Log: Angel and Sarah, Saturday afternoon

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Sarah tries to get caffeinated before confronting the mall, and Angel gives her a little push in the right a direction.


Coffee wasn't something Sarah consumed all that often. It was mainly relegated to those mornings where she struggled to even open her eyelids, rather than using it daily and getting addicted to the caffeine rush. Plus, according to her girlfriend, having Sarah hopped up on caffeine all of the time would not be in everyone's best interests. This afternoon, however, was one of those rare exceptions. Christmas break was almost there and she'd yet to get something for Layla, and with the energy and concentration she'd need to brave the crowds in the stores Sarah figured she'd best infuse herself with some go juice. So there she was, pouring up a mug of hot coffee, when she heard someone else enter the kitchen.

"Afternoon coffee, never a good thing," Angel quipped when she saw Sarah getting ready to down the cup in her hands. She went straight to the freezer, grabbing a popsicle from the back. "Either you didn't sleep last night or you're about to do something crazy."

"Hey Angel! The latter, I think." Sarah headed for the fridge first before trying her coffee, searching for some creamer to add to it and grabbing some packets of sugar off the counter on the way. "I mean, if you classify braving rabid last-minute shoppers at this time of the year as crazy. Which you probably should." She chuckled and returned to her coffee mug, mixing in the additional components. "How're you doing?"

"I'm sorry, you're going shopping?" Angel asked in disbelief. "Oh my god. Be careful. This close to Christmas, they start biting." She took a bite of her popsicle before continuing. "I'm all right, how're you? I mean, besides out of your mind, that's already obvious."

"Can't really argue with you on that one, huh?" She shook her head and finished mixing the creamer into her coffee, depositing the dirty spoon into the sink with a clang. "I'm ok, I guess, glad that it's time for a break you know?" Sarah sipped her coffee, taking a bigger mouthful after the first tentative sip. "Getting mentally psyched for college next year too, after having this last semester off and all."

"I support the idea of break," Angel said with a laugh. "As for college, you only really need to know one thing - that." She pointed to the coffee cup in Sarah's hands, "will become your best friend. Coffee and Red Bull, that's pretty much been my diet for the last two weeks. Don't tell Lorna."

"Ew, really?" Sarah wrinkled up her nose. "I guess I've never really had Red Bull before, technically, but that sounds kinda... nasty." She shook her head. "To each their own, I guess. And I won't tell, your dirty secret's safe with me." She winked while chuckling, taking her mug with her over to the kitchen table and pulling up a seat. "Did you find it ok, going from high school to college?"

Angel's facial expression was probably quite funny to watch as it morphed from highly amused to...well, horrified didn't quite describe it. "Red...Bull...nasty?" She repeated faintly, actually swaying on the spot. For the first time since...ever...Angelica Jones was stunned into silence. "That's...that's...sacrilegious!" She finally managed to say, gripping the counter behind her. "It's Red Bull! How can you not...how?" She blinked, shaking her head a couple of times. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

"Well, I don't know how it tastes but it doesn't really seem like something that'd mix well with coffee." Sarah shrugged. "I hear people mix it with alcohol though. Not that I've tried it or anything!" She raised her one free hand up in preemptive protest.

"Oh I don't make a habit of mixing the two unless it's finals time and I really need the extra rush. But on its own Red Bull. Is. AMAZING." Angel's eyes glazed over for a moment, then she giggled. "I wasn't going to accuse you, don't worry. I wouldn't know, though, I've never mixed it with alcohol."

"Blergh!" said Sarah, scrunching her eyes closed and wrinkling her nose even further. "Sorry, I shouldn't get all Judgy McJudgerson on you but it just sounds... nasty." She looked down at her coffee cup, carefully swishing its contents around a little. "Of course that's coming from someone who just drinks coffee for the caffeine and not the taste at all. This is probably more creamer and sugar than coffee, heh. But I need the energy if I'm going to survive the mallpocalypse!"

"You'll need it to survive college too, trust me," Angel said, dropping into the seat across from Sarah. She wasn't offended, of course. "Whatever gets you by, right? After a while you stop really tasting stuff, to be honest. Or that might just be me, pretty sure I killed all my taste buds a looooooong time ago."

"Ohmygosh, does it really do that too? Why on the world would anyone want to drink it then?" Her eyes went wide at the thought of losing her sense of taste. "Oddly enough, though, that makes me curious to see how it really tastes though, heh."

"Oh, that wasn't the Red Bull," Angel assured her quickly. "That's just me being totally willing to try anything and everything I'm told is edible. I ate like three of those caramelized onions someone left in the kitchen before."

"Oh, ok, phew." Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "I mean, not phew if you actually have lost your taste buds of course. Though if you ate that many onions..." She giggled a little at that. "Man, I bet your breath after was pretty overwhelming."

Angel laughed. "Yeah, probably. That might be why no one wanted to come near me for hours after, huh?"

"Maaaaybe." Sarah grinned. "Thankfully that kinda thing doesn't last, just pop a few breath mints or brush your teeth and you're good to go again. As long as you stop eating onions anyway." Pausing, Sarah frowned and rubbed her chin. "They don't make an onion flavoured Red Bull either, do they? That'd be nasty too. Do they actually have flavours though?"

"Onion-flavored Red Bull?" Angel tilted her head. "Hmn....dunno if I can wrap my head around that one. They literally just came out with flavors, but they're super hard to find. I think only seven-eleven sells them. I haven't tried any of them yet, it's my new life's goal."

"Dude, we should go and find some." Sarah pounded the table lightly with her fist. "I mean, I have to go out anyway, and you don't have to like go to the frontlines of the mall with me or anything but maybe I can hitch a ride? Parking's going to be a 'B and I don't want to have to circle forever trying to find a spot, you know?"

Angel finished off the rest of her popsicle like a pro and jumped up, grinning. "Yes to all of the above! No one should ever attempt to brave the mall alone at this time of year anyways, buddy system, ya know?"

"Awesome!" Sarah looked down into her mug and quickly finished the remainder of her coffee. "And I'm all fueled up too, at least enough to get us to somewhere that sells one of those Red Bull thingies to try one!" She got to her feet and clapped her hands together. "The mall will never know what hit it! Assuming we survive, that is."

"We're Xavier's graduates," Angel reminded Sarah, quite seriously. "We survived that, we can survive anything. Let's do this!"

"TO THE MALL MOBILE!" Sarah shouted. She wasn't exactly sure which vehicle that was, exactly, but it sounded right in her head.

Angel wasn't sure either, but it didn't matter. They'd wing it. "AND AWAY WE GO!" She matched Sarah's volume as the girls hurried out of the kitchen.