Goddess?!?! Oh My....
Part Two: Enter Mary...or maybe not....
By Rob Barba
OMG! Is the intellectual property of Kosuke Fujishima, Kodansha, AnimEigo,
Dark Horse, et al.
<><><><><>
Techno music thrummed downstairs, into the downstairs portion of the
house, not the high-beats per minute hardcore variety, but rather the softer
version usually known as trance or ambient. It had been two days since the
newest Norn had moved into the household, and already she was making her
presence known, in spades.
Downstairs, Skuld was sitting down to breakfast. "Wow. No idea she
listened to the Future Sound of London."
At her side, Keiichi grumbled, "Well, at least it's better than
yesterday's Enya marathon."
"I think the children actually liked it, anata," Bell said to her
husband. "Besides, I think it was very sweet for her to play that for them.
It soothed them to sleep in no time."
"Well, I suppose it could be worse," Urd said as she came downstairs.
"I noticed a lot of her heavy metal and death rock stuff is gone from her CD
collection. Personally, I think I could rather deal with the house falling
asleep to 'Orinoco Flow' than anything written by Rob Zombie." As the new
head Norn, Urd was sober and wide awake as she moved to the table. "Ohayo,
imuto-tachi, Kei-kun." Unlike the past, she came to the breakfast table in
jeans and a T-shirt that read THERE'S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT ('SPECIALLY
WHEN I'M IN CHARGE). Trailing right behind her, ever attendant, was Urd's
faithful tabby, Providence.
"Good morning, Urd," everyone chirped, as she seated herself at the
table, while Providence headed off to her own breakfast in the kitchen.
"Um, Rob who?" Keiichi ventured.
"American rock star. Trust me, you don't want me to elaborate," Urd
said as she put up her hand to stop further questions. "Besides, I think
the change in music is doing her a world of good."
There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Skuld said, hopping to
her feet.
"You know, I realize that she's changed, but I have to admit, I'm still
a bit nervous," Keiichi remarked, continuing a conversation that was
apparently already ongoing. "It wasn't really that long ago that she was
trying to break us up, and now she's here, as a Norn?"
"I understand your fears, anata," Bell replied, "but doesn't everyone
deserve a second chance? Mara's trying her hardest to show that she's
changed, and I think we should give her the chance to prove it."
"Oh, hi, Megumi!" Skuld chirped extra loudly from the end of the hall.
"So nice to see you!" Thanks to Skuld's advance warning, they were able to
drop the subject and move onto something else. Skuld came back into the
dining room, bringing along Megumi. "Hey guys, look who's here!"
"Hi!" Megumi came in, cheerful as ever. "My classes at Nekomi were
cancelled for the day, so I thought I'd come by and see how you're all
doing."
"Hello, Megumi-chan," Bell said in her sweetest voice. "Have you had
breakfast yet?"
"No, but I'd love to, thanks!" the young woman replied. As Bell
scurried off to the kitchen, Megumi commented to her brother, "Kei-chan, you
must be the luckiest guy in the world to have her as your wife."
He grinned. "Yeah, I guess I am. So, how've you been doing?"
"Oh, I'll be glad to be graduating this year!" she answered in a
mock-exasperated tone. "When you said Professor Takaki's class was tough,
you weren't kidding! But, I'll be glad to be joining up with your
engineering firm once I graduate. Thanks for lining me up with that job
offer, too."
"Hey, don't look at me. When I told them that I had a sister that was
also into engineering, they jumped at the chance to get you. You're as good
as I am, so there should be no reason that they wouldn't hire you."
As though the conversation was a premeditator, Megumi finally noticed
the music. Turning to Urd, she asked, "You didn't leave your stereo on
again, did you?"
As if in answer, the progenitor of the tunes came downstairs. Dressed
in cut-off shorts and a green button T-shirt, she wandered downstairs, as
though unaware of her own angelic sensuality. Yawning, she called out,
"'Mornin' everyone."
Urd turned to Mara, pleasantly sniping, "You sure slept in, didn't you."
"Some of us are nightbirds, Urd," she retorted kindly. "I *did* ask you
to come with me to Ikekebukuro, but you did decline...."
"Some of us have responsibilities, you know," Urd replied in the same
teasing tone. "Maybe tomorrow night."
"Okay, sounds like a plan, then." Moving to the table, she noticed the
new arrival. "Oh, so you must be Megumi."
Megumi blanched, as though she'd seen a ghost. "Um...do I know you?"
Keiichi made the introductions. "Um, Megumi, this is Mara Blessings.
She's the girls' cousin, from New York. She, ah, just took a job here in
Japan, so Bell invited her to stay with us for a while."
"That's so sweet of you and Bell, Kei-chan," Megumi remarked.
Apprehensively turning to Mara, she asked, "You know, for some reason, you
look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"
Mara grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Maybe in your nightmares."
Realizing that she'd slipped into old habits, she backed off and said
sweetly, "I'm sorry, Megumi-san. I've been told at times that I have a
somewhat imposing presence."
Megumi, on the other hand, was shaken. "Um, no o-offense...taken. Um,
excuse me, I have to freshen up." With that, she beat a hasty retreat from
the table, headed towards the restroom.
All three at the table gave Mara a dark stare. There was no sound at
the table whatsoever until Mara blurted, "Oopsie."
"Real class act, Mara," Urd snarled.
The neophyte Norn of the Past had the good grace to look sheepish.
"Sorry, guys, force of habit."
Keiichi, understandably, was angered. "Mara, what the hell were you
doing to my sister this time?"
"Keiichi, I can understand that you're pissed," she reasoned. "What I
had in mind was...well, let's just say it was a last ditch effort that I had
set up, but never really put into motion. It worked once before, but I was
called off the assignment when it was clear that the Ultimate Force was
going all-out to stop every attempt. I never put my plans in motion past
the probing stage." She bowed her head, turning her eyes away from
everyone. "Keiichi, Urd, Skuld, believe me, everything I ever did was
purely professional. You know that I never meant to personally hurt you."
"I can understand that," he said, coldly. "But I thought it was against
*me*. To use my sister...." He stood up from the table, the disgust and
anger still etched on his face. "I have to get to work." Nothing more to
be said, he headed towards the kitchen to say his farewells to his wife.
Urd sighed morosely, while Skuld continued to give Mara a nasty stare.
"I'm...sorry," was all Mara could say as she suddenly decided to skip
breakfast and go get ready for her morning training session. Like a wounded
animal, the Norn ascended the stairs back to her room.
Urd turned to her sister. "Don't say it, twerp. I knew this wasn't
going to be easy. It's just...the decks seem so stacked against Mara, I'm
wondering if I did her more harm than good by offering her the position."
Skuld, surprisingly, gave Urd a hug. "I think you did the right thing,
and so does Bell-nesama. We all just have to realize that while all the
things that are her past are really going to hit her hard, because she's the
Goddess of the Past now."
Urd murmured to no one in particular, "I'm just wondering what else can
go wrong."
<><><><><>
Joan stared at Peorth, her temper apparently exhausted. "So you're
telling me that you assigned her to Mara on purpose? I'd heard you were
warped, but I had no idea how bad you were." The main offices of Heaven's
Earth
Assistance Center rang with the angered tones of the Saint of the French.
Joan was so livid, that her halo, the marking of her pantheon that she
usually took pains to subdue, flared with an incandescent intensity.
"Really, Jeanne--"
"Joan," she retorted.
"Whatever. Are you actually so surprised that no one wants the position
as Mara's executive assistant? Usually, everyone clamors for an archangel
position. But not this one. And do you know why?" Peorth allowed a
self-satisfied smirk to settle on her features. "Because she killed and
maimed dozens upon dozens of angels during her career on the other side.
Angels tend to have a long memory about those sorts of things, and word
travels quickly. Not a single angel bothered to volunteer for the job.
Since we had one angel currently unassigned and said angel is rather
clueless about Mara, I considered it an opportunity for professional growth
for her."
"You'll have to excuse me if I say I fail to believe that," Joan
snapped.
"Believe it. *Your* office may have a short-term memory about these
things, but not the blue-collars in *this* department."
The Norse goddess gave the saint an arched glance. "What do you care,
anyway? You're with the Directorate of Security and Guardian Angels, not
the Helper Goddess Office. Since when did DSGA start meddling in the
affairs of other bureaus?"
"When I got assigned escort duty, Peorth. My job is to ensure that Mara
stays protected at all times, and if neither myself nor her fellow Norns are
there, then it's up to her archangel to defend her. Therefore, with that in
mind, it becomes my business."
"Well, no one up here's going to lift a finger for her cause. All there
is available is the candidate; all Mara's getting is her. If you want Mara
to have such an ideal angel, Joan, then have her eat an Egg."
Joan gave Peorth a jaundiced glare. "Her power levels are too low right
now to support a cherub, and you know that."
"Well, sadly, that's not my problem. Either you take what I'm offering,
or she'll have to do without. Case closed, end of discussion."
Joan, seeing that arguing with Peorth was not going to do any more good,
turned and merely walked towards the office doors without even bothering to
acknowledge the other goddess further. Muttering a few choice words in
French under her breath, she stormed out into the hallway.
Once out in the hallway, Claudette rose from the seat outside, then fell
into place as the pair walked down the ivory-hued halls of Heaven's Morale
Administration Building. "I take it your conversation with Lady Peorth
didn't go that well."
"Not by a long shot, Claudette," Joan sighed, dramatically. "I managed
to hold off the assignment by a day in the hopes that it was a mistake or
some foolish prank by an EAC deskrider. Apparently, not the case." Joan
looked at Claudette, and asked, "What did you find out on your end?"
"Well," Claudette answered in a conspiratorial tone, "from talking to
several other angels, no one has bothered to do anything with her. She's a
complete wash, as far as anyone's concerned. There is not a soul up here
that wants to spend one more minute with that walking disaster."
"Doesn't she have any friends or anything?" Joan asked, somewhat
surprised that this sort of thing was happening, right up here in heaven.
Admittedly, while heaven obviously had a sense of cooperation built-in, only
a mortal would believe that it was the Elysium that scriptures on Earth said
it was. The truth was, it was simply a brighter mirror of the world below,
just as Hell was a darker version of Earth.
"Sister, I don't even like her, but I'm willing to work with her for the
sake of our operation," Claudette admitted. "No one wants to deal with her.
Sure, I realize this is heaven, and we're not allowed to discriminate or any
of those things, but that angel is a disaster magnet no one wants to be
around."
Joan shook her head slightly. "Apparently, all the deities feel the
same way about Mara. No one, save for the Norns, is willing to give her a
break. They're not going to go to bat for her on this one." Claudette
thought that Joan sounded somewhat disturbed by that, until she found the
saint grinning as she said, "Cool. Everything's going according to plan."
"Huh?" the angel remarked.
"Time for a little truth in advertising, sis. I made such a show with
Peorth, not because I wanted her to get rid of the new candidate, but to
ensure she *wouldn't*."
"I don't understand."
"I wanted to keep our newbie. She's obviously a misfit, even by your
own words. She'll work perfectly."
"You know, sometimes I think you took one too many sword blows to the
head. You sure you were wearing a helmet back then?"
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
"Isn't that what you said at Compi�gne?" Claudette said, wryly. Joan
merely ignored her.
"So we're stuck with the twit, then," Claudette groaned, putting her
fingers to her temple in thought. "Well, I guess I should go make sure
she's ready for transport back to Earth. Um, should I have her pack an
overnight bag, or will she be coming back to her apartment up here?"
Joan thought about that for a second. "Have her pack all of her stuff.
If we're stuck with her, we may as well have her live with us. Who knows,
it just might do her a world of good." Joan stopped in the middle of the
walkway, as though frozen by a thought. After a few more seconds worth of
pause, she turned to Claudette and remarked, "Transport her stuff directly
to the guestroom, then both of you fly down--not transport, but fly. Take
some time to talk to her, get to know her. Maybe she's just misunderstood.
Have you ever thought of that?"
The look on Claudette's face indicated she hadn't. "Okay, I'll do it,"
the angel said, clearly reluctant to do so. "But what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to transport down and give Mara a head's-up." Joan gave a
half-hearted smile and said, "Look at it this way,
Claudette: this is your chance to mentor an angel, and show 'em we minor
deities aren't all that bad to work for. I mean, I've heard what the angels
think about archangel assignments, that for the most part we consider them
working stiffs."
Joan sighed in resignation before admitting, "Unfortunately, for the most
part that is true, and I have to admit there are times when I've even
treated you like that unintentionally."
"We went over that yesterday, sister, and I know you didn't mean it,"
Claudette sighed. "I know that you're the great Sainte Jeanne D' Arc, and
I'm a nobody no one even remembers even having lived. I also know that you
treat me a lot better than some of the others get treated--I mean, you let
me keep my original name, instead of giving me some pompous 'archangel name'
like Deep Amethyst, Noble Scarlet, Majestic Sword, or whatever."
"Well, I didn't give you some weird name," Joan admitted, "because it
wouldn't have been right. History hasn't treated you very well, Claudette,
and I don't intend to treat you any worse. You're like me--a D' Arc, a
family of misfits. It's in our blood not to fit in or do things in the
orthodox manner." With that, Joan turned to head towards the Pearly Gates
Transportation Station.
Claudette stopped her sister just before she wandered off. "Joan, I've
been wondering all this time, and I've never really asked until now: why are
you so preoccupied with misfits?"
"Maybe because no one knows misfits better than an illiterate peasant
girl with a penchant for wearing men's clothing and waving sharp pointy
things at hulking brutes," she replied, offhandedly. "Or maybe it was
because of an angel who visited that terrified girl the night before she was
to be executed, and that angel had a simple message for her."
"What was the message? And who was the angel?" Claudette asked, but her
older sister merely gave her an enigmatic smile and an elfin wink before
heading off to the Transportation Center.
<><><><><>
"Focus," Bell murmured, her eyes closed, an orb of spiritual energy
floating just before her face, bathing her beatific face in a bluish white
light. "When you focus, nudge and shape the energy into what you need it
for." To her side, Urd was in a similar position, with her eyes also closed
and a similar ball floating before her face as well. Both women were
floating a few feet off the ground, their auras alight. Urd's goddess
markings were glowing, a clear sign of the power being channeled. Ethereal
force emanated from the pair, and it seemed as though the very air was alive
with a sort of celestial chorus, as though the aura they radiated was a sort
of music in itself.
Also floating in an aerial synchronicity with them was Mara. However,
the stress was clear on her face, and it was obvious she was having
difficulty. While some of it was simple for her--she was having no problem
floating at all--other parts of the training were simply not as easy.
Focusing the pure nimbus around her was a strain, and the construct of
spiritual energy that floated before her face was neither sizable nor round.
Rather, it was more like a cloud of light, an amorphous, ambiguous shape
that was made of mystical force rather than defined by it.
The three goddesses were in the Shinto temple on the grounds of their
home. Although of a different pantheon, the holy energies of this place
would help to focus Mara and give her examples of how her new abilities
should be used. Not surprisingly, Mara was unaccustomed to the gentle,
nudging and guiding skills that were the hallmark of using so-called "white"
magic. "Black" magic's forte was bending, breaking and forcing, and
needless to say, the learning curve would be steep to say the least.
As Bell continued the drill, she was glad that Skuld and Megumi had
decided to take the children to the park. Megumi, still in the dark about
their divinity even after so long, might not be able to accept this. By
accepting Skuld's offer to take Tennosuke and Verthandi with them on a trip
to the local shopping center, not only would the children be attended to
while Bell performed her training duties, but also the problem of figuring
out how to keep Megumi occupied would also be solved.
Still serene, Bell said, "Now, gently push the energy forward, right
in-between the three of us, and feel it merge in the center with the rest of
the energy there." An unspoken command, the spheres of force that Urd and
Bell created gently floated towards the centerpoint between the three
deities. In that center was a larger orb of power, a basketball-sized
spirit orb with small ones whizzing around it like an oversized atom.
A strained whimper came from Mara, and her blob of light began to slowly
wobble on a trajectory that would have it meet the other two and the atom.
Perspiration began to build on her face as the strain increased, became
closer to her limits. Finally, she cried out and fell to the ground, spent.
Her energy cloud rocketed forward, slamming into the atom as the other
two connected. The result was not the soft combination of powers, as per
the training drill, but a violent explosion of ethereal energies. The force
blasted outwards, with the power of several supernovae behind it.
Fortunately, the other two goddesses were prepared. The primal
detonation never spread any farther than a meter in diameter than size
before it instantly disappeared in a flash of blinding light. As soon as it
was gone, Urd blinked and said, "Okay, *that* particular galaxy's going to
be off to a rough start."
Bell, meanwhile, moved to Mara's side. "Are you alright?" she asked,
voice full of concern.
Mara looked ashen. "I-I've never...felt that weak in a long time. Not
in ages." She slumped backwards, murmuring, "I feel so useless."
Urd floated beside her. Sighing in apology, the Norn of the Present
said, "It's not easy starting over, is it? You went from extremely powerful
to relatively weak as a kitten, and now you have to learn an entirely new
style."
Mara gingerly brought herself back to her feet, though mostly helped by
the other two. "It's not that, Urd. It's just, I'm not used to being so
weak and helpless. I feel as though I'm a burden."
"You're not a burden at all, Mara," Urd replied. "True, you're lower on
the food chain than you used to be. But remember, this is a new place, and
everyone has to start out somewhere." Facing her friend, the ivory-tressed
goddess added, "and remember, you're not just a goddess, or even a Norse
goddess. You're a Norn. You have us to fall back on, even as we have you."
Mara blinked, then grew misty eyed. "You can't mean that, can you?
Even as weak as me?"
"Remember what I told you two days ago, Mara," Bell said, hugging Mara.
"You're family now. We're all in this together." Bell's embrace was added
to by Urd, and the three women stood there on the floor of the temple for a
minute or two, sharing a serene moment together.
When they broke the embrace, they faced a teary Mara. "Thank you," she
whispered, her voice so soft, even the other two goddesses strained to hear
it. "Thank you for giving me what I've always dreamed of."
"What, a hug?" Urd asked.
"No. A family."
Bell smiled warmly, then said, "Well, it's almost time for lunch.
Perhaps we'd best stop for now and resume this afternoon."
"Good idea," Mara groaned, stretching. "I feel like I could use a nap."
As the three exited the temple into the brisk winter morning, one of the
metal windchimes by the house began to vibrate and tinkle, even though there
was no wind. After a second, the resonation became stronger to the point
where it could be seen, headed towards the ground. A split second more
passed before the sonic vibrations began to form a shape of a human, and
eventually Joan strode forward. "Heya," she said.
Mara grinned mischievously. "Thought you didn't go for the flashiness,
Joan."
The saint had a resigned look on her face as she said, "All the
transport modes possible in this reality, and I had to end up with sound.
While it's common enough, the vibrations have to be strong enough, otherwise
I can't coalesce." She shrugged and said, "I suppose it could be worse:
there's a deity I know, whose name I won't mention, that got toilet paper as
his transmission medium."
"I'm not even going to ask," Urd replied, while Mara grinned and
Belldandy giggled.
"We're about to have lunch in a couple of minutes, Joan," Bell said.
"Would you care to join us?"
"I'd love to, Belldandy," she answered, "but you may have to add a
couple of extra spots." Catching Mara's attention, she announced,
"Claudette's on the way down with your archangel. Now, before you meet her,
there's a few things that I have to explain--"
Unfortunately, she didn't get that much time to do so.
Almost instantly a loud buzzing ripped through the sky, sounding not
unlike dive-bombers from an earlier decade of this century. The sound grew
louder and louder, with some sort of high-pitched squealing. While the
three Norns stood, puzzled, the saint said to no one in particular, "Why do
I have a bad feeling about this?"
Mara caught that, and went with it. "Please don't tell me that's--"
Both the buzzing and the squeal became louder and louder. As they both
got louder, the squeal became discernable--
and disconcerting:
"-aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--*"
The sound was abruptly cut off by an earth-shattering SMACK. As the
four women instinctively winced from the sound, Mara caught a glimpse of the
tree in the center of the courtyard. An ancient, majestic tree, it had been
here for the longest period, and had a holy life of its own. Now, the tree
wobbled as if something had just slammed into it at an incredibly high
speed. Some bark, wood, and a bit of dust was scattered from the higher
portion of the tree, gently falling to the ground below, and she looked up
at the tree.
From her angle, all she could make out were two arms, two legs, and a
pair of chiffon-pink wings. Eventually gravity took hold and whatever it
was fell to the ground with an unnaturally loud WHUMP and a soft voice
moaning, "Owie...."
The look on the faces of the four deities was a collective facefault.
Even Belldandy was taken aback.
Urd was the first to recover. "Okkkkaaaaaaaayyyyyy.... I see she wanted
to make an impression on you. It seems she chose the tree, instead."
Bell took on a concerned glance. "Oh, I hope she's okay."
Mara groaned. "Great. All the angels in the heavens, and they sent me
George of the Jungle."
There was a quick blur of brown feathers, and Claudette appeared in
front of the others. Speaking to no one in particular, she said, "I told
the ditz to slow down, that she was going too fast. It's not *my* fault she
has the flying ability of a brick!"
Mara blinked. "She has what?"
"Didn't my sister tell you yet, Lady Mara?"
"No; we got interrupted by the Flying Circus act," Urd said, archly.
"That airhead over there is Mary. She's, um, a...how do I put this
gently...she's um," the angel said, fumbling her words.
"A klutz?"
"Well, for starters, yes."
The five proceeded to walk around the tree to where their newest visitor
was. Looking up, Urd commented, "From the looks of it, that must have been
painful."
Mara thought about what Claudette had just said, and asked, "What do you
mean 'for starters'?"
Claudette reached behind her and pulled out a manila folder. Handing it
to the Norn, she said, "Here's her personnel profile. She's apparently
nice, sweet, kind, and innocent, but she's also a klutz, a crybaby, and dumb
as a post. She was even that way in her life. Do you know how she died?
She walked right off the edge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. At the time,
she was reading a book entitled _How to Avoid Making Pitfalls in Your Life_
and didn't watch where she was stepping.
"As an angel, she's caused more system failures and problems that they
took her off the training roster, and let her do whatever she want for a
while. Finally, she got the hint that no one wanted her around, and pretty
much confined herself to designing flowers or something. She'd still be
there, if Peorth hadn't assigned her to you and Joan being so adamant about
her remaining as your assistant."
Finally, they all stared down at the relatively fallen angel, who was
clearly dazed by the force of the impact. She appeared to be about the same
age and height as Skuld's appearance, about her mid-teens or so. She was
fair-skinned, with a beautiful, classical face. She had honey blonde hair
done in a topknot, and her eyes, though currently dilated from the force of
the blow, were a brilliant deep blue, like that of the farthest seas. She
wore a white blouse and pink poodle skirt; her ensemble was completed by
bobby socks and two-tone shoes. In short, the teen angel appeared just
that--a refugee from the American 50s.
In a cute, yet woozy voice, she said, "Did somebody get the number of
that Studebaker?" Blinking twice, she looked up at the five faces staring
down at her. Still trying to focus, she said, "Um, Angel Seraphim-class
Mary Smith here for archangel secretary duty, ma'am...whichever of the ten
of you is my new boss."
Bell, ever the motherly one, bent down to help her up. "Are you okay?
Here, let me help you up."
Mary kindly refused Bell's help, saying, "Thank you, ma'am, but I can
manage. Besides, I'm just an angel; I shouldn't put Your Holiness to this
trouble." With that, she slowly stood up on her own, made her wings
disappear, got a feel for her balance again, and smiling sweetly, said,
"See? What good would I be if I couldn't even get up on my own?" With
that, she took a confident step forward, caught her foot in the tree's only
arched root aboveground, and tripped forward, slamming her face into the
earth, knocking herself unconscious.
Mara sighed. "Great. Urd, please give me a hand here." Picking up the
angel with a levitation spell, the group entered the house, completely and
utterly confused about their newest visitor.
<><><><><>
"Hey, she's coming to," a voice called out.
Mary slowly opened her eyes again, blinking them. She was lying in a
futon on the ground, a cloth over her head and someone watching over her.
That someone was, as Mary suddenly remembered, Claudette, Joan of Arc's
secretary.
She didn't seem too happy, either.
Mary flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."
"Sorry? You raced in, uncovered, then plowed right into the Norns'
tree?" Claudette snarled. "Weren't you taught discretion when you first
arrived in Heaven?" Claudette seemed to have an imperious look on her face.
"You should act more like a proper angel, rather than giving that poor
display out there. Did you really hope to impress your superior with a
flying trick?"
Mary took the scolding from the senior angel none too well. Her eyes
starting to grow misty, she said, "I wasn't trying to fly stunts, I was
trying to land. I don't get much chance to--"
Claudette interjected with, "Chance to what? Make a total fool of
yourself? Well, you did that today, in front of four deities. You've
managed to ruin whatever chances you have of making good down here."
Mary looked as though she'd been slapped. "I'm sorry."
Claudette's eyes narrowed in anger. "Yeah, you're definitely sorry.
The sorriest excuse for an angel I've ever seen. Any worse, and souls would
be joining the other side just to get away from you!"
Mary began to sob. "Why are you being so mean to me? I made a mistake!
I'm not perfect!" Tears began to fully well in the eyes of the angel.
"I've never hurt any of you others, so why do you all hate me?" With that
comment, the torrent began, and the girl began to cry in earnest. Not
really noticing anything, Mary, broke down, crying about how unloved she
was, how unfair the others were to her, and the fact that now even her new
boss wasn't going to like her.
She went on for quite a few minutes like this, and rightfully, Claudette
began to feel a bit ashamed of herself. Claudette turned her eyes away from
the crying angel, towards the door, where two women were looking at her with
rather disappointed looks on their faces. Feeling outright embarrassed,
Claudette exited the room posthaste, instinctively knowing that Joan was
going to give her a mouthful later.
When Mary calmed down to a fit of sniffles, she was surprised to see
someone other than Claudette was with her. Interestingly enough, the person
that was with her turned out to be someone a few years older in appearance,
maybe about in her mid-twenties or so. Additionally, she had long, somewhat
wavy blonde hair and warm, pleasant blue eyes set in a face that was very
noble and striking. She wore a jade sweater over a white T-shirt, and
jeans. Lastly, she had flare-like markings on her forehead and cheeks.
Said woman was also offering the girl a packet of tissues, which the angel
took gratefully.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but where did Claudette go?" Mary ventured after
wiping her eyes, though she couldn't face this goddess who must think her to
be a moron.
"She felt it was best if you were left alone for a few minutes while she
came to get me," the deity said.
In a soft voice, Mary said, "I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble, and
for hurting your tree."
"Hey, don't let Claudette get you down. Everything's been explained to
me already, and accidents happen. By the way, I'm Mara, Norse Goddess of
the Past, and your new supervisor." Mara gave Mary a warm, disarming grin.
"I've already been told about some of your, um, abilities, and, well, I'm
looking forward to working with you. You see, I understand how you feel."
"You do? How? You're a goddess! You're perfect!" Mary said between
sobs. "What would you want with a seraph like me, anyway? I thought the
Norse used cherubim."
"Cherubim?" Mara asked. "Oh--the Egg entities. Well, the truth is, I'm
not powerful enough to withstand a cherub symbiosis. I've only been a
goddess for a couple of days, you know." At the mention of that, Mary
blinked in surprise.
Seeing she had Mary's attention, Mara said, "Well, I won't go into details
right now, but the fact is, I know that no one up there likes you; well,
everyone up there likes me even less. So, they put us together.
"Frankly, I'll be honest. I don't know how we'll change their minds
anytime soon. My training literally started an hour ago, and I have no idea
what I'm doing, for the most part. I know you've been an angel now for
fifty-odd years, but that you've had no formal training, because no one
wants you in their little reindeer games." Mara gave the angel a
calculating look. "Personally, I want to show them that I'm much better
than they every could have imagined. I think you could do the same,
easily."
"How, Lady Mara?"
"Well, first off, drop the 'Lady' part. We're a little more casual
around here, and with as many mortals dropping by around here, it makes it
awkward. Secondly, we're going to figure out where your skills and mine
match. We don't have the benefit of symbiosis that cherubim do, but we also
don't have the added force drain, and it allows to a greater variety in
skills that normally can't happen." Mara looked at the angel intently.
"So, are you up to it?"
Mary nodded. "I have to be, La--um, Mara. You're my last chance."
Mara smiled as she snapped her fingers and pointed at Mary. "No I'm
not. You're *my* first chance, and together, there's nothing we can't do!"
As that comment brought a small smile to the face of the seraph, the newest
Norn thought to herself, ((This just might work out, after all.)) Mara
changed subjects and asked, "So, are ya hungry?"
"A little," Mary conceded.
"Well, let's go downstairs, then. You'll get to meet the rest of the
gang. One warning, though--say nothing about our divinity. Mortals live
here or come by often, and only one--Belldandy's husband, Keiichi--knows
what we actually are. He may also tell a lie to give you an identity--don't
correct him; he has special authorization for that from up above. Lastly,
remember that you're living in Japan like a mortal, so try and keep the
magic down to a minimum, okay?" Helping Mary to her feet, the pair left
Mara's room and descended the stairs to meet the rest of them.
<><><><><>
Somewhere on the other side of the world, a couple lay on their bed,
sated and sweaty from a recent round of sex. Their room, in the heart of
Amsterdam's red light district, was a morass of drug paraphernalia, sexual
equipment, and satanic d�cor. The room, as well as all that was in it was
either a dull black, or a dark, bloody red in color. Four candles, one in
each corner, were all there was to light the room, giving off a faint,
spooky air that enhanced and increased the shadows in the room.
Twisting in the man's arms, the woman smiled and said in a sultry,
breathy voice, "Three days, Vilhelm. Three days until we receive the final
modicum of our powers and become the masters of this world." She pressed
her olive skin against his own, fixed her blood red eyes onto his, which
were also the same color. "You and I, ruling the world, together."
The man smiled as well, though it was unclear whether it was from
agreement with her or leering at the wonderful view of her toned and nubile
body. "I agree, Agnes. And it only cost a minor pittance, too. The
sacrifice would be only infinitesimal in comparison to what we will
receive."
Agnes, apparently not done with her sexual appetite just yet, began to
rub herself up and down her mate's body as she cooed, "Have you contacted
Lord Panzram yet?"
"I have done the communion with him, and his Infernal Lordship said he
will be here personally to assist us in our rising. After all, as he has
said, it will be beneficial to him, as well. Our success will raise our
lord to a Demon of the Third Plane, and with such as a patron, this world
and all in it will be ours. We have also to thank our original benefactor
as well."
Agnes cooed in his ear as her body began writhing against him, "Yes,
Vilhelm. Perhaps even Lady Mara herself will come to welcome us to our
new-found powers of hell." He meant to respond to that, but she cut him off
with a kiss as she mounted him. Within minutes, the pair went at it again,
the heat of their bodies a symbolic sense of the powers of hell they would
wield in just two short days.
Down the hall from them, in a locked closet, a small voice whispered in
Dutch, "Someone...someone please save me...."
<><><><><>
Night settled in at the Morisato home, and Megumi was thoroughly
enjoying the time she was spending with her family and new friends. Though
she'd spent most of the day with her younger sister-in-law, Skuld, it was
time well spent. The young woman always felt comfortable with the
16-year-old, as though Skuld was actually far older than she seemed, and far
more mature than her age implied. Most likely, it had to do with the fact
that the girl was a certified genius, and only a year behind Megumi in
college, despite her age. Maybe it was the fact that she had a natural
talent for engineering that left her teachers completely baffled.
The pair arrived from the mall in time to put the twins to bed, and
spend the time with the rest of the family, Keiichi having come home early
from work today. Mara, Megumi noted, was actually far nicer than she'd
thought earlier--her comment about having "an imposing presence" was
apparently no joke, but Megumi was happy to have met her. Also, although
she wasn't introduced earlier, was Mara's younger sister, Mary, who turned
out to be even sweeter than her older sister. The two really didn't look
like sisters other than hair and eye colors, but Keiichi mentioned it to
Megumi, and she knew that her brother would never lie to her, so she thought
nothing more of it.
Unfortunately, Mary turned out to be rather ill-starred; that is, to put
it bluntly, she was a complete and utter klutz. In the past few hours,
she'd fallen down the stairs; tripped over Urd's cat, Providence; and
spilled her drink on Bell, though she did none of it intently and felt
embarrassed beyond all hope every time she did. However, her sweet nature
won over everyone's affection, and all thought she was an absolute dear...so
long as she didn't move from where she sat on the couch.
Another interesting pair to meet was the D'Arc sisters, a couple of
girls just starting an exchange student program at Nekomi, and friends of
Skuld's, to boot. Though Megumi didn't catch where they were from
originally, the accent of the younger sister, Claudette, was far stronger
than that of the older one, Joan. As to the girls themselves, while Joan
was nice, she seemed rather dull; Claudette, on the other hand, seemed to be
the more vibrant and up-to-date one of the pair.
Even the way they were dressed now, Joan was dressed rather drably, while
Claudette was as pretty as the proverbial picture, in a white blouse and
brown skirt. While Claudette had a sense of style to her that seemed very
French, Joan was rather unidentifiable in her manner of dress,
stereotypically Western tomboy.
Megumi had asked them about their last name, mentioning the old legend
of Joan of Arc, but the two girls took it in stride, pointing out that
Jeanne never had children, and history recorded no other members of the
family line, especially no male members to carry on the name.
"Additionally," Joan said in an authoritative tone, "at the time, 'D'Arc'
was a job description, and not a surname; from what I've read, most people
of that time in France ended up with the surname of Boyer, rather than
D'Arc."
"So, could you be a descendant of one of her other relatives?"
"Not likely. History doesn't record any others, and well, our parents
never said anything about something like that," Claudette commented. "We
probably would have heard it while growing up, but that wasn't the case."
Still, they were nice girls, and Skuld and Joan seemed to be getting
along well enough. With Megumi graduating from Nekomi this year, there
would be no one to keep tabs on Skuld, so having a friend would be
beneficial to her.
Finally, the hours passed, and it was time for Megumi to head home for
the evening. Hopping onto her motorcycle (her brother's old one, which he'd
given to her when he got a car about a year ago), she bid everyone a good
night, and hoped to see them on Monday, since she was going away for the
weekend. As she sped off, she thought about that temple that her extended
family lived in, and how lucky she was to have them. Going there always
seemed, so magical, so heavenly, to use a turn of phrase, as though the
ladies in her brother's life were all divine beings or something. Sure, Urd
had changed a lot from her wild ways, and Skuld was less cloistered than she
used to be, but Megumi loved them all the same.
Still, despite the fact that she only met Mara today, there was still
something about her joke this morning--"in your nightmares"--that gnawed at
Megumi. As she drove down the town's main road, it dawned on her where Mara
looked familiar. About three years ago, on New Years' Day, she had a dream
that she was turned into a car by a demon, while taking a hamaya to Keiichi.
There was a blur of a person at the beginning of the dream, and that blur
looked eerily like the girls' cousin.
After a second, though, Megumi dismissed the thought. As she reached
the parking stall for her bike, she realized that the chances of that blur
being any actual resemblance to Mara Blessings was about as much as her
car-transformation dream having actually happened. All it was, was an odd
dream, and that's all they would be. After all, there were plenty of real
problems out there in the world--like Aoshima and Sayoko, for instance.
<><><><><>
Skuld yawned. "Well, it was fun spendin' the day with Megumi, but I
gotta get some sleep for tomorrow. Got a date planned."
Urd grinned that smile of the Cheshire cat. "Same guy? What's his
name...? Sentaro?"
Skuld's response was to blush furiously and stammer, "Just because you
haven't had a steady boyfriend in aeons, Urd, doesn't mean you have to get
on my case about it."
Keiichi smiled. "Just behave yourself, Skuld. I don't want you getting
hurt." Before she could comment, he added, "Yes, I know you're a goddess
older than me, but your aspect is younger, and I've always watched out for
you." The fact that he could make such an admission was a sign of how much
they had all changed since the meeting between Keiichi and Bell, when they
were younger. His childhood and her child aspect, when they had met so long
ago, had provided the catalyst that had nearly destroyed him and shattered
Bell's happiness forever. It was during this time that the randy Urd and
the bratty Skuld had shown their true feelings and did what they had to do
to preserve the relationship/contract between Bell and Keiichi. With that
accomplished, they began to look at each other in far different lights, to
the point where a house that once had a mortal and three goddesses as
residents eventually became a house with one man (who just happened to be
mortal) and his wife and her sisters (all three just happening to be
goddesses). Now, Keiichi looked at them as his family first and as deities
second, and despite that theoretical bit of heresy, the Norns wouldn't have
it any other way.
In any case, he was rewarded with a warm hug from Skuld, who was happy
to have him as an older brother...sort of. "I will, Kei-kun. Don't worry
about me. We're all going with a bunch of others, so I'll be fine. And if
worst comes to, I do have my magic, right?"
As fate would have it, though, life didn't quite work out that way. As
the D'Arcs were readying to leave for the evening, there was a knock at the
door. Mary (who would be staying in their guestroom) answered the door,
only to run into a giant red octopus holding a thick folder. Thanking her
for opening the door, the octopus strolled in past a stunned Mary.
"Wow! Sudaru!" Urd said. "Hey, long time no see! How's things going
for you at the terminal?" Seeing the looks of confusion on some of the
faces of those assembled, she explained, "Well, Sudaru was originally eight
power-booster entities that Mara had created for use against us way back
when. Only it backfired, and he jumped sides. When all eight were dying, I
fused all eight into one big one. Now, he works for us up in our Yggsdrill
office as the local op. When something goes wrong, he lets us know so we
can check it on our remote terminals."
Facing Mara, the entity said, "I see you came over now, as well." He
offered a tentacle, which Mara took and shook. "Welcome to our side, boss.
Hope working with you will be more productive this time."
Mara replied slyly, "Well, I won't have you switching chocolate anymore,
if that's what you mean," then gave a small smile, remembering that episode
so long ago. "But anyway, what brings you here?"
Sudaru lumbered over to where Skuld was. "Lady Skuld, I have an
assignment for you from the HGO senior staff. It's a priority for this
weekend, I'm afraid." With little ceremony, he handed it to her. "Well,
I've got to get back to the system," he announced, taking time only to take
a box of chocolates that Bell had offered their unusual servant. "I'll see
you all later!" The octopus-entity undulated back out the door and
disappeared in a small puff of crimson smoke.
"Well, Skuld," Urd said, "Looks like it must be important, if they're
willing to send down Sudaru, instead of giving us the files normally. It's
gotta be a rush job, and pretty important." The oldest Norn told her
younger sister, "Do you want me to handle it, Skuld? I know this weekend's
important to you...."
"No thanks. If Father's given me this to deal with, then it's important
enough to cancel my trip." Skuld tried not to sulk as she realized that her
weekend plans were most likely going to have to be cancelled, and that was
clearly a significant issue for her, too. Taking the folder, she opened it,
muttering, "Just when I was hoping to have some fun this weekend, too...."
As she read, she grew more and more silent, turning each page with a
resigned dedication that slowly began to look like a sort of apprehension.
Finally done, she lifted her face from the file and stared at Mara, fear and
rage in the young goddess' eyes.
Bell noticed and asked, "Skuld, are you all right?"
"How could you?" The question was breathed so quietly and softly,
everyone thought that it was an imagined voice, rather than a blurted
statement from Skuld. That ended though, as her eyes grew watery. "H-how
could you? I never knew you to be this cruel, Mara." The folder slipped
from her numbed fingers, opening to a page that was stamped in old Norse
runes, PRIORITY OPERATION. "Why?"
"Skuld, what are you talking about?" Mara asked.
"All this time, I never knew you could be *that* mean, Mara!" Beginning
to cry, she said, "I'm going to bed now. I have to get ready to go to the
Netherlands tomorrow, and I have to cancel my trip." Silent, save for the
soft crying sounds, Skuld walked slowly to her room, inconsolable.
"The Netherlands?" A sick feeling began to crawl up in Mara's stomach.
All they heard was Skuld's half-whispered, "Yes. Amsterdam, to be
precise," before she closed the door to her room.
"Well, that was certainly an interesting performance," Urd said,
grabbing the folder Skuld had left behind. The other goddesses filed in
behind her as she they read, occasionally taking a second to look at Mara
with disbelief or dismay. Even the normally sweet Belldandy was sobered by
what she was reading.
Mary was confused. "Mara, why are they so mad at you? What did you do?
Did you make a big mistake back when you were an angel?"
Mara sighed and confessed to her assistant, "They have every right to be
mad. Y'see, I never was a seraph, Mary. Two days ago, I was Mara, Demoness
First Plane, Unlimited." Mary suddenly stared at her new supervisor as
though she'd just turned blue and grew wings out of her ears. "I told you
that those upstairs hate me worse than they do you. Now you know why."
"I've heard the term 'Mara Angelslayer' before, but I never knew what it
meant. Now I know why Peorth gave me this job." A sad clarity settled on
Mary's delicate features. "You were right. They did stick the most useless
angel with the most hated goddess." Not knowing what more to say, Mary left
Mara's side to sit over by Claudette. The senior angel might not like her,
but at least Mary would feel more comfortable around someone truly of
heaven's grace, rather than a poseur deity.
"I think I've read enough." Joan detached herself from the crowd and
gave Mara a look that while couldn't be described as sad, it wouldn't be
mistaken for lack of sorrow, either. "I'll see you all tomorrow, ladies.
Claudette, Mary, let's go home." Not once did Joan acknowledge Mara's
presence verbally as she ushered the two angels out the door of the home.
Bell's answer was a non-answer. "I think I'll check on the children,"
she said in a shaken, sobered voice, "then go to bed. Goodnight, all."
Keiichi, instinctively knowing that his wife was hurting, moved to her side
to accompany her. He wasn't privy to what just happened, but he knew he
probably didn't want to be, and that Bell needed him. She had always been
there for him; he would be there for her. Nodding a hushed good night, they
both headed for the children's room upstairs, leaving Urd and Mara alone.
As soon as everyone else was out of earshot, Urd turned on Mara,
smoldering rage in her eyes. "I remember what you said this morning--I'm
sure everyone else does, too." Brandishing the report as though it were a
weapon, she snarled, "Is this what your plans were for Keiichi and Megumi?"
Mara couldn't answer. She stood there for a couple of minutes, utterly
speechless. Finally, as though it were a great act of strength, she nodded
her head in sorrow.
Urd's eyes narrowed in anger. "Mara, you're my best friend, but there
are times when you really disgust me." There was a flash of speed as Urd
went over and slapped Mara hard enough to drop the neophyte Norn to the
floor. Not even bothering to look at her, Urd continued: "You had better
hope that Skuld is able to fix this mess, Mara, or we're all going to look
like laughingstocks, all four of us Norns. My whole family will suffer."
"What? I don't understand." ((The Norns, suffering? That doesn't make
sense.))
As if reading her thoughts, Urd gulped silently, then elaborated.
"Bell's agreement with Father to allow her to retire was based on the fact
that we could operate the Norn triumvirate without her. If we fail in that,
then Bell has to resume her old position, and I lose my promotion. But
that's not the problem. If things go back to the old troika, all three of
us--and Bell's children--have to return to heaven, leaving Keiichi down here
alone.
"I love my family very much, Mara. I don't relish watching Kei-kun go
insane because he's lost all of us. I don't relish watching Bell become
bitter because she'll lose her husband. I don't want my niece and nephew to
grow up never having known their father. I may be heaven-originated, but
I'm also hell-born as much as you. Midgard--Earth--is the middle ground, my
true element. But more important, it's home to me. It's my world, my life.
A life I share with my sisters, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and extended
family. I don't want to lose that."
The platinum-haired goddess sighed audibly. "I've read that report, and
for the first time I have to admit that I'm ashamed to know you. What you
did was worse than I've ever known you to do, Mara; I would have expected
that from Gui, Lillith, or Acolmiztli--not from you. You've always been
aberrant, not diabolical." She shook the report. "This...*this* is
diabolical, and now Skuld's gotta fix it, when her mind is on her boyfriend
and that trip of hers.
"We may be goddesses, thousands of years old, but what aspects we choose
here affect us. She's only 16 in this form, and not the old weaver of
battle, but a Yggsdril programmer. No teenager is ready to face what she's
insisting on facing. Father gave her the assignment, though I don't know
why--this is clearly a DSGA assignment, not a HGO case. But He didn't give
it to Athena or Ibrahim or even Joan, He gave it to Skuld.
"I don't know why Skuld was chosen for it. All I *do* know is that
she's walking into danger, even for a Norn. And I'm afraid for her."
Disgusted, Urd threw the report at Mara's feet. Heading for the stairs and
not even bothering to turn around, Urd said, "Good night, cousin." The last
word was said in clear vitriol. "I hope you can sleep well tonight. None
of the rest of us will."
Mara sat there in the silence, not moving from her place on the floor,
absently rubbing the stinging spot where Urd had slapped her. She was sure
that there would be a mark, were she to look in the mirror. But that wasn't
what really stung.
Reaching over, Mara grabbed the report that listed what was her greatest
mission as a demoness, a mission that was turning out to be her doom as a
goddess.
Opening the folder, she turned to the mission summary, reliving a
bittersweet moment from her past:
============================================================================
===============
CLIENT NAME: Van Der Djik, Beatrix
DATA: Subject is the child of the former nun, Agnes Van Der Djik and her
brother, the former priest Vilhelm Der Djik. Vilhelm was seduced by the
demoness Mara, in the guise of Agnes. Upon succeeding in getting both
siblings to turn from their Christian church and begin their calling as
Satanic acolytes, Mara informed them that were they to conceive a child and
sacrifice it on the desecrated altar of the local cathedral when it was five
years old, they would receive powers greater than any human had wielded.
Left under the care of the imp Carl Pazram, the Der Djiks began a church of
Satanism and sex in the heart of Amsterdam. In due time, Agnes gave birth
to their child, Beatrix. Beatrix is to turn five years old in two days, and
to be sacrificed. Due to child's innocence and theoretical short lifespan,
the child has been authorized as a wish contract client.
Due to complications with the situation, it is expected that the imp Pazram
will be promoted to Demon Third upon successful completion of the sacrifice.
It is also expected that many demons will be present for the ceremony.
Your assignment is to rescue the girl before she is sacrificed and to
process her wish contract. Due to the situation at hand, it is mission
critical that you depart for the Netherlands immediately.
============================================================================
===============
The rest of the page was blank, with the next starting the details of
the operation.
Mara stood up, looking in the direction of Skuld's room, then to Keiichi
and Bell's room, then finally to Urd's. The Goddess of the Present's words
rang in her mind: (("I love my family very much, Mara. I don't relish
watching Kei-kun go insane because he's lost all of us. I don't relish
watching Bell become bitter because she'll lose her husband. I don't want
my niece and nephew to grow up never having known their father. I may be
heaven-originated, but I'm also hell-born as much as you.
Midgard--Earth--is the middle ground, my true element. But more important,
it's home to me. It's my world, my life. A life I share with my sisters,
brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and extended family. I don't want to lose
that."))
Mara found herself whispering, "They're my family, too." And as soon as
she said, that, something formed in her mind. Forcing it back down, she
went with her gut instinct. What she was about to do was virtual suicide,
but it was better than the alternative.
Skuld, the Goddess of the Future, was no means ready for this. Mara, as
the new Goddess of the Past, even less so, due to her lack of power and
training. However, her choice was clear and there were no other
alternatives left to her,
none at all. Urd and her sisters had gone out of their way to bring Mara
into their family. Mara would do what she had to
in order to protect people that were now, for better or for worse, her loved
ones.
<><><><><>
"This is the captain speaking," the voice said over the tinny speakers
in the 747. "We've hit some slight turbulence, but we're hoping that won't
affect our arrival time in Amsterdam, 15 hours from now."
Seated by the aisle, a little old woman read her in-flight magazine,
somewhat cranky and ornery about it. "Damn place keeps getting worse and
worse every year," she muttered. Turning to the passenger next to her, she
said, "What do you think, missy? I think Holland is going straight to hell,
with how they have those drugs and sex places rampant."
Barely paying attention, the other passenger, a female decades younger
than the first, said, "It'll be getting worse in the next few days, I
imagine."
The old woman nodded. "Shame, too. The place is so beautiful, but the
people there are heathens, I tell you! Not a God-fearing man or woman
amongst them."
The younger woman flashed a quick grin. "Oh, I think there's at least
one, but it's so hard to be, nowadays."
"I suppose," the crone conceded. "Not like when my husband and I lived
there, back in the sixties, before his company transferred him to Tokyo.
Now there was a time when people knew respect, not like in some of the other
parts of the world." The woman sighed, cherishing a memory of halcyon days.
"Now, I have to take him back, so that he can be buried there, in the
land he loved so much, then I'm going to live with my sister there for the
rest of my days." The woman was quiet for a second, then said, "So, missy,
what're you going there for?"
The girl paused, as if collecting her thoughts. "My...company needs me
to pick up something there, and so I'm going to attend to it. Personal
touch, you know. 'Specially when it comes to the business that I'm in."
"A dedicated businessperson." The woman had a twinkle in her eye that
seemed to make her years younger. "My Dirk was like that, always felt that
the personal touch in business was worth more than a million phone calls or
letters. He was the nicest man you'll ever meet." A moment's pause, then:
"Oh, dear me, where is my manners, miss. I haven't introduced myself. My
name is Anne. Anne Van De Kamp."
The girl smiled, then spoke in kind. "A pleasure to meet you, Anne. My
name is Mara. Mara Blessings."
Next:
Part Three: Owa Tafu Liam....
Author's Gospel:
Why is Mara such a big Enya fan? Well, the answer is not easy to
explain. So I won't. ^_-
Yes, I'm perfectly aware of what the Biblical representation of cherubim
and seraphim are, as opposed to how I'm using the terminology. The fact is,
I needed a way to differentiate between angels that had once been alive
(seraphim) as opposed to the beings created by the Angel Egg (cherubim).
Rather than saying Egg-entity all of the time, I chose to use existing
terms, with angel meant to describe either of them. Also, for the same
reason, the term Archangel, Executive Assistant, and Secretary are
interchangeable here as well. In short, the outlay of heaven is similar to
that of Washington DC or any other national capitol (without the scandal
level, of course); heaven has different bureaus and agencies, just as any
terrestrial government would. Why did I do this? Chalk it up to the
difference of what is real and what is perceived.
To some degree, Fujishima-san did so, and I'm merely expanding the usage of
this line of thought.
Oh, and for those of you who didn't understand Claudette's snipe,
Compi�gne was the battle where Jeanne D' Arc was captured by Burgundian
mercenaries and turned over to the English.
Ja ne, Rob
(It's all in your back yard
You've the whole world at your feet
Said the grass is always greener when it bursts up through concrete
--Andrew Partridge)
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