Description

Personality

Personality: With a strong moral compass and crushing conscience, Michael believes in and unwaveringly serves the greater good, regardless of what he's been ordered. He is determined to the point of stubbornness and often acts on his sharp intuition. An unshakable optimist, warm and kind, he believes there is good in everybody and has a trusting nature that is almost childish in its naivety. He prides himself on never lying and, if asked something he does not wish to answer, he is capable of going for long periods without speaking. He acts passionately and empathically, but can seem patronising when he verbalises his beliefs. His optimism also can make him overconfident, which makes his actions somewhat reckless. He enjoys his work for the most part, as his orders do not often conflict with his morals. However, he has no fear in doing the opposite of what he has been told if he thinks it is right, which often makes him seem headstrong. If he is wrong his mistakes torture him greatly, but continually tries to 'preserve' others' wellbeing by keeping negative emotions to himself and, though not lying, chooses his words carefully to mislead people into thinking he is always cheerful. He has extraordinary patience and has never truly lost his temper, though gets frustrated and annoyed like any other person. He hides this before everybody but God.

Strengths and weaknesses: Although Michael dislikes fighting he knows it is part of his job and, as long as the enemy is deserving, rarely hesitates in battle. He focuses more on speed and stamina than brute strength, and is best at evading blows. He prefers martial arts to using weapons, but is skilled with bows, daggers and a sword. The bow is his weapon of choice, but he wanted to stay versatile and so learnt swordplay as well (with neither is he as skilled as Gabriel with his mace). He has a fast reaction time, but his pain threshold is not as high as most angels. He enjoys observing people, working to understand them and their emotions, and growing close to them in the process. However, he is very susceptible to emotional blackmail and deception, as long as the person deceiving him is able to keep up the act whilst Michael works to understand them. If he uncovers a liar, they immediately lose his respect and trust.

Equipment

Weapons: Michael usually carries a single knife with him on his belt, but avoids using it because of his preference for unarmed combat. When he has to fight, he uses his bow wherever practical, but his sword where he must. Both are light enough to carry simultaneously, and he sheathes his sword at his left hip to allow for the quiver across his back.

Defences: He wears little armour in favour of staying light on his feet. He wears a titanium breastplate and leather armguards.

History

History: As one of the first of God's children, Michael takes great pride in his status and 'heritage', loving God like a true father. However, like a true son, he didn't always agree with what He said. At first he would merely oppose his orders, though still followed them. As his moral conviction grew, he became more vocal, and then eventually got to the point where he would disobey altogether if he thought what he had been told to do was wrong. He does not think of this as disloyalty, as he follows what he feels are God's ideals rather than his commands, as Gabriel does.

When Azazel was given the duty of protecting humans, Michael felt the first stirrings of true envy in his heart. He has been interested in the humans for a long time, though had held back from any real involvement to concentrate on his work. He remained abstinent until the other archangel was exposed by Gabriel. He found, for the first time, that he could not forgive Azazel's betrayal of both the Heavens and the Earth. For this reason he not only planned the battle against him, but lead it and fought fiercely. He had a brief encounter with Sariel during the conflict, who he managed to defeat thanks to his opponent's reluctance to kill him. He still feels regret for this, uncertain whether or not Sariel had truly betrayed their Father, or was simply acting out of loyalty. He then fought Azazel, taking one grieveous injury and finally casting him into Hell on his victory. However, this task took a great emotional toll on him. He is plagued by memories of better times, before Azazel became prideful and jealous, and is always fearful that it may happen again. In fact, if not for Gabriel's devotion to God, he would be the focus of Michael's concerns. He believes Sariel dead, having heard this from the mistaken Raphael.

In recognition of his compassionate nature, Michael was charged with Azazel's abandoned task of bringing peace and protection to humans. He quickly became fascinated by them. Before long he adored them, their quirks and strange ways, their societies and culture. As he became more amazed he grew protective, and acknowledged their penchant for self-destruction with great sorrow. He would often beg God to help the humans, stubbornly persisting in his argument even when he was turned away.

His duty to this has occupied most of his time, but he remains a presence with the warrior angels, though he does not manage them himself. There are a few seraphim that keep him informed and lead the force when he isn't fighting himself. He occasionally talks to groups of them about the reality of combat and discourages rivalry within the forces. In battle, he is oft quoted, the skill of an ally means nothing: it is the skill of the enemy that matters.

Michael's relationship with Gabriel is complex. He sees Gabriel as blindly loyal, unquestioning and emotionless in his work and yet somehow still likeable and loveable. He admires Gabriel's dedication, yet wishes that he would for once try to actually think about his actions. Michael is quite patronising in that he thinks Gabriel has a lot of growing and maturing to do before he can really be comfortable with who he is. Michael worries about him and has never quite figured out whether or not Gabriel resents God's favouritism. He is not especially guilty about this, and trusts that once Gabriel has started thinking for himself (and he believes this change to be inevitable) he will be viewed in equal, if not greater esteem. Michael does not see himself as superior, nor inferior to Gabriel, but instead reasons that they work in very different ways and for different reasons. The one thing he has not realised is the similarities between him and his brother.