If there was a way to make an innocent phrase sound any more ominous, Skulduggery had yet to find it.
This was going to cause problems. This was going to cause a whole lot of problems. This was already causing problems. But Skulduggery couldn't think about any of that right now; he shoved the associated thought processes to the back of his mind, in the hopes that his subconscious would continue to work on possible solutions and present them right when they were needed. It was a tactic that had worked well in the past.
Still, Skulduggery was... jealous? No, not exactly. Not of the obvious love Gabriel was displaying, or of the way Gabe's family truly risked Heaven and Earth for each other. If anything, Skulduggery was jealous of how long and grueling and straining the life of an Archangel was - and that even despite all that, despite the current fear and desperate situation and possibility of failure, Gabriel was still strongly hopeful and full of love and care for a man he'd known all of half an hour.
Skulduggery used to think that sort of thing made the Archangel naive. Now, the sight of it filled him with respect.
It was by no means completely painless for Finbar. More than once his entire body had bucked and writhed, vibrations traveling out from where Gabe's forehead rested against his, and Skulduggery despised feeling useless. It wasn't something he was used to - though the Institute had very quickly forced him to be - and it left a sour taste in his temporary mouth. His whole body trembled throughout the ordeal like it was on the edge of a pin, and he'd almost surged forward when Finbar let out a soft scream, stopped only by Gabriel's return to awareness.
Skulduggery should be trusting him to have everyone's best interests at heart, trusting him absolutely, but he knew all too well how clouded someone's judgment could get when family became involved. Archangels, from what little Skulduggery had seen, were no different from anyone else in that regard. He caught and held Gabe's gaze this time, ignoring how insignificant the look was making him feel.
"They were lost," he repeated. Raphael and... and Merlin. That name, once again, gave him pause. "We come to visit Finbar, and he just happens to have a vision right in front of you. A vision that you can use to save them. Does that strike you as a coincidence?"
Someone powerful was pulling the strings. That much, Skulduggery knew he could handle. Most insidious plots to end the world nowadays were being orchestrated by someone powerful, and it was always a bit of a dance trying to get to them. But Skulduggery always did, and he always dealt with them accordingly.
He didn't know what to do this time. He barely knew what to think. The only person in existence with the knowledge and power to orchestrate a coincidence like that was... well. Someone that 'a bit of a dance' wasn't going to do a whole lot to.
no subject
This was going to cause problems. This was going to cause a whole lot of problems. This was already causing problems. But Skulduggery couldn't think about any of that right now; he shoved the associated thought processes to the back of his mind, in the hopes that his subconscious would continue to work on possible solutions and present them right when they were needed. It was a tactic that had worked well in the past.
Still, Skulduggery was... jealous? No, not exactly. Not of the obvious love Gabriel was displaying, or of the way Gabe's family truly risked Heaven and Earth for each other. If anything, Skulduggery was jealous of how long and grueling and straining the life of an Archangel was - and that even despite all that, despite the current fear and desperate situation and possibility of failure, Gabriel was still strongly hopeful and full of love and care for a man he'd known all of half an hour.
Skulduggery used to think that sort of thing made the Archangel naive. Now, the sight of it filled him with respect.
It was by no means completely painless for Finbar. More than once his entire body had bucked and writhed, vibrations traveling out from where Gabe's forehead rested against his, and Skulduggery despised feeling useless. It wasn't something he was used to - though the Institute had very quickly forced him to be - and it left a sour taste in his temporary mouth. His whole body trembled throughout the ordeal like it was on the edge of a pin, and he'd almost surged forward when Finbar let out a soft scream, stopped only by Gabriel's return to awareness.
Skulduggery should be trusting him to have everyone's best interests at heart, trusting him absolutely, but he knew all too well how clouded someone's judgment could get when family became involved. Archangels, from what little Skulduggery had seen, were no different from anyone else in that regard. He caught and held Gabe's gaze this time, ignoring how insignificant the look was making him feel.
"They were lost," he repeated. Raphael and... and Merlin. That name, once again, gave him pause. "We come to visit Finbar, and he just happens to have a vision right in front of you. A vision that you can use to save them. Does that strike you as a coincidence?"
Someone powerful was pulling the strings. That much, Skulduggery knew he could handle. Most insidious plots to end the world nowadays were being orchestrated by someone powerful, and it was always a bit of a dance trying to get to them. But Skulduggery always did, and he always dealt with them accordingly.
He didn't know what to do this time. He barely knew what to think. The only person in existence with the knowledge and power to orchestrate a coincidence like that was... well. Someone that 'a bit of a dance' wasn't going to do a whole lot to.