Azazel-The Falling Angel

4-12 Hours

Now that they are alone in the room, the older angel visibly relaxes just a bit and starts talking to Azazel.

"Sadly, when you professed such an interest in demons, I knew it would most likely end like this. You were curious Azazel, more curious than the rest, which can be both a blessing and a curse."
"Wait. How is being curious bad?" Azazel puts down her suitcase.

"Let me finish. Curiosity can lead to many great things. It spurs development, change and progress so that life does not stagnate, and it spurs people to learn. Imagine if, in the mortal world, no one had no one had ever cared to make medicine and how disastrous that would have been." Gabriel continues.

"But it also has a dark side. Knowledge is power, as they say, and power can corrupt. Not only that, but always hungering to know is what led you down this specific path. Needing to know about demon culture and by extension being corrupted by it. Curiosity can also hurt other people or yourself. Ever heard of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'? There is a reason it exists. Some things are better left buried and never known."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. Wait. Are you saying I shouldn't have gone down this path?" Azazel questions.
"No I am not. Knowing thy enemy is important. Knowledge is important. I'm just saying how this happened. In order to satiate your curiosity, you had to go down a different path than most."

"So this is why you are not surprised?"
"Partially. I have also seen this before, like I said." She pulls out a cross. "I presume this will burn you?"
"No need to test. Yes it will, I know from personal experience." She shows Gabriel the deep cross-shaped burn on her chest.

"Why is it so deep?"
"I pushed it in because I was upset. I hoped the pain would just go away."
"While not the smartest decision, I can't blame you. That must have hurt pretty badly. Mentally and physically."
"It really did. Tore my whole world apart. I did not expect you to be so nonchalant about this. You said you had seen this before? With who?"

"You would probably recognize her by her nickname since you study demons. Ever heard of someone named 'Judgement'?"
"Yes I have. She actually talked with me rather recently."
"She used to be an angel like yourself. One of the rare darker-skinned ones. I was good friends with her back in the day. It was so sad to see her fall away from us. When I look at you, Azazel, I am sometimes reminded of her."

"Oh..."
"I was far more naive back in the day. Far more scared of Hell and it's corruption. While I wasn't mean to her, I could have been far more supportive and less harsh. It was so sad seeing her leave and never come back. I still regret my actions from way back then. I am hoping that, with you, things will go better. We could use more bright eyed, eager and curious angels like you."

"Thank you. I-I don't really know what to say."
"It's been so, so many years since I last saw her. Next time you see her, could you please tell her that I am sorry for my actions those past days? Thank you."

"Yes I can." Azazel doesn't know what to say. She had never in a million years
expected such emotion from the usually stone-cold unflappable superior general.

"Anyways, back to you. Would you like a drink?"
"Yes I would."
Gabriel walks over to a mini-fridge she hadn't noticed laying discreetly in the corner with a keypad on it. She enters a code and pulls out two glasses of pure sparkling water. She closes the fridge, locks it back up and walks back over to Azazel, handing her the drink. It smells like flowers.
Azazel takes a long drink before recognizing the smell. Holy water.

Thankfully though, it doesn't burn or really hurt at all, though it is missing its signature taste and healing properties. It just tastes like plain water.

Then something from on top of her head starts dripping onto the floor. It's black colored. Several more drops hit the ground before a torrent of black liquid spills from her head, gliding off her clothing and hitting the ground with a splattering sound. It hits her that the black liquid dripping off her was actually her hair dye.
"And now your true form has been revealed." Gabriel tells her.
It must have been the holy water that caused this...