I hear the MORNING Choir {open}

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She had fallen badly.

The sad part about Lailah's current status? She had no idea who in the hell she was. Other than the simple trinkets of clothing, she had nothing. Who was she? And why was it that she had men pawing at her at every chance she got? What in the hell was going on? And the skimpy outfit! She had rented a room for the night and had taken what money she had left to buy a simple pair of jeans and a black shirt along with her boots and a leather jacket. Her long black hair she kept loose and flowing behind her now as she walked through the city, her boots crunching gravel as she approached a Cathedral. Beautiful. Maybe she could find refuge there amongst the Saints that reminded her of something, but it was quickly shoved into the back of her mind.

What Lailah did not know was that she was being punished by Lucifer. It was one of his regular games he played with the Lady of Lust when she did not do as he pleased and every other century or so, he would toy with her mind causing her to forget everything. The Devil himself found the punishment hilarious as he watched Lailah struggle to regain her knowledge and her identity. Right now, he was most likely laughing it up as she walked up to New Testament and opened the doors with her hands burning slightly. What was that all about? Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head and walked in while the door shut behind her. This was a beautiful sanctuary; maybe she could hide out here until things came back to her. Or maybe she could at least find someone that would help her.

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-Zain stood there infront of the statue of Jesus while smileing. His face was concealed as he had the hood over his head. He found it so amuseing that these...humans....and there faith to believe would always make them end up in place like this. Ha..a house of god. It made him choke with laughter. He turned to see several other priests looking oddly at him as his eyes flashed green-
"I advise you old fools look away..., Your Heavenly father wont be here to help you..I assure you."

-The priests panicked as they shuffled away quickly. And with that his nose caught the scent of something not quite..human. A new play toy perhaps? It intrigud him nonetheless as he turned and bowed his head as a..angel appeared. Such was a shock to him to see so many delights all upon one setting. Maybe this place held more to it than what met the eye. None the less he aimed to hide his precence as he shuffled up to the above balcony as he peared down below. Zains pupils became cat like as he smiled in anticipation. "Oh what..oh what do our chacters plan to play out before me..today?"

"Hello..my child."

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A shiver ran down Malachi's spine despite his imperviousness to the chill in the air of the cool church basement. What had that been? He had no sixth sense for trouble or suchlike, but it almost felt that way for a moment. The archangel's feathered wings twitched in the blanched light that filtered into his spartan room. He'd been reading; not exactly Malachi's favorite pastime, but a necessary action for the time being. He had been dealing with this city's neverending vice for a great deal of time now, and was thinking it may be about time to rally the forces of good (those that were still around) to a common goal.

But there was a something in the air that stirred him from his studies, a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that had him standing, stretching lightly and then climbing the old stone spiral staircase in one corner of his very bland little room. The stairs were perpetually uncomfortable for Chi, as his wings were very large and the passageway very narrow, but he managed just fine. He was used to living in worse conditions; the dark, dank, unwelcoming basement of the church was just fine with him. Besides, each morning he could wake up to soothing churchbells, and each night he could rest easily, knowing no dark creatures dared enter the holy space of the church...especially not one protected by an archangel.

The angel's interest was quite piqued by the time he opened the wooden door that let him into the south transept. From where he was standing, he could not see anything besides the usual; votive candles burnt in a corner of the crossing nearby, below a remarkable marble statue of Mary. The altar lay behind a corner to the right; the nave behind a corner to the left. There were few people here; just a human or two milling about the sanctuary or praying in one of the pews, which was the norm for the main church of a large metropolitan area.

With the quiet clatter of dress shoes on the marbled floor, Malachi moved outward into the cathedral, his wings half-spread behind him, face a mask of curiosity. Whose presence or what act had affected him so? He looked rather mundane today; jeans, for once, instead of dress pants, and a mildly wrinkled black button-down shirt. He was an odd sort, an angel not constantly prone to wearing white, but one got tired of the absence of color after so many years of wearing it. After all, there was a dark side of good, if you looked hard enough at it.

As he entered the nave of the church, standing at the end of the aisle of pews against a backdrop of the marvelous altar, he immediately identified the source of his anxiety. A black angel had wandered in-- a beautiful girl, as most of them were, with long black hair and a leather jacket. Malachi felt faintly as if he recognized her, but he really had no idea from where. It was a vague feeling, and faded quickly. His guard was suddenly up, though, wings spreading protectively behind him in case her intentions were unpure. The blue-eyed angel's brow furrowed as he empathically surveyed her emotions, finding her, of all things, confused.

Slowly, the archangel advanced, his wingspan pulling in slightly, trying not to appear hostile in case she was of the repentant variety of black angel. It was hard to tell anymore, and especially when all he could sense from this woman was deep confusion. His tone, when he spoke, was low and soft, respectful of those humans who were there in prayer. "Can I...help you, miss?"

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Her head was pounding as if she had just entered a battlefield and canons were being shot at her. Why was it that this place did this to her? Surely she had went to church before she had lost her memory. All she knew was that the sound of the choir singing in a heavenly host made her skin crawl. That was weird; she didn't know what to do about that.

Her hair swung around her as she heard both sets of voices. Men. Remembering how the men on the street acted, Lailah stepped back away from the first one with a gasp only to find herself running into another one. But what she saw next scared her so badly she let out a scream that was a tad but beautiful for a scream, and fell to the floor scrambling around. "Wh-who are you? Why do you have wings?!?" Lailah had no idea that she had a set of her own that were a beautiful black, like a raven. Her bright fuchsia eyes were bright with both fear and confusion. But admist that was recognition of Chi, yet she could not place him or the other stranger.

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Zains eyes toyed with amusement as he watched the women scramble around like a maddened frightened beast. She acted as if shed never seen such a site even though she herself had her own pair of lovely angelic wings. Zain was curious though to if the humans around them were able to see both of these creatures wings. Not that it mattered much. Zain then pulled back his hood showing his blondish white hair as he let his finger trace along the banner rail. He sensed a opportunity in the midst to be worked out. Now all he had to do was wait until the angel scared this poor women to tears making her flee for her pretty little life."Haha..lets see how welcoming my brethren arms truly are."

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Malachi caught, in the corner of his eye, the sight of some person fleeing into a staircase to the choir balcony, but paid it no mind. His focus was on the curious case of this black angel woman, who at this point appeared to be in the throes of some pained panic. And then, a voice rang out above their heads, sinister and proud. The angel looked up swiftly, alarm clear now in his kindly features.

"What in God's name?" Malachi had an innate ability to sense the species of others, and he knew as soon as he saw Zain that the person before him was some unhappy brand of abomination. A hybrid, most assuredly, but of a variety he'd never seen before. Angel and demon? He tensed in violent response to such a thing. No, no-- such things as this could not happen. Chi shuddered as he stared at this pale man with fierce blue eyes, the tendons in his neck and hands visible. His wings stretched out again; the most natural response to a percieved threat being the desire to make oneself seem larger apparently applied to this angel as well as any beast of the earth.

And just as he uttered his surprise, there came a gasp from the black angel, who then proceeded to back into him in an attempt to distance herself from this unnatural thing that had slithered into the church. She turned to face him, of course, and screamed as soon as saw him.

That wasn't the usual response he got...and not the one he preferred from women as beautiful as Lailah. Still, it was a beautiful scream, harmonious and...alluring? An alluring scream? To be fair, her scream did sound more like a moan. How odd-- but Chi didn't spend too much thought on that. She was asking his name, mentioned his wings; the humans were turning to look at them now, frowning and muttering in concern. Malachi would have to deal with damage control later-- he hoped Father O'Riley wouldn't be too upset at him for this mess, though in this town it was hardly avoidable.

The angel relaxed his wings for the time being, his usual compassionate expression back on his face. What had happened, that the sight of wings surprised a fallen angel? Was she joking? Her fear and confusion were real, though, he could feel them near-synaesthetically. Chi knelt down near her, but didn't try to come any closer and spook her. Instead, he merely held out a hand as if to help her stand. "Shh, there, there-- you're safe here, dear. My name is Malachi. I'm an angel, and I live here." He heard some mutterance from above; this pale, hybrid character would be sorted out in due time. It's very existance angered him, but it was still half-angel. Surely, it had some scrap of light in it somewhere. For now, the angel's focus remained on the frightened woman.

"I recognize you somehow, but I think you've had your memory messed with somehow, since you don't remember what you are. Do you remember your name?" As she had been so frightened by her own wings, he didn't think that now was the best time to show her that she had a pair of her own. There was time for that, surely.

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What in the hell was going on with her? This did not make any sense; but she felt unwelcomed. Here. In the House of God. Fuschia eyes searched every corner of the church with wonder and confusion in them; as if she could find something there that would give her the answers. Lailah knew her name, she guessed her age, height, and weight. Anything personal about herself? Gone. It was dust in the wind to her. Who, or what, she had been before this morning was complete lost in her memories. All of it was gone and the only place she knew to look for help would be here. Yet, now...she felt alone, terrified, and dazed. So when she heard Zain's voice call out overhead, she spooked even worse and had to choke down another ear-spiltting scream.

Seeing Malachi did not help to make matters any better. The gasp and scream that arose from her full lips was one that would have been considered beautiful, and may have been from the on-lookers, but not to her right now. Zain had terrifed her enough with his demonic look that caused all too familiar sensations and sinister thoughts she did not know where they came from to appear in her mind. Now seeing a man with huge white wings? So not helping.

He was the one that looked confused now. And a little hurt if that was what that part of his look meant. Confused even moreso by him, Lailah clinged to the pew and turned away. That couldn't be possible, there was no way a human being could have giant wings. Wings like a Greek god. Wings like...like an Angel. It wasn't possible! Yet, here she was, cowering in a church looking up into a pair of blue-gray eyes and seeing feathers all around them. She saw the faces of the crowd staring at them as if she had gone mad- and perchance she had - so she calmed herself down for the time being. Taking a deep breath, Lailah pulled herself together and managed to breathe with out a shudder racking her body in the shakes.

The man, or whatever he was, relaxed too for the time being and she could feel no harmful thoughts or will emitting from him. He wasn't like those men out there, on the streets that had nearly torn her to pieces. Gentle was the word. He appeared to not understand why she wouldn't know the reasoning behind his wings, but because of one little mistake, Lailah Lady of Lust had no idea who or what Malachi was for one second. As he kenlt down, she scooted on her bottom to put space between them. His wings were...amazing..breath-takingly beautiful, but that didn't mean she could trust him any farther than she could throw. She eyed his hand warily, wondering if it was safe when he explained what and who he was. An Angel. "Angel? You...you are an Angel?" Her eyes were as wide as an awed child's would be as she stared at him in wonder. Her head tilted to see the other man above them smirking and she shuddered as once again those strange sensations arose in her mind and body. She had to get away from here!

Turning back to Malachi, she leaned forward to study his face and features. No, she didn't know him at all; not from anywhere to be exact. "My name is Lailah. That's all I can remember." She shook her head at his explaination of her confused state. Someone had messed with her mind? How in the hell could they do that? And what had she done to deserve it as well? "What do you mean by 'what you are?' I am human, a woman. You know, a chick?!? I am a normal human woman!" At the last part of her frustration, she caught the tell tale sign of an Roman accent. The oldest form of the Latin dialect had slipped into her words of its own accord. Slapping a delicately made hand across her mouth, Lailah looked back at the Angel named Malachi in an even more confused state than before. Shaking, she took the hand he offered and practically collapsed in tears and sobs. "P-please help me. I don't know..I don't know who I am." And those tears she cried? Beautiful, as if she had come to life from a da Vinci painting or something that would have inspired Michaelangelo to sculpt as she lifted those beautiful tear-stained eyes to meet his own.

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Now was Zains chance as he hopped upon the Banister looking down upon the two. All the humans had fled the room now for fear of what was happening. It wasn't natural for humans to see angels. Even though there faith dictates they exist..,few truly truly believe it to be so. As he stretched he dropped the priest robe to reveal his half buttoned up white almost silk shirt and mid night black pants. He just could not stop smiling. Not one..but two angels were before him at this very moment. Oh the fates were coy creatures indeed as he unbuttoned his shirt letting it drop to the ground. His body was carefully sculpted making him look like a statue of a god. But that wasn't the most appealing feature upon him. No he had yet another treat to share as two wings began to push beneath the skin of his back painfully.

It wasn't easy concealing ones wings, but it was passable when taking a human vessel. Soon the wings broke threw the skin as trickles of blood seemed upon them and his back. First his right wing which was the darkest shade of black known to man, while the other seemed to be a beautiful white..yet not as white as a angels wing would have suspected to be. Most likely from being a hybrid of course. None the less his wings were full and mighty as he stretched them out. The sound of popping bones could be heard as he did so. "And so let it be told that not one..,not two, but three angels stood before the eyes of God and Satan himself. The ultimate judgment." Zain then flapped his mighty wings sending a gust of air shooting around the church as he lifted up and glided over the women and the man before landing behind the woman with a thud. Zains eyes did not bother to meet the white angels, No he had more interest in this fallen angel as he stepped closer and leaned down.

"Do not let such kind words of trickery befall your ears my sister. You are not one of them and he knows this. His kind have shunned you and only wish to harm you." Zain leaned up as he crossed his arms now looking at the white angel whom he pretty sure figured would be furious upon Zains own twisted words." You do not believe me? Then ask this holy man what you are...and how you become what you are. After all Angels can tell no lie. Isn't that right my white winged brother?" O Zain was a twisted being indeed as his smile faded to only a sliver of a smirk.

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"Angel? You...you are an Angel?"

Malachi let out a little sigh, his expression wistful as he looked into the black angel's awed eyes. It was as if she'd been rewound to zero, to who she'd been if she had ever been human-- but, no. No, Malachi felt very strongly that she hadn't ever been human. He was so sure that she was one of the very old angels...agh, how it tortured him to not be able to recognize her. "Yes. I'm sorry, I'd conceal my wings from you as I can with the others here, but there is no hiding them from your sight."

The white angel spoke while her attention wanded up to the man standing above them, his gaze following hers. This hybrid abomination seemed to make her uncomfortable as well, and she turned back to him. Lailah? He knew a Layla, but...this was most assuredly not her, of which he was thankful. She began to become bewildered after he alluded to her being something besides a human, which he regretted quickly. But then, to her own surprise, her last phrase rang with a Latin accent-- he himself occasionally spoke with Greek accent, having first come to Earth in Greece. The Good angel could feel her confusion and fear at this recognition of being more than she thought she was. She took his hand now, and the man let a protective arm fall around her lovely shoulders (yes, he was trying very hard to ignore the extremity of her attractiveness,) not minding her warm, salty tears staining his shirt. Of course not-- Malachi was the angel of Mercy. The emotional state of those around him was of the highest importance to him, above all else.

Blue-grey eyes met her fantastic fuschia ones with a very caring expression. "Of course I'll help you, dear. We'll figure out who you are and what happened to you, be strong." But, of course, at this point something had to go very annoyingly wrong. Malachi was the sort of workaholic who did not react well to such dramatic setbacks as the one the Abomination (his new name for Zain) was putting on above them. He was only glad that the humans had left and Lailah seemed to trust him.

Blue-grey eyes turned an unhappy stony color as he looked up and watched Zain strip off his cloak and shirt, to reveal a grotesque growth of wings-- one an inky black and the other a tainted white. He 'flew' down before Malachi, behind Lailah's back, full of a sinister confidence. The white angel's wings flexed higher again, protectively, the morning light filtering through the stained glass bathing his wings in shifting colored light. Zain spoke, and Malachi debated whether it was better to speak against this Abomination or to righteously turn the other cheek. What would better benefit Lailah? He had just gained her trust, he wanted to keep it so that he could help her. He would speak...but carefully. Very carefully.

The ancient head of the angel of mercy turned to survey this half-angel, half-demon before him, the eyes of stone even, level, immutable and unshakable as a mountain. "Lailah, the man before us, תֹּועֵבָה, is half-angel and half-demon. He is doing the bidding of his unclean master and trying to sow in you the seed of Despair, which leads to only darkness and unhappiness. You are one of my kind, an angel, one of the bene ha'elohim, but somehow you fell from grace. You are my Sister, in a way, and I only want you to be happy. If you believe this bad spirit wants to help you, go with him, but I will always be here to help you if you wish it."

The Hebrew word Malachi spoke was to-ebah, Abomination. He figured Lailah might recognize it, being what she was, even if she couldn't remember who or what she was. It was clear, from his careful words, that Malachi had been encountering 'bad spirits' such as Zain for a very, very, very long time. He did not order Lailah to choose to stay with him, but bid her make her own choices. There was free will among angel-kind, as well, though in a different form. Still, Chi believed strongly enough in the power of truth and love and such things that he felt Lailah, though confused and frightened, would continue to trust in him. Or, at least, he hoped as much...

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She was...amazed. The man before her had the most beautiful pair of wings she had ever seen, but it was impossible for him to have them. Things like...Angels couldn't really be real...could they? Lailah rubbed the heels of her hands into her incredibly alluring eyes and sighed with frustration. If only she could remember, then maybe her head would stop pounding so hard as if canons were being shot around in her brain. "Why? Why can I see them and the brothers...the fathers of this temple cannot see them?" Her bright eyes filled with wonder, caution, and a little bit of fear as she asked. Honestly she wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear the answer to her questions.

And who in the hell was he? The man dressed all in black, hidden from view except for her and Malachi? The thing that seemed so familiar to her, yet so very distant was residing in him. Something like...sin perchance? Whatever it was, it sent a chill down her spine of both fear and delight. Strange, but very, very true. "Lailah...Conception...the night?" Things were coming back to her, but in short, quick flashes that did not make any sense. His name...the way he spoke to her was familiar, but she could not place him for the life of her and it was killing her that she could not. Something was so very...she knew him that was all she could decipher. So when he alluded to her being anything other than a human woman, it frightened her. What if she was something other than human? Then the accent had to take place within her already lyrical voice and scare her further. She was not from Greece, or Rome. Nor did she think that she was Italian, though her looks could place her in the time period of Rome's height. So when she fell into his arms weeping, she knew that she was going to have to trust him to help her remember who she was; what she was it seemed. And when he embraced her as well, Lailah felt a calm stir within her as well as strange twinges of something that she had no control over. It was unfortunate that she could not remember that she had fallen, only to become Lailah Lady of Lust. One of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Those wicked colored eyes met his own and she nodded. She could trust him; he was not going to do anything other than help her, which she needed badly right now. "Thank you, Zadkiel." Shaking her head, Lailah leaned away from him and frowned deeply. His name was Malachi..not Zadkiel. He had said Malachi...right? She jerked as Zain had dropped down behind her and scooted until she was practically sitting on Malachi to edge away from the other creature. Something about him..disturbed her in a sense she could not describe. Plus he seemed bent on having her head on a silver platter, or well, Malachi's it seemed.

A hand covered her mouth as a cry of disgust and pure fear ripped through her chest while she watched Zain's wings form and grow. Blood and the crunching sounds of bones made her want to vomit if she only could, and she could not keep watching until she knew he was finished with his transformation. What was he? He did not have wings like Malachi at all; his were almost as if he had been some sort of experiment done by a mad scientist. Harm her? This man Malachi seemed to be as kind and warm as the sun that shone upon him from the glass windows. She could not see him harming anyone unless they were..sinners. Yes, she could see the Angel thing about him now and she was not in the least bit afraid.

"A demon? You are half a demon?" Lailah turned her eyes to meet Zain's green ones in fear and awe. Of course there would be Demons if there were Angels, that was just common sense of course. She faced Malachi now with questions written on her lovely visage. She wanted to understand why it seemed that they were fighting over her. Well, not over her, but what could be her soul and well-being. "Me? An Angel?" she whispered it in almost disbelief as he continued to explain to her what she wanted to know and yet feared to ask. She had fallen from grace only to be put here. In a body and mind that had no idea what was going on. In a body that seemed to have a mind of its own when men were present, but she knew that at least Malachi had not picked up on that. Or so she hoped anyway.

"Bene ha'elohim. Angel. To-ebah...Abomination?" The words had triggered something within her mind and yes, there it was! Zadikel! She did know him, not truly this man's body that he was in, but she knew him and that was what counted right now. "Zadikel...you!" A small smile appeared on her face that bespoke of her happiness at recognizing him and of course, remembering a piece of herself if only for a moment. Turning to Zain now, Lailah stood up and brushed off her jeans as well as her shirt. Those wickedly enchanting fuschia eyes had become cold as she looked into his green ones. "Stay the hell away from me." And there it was, that bone-chilling ancient voice that anyone of her kind would have recognized if they had even been in her presence. She was Lailah, Angel of Conception, the one that watched the soul from the moment it was conceived from the time it had passed to the next life with her Father. Looking to Malachi now, or in her mind Zadkiel, Lailah bestowed upon him a grand smile. All of her fallen years and memories had been erased from her mind, but she had remembered the time before her fall. Something short of a miracle, or something of a big problem. "I follow you, Zadkiel."

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Zain watched in the up most of amusement as they hugged and embraced. It made his stomach turn in disgust. Angels were sickening creatures. Or so his genes forced him to believe. And then it happened to his surprise. The beautiful dark rose before him gained bits of her memory back. It was a shame..but not a loss for Zain. No he knew all to well of who she was. In his mind held many memory's implanted from creation of the works of Heaven and hell. In short his mind was a giant Library. What happened next made him step back slightly as she stared coldly into his eyes, enough to give even him a chill as she spoke with a booming voice. It seems she had made up her mind upon what she was to do...or had she truly?

Zain stepped closer as he regained his ground, his eyes starring at her with pure determination as he softened his approach to become more..acceptable. He was half angel after all and grace was part of him. Now it was his turn to speak as the words slipped from his mouth like woven silk. " Lailah, Angel of Conception..So you finally figured out who you..were. Not who you are." -He knew that any aggression now to wards her..rather both of the angels would not do well in his odds. She was a old one and very strong, way beyond Zains power. The man though he was not to sure about. He may test his luck upon that one later when the odds were more appealing. So with that he bowed and lowered his head in one more attempt to bring her back.
"Please Lailah listen to the words I speak. You are no longer one of them. Look at your self, it speaks for its self. If you are in-fact still a white angel then why not do your wings hail a holy white upon them? Think hard my queen. You chose the dark path and you enjoyed it well. You are the darkest of sin..the evilest of evil and one of seven to lead us into a new future. Please my queen I do not hold trickery upon my word when I tell you that you are Sin..the sin of lust and you are very powerful."

If bowing and swallowing his pride was what it took then so be it. With out the balance then there was nothing, though balance in his term meant the total destruction of heaven...and hell sooner on.

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"Lailah...Conception...the night?"

Malachi inhaled sharply, staring at the black angel that was held carefully in his embrace.

Oh....my....Lord. So this is where she disappeared to...

Of course, when she paired her name with her function, the lightbulb clicked on in Malachi's head. This was Lailah, whose name meant Night, angel of conception, who led souls to their bodies and watched over them until birth. Because Malachi spent all his time on earth and not in heaven, he no longer knew what of the old angels remained in heaven, which walked the earth, and which had fallen-- clearly, Lailah had fallen, though how he couldn't imagine.

Her eyes met his, and she called him by his name. Not his earth-name, but his name. His true name, not the one he took here in a small attempt to conceal his identity (not that malachi didn't mean angel in hebrew, but who spoke hebrew anymore?) Stony eyes lit up with joy, his gentle face taken in rapture. He was about to speak when she basically hopped into his lap, and he had to swallow a rush of desire. There was a danger to this human body he resided in. A very distinct danger, especially when there was a woman surpassing beauty practically sitting on him. He bit his lip, then, resisting temptation as he'd done for the thousands of years he'd been experiencing it on earth-- by directing his attention toward his job, the grotesque evil of the half-demon that stood before them.

And grotesque it was, enough to draw a disgusted, horrified cry from the black angel in Malachi's arms. He instinctively drew a hand to the back of the woman's head when she turned to hide her face in his chest, wings shifting again from an agitated to protective position. The man's pinions were more expressive than his face at times, for his expression remained one of righteous fury directed completely at Zain. He relaxed his protective posture when the abomination had finished his transformation, hands releasing Lailah so she could turn to face Zain.

The words he had spoken in the old tongue seemed to jog a bit of Lailah's memory. When she spoke his name again, it was not with harried confusion but the happiness of recognition, which made him smile in turn. "You know me!" He had hoped, of course-- it was perpetually hard for him to remember other angels-- probably because even when he'd been in heaven, his focus had always been on earth and it's peoples. But Lailah's had been too, in her function as the angel of conception. Some confidence and self-knowledge seemed to have returned to her, for she stood now in defiance to the creature that stood before the angels, speaking with her own voice. Malachi's brows raised. Angels could speak with their heavenly vocies when they so chose, or when using a large amount of power. Malachi's came out when he was healing or very upset-- Lailah was probably the same way, and her voice made it clear that she was not someone it was wise to trifle with.

The white angel then stood, feeling like a shadow had passed over his morning but that the clouds were now clearing and the sunlight returning. He returned Lailah's smile, bowing his head to her in gratitude as she declared she would go with him instead of Zain. It was a relief, both that it seemed this black angel would be on her way back to white wings soon, and that he wouldn't have to deal with Zain anymore, now that he had clearly lost his bid for this woman's allegiance.

Except that he just had to keep talking.

Malachi, in all honesty, hadn't known that she'd fallen far enough to be called Sin. There were only seven of them in the whole of the world dark enough for such a title, and Lailah? Lailah the gentle thing that gave souls to men? He was sure Zain was lying, and he frowned. Still, he couldn't be sure that this wasn't the truth. He muttered lowly and eyed the hybrid with more than a little wariness. "He was arrogant and foolhardy moments ago, and now he bows and shows fealty?" There was something wrong with this picture, and Malachi was no fool to it.

"I do not know if what this man says is true, but I know you, Lailah, and I know that whatever else has happened to you, you are an angel and you are good at your core. If you ever were a Sin at one time, you should know that you are not still bound to it and you are not obligated to return to it if you don't want to." Honestly, if the truth was that she had been Lust, it would break the sweet angel's heart just a little. It was hard enough for him to acknowledge the sight of his brethren from heaven wearing blackened wings, but Lailah as Lust? Certainly she was beautiful enough, but she didn't seem...well, skanky, like he imagined Lust would be. Lailah would've had to become like her opposite, Lilith-- unmotherly, bent on destruction, and sexual for physical pleasure and not copulation. Chi's blue eyes went to the woman, wondering if memories of this Sin would come to her as had her memories of Heaven.

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He knew her! She knew that he had to know who she was now, even if things were still quite blurry to her in her mind's eye. There were things she could remember, faint things such as the sounds of the heavenly hosts singing, the feel of the breeze against her skin in flight. Strange things, but they were there just as the memory of him was as well. Anything else? Gone. Nothing other than those faint memories were left to her and anything else was as if it had been swallowed up into a black abyss. Smiling lightly, she saw the amazement in his stony blue-grey eyes. He too was wondering how she came to be here.

Yes, this was Zadkiel indeed. Those merciful eyes never changed from his Angel form to his human one. It was the eyes that also reflected the dark one's figure in them which had her terrified. What was he doing in the house of her Father when he was such an evil thing. She could feel it deep within her...and she was trying to resist that mental and physical pull that he seemed to have on her soul. So when he appeared behind her with that menacing voice, she could not help but to hop onto Malachi...Zadkiel, whatever, and hide her face from the sight. And she felt the stirring within her also affect the Angel she had practically sat on. Feeling horrible for whatever it was she did not mean to do, but knew she was doing, she pulled away somewhat and took a peek to see the stony glare of her savior as he watched Zain come closer and speak in such a way her face was burning in both rage and embarrassment.

She could not help the shrill sound her her cries as she buried her face into Malachi's chest. He...that thing was an abomination. Their Father would never allow something like him to continue to walk on this earth if He knew that Zain was created. Being who she was -- or well, who she had been -- Lailah remembered how she took souls to their bodies and carried them through the night. This...did he even have a soul? Scooting only closer to Malachi's chest, she took a shuddering breath and turned to look at their foe. At least in his arms she would be safe. The look of righteous anger on his face would be enough to send the Devil packing.

"Yes, I remember you, Zadkiel. The sweet Angel of Mercy." That beautiful smile of hers only proved to be able to come more so as she peered back into his eyes that she had known very well in Heaven. He had been the kind one when there was war, the sweet man that took care of the hurting. Yes, she knew him from some old memory that he had jogged and she was happy she had found something of her old self. They both had always been busy here on earth; he taking care of others, while she sent souls to their homes, but she did know him. So when she stood, Lailah Angel of Conception spoke, not the Lailah that had been cowering in Malachi's arms not a few moments ago, nor the seductive hell-bent Lady of Lust whom she had forgotten a thing about. No, this was her true voice and one that blasted through the cathedral with such beauty and grace, it had a ring of the heavenly host to it.

As she turned to Zadkiel, she felt more of herself. The feelings she had of self-doubt, confusion, pain, had left her and now stood a very confident woman who knew her place in the world. And she was very ready to leave this place, or at least make Zain disappear from sacred ground. How the hell had he gotten in here as it was? Or even she as a matter of fact? And where did that thought come from?

"Wings of black you mean? You say that I have fallen, Zain Son-of-None, but I have no evidence of this 'fallen' state. Where is your proof, creature? I stand before you now and I see none. I am Lailah, Angel of Conception, Daughter of the Souls. I am the Night." Her voice was strong, yet deep down inside of her, she was terrified that he was right. What if she had fallen that badly? She would be Sin indeed, and that was just not her. She had been the one that cared for children, always wishing that they were her own, sending the souls down to earth, while her brother Sammael took them back once their life had been lived out. Lailah was no 'Queen of the Night' as he put it. Waving her hands in front of her, Lailah took a step back in disgust and her own heartbreak. This just couldn't be. There was no way that she had become as bad as Lilith. Never!

Those strangely colored eyes of hers turned to Malachi's blue ones with tears in them. Shining brightly and flowing freely down her face as if she were the picture of Roman perfection, she stood there with heartbreak rising in her chest. Lust. What if she had been the Lady of Lust at one point? Looking down at her hands as Malachi spoke softly, she closed her eyes and willed herself to think. Something had to give! Pressing her thoughts further, she recalled the night she woke up not knowing where she was, how she had gotten there, and why couldn't she remember who she was. The clothes...they had been...she looked like a common whore. Her chest had been practically hanging out of a red corset and she had been wearing a skirt that shouldn't even have been allowed to be called such. And there was a faint scent of fire and brimstone; sulfur even.

"NO!" Fuchsia eyes turned red as blood as she faced Zain, or in hers and Malachi's mind moments ago, the Abomination. "Why?!? Why couldn't you have just let me be!?! Why the hell did you have to remind me of what I AM!" Raising her hands above her head, Lailah let her power drift into her body, filling her up with her memories of both good and bad, before she threw at him what looked to be a wall of fire. Screaming like a mother who had lost her child, Lailah tore at her hair and fell to her knees. "Why? What have I done? Father, why?" Malachi would not help her now; she would not want to help herself if she was in his shoes and that was just as hurtful as the truth now that she remembered it. Sobbing uncontrollably, Lailah beat the ground under her hands as screams of heartbreak ripped through her core.

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Her pain, her agony, so much confusion, O what beautiful tears that filled her eyes were. But her pain soon shifted to anger as she thrusted a wall of fire at him with enough force to throw him back and against the main door. He was not to badly injured, just abit burnt as he rose to his feet. Now it was he who bit his tongue to hold back his anger. He will have her he thought. Not this white angel, not god or any other demon. He! Zain..yes the abomination hidden from there eyes that they foolishly created. Zain stepped closer as his eyes became kind no more. The green in his eyes glowed brightly as if a greenish fire had become ablaze."Abomination? IF I HEAR THAT WORD ONE MORE TIME THEN SO HELP ME! I am not a abomination, I your lord and savior created with he the bringer of darkness and despair. DO you blame me for my creation? Shun ME?! You have no right to judge me with your holy plight. You who's sins bear deeper than mine Lailah. Queen of darkness is what you are. Accept it or do not!"His voice rang loud, not as loud as hers but enough to gain there attention well. Now he turned to Malachi as he curled his lips up in disgust." You pathetic swine..you worthless peace loving pacifist. You stand before me as well spitting and starring in disgust? I tell you that you are fool hardy. Your father..OUR FATHER created me. Yet shunned me for being what I was designed to do." Zain crept ever closer as his wings spreaded to full length, mighty and strong and very intimidating to one who had never seen such a thing. His Face came closer to Malachi as he grabbed hold of his shoulders. "I Advice you go to your God and learn what really is before you try saving another's soul onto the wrong path my brother.." As he released the man he could feel a fire burning within him. He was angry, so very angry upon being judged so. He then took hold of Lailahs hand pulling her close as he held her whispering coldly into her ear so that only she would hear." Listen and listen well my queen. You were the only one in time passed that saw upon me and did not judge me, For that I have stuck by your side faithfully. But keep up this madness and I will have no choice but to leave your side. Before I go ask yourself these two questions. Who is truly the monster here? Me..or the God he praises so much that created me. Secondly you asked for proof of what you are..? Well look upon your wings my Queen. Look upon your memory and most of all look at that being and tell me that you do not feel a fire burning between your legs. You know your sin.."
Zain stepped back slowly as he keeled once more.

"If you want me to go..then I shall."

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The eyes that had watched a million wars and the body that had held a million broken souls was torn. He watched Lailah’s declaration, knowing beyond all shadow of doubt the angel that stood before him. She was a great and holy creature, though perpetually busy. He heard her last phrase—I am the Night. in his head in all the languages he knew, echoes of lost tongues scattering through his head like light through a prism. It was a phrase the Earth knew well, echoing from the dawn of time, powerful. No, certainly not this creature, God’s own one, certainly not a Sin…

But there was a doubt and a terror in her as Zain continued speaking. She looked back to him with tears in her eyes, unspeakably beautiful with the morning light on her hair, her heart breaking as memories seemed to wash over her. Chi stepped closer again, but stopped, feeling helpless as her anguish overcame her in a cry of despair. Malachi’s wings fluttered as his empathy registered her emotions, feeling her pain like it was his own. It terrified him.

The angel, strong as a mountain and uncountably brave, felt a shudder creep into his hands. His thoughts echoed her anguished cry- No, no, no. She was Lailah, she could not be Lust. It was not—it was not right, it was unbelievable and it brought goosebumps to his flesh. The disbelief was evident on his face—Chi was the king of wearing his emotions on his sleeve, after all. He opened his mouth to speak, and found he wasn’t at all sure what words he was going to say. She was different now—felt different, looked different, with those red eyes. Her presence was like holding onto a lightning rod in a thunderstorm.

But when she screamed, the angel of Mercy could do nothing but go to her. There was some driving force in him that made him want to embrace that lightning rod until the storm passed—certainly not a human instinct, but he was not human. She tore at her hair; he was next to her in a heartbeat, shocked by her treatment of the Abomination but not really concerned for the thing’s fate. No, the fallen angel was clearly his object of interest, Malachi’s heart breaking at both her pain and her position. His hands rested on her shoulders as he knelt beside her, a deep and elder sadness in his eyes.

The Abomination had recovered from his treatment at the hands of a furious Lailah and was now up and walking towards them, his eyes alight with anger. At his shouts, Malachi’s head shot up from his focus on the woman and onto the proud, idiotic thing that approached. He stood, obviously intending to deal with this thing that was now becoming a real aggravation. Apparently, whoever had created him had not gifted him with any sort of brain, because not only did he decide it was wise to accuse a very upset woman of possibly the worst thing you could accuse a woman of, the ultimate sluttiness, but then he dared call Malachi’s God anything but the Almighty Glory he was? The color bled from the angel’s eyes as the unclean thing touched him, replaced by a burning holy light. Malachi had been on Earth for over 3000 years, and the entirety of that time he had been focusing on hand-to-hand combat almost exclusively. God had given him holy power and a perfect body—and Zain had entered his personal space bubble. Feeling impatient for this Abomination to leave the angels alone, Malachi finally decided it was time to try another method of reasoning with him. Some people just didn’t respond well to talking. By the time Zain was nearly done speaking, Malachi was glowing like the filament of a lightbulb, and rather hard to look at. In a controlled, precise sequence of movements, Chi slid one of his legs behind Zain’s and faked a punch to his nose to mask the real punch that the white angel delivered to the half-demon’s stomach, aiming to knock him over in one clean movement and stomp a decisive foot very firmly onto Zain’s chest in order to keep him from going anywhere.

”Insult me all you like, Demon, but do not speak of things you know not. I am no kin of yours.” The words escaped him in a strange dual-tone that echoed in the marbled temple. ”Forget not in Whose house you find yourself.” Malachi spoke at once with his human body’s voice and his angelic body’s voice, like two people speaking together, one very close and one as though from very far away. He remained a shimmering, bright thing, burning with sunfire that offended the unholy.