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Ariel ([info]defectedfromgod) wrote in [info]utr_logs,
@ 2010-07-18 02:03:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:ariel, mephisto

WHO: Ariel and Mephisto, it turns out.
WHAT: A summoning.
WHERE: The back room of Nemo's Rare Books, London.
WARNINGS: I highly doubt it, aside from snark.

He'd found the book atop a small stack that had been sent to the shop while he'd been in Hawaii, the cast-offs of some rich Englishman he'd arranged to buy. They'd all seemed like fairly normal titles, but Sefer Raziel HaMalach had jumped out at him.

He knew the story well. The Book of Raziel the Angel, the heavenly Keeper of Secrets and divine knowledge, allegedly written by the angel himself and lost in antiquity. There were several versions believed to exist based on an extant copy in Spanish from the 13th century, but things had been lost in translation, of that he was certain.

Still ... the worst that could happen was that nothing would happen.

He'd cleared a space in the back room of the shop, drawn the circles, lit the candles (luckily he'd had a supply of pure beeswax). and knelt to begin the spells. He was finally feeling strong enough to do this, though he couldn't recall the last time he'd summoned an angel, as opposed to a demon.

The phrases fell from his lips in the polished Spanish of the book, sounded in the dark room, and now, all he could do was wait.


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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 06:17 am UTC (link)
It was a long time since he'd felt a pull on that particular part of his mind, and Mephistopheles, in his throne in Radek, stood and took his leave. He was summoned. Well. What he once was, at the very least. His hair shifted from a sooty black to a decadent gold, and his nails retracted to something almost, almost human as he was pulled into the back room of a shop he almost immediately knew.

There stood an angel, dressed in white. And it was almost funny to him. Except for the fact that the ONE true copy of his old book had found its way into the hands of Ariel.

"You wish to learn more of the secrets of the universe, Ariel?" His tone was far different, more mellow, almost gentle. Far different from his usual dark, deep, terror-inducing cadence. He faced the alchemist and it was obvious that he was blind.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 06:23 am UTC (link)
First there was only the exhilaration of success; the fact he'd managed a difficult summoning. Clearly at least this part of the grimoire was accurate. He dropped a full bow, as only befit an archangel. "I most humbly thank you for heeding my call."

However, as his head rose, he felt a prickle, somehow. A single note of wariness in the entire concerto of elation and pride. He did his best to shake it off. "I would not dare ask to know all, but I would seek heavenly guidance in finding my way. Who better to aid in that quest if he sees fit than the Keeper of Secrets?"

As he looked up at the visitor, it occurred to him what was making him nervous - the angel was clearly blind. One somehow never anticipated any heavenly creature to possess imperfections.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 06:28 am UTC (link)
The ruse would have to be dropped quickly, they were both too wary of the other to keep up pretense for long. Mephisto simply put his hands behind him, and held himself as he always did, still in guise as he answered.

"It seems that you come too late, Ariel. I was cast down. I made a foolish bet over the soul of a meddling man, and now, you call on me. Again."

He faced Ariel with only the tiniest of smiles. "You called the right being, at the wrong time. I told you that there is much you refuse to understand, much that you presume. But I will give to you all that you ask of me."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 06:37 am UTC (link)
Apparently the gothic cliche was in fact true; it was in fact possible for one's blood to freeze in one's veins. Ariel felt himself turn to ice, both in astonishment and revulsion, in hatred that he'd bowed to HIM and in triumph that he'd found a way to summon the bastard.

His own voice was softer, quieter, battered with the sheer gravity of what this all meant. "I have been told there is much I refuse to understand. But those who vow to make me are false friends, Archangel." He wet his lips, unsure if this insane charade would go on or if this was finally the time when the devil struck him dead. "I do not ask for your guidance. All I have to barter is my soul, and that was hard won to reclaim the first time." His mouth twisted in a faint mockery of something the devil had said before. "I'm told it's heartwarming when one of my kind learns from their mistakes."

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 06:43 am UTC (link)
"It is," Mephistopheles said while his voice melted from warm and inviting to just as scalding as it was naturally, his very demeanor shifting with the color of his hair and clothes, the way his nails grew into the claws they usually were. He knelt beside the alchemist and shook his head, still facing him as if he could see. "We've all fallen at some point, just some farther than others. Come, let's sit and I'll tell you secrets."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 06:52 am UTC (link)
Familiarity bred contempt, as the old adage went, and Ariel couldn't stop himself from feeling dirty. He felt used, though in truth he knew he'd been the one to bring Mephisto here. He at least had that trump card.

He looked at the devil and simply shook his head. "It would be useless to ask for proof of good faith from the King of Lies," he murmured under his breath. He'd vowed to speak only truth to Ariel, but that in itself could have been a lie.

Surprisingly, the first tactic that occurred to him was the truth. "I am human and you are not; you have millennia of practice into trapping us into signing over our souls. Surely you can comprehend why I fear receiving any sort of help from you?"

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 06:59 am UTC (link)
"Yes, I understand your hesitation, but I'm done playing games with you. If you hadn't been pointed out to me, I would have never known you. If you have a nit to pick, pick it with God, not me." He stepped out of the circle then and, as he said he was going to, he sat down at a nearby table.


Frankly, Mephisto was done playing games with Ariel. That time he did caused a bitter emotion when he thought of it, because it not only condemned him to Hell, but it cost him any chance of Heaven. It wasn't with Ariel that he held the grudge. "You summoned Raziel, and I am here to do Raziel's work. I will not deny you your answers, asking nothing in return. I know all that I once did, that will never change. You were right in summoning me."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:08 am UTC (link)
The devil had an irritating habit of making himself believable. Ariel sighed, shaking his head, his face twisting once again in mockery, but mostly of himself. "I was not going to ask what you might think I was, believe it or not." Not with an angel, especially not the Keeper of Secrets. There was only one appropriate question to ask an angel who sat at the right hand of God.

He shrugged. It was simple. If the demon laughed, so be it. "I wanted to know why me." Raziel would have known the answer to that. "Why was I on the proverbial chessboard." His voice grew tighter, but remained calm. "Why, if I was so favored, would she place me and my soul, my everything, into collateral like the lease on next year's crops."

Mary had told him to try and believe, to try and understand that God had a plan for everything. But it wasn't enough, and it would never be. He swallowed, willing himself to total calm. "I need to know." Before he could really move on, before he could feel safe anywhere or with anyone.

Helena? something whispered in his mind.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:13 am UTC (link)
Raziel would have known that, but he had long since forsaken that name, he didn't know exactly each and every thing that ran through God's mind, but he knew God well enough where he could try and figure it out. Mephistopheles spent a moment in silence, his hands folded and on the table. "I believe," He near whispered, "It was because you were bound to win. God loved you most, Ariel, because you already knew the answer that you were looking for, and you still searched to find more truths. You had everything right, and then things went wrong. Even before I came to you that night." He faced the alchemist with an unreadable expression.

"She knew you would win, she chose you. Over me."

If there was anything that inspired anger and resentment in the demon, it was surely that. But mostly, it inspired a deep, hollow feeling, a loss that nothing could fill.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:23 am UTC (link)
It didn't make sense, but it felt like his own failing, for once; not the demon spinning half-truths and lies. He hadn't won; he'd lost where it mattered; he'd been murdered, lost the woman he loved. He'd died broken. He'd been resurrected broken and alone, betrayed.

But as he looked at the demon, it hit him - well. One would have to be an imbecile not to hear the bitterness in the growling tone. "Did you know that?" Lord God, but his own voice was like burnt sand. "Did you destroy me for fun? Bewitch me into ..." He trailed off. Trying to speak of Marguerite felt like lighting his tongue on fire. "just to laugh? Or did you take out your frustrations on me, knowing what you just spoke of?"

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:31 am UTC (link)
Mephisto refused to lose his temper with the man, but oh, did he want to. His voice was strained to stay at a tone and decibel that would not outright pain Ariel. "Do not assume you are the only being here with more pride than forethought, Ariel," He hissed, "I knew nothing about you before the Creator pointed you out. She gave me a choice, either I stay walking among you creatures, or I could take the wager and, for once, I thought She'd give me a fair chance. She didn't." He clawed into the table with his nails, needing to feel something give under his hand.

"And I'm not sorry that you ruined yourself before you ascended. Because at the very least, Ariel, you ascended."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:36 am UTC (link)
"So you did it for fun." He'd developed a sense of some kind to know when to back down - there was being right, there was learning, there was being vindicated, and then there was death. Anytime one was in the presence of Mephistopheles, Death became an intimate companion. "Duly noted."

Instead of plunging on further ahead, though, he stopped, and laughed. And laughed, and laughed again. It wasn't manic laughter, but the realization that had come to him merited it. After the mild giddy fit had passed, Ariel just shook his head. "Tell me one thing. Are your personality characteristics and beliefs indicative of what gets one sent to Hell, or are the criteria different from person to person?" Because if anyone else shared his anger at God, and Her vanity, her manipulative ways and false tongue? It was the fallen Angel.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:44 am UTC (link)
Mephistopheles pounded the table and stood, grabbing Ariel by the collar of his shirt, his claws puncturing the cloth easily. He glared down at the human, more wrath in his very look than anywhere else in the world just then. "Are you the same as any other human, Ariel? I can't tell. You all smell the same to me. I was NOT always this way." He set the alchemist down again and stalked back to the table, sitting down heavily.

"I was pure once. I could see. I could feel like you could never imagine." Mephistopheles growled. "But I refused to bow to your kind, and I was cast out. And then you had to come along, and..." That was enough of that train of thought.

"The point is, you cannot see me as I am, and see who you knew when I first came to you. Nor could you ever imagine me as I once was. Don't presume."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:51 am UTC (link)
He felt a flicker of fear when the devil reacted, but nowhere near the crippling fear of the unknown he'd known before. It unsettled him further, this ... familiarity.

Ariel was roughly let down, and he simply sat across the table, quiet and thinking. "The offense was unintentional." It was as close to an apology as he'd ever give the bastard, but it was also the truth. He had not intended to presume anything. Humans saw what was in front of them and reacted accordingly. At least most of them did. It was a trait he hated in himself.

What the devil was saying was that he, like humans, had evolved, and was no longer the same entity as he had been. How he must hate it! Still. Ariel asked one more question, perhaps the last. "Why have you decided to help me?" If I was the indirect cause of whatever agonies you feel. Were I you, I'd have flayed me alive.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:57 am UTC (link)
"Because I see in you a part of me." Mephisto stated curtly. It was the truth. In some strange way, Ariel, for all his imperfections and with all his human frailties, reminded him of himself. They were both scorned simply by wanting to love God, to know the Creator, to simply know.

And he was blinded for it and cast down, and Ariel was played with like a toy before ascending, broken and lost and a shell of himself.

"You are the closest thing a human has been to being like myself."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 08:07 am UTC (link)
It was a very long time before Ariel replied. It was impossible not to be aware of the gravity of the demon's words, but was it a good or a bad thing to resemble a fallen angel?

It was not an emotion he would have owned if Mephistopheles had taxed him with it, but Ariel had to admit to himself, that under it all, he really was afraid. He believed the demon. Was it wrong? Was he being played like a violin again? If not, what did it mean that he was more vengeful than a demon of Wrath?

Eventually, he simply nodded. "I understand." He hoped he did. He thought he did.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 02:19 pm UTC (link)
"I do hope you do. You're unique, Ariel. And it's a shame that She cast you aside just as flippantly as she did me. For a viking no less," His words dripped with contempt. "It breeds a lamentable empathy for you that I never wished to have. But," His tone lightened, "It's how things are now. You have your books and your girl and your unflappable drive to seek out answers, you have your spite and fear that fuels you in regards to me. I didn't know what to do with you again at first, when you fell into this place, but..." He nodded once, as if to cement the opinion in his own mind, "But I sincerely wish for you to succeed in whatever it is you are looking to do. Take all my words with a grain of salt - as I know you do - but take this to heart, Ariel. You were her favorite, but now? You're mine."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:11 pm UTC (link)
A thousand warning bells sounded in his brain, in such rapid succession he actually felt dizzy from the force. Fear for Princess, fear for himself, and a wearying, draining sense of burning fury that somehow, he'd been placed in virtual checkmate. What he wanted was peace; as long as the demon existed, he would never get it. And yet, he could not spurn this! It was not possible! Ariel knew deep down that the demon spoke truth, at least with regard to his last statement.

What did it mean to be the favorite of a fallen angel? Was it being the one person a rabid dog could stand the sight of?

God help him, he wasn't sure that this state wouldn't be better than the previous.

He didn't know why he did it, it had no point, but Ariel lifted his head and looked the demon in the eye. He wasn't sure of what he might find.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:21 pm UTC (link)
His eyes were blank as usual, but somewhere beyond that, it seemed that beyond the mere illusion of Mephisto facing Ariel, that he truly was looking at the man. He could sense Ariel, sense his dread and fear, he could smell the small amount of nervous sweat that the man secreted, could hear his heart race furiously. He hadn't meant to place fear by those words, he was speaking the truth. He had no desire to go after anything that Ariel possessed, whether it be the newly budding love of the girl-that-wasn't-a-girl, or the books, or the new friends that he'd made.

He simply wanted a truce. And to tell Ariel the truth terrified the poor human, and he knew that was always going to be the case. He continued to examine the man as well as he could without touching him.

"It actually affects you very little, I should point out. One can have a favorite star in the sky, and the star would care nothing about it."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:32 pm UTC (link)
"Quite true." He could not be begrudged his fear, nor his incredulity. It seemed something out of fantasy, to be offered a truce by the embodiment of Wrath. This changed things, no matter what. The important thing was to discover how.

In a way, he realized, this had been helpful, despite its burden. He knew more, both about the demon and quite possibly himself. He could take steps against whatever would happen in the future. But he was curious about one thing.

He made an effort to sound calmer, and was largely successful. Reminding himself of the knowledge so near to him helped. "May I ask you one more thing, if you don't object?" He was even polite.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:34 pm UTC (link)
"By all means, Ariel." The name always amused him, and he wondered if Uriel was still in Heaven, laughing at the misfortunes of the two of them. Ponce.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:36 pm UTC (link)
"Really two things, I suppose." It mattered to ask because a yes or no would mean a change of perspective. At least for now. "Does it please you when people fear you?" Ariel looked up again. "Or would you rather them be afraid of the fate they could suffer at your hands?"

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 07:41 pm UTC (link)
He considered this carefully for several moments, his head bowing faintly. "At one time," Mephisto started, "It hurt to know that I inspired fear within others. I've become armored to it, I suppose. It serves my purpose. As for the second half of it, I would be more pleased if humanity were not quite so easy to sway. I've given them all that I can, but my love. And if that is not enough, then so be it. They deserve whatever fate they find."

He sat up slowly and shook his head. "But that is simply the answer I'd give as my former self. I live off fear, Ariel, you know this. It feeds me, more than anything else. It sustains me."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 07:51 pm UTC (link)
That was one thing he was intimately familiar with, and said as much. "I am well aware. However, different fears provoke different reactions, and I imagine, different sensations." He was not afraid of Mephistopheles himself, and the demon surely knew that. But he was afraid of the fate the demon could subject him to. One somehow seemed more appropriate - more godly - than the other.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 08:00 pm UTC (link)
He nodded to Ariel's supposition. "That's true, but what use do you have for this knowledge? You don't need to know what it's like to feed like I do, unless you wish to know me more intimately. Ariel, you will find nothing down that road."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 08:08 pm UTC (link)
"It isn't knowledge of how you feed that interests me, Lord of Discord." It pleased him, though he tried not to show it. "It's knowledge of yourself." Knowledge was still power. The demon knew so much about him already. And he did still want to know. It still drove him, and he had the feeling it always would. Even the scrap he'd already discovered. That changed things still more.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 08:15 pm UTC (link)
"So ask something more subtle, and call me by my name," Mephisto shook his head. It had finally gotten to the point where nicknames were seriously grating to him, especially coming from Ariel, who had no reason not to use his name. It was novel at first, but after he realized that Ariel had been intentionally doing it every single time? Yes, that was aching.

He summoned up his sewing, to busy his hands. He had the strangest inclination to touch the man's face, to finally see the man after all these years. It was an odd feeling, and one he definitely wished to squash.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 08:40 pm UTC (link)
"All the questions that come to my mind are decidedly unsubtle, I must admit." Ariel spread his hands wide. He was starting to feel taxed, like he was being stretched over too wide a dimension. He would have elaborated, but the appearance of what looked and smelt like tanned leather was novel. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, though he didn't speak of it.

Thunder sounded outside, and Ariel jumped. "I have work to do," he murmured, more to himself than to the other being in the room. Something did occur to him that likely sounded bald and unsubtle, but had more meaning behind it. "Is there any truth in that grimoire?" It was lying on the floor, but he didn't dare move to take it up.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 08:46 pm UTC (link)
The jump made Mephisto chuckle. "Of course you do," He teased, "So much to think about, I'm amazed you're still within the boundaries of sanity." He faced the book, and then Ariel. "It's merely a book. If the hand that penned it penned it correctly, then yes. It seems it's at least partially right, you summoned me." He set the leather on the table and stood. He picked up the book and ran his fingertips over it, and several of the pages, his head tilted to one side in consideration. "I can't read what it says, the penmarks are far too shallow to read. I cannot say for sure if this is one taken from my true writing, or one that was copied from a false scroll."

He smiled a little and handed the book back to Ariel. After all, what harm could a summoning spell do to him, in Ariel's hands?

"You need an ear to listen while you work. Thinking out loud is your usual method, is it not?"

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 08:56 pm UTC (link)
"Am I?" Ariel's face was humorless, if only because sometimes he still wondered. "And I recite spells aloud unless reciting the spell would equal its enactment before I were ready."

He took the book, looking down at it, opening it to see the handwritten pages. "The binding is modern, of that I am sure ... but the pages are not ordinary paper. A very fine blend of something." He ran his own fingers over the writing. "The ink is either brown or red; it's old enough to be oxidizing. If true, this should be copied by someone with the living talent, so it may be preserved. I lack that ability, however." He peered closer at the pages he'd opened to, squinting by the dying candlelight. "The entire book appears to be in Spanish; the incantations to summon certainly are." He quoted back what he had said; the spell was short enough that it could be remembered.

At the back of his mind he was aware that he was discussing work with one of the greatest of demons, but he paid no attention. A foe with all the knowledge they wanted was less likely to strike.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 09:03 pm UTC (link)
"Red or brown ink, you say." Mephisto was amused. "And parchment. Do you suppose it to be handmade?" He would find it hilarious if a human, instead of copying down the scroll, simply cut the scroll into pages, and turned it into a book. Clever. He noted that the heat from the candles was less so than before, heard one flickering to stay alight, and he simply willed them to be new again. "You may have found something quite rare indeed, something I would be proud to hear survived the test of time. The Spanish is of no concern to me."

He hadn't even enchanted it. Mephisto was proud of his handiwork, no matter what it was, and if it truly was his own writing, he'd sit in his throne later and remark to his new followers that his was truly the most withstanding craftwork.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 09:10 pm UTC (link)
Ariel felt himself freeze again, but it was more of a freeze he knew - the one shocked moment of immobility in discovering something thought lost to time. He'd done it before.

The light sharply, suddenly increased, and by the improved light he could look closer at the ink and the writing. "Red ink is obviously an ancient recipe, though brown I am unsure of. I imagine it's just as ancient, but I do not know." He squinted, but he was either growing short-sighted or the ink was simply too old. "I honestly cannot tell the color, even in improved lighting." The paper, however. "I can tell you, though, that the paper, or parchment, is not uniformly cut. The binding is modern, as I said, but the edges facing out appear ragged, as if they had been cut by hand, either piece by piece or from a quarto volume, folded in fourths." His voice softened. "I could be knocked over with a feather."

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 09:17 pm UTC (link)
"As could I," Mephisto remarked, running his fingers over a page once more. "I was a lighter being when I wrote these words, only years after..." He chuckled faintly, the mirth more suited to better times, when they both were still playing the game of Who's Getting to Heaven. "Ariel, you lucky, blessed bastard, you of all mortals truly deserve this."

He shook his head and put his hand on Ariel's shoulder briefly. "My friend, you truly manage to astound me with what simply drops into your lap."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-18 09:37 pm UTC (link)
He felt profoundly dirty when the demon touched him, but thankfully, it wasn't for long. Mephistopheles' choice of words was ironic, but at the same time, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was at work. Something had given this to him. He wanted to know what.

He looked up. "This wasn't your doing? It was simply sitting in a stack of books that arrived here this morning." If it wasn't the demon's doing, it was another question to answer. What had given this to him? For once, it was nothing he could claim by work or research. He felt unsettled, but also frankly exhilarated. This was more than knowledge; it was becoming a hunt. Though, oddly, not a hunt directed at the eradication of this demon. Not now. There was too much to learn.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-18 10:17 pm UTC (link)
Mephistopheles shook his head, "No, it's not. But it's not likely to be divine intervention, if you're considering it. The Creator is not the type to send you books written by me to your doorstep." He still couldn't get over the fact that his writing was still in existence.

"Simply marvelous, isn't it. I sat at the banks of the Tigris and penned this with my own feathers as quills, and the blood of animals that deigned to grace my presence. When they didn't come near me any longer, I wrote with my own blood." He closed his blind eyes then and called to his own blood, and the pages breezed through of their own accord, landing to the pages with his blood. That "ink" was far darker, and there were far more smudges and dribbles here and there, at the top and bottom edges of the parchment.

"... he was scared of me, when I spoke," Mephisto recalled as the blood on paper glowed into his inner sight. It was specifically about Adam, written in Hebrew and Angelic script. "He'd seen me as a trusted adviser, a friend, and then, he shunned me. Do all humans feel repulsion in the face of fallen glory, or just the ones that know no better?"

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-19 12:01 am UTC (link)
He watched the book's pages fluttering open, looking down at the pages it settled on. Clearly he'd been wrong that the entire book was in Spanish; perhaps it was a modern preface with the authentic Hebrew later on. Ariel was able to recognize the Hebrew alphabet, but not much more. He would have to find someone who could read it.

The question, though. "Judging from today's humans, they're more apt to laugh." Ariel said dryly. He'd seen it in New York. Whatever people passed for royalty, or statesmen, or anyone in an exalted position. "They ridicule authority. Though oddly enough, they seem to purify those idols when they die." Death seemed to be the great equalizer, with no thought to the fact that there were varying degrees of greatness.

"I don't know what most civilians" - as opposed to alchemists - "would do when faced with a true angel or demon they could not explain away with drink or opium," Ariel said truthfully. "Some would feel pity. But that might prove more objectionable than scorn." And some would see it as a shame and a loss to the world, but not many.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-19 12:52 am UTC (link)
Mephisto got a small smile. In some small way, he'd won whatever silly little game he started to play with the first lie he told. The world indeed had become irrationally logical, eschewing the spiritual in trade for gluttony and greed. Delightful as it was, it scorned him to think that when the humans turned their backs on God, they also turned their backs on him. It was indeed easier to ply humanity with trinkets and desires than it was to come to them and talk to them firsthand.

But they were all so jaded.

He faced Ariel then, "Opium is not the only drug that twists perception. Knowledge, in and of itself, is a drug."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-19 12:59 am UTC (link)
"Should we stop trying to attain it?" If the answer to that question was yes, they had nothing further to discuss. Even if he accepted the idea of mankind being loved by God, it didn't mean they didn't need knowledge to protect against other enemies.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-19 01:02 am UTC (link)
"Air is carcinogenic, should you stop breathing?" Mephisto countered.

Come on, Ariel, use your brain. Don't ask questions to which you know the answers.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-19 01:15 am UTC (link)
Point taken, point taken. Ariel made a face, but it was true. He began again, a bit more considered. "Knowledge certainly changes a human's perception, but it depends on the knowledge, and the perception one had to begin with. If a fool suddenly becomes more enlightened, he still might be a fool in every respect except the one in which he acquired the new information. I'm not certain if there is a way to tell what will affect whom."

It was times like this where he actually wanted to know his own beginnings. There were no memories of his parents or his studies; he had tiny snatches of Helena as a child, but no more. But how could he know what had changed him, if he had no idea from where he'd begun?

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-19 01:29 am UTC (link)
Even Mephisto wouldn't be able to hazard a guess of what Ariel's past was, prior to coming to his kingdom. He moved back to his seat once more, finally done with admiring his handiwork of the book. He picked up his sewing and started again. "Some knowledge is flawed, as well you know. You come from what has gone down as the age of enlightenment. The age of mysticism. Science wasn't perfect then, as it isn't perfect now. If Columbus hadn't thought that he could go east to India, do you think he would have hit the West Indies? If you had simply realized that you've known the answer to your ever-important question before you began, you wouldn't be the man you are now." He shifted the leather in his lap and continued to sew.

"Knowledge, and the pursuit of it, has been a brilliant light to some, and the ruin of others. But it is needed. Which is, I believe, the reason I still exist. Without me, your kind would know nothing."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-19 01:44 am UTC (link)
"My - what is truth, you mean?" He did remember the confrontation in the castle; really, how could he forget it. He didn't say that he wished he had known; the demon knew that and he was learning not to waste words, little by little.

He ran a weak, tired hand over his face. "Science will never be perfect, and mortals will never know everything there is to know. But I wish to know as much as I can. However much I might be allowed to know." And perhaps some he was not.

He didn't want to ask if he'd cursed himself, not now; it was difficult enough sometimes not to run raving into the street. But it was still there, a question to be answered, and eventually, he'd have to ask it. If he had any honor, it would have to be asked.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-19 01:54 am UTC (link)
"Yes, and I still have yet to tell you. I should, though. One day. But you are tired, Ariel, your voice is strained, your breath is faineant." Without a word, his sewing project disappeared once more and in his hand, there appeared a silver medallion. He held it momentarily, running his thumb's tip over the smooth surface, to create a simple design in the metal, before setting it down between them on the table. It was fit for wearing.

"Don't bother with the spell next time. You know you can speak my name - either of them that you know - and I will be at your side." He stood then and walked back to the circle.

"Rest your mind, tonight weighs heavily on it. I'll come to you soon again, with more secrets."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2010-07-19 02:20 am UTC (link)
He was very tired, weary and seemingly laden with new blessings and burdens. He took the book into his hands again, nodding in agreement at the statement of his own weakness; it was fruitless to deny. As he looked down at the silver disc, though, and heard the demon's statements, Ariel had to laugh - softly, hoarsely. "Why do you think I tried before never to speak your name?"

He took it, though. God help him.

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[info]feedsmycontempt
2010-07-19 02:25 am UTC (link)
"I know when you mean to summon me, instead of use my name conversationally. But, as you wish, Ariel. It's your tongue. Sleep well." Mephisto gave a tap of his foot to listen to the echo, to cement the room's image in his mind, before he disappeared from the man's shop.

He still had to find amusement that the book found its way into Ariel's possession. Silly alchemist. Good luck with the Hebrew and angelic script. He returned to his throne and picked up his sewing, listening to the feast and orgy that went on around him.

Well, at least some things never changed.

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