01 ♦ video

[unelven]

[ The feed opens after Teagan attempted to pin the numbers he's been scratching down repeatedly since his encounter with Julien into google search. If this is some new google function he doesn't like it, but it doesn't have any of that useless flash that tends to come with one of their unnecessary add-ons. He sits there for a moment, brow furrowed, frowning, thinking, with his chin in his palm and his finger tips tapping his lips. ]

Alright, this is obviously some sort of video feed. If there's anyone there who can hear me, let me know what this is about or I'm going to close out.

[ It's a damn good thing his servers are security protected, or else he'd have closed out right away. ]

Comments

[unelven]

[ Well alright then. That does make the conversation a bit more worth having, given that being Numbered was something he had been thinking about non-stop since the incident. ]

So is this about Gabriel after all or about being numbered?

[disdainfully]

Both.

Have you met him recently? [He's not sure if one not conditioned to really look at people's faces and bodies in superficial ways would have noticed yet, but feels that Gabriel should have just crossed the line where him looking too youthful for his age should at least be obvious for people who are closer to him, or see him frequently.]

[unelven]

[ Of course Teagan had noticed the difference, but he attributed to something that people with money tended to do. He assumed that Gabriel had gotten work done, and didn't ask. The last he'd seen of him was on a video chat anyway, and before that it had been what? A few weeks? ]

I spoke to him on that network the other night, but other than that? No, it's been a few weeks since we've been face to face.

[disdainfully]

He's getting younger.

[He takes a step, crossing his arms, frowning faintly.] It will soon become hard to explain it away with the usual answers; something that he would loathe to do in the first place, and something that one experienced with those things could look through even now, my wife tells me.

[unelven]

Hm.

[ He thinks for a moment, for the most delicate way to put what he has in mind, the best wording for it. Not that he cares to insult, but he has some propriety when it comes to people he might actually consider friends. ]

And you're sure he hasn't simply gotten work done? Has he told you himself that he's getting younger?

[disdainfully]

[For a moment, he has a completely different reply on his tongue; but then he forces it down. Not only because of the usual restrictions; this is about Gabriel.]

I should not have expected you to get my drift; yes, I am sure.

I would see the difference with the amount that he would have required at this point. Seeing as you don't even know that we are acquainted, it might come to you as a surprise, but we did also share a line of work in our youth - I will assume that you realize that I speak of his time as a model.

[He has never seen a problem with that - it's not a shameful career. And (maybe because of how he's never made a secret of it) he has never seen it giving the business trouble, either.]

So as you can imagine, I've seen the difference in too many faces over the years - there is only so much that you can hide. Only an untrained eye would miss it at this point, especially from up close. [And he had that chance to check that.

He could mention that Gabriel would also be one of the last people to revert to such methods, but that might be contrary to his point.]

[unelven]

[ His eyes go upwards momentarily, but not particularly dramatically, with no desire or need to draw attention to his exasperation. A hand joins it, raising up in an elegant motion to signal a stop. ]

You don't need to explain the details of what a face lift looks like to me, I'm not a blind idiot. I only asked because automatically assuming that something supernatural and generally unbelievable is going on makes you look ignorant and uninformed. If he told you, I believe you. Care to get to the point of all of this?

[disdainfully]

[He'll keep his tone steady, neither sliding into clear contempt nor being friendly, treading the outer borders of neutral rather carefully.]

People will notice; it's noticeable now. If it continues, it would be impossible to explain with lifting even if Gabriel would allow that excuse for himself.

He may need the help of all his friends, when that day comes. So it will be of use if it does not come as a surprise to them.

[unelven]

And he'll have my help should he need it. Was that all? I do have other things to attend to.

[ It's his exhaustion really, that he needs to attend to, from being up all night wrapping his head around this whole fiasco. ]

[disdainfully]

That was all.

[He has no more desire to spend more time than strictly need in Teagan's presence than the other has for his own company.]

[unelven]

Good. I don't see why this needed to be an actual conversation but I'm glad we have that all cleared up. Now, after you.

[ He says with his usual blunt impatience and opens the door. Patient he may not always be but polite he definitely is more often than not. ]

[disdainfully]

[He bites down a comment about how apparently yes, it had to be a conversation with how it went - but he's not, instead uncrossing his arms and walking back over to the chair that he set his things on.]

Please, don't wait for me.

[He won't let Teagan hold the door for him. Or prolong their time around each other unnecessarily.]

[unelven]

[ Well fine then, he wont. He just shakes his head ever so slightly and goes forth. He's not about to waste his time fighting over niceties. This is just getting ridiculous. ]