Sliders : The Price Of Purity

<> Demiurge says "Sarah and Daimon may remember that they were just ... yup, escaping from Dark Victory Heaven, and the clutches of Kronos."

... and the world changes. And Daimon and Sarah are standing in front of high spires of clear crystal, diamond bright. A shining-white Seraph inclines his head to speak to a Mercurian in virginal white, and a unicorn is curled nearby, asleep.

Sarah, thus, dives through and nigh-collapses, gasping and shaking and staring frantically about for Daimon.

Daimon struggles through the portal and lies there, heaving.

The Seraph looks up, narrowing his pale-gold eyes.

Shannen turns her head slowly over to look at Sarah and Daimon, wide eyes watching unblinking.

Daimon crawls over slowly and collapses, curled up next to Sarah.

Sarah crawls over to Daimon and collapses next to *him*, leaving them at more or less the midway point.

The Seraph moves over to the pair, staring down at them dispassionately.

Daimon closes his eyes. It's good to have a cherub.

Shannen follows quietly behind the Seraph, lifting her white robes slightly, frowning somewhat and looking all worried and big-eyed.

The Seraph speaks, his voice like the tones of a clear viola. "Daimonique. Chephirah. What have you been doing?" (Funny, he sounds... familiar...)

Daimon opens his eyes and peers at the Mercurian and the Seraph.

Sarah sits up, her arm around Daimon, and dismisses her vessel - lion-cherub resting on her forepaws with a wing about the Lilim. "I'm... not precisely sure, Most Holy."

Daimon . o O ( Shannen looks pure and virginal. We are _not_ home. )

The Seraph narrows his eyes at Chephirah. "Please explain."

<> Shannen coughs.

Daimon struggles to sit up. He keeps his vessel, although it's looking pretty worse for wear.

As Daimon peers at the Seraph, he realises that this Seraph - though pure white - bears an uncanny resemblance to Jordan.

Daimon says "Hi.... um Jordan."

Jordan inclines his head in response, but listens to Chephirah.

Shannen stands by silently and patiently.

Chephirah says, as politely as she can, "Daimonique and I just escaped a Demon Prince. May we have a few minutes to collect ourselves?"

Jordan rears back and his wings fan. "A *Prince*?" He lowers his head quickly. "You have been to Earth? Without orders?"

Shannen's eyes, amazingly enough, go super wide and her mouth opens slightly as shock goes over her face. She looks quickly to Jordan.

Chephirah's ears twitch slightly. "Ah - no, Most Holy."

Daimon says "We were, um, on the other side of the portal."

Shannen leans a little forward to look at the portal cautiously.

Jordan pauses, then says, "The Marches, then?" He sighs. "The explanation can wait until you have had time to calm yourselves and... tidy yourselves."

Daimon looks down at himself. His clothing has had, um, better worlds.

<> Chephirah says "This is taking 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' a little too seriously. :)"

Shannen curtseys to Jordan and whispers softly, eyes downcast "Most Holy, should I escort them to a place they may clean and relax?"

Jordan murmurs to Shannen, "Daimonique should stop by her cell first, to get... better clothing."

Daimon starts to stand on up. "No, no, we're-cell?"

Chephirah blinks slowly, and shifts to give Daimon support.

Jordan coughs. "Quarters, room." He rolls his upper pair of eyes.

Daimon leans on Chephirah. "Ah. Okay." She peers at Jordan. "I'm not some sort of wacked out monk here, am I?"

Jordan frowns at Dai. "We are endeavouring to ensure that you will not be "whacked out", no."

Shannen curtseys to Jordan again "As you say, Most Holy." She faces the pair and stretches her arm off in the direction of the Spires "Please, Daimonique, your cel--room is this way."

Daimon says "Wha? I mean weird, funky. You know, getting all strange and stuff."

Daimon flashes Sarah a "cell??" look.

Chephirah just blinks back at Daimon, half-helplessly, and glances from Shannen to portal and back to Daimon.

Jordan sighs. "Daimonique, you are already ... 'strange.' It is a sad consequence of the one who redeemed you. Please, you have already made such progress. Do not slide back into... taint."

Daimon eyes Jordan. "Eli, I'll have you know, is the _Man_."

Jordan curves a spotlessly white wing around behind the pair, gently urging them towards the crystalline Spires.

Daimon looks back at the portal in a "maybe if we just took a quick step through it" way.

Jordan says, warningly, "Daimonique, we have been through this before. The Outcast is not to be spoken of."

Daimon says "Outcast?"

Chephirah shakes her head, heavily.

Daimon is getting the "I'm gonna get into this with you" look on his face.

Shannen gives a tight-lipped nod to Daimon.

Jordan says, "By his own hand, as you know." He sighs. "You must have been through a shock. Come, let us go to your room, and then to get cleaned up."

Daimon says "Yeah, a clean and tidy heaven leans to clean and tidy something elses."

Chephirah ruffles Daimon's hair with her wingtip. "Daimonique," she murmurs.

Jordan furrows all his eyebrows. If Seraphim had lips, his would be very thin.

Daimon leans over closer to Chephirah. "Yeah?"

Daimon says "I'm thinking 'bathroom toilet bowls'."

Chephirah lifts her head and says up to Jordan, "Shock, do you think?"

Jordan says, a bit thinly, "I must presume so. It speaks well of him that he wishes his redeemer were still in Heaven, but such talk is... inappropriate in the extreme."

Daimon says "Ever see Family Feud, Jordan?"

Jordan says, "No." He fans his wing to get the pair moving.

Chephirah folds Daimon in a wing, tugging gently to one side. "Come, Daimonique. Let's go, shall we?"

Daimon looks back longingly over her shoulder at the portal. "Um, Sarah..."

Shannen watches Daimon quietly, shaking her head slightly and whispering "Please, we must go to the Spires."

The archway that leads into the high crystal spires is open and inviting. Choral music drifts faintly from inside. Bach.

Jordan takes up the rear, making sure that the pair don't go do something... messy.

Chephirah attempts to tug Daimon to the side away from Jordan, not precisely toward the Spires, it may be noted. Alas, that Jordan deflects any intentions she might have had portal-ward.

Chephirah soothes, "I'm right here, Daimonique."

Daimon doesn't look like he needs to be soothed, he looks like he has to stop thinking all these Funny thoughts.

<> Demiurge says "No, you cannot flush Jordan down the toilet."

<> Jordan is too big.

Daimon says "Anyway, Family Feud. There's a topic, and people have to guess stuff that comes up under the topic. Like under "Things that people like to bite" you might guess "a trapeze."."

Jordan ignores the rambling Lilim.

Daimon says "If there's a trapeze, then they get points. If not, a strike."

Chephirah says, warning gently, "*Daimon*."

Daimon says "So the topic is, what is wrong with THIS world?"

Inside the archway is a high crystal hall, with passageways leading off to left and right, and stairways arching in splintered shades of light; marble hallways cut across like rays of silver.

Jordan fans his wings gently, herding everyone along.

Shannen watches Daimonique questioningly, brow furrowed and frowning.

Jordan herds the group up the stairs, to the right.

Daimon stops rambling.

A long gallery stretches ahead of them, elegant paintings of greenery and stranger scenes spaced along the walls, the odd marble sculpture of angels or eagles or dragons interspersed. To the right, there are a number of smaller doors, suggesting private rooms.

Chephirah herds Daimon within the group, protective.

Daimon stops every once in a while to squint at a painting.

Jordan herds Dai towards a room across from a forest painting, where unicorns lurk within the trees.

Daimon says "Unicorns?"

Daimon says "Unic-erk."

Daimon blinks.

Daimon says "You're all very Pure."

Jordan tilts his head. "Yes."

Daimon . o O ( ACK. RUN! )

Daimon . o O ( This is worse then Kronos! )

Chephirah says, "Yes, dear. And dragons." Hopefully the strain in her voice is easily passed off as having met a Demon Prince recently.

Jordan firmly fans his wing out and gently sweeps Dai towards the door.

Daimon gets swept.

Chephirah presumably is swept with.

Jordan says, "Get one of your robes and we can go to the... Glade." He says the last word with a certain aloofness.

Inside, the room is ascetic and airy, with a window looking out over the crystal walls beneath. There is a bookcase, there is a cupboard with white robes, there is a pallet. And there is a Malakite.

Daimon says "Oh no. No white robes."

<> Jordan . o O (Dai gets his own Malakite!)

Daimon blinks at the Malakite.

Chephirah also blinks at the Malakite, if mildly.

Shannen moves to the doorway and curtseys gently "Is there anything I may get?"

<> Chephirah says "Of course, Chephirah's first instinct is to check for another pallet. :)"

Jordan sighs. He addresses the Malakite. "Mazpatiel, Daimonique has had some sort of unfortunate experience, I believe in the Marches."

<> Shannen cackles.

Daimon says "Buckets of tie-d-erg...."

Mazpatiel rises from his chair, shadows settling at his shoulder as wings are furled. He looks Daimon over briefly. "I can see that."

<> Sephar woahs.

Daimon makes a mild gurgling noise.

Jordan coils calmly in the doorway. He murmurs to Shannen, "Perhaps you shall have to pick out suitable clothing for Daimonique."

<> Chephirah makes a *distinct* gurgling noise.

<> Demiurge smiles at her players.

Daimon continues to stand there, frozen.

Chephirah stares at Mazpatiel.

Shannen nods to Jordan and enters the room, heading directly towards the cupboards and looking through them quickly, before selecting a particularly white robe.

Daimon says "But I like my obnoxious clothing."

Daimon notes that a robe means a definite pants gap.

Mazpatiel folds his hands together, pacing in a circle around Daimon and Chephirah. "They're not appropriate here. You know that."

Chephirah nudges at her amber scarf with her chin, worriedly.

Daimon says "I Need to express myself uniquely and loudly."

Jordan sighs and mutters something about Dai wearing the obnoxious clothing until he bathes, so as not to soil the robes.

Shannen politely holds out the robe to Daimon, then looks to Jordan and nods, carefully replacing the robe.

Jordan tells Shannen, "No, we'll bring that with us, for Daimonique to change into after bathing."

Daimon . o O ( Nekkid Lilim Time? )

Mazpatiel sighs, almost tiredly. "We've discussed this before. This plane is not suitable for corporeal vanities, Daimonique."

Shannen nods again and takes the robe out "Yes, Most Holy."

Daimon says "Mebbe I should ditch the vessel, then."

Mazpatiel says "Indeed."

Daimonique de-vessels. Of course, that leaves Daimonique in the black suit and the amazingly loud tie. The current one is a Van Gogh painting.

Jordan closes two pair of his eyes and winces.

Mazpatiel lifts a dark hand to rub at his temple.

Daimonique checks out her tie. *sigh* She digs this one. It has the potted sunflowers.

Jordan suggests, "That... suit has pockets."

Shannen doesn't react to Daimonique's clothing, just watches wide-eyed and holding the robe.

Chephirah's wings flutter lightly, then fold.

Mazpatiel exhales heavily. "At least you're clean in that form."

Daimonique says "It does indeed! It's very useful for storing cool Stuff, like guitar picks, pens, a harmonica, and maybe a smallish Beanie."

Chephirah closes her eyes and shakes her shaggy head slowly.

Jordan gives Mazpatiel a faintly long-suffering look.

Daimonique looks happy, but she doesn't have a Beanie. It would wreck the perfect lines of the suit. But then again, she doesn't have underwear, either.

<> Sephar *so* wants to stick its mousie head out of a Pocket. Oh well.

Mazpatiel moves to Daimonique with a quick flicker of wings, and lifts hands towards the buttons of the suitcoat. "Shannen, bring the robe, please."

<> Chephirah laughs!

Daimonique takes a quick step back away from Mazpatiel.

<> Demiurge pats Sephar.

<> Daimonique says "Sephar is much cooler then a Beanie."

Mazpatiel says "Daimonique. You /cannot/ present yourself like this. How many times must you be told?"

Shannen nods to Mazpatiel "As you say, Virtue." and blinks at Daimonique.

Daimonique takes another step back. "Lots?"

The pleasant air of Heaven blows through the wide window, carrying the distant tones of some hymn of praise.

Daimonique is starting to give some serious thought to that portal.

Mazpatiel steps forward. "Then consider yourself told again. It is disrespectful to bring one's Earthly affectations into the home of God."

<> Demiurge says "Shannen, don't let them see you're wearing flower-pattern stockings. :)"

Daimonique says "I have some real bad memories associated with white robes."

Jordan sighs. "Daimonique, this is Heaven. You will not be harmed here," he explains patiently. "Whatever abuses you suffered in Hell, that is not to be expected here."

Chephirah studies the window, wide as it is.

Daimonique considers making a break for it.

<> Shannen coughs politely.

Shannen holds up the robe to Daimonique "Please, Daimonique, it is a lovely robe."

Daimonique looks at Chephirah. Sarah is always the level headed one.

<> Chephirah says "How wide *is* that window?"

<> Demiurge says "Perhaps a metre and a half wide."

<> Chephirah says "Wide enough for angels to get through?"

<> Demiurge says "Yes."

Chephirah paces thoughtfully over to the window, standing a little to one side and breathing the air. "Perhaps I might try, Most Holy?" she suggests.

<> Daimonique ain't puttin on no white robe.

Jordan spreads his wings. "If you can convince Daimonique to set aside these ...inappropriate fancies..."

The Seraph shruggeth.

Daimonique chews on her bottom lip. Chew chew chew.

Chephirah suggests, "Perhaps if you gave us a few minutes alone?"

Jordan encourages Mazpatiel to leave, along with him. Perhaps the Cherub and Mercurian can convince Dai to be reasonable, if the more alarming angels are not there. "We will wait outside while you change," he sais pointedly to Dai.

Mazpatiel folds his dark wings around himself, and turns to leave silently. His footsteps make no sound.

Daimonique says distractedly, "Um."

Jordan closes the door behind them.

Daimonique waits until they are gone, and then _grins_ at Shannen.

Chephirah thanks Jordan politely before the door closes.

Chephirah looks to Daimonique; looks to Shannen.

Shannen sighs softly "Please, Daimonique. The robe is lovely and pure." She holds it up for inspection, smiling faintly.

Daimonique has no choice... but to... summon up.... a cubic foot... of packing peanuts inside of Shannen's robe. Preferably in the bodice.

<> Demiurge says "Oh, you swine. :)"

<> Daimonique burns the point of essence!

There is a sudden *Swoosh* as Shannen's bodice and gown fill with packing peanuts in rainbow colours.

Daimonique says "You know, Shannen, those things are edible."

Chephirah folds a wingtip in front of her eyes.

Jordan, outside, wonders what the Essence was? Still, nobody is yelling, so...

Daimonique moves to the window.

Shannen lets out a soft screech and drops the robe to begin digging the packing peanuts out of her own "That...was..n't nice!"

Daimonique is checking the window. "Nope. As a wiser man once said, "Daimie, you fight dirty."

Chephirah nudges Daimonique with a wing. "Out, out!"

Daimonique climbs out the window and _jumps_.

Shannen sniffs a little and wipes at her eyes with one sleeve of a shirt "You were so nice to me before. Why are you so mean now? It's important to be nice - it keeps you out of--" She screams "Daimonique!! STOP!!"

Jordan, outside, hears the yelling. He opens the door.

The updraft catches Daimon, and she can float on rainbow wings above the incredible crystal spires.

Jordan bellows, "DAIMONIQUE!"

Daimonique unfurls her tie-dye wings half way to the ground.

High, high above, a flock of smaller Malakim twist in the wind like leaves around a greater Malakite whose snow-white hair blows with the wind and whose eyes are blind with light.

Jordan dives for the window, after the rogue Creationer.

Mazpatiel pursues!

Chephirah's lion-body blocks the window.

Daimonique heads for the portal. Swoosh.

Jordan goes wham into Chephirah?

Shannen runs out of the building through the door, digging the peanuts out of her gown the entire way.

Jordan goes wham into the Cherub, knocking her out the window along with him.

Mazpatiel is a pace behind Jordan. He growls as he throws himself through the window, in a long thunder-winged dive.

<> Demiurge says "Yup, Seraph and Cherub tumble out of the window together."

Jordan tumbles!

<> Daimonique says "With me around, there is ALWAYS chaos."

<> Daimonique attracts Janus. :)

Mazpatiel ignores Seraph and Cherub, diving for the fleeing Lilim.

Shannen goes running for the Spire exit, making promises to clean up the peanuts the entire way.

<> Demiurge says "Shannen! You have profaned the Spires with packing peanuts!"

Jordan wraps his tail around Chephirah and spreads his wings, trying to break their fall.

Down below, the Disc Portal is in sight.

Daimonique spins lazily in the air, looking back at Mazpatiel, and Abracadabra's a cubic foot of sticky pink cotton candy upon the Malakite's noggin.

Mazpatiel demonstrates that even Malakim cannot always brake in time. There is a thud, and a section of crystal wall develops a sticky pink smear.

<> Shannen is going to clean it up! "Fleeing Lilim are more important!"

Chephirah spreads her own wings as well - not in conflict with Jordan, but assisting.

Jordan shouts at Chephirah, in generic outrage, "What have you two *DONE*?"

Daimonique folds her wings and dives in the direction of Jordan. One cubic foot of henna tattoo dye, coming right up.....

<> Jordan hides his face. Oh God.

Chephirah calls, "Nothing that can't be undone, Jordan. I must ask you - trust me."

Daimonique swoops into range to free Chephirah!

Chephirah says this, of course, in blissful ignorance of Daimonique's bombing run.

There is a great *splatter* as a cubic foot of henna dye hits Jordan's whiteness - and, by situation, also splashes across Chephirah.

Jordan says, "So said the Outcast when he left! Are you going to *join* him??"

Jordan shrieks like the highest note on a viola, outraged by the dye!

Jordan flaps his wings, sending loose droplets everywhere.

Daimonique spins easily in the air and starts diving for the portal, hoping Chephirah is behind.

Mazpatiel backwings, clawing at the...stuff... on his face.

Jordan sputters, "In. Uriel's. Name. STOP!"

The stuff on Mazpatiel's face is strangely, seductively sweet to the taste.

The Portal Disc spins faintly below.

Daimonique looks over her shoulder for Chephirah.

Chephirah shrieks herself, in surprise, and flutters free; shakes dye from her head and blinks rapidly, looking around for Daimonique. Diving after her, if she can see her.

Mazpatiel blinks at the stuff as he wipes the last of it from his eyes, and looks around for Daimonique.

<> Daimonique says "Abracadabra is likely one of the coolest attunements in the game."

<> Jordan mutters. Gonna look *forward* to seeing the Outcast Purified!

<> Daimonique says "Hah. I'm not Outcast. I'm right here."

<> Jordan says "Not you. Eli."

<> Daimonique cuddles Eli. You no hurt him.

<> Mazpatiel says "He is impure."

<> Demiurge says "Okay. Purifiers can see Targets. Targets can see Portal."

<> Daimonique says "That's his allure."

<> Demiurge says "Shannen is just now emerging from the doors below."

Daimonique dives for the portal.

Jordan tries to wipe henna from at least one pair of eyes, and dives in the general direction of the Targets.

Mazpatiel angles himself downward, tucking twilight wings close to his body and making a sharp dive towards Daimonique.

Shannen looks about for general disorder and runs in that direction.

Mazpatiel also reaches into his tunic, drawing out the hilt of his sword.

Chephirah, henna and all, is already diving for Daimonique, and thus for the Portal.

Chephirah, henna and all.

Jordan bares his fangs, almost translucent crystal, and stark compared to his henna-splattered face.

Daimonique sweeps through the portal, Chephirah a breath behind her - and Chephirah's legs are just vanishing through the portal as Mazpatiel and Jordan swoop down.

<> Demiurge says "One could grab. Perhaps."

Jordan tries to grab with his crystal fangs.

Mazpatiel reaches out with his free hand, grabbing the trailing end of Chephirah's scarf...

And as Chephirah vanishes through the Portal, Mazpatiel is sucked along behind her... and it closes.

And the world changes...

---

Fiat Justitia