maskormenacelogs | [Open] Gabriel Log for October

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[Open] Gabriel Log for October

WHO: Gabriel [And possibly you?]
WHERE: Maurtia Falls, Nonah - near YOU?
WHEN: Throughout the month of October
WHAT: Gabriel gets hit with the fallout of his pride, sings out his feelings (in public ugh.) and tries to acclimate to living with humans.
WARNINGS: Gabriel is a walking warning for assholery and also possibly embarrassing human situations. He's also kind of a scary good singer. **UPDATE** will include toplevels for **OCTOBER EVENTS**

LET'S BE ROOMMATE BUDDIES (MAURITA)

[Gabriel doesn't sleep. His pet does and it is being taken care of. It gets a bed. almost a whole bed! Sometimes the human-shaped thing sits beside it and reads and that's when it'll just sit against him and after two days of pushing it away he just allows it at this point. Today though the jackalope gets the bed and the archangel has his very nice expensive coat off and his sleeves rolled up and he is cleaning.

It's something to do and this whole place is filthy. Compared to heaven it's filthy. So he scrubs and reads all the scrubbing things and everything is very very clean. It's gleaming even. The drains shine. Somehow all the dishes get done like it's instinct. Sometimes he can be found scrubbing the grout in the kitchen or the bathroom or wiping things and-]

I'm not apologizing. This place could always be cleaner.

LET'S GET MOTIVATED WITH MAXIMUM EFFORT (MAURITA)

[Gabriel is supposed to be a motivational speaker. He's been given a pamphlet on how to do this but it mentions his phone and using his communicator and social media but he still can't figure it out and finally he slips it into his pocket and approaches the first person he sees.]

Excuse me, would you like to know how not to go to Hell? I can help with that.

[So sayeth the very well dressed guy who may be insane. Feel free to hit him.]

I'M TIRED OF TALKING TO MYSELF HERE (NONAH)

[He honestly believed that this was a test. That didn't make it less painful. He was passing everything and he should have gotten a sign by now. Some sort of confirmation. Some sort of confirmation of just what he was supposed to do.It was a simple useless thing that shouldn't have mattered except -

Except whenever he would close his eyes in prayer or reach for her Grace it was - just as he had described to Eve - like listening to a radio far away and sometimes when he reached out there was...well. Moments of absolute nothing. That had been terrifying. Like what he imagined falling would be like - just that sense of isolation. And then -

Well. He hadn't fallen. There would be more hideous bodily fluids and disgusting behaviors and urges he was quite sure but he would not wish that sense of isolation on anyone for the first time in millennia. This had been what Lucifer and his ilk had deserved but the tables had been turned and...well. Here he was. Taking a walk through the Nonah park at a whim, it's hard not to think about that isolation. This is heavily on his mind, as it should be. He's not an embarrassment. His days with holy choirs were millennia ago when he was practically as close to a child as an angel could get.

Yes. quiet contemplation. That was the way of doing things. He wasn't a fool, bursting into song like he would in the choir. Like people had been doing lately. No. He sang at home. When he was sure she was listening.

And it's like a bell. Just knowledge that she was but that affirmation is gone and and he doesn't realize as he spreads his arms wide in the park and- sings.

Only there's no singing - standing there arms folded. No. He's actually dancing and even if he's not aware that very special musical moment he's not doing too bad at dancing and spinning through a park like he belongs on stage. In fact. Despite the sad song, he's dancing beautifully.]

Mama, I could use some help here
Tired of talking to myself here
Back at home, you don't exist
So here I am in the abyss
Are you really in this place?
It's like the emptiness of space
I could search for all eternity
And never see your face
Help me out

[Literally like the protagonist in a movie - if there were a camera it'd be following him as he leaps over trees and rocks before standing perched on a bench with his hands spread to the heavens. It's a sad-ish sort of song but it's still worth belting out. The heavens should hear. Everyone should! singing is great!

About halfway through the number a collection of marathon runners, two construction workers, and a group of people at a child's birthday party join in to sing those background numbers. They even dance, cheering him on and man where was this in their old singing days-

Before he falls. On his knees in the grass, ruining his perfectly good pair of pants-]

The nothingness ahead of me
Is this the end you meant for me?
Every living minute
There's no home without you in it
I'm falling
Quit stalling
Your daughter is calling your name
I've burned all my bridges and games

[Except. You know. He's not dead, and even if he doesn't have her the choir is waiting and it's like something he'd forgotten he could do. He's the first musician. He's her musician and if she sent him here...well. There's adaptability. The humans all have plastered fake smiles and it looks so familiar that he just jumps back in and he's just so thrilled his wings unfurl. Dancing with those is a trick.]

I'm gonna get back home
Micheal, Sandalphon, Uriel and the Demons who're sad
It's messy but they're all that I have
I'll make the best of being flesh and bone
The best of being here alone without you-
Mama, I'm going home
Home
I'm going home!
Mama, I'm going home!

[The music fades and he blinks, staring at his arms before looking back at the collected people who are rubbing their heads and looking at him very confused. One points and he looks upward before his wings curl back.

Well.]

Folks I just want you to know? You did just almost as good as actual heavenly choirs. Heavenly choirs! Boy that was a lot of fun wasn't it? You should be really proud. I think we all needed that right? Not just me?

[Their expressions all say "no it was just you." and they were dragged along for the ride. Thank Her he doesn't need to eat. A few look at him with pity and he pulls out his wallet.]

Right okay. How much to make you all forget this ever happened and I am willing to pay in favors. Trust me. I'm Gabriel! Yes, the archangel that's why I have wings also please - please never mention that it's embarrassing.

[The birthday girl, in a moment of charity, tugs on her mother's skirt and asks her to invite the sad man to the party since apparently he misses his mama but both Gabriel and the mother wave it off and the marathon resumes, the party resumes, and he sits on the same bench that was his stage and stares at nothing. Wow. Ten minutes into his musings the mother has returned with that same pitying look and a slice of chocolate birthday cake that he accepts, stares at, and sets beside him.

Oblivious, still digesting what happened, the first person who approaches him to laugh or otherwise will get offered the cake.]

Want some? It was a gift from that nice woman over there at the birthday party. We were just singing in a possessed musical number about my emotions.

FIND HIM SOMEWHERE

[Find him in Maurita, Find him in Nonah, those are the two places he's been the most thanks to sheer dumb luck. He arrives in a crack of lightning and disappears just the same.]

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[Gabriel stopped thinking of himself as a being a millennia ago mostly because you fade into a solid routine and whatever personal feelings he had about humans - or alien species alluded him. They were all her creation.

He - strictly - sometimes, well. Forgot.]

I've never been to Alpha Centauri. It's the only other inhabited solar system in our universe. considerably more advanced then humans. Different project.

[Affect still flat he stares at him, then at the party, then at the cake.]

...Human feelings are not my fault.

This place and it's strange magic is to blame. There's a whole group of human beings I now have to pay to forget that I was out here with my wings out singing...whatever that was. That wasn't sound of music. That's the only music worth listening to that's not heavenly.

[Well. It was rather nice though. And poignant. Besides the kid has her family.]

She'll be fine.

You know a lot less about mortals than I thought if you believe that paying them will make them forget.

[ He sounds bemused. ]

And for one condemning human emotions this much, you show a considerable amount of them yourself. Which one is it that makes you wish to hide your wings? Fear maybe? Shame?

They're simple.

[at least. He thought they were. They're easily fooled. At least he thought they were. But since coming here he's gotten a lot of illusions shattered and he's starting to wish Aziraphale had been more complete with his reports.

(Point of fact being that he was incredibly complete for the task at hand and Gabriel just didn't read them.

And there is a conversation in his mind about that...)

He shoves that thought out of the way and narrows his eyes at Loki unimpressed.]

Practicality. Also. It's rude. They're huge and it's not how I fly. You can't just go wandering around a place with four extra limbs and expect people to leave them alone. One.

[he holds out a finger.] that's one. Two, it's rude. At least I was taught it was rude. Most people see me coming and I have to warn them to not be afraid because they're huge and I'm huge and scary.

Three...pomp and circumstance? Like...when you want to make an impression. Or scare people.

[like say if you want to take on Satan. Big wings out. Like birds trying to scare people maybe.]

Humans fear what they don't understand and I'm going to have to work among them and I don't want them to run away screaming. Or touch them.

[the shiver of disgust is only slightly exaggerated.]

[ Oh, this is interesting. And a bit of a mess. Partly even contradicting in itself. ]

For not appearing overly fond of the mortals, you are trying awfully hard to fit in among them. None of them will forget what just transpired here.

[ He tilts his head slightly while peering down at the archangel. ]

And as long as you let them intimidate you, they also will not show you any respect.

[ Not that he minds the other man sabotaging himself only to feel miserable about it. ]

So these huge things are entirely useless? You only carry them for show?

[It's instinct. All of this. The short answer is instinct. He would love to be able to impress all of them. He's not ashamed of what he is, but he's humble.

The idea that she made him to be this humble and he could choose-

No. It's profoundly uncomfortable to think of and his eyes narrow at the other man.]

Trust me. If they saw me in my true form they'd lose their minds. I don't want that. You would too.

[He really doesn't. There are a few humans he tolerated/tolerates on earth (here it's pretty much limited to that human who helped stop the apocalypse but even then she's been polite to him. Also maybe that unicorn girl. And that one with the strange animals.)

Humans are too simple for friendship. Allyship.]

They're not useless. Are your arms and legs useless? They're not how I travel.

[ Being humble gets you nowhere, Gabriel. Loki will tell you that. He tried

But for now, Loki will simply raise a brow. ]

Need I take offense by your gross underestimation of what I can handle and what not?

[ He's a god, remember? He has seen shit. ]

They seem pretty useless right now as you are not using them for anything aside from leaving you terrified someone might see or touch them.

[ He pauses, then smirks faintly. ]

I could cut them off for you.

[An eyebrow is raised and he picks out a skyscraper at random.] Without going into detail because it's rude - I'm as big as that sans this form.

[He's actually infinite but that's beside the point. Rarely if ever do angels talk about their actual appearance, actual needs, and when he says cut them off-

Gabriel is on his feet, face angry. They'd grow back, but-]

How about I take your arms and legs in trade?

Size isn't everything.

[ Loki remarks with a smile that may just be a little too wide to be entirely innocent. ]

Skill, that's what matters. And I am sorry, but as you can see, I am using all my limbs. I'm not even hiding them.

[Gabriel is putting things together and he tugs on his tie that shifts into one printed with a bacon image. Staring down at it before tossing it over his shoulder one hand stretches very gently behind him and lightning crackles in the sky far above them.

Treat him like he'd treat Beelzebub.

Except, he has put him down, those stupid fucking ties, that stupid - stupid - everything about this stupid dimension and...He is so. angry.

Wrath is a sin. Wrath is a sin. Wrath is a sin. but what point was it to believe in sins if she'd lied to him? It comes in clear. Treat him like he'd treat Beelzebub. This pagan pretender. It's not false bravado. It's being mild. It's showing mercy.

It's angelic behavior. Fuck whatever those two traitors thought. So he folds his hands and the lightning fades.]

Yes, but I bet if you had wings, you would. You strike me as the kind of being to want people to admire you. I-

[He raises his head skyward.] Have had humans paint me since they began to make art and add to her creation. I don't need to justify anything or prove anything.

[But there is a waver in his voice of barely contained rage because he does not want to be angelic and nice and sweet he wants to bring down smiting lightning on this whole place and...and...

The car salesman smile fades a hair before it brightens again. A person skilled at manipulation could tell that he is barely restraining himself from doing something - well. Stupid.]

[ Lightning. It's always lightning, isn't it? And yet Loki's expression doesn't change. ]

Are you certain that you have no need to prove anything?

[ He nods over the other man's shoulder. ]

Your tie was just telling a different story.

[ The Asgardian's smile cracks into a thin grin and he chuckles. ]

But why would I wish to hide my wings, had I any? I prefer to be honest about who and what I am, rather than telling lies and give people false ideas. And maybe your people should have done the same. Those depictions you speak of hardly do you justice.

[ A pause. ]

Yes. I looked them up after our first meeting.

[ He's growing more and more fond of this internet. ]

If she commands me then I'll be honest. [His features are stiff. After a moment he glares at him, frowning and distrustful before he unfurls his wings.

They're a powerful powerful statement. Beautiful and pristine and white at the tips before fading to a darker gray near his shoulders. His wings flutter before hanging out.]

Let me show you then. Okay? Why we don't. Can your doppleganger entertain those kids?

[Several of them are now staring in his direction wide-eyed. He waves, features bright and brittle.]

[ Oh, Loki doesn't comment, but mentally remarks that Gabriel's own words imply that he defaults to lying unless ordered otherwise.

Maybe he'll poke at that later only to tease the angel, but for now the Asgardian finds himself treated to a closer look at those wings. The request is met with a mix of a small shrug and a nod. ]

They are very susceptible to simple illusions.

[ And whatever precisely that illusion entails, the children's eyes grow only wider as their attention is draw up, up and further up before quickly falling downward and soon enough the entire group is chasing after whatever mirage has been summoned for them.

Loki looks satisfied enough, while his counterpart at the party contemplates the selection of offered drinks. ]

We're invisible to them. Well, I was before, but.

[ A short gesture of his hand. You may proceed. ]

[He feels exposed and naked but there's a point to be made here. Indeed a point to be made to everyone as he gestures for him to follow him and people start to stare and not in a kind way. More in a confused and scared way. Moving out of the path of himself as Gabriel points at a nearby meat cylinder stand.]

You see how people look at me? and-

[One woman nearly brushes up against him and he raises a wing sharply out of her way. She stares, eyes wide, before he continues to move toward what is a meat cylinder stand. He discovered this and the bookstore behind it and wandered in perhaps looking for a certain principality. he liked those things. Those books]

That's why angels don't walk with our wings out.

[stopping in front of the meat cylinder stand he points.] Aren't these neat? This is another part of my point though. Look at all of them, all the same, all in little rows turning and turning-

[A woman nearly runs into him and Gabriel stands up imperiously as the woman mutters oh my god before bolting away.]

Not God actually! Just making a point!

[She's too far down the road to hear and the angel then folds his wings away before staring at the meat cylinders again.]

You may not be human, but you look human. I know they're simple but sometimes you have to make concessions because ah...

[free will is a very new thing for him. Increasingly new. Incredibly new so sometimes he's going to say stupid shit.]

Because they do neat tricks. Like this machine! With all these little meat cylinders!

[The guy making sad meat cylinders stares at the two of them before muttering something and telling him to go away. Gabriel shook his head and continued to stare before the man started yelling at both of them. He rose quickly and moved.]

They are really overprotective of those little things. There's little carts in Maurita that do the same thing and I am sorry if you don't want people to watch you work those little machines like a show then don't put them out on the street like that.

[He chuckles before gesturing.] did I make sense?

[ Loki follows dutifully along, not too bothered by the looks. What he deems much more interesting is how easily this angel lets himself get distracted by... Well. Everything.

When he finds himself led to a hot dog stand, the Asgardian simply casts the vendor a short shrug while Gabriel marvels at the turning pieces of meat. At least for once Loki doesn't have to feel like the alien he is. And even if this isn't the point Gabriel tries to make, this will be the one Loki will settle for in his conclusion here: As much as the archangel claims to be responsible for creating the human race back in his home universe, he clearly has no idea of his very own product.

He is little surprised that the vendor eventually has enough and maybe a little amused at the offense Gabriel takes in being chased away. His comment is rather dry, hardly impressed by what just occurred. ]

You could have simply bought one of those gross food items he is selling rather than just blocking his actual costumers.

[ And while Loki isn't too fond of the idea of defending humans... Well. Maybe it's not really them who are the simple ones. ]

But no. Hardly any of your rambling words made any sense, I am afraid.

I don't want to buy one. I don't eat. Food is disgusting.

[he shakes his head.] and my point is- [His wings curl away into nothingness] You can't go around looking like yourself when you're not human.

I understand that might be a hard concept to grasp, but it's the truth.

Well, you would not have to eat it.

[ There's a small gesture here from the Asgardian. ]

You did not exactly go very gracefully about this, you will have to admit as much. Though I am also not very inclined to speak up on behalf of the mortals, they may not be entirely at fault here.

It's not as interesting if it's not rolling around on the machine.

[Duh. But then he sighs because-] The last person who threatened to cut my wings off was my brother maybe- maybe I overreacted. Lucifer was kind of a dunghead who liked to make jokes like that.

[And then he betrayed all of them. And so.] What do you care honestly though if I made a fool of myself?

You may be the only being to find enjoyment in watching food roll around pointlessly.

[ The comment is flat and accompanied by a slightly raised brow. ]

So you have a brother.

[ Meaning there is a concept of family, at least. Loki smirks a little. He might get along better with this brother of Gabriel's.

And then there's a shrug. ]

I don't think my motivations truly matter. It may just be curiosity.

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[Open] Gabriel Log for October

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