[Gallagher]

One day, we shall finish writing what we should, and there will be no more starving or homeless, and rainbows will cross the sky on an hourly basis as the heavens smile down on humanity.

... For now, though, another character piece. This time, with a little dose of self-harm.

One Day, Life Will Go My Way

It was already afternoon. It wasn't as if Gabriel was in any sort of rush. In fact, he'd already spent far too much time chatting with the man in front of him. He was the owner of one of the two stables this particular town had, and the only one that happened to lie next to an inn. All the same, time was ticking away, and though he'd only just arrived in this relatively quiet place, he had work to do. Out in front of the building, his horse and small covered cart just behind him, the two had been attempting to sort a deal. Simply, he had money, and he needed to make sure there would be room for not only him and his animal companion, but for his belongings as well.

The trouble with this man was, he, like many others in this world, was greedy, and Gabriel had been hoping to keep enough to spare for himself. Unfortunately, it didn't seem things would be working out that way. With a bright smile, he removed several coins from the purse at his belt and handed them over to the man, who offered a grunt and a nod before heading back inside. Gabe watched the door for a moment, then sighed, turning his attention to the mare. "Well. Maybe tomorrow."

With at least one thing taken care of, and his purse significantly lighter, the dark haired man led his horse not into the stable, but farther into town. His new goal? To find a suitable spot to, hopefully, earn a little more before the day's end. If his only worry was getting by, he certainly wouldn't have bothered. Sadly, these days he had more on his mind. There were far too many things that needed taking care of, and not nearly enough work as of late. Hell, the last village had little more than some scraped knees and a case of the sniffles. A lot of good that did.

The pair eventually came to a stop. As he patted the horse's nose, he took a chance to get his bearings. This area seemed to be his best bet, and he soon figured out why. Not only were there several shops — granted not enough to really call it a market — but a seemingly lively tavern just down the road. Lovely. If all went well, he already knew the first place he'd be going. He grinned brightly to his horse, giving her one last pat. "Let's put on a good show then, shall we?"

Gabe put on his best smile, setting aside his worries and frustrations as he hopped up onto the small plank of wood that served as the driver's seat of his cart. Familiar words left his lips as he called out to those passing by. The same enthusiasm, the same promises, the same confidence as he always held, his every movement fluid and punctuating just the right points. Bright eyes watched the passing faces. A few seemed interested, though only a couple enough so to actually stop, and the rest couldn't have cared less. Not that he blamed him. Even he knew how he seemed, just another case of snake oil. What he needed was a good demonstration, and that was just what he gave them, courtesy of the knife at his belt.

Slowly rolling one sleeve up, his knife held delicately in the very same hand, Gabe beamed down at the small gathering group. Of course it took such measures to get the attention he needed. Of course most of them would wander off when the thrill was over, shaking their heads and brushing it off as some sort of trick. Of course the ones that would stay would be the young and innocent, with either nothing for him to work with or being so much so that he wouldn't have the heart to ask for what few coins they may have. But what other options were there?

"Now," he called, smoothing the rolled fabric at his elbow, "I won't ask that you don't try this yourselves-" Holding his arm out straight, he drew the blade against his skin and down towards the ground. "-But I would suggest keeping it for when I'm around." Without so much as looking at the newly created wound, his smile never quite faded as he flipped the knife back around, keeping it in his hand while freeing a couple fingers. He ran them down the bleeding cut slowly, the bright fluid smearing and dripping down onto the ground.

Just as smoothly as he had performed the display, he retrieved a cloth tucked at his belt and wiped the mess away. No sooner had the skin been revealed unblemished that a mix of mutters and whispers greeted him. "So then. Who's interested in an end to their suffering?"

For a long moment, it seemed as though his question would go unanswered, despite the lengths he went to. He arched a single dark brow as he watched a portion of the already small group. Lovely, this town looked to be as bad as the last. The first to step forward was an older couple, the woman looking far too pale and delicate as she held her husband's arm. Tucking his things back away to his belt, Gabe hopped gracefully down from his impromptu stage, offering a softer smile to them.

"She's been ill for days, but nothing's helped."

"Ah." He nodded, looking the woman over. "Pretty little thing like this? Let's see what I can do, shall we?" He gestured toward the back of the cart, moving to tug its cover off part of the way.

"We don't have much."

He shook his head without hesitation and waved the man off. "First customer of the day. I don't need a thing. Come now, let's get her feeling better."