1 ➶ ( voice )

[quippable]

[ Cordelia groans. ] Ugh! You’ve got to be kidding. I thought this was all over! Are we seriously revisiting this again? The claw marks, the boils, the burns. But wings? Are we going to be attacked by some wild demonic bird now

Comments

action;

[quippable]

[ Woah, buddy. Her eyebrows skyrocket. She feels like she hasn't heard him correctly. (She even leans in, as if he's going to say it again.) It takes her a moment to even think, let alone process. ] Three years? [ Yep. Having trouble processing this. The questions she wants to ask - what am I like? are we still kicking ass? has Wesley finally told Fred how he feels? have you found out about the visions? - escapes her mind like water in her hands. She holds her hands up, for something to do, rather than gape and repeat three years over and over again like a total idiot. Time differences as in time zones she can handle with grace. This, she's going to stumble around like a fish out of water for a while. ] You know what? I'm not even going to ask for spoilers yet.

[ She doesn't want to hear any bad news, despite wanting - so desperately - to hear all the good they've done. All the good she's about to do.

Four months. That's probably a long time for him, as he's had to experience it, but from her perspective, she's glad it has only been a few months for him here. Even though he has Buffy, she's selfishly relieved that he hasn't been trapped here for years - like the slayer or like Fred. She doesn't want him to turn out like Fred after being stuck here for years without a few friendly faces around to ground him. Besides, she doesn't want him to be alone, like she was until the rescue party came. ]

Buffy's apparently been here for two years. [ Still cannot comprehend this. ] I've gotta say, I'm happy that you haven't been here that long. Especially without some of your friends. [ Cordelia would go insane. Pylea was just a training course compared to Luceti. It seemed like the Powers That Be - or the Malnosso, whatever - had really brought out the big guns here. She didn't even know about this place. Who knew if Wesley with all his books and smarts would figure out where they are. ] I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to be here by yourself.

[ But! He's not. He's got Buffy - though, she has a feeling she shouldn't really be saying that name too much - and her, now. She gives him a little shrug and grins up at him. ]

At least you have me now.

action;

[quippable]

[ She smiles at him, walking through the door. Yep, he's forever the gentleman. That's one thing boys these days could learn from Angel. Manners. ] Top floor, huh? It'd be a bit much to ask for an elevator?

[ She starts walking up the stairs, hoping that walking up and down the ones at the Hyperion will benefit her here somehow. She glances over her shoulder for a split second, mostly to see if he's there - especially to see that he's following - but also to address him, before looking straight ahead of her. The last thing she wants is to fall back down the stairs and break her neck. ]

Between you and me, I'm glad that you're the one who is here. It sucks that you're here in the first place, but it's nice to know I'm not going to be alone in this mess. You know?

[ Mostly speaking just to fill the silence. But, Cordelia means it. A lot. As much as she'd like the entire gang to be there, she feels a lot safer with Angel here. She'd feel safer with everyone, but having five to six people stuck here would drive anyone crazy with trying to keep up with who is where and what's going on. Even though Fred might have more experience with being a human trapped in another dimension, she figures the other girl might have a meltdown. Angel just has experience. And his mere presence makes her feel calmer, like everything is going to be okay. ]

Besides, if this place names me their ruler, there's no one I'd trust more than you as my right hand man.

[ Those priests in Pylea were a bit scary. And needed a sense of humour. At least Angel would get her references and jokes. ]

action;

[quippable]

Nice place. [ Very clean. Very Angel. She wasn't expecting the hell that her first apartment in L.A. looked like. Or Doyle's.

When he disappears, Cordelia places her journal on a table, taking another look around the apartment until he returns. She takes the shirts from him with a small smile. ] Thanks.

[ Following his instructions, she finds her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She pulls the white sun dress over her head, dropping it on the floor beside her. She pulls the t-shirt on before tucking herself into the button-down. She's not going to risk getting a cold here. The last thing she needs is Angel worrying about her. Cordelia looks at herself in the mirror, or what she can see of herself in it. They shirts are big, almost swallowing her whole, but they're better than some dress she doesn't recall ever putting on. They smell like him, which provides her more comfort. The entire apartment is Angel. From the cleanliness to the clothes to where it's situated in the building. She couldn't have asked for a better place to be.

Cordelia splashes water on her face, wiping herself dry with a nearby towel. She saw the room with the cage. She doesn't need to be told what it's for. It makes her scared to know that Angelus is a possibility here. She's only ever wanted Angel to be free of him, if anything. She had thought that this place might be able to provide him with that peace. But, it seemed as though this place was anything but peaceful.

Picking up the dress, she folds is haphazardly, draping it over her arm, before opening the bathroom door and returning to Angel. ]

[ Softly: ] Might as well address the elephant in the room. [ She glances to the room with the cage, then back at him. She just wants to know what to expect. Angel's the one person she trusts the most - in Luceti and L.A. - and she'd rather be here than anywhere else, but on the other side of the coin is Angelus, who no one in their right mind would trust as far as they could throw him. ] Has Angelus graced Luceti yet?

action;

[quippable]

[ Well, that's a relief. A really, really big one. At least he doesn't have to deal with any of the consequences of Angelus' reign of terror here. No one would understand - sans Buffy and herself - about how the driver of Angel's body would be different if he ever arose.

But knowing he's a possibility - and actually seeing Angel take the precaution - does worry her. But it's a bridge they'll cross together when and if they cross it.

She crosses her arms over her chest, standing a bit straighter. She's not going to budge a bit. Not from this apartment - not unless he really wants her to go, and if that's the case, his reasons would have to be pretty strong ones. ]

I'm not going anywhere, Angel. Not unless you want to live by yourself. [ And, if then, she'd just see if there were any spare apartments in this building. She knows it'd be stupid of her to live in the same one if Angelus ever came about, but she'd rather be a few stairs away from Angel rather than an entire building or so. ] As much as Angelus scares the hell out of me, there's no one here I'd rather be with than you.

[ He's been here four months and he's been Angel during all that time, from what she's gained from everything he's told her. Angelus may not even pop out of the woodwork at all. ] And we'll deal with him if he comes. I just wanted to be sure if anyone else here knew of him. Just in case he might targeted anyone specifically here.

[ The Malnosso worry her. She doesn't know anything about them, sans the things the people on the network have decided to say. For all she knows, they could be Big Brother. Hearing them, seeing them, right at this moment. She's going to have to do some detective work on these guys a bit later. She frowns. ] Do you think the Malnosso know about him?

action;

[quippable]

[Cordelia moves her arm, dropping her dress in a lump on the floor, and takes a step towards him. She takes his hands, holding them as tight as her human strength can muster, as she looks in his eyes, unblinkingly. ] And you won't be. I'm not leaving without you. [ It's a promise. Even if he's three years away from her, she's not going to leave him here by himself if she can help it. When she leaves, he leaves. They're a team. ] We're stuck in this feathered place together. [ She smiles, giving his hand a small squeeze. Hopefully, by that small gesture, just the simplest touch connecting them, that he knows that she intends on keeping her promise. She wants to be there for him like he's always been there for her - like he's being there for her at this moment. It breaks her heart to even hear him say it. She wonders if these four months in Luceti have been rough on him. The thought of the gang not being there in three years time doesn't even blip on her radar. ]

Buffy told them? [ She frowns, looking away for a moment before glancing back up at him. She wonders what the intention was - and who she told. Other vampire hunters? ] Well - I guess that is sort of a good thing. [ She doesn't sound convinced of it. If anything, it sounds like she's trying to convince herself - and failing. From the expression on his face, she's starting to think that anything involving Buffy isn't a good thing here, which only confuses her even more in regards to their relationship. But it means there's a few people here who could help if Angelus ever did rear his ugly head. How ever many people knew was better than a slayer and a vision girl. ]

If they are, we'll just prepare for whatever they decide to throw our way. I'm going to try and catch up to speed on our new friends as soon as I can. [ She wants to know what they're fighting against. And how to dodge any Angelus-fired bullets from these guys. ] But for today, I just want to focus on the good things. You. Being here. [ Her eyes move to settle on his wings. If anything, she just wants to see him smile again. Detouring away from all the negativity is her main priority for now. She smiles. ] And the fact that my wings are purple and yours are grey. Would it kill you to add some colour to your fashion diet?

action;

[quippable]

[ Cordelia grins, proudly. ] And is. You make it sound like it's broken. [ Her brows furrow, but she doesn't make anything of it. Doesn't even think anything of it. She gives his fingers a squeeze.

She's starting to hate this place, just a bit. To think that Angel's being held up against this big ugly thing like Angelus' reputation when these people don't know the details frustrates and saddens her at the same time. ] They probably just care. [ Possibly a longshot? She's annoyed she doesn't know who these people are so she can tell them to quit it. There's a way to go about this that doesn't make Angel feel like he's constantly being watched. ] But there won't be any paranoid looks here. Promise. [ She'd pinky swear it if her hands were free. She doesn't want to break it to do something as silly as that.

Cordelia steps back a little, keeping their fingers intertwined, and makes a show of assessing his wings before she steps back towards him. She smiles. Black is definitely what she associates with Angel. The grey is nice, however. ] Yeah. I can't see you with anything but black. It's like your thing, you know?

[ But her eyes can't help but travel over his shoulder and she wonders. Is the pain going to subside gradually over time? What Tony said - to mind touching the feathers - comes back to her. Softly: ] Does it stop hurting?

action;

[quippable]

[ If anything, Cordelia's grip on his hands only tightens. ] They need to know there's a difference. Angelus is the monster. You are far from one. [ These Malnosso guys just keep sounding better and better. ] You deserve a chance, just like everyone else here.

[ She gives him a little shrug, not really looking at him. ] Nothing I can't handle. [ They hurt a lot. It's as though her visions have been cut in half and slipped down to rest right around her shoulder blades. It's never-ending. It makes her think of the time where she was trapped within all the pain and suffering of L.A. ] It'd just be nice to forget the extra baggage.

[ It causes her to wonder if her visions will come to her here. If time back home is on pause while she's here, does that mean her visions are as well? Since Angel's still a vampire - and she can cancel out this place taking away any and all supernatural abilities - the status of her visions remain up in the air. She sees Luceti, beside it being a complete pain in the ass, as a chance for her to live obliviously to their affects, to pretend Doyle never passed these onto her. She feels guilty when she thinks of not having them at all, since, at the end of the day, she's the seer and he needs her. ]

action;

[quippable]

[ Cordelia sighs softly. She doesn't like making any of them worry over something they can't fix. She's used to carrying a burden by now. But lying wouldn't be the best path to go down, especially if the pain never really does go away. At least, with the visions, she had time where she felt like she was herself without the footnote of being a connection to the Powers. ] Split the visions in half, maybe.

[ She lets go of his hands. ] It's not that bad, Angel. It's just uncomfortable.