Blink.
Blink...
Blink...
Blink.
A rather small angel just sits there, blinking around the white room. Her skin was a pale gray and her eyes were a golden color with orange sclera. Her eyelashes were long and her hair was a white color fashioned in a bobcut. The points of her hair were tipped with a dark gray color, almost like feathers. She looks down at herself, wearing a black and white uniform. On her back were black wings with white insides and a long gray stripe running down the side. Up above her head is a black halo that has a faint white glow. She looks around, confused. Eventually she rubs her eyes, looking curiously at the three figures in front of her.
"...Are you going to get up, yet?" A pale woman with short, white, hair asks her. Her eyes are a striking yellow with a black and white halo over her head. She is wearing a black and white uniform with long beautiful wings sticking out of her back. She looks at the taller figure, annoyed, "Sir, I believe this one is a dud. Most other exorcists are flying around the room at this point but this one is just... Sitting there! Sir!"
The taller figure wears a black helmet with a yellow face that changes to an annoyed expression. He wears a long blue and white robe and black gloves. He groans as he rubbed the forehead of his helmet, "I can see that, Lute! She was made with the scraps of the scraps since Sera told me not to waste any more material. What the hell do you want me to do when she doesn't do anything but blink?"
The small angel tilts her head curiously at the taller woman and man. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. She presses a hand to her own throat, "...Blink?"
The third figure puts her hand on her shoulder, standing tall and proud, "Sir Adam, Second Lieutenant Lute, she was only created a few minutes ago. And as you said, she was made with scraps. Perhaps she needs a little more time to adjust to her surroundings than the others." She gives a kind smile to the newly made angel. Her eyes had a slight pink hue to them and she had dark grey skin and white hair. The tips were gray and her uniform was the same black and white color as the new one's.
The tall man now known as Adam puts a finger to his mouth in thought, "Eh I guess you've got a point there, Vaggie. Alright Lieutenant, she'll be assigned to the barracks on your side then. But first she'll need a name... Hmm... What to name you..." He flies upside down, tilting his head in thought as he looked at the middle angel.
She stood up, wobbling a little before regaining her balance. The small angel eyes tilts her head back at him, mimicking his movements.
Adam crossed his arms, "You're not helping here, you know." He stretches before exclaiming, "OH! I got a good one for the squirt! Viola!"
The lieutenant smiled, "That is a beautiful name, si-"
The man with the helmet kept his own excited smile, "It's an instrument AND it sounds like v-"
Vaggie's smile turned into a frown in annoyance, "Yes, sir, we all got it." She looked at the newly named angel, "Well, most of us. Welcome to our ranks as our latest recruit, Viola."
The new named angel blinked at her, "Viola..."
"Oh, now your voice works. Why are you just repeating everything we say?" Lute grumbled at the new recruit, pointing at her.
The gray woman walked in front of the new recruit protectively, "Because she obviously doesn't seem to know how to talk yet, Second Lieutenant Lute. There is no need for hostility when she was literally made a few minutes ago, have a little patience." She turns to the new recruit, "Come, Viola, I will show you to your room."
The cadet nodded and followed the taller woman, leaving Lute seething as Adam laughed. She eyed each hallway carefully, taking note of the framed pictures of Adam and other exorcists along the walls. The many black doors that were in between each picture, each with names carved on a plaque on each door. She watched as Vaggie used a small sharp object to carve Viola's name on the door's plaque at the end of the hallway. The carved name was white, a stark contrast to the dark door.
The gray woman pointed at another door, "My room is down the hall, near the entrance. Should you ever need anything, come straight to me, okay?"
Viola tilted her head, "Okay?"
The older angel sighed, "Oh yeah that's right, you were made about thirty minutes ago. My name is Vaggie and I am your lieutenant, a boss. You are our latest recruit and you follow orders when I tell you. But if you need anything, I don't mind helping you. Do you understand that? Yes or no?" She put her hands on the smaller angel's shoulders.
The younger angel scratched her cheek, "Yes, I understand."
Vaggie smiled, lightly tapping her on the shoulder, "There we go, soldier. You're getting it. Why don't you go inside your room and relax? I know Lute will want to do some exercises later with the rest of the squadron, so make sure you're ready."
Viola understood that Lute was the hostile woman from before, nodding her head, "Yes, Lieutenant Vaggie. I will do that right now." She opens the door to enter a neatly organized room, the wallpaper was gray with a black desk on one side of the room and a bed with white and black sheets on the other side. The black blanket was neatly tucked in with a white pillow. There was a single lightbulb with a cover on it. The young angel sat down on her bed, looking at the bare walls while tapping her knees with her hands. She noticed Vaggie still standing in the doorway, as if she was waiting for something.
The smaller angel flexed her wings, "I... Uh..."
The older angel let out a chuckle before walking inside the room, ruffling Viola's hair, "Do you mean to say 'Thank you, Lieutenant'?"
Viola giggled as Vaggie's hand stopped ruffling her hair, "Yes! Thank you, Lieutenant!"
The older angel relaxed her shoulders and sat down next to her on the bed, "I guess I should teach you some more words then. I don't want to hear Lute complaining about your lack of 'talking skills' again."
The younger angel smiled, "Oh yes!"
Hours passed by before Vaggie was finally finished helping Viola expand her vocabulary and understanding on their language. Which only gave the two angels about thirty minutes of relaxation before Lute's voice was heard over an intercom, ordering for all exorcists to gather at the roof of a building. The young angel followed her lieutenant to the roof of said building, taking the stairs.
The black winged angel took a deep breath after closing the door, all eyes were on her. She looked around, before she heard that same hostile voice from before.
"There you are. It took you long enough to get here, you're the last one to get here. Next time, be faster if you're not going to fly. Speaking of which... This will show you how to do just that." Lute said in a stern voice behind the smaller angel.
Viola looked down the front of the building, "So uh, this is supposed to show me how to fly?"
Lute flew past the young angel, spinning in the air before facing her in the air, "Yes, it is. All the other exorcists are able to fly minutes after they are created. You, on the other hand, have not flown yet. So we'll be running an emergency test to see if you actually can fly. Just fly in the air and join the group's formation, then you pass." She puffed out her wings.
The younger angel rubbed the back of her head, "...And if I don't fly?"
The paler angel raised an eyebrow at her, "If you don't, then you'll be taking one hard fall to the ground."
Viola's eyes widened before quickly returning back to normal, "Yeah, I figured... Okay! Okay, I can do this! I can totally do this." She nervously mumbled as the other exorcists murmured amongst themselves, wondering if she could do it.
Vaggie whispered to her, "...Viola, you're supposed to jump now."
"I... I can't..." She glared down at the ground before facing her mentor, "...Vaggie, I need you to throw me."
Her mentor shook her head, "You WANT me to throw you?"
Viola nodded quickly, "Yeah! Come on, do it! Maybe it'll help motivate me-"
The older angel rubbed her temple, "Okay then, get ready." She picked up the younger angel by her waist before tossing her down. She quicky looked over the building after she did so.
Lute smirked, "Woah, how cruel, Lieutenant. The girl was just gathering the courage to fly and her mentor throws her off the building."
Vaggie let out a tired sigh, lying, "...Yes, well, she needs to learn somehow." She squared her shoulders again, arms behind her back.
The girl flapped her wings, "Come on..." She flapped again as she continued to fall. She turned around in the air, seeing the ground get closer. She flexed and flapped her wings, shielding her face with her arms, "Come on, you stupid wings!" And then... She felt air flow beneath her wings and she made one powerful flap that propelled her upwards. She flew past Lute, spinning in the air as she did so. She slowly stopped spinning, her eyes rolling around in her skull as she tried to regain the correct momentum. Her wings still flapped as she hovered in midair, "Hey, I did it! I'm flying!"
Lute rolled her eyes, "See, now you have a basic skill everyone else already had."
Vaggie clapped before joining them in the air, "There we go. Nice job, recruit. Now, everyone, in formation!" She gave Viola a playful push closer to her fellow exorcists.
The other exorcists open their wings, each following one another in the air. They all settle into a wedge formation and Viola flies to the back. Vaggie was at the front point of the wedge. Viola followed the others lead in the back as Lute handled where they would be going in the air. The young exorcist still smiled brightly, proud of herself as she flexed her wings.
Lute's voice cut through the air like an axe, "Veer left!"
The entire group leaned left, Viola only a bit off from the others.
Once again, the woman's voice rang out, "Veer right!"
The same thing as before happened, only this time to the right. This went on for the next few minutes before something caught Viola's eye. She looked at her own wing, noticing the two gray stripes that ran horizontally along the white feathers. She tilted her head at them, not noticing herself separating from the group.
She didn't pay attention, instead looking at her wings as they glided her through the air.
Viola stumbles as she knocks into another angel, she quickly loses her balance in the air. The other angel's six wings flap to try and keep them both upright until they both fall to the ground with a thud. A taller angel lands next to the one with six wings, holding her in a hug, "Emily! Emily, oh my goodness, are you alright? That was quite the fall!"
The smaller angel in her arms pushed against her and rubbed her head , "I'm fine, Sera! Really, I am! It was just a little tumble." She then got up and offered a hand to Viola, "Oh my goodness, I am sorry. You're not hurt, are you?"
Viola takes a good look at her, her eyes sparkling, "O-oh, I'm okay, that was nothing... No, I'm the one who's sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. Thank you for-"
Lute lands next to the small angel, "New recruit! You dare to stray from formation AND you knock into the newest Seraphim?" The second commander raises her hand to strike Viola on the back of the head as their boss quicky landed next to her.
Vaggie grabs Lute's hand before she could hit the younger angel, "Watch what you do in front of-"
Viola spoke up, suddenly kneeling down in front of Emily, "I apologize! I didn't mean to bump into you, I just got distracted and I should have watched where I was flying." She hung her head with her arm on her knee. It was only when she heard Emily's voice again that she picked her head back up.
Now the young Seraphim was waving her arms at all the older angels, "Oh it is okay, no one is in trouble! It really was just an accident, everyone!" She smiled gently at the young exorcist, "I'm Emily, the newest Seraphim angel! What's your name?" She offered a hand for her to shake.
The golden eyed angel tilted her head as she gently shook the Seraphim's hand, "Um, my name is Viola."
The Seraphim's blue eyes sparkled, "Viola! That's a beautiful name! Did you know that it is an instrument too? I always loved the sound of the viola. Do you know how to play it?"
The young angel raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. But before she could answer, the older Seraphim put a hand on Emily's shoulder, "Emily, I am sorry to break this up but we're going to be late for the meeting if we don't hurry." She turned to the older exorcist, "Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, it is a pleasure to meet your newest recruit. Please, if Emily does not see the fall as a big deal, do not punish her."
The two nodded at her in understanding, Lute being more unhappy to do so than Vaggie.
The taller Seraphim gave Viola a gentle smile before she looked back down at her young ward, "Now, let's go, Emily."
The smaller Seraphim smiled brightly, "Oh! Okay! I have to go now but it was nice to meet you, Viola! I will have to see you again! Oh, let's hang out sometime!"
Viola smiled before waving awkwardly at the girl, "Y-yes! I would like that! I'll see you again!" She kept waving until the pair were out of view.
Which was when Lute smacked her on the back of her head, causing Viola to wince and clutch the area she hit. The pale woman frowned, "That is what you get for not following the path and almost hurting the new Seraphim!"
Vaggie stood in front of the smaller angel, glaring at Lute, "That was uncalled for, Second Lieutenant! The Head Seraphim said that she does not need to be punished, it was an accident."
Lute snarled, "Don't argue for her, she's the one disrespecting everyone! She needs discipline and if you're too weak to do it, then I'll do it!"
The lieutenant squared her shoulders, "...Drop the subject, Second Lieutenant. Now."
Her second in command glared at her, "And if I don't?"
Vaggie still stood her ground, "You don't want to see what I'll do if you don't. I outrank you, so Drop. It. Return to the rest of the squadron, I will talk to the new recruit."
Lute's glare turned into a grumpy snarl before flying away to lead the rest of the exorcists back to the barracks. Once she was out of view, Vaggie turned to the now kneeling Viola, "Hey, she's gone now. Are you okay, Viola?"
Viola rubbed her eye, "Yeah! I-I'm fine, Lieutenant. It just stings a little." She put a hand on the back of her head with a grimace.
The older angel placed a hand on her shoulder, "You sure? She did hit you pretty hard, you almost got knocked off your feet."
"Yeah! ...Yeah, I'm fine." Despite what she said, tears flowed down her face. She tried her best to rub them away but they kept coming, "What... Are these?" She eyed the water on her fingers.
Vaggie couldn't help but pull her into a side hug, "Hey, hey, I know... Relax, breathe for a second. They're called 'tears', they pour out of your face when you're sad or hurt. Personally, I find them annoying." She used her wing to rub the younger angel's back.
Viola rubbed her face in the older angel's uniform, "Yeah, they're being really annoying right now."
Her mentor grimaced, "Just don't-Oh okay, ew, now my uniform's got snot on it. Great. Time to get off." She gently pushed the younger angel away from her.
The golden eyed angel gave out a small giggle, "Hehe, sorry... I tried..."
After cleaning up Vaggie's uniform and Viola's face, the pair headed to the food court in Heaven. The older one decided to treat her rather than take her to eat at the canteen, considering the day she's had with Lute. It was an area filled with various places to eat, where a lot of Angels were out and about. The two flew down and ordered some food for themselves, then grabbed their trays and sat down at a table. Music rang through the air as did the sounds of talking and laughter.
Viola smiled as she enjoyed her meal, chewing the rib thoroughly. Vaggie ate her salad much more neatly before taking a sip of her water. She looked up as she saw a figure flying wobblily, getting closer and closer to them. She rolled her eyes, recognizing the figure.
The smaller angel nearly choked on her soda when the figure landed next to her, clutching her chest in surprise. She looked up to see a giggling exorcist with white hair with black tips. Her skin was a darker gray than Vaggie's with blue eyes. She was wearing the same uniform, though Viola didn't recognize her face.
The new angel giggled, "Heeeey, you two got room for one more?"
Viola nodded with a confused look on her face, smelling a strange scent from her breath. Vaggie rubbed her eyebrows, "My God, are you tipsy right now? Really?"
The blue eyed angel sat down next to the younger angel, "M... Maaaaybe, aw come on, don't worry. I came to check on you two and the Second Lieutenant said we have the rest of the day off..." She turned to Viola, smiling at her, "G-Good job today, short stack! Way to not die on your flight test!" She smacked the young angel on the back as a sign of congratulations.
Viola coughed after being smacked right in between her wings, "Ah! Ah, ow. Wow, you hit hard... Uh..." She raises an eyebrow at this new exorcist.
The tipsy one's eyes widened, "Oh! You don't know my name, do you? Well it's not as pretty as your's so you may not like it."
The small angel waved her hand, "Aw, I'm sure it's fine-"
The tall angel awkwardly chuckled, "It's Boob."
Viola's eyes widened at this, "Oh! Uh..."
Boob kept giggling, "Yeah, told ya."
Viola shook her hand, "Well, it's, uh... Nice to meet you, Boob! That's a lovely name for a lovely lady."
Vaggie frowned, "It's... It's really not." Viola pouted at her mentor's response.
"Aw thanks, you little angel, you. Oh! And this is your's. Second Lieutenant told me to give it to you." Boob handed the smaller angel her helmet before playfully poking her nose. The helmet was as black as coal with white LED circles to represent her eyes. The mouth being the same white LED. On top of the helmet was a pair of curved black horns. They were curved in a looped fashion, leaning back until they ended with two points. The tall angel kept her tipsy smile, "Try it on!"
Viola took the helmet in her hands, "Oh wow, that looks pretty cool... Uh, sure!" She put the black helmet over her head, the LED lights matching her expression.
Vaggie chuckled at her, "Wow, you look like a true exorcist. Just tiny."
The helmet's expression changed to a pout, "Hey, I'm not THAT tiny."
Boob giggled at the younger angel, "Haha, sure, whatever you say, scrappy." She took another sip of her wine.
Viola still pouted as the two laughed about her height, eventually taking her helmet off to enjoy the rest of her food. Both her and Vaggie had to work together to fly Boob back to their barracks after they were finished with their lunch.
Once Vaggie threw the tipsy angel in her room, she realized something. She stretched in front of the young angel, "Oh wait, hang on. I haven't explained anything about the Extermination next month to you, have I?"
Viola raised an eyebrow at her, "Extermination?"
The lieutenant straightened up and explained, "This is our job, the whole reason we were created. Our purpose is to control the sinner population in Hell. We go down there and kill any sinner we see, got it? We're not allowed to kill those born in Hell, only the ones who were put there after they died on Earth."
The young angel nodded her head, "Oh, I see. I get it, Lieutenant."
Vaggie put a finger to her lips, "And you must know that this is to be kept secret from everyone else in Heaven. There will be no discussing it past the barracks with other exorcists and Adam, you got that?"
Viola nodded her head, "Yes ma'am. I promise, I won't talk about it anywhere but here."
Her mentor lightly tapped her arm, "Good soldier. Now come on, let me get you a spear and show you where our training grounds are..."
A month of training later, it was finally time for Viola's first extermination.
Vaggie knocked on the door of the latest recruit's room, opening it gently, "Hey, new recruit, I'm here to check up on you. You ready for the extermination?" She was already wearing her helmet.
Viola looked up at the older angel, "Oh! Lieutenant, yes, I am ready." She put her helmet on and picked up her spear, though she stumbled as it almost fell out of her hands. She stood up straight, holding her spear proudly, "I swear, I'm ready, Lieutenant."
The gray angel smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Good soldier... Now come on, we're getting in formation now. Adam isn't the most patient person, especially on extermination day."
The golden eyed angel nodded and followed her mentor outside the barracks and to the sky, where the others were already in position. Vaggie flew next to Adam while Viola put herself in the back of the formation behind Boob, who was putting on her helmet. The older angel gave her a small wave before they both straightened up in position.
Adam smiled widely, "Alright, is everyone here now? Not that it matters cuz we're going to be killing those sinners right on schedule!" His smile grew wider as the portal opened, "Show no mercy, ladies! I know I won't be!"
With that, the exorcists quickly flew through the portal to Hell with Viola in toll behind them. She looked around at her new surroundings, the sky was red as the buildings were dark red or gray like the street. Her fellow exorcists quickly started attacking the sinners of this new place, Lute being especially brutal with her spear. Even Boob, who was normally rather calm, was aggressively cutting people down with her sword. Vaggie had just finished a demon off with her spear and she flew away to quickly find another one.
Adam was using rays of light from his hands as well as his golden axe to attack as many as he could. All with a manic laugh as he relished in the defeat of his enemies.
Viola was hovering in the air as she watched the destruction around her. Lute noticed her fumbling around with spear, and she glared at her. She flew over, taking the angel by the arm, "What are you doing? Don't tell me you're nervous!"
The smaller angel breathed heavily, "N-no, I'm not! Uh, just first time jitters, I think."
The older angel tightened her grip on her arm, "Come on, soldier. This is what you've been training for this whole time! Get yourself in gear, now!" She threw Viola by the arm towards a sinner who was running.
She landed right on his back with her spear stabbing through his body. She got up, shoving him off her weapon. The young exorcist breathed heavily as she saw the unmoving figure on the ground. Her vision blurred slightly at the sight of the corpse and then her gaze landed on the blood on her spear.
Lute stabbed another demon next to her, "See! There you go! Not so useless after all, are you? On your left, rookie!"
Viola quickly slashed to her left, slicing one demon in the back. He fell to the ground with a thud as his blood covered the left arm of her uniform.
She went to stab another demon but her spear slipped out of her hand, giving the sinner time to run away... Viola ran after this demon after picking up her spear. Unknown to her, a few sinners had followed her. But luckily for her, another angel was following this group. She flew forward and stabbed the first sinner right in the chest. Which was when the other sinners surrounded her, as she struggled to get the bigger body off her weapon.
But just as the sinners started to surround her, the angel following them landed on one of them, stabbing one in the head. She had killed the demon instantly, it was Vaggie. She walked over and pulled the bigger demon off the younger angel's spear. Viola watched as her uniform was covered in red blood, quite different from her own golden blood.
Her mentor glared at the sinners, "Come on, kid, let's finish this up. Time's almost up."
The small exorcist nodded nervously, "Yes, ma'am..."
Together, the two stabbed and sliced the group of demons. Red stains piled up on the ground as they used their spears to protect themselves and attack. The older angel would occasionally swipe at Viola's side in order to protect the younger angel. Viola would use her spear to block any potential hits from the sinners fighting for their afterlives before trying to stab them again. Soon, more sinners littered the ground below them, allowing both to catch their breath.
The two heard the bell, knowing that this meant their job was over for now. So they started to float up in the air, flying to follow Adam, Lute and the rest of the exorcists. The others talked excitedly but quietly amongst themselves as they made their way to the barracks for rest.
Vaggie put a hand on the young angel's shoulder, "...You did great during the fight, Viola. You earned a rest after today's battle. We can take care of your uniform after showers."
The golden eyed angel nodded, "Yes ma'am, that... That sounds nice right about now."
Suddenly, Viola felt a sting on her back. She had to hold back a yelp as she realized that Boob slapped her on the back. The tall angel cheered loudly, "I saw you out there! Good job for your first extermination, scrappy!"
Viola took a deep breath before relaxing her shoulders, "Hehe... Thanks, Boob." She looked down at the crimson blood on her spear, grimacing a little. She shook her head of her stirring thoughts as she looked ahead, following everyone in the portal back to the barracks...