After the Cure...

[withamagicword]

Billy is down by the lake, pondering his cure and wondering if the Door will open now. he is almost uncomparably bouncy and he feels like his whole being will shake apart, and so he is... well, skipping. It is a uncertain skipping and unsteady, but merry and his laughter riongs out often. It is a selfness that calls for interruption perhaps.

Comments

[un_fallen]

Raguel's been outside for a while, walking at first, then muttering to himself, then hunched by the lake and absently pulling up winter grass. Billy's frenzy of movement is hard to miss, and he stands slowly as the boy approaches. He isn't sure Billy has seen him, and it would be bad form if the kid was surprised mid-spin and went tumbling into the lake.

[withamagicword]

Billy's skipping leads him near enough that he does gradually become aware of Raguel. His smile falters for a moment, but then he grins and nods to the man.

"Hello!"

His cheer might be infectious?

[un_fallen]

Raguel isn't the skipping type, but he does manage a bemused look at Billy's abundant energy.

"Hey there. Don't tell me, Bar gave you pure sugar for breakfast?"

[withamagicword]

He chuckles, and shakes his head.

"Nah, Bar wouldnt do that to the bar. Then I would be really crazy."

He grins sweetly.

"I am just in a good mood, free of a curse and pondering going home."

[un_fallen]

"Oh, yeah? Where's home, for you?"

Home's been a lot on his own mind lately, after all.

[withamagicword]

"Fawcett City, Earth, 2005... might be 2006 early. I have kinda lost track of time lately. With everything that has been happening only God could keep track of it all."

He smiles at the man.

"How about you? Where is your home?"

[un_fallen]

"Place called the City. Long way from pretty much anywhere," he says cryptically.

"But lately I've been living in Los Angeles, 2006."

He looks the boy over carefully without really appearing to do so.

"Your curse wasn't from anyone in the bar, was it?"

[withamagicword]

He blinks a little at that, but then shakes his ehad.

"No, it was from someone back on my Earth, a Rogue Ethereal. A lot of bad stuff has been going on, lincluding one Ethereal going mad, starting a war against all magic in the name of the almighty, saying it is the root of all evil."

[un_fallen]

Raguel stills.

"Busy guy."

He looks out over the lake, frowning slightly. He speaks out toward the water, not looking at Billy.

"What does rogue mean, exactly? Is it like Fallen, an ethereal who turned away or was cast out?"

[withamagicword]

Billy stills some too and looks down.

"Rogue as in insane, driven that way by a mad demon and former God of Vengeance... and former Angel of Vengeance called Eclipso, by most people. The Spectre had been a hero, and a good Ethereal, but... somehow her influence drove him mad, and he started a war against all magic, and anyone using it."

[un_fallen]

He turns to face Billy slowly, shock dulling his reaction into near blankness.




"He was what?"

[withamagicword]

Billy blinks and falls back uncertainly,

"Ah... which... uhm"

He breathes, then and slowly regains some of his self and his certainty. Of course he doesnt know who he is talking to, which helps.

"Well, look, it isnt like it was his fault. Spectre was being influenced by a powerful being and he was driven insane by the conflicts. No one is sure why the prescence hasnt acted yet, at least no one I know is."

He looks down.

"I am nothing special, but... some of what he was doing was wrong, and I had to try to stop him, everyone tried. I...didnt dfo so well."

[un_fallen]

Raguel is uncharacteristically oblivious to Billy's discomfort. He's still staring, and again it takes him a few moments to respond.

"What did he do to you?"

And then some of Billy's words catch up with him, and the blankness is overtaken by a rather horrified frown.

"You tried to stop an angel of vengeance?"

[withamagicword]

Bily backs up a step, then rallies, his chin coming up.

"Yes. I am not exactly just what you see. I am a defender. It is my job, muy place to defend the people of my world, no matgter whop comes along, be they gods, angels, or demons, or just regular crooks. I dont stop to ask them who they are who they start hurting people."

He looks down then and sighs.

"But he was too strong and I failed, Completely.He made my vocal chords vanish as if they had never been and flung me through eternity. If it hadnt been for a friend who sacrificed a lot to send me this way I would have died, and almost did when I arrived. But I was healed by a man here and then the voice box was restored by another angel... Soon the door will open again. And I will go back."

He closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them and determination fills them.

"And I will face him again, win or lose."

[un_fallen]

"You'll lose," Raguel says instantly, leaning in. And then, looking at Billy's startled expression, he finally seems to realize what he's doing and steps back. He takes a long, slow breath.

"Look, I know - I can tell something about who people are. It's clear that you aren't an ordinary kid. But divine vengeance? No one can stop something like that. It's kind of the definition. I doubt even Spectre can stop it, if he's anything li--"

He trails off, and after a pause, shoves his hands deeply into his pockets.

"Unless he's acting on his own, maybe. Something like destroying your vocal cords, injuries, that kind of thing. It's controllable. Stoppable."

He shakes his head.

"I'm sorry," he adds quietly, apparently out of nowhere.

[withamagicword]

Billy listens, confused, and nods.,

"Sorry for what? You didnt do anything."

He shakes his ehad.

"This is my job. Doesnt matter if I end up losing, or dying. As long as I try and do my best, my smartest, my fastest... it is my destiny."

[un_fallen]

"How do you know that? My life's turned out to be a hell of a lot different from what I began by thinking was my destiny."

Eyes back to the lake. It's not clear what he sees out there, but it's unlikely that it's just the water.

"I didn't do it. I'm still sorry."

[withamagicword]

"Thanks."

And Billy smiles a bit.

"Because I have met the me from a long time down and from just a little ways downtime. I know things most dont."

Billy shakes his ehad.

"I didnt believe them, but I think they are coming true now."

He nods to Raguel.

"Are you okay?"

[un_fallen]

"Yeah," he says, unconvincingly.

"Just... um. Surprised. Did you find out that you were going to win, from this future self? I don't know if that kind of thing can be trusted."

[withamagicword]

Billy smiles a bnit wryly.

"No... in fact I am pretty sure I will lose, but ... that isnt really the point, you know? I have to try./ This guy is causing untold amounts of trauma and death and madness. I cant let it go on if I have even the slightest fragment of a chance of stopping it. And there is one thing I know, now more than ever before. There is always hope, when you have Faith."

And there is absolute certainty in his voice at that.

[un_fallen]

Raguel looks at him despairingly as he talks, then chuckles without humor.

"Well. Aren't I just the universe's biggest fucking hypocrite," he mutters.

He raises a hand to his mouth and there's suddenly a glowing cigarette there. Smoke trails away on a shaky exhalation.

"He can destroy you in seconds. I don't know how else to say it. It will be easy for him and there's no defense against it. Rushing in blindly to assist isn't always the best demonstration of faith."

A half-shrug.

"In my opinion, anyway."

[withamagicword]

Billy blinks a bit as he listens, one eyebrow rising.

"I know that... but... dont you see? It isnt a matter of rushing in to assist, it isnt a matter of just throwing away life or a chance to live or anything. This being is destroying everything... and I have a miniscule chance... just the smallest maybe, but a chance to take some of that out of him, to drain some energy, to delay him, to make it better for others... i have to try. I wont ever let another suffer if I cant stop it. Not ever. I was given my ... job, because I believed in hope, and in doing the best you can, even if things are darker than the darkest night. Even if I lose, even if it takes bu the merest effort for him to beat me, that is one second, one once of ebnergy, one moment another being will have... and that? isnt a bad legacy at all."

[un_fallen]

Raguel mutters something else that sounds suspiciously like 'hero complex,' but apparently he's decided that Billy's conviction is insurmountable.

"Look, is there any way I could get there?" he asks, looking grim. "I'm pretty sure I'd have a better chance at stopping him than you would."

[withamagicword]

Billy raises an eyebrow.

"Um... I dont know. It's rather hard for most to get there, but we do have an occassional cross-over from other universes. You could try, I suppose. It would be rather odd, though."

he considers this man briefly, his suspicions growing and a small knot growing harder in his stomach.

"You arent exactly a normal mortal yourself, are you?"

[un_fallen]

"No. Angel."

There's a long pause while he tries to imagine the logistics of multidimensional travel. His last comment is tossed off carelessly, as though he only just thought of it.

"of Vengeance."