Hurt

Adriel shook her head as soon as Lila suggested talking about what was upsetting her. It must've been something terrible, she thought. But she did get answers as to what the older Angel's powers were. As she had suspected, Adriel could move objects with her mind, heal quickly and like Lila she could fly. It wasn't particularly surprising to her, though Adriel's powers were definitely more polished than her own, and could do considerably more damage. Standing in the middle of the library, Lila couldn't help but compare the abilities of the two Angels. They were different, but strangely similar.

For one, they both possessed a power sourced from the mind, with one directed at objects and the other at minds. She let her thoughts wander to how powerful a combination that would be. Paired with flying, the two Angels could be practically unbeatable - if, of course, Lila had developed her powers and Adriel had recovered from her upsetting past.

Lila had really never used her abilities for much anyway. Sure, she used to fly around the house, and manipulate her human friends into almost worshipping her, but her powers had never really been put to the test. They had just been there for convenience and social standing, mostly. She wondered how they would improve around other creatures, so they could be used for something substantial. She was not plotting world domination, but she figured she could put her skills to better use here.

"Do you like it here?" she was asked, and after a moment's thought she replied, "I think so, I mean I've made a couple of friends." She remembered the last few weeks of being at the academy. It certainly wasn't bad, but she was still adjusting. "It's just so surreal. Before, only my parents were gifted. Even my sister might not be. But now, everyone around me is, and they're all so different! I'm still deciding how I'll fit in here, because there are so many groups and species." The words just came right out of her mouth as if they had been waiting there forever, and they were all completely true. Differences aside, Lila liked to talk and if Adriel kept directing the conversation back to her, she was going to continue.

"Is it hard for you to make friends?" She asked, with no knowledge of why anyone would be lonely by choice.

"My human parents had no powers at all, it was strange...but they seemed to accept everything very well." Adriel said. To Lila, that was strange. Her parents were the ones who taught her everything she knew about this world, especially her mother. She could only imagine where she'd be without their guidance, with uncontrollable powers and no idea what was wrong with her. "So how did you... figure out your powers and stuff?" She inquired. Maybe she had help from somebody else?

Lila also got the strange feeling this girl wasn't giving away everything about her past. Perhaps she was just shy, but there could be something that happened, stopping her from explaining further. There was no way to tell, she couldn't mind read and Adriel's power stemming from the mind restricted her manipulation almost completely. If she was to use her power on the older Angel, the best she might've done was made her turn a page of a book. Knowing Adriel was more of a threat to her than the other way around, she wasn't about to try this theory out.

The girl also told her about how she didn't naturally make friends. Somehow, Lila understood. She herself found meaningful relationships hard to come by, and preferred to associate herself with those who could benefit her. In the human world this was for popularity, but here she didn't know where she fit in. Adriel said that making friends wasn't part of her existence, so could this go for all Angels? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was never really committed to her human friends. In fact, she didn't even miss them.

"The staff seem nice though." Lila hadn't really taken note of the teaching staff. The way she saw it, they just came to teach and then left. She really didn't know how to respond to this so she just nodded and said, "They're okay, I guess. I haven't had too much homework except for this big History assignment." And remembering why she came to the library in the first place, she began to look around her for the History section of the library. "Speaking of which..."

"I tend to scare people without meaning to." Adriel admitted, gesturing at the books. Come to think of it, Lila had been quite frightened by the girl upon meeting her, but after they started a conversation those feelings disappeared. She was actually getting to know the girl and it was interesting to learn about her own species. All Lila answered with was a nod of recognition.

"Do you think you'll stay here?" She was asked, and her answer was simple. "Of course I will." Despite all the weirdness and crazy new... things, Lila was actually starting to like the place. "I mean, there's so much to learn and do, there's no way I'm going back to the human world after this!"

"You'll stay here, right? For a while, at least?" She asked, in hope that this girl would stay and she would know another person on the foreign island.

"I... just tried to do it all on my own, I got some of my memories back. -I mean I realised I was an Angel." It was then that Lila realised how many memories, stories Adriel would've experienced existing for the time she did. The younger Angel felt a shiver as she imagined the way she would feel in a century, or longer. All she had learnt from her mother about her future was that once she died she would go and live in Heaven. After that, she could return in a different body or stay up there. This was slightly frightening for her, as she had never been to heaven and had no idea what it was like, but it otherwise sounded like a pretty good deal. She could live out a full semi-human life, then live on as an Angel. But Adriel... She knew more about everything. Lila wondered which memories she had remembered, and if they could be of use to her. Curious, she asked, "So what memories do you still have? Do you remember Heaven?" Maybe Lila could learn a lot from this Angel, if she listened to what she had to say.

As an Angel living what her mother called a 'gifted human life,' Lila understood humans much more than she understood her own species, but Adriel appeared to be the opposite. Something else she could learn from her... The only problem being that Lila got the impression Adriel was reluctant to give away information. However, when the older Angel offered to help her with her History assignment, she knew this was her chance to find out more. The task was an essay on one of the great figures of a gifted species. She had to write about their achievements in their lifetime, and now, Lila thought, she could get her assignment done, and find out some valuable information. From a primary source. "It's an essay on a great figure of my species. Do you remember any great Angels I could research?" Surely, in 7,000 years of existence Adriel had met at least one famous or influential Angel, right?

When the girl had told her she had nowhere else to go, Lila knew it was true. An emotionally-unstable ancient Angel in a seventeen-year-old body with dangerous powers couldn't really integrate into human society. But it raised the question, "Can't you visit Heaven?" She said this out of reaction, and couldn't stop herself soon enough. Her tone wasn't particularly rude, but the words coming out of her mouth were easily interpreted that way. Oops. What's more, that made her sound like a major hypocrite. The only way Lila could access Heaven herself is if she died, and she didn't want that. Regretting the comment she made, but unable to take it back, she awaited Adriel's response.

"Have you,...uhm...been assigned your dorm room yet?" She was asked. Replying with not much thought, she said, "I have, yeah. But all the other students have roommates, because I came in mid-term. So I've got the dorm to myself until somebody new comes or someone gets kicked out of their previous dorm. Whichever comes first." She wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or not. Some may have considered it a blessing, but she was undecided. Sure, it was relaxing to have a room to herself, and it did give her a level of privacy other students didn't have. But it meant she missed out on all the fun! For a start, she wouldn't have an automatic friend at the academy. There would be nobody there to support her if she came back to her dorm on a bad day. And she would miss out on one of the benefits of boarding school. Was she waiting for a newbie or an outcast to walk in the door? Kind of, yeah.

"I remember all of it," was what Adriel said of Heaven. She went on to explain it, and Lila actively took in every piece of information she described. After all, that was to be her home once she died. And in Manta Carlos? You could survive for a hundred years, or a day. There didn't seem to be any fear of death amongst those who are immortal, or semi-immortal, or even just hard to kill. Lila had lived in a society where when someone died, the whole neighbourhood mourned for days, cried, had a sad funeral and then kept pictures of the deceased in their homes to remember them. She got the feeling that a death here called for a party, or drinks, or people just getting over it.

It was going to be hard to properly adjust here. Even though she was well aware of her virtual immortality, it was scary to think she would die in the body she felt so human in, the only body she had ever known. That she would leave the life she had for something else. And if Adriel's story counted for the whole Angel species, her memories would be wiped. And wouldn't that be to the same effect of dying? She wouldn't realise she had previously lived a life until her teenage years, maybe even older than she was now. Either way, the thought of both eternal and mortal life scared her out of her mind, and to experience both? She would get the sensations of both lives, but she would also just die over and over again. What if it eroded away her emotions?

Adriel's explanation of Heaven made absolutely no sense to Lila, but she somehow knew what the Angel was trying to say. Sort of. "So... Were there like... Physical structures? Buildings, cars, that kind of thing? Or was it all..." Lila searched for the proper words, "Just like a feeling, or a dream?" Her perception of Heaven had probably been disfigured as a result of movies and books. Her mother hadn't spent much time there at all, and so couldn't describe it effectively. Adriel, on the other hand, seemed to know much more about being an Angel and had so much more experience. Her mother was a relatively young Angel, Adriel was definitely thousands of years older than her. To confirm the reliability of what was said, she asked, "Did you spend much time there?"

As for Lila's homework, Adriel suggested Michael. She had heard of him many times, from her mother especially. He had an interesting story, as far as Angels go, and was recognisable so that she could find plenty of information on him. He was one of the Angels she had been considering when first handed the assignment based on her prior knowledge of him. But her casual tone suggested she wasn't going to get much of the most interesting parts of Adriel's past. This wasn't surprising, she appeared to have emotions running around like crazy inside of her mind. Maybe that's what seven thousand years of living does to someone, even someone as powerful as the girl, Lila thought. She had dodged around the question well, maybe even realised the younger Angel's hunger for information.

"No I can't!" Those words sliced the fragile bond between the two Angels like a knife. She had not only offended Adriel, she had really hurt her, and the anger on her face was pure. It seemed once again like she was the intimidating, powerful, dangerous stranger she had met earlier. Bookshelves rattled threateningly, and Lila was quick to become afraid of her again, her face showing a mix of guilt and fear that she didn't even think to cover up, and her body trying not to curl up in a ball and scream.

She he knew it was her own fault. She knew that this anger was a result of her stupid instinctive comment. This wasn't an Angel to be messed with, considering she could likely throw a person through a window like a ragdoll. It was then that Lila realised how little self-control she possessed. In the human world, she could just erase people's memories if she said something like that, and prepare herself for surprises. Here, against and among powerfully-minded individuals, many much older and more experienced than her, she was weak. Adriel's mind didn't seem like one to be subject to manipulation, considering her power which stemmed from the mind. There was no erasing what she had done anymore, she had to be more honest, more careful. "I- I'm so sorry! I don't know why that happened, please don't hurt me! The only way I can get to Heaven myself is if I die. I just- I'm not sure what I was thinking!"

When Adriel admitted she was banished, Lila was both curious and wary. A fallen Angel? One that powerful? She could be even more dangerous than she thought. But she seemed so nice, kind of, so shy and not really an evil creature. Sure, she lost her temper at Lila's comment. But she had every right to, it was terrible what she had said. It was just... Her mother had told her these people were banished for a reason, and to stay away from them. But this girl didn't seem the way her mother had described them. She was lost for words. She felt regret, for saying something so offensive, wonder, intimidation, but most of all, curiosity. She wouldn't stop talking to Adriel because of a stereotype, or because of her outbursts. She just wanted to fill in the gaps she had about her species and how she came to be. She just had to know more.

((OOC: Yeah, I'd be happy to))

"I remember all of it," was what Adriel said of Heaven. She went on to explain it, and Lila actively took in every piece of information she described. After all, that was to be her home once she died. And in Manta Carlos? You could survive for a hundred years, or a day. There didn't seem to be any fear of death amongst those who are immortal, or semi-immortal, or even just hard to kill. Lila had lived in a society where when someone died, the whole neighbourhood mourned for days, cried, had a sad funeral and then kept pictures of the deceased in their homes to remember them. She got the feeling that a death here called for a party, or drinks, or people just getting over it.

It was going to be hard to properly adjust here. Even though she was well aware of her virtual immortality, it was scary to think she would die in the body she felt so human in, the only body she had ever known. That she would leave the life she had for something else. And if Adriel's story counted for the whole Angel species, her memories would be wiped. And wouldn't that be to the same effect of dying? She wouldn't realise she had previously lived a life until her teenage years, maybe even older than she was now. Either way, the thought of both eternal and mortal life scared her out of her mind, and to experience both? She would get the sensations of both lives, but she would also just die over and over again. What if it eroded away her emotions?

Adriel's explanation of Heaven made absolutely no sense to Lila, but she somehow knew what the Angel was trying to say. Sort of. "So... Were there like... Physical structures? Buildings, cars, that kind of thing? Or was it all..." Lila searched for the proper words, "Just like a feeling, or a dream?" Her perception of Heaven had probably been disfigured as a result of movies and books. Her mother hadn't spent much time there at all, and so couldn't describe it effectively. Adriel, on the other hand, seemed to know much more about being an Angel and had so much more experience. Her mother was a relatively young Angel, Adriel was definitely thousands of years older than her. To confirm the reliability of what was said, she asked, "Did you spend much time there?"

As for Lila's homework, Adriel suggested Michael. She had heard of him many times, from her mother especially. He had an interesting story, as far as Angels go, and was recognisable so that she could find plenty of information on him. He was one of the Angels she had been considering when first handed the assignment based on her prior knowledge of him. But her casual tone suggested she wasn't going to get much of the most interesting parts of Adriel's past. This wasn't surprising, she appeared to have emotions running around like crazy inside of her mind. Maybe that's what seven thousand years of living does to someone, even someone as powerful as the girl, Lila thought. She had dodged around the question well, maybe even realised the younger Angel's hunger for information.

"No I can't!" Those words sliced the fragile bond between the two Angels like a knife. She had not only offended Adriel, she had really hurt her, and the anger on her face was pure. It seemed once again like she was the intimidating, powerful, dangerous stranger she had met earlier. Bookshelves rattled threateningly, then crashed and disintegrated and Lila was quick to become afraid of her again, her face showing a mix of guilt and fear that she didn't even think to cover up, and her body trying not to curl up in a ball and scream.

She he knew it was her own fault. She knew that this anger was a result of her stupid instinctive comment. This wasn't an Angel to be messed with, considering she could likely throw a person through a window like a ragdoll. It was then that Lila realised how little self-control she possessed. In the human world, she could just erase people's memories if she said something like that, and prepare herself for surprises. Here, against and among powerfully-minded individuals, many much older and more experienced than her, she was weak. Adriel's mind didn't seem like one to be subject to manipulation, considering her power which stemmed from the mind. There was no erasing what she had done anymore, she had to be more honest, more careful. "I- I'm so sorry! I don't know why that happened, please don't hurt me! The only way I can get to Heaven myself is if I die. I just- I'm not sure what I was thinking!"

When Adriel admitted she was banished, Lila was both curious and wary. A fallen Angel? One that powerful? She could be even more dangerous than she thought. But she seemed so nice, kind of, so shy and not really an evil creature. Sure, she lost her temper at Lila's comment. But she had every right to, it was terrible what she had said. It was just... Her mother had told her these people were banished for a reason, and to stay away from them. But this girl didn't seem the way her mother had described them. She was lost for words. She felt regret, for saying something so offensive, wonder, intimidation, but most of all, curiosity. She wouldn't stop talking to Adriel because of a stereotype, or because of her outbursts. She just wanted to fill in the gaps she had about her species and how she came to be. She just had to know more.

((OOC: Yeah, I'd be happy to))

"I remember all of it," was what Adriel said of Heaven. She went on to explain it, and Lila actively took in every piece of information she described. After all, that was to be her home once she died. And in Manta Carlos? You could survive for a hundred years, or a day. There didn't seem to be any fear of death amongst those who are immortal, or semi-immortal, or even just hard to kill. Lila had lived in a society where when someone died, the whole neighbourhood mourned for days, cried, had a sad funeral and then kept pictures of the deceased in their homes to remember them. She got the feeling that a death here called for a party, or drinks, or people just getting over it.

It was going to be hard to properly adjust here. Even though she was well aware of her virtual immortality, it was scary to think she would die in the body she felt so human in, the only body she had ever known. That she would leave the life she had for something else. And if Adriel's story counted for the whole Angel species, her memories would be wiped. And wouldn't that be to the same effect of dying? She wouldn't realise she had previously lived a life until her teenage years, maybe even older than she was now. Either way, the thought of both eternal and mortal life scared her out of her mind, and to experience both? She would get the sensations of both lives, but she would also just die over and over again. What if it eroded away her emotions?

Adriel's explanation of Heaven made absolutely no sense to Lila, but she somehow knew what the Angel was trying to say. Sort of. "So... Were there like... Physical structures? Buildings, cars, that kind of thing? Or was it all..." Lila searched for the proper words, "Just like a feeling, or a dream?" Her perception of Heaven had probably been disfigured as a result of movies and books. Her mother hadn't spent much time there at all, and so couldn't describe it effectively. Adriel, on the other hand, seemed to know much more about being an Angel and had so much more experience. Her mother was a relatively young Angel, Adriel was definitely thousands of years older than her. To confirm the reliability of what was said, she asked, "Did you spend much time there?"

As for Lila's homework, Adriel suggested Michael. She had heard of him many times, from her mother especially. He had an interesting story, as far as Angels go, and was recognisable so that she could find plenty of information on him. He was one of the Angels she had been considering when first handed the assignment based on her prior knowledge of him. But her casual tone suggested she wasn't going to get much of the most interesting parts of Adriel's past. This wasn't surprising, she appeared to have emotions running around like crazy inside of her mind. Maybe that's what seven thousand years of living does to someone, even someone as powerful as the girl, Lila thought. She had dodged around the question well, maybe even realised the younger Angel's hunger for information. "Yeah, okay, that's a good idea," she said, hiding her slight disappointment.

"No I can't!" The words sliced the fragile bond between the two Angels like a knife. Lila felt guilt, streaming through her, filling her with the horrible knowledge that she had done something very, very wrong. She had not just offended Adriel, she had downright hurt her, angered her, something the younger girl didn't know she was capable of unintentionally doing. Bookshelves shook, and Lila knew they were back to the start in terms of their relationship. It brought her straight back to the first moment they shared in the library, when the books fell off the shelf. "I- I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. Please... don't hurt me. Truth is, I can only get to Heaven if I die. But I don't really want to find out that much. I- I think I can wait for that."

Then she realised, this time was worse. Much, much worse. The bookshelves themselves were sent tumbling, smashing into smithereens, disintegrating before her very eyes. She frantically looked around, first for people under the shelves and next for teachers, or other students in the library who witnessed the damage. But who was she kidding? This was a magical school. Somebody was going to find out exactly whose fault the catastrophe was. She wondered, was there anyone with powers to fix this? Considering the sheer variety of students at the school, and teachers for that matter, could someone clean up their mess?

But her focus quickly returned to Adriel. She showed pure anger on her face, unmistakable for anything else. Lila would be lying if she said she felt scared. She was petrified. She had really, really hurt the girl. She didn't know why but she had. And she soon got her answer. "I was banished." So she was a Fallen Angel? An Angel that powerful? That could be very dangerous. But somehow it seemed... Different. Adriel had been nothing but pleasant to her, aside from her outburst, which was deserved, she had to admit. Her mother had always taught her to stay away from Fallen Angels, that they were banished for a reason, but she saw the good in Adriel. It could be the dumbest thought she had ever had, but she saw the Angel as a good one. Dangerous, sure, but there was righteousness in her. She had morals. She seemed to want companionship. Lila wondered how she was banished, but didn't want to push the topic.

Fortunately, she wasn't given the choice. Adriel fled the library with her wings, fast, maybe faster than Lila could fly. She was left standing there, in the debris, alone. With one thing on her mind. She knew she needed to keep talking to Adriel. She had parts of her own history she needed to fill in, and she seemed to have all the answers. With that, she let her wings out and speedily got out of the library.

((OOC: Yeah, I'd be happy to))