The paladin's office was located in the Vatican's headquarters, fourth floor. It was composed of three rooms, a small entry, a large side room and the back main room that sported the only window, overlooking St. Peter's square. The walls were an olive green, with old Victorian style crown molding. The walls were pocketed with small dents and imprints of the past, small incidents that had accumulated over the years. They were rather large rooms owing to the status of the inhabitants, and each Paladin had been known to decorate or rearrange the room as they saw fit.
Bentley Harrington, the Paladin before Shiro Fujimoto, had filled the rooms with books upon books of scriptures and religious texts. The entire place had been almost like a library, and reflected the neat Aria's personality, with everything in its place and as tidy as it could be. Entry into the office was seen as a mark of greatness, as only the elitist of the elite were allowed to cross the threshold. The sacred were allowed in the paladin's inner sanctum. If one was chosen to be on one of the missions, you were directed by the secretary to enter the meeting room, and only the meeting room. With its long table, and map board along the wall. Bookshelves lining everything else.
Bentley demanded respect, and incompetence was not something he stood for. He was a true shining example of what a Paladin should be, with a true connection with god and a quick mind that held the exorcists together throughout the second war. He was a true Exorcist, and having his throat cut and vocal cords permanently damaged, everyone was sad to no longer having the immeasurable, holy voice guiding them on the field.
As for his replacement, there had been many candidates to choose from. The Grigori were proud that their programs had produces such fine candidates, a worthy representative from each branch of the order. But then the witch Yuri courted the Demon God, and the blue night was brought upon them. Most of the candidates were killed, more injured. Only one remained standing among the ashes.
Much to the discontent of the Vatican, Shiro Fujimoto was given the title of Paladin. The man was a well-known among the exorcists. The epitome of a cold heart; the demon's attack dog. The order fell into dark times, with so many of the old families having ended with the blue night, there was little hope for their meager numbers.
But as unconventional as he was, Shiro Fujimoto was undoubtedly the best exorcist for the job. With his first entrance exam, he had passed all meisters. In the next two years he had shown mastery of all said fields, and by the age of twenty one there was no one by far who could even compete on his level single handedly. He was a member of the church, at least. Then there was the undisputable fact that when he went out on a battle field... nothing was left standing.
Shiro came into office- and the old traditions were pulled out by the roots, in a 'reform that was necessary for the Order to continue.'
Half-demons; once exorcised were now allowed to join the order. Demonic summoning for fighting, which were once closely guarded arts within families, became public education and casually weaponized. Demon weapons were collected by the man himself, then used to re-arm the Order with demonic weapons to fight demons. Other, unholier religions and practices were forced to be recognized by the Order under his command. Islam, Hindi, Buddhism were given more power and allowed to act freely; a sickening mixture of exorcism beliefs was taught instead of the single, Roman one.
It was disgraceful, defiling. As if the Roman Church needed help from such sinful sources. People said that by lessening the Order's restrictions Shiro Fujimoto kept the Order from being overrun after the Blue Night. In reality he had just drug its reputation through the mud. Lowered it to their level.
The man himself was a coward, bowing to the beliefs of the Asian ways, accepting demons somewhat as a part of this world. Avoiding fights- ordering demons to be relocated rather than exercised, just letting some places fall to the demon's control and making demon 'quarantines' like they were animal reservations. It was a disgrace to the exorcist title- acting as if they could be reasoned with or if they had feelings.
Thus Shiro Fujimoto, the worst Paladin in history, took too office.
Just like Bentley, the office somehow reflected Shiro himself; cluttered and chaotic- in a way that showed how vile the man was himself. Weapons upon weapons decorated the walls, a small part of the collection he would build up over his lifetime as he gathered them from the corners of the world and then delt out to those he favored. Drying tobacco leaves, hung from the ceiling, and several plants scattered about the room. He converted the smaller front room of the office into the meeting room- shoving two mix matching desks together in the middle of the room, while odd chairs and lounges sere shoved up against the wall. Papers and study materials stored underneath them in custom drawers, or in the shelves in the side room. The previous side meeting room became known as the 'crash' room. Several sofas were placed in it, as well as a wardrobe and a small basin. The room was for any exorcist working long hours, or simply exhausted to just crash in like it was some kind of communal space. Spare uniforms of all sizes were kept in the wardrobe, as well as some extra undershirts. The rooms, unlike with Bentley, were completely open for use and people were walking in and out of the office at all times of the day. It was rare to find it empty, with always some half-demon or blasphemer about.
However soon, too Shiro passed on, and the once busy rooms were cleaned out. The weapons stored away into some vault, the furniture hauled out. All that remained was the old, oak desk and office chair the man had procured for himself.
The room waited, as if in a stasis, for its next occupant to come in and shape it again. Someone to come in and reclaim the glory of the Paladin Title, to wash it of the shame Shiro Fujimoto had brought upon its name.
Someone like me, Arthur Aguste Angel contemplated as he stood in the middle of his new office, rivaling in his new position.
The announcement had been made earlier that day, and after a long briefing of the rules and obligations of his new title. Angel found himself alone in his office for the first time. He ran his gloved hand along the desk and looked around the empty room, finding it a little strange to see it so empty.
Angel hadn't been any stranger to Shiro's office- after all he was a top knight within the order. He could almost still see the familiar room if he blinked, finding the white haired disgrace going through papers, the familiar wide range of weapons, ammunition, texts, maps, drying plants, hanging around the room. The familiar 'shush' sign if someone was sleeping on the sofa in the next room as he entered, then the signal to come closer. The arguing of plans during a meeting, everyone huddled over the large oak desk, the barking laughter when Shiro laughed, having to shift so the older man could pull files out from underneath tables. It had all been so cluttered and unprofessional.
Angel took a deep breath, smelling the cleaning products they had used to clean the old man's cigarette smoke off the walls.
A fresh start.
I was time to bring the Order back to its true glory.
A/N: I don't own any of the Blue Exorcist characters, nor the franchise.
Just like the summary says, just me working on some character mindsets, namely comparing Angel and Shiro.
Reviews welcome.