Good Charity

With all things considered, one of the best ways to spread a little holiday cheer was to give to those who were in need. So, in a very low key environment, Gabe and a few other colleagues were doing a small coat drive at the outskirts of the backlight district. If there was one thing that Gabe found himself worrying about when it came to the demon activity at night, it was the homeless people. No one would care if they were missing or murdered, maybe it was the one death count that's never taken into account.

"Coat Drive, donate what you can!"

At least they won't freeze to death.

...it felt strange, right now. A lot had changed, recently, and all it had taken was a day.
Do not linger because of it. You have idled enough already.
That...that included. Of all that had happened, the thing he most had to get used to now was the ghostly presence in his mind.
He wished it wouldn't keep chiding him. It seemed to mean well, but wanted it wanted wasn't so easy to achieve.

A hint of something tickled at his ears, despite the music running through them. It's shrugged off instinctively, Cecil walking on in spite of the unintelligible blip-
Stop, and listen.
...but for another interjection in his mind.
Getting the feeling it wasn't going to cease otherwise, Cecil removes his headphones, and actually starts to pay more attention to the world around him. He was hearing...calls? For a coat drive?
...you're going to pester me until I check this out, aren't you?
I would not do this if you yourself did not think you ought.
Fine...not like my involvement is would be worth something anyway.

Cutting the music, Cecil approaches the group, gravitating towards the individual who seemed to be leading the proceedings with a neutral expression on his face. "What's going on here?"

Gabe was receiving a coat from a total stranger until he was stopped midway by another stranger. The man that was addressing him had a pretty young face, two to three inches shorter than Gabe. Gabe wasn't essentially towering over the lad, but the stature and posture kind of unintentionally brought about the idea that Gabe was sizing him up. However, the young casino owner couldn't help it.

"It's a small charity event that's being run by a nonprofit organization, volunteering is free, and the rules are simple. Give to those in need, no catch. In this case, coats for the passing winter. The collection is today until Christmas eve, distribution is on Christmas day. I treat it as a soul cleanse, if you will. "

"Right..." As he was, Cecil wouldn't have been able to tell if Gabe had been sizing him up or not. It was the sort of nuance lost on him til it was made blatant. Not that it would have mattered right now. With his question answered, Cecil had blanked out, creating an awkward silence as he finds himself void of anything else to say.
And yet again, the voice rang out in his mind.
This is not all you can muster.
Really now? Because it doesn't bloody feel like it.
Then perhaps you are in need of a cleanse as well.
What are...oh. Oh man...this is going to go well.

Cecil continues to linger a bit, trying to speak up a few times, and failing utterly. It wasn't like he had a coat to offer - he didn't even have one on him. But it wouldn't last forever. The intensifying feeling of being watched expectantly ensured that.
Hard to escape your own expectations.
"I...I, ah, um...ahhh..." The fumbled words came forth like a thick flow of tar, reluctant and uneven.
I know what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say it. So why can't I?!
"Aghh..." Cecil pauses, and lets out a frustrated sigh. "Mind if I...stick around...and help out a bit?" The pauses seemed less like an attempt at emphasising anything, and more like he needed them to say anything coherent in the first place.

After telling the guy what they were doing here, it didn't seem as if he had anything else of value to say. Not only that, the guy didn't seem too interested in donating his things or anything of the sort, so Gabe felt like it would be rude of him to bother the individual any further. After a few minutes of collecting donations of the sort, even dollar donations for those who didn't have any sort of coat to give. However, it surprised Gabe quite a bit to hear the man offering his help.

"Oh, well, of course, there is this form you would have to fill out as a volunteer. I did as well, it basically states that all of the proceedings are going to charity and we have no sort of compensation whatsoever to achieve from this. "Whistling over to a coworker, Gabe would show the individual a tablet that had the brief contract in hand. "It's not for life or anything, just until the event is over, whenever you decide to come around, you would already be registered. HEck, it could only be for today if you want. "

"Right..." Cecil nods, and looks quickly over the contract.
Good thing this isn't that long.
He wasn't fluent in legalese, but everything at least seemed to be in order from what he was able to skim. "Well, I don't know how much I can do, but..." Cecil signs off on the contract. "I should be able to manage today, at least."

As the tablet is taken away, Cecil takes a deep breath. You going to keep bugging me now I'm doing this?
I only do as you believe you need. This rests on your shoulders.
Joy.
Retreating from his inner dialogue, Cecil turns his attention back to Gabe, running his fingers through his hair. "So...um...mind helping me get started on this, now that I've signed up? I, ah, a-um...wouldn't want to botch this."

Yes, definitely!" Gabe would say this in a rather enthusiastic voice as he walked on over to the coats and a multitude of boxes. "So you see.....oh....Cecil...that's your name, right? Do you mind if we go by a first name basis? Since we are working together for a brief moment, I think it would be more comfortable for both of us to at least be a bit cordial to one another. " After that, Gabe would point back to the boxes. "So with the coats that we go around to gather, you know the little tag at the back of each coat tells us about the size, right? Once we sort them out, a group of individuals will come by with a truck to pick them up and send them out. Sounds easy no?

Cecil nods. "Yeah, my name's Cecil...first names are good. Being comfortable is good." He was basically being swept along at this point. Prodding mind ghost aside, he was out of his depth. "...wait, uh...what's your name...? I don't...think you said...?"
Smooooth. I sound like a goddamn mess.
Which makes sense, because I am a goddamn mess.
He listens along to the explanation, listening intently so that he doesn't miss anything. "That....yeah, that sounds easy. So, ah...which boxes for which coats?"

"Gabriel Gatsby, I'm the manager of the lucky clover. It's place of gambling and entertainment so I'm not too sure if you would be into something like that, but I assure you that we uphold proper business practices and procedures. They are involved in this charity, and this charity is simply for the sake of this who are less fortunate than us. That can happen though gambling as well you know? Homelessness....it's almost if it seems like I have a guilty conscience huh? Haha...."

Going over to the boxes, Gabe would start to point. "For the coats that are pretty much smaller or decently sized for kids, it goes in the box named "Adolescents". Everything else goes in the "adult" box. Simple right?"

Cecil shrugs, his typical relaxed smile settling in a bit more as he starts to get more comfortable...and finds something to cling to, as far as both talking and doing things went. "Right, right...got it, Gabriel. Yeah, that's simple." He sets himself to sorting through the coats, just glad for the lifeline. "It's not a great thing, but...they made the choice, really. They didn't have to do as they did, but they did." It was kind of depressing to think about. "I mean, as long they're not being exploited, at the end of the day there's only so much you can do without trying to live their life for them...I just hope people don't get dragged down with them if they go that far."

Cecil scoffs, dismissive of what he just said.

"Kind of a naive hope, though..."

"From the way that you put it, it only makes me a little more curious. So if that's the case, to ensure that no one gets dragged down with them, what do you suppose the mere thoughts or even the actions of someone down on their luck should be? I mean, sometimes, do people even expect to be helped when they are experiencing great difficulty in their lives? "

Gabe accepted another coat and then worked on the checklist a little more. However, he still kept an ear out in order to hear what Cecil had to say.

"It might sound ironic, but at then end of the day, that same kind of misfortune can go full circle and affect any one of us. When you start to think of it that way, giving back in some way, shape, or form is one of the things that linger in my mind. This might not change the world as a whole, but the world of one who sees it all through their eyes. Maybe that's enough?

Huh. He hadn't considered it in all that much depth, but here this guy was asking him to delve deeper into it.

If I was going to say anything, then...

"... really, it's not just about what you do when you're in a bad situation. When you're, well, homeless for example, you do what you need to to get by. You need to. But you don't have to be homeless to screw someone over." That one for adults, that was...probably adolescent, but close. "That sort of thing is what I mean. Easy to spiral down from any point. The worst is when your descent costs other people the things they need as well."

He pauses. "There's only so much you can do, but when these things are in your hands, I feel like you should at least be mindful of what effect you have on the people around you with your actions. Be careful what you do before you lose what choices you have."

Cecil sighs, a wry smile on his lips. "It's...it's the best you can do, really. If you can't change the world, you change what you can. Do good by you and the people you care about, without grinding other people into the dirt along the way. That's what's most important, I think."

"Ahh.." Clapping a bit and nodding his head at Cecil, Gabe was actually surprised that the younger had such an opinion in the first place. "With that sort of thinking and intelligence at your disposal, i would expect you to say something along the lines of being a counselor when you got a little older. I don't know why, but even for me, it felt a little comforting to hear you say that, even if there are some views that are weighed slightly between us in this day and age. " Now catching his interest, Gabe would ask the lad another question. " Cecil, what do you do outside of random volunteering events like this one. "

Cecil freezes.
And then hurriedly places the coat he's got into its box before waving his hands in the air in front of him.
"Noooooo nonononono noooooooo. I couldn't do that. I could not do that."
You can. You need to attempt to-
SHUT UP ENKIDU!
"Counselling is a very people-y thing. Interacting with people, understanding them - I can't do that. I - I can't do that. Not what I do. Something I can do."

He slowly lowers his hands, and his eyes flick away from Gabe down to the floor for a moment, before putting on the relaxed facade he so oft defaults to. "Honestly, I...don't do a lot. Hah...I only did this because..." He pauses. "I guess something inside said I needed to. For me."
That was as much explanation as he was giving him. You don't just tell people that you have naggy brain ghosts, do you?

"Well, you seem like a person that is pretty good at interacting with people without realizing that you are interacting with them. The first step that I saw you made was ....well.. taking an interest in what everyone is doing here. You made the choice to get involved, further interacting with the people that come by in order to donate. Right now, you are in the middle of a conversation with me. I don't think it's the ability to do so that you have a problem with, it's your confidence. It has to start with the belief inside of you that you are capable of these things. Doesn't have to be whatever I suggest, it can be whatever you desire. "

Nodding his head in approval, Gabe would tap the man on the shoulder.

"Well, if that something inside of you is giving you the courage to try new things, I'm sure everything will work out."

Taking a look t his watch, Gabe would start to direct hand gestures as he shouted.

"Alright people, time to wrap it up."

Looking back to Cecil, Gabe would extend out his hand.

"As I was trying to say, thank you for volunteering with us today."