Thaumiel and Hinnom

Thaumiel allowed the demon to nervously pace the office, waiting for the tardy fallen, for a full ten minutes. He watched, an amused smile on his narrow lips, as Hinnom attempted to patiently wait in the leather armchair, fail, and then trot around the room, poking and prodding the various displays. Finally Thaumiel made his appearence.

Hinnom had been examining a case of ancient Roman coins with interest when the office door swung open. Like a guilty child he jumped back, away from the glass, and lowered his head. His submissive pose invoked a chuckle from the Fallen Angel who walked forward to examine the Demon more closely.

"Head up, Demon," Thaumiel ordered gently, "There's no need to bow to me."

Hinnom complied with a scowl, annoyed that he had allowed himself to fall into the passive role. "I don't bow to you, Fallen. You merely surprised me."

Thaumiel laughed again and then breezed past the younger man to sit behind his massive mahagony desk. "Very well," he said as Hinnom again took a seat, "Then let us get directly to business. Excuse me for the frankness, but why are you here?"

Hinnom willed himself not to figet. "I saw you the other day and followed you back here. I knew that you were a fallen as soon as I laid eyes on you."

Thaumiel gathered some papers that had been spread aroung the desktop and placed them neatly in a drawer, unconcerned with the observation. "Indeed. And as soon as I saw you, I knew you were a demon. You're wasting my time. What is your point?"

Hinnom shifted in his chair but otherwise ignored the rude comment. "Which one are you?"

The Fallen Angel looked up slowly. "Thaumiel," he said as he stared at the demon. "And you?"

"Hinnom. Demon of Garbage." Hinnom recited quickly, more eager to learn more about the fallen then to make proper introductions. "Angel of the Crown, right? When did you fall? Have you always been in Tokyo?"

Daisuke

Walking home from school had never been a problem for me. As a kid, I had had Jun to protect me from the vaious evils of the streets (like the frightning Woman Walking a Big Dog, the horrifying Crossing the Street, and the devestating Candy Stores) and our journey home was short and sweet. Now as one of the big men on campus, I was able to make the trek alone. Maturity had its benefits.

Sometimes I walked with Takeru, Miyako, and Iori. Sometimes I'd hang around with Taichi-san and play football and bask in his coolness. Other times Jun would bless me with her presence and it'd be like old times again. The rest of the time I was a solitary traveller.

Walking home alone meant that I could take as long as I liked, dragging my feet at a rate easily surpassed by snails. It also meant that I could loiter near the bakery and attempt to woo the baker's daughter into giving me free desserts. I had succeeded once; it had been raining and I lent her my umbrella. The next afternoon I was rewarded with a bag of chocolate cookies. Since then I stopped by once a week to win a smile, but never food. She scolded me, saying that I was too young for her (come on! Thirty's not that old!) but she was warming up to me, I could tell.