Dossier Thirty-Four

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[A girl appears in the Astral kitchen, apparently quite comfortable there. She looks around and makes a face, crosses to the freezer and rummages around until she finds a pint of chocolate ice cream. One spoon and discarded plastic seal later, she's leaning against the counter and digging in.]

Daaaad. God, you're not arseholed again, I hope. [Her accent is posh and British. The last part is muttered. Then, just in case he's around to hear,] You know, she's not going to leave you alone about chaperoning forever! The woman's obsessed. And hiding here won't make her go away.



[[Experiment start]]

Comments

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Just stares at the book for a second]

Really?

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[SQUIRM.] Just. Curiosity. Really.

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

Angel.

You could've simply asked for those books I promised you. Honestly, a projection manual?

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[HE DOESN'T LIKE THAT CHARITY BUSINESS, END OF THE WORLD NOTWITHSTANDING.]

I don't want to impose. [He does want those books, though. ><]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Crowley rolls his eyes]

Yes, because a box of books will clearly put me into financial hardship. Angel, please. This is just sad.

[and he chucks the manual off into the underbrush somewhere]

Give me a day or two and I'll have something in the post for you.

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[NUUUUUU HIS BOOK. He was just getting to the part about gear adjustments. >: ] But now I won't know how it ends.

[YOU CAN'T JUST READ HALF OF A BOOK, CROWLEY.]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[...you seriously did not just say that, Aziraphale. :|]

Let me give you the Cliff Note version: the technician saves the day, the projector is fixed, the show goes on, and everyone is happy.

Seriously, angel, if you're that hard up for something to read—

[he drops from the plane, reappearing a moment later with a copy of The Reader which he drops into the angel's lap]

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[alksjdsd book. He almost unconsciously strokes the cover.] But I was only half-finished. You can't read half a book Crowley. You just can't.

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Crowley...cannot honestly decide whether to kick him or kiss him, at this point. He's just so lskjdflsjk]

[He settles for stooping down and catching Aziraphale's chin in his hand, tilting the other man's face up so they're eye-to-eye, blue to serpentine yellow. There's a very serious look on Crowley's face...which melts into a grin, and a laugh.]

You're hopeless, angel.

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[Az is. Confused. Very confused. And internally pulling five different ways at once, and oh hello there Crowley, and oh Someone, Something, Somewhere, help. When he talks, it comes out as a sequence of squeaks.]

Well. You really can't.

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[The demon just sighs, amused, and releases the angel's chin after a moment. He crosses back to where he'd been sitting and retrieves his sunglasses, which promptly cover his eyes once again.]

Well then, I suppose I'd best be getting on. Wouldn't want to keep the children waiting. [headshake]

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[He thumbs through the book without seeing the pages, sounding rather vague.] Children? I thought--there's more than one, is there?

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

Ngh. Just the one I'm aware of. Don't think I could handle any more, to be honest. A teenage girl who acts like me? [he shudders a bit]

I get the feeling there's a good chance I'll have gone mad by the end of this.

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[Ahaha. Aha. Heh. The vagueness dissipates, because Crowley + Mad = Resurgence of ever-present background worries that keep him from sleeping when he DOES try.] See that you don't, my dear, please. It will save me having to kill someone. [He rubs his eyes.]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[...right, there's that protective streak again. Crowley wonders briefly if it's simply because the angel's been through such Hell in his own reality, or if it's more to do with the other Crowley being missing. He's sure there's some sort of psychological term for that, but he can't think of it at the moment.]

[Physically, all he does is shrug.]

Haven't gone yet, I think I'll hold out a little longer.

[extutela.livejournal.com]

[Probably a little bit of both. And oh, the list of complexes that Az probably has.]

[He opens the book, glancing up at Crowley. Itty bitty smile goes here.] Enjoy your dinner.

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[a resigned sigh] Here goes nothing.

[He turns to leave, then pauses momentarily and looks back at Aziraphale] We'll do the Ritz again when our realities have merged, eh? You and I.