Nov 20 17:57:38 107 PA - Intelligence Turns to Friendly Conversation
From Chronicles
Nov 20 17:57:38 107 PA.
THE ALIBI
Erica is dressed up to the nines for going out tonight. Her complicated outfit catches more then a few eyes as she sits at the bar, leaning against it. Her purse is set to one side while a tall mixed drink sits in front of her. One of her hands is tapping against the bar, in time to the music, while her other hand is idly stirring the straw in her drink.
No, there's no dramatic entrance, the older adventurer just steps through the door and immediately stashes his pistol as per club orders. Looks like the man's been here before. The longer blade that is strapped to his thigh is considered as it sits in its black leather sheath, but as no one seems to complain about it, he simply steps into the main room and looks around. Tonight it seems like Gabriel is in a good mood. Not jumping and laughing, but just pleasantly pleased.
Erica picks up her drink to take a small sip, as the song ends and a new song begins. She leans back as she looks over the dance floor, taking in the evening's dancers as she hums along to the music. She seems to take in most of the people in the club in an almost instinctive way. She smiles occasionally as people she knows pass by. Glancing at the entrance she spots Gabriel, but he is too far away for her greet him yet.
Moving somehow deftly through the room and toward the bar itself, perhaps magically managing to not bump into anyone, Gabriel doesn't wait until his elbows get near enough to the counter to set them down. Instead, as he continues to stride, he raises a hand and waves - after all, as a shorter man in a tall-man's world, you need to go to greater lengths to get attention - calling out, "Whatever you have on draught, give be a mug!" The stunning figure does not go without notice. His eyes are clearly running through a mental Rolodex to identify someone whom he knows, but doesn't see often.
Erica raises up her hand to give Gabriel a little wave in greeting. She sips on her cocktail and then turns to set it down before she speaks. "Hello there. How are you doing?" She asks loud enough to be heard over the music as Gabriel reaches the bar. Looking down she sees her drink is getting low. She catches the attention of the bartender and gestures for another drink.
The man slaps a cred on the counter with a smile, grabs the offered mug, then turns back to throw a small-denomination cred chip as a tip, nodding to the barkeep. But Gabriel is much more interested in the young woman than the bartender. He approaches and bows slightly at the waist. Apparently, his mind worked, as he says in what today is a thick Kentucky drawl, "Afternoon, Miss Erica. You look lovely. Is there some lucky young man whose arrival you're expecting?" The more proper words may sound a bit incongruous with the drawl. But that's how his life's been.
"I am not waiting for anyone Colonel Blaze. Just trying to have some fun and enjoy my down time as always." Erica asks as she picks up her cocktail and drinks the last bit of it down. "How about yourself? Did you come here all alone?" She sets her empty glass on the bar and then offers the bartender a smile as she gets her next mixed drink.
Gabriel lets out a brief, shallow chuckle, looking into his mug for a moment before tossing back a sip. "Please, please. Just Gabriel. Save 'Colonel Blaze' for the dancing," he says with a wink, remembering their earlier ballroom encounter. "But as of being alone? Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm not looking for sympathy, but I'm afraid that I have some fair acquaintances, but no real friends who ever even think about call me up for a drink." The main raises his mug in salute to.. perhaps future friends.
"Nothing wrong with being alone. Don't have to be with people all the time." Erica says with a quick shrug of her shoulders before her pink, painted lips take a sip from her cocktail. "So, you were looking to get a hold of me correct? You were looking to hire me or something? What is the job?"
The man swerves aside as a largish D-bee swaddles past, the type just tipsy enough to know to avoid and then later get a cheap laugh at the person's expense. Gabriel does manage to do this without spilling a drop, and settles into a stool that is magically vacated next to the dressy young woman. After another pleasant smile and short pull on his mug, the drink is set on the counter, and Gabriel's full attention (well, 1% of it remains on the mug) is turned to Erica. "Actually, I had one question for you, but some things have changed and now I have two. But hire? No. Enlist would be a better term. I'd like to get your opinion of two people, though, if you don't mind discussing people behind their backs." The short gentleman seems to be openly honest that it's not such a nice thing to do, but also a note in his eyes that it seems necessary, at the same time.
Erica laughs softly as she flashes Gabriel a quick, but warm smile. "Well enlist away then. We can see if it is a cause for me." She says while giving Gabriel a quick wink. "Depends on the two people. I don't talk about friends, and I of course have a few non-disclosure agreements. But in general I talk pretty freely. Who do you need to ask about?" She asks while leaning forward slightly, while taking her drink with her.
Gabriel seems to consider for a moment exactly where he wants to start, one eye crinkling a little in thought. But after that short time, "You've been here a lot longer than me, that's obvious. So I'm pretty confident that you know, maybe not really well, but know a bit, about Miss Celaeno? I'm sorry, I don't know her last name." As he shortly awaits some kind of answer, his right hand idly drums fingers on his knee.
Erica raises an eyebrow as she hears Gabriel ask about Celaeno. "Uh well she is not one to mess with. I have fought alongside her more then a few times. She is a bit of a wild spirit. I would say I have a few differences with her. I think we might end up on opposite sides one of these times. What exactly is it you want to know?" She asks idly before taking a long sip of her mixed drink.
The man shrugs. "Well, frankly, not to repeat yourself... but would you trust her with your life, both planning and combat? Or would you walk away from something and either plan it yourself, or find someone else to work with? Consider the job something that doesn't necessarily need to be done, but you'd probably like it to be done." Gabriel shrugs. "I'm quite sorry for being so cloak-and-dagger vague. I just don't want to sway you with more information."
Erica taps her lips with a finger and shrugs. "I would rely on her in combat to get my back. As for planning? I don't think she might be the best planner. I would at least bring in someone else. She has some abuse problems I think. I have planned jobs with her before but usually with others. Although she has pulled a few dick things in her time. She is reliable enough."
"So you don't see any reason why she might lay back, let things happen, see how they go before acting? Perhaps be a little too headstrong in an approach to something, and blow an operation because of it?" Gabriel is brief. His point? Who knows.
"Well she might, but not if she has something at stake. I can't give you proof positive, but she has never betrayed me, nor have I seen her hold back." Erica says with a quick shrug of her shoulders. "Sorry."
Gabriel shakes his head and holds hand out toward the woman, palm down as if to pat her knee - something that he doesn't get close to doing, just a similar motion. "No, no, there's no reason to apologize. I really appreciate the information." He then sits back and withdraws his arms, pulling them in to his chest, with his face obviously mulling over the next approach. Something perhaps distasteful. When the older man speaks, it's slowly, quietly, and deliberately. Not a question, but a simple, short statement. "You know a man called Ahriman."
Erica stirs her drink briefly before taking another sip. She frowns slightly at the mention of Ahriman and nods her head in agreement at Gabriel's statement. After that she finishes off the rest of her cocktail and looks towards the bartender to get another.
The man nods, but his face seems to be happy that the reaction isn't near the rage that he'd been told to expect. Still, Gabriel again makes a brief question roll out of his mouth. "I assume that you've heard that the woman, Miss Tirzah - sorry, I don't know her last name either - is dead?"
Erica turns her head to look over at Gabriel and she nods her head again. "Yes I know." She says before turning back to the bartender. She gives him a warm, thankful smile as she gets her new mixed drink. She stirs it briefly before taking a sip of her drink.
Gabriel nods again, the leans toward the younger woman. "This is becoming an open secret, but I know with one-hundred percent certainty that Ahriman is directly responsible for the death of Miss Tirzah. I've spoken with her partner, and I'm planning to eliminate the man." He hesitates and adds, "I have additional reasons that I can't discuss the moment, but it needs to be done. Unfortunately, it's clear that the cops aren't going to do a damn thing about the man. But you know, I always try to work within the Law. Unfortunately, in certain extreme situations, the Law is inadequate. So in order to shame its inadequacy, to it and to the people, I find it necessary to act outside the Law. To pursue natural justice. Not vengeance." Gabriel shakes his head negatively. "Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. Not vengeance. Punishment." He then sits back straight, a smile across his face, and his mug bobs. "I'm hoping that you'd be interested in my endeavor, though I can't offer anything but bruises and satisfaction."
"Ahriman is a hard man to find if he doesn't want to be found." Erica says with a slight frown as she stares at her drink. "He is a dangerous dog, and he should have been put down long before." She stirs her drink and then takes a sip of it before she continues. "If you call me I will be available. I think the best way to take him out would be from a distance. Like far above."
The man's head bobs again. "You clearly know him better than I do. I'm just afraid, from what little I know of him, that unless you know someone with a bunch of missiles and willing to use them, range isn't as useful as I normally like." Gabriel shrugs. "I've done plenty of sniper work. But before I was transferred to more.. urban duty, my unit was tasked with sabotage and elimination of enemy soldiers. Or others." That just hangs for a moment before he continues on. "So knowing what I do about this guy, I thought that your basic infantry ambush would be ideal. Bury a bunch of those things you call fusion blocks in the ground and cover them up. Maybe four people, two on each side of the road, camouflaged. He walks into the kill zone, boom go the mines, grenades are thrown, rifles discharge, it's over quickly." A pull on the mug. "I know that he spends a lot of time with merchants outside the city. If I can get someone to tail him, find out which roads he uses? Well, with what I know, it sounds like a good idea." His statement obviously indicates that he's still open to suggestion.
"But you have to have Cel with you if you want to take out Ahriman. You have no choice in the matter." Erica says as she nods her head slowly. "That is why it is nice to have a railgun and a jetpack. Just stay up a few thousand feet and fire from above. Course I don't have a railgun so usually stay within 2000 feet. Still works fairly well as light air support. "I would take a lot a lot of lights. Pick up some flash and Wilk's blinder grenades. Fusion blocks will help. You want him well lit up to make a good target. But the most important thing is to get Cel close up with her swords."
Gabriel looks genuinely surprised. "Miss Celaeno uses swords? I thought that she was a brain buster. That's how I've seen her operate." Then, "Why is she so necessary? Certainly air support - which needs to be very carefully concealed until the moment of attack, obviously - and skilled infantry would do the job of swords?" His eyes narrow again. "What exactly is it that she really brings to combat?"
"Oh yes. She has some very impressive swords. She got one from a dragon that I helped take down along with her. She can really carve some stuff up. I think she has some effect on people with powers like magic." Erica shrugs her shoulder. "I don't know what exactly, but she is good just to bring around for her swords."
The man doesn't seem to take the information very well. Perhaps not actually disbelieving, but clearly not yet ready to accept the woman who's being spoken about at her given face value. Yet Gabriel continues pleasantly enough, even managing a laugh. "Dragons. Hell, my mother used to tell me the 'Legend of the Wawel Dragon,' but I never thought the damn things would be real. Not that I've seen one yet." He sips at his mug - the yellow fluid disappearing very, very slowly - then adds in a bit of life trivia. "Of course, it was 'Legenda o Smoku Wawelskim Wzgórzu'" he says, with very strange hard consonants and vowels that sound like people in a combination of hiccuping and vomiting at the same time.
"Yah you don't want to get in the way of a dragon. Trust me on this. They can be a real bitch. It was only with some quick thinking that we managed to take him down. Celaeno played a part in that. You want her in against Ahriman." Erica says as she idly stirs her mixed drink. "Sounds like an interesting book."
"Feel free to slap me for being forward, Miss Erica, but would you mind telling me what it is that you do? Mercenary work? Tech stuff?" Gabriel winks good-naturedly, and obviously meant harmlessly, "If I were twenty years younger I'd tell you to pose for a pin-up calendar."
Erica chuckles softly to herself as she shakes her head. "I'm no pin-up girl. I'm a Merc. I do regular merc work. Work that I feel is the right sort. I perform light air support, advanced scouting, point woman, and heavy weapon support. Most find me to be pretty useful." She says while giving Gabriel a quick wink but friendly wink.
Gabriel shakes his head again, and chuckles lightly again. "I'm still not used to seeing people flying around in jetpacks and, ah.. what, 'power armor.' The most technological things that I ever saw flying were the F-105 Thunderchief and the Little Joe rockets that they were using for the Mercury Program. Those were some impressive fighters. Don't really see anything like them around here. Just flying robot-people." As he goes to pull on his mug again, he stops and asks, "Hey, yeah, the Mercury Program. They ever actually get any dumb bastard to ride one of those things into space?"
"No nothing can go up into space and survive apparently." Erica says with a shrug of her shoulders. "Well I find my jetpack to be very useful. I even got a gyro-compass implanted to help with flying. It keeps me level for long range sniping while in the air. Heck one time I went head to head with two SAMAS. That was damn dangerous. I barely survived that."
The man seems clearly impressed, though the look of a man who isn't entirely certain what it is that he's being impressed about - just that the moment seems impressive. Gabriel's interest is piqued though, the conversation clearly having wandered away from troublesome murders and onto more friendly, entertaining territory, martial though it may be. "I wouldn't have thought that flying was very stable. I'm a good shot, but I'd never try to hit someone at a distance from a hovering Huey. No sir. How do you stay in one place with a rocket coming out of your ass?" Obviously, he's slipping into a more congenial and colloquial attitude.
"Oh it works together with my armor and I can keep stable with the gyro-compass. It is all pretty well integrated. Makes for a good surprise since I can just walk around and then take to the air as needed. You might be surprised how quiet I can be." Erica says with a sly grin as she starts talking shop.
"I guess so. I've been in one of those, techno-wizardawhatchamabopery helicopters. Totally silent and huge. One of the strangest things I've ever ridden in. Ride in a Huey? You bounce around like mad. The boot camp waivers? Assholes had to be tied to the inside to keep 'em from falling out." Gabriel looks around and adds, "Fortunately, most of my duty kept me away from the regulars." Gabriel is seated at the bar with a mug of yellow fluid. Erica is nearby, looking lovely. It's afternoon, shortly after most people would have gotten off of work.
"Yah I rode in one of those as well. I have no magic abilities, and I prefer to rely on technology which I can at least usually fix myself." Erica says with a little laugh before taking a long drink of her cocktail. "I have been in a lot of different situations. I served as a regular in the Lazlo Defense Force. They were kind enough to train me. That and payed for some of my bionics."
Xander makes his way into the alibi without any fuss or grandeur. No weapons on him to remove. He walks to the bar with a casual scan of the after work crowd, smiling lightly. A nerayl predatory expression really, before he turns to the bartender and orders a scotch.
That catches the man's attention. "Lazlo? Let me get back to that. I'm ah, well, I'm not passing judgment or anything, because I know that I'm the one out of place, here. But bionics, really? Just seems unnatural to me." Gabriel seems to inspect the woman as if checking out a prospective car. "So.. where are they? What do they do?"
"What like flying in a jetpack is natural? Who cares if they are natural. They are damn useful." Erica says with a little giggle. She spots Xander ordering a scotch and she gives him a quick nod of her head in greetings. "I have a language translator, a headjack, and a radio implanted. All damn useful as a soldier."
"Evening Erica." Xander says in reply to the nod as he takes up his scotch. "And hello to you again sir." He offers in acknowledgment to Gabriel as Erica seems to be talking to him. Then turning out to the crowd he considers the people come for a release from the stressful lives.
It's just after the time of day that most people get off of work, blue-collar workers transitioning from day-shift to night-shift. Not quite loud and rowdy yet, but it's going to begin to get that way in the near future. Gabriel is seated on a bar stool, a mug of yellow liquid in his left hand, his body turned, obviously in conversation with Erica, who is clearly dressed for the evening. Gabriel asks, "Language translator? That sounds useful. What hell does headjack do?" The man's head tilts sideways with the question. "Where is it? What's it feel like?" As if illustration was possibly needed, he knocks a soft knuckle against his head a few times.
"Oh it is the base of the skull. A plug to interface with computers, my armor, video equipment. All sorts of stuff." Erica says as she downs a bit of her mixed drink. She looks over at Xander and offers him a quick smile and a "Hi Xander. How are you?" before turning back to Gabriel. I can use my radio silently which comes out pretty handy."
Sage's arrival is heralded by an armored figure instead of normal clothing, but she does carry a backpack with her that might contain clothing more suitable to the environment. She takes her time passing through the check point as she isn't unarmed either. Then once she seems to be cleared, she'll progress through into the club itself.
"I'm doing alright thanks, yourself?" Xander asks politely before taking a slow sip from his scotch. Another glance is given to Gabriel who seems more comfortable pretending he does not exist. But the arrival of another slightly familiar face draws his attention away before too long.
The older man's attention seems to be drawn to the somewhat unexpected speech. Perhaps his mind had been elsewhere. Gabriel's mug is raised, and he gazes at Xander with an odd look. Not hostility or distaste, just perhaps interested curiosity and wariness. "Afternoon, Xander." It's polite enough for two people who are complete strangers. Sage's arrival, which is not too hard to miss, is duly noted. Turning back to the particularly-pretty-tonight Erica, he asks, "So.. where's Lazlo? That's a new one to me. Coalition? Independent? Nation state?"
"Not bad." Erica says to Xander before turning to look at the newcomer. She smiles widely as she spots Sage and waves at the other woman eagerly, trying to motion her over. "Oh Lazlo is to the north east on the great lakes. It is an independent state. Great place." She says to Gabriel.
At first, Sage only seems mildly interested with the other people in the place. Although, a motion catches her vision as her gaze moves to fall on Erica. A faint nod is offered as she begins to walk over. Her gaze shifting to the other people there. A slight wariness entering her features at noticing Xander there.
"Lazlo is where I would go, if I felt I was a good person. I hear many good things of the northern city. Curious how all the Tolkeen refugees are coming here instead of there though. Dont you think?" Xander asks in casual observance before taking another sip of his scotch. He notices Sage's wariness as he does so and offers a comforting smile.
After the brief exchange regarding these rather new cities to his ken, Gabriel asks openly and honestly only two questions: "What did Tolkeen do to get into the poor graces of the Coalition? Get in the way of Manifest Destiny?" Then a follow-up, "This Lazlo place, are they techy, or freak magic and psychic crap like Kingsdale? Emperor, ah, what the fuck is his name... " the man is at a loss for a moment, then his mug rises shortly but swiftly as the name pops into his head, "... Prosek. Yeah. He have anything against them?" He then waits for a reply, though seems to mutter a question to himself as a moment passes.
"Plenty of refugees when I left there." Erica says in an offhand manner to Xander. "Anyways an interesting place I thought. Sort of a mix in between magic and tech, mostly magic though. Emperor Prosek has something against everyone." She says to Gabriel with a quick shrug. Her attention is turned to Sage as the other woman approaches. "Hey what do you want to drink Sage?" She asks while trying to flag down the bartender.
Sage considers the smile offered by the man, before simply nodding. She glances to the others and they seem to be acting normal enough. "Chias sweet or some fruity drink... not really looking to get a buzz." She comments, likely not surprising anyone by the choice. "And did I just walk into some kind of debate?" She asks simply as she looks to the group as a whole.
"Tolkeen was probably to close and too dangerous for their paranoid comfort. Lazlo is further away and less dangerous I hear. I imagine we'll be fighting the Coalition before they are." Xander observes lightly before nodding slightly to Erica. "Oh certainly. My point actually is that I don't understand why any refugees came here." He clarifies before nodding slightly to Sage. "Casual discussion. Seems this fellow is not from around here." Xander explains with a glance to Gabriel.
Gabriel manages to offer a closer geographic location to explain where he's from. Addressing the trio, swapping from face to face to face, he says, "You know Merctown? I'm from east of there. Didn't grow up near any city, but that part of the continent." He then offers a friendly wink and grin to Sage. "Afternoon, Miss Sage. You doing well? Coming in from a fight?"
Erica quickly gets the drink from the bartender and hands it over to Sage. "Well I'm enjoying my buzz. I hope you don't mind." She says to Sage with a giggle before picking up her own drink and taking a sip from it. "Yah I have been to Merctown. Wasn't there long though, but a good stop."
"It doesn't seem like it." Sage concedes to Xander's point with a nod before glancing towards the man in question with a faintly thoughtful expression. "I'm doing well enough.. and, not exactly." She replies, "How are you?" She asks before glancing towards Erica to take her drink. "Whatever works, I suppose... but I could have a unique way to express it should I decide I mind." She returns with a little bit of a tease in her tone.
Xander smirks at Gabriel's question as he takes another sip of his scotch. He lets that settle before shaking his head slightly. "Coming in from a fight in this neighborhood is not exactly unlikely. People have dies right outside those doors. Sometimes people forget that the lies of society don’t rule here. Just honest humanity." He observes dryly before taking another sip. Perhaps he is buzzed.
"Honest humanity doesn't seem to be working out so well. Even wild animals settle into an equilibrium with their surroundings." Gabriel looks rather sad at the concept that Kingsdale is the best that the world has to offer. "Maybe people are still looking for equilibrium." He takes a longer pull on his mug than normal.
Erica sticks her tongue out childishly at Sage before giggling. "Alright if you say so." She leans back on her barstool and takes a sip of her cocktail. "Yes I knew someone that died close to this area. That was a while ago." She looks at Gabriel and shrugs. "Humanity has its problem, but you just have to keep soldiering on and help where and when you can."
Sage takes a sip from her drink as she considers the conversation, "It's not just humanity, but we don't seem to need much help with causing problems." She comments before shrugging faintly. Then she quietly pokes Erica in the side in response to the childish gesture.
"Humans are the only ones lying to themselves that I am aware of." Xander notes, his lack of inclusion of himself not exactly subtle as he nods to Gabriel. "Wild animals do not try an tell themselves they are not wild animals. They do not claim to be exempt from the whims of nature." He adds in building of his peculiar view.
Gabriel speaks to Sage, first. "It's true, you introduce a new animal into an environment, and things will shift out of balance." Then Xander is acknowledged. "Animals aren't 'exempt from the whims of nature.' People are. *All* intelligent things are." He clearly makes an effort to include not just your vanilla human. "We can choose harmony or disharmony. Choice, the triumph over predestination. Free will. It's a gift, no matter what higher power you do or do not believe in. Why people choose to be violent, harmful, painful, evil?" The older gentleman purses his lips. "That answer is beyond me."
Erica lets out a high pitched squeak at the poke in her side then her pale skin quickly turns pink as she blushes from her squeaking. She turns her embarrassment into downing the rest of her drink, and setting the empty glass on the bar. She doesn't respond as she gestures to the bartender for a new drink.
"I was speaking more generally." Sage offers to the comment about humanity being the only one lying to itself. She decides not to get into any other details as Gabriel seems to offer a counter argument. As for Erica's squeak, its a little hard to look innocent when she gets her certain smile at blushes. She simply sips from her drink afterward.
"Indeed it is." Xander replies smugly to Gabriel at his disagreement. Letting the topic stand at that he finishes his scotch, putting his glass back on the bar for another.
Gabriel, too, seems happy to allow the philosophic conversation to be left to another time and place, somewhere and when that does not involve having a cold beer. After a short pull, and odd glance at the two women playing like schoolgirls, he asks, "You guys hear about the folks arrived at the gates a few days ago? Came in looking for dirty water, something like that. Pillar. I don't know, only kind of heard whisps of the story myself."
Erica picks up her purse and looks back at the people around me. "Excuse me please." She says as she climbs down from her barstool. She pokes out a finger at Sage as she passes by to head to the restroom.
Sage nods faintly to Erica before looking at the others. Her lips purse as she considers the comments. "I may have an idea of two about what's going on, but nothing for sure..." She comments.
"I know of the dreams I have at night of a pillar of darkness consuming the world in its latest apocalypse. I do wish the forces of true darkness would be more discrete about such things. I would sleep better and it would improve their chances of success." Xander notes dryly as his glass is refilled. Once it is he takes a longer sip.
Gabriel looks at the man for a time, his expression very uncertain. Even his mug remains still. With his Kentucky drawl in full flourish, he asks hesitantly, "Um... so are they good, or bad? Dreams?" He slows even more. "You would sleep better if you didn't dream. So you wish that you didn't dream. Because with you knowing about it, you're given warning?" The older man is still obviously adjusting to magic, despite his given area of birth and raising.
"Nightmares more than dreams." Sage comments once the other man is forthcoming about the dreams. "Makes me wonder what doom and gloom situation will develop this time." She pauses to consider things, "I wonder about this dirty body of water ... I have a guess... but, perhaps I should learn more about these people first..."
"A dream that interrupts sleep is a bad dream. Regardless of the nature of the omen. Sleep is an important natural process. Omens of eminent destruction, not so natural." Xander clarifies before regarding Sage a new at the mention of the dream being shared by her. His look actually seems to hold respect, believe it or not. "Maybe they are the ones responsible for the dreams. Where are they? I will give them disturbing dreams of their own." He intones, swirling his scotch intently.
With little to no knowledge of magic, and not even such a fine grasp on post-Apocalyptic geography, Gabriel simply sits back and slowly pulls on his mug, allowing the two who actually know about things to speak. Wow, really slowly drinking. He's been here for at least forty-five minutes and maybe... maybe a fifth of the mug is empty? At any rate, he stays silent, but listening and interested.
Sage's gaze shifts to Xander before letting faint amusement come to the man's clarification before nodding in response. "That about sums it up." She comments, before shrugging faintly. "Hard to say... and we've already had misleading dreams for who's responsible for the potential destruction." Although, she isn't sure whether Xander might have been around for that particular one. Then she glances towards Gabriel. "So... perhaps we should get you to poke around about them. Unless you're already too busy with other things, of course."
Xander slams back the rest of his scotch with an air of frustration as the location of the culprits is not forth coming. Luckily it was only cheap scotch. "I'm gonna go find answers." He mutters with some assurance as he sets his glass down and pulls out some credits for his tab. And with that he is off, someone might want to get to those people first..
The older gentleman very carefully watches Xander leave. Very carefully. But then he's gone, and Gabriel is back to his normal congenial self. He shrugs to Sage, the only friend remaining, and offers with a wide smile, "I guess I'm not so great at picking topics of conversation, am I?" After a short moment, however, anyone who can read a face would know that he has some more pressing business in mind, and not the leave-the-bar kind of business.
Sage nods faintly once before watching Xander wander out, letting a sigh come. "There seems to be far too many things happening right now." She comments simply before leaning lightly against the bar. Then she glances towards the other man. "I'm not sure whether your track record would be considered good." She muses faintly, before considering his expression. "But, I don't think you're about to change now." She comments simply before turning her attention to her drink.
Gabriel shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I wish you'd known me a year ago. Same old Gabriel, but with much more of a constant smile on his face and good cheer in his heart." He offers a low smile and nods once. He sits back, straightening himself to look around the bar, which at this point is actually beginning to fill up with the men and women and androgynous beings coming off the day-shift. A slightly concerned look crosses his face, and he leans in toward the younger woman. "Sage, look, I have no idea where you've come from. Don't often see you in armor. But as you seem to be in one piece, perhaps we can talk about that at another time. I've been looking to speak with you. About Tirzah, and setting things right." The last statement is said with great reverence. Finally, "But I'm not comfortable talking about it in the open. Though it may be nothing." A rather slow, questioning shrug is the offered body-statement.
As her sip comes to an end, Sage glances up to the man once more. "Nowhere interesting, I assure you." She comments before offering a faint shrug, before she purses her lips as she considers the rest of the man's words. "There is an alternative place... but I'm not sure you would be comfortable with that either." She comments before considering her drink once more. "Do you have a particular place in mind?"
While the subject may be important, Gabriel can't help but chuckle. "Anywhere that we'll be alone, and without any significant chance of something popping out of nowhere to try to kill me would be just fine."
Sage raises a brow faintly to the man's comment, "You don't ask for much, do you?" She asks with faint humour in her tone, "I suppose I might know a place or two." She comments before finishing off the last of her drink before setting the glass aside.
