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Isabella is generally referred to as: promising.
Angels in general are a breed apart. Of course they've all got lovely voices, they've all got classical music training and know the masses and prayers, they're all blessed winged creatures -
But that doesn't mean they're all smart, or all good, even (Isabella was taken to see Windy Point, once, or what's left of it, and of course she sees the scars on Galo Mountain every year at the Gloria; there stood angels who were not good). And Isabella is smart and good.
Isabella is always the first to volunteer for an intercession. She likes them. She'll call down weather, plead for seeds, pray a shower of medicine to fall from the sky, and she will get what she asks for, and she loves nothing more than to dive from hours aloft in prayer and clasp the hands of the people she helped and go home to the Eyrie to take on her next assignment. When there are none - when there is the right amount of rain and sun in the province, when there is no plague and no famine - she studies. She studies a bit of everything, but she fancies herself particularly a historian, investigating the accounts of Archangels' reigns past. From books, mostly, although once she wrangled herself a year in Cedar Hills to assist the Archangel Linus, and when she is in the Eyrie she closely follows the leader of the host there, the former term-lapsed Archangel Delilah.
She tried to get in with the other living former Archangel, too, Alleluia the oracle who served as Delilah's interim while the latter's wing recovered from an injury, but after a few hours' conversation Alleluia said that she could not accept Isabella as even a temporary acolyte and sent her to Peninnah instead. Isabella learned a lot from Peninnah, but she's confused about why Alleluia turned her down personally only to send her to another oracle, after such a prolonged interview. Particularly since Sinai is in her own province; what was the point in sending her all the way to Gaza?
But the instruction came from an oracle, and oracles' words more often than not come from Jovah. She went to Gaza, learned from Peninnah, and went home.
Now she is back at the Eyrie, and the first thing she wants to do is let Delilah know that she's back. Her wings aren't so tired that she can't immediately fly to the Corinnis or the outskirts of Semorrah or anywhere and accomplish something. Failing that, she'd love to sign up for harmonies again now that she's home and wants to know what she ought to schedule around.
Delilah is with her husband Noah, and a visitor. He doesn't seem like a petitioner, and he doesn't look like an Edori, although the fact that he and Noah are talking in Edori suggests that he might be an adopted one. (There are hardly any Edori of either sort left; most of them live in Ysral, now.) Isabella waits patiently outside the door for the host leader's attention.
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"What do the lyrics mean?" Rinnah asks earnestly.
"You could probably manage half of Uriel's masses. Pity I'm not Hagar," laughs Isabella.
"Oh, Isabella, you sound just as pretty as her," soothes Rinnah.
"Opinion's divided on that and I don't have her range, objective fact," blushes Isabella.
"You could probably manage half of Uriel's masses. Pity I'm not Hagar," laughs Isabella.
"Oh, Isabella, you sound just as pretty as her," soothes Rinnah.
"Opinion's divided on that and I don't have her range, objective fact," blushes Isabella.
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"Oh goodness," laughs Rinnah. "I suppose I should hope Noah or even Delilah wasn't walking down the hall just then, or -" She starts rattling off more names; children of the former Archangel and other members of the hold who might know enough Edori to detect a less than genteel lyric line.
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"I don't think Zadok knows any more Edori than his mother does," Isabella eventually interrupts, and Rinnah stops naming people. But she has no real ethical objections to singing dirty songs and doesn't chide Micaiah for having chosen one.
The door swings open, and in comes a gruff-looking mortal man in practical clothes. There's a trace of Isabella in his face, although not nearly as much as there is to Rinnah. "Bells!" he says when he sees his daughter. "You're back! Visiting again or for good?"
Isabella gets up to hug him. "No plans to leave. No promises, though, I wouldn't turn down another invitation to Monteverde to help Linus."
The door swings open, and in comes a gruff-looking mortal man in practical clothes. There's a trace of Isabella in his face, although not nearly as much as there is to Rinnah. "Bells!" he says when he sees his daughter. "You're back! Visiting again or for good?"
Isabella gets up to hug him. "No plans to leave. No promises, though, I wouldn't turn down another invitation to Monteverde to help Linus."
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"And who's this fellow?" Charles asks, after releasing Isabella from the embrace.
"This is Micaiah!" says Rinnah brightly before Isabella can. "Look at their arms, dear, I've never seen anything so clear since Jerusha -"
"Sweet Jovah singing," mutters Charles.
"This is Micaiah!" says Rinnah brightly before Isabella can. "Look at their arms, dear, I've never seen anything so clear since Jerusha -"
"Sweet Jovah singing," mutters Charles.
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"How'd this happen, Bells?" Charles asks.
"He was visiting Noah - he's an Edori - I mean Micaiah, you already know Noah's an Edori - and I'd just come back from Gaza," says Isabella. "And - well, he noticed first, his hurts and mine doesn't, but it's been like this since then."
"Hrm," says Charles. He scrutinizes Micaiah. "So. Micaiah. What do you do with yourself when you're not... visiting here?"
"He was visiting Noah - he's an Edori - I mean Micaiah, you already know Noah's an Edori - and I'd just come back from Gaza," says Isabella. "And - well, he noticed first, his hurts and mine doesn't, but it's been like this since then."
"Hrm," says Charles. He scrutinizes Micaiah. "So. Micaiah. What do you do with yourself when you're not... visiting here?"
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"Mm," Charlie says noncommittally. "Well. Edori believe in Jovah, don't they?"
"Apart from the pronunciation, yes," Isabella says, who knows more about Edori religious beliefs than either of her parents and doesn't want to get deeply into that subject today.
"Mind you remember he's watching, then," Charles tells Micaiah, sitting down in the other non-angel chair. "Whether or not anybody else is."
"Apart from the pronunciation, yes," Isabella says, who knows more about Edori religious beliefs than either of her parents and doesn't want to get deeply into that subject today.
"Mind you remember he's watching, then," Charles tells Micaiah, sitting down in the other non-angel chair. "Whether or not anybody else is."
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"He's got a lovely range," Rinnah says chattily to Charles. "I think I heard everything from low baritone to mid alto, if I don't miss my pitch -"
"You never miss a pitch," says Charles loyally. "Bells, catch us up on what all else has happened - how were your last two months in Gaza?"
Isabella agreeably relates the more interesting questions people asked of Peninnah, and about her frustrating efforts to make the oracular language click, and about the events in the lives of the Gaza acolytes who her parents have come to be interested in through previous stories on previous visits.
Partway through a story about Tobiah's pet bird and his attempts to convince Isabella to catch it for him after it escaped, Rinnah picks up Isabella's hand from the table and puts it on top of Micaiah's, smiling impishly and wordlessly. Isabella blushes but doesn't move her hand away, and resumes the story after only a little stuttering.
"You never miss a pitch," says Charles loyally. "Bells, catch us up on what all else has happened - how were your last two months in Gaza?"
Isabella agreeably relates the more interesting questions people asked of Peninnah, and about her frustrating efforts to make the oracular language click, and about the events in the lives of the Gaza acolytes who her parents have come to be interested in through previous stories on previous visits.
Partway through a story about Tobiah's pet bird and his attempts to convince Isabella to catch it for him after it escaped, Rinnah picks up Isabella's hand from the table and puts it on top of Micaiah's, smiling impishly and wordlessly. Isabella blushes but doesn't move her hand away, and resumes the story after only a little stuttering.
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Isabella stammers again but finishes the story, which ends with her chasing the bird into a tree too densely branched for an angel to climb and ultimately carrying Tobiah himself down to shimmy up the trunk and retrieve his pet.
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"Thanks," says Isabella, smiling at him.
"It's like a fairy tale," sighs Rinnah.
Charles harrumphs.
"It's like a fairy tale," sighs Rinnah.
Charles harrumphs.
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Isabella's reunion conversation with her parents continues to range over miscellaneous topics and continues to incorporate handholding. When Isabella mentions that she ought to see Serah today, Rinnah ushers her and Micaiah out the door, laughing. And Isabella doesn't seem disposed to let go of Micaiah's hand.
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Serah's quarters are nowhere near her brother's. (Angels and mortals require different accommodations and live in different sections after they move out of the rooms that adjoin their parents'.) Isabella knocks, bouncing on the balls of her feet, and a person who looks like a female wingless Elisha perhaps one year older than he explodes out into the corridor and immediately engulfs Isabella in a hug. "Elisha told me you were back! Why didn't you come see me first?" Serah said. "I was only down in Velora! You could have found me. Is this Micaiah? Oh, he's cute -" She aims her face at the ceiling, as though addressing Jovah - "I approve!"
"Yes, Serah," says Isabella patiently. "This is Micaiah. Micaiah, this is Serah."
"Yes, Serah," says Isabella patiently. "This is Micaiah. Micaiah, this is Serah."
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"Why thank you," says Serah with complete unselfconsciousness. "So you're going to be Isabella's angelico, huh?"
"Serah."
"No, no, you're too modest, you really don't need to be you know, many Archangels have been famously pompous - anyway, I'd say I ought to be friends with you so I can get special favors when you and her rule Samaria together but I'm already her best friend so you can be sure I will like or dislike you solely on your own merits," Serah says cheerily.
"Serah."
"No, no, you're too modest, you really don't need to be you know, many Archangels have been famously pompous - anyway, I'd say I ought to be friends with you so I can get special favors when you and her rule Samaria together but I'm already her best friend so you can be sure I will like or dislike you solely on your own merits," Serah says cheerily.
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"Tell me about your merits," urges Serah, grabbing Isabella and Micaiah each by a hand and pulling them with awkward simultaneity through her door. One of Isabella's wings winds up buffeting Micaiah, all soft and warm; she doesn't seem discomfited by the accidental contact. "Elisha only knew a handful of things!"