Adrian woke to the cold blade of a knife pressed against his throat.

He stiffened, afraid to move an inch. Pulse rapidly accelerating, heart beating against his chest, he glanced up to see who was there.

It was too dark; the sky outside was choked with clouds, and not a hint of clear moonlight escaped through. The room was cast into almost pitch black, but looming over Adrian's bed was a figure, even darker than the shadows around, almost like a void where no light could exist. He couldn't make out a face, or even a clear outline, but his heart jumped at the sight of it.

He grew clammy and cold as he stared at the figure, not daring to move and cursing his heart for beating so loudly. His breathing grew uneven as the silence drew out and he was allowed more time to think. Is this because I didn't answer? Could it be their attackers? Is it--

"It's your fault," hissed the figure.

Adrian instantly recognized the voice dripping with venom. "What's my fault, Delta?"

"What do you think?" snapped Delta. "Brook. What happened to her."

She blames me. Well, I figured as much. Adrian remained silent, waiting to see if Delta would speak again. What was he supposed to say? Anything he said would just make her angrier, and he didn't want to risk that with a knife at his throat. He felt a little better knowing who was next to him, but...Delta might actually kill me.

As he expected, Delta continued. "I had the flask. I could have escaped with Brook, there and then. She wouldn't have been injured. You would have died, but that's fine. But instead I wasted precious seconds to save your sorry self, wasted time to pull you out of the way and tell you to run. And...because of that..." She trailed off, voice strained. "Because you're still alive!" She pressed the knife a little closer; the coldness made Adrian's heart skip a beat.

I see what you're getting at, but I didn't ask you to save me.

"But then you saved her!" cried Delta, voice and hand starting to shake. The knife withdrew, just a little. "You pulled her out of the way--so was saving you the right thing to do after all? But--but then it was too late, we were surrounded, and she fell and--" Her hand was beginning to shake violently. Delta inhaled slowly, her hand growing steadier. "So I shouldn't have wasted the time. She wouldn't have even been in the position to be saved by you if we'd just run in the first place. You should've died."

Goodness, she's a mess. Adrian eyed Delta's dark figure nervously. That doesn't bode well for me. His life shouldn't have been at risk, at least until morning. The angels could use him; it'd do no good for them if he died before even making his decision. So, he figured, Delta was forbidden from killing him. If she did, she'd surely face the consequences. People generally acted for their best interests, so, logically, Delta wouldn't hurt him.

But is she really thinking logically? Thinking about it, Delta didn't have her best interests in mind. It was easy to imagine her sacrificing her life for Brook, especially after witnessing her unwavering loyalty to her cause. So, if she truly blamed him for Brook's injury, and if killing him, in her mind, provided some sort of justice, then she would, despite it being a self-destructive action. Adrian shuddered, heartbeat picking up again. I can't read her.

The clouds outside had begun to break up, and an ethereal beam of moonlight shone into the room, reflecting silvery light off the white stone. Delta's head fell just short of it, so she was still cast in shadow, but Adrian could just about make out her face, twisted into a pained grimace. A splinter of light glinted off a tear running down her cheek.

"It's my fault," choked out Delta. "Her life is in my hands, yet all I've done is messed up when it really matters. If I'd done something, anything better, this wouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have gotten the flask. I shouldn't have saved you. I should've warned her of the trap. If I'd been just a little faster, a little smarter, she'd have been okay."

Watching her agony, Adrian could almost feel a touch of pity, if not for his current situation. "Well...she's still alive, right?"

The knife, which had withdrawn somewhat, instantly increased its pressure. "I don't think you understand the situation, Adrian," hissed Delta, composure instantly regained.

Wrong thing to say wrong thing to say wrong thing to say--

"Did you even see what happened?" snarled Delta. "Did you see what happened to Brook?! Her face is ruined, she won't be able to see--she needs protection now more than ever. Her life is changed--it's not just 'still alive.'" Her hand trembled once again.

What can I say to calm her down? Adrian desperately searched for words, but came up with nothing.

"Silence. Wise," said Delta, looking down at Adrian. "I'm sick of hearing you spit out insensitive comments."

Adrian held his breath, frantically trying to predict what Delta would do next.

"I really hate you, you know." The knife pressed into his skin, panic racing through Adrian as sharp pain shot through his neck. "Always walking around with that same indifferent expression, never seeming to care about anything, even yourself.

"It disgusts me," spat Delta. "'If it's fine in the end, then it's okay.' Justifying your apathy with such flimsy excuses--how can you live like that?" She stared at him with hate-filled eyes, genuine confusion scrawled over her face. "Do you care about anything? Friends? Family?" She paused. "Oh, right-- you don't have friends. It's no surprise; who would want to be friends with somebody who doesn't care about them?"

"Of course I care for my family," protested Adrian weakly.

"Oh, really?" drawled Delta mockingly. "Lies. Think of them, what they must be doing right now. Panicking, desperately searching for their missing son, torn apart by the fear that you may never be back. Searching for you, even in the terrible storm, the drenched forest, the dark alleyways. Does thinking that make you feel anything? Wouldn't you want to get home as soon as possible to end their worrying? Yet you haven't shown the slightest ounce of interest in getting home. No bargaining to shorten your stay--you've just obediently gone along with what you've been told. You haven't even the decency to look worried; I bet you haven't even thought of them."

"I wasn't given much choice; I was basically threatened," replied Adrian, slightly miffed at the accusation. Even so, unease wormed its way into his mind as some of her words rang true. "Anyway, as long as I get back alive, in the end it's--" He cut off, eyes widening, as he realized what he was saying.

Delta smirked as her point was proven. "In the end it's okay," she finished. "So if you eventually get back home safe, it erases how many days or weeks of suffering they endured? It renders their fears, their struggles, their searching null and void. Unfortunately..." She drew the knife across his throat, creating a paper thin cut. "...it's never that simple."

Shaken by how he'd unconsciously proved Delta's point, Adrian remained silent. Every word she spoke landed closer and closer to home. To hear his shortcomings that he'd considered but never confronted laid so clearly out in front of him by this vengeful angel who barely knew him--it was extremely uncomfortable. Am I that obvious?

"I don't understand," said Delta. "You do nothing, you care about nothing--you just live. How can you go on like that? What do you have to live for, anyway?"

Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but found himself short of an answer. What do I have to live for? What am I doing? In a dazed cloud of realization, he murmured, "...I don't know."

Delta watched him with a cold stare, her face once again an emotionless mask. "Well, good for you," she said. "Then this is the perfect chance for you to give your pathetic, empty life some meaning. Work for a cause far greater than any individual. Even if you die doing it, at least your death would be meaningful."

She wants me to infiltrate. So she's not going to kill me? Even as he contemplated his current predicament, Delta's words wormed their way into his head. Meaning? That does sound nice, but...

"You may be able to actually be worth something," mocked Delta. Her voice quieted. "With nothing at stake but your own life...wouldn't that be nice?" She drew the knife an inch away from Adrian's throat, having delivered her message.

A surge of curiosity overrode Adrian's brain, mouth, and common sense. "What do you want, then?" He instantly regretted asking, cursing his stupidity as Delta fixed him with a baffled glare.

The knife didn't move, but it was still too close for comfort. "What?"

"W-what you live for, I mean." Adrian stammered onward, figuring silence would only infuriate Delta more.

"Protecting Brook, of course," Delta replied matter-of-factly. A grimace passed over her face soon after, leaving unspoken words hanging in the air: Which I failed.

"Why?" Adrian, despite his horror at his words, had a suspicion, and he needed to confirm it.

"Brook is important to me. It's my duty."

"Is that all?"

Delta scowled. "I need no more reason."

The knife's blade glinted menacingly as it grew closer. "No, no!" gasped Adrian. "Not for protecting Brook. Anything else that you live for?"

"No."

Adrian frowned. "That can't be fulfilling--"

"You're one to talk, scumbag," hissed Delta. "It's plenty fulfilling. My life is insignificant, anyway. I am nothing without Brook. If I fail to perform my duty..." She shook violently, voice unsteady. "...then I am utterly useless."

I thought as such. "I think you were raised a bit too harshly."

Delta scowled at him in confusion.

"Protecting Brook is great and all, if that's what you want to do, but you're a person, too," said Adrian. "Separate from Brook, you still exist. You can think for yourself."

"I'm done talking to you," Delta cut in. The hand wielding the knife returned to her side as she stood up, just high enough that her head fell under the beam of moonlight. She glared down at Adrian, white light glinting off her dark eyes. After thoughtfully regarding Adrian, she turned and walked to the door. "Think carefully about your decision," she whispered as she left, carefully shutting the door behind her.