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Tweak says, "A lot can change in a week."

Gabriel "Sylar" Gray (abravenewworld) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-06-22 23:16:00

Entry tags:

gabriel 'sylar' gray, raven xavier

WHO: Gabriel "Sylar" Gray & Raven Darkholme
WHAT: Gabriel is working on getting his shop back up into working order, and he's finally admitted that he needs help. That's the first step towards recovery.
WHERE: Gabriel's Watchshop
WHEN: June 23rd; afternoon
RATING: PG
STATUS: In Progress

Gabriel Gray had had an entire life when he'd left Colligo the last time. He had had a wife, a daughter, friends, family, everything that he ever could have wanted, but having been sent home, only part of that had been waiting for him upon his return. Not that Gabriel was too disappointed as the memories were so far removed from his most recent experiences that even having returned, so much of his life before in Colligo still felt like a dream. So here, he was working on reclaiming the one thing that still seemed perfectly solid: his livelihood.

Being a watchmaker was one of the few things from his life before that Gabriel felt both the need and the desire to hang onto. It was both a calming and satisfying practice that left his mind mentally at ease, and even as the tribulations that he had gone through with Peter had cured most of the need for him to keep his mind constantly focused lest his powers go haywire and force him to attack someone, it was still something that he was unwilling to abandon. Not to mention, in a place where his employment options were quite limited, it offered him a practice that both gave him support as well as stability.

Or it would, if his shop hadn't been left in abandoned disrepair for the months that he had been gone, leaving everything coated in a very thick layer of dust and parts that needed to be attended to constantly ground to a distressing halt. But that, that had been why he had offered the position to the young woman requesting employment. While he had been stubborn enough at one time to toil in solitude and keep everything to himself as one point, he no longer felt the need to put so much pressure on himself. It never hurt to ask for help when you needed it. And right now, Gabriel did. He had managed, at least, to clean out the front office to a presentable enough state that when Raven arrived, they would have some place to talk without potentially sneezing every other word.

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whoeveryouwant
2011-06-23 04:59 am UTC (link)

Raven had never had a real job before. When you grew up as the 'foster sister' of a guy as rich as Charles Xavier, there simply hadn't been any need to work. Then there was the fact that Charles was quite possibly the most overprotective brother ever so the option of getting a job and keeping it, in her own time at least, had been pretty slim. She didn't blame him entirely for that, though. With women just finally starting to claim their place alongside men, she had come across plenty of guys who had made it more than clear that the only way that she would ever work for them was if they got certain... favors in return. Of course, the second Charles learned of such deals - and he always did, being a telepath and all - the guy typically wound up deciding rather firmly against such things and Raven never could quite bring herself to accept a job offer after her brother had put the whammy on someone.

In Colligo, however, things seemed to be different. Women were treated as equals. While Raven had never been treated as anything but an equal by Charles, and Erik, and even the others she'd befriended during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the concept of having a job with equal pay and, best of all, equal treatment had never been something she had considered a possibility. Yet here, in this strange little city, that seemed to more than be the case.

As it stood, Raven had already lined up two potential jobs. Her intentions were to have both of them. A nice, normal, 'respectful' job that Charles would be fine with and... another one that would let her put her shapeshifting abilities to use. And after chatting with both of her possible new bosses, she had set out to meet them both in person.

Making her way into the shop where she might be working, Raven had to admit that she instantly felt a bit out of place. She didn't know very much about watches, really, and wasn't honestly sure how good she'd be at selling them. However if there was one thing she was good at it was reading people, if only because her ability required her to know a person at least somewhat before pretending to be them. In this case, she hoped to be able to put those skills - the reading people thing, that is, not the shapeshifting - to good use. It was anyone's guess if it would work or not. She could wind up the worst salesperson ever for all she knew.

But she was determined to try.

Spotting a man who resembled the picture she'd seen on the network, she offered him a sweet, yet still clearly nervous, smile. "Hey," she said by way of greeting. "I'm Raven." She still wore her typical look - blond hair, pretty, more than enough to grab any man's attention - because she figured it nothing else her actual form probably wouldn't sell very many watches. Plus, as proud as she was to be a mutant, she really did want to land this job and doubted the guy running the place would want a mutant running the counter.

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abravenewworld
2011-06-23 05:44 am UTC (link)

For Gabriel, speaking to someone over the network or via the PDAs communication system was always extremely different than speaking to them in person. For one, the network had always offered a level of technological separation between himself and the other individual in question that took his ability out of play. Once that level of separation was gone, his mind insisted on placing his ability back in the forefront when it came to dealing with how he saw other individuals. It wasn't such a bad thing when the person that he was interacting with wasn't like himself. It was a small thing, ignoring the mind of a regular human being, but when he was faced with another of his ilk, his mind played havoc in a while different way.

Most other people, when approached by the girl in front of him, wouldn't have offered her more than a first look, maybe a second glance if the person looking were a twenty-something to teenage boy, but otherwise, she appeared to be like any other twenty-something attractive blond, but Gabriel could see more, so much more, behind the mask that he was presented with.

Not that he reacted any differently than he might have to anyone else. "It's nice to meet you face to face," Gabriel said, offering her a welcoming smile before stepping back and gesturing to the office. "I managed to clean out one area myself so we could talk without, you know, standing around awkwardly knee high in dust," He said with a hint of humor in his voice. "I think what needs to be done to begin with is rather obvious, but I'd rather make sure that you knew a rundown of what you'll have to do after we actually manage to get things cleaned up."

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whoeveryouwant
2011-07-07 05:26 pm UTC (link)

Although Raven did a good job of playing the part of, well, just about anyone she needed to play the part of, she was especially good at the ditsy blond routine. It was a great way to toy with guys when doing the bar scene with Charles, particularly the ones who were muscular, gruff, had far more testosterone than common sense, and enjoyed objectifying women. However for how good she was at playing the role, she actually was near the polar opposite. Intelligence was certainly something she wasn't lacking and she saw no reason right now to pretend otherwise. Not only would it not go very far in securing her a job but she had a feeling this guy wasn't the sort to suffer idiocy, even if it came attached to a pretty face.

So she simply nodded, gaze flickering about the shop to take in the dust-covered area before looking back to him with a small smile. "A rundown sounds good," she agreed. "I've never really had a job before so any help at all is definitely appreciated."

She didn't get into why she'd never held a job. Raven always felt funny bringing up the sort of money Charles' family had. It wasn't her money, even if she'd reaped some of the rewards by association and eventual pseudo-adoption. Not to mention she had learned very shortly after moving into his house as a child that having money did not always mean grand, wondrous things as most assumed. Because of that general assumption, and her urge to snap at someone and set them straight - which, again, would not make for a great first impression - she tended to simply shy away from the subject. This time was no exception so, instead of elaborating, she simply asked, "Though I am curious. What made you decide to go into this line of work?"

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abravenewworld
2011-07-08 02:11 pm UTC (link)

"When your father's a watchmaker, and your grandfather's a watchmaker, and your great-grandfather was a watchmaker, it's a bit difficult to break out of the pattern," Gabriel said, holding the door to the office open for her before following her inside. "Especially when you're good at it. It's not to say that I don't enjoy it in my own way, but it was hardly a decision borne of a lifelong passion for the craft. Well, initially. I tried something different a few years back. I went through quite the laundry list of professions. I thought maybe if I did something that hadn't been expected of me since before I could even remember, I'd figure out where I truly belonged. I didn't really expect for all of it to simply lead me back here, but sometimes, you have to leave something behind to realize how much it meant to you all along," Gabriel said as he settled down behind the desk and pulled out a small sack of folders.

"Anyways, there's plenty of time for us to bore each other with our life stories later on," Gabriel said with a slight chuckle. "Like I said over the network, I'm fine when it comes to doing the handiwork, whatever repairs need to be done to the pieces, it's just selling them after they're fixed that's the tricky part. I get a little too caught up in the technical aspects myself when few people come in looking for something that keeps perfect time," He said as he handed her the small stack of folders. "Those are the details on each of the items that we currently have in stock. I would like you to have at least a cursory knowledge of each of the items. I hardly expect you to memorize all of it, but knowing at least the make, the model, the original craftsman, and the year the clock was produced will probably serve you best. We're mostly going to be working on clean up, so you have plenty of time to get the information down," He said, leaning forward on the desk and offering Raven another smile. "And if you would like to learn, I would be happy to teach you how to do the repairs. We're not the busiest shop on the street, so there would likely be plenty of time during the work day for lessons."

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whoeveryouwant
2011-07-12 03:28 pm UTC (link)

Raven wanted to ask what it was he'd tried before he'd settled back into the life that had been expected of him. However she didn't push. There were things about her past she didn't want to discuss so she was loathe to ask others about theirs in case the conversation turned back toward her. So instead she took a seat near the desk and glanced down at the folders when he handed them over.

Opening the one on top, she quickly scanned over the information then looked back to Gabriel with a small smile and nod. "Right. I'll start studying right away," she assured him. She had to admit, she hadn't expected homework to go with the new job, but she was almost looking forward to it. There was only so much excitement and exploration that she could take before some part of her started yearning for the somewhat normal life she'd had back before Charles had graduated from Oxford. And while Raven hadn't opted to continue her own higher education, she had certainly hung around while he'd done his studying enough to find studying things again to be far more familiar than most else she'd found in the city thus far.

Blinking at his offer, Raven dropped her gaze down to the stack of files for a second. "Actually," she said slowly, raising her gaze back to his. "I think I'd like that. It definitely sounds..." Fun wasn't the right word, somehow. Neither was interesting. Finally, she smiled. "Different." And different was something Raven liked.

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abravenewworld
2011-07-12 10:04 pm UTC (link)

There was a certain amusement in Gabriel at the idea that something he found so commonplace was a change of pace for someone else, but that was what made the idea of actually passing on his trade so appealing. Especially since, for her, it would be a hobby and not an expectation like it had been for him. And in the end, it was the freedom in it that made it that much more enjoyable than doing it because of a duty. "Wonderful," Gabriel said with a bright smile as he offered her his hand. "Welcome to the team. Or rather, thanks for making sure I'm not alone," He said with a slight laugh before his smile shifted into a softer expression as he looked her over quietly. "And, if I can be honest for a moment, I think the red hair suits you better," He said as he leaned back in his chair.

He imagined that he was treading into dangerous territory making a statement like that, but their discussion of work requirements was winding to an end, and Gabriel couldn't help but feel like he had to make sure that she didn't feel she needed to hide who she was or what she could do in order to keep this job. It was simpler to clear the air like this than allow her to worry for any amount of time.

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