Archangel

[Sparkles]

The elevator whispered to a smooth stop. The doors opened. Not giving herself a chance to hesitate, she headed out and into a small glass enclosure. It was immediately obvious that the glass cage was nothing more than the shell that housed the elevator. The roof lay beyond . . . and it had not even a token railing to stop an accidental plunge.

The archangel clearly didn’t believe in putting his guests at ease.

But Sierra wouldn’t call him a bad host—a table set with croissants, coffee, and orange juice sat in solitary splendor in the middle of the wide open space. Another look and she saw that the roof wasn’t bare concrete. It had been paved with dark gray tiles that glimmered silver under the sun’s rays. The tiles were beautiful and unquestionably expensive. 'An extravagant waste', she thought, then realised that to a being with wings, a roof was assuredly not a useless space.

Raphael was nowhere to be seen.

Putting her hand on the doorknob and, assuming her partners were right behind her, she pulled open the glass door and walked out. To her relief, the tiles proved to have a rough surface—the wind was soft right now but she knew that this high, it could turn cutting without warning, and heels weren’t exactly stable at the best of times. She wondered if the tablecloth was bolted to the table. Otherwise, it would probably fly off and take the food with it sooner rather than later.

Then again, that might be a good thing. Nerves didn't make for easy digestion.

[Elario Luminus]

Upon exiting the elevator, Garret found his expectations met tenfold; the view from the rooftop let him see the city from on high. 'So this is what he can see from here...' Following Sierra, he started to take in the rest of the details of his surroundings; the table with the cloth, covered generously with food and drink for their meeting, though Garret had to hazard a guess that at least he himself wouldn't want to eat during or after talking to Raphael. He had no idea if Archangels worked the same way as your average human in the ways of eating food offered to you. He scolded himself inwardly. 'Of course they do.'

While bringing all this in, he registered hearing the last of Constantine and Allire's conversation and looked over his shoulder at them. "Far be it my responsibility to look after you two, but perhaps your topic is best kept in a hushed tone down on the ground, as opposed to Raphael's Tower. Needless to say, keep it yourselves when he shows up." His point made, Garret strode to stand next to the edge of the building so he could see the ground. Vertigo struck him and he stepped back. "At least I'd have time to think about my life on the way down..." he muttered under his breath.

[Lykaios]

Constantine nodded in agreement with Allire's response to his earlier words; he was glad she agreed with him. It was a pretty valid explanation. Even if his suggestion was only a possibility; it was still valid. When Garret suggested for them to keep it quiet, Constantine's expression changed to the verge of violence. He was disinterested in being given something akin to an order by someone who he's of equal status to.

"I didn't intend on taking the topic any further, Avellis. I was merely stating an observation I had." he said quietly, before stepping out of the cage.

Looking around, he was actually most impressed with the rooftop. It wasn't designed to overwhelm the visitors, but was more designed for ease of access and comfort. The roof so far made Constantine the most comfortable.

"I like this area." he said, aloud.

[Arcane]

Allire flashed Garret a grin, "Okay. I'll shut up now. But wow, that's a hell of a view."

Allire walked over to the edge of the roof and swung her legs over the side confidently. She doubted she'd fall and she could do power plays too. It was important to look confident, completely unperturbed. Good things heights had never bothered her. Peering out over the city, Allire looked for the garage where they'd left the car. Tracing their route back, she could just barely see her apartment building, a tiny, shabby looking thing when compared to the behemoths of downtown Manhattan. But she suspected, no, knew, having grown up in relative affluence, that she was far happier than the tycoons living in the luxurious apartments just a few blocks away.

"The city is beautiful in the morning. I'd like an apartment around here someday. Or I would, rather, if it didn't come with wealthy neighbors. The view's not worth dealing with that sort. I should know," Allire flashed her companions back a grin, deliberately kicking her legs. This was easier than expected. Raphael would arrive to find her calm, cool and collected, and discussing things other than the job at hand. Hopefully Sierra and Garret would relax quickly enough. It wasn't exactly productive to enter a meeting nervously.

[Sparkles]

[Introducing.... my other Character <3]

Leaving her purse on the table, Sierra walked carefully to the nearest edge, right next to wear Allire was . . . and looked down. Exhilaration raced through her at the incredible view of angels flying in and out of the Tower. They seemed almost close enough to touch, the temptation of their powerful wings a siren song.
“Careful.” The word was soft, the tone amused.
She didn’t jump, having felt the push of wind engendered by his near-silent landing. “Would they catch me if I fell?” she asked, without looking his way. She briefly wondered if her companions had noticed his decent and landing behind her or if, like many claim, an Archangel could only be seen when they wanted to be seen. But that was just rumour.
“If they were in the mood for it.” He came to stand beside her, his wings filling her peripheral vision. “You don’t suffer from vertigo.”
“Never have,” she admitted, so terrified of the sheer power of him that she sounded absolutely normal. It was either that or start screaming. “I’ve never been up this high before.”
“What do you think?”
She took a deep breath and a step backward before turning to face him. The impact hit her like a physical blow. He was . . . “Beautiful.” Eyes of such pure undiluted blue it was as if some heavenly artist had crushed sapphires into his paints and then coloured in the irises with the finest of brushes.
She was still reeling from the visual shock when a sudden wind swept across the rooftop, lifting up strands of his black hair. But black was too tame a word for it. It was so pure it held echoes of the night, vivid and passionate. Cut in careless layers that stopped at the nape of his neck, it bared the sharp angles of his face and made her fingers curl with the urge to stroke.
Yes, he was beautiful, but it was the beauty of a warrior or a conqueror.
“Yes, it’s beautiful up here,” he said, breaking into her fascination.
She blinked, then felt her face colour, having no idea of how much time had passed. “Yes.”
His smile bore a hint of mockery, of male satisfaction . . . and of pure, lethal focus. “Let us have breakfast and talk.”
He turned then to the others and gestured to the table that was set, a chair clearly designed to accommodate for wings at its head. "If you will"
His powerful wings seemed to fall behind him effortlessly. He had power stamped on every inch of his skin, every piece of his flesh. And that was before you took in the exquisite perfection of his wings. The feathers were a soft white and appeared dusted with gold. But when you concentrated, you saw the truth—each individual filament of each individual feather bore a golden tip.
Furious at having allowed herself to be blindsided by his physical beauty, she bit the inside of her cheek in reprimand. She wasn’t going to fall into the same trap again. Raphael clearly knew how striking he was, and he knew the effect it had on unsuspecting mortals. Which made him an arrogant SOB she should have no trouble resisting.
She took checks on her companions to make sure they still... were. She had to take a glance behind Raphael to see Allire; hoping, with only a little worry, that she hadn't fallen off. She shouldn't be worried about the girl; but she couldn't help it. Sierra had been in contact with vamps many, many times, angles less, but she was taken far out of her quaint reality upon meeting the Archangel of New York, so she couldn't help but be a little concerned about their youngest, who may not have seen even an angel in the flesh before, coming up against the onslaught of power that seeped from the being infront of them.

[Elario Luminus]

Garret was still taking in the view of the aerial traffic when he heard voices, soft on the wind, from a little way off. Turning to face the origin of the voices, he was struck with the sight of the Archangel's back and, more importantly, the sheer presence of his wings that seemed to drain the rest of the world of colour. 'To be able to fly...that would be incredible.' He wondered briefly what it would be like to fly through the city and beyond it if he wanted to before his mind was brought back to the rooftop by Raphael's gesture towards the table. Finding a chair and sitting down, Garret found himself calmer than he'd been not a minute earlier. To be meeting something so powerful, it was more comforting to know where that thing was, and in his vision was where Garret liked it.

As he waited for the others to sit down, he, as per usual in situations like this, kept to himself, letting others speak before he made his own voice heard. He desperately hoped to whatever high power there was that Constantine kept his arrogant mouth shut, lest he be killed for insulting the Archangel. As such, he shot a warning glare towards the foreigner. Garret himself remembered vividly the news footage of Germaine in Times Square; bloodied, broken and branded. That was because of Germaine's audacity to try and be Judas. Garret dreaded to think what else Raphael would be capable of.

[Lykaios]

He had watched as the Arch had descended to the roof, and the sight had been impressive, even to Constantine's high standards. Raphael was indeed an Archangel, the very sight of him was evidence of that, and Farlius made no attempt to hide his satisfaction. He was satisfied to be in the presence of an Arch, even if they were increasingly arrogant, even by comparison to himself. Somewhere, he felt that they knew they were the most attractive beings on the planet, and held that card sweetly up their sleeve, all the while, plotting to torture and maim wrong-doers. He'd heard it said, once that 'something so beautiful, could never do wrong'. He'd brazenly laughed at the persons face and gave them several instances when they'd 'done wrong', thereby nulling the persons point entirely.

Constantine had no doubt in his mind that this Arch had done terrible things. In life, finite or infinite, one could never get through it without causing harm in some way or another. Raphael oozed warrior spirit, whether or not it was tamed by his beatific appearance, he was still in one way or another, raw power.

"You sure have a way with making an entrance, Archangel." he found himself saying with a hint of mockery, before he could stop himself. Eyebrow raising instantly, he looked at the Arch quizzically.

Can this Arch cause you to say things you think, but don't plan to? he wondered, because he'd had no intention of saying anything aloud. He knew that the Arch could have his head in a moments notice for his tongue, but he hadn't been able to stop himself.

[Arcane]

Allire swung her legs over and sauntered back to the table. Her confidence came easier after hearing Sierra speak to the Archangel. He was powerful, she didn't doubt that, but he was just an angel, with a job for them to do. If he'd meant them any harm, he wouldn't have summoned them here. There were much more discreet ways of taking out trouble. Besides, while Allire was sure she had enemies, she doubted she'd done anything significant enough to draw the wrath of an archangel.

Constantine seemed determined to try, however, although she suspected the obvious admiration on both his and Sierra's faces softened any offense the arch might take at sarcasm. Looking over Raphael, Allire saw a powerfully built man, dark-haired and blue-eyed, handsome, in a rough, masculine sort of way, with large wings of white and gold. She knew, from being told, that he was immensely powerful, but she didn't feel anything. She never had in the presence of angels. Perhaps she simply lacked the sensitivity of the hunterborn.

"Thank you for inviting us up here, Archangel Raphael," Allire nodded politely as she took a seat and poured herself a glass of juice. She'd use his title for politeness sake, but she wasn't about to pretend he didn't have a name, like every other being, "And for providing us with breakfast. Are you hungry? Do archangels even get hungry or are they too far above us mere mortals? These rolls are excellent, by the way. Would any of you like one?"

[Sparkles]

At Constantine's comment, Raphael's mouth turned up at the corner, as if he knew the question running in the mortal's head and was quite amused by it. Though he chose not to answer; some things were better left unsaid, especially around humans.
Pulling out a chair, he waited. This was when the other human; the small one, Allire, decided to speak out of turn. He was not here to answer their probing questions, and had the human not been requested by himself, then he would have considered punishment for such a question. However, the three were to aid the hunter-born, so for now.. they would live. However, he decided not to answer her question, lest she respond in a way that would get her killed. He had little patience for humans.

Sierra halted a foot away, very conscious of his height and strength.. and the fact that he seemed to be paying particular attention to her. It was making her rather uneasy. She wasn’t used to feeling small. Or weak. That he could cause her to experience either sensation—and without any apparent effort—made her angry enough to chance reprisal. “I’m not comfortable with anyone standing behind me.”
A spark of surprise in those blue, blue eyes. “Shouldn’t it be me who fears a knife in the back? You’re the one carrying concealed weapons.”
The fact that he’d guessed at her weapons meant nothing. A hunter was always armed. “The difference is, I’ll die. You won’t.”
With a small, amused wave of his hand, he walked to the other side of the table, his wings brushing over the squeaky clean tiles to leave behind a shimmering trail of white gold. She was certain he’d done it on purpose. Angels didn’t always shed angel dust. When they did, it was immediately collected up by mortals and vampires alike. The price for a speck of the bright stuff was more than that for a flawlessly cut diamond.
But if Raphael thought she was going to get down on her knees and scrabble, he had another thing coming.
“You don’t fear me,” he said now.
She wasn’t stupid enough to lie. “I’m petrified. But I figure you didn’t make me come all this way just so you could push me off the roof.”
His mouth curved, as if she’d said something funny. “Take a seat, Sierra.” Her name sounded different on his lips. A binding. As if by speaking it, he’d gained power over her. “Like you said, I have no plans to kill you. Not today.”
She sat with the elevator cubicle at her back, aware of him waiting with old-world chivalry until she’d done so. His wings draped gracefully over the specially designed chair back as he followed suit. “How old are you?” she found herself asking before she could nip her curiosity in the bud.
He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Do you have no sense of self-preservation?” It was a casual comment but she heard the steel beneath the surface and the way in which it was spoken; it wasn't only directed at her. It would seem it hadn't taken long for herself and her companions to put their feet in their mouths.
Chill fingers trailed over her spine.

[Elario Luminus]

Garret inwardly winced when first Constantine, then Allire spoke in slightly mocking and condescending tones, making the decision that not talking had been a good one in itself. Deep down, he'd thought the same things they'd said, but to actually voice them required balls so beyond steel it defied belief. A calm composure barely concealed a furious manner; smooth features, but eyes alight with fire. He shot the two newest members of the Core a look before reaching out and silently taking a bread roll for himself. He took a bite and sat back, idly chewing. At Raphael's question of the groups self preservation, Garret inwardly defended himself, in that he'd never spoken in the first place.

Somewhat insolent though she may have been, Allire was right; the rolls were good. Sitting there while Sierra and Raphael talked to each other, Garret began taking in the sight from above his head, rather than below it. Angels swooped high and low, going about whatever business angels had. The longing to fly like them struck Garret again, and he frowned slightly as he looked back down to the table in front of him. His attentions needed to be down at gro-...roof level, not high into the heavens, otherwise he might just miss the details of the job.

[Lykaios]

Constantine meekly - a near impossible feat, for him, of course - sat on a very ornate seat, and made to begin to seem as invisible as he could. It was one thing to be impudent before meeting the Archangel, but being a walking disaster during the meeting was a whole different ball-game. He cursed himself as he recollected the words he'd spoken to the angel only a minute before. The thought had barely escaped his conscious mind, as the words had rolled from his tongue. He was definitely sure that he thought of something very carefully before uttering the phrase. Even if carefully meant only thinking of how best to say it for the desired effect. But what he had said to Raphael, he knew had barely registered in his mind before it had been said.

Constantine didn't like angels. Especially those powerful enough to absently manipulate his mind into working against him. He only liked his mind conspiring against him, if he'd taken liberties to prepare that disaster. In other words: never. Determined to rid himself of blacklist priority, he decided on how best to approach this situation, without creating fuss. It was a difficult feat for him.

"Forgive our...impudence, Archangel. I doubt any of us expected the kind of temptations your presence would create to our minds. And, aside from killing a cat, is curiosity so hazardous? I doubt Sierra intended to offend you, in the least. And a being of your power leads people to wonder..." he said, as politely as possible. He was doing his utmost to try and salvage the situation for himself and his comrades, and having such a large mouth with such easy access for his feet; made it simple to ruin any chance of salvation...

He wasn't even sure he could find a suitable honorific in his natural tongue to show his certainty of his own words. How he loathed the English language sometimes...clouding his mind. Deciding he'd said more than enough, that could be taken negatively or positively, he sanctioned himself for a bread roll and to begin to partake in breakfast. He was disinclined to deny the satisfaction of a meal served, to go uneaten. Raphael seemed inviting enough, at least towards the meal available.

[Arcane]

As she watched Constantine cover for them both, Allire forcibly shut herself up. She wasn't about to submit. She liked her freedom and she had every intention of making it clear that she wasn't anybody's crony, Archangel or otherwise. But she could sit quietly, she could. And Constantine seemed to be doing a fairly decent job covering up for them. Who knew. Guess Greek boy had some diplomacy after all.

Taking another roll and pouring herself some juice, Allire occupied herself with eating as she scanned the roof. Angels soared through the air, but they appeared to be paying little attention to the gathering. A Vampire, however, watching them from the shadows, seemed to be paying them greater mind. Her mouth was pursed with disapproval and she stood politely to the side, head down, even as keen blue eyes scanned them. Allire decided she didn't like her, with her formal clothes and stiff bun and silent observation. Probably ordered by Raphael, Allire thought with a snort. What, weren't they under close enough observation, with him sitting right there? And what was this job anyway? Breakfast was nice and all, but Allire didn't like working blind.

"My apologies, Archangel," Allire managed through gritted teeth, "But would you be able to tell us the nature of our task?"
---
Anna Sophia Devereaux had been working for the Archangel for over seventy years. She had served him well, or as well as she could, she believed, as such a Master deserved. Intelligent, powerful and just, if not merciful, Raphael was an excellent Master, superior to every other Angel in Anna Sophia's acquaintance. These Hunters, however, seemed unaware of the Archangel's magnificence and strength and the respect he commanded by simply walking in the room.

Clearing her throat and stepping forward, Anna Sophia held the manilla folder in her arms like a shield. She wasn't supposed to be here, on the roof, but she had heard rumors and she had been...interested, a feeling she tried to avoid and had been nearly entirely successful in suppressing. She had intended to listen in briefly and slip away before being seen, but as one of the Hunters seemed to have spotted her, there was nothing to do but make her excuse. Pasting a polite, professional, pleasant but not overly enthusiastic smile on her face and adopting a faint Southern drawl, a skill she had acquired twenty years ago, when she grew tired of explaining her history, Anna Sophia spoke with little emotion in her tone, "Archangel, Sire, I have this quarter's financial report. Would you like it now or shall I deliver it to your office?"

[Sparkles]

Raphael listened to each of their apologies, seeming to accept them for the time being. His eyes drifted to Sierra, the only one who had spoken out of turn and yet not given her own apologies.
Sierra blustered a little under his gaze “Some would say not—I am a vampire hunter.”
Something dark and exquisitely dangerous moved in the crystalline depths of those eyes no human would ever have.
It was just at that moment that Anna Sophia, one of the vampires under his command, made her presence known. If she hadn't done so soon enough then he would have made a point of her eavesdropping not being a desired trait; however he'd let it slide.
Diverting his attention from his guests, he addressed Anna Sophia once she'd spoken. "Deliver it to Dmitri. He can take a look and pass on anything of interest. He also may have some news to hand to you." He wouldn't say any more in front of the hunters; it wasn't for their ears what Dmitri was to give Anna Sophia. She was young, but as they'd found, very capable and ready to prove herself wherever it was required.

Raphael made an almost gentle motion for Anna Sophia to leave them before turning back to the hunters, particularly to Allire. "Your task will be given to you soon. Tell me about your abilities.” It was nothing less than an order, his tone a blade that whispered warning. The archangel no longer found any of them even fractionally entertaining.

[Elario Luminus]

Garret heard the female vampire speak up from the side and, to his own dismay, was struck quickly and sharply by her beauty. Almost instantly, however, he reprimanded himself, reminded what vampires could be like. Still, his curiosity and interest was piqued when Raphael mentioned some "news" that this Dmitri might pass on. Garret had an inkling that it had something to do with the job they were to be given, but he pushed the thought to the side to worry about later.

He looked back to Raphael when he was asked what his capabilities were. He could see the look in Raphael's eyes and spoke as truthfully and humbly as he could, in order to refrain from pissing the Archangel off any more than his colleagues had already.
"I'm a trained Hunter with an extensive history of successful missions and contracts. I use stealth and reconnaissance to study my target, and bring them undamaged at all times. I infiltrate and blend, using non-lethal force where possible." Having said his piece, Garret quickly went quiet and waited for someone else to talk in order to take the attention away from himself.

[Lykaios]

The Archangel officially pissed Constantine off. Raphael had completely ignored his questions, and everyone elses. It was one thing to be superior to them in almost every way, and that was palatable, even if only by a little, but it was a completely different story when he disregarded their questions. The only question he answered, had been a dodging of the question; and if Allire weren't frustrated by it, Farlius certainly was. He was used to being given the runaround, but he was used to having his questions answered, not ignored completely.

Malaka... he thought. Raphael was a being of complete selfishness, for an angel.

"Hunter-born. Strong career built in Greece and Australia. Minimal failure ratio." he decided he would become specifically vague, because Raphael was not proving to be deserving of his utmost sincerity any more.

Constantine opted to completely disregard the vampire updating Raphael on his financials, and not even look her way. He took the opportunity however, to look at the rest of the Core. Sierra was looking a little concerned, and Garret was back to being invisible to the angel's attentions and Allire had focused her attention on the vampire, even if only briefly. His gaze was quick, but he noticed that she didn't seem to be drastically affected by the Arch's presence as he and Sierra had. Garret, he was unsure of. He seemed more quiet than usual, but he hadn't spoken much to Avellis. Allire on the other hand, seemed more or less herself. Constantine assumed there was just something different about her. He knew she was spunky, but he didn't know if that applied when meeting a being of supernatural power that could very easily destroy her and the entire city in a blink.

What kind of situation have I gotten myself into?? he wondered in the safety of his mind, which was thankfully completely under his own control again. It meant he could safely curse this arrogant Archangel without it slipping out. And that would be bad.