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Ariel ([info]defectedfromgod) wrote in [info]utr_logs,
@ 2011-01-06 00:40:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current mood:excited
Entry tags:ariel, ikuko kada

WHO: Ariel and Ikuko
WHAT: Setting the record straight
WHERE: Her flat in London
WHEN: Right after Epiphany
WARNINGS: Possible, nay, even probable.

After he'd conversed with Azrael further on the subject of his recovering mentor, Ariel had excused himself from the upper regions and sent himself directly to Ikuko's door. It was just after dusk, but unless she was at work, he guessed that she would be home; he knew she preferred to stay in after a long day.

He knocked on the door lightly but firmly, almost buzzing with anticipation. To say he was nervous was an understatement, but he was also excited. One of his first acts after receiving the heavenly welcome, so to speak, had been to closet himself with a Japanese textbook. It had only taken him about three hours. He hoped she didn't laugh at his dialect or his accent. "Iku-san?" Ariel called, trying to sound calm. "Are you there?" he called in Japanese.


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[info]ikuko
2011-01-06 07:03 am UTC (link)
Ikuko had been in the kitchen, perched up on the counter, watching the steam rise out of the kettle, waiting impatiently for it to heat up enough for some strawberry-infused tea when she barely heard the knock to her door from over her mp3 player. She pulled out an earbud to see if the knock would repeat, since she hadn't been expecting anyone, when she heard Ariel's voice. Her heart leaped into her throat at the fact he was there, and... apparently gotten MUCH better in Japanese! She had to restrain her momentary desire to squeal in delight and pulled the other earbud out, and turned off the mp3 player as she walked quickly to the door. "Ari!" She exclaimed as she practically pounced him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek. She said in her native tongue, clearly far more casual in her speech when it was her native language, "You're getting better at it! Very very good!" And she pulled him in by the hand, beaming. "I'm making tea, would you like some?" She asked in English.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-06 07:09 am UTC (link)
He returned the embrace, as tight as he dared, smiling at how happy she clearly was. "That would be fine," he said in English, before swapping back to Japanese. "There's something I need to tell you about, though, and it will explain my abrupt increase in fluency." He could have waited, obviously, but the sheer delight on her face had been something to treasure. He teased, "My accent isn't appalling, then?" Most textbooks taught non-regional accents, he supposed, or at the very least he probably sounded Cantonese.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-06 07:15 am UTC (link)
She laughed and kissed him, looking up into his eyes. How did he learn so quickly? Goodness! It really was a mystery. "Is it because you taught yourself with a spell?" She asked with a small blush. It sounded silly when she asked, but she knew it probably would have sounded even sillier had she asked in English. Oh dear.

She held his hands and led him to the kitchen, walking back into it while still looking up at him. "Your accent is good, it isn't perfect, but it's not going to get people teasing you."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-06 07:23 am UTC (link)
He rested an idle arm around her waist, hoping she'd still let him in a few minutes. Even he couldn't help but be astonished that the words came so naturally, so evenly. "I wouldn't have been able to teach myself an entire language as a human," Ariel finally said. "But on Epiphany night, I ... gave that up. Being a human." It still sounded strange, but he was slowly accepting its truth. He laughed softly. "I took up Raziel's mantle."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-06 07:28 am UTC (link)
With an astonished, altogether surprised sound of delight, Ikuko's eyes went wide and her smile spread. "Ahhh!" She swatted him on the arm and put on a fake scowl, pursing her lips, "I told you you'd make a good angel!" She beamed and hugged him again, tiptoeing to fling her arms around Ariel's shoulders, beaming. "Ano... What... happens to Raziel, then? If you take over for him." It was like he got a promotion, and the guy in the position was laid off, but she had become friends with the people in the bookstore, including the sour old creature with the strange eyes and stranger disposition.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-06 07:33 am UTC (link)
He couldn't help a sense of relief; he'd imagined she would handle it reasonably well, given her new relationship with her father Uzza, but nonetheless. She'd become important to him, and the idea that she was happy and excited rather than afraid was a load off his mind. "Raziel has some re-learning to do," Ariel explained, arms still wrapped rather tightly around her. "But once he recovers fully, he'll do what he's always done, just with less responsibility. Wander. Teach. Learn. He'll be far happier. And I hope, so shall I." One of his hands rested at the back of her head, fingers idly nestling in her hair. "I'm so glad you're pleased," he murmured in English. "I wondered."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 12:34 am UTC (link)
That calmed Ikuko's worries considerably -- she didn't want to see her new friend in any upsetting situation, especially ones she couldn't help fix. And to see Ariel so pleased, so... calm, comparatively. Well, it was a good sign. "Wondered if I'd be pleased?" She slipped closer, kissing him briefly. "My boyfriend's an angel. It's weird, but a good weird."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 02:50 am UTC (link)
The word boyfriend was strange enough for him. But he didn't, upon reflection, object to it. So he simply smiled and kissed her back. "Some might find it a 'bad' weird." Ariel's arms rested around her waist. "And you only just began to know Uzza, and I don't know." His chin rested on the top of her head. "The question of your happiness is extremely important to me."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 03:30 am UTC (link)
"Uzza is a good person, too," she murmured, smiling in comfort because he was so close and warm, and so concerned for her, "but I don't think it's too bizarre. Look at the world around us. Weird and amazing things happen every day, and there are good and bad all over. To think that something so outright good..." Ikuko was interrupted by the teakettle, and she slipped away to grab two cups and started making the tea. "To think that angels are a bad sort of weird, Ari... That's just ignorant and stupid. Some may consider me childish for having always believed in them, but who will argue that you are nothing but good?"

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 03:43 am UTC (link)
He let her slip away, watching idly as she made the tea. "I didn't always believe in angels," Ariel commented, continuing in Japanese. It seemed to make her happy. "Humans have the capacity to be ignorant. I've seen all manner of views on all manner of things. Rarely has such good sense been united with beauty in one package." He smiled.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 04:02 am UTC (link)
The way he managed to segue that interesting little anecdote into a compliment made Iku blush as she stirred in the honey before handing his mug to him. It was very bright red and smelled extremely sweet. She murmured, "Ari, do you realize that every time you pay a woman such a fine compliment, it takes all her wherewithal to keep from falling even deeper in love with you?"

Ikuko sipped her tea and was blushing even still after she looked back up at him, "Angel or man, you are you, and Ariel, you are very charming. It's hard to keep myself from feeling more than just attraction to you."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 04:20 am UTC (link)
He took the tea, but his head wasn't in the clouds enough to let that statement slip. Ariel looked up at her, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Deeper in love?" He echoed. How could she be sure? How long did it take to fall in love, anyway? He had no frame of reference.

He felt his smile blossom. "Iku, I assure you, I mean everything I say. I'm not one to give idle compliments." He never could stand the silly little marriage and courtship dance; he would never participate in any of it if he didn't want to.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 04:37 am UTC (link)
"Un," oh dear, she could feel her ears and neck becoming warm. The blush was only getting deeper, "deeper. If I could blame it on simple infatuation, I would, but..." Ikuko looked into his eyes, "I honestly worried about you when I didn't hear from you for a couple days. I think about how you may be doing when I'm busy at work. It warms my heart when you smile." She tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek and led the way out of the kitchen and into the living room, where she curled up on the corner of the couch, looking over at him, hands wrapped around the cup. She had a nice view of the street below, but the windows barely held back the chill of winter, so she had her gas fireplace going. The bright - if messy - living room was just better than the kitchen to relax and talk.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 04:56 am UTC (link)
He followed her, sitting next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. For a good few moments, he didn't know what to say, but he figured she was growing nervous, so he had best try. "Iku. I'm ... awfully poor at expressing such things." But his arm was tight around her, and he just smiled. "I came here as soon as I could because I needed to see you."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 05:03 am UTC (link)
She slipped closer and leaned against him, cozy in his arm. "You don't need to speak any words, you show your feelings better than you speak them." She smiled then, deciding to change the subject. "I'm glad you came over. I like it when I get visitors! Oh!" She pushed her glasses up and grinned, pointing across the room to the wall that had been lamentably bare a week prior. "I finally figured out what to put there! I like it. It really expresses how a story can illustrate, don't you think?" she had gotten a typography art print, where the image of a musician - in this case, it was John Lennon - was made up of nothing but lyrics, printed in varied fonts, creating the illusion of a portrait.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 05:17 am UTC (link)
Fair enough; he could drop that subject. It didn't suit him to speak awkwardly of love. Ariel looked over at the wall and raised an eyebrow. "That's extraordinary." He'd never seen that sort of art, and it made him smile that she was so happy. "Who is the man in the portrait?"

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 05:23 am UTC (link)
"John Lennon." She smiled and stood, setting the cup down as she went to put on one of her mix CDs of mellow Beatles and Lennon tunes. "He was one fourth of a band called the Beatles, like rhythms and beats, it's a pun!" She looked up at the picture and grinned, "The Beatles were a very, very important band in history, they revolutionized music, and they were some of the most famous people in the entire world," Ikuko smiled and sighed happily when the song Blackbird came on. "John Lennon was an advocate for peace and universal culture, which was revolutionary for its time, too."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 05:37 am UTC (link)
Ariel nodded, listening intently to the music, deciding he liked most of it. It was bright and moved fast, but not in an offensive way. He sipped his own tea, and appreciated the sweet bite. "There has ever been a time where advocating for peace has been unheard of?" Even in his own time, with the mad little Frenchman's wars, there had been many calling for peace.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 05:46 am UTC (link)
"It was the way in which he did it that was different. At the time, there was a war that was going on, and the political and social systems were very stern, and well, it's like physics. An equal and opposite reaction happened. There were anti-war protests, sit-ins, all sorts of things. But the biggest thing Lennon did was for a global consciousness. Equality of all people, regardless of what color of skin they had, what they believed, what language they spoke, and what social status they were," Ikuko smiled and sighed merrily, sitting back down beside Ariel.

"It was a huge big thing that he married a Japanese girl."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 05:59 am UTC (link)
That did make him laugh, even though he didn't doubt her sincerity. "Such an enormous scandal. Honestly, how silly." Ariel kissed her cheek. "He sounds like a man worth respect, certainly. Though I thought you said you preferred ambient music?" He remembered the little things, or at least tried. Especially in the last few days, his mind had been so full.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 06:27 am UTC (link)
He remembered! She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I do. But I'm not going to push something aside just because it isn't my favorite genre." She shrugged and put her hand over his. "I think you'd like a lot of the classic rock that there is. It's very, ano..." She paused to consider it, and then smiled, simply switching to speak in Japanese, "A lot of the music is very emotional and tells a story. Ambient sets a mood, but bands like Pink Floyd tell you stories, too." She shrugged and picked up the remote to her stereo and took a moment to switch it over to a different format, and it started to play Antimatter, instead.

"Have you done any exploration to music other than this, though?"

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 06:42 am UTC (link)
"Not much." Ariel shook his head. "I never really knew what I liked; I preferred to stay with the classical songs from my own era." He wasn't about to tell her about the albums Gabriel had inspired; those still hurt to listen to. "I'm willing to try nearly anything, though. Call it anthropology." He smiled a little. "And I like stories."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 06:45 am UTC (link)
She put her hands over his and looked into his eyes, happy that he was willing to let her guide him through various songs and bands. It was an honor to her, since she knew he was new to practically all the music in the world. "I'll send you home with my mp3 player then, and you can listen to everything I like, and you can tell me what of that you enjoy."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 06:56 am UTC (link)
He knew what an mp3 player was, even before he'd acquired all the world's knowledge. "I will be careful with it," Ariel told her, taking up one of those hands as he pressed a kiss to her palm. "I'm just glad I have a patient teacher, for once." He smiled; he'd told her a bit about Raziel, though they did seem to have reached an understanding. She'd only kicked him once that Ariel knew of.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-07 07:11 am UTC (link)
With the kiss to her hand, she giggled, the blush returning, "Well, I can't help but be a little patient with you. If it were anyone else, I'd just give them a list and tell them to go away!" Her eyes went back to look into his and she sneaked a quick kiss to his lips. "And I think anyone is more patient than Raziel," she joked.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-07 09:02 pm UTC (link)
"Some of my old masters could have given him a run for his money at times." Ariel made that kiss a little longer, because he could. He didn't have to be like Gabriel and be afraid of loving her. Maybe he was just slow with those kinds of things. Or maybe he did love her, just in a different way than he'd loved Helena. He didn't know, but it seemed like she was willing to let him figure it out.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-08 10:44 pm UTC (link)
She cooed into the kiss, wrapping her arms back around his shoulders. "You are now the angel of knowledge, right? What's that like? Do you just have all of it in your mind at once?" She kissed Ariel's cheek, grinning cheekily, "Or do you need to be asked something specific to get an answer?" Of course, Ikuko liked the practical sides of the unusual news. The 'how' was more important to her than the 'what'.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-08 11:16 pm UTC (link)
He leaned into her arms, smiling. "I think that if you asked me something, I would know the answer. But I couldn't possibly call up every piece of knowledge in the world all at once. I think my head might explode." He thought. "And there are things I cannot speak of, but it's not because I don't know." He knew very well that there was knowledge humans weren't meant to have - ironic, most definitely.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-08 11:44 pm UTC (link)
"Oh, you know things that I shouldn't?" Her tone turned teasing, "Know-it-all. Like what kind of things?" She took his hand and pressed her lips against his knuckles, looking into his eyes. She didn't want specifics, but she honestly couldn't think of any information or knowledge that could be considered taboo.

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-09 03:12 am UTC (link)
"Metaphysical facts about the human race." Ariel shrugged. "It's not you, it's all humans. I wouldn't have been allowed to know, either." Even in his odd mascot-like position amongst the archangels before Epiphany. His free arm curled around her waist. "Humans can learn ... about as much as I did before." It felt strange that he technically wasn't one any longer. He couldn't help but feel a sense of being Apart, and he didn't entirely like it. He pulled Iku a trifle closer.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-09 03:33 am UTC (link)
She slung her legs over his and wrapped her arms around him as best she could, keeping him close. Ikuko closed her eyes as she put her head on his chest. "You still have a heart, though. It's strong. And it's good that you think of me as a human. I've..." She sighed and fidgeted, turning her head to burrow it under his chin. "I don't know if I should consider myself that way. Nephilim..." She pouted a little. "If I'm human, I'm extraordinary, but if I'm Nephilim, I'm... very boring."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-09 03:48 am UTC (link)
"You're not an angel." Ariel shrugged, stroking her hair. "And while by genetics you're Nephilim, you act like a human, and were raised by a human. If you want to be human, I think you can call yourself one. And I find you extraordinary regardless of what you are." He smiled, nuzzling his nose into her neck.

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-09 03:55 am UTC (link)
With Ariel's breath against her neck, she giggled and squirmed, ticklish and sensitive, blushing from his compliment. "I suppose that makes sense. It's just hard to get used to the fact that my self-perception was so wrong. I always felt like it was a demon of some sort that cursed me with my powers." Because of when they first manifested themselves, it was at the strangest, most discomforting times.

"At least now that I know. It'll take getting used to!" She smiled and pressed her lips to her fingertips, "Mm," she pondered, "This will make it extra-hard to argue with you, since you know everything. But that just makes you the only man who can claim that and be right."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-09 04:35 am UTC (link)
Ariel chuckled. "I will do my best not to lord it over you, Iku." He kissed her, liking the closeness. "As for powers making you feel strange, all I can say is that you're most definitely not alone. I mean, when Raziel told me what I was, and what I was capable of ..." He shrugged. "I know it doesn't really help, but knowing you're not the only one at least made a difference to me."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-09 04:41 am UTC (link)
She smiled sheepishly and tucked her hair behind her ear again. She couldn't even begin to imagine Ariel as nervous and feeling out of place about his abilities. They came to him as naturally as breathing. and she felt a little jealous about how confident he was.

"Ari? I wish I could be as comfortable about it as you. I never liked it, and for a long, long time, I just wished I didn't have the powers. But well..." She smiled nervously and sighed, fidgeting her fingers against the fabric of his shirt.

"I know I can't live without them. It's not in my fate to be simple."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-09 04:56 am UTC (link)
Ariel raised an eyebrow. "I wish you had known me a long time ago, Iku." He looked down at her, a bit more serious. "I feel confident now in what I can do because I've been groomed for it, and taught by the best teachers. I wish you had had those opportunities." He didn't like the idea of this good, bright creature being so unhappy. But he smiled when she did. "I can't tell you how to manage your powers, but I can try my best to make you feel more normal with them."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-09 05:07 am UTC (link)
"The fact that you accept me at all helps. I just worry that I could be... more comfortable using them. I don't have trouble keeping them under control, mama took care in helping me develop a way to control myself. It's that... well." She kissed his cheek. "You didn't even bat an eye when I first used them in front of you. It's that you're so comfortable with the strange and paranormal that... that..." her eyebrow knit as she tried to find a way to explain it. "You're the first person other than mama who didn't call me weird for it. That's all."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-09 05:20 am UTC (link)
"Comfort will come in time." Ariel shook his head. "And I admit I found you a bit unusual when I saw you, but in the way that intrigues, rather than frightens." He chuckled. "I'd never seen a lady with blue hair before. It was charming."

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[info]ikuko
2011-01-09 05:27 am UTC (link)
And she still had it burgundy red, though she was considering a different color. Perhaps snow white. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him again, whispering against his lips, "I'm glad you liked it. I like to change it because it is a large part of my personality. Vibrant."

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[info]defectedfromgod
2011-01-09 05:52 am UTC (link)
"I would agree with that." Ariel shut up and kissed her right back, running his hand over her leg as she shifted. He liked touching her, obviously, but a lot of it was sheer relief. He didn't have to compromise his duties, he didn't have to lie to her, and he didn't have to let her go. He could continue this as long as she wanted to.

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