A Weapon’s Serenade

Sliced grilled sausage, tomato gravy, a curry powder garnish, fries and mayo made up the most common order at Jolene’s food cart. Currywurst Pommes weiß. This was also what the eldritch entity had served the three girls and herself.

Jolene sat down with her visitors at one of the simple wooden seating arrangements surrounding her now closed food cart. Normally, she would have closed much earlier than this late in the afternoon, but she had waited for the girls. “There were many options for when you would finally choose to visit me. This one intrigues me.”

“First of all, thank you for the food. Second… why? Aren’t you omniscient?” Melody raised an eyebrow.

“The paths are unclear whenever one from the outside is involved. Your visit to this nation was inevitable eventually, its timing was flexible. As it involves me, I cannot find surety. Now, please enjoy the food and tell me what you think.”

“It’s simple but delicious. It’s… agreeable.”

Melody nodded. “I like it. Really nice for when you don’t want something complex. There is a place for this kind of simple and satisfying street food. Not everything has to be gourmet stuff.”

“Agreed.” Anne picked up another fry. “It’s a part of my childhood. My dad tried to replicate it as best as possible, because he liked it and because he tried to let me pick and choose bits from the two cultures that came together at home. Christmas gifts were given on Christmas eve, because we liked it that way. Proper Käsespätzle were a regular staple as mac’n’cheese didn’t cut it. Currywurst, butterkekse, spiced ketchup, orange cola, all the things my dad knew from his childhood that he wanted me to have the chance to enjoy too. I tried to tell him many times how much I appreciated that, but he always played it down. To him, it was the least he could do to share his childhood with me. It took me a while to figure out that he didn’t dismiss my gratitude out of pride or something but because he wanted to do so much more. He just didn’t know how. I’m sorry, that was not what you asked for.”

Jolene shook her head. “No, I asked you to tell me what you think. You did just that. I want more of your thoughts to be told. You know that I do not oblige by your labels, to me you are more than what you call a name. I refer to those within worlds by who they are not by their trivial label. What then, do you think when I tell you that you are, or more correctly shall be, the reviled?”

Anne raised an eyebrow. “’The reviled? I doubt you would pick a word to describe what I am that would hurt me. Whoever is so important to define what I am by reviling me must be someone who I will approve of being reviled by.”

“And you would be correct.”

“So, I am the reviled, Kuria here is the wielder, something I still don’t quite understand, but you have never told Melody who she is.”

“Because she would have forgotten in the moment she must not forget. Because it would have driven her to choices she mustn’t have made. You, reviled, serve as a convenient example that what you are is not a universal tie to all who surround you. You are not reviled by all, and you will not be reviled by most. That is what she needed to see, what she needs to understand to be allowed to know who she is.”

Melody sighed. “I think I understand. I needed to meet Anne, needed to make the choices I did to separate from Kuria, needed to be where I am now.”

“Despite who you are, you needed to reject. You are the compassionate.”

“The compassionate… I like that.”

“It is not because of anything you have done. You three are who you are because of what will be.”

“I don’t think we can just ask about what will be, right?” Melody had intended this more as a joke than anything serious.

Jolene smiled. “What would stop that question?”

“I… uhm… I don’t know.”

“Then ask.”

“Okay… what will be that makes us who we are?”

“Compassion shown even once can mend scars beyond the physical. To be reviled by those who hold themselves above is to be exalted and great heights may bring great perspectives. An edged wielded with skill does not care if it was sharpened through intention or chance.”

“Yea, that’s about as cryptic as I expected. Still, thank you. I think we will all remember those words. I remember a lot of what you said… more than I should actually. Do you cheat with that?”

“No. Those of import have the tendency to remember words of necessity.”

“Fair enough.”

Anne made a thinking noise. “I have so many questions…”

“Ask them. Questions rarely answer themselves.” Jolene got up again to fetch some bottled drinks from her food cart.

“You can see all of time, right? You are outside the universe and are basically just sticking your finger in and that is what we are talking to right now. That’s how I understand it.”

“I can, yes. But understand that all of time includes all paths that are possible from this point on this path, all paths beside this one and all paths that could have been. I ‘stuck my finger’ into this path because it is the most intriguing.”

“Because of the high inquisitor. She can only be on one path, obviously. There can’t be infinite parallel Azazels sticking her finger into a hole in the universe. That would either create infinite outside-Azazels or connect all the inside-Azazels through one outside-Azazel.”

“Yes. She is singular and her existence disrupts the pathing of time in three worlds. By being partially bound to linear time, Azazel can exist in many paths ahead of the point she occupies singularly, but only one path will remain as she moves forward. That path is the one of interest to me.”

Anne narrowed her eyes as she accepted a bottle of orange lemonade from Jolene. “You called her Azazel. Her name, not the role she plays. That must mean something.”

“It does. She is like me. I am Jolene. Azazel is Azazel. You are of this world, pieces of a puzzle, you have shape that forms reality. I nudge pieces to find places they fit by posing as a piece. Azazel holds a piece of her own but she too can nudge, yet she often dares not to. She is not a piece as you are not wildlife even if you were born in the woods.”

“I see. Just in general, any questions of ‘are we doing the right thing’ are pointless, right?”

“Yes. You do as you must and if you veer off the good paths, you will be nudged. Your action’s values will be self-evident.”

“Thought as much, good. To get back to the role-names, I would love to make a list of those. There is so much to learn about people there. Might actually be more fun to guess the roles though… are the any that I might find amusing or uniquely interesting?”

“There is one you already know who is the herald of falls. You may find it fun to try to figure out who and why.”

“Oh, that does sound like fun.”

“You will enjoy it, I am sure. Not as much as you will fucking the avatar of finality though.”

Anne nearly spit out her drink. “Of course you know about that… fuck me… well, thanks for confirming that it will be a good time.”

Jolene grinned. “This form should be capable of experiencing pleasure, yes, and I am very much capable of pleasuring you. Alas, your words are not an invitation.”

“Invitation...? Oh... yes... fuck me and all that. What do you mean ‘should’? You don’t know?”

“I am beholden to causality. I will have always known once an event is certain that makes me know. I have no certainty of having sex in the first place.”

“Okay… okay. Alright. I… have no idea how I am bumbling myself into offering a fun night to all the nearly omnipotent entities I run into, but… do you want to find out?”

Jolene looked genuinely taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“Do you want to find out if you can experience sexual pleasure? I believe that is part of why you are here, right? To understand the inhabitants of universes.”

“That is not an offer I expected. I was merely attempting humour. You are right, I am here to satiate my curiosity and your offer is one many have made. But none had the understanding of what it means. You are the first to convince me to accept, the first to understand what you have offered me. I must insist that you enjoy your time with the avatar first though. You offered her time together first.”

Anne nodded. “Of course, Ara comes first. I’m… no, honestly, I’m not surprised that you accepted. I am just surprised that my life has gotten to this point.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it. It is an honour to get to spend time with you in the first place and it is almost unbelievable to know that I will be the first sexual partner for two of the most powerful beings interacting with this universe.”

“Anne, if I may ask… why are you jumping on this so much?” Kuria had been silent for a while, just enjoying her food.

Anne chuckled. “It’s what I learned from you two and Maggie. Don’t waste chances that will never come back. I have eternity ahead of me and I know I would regret not just asking out the sexy cosmic entities when I run into them. I don’t like knowing that I will regret something for eternity.”

“Yea, that’s fair. It’s just so strange and beautiful to see how far you have come.”

“Shy little Anne would have never even dared to speak to any friendly eldritch entities.” Anne shook her head. “I used to be content with that. Now… I just fucking love life. Two beautiful girlfriends, a culture that encourages me to ask out every beautiful woman I befriend, a passion to follow and a future among fire and shadow.”

“On the point of regrets. Jolene, I learned the wrong lesson, didn’t I?”

Jolene nodded. “You, the bookkeeper, your first host, you three each grew a uniquely wrong lesson from the same roots.”

“Any wise words on how to remedy that?”

“You already know why you will be who you are. Apply that knowledge.”

“Hm… I see.”