Thajili stands in front of Celestial Gate.
She is tall, but the gate towers over her, making her feel small--a feeling she doesn’t particularly enjoy. It’s been a long time since she came here, but hearing Zamira talk about the suffering of her siblings down below drew her back here.
If only she was stronger, then maybe she could rip the gate right off its hinges and open the Upper Planes up. She can feel the intense need to protect, much like many of her Aasimar companions do.
“Are you trying to stare holes into the gate?”, a voice from behind her says and she turns around to face Varasdun. He’s not as tall as she is. His long, black hair flows in the soft, warm breeze and his bronze skin shimmers slightly in the light.
“I wish that worked”, she says with a sigh. “The Tieflings are in trouble.”
Varasdun steps beside her, his hands on his back, looking at the gate. His long, straight nose, his high cheekbones and his almost black eyes stand in stark contrast to Thajili’s softer features.
“How’d you know?”, he asks.
“Well, I have a...friend? Down there. From time to time I get to visit her in dreams and she tells me about what’s going on down there.”
His face turns to regard her, his brows furrowed.
“It’s bad?”
Thajili nods.
Varasdun’s eyes narrow and Thajili can see his muscles tense, as if her friend has to keep himself from trying to rip the gate open with his bare hands. It would never work, of course. She knows.
Because she tried and failed before.
“We’ve been up here for almost a thousand years. I’m tired of letting them suffer down there alone, I’m tired of all this soft light and the flowers and the--”
Varasdun punches the gate. It vibrates with a soft, musical tone and doesn’t move an inch.
“You know there’s no way out of here”, she says quietly. Varasdun turns to look at her.
“We can always fall”, he says.
Thajili blinks.
“But--”
“Don’t mind me. Just thinking out loud”, he says with something that is not quite a smile before he turns around.
“Are you okay?”, she asks.
“No. Are you?”
“No.”
