savetheearth | what news from the south [Closed]

Entry tags:

what news from the south [Closed]

Who: Gabriel (

disdainfully )
When: Afternoon of 6th May
Where: At the airport
What: Picking Thorir up
Warnings: two shining examples of maturity

Of course, Gabriel didn't bother with a sign. He might have gotten a little younger since Thorir saw him last, but it would take more than that to make him unrecognisable. He looks tired, but that's constant lately, and looking for Killian hardly helped. It doesn't keep him from smiling as he lounges against the barrier, keeping an eye out for his old friend in the slow stream of people filtering out. He has one eye on his phone, though, waiting for news at the same time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Thorir appears with the second wave of people from his flight, the ones that had checked baggage. He didn't have any when arriving, but now he has one of his parents' suitcases with him, things that they had with them on the cruise but didn't need in Florida, some items that were picked up along the way, things like that.

He smiles, relaxing a bit when he sees his friend, and speeds up a bit as he walks over to Gabriel, pulling him into an one-armed hug without further ado. "It's good to see you."

Spotting him before he reaches him, Gabriel smiles brighter as he puts his phone back into his pocket and straightening up so he can greet him with a hug of his own. "You too. I'm glad you're back, even if it's coming back to this." He steps away, and as he does he notices something odd, but can't quite put his finger on it yet. It's not enough to stop him from taking Thorir's luggage so he can start to lead him away from the exit and towards his car. "How've you been? Your father didn't manage to send you mad in the end?"

"Luckily, my father's madness doesn't mean my own." He shakes his head, and while he says it with a laugh his tone is tired at the words, weary. It's not only Thrainn's unrest, not only his father wanting to get up and leave when he needed to be stationary for his own best. Not only his mother's worry at that unrest. It is also the other side, the talk about Killian. He's caught in the middle there, being the only one in the constellation who is both close to his parents and Killian - and also Hjalti, and that his brother will soon enter the constellation only furthers his weariness. It's not going to become easier anytime soon, and if Killian already ran away from only the first half of the situation, without even having had met his grandparents...

"Though he's not the only one who is behaving ridiculously in this whole situation. Are there any news from Killian?"

Gabriel knows Thorir well enough to understand his tiredness and he flashes him a sympathetic smile. Thorir hopefully knows him well enough to understand that he's always there if he needs someone to talk to - or to distract him. Although distraction will probably have to wait until Killian is found.

"Not yet. I'm sure Hjalti would have texted you as well if he'd been found." As he speaks, though, he pulls his phone from his pocket, just to double check. "Not yet. He'll be somewhere. We'll find him."

"...I just hope that it will be soon." Before things can spiral down further. And he really wants to talk to his nephew before his parents arrive, too. That would be seriously helpful for everyone involved. Why do teenagers have to make decisions like this...

"How is Fil holding up? And my brother?"

"As well as can be expected. I'm glad you're back, you'll be able to settle them better than I can." All Gabriel can do is do his best to keep them optimistic and keep the ball rolling. As he slips his phone back into his pocket he slows his step so he's along side Thorir rather than leading the way, and gets that weird sensation that something is wrong again. He frowns, focusing on Thorir.

And then it clicks, and he stops dead, one hand on Thorir's shoulder so he can turn him to face him and look at him. Look down at him. "Have you shrunk?"

For a moment he wants to deny it, that is ridiculous, why would he - and then he looks back at Gabriel, and their eyes should not be on the same level. Not that Gabriel is exactly short, that he is not and has never been. But he's always been shorter, and that he isn't now.

...And thinking back, while his father didn't get to the point where he could stand up straight without massive help before Thorir had to leave, his mother had seemed closer in height than she should...

...and Thorin had been a dwarf. The now formerly taller man's expression goes from confusion to contempt and irritation, back to confusion and then to understanding and a deep frown within the span of under a minute, before he finally answers with an irritated tone to his voice. "It had to happen eventually." Now of all times. As if he didn't have enough on his mind already. And what if this shrinking starts to go around like the ears of the elves? "It couldn't have come at a worse time now, really." As if Killian and Hjalti weren't enough in terms of things that his parents had to be told....

Gabriel's thoughts are following a similar route, although through a much shorter path. He can't help it, though, his lips curve into a smug smile. He's sympathetic; he can understand how awful it would be to be getting shorter, but at the same time it's Thorir, and those two inches between them came up far too often when they were younger, and finally having the tables reversed is too much temptation for Gabriel to resist.

"I'm getting younger, and you're getting shorter. You really did get the short end of the stick!"

There is a small shove, but Thorir is too deeply in thought to react with much more than an automatic reaction to being teased by his friend yet.

"This might soon transfer to Fil and Hjalti as well." He's not really thinking about Killian here, because really, the boy already is of dwarf height.

It's easy enough to shake that off, laughing as he elbows Thorir back lightly. "I'm sure Killian will appreciate the company. You should post to the network, that might draw him out of hiding." He teases. He can't help it, it's always been his response to serious situations, to try and lighten the mood where he can and, well. This time it's not something worth Thorir pulling such a serious face over.

They are leaving the entrance hall at this point stepping out onto the plaza in front of the main entrance. Thorir just shakes his head and takes the suitcase back from Gabriel to place it on one of the carts standing there, because they will probably have to walk some way to the other man's car.

"I doubt it. It seems like it was my message about his grandparents knowing of his existence that caused it, after all."

Allowing Thorir to take the case, Gabriel instinctively checks his phone again. He's not normally such a slave to it, it's a small sign of how worried he is. But once Thorir's turned back to him, it's back in his pocket and he's smiling again.

"We don't know that's what it was until we find him. Besides, if it was that he'll probably enjoy the chance to laugh at you as well!"

"Or maybe he will have the sense not to laugh." And with that Gabriel will receive a swift, heavy shove against his shoulder, pushing him sideways into the fountain that they were just passing.

Really, he loves you, Gabriel, but this is not funny and there is annoyance in his words and grim, and he certainly does not seem happy as he shoves his friend. The only reason why he isn't exploding on the blond right now is that over the years they have developed a relationship where that isn't acceptable, and not done - where things are still expressed, but in a way slightly different from how he would do it with his family despite them being quite close as well. With less yelling and throwing of things, though it still happens.

"Thorir!" Gabriel teeters for a moment, on the edge of regaining his balance, reaching out to grab a handful of his friend's arm, shirt - anything to cling onto (and maybe pull him with if worst comes to worst). But he misses, and the motion is enough to lose any hope he had of regaining his balance. "Fuck!" He hits the water hard, and with a bigger splash then should be expected of anyone so slender. But he's taken worse, and done worse to Thorir in the past, so although he surfaces looking very soggy, the laughter in his eyes hasn't died yet.

And by the time that Gabriel resurfaces, Thorir will be making a video post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

what news from the south [Closed]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject