[IC] Exodus

[SashaWindrider]

Azurael mused, she was now technically the highest ranking angel with the position Sephiroth had assigned her. She could in theory lay claim to the Relics and have her claim be legitimate. She did not want it - she saw the burden Sephiroth bore and what an unstable ruler could do in the form of Sasha. She looked at al'Tvor and realised he was never going to stop calling her Stormy. She didn't mind, after all she did happen to be a weather manipulator.

Azurael enjoyed the current peace, weather it was to be shortlived or longlived, she enjoyed it. She muttered under her breath about Grim, and how if he even came close to destroying the peace just for the sake of his amusement or for a few souls she would personally tear his wings off and shove them down his throat. She didn't know for sure if Grim was listening or not, but she figured his Creepiness probably would be.

Azurael turned her attention to Ma'ai. "If you must know, Sephiroth - or Lord Sephiroth to you, is now the ruler of both Kingdoms. Sasha is no longer a ruler. T'vor is the next highest ranking demon to Sephiroth. I am now the highest ranking Angel." Azurael said, giving a quick run down on the situation. She said it in a quick and brisk manner, in much the same way a soldier would to another.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After having finished thier game of tug-of-war and neither Damien or the dragons sure who was worse for wear, Anuriel dragged them all along to the mess tent for some food. Anuriel saw Chrissa and called out to her favourite cook "Hello!"

[puddingpunter]

Ma'ai had briefly acknowledged the others in the tent when he first stepped through the threshold. However, now he knew that that was the Demon Prince, a fresh wave of wariness coursed through his veins and the angel uncomfortably shuffled in place. A change in authority isn't exactly what one would call a surprise; with everything that was happening, it was actually something he was expecting. But for the new ruler of both kingdoms to be Prince Crescent? Claiming Ma'ai had been caught off guard would be the understatement of the century. He suddenly realized he was staring too hard at Sephiroth and politely averted his gaze before clearing his throat. Ma'ai nodded his thanks to Azurael and returned his attention to General Highwind.

"Of course Sir, I'll get straight to it." All the official details would come in later once he sent in the actual papers documenting his findings and such, as the protocol called for. "The humans are suspicious and have begun wandering closer to the grounds in the recent weeks. They initially dismissed the Exodus as an asteroid," Oh the panic it had caused... Some of the Earthlings believed it was the beginning of the end of the world while others shrugged it off as nothing but a meteor that would likely fly right by the planet. "But the lack of a crater in the ground did not go unnoticed. A small party of scientists decided to begin searching about twenty-five klicks Northeast of us but they're getting closer."

[SashaWindrider]

Azurael noted Ma'ai's unease. She had to admit if she had all this thrown at her suddenly, she too would be uneasy.

What truely made Azurael uneasy was the progress the Humans were making towards thier landing site. She knew they could not enter the camp, not unless they had either Angel or Demon blood in them.

"Would blowing up the ship work?" Azurael asked. "As far as I know the demons have a better knowledge base of explosives and some such explosives have been known to eclipse what any Angel magic could hope of doing."

Azurael was worried, Humans were the last thing they needed to tangle with right now.

[Redthorn Anvil]

T'vor shook his head.
"The humans would hear the explosion and that would lead them right to it, and they'd still find the wreckage and salvage parts from it, and then they'd know that we're not human. No, if anything, that would only help them find us faster. The ship is cloaked, and we are hidden in this pocket dimension. Even if they find the place where we landed, or even where we're staying, they'll never see the ship, or us. So no, explosives would not be helpful in this case." He turned to Ma'ai.
"Go take a break. You've done well, but this is far from over yet."

It was then, however, that Sephiroth approached the dark-haired Angel.
"I would offer you my thanks. You put yourself in considerable danger for the well-being of your people. I think I can safely speak for us all when I say that you've done us a great service for bringing this information to us."

[SashaWindrider]

"I concur with Sephiroth. You have done angel kind a great service, and not only that, demon kind as well given that we are all now together." Azurael said.

Azurael returned her attention to the General. "Perhaps we should salvage the ship ourselves. We could do with much of what is onboard and what the Exodus is made from. With it being a demon ship I believe that decision rests with the demons. It would be wise I think to have the ship even in parts with in the boundary of camp."

[puddingpunter]

Ma'ai had no say in the matter, as his job here was done. So the angel merely listened in silence with an air of indifference while Azurael and T'vor discussed prospective courses of actions to take next. None of this was making any sense to his ears -perhaps the minimal hours of sleep was finally getting to him?- but he paid attention anyways to the exchange happening between his superiors. Hide? Run? Take on a more defensive position? Whatever ended up being the chosen plan in the end, he could only place his trust and hope that the outcome would be nothing short of satisfactory. Finally, he was being dismissed. Ma'ai once again bowed his head. "Thank you General." He'd just barely began turning to leave when Sephiroth stopped him. The angel resumed position in place to meet the Demon Prince face on. "Sir?" That's when Sephiroth expressed his thanks. Crescent's words left a warm feeling of pride bubbling within the angel and he realized too late that he was smirking, almost to a grin. Ma'ai ran a hand over his face as if to rub the grin off before clearing his throat. He lightly balled up both fits and folded both arms (one over his stomach and one behind his back), then leaned back slightly and bowed forward from the hip. "Thank you, My Lord. I was only doing my job but I am glad to have pleased you." Not entirely a true statement, since the underlying feeling of bias still lingered, but it was how Ma'ai would have reacted if Sasha had said those words to him. Ma'ai proceed to acknowledge Azurael's words as well and finally took his leave.

Finally.

Ma'ai was painfully aware that he still needed to speak with cartographers later, and then fill out the reports of his findings for T'vor. But right now Ma'ai just wanted a break. Sleep could wait a little longer; at the moment all he wished was to refresh and feed himself. Ma'ai took off towards the kitchen.

[Redthorn Anvil]

"Perhaps." T'vor replied, musing. "If we can scrape up a work crew."

Sephiroth tapped his friend's shoulder.
"I think I can help with that. Or rather, I think he can." He gestured to a figure standing just beside his shoulder.

It was Grim.
"You called, Azurael?"
He grinned.

"Hello, miss Anuriel! Sorry, I was handing out orders!" Chrissa marched out of the kitchen to meet the head chef. When she saw Damien, however, she suddenly seemed nervous. She was a very shy lass, and was always on edge around strangers.
"Um, if you're hungry, I can make something up really quick for you?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another man walk in, also with purplish-colored hair. Yet...he was an Angel?
She frowned. He reminded her of someone...but couldn't place her finger on it quite. She returned her attention to her boss.
"Or, um, you know, I can just take your order?" She grabbed her pen and pad of paper.

[puddingpunter]

Get in, eat, leave: that was the plan Ma'ai had in mind. Or, if he decided he was too tired by the time he walked into the kitchen then, he'd just take his food with him back to his tent. But his ideal mental scenario flew right out the window shortly after he completed step one. Ma'ai did a double-take when a certain face caught his attention and it took only a couple of seconds for him to figure out why.

Chrissa? Now he remembered. Ma'ai and Chrissa were never close friends but they were acquainted enough; he used to stop by her flower shop often whenever he was picking something for his mother or sisters. The angel wouldn't admit it but the joy he felt at seeing another friendly face of someone from before the Genesis evacuation... Simply put, he was very homesick and being alone for so long hadn't helped with that feeling. Ma'ai grinned widely to himself with unrestrained glee but refrained from accosting her just yet. She looked to be preoccupied with someone else although he didn't recognize who it was.

[SashaWindrider]

"Hello Grim." Azurael said brightly. "We might need your help. Not death related though."

Azurael made sure to say the last part of the statement, not entirely trusting Grim's sense of humor - it tended to be morbid she had noted, not surprising given his job though.

"We are looking for a work crew to salvage the Exodus, the humans are getting to close and we need what we can get inside the pocket dimension."
-------------------------------
Anuriel noticed Chrissa's sudden shyness. She also noticed Damien's sudden lack of words - she wasn't sure if this was for the same reasons. She knew Chrissa was shy around new people (but a very talented cook Anuriel admitted to herself). Damien just seemed quite taken by the cook.

Anuriel elbowed Damien after a continued silence, the poor boy seemed at a total loss for words. Anuriel with much effort managed to keep her face straight instead of grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I think a small selection of fruit will do Chrissa. Thank-you, and you are doing a very excellent job."

Anuriel had considered making Chrissa her apprentice, perhaps one of these days she would offer. The girl certainly deserved it.

Both Damien and Anuriel saw the newcomer, Ma'ai Thos approaching. Anuriel offered for him to sit at thier table with them if he wished.

[Redthorn Anvil]

"Yes, I know! It's really quite exciting! Hehehehehe..." Grim rubbed his pale, bony hands together.
"We'll be happy to lend you a hand--or several hundred of them! Whichever!"

T'vor scowled.
"We?"

Grim scoffed.
"Why, the dead, of course! They haven't been outside for years, some of them for millions of years! They'd just love a chance to stretch their legs a bit!"

"Um, right away, miss Anuriel!" Chrissa bolted for the kitchen, then remembered the dark-haired Angel. She blushed furiously in embarrassment and sheepishly approached the man.
"Can I take your order, sir?"
Something was definitely familiar about him.

[puddingpunter]

Ma'ai hesitated only a moment before accepting Anuriel's offer, too exhausted to be bothered by the fact that she carried nothing but pure demon blood in her veins. Same as the guy Chrissa was speaking with. "Thank you" he responded, giving a quick nod of his head. Ma'ai would bear the indignation of surrounding himself with the natural enemy if it meant avoided conflict and that he'd be able to have a little chat with Chrissa. Unfortunately for him though, it seemed she was working now and he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to get her attention without distracting her from her job. With a tired exhale, Ma'ai sat down and made himself comfortable. Needless to say he was pleasantly surprised when Chrissa returned. Her question caught him slightly off guard but then he realized she hadn't quite recognized him yet. No matter. Ma'ai cleared his throat and grinned, making a reference back to how they met in the first place. "Yes, may I please get one bouquet of roses and two of random assortment? Anything but black." At the time, Ma'ai had just completed his training and was on vacation. So, he decided to get a little something for his sisters and mother before returning home. They all loved flowers but unfortunately Ma'ai didn't know anything about them, that's why he'd been so vague with his order. Chrissa's flower shop back on Genesis was pretty underrated, something Ma'ai would argue for if given the opportunity.

[Redthorn Anvil]

Chrissa was shocked.
"Oh my g--Ma'ai!" She was as red as the roses she used to use in her arrangements.
"I mean, uh, Mr. Narkissos! I can't believe it!" She glanced at Anuriel, then coughed awkwardly.
"Um, uh, let me just get the fruit for my boss, okay? And--oh! Right, sorry--um, what can I get started for you? If miss Anuriel says it's okay, I could take my break a little early if, you know, you wanted me to stay and chat for a bit..." She glanced at Anuriel.

[SashaWindrider]

Anuriel sat down happily beside Damien and Ma'ai. She eagerly watched Chrissa and Ma'ai conversing, with Damien still maintaining his uncharacteristic silence. Damien was staring intently at Chrissa, mostly unaware of what he was doing.

Anuriel looked back at Chrissa. "Of course you can. It's nice to see people who know each other from before the Exodus."

Anuriel also wanted to find out why the flowers were so important. She could wait, and she would. Anuriel would probably find out when the two started chatting.
...................................
Azurael's eyes brightened. "Can I watch you summon the Dead? Please Grim? Please?" Azurael had never seen the dead summoned.

[puddingpunter]

Ma'ai had finally come to the realization that the female demon who'd offered him to join them at the table, was in fact Chrissa's boss. He hoped that approaching her like this wasn't going to get her in trouble but thankfully Anuriel seemed to be perfectly fine with it. His face split into a wide grin when Chrissa was granted permission to stay. Her company and familiar presence would be a nice temporary distraction from things. Just then, his stomach grumbled rather loudly in protest to his inability to completely satisfy it during the past weeks. Sure prepacked non-perishables were filled with the stuff needed to keep the body running, but those were just the bare necessities. "If I'm being entirely honest, I'm quite literally starving so anything would be perfectly fine so long as it's edible and doesn't take long to prepare." Ma'ai dropped the line like it was the most casual thing he could have said. Just for the fun of it and to keep the atmosphere from becoming too serious Ma'ai added a friendly smile for Chrissa. Then, he turned his attention to the others. Ma'ai was biased but that didn't mean he didn't know his manners. "Forgive me, I've yet to properly introduce myself. My name is Ma'ai Thos Narkissos but most just refer to me as Ma'ai." He stuck out a hand towards Anuriel to shake.

[SashaWindrider]

Anuriel shook the offered hand. "My name is Anuriel Nephrim, you may call me Anuriel." Anuriel said smiling. She liked this well mannered Angel - not nearly enough to let him into the kitchen though. "You have picked a good friend with Chrissa. I assume you two are friends? Given that you both know each other."

"Chrissa is a brilliant cook, if you must know" Anuriel said proudly.

[puddingpunter]

"Pleasure to meet you, Anuriel." The angel listened while Anuriel returned the favor by introducing herself to him. Her suspicions caught him a bit off guard and Ma'ai scrambled to come up with an answer that wouldn't sound weird. He mindlessly rubbed at the back of his neck. "I guess you could call it that" he responded with a light chortle. "We met some time back when she used to work at a local flower shop in our hometown." He probably fit under the category of a 'regular' there. Not wanting to come off as rude, Ma'ai turned his attention to other demon, Damien, and stuck out his hand to shake too.

[SashaWindrider]

"Ah. That's what you meant with the flowers. Probably explains why she is good at arranging food nicely - already had practise with flowers." Anuriel said.

Damien shook the hand. He looked at the Angel with the similar purple colouring to his own. "I am Damien Abraxon. Communications and Signals operator. I taught Azurael the ropes of my work." Damien said this.

He looked at Ma'ai. "Have you met Azurael? She's the Angel wearing Demon armour." Damien fell silent again.

Anuriel looked quizzicly at Damien, a small smirk not very well hidden. "I wonder what has gotten into you today."

Damien blushed furiously and bowed his head, his hair falling forward as intended so he could hide his face.

[Redthorn Anvil]

Chrissa quickly ran off to get food started for the three of them--She arranged a plate of various kinds of fruit for Anuriel and Damien, and, setting that aside, she tried to think of something both quick and hearty for Mr. Narkissos. She smiled to herself. His was the first and only face she'd recognized since landing. Then she thought of all the thousands of people that didn't make it off the planet...She gritted her teeth and shook her head. She had work to do. She rolled up her sleeves, having decided what to make.
Cheese-potato chowder. She even had all the ingredients ready and waiting, and there was almost always a pot boiling on the stove. She dumped in everything she needed and set to work.

Grim cackled. "But of course you can, my dear Azurael--but don't talk to them! Spirits are either very shy, or very hostile. Wouldn't want the latter of the two to decide to go rampaging about! Ehehehehehe!" And with that, the odd Angel faded into the shadows.

T'vor let his hand drop from his sword. "I don't like him." He growled.

Sephiroth looked amused. He gestured to the tent's exit. "Shall wee see what Grim can do for us?"

[SashaWindrider]

"I like him." Azurael said happily. In fact she decided that while morbid, he did have a particular charm.

Azurael nodded at Sephiroth. "I think we should. An outing ought to do some good." She also really wanted to see Grim raise the dead.
................................................
Damien showed his face properly once more when Chrissa left. "You are mean." He told Anuriel and threw a fake punch at her.

"Think you can best me, huh?" Anuriel asked grinning, letting sparks dance on her fingertips.

Damien kinetically grabbed the nearest object and threw it at Anuriel's face.

Anuriel caught the bread roll, toasted it two seconds face and hurled it at Damien's face. The bread roll broke apart on impact scattering itself all over Damien.

Damien looked horrified and Anuriel adopted an expression of mock innocence.

[puddingpunter]

There was a moment where the angel's gaze followed Chrissa as she ran off to grab something for everyone to eat. He snapped his attention back to the demons sitting with him. Ma'ai was oblivious to whatever it was Anuriel was picking up on from Damien's behavior, but he considered her words carefully. "Ah yes, I believe I have. Just now before coming here actually." That must have been the woman which General Highwind kept referring to as 'Stormy' back in Lord Crescent's tent. Ma'ai twitched in start when Damien and Anuriel suddenly began acting what he initially believed to be aggressively, but that idea was quickly proven wrong as it soon became clear that they were merely teasing. He assumed this meant that the pair was closer to each other than he and Chrissa were. "Am I missing something?" Ma'ai asked innocently, wondering what joke it was he was being left out of.