When I Look Up At The Stars

04 | cygnus

"I only told you of this," she says, after she reigns in the urge, "because I plan to descend."

"Descend?" for the first time since the beginning of this conversation, Lucien looks pleased with what she's said.

Descend was the term that angels used when they wanted to make an official appearance on earth, where they allowed other earthlings to see them.

In these descents, to the eye, they mostly appeared as human- as they could hide their wings at will- but there were still other unearthly prospects to their appearance- that made them instantly attract attention. But more about that later.

"Really?" Lucien continues, with the same pleased expression, "That's wonderful! You plan on finishing the job then?"

"Job?" Stella furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

"Why, killing him, of course," Lucien says as if it's the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Killing him?" Stella's voice goes a notch higher, filled with exasperation, "have you not listened to a word I said? I saved the man because I wanted to, and now you expect me to kill him?"

"It's only right," this time anger slips into Lucien's expression, "you interfered with the transaction of a soul, Stella- killing him is practically a must."

"By what law?"

"By the law of common sense!"

Lucien's sudden outburst has the feathers in both their wings flaring, tensing, and bristling up defensively.

The gold in Stella's eyes flash. Her irritation had already flared after having to repeat the same thing to him, and the way he seemed to be treating the subject was doing nothing to lessen it.

Disrespecting the existence of that human, meant disrespecting his love for what she represented.

And she was not going to allow that.

"Tread very carefully," she says slowly, "with what you say next about me."

Lucien seems undeterred by the thinly veiled threat in her words, as he moves forward to put his hands on her shoulders.

"Pay heed, Stella," he says, looking deep into her eyes while tightening the grip on her shoulders, "you are young, younger than the rest of us, less wise-"

"I-" Stella's eyes narrow at his words, but he continues.

"-and you do not know the ways of the world. Your stupid trust in everything will be your downfall-"

"Lucien-" the irritation in Stella peaks another notch.

"-and you are way too naïve to see the intention of men, humans especially b-"

The amber of her eyes glows an angry gold, as she finally snaps.

"Shut up, and get your hands off me, Lucien."

The power she forces into her words has him physically taking a step back, with stunned, widened eyes.

For a second, Stella herself is surprised by how defensive she seems to be getting over a situation- one that has to do with a human, that too.

Lucien's reasoning still bothered her. Yes, she was young, but she was created to be much stronger and better than the rest. Why couldn't he understand that? She was going to make her personal decisions when it came to her descents. He needed to know that.

For the next few moments, she can only hold eye contact while working to conceal her own surprise, before she clears her throat.

"Do not belittle me," she says softly, forcing herself to sound more pleasant and calm, "by telling me that I am too young to understand the ways of earth. I may be young, but I am also stronger, and with a better ability to adapt."