The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 28

XXVIII

URIEL

Day Five. Eight Days Remain.

Eli's Room, Morningstar Keep.

Uriel smiled at his reflection in the mirror approvingly. The training in Purgatory had paid off. His lean frame was now lined with tight muscle and fit snugly under his once-loose clerical shirt. He ran his fingers absent-mindedly along the star outline at the top of the collar and then slid on a pair of black pants. Meticulously rearranging his short brown hair and its shock of silver, Uriel bared his teeth and scanned them for any rogue bits of food. He paused for a moment, simply listening to the ticking of the clock in Eli's former room. Each stroke of the hand was both a comfort and a call to action. It was soothing to have left Purgatory; regardless of the tactical benefits of his training alongside his comrades, a world almost without time remained unnatural. It was though he was stepping out of a long dream as a new man. He understood his body, his comrades, and even the gift of Dawn at a new, more intimate level. Now that he had returned to a land governed by a palpable flow of time, however, each second that passed was a second closer to his battle with Faust. Assuming, of course, that he reached Earth at all.

"Hey there, Kat," he said, looking at his reflection with a ridiculous attempt at a smolder. "You look great. You know, I was thinking, once we've, you know, prevented the ultimate destruction of Eden and the end of humanity and all, how about you and I go out sometime?" he attempted with embarrassing faux-machismo. Though it felt as if it had passed almost instantly, the time spent in Purgatory had left each of the Shepherd trainees with a strong sense of how their teammates operated. And, in Uriel's case, a fleeting attraction that was continually growing into a crush. Uriel sighed and then beat his hand against his head. "Nope. Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered. "Now is not the time to be workshopping terrible, terrible come ons. Sorry dad. Focus, Uriel. Final test, world in danger. Final test, world in danger."

Uriel jumped as three sharp raps on his door shot through the room. "Coming, one second!" he shouted, checking his breath quickly and throwing on his Brigade overcoat. He walked quickly over to the door and opened it, reciting automatically, "Hey Kat, you look great-"

"Well, now I just feel like the prettiest girl in the world," Daken chuckled, standing in the doorway with a grin stretching from ear to ear. "I'm flattered, but I think there's better ways to work out your pre-exam jitters than hitting on this fine piece of tail," he said, clearly enjoying Uriel's embarrassment as he licked his thumb and put out an obnoxious imaginary fire on his rear.

Uriel's eyes went wide and then he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, its just you. Thank goodness." While Uriel's somewhat awkward body language clearly indicated he still wasn't entirely at peace around Daken, the training in Purgatory had left them with at least some early, begrudging respect. Though Daken's respect was, admittedly, often much more begrudging than Uriel's.

Daken crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Just me, hm? I go out of my way to come and see you on the day of your final test, and that's what I get? 'It's just you?' I'm certainly not going on any dates with you now."

"Sorry, I'm just a little on edge," Uriel apologized, blushing as they began to walk towards down the halls of Morningstar Keep.

"I noticed," Daken replied as they turned a corner. "But I'd really be focusing more on the test if I were you. You'll have plenty of time to embarrass yourself in front of the fairer sex later."

Uriel grinned. "Oh, come on, it'll be fine. After all, I was taught by the very best trainer there is."

"Well, there's no debating that. I didn't bum around with you between dimensions just so you could be decent," Daken agreed, stroking his chin confidently. "And what's the most important thing I've ever taught you?" he asked.