Colin's posts

"...." Gabriel was silent, before looking at Sariel.

"I... I do sense no chaos coming from her now..." he admitted.

"But... Erica..." he said further, before instinctively wrapping his arms around her.

Nate saw this and had a moment of trepidation. She freaked out whenever someone entered the room.

How would she react to THIS?

Gabriel knelt down close to her, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Erica..." he said.

"How...? Why...?" he asked, before shaking his head.

"Erica, are you all right?" he asked her.

"You said Sariel should wake soon, but what did it cost YOU to do that?"

The first one to respond to this was Gabriel. He was already on high alert, and such a powerful sound echoing out gained his attention quickly. Honing in on it, he rushed to where he'd heard the core of it from, stepping into the room, and ending up almost stunned at what he saw.

"Erica!" he exclaimed, before noticing WHERE he was.

"S-Sariel?" he muttered.

"What...?" he wondered further, as Nate came rushing in next.

"What happened here!?" he asked, seeing Erica in the room with Sariel.

It had been surprisingly easy to convince Gabe to make her some food. Asriel and Raphael noted that all it took was Uriel coming to him and stating that Erica had specifically said she wanted to eat something made by HIM, to get him from sulking and growing angrier, to being hopeful again. He threw those negative emotions out the window right there and then, and proceeded to make her something he KNEW she would like. He made her waffles. Waffles with that little hint of ambrosia in it. Not enough to get her on the frisky side, but just enough to make it so that flavours of everything were boosted.

He made his way to the room and stepped inside, not 100% paying attention, as he set what he'd brought down on a nearby table.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you asked for-" he started to say, turning towards the bed, and finding it empty. She was disconnected from everything, and looked to have just vanished.

"Wh-what?" he muttered.

"Erica!?" he exclaimed, looking around, and then darting out the door and looking up and down the medical bay.

Again, Nate sighed.

"All we know is that it's mana-based, and it's tied to Vanessa." he told her.

"And it seems to be STRONG. And... it's unlike anything we've seen before." he continued.

"The best way we can describe it is... like some sort of advanced curse." he muttered.

"As I said, it happened when she tried to help Cameron, thus interfering with Vanessa. Thus, that backlash." he said further, shaking his head a little, but making note about how Erica was suddenly a little more talkative.

"Sadly, because of this contract that Vanessa has, there's only so much we can do, as celestial and infernal help is barred away from her."

"..." Nate was silent for a moment, sighing.

"It's probably Sariel." he told her. "As in, the archangel Sariel." he said further, merely confirming it.

"She tried to help Agent Sharp and Cameron/Alicja a bit ago, but... well... it ended up massively backfiring, and she's... she's now in a coma." he informed her. "She cannot be moved up to the angelic realm, because what did this to her is preventing that, so we're trying to do all we can down here." he went on.

"...it's something that's stressing out Gabriel, Uriel, Zeke... a few more..." he continued.

"But we're trying our best to try and wake her... or even remove what's keeping her down and out." he finished.

"Hm? A question?" Nate responded.

"Of course." he told her.

"No reason why you can't, after all." he reasoned, continuing to smile.

He set down his clipboard and pen, stretching his arms out over his head for a moment, before looking at her.

"Can't guarantee an answer if I don't know it, though." he laughed.

"Anyway, what is it?"

Nate wasn't sure how to say this. Gabriel had become a lot more surly, a lot more down on himself, and almost seemed like he was on the verge of going back to the way he used to be. Or so he'd heard. However, he'd also heard that he hadn't given up... yet. Something was still alive inside him, something refused to give up and think that this was the end of the relationship.

"He's very worried." the medic told her.

"He doesn't know how to really help you, and it's been frustrating him." he said further.

"However, I really think that hearing you'd like something to eat, made by him, will help him a lot. As well as actually making the dish." he continued, firmly believing that, himself.

Nate could only smile at her.

"Erica." he said.

"You want something from Gabriel? You'll get something from Gabriel." he told her.

"We'll get into contact with him, and have him get you something." he went on.

"That's perfectly all right." he assured her.

Internally, he knew he would need to talk to Zeke, who would talk to his father, who would try and reach out to Gabriel... but he honestly didn't know how well that would go. He was hoping Gabe would do this.

Nate looked at her and smiled.

"No set menu." he told her.

Granted, they had been planning to get her something pre-determined if she hadn't spoke up, but she had. And there was plenty of time to make corrections to her dinner.

"And of course you can get something specific." he then said. "Anything the kitchen is capable of making." he chuckled.

"What is it?" he asked, putting the pen to the paper he had to make a note of it.

"..." Nate was silent for a moment, before sighing silently. He could see that she was in a bad state. And odds are it was because of his presence here. He'd been told that Erica had been with Vanessa for a while now, and he'd guessed that ANYONE in the same room as her would cause her to flinch and act like this.

And he didn't even want to think about how Gabriel was taking that.

So he just went on his business, checking the numbers and making sure she on the road to (physical) recovery.

"That IS the best we can hope for right now." he commented.

"All things considered, anyway." he added.

"I won't stay long." he promised. "Just a quick in and out to check up on you is all." he went on.

"Oh, and dinner will be brought in for you in an hour or so." he added.

The one who had walked in, Nate, noticed that she had jumped, and immediately put a hand out.

"It's all right, it's all right. It's just me." he said.

"I've just come to check up on you." he assured her, stepping more fully inside and closing the door behind him... before pausing and re-opening it.

"I'll let YOU decide it you want the door closed." he told her.

"But how are you feeling right now?" he asked.

Gabe didn't put TOO much pressure on the imposter, but it was definitely enough to keep them pinned... for now, anyway.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"To quote her, 'doubt it'." Zeke responded, before sighing.

"We need to get you serious help. And multiple layers of it, too." he then said to Erica. "You're physically hurt, are in touch with elder omni-dimensional beings, and have Vanessa Encrae's mana inside you." he told her.

"...but then again, you probably already knew that." Azazel commented quietly.

"Erica!?" Azazel exclaimed quietly.

"She's awake!" the demon then yelled to the others there.

Zeke ran over towards where they were, as Gabriel threw the imposter to the floor, onto their front, and stomped down onto their back.

"So much for forgetting how to wake her up." he snarked.

Meanwhile, Zeke had made his way to Erica, and knelt down by her.

"Erica, are you all right!?" he asked.