Rome (Emily, Tyreal) - Emily's Home

They had just crossed the threshold of the Church of the Archangels back in Port Saint Lucie before they stepped into the entryway of a large Italian Villa. The temperature was similar but the air was much less humid. Markus paused to take a deep breath of the air which was filled with the scents of lavendar, jasmine and other wild flowers.

"Welcome to my home," he smiled warmly at the two who'd accompanied him.

Emily giggled and had a look around, an eye on the father though, just in case he freaked out.

"Beautiful..." She breathed.

Father Marik paused in his stride as the scenery changed. He took a moment to adjust to the new surroundings. Then gave a nod in agreement with Emily. "Yes, Beautiful."

"We haven't as much time here as we would have back in Port Saint Lucie. However, it's safer to have this conversation here, without the prying eyes and ears of potential enemies and threats," he looked to Emily, "Would you like to tell him, or shall I?"

"Oh uh..." She blushed shy all of a sudden. "You can tell him. You'll tell him better than me."

"Though I must say It would have made our earlier conversation a lot easier and to the point if he had known."

He nodded, "I'm pretty sure if most people knew it'd make a lot of our conversations more straight forward and to the point."

Markus turned to Marik, "Father, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to be blunt and hope that you don't horribly over react. Emily and I, we aren't like other people, Father. We're angels... of a sort." there might have been a little bit of apprehension with the way he said that.

He didn't freak out when Markus teleported them, not likely he'd freak out at that bit of information. Emily was still holding her breath though. She couldn't handle rejection.

[l]Father Marik just looked at Markus as he revealed his secret. It did not phase him, nor did he 'freak out'. He simply and quietly responded as if assisting another church-goer.[/l] "Please continue. Exactly what do you mean by 'sort of'."

That might have been peculiar. He didn't have a problem with the fact that they were 'angels' it was the 'sort of' part...

"Well..." Emily looked a little ashamed. "We chose Man over God." She said simply, wondering if that was enough to explain things to the Father.

Markus first watched the Priest to see if he understood what it was that Emily was talking about.

Father Marik seemed to be puzzled, or perhaps thinking about what Emily had said and what that may have truly meant. "Perhaps we should have a little more background to set the stage. Just to be clear. So from the scriptutes, you say you are angels, beings created by the one on high. You also say you have turned from him and now follow Man. So are you fallen? The ones whom followed Morning Star whom was cast down? or did you turn from he who is above for some other reason? If I am not understanding correctly, perhaps you can be more explicit. After all, we came here to talk privately, so no one else could hear, and since you brought me here, I take it that you want me to understand your situation and somehow you think I can either be of help or am useful in some way to you?"

Father Marik seemed to always get straight to the heart of the matter. He had with Emily and helping her understand that everyone is a piece of the grand design. So again here he asked questions and pointed directly to what it was they were here for. Besides, Markus had said they didn't have much time, so best to get right to it.

"Yes...we followed the Morning Star.. We are Fallen." She nodded, pain I'm her voice. "We suffer for our choice daily. You helped ease my suffering." She tried to explain. But it was hard.

He looked at Emily with eyes that seemed to go on forever.... a wisdom that had no depth... a comfort and compassion vast and encompassing. His face softened and an almost palpable relaxation visibly came over him. "And what is it you hope to achieve with your choice?"

There was that word again.

"Well, we can't find His host. Not a single one seems to be here on earth. I think...I think we've been given a chance to make this world better. A chance to watch over the charges we love so dearly. I think, after speaking with you, that our falling was a part of His plan and now it falls to us to make good on the decicion we made so long ago."

Her face was literally shining with her conviction. Her eyes, bright and full of hope, when they had been so sad just a short time ago before their conversation.

Father Marik nodded as Emily expressed herself. He then turned to Markus, "And how would you describe your situation?"

Markus took a seat on the stairs that led from the entry upstairs as he steepled his fingers, "I think it's a bit more complicated than that, Father. But to fully understand that position, you've got to understand not just how we fell, but why we fell. There are literally eons of history to at least be understood on some basic level. Even that would take a few hours."

"The long story short though it this; for whatever reason, the gates of hell failed and now they lie broken and the Rebel Host, all of it, have returned to the world."

He paused to let that sink in a bit before he continued, "But here's the rub for us, Padre; In the beginning, when we saw the end of man on the horizon, we stood against our Maker to save everything we loved, we defied God itself to protect humanity. We were created to assist in the creation of the cosmos which culminated in the birth of mankind. Then we were told to watch over mankind, to guide and protect them though never to reveal ourselves. But when God commanded us to stand by and watch all we had ever truly loved be destroyed without freeing us of our prior charge to protect them, that was a catch twenty two. No matter what we chose, we were defying the will of God."

"So now we've come back, but the world we've returned to isn't the world we set up. The Host has abandoned this world. Pain, and sickness, and disease... hate, and spite, and malice... these are the things which make up this world. Now, all of us have a choice to make; do we give in to our own torment, the pain and the anger we felt during our imprisonment, or do we fight that torment, and try to rise to challenge of being the only Angels this world has left and maybe, just maybe, finding our own salvation in the process."

Emily looked at Markus in awe. He had a way with words.

She looked at Father Marik and nodded.

"I think that says it better."

Father Marik listened. He took in the words, understood them, and processed their meaning. As he contemplated, the process of thought could be seen on his face. Then after a short time he looked back up and smiled to both of them. "Forgive me, but perhaps it is my limited understanding. I understand what you have said, but I am failing to grasp why you think you are in a bind. You say you were charged with the protection and guidance of Mankind. What was the one on high's command that prevents you from continuing with this task?"

"It's not a command that prevents us. It's our punishment. When we were imprisoned, God severed his, hers, it's connection to us and ours to him. See, before the Fall, we existed with faith. We had both faith in and knowledge of God. That was enough. With that faith we had all the power we needed to carry out the Mandate. But with that connection severed we have to find our own sources of Faith, and let's be honest, it's not something in ready supply in the world these days."

Again, Father Marik mulled over the conversation. "So if I understand you correctly, then you would not be going against his word, you just do not have the same means in which to enact his word? Would that be a better way of stating your quandry?

For lack of a better way, let's use an annecdote? Let us say you are farmers that reap that which you plant. You have a fine ox and plow that makes seeding your plants a somewhat easy task. Then one night, a thief comes and steals your Ox and your Plow. Can you still seed your plants? Sure. You may have to do it one at a time with your bare hands, but you can still do the job. Just not as easily as you once could.

I wonder if you believe that he who is on high punishes you such that you can not complete that which you are meant to do? Do you believe that through whatever punishment he gives that he has taken the opportunity to prevent you from doing what you need to do? Or perhaps has offered you the opportunity to discover other means by which to succeed?"

Father Marik once again found himself 'teaching'. It was after all part of what he was here to do... listen and inform when the moment arose.

Emily stood there and listened fighting her natural urge to denounce God. Father Marik's words resonated with her, but when she thought of all the lives lost because she was not free to help them, she found it hard.

Faith, she could get faith. She didn't remember possessing the infinite well of Gods faith, so she wasn't missing it, other than some kind of vague sense she was missing something. She had enough faith right now to fuel her powers. More than enough. She was very blessed.

Markus nodded, "Something like that. We're still going against his word because we're still altering creation, still interacting with Humanity. That was something we were forbidden to do. You never should have known we were here. Ever. Period. That was out thumb in the eye to God Almighty when he told us to let you die."

Father Marik continued to listen and process the situation. Then as he was thinking, a glazed look veiled his eyes momentarily, as if he was not there. The moment passed and the glaze disappeared. He gave a small smile to both of them and offered the following. "You were charged with guiding humanity, and then told to stand by and watch. Can you not find a way to do both?" The smile he had now gave a slight 'knowingness' about it.

"Yes, and I would have been happy with that, but when we learned of Man's coming destruction, we were told to do nothing. THAT was another matter. For me at least."

"Do nothing? Haven't you already done something? You have revealed yourselves to me. So How does that all work out? Could 'Do Nothing' mean that you are not to physically alter that which will transpire? But simply offer choices and allow man to choose?"