For emberlight

Gabriel slid a book into place on its shelf, checking to ensure the spines were aligned before moving to the next shelf. He paused by one of the large windows, shifting the weight of the books in his arms as he moved to the window instead. It was late in the afternoon, and the sunlight was gilding the dark brown shelves and furniture and the grounds of the Manor. The Archangel put the books down on a table and lifted the clasp on the window, pushing it open; it resisted a little, as the library windows were so rarely opened. He felt like going around and opening all the windows, throwing them wide to let new air circulate; the library suddenly seemed oddly small.

Gabriel gazed at the horizon for a few moments, enjoying the faint breeze. He knew this feeling. He had never been able to stay in one place for too long, except perhaps Heaven; since the beginning, he'd always been a traveller. He did, however, have a suburban apartment in the UK for when he felt like resting in one place for a while. Gabriel wasn't sure if he would rather go traveling again or stop at his apartment first, but he certainly felt like getting out of the Manor for a while, at least.

  But... Uriel was here too, solely because of him. He couldn't just go off and leave Uriel in the Manor when he was the one who had invited him in the first place; besides, he had missed his brother and had been looking forward to spending time with him. Gabriel absent-mindedly stroked the embossed spine of an early edition of Poe, thinking.

~

  After his shift for the day had ended, Gabriel went down to the first floor and knocked on Uriel's door. "Uriel? May I come in?"