feel like - no. A momentary panic as she remembered a face, eyes that flashed red, a hand slapping across her face. That was the last demon that she knew she had come across and he had not given off anything but that feeling of wrongness and anger. This demon, whoever she was, made Rina's head ring. Rina's eyes flicked at the demon's hand before she put her own hands behind her back, twining her fingers together so that they at least did not twitch. No, she was not touching it. Bad enough that they were stood so close together in a place where plenty of people could see. The law. Rina had not intended harm towards anyone for... a very long time.

No demon should be able to smile that sweetly.

"No, I have you mistaken for no one." Because Rina knew none of the doctors here. Though now that she knew that there was a demon working with them... why did evil continuously have to find its way back into the halls of hospitals? They were supposed to be there to heal, to cure and to help. Demons never stood for any of those things and everyone who knew that they were indeed real also knew that. Dr. de Listenois. No, she could not be a doctor. How could a demon be a doctor? "Why are you here?" It was a question that she did not truly expect a good answer to because she was questioning a demon. They did not always give truthful answers, much less to angels. I shouldn't actually be talking to her. But what else am I supposed to do? Rina knew angels who always had some sort of a weapon on them, but her? The most dangerous thing she currently had in her possession was likely the pen that she had been using to write with. There's no point in telling her what she's doing is wrong - she knows that. She likes that. Demons were not tormented by the things they did or else they Ascended. She enjoys what she does. It was downright sickening.

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welcometobedlam
2011-04-09 03:18 pm UTC (link)

Elise's bottom lip jutted out in a false sulk that would have been a very real sulk had she known she was being ranked alongside the nephilim. Oh, the nephilim were fun, she would give them that, but they were no demons and they were only interesting because of the crimes at least one of their parents had committed. One of the many epitomes of taking credit for someone else's work, really. But it was very rude of this woman not to accept her hand. Manners were just common decency. She did love it when angels brushed aside virtues like courtesy for the sake of angelic law. What kind of flimsy little excuse was that to be rude? There was nothing so bad about falling. Someone had to go forth and multiply. Create those abnormally tall, beautifully wicked things that barely even needed the corruption. None of that was the point, though. She'd wanted the stupid creature to shake her hand out of some misguided sense of obligation because she wanted to know. What was the point of being a touch-know if people wouldn't let you touch? "That's not very polite," she stated almost sadly, her pout giving way to dismay when all she could bring herself to feel was a mild disappointment.

"Eimi Outis," Elise chimed - I am Nobody - though she was talking to herself more than the angel. She couldn't think of a good enough reason to actually hold a conversation with it past general annoyance. How many jabs would it take to annoy this one to the point of no return? Oh, but it was asking her a question and while she had half a mind to ignore it for the sake of being rude in return, she was petty and childish on an almost daily basis, and honest answers often received a better reaction. A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. Standing, smiling through the stab of fury that came with the figment of a surgeon trying to irreparably damage her frontal lobe, Elise cocked her head to one side. "Because I want to be," she sang quietly, shoulders hunching in an exaggerated shrug. "Careful which sandbox you toddle into, ma petite. Some of us really would rather kill them than risk losing them to the almighty." And why not? She'd done it before. It would just be verging on impossible to explain without implicating herself. There were too many currently staying in the ward. Which was her fault, but nevertheless. "And you're no use to them dead." No, Elise wasn't armed. But a stiletto heel to the temple had been known to do the trick on humans. She was willing to bet it would, in the very least, cause this one a really bad headache.

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_breakmyself
2011-04-09 08:27 pm UTC (link)

Why did demons have to go and try to act like they were real people? They were not. They were not even close to real people. They were demons for the love of everything and they should not be allowed to have faces that mimicked those of individuals who could actually feel the emotions that they showed. Did demons feel... no, nothing but hate, surely. Perhaps delight at the hate that they caused. It went against Rina's very nature to dislike something so thoroughly, but then perhaps it did not because this woman was a demon and as firmly as her personality was engrained so was that bone-deep hatred. "My manners do not extend to your kind," Rina explained. Her voice was still level, neutral, but it was true. Had a demonic-blooded human extended their hand then Rina would have taken it because, despite the demon in them, they were still technically innocents. Until their true nature went and shined through, then they were perhaps worse for having had the choice to not be that way. A vague feeling of disappointment trickled out from the blonde demon, surprising Rina slightly and then making her doubly glad that she had put her hands behind her back. If a demon wanted to shake her hand then she was sure that she should want every bit as much to not touch that hand.

Kill them. Rina's back straightened, her face drawing into an expression of deep distaste. All demons deserved distaste to one level or the next, but ones who made declarations like that about people that she was meant to look after and help were just that extra little bit worse. "I have no intention of dying," Rina informed the demon almost absently as she regarded the courtyard. A few people here and there. That one over there was giving off vague waves that tugged at her mind just so, making her want to go and see what was wrong with him, but at the current moment she was a slight more occupied with the demon who apparently wanted them dead. Sighing, Rina tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before crossing her arms over her chest. "The problem is that I can't let you do what you seem to be doing. I'm here to help them and if you're standing in the way of it, that makes you more of a problem than a regular demon." She was explaining more to herself than to the actual demon. And trying to ignore what her mind was trying to do, little tugs here and there with wisps of things that did not quite belong. Now was not the time for her to have any sort of a problem with her behavior. She needed to actually think and use her mind for something. Like figuring out what it was she was supposed to do about a demon who was at a hospital making her wards worse for wear. And how she was supposed to do it without getting into trouble herself. Rina Nimitz did not fight, she healed.

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welcometobedlam
2011-04-10 03:03 am UTC (link)

"Oh, but my manners extend to yours," the demon informed her cheerfully. "Lucky I have plenty enough for the both of us, mm?" Possibly less lucky that Elise's sense of courtesy involved waterboarding. She couldn't deny it; she perked up at the very idea of repeatedly tipping the angel head-first into a tank of water until any existing mental damage was made irreparably worse. Or she stopped breathing. What wasn't to like about that? Tucking her hands into the pockets of her lab coat, she rocked back on her heels. "I won't tell anyone you were rude if you don't tell anyone I was nice." She was lying, of course, but no one could have denied that it sounded like a fair trade. Almost. Once you conveniently forgot to take into account that no one could rightfully accuse her of being nice. She would have their tongue first. Could angels still cast holy magic without their tongue? More to the point, was now a reasonable enough time to find out? Her hands balled into fists in her pockets and she stopped staring at the creature's mouth quite so intently. Too many people were watching. It would look terrible if a psychiatrist went around maiming angels. And Elise had an image to think about. It was just as well that image was already a little eccentric. Her smile was becoming a touch maniacal.

"If the wind changes direction you'll stick like that." Though, to be honest, it would have been wonderful if that were the case. An angel who couldn't stop looking at everyone and everything as though... as though they had just threatened to kill a lot of God's Children. Just thinking that made Elise's stomach churn. "It really doesn't matter what you intend, though, does it?" Well, it didn't. She moved to walk around the other woman, turning on her toes slightly so she was always facing her. Being an angel didn't make one in the least bit trustworthy. At least with a demon she knew they would likely try to screw her over in some manner at some point. "Although general turn of phrase would suggest your very existence is pointless, since everyone knows the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." And we spit on them before we sleep at night. The disgustingly stereotypical miniature speech made Elise paused for all of three seconds before she burst into fits of childlike giggling, her frame folding in on itself while it apparently struggled to breathe. "I like you," she declared, catching her breath again. "Your spine is a little underdeveloped but I could get behind that kind of delusions. Do you have them often?" 'Regular demon.' As if there were such a thing. "When are you going to try hacking my head off?" Because that kind of apparent fighting talk was what this was supposed to lead to. Or someone ran away with their tail between their legs. "Or would you rather start slow and pull my hair first?" And get herself escorted from the hospital by security. Oh, Elise would pay to see that.

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_breakmyself
2011-04-10 06:04 pm UTC (link)

Demons did not have manners. This one proclaiming that she did was enough to make Rina's skin crawl. Or if they did have manners then they were the only ones who considered them to be such. She probably thinks that she does have them and maybe for a demon she does. Rina still did not think that she had done a single thing wrong by refusing to take her hand. It stood to reason that demons, who stood for the things that angels stood against, could not have actual positive traits unless you viewed murder as something good. Which honestly boggled Rina's mind. "Why would I ever tell anyone something that was completely untrue?" Rina asked, arms crossing over her chest yet again as she tried to keep herself together. The mere existence of this demon who would want to do things to harm people who had likely never done a thing wrong seemed to be every bit as upsetting as people talking about what had once happened in Germany.

What? This is... she's not all there. God. Demons were naturally considered just a little insane by virtue of the fact that they were demons, but Rina had not thought to come across one who actually did have something genuinely wrong with them. Past the being a demon thing. Tensing more as the demon, supposed doctor, began to walk around her, Rina did not turn along with her. She was being looked over and it had happened countless times, but she did not want to look anymore now than she had the last time it happened decades ago. It's not the same. I'm not walled in and she's not able to hurt me. Well, she could very possibly be able to hurt her but it was a different sort of hurt. The sort that may leave a scar but at least the was on the outside instead of the inside. "You can talk all that you like and it won't make your words matter anymore," Rina felt the need to point out. Some people liked talking just a little too much, likely to hear the sound of their own voice. And she only just managed to bite back a remark about not giving a single sort of damn whether or not a demon liked her. Rina did not approve of swearing but she thought that when one found themselves facing a demon it was the sort of thing that could actually be excused.

"Often enough I suppose." If she came face-to-face with demons more often then it was very likely she would have them more. Or she would end up dead. She did pull a face at the mention of heads being hacked off. Just the mental image that that produced was enough to make the bile rise in her throat. Yes, demons needed to die and all of that, but did she really have to do it? "I have no intention of 'hacking your head off'." Vile. "And I'm not quite sure, I haven't decided how to go about it. I feel like I should ask if you would cooperate and go somewhere else so as not to disturb the people here." Were there codes of etiquette when you intended on trying to kill someone?

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welcometobedlam
2011-04-12 01:13 am UTC (link)

"Umm." Elise's nose wrinkled and she tilted her chin up in feigned contemplation. "I don't know, why would you?" The arms were folded. Getting a little defensive over nothing, now, aren't we? After all, all she had actually done was talk and maybe tell one or two truths that might have made a god-fearing soul uncomfortable. She hadn't even gotten to the good parts yet. Of course, what the 'good stuff' actually was remained to be seen and was entirely subject to whatever happened between then and now. For all either of them knew, someone's skin was going to melt off their face. And, all in all, that wasn't a bad idea. She just needed a griddle and for that blessed screaming to stop-- Better. "Why do you say any of the things you say? Your voice isn't even that pretty and you don't talk anywhere near enough to simply be admiring it." Unlike Elise who was deliberately trying to ignore her brain-to-mouth filter. It bothered people when psychiatrists seemed to lose their mind.

Heels grinding to a halt, her hands clasped behind her back. She was certain that this sense of righteousness that angels had over demons was far from dissimilar to the kind of superiority that came with what many deemed 'too much pride'. One day she was going to find a Demon of Pride and make them agree with her. The angel was right, though. Elise really could talk as much as she liked. And she really was going to. Amongst other things. "That," she started, leaning forward until her nose was practically touching the other woman's face, "is because words don't mean a good goddamn thing." With a brief burst of laughter, Elise grinned and licked her from jaw to cheekbone. She only barely stopped herself from pulling a face at the taste - ew, holy - and the flashes invading her head. "Tastes liiike vampire." She smacked her lips together. "And cat." A pause. Her hands returned to her pockets and her voice lowered. "I knew a shepherd once. Gave his neighbours a moggy for Christmas. The children were dead by lunch. Only toddlers. Could have used theirs inside for tinsel..." A faux-concerned frown. "They're terribly vicious things, you know. You should be careful."

"Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery," Elise rattled off in a disgustingly chipper American accent. "You're no good to me like that. Take it back." Demanded with a little more force than she'd initially intended, but what did she care? Look at that - the girl's face was contorting. Fancy that, an angel who didn't seem to like the idea of violence. Or the end result of said violence. How else did she think she would kill a demon? Ask them to lay down and stay there a good long while? And if you pray really hard, a juggernaut will run over my head and save you the trouble. Head tilting, Elise gave a slightly bewildered smile before snorting. "You've never done this before," she sang, twirling slightly on the spot. "Not to mention I'm fairly certain cooperation belongs to some kind of virtue." That word left a bad taste in her mouth. "But! I want to see how badly you do." She bounced on the spot slightly, heels and all. "Come on, then. You get to choose the place. Only no holy ground; you'll run off to Celestia--" The word was dragged out with childish disdain. "--and that's cheating." She didn't feel the need to mention that she would begin speaking backwards.

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_breakmyself
2011-04-12 04:42 pm UTC (link)

Maybe that was actually a good question - why did Rina say anything? It was not as though it was necessary. There was no rule stating that she was required to speak to this demon. Nothing had required her to actually come over here instead of walking away either, nothing except for the knowledge that something was not right here and when that was the case it could not be allowed to continue. Most especially not when it was in a hospital where people were supposed to be cared for. Not toyed with, destroyed and tossed away. My voice is prettier than hers. Rina could have said that, but decided not to, nose wrinkling as the demon leaned in. Automatically she started to pull away but before she could put any real distance between them she was being licked.

Her hand came up immediately to wipe at her face, the following words almost blocked out by the sheer disgust pulsing through her because she had been licked by a demon. "Ugh," she muttered, not even realizing that came out as she rubbed her palm on her skirt. Demon germs. I just got licked by a demon. A demon LICKED me, for the love of god she dared to mention manners to me?? Silently she fretted over that, trying to keep from saying anything else out-loud. Her mind was trying to jump all over the place but it had managed to block out the remark about toddlers and tinsel. It had caught that mention of her tasting like vampire and cat. Darklis and Trouble. Deep breaths. She could handle having demon germs writhing all over her. She had been through worse. No, now was not the time to think of what those worse things had been because having a meltdown so close to a demon just screamed 'bad idea'. Also because no, she had never killed a demon before. Her only encounter with one had been that one parading as a Nazi during the - her neck twitched nearly violently and she focused her stare on a blade of grass like she had intended to suddenly look that way, worrying her bottom lip while she tried to think.

"I'm not fond of violence," Rina said at least, not liking the idea of fighting this demon anymore now than she had when she first came upon her. But if she did not at least try then would that not count as against their own divine law? And breaking that could lead to things like falling... and Rina would be a terrible fallen angel. Running back to Celestia was a far better idea, but if there was no holy ground then that was rather impossible to manage so it looked like she was just going to have to give it her best and see what resulted. Her wings were staying put away unless she intended on flying, however, because Rina had heard stories of angels having their wings pulled off. "And I don't know the area. I just don't want anyone around who might get hurt." Perhaps I should ask Darklis where she got that gun. I know how to use one of those. Knew how to use a fair few things, at that, but a gun was the only weapon she had actually used against someone with ill intent. "Do you know a place?"

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welcometobedlam
2011-04-13 01:34 am UTC (link)

With an amused hum, Elise rocked back on her heels. It was honestly hilarious to see an angel behaving in a manner that most would have considered somehow childish - thus probably far more fitting to a demon or maybe one of the nephilim. Fae, even. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if there were fae around before turning back to watch the fall-out of her little-- Outburst? No, that's not quite the word I'm looking for. Carefully raising one hand, she poked the end of the angel's nose and received a wave of sheer revulsion for her efforts. That's my girl. A squeak of delight and her nose wrinkled, hands joining in a single clap that made it clear she wanted a repeat performance. Even more interesting was the way she seemed to be... Oooh. Elise's eyes widened with unabashed fascination at the woman's twitch. She had seen similar before, yes, but usually on the damaged and those under her care. You're not all the way there, are you, sweetheart? Oh, if only the ward were equipped to detain angels. She wanted to keep this one. She also really wanted to see if poking her in the neck would make her do that again, but she had tangled her fingers together.

"Not fond of violence," Elise repeated. Slowly, quite deliberately drawing the absurdity of the statement out with a figurative pair of pliers. Faced with a demon - and not just any demon, but one she wanted to be rid of - and she admitted that she wasn't fond of violence. One might as well carefully mark the chinks in that armour. "No fire and brimstone?" She actually sounded disappointed. She was disappointed. Had the angels truly lost their fighting spirit? While that was sort of hilarious and rather the point, it was also boring. Even more so when centuries had taught you how to deal with those that would kill your offspring when they were still only babes. Not that Elise had ever had to worry about that. People kept confiscating her children. More fool them. Snorting at the creature's noble intentions - she wanted Elise dead, she wasn't allowed to fear for everyone else's safety - the demon shrugged off her lab coat. That could be left in the courtyard. It had her name on it and always somehow found its way back to the ward or her office. She didn't see why now should be any different. "Depends," she shrugged, draping the coat over the nearest bench and stepping out of her shoes. "Trust me?" She sincerely hoped the answer to that question was a negative, since they were now alone in the courtyard and she was stood there holding her shoes with massive black bat wings ripping through the back of her dress. "I might know just the place," she chimed, taking off. Or she might have just made a clean escape. It depended on whether the idiot followed her. And no, she really couldn't give a fig whether anyone had just seen that happen.

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_breakmyself
2011-04-14 12:14 am UTC (link)

This demon really needed to stop touching her. Rina was not particularly fond of being touched by strangers in the first place unless she was helping them, but a demon? No, just so much no that her skin felt like it was trying to crawl right off of her body. The delight and amusement rolling out from the demon was not helping at all, only serving to add to Rina's conclusion that yes, there was something wrong with her in addition to just being a demon. How could anyone actually enjoy this? "Fire and brimstone aren't my style." Why did they have to be? Why did anyone have to expect an angel to want to reign down judgment and just dealings every time they turned around? She did not exact vengeance, take revenge... there really were others far more suited to the task than her. Svein - "You really shouldn't do that. No, no put it down. Put it down and we can go back inside and-" Another twitch. It was surprising that she was only just starting to hear voices in a place like this, it had to be fairly bursting with conversations from the past. Wait, what were they talking about?

Oh. No she would not trust a demon. Especially not a demon who had likely driven that man, and countless others, insane and one who had no shame at all when it came to showing off her wings. Something which made Rina recoil just at the thought of doing. Although she would not ruin this shirt that way, not as completely as she had that one on top of the church the other day. Still. Her wings are hideous. Sighing, Rina slipped away the papers she had been holding and let her wings unfold so that she could follow suit. And on her way out of the courtyard she made sure to grab hold of a tree branch, pulling the smaller branches and leafs off of it as she followed at a fair distance, not wanting to be too close but not wanting to lose sight either. Because would that count as just letting her go? It was too risky a move and she was not about to find herself called before the courts for a technicality.

...the top of a building full of cars. What was that even called? Rina landed carefully, glancing around immediately to ensure that there were less people. More cars though. By which she meant a handful over there by what she assumed was a ramp down. Humans had really gotten very inventive while she was away. "You didn't have to be so dramatic about leaving, did you? Now people are going to be talking." If she did get a job at the hospital - she was unsure now whether or not she wanted it - then no one would believe she was human if even one of them had seen that. Rina remembered how gossiping worked.

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welcometobedlam
2011-04-22 02:58 am UTC (link)

So far this angel was shaping up to be plenty of fun – and simultaneously no fun at all. There was the part where there was something not quite right with her, and Elise was more than willing to grasp that leverage with both hands and yank it as hard as possible. Then there was also the part where she had already proclaimed that fire and brimstone allegedly weren't her style. Which really lead one to wonder just what her style really was. Apart from following demons around Ann Arbor like some kind of deranged puppy – for all she knew she was being lead anywhere. Silly goose. Even I have more sense than that. She sat upon the roof of the building in much the same way she had landed; crouched on the balls of her feet, knees pressed to her chest. Her wings were balancing her rather carefully. With a shoe in each hand, she tapped out an impatient rhythm on the floor. “Yes,” she answered simply. She would be as dramatic as she pleased. Insanity was rarely so subtle. Face arranging itself into a mocking display of disapproval, she clucked her tongue. “That, I believe, is called conceit,” she sang softly. “To think that all of those people would notice you above the din of their own lives. Some of them have illnesses to contend with, you know.” No, it was far more likely that they'd notice Elise. So what if they had? She dared them to prove what they'd seen. She double-dared them to say something about it to her face. Anyway, she'd left work that way before. As though she could have worked there for two years without doing that just to see what happened. “Besides, who are you to them?” Her eyebrows raised slightly as she took in the make-shift weapon. “Nobody.” That's who.

Standing, her wings folded behind her, tips brushing the floor. The soles of her feet seemed intent on collecting information regarding this building and the initial demonic raids. Apparently something had happened here. Elise didn't really care. “So what are you?” She watched the other woman and her broken piece of plantation. “I know what you're not by virtue of the fact you've yet to just try and knock my block off, but I've given you a name and even adhered to your wish that we not carry... whatever this is out in public. And you know something is terribly wrong when the demon is playing fairer than the angel.” Elise hadn't even gone ahead and just cursed the annoying feathery creature yet, so really, just who was playing by the rules here? “I think I can hear Gabriel's Horn sounding already...” She pouted, the expression immediately twisting into a grin. “Feel like putting money on whether those Horsemen vampires will ascend or not? Because I'm willing to bet not.”

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_breakmyself
2011-04-23 08:02 pm UTC (link)

Conceit? No, that was not what it was at all. It was a concern because Rina knew how much things could stick out and when they did stick out it was the people who had the most wrong who might grasp onto it the most. If they saw an angel with wings then perhaps what they had once seen that ended with them where they were, or what they had heard or felt, could also be real... or something. Rina did not know. But she was not trying to be conceited. As though being told that she was nobody by a demon would really affect her. To a demon that was perhaps true. To some people as well. The ones that mattered where the ones that she tried to help and to them she was anything but nobody, nothing. They mattered. This demon mattered only because she had come to Rina's attention and it was necessary that she at least try to do something about her. That she might not be able to... that was a fact that she had accepted somewhere in the back of her mind.

It was true that she had the demon's name, and a general idea of what exactly she was, but why did that mean that Rina had to give her own name? The last time that she had shared anything with a demon it had not gone well for her. Not thinking about him. But it was a little too late, her neck giving a twitch that she tried to hide by looking away. These thoughts were really stirring up far too easily for anything even remotely resembling comfort. But... Trouble would have told her not to. Trouble would have clung to her leg and torn little gashes in it to stop her from even trying to face a demon down. The little familiar might be aware of all the same things as Rina, but she was also aware of the fact that her angel was really not the most suited for something like this. She was not even suited to watch what would happen when an angel met a demon if one really thought about it. Bloodshed made her feel extremely nauseous. "My name's Rina and I'm a patron. For those who you seem to enjoy tormenting." A whisper of panicked voices sounded in her ears but she was able to ignore them, having long since grown used to such interruptions that had no real place. As for the Horsemen. "No more than the Gabriels would. Perhaps they can come stay with you and your kind."

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