Angel Talk

Who: Ten and Leija
When: Early Afternoonish
Where: Mya's Diner

Leija had debated on this all morning. Which had been a late one, more or less, since Thom had kept her up late emailing back and forth. Not that she minded much. But through lunch and a shower, she'd decided that she wanted to know more about Tensiel. The girl had done something to the necklace Lullaby had given her -- which she was indeed wearing -- and it was something that felt familiar enough. They weren't powers that she herself had, but it wasn't the first time she'd come across someone who could do things that felt like that. Angels could. And if Ten was an angel? Leija wanted to know her. She'd grown up rather sheltered, but her mother wrote and her father always said that it never hurt to have powerful allies, if you could get them. And she'd seemed sweet. And Leija was intensely curious. So, really, there were too many questions not to go. She walked down to Mya's Diner (where she'd overheard that Ten worked) and stepped inside, glancing around.

Run off her feet was maybe an apt description of what Tensiel had been since work started, but it wasn't a bad thing neccessarily. It kept her busy enough to keep her mind off of things, at least. Mya had told her a couple of times to take her break for lunch, but Tensiel just kept finding something else to do or someone else to help in the overcrowded Saturday crowd. The snowflake-like rune Lullaby had given her sat around her neck on its cord, tapping against her name-tag as she darted around - finally looking up to notice somebody at the door. "Hello, welcome to Mya's Diner I..." Her normal welcoming speel died away as she recognized the red-haired girl, and flickered a smile at her. "Hiya, Leija."

Leija gave her a little smile. She'd never had a job, her dad insisted that school was way more important, and she was vaguely glad for that as she watched Ten run around. "Hi," she answered, giving a little wave. She glanced around at the patrons there, and bit her lower lip. It looked like a bad time. She wasn't even there to eat. "I don't mean to ... um ... bother you or anything, but ... I had something I wanted to ask you about. Do you get a ... a break or anything anytime soon?" She offered a raised eyebrow and a little smile, hoping that didn't sound too weird.

Before Tensiel could open her mouth and answer, Mya gestured at her to finally take her break and she figured there wasn't exactly any way around it right then. Not that she wanted to find one, neccessarily, maybe talking to Leija would be another good distraction. And... well... maybe she should try and make another friend. "I... sure," she said, leading them to a quieter booth over in a far corner, out of the daylight and therefore empty. "You uhm... came here to see me? Why?" Tensiel didn't really recall acquitting herself very well at the movie thing the previous night (in fact, she'd fallen asleep curled up on the floor) so she wasn't sure what would have brought somebody like Leija to Mya's to find her.

Leija followed, giving Mya a half-wary glance before she slid into the booth across from Ten. She had a sudden rush of 'this is insane, she's going to think you're fucking crazy' thoughts, but tried to keep them to a dull roar. Her hand moved to the necklace in question, the one Lullaby had given her, and she touched the pendant lightly. There was a little tingle in her fingers, and that gave her some confidence about why she was here. She leaned forward a touch, eyes ticking over Ten's face. "This," she said quietly. "You did something to it. I, uh ... I felt it. I was wondering ... " Leija let that trail off. Because if you were an angel wouldn't quite make it out of her throat. She knew that blessing things was beyond her capabilities as what she was, but not beyond others, but what if she was wrong?

Tensiel's eyes had been meeting Leija's up until then, when they promptly flicked away towards the edge of their table and the linoleum floor. Her stomach felt like it had dropped, and she supposed that she had been right - now her mind really was off 'things' and concentrated on damage control. Leija wasn't like Eli. And Tensiel wasn't like she'd been when she'd met Eli anymore, anyway. She hadn't thought anybody would notice at the party - she'd only gotten to two of the charms (Leija & Jezebelle) - and her blessings didn't tend to last very long anyway. That was why she had to practice on her truck each day and... and Leija was still looking at her. She had to say something, but she didn't want to look at her in case she saw it on her face. "It'll wear off by tomorrow," she said quietly, almost an apology. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to help a little and... you don't need to worry."

The redhead felt a little thrill. She was right! Score one for angel Spidey-sense! But her brief flare of triumph was deflated by the look on Tensiel's face and the way she wouldn't meet her eyes. She'd always thought of angels as ... superior beings, sort of. From what her mother had described in her journal. They were capable of so much that valkyries were not. A teensy bit of panic washed over Leija. She didn't want to alienate this girl already! "Oh no, no it's ... it's okay," she said quickly, trying to catch Ten's eyes. "It just kind of ... startled me, I didn't expect to find anybody ... kind of like me. There. At the party. Um. I wasn't worried, just ... really really crazy-curious was all." She tried a smile.

It had been deliberate on Tensiel's part: not mentioning what specifically she'd done. Magic maybe might have been what Leija thought she felt and that would be fine (well, not really, but better than knowing she was an angel) but Leija had just said--

Tensiel's pale eyes slipped up from the floor and the table's edge so that she could look at the girl opposite. Kind of like me.

"Kind of like you?" she echoed, looking very surprised and still a little apprehensive. Had she messed up again and now it would be like with Manson all over again? Wait... another angel or... but...

Her hands started to fidget on the table, fingers knotting a little as she looked at the small smile she was being offered. She tried to extend her senses a little, but there was so much in this town she wasn't sure she could sense any vibes off of Leija.

There was only one way to really know. She reached over and tugged a little on Leija's finger. "Can you come with me?" she asked, still very shocked and a little shaky at this idea. Not ten feet away was the entrance to the bathrooms and there wasn't much room but it was private and.... if Leija could see her wings in there she would know. And if Tensiel could see her wings, she would know. "Just for a minute."

Leija watched the changes going through Ten's face, trying not to start babbling apologies and leave. She'd nodded at the sort of soft question on what she'd said and then nodded again at the second one. She smiled a little, not minding the finger-tug. The more she talked to this girl, the more childlike she seemed. Which was ... not really lining up with what Leija'd always thought about angels, but ... hey, she was still relatively new at this. "Sure," she said, thinking she had an idea on what Ten was thinking. She slid out of the booth and got up to follow.

Surely enough, the bathrooms were empty. There wasn't a massive amount of room, but the row of sinks under the long mirror was space enough. Tensiel was glad she'd slit wing grooves in the back of this shirt this morning (it was the blue cloud one again, a favourite for sure) and caught a glimpse of her slightly sunburned skin in the mirrors as she let her wings carefully ease out in the confined space... all the while keeping a distance between her and Leija in case she could not see them. Her huge white feathery wings nearly filled up all the space behind her, but she was just looking at Leija's face for a reaction. Still, better say something, the silence was almost too much. "So..." she murmurred a bit vaguely and very unsure of what she hoped for.

She didn't need to worry. Leija's eyes widened as Ten's wings emerged. Oh ... they were beautiful. Her lips parted and she resisted the urge to reach out and touch them. She needed permission first. But she definitely looked. A smile that entirely changed her face emerged and she put a hand over the laugh that threatened to emerge. She felt so glad. She'd been right. And it was okay. "I've never ... never seen those kind up close," she said, taking her hand away and looking pleased and awed at the same time.

At the change in Leija's expression, and then in her voice, Tensiel gave a sigh of relief and smiled a little in return. Wings. And it was... it was nice, important, for somebody who could see them to not be yelling for them to be hidden or something. Behind her, white feathers flickered a little as she shook her wings like she always did when she just brought them out and a small draught shot around the room. "Do you... maybe...?" Tensiel gestured a bit with her own wings again, trying not to bump them off too many surfaces suddenly. Did Leija have wings, was what she meant to ask.

Leija nodded. "They're ... different, don't be scared," she said, just in case. She shrugged out of the light jacket she had on and set it down on one of the sinks. Underneath she wore a tank top. Tugging it down a little from behind, she closed her eyes and brought her own pair out. They emerged a lot more abruptly than Ten's did, more jerking out of her back than easing. They were made of fire, but the room got no warmer than it already was. The flames swirled and moved like fire in space in sci-fi movies, and took the shape of wings behind her. They stretched out to either side as much as they could, as her back was fairly close to the door. A faint breeze seemed to pick up from them, but no heat radiated. Leija bit her lip and looked at Ten, hoping they weren't ... too much.

Eyes widening, Tensiel's head tipped to the side as she craned her neck - even went up on tip-toes - to look at the firey wings shaped in the air behind Leija's back. They surely were different. It wasn't as though Tensiel had ever seen another angel's wings besides her own and her family's, but she had never imagined that wings could take a form like Leija's. It was difficult to think of what to say, though the surprise and curiousity on her face was probably eloquent and expressive enough under the circumstances. Betraying her feelings (like they always did) Tensiel's wings wavered and flicked with amazed excitement and she looked back to Leija's face.

"They match your hair," she informed her cheerfully enough, noticing she looked a bit apprehensive. "Pretty."

She had to laugh a little. Tensiel was the first person she really knew besides her dad to see her wings, and she was glad that they didn't look ... monstrous or evil to her or anything. "Thanks," she said, looking to one side to take in the tip of one. "They feel tingly, but they don't burn." A wee bit paranoid about having fire coming out of her back in a public place, Leija's wings curled in on themselves and melted into her back once more. She readjusted her shirt and waved away the small cloud of smoke she'd created. She was simultaneously filled with so many questions and not really sure where to start. "So what ... kind of stuff can you do?" she asked, almost shyly.

Shockingly, especially to herself, Tensiel almost started to answer her - automatically opening her mouth to speak - and wound up sneezing slightly on the tinge of smoke in the air. It made her rock back against her wings a little, which fluttered clumsily against the wall and sinks with the sneeze as she rubbed her nose. "Sorry," she muttered, rolling her shoulders and for once not having to be worried about anybody else hearing the slight popping of joints and bones humans didn't have. Tensiel shook her head slightly to clear it. "I uhm..." She couldn't, wouldn't, tell her about what she really was unless it was her calling too... but the question itself made her pause and bite inside her own cheek hesitantly. "Why d'you ask? Aren't you one like me?"

Leija smiled as Ten sneezed, even though it had been a big one. She waved at the air above her a bit more. "No, my fault," she said amiably. "Always happens, sorry." She took in the other girl's hesitation and sucked her lower lip into her mouth briefly. How to answer that question when she wasn't really sure about all the ins and outs to angels. She sort of ... wasn't one. "No ... I don't ... think so?" she answered slowly, turning it into a question. "Unless ... do you escort the dead too?" she asked, not at all sure how to explain herself to someone who didn't already know. She hadn't planned this far ahead.

Tensiel's head shook, and her hands went down to pull on the hem of her t-shirt. Escort the dead? Like... in the old stories from Greece with the river or...?

One hand went up to the ægishjálmur around her neck. Iceland. The Norse. Valkryies. Her mother used to tell her the stories from that part of the world and she remembered the idea of there being somebody to take the lonely fallen away. She hadn't wanted to forget it, after what she'd done to those ships. But she didn't know they were really real, and she didn't remember ever being told they were so much like angels. Her voice was a little faint, and she cleared it to speak properly. "No..." she said quietly. She did something else to the dead. "What does that mean? Do you help them be okay when they have to go?"

Hoo boy. Leija wet her lips and leaned against one of the sinks. "Yes," she started out, drawing the word out slowly. "I try to. When somebody's ... hurt enough to be dying ... from an accident or someone else or ... yeah, it's always unnatural." She crossed her arms over her stomach, face entirely sober now. She didn't like talking about it. But if she wanted to know things, she had to give some privacy up, that was just the way it worked. "I get ... pulled there. Not always, not for everybody -- I couldn't ever do everybody -- but I get pulled to random people and ... try to comfort them as they go." She glanced up, hazel eyes dark.

Watching Leija, listening to her speak, Tensiel felt a cold lump form in her throat. It wasn't what she said - what she said was a remarkable thing, a special task which made existing just a little more bearable for so many people - but it was how she said it. Accidents and killings... to be called always to them and to have to see and feel and deal. Tensiel fought with herself not to let her eyes drop away, because it would be disrespectful, even though she suddenly felt like she should look elsewhere.

"Thanks," she said quietly, and thickly. She knew why she said it too. Thanks for guiding away everybody she killed. Thanks for smoothing over the damage she did in some way. Or would do, one day. Tensiel rubbed her arm and finally did look away, up to the ceiling and its slightly dusty lights. "I didn't know anybody could do that... and I'm thankful."

Leija wasn't really following, unless Ten was just ... a really sensitive girl. Which was entirely possible, she seemed very sweet. It was just a little bit startling to be thanked for something that she couldn't help. That, and if anybody offered to take it away from her? She would jump on that in an instant. Leija never felt that she was doing good. Just that it all hurt so much to have to see and that it was going to turn her into a horrible person someday. She shifted against the sink, dropping her own eyes to the floor. "Nobody's ever really ... thanked me before. Not like ... y'know, I tell many people, but ... you're welcome," she said, equally as quietly. Maybe Ten had lost some people, and it was a comfort. Maybe.

There was a quiet silence as Tensiel nodded, not knowing she couldn't see her, and realized there would never be thanks for what her calling was. There had been little grief over what she'd done back on the islands, but it had been after the fact. It had been too late. A part of her realized that at least Leija was always there in time to do something, though it probably felt to her to be such a small thing. Then she shook her head again, trying to put her feelings back where they belonged, somewhere quiet.

"Come on," she said softly, managing a smile and gesturing to the door with her left wing. "D'you want some lunch or a drink or something? The universe probably owes you some, and I get it for free as part of my job."

She was quiet through Tensiel's silence, figuring that there was probably something internal going on in the other girl. When Ten spoke again, Leija looked up and smiled faintly back. "Lunch would be great," she said with some gratitude. Now that they knew about each other, Leija felt all that much better. At least she knew for sure that someone here understood what it was to be different. And the kind of different was close enough that ... maybe they could talk to each other. She snagged up her jacket and stood up straighter, eyes moving back to Ten's wings before they got put away. They really were very pretty.

Tensiel had to catch her reflection before she remembered to pull in her wings, which she reluctantly did. They went back out to the diner's floor and their booth, and even though they went back to the same seats as just a few minutes ago the whole world seemed to have changed some. It only took a minute for Tensiel to fetch them both something to drink and ask the kitchen for whatever Leija was hungry for and some pancakes, and soon they were both settled with food - if not with much else. Tensiel for her part was forcing herself to work out what she could and could not say to Leija about her angelic abilities and duties, since apparently she didn't know about angels really and was herself something else.

This was probably going to take longer than a lunch break. But maybe it was something worth starting.