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closed to: @quaiintrclle

Things had been in--flux. And when things are in flux, the world either finds it’s new sense of balance, or it shattered. Jairus had watched from a distance as Renee herself had entered a new state of being. He could understand where she was coming from, how severe the severing of a bond could be, but whereas his other half was gone--she was forced to face him every day. Whether in person, or on the TV, as he spread fear, and anger across the globe. It’s why he found himself here, at the Church she’d worked so hard to build, after hours, and slipping through nearly unseen until he could reach her office. He knocked on the doorway to let her know he was there, before shifting to sit down across from her in his usual chair, “Beautiful service, today.”

Where: Heaven Who: @davisadele

Heaven was....Heaven. But with it had come...an emptiness. A feeling that was odd and shouldn’t have happened with someone like him. Since stepping foot beyond Heaven’s Gate, he should’ve felt only happiness, but with half of his soul still missing, still gone, Jairus was far more grounded than the other souls surrounding him. He spent his days lost in thought, and eternities could pass in the blink of an eye, while he did nothing. 

Something shifted in his days of thought, a sense of anticipation thrummed through them, and he, like so many other souls with him, searched it out, searched for the life that had suddenly come into the realm of the dead. The shift was almost palpable, the gates suddenly singing, and Heaven shone brighter--God had come back, and with it--humans.

Jairus stayed back, watched as souls slipped back into where they were meant to be for all eternity after the Ascension was complete, but he remained. He watched as the humans that had been brought along for the momentous occasion started to scatter, and almost on a whim, he found himself shifting towards a rather familiar face, and one that he thought he wouldn’t see again until it was her time to join him. A smile grew on his face, something he hadn’t quite done in a very long time, and he came up behind her with a soft, “Adele..”

Caught off guard by Jairus’ words, Adele let out a small laugh before she shook it off with a shake of her head while they continued to dance. “I haven’t checked other than knowin’ that he didn’t know Belial was one when he told me the other day, so I’d like to believe that he was tellin’ me the truth. Not to mention he ain’t much for believin’ in the heavenly. If only he knew who close they are,” she told Jairus but as they spun around, her eyes danced off to where Elijah before she caught herself once more and grinned up at Jairus once more. “Though if that ain’t enough I know you’ve got plenty of resources to figure it out later if you don’t trust me.”

“Oh, I trust you. It’s everyone else I don’t trust around you.” If there was one thing Jairus was especially protective over, it was his Saints, and essentially every person who chose to follow his faith. If they were willing to put that much belief in his stance in the world, he could pay that back by making sure they were safe and taken care of. No matter what. “But if you wanted to sprinkle a little Holy Water on him just to make sure, couldn’t hurt.” Jai gave her a wink to let her know he was joking, and purposefully swung their last spin to end beside the objection of their conversation, “Huh, it looks like you have another person looking to fill your dance card...what do you think, want to give him a chance?”

“I haven’t been smilin’ more than usual…” She tried to deny but couldn’t, not with a straight face when she spied Elijah once more with another spin on the dance floor while it felt like the entire room shifted just enough that they were inches closer than before. Every time she tried to open her mouth, to say that he was only a friend and that was it; she felt something block the words as if the idea of putting it out there as anything but the truth couldn’t be trusted. This was Jairus, someone who she was closest to as the first person that she’d known since moving there and more than a boss; he was her friend. He was ALSO not the same kind of friend as Elijah  was to her as she glanced back over where the other stood and felt a slight flush to her cheeks which were thankfully hidden behind her mask. “I think you’d like him… I do.”

“Mhmm.” The best Jairus could give her was a raised brow and a rather unimpressed look, seeing right through the white lie, because he wasn’t blind. He watched the way the closer they moved towards the young man her eyes strayed further and further away from him, but he couldn’t fault her. He remembered the way affection blossomed into love in the chest, how it called to the other partner, searching out their attention and wanting to spend every last second with them. His heart panged in half-remembered love for the angel he’d lost, but there was a smile on his face as he shifted their dance even closer to the other wallflower, “I’m sure I would. You like him, and that’s enough for me. Although, he’s not a demon, right? You’ve checked?” The teasing words lit up his eyes behind his mask in a way they hadn’t in a long while. He hadn’t intended to enjoy the evening, but with the taste of memories on his tongue, and the pleasant company of one of his favorite people, how could he not?

With the sudden shift in her mind’s eyes, Adele didn’t worry about anyone who might have been watching them or even overthinking her dance steps as she’d been the moment that she’d thought she’d seen Elijah. Ever since earlier in the Great Hall when he’d disappeared for a moment, she hadn’t been able to find him anywhere as Jairus’ thoughtful words made her feel like he’d been reading her mind as she stared at him with a slack jaw. “What? There’s not…” She was already flustered by the fact that he’d been able to read her so easily and quickly at a mere glance to where she saw Elijah once more, this time unable to keep the smile from her features. “Elijah.”

Jairus raised a brow at the smile that grew on Adele’s face at the mere thought of the young man in the distance, and he had to wonder how he’d missed such a simple, and lovely, thing. “Is he the reason why you’ve been smiling more the last few weeks?” Since the potluck at Smooth Moves, and the subsequent burning, he’d tried his hardest to bring her spirits back up, but his own guilt and sickness had made it difficult. He was glad to know there was someone else out there that was able to cheer her up better than Jairus had been able to.

Kezia eyes lit up a thousand watts. “There’s a pig? A little pig?” Clapping her hands together, she let out a delighted noise. “Oh, I’ll have to go to that one then. I absolutely have to meet the pig.” Gluttony hadn’t been one of the rooms on her stops. But she was getting a little hungry and it stood to reason that Gluttony would be the best cure for that. “Observing?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow. “You’re at the grandest party ever and you’re just, like, people-watching?” A light smile painted along her lips though – she would have expected nothing else from Jairus, really.

Jairus chuckled softly at her excitement, “I believe Raziel was keeping an eye on her, so you might want to search him out if you wanted a pet.” He smiled slightly at her inquiry and shrugged, “As extravagant as the party is...it’s not entirely my style.” Jairus preferred to do things with his hands, not show off his ‘wealth’ and prowess Renee did. The event back in December had been born of Adele and Zoe’s minds, and he’d allowed them to build it into the beautiful get together that had ended rather climatically, but even then he’d chosen to simply watch. “I am glad to see everyone enjoying themselves. The potions were an interesting touch.” He took another sip of his win, this time the burst of flavor on his tongue was that of his favorite smoothie created by the young woman next to him.

“You’d better not,” she warned him with a warm smile before she let out a breath and focused on the music rather than on the fact that they were two among the crowd that already filled the dance floor. She could do this, even if her nerves were getting the better of her and part YELLED to stop and disappear back to the wall where she could stay out of the gazes of others but with Jairus’ careful guiding, her footsteps grew more confident while they moved faster. “Just like ridin’ a bike.” A smile lifted the corners of her lips when they made it an entire pass across the floor without taking out another or tripping over her own feet. It was one that only grew wider when she could have sworn that she saw a familiar set of curls in the distance as her gaze whipped over her shoulder before it was gone again.

Jairus didn’t mention that he wouldn’t even let it get that far. He might be weaker than usual, and the only thing that kept him going most days was the weight of the Church resting on his shoulders. As they reached the other end he smiled, and followed her quick gaze to a somewhat familiar face, and he felt a small smile curl on his lips, “So...what’s his name?”

“Then you should.” Adele nodded, knowing that if there was much to remember about her mother that she’d do the same thing but unfortunately, she barely remembered her at all and lived off the stories that her father gave throughout the years.. “I ain’t so sure ‘bout that,” she told him, nearly stumbling over him the moment she’d thought that she’d gotten the hang of it again before letting out a deep breath. It was enough to calm her down ( for the moment ) until she felt eyes watching her while they danced, enough to set her back on edge until she found who had singled them out among the small crowd of dancers that were already doing so much better than she was right then. “Somethin’ tells me that I’m more than likely to end up on the floor in a pile of limbs an’ dress if I’m not careful,” she replied with a small laugh when he spun her and watched as the dress lit up the space around them.

Jairus nodded, sure he could spend hours telling those around him about Zahariel, but as much as he enjoyed thinking about the angel, it still hurt. So much. The ache in his chest only tempered by the sickness in his veins, replacing the pain with something more sinister, and growing by the day. “If you end up down there, I’m going with you. Solidarity on the dance floor, all the way.” Jairus had more faith in her dance moves than she seemed to, and so brought her back into his arms and caused them to move a little faster, just enough to take her out of her head and allow her to focus on the movements, and not the eyes watching. “Now, just listen to the music. Focus on it, and let it show you how to move.”

Adele followed where he led, her eyes starting on their feet as to keep fro stepping on them despite his permission to do just that before she felt a sliver of confidence to meet his gaze after a few steps. She’d only stepped on him twice so far, her dance background ( albeit rusty ) was still fully intact and didn’t take long enough to catch up even despite her reservations. “I like when you talk about him, you get this soft look in your eye,” she mused thoughtfully, glancing up to catch his eye before she stepped on his foot and was staring at the floor once more with a flush to her cheeks. “Sorry, I ain’t… it’s been awhile since I’ve danced in public, longer still since it was a waltz, if ever.”

Jairus took it slow, keeping their dance to the edges of the ballroom so she wouldn’t have to worry about other dancers as well as her dress. “I enjoy talking about him too..” He didn’t do it enough, most grieving the loss in their own way, or having no knowledge of his connection to the angel, but the potion he’d drunk had brought about more memories of his past with the angel than he’d thought about in a long while. It had made it hard to stop sipping his wine, but Adele was one of the few people he cared about enough to break away from the memory of his lost love. “Take your time. It’ll come back to you.” With a slight smile, he took one of her hands, and twirled her in a slow spin.

“I think she had a hand in just ‘bout everyone’s look here tonight,” she replied softly as not to disturb anyone around them before her eyes were back on Jairus rather than the rest of the room that seemed to be swirling around while they danced in the background. Renee had more than a hand in her outfit, when just about everything she was wearing was thanks to the other woman. “It’s just a dress.” But it was too late when his glass was down and she was being lead towards the floor among the couples that’d been floating around like magic along with the rest of the night as she fought the urge to burst into flames at the thought of anyone watching her right then. “You dance… an’ this is the first I’ve heard of it? Why– is it ‘cause you knew that I’d make you dance all the time if I knew the truth?” 

“I’ve lived for a very long time, and somehow managed to attach myself to the only angel in heaven who had a soft spot for dance.” Before Zahariel, the most dancing Jairus had done was on the deck of his ship when his men and woman were in the mood for a shanty or two, but with the angel he’d quickly learned to love the different styles available. It wasn’t rare for the pair to be found at a dance class, rather out of place, but enjoying themselves nonetheless. “Now,  one hand in mine, the other on my shoulder, and if you step on my toes--don’t worry. They’ve gone through much worse.”

She shrugged a little at his protest, smile still beaming in place. “I guess that’s true. All right, are you having a good time, then?” He had smiled easily enough, at least, so she figured that was a good thing. “I am!” she said in answer to his observation. “I’m having an amazing time – this party is the best. And this mansion is fantastic.” She threw her arms out to indicate the expanse of the building. “Just kind of wandering, really. I was in the best room in the whole house – it has a sandbox – and then I went looking for some people and I found Zoe and Ethan. And now you!” A bright laugh bubbled from Kezia’s chest. “What about you? Have you been in any of the rooms?” They were each a spectacle in their own right.

Jairus watched the way Kezia talked quickly and exuberantly about her experiences in the mansion, “It sounds like you’ve had a lot more fun than me, but I did get to pet a small pig in the Gluttony Room, so there’s that.” Other than that, Jairus really hadn’t done much more than peek into each of the rooms and then away, “I’ve mostly just been...observing.”

“Then imagine I’m here to tell you the same thin’ but minus the whole dress thing though the mask is somethin’ else,” she replied gentler than before as she took a spot beside him rather than blocking his view of the rest of the ballroom. “You tryin’ to hold this wall up all by yourself then?”

Jairus smiled slightly and adjusted the mask on his face, “You’ll have to give Renee thanks for the mask, I only put together the outfit underneath.” He watched her move to lean against the wall beside him, and sighed, “Nope. I’m not letting you placate me, not when you’re wearing that beautiful of a dress.” Setting down his wine glass off to the side, he took her hand in his and started for the dancefloor, “It’s been some time since I’ve done a waltz, but I’m sure I can still string a few dance moves together.”