It moved slightly. Laurence sighed.
He prodded It with a hesitant finger, then winced as It tugged at adjacent parts in response. He assumed that the Lord had designed the Malakim to resemble humans somewhat, as a tribute and reminder. After all, there were "female" Malakim around too. Oh crud. It moved again, and tugged more insistently. Laurence was starting to become annoyed. It had been behaving like that ever since Kathriel had taken him out to dine at Sistine's last weekend.
It was becoming an embarrassment, he thought glumly. There didn't seem to be enough room in his trousers when It was acting like this. Why, Novalis had given him this Look after yesterday's Council Session and offered to sew him a new jacket, since the one he had was obviously too short. He hadn't caught on at first, and she had dimpled at him and giggled something about how he kept tugging at it. Right there and then, he fervently thanked God for being a black, shadowy creature, because the heat in his face alone... And It had conspired to humiliate him further by tugging for all It was worth.
Laurence looked down again, with a sour expression. He had the distinct impression that It was looking back, and quite cheerfully too. Fighting the urge to swallow, he started muttering a repetitive prayer. He was an angel, ergo his mouth wasn't dry and his throat wasn't tight. Why was It there? And why was It acting up like that. It had never done that before! If Novalis had noticed, then so had probably Litheroy. Which meant that all of Heaven would know by now. He tried hard to avoid imagining the smug smiles Michael and Janus would greet him with. Especially given the lecturing he had given them a couple of weeks back, after an evening spent in New Orleans...
Laurence gritted his teeth in frustration, as It for some reason known to God only, made a sudden jump. It was becoming clear to Laurence that It was mocking him. But he would be strong. He would persevere and not let himself lose his footing over a mere design feature.
Thus began Laurence's Eighth Lesson...