A Battering (OPEN)

Razial had been in the Seventh Sphere for about 5 human hours now, and for all of those hours people and angels alike were yelling and shouting at her from all angles, how could she have not known that this was going to happen? How could she not have told anyone that the apocalypse was coming?

Sighing only seemed to prompt them to shout at her more, and she just silently stood there while they did so, hoping that someone might come in and break them up, she merely stared at the floor, showing how 'remorseful' she was for her deed, when the angels knew she could not tell any of them the future events that were in the Book Of Knowledge.

Unable to think of much else than the humans getting killed on Earth at the moment, she could only imagine the pain that they must be going through, and the pain that the thrones must be going through having to watch them being slaughtered, eaten, burnt, shot, stabbed and all other methods of evil that the horsemen would bring upon the Earth.

All she could hope is that the angels would be able to help them.

Richard was still not used to being addressed as Azrael, it felt weird to be addressed by a name that had been given to someone else. Kind of like wearing a coat that had been passed down a long line. Or something like that. He wasn't very good at metaphors when he had to worry about being bugged by some of the other angels. He was an archangel but he hadn't been an angel before that, so he was very much out of his depth. And yet all of the lesser angels turned to him for advice, for help.

He'd been an angel for a month!

Making his way through the crowd, Richard found Razial, or Willow. The other angels seemed to be hounding her but when he moved closer they seemed to become less brave. He had no idea why that was. After all they had been angels long than him so they would all be able to take him in a fight. Honestly, when would he have practiced swordsmanship when a human? He smiled faintly as he sat down beside Willow,

"Rough day huh?" he asked with a small smile, "Seems you've gotten a few persistant fans."

Razial turned when she saw the angels parting and that Richard, rather Azrael was coming through the crowd, it was something that she felt made her a lot calmer, now that they were backing off a little bit, as she had been beginning to get rather upset with herself that she didn't know in the first place, after all it was her job to know everything, she had the Book of Knowledge after all.

Smiling a little sadly at the man as he sat down next to her, Razial ran a hand through her hair and she nodded lightly to herself, she would not let herself be seen upset by anyone apart from John, especially not Azrael, after all, she wanted to make sure everyone saw her as the strong angel she wanted to be.

"Yes, rather tough, they were beginning to get as annoying as my duties in the judgement chamber." she smiled lightly "Those two never stop bickering together." Razial grinned in reference to the angel and demon alongside her on the panel.

Turning her head she straightened up with a smile; "And your own day?"

Richard smiled a little bit at some of the angels, it was still so very surreal. Angels. Demons. All of it was just so strange to him and nothing really seemed to make all that much sense. How was he higher up than people who had been angels for centuries? It boggled his mind but, he supposed, it must be something of a plan that the Creator had. He noticed Willow's rather sad smile as she ran her fingers through her hair. She was like this around him, always trying to be the best kind of angel she could be. It was rather odd but he still enjoyed her company. When she spoke about her duties as judge, Richard couldn't help but chuckle,

"Come hell or high water I have a feeling those two will be arguing." he agreed before frowning a little bit, "Does that phrase still work if Hell is a place that you can actually visit?"

He shrugged at his own question before smiling a little bit,

"Ah not as rough as yours." he told her before looking at some of the other angels milling around, "It's still all a huge shock. I'm not entirely sure what my role in all this... apocalypse thing is. What the others expect me to do about it. Expect us, as archangels, to do about it."

Razial smiled lightly and she nodded her head, she thought that the phrase was still very valid despite now being angels they could look upon and visit Hell it wa something that many of them would rather not do, and, it was a pretty useful phrase, a funny one too when she thought about it.

"No I think that you can still use it, lots of people here still do." she replied "And yes, they are always arguing, and you can't exactly go out to get 'fresh air' when you're in Heaven, you don't get much fresher."

Of course Razial knew what they needed to do, she was just not ready to face it yet, they would have to do something that Razial herself had never done and she fetl uncomfortable even thinking about it, but she knew it was the right thing to do, so she must do it. However much she wouldn't like it.

"They expect us to lead the Serephim to war against the demons, and to aid the humans on Earth that can be helped, Europe must be left to fall, but Asia can be cleansed of those effected by the pestilence." she sighed "I must confess...a reluctance to go."

Her light smile was something that Richard enjoyed seeing, it proved to him and others that she was just as human behind her mask. Even if she had never technically been human to begin with. He smiled,

"Well good to know that I'm not completely ignorant now." he admitted with a small chuckle, "I imagine it would drive you up the wall. I'd recommend bashing their heads together but then you'd have to do all of the work while they're out cold. As for fresh air... earth is still accepting visitors."

He'd never been very good at picking up on other people's emotions but it was just so plain to see that she was uneasy. Richard had never seen her even slightly nervous before, she always seemed so calm and collected. When she mentioned war with the demons he couldn't help but blink,

"You can't be serious..." his face fell as something dawned upon him, "W-wait...! I'm an archangel... how can I be expected to lead angels into battle when I don't even know how to fight myself?"

He held his head in his hands for a few moments before glancing at Razial,

"I must admit... the same reluctance Willow..."

Razial sighed lightly, she knew that she would not really be able to do her duties now, as an archangel she was expected to fight and so there would be nobody left to do the judging on the panel, what would happen to all of the souls? Would they just be allowed in? Perhaps she would have to find another angel to try and cover her position while she was out fighting.

"I know that I am free to visit Earth, but I...am a little afraid, I have never really left Heaven before, let alone to a dangerous place as Earth is now, I know I will be able to defend myself, but I am a little unsure."

Raising an eyebrow when Richard asked her if she was serious Razial nodded her head, she was indeed deadly serious, she had hoped that she would not be forced to fight, but she would have to in order to give the rest of the angels hope that something was going to happen to protect the souls left on Earth.

"I believe there should be a meeting soon between the different army leaders of the Seraphim army, and the Archangels will be called to battle also I should think." she said with a small smile "You and me included Richard, I have not had to fight a day in my life, and now I must on such a scale it is unimaginable, I have every belief this war shall kill me in the process because of that."

Richard was unused to the idea that so much could, and probably would, be riding on his actions. When John had been explaining what being Azrael meant he'd mentioned leading angels into battle as a side note because it was so incredibly rare. John himself hadn't had to do it for hundreds of years and almost every time those battles had turned into just stand offs which had been resolved through diplomacy. Talking about Earth, even as it was now, calmed him a little bit,

"Earth was always a dangerous place to be." he noted with a small smirk before grinning at her, "If you want to visit Earth I can come with you. We both know you can look after yourself but I want to be there for you too."

The way she nodded her head, so seriously, made Richard hang his head. He wasn't a good fighter by any stretch of the imagination, how was he supposed to survive this? He felt slightly sick and he realised that it was due to fear. He was so afraid of battle, he'd never had to worry about going into battle when he was a human,

"Yes... John mentioned something to that effect... getting the leaders together he called it." he muttered quietly. When she said that she believed she would die in this war his insides stiffened and seemed to freeze. He swallowed nervously and shook his head, "You won't die. You're too important, too intelligent and too beautiful to die. Me on the other hand... well I can barely hold my sword right, what chance do I have?"

Razial had known that especially in the later days, Earth was not somewhere that you wanted to be, especially if you were an angel and did not know how to defend yourself, John had told her many times of things that he had seen while he was on Earth and it had put her off going there for a very long time, although now it looked as if she was not going to have any choice in the matter, whether she went there or not.

"That is very kind of you Richard, however I believe that you will have rather more pressing matters to deal with, such as leading about 50 Seraphims into battle when the time calls for it." she smiled wryly "I however will be looking around for bits of information I have missed...and probably conversing with that Throne...Veronique, she scouts out Earth far more than any other angel."

The manner that Richard seemed to adopt when Razial told him what she had feared, and what she knew, she did not think that she would have the heart to tell him otherwise, or if she was even able to tell him. So she merely smiled and laughed lightly when he complimented her;

"Now I know your nerves are effecting you, such compliments Richard." she smiled "It will all come naturally to you, believe me, people have come to me with this worry before, in fact, the old Azrael asked me the exact same thing."

Richard was looking forward to being able to go back down to Earth. Just being somewhere familiar would do wonders for him, he just knew it. But as soon as he tried to think about hiding from his duties as an angel, Razial broke into his thoughts with a reminder of his duty. He chuckled weakly,

"Yes well... I don't suppose either of us will have much cause for social visits to Earth when we begin to fight with the demons." he admitted quietly before raising an eyebrow, "Why does she scout out Earth so much? Apart from the fact that it's a good way to stretch your legs. Or wings if you want, I don't think humans are really that concerned if they see what seems to be impossible now."

Richard smiled a little bit more. Flirting with a beautiful woman was something he had enjoyed back on Earth. Of course no one on Earth seemed to be able to hold a candle to Razial but the basic principle was the same. He grinned,

"Oh that's not the nerves talking Raz, that's the truth talking." he complimented her again with a small wink. When the conversation turned more serious he chuckle a little bit, "I hope it does come easily, naturally, to me... otherwise there'll be another Azrael sitting beside you, asking you the same question. I'll do my best though."

Razial raised an eyebrow when Richard said that he was going to go to Earth for a social call, she didnt have any reason for going to Earth because she had never been to Earth before and so had no friends and no relatives to visit that had given birth to her, her only family was in Heaven. She could not bare to think that because of this war that she would have to leave her family, or that any of her family would have to leave her.

"She goes to Earth so much because she likes to visit there, she likes to be where she was born and she wants to be able to learn more about demons, poor girl has a fasincation with hem." she said with a small hum to her voice.

Blinking a little bit Razial looked at Richard and she wondered if this was him trying to flirt with her, she had not been flirted with before, and she was new to the idea, she did not think however that Richard really knew what he was getting himself in for when she attempted to flirt back;

"Well I think that no matter how many Azraels are sitting here next to me you will be my favourite one, after all you look the best and you think that you actually have a chance with me." she laughed lightly "Which is sweet."

Richard wanted to be somewhere familiar and to him the only place that was familiar was Earth. He didn't have any friends up here in Heaven other than John and Razial. That was assuming that Razial wanted anything to do with him of course. She didn't seem to be his biggest fan by any stretch of the imagination,

"That's a good reason. It's part of my reason. Let's you connect with what you were before you died and became an angel. The demon bit I'm at a loss about. But..." he glanced at Razial, "You were created an angel weren't you? How was your early life?"

He had to chuckle a little bit at her initial reaction. It seemed that she wasn't used to being flirted with, which was strange to him given how undeniably attractive she was. When she flirted back he grinned,

"Why thank you, I'm glad that you enjoy my company. As for the looks, well I think I'm still the second most attractive person sitting here." he replied with a wink before winking at her, "Oh I'm hurt... does the book say I'm destined to strike out with you?"

Razial nodded her head, she thought that it would be good for Richard to go to Earth, although she also thought that with his strong attraction still to the planet and those he held dear in life, it would not be a very good idea for him to return to the place he was born, and to see what had become of it, although she was a little reluctant to tell him her thoughts on the matter and to basically shoot down his idea.

When he asked her what early life was like for her she blinked lightly and smiled; "Early life for me was just as life is for me now, I was not created a child, I was created as I am and I have not changed since that time, although, it was a little shock to the angels when I turned out to be a girl, all the scriptures said I should be male."

Shaking her head Razial gently punched Richard's shoulder, here they were, the world was ending they were about to go to war and he was attempting to flirt with her? Oh how odd this situation was; "You best not let John hear you say that, he would turn all protective of me."

Unable to stop a shy smile Razial added; "You know I can't divulge the secrets within the book for any amount of payment, or however many times you ask me."

Richard knew that some rather scary stuff was going down on Earth but he didn't particularly care. It was his home after all. Britain, England, was his home and until he found something he cared about in Heaven more than he had cared about Earth. It was, to his own mind, a tad unlikely but you never know. When she told him that she had always been as she was now, not only as an angel but as an attractive woman all her life,

"So you were created like this?" he whistled, "Damn... God knows how to make perfection. I trust people haven't held it against you. You are the only angel left who was created by God after all."

He chuckled when she playfully punched his shoulder. It was fun to flirt with such an attractive woman, to lose themselves from the nerves that followed them at the very thought of a war,

"Yes well John isn't here so I think I might keep going." he told her with a wink before grinning, "Although if he shows up please don't be offended if I run the hell away."

Her little shy smile made him grin a little bit before leaning in to huskily whisper in her ear,

"Does it change with how I ask?"

Razial jumped a little bit when she was whistled at, she did not expect it and she did not know why it was happening, although if she remembered correctly from what she had read, it was often done as a sign of physical approval from a male to a female and she could not help but smile shyly once more, placing a hand to her cheek.

Glad when she could turn the conversation away from flirting, she smiled more gently still; "Not many angels do no, only a few and nobody really pays attention to them, although sometimes I do miss...not having a childhood and not being entirely....human. It seems so fun."

Laughing a little bit, Razial knew that there would most likely be Hell to pay if John found Richard with her like this, attempting to flirt that is, she loved John so very much as he loved her, and she could not help but feel herself beginning to cloud her eyes with tears at what she had to come to accept was drawing closer and closer.

"I should think that John would be more protective than ever now!" she joked "Although, I do feel so sad for him sometimes, all alone, his Divine Partner not come back into Heaven...."

Jumping Razial slapped Richard on impulse and held up her hands in shock when she realised what she had done; "Oh I'm sorry I um..."