"Of course we're here right now," Rover exploded, flapping his hands before Erskine's eyes. "If we'd known we could leave through the Pearly Gates the same way we went in, we'd have always been here right now!" He pointed at the newly-made Elder, prodding his nose. "You'll just have to settle for us having had you on constant Pay-Per-View Upstairs. You're lucky there's no such thing as shortages in Heaven, or there'd be a definite peanut shortage."
He whirled around to the same Archangel Erskine was staring at. Said Archangel was laughing his head off. "Come on, man, you said you had tricks to show us! You need to show us tricks! I have to throw some peanuts at people! Descry, make him tell us what his tricks are. Or just read them out."
"Why?" Descry asked with that little impish smile. "What makes you think I can read an angel?"
"If you can't read angels after a century in Heaven, I'm disowning you."
Descry laughed. He wasn't even looking at Rover. He was looking at Saracen and just happened to be standing just behind Dexter's shoulder. Rover was dead and used to the whole 'just a soul' thing, but it was still creepy the way Saracen was looking directly at him. Saracen couldn't see the metaphysical plane. Only people like Finbar Wong could see the metaphysical plane, and then only to a certain definition of 'see'.
The look on Descry's face would still have made Rover's chest clench if he'd even had a physical body. It wasn't an expression they'd seen often when they were alive, because no one knew Saracen was his son to begin with and he couldn't afford to let on. Soft tenderness, love that was all Descry's own, the faintest edge of regret. Rover wondered whether Saracen could feel his father's hand on his head, in his hair.
Rover looked at Rafe. "Come on. You can't put off Descry getting a hug from his son, can you?"
"Aw, you lot." Rafe smiled at him. "You're incorrigible." He came over and clapped a hand on Rover's shoulder, and he yelped at the fission of power that ran through him. It felt like an electric shock except it didn't hurt--it was almost pleasurable, in fact--and all at once he could feel an echo of gravity and the weight he would have had if he'd actually been alive.
"Hey!" he complained, slapping the angel's hand away. Rafe laughed again and moved toward Descry. "Gently! I meant gently! What, an Archangel can't do gently?"
"Rover?" Dexter's voice came out hoarse and soft, and Rover whirled around. Then he grinned.
"Oh, we're live. Greetings from the Dead Men, Upstairs Division!"
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He whirled around to the same Archangel Erskine was staring at. Said Archangel was laughing his head off. "Come on, man, you said you had tricks to show us! You need to show us tricks! I have to throw some peanuts at people! Descry, make him tell us what his tricks are. Or just read them out."
"Why?" Descry asked with that little impish smile. "What makes you think I can read an angel?"
"If you can't read angels after a century in Heaven, I'm disowning you."
Descry laughed. He wasn't even looking at Rover. He was looking at Saracen and just happened to be standing just behind Dexter's shoulder. Rover was dead and used to the whole 'just a soul' thing, but it was still creepy the way Saracen was looking directly at him. Saracen couldn't see the metaphysical plane. Only people like Finbar Wong could see the metaphysical plane, and then only to a certain definition of 'see'.
The look on Descry's face would still have made Rover's chest clench if he'd even had a physical body. It wasn't an expression they'd seen often when they were alive, because no one knew Saracen was his son to begin with and he couldn't afford to let on. Soft tenderness, love that was all Descry's own, the faintest edge of regret. Rover wondered whether Saracen could feel his father's hand on his head, in his hair.
Rover looked at Rafe. "Come on. You can't put off Descry getting a hug from his son, can you?"
"Aw, you lot." Rafe smiled at him. "You're incorrigible." He came over and clapped a hand on Rover's shoulder, and he yelped at the fission of power that ran through him. It felt like an electric shock except it didn't hurt--it was almost pleasurable, in fact--and all at once he could feel an echo of gravity and the weight he would have had if he'd actually been alive.
"Hey!" he complained, slapping the angel's hand away. Rafe laughed again and moved toward Descry. "Gently! I meant gently! What, an Archangel can't do gently?"
"Rover?" Dexter's voice came out hoarse and soft, and Rover whirled around. Then he grinned.
"Oh, we're live. Greetings from the Dead Men, Upstairs Division!"