entranceway | [ 004 | Audio/Action ]

[Audio:]

[It's evening when Angel's message reaches the network. There's a brief pause after the feed initially opens, an incredibly faint hint of background noise filling in the gap while the speaker searches for words -- a low humming picked up from the sounds of the birds and crickets going about their business in the garden.]

Cordelia Chase is no longer here in Wonderland. She had friends here. I thought-- they'd want to know.

[Admittedly, he didn't know who she was close to beyond him. They never talked about that kind of thing, but it was important that anyone else who cared about her know that she was no longer with them. They deserved that, even if he didn't know them well enough to give the message personally.]

If you knew her, she probably appreciated you more than you realize.

[That's just the kind of person she is. A big, big heart to match that thousand-watt smile of hers.]

That's all.

[The feed ends abruptly. He never was good with public addresses.]

[Action:]

[With dark having fallen, Angel can be found out in the garden beyond the mansion, seated on one of the benches there and hunched over, his eyebrows drawn downwards as his mouth settles into a determinedly flat line, pensive. Pensive Face is pretty standard for him, but there's something more to it now, a little extra hunch to his shoulders, his usual level of brooding upgraded to Brooding with a capital B.

Her disappearance has hit him hard, for a thousand different reasons, most of which he's not sure he can articulate.

Anyone who passes by and looks closely enough might see that he's holding a piece of jewelry in his hands -- a locket, which he turns over and over without rest, even when he directs his gaze elsewhere, tirelessly repeating the same seemingly meaningless routine as he mulls over what this disappearance means. For Cordelia. For him.

He can't say he knows for sure what she's going back to. Death, but more than that. The Powers always had bigger plans for her, and somehow the uncertainty makes everything worse. All he knows that her leaving again--

He's lost her so many times now. Failed her just like he's failed everyone else, but somehow this is so much more painful. He feels defeated. Nobody trusted him or believed in him the way Cordelia did, but he's never been able to protect her. Not the way he ought to.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And you shouldn't be.

[She'd never experienced anything like it before; there was potential here with someone but it was something Bela needed to think about. That being said, she could feel sympathy for him.]

How did you two meet in the first place?

[He smiles to himself, unseen. He remembers that day clearly, but never had he imagined that he and Cordelia would have gone on to become friends, let alone more.]

Mutual friend, long time ago. Didn't really get to know each other for a long while. Took both of us moving to a new city and realizing we didn't have anyone else to become friends.

[Running into her at that party had been life-changing for the both of them.]

So you stuck together after running into each other again. It's good that you did, especially in an unfamiliar place.

[Whereas Bela went to New York and didn't seek out anyone, save for those whom wanted to hire her to steal for them.]

What did you end up doing whenever you settled a little in the city?

Funny story, that one.

[Brief, but funny all the same. It wasn't the turn he'd expected his life in city to take.]

Opened a detective agency.

You did?

[She's very intrigued by his admission, wanting to know more about it.]

What kind of cases do you specialise in?

Things the police aren't equipped to handle.

[A pause.]

Demons and vampires, mostly, but sometimes other things. Ghosts, the occasional shapeshifter...

Your experience and expertise would be incredibly helpful where I am from.

Although, the people who normally deal with supernatural creatures such as the ones you listed are known as hunters. Spend their whole lives trying to rid the world of evil until they are killed or just retired.

Lots of things that go bump in the night there?

[It's his experience that they're everywhere to some extent -- but that doesn't always mean that people will be aware of them.]

We've got people who call themselves hunters, too. Not many -- most don't live to tell the tale, but the idea is the same. It's a thankless job.

More than I can count.

[Her dealings with them were minimal and Bela intended to keep it that way as much as possible.]

Rather them than me. I couldn't do that sort of job, not even if you paid me enough. Though I do wonder why you've decided to stick with it for a while- must be worth it.

It is worth it.

[Some might disagree with him, and it's all a matter of perspective, but-- he's never questioned that. Not for more than a moment, in the greater scheme of things.]

Every minute of it is worth it. Even when everything seems awful, if you can do something about it -- even just a little something -- then it's worth doing. Absolutely.

[She wonders if he has ever said something like it before, when someone put the question to him. Bela could hear the belief in his tone and it resonated through the words.]

Inspiring words, but I still don't believe I would do that kind of work. Maybe it'd convince others, just not myself. However, I could probably apply the principle to something on a more personal scale, between my friends and I.

You may have taught me something.

[It's something he's had to explain to people on more than one occasion -- each time with more conviction than the last, though the first time he came to realize that was how he felt had been particularly significant. He was never going to forget the moment he shared with Kate as they made peace and he regained himself. He'd been walking a dark path until then, dangerous and unlike himself, an entirely different sort of dark than when he was Angelus.]

It's not for everyone, I know. We've all got different parts to play.

[He lets out a short huff of a sigh, tired and sounding somewhat resigned.]

If that's the case, then I'm glad I could help. I should--

[He should go. He has things to take care of concerning Cordelia's disappearance, but he doesn't quite get the words out.]

It was nice talking to you. ... thank you.

Yeah, of course. [Bela nods in understanding, not minding at all. She's sure that they would have a chance to talk again in the future.]

Lovely talking to you as well, Angel. And you're welcome. I hope that I was able to help in some way.

[She offers him a warm smile before ending the feed.]

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