Sitting back slightly, Aziraphale gave Gabriel a warm, if slightly unfocused, smile. The change in topic was noted and appreciated, although he kept his mouth shut about it. He was already getting the sense that drawing attention to Gabriel's more gracious impulses would only make him defensive.

With his fingers still curled around the outside of his glass, he tapped perfect nails against the etched designs, then let his hand fall flat on the table. There was nothing to hide, really.

"I stayed away from the major fires - " Except for the one that had burnt his shop to a crisp, of course, but that was only major to him. " - and had very little to do with kings. Other than that, I kept to myself." He smiled again. "It's a really fascinating place. Lots of history. Of course, I watched it all happen, so perhaps history is the wrong word."