They were mortals, still living; even if he still held the title of Judge they would have been beyond his jurisdiction. Weak, little better than children compared to what Gabriel could do. It would have been very, very easy for him to see himself out and paint the street red on the way, but Cassiel was correct. It would bring nothing but remorse later, and he'd had quite enough of that already.

He took his gaze off the crowd, focusing once more on Cassiel. There was a moment where it looked like Gabriel might argue, even taking a breath to do so. It wasn't right, lethal or not.

The resounding click of his teeth meeting each other indicated a sharp change in opinion though when the challenge was laid. Unpredictable he might be in combat, but in personality, he was as ever an open book. The crowd certainly didn't help, or perhaps, in Cassiel's case, helped greatly, as a thrilled murmur rippled throughout the onlookers. Well... he couldn't back out now.

"Even without my weapons or armor, you could never hope to best me, Cassiel." Challenge accepted.