It was a very weird time to be a Faith angel. Not one, but two oracles now had died under extremely confusing circumstances, with absolutely nothing to indicate to anyone what could possibly be going on. People were afraid that the gods had killed their own oracles, and if that were so, could the gods be trusted? Who would die next? Why was this happening? Feelings of faith were hesitant and uneasy as these events continued to erupt, which was not good news for a species that only existed and thrived because of that faith.

Abraham Val'yera was feeling a bit fatigued.

Faith angels were known to be more nomadic than most of the other branches of the species, but the king of Faith was especially mobile in the past few weeks. Along with his close friend and advisor, Zacrae, Abraham had been scurrying across angel territory, especially places where faith angels tended to flock, trying both to figure out what was going on and keep spirits high as doubt rippled throughout the faithful. Abraham had always been fairly good at keeping his people together during hard times, but hard times had never been like this before. At least the war made sense!

Presently, the monarch had taken a seat in a quiet place in a Plenty-dominated city he had been visiting on his quest. It was fairly easy for him to bounce from place to place unnoticed, for someone of his status; Abraham was a pretty unassuming man, not even particularly angel-like in appearance except for the faint glow of his skin. Not to mention, he was not especially social and usually preferred to keep his public appearances to a minimum, so outside of his own people he was unlikely to be recognized. He liked it that way, for it meant he did not draw much attention while out and about.

Abraham ran his hands through his hair, taking a moment to relax after a long day of a lot more socializing than he was used to in a day. If not for Zacrae by his side the whole time, he probably would have had a nervous breakdown by now. Why couldn't things ever be normal and easy? Wasn't dealing with the war enough trouble, now something had to happen with the oracles? Jeez...

"What a day..." he breathed. "And we found out absolutely nothing. Do you think we've made any impact on the people, at least?"

Abraham took a breath as Zacrae cupped her hand around his cheek and, before he could protest, sapped away some of his fatigue. She smiled at him and offered her lap as a place to rest, but the monarch was too anxious and too reluctant to let his friend help too much. He was sure that he had told her that he would rather bear his ailments and negative feelings himself than let her harbor them instead, and yet she insisted on using her powers to transfer them. And, surely, she was tired after the day's events, too.

"You should rest instead," he told her, waving his hand dismissively at her offer. "The day is only half over, so I really shouldn't be taking too long of a break just yet. I'll be fine."

Before Abraham could offer to handle the rest of the day's work by himself so that Zacrae could relax, a newcomer approached to address them. Surprised, Abraham glanced up at the tall woman as she spoke of bringing unfortunate news. Who was this, and what more could possibly have happened?

It turned out that the angel was offering help. Wait, which was it? News or aid? Abraham found himself confused by this presence, and he frowned as he considered what was being offered to him. Well, it was probably more important to know more about who was making the offer before he thought too carefully about her words. Especially since it seemed as though she had been following Abraham and Zacrae around; she had to have been, in order to know they were worth talking to in the first place.

"Action is valuable," the old angel began cautiously. "But I'm afraid you've confused me with your sudden appearance. Forgive me for being direct, but who exactly are you, and what exactly are you proposing?"