Fires Within
series: gbf pairing: none word count: 1916 rating: G summary: Perhaps somehow even now, when Michael is no longer bound to her element the same way Wilnas is, they continue to affect each other.
[AO3]
wanted to just write something between wilnas and michael
The smell of char and smoke isn't unknown to Michael but it's all she's smelled for the past hour or so. Even standing outside Uriel's restaurant, the air is thick with it. Michael wrinkles her nose, wishing she had Gabriel's wisdom to have taken the first chance to run, or gone with her under pretense to pick up drinks for them all.
Somehow though, the smell inexplicably grows stronger, and Michael's question is answered just as Wilnas bursts out of the entrance of the restaurant, the chime at the top rattling loudly from the force. The smoke seems to engulf him like a blanket, billowing out behind him but now that he's outside, it all dissipates outward... in Michael's direction. Her nose wrinkles. She glances inside, just in time to see Raphael placing a box down to keep the door open. Their gazes meet, and he subtly shifts the winds to blow the smoke away from the restaurant. She gives him a nod of thanks and turns her attention back to her current companion.
The grin on Wilnas' face can only be described as cheerfully positive even with all the char and smoke on him. Despite all his failures, he's still shining, still bright, maybe a little too bright for Michael.
"There you are, Michael! I was wondering where you had gotten up to!" he says, his voice loud as always.
"It was... a bit too stuffy for me inside."
"Ah! I apologize for all the smoke!" His grin seems to grow bigger. "Cooking is such a new interest for me that I might have grown too enthusiastic for it! I swear to replace Uriel's tools once I finish practicing! His guidance has been very helpful! Thank you for introducing him to me!"
"I am glad to hear that," she answers, wincing slightly inside. It is partly true; she had intended mainly for the crew to come here to Uriel's restaurant to eat up and relax after their days-long mission of fighting on what the others call the ancient battlefield. The history of it is not lost on Michael, faintly aware of the War even when she'd been acting as primarch. It feels strange now to be on that same battlefield though.
"How many attempts does that make that now?" she asks. Uriel and he have been at it for what feel like hours now. Michael had been sitting inside at first with the rest of the crew but left to excuse herself for a bit. She had meant to come back in but Gabriel had come from her studio to join her. She'd taken one look inside the restaurant and shut the door, turning back around to stand next to Michael instead. Gabriel had left after a while, saying she would pick up drinks for them, and Michael waited for her outside, but it's been quite some time now since Gabriel has disappeared.
Wilnas holds up one of his mighty hands, counting off. Then he holds up his other one. "Uh, too many to count!" he concludes with a laugh.
"How do you do it?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Michael halts. She hadn't meant to speak that aloud. "Forgive me for speaking so frankly, but you have failed several times and yet, you're able to laugh it off and continue. Does that not sting your pride?"
"Yes!" Wilnas pumps a fist. "As I am the very embodiment of fire itself, my fires burn hotter than anything else in the skies! And yet, even with this strength, I cannot use it to do something so simple as cooking! Not even something so easy as raw meat can be spared from the fate of cinders!" And despite his words, he laughs without a care in the world.
"And yet, you still continue."
"Because I must! How else will I get better if I do not?" His expression turns oddly grave for one such as him. "You understand it, as a being who will also live for along time, that our perspective of time in this world is... much different than a mortal's. A decade will go by in the blink of an eye for us but for a mortal, that is a significant fraction of their life. In my journey to master this art of cooking, it may take me decades, centuries, or perhaps even millennia! I am afforded this time but a mortal is not. And they know all too well, that their time here is limited and devote themselves to their craft, unknowing of what their future might bring. The fire inside of them will either become snuffed out, or it may grow into a wildfire!"
Michael listens to him ramble on. What he speaks is true, yes. She thinks of Falsch and the decades he'd spent wallowing by himself while his friends moved on without him. To Michael, twenty years is... merely a drop in the ocean. To a mortal, twenty years is... nearly a quarter of their life gone. And still yet, despite all the shortcomings, the fire inside of him continued to burn and led to giving Michael an incredible experience. It is this passion that makes mortals so different from primal beasts, those created with roles and purposes in mind.
"You know, when I manifested in this world, I nearly destroyed a whole town. I had burned most of their fields and they lost much of their crop. They needed food and nourishment, and I could not provide that for them no matter how much I wished. Thus, my wish to learn this art of cooking became born." He holds out his hand, an ember flickering within his palm. She's standing next to him but she can feel the sheer heat radiating from it. Michael can tell how different this flame feels from hers, as if the world has borne this one instead rather than conjured. To her though, it is a mild warmth; to anyone else, the heat would no doubt lick at their skin in uncomfortable heat.
"Fire is known for being ferocious and unkind, yet still the mortals have sought to tame our wild infernos. In this, they even create their own flames and they've advanced their lives to today!" The grin comes back to his face, his eyes sparkling with unbridled curiosity. It reminds Michael of the time she had taken her job with children, how curious their eyes had looked. Perhaps that might be the perfect comparison, given Wilnas' only recent manifestation and his fascination with everything in the skies at this current moment.
"I believe cooking is one of the most impressive feats that the mortals have done, do you not think so?" He turns to her suddenly. Michael expects him to continue but she realizes he's waiting for an answer. She ruminates on it.
"I suppose it is because... to eat something delicious is one way to feel alive," she says. It makes her think of Azrael's obsession with bean cake—ah, could it truly have been something so simple? Gabriel often tells her how much she thinks too much on a subject and that is more than true right now. "We do not need to food to have any particular taste to derive sustenance from it, but when you share food with those you cherish, it is... a wonderful feeling."
Wilnas dwells on her answer before he nods furiously. "Yes, that's exactly it. When you toil through the act of preparing the food, you think of those that would taste it. When it is those you cherish, you prepare the food according to their tastes. To spend all that work and seeing others enjoy your hard work is also a reward in its own right!" He clenches his fist, the ember disappearing in a puff of smoke. "It is not needed to be done, and yet the mortals continue to evolve this aspect of their lives. And to them, even the simplest flavor can bring such joy to the mortals! It fascinates me!"
"To be able to eat delicious food everyday is a luxury to some mortals," Michael murmurs. Wilnas nods in agreement, his somber look returning to him.
Perhaps it had been through him the reason she feels this way. Perhaps somehow even now, when she is no longer bound to her element the same way Wilnas is, they continue to affect one another. It feels strange to think so when compared to him, the time she has spent in her role is a mere fraction compared to his. She is certain though, that they both feel that same fire, that same desire that burns inside of them that tells them... how fascinating the passions of mortals are... so fascinating that they both cannot help but want to chase after it for their own reasons.
"It sounds like they've gotten the situation under control now." Wilnas turns his head toward the inside of the restaurant. Michael wonders what's even happened inside, for them to push Wilnas outside while Uriel and Raphael took care of... whatever it'd been. She hopes that nothing has happened to Uriel's kitchen. "Perhaps by the end of the night, I will be able to have an edible meal!"
"I wish you all the luck in the world," Michael tells him. "But please take care not to burn down the restaurant. I also reside here as well."
"Oh? You should have thought to mention that! I will do my utmost to protect your home!"
Somehow, even with his assurance, Michael doesn't feel relieved. It's Uriel's restaurant she's more worried about, in any case. She hopes Gabriel will hurry back so if anything does happen, she can at least douse the entire building if need be. Michael gives him a nod and sends him on his way, leaning back against the wall once more with her arms crossed. She can hear Uriel inside again and it isn't long before Wilnas' hearty laughter joins in.
Michael sighs and looks up at the sky. To continue to fail and keep going... it is still something she needs to learn to do, to remain persistent. Setbacks sting her pride far more than she likes to admit. Sometimes, being in battle itself is easier than... everything she's had to deal with.
Seeing Wilnas persist though... it gives her inspiration too. She had meant to take a break for a day after their grueling mission but now she's feeling inspired to pick up her acting books tomorrow, return back to the theater as soon as possible to learn from the teachers there. The fire inside of her has been lit again.
"Mika, I'm back—oh? What are you smiling about?" Gabriel comes into view then, that teasing smile on her face as always. "Did seeing me put you in a good mood?"
Leave it to Gabriel to pick the perfect moments to come back. Or... perhaps, she'd been watching them, she wouldn't put it past her as well. As much as Gabriel trusts in her to find her own way, she also knows Gabriel does worry for her too. Michael only sighs before letting out a small smile.
"I've just had... a productive conversation. I feel motivated again," Michael says. "You've got those drinks you said you'd get, right?"
"Right here," Gabriel says, lifting up a bag. She watches Michael for a moment though, and her eyes crinkle. "I'm happy for you," she says afterward, and Michael lets her own smile grow in response.