Los Angeles: Thursday evening
It was safely past sunset when Angel, Logan, and a leashed Sean made their way to yet another used car lot.
"I don't need anything fancy," Angel said. "Simple. Practical. Economical. That's it."
Logan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We've looked at SUVs. We've looked at Volvos. We've looked at sedans and vans. What, exactly, do you consider practical?"
"I'll know it when I see it," Angel said. He continued to walk up and down the rows of cars. "Looks like I'll be able to take over the Hyperion soon."
"Oh yeah? Bristow come through with funding?"
"Not Bristow," Angel said. He stopped to look over a sporty red Porche. Then he saw the price tag and kept moving. "Bank. Thanks to Parker."
Logan glanced at Angel in surprise. "You talked to Parker?"
"She had some leads," Angel said.
Logan ran his hand over the hood of a blue BMW. "What'd you tell her?" he asked casually.
"Hyperion, ex-demon, that's it," Angel said. He watched Logan out of the corner of his eye. "Didn't mention you."
"That's good," Logan said. "She'd probably thwap me through the phone and find some way to drag me back home."
"At some point somebody's going to find out," Angel said, stating it as an observation without judgement. "Heck, if they find you've gone missing back home I might be the one assigned to find you."
Logan laughed. "No one's going to notice I'm gone."
"I would," Angel said, before he could stop himself.
Logan glanced over at Angel and smiled. "Yeah, well, maybe that's why I'm here."
Angel started to smile back, then forced himself to continue looking at cars. "Anyway, should figure out when you want them to know."
Logan shrugged. "Maybe when we're a little more settled. I can check my emails, so it's not like they can't reach me if I'm needed."
"Hope to get us in there by next week," Angel said. He made a firm, decisive gesture. "No more living in hotels."
"What about the Hyperion?"
"You know what I meant."
"So no more living in other people's hotels," Logan nodded. "Got it. I figure if we pick up a crew of Mexicans they can get that place ship-shape in no time at all."
"Sure," Angel said. He completely ignored a perfectly affordable blue Volvo and kept walking. "If by 'crew of Mexicans' you mean 'you and me'."
Logan shook his head. "I can't believe you, of all people, could be so selfish."
"Selfish?" Angel cocked an eyebrow at him.
"There are hundreds of immigrants in this city trying to scrape by from day to day on whatever work they can get, and you would deny then this opportunity?" Logan sighed. "I wouldn't have thought it of you."
"You know," Angel said, "technically speaking as of right now you're one of them."
Logan blinked for a moment as he considered this. "You're an immigrant as well," he pointed out. "Would you turn your back on your people?"
"So you want me to hire the Irish," Angel said.
"If they're looking for work, sure."
"How about hiring the Logans?"
"Do you have any idea how long it's going to take just you and me to clean up that dump?" Logan asked.
"Do you have any idea how much your rent is going to be if you don't help me?" Angel replied.
"I didn't say I wouldn't help!" Logan said, throwing up his hands. "I'm just saying you should take advantage of the skills I have to offer. Which run more towards management than labor."
"Labor costs money," Angel said. "I could give it to other people or I could give it to you. Your choice. Actually, no, wait - my choice. I'm the boss. God I love how that works."
Logan folded his arms and leaned against the nearest car. "If we get this place cleaned up quickly, you could rent out more rooms. Generate more income."
"Just you," Angel said.
"I can't," Logan waved a hand desperately, "you know, help the helpless, if I'm up to my ears in dust bunnies!'
"I'm not sure about that," Angel said. He leaned up against a dark brown Lincoln Town Car.
"You think there are evil dust bunnies?" Logan asked dryly.
"No, the slogan," Angel said. "You don't think it's too cheesy?"
"'We help the helpless'?" Logan considered. "It's kinda cheesy, but it works with the whole superhero gig."
"So you're saying I'm cheesy."
"Well. Yeah."
"And yet you wonder why I'm making you clean up dust bunnies."
Logan glared at Angel. "I thought you were going to be cleaning up, too."
"Depends on whether or not you keep calling me cheesy." Angel grinned at him, then led Sean off to look at more cars.
"Hey, your word, not mine," Logan said. "Do you have any idea what you want in a car?"
"Simple, practical, economical," Angel repeated. He spotted a Toyota and kept walking. "Not Japanese."
"Oh, sure, they work their asses off to take away American jobs and then you won't even look at their products," Logan muttered.
"I want a car that actually has an engine," Angel said. "Something with oomph. Something with life. Something - "
"My card," a brand-new voice said out of nowhere.
Angel sighed. He pushed the card away. "Not interested in TV, not interested in modeling."
"TV?" the short, balding man replied. "No, no. Fuck TV. I wouldn't put you on TV unless it was for a commercial giving you six figures for three hours of your time. Show it only overseas. Good, respectible, it'd be like making money for breathing."
Angel gave him a look. "Funny story about that - "
"Movies!" the man proclaimed. He stepped back, looking Angel over. "You don't have TV face. Too broad. Too muscle-bound. You'd be a bitch and a half when you had to do the talk shows but not like Brad Pitt had fuck-all to say before Angelina wiped the crap out of his eyes and shoved an African baby into his hands."
Logan stepped between Angel and the interloper. "He's not interested," he said sharply.
The man gave him an eyeroll. "Let me guess - you're his manager?"
"You an agent?" Logan asked.
"Not an agent, junior," he said. "The agent." He stepped back to try to address Angel. "Seriously. Action movies. Huge names. I'm talking Spielberg, Cameron, Goldstein - "
"No kidding," Logan said, faking an interest. "Can I see your card?"
The card appeared once again. "Ari Gold. Maybe you've heard of me."
Logan took the card, but didn't glance at it. "Can't say that I have," he said. He shoved the card in the back of his pants, made an exaggerated wiping motion, then pulled his hand out and let the card fall to the ground. "Thanks," he said.
"Right, fine," Ari said, dismissing Logan and Angel by proxy. "Enjoy being one of the little people."
Logan laughed. "I do," he said.
Ari left. If Logan expected some kind of comment from Angel about this, he was mistaken. Angel had moved off to the side, where he stood with his arms folded and looked at something in the distance.
Logan wandered over to him. "I should've brought holy water," he said.
"Hum?" Angel asked, distracted. He turned to face Logan when Sean tugged at his leash in an effort to lick Logan's hand. "Oh. It's fine. I'm getting used to it. Least this one wasn't TV."
"They're like roaches," Logan said in disgust. "Did you find something?"
"Yep," Angel pointed across a few rows at a black convertible. "That one."
"That's a convertible," Logan pointed out.
"Uh-huh." Angel was smiling from ear to ear.
"You're not seeing a problem with that?"
"Nope."
Logan turned to Angel to protest and saw the look on Angel's face. "Let's go check it out," he said instead.
***
[ooc: co-written with psycho_jackass
"I don't need anything fancy," Angel said. "Simple. Practical. Economical. That's it."
Logan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We've looked at SUVs. We've looked at Volvos. We've looked at sedans and vans. What, exactly, do you consider practical?"
"I'll know it when I see it," Angel said. He continued to walk up and down the rows of cars. "Looks like I'll be able to take over the Hyperion soon."
"Oh yeah? Bristow come through with funding?"
"Not Bristow," Angel said. He stopped to look over a sporty red Porche. Then he saw the price tag and kept moving. "Bank. Thanks to Parker."
Logan glanced at Angel in surprise. "You talked to Parker?"
"She had some leads," Angel said.
Logan ran his hand over the hood of a blue BMW. "What'd you tell her?" he asked casually.
"Hyperion, ex-demon, that's it," Angel said. He watched Logan out of the corner of his eye. "Didn't mention you."
"That's good," Logan said. "She'd probably thwap me through the phone and find some way to drag me back home."
"At some point somebody's going to find out," Angel said, stating it as an observation without judgement. "Heck, if they find you've gone missing back home I might be the one assigned to find you."
Logan laughed. "No one's going to notice I'm gone."
"I would," Angel said, before he could stop himself.
Logan glanced over at Angel and smiled. "Yeah, well, maybe that's why I'm here."
Angel started to smile back, then forced himself to continue looking at cars. "Anyway, should figure out when you want them to know."
Logan shrugged. "Maybe when we're a little more settled. I can check my emails, so it's not like they can't reach me if I'm needed."
"Hope to get us in there by next week," Angel said. He made a firm, decisive gesture. "No more living in hotels."
"What about the Hyperion?"
"You know what I meant."
"So no more living in other people's hotels," Logan nodded. "Got it. I figure if we pick up a crew of Mexicans they can get that place ship-shape in no time at all."
"Sure," Angel said. He completely ignored a perfectly affordable blue Volvo and kept walking. "If by 'crew of Mexicans' you mean 'you and me'."
Logan shook his head. "I can't believe you, of all people, could be so selfish."
"Selfish?" Angel cocked an eyebrow at him.
"There are hundreds of immigrants in this city trying to scrape by from day to day on whatever work they can get, and you would deny then this opportunity?" Logan sighed. "I wouldn't have thought it of you."
"You know," Angel said, "technically speaking as of right now you're one of them."
Logan blinked for a moment as he considered this. "You're an immigrant as well," he pointed out. "Would you turn your back on your people?"
"So you want me to hire the Irish," Angel said.
"If they're looking for work, sure."
"How about hiring the Logans?"
"Do you have any idea how long it's going to take just you and me to clean up that dump?" Logan asked.
"Do you have any idea how much your rent is going to be if you don't help me?" Angel replied.
"I didn't say I wouldn't help!" Logan said, throwing up his hands. "I'm just saying you should take advantage of the skills I have to offer. Which run more towards management than labor."
"Labor costs money," Angel said. "I could give it to other people or I could give it to you. Your choice. Actually, no, wait - my choice. I'm the boss. God I love how that works."
Logan folded his arms and leaned against the nearest car. "If we get this place cleaned up quickly, you could rent out more rooms. Generate more income."
"Just you," Angel said.
"I can't," Logan waved a hand desperately, "you know, help the helpless, if I'm up to my ears in dust bunnies!'
"I'm not sure about that," Angel said. He leaned up against a dark brown Lincoln Town Car.
"You think there are evil dust bunnies?" Logan asked dryly.
"No, the slogan," Angel said. "You don't think it's too cheesy?"
"'We help the helpless'?" Logan considered. "It's kinda cheesy, but it works with the whole superhero gig."
"So you're saying I'm cheesy."
"Well. Yeah."
"And yet you wonder why I'm making you clean up dust bunnies."
Logan glared at Angel. "I thought you were going to be cleaning up, too."
"Depends on whether or not you keep calling me cheesy." Angel grinned at him, then led Sean off to look at more cars.
"Hey, your word, not mine," Logan said. "Do you have any idea what you want in a car?"
"Simple, practical, economical," Angel repeated. He spotted a Toyota and kept walking. "Not Japanese."
"Oh, sure, they work their asses off to take away American jobs and then you won't even look at their products," Logan muttered.
"I want a car that actually has an engine," Angel said. "Something with oomph. Something with life. Something - "
"My card," a brand-new voice said out of nowhere.
Angel sighed. He pushed the card away. "Not interested in TV, not interested in modeling."
"TV?" the short, balding man replied. "No, no. Fuck TV. I wouldn't put you on TV unless it was for a commercial giving you six figures for three hours of your time. Show it only overseas. Good, respectible, it'd be like making money for breathing."
Angel gave him a look. "Funny story about that - "
"Movies!" the man proclaimed. He stepped back, looking Angel over. "You don't have TV face. Too broad. Too muscle-bound. You'd be a bitch and a half when you had to do the talk shows but not like Brad Pitt had fuck-all to say before Angelina wiped the crap out of his eyes and shoved an African baby into his hands."
Logan stepped between Angel and the interloper. "He's not interested," he said sharply.
The man gave him an eyeroll. "Let me guess - you're his manager?"
"You an agent?" Logan asked.
"Not an agent, junior," he said. "The agent." He stepped back to try to address Angel. "Seriously. Action movies. Huge names. I'm talking Spielberg, Cameron, Goldstein - "
"No kidding," Logan said, faking an interest. "Can I see your card?"
The card appeared once again. "Ari Gold. Maybe you've heard of me."
Logan took the card, but didn't glance at it. "Can't say that I have," he said. He shoved the card in the back of his pants, made an exaggerated wiping motion, then pulled his hand out and let the card fall to the ground. "Thanks," he said.
"Right, fine," Ari said, dismissing Logan and Angel by proxy. "Enjoy being one of the little people."
Logan laughed. "I do," he said.
Ari left. If Logan expected some kind of comment from Angel about this, he was mistaken. Angel had moved off to the side, where he stood with his arms folded and looked at something in the distance.
Logan wandered over to him. "I should've brought holy water," he said.
"Hum?" Angel asked, distracted. He turned to face Logan when Sean tugged at his leash in an effort to lick Logan's hand. "Oh. It's fine. I'm getting used to it. Least this one wasn't TV."
"They're like roaches," Logan said in disgust. "Did you find something?"
"Yep," Angel pointed across a few rows at a black convertible. "That one."
"That's a convertible," Logan pointed out.
"Uh-huh." Angel was smiling from ear to ear.
"You're not seeing a problem with that?"
"Nope."
Logan turned to Angel to protest and saw the look on Angel's face. "Let's go check it out," he said instead.
***
[ooc: co-written with psycho_jackass