Modern Divinity

1. Descent

'Angelic' wasn't the word Celestine would use to describe herself, but she couldn't outrun her true nature forever. Six months ago, she had been enjoying a centuries-long vacation, popping in here or there to small cafes in cities with names right out of an 18th century horror novel. Occasionally checking in with higher affairs but doing her best to hide under the radar of her superiors. That bliss had come to an abrupt halt when her boss, a top-ranking seraphim, had yanked back on her reins.

"We have a job for you."

And so, now, she found herself awoken by the cold in an old, dusty, house. The dwelling itself was so painfully 'New England' that it still had its original creaky wooden floorboards and hot water radiators. With a groan she sat up and pressed a thumb against her brow, the chill settling in her joints. She knew without even a glance that it was raining, the soft patter against a nearby window was a dead giveaway. It was a far cry from the golden, halcyon fields and perfectly temperate climate she had been so unceremoniously forced out of.

The woman rose out of bed and stretched. As she shuffled to her bathroom, her toes hit something solid and hard, causing her to almost topple over. Swearing under her breath, she glared down at whatever had dared assault her.

"Cruel irony," she said with a sigh. Her copy of 'Paradise Lost' was now laying open on the ground with the topmost pages crumpled from her unintentional kick.

She groaned again and continued her pilgrimage to the bathroom to finish her morning routine. While washing up, she paused to scrutinize the tired look on her face. She had always had a fair complexion, and it clashed hideously with the dark bags that were forming under her eyes. As hard as she tried to acclimate to Vermont's autumn weather, the slinking cold and clinging damp were somehow both draining her energy and preventing her from sleeping well.

In that same vein, her normally glossy hair looked limp and lifeless. Under good, natural light it glowed a deep rosy red. Her body and height were sufficiently average, but she had always been fond of her shoulder-length locks. But, now, the sheen seemed to be gone from it as well. All she had left to admire of herself were her eyes. Deep gold, almost amber – a hallmark trait of her kind. Even under the harsh gloom of the mirror, her lavender irises flashed in defiance of her own self-doubt.

After a facial scrub and half-hearted attempt to brush the frizz out of her unwieldy tresses, she gave up and got dressed. Dark pants, a loosely fitting blue blouse, and comfortably flat shoes.

"Perfectly business casual for a perfectly normal insurance agent."

With a final, weak smile and a badly made thermos of tea in her hands, she popped out into the musty morning air. By that point the rain had stopped, and though she hesitated to debate grabbing an umbrella from the holder nearby, the idea of carrying one while also juggling her bag and a hot beverage deterred her. As she locked the door, she took a sweeping look around the front porch and murmured, "Love that they gave me a house that looks like it's been the setting for every single Stephen King novel in existence." Before jogging down the stairs.

Outside of identifying a few wild bird calls, Celestine's journey was uneventful. She strolled into the parking lot of the small strip mall that housed her one-room 'insurance agency' and made a beeline to the door. The entire building itself was old and fairly run-down, but she'd done her best to make her rented space look a little more inviting. While she couldn't replace the mildewed old carpet or paint the drab walls, she did haul in a nice oak desk and comfortably plush pink office chair. She left the generic gray waiting room seats that came with the rental near the door, as she knew they wouldn't be used anyway.