before you fly you fall

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

His hands dug themselves within his pockets, although his thumbs tended to play with the fringe of his over sized sweater that he had worn out that particular night. It was a nervous habit of his to play around with absolutely anything available to him, to get his attention off of anything else. That, and it was also a mix of the fact that he was almost always doing something because of his job working construction as well as working for the town of Caroline.

That particular night he decided to come out to the bonfires that happen just outside of town on the edge of the forest. Caroline's sad excuse of a beach was right off of the lake. Although it was a long walk, it was one that he took, seeing no other option since currently he couldn't afford to pay insurance on his car. He didn't mind completely. There were outer trails of Caroline that led up to these places, and it helped that the bonfire was big enough to be seen even at a decent distance.

The only thing that made Gabriel's skin crawl as he was exiting some of the woods and finding his way down to the fire was the knowledge that in those woods, not far off of one of the trails a murder had been committed some years ago. Gabriel was fairly young when it happened, but it had been news that surrounded Caroline for the longest time. Regardless of the age difference, Gabriel still felt like he knew the people it involved. This was also part of the reason that he always made his way out to the bonfire. Walking through that way was a reminder for him to respect the girl who had died.

Quiet a few people already surrounded the fire. Lots of them Gabriel recognized from walking around Caroline, although there were none in particular that he ever talked to, and if he had, it wasn't all that frequent. There were also a few figures out, closer to the lake, but Gabriel couldn't see their forms well enough to even be able to establish their identity.

It didn't worry him all too much that he was currently here alone. Part of the reason of coming to these bonfires was getting to know the people in the neighborhood. It helped that most of them were closer to his age rather than the middle-aged or elderly few that often complained about this event that seemed to happen throughout the summer.

Letting out a hopeful smile as he passed some of the people, as well as a timid wave, Gabriel found a place for him to sit in the sand a few feet back from the fire. He took in the heat, as well as the view of the trees as they blended into the sky where the stars seemed to shine brighter than he'd seen in a long time.

open. outfit. <3.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: 523 • notes: eeee outfit © anise.

it was one of her rare nights off that bradley decided to grace the bonfire scene. normally, she would be spending her night off at home, in her shabby one-bedroom apartment, cuddling up with elaine and watching the lion king (blu-ray - it was one of the few things bradley splurged on), but she'd needed a real break. not from parenting - she never regretted her decision to keep elaine, though she did wish sometimes that she had waited to make that move until she was older - but a real break from exhaustion. what better way to do that than to go to one of the bonfires that dotted the beach that night?

she'd been invited by her used-to-be-boyfriend-now-sort-of-friend mark. mark had been one of those temporary relationships that ended up toxic but had been cut off in a more efficient manner - awkwardly, their friendship remained in tact, so when he'd asked her to come to the bonfire and say hello, she hadn't said no. why would she? she'd take the chance to get out and be with people her age. again, not that she didn't love elaine; it was just sometimes that a mother got a little starved for the attention of someone other than a sticky, lovable, beautiful four-year-old.

that evening, bradley didn't spend too much time dressing up. jeans, a white t-shirt, and a colorful cardigan hugged her curves, along with white sandals that she carried most of the way along the beach. she kept her phone on vibrate just in case the babysitter needed something, though she didn't expect the girl would - amelie had been babysitting for her since she'd moved to caroline, basically, and was as close as elaine was going to get to a sister for now. as bradley trudged across the sands, white flip-flops in hand and phone hugged snugly against her hip, she took in a deep breath of ocean air and told herself to relax.

somewhere amid the hustle of the bonfire and the people laughing and chatting, bradley didn't see a single glimpse of mark - nor did she think she would. mark was like that. no, i really want to be friends - come to this bonire! and then oops, was that tonight? must've forgotten. bradley couldn't say she was too disappointed - she snagged a beer from the cooler, waving to some of the people to signal that she came in peace, and popped the tab. one beer would be fine to take the bus home; she wasn't planning on getting wasted or anything.

she didn't know any of these people, and none of them looked too friendly. the girls were clique-y; the boys didn't have much of an interest in her. there was one fellow, however, that was sitting sort of off to the side, and seemed a little more friendly than the rest. bradley made her way over, waving and giving a warm smile.

"hey," she greeted, almost tentatively and then foregoing all predetermined social requirements, sat down next to him without an invitation. "i'm bradley, and i don't know anyone here. nice to meet you."

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

The sounds of the different people conversing with their drunken slurs was lost to Gabriel. It was like the sun in the morning, something that had once been all he could see as he'd try to sleep, but eventually became the thing that was most pleasant to him to the point where he'd hardly recognized it's existence. Instead, he head the crackling in the fire as his eyes were too intent on the little flicks that came off of the top of the flame. By no means was he a pyro, entranced by fire specifically, but it was just one of those little things that he allowed himself to enjoy. That's how Gabriel functioned. He's always been about the little things.

Snapping out of the trance, Gabriel took notice of a lone wolf of the people. While other's seemed to be in disorganized huddles, it was still evident that they were comfortable in their positions and if they did more, they'd organize themselves together. This one person was different, didn't seem to have any real attachment to them. Gabriel remained looking at the flames, but still paid attention to the shadow against it. They weren't even a hopper, a person who would move around from group to group, it made him wonder some more.

As they reached Gabriel he slipped a polite smile her way, lifting the fingers of his one hand as a wave, “Hey.” Gabriel was internally laughing, feeling like he was almost greeting someone that he was already acquainted with even though he was certain that this was a face he wasn't all too familiar with like he seemed to be with most everyone else.

For a moment, Gabriel got a smug look, It's a little obvious you don't know anyone, he thought to himself. “It's nice to meet you as well, Bradley, i'm Gabriel,” he extended his hand slightly to her for a quick shake before he had a real response, “But i do seem to know almost everyone here, and trust me, you aren't missing out on a lot,” he laughed to himself, eyes quickly looking up to one man, Bryce, who Gabriel assumed was making an imitation of someone who walked like a monkey. It was either that, or he was reversing himself in his evolution stature.

“So if you don't know anyone, what brings you here?” Gabriel couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. He knew why he was here, and it really had nothing to do with the people.

open. outfit. yay gabriel has a friend.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: ### • notes: <3
outfit © anise.

truth be told, the fact that mark hadn't shown up left her a little nervous. had she just spent money on a babysitter when she could very well have just stayed home? it wasn't that bradley didn't want to make friends, no - it was just that usually she worked on the weekends, and she wasn't tonight, so that was less money she was making to support her daughter. money that she might have spent on a babysitter to come and meet up with a friend who hadn't even shown up in the first place.

ever since she ran away, her life had been a constant work of figures - which bradley hated, considering she had never done well in math before. these four years hadn't gien her much time to practice and had, instead, insisted that she simply know - and for that, bradley was grateful, because it had given her the exact shock therapy she'd needed. it was precisely that sort of pressure that made her into the more economically wise mother that she was today; but it didn't stop the fact that she was constantly worried about money.

regardless, she didn't want to waste the evening, and this boy seemed nice (if not lonely) enough.

"gabriel," she repeated thoughtfully, shaking his hand and offering him a smile. the boy named after an archangel, the brunette added absently into her head, but she didn't say it aloud. it was one of those afterthoughts that didn't often make it back into conversation. "oh, thank goodness. i wasn't sure if i was supposed to be disappointed i didn't know anyone or not!" bradley laughed, grinning and taking a drink of her beer, crinkling her nose. she didn't have much taste for beer; it always took one or two down before she actually started liking it - and she wasn't going to be drinking much more than the one in her hand.

at gabriel's question, she sighed a little and settled more comfortably in her seat, draping her arms over her knees and dropping her flip-flops into the sand.

"well, i was supposed to meet a friend here," bradley explained, her tone drying out as she took another swig of beer, "but i guess when he said 'yeah, i still want to be friends' he was pretty much lying." she shrugged her shoulders, rolling her eyes a little. "what about you? you said you know most of these people, but you're still sitting here instead of talking to them!"

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

Until that moment, Gabriel hadn't really taken note of the fact that the girl he now knew as Bradley had a bottle of beer on her. As she took a sip at it, he couldn't help but look at it a little amused. A face like hers wasn't one that he generally associated with any brand of beer. It wasn't a cruel judgement of his, but rather one that he'd subconsciously always had with girls he thought looked lovely. He was too used to seeing greasy, oiled men, sucking down beer after a long day of construction.

“Don't get me wrong, there are some nice people here that might be cool to get to know eventually, but,” he took a look at them, once again, “i don't think a conversation with them at this point of their lives will drastically change your life.” Gabriel was one to talk, as well. It's not like he'd suddenly say something that could change this girls life, make her rethink whatever stage of her life she was currently in. The most he was, as far as he could tell, was a conversation to pass the night.

As she settled her arms over her knees, Gabriel started to do the same. Oh boy. Maybe we have a real story, he thought to himself. It was rare that people ever answered with in full, but it was always so refreshing when people weren't scared to answer him.

At the words she seemed to quote of this so called “friend” Gabriel couldn't help but let out a little bit of a laugh. “How many guys ever want to 'stay friends'?” He couldn't help but reflect on his own past relationships. Okay. He had actually tried to remain friends with a lot of his ex's, mostly because he felt like they were almost always in a friendship state rather than in any romantic one. It only the big relationship that he refused to even remain in contact with. “But looks like you have an over dramatic, not-really-a-great-friend to begin with type person on your hands,” His fingers crossed into each other, locked over his knees.

“I waved at a few of them as i walked by!” his words were defensive, but he meant it in a joking matter over anything else. “Yeah, no,” he hesitated for a moment thinking up a response. Did he really have a reason for separating himself from these people? Not really. “They are more of acquaintances, you know? Someone i can wave to when i see them down the street but not necessarily someone i catch up with whenever i can,” In a town like Caroline, he didn't even really need to talk to these people. He'd hear them talking when he wasn't even talking to them. Over hearing conversations on the bus, listening to whatever gossip his co-workers were coming up with. He'd already know whatever they were going to say to him and he couldn't bring himself to fake a surprised face.

Smiling at his own thought, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Bradley as if he was giving her important advice, “Just wait till you get to know a few of them a little better, you'll see what i mean. Even just sitting in a restaurant here, wowy, you'll learn more about some John Doe than you would of having a face to face conversation with them.”

bradley. outfit. <33.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: ### • notes: cuties <3
outfit © anise.

beer was definitely bradley's alcohol of choice. why? it always seemed to be cheaper than the rest. yes, she hated the taste the majority of the time, but it was better than spending ridiculous amounts of money on the liquor she actually wanted - and she could only get that six dollar champagne when christmas time and new year's rolled around. she didn't consider herself an avid drinker anyways; she couldn't afford to be, not with a four year old depending on her.

bradley's aqua gaze cut across to gabriel once again, just in time to catch the amused flicker crossing his face. one of her dark brows went up and her own lips, carefully and lightly glossed for the evening's events, curled up in a curious, questioning smile. "what's so funny?" she asked, swiping a tongue across her lips to remove any dredges of alcohol. at his comment about 'life changing events', however, bradley snorted and took another swig of beer. "i don't think they could do much to change my life, either," she replied. a lamenting sigh escaped her lips. "i'm sort of stuck, you know? but i guess, so are a lot of people, and i've got good things going for me so i shouldn't complain." she shot gabe and easy grin and swished her drink around in the can.

"you're probably right about the over-dramatic part," bradley continued. her tone was pensive when she pressed on, saying, "mark wasn't ever really good at dealing with rejection anyway. i'd tell the guy i didn't like the roses he gave me or something and he'd go into a fit of self-wallowing. who does that anyway? what a girl." another derisive snort slipped from her, and absently she wondered, when did i become such a nasty bitch to guys?

hopefully, gabriel wouldn't mind. the man was already proving himself to be nicer company than most of the men she dealt with. then again, most of the men she dealt with were only trying to cop a feel.

"yeah, i get it," bradley answered, laughing a little into the rim of her beer can and looking over at him. she put the beer between her feet in the sand and rested her cheek on her knee so that she could look over at him, her smile much more relaxed. "oh, i don't think i'll be getting to know these people better. this is my first real day off since - well, i don't know. since i moved here, i guess!" she shrugged her shoulders; she wasn't complaining - she liked working all the time, because it meant money - but it was merely a suggestion that she didn't have enough free time to maintain the friendships that she would have liked to. "anyway, you seem to be nice enough of a conversational partner. wouldn't want to stretch myself too thin on the first go, you know?"

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

“Nothing!” Gabriel spouted into a bit of laughter, his arms up in a wave of defence. So she had seen the look that he had given her. It actually amused him more so because she had noticed it and had to ask. “Okay, maybe i hadn't expected you to be drinking beer, that's it,” He couldn't bring himself to actually lie to her about it, after all it was true. “I know, i know, i shouldn't make assumptions...” he rolled his eyes, with a sarcastic tone in his voice, but still was able to look back at her.

Lifting a questioning brow towards her, he remained silent, listening to whatever she would have to say. Slowly, another smile crept on his face as she ended her sentence. “Fair enough...” he started out rethinking everything thats he had just said. The first thing he thought of was what it is really like to be stuck, and then thought of being lost in a routine. He licked his lips before coming up with a real response, “Well, a lot of people can be stuck, lost inside of a routine, a routine that might actually seem to work for them, but that doesn't mean that even the good things can't be unhealthy.” Even as he spoke he couldn't help but think of himself, and the way he was around people, and in general. For the most part, Gabriel had been living the same life, same day to day tasks only allowing something new on the rarest of occasions, such as today. Although everything would seem fine since he was ultimately happy with himself, making enough money to survive, there was still no spark of passion.

Gabriel couldn't help but start laughing again, “Wow,” the words barely were able to form as he chuckled away. “That poor guy, he probably spent a whole five minutes asking some lady at the grocery store's flower corner for a bundle of roses,” Although his words could've been portrayed harshly, he was joking, which was evident from the continual laugh that he was having troubles coming down from. Actually, he did feel for the guy, but at the same time you have to just take things as they come.

“Ouch... how long have you been here then?” It was a fair question, especially for Gabriel since he had a way of knowing almost everyone in town in some way or another. If had seen Bradley before today, he was sure that he would've recognized her automatically.

As Gabriel looked out into the flickering fire again he sort of nodded with a strange smile on his face. “So kind of you,” he started laughing a little under his breath, shook his head and then got another look at Bradley, once again, “But really, i think i'm a terrible conversationalist, look at me, all alone from those people, what could i possibly have to say,” he winked at her for that moment. In the background he could actually hear a few people going on about a girl they were expecting to come out that night, apparently she would “blow their minds.” Some cousin of this guys friend who was staying out. Oh Caroline, how you never change, Gabriel thought to himself.

bradley. outfit. :3.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: ### • notes: cuties <3
outfit © anise.

bradley laughed at his reply to her question, the amusement clear in her gaze, even in the dark. "why not?" she teased, "because i'm not some fat, tired old man? beer is cheap - i'm just economically conscious." she grinned, her smile warm and a little cheeky. she she stretched out her legs, letting her feet sink further into the cool sand and closer to the warmth of the bonfire; behind her, the roar of the ocean was enough to soothe whatever tension she might have been feeling at being in a group of people that she was completely unfamiliar with. thanks again, mark.

although, things hadn't turned out so bad, considering that she'd met gabriel. and he was nice - at least so far. nice in a way that boys weren't usually nice to bradley. oh, she wasn't going to make assumptions yet - she needed to be careful around people in general, not just boys - but it was easy to talk to gabriel. it hadn't been this easy to talk to someone for a long time. four years, at least, bradley thought, taking an absent and unconscious sip of her beer again. the alcohol left a pleasant burn in her throat and a sour taste in her mouth.

she couldn't stop the surprise crossing her expression at his next words. "that's pretty deep for a bonfire conversation," bradley said lightly, trying to ignore the way that his words stuck a little truer than true in her heart. "but i suppose the ambiance is right, is it not? fire crackling, ocean air, cold sand and just enough alcohol." she didn't want to admit, not right away, that his words made more sense than they ought to have. that they applied so directly to her life that she almost wanted to say, have you been stalking me this entire time? because you basically just summed me up.

bradley laughed at the wink, settling back with her hands in the sand and surveying him. an almost wry smile came to her lips at his question. "me? i've been here for four years," she replied. "i haven't had much time for a social life, though. i work as many nights as i can, and parenting alone is usually a full time job." oops. was she supposed to keep her daughter a secret in the social circles of caroline? she must have forgotten her manners. clearing her throat, she pushed on, "where do you work? i don't think i've ever seen you at the club, so that's probably why we've never met before."

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

Lips pressed together, Gabriel made a loud “pfft” sound and pulled his lips apart into an teethy smile, “Well maybe, yeah!” the laugh continued on, “Really, you don't even have to be an old man, you just need to have a little bit a of a grunge voice and maybe i could let myself believe if some more.” It wasn't as if she wasn't the first girl that he'd seen drink beer before. He'd known lots of girls in his high school years that would too, but they seemed to always go to it after a bit of the harder stuff, or half a bottle of Malibu.

Three hard, “ha”s came out of his mouth at her response, his head tilted, i guess so, he thought to himself. “Everything is the ambiance really, i don't know what i'm talking about, i'm full of shit,” he started laughing at himself. He was joking. He had actually meant all the words that he had said, they were a reflection of his own life, not that he'd ever fully admit to that. “But you know, it's one of those classic moments that one should have as a teenager, all the laughs at the inside jokes around the fire, alcohol fuelling the joy, so perfect,” He painting the picture in his head, watching as all these other kids were having that same experience. It was the same sort of thing he'd want when he was younger, just add in the summer romance and everything would be as perfect as a July-released pop song.

“What?” Gabriel exclaimed, his hands were thrown up in the air. Four years? Is this girl actually serious, he couldn't help but think to himself. How had he not seen someone that had been living in a town like Caroline for the past four years? He was ruining his own reputation he had silently made for himself. His eyes were wide in amazement, listening in for anything that could possibly be sufficient enough as to how he hadn't even seen her walking out on the streets.

And then there it was. Parenting alone, the words rolled around in his mind for a moment. So that must've meant that she had a child of some sort, that would certainly take up a lot of her time. But he didn't say anything about it, rather preferred the idea of listening rather than mentioning anything that might've made her feel prodded at or uncomfortable.

“Me? Oh i work construction for the town of Caroline, all of those nice houses in the upper class that are half finished... those are by my hands... as well as at least twelve other guys working up the hill,” He spoke, but her words still made it's way into his head. Club. So that sort of gave him a good idea of where she was in general. “But that makes sense, i don't seem to find myself anywhere near the club scene either... i know, i'm a weirdo, working construction, but i've never been to any of the clubs?” He started laughing at himself. Yet, all he could really think about was the visit of this girl with a small child, “So where is the little one today?” He asked, though he hoped that it didn't seem like he was digging in too far of her personal life. After all they'd just met one another.

bradley. outfit. :3.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: 523 • notes: eeee outfit © anise.

for a while, bradley didn't ever bring up elaine in conversation, even with other girls. she was young; people automatically assumed the worse - that she'd gotten pregnant accidentally (which was accurate). people tended to look down on her for it, either way. if she did bring lainey up in conversation, it tended to be with people she was utterly comfortable with. the fact that the words had just come out, in the middle of a conversation with some boy that she'd only met about ten minutes ago, said something about gabe that bradley didn't quite have the nerve to translate.

bradley crinkled her nose in amusement. "i don't think i could do a grungy voice if i tried," she sighed, lamenting her inability to do so with a crooked smile on her lips. she herself had spent a lot of time doing social activities as a teenager - attending parties and the likes, backyard bonfires and barbecues. back when she had a status name, when her parents hadn't looked like she'd ruined their lives, back when she held the hand of the nicest boy in town and she'd been so proud of who she was.

that was a different bradley than she was now. that had been sixteen-year-old bradley, who dated the perfect boy until she screwed everything over. takes two to tango, bradley jane, her mother had said, in that soft tone that hurt more because it meant her mother loved her enough to be disappointed in what she - what they - had done.

"the last time i went to one of these was when i was eighteen," bradley admitted, "and in my hometown, we didn't really have inside jokes. the whole place was so small that everybody knew what every joke meant." she smiled fondly at the thought, settling more comfortably in the sand and fiddling with the cap on her beer can. healdsburg had been bradley's rome, and she its fulvia. but that rome had crumbled long ago, and now she was here - in caroline.

"a construction worker who doesn't go to clubs!?" bradley exclaimed, her tone teasing, her grin easy. "what kind of nonsense is this?" but she companionably bumped shoulders with him to show she was only playing. turning her gaze back to the fire, she hesitated when she heard his question - but she could tell that it was a question with only good intentions, despite her wariness. a softer, fonder smile played at her lips.

"she's at home, likely watching the lion king with the babysitter," she replied, and there was no denying that her tone became three shades warmer. "her name's elaine. she's four." bradley ducked her head a little, laughing wanly and shaking her head a little. "you seem really nice, gabriel, and i definitely did not want to admit that i was twenty-two and had a daughter the first time we had a conversation. i mean - wow, embarrassing, right? but she's an angel. likely the most beautiful child you'll ever see." she said this playfully, modestly, because she did think the world of her daughter - and then blushed a little at the implication of her last words. "i mean - not to say you have to meet her, or implying that i was planning on you meeting my daughter, just that - wow, you know, the fire is um, really big."

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

“See, that's my point though, because as far as i can tell at this moment i don't think you could either,” he looked at her serious, but still with a softness in his eyes.

Regardless of the fact that Gabriel could be networked through almost everyone in Caroline it didn't mean that he had an all access pass with the people that lived here. He was still in the lower class, and he was still just a young man working construction with a bunch of guys that didn't seem to appreciate their job half as much as Gabriel does. In the eyes of a lot of people he was a loser, a nice kid, but a boy that didn't circulate himself around the “cool” crowd to actually be in the inner circle. He'd never attend their little group events. The closest he got was a fire pit in one of his -now ex- girlfriends place, or maybe going to a concert of some sort, although he tended to go to those alone or with his guy-friends.

“Sounds nice,” Gabriel offered, observing the look on her face. The one side of his mouth turned up in a half-assed smile as she seemed to be reminiscing, “The good ol' days!” His head turned away as he spoke that, although he felt like his good days still had yet to come up for him. His good days were waiting for something extra special.

His mouth opened into a smile, “Right!” he said enthusiastically just as she bumped her shoulder to his. His eyes got wide again, something he seemed to do whenever he got excited, or exclaimed anything. He couldn't even blame it on alcohol, since he was completely sober and skipped out on what seemed to be the communal beer cooler.

Gabriel started nodding his head, Lion King suddenly on the mind, something he hadn't seen since the was probably twelve years old. But before he could really dive more into that thought he heard the name, and the age. It made him almost a little curious to know how old Bradley was, but not enough for him to even ask. Elaine, he spoke to himself as he was about to say That's a nice name but before he even opened his mouth to do that, he found that Bradley was continuing on.

Slowly, his mouth fell open listening to everything that Bradley was saying. It surprised him greatly that she was saying all of this. His eyes looked at her more sincere, and his eyebrows lowered as his head nodded just slightly. Talk about laying it all out, he thought as he assumed she might be to the end, but then she continued and he looked at her, wearing a sweet smile and his tongue licking the insides of his teeth. “Yeah, it is,” he chuckled to himself, looking at the ground and back at her.

“But uhh, don't worry about it, seriously, i imagine that she would be beautiful, i mean look at her mother!” It might've sounded like Gabriel was hitting on her if he was anyone else, but he was legitimately only saying it as a compliment. “But don't be embarrassed, really, or else i'd have to stand up and do something embarrassing to make you feel better and i just don't know if i have that humility inside of me tonight,” His lips twisted together as his mind dug through the things he could possibly do to make her feel better about it if he had to.

bradley. outfit. :3.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: 523 • notes: eeee outfit © anise.

bradley was grateful that gabriel didn't seem too put off by her bumbling. she hated that she embarrassed herself so easily - it had always been that way, too, where she would make one silly mistake and just keep on talking. her mother had always said it was one of her most endearing traits, but bradley couldn't imagine it being anything other than pathetic or annoying to other people. but gabriel handled it well - he smiled and teased her, and it was just enough to make her not feel so bad about her silliness.

"don't embarrass yourself! i'd feel terrible!" she exclaimed, laughing. her cheeks were warm from the compliment, though, and she fiddled with the tab on her can again, suddenly a little bashful. "i didn't mean - i mean, of course she kind of looks like me, but that wasn't a dig for a compliment," bradley explained, blushing a little at the idea that he might have thought she was fishing for a compliment. "i could probably sit around and brag about her all day, though, you know? she's a sweetheart." clearing her throat a little and looking back at the groups of people around the bonfire, she wondered briefly if she was missing out on a lot. gabriel had said she wasn't, but when was the last time she'd been part of a group like that?

with her smile returning and her nervousness quelled a little, bradley looked back at gabe and said, "it's kind of a shame, though. i'm so busy all the time i'm barely have the energy to make friends. this is probably my first night off in a long time." she paused. she got days off frequently, but most everybody she might have been friends with worked during the day - and she spent the majority of that time devoted to running errands and doing chores to make sure everything was comfortable. sometimes, it felt like she'd been running at hundreds of miles an hour ever since she moved to caroline. and why wouldn't it? she basically had been, carefully covering her tracks and working as much as possible to make sure she could pay rent and everything.

"i think you're probably my first friend i've made here," bradley admitted, "things have just been going so fast and busy since i moved here. four years later and i make my first friend! A+ for me, right?"

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

In actuality, Gabriel hadn't expected her to want to go out of his way to do anything to make her feel better. For one, they had just met one another, for another, he could already tell she wasn't digging to make someone feel bad about themselves just to feel better about herself. He still kept a warm expression on his face as reassurance, though.

Awe, he thought to himself, an almost sad look on his face at her response to his compliment. He'd almost expected a simple “thank you” or a “you're too kind” but the way she seemed to take it actually made him feel a little sad because it almost seemed like she wasn't used to getting any sort of comment like that. Thinking that, though, made Gabriel feel a little strange. All girls should have some reinforcement so they could believe that they were beautiful. “Don't worry about it,” his lips pouted a little but turned up into a sincere smile, “I definitely know you weren't.”

“That's good though,” Gabriel swallowed for a moment, but started nodding his head with a sudden look of seriousness in his eyes. “It shows how much you truly care,” Gabriel started thinking about his mother for a moment and how numb she turned after the death of her husband, and Gabriel's father. The only time she seemed completely in control of Gabriel again, wanting to care for him, was right afterwards when he had been tested to see if he carried the same mutation in his lungs that his father had. After that Gabriel hardly remembered speaking to his mother even though he had constantly worked for her, constantly tried to be there for her before he finally moved out and realized there was nothing more that he could do for a woman that was comatose.

Breaking away from those thoughts, Gabriel tried to wipe the serious expression off of his face, not really wanting to get into why he had said those few words that he had. He could focus on everything else, the positive aspects, like he always had instead. Just a snap in his mind. It's what he made himself believe was so easy that he could do it. “Well, i know it's hard, but you should still be allowed to take these days for yourself as well, it might make you happier, and i'm sure your daughter will notice that and it will, by extension, make her happier as well.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Gabrield started off, although there was a playful smile on his face, “Friends? We are friends now? I don't know, lady, this might be going way too fast,” he started laughing and then made a gesture with his hand to show he was just joking around. “Just kidding, but hey, at least now you can get a grad for effort.”

For a moment he allowed himself to think, maybe after this they could actually be friends, and see each other every once in a while. It would certainly be refreshing from the very few acquaintances that he kept around. “What you need are some friends that you can hang around while being at home, you know? Ones that don't mind that they are also sharing you with your daughter, now that's the ultimate friend,” he nodded to himself, reassured of his own comment.

bradley. outfit. now i want gabe to meet her daughter ><.

[bradley jane st. landry]

she said she can't believe genius only comes
along in storms of fabled foreign tongues •

tagged: gabriel • words: ### • notes: yes pls
outfit © anise.

to say she was relieved that gabriel knew she hadn't been digging for a comment was a bit of an understatement. after all, she didn't want him thinking she was that kind of girl. the one that couldn't stand to accept a simple compliment, the one that had to fish around for anything she could get. no, bradley had been that sort of vapid girl when she was much younger; that had quickly disappeared, however. there was no missing an opportunity to teach humility in the st. landry household, as a lady ought to behave. that sort of thing had been the most important value that bradley's mother had taught her - that reputation was something to be cherished and polished and kept in good condition.

"does it?" she asked, a little tentatively. there had been plenty of times in these past four years that bradley questioned whether it had been the right thing to do. she had no college education, no stable job when she'd run away and decided to keep elaine. she smiled a tiny, but sincere smile down into the sand, nudging the half-full beer can with her foot to hide her smile. ”i hope it does,” she added, glancing up and giving gabriel a warmer smile, one that seemed somehow less cynical and dry than the previous ones she’d been giving. ”because I do love her – a lot, and it’s nice to hear from someone else that they think I sound like a mother who cares.”

oh, she knew that caring did not necessarily make you a good mother. In her little town, Bradley’d had plenty of lower-class friends that had been raised by mothers who’d fallen too far into the drink, but not mothers who really cared less. They had just not been good mothers, and Bradley had always been grateful for the knowledge that her mother was stable and loved her dearly. She knew she’d been both of her parents’ worlds, and running had been far more difficult than she imagined people at home thought it had been for her. She was sure she had made it look like it wasn’t a big deal to leave behind everything she’d known. It hadn’t been, but it’d been a clean break – the kind that looked like she just came apart from her family and her life so easily.

”I might try and get more days off,” Bradley admitted, tentatively. ”but I need the hours I’ve got now.” She sighed a little, tracing the rim of her beer can with a slender finger as she mulled it over. Less hours meant more time with Elli, but how was she supposed to keep them living comfortably if she wasn’t working the way she was now?
She was broken out of her reverie by Gabe’s teasing words, her expression growing playfully indignant as she swatted his arm gently. When he’d settled from his teasing, giving her that easy grin, she felt far more comfortable than she had before. Watching him curiously, the brunette tilted her head and rested her cheek on her knee to get a better view, studying him.

”Are you one of those people?” Bradley asked curiously. ”Someone that doesn’t mind the fact that I have a four year old? I mean – feel free to say no, of course, but I haven’t made many friends here, so, I mean – well, you know. It’d be nice to be able to have one that’s okay with that sort of thing.” Blushing a little, she looked back down at the sand, having lost her appetite for her beer a long time ago. Nonetheless, she felt a certain sense of responsibility to finish it – so she brought it to her lips and reluctantly took another sip of it, crinkling her nose. ”And anyway, I’m sure she’d like you. She loves just about everyone she meets, the dear.”

[gabriel william munroe]

dreamer, child, be cautious of this world

“It does,” Gabriel added a simple reassured smile to her. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like to raise a child at younger age, when most people would be out, taking this moment in their life to be selfish and do whatever they wanted. She had to live a life of responsibility for another person. He didn't know if she was doing this on her own, or if there was another person, but regardless, a four year old was a lot of work.

Gabriel made a face of concern for a moment, mixed with one of contemplation, “Is there no other source of income other than yourself?” he hoped the question wasn't too prying, but seeing as that they were already sort of in a personal dig, he didn't think too hard about it.

Noticing the sudden change in Bradley's posture, Gabriel lifted an eyebrow watching her. One of those people... he thought to himself trying to think what sort of “people” he could possibly be. He clued in right away that it was a reference to his own comment, and smiled at the thought of it, because of course he was one of those people. It was a little difficult for him to imagine someone that wouldn't at least be okay with anyone having a child no matter what the age.

It was tempting to make some sort of joke of the matter, to jest around and say he wasn't at all, but he couldn't even bring himself to joke about that as he looked into her eyes. After all, he could sort of see this loneliness within her and sincerely would want to help her out. “Yeah, i guess i am one of those people,” he smiled sweetly, creating an image in his head what Bradley's little girl would look like, “Besides, some of the time i think i act like a four year old, so really, where would i be to judge?”

A strange smile crossed Gabriel's face as he watched her nose crinkle, it was cute, and he was able to acknowledge that and keep the moment in his mind for himself. “She loves just about anyone, you say, well it looks like i don't have to work too hard to please her then,” he shook his head and starting laughing to himself, “But seriously, she must be a great kid, seeing the good in everyone.” There needs to be more people like that in the world.

bradley. outfit. eeep