as tave myliu [open/joining]

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]There were so many kids abandoned to the world, dragged through the fire and expected to find their own feet when they'd no model to rely on, or anything to take hold of for support. Gabe had been lucky as a child to have his mother, along with his many sisters; other children were completely alone, with no concept of warmth or home, who knew life only as a war to survive rather than a path capable of sunlight. When he saw Lazarus the first time, the day before he'd given himself over to the eggheads because he'd lost the ability to keep on going, what he felt was- tumultous. He'd admired the kid's determination, his spark, but in the same breath recognized that he had no choice but to be fierce. The blaze in Lazarus' eyes was forged and lit by the cruelty of a planet that would rather favor the already loved than the deserted. It wasn't easy for anyone, he knew that, but terms like "simple" and "difficult" didn't factor into the day-to-day of a survivor. It was a single-minded focus, like tunnel-vision.

So he would do what he could to give Lazarus a chance to smell the roses he'd never seen before, to show him how to ask and receive rather than demand and take. He deserved another chance, and while Gabriel knew that he would never completely leave behind the grime and grit of a childhood on the streets, Laz would at least recognize that it was in the past. That he had a future. Not everyone was so lucky, and there were many nameless faces lost, unremembered. If he were capable, he would spare them all, but he was one man, and he'd already learned that fighting the world was a battle lost before it began.

They were sober thoughts, and would occasionally plague him when the old familiar fatigue burdened his spirit. He couldn't go for a run as he used to -damn talons- so instead, he would take to the sky, instinctively chasing air currents and gliding with them. Rarely would he look down, but when he did, he rarely found anything of note. This time, however, his keen gaze found a small figure, and when he lowered, the image became clearer. It was a canine child, battered and wandering. Gabe didn't hesitate to take the plunge, not caring for how his landing wasn't as graceful as it could have been, eyes only for the wounded creature. Gabe lowered himself to appear smaller, tucking his wings in and hiding his talons as best he could to seem unthreatening.

"Hey, chiquito. Slow down there, huh? Will you let me help you? Déjame ayudarte." The hybrid spoke lowly, not quite softly but not at a regular pitch, either.
[align=right][i]——INFO