InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Put it on me..."

Jade (gracelessangel) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2010-09-01 13:26:00

Entry tags:

gabriel, jade

WHO: Gabriel and Jade
WHAT: A reunion.
WHEN: Not long after this.
WHERE: A diner near the Grand Library.
RATING: TBD [language and mentions of adult themes at the very least]
STATUS: In Progress [likely slow going]

Gabriel was here. Not the (admittedly funny) Gabriel from Cas' reality, nor the one from Aziraphale's either. No, her Gabriel was here. He was here after having been in Purgatory, in fact. He was here and he knew who she was and what had happened to her. He was here and she had willingly suggested meeting up. Why, she wasn't sure. She also wasn't sure how she felt about seeing him again. In fact, there was only one thing Jade really was sure about at the moment.

She had picked a bad time to try and cut back on the drugs.

It hadn't been easy to start with. The urge to shoot up was one she wasn't sure she'd ever really get rid of without help of some sort, and Jade was far too proud to ask for it. However she had managed to avoid dosing herself up since the insanity had settled down in the city. She had drank plenty of absinthe, and had smoked a little with Cas, but for the most part she was actually sober more often than not. Jade wasn't really sure how she felt about that fact. She missed the numbness that came from the smack, of course. She missed the muted emotions that reminded her so very much of what it felt like to be an Arc, too. Yet being able to remember the day before, knowing for sure that she hadn't said or done something to upset someone else, and being able to maintain a job (even if it was just in Aziraphale's bookshop) was... nice. Strange, but nice.

That niceness had allowed her to stick to her decision to try semi-sobriety for a while, unfortunately, didn't do much for her current situation. She was scared and nervous, worried and angry. All negative emotions and all major triggers for her to want to use. Yet she was refraining, at least until after she'd met up with Gabriel. And as she managed the streets leading from the apartment where she stayed with Cas and Dean, to the diner where she'd agreed to meet her (former) fellow Arc, Jade tried to sort through her emotions as best she could. By the time she'd reached the door to the diner, she was pretty sure that her anger was mostly directed at the Lord. Nothing new there, just compounded by the fact that Gabriel had been sent after Michael, to deal with Sammael. And as for the rest, well, Jade could only hope all of that would fade once she'd reached her destination.

Or possibly once she'd actually started talking to Gabriel, because she was already at her destination and so far the emotions seemed to be growing rather than shrinking. Determined to see this through regardless, Jade simply drew in a steadying breath, opened the door to the diner, and stepped inside.

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archaic_rival
2010-09-02 03:06 am UTC (link)

Gabriel was already there and seated, having never quite made it to his assigned living quarters, and taking full advantage of the fact that his relative proximity to a certain Presence had all but restored him to his former glory. Or at least as much as he could contain in human form.

He was a little anxious as to how he would find Jade--or perhaps how she would find him. It hadn't taken long to realize that she had been caught up into Colligo from some time prior to his arrival in Purgatory--and he remembered all too well the state that he had found her in then. The thought still made him burn with righteous anger--and something else. Something he was afraid might now be unrequited. But only time would tell.

His face lit up in a soft smile as he saw her enter, and he raised a beckoning hand to catch her attention, rising to pull out her chair. She could complain all she wanted about being an independent woman. He was still making the gesture.

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gracelessangel
2010-09-02 03:23 am UTC (link)

Colligo had been good for Jade. Yes, okay, she still had to wear three-quarter length sleeves to hide the faint track marks. But she wasn't having to fuck for money anymore and was doing her damndest to stay as clean as possible because of it. She'd put on a little weight, enough to make her look healthy again, and there was a faint glow to her that simply hadn't been present in Purgatory. She not only felt happier, she looked every bit of it too.

Spotting Gabriel, the rest of the diner seemed to fade into the background. Jade smiled despite her reservations and moved to where he sat. When he pulled out the chair she gave a bemused shake of her head even as she sat. She put her hands in her lap and looked around before turning to face him. She studied him for a long moment before finally speaking.

"I'm not Amitiel. If you looked me up in Purgatory, you already know that. And I don't care what parts of me act like her anymore and what parts don't. I'm not her, so don't get it into your head that I am, okay?" She hesitated, waiting for his answer. What he had to say determined how she handled the rest of this meeting.

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	archaic_rival 2010-09-02 03:59 am UTC (link)
	Gabriel let out a breath through his nose that might have been a laugh. "Don't worry," he said, "You made that clear in Purgatory. I still care about you. I was there long enough to get to know you for you, and it doesn't makes any difference to me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

gracelessangel
2010-09-03 01:37 am UTC (link)

Jade wanted to believe him. Well, she did believe him, at least in general. However she wanted desperately to believe that he truly meant what he said. That it really didn't make any difference and that he cared for her, not some washed-out version of the Arc he'd once been close with in Heaven.

Not wanting to think on those memories ever if she could help it but especially right that moment, Jade shifted a little in her seat and offered him a small smile. "Good," she replied, feeling the slightest bit of relief. Even if he was just saying that to make her feel better, it helped. And she wanted to think Gabriel hadn't changed so much in Purgatory that he would just say things even if they weren't true. However she really wouldn't be surprised if he now did. That place had a way of changing everyone and everything. She felt positively sick just at the memory of what it had done to her.

Pausing to order some coffee and a muffin - not really feeling very hungry and not wanting to waste money she didn't really have that much of to order food just for appearances sake - Jade waited until Gabriel had placed his own order and the waitress left before speaking again. "What... happened there, Gabe?" she asked, hating herself for broaching the subject yet at the same time feeling an overwhelming desire to know.

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archaic_rival
2010-09-03 08:57 pm UTC (link)

Gabriel ordered the same, because he's just arrived and didn't want to waste money either, nor did he want to make Jade feel uncomfortable. He was quiet for a moment in the wake of her question, images replaying in the back of his mind.

"When I arrived, I found Michael's apartment abandoned," he said finally, "So I started wandering the city, looking for...well, anything that might give me a clue as to what had happened to all of you. I found Uriel piss drunk in an old trailer on the edge of town, and he told me what little he could. I went straightaway to get you out of the Fun House, and then..."

He paused. "Well, things always tend to get worse before they get better."

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