IX. audio [dated to sunrise]

[aslandish]

[ And so it is, that at dawn on the 21st of December, a familiar Song rings out, breaking the stillness with a resonant light. It dips and soars, an earthy sound that speaks of towering mountains and rolling hills, of leafy columns and golden shores, of beginnings and so much else

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voice;

[servingfather]

Welcome back, Aslan. Didi had a feeling that we'd be seeing you again.

[He missed you, Jesus!lion. Can he come see you now because he saw Shadow!Daddy. T_T]

voice;

[aslandish]

She knows me well.

[ Having already taken him once before in his own world, of course, she would.

And yes. Yes, he can. ]

The time was right.

action;

[servingfather]

[He doesn't even bother talking over the NVs and instead steps through the ethereal plane, moving to the brilliance that can only be Aslan before slipping back into the mortal world near the lion. Hands tucked away into his coat pockets even though the chill doesn't bother him in the least.]

I don't think it had anything to do with timing. All the same - thank you for saving the city...and my brother. [While there may have been hesitation in saying those last words they are no less sincere than the part before.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ He hears the angel before he comes, turning to face the other as Michael approaches. He is not surprised to see him, not at what he says. The bond between siblings is strong, indeed. ]

I could do no less.

action;

[servingfather]

No, I suppose not.

[Aslan really was like Jesus. Unafraid to sacrifice himself to save people he may never meet face-to-face. After a moment Michael sits on a rock, elbows resting on his knees eyes focused on his clasped hands.]

I saw Him. Or at least something that was a part of Him. [A long pause before he looks up.] Did you know He was here somewhere?

action;

[aslandish]

[ He looks at the archangel for a long moment, a piercing sort of look in those solemn, golden eyes. It was a question he expected, especially after encountering the thing only several hours before.

He meets Michael's gaze squarely when he answers. ]

I knew.

action;

[servingfather]

[He's not jealous or even bitter that Aslan knew before he did. The lion was more powerful than he was but still Michael can't help but be...

Hurt. And that feeling has nothing to do with someone else knowing first. It was more the fact that He was here in this seemingly Godless world (besides those who were brought here) and He still chose to hide from His children. That He would let that thing be the reason they knew He was here. Michael hadn't seen Him in thousands of years and now?

Now the image of Him angry and hateful is seared into his mind tainting the last memory Michael has of Him.]

He still hides from us. [From me. Granted that Michael had never looked for his Father but there had been times when he wanted Him home.] I don't understand what He wants from me.

[Make yourself useful. That's what the Shadow!God had said and not long after He was talking about destroying the city and even their own world. Was that what God wanted from him? Michael wasn't sure and disobeying the order (or twisting them anyway) to

action;

[aslandish]

[ As difficult as it is for Michael, it is no less so for -- to stand as the go-between for father and son. It's not a role he wished to have, particularly not under such circumstances, where old wounds have been re-opened. Even so, he feels the anguish, the hurt and rejection like it's a living thing, potent, harsh, and debilitating. It pains him, and there is no small measure of sorrow in his eyes when he finally gives his answer. ]

I tell no one any story but his own, Michael. I can only say with certainty that you did not choose amiss.

[ Though he might have doubted the course of action at the time, saving his sister was the right course of action. ]

action;

[servingfather]

[Michael doesn't want Aslan to play the go-between. He wants his Father to speak to him, just a word of advice or maybe even just one of love. Something to drive the image of the violent, hateful Shadow!Him from his mind. Though at the same time Michael's afraid.

Afraid that his Father feels the exact same way towards him - that he's a useless son and after everything Michael's done for Him, in His name, it was just never good enough.

He doesn't hate Aslan for not telling him, for not breathing a word of anything his Father's done or even when He arrived here. So he says nothing more on that particular subject.]

In what way? That He would have wanted me to save her from the Thing or because she's my sister and I should want to protect her from death?

action; yeeeeah backtagging \o/

[aslandish]

[ The question is pointed, and though he can answer it in part, there are some things he will not say, no matter how he is pressed. The will and desire of their Father is for them to stand on their own without looking to Him as a crutch or anchor -- to live freely and make choices all their own. He cannot express it so explicitly because to do so would violate the trust between himself and One so very like the Emperor Beyond the Sea. He can be a guide, though, as much as Michael will allow it.

He meets the angel's gaze squarely, his countenance grave. ]

She is your sister, Michael. The thing which attacked her was a shadow, a creature of darkness and sorrow who stole the countenance of One it had no right to wear.

Do you believe it would have been right to leave her to her fate?