Ostensibly, Seth works at the Pearl to keep a divinely-sanctioned eye on the demon calling herself Augusta Packer. In practice, the two of them have reached an uneasy detente in their tug-of-war for Clarence Barton’s soul. Seth isn’t a neophyte; he knows he’s being manipulated. He minds less than he should, because the alternative is a return to Heaven and its perpetual tedium. Despite his immortality, he’s never done well with boredom, and the end of the pitched battles between the heavenly host and the armies of Satan has thwarted his soldierly ambitions. Baiting his demonic counterpart at every opportunity adds at least a little spice to waiting around for the Rapture.