I Moderate (i_moderate) wrote in we_archive, @ 2006-02-21 16:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | anthony crowley, jesse custer |
i_lovemybentley Angel Shopping [Jesse]
Once Barbara had described the way the City seemed to work, Crowley made quick work of finding his things. The flat was first, but it was there and waiting for him already, in a choice piece of real estate near the City's center. And facing away from the huge naked statue that he was getting the distinct feeling he wanted to avoid.
The flat was just where he expected, and, just as he'd expected, there was a private garage for the Bentley. He parked, added a few dozen shields and wards to the garage to ensure that no one else would be able to get near the car.
Plants, sound system, entertainment system, telephones, his private safe, bedroom, study, the sleek computer that looked like it could exceed the speed limit... it was all there. Once he was sure that everything was in it's place, Crowley dove for the phone and dialed the number to a certain bookshop in Soho.
"I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is not in service at this time."
Crowley stared at the phone for a moment before slamming it back onto the cradle. Of course it had been a cordless, but sometimes you just needed to slam a phone. He headed for the door, and it slammed behind him.
It was time to look for a book store.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 13:51:07
Jesse'd found a book store.
Of course, at the time he'd been looking for a pet store. The pup needed a new squeaky toy. The one at the hotel had been chewed into tiny bits. And more treats were in order as well.
He'd gone to where he thought the pet store had been.
Naturally, it wasn't there. He didn't know why he was so surprised.
Jesse stood out front of the book store and lit a cigarette. He'd go in and browse. Obviously The City had sent him here for some reason. Books were good. Or something.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 14:02:17
It was a book store. But not the book store.
Crowley nearly burned it down for simply not being the right one. But then he realized that the angel might have had a fit over him burning books. So he went inside instead, looking immediately for the proprietor.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 14:05:48
There was a whispering in his head. A warning to not go in. But Jesse ignored it, put out the smoke and wandered inside.
It didn't really look like anything special. Just a book store.
Maybe he'd get something for Max here. She was smart, she liked books. But what sort? They'd never really discussed it.
As Jesse passed the only other patron in the store, the urgant whispers started up again in his head. Becoming louder until he pushed it away altogether. Genesis had a lot to say about a lot of things, and he'd had to learn how to block it all out.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 14:13:48
Crowley didn't block it out. He felt the presence as soon as it entered the vicinity of the bookshop. His eyes widened and he flinched back from the man, hissing.
"What the sssssshit are you doing here?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 14:16:30
Jesse blinked at the man.
But it didn't matter what Jesse wanted to say anymore, because Jesse wasn't in control anymore.
His eyes went white, and the color seemed to seep out of him.
"Crowley." The voice was deep, but had the tint of the very young in it. It was Jesse's ... mixed with other. Genesis. "Why shouldn't I be here?"
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 14:26:38
"Becausssse you're... you're... oh, ssshit," said the demon. His legs felt like jelly, and he stumbled a bit, trying to regain his footing. "Why the fuck would I find you and not..." He didn't finish the sentence.
"Fine." Crowley seemed to compose himself, and grinned. "So. What's going on here?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 14:30:30
The being inside of Jesse smirked with his face.
"You're not glad to see me?" He tilted Jesse's head. "Are you missing somebody? Your... angel, maybe?"
There were times that Jesse was glad that he wasn't completely merged with Genesis, and this was one of them. He didn't like being taken over, and wouldn't stand for it. It was his will, his soul, and his body.
It wasn't even much of a fight.
Just suddenly Genesis was gone. And Jesse was aware of what had been said, but didn't have the memories of Crowley that the halfbreed did.
He held up a hand and tried to figure things out.
"I. I'm Jesse Custer." Was all he could think to say.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 14:35:42
"He's certainly not my--" Crowley cut off that sentence with a hiss as he saw Genesis retreat back into the body of the preacher.
"Crowley," he said, crossing his arms and giving the mortal a chance to breathe. "You've got one fuck of a parasite."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 14:37:09
"You're tellin me." His head felt a little swimmy. It had been a new experience.
"I take it you two know each other then? Cause that was really weird."
He spied a group of chairs that looked like they might be for book discussion and moved over to them and sat down.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 14:48:59
"I knew its parents."
Crowley supressed a shudder. The exchange made him very nearly want to flay his skin off and suffer through the regeneration of another. He needed a drink. A large drink. He folded into one of the seats beside Jesse.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 14:52:25
Jesse raised a brow. "You knew it's parents?"
Well. That was a first. He knew the fate of the angel. He'd met it, and then God had come along. There was a fire, and then no more Daddy. The demon, though.
"What happened to her?"
It was as much a question for himself as it was for Genesis.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 14:58:18
Crowley shrugged. "To be honest, I have no clue. She might have gone and found a place to hide. If she kept low and off the radar, she might have been able to."
Hell had lost track of Crowley for most of the sixteenth century. And all he'd been doing was sleeping.
He liked sleeping.
And he still wanted a drink. Crowley reached into his coat and pulled out a flask of whiskey, followed by a glass. He tipped the drink into the glass, and passed the flask off to Jesse. Then he polished off the glass. When it touched down by his knee again, it was already refilling itself.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 15:01:48
He wasn't a man to pass up a flask of what smelled like high dollar whiskey.
Jesse swallowed a good amount of it, and didn't feel the weight change that should have occurred. What he would give to have a flask like this.
"The dad is dead." He said flatly, and took another drink.
He could feel Genesis stirring again. Angrily.
"You seem like you know a good bit about what I'm carrying around, but I'll leave questions like that for a time when we're better aquainted and not both sideswiped by the little fucker taking me over."
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 15:09:48
Crowley put up a hand. "Oh, no. I don't know that much. No one tells me anything. I'm just a field agent."
The field agent, really. No one else wanted to stay topside, and Crowley never understood why.
He took another swig of his glass.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 17:10:15
"Well." Jesse flung up a hand. Thinking he'd say more about it, but not sure what that would be.
He took another long swallow from the flask, thought about handing it back, took another drink, and then did.
"Welcome to The City."
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 17:17:21
"Thanks, but I already met the welcome committee. Got my car, my flat, just missing a bookshop."
The alcohol was burning at him. It was good stuff. He let the burn continue.
"Shit always get this fucked around here? Or am I just lucky?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 17:19:24
"Oh. No. I don't think lucky is the right word for it. This place knows all the good things to leave behind and all the bad shit to pull in. You sort of get pulled in with what you've got, from what I see. You get a car, a flat, all your things. I wind up lying to a night manager to live in a hotel and walk everywhere."
Jesse shrugged. "It's like a normal city, for the most part. Just. Nothing stays put. And things appear randomly. This used to be a pet store. Not that the pet store is gone, it's just somewhere else."
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 17:22:04
Crowley hissed in ammusement. "A hotel? You and it are living in a hotel?"
The demon snickered, and pushed back his sunglasses. "That kills me. I'm surprised he'll stand for that."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 17:24:46
"Well. Not like we have much of a choice. There's no money. I could rob a bank, I suppose, but I really only like doing that if I'm leaving sometime soon, and I just don't think that's happening."
Jesse shrugged. "The hotel's nice. We've got a nice one roomish sort of thing. It stocks itself. My dog likes it. I really can't complain much."
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 17:33:24
"Oh, I'm sure it just kills him to have to deal with that."
Bound in a body the way he was, no wonder Genesis didn't have any of the abilities Crowley possessed. Not to mention that Crowley was also several thousands of years older than the half-breed. But age was only one factor. Parentage meant something.
Then he laughed. "Oh. Oh, this is going to be great." Crowley slid to his feet. "Come on, preacher. Let's go find you a place to live."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 17:40:32
"Uh." Jesse watched Crowley. "I don't have money to pay for a place."
He stood and looked around the book shop. "Sort of why I stay where I do."
Jesse patted himself down, mostly out of habit. Cigarettes, check. Lighter, check. Flask tucked away neatly, check.
That was about it.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 17:45:53
"You think that matters?" Crowley glanced back at the man. "You don't need money to own something. You just need a piece of paper."
He smiled like a snake, and walked out the door. Outside, he turned in a circle, looking up and around at the various buildings.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 17:52:03
"I ... apparently I'm wrong." Jesse smiled.
This was already proving to be a very strange day. He figured he'd better get used to it.
"So. Ideas?" Jesse didn't know what to look for. He didn't know what would make a suitable place to live. He was used to hotels and small places, but Crowley came off like that sort of thing would be unacceptable.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 18:17:51
Crowley pointed. "That one."
He grabbed onto the preacher and, an instant later, they were standing in a large, well-furnished apartment, several stories up.
Crowley gave it all a speculative look. "It should do. What do you think?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 18:21:01
Jesse was momentarily speechless.
"Well. It's." He looked around. "Nice. Where are we?" He couldn't tell by looking out the windows. The city didn't look familiar from up here.
It was very nicely furnished. He didn't think he'd ever seen things like this. It was nice, but not stuffy. Not over done.
"They allow dogs?" It was very important. Jesse moved around the place. It seemed bigger than it should be for this sort of building. Or maybe Jesse didn't know achetecture very well.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 18:25:31
Crowley shrugged. "Doesn't matter. No one's going to come and see."
There was a light puff of brimstone-scented smoke and Crowley was holding a thick envelope in his hands. "To make you feel better," he said with a shrug, handing the papers over.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 18:28:55
"Thanks." Jesse said, as he looked at the papers. "I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth or nothin, but why exactly are you being so helpful?"
He looked through the envelope. There were two sets of keys in there. One looked like building keys, they were bigger. The other set had to be for this unit.
There was a deed too. The deed had his name all over it. And his signature. His perfect signature, even though he would have sworn he'd never signed any property papers any time recently.
It was impressive. And there was kicking at his brain because of it. Jesse shushed the beast internally and smiled at Crowley.
He really just couldn't wait to give Max her own set.
From: [info]i_lovemybentley Date: 02/21/2006 18:48:38
Crowley stuck his hands in his pockets. "Two reasons. First, to piss someone off because he couldn't do it for himself." That was the one that made him smirk. The second one made him smile. "Second, because now that someone owes me a favor."
He wandered towards the windows, looking out. "Third," he continued, not facing Jesse. "Because it's good to know people. When you're in a new place."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/21/2006 19:42:32
He had to laugh. "Well. I'm sure that both those things will cause anger in him."
And it did. He could feel it.
It made him smile a lot.
"I'm not opposed to new friends."
Jesse moved toward the windows and looked out over the city. "This is amazing. I don't know how I'm ever gonna thank you."