9832/Brooding Angel, Hidden Winifred

Brooding Angel, Hidden Winifred
Date of Scene:	29 October 2019
Location:	Lobby, Hyperion Hotel
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Angel, Winifred Burkle

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Angel has posed:
THe sun's gone down and Angel's poring over documents that are faded and yellowing with time. He's hunched over in a chair, balancing it on his knees. Angel's been poring over this document for hours, used to the quiet and solitude of the Hyperion without Cordelia or Fred around. Even the kittens are sleepy, various little fuzzballs sleepily wandering around until they find spots to nap. Angel's got no thoughts of sleep. He's four hours into digging through a document that got mailed, and he wants to make sense of it. In the grand scheme of things, it's not important just what the document is. Angel would right now study a restraunt menu if it got Fred back to the Hyperion and the safety of Angel Investigations. Angel's concerned, curse this whole 'having a souln' and 'emotions' thing. He sighs, and shoves himself up from the seat, fully intent on crossing the lobby and stare out at the city of Los Altos more, maybe it'd bring Fred back. Instead, Angel does a circuit of the lobby, a well worn routine by now as he pauses to look out the doors for a moment into the night air. He's gotten used to this, being the security here. He did figure where to put cameras. But that's more Fred's department. It's all....technology and science and things Angel's not fantastic at.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred...comes out of her room...she's been traumatized (again) twice in fairly recent memory. Once by Sentinels, again by being set on fire, twice, by the Friends of Humanity. It is a testament to the power of Shannon and Triage that Fred's skin is still as clear and unblemished as it ever was...and the two exhausted every last inch of their power to save her. On the other side of that, though, is a truth it's hard to ignore. When the Friends of Humanity came to kidnap her, there was no handsome man to save her from the monsters. Sure, the monsters had human faces, but were no less monstrous for that.

Bottom line, she was left here unguarded, and, well, not especially safe, considering the results. Even if she'd had cameras in strategic locations, she couldn't have done much against an angry mob come to kidnap and execute her. There is writing on the walls...testament to how she feels.

Angel has posed:
Angel pauses hearing a door go. He knows it's not Cordie, she's out of town. Instead,he's running through who it could be. He's not believing it's Fred. Not....yet at least, but he does at least pause the pacing of the lobby. He's got a sword in his hands. Sure, it may not do /much/, but he feels a little more secure with it in hand. He looks around again, watching the lobby. Like Fred, Angel's well aware the best security in the world wouldn't have stopped what happened. Instead, Angel's putting his experiences to use. Why bother with security that won't work, when there's other methods to protect his people?

Angel sits back down, the document forgotten as, thanks to having a soul, he's got the tiniest bit of hope that, well, Fred is here and she's not a total and utter wreck.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred is physically, at least. But after what she's gone through...her eyes show at least as much emptiness as they did on Pylea, when she never quite believed she was out of a hell dimension. And really, when people kidnap you and set you on fire, is that really notably different from a hell dimension? Of all the ways to die, burned alive is among the worst, which is why they used to kill witches that way.

"Why...why weren't you there?"

Angel has posed:
Angel freezes hearing that voice. He's stopped dead in his tracks by Fred. He's supposed to be the leader of Angel Investigations. He's the one that fights demons, and keeps his people safe. Fred's question has cut him to the core and he's silent. It's not he's unsure what to say. It's more he's unsure how to say that he failed Fred. He failed keeping her safe, that he....wasn't there to protect when he should have been. Silently, he looks over. If he's planning to be brutally honest...that's going out the window when he looks to Fred.

"Because" Angel says. "I was off chasing down a case. I put money above safety" he says. Truth. He was off chasing a lead with Cordelia. Instead of being here, where he should have been. Angel isn't looking away from Fred. His eyes reveal the raw pain he's felt. He's failed Fred. He's failed Cordelia, and he's failed his own people. "I..." he says taking a deep breath. It's a breath that is shaky and hitches in his throat. "I wasn't where he should have been" he says, bowing his head. He knows he's screwed up majorly. If he'd have been here, he could have taken out those FOH bastards and saved Fred. Maybe. Maybe he would have been dusted trying, but it'd have been better than being out of town. Angel looks up, and the light reflects the tears and pain in his eyes. Damn this having a soul. Damn these emotions. This....this....weeping. Men. Angel, doesn't...don't cry. Buffy cried. Angel is tougher than this.

He really isn't, when he's blaming himself and himself alone for this. Silently, he looks to Fred. 'I am so sorry' won't cut it. Angel though takes a shuddering breath and finally speaks. "Fred" he says, throat tight with emotion. It's somewhere between relief, and....shame. Shame that he let Angel Investigations down. He's ashamed he put money before Fred's safety. How he got it wrong and Fred got hurt because of his mistakes.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
"I died. Flatlined, the doctors said." She still feels pretty dead on the inside. "I died because you weren't there."

Okay, she's still standing there, by the power of two mutants who knocked themselves out saving her. She isn't even entirely sure they've completely recovered from all the damage they absorbed from her. And while the face looks the same as it was before she was burned, her eyes still have the burns of those fires behind them. Not physically, but the mutants only fix physical damage. They can't fix being abandoned and left to your fate.

Angel has posed:
Angel pauses, watching Fred and hearing her words. She. Died. Great, she died and he was off glory hunting. Well....that destroys any cheer he had left, even as he stands still, watching Fred. "You died? You're here, now...you got healed?" Angel asks. He's trying to take it in. Fred died. On his watch. When he should have been here. Hoo boy, COrdie's going to get flak for this one if she shows her face around here, if Angel has anything to say about it. Looking past Fred for a moment, Angel's gaze returns to Fred. "But. You're here" he says. Oh he's not thinking for a moment she's safe. Not in the least. Oh no, no, not in the least. He felt sick to his stomach reading the news reports. And.....in a way, he's trying to vocalize his conflicted emotions.

"I'm...I'm glad you're here. And..I...I should have been here to protect you" Angel admits. What's that saying, time heals all wounds? Yeah that won't happen soon. "You died because I followed Cordie's visions when I should have been here. Fred" Angel says. His voice is monotone, full of darkness and anger...though it's directed inward. This is his burden to bear, his responsibility. Angel's voice is low, dark and there's a scary calm nature to it. "You died because I left town and thought everything would be okay. It....wasn't"

Like that needed to be said. But...Angel's blaming himself. "It should have been me they hurt. It should have been me they came for" Angel says, and looks away. He's looking away to hide the guilt and shame in his eyes, he doesn't want anyone to see him like this. He's supposed to.....whatever he's supposed to be, it ended the moment Fred was set alight. Angel looks back to Fred, a rage in his eyes. Whoever did this to you wil pay" he says. THere's no grandiose threats, no bombastic screaming. Instead...quiet, calculated, dark, dangerous promises of payback.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
"Yeah. I died." Sure, she didn't 'die' any more than Buffy did, but...Buffy still died enough to activate a new Slayer. "Cordy's visions are important. You...probably saved people doing it. Why did you leave me behind?"

Maybe that's the key thing here. He took his ENTIRE team and left her behind. "Not only were you not here, nobody was." And Cordy didn't get a vision about her peril, so the Powers themselves must not have found her peril important.

Angel has posed:
Angel nods to Fred. "Nobody was. THat's the problem. You should have come with us, Fred but there was no room to come with us" Angel said, deeply regretting leaving Fred behind. "Would they have attacked us if you'd come with us?" Angel asks. He's thinking aloud now...while avoiding the complex emotions thing. "If....you'd come with us, Fred....would they have found and hurt you and killed us to get to you?" he asks. No, the thought that it was better to save everyone and leave Fred he isn't one that pleases Angel. Not in the least, no. He's picking through each of Fred's words. "Why didn't Cordy's powers warn about you being attackd?" Angel asks, his voice distant as if he's unsure of, well, everything right now. Angel wants to get help to figure this out. Much as he wants to, his contacts are limited however. Fred more than likely has more contacts than Angel.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred knows the X-men, sort of, and she's met Superman once, though that doesn't help cause he's now dead, so...she really only has contacts and support from the mutant community at this point.

"All I know for sure is, I need to be safer." And this hotel...well, being kidnapped and set on fire, it just doesn't seem as safe as it used to be.

Angel has posed:
Angel nods. "And anywhere in the city or the three states is?" Angel asks. Sure, theX-Men are useful, and Angel's met two of the mutants. Which are useful....but.....Angel's already on edge. Fred's right. The Hyperion's not quite as safe as it used to be. Not that it was safe to start with, but.....Angel shakes his head. "Is there anything you can do to make this place safer?" he asks. Well, aside from moving out of the Hyperion, that is. Sure, leaving Angel here would be a nice dose of karma, but....Angel's not a fan of that. It's quiet enough around here anyway.