“Yup,” Alex told her.
“Even if our expectations were inconsistent and we kept changing the boundaries?”
He made a face. “What, you don’t have a manual ready to go for this?” he laughed. “Yes. I understand. We’re all just making this up as we go along, right?”
Onyx fell silent as she stared at him. Alex didn’t look away. Molly waited until she couldn’t anymore. “Does he mean it?”
“Yup,” Onyx said. “He’s meant every word he’s said since he sat down.”
“Huh? What, are you running some sort of lie detector spell on me?”
“Yup. You may not be a player at heart, but you’ve got all the talent for it, and you have succubus cooties all over you. Girl’s gotta be careful.”
“And he’s not even mad,” noted Molly.
“Nope,” said Onyx.
Alex waited, saying nothing.
Again, Molly waited until she couldn’t. “What do you think?”
“I think we may have a winner,” Onyx solemnly declared.
* * *
Angels needed neither food, nor drink, nor sleep. They lived without material wants. The guardians, in particular, were largely defined by their responsibilities. Most came to love their charges, seeing their work as a pleasure and comfort rather than a duty. Socialization with their own kind happened in a haphazard manner, as friendships developed in conjunction with the relationships of guarded mortals. And while duty never ended, the simple facts of mortal life sometimes allowed a guardian to step away from time to time with no danger to his charges.
Yet it was not until the dominion of Seattle fell under its newest management that any guardian angels could enjoy something as revolutionary as “time off.” To Rachel, everyone deserved a day off now and again-even if they’d never felt the need for one before.
“Annalise, Jordan, Christopher, Malik: you guys have Cassandra’s work load ‘til sunset tomorrow. Split it up. Be good. Brian, Bob, Sara, Dave: you’re pickin’ up for Boris tonight. Don’t give him any shit, either. He’s burned out.”
“Why do you keep calling me ‘Bob?’” asked Robert.
“Because you look like a Bob.” Rachel turned from them to the next small clutch of angels standing atop the skyscraper. Others glided by overhead, listening for updates or instructions. The Columbia Tower stood taller than any other building in the city, and therefore offered a wonderful vantage point for planning.
“Is that it for coverage issues? Anyone else gotta take a coffee break?”
An angel raised his hand. “Uh, do we actually schedule coffee breaks, too?”
Rachel opened her mouth to deliver an incredulous answer, then closed it. She shut her eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Sorry!” someone else yelled. “Stan’s new here! We’ll take care of him.”
“A’right!” Rachel carried on, addressing everyone. “We already have a much cleaner shithole than we had a month ago, but it is still kind of a shithole! Remember that I trust your judgment and I encourage you to take the initiative when you see a problem. We will observe the right of free will and we will not overstep our bounds, but that leaves us with a fuck-ton of leeway to do some fuckin’ good, you hear me?”
Many cheered. While all remembered Rachel’s old reputation, they also understood how much she had accomplished in recent weeks. Many greatly enjoyed her management style. After untold centuries of observing the balance and simply holding ground, it felt good to be proactive once again. Not every angel cared for Rachel’s demeanor, but they at least appreciated the chance to act with a free hand. A few others rolled their eyes at her coaching, but they didn’t object to her instructions.
“Again, we still have a shitload of out-of-town monsters fuckin’ around in this city. Do not feel constrained to any of that ‘cycle of nature’ bullshit. They are fucking monsters. You see fangs or a trench coat with tentacles or some jackass with two legs and a tail, you are weapons free! Don’t give ‘em any breaks. No free dinners in my city. Miracles are authorized.”
Again, her orders received a scattered cheer. Rachel turned away, but then turned back. “But watch out for the fake fangs! You’re in Seattle. Don’t go Flame On just ‘cause you spotted some aging Capitol Hill Goth boy, okay?”
“Rachel, we got this!” called out another angel. “Go take your night off!”
The words of appreciation surprised her. Rachel’s face broke out into a smile.
Angels floated or dove away on broad white wings. Others, having farther to travel, all but vanished in a flash of light. Still others remained; not everyone at the impromptu briefing had a pressing engagement.
A few waited for a private meeting with the boss.
“You appear to have this well in hand,” said Lawrence, who stood beside Rachel throughout her brief check-in. “I suspect I will have little to do tonight as your stand-in.” The dark-skinned angel favored her with a cool but genuine smile. “It is already a better city than it was just a month ago.”
The smile just wouldn’t come off Rachel’s face. “You’ll make me blush,” she warned him. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“No, I understand. This is only one of many things that Vincent did poorly, yet no one felt justified in complaining about it. Everyone just dutifully soldiered on. It is only fair that you, too, benefit from policies you set and maintain for everyone. I don’t mind filling in again, especially as your plans to take last night off were so badly disrupted.” He paused. “I suspect I would regret asking what you’ll be-“
“I’m gonna get fucked outta my mind,” Rachel answered through gritted teeth as a handful of angels approached.
“…yes, my suspicion was correct,” Lawrence sighed.
“You’re cool?”
“Chill out,” he smiled. “I’ve got this.” With that, he turned and walked away.
That left Rachel with one further meeting. She moved over to speak with the newcomers. Two of them she knew quite well; of the others, she had only met the brunette just last night.
“Jon. Marvin,” she nodded to the familiar faces. The pair returned her greeting by way of curt nods. She didn’t take it personally; they all got along just fine most of the time, and she knew the source of their irritation. Rachel turned her face to the brunette. “Theresa, could you introduce us?”
“This is Patrick, Elizabeth and Sergio,” said Theresa, her demeanor perfectly professional despite the obvious undercurrent of tension. “The others couldn’t leave their charges to be here just now.”
“I may have to go soon, too,” added Sergio. “This is a long way from most of the people I watch over.”
“Gotcha,” Rachel nodded, perfectly ready to take everyone at their word. “So I gather that Jon and Marvin’s boys are being held by some of your people?”
“They have not been harmed,” said Patrick, “nor do I see much reason why they would be.”
“They’re being held in secret and without due process,” grunted Jon.
“You’re an angel and a lawyer?” asked Elizabeth.
“I know how mortal courts work,” Jon replied sourly.
“Not this court,” muttered Sergio.
“They slew a vampire at your Halloween party, Rachel,” said Marvin.
“They broke the law,” Elizabeth shrugged.
Rachel held up her hands. “Woah. People. Peace. We’re all good guys here. My mortal buddies are good guys, too. You all know that. You say your guys are the Feds, you say this is a matter of law… are all those Feds working in good faith?”
Furtive glances flashed between the newer angels. “More or less,” Theresa answered with a sigh, “though no one is perfect.”
“Your ‘mortal buddies’ have held their tongues,” said Elizabeth. “This does them no favors, but so far has doomed them to nothing, either. Thus far no one has had just cause to intervene on either side of the… dispute.”
Rachel’s eyes flicked to Jon and Marvin. They both shrugged, clearly annoyed but knowing they had to concede the point. She wanted dearly to ask Elizabeth why she said ‘mortal buddies’ like that, but decided to set an example. “Nobody’s leaving the city, then?”