[Open] And Did the Countenance Divine

[graveling]

Who: Angel and You
What: Properly priesting, or trying to at least
When: July
Where: Yes!
Warning(s): None yet

1. I will not cease from mental fight [Temple Matters]
With Degas on his sabbatical, Angel is taking on the full mantle of Priest of the Mothers. He’s wearing the brown robes of a priest and the green stole with braided knotwork patterns similar to Celtic designs along it, even though doing so makes him feel a little like a child in their father’s shoes.

Still, he’s here if you need guidance or blessing, trying to fill the role.


2. Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand [Milk and Honey]
As he’s trying to fill the role of full-time priest, Angel’s still in his robes as he brings products from Kasprak farm into town. Vegetables and fruits, eggs and goat’s milk. And, of course, honey, in small glass jars all with a wax stamp on top–a bee with a pair of stylized feathered wings.

He’s visiting stores and restaurants, but if you catch him on the carriage Arcadia’s pulling, you might get tossed a ripe tomato or offered a melon. There’s plenty to go around.


3. Till we have built Jerusalem [A Day Off]
Sometimes, it’s all a bit much. Angel occasionally runs away from his duties. Never on days when there are services planned, never when he’s scheduled for something. But when restlessness strikes, Angel’s feet take him to the wild parts of the island. Paradesium, Lockwood Forest near Elsie’s Tree, and even nosing around the cave near Tawny Beach, though it’s been caved in since he and River had their adventure. He isn’t wearing his robes, he hasn’t combed his hair, he might be up a tree or sitting on a rock, and he surely isn’t expecting company.

But still, if you approach, there’s a sheepish little nod and a wave.


4. In England's green and pleasant land [Wildcard]
[find me on discord at darkersolstice to plot]

Comments

[graveling]

"Does me giving me a hard time count?"

The question's quiet. Yes, there's no one in the vehicle but Angel itself, but it still feels like something you don't ask too loudly.

[lovinglefthand]

"Well, it's less than ideal," First Aid says gently. He lowers his own voice and starts driving a little more slowly, as if to match Angel's energy. "What are you giving yourself a hard time for? I thought you wanted this?"

[graveling]

"Oh, the usual. How can I be good enough when I can't even always manage being a person?" There's a sound that is clearly meant to approximate laughter. "I do want this, though. More than anything. This feels right, but is that enough?"

[lovinglefthand]

"Hm..." They've been around this conversation a few times before, but First Aid is always trying to think of a new way to try and help Angel get over this mental block. "Well," he now tries, "do you really have to be a person all the time, to be a good priest? I mean," he continues, thinking out loud, "The things that make people treat Degas like a priest, they're all based on the things he does, not the things that he might or might not be. Why wouldn't it be any different for you?"

[graveling]

Angel leans into his seat a little more. "I mean, you're right. But."

[lovinglefthand]

"But it's not quite as easy as that, right?" First Aid sighed through his vents. "You want to do right by people, but you're not sure if you're up to the task. It was like that for me too, when I was still brand new."

[graveling]

"How long did you consider yourself brand new, First Aid?" Because, like. Angel isn't a kid, but he also is newer than he looks.

[lovinglefthand]

"Hm...I think it probably took about a year before I stopped thinking that I was too new to handle things all the time? But that was in the middle of a pitched war, you know. I had to drive into battles all the time...it was a little bit of a trial by fire, heh." First Aid's laugh sounds a little flat to his own ears. "I don't think there'd be anything wrong with taking longer than that, to get your bearings."

[graveling]

“Okay, but that sounds kinda-sorta traumatic, to me.”

Sorry, but he’s not letting that flat laughter pass, today.

[lovinglefthand]

"I mean...I don't think I'm really in a good position to argue with that." First Aid bounces slightly on his shock absorbers, the vehicular equivalent of a shrug. "When your whole species is at war with itself, there's not really anywhere to send new people to get their bearings peacefully. Everyone's participation is needed. Especially for my team...humans were dying every day, because of our war. They needed someone to protect them."

"...I will say though," he adds after a moment, "Carrying people away from danger, patching them up after battle...it was stressful and scary, sure, but it also felt right. I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be."

[graveling]

"Mmm, do you still feel like that, like you're where you're needed here?"

It's a little bit of a subject change, but not too much.

[lovinglefthand]

"Oh yes." First Aid agrees without so much as a second's hesitation. "I miss my team, and I'm worried about everyone back home...but it still feels right that I should be here, doing what I'm doing now. I'm glad to have the chance to help so many people in need."

[graveling]

"Yeah? Good, I'm glad you're feeling satisfied, with everything you're doing. I think I am too."

[lovinglefthand]

"That's good! It's so important to have work that you can feel satisfied about, and take pride in. Just...you know, it's okay to have doubts and off days, too. Even my mentor Ratchet had doubts now and then, and he'd been a doctor for nine million years by the time I knew him."