yes, we believe in the wisdom of our god

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella is generally referred to as: promising.

Angels in general are a breed apart. Of course they've all got lovely voices, they've all got classical music training and know the masses and prayers, they're all blessed winged creatures -

But that doesn't mean they're all smart, or all good, even (Isabella was taken to see Windy Point, once, or what's left of it, and of course she sees the scars on Galo Mountain every year at the Gloria; there stood angels who were not good). And Isabella is smart and good.

Isabella is always the first to volunteer for an intercession. She likes them. She'll call down weather, plead for seeds, pray a shower of medicine to fall from the sky, and she will get what she asks for, and she loves nothing more than to dive from hours aloft in prayer and clasp the hands of the people she helped and go home to the Eyrie to take on her next assignment. When there are none - when there is the right amount of rain and sun in the province, when there is no plague and no famine - she studies. She studies a bit of everything, but she fancies herself particularly a historian, investigating the accounts of Archangels' reigns past. From books, mostly, although once she wrangled herself a year in Cedar Hills to assist the Archangel Linus, and when she is in the Eyrie she closely follows the leader of the host there, the former term-lapsed Archangel Delilah.

She tried to get in with the other living former Archangel, too, Alleluia the oracle who served as Delilah's interim while the latter's wing recovered from an injury, but after a few hours' conversation Alleluia said that she could not accept Isabella as even a temporary acolyte and sent her to Peninnah instead. Isabella learned a lot from Peninnah, but she's confused about why Alleluia turned her down personally only to send her to another oracle, after such a prolonged interview. Particularly since Sinai is in her own province; what was the point in sending her all the way to Gaza?

But the instruction came from an oracle, and oracles' words more often than not come from Jovah. She went to Gaza, learned from Peninnah, and went home.

Now she is back at the Eyrie, and the first thing she wants to do is let Delilah know that she's back. Her wings aren't so tired that she can't immediately fly to the Corinnis or the outskirts of Semorrah or anywhere and accomplish something. Failing that, she'd love to sign up for harmonies again now that she's home and wants to know what she ought to schedule around.

Delilah is with her husband Noah, and a visitor. He doesn't seem like a petitioner, and he doesn't look like an Edori, although the fact that he and Noah are talking in Edori suggests that he might be an adopted one. (There are hardly any Edori of either sort left; most of them live in Ysral, now.) Isabella waits patiently outside the door for the host leader's attention.

Comments

[jovahs_heiress]

"His son. Probably. Abel isn't an angel, so it's hard to be sure, but he looks more like Elisha than like the other possibilities," says Isabella, sounding resigned.

[pythbox]

"Um..." says Micaiah.

[jovahs_heiress]

"I think things will improve in a few years. Elisha just doesn't seem to... see the point of babies, when they can't talk yet, let alone sing," Isabella says apologetically. "It was the same with his brothers when they were babies, and he likes them both very much now. And Abel's mother is nice as angel-seekers go."

[pythbox]

"That's better," he says doubtfully. "I just... I feel like you should either love your kids, or give them to somebody who will and then leave 'em alone."

[jovahs_heiress]

"There used to be much more of a problem in that department before the angelica Rachel. She and Gabriel set up a sort of a school system that now has branches near each angel hold and it absorbs... strays," says Isabella. "I think about it sometimes, but I'm not sure what else to do. The angel population is a real problem. Gabriel started his tenure with barely a hundred angels flying around Samaria, because the entire contingent of Windy Point died - some of poison when they wouldn't follow Raphael, some by thunderbolt when they did and he challenged Jovah - and we still haven't gotten back up to the numbers we had before that in all the intervening generations. The angel-seekers are willing, angels like Elisha are willing - and the mortal children are - not an easily avoidable consequence of all this willingness," she shrugs helplessly. "If the mothers of angels weren't honored and welcomed into the holds, I'm sure fewer would try to join their ranks, but then there would be fewer angels."

[pythbox]

"So what are you gonna do about that?" he asks with a quirk of a smile.

[jovahs_heiress]

"...About... there not being enough angels, you mean...?"

[pythbox]

"Yeah, that's about where I was going with that," he agrees.

[jovahs_heiress]

She looks down. "Well. I've always expected to have children. One day. It's strange that I'm an only child - it's only because Rinnah had a stillbirth and hasn't been able to get pregnant since. We are supposed to try."

("We" here means "angels" - but it would be easy to interpret it as meaning "Isabella and Micaiah".)

[pythbox]

"Do you want to try?"

[jovahs_heiress]

"I have... mixed feelings about... timing. I have a lot that I want to do. And really, the hold is set up so that having the baby is all anyone expects a mother of a winged child to do. If I make a little angel and for some reason I then want to spend all my time tearing around doing this and that and don't feel like parenting, no one's going to say a word against me, there's no shortage of people intensely concerned with the future of angelkind who'll take over. But that doesn't feel right to me. And I don't know when I'll ever have less to do."

[pythbox]

"If we have kids, I can be there for 'em when you can't," he says. "Unless I turn out to hate 'em; then I'll just get out of the way."

[jovahs_heiress]

"Yes, but - I don't know. If Charles had had to raise me half by himself, with Rinnah - doing - whatever? I wouldn't have liked that. I mean, of course she travels, all angels travel, but she didn't neglect me, she often took me along. And sometimes I think I'm so busy, that I arrange to be so busy as a matter of habit, that I would wind up being neglectful." She sighs. "Histories can tell me all kinds of things about politics. They can't tell me much about how all the movers and shakers handled their children, privately."

[pythbox]

Micaiah hugs her.

"Okay."

[jovahs_heiress]

"While I'm still promised several days of no assignments I'm going to - fly to Sinai and see where Alleluia sends me," Isabella says obliquely. "After grabbing some breakfast. Are you going to be bored? Do you want me to fly you to Velora - and leave you one of my bracelets - so you have someplace less repetitive to wander around in? You'll be able to climb back up the stairs if you're bored before I return," she adds, "it'll just take longer than flying."

[pythbox]

"I'll stay here," he decides. "And go use the music rooms, they're fun."

[jovahs_heiress]

"Okay. Did you figure out how to work the machines or do you want me to show you first?" she asks, starting for the kitchens; she didn't mind singing for an hour on an empty stomach but it has emphatically become breakfast time.

[pythbox]

"I'll figure it out," he says confidently.

[jovahs_heiress]

"Okay. Be careful not to break them - they were broken once a while ago and I'm sure it would annoy Caleb to be hauled all the way back here to fix them."

Breakfast is had, pastries and loaded omelettes and bowls of fruit. And then Isabella gives him one very thorough kiss and heads for the nearest takeoff point.

[pythbox]

Micaiah goes to the music rooms, and picks that song she was having him learn, and practices.

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella flies to Sinai.

Alleluia is surprised to see her again, but understands when asked the question, and provides what Jovah can tell her about Micaiah's birthplace.

It's not too far. It's in Semorrah. (Why does he keep reminding her of the angelica Rachel?)

She flies to Semorrah, and finds the records hall, and inquires after Canaan and Judith.

And she is sure to act sufficiently aloof that no one asks why.

[pythbox]

Canaan and Judith had one son, Azaziah, who went missing about ten years ago.

Now they have another one. His name is Nathaniel and he is nine years old.

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella receives an address from the hall of records - you don't gainsay an angel, not even a young one who won't tell you what she wants, unless you're looking for trouble.

She finds this address, and she sits on the roof of the stack of apartments across the street from it to see what she can see.

Introducing herself would let Micaiah's parents find her - and hence Micaiah. If she can determine that Nathaniel is no longer at this house, or that he's happy, she can just go.

If she determines that Nathaniel is present and unhappy, things are more complicated, but she can tell her father not to let anyone of Canaan's description into the Eyrie.

[pythbox]

Visible through the window: a little boy with dark messy hair and a solemn face, sitting quietly in a chair and watching an older woman read a book.

Apparently, Micaiah takes after his mother. Judith has the same hair and similar features.

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella decides to wait. She will interrupt if anything dreadful happens, but it will be easier if she can catch Nathaniel while he's out of the house away from his parents.