Lilibeth, of the Lilin/ Lilibeth Malachi (littlelili) wrote in forgotten_gods, @ 2010-01-05 23:06:00 |
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Current mood: | amused |
Entry tags: | adam, lilibeth |
Who: Adam and Lilibeth, mentions of Lilith and Saleos
What: Breakfast meetings
Where: Lilith's kitchen
When: The morning after Adam and Lilith 'reconnected'
Warnings: Bratty Lilim meets the first man.
Adam: Adam stayed the night. It was a loud, long night, but that didn't mean he was going to skip breakfast; so just before noon, he sat down at Lilith's kitchen, with a bowl of cereal, some milk, some orange juice, and the newspaper. He also threw the apple juice down the drain. Habit. In his wife beater and jeans, with no shoes or socks, the first man relaxed in his ex-wife's kitchen, making himself entirely at home. Like he never left.
Lilibeth: Lilibeth hadn't slept a wink. It wasn't like she didn't try, but not even shoving her head under the pillow and stuffing a blanket in front of the crack on the floor blocked out the noise. She was pleased her mama sounded happy, but she really didn't think she needed to hear that. Heading out to the kitchen for breakfast, she noticed a man sitting at the table and paused, staring.
Adam: Adam glanced up from behind the newspaper. "Hello." He smiled. It was a nice, wide, open smile; the kind you get from your State Appointed Attorney who is going to do everything he can to get you off death-row because he's just that nice of a guy. "You," he added, rising and putting the newspaper down, "must be Lilibeth." He stepped around the table to approach her, offering his hand. "Adam."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth blinked at the bright smile, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Hello." This was the man who had been with mama last night, she hadn't expected him to still be here. "Yes, I'm Lilibeth. Nice to meet you Adam." She took the hand, shaking it slightly before noticing the empty bottle of apple juice. "Did you drink the last of it?"
Adam: He blinked, and glanced over at the apple juice bottle. Damn, he meant to toss that, too. "Uhm. No, actually, it had uh, it'd gone bad. The smell was just overwhelming. Toxic-like, even." Hey, it was true... far as he was concerned, anyway. "There's some orange juice if you want, though! It's nice to meet you, too."
Lilibeth: She mulled over his explanation, her mouth opening slightly as though wanting to question it, but instead she just shrugged. "Oh, I thought mama had only bought it a few days ago. I guess I'll have orange juice then." She went and got a glass, pouring herself some. "Are you living here now?"
Adam: Adam licked his lips for a moment, in thought, and then smiled at her. "No. No, I just stayed the night. It was late." He pulled a chair out for her, then sat back down where he was sitting before.
Lilibeth: Lilibeth smiled in obvious relief, sitting down as she placed the glass in front of her. "Oh, that makes sense. Mama must have liked the company."
Adam: "Your mom and I go back a ways, we missed each other." Adam smiled a bit, and then scooped up more cereal, taking a big bite and giving her a goofy smile as he chewed.
Lilibeth: “I know, you explained that before." Lilibeth took a sip of her juice, still debating what to eat. She wasn't really sure what to call him, or what to say, so she spoke carefully. "Did mama tell you about Saleos and I?"
Adam: “Oh, yeah." Adam sighed and leaned back, hands sliding behind his head. "Mostly about Saleos, what with the parentage. Not so much about you, though." He furrowed his brow a bit, and then smiled again. "For the best, though. I'd rather get to know you through you."
Lilibeth:”You would?" Lilibeth's confusion was evident in her voice. "I'm not very special, like Saleos is, he's more important." He was the one who had actually spent time in Hell, she was only now learning everything about herself. "Um, what do you want to know?" she asked, itching her nose.
Adam: “Pfft." Adam waved a hand dismissively. "I think special is entirely subjective." Liar. "I'd like to know everything about you. I mean, you're the spitting image of your mom, but that doesn't tell me more than your parentage. Like, say, who your father is, or what you do to pass the time."
Lilibeth: Giggling at Adam's gesture, Lilibeth shrugged slightly. "There isn't much to know, I'm sixteen, my dad died before I was born, and mama had me staying with an Auntie and going to school until I got kicked out. Then Auntie died and I came here!"
Adam: “So your dad was a mortal? Huh. Interesting." Adam grinned and took a long drink of orange juice before he asked, "So who was this auntie? Dad's side or your mom's side?"
Lilibeth: “Auntie Maire said that daddy was studying to become a priest, but then he met mama and they fell in love. They don't know how he died." Lilibeth spoke in a sad tone, obviously not aware of all the facts. "She was really close with mama."
Adam: Adam opened his mouth, and then closed it. He paused for a moment, and then said, quietly, "Oh." That explained a lot. "Yeah, your mom and men of the cloth. Hrm. Anyway, better topic: what do you do for fun?"
Lilibeth: Lilibeth noticed him opening then closing his mouth, tilting her head to the side as she listened. "Mama is very devout, I guess." She paused. "what do I do for fun? Um, I like skiing, and listening to music, and hitting people..."
Adam: Adam raised his brows and laughed, briefly: "Hitting people! You really are your mom's kid. She can get downright violent." Not that they needed to discuss the ways Lilith and Adam explored their violent sides.
Lilibeth: Lilibeth raised an eyebrow, getting up to refill her orange juice. "I get that a lot, but I've been told we look alike too. I'd rather be like my mama than like some women." She figured Adam probably deserved whatever violent thing her mama did to him.
Adam: He completely deserved it. He also enjoyed it. Adam smiled a bit and says, "You do. You look a lot like her. Your mom is definitely someone to be proud to be like, yes."
Lilibeth: She noticed that he got a certain look on his face, like he was thinking about something special. "Thank you, I'm proud to look like my mama and hope I grow up to be someone she's proud of."
Adam: “I don't doubt you will." Adam finished his cereal and leaned on his elbows a little. "You said you were going to start in a new school, soon?"
Lilibeth: “Yes, mama enrolled me in a private school." Lilibeth wrinkled her nose, a look of disgust on her face. "A Catholic school."
Adam: “Ew, why on Earth would she do something like that?" Adam asked, but he knew the answer. Sadistic woman.
Lilibeth: “I’m not sure, you should ask her." Lilibeth smirked slightly, unable to stop herself from speaking further. "Maybe she wants me to learn restraint and not try to kill the priests who spread horrible lies about her."
Adam: “Horrible lies? You don't say. Like what?" Adam raised a brow.
Lilibeth: “Like about how she was wrong for everything that happened between you and her." Lilith spoke calmly, watching Adam with wide eyes.
Adam: “Ah, that. Hrm, well, I wouldn't say it's /lies/." Adam cleared his throat and smiled at her again. "Entirely subjective. It is very wrong of them to insult her, though." Only he gets to do that. Ahem.
Lilibeth: “The Bible is a collection of stories written by liars who didn't know the whole story." Lilibeth's tone was borderline vehement as she glared at Adam, knowing he had hurt her mama in the past.
Adam: Adam didn't seem intimidated; or even worried. He just smiled at her and raised his brows: "You won't get any argument from me. I got kicked out, remember?"
Lilibeth: Lilibeth wasn't going for intimidation, just expressing her displeasure. She didn't trust him. "Which I'm sure you found some way to blame on my mama too."
Adam: "Actually, no." Adam brushed his palms together and leaned over towards her, on his elbows. "That one I blame on my second wife."
Lilibeth: "Oh..." Lilibeth appeared to consider this for a moment as she wrapped a few strands of hair around her fingers. "So do you blame everything that you don't like on women?"
Adam: "Not everything." Adam smirks. "Your step dad gets a lot of the blame, too. Real snake, that'un."
Lilibeth: :"That was his job though," Lilibeth pointed out. "He was testing you, and it's not his fault your dumb wife failed."
Adam: "If we're going to absolve people because it's their jobs, then I guess Michael was just doing his job, too, when he kicked us out. I guess middle management really does have it that easy." Adam stuck his tongue out at her with a grin. "And I was doing my job when I treated your mom the way I did since that's how He made me, and Eve was doing her job when she fucked up, and ... so on and so on."
Lilibeth: "No, just because someone makes you a certain way doesn't mean you don't have free will! Mama made a choice to not be under you, and you could have accepted that. Lot's of guys do!" Lilibeth shook her head, clearly enjoying the debate. "You would have rather had a doormat for a wife instead of a real partner, and look how you ended up. Mama was smarter than all of you."
Adam: "That why she still misses everything she used to have?" Adam raised a brow. "Tell me: is your mother happy?"
Lilibeth: That question caught Lilibeth off guard, but she quickly recovered. "Yes, mama said she was happy now that she has Saleos and I here."
Adam: "No. Not that kind of happy. Not 'I have my children with me' happy." Adam shook his head and leaned in a little further. "Real happiness. Felicity. The kind that wells up in here," he tapped his chest hard with the tips of his fingers. "The kind that makes you smile in your sleep, not because you have a good dream but just /because/. Does she sing when she showers? Does she dance her way across the living room? Does her smile reach her eyes?"
Lilibeth: "I.. I don't know." Lilibeth glanced down at the table, thinking about whether or not she had ever heard her mama singing or had seen her dancing across the living room. Her smiles always looked beautiful to her, which was why Lilibeth had never suspected anything might be wrong. "How do I know?"
Adam: "You don't." Adam shrugged. "It takes years to learn how to read people, and even then, they can learn to lie. But you have to remember that, above all, it's not /your/ fault. Your mother made decisions, whether wrong or right, and she has to live with them. Same as the rest of us."
Lilibeth: "My mama wouldn't lie to me." Lilibeth practically snarled, her voice far more defensive than she would have liked him to hear. The more they spoke the more upset she was getting, a fact she did little to hide. "I don't think I like you."
Adam: "That's a real shame," Adam said with a pout. "I mean, I like you."
Lilibeth: "You don't even really know me." Lilibeth said, shaking her head. "I don't really know you either though."
Adam: "True enough. But answer me this: what's better, liking someone before you know them, or disliking them before you know them?" Adam tipped his head a little to the side. "Which one is fairer? Which one do you think makes you a better person?"
Lilibeth: "Waiting until you know them to decide, but what does that have to do with being a better person?" Lilibeth was confused, she honestly didn't know what one had to do with the other.
Adam: "It's just a question," Adam said with a smile. "But, what I mean is, if you're going to wait and decide, would you rather wait with dislike and maybe feel ashamed for assuming someone was bad, or would you rather wait and perhaps be just a bit disappointed that you read them wrong?"
Lilibeth: "You made it so that I didn't sleep last night, and mama didn't sound too happy to see you until she made Saleos and I leave the room, so I don't know what to think of you." Lilibeth explained simply. "Besides, the Bible says you hurt mama, and last night it sounded like you hurt her again."
Adam: "Honey, I did anything but hurt her last night," Adam said with a smirk. "And weren't you the one that said the Bible's full of lies and slander?"
Lilibeth: "That's not what it sounded like." Lilibeth responded, backing away from his smirking face. "Well yes, but then you went on and blamed other people for your mistakes."
Adam: "Did I? I don't think I did." Adam raised his head a little and looked at the ceiling. "No, I'm pretty sure I blamed other people for their mistakes." He grinned at her. "Ask your mom if I hurt her."
Lilibeth: Her eyes narrowing, Lilibeth felt like screaming at how confounding he was being. "You're really confusing! And I will, once she comes out here!"
Adam: "You know, you're not the first woman to tell me I'm confusing," Adam said with a bewildered smile.
Lilibeth: "Then you should stop doing it." Lilibeth said, as though that would solve everything.
Adam: "You'd have me change who I am because other people find it confusing?" Adam raised a brow. "Wouldn't that be like asking your mother to change who she was because I wanted something different?"
Lilibeth: The face Lilibeth made very clearly showed that she didn't find his comment to be at all amusing. "I just think that if people keep saying your confusing you should try not to be. You wanted mama to do what you wanted her to do and not what she felt was best. It's different." You jerk.
Adam: "I'm not so sure. Hrm." Adam seemed to ponder this for a moment, but mostly it just seemed like he was entirely too amused by the exchange. "I think I know why I like you already."
Lilibeth: "How can you not be sure?" Lilibeth's eyes were practically popping out of her head as she stared at Adam. "Why do you like me, because I'm my mama's daughter?"
Adam: "No." Adam smiled. "Because you're /loyal/."
Lilibeth: "Of course I am," Lilibeth smiled, proud of this fact. "I would do anything for my mama."
Adam: "Not the same thing." Adam shook his finger a little. "But close enough."
Lilibeth: "Huh? Then I don't know what you mean." Lilibeth blinked.
Adam: "Loyal doesn't mean you do anything for them. It means you protect and support them, sometimes blindly so. Doing anything for them can be part of being loyal, but it's... its own beast." Adam smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm just an old man. I've got peeves."
Lilibeth: "Well, of course I'd protect my mama, she protects me and Saleos! We're a family, we have to protect each other." Lilibeth grinned, looking slightly sheepish. "You don't look old, silly!"
Adam: "Neither does your mom," Adam pointed out. "But thank you for the compliment anyway, it's very much appreciated." His smile was nice, and open.
Lilibeth: "I know, some people don't believe she's a mama." Lilibeth blushed, her opinion of Adam softening slightly.
Adam: "I'd be hard-pressed to believe it myself. I mean, maybe the mother of a little cute baby; but of a full grown, beautiful woman like you?" Adam thbbt'ed a little. "But I've known her for a long time."
Lilibeth: "I was a cute little baby once, but that was a long time ago." Lilibeth giggled at the raspberry noise. "Was mama everything the stories say she was?"
Adam: "It depends on the story," Adam said with a smile. "But from what I remember, while we had our obvious differences, your mother was always someone I enjoyed." In some way or another.
Lilibeth: "Oh that's good!" Lilibeth leaned in as though sharing a secret. "So many people don't seem to understand that mama wasn't a bad woman. You don't think she was bad, do you Mister Adam?"
Adam: "Bad? No, she wasn't bad at all." Adam shakes his head. "Just because people disagree doesn't mean someone's the bad guy. Differences of opinion, that's all."
Lilibeth: "You like saying that, huh? That differences of opinion is all." Lilibeth didn't like that different opinions could make one person good and another bad, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
Adam: "No. I just think it's true. Look, opinions may differ, but that doesn't make someone inherently bad. Your mother and I just didn't agree. A lot of people think she was a bad woman for not agreeing with me -- I don't. I just didn't think it'd work out if we didn't agree; and since I wasn't going to change my mind and she wasn't going to change her mind well then..." Adam clapped his hands softly. "There you go."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth sat quietly, listening to Adam explain himself over a situation that she would probably never come to see his way. While she appreciated his taking the time to try and level with her, all she really got out of his little speech was the fact that he really seemed to care what she thought. Pursing her lips for a moment, she finally spoke. "Do you miss her a lot, my mama? I mean, I know she didn't invite you over because she was mad at the door being broken, but she hasn't made you leave. You two must have needed to catch up..."
Adam: "I miss her /tons/," Adam confessed with a small, warm smile. "And yes, we had a lot of catching up to do, and we always will."
Lilibeth: "If you miss her so much, and have all this catching up to do, then why did she look and sound mad when she saw you?" As far as Lilibeth was concerned it was an innocent question.
Adam: "Probably because I drank all her beer," Adam said with an amused smile.
Lilibeth: "I don't think mama would have known that from you just sitting on our couch." Lilibeth responded seriously.
Adam: Adam smirked. "Just because I missed her doesn't mean there weren't some hard feelings. Part of the whole 'catching up' thing is smoothing those feelings out."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth nodded, seeming to accept that. "That makes sense, I guess. Did you get everything all smoothed out?"
Adam: "No, not everything. But it'll get there, eventually." Adam shook his head. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. It might take a long time."
Lilibeth: "I won't worry unless you upset mama. Then, all deals are off." Lilibeth commented, meeting his eyes. "If you can make mama happy then that's all that matters."
Adam: "Tell you what: you let your mother deal with me, and I promise to try not to upset her." Adam winked. "Believe me, if I do, I'll regret it. She has a temper, that one."
Lilibeth: "Alright, I guess I could do that, for now." Lilibeth didn't wink back. "You would regret it, and probably deserve it."
Adam: "Probably." Adam grinned a little. "I'm not going to argue that one bit."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth laughed at that, sitting back in her seat. "So are you waiting for mama to get up, or has she left for the day?"
Adam: "I was just having breakfast, actually. She's sleeping in; I guess she was tired out from the... err... vacation." Adam smiled. "I didn't want to wake her up."
Lilibeth: "From the vacation, or from whatever you were doing to get her to scream." Lilibeth said matter-of-factly. "I'm sure she appreciates that."
Adam: Adam smirked for a moment, and then nodded. "How about we assume it's from a combination of both, then."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth thought about it for a second, and then agreed. "Sure, so long as you stop acting like whatever you and mama were doing was at all quiet."
Adam: "I kept telling her you kids were in the other room," Adam pointed out with a shrug. "She just said it was something you'd have to get used to."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth's expression reflected that she clearly did not believe him, but wasn't going to say it. "Next time I'll listen to my music."
Adam: Adam raised his brows and nodded a little, smirking. "Oh yeah; that's gonna drown it out."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth got a look of shock on her face, dumbstruck.
Adam: Adam smiled at her, and then lifted the orange juice carton up. "More juice?"
Lilibeth: Lilibeth continued to digest his comment, shaking her head in the negative. "No, thank you."
Adam: "Okay." Adam shrugged and smiled at her. "So I take it you're not looking forward to starting school again, then."
Lilibeth: Oh thank the Lord, he was changing the subject. "No, not really. I keep screwing up and getting kicked out, and I wouldn't want to upset mama."
Adam: Adam wouldn't exactly thank the Lord, in their position. He smiled at her and shrugged: "It can be hard not to upset the people you love, even when you're trying to defend them."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth wasn't exactly thanking who he might be thinking of, but then again she wasn't exactly a typical Catholic girl. "It's just boring, and frustrating, and I don't like being around phony people."
Adam: “Mmm, phony people." Adam shook his head a little and sighed. "Tell me about it. I try to be honest; and to be perfectly frank, most people can't /stand/ me when I'm being honest. But I am how I am, you know? I prefer to be me, than try to be whoever they would accept."
Lilibeth: Now this was a subject Lilibeth could get behind. "So many of the other students sit there acting like they're such good people in those schools but they're never as pure as they pretend to be." Not like her, Lilibeth was saving that for when giving it up would be most useful.
Adam: "No one is ever as pure as they claim they are. That's why I stopped claiming to be pure a long, long, long time ago." Adam smiled at her, and brushed his palms a little.
Lilibeth: "I am, but that's because I know my mama wants better for me." Lilibeth sniffed, clearly believing everything she was saying.
Adam: “If you say so. I am way beyond questioning it. Eventually, we all show our true colors. If they are what we showed during our lives, great. If not, well, things change." Adam shrugged and smiled.
Lilibeth: "I say so." In fact, the only reason why she knew what her mama and Adam had been doing in the kitchen was because she had educated herself about sex so she could mock the non-virgins at her schools. "That was a very deep statement."
Adam: "Not so deep. More just true. People think age makes you wise. But age just makes you less likely to learn. Learn now, while you're young, Lilibeth." Adam smiled at her. "Take it from an old man."
Lilibeth: "I thought people were constantly learning though, why would you stop when you got older?" This must have been one of those weird adult things. "Alright, if you say so."
Adam: "It's not that you stop learning, you just..." Adam struggled for a moment to find the right way to express it. "Stagnate. After a while, you find comfort in old things, old behaviors; try as you might to learn new things and change, it becomes harder. For moment beings, it has to do with the degradation of the brain and body. For me, it's just that I'm used to how I am; and changing would take an epically huge, unfathomably massive undertaking."
Lilibeth: "Oh, so you get bored and stop caring?" Lilibeth figured that was what he meant, and hoped she was right. "Maybe you just need new experiences and new people to help you stop that stagnation and the degradation and stuff. I'd help if I could, but only if mama says it's alright."
Adam: "No. I don't get bored and stop caring," Adam said, snickering. "I get scared and cling to the things that made me who I am and that made me feel good once upon a time."
Lilibeth: "What could you ever have to be scared of though?" Lilibeth asked, amazed to think he could be scared of anything. "Like mama?"
Adam: "No." He sighed, and for a moment became quiet. "I'm just human, Lilibeth. Granted, I don't die -- not for long -- and generally I come back from whatever happened to me unscathed, but I'm still a man. Just a man. But a man that has to live amongst gods. It's not that I'm scared of them -- they can kiss my mortal ass -- it's that I'm pretty much alone in that."
Lilibeth: "No you're not," she responded, shaking her head. "Isn't mama the same as you? And your other wife if she's around? There has to be others too, I mean there has to be some reason you're the way you are. I don't even know what I am, I mean I know mama is special but I'm not like Saleos..."
Adam: "This is where you get mad at me again: I'm a man, Lilibeth. I'm alone because I'm the first man. First. Man. Lilith and Eve? Both created by God. I didn't get any brothers. Just descendants." Adam shrugged. "Some people think I'm self-centered because I think that way. Maybe they're right."
Lilibeth: "Why would I get mad at you, um, you're right." She had forgotten that and now felt silly. Of course he was unique, he was the original one. "Why is that self-centered? I mean, it's not like that isn't a true statement."
Adam: "... oh man, you actually got it. You have no idea how many times people have been so blindly ready to assume I was being a chauvinistic prick that they missed what I was actually saying." Adam seemed genuinely content about this.
Lilibeth: "Why would people think that about you? I don't think you're a prick, you seem nice enough to me." Lilibeth wasn't going to deny he was chauvinist though.
Adam: Adam shrugged. "Some people can't separate certain character traits from others. It's a thing."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth nodded. "Oh, like how all girls who go to Catholic schools are lesbians or sluts?" She was neither, at least not yet.
Adam: "Yeah, like tha-" Adam paused. "... no, yeah, yeah, like that."
Lilibeth: "Which one is it, like that or not?" If she didn't get it then he should let her know. Lilibeth hated not knowing.
Adam: "No, you got it right. I just got, err, confused for a moment." Adam smiled a little.
Lilibeth: "Oh, well okay then." Lilibeth grinned. "I'm not one of those girls."
Adam: "Good for you. Fight the trend." Adam gave her a grin and a wink. "I wonder where your brother is. I should meet him, given he's my grandson and all..."
Lilibeth: "I want to, even if Saleos say I'm just going to end up having sex all the time just like mama." Lilibeth smiled. "He went out last night, he probably isn't back yet."
Adam: :"Damn, and here I wanted to meet him." Adam smirked a bit, and shrugged. "Oh well. At least I got to meet you, hrm?"
Lilibeth: "He'll be home later, he has to be back before mama finds out he left." Lilibeth realized she ratted him out, but didn't care. "That's right, and I'm much better than him."
Adam: "You so totally are," Adam said with a smirk. "Prettier, too, I'm sure."
Lilibeth: "Some people find him pretty, but I think I look more like mama than he does." Lilibeth pointed out. "Because I'm a girl."
Adam: "I think it's more than just because you're a girl, but I don't doubt that that weighs in heavily." Adam lifted his arms up over his head and stretched them. "I should go for a run or something. Stretch my legs."
Lilibeth: Lilibeth ignored the first part, not really finding it important. "There's a good park not far from here, I go there sometimes when I take a walk!"
Adam: "Yeah? Hrn, which way is it?" Adam started to stand up, rolling his shoulders back.
Lilibeth: "You take a left out of the building and go a block and a half, cross the street, it's there." Lilibeth got up, pulling a bowl out to get some cereal. "Can you pick up more apple juice while you're out? If you're coming back, that is."
Adam: Adam paused on his way to the door, swallowing slowly. He tried to keep his breakfast as he answered, "Yeah, sure. I'll check and see. Nice meeting you, Lili." He smiled at her over his shoulder, and headed for the door.
Lilibeth: Lilibeth had the strangest feeling she was going to have to buy her own juice. Oh well. "Thank you, nice meeting you too, Adam."
Adam: "I'll see you soon," Adam said, with a tone that brooked little deliberation. He winked, and slid out the door, closing it behind him.