gabriel_tam | (no subject)

(no subject)

The room is fairly nice, all things considered. There are several chairs, a porta-cot set up discreetly against one wall for visitors that for one reason or another are reluctant to leave, and it's clear that whoever designed this particular private room in the first place intended to make it seem as warm and welcoming as possible.

Of course, given that it's a hospital, there's really only so much that can be done.

Currently, the hospital bed is tilted upwards at an angle, with the evident intention of making the patient comfortable. It seems to be working, at least a little, because Gabriel Tam is asleep.

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By the time Yuna finishes speaking, Gabriel's rubbing absently at his chest again.

He starts to answer, but cuts off his own words as the door opens-- or starts to. Simon's there, quickly, and slips out into the hallway to discuss matters with the nurse who's just tried to come in.

Gabriel waits until the door shuts before saying,

"An angel-- it's complicated, yes. I suppose -- think of them as beings of power. Servants of God."

"--wait. I have heard of angels (http://community.livejournal.com/milliways_bar/15439341.html?thread=631977453)," she says slowly, striving to remember what Suzi Darley told her. "Someone told me about them, long ago."

I just know that they're the most comforting things in the bar, and they're all really, really sweet.

"But why would an angel do this to you? How could one? The poison--"

Her hands clench in her long sleeves. She doesn't know enough about this; she doesn't have the toolkit. But she's stubborn, and she can't walk away now. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Sense enough."

Wearily said. Gabriel's growing more tired by the moment.

"This one-- he's a creature of judgment. We've met before."

"I don't understand. I don't understand a lot of this."

Yuna overinvests herself in people. She doesn't know this man very well at all. But she knows that he's a leader of his people--one chosen by them themselves, no less--and that he nearly spent the last of his life in front of her, and that when he came through that door he was surrounded by people who loved him, every one of whom was ready to protect him to their last breath, who would've given all they could to save him.

She doesn't know him, but she knows his son, and she saw his son fight to save him. And Yuna invests in people, when they set off the right triggers.

"There's judgment--" she says, and the light fixture flickers, "and there's judgment. Not all vengeance is holy."

"This taint--the taint of Sin--I saw it when brave men and women laid down their lives, in defiance of all the teachings, to protect their families and their world from senseless death and destruction. Maybe they chose the wrong time, the wrong weapons. But they didn't deserve to die, burned and poisoned and confused. They deserved to live."

Her voice drops to nearly a whisper: "You deserve to live. I know you do."

Not all vengeance is holy.

Gabriel closes his eyes, thinking of the Miranda broadwave.

We meant it for the best. To make people safer.

His voice is hoarse, and a little weaker, but still clear.

"I've tried-- I swear I never intended -- I don't know. I just don't know, any more."

"You're not well," she says, gently. "Will you let me try to help you? Not the cuts, because you're right, you need them. And not your lungs, because the damage is done."

"Can I try to heal the taint it left?"

There's a long silence, and then:

"My son brought you here."

Gabriel opens his eyes and looks at Yuna.

"He trusts you. And so I will, too."

She smiles; it's an old one, on a young face.

He's Simon's father, and she likes Simon, and trusts him. But more than that, he's suffering, and she has her duty.

She views him through the staff again, and then nods; casts Esuna. A prism-shape around him flashes with red and blue light, fire and ice weaving together to purify and flush out any abnormalities.

She views him again, and shakes her head, then casts again, sweeping her staff more forcefully through the air. But that's not the way.

She's not going to back down. It's amazing how easy it is to reach out to Ixion's dream, Ixion's raging thunderous heart, here in a building (a world!) of machina. She offers a silent prayer of thanks for Moiraine and Lucy as she focuses that crackling intensity not on summoning the unicorn but on the spell.

And then her prayer is not silent, as she calls out to the Creator as she understands it, in the way she was first taught to cast Esuna:

"Light shine strong--woe be gone!"

The fire flashes around him, but it does not consume anything but what it was called for, what taints and chokes with despair and slow spiritual poison. It flashes out, and then is drawn away in cool and soothing ice.

At first he struggles against it, coughing and wincing in agony -- he can't help but do so, as the rush of heat-cold-heat pours through him, over him, reminding him horribly of drowning and choking on his own blood while he burned from the inside out.

But as she tries again, and again, finally crying aloud, Gabriel feels some deep shadow within him dissipate, pulled up and out and away.

His face still hurts, as does his body; he still can't take a single truly deep breath-- but despite that, he feels lighter, somehow.

Gabriel Tam stares at her, in shock that turns to slowly-dawning wonder.

She smiles faintly. "Is it better?"

"It... is."

He can't bow formally, but he makes a small motion in that direction all the same, ignoring any pain that it causes.

"Xièxie nĭ."

On those words the door opens again, just enough for Simon to slip back into the room and close it behind him.

He looks from his father to Yuna -- "Did you ...?" -- and back again.

She can feel exhaustion tugging on her skirt-hems, now that the moment is past, and she subtly lets more of her weight hang on the staff.

That's one of the things a staff is good for, after all.

She nods to him. "It should be all right, now. You still have the remedy I gave you?" she adds, half a question.

To Gabriel: "If you feel that, darkness returning, I think you should have some of it."

It's all but gone out of his head, but --

"I still have it, yes. It's back on the ship."

To his father: "I'll bring it, next time I come."

"All right."

Gabriel settles wearily back against the pillows, giving Yuna a thoughtful glance.

"I'd like to talk with you again sometime, miss. Perhaps back at Milliways? I'm sure the trip here must be inconvenient for you, to say the least."

"It wasn't that difficult," she says; the smile comes easily. "Simon just brought me. But--I'd like that, yes. When you're feeling better."

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