#* gabe

Digging Deeper.

All the way back to the very beginning of Gabriel's memories they are filled with experiences at Adventureland and, later, Astroland. He remembers the sounds of the games, the whoosh of a roller coaster flying by, the smell of fried dough and french fries. He remembers chasing after his brothers, weaving through the crowds to get into lines and try to obtain the best seats on the rides. There were days where he was bouncing in his seat trying to finish up his homework at the kitchen table so he could run off to the park before it closed for a couple hours. The park was almost more familiar to him than home, because it was his home. At least, once upon a time it had been.

That June will forever be burned into Gabe's memory, the year Hector disappeared. It was only a week or so after he'd turned fourteen and he'd been so excited to finally start working beside his older brothers, even if he was only allowed a short amount of time and only certain roles at the park that were deemed 'safe'. But he didn't mind - all he wanted was to work the games alongside Hector and Jay, and how could working a games booth be unsafe? Especially if Jay was there. He had always looked up to the both of them (not only because he was shorter) and thought they were the coolest guys ever. He never did get the job.

But even worse, he never saw Hector again. He remembers Jay coming home late, voices raising and tinged with concern that drew him from his bed. Hearing that Hector had run away didn't make any sense because, as far as Gabe was concerned, there wasn't any reason he ever would. He refused to believe it, just as Jay did. But he was still young and barred from taking part in much of the search efforts, though he found his own ways to take part. He rode his bike around town as if he might find Hector or Jay's car set up on the side of the road somewhere waiting to be found.

When it was found it didn't come with any answers. If anything, it just left him with more questions. What was Hector doing there in the first place? Where did he go? Why? For a while he was solely focused on finding out, but with time and more dead ends, he eventually had to let it go. Money was tight and he had to start bringing some in, especially with Astroland seeming to be standing on it's last legs.

He started working at the local comic and games shop as a cashier. It didn't make a whole lot, but he enjoyed it - and he didn't ask for much, really. In his spare time he started lending his time to Helping Hands as well. Perhaps it was because he wanted to fill his hours with something useful - better than being lost within his own thoughts that inevitably went back to Hector time and again. And maybe he hoped one day he might see Hector there, and he could bring him home. It wasn't impossible that something happened, that he couldn't remember where he belonged, that he just needed a reminder. It wasn't impossible. Gabe would always be an optimist even in the most unlikely of situations, but as the years go by he knows, deep down, how unlikely it really is.

Extras.

Pinterest

In his youth Gabriel explored a lot of different creative avenues. He tried many different instruments and had a talent artistically. Nowadays he can occasionally be caught playing guitar, but is typically to shy to play in front of people, let alone sing in front of people.

A dream would be to design a comic book and have it sell on the shelves of Paradox one day.