Sacrificial lamb (Charlie) - The White Tower

Again his voice boomed in the enclosed space and the light became brighter, angrier, "Except that it wasn't our choice. Our mandate was to protect and to love your race. So when humanity came to us and asked for salvation, we obliged, knowing that there would be consequences. Because of our love for you, we stayed our course and we were taken from you."

And then, despite the brilliance of the creature's form, somehow, Charlize could still see it's eyes as they bore into her, as if they sought out her soul, dragging it from within for her own edification. Standing there, before this creature, all that she was, was laid bare; who she truly was, her strengths, her weaknesses, her virtues and her faults, all of these things, in that moment, were pulled into the light and she was made to face all of it. In that instance, Charlize Jacqueline Cusack was made to face... herself.

(Geldebir WoD Revelation: 7 Successes)
(Vs Charlie WoD Willpower: 6 Successes)

The youth... staggered... and for a moment it looked like she was about to fall. Instead, she moved backwards with stumbling steps until her back hit the wall. It was enough to keep her up, but just barely.

Her eyes widened and her lips parted without a sound as she simply... stared, as if gazing at something beyond the tremendous form of the angel. Both hands to the wall now, pressing her fingers against it as if wishing she could claw through it.
Feeling her hand slowly loosing its grip of her blade as her eyes started welling up with crimson tears...

This time, she felt the storm growing as he too saw what crawled from within the darkest parts of her soul. Geldebir, Fallen archangel, Lucifer's one time right hand and reconciler of the Fall gazed on her secrets, her fears and her desires with the eyes of God's judgement as he forced her to face the truth of who she was.

His voice still sounded like rolling thunder, but this time it was distant as if the storm were miles away. But even then, she knew that in an instant it could return, "You are not the monster that you pretend to be. To make yourself wicked, to become a murdered, is to forsake the love you feel, to betray the man you love. You wish to be strong for him, and yet you are not even strong enough to walk the lonely path. And tell me, Charlize, what would your lover say if he saw you, giving in to loneliness and despair? Would he pity you? Despise you? Would he think you weak? Tell me, you who know your lover best, what would he think of what you've become?"

Her knees gave in, causing her to fall. One hand moved to the floor to keep herself from falling over completely, still holding onto the blade as if it was the one thing she currently had anchoring her to her own world, the other moving to her head as she closed her eyes tight and grit her teeth, unable to hold back the first few crimson tears.

//"H-he..."// she could barely believe her own voice rising to answer him. //"He'd be disappointed... disappointed... I-I would've let him down... a failure...."// the youth grit her teeth again, eyes closed tight as her voice rose to a scream. //"I don't want his pity!"//

She was breaking. Bad...

The Fallen took a step towards her, then another, then another, He reached down and knelt before her, taking her chin between his thumb and index finger. He forced her to look at him, to meet his gaze. "Then do not give him a reason to pity you. You and I both know that you are better than what you have become."

The youth was trembling, her free hand instantly moving to the wrist of his hand as he lifted her chin though without any strength to actually do anything about it. It simply rested there as tear filled eyes met those of the Fallen. Her otherwise angelic features stained with crimson that dripped down her cheeks and lingered at her chin before falling onto the floor. A sharp contrast to her pale skin.

//"Leave me be..."// Charlize pleaded weakly. //"Please..."//

His voice became soft, the lordly mien stayed with him, but the light that surrounded him became soft and warm. His wings spread and seemed to encircle her, as if cradling her, protecting her. Finally, his voice became the soft fall of a summer rain, something that was soothing as he spoke, "I can help you, Charlize. I just need you to have faith in me. I can try to find out if your lover is alive, find out where he is... do you want that, Charlize?"

Find him.. to see him again, hold him... to be held... Yes, she wanted that. But who was to say that he would still give her that even if he could be found? And if found by the Fallen...
The androgynous youth's eyes widened even as the Fallen held her in his embrace.

The Roman had always disliked her rosary. The mark of a false god... He'd always taken it off her, always put it away before holding her. If he found out an angel, even a fallen one, had been asked to find him...

Charlize' grip of the blade tightened. The one thing that was still hers. Still part of who she was. given to her over ninety years ago and carried ever since. Given to her by him.
She wanted her lover back. But she did not want him to be found by the -thing- that kept invading her home, her mind and now her heart.

Rather go down fighting...

She tensed.

Charlie gripped the knife, her knuckles white with rage and from the grip that she had on the blade. Suddenly she screamed as she lurched forward, attempting to bury the blade within the Fallen's chest.

The blade, aimed as true as it possibly could have suddenly stopped as if it had hit solid stone, inches away from the creature's chest.

(Charlie WoD Melee Strike Result: 5 Successes)
(Geldebir WoD Wall of Air Result: 5 Successes (Tie to defender))

Now he just sounded irritated, "Are you done swinging that knife or do I need to destroy it?"

"G-get out..." at least she'd managed to gather her thoughts enough to speak English again. The blade lingering where it was a few brief moments before being pulled back.
The youth still looked broken. Still sounded broken. But no, she didn't want his help.

"I have no faith to give... I don't want your promises... leave me be..." she more or less whispered as she slowly pulled back, looking as if she more than anything simply wanted to curl up in a corner and hide.

He nodded, "Very well, Charlize. You have chosen to reject my help. You will not see me again, but know that when Aurian comes to take your loved ones from you, I will not save them. You will get your wish, and all the consequences that come with it."

She wanted to tell him to go to Hell... Instead she closed her eyes, hung her head and pulled at her black satin robe to try and cover herself for the first time. Her back once again to the wall as she said, well, nothing.

The light faded, the wings seemed to recede and in the end, he was nothing more than a man, standing there, looking down at her. For a moment, that's all he could do. And then he turned his back on her, he left her there on the floor.

When he spoke, his voice was as cold as a cloudless winter night, "Good bye, Charlize. I hope you get all that you deserve for your choices."

And then he began to walk away.

The youth would not speak up, not move, not until he was gone at least.

She hated the doubt. She'd felt it before and she'd hated it then too. But in the end it was a matter of choice, and she'd made hers, be it for better or worse.
Maybe... Charlize pulled at her robes again, covering her shoulders and her chest as she pulled her knees close to her body. Maybe...

The tears forced themselves to the surface again.
No, she wasn't sure at all.

Before he left, he stopped and turned. He would do her one favor, one kind thing before he went. It was the least he could do.

"Let me see your hand, Charlize." he looked to her wounded hand.

The wounded hand was currently holding the robe closed at her chest, her only reaction to seemingly try and make herself smaller when he spoke to her. She didn't look up, didn't hold out her hand, didn't move except perhaps a slight shrinking of her entire presence there by pulling her knees closed to her body.

The usually confident Brujah looked like a dog that had been beat and was very much acting the part too.

He knew that she would, most likely shrink away or that she would lash out at him and try to harm him, he didn't care. He knelt down and reached out, putting a hand on her burned flesh, or at the very least trying to.

The youth clutched the blade, but it seemed more like a thing of comfort than anything else as she actually move it away from him, hid it behind her back as if afraid he might do what he'd said and break it if he got the chance.
Other than that, a barely audible whimper was all that could be heard as he placed his hand on hers. The broken Brujah really having no place to go or run. So she didn't even try to.

"I was not, nor will I ever be, your enemy, Charlize. But I will not beat my head against the proverbial wall."

Suddenly she felt a cool tingle on her hand, as if a soft breeze were blowing over her wound. The damaged skin slowly changed and after a moment, Charlie found that her hand no longer hurt, in fact that it was pale and whole, as if the other man had done nothing at all to her.

The Fallen removed his hand and stood. Once again he turned from her and crossed the room to leave.

Still not a word.
She couldn't bring herself to speak, much less look up at him.

The youth hated how she looked when she cried, hated how it made her resemble the monster she knew she normally hid beneath the surface. Even more than that though, she despised people seeing her when she broke down. And to be broken... not many had ever managed to do that to her.

She felt little in his presence... and yet she couldn't bring as much as a thank you to her lips as her fingers closed tighter around the fabric of her robe. Charlize just wanted to hide. From everything.

"When you're ready, provided I haven't given up on you, speak my name and I will come to you. Good-bye, Charlize."

And with that, the Fallen opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind him. From the sky outside, Charlie could hear the rumbling of thunder as she was left there, all alone.

She really had no idea how much time had passed before she was able to move again, pushing herself to her feet with staggering steps.
An hour? Two? More?

The youth, still clutching the blade in her hand, moved slowly from the guest room to her own, dragging her stumbling feet across the floor as if in a daze. Still trembling, still crying although it was simply the soft flow on an occasional tear now rather than her heart feeling like it was breaking.

She stopped by the bed, but didn't lay down or sit as she reached for her cell and dialed the number that first came to mind.
Not because she could do anything. Not because it would make a difference. But maybe because she simply needed to hear her voice.

She answered... she was alright...

"You're alright..." the youth whispered, feeling her own voice still weak and trembling.

"Don't be alone, have someone stay with you... please..."
God damn it her voice kept breaking...

"Just don't be alone..."

Charlize more or less simply let go of the cell, finding her knees onces again buckling as she feel to her knees on the floor, resting her head on the bed while she gripped the sheets with a powerless hand. Still though, still with the blade in her other hand.

She simply cried.

And the phone ringing? Didn't even seem to register. As time more or less faded away.

(scene)