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You are called into Laurence’s armory to meet with him on an urgent matter. You feel no trepidation as you proceed down the stone hallway – of course not, you cannot have done anything wrong, for your name is Taher (pure, bright, innocent, holy), and to have done anything wrong is not in your nature. Your footsteps make no sound, for you do not have feet in your true form, you are a winged snake; you are in Heaven, and there is no reason for you to do anything other than adhere strictly to the Truth. The door to the armory opens, and you enter. The center of the room is a large padded floor, and racks of weapons, armor, and shields ring the walls. In the center stands your superior himself. For a moment he stands as a tall dark humanoid shape with black wings behind himself, but then his form coalesces into a smaller human vessel. It is tall and male, wearing well-tailored dark leather pants, tunic, and vest, and his long black hair is tied at the back of his neck. You remain in your true form – while you have sufficient power to be able to maintain a corporeal form in the celestial plane, there is no need to do so. When Laurence speaks, his voice is a strong tenor, bringing to mind the clash of cymbals, stirring the blood in the veins, calling to war. “It has been a while since you have been to the corporeal realm, has it not?” he asks. You incline your head slightly, acknowledging that you know that he knows the truth of this. It was the year the humans call 1212 AD in fact, a long time ago by their standards, though not so long by yours. You were on the corporeal plane for but an eyeblink of time, leading an army of woefully untrained Soldiers, and you have never been truly sure if you were recalled by Laurence due to your losses or due to his realizing that the opponents’ leader was the minor archangel Khalid, rather than a demon. You have always wondered if, had your own army been better positioned, contained more veterans, had better weapons, if Laurence would have allowed the fight to continue even knowing of Khalid’s involvement. After all, Laurence did champion Catholicism while Khalid clearly preferred Islam. All of this passes through your mind between the time when your superior completes his sentence, and the time when you complete the acknowledgement. He watches as you nod, then continues, “You will be returning again. Here, try this on for size.” The tinkle of small finger cymbals accompanies a tiny gesture he makes with his right hand, and you feel a vessel materialize around you. Taking this as an order, and of course because it is from your superior, you do not resist. It is a brunette Asian woman, shorter than Laurence’s vessel, but not noticeably short, and while you can never figure out years as the mortals count them, you know this body is at the age when they usually are thinking of settling down. You roll your new shoulders, swing your arms in a circle, and flex your knees, getting a feel for the shape of the vessel. As you return to a relaxed standing position, you crack your neck. This body has not done significant amounts of physical activity, implying that it was created for a Role rather than just for your use: had it been created just for you, Laurence would have been sure that it was as physically fit as possible. Flexing the fingers on your right hand, you raise an eyebrow at your superior, knowing that he will understand your meaning. “I know it isn’t our usual type, but there’s strength and speed hidden in her, the vessel just looks weaker than it is. Here, take it for a spin,” and with these words, Laurence walks towards a rack of swords, grabs one, and tosses it to you. Your right hand reaches out and deftly grasps the hilt as it approaches, turning the spin into a flourish. You are a little surprised – the vessel you have used most is left-handed. This will take a little getting used to. You settle the sword in your hand, and while it feels a bit heavy, its size is fine. As you raise your eyes from your new hand once more, Laurence challenges, “en garde!” and raises his own sword. You spar for a few minutes, swords flashing through the air, the shock of metal impacting on metal ringing down your forearm, pushing back against him with your legs not just your arms, getting the feel for this body. It is clear as you do so that your superior is holding back (you know that Michael is the only individual with whom he does not need to hold himself in check), but it is also clear from his motions that he is not going easy on you, instead helping you to test the limits of your current form. By the time you stop, had your vessel been a true human instead she would have been wrung out and ready to collapse, but since she is not you are only breathing slightly more heavily than normal. “Thank you for the vessel,” you say as you bow to Laurence in respect. You expect that he will now explain the purpose of the mission, but instead he begins by telling you of your Role: Valerie is an astronomer about to join a larger group new to the community you will be investigating. It is a good Role you think, for any mannerisms you have which do not fit in will be attributed to your being new to the group, and the group new to the town. As you open your mouth to ask what an astronomer is in this day, the door to the armory slams open, and you turn quickly, reaching to your belt with your free left hand for one of the knives you prefer when in a vessel, but which have not yet been added to this one. When you see who stands in the doorway, you are torn between continuing your reach for weapons, and standing down, the result being that you remain frozen, sword half-raised before you, as Khalid walks into the room. He is tall and pale, his skin whiter than parchment, his large head devoid of hair, his insect eyes penetrating your form and weighing everything about you. Although you cannot sense the truth about him, you are certain he sees your apprehension. His form is swathed in bright red and blue robes, and he turns to your superior. Bells ring in his voice when he speaks. “This one is a good choice, Laurence. Taher may have strong emotions, but they are ruled by logic, and they pull in a righteous direction. Taher would have done well under me, but also thrives in your service.” Out of the corner of your eye, you see Laurence sheath his sword at his waist, and as he does so it disappears rather than hanging at his side. He makes a small gesture to you, and you tear your eyes from the Archangel of Faith and return your sword to the rack beside your Archangel. Upon your returning to his side, Laurence looks you in the eye, but speaks to Khalid as he says, “I have utter faith that Taher will be able to find the information we require and bring it back to us without any bloodshed.” As he speaks, the Truth of your mission explodes into your mind, clearly given to you by Laurence himself, as he has no need to bow to your resonance should he not wish to do so. Your mission is to investigate a rumored sighting of a unicorn. If there is no unicorn, you are to determine what caused this rumor to spring up. You are not to reveal your celestial nature, nor the existence of the Symphony, to any mortals not already aware of these. You are not to engage in combat with any celestials, ethereals, or corporeals, other than the bare minimum required for your vessel to survive and you to return to report without Trauma. You grit your teeth slightly at the restrictions, the command to hide the Truth chafing already, although the order to avoid bloodshed is also undesirable. But a unicorn! You flick your eyes to Khalid’s as he watches you. This explains his presence. As the three of you are aware, the last of the original unicorns were destroyed in the Purity Crusades of 745 AD. You recall the last of those glorious fights, when you led a combined troop of Soldiers and lesser celestials against the ethereals, a proud white stallion with a glowing horn and bloodied teeth at their fore. Your unit was a small part of the left flank, Uriel himself took the van, Laurence commanded the entire left flank, and Khalid headed a strike force that was planning to circle around and cut off reinforcements from behind. The day was cloudy, but just as Uriel was about to give the order for the charge, the Heavens opened up above the Host. At first you took this for a sign of divine approval, but then as you watched Uriel turned his face up to the sky and his countenance was filled with rapture. As his vessel began to ablate from around him and his celestial form to rise, a wail escaped from between his lips. While you could not tell if he were crying out in ecstasy or agony, you could tell the Truth: that Uriel had been recalled to the higher Heavens for his actions, and you threw yourself prostrate upon the ground, your followers copying your action, and then in a wave, so did all the others upon the field, on both sides. When the clouds closed over the rent in the sky once more, you raised your head and saw that Laurence had been the first to stand. He quickly took command, arranging for an orderly retreat from the field of battle. Laurence had been directly above you, so it took no thought at all for you to continue following his orders, as did most of your troops. You did however see one or two individuals slip away into the shadows as most of the Host left the field, and other groups followed Khalid’s retreat rather than Laurence’s. When Laurence was later raised to Archangel in charge of the main body of the Host, you gladly pledged yourself to the Sword, pursuing purity now in a new form. Over time, you and others like you had tracked down and eliminated the remaining unicorns, but left other ethereals alone. Sometimes you were aided by Uriel’s remaining followers, the Tsayadim, whose presence you dutifully reported to Laurence, but you took no actions directly against them. Laurence’s continued indifference to your reports of the Tsayadim implied he wished you to leave them alone, so of course you obeyed. And now, here you stand, before Laurence and Khalid, ordered to determine the truth of a sighting of a unicorn. In this you know they are united, despite your last interaction with the other Archangel being antagonistic, and as the last of your tension drains away Khalid watches, and then nods in approval. He hums under his breath slightly, and the calm of being devoted to a cause washes over you. As it passes, you realize the itching feeling of needing to suppress your nature has eased slightly. “Since Laurence and I are working in harmony on this,” he explains, “I have gifted you with my seraphim attunement, to make your burden lighter, and I am open to other forms of assistance should you require them.” You incline your head in gratitude for such a grand gesture, and Khalid turns to Laurence. “I leave you to finish Taher’s preparations. We will speak again when we know more.” “Till then,” Laurence replies in his ringing voice, and Khalid leaves the armory. Turning to you once more, Laurence says, “I will send you to the nearest Tether, but you will have to make your way to the town itself by mortal means.” He rests a hand on your shoulder, and with that gesture he imparts some general knowledge of the area to you, how to get from Jean’s Tether among the telescopes atop a mountain to the small town you would be investigating. This location would fit well with your Role of scientist too, and you are yet more grateful for Khalid’s attunement making it easier for you to settle into your Role. Then with a shift in the world around you, you and Laurence now stand at the celestial end of the Kitt Peak National Observatory Tether, and with a grave nod, Laurence indicates you should enter. You check your waistband in an automatic gesture, and realize that your superior has retrieved your favorite knives for you from your other vessel, and has scabbarded them for you invisibly. With a nod to Laurence in return, you step into the Tether, and feel your form whisked away, down to the corporeal realm.
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You land shakily and disoriented, which has never happened before when traveling a Tether, and you fall to your hands and knees before you can regain your balance. “Oh dear me!” you hear an elderly woman’s voice call out from a few feet to your side. You feel something sink into your stomach at realizing you may have inadvertently spilled the beans your very first moment on Earth. But as strong but small hands grasp your arms to help you up, you realize that had you truly gone against Laurence’s will you would have been feeling the Dissonance already, and you know that whatever caused your dizziness, it was not that. “Come, come, dear, let me help you up,” the woman croons while righting you. When you regain your feet you give the woman a onceover and see that she is significantly shorter than you, stooped, has abundant white hair, and wears an apron over her utilitarian blue and white checked dress. You and she are standing in what appears to be the back garden of her house, a small cottage seemingly in need of much repair, such as a new coat of paint and perhaps some extra shingles on the roof. This is definitely not Jean’s Tether among the telescopes atop a mountain in the desert. It is a desert, but there are no mountains anywhere on the horizon, and the flowers around you are well-watered. On the other side of this house are others, and a mobile home or two, but spaced apart as though on the outskirts of a larger town. You thank the white-haired lady for her help, but she brushes it off and tells you to stay for some lemonade, and still disoriented from your trip you agree, entering her small homey kitchen and taking a seat at the dark-colored wood table. You manage to brush her fingers as she hands you the glass, and her name is a simple mortal Josephine. Due to some work for Yves a millennium ago, you are able to catch glimpses of a person’s name when you touch them. Sometimes it’s the person’s true name, sometimes it’s the meaning of the name, and you can usually tell which realm the person belongs to; with this human it is only the name, though you have a feeling of potential there, as though she could develop more Forces if given sufficient celestial attention. You decide to keep an eye on her after your mission concludes. “Lemonade” turns out to be the sweetened juice from a tart citrus that you have known before, and it brings back memories of campaigns of old. As you sip politely, the old lady tells you stories of this quaint town, and you listen attentively. Surprisingly, it turns out that when you were spit out of the Tether so abruptly, it was actually into the very town you were supposed to visit. There must be something powerful going on here to shake up Jean’s Tether. Come to think of it, you realize that you have heard that unstable Tethers can have effects such as you have just experienced. For example, when a Tether is newly forming, or when an established Tether is changing which Archangel it is associated with, but the former is not the case with Jean’s Tether, as the Kitt Peak Observatory has been around for a reasonable amount of time in human terms, and there have been no signs in Heaven of it becoming unstable due to a change. You realize you have lost track of what the woman Josephine is saying and you return your attention to her words. She says nothing of unicorns though, and the most exciting news she has for you is that the local bowling league has been suspended indefinitely due to damage to the bowling alley’s floor. Finishing your drink, you rise from the table and attempt to take your leave, but the old lady protests. “Sweetheart, while you are here, do you think you could do me one little favor? These knees aren’t as young as they used to be. Do be an angel…” For a moment there seems to be a knowing gleam in the woman’s eyes, and you wonder briefly if the woman is aware of the Symphony – with her potential, it would not be surprising. But then her gaze melts into a hopeful look, and besides you are not supposed to be making waves at this time, so you agree to carry up the large box of detergent from the cellar to her laundry room on the ground floor. As you do so, she thanks you profusely, calling you by a name that isn’t yours. The poor old thing’s mind must have wandered to another time; mortals’ lives are so transient, perhaps you would not be able to keep an eye on her for long after all. When you are done with the detergent, you quickly finish off your second glass of lemonade and take your leave of the woman, this time exiting by the front door to the house, but as you step down from the front porch a car pulls up and two people get out, immediately moving to the back seat and the trunk to grab bags of groceries. As you watch, it becomes apparent to you that they are not coporeals, though you cannot tell whether ethereal or celestial, benign or malicious. You do not need to check for your knives, you know where they are at all times, and your order to not start any trouble chafes. But it is not in your nature to disobey orders, and even if it were it does not do to draw before knowing the nature of the conflict, so you leave them sheathed. And yes, you do need to gather more information…“Let me help you with that,” you say, walking up to the car with outstretched hands, and the driver places two bags in each. His vessel is a tall black man with a shaved head, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, a black pencil skirt stopping above his knees, and flip-flops on his feet. The passenger is a blonde white woman with dreadlocks and wearing overalls and work boots. You make several trips between the car and the house (bags of canned goods, a frozen turkey, more detergent, light bulbs), and manage to brush hands with the woman on your last trip, and her name comes to you. Forever or alone, ruler. And, clean, pure. Two names, though this time the meanings rather than the words themselves. You cannot tell which of the two names is the vessel and which the inhabitant, but you do know that at least one of the two is celestial. She could be a celestial of either kind with an important, all-consuming Role, or she could be a Kyriotate or Shedim in a mortal host. If you knew for sure which name is which, you might have a better idea of whether she is an angel or demon, though even if her celestial name were clean, pure you can never be completely certain with Balseraphs around. You wonder what the other celestial has gleaned from you at the touch, but she says nothing, and her looks at you do not change. Either she does not have a touch-based resonance, or else she is skilled at hiding the truth. Likely not a fellow Seraph then. Placing your last bag of groceries on the old woman’s kitchen floor, you finally manage to take your leave and walk down the road in the direction they point you as being towards the center of town.
The office building you are looking for is next to the pizzeria, just as described to you by the old lady. You take the stairs up to the third floor, where you find the lab door locked, but you also find the key on a ring with a couple others in your vessel’s pocket, along with a badge with Valerie’s photo and name, which you clip onto your shirt. You unlock the door but before you can step in, a bespectacled man steps in front of you and shoves a lab coat into your hands with the abrupt words, “You’re late.” Caught off guard, you take a step backwards. “I’m sorry, I got lost on the edge of town, this nice old woman—”“It doesn’t matter,” the man interrupts abruptly and shakes the lab coat at you. As you take it though, he looks sharply at you. “The edge of town? What did you say your name was?” But before you can answer and tell the lie you have been ordered to tell, he catches sight of your badge. “Ah, Valerie. That’s okay then,” he continues, “I need your hands. Come.” And with that, he turns and you follow him further into the lab. You spend a few hours in the building following orders from the swarthy-skinned man. He never deigns to tell you his name, as though he expects you to know it already, or that he considers names less important than the work. You do however manage to brush his fingers when handing him a petri dish, and you get strong, manly. Just the single name, and definitely human. You also get a sense of how he views himself: determined, hard-working, methodical. Yes, that fits the description of a lead scientist, so he is your – Valerie’s – boss. Finally he puts the microscope away, shoves a backpack full of additional empty petri dishes at you, hefts his own bag, and says with a smile, “Well, lets go grab our daily dose of pizza on the way to picking up more samples. These were very worrisome, a lot faster a mutation rate than I was expecting, and we really need to know if this is an anomaly, or if it’s some threat we should worry about. I need to know more before I warn everyone.” You stop by the pizza store right after reaching the street level, following your new boss’s lead in choosing two slices of pepperoni. The owner, a big man, bellows out from the back asking if you wouldn’t rather try the new special – rabbit’s foot – but your boss declines and so do you. You hold the spare slice in your left hand while eating the first with your right, as the man beside you does. “Strong, manly” describes with his mouth full of food that you’re going to the dog park to get more samples of the bacteria you’d been examining in the lab. The previous samples were from the woods outside of town, and it is important to find out if they have colonized the plants within the town as well - hence, the park. As you walk two blocks west, you begin to hear a strange, unsettling Disturbance coming from ahead of you. At the street corner, you hear the Disturbance to your left, and that is the direction you both turn, the sound getting stronger still as you walk the next block, and come to a stop at a grassy area enclosed by tall stone walls. The Disturbance is not a single event as it would have been had someone performed a Song, but instead is ongoing, as though behind the wall exists something by its very nature celestial or ethereal, something very strong but still unshaped. The sound crescendos and diminuendos, the tune and volume of it varying in no discernible pattern, but always powerful. The fact that neither of the celestials you met at the edge of town have been drawn by the Disturbance indicates to you that it has been ongoing for some time. The strength is amazing, you have been having a hard time concentrating on your boss’s words as you approach, and you slowly come to realize that it is possible this is the source of the disruption to your trip down Jean’s Tether. You are suddenly certain that it would not be safe for humans to cross the boundary that the gate represents. You are equally certain that whatever is beyond is tied to the rumors you have been sent to investigate, and that you will need to find out more – later, since the human is still present. You pull your senses back from your fruitless examination of the Disturbance, and instead look with your vessel’s eyes. Yellow caution tape ropes off the metal work of the only entrance you can see, the text on the tape reading, “POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS”. “Oh right, I forgot about that.” Your boss looks thoughtful for a moment, and then glances around as if considering sneaking past the tape into the park. You are resisting the urge to growl in the frustration of having to maintain your Role when the man beside you apparently spots some dandelions springing up from between the cracks in the sidewalk, and gestures you over to join him. You wonder for a while at the absurdity of what humans call an astronomer in this day and age, and then follow his directions, resolved to return as soon as possible to find out the nature of this Disturbance.
Some indeterminate amount of time and ten petri dishes later, it has been hard for you to keep track of time with the Disturbance so close by ringing in your mind, your boss declares that you have enough samples from the sidewalk weeds that you can both return to the lab to study them. Good timing, for as you stand you realize that the street has become darkened with sunset, and it is difficult to see details in the decreased light. As you begin the short walk back to the lab, your boss’s pocket makes beeping noises, and he absently reaches in and pulls out a device. “Yes?” he answers without looking at the screen of the phone. As you watch, you see his face turn from impatience at the interruption, to pleased surprise, to dismay. “Oh no, of course I didn’t forget! I uh, I was just running late,” he stammers. “I’ll, um, I’ll have Valerie bring the samples back to the lab, and I’ll come pick you up right away.” A pause as he listens to someone speaking on the other end of the line. “No, I know I’m supposed to call if I’m going to cancel for science, that’s not what this is. I was just finishing up.” Another pause. “Okay, I’ll be there soon. Yeah, love you too.” He closes the phone and turns to look at you. “I’m so sorry about this, but I forgot I’ve got a date tonight, my boyfriend’s going to kill me. You’re going to have to bring this stuff back to the lab for me. I really want to be there to take a look at it myself, so you know what, you can have the night off,” he adds, obviously feeling generous. You simply nod, take his backpack as well, and watch as he jogs off ahead of you, lab coat tails flapping in his wake. As you turn the corner to the lab, you see him peel out of the parking spot in front of the lab in a sporty little red car. The outer door to the building is locked now, and the other key on your key ring conveniently is the right size to fit into the lock. As you begin to turn it though, a familiar voice calls from your right, again using the name that isn't yours. “Erika! That is you I saw earlier. It’s a good thing we found you. What were you doing by the dog park? Hasn’t anyone told you it’s not safe? That Carlos, always too distracted by his science or his Cecil to be thinking of what he should be doing.” You stare at the old woman for a few moments as she natters on. At her side stand the two celestials whom you had met before. You think how it is a shame that they had not come a few minutes earlier, as you might have been able to notice had they gained Essence at the sunset. The looks the two celestials give you are unblinking, judging, weighing, and you have the uncomfortable feeling that they know everything that is going on in the town, and that they are deciding whether to let you in on the secret. Finally the old woman takes pity on you. “Oh come on now, put your stuff down, and I bet you don’t have anywhere to stay yet do you? You can come stay with me and the others for the night. I know you don’t need sleep, but you shouldn’t let the Sheriff’s Secret Police see you out after dark. Come, Old Woman Josie will take care of you. Isn’t that right, Erika?” And as she says this she turns to the other two celestials, and they nod gravely. You resist swallowing against the unexpected lump in your throat as you unlock the building’s door and all three follow you inside to deposit your boss’s – Carlos’s – equipment in his lab. This complicates things; now you won’t be able to investigate the dog park until you can get rid of the three.
The two celestials help Josie to climb the stairs up to the lab. You unpack the filled petri dishes and place them inside the refrigerator between the ones you had been examining earlier in the day, and an open pink plastic lunch box with large-eyed girls on it, reading “Power Puff Girls”, a thermos and a sandwich inside. As you close the door to the fridge you notice a sign on the door reading, “no food, samples only.” Shrugging, you turn back to your three unexpected guests and consciously lower your shoulders. “Well, shall we go then?” They nod in unison, and you turn towards the door back out to the hallway. It isn’t until you place your hand on the doorknob that Forever or alone, ruler clears her throat and you realize that they haven’t followed you. Her hand is resting on the shoulder of the man, and he holds Josephine’s right hand in his left. Josephine says, “Where do you think you’re going, Erika? I told you we can’t be outside after dark.” The man stretches his free right hand out to you, clearly expecting you to take it. For a moment you wonder whether this is all simply a ploy for him to exert his resonance on you through contact, and then you realize that even if so, you will have the opportunity to learn as much about him in return. You step towards him and take his outstretched hand. At the moment your vessel’s skin contacts his, be it coincidence or that he deliberately has chosen not to resist your resonance, you sense the whole Truth about him. His name is Lemuel (Devoted to God) and Erika (Forever or alone, ruler). His choir unfurls in your mind even as his many wings unfurl around his celestial form with a burst of music in your mind: Ofanite, the Wheels. Lemuel’s resonance sweeps over you even as he pulls the three of you into the sky with him as he rockets across the town towards Josie’s house. And the identity of his superior finally comes to you in mid-air. Lemuel is an Ofanite of Purity. Lemuel is a Tsayadim.
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If a tree falls in the forest, does it truly matter as long as it’s not talking to you, whispering in a sweet alluring lullaby to join the forest, become one with the forest, give up all your cares and join us…Welcome to Night Vale. Well gentle listeners, I have to tell you about the wonderful date I went on last night with perfect, perfect Carlos. We had to go to the Moonlite All-Night Diner for dinner instead of our original plans to eat at the Olive Garden because they had already closed by the time Carlos came to pick me up at the station, but they had their weekly special of still-beating artichoke heart dip, so it was actually a lucky break. Carlos has a new intern – no wait, he calls them colleagues right? Carlos has a new colleague named Valerie, who he claims is an astronomer but I don’t really think astronomers can have names like that. They’ve been investigating some sort of deadly rapidly mutating fungal spores or something like that—oh yeah, that reminds me, Carlos told me to warn everyone to stay away from plants. Isn’t that just adorable of him? But anyway, after dinner we drove over to the drawbridge construction site and skipped stones in the dry dirt beneath it, watching the ripples and counting how many times we could get them to bounce off the dusty surface. It was so romantic. Carlos even told me he wanted to kiss, but neither of us had thought to fill out the appropriate paperwork beforehand, so we didn’t. Don’t tell Carlos, but I’m thinking that on next Saturday that we might go to City Hall before our picnic and apply for the permits! #clears throat#In other news, an organization known as the Citizens for the Protection of Children has petitioned the City Council to reinstate the snow plow budget. They claim to have found evidence in the library that Night Vale has experienced at least three snowstorms in its history. Mayor Pamela Winchell says that this is just baloney because no one has managed to both enter and leave the library successfully since the incident with the poor wayward child Tamika Flynn. Remember, if you have any news of this missing person, please inform your nearest StrexCorps agent by opening your oven and whispering “StrexCorps” three times while crossing your fingers behind your back. StrexCorps agents will come by to take your statement and soul soon thereafter. #pause, rustling noises#Well this is interesting listeners, Old Woman Josie has just come to the station with some news about the angels. It seems that… oh my! Valerie isn’t actually an astronomer at all, she’s an angel! I knew that name didn’t fit. Old Woman Josie says that she took Erika into her home when she first appeared yesterday morning, Erika helped move some detergent from the cellar to the laundry room, and then helped the black angel and another angel to unload the groceries from the car. After returning to Old Woman Josie’s house after work though, Erika seemed to become agitated and insisted on leaving the house after dark. Josie does not know the current whereabouts of the latest Erika, but warns that it is possible she is from a different group of angels than the ones whom have previously befriended her. Dear listeners, I suggest that if you happen to run into any angels today while out, which you won’t because they do not exist, that you avoid eye contact and other interactions with them. We do not know if the new Erika is as benevolent as the old ones, and of course we cannot know this because the Hierarchy of Angels is unknown and unknowable. If you do have any information about the angels, please report yourself to the City Council immediately for debriefing and reeducation. #pause# It… it occurs to me that Erika worked alongside my dear Carlos for a full day. He must have some information about the angel, which I could possibly impart to you, my listeners. Let me call him now. While I do so, I give you….The Weather.
Words Fail You – Kris Delmhorst
#noises of picking up the microphone# Well listeners, I managed to talk with my sweet Carlos and ask him about his wayward scientist Valerie, or whatever she calls herself. Unfortunately he was unable to recall anything out of the ordinary about her, but he did tell me that she showed an unusual interest in the dog park while they were gathering samples outside it. As per city ordinances, I have informed the Sheriff’s Secret Police of a newcomer’s interest in the dog park and they tell me that they will be investigating posthaste. In the meantime, a word from our sponsor. # a series of dolphin clicks follows #I have wonderful news, listeners! Carlos is among you. He has been listening to my show, and during the word from our sponsor, he called me in alarm over the latest developments with his potentially angelic employee. “But Cecil,” he said in his mellifluous voice just a moment ago, “good help is so hard to find, you know this, just look at how long it takes you to train new interns. Valerie is a very diligent worker, I can’t allow her to leave my employment.” Oh Carlos, you’re right as ever. My interns just haven’t been the same since we lost Dana to the dog park. Hm, I wonder if she’s related at all to Erika’s interest in the subject. #muffled noises#Oh that’s right, Carlos is still on the line. Yes. Uh huh. Mm. What?! No really you know you shouldn’t do that. Really, please consider your safety. The dog park is dangerous to everyone, and if a rogue angel who may or may not be a scientist wants to investigate it, you’d be much better off staying away. Look, why don’t you— Oh fine, you know what, if you insist on going then I’ll go with you. Let me just…#muffled, as if yelling away from the mic#Intern Nikita, get over here!#rustling noises, then normal volume again#Okay, hold your phone up to the mic. Now let me call you…#catchy little tune, reminiscent of the Bubble Bobble theme song##echoing voice#Hello? HELLO?Ew EW, let ET me EE leave the room.#Cecil’s voice is tinny now, but still distinguishable#Okay, I’m coming to you live from my cellphone calling that of Intern Nikita, held up to the microphone. Please forgive the poor sound quality, we’re still waiting for the Sloan Foundation money to come through to be able to buy better equipment. #some huffing noises, as of Cecil jogging down a street quickly#Nikita, weren’t you working on a project for your meteorology class at NVCC? Why don’t you tell our listeners about that while I catch up to Carlos?
Fuck This Place – Frightened Rabbit
#Cecil’s voice returns, slightly out of breath, still tinny through the cellphone relay#I am now standing with the gorgeous and adventurous Carlos on the street corner diagonally opposite the dog park. We are hoping this is a safe distance from any commotion that should occur, but from here we can still see the entrance to the dog park clearly. Right now there is an Asian woman, around five-foot-four, standing in front of the gates, whom Carlos tells me is Valerie, though Old Woman Josie insisted it was an angel. She is holding her hands slightly away from her body, and seems to be swaying to some internal music, oblivious to the world. Oh, and now her feet are moving as well, and she is actually dancing. Her lips are moving as if she is singing, but I can’t hear any words from here, and I don’t see anything else going on…No, wait… Two other people are walking towards her, one a woman slightly taller than Valerie with blond dreadlocks, the other a tall man with a shaved head. And there across the street is… Huh. Hiram McDaniels. I wonder what he’s doing here. Valerie, or Erika – you know what, this is confusing, if there really are a bunch of angels and they’re all named Erika, that’s just not going to work. Valerie it is. Valerie has lowered her arms and looks first at the two people on her own side of the street, then across the street at the five-headed dragon standing placidly on the curbside. She is clearly shocked to see him, and… wait, what’s this, she’s holding a pair of large knives in her hands? But wait, the blonde woman is hurrying towards Valerie now, and saying something I can barely make out…Truce? I think she said something about a truce, and… yes, Valerie has put her knives away, though I’m not sure where they went. And now they’re walking away, Valerie and the two others, towards Carlos’ lab and away from us, and Hiram McDaniels watches them go, before turning towards… towards myself and Carlos! He’s coming our way. And here he is now. Mr. McDaniels, I am broadcasting live to our audience at home via my cellphone. Is there anything you would like to say to the town about what we just witnessed? What did happen? #there is a scraping noise as the phone is apparently passed between them#I am glad that things between the angels which we know do not exist and the dog park have managed to be resolved peacefully. Any new Disturbances in our fair city are unacceptable. Anything which could harm the small business owners will not be tolerated once I am Mayor. THE ANGELS ARE HERE AND THEY WANT TO CONTROL THE NEWLY FORMING TETHER IN THE DOG PARK. I’m sorry about that, my purple head got a little excited there. As I was saying, we don’t want anything to stand in the way of our children, and—
a fight between angels and demons over the fate of this puny town—
Yes black head, that is an excellent point, that if angels did exist, and if demons did exist, but we aren’t allowed to know whether either do nor their relationship to each other, then a fight between the two would be detrimental to Night Vale child business owners. So vote Hiram McDaniels! #plasticy and windy noises as the phone is passed back#Um. Yeah. Thank you for that statement, candidate McDaniels. Well, we are just about out of time now folks. Please stay tuned for a braille rendition of Pacobel’s Canon in D. Goodnight, Night Vale, goodnight.Today’s proverb: This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Had this been an actual emergency, the noise you have just heard would have been followed by people screaming and running into the streets – and your probable death.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You follow Lemuel and Nathifah, as you now know the other celestial to be named, away from the site of the nascent Tether to Dreams – or to Nightmares. No wonder the two Tsayadim are here. No wonder the rumors of a unicorn sighting, though the angels of Purity say that they haven’t actually spotted any in the two years they have been watching. And no wonder a Balseraph is here. You turn again to the two others. “You said that you have a truce, but how can you allow him to just walk around in celestial form like that? And allow him to interfere with the humans the way he is, dabbling in politics! A Balseraph!” The two turn to you quickly. “Did you resonate on him?” Nathifah asks even as Lemuel says, “Are you certain of his band?”You slump. No it was just a guess, and something in your soul itches for the near-lie of telling them what you thought without knowing it to be the Truth. “No, my resonance failed. I know only that he has some human to him, and some celestial, so he could easily be a Kyriotate.” And besides, you know that the five-headed dragon you saw is not actually how Balseraphs look, the Disturbance from the forming Tether must be confusing you. Nathifah and Lemuel exchange glances again, and he speaks their thought. “We think a Nephallim, a child of a Grigori.” You suck in a breath. The Grigori are a full choir of angels who were Outcast, or perhaps Fallen, for loving the humans too much. There were some Nephallim who were Outcast angels, and others who were the spawn of a Grigori and a mortal and who took after their celestial parent more than their corporeal. Outcasts are uncomfortable for any angel to think about, serving as a dire warning for failure to one’s superior. Grigori and Nephallim are even more discomfiting, as the Grigori fell instead due to taking their charge to an extreme. And to discuss the choir of Outcasts with Tsayadim, who have turned their backs on the remaining superiors to keep true to their old one, well you cannot think of a single more awkward situation you have been in during your whole long existence. So you do not discuss, you merely think, as you continue to walk north, towards Old Woman Josie’s house. Your mission is to determine the truth of the rumors of unicorns in this little town of Night Vale. Well, you have determined that there is no truth of it, straight from the mouths of those who care the most about destroying any remaining or newly formed unicorns. You have also located two Tsayadim, though you expect that Laurence and Khalid will take no action against them as usual. You have determined that the source of your disturbed trip down the Tether to Jean was the presence of a nascent Tether in the very town you were sent to investigate. You have found a possible demonic presence in the town, the exact nature of which is yet to be determined, but probably drawn by the forming Tether as well. And most strangely of all, you have found that not only is there an Uninitiated being protected by the Tsayadim (if not being outright courted as a Soldier), but that in fact the entire town seems to be somewhat aware of the existence of celestials, if not the full details of the Symphony. Looking up at your ersatz companions, you realize you have come to a conclusion. “My mission is complete. I will be calling my superior when we return to the house. Do you wish to remain or leave?” They exchange glances again, and this time it is Nathifah who speaks. “I think we shall stay this time.”
You spend some Essence to pull some items from your other vessel, hidden in an extra-dimensional fold. You bring out a book of military strategy, and a fine sword Laurence had gifted to you just prior to sending you to Earth for the Children’s Crusade, inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer, and which you had managed to have blessed by Pope Honorius III after his arrival in Heaven. You lay the items before you on the ground behind the house, sitting cross-legged on the hard ground, and facing away from the house, out into the garden. As you begin the process to call on Laurence, Lemuel and Nathifah step up behind you and place a hand each on your shoulders. Unasked for, you feel their Essence begin to flow into you. Unrestrained in their gift, they feed you more than you can hold onto, and so you spend it all in your call, then begin to feed in your own Essence as well. Before you can do so however, there is a bright burst of light and you raise an arm to shield your vessel’s eyes, cutting off your call. Before you stands not only Laurence himself, his leathers somehow fitting the desert atmosphere perfectly, but also Khalid, now in a vessel appearing little different from his celestial Elohite form: albino, bald, large round eyes, only barely possessing a gender and then only because vessels must, and wearing the same brightly-colored robes as when you last saw him in Heaven. The two Tsayadim behind you fall to their knees, torsos pressed to the ground, hands stretching before them towards the Archangels. You see the surprise blossom on your superior’s face, and then a slight narrowing of the eyes and you assume he has figured out that they spent all their Essence to help you summon him. “Well this is a surprise,” says Laurence with the ringing of steel in his voice. Khalid’s large eyes blink, but he says nothing, instead looking over the two prostrate forms. Laurence turns to you and makes a small gesture indicating you should rise from your seated position and explain. In simple words you do so. “There are no unicorns here, and have not been since before these two Tsayadim were drawn to this town. What brought them was the beginnings of a Tether to Dreams, or to Nightmares; this Tether actually drew me here directly from Jean’s celestial Tether, and it appears that no small number of humans have been lost within this nascent Tether. This town has a high number of other unusual occurrences, and the Tether seems to have been the cause. The owner of this house, an old woman named Josephine, is an Uninitiated who is able to detect celestials – well, angels, I am not sure if she can detect demons. Nathifah and Lemuel have been staying here with her since their arrival. Josephine has revealed the existence of angels to the entire town, however many remain skeptical. And lastly, there exists another celestial not of the Host, known as Hiram McDaniels, though I do not yet know if he is a demon, a Grigori, a Nephallim, or something else entirely. His form appears to be that of a five-headed dragon, and he has involved himself in the humans’ politics, going so far as to run for mayor. When I told Lemuel and Nathifah I was summoning my superior, they not only decided to stay and witness, but they surprisingly gave me all of their Essence to aid my efforts.” When you fall silent, you clasp your hands together in front of yourself to indicate you are done. Laurence gives a slight nod of approval and turns to the Tsayadim, still shaking on the ground. “And you. Why should I not slay you both where you lie for deserting the Host so many centuries ago?” At this Khalid’s bald head jerks towards Laurence, large eyes blinking owlishly at him. “Let us hear them speak their reasons for meeting us. I think they shall be interesting.” His voice is lilting in this form, and at his words both the angels lift their heads and sit back on their heels to look at him. “Rise children, and tell me why you did not take our servitor’s opportunity to leave.” They stand, and you take a step back between them so as to not distract from their words. This time they do not exchange glances, clearly having decided already. “We care for this town,” Nathifah says, “and we wish to continue doing so.” Lemuel picks up. “We have seen no sign of unicorns in centuries, and we feel that the hunt for them is now pointless. We would devote ourselves to a new cause.” Khalid nods. “Tell us your names, in your own voices.” “Nathifah (clean, pure),” she says, at the same moment as, “Lemuel (devoted to God).” A white hand rises from Khalid’s side, and he takes the single step necessary to place his hand upon Nathifah’s dreads. “I will take this one. Nathifah, Cherub of Faith, you are now my servitor.” At these words, she looks up at her new Archangel, and a look of such gratitude washes over her face that you nearly miss the soft chiming of bells signifying the change to the Symphony. Laurence steps forward as well, and he draws his sword. For a moment Lemuel blanches, and then falls to his knees with closed eyes. You know that once Laurence decides it is time for someone to die, that they are doomed. There is no point to Lemuel fighting back. But instead of swiftly flying towards his neck, the sword gently taps him once on each shoulder. “Rise, Lemuel, Ofanite of the Sword. You are now in my service.” And again the Symphony rings in harmony with the words of acceptance. The Archangels turn their gazes to you. “Taher,” says your superior, “you have done good work here, but it is not all done. Although this Tether is not yet complete, and likely will belong to neither of us once it is done, it must be protected until that day comes. I appoint you to do so.” You realize the Truth of his words as he speaks: Laurence has reached through the Symphony and attuned you to the nascent Tether. You feel the shaky energy of the Tether to your South, tumbling and changing every moment. You are not a true Seneschal, much as it is not yet a true Tether, and thankfully you are not word-bound to it, but this is still a huge step up in responsibility, and one that has been long coming. After exchanging glances with Khalid, Laurence continues. “As these two have requested, they will stay here and work under your command, Taher, to secure this Tether for Dreams, or otherwise for the Host. Your orders to avoid violence where possible stand, but you are to find out what you can about this unknown celestial.” Laurence pauses for a moment, and then a rare smile of pride lights his eyes. “You have done good work here Taher, and I expect that to continue.” You know his words are nothing but the Truth. With a few more words and instructions from each Archangel to his new angel, the two superiors finally disappear in another burst of light. You examine your new companions with a critical eye for a moment, and then turn back to the house. To where Old Woman Josie stands on the back porch, her jaw and eyes both open as wide as they can go. After a moment she manages to close it again. “Erika? Who were those two? They were so beautiful…” Her voice trails off. Well, clearly the two superiors had been standing facing the house and so knew Josephine was watching the entire time. They couldn’t want you to keep the Symphony a secret from her any longer. You smile with relief as you walk towards the back steps. “Let me tell you something I’ve been just dying to tell you, Josie. You know how you’ve had these two angels visiting your house for a while now, and now me also? Well there’s a lot more of us out there, and we could use your help.”