sent cries aloft for his fellow man

[priorcommitment]

The arrival of Caliban and Niko Leandros to the island meant that Ishiah was finding a much greater deal of time spent on his own. It was a fact that he largely appreciated, being able to have time to collect his thoughts and try to gather himself, a process which was still slow in coming despite having been on Tabula Rasa for over a month. It seemed that somehow, despite the relative stagnation which most of the island's residents felt, life was rushing ever faster for the peri-- a new job with new patrons, a now shared abode, foiled attempts to leave the rock. It was a whirlwind in more ways than one, leaving him staggering, and when his footing was so hard to find, it was difficult not to turn back to old habits. Perhaps talking to Robin would have been one idea-- but how was the puck to understand, and what kind of toll would the burden yield?-- or even speaking with the two brothers, newly arrived. But for Ishiah, relying on others that were not, in a concrete way, beholden to him was difficult. The other peri, he could have had conversations with. His Father, he could have prayed to.

Then again, maybe Ishiah's voice could carry to Him, even from the island.

It was this thought which had brought Ishiah to the temple of Elua, a place which had been recommended to him by quite a few customers sensing the man's need for a place for quiet contemplation. Hand running along the tall fence which surrounded the area, Ishiah's eyes continued to trace along the tallest trees, the sky above. Without peering down, the peri came to the front entrance, easily toeing off worn leather sandals before walking inside, eyes wide, taut, and lips pulling down at the corners.

Already, he could feel the apologies which rested on the tip of his tongue. He had long since told himself never to regret the decision that he'd made to leave Heaven, to put the garrison behind him. But there were always doubts. That was part of the whole package and parcel, doubt and the ability to make a choice between actions which never held any level of certainty in them. Sharply, his gaze broke with the sun above to rest on the ground beneath him, neck heavy, shoulders slightly hunched.

He had missed this.

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[priorcommitment]

The fact that Ishiah had not anticipated Alcuin's arrival made the peri jump quickly to awareness once the other man's voice carried; he quickly turned around, eyes bright again with surprise, seeking out any source of threat. Upon recognizing the man's face, Ishiah relaxed once more, fists slowly opening as his hands came back to a rest at his sides. What had Alcuin seen in that short amount of time, he wondered? How long had he stood there? Were there things that he could intuit from Ishiah's stance, his presence in the temple altogether, and lastly, did the peri even care?

"Hello, Alcuin," Ishiah replied, nodding a soft acknowledgment. One thing he did note to himself, however, was that the fact that Alcuin was present at the temple suggested some tie to the divine, or perhaps to the earth. It had to be one or the other. The curiosity managed to worm its way through the vague apprehension that otherwise settled on the taller man after being caught off guard. "I did not expect to find you here."

[alcuin]

A small smile touched Alcuin's lips. "I am perhaps the one you should expect most to find here," he said. "Or Joscelin." He nodded at the statue at the rear of the garden. "This is a temple devoted to Blessed Elua. My sister cultivated it." He paused, and then added, "Though it is of course a rather calming place for meditation and prayer of any kind, and you will find Elua rather accepting of any faith."

[priorcommitment]

"In that case, are you... a man of faith?" The peri asked, arching a brow in slight incredulity as he slowly walked in the direction of the statue standing at the far end of the enclosing. "I had noted to myself, of course, a number of physical similarities you bore to others of my kind, when we first met. But far from me to assume that physical traits have anything to do with one's personality or behavior, especially when looking between worlds."

He paused then, jaw set as he peered around-- for some reason, in places of faith, the more constricting things felt, the better. Like being strapped in securely, rather than necessarily being surrounded by bars of any sort. For the first time since arriving on the island, he did not feel a need to use wings that were no longer there, did not want to run. Granted, this place of worship did not fit his needs to a tee-- he was still unsure if God was listening, and all of the offerings, the overall feel, differed from how they were constructed at home. Nonetheless, Ishiah let his hands hang gently at both sides.

"I have never heard of Elua. I suppose those in my world are not familiar with the deity."

[alcuin]

"Faith... yes, I suppose that is accurate." Alcuin was not surprised that he had not heard of Elua. But rather than commenting on that, he tilted his head to the side curiously and asked, "Forgive me, but I'm not sure I understand... what do you mean by your kind?"

[priorcommitment]

Though it was faint at best, Ishiah flinched, surprised at himself for having let his guard down so thoroughly. It was probably a result of their surroundings, peaceful and conducive to openness, the type of area Ishiah kept from venturing to simply because it seemed to hand him a greater feeling of security than he could afford. His eyes flickered from side to side of Alcuin's face, wondering if telling yet another person-- the count must have been around half a dozen, by this point-- was a good idea.

But then again, Alcuin was a man of faith.

And if he could trust the fact that the man had kept the temple as clean and kept as it looked then, perhaps the least Alcuin would be able to feel was some sort of understanding.

"I am peri. Or, more accurately, was a peri until I arrived on the island. Peri are... former angels, one way or the other. Former soldiers of God."

[alcuin]

Alcuin stared at Ishiah for a long moment. "Truly?" he asked, finding that he had lowered his voice a touch almost as if out of reverence. Though before the man could answer, he gestured widely and added, "This temple, it was built for Elua, but also for his companions - " Specifically Naamah, but Alcuin had been known to pray to the others as well, and Phedre had spent her time in homage to Kushiel. "They were angels. Having left the service of the One God to follow Elua. They founded my country... D'Angelines are descended from them."

[priorcommitment]

"Truly," Ishiah nodded with narrowed eyes. "But just bear in mind that I am a former angel, and I did not leave with the intention of following another deity. Just in the interest of leading a life on Earth." He could sense the slight change in tone which Alcuin addressed him with, and it wasn't necessarily one that Ishiah liked. It wasn't that he didn't feel that angels deserved respect-- they did, for their work, and on the whole Ishiah wasn't against the regime that God had put in place. Instead, it was simply the fact that Ishiah was an angel no longer, and that he had made the conscious decision to put that part of his life aside. Better to leave that attitude for the angels themselves.

However, the fact that angels from Alcuin's world had decided to follow someone new did spark the peri's curiosity, and his tone was sharper, brighter for it. "D'Angelines. Was there a specific reason why these... companions felt compelled to leave the service of God? And you are then saying that all the people in your country have descended from those very angels, including yourself?"

[alcuin]

Alcuin nodded gravely at Ishiah's explanation before offering one of his own. "Elua was not simply another deity, he was born from the blood of Yeshua ben Yosef and the tears of the Magdalene. He was, in a sense, the grandson of the One God, who in his grief refused to acknowledge him. His companions followed him for different reasons, though most because they believed in the one precept he taught: Love as thou wilt. And in the case of Cassiel, he felt that he was taking upon himself the duty that the One God neglected, in caring for Elua."

Then he pushed his hair back from his face and nodded again. "Yes, among D'Angelines even the most common shepherd or tradesman can trace a bloodline back to one of Elua's companions. They left the country and ascended to a plane beyond at the One God's request, so afraid was he that their offspring would overrun the earth."

[priorcommitment]

The story which Alcuin presented Ishiah varied so greatly from the one the peri was familiar with, to the point where his gaze in fact broke as he stared off to the side. It was not particularly unsettling-- rather, it felt as though it were a story about entirely different entities, not the God that Ishiah knew. In a way, it was a similar situation to that which he was presented with while listening to Sam Winchester's story, although Sam's version had made far fewer statements about God's intentions, or certainly God's emotions. Refusing to acknowledge someone out of grief was a strange concept, and not one Ishiah would have attributed to his Father.

After all, why else would it have been possible for demons to return to the middle ground, to be given a chance to live their lives as peri? Forgiveness could happen even for those who had reached the darkest hour.

"It is not a story which very much resembles my own in the details, I'm afraid." The peri kept his gaze level with the other man, brows furrowed in his attempt to find common ground. "There is little in it that I can truly identify with, despite your kind having descended from angels. But what I do understand is the faith that exists in both worlds, faith that... no matter how removed I am from my past, I would do well not to forget."

[alcuin]

"It's all right," Alcuin assured him. "I am accustomed by now to the tale being entirely foreign to everyone - and to be honest, I am content with it simply being seen as not sacrilegious. But yes, I understand what you mean about faith." His eyes drifted up to the statue of Elua, the handsome, stone face settled into a quiet smile. "Love as thou wilt. It is something I take very seriously."

[priorcommitment]

As though examining a volatile object, Ishiah's gaze slowly turned to the statue, features strong-- it almost seemed that there was a different light shed on it, now that Ishiah was aware of the background. No matter what he felt about the values this Elua championed, there was undoubtedly a great deal of conviction and courage that had to go in a person like that. The peri's sharp, gray-blue eyes softened a little in the silence, tension slipping yet further out of his grasp.

"I am a man of limits. Rules help me feel more grounded, and I like when boundaries exist simply to keep one's enjoyment and actions from infringing upon that of another's. How to manage that kind of balance, of course, is an art that no one has perfected. Ideally, that would be one part of it. Love as one would." What went unsaid-- as it was not necessary, as there was no way to bring it up without sounding as though he did not wish too to honor Elua-- was the fact that loving as Ishiah would entailed loving a single person. Robin.

[alcuin]

Alcuin had known from within perhaps ten minutes of meeting Robin that first, he was in a monogamous relationship, and second, that that was a very strange state of affairs for him. He had seemed to be under the impression that Alcuin was some sort of unfair temptation sent from... somewhere.

However, Ishiah should be pleased that Robin had avoided temptation with gusto. Well, gusto and flirting - but not touching. Well. Except for the massage.

At the risk of overstepping his bounds, Alcuin lifted his gaze to Ishiah and said quietly, "He loves you dearly, you know. It is in my nature to recognize such things. Love is a sacrament. And I..." He hesitated. "I was so glad to hear that you had come here. I know what it is like to leave behind what you love beyond all else."

[priorcommitment]

The topic of Robin, and all that the puck entailed for the peri, was not one easily broached; as soon as Ishiah tied together the words which Alcuin had to give him, his gaze flashed like lightning, but from afar. Defensive. He did not quite keep eye contact, pupils roving as they tried to settle on something, anything that those words were meant to elicit in him. Relief, probably. It was simply hard not to see that statement as a challenge, as an indication that Ishiah needed any sort of confidence at all.

He could only return the favor.

"And I love him. He is the dearest to me, though I would not want to assert that I am the same for him; if there is anything that I have learned in my time on Earth, it is that these things can change and should not be taken for granted in others. And that the freedom to make and experience such changes for oneself is more important than most anything else." The peri paused, trying to bite his tongue, but to little avail. "Why did you think it necessary to reassure me of that?"