InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "The Gin? You're drinking Gin?"

Angel (broodysoul) wrote in somerealityrpg,
@ 2020-07-20 23:13:00

Entry tags:

active: angel, active: bonnie bennett

Who: Angel & Bonnie Bennett
What: A witch and a vampire meet
When: Shortly after Angel's arrival
Where: Outside the villas
Warnings: Potential unstable vampire

Everything hurt. Angel didn't know why and couldn't explain why, but his body ached as if he was still experiencing the tortures of hell. There were moments when the pain lessened and he felt more coherent, but his demon nature still rose to the surface and wanted to make its presence known. Not the evil inside of him, not him, but the demon that would never truly go away no matter how many souls were shoved into him. His natural instincts that he'd tried so hard to fight off had taken him over for so long, and it was a struggle to push past them and grasp onto the humanity that was there.

That was the mental struggle his mind was battling. Up until that moment in the school's basement with Buffy, he'd been a feral animal leading with instinct. Going after her had been instinct too, but one that was fueled by protectiveness and had sparked his humanity. Afterwards, she'd taken him back to the mansion where he'd been staying, only this time the chains were left as they were. If Angel was going to learn how to live in this world all over again, it couldn't be in chains.

He'd barely left the mansion over the next 24 hours. Despite needing the rest, sleep was next to impossible. Each time he closed his eyes, the years upon years of hell came back to him in an instant. Worst of all, his time as Angelus came back too. He would have rather been consumed with his time in hell than relive the things he'd done without a soul.

Angel was standing in front of one of the larger windows on the north end of the mansion watching the moon when he felt a strange pull and suddenly he was standing in the middle of the street -- in broad daylight. His skin burned as soon as the sunlight touched his skin, and he darted into an alley. At least his survival instincts were still in tact even if his mind completely wasn't. He had no idea where he was or how he was here, but he sure as hell wasn't in Sunnydale anymore.

About that time was when a piece of paper started to float his way and landed at his feet. Angel reached down to pick up what turned out to be a letter "explaining" where he was. Taking a deep breath that he didn't need, Angel closed his eyes and mumbled, "This can't be real." It had to be some kind of mind game, right? Or had whatever that brought him back sent him to Sunnydale as a joke or in error, and now he was here?

People were still walking by, so he took a couple steps back further into the alley. No knowing who was here, or what, he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself until he was able to find some answers. Looking up at the sky, Angel realized that either way, he wasn't going to be getting any answers for a least a couple of hours.

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phasmatos
2020-07-21 06:46 pm UTC (link)

Seven- nearly eight- months. That's how much time had passed since Bonnie arrived in Goodland, and in all of that time? The witch still didn't trust the Entity. How could she when it gave only to take away again? It wasn’t that she didn’t possess an overwhelming gratefulness over the fact that Enzo had returned, but a part of her was afraid to settle back into their relationship. She couldn’t do this again. She couldn’t go through losing him for the hundredth time.

That is why she left the apartment. Bonnie needed some air. She needed to think and to hopefully pull herself together before returning.

Despite being engrossed in her mess of thoughts, she was keenly aware of her surroundings and easily spotted the confused man retreating into the alley.

'Not your problem, Bonnie. Just keep walking. Not your problem.' She could repeat that mantra over and over in her head but it just wasn’t in her nature not to help, and sometimes? She hated that about herself.

"Hey…" she offered gently- approaching him but keeping a reasonable amount of distance at the same time. "Are you alright?"

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broodysoul
2020-07-21 08:19 pm UTC (link)

Angel was off his game, and that proved true when he never at all sensed the woman approaching him at the front of the alley. He dropped the note in surprise and cringed backwards a bit. It wasn't fear, not of her exactly, but he was so on edge and cagey that he probably would have had the same reaction to most anyone that happened on him.

"Yes," he said almost too quickly. "Yes, I'm okay." It was a lie, but he couldn't trust anyone or anything right now and that included himself. "I..."

His voice trailed off when his ears perked up. The familiar, inviting sound of a heart beat practically made his mouth water. Angel's eyes zeroed in on her pulse point, and he stared for a second or so until he was able to shake his mind free and focus on the woman again. He took a small step backwards.

"This place...," he started. "Is this still California?" He hadn't had the chance to take in his surroundings when he was out on the street, so for all he knew he could have been dropped in the middle of a part of LA he didn't know very well.

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phasmatos
2020-07-22 07:42 pm UTC (link)

It was easy to see that he wasn't as 'okay' as he was claiming to be. She couldn't blame him really, especially not when she saw the familiar note float down to the ground. Bonnie hadn't intended on getting tangled up in a new arrival, but here she was, all because she couldn't ever leave well enough alone.

Trying to relax her stance a bit, so she didn't give off the wrong impression as he stepped back, Bonnie watched him carefully. She even ventured to offer him a reassuring smile. He was obviously on edge and she knew a thing or two about that. "It's not. It's New York. Sort of."

"Did you read your letter? It can probably explain in better than I can, but I can maybe fill in the blanks? I'm Bonnie."

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broodysoul
2020-07-23 02:53 am UTC (link)

New York. Angel hadn't exactly had the greatest New York experience the last time he'd been in the city. He was already back to shrinking in alleyways, though, so maybe he was feeling more at home than he thought. As long as he didn't see any rats.

"It called this place Goodland," he said, acknowledging he'd read the letter. Something about a room waiting for him in a villa, ostriches, and rent. Nothing about why he was there, how, or a way to get back to Sunnydale.

"I'm Angel." He didn't know why he gave his name right away; he didn't have any reason to trust her, but what else was he supposed to do? "I need to get back," he said, taking a step or two forward without thinking. "To Sunnydale. I need to--"

A small breeze flowed into the alley which caused Bonnie's scent to hit him like a ton of bricks. His features shifted, but he turned around quickly, unsure if she'd seen him. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't be here."

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phasmatos
2020-07-23 04:03 am UTC (link)

"Lame name I know." For all of the not so 'good' things that happened since her arrival? Bonnie did have a decent life here. Her friends seemed happy, she was taking care of her nieces, and she had Enzo again now. Even the Mikaelsons weren't posing any problems, which was a miracle in itself. The only person she worried about was Jeremy, but she didn't exactly know how to help him without making things harder for him.

If she could have changed anything? It would have been that they all had been brought from the same time.

"I don't want to stress you out more here, but no one exactly knows how to get back. The thing that brings us here calls itself 'The Entity' and it seems to bring us here from all different worlds and timelines." No matter how many times she explained the circumstances of this place? It never ceased to sound completely crazy- which was saying a lot given the life she'd lived. "It also sends people back without warning."

That last statement fell off of her lips with a hint of bitterness. It didn't linger long, however, because she was catching a glimpse of the way his features distorted and her hand stiffened at her side. Bonnie hadn't ever seen anything like it, she wasn't even sure what he was, but other than the stunt where villains took over Goodland? She was fairly certain the Entity didn't bring 'evil' here.

'Great, Bonnie. Just great. You should have kept walking.'

Looking around, relieved that no one else was around, she muttered 'Incendia' and watched as a nearby trashcan lit up the dark alley. "I can handle myself."

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broodysoul
2020-07-25 01:12 am UTC (link)

No one knew how to get back? That couldn't be possible -- unless this was a different dimension, but there would have be a spell of some kind to open up a portal home. He just knew that he couldn't stay here, not when he was like this and not after what had happened between him and Buffy barely a day ago. There was no telling what she would think when she realized he was gone.

He stayed with his back turned to her for a moment, working to get a hold of himself, but within a few seconds there was a flash of orange and a trashcan was on fire. A witch. The first person he'd come in contact with here was a witch. Did she know about vampires?

Slowly, Angel turned around. His features were still shifted, showing the ridges on his face and sharp fangs. After a moment his face went back to normal. "You're a witch." Angel had a mixed relationship with witches over the years, so it was hard to say how this meeting would go.

"And you're sure there's no way back." It was said more as a statement rather than a question. No doubt she'd probably tried to find a way herself.

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phasmatos
2020-08-04 09:39 pm UTC (link)

For a moment, Bonnie could only stare at him- eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Vampire. He was a vampire, right? Or at least that was the most logical assumption. Once upon a time, this entire encounter would have been incredibly shocking. She may have screamed. May have run. May have done anything but remain calm. That time seemed so foreign to her now, literal years ago before her best friend fell in love with a vampire and her Grams told Bonnie she was a witch.

"And you're a vampire." The fangs were a dead giveaway, but that was where the similarities stopped. He didn't look like any that she'd seen but Goodland was always full of surprises.

Lowering her arm when his features shifted back to normal, she tilted her head to the side with a sympathetic grin. "Not that I've been able to find. I'm sorry."

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broodysoul
2020-08-06 02:15 am UTC (link)

A witch who knew about vampires. It wasn't surprising, but at the same time, not all witches knew about the existence of vampires. At least not in his experience. It made him wonder what and who else could also be here. Were there other demons? More vampires?

"I am, but I'm not-- I don't want to hurt you." Angel's story was complicated, and he didn't want to get into it here with someone he didn't know. "It's just... haven't been around people in a long time." People except Buffy anyway. "It's complicated."

He allowed himself to relax a little at the lowering of her arm, but he still felt on edge. Hearing that there wasn't a way out of here wasn't what he wanted to hear, but there had to be something, right? A spell or a portal back. Something or someone brought him here, that something or someone could be the way back home.

"How long have you been here?"

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phasmatos
2020-08-09 02:47 am UTC (link)

Still operating under the assumption that the Entity wouldn't bring someone here to live that was prone to harm, Bonnie wasn't deterred by his warnings. Sure, it brought the Michaelson family but it seemed to pull them all from a time where they were no longer a threat. "Everything is always complicated. I already said I can handle myself, and if you try I can put so much pain in your head that it brings you to your knees. You won't hurt me, but I want to help you. So, let's avoid all of that if we can."

Bonnie never liked to be the bearer of bad news, but more often than not it was unavoidable. It was honestly beginning to feel like it was just her lot in life. "I got here at the end of November. People have come and gone since then, and the rest of us are just...stuck."

Stuck seemed a little harsh, but it was how she felt sometimes. Maybe it was easier to say things like that to a stranger than it was to her friends.

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broodysoul
2020-08-10 01:05 pm UTC (link)

While Angel didn't always like dealing in magic, it could be said that he had a healthy enough respect for witches and those that practiced it. He'd even dabbled in some minor spells himself when it was necessary, but he never had any real or natural power. But he knew what could happen when you crossed someone with enough magic to make it hurt, and this girl seemed like someone who had no reservations whatsoever in making it hurt. A lot.

"I appreciate it, but I... The note referenced a place to stay, but I can't leave here," he said, glancing up at the bright sky outside the alley. "Not for another few hours." Not unless there was a sewer access somewhere close by that didn't involve him nearly going up in flames. This wasn't the first time he'd been in New York, so he had some recollection of the sewer system, but this wasn't actually New York City.

He felt a little anxious not only at being stuck waiting in the alley until sundown but being stuck, as she'd phrased it, here in Goodland. Or whatever the hell this place was called.

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phasmatos
2020-08-10 05:38 pm UTC (link)

Bonnie followed his glance toward the sky. Right. She couldn't remember the last time she encountered a vampire who couldn't walk in the sun. Sure, there were stragglers here and there with that problem throughout her travels but as far as interacting with one? Angel was the first in a long time. It was an easy fix, but she still wasn't a hundred percent sure about him yet, and to be honest? Daylight rings were only something she agreed to do for her friends.

For good reason...they were dangerous. It was as plain as that, and even though she was surrounded by them, in love with one, and had grown to trust them more over the years? She still fell back on the balance of nature which kept her cautious.

"Yeah. That's usually how this goes. You poof here, then the letter tries to explain everything- including housing." It didn't do a very good job of it as far as she was concerned. More often than not? It just produced more questions.

Glancing around the alley for an alternative to a potential fiery walk of death, Bonnie pursed her lips together. "I could roll you inside in the dumpster? Glamorous, I know. Or we could wait for the sun to go down."

She could get him anything hey may need in the meantime, including blood from her fridge upstairs. Bonnie didn't mind waiting in the alley with him if that's what he wanted to do. Although she wanted to help him? Perhaps it was also for selfish reasons? It would certainly give her an excuse to stay out of her apartment longer and avoid dealing with her own crap.

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broodysoul
2020-08-13 03:09 am UTC (link)

The letter might have tried to explain everything, but it sure fell short in Angel's mind. A jovial letter welcoming him to a strange place as if this was normal and he'd traveled to other dimensions and was perfectly fine a minimal explanation. Alright, so he had been to another dimension of sorts, but that was different. Unless this was some version of hell in the non-traditional, fire and brimstone kind of torture.

"Housing - how generous." His tone carried plenty of sarcasm, but he guessed it was better than anywhere else he'd find on his own. He'd been living in the mansion ever since coming back, and as big and open as it was, he wouldn't miss the many memories associated with it.

Angel raised a brow at the idea of being stashed inside of dumpster in order to get over to the housing area and not be fried to a crisp. "I think I'll pass on the dumpster, but I can wait. A heavy blanket would work, but if not, I'll stay until sundown. I've waited it out longer than this before."

There had been numerous places he'd been stuck in waiting for sunset over the years, and it wouldn't even be the first time he'd ever waited in a dark alley. In the old, old days he usually had someone or someones with him to pass the time... but in a much different passing the time kind of way than now. "You don't have to stay; I doubt getting stuck in an alley with a vampire was one of your priorities for the afternoon."

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