“Ms. Archer,” Hurtriel smiled, his friendly toothy grin contrasted against the darkness of his skin. “How are you this grey day? Trying to stay dry out there?” His large, dark forearms folded across his chest exposed by the short sleeves of his white button down shirt. His gold shield identifying him as an officer of the court flashed in brilliance, and his left arm had three blue pointed bars embroidered on it. He wore polished police shoes, and black pants that were held up by a well-stocked utility belt complete with handcuffs, mace, and a sidearm. He also carried around a ring of at least four dozen keys, which made his jingly announced his approach distinctively. He had dark brown eyes that were more knowing than friendly, but they were also welcoming and protective, at least to fellow Dominicans. They were tempered by a few strands of coarse gray curls at his temples.<br/><br/>Brown County Courthouse was the house that Hurtriel had built. He kept track of everyone that came and went, and led a fastidious security team that included to Soldiers of God. Apart from Dinah, there could sometimes be another angel or two working menial tasks to work off Dissonance. In a pinch he would ask Dinah to do a favor or two, but he didn’t like pull her away from her desk job if he could help it, and he was stubbornly self-sufficient.<br/><br/>Using her perceptive Resonance on him, Dinah found him to be a typical Cherub of Judgment. He maintained a number of relationships, mostly with angels she didn’t know, but by far his strongest relationship was with Judge Kingsley. Hurtriel’s connection with Kingsley was even stronger than his connection to his own Tether. As far as Dinah knew, Kingsley had no idea of Hurtriel’s true nature, nor even that his name was indeed Hurtriel, and not Howard Jackson. It spoke to both Hurtriel’s ability and his loyalty that he could maintain such a personal devotion to Jackson, a mundane, but also obey the wishes of Dominic in hiding his true identity from mundanes. Not surprisingly, the relationship with Kingsley, precisely because it led to the creation of his Tether, dominated Hurtriel’s life.<br/><br/>Dinah had met Judge Kingsley several times, and had argued cases before him as well. He was a man that knew how to handle himself in a courtroom and make it his own. His strongest relationship was with his children, followed by his wife and Howard Jackson. He had Jackson had been working court together for more than 20 years, and as one of his quirks he constantly insisted that he had aged better than Howard over that time. He was proud of the work he had done in the seeking of justice, and by all accounts he had every right to be.<br/><br/>“McGloin is already upstairs,” Hurtriel explained. “It’s unusual for him when he’s not scheduled for court.” Executive Assistant District Attorney Terry McGloin was Dinah’s professional partner within the Brown County District Attorney’s Office. He was a brilliant man with an aggressive sense of justice, but with enough common sense to make him highly effective in court. He was a thorough researcher, an excellent writer, and diligent with record keeping and investigation. He didn’t try cases he didn’t believe in, which didn’t make him the favorite with the District Attorney, but it gave him an immense sense of character. He was in his forties, divorced with two daughters that he didn’t get to see enough since they lived with their mother in another state with her new husband.<br/><br/>In the early morning hours the courthouse was a very familiar place. The regulars came in, bought a coffee and a donut from the stand in the lobby, and socialized with each other absently as they made their way to their offices and lived their professional lives. This formed the patterned backdrop for the cacophony of humanity that filled it every day.