nexus_crossings | (no subject)

Taylor looked at the pencils. "Thank you. I go through these a lot when I'm on a dig." She accepted the pencils and settled down next to him.

"Okay, that is more amazing than sun rise over Waikiki." She grinned brightly as she took out a pale color to do the rough sketch. "Do they just look like flames? Or is it just for show?" It was an honest question.

"I have a known fondness for the arts." Lucifer tells her as she takes them. He has been a patron of the arts as long as art has existed though usually more removed than this.

"You are seeing a blend of the illusions I wear to protect others and my presence." Lucifer tells her as she starts to sketch. "The seraphim are made of fire, passion, virtue and the forces of creation. They are both feather and fire but they behave with my mood. Calm and welcoming as I am now, they are no danger. In anger, they will burn someone who touches them."

This was the temperamental nature of a being made of fire and passion. His presence and how it reacted with the world around him was attached to his emotions. "Despite the literature I am more often gregarious and neutral than destructive."

"Usually those who buck the system are Artistic souls, at least that's what I've come to realize. Even my favorite pirates carved, sang and were known to dance. When not worried about hanging because the governments of their home countries disapproved of their actions that is."

"So, no touching if I see you upset. Gotcha." She made that small note in the corner of the page she was sketching on. The page opposite had notes in English and a few varied Asian languages as well as a sketch of a leopard, and in the middle was Quetzalcoatl, at least what she had found in the ruins she had been at, it was missing half the tail and she had sketched the broken stones where the wings had been splayed out.

"So histories of any culture are written by the vocal majority. Usually they paint an awful picture of the 'enemy'." She had seen that several times with many of the pirates she had researched. Hell, she knew from the stories that her mentor had taught her of his own Native Hawaiian people. "That's why I love hearing all the stories I can, so I can make my own mind up about what really went on. Might not be the 'proper way' of doing things as a historian, but I'd rather not work for the snobby museums."

"Creator is the most raw form of art." Lucifer had seen the same as she had over the years; from himself all the way to his most recent meetings.

"My anger is rare. There is not much to worry about." He looks down at her book curious and easily able to read the languages provided they are the same as the equivalent languages in his creation. The Quetzalcoatl brings a smile and he points to it. "You have drawn one of the forms that I bear and share with another. The feathered serpent under the tree of Eden."

"If you are here long enough you may meet the historian of my court. They will tell you stories until you ask for them to stop or fall asleep." Lucifer knew all too well how history was manipulated not just by victors but also others as it served their purpose.

"I did originally go to Eden to kill the humans. God had killed and injured my children and I sought revenge for the offense." Lucifer saw no shame in his behavior. "I met Eve in the Garden before Adam, who spoke to God more than his spouse. Her presence though, I bear many curses placed upon me by God during the Fall, her presence quieted all of them. Any thought of aggression, linked to being cursed to bear wrath, flew with her appearance from the forest. I was at peace and she was extraordinarily beautiful."

He spoke slowly, offering pauses so she could ask questions if there were any, or comments if those were to be had. Over the centuries, he had heard most comments that could be spoken.

She gave a nod. Another mental note went on the sketch in the corner a hand with the thumb and little finger out with motion lines, her way of noting the person was cool in her journals, be lucky not many people had that marking in her journals.

"Takes a while for me to do either if the storyteller is good."

Taylor listened intently working on her sketch, now adding in details and color, it was a realistic drawing almost lifelike, like the sketch of the ruined wall.

"Then I will try to tell a good story though, it is not a happy one." That was an unfortunate truth, even if the things they were speaking of now were happy.

"She knew I was an angel and I did not hide my name. Man had not been told of me and so she did not yet bear fear or malice toward me as many humans do now." Lucifer paused while his mind remembered her. There was a beauty and a curse to living so long and having perfect memories of every moment experienced. "I walked with her in the Garden until evening when Adam called for her. I could not stay away. As much a desire to see her as one to continually sneak past the best of Heaven's angels who were watching over Eden. I spoke with her of the animals and plants in Eden. We would lay together in the sun and talk for hours until one day she asked me about flying. Taking her into the sky and away from that place where she was ignored and alone changed me."

"Some of the best stories, aren't happy." She shifted to settle the book was resting more on her lap.

Taylor stayed quiet, she knew what it was like to be ignored, unless she was useful, it was like that on the big island. "As I said he was a dick. I got that much from the book. And the big kahuna in charge, an even bigger one."

"This will not improve your opinion of them."

Not that anyone would really expect the words of Lucifer to improve their feelings about God. His eyes were focused on her drawing as he spoke.

"We became lovers without intention to be. It happened naturally and is probably one of the things I have done to most infuriate God. We were lovers for some time before she came upon me at the tree. I had eaten from it out of curiosity when one of the angels on guard mentioned it was forbidden. I was honest with her about the nature of eating from the tree and she chose to eat too. After, I would have stayed at her side but she sent me away. The tree of knowledge allowed her to see the outcome if God had found me there though I convinced her to blame me for the act in hopes God would spare her death."

She added some more detailing to the wings, small strokes to shadow some, not to turn them black, just to give it more depth.

"If you had known the outcome though... Would you have changed anything? I mean yeah, many women now days blame her for ya know the whole painful child bearing thing. But you obviously gave her something that no one else did. You actually cared, some men just think we, that is women, are property to do with as they will. Sounds to me, you truly wanted to be her partner, treating her as a living being." The pencil went to the center of the book, helping hold the pages open. "Sorry if I'm reading too much into it."

"There are things I would change. Things I have not mentioned yet in the story but no, I would not change anything I have told you thus far." Lucifer had thought long about what she was asking. Questioned himself over the same ideals after Eve was lost. "The concept of wife did not exist yet in the universe but if it had, then it would have been an apt term for how I felt."

"I did not see her for months, until after she had been expelled. I mourned her company while I was away and came, perhaps recklessly, to her call when I heard her prayers. She was in the desert at an oasis. The expulsion from Eden did not diminish her as much as the book would make you think."

Lucifer suddenly looked away, the feathers on his wings ruffling noisily until some were erect. It gave him a fluffed bird appearance. "She had called me to see Cain, just a newborn at the time. She had called me to meet my son but my presence attracted unwanted attention."

Edited 2021-04-17 03:44 (UTC)

"I see." She gave a small smile, not really mirthful, just there. "Wife in the proper sense." She nodded in agreement to his words.

The smile faded as he continued. She wasn't sure what to say so stayed silent.

"She was my wife whether the word existed or not." Lucifer was trying to express the relationship more than any sort of possession that came with marriage. Part of that stems from God's definition of marriage and the behavior of a wife. Lucifer found that definition of wife offensive.

"Holding my child is a memory that is forever burned into my mind. I have other children but they were created from only my presence. Cain was different and the way his presence bound us together..." Lucifer sighs. "I did not love him more than my other children but the love was different."

The angel looks into the distance again, frowning in a way that definitely speaks of being angry with the self and others. "My presence drew God's attention and I felt the surge of energy which stirs when God smites someone. I had only moments and my instinct was to cover them with my own body. That is how the other seraphim and God found us. His demands were that I turn over my wife and child for punishment."

Lucifer is randomly tapping the arm of the bench with his finger times, a fast rhythm of annoyance. "I knew God would prefer to punish me and I offered to be chained in the fires again if He spared Eve and Cain."

Taylor nodded, she didn't have any personal experience with it, but she could understand the relationship.

Hearing him talk about his son, made her look down slightly. She had met her father, but he hadn't known she had existed, he had meant to go back to her mother, but had left her before she had even known that she was pregnant, and by the time he was able to return, Taylor had been raised by the man that had killed her mother. She shoved the thoughts down though, even though she might be slightly jealous.

She went back to her sketch, adding a few more details that she thought could use some more highlights. "And this is just another reason why I am kind of glad I don't follow that religion. I'm not for anyone that could rip apart families."

The change of subject is an honest relief for Lucifer. If he dwelled too long on that past his anger might flare and that was never pretty.

"Not all gods are the same, nor all religions. There are many factors that influence a religion and how the divinities exist and are portrayed." Lucifer comments while watching her additions to the drawing with interest. "Human influence and tradition shape them more than the deeds of the divine after so long. The portrayal of good and evil are the first that are doctored and forgotten. The divine manipulate it, as do humans, then it quickly strays from the truth."

Lucifer shrugs. "I would be happier if I were not part of a religion but the divine cannot escape them the way a human can."

"Oh I understand that. People always seem to screw up a good thing." She smirked, "Even Mom's people have done some screwy things for their codes. I'm still working on trying to figure all that out honestly." Hey considering she had been raised by the other team than her mom. "And besides 'There are no facts, only interpretations'. At least if you follow Nietzsche's way of thinking." She tucked the hair back. "And there are far too many people who interpret things in ways to harm others. Thus the reason People are the problem with religions."

"Just say you're an alien? I mean in a way it's not a lie, you're not from the same plane of existence, right?"

"Nietzsche is wrong though his view is limited by human brevity." Lucifer tells her. "Religion and divinity has a truth. After all, your religions are what you think you know or believe about other people's lives." However, she instantly gets a hearty laugh as he shakes his head. "It is not only people. There are gods which are flawed in ways they will use belief and fear to harm humanity or their kin and peers. There are plenty divinities that share the human desire to blame evil on someone else or force others to do their dirty work so they may pretend their hands are clean."

Lucifer sighs. "I find all the manipulations to be tedious and boring."

Lucifer smiles merrily, mood quickly ebbing through a wide range of emotions as they speak. "If I am alien then humans are aliens. In my creation humans are my descendants."

"Ah but see, most of our religious texts are written by men, usually with some sort of power, in order to control other men, and using that term as a broad 'all of humanity' sort of thing." She's glad she's making him laugh though. It would suck to piss off an Angel she supposes, more so when it's one that kind of is important to her uncle's religion.

"You know, considering we're still trying to figure out exactly how we're related to apes because science, as much as I like relying on it, can't seem to pinpoint our exact link. I'm willing to agree that I'm some sort of alien. Hell, you listen to my uncle, he'd say it just because of how much I love being in the water. Usually adding something like 'If we were supposed to still be in the ocean that much, we would have stayed in the water instead of flopped up on land with the rest of the animals'."

"The ones that people pay attention to, curate and save are but that has not always been the case. Your creation may be different than mine but I know there have been divinities to leave texts." It was always odd to watch what humans deemed worth preserving and those they did not.

She does keep the Devil smiling as she speaks. The sassiness is appreciated for now. "I know but what fun would it be to give man all the answers? You are in my spirit, by birth, influence or chance. I would not relegate your existence to tedium and boredom by giving away too many answers."

"Sometimes, things get destroyed, because keeping them in tact, usually would cause bigger issues down the road. My uncle had to destroy an artifact, because if he didn't, some people would have abused the power that the resin possessed in order to pretty much create unliving creatures that would have killed who knows how many in their mindless rage."

"Oh, I'm fine with trying to find the answers myself, you don't learn if you're told everything. Though, maybe a hint now and then would be nice, to know I'm on the right track if possible." She beamed a smile at him, totally not expecting him to really do so, but hey, worth a shot right?

"Therein lies the problem. Those things divinities would leave to lead man to them must be destroyed because man will abuse the power." Lucifer snorts a laugh. "And man is created in the image of God. I am surprised man has yet to realize what his behavior and that line means for the nature of God."

Lucifer smiles and reaches out to push her hair back. It's a gentle and fatherly gesture. "No one can tell you what the right track is and if they claim the ability to then be suspicious of them. Every path is unique and cannot be seen clearly by any. You will know you are on the right track when you are; in your heart and your spirit. Your instincts will guide you as my instincts guide me. Trust them."

Edited 2021-06-25 00:24 (UTC)

"Then it seems like my uncle is on that track, without knowing." She chuckles. "Really, Humans are the mistake of most religions, they read what they want and have lost the true message ages ago."

She stays silent a moment, closing her eyes at the gentle touch, it's something that her uncle and grandfather figure had done before, but this feels closer, warmer. "I've always trusted my instincts before others honestly."

"I am not sure it is the fault of humanity entirely, in my creation at least. Your species was cursed from the onset by the God that claims to love you." Lucifer frowns deeply. "While that is true for many religions and texts, God does promote a measure of hatred wrapped up as love and assistance."

Lucifer had no love for God, nor did he have much to say that was kind or positive. He has been burned, literally in some cases, by his Father far too many times.

"Then, I believe you are on the way that will put you on the road you should travel." He has a way with humans, for good or ill, because he does feel like their father when they are in need of guidance or find themselves in grief. "Though, it is always important to consider the input of others, instinct is what tells you if it is the right thing to include in your behavior."

"I think it's all how it's translated, and who is doing the translations really."

Taylor would say at least he knew his father, her's... well she only learned recently that he wasn't dead, and that he had been imprisoned for most of her life and didn't even know she had existed.

"I'm careful on who I trust honestly. My uncle and Gramps have never set me on the wrong course, Pops did, and well tried to kill me, but that was only after I found out things he kept hidden, so I rebelled and wasn't useful to him anymore."

"I can only speak to my experience with the Almighty while humans each translate as they see fit." Lucifer shrugs slightly but he knew God's kindness came with stipulations of obedience.

The laugh that escapes is cynical and disappointed. "Your father sounds remarkably like my own in that aspect." He looks out past her toward the water. "Unfortunate for Him and fortunate for me that I cannot be destroyed."

The stipulations were kind of why Taylor didn't fall into the same religion as her uncle, though he had been raised in a Catholic orphanage so, she figured he had more experience with that than her. "It's still a book written by men that enjoy the power it seems. More so on the Mainland. Pretty sure they lost the message decades ago."

"Yeah, Pops is just the guy that raised me. But it will be fun to see what he tries next. I'm like my uncle, I tend to be able to slip most traps at least." She's damn proud of herself for that too. Hell, it hadn't taken her long to figure out how to slip cuffs much to the dismay of cops and MP's on the main island.