#jasiel

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It's not often you find the town's golden boy to be out in places he shouldn't be. Of course, who would consider such a fact? A saint such as him shouldn't be found in back alleys smoking whatever, or getting into bars and drinking away his holiness. No, a divine figure should linger in similar, familiar places where he is to be kept pristine and unmarked.

But instead you find him in the local park amongst the people, where no one bats him an eye as they pass by.

He's sitting on a bench, feet on his skateboard that moves side to side with the swing of his legs every now and then. The hood of his fur-lined parka is raised to his head, obscuring his features as he has his head lowered and looking through his phone. He's leaned forward, elbows on his knees, making him look more like a shady thug than anyone normal.

The only time he lifts his head is upon hearing you come over. The messiness of his ponytail can be seen peeking from underneath the hood, seeing how his long bangs are in a dire need to join and not obscure parts of his face, and you can't help but wonder if he even brushes his hair.

"Hello." You greet him with a small wave.

He frowns.

"What do you want?" Jasiel questions with a squint.

You give him a deadpan look almost immediately. "Well, damn, I just said hi, not holding you at gun point and asking for your first born."

Jasiel rolls his eyes and looks back onto his phone. He doesn't stop you when you move to sit on the bench. Though he did scoot away from you just a bit which made your brow twitch in irritation.

"What are you doing here anyway?" You prompt, folding your arms against your chest as you look at him.

"You first." He blandly replies and looks back at you with a deadpan expression similar to the one you just had.

Gods, you want to strangle him.

"I'm watching over someone." You curtly answer.

"And who would that be?"

"My Fa—little brother."

Jasiel quirks a brow, be it at the minor slip up or at the fact you even have a sibling it's hard to tell. Either way, he doesn't bother asking for clarification. "Well, where is your brother anyway?"

You gesture to the play ground infront of you both. "The brown haired boy with a white teddy."

You watch as Jasiel look over, hum, then look back at his phone. "I never saw you as an older sibling."

"And I never saw you as someone who would even be outside his holy temple."

Jasiel doesn't rebut you on that, instead just scoffs and returns back to looking whatever is on his phone.

A moment of silence passes between you both.

People pass by still, and you keep a careful eye as Emery play in the sandbox with a new friend he made with the brightest and most excited smile on his face. You can't help but smile at it too, chest warming at the sight of the little owl finally able to actually be a kid... and not the protector he said he's sworn to be to you.

"I came here to escape home." Your thoughts are interrupted by the sudden, yet dull intrusion. You turn your head to look at Jasiel, who has now leaned back against the bench, phone now abandoned in his hands, with an unreadable look in his eyes. His gaze is towards the playground, and yet somewhere else at the same time.

"I didn't feel like talking to my siblings," Jasiel continues with a minute frown forming, "so I just left before they could find me."

"Did you get into a fight with them?" You cautiously ask.

The town's golden boy shakes his head, brass bronze gaze lowering as his face contorts into a softer expression. Something more somber. A rare look on him. "No," he said, "I just didn't feel like being lectured about what I'm "destined" to do when I graduate. I'm expected to start working in the church next spring break. I don't know what position yet, but Asael thinks that being an IT member would do me good. I could make slideshow presentations, he said."

"That doesn't really sound too bad." You grimace a bit. "Besides the destined part though. The fuck's up with that?"

Jasiel shrugs and lazily turns his head towards you with a deadpan look. "I'm a Lèmieux, that's why. My family owns this church, and if I'm not gonna contribute to it in some way, think about the scandals my family will be put through."

He sarcastically makes a spooky "Ooo" sound and limply made some jazz hands. It stops immediately after, and he scowls as he looks away. "It's bullshit."

You hum in thought for a bit. "What if you leave Delphinium and move to the city, will that do you any good? You won't have to hear about the church anymore if you do." You suggest, and you watch as Jasiel's scowl softens to one of genuine contemplation. His brows furrow, as his eyes minutely dart around as if computing for something only he can see.

"True, but..." The scowl returns, though it's more somber than frustrated. Jasiel shakes his head. "No, it won't work."

Now it's your turn to furrow your brows. "Why not?"

"Reasons you wouldn't get." He puts one foot down onto the ground, as he stands, hands now stuffing themselves into the pockets of his parka.

"You could at least help me understand by telling me." You frown and stand too as your gaze bores into him. He deliberately avoids it by turning away.

"I'd rather not, and, unlike some people, I'd rather not get you involved in whatever family issue I should be handling." Jasiel looks at you one last time, his eyes hardened... and guilty. "For your own good, don't bother asking things you shouldn't be knowing."

And he leaves, riding his skateboard down the smooth cobblestone path. You watch him weave through people, becoming one and disappearing amongst the crowd. You frown a bit as you turn away, heading towards Emery as you hear him call your name.

What did Jasiel mean by that?

To be quite honest, he was the culmination of my own feelings against religion and the trauma I got from it. I grew up in a Christian household for the majority of my life and studied in a Catholic school from nursery school to highschool. So, you can only imagine the conflicting beliefs that were taught to me growing up. Saints were believed in one religion, while the other isn't. Prayers are memorized, while another says it should come from the heart. I experienced Catholocism being made fun of in my Christian family for their many holy rituals and saints, while Christianity is both despised and hated for being so 'restrictive' and basically the cause of most of the bigotry from friends who grew up Catholic.

Something like that, amongst being a bystander to the troubles of those affected by the said religion.

Besides bystander's guilt and trauma that was inflicted upon the poor boy, have you guys heard of Sunday from the hit Turn-based RPG Honkai Star Rail? Yeah. Him. False bird Messiah. He's one of the main inspirations for Jasiel, specifically the aspect of being deceived by higher ups that their religion is the key to the happiness of their people in the Penacony main story and is now guilty for his past actions and trying to make up for that in the upcoming main story in update 2.7 of the game.

Another inspiration would be Agott from Witch Hat Atelier in the aspect of him trying to prove himself without the help of the reputation of his siblings or his family name. Jasiel, right now in the story, wants to prove his own words hold truth, and not have people blindly believe him because his siblings are two of the heads of the local church. He wants to be his own individual too. He doesn't want to be associated with the church nor have anything to do with it, and he gets frustrated that whatever he does something successfully and people just associate it because he's a Lèmieux and that he's "gifted by Lord Malkiel".