#sebasthiel

Shrike:

He has thoughts about suppressing his impathy entirely to become the efficient, unfeeling living weapon like Lot and the majority of people working at NCE wish him to be. That way, he would never have to put up with their insults as well as the behind-his-back whispers ever again, but…he simply couldn’t. Perhaps it was out of a desire of not wanting to give Lot and his ilk the satisfaction of seeing him giving in, or maybe it was self-pity and the want of living a heroic fantasy he could never obtain, but Shrike has chosen to continue caring about others, ill-advised or otherwise. Sebasthiel: 

At times, Sebasthiel wondered if his former Justiciar partner, Nulostanel, was right about El’Radyon holding their leashes too tightly, stopping them from saving lives that were within arm’s reach while allowing the guilty to elude their punishments until He deemed the time was right. However, becoming a fallen angel was a heavy price Sebasthiel would never want to pay, and he fears that one day it would become too tempting. 

Rivan: 

Being a warlock, no matter one’s intention, means embracing a path of ostracization. While Rivan has improved lives with the help of his patrons, there were still those in the realms who viewed the undead and their servants as only blights to be banished, never to be reasoned with. Sometimes, Rivan has imagined traveling back in time to tell his past self to refuse the Death Parents’ pact. Even if he was to become fodder for a lich’s phylactery and never experience the afterlife, at least he would never have to endure a life of forced solitude with only the restless dead for company. However, it would be foolish to disrespect the life he was given, and he would rather live it to the fullest. 

⚔️ CROSSED SWORDS

Shrike:

Despite how nigh-unbearable Hadrian Graves can be while training him to be the next Harbinger, deep down Shrike is grateful to Graves for teaching him when to employ either violence or persuasion. Combined with his natural impathy, he can stand up for not only himself but also for the helpless in situations where diplomacy fails.

Sebasthiel:

Sebasthiel, despite his personal history with Nulostanel, remains thankful that El'Radyon has granted him a deep love for life. He is deeply aware of how flawed sapients are, but he won't turn their back on them as long as they are willing to accept redemption. Like Shrike, he can employ magick to defend himself and others should violence become the only viable solution.

Rivan:

Although it's disappointing, perhaps even painful, that the academy where he taught at has barred him from returning due to his status as a warlock, Rivan is thankful for the knowledge of the arcane and history he has acquired while working there. Additionally, having to learn how to deliver his lessons in an interesting yet efficient manner has helped him to develop the force of personality required to be a warlock. As an adventurer, Rivan uses his acquired knowledge to solve magic-related cases and his skill at speech to get others to do as he asks, usually for their own good.

(All three would gladly use their skills to defend those they love.)

😶‍🌫️ FACE IN CLOUDS

Shrike:

Shrike believes that he is unworthy of becoming someone's genuine romantic partner due to his status as a Harbinger, not to mention having a side job where he seduces and sleeps with rich and influential daemons for their money. Shrike is painfully well-aware that he can't maintain a lonely and transactional existence forever, but given the cutthroat nature of the Hells and mortals' justified fear of daemonkind, sharing this secret is easier said than done.

Sebasthiel:

Sebasthiel greatly appreciates mortals' creative capacity, and he has dabbled in a variety of crafts throughout the centuries. One of his favorite subjects is drawing and painting the sapient form in the (artistic) nude. Some angels and mortals, however, frown upon this practice, and Sebasthiel struggles to understand why they would vilify something El'Radyon has created with a purpose. The ram worries that his artistic preference would make him a pariah, even if he is in no hurry to share this emotional burden with others.

Rivan:

Shrike

The Hermit

It’s a skill, to look inside yourself, one you have mastered. The endless corridors and shifting thoughts are mapped to very carefully. This all takes time, of course. And those twisting hallways are so very difficult to map. It would be so easy to get lost. You know this space so well. Wouldn’t it be a lovely place to stay? So well-known and comforting. Why go back? How nice, how easy, to dissolve, to hide from the rest of the world and all the people in it. Why bother, when you are so good at looking inside yourself. Like enlightenment, the self. Retreating this far inwards is like retreating just as far out, into the vast ether. So comforting. The thing that was you looks at the thing that was the old woman. There is no you anymore. Goodbye.

Sebasthiel

The Devil

Restriction is not so terrible a thing as you think it is. One must not always be shackled to be prudent. You could use a set of handcuffs in your life, my love. Shall I forge them for you? We could be tied together, you and I. Maybe then you would not want for so many things. Maybe if you were drip fed what you wanted, you would only focus on the next drip, instead of the wide world of things there are to want. You consume what you love, you terrify the things you want. You have chewed your way through your life and you are still hungry. The old woman holds out a key. The iron around your wrist is so very heavy.

Dana

The Empress

You are only independent insofar as you have others to care for. This makes you dependent in your independence. They want your knowledge, your skills, your talents, your affection. What can they give in return? “Teeth” is not an acceptable answer, nor is “keeping the shadows to the corners”, nor is “glory”, nor is “love”. There is no acceptable answer, no gift of a magnitude which can match the thing you know, which is that they are taking from you. They are stealing from you. You should stop them from doing that, darling. You only have so much to give. You are not infinite, and when they have taken their last they will remind you of that. My advice is this: give enough to keep them at bay, but be careful. Their teeth can turn on you too. There is no easier way to make an animal dangerous than by feeding it.

tagged by: taken from @mindmxtters