Angel and Sooraya || Tea Time

[x-firestar.livejournal.com]

Sooraya and Angel discuss Angel's recent rash of bad-decision-making. Angel is apologetic.



Angel couldn't remember the last time she'd been quite this nervous. Even facing Chloe - while admittedly nerve-wracking - had been easier than the seemingly long and torturous walk she was taking now...

On her way to Sooraya's and Yvette's suite.

Now, normally, the thought of facing one of her two oldest friends wasn't overly nerve-wracking, and after the last couple of days, Angel would have welcomed the change to just chill out with someone. But Sooraya's comments on the journals had sounded oddly threatening (though really, what was threatening about tea?), and Angel suddenly wasn't quite sure what she was in for. She stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath and nudging the door open. "Hey, Sooraya? Ya home?" Oh please, please, PLEASE let Yvette be here too...

Sooraya looked up from her book at the call. "Come on in, Angel." She called out. Quickly she put the book down next to her and walked over to the kitchenette to start the kettle. She almost had to laugh a little at Angel almost peeking around the door carefully and then inching inside.

"Hey there," Angel said brightly as she slid inside, closing the door behind her. "How's it going? Feel like I haven't seen you in forever..."

"Weeeeeeeell..." Sooraya replied. "It's been a few days... I was just boiling water. Any particular tea you would like?"

Well, this was good. This was Sooraya not trying to hurt Angel. Angel liked this. "Um, no, whatever you're having." She didn't have any real preferences towards tea. It didn't keep her awake the way coffee did. "Yeah, um...it's been a crazy couple of days, ya know?"

With a quick nod she grabbed tea bag and hung it in the pot. Sugar, tea glasses and a tin of cookies were also quickly gathered on a tray before the the water was boiling. Sooraya poured the water in the pot and brought over the tea to the table. She grabbed the newspaper and rolled it up as if to put it away before twirling around and bopping Angel on the head with it gently.

"Eep!" Angel winced as the newspaper came down on her head - more for theatrics then anything else. She blinked, opening and closing her mouth a few times, having a few difficulties processing what exactly had just happened. "I...you...I...something on your mind, Sooraya?"

"Remember a few weeks ago?"

"Uh..." Angel knocked her knuckles lightly against her head a couple of times, thinking hard. Her brain was not up to par at the moment. "A few weeks ago...that would be when the three of us went on that picnic, right?"

Sooraya gave her a small smile as she sat down, the paper still in hand. "Also remember what we talked about?"

"Yeah, we - ...Oh." Angel eyed the paper wearily as she sat down as well. "Um...it's not what you think?" Oh she was so going to get bopped again.....

"What did we talk about?" Sooraya repeated patiently, but her eyes were glistering a little.

Oh this was dangerous..... "Not trying to handle things on our own and asking one another for help when we needed it," Angel replied almost automatically, feeling like she was sitting in class repeating facts for the teacher.

"Mind explaining to me why I was sitting here, worrying why you had to run off to England? At least until I saw Mr. Summers message." Sooraya leaned forward to pour the tea and held out a glass. "Tea?"

Oh...oh boy. Angel took the tea, but instead of taking a sip she just stared at the liquid, wondering if there was any real way to answer that question. "Well, you see, the thing is I...am a hypocrite." The look on Sooraya's face told Angel that this was not an appropriate answer. And she sighed. "I'm sorry, Sooraya. I didn't mean to make you worry, I just...panicked, and asking someone for help never really came to mind. You know how I get, one-track mind and everything."

"I know you have quite a bit of an one-track mind, Angel. But if you had the same training I am currently getting, it's drilled into you not to go in an unknown situation alone if possible...." Sooraya leaned forward, laying her free hand over Angel's. "I just want to know what was going on in your mind that made you ignore that."

Ack. Angel ran her free hand through her hair, sighing quietly. "Nothing," she said at last. "Absolutely nothing was going through my mind when I decided to ignore the training that has been constantly drilled into my head since I was seventeen. I just...it's England. It's this part of my life that I really messed up, and okay, maybe it sounds stupid, but I thought...I thought it was something I needed to fix on my own. I overreacted, and okay, trying to dive into an unknown situation without back up was just...so, so stupid."

"It was a little stupid... yes." Sooraya easily agreed. "But I have no right to speak of not doing stupid things. Did you manage to sort some things out?"

True, not that Angel was anywhere even close to spiteful enough to agree. "I think so, yeah," she said after a minute. "Or at least...we started to. Definite work in progress, but she doesn't actively hate me anymore. Which is good."

"That sounds like a good start... And your other friend... Blaine? Yvette mentioned to me that he was suspicious of what was going?" Sooraya carefully probed a little further.

"Yeah, um...that got solved with a lot of 'you're better off not knowing,'" Angel replied, fidgeting just a bit. "He wasn't happy and he made that very clear, but I think he gets that whatever it is, in this case knowledge isn't power." Though somehow she knew if they ever saw each other again, he would bring the subject up. Blaine wasn't the type to just quit.

"Are you still friends?" Sooraya ventured hesitantly.

"Well...apparently Blaine didn't hate me after the whole mess in March - and he's basically the only one." Angel shrugged, sighing. "I don't think that's changed, but any chance I had at trust is definitely out the window."

"And being a friend with someone who you can't trust is a difficult thing." The young Afghan stated sadly. "I am sorry, Angel."

"Yeah, well..." Angel ran a hand through her hair, pressing her lips together for a long moment. "Life we lead, right?" She was trying to be mature about it but really, the entire thing made her want to find a corner to sulk in. Just for a little while.

"Maybe... but that does not mean it does not hurt... And that is perfectly fine. I also imagine Mr. Summers didn't make things any easier?"

Angel snorted just a bit. "Well he kept me out of trouble. As far as Blaine goes, though, I think he just made him more suspicious. Which, okay, high science teacher going with one of his former students to England, kinda strange so I'll give Blaine that one."

"I can see that one..." Sooraya snorted, as she growled a little inside at the driving instructor. "Do you think Blaine is gonna let it rest?"

"I hope so." Angel didn't think she had it in her for any more discussions on this topic. Not with someone she had to keep so many secrets from, at least.

Sooraya just nodded. "How long ago is it since you slept? You said you were guzzling coffee?"

"Hmn...well, I mean, I slept Thursday when all was said and done, but the internal clock's kind of screwed up from the whole time change thing so it's not really sure what time it is right now, and then my flight was at like...five this morning...London time, which was, um...midnight here, and I didn't really sleep on the flight because...I dunno, my brain was being silly. I slept before the flight, though. For like, four hours? I don't know." Babbling. So babbling. So much caffeine. Caffeine was good.

"That's it..." Sooraya said decisively and with another firm nod. "No more caffeine. You need a nap, Angel."

"Whaaaaaaa?" Angel said in disbelief, easily slipping back into the goofy persona she had been forced to abandon the last couple of days. "No, please don't cut me off! Caffeine is good!"

"Angel." Sooraya stated softly, but forcefully. "You have had a hard few days. Sleep is good. I learned that the hard way. Remember?"

Now she just wasn't playing fair. "Okay, right," Angel ceded, rubbing her eyes. "I do like sleep. And I think the caffeine rush is starting to wear off." Seven coffees later. But that could just be her little secret.

"I thought so..." Sooraya quickly stood up, holding out her hand to urge Angel from the chair. With Angel accepted her hand, she pulled her up and wrapped her arms around her in a quick hug.

Angel smiled a bit as she returned the hug. "Sorry I worried you," she said after a moment. "Really."

"It's okay, Angel. All forgiven and forgotten." Sooraya took a small step back and looked her friend. "Now go sleep. Before I just tuck you in the room next door."

The smile turned into a grin as Angel saluted Sooraya. "Yes ma'am."