Chapter Text
'Zealot' is what the others would have called her if they had the vocabulary.
Instead, what she got was some variation of 'crazy bitch'. A label she had decided to embrace over her decades of being an exorcist.
Before the exterminations were named, roughly 7 years ago, they had no real purpose, but Birdie-Jane stayed devoted regardless. The exorcists as a cohort were centuries old, having been formed once their commander Adam began to grow bored of Heaven, and the head seraphim needed something to keep him happy, but had only gained a true 'purpose' recently. The past few centuries had been spent training for seemingly nothing.
And yet, Birdie-Jane stayed faithful.
Her devotion to Adam had faded long ago. The first man was crude, vulgar and, well, a bum. Not to mention that terrible nickname he gave her: 'BJ'. After exactly what most people think when they hear (or read) that acronym.
No, no. Over the years, her focus had narrowed to someone more deserving. Their lieutenant, Lute.
In the eyes of Birdie-Jane, Lute was pure perfection. From her combat skills to her harsh demeanour, she was perfect. Of course, some said she had 'flaws'. They called her 'too aggressive', 'terrifying' or that she went 'too far' when enforcing rules or punishments, but Birdie-Jane loved it. Through the decades, she pushed herself harder: worked twice as hard during training, responded to every order with the most enthusiasm she could, beat whichever poor soul was pitted against her during sparring into the ground. Anything to stand out in the eyes of her lieutenant.
Then, once the exterminations started, she bloomed. Some of their comrades quickly fell behind- their annual game of hide-and-seek with lowly sinners caused some to hesitate, after all, fighting with someone who is equally eager to hurt you is far different to hunting down a sinner. To some, it weighed on their consciousness. For instance, one of her dearest friends, another exorcist named Lana. She had stumbled and had been banished, cut away from the divine light she dared to defy. But not Birdie-Jane, never Birdie-Jane. She killed any sinner that shamefully stumbled into her presence, no matter how much they pleaded. Her kill counts rivalled Lute herself, just barely scraping behind her just for her attention.
It was never much, just a 'good job' or some minor scrap of praise. That was to be expected, after all Lute was a busy woman, and any attention from her Lute was enough to make her heart race. Although, Birdie-Jane noticed that she had managed to become favourable in her lieutenant's eyes: she was a positive example, the one Lute entrusted with special tasks, and at times when Adam wasn't present, Lute let her trail behind her like a lovesick puppy dog. Privileges nobody else got, and, as long as Birdie-Jane could help it, nobody else was going to get. Once, she even got consolation. Four years into the exterminations, when Lana fell, Lute found her while she was on her way to the barracks. Then, a simple apology that someone she had gotten so attached to had 'lost her way' before being advised to pick better company. Proof that her lieutenant cared about her enough to not only apologise for her loss, but also to try and keep her safe from dissenters. It was almost romantic, well, to Birdie-Jane at least.
The only one able to stay standing in her way was Adam, her actual boss. For reasons Birdie-Jane couldn't understand, Lute seemed to be infatuated with him. She held onto his every word, did anything he asked, and there were heaps of rumours amongst the girls that they had something 'unprofessional' going on behind closed doors. And Birdie-Jane hated it. Obviously, she couldn't hate too hard- that would be immensely hypocritical of her. She was the exact same when it came to Lute, but seeing it in action never failed to break Birdie's heart. Sure, Adam was the first man, the 'original dick', their commander, but Lute could do so much better than the man that had fumbled two wives over his own ego, and hadn't held down a relationship for longer than 3 months. She could have someone who worshipped the ground she walked on, and yet she adored the man who didn't see her true value. Did Birdie-Jane hate Adam? Well, yes and no. She despised him for being the object of Lute's affections, but her loyalty to Heaven and the exorcists was enough to keep it from spiralling, especially as she was still one of his 'top girls'. Not to mention how he seemed to care far less about her than she cared for him, which served as the only comfort when it came to their connection.
Of course, she wasn't Lute's only admirer amongst the regular exorcists. Some of her other comrades-in-arms had gone googly-eyed for the lieutenant, and a poor, unlucky few had even tried to cosy up to her. That was crossing the line. Admiring Lute was natural, she was absolute perfection, and the most beautiful angel to grace Heaven (to Birdie-Jane), but to try and put distance between her and Birdie-Jane, or god forbid, replace her ? Despicable. Just the mere thought was enough to make her feel sick to her stomach. So, what did she do? Well, she took care of them, obviously!
Killing them wasn't an option- Birdie-Jane was still one of Heaven's loyal soldiers. Executing her fellow angels would be worse than treason, not to mention something she didn't think was even possible. That was the whole reason why they never wore 'proper' armour: angels couldn't bleed and couldn't die. Although, that didn't mean they were exempt from feeling pain. All she ever needed to do was corner them in some secluded little corner, then intimidate them until they were effectively scared off. Punch or kicks to the stomach usually did the trick, or anything that ended with her rival doubled over or, if she was lucky, on the floor. Beating her rivals up was the fastest way to get them to stop, but she was never afraid of getting creative- chopping off chunks of hair, sabotaging their weapons or uniform. It was juvenile, sure, but seeing her fellow angels cower at a single glare was invigorating. Did Lute know? Maybe. Considering her own behaviour, a part of Birdie wondered if Lute was okay with it. However, if anyone even tried to snitch on her, it would sound absolutely ridiculous. Birdie-Jane, who always wears the brightest smile attacking a fellow exorcist? Loyal-as-a-damn-dog Birdie-Jane? No, in order for them to be believed, one of their higher ups would have to watch it happen with their own eyes. Which was exactly what Birdie-Jane was counting on. As long as the others viewed her as 'cute', she would have all the cover she needed.
And as long as she had that cover, she could keep the others away. Even if it made the others talk. After all, she did love the nickname of Lute's lapdog.
Even if zealot was more fitting.