(( OOC: I’ve been given permission to use Angela Rose’s Clergy for this post.  I also have permission to say that Angela is hanging things up. ))

Something wasn’t right.  Well, if you asked the citizens of the Jazel Village they would tell you otherwise.  Their people had not only been sprouting back to life, but they had been rejuvenated by decades.  And while this was seen as a blessing, a miracle, he knew of no deity capable of such a feat.  Or at least, not one that would dare do such a thing, and who else would have so much power other than a deity…?  As far as he knew no one had recently ascended, not that he was known for keeping up with that sort of thing, but an action of this magnitude could hardly go unnoticed.
 
It wasn’t until he’d made the journey to the Plains of Bohar that it became all too clear.  The closer he came to the village, the more he recognized this type of magick.  Angela…?  He dared not get too close, unsure of what the aftershock would be, if there even was one.  But this was unlike her.  True, Angela was known to have her moments and outbursts if given the right situation, but something like this…?  No, she couldn’t possibly. 
 
Now it had been a week since he’d bore witness, and it still hadn’t left his thoughts.  His concerns hadn’t dwindled either.  “You’re not seriously about to get involved with that family again are you?  You must be exceptionally masochistic today.”  He shook his head but didn’t bother answering him.  Honestly, he wasn’t even sure how to.  This wasn’t his business, it had nothing to do with him and he barely had any connection left to the core of the Rose family…but he couldn’t let this one go.  If it hadn’t been by Angela’s own will that such a thing had happened, then that meant there was a chance someone could mean her harm.  The Mother had always been more than capable of handling herself, but it was the principle of the matter that someone would even dare go so far.  Or maybe it was none of these things and he was simply curious.
 
No matter what the reason may be, it had brought him to The Sundering Gardens.  He hesitated, remembering briefly what had happened the last time he was here, and already feeling a dull numbing pulse at the center of his forehead.  He rubbed it absentmindedly, willing it to go away and trying his best not to think about the person who had put it there in the first place.  With a deep breath he forced himself to keep going, only to be met by a clergy almost immediately.
 
They were a young man, or at least they appeared to be, and could be no older than twenty in physical age.  He was taken aback, males weren’t usually what came to mind when he thought about anyone pertaining to the Rosenites, but after all a clergy could be anyone from anywhere.  They greeted him with a warm smile, as if the two had met at some earlier time but for the life of him he couldn’t recall having ever seen his face.  Though to be a faculty of this temple he wouldn’t be surprised if all of them were friendly. 
 
Whoever this member was, they knew his name…he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but kept himself on guard just in case.  He was entering Angela’s domain now, knowing full well she had full reign over what happened from this point forward.  Unlike the last time he didn’t have to go through the many trials and walked silently with the man. 
 
Rose ensnared pillars were the only ones that greeted them as they moved through, but he stopped leading him after a few minutes.  He paused with him, looking at him expectantly, “I have no need to go further.  Please, go through there…”  His arm outstretched, gesturing further down the hallway he had been leading him down where there was but one door to go through.
 
“She’s there…?”  He asked him.  The clergy answered him with a gentle nod and a growing smile.  “You’re sure this is the smart thing to do?”  He didn’t like being reminded of that, but hearing Minasé’s voice calmed him: he was still there, which meant they weren’t repeating what had happened last time they were here.  Being filled with more confidence, he walked down the hall and hesitated at the edge of the door before walking through.
 
What he saw took his breath away: had he not known any better he would have thought he’d stepped through a portal leading him to the calmest areas of the most beautiful forest he’d ever seen.  The room was awash in every shade of green he’d ever seen, dotted by sunlight like gentle showers across the cool grass.  The temperature was pleasant and there was the lightest sound of the natural inhabitants of a forest: wind, light skittering, birds communicating in song, and if he strained he could have sworn he heard falling water.  The fresh green scent of life filled his nostrils as did the earthy smell of dirt and bark.  He looked behind him, seeing the hallway outside of the door, a stark contrast to the room he was in.
 
He ventured in further, slowly turning the deeper he went until his sights landed on her.  She was a few paces ahead of him yet, her back turned to him as she placed things into what seemed like thin air but held stability as if it were a wall.  As she turned to get something else he saw the bulge of her stomach and his lips parted, frozen momentarily. Wait…  Suddenly he realized what this room might be and he felt like a horrible intruder, as if walking in on something he had no right to be a part of.  It wasn’t usual that he felt awkward around her and quickly spoke to make up for his silence, “A-Angela.”   Minasé’s laughter resonated in his head.

Angela was the reigning queen of all things Life now. No god could come along and take that title unless they planned on fighting her for it. She took a heavy sigh, this wasn’t what she wanted. She was hanging decorations up in Rohan’s room as she got closer to her due date for the little one. What to do. What to do.


She had felt Naota enter her realm and she was sure she knew what the Vampire Hunter was up to. She had done something that most people could only dream, even if it was on accident. She hummed to herself until the young man got here. Her eyes drifted over to him for a moment. “Don’t say it like I don’t want you here. Minase maybe since he won’t stop his laughter. I can hear you boy.” She gave Naota a smile. 

“If you are here about Jazel, I can tell you yes it was me, and no I didn’t mean to.” She took a sigh. “I was trying to fix the problem Justice was having. Do you remember the portal? Do you remember the sky falling and being able to see the conclave? That was us trying to fix the little problem with balance… Unfortunately when I launched her magic, I had used hers to launch it higher… Well… My magic landed all around Canelux. Jazel is the only one I’ve heard about but… Still it concerns me as much as it must concern you.”

She climbed down from where she was and smiled at him. “What do you think of Rohan’s room?” She put her hand on an elvish made crib and sighed a bit. “I think he will like it here. Iva had a room on a beach for the first few months. She loved the sound of the waves when she slept.”

He had mixed feelings when it came to Angela.  Even though she had professed more than once that she no longer had qualm with him, he couldn’t help but doubt.  Things were different now, even though things had been done without his knowledge he was still the root of why Holly had done what she’d done.  He was still the root of why she would forever be the way she was, trapped in the body of an adolescent, and there was always that chance that her wrath could resurface and there was nothing he would be able to do to stop it.  Especially not here.
 
His eyes turned away from her as she spoke, though he listened to each word spoken.  Minasé’s annoyance was think at the mention of him.  So all of this had been an accident?  Well that was a pretty potentially dangerous accident.  What if next time the consequences weren’t simply youth and resurrection?  Arguably that was still just as horrible: the dead were meant to stay dead, no matter how tempting it was to bring them back.  But he knew she didn’t need him to tell her that: life was her domain, and there was knowledge that the deities held that mortals like him would never know or understand.
 
The room was lovely and calming despite their conversation, and he was glad for the subject change even if that very grim topic was the whole reason he was here, “It’s lovely, I’m sure he’ll adore what you’ve done…” His tone was quiet, reluctant almost.  She was The Mother but it was still strange to actually be standing in front of her while she was with child.  The subject of children was still a touchy area with him anyhow, and just the resurgence of it in his head started the numbing pulse.  He had to stay focused before it spread.  Natsumi may have been gone, but her lock was still just as powerful as ever.
 
“Is there threat?” Now his eyes were slowly moving back to hers: his green locking to her red ringed, “Were you the only one whose magick was spread and amplified?” What if any other deity had been affected?  Surely they would have known by now but one couldn’t help but wonder and be worried.  His stomach churned with doubt, the conclave was strong and there was no denying that, but this little…hiccup had proved that even they had their vulnerabilities.

Angela nodded a bit and rubbed her belly softly. “He will adore it. I sense strong magic in him. He might be on par with Calanthe or even Holly which his bard skills. You should hear him sing Naota. I’ve never heard a baby in the womb sing before him.” She chuckled a bit. “All of my children leeched off my magic before they were born but he’s doing quite the number already. He’s strong but I imagine it is because his father is strong.”

Her eyes stared into his and shook his head. “No, I went to the town that recovered and everything was fine. The only annoyance I have to suffer through is more people making the trek to my temple now. That in itself could be a threat but as long as it is on my turf I can handle it. My magic is strongest here.” 

Thinking on his words she finished fussing for a moment or two and sighed. “As a matter of fact there has been a shift. Mendean the last Triune fell and Dalanesca, one of the new Goddesses, has proved her worth to the Voice. She took his place among us. Other than that the Voice hasn’t called on any more souls to become deities yet. It’s been oddly quiet on this end for some time besides the deal with myself and Dal.” 

Sighing she pondered. “Well there is also a new god but I have yet to meet them. She took Natsumi’s place among the conclave. I might have to call a meeting just so we can discuss this power gain. I watched many of my brothers and sisters die Naota. It isn’t a fun feeling to become close to people who could die.” She went over to her rocking chair and sat down as another chair spawned.

“I’ve been trying to figure out my visions when it comes to you. I’ve never particularly studied being a seer so I have no interest in it but still with my deity powers I have a bit of a gift now. It’s not strong so I can’t be sure what they mean. However, let me say it has a lot to do with why I thought you needed to be around Holly. Now I’m not so sure it was Holly that feeling was meant for.”

She twisted her face a bit in a frown. “I’m not use to being wrong but I do feel I am this time around.” After her brief sit she stopped him from sitting down. “Come with me. I might have an idea.” Leaving the small room she ventured out into the wide temple finding the stained glass doors to her throne room. “I am bothered by the lack of details I receive simply because my daughter was involved but that doesn’t mean I am upset with you. My brother in law, once the God of Fates, knew these things were to come to pass. I guess I learned from him that not all things are good.”

She went over to a bench and seated herself on the plush cusion. A low table and chair popped up. “Please sit. I’m going to tell your fortune. These cards are guided by the fate of the tree and the essence around your body. They tell no lies.”

She gently shuffled the cards in her hands. “They were hand painted by my son Ash. These cards have no equals in the Mortal Realm. They represent all that can and will be.”

She placed the first card down. It was a golden harp with apples drawn all over it. “The harp and apples. Do you know what these mean? A harp is the musical love and the apple is the ecstasy. This is your relationship with Holly. “However, the colors in this card have shifted meaning it was short lived but a stepping stone to where your fate lies.”

Shuffling the cards again she picked one at random and laid it out. “The hummingbird and sword. This is the soul of the person you have yet to meet. They are a warrior but the hummingbird is how you will see them. Ever moving and passionate.” The third card went down and she smiled. “The sun and moon. If you are the sun they are the moon. You are equals and fight as equals. You hold each other to high regard.”

When she pulled up the forth card she frowned. “It’s a fang and crystal. Disaster and magic. I can’t read anymore into this card… It’s very fuzzy for some reason I don’t know what it might mean.” She slid the card over to him. “Does this mean anything to you?” She figured it wouldn’t. 

Flipping the next it was a shell and heart. “Well, the shell and heart represents a mutual love but the shell means you are protective of this person. I have a feeling it has to do with the last card. You are their ocean as much as you are their tide. Whoever this is… is very strong and goes through a lot to show you that they can protect themselves.”

The next card she flipped was all white. She tilted her head. “It’s white? I have no blank cards in this deck so I don’t know what this means. Could be their hair.. or eyes? White has something to do with this person. It could also mean the purity of your relationship.”