A walk in the South (Angel, Shade) - complete

by **Angel** Tue Apr 30, 2013 2:26 am

Angel was on his way home when he got a text with a mission. He sighed and saw it was to follow up on some info on something the Guild was up to. The mission came with a picture of a woman and her name, Sofia Alden. She was 5'6 and had short brown hair, green eyes and a tribal tattoo on the right side of her face. Should be easy enough to keep track of once they found her. They were supposed to follow her wherever she went and get whatever info they could.

Angel didn't particularly care for the south district and all the dangerous characters it held, but there was no helping it tonight. He'd put off missions for long enough and he knew he needed to start emerging himself into the world of gangs soon if he wanted to be useful later on. To be honest a surveillance mission didn't seem all that bad to him. At least there was a chance that there wouldn't have to be any fighting. They just had to go follow the target, listen in and get out without getting caught. Sounded simple enough. He just hoped everything ended up going alright.

Angel got on a bus heading towards the south district and followed the directions to the location Sofia was supposed to be at. He got there fairly quickly and waited around in a small greasy dinner on the corner waiting for someone to show up.

by **Shade** Thu May 02, 2013 1:58 pm

Shade huffed, not particularly happy about being assigned a surveillance mission. She had been sticking to solo deliveries since breaking up with Kier since there was a much smaller chance of running into the man, but Haus or one of the commanders had wanted her to go with the prospect she had recruited - Tam had something about her being a friendly face or something equally idiotic - but she didn't know which prospect they were referring to.

Who would have thought that her random wandering around and speaking with people would lead to recruitments? Well, except for Glacier. That had been a favor.

Huffing again when she reached where she was supposed to be meeting her partner, she frowned and looked around. Where the hell were they?

And then she spotted Angel in the diner. Well, at least it wasn't Kier. She moved forward to where the table he was at was just in range and reached out with her power, lightly tugging his shirt sleeve to get him to look out the window. And then she waited, hands in her pockets as she watched him from across the street.

by **Angel** Sun May 05, 2013 11:11 pm

When Angel felt the the tugging on his sleeve he didn't jump, but his eyes did stare at the little black thing that was tugging on his shirt in utter confusion for a moment. When it disappeared he looked out the window and saw Shade. He sighed in relief that he wasn't going crazy, and paid for his sandwich. He met up with her outside with a small smile, glad to have her as a partner. It was clear she didn't share his enthusiasm, but Angel didn't mind. He assumed things were still rocky with her relationship, if she and the nameless person were even still dating, so he didn't press into it.

"Hello again, Shade." Angel said when he reached the same corner. "We've got a few minutes before Sofia shows up. Anything you want to talk about until she arrives?"

He wouldn't pry, but that didn't mean he wouldn't listen if she had anything to say about it. Of course if she brought up a topic related to the business at hand he wouldn't be surprised.

by **Shade** Mon May 06, 2013 3:52 am

She nodded to him lightly. "Glacier. Been well?" she asked a bit neutrally as she leaned back against the building behind her, hiking up one foot to rest her heel on the bricks and bending her leg at the knee.

When Angel had finished talking, she gave a soft huff. "I guess I've been as well as can be expected. Getting over him isn't going as well as I'd like it to, but now isn't really the time to discuss that." She glanced at him, pausing from her steady gaze down the street. "One thing though, you should be careful about where you wait for someone. Going into a well lit place and actually interacting makes you memorable. That's not a good thing when you're about to do something illegal." She gave him a light smile and looked away again. "You're better off finding somewhere more discrete to wait. And I don't know if you ate or not, but doing that an hour or so before is better. Like with if you're going to be exercising."

She nodded a bit, indicating down the street and to her left. "And it looks like she's here."

by **Angel** Mon May 06, 2013 9:15 pm

"Well enough."he replied with a shrug. He frowned when he heard that she was still dealing with getting over her ex. He wouldn't know exactly what it was like to have to go through that kind of situation, having never been in a relationship, but he knew it had to be bad to have kept her upset for this long.

He took the comments about waiting for people with a pinch of salt, because she had been at this longer than him. He sighed a little but returned her small smile. Little helpful hints like this was probably going to keep him alive longer as he went on. He had to chuckle about the comment about eating. It was the simplest thing he'd heard countless times before from his times as a gymnast and in his self-defense classes. It was like he was back in time for a moment.

"And it looks like she's here."

Angel turned slightly, just enough to get a look from the corner of his eye. Sofia walked on her way without slowing her pace a moment. "Well...let's go after her. Don't want to let her get too far away."

The two of them followed Sofia for a while before she finally ducked into an alleyway. Angel and Shade got close to the alleyway and heard the heavy creaking of a rusted metal door. They followed her into the alleyway and found the door with a little searching. The door creaked heavily again as they opened it. Now they only had to follow the voices.

by **Shade** Tue May 07, 2013 6:28 pm

Shade nodded in agreement, adjusting her hood and jacket so she looked like a man to anyone further than twenty feet away. It was something she had taken to doing after that conversation with Kier after her last surveillance mission. It also gave her an excuse to actually start purchasing clothes and experimenting with things so she didn't have to wear the same thick hoodie everywhere. It did wonders for her self-esteem too.

Wincing a bit at the noise of the door, the girl muttered, "Should carry oil or something," under her breath. It would certainly come in handy considering the number of loud doors there were in the city. Or maybe she should just start removing hinges? But then, if she did that, once through there was no practical way for her to replace them.

Shade took the lead as they move cautiously down the hall, keeping her back to the wall and pulling her power up to simmer just below her skin so she could react more quickly if something happened before she carefully peered out around the corner just the smallest bit.

by **Angel** Thu May 09, 2013 6:15 pm

Shade had taken the lead which was no problem to Angel. He'd seen her power first hand and felt confident in her abilities. Of course part of him wanted to lead anyway, but that was just his stubborn pride. He still felt slightly embarassed around her, because he didn't like to feel weak, and she beat his ass...without so much as a scratch. He took a long deep breath to calm himself down before he kept thinking about it and got himself caught.

As they traveled deeper they finally began hearing voices. Shade stayed close to the walls and Angel did the same.

"I don't like this place, gives me the creeps." a female voice echoed, most likely Sofia.

"Don't worry, this place has been abandoned for years and, because the old style construction materials, this thing'll be around longer then most of the newer buildings around here. Now, on to business. What are you willing to pay for some nice information about upcoming...'events' the Network might be up to?" A male voice asked curiously. Angel tensed and he saw Shade do the same. They'd found themselves listening on a deal about their own gang.

"'Events?' That's it? I know you have better info than that and you know, the better the info the better the pay." Sofia said tantalizingly obviously fishing for more info.

"Well...I might just have some information on some new blood they got running around the streets."

Angel felt the blood drain from his face. He'd just gotten into the gang and someone was already about to sell him out? Well isn't that a nice first impression? He didn't know whether to jump out and interrupt the deal or to stay hidden and grab them after. He was in too much of a panic wondering what to when Shade made her move.

by **Shade** Fri May 10, 2013 4:36 pm

When they were close enough to hear the discussion, Shade paused, holding up a hand a bit absently to gesture Angel to stop. Her eyes flickered between the three doors she could see before deciding on the most likely one. She had just taken a single step toward it when the man spoke up, his voice naggingly familiar to the girl.

Gloved hands clenched shut at what was said, the leather creaking lightly, before Shade stepped forward quickly. Lashing out with her power, all of the doors were thrown open and the shadows thickened and flowed into them, blocking view of the two eavesdroppers.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Oh fuck."

"Wait out here and be ready," Shade mumbled to Angel before stepping through the door and vanishing into the gloom. The man started swearing more, sounding a bit panicked, before there was a harsh thud and he silenced.

"Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want?" Sofia's voice demanded. The suppressed fear in her voice and unsure scuffling told Angel that it was just as dark for her as the room looked for him.

"Someone who dislikes turncoats," Shade's voice returned calmly, coming from the same direction as the older woman. And if the gasp was any indication, she was right there with her.

A choked gurgling and the sound of someone thrashing about echoed out next, sounding eerie and disjointed in the bare hall. It took a couple of minutes for the sound to weaken then stop and another before the shadows faded back to what they should have been, revealing a tired looking Shade kneeling next to Sofia, who was laying on her stomach, and the unconscious blonde man further back.

The brunette harbinger was slowly coiling her weapon again and glanced up at Angel. "You're going to have to carry him back. We'll take the drains."

by **Angel** Sun May 12, 2013 11:33 pm

To be honest Angel needed that simple kind of order to keep him from over-thinking things.As Angel waited outside he tried to peek into the room. Sadly for him, he couldn't see anything that was going on, but the sounds were pretty clear.

The thud was clearly someone getting hit and falling to the ground. The gurgling noise was a bit more off-putting. Angel had choked a few people out before, but he normally froze their mouths closed so he never heard more than muffled noises. The thrashing was normal of someone being choked and didn't bother Angel too much, and the slow stop didn't bother him either. When people lost too much oxygen to their brain they passed out, and it was only a few seconds shorter than needed to kill someone.

When the shadows returned to their positions, Angel heard Shade's order and moved to get the unconscious man. He saw her wrapping up her weapon and froze the unconscious man's hands together behind his back.

"What about her? What do, just leave her until she wakes up?"

The calm, blank look Shade gave him sent chills down his spine. Without words she'd told him that Sophia wasn't going to be getting back up again. Angel didn't exactly know how to react to it other than to just go into a slight daze. This was death...someone had just Died and he was part of it. He didn't kill her, but he was an accomplice.

Thoughts began to race through his mind when Shade spoke out calmly. "You're going to have to carry him back. We'll take the drains."

There wasn't a shred of remorse in her voice and it sent a sense of realization through Angel's mind. This happens when you are part of a gang. People die. The friends you make will take lives and will have their lives taken and you will have to move on knowing that. That sense of realization helped him to mentally adjust to the fact that there was a dead body in the room. Even still it was scary to know your friend just killed someone.

He picked up the unconscious man and he put him over his shoulder before looking at Shade. "Ok. L-let's get going...I mean if you're ready..."

by **Shade** Mon May 13, 2013 12:52 am

Watching Angel closely let Shade see how he reacted to what had happened and that he had either brushed it off or pushed it back to deal with later. Either was good for right now, but the latter was likely better as a general thing.

She nodded slowly, carefully getting to her feet again and hiding a wince. Filling a room like that always drained her and even though she would love to just sit here for a while, she knew they didn't have the time so she had to get her ass in gear.

"There's an entrance to the drains a block West. We'll go to that one so we're out of the open sooner," she said, carefully walking to the door and peering out it before leading Angel down the hall and back out into the alley. Yes, it meant that they would have to backtrack some, but it was better than the alternative.

When they reached the drain cover, Shade huffed softly then used some of her power to pull it up and out of the way. "You go down first. I'll drop him to you then follow and put the lid back." She looked at him to see if he had any objections to her directions.

by **Angel** Tue May 14, 2013 12:13 am

Angel followed Shade to the manhole and set him down before climbing down into the sewers. It wasn't a pleasant smell that met him, but he forced himself not to grimace. When he reached the bottom he whistled to Shade to let her know to drop him.

Angel barely caught the guy when he was dropped and waited for Shade to go down and lead the way. He was quiet for the walk, wondering what to say. His mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that Shade was a killer and he was wondering if she had killed before.

They walked in silence until Shade told him to stop. She lifted the drain cover and went up first and used her power to lift the rat onto the street. Angel quickly followed her up and saw the rat was finally waking up. "Ugh...my head. Where-" The man stopped realizing his hands were trapped behind his back and he couldn't even feel them. He looked around in a panic and saw both Shade and Angel. "Oh...right." He took a breath and with a small chuckle asked, "Any way I could convince you two to let me go?" Angel growled slightly and covered the rat's mouth before icing it over so he couldn't speak. "Not a chance in hell."

Angel didn't say more and didn't even bother to look at Shade as he continued to freeze the man's face. The rat gave muffled screams, but Angel stopped himself before he cut off the rat's breathing or began freezing under the skin. "Let's get going...I don't want to be around him any longer then I have to." Angel said between his teeth, still seething that the man's carelessness could've involved Claire in the new dangers of Angel's life.

by **Shade** Tue May 14, 2013 2:29 am

Shade was actually rather grateful for the silence while they walked. It let her focus on remembering which way they had to go in addition to making sure she was walking steadily, the fatigue still pulling at her limbs. She would be happy to drop the traitor off and wash her hands of him. The one thing that wasn't on her mind though, was how she had killed Sofia. The woman had been a liability not only to Network, but to Guild as well, and who knew what kind of information she had that she was willing to part with. If Shade hadn't killed her, someone from Guild likely would have.

Nodding in agreement of what Angel had said, the shadow manipulator led him into the headquarters. Dropping off their prisoner and reporting what had happened didn't take long and they were out on the street less than an hour later.

"You heading straight home tonight?" Shade asked, breaking the somewhat awkward silence between them. She was still tired and, though mildly vexed to need to do this, was going to ask Angel if he would mind escorting her for safety's sake.

by **Angel** Wed May 15, 2013 12:58 am

Angel was barely paying any attention to anything but his thought during the reporting bit. Shade was once again more used to things like this. Getting around unnoticed, knowing how to stay hidden, handling reports, and killing.

It wasn't the death of the woman that bothered him so much, but the calm blank face Shade had done it with. There was no look of remorse of any kind. It almost looked like she simply didn't care about what she'd done. He wondered if he could be so cold. If being in the gang long enough would do that to him. The only time he'd gotten even close to doing that kind of thing was when he was just about to graduate high school and he put his former bully in a coma.

He wondered if he ever became a liability for the gang, would Shade even be bothered if she had to kill him? He wasn't sure what to think about her anymore. She'd been kind, sort of, when they had their first meeting; but now he didn't know how to look at her.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard her ask, "You heading straight home tonight?"

"Hm? Oh...I don't know...maybe." he mumbled out. Honestly he was tired from carrying the guy all of the way to the base in one straight go, but he knew his thoughts would keep him awake for much longer and if he went home with this kind of thing on his mind Claire was bound to notice and ask questions. "Why? What's up?" If he was lucky Shade would give him something to do to keep his mind off of her.

by **Shade** Wed May 15, 2013 1:17 am

Reaching up a hand to rub the back of her neck, Shade glanced aside as a pale pink tinge came to her cheeks. "If it's not too much of a problem, would you be able to walk me home?" she asked, voice soft. "I'm not recovered enough to be fully confident in my capability to get home safely on my own and you're the only one I trust that's here tonight." She huffed softly. "To be fair, there's only like three people in the Network I do trust." Which was saying something considering how large the gang was.

She tilted her head at him and gave that soft, shy smile Angel normally saw from her. "I also figure this will give you a chance to get what's on your mind off your chest and ask me any questions you might have. And for me to explain a bit for the one I know you have. And that's something I'd only tell someone I trust." She tucked her hands in her pockets so that she didn't start fidgeting with her gloves or jacket hem or jewelry, watching him curiously for his answer.

by **Angel** Wed May 15, 2013 2:25 am

Shade's question made Angel blink in surprise. He blinked again when she said she trusted him. He expected her to act differently, maybe be a bit more distant or even threatening since he'd seen her kill, but she was the same before. Even the smile was the same.

"I also figure this will give you a chance to get what's on your mind off your chest and ask me any questions you might have. And for me to explain a bit for the one I know you have. And that's something I'd only tell someone I trust."

Those words couldn't have been more true. He had questions for her, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear the answers. Hell, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be around her right now, but he sucked it up and nodded.

"Yeah...I...guess I have some questions." Angel said quietly. He motioned for her to start leading him and began following her when she did. "So...um...just...fuck." He sighed trying to get his thoughts in order to figure out what to ask. "Ok...first things first I guess. Where are we going?" He asked trying to hold off the questions about the murder for now.

by **Shade** Wed May 15, 2013 4:53 pm

She waited a beat so that they were closer to being next to each other rather than him behind her. "Ninth and one fifty-seventh. I live in one of the buildings there," she answered. Since she wasn't looking at him, she missed seeing his reaction and had gone several feet before realizing that he had stopped walking.

Stopping as well, Shade turned back to face Angel, tilting her head in confusion. "Are you okay?" she asked, moving closer to him in concern. Maybe it had sunk in that she had killed someone and that he might be called on to do the same thing? Was he concerned that she might turn and kill him, that she was only in the Network as a justification for wanting to shed blood? Or was it something else entirely? She'd full admit that she wasn't the best at reading people or predicting how they would react to things she had done or other things going on in the general area. Or maybe he was just getting the shakes from having been indirectly involved with a murder?

by **Angel** Wed May 15, 2013 8:19 pm

It hadn't even been ten steps when Angel stopped to stare at Shade in disbelief. She lives in the same neighborhood as me?! He considered asking if she was joking, but he knew her personality well enough for him to see it wasn't a joke. She'd gotten a few steps ahead of him before she'd noticed he'd stopped and he managed to close his mouth.

"Are you okay?" She asked with concern clearly in her voice, but Angel didn't even have time to think about lying when he flat out said "No."

He took a deep breath and brushed his hair back before shaking his head and walking. He didn't even know what to say, what to think even. Finally he decided to just say something to just get out of his own head.

"You know...everyone always tells themselves they'd be ready for this kind of thing. That they'd take a life if they ever had to...I was one of them. I felt like I could do it if it ever came down to it, but...it's just different. Movies and t.v. make it seem so distant, but...what you did...it was right there. Barely twenty feet away. I...I'm just not sure if I can do that kind of thing anymore. I mean I put someone in a coma, but killing someone...shit..."

At any other time of his life Angel would probably be putting up a tough front and acting like nothing could phase him, but right now he couldn't even find it in himself to be angry at anything long enough to get it off of his mind. He was scared. He was afraid that if it came down to it, he wouldn't be able to protect himself or Claire.

Claire... Angel rubbed his face and sighed before a wave of anger rushed through him and he hit a streetlamp as hard as he could, hurting his hand, but not paying it much attention. He couldn't afford to be weak or scared. He had to protect Claire. He'd promised her mother that much, and he was going to keep it. He clenched the fist he'd hurt and a thin layer of ice formed over it, quickly numbing the pain away.

"Tell me...how do you get past it? Just...How do you go on knowing you've done that?" He asked quietly, but without looking at her. Maybe if he knew how she lived with it, he could force himself to do the same.

by **Shade** Wed May 15, 2013 8:58 pm

Shade watched him closely, listening to what he said. She kind of wished she could relate to what he was saying, but she couldn't and there wasn't much point in dwelling on it. His punching the light was a surprise though and, as much as she'd like to check his hand for him, she was sure that he wouldn't want her to be any closer than she already was.

His question drew a sad smile from her and she looked down, sighing softly. "I'm sorry but, I'm really not the person to be asking that. I'm... damaged, for lack of a better word. I've... really only been around people for a little over a year. My parents died when I was five and my uncle took me in. He kept me locked in a set of rooms and experimented on me until I was thirteen and it got to be too much and my power reacted. That was when I found out that I could solidify shadows instead of just move them and I... kind of blew up the lab then broke down a wall." She gave a sheepish shrug. "A few hours later I met my roommate and we were attacked by a drunk. That showed me that my ability to control my mutation was shot and I needed to work on it. I didn't mean to kill him, but considering he was trying to rape and kill us, I can't feel bad about it. I then spent the next four years hiding away in my apartment. I'm not good with people, I don't understand them or react the same way, and I know that killing people isn't good, but I don't have the same emotional hesitance that most people do." She looked at him. "Like I said, I'm damaged. But, if it helps any, think of it like this: if you don't stop them, they'll hurt you or someone else. And if your face is seen, then they can go after anyone you care for. Think of it as protecting them. And make sure you don't volunteer for any assassinations when you're high enough for them." She shrugged again. That really was the best advice she could give. And she was more comfortable sharing her past with people now that her uncle was dead.

Now, she just needed to see how Angel was going to react to all of that.

by **Angel** Wed May 15, 2013 9:53 pm

Angel listened to all she said before an incredulous laugh escaped his lips. Of course! Not only did she have a much more horrible life then mine. It was her family that put her through all that! Of course she just didn't care about some stranger. He thought to himself before smacking himself for thinking, even slightly, that what she went through was a good thing.

Still the last bit of what she said helped. If he thought about protecting Claire when the time came... He huffed and wiped his face with his ice encrusted hand hoping to cool his head off some. "Sorry...didn't mean to laugh. It's just...you make my life seem comical in comparison to yours. I guess the protecting thing can help some...I just don't know."

Angel's sighed was mixed with a growl of frustration. God he needed something to just hit, or break to vent some of his anger. He only had a decent control over it on good days and this was clearly anything but. "Also don't go saying that kind of shit about yourself." Angel barked at her. He was still angry, scared and confused as to what to do and think, and he didn't need Shade to say that kind of stuff. As pissed as he still was, she was a friend and he hated when people talked bad about themselves.

"I don't even know why I care so much! It's not like I knew her! It's not like people were even kind to me before! I got into so many fights because of my fucking hair and skin that I shouldn't even care about other people. Most of them hate us and the ones we think care just end up leaving! Just like them!" He tugged on his hair before he punched the street lamp again. The ice on his hand easily shattered but the numbness protected him from the pain in his hand. In his heart however, he hurt and he hated it. He'd hated that his parents had abandoned him and that he still hadn't just forgotten them. He hit the streetlamp a few more times for the pain finally began registering and he was forced to stop.

His breathing was heavy and he saw the worried look on Shade's face as he cradled his arm to his chest. He huffed before looking away."Let's just get going. I'll deal with it." Angel said before walking off without waiting.

by **Shade** Thu May 16, 2013 12:19 pm

She couldn't help the quick flash of hurt that he would laugh at that. Other than, at most, five other people, she hadn't really shared her history with anyone. Yeah, she knew it sounded absurd, but he could be polite enough to wait until she wasn't right in front of him to laugh.

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Shade frowned softly. "Why would you think that your life is comical? And what does mine have to do with anything? Just because we've had different experiences doesn't make one any less valid than another." For all she didn't understand people, she did have her own odd bit of wisdom.

"And what kind of 'shit' are you referring to?" she asked, not following his chain of thought and not liking that he had snapped at her. "That I'm damaged? It's true so I fail to see why I shouldn't say it," she said, frown shifting to one of concern as he started to punch the metal. He'd be lucky not to break any of the bones in his hand after that.

Following him quickly, Shade put a hand on his arm to stop him. "And you care because you know how to. To be able to hate, you have to be able to love. There's only one person I've ever hated and he's dead. And only one that I've loved as anything other than family, and my heart still hurts from what he did to me but I can't hate him." She let out a bitter huff, letting her hand drop again. "Don't think that being able to feel and know what you're feeling is a bad thing. I might be able to feel but I don't know what I'm feeling most of the time, don't understand it, and it's so damn frustrating that I envy people who can - like you can."

by **Angel** Thu May 16, 2013 2:05 pm

Though what she said about everyone's experiences being valid was a good piece of wisdom to reflect upon Angel just brushed it off. No matter how he looked at it. She'd had a much more horrible life and she didn't even complain about it. It could've been her trust issue thing, but at that moment he couldn't care.

"My life is comical because I thought simply being left in a mental hospital to rot by your family was bad. You had things so much worse. I might as well have been left in a freakin nursery!"

Angel stopped for a moment realizing what he'd told her. He sucked his teeth and looked away. "Yeah. Don't call yourself damaged. Even if it's true you don't have to say it about yourself. You're better than most people I know." he said truthfully.

Angel didn't like when Shade grabbed him, but forced himself not to pull his arm out of her reach. The pain in his hand was bad, but luckily for him his hands were harder from training so they hadn't broken, but they'd definitely have some deep bruising. He remembered what the pain of having a broken hand felt like and it wasn't that bad, but if he continued hitting things it would break. He listened to her speak about emotions and he shook his head.

"Sorry Shade, but I am only familiar with one emotion and it's this stupid fucking anger you see now. You've got more experience with love than I do and if I understood what I was feeling I wouldn't be acting like this now.
He said quietly. "It doesn't matter...let just get going already. like i said before...I'll deal with it."

by **Shade** Thu May 16, 2013 6:10 pm

Shade's eyes narrowed at him and she scowled. Stepping up to him again, she swung one hand around and hit his arm with the back of her fingers. It shouldn't hurt after the initial sting, but she wasn't trying to hurt him and was instead doing it to get his attention. When she had it, she reached out to poke his chest.

"My life has not been any worse or better than yours. It has been different, that is all." She tugged her goggles out of the way, feeling a quick flash of gratitude that the street was dark, to better glare up at him and so he could see that was what she was doing. "Regardless of if you believe it or not, don't say it. Just like how you don't want me to say that I'm damaged." She lowered her hands to prop them on her hips. "And you are not familiar with only one emotion. I saw that you were afraid of me earlier. Anger might be the one you know best, but it isn't the only one you know," she pointed out before turning to start down the street, having one last thing to say before she dropped the subject. "And you know you don't have to deal with it on your own, right?"

by **Angel** Thu May 16, 2013 11:39 pm

Angel was a bit surprised when she smacked his arm and more so when she poked his chest. He had never seen her eyes before so that was another thing to be shocked about, though they didn't scare him. They were simply interestingly unique to him. Of course this wasn't the time for that. After hearing the first part of her rant he wanted to argue that her life was worse, but she caught him with what he said earlier and he just forced himself to keep quiet about it.

The part about him feeling fear made him roll his eyes, not because it wasn't true but because he didn't want it to be true. "Don't remind me..." he huffed out. She was right though as much as he hated it and he Really hated it.

"And you know you don't have to deal with it on your own, right?"

Angel grew quiet after those last words. He forgot what it was like to have people there for him. Someone who Stayed when things got tough and didn't just leave you there to rot. It'd been a long time since anyone stayed to help him. He didn't really know what to say to that.

Now that he wasn't raving and had vented a good portion of his self-inflicted anger out, he felt bad. Shade was still being her normal self. She hadn't changed and she was still trying to help him. He felt like a jerk for having reacted the way he did in front of her. It was so bad that he actually felt the need to give an apology for what happened.

He followed her for a bit before tapping her arm to get her attention. He was a lot more calm and it showed on his face as well as a bit of nervousness. "God knows I'm not really good with people...and I know I just let my anger get the better of me, because I didn't know what the Hell to do with what I've seen tonight, but...just... He took a breath and sighed to stop himself from babbling again. "Sorry...and thanks.."He finished quickly and quietly.

by **Shade** Fri May 17, 2013 7:02 pm

Stopping at the light pressure on her arm, Shade turned to face Angel, her goggles back in place after having been fixed while she was walking. Tilting her head a bit to the right as she looked up at him, she waited for what he had to say. At least he was looking to be more like his normal self, except for the nervousness - that didn't really fit him in her opinion.

Smiling softly, she stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug. "It's okay. And I'm not sure what you're thanking me for, but you're welcome." She pulled back to smile at him. "You know that if you've got anything I can help with, I will, right? Or, even if I can't, I'll listen. I have no idea why I trust you so much and so soon, but I do and I see you as a friend." The question was if he still saw her as one or not after seeing what she was willing to do and her lack of reaction. She was just thankful that he hadn't seen her actually kill that woman.

by **Angel** Fri May 17, 2013 10:33 pm

The hug shocked Angel for a moment, but after a couple seconds he wrapped his arms around her as well. Yeah he still wasn't entirely comfortable being around her after seeing what she did, but he'd get past it...eventually. It would probably help him to just act normally around her. "I'm thanking you for just being my friend." he said with a light embarrassed chuckle as they separated from the hug. He was sure he had a light blush dusting his cheeks giving him more of a normal complexion when she told him she trusted him, but he tried not to let it get to him.

"Thanks...that means a lot to me. I'll try to talk without hitting things from now on." He said meekly as he cradled his arm again. It had been a stupid thing to do because now he'd have to make up an excuse to Claire as to what happened to his hand. he sighed softly and looked down feeling bad already. "I guess we should finally get to a bus and get you home. I had no idea you lived so close. You're in my neighborhood."

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