There was very little that Corrival missed. The way Gabe stumbled was something he didn't. So was the fact that Skulduggery was already there, silently offering his arm. And so was the fact that Gabe didn't even glance up, wasn't even surprised; he'd known, or expected, the detective to be there, had trusted to it.
That lingering fantastical suspicion brewed.
Corrival glanced around the living-room, already shucking off his coat and leaving it on the rack near the door, unbuttoning his sleeves, getting comfortable. He didn't sit. "Low, Renn, Cain," he said quite calmly as he moved around, "if you don't mind, this is a conversation we need to have privately. If the three of you could occupy yourselves, I'd appreciate it. As for you--" He glanced up long enough for Gabe to know it was him Corrival was talking to. "--I'm not wrong to in assuming you're going to insist on being here no matter what, I imagine?"
"No," Gabe agreed, using Skulduggery as a leaning-post as he moved toward a sofa and sat without taking his eyes off Corrival, leaving room for Skulduggery to sit beside him. "You're not wrong." Then he glanced toward the other three, lips quirking with a joke Corrival hadn't been privy to. "I don't suppose you could see if China built a swimming-pool into this place?"
Corrival nodded shortly and leaned back against an armoire, arms crossed. There was a little circle of chairs and sofas, with a table in the middle, but it wasn't big enough to use as a leaning post. Luckily, they were near the wall.
He waited until the three had left, until the others had gotten comfortable. It was partly for their benefit, partly for his. Action kept the adrenaline at bay, but he needed thought for now. Not necessarily tact, but he needed to be careful. They may well be there was a while. No reason to be uncomfortable. Anton, the only one of them who didn't know, had his gaze trained on Corrival, but he said nothing; he was curious, but that was overtaken by the awareness that this was important.
When, finally, they were all seated and looking toward him Corrival said and did nothing for a few long moments. He was staring at Gabriel, lost in thoughts not quite coming to the forefront. Wondering if Gabriel was what he said he was. If God was real. Why, if they were, an angel would treat Skulduggery with such affection.
Oddly enough, Corrival knew the answer to the last question. It was the same reason he still did: because Skulduggery Pleasant was a good man, and was worth the effort. So he supposed it didn't really matter if God existed or not. Or at least it was just as well that it seemed like he approved of Skulduggery's attempt at redemption, because if God considered Skulduggery not a good man, Corrival would have had to have words with him.
Finally the former general didn't stir so much as ... shift, mentally, in such a way that his focus drew back together and a greater energy came about him. He looked to Skulduggery. "From what I hear, you didn't get a choice about whether to say this to Ghastly and the others," he said, "and you didn't get a choice about whether to say it to me. So I'm giving you that choice now. You can tell Anton or I can. Either way, he won't leave this room ignorant."
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That lingering fantastical suspicion brewed.
Corrival glanced around the living-room, already shucking off his coat and leaving it on the rack near the door, unbuttoning his sleeves, getting comfortable. He didn't sit. "Low, Renn, Cain," he said quite calmly as he moved around, "if you don't mind, this is a conversation we need to have privately. If the three of you could occupy yourselves, I'd appreciate it. As for you--" He glanced up long enough for Gabe to know it was him Corrival was talking to. "--I'm not wrong to in assuming you're going to insist on being here no matter what, I imagine?"
"No," Gabe agreed, using Skulduggery as a leaning-post as he moved toward a sofa and sat without taking his eyes off Corrival, leaving room for Skulduggery to sit beside him. "You're not wrong." Then he glanced toward the other three, lips quirking with a joke Corrival hadn't been privy to. "I don't suppose you could see if China built a swimming-pool into this place?"
Corrival nodded shortly and leaned back against an armoire, arms crossed. There was a little circle of chairs and sofas, with a table in the middle, but it wasn't big enough to use as a leaning post. Luckily, they were near the wall.
He waited until the three had left, until the others had gotten comfortable. It was partly for their benefit, partly for his. Action kept the adrenaline at bay, but he needed thought for now. Not necessarily tact, but he needed to be careful. They may well be there was a while. No reason to be uncomfortable. Anton, the only one of them who didn't know, had his gaze trained on Corrival, but he said nothing; he was curious, but that was overtaken by the awareness that this was important.
When, finally, they were all seated and looking toward him Corrival said and did nothing for a few long moments. He was staring at Gabriel, lost in thoughts not quite coming to the forefront. Wondering if Gabriel was what he said he was. If God was real. Why, if they were, an angel would treat Skulduggery with such affection.
Oddly enough, Corrival knew the answer to the last question. It was the same reason he still did: because Skulduggery Pleasant was a good man, and was worth the effort. So he supposed it didn't really matter if God existed or not. Or at least it was just as well that it seemed like he approved of Skulduggery's attempt at redemption, because if God considered Skulduggery not a good man, Corrival would have had to have words with him.
Finally the former general didn't stir so much as ... shift, mentally, in such a way that his focus drew back together and a greater energy came about him. He looked to Skulduggery. "From what I hear, you didn't get a choice about whether to say this to Ghastly and the others," he said, "and you didn't get a choice about whether to say it to me. So I'm giving you that choice now. You can tell Anton or I can. Either way, he won't leave this room ignorant."