“ Oh, likely. I’m not entirely certain myself- that’s not my department, clearly, but I’d say it’s been around awhile. Dates get a bit fuzzy Upstairs. Down here, they’ve got the time and year plastered on everything, but it’s not as important Upstairs.” It’s said with a nonchalant wave of the hand. The only ones who really kept track of time were those who had something to do with it.
No, that wasn’t Zaphiel’s department at all. Upon her Creation she’d been deemed worthy to lead the Cherubim- in faith, in example, in battle if need be. In the early days, she’d done just that, before all that Noah nonsense came about, and she’d done that for the centuries after him as well. But when it came time for the Ark to bless the earth, she’d been called down for it’s protection; she did a lot less leading and a lot more delegation of responsability these days.
Which, as she’s stated, suited her perfectly. Angels tended to take her at face value, unfortunately; it’s easier to gain respect when you talk through those that demand it.
“Gabriel smiles too much,” a fact puntuated with a sip of her tea. “ but not for the right reasons. I much prefer to see him serious, to be frank, it… suits him better.” That is to say, she’s never quite gotten a handle on his moods. “Well, I’d just pray for him and see what happens. I find it hard to believe you’re the only one irritable to him. “
❝ No, I think he’s got a list at this point. A very long list, in fact. ❞ She wouldn’t be surprised if Gabriel actually did have some sort of list of angels who upset him. He was very meticulous, that one, always seeming like he knew exactly what was going on, which was more than Ariel could say for herself. ❝ Sometimes I think he’s got a bone to pick with everybody upstairs. Always seems like nothing’s good enough for him. ❞
Pray for him. What a funny thought. Angels praying for other angels. Ariel had never tried it herself, though she figured someone, somewhere must have tried it. She’d been through Prayer Collection Dept. once or twice, always just passing through, but it was still odd to see the place where everything came in. A few angels liked to say that they usually got forwarded to God’s personal cell phone, and that idea too was rather funny.
It was true, also, that everybody in Heaven did smile too much. That was why she’d always like Zaphiel --- What you saw was what you got. She felt no need to fake that sort of thing. That was why they’d always gotten along, even if they didn’t often get chances like this to see one another.
Ariel took a biscuit from the plate at the center of the table, breaking a corner piece off methodically. ❝ Do you think things will ever go back to normal up there ? Especially after all this kerfuffle with the Antichrist and the thwarted Apocalypse. Seems everybody’s just too shaken up to go back to whatever we were doing before. ❞