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xp_logsAngel and Sooraya honor their fallen friends in their own way - with a memorial of candholders. Backdated to 3/2.
Angel knelt down, peeking through the shelves of candle holders. It was one of the few times she didn't have to act like everything was a-okay; her usual grin had slipped away into an uncharacteristically solemn look that was probably too serious considering they were in a candle shop.
"Ah!"
At the very back of the shelf she saw a cute little metal coffee cup holder. "What about this?" She straightened up to show it to Sooraya. "For Lorna."
"It fits her. Fits her very well..." Sooraya sadly stared at the metal cup, taking it from Angel and turning it around. "I think we have a start." She handed it back to Angel and turned back to the shelves, scanning the enourmous variety of holders there.
Her gaze was draw to a section that shone with yellow, gold and other similar tones. "Mind if I take a look there?"
"Yeah, go for it." Angel peeked around at the section she'd zeroed in on. "Thinking someone in particular?" They had to be careful about names. But really, it was a crowded store and nobody was paying attention to them.
New York was a great place for anonymity.
Gently Sooraya lifted her hand and stroked the delicate glass candleholders. They were in all shapes and sizes, from simple bubbles to beautifully carved animals. Others seemed to have more metal worked in them and her eyes was caught by a simple golden bubble like shape. It reminded her of how her father would always describe Rachel's thoughts when she was little. She carefully putting it to the side, she continued the search.
A small crescent moon caught Angel's eye, and she grabbed it without really thinking, turning it over in her hands. Tandy. It was just like the moon over Tandy's eye when she used her powers. Angel closed her eyes for a long moment before continuing on, still holding on to the moon tightly.
This time it was a bird that caught her eye. It's shape was simply, but it was wrought from carved yellow, crystal or glass, but somehow she kept seeing Nathan hovering in his Phoenix forcefield when his power returned, only shortly after she had arrived at the mansion. And somehow it matched his daughter's...
She put the bird next to the bubble and stared at them for a moment, quickly wiping away a tear that threatened to fall.
Angel caught sight of Sooraya wiping the tear away and abandoned her own search for a moment, shuffling over to wrap an arm around Sooraya, holding her tight. She rested her head on her friend's shoulder, looking at the candleholders Sooraya had chosen.
"They're perfect."
Sooraya covered one of Angel's hand with her own and managed to dig up a watery smile. "Thank you. What... what did you manage to find so far?" She asked, having spotted the gleam of silver in Angel's hand.
"Just something for Tandy." She held up the moon for Sooraya to see. "Nothing much. Still mostly looking around." They had a lot of people to buy for.
"Maybe we should see about getting a box or a basket? I think we want to keep these safe even before buying them..." She suggested as she looked over the various holders they had already gathered.
"I got it," Angel said, going to the counter. It took a moment to get someone's attention, but she finally managed to commandeer a box for them, returning a moment later.
"I think I saw a some cat ones over there." Sooraya quickly gestured to a section of the shelves. "You mentioned wanting to get one for..." For Catseye, she wanted to add, but she couldn't quite get the words over her lips.
Angel nodded mutely, wandering over to the cat display. Almost instantly her eyes were drawn to a little cat on its back, its feet in the air as it held up the candle. She smiled a bit as she picked it up. Perfect.
Only a few steps away, Sooraya found another candle holder she had not even known she was looking for. An exquisitely carved book made from a dark wood, the hollow in the center showing where the candle was meant to be placed. It reminded her of Tabitha's love for the library. And so different from the explosive power that had taken her life in the end.
A small laugh slipped off Angel's lips as she zeroed in on a rather ridiculous metal fish candleholder. She picked it up, turning it in her hands for a moment before setting it in the box. For Namor. Of course.
"A fish?" Sooraya raised her eyebrow at Angel, not immediately placing the choice her friend had made.
"For our fishy prince friend," Angel said with a bit of a grin, miming gills on either side of her face. "Glub, glub."
"Ahhh, sorry. It didn't really make sense directly..." She hesitated for a moment. "Are you looking for ones for all the students whom we lost... Because I think I saw one who is supposed to be a kind of Robin Hood..."
"Pick it up," Angel said without hesitation. All the lost students deserved to be honored. They'd given up so much and they were only kids. The least they deserved was a candle lit for them.
Quickly retrieving the delicately painted candle holder and gently putting it in the box, she continued her search along the shelves. Spotting a pink hat, a small smile flashed over her face at the vivacious young teen and held it up to Angel: "And another fitting one, I think?"
Angel smiled sadly. "I like it."
*****
Two hours and about a dozen or candleholders later, they were just about done. Angel looked down at the pile of candleholders they had collected. So many, too many. After a moment she looked back at Sooraya. "One left."
"One left." Sooraya echoed. The one that might be one of the most difficult ones for both of them. The one for her spiky friend that she missed so much...
She quickly swallowed her tears away and looked around her: "Have you... I didn't really dare to look yet..."
Angel shook her head slowly. "No..." She didn't even know where to begin. "Wanted to wait for you."
From their place near the counter Sooraya could see most of the store and her eyes swept around. "No glass... Something too delicate does not fit. Maybe pottery... or metal..." She mused out loud.
"And red," Angel added as she looked around as well. "It has to be red." It would be a crime for it to be anything else, really.
"Red red or maybe also something in copper... I mean, that metal is red." Sooraya thought for a moment. "No, that is not going to work." Again she glanced around the store and her gaze narrowed as she caught a shelf peeking just above the cabinet in the middle of the shop. On top of it was a wrought metal candle holder. "How about we start there, maybe? If the shelves hold some art work in that direction..."
Angel walked around the shelf a couple of times before zeroing in on something right in the middle. "Oh, what about this?" She picked it up, giggling a little. "It looks like a little red porcupine."
"Hmmm, it might work." Accepting the holder from her friend, she gently turned it in her hand. "I would almost say it's more of a kind of flower... like a lotus flower..."
"It fits either way." Angel smiled. God this was so bittersweet. "I think that's our last one, then."
"It is. It seems to have been waiting for us." Sooraya returned the smile before a shadow was cast over her face again. "I wish so much she was still here..."
Angel sighed heavily, wrapping Sooraya in a tight hug. "Me too, Sooraya. God me too so much." She still had nightmares about that damn mission. She hadn't seen Yvette die, but she'd heard the gruesome details. The images that haunted her mind were probably far worse than her friend's actual death.
"Thanks." She returned the hug squeezing her friend tightly for a moment, before letting go and pulling herself together. "How about we go back to the mansion? We still have a lot to do..."
Angel smiled thinly, looping both her arms around one of Sooraya's. "Yeah. Let's go home."
**************************
(Some of the candleholders include...)
Lorna: https://img0.etsystatic.com/035/0/9316633/il_340x270.653590260_7xqa.jpg
Tandy: http://www.candlesbook.com/media/candles/holders/candle-holder-crescent-moon-chime-CH5CR.jpg
Catseye: http://mysiteh1.com/~u112738/images/CH84_Cat_Tealite_Holder_30256.jpg
Yvette: http://st.houzz.com/fimgs/91517d7e03968897_4298-w251-h251-b1-p10--asian-candleholders.jpg (but more red)
Angel knelt down, peeking through the shelves of candle holders. It was one of the few times she didn't have to act like everything was a-okay; her usual grin had slipped away into an uncharacteristically solemn look that was probably too serious considering they were in a candle shop.
"Ah!"
At the very back of the shelf she saw a cute little metal coffee cup holder. "What about this?" She straightened up to show it to Sooraya. "For Lorna."
"It fits her. Fits her very well..." Sooraya sadly stared at the metal cup, taking it from Angel and turning it around. "I think we have a start." She handed it back to Angel and turned back to the shelves, scanning the enourmous variety of holders there.
Her gaze was draw to a section that shone with yellow, gold and other similar tones. "Mind if I take a look there?"
"Yeah, go for it." Angel peeked around at the section she'd zeroed in on. "Thinking someone in particular?" They had to be careful about names. But really, it was a crowded store and nobody was paying attention to them.
New York was a great place for anonymity.
Gently Sooraya lifted her hand and stroked the delicate glass candleholders. They were in all shapes and sizes, from simple bubbles to beautifully carved animals. Others seemed to have more metal worked in them and her eyes was caught by a simple golden bubble like shape. It reminded her of how her father would always describe Rachel's thoughts when she was little. She carefully putting it to the side, she continued the search.
A small crescent moon caught Angel's eye, and she grabbed it without really thinking, turning it over in her hands. Tandy. It was just like the moon over Tandy's eye when she used her powers. Angel closed her eyes for a long moment before continuing on, still holding on to the moon tightly.
This time it was a bird that caught her eye. It's shape was simply, but it was wrought from carved yellow, crystal or glass, but somehow she kept seeing Nathan hovering in his Phoenix forcefield when his power returned, only shortly after she had arrived at the mansion. And somehow it matched his daughter's...
She put the bird next to the bubble and stared at them for a moment, quickly wiping away a tear that threatened to fall.
Angel caught sight of Sooraya wiping the tear away and abandoned her own search for a moment, shuffling over to wrap an arm around Sooraya, holding her tight. She rested her head on her friend's shoulder, looking at the candleholders Sooraya had chosen.
"They're perfect."
Sooraya covered one of Angel's hand with her own and managed to dig up a watery smile. "Thank you. What... what did you manage to find so far?" She asked, having spotted the gleam of silver in Angel's hand.
"Just something for Tandy." She held up the moon for Sooraya to see. "Nothing much. Still mostly looking around." They had a lot of people to buy for.
"Maybe we should see about getting a box or a basket? I think we want to keep these safe even before buying them..." She suggested as she looked over the various holders they had already gathered.
"I got it," Angel said, going to the counter. It took a moment to get someone's attention, but she finally managed to commandeer a box for them, returning a moment later.
"I think I saw a some cat ones over there." Sooraya quickly gestured to a section of the shelves. "You mentioned wanting to get one for..." For Catseye, she wanted to add, but she couldn't quite get the words over her lips.
Angel nodded mutely, wandering over to the cat display. Almost instantly her eyes were drawn to a little cat on its back, its feet in the air as it held up the candle. She smiled a bit as she picked it up. Perfect.
Only a few steps away, Sooraya found another candle holder she had not even known she was looking for. An exquisitely carved book made from a dark wood, the hollow in the center showing where the candle was meant to be placed. It reminded her of Tabitha's love for the library. And so different from the explosive power that had taken her life in the end.
A small laugh slipped off Angel's lips as she zeroed in on a rather ridiculous metal fish candleholder. She picked it up, turning it in her hands for a moment before setting it in the box. For Namor. Of course.
"A fish?" Sooraya raised her eyebrow at Angel, not immediately placing the choice her friend had made.
"For our fishy prince friend," Angel said with a bit of a grin, miming gills on either side of her face. "Glub, glub."
"Ahhh, sorry. It didn't really make sense directly..." She hesitated for a moment. "Are you looking for ones for all the students whom we lost... Because I think I saw one who is supposed to be a kind of Robin Hood..."
"Pick it up," Angel said without hesitation. All the lost students deserved to be honored. They'd given up so much and they were only kids. The least they deserved was a candle lit for them.
Quickly retrieving the delicately painted candle holder and gently putting it in the box, she continued her search along the shelves. Spotting a pink hat, a small smile flashed over her face at the vivacious young teen and held it up to Angel: "And another fitting one, I think?"
Angel smiled sadly. "I like it."
*****
Two hours and about a dozen or candleholders later, they were just about done. Angel looked down at the pile of candleholders they had collected. So many, too many. After a moment she looked back at Sooraya. "One left."
"One left." Sooraya echoed. The one that might be one of the most difficult ones for both of them. The one for her spiky friend that she missed so much...
She quickly swallowed her tears away and looked around her: "Have you... I didn't really dare to look yet..."
Angel shook her head slowly. "No..." She didn't even know where to begin. "Wanted to wait for you."
From their place near the counter Sooraya could see most of the store and her eyes swept around. "No glass... Something too delicate does not fit. Maybe pottery... or metal..." She mused out loud.
"And red," Angel added as she looked around as well. "It has to be red." It would be a crime for it to be anything else, really.
"Red red or maybe also something in copper... I mean, that metal is red." Sooraya thought for a moment. "No, that is not going to work." Again she glanced around the store and her gaze narrowed as she caught a shelf peeking just above the cabinet in the middle of the shop. On top of it was a wrought metal candle holder. "How about we start there, maybe? If the shelves hold some art work in that direction..."
Angel walked around the shelf a couple of times before zeroing in on something right in the middle. "Oh, what about this?" She picked it up, giggling a little. "It looks like a little red porcupine."
"Hmmm, it might work." Accepting the holder from her friend, she gently turned it in her hand. "I would almost say it's more of a kind of flower... like a lotus flower..."
"It fits either way." Angel smiled. God this was so bittersweet. "I think that's our last one, then."
"It is. It seems to have been waiting for us." Sooraya returned the smile before a shadow was cast over her face again. "I wish so much she was still here..."
Angel sighed heavily, wrapping Sooraya in a tight hug. "Me too, Sooraya. God me too so much." She still had nightmares about that damn mission. She hadn't seen Yvette die, but she'd heard the gruesome details. The images that haunted her mind were probably far worse than her friend's actual death.
"Thanks." She returned the hug squeezing her friend tightly for a moment, before letting go and pulling herself together. "How about we go back to the mansion? We still have a lot to do..."
Angel smiled thinly, looping both her arms around one of Sooraya's. "Yeah. Let's go home."
**************************
(Some of the candleholders include...)
Lorna: https://img0.etsystatic.com/035/0/9316633/il_340x270.653590260_7xqa.jpg
Tandy: http://www.candlesbook.com/media/candles/holders/candle-holder-crescent-moon-chime-CH5CR.jpg
Catseye: http://mysiteh1.com/~u112738/images/CH84_Cat_Tealite_Holder_30256.jpg
Yvette: http://st.houzz.com/fimgs/91517d7e03968897_4298-w251-h251-b1-p10--asian-candleholders.jpg (but more red)
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