EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHES TURNS TO BLACK | DOVEDEPARTURE

[Florence]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; color;"]Leathery black wings unfurled slowly, carefully, slightly transparent in the noonday sun. This unwavering heat was not something that Etherealgate had ever experienced – not when she had spent countless moons in a cool, dark forest shielded away from harsh sunlight – and the high temperature made her fur stick uncomfortably to her skin. She was well aware of the fact that water surrounded the Typhoon on nearly all sides, but swimming had never been her forte and she worried about the less desirable aspects of submerging herself in water: sharks, mainly. It didn't help that she could barely keep her head above water but she didn't want to think of that.

Drifting high into the sky was another option, but the act of flying terrified her. Her wings, at this point, were for aesthetic purposes only, hardly used for anything accept lifting her onto the branch of a tree when she didn't want to climb. She glanced at them skeptically, noting the point they came to; their overall haunting appearance. Reaper, Her mind whispered. "Gatekeeper," She reminded aloud. There was something dark and twisted about the word 'reaper', something that made her skin crawl. It was true that she was indeed a reaper, but it was such a frightening occupation. A reaper did not deserve the golden-name Etherealgate. So she pretended to be something else instead.

Still hot, and now mildly uncomfortable from the thought of her real identity, Etherealgate decided to seek out some shade. Moving would clear her mind and give her something else to think about. And besides, maybe she would find one of her new clanmates (such a strange word) and strike up a conversation with them.

[member=7409]dovedeparture[/member]

[dovedeparture]

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The word 'intrigued' was a mere understatement when Dove's thoughts wandered to Etherealgate. The creature mentioned was almost a reflection of the angel - granted, the reflection was inverted: a true war between what appeared to be shadows and starlight. The other's appearance gave rise to questions that perplexed Dovedeparture. She appeared (almost) to resemble the enemy, but her personality was not hard edges and sharpened steel. It was something softer, something almost desperate.

Try as she might, she could not explain her feelings. It angered her, that did. She was supposed to be eloquently spoken, easily able to articulate the inner workings of her mind, but the longer she was grounded, the more her ability deteriorated. Her mind was often fuzzy, a result of the vessel she inhabited. And though Celeste helped her work through things from time to time, it was still... difficult. Aggravating.

Etherealgate seemed to be grappling with her own demons. With that, Dovedeparture could relate.

As she moved through the territory, she caught Eth's voice. Curiosity drew her nearer, watching as the serval searched for respite from the intense heat. Dove wished she could sense the sun's warmth on her wings, but all she felt was a never-ending chill.

"Greetings," the guardian angel called out, padding closer to the newcomer. "How is the day treating you?" Her tone was friendly despite. "Are you adjusting to life here?"

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[Florence]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; color;"]It was impossible for her golden eyes to not fall upon those angelic wings, a tinge of that unfamiliar feeling igniting in her chest. Her own wings seemed like leathery abominations contrasted to the soft, silver-pointed ones on the girl her opposite. Why was she graced with things of beauty and Etherealgate, things of fear? Her shoulders sagged slightly at that revelation, wings withdrawing until they pressed tightly against her sides. There was no need to show off when someone who did it far better than her was currently staring her down.

It took her longer than she would care to admit to realize that she had been addressed and immediately, her cheeks inflamed with blush. Had it not been for her dark fur, Eth was certain her embarrassment would have made itself known, and she struggled quickly to regroup lest some other tell of hers revealed her sudden shame.  "Hi," The serval finally breathed out, the casual word foreign upon her tongue but welcomed nonetheless. She needed to try to be more mortal, not this caricature that she feigned in the face of her clanmates. She supposed unlearning what her isolation taught her would be difficult though.

"It's different," She admitted slowly, banishing her thoughts of mortality and fitting in. They were thoughts to be contemplated another time, not in the face of someone who she could not read. "I grew up practically alone," Eth found herself admitting, voice faraway as memories of her time as a child surged up to meet her. "My family is religious," She lied, easily, "They thought it would be wise for me to follow the path as a handmaiden to our God." Singular. As if she did not serve every god and no god at once. As if she was not death's mortal face. As if she was a mere worshipper and not a devout follower. She swallowed. "I guess I'm just overwhelmed," She continued, forcing a laugh. It scratched at her throat, making her feel suddenly self conscious. In the face of what appeared to be an angel-come-to-earth (though she doubted that were the case, angels did not fall from grace often), she felt small. Insignificant. A dark blight on an otherwise unstained piece of paper. She didn't like it. Nor did she like the ease in which her words were delivered to the other.

"But enough about me!" She trilled in what was clearly an attempt to breeze over the subject, "What about you, Dovedeparture. How do you like it here?"

[dovedeparture]

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[catch me not proofreading bc that's showbiz baby]

Just as Etherealgate was concerned with Dove's wings, Dove was enthralled with Eth's. Not only that, but the lynx was interested in the other's entire being. Where her own wings were like fresh snow, touched with silver moonbeams, Eth's were living shadow and just as fierce. The serval's wings commanded attention, and her overall appearance was much the same: the melanistic creature seemed to be cut from onyx - just as sharp, just as beautiful. More than that, however, the wings Ethereal was host to were actually capable of flight. Dovedeparture tried not to let those dark emotions (anger, jealousy, sadness) pour over her soul, but she was not quite strong enough.

Though Eth fretted over how she presented herself, Dove took no notice. The fallen angel was too wrapped up in her own self-consciousness to recognize another's, especially someone whose body language she was unused to. Before she could fall into another trap her mind had set, the serval's voice drew her out. She felt almost fragile, and like Eth had done a few moments prior, drew her wings inward in hopes of comforting herself.

Removing herself from the emotions that swamped her, she focused on Eth's words. A laugh tumbled out of her mouth as the other female explained things were different here. Oh, how true that was... As the serval continued, Dove did find herself interested in the tale. Growing up in isolation was not necessarily a foreign concept, but then again, Dovedeparture was not sure she had ever really had a childhood. As far as she knew, she had just... existed. Perhaps, she thought, it was because this mortal vessel was incapable of processing such complex ideas. She tried to believe that; she already had enough issues with her identity.

The mention of religion piqued her interest. As an angel, she was a devout follower. She tilted her head minutely to the side, listening. A handmaiden to her God? She supposed that role was not too far removed from her own. Dove found herself desperately needing to question the newcomer, but she held her tongue. It would not be wise.

"Being overwhelmed is certainly understandable," Dove responded with a small dip of her head. "If you have spent most of your time alone, I imagine this must truly be draining." The guardian was used to masses, and though she had enjoyed her time away from it all, it felt nice to return to some normalcy. "Would you like to-"

Before she could finish asking if Eth might like to vent her frustrations or whatever else, the psychopomp-esque being had questions of her own. "Oh!" she murmured in surprise. "Oh, well, I -" she hesitated for a few moments, adding, "it's different." Another light laugh escaped her, and she smiled softly.

"I've never known a place like this," she explained, her smile transforming into something wistful. "It's vastly different from my former home, but in some ways, it's more welcoming than anything I've ever known - strange as that might be." She shrugged. "I do enjoy it here, even if I don't understand these mortals half the time. It's one of the many wonderful things about having Celestialrobbery with me. She understands and helps me work through the complexities.

"Granted, there are other beings with celestial heritages here, but most of them have always lived in the Typhoon. I suppose it will just take some time to get used to it all, hm?" Jade eyes focused on Etherealgate's features. "You've got some sort of spark about you - I knew it from the moment you joined... 'Gatekeeper.' That's what you said. Might I ask for an explanation?"

She grinned, her more mischievous streak slipping through though her words were serious, "If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."

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[Florence]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; color;"]Mortals.

The way that word rolled off her tongue – so casual, so indifferent – was enough to dismiss the rest of Etherealgate's worries, sending them spiraling away into the far reaches of her mind. She had a new puzzle before her, one that was perhaps as divine (or maybe more so) as she was. It was clear that Dovedeparture did not see herself as a regular individual, similarly to how Eth saw herself as a reaper. Gatekeeper. And celestial heritage? That was fascinating. Incredibly so.

She had to soothe the flair of excitement that had sparked in her chest, trying to remain as impassive as possible lest the snowy lynx detect some change in her mood. She schooled her features into a mask of indifference, the tip of her long, rosetted tail twitching almost nonchalantly. "I suppose we both came from places vastly different than this Typhoon," She mused, her hoarse voice barely above a whisper. Those wings. Her use of the phrase "celestial heritage". Her regard to "mortals". Eth nearly had to swallow down a laugh. Of course there was a reason why she looked practically angelic. That had to be it. She didn't know any other explanation.

Her training had included teachings on the various divine helpers. Angels, demons, and her own class: the reapers. She had never run into an angel or a demon though, especially considering they existed in different realms than her own. One dominated the heavens. The other, the various dimensions of hell. And then there was her: stuck in this in between plane of existence. Alive. Delicate. And so very mortal. She felt another tinge of jealousy.

"And is Celestialrobbery divine as well?" She remembered her clearly, the firecracker that seemed to ignite Dove's quiet night. It wasn't her knowledge to know, but Etherealgate had always been hungry for secrets. Secrets gave her strength and none more than her own.

Gatekeeper. That blessed, terrible, wonderful, awful word. Hearing it on the lips of another sent a chill down her spine. Not many knew what she was until the end had already come. She was not a face welcomed by the sick, the frail, the dying. "I assist newly passed souls," She begrudgingly admitted, careful to phrase her words in a delicate enough way to not draw suspicion to her true occupation. Assist was a far fairer way to put judgement and she was sure that a being such as Dove would be able to piece together her real identity with a simple enough slip of the tongue. She had to be wary. "Even now, I can hear them: the whispers from the dead. They seek guidance and advice. My organization is said to be descendants of Charon, the ferryman. We have divinity in our blood, but even our lives are as brief as the flame on a candle. I'm mortal and I'm not. I will always exist in an in between." Her blessing and her curse. She would never know an afterlife. She would never know peace. It exhausted her just to think about that.

"But a deal's a deal, celestial one," She insisted, her voice laced with a note of flatness, "I have my suspicions but I want to hear it from your mouth. What are you, Dovedeparture?"

[dovedeparture]

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She welcomed the way Etherealgate seemed to relax at her words. The tension in the other's shoulders melted, and the look in her eyes softened. Dove found ease blooming inside of herself as well; in this business, it was nice to meet someone like her. It felt... homey.

Just as quickly as the swell of emotion appeared in the dark creature did it leave. A mild sort of apathy replaced it, but Dovedeparture was sure she could sense a hint of wonder in the question asked of her. "You could say that, yes," the ivory wildcat agreed, smile playing on her lips.

As another question was tossed her direction, the guardian paused. Celestialrobbery was her charge - the one she knew best, the one she genuinely cared for, the one she relied on most. Would giving up this 'secret' be alright? And what if it caused harm to come to her fallen star? No, she thought, she could not be that pessimistic. Besides, she reasoned, she had fought back a lot worse to keep Celeste safe.

"Yes," she answered, after perhaps a heartbeat too long. She let the word linger in the space between them. She would allow that much but nothing more. Not yet, anyhow. She barely knew this girl.

Dovedeparture listened as Eth unraveled her life and the reason for her otherworldly aura. She had heard of these beings before, but she was unsure if she had ever met them. Individuals such as this handed out judgement in place of their gods or God. She admired the girl for it, for it was no doubt a difficult task. She had heard they often carry the weight of their decisions with them forever. Looking upon the serval, Dove wondered if Eth's soul was crumbling under the weight of it all. "You're living purgatory, Gatekeeper," the angel murmured, a sort of empathy creeping into her tone. 'How lonely.' She titled her head. "And this job - do you enjoy it? Is it not haunting?"

As quickly as the topic found itself in Eth, the reaper pushed it towards Dove. Dove supposed she didn't mind it. Ethereal, she had surmised, likely lived her life only listening to others speak. "An angel," the creature answered as the softest smile capable spread across her lips. "A guardian angel, to be exact. Celestialrobbery's guardian." The fact was not a challenge, merely a statement. No, Dove had no reason to challenge the other.

Her wings were burning, and she shifted uncomfortably before continuing, "My purpose here is to keep Celeste safe, but more importantly, it's to guide her. Her fate is a long, winding road with too many twists and turns, so it is my duty to walk with her and see her to the end." She purposefully left out the part about being cast from grace. The embarrassment and shame she felt from that was a wound deeper than she knew, and sharing her pain was not something she wanted to do.

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