InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Crazy bananas!!!"

Leo Wyatt (faithinthem) wrote in wariscoming,
@ 2011-02-04 13:47:00

Entry tags:

felicia hardy/black cat, leo wyatt

Who: Leo and Felicia
What: Less than graceful save
Where: Random sidewalk
When: Mid-morning
Rating: TBD
Status: Incomplete

The bad weather had rolled through but it had left the wind behind. As another strong gust kicked up, Leo hunched his shoulders, sliding his free hand in the pocket of his coat and the other tightening around the Styrofoam cup of coffee, the heat from the liquid inside warm against his palm. Born and raised in San Francisco, the temperature had rarely gone this low when he was a mortal. As a Whitelighter, he'd had a few charges in colder climates and although technically dead, the chill still sunk in from time to time. Once he found a less public place, he'd be orbing back to the complex.

Up ahead, a middle-aged woman spoke rapidly on her phone, moving the bag laden hand not holding the phone as she spoke. He paid no attention until her foot landed on a patch of ice and both arms went out as she fought to stay upright. Acting without thinking, he quickly moved forward, trying to help the woman maintain her balance. As his hand landed between her shoulders to keep her from slipping back as she started to tilt, his foot landed on the same ice patch. The treads of his sneakers lacking a good grip when it came to ice, his foot slid forward and he landed on his back on the sidewalk. The woman stayed up and looked over her shoulder, eyes wide.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She started to juggle her bags, attempting to find a way to empty a hand to help him up. Leo quickly shook his head.

"I'm fine, really," he protested, giving her a smile to reinforce his words. Really. It would take a lot more than a simple fall, although he was going to be feeling it later on that night. The woman stood over him, debating whether to take him at his word, until he pushed himself up on his elbows and sat up.

"If you're sure," she said, eyes narrowing slightly. Someone said something on the other end of the phone but she ignored them.

"I'm sure. Just be careful," he answered. With one last look, she turned and picked her way carefully down the sidewalk, resuming the conversation as she lowered her head to look for icy spots. Leo lifted his right hand, shaking off spilled coffee and slush. Most of it had ended up on the bottom of his shirt and right pant leg but there were a few brown flecks in the snow. "So much for that."

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crossyourpath
2011-02-07 06:59 pm UTC (link)

Felicia had watched the whole scene actually kind of impressed somewhere deep hidden in her amusement. In truth she'd needed to get away from the complex. Her conversation with Danny and the truth about the things she had agreed with back home still weighing on her. Even if technicly she hadn't done it yet. So instead she had come out for a walk, taking a little time to grapple hook her way about the city. But she'd stopped in for coffee after a while, it wasn't the warmest of nights for Kansas and she'd felt the chill. As it seemed had Leo. As the woman picked her way down the street, Felicia stepped out from her vantage point and cast the guy a sympathetic smile. "Am I right in thinking an offer to buy you a coffee right now would be welcome?" she asked him. She didn't know what it was but he reminded her of Peter a little bit. Which inevitibly meant he would be woefully annoyed by her but at the same time somewhat amused.

"So do you do this a lot?" she asked, "Fall on your ass in the interests of helpfulness?" It was teasing most definitely but they were all stuck in this place together, who were they if not able to mock. And she hadn't fallen on her ass. Which to her seemed like an important thing to note. It was part of the cat powers, balance just came naturally to her now.

She'd seen Leo around the place though, married to the cooking goddess, the ability to orb from place to place like a teleporter. And yet for all of that he seemed more well adjusted than most of the people Felicia knew, his wife too. It intrigued her, she had to admit.

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faithinthem
2011-02-07 07:41 pm UTC (link)

Once the woman had gone a few feet away and her conversation had died to a dull murmur, Leo climbed to his feet and started to knock the snow, ice, and slush off his clothing. He didn't see the young woman until she spoke, raising his head to look at her. A sheepish smile appeared as he wiped his wet palms on his jeans, shoulders rising in a half-shrug. "It might be." After all, his had been nearly full. He'd gotten maybe two drinks from it before the rest of the contents had ended up on him.

He recognized Felicia from the complex. They had crossed paths a few times but never really spoken before, but she was in the same mess and under the same threat he was. With the spontaneity of threats (outside of the looming apocalypse), it was good to know who he might end up working beside in the future. "I usually help," he added, "but falling on my ass doesn't usually result from it." Just the occasional knock out blow to the head or being forced to reconstitute. "Actually, it's almost an improvement."

Convinced he'd gotten off as much as he was going to get, he bent down to pick up the empty cup. "You're Felicia, right?" he asked, pointing at her.

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crossyourpath
2011-02-18 09:14 pm UTC (link)

She couldn't help but find it sweet, if nothing else the guy was earnest. And helpful, one of lifes good guys. Felicia...well not so much if she was honest but she wasn't a full on bad guy like Kingpin or the Goblin or anything. She just did what she needed to do and sometimes it made the hero types twitchy. Bless them. But this guy had been just outright helpful and had wound up in the snow on his ass for his trouble. And he'd lost his coffee. No one should have to suffer that. "Then coffee you shall have!" she said with a grin, pointing across at a coffee shop not far from them, very likely in fact, where he'd gotten the first coffee. She'd buy him a cup and try that whole making friends thing she'd been wofully neglecting since being here.

"I'm Felicia yes" she said in reply "And you're Leo aren't you?" she asked, just confirming even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer. From the little she knew of him this seemed like the sort of thing he did for fun. "So my proposition is this. We go for coffee. I'm nice enough never to mock you about the falling on your ass thing and we do a good old getting to know you session?"

It was far from Felicia's usual style at friend making but who knew, maybe she needed a new one. And him and his wife seemed to be helpful in terms of the fight, couldn't hurt to get to know them.

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faithinthem
2011-02-19 02:39 am UTC (link)

He almost felt bad about accepting as it wasn't Felicia's fault that he'd spilled coffee all over the place but the proposition she laid out was fair enough, for him as much as her. Not exactly shy, he had been slowly getting to know people around the complex but there were still a few that kept to themselves or were constantly on the move, working on something. "I am. Leo Wyatt," he said, holding out a now dry hand. "It's nice to meet you face to face. It seems like most of the time, everyone meets over the internet." Or at least it seemed to be the place to check to see if something was happening.

Leo laughed sheepishly. "It wouldn't be the first time. My family has never been shy about a little teasing when something goes wrong." All in good fun because they had realized there were worse things that could happen to them. Had happened to them, several times over. "You have yourself a deal, Felicia, and thank you."

There were still a few slippery spots on the way back to the coffee shop, patches of ice hidden under a thin coat of snow, but only once did he almost lose his balance. It didn't take much to find it again and after a quick warning, they hit snow and a steadier path. "So how long have you been here in Lawrence?"

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crossyourpath
2011-02-20 05:09 pm UTC (link)

It did seem that way sometimes, and she got it, she understood how easy it was for people to talk online when there was so much different going on. So many different people. She wanted to get to know as many of them as she could though especially if she was going to be teaching them to be stronger fighters. "You too Leo" she told him as they crossed the road toward the coffee shop. Felicia perfectly at ease even with the slippery roads. It was part of who she was now she supposed, cat like balance and all that. She smiled at the comments about his family, she liked people like that, liked them a lot. Her family had never been so close as to joke like that.

"I've been here a few months this time. I was here before way back last year and got thrown home. Its weird, seemed like a few weeks for me but it was longer. Very much longer here. Funny thing though, I feel more comfortable here. Stories I heard about back home. I'm better off here." she shook her head, he didn't need to know this. What good would it do them for Felicia to dreg all that up.

"Must be nice though, having your wife here. Has to be a definite upside to being dimension napped or whatever that seal did. You've got a little bit of a family here if nothing else?" In her case she didn't know what the seal could do with her parents but she'd never complain if they came here, the only thing close was Peter and he wasn't even really 'her Peter'. He was another version, a different version, that had apparently been vomited on by his Felicia Hardy because he'd been younger than her. It was all very complicated and she really didn't like it. But then he didn't know about Stark or the Registration act and her stance so maybe it was better he wasn't her Spider.

Felicia pushed open the door to the coffeeshop as they reached it and looked around for a table. "If we're going to get to know each other Leo, we should get the most important facts out of the way now. Coffee. How do you take it?" she asked

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faithinthem
2011-02-20 05:43 pm UTC (link)

He found a little amusement in the difference between them as they walked towards the shop. Felicia seemed to be unaffected by the ice, graceful as if she were walking on dry pavement. Leo seemed to defy every preconception people had about angels as he had to catch his balance now and again. "So people that were here before and sent home aren't safe from being brought here again?" It made some sense. The seal itself didn't seem to function by human logic, picking up anyone from whenever or wherever. It was like a supernatural vacuum.

Leo glanced over at her, a small amount of sympathy creeping into his expression. For someone to think they were better off here, in the middle of an apocalypse, things must not have been going so smoothly back where she was from. "It's..." he started and then shrugged. "Fighting demons and someone trying to end the world isn't something new where we're from, but there's a difference between how to get rid of the demons, how they work." He'd spent enough time studying up on them since his arrival, to make sure he was as well prepared as he could be without the Elders to go to for information.

"It's nice having her here, although we seem to be a few years apart. Before I was brought here, we were just married. For her, it's been a while." He was even mortal. Given the problems that they had trying to get married in the first place, how their destinies seemed to conflict from time to time, he shouldn't have been that surprised that his wings had been clipped, metaphorically speaking. But without knowing why or how, he almost felt disappointed that it happened. "The complex here, I noticed it's like having a family away from home. Many of the people living there seem to be willing to help or go to the rescue of someone else, even if they aren't related by blood or close friends."

He reached out to open the door for her, manners from another generation, but Felicia reached it first. Instead, he held the door behind her and then followed her into the shop, warmth returning as soon as the door swung shut behind him. "Straight up black," he replied with a laugh. "And highly caffeinated."

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crossyourpath
2011-02-20 06:58 pm UTC (link)

Felicia had thought about it a lot since her return, how it had chosen her twice. More to the point, why? "I think it takes what it needs when it needs it. I think it figures us out for good or evil and y'know. I don't think its either. I think whatever those demons opened when they opened it, they didn't even know what it'd do. It just...adds to the war. If that makes any sense. Heaven, Hell, who knows if they even get a say in it or if its just this...indefinable thing?" There might have been a logic to the seal they'd probably never figure out. And maybe that was the point. Leo and his family seemed to have the advantage a great number of them did, fighting wars wasn't new to them. And he knew about demons which helped too of course. "Its a base to work from though. That's one thing I don't get about the seal. It takes us, but then it takes like...high school kids, younger even. Whats the reason there?"

She supposed there was one of course but it was nothing she could figure out. The family away from home thing she got though, she really did. People she couldn't have had a hope of knowing, people from fiction or just people not from her world and they were willing to fight for her. "Thats true, and maybe thats the best thing about all this. We don't have a say in fighting the war, we don't have a say in being trapped here but maybe we have a say in how we do it. The friends we make, thats whats important, look at the friendships, the relationships that have gotten made since being here, they'd never have happend would they. And that's got to be something." It was possibly a bit sappy for the Black Cat but her mind went to Danny and Jess, would they ever have gotten their second chance back home? Would it ever have worked? And they weren't the only ones.

She approved of Leo's coffee choice, she'd give him that, being as it was entirely her coffee choice. She ordered two the same, black with an extra shot of espresso thrown in for good measure. "That's one point in your favor" she said, sitting down at a table to wait for their coffees. "I don't hold with the whole tainting with milk craziness" she joked

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faithinthem
2011-02-20 07:21 pm UTC (link)

"A neutral third party building the ranks in the war between Heaven and Hell?" Leo said uncertainly, trying to catch on to the line of thinking that Felicia was on. "It would make sense. There are enough people here on either side and it seems like there's no limit to who it'll bring here." There had been no mention of a seal in Revelations that brought people from somewhere else but in his time as a Whitelighter, he'd come to realize that there was a lot that wasn't in print. "I don't understand that either." What did children like Phillipa and Parker contribute to the cause? Or the high school children? "It's unfair to throw these children into the middle of a war they shouldn't be a part of, that they had no hand in." At least Parker had his father and Phillipa now had a friend of the family.

"I think that will afford us some kind of advantage. If we have people from different times and places, that would mean the opponent won't have the clearest idea of our battle plans. At least enough to keep them off balance." It worked in favor of the Charmed Ones. They didn't follow the guidelines set out for good practitioners of the craft, doing things their way. More than one enemy had been taken off guard by it. The second part, he hadn't even thought about. "You have a good point," he said quietly. "It gave my wife the chance to see her sister again." He felt a small stab of guilt in knowing that if he returned, he would have to go through losing one of his charges again, his own sister-in-law. "I can see why you like it better here," he added, breaking his brief reverie and looking back to Felicia.

As he sat down at the table, he laughed. "Neither does most of the household. No one gets started without a cup of very strong coffee. If they have to, it's not pretty. It's also the way we drank it in the army. No milk and sugar out in the field." Resting his arms on the edge of the table, he continued. "You seem pretty at ease with everything going on here. Did you have a lot to work against back where you were from? Or is it from finding your rhythm the last time you were here?"

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crossyourpath
2011-02-21 07:41 pm UTC (link)

It was unfair. It was horrible. And much as they had people that were theirs. As much as all those stolen were banding together, for the most part anyway. But Leo was right, it wasn't fair. It was far from fair. It was cruel. But all they could do was help the kids out as much as they could. That was how it would have to be. And this neutral third party would just have to try harder to mess things up. Which was probably something she shouldn't even think, maybe it could read her. Maybe it could read all of them.

"Its true I suppose, if they don't know who they're dealing with, at what timeframe or with what experiances then they can't plan to fight us can they, do they even plan? Lucifer doesn't know us and thats something we have to bank on. He might know the natives but its not just them anymore is it. She smiled as he talked of family reunions that could never have happened back in his world, his wife got to see her sister that had died, Prue, she thought it was. That was something good, that had to be considered worthwhile. "Its given your family something good then. And I've gotten to know some people here that have been amazing. You roll with the punches I suppose."

His next question though. It threw her. What had she to work against back home? It wasn't why she prefered Lawrence in a lot of ways. "My future self. Well you could say she makes some bad choices. And if I'm here then maybe I don't make them. Maybe its for the best y'know? That and I'm doing something worthwhile here. Feels like I'm contributing."

It was probably crazy. But it made sense to her. Maybe that explained a lot about her overall.

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faithinthem
2011-02-21 08:46 pm UTC (link)

"No, they can't. There's too much for them to account for, too many fighting styles and too much knowledge from other places that can carry over. If they can create a plan that would accomplish all that, then I think the enemy has been vastly underestimated." As it was, in any dimension, Lucifer was a very dangerous foe to go up against. In his mind, Leo equated him to the Source of All Evil. Only this force of evil seemed a little more...polite. Not that it changed his feelings.

"In the little time I've been here, there's been enough of those already. But it seems like you guys have become pros at rolling with it when it happens." It was all they could do, especially when the punches seemed to come without any warning whatsoever. "It did and I wouldn't want to take that away from Piper for anything."

As the waitress arrived with their coffee, Leo took his with a smile and gracious thank you, taking a sip before he set the mug down on the table. He waited until after the woman had left, taking in what Felicia had said, something that was all too familiar. It was something parallel to when the Elders had pointed the Charmed Ones towards the spell to take them to the future, to Phoebe's execution, for a lesson on the use of their powers and how it could go wrong if not done correctly. "You could be on to something there," he stated, wrapping his hands around the mug, letting the warmth creep into his palms. "You might still have those choices here that leads to that future but maybe different influences that will lead you to choose differently."

He smiled slightly. "You are contributing and I'm sure that the effort appreciates every pair of extra hands it can to help. It sounds like you're doing well here, despite the punches we have to roll with."

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crossyourpath
2011-02-24 01:09 am UTC (link)

"Thats the strength of this place though isn't it. You just look around you. Look at the people here, powered or not, these people are here for a reason and they're for the most part anyway, willing to stand and fight for this place cause...we've had to make a home here. I for one plan to defend it best I can." There was no underestimating the enemy on her part, no one could call Felicia Hardy a hero or anything but she wasn't bad. And she wasn't about to walk away just cause the bad guy was actually the baddest of the bads.

Rolling with the punches, is that what it was. Fair enough. "I guess we have. You just get back up don't you? And sometimes, like in your wife's case this place throws something kickass awesome at you. So maybe on some level it balances. Much as it can?" She didn't really want to think about what he'd said next. About having to make those choices here. She never wanted to think like that. She never wanted to have to decide those kinds of things and if she got her way she'd never have to. Those choices were for a different Felicia. Not her.

Not her.

She sipped at the coffee. It was possible that she'd never wanted a coffee so much in her life as she did now. Just for something to focus on. She sucked at random pleasent conversation apparently. It had come right back round to just why future her sucked and was apparently agreeing with Tony Stark. But there was no point in pursuing it. Not now. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I have a different path here." And if he believed that he'd believe anything.

Still, she was happy to contribute to this place any way she could. Most financially of course. It was 'good' theft. Amazing theft actually but it got them money it was helping wasn't it. "I figure everyones helping Leo. Not just me. What else are people gonna do."

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faithinthem
2011-02-24 01:34 am UTC (link)

"Those are the people you want around you when it comes to the big fight." One that he had no doubt they would see. Lucifer was an intelligent enemy and they weren't getting much help from the angels on their side, except for the occasional mind screw. Aside from a few native allies, all they had was the little rag tag group that the seal had put together. Or maybe they were all that the natives had. He hadn't really asked about how big the network of hunters were. "When it comes to war, you want to know that the guy in the trench next to you is going to hold the line." Otherwise, you were screwed. He'd seen it happen a few times.

"I think so. For some, it seems like they get a new start here, or a purpose, new friendships or relationships, even a second chance at life. For all the bad that there is to weather through, the good gets lost sometimes. But it is there. That's what makes us all stronger as a group." Not that they wouldn't have their problems. That was inevitable. So many different people together in one place with different philosophies, as well as those headstrong and stubborn, arguments would break out.

He shrugged slightly. "We can't follow our original paths that we were meant to here. There's no choice but to change but that's not always for the worst. It's all in how you look at the glass." Being the eternal optimist that he was, Leo was choosing to look at the situation with reason and purpose, even if he felt like he was abandoning his charges and duties being there. It hadn't been his choice and he had tried to find a way back, miserably failing, but there was still that echo of defeat.

"Everyone is helping," he agreed. "In their own way. Maybe the selection isn't as random as it seems."

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crossyourpath
2011-02-24 02:10 am UTC (link)

"Maybe there's method to the madness of this seal thing. Maybe it has a plan for us, maybe theres a reason it has the kids. Who knows? We don't have to like it but maybe its there." It was all very strange to her but she'd gotten to accept strange in her life very quickly soon as she'd run into the Spider. And here, it had increased ten fold. It was a strange feeling relying on so many other people. But she was quickly getting used to it. She liked the idea of a new start. New friendships, relationships. It all sounded good to her. So maybe this wasn't the worst place to wind up.

It was definitely a different way to look at it. She liked it as it happened. It was a sensible way to think about it and she very much approved. He had a optimistic outlook on life that she wished she could have herself. "Do you miss home. I mean you have your wife here and all, but do you miss it? What you did there, responsibilities. That original path?" The way he spoke about war... "You fought before didn't you. A war, is that where you came from?"

She didn't miss her old path even a little bit but then it seemed her path back home didn't really go anywhere. maybe thats why the seal had taken her, to give her a new path. A new set of choices. She sipped at her coffee a little more confident in that thought. She hoped that was why, she really did.

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faithinthem
2011-02-24 02:36 am UTC (link)

"All part of the Grand Design? It's possible." He still couldn't find a reason why kids would wind up there with them. There were the options that he would never want to consider and hoped it didn't turn out to be any of those. "The universe has a loose plan for us. It's up to us to fill in the blanks." He'd seen the course of fate changed a few times in the past. It wasn't easy but it did happen. "Hopefully these blanks will lead to averting a world ending disaster."

Leo fell silent for a moment, contemplating his answer. Back home, he was supposed to keep who he was and what he did a secret, even from some of his charges. That would have been how it went if Phoebe hadn't caught him in the act. But as they had been discussing, it was a whole new world here. Most of the people in the complex were upfront and honest about who they were, how they could contribute.

"I'm glad I'm here with Piper and Prue," he said honestly, "but I do have responsibilities back home that I feel like I'm neglecting." He considered the mug in front of him for a moment. "I'm a Whitelighter, a guardian angel for good witches and future Whitelighters. So most of my charges are in another dimension." He smiled slightly, not in amusement, but at Felicia's perceptiveness. "I was in World War II as a field medic. That's how I got my wings." He hesitated a moment. "Metaphorically. I don't actually have wings," he added.

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crossyourpath
2011-02-24 03:47 pm UTC (link)

Averting world ending. She was pretty sure that was more an Avengers or X Men deal than anything she could do. She didn't see what she was entirely important to this fate, this world. His talk of the universes loose plan seemed likely, nothing was set in stone maybe but there could be a plan. An overall design. It sounded pretty good to Felicia. And made her feel just a little better about being where she was. "We'll find a way right, thats what the 'heroes' do. Find a way to make everything better.

What he was suprised her, angels, the little she knew of them had been nothing but insulting, rude and in many ways insane. "...Guardian Angel" she repeated. "Can't be easy, being here. Knowing how people feel about angels, knowing what they're like here, by all accounts aside from the one working with the Winchesters they're pretty much collectively psychotic. You'd be more what I'd expect of an angel. Sans wings apparently." He was the type in her opinion. Kind, helpful, friendly, wise. Not cold, arrogant and rude. "You lived then? And then became an angel when..." God, how rude of her, she couldn't just ask him if he'd died and become what he was. That was awful. "I'm sorry, you don't need to answer that"

Here she was prattling on, he had every right to ignore the question. Every right in the world. "There are others though?" she asked, changing the subject a little, "Back home? Other angels that'd pick up your charges?"

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faithinthem
2011-02-24 05:53 pm UTC (link)

"We will. That's one of the advantages of having so many people from so many places. The number of possible plans increases exponentially, as well as our chances." Even he had to admit that taking on Lucifer and the armies of Hell was a pretty steep order but when these people worked together, they put up one hell of a fight. "We've got a fighting chance and remaining in existence is usually a great motivator."

At least she seemed all right with the angel thing. Most people acted in disbelief or looked at him like he was crazy. He could only imagine it would be worse with the way angels acted around this place. "That's why I haven't exactly volunteered the information," he admitted sheepishly. "Not that I blame anyone here for thinking that. From what little I've seen, the angels here are asses." While swearing wasn't forbidden, but it was frowned upon, the word slipped right into the sentence easily. Blame it on his time in the Army, but he had a vocabulary and that word happened to tentatively describe the actions of certain higher beings. "It's not exactly a biblical standard but it is in service of the forces of good."

He barely hesitated on the answer. "It's all right. I did." He smiled faintly. "Maybe that's my advantage over them, spending my first twenty some years as a mortal." Leo nodded slightly up towards the ceiling. "There are. If they think I'm gone, there will be reassignments. One way or another, they'll be watched over."

After taking another drink of coffee, he motioned to her. "What about you? What did you do back home?"

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