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Gabriel slid the duffle bag in which he hid the uniform that Jean had given him into the booth seat next to him before sliding in. His brow furrowed a bit in thought; as it had been since leaving the zombie park. He motioned to the waitress to signal he was ordering food for himself while waiting for his partner to return. Quietly to himself, he starts drumming on the table and replaying the events of the evening, from the fire wall to the trees, all of those little decisions going through his mind. Some of the table implements become part of his recollection as he spaces them out.
From the bathroom is where Jean emerges, her hair slick and wet from the quick washing that she did, her uniform tucked over her arm as she slides into the booth, freshly cleaned by way of bird-bath, and smelling of pure soap. Which was good. She lets out a quiet huff, her fingers running through her hair, her own thoughts of the night with the zombies. Could they have been saved? No.. she wasn't going to worry about that. Not right now.
"Are you alright, Gabriel?" She asks, carefully handing over her uniform. "You seem lost."
"Thoughtful." Gabriel responds quietly as he looks at his layout on the table. "Just wondering if there was a different way, or a better way, to handle that. Considering the lack of planning time or ability to do what we needed to, probably not. But it makes me wonder if we just lack certain skills that we will need." He tilts his head from the table and looks up at Jean then, managing a smile. "Dunno why, just started thinking that way."
"Strategically." She states plainly. "It's sad that we have to test this out on those people. I still wonder if they could have been saved by some miracle.."
She blinks rapidly, one eye slowly glowing red.. a half smirk drawing upon her lips, then fading almost immediately. The temperature around her seemingly grows hotter, and as she begins to fan herself, she lifts her hand to call over a waitress. "We'll get better, trust me. We always do."
"Oh we do?" Gabriel asks towards Jean, eyebrow lofting in question silently asked as he waits for the Waitress to come, to take orders and wander off before he continues. "There may have been a chance, but I simply do not have the control; only the raw power, to do something. Neither of us do really. That is perhaps why I have been most hesitant with this. So the question is, where do we go from here?"
Jean frowns a little. "Did. Sort of.." She was thinking of other times. But as the waittress approaches, Jean orders two cups of iced water, as well as a few baked goods to boot. Once she leaves, the conversation was back on. "We try a different approach." She finally settles in, using a napkin to dab a little at her forehead. "Instead of actively using our powers, how about we do not. Pretend to be human for a while. Let little by little leak out until we find control. See if that approach works."
Gabriel tilts his head and then shakes it, not in a 'no' way but in a confused sort of way. "I don't understand. So just… try to help people without using our powers?" The tone matches his expression and he leans forward, looking intent upon getting more detail on just what the red head is scheming.
Jean nods. "I've done it a few times. The few times before we.." Of course, before they've started to actually talk to each other again. "I've used my powers only to travel. I did the.. rooftop thing, which I enjoyed.." She reaches out to lightly touch his wrist, fingers stroking along the inside.. yet with that gives him the vision of what she saw and how she felt..
..Jean herself leaping from one rooftop to the other..
..The wind in her hair..
..Near to flying but not..
..pure joy and freedom..
But that was the extent of that little vision, for the rest of that experience hurt like hell. "Something like that.."
"Subtle." Is what Gabriel fills in, the word seeming to fit the more notable intent perhaps. "You're looking to do something that is more on the subtle side than the direct way of doing things? Then like the park?"
"Doesn't have to be subtle. The issue, that is. But us? Yes." She frowns a little. "Like.. treat every situation as if there were our puppies involved. Not murderous rage, but with kid gloves."
Well, murderous rage didn't really describe what Gabriel was going for, but the intent of her words fits and makes sense to him at least. He nods slightly, "I do not view it as murderous rage, only running out of options. I suppose that is what it is, if we're out of options, then what? Should we not use what tools we have? If they are the last tools available?"
"Murderous rage when it comes to either you, me, Wags or Benny." The puppy! Jean keeps renaming that damn dog every three months. Though, blame it on her, the dog picks her own name and Jean just rolls with it. "When it comes to our own, we go straight towards the end. No compromise. At least, that's how I would do it. Though that my change.."
She does nod, quieting once more food was delivered, pushing a pastry towards him to eat as she leans back. "That's the dilemma, Gabriel. In my case. Should I scan this waitress here now, to see if she is a threat. Should I scan every mind within the city to see if they are in trouble, if they are threats? Should I change their mind once I feel them? Should I manipulate their emotions, their actions, their lives without giving them the chance and possibly cause world peace from my actions?"
"No." Gabriel says flatly, firmly. "That is not the correct course of actions for it eliminates free will and choice. But that is not what I am talking about either. Once a decision is made, and we are forced to respond to it, if there's no other option but to manipulate someone's mind in order to save another; should you not do it? If a man has a knife to a child's throat and that is the way to save the child? You did not place the knife there or force that decision, that was his choice. I believe appropriate response is to save the innocent."
"And I'm saying, it depends on how far that manipulation is to go? I'm never going to question the worth of the child, never. But .. I will question how far we need to go to get the desired results. How far is too far, before we turn out to be horrible people." She takes a bite of the pastry. "Yes. I'd do it. The method and execution I suppose, is what I'm thinking of. Our integrity.." She shrugs her shoulders. "..do we do things by any means necessary? Or do we do things with the thought of turning the cheek and save all mankind?"
"I believe, the challenge resides in using the appropriate level of force for the situation." Gabriel responds, picking at the pastry as he is deep in thought over the topic. "To use the full might of our power against the man would not be correct. In the end…" He sighs and closes his eyes, "In the end the effort must be to not take life and to not restrict free will. It is possible, between us, to bend will to our wishes or to simply destroy any who comes our way. But we must not."
"Kid gloves." Jean finally says, downing the rest of the water, before allowing a few ice chips to fall into her mouth to chew and crunch loudly. "This is why I opt for us to not be on a full and complete team. This is why I opt for us to work with each other. We are two halves of the same person. I am you, you are me. He is her. She is him. If we do not join them together, figure out what works, we will destroy this world. I am certain of this.."
Which could be why the Illuminati is in place.
"Checks and balances?" Gabriel asks with an upturn of his eyebrow. "It makes logical sense, perhaps a necessary sense at that." He twirls his own cup, letting the ice chatter some as he does such. "And if that level of power is needed for whatever reason?"
"Then we make sure that nothing would cause it to go astray as it were." She slowly reaches for his cup, then draws it closer to herself, her straw dipping in to take a few quick sips. Then she hands it back. "Make sense?"
"Sense, yes. But I suspect that it will not be easy. Gauging appropriate strength and response, learning those things…" Gabriel says it softly. "Especially as neither of us are truly talented at subtle things. But, it is a path that should be taken. Learning control, but also learning power." His eyes drift upwards, to the sky, "For it is only a matter of time… you know that."
"I know.." She murmurs quietly, not following his gaze. Not even needing to. There was this quiet need to tell him about the Illuminati. To fill him in on all of the secret dealings she's preparing for. But that need immediately deadens itself as she takes another sip of his water. "By then, we'll be ready. Anyways. Things for us to do. The pups need dog food, and we need groceries. Pick one.." She grins at that, then leans over to take a piece of his pastry, even if her own remains untouched. She'll eat it later, or feed it to the dogs.
"Why not both together?" Gabriel asks, eyes smiling to meet his lips. He can feel the hesitation as it were, the holding back of something, but says nothing. That is his trust, to know that whatever is held in quiet is done so for reason. "Unless there is some reason not to do both together?"
Jean grins, pulling back her slightly dried hair into a bun. "I was waiting for you to ask me to come with you, that's all." At least her words were genuine, unlike the secret that she holds. "Lets go.."