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 Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:00 pm
__ ________ A Chance Meeting ________ __
(Pre-Trauma)
The orphanage was as loud as always.
Kids of all ages were running every which way. Some of the younger children, about the ages of five or six, were playing a game of tag. No matter how many times Nanny told them not to run in the house, they still did it anyway. A group of young girls were having a make-believe tea party in the corner of the playroom. It was their third one this week. Off in the nursury, the numerous babies that the orphanage took care of were soundly asleep for their afternoon nap. How they could sleep through the racket of everyone else was beyond him.
Azrael himself sat in the far corner of the playroom just gazing out of the window.
He missed his friends. It had been two years since he had last seen them. Two long, never-ending years, it seemed like. Two day ago, it had been his birthday. Had he been with his friends, they would have spent the day celebrating and exploring the city. All that was impossible now. Azrael had screwed everything up by getting caught on his last job for Majed, and now he would never see any of them again. Being stuck in a place like this was never the way he had pictured things. Not in the slightest!
Oh, well. Living in the orphanage wasn't that bad. At least he had a roof over his head and food in his stomach. Even the company of the other children wasn't so bad, annoying as they were. He would just have to make the best of it all until one of two things happened: one, he grew old enough to age out of the system, or two, he was adopted. Considering how unlikely the second one would be, all of Azrael's bets were on the former.
---
"Welcome, Rabbi. We are pleased to have you and your wife here with us today at the orphange."
Off in the front of the building Saba, or Nanny as she was referred to by the children, was busy greeting visitors to the orphanage. Couples would come fairly often to adopt a child or two, but usually they were all locals. This couple was different. They were foreigners off visiting from a faraway land - something that was both very exciting and almost unheard of.
Benjamin Cohen and his wife, Esther, were visiting the desert region of Otalin. Both of them had relatives in the area, which they came to visit every year during the holidays. While the area wasn't new to them, the orphanage certainly was. Esther had been trying for years to have a baby, but with no success. The doctors said she would never be able to bare children of her own, so with that news, she and her husband decided to take the next best alternative: adoption.
"Thank you," Rabbi Cohen said with a warm smile on his face, "Esther and I are happy to be here."
The Cohens' presence, it seemed, had not gone unnoticed. By the time they got to the playroom, a group of kids of all different ages was standing there waiting to greet them. A smile could be seen on every one of their faces, along with hopeful sparkles in their bright eyes. It was obvious that they were hopeful. One of them would be going home with a family today!
It didn't take long until all the kids came to greet the couple. Everyone except Azrael.
"So, what sort of child are the two of you looking for?"
It was Esther who spoke up after they were asked this question. "Well," she said, smiling as gently to the children before looking back up at Saba, "Benjamin and I were both hoping to get a son." The rabbi nodded at this, only clarifying what his wife had told the head of the orphange. For as long as they could remember, the two of them had prayed for a son, and now they would be able to get one. Their prayers were finally being answered, and things were starting to look up!
"A son? Wonderful! Our boys here are all wonderful children just loo--.."
"Who is that," Esther interrupted, motioning over to the far end of the playroom at Azrael.
Saba blinked in surprised, then craned her head over to see who Mrs. Cohen had taken a sudden interest in. The nanny then sighed and waved her hand with a chuckle, saying, "Oh, that's Azrael. He's one of our older boys." Voice dropping, the nanny led the couple over to a secluded corner of the room where they wouldn't be bothered or interrupted. "Poor boy," she whispered, "he grew up on the streets for most of his life. The authorities brought him to us two years ago - he's been here ever since."
That was all the rabbi needed to hear. After hearing the boy's story from Saba, Benjamin quietly made his way over to the window. Neither of them spoke right away. Instead, Rabbi Cohen just gazed out of the window silently as he stood next to Azrael. It was only after a few minutes that he decided to speak and break the silence. "You miss being out there, don't you, Azrael? Being out there and able to explore the world and all it has to offer with your own two eyes."
These words caught Azrael off guard. Blinking, he hesitantly nodded. This man had a way with words.
"I thought so," the rabbi murmured with a soft smile. A hand raised up, gently resting on the boy's shoulder. "How would you like to explore a different part of the world? It has so much to offer, you know. And you wouldn't have to be alone anymore - my wife Esther and I, we could be your family. Only if you want to, that is..."
This was even more surprising. What? Had he heard the rabbi right? He wanted to adopt him?! Eyes wide and full of disbelief, the former street kid turned and gazed over at Saba. She was beaming at him encouragingly, the same look she had whenever one of the children at the orphanage was getting adopted. So, it was true! They did want to adopt him! Azrael couldn't believe it.
"Y-....yeah.." he managed to stammer after what seemed to be an eternity of silence. "I'd..I'd like that very much."
---
Everything seemed to fall into place after that. Almost as if his dreams had been answered. He wouldn't have to live on the streets any longer. There would be no more scrounging for food, no more dirty work for gangsters, and no more screaming kids and crowded orphanages. He had gotten what he had always wanted - a family of his own, and meeting the Cohen's that day had been a truly wonderful experience. It had been a chance meeting.
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:27 am
__ ________ Welcome Home ________ __
(Trauma)
The journey back to Eurlak had been a long one full of many firsts.
From his home in the orphanage in the desert to the coast of Otalin, the Cohens would take an airship. Azrael hadn't even seen such a ship before, let alone ride on one! The ship was quite bit, but rather modest on the inside. While not as luxorious as some of the airships of the wealthier owners, it would do to get the family from point A to point B. To both Benjamin and Esther, this mode of transportation was just an average thing. To the boy, however, it was a magnificent dream!
"Father, look at this...this..thing," Azrael exclaiming, gesturing to the airship with his hand animatedly. It was clear that he was excited to ride it, and he made no point in hiding it. "It's huge!" His father chuckled at his son's words. Such words from his son were typical, and Benjamin had a feeling he would be amazed even more during the course of their journey home. The simplest of things that everyday people took for granted back in Eurlak, Azrael was fascinated to behold. Watching and listening to their son as he caught glimpses of his new life were a treat, and both of his parents enjoyed it.
"Come along, dearest," his mother told him, "we have to board now if we want to make it to the coast on time."
It didn't take them long to reach the coast. While the trip was short, it was definitely enjoyable. Both his mother and his father spoke to him about all the things he would see once they got back to the city. Azrael couldn't wait! Once off the airship, the boy was faced with yet another first; his first ride on a sea vessle. A ship was awaiting them at the dock, just ready to set off for the big city. His time on the ship was going to be great!
...
At least, that was what he thought.
Voyaging across the ocean didn't always agree with everyone, and unfortunately Azrael was one of those people. It wasn't long after the boat had set sail did the boy become plagued with seasickness. He became quesy quick, unused to the waves of the ocean. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to explore the ship on his own, the duration of his voyage was spent over the side of the ship. By the time they had gotten to port, Azrael had had enough. He had decided that he didn't like sea ships any longer!
"Welcome to Eurlak, Azrael!"
As soon as the ship was docked, the Cohens had their luggage sent home ahead while they walked the rest of the way. Walking back home would enable their newly adopted son to take in the city and get used to the new place where he would be living. As he had fallen in love with the airship and the boat (before his unpleasant experience), Benjamin and Esther were sure that he would take to the city as well.
Unfortunately, Azrael didn't appear to be as enthused as they hoped.
The city was gigantic - at least ten times bigger than his little village in the desert! Whatever he had expected before...well, it wasn't this! Carriages bustled up and down the streets, and even the sidewalks seemed crowded. He thought the markets back home were crowded, but this? This was ridiculous! And then there was the buildings. Huge buildings that rose up into the sky of all different shapes and sizes. Azrael had never seen anything like them before, so naturally he was speechless.
The clothes everyone was wearing were different too. They were odd, actually. People where he used to live never wore such strange clothes. They looked uncomfortable, like you couldn't move around well in them. The boy scrunched his noise at the sight of them. How did anyone expect the children to run around, play and explore like that? None of them would be able to, for fear of getting their clothes dirty! It was ridiculous, Azrael thought - absolutely ridiculous!
By the time the family got back to their actual home, Azrael was exhausted. Drained of all his energy, he couldn't find the excitement and enthusiasm his parents showed as soon as they walked through the door. A big 'WELCOME HOME!' sign was hanging in the den, his father pointed out, but all the fifteen year old could do was stare at it.
Esther, worried for her son and sensing his exhaustion, quietly led him up the stairs of their home. Once they were on the second floor, she showed him his new bedroom. "Your father and I hope you'll be happy here," she told him gently while letting him explore. "We got you a new wardrobe as a gift. You'll have a whole new set of clothes." Great! Uncomfortable, stuffy clothing! "Well, I should let you get settled in..." Giving him a quick hug, she made her way to the door to leave, but then stopped before she did. "Oh, before I forget. Your father will be taking you to the doctor soon for a checkup. Then he'll also be taking you to the synagogue where he works; I think you'll enjoy it."
Those were his mother's last words to him for the night. Now he was alone in his strange new bedroom with only his thoughts. Eurlak was strange, too foreign for his tastes. The airship, the boat, the buildings, the people, the clothes - it was all too much! He was overwhelmed, and he missed Otalin.
Without even bothering to take off his clothes and put on a pair of his brand new pajamas, Azrael curled into bed. He then began to drift off to sleep, and as he did, a gentle voice whispered to him in the back of his mind.
'Welcome home, Azrael. You don't have to worry; I'll be there whenever you need me.'
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:22 pm
__ ________ Eyes Unclouded ________ __
(Post-Trauma)
About a week after they first arrived back to Eurlak, his father decided to take Azrael to the doctor. Now the rabbi sat in the waiting room, quietly anticipating when his son would walk out of the doctor's office. Benjamin couldn't help but be a little anxious. This was, after all, his son's first doctor's appointment. Hopefully, the boy would be perfectly healthy, but he wasn't so sure. The health care opportunities in the region of Otalin Azrael was from weren't exactly the greatest, so the rabbi found himself holding his breath as he waited.
The door to the doctor's office opened a half an hour later, and both Azrael and the doctor walked out.
"His check up went well, Rabbi," the doctor said with a smile. "Azrael is health is great, except there is one thing." Benjamin frowned at this, his gaze drifting from his son, to the doctor, and back again. "What is it? Is it serious?" The fifteen year old shuffled his feet awkwardly at his father's concern, and slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Relax, father..."
The doctor chuckled at the rabbi's concern and shook his head. "It's not serious at all! Calm down, Benjamin. Azrael is just going to need glasses. His vision isn't the best. In fact, I'm surprised he did so well growing up in the deserts." When the doctor said that all Azrael would need was glasses, the rabbi let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't as bad as he had expected.
"We should be able to get Azrael fitted for a pair right now, if you like."
So that was that. Early in the morning when he had first went to his appointment, Azrael had got in unable to see to the best of his ability. Ever since he could remember, things off in the distance appeared fuzzy to him, but there was nothing he could do. He had to learn to live with it, since he didn't have the resources growing up. Now he was returning home wearing a new pair of glasses. Everything was so clear now! He could finally see everything, but it would take some getting used to.
"How does it feel being able to fully see, my boy," his father asked as they walked through the front door. "I...I guess it's alright. I never really thought I'd be able to do much about my sight," he admitted. "Kids don't exactly get glasses a lot at the orphanage." His father nodded at this, and raised a hand to ruffle Azrael's hair. He had changed a bit over the short time he had been home. Although they weren't exactly comfortable right now, he was getting used to his new clothes. His hair was now freshly washed every day, and with his new glasses, he looked rather dashing. The only thing that hadn't changed about him was the scar on his cheek.
"Thanks for taking me to the doctor's, father. I'm going to go to my room now."
His room was his sanctuary, the place where he could go to gather all of his thoughts and just relax by himself. As soon as he walked in, he took off his shoes and collapsed on to his bed. "First new clothes, now new glasses. Who knew I would be living like this.." the teenager mumbled to himself. A giggle then resonated in his mind, soft - almost inaudible. What followed next surprised him.
'You look quite fetching with your new glasses. See? Things aren't that bad here. You'll get used to it all, in time.'
"What are you?"
'All in good time, Azrael. All in good time,' it said before giggling again, and that was it. The voice inside of his head was gone. Or if they weren't gone, then they had at least stopped talking.
Uggh! It was so frustrating! His sight gets fixed, and a whole other situation springs up! There was something talking to him inside his head, and he had no idea what it was. Well, if there was anything he was certain of, it was this: he was going to find out what that voice was, no matter what it took.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:32 pm
__ ________ "What are you, exactly?" ________ __
(Animal Form #1)
Outside the synagogue that his father was the rabbi of, Azrael could be seen sitting on the front steps near the sidewalk. It was a crisp Saturday morning and despite the fact that he was by himself, he didn’t seem lonely. Far from it – the boy looked quite content. He held his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees as he watched the people pass by on the street in front of him. Today was a nice day, one he could relax on. Then again, Shabbat always was like that, or so his father told him.
’Are you enjoying yourself,’ asked a voice inside Azrael’s head.
The boy, seemingly unphased by the voice at this point, just nodded with a smirk.
A flutter of wings appeared in his mind after he nodded, and that was enough to catch his attention. Wings? Did he just see wings? Azrael’s posture changed, and he sat up straighter after seeing a glimpse of what was speaking to him in his mind. Could this thing finally be showing itself to him?
“Wings,” he murmured outloud, “you have wings?”
The voice giggled, as if it were amused, ’Of course, I have wings. And other things, too. Would you like to see?’
“Yes! Of course I would! What did you think I would say?”
The images that followed were quite surprising; things that the fifteen year old didn’t expect to see. The white wings of a bird, some sort of swan, perhaps; the head of an elephant; a mane of a white lion; a leg of a reptile – some sort of gecko; and the bottom of koala, he guessed. This…this thing? That was what was talking to him! How odd!
“What are you, exactly?”
’I’m a part of you, you silly boy. A part of your soul.’
A part of his soul. Was that possible? Now that he thought about it, though, his father did mention something about the souls of people manifesting into the forms of animals…
’I’m your daemon.’
Azrael blinked at this, an eyebrow raising. This was confusing. Why was it – or she, rather (this “daemon” had a feminine voice) – so many animals at once? Perplexed, he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to figure it out. “You’re too many animals at once,” he said with a curt nod. “Why can’t you be one thing?”
’In time, I will be. Just be patient.’
What else could he do? Satisfied by the voice’s answer, he just shrugged and got up from his spot on the step. “I suppose. I like your head, though. The trunk is neat. And the wings, too. Very beautiful. The mane is pretty, too, which I bet is quite soft. Those parts stick out the most,” he noted, “so when you do pick a form, pick one of those.”
’Perhaps,’ said his daemon, ’you’ll just have to wait and see.'
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:04 pm
__ ________ Naava’li ________ __
(Animal Form #2)
A couple days had passed since Azrael’s daemon had revealed herself to him. But there was still something that was off. At the time, he couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, but there was definitely something that was bugging at him. Her various forms? It couldn’t be those. The boy and his daemon had sat up for hours during the night talking about them. The wings stuck out for him the most at the moment. Perhaps that was because they were the first thing his daemon ever showed him? Yet even so, her wings weren’t what was on his mind at this point in time.
’What’s wrong, Azrael?’
The boy frowned as he marched up the stairs to his bedroom after dinner. This was his normal routine, as relaxing in his room after dinner was served enabled him some quiet reflection time. Surely, he would be able to figure out what was bugging him in there.
“I don’t know,” he admitted out loud after shutting the door to his bedroom. “Something is just on my mind, and it won’t go away.”
Although he couldn’t see her, inside his mind, he knew that his daemon was blinking. She would go into some serious thought after this. If there was one thing he loved about his daemon, it was that she was always willing to help him. That’s a good thing.
A few hours later, after still getting no where, Azrael punched his pillow in frustration. “Gaaaah,” he growled, collapsing against the pillow he had just punched. “You know, it would be a whole lot easier and more convenient if you had a name!”
Ding! The lightbulb just went off!
That was it! That was what had been on his mind all of this time. His daemon – she needed a name. After all, she couldn’t remain nameless for his entire life. That wouldn’t be good at all. Who had a nameless daemon. No one, that’s who!
“That’s it!” he exclaimed to himself as he jumped out of bed. “I’m going to give you a name!”
’A name?’
“That’s right. You don’t have one, after all. Everyone needs a name.”
’I suppose…’ his daemon mumbled, pondering over what the boy had said. ’What did you have in mind?’
What did he have in mind? If he was going to be honest, then nothing. There were thousands of names out there, so how was he supposed to begin? Not only that, but once he began, who was to say that she’d like his suggestions? She could hate every thing he threw at her for all he knew.
A good twenty minutes later, after thinking long and hard, something finally popped into his head. “Hmm…how about Naava’li?”
’Naava’li,’ the daemon repeated, as if she were getting a feel for the name. ’I like it.’
So that was that. There was no need to think anymore after that. If Naava’li was what she liked, then Naava’li was what she would be.
“Okay. Naava’li it is, then!”
[ OOC Note: Naava'li is called Vali for short. ]
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