Why would I not? I believed you when you talked about your magic, back in Norfinbury. You've seen my telekinesis in action. Why is it always so impossible to believe in a mental ability?
[ Stephen may have hit a hot-button topic for Gabriel here. ]
Take a look at the work, Stephen. It's not only acceptable, it's perfect.
[Stephen narrows his eyes, though he does break eye contact to glance at John--not, of course, that he can see into John's skull in his current physical form.]
I have telekineses and actual experience as a neurosurgeon, but I'm not enough of an ass to experiment with the two together!
See, that's what you're not getting. It's not an experiment. My aptitude tells me exactly how to do it and how well it will work. It is never wrong. That's the whole reason it's a 'super power'. And my telekinesis-
[ He cuts himself off and smirks a bit. ] You know, I sort of figured you'd have a magic way to check him over. But if not, keep yelling at me, by all means.
[Gabriel's "superpower" sounds a lot like good old fashioned narcissism to Stephen. His entire demeanor sharpens, though, when Gabriel challenges his own prowess; there's a certain squaring of the shoulders as he draws himself up to full height.]
If you've hurt him--
[Stephen doesn't finish the sentence, but takes in a deep breath, letting it out with cold deliberation as he shifts his weight off the floor and sits, cross-legged, in midair with his cloak billowing out around him. It's harder when he's angry, but he lets his eyes slide shut and takes a few more deep breaths before his head lolls forward as he departs his body for the astral plane.
When his ghostly form emerges from midair a moment later, he adds:]
[ He highly doubts that Stephen sees all of it- the fact that he shifted the topic off of just how much better his own telekinesis is compared to Stephen's nascent ability, and onto something that Gabriel can't do at all. But if Stephen did somehow figure that out- consider it a gesture of friendship, buddy.
Gabriel outwardly smirks in response. But it's clear he finds the astral projection fascinating. He reaches out, trying to put his hand through Stephen's ghostly form. ]
[John can't disagree that Stephen's astral projection thing is 'neat,' but he lies there stone-faced, not wanting to give Gabriel the satisfaction of his agreement.]
Might want to make sure he didn't muck up your surgery.
[Stephen takes a swipe at Gabriel's hand in return to knock it away. The movement of his arm and the push against Gabriel's hand aren't quite in sync; this is telekinesis rather than the touch of his astral form, which Gabriel's hand went right through.]
If you're done, I have work to do here.
[He's just going to glower and sulk his way over to John's sick bed.]
John, I need to put my hands inside your head now, but it's not going to have a direct impact on your physical form. May I?
[See? He's asking for consent. Because that's what you do.]
[ Gabriel is oh-so-tempted to use telekinesis on Stephen's body to make him feel the push against Gabriel's hand. But he has no idea if it'll do that or just pull the man out of his current state, or if nothing at all will happen.
So instead, he just watches, rolling his eyes when Stephen deliberately asks 'may I'. ]
[Stephen's looking at Gabriel when John says it, too.
But yeah, then he really does have work to do. When he shifts his attention to the matter of John's brain and skull he shifts it entirely, movements gentle and careful even though John won't feel the slightest change as he dips his spread fingers through the sides of John's head. Gabriel will be the one who gets a show; it's as though all the structures of John's head light up from within.]
[ Gabriel stares back at them shamelessly, looking unimpressed.
But that changes immediately once Stephen actually lights up the structures in John's head. He'd thought this would be some vague magic BS, but his eyes widen in wonder as he looks at all the things he could just feel before. The obnoxious tone that had been in his voice is entirely gone when he speaks now. ]
See how the brain's not in danger of pressing against the back of the skull anymore? And I restored blood flow here and here, where there had been bruising. Oh, a small spot over here, too. I just had to un-crimp a couple blood vessels and it was fine again.
[ Gabriel can't exactly put his hands through John's skull (well, he could but he's sworn off that lately), but he is pointing as much as he can at the spots he's talking about. Stephen will find that John's brain is still slightly swollen, but otherwise it's nearly impossible to tell anything happened to it at all. ]
[John can't help tensing up as Stephen sticks spectral fingers into his head. He doesn't actually feel anything, but he can see out of the corners of his eyes where Stephen's fingers end unnaturally, and it's unsettling. When Gabriel starts to flutter around, pointing, the doctor clenches his fists and narrows his eyes to just slits, but they're turned toward the younger man.
He'd like to feel safe just closing his eyes, but that's not happening when Gabriel is there.]
[Stephen's gaze flicks somewhat distrustfully between Gabriel and the areas he's pointing out when the other man comes closer.]
Hmm.
[That's as much confirmation as Gabriel (or John) will get for a moment as Stephen leans in to look closely, comparing what he sees now with his mental image of how things had been before he had operated...and with his mental image of how it should look.
He can't decide if he's more relieved or annoyed that he's not finding anything wrong.]
I see that. It.... [SIGH.] It looks better than it did.
[ Gabriel's about to celebrate, smile wide and talk about how 'of course it does', but it's now that he notices how tense John is. He should probably acknowledge that, at least. Or something.
He steps back and lets the awkward silence build, looking off to the side. When he speaks, he sounds almost pouty, like a small child being forced to apologize. ]
I really was trying to help. I didn't mean to scare you and I'll ask in the future. But now you know what I'm capable of.
[This is giving him a lot to mull over as well. The more dangerous applications of this power are immediately apparent; while Gabriel hasn't given him a reason to doubt his repentance it's not a comfortable thought that the man who performed such delicate miracles is literally a serial killer.
He shifts back, but doesn't return to his body yet.]
You understand that it's not just about scaring someone, right?
Yeah, I get that. It's about letting someone make their own decisions.
[ For a moment, it seems like he's going to accept this lecture. Al has given him practice, after all. But after that moment is over, he's arguing again. ]
But he was so- no one would have believed it was possible and simple for me, to ease that pain. You still didn't, as I was explaining it. I know what I'm doing.
[ He sighs and rubs at his face. Too far. And he's starting to wonder if there's a reason he's so defensive right now. Using his power like that felt too good, maybe. ]
But- yeah, I should've waited. Sorry, John. I'll- you want me to tell Bucky anything for you?
[It sounds too familiar to Stephen's ears. He's had those thoughts himself, when a solution seemed obvious only to him.]
So in the future, prove it. Not by doing it, but by giving a demonstration. Show your work and people start believing you when you say you can do something.
[What's that? Actual advice? Stephen takes the following moment to re-enter his body, disappearing for a moment before his physical form takes a deep breath and his head comes up.]
[ Gabriel's eyes flash with defiance at Stephen's advice, because how is he supposed to demonstrate that he can do something on the level of telekinetic brain surgery without doing it? How is he supposed to show off his aptitude- that's always been the sticking point, and no one paid attention to him until he'd offed Brian Davis and had something more 'showy'.
But even if he's thinking about this, he's trying not to voice it. Getting into an argument about this isn't going to convince anyone. He glances over at John and nods. ]
I've been trying to avoid showing off my abilities- didn't want to scare people. But maybe I'd better rethink that. If it can be helpful around here.
Anyway, I'll leave you two be. Good luck on your recovery, John. Hope it's fast.
[ He turns to head out of the room, hands in his pockets. ]
[John lets the other man go without comment, just watching impassively until he's gone. When Gabriel's out of the room and he hears the front door slam, the doctor blows out a heavy sigh and slumps into his pillows.]
Glad to know he didn't muck it up, but Jesus Christ. Did it have to be him?
[Stephen could point out that there's an entire graveyard full of cadavers Zephyr made expressly for the purpose of being dug up and cut apart, but Gabriel's promise to be 'helpful' is already ominous enough.]
No one else could. For that matter, no one else would. Did you know him in Norfinbury?
Yeah. I traveled with him for a while, after we found out he was really a serial killer and murdered Dr. Suresh. Sherlock and I were looking after him. And I think he had a- [John cuts himself off before saying 'crush.'] Sherlock has fans. Some of them are psychopaths who think he's fun.
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[No. Not the right question. Of course Gabriel will reply that he knows exactly how delicate of an organ the brain is.]
Why would you expect to be believed?
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Why would I not? I believed you when you talked about your magic, back in Norfinbury. You've seen my telekinesis in action. Why is it always so impossible to believe in a mental ability?
[ Stephen may have hit a hot-button topic for Gabriel here. ]
Take a look at the work, Stephen. It's not only acceptable, it's perfect.
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I have telekineses and actual experience as a neurosurgeon, but I'm not enough of an ass to experiment with the two together!
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[ He cuts himself off and smirks a bit. ] You know, I sort of figured you'd have a magic way to check him over. But if not, keep yelling at me, by all means.
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If you've hurt him--
[Stephen doesn't finish the sentence, but takes in a deep breath, letting it out with cold deliberation as he shifts his weight off the floor and sits, cross-legged, in midair with his cloak billowing out around him. It's harder when he's angry, but he lets his eyes slide shut and takes a few more deep breaths before his head lolls forward as he departs his body for the astral plane.
When his ghostly form emerges from midair a moment later, he adds:]
Don't think I don't see what you just did.
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Gabriel outwardly smirks in response. But it's clear he finds the astral projection fascinating. He reaches out, trying to put his hand through Stephen's ghostly form. ]
Neat.
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Might want to make sure he didn't muck up your surgery.
[Just to get back on point.]
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[Stephen takes a swipe at Gabriel's hand in return to knock it away. The movement of his arm and the push against Gabriel's hand aren't quite in sync; this is telekinesis rather than the touch of his astral form, which Gabriel's hand went right through.]
If you're done, I have work to do here.
[He's just going to glower and sulk his way over to John's sick bed.]
John, I need to put my hands inside your head now, but it's not going to have a direct impact on your physical form. May I?
[See? He's asking for consent. Because that's what you do.]
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So instead, he just watches, rolling his eyes when Stephen deliberately asks 'may I'. ]
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[He's staring at Gabriel as he says it.]
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But yeah, then he really does have work to do. When he shifts his attention to the matter of John's brain and skull he shifts it entirely, movements gentle and careful even though John won't feel the slightest change as he dips his spread fingers through the sides of John's head. Gabriel will be the one who gets a show; it's as though all the structures of John's head light up from within.]
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But that changes immediately once Stephen actually lights up the structures in John's head. He'd thought this would be some vague magic BS, but his eyes widen in wonder as he looks at all the things he could just feel before. The obnoxious tone that had been in his voice is entirely gone when he speaks now. ]
See how the brain's not in danger of pressing against the back of the skull anymore? And I restored blood flow here and here, where there had been bruising. Oh, a small spot over here, too. I just had to un-crimp a couple blood vessels and it was fine again.
[ Gabriel can't exactly put his hands through John's skull (well, he could but he's sworn off that lately), but he is pointing as much as he can at the spots he's talking about. Stephen will find that John's brain is still slightly swollen, but otherwise it's nearly impossible to tell anything happened to it at all. ]
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He'd like to feel safe just closing his eyes, but that's not happening when Gabriel is there.]
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Hmm.
[That's as much confirmation as Gabriel (or John) will get for a moment as Stephen leans in to look closely, comparing what he sees now with his mental image of how things had been before he had operated...and with his mental image of how it should look.
He can't decide if he's more relieved or annoyed that he's not finding anything wrong.]
I see that. It.... [SIGH.] It looks better than it did.
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He steps back and lets the awkward silence build, looking off to the side. When he speaks, he sounds almost pouty, like a small child being forced to apologize. ]
I really was trying to help. I didn't mean to scare you and I'll ask in the future. But now you know what I'm capable of.
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[And John suspects it's time to go make a request from Zephyr regarding certain other abilities that can be used against his person without consent.]
Thanks for checking, Stephen.
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[This is giving him a lot to mull over as well. The more dangerous applications of this power are immediately apparent; while Gabriel hasn't given him a reason to doubt his repentance it's not a comfortable thought that the man who performed such delicate miracles is literally a serial killer.
He shifts back, but doesn't return to his body yet.]
You understand that it's not just about scaring someone, right?
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Yeah, I get that. It's about letting someone make their own decisions.
[ For a moment, it seems like he's going to accept this lecture. Al has given him practice, after all. But after that moment is over, he's arguing again. ]
But he was so- no one would have believed it was possible and simple for me, to ease that pain. You still didn't, as I was explaining it. I know what I'm doing.
[ He sighs and rubs at his face. Too far. And he's starting to wonder if there's a reason he's so defensive right now. Using his power like that felt too good, maybe. ]
But- yeah, I should've waited. Sorry, John. I'll- you want me to tell Bucky anything for you?
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[The apology moves him marginally.]
Thank you, Mr. Gray.
[Just not a great deal.]
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So in the future, prove it. Not by doing it, but by giving a demonstration. Show your work and people start believing you when you say you can do something.
[What's that? Actual advice? Stephen takes the following moment to re-enter his body, disappearing for a moment before his physical form takes a deep breath and his head comes up.]
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But even if he's thinking about this, he's trying not to voice it. Getting into an argument about this isn't going to convince anyone. He glances over at John and nods. ]
I've been trying to avoid showing off my abilities- didn't want to scare people. But maybe I'd better rethink that. If it can be helpful around here.
Anyway, I'll leave you two be. Good luck on your recovery, John. Hope it's fast.
[ He turns to head out of the room, hands in his pockets. ]
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Glad to know he didn't muck it up, but Jesus Christ. Did it have to be him?
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No one else could. For that matter, no one else would. Did you know him in Norfinbury?
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