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In the Shade of White Wings
Samantha brushed her hair out of her face as she hovered around invisible to the human eye. She sighed as she looked for someone. She had chosen a young male to guard and had currently lost track of him again. She'd have to take a human form once she found him again but until then she continued to glide around. She wasn't a bad guarden angel or anything but the trip down from the heavens had taken quiet a bit more time then the target gave her. Sighing her wings wilted inward as she touched her delicate pale feet to the cold concrete below. The human world was so very harsh on an angels body. Samantha was average height for a woman in her late teens early twenties. She had a well toned body with ivory colored skin, strikingly red hair, and pale blue eyes. Giving her an all around elegant look. It also to some peoples tastes was very beautiful. Her human form would probably be different. Keeping major details like her skin and her body build, structure, and elegance. However her hair would change and so would her eyes. Maybe, on this subject she wasn't entirely sure on but she knew there would be a change to some things, like she wouldn't have wings. |
Abel sneezed as he walked past people who stared, despite the fact that his wings here retracted. They saw a man who had short brown hair that fell about his face in small curls; whose eyes were an unnaturally bright green, almost neon in color. His skin looked thinner than rice paper and shimmered like it had been covered in gold dust in places where small swirling lines covered his skin. Abel looked every bit like the traditional angel even without his wing showing.
He felt someone watching him, but he kept walking pretending that he didn’t notice, trying to get to his house before he got too tired to keep his wings out of sight. “Crap.” Abel muttered, his energy almost gone. He ran headlong for the closest darkest alley as he felt the skin and bones of his shoulder blades twist and move. He sighed slowing down as he reached the end of the alley as he mumbled to himself “Waited too long.” It was only the third time in his life, in a thousand years, he’d had to hide in an abandoned alley until night. He stood at the end of the alley the only difference in his appearance being an enormous pair of wings so tall the top joints were three feet above his head and they drug on the ground when he walked if he didn’t spread them half-way. He turned to face the mouth of the alley. "Ok. Whoever you are if you're still there, kindly show your self. I would greatly appreciate it." |
Samantha saw her target and fallowed carefully. Considering she couldn't be seen she took off again into the hair and landed once again on a cold hard surface. She looked down into the alley that she had seen him dodge into. She had almost missed him. She couldn't see very well down into the dark but she could make out if he was in trouble or not. Her wings folded back as she stood in some sunlight that shimmered over her. Sun was dangerous for the hiding angel. It made them seeable, well sort of, they were like a trick to the eye. You could see them but you could still see through them. It was like everything was being looked at through a distorted window.
Moving her bright red hair out of her face she peered down. Tilting her head from side to side as she waited for her new "job" to do something but he seemed to be waiting for someone, or something. Sighing slightly she paced slightly unknowingly knocking some of the loose brick under her foot off. Her feet were getting used to the feel of the brick and concrete but it was uncomfortable none the less. |
Hearing the clunk of brick falling from a nearby roof, he closed his eyes, shaking his head and smirking, replaying the moment in his mind. Once he figured out where the person had to be standing he turned his face skyward, staring at a space where his watcher should have been.
Not wanting to attract too much attention to himself by flying, he jumped on a dumpster, then from there to a fire escape ladder to get to the roof, getting some kind of dirt on one of his wings in the process. He made the last leap gracefully, immediately cleaning his feathers and brushing dirt off his suit upon landing. “Whoever you are, kindly show yourself. I don’t like not knowing who’s following me.” He stared around the roof watching places where the person could have hid. |
"Damn it I always get caught." Samantha said with an annoyed sigh. She took the "cloak" of sorts off so she was see able. "Behind you." She stated studding her, well what she had thought to be human. "How am I always wrong. Your not human, your not in need of a guardian angel, and I was caught. I have to be the worst angel in the history of angels." She stated rubbing her head lightly. Her ivory skin smooth and soft and although she was aggravated with herself she looked calm and collected. She took in a deep breath and folded and unfolded her wings a few time.
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Abel laughed hard and long, then, once he got himself back under control, wiped his eyes free of the tears that had formed at the corners. “Well I agree that I’m not human. But, I’m not so sure about the rest of that statement. There’s a war going on between the Angels of Earth and the Demons. My species is trying to kill me because I’m good at winning wars but I don’t want to fight, and the demons are trying to kill me because, well, I’m good at wining wars and I’m an Angel.”
He absently picked at feathers that were turning ivory, meaning in the morning those feathers would turn to pure gold. “Payday.” He muttered, thinking of how he would go out and sell them for money, to pay the bills. mentally shaking himself. he foucused on the girl. “Come down here please, and we can talk. I can’t go home until nightfall otherwise I’d invite you to my house. It’s nicer there.” He jumped down from the roof to the alley below, landing lightly and looking up at her. |
"Oh perfect time to be an peace loving angel." Samantha joked lightly. She looked down and sighed moving more hair out of her face she opened her wings and carefully floated to the ground. They were sort of speckled in a way some feathers where red in color whether from wound or not it was hard to tell. The rest were a shiny heather gray color. She landed softly on the ground but pulled her feet back up hovering for now. "Well the humans have a way of making life here painful." She said looking at the ground, allies were filthy she knew that much and the ground had some how hurt her feet she guessed glass. She looked at Abel. "So whats your name?" She asked.
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“I’ve always been peace loving. The last war I had to fight in they threatened my family. I have none left to threaten now.” He shrugged as he took his shoes off scooting them towards her.
He rubbed his head “My name’s Abel. It means ‘breathe’. It used to be spelled A-B-E-L-E, but I dropped the last ‘e’ when I moved here from Italy. Now, please, take my shoes, you’re making my head hurt with your hovering.” He sat against the dumpster thinking of how badly he’d need a shower later. He watched her, the pupils of his eyes flashing fiery red occasionally as the light reflected off of them like a cat’s eye. |
"Sorry." Samantha said dropping to the ground with out thinking much of it. It took but a moment to switch into somehting slightly different so her wings were no longer there per say. She was wrong she looked exactly the same as her angel side just with out wings. She stood on Abel's shoes already knowing they were to big for her. "Thank you. Ah Abel thats a nice name. Was Italy nice? I've never been there." She stated with a shrug. "Everyone makes a whoopla out of it specially humans. I don't see why." She added.
Before long she was looking around it seemed she didn't like to stand still for very long. "I forgot to say. My names Samantha. No middle or last name. Sometimes I make myself up one if the occasion calls for it. Since your an angel and all I'll give you my full title. I am Samantha Guardian of those who need one. Sent from the heavens to look over lost, confused, or in need of desperate help kind of souls...yada yada yada...anyway long funny phrased thingy short I'm a guardian angel sent down to protect you from your enemies until A. you die or B. I die in your place as an act of last sacrafice other wise I just reappear up there and get kicked, almost litterly, back down to Earth to continue to assist you. If I fail in anyway well yeah I have to some how complete your Earthly duties so you can rest in peace, or in peices should you choose." She stated with a shrug. |
He rolled his eyes at her. “Nice, sounds like fun. But anyway, I’m sorry my last name, hmm, give me a second to think, no one ever asks for it.” He wrinkled his nose trying to remember what the name of his father had been. “Eternità. My last name was- Is Eternità. It was a warrior’s name. Breathe Eternity.” He picked up a scrap of fabric that had been part of the back of his shirt, realizing that it was almost pointless to keep it on, it would only chafe at the base of his wings.
“Anyway, I don’t know how Italy is now but it wasn’t so good five hundred years ago. The only thing going for it was I was treated like a god. I didn’t like that much but my human wife and children had plenty of support. I liked knowing that they would have everything they needed for the rest of their lives once I had to leave.” “I had a thought. How would you like to be able to stay in one place for as long as you want? I could solve your problem of having to go back and forth between the two dimensions.” |
"Ah Nothing was good Five hundred years ago. Not even things up top. TO much chaos for my liking." Samantha said. "Thats a heck of a name I think I'll just call you Abel or Mr. Abel if you'd like." She added. Thinking for a moment on his offer she looked around thinking. "Erm...would it be painful? Would it include removing an oragan or a particular power. Cutting anything clipping anything? Any sort of evil spell? Zombies?" She questioned.
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“I don’t care what you call me, you can call me Abe if you want, but I prefer Abel.” He told her thinking carefully about how the rules seemed to work ‘up top’ as she put it.
Abel smiled widely, revealing perfectly white, straight teeth. “No. You wouldn’t change in anyway. I was just thinking that I’m never out of danger. My life is a war zone and two pairs of eye watching the world for enemies is better than one. So, if you want to stay with me, you don’t have to flip between dimensions. I’ll even show you how to be more comfortable in this world. My race divided from yours about a millennium ago when a few angels figured out this little trick. They just granted their life to a human in order to stay here. In fact, one of those angels was my father. But you won’t have to grant your life to anyone. I’m already immortal.” He stood, stretching in a very catlike way that started in his toes and ran up his body finally leaving his fingers. His wings brushed the walls of the alley even though they were only half-way extended. |
"Ah, so no zombies or pain. Sounds good to me. And if you think I'll be flipping between the two a lot. I suppose its a decent idea. You'd know how dangerous your life is better than I would." She stated with a slight stretch herself it wasn't much just getting used to her more human like body. "I see so basically you had to find someone you wouldn't mind binding yourself too in a since? Hmm I see." She said with a nod. She looked at the sky. "Oi sunset never comes soon enough and then Sunrise comes to early."S he muttered.
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“Believe me I know. I’m stuck inside all day unless I’m rested enough to withdraw my wings. I can’t exactly fly out of here, I’d be noticed. Oh, anyway, is there any other name you’d like to be called other than Samantha? A nickname of some sort?”
He sucked in a hissing breath, belatedly noticing something she said. “Um. Since I’m a descendant of one of those angels I was born immortal but still attached to this world. I didn’t have to bind myself to anyone. You on the other hand, you’d have to bind yourself if you hadn’t found me.” His exceptional hearing perked as he tried to figure out the source of a low quiet scratching noise. It sounded almost like a demon. “You might want to get up or leave or something. We have a very bad visitor.” He told Samantha as he took a protective stance, without thinking, his wings spread as far as they could to hide the girl and he lowered his center of gravity, planting his feet firmly on the ground. |
Samantha hadn't a chance to say much in reply to his questions. Standing up she carefully listened but couldn't make out the sounds as well. She bit her lip this wasn't how this worked. She couldn't let him protect her unless she had some way of repaying the favor. There was only one other exception she had ever rhand that worked similar to this. The living human brother of one of the angels of death had become her job. He had inlistied to fight in the first world war. He protected her more or less because of her disguse. That one never really left her mind as she thought it should. IT was kind of a sad memory playing over and over again when something trigered it. She had completed her job but in all since of the phrase had to fight fate to let him live long enough to make it back to his family.
Snapping back to reality she moved slightly incase this ended up being one of those attacks that sent Abel flying. In which case she'd end up just behing a softer landing spot. That didn't sound like a good plan to her so she moved just a slight bit and waited for what ever was happening. She watched Abel's back more or less for the creatures. She looked fragile but she was quiet tough when it came to acctually helping keep someone alive. The years of angel hood, I suppose you'd call it, had made her toughen up though her randomness hid it well. |
Abel didn’t wait for the demon to attack but instead leaped for him a fraction of a second before the man did, colliding with him. The demon tackled him its head going into his chest, a loud crack of ribs the only sound to indicate the force of their collision, his or the demon’s he couldn’t tell.
He grabbed one of its clawed hands, missing the other as it bit into his side. The man’s free hand did every bit of damage it could, tearing at the skin and muscle of his torso, as the man swiped at him repeatedly with the claws. He grunted, broke the hand that wasn’t buried in his side, and pulled the other hand away from his chest. He broke that one too. Abel held the squirming creature down with one hand, reaching into his pants pocked pulled a dagger out, and emotionlessly stabbed it into the creature’s chest. The whole fight lasted less than a minute, and would have killed anyone less suited to the fighting life. As it was, Abel was far from fine, his ribs hurt and the flesh of his chest was ripped almost to shreds. “Tell your dad to leave me alone.” He told the demon, watching him squirm as he melted into the ground. Abel turned back around to Samantha, pressing against his side, as sticky red blood flowed down his torso, pooling on the ground at his feet, noticing that it had been his ribs that cracked. Letting out a small painful huff of a laugh, pulling what little remained of his shirt off and throwing it on the ground, he turned back to Samantha, swaying slightly, his vision getting fuzzy. “So, you were saying?” He leaned against a near-by wall, sliding down it to sit. I need food, water, and rest. Soon. I’ll be fine by morning if I get treated soon enough. I’ll take longer to heal if all I get is the food, water, and rest, but it’s still daylight. I’ll have to ask in a moment. |
Samantha looked wide eyed at the fight then walked over to Abel. "You see this is why I'm supposed to do the fighting so you don't loose large amounts of flesh and blood." She stated with a slight smile. "I was saying Sometimes people shorten my name to Sam or Sammy. Others call me Coi because of my speckled wigns. OR if you don't like the name all together you can make up a new one." She added. She looked at the wound and thought about what she could do to help. Seeings as most angels, including herself, could heal themselves and others she could heal some of it but it was only going to stop the bleeding. "Well its better then nothing." She thought aloud. Gently touching Abel's wound the bleeding slowed as she whispered some sort of chant.
"Damn I am the worst guardien in the history of guardein angels." She murmered. "Look I can't even heal another angel, thats like basic." She joked trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Anything I can get you, a role of bandages, food, pain killers?" She asked listing off stuff people would normally need. "Med evac." She questioned. |
“Well, there wasn’t much time and, if memory serves, I can withstand poisons better.” He wiped his hands on his pants trying to get the blood off.
Abel shrugged, holding his side lightly. “My kind has adapted to this life and is now different than yours, besides, demons have poisonous claws. It’s really no surprise that you weren’t that effective. It’s more complicated now. Luckily demon poison also has a numbing affect.” He ran his fingers absently across the ridges in his skin. ”But anyway, I’ll be fine in the morning if you could get me some sort of fruit like apples or grapes, water, and well the rest will have to wait until morning. Don’t get any kind of pain killers, they’re poisonous for me.” He leaned his head back against the wall, smiling at a memory of his daughter’s third birthday. “Sam, I’ll call you Sam since I called my daughter Sammy.” A small white kitten wandered out from behind the dumpster and with a small “Mew” trotted over to the two angels, rubbing against Abel’s good side. “Hello Cotton.” Abel picked him up and scratched him behind the ears. |
Samantha nodded. "Fair enough." She stated looking at the cat as it walked over. "Cute cat." She said softly before getting up. "Alright then I'll go get you something to eat. Be back in a jiffy." She stated. Walking out of the alley way she brushed off her clothes lightly and the blood that had been on her hand was now gone. She walked to the nearest store that held fruit, fresh fruit and quickly found what she was looking for. She grabbed a couple apples a couple oranges and a few different types of berries. Looking around she also grabbed some bottled water and chuckled slightly. "This would of been useful way back when." She checked out and like a miricle she had just enough to cover it all.
She didn't take long though it seemed like it to her. Samantha walked slowly back to the alley avoiding confrontations with other people. Things had deffinetly changed since she was last here. The air felt heavier, the people dressed much different, and their all around persons and morals had very much changed. "Thats just wonderful." She muttered. Looking around she took in what she could observing and processing gaining more knowledge. Not much she wasn't very good at the whole insta-know everything stuff but she got a good idea and update on what was going on in the present. |
Abel had been sting down thinking of all the things he’d have to do. Dangerous things. “Boy tonight’s going to be interesting, what with me killing that demon. They’re going to retaliate.” He told Cotton as he held him in his lap, stroking the kitten’s back.
Abel smiled and stood as she came down the alley. “Hi. How’d it go?” He was no longer holding his side as he stood, the ripped skin healed over, though his ribs were not healed yet, and his breathing was still shallow. He walked toward her, grunting as the first rib snapped back into place. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” |
"It was fine." Samantha said looking at him. "You probably don't want to move around. Not..not to much at least." She said handing him the bag. "Water, fruits. I didn't know what you ate so I graved a little of everything." She said softly She moved her hair and looked around. "The sun should set soon so you'll be able to get home." She said softly. Looking around she sighed and jumped up pulling up on the fire excape. She sat down on it and just looked around like she was waiting for something else to happen. She didn't seem to sociable at the moment more curious of her surroundings and keeping her feet off the ground.
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“Hmm. It’s probably dark enough now, but I’m going to stay here for the moment.” He told her.
Opening the bag, he grabbed a bottle of water and chugged the whole thing down. He then sat down, grabbed an apple, quickly scarfing it down. He then dug in to the rest of the bag’s contents eating it all in less than three minutes, choking only once. He leaned against the wall again. “Better.” He closed his eyes. Ten minutes later he stood, looked up at her and, holding his side, told her “I’m going now, if you want to come with me. I’ll be going home to change, and then take care of some business. I have clients waiting for me.” He turned without checking to see if she was following and half stumbled out of the alley still dizzy but much better. |
"Ok." Samantha said standing up and hopping down. She walked a little bit behind him and looked around as they walked keeping close enough not to get lost but not to close to bug him if he wanted her to leave him alone. More or less she figured the invatation was more of a polite jesture then a hopeful one. She simply took everything in.
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“Are you okay? I’m not like a crotchety old man. Well, a crotchety man. At least I don’t think so.” Abel asked her over his shoulder, sticking to the shadows.
He stopped in front of a display window advertising clothes forgetting that the humans could see his wings. “Alright, I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to teach you about the world as it is now, and update your wardrobe so you look more normal. My clients can wait.” Continuing his walk before anyone could notice him; he stopped again in the dark beside a cemetery and turned around. “We like company you know.” He stared at her through the dark before shrugging and turning back around, trudging through the cemetery, sticking to the path. |
Samantha looked at Abel. "I'm fine thanks. I'm just not used to acctually interacting with people." She stated with a shrug. "What exactly do you do?" She questioned as she fallowed seeing the graveyard she took in a deep breath. "Its been a long time since I've been in a cemetery." Her voice stuttered lightly. Practiclly whispering she looked at Abel. "We?" She questioned. As she took in the different styles of tomb stones. The gate that surrounded it. Her smile was slight as she fallowed Abel carefully and looked around. Things in this part of the world hadn't changed much. Everything looked pretty much the same. Tombstones, gates, trees, and grasses. So on.
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