[center][h2]Family Meeting[/h2]
 
Loom
 
Early morning
 
[@Rtron] & [@Wind Wild] [/center]
 
 
Luciana walked through Loom, marveling slightly at how the city had recovered from the devastation that had visited it 200 years before. Watching the devastation first hand had convinced her that there was no way the city would ever recover. Once again, however, the humans had surprised her. Truth be told, she had no real reason for being here other than she wanted to see how Loom had fared while she had been dead. She had expected a ruin, sheltering only the desperate and the evil. What she had gotten was a thriving community, bearing it's scars proudly, and looking to the future. She felt optomistic for Loom, and humanity in general from just seeing how the city had survived and moved onwards.
 
 Luciana didn't exactly know where she was, given that Loom had changed over 200 years. Finally she sat down on the nearby sidewalk, her back against the wall, and pulled out her harp, staring at it for a few moments. This was the last remnants of Melody. Hell's gatekeeper. Her sister. Luciana was beyond tears at this point. She started playing for no particular reason other than she could. There was no magic in the music, just simple skill. [i]It's nice to know I haven't lost my skills.[/i] She thought, smilling sadly.
 
 Miles away the music would reach someone who wasn't even supposed to be able to hear it. In fact, she truly [i]wasn't[/i] able to hear it, but she could [i]feel[/i] it. On the very basic physical level, Hazumi's back suddenly stiffened and something deep inside her felt pulled and released like the strings under Luciana's fingers. It made her heart vibrate in an unfamiliar and definitely unpleasant manner. The woman smiled and gripped her shirt. 
 
Getting out of her chair, Hazumi walked to the window and opened it. Her lips moved but no words came out, the wind catching the inexistent sounds caught by the wind and carried straight to Luciana. 
 
"Would you stop that, please? It's actually physically unpleasant."
 
Luciana stopped playing the instant she heard Hazumi's voice, turning her head to frown slightly at the direction of the voice. In an instant she was in her third form, buzzing in one giant cloud towards Hazumi. Within a few moments, she was in the room with Hazumi, turning back to her human form in a flash of white. She smiled at "Hazumi! Last time I saw you was just before I, uh, killed myself to make sure that the Humans had a chance of surviving all the chaos after Judas was killed. Two hundred years fly by when you're dead." She smiled again, for some reason incredibly nervous. "So...what has happened in the years I've been, uh, scattered? And why does playing the harp cause you pain? I can't be [i]that[/i] bad." Luciana chuckled weakly.
 
Hazumi was clearly shocked, ogling at Luciana with a pen half-suspended in mid-air, ready to slip right out of her fingers.  
 
“[i]Pardon[/i] me?” She asked, finding her words again. “You don't remember ever asking me to [i]build[/i] this future?”
 
Luciana frowned, both at Hazumi's surprise, and in an attempt to remember what she had said during that time. "I'm sorry. Ever since I came back from the dead the memories from actually killing myself are hazy and only slowly getting more clear. This isn't helped by the fact that I met our father, whose a complete bastard, and I may or may not have cursed him out during our entire conversation. So, what exactly did I ask you to do?"
 
Hazumi seemed to relax a bit, a sigh escaping her, though her frown remained. "Oh, you met him too? I have to agree on the diagnosis. What did he tell you?"
 
Luciana sighed in relief, gald that Hazumi wasn't worshipping Aaurus. This conversation would have been much more awkward if she had been. "He told me the world was ending, I was a failure, and that he purposely let Melody and Chime die. That irritated me a good amount, and I kind of let out a torrent of curses and insults. Eventually he just sent me back to work with Solus to save the world. Afterwards I'm going to kill him. Anyways, what'd I say to you when before I died?"
 
Hazumi smiled, the casual approach helping her relax in front of the last Gatekeeper, whom she still deemed superior and somewhat intimidating. "Seems like although your meeting with him was just as unpleasant, at least it ended better than mine. With you managing to at least give him a piece of your mind and all." The smile widened at the thought of the bastard dying by Luciana's hand. It would be an adequite ending. "You said humans deserve a chance. That they've been opressed so long and that if anyone is worthy of more power, it's them. That, and that power corrupts and I shouldn't keep it all to myself. The second part took longer to set in." She grinned with embarassment at the memory of her (violent) first few years at the Academy.
 
Luciana smiled back, delighted things were going so well with her sister (that's how she thought of Hazumi at least). "Oh, it can't have ended better than yours. He just muttered some more mumbo jumbo about me being a failure, and then sent me flying back into this world. Upon which I cursed some more." She tilted her head, considering. "I believe that's the most I've ever cursed as long as I've lived. It's easy to say not to keep power all to yourself when you're about to die, and you've only had emotions for a year or two. Don't be embarrassed if it took a bit. I rarely ever cursed before I started getting human emotions. But we'll keep that our little secret. " She winked at Hazumi. 
 
Two quick steps, grabbing a chair along the way, and she was sitting in front of the the girl. "So, what've I missed while being cosmic dust, and why is playing with a piece of Melody's harp physically unpleasant to you?"
 
Hazumi smiled, genuinely appreciating how easygoing Luciana seemed. A lesson she could learn from, the Gatekeeper's attitude seeming naturally pleasant and relaxing. It still made Hazumi a bit uncomfortable, knowing that she was mere fractions of what remained of this woman's real family, but at the same time it made her oddly proud.
 
"It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one." She smiled in reference to human emotions. "Though I still don't curse. Maybe you should teach me some, like a good big sis." She winked and followed Luciana's movement as she pulled up a chair and posed her next question. "Well.." She hesitated, wondering how to explain. "Some part of it is still in there." She placed a hand on her chest frowning. "And it resonates when you play. For better or worse." She smiled appologetically, "But I might have exaggerated a bit."
 
"Don't tempt me. We can't have the leader of this Musicians College swearing like a sailor in front of her students, can we?" Luciana teased, before listening as Hazumi explained what was going on. After she finished, Luciana frowned, slightly puzzled. "Hmm. I don't have any idea why that would happen.I preferred guns to the Instruments those two loved to play. Then again, I [i]was[/i] the one who did the most murdering out of the three of us. I'll try to keep the harp playing to the minimum, but you never know what kind of idiot you might come across. Speaking of that, are the Angels and Demons playing nice with each other? They were never good at that, as I recall."
 
Hazumi realised she had new appreciation for Luciana as she kept talking. She was almost human, with all their flexibility, and at the same time very assertive and didn't shy away from letting anyone know what she thought. Be it via words or bullets. She was a person Hazumi could respect and she remembered why she'd agreed to giving up on most of her power as well. "Do you think they are?" Hazumi rose an eyebrow at her latest question. "They are trying but so many are failing it's sad. They still haven't given up on trying to kill each other, especially the more stubborn ones. You'd recognise Lucien as one of them, he's still at it. And even some of our own teachers like Aeris and her brother, don't seem to realise the need for change in their perceptions. Meanwhile we're giving power to the humans... who end up questioning our instructions. I had a child question me this very morning on the morality of solving murder with more murder. Right after a God threatened me with such." She smiled bitterly. "Szayeis by the way..." her expression became more serious as she looked up at the other woman. "Is asking to be saved. What is your opinion on that?"
 
Luciana sighed. Not at how the Angels and Demons were still killing each other, she had expected that. After all, she had long ago learned that they were only good at killing. The Last Gatekeeper was sighing at the mention of Lucien. The last time she had seen him he was going for an Archangel during the final battle against Judas, centuries after she had seen him fall into the spiral of hate and bloodlust. "Lucien was a good man, Angel. Before the Great War that is. Then, well, you know what happened and he became what he is now. There is still vestiges of that goodness, as you well know. He still considers you his daughter, for example. Likely will consider any being that has a piece of her in them his daughter."
 
She chuckled gently. "Listen to the humans. They are wiser than most give them credit. Perhaps in time we can approach things differently. But right now, I suspect continuing the current course is the best. Still, don't be so quick to brush off the questions of the humans. Debate with them, and with yourself. Doubt is healthy, especially considering the power you wield." Luciana paused.
 
She stiffened at the mention of Szayeis, anger and hatred clear in her body and face. When she finally spoke, it was slowly. "Do not leave his fate to me. I promise you I will let him die. Leave his fate to someone unbiased, unaffected by his crimes. As for what I think? Let him die. Just because he suddenly fears death does not make up for what he has done." Her smile was paper thin. "Frankly, I think he's a cowardly bastard whose just realized that the Void claims everything. Even those with the pretentions to godhood. But of course, I'm biased."
  
She shrugged. "But enough of that. How is Lucien? I know he has to have visited you at least once during the 200 years I've been dead."
 
Hazumi took note of every word Luciana spoke, the wisdom and warning seeping into her consciousness without her usual guards to seethe it through. It wasn't many creatures she displayed such trust to, but having met the Gatekeeper again after so many years made her remember just how much Hazumi respected her. The opinion on Szayeis made her smirk with amusement, though she took a mental note that whatever sympathy she felt for the creature, it wasn't shared by her half-sister. 
 
As for Lucien... "...He's holding on. The parasite in his wings has eaten away on his soul and there's nothing we can do about it. Well, nothing other than turn him into a chimera, surely against his will." The words stung, especially after Luciana had brought forth the feelings she harbored for the man. "However, I might be able to give him some peace of mind before he goes. I'll try to gather whatever remains of his daughter and place them in a single body..." Hazumi eyed Luciana cautiously, worried that the Gatekeeper might be against such a dangerous game. After all, it could cost some Musicians their mental stability, or their jobs. "He's stubborn and refuses to change, he will pursue the remaining Archangels to the end of the Earth and I'm worried he won't even stop there. Perhaps the only way to control him is to channel his drive to something more constructive." She reasoned, hiding the simple truth behind cold reason: she cared about Lucien and wanted to help him the best she could. 
 
Luciana eyed Hazumi. There was something off, she could feel it. As Hazumi continued to speak, the Last Gatekeeper looked suspiciously at her sister before giving a knowing smile. She had her. "Lucien set himself upon this path knowingly. He could have went to get help when the parasite was in the early stages, but instead chose to go to war. He ended up in Onyx for it. I feel sorry for him, I really do. But he knew what would happen when he began. And he didn't care. Still doesn't. Eventually, you're going to have to kill him or kill the Archangels, you know that right? He's not going to stop until he dies or they die. Even if you bring back his daughter. Which, by the way, I know is going to be extremely dangerous and playing with fire. My advice? Don't bring his daughter back. It'd cause too much pain to too many people, and we both know Lucien wouldn't approve. You can help him other ways, and still not let your feelings for him make you do something drastic."
 
Luciana raised an eyebrow at Hazumi, daring her to deny it.
 
Hazumi wasn't overly happy with how easily Luciana read her but decided not to bother pretending anymore. She leaned back in her chair and let out a deep sigh.  
 
“Other ways like what? I don't like having to choose between him and the remaining of the Council. I'm not sure which one I would pick. I'm hoping his daughter being around will make him drop his revenge act. From what I've heard she was a nice person, and hopefully fell very far from the tree in that regard.” She eyed Luciana carefully. “I don't intend to back on my word. However, I do share your worries. If you're willing to help me reunite him with his daughter, I would be very appreciative. And I apologise that I can't follow your advise.”
 
Luciana shrugged. "Try talking him down. Make him see that his daughter, who I've met and was a nice girl,  wouldn't approve. She'd see him as a monster, not a father. Do you really think that bringing her back, and having her see what her father has become, would be good for him? No. That would break him." She sighed. "But if you wish, continue on this path. Try to figure out a way that won't cause irrepairable harm to your Musicians hmm? Trust is a major thing in organizations like this."
 
 Hazumi thought that over for a moment. It hadn't occurred to her that even if his daughter was resurrected, Lucien might still have difficulty with adapting to this new world order. Then again, she had to try, Luciana was wise and she knew more about the people in question, however she wasn't a clairvoyant and not even she could predict what would happen.  
 
The Essence heaved another sigh and got to her feet.  
 
“I will keep you updated, Luciana. Thank you for not immediately dismissing my idea. I pray for the best possible outcome and will do my best to achieve it."