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Wolves and hares
Topic Started: Feb 13 2010, 10:53 AM (118 Views)
Elijah
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=/= We open in a large bar, advanced in years, yellowing wallpaper home to framed photographs of days gone by, glimpses of history, famous visitors, spectacular events. Now the bar is quiet, familiar, relaxed, in its twilight years and happy to watch the world go by. Along the bar, ageing men and women sit deep in conversation, the latest gossip, memories of years gone by.

Away from the bar, a series of booths, the illusion of privacy in the public world. We pass by them, some empty, others occupied by couples caught up with romance or hearbreak. We continue down the row and stop at one booth, empty but for one familiar figure.

Elijah dresses in black, a red omega symbol across the left of his chest, a Cross of Lorraine pendant around his neck. He holds a glass of red wine in one hand, sipping from it occasionally, the moonlight entering through a window and reflecting in the red liquid, rendering it almost ghostly.

With his free hand Elijah holds up a book; the spine identifies it as The Master and Margarita. While staring at the page, his eyes seem unfocused, his mind elsewhere, sipping from his wine absently from time to time.

Suddenly, his head snaps up and turns to one side. We follow his gaze in time to witness Angel appearing before him, dressed in a black tank top and jeans, barbed wire patterns across them, her hair tied back. She sets her pint of beer on the table with a thud and slips onto the seat opposite Elijah. =/=

Angel: Don't you ever get tired of that trippy bullshit and want to just pick up a car mag or something?

Elijah: Greetings, Angel. It is pleasant to see you also.

Angel: I'm sure it must be.

Elijah: And how are you on this day?

Angel: I'll be a hell of a lot better when you explain what the fuck you were playing at on Tuesday.

Elijah: Subtle and polite as ever, I see.

Angel: Oh, do forgive me. How are you, how is the lady, isn't it funny weather we're having - and when are you and the old man going to grow the fuck up?

Elijah: My beloved and I are well. Our recent visit to the GCWA was an interesting one, albeit not entirely positive.

Angel: Stop dodging the...wait a sec. You guys went to GCWA?

Elijah: She had an impulse. I felt it would be best if the two of us went together.

Angel: And?

Elijah: We spoke with Angelica. She is well - bitter, but well. I suspect she harbours some ill will towards me, although the source of this feeling is as yet unclear. She appears adamant to stay, yet in a sense it is irrelevant; her presence there has already set into motion events which are beyond the control of any of us. Events which may have escalated during our visit there.

Angel: I was going to ask - the black eye?

Elijah: There was some...unpleasantness. A man by the name of The Lost Soul.

Angel: Sounds like a reality show for Diana Ross wannabes.

Elijah: Quite. He took exception to comments made by my beloved, and he and I came to blows. I suspect this is not the end of the matter.

Angel: All of which does nothing to answer my question. What the fuck is up with you and the old man? Tuesday you showed up, saved his ass then refused to shake his hand - what gives?

Elijah: A difference of opinion. Nothing more.

Angel: Looks like a hell of a lot more from where I'm sitting.

Elijah: There once were two hares making their way through a forest, cautious, petrified, moving in silence for fear of the wolves which prowled through the night. They kept themselves to the shadows, avoiding anywhere they might be seen, keeping their bodies low and their eyes wide for any unexpected movement.
Suddenly, a wolf appeared out of nowhere, yet it was an injured wolf, sickly, in need of the help of others. The two hares were -

Angel: If miss O is getting you to make me proofread her next book please tell her I'm not interested, 'k?

Elijah: As I was saying. The two hares were ambushed by the wolf, yet they were comforted as this wolf had been injured, while word had it that a larger, more fearsome wolf was at work in the forest. The injured wolf asked the two hares for help, imploring them to side with him against the greater wolf, to rid the forest of fear and despair.
One of the hares refused, unwilling to side with one enemy to confront a greater one. That hare lived on in the forest, in constant fear for its life yet nimble and able to fend for itself, an unstable yet exhilirating existence.
The other hare sided with the injured wolf.

Angel: And?

Elijah: For some weeks the hare and the wolf lived in peace, plotting out how to rid the forest of the greater wolf. The hare began to trust the wolf, believing that this was the only chance of freeing the forest for good.
One morning, his injuries healed, the wolf approached the hare before it awoke and wrung its neck, devouring the body limb from bloody limb, leaving only a pile of bones on the forest floor.

Angel: You should write for Disney, you know that?

Elijah: Perhaps. Yet the point remains. The hare paid the ultimate price for putting his faith in a supposed lesser evil.

Angel: And that's what you think Cain's doing?

Elijah: Cain is not naive, nor is he gullible; he is one of few people I would trust with my life, yourself being another. Yet the facts remain troubling. He has shown willingness to speak to the filth Rish, has met with him repeatedly, has even met with Rish's newest associates. I do not believe he has crossed the line; yet he walks dangerously close to it. And this may be a problem.

Angel: Sure he met with them - and he told them to piss off!

Elijah: So it would seem. Yet, his willingness to meet with them at all sets a worrying precedent. His willingness to continue to meet with Rish himself is of equal concern. Rish is powerful and compelling in equal measure. He has many things to offer and Cain may have many things he desires.

Angel: Are you saying you don't trust Cain?

Elijah: I am not. There are few people in this world who have earned my trust and yourself and Cain are among them. Yet trust is a difficult commodity to come by in these times. Something I have found doubly problematic in recent weeks, since...

=/= Elijah trails off, his voice becoming uncharacteristically unsteady, his eyes leaving those of Angel and looking away. Angel extends a hand in consolation, gripping that of Elijah for but a moment. =/=

Angel: Since Dolores showed up.

Elijah: Indeed. I have little trust left to give.

Angel: I know you're hurting over that but you can't let your anger towards her make you fuck things up for the Insurgency. Now more than ever we need to be working as a unit. As a family. Remember that?

Elijah: It is true that recent events may have made me less flexible in dealing with Rish, Sahn and the other parasites of this world. Yet this does not justify dismissing my concerns.

Angel: I'm not dismissing them, I just -

Elijah: I believe you are.

Angel: What the fuck do you want from me, okay? I hate Rish as much as anybody, you know that full well, I just don't think it's worth fucking up the group because the old man decides to meet up with the Cockmonkey in Chief. We've got bigger fish to fry - Sahn, the world title tournament - hell, you just made yourself a whole bunch of enemies down in another fucking fed, you don't think you're going to need some backup? Or is the almighty Elijah so powerful he can take on the whole world with a strand of barbed wire and a thesaurus?

=/= Angel pauses, taking in breath. The two of them sit in silence a moment, the air ringing with tension, a silence which is almost deafening. =/=

Angel: Look, I just -

Elijah: You are just speaking your mind. I would expect nothing less.

Angel: We have too much going on right now to risk everything because of the two of you bickering.

Elijah: The Insurgency fights best when it fights on its own terms. Having anything to do with Rish is useless at best, an impediment and obstacle at worst. And for Cain to work with him in any capacity, even the meetings which have taken place thus far, places us all in jeopardy.

Angel: I think you're over-reacting.

Elijah: We shall see.

Angel: We get to try out one of Rish's new chosen boys next week, do we not?

Elijah: We do indeed. The Bishop. He considers himself a preacher sent here to save the damned.

Angel: Reminds me of someone, can't imagine who...

Elijah: Point taken. It remains to be seen what type of man this Bishop is, what sort of faith he seeks to promote, which brand of evil he seeks to overthrow. Faith can bring liberty or tyranny, broadened horizons and narrowed minds. It is a tool which can be put to any purpose. We have yet to see the purpose the Bishop has in mind, let alone the path he intends to follow. His alliance with Rish is however troubling, whether brought about through naivety or a faith in him as an ally.

Angel: Let me warn you now, the second you two start debating the theology of the Nicolaitans I'm getting out of there, match or no match.

=/= Elijah raises an eyebrow inquisitively. Angel simply shrugs. =/=

Angel: I had a wander round the library last time I was at your place. You're into some weird shit, you know that?

Elijah: I have heard it said.

Angel: Bishop's an interesting one, I'll give you that. But if he's relying on God to get him through he'd better be ready for one serious beating.

Elijah: His actions remain difficult to predict. Some, bolstered by faith, expect events to simply unfold according to the divine order and so they become unmotivated, entitled. Others turn their faith into the zeal of the crusader and seek to strike down all in their path, driven to acts of recklessness in the process. Each path has its pitfalls and advantages. It seems the Bishop is a man on a mission; yet by his deeds we shall know him.

Angel: Meh, I don't see a bible thumper and a wannabe VIP causing us much trouble.

Elijah: Perhaps. But it pays to be wary. Many have said the same of each of us in the past and found themselves sorely mistaken.

Angel: Yeah, but what youre forgetting there is...we're fucking brilliant, that's what.

Elijah: Eloquently put.

=/= Elijah smiles softly and takes a deep sip of his wine, draining the glass by a third. Angel shrugs and drinks from her beer. =/=

Elijah: Bishop and McKnight both represent part of this new era of the CWF. On the one hand, a rush of new competitors, fresh and out to make a name for themselves by any means necessary. On the other, the storm with the GCWA, already spilling over, perhaps to erupt when we least expect it. We may know little of our present opponents as individuals, yet what they represent is perhaps of greater significance.

Angel: McKnight is the guy Omega beat in the first round of the tournament, right?

Elijah: The very same.

Angel: She have anything to say about him?

Elijah: She stated his blood was "just like strawberry ice cream syrup," although I suspect she was being metaphorical.

Angel: Sometimes I can't figure out which of you is closer to batfuck insane, you know that?

Elijah: Indeed. Yet many would say the same of yourself and the returning McQuade.

Angel: Yeah, well, fuck 'em.

Elijah: I could not agree more. I trust the two of you are happy together?

Angel: Things aren't like they used to be- and maybe they never will... Its just about finding the same spark that we had once before, time will only tell about the happiness.

=/= Elijah nods, his piercing gaze finally turning away from Angel, losing itself in the depths of the wine in his glass as he drinks from it deeply. Angel finishes her beer and rises. =/=

Angel: I'm going to the bar. Same again?

Elijah: You are most kind. Be seeing you.

=/= Angel smiles a little and turns to leave. Before she does so, she turns back, her expression somewhere between frustrated and imploring. =/=

Angel: And look...take it easy on the old man, okay? You don't have to agree with him, hell, I don't think I agree with him, but we can't afford the drama right now. Things are changing around here, nothing's like it used to be, the flock of newbies, this shit with the GCWA - trouble you're right in the centre of at the moment - plus Sahn and his little gang of Spooky Kids. We don't have time to fuck about with the two of you at each other's throats.

Elijah: Noted.

=/= Elijah inclines his head in a small nod and returns to his book as Angel makes her way to the bar. One hand holds the book, while the other is wrapped around his wine glass. We zoom in on the glass, Elijah's face reflected in its polished surface as the scene fades to black. =/=

(OOC note: the GCWA show referred to in this post can be found here.)
So you must carry this light into the darkness
You shall be a star unto the night
You will find hope alive among the hopeless
That is your purpose to this life...
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