A Memory of Motion

[Margrett]

He walked around a little, pacing.

Right, right, no one here that knows what they mean anyways. Especially you.

He caught himself, waving his fingers sort of in the air in her direction.

No, no offense. I can't do anything to you. Outsiders aren't even in my department. If I were Cetan-class, yes, but not a Delta.

He looked up at the sky.

The...the big...the big glowing thing in the sky that makes heat. Did it just go down, or is it coming up soon?

As if he didn't just ask that question, he looked back at her.

What are you doing out here at night, anyway. Don't people usually sleep at night?

[Celephai]

Celephai was about to strike this angel, damned be the ramifications of such an action, but it would at least be satisfying. She could hold her impulses in check for a small while longer, though. Maybe see if he could at least entertain her in some small way.

"Some do, others stay up all night... committing acts which I'm sure your immaculate mind would never conceive of."

Oh yes, she was probably going to burn when it all ended, but at least it would be fun for now.

[Margrett]

Oh, probably.

He smiled, looking back up at the sky.

A do a lot of paperwork though. Especially for this world. Lots of things end up on paper. In Heaven.

He looked down at his feet.

I wonder. I wonder if...

He experimentally tapped his foot. He put one foot in front of the other, walking in a balance, his arms spread. He nearly tripped and put his hand on his mouth.

It won't work. Without wings. I can't dance here.

He looked back up at the sky, concerned.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Hmm. Next century I'll put in for Valhalla.

[Celephai]

This was beginning to seem more like weird coincidence the longer she spent thinking about this. Whatever force guided him here was either very intelligent or very stupid. Time to find out which.

"A higher being cannot dance here? Must be quite... humbling, I'm sure. Why come down here if you can't do what you like?"

[Margrett]

Well...

He looked around again.

This place is pretty famous. Lots of stuff happened here. Lots. There was the war, and the, um....kerfluffle that got me fir--let go, or umm...

He stared into space for a moment.

Given involuntary vacation.

He looked at her innocently.

In my defense I didn't know I couldn't dance. It's a shame.

[Celephai]

Celephai shook her head. He obviously didn't get out much.

"You really should do your research before you make a decision about where you spend your time. For now, I will do the best I can to help you rectify this situation."

She was going to regret this, she was sure of that, but this kind of stupidity was curable, she thought. Maybe she could get a hint about her next destination from him, in any case.

"Now, would you like to learn how to dance on your own, or shall I instruct you on what I know of the practice?"

[Margrett]

Eli blinked.

You know how to dance? Didn't think Keters danced.

He cocked his head.

Or look as good as you do.

He startled himself.

Oh Authority. Did I just say that? What does that even mean?

[Celephai]

Celephai raised an eyebrow. Maybe they didn't get much paperwork concerning the outer realms. Maybe they just weren't interested enough in tentacled horrors to want to get near them.

"I'm certain you've heard of ritual dances, in one way or another. We often dance as an appeal to beings greater than ourselves, or maybe to herald the coming of another, yet darker being... maybe we just do it because that's what we exist to do."

She strolled around the clearing, unsure of exactly how to take his compliment.

"I assure you, we come in many shapes and sizes. Some of us have more... ethereal beauty than this, but some, like me, manage to look more humanoid for whatever purpose we serve."

[Margrett]

Right, right, I didn't mean anything by that.

He gestured down at himself.

Going to take a bit to get used to that. This. Hormones, chemicals, meat. It looks tidy on paper, but when you step into one it's...it's wow.

He paused, watching her stroll around.

Existing for one thing. I know that feeling. Management. You know. Was born into it, pretty much. Paperwork. I dance when I can, but umm...it's less ritual dance and more...

He moved his feet experimentally. One foot in front of the other for a time, his hands in the air. He seemed a little better than last time; it looked like he was dancing with an invisible partner. He bowed, his hand holding someone else's, then pulled that person close, then fell over. He looked down, frowning.

More of that. More flair. A little more order to it. Perfect order.

[Celephai]

Order, ick. He might as well have said he wanted to have the same bland meal every day. Dancing was supposed to be about chaos, about nearly falling over but saving yourself just in time, always upon the precipice of oblivion... to dance upon the edge.

No, she was going to have none of this.

"I think you've got it all wrong."

She took him by the hands, and slowly, gently began waltz-like movement and rhythm. Her expression was stern, serious, but her body moved with a similar flow and even grace that only a veteran had.

"Dancing is inherently chaotic, anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. While the pace and momentum might be dictated by an even, predictable rhythm, if it were only that, it would be entirely mechanical. The flair, that extra life you see in the truly practiced of the art is the chaos in their soul that cannot be set in order."

She continued the waltz, every now and then correcting a slight mistake in his movements. It never occurred to her how close they were to each other, mere inches separating their bodies from one another.

[Margrett]

He smiled, following along. He was a little shaky at first, but got into it quickly, seeming to remember how his feet worked.

You call it chaos, but here and in Heaven it's order. The Authority and its powers set in motion the mortal universe. Everything is order, everything is in its place, even if you can't see it.

He stumbled, but caught himself.

Order doesn't mean no creativity. It, well....it just means you have some lines to color in when the nice man gives you a box of crayons.

[Celephai]

Celephai raised an inquisitive eyebrow. It probably was a whole other perspective up there, albeit a boring one. She decided to cut the man some slack, mostly as it would have been far too easy to rip him to pieces.

"Well, what lines do a sculptor follow? How about a painter? Lines inhibit oneself too much, they don't allow one to flourish freely. The world can only grow through chaos... even it it's a painful growth."

Oh, if someone caught her now, waltzing in the night with a man who fell from the stars. It'd be romantic if he wasn't such a stick-in-the-mud. She stepped back for a twirl, and subtly tripped him. Without even a blink, she was right on top of him, catching him just above the ground.

"Personally, I find the unpredictable far more interesting than the planned... but to each their own, I suppose."

[Margrett]

He yelped and looked up apologetically as she caught him.

My fault. Sorry. And, well, what is art but a set of rules you can work with? Painters without reason aren't painters. It's just graffiti then.

He laughed and shrugged.

I suppose it's a little different on the Outside. We have art...culture. The...

He looked up at the sky and spread his hands.

The light of Heaven would slash your eyeballs, the music of Heaven would burst your eardrums, the art of Heaven is more real than even this world is. The food...

He sighed, then looked to her curiously.

How is it on the Outside?

He smiled, honestly curious.

[Celephai]

She sighed, lifting him to his feet. They really were just two different people. Things. Entities.

"Well, to you it'd probably be... horrifying. Utter darkness, things so incredibly impossible to look at it would drive you insane, colors beyond description, and excess like you would not believe."

Her eyes unfocused for a few moments as she remembered flashes from that place beyond, almost losing herself to those wondrous visions of worlds beyond imagining.

"...Some people have been known to visit when they dream. I'm sure if you tried, you could see and decide for yourself."

[Margrett]

Well....

He shrugged.

There are some pretty strange things in Heaven. There's a reason mortals don't go there until after they die. Being a Keter, maybe you could see it one day.

He looked off, into the sky again.

I'm sure I could see the Outside if I tried. Anyways.

He looked at her, a little embarrassed, putting his hands together.

This was fun. It was. But I have only a day to see everything this world has to offer. I mean, it's gonna take a few hours to get to the warzone.