How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
'If I'm going to save a life, I need to know who's at the top of your departing list. I know you're privy to that information as an angel of death.'
'That information is sacred and private, and not predictable. The events in this world shift from moment to moment depending on human choices—' (23.72-73)
The name Dabria finally gives Patch is Nora's, but she makes the interesting point that death is not fated and that humans actually have a role in how their endings play out.
Quote #8
Patch swung down off the headstone. 'I'm going to become human.'
'Sure, mate, sure you can.'
'The Book of Enoch says I have to kill my Nephil vassal. I have to kill Chauncey.'
'No, you don't,' Rixon said with a note of impatience. 'You've got to possess him. A process by which you take his body and use it as your own. Not to put a damper on things, but you can't kill Chauncey. Nephilim can't die. And have you thought of this? If you could kill him, you couldn't possess him.'
'If I kill him, I'll become human and I won't need to possess him.' (24.21-25)
Hey, look—it's another graveyard. In this setting dripping with reminders of mortality, Patch lays out his plan to become human. To Rixon, this seems both impossible and undesirable. He wonders why someone would want mortality when he could have the best of both worlds, maintaining immortality while still having human experiences through possession. What do you think Patch's reasoning could be?
Quote #9
'He didn't even care that the girl was made from the dust of the earth! You—all of you—are selfish and slovenly! Your bodies are wild and undisciplined. One moment you're at the peak of joy, the next you're on the brink of despair. It's deplorable! No angel will aspire to it!' She flung her arm in a wild arc across her face, wiping away tears. 'Look at me! I can barely control myself! I've been down here too long, submerged in human filth!' (25.72)
Patch idealizes the human form and desperately wants to be human. Dabria doesn't understand why anyone would want to be mortal.