#Partner: fidelismileslucem

[musecaravan]

To Feel Your Touch - Jack/Reyes

@fidelismileslucem

Gabriel was a man who took his job seriously.  The role he played wasn’t a welcome one… but someone had to do it.  He was one of the Horsemen, after all.  His duties had existed since the dawn of man, and would likely continue until the last human took their last breath.  If not him, then another would step into the role, as it was with the other three.  Any of them could give up their duties at any time - return to a mortal life.  There were caveats, of course, but it wasn’t unheard of for one of their kind to grow tired of the roles they played.

Gabriel had gone comfortably numb to his task centuries ago.  Did he enjoy sending forth plagues that killed scores of people in mere days?  No.  Only a psychopath would relish the suffering of others - even mortals.  But when he was told to do his job, he did it.  The orders weren’t written anywhere. - they just sort of… popped into his head.  He always knew where to go and what form of pestilence to unleash.  He rarely stayed to watch his handiwork.  Death wasn’t his department.  Besides, it wouldn’t do to go getting all sentimental about things.  

His work rarely varied.  Go into a place, devise a way for the illness to take hold, decide where to let the infection begin, and then leave.  Smooth and simple.  Until one day, it wasn’t.  The order buzzed into his head with a slight thrum of pain.  He didn’t know how he knew, but someone higher up was… irritated with him?  What had he…?  Gabe focused on the order… and then got VERY confused.  It was for the same town he’d been tasked with over a month ago.  The plague should’ve been well on its way to decimating at least a quarter of the population.  What had gone wrong?

With a low grumble of annoyance, the Horsemen willed himself back to the quaint little village.  A village which seemed none the worse for the disease he’d so carefully prepped and planned.  What was going on?  He floated, unseen, through a throng of market-goers, marveling at how every single one of them looked hale and hearty.  Gabriel couldn’t even recall the last time he’d miscalculated a job as terribly as this.  It seemed he’d need to start over and then stick around to see what he’d done wrong.

So, still grumbling, he set his original plan in motion again.  But what to do while he waited?  Leaving again was out of the question.  He needed to watch this plague take its course and make sure the job got done this time.  But people-watching was… a bad idea.  It was too easy to get invested - Gabe knew that from prior experience.  It was going to be bad enough having to watch as the disease took hold.  Just because his work was necessary didn’t mean he took any pleasure in the suffering it caused.  Maybe he could kill some time by circumventing a few potential hiccups in advance?  Yes - time to pay a visit to the local healer.

Finding a quiet alley, Gabe allowed himself to solidify into a human form - the one he’d had before taking on this role so very long ago.  His clothes became those of a road-weary herbalism merchant.  Then - for a finishing touch he gave himself a festering wound on his forearm.  Nothing too terrible - the type of thing that might come from a misjudged swipe with a sickle.  Next came some makeshift bandages, and now he was ready.  Getting directions to the healer’s home wasn’t hard, and Gabriel soon found himself standing outside a small, well-kept cottage.  He gave a quick rap on the door with his knuckles and waited.

#Partner: fidelismileslucem #Reyes: To Feel Your Touch #Muse: Reyes #Threads: Reyes #Reyes: Four Horsemen!AU