The same old excuse. Her previous words indicated there was something more, and if he could see her soul even a little bit Gabriel suspected he might see something to confirm that. And yet he said nothing as he reached out with a foot, feeling for the next step, and made his way down to a level close to Re-l.

The Archangel put out his hands, groping for hers, trying to find the knot. His mouth was a thin line; if he could only see, he could do more for her. "There's a doctor around here somewhere," he said. "The twitchy one."

He smiled tightly. "Sure. Home, on the verge of Armageddon. Back to being stabbed in the chest by my brother. Fun times." For a moment he was quite while he found the edges of her hankie and figured out the logistics of tying a knot without seeing it. Then he said, "I'm just hoping my being here means there's a loophole in the whole 'being dead' thing."