"Hey," Silver said, more gently now as she sank down beside him. "Hey, it's okay." Quickly, she gathered up all the emotions swirling around him and flung them out over the water beside them, clearing the air. "Hey," she laid her hand over his hand that still held onto her. "It's okay, we're on the ground now."
WHAT IS SHE DOING
He flinches away, his heart starting to race again.
Wasn't she just trying to get away??
He lets out a shaky sigh, keeping his eyes looking the opposite direction as her.
His wings lay behind them, sprawled out and barely visible. They sit in the stage between invisible and there.
I can just tell them I failed. I don't think I can do this. She's still talking.
Silver sighed, looking him up and down now that they had a little better light from the glow of the city nearby.
He looked like a pathetic puppy.
"Okay, let's start with something simple." She said, keeping her words slow and calm. "What's your name? I'm Silver." She held out her free hand to him in greeting.
Simple? What am I to you?
His eyes narrow and he looks down at the sand.
Who am I.
He looks up to her hand, biting the inside of his lip till it bleeds.
Gabriel.
He looks up at her face, the wind blowing his un-brushed hair about.
Something spiked in the air around him. Silver didn't know what it was, but she reacted to it before even realizing what she was doing. "Hey, don't do that." She lifted her hand and gave him a firm tap on his cheek with her finger.
He flinches, closing his eyes when he sees her hand come near his face, expecting a smack of sorts.
Gabriel, stop it. You're in charge. She's your mission.
He reopens his eyes, but immediately wants to close them again. The dark was better than socializing. And day.
He looks over her wings, making his completely disappear.
"You should hide them." He quietly states, his voice having a scratchy ring to it.
She regretted her firm tap the instant he flinched. She opened her mouth to apologise but then finally he spoke. It took her a second to understand his words. "Wait, hide them? What do you… Oh wow, you can turn your wings invisible?" She gasped, leaning over to look behind him. "Wow, that's awesome. Are they still there or are they totally gone?" She reached over his shoulder to feel his back where his wings had been.
His wings shoot up behind him reacting to the touch and reappear. He scoots a little bit away, still holding her hand, and bites his lip again.
"You should hide them. It's dangerous. Someone could see you."
His words turn into a mumble near the end and he turns his head away.
Ahhhhhh
"Ooooohhhh!" Silver gasped. "That's so cool!" She moved with him, settling herself crosslegged in the sand right in front of him. "I can't do that. I can just fold them up a little." She demonstrated by tucking her wings as closely up against her back as possible.
Why is she like this
He bites his lip again, avoiding eye contact but watching her perfect, feathery wings.
"I- I can still see them…"
Silver stared at him, blinking. "Well, duh. I can't make them go away. They're very physical and real. Yours are, I don't know, less real. Or something. That's why I've been in hiding for a million years. I can't go anywhere cuz people will see me." She let out a heavy sigh. "This is honestly the first time I've been out at all. I'd never really even flown in the sky before tonight."
Oh. That's why she's so bad…
He looks back to the ground.
Don't say it, don't say it.
"I can teach you…."
She cocked her head at him "Teach me what?"
"I… I can teach you to.." His voice trails off.
Finish the sentence.
Don't teach her anything!
Teach her everything
"I can help you fly. And, If you want, it's not hard to- to, ummn, make your wings invisible,"
CAPTURE HER NOT HELP HER
She blinked, staring at him again in silence for a minute until a slow smile spread over her face. "Really? You would help me learn how to fly properly?" She asked quietly.
What is this?? What is her face doing??
He nods slightly.
"If- if that's okay."
GABRIEL NO
He looks away again, still griping her hand.
What do I do now??
Her smile could have broken her face in two. "I've never had anyone teach me before. All I know I've just figured out myself. But hey," she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer so he had to look her in the eyes. "First, I need to know what to call you. What's your name?" She asked gently, staring into his eyes.
He presses his eyes closed, not knowing what to expect, and shoves her away with his hands, though he's not strong enough to actually move her.
"Gabriel! Gabriel, please."
He bites the inside of his lip again.
Ahh, so close. Please stop.
He tries to calm himself, focusing on her breathing. Which was… Surprisingly calming…
"Hey, hey," she crooned gently. Lifting her hand that he still held, she smoothed his hair back and settled her palm against the back of his neck, still holding him in front of her with her grip on his shirt. "Gabriel," she said his name purposefully. "Gabriel. I'm not going to hurt you."
Why?
"I- okay."
She's so strong.
He grabs at the sand with his hand and slips his other hand out of hers.
they're going to kill me.
Silver felt the turbulence still churning inside him. When he finally let her hand go, she pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder, her left hand still firmly behind his neck. Her right hand she rubbed over his shoulders, careful to not touch the places where his wings were. "You're safe, Gabriel," she whispered, mouth pressed into his hair. "It's okay, you're safe." She had no idea why he was so terrified of her, but if he came from the same place the rest of them had, she could only imagine what he must have gone through.
He shakily sighs and closes his eyes.
what is she doing.
He clenches his jaw again.
They're… I'm in so much trouble…
Gently she wrapped her wings around him and continued rubbing his shoulders. She kept her hand on the back of his head, but slowly worked her fingers through his hair. "Shhhh" she soothed to him. "You're okay now."
(he hates this)
He let's out a small growl, very quiet and scratchy.
Why is she like this?
A small, warm tear streaks down his cheek.
I'm. Not. Safe.
they know where I am.
Silver loosened her hold on him a little, tuning into his energy more closely than she'd ever tried to do before. Though she couldn't see his face, she could feel his tear, tracking all the way down his check. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Gabriel." She said in a more normal but still gentle tone. "You don't have to be afraid of me."