Virtue Is Its Own Reward {for Vivienne}

[CleverFox]

Okay being one of the 'Seven Heavenly Virtues' royally sucked.

At least that was Crevan's take on the matter, the fifteen year old Nephilim being the youngest of the chosen seven and also the most rebellious. He knew that there was a plan for them and he knew that they were all supposed to be important and protected seeing as they were the embodiment of the virtue that they held and if they died, then said virtue died with them. All of that he was aware of but that didn't make Crevan any more inclined to just sit around and do nothing.

It was for that reason that the teen was making an attempt to slip away from Heaven and make his way to the human realm.

That was one of those things that he wasn't strictly speaking permitted to do but he was thinking that if he could give his guardian the slip then it wouldn't really be an issue. And to his way of thinking it was better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.


*******


Gabriel wasn't even sure why it was that he had been tasked with playing guardian to one of the Nephilim virtues. Who in their right mind or otherwise would have thought that was a good idea? That was of course what he had asked himself about a hundred times at this point but as of yet he had not reached a conclusion on that.

What he had managed to do was lose his charge.

Something that Gabriel was pretty sure that Michael would be irked about if the older archangel were to find out about since these seven children were to be guarded above all else. Shuddering at the thought of what Michael might do to him Gabriel used his powers to attempt to sense the location of his charge, grateful for the sort of 'angel homing beacon' that their grace provided and while the virtues weren't full angels they actually did possess Grace so they could be tracked.

It was part of what made them special and not abominations despite that their kind were typically taboo.

“Constance...when I find you, you're in for it girl,” Gabriel muttered to himself as he prepared to go out and retrieve his errant charge.

[Vivienne]

In spite of what others may suspect, Michael did not understand his Father's will perfectly. There were some decisions and actions made by God that simply bewildered him, left him wondering what manner of plan the Lord might have. But such thoughts did not linger long. Of all the archangels that the Creator had made, he was the most loyal, the most obedient, the most determined to abide by the letter of the law. And this served him well in his management of Heaven and its hosts. He was well-respected, obeyed without question, and deferred to as the highest judge - second only to God. And yet, he had been given the task of safekeeping the Virtue of Hope.

Crevan, the nephilim was named, and his human side was apparent to his guardian from a very young age. He was headstrong and outspoken, determined to make his own way in spite of the rules and expectations placed upon him. It reminded the archangel very much of how Gabriel had been when he was a fledgling, full of life and lacking in wisdom or humility. What had he done to be assigned this boy, the most difficult of all the Virtues?

But perhaps his Father knew only Michael had the strength and determination to not give up on Crevan, to not be deterred by his rebellious attitude. "I will not fail you, Father." He murmured the prayer even as he received word from one of his many eyes in the heavenlies that the boy was attempting to leave. Given the nephilim was not too far away, it was all too easy to pinpoint his exact location beyond the inner gates and appear a few steps behind him. Crossing his arms, the dark-haired archangel stared down at Crevan with stern disapproval, saying only, "Crevan."

But his tone would say everything the boy needed to know

******

As for Constance, well . . . she wasn't exactly rebellious so much as she was full of her given Virute: Faith. And Heaven, well, it didn't need faith. Not like humanity did. So much pain and despair and darkness existed on the planet. How could she just stay put and twiddle her thumbs when she could be helping others, restoring their faith in God and each other? Of course, her inherent trust and belief in everyone meant that it was all too easy for her to be taken advantage of. She didn't have a skeptical bone in her body, and that could get her into quite a bit of trouble.

Like most nephilim, she had angelic power within her half-human form, but as a Virtue, that power was increased beyond the norm. So as she knelt on the ground in the Haitian village, touching the head of a young boy with terrible malaria on his brow, he was cured instantly. This was her third healing in the past half-hour, and the villagers began thanking her profusely, asking her by what means she came to such magic. Though her French was not the same dialect as theirs, she managed to explain that it was not magic, but the Grace of God. And she could just see in their faces the faith that she inspired.

But the local medicine man didn't approve of her interference. He was stealing behind the hut with a knife hidden behind his back, having every intention of threatening his new rival, if not outright killing her for unintentionally stealing away the sway he had over the people. It was a good thing that Gabriel was looking for her, because Constance sure wasn't looking out for herself.

[CleverFox]

Crevan was not inherently bad by any stretch of the imagination, the Angel of Hope just had a mind of his own thanks to his human side and being a good little soldier wasn't even remotely fun. Sure he knew that he was important, that he had a job to do, but he didn't see why he couldn't have some fun in the process. That fun was what he was intending to pursue when he made his way toward the Gates of Heaven, knowing that none would try to stop him from leaving save for the one archangel that he felt he had given the slip.

An assumption that he was proven woefully wrong in when he heard his name in that ominous voice.

It was funny how all Michael had to do was say one word and he managed to convey such force, as though compelling all that he spoke with to obey him without question. Even Crevan felt that pull but he was better able to fight it than most, the Nephilim turning and casting his blue eyed gaze up to the much taller archangel.

"I've done nothing wrong," Crevan said despite that he'd had every intention of doing something that was wrong.

*******

Gabriel knew that Constance was practically a magnet of trouble if only for the fact that she never saw it coming. No matter how many times she was taken advantage of she still blindly trusted others. The archangel knew that it was a side effect of her virtue and that she wasn't really to blame for that but by the same token she was to blame for blatantly ignoring the orders to stay in Heaven.

The girl knew that she was not to stray on her own and yet had done so anyway.

Luckily for the Nephilim Gabriel was able to track her and while he was more than annoyed to discover that she was already outside of the Gates of Heaven and in the human realm he didn't allow that to affect him. Instead the archangel just zapped himself to the village, noticing what was going on and silently appearing behind the man.

"That is unwise, attacking an innocent girl," Gabriel said, his voice calm but at the same time he held an ominous tone, able to be serious when he needed to be despite that he was one of the lesser disciplined of the archangels. He was a bit of a free spirit but he loved his family and this child that he was responsible for was part of that family and he was not going to stand idly by while someone threatened her with harm.

[Vivienne]

The archangel's dour expression didn't lift in the slightest as the boy greeted him with his usual polite guilelessness. That is to say, Crevan immediately jumped on the defense without so much as a hello. If there was one thing Michael could appreciate about the boy, it was his direct commutation. What he said was technically true, but the archangel was not stupid. Just because Crevan had not yet disobeyed did not mean he had no intention to. In fact, judging from his record, he had every intention of leaving. But he could not be punished for intent alone.

"Then I suppose you wander near the edge of the kingdom to take in the familiar sights?" His rarely used dry sense of humor came into play here as he raised onE dark brow. He was mildly curious to hear what excuse the nephilim would have for lingering so close to the boundaries.

****

The medicine man froze, stunned by the sudden realisation that someone was behind him. He could still hear the girl speaking to the village people, explaining to them that she would be happy to heal more of their sick - even refusing payment because 'it was her honor to serve'. It enraged the bitter, power-hungry witch doctor, made him turn on the stranger to try and slit his throat.

Clueless, just five or six feet away outside the tent, Constance laughed as the boy she healed pulled her into a tight hug. "You're welcome!" She beamed, feeling so happy that she could do some good, she felt like she was glowing. Sure, healings were more Charity's thing than hers, but this was one of the best parts of being a Virtue. Helping others and putting her gifts to use.

[CleverFox]

It was typically unwise to deny a crime that you had yet to be accused of but in this instance that was precisely what Crevan did, mainly because he knew that he was going to be asked about it and figured that he'd just beat the archangel to the punch. His blue eyes remained focused on the archangel as Michael asked his question, that one almost enough to get Crevan to snort since as far as he was concerned Michael didn't really have a sense of humor.

"Actually I was planning to practice my powers," Crevan told him, the boy meeting the gaze of his guardian for a moment before a bright white light heralded the arrival of the boy's large white angel wings.

This was something that the virtues possessed that no other Nephilim had, wings.

"So if you'll excuse me," Crevan said, turning and giving his wings a flap so he could head off, hopefully catching Michael by surprise in the process.

*******

Gabriel wasn't the least bit surprised that he managed to catch the human with murderous intent off guard, the archangel shaking his head as the man turned and attempted to slit his throat. "That was unwise," Gabriel told him as he stopped the knife and then reached a hand out, stopping the man's heart cold where he stood. Sure it was a bit extreme but angels held no human emotions so Gabriel didn't even blink as he did this, it was simply his duty to protect Constance and this man was a threat.

After dealing with that Gabriel turned and made his way toward his charge, his gaze focused on the girl as she hugged a boy that she had helped.

"Constance," he said in a low and slightly ominous voice as he walked toward her, Gabriel calling on that strict side that honestly he had picked up from Michael and tried really hard not to use. "What excuse do you have for your transgressions?" the archangel asked her calmly, his face giving away nothing right now.

[Vivienne]

That actually did catch the guardian, well, off guard. He had expected for Crevan to pick up on his unspoken warning, his own appearance right when the boy was attempting to leave serving as a reminder that there was nothing that Crevan could do that would escape his sight for long. Perhaps it would prompt the Virtue to reconsider his course of action, at least for the time being. If for no other reason than to avoid punishment. But the nephilim chose instead to not only directly disobey his standing order, but to do so before his very eyes. The level of disrespect that expressed was not just unacceptable, but personally insulting to Michael's authority. And he simply would not stand for it.

Steely eyes narrowed beneath dark brows as six brilliant, flame-Hurd wings erupted from his shoulders, propelling him forward after the boy with such speed that he overtook Crevan just as the boy flew beyond the gates. Though Michael was the slowest and strongest of his archangel siblings, he could still outstrip an angel or winged nephilim with ease. So he turned, his massive wings spread wide to block the way ahead as he roared in a voice like rolling thunder, "Crevan! Return to Heaven immediately!"

****

Constance caught sight of her guardian before he spoke, her infectious smile growing wider as she knew he must have seen the helpful things she had done. Letting go of the boy that had been thanking her, she greeted the archangel, "Gabe!" Her voice as bright as her beaming grin, but his closed off expression made her face fall a bit. "...riel." She added the rest of his name as a sheepish afterthought, realising that she might be in trouble again for slipping out of Heaven without permission. Standing up from the dirt, she dusted off her skirt and legs and started to explain, "I know you said to stay put, but I kept hearing the prayers and, well," she reached back to rub her neck before admitting, "I had to do something, Gabriel." Her butterscotch brown eyes were imploring him to understand as she went on, "They have faith. Shouldn't they be rewarded for it?"

Constance wasn't the type to lie to or mislead her guardian when she had been caught. From the beginning, she had deeply respected and admired her archangel, striving to gain his approval like one would a parent or elder bother. Her difficulty came in reigning in her natural impulsivity and curiosity. She was the essence of faith, not patience, and her eagerness to help meant that if she saw an opportunity to do good, she jumped on it. Though she had assured herself that she had made the right decision, she had a sinking feeling in her gut when she looked at Gabriel that told her otherwise.

[CleverFox]

It was already well established fact that doing anything that Michael didn't want to be done was a bad idea, Crevan had learned this the hard way on more than one occasion. But at the same time the boy wanting something more than the boring monotony of Heaven and so he asked the archangel to excuse him and then used his brilliant white wings to fly away, not back toward the boundaries of Heaven but instead in the direction of the human realm.

Because that was really where he wanted to be.

He had expected a bit more of a head start than he got and he frowned slightly and drew up short when Michael suddenly was in front of him, his wings splayed out in a manner that was definitely threatening. Crevan drew up short and gazed at Michael as the archangel boomed at him to return to Heaven, that having a sort of ominous quality for the baby of the Nephilim seven. "C'mon Michael...it isn't such a big deal if I go to Earth for a time. I can practice those powers you're always telling me to hone," he tried to defend, not making a move to turn around but at the same time not foolish enough to try to get by Michael.

*******

Gabriel walked toward Constance and he watched as she happily greeted him, the archangel actually feeling bad about the way that his words caused that smile to fade from her face as she added the last bit of his name to the nickname that he honestly didn't mind. He looked at Constance as she started trying to explain her actions, not that she really needed to do that because after all this time he could pretty accurately guess what had fueled her actions.

"The fact that you wish to help them is admirable Constance but we have discussed the fact that it is not safe for you to be away from the safety of Heaven on your own," Gabriel reminded her since that was something that all of the Virtues had been forbidden from doing. "Michael decreed that you were all to remain in Heaven unless your guardian expressly brought you to the human realm and you did not obey that decree."

[Vivienne]

"You have exactly three seconds to obey my command." Michael completely ignored Crevan's excuse and attempt to reason with him. With every moment that the nephilim hovered beyond the gates, he was spitting in the face of the archangel's authority, only stoking the fires of anger inside the already thoroughly unhappy regent of Heaven. "Or I will take you to task now, and you will not touch Earth soil for a month." And Michael was not one to make empty threats. He was a soldier at his core, so one would take him on his word or regret it when it came to pass.

He stared into Crevan's face. silently daring him to make matters worse for himself than they already were. Because as far as the archangel was concerned, he had earned himself a thrashing he would not soon forget once they had returned. "One . . . Two . . ."

****

Connie chewed the inside of her cheek as Gabriel told her again the rule laid out for the Virtues. Though she didn't resent it as fiercely as some of her fellow nephilim seven, she felt fettered by the restrictions placed upon her. Sometimes it felt like being grounded for life for something she had no control over. And though she loved her guardian like family, there were times when she just wanted the chance to explore the world without someone hovering over her shoulder - literally or figuratively.

Still, she knew full well that she had broken the rules. Dropping her gaze to the ground, the teenager scuffed lightly at the dirt with her shoes, blushing faintly. "I know . . . I-I'm sorry, Gabriel . . . I just wanted to help."

[CleverFox]

Despite all of the experience that he had dealing with Michael and his moods Crevan was admittedly surprised when the archangel actually started to count after giving him a time limit for obedience. That seemed like something that one would do when dealing with a much younger child or something but Crevan didn't actually point that one out to the clearly unhappy archangel.

Nor did he defy and make things worse, strangely enough.

Instead he gave his wings a flap and then retreated back toward the boundaries of Heaven, not too keen on pressing Michael despite the fact that the look in the archangel's face had practically been daring him to do that and he rarely turned down an open challenge. In this instance his rarely used self preservation instincts seemed to kick in.

*******

Gabriel knew that Constance was one that inherently wanted to do good and he thought that was an admirable quality despite his own penchant for finding trouble for himself but he also knew that she was too young and above all too valuable to be allowed to just roam around Earth as she saw fit. So he wasn't pleased with her and he let her know that, his gaze remaining focused on the girl as she dropped her gaze to the ground and said that she was sorry, the archangel sighing when the teen added that she was just trying to help.

"I realize that Connie, I do," Gabriel told her, using her nickname rather than her given name in a show that he really did get it. "But you put yourself in danger by doing so...did you even realize that there was a man with a knife lying in wait for you?"

He was curious to know whether she had picked up on that or not but he was willing to almost bet on it being the latter rather than the former.

[Vivienne]

Generally, Michael would agree with Crevan's assessment that counting down to ensure his obedience was a tactic for a much younger child. But when the nephilim ignored his warnings and chose to disobey him so boldly, the archangel could not help but view Crevan as a petulant little brat. Perhaps on Earth, the boy might be seen as nearing adulthood, but to a being that had witnessed the birth of man, nearly all humans were merely short-lived children. His young charge did little to prove him wrong.

He flew close behind the boy, ready to divert or halt should Crevan try to double back for Earth again. It was honestly embarrassing that he should have to keep so close an eye on the nephilim. He expected better from the lowest-ranking angel under his command, let alone a child placed in his care. It seemed he would have to remind the Virtue the consequences of disobedience once they touched down in Heaven again.

******

Constance looked back up at her guardian hopefully as he seemed to understand where she was coming from. He even used her nickname, something he usually refrained from doing when he was really upset with her. But as he talked about the danger, she opened her mouth to argue with him, only to have the words die in her throat as he mentioned the man with a knife. Those clever butterscotch eyes went wide, blinking repeatedly as she struggled to process what he had told her. Why would someone want to hurt her when all she had done was heal people? She just couldn't comprehend it and it made the edges of her vision burn with tears as she shook her head.

"I... no, I didn't..." She spoke in a daze, almost thinking he must have been exaggerating or misconstrued things somehow. But alarmed voices from behind the hut reached her ears, speaking of the stone dead medicine man with the knife still gripped tight in his still-warm fist. "I don't understand." She admitted as she noticed the boy she had just healed backing away from her and her guardian with a fearful look on his face. "Why would he do that? Why is he dead? Did you-?" Her hand came up to cover her mouth and she asked in a quiet, horrified voice, "D-Did you kill him?"