[It's like unraveling a tight spring, how the trickling of words from Temenos's lips soothe him. To see him, to feel compassion, to feel pride, to be curious and crave something more...
It visibly chokes him up, though it doesn't make it past a glassy look in the eyes and a tightness in his throat that he tries to clear away.
The grip against his hand is squeezed in return, a lifeline between them.]
Thank you. [It's a little shaky, but he exhales, trying again.] I'm... not good with words like you are. But I knew I liked being around you. I liked how I felt when you'd stand up for me. When you would encourage me. I wanted you to feel safe with me. I wanted to learn more about you.
[A gravitation of curiosity at first, one that had become far more comfortable when Temenos has spoken so openly about his doubts and cynicism, when they'd had time to feel they could have an understanding despite their opposing alliances.]
When we were at the spa... I didn't understand what I felt when I looked at you and watched you. I wanted to know. But I was scared. When I want something... it feels like I'm starving. And when I'm starving, I lose myself.
But when I woke up, after everything... [A swallow, hard, as he pulls Temenos's hand towards his chest.] When I didn't know what had happened to you, or what I might have done, or what Lobelia might have done to you...
...
[It's an emotional silence, as he takes a second to collect himself. But the grip against Temenos's hand stays firm. He's here.]
...I knew, when I saw you on the beach, that I loved you. That that was why I was afraid. Because I've felt that before.
Lilith never came back. [The first time he's spoken of her, to him.] You did. And I... feel like I've dodged another arrow when I see you. I don't want to see another one come and take it away.
[Oh... Watching the emotion welling up in Beelzebub's eyes threatens a chain reaction. Temenos was doing such a good job keeping all of that under control, too.
When Beelzebub tugs on his hand to bring it closer, Temenos goes with it. Recounting the weekend only makes his desire for close proximity that much stronger. What he doesn't expect, however, is the mention of Lilith.]
Lilith...
[He repeats in a murmur. Someone that Beelzebub held dear, who he later lost... It's a feeling that Temenos also knows all too well.]
I understand that fear. When I thought I had lost you, I... I did not know if I could handle that another time. I do not know what would have become of me. [Fortunately, it is no longer a worry. For the time being, anyway.] But I have chosen to swallow that fear, for I refuse to live with it always at my side.
[He wants to enjoy this time with Beelzebub that he has been given.
...
After a moment of silence between the two of them, Temenos asks a question of his own.]
Would you tell me about Lilith sometime? I...will return the favor, should you desire to know more about my own past.
[He'd known that Temenos had lost the Pontiff, whom he'd said was the closest thing he felt to family. Beelzebub wonders, dimly, if that's who the cleric means, or if there had been something else. But... this doesn't feel like the time to pry so deeply.
So he nods, a gentle motion as he keeps Temenos close.]
Mn. Lilith was my sister. I'd... like you to know about her.
...And I'd like to know about you. [He lets go of that grip, only to run his hand back to the side of his head, to card his fingers into Temenos's hair.] Your travels, and the Pontiff... and what makes your doubt hurt you.
[If only that was the extent of the loss Temenos has endured. But, well, Beelzebub will learn more in due time.
So Beelzebub lost a sister... Temenos likewise wonders if that was the catalyst for Beelzebub's fierce protectiveness over the family he has left. Story time is going to be...quite heavy tonight, he thinks.
He nods, closing his eyes for a moment to lean into that touch. It's oddly comforting.]
I believe you deserve to know.
[He's never really wanted to burden anyone with his own emotional baggage- not even his traveling companions. But with Beelzebub...it should be okay. They'll share each other's loads.]
Shall we fetch our ice cream and find a spot to talk?
[There's a tenderness to the moment, to the giving of trust. It pulls the weight of it up without negating, simply knowing there would be someone willing to listen... and to be able to give that space in return.
He doesn't know what to expect. But he wants to hear Temenos out.
With a soft smile, Beelzebub slips his hand away from the cleric's face, only to trace it down his arm, holding out his palm for Temenos to take.]
Yeah.
I'll make a cone for you if you'll make one for me.
They're great. I have a couple cones with a few different flavors all the time. There's lots of things you can put on top of it, too.
[He's very excited, as per usual when the goal is food. The held hand is abandoned so that he can grab a sugar cone, immediately stuff it into his mouth, and grab a second one that he treats a little more delicately while he hovers over the flavor selection.]
Don't worry, there isn't anything spicy. I'll pick something I think you might like.
[He laughs as Beel hurries off to get started, following behind him to pick up a cone as well.]
I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
[As for himself, he wanders around to the other side so they don't get in each other's way. He goes down the line, carefully placing one scoop onto another here and there until he has a nice stack of three flavors: strawberry, cake batter and vanilla. Beelzebub can later find him drizzling some chocolate syrup and sprinkles on it.]
[He'll have plenty of time to craft, given that Beelzebub keeps having to stop to taste from the ice cream bins to make his decision. But he eventually settles on a combination - a scoop of black raspberry with dark chocolate chunks, and another of almond, shouldering up to Temenos when he goes to look for the right kind of sugar to dust over the top.
His eyes light up at seeing the fudge and the sprinkles, and the laugh he gives could almost be a giggle for how lightly it bubbles out.]
You're making it look so good... are you sure you haven't tried doing this before?
I hope you like it. I smelled wine in your drink when we were at the party. So I wanted to see if we could make something that tasted complicated like that.
[Carefully holding that out to him while eyeing Temenos's creation .]
Mine smells like a strawberry cloud cake... I don't know if I can wait.
[True to what Temenos probably expects, Beelzebub's charging straight through the cone the second it's in his hands. But thankfully, he leaves some behind - they still have to talk, and he can't carry the whole ice cream buffet with him (yet) - and holds out his free hand.]
[Hey, Temenos is just pleased that his creation has been well-received! He laughs as Beel goes to town on it. He's much more reserved with his cone, savoring the flavor as he slowly licks at it. Beelzebub will be able to see the happiness plain on his face, though. He likes it a lot.
He easily slots his hand in with Beel's and nods.]
Lead on.
[He gets to be the sheep being shepherded in this instance? Incredible.
Anyway, he's made decent progress on his cone once they make it to the waterfall...and he can't help but peer around for any lingering threats.]
I see they really did clean this place up well. The destruction would have blemished the lovely views here otherwise.
[He confirms with a noise rather than words, since he's in the middle of savoring some ice cream and not thinking about the Maxeta confrontration, thanks.
He quickly swallows it to speak soon after, though.]
No, no, we can stay here. I am hardly deterred. [He gives their held hands a little swing.] You chose well- it is quite picturesque.
[He'll lead them down towards the bottom of the falls, still far enough away that the crashing water wouldn't be too deafening, where the night sky was still plenty visible above and the grass was soft under the feet. It's here that he settles to a seat, encouraging Temenos to sit with him.]
Lilith and Belphie liked coming to places like these sometimes, when we would visit the human world. They both liked being around people, and seeing what their kind were like and how they would change. But Belphie liked to take us to see the stars in places like this, where humans hadn't touched just yet.
The human world is beautiful in a way even the Celestial Realm can't match sometimes. I think that's what Lilith might have thought, anyway.
[Temenos isn't far behind him. He carefully kneels down, balancing his cone in the process, and settles against Beel once he's situated.
He keeps his eyes on the stars as Beelzebub speaks of his siblings, imagining what these little human world visits must have been like. He also smiles to himself, remembering the times when he and Roi would sneak out of the monastery to view the night sky above Solistia.]
There is something to be said about viewing the night sky away from civilization. You'll never see anything quite this stunning in the city where the light pollution is strong.
[It's still interesting for him to think about how angels and demons could just venture to the human world. It makes him wonder just how often it might happen in Solistia without his realizing. Would his views on the gods' negligence change if he knew?]
...Beel, would you mind telling me more about Lilith?
[If now is not the right time, then he'll drop it. But Beelzebub brought her up freely, so...he's curious.]
He nods quietly, leaning his hands against his knees.]
...She was our little sister. Belphie and Lilith and I... we always spent a lot of time together in the Celestial Realm. We were really close.
She was always getting into trouble. She loved challenges, and asking us to do things with her. But what she really loved was humanity. I think she got it from Belphie. He'd always sneak off to the human world, and she loved Belphie so much that she would go with him.
He can't help but think about a similar miscommunication in their first meeting, and how drastically things have changed since then. At least small joys like this haven't changed one bit.]
Not quite, though it is the same word. I speak of an adherent in the context of a religious disciple. For example, I am an adherent of the Order of the Sacred Flame, albeit a more dubious one in recent years.
[Disciple he knows!! Education! Still, he shakes his head.]
No. No disciples. Our Father had millions. But angels can't really be worshipped the same way. They can only choose one human to be a personal guardian over. So it's better to keep a distance and not interfere with humanity.
...
Lilith was different, though. She always wanted to be with them.
And she eventually found someone. Not who she wanted to be guardian towards... but a human she loved.
Yeah. The love of a guardian is close, but... this wasn't that. It was romantic.
We didn't mind. Lilith was really happy. Really, really happy.
[He wonders, so often, if they'd stepped in earlier... if they could have prevented too much of an escalation.]
But humans don't live forever. This one didn't either. They got sick. And Lilith... she didn't want to see them die. So she snuck food from the Celestial Realm down to them to help heal them. She interfered.
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It visibly chokes him up, though it doesn't make it past a glassy look in the eyes and a tightness in his throat that he tries to clear away.
The grip against his hand is squeezed in return, a lifeline between them.]
Thank you. [It's a little shaky, but he exhales, trying again.] I'm... not good with words like you are. But I knew I liked being around you. I liked how I felt when you'd stand up for me. When you would encourage me. I wanted you to feel safe with me. I wanted to learn more about you.
[A gravitation of curiosity at first, one that had become far more comfortable when Temenos has spoken so openly about his doubts and cynicism, when they'd had time to feel they could have an understanding despite their opposing alliances.]
When we were at the spa... I didn't understand what I felt when I looked at you and watched you. I wanted to know. But I was scared. When I want something... it feels like I'm starving. And when I'm starving, I lose myself.
But when I woke up, after everything... [A swallow, hard, as he pulls Temenos's hand towards his chest.]
When I didn't know what had happened to you, or what I might have done, or what Lobelia might have done to you...
...
[It's an emotional silence, as he takes a second to collect himself. But the grip against Temenos's hand stays firm. He's here.]
...I knew, when I saw you on the beach, that I loved you. That that was why I was afraid. Because I've felt that before.
Lilith never came back. [The first time he's spoken of her, to him.] You did. And I... feel like I've dodged another arrow when I see you. I don't want to see another one come and take it away.
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When Beelzebub tugs on his hand to bring it closer, Temenos goes with it. Recounting the weekend only makes his desire for close proximity that much stronger. What he doesn't expect, however, is the mention of Lilith.]
Lilith...
[He repeats in a murmur. Someone that Beelzebub held dear, who he later lost... It's a feeling that Temenos also knows all too well.]
I understand that fear. When I thought I had lost you, I... I did not know if I could handle that another time. I do not know what would have become of me. [Fortunately, it is no longer a worry. For the time being, anyway.] But I have chosen to swallow that fear, for I refuse to live with it always at my side.
[He wants to enjoy this time with Beelzebub that he has been given.
...
After a moment of silence between the two of them, Temenos asks a question of his own.]
Would you tell me about Lilith sometime? I...will return the favor, should you desire to know more about my own past.
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So he nods, a gentle motion as he keeps Temenos close.]
Mn. Lilith was my sister. I'd... like you to know about her.
...And I'd like to know about you. [He lets go of that grip, only to run his hand back to the side of his head, to card his fingers into Temenos's hair.] Your travels, and the Pontiff... and what makes your doubt hurt you.
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So Beelzebub lost a sister... Temenos likewise wonders if that was the catalyst for Beelzebub's fierce protectiveness over the family he has left. Story time is going to be...quite heavy tonight, he thinks.
He nods, closing his eyes for a moment to lean into that touch. It's oddly comforting.]
I believe you deserve to know.
[He's never really wanted to burden anyone with his own emotional baggage- not even his traveling companions. But with Beelzebub...it should be okay. They'll share each other's loads.]
Shall we fetch our ice cream and find a spot to talk?
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He doesn't know what to expect. But he wants to hear Temenos out.
With a soft smile, Beelzebub slips his hand away from the cleric's face, only to trace it down his arm, holding out his palm for Temenos to take.]
Yeah.
I'll make a cone for you if you'll make one for me.
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Very well. I look forward to whatever combination you come up with for me.
[With that, off they go to the buffet! Temenos hasn't actually visited the ice cream bar on his own, so he's not sure what to expect...]
My. This is quite the selection.
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[He's very excited, as per usual when the goal is food. The held hand is abandoned so that he can grab a sugar cone, immediately stuff it into his mouth, and grab a second one that he treats a little more delicately while he hovers over the flavor selection.]
Don't worry, there isn't anything spicy. I'll pick something I think you might like.
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I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
[As for himself, he wanders around to the other side so they don't get in each other's way. He goes down the line, carefully placing one scoop onto another here and there until he has a nice stack of three flavors: strawberry, cake batter and vanilla. Beelzebub can later find him drizzling some chocolate syrup and sprinkles on it.]
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His eyes light up at seeing the fudge and the sprinkles, and the laugh he gives could almost be a giggle for how lightly it bubbles out.]
You're making it look so good... are you sure you haven't tried doing this before?
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Once upon a time, perhaps. But even if I don't indulge in ice cream very often, I've seen it prepared enough to have an idea.
[Who would have guessed that his keen eye would be useful for something like this?
His gaze drifts toward the cone that Beelzebub prepared for him.]
Oh, raspberry and almond. That sounds delightful.
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[Carefully holding that out to him while eyeing Temenos's creation .]
Mine smells like a strawberry cloud cake... I don't know if I can wait.
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[He takes the cone with one hand and passes Beelzebub's over with his other.]
Well, I won't make you hold back. I simply must warn you that I might be a tad slower with mine.
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[True to what Temenos probably expects, Beelzebub's charging straight through the cone the second it's in his hands. But thankfully, he leaves some behind - they still have to talk, and he can't carry the whole ice cream buffet with him (yet) - and holds out his free hand.]
Come on. I know where we can go.
[Off to the waterfall.]
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He easily slots his hand in with Beel's and nods.]
Lead on.
[He gets to be the sheep being shepherded in this instance? Incredible.
Anyway, he's made decent progress on his cone once they make it to the waterfall...and he can't help but peer around for any lingering threats.]
I see they really did clean this place up well. The destruction would have blemished the lovely views here otherwise.
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[His brow tightens as he slips the remainder of his cone into his own mouth. Oh well. He tried so hard to make it last the whole walk.]
We can go somewhere else, if it feels too strange. I just thought it was pretty.
You can see a lot of stars from here, too.
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[He confirms with a noise rather than words, since he's in the middle of savoring some ice cream and not thinking about the Maxeta confrontration, thanks.
He quickly swallows it to speak soon after, though.]
No, no, we can stay here. I am hardly deterred. [He gives their held hands a little swing.] You chose well- it is quite picturesque.
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[He'll lead them down towards the bottom of the falls, still far enough away that the crashing water wouldn't be too deafening, where the night sky was still plenty visible above and the grass was soft under the feet. It's here that he settles to a seat, encouraging Temenos to sit with him.]
Lilith and Belphie liked coming to places like these sometimes, when we would visit the human world. They both liked being around people, and seeing what their kind were like and how they would change. But Belphie liked to take us to see the stars in places like this, where humans hadn't touched just yet.
The human world is beautiful in a way even the Celestial Realm can't match sometimes. I think that's what Lilith might have thought, anyway.
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He keeps his eyes on the stars as Beelzebub speaks of his siblings, imagining what these little human world visits must have been like. He also smiles to himself, remembering the times when he and Roi would sneak out of the monastery to view the night sky above Solistia.]
There is something to be said about viewing the night sky away from civilization. You'll never see anything quite this stunning in the city where the light pollution is strong.
[It's still interesting for him to think about how angels and demons could just venture to the human world. It makes him wonder just how often it might happen in Solistia without his realizing. Would his views on the gods' negligence change if he knew?]
...Beel, would you mind telling me more about Lilith?
[If now is not the right time, then he'll drop it. But Beelzebub brought her up freely, so...he's curious.]
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He nods quietly, leaning his hands against his knees.]
...She was our little sister. Belphie and Lilith and I... we always spent a lot of time together in the Celestial Realm. We were really close.
She was always getting into trouble. She loved challenges, and asking us to do things with her. But what she really loved was humanity. I think she got it from Belphie. He'd always sneak off to the human world, and she loved Belphie so much that she would go with him.
She was always really happy down there.
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An angel who loved humanity, hm? Though we are not of the same world, it is...heartening, to hear that it is the case somewhere.
Did any of you ever end up with adherents...?
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[He has to think about it for a second, confused.]
Like a glue?
[He doesn't know what this means, sir.]
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...
He can't help but think about a similar miscommunication in their first meeting, and how drastically things have changed since then. At least small joys like this haven't changed one bit.]
Not quite, though it is the same word. I speak of an adherent in the context of a religious disciple. For example, I am an adherent of the Order of the Sacred Flame, albeit a more dubious one in recent years.
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[Disciple he knows!! Education! Still, he shakes his head.]
No. No disciples. Our Father had millions. But angels can't really be worshipped the same way. They can only choose one human to be a personal guardian over. So it's better to keep a distance and not interfere with humanity.
...
Lilith was different, though. She always wanted to be with them.
And she eventually found someone. Not who she wanted to be guardian towards... but a human she loved.
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But as Beelzebub continues, Temenos's expression goes a bit murky and he thoughtfully licks at his ice cream.]
I imagine a guardian is likewise supposed to keep a distance. But she got to know this human personally?
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We didn't mind. Lilith was really happy. Really, really happy.
[He wonders, so often, if they'd stepped in earlier... if they could have prevented too much of an escalation.]
But humans don't live forever. This one didn't either. They got sick. And Lilith... she didn't want to see them die. So she snuck food from the Celestial Realm down to them to help heal them. She interfered.
Father wouldn't allow for that.
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