milliways_bar | (no subject)

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She comes in from outside and goes up to the bar-- at which point a broom-shaped package wrapped in brown paper appears, addressed to her. Susan Delgado looks very startled, and then beams.

Shortly afterwards, she's curled up in her usual spot, with hot chocolate. The broom is leaning against the end of the couch where she can see it clearly-- and she is still smiling, say true.

[Susan meets Ben Hawkins, for great language confusion and then further confusion at finding out that he's a messiah, of sorts; talks with Lysistrata about oceans, weather, and Caspian; accepts Roger's apology, discusses AIDS, and suggests he see Simon; and then talks with Rent!Angel again about the Phantom situation and his friend's trouble, for unexpected pain, as the friend is Val... (slowtimed)]

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"Ben," she repeats, smiling. "And let me be Susan to ye then, I pray."

"Mayhap not--" she looks carefully at him, and shakes her head. "Aye, I'd not think ye'd be much older than me at all. I'm seventeen."

Sixteen and some months, when she died.

"Eighteen 'n a bit." He gave her a small smile. He hardly knows when his own birthday is, anyway. It certainly hasn't been celebrated for a long time.

"Not much older at all, then." She smiles back at him.

"Are ye new-come here, Ben? I've not seen ye before, say true."

"Sorta. I don't stick around much. You?"

"I've been here some months now," she says. "I-- I stay here, do'ee ken?"

He nodded in understanding. "I got somethin' I gotta do outside, so I come 'n go."

She can't, and she doesn't look at the door, but she nods back at him.

"I kennit. There's others who do the same."

Kennit?

"You... Can't? There's people stuck here, yeah."

Susan nods, and is quiet for a moment before she says steadily,

"I've-- my time has moved on, do'ee ken? And I'd not go on to the clearing yet."

He nodded. "The clearing?"

"Sai Aziraphael calls it heaven," she says.

"I died, do'ee ken?"

"Aziraphael?" She died? Oh. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right," she assures him. "Ye didn't know, and ye're not the first I've had to explain it to."

She doesn't seem bothered by it, say true.

"Sai Aziraphael's an angel."

"An Angel!?" Hawkins started at this. "An Angel of the Lord?"

She looks at him a little warily, and then nods.

"Aye-- I think so-- he's talked about his God before--"

"How...?" The idea is both incredible and impossible to Ben. After all, God is so very real. Ben hasn't ever seen Angels, despite his massiah-like status, although the corrupting influence of the Usher's mere presence probably wards them away.

"I seen many things but I ain't never seen Angels."

And oh, but her smile is rueful.

"I've seen that here which I'd never heard of outside stories, do'ee ken?"

He nodded. "My life- Hell, you got no idea what my world is really like. There practically ain't no stories at all- just people who got some of it wrong when they wrote it down. There's plenty stories, just most of 'em are real."

This makes more sense to her than it would have before Milliways, and Susan nods in perfect understanding.

"The stories are true, oh aye."

"And if ye'd wish to speak of it, I'd listen, say true."

"You ever read the Bible?" Ben asked. "If you have, it ain't all true. It's close, though."

Susan shakes her head.

"I've not ever seen-- there weren't many books at home, do'ee ken?"

He nodded. "Guess you could say the same for me, 'fore it got knocked down. It's a big book, that people read and in it is what they believe in. It's in two parts- the first is about the old world and the second is about Christ and his Apostles. It's true, but some things in it ain't correct. It misses some bits 'cause it was put together by man an' man don't know the full story."

"Oh-- do'ee mean the Man Jesus?" This is more familiar, as she tries to recall what she's heard of him.

He nodded. "What nobody knows is He ain't the only one like him." Ben said. "There's been more before Him, on the side of Light. There's been more after Him, too." He paused. "Just remember this's gotta stay between you'n me."

(no more secrets)

Susan frowns a little. "Is it-- I'm not one to speak carelessly, Ben, say true--"

(careless love o look what careless love has done)

"--but there are those I'd trust with anything, do'ee ken?"

(we both know how you are at keeping secrets from loved ones)