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It's called the 'Shae Monyurose'.
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This is a catch-all post for contacting Dezel in

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Hey, Dezel? Do you have a moment?

I know this is a little out of the blue, but I've got a question about your world.

[It's not like he's doing anything important. Business as usual at the bar.]

All right, sure.

[There's no easy way to ask this, so he'll just be blunt - ]

Does marriage exist in your world? Or like, some sort of sacred covenant between two people who love each other?

[... okay, that's a weird question, but he can try.]

Yeah. For humans, anyway. You get blessed by a priest in a ceremony, say some words and exchange gifts. The details vary. Poor people don't even bother with rings most of the time.

What brought this up?

[Ah, shit.]

Um, I'm working on a talk for the Interfaith Center, on marriage and how that might differ from world to world. [Or well, HE CERTAINLY IS NOW. JUST SO HE'S NOT LYING TO DEZEL'S FACE.] What about uh, courtship rituals? "Dating," or whatever ceremonies lead up to marriage?

I'd ask Sorey, but uh - [Stefan pauses,] I think he's busy.

[A silence follows this that is so deep, the white noise creeps in.]

Stefan.

[Very, very simply:]

I'm a seraph. I've never gone on a date in my life. And everyone I spent time with? Killed people.

[There was one engagement-- one-- and it was a political move that ended in a lot of heads rolling.]

[He shivers at the silence - Y'Allah, he hadn't meant to bring up those memories.]

I'm sorry. I swear, I wouldn't ask if this were important.

[Clay officially owes him, BIG TIME.]

I just - I got the feeling that if I asked Sorey what a date was? He'd ask about the fruit.

He knows what a date is. [A bit of annoyance creeps in.] If you're talking about those two, they know exactly what they mean to each other and they're comfortable with however deep it goes.

Doesn't mean it's any of our business.

No, of course not -

[He sighs, more than a little ruefully.]

I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to. Their relationship is theirs, and I know I wouldn't want anyone to ask about mine. It's more - I was wondering if the words were the same?

Where I'm from, courtship rituals go by different names. Like Americans will call it dating, but my native language calls it muaeada.

If there's a different word for it, it's not significant enough that the augments won't translate it.

[He rubs at his chin invisibly.]

It might be a little different with seraphim in the mix, though. We have true names and we only share them with people we trust-- people we can be intimate with. It doesn't always mean romance, but... names have power. The Shepherd's pact is proof of that.

I see. So it may not be a specific ritual so much as the knowledge and trust between partners.

[He grows quiet, thinking about the true name Sorey had given him. There wasn't romance in that - unconditional familial love, certainly. They were family, and the name bonded them just as the term akhi had.]

Thank you. Seriously, I appreciate you taking the time to talk about this.

Yeah. Something like that. There-- aren't really a lot of human and seraph relationships to go off of, if we're talking about Sorey and Mikleo specifically. [A pause, and quieter:] It almost always ends badly.

[Dezel has an idea of how close Stefan and Sorey are-- he's one of Sorey's seraphim, after all.]

I'm not sure how much I helped. If you want details, I'm sure those two nutballs have enough documentation on human crap to open a museum.

Understood. I'll... keep that in mind, should I ever ask Sorey and Mikleo about the details.

[For their relationship or for the talk? Stefan doesn't even know at this point.]

You helped a lot, actually. I know this kind of stuff isn't the easiest to talk about, so, uh, thanks again. It really does mean a lot.

Edited 2017-02-09 07:11 (UTC)

[Neither does Dezel, but he wishes Stefan luck if he ever decides to go for a straight answer. You're not gonna find one with those cabbage heads.]

Yeah, yeah, whatever. [He's prickly because he's embarrassed.] If you thank me again I'm gonna disconnect.

[He laughs, teasing a little -] Is that so? Then I guess I'll have to do you a favor and disconnect first.

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