Even if Gabriel's aching head hadn't been a block to his being able to get the sense of the people around him, Ghastly's soul and body-language was speaking volumes. The prayer wasn't for him, exactly, but that didn't mean Gabriel didn't hear it. It didn't mean he couldn't tell what it was for, either. Ghastly's heartache was almost audible.
"That depends on who you ask," said Gabriel quietly, glancing toward the tailor as if in answer to his comment. "The Ancients are still today considered evil by most of the Church. It takes," he added obliquely, meeting Ghastly's eyes, "a good and steady heart to see past the thin veil of such presentations." And he inclined his head ever so faintly at Tanith, and smiled with approval at Ghastly.
Only for a moment. Ghastly would see it, because he was apparently paying special attention, but then Gabriel tried to glance over his shoulder at Skul to avoid anyone else catching on and winced.
"Look forward, idiot," Kenspeckle snapped. He sounded tired and tense, but wasn't nearly out of energy yet. (He may have been using the healing to avoid having to think too hard on what he was hearing. Time later to get the shakes and have a bottle.)
"Sorry." With a sheepish smile Gabriel turned forward again. Skul could hear him anyway, apparently. "He came into things with Adam and Eve," Gabe answered the detective, "but they weren't in Eden. Those stories were conflated. I told you that 'enough' of the Bible is true. Well, a lot of it is true and misrepresented at once. The bit about the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve's awareness--it's all allegory. They did exist. They were granted self-awareness. And they were rebuked for having it. But it wasn't my Master who did any of that; it was Lucifer."
He shook his head with disgust, pressing his lips together. "Lucifer always felt he knew better than our Lord how the universe ought to be run. I suppose he wanted the validation. So he found two primates whose evolution had progressed far enough and opened their eyes to his divinity, purely so that he could have someone to worship him. But they didn't live up to his expectations, so he just left them there, confused and frightened and without any guidance at all."
The Archangel's tone was clearly indignant on Adam and Eve's behalf, his jaw set, his shoulders a bit tensed. "When our Master found out what he'd done He ordered Lucifer to go down and explain things properly, to take care of them, but instead Lucifer told them it was all their fault for being imperfect. And that," he sighed, "that's when things really hit the fan."
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"That depends on who you ask," said Gabriel quietly, glancing toward the tailor as if in answer to his comment. "The Ancients are still today considered evil by most of the Church. It takes," he added obliquely, meeting Ghastly's eyes, "a good and steady heart to see past the thin veil of such presentations." And he inclined his head ever so faintly at Tanith, and smiled with approval at Ghastly.
Only for a moment. Ghastly would see it, because he was apparently paying special attention, but then Gabriel tried to glance over his shoulder at Skul to avoid anyone else catching on and winced.
"Look forward, idiot," Kenspeckle snapped. He sounded tired and tense, but wasn't nearly out of energy yet. (He may have been using the healing to avoid having to think too hard on what he was hearing. Time later to get the shakes and have a bottle.)
"Sorry." With a sheepish smile Gabriel turned forward again. Skul could hear him anyway, apparently. "He came into things with Adam and Eve," Gabe answered the detective, "but they weren't in Eden. Those stories were conflated. I told you that 'enough' of the Bible is true. Well, a lot of it is true and misrepresented at once. The bit about the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve's awareness--it's all allegory. They did exist. They were granted self-awareness. And they were rebuked for having it. But it wasn't my Master who did any of that; it was Lucifer."
He shook his head with disgust, pressing his lips together. "Lucifer always felt he knew better than our Lord how the universe ought to be run. I suppose he wanted the validation. So he found two primates whose evolution had progressed far enough and opened their eyes to his divinity, purely so that he could have someone to worship him. But they didn't live up to his expectations, so he just left them there, confused and frightened and without any guidance at all."
The Archangel's tone was clearly indignant on Adam and Eve's behalf, his jaw set, his shoulders a bit tensed. "When our Master found out what he'd done He ordered Lucifer to go down and explain things properly, to take care of them, but instead Lucifer told them it was all their fault for being imperfect. And that," he sighed, "that's when things really hit the fan."