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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 21:26:35 GMT -5
It was a lovely day today, not a cloud in the sky as Kendall cheerfully soared above the island. The wind in his hair and the sweet smell of the garden below filled him with a calm serenity that he welcomed wholeheartedly. Slung over his shoulder was a bag containing a house-warming gift for his friends, who had just moved into their new apartment. He was on his way to meet them, but...
He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was drawing Kendall towards the old church. It wasn't the usual instinct brought on by his service to God... it was more like a very faint premonition, something nagging at him to go check out.
Unable to ignore this desire, he drifted downwards and landed in front of the church. A quick detour couldn't make that much of a difference.
As he pushed the doors open, Kendall had to sigh at the state of disrepair the building was in. Sure, it was as lovely as one would expect a church to be, from its steeple to its stained glass windows, but the knowledge that few people came to this sacred building for its intended purpose was a little disheartening. He could believe that people had so much going on that they just had no time for a church service, but still...
Whatever the case, Kendall knew it wasn't his place to judge others for what they did or didn't do. He wasn't God, just his servant.
He took a deep breath and tried to cheer up, focusing more on what was there rather than what wasn't. And what was there was some beautiful architecture and a soothing atmosphere that made Kendall feel right at home.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 10, 2013 21:35:38 GMT -5
Home...
Someone else was right at home too.
Kendall probably couldn't see it right away, but someone was asleep in the front pew. The rhythmic sounds of quiet, airy snores echoed off the walls, just barely loud enough for one to hear in total silence. But when the door creaked open, the snores were cut off and replaced with confused, tired grunts. The owner didn't sit up or acknowledge Kendall's presence, opting to simply try and fall back asleep.
Ace laid there, hoping the intruder would just go away.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 21:41:52 GMT -5
"Hm?" Kendall cocked his head and slowly followed the sound, doing his best to keep a light step. A bit self-consciously, he folded his wings away to avoid any misunderstandings before peaking over the pew to inspect the sleeping person.
A quiet gasp involuntarily slipped past his lips. His bag almost slid off his shoulder and he had to quickly set it down to avoid breaking the gift inside. For a while, Kendall just stood there, staring at this girl in disbelief.
"Alice?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 10, 2013 21:47:08 GMT -5
Ace shook her head with mild frustration. She didn't recognize the voice at first and was fully prepared to shoo him away. However, once her eyes were open and adjusted to the light, she met her visitor's dumbfounded expression with an equal amount of shock. This quickly died down to mere confusion by the time she spoke up, her voice soft and raspy.
"...K-Kendall?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 21:58:36 GMT -5
"I... I-I don't... I can't..."
Kendall took a few shaky steps closer to the pew Ace was resting on. Once he was fully facing her, he collapsed to his knees, his mouth ridiculously hanging open.
He just couldn't believe it. Alice Spade, the infamous tomboy amongst the small percentage of female angels. The two had been friends once; not close, but still friends. The last time he saw her was around the time of Lucy's death, and that was years before Alice had become a fallen.
All that time, so many things Kendall had missed, so many things that not even the Angel of Time could've known. Beneath the strange new clothes and piercings, despite the dark aura that now surrounded her... it was still her. It was still the Alice he always knew.
"It's been so long... W-What are you doing here?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 10, 2013 22:08:14 GMT -5
Ace groggily sat up, moaned and rubbed her sore neck. Pews didn't really make good beds. She looked deep into Kendall's eyes, her own dark green irises looking utterly vacant and miserable. Based on his expression and the way he spoke, she couldn't tell if he was happy or terrified to see her; either one wouldn't surprise her.
"How the heck should I know?" she answered bluntly. "I just showed up here out of frigging nowhere..."
She adjusted her hat and rubbed her heavy eyes. "It... has been a while, huh, Kendall? I see you haven't changed much."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 22:19:13 GMT -5
"Yeah..." A gentle smile started to form on Kendall's face, tears washing over his bright blue eyes. "I... I had heard that you... I couldn't believe... I'm so sorry that..."
He just couldn't express the emotions he was feeling right now. To see his old friend, regardless of her falling... to know she was okay, it was simply overwhelming. He was happy yet remorseful, overjoyed yet heartbroken; he wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to let everyone in Heaven and Earth know that Alice Spade was alive and well.
Without thinking, Kendall fell forward and wrapped his arms around the girl, weeping softly into her shoulder. "It's really you."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 10, 2013 22:31:17 GMT -5
This action left Ace baffled. She hadn't expected this. Heck, if anything, she figured any angel would try to keep as far away from her as possible. But then again, this was Kendall. If anyone was going to show her mercy despite her wrongdoings, it was him.
She awkwardly returned the gesture. "Yeah... It's me. Why are you doing this? You know I've fallen, right?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 22:35:27 GMT -5
"I missed you!" Kendall replied. "I don't care if you're a fallen! You're still my friend!"
He held her tighter. "I'm just so happy to see you, Alice. After the whole ordeal with Lucy... and you being cast out... I thought I might never see you again."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 10, 2013 22:41:46 GMT -5
She sighed and gently pushed Kendall away. "Ace... I-It's Ace now, okay?"
Shamefully, she turned away from her old friend. "You shouldn't be here, Kendall. I don't want you to get in any trouble because of me."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 22:52:11 GMT -5
Kendall was saddened when his affections were rejected, though he could understand why she acted the way she did. And then there was that nickname. Ace, the name her demon ex-boyfriend had given her. He had no idea why she had kept it aside from the fact that it was her real name minus the L and I, but again, he decided it best not to question it.
"Because of...?" he softly repeated. "I'm not gonna get into any trouble for speaking to an old friend. We're not fighting, we're not sinning, we're not doing anything that would compromise my own wings. I only want to help you Al- ...Ace. God won't condemn me for an act of kindness."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 10, 2013 23:00:47 GMT -5
"An act of kindness... for a fallen." Ace chuckled humorlessly. "Seems to me like I don't deserve any form of kindness. The world is obviously against me. Cast aside, treated like dirt, deemed unworthy to be viewed in the same light as our Lord... I'm a monster, Kendall. You shouldn't have to associate yourself with me."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 10, 2013 23:08:00 GMT -5
"Oh, come on, don't talk like that," Kendall sighed. "You know I'm not like that. Too many people just don't have much capacity for forgiveness. But I don't care. You made a mistake. We all do. No one's perfect, not even us angels. But I'm not gonna hold that against you."
He took Ace's hand in his. "What's important is that you know you did wrong. That's the first step towards redemption. And even if no one else wants to help you reach that point, just know that I'm here for you. I'm not mad at you, I'm not about to toss you aside, and it doesn't matter to me what you've done to lose your wings. I know that won't make up for the loss... but I hope it counts for something."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Oct 11, 2013 17:53:56 GMT -5
Ace didn't respond at first. She just stared at the stained glass windows, sorrow and remorse reflecting off her teary eyes. She tensed up a bit when Kendall took her hand, then slumped as her body turned hot and numb.
After everything she had gone through, after being pushed around and spat on by everyone she met, after enduring the indignity of becoming a fallen angel, someone had finally stepped up and shown Ace kindness. That alone was enough to lighten her spirits, but the fact that it was a fellow angel who was helping her only made it that much more meaningful. She was cast down, punished, used as an example for all who would try to do the same... and yet Kendall didn't care.
She looked down at her old friend, finding nothing but sincerity in his face. The trauma she had endured finally reached the surface, prompting her to lean forward and yank Kendall into another hug. Her sobs echoed off the church walls and her tears quickly dampened Kendall's sleeve.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Oct 11, 2013 18:04:13 GMT -5
Kendall didn't flinch as Ace wrapped her arms around him. He simply exchanged the embrace, running his fingers through her hair. It was easy to tell that she needed this, so he went ahead and let her have this moment to relieve her built-up frustration.
"Shh... It's okay. Let it out. You're safe now. I won't let anything else hurt you."
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