2013.03.09 - Monsters And How To Cage Them

The day after Gabriel got Jeremy to the shelter, and having had the opportunity (though it was of debatable use, judging from the boy's tired eyes) to get some rest, Jeremy's...hard at work. He still looks sleepy, but he's out there in front of the shelter with some cleaning supplies, dutifully washing a window. It's a surprising amount of dedication to cleaning up from a young teenager, but...Jeremy's got that kind of look that suggests he really, really needed something to do. He's dressed in the awkward, drastically over-sized hoodie and cargo shorts (thankfully, with handy belt) that Gabriel gave him yesterday, and has thankfully stowed the tattered remains of his superhero outfit somewhere for the time being, which reduces the awkwardness of his appearance at least a tiny bit.
Coming from the direction of the closest subway station Gabriel is making his way towards the shelter through the morning crowd. At one point he bumps into a very well dressed man that made it a point to cross the street to avoid the shelter, making him drop his briefcase. The scene happens to far away from the shelter for any conversation to be heard but judging by the body language one might guess a very apologetic Gabriel is asking for forgiveness as he helps the man pick up his things and dust himself off. After being pushed away Gabriel finally finishes his walk to the shelter, a satisfied smile on his lip, "Hey Kid! How ya doing this morning. Got any sleep?" Once he's next to Jeremy he puts down the backpack he's carrying it and lets it lean against his leg.
Bad part of town. John Jones, dressed in his usual nondescript fashion, wandering past the homeless shelter on the other side of the street...well, until he sees the well-dressed businessman. And that incident. He narrows his eyes for a moment and then, quite pointedly himself, crosses the street *towards* the shelter. Yeah, he's making a point.
Jeremy jumps a little as Gabriel speaks, having been too focused on his work to notice anyone coming. "Ah! Um, um...oh. Hi...um, mister Gabriel..." He keeps working, turning his attention back to the window, but nods a bit. "Um, yeah, a little. I didn't, um...I kinda woke up sometimes and I think I might've bothered some people 'cause..." A pause, and he lets that drop. "Anyway, I-I'm feeling better than yesterday, thanks."
Gabriel grins at Jeremy and waves a slightly dismissive hand at him,"Don't worry about it. Some of the homeless people out there are not well, mentally, and they're still welcome here so everyone's used to getting woken up from time to time. There's some stuff in the backpack that should fit you better, by the way. Be right back." Taking a few steps away from Jeremy he peeks his head in the door and hollers,"Hey Jonah! I have a donation for you!" then comes back to Jeremy.
John Jones wanders over to the two. "Donation? I might manage something." Not that the youths asked for anything, but one of the ones calling through the door is talking about giving stuff. The other looks like he *needs* the donations, in John's estimation. He looks to be somewhat older, but there's a readiness to his smile.
Jeremy smiles a bit, looking relieved. "I-I was worried I'd gotten people upset...that's good." He blinks, and looks at his reflection, blushing a bit as he only now recalls how stupid he probably looks in the outfit he's wearing. "Oh. Oh, um...thank you. I-I was gonna try to figure something out to deal with that, but, um, one thing at a time, you know?" He looks back at the window, scrubbing at one particularly determined smudge. "First I kinda wanted to do something to thank mister..." And then someone /else/ is nearby that he didn't notice coming up, and he gives another little jump, looking towards Jones and going very quiet.
Gabriel nods to the newcomer but before addressing him he kneels down to open the backpack and pulls out an 'I <3 N.Y.' t-shirt and a pair of jeans, handing them to Jeremy. "You can take a shower and change if you want or just change. Up to you. I'll wait either way." Once he has the things for Jeremy out and within easy reach of the boy he stands back up and smiles easily at John, "Good morning. Once Jonah comes out I'm sure he'll be happy to take any donation you might want to give. The shelter always needs help." Gabriel himself is dressed in a new looking brown leather bomber jacket, along with a gray button down shirt and blue jeans. Except for the jacket everything looks quite well worn, including his black tennis shoes.
"Relax. I don't bite. Or insist on turning my back on homeless shelters. There but for the grace of...etc." He keeps that reassuring smile. "I have a bit of extra cash, if they'd appreciate that." They should always need cash. "John Jones," he adds, by way of introduction.
Jeremy keeps staring towards John for a few moments, but finally notices the clothes Gabriel is holding out. "Oh!" He takes them, looking them over, and gives a little smile at the shirt. "Thanks, mister Gabriel. I, um, I think those'll work a lot better." He looks over at John, trying a smile, though he still looks nervous. "Sorry, mister--I'm just kinda...I'm not really scared. I just had a...um, I'm gonna go change." And with that, he scoots through the door.
As Jeremy walks into the shelter an old man, maybe in his late fifties or early sixties comes out, then raps Gabriel over the back of the head lightly with his cane. "What've I told you about hollering like that in my shelter boy!? So, what do you have this time?" Although he's scowling the tone of his voice would indicate there's no real heat behind the expression. Grinning as he rubs the back of his head with one hand Gabriel produces a well laden money clip from his pocket with the other. Pulling the whole wad out of the clip he peels off $40 dollar and stuffs them back in his pocket then gives everything else to Jonah, "Here you go you old grump! And this here is Mr. John Jones, who's also offered to make a donation to the shelter." Turning to John he adds, "I'm Gabriel and this old coot here is Jonah Calhoon, the soft-touch that volunteers his retirement to run this place."
John Jones tugs out a few bills himself...although not as many as the guy who doesn't look rich enough to be offering the money he's offering. Hrm...
It doesn't take long for Jeremy to resurface. Clearly, he took the "just change" option. He comes back outside, dressed in the new outfit, with the old one folded...well, more wadded...up and carried in his arms. "Thanks, mister Gabriel. They fit great. Um, here." He holds out the too-large clothes. "Oh! Mister Jonah...um, I'm almost done with the window. Anything else that needs doing?" He looks oddly hopeful for a young teen asking for chores. Noticing the money being offered...and the /amount/ being offered by Gabriel, he goes a little wide-eyed. "Whoa."
Jonah shakes John's hand if offered then takes the money from both sources. "Give me a moment and I'll bring you a receipt, Mr. Jones. Thank you for your help." Then he starts walking back into the shelter, taking a swipe at Gabriel's shin with his cane and muttering, "Old coot indeed..." Then a bit louder as he crosses with Jeremy again, "Thank you Jeremy. You didn't need to do all' that but its appreciated." As Jeremy hands Gabriel the old, over-sized clothing he was wearing Gabriel kneels again to put it back in the backpack, distracting from Jeremy's reaction by saying, "And please forgive Jeremy's initial reaction Mr. Jones. He's had a couple of rough day, what with having amnesia."
John Jones winces. "Ah, that'll do it." Amnesia. Unfortunately, he can't offer his specialist help without blowing his cover, so he settles for sounding as sympathetic as somebody who's never experienced it can sound.
Jeremy shakes his head. "I just...wanted to help out, mister Jonah. You helped me, so..." He shrugs. He looks a little disappointed for a moment at not being told some other task, but covers it pretty quick. "Um...um, yeah," he says, looking to John and tapping his head. "I, um...I fell, I guess, and...you know, it happens. I-I was kinda freaking out at first but...I'm doing okay." Which is rather obviously a big fat lie.
Gabriel gets back up, swinging the backpack over one shoulder in a smooth, practiced movement. "I'm hoping maybe I can help Jeremy figure out at least where he belongs today, so he doesn't have to keep staying at the shelter. But without an ID it might be a bit hard." Looking over to Jeremy he adds, "If you really want to help that bad I'm sure Jonah can find you more stuff to do tomorrow, kid."
John Jones hrms. "No wallet at all, I assume?" He tugs out a business card. "I'm a private investigator. And for something like this, I wouldn't charge." A serious offer of help. "I can't promise I'll *find* anything, but I can certainly give it a try.
Jeremy nods a bit. "Yeah...if I keep staying, I'll keep helping. And...and maybe even if I don't stay, 'cause..." He shakes his head in response to John's question, and his eyes widen at the announcement of his job. "You're a detective? Um...wow." He steps closer, inspecting the card, and looks up at John. "That's...that's pretty cool. I've never, um..." A pause. "I guess...I don't know if I've ever met a detective. But helping, um, I don't know...I mean, I can't pay, you know, and...and it might be, um, I don't think, um..." A long pause, and he runs a hand through his hair. "Um, I don't know if...asking around about me's really...good..."
Gabriel watches the interaction between Jeremy and John until Jeremy kind of stalls out, then he steps in. "If you're serious about helping without getting paid I think that would be great. You'll have more resources than me. But in the end its up to Jeremy if he wants the help." Gabriel seems to be either unaware or ignoring that as a minor Jeremy will be taken in hand by Child Services if they hear about his situation. The only reason Jonah didn't call was because Gabriel told him the night before that Jeremy didn't want authorities involved. And speaking of Jonah, he chooses this moment to come back out with two slips of paper in hand and offers one to John first, "Here you go Mr. Jones. Truly, thank you for the help. Every little bit is welcome."
John Jones nods. "It's entirely up to you. I simply thought I'd make an offer." He takes the slip of paper...presumably a receipt...and pockets it without really looking at it. "For right now, I'm afraid I have to be going."
Jeremy looks more and more nervous as the conversation goes on, ending up looking off to the side so as not to meet anyone's eyes. "Um...I guess...I'll think about it, mister Jones." He reaches to take the card, if its being offered. "T-thanks. It's just...thanks." He goes quiet, staring off at nothing in particular.
Jonah decides this conversation is none of his business so after giving Gabriel a receipt too he disappears back into the shelter, smacking Gabriel's shin with his cane on his way by, apparently just because. With a yelp Gabriel starts hopping on one foot bringing his other knee up to his chest so he can rub his shin, "You ungrateful old codger!" After a few moments he stands back on his own two feet, ignoring Jonah's fading chuckles to instead focus on John, "Could I have a card as well, just in case?"
Gabriel takes a card from the detective and as the man takes his leave Gabriel seems to remember something. Swinging his backpack back off his shoulder he kneels down and start digging, going all the way down to the bottom then carefully pulls out a black cylinder, being careful not to spill anything else out of the pack. Zipping the back up he slings it over a shoulder again then stands and snaps the little cylinder open, revealing that its another backpack, smaller and more compact than his own. "Here. A street kid's best friend."
Jeremy watches John go, nervously, and looks over towards Gabriel as he starts going through his pack. "H-He probably thinks I'm up to something. You think? I-I mean...he's gonna look into me anyway...I bet..." A pause, then, and he gives a few blinks as the backpack is revealed. He reaches forward, but then looks up at Gabriel. "Y-You don't have to do all this for me..."
Gabriel leans up against a light post and considers Jeremy for a moment. "Look kid, until we figure out where you really live you're a street kid now. There's two ways we can do things out on the street. We help each other out, help each other survive. Or we prey on each other and live in a dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest kind of mentality. I like the first choice better so I'm helping you out just because you need it and I can provide it. Up to you to decide which way you want to go..." With a shrug he shuts up and lets the boy think about that, and, hopefully, forget his worries about John Jones.
Jeremy hangs his head, listening quietly, and remains quiet for a little while after that. Finally, he looks over off to the side. "I-It's not...that I don't...I mean, I'm glad you're helping me. I-I just...I kinda think..." He sighs. "You shouldn't be helping /me./ I don't know what happened, b-but it was something really bad, and...I just...I feel like...maybe...maybe I deserve this."
Gabriel holds up a finger and says, "/Or/, if you believe in stuff like fate or karma, I've been put in your path to help you start to work on redeeming yourself. The way I see it, its not about what you did before but what you do from this point on." Sliding down the post a bit he squats so that he can look Jeremy in the eye, "I don't know what you did in the past, I can only decide how I feel about you by what I'm seeing now. And what I'm seeing is a kid with a good enough heart to feel guilty over something he /might/ have done. That's good enough for me to step up and help."
Jeremy trembles a bit, meeting Gabriel's eyes for only a moment before he looks away again. "I didn't...sleep last night. Not really. They were...they were saying it was my fault...all these people I-I can't remember anymore, every time I shut my eyes..." He looks at Gabriel, finally. "What if...what if I did something really bad? What if I /was/ somebody really bad? I don't...know if I want to know...what happened...who I was..."
Gabriel shrugs as he straightens back up. "We all have monsters living inside us Jeremy. You build the cages for them one good action at a time. And if it breaks out? You start building the cage again. Or you become the monster. But there's one thing that's always true. Its no one's choice which one you do but your own."
Jeremy slumps, leaning heavily against the wall, and hangs his head. "I don't...wanna become the monster. I wanna...I wanna help people, and...and be happy, but...but if I did something..." He slides the rest of the way down, sitting on the sidewalk and hugging his knees. "Mister Gabriel...I know...I know you wanna help me find where I'm from and...and all, but I don't think...I can. Not yet. Okay? I'm just...I know it's gonna be bad. I /know/ it. I'm...I don't mind staying here and...and helping, and...and maybe I can find other things to do, and...I just...I need to wait."
Gabriel takes some time to think about his then finally gives a decisive nod, "Done! Lets forget about the past then if that's what you want. We'll talk with Jonah and see what he can do. With you this young we might have to do some 'magic' too keep you out of the eye of the Man, so Children Services doesn't try to take you and put you in a foster home... Unless you'd like that?"
"No!" Jeremy looks up and shudders, a desperate look crossing his face. "I can't...I mean...I think..." He takes a few deep breaths, trying to think things through. "If...if they did...there'd be, um, what's...um, records and stuff, and...I don't know what happened, so..." The desperation turns to fear. "If someone can find me...anybody I'm with might be in trouble. Maybe. I don't know. But...I d-don't want anyone hurt 'cause of me." He looks around. "Places like this...I can hide. I can move around or something so mister Jonah doesn't get in trouble. I-I can do it."
Gabriel pushing off the pole he grins with another nod. "Done. Lets starts setting you up in a couple of places so you can cycle through without staying in any one for too long." Seems someone else knows a bit about staying out the sight of the officials of the world.
Jeremy nods a little, and slowly manages a slight smile. "O-Okay. Yeah." He pushes himself back to his feet, and takes a deep breath. "That'll work...it has to. I'm...I'm really sorry, mister Gabriel. But...thanks."
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