Sinners and Saints

Sinners and Saints Chapter 14 - Keep Your Friends Close

“So Claire,” Baron cuts into his lamb, “How do you recognize the different types of beings?  Were you taught to do so or is it something you feel or what?” 

“Um,” I think about it as I finish my mouthful of baby peas, “I never really thought about how I know what someone is.  Humans are, well, more complex than others, I think.  They feel fuller, somehow – deeper.  So human and not-human is pretty easy.  But knowing an Imp from a bi from a demon?  That’s harder – of course the horns and tail when unmasked is a pretty good clue.  Demons are – no offense, Philippe – darker.  Denser.” 

“Oh-ho,” Philippe chuckles, “I haven’t been called dense in ages.  Not since Blanche – what a shrew she was!” 

“But a beautiful shrew, nonetheless,” Baron laughs, “Please go on, Claire.” 

“Imps are more – um – swirly than that,” I start and Giselle and Mona begin giggling. 

“Your descriptions are unique,” Mona tells me, “But they make sense and are quite accurate.  I never thought of an Imp as swirly, but you are right.  Their souls are constantly moving around.  What about bi’s?” 

“Bi’s are,” I sigh, “I really don’t want to offend either of you,” I tell them and the table laughs again. 

“We have heard it all, Claire,” Giselle titters, “Do not worry.” 

“Alright,” I sigh again, “Bi’s are the shallowest.”  The room erupts in laughter.  Even Bishop is heartily enjoying my description. 

“You are simply brilliant,” Baron declares when they all start to calm down, “Never have I heard a more apt description.  Now, how can you tell the status of each?  For example, what tells you that Philippe is an arch-demon instead of a lower demon?” 

“Color,” I tell them, “The darker the color, the old and more powerful they are.” 

“Ah,” Philippe nods, “So you can actually see the souls, then?” 

“Not directly,” I shake my head, “It’s more of a perception.  I don’t know how it works, really.  Intuition, I guess.” 

Bishop has been fairly quiet during this exchange, but now asks, “What about the other side?  How do you know a cloaked angel?  How did you know Baron is a redeemer?” 

“It’s really the same,” I shrug, “I’ve only met one arch-angel and was briefly around three lesser-angels, but except for the color, it’s pretty-much the same thing.  I never spent a lot of time thinking about or examining my own soul, but yours, Baron, just felt so close to mine that redeemer was the only choice I could come up with.” 

“And what do our souls look like to you, Claire?” he asked, winking, “Are we swirly or shallow too?” 

“No,” I blush, “We look almost human, actually.  But there’s another layer there.  An angel-like layer.  That’s as close as I can come to describing it.” 

“And age?” Mona asks, “Can you guess Baron’s age by what you see?” 

“Well,” I study him, “You’re far older than Giselle and Mona,” I tell him, “But obviously not as old as Philippe.  And you are the baby-brother,” I add, “But even so, I would have to say you’re somewhere around twenty-three, twenty-four hundred.  Giselle is around fifteen-hundred, Mona already told me she’s just shy of one thousand.” 

“And how old am I, Redeemer?” Bishop asks. 

“At least three-thousand,” I tell him, “Possibly more.  Skirting the line of Philippe and the other arches in my book.”