𝙿𝙴𝙽𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙸𝙽𝙱𝙾𝚇 ;

[dadyl]

𝚃𝙴𝚇𝚃. / 𝚅𝙾𝙸𝙲𝙴. / 𝚅𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙾. / 𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽.

Comments

[minuteofangle]

[ It takes him a while to sleep off the hangover - or what he's been calling the hangover - and whatever else was done after he got yanked. All the memories shivering through him, stacked on top of each other. He was an accountant. He had siblings who didn't hate his guts. And he and Daryl -

Gabe's been trying his best not to think about that, actually. But life goes on.

He's wearing his armor when he knocks on Daryl's door, the rifle slung over his shoulder. ]

Daryl! You in?

[dadyl]

[ Daryl has been trying to refit and stock up his own hotel room now that he and Carol need to stay there again, which is made somewhat easier by the apparent disappearance of Henry. Most of the furniture is gone but Daryl had fortunately never needed much to be comfortable. He just wishes that the heating was more consistent. There's no starting a good fire inside.

So he's actually in his room when Gabe knocks and Daryl tries not to let himself feel surprised to hear him. When he opens the door his heart jumps into his throat and he eyes that armour, on-edge and concerned all at once. ]

Yeah, what? Somethin' up?

[ He still can't seem to find his crossbow but at least he has his and Gabe's knives back. ]

[minuteofangle]

Wanted to scout the hotel. Figure out how fucked things really are.

[ Gabe tips his head to the side, listening intently. ]

You wanna come?

[dadyl]

[ He considers the armour, the rifle. Gabe's ready regardless and Daryl tries not to be jealous that he has his weapon back. He's missing his crossbow sorely. ]

Yeah, alright.

[ He's only made a quick tour of it himself and he certainly doesn't want Gabe doing it alone. He doesn't trust their rooms to be safe, not exactly, but they're certainly better than risking the halls alone. He's already wearing the knives so he doesn't need to grab anything before joining Gabe out in the hallway and closing the door. ]

They broke up most of our shit for the fires too, seems like. Could use food, more'n anythin' else.

[minuteofangle]

[ Good, Gabe thinks silently. He didn't want to do this alone. But admitting that doesn't sit right with him, either. That almost neediness. He knows better than to lean too heavily on other people. It's his job to look after them, not the other way around. ]

Got some stashed if you need it. We should get more.

[ He rolls his shoulders, then leads the way down the hall. Into the hotel proper. ]

Apparently the snow's fucked up. Heard people talking. You know what that's about?

[ He tried to scan it but nothing pinged. Unfortunately, his tech can't pick up color - or the fact the snow is the color of dark blood. ]

[dadyl]

[ He doesn't like the idea of cutting into Gabe's stash of food but maybe he won't need to if they find what they're looking for today. He lets Gabe lead them and Daryl is very glad the incubi and succubi don't seem to be thronging in this part of the hotel today. ]

Fucked up? Yeah, it's red like it was in the 'burbs while we were there. It's disgustin'. Looks like fallin' blood.

[ And for some reason, just as cold as snow has ever been. Go figure. ]

You used to this sorta weather? Winter, I mean?

[minuteofangle]

Like blood, really? That's definitely on brand.

[ Gabe snorts at that. What else can you do but laugh, really? ]

More or less. Place I was born had fucking brutal winters, man. Never liked them, though. And I don't have good gear.

[dadyl]

I lived in Georgia nearly my whole life. No winters like this there. But when we all moved north to the walled town we settled in, we get 'em.

[ Daryl definitely doesn't care for winter but it's just one more extreme for him to survive, in the end. Here, it's just more confusion on top of the usual amount. ]

You sew? You can make a good poncho pretty easy, there are plenty of blankets around. Keeps you warmer an' drier, anyway.

[minuteofangle]

[ Georgia doesn’t mean anything to Gabe, but he nods anyway. A place on Earth, he figures. Probably long gone in Gabe’s time, if it ever existed in the first place. He’s got a thousand questions about timelines and alternative universes that he’s unlikely to ever answer. ]

Yeah? I can sew a little, but Ignacio’s better. I’ll ask him.

Help if we could get some warmer boots, too.

[dadyl]

[ Daryl just nods to himself and makes an affirmative sound, glad that Gabe has someone else that he can rely on for help like that. Daryl hasn't had to do any repairs on his clothing here so he doesn't have a full kit and the modified blanket he's wearing is rough around the edges. ]

Good. We could wrap 'em in the meantime.

[ Daryl is used to it but if it would make Gabe more comfortable, he'd do it too. ]

So what happened to this place? When we all... [ He pauses, trying to think of how best to ask his questions. ] You weren't with us at first in there. I remember that. What was happenin' out here?

[minuteofangle]

Mhmm.

[ It's been a while since he's had to whip out his survival training, Gabe thinks idly. He can hack it in most climates if he has to, but the cold's never been his friend.

He shrugs. ]

Weird shit. Nobody knew what was happening at first, just that there was a barrier up. Old magic, the demons were saying.

[ Exactly what that means, Gabe doesn't know. What counts as old, to a demon? ]

The cultists were hanging around. Singing Barbas's praises to anyone who'd listen.

[dadyl]

[ Daryl certainly doesn't understand any implications of 'old' magic since magic itself is beyond him, but the name Barbas certainly rings a damn bell. His expression darkens considerably and yeah, he remembers those cultists, too. ]

Goddamn it. The same ones that fucked with Carol?

[ He hasn't been back anywhere near the barrier but now he's wondering what there is to be seen there. And how great the risk of getting pulled back in is. ]

They can't keep gettin' away with this shit. I swear...

[ But even while he's fuming he holds the door to the outside open for Gabe. ]

Snow's stopped for now, at least.

[minuteofangle]

Pretty sure, yeah.

[ Goddamn cults. He had enough of their bullshit back home. Here, it's a whole other game. Higher, and worse, stakes.

He steps outside with a nod, pulling his hood up. ]

Small favors. Thanks for coming.

[dadyl]

[ Daryl has only ever been focused on keeping those he cares about here safe, or as safe as can be managed in Hell, all while figuring out a way to get home. For the very first time, he's starting to feel as though there might be things that need addressing here before anything else can be achieved. ]

'Course. [ What else does he have to do? ] Here, I have somethin' for you.

[ Daryl stops in the snow and takes the two knives he's been keeping for Gabe off of his belt and offers them to him by the handles. One is Gabe's old one, the other the same one Daryl had given him the first time they'd swapped. ]

You lost 'em after Carol knocked you out.

[ Same as the rifle, but he's glad Gabe has that back already. ]

[minuteofangle]

[ His tech's working just fine and Gabe cocks his head, recognizing the shapes in Daryl's hands before he reaches for them.

For a moment, Gabe thinks it's just a set of blades. Practical, nothing to sneeze at. But then he trails his fingers over the surface, remembering the shape of the grips and the weight of them. One, exceedingly familiar. The second -

His knives, Gabe realizes suddenly. The one he's been carrying for a long time now, and the one that Daryl gave him. Good as a promise, that.

He swallows hard, then tucks them away. ]

Was wondering where they got to.

[ It hit him harder than he expected, having them back. ]

You still have the one I gave you?

[dadyl]

[ He can read in Gabe's body that he appreciates the gesture and Daryl lets himself smile just a little. He's glad he remembered that Carol had taken them off of Gabe and tucked them away somewhere, and while he has no idea where his crossbow went (obviously impractical for a family man in a suburb), Hell had obviously seen fit to let him keep his own knives for his torture day job. He'd come straight out of Hellburbia with them while on the clock. ]

Yeah. I still got it.

[ He doesn't want to explain why since forgetting the whole thing seems to be the goal, so on a whim, Daryl just takes Gabe's hand and brings it to his left hip where the knife he'd been gifted is sheathed. ]

Promise.

[ Even if so much else is unstable the gesture still feels solid. ]

No idea where my bow is, though.

[minuteofangle]

[ It's a small gesture. Telegraphed, so it shouldn't be a surprise. But it is. Gabe goes very still as Daryl guides his hand, barely breathing. But the proof is in what you can touch and he knows the shape of that blade. The texture of the hilt as he taps his fingers against it, smoothing his thumb along the edge of the sheath.

Daryl kept it. Or maybe lost it and found it again.

Gabe exhales. He lingers for a moment, tapping his thumb against the knife. Letting the meaning of it settle in him. ]

You think it's back in the house?

[dadyl]

[ A tiny part of Daryl's brain still nags at him that he's stupid for opening himself up completely, that all it would take would be for Gabe to grab that very knife and plunge it into him, but as usual he ignores the paranoia and as usual nothing happens. He hates that armour, it's true, but he's growing more and more used to seeing him in it.

Daryl finally just shrugs in a big, exaggerated way and shakes his head. ]

Must be. That's where I was, when... y'know. I got caught up in whatever it was. Maybe Carol packed it away somewhere.

[ Or the housewifey Carol he'd been married to had done it. So it's completely out of reach or completely missing. ]

I hate not havin' it. [ Though it's not like he needs to tell Gabe that. ]

[minuteofangle]

[ Gabe flicks his thumb against the hilt of the knife one last time, then takes his hand back. It helps, he thinks. To know he hasn't lost this. Not just the knife, but what it meant in the moment. What it might mean again. ]

We'll get it back.

[ Somehow. ]

Can you use a compound bow? Think the archery range had some, if it's still standing.

[dadyl]

[ Daryl could swear it's almost sexual, the way Gabe handles the knife at his belt, but he kicks himself for thinking it and just nods. The damn thing will turn up sooner or later, it can't have gone far. He's managed to get it back under similarly impossible circumstances in the past. ]

Not well. That's way more Carol's thing. She's deadly with one.

[ It feels good to remember her properly and quickly, for his mind to stop reaching for the most react, false memories every single time he thinks of the two of them. ]

I never really had to get the hang of it, considerin'.

[minuteofangle]

[ Gabe files that information away. He figured that Carol would be good with a distance weapon. She's smart and quick, but she doesn't move like a close-in expert. Not like Jackie did, not like Missy does.

Didn't stop her from killing him that one time, though. You don't need to be an expert to stab someone. All you need is some good timing, and the willingness to punch the blade in.

He hums to himself. ]

Guess you wouldn't need to. That friend of yours who made the rifle - crossbow's simpler, right? Any chance he could make one for you?

[dadyl]

[ Daryl hadn't even thought of Tech, but he supposes that maybe if he goes long enough without it, that might be something he could ask of the guy. ]

Guess I could ask him. Don't really have anythin' to trade for it, though.

[ It hadn't exactly been on the goodwill of Tech the last time, either. Daryl had fed him and watched out for him when they'd been stranded on Cult Island and the guy had owed him. So Daryl had collected. ]

I can throw these pretty well, in the meantime.

[minuteofangle]

[ Gabe nods slowly. If this goes on much longer, it might be worth making the trade. They need to be sharp, ready to react. They’ve in this together, him, Daryl, Carol, and Nacho. They need to be armed. ]

What kinda stuff does he want in trade?

[ He pauses. ]

I’ve got more knives, if you need them.

[dadyl]

I don't know. Just sorta lucked out the last time, he was talkin' 'bout the things he could make on the island, so I fed him. Then called in the favour when we got back.

[ He would have fed Tech and started his fires for him regardless but it hadn't exactly been accidental, the way it had worked out. Daryl is practical and opportunistic, but all that is contained in his protective instincts.

He shoots Gabe a little smile at the offer, both relieved and disappointed that the other man can't see it. So he touches him once on the back, gentle and lingering. ]

Thanks. Don't think he's a knife-user, but I'll ask him what sorta shit he's after now. Maybe we can find somethin'. An' he'll need the materials.

[minuteofangle]

Meant more for you. But if he needs something, materials or whatever, I’ll help you look.

[ Strength in numbers and all that.

He smiles a little at the touch. He doesn’t shrug away from it. ]

Missy, the boss, she’s a goddamn monster with a blade. Always has at least six on her. All different kinds, too.

[ God, he misses her. Jackie used knives too, but not like Missy and Gabe doesn’t want to think about that asshole anyway. ]