waiting in the wings (for Gadreel)

[tryingitall]

Heaven's dungeon is a place not of darkness, but of relentless, merciless light. Light that sears and aches in the eyes of even an angel; light that's heavy and solid, like stones poured over an already-bruised body. No one complains or begs mercy, because it's pointless. Forgiveness is for humans, not the Host. And if the wardens are a little too enthusiastic in their task of meting out divine vengeance...well, they're only following orders.

Balthazar knew all this in theory even before being imprisoned here. It was something vaguely discomforting before, just a scary story. Now he's presented with the reality, and he can't help but wonder why God ever allowed this place to be built.

He supposes it makes about as much sense as Hell. Which is to say, not enough.

There are few enough of them there. He was introduced to Gadreel within the first day. Balthazar's not good at tact, unfortunately; his first greeting was something along the lines of 'so this mess is at least partly your fault'.

But he followed that up with: 'well, shit happens. never mind.' And he hasn't mentioned it since.

Today, the wardens aren't doing their usual vicious jobs. Something's up, and tension is high all around. Meekly and quietly, Balthazar creeps through space to Gadreel's side, wings held low and submissive for the benefit of the limited number of guards still present. What he says as he settles in, though, is: "Hello, Brother! I'm bored. Have you ever played twenty questions?"

Comments

[redeemedhimself]

The endearment, no matter how casual, gets a small smile in return. Yes, he would risk it all to spend whatever time they have left together with Balthazar. "I found these," he indicated the backpacks, already packed with the spare clothes, warm blankets and sleeping bags. Tents might take a little longer for them to sort out, but between them if it was needed, they could find some way to make them work.

"It should help to distribute the load while we carry the rest." They had sheltered at the store long enough, to stay longer would only hazard further attention that they did not need. "With any luck we should make good time before it grows too dark."

The travois might slow them down, but for now it was better to take more than leave behind what they might need. Once they get clear of the store and further away from where they landed, perhaps then they could spare the time to both rest and go through the scavenged provisions.

[tryingitall]

Balthazar nods in response, hastening to shift his load into equal portions, and to shoulder one of the packs Gadreel has put together. "We ought to be able to manage on sheer strength for a bit. Our Graces shouldn't drain away all at once."

He slips the kitchen knives in Gadreel's pack, keeping the kettle himself. "Do you know anything about hunting? Or wild plants? Might come in handy. I remember you can eat dandelions and nettles and berries, but I don't know about anything else."

Once they're loaded up, he heads for the entrance, intending to exit first if only to take the brunt of the risk. The lot outside is quiet, the roads empty and starting to get overgrown with weeds and vines. Their store is located by a highway, but there's little else close by save woods.