Anael

[offthebeatenpath]

Flying, Em discovered, hadn't lost any of its thrill in the year she'd gone without. It felt every bit as wonderful and natural as it had in Duninnean, only now there was a hint of anxiety too, that she might be seen. She'd flown a few times since Halloween and the new understanding of her powers, but only at night, and usually further out from the city center, over quiet neighborhoods or wooded areas where there would be fewer people to see.

Autumn nights in England weren't exactly warm at ground level, let alone in the air, but she'd found if she bundled up, the warmth of her real clothes was just as real no matter what the projection over herself appeared to wear. So she could enjoy her flights without being too cold on her way back to the squat. Tonight she 'wore' a long, white dress trimmed in gold that matched the golden angel wings lifting her into the sky. The wings were the strangest thing, mostly because they didn't feel strange at all, as much an extension of her thought as they would be on her Knight of Swords. She wanted to fly, so they beat and she flew.

The moon was just past full, making it all the more likely someone could see her, but Em wanted to clear her head, and flying worked even better than Askani meditations sometimes. She could soar on the wind, looking down over the city, heart-free and head-quiet, no distractions, and just be for awhile.

Comments

[whispersoflove]

Anael smiled, as warm as he got. "I'm really an angel. Anael," he introduced himself by his real name.

[offthebeatenpath]

"Anael," she repeated softly, searching her memory. She landed on a book she'd read about John Dee, which had led to reading several more, and Anael being one of the archangels mentioned in a mystical figure, but that was all she knew of him.

"I'm not sure what you're supposed to say to meeting an angel," she told him shyly, and somewhat awed.

[whispersoflove]

Anael grinned at her, now less overwhelmingly warm than simply amused. "I believe the correct etiquette calls for - 'hello'."

[offthebeatenpath]

Cheeks already rosy with the wind's chill heated a deeper red, her gaze lowering as she laughed again, at herself. "Hello. It really is nice to... really meet you." A thermal buoyed her wings, lifting her slightly as she shifted instinctively to catch it.

[whispersoflove]

Anael smiled again and followed her slight shift, holding his hand out to her. "Come on. I'll cloak you, and we can go fly around any part of London you like."

[offthebeatenpath]

Em's eyes brightened with excitement, along with a smile, and she took his hand, curious if he could feel the gloves she wore under the projection. "Anywhere. Everywhere. As long as we're flying."

[whispersoflove]

"Have you got a favourite neighbourhood?" Anael asked as he cloaked them both - as long as they held hands, anyway. Once they flew in a direction, it would mean flying a little above her, so his wings didn't beat into hers, but they would make do. Vertical as they were for now, it wasn't yet an issue.

[offthebeatenpath]

There were so many parts of London she'd like to see from the skies, Em didn't know what to choose first. "Camden?" she suggested after some thought. "I have a... friend who lives there. I have no idea what the building would look like from above, and I'd like to find out."

[whispersoflove]

"A friend," Anael echoed off of the feelings he could sense from Emma, but he did not push further, and gently led the way in what he thought was the right direction. He was much better at this from up here than down in the streets, but he still ought to warn her. "I've a rather terrible sense of direction, you might not want to trust me entirely."

[offthebeatenpath]

Em, on the other hand was better getting around London at street level, so she wasn't confident about her sense of direction either. "Hopefully I can pick out a familiar landmark or two to help. But if not, the view will still be good. We're flying."

[whispersoflove]

"It's so lovely, isn't it," Anael agreed with a warm, fond smile. There was nothing quite like flying, if you asked him, and this was easy, simple flying, it wasn't playing with the winds up where it was so cold he usually came back down a little frosty.

[offthebeatenpath]

"There's nothing like it," she agreed. One more thing being brought here had taken from her - the ability to do this whenever she wanted, without fear of who might see and not understand.

[whispersoflove]

Anael smiled when she expressed his exact sentiment, and he squeezed her hand in his. "Let me know if you grow cold." He could help, between the winds and his Grace.

[offthebeatenpath]

That just gave Em more questions, but she wasn't sure she should ask. Yet, at least. "Thanks. I'm okay for now. I'm dressed more warmly than I look."

[whispersoflove]

"You'll have to explain," Anael gently requested, but he didn't mean right now. Right now, he was happy to focus on the sensations that came with flying, and the buildings they were flying over.

[offthebeatenpath]

He was an angel. Em not only could explain, she would. But maybe later. When she wasn't savoring the feel of riding the wind, and searching the city below for the bits that looked familiar.

[whispersoflove]

Anael was content to remain silent as they flew - until he spotted the familiar market below. "We're over Camden. Where does your friend live?"

[offthebeatenpath]

Using the market as a starting point, Em found another couple of points she recognized, and used them to orient herself. "Um... down there... I think," she decided, picturing the building roof and how it should look from ground level.

[whispersoflove]

Anael looked around, and found a nice roof across from the building in question, where they could land and sit for a minute. He flew them over there, landing in an easy crouch and looking at the opposite windows. "Which floor?"

[offthebeatenpath]

When they landed, Em released hold of her power, the wings and gown disappearing as the color returned to her eyes, leaving her looking like any other young woman in coat, scarf, and gloves. "There," she said, pointing as she caught a glimpse through the window of Dutch at her computer. "On the, uh, third floor. She looks busy."

[whispersoflove]

Anael turned his gaze the way she was pointing, and peered at a young woman with blonde and black hair, busy on a computer. "She's beautiful," he remarked, crouching where he was, wings arranging themselves naturally in his back, a hint that he was more than a little used to this posture.

[offthebeatenpath]

Sitting down, Em pulled her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. "Yeah, she is," Em agreed, her voice soft. She didn't mean to and had no idea why she added, "And I have no idea why she... wants to be with me."

[whispersoflove]

"You're beautiful as well," Anael replied, his soft smile holding a hint of melancholy. "And less sad than you used to be."

[offthebeatenpath]

Em started to shake her head; she knew she wasn't beautiful the way some people were. "They say time heals all wounds. But I think, I've finally resigned myself to my fate. Is that the same as less sad?"

[whispersoflove]

"Less sad is the way your love feels," Anael answered honestly, drawing his gaze away from her friend to turn his head and look at her. "I can feel it."