"I take it you are opposed to doing so, and to having so done unto you. Heaven's light had fallen upon you even now; And now I shall withdraw you from it, having been made aware of this concern."

Daniel stands and picks up rocks and pebbles from the ground, before throwing them and having them form into a tall grey wall that blocks the spectacular light of the Gates, leaving her in a tall shadow. Then they raise their hands in prayer and the shadow darkens deeply. 

"Stand within the shadow and you shall no longer be affected by Heaven's light, which is the same light that an Angel's halo shines. I know not how to fully describe the effects of the light. It is not a direct influence on the workings of the mind; All mortals have free will, and Heaven cannot remove this entirely in any circumstance. It is light, and it operates on the sensorium of both body and soul. It is comfort and ease and peace and life. It is, before all else, the message that things can be okay."

It doesn't really feel any different. Less warm, maybe.

She tries it. "Well, it's not... very noticeable mind control, at least... are there other things that affect the senses of the soul?"

"Yours upon others- The blessings of the Golden Tongue, of Normality, of Aholibah, and of the Angelic Gift. So too, the miracles of the Meek, of Revelation, Repudiation, Prophesy, Peace, Love, Empathy, and the Spirit."

"Alterations to your own soul-sense- The blessings of the Golden Tongue again, the Soul Eye, of Patience, of Babel and Dolittle, of the Beryl Wheel, of Mercury, of the Psyche, and many of the Vows. So too, each and every miracle thou might claim, to greater and lesser degrees."

"I meant like, normal things that normal people experience in everyday life without having a halo shone on them, so that I could have a point of comparison."

"Dreams. Pride and joy and appreciation. Music, stories, sex, dancing, and being with family. The feeling of awe at a grand landscape or parade or wonder of science or artifice is largely located within the soul."

"Okay. Would it be accurate to say that the halo sheds, uh, soul-warmth but does not take control of the soul's interpretation of that warmth or other inputs at all?"

"Aside from literal light as well as metaphorical light, yes. There is not really a direction to it. To use an analogy, it is a soul lightbulb, not a soul laser."

"Okay, that seems plausibly like not mind control and it would certainly be useful to glow demonic possession away."

"Some of the effects Angels can gain access to might be described as mind control, as I had mentioned while being confused, but the halo itself is indeed as described."

"Will I likely be working with lots of other angels?"

"If you had chosen Virata, most certainly, depending on what tasks you take onto yourself and where you go. There is a great number of angels and demons both upon Virata, over a thousand, mortal born and heaven born both. The other worlds, perhaps not as often. Some dozens."

"Do I get any advance information on who they are and what they're like to inform my world decision?"

"Many of them do not wish to be known to others of their kind but I might describe Sosiel, who lives upon Virata and dwells within a great temple, healing and feeding all who come, and Marten White also of Virata, who had taken upon himself to conquer evils and pursue demons to the ends of the world and always seeks new angels to ally with in this quest. He is violent, but the lash is focused against evil and has led to more good than evil. I had been instructed to offer you an introduction to one of a few faithful in each world, not angels but devout mortals, to become a guide and hopefully an ally."

"That's very thoughtful of you. Okay, tentatively Vow of Compassion and maybe also Honesty if I need the extra virtue and like how the edge cases shake out. What's next?"

"There are further vows you might be willing to take, I shall list them briefly in case any sound appealing. The vows of Humility, Faith, Chastity, Mercy, or Charity. Then, next is your halo and wings. The halo can be a hoop like mine, a solar disk which glows about your head, a glowing of light about your person rather than a more defined form, or a physical object that hovers near you and cannot be hidden easily, but the glow can still be called and dismissed. Or you can forego it. Halos cost three quintessence, save the physical version, which costs one. Wings, should you desire them, cost two quintessence, and can come in a fairly staggering variety. They are magical, and will permit you to fly with the same effort that jogging takes, and can be enhanced in various ways."

"I don't... actually know how much effort jogging takes, because I was dyspraxic in life."

"I think you would not be so, here before the Gates."

"That's great but I still don't have experience with jogging."

"You could attempt it now."

"Yeah, I guess." She goes for a jog through the orchard.

She gets a little out of breath, and doesn't trip. Jogging isn't much more strenuous than light yoga.

"Okay. Do angels build stamina like humans do?"

"No. Angels' bodies are largely fixed. The Foundation of Endurance would boost your physical stamina greatly, and even without such it would be slightly greater than your existence here as a new arrival."

"Gotcha. Okay. I am interested in hearing more about the vows of mercy, charity, and - is chastity just never having sex or is it more complicated?"

"It is not having sex outside of a committed relationship. Not marriage necessarily, but someone you would describe as a serious romantic partner. There is a more restrictive version worth double that is just never having sex."