That was a definite 'no', then, if the old man would prefer to believe it was a farce or a delusion instead of even considering the possibility of the truth. Gabriel shook his head, amused and wry and a bit weary. "You know, that kind of attitude is what I used to prank people for. Just call a spade a spade, already."

Usually he didn't much care whether people believed in him or not, but sometimes ... sometimes it was infuriating. It only reminded him of how much Dad hadn't done when he could have. "They stick around," he confirmed. "They're just not so ninja."