entrancelogs | [OPEN] Turn around and look at me;

Who: Angelus & you!
Where: The Rabbit Hole
When: Tuesday evening, 10/14 and onward through 10/17.
Rating: R, warning for stalking. Will add other warnings as the need arises.
Summary: Angelus has been playing things close to the chest and masquerading as Angel, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have something on the backburner.
The Story:

It wasn't unusual for Angel to drop by the eighth-floor diner once or twice a week, perhaps even three times -- but being as he was a man who didn't exactly need food to survive, his visits tended to be short, usually spent at the counter and chatting with the diner's proprietress. This week was different. Every evening, without fail, Angelus makes his way to the Rabbit Hole and seats himself in a booth, one that faces the counter and gives him a fairly good view of what's going on behind it. He orders coffee, as his soulful alter-ego often did, and smiles politely at the wait staff whenever they happen to be looking, but otherwise, he watches.

In particular, he watches the bright and energetic girl that seems to run the place, mentally analyzing her every move and making notes to himself when she speaks, trying to figure out what it was about her that had Angel so interested. This wasn't like Buffy; it obviously wasn't some desperate romantic fantasy best left for some drippy Barry Manilow single, but something else entirely. What he did know was that this girl, whatever it was about her, made Angel feel something approaching human.

That, as always, was unforgivable. He'd been forced to keep his movements quiet, to sneak human bloodbags from the closets and drink it cold like some kind of animal to maintain the illusion of being on a strictly-animal diet, but he was quickly losing patience. He'd be forced to show his hand sooner rather than later, but if he was going to reveal himself, he was going to have to iron out his priorities, the first of which was to systematically rid himself of anyone or anything that tethered Angel to humanity.

This girl was first on his list, but it wasn't time. Timing, he had learned over the course of centuries, made all the difference.

For now, he sips at his coffee and waits, watching intently. Any regulars might find the sudden frequency of his visits to be out of place, given Angel's openness about what he is, but that doesn't seem to trouble him -- easily explained away, and hiding in plain sight has its advantages: it's an opportunity to test the waters and size up any other residents that might come through, not to mention sniff out future meals. Angelus was neither subtle nor patient by nature, but there was something to be said for reconnaissance.

[OOC: Angelus can primarily be found in the diner throughout the week, but if you'd like to run into him anywhere else in the mansion or on the grounds, just leave the date & location in your comment header and I'll gladly make it happen!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Souji works in the diner nearly every day, doing quite a bit of the cooking, though Tohru certainly does her share. He's never spoken much to Angel, but he's certainly seen him around, seen him talking with Tohru, served him coffee. His presence isn't really surprising or out of place.

It is strange that he starts coming every night. And it's also strange that he doesn't seem to be talking to Tohru all that much. Souji had gotten the impression that the two of them were fairly good friends.

Souji isn't paranoid by nature. He also isn't one to judge others. But there's a lot about Tohru that reminds him of his little cousin at home--Nanako will probably look a bit like Tohru when she's older, and they have the same sweetness to them, although Nanako is a bit more down to earth than Tohru has probably ever been. Their differences aside, he's developed a fairly strong protective instinct toward Tohru. There isn't usually much reason for him to act on it, other than checking up on her during dangerous events if he can, but he still feels it acutely.

There's probably a perfectly good reason for Angel to be behaving as he is. Although it's none of his business, Souji would like to know what that reason is, and he's nosy enough not to feel the least bit ashamed as he heads over to the booth where Angel's taken up residence to pour him more coffee.

"You're here a lot this week."

"I like the ambiance." He lifts his coffee mug to his lips once its full, though he pauses midway as if to toast Souji for pouring it. "Thanks for the warm-up."

It wasn't unsurprising that the rest of the diner staff had taken to Tohru. She seemed to be the kind of girl who just screamed for overprotective knight-in-shining-armor types to flock to her with every fiber of her being. He has to resist the urge to snort. No wonder Angel had taken such a shine to her. A beacon of goodness and light just a few floors up from his own room, which Angelus had already deemed a tacky and miserable pit of despair -- worse than most other bachelor pads, but he can't say he expected much better of his inferior alter-ego.

He leans back in his seat, looking Souji over with interest.

"You've been working here with Tohru a long time now, haven't you."

Souji shifts his weight, putting a hand on his hip in what would probably be a feminine stance if he weren't so tall for his age. Just the pleasant side of expressionless, he watches Angel drink his coffee and considers his answer.

"I've been here a long time." Over three years now. But the diner hasn't existed all that time, and he hasn't worked in the diner all the time that it's existed. "I came to help after Ruby and Aerith left."

He hadn't really ever spoken to Tohru before that. Working with her like he has, though, it feels like he's known her quite awhile.

"Good of you. Chivalrous. Can't leave a young girl to run a business all by herself."

Something could happen. Someone might take advantage of her. With that syrupy-sweet nature of hers, he wouldn't have been surprised, but she seemed to have made it just fine so far.

"You kids do pretty well for yourselves around here," he goes on to comment, his gaze still fixed on Souji in a way that might be uncomfortable if the boy noticed how steady it was, focused and unblinking. Angel didn't have ties to this kid as far as he knew, but if there were a few unexpected casualties in getting Tohru out of the way, it didn't bother him.

It didn't matter that Wonderland would bring them back. It wasn't about the end result. It was about forcing Angel to once again become something he couldn't possibly live with, something that let Angelus stay on the outside for good.

Chivalrous. Souji doesn't think of it that way--he'd still have offered to help if Tohru had been a guy--but more than that, he doesn't really like the way that word gets used, like it's a glorified nuisance.

The stare is unnerving, but Souji returns it, aware that something has changed in the air. This has suddenly become a situation that merits some consideration. Though it isn't visible in his posture, he's like a dog with his ears pricked, ready to raise his hackles the instant it becomes necessary.

"It's not hard to. Wonderland does makes it easy."

He smiles, and something about it is incredibly empty. It might have been a rare display as far as Angel was concerned, but he smiled often enough, and it was always warm, genuine. This one falls short, and his eyes gleam with something else, something unpleasant.

"I'm sure it does." The stare finally breaks and he proceeds to look very interested in his coffee, curling his fingers around the cup as he brings it to his lips. "I guess if I'm going to be sitting here, I should probably order something more than coffee."

He couldn't ask for what he actually wanted, considering he was attempting to stay under wraps just a tiny bit longer, though he was sure that Tohru would be more than happy to send over a mug of warm animal blood if the need arose. Swill. Even attempting to pass himself off as Angel, he had his limits.

"Do you want something else?"

It doesn't bother Souji if Angel only drinks coffee. Angel could just sit there and take up a seat and it still wouldn't bother Souji. It would bother him even less if he weren't acting like he's trying to fit into a scene he only just learned his lines for.

"You know, maybe I should branch out. It's not the same as having human tastebuds, but a guy can dream."

His words are as ill-fitting as all the rest have been, his smile a little too cheerful, too broad-- the real Angel was always more guarded, and a little less polished. His cheer and affection both tended to be fumbling and unpracticed, but Angelus wasn't willing to lower himself to that level of painfully awkward.

"Cheeseburger. Extra rare. You could just bring me the cow, but nobody wants to clean that mess up."

(I'm sorry this is so late, feel free to ignore. November was the worst. :c)

"I could just bring you the raw meat."

It's an honest offer, not a quip of any sort. But if Angel want to go with cooked food, he's cool with that. Souji doesn't know him well enough to judge. Not about that anyway.

"It'll just be a few minutes."

He leaves the coffee when he goes.

[OPEN] Turn around and look at me;

10/15

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