9264/Message Delivered

Message Delivered
Date of Scene:	24 December 2021
Location:	Lydia's Apartment
Synopsis:	Lydia is visited by the Archangel Gabriel who reassures her of her place in this trial and gives her a multitude of things to consider. But it's not all doom and gloom, that has to count for somethng.
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Chas Chandler, Michael Demiurgos
Tinyplot:	Path of Glory

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's jaunt into Heaven has taken it's toll on her. It's shaken her faith to the core. Everything she had seen was just... /terrible/. Not a word one usually associated with Heaven. When she came to her apartment she had considered just /ripping/ the mezuzah right off her doorframe, but doing it just didn't feel right.

After all, there was more to being a Jew than just religion. It's culture, and family, and history. Is she ready to give up on all that too?

She sighs and lets herself into the apartment and tosses her keys into the little bowl placed near the door that's there to hold such things, and makes her way into the kitchen. She doesn't bother turning on the lights. She can see perfectly fine in pitch black dark, so there's no need of it, much like she doesn't bother keeping the heat on to save on the heating bill.

She stands there, soaking in the comforting vibes of the place. This is her sanctuary. Sure, she's mostly living on the Asteroid nowadays, but she's sharing that space with Mystique, and countless other mutants who live there. Here, this is her own. A place where she can be by herself.

She debates for a moment on what she wants to do, and decides to make herself some tea. She finds the aroma and warmth calming, comforting, so she sets the kettle on the stove to boil.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    There is much to think about after the trip to Heaven. For all people involved. The nature of free will. The choices they have to make. Whether God (the Presence) really was just an absent Father. So many questions, so few answers. But a promise had been made to the vampiress by one who does not break their promises.

    The kettle's slow rumble comes a few minutes later and the whistle starts but then suddenly stops. As does all other sound. Nothing moves. At all. Not even time. There is a calm knock on the door.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia stills when the universe does, not moving, not breathing, not even blinking. The silence between the seconds has come. When the knock comes, she isn't surprised by it, and walks back to the front door of her apartment and opens the door.

"Good evening," she says, greeting the angel at her door. She gives him something of a sad smile and takes a step back to let him in. "Come in. I'd offer you tea, but it seems that time happens to be stuck."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    The man at the door is not Uriel. He looks younger, by quite a few years. Somewhere in his teens maybe? With blonde hair that looks like it would be more in fashion at an 80s punk rock concert with the stylized spikes in every direction. He's wearing a leather jacket festooned with buttons and safety pins and tight fitting jeans with a pair of white Converse All-Stars with neon high lighter and sharpie marks all over them. "Oh... umm... hi," the man says in a deep voice that carries a strong southern drawl to it. "I... uh... well... I'm Gabriel." He pauses. "Stuck?" he asks and lifts a sleeve of the leather jacket to look at a watch that comes from the same era as his hair.

    "Oh... I guess it is. My brothers have a way with words and Uriel is very... well, he keeps his word to the letter of them. I guess we don't need to worry about timing, huh?" He steps in and smiles at the woman. "Thank you. For the invitiation, by the way. Lots of people can get skittish about us what with what Michael's been doing." He makes a face that explains that he doesn't agree with the older angel's actions. "By the way they've been acting you'd think we were va..." he pauses and puts a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry. I spoke before thinking."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's smile turns genuine, finding the angel endearing. "Well," she says, leading Gabriel to the living room. "I figured if you wanted to harm me you wouldn't have knocked. Would you like to take a seat?"

The living room is more like a library. Just about every inch of the walls have been covered in bookshelves, save for a bit cut out for the television, and another for an antique roll up writing desk. In the center of the room is a very comfortable looking couch, and a couple of plush chairs that seem perfect for curling up and reading a book in. It's to one of these that she offers Gabriel to sit, while taking a seat on the couch.

"So how can I help you?" she says after they get settled, even though she knows that really he's here to help her. Still. It pays to be polite to an archangel.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Actually... I'm supposed to help you" Gabriel replies looking around at the shelves as he moves to a seat. "After all... I, to, happen to be a guardian of the People of God. Your people. And Uriel tells me you are having something of a crisis."

    He smiles and folds his hands in his lap, regarding the woman with an almost childlike smile on his face. "So, allow me to put at least some one your concerns to rest. At least... I want to, once I hear what they are. The fact that he doesn't know what her concerns are speaks volumes on the methodology of Uriel more than Gabriel's intelligence.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is silent for a while as she gathers her thoughts. She watches as her fingers twists themselves into knots and after a while she speaks. "It's good to know that at least /someone/ cares." He voice is small, and quiet. "When I weas up there... in Heaven... despite all it's glory, all I saw was hate and cruelty. Such /eagerness/ to bring about the end of all things."

"Well..." she amends. "All things as far as our little lives go. I suppose for you it's all transient since you'll be around for whatever replaces us, and were around for whatever it was that we replaced."

Her lips press together as if she's trying to hold back her thoughts from spilling out of her mouth without a care. "If God was silent on all this, I could have seen this as faith in his creation to be able to handle the challenge in store for us. But, I felt it when Michael spoke. Their authority was speaking through him. The... tacit agreement that all of /this/..." she says, sweeping her hand in a grand gesture to encompass /everything/, "was a mistake. That we had failed."

She looks up at the archangel, blood tears beginning to well in her eyes. "How could we have failed when there is so much love in the world? Yes, there's hate, and violence, but there's also compassion and caring. When all thing's said and done and the world is against them, people /choose/ to care. Isn't that glorious? God gave us free will, and with it we choose love."

She shakes her head. "I know that, looking at the big picture it's sometimes hard to see. A small few in power manages to amplify the worst of us, but if you go out there, on the streets, and look at the average person in their day to day lives, well, that's where you'll find the best of us."

"But it's not enough, I guess. We're not enough." She shrugs helplessly, "How can I have faith in a creator who thinks of us a failure?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Gabriel is silent for a while, his expression gives the impression that he is considering his words carefully. "What makes you think that this is about the end of all things?" he asks softly. "I mean, sure that is what Michael's goal is but that's because he is a soldier. To him, this is a war. His end result is going to be the ultimate victory of that war."

    "We--and I mean my brothers and I--see things differently based on our Purpose. To me, this invasion... this conflict it's just another stanza in the Great Song. I'm waiting for the next verse to come around. The next chorus." He smiles. "Our Father isn't giving credence to Michael's actions any more than he gave credence to The Accuser to destroy all that Job had worked for and created. This is no different, Lydia."

    He leans forward a bit. "Michael isn't going to destroy everything because Our Father will not permit him to. *But* some lessons require a higher price to be paid in order to make their point. Your trial in this lesson is the same as Job's. You have to decide whether or not you will turn away from God because he is given power to a being that threatens to take away all you hold dear or if you will instead look to those around you and realize that your knowledge in this trial is lacking and persevere to understand more by living through it?"

    He holds up a hand to forestall her response. "Know this, Child of God: should you turn away from God's teachings and forge your own path it will *not* mean the destruction and desecration of your soul." He gestures to her. "You, of all people, should know that there is more than one path to paradise. Otherwise, you would not exist as you are. Between Exodus 22:18 and Michael's own words to you, you should know that the scriptures of God are not without err. One of the greatest problems is that man has put his own edict in with the Words of God and thus the work is only loosely based on the truth presented to his Prophets."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia sits uncomfortably as Gabriel speaks. "But... /what/ lesson? /Whose/?" She shakes her head. "I've never liked the book of Job. It always seemed unnecessarily cruel. Sure Job was rewarded for his faith in the end, but was that really the lesson? No. The lesson was to The Accuser. The trial wasn't for Job's benefit or edification. It was for The Accuser's."

"I feel like this is a lesson done less for humanity's sake than it is for Michael's," she says with a frown. "A lot of people are going to suffer for this teachable moment." A bitter laugh escapes her, "And if the lesson /is/ for us, then what exactly is the lesson? We should be grateful for our continued existence? Humanity has faced apocalypses before. This wouldn't be the first one and it won't be the last."

She's silent again as a hand clasps the silver ankh pendant through her blouse. "It's good to know that should I survive, my soul isn't forfeit."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Gabriel gives her a sympathetic look. "I cannot tell you what it is... but I can tell you what it is not" he says softly. "It is not a true measure of the worth of the universe. It is not a battle based on corruption and misdeeds. It is not a battle on one front, but on several. And it is not a test for Michael's benefit. His actions--insane as they may be to you, are perfectly sound within his Purpose in Creation."

    He pauses. The true lesson to be learned in this endeavor I can tell you. It is compassion and balance in all things. And you, poised as you are between life and unlife, between mutants and non-mutants, between The Jews and The Egyptians, have much to teach people about compassion and balance."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia goes back to watching her fingers twist together as Gabriel speaks. "I don't..." she begins haltingly. "Again I have to ask the question 'for whom is this lesson for?' You don't teach compassion by going to war with them. You don't teach balance by threatening to end their existence."

"You teach compassion by being compassionate. You show balance by being balanced. This.... this whole /endeavor/ is neither." She stills in the unnatural way that only the dead can. "When I was in heaven, I asked 'At what point do these trials stop being lessons and start being abuse?' I am awfully close to feeling abused."

She shakes her head and looks up, a hard edge in her eye. "My compassion doesn't stem from my faith," she says. "Should my faith be shattered by the time this is done, my compassion will never be.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Which is why you are so important for this endeavor" Gabriel says with a soft smile. "Compassion comes in many forms, Lydia. There is the form that focuses on helping others. There is the form that comes from sympathy. There is the form that comes from altruism. There is the form the comes from unity."

    He sits back folding his hands in his lap. "The trick is in figuing out which form is best suited for this task. It was not abuse whem Moses was set to walk the desert. It was not abuse when David was set against Goliath. It was not abuse when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in error. All these acts were done for a singular purpose. The army of Michael is simply one more desert. One more Goliath. One more Roman Empire."

    He regards her with sympathy. "I know it looks daunting and that lives have already been lost, but *I* have faith that mortalkind can do what needs to be done to continue on a path that they forge themselves."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia narrows her eyes at the archangel. "Maybe not individually it could be seen as abuse, but when it becomes a repetitive cycle.... then yes. When you inflict pain and suffering to impart a moral again, and again, and again..." she shakes her head. "Isn't the pain and suffering that we inflict on ourselves enough as it is? We put ourselves through so many trials, why does the divine need to add to it?"

"That is... assuming that the lesson is for /us/. Which I've noted that you've very carefully sidestepped the question twice. So I ask you a third time. Who is this lesson /for/?" Three is a powerful number. There are plenty of beings who would be bound by the rule of three, and though she doubts Gabriel is one of them, it never hurts to try.

She lets out a weary sigh, and rubs one eye with a knuckle, scowling at the sight of blood. "I understand that there's a plan that's bigger than all of us going on. That this has been in the works for a while. I just... can't see how the payoff, whatever it may be, justifies all this. I want to have faith that this will all work out in the end, but I can't help but feel that regardless of the outcome, this is just going to end in tragedy. Save for whomever is learning this lesson. Which clearly isn't me, and it obviously isn't humanity."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Gabriel chuckles at the woman's attempt to coerce a straight answer from him. "I am not bound by that rule but for this purpose I will answer you... if not directly. He sighs and closes his eyes. There is a surge of power and the room slips away.

    Once again, Lydia finds herself among the cosmic web. The entirety of the universe pulls out and there is the Silver City, but this trip goes *even further.* In the emptiness past Creation light begins to blossom. First one, then another, and another and another until there is a rainbow of colors and hues all swirling together. Gabriel's voice comes as if it is far away, and not a few feet from her.

    "My Father watches all of reality for everyone. Not just your universe, but *every* universe. There are countless systems out there." He gestures out to the swirling mass of colors. "More than you even see here. They are what My Father, the being you call Elohim, is made of. Each universe is a cell of His body." The swirl zooms in on a single perfect sphere of color. "Most are stable and do their duty in sustaining him. Moving along as a universe should. Ordered chaos encompassed by laws imposed by Him." There is a flurry of motion and the vision shifts to another object. It's amorphous and bleeding its substance. "Others fail and fall apart, returning to the whole of His form letting their substance be reused as necessary to create more of Him. The process of this is often done by those known collectively as Angels. His agents. His protectors." Another flurry and the vision focuses on another object. It's not a perfect sphere, and yet it doesn't bleed its substance either. It's an amorphous thing that pulses with a dangerous black aura.

    "But what if one of the univeres didn't conform to either situation. It *could* do its job, but in doing so it has to siphon from those around it." As he gestures to the amorphous thing it touches on another perfect sphere and some of the color of it bleeds out, turning it grey and making it fall apart in seconds. "The angels would be called upon to stop it from destroying the entirety of His body but at the same time... there could be another avenue. An avenue that allowed the universe to stabilize and stop its rampage, an avenue forged by its inhabitants rather than the natural defense of His angels." He looks at the globular amoeba like universe and nods to Lydia. "Do I need to be more direct or does that answer your question well enough?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia feels her breath be taken away, even though she no longer breathes. The zooming out is just as magnificent as it was the first time, but she finds herself being surprised when they zoom out beyond the Silver City and in to the multiverse. She watches in wonder as Gabriel explains to her the underpinnings of all things, and of her universe in particular.

As she begins to understand the nature of their struggle her heart begins to grow more heavy with the enormity of it. So many questions.

"How... how does that even /work/? How does our universe leech from others? What does that even /look/ like?" She shakes her head and holds up a hand. "No, no. How can a small group of us stabilize an entire /universe/? I can see why balance is important, but how does compassion fit in with this?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "You diminish the impact unification of motivation can have on a system, Lydia Gabriel's voice says from far away. "Should the major players in the system come together and focus on a common enemy it is possible that the system will... He makes a fist, a symbol of stabilzation. "And should that common enemy be the very force meant to stabilize the universe? Even better."

    He nods and the vision of the multiverse fades back into the living room of her apartment. "It is very large... but you already knew that with Michael, myself, and others being involved. This is why I was reluctant to tell you. To be honest, the scale is irrelavent after a point. What you need to concern yourself with is your actions. Your choices. Your universe."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyebrows knit together, "No, I think the scale /is/ important. It helps put things into perspective. It gives me a 'why' that I can understand, which isn't insignificant. But..." speaking of significance, "why me? Why tell this to some random Jewish vampire? I mean... I can tell the others, to explain the why of it but how am I to help beyond moral support?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Because you are more than just a Jewish vampire mutant who is part of a temple dedicated to Isis" Gabriel says to the young woman. "Lydia, you have so much potential in you. *Your* magic, locked away as it is, makes you distinct among many people. It was, after all, you that discovered how to bind Michael. While the results were unexpected... you have knowledge and the intuition to use that knowledge in ways that are rather unique."

    He regards her with a smile. "Who knows what this endeavor holds for you? Perhaps your actions will lead to you unlocking that which was tucked away or will lead you to the Gates of Heaven in the flesh? Whatever the case may be, the fact that I am *here* means you are perfectly suited to be a part of this. Regardless of what you may think. You are far more than simply moral support."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's initial reaction is to argue with the archangel, but really he has a point. She's talking to /the/ archangel Gabriel, so that counts for something. "Okay," she says. "I'll concede that I may have a place in this, though I have no earthy clue as to what it might be."

"I just..." she flounders. "This is just so /huge/. I'm overwhelmed. I know that wasn't your intent, though. I..." She looks up to meet Gabriel's gaze. "Thank you for coming. It's helped put my mind at ease on some things." A wry chuckle escapes her, "Only to be replaced by other disturbances, mind you, but you answered some very important questions for me."

A thought suddenly occurs to her and she lets out a bark of laughter, "Oh my God, Rabbi O'Toole would absolutely soil himself if he knew who I was talking to right now." She shakes her head, "I still haven't told him I'm a vampire yet, though. Our schedules aren't... exactly compatible."

"I think I have just one last question, but I don't know if you can answer it," she says. "Where do we even /begin/?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Gabriel is silent for a long moment before he smiles. "That is something I can actually give you rather directly." He shifts a bit in the chair. "The one at the center of all this is Jonathan Sims. His role is one of pain that will bring him to better understand himself."

    He looks vaguely sympathetic. "Stay near to him. Help him. Advise him if you feel it is a good idea. Whatever you may be able to do for him... stay there and it will give you the most opportunity to succeed." He sighs. And know that even should great harm come to some... including yourself, in the end it is a means to growth for all of you. A means to better serve Him in what he needs you to do and to be."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Oh, no," Lydia says, looking both surprised and sad. "Poor Jon. He has enough on his plate as it is without being the lynchpin of the universe. He..." she shakes her head. "I should talk to him. He's going to need support or else he's going to crack under the pressure."

She's silent for a moment before standing with a nod. "Thank you for coming to see me, Gabriel. There's a lot I have to think about."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Gabriel smiles and gives a nod to the woman. "Of course. It's... well the least I can do for one so poised for potential and yet so unaware of it. We are after all messengers of Truth."

    He rises. "Remember. No matter how dark or dire the situation may seem... you have the power to find your solution." He bows and, as he rises the facade of the youngish punk rocker falls away revealing the angel underneath.

    He's not as tall as Michael, standing at around six feet, and the youthful enthusiasm remains in his features. His hair is long, curly and sandy blonde in color. His eyes are pink in color and piercing. His armor has a strange blue tinge to it and only covers his chest, forarms, and calves. The rest of his attire is a long white tunic that falls to his knees. His wings spread out behind him and they too are smaller in proportion to Michael. "It was good to speak with one of the Children who would listen. It has been far too long. Be well. Peace be with you. And live with God's love forever more."

    There is a gust of wind and his disappears leaving a flury of blue-white flowerpetals as time returns to its normal flow in the apartment the tea kettle resuming its whistle.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is left standing there as the flower petals gently fall around her. She has a lot to consider going forward. She's not sure exactly /how/ it is that they're going to be victorious and bring balance to their universe but she's fairly certain that if anybody can do it, it'd be them. After all, she's the optimist of the group.

Then something occurs to her. Her feet are surrounded by blue-white petals. "Dammit, Gabriel! Now I have to clean this up!"