GABRIEL WEST
Angel
REMIEL
Posts: 208
Age:
36
Occupation:
Owner of the Courier
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Lamia
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen May 16, 2024 19:47:43 GMT
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Post by GABRIEL WEST on Nov 13, 2023 21:03:42 GMT
’What was the problem with the last pair? They were clean were they not?’
Gritting his teeth against the voice in his head, Gabe got into his car. He could have gone straight from the meeting with the foreman of the paper mill to Freyja’s home – a house with two kids in it had undoubtedly seen worse things than a little sprinkle of sawdust – but he had no intentions of ending up with soggy laces. By now the youngest had to be crawling, didn’t he? Hazel hadn’t been when they’d been introduced, it hadn’t stopped those sharp little teeth and hard gums from worrying at his finger. Teething babies seemed just like puppies and that would’ve put his laces at risk. Alright, and maybe he didn’t want to carry the stink of the mill into the house with him. The tweed jacket had gone on, along with the Chelsea boots, things that could probably survive contact with a child.
Soon, hopefully, the house part of seeing Freyja face to face would be over. There’d been that short gap between Hazel and … Bo, this one was Bo, he had to remember that while the baby was probably handed over to him for the expected hold. Not long enough. Admitting it out loud was difficult, but it felt as though there were a vacuum in his team when Freyja was out of the office. Months of emails sent back and forth – emergencies only! – before the spell that had been cast over the town had Hazel springing up from babyhood to a teenager overnight. He hadn’t dared to question it, not when both Freyja and her husband seemed to take the entire bizarre thing in their stride.
At first he’d hoped the same would happen again this one. A couple of months without his right arm, then one morning bam, back in the office, just in time to save his sanity. Gabriel frowned as he drove towards the Damasca’s home. Unfortunately he hadn’t been so lucky. Time was stretching out and he’d begun to wonder if the spell Remiel had informed him about had finally faded. If it had maybe there wouldn’t be too long to go, but who knew with these things. It wasn’t as though the work wasn’t being handled, it just felt wrong.
’It is the demon’s fault’.
”What? Gabe glanced at himself in the rear view mirror as though that would show the angel looking back at him. Lines sprung up between his brows as he frowned. ”I don’t think you can blame pregnancy on a demon.”
’Hmm’. Remiel didn’t sound sure, but he went quiet at least.
The demon had plenty to answer for in the angel’s mind and lust wasn’t exactly a strange emotion when it came to her, but in this case he couldn’t see her fingerprints spread over what seemed to be a happy marriage. Perhaps it was the echoes of his own parents he saw in the couple that had him softening about the juggle between work and motherhood. If it was, then hopefully Freyja would end up working through those chaotic years of this one being young, from the office, where he could just walk across the hall to get her signature on the new contracts (of course a paper mill insisted on everything being written down instead of just emailed).
Two minutes and he’d be back out on the road. That was all that was needed, and then the angel could go back to just hovering in the background instead of offering up his help.
Dogs? Lord, he’d forgotten they’d added dogs to the mix. The barking announced his presence before he even thumbed the bell. Thankfully neither one rushed him as the door opened. Gabe smiled ruefully, holding the paperwork up like a shield between the tweed and the baby – he supposed you only called them toddlers when they were actually on their feet. ”Hi. It’s a fuss, I know,” he murmured, stepping inside as he was waved in.
Gabe wiped his feet on the mat and moved towards the kitchen. The place was surprisingly tidy – he’d expected the place to be absolute chaos with two kids in the house. ”I tried to talk them into the 21st century, but I don’t have your negotiating skills, unfortunately. I hope I haven’t caught you in the middle of anything.” What did parents do when they had children this small? It wasn’t like he’d ended up with a younger brother or sister to find out about it. ”I guess this is Bo?” Gabe set the papers down on the table and wiggled his fingers at the baby who was clinging koala style to his mother – keeping them well out of nibbling range.
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FREYJA DAMASCA
Psychic
Posts: 177
Age:
28
Occupation:
Analyst at The Mystic Falls Courier
Status:
Married
Partner:
Theo Damasca
Played by:
Julia
“But it’s hard, when you’re hurt, to let somebody wreck you again.”
Last seen May 2, 2024 18:09:06 GMT
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Post by FREYJA DAMASCA on Dec 16, 2023 19:53:27 GMT
━ they set me on fire, and i did a lot of burning ━ FREYJA SHIFTED AROUND THE HOUSE WITH urgency as Bo sat in the (baby-gated) living room with his toys. Every so often, she’d glance over to watch him giggle and toss a toy through the air, or slam his tiny fists against something musical with intense focus, waiting for an annoying sound to flutter out of it. Freyja hated the musical ones especially. She had little conversations with him most of the time, which consisted of Freyja saying something and Bo babbling back at her, to which she responded with hums and haws like they could actually understand each other.
She kept an eye on him as she cleaned, though━obviously. The upstairs didn’t have to be tidy as long as the main floor was, otherwise Gabe would think she was living in squaller. Not that it mattered what he thought, but it wasn’t a good look to her boss, of all people.
Theo had helped, of course, but things had already gotten a little cluttered in the rush of the morning, and while some messiness was obviously understandable, Gabe didn’t have any children. He didn’t get it. Also, if her whole life didn’t look like it was in shambles, then maybe he’d take the news of another baby a little better. She wasn’t showing too much at the moment, but whatever weight she’d gained was (hopefully) shielded by her sweatshirt.
By the time the knock came, Freyja was more or less out of her stressed-filled mood. Bo had just eaten and, once he needed his next diaper change, he’d be ready for his nap. Hopefully, Gabe would be gone by then.
The dogs alerted her to Gabe first, then the bell, and she swept up the stairs from the living room with Bo on her hip, calling out in a clipped voice, “Hey! Get back from the door.” She couldn’t chide them for barking, though, because that was half the reason they got the dogs. Once she opened the door, she snapped, “Inside.” And they (thankfully) listened, not moving through the threshold, just wagging their tails (and entire bodies) as they greeted Gabe.
“Hi,” She smiled, “Sorry ‘bout the dogs. Come in,” Freyja stepped away and left the door open, moving out of the hallway and into the wide space between the door and the kitchen. “Nah, it’s okay.” Freyja waved him off, then looked at Bo, her voice changing. “Yup, this is him! Say ‘hi,’ Bo! Wave hi! Gabe’s the one who signs Mama’s cheques to buy you all those toys, so maybe say ‘thank you,’ too.” She stage-whispered the last part, then grinned at Gabe, waving to him in the hopes that Bo would copy.
He let out a happy squeal that sounded like the beginning of ‘hi,’ just without completing the I sound, and thrashed his arm in the air in his version of a wave. “Yeah, there ya go, smart boy! Hiii!” Freyja pecked the side of his head, and Bo giggled excitedly, staring at Gabe with quiet curiosity━or perhaps waiting for the man to congratulate him, too.
With his finger-waggle, Freyja figured he was saying hi and maybe gearing himself up to holding Bo, too. In her experience, absolutely everybody wanted to hold him (sometimes too often), and she had to sign the papers anyway. She stepped forward, holding her baby out to him, “Here, you wanna hold ‘im for a minute while I sign?”
Once Gabe had him, she stepped away, laughing, “Careful, he’s heavy.” A lot heavier than Hazel was at the same age━not that Gabe would be likely to remember that. Had he even held Hazel back then? Who knew.
Freyja whisked off to find a pen, and came back a few seconds later to bend over the table, reading through the document quickly, speaking as she did, “So… how’s everyone at the office? Bethany already plannin’ somethin’ for Christmas? Any updates on her and her boyfriend?” Even if Gabe didn’t really participate in all of that (she was mostly teasing him anyway), it’d been too long since she was forced to be involved in the office secretary’s love life. Honestly, she missed feeling like her problems weren’t so bad compared to everyone else’s.
Once she finished reading it, she scribbled her name and signature on the end. “There ya go!” She beamed, green eyes flicking up to his far bluer ones. “Sucks ya had t’drive all the way here for that, but s’done now.” Freyja shrugged and smiled, watching Bo try to engage in conversation with Gabe.
“So… I’d say I’ll be back in the thick of it again soon, but… well, Bo’s gonna be a big brother in about four months,” Freyja’s grin wasn’t entirely sheepish━because fuck Gabe if he really had a problem━but there was an edge to it. Honestly, she wasn’t far from suggesting he set up a nanny service in the office━or at least pitch for one to be in the building, even if it was just Freyja’s kids filling the place.
GABRIEL WEST | no notes.
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GABRIEL WEST
Angel
REMIEL
Posts: 208
Age:
36
Occupation:
Owner of the Courier
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Lamia
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen May 16, 2024 19:47:43 GMT
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Post by GABRIEL WEST on Jan 2, 2024 20:47:28 GMT
Gabriel was sure he wasn’t far enough removed from the normal way of things to expect every household to run as well as his own had done when he was a child. There might have been three children racing around the estate, his parents might have worked long hours in demanding careers, but there were staff to handle all the menial jobs. Drivers to ferry the three of them to after school activities, to clean a home that must have looked like a tornado had torn through it at times, to cook for them. Unless what he was paying Freyja was stretching further than he’d thought it could – he was generous with the pay his staff received, but with two kids in a house and a husband caught in the mire of academia, how much did they have spare? – they had nobody to pick up after them.
He should have known that Freyja would run her home with the same skill that she did the office. Gabe had braced himself for the dogs the moment he’d heard their barks, but with a few sharp words, she seemed to have them held at bay as she opened the door, Bo perched on her hip. Scooting past them, he escaped reaching out to greet either until one of those wriggling bodies pressed up against his thigh and then he had no option. In a year or two Bo would probably be able to ride both in the same way he had the horses his father had kept on the estate.
”I thought you were talking to me for a moment,” he joked as he let go of the files with one hand to extend it to the dog to sniff. When it became apparent neither would swallow his arm to the elbow he rubbed his hand over one velvety head. Was he supposed to do the same with the baby?
Eyeing him, Gabe smiled as he imagined he was supposed to, dipping his head a little so that the baby caught a little of the friendly look. ”Hello, Bo,” he murmured, wiggling his fingers again as he waited to see if the baby was already following his mother’s orders to be welcoming to visitors. ”Gabe will have to raise the figure on those cheques,” he murmured half to himself. Especially if he wanted to be able to talk Freyja into coming back into the office any time soon. As a parent, he imagined the last thing on earth you wanted to do was … oh …
The chuckle rolled out of him a little uncertainly as Bo did just as his mom had urged him to. That squeal had been a hi hadn’t it? The thrashing arms were certainly enthusiastic enough. ”Look at you,” he murmured, looking right back at the little boy as he seemed to study him. Was he eyeing up his competition for his momma’s attention for the moment or considering which part of him might work best to teeth on? Were they still teething at this age? Gabe paused for a moment, as though he would know. There had been plenty of hints from his mother about grandchildren, but focused on the newspaper – and the angel riding shotgun in his head, who seemed quite amused by these proceedings - there was little time for dating, let alone settling down with a family.
”Hold him?” Gabe practically yelped. There wasn’t time to say whether or not he wanted to, Freyja was already holding the little guy out to him. Expecting the wails to start, he gathered the baby in to his hip the same way he’d seen Freyja do. ”Hi,” he started softly, bouncing him a little, his moves stiff until he was sure that Bo wasn’t going to freak out over the stranger holding him. The smile that was nervous eased a little, but he was still counting off the moments until he could pass him back.
Bo seemed to be taking everything in, without that desperation search for his mom breaking out. Freyja was back in seconds, thankfully, gabbling away as though she were desperate for adult company and the gossip from the office that she’d usually be bringing him. ”They’re well. Missing their ring leader, of course,” Gabriel told her, amusement curving his lips that seemed to be mirrored in a gummy smile from Bo. ”A save the day has been sent out for the celebrations, I’m guessing she’s expecting she’ll have something to celebrate by then. From what I hear, things are getting serious.” If he lost another good member of staff he’d be tearing his hair out come the new year.
Feeling a gummy little hand patting at his cheek, Gabe drew his attention back to the little boy in his arms. ”We’re all missing your momma,” he confided in the baby in a mock whisper. Over the last few years he’d grown to rely on his team, knowing his well oiled machine only stayed that way because of them. ”It’s no bother,” he assured her. It wouldn’t be long before this would all be as simple as walking from one office to another.
As though he were joining in with the office discussion the baby was babbling away. Gabe looked down at him, eyes narrowed faintly, trying to catch something understandable in the gabble of sounds. How soon did they start making sense? Or had he just taken after his mother?
Looking up, Gabriel stared at Freyja as though she’d spoken to him in Martian. He thought she’d said that Bo was about to become a big brother, which would’ve meant that … ”No,” Gabe babbled, as though his vocabulary was as small as Bo’s. ”You’re still on maternity leave,”{/b] he started. ”He’s still in diapers…” And he wasn’t entirely sure that Bo wasn’t filling his right now as he squirmed in his arms. He would not drop him, even if he felt as though his brain was exploding all at once. ”You’re … you’re pregnant again? Is that … nope … I’m not going to ask …” The questions were tumbling out, threatening to log jam in his throat. He wasn’t going to ask if that was technically possible, because how soon you could get pregnant after having a baby was one of those questions he was sure would bring on stories he absolutely didn’t want to hear.
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FREYJA DAMASCA
Psychic
Posts: 177
Age:
28
Occupation:
Analyst at The Mystic Falls Courier
Status:
Married
Partner:
Theo Damasca
Played by:
Julia
“But it’s hard, when you’re hurt, to let somebody wreck you again.”
Last seen May 2, 2024 18:09:06 GMT
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Post by FREYJA DAMASCA on Mar 4, 2024 17:13:52 GMT
━ they set me on fire, and i did a lot of burning ━ THEY’RE GONNA BE MISSING ME FOR A LOT longer, Freyja thought to herself. After her maternity leave, she’d probably start doing this again━working from home━but it was already difficult with one baby… would it even be possible with two? Kindergarten was still another few years off for Bo, and the next baby would take even longer.
“What?” Freyja looked up from the document to give Gabe an incredulous expression, her mouth hanging open. She scoffed, adding, “Are you serious?” They were always on and off, it seemed like some days, her boyfriend (now fiance?) hated her, and some days she hated him, and then they were happily in love again… for about a week. If the “wedding” she was planning ended in a massive fallout, Freyja was sure the whole office would suffer with her. She wasn’t too sorry about missing out on all of that.
Freyja broke the news as easily as she could, not hiding the joy in her voice or her expression━it wasn’t worth it. Yes, maybe she was hoping it’d bleed over to Gabe, but this was a good thing. Just not for him.
She almost burst out in laughter as he muttered ‘no’ at her, as if Freyja had just told him some horrible news. She kept it in, though, because it likely wouldn’t make this any easier for him to handle. “Yup, he is…” Freyja said lightly, as though he were a child, too. “We’ve still got four more months t’figure it out.” She added. “And I’ve been workin’ just fine at home.”
Freyja raised her brow as he went on, and then she did laugh lightly, because his confusion was hilarious. He seemed totally lost, and Bo kept swivelling his head to look between them, adding, “Wahwahwahwahwah…” Like he was part of the conversation.
Yes, it was fast, but that was sort of the plan. And Gabe had another thing coming if he thought Freyja was gonna stop anytime soon. She wasn’t even twenty-nine yet, there were at least six more years of baby-making in her. “We’ve got at least ‘til the end of March to figure it out. Maybe we can pitch for someone t’set up a daycare in the building,” She laughed lightly, “Or the office. Bethany’s probably gonna want one sooner or later.” Freyja could imagine Bethany and her boyfriend making one in a moment when they actually liked each other. It would last for a few months at best, but at least it wouldn’t only be Freyja’s kids filling up the place. Plus, there were other businesses in the building that would likely use it. It was kind of crazy that nobody had put in a daycare already.
“I’m still gonna want a few months to recover and be with ‘im, but I’d be comfortable leavin’ both of ‘em if they were in walkin’ distance━or an elevator ride.” Freyja smiled lightly. She wasn’t crazy about it, but life had to go on, and if they wanted to feed these kids, she had to keep working. She couldn’t ask Frank to stay home all of the time, and both she and Theo’s parents were out of range for this kind of babysitting. Plus, all day was too long for her to leave Bo, so it wasn’t gonna be possible if they didn’t come to some kind of agreement.
GABRIEL WEST | wrap soon?
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GABRIEL WEST
Angel
REMIEL
Posts: 208
Age:
36
Occupation:
Owner of the Courier
Status:
It's Complicated
Partner:
Lamia
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen May 16, 2024 19:47:43 GMT
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Post by GABRIEL WEST on Mar 24, 2024 18:35:19 GMT
As the owner of the Courier, he was supposed to be above the gossip that flowed like water through the office. Even without the angel listening to everything in the back of his head he would have failed there. Some liked to remain hands off with their staff, but Gabe had always seen himself as the sort to get his hands dirty, to be in the trenches with his people. That meant he as much the subject of those whispers as he was the receiver of them. By now there were probably dozens of stories about the demon and her appearance at his birthday celebrations floating around, slowly twisted in the telling.
Was it cowardice to avoid talking about his own goings on by throwing others in the office into the spotlight instead? Gabe looked into Bo's wide eyes before glancing at his mother. The smirk was still firmly in place as he nodded. ”Absolutely,” he confirmed. ”I’m sure yours will be in the mail soon enough. There’ll probably be a retraction a week later, but looks like the one step forward finally put them in wedding territory.” He didn’t want to put it out into the universe, but undoubtedly it would be divorce territory within weeks of exchanging vows, if it even made it that far.
To the women in the office Freyja and her husband were probably relationship goals. A happy marriage, a white picket fence and two adorable children. His own parents would’ve celebrated him ending up with as much, where as he was struck dumb by the news that Freyja was going to be out of the office for far longer than he’d anticipated. He clapped his mouth shut, looking down at the little boy in his arms. But he hadn’t been working quite the same without her there. It wasn’t as though he could offer a pay rise to get her back in the office when she was hugely pregnant and toting this little one around everywhere with her. It would be like the Hazel situation all over again, only for years.
”Four months, that’s … not long …” Even if she had been in the office he might not have figured it out by now, it wasn’t like he’d noticed when he’d walked in. Gabe drew in a deep breath, shaking his head as he finally huffed out a laugh. ”Was that what you were trying to tell me?” he asked Bo as the baby’s head swivelled in his direction. He bounced him lightly in his arms before he let out a little groan. It wasn’t like he was going to have much choice, was it? There was no way on earth he’d let his best employee go and he couldn’t force her back into the office.
March. He had his deadline to figure it all out – if he could. Gabe sighed, looking back at her with a resigned expression. If his staff did follow in Freyja’s footsteps there was a chance the office would be filled with kids soon and he’d be left to barricade himself into his office to keep his ankles safe. ”Don’t even put that out into the universe,” he warned with a ssshing noise. ”You mean if the boss is desperate enough to get you back into the office that he’ll set one up in the building?” Was he? Ugh.
Swooping Bo through the air towards his mama – the period where he was happy enough to sit on a stranger’s hip surely couldn’t last forever – Gabe went to pass him off. An exchange of the baby for the paperwork. ”We’ll see,” he murmured, picking up the paperwork. ”As long as it’s not a fenced off corner in the office, it might be workable. I can’t do without my right hand woman there for too long and I’m guessing this little one and his new sibling won’t be able to do without you either. Look after your mama,” Gabe warned Bo as he leaned in to give her a one armed hug around the little boy. ”Congratulations, really.” There was a slump to his shoulders as he headed out the door moments later though. A whole floor of the building filled with kids? It was the makings of a nightmare, just like the film about those furry little things that turned into scaly little beasts when you fed them too late.
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