012 | Audio

[tryingitall]

For those of you who knew Gabriel, also called Loki? He's gone. For well over 48 hours now. [Balthazar's voice over the feed is a near-monotone, emotionless.

With him, that's never a good sign.]

He came back once before, but I'm not sure we'll be seeing him again this time around.

I just...thought someone ought to know.

[Someone other than the other angels, that is. He's sure they're as aware as he is. He's less sure whether he should seek them out to mourn. There's a long, quiet moment of static before the feed cuts.]

Comments

[action]

[tryingitall]

I like having him around, too. Mind if I sit? [He's pretty sure she doesn't mind; it's a mere formality.]

I suppose I'm less fun than usual today, but if you've got a deck of cards on you I could handle some Go Fish...

[action]

[blackmagus]

[Fortescue waves for him to sit down, and pours him a glass of brandy. Cards — which she does have — and brandy. How classy of them.]

Nonsense, Dashing. You're always fun.

[Luckily, even with Jazz flaked out on it, there's plenty of room on the bed. He purrs in Balthazar's direction, clearly comfortable.]

You'll have to remind me how to play Go Fish. I've been playing poker and gin rummy for the past three years. Or that's what it feels like, anyway.

[action]

[tryingitall]

It's sweet that you call me that. I'm really a very average angel.

[He leans back against the wall and strokes behind Jazz's ears.] Actually, I'm not sure I've ever played Go Fish. Poker or rummy might actually be better. Or something else.

...do you have paper and a pen, by any chance?

[action]

[blackmagus]

I think so.

[Writing utensils she'd grabbed from a lab. Fortescue digs out the pad of paper and a pen and pencil, from her dresser, before she sits down on the bed as well. Jazz purrs quietly, shifting so that his head is easier to reach.]

And oh, I don't know. I think Samandriel would need to pick my brain a few more times before I could call him Dashing. [And even then, she's not sure he'd ever have the small degree of swagger involved.]

[action]

[tryingitall]

[He smiles, accepting the instruments, and holds onto them for a few moments while he pets the cat.] Samandriel is actually an above-average angel, in my estimation, at least for his age. He is one of the youngest, although he's still immeasurably older than he looks.

But I suppose he doesn't manage dashing all that well. Earnest, more like. [Switching activities now, he takes the pencil and begins doodling on the paper before him, slow and slightly labored as he tries to use his vessel's body memory as well as his own perception of what's in front of him.

Looks like the start of a cat.]

[action]

[blackmagus]

[Luckily for Balthazar, Jazz is happy being stationary and is an excellent subject. When the petting stops, he simply closes his eyes and freezes in his last stretched-out position. A minute or so and he'll be back to sleep.]

Earnest he has down to a science. [Fortescue smiles, settling back against her part of the headboard. For now, at least, since they aren't playing card games at the moment. She doesn't get a chance to watch people draw all that often.] He was asking me about flirting and how 'important' it was.

[Which she'd found amusing, then and now. And cute, to some extent. It's not as though she's had that talk with someone before. Flirting is something humans — for the most part — gradually become more aware of. But no one takes flirting classes.

Though she's sure that, somewhere, they exist.]

Re: [action]

[tryingitall]

[This is why cats lend themselves to Art. They're attractive creatures who know how to relax and stay in one position for long enough to be depicted.]

Fortescue. Were you hitting on my little brother? [His lips quirk. His gaze is focused on the paper, but he's clearly teasing.

He's never suggested Samandriel has a stick anywhere, but he can see where it might be good for said little brother to loosen up some. Fortescue is probably a good teacher, there.]

[action]

[blackmagus]

He offered to help with almost anything, and said he was very capable. How was I supposed to resist?

[She turns her head to bat her eyelashes at Balthazar. Ever so innocent, uh huh, that's her. Helpless to fall into the inevitable innuendo.]

We had a very nice conversation about the mechanics of... interaction, if you will.

[Fortescue picks up the deck of cards and shuffles it idly, showing a decent amount of skill. There have been a lot of card games. Shockingly, most of them she's kept her clothes on for.]