THE MAN IN BLACK // VISITOR

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]If he'd known Laz considered it his fault for Gabe's broken wing, he'd give him a good smack upside the head. Laz did break it, but at Gabe's behest, not of his own accord like so many believed; that was the part of a staged event, and with Gabe as the orchestrator, he was adamant in recognizing himself as the responsible one, not Lazarus, who'd just participated. It was...unfair of the hybrid, in all honesty, to rope his son into that plan. Gabriel didn't want him to struggle with any kind of moral dilemma or guilt, but it was difficult to avoid eliciting those when he'd convinced Lazarus to, in simple terms, fuck him up. Not his brightest moment, or his proudest one, but it'd seemed necessary, and looking back from where he stood now, he couldn't say if it'd assuaged suspicion any. His skin had crawled the entire time, and still was, for reasons he couldn't find.

It didn't matter, not when he saw Lazarus approach, ears perked and entire demeanor alert, responsive. He had a big stick in his mouth, one Gabe was confident he'd been gnawing on for too long- long enough he'd forgotten he'd had it, by the way he seemed surprised he couldn't speak. Setting it down must not have helped any, though, considering he was still silent. Unsurprising, all things considered. Lazarus was a smartass, but a quiet one, not prone to talking as much as Gabe could. It was probably for the best Gabe started anyway, to clear up any remaining worries the kid might have. "Lo siento, mijo. Dame un abrazo." Okay, he hadn't explained much yet, but a hug could say more than words could, so the hybrid stretched up on his hind legs, cradling his face with gentle talons and nipping the canine's brow. "Te extrañé. ¿Me extrañaste?"

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