Feb 02 04:05:55 109 PA - A Warning to the Undead

From Chronicles

Feb 02 04:05:55 109 PA.

RIVER WALK NORTH

The sky is nearly cloudless tonight, which means that the temperatures are biting deep below zero on anyone's scale. Somehow, the ground remains just warm enough that the snow is melting away rapidly enough that the cleared areas aren't increasing in size at the moment. This is one part of the River Walk where few people come. Behind the Merchant's Plaza and along the Graveyard, giving no reason for much interest except possibly for those immediately passing through or coming to visit friends and relatives who have passed on. Gabriel is out, strolling slowly and and looking over the cemetery, his warm clothing wrapped around him smartly. Time to wait for a friend in a dark alley, more or less.

Better meetin friends in dark alleys 'steada big scary monsters. Bella wanders on in from the plaza. She ain't dresed up all special. Just pretty much like she's mostly always wearin. Not worryin 'boutta cold too much. Course she's curious what's goin on't's got Gabe callin 'er up fer chattin. Hope it's gonna be big new plans 'r somethin. Somethin 'xcitin anyways.

One of Gabriel's wanderings brings his eyes toward the Plaza, where he spots Bella coming his direction. He takes a few slow steps toward her, but stops somewhat near the entry to the cemetery. A hand is raised in greeting. "Hi, Bella. Good to see you. I had something to talk to you about yesterday before Bernard interrupted."

"Yeah?" Brow pops up. Bella nods. "'Member ya sayin somethin 'bout wantin ta talk." Now she smirks. "But sounded like ya were talkin bout talkin ta Bernard. What's up? Somethin super secret 'r somethin?" Bella looks this way 'n that way. Checkin things out all exagerrated. Smirk turns ta li'l grinnin. Sounds like army spy stuff. Maybe makes it all 'xcitin.

Gabriel's own spy stuff doesn't require looking around. He's already noted every last person within fifty yards, with no reason to peek. "It's not super-secret, or it is super-secret, depending on how you look at it. Please understand that none of this is threat or ultimatum. Just... concern for your own well-being." He hesitates, and waits for Bella to finish up her theatrics. "Do you know how Donna came to power?" Clearly, by tone of voice, he does.

Bella shakes her head. "Nope. Never met 'er 'fore goin there that one time." Shrug gets added on too. "Didn' know she was even round 'til then neither. Course i weren't exactly lookin fer vampires nowheres neither. Wait." Bella goes back to curious. "Ya know bout 'er don'tcha. So that's one'a those historical questions right? Yer gonna tell me. Not askin me."

"I suppose it could be considered historical, sure," Gabriel waves. Perhaps he hadn't considered it that way, but it seems apt. "But yes, I'm telling you. To put it in bland terms, she approached a master vampire, told him to do something and he didn't do it. So she kill him on the spot, all by herself and became the master vampire. Smart, we know that. Immensely powerful, we know that." The soldier - or spy, or who knows exactly what - pauses, perhaps to allow for a moment of consideration.

"Huh. Didn' figger that." Bella shrugs. "Figgered she was the boss the whole time. 'R was somewheres else then came 'n took over. So she's smart 'n strong 'n stuff. Kinda figgered that much already. So. What's the catch? 'R whatever."

Gabriel snaps his fingers quietly, thumb and middle-finger. "The catch is that she knows that you were passing on information. That you're working against her. She doesn't care about humans, because we're cattle. But you? You're blood, so to speak. Your little dance the other day, I quizzed you, yeah. Had to make sure I was right. That was your swan song. Your big fireworks extravaganza before the big finale." He waves his fingers and palms wide. "Now you have one pissed-off, exceedingly powerful vampire after you. You need to lay low - real low. Go to Laramy. The 'Dregs aren't safe for you any more, and the rest of the city isn't any better."

That gets Bella blinkin. "Huh? So now ya think she's after me? Cause I did a li'l dancin? Ain't like she never told me so much ta give nobody. Just told ya what I was thinkin 'bout 'er. 'R what I was thinkin maybe she's gonna do." Then she eyes Gabe. Pretty hard. "She ain't runnnin me off though. Ain't goin nowheres."

"Not because you danced, Bella. That was the final straw. Basically openly mocking her in her own place." The older fellow shakes his head. "Bella, please listen. If you don't head and lay low, not showing your face to anyone, including me - you're going to end up no longer not dead. Just a small pile of ashes on the ground in the sun with a wooden stake driven in it." Gabriel points in Laramy's direction. "Sometimes you need to know when to fold 'em, because the other guy's got a better hand."

"'N what inna hell's gotcha thinkin alla this?" Bella's still eyein 'im. Just perks a brow up. "Why'd she be comin after me? Like ya said. We're blood. Sides." Now there's a smirk. "She could do way more 'n kill me. Smarter stuff. Fer her I mean."

"Yeah, and she could have done smarter stuff against her other opponent, but instead she decided it was better to kill him." Gabriel simply shrugs. "You're a traitor in her eyes. Narked on the family, and it's just like organized crime, there's only one way out of the family - the sweet embrace of no longer being alive, or not-alive. I'm not thinking all of this, I'm knowing all of this." He points a finger in her direction. "If you don't get out of town for a while, your life as it is, is going to be snuffed out. Sometimes it's good to be no more than cattle - people don't really pay much attention to what a cow's doing. I just don't see you get hurt, but I know you'll be un-un-dead if you don't take a little sabbatical from Kingsdale."

The li'l smirk gets bigger. Bella shakes her head. "Ain't goin nowhere. Like I said. Sure's shit ain't goin ta Laramy. Even if I wanted ta get 'way. Ain't like I'm just gonna cozy up to a buncha Coalies 'r their pups. So." This time her eyein him ain't shocked. Ain't glarin. Pretty much just curious. Maybe even a li'l grinnin. "So why ya really wantin me outta town Gabe? Since I know yer tryin'a shovel bullshit."

"Bella, you're a friend, and I don't want to see you die. If you stay here, if you don't keep your face off the streets, you've got a huge bitch of a vampire on your ass. Maybe she doesn't come after you directly. Maybe she just takes over a few human minds - or just hires a few - to hunt you down." A shrug precedes Gabriel saying softly, "You pissed off the wrong people. I don't know the specifics. I just know that you need to be gone for a while."

"Only people I know're pissed off't me's Sebastien. But he ain't scarin me off neither. Figger it'd be humans comin after me 'fore anybody else." Bella shrugs. "Ain't no kid. Don't gotta try 'n hide me Gabe.

Gabriel shakes his head. "I'm not trying to hide you. I don't even want to know where you go, or don't go. I'm just passing along information that I think you should take some time to consider long and hard. Maybe she hires humans to go after you. With her money and influence?" He shrugs one arm and holds it out to the side. "She can hire the best vampire-hunters who have no scruples against being hired by a vampire. I can't stay with you, not until Donna's dead, or you're dead. Anyone coming after you's gonna hit me, and there'd be no chance of me helping to defend you against half-a-dozen hunters." He sighs. "You've got a spirited personality, Bella, but you need to suck it up and hunker down. That's all I can offer, information and advice."

Bella shrugs. "Don't 'member signin ya up ta offer nothin. Stay with me? Like what? Just see ya sometimes." Back to smirkin. "Ain't curlin up 'n sleepin with me. Less yer sneakin in after I'm out. Think ya got alla vamp hunters with ya anyways. Know mosta 'em."

Snort. "Yeah, who the hell do I have? Jaxain's annoying. Sebastien's an asshole. Neither one of 'em's doing a damn thing about it except sitting back and complaining. Yeah, I've got all the vampire-hunters with me." Gabriel slaps his hands together. "I'm sure that the *real* hunters are the ones who are smart enough to stay out of the newspapers. But hey, that's the information. Wanna throw in the ball and pray that your bet on the hard eight's going to be a win? Your choice, not mine."

"'R maybe can just clear alla the shit up real easy." Bella shrugs. "Can just go talk ta 'er. 'R get inna fight if yer right." A new smirk. "Wanna go too? Said ya can't do nothin 'til one of us's gone. Be first one ta know then huh?"

"No thanks. I'll read about it in the paper," Gabriel says with a shake of his head. "Besides, you told be to stay away, didn't you? I took your advice. Maybe you should do the same. That's it. But if you really want to talk to her, try not to pass along my name. I'm probably a hop away from being hunted myself."

Bella nods. "Yep. I did. So ya wouldn' get caught. 'N was good fer stayin 'way. Stayin outta stuff. 'Till ya came sayin she's after me."

Gabriel offers a shrug. "Okay. Well, maybe you're already doing everything just right. It just couldn't hurt to tell a friend, right? You already know she's suspicious of you. Just get it through your skull - stay somewhere that she'll never find you." With that, he seems as if the conversation might be officially over. "Want to hit up some place as a big last hurrah for the two of us until this thing ends somehow?"

"Already stay somewheres nobody knows." Bella grins. Then waves a hand 'round. Kinda pointin nowhere. Kinda shrug. "Sure. What kinda party ya wantin? Course't ain' like nobody's comin back 'r whatever." Now she's pointin a finger at 'im. "Ain't gotta be soundin all dead already."

Gabriel seemed to be following the conversation, right up until those two last sentences. "Nobody's comin' back 'r whatver? I'm saying that I'm not coming back until the situation's resolved. It's too dangerous to be around you, Bella. Anyone who could kill a vampire could flick me aside with their finger. So. Coffee?"

Bella musta heard it wrong. "Oh. Made it sound like we oughtta go party cause bad shit's gonna happen." She smirks. Gives him a nudge like he gave 'er th'other night. "Don't needa reason ta go have fun. Just do it." Coffee leaves a bitter taste in her face though. "What's it with you 'n coffee? Like yer keepin that girl with alla arms busy all by yerself." Finally a shrug. "Fine. S'ok I guess. Ain't like ya'd be all happy if I dragged ya out fer drinks I like."

The man starts to walk east. "Coffee's nice. Everyone likes coffee." Gabriel waggles a finger at Bella. "I've actually had a lot of blood in my life. Duck, goat, buffalo.. anything that had blood when there was no water." He turns back and continues walking, saying to no one in particular, "Even eaten people."

TRADEWINDS COFFEE SHOP

For a fellow who can move quickly and smoothly when he wants to, the trip from the cemetery area to the coffee shop is a brief one, even though half-a-dozen merchants tried to hit him up for mostly low-quality gear that no one would want even if it were high quality. He does indeed make his way to the multi-armed teenager. They've grown to have quite the little friendship, even if her attempts at getting an order right the first time generally go unfulfilled.

Bella's pretty good't ignorin people sellin shit. She follows Gabe in. Even to the counter and girl't can't get it right. Maybe if she buys somethin the girl'll get it wrong 'n it'll taste better.

Gabriel continues the brief rundown that he'd been narrating on their way over. "Yeah, I was working with my squad out of eastern Sumatra. There's a tribe there that uses cannibalism as an emergency food source, and in rituals. They drain the blood for drinks, during the summer months when the water gets stale, and the flesh is cut up and slow-cooked over a spit. They a few local spices -" he thanks Tiffany for the drinks "- and it's a lot better than raw monkey. Which I've also eaten." A few steps take him back out toward the tables.

"'N people think I eat weird." Bella snorts. Points at somethin onna menu too. "Gimme that one." After waitin fer hers she walks after Gabe. "So. Human's eatin human's Ok. But somebody else doin't ain't. Whatta buncha bullshit."

"The difference is reason. For them, it was ritualistic belief. For us, it was foraging behind enemy lines." Gabriel finds a spot near the western window. "For vampires, they get drained and sent on their way, or drained and killed. Or mostly-drained and turned into other vampires. Don't get me wrong, it's not like this was a huge group of people practicing cannibalism. Just saying that it happens, and I know what it tastes like." He slides into a chair. "I imagine that I've eaten things that even you wouldn't eat, but it's part of the job description."

Bella plops her butt down. "So it's Ok long's theres a good reason? Gotta good one. Don't keep most people from goin after me though." She drinks some coffee. Face don't go all the way nasty. Maybe it ain't so bad.

The man waves it off. "Take my word for it, you tell people someone's a cannibal, and they won't think it's any better than being a vampire. It's not right to feed on people. Mine was for a cause - stay alive, win the war." Gabriel nods his chin towards Bella's drink. "You get something different? Your face isn't going all screwy like you're trying to intentionally tell me that you don't like it." Smirk.

"Dunno." Bella picks up her cup. Looks at it. "Dunno what I asked fer. Whatever this one is it's Ok." She drinks s'more. "Mine. Ours. All fer a good reason too. Not starvin."

"The cause of doing it to defeat the bad guy is looked on differently than the cause to survive with the power to kill at whim and create more living who have no soul. Sorry, I'm just telling it like it is." Gabriel peers over into Bella's mug. Sniffs. "Hazelnut cappuccino. Remember that for next time."

Bella shrugs it off. "Yeah. Yeah. I know. No soul. No breathin. Eat people. All makes ya the bad guy. Heard it 'fore." She drinks more. Smirks more too. "Maybe thinkin like that's why most vamps're just tryin'a take over ev'rythin. Ev'rybody thinks yer a big bad thing might as well be one right?"

Gabriel shakes his head quickly. "No. There's no reason to live up to someone else's reputation of you. Be. Your. Own. Woman." Poke. Right there, gently on the nose. Unless he misses and hits Bella's eye.

Nope. He gets her nose. Lips under it smirk. "S'what I'm doin. Was talkin bout alla rest. Like kickin a dog. Maybe it was mean 'fore. Maybe not. Ya keep beatin on it though it's gonna get mean anyways."

Gabriel nods, a little weirdly. "Yup. Then you withhold food. Water. Make it sleep out in the rain. As soon as it's at its most fierce, you come in and start giving it goodies. Pretty soon, you have a genuine military dog with a personality broken enough but stable enough to fulfill any number of duties that can be trained into it." He taps his temple again. "Told you that there's all sorts of weird information floating around in here."

"Sounds like it." Bella grins. "Watch out. Stuff yer head too fulla shit could maybe just blow up. Boom!" She makes blowed up waves with her hands. "Be kinda messy."

"Nah. They say that the brain is essentially infinite, for anything that person could even experience in a lifetime if you remembered every last detail of everything you did," Gabriel says with a mild shake of his head. He pauses for a sip of coffee. "Of course, the actual usefulness of what someone will store away will be different for everyone."

Bella grins. "Guess I oughtta 'member that then huh?" She sucks down more coffee too. Hazelnuts 'n caps 'n cinos 'n all. "Course it ain't all useful. Cept fer knowing can know more stuff that ain't useful. So." Bella's quiet a bit. "What're we gonna talk bout now? Since it ain't all bout vampires 'n stuff?"

The fellow at the table smiles. "I don't know. Anything going on in the city besides strip club trouble? Thing with a dead elf I heard about, I think? Mining town? Local high schools about to go into the end of the football championship season?" Gabriel pauses for coffee. "You definitely give off the impression of someone being bored by the conversation." After another sip from his bug, this offers Bella a pleasant smile.

"Ain't heard nothin bouta dead elf." Bella smirks. "Figger I oughtta be listenin 'bout dead people too. Guess maybe better clean out my ears 'r somethin."

"So, does that mean that you are, or aren't bored by the conversation?" Gabriel jokes. Then becomes serious. "Um. I was going to make a joke, but then I realized that this would be a genuine problem. How do you bathe? Like the rhinos tumbling in dirt?"

Bella perks a brow. That's diff'rent. Then she thinks bout it. Ok. Guess it's a good question. She smirks. "Just let alla dirt fall off. Ain't hard."

"Okay, sure, for the particulate stuff. But if you can't take a shower, or hop in the tub -" *sniff* *sniff* "- how come you don't stink?" Gabriel seems to have latched on to an odd but interesting line of questioning.

"Cause I don't." Bella's smirk gets bigger. "Ain't like I'm gettin all sweaty runnin round. Get messy just go all foggy. Nothin sticks." A li'l shruggin atta end.

There's a short pause as Gabriel looks off into the distance. Then shrugs. "Okay." Bella receives a smile. "You know, young Jaxain gave me a little vial of water that he swears is from 'a good deity.' I have no idea what that means. I mean, yes, all of our children were baptized, but frankly mostly for ceremony. The idea that some man down here on Earth could be so holy as to make water special is absurd. I'll probably just carry it with me and use it when I get thirsty someday."

Bella shrugs more. "Dunno. Don't get alla that gods stuff neither." She points at him. "Can go on 'n drink it all ya wanna. Ain't gonna bug me none."

"I wonder if using so-called 'holy water' as a base would make the coffee taste better?" Gabriel *tink-tinks* his ring against the mug again. "I really don't know much about you, for a friend. How long have you been here? In total. Born in the 'Dregs? Mom and Pop worked hard at the factory, but couldn't support seven kids?" An eyebrow aches. "Refugee?"

Bella snickers. Shakes her head. "Nah. Ain't gonna make it taste no better." Then she's noddin. "Born 'ere. Yep. Been inna Dregs most times since. But nope. No buncha kids. Just me. 'N mom. Our li'l mostly ain't happy family." A shrug.

"What'd your Mom do? Guess dad ran out. Bastard. They should hogtie men like that and lynch 'em. How'd you live?" Gabriel is temporarily hidden behind his large mug.

"Got by. Li'l here." Bella shrugs. "Li'l there. Dad was... Well guess he didn't wanna be no dad." Coffee ain't bad cause she's drinkin more. "Even gotta job once. Sucked. s'why I stopped."

That grabbed Gabriel's attention. "A job? *Bella* had a job? Didn't take, and now you still refuse to get a job. What'd you do? Newspaper delivery? Scrap metal recycling? Seamstress?"

Bella makes a face. Can't blame it onna coffee neither. Tries ta wash it down with some. 'R kinda nuzzle what she spits out. "Cleanin."

"Oh? Like with a company? The Sweet Sweep people down at that office building in the 'Dregs?" Gabriel stops and says more softly, "How old were you when you gave it up? It's a very legitimate and respected occupation, you know."

"Sorta." Bella shrugs. "Mostly just tidyin up nice houses up Main 'n stuff. Was borin. Hard. Didn't get paid shit." She smirks. "Course weren't all bad. Nice people't got nice houses got nice stuff in 'em too."

Gabriel nods. "Yeah. Two of my girls, close together age-wise, they started up this little 'business' when they were twelve. Going around outside of Richmond, whole area west there at the house, cleaning, polishing, dusting. I guess it was the girl version of a paper route. They didn't get paid any better than a paper route. Anyway." He snuffles a little as something tickles his nose, and asks, "Did you ever get a chance to go to school? Learn your letters and numbers? History?"

Bella smirks more. "Sure. Learned lotsa stuff. Just like ev'rybody else 'round the Dregs. Schoola hard knockin. Only teachin there."

Nod, nod, nod. "I'm not a grammar school teacher, but if you want to learn things, maybe better the knowledge rattling around in your noggin? I'm always here. Lots of people like to claim the toughness of the 'school of hard knocks.' Yeah, it makes you tough, in a way. My childhood wasn't exactly privileged. But you work on yourself, make yourself something bigger. Like I said yesterday, sum of parts. Just start adding new parts." Gabriel reaches over to pat Bella's shoulder lightly. "Maybe you could find some merc stuff to do right now? Keep you safe and occupied with something interesting at the same time?"

"Merc stuff ta stay safe." Bella's gotta snicker. "Ain't somethin ya think yer gonna be hearin. But sure. Can learn stuff." Finger comes up ta point at him. "After alla this's done. Course. Since ya don't wanna be nowhere next ta me 'til then."

"That's right," Gabriel says sadly, then leans down to rest his forehead against Bella's own, lightly taking her shoulders in his hands. He takes a shallow breath, the sign of a man about to say something.

That's diff'rent. Gabe's just fulla new 'n weird shit tanight. "Ya feelin Ok 'r somethin?" Ain't really complainin. Ain't sounded all crazy worried. She's just gotta ask.

As always when with this particular friend, Gabriel's small silver crucifix around his neck is nicely tucked away. But as far as he knows, words can't hurt. He offers very reverently, "Lord, You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall. Like unto the prophet Jonas, as a type of Christ, who was guarded for three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, thus I beseech thee Almighty God, as a Father and guard, protect this soul from all evil. She will one day enter Your kingdom to be anointed, but please in the name of your son Jesus of Nazareth, keep evil from consuming her flame." Very short pause. "Amen." He hangs there for a while before silently sitting back up and reaching for his coffee.

Bella blinks. Ok. The other stuff was diff'rent. This is just. Uh. Really diff'rent? "Uh..." She dunno what she oughtta say. 'R do. "Ok. What the hell was that?" Coffee! She can drink that. That's somethin ta do. That she knows how to. 'N Gabes doin it too.

Gabriel starts to rise, gathering his things and putting them on in a relaxed manner. "A prayer, a blessing, whatever you want to call it. I know you don't buy it - and neither does anyone else - but God is everywhere, and he looks out for all of His children. But sometimes it can't hurt to try to draw a little more attention to one person who might need it." As he steps away from the table, he nods his head. "I don't know when I'll be seeing you next, Bella. But I do hope that I see you again. Stay safe, okay?"

"Ok." Bella nods a li'l. Smirks some too. "Don't try too hard ta get dead. Ain't 's nice's people're thinkin." She wags her cup at him. "But have fun!"

Gabriel smiles as he stops at the door. "Same to you. Try to be nicer than people think. The secret of happiness is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do. I hope I'll be seeing you again. Take care." He bobs his head once, and then exits the establishment, out into a cold wintry night.