The Hall of the Arch

As he walked through the Hall, Argent's outward calm hid the turmoil boiling in him.  Training and instinct kept his sense sharp as he searched for Margaux.  If someone had asked him two days ago where he would be today, this place would not have even crossed his mind.

It felt like he was ten and living his childhood fantasy of finding out that his parents were royalty or legendary heroes and  it was all a mistake that he was abandoned to the Shambles as an orphan.   Thoughts that hadn't crossed his mind in years.  Even if they weren't royalty, being even part celestial, if that was the truth of it, was still sort of legendary.  Every orphan had those fantasies, and that's what they were.  His time roaming with the Swarm taught him that.

Doubts.  He definitely still had doubts.   Celestials are supposed to be protected against elements like the cold, but he sure felt the chill walking over here.  It's just that when she told him, it felt... right.

And so here he was, trying to learn more.

Margaux sat on one of the benches, waiting nervously for Argent to arrive. It always felt strange being here - like home, and yet not. It was peaceful at the moment, no services taking place or tour groups going through. Only a few priests and members of the Order of the Spoke circulated calmly, making quiet conversation or lost in their own contemplation.

When she saw Argent approaching, she waved slightly to make sure he saw her there. "Thank you for coming," she said once he was within earshot.

"I couldn't stay away," he replied. "Should I sit?" he asked glancing around the temple and at the other occupants, noting if any were paying attention to the meet. Vigilance, even when one should be safe, was never a waste.

Margaux nodded, sliding over slightly on the bench to make room for him. "Don't worry - people here... well, they usually know who I am, and don't bother me. Um, so... where do you want to start?"

Argent nodded and took a seat. "Do you have any idea who my parents may be? It's ok if that's not something that you can answer, but I figured its best to get that out of the way."

"I don't know exactly, no," Margaux said apologetically. "I can tell you what I believe, based on things I've learned. I think people like me... like us, if I'm right... are descendants of powerful entities of good from beyond this plane of existence. Maybe not immediate descendants - maybe a grandchild, great-grandchild, or even further removed. It's possible that whoever your parents were or are, they seemed totally normal - or maybe one or the other was something different, like we are."

"It's more than I knew... so that's something," Argent replied, keeping the disappointment out of his voice as best he could. Move on and learn...

"I guess it's best if you explain what you know about yourself... I saw the halo... how old are you? What's different or the same? What should I expect, assuming you are right? I know, its a lot of questions, but I appreciate your insight."

"I'm nineteen," Margaux said. "So if things change or develop over time, I'm probably around the same point as you. I don't know, either, if people like us are all the same in some ways - you're the only one I've ever met, as far as I know. Things I've noticed about myself are that things like cold doesn't really seem to bother me, I can change my appearance once a day even though I don't, or shouldn't be able to do that as a priest... and the halo, like you saw."

Argent shakes his head.  "I'm not familiar with anything you're describing, especially the cold part, I sure felt it on the way over here.  I can see perfectly well in the dark, but I thought that was a rat thing, like my eyes, and I've been told I'm very resistant to fear magic, although that could be just a quirk or something.  Oh, I can create daylight, like the spell priests use, although its supposed to be beyond my ability... really that's what made me think you were right... when you made the halo."

"Yeah, I'm only eighteen... so just about as old as you. I don't know if I'm more confused or less now..."

Margaux gave a shy smile. "I guess I've just gotten used to not understanding things. I feel like my mind isn't big enough to hold it all, for some questions. But I think this one... maybe together we can figure it out."

Argent nodded, gathering his thoughts and reigning in his doubts. "One bite at a time, just like eating an elephant. Two mouths will make it go faster, at least. Together we'll figure something out."

"I have a friend, another priest. She maybe able to help or at least help find a starting point, unless you have an idea... I'm not really well read or anything, so I'm not much help there."

"I don't know," Margaux said a bit hesitantly. "Who is your friend? I know there are some people within the church who... might not understand all this, or might think it's something related to demons. Some don't consider that there even could be..." She paused, trying to put her thoughts into words. "That there *are* things like angels, or people with angelic blood. To them, all outsiders are bad. Have you run into any of those types?"

"I've heard of a few of those types, but haven't met them personally," Argent replied as he tried to gather his thoughts. How many deceptions and half truths can one man lay out before they come back on him. It is what he was trained to do, but how many good people was he going to have to lie to. She trusts him. If she is correct and he has the same blood... what does that do to him in the organization he is a part of...

"Before you sought me out, did you learn anything about me? What I do?" Best find out if Margaux knows anything before revealing too much.

"Well, I knew what I'd seen," she replied. "I didn't know your name - the visions don't have, well, words exactly, more like pictures, although sometimes you might hear things or feel them almost like you're really there.... Anyway, I saw you, but all silvery, glowing almost. You were in a nightclub or someplace like that, a darkened room with music and lights and people's voices and laughter all around. Only it wasn't a nightclub, it was a forest - I could see the trees. Maybe it was both at the same time. And I could see other figures, moving around in the shadows that your light was pushing back against. There was a grey man with a skull instead of a face, and a tiger with silver and black stripes, and a woman with long red hair running through the trees, and I could feel that there were other things out in the darkness, I don't know what. I know that part doesn't sound... good, exactly, but I still felt that, whatever all that meant, you were like me. You were pushing back against the darkness. And I knew I'd recognize you if I saw you again."

"After that, I looked at all the nightclubs I passed, wondering if one of them was the right one. I saw a poster for Titania's that mentioned a Hugo Silver, and I thought, well, the man I saw was silver, maybe that's what it means, so I went there. But it turned out it wasn't him I was looking for anyway, it was you."

It took control for Argent not to gape, so instead he nodded as Margaux described her vision. Red haired girl... grey man with a skull... trees... so many possibilities and avenues to investigate that it was too much to process sitting here. He would need to think and dwell on it for a bit to see if there was anything he could piece together.

"Do you get visions like that often?" Argent asked, but put up a hand before she could answer. "I want to know, but I need to explain things to you... so you understand what you could be getting into."

"Those people you were worried about... I do know of them, since there are talks that they work with or for the Inquisition. You see, I'm just working as a waiter as cover and training... I'm an Inquisitor, or on the path to being one. Almost nobody knows what I just told you, even my close friends, as hard as that is. Finding the evil in our midst and exposing or defeating it feels right to me, so I let myself play the role I do right now."

"You're not evil and neither am I. We need to trust each other, and that's why I'm telling you about it and asking you to keep my truth, but that is your choice. Regardless what you decide, I'm not going to reveal your and our heritage to anyone else. Do you still want to trust me?"

Margaux hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I trust you," she said solemnly. "I don't think the Arch would have brought me to you if it wasn't important. It doesn't give me visions often now, but when it does, I know it's something I need to pay attention to."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. With all the secrets that I keep from people, its good to know that at least someone can put that aside and trust me still." Argent said with a visible look of relief on his face. He continued.

"Let me broach the subject with my priest friend. She is the one who recruited me, so maybe she knows or saw something that others didn't. I'd like to think I could trust her too, but if I can't it would be good to know sooner than later. I doubt she would react negatively or betray me. I'll leave you out of the discussions. I'll let you know how it goes. And if you ever get any more visions on red haired girls of forests, please let me know. There is something going on and I feel I'm just scratching the surface."

Margaux nodded. "I'll talk to you again soon, then." She put her hand on Argent's, a bit hesitantly, and gave it a slight squeeze. "It's good to know I'm not alone."