firelord uriel. (flamethrown) wrote in mythopoeics, @ 2012-06-12 17:19:00 |
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Things had been difficult since Samyaza's death. The thought of striking down a brother always left a bitter taste in Uriel's mouth, moreso now that he was human. As an angel, it had been necessary. But taking Samyaza's life all for entertainment -- where was the humanity in that? Nowhere. And it had struck a chord so deep that even a week later, he'd barely recovered at all.
Frequent visits to church hadn't been much help. He'd bruised his knees from praying so often, wishing for a sign from Him. A sign that he would be forgiven for something that was beyond his power. That he could go on living without the heavy burden hanging over his heart.
Though Uriel had agreed to the dinner that Gabija organized, his heart wasn't entirely in it. Perhaps the sight of his brothers would help him. He'd remained silent about the dilemma even with Samyaza, who he'd visited days prior. Seeing his brother alive and in one piece brought him some peace, but even now, seated on Barachiel's front steps, that tug was ever present.
Humanity was painful. Only now did he realize just how painful.
Gabija knew very litle of Uriel, very little of the way that he operated except that he was the quietest angel she'd met. She knew that he'd had to kill Samyaza and she hadn't talked about it with many people since then. She didn't want to think about it if she didn't have to. Of course, that didn't stop her on occasion.
She'd been her normal, cheerful self, doling out love and affection and hugs like it was going out of season. She wasn't sure about Uriel and how he'd take hugs, but she'd wanted to give him one, to talk to him, so she followed silently (which was a feat, especially for her) and waited a little while before stepping outside. "How are the steps suiting you," she asked simply before sitting next to him.
There was a moment of hesitation before she scooted just a touch closer, lightly placing a hand on his arm. She'd test the waters, see what she could get away with. She could always draw back. She wouldn't ask if he was okay because if she didn't want to talk about it, he likely didn't. She didn't know exactly what to say...There wasn't much she could say. "Did the food suit you well enough?"
Uriel had heard the door open, but thought little of it, expecting it to be one of his brothers come out to chide him for coming out to smoke. His cigarette sat balanced between two fingers, burnt up a few centimeters. He tapped the ashes away before Gabija opened her mouth, and when she did, he shot a glance up at her in some surprise. Barachiel's little sister.
"They're steps," he pointed out, not really wanting to go into it. Once she'd come closer though, her hand finding his arm, he tensed under her touch, only to relax a few seconds later.
"The food was delicious. Thank you." A pause. "I apologize if I made you go out of your way with it on my behalf." His vegan diet wasn't appreciated by everyone.
A small smile was given, nothing compared to the giant grins from before. It was merely self restraint that kept her from going further and pushing like she might have. Slowly she'd burn her way through and slowly she'd get into his heart and before he knew it, she'd have taken over a part of it. At least...that's what she had decided. Uriel might not be aware of it yet, but they were going to be the best of friends. It was all a matter of getting him to see it that way as well.
"Very nice steps from what I'm told." Her tone was light, giving not hint of seriousness to it. It was a matter of cheering up. The fire goddess wasn't fond of being overly serious anyway. It was boring.
The compliment gained him a much bigger smile and she lightly squeezed his arm in delight. "Thank you. And I don't mind. It was perhaps the most healthy I've cooked since..." She trailed off, stopping herself from mentioning Rome. "The twins started hiding things." Which they hadn't done, but it seemed better to go there than to Rome. "I actually enjoyed making it. So don't worry about it."
It had been the least of Uriel's worries, getting her to cook vegan for him, but he'd still thought to apologize. Lost as he was in his thoughts, politeness wouldn't escape him. Before taking a drag off his cigarette, he side-eyed the hand on his arm, finding he didn't really mind it.
After an exhale, which he directed away from Gabija out of respect, he angled his head back toward her. It was time to be social with the friendly girl and forget about his own selfish needs.
"Did your siblings help you?"
The fact that she hadn't been asked to remove her hand seemed like enough of a success. She almost laughed when he asked about her siblings helping her. "No. Well, not really. Eddie...or Barachiel, I suppose...I had him set the table and my nephew helped. The twins are on dish duty." Smiling, she looked down at her lap, poking at one of the polka dots on her dress.
"Eddie isn't allowed in the kitchen when it involves cooking. He tried to help once. It wasn't pretty...so I guess we came to an agreement that I'd handle the cooking and he'd handle...the dishes and eating part. He's very good at the eating part, too." This time she actually did laugh, shaking her head a little. "I'm glad you came. The others gave you away before but...I wasn't sure whether or not to poke." She allowed herself a very brief moment in which she pressed her shoulder against his before moving back to where she'd been before.. "So...I'm happy that you were so agreeable to this gathering." And here she offered a wide grin and another small laugh. She'd get close to him yet.
Gabija was such a happy person, it almost took Uriel aback. He'd seem her posts on the community, but to have witnessed it first hand was something else. Over the course of dinner, he'd grown more used to her cheery demeanor, though now that he was face to face with it, he wasn't entirely sure how to act. In some ways, she even reminded him of Lucia as a teenager. And the thought of his sister had him sucking in a deep, pained breath.
"I'm sorry I said nothing. It wasn't meant to be personal." He tapped the ashes off his cigarette. His brothers were far more social than he, that much was obvious. There would be no catching up to them, but he would make his attempts at conversation where he could. This was just the start.
"But I'm happy I came as well," he finished, settling blue eyes on her again.
The breath didn't escape her notice, but she didn't choose to mention it, quietly letting some of the warmth and happiness in her move down her arm to spread through his body. It wasn't much, but perhaps it was enough to help him feel a little more content. If he noticed the difference and mentioned it, she'd probably have to admit to being the cause. Otherwise, she'd pretend she knew nothing. It would only last for as long as he let it...and even then it wasn't that long.
"Good. Then we'll have to do this again sometime." She smiled at him. "And maybe you'll feel more talkative next time. But it's okay," she promised. "I'll help you get more comfortable. Mmhm." She didn't know how, but she'd figure it out. "I'll be as gentle as I can."
The sensation that ran up his arm and throughout the rest of him was noticed, and it nearly startled him. He'd never met anyone who shared an ability similar to his own. It was like being near a fire without the discomfort of the smoke. Switching the cigarette to his other hand, Uriel reached out to place his hand on top of hers, allowing his own ability to seep into her. This would be about as much as he'd share with her, but for now, it was a start.
"Thank you, Gabija."
And he meant it.
[ooc: backdated to angel dinner~ ]