i_seekgod Musings and a walk home (Progo)
Jesse waited until he was beyond the gates of Wayne Manor before stopping and pulling his cigarettes out of his pocket, and happily lighting one up. The smoke filled his lungs and he decided to take a moment to look at the day and the way it was shaping up.
Max might be a little upset that he hadn't come back upstairs to say goodbye, but there was too much to be done with her, and she needed to rest up for it. She'd understand. Just to be sure, he pulled out his little computer.
To: MGibbons@Thecity.net From: JCuster@Thecity.net
Sorry I didn't say goodbye, baby girl, but you need rest. Send me a message later when everything's done and over with to let me know you're okay.
Love you, Jesse
He tucked it back in his pocket and took a breath.
There'd been no intention to confront Bruce and say the things that'd been on his mind, but he'd done it. And it had gained Max an apology. Jesse didn't feel any better toward the man on a whole, and in some areas found himself even more doubtful, but it seemed like it would make Max's situation better. If she could remain here and happy, then it would be one less thing to have to worry about.
Jesse walked slowly back in the direction of the hotel, with no intention of calling a cab.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/10/2006 18:09:26
The silence seemed to fill with something soundless, but present. Then there was a thought.
You humans are so funny sometimes. What was that last bit, with the angels and the insane?
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/10/2006 18:16:00
He wasn't entirely surprised that Progo had been there.
"The angels that I have met have turned out to be extremely fucked up creatures. Violent, liars." Jesse shook his head. "Twisted things that God created and pretty much forgot about."
He laughed a little. "From what I've seen, there aren't creatures out there that can be much more messed up than them. Besides. If The Word works on an angel, why shouldn't it work on a man, no matter how insane he is?"
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/10/2006 18:45:42
Echthroi? A pause as he tried to find the words he'd used to describe them to Meg. Fallen angels? They bring chaos and shadows, breed war and birth destruction. They cover planets with darkness.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/10/2006 18:48:21
"Nope." Jesse shook his head. "Just your normal, Heaven bound angels. It was quite a shock. I had a chance to meet two of them that had been cast down, and well. They weren't really different. Living on Earth, snorting coke and running a casino."
Jesse shrugged a little. "I've never met any demons. Have met a Saint though, Hell of a scary guy."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/10/2006 18:50:57
Most of that eluded him. Normal angels causing that sort of trouble. Snorting coke. Casino. All foreign concepts. He only vaguely knew what a saint was, even.
So instead of commenting on what he was being told, he chose the best question to ask.
Why?
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/10/2006 18:56:46
"I don't know, Progo. I just don't know." Jesse's eyes softened and saddened a bit. "It's not the way that it's supposed to be. That's not how we're taught at all. It's supposed to be all choirs and happiness. White lights and Heavenly beings. But it's all a farce. All of it, fake. An illusion. I mean, the beings are real, but they're nothing like you'd imagine. I wish I knew the answer to that 'why' of yours. It'd solve a lot of my own problems."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/10/2006 19:19:51
I'm a cherubim, he pointed out. I know that it's not real, what you created. I - alone - am supposed to be a flock of happy little pink infants with tiny useless wings.
There was a thoughtful pause. That was a very odd man. He reminded me of one of my Teachers, but less... intelligent? He couldn't quite find the right word. There was really no good way to compare a Teacher to a human, even just in temperment.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/10/2006 19:25:26
"And you most certainly aren't a little pink infant, let alone a whole flock of them." Jesse nodded in agreement.
"I don't think that we yet know all there is to know about Bruce Wayne, Progo. Just the way he acts, it feels like he's hiding something. But you're right. Absolutely. Odd is a good way to describe him. Care to try to further explain how he's like your Teacher?"
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/10/2006 20:31:51
Strict. There's a certain way that things are supposed to be, and how things are supposed to be done. Deviations are confusing, and worrying. And could lead to greater trouble than they seem.
He looked for a way to explain his Teachers, and the magnitude of what they did, in terms that would be easily understood by a human.
It's hard to explain us in your words.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/10/2006 20:37:09
"No, that came by pretty clear to me." Jesse assured.
"I don't suppose there are other words that I could understand?" It was an interesting thought. "Or you could maybe try, and we could see if I understand? Who knows, right?"
After all, he had that thing in his head, and maybe it could translate. But then, maybe that was asking too much of Genesis.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/10/2006 21:25:05
He considered this. I could show you, I think. But not here. He felt safer with his invisibility, even with a companion. It was still a strange place. It's easier for you to see it than it is for me to explain it.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/10/2006 21:56:58
"Okay." Jesse nodded. He didn't like the idea of doing anything new right here in the open either. It didn't really seem like a good plan.
Besides, they'd made it all the way back to the hotel, despite the slow speed Jesse'd been walking.
"How about there? Do you think my hotel room is safe enough? If not, I think we can find a bank vault somewhere." He meant it as a joke, but wondered if Progo would get it.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/11/2006 21:44:02
He had the vague sense that he was being made fun of somewhere in there. Or, at least, that something was being made fun of. There was a pause for the blinking of several invisible eyes.
That would be fine. Unless you are, of course, expecting company.
His tone suggested that this wouldn't be likely.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/12/2006 19:03:10
"Not expecting anybody, no."
Jesse walked into the lobby of the building, cigarette still going. They never cared here. He didn't see anybody between the front doors and his room anyway.
Once at his room, he kept the door open a little extra time, to make sure Progo got inside.
It was hard to judge just where his winged friend was when he was invisible.
"So. I hope you're in here."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/12/2006 19:13:55
A pair of wings unfolded, revealing a bright, cat-pupiled eye. And then more wings shifted into existance, and more eyes opened. Some blinked shut almost instantly, others stayed open, staring off in a myriad of directions.
Yes.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/12/2006 19:22:09
"Glad to know I didn't shut you out."
Jesse went to the sink and got himself a glass of water. "I'd offer you something, but you... don't drink or eat. So I don't... know. It's just so against my Southern raising to not offer anything. So strange..."
He shook his head. Kojak came running at the sound of Jesse's voice, wagging his tail and pressing against Jesse's legs, wanting to be pet.
"Progo, this is Kojak." The dog tilted it's head at the Cherbim. Confused, interested. He took two steps forward and ducked his head, ears perked.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/12/2006 19:28:20
Almost. If I'd been manifested, you might've.
Then Proginoskes stared at the dog. And stared. And stared. Eyes blinked open and closed, as if he were trying to match a set of eyes to the canine ones that were looking at him. A bold, yellow eye - lupine in shape - finally focused on the animal, while the others resumed their blinking.
Is he normal?
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/12/2006 19:32:53
"Normal? Yeah, I guess so. He's awful smart for dog, but I've not seen any sort of obvious mutation. And he doesn't talk, if that's what you're asking. Genesis hasn't said anything along the lines of Kojak being supernatural in any way."
Jesse sat down while Kojak timidly moved forward, nose moving, sniffing. Progo was new and interesting, and needed to be inspected.
His head tilted even more at the doggy eye looking back at him. It twisted back and forth, the movements of a curious puppy.
"Just let me know if he gets too close, or too intrusive. He's a good dog, but he likes to stick his nose places. Literally."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/12/2006 20:05:51
There was an experimental puff of smoke from somewhere within the mass of feathers. No fire yet, but if the dog really was smart, he might understand that the possibility was there, and that sticking his nose too close to the cherubim might not be such a good idea.
I think he'll figure it out.
Proginoskes was all for the 'touch the fire, feel it burn, don't do it again' method of learning things, in this case.
He turned an eye or three on Jesse. Did you still want to see a Teacher?
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/12/2006 20:10:27
Kojak decided to sit down and just keep an eye on the many-eyed and winged being, instead of prodding and poking around. He really was a smart dog. Sometimes too smart, maybe. Jesse felt a lot of the time like there was another person in the room, not just a four-legged companion.
"I most certainly do." Jesse nodded. "What do I have to do?"
He sat forward on the couch and waited.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/12/2006 20:26:00
Proginoskes hovered closer, and then seemed to swivel, until a trio of wings pulled back. A human eye stared out, but it had a cat's pupil and an amber iris. The wings on either side of it opened, as a human might hold out their arms for a hug.
Come here.
The last time he'd done this was with Meg. A human girl, mousy, overprotective of her brother, confused but determined not to admit it... not Jesse, not even close. He missed her.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/12/2006 20:29:31
"Okay..." Jesse set aside the glass of water and slid off of the couch onto his knees. He moved close to Progo, doing as instructed, but not knowing what to expect.
Should he reach out like Progo was doing? Or would that be... wrong? Or .. weird.
He decided to stay put and wait for more instruction.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/12/2006 20:41:14
There wasn't really anything more to say. The eye widened, partially because it was actually widening, and also because Proginoskes was moving closer, until he could wrap the outstretched wings around Jesse, nudging him inwards.
The eye opened, and opened, and pulled...
And then... they were in space. Floating, but still grounded, somehow. Well, Jesse was still grounded. Proginoskes never was. There was another voice that was like his, but deeper, heavier, older.
It was talking about the stars, and their Names and Naming them, about where they came from, and the responsibility they had as Namers to protect them. It talked about darkness, and shadows and chaos overtaking whole stars and their planets.
It Named the stars around them as they were born, and each speck burned more brightly as he did so. Proginoskes remembered being awed and honored by the task.
The Teacher had seemed all-knowing then, steady and wise and a gentle guide. Later, when Proginoskes had learned more, he had learned that even Teachers had a limit to what they could do. Some, like Blajeny, had known what that limit was, while others had tried to ignore it, often to their own detriment.
You see? Progninoskes asked. He's so human, but he doesn't believe it. He thinks himself to be above them, because of his task, but he's so much more alike than any of us knew then. This was billions of years before your planet was even birthed.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/12/2006 21:10:37
Jesse had no words.
What he was seeing... even after everything he'd seen... was too amazing for words.
He didn't think he'd ever experienced something so beautiful as this.
"I had no idea..." He finally managed. Unsure if he was actually speaking, or just thinking the words. He was used to speaking with his mouth, so maybe even when he wasn't he perceived himself as doing so.
"Arrogance." Jesse said the word softly, recognizing it for what it was.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/12/2006 21:31:59
Is that what it is, Proginoskes mused, and let Jesse watch for another moment. He'd nearly forgotten how amazing space seemed to be for humans, as though it were the new creation and they weren't.
Then, when the Teacher had droned too much, and the stars were starting to drift away, he nudged the man with a wing, and drew him inwards again.
The spacescape faded away to the black of the eye's pupil, and then pulled out into a bright iris. With a nearly-audible snap, the eye closed, and then they were back near Jesse's couch with a glass of water, and a dog. No outer space, no voices, no remnants of stars.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 13:02:21
Jesse leaned back against the couch, a little dazed.
"Yes, that's what it is." He replied softly to Progo's question.
All he could do was stare at nothing for a moment, trying to come to terms with what he'd seen. Finally, he was able to look at Progo.
"That, was the most amazing thing I've ever seen, Progo. Thank you."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 13:16:02
Proginoskes had to resist the oddly human urge to pat the man with one of his wings as a mother might pat her small child on the head. Fortunately, there was absolutely no urge to say, 'There, there' in a vaguely condescending manner.
It's only space, he commented quietly. Only space, and he missed it too much for it to be 'only' anything.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 13:21:31
"I don't get to see space all the time. I've seen it in pictures, but pictures is nothing like that."
He pulled himself back onto the couch.
"It's beautiful. SO big. I guess you never really consider how big, because we're not faced with it every day. But oh, man. Huge."
Jesse took a small drink of his water.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 14:11:53
It's space, Proginoskes repeated, and waited for the period of exulting to end. Perhaps if they'd run into one of the Echthroi like he had wih Meg, Jesse would not be so awed. Or at least, it would've been tempered by something else.
A ruffled little sigh. It's home.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 16:11:56
"I can see why you miss it, friend." Jesse nodded.
"So, since you're here, want to watch a little John Wayne? I rented them a little while ago, but the video store I got them from seems to have moved, and I can't for the life of me find it. Which means that I'm harboring about 10 overdue John Wayne flicks. That I would be more than willing to share with somebody who probably doesn't know who The Duke is."
Jesse was all about introducing people to his hero.
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 16:24:47
Proginoskes blinked, and stared. Slang was taking him a while to figure out, and things like 'John Wayne' and 'flicks' (at leat, the noun form of flicks), and even 'The Duke' were terribly unfamiliar and slightly confusing.
He didn't know what to say.
Blink.
Stare. Stare. Finally, he shook a few wings, in his own version of a shrug, using the mannerism in a very human way, as if to say, "Sure..." in an indecisive way.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 16:33:28
Jesse smiled and turned on the television. He hit play on the remote and sat back. Hatari! Came on screen and Jesse smiled more.
As soon as the Duke wandered into the picture Jesse pointed him out. "That's John Wayne. Also known as The Duke. All American hero."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 16:44:02
It was a leisure activity. Proginoskes had never had time or reason to explore this part of human culture. He'd been on Earth purely for business reasons before, and wasn't supposed to be here at all, now.
He was also going to turn out to be an excellent television watcher, since he never had to take all of his eyes off of the screen.
He's... royalty? Proginoskes asked, confusedly. But he looks like someone who lived decades ago. Does he still live?
So many questions.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 16:50:53
"He's royalty in the hearts and minds of people everywhere. But not in reality, no. He's called The Duke after a dog, actually. His dog was named Duke, and people used to call them Big Duke and Little Duke. It stuck, and people have called him that pretty much his whole life." Jesse put a hand patriotically over his heart. "Alas, The Duke died in nineteen seventy nine. He dresses the way he does because these movies are Westerns. They're made to look like they take place in the old west. He's got some war movies too, from World War Two, but I'm more fond of the westerns."
He watched The Duke on the screen. "This man made me want to grow up and be a cowboy. He's got all the things a man wants in life. Strength, honor, a moral code the size of Texas. Shoots like a demon, too."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 17:02:43
This was all too confusing. Even Jesse's explanation only served to prompt more questions.
If I were home, he grumbled to himself, I could be reciting the names of stars, or counting them, and I wouldn't have to worry about this. Dukes and dogs and strange, strange things.
Oh, he said finally. He... makes movies. The moving pictures? It had been a long time since he'd focused on Earth. What were those people called again?
He pretends to be fake people? Proginoskes tried. I thought morals could not be measured in size.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 17:07:46
"Actor. He's an actor." Jesse said, trying to help. "And you're right, they can't. It's just a figure of speech. To give the idea a bit of scope."
He couldn't think of any other way to explain. "He's a man of very high morals. Don't hit women. Be a good guy. Do what's right. But he also doesn't take no crap from anybody. If a guy deserves to get hit, he's gonna get hit. The Duke might apologise for it later, but the guy will know he got what he had comin."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 17:17:49
He'd remember that.
We don't think like that, Proginoskes said, and tried to explain his own side. We feel things, but we don't have feelings. We don't categorize them, and sometimes they don't exist.
What is this story about? Why were there animals? Where were they? Who were the other people? Why was this made?
So, so many questions.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/13/2006 17:25:42
"Well, this one is about a group of men who go to Africa." Jesse frowned a little. "Not really the best to watch if you're going for westerns. Considering. I've got McLintock, which might be your speed. Plus, I'm probably just confusing you more by talking about cowboys when there aren't really any on screen. Hang on."
Jesse got up and changed the disk quickly.
"Okay. This is McLintock. John Wayne plays George Washington McLintock. This one's a comedy. See, GW has to solve all kinds of problems in this one. There's his wife, who comes back and wants a divorce and on top of that, a kid who wants permission to woo his daughter. And a guy trying to take all the land in the town. But GW, he won't stand for it, and by the end, everything's all happy. I don't know if you know anything about The Taming of the Shrew, but it's got overtones of that."
From: [info]i_amangels Date: 02/13/2006 17:56:06
Proginoskes tried to absorb everything. He memorized the names of stars - how hard could it be to understand as simple a concept as the one that Jesse was describing? But it was hard, becase he wasn't that interested in understanding. He saw no purpose for remembering this information, except so that he wouldn't have to ask it again.
Oh, he commented, and fell silent, eyes wide and staring.