IC inbox for Snowblind

[thewarningafter]

@beyonce

You've reached Dr. Stephen Strange. Leave a message and my secretary will get back to you.

Comments

audio

[thewarningafter]

Oh, it was only a small nail, barely rusty at all.

What -- is something wrong?

video

[termineur]

Get on video? I wanna see how bad it is. Did it go all the way through?

[ The question gets a sigh out of him. ]

Just the whole 'you're already injured and with John' thing. I guess. I would've figured he'd be watching for problems with the death price.

[thewarningafter]

You know my face does that thing on video....

It was my own fault. I should have been watching, too. He's not my keeper.

[termineur]

Yeah, but maybe it doesn't do it on your arm? Or wherever you got injured. Let me see, please?

[ He's trying very hard not to snap about John. ]

Death prices are different. You didn't get a mental one this time, but- we usually need the help with them, whatever they are. He should've been paying more attention.

[ It's more of a grumble than a real accusation, at least? ]

>video

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen sighs audibly. No, he knows it won't show static when it's only his arm onscreen. There's muffled sounds of him moving the tablet around, and then a dimly lit view of Stephen's lap, an arm with a rolled up sleeve resting on his crossed legs. The angle is bad to show Gabriel anything; the injury is on the outside of that forearm. He tries to twist it into better view but it's awkward; there's just the edge of the bandage to be seen from this side.]

No, it didn't go all the way through. And we'll be checking every few hours now, mother.

[Really, he's getting it from both of them now.]

[termineur]

[ He snorts at the complaint. ]

Good.

-but I really can't see anything. Try holding the arm up and the tablet as far away from you as you can? I'm sure you've taken pictures of yourself before, right?

[thewarningafter]

You're not going to be able to see anything besides the bandage anyway; you know that.

[Still, with a lot of grumbling he turns the view on the tablet around to selfie mode; it moves around erratically as he tries to get it into position. He settles with the injured arm tucked against his chest, bandage out, the tablet held at arm's length in the other hand. By the time the view settles he's aimed it so only a hint of his beard is visible at the top of the screen, but while he was working on it the camera panned over his face a few times, too fast to see anything properly...but perhaps not too fast to notice the lack of static.]

There. See? Bandage. You do remember we're both medical professionals?

[termineur]

[ By the time the question is asked, Gabriel is very focused on something else, so his intended sideways 'thanks for indulging me' comment doesn't get said. ]

Stephen. Point the camera at your face.

[ The breathlessness with which he says that probably points toward the seriousness of the request. ]

[thewarningafter]

Gabe....

[It's an exasperated sigh, but he catches the other man's tone. The thought instantly occurs to him, but--no. He can't get his hopes up. There's no reason for his light to have returned when it hadn't before.

Frowning, he tilts the tablet, schooling himself to expect the old distortions. But...all he sees is his own face, same as he sees when they occasionally encounter a mirror, dirty, hairy, and gaunt. He stares, mouth falling gently open. The bandaged arm comes up so he can touch his face, see himself touching it in the video.]

[termineur]

[ Gabriel lets out a happy laugh, so different from his usual bitter chuckles. ]

Hey, look at that! I can actually see you. Looks like someone got his 'light' back, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

[thewarningafter]

A soul. We hypothesized that it was my soul.

[He lets out a laugh of his own; ducks his head as tears spring to his eyes.]

I don't--I have no idea when this happened---