Post by Azrael on Apr 7, 2009 2:04:54 GMT -5
Azrael was inside the cavern beneath the cathedral once again. It was a bit later at night now, but he was restless, and chose to indulge in his usual late night exercise. It helped clear his mind. Bad memories sometimes kept him up at night. He had to find something to do, something to keep himself calm and vent his frustrations. It was nearly midnight, the workers had been finished, paid, sent home, and his maid usually by 9 at the latest.
So needless to say, he was a bit surprised when he heard sharp footsteps coming down the stone steps carved into the cavern wall. Bare to the waist, standing up on one hand, Azrael stopped and turned his head to look upside down at the form of his maid, Charity, standing at the end of the steps.
"Sean?" she said softly.
Azrael raised an eyebrow. "Charity. You should be home now." After stating the obvious, he continued doing his one-handed push-ups.
"I wanted to see how you were doing," she said quietly, and walked forward. She was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans, black t-shirt, and shoes. Her red hair was in a ponytail, with the bangs free and parted in the middle. Charity was by all means a very beautiful Irish woman, with blue eyes that were clearer than the ocean itself, though a bit shy and a now-public lesbian. She couldn't find a job to save her life, an outcast to society for her sexual orientation. While Azrael in no way approved of homosexuality, he did not judge people for their lifestyles. He himself was a murderer in his past, an overly religious assassin, so how could he? He had offered Charity the job, and if you had asked him why, he wouldn't have been able to give a good answer. He just felt sympathy. Perhaps because he knew what it was to be an outcast. Though Azrael made it quite CLEAR she was never permitted to bring her lover to his castle. Merciful, he could be at times. Tolerant of blatant sins, he was not. Not in his home.
"I am fine," he said, grunting a little with effort as he continued, having to adjust his legs in the air a bit for better balance. "Dinner was good, as always. My mobile suit is adequate. What is wrong?"
Charity sat down in a chair and crossed her legs as she gave him a somewhat sad look, and spoke in a soft voice, "Your family called again."
Azrael let out an slightly irritated sigh, then switched to his right hand. "Which member?"
"Your mother and your brother. They both wanted to speak to you."
"More about money?" He gritted his teeth and started doing his push ups a bit more rapidly, energized by his anger. "You know what to tell them."
"This time, they didn't ask for money." Charity clasped her hands together in front of her lap. "They said they wanted to see you sometime. Have you come over for a visit."
A dark look crossed his face. "I am not a fool. I know very well what they want, and the answer is no. My mother tortured me as a child, my brother and his PUNK friends had be beaten regularly until I turned the tables on them. After the Order broke down, they wanted NOTHING to do with me, now that I'm a nobleman with money and standing in Parliament and they are struggling at a shoe store, they want to talk to me about my BANK ACCOUNT."
Charity looked down for a bit. "You still haven't forgiven them, have you?"
"Forgiveness takes TIME, Charity." Azrael brought his knees in to this chest and rolled in the air so that he landed softly on his feet, then stood up, stretching his now-sore muslces. "It is not immediate. And even if I do forgive them one day, I will most likely NEVER trust them."
"I don't blame you," she said. "I just wish you weren't so alone. You spend your time fighting, training and praying. And nothing else. You hardly ever attend your duties as an Irish noble, or visit people outside of grocery shopping. Something I should be doing for you..."
"I own a peice of land, and a castle. The government pays me for being born a descendant of a rich ancestor. That does not make me a politician or leader of people." He walked over to where his towel hung on a peice of the Scorpio mobile suit, yanked it off, and started drying himself off. " I wouldn't want to be one, anyway."
Charity looked up at him a little hopefully. "You could always have fun. Travel, meet people. Maybe a girl...?"
Azrael laughed a bit, then looked over at her. "Still thinkin' I could live a normal life? I'm a FREAK, Charity. A life with a normal family just isn't happening. And I've traveled enough. I've killed people in ten different countries, fought in war after war on Earth and in Space. I've traveled enough. Ireland is still the most beautiful place there is to me." He turned around and looked at her. "Besides, people are vindictive and judgemental. You should know that better than most."
Charity nodded her head slowly. "Yeah. I do. It's still hard, sometimes. Going home to Michelle, when everyone is wanting us gone. We're very...grateful, for what you've given us, Sean."
Azrael shrugged it off. "I needed someone to help me with the house. You needed a job. We both help each other. You don't owe me anything."
"But I do," Charity said softly, as she stood up and walked over to him. "You reached out to me, when everyone else was trying to push me away."
Azrael narrowed his eyes a bit, confused. Charity seemed very...vulnerable, right now. "Charity, what's wrong?" he asked softly.
"I... worry about you." She put one of her hands on his chest and looked up into his eyes. "You're just so...ah...I can't even find a way to describe it." She laughed and shook her hand, looking down for a moment. "It's like...there's so much pain and anger in you. But so much... strength. How you refuse to indulge it. You care for others, you do things without asking for a reward. It's like... beneath that hard, tough strength you've this gentleness to you. I don't know..."
Azrael slowly place his hand over hers. He looked over at their hands for a moment, noticing how very unique it looked. His hand was a large, tanned one with big knuckles from broken fingers, scars from fighting, calloused and rough from work, while hers... hers was small, slender, delicate. Smooth, soft, pale skin. He blinked for a moment, then gently pulled her hand off of him. "Charity, I appreciate that, but there's a lot you don't know about me. Don't be so quick to assume I'm this wonderful man. I've been...ruthless, at times. I can still be, when necessary."
Charity looked back up and nodded. "I know. I've seen it. Just... remember that there are some people in this world that do care about you."
Azrael let go of her hand finally and nodded. "I will. You should get home and get some rest. You can come in to work a little later."
****************************************************
Not more than an hour later, Charity parked her car in the small but cozy cottage that was on Azrael's land where she and Michelle stayed. Right as she walked in the door, Michelle was waiting for her on the couch. Charity sighed as she closed the door behind her.
"Where have you BEEN?!" Michelle yelled as she jumped up.
"I had to spend a few extra hours at work," Charity said as she looked down at the ground.
Michelle put her hands on his hips. "So you just decided not to call me and let me know?! Just wanna go off and do your own thing?! I swear, if you weren't the only lesbian this side of the county, I'd have found someone else! You wanna be alone again, Charity, keep it up!" With that, she reached over and slapped Charity across the face.
Charity's head moved to the right, and she held her hand over her mouth as her eyes welled up with tears. Michelle stormed into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut. Charity wiped her tears away, then sat down on the couch. Why was she feeling this closeness with Sean so much...? It was so weird, she hadn't felt this way since childhood. Charity sighed and looked out the window and up at the mountaintop where the castle stood. Sometimes, she wondered why she chose this life... It was nothing but trouble and it just never felt right. Probably because it was better than being alone. Every boyfriend she ever had up and left her...
She felt more tears well up, and slowly grabbed one of the cushions on the couch side and curled up. And laying there, in her utter loneliness and sadness, she quietly cried herself to sleep.
So needless to say, he was a bit surprised when he heard sharp footsteps coming down the stone steps carved into the cavern wall. Bare to the waist, standing up on one hand, Azrael stopped and turned his head to look upside down at the form of his maid, Charity, standing at the end of the steps.
"Sean?" she said softly.
Azrael raised an eyebrow. "Charity. You should be home now." After stating the obvious, he continued doing his one-handed push-ups.
"I wanted to see how you were doing," she said quietly, and walked forward. She was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans, black t-shirt, and shoes. Her red hair was in a ponytail, with the bangs free and parted in the middle. Charity was by all means a very beautiful Irish woman, with blue eyes that were clearer than the ocean itself, though a bit shy and a now-public lesbian. She couldn't find a job to save her life, an outcast to society for her sexual orientation. While Azrael in no way approved of homosexuality, he did not judge people for their lifestyles. He himself was a murderer in his past, an overly religious assassin, so how could he? He had offered Charity the job, and if you had asked him why, he wouldn't have been able to give a good answer. He just felt sympathy. Perhaps because he knew what it was to be an outcast. Though Azrael made it quite CLEAR she was never permitted to bring her lover to his castle. Merciful, he could be at times. Tolerant of blatant sins, he was not. Not in his home.
"I am fine," he said, grunting a little with effort as he continued, having to adjust his legs in the air a bit for better balance. "Dinner was good, as always. My mobile suit is adequate. What is wrong?"
Charity sat down in a chair and crossed her legs as she gave him a somewhat sad look, and spoke in a soft voice, "Your family called again."
Azrael let out an slightly irritated sigh, then switched to his right hand. "Which member?"
"Your mother and your brother. They both wanted to speak to you."
"More about money?" He gritted his teeth and started doing his push ups a bit more rapidly, energized by his anger. "You know what to tell them."
"This time, they didn't ask for money." Charity clasped her hands together in front of her lap. "They said they wanted to see you sometime. Have you come over for a visit."
A dark look crossed his face. "I am not a fool. I know very well what they want, and the answer is no. My mother tortured me as a child, my brother and his PUNK friends had be beaten regularly until I turned the tables on them. After the Order broke down, they wanted NOTHING to do with me, now that I'm a nobleman with money and standing in Parliament and they are struggling at a shoe store, they want to talk to me about my BANK ACCOUNT."
Charity looked down for a bit. "You still haven't forgiven them, have you?"
"Forgiveness takes TIME, Charity." Azrael brought his knees in to this chest and rolled in the air so that he landed softly on his feet, then stood up, stretching his now-sore muslces. "It is not immediate. And even if I do forgive them one day, I will most likely NEVER trust them."
"I don't blame you," she said. "I just wish you weren't so alone. You spend your time fighting, training and praying. And nothing else. You hardly ever attend your duties as an Irish noble, or visit people outside of grocery shopping. Something I should be doing for you..."
"I own a peice of land, and a castle. The government pays me for being born a descendant of a rich ancestor. That does not make me a politician or leader of people." He walked over to where his towel hung on a peice of the Scorpio mobile suit, yanked it off, and started drying himself off. " I wouldn't want to be one, anyway."
Charity looked up at him a little hopefully. "You could always have fun. Travel, meet people. Maybe a girl...?"
Azrael laughed a bit, then looked over at her. "Still thinkin' I could live a normal life? I'm a FREAK, Charity. A life with a normal family just isn't happening. And I've traveled enough. I've killed people in ten different countries, fought in war after war on Earth and in Space. I've traveled enough. Ireland is still the most beautiful place there is to me." He turned around and looked at her. "Besides, people are vindictive and judgemental. You should know that better than most."
Charity nodded her head slowly. "Yeah. I do. It's still hard, sometimes. Going home to Michelle, when everyone is wanting us gone. We're very...grateful, for what you've given us, Sean."
Azrael shrugged it off. "I needed someone to help me with the house. You needed a job. We both help each other. You don't owe me anything."
"But I do," Charity said softly, as she stood up and walked over to him. "You reached out to me, when everyone else was trying to push me away."
Azrael narrowed his eyes a bit, confused. Charity seemed very...vulnerable, right now. "Charity, what's wrong?" he asked softly.
"I... worry about you." She put one of her hands on his chest and looked up into his eyes. "You're just so...ah...I can't even find a way to describe it." She laughed and shook her hand, looking down for a moment. "It's like...there's so much pain and anger in you. But so much... strength. How you refuse to indulge it. You care for others, you do things without asking for a reward. It's like... beneath that hard, tough strength you've this gentleness to you. I don't know..."
Azrael slowly place his hand over hers. He looked over at their hands for a moment, noticing how very unique it looked. His hand was a large, tanned one with big knuckles from broken fingers, scars from fighting, calloused and rough from work, while hers... hers was small, slender, delicate. Smooth, soft, pale skin. He blinked for a moment, then gently pulled her hand off of him. "Charity, I appreciate that, but there's a lot you don't know about me. Don't be so quick to assume I'm this wonderful man. I've been...ruthless, at times. I can still be, when necessary."
Charity looked back up and nodded. "I know. I've seen it. Just... remember that there are some people in this world that do care about you."
Azrael let go of her hand finally and nodded. "I will. You should get home and get some rest. You can come in to work a little later."
****************************************************
Not more than an hour later, Charity parked her car in the small but cozy cottage that was on Azrael's land where she and Michelle stayed. Right as she walked in the door, Michelle was waiting for her on the couch. Charity sighed as she closed the door behind her.
"Where have you BEEN?!" Michelle yelled as she jumped up.
"I had to spend a few extra hours at work," Charity said as she looked down at the ground.
Michelle put her hands on his hips. "So you just decided not to call me and let me know?! Just wanna go off and do your own thing?! I swear, if you weren't the only lesbian this side of the county, I'd have found someone else! You wanna be alone again, Charity, keep it up!" With that, she reached over and slapped Charity across the face.
Charity's head moved to the right, and she held her hand over her mouth as her eyes welled up with tears. Michelle stormed into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut. Charity wiped her tears away, then sat down on the couch. Why was she feeling this closeness with Sean so much...? It was so weird, she hadn't felt this way since childhood. Charity sighed and looked out the window and up at the mountaintop where the castle stood. Sometimes, she wondered why she chose this life... It was nothing but trouble and it just never felt right. Probably because it was better than being alone. Every boyfriend she ever had up and left her...
She felt more tears well up, and slowly grabbed one of the cushions on the couch side and curled up. And laying there, in her utter loneliness and sadness, she quietly cried herself to sleep.