Vengeance is Mine. *Open*

[Anubis]

Anubis wandered aimlessly down the lane that ran between the gardens and a small shopping center. He had stopped and bought a bag of sour jelly babies and mindlessly nibbled on them as he stared off into space. He was forgetting something and he had no idea what it was.

There were many things that played on his mind at any given time but today he knew he had forgotten something. But it didn't matter. Ani's mind never stayed on anything too long because his mind was always moving at the speed of light. His mind had spun and spun until he forgot that he forgot something.

Suddenly a memory settled into Ani's head to amuse him. He remembered everything he ever encountered and this one thing had amused him to no end. He began to softly mumble then speak. Some people looked at him like he was mad, but then, we all know that the angel of death is mad.

" Where’d you get the coconut? We found them. Found them? In Mercia? The coconut’s tropical! What do you mean? Well, this is a temperate zone.The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plumber may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land. Are you suggesting coconuts migrate? Not at all, they could be carried. What? A swallow carrying a coconut? It could grip it by the husk! It’s not a question of where i’ grips it! It’s a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut. Well, it doesn’t matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the court of Camelot is here. Listen, in order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings for’y-three times every second, right? Please! Am I right? I’m not interested! It could be carried by an African swallow! Oh, yeah, an African swallow maybe, but not a European swallow. That’s my point. Oh, yeah, I agree with that..."

Something nagged at him as he spoke. It felt like he was being watched. He came to the realization that someone was following him. He smiled and turned to face his follower. "Would you like a jelly baby?" he asked and offered the bag toward the person who was following him.

[vengeance]

Vengeance had been walking along the paths when a man who looked so familiar to him but no, it couldn't be... An angel. Not just any angel... Death. His friend for so long and he was quite shocked to see him and nothing really shocked him anymore. First the gardener that helped develop the Gardens and took care of them and now Death was here. Death walking around aimlessly. Oh, this had to be good. He walked following Death. Vengeance always dressed to the nines and had to push a human away that wanted a taste of him. "Sorry lady, but I am quite busy at the moment."

He heard the words and laughed softly as he moved closer to Death. Most ran in fear of him but Vengeance and Death had once walked hand in hand. His eyes slid over Death to his hand when Death offered him Jelly Babies. "Only if you are asking like this... Would you like a jelly, baby?" He spoke easily and picked through them easily. "And neither swallow could carry the weight of a coconut. You'd have to get an eagle to do it. But then what eagle would carry it?" He let amusement brighten his eyes though he looked at the jelly babies.

"You aren't going to turn them into something in my mouth, are you?" He smirked at that. "How have you been?" Out of all the angels Vengeance respected Death the most. He had once wished that Death would have a care for him but then Vengeance had ended up on Earth and none of the angels in such a long time came. He looked at Death. "You look exactly the same as I remembered." Death was madness incarnate. "It has been such a long time... Longer than I expected." A hand slid along his back and he went to shove it away. "Ma'am, I'm busy conversing. Let me be!" He put a jelly baby into his mouth and began to chew it hoping it didn't sour or something in his mouth.

[Anubis]

Anubis looked at the bag of Jelly Babies and looked back at Vengeance. “Would you like a Jelly…baby?” he repeated then ate one himself. “What would you like them to turn into? They aren’t turning into anything but goo in my mouth. It’s delicious.” He reached in the bag and popped another in his mouth.

Anubis was aware that there was a woman molesting Vengeance as he tried to talk to him. He furrowed his brow and said, “How rude.” He tisked and shook his head. He waited for the woman to try again and just as Veng put the Jelly Baby in his mouth, he smiled and gently put his hand on the woman’s cheek. “Thank you, you may go now.” The woman’s breath caught and she fell to the ground dead. Anubis looked down at her. “Pesky creatures, humans. Maybe this one will be happier on the battlefield with the other angels.” He said and turned to begin walking down the path again. “Walk with me.” He called to Vengeance.

[vengeance]

Vengeance heard Anubis's words and took a Jelly Baby. He brought it to his mouth but then stopped to think that over for a moment. "Nothing bad. Nothing that would kill me at least." He let a grin come to his mouth at that before he put the Jelly Baby in his mouth and began to chew it. "Yes, it is delicious." He spoke after swallowing the Jelly Baby.

He took another as a woman continued to ignore his words. She knew him from Lust and expected that just because he was sex on legs that he would be the same outside of work. "Yes, she is quite rude. But it happens quite a bit." With his job he couldn't help but have to deal with it. His anger at everything just made him see everything in such a cold light. Everyone wanted to use someone. In all his time on Earth his anger became worse until he just didn't care anymore. The angel had slowly blackened until his hands were continuously stained in blood.

He put the Jelly Baby in his mouth when he saw Anubis smile and put his hand on the woman's cheek. He smirked as she fell. He didn't even blink at all. Had he grown that cold that he really didn't even care for human life anymore? He had fought in the war in Heaven. He had fought here and yet he had lost it all. At Anubis's words it reminded him of when he had been thrown. It had hurt badly. Seeing Anubis it was bringing back memories of a time he had forgotten or rather pushed down. He heard Anubis telling him to walk with him and he moved stepping over the woman and caught up with him.

What was Death doing here? Was Vengeance supposed to have met Death again here? "I never did reintroduce myself to you. I am Vengeance." He remarked. It was kind of strange walking with Death. Almost tempting fate to kill him. He chuckled some at his dark thoughts.

[Anubis]

Anubis smiled at Vengeance’s introduction. As if he didn’t know who he was. He knew who all the angels were, especially the archangels. “I know who you are, Raphael.” He said softly as he dropped his empty package in a bin. “But, if you prefer to be called Vengeance, then I shall call you that.”

Ani knew that many angels went by different names in order to stay incognito. That is why he used the name Ani. “You may call me Ani. Death is such a fear inspiring word. Anubis is so well known to be death. Someone I knew recently called me Ani. It suits me well enough.” He paused and looked on thoughfully then sighed. “I can’t remember who she was. Something terrible happened. I can’t remember what it was but when I woke, I was alone with no memory of who left that scent on me.” He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground as he walked.

“Tell me, Vengeance. Is it normal for these bodies to feel this constant emptiness?” He asked the only person he thought would answer him without judging him. Those that judged him usually ended up going on to the next plain of existence without mercy.

[vengeance]

Vengeance looked over and stared at Death for a moment. "I haven't been called Raphael since I was tossed from up above." His real name not a name that was made up became real. "I shortened it to Rafe for awhile but even before that I was called Vengeance even up above." He smiled some but it bordered on bitter. "I walk the Earth once more, my friend." He shrugged some. "Raphael, Rafe, Vengeance, Venge, Veng... All names for me. Which ever you prefer. I am sure no one will know the difference. Raphael became a popular name at one point in time."

He tilts his head listening to Death's words. He gently took his hand in his. Old memories died hard. He squeezed it gently before letting it go. "Sometimes a memory is so fleeting but can cause pain so we forget it to keep ourselves safe from it for a bit of time. All comes back in time." The archangel spoke softly. "Perhaps to forget is what keeps up moving on a path we are destined to be on." Gentle words from a harsh and angry angel. A bitter angel that wanted to completely forget his life from before. Now nothing more than a stripper and killer in a way. He watched as Death put his hands in his pockets. He continued to walk beside him.

He thought over the question Death asked him with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Yes and no. The answer is never a solid answer. Yes, some do feel constant emptiness while others don't. They find something they are searching for. A piece of themselves in another some may say." He nodded to a man and woman close together and smiling at each other. "They find somebody to help relieve all or some of that emptiness." But then the angry angel spoke of a darker portion after the sweet words. "Or some are searching for something they want. An object to keep for themselves. A gift taken and not giving in a way. To possess someone as an object more than a being."

He shrugged his shoulders. "What do you seek, Ani? You who have lived always. If I know you and I am not judging you just wondering if even as you were before you sought something." He touched Death's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Perhaps you should be asking one of the others. I have turned quite bitter in my old age. I have seen much here and when I fell." He whispered softly. "The question now my friend, should be what do you seek from here?" He placed a gentle hand on Death's chest where his heart was. He smiled some at that. "We all seek for something, Ani."

[Anubis]

Anubis wondered at the wisdom of the young god. He had been around long before the young god and was the third oldest of the angels. Even he had seen that the young god was a daft fool in many of his proceedings. Vegeance was a powerful angel and capable of carrying out any task required of him. He never should have been tossed out of heaven. It was probably part of the young gods plan to wage his war. His silly little petty war. Even after all was gone, there were still more gods waiting in the wings to take over the concerns of the planet earth.

Ani pulled the object he was toying with in his pocket out and showed it to Vengeance. "Whomever I forgot, left this." he said matter-of-factly. "It is my feather, I looked. It is a dangerous thing to leave laying around and I wish to destroy it but I cannot seem to find a suitable mode of destruction. The demons will not come anywhere near me so I cannot ask them to use their weapon on it, not to mention the trust factor, what if they stole it?" He slipped the object back into his pocket. "I think I would like some ice cream." He suddenly turned toward a mobile ice cream vender. "Two scoops of vanilla in a cone and the same for my friend." he ordered and dropped a handful of chips on the cart.

"Yes Sir!" the vendor scooped up the chips and began to load two cones with vanilla ice cream. He turned to Vengeance as he took a taste of his ice cream, "Did you ever notice that children are the happiest creatures on this planet? They eat ice cream and candy, laugh and play. No matter how bad the world is, they always manage to find joy." he looked out at the children that were running and playing in the park. "It is only when we stop enjoying the simple things in life that we become unhappy."