Reunions aren't so great sometimes... For Gabrielonewingbloody

[tommy_dagget_tm]

(current time: twelve years have passed. It is modern day Los Angeles(MacArthur Park DistricTen long years had passed since the incident at the monastery and he hadn't looked back since. Upon being advised that maybe God was telling him to stay open in the world and not secluded, Thomas was bitter at first. He'd been pulled through the wringer by

Comments

[onewingbloody]

Gabriel was waiting for him.

The angel had apparently moved a chair into the entry hallway and set it facing the door, and was perched atop it in the distinctive pose the angels favored, his fingers steepled before him, managing to project the air that he'd been waiting there unmoving for God knew how long and could have patiently continued to wait for untold hours longer.

"Hi, Thomas," he said calmly, regarding the human before him. Hmm. In his experience, prophets tended to have beards and the ragged glint of madness in their eyes. This one looked moderately sane-- which, when referring to the monkeys, generally meant living in denial.

Still; a prophet was a prophet. Micah had been kind enough to inform him of this one's existence before having his existence ended.

He could smell blood on the human, violence of some sort from earlier in the day. Gabriel smiled. Good smell.

(OOC--- the kicker *laughs* is that this Gabriel won't know who Thomas IS-- he's "from" the year 1919, so he hasn't actually lived all of the interaction

[tommy_dagget_tm]

Thomas really had quit smoking five years ago, but he knew that some day, somehow, Gabriel would find him and most likely, finish the job. Thomas stared at the Archangel as if he had been practicing that look for the last ten years. Slowly, he went to the closet, showing that he wasn't going to use violence right away and reached in for the one thing that he had saved on his quitting day; a full pack.

Lighting one was like a challenge and surrender all at once. Thomas gave no other indicator, which it was before he started hacking, and coughing from the first drag. Soon enough, the familiar comforting tingle returned.

“Have you come to finish your job or is this where I get even more skin burned off me?” No one else had seen it, save for a few, the burn marks on his legs. That incident at the monastery hadn’t left him completely unscarred.

(ooc--No worries - Thomas is not knowledgeable on time travel either. *G*)

[onewingbloody]

Gabriel watched the monkey with mild interest as he moved to a doorway, reached inside it, and came out with what had to be cigarettes-- the things hadn't changed that much in the 80-odd years he'd skipped. His smile grew a bit. They did love hastening their own destruction, didn't they? As if something in them knew how flawed they were in their very essence, and urged them all to mass suicide, through wars and drugs and diseases and weapons and... The universe itself, acting to clean this fallen race from the face of Creation

[tommy_dagget_tm]

Now it was Thomas' turn to be taken aback. The Archangel had a strange look about him. Oh, the pure and undiluted arrogance was still there, but so was confusion.

"You know, It'd be a lot less bigger, if you let go of that ego. What's the matter Gabe, did Lucifer knock the last bit of sense out of you, while you two were roomies?" Another drag and soon, another. In a minute or two, either the talk would continue or he would be dead. Scared or not, he was through with backing down.

[onewingbloody]

Gabriel felt that from the human's tone, he should probably be annoyed-- the way in which the monkey said the things he did seemed to imply they were meant as insult.

However, he had no idea what Thomas was talking about, with the mention of Lucifer. Roomies? What? And what did the monkey know of the Fallen, anyways?

"Y'know, Thomas, I don't think I like your tone," he said conversationally. "I'm sensing. Some unnecessary hostility here. Have I hurt you? Have I broken any--" Gabriel pauses. Considering the words Thomas has said, it's probably entirely likely he has. Burned him, anyways, from what he says.

"Never mind."

Gabriel jumps down lightly from the chair's back, folding his hands behind his back and tilting his head to one side as he regards Thomas. "Whatever. Look, Tommy-- can I call you Tommy? Tommy, I need a prophet. I'm. Reliably informed. You're in that line of work."

[tommy_dagget_tm]

"Well pardon me for not caring." Another drag and another small prayer, directly to God. Something that neither Gabriel or Lucifer were allowed to do currently, from what he knew personally.

"Funny Gabriel, how you always seem to need a monkey for something, despite your hatred of them. What's the matter, nothing left to torment since the prophecy had passed?" If he was speaking in riddles, he wasn't aware, though if it confused Gabriel, more's the better.

"What's the matter, Gabriel, did you lose your direct link to God or wait, your faith? Why would you need another prophet? Once around with you, was enough." The talk of being reliably informed, gave Thomas cause to think. Gabriel was talking now, as if they had never met. Maybe he really was so far gone from his time with Lucifer that he simply forgot.

Finishing one smoke, he lit another as he paced.

"And don't call me Tommy. It's Thomas, to you."

[onewingbloody]

The conversation continued to be problematic. Gabriel was now downright puzzled, trying to piece together the present from the human's throwaway comments, and irritated, because he disliked puzzles. That was Lucifer's sort of thing, the mind games and subtleties.

Gabriel had always preferred the direct route, like throwing people through walls.

His eyes narrowed at the words of faith, of losing the line to God. No, he didn't like this.

Of course, there was something the monkey didn't know, either.

"Thomas. You're missing something here. I'm not asking you if you're. In the mood. To lend your assistance.

"I'm telling you what you will do."

Gabriel smiles. "The thing you have the, the say in, is how much pain you go through before that. See, you're. Annoying me right now, Thomas, Tom, Tommy-boy. You're gonna want to cut that out, stop with all the cryptic time-wasting, or... whatever it is you think I've done to you already... is gonna seem like a picnic."

[tommy_dagget_tm]

Gabriel was right on that score, but the Bible was full of those that resisted. Then again, he had also seen what happened to those that did, firsthand. Thomas would like to say that Gabriel had no power over him and in a way, he didn't. However, Gabriel did have the power to make eternity a living hell for him, stretching his agony out over the ages. Nothing made him angrier just thinking about it, that God's beloved angels were so damn petty

[onewingbloody]

The day was just full of surprises.

Gabriel blinked in the seconds after the punch had landed, rubbing his jaw slowly, not really angry yet. Anger would come after he managed to assimilate the fact that the monkey had hit him.

The monkey was rambling, babbling, making monkey noises. Gabriel breathed out through his nose in exasperation and shot a hand out in Thomas's direction, fingers closing surely and firmly around his jaw.

"Stop talking," he growled, continuing to finger his jaw with his other hand. "Y'know. You're a pretty stupid monkey, Tommy."

He used the grip he had on Thomas's jaw to yank him closer a moment, then released him while shoving back, sending Thomas flying backwards.

[tommy_dagget_tm]

Thomas' howl abruptly ended as he hit the wall. It was one way of getting Thomas to stop talking - until the pain passed through him, anyway. Looking up as he sat against the wall that he had been thrown against, Thomas glared. That in itself, though he knew it would go over Gabriel’s' head, spoke volumes of Thomas' attitude.

Chin in hand now, he glared some more, all the while, cataloging his injuries. Bruised back for sure, on top of his hands getting a hell of a workout today.

[onewingbloody]

Gabriel tilted his head to the side and regarded Thomas.

"There's no particular reason for me not to kill you, is there?" he said thoughtfully. "I mean, since you're determined to make. Things so difficult..." The last word hissed as he reached down and grabbed Thomas's shirt collar in his hand and hauled him up.

[tommy_dagget_tm]

Thomas wanted to shrug it off; ignore the impending sense of doom that had fallen all about them. Again, he quieted, despite the very apparent fear that was written all over his face. It wasn't enough to eradicate, but an inner strength was blossoming inside of Thomas as if to prepare.

"Probably not," he managed to whisper.

If it was to be over soon, then none of it mattered and even Gabriel's gain would be temporary.

[onewingbloody]

Gabriel gazed at Thomas with narrowed eyes, then suddenly smiled a bright and happy smile. "Oh, monkey," he said, still smiling. "You think it's the end, don't you? I kill you, and you think it's the worst I can do to you.

"Good Catholic boy like you oughtta know. I'm angel of more than just death." One of Gabriel's hands closed around Thomas's throat and began to squeeze.

[tommy_dagget_tm]

"Jerry?" It couldn't be that he would make him as Jerry or that poor woman at the...

The only indication that Thomas' mood had stiffened even further in favor against Gabriel, was a stiffening of shoulders. Minus the defiant look, it lacked the ferocity and strength that it should have had.

[onewingbloody]

Another look of confusion flickered across Gabriel's features at the mention of Jerry, as he had no recollection of the human he would someday conscript to 'help' him. It was gone in the next moment though, as he smiled at Thomas in a fashion that someone who didn't know better might classify as kindly.

"Only take a moment. Feels just like going to sleep, really. I mean, once you stop struggling for air, Tommy."

[tommy_dagget_tm]

This was truly it, but he did manage to spit out the word "murderer" before the lights went even dimmer and almost all air was gone from his struggling body.