Masaki nods along as he explains their fights. It... sounds okay. She's a little surprised that someone with confessed super powers would find a matched fight in a teenage boy. Then again, she did stop Zangetsu just as he was about to sling shot a knife into Dr. Strange's shoulder...
As he continues, her attention drifts from the fish on the counter, her movements slowing. He touches on something that she's already thought herself, something that's been bothering her for at least a little while now.
"He does have a lot he worries about. Far too much for someone his age. I wish I could tell him to let it go for a little while, but I know he won't. He's so determined to get me home... And to go back to his life like it used to be."
She pauses, exhaling a quiet sigh. "... At the very least, I want him to be happy while he's here. He told me, fighting is when he feels most like himself. I can't take that away from him."
His shoulders relax and he gives Masaki a soft smile. "Yeah. Sounds like you get it. I know that's got to be hard for a mother- mine would've never understood it. But I'm guessing you understand his situation a little more."
So he should probably tell her a little about his own, right? He's honestly not sure how much he needs to say. "You weren't here yet when I posted up my notice about my past on the bulletin board, right?" He shakes his head. "That made it so much easier to talk about, oddly. But you should know more about me if I'm going to be hanging around."
He considers pausing and waiting for her go-ahead, but now that he's started, he wants to get it out. "I used to be a terrible person, back where I originally came from. I was-" He hesitates for a moment, finding the words. "-overtaken by the special ability I was born with, and it made me into a murderer. Zephyr helped me make sure I'd be safe here, and I've been trying to figure out how to make better what I can." It still feels like partially a lie, even with all the evidence he's had that things were out of his control. Every time he goes into this, he wonders if he shouldn't approach it differently.
It's probably a good thing that Masaki has already stopped filleting the fish for the time being because she might have cut herself when that bit of information surfaced. At the mention of being a murderer, Gabriel finds himself with her full attention fixed on him, something like surprised with a bit of horror mixed into her expression.
It takes her a few seconds to even figure out what to say. She's never had anyone admit to murder right in front of her. She can't even imagine... His only saving grace is admitting that he wasn't in full control of himself.
"Ah-- That..." she starts, fumbling for words. Normally she would default to a more cheerful facade, but that doesn't seem appropriate in this situation. So she's left with just taking it at face value. "...Has that... been working? Between Zephyr and you?"
It's only belatedly that she even considers how bad it might be for her if it wasn't.
His expression has become more serious and solemn as well. The whole story seemed surprisingly not a huge issue for a good chunk of the Meadous, but it's clear it's not like that for Masaki.
He nods. "I set up some failsafes, in case it wasn't enough for some reason. Alphonse and Stephen are both set aside to stop me if I couldn't control myself. I heal just about anything, but they know the spot to hit that basically puts me in a coma. We kept a close eye on it after my abilities came back, but- I've been okay here."
He reaches up and runs his fingers through his hair with a small sigh. "I know that's a lot to lay on you all of the sudden. Just thought you should know."
"Well... I appreciate your honesty." She can say that much, at least. It's better to hear something like this from him than to hear it from someone else and wonder why he's been hiding it. And he seems to be serious about wanting to keep anything from happening again. So that's a point in his favor, too.
"...Even if it does make a very poor argument for letting you fight with my son." That's the place that her thoughts go to first, rather than her own safety in the moment. She was okay when it seemed like just two people with an interest in combat. Knowing that Gabriel's killed others before--and likely not for good reasons, if he's calling himself a murderer... It reignites that uneasiness in her chest.
Gabriel lets out a small, mirthless laugh. "Yeah, it sure does. That's why I thought you should know. And if there's anything that might make you feel better about it, all you have to do is say so. I can tell you more about the ability, what threw me off balance in the first place. You can watch us fight if you want- I mean, it's fine on my end, not sure about your son's. I've been working on pure defense lately, which was advice from another Meadous resident. I think that's been good."
He shakes his head. "But if you're not comfortable with it anymore, I understand." The teenager might hate it, but Gabriel would respect Masaki's wishes. "Honestly, the fact that I'm still talking to you is kind of surprising to me."
"Were you expecting me to kick you out?" That probably wouldn't be out of the question if she was more wary or if he was less remorseful. But she's not the kind of person to be keen on retribution or shunning him.
"I'd like to know more about your abilities... And I'd like to watch your matches. I don't think my son will mind." She smiles, but wryly and a bit like a grimace. ".. He'd probably welcome the chance to show off. And I've promised to spar with him, too. It's probably better that I'm around to handle as mishaps."
He looks vaguely sheepish as he shrugs at the question. He certainly would've understood if she had kicked him out. People here tended to let a lot of things slide, but that piece of news was a pretty big ask.
Gabriel nods at her request and chuckles at hearing the kid will want to show off. "Of course he'll want to show you what he could do. Especially if you're sparring with him too. So yeah, that's all fine." So that means- "Let me tell you about my intuitive aptitude, then. That was the really dangerous one."
He taps his temple. "It's also the hardest one to see, because it's a mental ability. It shows me how things work- how to fix any complex system so it's working perfectly. But I don't get anything else, so there's this drive- this hunger- to get as complete a picture as I can. That drive, back home, took over everything else, and it became the only thing I cared about. I learned new abilities and everyone in my way was just--" He shakes his head. She can guess the rest. He's sort of figuring that being vague might be a better idea in this instance. "Here, Zephyr's 'adjusted' my curiosity so it stays at normal human levels. I can actually prioritize things now."
She listens attentively as Gabriel explains his ability. It's not something she's sure that she understands, but she's trying. He trails off, and she's pretty sure she can fill in the details there.
"What were you trying to learn? What... System were you trying to figure out? That led you to kill others for it?"
Gabriel stares down at his hands for a moment. "The brain. Special abilities developed in unique variations in the brain. Once I understood the brain itself, I could understand the variations. And once I had that, I could replicate them, in myself. So I learned about and copied abilities that way." He shakes his head. "People didn't usually survive my 'examinations'."
There's a silence that falls between them as Masaki tries to process that. The brain. Examinations. She can't fathom what those people must have gone through, and she doesn't want to. She just...
"I feel sorry for them. No one should have their life cut short like that." The words come quietly, not from a place of condemnation for him but honest compassion for his victims. "...Do you think about them?"
Gabriel knows what the right answer is, here. Show remorse, show guilt, and be labeled as a true human being.
Al's made him too honest.
"Sometimes," he replies. "Probably not as much as I should. Ever since I had started, it was always easier to just put it out of my mind. I thought I'd go crazy- well, crazier- if I thought about them too much. But Al's been helping me realize that I'll never be a- well, functional person, if I don't recognize what I've done. The weight of it."
He rubs at his chin. "I found out, too, that I'd been repeating the actions of the man who killed my mother when I was five. So. Definitely don't want to continue that, either."
She's not entirely sure how to feel about his response. It's not the response that she would have liked, and maybe that's why she feels more okay with it than she should. It's not a perfect answer, but it's a very human one. The kind of humanity that's striving to do better.
"I think this Al has very good advice, then. You owe it to those people to understand the weight of their lives, even if it's only little by little. And you owe it to yourself. So that the you from tomorrow can look back and be proud of the progress you've made."
Gabriel listens to her thoughtfully, nodding at the advice. It makes a lot of sense, both with his own concept of needing to have control back in his life, and with what Bucky's talked to him about. "Yeah. I'll keep working on it, here where I won't do too much damage if I do mess up. I don't deserve all the support I've got- I mean, Al would argue that, but I doubt anyone else would. But since I've got the support anyway, it'd be a shame if I didn't do anything constructive with it." He allows himself a small smile at that.
"I'd really like to have something I could be proud of, something that's actually good. Something my friends can look at and say that they didn't waste their time with me. So yeah, that's the plan."
Masaki nods along. It's a good plan--something worth striving for, at least. She's still not sure how she feels about the whole murderer thing--or about Zangetsu wanting to fight with him, but she tries for an encouraging smile. He's at least right that this place seems to be a safe place for him to rehabilitate himself.
"I think that's an admirable goal. If you need any help, you can come talk to me. I wouldn't call myself an expert on this sort of thing, but I don't mind helping you talk through it."
Gabriel's smile looks soft and almost shy. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Sometimes it's good to have people to talk to that aren't- experts, I mean." And she seems both kind and wise, and he could use help on both fronts there.
He looks thoughtful for a moment, then turns and taps the point where the base of his head connects with his neck. "It's right there, by the way. If things ever go wrong, or even if you're worried- impale that spot and it'll shut me down. I'll look dead, but if you pull it out, I'll heal right back up."
He turns back to her and tilts his head to the side, giving her a wry smile. "I know that's kind of gruesome, but I want you to feel as comfortable around me as you can. Know I'm not some unstoppable force." Because if he does end up sparring with the kid again, he doesn't want Masaki to feel powerless about what he can do.
That's a rather gruesome turn to the conversation. Then again, it's not much worse than talking about his murder victims. She looks to the spot that he taps, her smile straining a little but still holding.
"I'll... keep that in mind. Thank you." She's absolutely not going to be able to do that. But that's alright. She has other things that she can try first... Once she figures out how to make them here. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to get a general list of what other things he can do. Just in case she does need to stop him for whatever reason.
"You mentioned learning other abilities. What are those? Can you tell me about them?"
Ah, maybe that was pushing it a bit far. He gives her an apologetic smile and nods.
Talking about other abilities is perfectly fine- he just needs to make sure he doesn't get too excited over it. "Sure. I've got telekinesis, which I'm extremely proficient at. There's clairsentience, which is the ability to touch objects and read their memories. That one doesn't work too well here in the Meadous, no idea why. Lie detection's the same- sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've got the healing, which I've mentioned- that's technically called rapid cellular regeneration. I've got the ability to turn things into gold and the ability to manipulate sound. And I've got electrokinesis, although I'm not as good with that one."
In fact, he's tried to keep it locked up, most times. But it does come out occasionally. He focuses on that, rather than the fact that each one of those undoubtedly reads as another dead person to Masaki.
Telekinesis. Clairsentience. Lie Detection. Rapid Cellular Regeneration. Turning things into gold. Sound Manipulation. Electrokinesis... Masaki tries really hard not to count each of those out. She doesn't want to start associating him with a body count, when he's just a person who's trying to make himself better. All she really needs to know is how to handle him if he gets out of handle.
"Okay. That... doesn't sound too unmanageable." Well, maybe not at the current moment, but she can work on that. There's time. What she doesn't seem interested in, however, is elaborating on that statement.
Instead, her attention turns back to the fish, which she's almost finished slicing up. She starts to busy herself with packing it away into the fridge for later, then pauses to glance up at him. "...Do you like fish?"
If Gabriel was expecting any reaction, it definitely wasn't Masaki's. His eyebrows raise and before he can filter himself, he asks, "It doesn't?"
But hey, if she's not scared, that's good. Right? He looks doubtful, but she's not saying anything. And frankly, if she doesn't want to go into it? It's probably better. He could use at least one person with a surprise attack against him, if he really loses control of himself again.
So he just shrugs and looks back to what she's doing. "I do. Honestly, I like just about everything- I still eat like I did when we met back in Timeless." He's always had a high metabolism, and the abilities just made his appetite worse.
She just smiles at Gabriel question. She doesn't seem too worried, for what it's worth, which means she probably has something in mind--even if she has no intention of telling him what it is.
But in response to his shrug, she looks back down to the fish she's packing away and slices off one of the ends of the fillets. Balancing it on the flat side of the knife, she holds it out to him. "Would you like to try some? It's been frozen already, so it's safe," she assures him.
It's not the most graceful offering, but she means well. And she doubts he'll mind too much.
Mind it? Gabriel looks delighted! He reaches forward and takes the slice in his fingers. He eats it quickly, treating it like a piece of sushi. He smiles as he finishes it off.
"Delicious. You know, I haven't had much in the way of fish here, and I end up hunting almost too much. Would you want to maybe strike a deal? I can share whatever meat I bring home if you'd be willing to toss me a fish every so often?"
He looks mildly hopeful. As it happened, his telekinesis has a harder time with liquids than with solid objects. He's been working on it, but this would make fish much easier to get. --of course, he could fish normally, but where would be the fun in that?
She looks pleased with his reaction, smiling back at him in return.
"Well, I'm already fishing for two," she tells him with a laugh. "I don't mind making it three. Just... Pork and poultry are fine, but no deer. I know that's a popular hunting pastime around here, but I can't stomach it. They're too cute." A tender-hearted soul, this one is.
Wow, she is sweet. He smiles, dipping his head down in acknowledgment. "Of course. No venison, that's perfectly fine. Sounds like we've got an agreement. Plus, it gives me an excuse to visit now and then, see how everything's going with you two." And maybe ask for advice if he needs any- from either of them, now that he thinks of it. The kid seems to have figured out quite a bit, too.
"I suppose I should leave you to the rest of your day," he says, looking vaguely apologetic. "But I'm really glad we've talked. Thanks for listening, and- being so understanding."
Masaki smiles a bit wider at the mention of keeping tabs on her and her son. "I don't think you'll need to worry about us--but you're welcome to drop by just the same." He's a friend of Zangetsu's, after all. That's rare enough that he would be welcome around her home if for no other reason than that.
But he suggests that he should be going, and she doesn't make any move to stop him. When he thanks her, it catches her a little by surprise. Her smile softens just a touch.
"You're welcome. And if... you ever need to talk again--if your friend isn't around, I'll be here to listen too. I think what you're trying to do... It's not a good situation, but you're trying to learn. And that's important. You shouldn't have to do that alone."
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no subject
Date: 2018-09-01 12:57 am (UTC)As he continues, her attention drifts from the fish on the counter, her movements slowing. He touches on something that she's already thought herself, something that's been bothering her for at least a little while now.
"He does have a lot he worries about. Far too much for someone his age. I wish I could tell him to let it go for a little while, but I know he won't. He's so determined to get me home... And to go back to his life like it used to be."
She pauses, exhaling a quiet sigh. "... At the very least, I want him to be happy while he's here. He told me, fighting is when he feels most like himself. I can't take that away from him."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-01 03:04 pm (UTC)So he should probably tell her a little about his own, right? He's honestly not sure how much he needs to say. "You weren't here yet when I posted up my notice about my past on the bulletin board, right?" He shakes his head. "That made it so much easier to talk about, oddly. But you should know more about me if I'm going to be hanging around."
He considers pausing and waiting for her go-ahead, but now that he's started, he wants to get it out.
"I used to be a terrible person, back where I originally came from. I was-" He hesitates for a moment, finding the words. "-overtaken by the special ability I was born with, and it made me into a murderer. Zephyr helped me make sure I'd be safe here, and I've been trying to figure out how to make better what I can." It still feels like partially a lie, even with all the evidence he's had that things were out of his control. Every time he goes into this, he wonders if he shouldn't approach it differently.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-01 07:29 pm (UTC)It takes her a few seconds to even figure out what to say. She's never had anyone admit to murder right in front of her. She can't even imagine... His only saving grace is admitting that he wasn't in full control of himself.
"Ah-- That..." she starts, fumbling for words. Normally she would default to a more cheerful facade, but that doesn't seem appropriate in this situation. So she's left with just taking it at face value. "...Has that... been working? Between Zephyr and you?"
It's only belatedly that she even considers how bad it might be for her if it wasn't.
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Date: 2018-09-01 08:00 pm (UTC)He nods. "I set up some failsafes, in case it wasn't enough for some reason. Alphonse and Stephen are both set aside to stop me if I couldn't control myself. I heal just about anything, but they know the spot to hit that basically puts me in a coma. We kept a close eye on it after my abilities came back, but- I've been okay here."
He reaches up and runs his fingers through his hair with a small sigh. "I know that's a lot to lay on you all of the sudden. Just thought you should know."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-01 09:56 pm (UTC)"...Even if it does make a very poor argument for letting you fight with my son." That's the place that her thoughts go to first, rather than her own safety in the moment. She was okay when it seemed like just two people with an interest in combat. Knowing that Gabriel's killed others before--and likely not for good reasons, if he's calling himself a murderer... It reignites that uneasiness in her chest.
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Date: 2018-09-02 12:03 am (UTC)He shakes his head. "But if you're not comfortable with it anymore, I understand." The teenager might hate it, but Gabriel would respect Masaki's wishes. "Honestly, the fact that I'm still talking to you is kind of surprising to me."
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Date: 2018-09-02 01:18 am (UTC)"I'd like to know more about your abilities... And I'd like to watch your matches. I don't think my son will mind." She smiles, but wryly and a bit like a grimace. ".. He'd probably welcome the chance to show off. And I've promised to spar with him, too. It's probably better that I'm around to handle as mishaps."
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Date: 2018-09-02 02:33 am (UTC)Gabriel nods at her request and chuckles at hearing the kid will want to show off. "Of course he'll want to show you what he could do. Especially if you're sparring with him too. So yeah, that's all fine." So that means- "Let me tell you about my intuitive aptitude, then. That was the really dangerous one."
He taps his temple. "It's also the hardest one to see, because it's a mental ability. It shows me how things work- how to fix any complex system so it's working perfectly. But I don't get anything else, so there's this drive- this hunger- to get as complete a picture as I can. That drive, back home, took over everything else, and it became the only thing I cared about. I learned new abilities and everyone in my way was just--" He shakes his head. She can guess the rest. He's sort of figuring that being vague might be a better idea in this instance. "Here, Zephyr's 'adjusted' my curiosity so it stays at normal human levels. I can actually prioritize things now."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-02 07:47 pm (UTC)"What were you trying to learn? What... System were you trying to figure out? That led you to kill others for it?"
no subject
Date: 2018-09-02 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-02 10:45 pm (UTC)"I feel sorry for them. No one should have their life cut short like that." The words come quietly, not from a place of condemnation for him but honest compassion for his victims. "...Do you think about them?"
no subject
Date: 2018-09-02 11:18 pm (UTC)Al's made him too honest.
"Sometimes," he replies. "Probably not as much as I should. Ever since I had started, it was always easier to just put it out of my mind. I thought I'd go crazy- well, crazier- if I thought about them too much. But Al's been helping me realize that I'll never be a- well, functional person, if I don't recognize what I've done. The weight of it."
He rubs at his chin. "I found out, too, that I'd been repeating the actions of the man who killed my mother when I was five. So. Definitely don't want to continue that, either."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 12:21 am (UTC)"I think this Al has very good advice, then. You owe it to those people to understand the weight of their lives, even if it's only little by little. And you owe it to yourself. So that the you from tomorrow can look back and be proud of the progress you've made."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 12:44 am (UTC)"I'd really like to have something I could be proud of, something that's actually good. Something my friends can look at and say that they didn't waste their time with me. So yeah, that's the plan."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 05:12 pm (UTC)"I think that's an admirable goal. If you need any help, you can come talk to me. I wouldn't call myself an expert on this sort of thing, but I don't mind helping you talk through it."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 05:26 pm (UTC)He looks thoughtful for a moment, then turns and taps the point where the base of his head connects with his neck. "It's right there, by the way. If things ever go wrong, or even if you're worried- impale that spot and it'll shut me down. I'll look dead, but if you pull it out, I'll heal right back up."
He turns back to her and tilts his head to the side, giving her a wry smile. "I know that's kind of gruesome, but I want you to feel as comfortable around me as you can. Know I'm not some unstoppable force." Because if he does end up sparring with the kid again, he doesn't want Masaki to feel powerless about what he can do.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 05:38 pm (UTC)"I'll... keep that in mind. Thank you." She's absolutely not going to be able to do that. But that's alright. She has other things that she can try first... Once she figures out how to make them here. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to get a general list of what other things he can do. Just in case she does need to stop him for whatever reason.
"You mentioned learning other abilities. What are those? Can you tell me about them?"
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 05:51 pm (UTC)Talking about other abilities is perfectly fine- he just needs to make sure he doesn't get too excited over it. "Sure. I've got telekinesis, which I'm extremely proficient at. There's clairsentience, which is the ability to touch objects and read their memories. That one doesn't work too well here in the Meadous, no idea why. Lie detection's the same- sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've got the healing, which I've mentioned- that's technically called rapid cellular regeneration. I've got the ability to turn things into gold and the ability to manipulate sound. And I've got electrokinesis, although I'm not as good with that one."
In fact, he's tried to keep it locked up, most times. But it does come out occasionally. He focuses on that, rather than the fact that each one of those undoubtedly reads as another dead person to Masaki.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-03 09:14 pm (UTC)"Okay. That... doesn't sound too unmanageable." Well, maybe not at the current moment, but she can work on that. There's time. What she doesn't seem interested in, however, is elaborating on that statement.
Instead, her attention turns back to the fish, which she's almost finished slicing up. She starts to busy herself with packing it away into the fridge for later, then pauses to glance up at him. "...Do you like fish?"
no subject
Date: 2018-09-04 06:41 pm (UTC)But hey, if she's not scared, that's good. Right? He looks doubtful, but she's not saying anything. And frankly, if she doesn't want to go into it? It's probably better. He could use at least one person with a surprise attack against him, if he really loses control of himself again.
So he just shrugs and looks back to what she's doing. "I do. Honestly, I like just about everything- I still eat like I did when we met back in Timeless." He's always had a high metabolism, and the abilities just made his appetite worse.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-04 11:46 pm (UTC)But in response to his shrug, she looks back down to the fish she's packing away and slices off one of the ends of the fillets. Balancing it on the flat side of the knife, she holds it out to him. "Would you like to try some? It's been frozen already, so it's safe," she assures him.
It's not the most graceful offering, but she means well. And she doubts he'll mind too much.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-05 03:23 pm (UTC)"Delicious. You know, I haven't had much in the way of fish here, and I end up hunting almost too much. Would you want to maybe strike a deal? I can share whatever meat I bring home if you'd be willing to toss me a fish every so often?"
He looks mildly hopeful. As it happened, his telekinesis has a harder time with liquids than with solid objects. He's been working on it, but this would make fish much easier to get. --of course, he could fish normally, but where would be the fun in that?
no subject
Date: 2018-09-07 03:07 pm (UTC)"Well, I'm already fishing for two," she tells him with a laugh. "I don't mind making it three. Just... Pork and poultry are fine, but no deer. I know that's a popular hunting pastime around here, but I can't stomach it. They're too cute." A tender-hearted soul, this one is.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-07 05:50 pm (UTC)"I suppose I should leave you to the rest of your day," he says, looking vaguely apologetic. "But I'm really glad we've talked. Thanks for listening, and- being so understanding."
no subject
Date: 2018-09-08 03:21 am (UTC)But he suggests that he should be going, and she doesn't make any move to stop him. When he thanks her, it catches her a little by surprise. Her smile softens just a touch.
"You're welcome. And if... you ever need to talk again--if your friend isn't around, I'll be here to listen too. I think what you're trying to do... It's not a good situation, but you're trying to learn. And that's important. You shouldn't have to do that alone."
(no subject)
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