As always, Raziel was late. You'd have thought that since time didn't directly apply to immortals, they could have had some control over it. Clearly, that was not the case. A quick glance at the watch he'd 'borrowed' from an idle human - angels weren't allowed to steal, apparently - told him that he was exactly three hours, eleven minutes, and thirty-six seconds behind schedule. Lovely. If they weren't as soon as he had successfully arrived, Avra would be fuming by now. This is how you repay your chance? He could almost hear their voice screaming in his head - or perhaps, he truly was hearing them. As one of the upper immortals, they were able to, very roughly speaking, 'hallucinate' in others' heads. A gift he was yet to earn, and the very point of this mission.
Raziel froze as he heard footsteps reverberating down the passage. In the form he had chosen, no one would recognize him, and he could always manipulate their minds to not even register his presence, but it was a risk he couldn't afford to take. As much as he might vehemently deny it in front of the others, he was rusty. An Earth year stuck in heaven, as idyllic as it might sound, was not his sense of fun. And here he was, finally given a chance to prove himself again, and he was about to screw everything for the thousandth time. Though he wasn't really sure how many times he'd messed up - after an eternity, numbers tended to blur very easily.
His heartbeat subsided in sync with the noise. No one had stopped. He was still safe. After waiting a few minutes just to be sure that there was no human lingering outside - this time, casualties and contact were to be kept to a minimum - he slowly opened the door. It creaked eerily, making him wince. What a way to announce your presence to every mortal and demon in the nearby ten kilometres. But no - humans couldn't hear that well, could they? He searched his brain for a moment, tryin to recall the basics of mortal science from the distant days of training, but came up blank. He would have to go in blind, then. Raziel debated for a moment whether to communicate with a superior, but decided against after a moment of contemplation. There was no need to alert them that, barely six hours in, he was failing. Everyone knew that the science was basically redundant, anyway. Right?
Focus. Pausing yet again to check that the coast was clear - his confidence, like his skills, had been obliterated by the sabbatical - Raziel straightened his shirt one last time, and walked down the passage with an arrogant tilt in his chin. If he looked sure enough in himself, whoever bumped into him would hopefully believe he was supposed to be here. The clothes were uncomfortably warm - in theory, he could direct everyone's minds to believing he was wearing something else entirely, but seeing as he was already hiding his wings with the same method, he wasn't keen to over-stretch his mind. At least the outfit was the right time period. Small blessings.
Just as he rested his hand on the last doorhandle to exit the corridor, he felt it move beneath his fingers. Raziel had half a moment to step back, before a mortal burst in through the door and barreled into him. It was habit, to divide the being into whatever category it fell under before looking closer. He flinched at the sudden physical contact - had he dropped his guise? Surely not. There was no pressure against his upper garment - he had forgotten what the humans called it - and he hoped that he was still strong enough to hold up an illusion after a second of touch. It was probably wishful thinking, though. But when no squeak of surprise came from the man, he relaxed. No heavenly item had popped up on him, then.
"I'm so sorry. That was my mistake - I shouldn't be standing so close to the door without moving. My apologies." Raziel winced internally at the formality and lack of emotion in his words. Human, Raziel. Act human. Plastering a friendly smile on his face - that, at least, was effortless and believable - he extended his hand in greeting. "I don't think we've met. I'm -" his brain scrambled to find a suitable replacement that wouldn't reek of immortality "-Eri." Great. Not suspicious at all, being named guardian. Great job, Raziel. So far, this meeting was a disaster.
Crisp, Clear, and Cool
