The Angel and the Cat (SSoDI-G)

[DanteMGalileo]

May you always walk in the shadow of her blessing and the warmth of her hearth...

A purple, cat-like creature with a mask-like face and nine glowing green tails sulked around the exterior of the place of worship, her face seemingly frozen in a grin. "Well, well, well," Mara said, pausing in front of the door. "I see the old faiths are still observed here. How cute." The cat demon floated up to the lock, reached one of her tails in, and it fell to the ground. Two more pulled the doors open. "I can sense that this place isn't used much... Better make sure it stays hidden..."

"Oh, a church! Ain't seen one of these since we lived in Linber!"

Mara turned her head at an angle that would have been impossible for even a real cat, hearing the voice. "Better stay hidden... I'd rather not mingle with her, or any other powers that be here..."

As the voice drew closer, the cat demon ran out of the church, choosing to knock over a nearby trash bin, pretending to be a mere stray concealed by the garbage.

"It's open? It seems kinda stupid to leave a door unlocked overnight... Or was somebody here earlier?" Still, Leanne walked into the church. It would be a place to rest after being stranded for hours on end.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Not far behind her, a young man in a white dress shirt approached the holy place, hands in his pockets, blue eyes gazing upon it in a thoughtful, somewhat saddened expression. He slowed to a halt at the open door, brushing a hand along the wooden frame and casting a forlorn glance at the lock on the ground. He took in a deep breath through his nose, releasing it in a long, wistful sigh. Then he spoke. His voice was soft, barely above a mumble, yet clearly directed at someone, even if it wasn't immediately obvious who...

"You have no business here. For your own sake... you should go."

Then he pushed the door open further and stepped inside the church.

Hands once again in his pocket, he casually strolled down the center aisle, looking around at the intricate, worn-out architecture, the elegant stained glass windows, the dusty pews... He came here quite often. He knew every detail, every nook, every cranny, every trace of holiness that remained. No matter how many times he came back, though, it always upset him to see such a sacred house abandoned and in such disarray. At least he knew it wasn't lost to the ages entirely. People still came here if they felt truly desperate for divine intervention, or at least mildly curious about this fragment of history.

One such person would soon be arriving for the former reason.

One was already here for the latter.

Several more would follow not for either reason, but per his own suggestion.

With another deep breath, Kendall turned to Leanne. "Good morning."

[DanteMGalileo]

"Guh!"

Leanne jumped where she stood, turning to face the source of the voice. A slightly pinkish flame ignited a stray candle. "Who's th- Uh, who're you? That's who ARE you, not whore you... Ooh, an angel?" Poke, pull on the wings. "Yup, they certainly look real. But I ain't thought angels went to church... Mister Mercury says they're all busy bein'... what did he call 'em... Uh, conquerors that like to think they're so much better than everyone else! Somethin' like that."

It didn't occur to Leanne how insensitive she might have been. Mara, picking up this conversation from the trash bin, rolled her eyes, nibbling on a chicken bone with some scraps of meat still on it. "I would watch your word choice, Miss Lowe," she said to the air, it seemed.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," Kendall offered with a meek smile and a raised hand. "My name's Kendall. I'm just waiting for a few friends to show u- Oop. Okay."

He didn't protest when Leanne grabbed his wing, though his grin did widen with awkwardness and discomfort, his eye twitching slightly with each tug. "Yes, they're quite real. A-And quite sensitive... Nonetheless, in many respects, I am very different from the angels of your home realm, namely in biology, origin and purpose."

Once freed, Kendall took a few steps back and rubbed his shoulder, soothing the unpleasant tingle still lingering in his back. "If I were to be completely honest, I get the distinct impression many angels from your world wouldn't take too kindly to me. Personally speaking, though, it is very nice to meet you, Miss Lowe."

[DanteMGalileo]

"... I guess you've heard of me!" Strangely, how Kendall knew her name didn't seem to bother Leanne. "The name's Leanne Lowe, and I might not look like it, but I'm the baddest mage around! Please to meet ya, Kendall!" Extending her slightly bandaged hand, she shook the angel's own hand. "So, uh... who're you waitin' for? 'Cause I'm lookin' for some people myself. Four, but I ain't worried about one of 'em."

From outside, Mara poked her head out of the trash can, perking a horn-like ear towards the church, putting down the stripped-bare chicken bone. There are more than just the fiery one, it seems. But who else...?

"Two of 'em are my brothers! Jordan, well okay, he'll probably find me or you first. He's... kinda weird like that. Will's an idiot, but he's our idiot. A few years ago he went through a phase and stuck a buncha metal things in his ears! Dad really let him have it for that, eheheh..." Leanne gave a weird chuckle at the memory.

The sneaky backstabbing one and the slow-witted but kind one...

"Oh, yeah. And then there's Percy. He's got pointy ears, claims to be allergic to shoes, and probably has never touched a comb in his life." Leanne went on, taking a seat. "He's a reckless moron but his heart's in the right place. I think. I doubt you've seen 'em, but if ya have, gimme a shout!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Oh! Well..." Kendall offered the mage a bright smile. "It just so happens that I have encountered William and Percy! In fact, they should be arriving here quite shortly along with a few other new friends of mine."

Noting Leanne's expression, Kendall politely raised a hand and calmly continued, "We have a while until they arrive. Before they do, we'll have one more person joining us who is in dire need of clarification as to his present location. Heheh. He'll be showing up here in twenty-seven seconds and counting. In the meantime..."

He folded his arms behind his back and strolled closer to the altar. "...I'm curious. What brings you here, Leanne?"

[DanteMGalileo]

"Wait, you actually ran into those two idiots?!" Leanne actually seemed to jump at this bit of news. "Uh, as part of the team, I'm gonna apologize in advance if they did something stupid or annoyed somebody. Oh, they're good enough but they really need to learn when enough's enough."

There was a creaking sound above the pair. Leanne seemingly did not take notice. "So, uh, why am I here? I was just lookin' for a place to crash for a few hours. Had a pretty rough fall and got into a fight with some slimey things last night..." On close examination, her bandages showed signs of a strange substance. "They all seemed to run away, though. Dunno why, but I ain't complainin'... Can't stand anything slimey."

There was what sounded like movement from above. "So! You've seen Will and Percy, yeah? Uh... You seen anyone else? Like a guy missing an eye with dark hair? Or some dude in a cloak?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Kendall chuckled a little. "It's no trouble. They're both fine young men, if a bit rambunctious. Nothing I haven't dealt with before." Then he shrugged at Leanne's simple explanation for her presence in the church. He already knew what had led to her arrival here. He just wanted to hear from her what she thought about it. "Fair enough. It's certainly an ideal place to recuperate."

He ran his hand along the crucifix towering above the altar, a sigh escaping his mouth as a random thought crossed his mind. Then he smiled down at Leanne and responded, "Well, Mr. Isaac hasn't arrived quite yet, but I did see Lark in passing just last night. If the chaos last night was any indication, you, he and your other friends are in for quite an adventure... But don't worry, there will be plenty of time to get acclimated with those events. For now..."

Partway though Kendall's speech, the door slowly creaked open again, which the angel paid no direct attention to until he had finished, at which point he turned his grin on the newcomer.

Said newcomer was a twenty-something-year-old man in a blue police uniform, very visibly exhausted and only slightly baffled by the scene before him. "I'm... sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," Kendall cheerfully replied. "And no need to fret about trespassing either. This church has largely become public property in recent years, left standing only for historical purposes. You're safe here, Scott."

The officer let out a stiff exhale through his nose and frowned at the floor. Of course an angel would know his name...

[DanteMGalileo]

"An adventure, eh? Oooh, I'm excited! Like, really, really excited! I've always wanted to go on an adventure! So has Percy. I think this is like, the first time he's been off Honni Island, and this is definitely the first time I've been off it since I was a little girl!" Clearly, someone was an optimist about this whole thing. "Well, my boss is like, the best, so he's probably fine, and Mister Mercury... Well, he says he always manages to make shit meet."

A louder creaking sound was heard from above, and this time, Leanne heard it. "Uh... Is this place haunted? 'Cuz Jordan dared me to steal a candle from a creepy house back home and I'm kinda scared that there's somethin' after me for that."

Leanne jumped when the door began to open, a slightly pinkish flame forming in her hand. "Oh old gods, this place is haunted! I'm gonna go set it on-"

Oh, false alarm. She thought, seeing the uniformed man. "Uh... You know this guy? If not, it's kinda scary that whatever may be after me looks like one of those crazy Aicarmean cops."

[ParamountKeymaster]

Kendall seemed amused by both Leanne's enthusiasm and her concerns about the new arrival, stepping down from the altar and offering her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Heheh... He's not going to hurt you, Leanne. He's a friend. Like you, he just came here looking for a safe place to recuperate and find his bearings again."

The angel then approached the officer, offering a handshake and a warm smile like a true church greeter. "Kendall Chrones. Pleasure to meet you, sir. Looks to me like you've had a rough night."

"To say the least..." he mumbled in response, squinting his eyes slightly in a vain effort to make the bags beneath them less noticeable. He firmly returned the handshake, then walked with Kendall down the aisle and shot Leanne a weak nod and a small grin. "Sorry if I scared you, ma'am. Don't worry, I guess I'm technically off duty at this point."

[DanteMGalileo]

"Oh, uh... Nice to meet ya, officer!" And there went all of Leanne's hesitations, walking up to the taller man, taking his hand, and shaking it. "The name's Leanne Lowe, and I may not look like it, but I'm pretty much the baddest mage around!" Beat. "Uhhh... That's baddest as in toughest, not worstest. I gotta take those vocab lessons a bit more seriously, I guess..."

The creaking sound got louder, and you could feel sawdust falling on you. "The hell was that? I guess this place really is haunted or that angry ghost is after me!" The pinkish flames remained, and the young mage glanced upward, to find...

CRASH! Somebody's gonna feel that in the morning. Leanne winced, going to help out the poor victim, and the person that had fallen from the ceiling. "Man, you gotta lay off the chips, bro..." Groaning, she pulled up the cloaked teen, who made a huffing noise as it put a smoking stick into its cloak. "And dad's gonna tear into you, Jordan, he's told ya to stop smoking like, five times?"

"Piss off. I need this." Clearly, Leanne was familiar with this individual, and said individual was not the friendliest person around. As Leanne helped him to his feet, he dusted himself off, adjusting something underneath the cloak.

"Is... This a bad time?"

"Ow, ow, ow." Face-first in the floor, William had been the unlucky person that his brother had fallen on, as Percy stood just behind him.

"... Pointy-ears?"

"Leanne! Jordan! You're here, too!" Running up to the mage girl, the barefoot youth and the girl exchanged a fist bump. "Where have you been? Are you okay? And Jordan still smok- augh?! Nice to see you too, Jordan, but do you always have to greet me like that?!"

William groaned and slowly got up, taking in the people in the church. "Nice to see you, Jordan... Leanne!" The older teen rushed up to Leanne, taking her in his hands and swinging her around once. "I was so worried about you! You're getting that Sending Stone, you hear?"

"What, so you can always leave your's behind?"

"Touche, sis."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Scott Sellers," the officer calmly greeted as he returned the handshake, then allowed Leanne to ramble for a while, himself offering little more than a weary, humoring smile. A mage, huh? First one he'd met. Then again, given what he had seen last night, he suspected she wouldn't be the last.

Then Scott heard the creaking from above. The moment he did, he focused his attention entirely on the ceiling, his ears barely registering Leanne's questions, his hand twitching as he instinctively reached for something on his belt...

"Oh, that?" Kendall breathed with a bemused grin. "That would be Jordan. You may want to take a few steps away from the door..."

Warily, Scott did as the angel instructed and sidestepped down the aisle a few feet. The door opened again... and then whoever was climbing from the rafters fell on the first person to enter.

Seeing this, as well as Leanne's banter with the young man in the cloak, Scott allowed himself to relax and cast a deadpan frown at the scene. "I feel like I should make some sort of comment about breaking and entering, but for one, I did basically do the same thing myself, and more importantly, I'm just too tired to give a s***."

Kendall flinched and sighed, his next statement directed at pretty much everyone in the room. "Could we perhaps refrain from profanities in this house?" Then he shot Scott a sad smile. "My apologies for the chaos. You just so happened to stumble upon the location of a rather important reunion."

Scott groaned. "Yeah, I guess that's just my luck. Can't say I'm surprised."

"Well, prepare to be surprised."

Before Scott could even consider questioning the angel, the chapel doors swung open further, allowing a young woman in a pink flannel shirt and a boy in an unzipped orange parka to join the rowdy group inside. A third party member trailed behind them...

"Huh." Kelsey tilted her head at the two strangers that Percy and William had greeted, quickly making it clear that they were the former's friends and the latter's siblings. "Are all your family reunions this spontaneous and awkward?"

"Would you really be surprised if they were?" Kenny half joked, half asked in earnest.

Their companion chuckled as he maneuvered around them and stepped into the church, simply wanting to take a look around at the holy place. This was the first time the blue dragon man had been here, after all; he was curious to see what it looked like inside. Spacious, intricately designed, colorfully illuminated by the sunlight through the stained glass windows...

Of course, he didn't have long to study the sanctuary before his bright yellow eyes landed on the police officer standing in the middle of the room.

He promptly froze, the two staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, eyes wide, jaws slightly slacked. It was strange, but... this man looked familiar. Almost uncomfortably familiar. Like an adult version of someone he once greatly feared and resented. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he might've thought this cop really was...

"Paul?"

His wide eyes grew wider. He leaned back in disbelief. "S... Scott??"

Kelsey sharply turned towards the two, blinking as her confused glance flicked between them. "Scott? Paul, you know this guy?"

Scott took a shaky step closer to the dragon man, baffled and speechless. Paul, on the other hand, was rigid and stammering, struggling to conjure up some explanation for what he was seeing. "S-Scott, you... What're you...? When did...? How...? W-What've you been...? You're a... You- OOMPH!"

Before he could attempt to finish any of his sentences, though, Paul found himself locked in a firm embrace, Scott's arms wrapped around him just tightly enough to not leave him feeling completely restrained. His own nerves froze him in place well enough on their own.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again..."

[ColArana]

Speaking of one mage not being the last he'd met....

Ranuen tailed in behind Kelsey and Paul, at human height. He was wearing a watch today (no statement as to how he acquired it), so he could track his time more accurately and avoid inconvenient bouts of height loss as he had previously. It seemed he was in the midst of walking in on a conversation, William expressing familiarity with some of the people inside the church. "Well. Guess it was worth coming by afterall." He noted, as he entered behind the other two.

Entering on a reunion? Yeah about right. Ranuen looked up to the rafters as he entered, dimly wondering if some among the present company was even capable of entering places normally. He glanced over at Paul's starstruck appearance. "Paul... you... okay?" He inquired briefly, as Paul was embraced by the stranger. Ranuen took a moment, to check around the room, letting Paul have his moment, and approached Percy, Leanne, William and Jordan's group. "Friends of yours?" He asked.

[DanteMGalileo]

Four little mice, two of them strange mice,

"So, uh... I don't think I got your name from last night." Percy turned to Kendall, looking in notably better shape from the night before. "And... do I know you? Hey, Paul, do you know this crazy-looking Aicarmean guy?" Though his usual lack of tact remained despite being rested.

"Perce, don't be rude to the angel guy! I mean, not all angels are dicks... right?" Some things never changed, if William's response was any indiactor. "I must apologize for my companion's rudeness, he has no sense of- gah!" And courtesy of his brother, the glasses-wearing sibling went flying into a nearby bench.

"You talk too much. And are tactless." Jordan had lowered his bandana and hood, revealing lank hair and a normal lower face. "I'll catch up. Long stressful night. Trailed that thing. Lost it in a poof. Need a smoke."

Two little mice, brothers both
One will tell the tale
The other will vanish,

"I thought Dad and I told you to quit smoking! ... You take that back, Jordan!"

Leanne rolled her eyes, elbowing the much-taller blonde on her way to the new arrivals. "Yeah, they're all like that. Tactless li'l punks, aren't they?" She walked up to the new arrivals, shaking each hand as she passed. "Howdy! The name's Leanne Lowe! Ooh, I love your shirt! I think we're gonna get along fine, pal, we talk kinda similar!" ("LEANNE NO") "Ooh, a dragon that ain't gonna eat me! Ooh, are you a mage too?" Poke, poke, poke.

One little mouse,
Child of flame
A hero or another tale,

"Hey, uh... I'm not too good with social interactions, can we just cut to the chase?"

Last little mouse,
Strange child, troubling child,
Be wary.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Oh, it's no trouble..." Kendall awkwardly chuckled, cheerfully waving Percy and the brothers off. "The name's Kendall. I don't suppose I can blame you for making the comparison, but I am quite different from the angels you're accustomed to. If anything, I certainly hope my temperament is more hospitable than what you're imagining!"

"Aw, no..." Kenny shuffled over to Paul, warily staring up at the police officer currently embracing him. "This is Scott? Your brother? The one you told me was a total douchebag to you?"

"I'm sorry, what'd you just say, kid?" Scott sharply asked as he pulled away from Paul and frowned down at Kenny.

"Guys!" Paul quickly raised his hands, eyes flicking between the two. "Guys. It's cool okay?"

Once Leanne had done her rounds introducing herself to everyone (earning an awkward "Thank you?" from Kelsey and a crude remark from Kenny that will not be repeated here), Paul took a deep breath and continued, "Erm... No, I'm... not a mage. Sorry to disappoint you. A-Anyway, yeah... this is my brother, Scott. Who I… guess is a police officer now, dude, when did that happen?"

"Joined the academy right out of high school," Scott calmly answered.

"Didn't strike me as the kind of career you would go for... N-No offense."

"No, it's fine, I totally understand. So... who're your friends?"

"Oh! Right... This is Kelsey, Kenny, Ranuen, William and Percy. I, uh... just met these two last night."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Kelsey casually greeted, hands in her pockets, smile calm and warm. "How long have you been here?"

"Just arrived last night," Scott mused. "Spent the better half of last night just wandering around, trying to-"

Before he could fully explain himself, Percy jumped in and bluntly asked if they could get to the point of this endeavor. Scott simply shrugged and nodded, figuring he could fill in the blanks as they all went along learning the full story.

Going along with this idea, Kendall perked up and responded, "Oh, yes, of course! Well, first and foremost, part of the intent of this rendezvous was to reunite Leanne and Scott with your party. Now that that much has been accomplished, I suppose it's only fair that we move along to the other key event taking place here."

He cast a vigilant glance at the door. "You see... there is a demon outside. And she's keeping tabs on all of us."