lt_safe_house | (no subject)

Current Location: Park of the Manor

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(no subject)

Date: May 6th, night to 7th
Place: Outside
Status: Public
Summary: Dustfinger comes back.

Dustfinger started to wonder if the money he had taken from Arty had been cursed. Oh but he should have been more careful when talk had started of magic. Instead he stupidly took the large amount and went away...

...and for the third time now he was walking this way again.

He shook the head. What did money help him if he could not get away from here when he had it? He hoped if he returned it to Arty he would lift the spell. Otherwise he would never get home. Never.

Now it was too late to ring the bell and he still did not think they would likely let him inside very gladly. He did not need to go inside either. Like Gwin he could just sleep outside when it wasn't raining.

The sun would wake him up surely. Then he could ask for Arty and give back the money. For now, he laid down near to the building were he would stay dryer even if it started to rain at night, rolled up and tried to sleep.

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"It's alright," Gabriel said soothingly, taking the book and holding it gently. "I promise to be careful with it."

With one hand supporting the spine, he carefully opened the book at a random page, and his eyes widened as he took in the illustration. He looked from the real Dustfinger and Gwin to the small, black-and-white Dustfinger and Gwin in the book. "That's you, isn't it?"

Dustfinger wanted to grab the book and tear it out of Gabriels hands but he restrained himsef. Every moment that the book was in the hands of someone else increased his fear that he would not get it back.

He nodded. "That's me, yes." He said. "It's my book. I die in the end, but I want back into it anyway. We all have to die some day, right?"

He also wasn't going to let the scribblings of some coward disctate his life in there once he got back.

And this... this was one reason why Gabriel admired humans so much.

"How exactly does a Silvertongue read you back into your book? As far as I know I'm not one, but I... have certain abilities, so I could always try."

Dustfinger shrugged.

"I don't know." he said. "They just do it. They read and something comes out and something goes in. And I want in."

"I've read lots of books and nothing's happened, so I doubt that I can help you." Gabriel admitted. "But we have a lot of strange guests at this Manor. If you stay here, I can come and get you if I meet a Silvertongue. For now, though, you need somewhere warm to sleep."

Now he took back his book carefully and put it away carefully as well.

He nodded. "Somewhere to sleep." He said. "I always stay warm."

"I don't mind letting you sleep in my room," Gabriel repeated. "The bed's soft enough, and you can use the shower if you wish. And tomorrow you can find Arty."

A thought struck him. "Do you have any... gifts? Supernatural abilities, perhaps?"

Dustfinger kept his eyes onthe floor. "I command fire", he said. "A little."

He waited for a moment.

"I am better with it at home. Fire here understands no jokes. It burns if I let it."

Gabriel himself was a Seraph, a spirit of fire. He watched Dustfinger curiously. "And the fire from your home understands jokes? How?"

"I..." He probably had just made a mistake with the language. Why did this world have to have so many of them? "It likes to play, not bite. It never bit me when we played."

"Play?" Gabriel looked intrigued. "I wish I could see that."

"Not here", Dustfinger said. "They are too serious about burning here. They hurt my hands. I never hurt my hands in Inkworld."

Even fire was hostile towards him here. Although it was still better than the people, most times. And he loved the fire, even here.

"What is Inkworld like?" Gabriel asked. "And I do feel guilty about keeping you here in the lobby. It really wouldn't inconvenience me to let you have my room for tonight."

"I don't often sleep inside", Dustfinger said to the angel. He didn't want him to feel bad but he also didn't want to take his room away from him. Who could know what he would want for it in the end? "Inkworld is... clean and quiet. And things make sense there."

Gabriel studied him for a moment. "You know, you could have a free room of your own if you wanted. This hotel offers free rooms to anyone with supernatural powers, in return for not using this power to harm the town or its inhabitants. I'm sure your ability to manipulate fire would qualify you."

"I didn't plan to hurt anyone", he said. "But I guess I could take the room."

Until he had found out how to come away from here again.

"Then you shouldn't have any problems, then," Gabriel smiled at him. "Come on, we'll get you a room. And don't worry, your pet can stay with you. My cats stay in my room."

"He's a friend not a pet", Dustfinger said quickly. He hestitated just for a moment. "Go in front."

Gabriel gave him an odd look, but did as told, walking to the reception desk and moving behind it.

"I'm sure they'll understand if I leave a note, considering the time. Do you have any preferences as to the room's location?"

From the way he acted, he'd likely want something near the exit...

"Just something small", he said. "If maybe you have something close to outside?"

Gabriel remembered looking around the rooms on the first floor. "Hmm. 112 is near the stairs, I believe."

He handed Dustfinger the key to 112 and the form, before pulling a piece of blank paper and a pen towards himself and writing a quick note to Mary Hodges to explain the situation.

"Okay", Dustfinger said. "Is it small?"

He wanted that they had as few reasons than possible to chase him away. After all it seemed as if he was stuck here now.

Except... Maybe if he decided to stay here he would suddenly be walking away?

"I'm not too sure." As far as Gabriel could remember, the only first-floor room he had entered was Raphael's. "They're somewhat large, I suppose. Why?"

"We don't need much space", Dustfinger said. "Just a bed and a corner where Gwin can sleep."

He gestured.

"We don't want to take away space."

Gabriel smiled at him. "Don't worry. We have many spare rooms and can accommodate a lot more people, I believe. Do you want to go to your room now?"

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