08-05-2018, 07:19 PM
[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 55%; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;font-family: calibri;"]The fire in Des' soul was... a finicky thing. There was a bite to it, yes, but mostly only directed towards things he found worth directing it towards. Perhaps he hadn't had some outside force there to curb it for him, or to direct it in a positive direction... but in his youth he had learned the lesson of biting your tongue at the most opportune of times to get more out of it than aggression could give. He wasn't out of control, not yet, and if anything the fire was what kept him... humane. There was no fear of it going out of control unless someone purposefully pushed him into it, but even then it was likely to go awry than it was to be completely snuffed out, replaced by nothing short of a frigid blizzard.
The fire kept him warm, alive... responsive. It was best for everyone that it was fanned rather than murdered, for the individual soon to replace it would have something far different than a crushed spirit. His sense of vengeance was stronger than his anger could ever be, and Des had held enough lives in his jaws to know just the amount of force needed to kill.
He wasn't young anymore, however, not enough to be easily manipulated into doing anything he didn't feel like doing. It was a saving grace that he had ended up kinder as a result of his upbringing rather than merciless, but the time for authority was mostly over. There was no denying the fact that, despite all his friendliness, getting to the core of his personality was a tough act that none had yet to achieve, and that he longed for the connections he was equally unwilling to make... but how much of his anger and guilt could be redirected, not even he knew. Des had mastered the art of repression too well to care much about embracing anything he felt, and in reality he needed far less guidance than he did therapy, to find the will and means to understand and acknowledge who he was and why.
Still, for now he was no better than a rambunctious teenager finally let loose, deflecting Gabriel's words as a test to his own intelligence and speed. He had expected to be rusty in this, but it seemed that old habits were hard to break, so he pressed onwards gleefully.
But, true to his word and personality, Des knew when to be serious. He ignored the snarl that left Gabriel's maw when he was done, although he was wary enough to jump back when the hybrid turned around, half expecting his face to be clawed or his throat to be ripped out... needless to say he was pleasantly surprised when neither happened, and the tension in his muscles was quick to fade when he spoke up again. "Yes sir," the word was spoken with the same intent that Gabriel 'nurse' had been, the grin sliding back easily onto his maw, gaze sharpening once more now that the serious part of the entire ordeal was over.
Still, it softened at the thanks, tail briefly wagging behind him only to be stilled soon after. "'fcourse. Don't mention it," he mumbled in response, ducking his head under the pretext of taking another sip of his drink in order to avoid having to explain both his humbleness and the awkward heat that filled his face. He wasn't used to being thanked for his help, and more importantly didn't care much for it in the same way Gabriel didn't seem to enjoy being fretted over.
A moment of silence passed between them before Des cleared his throat, careful to approach any new subjects but also eager to avoid any moment of quiet that could give way to thoughts he'd rather forget. "Anyways... you feel like talking here, or do you wanna get out of this cramped space into the fresh air? I can take you around and get you familiar with the area if you're not too sore... promise not to shove you into the sea unless you want to." Another pause passed between them, then quickly, almost like an afterthought, he murmured a low 'if you want to, of course,' offering Gabriel an easy way out of his company if he so wished.
The fire kept him warm, alive... responsive. It was best for everyone that it was fanned rather than murdered, for the individual soon to replace it would have something far different than a crushed spirit. His sense of vengeance was stronger than his anger could ever be, and Des had held enough lives in his jaws to know just the amount of force needed to kill.
He wasn't young anymore, however, not enough to be easily manipulated into doing anything he didn't feel like doing. It was a saving grace that he had ended up kinder as a result of his upbringing rather than merciless, but the time for authority was mostly over. There was no denying the fact that, despite all his friendliness, getting to the core of his personality was a tough act that none had yet to achieve, and that he longed for the connections he was equally unwilling to make... but how much of his anger and guilt could be redirected, not even he knew. Des had mastered the art of repression too well to care much about embracing anything he felt, and in reality he needed far less guidance than he did therapy, to find the will and means to understand and acknowledge who he was and why.
Still, for now he was no better than a rambunctious teenager finally let loose, deflecting Gabriel's words as a test to his own intelligence and speed. He had expected to be rusty in this, but it seemed that old habits were hard to break, so he pressed onwards gleefully.
But, true to his word and personality, Des knew when to be serious. He ignored the snarl that left Gabriel's maw when he was done, although he was wary enough to jump back when the hybrid turned around, half expecting his face to be clawed or his throat to be ripped out... needless to say he was pleasantly surprised when neither happened, and the tension in his muscles was quick to fade when he spoke up again. "Yes sir," the word was spoken with the same intent that Gabriel 'nurse' had been, the grin sliding back easily onto his maw, gaze sharpening once more now that the serious part of the entire ordeal was over.
Still, it softened at the thanks, tail briefly wagging behind him only to be stilled soon after. "'fcourse. Don't mention it," he mumbled in response, ducking his head under the pretext of taking another sip of his drink in order to avoid having to explain both his humbleness and the awkward heat that filled his face. He wasn't used to being thanked for his help, and more importantly didn't care much for it in the same way Gabriel didn't seem to enjoy being fretted over.
A moment of silence passed between them before Des cleared his throat, careful to approach any new subjects but also eager to avoid any moment of quiet that could give way to thoughts he'd rather forget. "Anyways... you feel like talking here, or do you wanna get out of this cramped space into the fresh air? I can take you around and get you familiar with the area if you're not too sore... promise not to shove you into the sea unless you want to." Another pause passed between them, then quickly, almost like an afterthought, he murmured a low 'if you want to, of course,' offering Gabriel an easy way out of his company if he so wished.
♔ — I want brimstone in my garden