Balthazar quickly turned into Gabriel's best friend. What with her studiously avoiding anything to do with her Family, hanging out with Balthazar became her favorite (and only) pastime. It was weeks after her fight with Michael before he allowed her back onto the training grounds, so she and Balthazar were often found in the alleyways sparring, eventually teaching fledglings to fight.
Her self-enforced ostracization ended when Balthazar approached her one day after their impromptu alleyway class.
"Gabriel, darling," he purred, "I need your help."
Gabriel glanced at him as they walked through the market. "What with?"
Balthazar didn't answer for moment. When he did, it was with an oddly serious tone. "I need your help breaking into the weapons vault." Gabriel stopped short, gaping at him. Balthazar kept walking.
"Wha-What!?" Gabriel ran to catch up, and when she did, she dragged him into a nearby alcove. "What the hell, Balthazar? Why?"
Balthazar looked around furtively. "There's a civil war going on here, Gabe. Haven't you noticed the way fewer and fewer people stop to talk, how less fledglings have been showing up to our classes?"
She had noticed. She'd assumed that parents were disapproving of their children learning to fight from a girl, a Princess at that, and that was why fledglings stopped coming. As for people not speaking to them, well, Gabriel wasn't all that popular since word got around about the Loki thing, and truth be told, Gabriel was a tad self-absorbed.
Balthazar nodded grimly. "Raphael went crazy, Gabriel. You didn't notice because you haven't been around the other Archs, but he's trying to take over."
Gabriel shook her head in confusion. "He can't, though, Father-"
"God ditched."
"Well, then, surely Amenadiel-"
"Nope, he's out of commission too for a while. Lucifer left Hell to vacation in LA. Amenadiel left to convince him to go back." Gabriel opened her mouth, but Balthazar cut her off. "And Michael, he's gone, too. God sent him off to, well, God knows where."
Gabriel was silent for a moment. "So Raphy's really in charge then." The idea wasn't pleasing; Raph was douche. She grinned, slow and wicked. "I'll help you. I could use a Trickster session; this place is so stuffy."
Balthazar matched her grin.
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Stealing the key to the vault from Amenadiel's rooms was depressingly easy. Gabriel was a little disappointed, actually. Balthazar met her at the stables instead of in the market. Gabriel frowned at him, bent over and panting with his hands on his knees.
"You're late."
Balthazar nodded to her, holding up one finger. Catching his breath, he straightened up. "I'm sorry, darling, but your brother has got guards everywhere, searching everyone." He grinned widely. "Seems someone stole the key to the vault."
Gabriel smirked and held up the key. "It wasn't even hard. You'd think the eldest Archangel would find a better place to hide his large, silver key than hanging on the bedpost," Gabriel shrugged. "There's a reason angels don't fit with the more... shall we say, versatile pagans."
Balthazar gave her a look. "On behalf of angels everywhere, ouch." Gabriel only smirked and walked off.
The Silver City had been subject to some terrible planning. The palace was on the northern side, with the armory/training grounds on the southern border, closest to the Gates of Heaven. The weapons vault was east of the City, far from any form of civilization, and far from the warriors who might actually need it. The advantage was that no one ever expected anyone to visit, let alone try and break in, so the guards were lax in their duties. The disadvantage? No one ever went there. Gabriel and Balthazar's presence would be recorded if they weren't careful, which meant no flying. They had to do the unexpected and walk.
"So." Balthazar started, about an hour in. Gabriel hummed noncommittally. "How are we doing this, oh Tricky One?"
Gabriel rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening last night, then?" Balthazar shrugged. "You are keeping lookout. I will break in, using my wealth of pagan magic so no one will recognize it."
"Hang on, why can't I break in?" Balthazar asked, verging on whining.
"You're too..." Gabriel gestured helplessly.
"You just gestured to all of me." Balthazar glared.
"Exactly." Gabriel said flatly. Balthazar pouted. "Fine, you can distract. Now shut up. We're close."
The two of them ducked behind a large bush. "I feel so dirty right now," Gabriel muttered. Balthazar shot her a weird look. "Hiding behind bushes? I've become a bad cliché!" Rolled eyes was the only response she got. "Fine. It's time, go do you, Balthy."
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Balthazar swaggered towards the guards. Gabriel didn't stick around to see what happened, and instead ran around the side to the only window in the building. She kicked, thinking that maybe she should at least try to be a normal angel, and promptly hopped back in shocked pain. The glass was thick, the way bulletproof glass is. She cursed at herself for not anticipating it. Gabriel glanced down at her watch. Balthazar would be made soon. She'd have to hurry.
A flash of green caught her attention. Looking down, she realised that her clenched hands were glowing green with magic.
"Guess this is my only option," she muttered. She grinned in that way only Loki ever could and disappeared in a flash of green.
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She reappeared in an empty room, full of dusty shelves and desks. She cursed. The vault was in the exact center of the building, surrounded by offices and empty rooms that no longer had a purpose. Before the war with Lucifer, this building would have been filled with angels doing inventory and paperwork and whatnot. There simply weren't enough angels to have the building be completely functional. It made breaking into places easier.
She moved quickly through the room and into the hall. Similarly to the room she'd just left, the hall was devoid of anyone. Gabriel moved quickly and silently through the hall and out the door at the end.
She stopped. Looming in front of her were the doors of the vault. The last time she'd seen them, Michael had been coming out of them holding the weapon that would end the war, with such a bloody price that the doors had been locked and forbidden. Gabriel inhaled slowly and shoved the memory to the back of her mind.
She had a job to do. And the Trickster never failed.