Quotes:
"Just give me a toga." - Dana
"I sing the Celestial Song of Getting The Hell Out Of Here." - Dylan
"We've only known each other for days, but it seems like weeks!" - Dylan and Daimon, Male-bonding
"Whatever doesn't make us stronger... kills us." - Dylan and Daimon again, trying to wonder how they keep ending up in coffee shops at 4 in the morning.
6:00 PM. Day 4.
After the defeat of Guido and Vinnie, the Stonies arrive to collect the trio. Dana feels bad, as her attuned now has a bruise from being backhanded by a Djinn of Factions upside one cheek. Bodies are deposited in the trunks, people are piled into cars, and they are taken to the Stonies's halfway house in Boston. Of the Stonies, two are Cherubs, whom Dana duly bonds with, one is a bland looking Elohite and one is a Malakite named Ken. The house is just a normal student style geekhouse. It's sparsely decorated and mostly empty.
As it turns out, the Stonie's have found the Song 'inspiring' up in Heaven, liking that kind of music. And now that they have the person who produced it, they want more of it. Now. Right now. They are disappointed that it was created by a demon, but according to the Malakite's resonance, well, he might not be a demon much longer. Daimon is given three choices - he can write music in the basement, where there is much wonderous inspiring stone, upstairs in a bedroom where they can keep an eye on him, or die. He chooses the bedroom, and the trio end up there. The Malakite pulls Dana aside and tells her to keep BOTH of the others on the straight and narrow, or he's going to have to do the Malakite thing. The Stonies tell them: "Be inspired. Think of stone."
So the trio gab for a while, and try to think of Stone. No one is getting inspired. Dana figures, at this rate, she's never going to get to a Tether of Michael. She lays on the bed, and pushes herself up into the Marches. When she gets there, she realizes that she's wearing a bloody t-shirt which has JUSTICE written across the front - in the middle of a Michaelite encampment. Is this a good idea? Oh, maybe not. Luckily she gets set upon by a fluffy Mercurian of Flowers, who thinks Dana was caught in the fighting, and EVERYONE, even mean nasty fallen Dominicans, needs loving care. But Dana doesn't seem evil, mean, or nasty (until someone messes with her attuned, ahem), so the Mercurian, named Florence, takes Dana into a tent and binds up the wounds she received from Factions. While there, a suspiciously Bright Lilim drifts in, waves, says Hi, grabs some supplies, and drifts out again. Dana ignores the plot hook in exchange for a change of clothing, which happens to be an overly tight flower print toga, because she's going to hang out in her vessel as long as she can to be sneaky. So semi-disguised and not so bloody, she goes off to the main Michaelite camp. She gets passed the Malakim MPs just fine, because she's exceedingly honorable, but they do stop her and remind her that it isn't 'safe' for one of her 'kind' to go too near the Front. She claims she has a message to deliver, and they let her pass.
Dana finds Rigziel's tent, with much looking. It has many a servitor of War standing around it, debating how they're going to throw Dominic from the Spires into Hell. This doesn't inspire Dana much, but she does catch Rigziel's eye, who is inside the tent, and, oddly enough, discussing tactics. She gets to wait for a while, feeling uncomfortable and wearing an overly-tight flowered toga. Eventually, she gets in to see the Man himself. He of course wants to know if she's chosen to follow Novalis (from her dress) or Michael (from her appearance). Neither, and Rigziel gets from the Symphony exactly WHO she's serving at the moment. This does not make him a happy Seraph. They talk, and they agree on at least one point - that if Dominic is destroyed, someone is going to have to rise up to replace him. There is some other discussion, and Dana leaves just as frustrated as when she arrived, but at least she got out alive. She returns to the Tower and then back to her body. But she wakes up alone in the bedroom...
9:00 PM. Day 4.
Daimon was almost getting inspired and Dylan was getting restless, when people begin to arrive downstairs. The cherubs who were guarding the doors come upstairs, and drag the two of them downstairs, and toss them on the living room couch side by side. Before them is a very tall, this woman with high cheekbones, greying hair, and hard shining eyes. She calls herself Veronica (variant on her True Name, Veronial), and she is the Angel of Glass. Daimon and Dylan each get their own private Malakite to loom over them and grind their shoulderblades into mulch slowly. (This isn't preemptive attacking, it's more like 'encouraging to be truthful and helpful'.) Veronica demands proof of the accusiations made of Dominic in the coffee shop in NYC, and reasoning of why the messenger was interrupted with a very important mission. Of course we're talking about a Renegade Lilim of Comedy and an Outcast Mercurian of the Wind here, and getting answers out of these two is like trying to squeeze butter from a hunk of granite, so they can't help but be flippant and make light of things. Hey, you can't fight your own natures, no matter how hard you try.
So Dana wakes up to some rather loud cries of pain and her attunement pinging like mad. She goes downstairs to see this scene, and then she too gets her own private Malakite to loom over her and make her life hard. Veronica hands the Letter over to Dan a, and Dana realizes her life is getting steadily worse, as if it was possible. The Seraph demands proof of the accusations, and Dana coughs up some, including the Broken Malakim. Amazingly, she can get Archangel Laurence himself to collaborate - which would be fine and good if the communique between Dominic and David didn't throw Laurence into a really bad nasty light. Veronica announces that the three of them are under House Arrest, and any attempts to leave the premises before she returns will result in something ugly, probably their deaths. She leaves to report to the Lord of Stone.
Dylan paces. Daimon gets dragged to the basement by a Stonie who really wants to explain how inspiring Stone really is, and how cool it would be to have some songs written about just Stone. Dana follows them down there, and gets a call from a guy who is "Matt, Terry's Friend". He attempts to con her into coming out to LA "right now", but Dana's Will is mighty. He is thwarted.
And Dylan paces more as the Malakim and Cherubim watch him. He becomes unhappy.
1:00 AM Day 5
There is a tinkle of broken glass as two tear gas grenades get shot through the window of the kitchen. As the trio recover from the gas, the electricity to the house gets cut off. They're grabbed by Cherubim and taken down into the far more defensible basement - which is pitch black. They can hear car doors slamming, some angry voices, scuffling, and then the sounds of furniture exploding. There is open gunfire, and the sounds of combat. After a few moments, the house is dead silent. The door at the top of the stairs opens, and a voice calls out, "Just hand over the Lilim and I will let the rest of you live." Light glints off the barrel of the gun. Dana whispers they should all teleport out. As the essence gets spent (and people are starting to run a bit low), the guy on the top of the stairs swears and opens fire. He just catches Dana as she teleports out.
Dylan appears about a quarter of a mile away, and he can hear the cop cars pulling around the corner. He decides to just walk away and keep walking until he his nice and far away from the scene. But man, he left his Jeep of Many Things behind.
Dana appears a mile away. The Dominican Malakim who hit the House follow her and materialize in. One points at her and says, "You have been Judged." Dana immediately starts running toward the populated center of town. The two Malakim are following closely behind. Dana loses one and she hits a crowd, but the other one is cutting down humans like chaff (all dishonorable, all needing to die...) with his sword to get to her. The disturbance starts to pile up quickly, following directly behind her. A very large man in a suit materialized out of the crowd, moving quicker then any man that size should, flanked Dana, grabbed her, and threw her over his shoulder in one smooth motion. He started making tracks into the alleyways, trying to shake the Malakite. No dice, he continues to follow. The large man sets Dana down, materializes his own claws and Song of Shields, and prepares to confront. To make a long story short, there is blood, there is damage taken, there is a mess, but the Malakite is sent up to his Heart. At which the large man replied, simply, "He'll be back quickly. We must move."
The large man started making tracks in an unwavering direction back across the populated areas. Dana gets his name out of him - Micah. And she is starting to suspect that he's a Djinn. They happen to pass by the coffee shop Dylan is hiding out at, just because coincidences are fun. Dylan comes out and starts being sneaky, following them. He sneaks up to Dana and says, "Hi". Micah doesn't like to be interrupted in his unwavering search. He decides that it would be Funny if Dylan did a little embarrassing dance. Dylan doesn't want to do this. Micah leans down and grabs Dylan by the collar and shakes him a bit. Yes, you want to do this. You really do. Dylan finally relents, but he insists on Micah as his dance partner. Embarressed and looking stupid, they finally are on the move again, and Micah no longer cares of Dylan lives or dies. (Although he is protecting the Pretty Lady from the Nasties.)
Dana mourns another t-shirt, lost to blood and gore.
The three of them make tracks to Micah's car - a sturdy looking automobile, nothing really interesting, with little stuffies in the back window. The other two angels climb into the car, not feeling really good about all this. I mean, they are now in a car with a possible Djinn of Dark Comedy who is obsessing over Dana. Micah pulls the car out and locates the person he's attuned to rather simply, after explaining that he's been tracking him for weeks. Daimon, sitting on a bus stop bench, looks up, says, "Oh, Hi Micah," and prompty attempts to run for his life. Micah gets out of the car, does some nice Judo Hold things which brings some more yells of pain, and tosses the Lilim in the back seat. (He had rope for this bit, but it was in the trunk.) On asking where they are now going, Micah says, "A tether. It will be safe. Soon, everything will be better, no more Javan, everything will be safe. Daimie put it all right again. We are going home."
Dana gets a bad feeling about this.
Things go down hill fast as the angels realize that the Djinn has every intention of dragging them all down to Hell. She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want Dylan to go. She doesn't want her soon-to-be-redeemed friend to go. This is bad. She attempt s to talk him out of this, but it's not going to happen. Dana starts attacking Micah with her still happening claws. Daimon reaches over the seat to put his hands over his eyes (ah, Kobalite attack manuevers!) and Dylan tries to use the gun bludgeoning trick. Micah first smashes into a parked car, ripping up Dylan some, and then gets broadsided. The car comes to a screetching halt. Micah pulls Daimon over the seat and uses him as a body sheild. Dana attacks Micah anyway with her claws, getting Daimon in the side and into Micah's gut. The Djinn collapses, bleeding everywhere. There's just this angry motorist now standing in the street, looking appaulled.
So what do you do when you are covered in blood, have left two bodies behind, and crashed three cars? Why, Dylan, who is now revelling in Chaos (this was SO much better then being cooped up in that boring house) can rationalize stealing this guy's car, n o problem. After all, he's just borrowing it for a few minutes, he'll give it right back, and the guys life might be enriched by this entire experience. Besides, it's driveable, and Micah's is not. It's too bad they left the Fuzzy Dice relic behind. Dana just doesn't think about the laws broken. Daimon just sits in the back, looks at his bloody side, and makes comments about how it WAS healing...
2:30 AM Day 5
Dana's car is still at the Holiday Inn where they left it. Dylan finds the motorist's phone number on the registration and gives him a call. He gets an earful about stealing cars, and hangs up. The three move to Dana's car. Now they have lost everythi ng (including clothing and guitar and Jeep of many things) but these things happen. Dylan drives. Everyone learns some new prayer.
3:00 AM Day 5
There aren't many people on the freeway - well, there are, but it's not as much as usual. Dylan gets them to NYC in record time, while Dana is thinking over and over again, "Where is a tether of Stone? Where is a tether of Stone?" None of this looks re al good, honestly. It just doesn't. They go to the Dream Tether, but it looks closed and locked up for the night. They drive around for a while trying to think of where to go. Dana realizes that St. Patrick's Cathedral has to be a Tether to SOMEONE. It just has to. It just turns out that she's right. They drive to the Cathedral and park. Daimon and Dylan agree to make themselves scarse while Dana takes care of this. Dana at least gets a parting encouraging kiss from her favorite Lilim. Then the Duo of Moral Mediocrity go off to find, oddly, another coffee shop, because it's somewhere to waste time and not get caught.
Dana goes into the Cathedral and meditates for a while. She is eventually approached by the Seneschal, an Elohite of the Sword, who tells her words of encouragement. He also points her to a secluded spot somewhat nearby outside of the City in the foothi lls of the Appalacians which serves as a Tether to Stone.
4:15 AM Day 5
After 45 minutes of very frightening Male Bonding, something the world was probably better off without, a chick who had been hitting the night clubs staggers drunkenly into the coffee shop. She sees Daimon, and recognizes him - not from the Media Blitz o n Earth, but from the Media Blitz in Shal-Mari. She is totally taken - not only is this the previous Kobalite Mediator of some fame, but is now the big Renegade Media Star! She wants him to autograph her, right on her bottom. Dana walks in just in time to see the Lust Groupie settle on Daimon's lap and start making out with him. Dylan looks smug, and is probably wondering if she has a sister. Dana shoos the Lust Groupie away, and bundles the other two out to the car. Dylan drives to the appointed spot, while Dana sits in the back seat with Daimon. There is some obligatory cherub to attuned cuddling that goes on.
6:00 AM Day 5
In the morning (aaahh... dawn essence) the three climb the mountain and are confronted with the Seneschal, a Kyriotate of Stone who is also half in Heaven at the time. It relays messages between them and the Lord of Stone, who has 'become concerned' and is 'considering alternatives'. But it takes a LONG time for David to change his stance on anything. The Lord of Stone agrees to send them a body guard - an Ofanite so that they can all keep moving all the time. Of course, the Ofanite will find them, not to worry.
As they descend the mountain, they see a figure on a motorcycle. The helmet comes off to reveal the long brown hair of Mickey. She looks irate. She actually is irate because she has most of Lust after her at the moment, and probably the Game and probab ly the last of Dark Comedy and probably several other people as well. She doesn't want to think about it. She gets off and sticks a finger into Daimon's chest and starts talking about just how much her friend really DOES owe her. Big time. In new and unimagineable ways. It's going to cost more then just sex. You see, he's been stopping at Kobalite tethers to talk to her, to get her to steal his Heart from Andre, which she has now successfully done, but he's going to need to go to Hell to break it...
