Silver raised an eyebrow at Ryder, her eyes still drimming. "Ryder, he…" she felt like she was betraying Gabriel by telling Ryder all of this, but she also felt that Ryder needed to know what and who his friend had become. "Ryder, he's covered in them." she whispered. Slowly she stood up and reached forward, finding Gabriel's invisible self and gently laying her hand on his back. She met Ryder's eyes and mouthed, He's not the same person you remember.
Ryder goes to respond, but can’t find words. He’d left their home and lived peacefully among humans, coming and going places as he pleased. But his friends had been torn from their home, hurt and used.
Gabriel slowly loosens his grip on Ryder and shakes both him and Silver off best he can.
“As Kissa said, don’t worry yourself.” He mutters, his voice trembling.
He wipes his face roughly with one hand and heads out the backdoor quickly.
Ryder swallows, watching the backdoor open and close, but not going after him.
“Kissa, what happened.” He whispers.
Silver felt him leave and bit her lip, unsure if she should follow, if Gabriel being alone was the right thing. After a moment she slipped out after him, not really wanting to hear Kissa's answer anyway. It hurt her too much to hear and learn what Gabriel had gone through.
Dio stood by the kitchen island, having caught onto what they were discussing, and watched as Silver disappeared and Ryder turned on Kissa for answers.
Kissa crosses her arms and swallows, staring at the floor uncomfortably. “I don’t- I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Ryder huffs with a shake of his head. “C’mon, Kiss. You know he won’t tell me. Not on his life.”
She bites her lip. “Ryder….” her eyes become glossy and a tear or two threaten to fall.
He sighs and wraps her in a big hug. “Who else knows?” He whispers.
“Hopefully nobody.” She responds.
Silver saw Ben and Cage both by the pool and circled around them, not wanting them to see her. Gabriel was still invisible which meant following him was going to be nearly impossible. But she knew where Gabriel liked to go and where a highly emotional and upset Gabriel was very likely to go, and she headed for the trees just past the yard.
Dio cleared his throat quietly, hoping to get Ryder's attention. He hated always having to be the only to clarify what his brother had and was doing, but no one else either knew or ever seemed willing to talk about it. It hurt, but knowledge was better than ignorance in some cases.
Ryder raises an eyebrow at Dio. “What’s up bud? You know something?”
Gabriel flaps his wings, finally reaching the top of the highest tree he could see, and settling in its branches to heavily breathe. His breath is raspy and he chokes a few times, holding back tears.
Dio stepped around the counter so he wasn't behind them and sighed, nodding. "Yes. I know what happened to them. I know… pretty much everything relating to the elemental issue." He rubbed his eyebrow, avoiding Ryder's gaze. "The man behind all of this… he bought Kissa and Gabriel from the Kavi people to use in this experiments. Originally he wanted to work with the Kavi but they weren't interested so instead they decided to sell him a few so he could use them. He used them to create the air element, which is what Silver is. I believe that's why she has wings. She's based off of the Kavi." Dio glanced over at where Lackey had been, but his friend was either invisible or had left to hide somewhere. "He captured Lackey first. Lackey's a half blood–half Kavi, half human. He lived with the outcasts, the same as you, until Etienne caught him. When he realized Lackey wasn't pure and he couldn't use him, he contacted the Kavi council directly."
Silver entered the treeline just in time to hear a faint rustling in the leaves and see them being moved by the wind. She half climbed, half flew up to where the branches had swayed and looked around, searching for a Gabriel worthy perch.
Ryder squints. “Okay, but why hurt them? How did they hurt them?”
Gabriel spots Sil and turns around, although the can’t see him.
Im fine. You don’t need to be here.
"Etienne doesn't care who he hurts on his path of… getting what he wants. He takes pleasure in inflicting pain, especially if it results in behavior he wants." Dio nodded toward Lackey's abandoned perch. "He keeps Lackey's wings clipped so he can't fly just to remind Lack that he's in control. My brother has no empathy or sympathy at all." he crossed his arms and stared at the floor before continuing. "He had to experiment ways to transfer their powers to humans. Not just blood and tissue." he sighed. "And when he realized how attached Kissa and Gabriel were and how powerful she was, he used her to do jobs for him. She was his favorite agent for a long time. As long as he had Gabriel he had her. And to remind her of that he let Gabriel be tortured."
Silver climbed up onto a branch and edged over to the trunk, hopping up to one just higher, and perfect for sitting. She scanned it, squinting, knowing he was nearby.
Ryder swallows and he tightens his grip around Kissa. She closes her eyes, slightly understanding why Gabriel would want to be silent during a conversation like this.
“How long did this go on?” He quietly asks.
Gabriel sighs. “Sil, I’m fine.” He states.
"As far as I can tell, he had them for about… eight years." he flinched as he said it. "Eventually they sent Gabriel on missions too, keeping Kissa locked up. They only let one of them out at a time. Two years ago Gabriel was sent out to local a group of elementals they knew were in the area. He found Silver and she lead him to the rest of them. Silver was eventually captured but with the help of Gabriel and Kissa, all three of them broke out and rejoined Benjamin and the rest. They moved here and Etienne hasn't found them yet. But he is getting close." Dio let out a sigh, catching his breath. "I've been waiting for all of us to meet and learn to trust each other because we need everyone involved if we're going to keep outsmarting him."
–
Silver started and spun, crawling toward Gabriel's voice. She bumped into him and settled down on the branch next to him, finding his hand and weaving her fingers between his. "Can't I just spend time with you, no matter how you're feeling?" she asked softly.
Ryder stares, obviously angry and horrified. “You guys gonna bring this dude down? Is there any way I could be in on it?”
Gabriel lets his arm limply hang. He doesn’t answer and instead wipes his face with his other hand, a little embarrassed he had cried at all.
“I’m fine.” He quietly repeats, trying to convince himself more than her.
Dio nodded. "Yes. We plan to take care of him so he can't hurt anyone else. I needed to get Benjamin on my side before Etienne found him and before I tried to attack him again." He paused for half a second and glanced at Violet. "I believe Benjamin may be the only person who can take him down."
–
Silver reached up and found his face with her free hand, stroking his shorn hair. "Yes, you are." she whispered. "You are safe and surrounded by people who love you and will take care of you. You're okay, Gabriel."
Violet furrows her brow. “Any reason besides the obvious?”
Gabriel is cold as usual to the touch, and slightly turns his head away. He didn’t want her to touch his face and feel his damp cheeks.
He wasn’t fine.
He was hurt and he only just realized how far he’d fallen since being in Kavino with Ryder.
Dio lifted his hands. "Fight fire with fire. Unfortunately I've never been able to put Etienne out. You'd think water would the answer to fire, but even though Etienne and I are matched for power and strength and ability, we can barely hurt each other. He's burned me just a few times and I can only succeed to putting out his fire, not freezing or harming him." he shook his head regretfully. "I need Benjamin to do this. Etienne is susceptible to fire and Benjamin is powerful enough to give him a challenge. With all of us behind me to help and support him, I think we can do it."
–
Silver pressed a kiss to his cold, damp cheek, leaving her lips against his skin for several long moments. "It's okay to not be okay." she whispered to him. "You don't have to be strong all the time. Let us be strong for you."
Violet gives a slow nod, processing it for a second, already deciding she didn’t like the idea of Ben up against the worst of the worst.
“It… makes sense. I think he’ll like the idea, but I’ll be honest that I certainly don’t.” She looks back to Dio. “Though I suppose in times like these we don’t often have a choice.”
Gabriel clenches his jaw, refusing more tears.
No. I don’t want you to hurt.
Dio nodded consolingly. "Trust me, involving Benjamin and all of you are my last choice. I've been fighting against him for over a decade and gotten nowhere. The only thing I've succeeded with is helping elementals get away from him and stay hidden. It also doesn't help that so many of his highest targets all this in the same house. The best defense right now is offense."
–
"I love you." she breathed, mouth close to his ear. "You know that I love you no matter what." she settled her cheek on his shoulder, holding his hand tightly as if to keep him from running away again.
“I understand.” Violet claims softly. “I’ll talk to him about this all and see what I can do before you come again. He’ll be a lot easier to speak with after I’ve talked to him.”
Gabriel keeps his head turned away, as if to say he didn’t want the help. He didn’t want her to hurt or know his pain. He wanted her to be okay and didn’t believe she could be if she knew how he felt.
Dio smiled. "So I've learned. Please understand none of this will happen soon. We must be wise and plan our moves ahead of time. I don't want Benjamin to feel pressured into anything."
–
"Gabriel." she finally said, lifting her head and looking at the empty space beside her. "Talk to me, please. Or turn me invisible too. Please don't hide from me."
Violet gives him a gentle smile. “Of course. Trust me, I do my best to never stress him.”
Gabriel is silent, pressing his eyes closed and holding his breath.
Im okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.
Dio bowed to her again. "I shall actually take my leave now, unless you require anything else from me." he glanced around the high ceiling-ed room, searching for places Lackey might be hiding. "I do seem to have lost my Kavi though." he grimaced apologetically at Violet.
–
Silver groaned and dropped her head onto his shoulder again. "Baby, you don't have to talk or anything just please let me see you." she begged, voice low. "Please, Gabriel."
Violet chuckles lightly. “They’re easy to lose. But don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll find his way home.”
Gabriel sniffles and takes his hand from Sil, setting it in his lap. He didn’t really want her to see his red, splotchy face and his tears.
Dio nodded. "Yes, there is that." he took Violet's hand and kissed her fingers, adding just loud enough for her to ear, "He can't fly. If you see him please let me know." and with that he let himself out of the house and walked down to the corner of the street where his carriage was parked.
–
"Come here," she whispered, giving up on the idea of him actually interacting with her. She found his face and gently pulled his head down onto her own shoulder, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders to hold him in place. "Gabriel, you know it's okay to cry in front of me. I cry in front of everyone. It helps. Go ahead." she kissed his forehead.
Violet gives a small nod and sees him out. She turns to Ryder after Dio is out the door. “Where did Gabriel and Silver run off too?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Knowing Gabriel, probably a tree or sewer.”
Violet winces. “Hopefully a tree.”
Gabriel pulls himself back and stands above her, turning himself visible after he’s got his balance. His face is all red and splotchy and he looks angry and hurt.
“Happy?” He snaps in a low, scratchy voice.
Miki glanced up from her phone, having listened but stayed out of the whole who-has-the-biggest-powers conversations. "Wait, he goes in sewers too? Are there any sewers around here even?"
Silver jumped, gaping up at him. He's just in pain. He does this. He's not actually a stable person. I know this. She took a deep breath and swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. "Gabriel, I just want to help." she choked out. "I don't know exactly what you're feeling but I have enough of my own junk… I know I can't fix it." she whispered. "But I want to help. Please."